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diff --git a/old/60677-8.txt b/old/60677-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3e873b7..0000000 --- a/old/60677-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11351 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Grenadier Guards in the Great War of -1914-1918, Vol. 1 of 3, by Frederick Edward Grey Ponsonby - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Grenadier Guards in the Great War of 1914-1918, Vol. 1 of 3 - -Author: Frederick Edward Grey Ponsonby - -Release Date: November 13, 2019 [EBook #60677] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRENADIER GUARDS--1914-1918, VOL 1 *** - - - - -Produced by Brian Coe, David King, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. (This -book was created from images of public domain material -made available by the University of Toronto Libraries -(http://link.library.utoronto.ca/booksonline/).) - - - - - - - THE GRENADIER GUARDS IN THE GREAT WAR OF 1914-1918 - - - - - THE GRENADIER GUARDS IN THE GREAT WAR OF 1914-1918 - - BY - - Lieut.-Colonel - The Right Hon. SIR FREDERICK PONSONBY - (LATE GRENADIER GUARDS) - - WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY - Lieut.-General THE EARL OF CAVAN - - MAPS BY MR. EMERY WALKER - - IN THREE VOLUMES - VOL. I - - MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED - ST. MARTIN'S STREET, LONDON - 1920 - - - - - Dedicated - - (BY PERMISSION) - - TO - - HIS MAJESTY THE KING - - COLONEL-IN-CHIEF OF THE GRENADIER GUARDS - - - - - INTRODUCTION - - -I regard it as a high privilege to be associated with this book, which -has been written by an old officer of the Regiment. I can fully -appreciate the magnitude of the task which confronted him when he -undertook to examine innumerable documents relating to hundreds of -thousands of men and covering a period of several years, and select -therefrom all that particularly concerned the Regiment. - -I often think that an officer who finds himself in command of a -battalion of Grenadiers on active service must be nicely poised between -the weight of responsibility and the upholding power of tradition. At -first the former seems to be overwhelming, but in time the feeling of -confidence and trust in all ranks of the Regiment is so great that the -idea of failure can be eliminated. - -I think this history will make my meaning clear. As Time marches on with -its many inventions, it does not become easier to uphold the traditions -so nobly set by our forbears. Gas and high explosives take heavier toll -of brave men than the weapons of old, and yet it is still the solid -determination of the man that wins the fight, whether offensive or -defensive. Although the tale of our great Dead is a long one, and -thousands have been maimed in the struggle, the Regiment has borne its -part in a manner worthy of it, and in accordance with the parting words -of trust of our Sovereign and Colonel-in-Chief. - -CAVAN, -_Lieut.-General_. - - - - - PREFACE - - -This account of the part taken by the Grenadier Guards in the European -War is, substantially, the work of the officers of the Regiment -themselves. Letters and diaries full of interesting detail have been -sent to me, and a vast amount of information collected by Colonel Sir H. -Streatfeild at the Regimental Orderly Room has been placed at my -disposal. - -The military historian who writes of past centuries has in some ways an -easier task than one who attempts to put contemporary events into their -historical perspective. In the first place, with every desire to be -accurate, the latter finds that the accounts of eye-witnesses differ so -much that he is forced to form his own conclusions, and to adopt what, -according to his judgment, is the most probable version. In the second -place, after reading a private letter giving a graphic account of a -particular part of a battle, he may easily derive a totally false -impression of the whole. Moreover, he writes in the constant presence of -the criticism of eye-witnesses. - -A special difficulty also arises from the unequal quality of the -material placed at his disposal. There is sometimes a wealth of -information on unimportant incidents and no material for the history of -important or dramatic events, in which the principal actors were almost -invariably killed. Even the Battalion diaries, which were kept with -meticulous accuracy during the early days of the war, contain less and -less material as the fighting became more and more serious. - -With a war of such astounding magnitude, when millions of men are -fighting on a front of hundreds of miles, any attempt to give an -intelligible picture of what is going on in a modern battle becomes -practically impossible. Even if such a course were desirable in a -regimental history, the material supplied, which consists for the most -part of letters and diaries of regimental officers, would be totally -inadequate, since regimental officers know little of what is going on -except in their immediate neighbourhood. A tactical study was out of the -question, since a battalion plays such a small part in modern battles, -and to describe the movements of corps and armies appeared to be beyond -the scope of a regimental history. - -I therefore decided to depart from tradition, and to write a narrative -giving, as far as I was able, details about companies, and even -platoons. It seemed to me that this was what the officers themselves -would prefer. - -The absence of information concerning the German Army necessarily takes -some of the life and colour out of such a record as this. In all -military histories the account of the enemy's movements adds enormously -to the interest of the narrative; but at present, beyond a few accounts -from neutral journalists inspired by the Germans, there is no authentic -information as to the movements of the German Army, and the motives -which actuated the German General Staff can only be inferred. - -Time will of course rectify this, and after the war detailed accounts of -the German Army will be available, though it will inevitably be some -years before anything worth reading about the enemy can be published. It -has therefore been suggested that it might be best to defer the -publication of this history for some years. But it is doubtful whether -with the lapse of time any valuable additions could be made to a -regimental history, though for a national history some knowledge of the -enemy's plans will be essential. - -The long periods of monotonous trench life, in which practically the -same incidents recur daily, have been particularly difficult to deal -with; and, although the greatest care has been taken to chronicle every -event of importance, I am conscious that many acts of bravery and -devotion to duty which have been omitted in the letters and diaries must -go unrecorded. - -The terrible list of casualties has made it impossible to do more than -simply record the deaths of the officers of the Regiment who fell during -the war. Had more space been available, fuller accounts of the -circumstances under which they met their deaths and some personal -appreciation of each officer would have been possible, but in a history -which has necessarily to be restricted to three volumes, all this was -out of the question. - -The Regiment is indebted to Colonel Sir H. Streatfeild, not only for the -scrupulous care with which he gathered together information from every -possible source, but also for his foresight in realising in the early -stages of the war the importance of all documents connected with the -movements of the different battalions. - -The maps are the work of Mr. Emery Walker, who has succeeded in -producing not only artistic pictures in the style that was prevalent -among cartographers of the seventeenth century, but also perfectly clear -and accurate maps. To Sergeant West I am indebted for the military -detail. - -To many officers I am indebted for suggestions, especially to -Lieut.-General the Earl of Cavan and Major-General Jeffreys, who found -time, during their few days' leave, to make many interesting additions -to this history; and to Major H. L. Aubrey-Fletcher, whose knowledge and -experience both as a staff and regimental officer have been invaluable. - -In conclusion, I wish to take this opportunity of thanking Captain G. R. -Westmacott, Lieutenant M. H. Macmillan, Lieutenant B. Samuelson, -Lieutenant L. R. Abel-Smith, and Lieutenant A. C. Knollys for the -excellent work they did in preparing accurate diaries for each -battalion, with extracts from the officers' letters. Without their aid I -should never have had the time or the energy to complete this book. - -F. E. G. PONSONBY. - - - - - CONTENTS - - -CHAPTER I - -THE SITUATION BEFORE THE WAR 1 - -CHAPTER II - -ARRIVAL OF THE 2ND BATTALION IN FRANCE 9 - -CHAPTER III - -THE RETREAT FROM MONS (2ND BATTALION) 23 - -CHAPTER IV - -THE BATTLE OF THE MARNE (2ND BATTALION) 42 - -CHAPTER V - -THE PASSAGE OF THE AISNE (2ND BATTALION) 54 - -CHAPTER VI - -THE FIRST BATTLE OF YPRES (1ST BATTALION) 83 - -CHAPTER VII - -THE FIRST BATTLE OF YPRES (2ND BATTALION) 143 - -CHAPTER VIII - -NOVEMBER 1914 TO MARCH 1915 (1ST BATTALION) 187 - -CHAPTER IX - -NOVEMBER 1914 TO MARCH 1915 (2ND BATTALION) 201 - -CHAPTER X - -THE BATTLE OF NEUVE CHAPELLE (1ST BATTALION) 224 - -CHAPTER XI - -THE BATTLE OF FESTUBERT (1ST AND 2ND BATTALIONS) 247 - -CHAPTER XII - -MAY TO SEPTEMBER 1915 (1ST BATTALION) 264 - -CHAPTER XIII - -MAY TO SEPTEMBER 1915 (2ND BATTALION) 272 - -CHAPTER XIV - -FORMATION OF THE GUARDS DIVISION 283 - -CHAPTER XV - -THE BATTLE OF LOOS (1ST, 2ND, 3RD, AND 4TH BATTALIONS) 290 - -CHAPTER XVI - -OCTOBER TO DECEMBER 1915 (1ST, 2ND, 3RD, AND 4TH BATTALIONS) 322 - -CHAPTER XVII - -JANUARY 1 TO SEPTEMBER 1, 1916 (1ST AND 2ND BATTS.) 352 - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - -The King, Colonel-in-Chief _Frontispiece_ - -Lieutenant-Colonel W. R. A. Smith, C.M.G., Commanding 2nd Battalion 144 - -Lieutenant-Colonel L. R. Fisher-Rowe, Commanding 1st Battalion 198 - -Officers of the Second Battalion Grenadier Guards 276 - -Colonel Sir Henry Streatfeild, K.C.V.O., Commanding the Regiment 288 - - - - - MAPS - - -Route of the Second Battalion, 1914, and the Mons Area, 1914 16 - -Route taken by the Second Battalion Grenadier Guards during the Retreat -from Mons, and subsequent advance to the Marne and the Aisne, 1914 24 - -Sketch plan of Landrecies, August 25, 1914 28 - -Engagement at Villers-Cotterêts, September 1, 1914 34 - -Battle of the Marne--Position of the British Army on September 8, 1914 -46 - -The Passage of the Aisne, September 14, 1914 58 - -Ypres and the neighbouring country where the First Battle of Ypres was -fought, October and November 1914 84 - -Route taken by the First Battalion Grenadier Guards through Belgium in -October 1914 90 - -The Grenadier Guards at Ypres 142 - -Battle of Neuve Chapelle, March 11, 1915 226 - -Neuve Chapelle, March 12, 1915 235 - -Neuve Chapelle, March 13, 1915 241 - -Festubert--Position on the evening of May 17, 1915 248 - -Battle of Loos, September 26, 1915 298 - - - - - CHAPTER I - THE SITUATION BEFORE THE WAR - - -When the Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated at -Sarajevo in Serbia on June 28, 1914, it never for a moment occurred to -any one in this country that the crime could in any way affect the -destinies of the First or Grenadier Regiment of Footguards. No one -dreamed that, before another year had passed, not only would the three -Battalions be fighting in a European war, but there would even be a 4th -Battalion at the front, in addition to a 5th Reserve Battalion of almost -unwieldy proportions. - -Even when Austria began to show her teeth, it still seemed an "incident" -quite beyond our horizon. If Austria and Serbia did come to blows, Great -Britain was not even indirectly involved, and the British Army, -therefore, remained unmoved. The Balkan peoples were constantly in a -state of warlike commotion, but their troubles hardly affected the great -British Empire. The war clouds, that from time to time darkened the -European sky, had hitherto always been dispersed. More than once of late -years the German Emperor had rattled his sword in the scabbard, and -talked or telegraphed to the very limits of indiscretion, but nothing -had ever come of it, nor did it seem at all probable that the -assassination of an Austrian Archduke could be made the pretext for a -European conflagration. - -There were, however, certain elements of danger in the European -situation at this particular juncture. The creation of the Triple -Alliance--Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy--had made necessary some -counter-move by the other European Powers. And the _entente_ between -England and France, initiated by King Edward, and originally intended -merely for the settlement of outstanding differences between the two -countries, became eventually the basis of a second grouping of nations. -This _entente_ was followed by one between England and Russia; and -although in neither was there anything in the nature of a defensive -alliance, it was well known that there was in existence--though the -exact terms of it had never been made public--a far stronger agreement -between France and Russia. - -Meanwhile it was generally known that, all the time these several -_ententes_ were being formed, Germany had been steadily preparing for -war. For forty years, with characteristic thoroughness of method, the -Germans had been diligently organising their forces to this end. Not -only had the Army been perfected into a first-class fighting machine, -but the civil population had all been assigned the parts they were to -play in the coming campaign. Trade problems had been handled, not so -much with a view to commercial prosperity pure and simple, as to ensure -to Germany a sufficient supply of the commodities which would be needed -in a great war. Gigantic preparations had been made for a limitless -output of shells and ammunition, and plans carefully elaborated for the -conversion of factories of all kinds into workshops for war material. -The whole State Railway system was controlled in such a way that, on the -declaration of war, troops could be instantly concentrated at any -selected spot with the utmost speed. - -While many civilians saw and deprecated the arrogance and madness of -such a policy, the military element, supported by the Emperor, was -anxiously pressing for an opportunity of proving to the world the -efficiency of the organisation it had created. It was only to be -expected that the generals, who knew how vastly superior the German Army -was to any other continental army, should hanker for an opportunity of -showing off their perfect war-machine. - -The attitude of the bankers and merchants towards the war was not clear. -Originally, without doubt, they had favoured the insinuating methods of -peaceful penetration, which had been so successful in the past, and by -which they intended to dominate Europe, but just before the war they -appear to have been allured by the prospect of large indemnities from -France and Russia and to have withdrawn their opposition. They were -persuaded by the military party that by war, and by war alone, could the -domination of the world by Germany be achieved, and that now was the -time to realise their dream. Young officers of both services made no -secret of their wish for war, and constantly drank "to the Day" when -they met at mess. The more intelligent portion of the German population -quieted what conscience they had with the comfortable reflection that -all military and naval preparations were merely ordinary precautions for -defence. Indeed this theory, cunningly instilled into the German people -by the military party, was so generally accepted that even after the war -was declared the majority was under the delusion that it was fighting -only for the defence of the Fatherland. - -Although the attitude of Germany towards England did not play any -prominent part in the events which led up to the war, there undoubtedly -existed in Germany a deep hatred of this country. Commercial rivalry and -the desire of the Germans to found a Colonial Empire on the same lines -as ours would hardly account for this feeling, which permeated every -class, and it is to the _Flotte Verein_ or Navy League that we must look -if we wish to find the reason. Originally instituted to instil into the -youth of Germany a desire for sea power, this organisation, by means of -propaganda, speeches, and pamphlets, succeeded in convincing the rising -generation that we were their natural enemies. The arguments were -invariably pointed by reference to the British Fleet, which, it was -said, could dominate Germany's world policy, and so young Germans grew -up with a feeling of terror for the British Fleet and hatred for the -British nation. - -In spite of everything, England slumbered on, hypnotised by politicians -who had convinced themselves by a process of mental gymnastics that war -was an impossibility. The contingency of a British Army being sent to -France was never even discussed by the House of Commons, and the logical -outcome of our European policy appears never to have occurred to either -House of Parliament. - -While Germany was studiously preparing for war, we were engaged in -academic discussions on disarmament, and although members of the -Imperial Defence Committee and a limited number of Cabinet Ministers may -have known of the possibility of our having to send an expeditionary -force to France, the man in the street, and even the majority of members -of Parliament, were completely in the dark as to the true significance -of the position of affairs in Europe. - -The whole situation was singularly favourable to the Germans. Never -before had they been so strong, and probably never again would they have -such a powerful Fleet and Army. For some years it had been growing clear -to them that if ever they were to strike, they must strike soon. The -Socialists were becoming stronger every day, and there were constant -grumblings, which ever-increasing prosperity failed to stifle, at the -enormous expenditure on armaments. The nation might weaken as the years -went on, and there was every probability that the Government would find -it impossible to maintain indefinitely a huge Army and a huge Fleet. If -they failed to take advantage of this opportunity they might never again -be in a position to dominate Europe. - -Though Austria had long been tied to the wheels of the German chariot, -there was always the danger of the Hungarians and Bohemians refusing to -support Germany, should the quarrel be purely German. It was therefore -necessary to make the _casus belli_ essentially Austrian. What better -opportunity could ever offer itself than the assassination of the heir -to the Austrian throne? Moreover, the new heir, perhaps soon to be the -new Emperor, might not be willing to endorse all his predecessor's -pledges, and Austria might conceivably drift apart from her ally. -Clearly, therefore, if Germany, with Austria's help, was to strike a -blow at Russia and France, she must do so forthwith. - -The war party held that together Germany and Austria were more than a -match for France and Russia. Italy was a member of the Triple Alliance, -and would either come in on their side or remain neutral. Great Britain, -it imagined, would be unable to take any part owing to her internal -troubles. It appears to have taken it for granted that the Dominions and -Colonies would in any case seize the occasion for declaring their -independence, and that there would certainly be a second mutiny in -India. There was therefore no need to consider the British Empire in -calculating the chances of success. A parade march to Paris would settle -France in a short time, and then the whole forces of the two Empires -would be turned on Russia. A glorious and victorious peace would be -signed before the end of the year. - -With such calculations as these, it is hardly to be wondered at that the -rulers of Germany decided on war at once. To their dismay, however, -Serbia submitted to the terms dictated by Austria, and it seemed at one -moment that the whole incident would be closed. Acting on Russia's -advice, Serbia agreed to all the points in the Austrian memorandum but -two. These practically threatened her independence, but there was -nothing that could not be satisfactorily settled by an impartial -tribunal. But, as despatches and telegrams were exchanged between the -European Powers, it gradually became clear that the original dispute -between Austria and Serbia had now nothing to do with the matter. Sir -Edward Grey made a final attempt to avert war by proposing a conference, -but this proposal came to naught, and the determination on the part of -Germany to force a war appeared to be stronger than ever. However -sincere the Emperor's wish for peace may have been, he was powerless in -the hands of a military autocracy which he himself had created. Ever -since he had ascended the throne, he had set the military over the -civilian element, and now, finding himself powerless to resist the -demands of the war party, he determined to place himself at their head. - -On July 31 Germany despatched an ultimatum to Russia demanding immediate -demobilisation. This was tantamount to a declaration of war, but war was -not actually declared till the next day. The declaration of war with -France followed as a natural sequence. - -Such was the situation at the beginning of August. With disinterested -detachment the British Empire watched the preliminary negotiations, and -even when war was declared between the two groups of Powers, public -opinion was divided as to which course we should adopt. When, however, -Germany violated the neutrality of Belgium, all doubt was removed, and -we declared war on August 4. The whole Empire was stirred to the depths, -and in London huge crowds paraded the streets and assembled outside -Buckingham Palace to cheer the King and the Queen. The wildest rumours -were circulated and believed. Fantastic tales were told to every one in -confidence by well-informed men in the street, and eagerly swallowed by -excited dupes. - -Then the curtain was pulled down, and the British public was allowed to -know nothing. What troops were going, where they were going, when they -were going, all became matters of conjecture. - -Meanwhile, silently and surely, the British Expeditionary Force found -its way over to France. - - - - - CHAPTER II - ARRIVAL OF THE 2ND BATTALION IN FRANCE - - -[Sidenote: 2nd Batt. Aug. 1914.] - -To any neutral not completely blinded by German sympathies it must have -been only too palpable that the last thing we were prepared for was a -European war, for not only had we no men to speak of, but there appeared -to be no competent organisation for dealing with a _levée en masse_. -Relying on the warlike instinct of our race, we had clung tenaciously to -the voluntary system, under the impression that it was best suited to -our needs. Even if conscription had been politically possible, it was -out of the question, since we had neither rifles, clothing, nor barrack -accommodation. The Territorial Associations, which were expected to cope -with the masses of men who at once began to flock to the colours, were -found so inadequate that Lord Kitchener decided to improvise an entirely -new organisation. - -In the inevitable confusion which occurred after the declaration of war, -there were, however, two factors which stood the test successfully, and -which may be said to have saved the country from disaster in the initial -stages of the war. The first was the equipment and despatch of the -Expeditionary Force, which was perfect in every detail, and the second -was the assembly of the Territorial Forces, originally designed to repel -invasion, but now utilised to garrison India and the Colonies. - -When war was declared, the 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards was at -Wellington Barracks, the rest of the Expeditionary Force being mostly at -Aldershot. The speed with which the Battalion was mobilised reflected -the greatest credit on all concerned. Its equipment was all ready; -reservists arrived from all parts of the country with a promptitude that -was truly remarkable. It was on August 4 that mobilisation orders were -received, and the Battalion was soon ready to start on active service. - -Meantime, while the preparations were still in progress, there occurred -an unrehearsed little incident, typical in its way of the unspectacular, -practical side of modern war. As the 2nd Battalion was returning to -Wellington Barracks from a route march, the King and Queen came down to -the gates of Buckingham Palace, quite informally, to see the troops pass -by. There was neither pageantry nor gorgeous uniforms, but those who -were privileged to be present on the occasion will not easily forget the -business-like body of men of splendid physique, clad in dull khaki, who -marched past in fours, and saluted the King, their Colonel-in-Chief, as -they returned to barracks. - -[Sidenote: Aug. 12.] - -The start for France was made on August 12. The First Army Corps, under -the command of General Sir Douglas Haig, consisted of: - - - FIRST DIVISION. MAJOR-GENERAL LOMAX - - - _1st Brigade._ Brigadier-General MAXSE. - - The 1st Batt. Coldstream Guards. - The 1st Batt. Scots Guards. - The 1st Batt. Black Watch. - The 2nd Batt. Munster Fusiliers. - - - _2nd Brigade._ Brigadier-General BULFIN. - - The 2nd Batt. Royal Sussex Regiment. - The 1st Batt. North Lancashire Regiment. - The 1st Batt. Northamptonshire Regiment. - The 2nd Batt. King's Royal Rifles. - - _3rd Brigade._ Brigadier-General LANDON. - - The 1st Batt. West Surrey Regiment. - The 1st Batt. South Wales Borderers. - The 1st Batt. Gloucestershire Regiment. - The 2nd Batt. Welsh Regiment. - - - SECOND DIVISION. MAJOR-GENERAL MONRO - - - _4th Brigade._ Brigadier-General SCOTT-KERR. - - The 2nd Batt. Grenadier Guards. - The 2nd Batt. Coldstream Guards. - The 3rd Batt. Coldstream Guards. - The 1st Batt. Irish Guards. - - _5th Brigade._ Brigadier-General HAKING. - - The 2nd Batt. Worcestershire Regiment. - The 2nd Batt. Oxfordshire Light Infantry. - The 2nd Batt. Highland Light Infantry. - The 2nd Batt. Connaught Rangers. - - _6th Brigade._ Brigadier-General DAVIES. - - The 1st Batt. Liverpool Regiment. - The 2nd Batt. South Staffordshire Regiment. - The 1st Batt. Berkshire Regiment. - The 1st Batt. King's Royal Rifles. - - -The Second Army Corps, under General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien, consisted -of the Third Division, under Major-General Hamilton, and the Fifth -Division under Major-General Sir Charles Fergusson, Bart. (an old -Grenadier). - - -THE ROLL OF OFFICERS, 2ND BATTALION GRENADIER GUARDS, EMBARKED FOR -ACTIVE SERVICE ON THE 12TH OF AUGUST - - _Headquarters_-- - - Lieut.-Colonel N. A. L. Corry, D.S.O., Commanding. - Brevet-Lieut.-Colonel Lord Loch, M.V.O., D.S.O., Senior Major. - Lieut. and Adjutant I. McDougall (Adjutant). - Lieut. Hon. W. A. Cecil (Machine-Gun Officer). - Hon. Lieut. and Quartermaster J. H. Skidmore (Quartermaster). - - _Company Commanders_-- - - No. 2 Company. Major Lord B. C. Gordon-Lennox. - No. 1 Company. Major G. C. Hamilton. - No. 4 Company. Captain the Hon. E. M. Colston, M.V.O. - No. 3 Company. Captain D. C. L. Stephen. - - _Captains_-- - - No. 2 Company. Captain E. G. H. Powell. - No. 4 Company. Captain E. J. L. Pike. - No. 3 Company. Captain A. B. R. R. Gosselin. - No. 1 Company. Captain C. Symes-Thompson. - - _Lieutenants_-- - - Lieut. Hon. F. E. Needham. - Lieut. C. F. A. Walker. - Lieut. A. K. Mackenzie. - Lieut. R. W. G. Welby. - Lieut. F. W. Des Voeux. - Lieut. R. Wolrige Gordon. - Lieut. H.H. Prince Alexander of Battenberg, G.C.V.O. - Lieut. Hon. J. N. Manners. - Lieut. M. G. Stocks. - - _2nd Lieutenants_-- - - 2nd Lieut. F. W. J. M. Miller. - 2nd Lieut. G. C. Fitz H. Harcourt Vernon. - 2nd Lieut. G. G. B. Nugent. - 2nd Lieut. J. R. Pickersgill Cunliffe. - 2nd Lieut. R. H. M. Vereker. - 2nd Lieut. A. K. S. Cunninghame. - 2nd Lieut. G. E. Cecil. - -Lord Loch was appointed to the Staff after the Battalion landed in -France, and Major Jeffreys took his place as senior Major on August 18. - -Queen Alexandra came to see the Battalion off and wish it God-speed when -it paraded at Chelsea Barracks that afternoon. With Her Majesty, to whom -all the officers were presented, were Princess Victoria and Princess -Beatrice. Headed by the band of the regiment, the Battalion then marched -to Nine Elms and entrained for Southampton Docks, where it embarked on -the _Cawdor Castle_, and finally sailed at 8 o'clock for France. - -Strictest secrecy had been observed about its destination, and the -captain of the ship himself did not know where he was bound for until -she was actually under way. It was lucky that it was a lovely night and -the sea quite calm, for the vessel was crowded to its utmost capacity. -The following message from Lord Kitchener had been handed to each man -when the Battalion embarked: - - You are ordered abroad as a soldier of the King to help our French - comrades against the invasion of a common enemy. You have to perform - a task which will need your courage, your energy, your patience. - - Remember that the conduct of the British Army depends on your - individual conduct. It will be your duty, not only to set an example - of discipline and perfect steadiness under fire, but also to - maintain the most friendly relations with those whom you are helping - in the struggle. The operations in which you are engaged will, for - the most part, take place in a friendly country, and you can do your - own country no better service than in showing yourself in France and - Belgium in the true character of a British soldier. - - Be invariably courteous, considerate, and kind. Never do anything - likely to injure or destroy property, and always look upon looting - as a disgraceful act. You are sure to meet with a welcome and to be - trusted; your conduct must justify that welcome and that trust. Your - duty cannot be done unless your health is sound. So keep constantly - on your guard against any excesses. In this new experience you may - find temptations in wine and women. You must entirely resist both - temptations, and while treating women with perfect courtesy you - should avoid any intimacy. - - Do your duty bravely. - Fear God. - Honour the King. - - KITCHENER, _Field-Marshal_. - -[Sidenote: Aug. 13.] - -Next morning the ship was found to be nearing Havre, and the men were -full of curiosity to see what manner of land France was. Meanwhile, from -French fishing-boats and trawlers came loud cheers at the welcome sight -of the arrival of the forces of Great Britain. A still more enthusiastic -greeting awaited the Battalion when it landed, and marched through the -numerous docks on the outskirts of the town to a camp about five miles -away. The inhabitants crowded round the men, and threw flowers at them -as they marched by, while from all sides came welcoming shouts of "Vive -les Anglais," "Vive l'Angleterre," and "Eep-eep-ooray." - -When the 2nd Battalion arrived in France, the German Army had already -overrun Belgium. For nearly ten days the Belgian Army had held up the -Germans, but Liége had fallen, and there was nothing now to prevent the -enemy from pouring into France. The French Army, as soon as it was -mobilised, had begun a general offensive towards Alsace and Lorraine, -but after some small successes had been checked at Morhange. A complete -alteration in the French plan of campaign was rendered necessary by the -advance of the German Army through Belgium, and troops were now being -hurried up towards the North from every part of France. - -The original disposition of the British Expeditionary Force was as -follows: The Headquarters of the First Corps (the First and Second -Divisions) under Sir Douglas Haig, at Wassigny; the Headquarters of the -Second Corps (the Third and Fifth Divisions), under Sir Horace -Smith-Dorrien, at Nouvion; while the Cavalry Division, under General -Allenby, was sent to Maubeuge. - -[Sidenote: Aug. 14.] - -It was a scorching, airless day, and the march to camp was a very trying -one. But after a good sleep and a bathe in the sea the men were -thoroughly refreshed and fit. Then, after the usual inspections, they -were formed up on parade, and the King's message was read out to them: - - MESSAGE FROM THE KING TO THE TROOPS OF THE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE - - You are leaving home to fight for the safety and honour of my - empire. - - Belgium, whose Country we are pledged to defend, has been attacked - and France is about to be invaded by the same powerful foe. - - I have implicit confidence in you, my soldiers. Duty is your - watchword, and I know your duty will be nobly done. - - I shall follow your every movement with deepest interest and mark - with eager satisfaction your daily progress, indeed your welfare - will never be absent from my thoughts. - - I pray God to bless you and guard you and bring you back victorious. - - GEORGE R.I. - -The whole population of Havre seemed to have come out to see the -Battalion when it marched the same evening to the entraining point. The -crowd cheered and shouted, and the men responded with "The -Marseillaise." When they reached the siding the disappointing news met -them that the train would not start for another four hours. It began to -rain heavily, but fortunately there were large hangars available, into -which the men crowded for shelter. - -[Sidenote: Aug. 15.] - -Eventually when the train arrived at 2 A.M., the men were packed into -it, and very crowded they were. Sleep was difficult, as the horse-wagons -attached to the train were loosely coupled, and there was a succession -of bumps whenever the train stopped or slowed down. The first real stop -was at Rouen, where provisions were obtained for the men, and then the -train bumped on to Amiens. - -[Illustration: Route of the Second Battalion, 1914.] - -Fervent scenes of welcome went on all along the line. Each little -wayside station, every bridge and level-crossing held a cheering throng. -At Arras the Mayor turned out in state with a number of local magnates, -and presented three large bouquets, for which Colonel Corry returned -thanks on behalf of the officers, in his best French. - -A touch of humour was not wanting at the little ceremony--if any one had -been in the mood to seize hold of it. For, caught unawares, Colonel -Corry, Lord Loch, and Lord Bernard Gordon-Lennox were anything but -arrayed for a function, in fact, in a state of decided deshabille. But -such was the enthusiasm of the inhabitants that a trifle like this -passed unnoticed or unconsidered. - -The stationmaster here said he was passing trains through at the rate of -one every ten or fifteen minutes, which gives some idea of the great -concentration of troops that was going on. - -Slowly the train went on through Cambrai, Busigny, and Vaux Andigny to -Flavigny, where, in pouring rain, the Battalion detrained and went into -billets--surprisingly well arranged; but then Flavigny had plenty of -experience in that way, and only a few days before had lodged the French -troops. - -[Sidenote: Aug. 16-20.] - -Next morning parade was at 7 o'clock for the march to Grougis, about -seven and a half miles off, where four days were spent in billets, and -Colonel Corry took advantage of the breathing space to have his officers -and men inoculated against typhoid. - -The concentration of the British Force in the Busigny area was now -completed, and the advance towards Mons was to begin the next day. - -[Sidenote: Aug. 20-22.] - -Off again on the 20th, the Battalion marched to Oisy (where it was again -billeted), and on the following days to Maroilles and La Longueville. -Here for the first time it heard the guns, and realised that very soon -it would be getting to work. - -On the 21st, following the plan concerted with General Joffre, Sir John -French took up a defensive position from Condé on the west to Binche to -the east--a front of about twenty-five miles. The British Army was thus -on the extreme left of the French lines. To the First Corps was assigned -the easterly position from Mons to Binche, while the Second Corps lined -the canal from Mons to Condé, the whole front being covered by the 5th -Cavalry Brigade. - -Originally the scheme appears to have been to await the enemy's -onslaught on the Charleroi--Mons line, and then to assume the offensive -and advance into Belgium. - -How far-reaching the German preparations had been was at that time -hardly recognised, and neither the French nor the British -Commander-in-Chief seems to have had any conception of the overwhelming -force which the Germans had been able to concentrate against them. - -[Sidenote: Aug. 23.] - -From La Longueville the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers marched on August 23, -during the last stages of its journey, across the field of Malplaquet, -where more than 200 years before the regiment had fought with -distinction, through Blaregnies and Genly to the outskirts of Mons, -where it bivouacked. There it received orders to advance, which were -countermanded before they could be carried out, and the Battalion was -told to remain where it was. There was nothing to do but have breakfast -and an hour's sleep by the roadside, with showers falling at intervals. -All the time heavy firing could be heard from the direction of Mons, and -shells bursting could be observed in the distance. - -Orders then came for the Battalion to march back to Quevy le Petit, -about five miles off, where the men fondly imagined they would again be -comfortably billeted. But hardly had they arrived there when they were -sent forward again. As they were marching down a dusty track General -Scott-Kerr rode up, and directed the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers and the -Irish Guards to move up close behind the ridge east of Spiennes in -support of the Irish Rifles. At the same time the two Coldstream -battalions were ordered to entrench themselves just east of Harveng, -presumably as a precaution in case the Brigade should have to retire. -Heavy firing was now going on all round, and the ridge which overlooked -St. Symphorien to the north was being vigorously shelled by the Germans, -who had got the range to a nicety, and were bursting their shells over -it with accuracy. It was about 6 P.M. when the Battalion, advancing -through Harveng, proceeded in artillery formation for about one and a -half miles to the hill near Spiennes. The men huddled close together -under the banks on the reverse slope of the hill just over the railway -line, while bullets and shells whistled over their heads. As they were -lying there they were amused to see the signalman walk slowly down the -line as if nothing in particular was happening. He had to light the -lamps, and saw no reason why the ordinary routine which he had carried -out probably for many years should be interfered with. One of the -officers called out to him in French, and explained that the Germans -were advancing, but he merely murmured "ça m'est égal," and continued -his work, apparently unconscious of the bullets that were striking the -line. - -Meanwhile, Colonel Corry and Major Jeffreys went up to the position -occupied by the Irish Rifles, who were holding their own well under a -heavy rifle fire. - -When they returned to their men it was getting dark, and at 10.30 a -message came from the O.C. Irish Rifles, that his battalion was -retiring. It appeared therefore to Colonel Corry that the position was -becoming untenable, since the Irish Rifles on his left had already -retired, and both flanks of the Battalion were exposed. He consulted -Colonel Morris of the Irish Guards, and they both came to the conclusion -that the best course would be to retire to Harveng. - -The difficulty was to communicate with the Brigadier. The telephone to -Brigade Headquarters had been cut by shell-fire, and so Colonel Corry -rode back to find General Scott-Kerr. He could not be discovered, and -was reported to have gone to Divisional Headquarters. There seemed no -prospect whatever of finding him, and it was now past midnight. -Thereupon Colonel Corry determined to take upon himself the -responsibility of ordering the retirement of the two battalions. His -impression was that in a case like this, when local conditions could not -be known to the Divisional Staff, it was for the man on the spot to make -his own decision. - -Superior authority, however, afterwards held that while under -exceptional circumstances such powers might well be delegated to the man -_in mediis rebus_, in a case like this it could not be admitted that an -officer in actual touch with the enemy was the best judge of how long a -position should be held. It was felt that there were many considerations -in a decision of this sort, of which the officer in the front line could -know very little. Colonel Corry was therefore severely blamed for his -action, and was a fortnight later relieved of his command. - -[Sidenote: Aug. 24.] - -At 1 o'clock in the morning the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers and the Irish -Guards retired, but they had only gone a couple of miles towards Harveng -when they were ordered to go back and occupy the ridge they had just -left. Back they went, and got as far as the foot of the hill, only to -receive another order to retire to Harveng. By this time the men were -absolutely tired out. They had started at 3.30 the previous morning, and -had been on the move for twenty-four hours, with only occasional halts -by the roadside. - -It was just at this point in the engagement that Sir John French -received what he described in his despatch as a most unexpected message. -It came from General Joffre, who informed him that the French Forces had -been compelled, by superior numbers, to retire, and that consequently -the Fifth French Army, which was immediately on our right, had vacated -its line. Two German corps were advancing on the British position, while -a third corps was engaged in a turning movement in the direction of -Tournai. Divisions of French Territorials had been promised in support -of the left flank, but, except for a Brigade at Tournai, no French -troops arrived from the west. There was therefore no alternative for Sir -John French but to retire. - - - - - CHAPTER III - THE RETREAT FROM MONS (2ND BATTALION) - - -Thus began that historic, terrible, splendid retreat from Mons. Long -weary marches were to be the lot of the British Army for many a day, but -fortunately no one realised what lay ahead, or the stoutest hearts might -well have quailed. - -Long before it was over, the men's boots--not Crimean ones of brown -paper, but good, sound English leather--had been worn into shreds by -those interminable, pitiless paving-stones, that had withstood centuries -of traffic. Even the men with the toughest skins suffered badly from -their feet. Clouds of dust and the heavy atmosphere arising from men in -close formation added to the trials of marching. Constant cries of "Feel -your right" (to let cavalry or wagons pass by), the wearisome burden of -the pack on the shoulders, which drove many men to throw away their most -prized possessions, the frequent futile digging of trenches, abandoned -as soon as they were dug, the orders and counter-orders--all made the -days that followed a positive nightmare to the Army. - -Such continuous retirement had never been practised. It was against all -tradition, and the men grumbled constantly at the seemingly never-ending -retreat. But what other course could the "contemptible little army" have -followed in the face of the enemy's overwhelming force? - -[Sidenote: Aug. 24.] - -On the 24th Sir H. Smith-Dorrien started off with the Second Corps, -while a demonstration was made by the First Corps in the direction of -Binche, and dug a line four miles south of Mons to enable the First -Corps to retire. It was evident that the Germans were straining every -effort to surround the British Army, and therefore to hold on too long -to any line was extremely dangerous. The Fifth French Army was still in -full retirement, and the First French Cavalry Corps was so exhausted -that General Sordet could promise no assistance. The greater part of the -British Cavalry Division, with the exception of the regiments covering -the retreat of the two British Corps, was guarding the left flank. The -arrival of the Fourth Division at Le Cateau had been a welcome addition, -but as it was only too probable that the Germans would make every effort -to envelop the left of the whole line of the Allies, it was important to -have strong reinforcements on that flank. - -[Illustration: Route taken by the Second Batt. Grenadier Guards during -the Retreat from Mons, and subsequent advance to the Marne and the -Aisne. 