Herbert Henry Scaife was my paternal great grandad.
He was Private 205681, 2/4th Battalion, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, part of 187th Brigade in the 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division. He was born in Snaith in 1886, enlisted at Knottingley, and was killed in action on 27 November 1917 during the Battle of Cambrai.
He had no known grave. His name is commemorated on Panel 8 of the Cambrai Memorial at Louverval, Nord, France.
I never knew him, of course. But I am proud of him. To me, he was a hero.
There is another thought I keep coming back to with my great grandad. Herbert had a son before he went to war. My grandad, Austin William Scaife, was born in 1913.
If the timing had been different, even by a couple of years, I would not be here writing this.
That is always a strange thought to sit with.
Before France
Herbert had previously served with the Durham Light Infantry. His earlier numbers are recorded as 59279 and Private 96547, before he became Private 205681 with the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.
His medal card shows that he entered a theatre of war in France on 17 September 1915. That means he was already in the Army, trained, and overseas before conscription was introduced in 1916.
That changes the story slightly. Herbert was not simply pulled into the Army by later conscription. The records suggest he was an early volunteer, most likely joining during 1915.
Like many First World War soldiers, Herbert held more than one service number during his time in the Army. Numbers were issued by individual regiments and often changed when a man was transferred, reclassified, or moved between battalions.
His Durham Light Infantry numbers suggest he may have enlisted in spring or early summer 1915. The 17 September 1915 theatre date also suggests he may have served first with one of the Durham Light Infantry’s New Army battalions, possibly the 9th Battalion. This is not confirmed, but the timing fits the known movement of Durham Light Infantry units to France in 1915.
Why did Herbert go to war?
I sometimes wonder what drove him to sign up.
It is easy to think of it as simple national pride, but it was rarely that straightforward. For men like Herbert, it was often a mix of duty, pressure, family responsibility, and the feeling that ordinary men were expected to do their bit.
Britain did not have full conscription at the start of the war. Men volunteered in 1914 and 1915. Conscription came later, through the Military Service Act of 1916, when single men were called first, then married men were included soon after.
Herbert was born in 1886, so he was 28 when war broke out in 1914. He was also a father by then. Austin had been born the year before.
That changes how I think about him.
He was not some unattached young lad chasing adventure. He was a man with a child. He had already built part of his life before the war took him away from it.
We may never know exactly what he felt when he left. Duty, pressure, fear, pride, resignation, all of them may have played a part. There were no newsreels in every home and no social media. Most people received the war through newspapers, official messages, posters, rumours, and conversations in the street.
The message around him may well have been that Britain was doing its duty, that the war had to be fought, and that men were expected to go. He may even have believed that by the time his training was over, the war would be close to ending.
Unfortunately, that was not the case.
1915: Training and first service with the Durham Light Infantry
Because Herbert was in France by 17 September 1915, his early training must have taken place before then.
His training would have involved route marches with full kit, rifle practice, bayonet drill, trench digging, night exercises, gas drill, and repeated inspections. At this time Herbert has the service number 59279.
The men had to learn how to move as a unit, obey orders quickly, and keep going when tired, wet, cold, and hungry.
This was not glamorous training. It was marching, drilling, digging, cleaning equipment, waiting for orders, and doing it all again the next day.
By September 1915, Herbert was no longer training in Britain. He was in France.
17 September 1915: France
Herbert’s medal card records his qualifying date as 17 September 1915, with France as the theatre of war.
That date does not tell us exactly where he was standing on that day, but it does tell us that he had crossed from Britain to the Western Front.
He would probably have travelled by rail to a south coast port, then crossed the Channel by troopship. After landing in France, soldiers were often moved inland by train, sometimes in French railway wagons marked “40 hommes / 8 chevaux”, meaning 40 men or 8 horses.
For Herbert, this was the point where the war stopped being training, speeches, posters, and kit inspections. It became real.
1915 to 1916: The Durham Light Infantry period
The exact Durham Light Infantry battalion Herbert served with has not yet been confirmed.
Research suggests he may have been with one of the Durham Light Infantry’s New Army battalions, possibly the 9th Battalion, because the timing of his arrival in France fits that scenario. I believe that around this time his service number changed to 96547.
If that is correct, Herbert would have experienced the Western Front long before he joined the 2/4th KOYLI.
Life at the front was usually built around rotation. A battalion would spend time in the front line, then support trenches, then reserve, then rest.
Rest rarely meant comfort. It often meant carrying supplies, cleaning kit, repairing roads, moving ammunition, and preparing to go back to the front line.
Research suggests Herbert may have lived through trench conditions in late 1915 and 1916: mud, lice, rats, cold meals, wet socks, shellfire, sentry duty, and the constant need to stay alert.
By the time he later served with the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, he was probably not new to war.
Transfer to the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry
At some point before or during 1917, Herbert transferred from the Durham Light Infantry to the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.
This was common during the war. Men were moved where the Army needed them. Units took losses, drafts were sent forward, and soldiers were reallocated between regiments and battalions.
