25th May 1916: Private George Ludlow, 27, of 49 Wightman Road dies at Vimy Ridge

On 21st May 1916, Private George Ludlow, from Harringay, was in France with his regiment, the 20th London.  Following 2 days of a barrage of large trench mortars, at 3pm on the 21st, George and his fellow soldiers found themselves under intense artillery bombardment as the German Army subjected the Berthental and Carency sector of the Vimy Ridge to one of the most ferocious artillery barrages yet to be seen on the Western Front.

Over 4 hours, 70,000 shells were fired and the tear gas mixed with the smoke and dust caused such confusion that the German infantry attack was not noticed by the British Army until they were half way across no man's land. As trenches fell to the Germans, George Ludlow's brigade of the 20th London managed to form a defensive flank but at a cost of many, many casualties and the unimaginable hell of an 8 hour bombardment as they struggled to consolidate their position.

Until relieved on the 25th May, Ludlow's regiment were under heavy fire and casualties continued to climb. Sadly, George succumbed to his wounds on 25th May after enduring 4 days in a highly precarious battle situation and under a continual artillery bombardment. 

George Ludlow is buried at Quatre-Vents Military Cemetery, Estree-Cauchy, France

Information taken from The London WW1 Memorial website entry for George Ludlow