TIT-FOR-TAT shooting between the British and German trenches culminated in the death of 40-year-old Keighley soldier William Haigh.

The Royal Field Artillery member was killed by his opposite numbers when they shelled his trench on January 25, 9016.

The enemy artillery bombardment came towards the end of a 10-day series of artillery and machine gun attacks carried out by both sides.

William, a married father of eight and a peacetime foreman stoker, had arrived in France the previous July to serve as a driver.

Two months later he was given 28 days field punishment for drunkenness, and by the following winter was on the front lines with the 71st Division.

In January 17 the division took delivery of 2,500 rounds of shrapnel and high explosive and began the shooting match.

Over the following few days the enemy retaliated by shelling British lines, and the British fired at an enemy working party and scored direct hits on a house holding a machine gun crew.

The Germans tried working in their trenches for a couple of days but were sent running by British attacks.

Then, despite the British knocking out an enemy machine-gun, the Germans sent off the fateful barrage that killed Gunner Haigh.