Herbert became Private 205681 in the 2/4th Battalion, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.
The 2/4th Battalion KOYLI was part of 187th Brigade in the 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division.
January 1917: The 2/4th KOYLI in France
The 2/4th KOYLI landed at Le Havre on 15 January 1917.
If Herbert was already in France with the Durham Light Infantry, he may have joined the battalion there rather than travelling with it from Britain. Without his full service record, that detail cannot yet be confirmed.
From January 1917, the 62nd Division concentrated in the Third Army area between the rivers Canche and Authie.
February to March 1917: The Ancre
The 62nd Division’s first listed fighting on the Western Front came during the operations on the Ancre, from 15 February to 13 March 1917.
This placed Herbert’s division in the hard, damaged country left by the Somme fighting. The men would have found broken trenches, shell holes, wire, mud, and villages reduced to ruins.
Herbert’s battalion was now learning, or relearning, the rhythm of front-line life within a new division.
March to April 1917: The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line
In March 1917, the German Army withdrew to the Hindenburg Line. The 62nd Division took part in the British advance that followed.
Herbert’s battalion would have moved through abandoned and destroyed ground. The German withdrawal left roads blocked, wells damaged, buildings ruined, and traps behind.
The British were advancing, but they were advancing into devastation.
This was not the old image of men sitting still in trenches. It was movement, patrols, uncertainty, and the constant risk of hidden machine guns or shellfire.
3 to 17 May 1917: Bullecourt
The 62nd Division fought at Bullecourt during the Second Battle of Bullecourt, from 3 to 17 May 1917.
Bullecourt was part of the wider Arras fighting. It was a grim and costly battle against German positions linked to the Hindenburg Line.
Herbert’s experience here would have included heavy shellfire, attacks over broken ground, damaged trenches, and the shock of seeing modern defensive fire at close range.
By this point, the battalion was no longer new to war.
Summer and Autumn 1917: Holding the line
After Bullecourt, the division remained on the Western Front. The months between major battles were still dangerous.
Herbert’s daily life may have included trench repair, wiring parties, sentry duty, ration carrying, lice, rats, cold meals, wet socks, and the constant need to stay alert.
Wiring parties repaired or added barbed wire entanglements, often at night, close to No Man’s Land.
Men “stood-to” at dawn and dusk, meaning they were on high alert with weapons ready, because those were common times for attacks.
Letters from home mattered. So did hot tea, dry socks, and a few hours of sleep. Small things became big things.
November 1917: Moving towards Cambrai
By November 1917, the 62nd Division was in the Havrincourt sector, south-west of Cambrai.
This area mattered because it sat in front of the Hindenburg Line. Cambrai itself was an important German supply centre, and the ground around Bourlon Ridge became one of the key objectives.
The 187th Brigade included the 2/4th KOYLI. Herbert was now moving towards the battle that would take his life.
20 November 1917: Havrincourt and the opening of Cambrai
The Battle of Cambrai began at about 6.30am on 20 November 1917.
The attack was unusual because it used tanks in large numbers. The British also used a predicted artillery barrage, a method where guns were aimed using calculations rather than a long registration bombardment. That helped preserve surprise.
The 62nd Division attacked near Havrincourt. The 187th Brigade advanced with the 2/5th KOYLI on the left and the 2/4th KOYLI on the right.
The 2/4th KOYLI attacked through the German defences around Havrincourt. The division pushed through the Hindenburg Line and helped take Havrincourt, then advanced towards Graincourt and the approaches to Bourlon Ridge.
For the men involved, this must have been a strange day. Tanks were moving ahead, artillery fire was crashing over the German line, and ground that had seemed impossible to cross was suddenly being taken.
But success came at a cost. The 2/4th KOYLI suffered heavy casualties on 20 November, with more than 200 killed, wounded, or missing.
21 November 1917: The advance slows
On 21 November, the early momentum began to fade.
The British had made a large gain, but they had not fully taken Bourlon Ridge. German resistance stiffened, and counter-attacks began around the newly captured ground.
Herbert’s battalion may have been involved in holding captured positions, reorganising after the first attack, moving supplies forward, and preparing for further action.
After a major attack, battalions rarely became neat and tidy again straight away. Men were missing, companies were mixed, officers had been hit, communications were in disarray, and nobody had eaten, rested, or slept properly.
22 November 1917: Towards Bourlon
By 22 November, fighting had developed around Fontaine, Anneux, and the approaches to Bourlon Wood.
The 62nd Division had advanced far, but it was now exposed. The German Army was recovering from the shock of the first day and bringing in reinforcements.
The men in this area would have faced shellfire, machine-gun fire, confused orders, and difficult movement over broken ground.
The battle was changing from a breakthrough into a hard fight to hold and extend the gains.
23 November 1917: Bourlon becomes the objective
On 23 November, the fighting increasingly centred on Bourlon Wood and Bourlon Ridge.
The 62nd Division had been heavily engaged since the opening day. Other units were brought into the fight, but the West Riding men had already helped open the way.