1914.] - -Two hours' sleep was all the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers was allowed on -that fateful 24th of August, weary as it was after its twenty-four hours -on end of marching and fighting. At daybreak it marched to Quevy le -Grand, where the men were ordered to dig themselves in. They were quite -in the dark about what was going on round them. What force was opposed -to them or why they were retiring, no one knew. The greatest secrecy -prevailed. Although it was cold and foggy early, it soon became -scorching hot and the men were tired, but when the word went round that -this was not a rearguard action, but a determined stand, the digging -became a serious matter, and they set to with a will. The Germans -advanced very slowly and cautiously, gradually pushing back our Cavalry -Patrols, who could be seen retiring. They shelled the Mons--Maubeuge -Road and also Quevy le Grand, but as the line of the road was not held, -our position being some hundreds of yards in rear of it, little damage -was done, although a few men were hit in the village. - -But at 2 P.M. another order came to evacuate the trenches and -concentrate on the left. "Concentration" proved to be a euphemism for -further retirement, and after a long and dusty march the Battalion -bivouacked south of La Longueville. - -[Sidenote: Aug. 25. Landrecies.] - -Next morning at 5 o'clock it started on another hot and lengthy march -through Pont sur Sambre, Leval, and Noyelles to Landrecies, which was -reached at 4 P.M. It went into billets and settled down to rest. But -soon afterwards a trooper from the cavalry patrols rode into the town -with the news that the Germans were coming; the alarm was given, and the -men stood to arms. Nothing further happened, however, and they returned -to their billets. The 3rd Battalion Coldstream provided the outposts, -and the rest of the brigade were just settling down once more in the -hope of a restful night when a second alarm sounded. This time it was a -real one. The Germans were advancing in force on Maroilles and -Landrecies. - -Though the night was very dark there was no confusion, as the men poured -hurriedly out from their billets to fall in. Some were at once detailed -to build emergency barricades in the streets, and as the tool limbers -were taken for this purpose the Battalion never had any heavy tools for -the rest of the retreat. The houses on the front of the town were -rapidly put in a state of defence; loopholes were made, and the -furniture, or anything handy, was pushed up to make the walls -bullet-proof. - -As it turned out, the enterprise of a small patrol of Uhlans, who rode -unopposed into the town during the afternoon, had proved a very -fortunate thing for the defenders. For it seems to have been assumed at -first that the town was covered by troops from other brigades, and when -the 3rd Battalion Coldstream was ordered to furnish outposts it had been -considered a quite unnecessary precaution. After the Uhlan incursion, -even the most optimistic could hardly have needed convincing. - -When all the dispositions had been made the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers was -distributed as follows: Nos. 2 and 3 Companies, under the command of -Major Lord Bernard Lennox and Captain Stephen, held the level-crossing -over the railway, and watched the right and left flanks of the road -leading over the Sambre. No. 1 Company, under Major Hamilton, held the -two sides on the left, while No. 4 Company, under Captain Colston, in -reserve, was posted on the bridge over the Sambre. - -The first warning that the enemy was at hand was given at 8 P.M. by the -firing of the picquets. When the alarm went there was still sufficient -light for the men to get into their positions, but soon after it became -pitch dark, and the rain began to fall. Suddenly shadowy forms were -observed by the outposts moving in the darkness. Evidently they realised -that they had been seen, for a voice was heard calling out, "Don't -shoot. We are the French." The trick at that time was new to us. Our men -naturally hesitated at first to fire, and this gave the Germans their -opportunity for a forward rush. - -Very critical moments followed. The two forces were only a short -distance apart, and in the darkness a retreat would have been fatal, but -the splendid discipline of the Guards saved the situation. Everywhere -the attacking Germans found themselves beating up against a wall of -stubborn resistance. They brought up a couple of guns and poured shells -into the town at almost point-blank range; they even fired case-shot -down the road. Again and again they charged, only to be met and mowed -down by a withering fire. The machine-guns of the Grenadiers were moved -up to help the Coldstream, and came into action at a very critical -moment. They were largely instrumental in repelling the enemy's attack, -and were well handled by Lieutenant the Hon. W. Cecil, who was slightly -wounded. Private Rule particularly distinguished himself by sticking to -his gun and continuing to fight it, although he had been blown off his -feet by the blast of a H.E. shell. The brunt of the attack was borne at -the start by the 3rd Battalion Coldstream, which lost heavily in this -fight; but in the Grenadiers the casualties were not great. - -Soon burning houses were lighting up the battlefield, and it began to be -possible to distinguish friend from foe. During one of the bursts of -firing Lieutenant Vereker was hit, and fell shot through the head. After -the first heavy attacks had been repulsed, the enemy tried to get round -the left of the Coldstream in the direction of the railway-station, but -there was met by a steady fire from No. 2 Company, under Major Lord -Bernard Lennox, and could make no headway. Splendid work was done by a -field howitzer, which had been manhandled up to the level-crossing, and -which succeeded in silencing the enemy's guns. - -[Illustration: Sketch plan of Landrecies.] - -Finally, about midnight, the enemy evidently realised the futility of -going on with the attack, and retreated once more into the darkness. But -spasmodic firing continued for some time, and it was not until nearly 2 -A.M. that the night became still, and the men were able to strengthen -their position. It was afterwards learnt that the Germans who took part -in the attack had been pushed up to Landrecies in two hundred motor -lorries. How severely they had been handled may be surmised from the -fact that they allowed the Grenadiers and 3rd Battalion Coldstream to -retire unmolested over a single bridge across the Sambre. Writing of -this engagement in his despatch of September 7, Sir John French said: - - The 4th Guards Brigade in Landrecies was heavily attacked by troops - of the Ninth German Army Corps, who were coming through the forest - on the north of the town. This brigade fought most gallantly and - caused the enemy to suffer tremendous loss in issuing from the - forest into the narrow streets of the town. This loss has been - estimated from reliable sources at from 700 to 1000. - -In the meantime the Second Corps was between Le Cateau and Caudry with -the 19th Brigade, which had been brought up from the lines of -communication on the left and the Fourth Division south of Cambrai. The -German First Army launched a serious attack along the whole of this -line, and Sir H. Smith-Dorrien, finding himself outnumbered and -out-gunned, had the greatest difficulty in breaking off the engagement -and continuing the retirement. - -[Sidenote: Aug. 26.] - -At daybreak the 4th Brigade again got orders to retire, and marched -unmolested to Etreux. Unfortunately many of the men had no time to -retrieve their kits, which they had left at their billets, and all these -were left behind. The troops were dead beat, having again had -practically no sleep after a long day's marching and fighting. Every -time a halt was made the whole Battalion fell fast asleep, and when the -march had to be resumed it was very hard to rouse the men. It might seem -hardly worth while to sleep during a brief halt of only a few minutes, -with the prospect of a painful reawakening to the realities of the -situation as the inevitable sequel. But most of the men were so -thoroughly worn out that they eagerly welcomed even the doubtful -blessing of such a respite. In the distance heavy firing could be heard -in the direction of Le Cateau, and at one time it seemed probable the -4th Brigade might be sent off to support the hard-pressed Second Corps. - -Etreux was reached at last, and the Battalion proceeded to dig itself -in. During the afternoon a German aeroplane flew very low over the -bivouac, and dropped a bomb, which, however, did no damage. Every one -who had a rifle handy had a shot at the unwelcome visitor; eventually it -was forced down a mile away, where it was picked up by the cavalry. In -it were found three officers, two dead and one wounded. - -[Sidenote: Aug. 27.] - -Another long dusty march lay before the Brigade on the following day. -Continuing the retirement, it passed through Vénérolles, Tupigny, -Vadencourt, and Hauteville to Mont d'Origny. A report was brought in -that a large force of the enemy had been seen near St. Quentin, but this -proved to be inaccurate. That night the First Corps was in a most -critical position. The Germans had nearly surrounded them, and urgent -orders to entrench the high ground north and east of Mont d'Origny were -received; but although the weary troops dug on till midnight, nothing -occurred, and at 3.30 A.M. the Battalion started off again. - -[Sidenote: Aug. 28.] - -It reached Deuillet near La Fère, where it had the only day's halt -during the retreat. On the way the Scots Greys and 12th Lancers charged -a large force of German cavalry and utterly routed them, making many -prisoners, but otherwise nothing was seen of the enemy. - -On arrival at Deuillet, the usual procedure was gone through, and a -position in defence was entrenched, the men working at it all day. - -[Sidenote: Aug. 29.] - -In the evening an electrifying report, which cheered every one up, went -round that there was to be a general advance. But when the order came it -was the usual one to retire, and another hot march of twenty-eight miles -followed. The weary, wearing ordeal of long day marches and but little -sleep had commenced again. As soon as it was decided to continue the -retreat, and the whole British Force had crossed over the Oise, the -bridges were blown up. The heat was intense. There was practically no -wind, and the dust was stifling; a very large number of men were -suffering from sore feet, and there was a good deal of grumbling in the -ranks at the endless marching in the wrong direction. But there was no -prospect of a long rest, and those battalions which were unlucky enough -to leave men behind never saw them again. Not a man from the 2nd -Grenadiers, however, fell out. - -The two corps which had been dangerously separated were now once more -united, but the pursuing Germans were very near, and the situation still -gave rise to much anxiety. Information was received to the effect that -five or six German corps were pursuing the Fifth French Army, while at -least two corps were advancing on the British Army. The situation on the -left of the British Army was obscure, but it was reported that the enemy -had three or four more corps endeavouring to creep round that flank. In -response to Sir John French's representations, General Joffre ordered -the Fifth French Army to attack the enemy on the Somme with the object -of relieving the pressure on the British Army. - -[Sidenote: Aug. 30-31.] - -The Battalion reached Soissons about midday on the 30th, and was ordered -to occupy the ridge near Pasly, about two miles north of the town. Next -day it tramped on to Soucy, a very hard march in great heat, finishing -up with a steep climb. Here it bivouacked as usual, and snatched what -rest it could. But a full night's sleep was always out of the question, -and soon after midnight the whole Brigade was directed to form a -rearguard, to cover the retirement of the Second Division. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 1. Villers-Cotterêts.] - -Accordingly trenches were dug in the high ground above Soucy, No. 4 -Company Grenadiers being detached to guard the right flank in a position -leading across a deep ravine to the high ground above Montgobert. It was -to rejoin the Battalion when it retired to the forest of -Villers-Cotterêts. Soon after the Germans came in sight, and retirement -from the first position was successfully effected. The 2nd Battalion -Grenadiers and 3rd Battalion Coldstream made their way into the wood, -the edges of which were held by the Irish Guards and 2nd Battalion -Coldstream, and took up a fresh position along the line of the main road -running east and west through Rond de la Reine. - -Thick mist hung over the country, and the dense undergrowth made the -passage of the wood difficult. The Germans, it was assumed, would not -attempt to penetrate the wood, but would be content to use the roads and -drives. The assumption proved to be wrong--fortunately for us. As it -happened, they came through the very thickest part, and in so doing lost -cohesion and direction. Probably, in fact, it was their doing this, and -the confusion into which they were consequently thrown, that enabled the -4th Brigade to break off the action later in the evening and retire -unmolested. - -The 2nd Battalion Grenadiers held the right of the line. From a -strategic point of view, the position it occupied could not well have -been worse. But in a rearguard action there is often no choice. It was -absolutely necessary to retard the advance of the enemy through the -wood, so that the rest of the Division should get away. - -During the time of waiting for the oncoming Germans, the Scots Greys and -12th Lancers suddenly appeared, coming down the ride on the right. They -had been attracted by the firing, and came to see what was going on. -They dismounted, and, finding many friends among the Grenadiers, started -"coffee-housing" for a while. But the firing in the outskirts of the -wood began to sound serious, and they rode off along the road to the -left, with the idea of operating against the enemy's right. - -A few minutes later the Germans appeared, and a fight at close quarters -began. The firing became very hot, as in some places the opposing forces -were hardly seventy yards apart. Good work was done by the machine-guns -of the Grenadiers and Irish Guards, which accounted for a large number -of Germans, while the men charged repeatedly with the bayonet and drove -the enemy back. Gallantly, stolidly, the 4th Brigade held on until the -order came to retire. - -Even with highly-disciplined troops, a rear-guard action in a wood is -one of the most difficult manoeuvres to carry out well. It is quite -impossible for the commanding officer to keep a firm grip of his -battalion when it is scattered about in different rides; orders passed -along often do not reach all the platoons, and men of different -companies, and even regiments, are wont to get hopelessly mixed. -Fortunately in the Brigade of Guards the men are all trained on the same -system, and, except for some small characteristic differences, a man -belonging to one regiment will be quite at home in any of the others. - -At Villers-Cotterêts the men of the 4th Brigade became very much mixed, -and officers took command of the men who happened to be near them. The -wood, too, was so thick that at fifty yards' distance parties were -practically out of sight of each other. One result of this difficulty of -keeping in touch was that two platoons of No. 4 Company never got the -order to retire. - -[Illustration: Engagement at Villers-Cotterêts. September 1. 1914.] - -These two platoons, under the command of Lieutenant the Hon. F. E. -Needham and Lieutenant the Hon. J. N. Manners, were at the Cross Roads -at Rond de la Reine. As the Germans came on, Brigadier-General -Scott-Kerr, finding that they were creeping round his left flank, -ordered these two platoons down a ride to the left, to enfilade them. -Making the best dispositions they could, these two officers continued to -fight, when they suddenly realised that they were cut off and the -Germans were on all sides of them. True to the traditions of the -Regiment, they stuck to their posts, and fought on till all were killed -or wounded. - -Lieutenant the Hon. J. N. Manners was killed while directing the fire of -his platoon, and Lieutenant the Hon. F. Needham, badly wounded, was -taken prisoner. Lieutenant G. E. Cecil, another officer belonging to -these platoons, seeing the Germans streaming across a ride to his left, -dashed off with some men to stop them. He had not gone far before he was -shot through the hand; stumbling forward, he recovered his feet, and, -drawing his sword, he called on the men to charge when a bullet struck -him in the head. And there were other casualties among the officers. -Earlier in the day the Adjutant of the Battalion, Lieutenant I. -MacDougall, was shot dead while carrying orders to the firing-line. His -place was taken by Captain E. J. L. Pike. The Brigadier-General, -Scott-Kerr, who rode up to give some orders, was badly wounded in the -thigh, and the command of the Brigade passed to Colonel Corry, while -Major Jeffreys took over the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers. Field-Marshal Sir -John French, on hearing of this, sent the following telegram to -Brigadier-General Scott-Kerr, care of Communications: - - My warm congratulations on gallantry of your Brigade A A A am deeply - grieved to hear you are wounded A A A I shall miss your valuable - help very much A A A my best wishes for your recovery. - - FRENCH. - -Captain W. T. Payne-Gallwey, M.V.O., who was in charge of the -machine-guns in the First Brigade, was reported missing. - -Orders were given to retire, and the Battalion quietly withdrew in -single file of half-platoons, covered by a rear party from No. 2 -Company. The enemy, as already stated, had been thrown into hopeless -confusion in the wood, and, in spite of a prodigious amount of shouting -and blowing of horns, could not get forward. Some three hours later a -second engagement was fought on the other side of Villers-Cotterêts. The -4th Brigade retired through the 6th Brigade, which with the field -artillery had taken up a position at the edge of another wood. The -enemy's first shells came over as the 4th Brigade moved into the wood. -The British guns succeeded in keeping the Germans at bay, but were only -got away with the utmost difficulty and some loss. - -Having borne the brunt of the fighting, the 4th Brigade had necessarily -suffered heavy casualties. - -The 2nd Battalion Grenadiers lost 4 officers and 160 men, while the -Irish Guards lost 4 officers and the Coldstream 7, as well as a large -number of men. Two exceptionally good officers in the Irish Guards were -killed--Colonel the Hon. G. Morris and Major H. F. Crichton. The latter -served in the Grenadiers for some years before exchanging into the Irish -Guards.[1] - -On emerging once more into open country, the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers -was sent off to march to Boursonne, which it reached about 4 P.M. Two -companies of the 2nd Battalion Coldstream were ordered back to support -the 6th Brigade, which was now protecting the retreat of the guns; but -they were not wanted after all, and were sent back to Boursonne after a -fruitless journey. Then General Monro rode up, and ordered the 2nd -Battalion Grenadiers to take up a rear-guard position about Boursonne, -to cover the retirement of the 6th Brigade. Meanwhile, the Brigade -Headquarters, the Irish Guards, and the 3rd Battalion Coldstream went on -to Betz. - -When the 6th Brigade had passed through, the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers -and 2nd Battalion Coldstream retired to Thury. Unfortunately no orders -had been given them to go to Betz, and through following the 6th Brigade -these two battalions missed the guide whom Battalion Headquarters had -sent to meet them. Once more the men were absolutely dead beat. They had -had nothing to eat since tea the day before, but when the matter of food -was inquired into it was found that all the supplies had gone on to -Betz. This was at 11 o'clock at night, and it looked as if the men would -have to bivouac foodless by the roadside. - -Heroic measures were called for, and Major Jeffreys decided to brush -aside the ordinary procedure and shortcircuit the usual channels of -communication by going straight to the Divisional Commander, General -Monro. He was instantly successful. On learning of the sad plight of the -Battalion, General Monro undertook to supply it with food. He ordered -his D.A.Q.M.G. to take the Battalion to his supply depot, and Major -Jeffreys went back and fell in his weary men. - -With the promise of a meal ahead they responded gamely, and marched off -to La Villeneuve, the place indicated by the General, where rations of -bully-beef, bread, and cheese were soon distributed. - -Then the men were allowed two hours' sleep by way of a night's rest -after one of the longest and most strenuous days they had ever had. They -were more fortunate, though, than the men of the 2nd Battalion -Coldstream Guards, who did not even manage to get any food that night, -and who had to snatch what sleep they could lying down in the streets of -Thury. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 2.] - -At 2 A.M. the Battalion marched off again--still retiring--through -Antilly to Betz, where it was joined by No. 1 Company and 45 men of No. -4 under Lieutenant Stocks. Thence by Montrolle to Reez, where a halt was -made for water, and on to Puisieux. Here the men had a late breakfast, -and then, in stifling heat, continued their march, with constant halts, -through La Chaussée and Barcy to Meaux. They reached this village at 4 -P.M., and, their long day's journey ended, they were refreshed by a -bathe in the Ourcq Canal. This march was almost the hardest of the whole -retreat, but, in spite of everything, the Battalion marched on, with -scarcely a man out of the ranks, although the number of men who fell out -in other regiments was by no means small. - -Undoubtedly the men were by now beginning to feel the strain of this -interminable retirement. However footsore and weary they may be, British -troops will always respond when called upon to advance. But to ask them -to make a special effort when retreating is quite another thing, even -with the most highly disciplined. Besides, they were quite unable to see -the necessity of it all. There had been no pitched battle, no defeat--in -fact, whenever they had had a chance they had inflicted enormous losses -on the enemy and driven him back. Of course they had seen no newspapers, -and had no way of picking up any real idea of what was going on in -France. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 3.] - -Next morning at 7 o'clock the march was resumed eastwards, and the -Division crossed the Marne at Trilport, blowing the bridges up after -them. This new direction was the result of the Germans moving along the -north bank of the Marne, which they crossed near Sammeron. Then the -Battalion moved southward again, through Montceaux and Forêt du Mans to -Pierre Levée, where it bivouacked. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 4.] - -The men had expected a rest on September 4, but the order soon arrived -for the Brigade to continue the retirement. No. 3 Company of the 2nd -Battalion Grenadiers under Captain Gosselin, and No. 4 Company under -Captain Symes-Thompson, were sent out on outpost duty. - -In the morning the Brigade marched to Les Laquais, where trenches were -dug, joining up with the 5th and 6th Brigades on the right. At 5 P.M. -the enemy shelled the right of the line, and at dusk the Brigade -withdrew. It picked up No. 3 Company at Grande Loge Farm, and marched -through Maisoncelles and Rouilly le Fay to Le Bertrand, where it -bivouacked for the night. - -Meanwhile Major Lord Bernard Lennox was despatched to Coulommiers to -find the first draft that had been sent out from home--90 men under -Captain Ridley. They arrived about midday after a train journey of -thirty-six hours--they had been all round the country, constantly -receiving fresh orders to go to different places. Lord Bernard Lennox -had been instructed to remain at Coulommiers, but when he found the -First Division retiring through the town all the afternoon, he decided -to strike off westward with the new draft in search of the Battalion. -This plan succeeded, and he found it about midnight. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 5.] - -It was a sadly tattered, unshaven, footsore body of men that marched at -3 o'clock next morning through La Celle and Malmaison Farm to Fontenay, -where they went into billets. No Londoner seeing them would have guessed -that these were the same smart Grenadiers whom he had often admired on -the King's Guard. But if their looks were gone, their spirit was -indomitable as ever. - -The Germans seem to have been genuinely under the delusion that by this -time the long retreat had reduced the British Army, always -"contemptible," to a mere spiritless mob, which it was no longer -necessary to take into calculation in developing their plan of campaign. -They little knew the British soldier. So far the 2nd Battalion -Grenadiers had had no chance of showing its quality; it had just been -marched off its feet from the start--in the wrong direction. But, in -spite of all the men had gone through, they were ready at any moment to -turn and fight like lions when they were allowed to. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 6.] - -And now at last the moment was close at hand. To their joyful surprise -the officers of the Battalion found, on the morning of September 6, that -the direction had been changed, and that an advance was to be made -eastward against the German flank. At first it was thought that this -meant the beginning of an offensive-defensive, the German attack having -failed; but in reality, of course, the change was a much bigger one even -than this. The French reserves were now available, and the Germans' -greatest asset, superior numbers, was lost to them. And so a new phase -of the campaign began to develop. - -On the 6th Lieut.-Colonel Corry resumed the command of the Battalion, -and Lieut.-Colonel G. Feilding took command of the Brigade. - -Footnote 1: - - In November 1914, when the Allies regained possession of - Villers-Cotterêts, the bodies of those who had fallen there were - reverently buried. Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. G. Morris, Captain Tisdall - of the Irish Guards, Lieut. Geoffrey Lambton, Coldstream Guards, and - Lieut. G. E. Cecil, Grenadier Guards, were buried together, and a - cross was put up by the French with the following inscription: - - - _Ici reposent - Quatre officiers de l'Armée Anglaise._ - - Le Colonel l'honorable GEORGE MORRIS. _R.I.P._ - Le Capitaine C. A. TISDALL, de la garde Irlandaise. - Le Lieut. GEOFFREY LAMBTON. - Le Lieut. GEORGE E. CECIL, des Grenadiers de la Garde. - - - - - CHAPTER IV - THE BATTLE OF THE MARNE (2ND BATTALION) - - -The German General Staff at this juncture realised that a retreating -army is not necessarily a beaten one. For the last ten days, with their -maps spread before them, they had had the satisfaction of moving the -pins and flags representing their forces continually and rapidly nearer -and nearer Paris. But if the French Army--the British Army, they -thought, could be safely ignored--were to succeed in escaping south, it -would remain a constant menace. It might even interfere with the -Emperor's spectacular entry into Paris, every detail of which had been -sketched out beforehand by the officials, whose business it was to -stage-manage all the theatrical pageantry of their Imperial master's -movements. - -So a big _coup_ was wanted--a smashing blow at the French. If the centre -of the French line could be pierced by the combined efforts of Von -Hausen's, the Duke of Würtemberg's, and the Crown Prince's armies, and -if simultaneously Von Kluck's army, which had reached Senlis, and was -only twenty-five miles from Paris, could execute a swift movement to the -south-east, the Fifth French Army would be caught in a vice. This -strategic plan really menaced the whole of the interior of France, and -had it succeeded might have resulted in her downfall. In all these -calculations of the German Staff it appears to have been assumed that -the British Army was practically out of action, and that whatever -remained of it had in all probability been sent to reinforce the weak -spot at Bar-le-Duc. - -To accomplish his decisive stroke, Von Kluck had to execute that most -dangerous of all manoeuvres, a flank march with the object of rolling up -the left of the French line. The German General Staff assumed that the -left of the Fifth French Army was the left of the whole French line, and -that nothing beyond a few cavalry patrols had to be reckoned with. Von -Kluck was accordingly given orders to march his army to the left and -attack the Fifth French Army under General Franchet d'Esperey. They knew -nothing of the Sixth Army under General Maunoury, which had arrived with -such dramatic suddenness in taxi-cabs from Paris. - -The unknown and the despised elements proved Von Kluck's undoing. Before -he had gone very far he found the completely ignored British Army on top -of him, and the totally unexpected Sixth French Army on his right flank. -Quickly realising his peril, he decided to retire. In the meantime, on -the French side, General Foch, who was about in the centre of the French -line, saw an opportunity, which he promptly seized, of driving a wedge -between the armies of Von Hausen and Von Bülow. The situation was now -entirely changed. The lately triumphant German forces were no longer -even moderately secure, and decided on a general retirement all along -the line. - -It was on September 5 that Sir John French and General Joffre conferred -together and decided to take the offensive. To the British Army was -assigned the space between the Fifth and Sixth French Armies. This meant -a change of front, and hence that welcome order to the 2nd Battalion -Grenadiers to move due east instead of south. - -That evening Field-Marshal Sir John French issued the following orders: - - (1) The enemy has apparently abandoned the idea of advancing on - Paris and is contracting his front and moving south-east. - - (2) The Army will advance eastward with a view to attacking. Its - left will be covered by the French Sixth Army also marching east, - and its right will be linked to the French Fifth Army marching - north. - - (3) In pursuance of the above the following moves will take place, - the Army facing east on completion of the movement. - - First Corps: right on La-Chapelle-Iger, left on Lumigny, move to be - completed 9 A.M. - - Second Corps: right on La Houssaye, left in neighbourhood of - Villeneuve, move to be completed 10 A.M. - - Third Corps: facing east in the neighbourhood of Bailly, move to be - completed 10 A.M. - - Cavalry Division (less 3rd and 5th Brigades): to guard front and - flanks of First Corps on the line Jouy-le-Chatel (connecting the - French Fifth Army)--Coulommiers (connecting the 3rd and 5th - Brigades). The 3rd and 5th Cavalry Brigades will cease to be under - the orders of the First Corps and will act in concert under - instructions issued by Brigadier-General Gough. They will cover the - Second Corps connecting with the Cavalry Division on the right and - with the Sixth French Army on the left. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 6.] - -Sunday, the 6th, was the joyful day when there came this turn of the -tide, and that morning Sir John French issued an order to his Army in -which he said: - - After a most trying series of operations, mostly in retirement, - which have been rendered necessary by the general strategic plan of - the Allied Armies, the British Forces stand to-day formed in line - with their French comrades, ready to attack the enemy. Foiled in - their attempt to invest Paris, the Germans have been driven to move - in an easterly and south-easterly direction, with the apparent - intention of falling in strength on Fifth French Army. In this - operation they are exposing their right flank and their line of - communication to an attack by the Sixth French Army and the British - Forces. - - I call upon the British Army in France to show now to the enemy its - power and to push on vigorously to the attack beside the Sixth - French Army. I am sure I shall not call on them in vain, but that on - the contrary by another manifestation of the magnificent spirit - which they have shown in the past fortnight they will fall on the - enemy's flank with all their strength, and in unison with their - Allies drive them back. - -At 5.30 the same morning the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers marched to Le Mée, -where trenches were dug. The men, for once, had had a good night's rest, -and were in great spirits at the prospect of an advance. A sharp -artillery attack was being carried on against Villeneuve, and the 1st -Brigade was moved out to attack the place, while the 4th Brigade -prolonged the line on the left. Being in reserve, the 2nd Battalion -Grenadiers saw little of the day's fighting. In the event the artillery -proved sufficient to shift the enemy, and the Battalion marched without -further incident to Touquin, where it bivouacked for the night. That -night the British Army occupied a line from Dagny on the right to -Villeneuve-le-Comte on the left. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 7.] - -Severe fighting went on all along the line next morning. Maunoury's -taxi-cab army had been able to press Von Kluck as he retired, and the -British Army had taken Coulommiers and La Ferté-Gaucher. As the German -battalions retreated shells were poured on them by our artillery, who -were kept well posted with information by the aircraft observers. -Marching through Paradis, Mauperthuis, St. Simeon, and Voigny, the 2nd -Battalion Grenadiers finally bivouacked at Rebais. Everywhere in the -villages were staring evidences of the German occupation and hurried -retreat. Shops had been looted, houses despoiled, and the contents--such -as could not be carried away--had been wantonly destroyed, evidently -under orders, and the fragments scattered to the winds. The -advance-guard of the 4th Brigade (the 2nd Battalion Coldstream) was -engaged with the German rearguard during this march, and the Grenadiers -who were in support came in for a certain amount of firing. The Germans -could be plainly seen retiring by Rebais with masses of transport in -great confusion. - -[Illustration: Battle of the Marne. Position of the British Army on -September 8, 1914.] - -[Sidenote: Sept. 8.] - -It became clear next day that Von Kluck's Army was in retreat, and Sir -John French determined to press him and give him no rest--thus -completely were the positions reversed. The First Corps advanced, and -everything went well at first, but at La Trétoire it was held up by the -German rear-guard, which had found a good position, and the 3rd -Battalion Coldstream, which formed the advanced guard, was checked for a -time by the German machine-guns hidden in the houses round the bridge -over the Petit Morin. Meanwhile, a German field battery posted near -Boitron shelled the high ground over which the main body of the 4th -Brigade had to pass. - -The Germans were evidently fighting a delaying action, and were -employing their cavalry with great skill to hold the river as long as -possible. In front of the British Army, the cavalry covering the retreat -of Von Kluck's Army was commanded by General von der Marwitz, who showed -no intention of abandoning his position without a struggle. - -Thick woods run down to the river for the last half-mile here, but right -through them goes one big clearing about eighty yards wide. This was -swept by the German machine-guns, and it was a problem how to get the -men across. No. 3 Company Grenadiers under Captain Stephen was sent on -to support the Coldstream, followed later by No. 4 under Captain -Colston. Both companies reached the edge of the wood, but were there -stopped by a hail of fire from the machine-guns. Our field-guns could -not reach the houses where these had been placed, and the howitzers were -unaccountably slow in coming up. It was while he was endeavouring to -find some way of advance that Captain Stephen was shot through both -legs; he was taken to hospital, and died of his wounds four days later. - -Urgent messages to push on kept arriving meanwhile from Sir Douglas -Haig. Lieut.-Colonel Feilding, who was temporarily in command of the -Brigade, sent the 2nd Battalion Coldstream by a circuitous route to try -and effect a crossing at La Forge, farther to the right. No. 1 and No. 2 -Companies Grenadiers were then ordered to go round by a covered route to -avoid the clearing in the wood, and had actually started when -Lieut.-Colonel Feilding gave the order for them to turn about. Major -Lord Bernard Gordon Lennox, who had raced off at their head, was so far -in front that the order did not reach him. He rushed across the -clearing, and just managed to get into a ditch on the other side, the -shower of machine-gun bullets churning up the ground almost at his -heels. - -So deafening was the noise of the firing that it was impossible to pass -orders simultaneously to the men scattered about in the woods, who at -the same time were all on edge to advance. And soon it became very -difficult to keep the troops together. - -Lieut.-Colonel Corry had already gone off with these two companies, Nos. -1 and 2, to follow the 2nd Battalion Coldstream, when Lieut.-Colonel -Feilding thought he saw the Germans retiring, and shouted to Major -Jeffreys to turn the Grenadiers about and take them across the clearing -straight down to the river, but No. 2 Company had got a good way ahead -through the woods, and Major Jeffreys was only able to get hold of half -of No. 1 Company, which followed him across the clearing. Unfortunately, -however, the German guns were still there, and opened a heavy fire on -them. By this time the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers was hopelessly split up, -different parts of the Battalion having gone in three different -directions, and the 3rd Battalion Coldstream was also scattered all over -the woods. In the meantime the howitzers came up, and soon drove the -Germans out of their position. No. 3 Company had done well in the -fighting, having succeeded in capturing one of the enemy's machine-guns -and many prisoners. - -The various parties then made their way through the wood to the edge of -the stream, but as there was no bridge to be seen they worked along the -banks to La Trétoire. Without further opposition, a party of the Irish -Guards under Major Herbert Stepney, together with half of No. 1 Company -under Major Jeffreys and Lieutenant Mackenzie, crossed the bridge, and -advanced up the opposite side towards Boitron. In every direction the -ground was strewn with dead and wounded Germans, and after advancing -1000 yards the party of Grenadiers reached the position which had been -occupied by the German Battery; the guns had all been got away, but dead -horses, overturned limbers, and dead gunners showed how this Battery had -suffered at the hands of the 41st Brigade R.F.A. - -As the enemy retired our guns and howitzers kept up a heavy fire, and -inflicted severe losses. - -The whole Brigade had by now debouched from the woods, and gradually -collected behind Boitron, while the Divisional Cavalry went on ahead so -as to keep in touch with the retreating enemy. The 2nd Battalion -Grenadiers was then ordered to advance in artillery formation over the -open country north of Boitron, and met with no resistance. - -But there was one incident that might have proved disastrous. In its -eagerness to get at the enemy, No. 2 Company got rather ahead of its -time, with the result that our own guns planted some shrapnel into it, -luckily without doing much damage. On the left the Irish Guards and the -2nd Battalion Coldstream found in a wood a number of Germans with -machine-guns, who had apparently got separated from the main body. Our -men charged, and immediately up went the white flag; seven machine-guns -and a large number of prisoners were taken, mostly men belonging to the -Guard Jäger Corps. - -Rain had been falling for some time in a steady downpour, and as the -light was failing the Battalion assembled to bivouac near Les Peauliers. -An extremely wet sainfoin field was chosen for the purpose, and there, -in a misty September evening, the men lay down to sleep. Altogether the -Grenadiers had lost forty men in the day's fighting, besides Captain -Stephen. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 9.] - -Dismally the raindrops trickled through the trees as the men roused -themselves in the early morning. It was very cold, too, and the -greatcoats that had been so lightly flung away during the sweltering -days of retreat were now bitterly regretted. And it was a particularly -chilly task that lay before the Battalion, for it was in reserve, which -meant constant standing about--often even more tiring than a march. -However, about midday it cleared, and a very hot sun soon got every one -dry again. - -On this day the passage of the Marne was forced; the Third Corps, under -General Pulteney, bore the brunt of the fighting, whilst the First Corps -on its right drove the Germans before it with some ease and took -numerous prisoners. The 2nd Battalion Grenadiers, starting off at 7.30, -eventually crossed the Marne at Charly, after innumerable halts and -checks. Before it got over it had to wait some hours at Pavant, where it -could watch various divisions crossing the river. This bridge at Charly -was the only one in the neighbourhood left standing; it had been -carefully prepared for demolition, and no one knew why, fortunately for -us, it had escaped. Rumour said that the German engineers entrusted with -the task got so drunk that, when the appointed moment arrived, they were -quite incapable of carrying out their orders. - -During the day Lieut.-Colonel Corry received orders to return home. He -had been relieved of his command on account of the decision, already -recorded, which he took at Mons. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 10.] - -The Battalion bivouacked that evening--rain was again falling--on the -side of a wet hill near Villiers-sur-Marne, and woke up to more rainy, -cold weather. The battle of the Marne had been won, and the Germans were -retreating in perfectly orderly fashion, though we captured 13 guns, 7 -machine-guns, and 2000 men. The prisoners said they had been officially -informed that a large German army was investing Paris, and that their -division was engaged in "drawing off" the French Army eastwards. The 2nd -Battalion Grenadiers was again in reserve, and was constantly marched -backwards and forwards throughout the day. It passed through Domptin, -Coupru, Marigny, and Veuilly to Hautevesnes, where it bivouacked. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 11.] - -The pursuit continued during the two following days. Through heavy -showers, which gave them a thorough soaking, the Grenadiers marched on -the 11th by the way of Priez, Sommelans, Latilly, La Croix, and Breny to -Oulchy, where they got into billets, and fires were lit to dry their -clothes. Such inhabitants as were left eagerly helped to supply all the -men's wants, and placed all they possessed at their disposal. The usual -signs of recent German occupation were to be seen in every house. -Drawers had been turned out, cupboards ransacked, and tables overturned, -and the floors were thickly strewn with such things as the Germans had -been unable to take away with them--clothes, smashed gramophone records, -broken glasses, and other debris. But, in spite of the pitiable -surroundings and their own soaked condition, the officers and men were -soon put in the best of spirits by the cheerful fires and the appetising -smell of bacon and eggs, put on to cook for them. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 12.] - -Next morning's parade was at 5 o'clock, but the town was so crowded with -supply wagons that it was 9 before a move could be made. It rained at -intervals during the day, and in the evening another steady downpour set -in, which once more soaked the men to the skin before they got to their -billets at Courcelles, having marched through Beugneux, Arcy, -Cuiry-Housse, Lesges, Limé, and Braine. - - - - - CHAPTER V - THE PASSAGE OF THE AISNE (2ND BATTALION) - - -For a week now the Germans had been steadily retiring, and there was no -apparent reason why they should stop doing so. Each time they held a -position the question naturally arose whether they were really making a -determined stand, or whether this was just a case of a rear-guard doing -its best to hold up the advance. The only way to find out was to attack -them and make them show their dispositions. - -At the Marne, where it might well have been supposed that the Germans -had a good enough position to make a stand, their resistance had proved -to be merely in the nature of a rear-guard action. It did not at first -dawn on our Army that at the Aisne, on the contrary, the enemy had -occupied a carefully chosen and sedulously prepared position which -suited their purpose in every way. - -An ideal position it was, indeed. Sir John French, in his despatch of -October 8, 1914, thus describes it: - - The Aisne valley runs generally east and west, and consists of a - flat-bottomed depression of width varying from half a mile to two - miles, down which the river flows a winding course to the west at - some points near the southern slopes of the valley and at others - near the northern. The high ground both on the north and south of - the river is approximately 400 feet above the bottom of the valley - and is very similar in character, as are both slopes of the valley - itself, which are broken into numerous rounded spurs and - re-entrants. The most prominent of the former are the Chivres Spur - on the right bank and the Sermoise spur on the left. Near the latter - place the general plateau on the south is divided by a subsidiary - valley of much the same character, down which the small river Vesle - flows to the main stream near Sermoise. The slopes of the plateau - overlooking the Aisne on the north and south are of varying - steepness and are covered with numerous patches of wood, which also - stretch upwards and backwards over the edge on to the top of the - high ground. There are several villages and small towns dotted about - in the valley itself and along its sides, the chief of which is the - town of Soissons. - - The Aisne is a sluggish stream of some 170 feet in breadth, but, - being 15 feet deep in the centre, it is unfordable. Between Soissons - on the west and Villers on the east (the part of the river attacked - and secured by the British Forces) there are eleven road-bridges - across it. On the north bank a narrow-gauge railway runs from - Soissons to Vailly, where it crosses the river and continues - eastward along the south bank. From Soissons to Sermoise a double - line of railway runs along the south bank, turning at the latter - place up the Vesle valley towards Bazoches. - - The position held by the enemy is a very strong one, either for a - delaying action or for a defensive battle. One of its chief military - characteristics is that from the high ground on neither side can the - top of the plateau on the other side be seen, except for small - stretches. This is chiefly due to the woods on the edges of the - slopes. Another important point is that all the bridges are under - either direct or high-angle artillery fire. - -Until the afternoon of the 12th September it was still uncertain whether -the enemy meant business this time or not, and then Sir John French came -to the conclusion that, for the moment at any rate, they had stopped -their retreat and were preparing to dispute vigorously the passage of -the river. The presence of Germans had been reported by our cavalry -south of Soissons and in the neighbourhood of Braine, but these were -merely patrols. - -The opposing forces were posted as follows: The German Army occupied the -high ground north of the river, with Von Kluck still on the right flank. -From the reports that came in, it appeared that the right of Von Kluck's -army was resting on the forest of L'Aigle, and the left on the plateau -of Craonne, while Von Bülow prolonged the line to the left. The French -Army was now extended in an immense line from Compiègne to the Argonne, -the British Army holding a portion of the front--about twenty -miles--between Maunoury's Sixth Army and Franchet d'Esperey's Fifth -Army. - -On the left of our part of the line were the Third Corps, which was -allotted the section from Soissons to Venizel, the Second Corps, which -was between Venizel and Chavonne, and the First Corps between Chavonne -and Bourg. In this last section there was a canal as well as a river to -cross. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 13.] - -Rain was pouring down when the Battalion paraded at 5.30 A.M. on the -13th, but it cleared up later, with sunshine and a strong cold wind, -which soon dried the men again. The 4th Brigade marched towards -Chavonne, and stopped under the brow of a high hill overlooking the -river Aisne. Here there was a halt of several hours in the middle of the -day, during which the commanding officers went on ahead with -Lieut.-Colonel Feilding, the acting Brigadier, to reconnoitre the -opposite heights from the high ground above St. Mard, whence the -movements of the Germans could be clearly seen. Meanwhile, the 2nd -Battalion Coldstream went forward under the cover of our guns to make -good the passages over the canal and the river, the bridges naturally -having all been blown up by the Germans. After about two hours it -succeeded in driving off the enemy, who were seen running up the hill -and disappearing over the sky-line. - -In support of it, the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers advanced towards the -river, but was then sent off to try and make the crossing about a mile -to the east of Chavonne. The only means of getting over, apparently, was -by three or four small boats of doubtful buoyancy, and it was clear that -for the whole Battalion to cross in this way would be a lengthy -business. Pushing ahead, however, to reconnoitre, Lord Bernard Lennox -and Major Hamilton found a bridge which they thought at first the -Battalion could use, but the moment they were seen on the bridge they -were greeted with shrapnel, so well aimed that it was obvious the enemy -had got the exact range. So they retired to report the result of their -observations. - -As it was now getting dark, and no foothold on the opposite bank could -be obtained, Colonel Feilding decided to withdraw the 4th Brigade. The -2nd Battalion Grenadiers and 2nd Battalion Coldstream were therefore -recalled, and sent into billets at St. Mard. Rain was again falling -heavily, and the men were glad to be under cover, while the inhabitants -cooked their rations and supplemented them with omelettes and vegetable -soup. - -Thus began the battle of the Aisne, and had the men only known that it -was to go on, not for months but years, and that the same ground would -be occupied by the Allies during all that time, they would hardly, I -imagine, have shown quite the same dash as they did during the days that -followed. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 14.] - -The morning of the 14th broke cold and wet. A thick mist hung over the -valley of the river--fortunately for us, since this made artillery -observation by the enemy impossible, and enabled the men to cross the -river without coming under shell-fire. During the night the R.E. had -managed to build a pontoon bridge over the river at Pont-Arcy, and at -5.30 A.M. the brigade moved off to this point. As this bridge was the -sole means of crossing for all arms, there was naturally some little -delay, and during the period of waiting Colonel Feilding sent for all -the commanding officers; he explained the dispositions he had made, and -instructed them to make Ostel their objective. - -[Illustration: The Passage of the Aisne. September 14, 1914.] - -The 2nd Battalion Grenadiers was to form the advanced guard to the -Brigade, and Major Jeffreys received orders to secure the heights about -La Cour de Soupir, and then to push on and make good the cross-roads at -Ostel, about a mile farther on. Accordingly the Battalion moved off, -crossed the river, and marched to Soupir--without opposition. Had some -German officer blundered, or did the enemy not intend to dispute the -passage of the river? It seemed inconceivable that, if they intended to -hold the position, the enemy should allow a whole battalion to cross -unmolested. - -At Soupir the road ran uphill through a dense wood, and it was -impossible to see very far ahead. Progress was necessarily very slow, -and the advanced guard had orders to move with the utmost caution. No. 1 -Company, under Major Hamilton, formed the vanguard, and half of No. 2 -Company, under Captain Symes-Thompson, was sent as a flank guard to the -left, where the ground rose steeply above the road, and the trees were -very thick. About half-way the vanguard came into touch with the German -outposts. At the same time they were joined by some men of our 5th -Brigade, who had gone too far to their left, and in consequence had -narrowly escaped being captured by the enemy. - -Word was sent back by Major Hamilton that he was not at all happy about -his left flank, which was on the high ground towards Chavonne, and Major -Jeffreys despatched the rest of No. 2 Company to support Captain -Symes-Thompson and strengthen that flank. Two platoons of No. 1 and one -platoon of No. 2 were sent off to the left, and, having got into touch -with the cavalry on that flank, took up a position in the woods above -Chavonne, where they remained for the rest of the day. Meanwhile, the -leading men of the advanced guard, under Lieutenant Cunliffe, pushed on, -and near La Cour de Soupir ran right into the enemy, who were in -superior numbers. All the men were taken prisoners, and Lieutenant -Cunliffe was wounded. - -But the rest of the advanced guard were also pressing forward, and soon -the positions were reversed. Faced with the alternative of capture or -retiring before a stronger force, the German officer in command decided -on the second course. This meant perforce abandoning the prisoners; but -there was one thing at any rate that a German officer still could do. -Remembering the teachings of his Fatherland, that the usages of war were -a mere formula, and the most dastardly crime excusable if any advantage -could be got from it, he deliberately walked up to Lieutenant Cunliffe, -who was lying wounded on the ground, pulled out his revolver, and shot -him dead. - -As to what eventually happened to the German officer there is some -conflict of evidence. Some of the men of the Battalion swore that they -recognised him among the prisoners who were led away that evening. -Another story, which was generally believed at the time, is that Captain -Bentinck, with a company of Coldstream, happened to come up just in time -to see this cold-blooded murder, and that the men were so infuriated -that they bayoneted the German on the spot. But this version can hardly -be true, for the Coldstream did not arrive till a good deal later. - -Shells were now screaming through the trees with monotonous regularity, -and the hail of bullets grew ever thicker as the advanced guard came up -to La Cour de Soupir. It became evident that the Germans were not only -in strength at the top of the hill, but were advancing across the open -against our left flank, and at the same time trying to surround the -advanced guard by working through the woods on the right flank. No. 3 -Company, under Captain Gosselin, was sent off to the right with -instructions to clear the enemy off some rising ground and protect the -right flank. This it succeeded in doing, but found vastly superior -numbers opposed to it, and could not make any farther progress. It was -here that Lieutenant des Voeux was killed, being hit through both lungs -by a chance shot in the wood. - -Urgent appeals from the firing line induced Major Jeffreys to send two -platoons of No. 4 to help No. 1 Company, and one to the right for No. 3, -while the remaining platoon, with the machine-guns, under Lieutenant the -Hon. W. Cecil, was posted on the edge of a clearing in case those in -front were driven back. - -The advanced guard had now done its part. It had ascertained where the -enemy was posted, but if an advance was to be made, it was clear that it -would have to be strengthened considerably. Colonel Feilding therefore -sent the 3rd Coldstream up to the left of the road and the Irish Guards -to the right. Pushing through the woods and picking up platoons of No. 1 -and No. 2 Companies Grenadiers, these troops came up to the hard-pressed -No. 1 Company on the open ground near La Cour de Soupir. - -Here the Germans' attempt to cross the open was effectively stopped by -our rifle-fire, and the whole of their firing line was wiped out. But -even with these reinforcements we were still outnumbered, and an advance -remained impossible. - -On the right the Irish Guards had come up to No. 3 Company, and, -carrying it on with them, managed gradually to clear the wood. As they -did so they disposed of the German snipers, who had shot many of our -officers. Lord Guernsey and Lord Arthur Hay of the Irish Guards were -killed, and several other officers wounded. In the Grenadiers Lieutenant -F. W. des Voeux was killed, while Captain Gosselin was wounded in the -hand and Lieutenant Welby in the shoulder, but they refused to retire, -and gallantly stuck to their posts. - -During this wood-fighting a young soldier of the Grenadiers, Private -Parsons, collected twelve men belonging to a battalion in another -brigade, who were lost and had no officer or N.C.O. He got them together -and commanded them for the rest of the fight, giving his orders clearly -and coolly, and never making a mistake. He was promoted to Corporal on -the field, and was mentioned in despatches of October 18, 1914. To the -general regret of the Battalion, he died of wounds some ten days later. - -By now the firing line was fairly well established behind the banks of -some slightly sunken roads north and east of La Cour de Soupir; it was -composed of Grenadiers, Coldstream, and Irish Guards, all mixed up -together, as they had come through the woods by companies or platoons, -just as the situation demanded. Though the German shells were still -crashing into the trees and searching the woods, our own guns were -answering back, in spite of having hardly a tenth of the ammunition. - -During this time Lieutenant Walker, Lieutenant Harcourt Vernon, and -Lieutenant MacKenzie were all badly wounded. - -But while a satisfactory foothold had been obtained here, Sir Douglas -Haig found that there was a gap between the First and Second Corps. -Being very hard pressed, with no reserves available, he sent back for -help to the Commander-in-Chief, who at once placed the Cavalry Division -at his disposal. On foot, the cavalry was despatched to the left to -prolong the line occupied by the 4th Brigade, and succeeded in repelling -the German attacks. - -A steady fire was being kept up by the 4th Brigade at the German front -line, which was lying down close in front of it in a mangel and beet -field, and therefore very hard to see. The German fire suddenly began to -slacken, and the moment seemed to have arrived for a charge, when, -without any warning, the men in the German leading line ran forward with -their hands over their heads in token of surrender, and at the same time -white flags appeared in various parts of the line. At once a large -number of our men leaped up and ran to meet them. Major Jeffreys and -Major Matheson, fully alive to the possibilities of danger, shouted and -yelled to them to stop, but the men ran on, eager to capture so many -prisoners, and soon British and Germans were mingled together in a -confused mass. - -At this point the German supports opened fire on them all, mowing down -friend and foe alike, and killing a large number of both sides. Most of -those who were unhit dropped down at once where they were in the root -field, and when it got dark many of the Germans walked into our lines -and surrendered. It must be added that there is no evidence that this -treachery was deliberately planned. It would seem that the leading line -had had enough, and genuinely meant to surrender; the supports had no -such intention, and there is thus perhaps some justification for their -action. But it was a lesson to the 4th Brigade which it never forgot. -Thenceforth the white flag was looked on with suspicion, and whenever it -was used, not a man moved from his place. - -After a hurried consultation between Major Matheson, Major Jeffreys, and -Major Lord Bernard Lennox, it was agreed that, while Major Jeffreys held -the enemy in check in front, the other two should take some men with -them, and try to work round the German flank. This operation took some -time, but evidently it surprised the Germans, who were holding a ridge -about 500 yards in front of our firing line. Many of them could be seen -running from right to left across the front, and offered a fine target -for our men posted at the edge of the wood--the shooting was good and -hardly a man escaped. Lieutenant Stewart was ordered to advance with a -platoon of No. 4 Company, and managed to get on another 300 yards when -he was wounded. - -The difficulties of the situation were now borne in on Major Jeffreys -and Major Matheson. It was getting dark, and they could get no orders -from Brigade Headquarters, as the telephone wires had all been cut by -bursting shells. Signalling was out of the question owing to the density -of the woods. Meanwhile, the Germans were still shelling the road, and -it seemed only too probable that the orderly who had been bringing -instructions from the Brigade had been killed on his way. The men were -dead-tired, having had nothing to eat all day, and Major Matheson, who -had found it a very hard matter to get through the wood to the right, -came to the conclusion that no advance could be made in this direction -without reinforcements. - -Therefore it was decided that the only thing to do was to re-sort the -battalions and to dig in where they were. A point of junction was -arranged, and the much mixed battalions were reorganised; digging -started, and the men, tired out as they were, set to work with a will, -and soon produced a trench. Thus was the beginning made of that long -line of trenches which was eventually to stretch from the Argonne to the -Belgian coast, and which formed the battleground of the two armies for -years to come. - -Converted into a dressing-station, the farm of La Cour de Soupir was -filled with wounded, British and German. The ground in front of our -trench was covered with dead and wounded Germans, but though as many -stretcher-bearers as possible were sent out and worked all night long, -it was not easy to find them in the darkness. It was a striking point of -difference that while our wounded hardly made a sound, the Germans never -stopped groaning and crying out: there was a continuous chorus all -through the night of "Kamerad, Kamerad," and "Wasser, Wasser." A regular -pile of Germans was discovered round two haystacks, while in a -stubble-field close by was an almost complete firing line, laid out in a -row, and all dead. Shelling began again at dawn before all the German -wounded could be brought in. - -Soon the farm was crowded, and the men for whom there was no room were -put in the out-buildings. The removal of the wounded from the farm to -the rear proved a great difficulty. The pontoon bridge at Pont-Arcy had -been smashed, and on that side of the river, unfortunately, there were -only four horse ambulance-wagons; these, with their fagged-out horses, -had to plod throughout the night up and down the steep hill which led to -the farm, taking only a few wounded at a time. - -Behind the farm was a deep quarry with several caves in it; here the men -not actually required for the firing line were stationed--comparatively -safe except for an occasional shell from a German howitzer. The three or -four hundred prisoners the Battalion had taken were herded together in -the quarry under a guard and sent downhill next day. They made no -attempt to hide their pleasure at escaping from the battle. - -While Major Jeffreys was superintending the digging, a man of the Irish -Guards arrived and said that as he was searching for the wounded, a -German officer had come up to him and expressed a wish to surrender, but -added that he would only give himself up to an officer. Thereupon Major -Jeffreys told the man to find the German, if possible, and bring him in. -When the man came back he reported that the original officer had refused -to come so far, but that he had met another, who as willingly -accompanied him. Out of the darkness stepped a tall, smart-looking -Ober-Leutnant, who clicked his heels, saluted, and said in perfect -English, "I wish to surrender." Major Jeffreys was at no pains to -conceal his contempt for this poor specimen of an officer, and handed -him over to one of the junior officers of the Grenadiers to take to the -quarries. - -That night the position of the 4th Brigade was as follows. On the left, -in touch with the Cavalry Division, was the 2nd Battalion Coldstream, -then the 3rd Battalion Coldstream and the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers, with -the Irish Guards on the right. The 2nd Battalion Coldstream had been in -reserve, but when there seemed a danger of the enemy getting between the -First and Second Corps, the two companies of this battalion were sent -off to strengthen the left flank. - -The First Corps had managed to establish itself across the Aisne on a -line running from Chemin des Dames on the right, through Chivy and -Soupir to the Chavonne--Soissons road, the latter portion being held by -the 1st Cavalry Brigade. But the Fourth and Fifth Divisions had not been -so successful, and had been unable to do more than maintain their -ground. On the extreme left the Sixth French Army had got some distance -over the Aisne, but the Fifth French Army had made no headway. - -In his account of the day's achievements Sir John French wrote: - - The action of the First Corps on this day under the direction and - command of Sir Douglas Haig was of so skilful, bold and decisive a - character that he gained positions which alone have enabled me to - maintain my position for more than three weeks of very severe - fighting on the north bank of the river. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 15.] - -On the 15th Sir John French made an endeavour to strengthen the line, -and consequently there was no need for the 4th Brigade to advance. All -day it was shelled, and had to meet vigorous counter-attacks. It was -holding a line which was really too long for it with its scanty -reserves, and it is inexplicable why the enemy did not take advantage of -this and drive it back to the river. - -The morning was spent by the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers in improving the -trenches. About noon it was heavily shelled, and as the enemy seemed to -have the range of the trench, the men were withdrawn into the wood, a -certain number being left to keep watch. They proceeded to watch, not -without some quiet satisfaction, the empty trench being plastered with -shrapnel that did no harm to any one. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 16.] - -More parties were sent out at dawn next day to collect the wounded, some -of whom must have been lying out between the lines for nearly two days. -A good many were brought in, but the work had to be stopped as soon as -it was light, as the Germans deliberately shelled our stretcher parties. -About 11 A.M. a shell set fire to a large stack, on the right of the -farm, occupied by Captain Ridley and two men--they had been posted on -top of it to snipe the German fire observation post, more than 1100 -yards away. Captain Ridley had taken no notice of the shells that had -been bursting all round him, but coolly stuck to his work, but now he -was forced to abandon it, dazed by the explosion, and unhurt, though -both the men with him were wounded. - -Helped by the blazing rick to locate the farm, the German artillery now -began to plaster it with common shell, shrapnel, and H.E. It is possible -that if they had known it was full of their own wounded they would not -have gone for it quite so furiously. However that may be, they finally -got it alight, and then followed a scene of hopelessly illogical -chivalry, our men risking their lives to save the German wounded from -their own shells. The wounded were eventually carried out of the burning -building and put in a safer place. At the same time, the Battalion -Headquarters and the horses were moved down into the quarry. - -As this violent shelling seemed to portend an attack, the trenches were -fully manned, with the result that there were many casualties. One shell -landed right in the trench and killed Lieutenant Welby and the men near -him. He had been slightly wounded in the shoulder a couple of days -before, but had refused to go to hospital. Although our gunners replied -gamely, they could not compete with the lavish German expenditure of -ammunition. - -A report having come in that the enemy were advancing, Major Jeffreys -ordered No. 2 Company to come up from the quarry, and line its northern -edge, so as to be available as a support. It had hardly been there a -quarter of an hour when an 8-inch high explosive just missed the farm, -and, grazing the roof, pitched right on the edge of the quarry. A -terrific explosion followed, and out of the 103 men who had been brought -up, only 44 were left, all the rest being killed or wounded. - -This same shell also killed three officers and a large number of men of -the Oxfordshire Light Infantry, and Lieutenant Huggan of the R.A.M.C., -but Major Jeffreys, Major Lord Bernard Lennox, Captain Powell, and -Captain Pike escaped untouched, for some unaccountable reason, though -they were sitting within a few yards of where it exploded, and men were -killed and wounded on every side of them, some of them under cover. The -trees on the bank fell down with a crash, and the whole quarry itself -was filled with a dense yellow-black smoke. - -It was a most disastrous shot, and, to make matters worse, the only -medical officer on the spot had been killed, and there was no qualified -person to attend to the wounded, with whom the caves in the -quarry--seemingly the only safe spot--were now packed. The scene there -was terrible. There was no light of any sort until a single candle was -procured from somewhere. By its faint and uncertain glimmer ghastly -glimpses could be caught of men writhing in pain, with their limbs -smashed to pieces. Into one corner were crowded the German prisoners, -glad of any shelter from the German shells, and there were also a large -number of German wounded, who moaned and cried through the night. The -officers and N.C.O.'s of the Grenadiers, who had just left the trenches -to get a rest, had to give up all idea of that: they set to work and -bound up with such skill as they possessed the wounds of friend and foe. - -In the front trenches, meanwhile, shelling went on incessantly, and -there were many counter-attacks, directed against the part of the line -held by the Coldstream. During the evening two companies of the -Oxfordshire Light Infantry were sent up to take over the trenches next -morning. After dark the supports were brought from the quarry to the -garden at the back of the farm, so as to be near at hand in the event of -an attack. - -One of the Battalion's much-regretted losses this day was Captain the -Hon. W. A. Cecil. He had been in the thick of every engagement since the -start, and had gained a great reputation in the past three weeks for the -effective way in which he handled the machine-guns. On more than one -occasion his keenness had led him into very dangerous corners, and it -was while he was reconnoitring for a good position for his machine-guns -that he was killed. Lieutenant Stewart was wounded, and Captain -Gosselin, who had pluckily stayed with his company, though he was in -great pain from the wound he received two days before, was now obliged -to go into hospital. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 17.] - -The Battalion was relieved just before dawn, and went into billets at -Soupir. Officers and men alike were dead-beat, and slept through most of -the day. The cold, wet nights had begun to tell on many of them, and -some went sick. Among these was Prince Alexander of Battenberg, who got -a bad chill, and had to be sent down to the base. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 18.] - -On the 18th the Battalion went back to the trenches to relieve the -Coldstream, to the left of the position it had held before. No. 1 and -No. 2 Companies were in the firing line, and No. 3 and No. 4 in reserve. -The moment they arrived they started digging and deepening the trenches, -knowing that they would be under constant shell-fire during the day, and -in places they could see the Germans doing the same, some 700 yards -away. But before they could get through very much, the shelling began, -and shrapnel came bursting all over them. - -All through the day the roar of shells and rifle-fire went on, varied -now and then by high-explosive shells from the howitzers, which made -holes big enough to bury three or four horses in. Major Jeffreys, with -Captain Howell, R.A.M.C., came to inspect the trenches, but at that -moment the shelling became particularly vigorous and accurate, and they -were obliged to accept the hospitality of Lord Bernard Lennox, who -placed at their disposal the hole he had dug for himself. But as it had -only been made for one, the owner was not altogether sorry when a lull -in the firing made it possible for the visitors to continue their tour. - -It should be mentioned here that the trenches during the first few -months of the war consisted not of continuous lines of trench, but of a -series of deep holes holding three to four men apiece, and separated -from the next by some 10 feet of undug earth, which formed a natural -traverse. There was hardly any parapet, and the earth was scattered to -the front. The advantage of this type of trench was that it was -difficult to locate and destroy by artillery, but if the enemy was near -at hand vigilant communication either laterally or to the rear was -practically impossible. - -The supports and reserves were all hidden in caves very like those they -had occupied in the quarry behind their first position. They were well -rationed, with plenty of fresh meat, vegetables, and jam. They were, -indeed, very much better off than the men in the trenches, for it turned -very cold again at night, and rain fell heavily. - -It was not hard to guess the reason for the severe bombardment and -continual counter-attacks. This was one of the few positions where the -Allies had succeeded in obtaining a foothold across the river, though -why the Second Division was allowed to get over at Pont-Arcy unmolested -has never been explained. The Germans were not only far superior in -numbers, but had a supply of shells and ammunition out of all proportion -to that of the Allies; moreover, they had chosen an exceptionally good -position and possessed heavy guns, such as were unknown in the British -and French Armies. Though General Maunoury's Sixth French Army had at -first advanced some distance on the extreme left, it had afterwards been -held up, and was now only just holding back the enemy counter-attacks, -which threatened to drive it back on the river. The British Army's task -was the hardest of all, and the Second and Third Corps had been unable -to establish themselves securely on the other side. - -After the first few days of the battle, the German General Staff -determined to direct its energies against the Sixth French Army and the -right of the British Army, and to force back over the river the troops -which had crossed. So the line occupied by the 4th Brigade came in for -more than its share of artillery fire. This hurricane of shells was no -doubt intended to prepare the way for the infantry counter-attacks, but -wherever the Germans attempted an attack they found our men coolly -waiting for them, and absolutely unshaken by the bombardment. - -Our artillery's work in this battle aroused the greatest admiration -among the Guards Brigade. Vastly outnumbered, with none of the heavy -guns the enemy had, and in obviously inferior positions, it fought on -gallantly in spite of great losses, and often succeeded in silencing the -batteries which were shelling our trenches. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 19-20.] - -Brigadier-General the Earl of Cavan (an old Grenadier) arrived on the -19th, and took over the command of the Brigade, while Lieut.-Colonel -Wilfred Smith assumed command of the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers. The -Battalion remained in the trenches till the 21st and repulsed several -attacks. Though the German infantry never seemed anxious to come to -close quarters, their artillery made up for this hesitation by a -prodigal expenditure of shells. Lieut.-Colonel Smith described in a -letter a calculation he made during a bombardment which went on -continuously for six hours; he timed the rate of the falling shells, and -found that it came to an average of fifty shells a minute. - -The nights were constantly disturbed by false alarms. It was the German -practice to send out specially selected snipers to keep the whole line -from having any rest. There is nothing more contagious than night -firing; the snipers would start the men in front of them firing, and -soon it would spread till there was a dull roar all down the line. -Supports and reserves would stand to arms until it had died down, and -then the Germans would start all over again in another part of the line, -with the same result. By this time, too, the trenches were beginning to -fill with water in places, which added to our men's hardships. - -Every day there were some casualties, but considering the amount of -ammunition expended they were really very slight. Lord Congleton had a -lucky escape. He was sent for to Battalion Headquarters to make a -report, and on his return found that his shelter had been blown to -atoms. On the same day Lord Bernard Lennox had an even narrower shave. -Taking off his greatcoat, he laid it on the back of the trench, but had -hardly gone two or three paces when there was a terrific explosion. When -he looked round, he saw that the right arm of his coat was gone -altogether and the left cut to ribbons. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 21.] - -At 4 A.M. on the 21st the Battalion was relieved by the Irish Guards -under Lieut.-Colonel Lord Ardee, who, with Captain Lord Francis Scott, -had been attached from the Grenadiers, and retired to Soupir. Captain -Ridley was sent to inspect the trenches occupied by the 3rd Battalion -Coldstream with a view to taking them over next morning, but this order -was afterwards cancelled, and Lieut.-Colonel Smith, Captain -Symes-Thompson, and Captain Colston went with the same object to the -trenches west of Chavonne. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 22.] - -Next day the Battalion marched at dawn to Chavonne, and took over the -trenches held by the 1st Cavalry Brigade, which was very glad to -relinquish its position. Cavalry at that time had no bayonets, and so -were at a serious disadvantage in a night attack. A company being so -much stronger than a squadron, only two platoons of each company were -needed for the front trenches, the other two being kept in reserve. No. -3 and No. 4 Companies went into the trenches, No. 1 and No. 2 into -billets. Though there was continual shelling here too, it was nothing -compared with what the Battalion had got accustomed to; in fact, the -universal opinion was that it was quite a quiet spot. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 22-Oct. 11.] - -For nearly three weeks the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers remained in the -trenches, two companies at a time. The general impression in the firing -line seemed to be that the centre was waiting till the flanks could push -on. There were also constant stories about the Russians. What really -happened was that, with inferior numbers, General Joffre was unable to -turn the enemy out of their positions. On the other hand, the Germans -had given the Allies time to entrench themselves, and found it equally -impossible to advance. Trench warfare had begun, and had come to stay. -Months of comparative inaction were to follow, while the artillery -pounded away at the infantry in the trenches. - -"No man's land" between the trenches was covered with unburied bodies, -but for either side to venture out merely meant adding to their number. -The trenches were gradually improved and deepened, and communication -trenches were dug in every direction. Rabbit netting was procured from -the neighbouring woods and converted into wire entanglements, but at -that time, with the exception of the Minenwerfer, there were none of the -specially constructed infernal machines which later were to play such a -large part in trench warfare. The infantry crouched in the trenches, -while the artillery tried to reach it with every kind of shell; and -though the casualties were sometimes considerable, on the whole the -infantry succeeded in keeping itself protected. - -Occasionally an extra heavy dose of shelling warned the firing line that -a counter-attack was in view, but when it came to the point of cold -steel the German troops showed no inclination to close with our men. -Another indication of a coming attack was the playing of the band of -some German regiment, which was heard on one or two occasions--evidently -as a stimulant for the men who were to take part. Raids were -periodically made to catch the enemy's snipers, hidden in trees and -hay-ricks. Some N.C.O.'s showed themselves particularly clever and -resourceful in carrying out these excursions, but rashness cost a good -many lives. - -A welcome end was at last put to the continual night firing in which the -German snipers had succeeded in involving us. Lieutenant Donald Miller, -who was in command on the left, which was their favourite approach, gave -orders that no one was to fire without his leave. He took upon himself -the responsibility of distinguishing between sniping and a regular -attack, and with entire success. Isolated shots were ignored, and the -supports and reserves had a quiet night; the other companies soon learnt -the trick, and before long there were no more false alarms. - -On September 27 Captain Colston was seized with appendicitis, and had to -be sent home for an operation. Captain Ridley took his place, but on the -same day was hit on the head and between the shoulders by fragments of a -shell which exploded near him. Fortunately his wounds were not serious, -and after having them dressed he went back to the firing line. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 1914.] - -In the first week of the battle of the Aisne the losses had been -exceptionally heavy, but during the latter part of the time in which the -British occupied the position, they were comparatively light. Sir John -French estimated that from the start of the battle to the day the -British Army left we lost altogether--in killed, wounded, and -missing--561 officers and 12,980 men. On October 5 Captain Robin Grey, -an officer of the Grenadiers attached to the Royal Flying Corps, was -brought down while flying over the enemy's lines and made a prisoner. - -Now the situation again changed. All along the French line there had -been very heavy fighting, but while the Germans had been unable to -pierce the line our Allies had equally failed to advance, though -Maunoury had managed to extend his flank up to the Oise, while the new -armies of Castelnau and Maud'huy were gradually lengthening the line in -a northerly direction. Simultaneously the Germans had grasped that as -nothing could be done on the Aisne the only possible chance of success -was to turn to the French left. - -So they at once began to stretch out their forces to the right, sending -out huge masses of cavalry, and in their endeavour to find the French -left pushed farther and farther north. They were not content with merely -parrying French moves; they determined to outstrip them. They had -shorter lines of communication and many more men than the Allies, and it -is therefore all the more to the credit of the French and British Armies -that they should have won this race for the coast by a short head. - -Having come to the conclusion that an advance on the Aisne was -impossible, General Joffre decided that the first-line troops should be -gradually replaced by Territorials and sent up to prolong the line on -the left. Curiously enough, precisely the same instructions were at the -same time issued to the German Army, and Landwehr troops were gradually -brought into the trenches. - -This decision was to alter the fortunes also of our own troops. When the -French Army began its various moves, Sir John French went to General -Joffre, and pointed out the difficulties in which the British Army was -placed by being in the centre of the line. All the supplies in coming -from England had to go through Paris and cross those intended for the -left of the French line, with the risk of probable confusion. The right -place for the British Army, therefore, was clearly on the left, where -supplies could reach it with the least possible delay. He also put -forward the purely sentimental advantage to be gained by our army -operating as a separate unit and expanding on its own front. - -General Joffre saw the force of these contentions, and agreed to the -British Army being moved up to Belgium, French Territorials taking up -its former position. It should be explained that Territorials in France -are in no way the equivalent of our own; they are all men who have -served in the Army, but are over the age for active fighting. In fact, -they correspond to the German Landwehr. - -The necessary arrangements for withdrawal and relief were made. The -operation began on October 3, and the Second Cavalry Division under -General Gough marched from Compiègne en route for the new front. The -Army Corps followed in succession at intervals of a few days, and the -move was completed by October 19, when the First Corps detrained at St. -Omer. This transfer of hundreds of thousands of men from one point of -the country to another without a hitch was a striking testimony to the -qualities of the French General Staff. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 12.] - -On the night of the 12th the French Territorials arrived, and took over -the trenches of the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers. Though a sturdy lot of -men, they had not exactly the inches of a Guardsman, and so found great -difficulty in reaching the loopholes, with the result that alterations -had to be made all along the line. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 13.] - -Next morning at about 1 A.M. the Battalion marched by way of St. Mard -and Vauxcéré to Perles, where it went into billets at a big farm, and -had its first real rest out of the range of shell-fire for a very long -while. It was generally thought that when the Germans discovered the -change which was being made they would send a few high-explosive shells -well to the rear of the trenches to catch the retiring troops. But as it -happened, the enemy were far too busy with their own movements to pay -any attention to what was going on in front, and the Battalion marched -away unmolested. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 14.] - -It started off again at 4 o'clock on the 14th and marched to Fismes, -where it was to entrain for the north. After the usual long wait for the -transport it got off at 7.30. The men were very closely packed, -thirty-five or forty having to be put into each small covered truck, so -that there was hardly room even to sit down. Through Paris, Beauvais, -Amiens, Étaples, and Calais the train slowly wandered on, and finally -the Battalion reached Hazebrouck at 7 o'clock next morning. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - THE FIRST BATTLE OF YPRES (1ST BATTALION) - - -[Sidenote: 1st Batt. Sept. 1914.] - -Meanwhile the 1st Battalion Grenadiers remained at Warley until -September 1914. In the middle of the month the Seventh Division was -formed, and the 1st Battalion Grenadiers was sent to Lyndhurst, near -Southampton, where the Division was assembling, and placed in the 20th -Brigade. - -Major-General T. Capper, C.B., D.S.O., commanded the Division, which was -composed as follows: - - - _20th Infantry Brigade._ Brigadier-General H. G. RUGGLES-BRISE, - M.V.O. - - 1st Batt. Grenadier Guards. - 2nd Batt. Scots Guards. - 2nd Batt. Border Regiment. - 2nd Batt. Gordon Highlanders. - - _21st Infantry Brigade._ Brigadier-General H. WATTS, C.B. - - 2nd Batt. Bedford Regiment. - 2nd Batt. Yorkshire Regiment. - 2nd Batt. Royal Scots Fusiliers. - 2nd Batt. Wiltshire Regiment. - - _22nd Infantry Brigade._ Brigadier-General S. LAWFORD. - - 2nd Batt. Queen's. - 2nd Batt. Royal Warwickshire Regiment. - 1st Batt. Royal Welsh Fusiliers. - 1st Batt. South Staffordshire Regiment. - -Brigadier-General H. G. Ruggles-Brise, who commanded the Brigade in -which the 1st Battalion served, was himself an old Grenadier. - -It was generally considered that the Seventh Division was one of the -finest sent out. Most of the men in it, except the two Guards -battalions, had served for several years in India and the Colonies, and -were bronzed, seasoned men, thorough professional soldiers. - -For artillery the Division had one brigade of horse and two of field -artillery, Brigadier-General H. K. Jackson, D.S.O., being in command. -The brigade of horse artillery consisted of two batteries only. No -howitzer brigade had been provided, but a heavy battery of old 4·7's was -added at the last moment. The transport had to be supplemented by -farm-carts, afterwards painted grey. The Divisional Cavalry consisted of -the Northumberland Hussars, originally commanded by Lord Ridley; -unfortunately he became too ill to go to the front, and Lieut.-Colonel -Cookson took his place. - -The centre of interest was now shifting from France to Belgium. Confused -by the conflicting accounts which filtered through, the people at home -only grasped that the German advance on Paris had failed, and that there -was consequently a stalemate. But Sir John French knew that, even though -the Allies had won the race to the sea, there was every danger of the -German Army concentrating somewhere in the north and breaking through -the line, necessarily weak, of the Allied armies. - -[Illustration: Ypres and the neighbouring country where the First Battle -of Ypres was fought. October and November. 1914.] - -Although the Germans were in possession of the greater part of Belgium, -in their hurry to get to Paris they had been unable to dispose entirely -of the Belgian Army, which had been so troublesome in the first stages -of the war, and which had now retired into Antwerp. Consequently the -German General Staff determined to make good the lines of communication -by taking Antwerp and reducing all Belgium to ruins. As soon as this had -been done all the available troops were to force their way through the -Allied line and seize the northern part of France. - -The capture of one of the largest towns in Belgium would be hailed with -the greatest enthusiasm in Germany, and would also nip in the bud any -scheme for sending British troops and guns to help the besieged Belgian -Army. Germany knew that at present we had no guns capable of competing -with hers, but if she delayed there was no reason why we should not -manufacture them up to any calibre. - -But, undeterred by our lack both of men and guns, the British Government -had made up its mind to do _something_, at any rate, and the Naval -Division, which had been intended as a Reserve for the Fleet, were -accordingly despatched to Antwerp. This expedition was a glaring -instance of our lack of preparation in the early stages of the war. -Totally untrained, the men, many of them, knew nothing of the mechanism -of the rifles they were armed with; they had no transport, and were -given for their conveyance London motor omnibuses, with the familiar -advertisements still on them. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 1914.] - -This force was greeted with wild enthusiasm when it arrived in Antwerp -on October 4. Major J. A. C. Quilter, Captain A. E. Maxwell, and -Lieutenant W. R. C. Murray, all officers of the Grenadiers, were lent to -the Naval Division. Captain Maxwell was severely wounded in the -subsequent fighting, and afterwards died, but the other two returned -safely to England. Major Quilter, who remained attached to the Naval -Division, was killed later in the Dardanelles while in command of the -Hood Battalion. - -With the monster German guns brought up against the town, the fall of -Antwerp was a foregone conclusion. The Belgian artillery was quite -outranged, and could make no sort of a reply, and the Naval Division had -no heavy guns at all. So one-sided was the contest that for the -defenders it was merely a matter of looking on while the huge shells -fell and gradually devastated the town. On October 8 Antwerp -capitulated, and there was a wild, confused rush by the inhabitants to -get away. The Belgian Army and the greater part of the Naval Division -managed to escape from the town, but about 18,000 Belgian troops and -15,000 British were forced up into Holland and interned. - -Suddenly, when it had settled down to a sort of peace-manoeuvre life at -Lyndhurst, the Seventh Division received its marching orders. The -Government had decided to send it to help the Belgian Army. It was -practically the only available unit, except the Third Cavalry Division, -which was sent off a few days later. - -It was a quiet, peaceful Sunday when the summons came. There had been so -many rumours and alarms that no one took much notice of them, and the -idea of departure had faded to a remote possibility. Passes had been -given to the men to remain out till 9.30, and a field-day was arranged -for the next day. Then came the order to embark at once from -Southampton. In an instant there was feverish bustle and energy -throughout the camps. The 1st Battalion Grenadiers marched off to -Southampton, and was joined there by many men who were out on pass, but -by the time the ship sailed all the Battalion was reported present. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 4.] - -Embarking on October 4, the Seventh Division succeeded in avoiding the -enemy's mines and submarines on its voyage to Zeebrugge, but the Cavalry -Division was unable to follow, and was diverted to Ostend instead. - -The following is a list of the officers of the 1st Battalion Grenadier -Guards, who went out with the Battalion--all but a few of them were -killed or wounded: - - - Lieut.-Colonel M. Earle, D.S.O., Commanding Officer. - Major H. St. L. Stucley, Second in Command. - Lieut. Lord Claud N. Hamilton, Machine-gun Officer. - Capt. G. E. C. Rasch, Adjutant. - Lieut. J. Teece, Quartermaster. - Major the Hon. A. O. W. C. Weld-Forester, M.V.O., King's Company. - Captain the Hon. L. P. Cary (Master of Falkland), King's Company. - Lieut. W. S. Pilcher, King's Company. - Lieut. H. L. Aubrey-Fletcher, M.V.O., King's Company. - Lieut. J. H. Powell, King's Company. - 2nd Lieut. R. O. R. Kenyon-Slaney, King's Company. - Captain the Hon. C. M. B. Ponsonby, M.V.O., No. 2 Company. - Capt. G. C. G. Moss, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. G. E. Hope, Signalling Officer. - Lieut. T. E. R. Symons, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. R. S. Lambert, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. M. A. A. Darby, No. 2 Company. - Capt. Lord Richard Wellesley, No. 3 Company. - Capt. G. Rennie, No. 3 Company. - Lieutenant the Hon. A. G. S. Douglas-Pennant, No. 3 Company. - Lieut. P. Van Neck, No. 3 Company. - Lieut. L. G. Ames, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. W. R. Mackenzie, Transport Officer. - Major L. R. V. Colby, No. 4 Company. - Capt. R. E. K. Leatham, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. E. Antrobus, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. S. Walter, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. N. A. H. Somerset, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. Sir G. Duckworth-King, Bart., No. 4 Company. - - _Attached_--Lieut. J. G. Butt, R.A.M.C. - -The crossing was made in the S.S. _Armenian_, which was fairly -comfortable, and the _Turcoman_, just a cattle-boat, with no -accommodation at all. The transports did not move out into the Solent -till after dark on the 5th, and reached Zeebrugge at six o'clock on the -morning of the 7th. Disembarking was none too easy a task, for the jetty -was much too small for ships of that size, and there were no cranes or -other appliances for unshipping the horses, which just had to be pushed -down gangways. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 7.] - -Entreaties were made to General Capper by a Belgian colonel and two -Staff officers, who had come as a deputation from Antwerp, that he would -bring the whole of the Seventh Division into that city. But Sir Henry -Rawlinson had already sent orders for the Division to go to Bruges at -once. The 1st Battalion Grenadiers made the journey in two trains, and -was billeted in the suburb of St. André. Crowds lined the streets, and -cheered each battalion lustily as it arrived. All the billeting was -arranged without any difficulty, as the Belgian authorities knew to a -man how many troops each village would hold. - -That evening there was a "procession of humiliation" through the streets -of Bruges, a long train of old men and women following in the wake of -the priests, who were headed by acolytes swinging their censers. As they -walked slowly through the streets, chanting a litany, they made an odd -contrast with the masses of fighting men in khaki, and their array of -wagons and guns. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 8.] - -Next day the whole Division was ordered to march to Ostend, to cover the -landing of the Cavalry Division--a hot, tiring journey it was of fifteen -miles, over the usual paving-stones. At Leffinghe, on the outskirts of -Ostend, a defensive position was taken up and an attempt made to dig -trenches, but the men could not go very deep, as at three feet below the -surface they reached water. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 9.] - -Fortunately the Battalion was not called upon to hold them. Just before -daybreak it left the trenches and marched into Ostend, where it -entrained for Ghent. Sir Henry Rawlinson's plan was to operate on the -Germans' left flank and divert their attention from the Belgian Army, -which might thus, he hoped, be able to escape from Antwerp. - -Indescribable confusion reigned in Ostend. The whole country-side had -swarmed in to see what was going on; the Cavalry Division was landing -while the Seventh Division passed through to get to the railway station, -and their movements were naturally hampered by the throngs of people -which surged over the streets and quays. General Capper took with him -the 20th and 22nd Brigades under Brigadier-Generals Ruggles-Brise and -Lawford, leaving the 21st, under Brigadier-General Watts, to march back -to Beernem, where it was to remain in reserve. Meanwhile, the Cavalry -Division was to operate in the direction of Thourout. - -When the two brigades arrived at Ghent, they found that a small force of -French Marines and Belgian cyclists were already holding an outpost line -in front of the town. The Germans, it was reported, had just crossed the -Scheldt about ten miles to the east, and were moving north-west, with -the object of cutting off the Belgian Army and the British and French -Naval Divisions, which were evacuating Antwerp. - -[Illustration: Route taken by the First Battalion Grenadier Guards -through Belgium in October 1914.] - -A second outpost line was taken up by the two brigades in rear of the -French Marines, the 1st Battalion Grenadiers being in reserve. There -were no machine-guns, and the only ammunition was the 200 rounds carried -by each man. Though the artillery had been sent on the night before, it -did not arrive at Ghent till twenty-four hours after the infantry, owing -to the confusion there was on the railway line, part of which was in the -hands of the Germans. - -No. 2 Company of the Grenadiers found one or two piquets blocking the -main road, and had a very busy time with the Belgian refugees who were -streaming out of Ghent all night long. The other three companies were -sent into billets in some large dye-works, but there were so few exits -that it was found it would take quite half-an-hour to evacuate the -place, so that it was nothing but a death-trap. Accordingly No. 4 -Company billeted in a timber yard close by, while the King's and No. 3 -bivouacked in an orchard by the roadside. - -The nights were cold, and when the Battalion requisitioned for blankets, -huge rolls of velvet from the dye-works were issued by the Belgian -authorities. Some ten thousand francs' worth of velvet, it was -estimated, was damaged in this way. The men naturally did not mind what -they looked like as long as they kept warm, but as they lay asleep in -the yard, with rich velvet such as Velasquez might have painted wrapped -round their khaki, they presented a spectacle decidedly incongruous. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 10.] - -Nothing much happened during the next day, though there were occasional -alarms. Firing could be heard in the distance, but no shells or bullets -came in the direction of our troops. When it was dark the Battalion was -ordered to report to the commander of the outpost line. On the march -they met scattered bodies of the French Marines, who had presumably been -driven in, and when they got to Destelbergen it appeared that the -Marines had been withdrawn from this section, which was now only thinly -held by such men as could be spared by the Border Regiment on the left. - -The King's Company was told to take over this section--by no means an -easy task in the dark. The frontage was nearly a mile, with the platoons -about six hundred yards apart, and the trenches were useless, being -merely shallow rain-shelters, hastily covered over. By working all night -the men succeeded in making some sort of a trench by dawn. Orders were -received that there could be no retirement in case of attack, and that -no support could be looked for. - -It was a remarkable situation into which this quixotic operation had -forced us. Here was an isolated British Division, with practically no -base and with no available reinforcements, operating entirely by itself, -while large bodies of the enemy were reported in every direction. But -for the information, which was regularly supplied by the aircraft, such -a position would have become impossible. The aeroplanes were most -active, constantly spying out the enemy's movements, and the armed -motor-cars also did very useful work. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 11.] - -Spades and shovels were obtained from neighbouring cottages at daybreak -on the 11th, and the men managed to make really good trenches. But in -the afternoon the Battalion was withdrawn, and marched through Ghent. -The whole force was retiring, and No. 2 and No. 3 Companies formed the -rearguard to the two brigades. It was hardly expected that the Germans -would allow the force to get away without a severe fight, but nothing -happened, though the enemy was close at hand, and entered Ghent soon -after the mixed force of British, French, and Belgians had left the -town. Passing through Ghent at dead of night after the cordial reception -they had had from the inhabitants two days before, and with the -knowledge that the Belgians were being left to the tender mercies of the -Germans, was anything but a pleasant experience for the British Force. - -Antwerp having fallen, the Seventh Division now got orders to make its -way back as fast as it could to Ypres, and there join up with the rest -of the British Army. This meant long marches and few intervals of rest, -but with the German force that had been freed by the capture of Antwerp -close behind, any delay was dangerous. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 12.] - -By dawn on the 12th, Ruggles-Brise's and Lawford's Brigades reached -Somergem, and in the afternoon they marched to Thielt by way of Aeltre. -At Oostcamp Watts's Brigade joined in and followed the others to Thielt. -As the Division drew near that place the halts became more and more -frequent--there were constant checks of as much as ten minutes, followed -by moves of less than a hundred yards. This was a very trying climax -after being up all night and marching all day. The last mile took two -hours, and it was not till 1 A.M. that the men reached their billets. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 13.] - -A burst of very heavy rifle-fire at 6 o'clock next morning in the very -centre of the town brought every one scrambling out of their billets, -with visions of outposts rushed and Germans in their midst. But it -turned out to be only a Taube, at which every one who had a rifle was -taking a shot. Eventually it was brought down about a mile off, the -Grenadiers, Scots Fusiliers, and Pom-Pom Detachment all claiming the -hit. - -The whole Division started off for Roulers, followed by the Germans. On -its arrival at Pitthem, a force of the enemy was reported to be -advancing from the north and north-east. The baggage was therefore sent -on, and the 20th and 22nd Brigades were ordered to take up a position in -order to cover this change in the order of march. The Germans, however, -did not come on, and the march was continued. The Division reached -Roulers after dark--with the usual irritating and fatiguing halts. At -each village, as the Battalion marched through, the whole population -turned out and gave the men apples, cigarettes, and any other offerings -they could, but the lion's share naturally fell to the advance guard and -the leading battalion, and by the time the tail was reached the supplies -had generally given out. - -By now the Germans had grasped that this was an isolated Division, and -were straining every nerve to catch it, so that the position at Roulers -was very precarious. The reports from the aeroplane scouts were -disquieting, and General Capper realised that every moment was precious. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 14.] - -Early next morning the Division marched out of Roulers, and not long -afterwards the Germans arrived; in fact, it was said that the rear-guard -was hardly clear of the town before the Uhlans were in it. No. 3 and No. -4 Companies, under Captain Lord Richard Wellesley and Major Colby, -formed the advance-guard. - -Rain fell heavily all the way, and the roads were in a terrible state, -but the men's spirits were raised by the news that they were nearly in -touch with the Expeditionary Force. These forced marches had told on the -troops, and though in the Grenadiers not a man fell out, in some of the -battalions men were left behind--never to be seen again. Others, -determined not to fall into the enemy's hands, limped doggedly on in a -pitiable plight, some having even taken off their boots and tied their -puttees round their feet. - -They reached Ypres at 2 P.M. on the 14th, and the King's, No. 3, and No. -4 Companies were detailed to find the outposts on the Menin and Messines -roads. As the companies moved out to take up their positions they -encountered several parties of Uhlans, which caused a good deal of -excitement among the men, as they were the first of the enemy's troops -actually seen. Some ammunition was expended without much result. But No. -4 Company at any rate accounted for four of these advanced cavalry. - -In the evening a report was received that a German force of all arms, -estimated to be an Army Corps, was advancing on Ypres from the direction -of Comines. Their road was blocked by a platoon of the King's Company, -and most of the men were delighted at the prospect of a fight, although -those who knew the composition of a German Army Corps were not quite so -enthusiastic. Two platoons of No. 2 Company under Lieutenant T. E. R. -Symons were despatched to Voormezeele, about a mile in front of the -outpost line, to block the road and report at once any movements by the -enemy. - -These were the first trenches dug on the Ypres battle-ground. The men at -that time imagined that they had only to scrape out temporary shelters -which would be sufficient protection for a night or two. They little -thought that they were laying the foundation of an intricate network of -trenches which would be constantly used for the next four years. - -The first battle of Ypres which was now about to begin may be said to -fall into four clearly marked stages: - -A. _Up to October 19_: the operations of the Second and Third Corps from -the La Bassée Canal in the south to Armentières and Ploegsteert Wood, in -which they forced their way forward in the face of always increasing -opposition; the Second Corps establishing itself on the high ground -south-west of Lille ("the Aubers Ridge"), although it was being held up -on its right by the strong German position of La Bassée; the Third Corps -continuing the line northward astride of the Lys. On their left the -enemy's cavalry threatened the passages of the Lys from Warneton -downward, but could not cross the river. Its operations connected up -those of the Second and Third Corps with those of the Seventh Division -and Third Cavalry Division, with which General Rawlinson, after -advancing eastward to assist in the retirement of the Belgian Army from -Antwerp, had fallen back to a position a few miles east of Ypres. - -By the evening of October 19 the line of the Second Corps ran -approximately from east of Givenchy--Violaines--Lorgies--west of -Illies--Herlies to Le Pilly, while between it and the Third Corps was -General Conneau's French Cavalry Corps, somewhat to the left rear -of the Second Corps. The Third Corps had reached the line -Radinghem--Ennetières--Prémesques--Frélinghien--Le Gheer. The British -cavalry continued the line down the Lys to the Ypres--Comines Canal, and -was in touch with the right of General Rawlinson's command, which, after -attempting to advance on Menin on the morning of October 19, had been -forced to fall back to the position Zandvoorde--Kruiseik--Zonnebeke by -the appearance on its left of large forces of Germans, before which the -French cavalry (connecting General Rawlinson's force with the Belgians) -was falling back. - -The situation, as it then stood, seems to have offered Sir John French -two alternatives for the employment of Sir Douglas Haig's Corps, which -had then completed its concentration in the area St. Omer--Hazebrouck: -he might utilise it to reinforce Generals Smith-Dorrien and Pulteney, -who were holding a long front, and whose troops had had over a week of -difficult, if on the whole successful, fighting, and lacked the numbers -needed for any further advance. Reinforcements thrown in on this quarter -might have saved Lille, and enabled the French, in co-operation with -whom the British were acting, to outflank the Germans opposed to them in -the neighbourhood of Loos and Arras. Ever since the battle on the Aisne -had reached a deadlock in the middle of September, it had been the -object of the Allied forces to outflank the German right, while the -Germans had by continually reinforcing and prolonging their threatened -flank succeeded in thwarting this effort. It is this double prolongation -of the opposing lines, first by one combatant, then by the other, which -is called "the Race to the Sea," and of which the first battle of Ypres -was the culminating point. - -The other alternative was to send in this force farther to the left to -carry out a wider turning movement than the mere move round what seemed -then the German right south of Lille, and by pushing forward east of -Ypres in the direction of Bruges to outflank the German line far more -effectively. It is a little difficult to ascertain from the evidence at -present available what exactly was known as to the opposition to be -expected in such a movement. It would seem that the full strength of the -German force available, consisting of several of the newly formed -Reserve Corps (raised since the beginning of the war), was hardly -appreciated. The idea, prevailing at the British Headquarters, was that -if used on the extreme left flank in this way Sir Douglas Haig's part -would be essentially offensive; but as things turned out, he was -speedily thrown on the defensive, and forced to fight a most desperate -battle to prevent greatly superior forces of Germans forcing their way -through Ypres to the Channel ports. Badly as the Second and Third Corps -needed help, it was most fortunate that, when the German attack began, -it found the First Corps, advancing past Ypres, in its path. - -B. _From October 20 to October 28_: the operations in this phase have a -two-fold character. On the left Sir Douglas Haig endeavoured to advance -first of all north of, and then through, General Rawlinson's troops; -and, though to some extent successful, he encountered ever-increasing -opposition, so that by October 28 the British in this quarter (east of -Ypres, north of the Ypres--Comines Canal) had been definitely thrown on -the defensive, and were hard put to it to hold their own against the -repeated attacks of considerably superior forces. Meanwhile, on October -20, the Germans had developed a powerful counter-attack against the long -and attenuated line held by the Second and Third Corps. The left of the -Second Corps at Le Pilly was driven in, and simultaneously General -Pulteney's troops were ousted from Ennetières and Prémesques, and these -losses, coupled with the great superiority of the German forces opposed -to them, compelled the Second and Third Corps to retire. Thus the -valuable tactical position of the Aubers Ridge was lost, and the Second -and Third Corps compelled to retire to the line Givenchy--Richebourg -l'Avoué--Neuve Chapelle--Bois Grenier--Houplines--Le Gheer. At the same -time the cavalry north of the Lys was gradually pressed back to the line -St. Yvon--east of Messines--Hollebeke--Zandvoorde. Fortunately at this -critical time the arrival of the Lahore Division of the Indian Corps -provided a much-needed assistance, but, despite this, the village of -Neuve Chapelle was lost on October 27, and a counter-attack on October -28 failed to regain possession of it. - -C. _From October 29 to November 10_: in this period the operations north -of the Lys, where the German attacks reached their maximum in force, -were of the greatest importance, fresh troops being constantly put in. -South of that river the fighting gradually diminished in intensity, the -German attacks being held up by the Second Corps, part of which was -relieved by the Indian Corps (the Meerut Division, which arrived in the -line on October 31), and the Sixth Division of the Third Corps. A little -ground was lost, but nothing of real importance. North of the river the -intensity of the fighting increased greatly, and on October 29 the -Germans attacked in great strength, but were only able to gain a little -ground. Two days later, on October 31, they renewed the attack with the -utmost vigour, and made a determined effort to reach the Channel ports. -The line of the First Division about Gheluvelt was broken, and the -Division fell back. General Lomax and the greater portion of his staff -were killed, while the casualties in the rank and file were enormous. -The day was saved by Brigadier-General Charles FitzClarence, V.C., who, -quickly realising the peril of the situation, ordered the 2nd Battalion -Worcestershire Regiment to retake Gheluvelt, although they were not -under his command. The First Division gallantly rallied, and regained -some of the ground that had been lost, but not without desperate -fighting and very heavy losses. At the same time the Fourth Division of -the Third Corps was very hard pressed at Le Gheer, but managed to retain -its ground after hard fighting and a successful counter-attack. On -November 1 the cavalry, after a most magnificent resistance at Messines -and Wytschaete, was finally dislodged from the Messines Ridge. By this -time French reinforcements were arriving in large numbers, and they took -over the line between the left of the cavalry and the right of Sir -Douglas Haig's command (into which the Seventh Division had now been -absorbed), but their repeated counter-attacks on the Messines Ridge, and -between Wytschaete and the Ypres--Comines Canal were unsuccessful. After -October 31 the fighting north of the Ypres--Comines Canal did not reach -the same intensity till November 11, but the Germans made repeated -attacks, and forced the line back a little at several points. It became -necessary to relieve the Seventh Division, whose infantry had been -reduced to about a quarter of its original strength, and this was done -by putting in about a dozen of the scarcely less exhausted battalions of -the Second Corps, which had just been taken out of the line north of La -Bassée for a well-earned rest. By November 5 the right of Sir Douglas -Haig's line, south of the Ypres--Menin road, was held by the equivalent -of a division from the Second Corps, the First Division being in his -centre, and the Second on his left, though all three divisions were much -intermingled. - -By November 10 the cavalry, supported by a few battalions of the Second -Corps, had taken over a line west of the Messines Ridge, and on the left -of the Third Corps. From the Douve southward to La Bassée the line was -approximately established as it remained through the winter of 1914-15, -the Third Corps being astride the Lys, while the Fourth Corps (the -Eighth Division, which had by this time arrived) continued the line from -about Bois Grenier to beyond Neuve Chapelle, the Indian Corps being on -the right. - -D. _November 11 to 20_: November 11 was the next most critical moment of -the battle after October 31; on this day took place the great attack of -the Prussian Guard, which broke through the line of the First Division -near Veldhoek and penetrated into the Nonne-Bosschen, but was checked -there, and then dislodged by a counter-attack by the 52nd Oxfordshire -Light Infantry, perhaps the most dramatic of all the individual episodes -of the battle. On this day the line of the Third Division south of the -Ypres--Menin road was also violently assailed, and some ground was lost; -but the net result of the day was the failure of the great German effort -to break through, and from that moment the fighting north as well as -south of the Lys tended to diminish in intensity. The Germans made a few -more attacks, but none in such strength or determination as those of -October 31 and November 11, and about November 15 the French began to -take over the positions in "the Ypres salient," so obstinately defended -by Sir Douglas Haig for nearly four weeks. It may be gathered from the -accounts of the fighting of the subsequent months that the Germans were -for the moment exhausted, that their supplies of ammunition were running -low, and that the attack of November 11 represented their last -bolt--until more could be forged. Thus if the Allied effort to outflank -the German right and roll up their line had been unsuccessful, -defensively the first battle of Ypres was a great success, the German -effort to break through being definitely and decisively defeated. -November 20 may be taken as the end of the battle, as it was on that day -that the last unit of Sir Douglas Haig's command was relieved by the -French, the British line then extending approximately from Givenchy in -the south to Keniwel in the north. During this fourth phase the -operations on the line from the Douve to the La Bassée Canal had been of -the character of "normal trench warfare," neither side attempting any -major operation. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 15.] - -Ypres was to be held at all costs till the First Corps arrived--those -were Sir Henry Rawlinson's orders. There were no other British troops in -the neighbourhood when the Seventh Division arrived there, except the -Third Cavalry Division, which had been sent on in the direction of Menin -to reconnoitre. The Eighty-seventh French Territorial Division was at -Ypres, and the Eighty-ninth at Poperinghe (both under General Bidon), -while the Belgian Army had reached the Forest of Houthulst. - -At first General Capper decided to post the Seventh Division from -Zonnebeke to Langemarck, asking the Eighty-seventh French Territorials -to hold, for the moment, the line from Zonnebeke to Hollebeke; there -they would get into touch with Allenby's Cavalry Division, which was on -the left of the Third Corps. Operating on the left of the Seventh -Division, Byng's Cavalry Division would keep touch with the Belgians and -French Marines. - -But these orders were afterwards cancelled when it was clear that Menin -would be the probable line of advance. General Capper made the Seventh -Division change places with the Eighty-seventh French Division, so that -it now took up the line from Zonnebeke to Hollebeke, with -Ruggles-Brise's Brigade on the right, Watts's in the centre, and -Lawford's on the left. Four German Army Corps were now rumoured to be -operating somewhere in Belgium, but where exactly no one knew. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 16.] - -A piteous sight confronted the 1st Battalion Grenadiers as it marched -eastward towards Zandvoorde on October 16, after a quiet day in billets -on the outskirts of Ypres. On the roads it met the whole civilian -population of the neighbouring towns and villages, which was in flight -before the advancing enemy. Old men and women ran breathless; children -trotted by their mothers' sides; some had all their worldly possessions -in carts drawn by ponies or dogs; others were pushing wheelbarrows -loaded with all the goods they could carry away. All had a look of -terror in their eyes, and all hurried madly to safety, spurred on by the -thought of the blazing villages that lay behind them. - -The advance-guard of the Brigade was formed by the King's and No. 4 -Companies under Major Weld-Forester and Major Colby. Progress was very -slow, even after daybreak, as there was a fog, and every wood by the -roadside had to be thoroughly cleared. A few shots were exchanged with -Uhlans, but there was no serious resistance, and the Brigade entered -Zandvoorde at 11 A.M. Two miles from Zandvoorde, meanwhile, No. 3 -Company under Lord Richard Wellesley had been ordered to Hollebeke to -protect the right flank of the Brigade; this Company rejoined the -Battalion later on. - -At Zandvoorde a strong defensive position was taken up, facing east; it -had a good field of fire, and there was a fairly wide stream two hundred -yards from the trenches. The King's and No. 4 Companies were in the -front trench, and No. 2 and No. 3 in reserve. That night the enemy -played his old tricks, and kept every one awake, with a few snipers -firing at intervals into different parts of the line. The men were then -new to such devices, but it was not long before they learned to -distinguish between sniping and an organised attack. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 17-18.] - -The following day the whole Brigade was ordered to advance and occupy -the ridge Kruiseik--America, with its right bending back to Zandvoorde, -the Scots Guards having occupied Kruiseik the night before. At night -villages could be seen burning in every direction, set on fire by the -Germans, and this was taken as an indication that the enemy was -preparing to attack. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 19.] - -On the 19th orders were received for an advance by the Seventh Division -on Menin and Wervicq; it was reported that the enemy was in no great -strength, and that his forces consisted principally of Landsturm, with -no artillery. The attack was to take place in three phases: - -First phase: by the 22nd Brigade on the left against an advance position -at Kleythoek. - -Second phase: by the 20th and 21st Brigades against Gheluwe. - -Third phase: by the whole Division against Menin and Wervicq. - -Sir John French, in his despatch of that date, said: - - I considered, however, that the possession of Menin constituted a - very important point of passage, and would much facilitate the - advance of the rest of the Army, so I directed the General Officer - commanding the Fourth Corps to advance the Seventh Division upon - Menin and endeavour to seize that crossing on the morning of the - 18th. - -It was no easy task that was allotted to Sir Henry Rawlinson, for he had -nothing to fall back upon. The cavalry under Byng was hardly strong -enough to do more than feel for the enemy, and there was therefore only -the French Territorial Division at Ypres as a reserve. There was nearly -twenty miles of front for the Seventh Division to operate on, and no one -knew when the First Corps would arrive. - -The advance of the Seventh Division began in the morning. The 1st -Battalion Grenadiers deployed for an attack on Gheluwe and Kruiseik, -with No. 2 and No. 3 Companies in the firing-line, and the King's and -No. 4 in support. The men were extended to eight paces, and each company -had a frontage of half a platoon; the Battalion was thus in sixteen -lines, with 200 yards between each line, during the preliminary advance -under artillery fire. - -When about half the Battalion was on the move, the order to advance was -countermanded, for news had arrived that a large force of all arms was -advancing from the direction of Courtrai. Lawford's Brigade, which had -reached Kleythoek, was strongly attacked on its left flank and compelled -to fall back with heavy losses. The advance on Menin had been found -impracticable; Sir Henry Rawlinson suddenly realised that with a single -infantry division it was sheer madness to attack an enemy force which, -according to our airmen's reports, was far stronger than Sir John French -had anticipated. Being the pivot on which the whole Division had to -turn, Ruggles-Brise's Brigade had not gone far when the countermanding -order came, but the left of the Division had to retire some distance -before it was in line facing the right way. - -Ruggles-Brise's Brigade retired to its former position, which consisted -of a semicircular line running from Zandvoorde through Kruiseik to the -cross-roads on the Ypres--Menin road. To the 1st Battalion Grenadiers -was allotted a frontage of nearly a mile, from and including the village -of Kruiseik to the cross-roads, on the left being the Yorkshire Regiment -from Watts's Brigade and on the right the Border Regiment. No. 2 and No. -3 Companies were in the firing line, and No. 4 and the King's Company in -support. - -A circular salient is not easy to hold, and after the greater part of -the day had been spent in improving the trenches and putting out barbed -wire under intermittent and ineffective shell-fire, orders were received -to withdraw the line. This withdrawal was necessitated by the Divisional -order to send back two battalions as Divisional Reserve. This left only -the Grenadiers and Border Regiment to occupy the whole line. After -consulting General Ruggles-Brise, Lieut.-Colonel Earle decided to -withdraw Nos. 2 and 3 Companies and convert the support trenches into -the firing line. This meant altering the trenches a good deal, as those -used for the supports were too wide and shallow. The whole situation -had, however, changed, and the Division was now on the defensive. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 20.] - -Improvements in the line generally were made next day. Besides being -deepened, the trenches were made narrower by driving wash-poles into the -bottom about three feet apart, closing up the intervals with doors, -shutters, straw hurdles, etc., and then filling up the space behind with -earth. This work was practically finished, when it had to be stopped -because a reconnaissance was sent out in front with a battery of R.H.A. -(13-pounders) to support it, and no sooner had the battery opened fire -than it was itself attacked by much heavier artillery from the direction -of Wervicq. - -For an hour a constant stream of shrapnel and high explosive poured over -our trenches. There was one short lull, when our R.H.A. Battery ran -short of ammunition, and the Germans, thinking they had knocked the -battery out, also ceased fire. On realising their mistake, they began -again with renewed energy. High-explosive shells were bursting all down -the trenches, back and front, but luckily none landed actually in them; -and though a cottage by the side of the road caught fire, the removal of -the wood and straw lying near the trench averted all danger. Very -grateful the Grenadiers were for the close touch which F Battery under -Major Head managed to keep with them during these anxious days' -fighting. It was a perfect example of how artillery and infantry should -co-operate. - -In the afternoon the enemy launched his infantry attack, preceded by -scouts and snipers, and covered by artillery and machine-gun fire. -Almost for the first time the Germans were now distinctly seen, and -there was something almost reassuring in the fact that they looked like -ordinary beings. Hitherto they had seemed a sort of mysterious bogey, -something far away on the black horizon, an evil force associated with -burning houses and fleeing inhabitants. Though their attack was all -according to the book, they never succeeded in reaching our trenches. In -many places they managed to advance under cover to within 200 yards of -our position, but the attack was half-hearted and therefore failed. - -The machine-guns under Lord Claud Hamilton were posted on the right of -the Battalion, and remained there for seven days, day and night, without -relief, under continual fire from the enemy's artillery and -machine-guns. During this strenuous time they fired 56,000 rounds, and -inflicted considerable loss on the enemy. - -By dusk the Germans had established a considerable force within striking -distance, and the whole British line stood to arms till about 9 P.M., -expecting an assault any moment. Why with such enormous advantages the -enemy did not make a more determined attack it is difficult to -understand. They outnumbered our troops by four to one, and had an -overwhelming superiority in artillery. But while the Seventh Division -were all seasoned professional soldiers, the German Corps consisted -mostly of Landwehr, that is, second-line troops or men retired from the -active army. - -Nothing happened till midnight, when the enemy suddenly opened a heavy -fire, and in places began half-hearted assaults, which were easily -repulsed. He kept up a continuous and comparatively useless fire for an -hour, but with our men the control of fire was excellent. During these -spasmodic attacks the R.H.A. Battery, which was just behind the village -of Kruiseik, did most effective work, bursting groups of shrapnel with -great accuracy and rapidity over the German lines, at a range of only -eight hundred yards. The Seventh Division was occupying more ground than -it could properly hold, but with so few troops General Capper had no -alternative. Two platoons of No. 2 Company were furnished during the -night to support the King's Company in the fire trenches, but even with -their help it found the greatest difficulty in filling its part of the -line. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 21.] - -There was some shelling in the early morning of the 21st, but nothing -serious happened till the afternoon, when the enemy at last attacked, -apparently, all along the line. So long was the line General Capper was -now holding that he found it impossible to keep any reserves. At first -the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards was in Divisional Reserve, but it was -soon wanted, and was sent up into the firing line in the morning. When -appeals for help came afterwards from various quarters, General Capper -had only the cavalry to send. The Northumberland Hussars were despatched -to fill the gap between the 20th Brigade and the Third Cavalry Division, -and when the right flank of the Division needed strengthening the -Divisional Cyclist Company was sent thither. - -By this time the First Corps had arrived, and had been sent up to the -north of Ypres. As it turned out, that spirit of dash which won Sir John -French his reputation in South Africa proved the saving of the -situation. Had he been of a more cautious disposition, he would -undoubtedly have sent the First Corps to reinforce General -Smith-Dorrien, who was in great difficulties farther south. Its despatch -north of Ypres, originally with the idea of a general advance, saved the -Seventh Division from utter destruction. - -The position of the line was now as follows: the First Corps from -Bixschoote to Zonnebeke; the Seventh Division from Zonnebeke to -Zandvoorde; then Byng's Cavalry and Allenby's Cavalry up to the left of -the Third Corps. - -About mid-day the 21st Brigade was heavily attacked, and -Brigadier-General Watts sent back for reinforcements. There were none. -Some companies had to be sent in support, and General Ruggles-Brise -ordered No. 2 and No. 3 Companies of the Grenadiers to go to its help. -Two companies of Scots Guards had already been sent to Zandvoorde to -fill up a gap on the right, occasioned by the withdrawal of the 5th -Cavalry Brigade, while the remaining two companies were with the -Divisional Reserve at Gheluvelt. These continual demands for -reinforcements naturally weakened the 20th Brigade considerably. Under -heavy shell-fire the Scots Guards started off, but the attack on the -21st Brigade died away, and after they had gone about a mile they were -ordered to return, as they might be wanted any moment to support their -own Brigade. - -Meanwhile the line held by the Grenadiers was heavily shelled, not only -by the Germans but by our own guns, which were firing short. The men -naturally were infuriated by this, but fortunately the mistake did not -last long, as the artillery was soon able to correct its own distance. -During the night the German machine-guns had been brought up close, one -at least being placed in a house 150 yards from our trenches, and the -covering fire from these was most disconcerting. It was generally -oblique, and enabled the German infantry to approach with far fewer -losses than on the previous day. An infantry attack was made, but was -not pressed home, and except for spasmodic bursts of rifle-fire the -night was again fairly quiet. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 22.] - -Having been in the trenches for four days and nights, the King's and No. -4 Companies were relieved by No. 2 and No. 3 Companies. Aircraft reports -that the enemy was massing troops near America seemed to presage an -attack, but except for the inevitable sniping nothing happened in that -part of the line, the attack that day being directed against the 22nd -Brigade and also against the First and Second Divisions farther north. -The relieved companies had not been long in their dug-outs, however, -before two platoons of No. 4 Company under 2nd Lieutenant Walter and 2nd -Lieutenant Somerset were ordered to occupy some trenches vacated by the -21st Brigade on the left, while the King's Company was sent up to -Kruiseik to reinforce No. 2 Company. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 23.] - -The position of the Seventh Division was now becoming most precarious, -holding doggedly on as it was to a line seven miles long, with every man -in the trenches. General Lawford's 22nd Brigade had been attacked by a -large force and obliged to give ground; this made an ugly dent in the -line, and placed the 21st Brigade in an acute and perilous salient. To -help the hard-pressed Seventh Division Sir Douglas Haig now sent along -the Second Division, which had been relieved by the French Ninth Corps. - -Owing to the heavy mist on the 23rd neither side could use artillery -till 9 A.M., when the enemy began to bombard the Kruiseik salient. The -day's attack was directed against the 21st Brigade, and the Wiltshire -Regiment had some desperate fighting. The two platoons of the Grenadiers -which had been sent up the night before were attacked by two battalions -of Germans, but they held their ground and never gave an inch. They -suffered severely, however, and 2nd Lieutenant Walter and 2nd Lieutenant -Somerset were both killed before these platoons were withdrawn. The -whole line of trenches was bombarded incessantly, and all day the German -guns swept the rear of the line so as to catch the supports as they came -up. - -A message was sent to the Grenadiers about 2.30 from the Border Regiment -on the right to say that their trenches had been blown in, and they -might want help. Accordingly the King's and No. 4 Companies were ordered -to move across to a position in rear of the Border Regiment, so as to -support them if necessary. No sooner had they left their dug-outs and -fallen in than they were heavily shelled, though they were well out of -sight of the German gunners. - -Incidents like this gave rise to stories of spies behind the British -lines, who could telephone to the enemy's gunners the exact position of -bodies of our troops. But had the Germans had any means whatever of -obtaining information they could hardly have failed to know that, -instead of the large forces they imagined to be opposed to them, there -was nothing to bar their way to Calais but a single unsupported British -Division. - -When the leading platoons of the two companies of the Grenadiers reached -the position indicated, which was the ridge in rear of the Borderers' -trenches, they came under the concentrated fire of batteries from three -different directions, and suffered some loss. So heavy was the fire that -they found it impossible to remain on the ridge, and as the Border -Regiment had not definitely asked for support the King's Company was -ordered to retire. It retired in good order and in slow time, though -under heavy fire all the way. Lieutenant H. L. Aubrey Fletcher and -several men were wounded, but the casualties were not so heavy as might -have been expected. Fortunately the enemy burst their shrapnel too high, -and the ground was so soft that the high-explosive shells did little -damage except when they got a direct hit. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 24.] - -A violent attack was made next day on the salient formed by the British -line, which at last began to show signs of giving way. After some -desperate fighting the Wiltshire Regiment was driven in, and the Germans -got possession of Polygon Wood. Ruggles-Brise's Brigade was heavily -engaged, as the enemy's attack was being pressed home with great vigour, -especially on the left of the Battalion, where the Germans were trying -to break through between the Grenadiers and the Yorkshire Regiment. No. -4 Company, under Major Colby, was therefore ordered to counter-attack. -Great difficulties were added to its task by the tobacco-drying -grounds--ready-made wire entanglements on which the men's packs and -accoutrements caught while the German machine-guns were practically -enfilading them. But, in spite of everything, Major Colby succeeded in -driving back a much larger body of the enemy, and thus making that part -of the line secure. - -It was a brilliant bit of work, and was specially mentioned by General -Capper in his report. But it was very costly: Major Colby, Lieutenant -Antrobus, and a hundred men were killed, and Captain Leatham was -wounded. The only officer of this company who escaped unhurt was -Lieutenant Sir G. Duckworth-King. - -In the evening news arrived that the First Corps was attacking the enemy -on the left, and this somewhat relieved the situation. The reserve -trenches came in for severe shelling during the night, but, as it -happened, there was only a platoon of No. 2 in reserve at the time. It -had a curious experience, which might have had serious results. Two -companies of the Queen's had been sent up to the reserve dug-outs. -Somehow the report was spread that the Germans had got into Kruiseik, -and an alarm was raised. The platoon from the Grenadiers stood to arms, -and as it waited saw in the moonlight a line of men with fixed bayonets -advancing on their flank. They were preparing to meet them with the -bayonet when they suddenly realised that they were friends. Major -Stucley leaped from the trench, and went himself to explain matters to -the two companies, which returned to their original position. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 25.] - -The Germans were reported next day to be entrenching all along our -southern front and opposite Zandvoorde. About sunset the Grenadiers were -attacked, and one platoon from No. 2 Company under Lieutenant Lambert -became isolated, the enemy having taken the trench on its right and also -the houses behind it. Three messengers were sent back to Battalion -Headquarters for help, but only one got through, and he was wounded. -Lieut.-Colonel Earle sent up a platoon of No. 3, and the houses in the -rear of the line were partially cleared. - -A determined attack developed later that night, and a mass of men was -seen advancing on the left. A voice called out, "Don't shoot! We are the -South Staffords." But the German helmets could be distinctly seen -against the glow from a burning farm; a heavy fire was opened on them, -and slowly they disappeared. As a matter of fact two companies of the -South Staffords had come up to the Battalion as a reserve that night, -and the Germans must have known it. In the morning forty or fifty dead -Germans were counted in front of the platoon under Lieutenant Lambert, -and 200 prisoners were captured by the Scots Guards in a house in rear -of the line. Viscount Dalrymple and Captain Fox, with two companies of -the Scots Guards, cleared all the Germans out of the village, and -restored the line. - -During the night Lord Claud Hamilton, whose guns were in action all -night, saw a body of men moving in fours down the road behind him, and -naturally thought they were men of the Brigade. But as they passed a -burning house he saw the German helmets, and turned one of his guns on -them, while the other gun continued to engage the enemy in front. He was -relieved before dawn by Lieutenant Gladwin of the Scots Guards with a -fresh team of men, who took over the Grenadier machine-guns. Soon after -he took charge Lieutenant Gladwin was killed. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 26.] - -The First Division had now taken over the line from Reutel to the Menin -road, so that the Seventh Division held only the section from the Menin -road through Kruiseik to Zandvoorde. But this salient had become more -and more acute and dangerous, and General Capper decided to readjust the -line and reduce the salient as far as he could. To withdraw from a -position when at close grips with the enemy was a task requiring careful -staff work, but it was successfully carried out that night. - -Before dawn the King's Company took over the fire trenches with a -platoon of No. 3 under Lieutenant Van Neck, while a platoon from No. 2 -under Sergeant Boyles occupied a trench about 200 yards to the left. One -platoon of the King's Company was 300 yards to the right of the rest of -the company, and another 300 yards farther to the right were the Scots -Guards. - -A terrific shelling of our trenches began early in the morning, and -reached such a pitch that the men counted as many as sixty shells a -minute on each small trench. The whole of the enemy's artillery fire was -concentrated on Kruiseik. Gallantly our men held on, in spite of the -fact that again and again the shells blew in the trenches and buried -half-a-dozen men at a time, all of whom had to be dug out with shovels. -Some of them had as much as three feet of earth on top of them, and many -were suffocated before they could be rescued. - -So violent were these attacks that by mid-day the Germans had broken -through the line held by two companies of the South Staffords, which had -been sent to relieve the Border Regiment. By 2.30 P.M. the enemy had -gone through the gap, and had managed to get in rear of two companies of -the Scots Guards, which suddenly found themselves surrounded and fired -at from all directions. Although the Scots Guards still fought on, they -were captured by degrees in small parties, and the survivors were -finally made prisoners, including Lieut.-Colonel Bolton, Major Viscount -Dalrymple, and Captain Fox. Finding his flank exposed, Lieut.-Colonel -Earle at once gave orders to the Grenadiers to retire, but this order -did not reach the fire trenches for a long time, and was never received -by the King's Company at all. Meanwhile, General Ruggles-Brise ordered -the guns back to their old position on the Zandvoorde Ridge, and having -collected the remainder of the Scots Guards, the Gordons, and the -Borderers, he returned to the hollow west of Zandvoorde. - -The position now seemed hopeless for the King's Company and the other -two platoons, for the Germans had got round both flanks, and the rest of -the Battalion was retiring. Lieutenant Pilcher, one of the officers of -the King's Company, managed to get back to Battalion Headquarters, only -to find that the Battalion had retired. He started to return at once, -but the Germans were closing in on the company, and as there were no -communication trenches, he had to advance in the open with the enemy on -each side of him. However, he got through to Major Weld-Forester, and -told him of the retirement. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Hope, the signalling -officer, who had been ordered to retire with the rest of the Battalion, -turned back on his own initiative to warn the King's Company, and even -got some of the First Division to come to its assistance. - -At first Major Weld-Forester had determined to hold on grimly to his bit -of the line, but it now seemed clear to him that he ought to join in -retirement. To do this meant going clean through the Germans, who were -now firmly established in the village and outhouses--but on the other -hand to remain meant being surrounded and captured. So he quickly -decided to retire and join the rest of the Battalion. He knew he could -rely on his men to do anything or go anywhere, and trusted to their -discipline to carry through even such a desperate plan as this of -forcing a way through the Germans. - -Having explained the whole situation to his officers and N.C.O.'s, he -sent an orderly to Lieutenant Van Neck, and told him to retire at the -same time. But the message never reached this officer, nor did the -platoon of the King's Company which was 800 yards away receive the -order. The result was that these two isolated platoons continued to -fight on until they were overwhelmed by the advancing German masses. - -Meanwhile, through the village came the King's Company, with Major -Weld-Forester at their head, bayonets fixed and in perfect order. On -they came, straight through the Germans, who were at first dumbfounded -by the reckless daring of the enterprise. Soon the enemy collected -themselves, and the machine-guns began rattling from the windows; but -friend and foe were so intermingled that it was difficult for them to -fire, and it would have taken better men than the Germans to stop the -men of the King's Company, when they had made up their minds to get -through. Many casualties there were, of course, but Major Weld-Forester -succeeded in joining the Black Watch that night, and linked up with the -rest of the Battalion next morning. - -The same night the retirement of the whole Division was carried out -successfully, and it took up a second position running through the -crossroads near Gheluvelt. The remainder of the Grenadiers, under -Lieut.-Colonel Earle, retired in good order through the First Division -and went into billets on the outskirts of Ypres, where they were joined -next morning by what was left of the King's Company. After five days and -nights in the trenches without relief the men were utterly worn out, but -in spite of their hard fighting and heavy losses their spirits were not -depressed nor their discipline in any way relaxed. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 27.] - -On the 27th the 1st Battalion Grenadiers moved from billets outside -Ypres to a bivouac in Sanctuary Wood, just south of the Menin road. -Ruggles-Brise's Brigade was withdrawn from the Basseville River, and the -battalions were reorganised. When the roll was called, it was found that -the losses in every battalion had been considerable. The 1st Battalion -Grenadiers had lost 9 officers and 301 men, the 2nd Battalion Scots -Guards 17 officers and 511 men, the 2nd Gordon Highlanders 3 officers -and 159 men, and the 2nd Border Regiment 17 officers and 431 men. What -remained of the Seventh Division was now transferred to the First Corps -under Sir Douglas Haig. - -A report was received that the Twenty-seventh German Reserve Division -had been ordered to take the cross-roads south-east of Gheluvelt, and -the 20th Brigade was ordered to relieve the 22nd Brigade just south of -the Menin road. General Ruggles-Brise placed the Grenadiers in the front -line next to the road, with the Gordons on their right, while the -remnants of the Borderers and Scots Guards were left in support. Guides -were furnished by the 22nd Brigade, and General Ruggles-Brise, who knew -the ground well, since it was next to his old Headquarters, met them at -the cross-roads. As the trenches were very inadequate, most of them mere -scratches, and some even facing the wrong way, the Grenadiers were -ordered to withdraw at daybreak, if there was no attack, so as to evade -shell-fire. As the day dawned, General Ruggles-Brise returned to his -Headquarters, where he was met by the Brigade-Major, who told him that -an attack was expected at dawn, and that he had received instructions to -bring up the two supporting battalions. - -On the way up the Scots Guards were so unlucky as to have a shell burst -right into one of their companies, causing some twenty casualties. 2nd -Lieutenant Gibbs was killed, and Captain Kemble and Lieutenant Lord -Dalhousie severely wounded. - -It was a melancholy scene through which the Grenadiers marched off. Some -ten days before, when they passed through Gheluvelt, they had been -greeted by the inhabitants; now it was a deserted ruin. Most of the -houses and the church had been demolished, and such buildings as -remained looked like dolls' houses, when the fronts have been removed. -The roadway was full of great shell-holes, and some carcasses of horses -added to the dreariness of the picture. Arrived at their destination, -Nos. 2, 3, and 4 Companies were put in the firing line, and the King's -Company in support. It was practically dark, and as the trenches were -very bad they had to dig themselves in as well as they could. - -The German General Staff was now getting impatient. In spite of their -immense superiority in numbers and in guns, the Germans had succeeded -only in making dents in the line, and had not yet broken through. So -they determined to mass their guns and infantry at certain parts of the -line, and drive a wedge through--one of the points selected being the -left of the line held by the 1st Battalion Grenadiers near the -cross-roads. Every one on the British side knew of the projected attack, -from General Headquarters down to the latest-joined drummer boy, but -foreknowledge was of little use, as there were no reserves available. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 29.] - -At 5.15 A.M. on the 29th--a densely foggy morning--the Battalion was -heavily shelled by our own guns; presumably the fire was intended for -the German infantry, which was known to be somewhere near. Although -every possible precaution had been taken against an attack at dawn, -there was no sign of any movement on the part of the enemy, and after -the Battalion had waited for an hour and a half, the report of an -intended attack was dismissed as untrue. The question then arose as to -what should be done to obtain food for the supporting battalions. They -had been hurried up in the dark, and no provision had been made for -their rations, nor was it possible to bring food up in wagons to -positions in such close proximity to the enemy. The Brigadier decided -that, as the expected attack had not been made, it would be best to send -these two battalions back to get their food, so that on their return -they would be prepared to remain in the front trench, and meet any -attack that might come later in the day. - -They had been gone hardly half-an-hour when the Germans opened a very -heavy fire, and in the mist which was still clinging to the ground -rifle-fire was poured upon the Grenadiers from the left rear. It was at -once realised that the enemy had managed to penetrate the line between -the two Divisions. To meet this enfilade fire the left flank of the line -turned back, and before long the whole Battalion was forced to leave the -fire trenches and occupy the support trenches, which were far too deep -for the men to fire from. - -Major Stucley, the second in command, dashed off at once with Captain -Rasch, the Adjutant, to bring up the King's Company, the only support -available. In place of the shell-fire, which had practically ceased, -there now arose a steady rifle and machine-gun fire from the houses to -the left and even the left rear of the Battalion. Swinging round to the -left, the King's Company, headed by Major Stucley, steadily advanced for -about two hundred yards, when it came to the support trench occupied by -No. 2 and No. 3 Company. Major Stucley at once grasped the gravity of -the situation. The King's Company had already suffered many casualties, -as it came up across the open, and the enemy's machine-guns were pouring -a murderous fire into the other two companies--No. 4 Company under -Captain Rennie still remained in the fire trenches on the right. The -problem was how, with three companies and no reserve, to stop a force -ten times as numerous. The Germans had taken all the houses near the -Menin road, and the thin line of Grenadiers, with their left turned back -to face the road, was all there was to stop the rush of the enemy. - -And indeed it was a formidable rush. They came on in such numbers that -an officer afterwards said the attacking force reminded him of a crowd -coming on the ground after a football match. Shoulder to shoulder they -advanced, much in the same way as their ancestors fought under Frederick -the Great, and though for spectacular purposes at Grand Manoeuvres their -mass formations were very effective, in actual warfare against modern -weapons they proved to be a costly failure. - -The German General Staff had studied the question of the attack with the -usual German thoroughness. It had carefully considered whether it should -adopt the formation evolved by the British Army from the South African -war or not, and had come to the conclusion that the personal equation -played too large a part in an advance in extended order, and that for a -conscript army the only possible formation was close order, in which the -small percentage of cowards would be carried forward by the great -majority of brave men. Nevertheless, in spite of their solid phalanxes, -it was said that the German officers advanced with revolvers in their -hands, to shoot men who lagged behind. - -For our men the difficulty was to shoot the Germans quick enough. Ever -since the South African war the men had been taught to fire at a little -brown smudge on a green background painted on the target, an artistic -triumph of the musketry authorities, supposed to represent all that a -man would be able to see of his enemy in a modern battle. But here were -full-length Germans not a hundred yards off, alarmingly visible, and in -such numbers that even for the worst shot there was not the slightest -difficulty in hitting them, especially as they were often three or four -deep. In spite of this, however, the apparently hopeless impossibility -of stopping so many, and the futility of killing a few out of such a -crowd, made some of our men sometimes shoot very wildly. - -Major Stucley disdained all cover and dashed forward at the head of the -King's Company, determined to save the situation. In the hail of bullets -he fell shot through the head, and soon afterwards Captain Lord Richard -Wellesley was killed in the same way. Major Weld-Forester, Captain -Ponsonby, and Lieutenant the Hon. A. G. S. Douglas-Pennant, who had -necessarily to expose themselves, were wounded. Captain Ponsonby -recovered, but Major Weld-Forester and Lieutenant Douglas-Pennant died -two days later. - -Finding it impossible to stay in the front trench any longer, No. 4 -Company retired to the brickyard. Captain Rennie, who commanded them, -was never heard of again. Still the Grenadiers held doggedly on to their -support trench for another hour, until it was found that the Germans had -got round their left and were enfilading the whole trench. Bullets -seemed to be coming out of the mist from all directions, and the enemy -to be on every side. Captain Rasch, who was now the only officer left -above the rank of lieutenant, decided to get out of the trench and -retire to the small wood near the brickyard. The order was given, and -the Grenadiers--what was left of them--retired to the wood and formed up -on the other side. - -In the meantime the First Division on the left, almost annihilated by -superior numbers, had been forced back. This made the position of the -Grenadiers still more untenable, but General Capper was gathering -together what reinforcements he could to save the line. - -Seeing what straits the Grenadiers were in, the Gordon Highlanders on -the right sent what reserves they had to help, and a company arrived -under Captain Burnett. The Grenadiers and Gordons formed one line, and -advanced gallantly, but when they got near the wood they came under the -fire of a German machine-gun, which enfiladed them. Undaunted by this -bad start, and determined to regain their former trenches, Captain Rasch -and Captain Burnett led their men on through the wood. There was -something particularly gallant in the way this remnant of a battalion, -with one reinforcing company, was not content to hold its own, but -actually undertook a counter-attack when it knew the enemy was in vastly -superior numbers. It was the men themselves, inspired by the few -remaining officers, that were carrying out this counter-attack. - -Back through the wood they went, and gained the north side of the -brickfields, but the Germans, at first taken by surprise at this bold -stroke, rallied and drove them out. A second time our men -counter-attacked, and this time they forced their way past the -brickfields to a hedge running parallel with the road. They got into the -ditch on the south side of the Menin road, and were joined there by two -platoons of the Gloucester Regiment, which came up as a reinforcement. -In that ditch they remained till the order came to retire. Captain Rasch -and Lieutenant Pilcher took their handful of men--all that remained out -of the splendid Battalion nearly 1000 strong, which had marched out from -Ypres less than a fortnight before--and got into a trench some three -hundred yards east of the windmill. - -The Scots Guards meanwhile, supported by the Queen's, were sent through -the south of Gheluvelt, and succeeded in driving the enemy back and -almost regaining the ground originally held by the Grenadiers and -Gordons. When night fell, the 20th Brigade was holding precisely the -same ground that it had occupied in the morning. - -There can be no doubt that the Germans were completely deceived as to -our strength, and that what misled them was the more than gallant manner -in which the Grenadiers held on to the trenches in the morning, and the -almost reckless audacity with which the Grenadiers and Gordons attacked -later. The enemy was apparently quite unaware how threadbare this part -of the line was. These continual counter-attacks gave the impression -that there must be large reserves in rear, which made the Germans think -it unwise to push on. Had they only known that there were no reserves at -all, and that all that lay between them and Ypres were just the remains -of a battalion, with hardly an officer or non-commissioned officer left -alive, the result of the battle, and all that depended on it, would -undoubtedly have been very different. - -The losses among the officers of the Grenadiers were very heavy. -Lieutenant-Colonel Earle was severely wounded during the engagement, -and, while dressing his wounds, Lieutenant Butt, R.A.M.C., was shot -through the head. Colonel Earle was afterwards reported to be lying in a -house some two hundred yards in rear of the Battalion Headquarters -dug-out. Several men volunteered to carry him back, but as the enemy -were within a couple of hundred yards of the house this would have meant -certain death, not only for the stretcher-bearers but for Colonel Earle -himself. So it was decided to leave him where he was. The total list of -casualties among the officers of the Battalion was: - - Lieut.-Colonel M. Earle, (Commanding Officer), wounded and prisoner. - Major H. St. L. Stucley, (Second in Command), killed. - Lieut. J. G. Butt, (Medical Officer), killed. - Major the Hon. A. O. W. C. Weld-Forester, (King's Company), killed. - Lieut. H. L. Aubrey-Fletcher, (King's Company), wounded. - Lieut. J. H. Powell, (King's Company), wounded. - 2nd Lieut. R. O. R. Kenyon Slaney, (King's Company), wounded. - Captain the Hon. C. M. B. Ponsonby. (No. 2 Company), wounded. - Lieut. G. E. Hope, (Signalling Officer), wounded. - 2nd Lieut. R. S. Lambert, (No. 2 Company), wounded. - Captain Lord Richard Wellesley, (No. 3 Company), killed. - Captain G. Rennie, (No. 3 Company), missing, reported killed. - Lieutenant the Hon. A. G. S. Douglas-Pennant, (No. 3 Company), - killed. - Lieut. P. Van Neck, (No. 3 Company), killed. - Lieut. L. G. Ames,(No. 3 Company), wounded. - Major L. R. V. Colby, (No. 4 Company), killed. - Capt. R. E. K. Leatham, (No. 4 Company), wounded. - Lieut. E. Antrobus, (No. 4 Company), killed. - 2nd Lieut. S. Walter, (No. 4 Company), killed. - 2nd Lieut. N. A. H. Somerset, (No. 4 Company), killed. - -That night the Battalion went into billets at Hooge, half-way to Ypres, -with only four officers and a hundred men left, exclusive of transport. -The officers were Captain Rasch, Lieutenant Pilcher, Second Lieutenant -Darby, and Second Lieutenant Sir G. Duckworth-King. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 30.] - -Men who had been left in the trenches, not knowing of the order to -retire, kept arriving in driblets during the night, and the strength of -the Battalion had risen by next morning to 250 men. But, with most of -the officers and N.C.O.'s killed or wounded, the whole machinery of the -Battalion had disappeared, and Captain Rasch had to do what he could to -reorganise the remnant into a fighting unit. Ruggles-Brise's -Brigade--with the exception of the Gordon Highlanders, who had been -ordered to report themselves to General Bulfin--were placed in reserve -to the other two brigades of the Seventh Division. - -Repeated attempts to penetrate the line were made by the Germans -throughout the day. For each attack preparation was made by very heavy -shell-fire, and the ground in rear of our forward line was thoroughly -searched, apparently with a view to harassing any reinforcements that -might be sent up to the firing line. - -The Grenadiers had just settled down for the night when the Battalion -was ordered to fall in and move off with the rest of the Brigade to -occupy a new defensive position. Later in the war, when a battalion had -been knocked to pieces as the Grenadiers had been the day before, it was -picked out and given a rest, but in those early days this was -impossible, as every man was continually wanted to check the renewed -attacks of fresh enemy troops. The Germans were constantly throwing into -the attack fresh battalions at full strength, whereas in the British -Army the term "Battalion" meant two or three hundred worn-out men who -had been fighting daily for the last ten days or so. - -Eventually, after a long, circuitous march, the Battalion was put into -dug-outs in Brigade Reserve at 3 A.M. Orders were received that the -First and Second Divisions, with the Cavalry Brigade, were attacking the -following day, and that the 20th Brigade was to remain in its position -until 6.30 A.M., when it was to leave one battalion in support of the -left portion of the line, and move the rest to a central position where -it could rapidly support any part of the line held by the Seventh -Division. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 31.] - -On the 31st, the day that Sir John French described as the most critical -in the whole battle of Ypres, the remnant of the Seventh Division was -holding a line from the Ypres--Menin road, in front of the cross-roads -at Veldhoek, to a point 500 yards north of Zandvoorde. At 1 A.M. it was -decided to push the Scots Guards and Borderers up, and entrench them -close behind the left of the 21st Brigade. - -Directly day broke the Germans began a terrific shell-fire all along the -front, and by 8 o'clock shells were bursting ceaselessly on and over the -line. Towards noon word came that the 21st and 22nd Brigades had been -shelled out of their position and forced to retire. In rear of the 21st -Brigade the Scots Guards and Borderers still held their line, and -General Ruggles-Brise himself led up the Grenadiers in prolongation of -this line, with the hope of stemming the German advance. - -This movement had to be carried out very hurriedly, with no opportunity -of reconnaissance, and the Battalion lost rather heavily in crossing the -reverse slope of a hill in front of gun position. When it had gained the -ridge through the woods, it was found that to be of any use the -Grenadiers would have to push forward, and occupy the trenches vacated -by the 21st Brigade. This they managed to do, in spite of very heavy -shell-fire, and three or four of the most forward trenches on the right -of the 21st and the left of the 22nd Brigades were occupied just in time -to meet a portion of the German attack, now being delivered on the -Gheluvelt--Zandvoorde frontage. - -By the time it had reached and occupied the trenches, the strength of -the Battalion was scarcely fifty of all ranks, and this handful of men -had to confront thousands of Germans, with the additional handicap of -having its right flank exposed, as the enemy had gained the 22nd -Brigade's trenches. It was fortunate for us that the attack, wonderfully -brave as the Germans were, was apparently quite disjointed and -unorganised. No officers could be seen leading the men, who advanced in -dense masses to within three hundred yards of the trenches, and were -simply mown down by the fire of the Grenadiers. - -Things now seemed to be going better for us, when suddenly the -right-hand trench reported that the Germans were streaming through a -wood, and, crossing the Veldhoek--Zandvoorde road, were working their -way immediately to our rear. All our reserves had been used up by this -time, and the only thing to do was to hang on somehow till nightfall, -sending word at once to the Division of what had happened. As no -communication had been established since the re-occupation of the -trenches, Captain Brooke, the Staff Captain on the 20th Brigade Staff, -who had come up to see how things were, got out of the trench and, -finding a loose horse, galloped off, and told General Capper. General -Capper went off to ask General Bulfin for help, but already the 4th -Guards Brigade--which included the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers--was -advancing to make a counter-attack through the wood. - -When he got back to the Grenadiers in their trenches, Captain Brooke was -surprised to find them still holding their own and quite happy. They -were successfully beating off repeated German attacks to their front. -The 4th Guards Brigade evicted the enemy from the wood, and it was then -decided to withdraw the Grenadiers, the 21st Brigade being ordered to -take over their trenches. - -Thus ended one of the most desperate days of fighting in the whole war. -As has been already said, it seems incredible that the Germans, with -their vast numbers of men and their great superiority in guns, should -not have broken through the line. They were very near doing it; indeed, -so critical did the situation become at one time, that General Capper -issued a provisional order that, if the line became untenable, the -Brigade was to fall back on a new line extending from one mile east of -Zillebeke to the fifth kilo on the Ypres--Menin road. - -As the Battalion marched back with the Scots Guards, two guns were seen -in the rear of the trenches, standing all by themselves. It looked at -first as if they had been abandoned. But closer inspection showed that -every single man and horse of the team was there--dead. The gunners had -remained gallantly at their posts to the last. Men from the Grenadiers, -the Scots Guards, and the Bedford Regiment were sent to rescue the guns, -and bring them to a place of safety. - -The Grenadiers returned to the shelters at the Château Herenthage, which -they had occupied during the morning. There the officers found that -their shelter had during their absence been blown to pieces by a -high-explosive shell, and it was plain that, had they remained in -reserve that day, there would have been no officers left at all in the -Battalion. - -The action of the 1st Battalion Grenadiers on this day was afterwards -described by the G.O.C. Seventh Division in his report as mainly -instrumental in restoring the battle south of the Ypres--Menin road. - -The total strength of the 20th Brigade was now reduced to 18 officers -and 920 men, constituted as follows: the 1st Battalion Grenadiers, 5 -officers (the four previously mentioned and the transport officer, -Lieutenant Mackenzie) and 200 men, commanded by Captain Rasch; the 2nd -Battalion Scots Guards, 5 officers and 250 men, commanded by Captain -Paynter; the 2nd Border Regiment, 5 officers and 270 men, commanded by -Captain Warren; and the 2nd Gordon Highlanders, 3 officers and 200 men, -commanded by Lieutenant Hamilton. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 1.] - -Very heavy shell-fire opened the morning of November 1. One -high-explosive shell stripped off the whole back of the house occupied -by the Brigade Headquarters, which was thereupon moved to shelters in -the Château Herenthage wood. An infantry attack followed, but it was -only feeble, and the Grenadiers remained in a wood south of Herenthage -in Brigade Reserve. There they prepared a second line of fire-trenches, -and improved the existing dug-outs, while the wood was shelled at -intervals with high explosives. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 2.] - -The brunt of the attack at that part of the line was borne next day by -the Border Regiment, which held on to its trenches so gallantly and -unflinchingly, in spite of a murderous enfilade fire, that it received a -special message from General Capper. In the evening it was relieved by -the Grenadiers. During the heavy shell-fire, with which the enemy -searched the ground in rear of our trenches, General Ruggles-Brise was -severely wounded, and Major A. Cator, the Brigade-Major, took over -command of the Brigade. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 3.] - -The men had now managed to put out a little wire in front, and it seemed -unlikely that the Germans would be able to make much impression on the -line. The trenches, which were good and continuous, were held by the -Grenadiers on the right and the Scots Guards on the left. There was a -weak spot on the right of the Grenadiers near the wood, but this was -well covered by the Gordon Highlanders in rear. - -In the afternoon of the 3rd, the Scots Guards reported the enemy to be -massing in the woods in front of them, while parties were observed -moving towards our right, and our guns turned a heavy fire on to them. -Though no attack developed, a few parties of the enemy advanced in a -half-hearted way, more as if they were carrying out a reconnaissance. -The Brigade suffered some casualties during the day from shells and -snipers, and Lieutenant Sir G. Duckworth-King, who had almost -miraculously come unhurt through the last ten days' fighting, was at -last wounded. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 4.] - -A draft of 100 men under Lieutenant C. Mitchell arrived next day, and -considerably added to the strength of the Battalion. There was a great -deal of indiscriminate shelling and sniping, and Lieutenant G. E. Hope -was wounded in the head by a sniper. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 5.] - -On the 5th there was heavy shell-fire as usual, and some trenches were -blown in. The 20th Brigade was relieved on that day by the 7th Brigade, -and marched through Ypres, which was being shelled as far as Locre. The -men found the march very fatiguing, for they had had little sleep for -many days, and had been digging or fighting all the previous night. -Owing to the incessant shell-fire, it had been found impossible to -organise the Battalion into any recognised formation during the period -from October 29 to November 5. If fifty men were wanted for the -trenches, some one had to go round the dug-outs and collect them. There -was no company, platoon, or even sectional organisation. In spite of -this everything went well, a result due to the splendid spirit shown by -the men themselves. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 6.] - -At daybreak the Brigade reached Locre, weary with the long march, but -very glad to get away from the constant roar of shells and rifle-fire. -As every available house and shed was already occupied by the French, -the church was opened and the Grenadiers and part of the Scots Guards -billeted there. The march was resumed in the afternoon through Bailleul -to Meteren, where the Brigade went into billets. - -The Grenadiers were now reorganised into a single Company as follows: - - - HEADQUARTERS - - Officer Commanding and Adjutant, Captain RASCH. - Quartermaster, Lieut. J. TEECE. - The King's Company, Lieut. Lord CLAUD HAMILTON. - - No. 1 Platoon, Lieut. MITCHELL. - No. 2 Platoon, 2nd Lieut. M. A. A. DARBY. - No. 3 Platoon, Lieut. W. R. MACKENZIE, (Transport Officer). - No. 4 Platoon, Sergeant C. JONES. - - Company Sergeant-Major, Drill-Sergeant J. L. CAPPER. - Company Q.-M. Sergeant, Colour-Sergeant T. W. BROWN. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 7-8.] - -On November 7 the Battalion did an hour's steady drill. There was -something very fine and at the same time pathetic in the remnants of -this decimated Battalion going through their drill with the -determination to maintain the high standard of discipline no matter how -small their numbers might be. Next day the whole Brigade attended divine -service for the first time since they had left England, and as there was -no chaplain, the Brigadier, Major Cator, read the service. In the -afternoon the Brigade was drawn up in square facing inwards, and General -Capper addressed it. He expressed his admiration of the way in which it -had fought round Ypres, and told the men that they had upheld the -splendid traditions of their regiments. - -The fact that the flower of the German Army was defeated by the British -Expeditionary Force, that is to say, the original army that existed -before the war, will always make the first battle of Ypres particularly -interesting to students of military history. Although it can hardly be -claimed as a decisive victory, there is small doubt that the result -influenced the whole course of the war, for had the Germans, when they -turned their whole strength on Ypres, been able to force their way to -the coast, the subsequent operations of the British Army would have been -considerably affected. - -Two battalions of the Grenadiers fought at Ypres, and each covered -itself with imperishable glory. Never before in the long history of the -regiment had so many casualties befallen them in a single action; never -before had so large a force of the Grenadiers been almost annihilated. - -Each battalion had gone into battle with a great reputation to -maintain--a reputation won in centuries of fighting, carried forward in -almost every campaign in which the British Army has taken part, and all -the officers and men were fully conscious of their responsibility. Old -Grenadiers well knew that every nerve would be strained to uphold the -traditions of the regiment; but no one dared to hope that the -illustrious past could be enhanced, and that these two battalions of the -regiment would increase their fame in divisions in which every battalion -distinguished itself. - -The part taken by the 1st Battalion in the defence of Ypres, when with -the Seventh Division they repelled attacks from forces eight times their -number, will ever remain a precious memory to be handed down to future -generations. - -Major-General Sir Henry Rawlinson, in an order which he issued to the -Seventh Division, said: - - After the deprivations and tension of being pursued day and night by - an infinitely stronger force, the Division had to pass through the - worst ordeal of all. It was left to a little force of 30,000 to keep - the German Army at bay while the other British Corps were being - brought up from the Aisne. Here they clung on like grim death with - almost every man in the trenches, holding a line which of necessity - was a great deal too long--a thin exhausted line--against which the - prime of the German first-line troops were hurling themselves with - fury. The odds against them were eight to one, and when once the - enemy found the range of a trench, the shells dropped into it from - one end to the other with terrible effect. Yet the men stood firm - and defended Ypres in such a manner that a German officer afterwards - described their action as a brilliant feat of arms, and said that - they were under the impression that there had been four British Army - Corps against them at this point. When the Division was afterwards - withdrawn from the firing line to refit, it was found that out of - 400 officers who set out from England there were only 44 left, and - out of 12,000 men only 2336. - -Major-General Capper, in a report on the 1st Battalion Grenadiers, which -he sent later to Lieut.-General Pulteney, commanding the Fourth Corps, -wrote as follows: - - This Battalion fought with the utmost tenacity and determination in - a most exposed position at Kruiseik in front of Ypres, being - subjected to an almost ceaseless heavy artillery fire and repeated - attacks by the enemy for a week. Owing to the length of front to be - held, no relief could be found for troops in the trenches. During - this fighting Major Colby's Company of this Battalion - counter-attacked the enemy, who had almost successfully attacked the - line. In the counter-attack this Company lost four officers killed - and wounded, only one officer and forty-five men returning unhurt, - but this Company succeeded in driving back a very much larger - hostile force. This Battalion lost very heavily in the three weeks' - fighting before Ypres. I consider that the resolution and gallantry - of this Battalion, obliged to take its share in holding a height - which was the pivot of all the operations in this part of the field, - was most noble and devoted and worthy of its highest traditions. - - Later on, in the same operations, though weakened in numbers, and - with few officers, the Battalion exhibited gallantry in a - counter-attack near Gheluvelt, where it was mainly instrumental in - restoring the battle south of the main Ypres--Menin road; and - subsequently the same tenacity as it had shown at Kruiseik in - holding a very difficult and exposed part of the Brigade line in the - final position in front of Ypres. - -The Battalion remained at Meteren until the 14th, and spent most of its -time in reorganising and re-equipping. On the 10th a draft of 401 men -arrived with the following officers: Major G. W. Duberly, Captain the -Hon. R. Lygon, Lieutenant E. S. Ward, and Lieutenant C. A. V. Sykes; and -on the 11th, 133 men originally intended for the 2nd Battalion arrived -from the Base Camp under Lieutenant C. L. Blundell-Hollinshead-Blundell -and Lieutenant C. V. Fisher-Rowe. These additions brought the strength -of the Battalion almost to its usual proportions. - -Meanwhile Field-Marshal Sir John French had visited the Brigade, and saw -the remnants of the battalions which had formed the original Seventh -Division. He congratulated both officers and men on the fine work they -had done round Ypres. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - THE FIRST BATTLE OF YPRES (2ND BATTALION) - - -[Illustration: The Grenadier Guards at Ypres.] - -[Sidenote: 2nd Batt. Oct. 1914.] - -Having completed its detrainment, the First Corps, under Sir Douglas -Haig, was concentrated between St. Omer and Hazebrouck. Sir John French -had now to make up his mind whether he would use it to strengthen his -line, which was much longer than his numbers warranted, or send it to -the north of Ypres. He decided that the greatest danger was that the -Germans might carry out a wide turning movement on his left flank, and -he sent the Corps north of Ypres accordingly. The French cavalry were to -operate on Sir Douglas Haig's left, and the Third Cavalry Division, -under General Byng, on his right. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 15-20.] - -After two nights in billets at Hazebrouck, the 2nd Battalion marched on -the 17th to Boeschepe. Two days afterwards arrived Captain M. E. -Makgill-Crichton-Maitland, Captain R. H. V. Cavendish, M.V.O., -Lieutenant J. S. Hughes, Lieutenant I. St. C. Rose, and Captain C. R. -Champion de Crespigny, who was appointed Staff Captain to the 4th -Brigade. - -The officers of the 2nd Battalion were now as follows: - - - Lieut.-Colonel W. R. A. Smith, Commanding Officer. - Major G. D. Jeffreys, Second in Command. - Capt. E. J. L. Pike, Adjutant. - Lieut. C. W. Tufnell, Machine-gun Officer. - 2nd Lieut. A. K. S. Cunninghame, Transport Officer. - Lieut. J. H. Skidmore, Quartermaster. - Major G. C. Hamilton, No. 1 Company. - Capt. C. Symes-Thompson, No. 1 Company. - Lieut. J. S. Hughes, No. 1 Company. - Lieut. the Hon. W. R. Bailey, No. 1 Company. - Major Lord Bernard Gordon-Lennox, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. I. St. C. Rose, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. C. M. C. Dowling, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. F. W. J. M. Miller, No. 2 Company. - Capt. E. G. H. Powell, No. 3 Company. - Capt. R. H. V. Cavendish, M.V.O., No. 3 Company. - Lieut. Lord Congleton, No. 3 Company. - Lieut. F. G. Marshall, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. R. Gerard, No. 3 Company. - Capt. M. E. Makgill-Crichton-Maitland, No. 4 Company. - Capt. E. D. Ridley, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. F. G. Beaumont-Nesbitt, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. M. G. Stocks, No. 4 Company. - - -It was a cold raw morning on the 20th, when the Battalion marched at 5 -A.M. to St. Jean, a small village to the north of Ypres, where it was -ordered to take up an entrenched position, with the Coldstream on the -right, and the 5th Brigade on the left. Matters were complicated by the -fact that the French looked upon this part of the line as theirs. -However, eventually matters were arranged, and British and French troops -settled down together to a pouring wet night. - -[Illustration: Lieutenant-Colonel W.R.A. Smith C.M.G. Commanding 2nd -Battalion. Died of wounds received at Festubert 19 May 1915.] - -[Sidenote: Oct. 21.] - -There was another move next morning. The Battalion assembled at 5.30, -and marched to a position near Hanebeek Brook, about two miles west of -Zonnebeke, where the 4th Brigade concentrated. Then the whole Brigade -advanced about half a mile towards Passchendaele with the 3rd Battalion -Coldstream on the left, and the 2nd Battalion Coldstream on the -right--each battalion having two companies in the firing line, and the -rest in support, while the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers was in reserve. - -About 2.30 Lord Cavan, finding that the two Coldstream battalions had -drifted somewhat apart, ordered up the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers into the -centre of the line. As they made their way across ploughed fields, they -came in for a great deal of unaimed rifle-fire, but suffered very little -loss. - -About 400 to 500 yards east of Zonnebeke--Langemarck road the three -battalions dug themselves in for the night, since news had been received -that large German forces were advancing through Houthulst Forest. Before -long the sky was lit up in all directions by the farms which the enemy -was burning. By this illumination the Germans attempted a -counter-attack, and came on shouting, "Don't fire, we are the -Coldstream." It was characteristic of the German thoroughness of method -to master this regimental idiosyncrasy, and say Coldstream and not -Coldstreams. But the Battalion had not fought for two months without -learning the enemy's tricks, and as spiked helmets could be distinctly -seen against the glow of the burning farms, they fired right into the -middle of the Germans, who hastily retired. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 22-23.] - -Before daylight next morning the companies in the firing line were -relieved by those in support. The whole Brigade then set itself to -improving the trenches and consolidating the position. It turned out -that on the left the First Division had been held up, while on the right -the 22nd Brigade was in a tight place. Consequently the situation was -distinctly uncomfortable. The trenches, composed of isolated holes which -held two or three men apiece, were exposed from the left to enfilade -fire, but there the Battalion had to remain for two days, shelled -intermittently. They suffered many casualties. While making his way down -the firing line, Captain Maitland was forced to walk a great deal in the -open, and was wounded in the head by a sniper, who succeeded in hitting -several other men. In the evening Lieutenant Donald Miller, who had come -out originally with the Battalion, and had fought all through the -retreat, was killed by a high-explosive shell. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 24.] - -On the 24th the Second Division got orders to take up the ground -occupied by the Seventh Division, from Poezelhoek to the -Becelaere--Passchendaele road, and the First Division was relieved by -French Territorial troops, and concentrated about Zillebeke. - -At the same time the 4th Brigade was relieved by a Brigade from the -Sixth French Army under General Moussy, and the men of the Grenadiers -watched the French attack Passchendaele with much interest. Though the -attack was met with a heavy artillery and rifle fire, and made but -little progress, the personal gallantry of General Moussy himself and -his staff, who exposed themselves freely while close up to the front -trenches, made a great impression on all the officers and men of the 2nd -Battalion. After dark this French Brigade took over the trenches, and -the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers moved back about two miles to a farm, where -the men managed to snatch a couple of hours' sleep. At 5.30 A.M. it -started off again, and after a circuitous march of about six miles -reached Eksternest, where it formed the reserve of the 6th Brigade. -Here, at last, it had a thorough rest in barns, outhouses, and -elsewhere, with plenty of straw to lie on, while a fowl-house -constituted No. 3 Company Headquarters. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 25.] - -The Battalion paraded, much refreshed, at 6.30 next morning, but did not -move off till 9. It advanced towards the Six Cross Roads, and halted -behind Polygon Wood. In the afternoon it was ordered to attack the -enemy's position near Reutel, passing over the trenches held by the 5th -Brigade, while the Irish Guards were to advance on the same position -from the north-west. The Orders were: - - The attack will begin at 3 P.M. 4th Guards Brigade will have for its - objective the Reutel Spur. The 1st Battalion Irish Guards will - commence its advance at once as far as the line of trenches now held - by the 5th Brigade. At 3 P.M. its scouts will pass that line, and - the battalion will endeavour to establish itself in such a position - that it can by its fire materially assist the main attack which will - be delivered from the south and south-west. - - The 2nd Batt. Grenadiers will work round the stream at once as - verbally ordered until their right reaches a point one company's - length beyond the forks of the two streams. At 3 P.M. it will be - prepared to attack the R. of Reutel from S.W. During this operation - the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers will specially detail a half company to - protect its right. The 2nd Battalion Coldstream will follow the - Grenadiers and act in close support of them. They must also give - special orders about their right flank. The 3rd Battalion Coldstream - will be in reserve in a covered position at Six Cross Roads. It is - quite understood that the time is short, but this operation must be - carefully carried out without hurry. Brigade Headquarters will be at - Six Cross Roads at 2.45 P.M. - -Advancing in artillery formation, the Battalion came in for a great deal -of rifle-fire, but fortunately no shells. Major Lord Bernard Lennox had -taken advantage of the halt in the morning to reconnoitre the line of -advance thoroughly, and was able to lead the companies to their -destinations. There was no great difficulty in reaching the trenches, -but when the Battalion advanced another 150 yards it came under a very -heavy cross-fire; only one platoon of No. 2 Company actually crossed the -5th Brigade trenches. The other companies were held up before they -reached the firing line. The Bedfords on the right, unable to carry on -the advance, retired again to the trenches, and the Irish Guards on the -left were also held up. - -Darkness was now coming on, and it seemed madness to attempt to take a -strong position in a thick wood where no one knew precisely the position -of the trenches, or how strongly they were held. So Lieut.-Colonel Smith -directed No. 2 Company to fall back and take over a trench from the -Oxfordshire Light Infantry, with the Highland Light Infantry on the left -and the Royal Scots Fusiliers on the right. A platoon of No. 1 Company -was added to the right of No. 2. Its position was along the front edge -of the private grounds of a fine château, which was then intact. - -Three times during the night, which was very dark and windy and rainy, -the Germans attacked--at 9 P.M., at midnight, and at 3 A.M. But the -position was fairly secure, and each time they retired. It is doubtful -whether they ever intended to press the attack home, and possibly they -were only trying to locate the exact position of our trenches--not a -very difficult task, as they were but 300 yards off. - -That evening the following message was received from Sir John French: - - The Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief wishes once more to make it - known to the troops under his command how deeply he appreciates the - bravery and endurance which they have again displayed since their - arrival in the northern theatre of war. In circulating the official - information which records the splendid victory of our Russian - Allies, he would remind the troops that the enemy must before long - withdraw troops to the East and relieve the tension on our front. He - feels it is quite unnecessary to urge officers, N.C.O.'s, and men to - make a determined effort and drive the enemy over the frontier. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 26.] - -Digging started with a will in the trenches early next morning. It had -come to be a regular habit with the battalions which had been through -those first months of the war, at once to dig themselves in deep in any -new position, no matter how soon they might have to move on. They had -learned by experience that the labour was well worth while. On this -occasion the trouble was that the deeper the men dug the wetter the -ground became, and soon they were up to their ankles in mud. But the sun -came out about mid-day, and helped to dry up the ground. - -No regular attack was made that day, though there was constant shelling, -and the Battalion therefore had comparatively few casualties. German -snipers were very busy, but did little damage; our men took every -opportunity of retaliating; and Lieutenant I. Rose was reported to have -been particularly successful in accounting for the enemy marksmen. The -howitzers paid less attention to the trenches than to the Château. On -this unfortunate building the high-explosive shells dropped with -monotonous regularity, but the little tower still remained standing. The -Battalion Headquarters, which were behind the Château, had a decidedly -warm time, getting the benefit not only of the shells from the -howitzers, but of all the stray bullets that went wide of the trenches. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 27.] - -Most of the next day was spent in mending the line and consolidating the -position, for there were weak spots, which the Divisional Staff -discovered, usually between Brigades. Barbed wire was now to be had, and -orders were issued for entanglements to be put up in front of each -trench. In the afternoon the companies of the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers -in reserve were sent to take over the trenches of the 3rd Battalion -Coldstream, and to stay there until they were relieved by the Black -Watch at midnight. Both these reliefs were carried out successfully and -without any casualties, though the task was by no means easy, owing to -the thickness of the wood and consequent bad communications. - -Sir John French had now placed what remained of the Seventh Division and -the Third Cavalry Division under the orders of Sir Douglas Haig, who -redistributed the line thus: - -(A) The Seventh Division from the Château east of Zandvoorde to the -Menin road. - -(B) The First Division from the Menin road to a point immediately west -of Reutel village. - -(C) The Second Division to near the Moorslede--Zonnebeke road. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 28.] - -The 2nd Battalion Grenadiers now moved back about a mile to -Nonne-Bosschen Wood, and having slept there returned the next morning -under howitzer fire across two fields to the northern edge of Polygon -Wood, where it remained until the 6th Brigade passed through it to -attack Reutel Ridge. Then it moved forward in support, and dug in round -a farm. Before it had gone far the 6th Brigade was fiercely attacked, -and succeeded in driving the enemy off with some loss, though unable to -advance farther itself. The 4th Brigade was not wanted, and spent a -quiet afternoon near the Farm--"quiet" in this case being a comparative -term, denoting that they were not directly under fire, for our own -howitzers were only twenty yards off, and kept firing ear-splitting -salvos all day. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 29.] - -Having received orders the night before to be ready at a moment's -notice, the Battalion was under arms soon after dawn next day. But it -was not until much later that it got instructions to move to the other -side of the Racecourse Wood, and entrench a position almost at right -angles to the line of trenches in front. It turned out that the Seventh -Division on the right had been driven back, and though most of the -ground had been regained there was still a risk of the Germans pushing -through. Meanwhile, Captain Ridley was ordered to take No. 4 Company, -and support the Cameron Highlanders near the Château. He sent up two -platoons into the trenches on their right, and kept the rest in support. -They came in for a good deal of shell-fire, but were not seriously -attacked. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 30.] - -Except for No. 4 Company the Battalion was in Corps Reserve next day -with the Irish Guards, while the 2nd and 3rd Battalions Coldstream were -in the trenches. But about 3 P.M. the Brigadier, Lord Cavan, got news -that there had been a serious break in the line about two miles to the -right, _i.e._ the south, and was instructed to send up the battalions, -which he had in reserve, to report to General Bulfin, commanding the 2nd -Brigade. - -Lord Cavan went himself to see General Bulfin at his Headquarters, and -was directed to despatch these battalions southwards to protect the -right flank of the 2nd Brigade. Accordingly the 2nd Battalion -Grenadiers, Irish Guards, and Oxfordshire Light Infantry marched off -from Polygon Wood towards Klein Zillebeke, and Captain Ridley was -ordered to withdraw No. 4 Company and join the remainder of the -Battalion as it moved off. The orders given to Lieut.-Colonel Smith were -to reinforce the cavalry, which was holding a line very lightly north of -the Château de Hollebeke. - -By dusk these battalions were astride of the Klein Zillebeke--Zandvoorde -road, the Grenadiers on the right and the Irish Guards on the left, with -their left thrown forward a little, to keep touch with the right of the -2nd Brigade. Lord Cavan went on ahead with his Staff, to see that the -whole line was made continuous. On going forward to inspect the position -which the cavalry was holding, Lieut.-Colonel Smith found that it was on -a forward slope, which seemed to him untenable, and he thought this a -good opportunity for making a fresh disposition. So he arranged with the -cavalry that it should continue to hold its line, while the Battalion -dug in, in its rear. A new line, which consisted as usual of a series of -deep narrow holes with no parapet, was accordingly made, with the right -on the railway, and the left on the Klein Zillebeke road. - -Major Lord Bernard Lennox with No. 2 Company was on the right, Major -Hamilton with No. 1 in the centre, and Captain Powell with No. 3 on the -left; one platoon from No. 4 under Sergeant Hutchings was posted on the -Klein Zillebeke road; and the rest of the company went to Battalion -Headquarters, north-west of the wood between the railway and Klein -Zillebeke. Supplies and ammunition were brought up, and by 1 A.M. the -Battalion was well dug in. The cavalry then withdrew from the trenches -in front and retired. Meanwhile the Irish Guards had dug trenches, -prolonging the line to the left. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 31.] - -Sir John French in his despatch describes the afternoon of October 31 as -the most critical moment in the whole battle. By sheer weight of numbers -the Germans endeavoured to break through the line, and their immense -superiority in guns encouraged them to hope that they would be able to -beat down any opposition. The greater part of the Second Division was -still on the Moorslede--Zonnebeke road, on the left of the First -Division, while the three battalions detached under Lord Cavan remained -on their new line. - -After a long wet night in the trenches, the 2nd Grenadiers were to have -a still longer day's fighting--a day, too, in which they were most of -the time "holding on by their eyelids." As soon as day dawned, they were -deluged by a rain of shells, to which our artillery could make no sort -of reply. Some troops of the French Ninth Corps tried to advance through -the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers and Irish Guards, and attack the enemy's -position, but the shell-fire was so intense that they never succeeded in -getting beyond the line of trenches. Most of them took refuge in the -trenches, while some dug new ones. - -The shells came crashing through the trees continuously, and -Lieut.-Colonel Smith decided to move the Battalion Headquarters back -about one hundred yards. Particularly violent was the bombardment of No. -2 Company, of which the trenches, being near the railway, were no doubt -easily located by the enemy's artillery, directed with deadly effect by -a captive balloon. Two high-explosive shells landed in one trench, and -killed and buried a number of men. Lieutenant Rose had a marvellous -escape. He was actually buried, but was dug out just in time. Major Lord -Bernard Lennox wisely withdrew part of his company into the support -trenches for a time, and no doubt thus saved many lives. - -About 11 A.M. Lord Cavan sent the following message: - - Keep on repairing your trenches. If any quiet intervals, begin - communication trenches zigzag to your rear, so that to-morrow - infantry can keep out of main trench during heavy shelling hours and - easily man it when required. Can you possibly push an Observation - Post forward to any point from which it could see and report? - -It looked as if the Germans were going to attack this part of the -position about mid-day, but eventually they moved northward. Early in -the afternoon Lieut.-Colonel Smith received a message from Lord Cavan -that the enemy had broken through the line to the left of the Irish -Guards. Soon afterwards came this further message: - - The situation is extremely critical. You are to hold your ground at - all costs. Sir Douglas Haig relies on the Grenadiers to save the - First Corps and possibly the Army. - -After such a call as that, Lieut.-Colonel Smith at once determined to -put every available rifle in the trenches. The few men that still -remained in reserve were accordingly sent up to the front trenches. No. -3 Company was very much extended, although a platoon from No. 4 had -already been sent to support it. Captain Powell sent a message to say -that he might not be able to stay without more support, and Colonel -Smith replied that he must hold on at all cost. Lieut.-Colonel Smith -then reported the measures he had taken to Lord Cavan, who replied: - - Splendid. Hang on like grim death. You may yet save the Army. - -It was undoubtedly a case of hanging on, while this terrific bombardment -continued, but the Grenadiers had not wasted their time the night -before, and had dug themselves in deep. It was to their good digging -that Lieut.-Colonel Smith afterwards ascribed the fact that they never -gave an inch, although it was certainly an advantage to them that the -position was partly concealed owing to the nature of the ground. The -enemy plastered the whole locality with shells, but only in a few cases -were they able to locate the actual position of the trenches. The -Germans were reported meanwhile to have driven back the First Division -from Gheluvelt, thus exposing the left flank of the Seventh Division. -The Headquarters of the First and Second Divisions had been shelled, -General Lomax had been mortally wounded, and several Staff Officers -killed. Such heavy casualties among the Staff, in the middle of a -battle, naturally dislocated the machinery of the Higher Commands. -However, about 2 P.M. Lord Cavan sent word that the situation was -easier, and that he was sending up the Oxfordshire Light Infantry on the -left of the Irish Guards. - -Constant anxiety had been felt about the right of the position occupied -by the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers. A high railway embankment, beyond which -was a small wood, made it very difficult to keep up communication, -especially when the shelling was so severe, and Lieut.-Colonel Smith -sent a message to Lord Bernard Lennox: "Is your right still in touch -with 4th Hussars? Brigadier pressing for a reply." To which Lord Bernard -answered, "Yes." - -At 2.40 Lieut.-Colonel Smith sent the following request to the -Headquarters of the 4th Brigade: - - Wood just short of D E near Canal is full of Germans, also Château - de Hollebeke. Can you turn on guns, please? My advance posts have - been driven in. - -The Canal was dry, and formed no obstacle; and though there were a few -British cavalry this side of the embankment, they were not enough to -stop an attack. The French were said to be coming up to strengthen this -part of the line, but they did not arrive. Of all this fortunately the -Germans knew nothing, and instead of attacking this weak spot, they -directed their energies to the centre of the section of the line held by -the Grenadiers. - -About 3 o'clock the enemy advanced in force through the wood near the -railway, but was met with such a withering fire from No. 1 Company that -he did not succeed in getting very far. An hour later Lord Cavan sent -this message: - - Well done. If absolutely forced back, retire as on parade with your - proper right, that is your left retiring, on line of railway. Put up - the best fight you can on edge of wood. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 1.] - -There was no need to retire, however, although there was one moment at -which the situation seemed critical, for the Germans brought up some -field-guns, and plastered the trenches with every conceivable kind of -shell. - -The shelling stopped shortly after dark, and the men were able at last -to look out over their trenches, and survey the scene by the lights of a -farm which was blazing in the centre of the line. They saw a spectacle, -which later on grew more and more familiar. What had once been a field -was now a mass of trenches; the whole place had been ploughed up by -shells, and the hedges were all torn up and burnt and blown to bits. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 1.] - -During the night the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers was relieved by a regiment -from the French Sixteenth Corps, and retired at 4 A.M. to the rear of -Zwarteleen, where the men thought they were going to get some rest, but -before very long they were on the move again. Sir Douglas Haig had sent -a message which Lord Cavan circulated as follows: - - The German Emperor will arrive in the field to-day to conduct - operations against the British Army. The G.O.C. First Corps calls - upon all ranks once more to repeat their magnificent efforts and to - show him what British soldiers really are. - -All the enemy's efforts were now concentrated on smashing the left of -the Irish Guards' trenches with high-explosive shells, and firing with -wonderful accuracy they gradually blew the trench in bit by bit, and -knocked out their machine-guns. At 3 P.M. Lord Cavan heard a report that -the Irish Guards were retiring, and that they had only about 200 men -left. He sent orders at once that they were at all costs to hold on to -the wood 200 yards in rear of their old line. The French were told to -stay where they were, as in the event of a withdrawal the whole British -line was to pivot on them on the elbow of the Canal. The highest praise -was afterwards given by the British Generals to the French for the way -in which they held their trenches all day, in spite of the fact that -their left was in the air. - -An urgent appeal for help now reached Lord Cavan from one of the Corps -Staff, stating that the Northamptonshire Regiment was being driven back -and needed support. The 2nd Battalion Grenadiers was immediately sent -off with orders to report itself to General Bulfin, who was to be found -in a wood three-quarters of a mile south-west of Herenthage. But by the -time the Battalion arrived there General Bulfin had been wounded, and -Lieut.-Colonel Smith could not find out what it was he was expected to -do. - -In the meantime Lord Cavan received orders to assume command of the -whole section from the east edge of the wood to the French left. In -these strenuous days it was no uncommon thing for an officer to be told -in the middle of a battle to take over command of a force during a -difficult operation--a war ordeal, for which peace training had supplied -no practice. To take over the command of a Division is no easy matter at -any time, but to do it at a critical moment, with heavy fighting going -on, demands a man of more than ordinary capacity. Lord Cavan galloped up -with his Brigade-Major, Major the Hon. W. P. Hore-Ruthven; on arrival at -General Bulfin's Headquarters he found that everything had been -momentarily disorganised by the sudden departure of the wounded General. -Officers of all sorts were asking for orders. The Germans were breaking -through. Perplexing problems of every description were submitted for -instant solution. Shells were falling in the immediate neighbourhood of -the Divisional Headquarters. Very slowly Lord Cavan drew out his -cigar-case, and having carefully selected a cigar, proceeded to light -it, turning it round to see that it was evenly lighted. This had a -wonderful effect on all present, for it not only enabled Lord Cavan -himself to concentrate his thoughts on the problem, and to see clearly -the most pressing needs of the moment, but it also inspired all the -officers with confidence. As a Staff Officer, who was present, said -afterwards, that cigar saved the situation. - -On the left the Sussex Regiment was in touch with the Seventh Division, -and stood firm. The Northamptonshire Regiment, Gordon Highlanders, and -Oxfordshire Light Infantry had all been pressed back from their advanced -trenches, though the enemy had not got beyond them. Lord Cavan at once -ordered the Grenadiers to leave their packs at the farm in the rear of -the Brown Road, and to clear the wood south-east of that road at the -point of the bayonet. - -Thereupon Lieut.-Colonel Smith launched the Battalion with fixed -bayonets into the wood. It was very thick in places, and there was -always a risk of some company getting lost. The Germans, it was found, -had left the wood, but only recently, as was evident from the number of -dead. That the difficult manoeuvre, entrusted to the Battalion, was -carried out most successfully was due to the excellent manner in which -the four Captains led their men. One platoon of Major Hamilton's -company, which went beyond the wood and was enfiladed by machine-guns, -had to remain under cover of a bank till dark, when it retired and -joined the main line. With this exception the companies--No. 1 under -Major Hamilton, No. 2 under Lord Bernard Lennox, and No. 3 under Captain -Powell--all managed to reach the edge of the wood in perfect order. No. -4 under Captain Ridley was in support. - -This advance had the excellent effect of establishing confidence. Lord -Cavan was able to reorganise the line of defence for the night, and, by -blunting the salients of the wood facing south-east, to reduce the -garrison. The result was that he withdrew two battalions--one, the -Sussex Regiment, was placed in reserve; the other, the Gordon -Highlanders, was sent back to the 20th Brigade, to which it belonged. - -As soon as it was dark, the Germans tried to set the wood on fire, but -fortunately did not succeed, though there were isolated fires in various -parts of it. It was an awkward position and very difficult to hold, as -the Germans were so close, but orders were received for the battalions -to dig in where they were. To officers, who had been taught from their -early youth that one of the essentials of a trench line was a good field -of fire, this digging in a thick wood, where the field of fire was never -more than from fifteen to twenty yards, seemed an absurdity. But ideas -on this subject had been considerably revised by the war--besides, in a -long line of trenches running several miles, battalions of course must -join up with each other, and cannot choose a position for themselves. - -At 10 o'clock that night, No. 4 Company, under Captain Ridley, was -directed to take over the position held by a company of the Gordons on -the left, but finding that the trench had almost vanished after a day's -work by the German artillery, it dug a new one slightly in rear, which -was not finished until 3 A.M. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 2.] - -This was the situation on the Monday morning: the Northamptonshire -Regiment was in touch with the Seventh Division on the left; the -Oxfordshire Light Infantry and Grenadiers, slightly intermingled, were -in the centre, and the Irish Guards on the right--all holding the -south-east edges of the wood. Four vigorous attacks on the line--at -8.45, 11, 2, and 5.45--were delivered by the Germans, preceded by heavy -shelling, especially on the left. The attack at 11 looked dangerous at -one time, when the Germans got within twenty-five yards of our trenches, -but our fire was very steady, and they could make no farther headway. -The 2 o'clock assault partially developed, but the one at 5.45, just -after it got dark, was the most serious. - -It was directed against Captain Ridley's Company and against the -Oxfordshire Light Infantry, and the enemy advanced with a beating of -drums and blowing of horns. The night was cold, with some light from the -moon. As the enemy came on, an incident that was never explained took -place. The firing almost died down, and this message, sent from no one -knew where, was passed along the line: "Don't fire. The Northamptons are -going to charge." It so happened that Lieut.-Colonel Smith and Major -Jeffreys were in that part of the trench at the time, and directly they -heard the mysterious message they realised it was a German ruse. They -yelled at the men to go on firing. The fire was at once taken up and -continued, while the attack died away. Next day Lieut.-Colonel Smith -tried to discover where the fictitious order started, but in vain. - -All night the enemy could be heard digging away, in some places near to -our trenches. At 1 A.M., No. 4 Company was sent back in reserve, being -relieved by a company of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry, which next -morning reported that 300 dead had been found in front of the trench. -Some were found within a few yards of our line. - -On Monday evening, the night of the attack, this special order from the -Commander-in-Chief was circulated: - - The Field-Marshal Commanding in Chief has watched with the deepest - admiration and solicitude the splendid stand made by the soldiers of - His Majesty the King in their successful effort to maintain the - forward position which they have won by their gallantry and - steadfastness. He believes that no other Army in the world would - show such tenacity, especially under the tremendous artillery fire - directed against it. Its courage and endurance are beyond all - praise. It is an honour to belong to such an Army. - - The Field-Marshal has to make one more call upon the troops. It is - certainly only a question of a few days, and it may be of only a few - hours, before, if they only stand firm, strong support will come, - the enemy will be driven back, and in the retirement will suffer - losses even greater than those which have befallen him under the - terrific blows by which, especially during the last few days, he has - been repulsed. - - The Commander-in-Chief feels sure that he does not make his call in - vain. - - J. D. P. FRENCH, Field-Marshal, - Commander-in-Chief to the British Army in the Field. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 3.] - -A comparatively quiet interval followed. There was intermittent shelling -next day, though nothing very serious, and the snipers on both sides -kept up a lively fusillade. The trenches meanwhile were deepened and -improved. Some new orders with regard to the coming fighting were also -issued. Each battalion had two companies in the firing line and two in -support, and the captains were told that they must rely on their own -supports if they wanted any help. There was a Cavalry Brigade in -reserve, but Lord Cavan did not wish to call on it unless it became -absolutely necessary. Another warning against the enemy's tricks was -sent to the men in this message from G.O.C. First Corps: - - First Cavalry Division reports that in the attacks on them the - Germans wore British uniforms, especially kilts, and when - approaching our trenches shouted, "Don't fire; we are short of - ammunition," and similar expressions. All troops in the trenches are - to be warned of this practice by the enemy. - -An instruction was issued also for the making of circular redoubts, -about twenty-five yards in rear of the existing line of trenches, with -the object of stopping a rush if the line should be pierced. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 4.] - -An artillery duel--rather one-sided--occupied the next two days. A -German aeroplane having located the trenches, the enemy's guns became -very busy, though mostly against the support trenches, chiefly with the -object of "searching the ground." Early in the afternoon the First -Division reported that the enemy was attacking from the direction of the -woods south of Gheluvelt. The artillery had been turned on them, and -preparations were being made to meet the attack, but nothing came of it. -The shelling stopped at nightfall, and the Battalion settled down to a -pitch-dark, pouring wet night in the trenches, which were all in wet -clay and marshy ground, and the men's sole consolation was that the -Germans must be having just as bad a time. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 5.] - -By the 5th it began to be thought in the firing line that the enemy had -abandoned all attempt to break through the line, but in reality he was -waiting only for reinforcements. He had succeeded in making a dent in -the line near Messines, and was now determined to throw the whole weight -of his superior numbers on Ypres. He chose for his point of attack Klein -Zillebeke, the junction between De Moussy's French Division and the 4th -Brigade, or rather the four battalions under Lord Cavan. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 6.] - -Shelling began with renewed vigour as soon as the sun had cleared away -the next morning's mist, and just before mid-day significant -instructions were received from Lord Cavan: - - "Your position must be retained at all costs," he said in a message - sent out at 11.50. "Redoubts must be occupied, every spare man and - tool employed to make secondary trench. I trust you after splendid - defence of last few days to maintain it to the end." - -And in a second message a few minutes later: - - "Have asked Seventh Division to do everything possible to help you - with artillery fire." - -Evidently the Brigadier expected a determined attack on that part of the -line, and Lieut.-Colonel Smith made his dispositions accordingly. Early -in the afternoon he got a report from the Irish Guards that the French -Division on their right had been driven in. Immediately afterwards came -a message from Major Hamilton that the Irish Guards themselves had been -driven in, and that his right was consequently in the air. - -Major Hamilton's Company was now bearing the brunt of the attack, and -was in a very critical position. Lieut.-Colonel Smith sent word to ask -him whether he needed any help. He replied: "Hughes only wants a few -men, and I have sent him up one section. Bailey is lining road 200 yards -to my front. O.C. Oxfords promised support if necessary." - -Shortly afterwards it was reported that the Germans had reached Brown -Road, and were advancing round the right rear of the Battalion. -Lieut.