Herbert and the 2/4th KOYLI were likely still close to the Havrincourt, Graincourt, Anneux, and Bourlon area during this period.
The exact company-level position is not confirmed from the records I have seen so far.
24 to 26 November 1917: Waiting, holding, and moving under fire
The days between 24 and 26 November are difficult to place exactly without the battalion war diary page in front of me. It is something I would like to look at properly one day. But the wider battle gives us a strong sense of what was happening.
Herbert’s battalion was likely either holding captured ground, moving between support and forward positions, or preparing for renewed action around Bourlon.
These days may have been worse than the opening attack in some ways.
There was waiting. There was shelling. There was the strain of not knowing when orders would come. Men tried to sleep in trenches, dugouts, or shell holes. Rations and water had to be brought forward. Wounded men had to be carried back.
Late November in northern France was cold. Wet boots, mud, frost, tiredness, and fear would all have been part of the experience.
27 November 1917: Herbert’s death
Herbert Henry Scaife was killed in action on 27 November 1917.
By the 27th, the battalion had already been in action for a week.
War diary records for the division show continued fighting around Bourlon Wood and the nearby village. The ground was contested, and attacks were met with strong resistance.
Herbert was in or near the forward positions during this phase, likely somewhere between Anneux and Bourlon, where the fighting was at its most intense.
Casualties were heavy. Units were reduced in strength, and control was difficult to maintain once attacks began.
It was during this fighting that Herbert was killed.
He has no known grave.
That usually means a man’s body was not recovered, could not be identified, or was lost as the battlefield changed hands. It is one of the cruellest parts of this story. His family had a date, a regiment, and a memorial panel, but no grave to stand beside.
Timeline
1886: Herbert Henry Scaife is born in Snaith.
1913: His son, Austin William Scaife, is born.
August 1914: The First World War begins. Herbert is around 28 years old and already a father.
Spring to early summer 1915: Herbert likely enlists in the Durham Light Infantry. This date is estimated from his service number and the fact that he was already in France by September 1915.
17 September 1915: Herbert enters a theatre of war in France with the Durham Light Infantry.
1915 to 1916: Herbert serves with the Durham Light Infantry. His exact battalion is not yet confirmed, but the timing suggests a New Army battalion, possibly the 9th DLI.
Late 1916 or early 1917: Herbert is transferred to the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry as men are redistributed across the Army.
Early 1917: Herbert is recorded as Private 205681 with the 2/4th Battalion, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.
15 January 1917: The 2/4th KOYLI lands at Le Havre. If Herbert was already in France, he may have joined the battalion there.
15 February to 13 March 1917: The 62nd Division takes part in operations on the Ancre.
March to April 1917: The division advances during the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line.
3 to 17 May 1917: The division fights at Bullecourt during the Arras fighting.
Summer to autumn 1917: Herbert serves through the routine dangers of the Western Front. Exact battalion positions need the full war diary.
November 1917: The 62nd Division moves into the Havrincourt sector, south-west of Cambrai.
20 November 1917: The Battle of Cambrai begins. The 2/4th KOYLI attacks on the right of 187th Brigade near Havrincourt.
21 to 26 November 1917: Research suggests the battalion remains in the Cambrai battle area as British forces push towards Bourlon Ridge and fight to hold captured ground.
27 November 1917: Herbert is killed in action during the Cambrai fighting, most likely connected with the fighting around Bourlon Wood and Bourlon village.
Command
The 2/4th KOYLI was part of 187th Brigade, 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division.
The battalion commander during the Cambrai fighting is recorded as Lieutenant-Colonel R. E. Power.
The 62nd Division was commanded by Major-General Sir Walter Braithwaite.
Medals
Herbert’s medal card shows that he entered a theatre of war on 17 September 1915. That means he qualified for the 1914–15 Star.
He would also have been entitled to the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Together, these three medals were sometimes known as Pip, Squeak, and Wilfred.
All unfortunately lost or misplaced, but the memory of Herbert hasn't gone.
Why I’m here
I keep coming back to my grandad, Austin William Scaife.
He was born in 1913, before Herbert went to war. If Herbert had gonea nd joined the army earlier, or if life had unfolded in a slightly different order, Austin may never have been born.
And if Austin had not been born, I would not be here.
That makes this story feel very close.
It is not just military history. It is family history. It is the thin thread that connects a man born in Snaith in 1886 to me, sitting here more than a century later, trying to understand where he went and what happened to him.
Remembering Herbert
It is hard to write about someone you never met and still feel close to them.
But I do.
Herbert Henry Scaife was not just a name, a number, or a line on a memorial. He was a man born in Snaith who lived and enlisted in Knottingley, trained for war, crossed to France, endured the trenches, fought at Cambrai, and never came home.
His name is at Louverval because his body was never found. That feels unbearably sad, but it also means his name stands with thousands of others who gave everything and were not brought back.
I am proud of him.
I never knew him, but I know enough.