-Colonel Smith at once posted Lieutenant Tufnell with one -machine-gun on the Brown Road, to guard the ride through the wood across -which the enemy would have to pass, to get behind our line of trenches, -telling him to use his own discretion as to the position he should take -up. Lieutenant Lord Congleton was also sent with one platoon to stop the -Germans from getting through a gap which was reported to the right rear -of the Battalion. Lieutenant Tufnell apparently decided that he would be -able to get a better target for his machine-gun, and at the same time -guard the ride, if he accompanied Lord Congleton. He accordingly took up -a position from which he could command the advancing enemy, but had not -been there long before he was mortally wounded. - -At this point Lieut.-Colonel Smith reported to Lord Cavan that it was -urgently necessary that a farm to his front should be destroyed, as -there were machine-guns firing from it. He received the reply that if it -were humanly possible the howitzers would do as he asked. - -Two companies of the Sussex Regiment were now sent up to support the -right of the line, and helped to hold things together, but the situation -was most critical. The enemy had driven back De Moussy's French -infantry, and consequently there was a bad dent in the line. Lord -Cavan's troops were still holding on with their right in the air when -the Household Cavalry was called in to retrieve the situation. Lord -Cavan sent off Captain R. C. de Crespigny, his Staff Captain, at full -gallop to Sanctuary Wood with orders to the Household Cavalry to come up -at once. Colonel Wilson immediately ordered his men to mount, and -galloped round by Maple Copse to within 500 yards of Brigade -Headquarters, where they dismounted and fixed bayonets. Into the midst -of the Germans they dashed, headed by Colonel Gordon Wilson. - -Throwing in the cavalry at the critical moment to save the situation has -from time immemorial been a recognised tactical manoeuvre, but in this -case the Household Cavalry fought as infantry, and very splendid -infantry they made. They swept forward to the attack with all the -precision of an infantry battalion, and soon Klein Zillebeke was filled -with British, French, and German troops fighting at close quarters. When -it came to hand-to-hand fighting, the Germans could not stand up against -the splendid men of the Household Cavalry, and they were gradually -driven back till the line was restored. This gallant charge of the -Household Cavalry on foot, Lord Cavan afterwards said, not only -prevented the 4th Guards Brigade from being cut to pieces, but also -saved Ypres. Colonel Gordon Wilson and Colonel Hugh Dawnay were killed, -and the Household Cavalry lost a large number of men, but the situation -was retrieved. - -While this was going on, No. 1 Company Grenadiers, which was on the -right, had been practically wiped out. Since the withdrawal of the Irish -Guards, almost every man had been killed or wounded by shell-fire. -Sergeant Thomas, who commanded the right platoon of No. 1, remained at -his post after the Irish Guards had gone, until he had only three men -left, when he withdrew to Brown Road. During that time he was twice -buried by shells, and had three rifles broken in his hand. Sergeant -Digby was mortally wounded, and was never seen again. - -Lord Cavan telephoned: "Hang on tight to Brown Road. Try and get touch -with half battalion Sussex Regiment sent to farm at Irish Guards H.Q." -Lieut.-Colonel Smith passed this on to Captain Powell, adding: "Are you -in touch with the Sussex?" to which Captain Powell replied: "Yes, I am -in touch with Sussex, who prolong my line to the right, bent back to -right rear." - -In the meantime, Lieutenant Lord Congleton, finding how weak the right -of the line was, had moved his platoon to the right of the Sussex. He -had lost a number of men, but at the same time had managed to collect -several Irish Guardsmen. They had no rifles or ammunition, but he placed -them at intervals among the men of his platoon, and went and collected -rifles for them himself from the casualties. Then he went round a second -time with an orderly and collected ammunition. By this means he was able -to hold the gap all through that night, and next day was specially -mentioned by Lieut.-Colonel Smith, who wrote that the intelligent way in -which he handled his platoon on his own initiative was beyond all -praise. - -Much help towards keeping the right of the line intact was also given by -Colonel Davies, commanding the Oxfordshire Light Infantry, who -throughout the afternoon kept sending up any men he happened to have in -reserve. - -When darkness fell Lord Cavan gave Lieut.-Colonel Smith these -directions: - - Can you establish a line between the Brown Road and your original - line so as to keep touch for certain with battalions on your left? I - want to make sure that my line for the night is in touch all along. - I have ordered two battalions to establish the line of the Brown - Road up to south-west edge, where I hope to establish touch with the - French. I have told General Kavanagh he can withdraw his Cavalry - Brigade directly the whole of the Brown Road is established. - -The new line was arranged about midnight, and at 1 A.M. the men began to -dig, although they were dead tired. The trenches were completed by 4 -A.M.--a fine performance on a pitch-dark night, with the additional -handicap of the trees. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 7-9.] - -For three days the battalions remained in their trenches at Klein -Zillebeke without any direct attack being made. Shelling went on all day -with monotonous regularity, but on the whole little damage was done, -though the German howitzers made spasmodic efforts to demolish the -trenches, and occasionally managed to blow in a bit of trench and bury -some men. The nights were comparatively quiet except for some sniping, -and though the mornings were generally foggy, anything in the way of -dirty weather was welcomed by the men, as it made artillery observation -impossible. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 10.] - -The shelling increased enormously on the 10th, and owing to the right -having been thrown back, that part of the trenches was open to enfilade -fire from the German guns. By this time their artillery had the range of -our trenches pretty accurately, and obtained a large number of direct -hits. Further, the wood, always a trouble, became more and more -difficult to hold: trees cut down by the shells fell crashing to the -ground, and made communication impossible. About mid-day the bombardment -became terrific, and it seemed as if it would be impossible for any one -to live under the storm of shells. - -A heavy loss this day was the death of Major Lord Bernard Lennox, who -was killed by a high-explosive shell. For three months he had been in -the thick of every engagement, always cheerful, and making the best of -every hardship. He was one of the most popular officers in the Brigade -of Guards, and his death was very keenly felt by every one. - -Lieutenant M. G. Stocks was also killed by a shell, and Lieutenant Lord -Congleton, who had so distinguished himself only a few days before, was -shot through the heart. Lieutenant H. R. C. Tudway was hit in the head -by a shell, and died a few days later. Captain Powell was buried by -another shell, and was only just saved in time and brought in. Captain -Ridley was wounded in the back, but after being attended to in the -dressing-station was able to return to his company. - -There was considerable delay in collecting the wounded. It was -impossible to attempt to work by day, and the difficulties of carrying -stretchers by night were increased by the fallen trees. - -That night the Battalion went into Corps Reserve, and bivouacked in -dug-outs. Lord Cavan, in writing an account of the day's fighting, said: - - The 2nd Battalion Grenadiers made a wonderful stand to-day against - enfilade fire of the worst description. They stuck it out simply - magnificently. - -The King subsequently telegraphed to the Commander-in-Chief: - - The splendid pluck, spirit, and endurance shown by my troops in the - desperate fighting which has continued for so many days against - vastly superior forces fills me with admiration. I am confident in - the final results of their noble efforts under your able command. - - GEORGE R.I. - -Sir John French replied: - - Your Majesty's most gracious message has been received by the - officers and men of Your Majesty's Army in France with feelings of - the greatest gratitude and pride. We beg to be allowed to express to - Your Majesty our most faithful devotion and our unalterable - determination to uphold the highest tradition of Your Majesty's - Army, and to carry the campaign to a victorious end. - -Lord Kitchener telegraphed: - - The splendid courage and endurance of our troops in the battle in - which you have been engaged during the last few days, and the - boldness and capacity with which they have been led, have - undoubtedly given the enemy a severe blow, successfully frustrating - their efforts. Let the troops know how much we all appreciate their - services, which worthily maintain the best traditions of our Army. - -Having been placed in Corps Reserve for four days, officers and men of -the Battalion were under the impression that they were going to have a -quiet time for that period, sleeping in peace at night and resting -during the day. But they were mistaken. In reality, they spent three of -the nights marching about the whole time, and each day they were moved -up in support of this or that part of the line, to the invariable -accompaniment of considerable shelling. To begin with, the relief took -most of the first night, and it was not till 5 A.M. that the Welsh -Regiment and Munster Fusiliers finished taking over the trenches. Then -at last the Battalion was able to march over to the dug-outs at -Bellewaardes Farm, north of Hooge. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 11.] - -The worst of it was that those placed in reserve were at the beck and -call of any General who wanted reinforcements. At one time the Battalion -was placed under four Generals, and received different orders from each, -which came about because the units in front got hopelessly mixed, and -the battalions were constantly changed from one brigade to another. For -instance, when the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers arrived at Bellewaardes, -Lieut.-Colonel Smith rode over to see General Monro, who congratulated -him on the good work his men had done, and said he would come round -later and say a few words to them. By the time Lieut.-Colonel Smith -returned, he found that the Battalion had been ordered to move to a wood -north-east of Hooge Château, in order to be in a position of readiness -to reinforce the line near Polygon Wood, where the Prussian Guard was -reported to have broken through. He sent one company up into the wood, -and scattered the rest about the grounds of the Château. It was chiefly -shrapnel-shelling that they were exposed to during this operation, and -there were few casualties. - -In the afternoon orders were received to support an attack which was to -be carried out by the Sussex Regiment, Oxfordshire Light Infantry, and -Gloucester Regiment. They were to retake the trenches which had been -captured by the Prussian Guard in the morning, south-west of Polygon -Wood. The Battalion was severely shelled, as it crossed the open ground -towards the wood east of Hooge in artillery formation, and had thirty to -forty casualties in a few minutes. Then Lieut.-Colonel Smith sent Major -Jeffreys forward to find General FitzClarence, under whose orders the -Battalion had been placed. - -The enemy now began to shell this spot with shrapnel, and with every one -underground it was no easy matter to find the General or his Staff. -Major Jeffreys was joined by Lieut.-Colonel Smith; they searched and -searched in vain, and came across Major Corkran, Brigade-Major of the -1st Brigade, who had been engaged on the same fruitless errand. Deciding -to wait, Lieut.-Colonel Smith sent Major Jeffreys back to the Battalion, -where he found Captain Pike, who was almost immediately afterwards -wounded by a shell. - -Meanwhile the Battalion had been waiting for hours under shell-fire, and -had suffered about thirty further casualties. It was now night, -pitch-dark, and pouring with rain; and to assemble the men, who were -spread out in artillery formation, was by no means easy, but Major -Jeffreys managed to get them together near Nonne-Bosschen Wood. -Eventually Lieut.-Colonel Smith found General FitzClarence, and got -permission to give the men a meal before taking them up to the front. -Having returned to the Battalion, he marched it back to the Château -grounds, where after some delay the cookers arrived, and the men settled -down to a meal in the pouring rain. Lieutenant the Hon. W. R. Bailey was -appointed Adjutant in Captain Pike's place, and at once took over his -duties. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 12.] - -After an hour's sleep the Battalion started off again at midnight, and -marched ankle-deep in mud and slush to the Headquarters of the 1st -Brigade, where it received its orders for the attack in which it was to -operate with the 1st Battalion Irish Guards, Royal Munster Fusiliers, -and Gloucester Regiment. - -These orders were: - - The following move at 2.15 A.M., to position of readiness at S.W. - corner of Polygon Wood--2nd Battalion Grenadiers, 1st Battalion - Irish Guards, Royal Munster Fusiliers. Left of Grenadier Guards and - right of Irish Guards at S.W. corner of Polygon Wood, both in column - of route heading south. Royal Munster Fusiliers on edge of wood just - in rear of centre. When ordered to move from position of readiness - to attack, Grenadiers will lead in file, passing along western side - of trench and shooting any enemy met with either in or out of it. - Irish Guards to follow Grenadiers in same formation, Royal Munster - Fusiliers to follow Irish Guards. When trench has been cleared, - Battalions will occupy and hold it till further orders. Attack will - be ready to start any hour after 4 A.M. All movements to be made - quickly and silently. Reports to H.Q. 1st Guards Brigade. Captain - Fortune, Black Watch, will act as guide to Grenadiers. Battalions in - rear will keep touch with Battalions in front of them. Gloucesters - will fill gap as at present. - -At 3 A.M. these battalions started. It had been arranged that the Irish -Guards should lead as far as Polygon Wood, and General FitzClarence and -his Staff walked at their head. In spite of the darkness the battalions -kept well together. They were marching down a muddy lane when suddenly -some shots were heard in front, and General FitzClarence halted his -force and went to see what was going on. The advance began again slowly, -they reached the west edge of the wood, and the Grenadiers got into the -ditch at the edge. Then came the news that General FitzClarence had been -mortally wounded. Colonel Davies arrived next with the Oxfordshire Light -Infantry, having reconnoitred the positions; he had found that the -Germans were in great strength, with wire entanglements in front and -several machine-guns. - -The question now arose: What should be done? Was it wise to carry on the -attack with no General in command? Eventually the matter was referred to -Brigadier-General Westmacott, commanding the 5th Brigade. He decided -that it would be best to abandon the attack, as after this delay there -would not be enough time for it to develop before daybreak. He therefore -ordered the battalions back behind the wood, west of Nonne-Bosschen -Wood, and determined to hold a new line. Colonel M'Ewen of the Camerons -was sent for, to take command of the Brigade. - -The work of digging the new line was entrusted to the Gloucesters, but -as they were not strong enough to hold it, No. 4 Company Grenadiers -under Captain Ridley was sent up to reinforce them. Tired as the men -were, they dug for their lives, and by 6 A.M. had managed to dig -themselves well in. The rest of the Battalion returned to the Château, -where it was found that in the darkness one platoon of No. 1 Company and -the Battalion Headquarters had gone astray. However, they arrived next -morning. - -After having been placed under several different Brigadiers, the -Battalion was finally ordered by Colonel Cunliffe Owen to move with the -Irish Guards to the wood on the Menin road, and there dig itself in. Off -it went, and began digging again till the dawn broke, when the shelling -started again as usual. This was the only day on which the Battalion had -no rations, the constant moves having disorganised the transport, but -enough bully beef was procured to give the men something to eat. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 13-14.] - -During the day the Battalion remained in its trenches. There was the -inevitable shelling and sniping, but little damage was done. In the -evening it moved back to within a mile of the Château, and was just -settling down when it received orders to move on to Sanctuary Wood--so -called because it had never been shelled. After some delay, it got to -the wood in the middle of the night, finding there some howitzers which -had been attracted by the name. The officer in command explained that -they had been shelled out of every place they had visited hitherto by -the bigger guns of the enemy. Before long, however, the German artillery -located the howitzers, and at once began to shell the wood. While Major -Hamilton was in his dug-out, a high-explosive shell brought the whole -structure down on him, and he was dug out, unconscious, only just in -time. Not long afterwards Lieutenant Dowling was wounded. - -In the middle of the next night the Battalion was ordered to return to -the trenches and join the 4th Brigade. Its four days' "rest" was over, -and all ranks welcomed with enthusiasm the prospect of getting back to -the trenches! - -[Sidenote: Nov. 15-16.] - -Next day the Battalion marched back through Zillebeke to Lord Cavan's -Headquarters, and was at once sent back into the trenches, part of which -it had held the week before. The companies were sent up on each side of -the Cavalry Brigade, which was holding a line across Brown Road, and the -Battalion was therefore split up into two portions. Nos. 4 and 2 -Platoons of No. 3 Company were on the left of the cavalry, and Nos. 1 -and 2 Companies on the right; the only reserve there was consisted of -two platoons of No. 3 Company, and so they "carried on" for two days -without any happenings of great importance. The weather meanwhile became -very cold, and there were continual snow blizzards. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 17.] - -On November 17 the Germans made their last serious attack on Ypres. The -day opened with a terrific bombardment, evidently heralding a determined -attack. The shelling went on steadily all the morning, and about 1 P.M. -the attack started, the brunt of it falling on No. 1 and No. 2 -Companies. No. 2 in particular was very hard pressed. Captain -Symes-Thompson was killed, and Lieutenant Lee-Steere, who took over the -command, sent back word that they were running short of ammunition. -There were but two platoons in reserve, and they numbered only thirty -men, but Lieut.-Colonel Smith sent them up under Captain Cavendish with -some ammunition. By the time they arrived Lieutenant Lee-Steere had been -killed. Captain Cavendish sent back a message that the enemy was -apparently entrenching in a spinney about four hundred yards to our -front, and that his numbers were estimated at 500. About this time the -enemy attacked in great force, but was quite unable to make any headway -against our rifle-fire. The spirits of the men were wonderful, and they -fought on, quite unaffected by the terrible casualties caused by the -shell-fire amongst their ranks. Captain Cavendish was surprised at -suddenly hearing a burst of firing intermingled with shouts of laughter. -It turned out that some Germans, who had lain down in a slight fold in -the ground when their attack failed, were trying to crawl back, and the -men of Nos. 2 and 3 Companies were firing at them as they went. The -enemy was now becoming very numerous in front, and the situation was -reported to Lord Cavan by Lieut.-Colonel Smith, who received this reply: - - Call on 1st Battalion Coldstream for help if required at once. - Brigade Headquarters knocked to bits, so have shifted to farm - north-west of wood, on Figure 17 of K 17, in dug-out. - -A little while afterwards the situation was easier, and on hearing that -the line was still intact, Lord Cavan sent the message: - - Well done. Hope you got my memo, _re_ calling on 1st Battalion - Coldstream at once if necessary, now in the wood alongside of you. - You must use them to help both yourself and the Irish Guards. When - called on let me know. Am turning all the artillery on the wood to - your front. I have no means of communication left except orderlies. - -The 1st Battalion Coldstream at that time consisted of a draft of 300 -men under Captain G. Edwards, which had just arrived from England, the -Battalion having been practically wiped out in the Prussian Guard attack -of November 4. - -No. 1 Company was now in a bad way, and Captain Hughes sent back an -urgent request for more ammunition. But, as most of the pack animals had -been killed in the morning's bombardment, it was a problem how to send -it. Major Jeffreys collected as many orderlies as he could find, loaded -them up with all the ammunition they could carry, and himself led them -along to the trenches. This was no easy matter, as not only was the -ground they had to cross under shell-fire, but the whole place was -knee-deep in mud. The last fifty yards to the trenches they had to -crawl. - -The firing had been kept up practically all the afternoon, and some idea -of the amount of ammunition expended may be gathered from the fact that -No. 1 Company alone fired 24,000 rounds. This was the first time our men -saw the hand grenades which were to play such a large part in trench -warfare. Little puffs of smoke had been occasionally seen bursting on -the bodies of the Germans, and these proved to be caused by hand -grenades of a primitive type, which exploded when hit by our bullets. - -By the evening the German attack had died down. The enemy had lost very -heavily, and realised, apparently, that the line was too strongly held -for any frontal attack to succeed: - -The casualties amongst the officers of the 2nd Battalion were -unfortunately heavy: - - - Captain E. J. L. Pike (Adjutant), wounded. - Lieut. C. W. Tufnell (Machine-gun Officer), killed. - Capt. C. Symes-Thompson (No. 1 Company), killed. - Major Lord Bernard Gordon-Lennox (No. 2 Company), killed. - Lieut. I. St. C. Rose (No. 2 Company), wounded. - Lieut. C. M. C. Dowling (No. 2 Company), wounded. - 2nd Lieut. F. W. J. M. Miller (No. 2 Company), killed. - 2nd Lieut. J. H. G. Lee-Steere (No. 2 Company), killed. - Capt. E. G. H. Powell (No. 3 Company), wounded. - Lieut. H. R. C. Tudway (No. 3 Company), killed. - Lieut. Lord Congleton (No. 3 Company), killed. - Captain M. E. Makgill-Crichton Maitland (No. 4 Company), wounded. - Captain E. D. Ridley (No. 4 Company), wounded. - Lieut. M. G. Stocks (No. 4 Company), killed. - -The 2nd Battalion had been fighting incessantly from October 21 to -November 16. Day and night it had been attacked by an enemy greatly -superior in numbers. As it had never for a moment been able to leave the -front line, its sleep had been broken and scanty. Yet well aware that no -reinforcements were available, the Battalion had throughout realised -that it must continue to hold the line, and had faced its task with the -utmost determination. Even when it was in reserve, it had taken part in -serious engagements, but this to a certain extent was an experience -which it shared with the other battalions of the 4th Brigade. - -The 2nd Battalion Grenadiers had been most fortunate in its neighbours -during these strenuous days, and the men soon found that the other -battalions in the Second Division were as stout fighters as themselves. -The 2nd Battalion Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in -particular was known throughout the Division as one of the best -battalions in the Expeditionary Force, and the Grenadiers knew from -experience that it could be relied upon to hold a trench to the last -man. - -But perhaps the branch of the service which won the men's admiration -most of all was the artillery. Outnumbered and outranged, the Second -Division artillery fought on, and time after time saved the situation. -Its supply of shells, compared to that of the German artillery, was -ridiculously small, and yet never for a moment did it fail to respond -when called upon to support the infantry attacks. According to all -preconceived theories it should have been wiped out altogether, and in -fact many batteries were annihilated. But the Grenadiers knew that as -long as there were any men left alive the guns would be served. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 19.] - -The first battle of Ypres may be said to have ended on the 19th, -although naturally the enemy continued his shelling. Some of No. 1 -Company's trenches were blown in, but there were no infantry attacks. In -the evening the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers was relieved by the 3rd -Battalion Coldstream and marched to St. Jean, where one company went -into billets, and the other three lay in the open and made themselves as -comfortable as they could with straw, which they took from the ricks at -the farm close by. Curiously enough, the farmer some twelve months later -sent in a claim for compensation for the straw that had been taken. The -few remaining officers managed to get into one room at the farmhouse. - -It was bitterly cold, and there were several degrees of frost and two or -three inches of snow on the ground. Before leaving, Lieut.-Colonel Smith -sent the following message to Captain Cavendish: - - If it is possible, will you try and identify some of the units which - attacked you yesterday? Perhaps you could get a few shoulder-straps - after dark, but you are not to risk life to get them. I do not want - to support you unless it is necessary, but I can send a platoon of - the Coldstream to a place near Irish Guards' support if you would - like it. You will be relieved by Coldstream to-night about 8 P.M. - after your teas, and will come to Brigade Headquarters where you - will get instructions. The men of the Coldstream now with you should - come back at the same time. - -The shoulder-straps referred to in this message were duly secured and -forwarded to the Intelligence officer of the Division. The Germans who -had attacked the day before were from the Fifteenth Corps. - -Lord Cavan, in a private letter to Colonel H. Streatfeild, commanding -the Regiment, wrote: - - No words can ever describe what the devotion of the men and officers - has been under the trials of dirt, squalor, cold, sleeplessness, and - perpetual strain of the last three weeks. Their state of efficiency - still can, I think, be gauged by the fact that twelve attacks have - been repulsed and two companies of Grenadiers fired twenty-four - boxes of ammunition on the 17th, so persistent were the enemy's - assaults. We are told we are to be relieved very soon and sent right - back for a good fortnight to refit and reclothe and reorganise. We - came into this theatre 3700 strong, and we shall go back about 2000, - but nothing finer to my mind has ever been done by human men. I - really should cry if the Germans got into Ypres before we go. On the - 17th before the attack they threw over 200 big shells in and around - my Headquarters and for one and a half hours it was pretty horrible, - but the dug-outs saved us, though my signal officer and 13 men were - wounded and 2 killed at the door of my dug-out. The smell of the - explosion was horrible. One shell pitched in our signal cart and - blew the limber 55 yards away from the body. - -The 2nd Battalion remained at St. Jean the next day, and in the evening -received orders to move back and refit on the following night: - - The Brigadier is directed by Sir Douglas Haig to inform the 4th - Guards Brigade that their relief will definitely take place - to-morrow night 20th/21st for certain. He also wishes it to be - explained that by sticking to their positions for an extra day, the - whole British Expeditionary Force has benefited to the extent that - their front is now narrowed to the line La Bassée--Wytschaete, - whereas if the relief had taken place yesterday it would have had to - extend from La Bassée to the Canal. - -The following orders for concentration of troops when relieved from the -trenches were issued: - - (1) Battalions not in the trenches, viz. 2nd Battalion Grenadiers, - Irish Guards, Herts Battalion, will march in the above order under - Lieut.-Colonel W. R. A. Smith, Grenadier Guards, on Ypres level - crossing J 13 A, thence by road passing J 12, the south edge of J - 11, southern portion of I 15.14, thence through I 13 A, thence to - Ouderdomm. Starting-point road junction at Y of Ypres. Time, 4 P.M. - - (2) All first-line transport, except pack animals, which will - accompany Battalions, will march under Brigade Transport Officer - Captain Gough to Ouderdomm, in time to arrive there by 2 P.M. It - will be met by Captain R. de Crespigny, who will point out - bivouacking areas to units. - - (3) Units will arrange to have a meal waiting for them on arrival at - Ouderdomm; after eating this they will march independently to - Meteren, where they will go into billets. The three battalions under - Lieut.-Colonel Smith will march together under his orders. The route - from Ouderdomm to Meteren _via_ Westoutre--Montnoir--La Manche. - - (4) Officers commanding all units will be responsible that the route - that they have to follow is reconnoitred by daylight. - -[Sidenote: Nov. 20.] - -Orders were first sent for these battalions to start at 4 P.M., and -later the time was altered to 10.45 P.M. The 2nd Battalion Grenadiers -arrived at the rendezvous in plenty of time, and as the Hertfordshire -Territorials did not turn up, Lieut.-Colonel Smith waited for it till -past midnight, and then marched off. It was bitterly cold, and owing to -the frozen state of the road extremely slippery. On account of the -accumulation of guns and transports, the battalions were forced to march -in single file down the side of the road, and to pass miles of wagons -before they were able to march in fours. At 3 A.M. they had some tea, -and arrived at their destination at 8.30, when they went into billets. - - LETTER FROM BRIGADIER-GENERAL THE EARL OF CAVAN TO THE OFFICER - COMMANDING THE GRENADIER GUARDS - - The 2nd Battalion moves back to-night about 15 miles with the rest - of the Brigade to refit, reorganise, and rest. It leaves the line - intact, and, in spite of great loss and untold sufferings and - hardships, it fought the battle of Nov. 17 with as good a nerve as - the battle of the Aisne. It has perhaps had the hardest time of any - of the four battalions, as its rest days in Corps Reserve were - entirely taken up with marching and making counter-strokes at - various parts of the line. - - I can never express what I think of the great courage and endurance - shown by officers and men during the defence before Ypres, and I - should like to put on the regimental records not only my sense of - pride at being their Brigadier, but my debt to the Battalion for - their great devotion to their duty. The men have all kept up a - respectable appearance, which has been an example, considering that - it has been absolutely impossible to change an article of clothing - for four weeks. It is hoped that some officers and men may be able - to get home for a few days' complete rest and change. - - (Signed) CAVAN, Brigadier, - Commanding 4th Guards Bgde. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - NOVEMBER 1914 TO MARCH 1915 - - - Diary of the War - - -In November 1914 the war of stagnation had already begun. The power of -modern weapons in defence had made open warfare an impossibility, and -the struggle in France had now assumed the character of siege warfare. -Lines of trench some five hundred miles in length stretched from the -Belgian coast to the Swiss frontier, and high explosive in every form -and shape was fired from monster guns or thrown by hand. Miles of barbed -wire covered the ground between the opposing lines of trenches, and -sappers and miners continued to mine and to counter-mine. At the time it -was thought that this state of things was merely the prelude to a -gigantic battle which would decide the issue of the war. - -The British Army at the beginning of November was holding a longer line -than it well could hold, and in December Sir John French was able to -shorten the line to thirty miles in length. In co-operation with the -Eighth French Army, under General D'Urbal, the British Army attempted to -advance in the direction of Wytschaete, but after several unsuccessful -attacks these operations ceased. In January there were three weeks' -comparative quiet, and then the enemy commenced an organised attack on -Givenchy, but was effectually stopped by the First Division. The Germans -made a more successful effort near Guinchy, and some ground was -temporarily gained by them, but a determined counterattack by the 4th -(Guards) Brigade restored the line. South of La Bassée Canal the 3rd -Battalion Coldstream and 1st Battalion Irish Guards captured a place -known as the Brickstacks; on February 14 the 82nd Brigade was driven out -of their trenches east of St. Eloi; and two days later the Twenty-eighth -Division was forced to retire. In both cases the lost ground was -recovered by counter-attacks. On March 10 the battle of Neuve Chapelle -was fought, and lasted three days. - -In addition to the fighting in the north in co-operation with the -British and Belgian armies, the French were engaged practically all -along their line. For purely sentimental reasons they continued their -attacks on Alsace: although there were local successes, no actual gain -of territory was made, and their losses were enormous. - -The movements of the Russian Army were at first partly successful. Under -the Grand Duke Nicholas it invaded East Prussia, invested the fortress -of Königsberg, and reached the Masurian Lake region. The Southern -Russian Army entered the north of Austria, cleared Galicia as far as the -River San, and invested Przemysl. Its advance was, however, checked by -the severe defeat which it suffered at Tannenberg, and it was forced to -retire from East Prussia, which it again invaded in October. In the -meantime, the Germans assembled a large army in Silesia, and advancing -from Posen, forced the Russians to retire into Poland. Soon afterwards -the Germans invaded Russia itself, and gained a victory at Grodno. In -Austria the Russians were more successful, and after defeating the -Austrian Army at Rawazuska, succeeded in capturing the stronghold of -Przemysl which had been considered impregnable. - -On March 18 an unsuccessful attempt was made by the combined British and -French Fleets to force the Dardanelles. This was the beginning of the -Gallipoli campaign. - -In German South-West Africa General Botha landed at Swakopmund, near -Walfish Bay, in February, and advanced to Jackalswater and Riet. A -British Expeditionary Force also began operations in the Cameroons, and -there was some fighting in German East Africa. - -Naval warfare was practically at an end by the beginning of 1915, as all -the German ships had been cleared off the high seas. The German Fleet -itself had taken refuge in Kiel Harbour, and there was nothing for the -British Fleet to do but to wait patiently, in the hope that it would one -day emerge and give battle. During March the blockade of Germany began, -but the problem of how to deal with neutrals had not been solved, and -the Germans were able to get all they wanted through Holland and the -three Scandinavian countries. - - - The 1st Battalion - - -[Sidenote: 1st Batt. Nov. 1914.] - -On the 14th the 20th Brigade marched through Bailleul, Steenwerck, -Sailly, Bac-St.-Maur to the trenches in the neighbourhood of Fleurbaix, -where it relieved the 19th Brigade. The Grenadiers were on the right, -the Scots Guards in the centre, and the Border Regiment on the left. -Brigadier-General F. J. Heyworth, D.S.O., arrived from England, to take -over the command of the Brigade. - -Throughout November the Brigade remained in the same line of trenches. -At first there was a great deal of rain, but towards the end of the -month it changed to snow and was bitterly cold. The men suffered very -much from trench feet, as the ground was in a shocking condition. Goats' -skins were issued, and also some white smocks for patrol duty at night, -as the dark uniforms showed up so clearly in the snow. - -Major C. E. Corkran came from the Staff, to take over the command of the -Battalion from the 17th till the 29th, when Lieut.-Colonel L. R. -Fisher-Rowe arrived from England to assume command. On the 20th a draft -of 100 men arrived with the following officers: Captain J. A. Morrison, -Captain the Earl Stanhope, Second Lieutenant Lord Brabourne, Second -Lieutenant Lord William Percy, Second Lieutenant Rhys Williams. - -The Eighth Division under Major-General Davies arrived from England, and -completed the Fourth Corps. - -The enemy was constantly busy digging sap-heads, and the shelling was -continuous. Lieutenant E. S. Ward was wounded on the 15th, but although -there were a number of casualties in the Brigade the Battalion did not -suffer much. On the 29th Captain Rose commanding the 55th Company R.E. -was killed. His loss was keenly felt by the whole Brigade, and -especially by the Grenadiers, as he had never spared himself, and had -been of the greatest assistance to all the officers. On the 24th Major -G. F. Trotter, M.V.O., D.S.O., joined the Battalion. - -[Sidenote: Dec.] - -On December 1 His Majesty the King paid a visit to the Division, -accompanied by Lieutenant H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, the President of -the French Republic, General Joffre, and Major-General Sir Pertab Singh. - - SPECIAL ORDER OF THE DAY BY HIS MAJESTY THE KING - - GENERAL HEADQUARTERS, _Dec. 5, 1914_. - - OFFICERS, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN, - - I am very glad to have been able to see my Army in the Field. - - I much wished to do so, in order to gain a slight experience of the - life you are leading. - - I wish I could have spoken to you all, to express my admiration of - the splendid manner in which you have fought and are still fighting - against a powerful and relentless enemy. - - By your discipline, pluck, and endurance, inspired by the - indomitable regimental spirit, you have not only upheld the - traditions of the British Army, but added fresh lustre to its - history. - - I was particularly impressed by your soldierly, healthy, cheerful - appearance. - - I cannot share in your trials, dangers, and successes, but I can - assure you of the proud confidence and gratitude of myself and of - your fellow-countrymen. - - We follow you in our daily thoughts on your certain road to victory. - - GEORGE R.I. - -The weather all the month of December was very bad, and it was with -difficulty that the trenches were kept from falling in. A draft of 66 -men under Captain E. O. Stewart arrived on the 3rd, and one of 45 men -under Captain the Hon. G. H. Douglas-Pennant on the 12th. On the 15th -Second Lieutenant E. H. J. Duberly and Second Lieutenant T. -Parker-Jervis joined the Battalion, and on the 17th a draft of 60 men -with Lieutenant C. H. Greville and Second Lieutenant C. R. Rowley -arrived. On the 21st Second Lieutenant F. O. S. Sitwell, Second -Lieutenant C. F. Burnand, and Second Lieutenant C. T. R. S. Guthrie -joined the Battalion, and on the 23rd a draft of 41 men under Second -Lieutenant G. R. Westmacott arrived. On the 28th Second Lieutenant C. G. -Goschen arrived. - -There were numerous cases of frostbite, and a certain amount of sickness -owing to the cold wet weather, but considering the constant soaking the -men received, and the amount of water in the trenches, the health of the -Battalion was on the whole good. - -The Battalion was constantly engaged in digging and improving the -trenches as far as possible, but the water-logged condition of the -ground, combined with the vigilance of the German snipers, made the work -difficult. The bombing and sniping continued daily, and were accompanied -occasionally by high-explosive shells. The latter were, however, -generally directed by the Germans against any place that would be likely -to harbour generals or staff. On one of the visits which the Prince of -Wales paid to the 1st Battalion, he narrowly escaped one of these -shells, which exploded outside the house he was in. On the 19th -Lieutenant J. Teece, the Quartermaster, was wounded, and Lieutenant -Mitchell took over his duties. - -On the 18th an organised attack on the German trenches was made by the -22nd Brigade. The 20th Brigade was ordered to assist with two half -battalions by attacking the edge of the Sailly--Fromelles road. It was -decided to double-man the trenches opposite the point of attack, and the -Scots Guards were therefore withdrawn from the right, being relieved by -the Grenadiers. The attack was to be undertaken by half a battalion of -the Scots Guards and half a battalion of the Border Regiment. Brigade -Headquarters were transferred to La Carbonière Farm, so as to be in -close touch with the trenches. The guns being short of ammunition, the -artillery decided not to open fire till just before the attack was -launched. The Grenadiers had to go down, and relieve the Scots Guards in -broad daylight, and this unusual activity in our lines, which was far -too apparent, gave the enemy ample warning of our intended attack. The -Scots Guards launched their attack at the pre-arranged time, but the -signal was not understood down the line, with the result that the -attacks were by no means simultaneous. The men of the Border Regiment -found great difficulty in getting through their own wire entanglements, -which considerably delayed them. The Scots Guards, however, succeeded in -rushing the German trenches and bayoneting the occupants, but a -machine-gun which they were unable to knock out caused a large number of -casualties. The other attacks having failed, the Scots Guards were -ordered to return, as the Germans had been able to bring up large -reinforcements. - -Although little had been accomplished, the enemy had been obliged to -keep all their men in the trenches to resist this attack, and had -therefore been unable to send reinforcements farther south. This was -practically the sole object of our attack. - -Christmas came with the whole country deep in mud and slush. Parcels of -shirts, socks, etc. were received from Colonel Streatfeild, who -succeeded in supplying the wants of the Battalion with the utmost -regularity, while luxuries were sent by Major-General Sir Reginald -Thynne, an old Grenadier Commanding Officer, who had undertaken to send -one surprise packet to every man in each battalion, in addition to the -parcels which he sent regularly from the officers' wives to any -Grenadier prisoners in Germany. - -On the 24th Captain Morrison, on behalf of the King's Company, addressed -the following telegram to the King: - - The Officers, N.C.O.'s, and men of the King's Company, Grenadier - Guards, respectfully offer Your Majesty best wishes for Christmas - and the New Year. - -His Majesty's answer was as follows: - - I heartily thank Officers, N.C.O.'s, and men for their message of - Christmas and New Year greetings, which I warmly reciprocate. You - are all more than ever in my thoughts at this moment. - - GEORGE R.I., Colonel-in-Chief. - -Christmas Day passed off without a shot being fired by either side in -that part of the line. This does not appear to have been the result of -any definite agreement, but simply a tacit understanding on the part of -both forces to refrain from firing during that day. - -Many experiments were made with mortars and bombs at Bac-St.-Maur. -Officers who were present afterwards asserted that they infinitely -preferred the enemy's shot and shell to the uncertain and erratic -explosions during these experiments. The new trench mortar had a way of -moving round and facing the wrong way after one or two shots had been -fired, which was disconcerting. - -Though the art of bomb-throwing was still in its infancy, the importance -of this form of trench warfare had already impressed itself on every one -in France. The Ordnance at home was confused by the many recommendations -that were made, and issued bombs of every pattern, in order to ascertain -by practical means which was the best; but as every brigade favoured a -different bomb, the selection became a matter of great difficulty. In -every brigade a company of 150 bomb-throwers was formed, and the men -were thoroughly trained. Second Lieutenant Rhys Williams was selected to -command the company of bomb-throwers in the 20th Brigade. - -Towards the end of December the constant heavy rain had played havoc -with the trenches. The whole country had become completely water-logged, -and as soon as water was pumped out of one portion of a trench it broke -through in another. The Germans were in the same plight, and could be -observed at pumping operations daily. It was impossible to dig any -trench below a depth of two feet, and in some places it became necessary -to build breastworks over the ground. - -One of the great difficulties the men in the trenches had to contend -with was that the rifles during an attack were rendered useless by the -mud. Whenever an attack was made the rifles became so clogged with mud -that the men had nothing but the bayonet to fight with. To carry 200 or -more rounds of small-arms ammunition all through the day, and then find -they are merely ornamental when the fighting begins, is rather -disheartening, and the Divisional Authorities therefore devised a rough -canvas cover to slip over the muzzle of the rifle. This cover could be -pulled off instantly when required, but even if the rifle was fired with -the cover on no harm was done. A letter found on a German colonel some -months later revealed the fact that the enemy had been much struck with -the idea of a cover of this sort, and had taken steps to have one made -on the British pattern. - -The following letter from His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught, -Colonel of the Grenadiers, and at the time Governor-General of Canada, -was forwarded for the officers of the Battalion to read: - -[Sidenote: Jan. 1915.] - - GOVERNMENT HOUSE, OTTAWA, - _January 12, 1915_. - - MY DEAR STREATFEILD--Most grateful thanks for three letters of the - 23rd, 29th, and 30th of December. - - I have been deeply interested with all the regimental news you have - so kindly sent me, especially with the letters of Colonel Wilfred - Smith and Captain Morrison, and the very gratifying order of General - Capper. It is really splendid to hear how well both battalions have - done under most serious and trying circumstances, which must have - tried the nerves and endurance of all ranks to the very utmost. - - As I expected, our Officers have set a splendid example of capacity - and bravery. It is hard to think what terrible losses all this - splendid work has entailed on the Regiment, and how many Officers we - have to mourn. May they not have given their precious lives for - nothing, but may their names and example be ever preserved in the - Regiment in whose honour they have fallen. - - I hope that never again will companies have to occupy so large a - front as ours have done; with less good troops the risk would appear - to me to have been too great to run. - - I am glad to hear such good accounts of our 4th Reserve Battalion. I - thank you for so kindly sending on my message to the 1st and 2nd - Battalions. I was anxious that they should know that although so far - away they were in my thoughts.--Believe me, yours very sincerely, - - (Signed) ARTHUR. - -LIST OF OFFICERS OF THE 1ST BATTALION GRENADIER GUARDS ON JANUARY 1, -1915 - - - Lieut.-Colonel L. R. Fisher-Rowe, Commanding Officer. - Major G. F. Trotter, M.V.O., D.S.O., Second in Command. - Lieut. C. V. Fisher-Rowe, Adjutant. - 2nd Lieut. E. H. J. Duberly, Machine-gun Officer. - Lieut. C. Mitchell, Acting Quartermaster. - Capt. J. A. Morrison, King's Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. T. R. S. Guthrie, King's Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. G. Goschen, King's Company. - Captain the Hon. G. H. Douglas-Pennant, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. Lord Brabourne, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. F. Burnand, No. 2 Company. - Captain the Earl Stanhope, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. Lord William Percy, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. G. R. Westmacott, No. 3 Company. - Captain the Hon. R. Lygon, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. M. A. A. Darby, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. F. O. S. Sitwell, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. J. Parker-Jervis, No. 4 Company. - - The following officers from the Artists' Rifles were attached to the - Battalion: Second Lieutenant Crisp to the King's Company, and Second - Lieutenant A. Moller to No. 2 Company. - -[Sidenote: Jan.] - -The Battalion occupied the same trench line all January, and every four -days was relieved by the Scots Guards, when it went into Divisional -Reserve. On the 11th a draft of 65 men under Captain W. E. Nicol -arrived, and on the 26th one of 60 men under Lieutenant H. W. Ethelston. -On the 27th Lieutenant A. S. L. St. J. Mildmay joined. - -[Illustration: Lieutenant-Colonel L. R. Fisher Rowe. Commanding 1st -Battalion. Died of wounds received at Neuve Chapelle 10 March 1915.] - -Some officers of the Grenadiers were lent to the Scots Guards, who were -very short of officers, and remained away for some time. On the 5th -Second Lieutenant Crisp, who had been attached to the Battalion from the -Artists' Corps, was coming across an open place, where the trenches had -fallen in and had become impassable, when he was shot through the body -and died shortly afterwards. Lieut.-Colonel Fisher-Rowe, who was only -fifty yards away at the time, came up to give him morphia, but found him -quite unconscious. He had done so well, and made himself so popular, -that his death was much regretted by the Battalion. - -With this exception there were no casualties among the officers and very -few among the men, although the Germans expended a large amount of -ammunition on that part of the line. - -The redoubts were finished, and proved a great success. It was curious -to note that the Germans were struck with the same idea, and began -constructing forts in rear of their inundated trenches. A certain amount -of leave was granted to the officers and N.C.O.'s, and those who had -been out some time were all given a week at home. - -[Sidenote: Feb.] - -February found the Battalion still in the same trenches, which had by -now been very greatly improved. The problem of the water had been -partially solved by the efforts of the R.E., and the men were able to -take some pride in their trench line. There was a certain amount of -sickness, with occasional cases of influenza. A motor ambulance, -presented by Captain J. A. Morrison to the Battalion, arrived, and while -the officers and men much appreciated the gift, the Medical Authorities -were much concerned at the irregularity of the proceeding. - -On the 13th Lieutenant R. F. C. Gelderd-Somervell joined the Battalion, -and Captain the Earl Stanhope left to take up his duties as A.D.C. to -the General Commanding the Fifth Army Corps. He had proved himself such -a good officer that the Commanding Officer was sorry to lose him. On the -23rd Captain E. F. F. Sartorius joined the Battalion, and took over -command of No. 3 Company. - -There had been a certain number of casualties among the men from sniping -and shell-fire, but the greater part of the losses were from sickness. - -[Sidenote: March.] - -On March 3 the Battalion was relieved by the Canadians, and billeted in -the Rue du Bois. It marched the next morning to Neuf Berquin, and on the -following day to Estaires. On the 10th it joined the rest of the 20th -Brigade, which was on the main Estaires--La Bassée road. Before taking -over the trenches, Lieutenant Darby was sent up to go over the ground, -so that he might be able to guide the companies when they went up. At -luncheon-time he returned with the intelligence that the shelling in the -front trench was terrific, and that even as far back as the reserve -trenches the noise was deafening, all of which seemed to point to a -lively time for the Battalion. - -As the Battalion marched up, the men were much impressed by the sight of -the Chestnut Battery going into action. This crack battery of the Royal -Artillery, manned by splendid men and drawn by picked horses, came -thundering down the road, and as it passed the men of the Grenadiers -broke into a cheer. - -Although the enemy's shells were bursting over the Battalion, only one -actually pitched near the men, doing no damage, and in the evening the -Battalion went into billets, the King's Company in the Rue du Bacquerot, -and Nos. 2, 3, and 4 in Cameren Lane. - - - - - CHAPTER IX - NOVEMBER 1914 TO MAY 1915 (2ND BATTALION) - - -[Sidenote: 2nd Batt. Nov. 1914.] - -The Battalion remained in billets at Meteren from November 22 till -December 22. The casualties among the officers had been severe, and -there only remained Lieut.-Colonel Smith, Major Jeffreys, Captain -Ridley, Captain Cavendish, Lieutenant Hughes, Lieutenant and Adjutant -the Hon. W. Bailey, Lieutenant Beaumont-Nesbitt, Lieutenant Marshall, -Second Lieutenant Cunninghame (Transport Officer), Second Lieutenant -Gerard, Lieutenant and Quartermaster Skidmore, and Captain Howell, -R.A.M.C. (attached). - -[Sidenote: Dec. 3.] - -The King inspected the 4th Guards Brigade at Meteren, and afterwards -presented Distinguished Conduct Medals to a certain number of N.C.O.'s -and men. - -In the evening the following special order was issued: - - The Brigadier is commanded by His Majesty the King, the - Colonel-in-Chief, to convey to the four battalions of the Brigade of - Guards the following gracious words which His Majesty addressed to - the four Commanding Officers: "I am very proud of my Guards, and I - am full of admiration for their bravery, endurance, and fine spirit. - I wish I could have addressed them all, but that was impossible. So - you must tell them what I say to you. You are fighting a brave and - determined enemy, but if you go on as you have been doing and show - the same spirit, as I am sure you will, there can only be one end, - please God, and that is Victory. I wish you all good luck." - -[Sidenote: Dec. 21.] - -On December 21 the news arrived that the Indian Corps had been heavily -attacked, and driven out of its trenches between La Bassée Canal and -Richebourg. The First Corps was at once to be moved down to this part of -the line, and that evening orders were received by the Second Division -to be ready to march at two hours' notice. When a line of trenches -stretches some hundreds of miles, the rough must be taken with the -smooth, and the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers was soon to find that the site -of its trenches was anything but an ideal one. To dig a trench in a -water-logged valley outraged all preconceived principles; yet it was in -such a locality that the men of the Grenadiers were to find themselves -for the following months. - -Minor operations, as they were called, consisted in nibbling away a few -hundred yards. The casualties which occurred daily from bombing and -sniping were hardly taken into account. Yet those who took part in this -monotonous underground warfare did as much to win the war as those who -were fortunate enough to fight in one of the big battles. - -[Sidenote: Dec. 22-23.] - -The 4th Brigade marched off early by Merville to Bethune, about nineteen -miles, and there billeted fairly comfortably. The next day it marched -on, and halted in a field at Essarts, near Le Touret, in readiness to -support the 2nd Brigade. In the evening it moved on again, and took over -the line at Rue de Cailloux from the Royal Sussex Regiment after dark. -These trenches were very bad, and had been hastily improvised from -dykes, when the Germans succeeded in capturing our front-line trenches a -few days before. The water was always knee-deep, in some places -waist-deep, in mud and water, and as the enemy's trench was within -twenty-five yards, his snipers, who were always enterprising, had plenty -of opportunities of shooting. The taking over of these trenches was -complicated by men getting stuck, and having to be dug out, so that it -was nearly six hours before the relief was completed. In some cases it -took four hours to dig the men out, during which time many of them -fainted several times. No. 1 Company under Captain Sir M. Cholmeley, No. -2 under Captain P. A. Clive, and half No. 3 under Captain Cavendish, -were in the firing line, while the other half of No. 3, and No. 4 -Company under Captain Ridley were in reserve. - -[Sidenote: Dec. 24.] - -The early morning began with considerable sniping and bombardment with -trench mortars. It was bitterly cold, and the water in the trenches made -communication almost impossible. It seemed madness to attempt to hold -such a line of trenches, and yet there was no alternative. - -Notes of warning arrived from General Headquarters: - - It is thought possible that the enemy may be contemplating an attack - during Christmas or New Year. Special vigilance will be maintained - during these periods. - -And again later: - - Please note that when the enemy is active with Minenwerfer, it is - generally the prelude to an attack. - -The enemy had the advantage of the ground, for not only did his trenches -drain into ours, but he was able to overlook our whole line. In addition -to this he was amply supplied with trench mortars and hand grenades, so -that we were fighting under very great difficulties. He mined within ten -yards of our trench, and blew in the end of No. 2's trench, after which -he attacked in great force, but was unable to do more than just reach -our line. Captain Sir M. Cholmeley, Bart., and Second Lieutenant J. H. -Neville were killed. Sergeant G. H. Thomas, who had just been awarded -the D.C.M., was also killed, while Second Lieutenant G. G. Goschen was -wounded and taken prisoner. He had a narrow escape of being drowned in -the trench, and was propped up by one of the men just in time. -Lieutenant Eyre and Second Lieutenant Mervyn Williams were wounded. - -In the evening Lieut.-Colonel Smith came to the conclusion that -fighting under such conditions was only courting disaster, and that it -would be clearly better to dig a new line of trenches during the -night, but it was absolutely necessary to finish the new line before -daylight--otherwise it would be useless. Accordingly he gave orders -for a new line to be dug, and the men, soaked and stiff with cold as -they were, set to work at once. Rockets and fireballs gave the enemy's -snipers their opportunity, and the freezing water and hard ground made -the work difficult. There was, however, no artillery fire, though the -Minenwerfer were nearly as bad, and threw large shells into our -trenches. The new line was just completed as dawn broke on Christmas -morning. - -[Sidenote: Dec. 25.] - -The sniping continued steadily the next day with great accuracy, and the -slightest movement drew a shot at once. Captain E. G. Spencer Churchill -was wounded in the head in this way, the bullet making a groove in his -skull. The new trenches, however, threatened to become as wet as the old -ones, although in the worst places they were built with a high parapet -and a shallow trench. No. 3 Company, under Captain Cavendish, in -particular succeeded in erecting an elevated trench of this nature, in -spite of the incessant sniping which was carried on during the night. - -Lord Cavan sent a message: - - Hearty congratulations on good night's work. Thank Captain Cavendish - and his Company. Am absolutely satisfied with arrangements. Report - when and how you manoeuvre the little stream. - -It being Christmas Day, plum puddings and other luxuries were -distributed, and Princess Mary's present of a box, containing a pipe, -tobacco, and cigarettes, was much appreciated. - -In the evening the Battalion was relieved by the 3rd Battalion -Coldstream, and marched back to Le Touret, where it billeted, and -remained for forty-eight hours. - -The Battalion was now composed as follows: - - - Lieut.-Colonel W. R. A. Smith, Headquarters. - Major G. D. Jeffreys, Headquarters - Lieutenant and Adjutant the Hon. W. R. Bailey, Headquarters - 2nd Lieut. M. Williams (Machine-gun Officer), Headquarters - Lieutenant and Quartermaster J. H. Skidmore, Headquarters - Capt. J. S. Hughes, No. 1 Company. - Lieut. A. K. S. Cunninghame (Transport Officer), No. 1 Company. - 2nd Lieut. J. N. Buchanan, No. 1 Company. - 2nd Lieut. G. W. V. Hopley, No. 1 Company. - Capt. P. A. Clive, M.P., No. 2 Company. - Lieut. F. G. Marshall, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. J. C. Craigie, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. H. C. L. Rumbold, No. 2 Company. - Capt. A. B. R. R. Gosselin, No. 3 Company. - Capt. R. H. V. Cavendish, M.V.O., No. 3 Company. - Lieut. C. R. Gerard, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. H. S. E. Bury, No. 3 Company. - Capt. E. D. Ridley, No. 3 Company. - Lieut. F. G. Beaumont-Nesbitt, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. C. R. Britten, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. E. G. Williams, No. 4 Company. - - _Attached_--Captain F. D. G. Howell, R.A.M.C. - -[Sidenote: Dec. 27-28.] - -The Battalion returned to the same line of trenches, and found them as -unpleasant as before. The cover had been improved, and the communication -trenches were better, but the water stood in them as deep as ever. On -the night of the 28th it blew a gale, and the cold was intense. The rain -that came down all night not only filled the trenches with more water, -but broke down the parapet and loopholes in many places. The men passed -a miserable night, soaked to the skin, with no means of keeping warm, -and although the constant repairs to the parapet kept them employed, the -sniping made all work difficult and dangerous. - -[Sidenote: Dec. 29-30.] - -A few of the enemy's 6-inch shells fell on the trenches, but not with -sufficient accuracy to cause any damage. The trenches were still in a -terrible state, communication was impossible, and there were numerous -cases of frostbite. In the evening of the 29th the Battalion was again -relieved by the 3rd Battalion Coldstream, and went back to Le Touret, -where it remained two days. - -[Sidenote: Dec. 31-Jan. 2.] - -On the 31st it returned to the flooded trenches again, and was subjected -to the usual sniping and bombing. The Germans were using a trench mortar -which fired large bombs from some distance into our line, while at that -time we had nothing more than hand grenades, which were somewhat -primitive and dangerous to the thrower. The water, however, was the -greatest difficulty our men had to contend with: it made the -communication trenches impassable, and accounted for more men than the -enemy's bullets. It ate away the parapet, rotted the men's clothing, -rusted and jammed the rifles, retarded the food supply, and generally -made the life of the men in the trenches hideous; but in spite of all -this discomfort the men remained cheerful and in good spirits. - -[Sidenote: Jan. 1915.] - -Lord Cavan, who was much exercised by the water problem, gave orders -that all impossible places were to be vacated and watched by pivots, and -the R.E. received instructions from him to give their attention to this -portion of the line. Our artillery proceeded systematically to flatten -out any house on the enemy's side, as it was found that the smallest -building usually harboured snipers, while the enemy's artillery kept up -a desultory fire; but after what the Battalion had been accustomed to at -Ypres, it seemed mere child's play. - -Second Lieutenant H. C. Rumbold happened to be engaged in drawing at one -of the gunners' observation posts, when a shell struck it; in addition -to being wounded, he was struck by the falling masonry, and was -consequently sent home. Though the casualties in the 4th Brigade had -lately been very heavy, drafts were sent from home with great -efficiency, and the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers had a fair supply of -officers. The Coldstream was, however, very short, and the Brigadier -found it necessary to transfer the following officers from the -Grenadiers to the Coldstream: Lieutenants Kingsmill, Abel-Smith, Lang, -and Creed. - -On January 2 the Battalion was relieved by the South Staffords, and went -into reserve at Locon, where it billeted and remained till the 7th of -January. - -The Prince of Wales, on one of his many visits to the Battalion, brought -the men a gramophone, which was much appreciated by every one, and -helped to enliven the evenings. - -[Sidenote: Jan. 8-14.] - -A few days' rest worked wonders with the Battalion, and converted -ill-shaved men, in clothes sodden and coated with mud, once more into -smart, well-turned-out Guardsmen. The line now taken over was near Rue -du Bois, and the Battalion Headquarters were at Rue des Berceaux. Two -companies were in the firing line, with two platoons in the front trench -and the other two in support; the remainder of the Battalion formed the -reserve. - -The rain continued in torrents, and the trench line became a sort of -lake. The companies, not in the front trench, were engaged in digging -second-line trenches, and a trench that was dug by Nos. 2 and 4 -Companies was known for two years after as the Guards' trench. It was -considered a model of what a good trench should be. - -The usual routine was to relieve the men in the trenches every twelve -hours, and bring them back to be dried, rubbed, and cleaned; and there -was not much sickness, although several men were crippled with -rheumatism, and would have found great difficulty in marching any -distance. The gruesome task of removing the dead was effected by -floating the bodies down the communication trenches. - -On the 12th the following order was circulated from Brigade -Headquarters: - - The Brigadier has much pleasure in forwarding a copy of a letter - received from General Monro, and desires that it should be read to - every man. - - "I have this moment heard from an officer of the Indian Corps an - account of what he saw at the fight for Givenchy, in which the 1st - Brigade was engaged. His position enabled him to see the attack of - the Coldstream, and the following are his words: 'They marched - forward without the least hesitation under the most terrific fire, - just as though they were on parade. The Indian Brigade watched the - progress of the Guards with the profoundest admiration. I thought - perhaps the officers and privates of the Brigade of Guards might - like to know the admiration which their conduct inspires in - outsiders. We who have been through much with them know right well - that the description I have given merely represents their normal - behaviour in action, yet possibly it may please the men to hear what - I have written.'" - -Lieut.-Colonel Smith in a private letter to Colonel Streatfeild wrote: - - I cannot thank you enough for the excellent officers you have sent - me out. I have had the sorrow of seeing nearly a whole battalion of - first-rate officers go one by one, and yet you have been able to - send me a second lot who promise to be almost as good. - -[Sidenote: Jan. 18-20.] - -The Battalion was relieved by an Indian regiment, and went into billets -at Le Touret to rest for two days, after which it returned to the -trenches in Rue des Bois near Rue des Berceaux. The water was as bad as -ever, and even rose after a snowstorm. The whole country was -water-logged, and there was constant difficulty in keeping up the -parapets, which crumbled and fell in great blocks, in spite of the -ceaseless labour expended on them. The enemy's snipers took every -advantage of the crumbling parapets, and accounted for many of our men. -Sergeant Croft was killed by a sniper, and Corporal Parkinson, who, as -Lord Bernard Gordon-Lennox's orderly, must have evaded thousands of -bullets and shells, was shot dead by a stray bullet. - -[Sidenote: Jan. 25-28.] - -After another four days in reserve at Les Choqueaux, the 4th Brigade -marched to Gorre in support of the First Division, which endeavoured to -retake the trenches which had been lost at Givenchy. Having waited about -all day, the Brigade returned to its billets at Les Choqueaux in the -evening. The same procedure was gone through the following day, but on -neither occasion was the Brigade wanted. - -Four officers of the Grenadiers had been temporarily attached to the -Scots Guards: Second Lieutenant H. S. E. Bury, Second Lieutenant G. -Hamilton Fletcher, Second Lieutenant A. H. Lang, Second Lieutenant J. A. -Denny. On the 25th they were all four hit by a shell that exploded in -the trench. Second Lieutenants Bury, Hamilton Fletcher, and Lang were -killed, and Second Lieutenant Denny was severely wounded. - -About this time a case of cerebral meningitis, or spotted fever, was -discovered at the Guards' Depot at Caterham, Surrey, and orders were -given for all drafts from England to be isolated. This caused a certain -amount of inconvenience, as it was by no means easy to isolate a draft -of 200 men. There were at the time only eight subalterns with the -Battalion, which made the duty very heavy for the officers, but some of -the other battalions had not even so many. - -From the 28th to the 30th the Battalion remained in billets at Les -Choqueaux, and on the 30th marched to Bethune. It was only during -marches of this length that the whole Battalion assembled together, and -saw itself as a Battalion, instead of in isolated companies. It -presented an extraordinary appearance. Hung round like a Christmas tree, -wearing fur waist-coats, gum-boots, and carrying long French loaves, -braziers, charcoal, spades, and sandbags, it looked more like a body of -irregular troops from the Balkans than a battalion of Guards. - -[Sidenote: Feb. 1-5.] - -On February 1 the Battalion marched to Annequin, and No. 1 Company under -Lord Henry Seymour went into the trenches at Guinchy, to reinforce the -Coldstream Guards who had been heavily engaged. On the 2nd the whole -Battalion took over from the Irish Guards the trenches from La Bassée -road to the Keep, where it remained till the 5th. Although there was -heavy shelling, the casualties were not large, but Second Lieutenant G. -W. V. Hopley was badly wounded, and Sergeant Buttle killed. - -On February 1 the Germans broke the line in the Guinchy neighbourhood, -and Cavan's 4th Brigade was brought up. A company of the 2nd Battalion -Coldstream, supported by one company of Irish Guards, was ordered to -counter-attack, but failed to retake the lost trench. Lord Cavan, having -left orders that the ground was to be held at all costs, went off, and -arranged a heavy bombardment from the howitzers and siege guns. As soon -as this ceased 50 men from the 2nd Battalion Coldstream, followed by 30 -men from the Irish Guards, with a company of the 2nd Battalion -Grenadiers in support, dashed forward, and succeeded in taking all the -lost ground. The attack was so successful that the Grenadiers never came -into action. - -[Sidenote: Feb. 1915.] - -During the whole of February the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers occupied the -trenches at Guinchy. The usual routine was forty-eight hours in the -trenches, and forty-eight hours' rest in billets at Beuvry. The weather, -which at home is only noticed by people with weak conversational powers, -becomes a matter of enormous importance when you have to stand in a -ditch for two days and two nights. The wet and cold made the life in the -trenches at first very trying, but later, when the spring began, the -nights in the trenches became bearable. - -Sniping and bombing with intermittent shelling were of constant -occurrence. The sad news that some officer, sergeant, or private had -been killed was passed down the trenches with wonderful rapidity, and -was known at once by the whole Battalion. The line of trenches now -occupied by the Battalion was much drier than those it had been -accustomed to, and far more intricate. When the trenches were known the -relief became easy, although it was always carried out in the dark, but -at first, when the officers and N.C.O.'s took over the trenches for the -first time, it was long before every one settled down. - -The forty-eight hours' rest was spent in comparative comfort in billets -at Beuvry, where the inhabitants still lived in spite of the proximity -to the trenches. When the moment came to leave the billets and return to -the trenches, the Battalion moved up in small parties at a time, in case -the road should be shelled. Through endless transport of all kinds the -men slowly wound their way. They usually met food going up, empties -coming back, ammunition and supplies of all sorts, and as it became -darker the road was more difficult. They often passed French troops on -the way, with the secondary French transport, a motley collection of -every conceivable sort of vehicle. Yet with all these different streams -of men and wagons there was never any confusion or accident. As the -platoons neared the trenches, stray bullets usually began to fly, and -occasionally shells. Then each company, on reaching its allotted -communication trench, disappeared, and so reached the firing line. - -The Battalion Headquarters were in the cellar of the ruins of a house, -and here the business part of the work was carried on by clerks and -orderlies. Sometimes shells fell on the remains of the house, but the -cellar was never reached. A motor canteen presented by Lord Derby to his -old Battalion now arrived, and proved a great boon. It could provide hot -drinks for 300 men at a time. - -On the 7th Second Lieutenant H. A. R. Graham was badly wounded, and -subsequently had to have his arm amputated. Captain A. B. R. R. Gosselin -was bending down trying to dress his wound, when a piece of shell struck -him in the neck and killed him instantaneously. On the 8th Second -Lieutenant P. L. M. Battye was wounded in the leg, and Lieutenant -Britten was sent to hospital with enteric fever. - -On the 18th the Germans succeeded in taking a small portion of the -French trenches on our right, and that evening the French sent a party -to retake it. No report came, however, as to whether they had been -successful or not, and considerable doubt existed as to whether this -particular trench was in German or in French hands. In order to decide -this point, the French sent a reconnoitring party down our communication -trench on the right, and asked Captain P. A. Clive's permission to move -down our trench. Captain Clive not only offered to help, but decided to -go himself. Accompanied by Major Foulkes, R.E., he led the French -reconnoitring party into the trench of doubtful ownership, and there -found a dug-out full of German kit, with a lighted candle burning. This -evidence of German occupation satisfied the French party, but Captain -Clive insisted on making further investigation, and crept on in pitch -darkness, followed by Major Foulkes. Suddenly he was challenged in deep -guttural German by a sentry, not two yards off. "Français, Français," he -replied in a voice to which he was uncertain whether he should give a -French or German accent. "Halt, oder Ich schiesse," was the reply, and -the nationality of the occupants of the trench was settled beyond -dispute. Even Captain Clive was convinced, and as the bullets whistled -past him when he retired, the nationality of their makers was forcibly -impressed on his mind. - -The shelling varied: on some days it was mild, and on others for no -apparent reason it became very violent. The difference, however, between -the shelling here and that which the Battalion had been accustomed to -near Ypres was, that while the German gunners at first had it all their -own way, they were now not only answered but received back as many -shells as they sent over. A great deal of work was done by the Battalion -during the month, and the digging was constant night and day. The Keep -was strengthened, many new communication trenches were dug, all very -deep, eight to nine feet, and the right of the line, near the French, -was made very strong. Supporting trenches were dug, and eventually the -whole line was straightened out and wired. The majority of the men -thoroughly understood how to dig, and the newcomers very quickly learnt -from the old hands. On February 20 Lieutenant R. D. Lawford and a draft -of sixty men joined the Battalion, and on the 23rd Second Lieutenants A. -H. Penn, O. Lyttelton, and Viscount Cranborne arrived. - -[Sidenote: March.] - -For the first ten days in March the Battalion rested, and remained in -billets at Bethune, where it had concerts and boxing competitions. On -the 10th it marched to a position of readiness east of Gorre, with the -remainder of the 4th Brigade, to form the reserve to the 6th Brigade, -which was the pivot on which the whole move at Neuve Chapelle hung, -though it did not come into action. The attack made by the 6th Brigade -proved a most gallant but disastrous business, and the casualties were -very heavy. At 3 P.M. the 4th Brigade was ordered up to support another -attempt, which, however, never came off, and it therefore returned to -its billets at Bethune. On the 11th the 4th Brigade was again moved up -to the same place, but again was not wanted. - -Captain Ridley, who held the almost unique record in the 4th Brigade of -having taken part in every engagement from the commencement of the war, -and who had been constantly fighting for five months, having twice been -slightly wounded, went home sick, as the Commanding Officer and the -doctor insisted on his taking this opportunity of having a rest. - -On the 12th the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers relieved the Irish Guards at -Givenchy, where the trenches, which were comparatively new, were shallow -and the parapet not bullet proof. The village was a complete ruin, the -farms were burnt, and remains of wagons and farm implements were -scattered on each side of the road. This part of the country had been -taken and re-taken several times, and many hundreds of British, Indian, -French, and German troops were buried here. The roads were full of -shell-holes, bricks, tiles, cart-wheels, and debris of every -description. The shelling and sniping went on intermittently, but the -habits of the enemy were known, and when the shelling began it was -generally easy to estimate how long it would last, and when it would -begin again. - -On the 16th Major Lord Henry Seymour and Captain J. S. Hughes were -transferred to the 1st Battalion in the Seventh Division, and Captain C. -de Crespigny joined the Battalion from Brigade Headquarters. - -On the 22nd Lieutenant F. G. Marshall, who had been having tea with the -doctor at the dressing-station, was returning to the trenches, when a -stray bullet killed him. The casualties in the trenches were at that -time not great, but occasionally at night a violent shelling would -begin, directed towards the rear of the trenches, in the hopes of -catching the troops coming up to relieve those in the front line. - -The terrible tragedies that went on daily between the two firing lines -gave some idea of the barbarous cruelty of the Germans. Men who were -wounded in any attack or raid were forced to lie out between the lines, -often in great agony, but whenever any of our stretcher-bearers -attempted to reach them they were promptly fired at by the Germans. To -show the vitality possessed by some human beings, cases occurred of men -being left out wounded and without food or drink four or five days, -conscious all the time that if they moved the Germans would shoot or -throw bombs at them. At night German raiding parties would be sent out -to bayonet any of the wounded still living, and would feel these -unfortunate men's hands to see if they were stiff and cold. If any doubt -existed, the bayonet settled the question. In spite of this, men often -managed to crawl back just alive, and were quickly resuscitated by their -comrades. - -[Sidenote: April.] - -On April 1 Major B. H. Barrington-Kennett, and on April 2 Second -Lieutenant Hon. G. S. Bailey and Second Lieutenant P. K. Stephenson, -joined the Battalion. - -While digging a communication trench, in what had once been the Curé's -garden, some men of the Battalion unearthed some silver, and also some -presumably valuable papers. It seemed to the men that this was -treasure-trove, but Lieut.-Colonel Smith, on hearing of the find, -insisted that it should all be carefully packed up, papers, silver, and -all, and sent to the French authorities for safe keeping. The owner, -some weeks later, wrote a letter of profound gratitude, and enclosed a -plan showing where some more of his treasures were buried. Another -search was made, and these were all recovered, with the exception of one -box which had been blown to bits by a shell. - -All throughout April the Battalion remained in the same trenches, and -was relieved every forty-eight hours by the Irish Guards, when it went -into billets at Preol. A new trench howitzer was produced by the -artillery with a range of 520 yards, which put us more on an equality -with the enemy, and gave the men confidence. The mining had now become a -regular practice, and every one was always listening for any sound that -might denote mining operations. The shelling continued regularly, and at -times a battalion coming up to take its turn in the trenches would be -subjected to an unpleasant shelling. - -The Commanding Officer, Lieut.-Colonel W. Smith, was accustomed to what -he called "stumble round the trenches" every day, and many visits were -paid by Lord Cavan and his staff, who became quite proficient in evading -the various missiles which the enemy daily aimed at the trenches. On one -of these occasions the Prince of Wales, who was a constant visitor, -tried his hand at sniping, and as there was an immediate retaliation, -his bullets very probably found their mark. The men were delighted to -see His Royal Highness shooting away at the enemy, and when, as -sometimes happened, the evening shelling of the Germans--"the evening -hate," as it was termed by the men--began while the Prince was in the -trenches, the men were always anxious to hear that His Royal Highness -had finished his tour in safety. - -On April 21 Captain G. L. Derriman and Second Lieutenant C. O. Creed -joined the Battalion, with a draft of thirty men. On the 12th Major Lord -Henry Seymour returned to the Battalion. On the 13th Second Lieutenant -P. K. Stephenson left to join the 1st Battalion, and on the 26th Captain -R. H. V. Cavendish was appointed Town Commandant at Bethune. - -The weather gradually changed, and instead of the general gloom, the -appalling mud, snow, and rain, the days began to be bright and hot, -although the nights were still cold. - -On the 23rd the Battalion relieved the Post Office Rifles -(Territorials), and continued to remain in the trenches, with two -companies in the firing line and two in reserve, relieving each other -every two hours. - -[Sidenote: May.] - - - LIST OF OFFICERS OF THE BATTALION ON MAY 1, 1915 - - Lieut.-Colonel W. R. A. Smith, Headquarters. - Major G. D. Jeffreys, Headquarters. - Lieutenant and Acting Adjutant Hon. W. R. Bailey, Headquarters. - 2nd Lieut. D. Abel-Smith (Machine-gun), Headquarters. - Lieut. and Quartermaster W. E. Acraman, Headquarters. - Major Lord Henry Seymour, No. 1 Company. - Lieut. A. K. S. Cunninghame (Brigade Transport), No. 1 Company. - 2nd Lieut. J. N. Buchanan, No. 1 Company. - 2nd Lieut. A. H. Penn, No. 1 Company. - Capt. P. A. Clive, No. 2 Company. - Capt. G. L. Derriman, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. J. C. Craigie, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. Viscount Cranborne, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. Hon. P. P. Cary, No. 2 Company. - Major B. Barrington-Kennett, No. 3 Company. - Lieut. A. F. R. Wiggins, No. 3 Company. - Lieut. A. V. L. Corry, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. R. D. Lawford, No. 3 Company. - Major C. R. C. de Crespigny, No. 4 Company. - Capt. I. St. C. Rose, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. E. G. Williams, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. O. Lyttelton, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. Hon. G. S. Bailey, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. O. Creed, No. 4 Company. - - _Attached_--Captain F. D. G. Howell, R.A.M.C. - -The Battalion remained in the trenches at Givenchy until May 12, when it -was relieved by the London Scottish, and went into billets at Le Casan. -During the time it had occupied these trenches, it had done a great deal -of work, and altered the appearance of the line. - -On the 9th the offensive on the Richebourg--Festubert line began. To the -4th Brigade was assigned the task of holding the Givenchy--Cuinchy line, -while the First, Eighth, and Indian Divisions were to carry out the -attack. A terrific bombardment on both sides opened early in the -morning, but no attack developed against that part of the line. The -attack by our First Division proved a costly failure, although the -French made some progress near Notre Dame de Lorette. - -News was received of the German gas attack at Ypres, and precautions had -consequently to be taken. The question of respirators became very -important, and masks of all sorts and kinds were tried. Here were -thousands of men absolutely unprepared, who at any moment might be -suffocated, but the idea of taking precautions against gas had never -occurred to us, any more than precautions against wells being poisoned. -Such things had been ruled out of civilised warfare by the Hague -Convention. It is hardly to be wondered at that this perfidious -treachery on the part of the enemy took the whole Army at first -completely by surprise, but an antidote was quickly provided in the -shape of gas helmets. - -On the night of the 11th Lieutenant A. V. L. Corry, accompanied by -Sergeant Skerry, Lance-Corporal Hodgson, and Private Gillet, went out, -and commenced cutting the barbed wire in front of the German trenches. -While engaged in this they came in contact with a German patrol, one of -which was shot by Lieutenant Corry, a second was killed by a bomb thrown -by Private Gillet, while a third was killed by Sergeant Skerry. The -German officer in command of the patrol drew his revolver and shot -Sergeant Skerry and Corporal Hodgson dead, and wounded Private Gillet, -who afterwards succumbed to his wounds. Lieutenant Corry, finding the -remainder too numerous to tackle single-handed, had perforce to retire -to the trenches. - -On the 14th we began a systematic bombardment of the German lines -opposite Richebourg--L'Avoué--Festubert. This continued for two days, -and prepared the line for the second attack, which was to be carried out -by the Second and Seventh Divisions and the Indian Corps. There was a -distinct salient at this part of the German line, and it was for this -reason that it was chosen for attack. The country was flat, although -intersected with water-courses, and owing to the barrage of fire from -the enemy constant difficulty was experienced in bringing up any -supports. - - - - - CHAPTER X - THE BATTLE OF NEUVE CHAPELLE (1ST BATTALION) - - -[Sidenote: 1st Batt. March 1915.] - -For a long time the question had been discussed whether it was humanly -possible to break through a line of trenches. Owing to the great -defensive power of modern weapons, the thickness of the barbed-wire -obstacles, and the dangers the attacking force would have to run in -leaving their trenches and crossing the open, it was generally believed -that no attack could possibly succeed. Further, in spite of repeated -attempts, the Germans had failed time after time to break through our -line. - -But there was another consideration which we had to take into account. -The French had recently suffered enormous losses, with comparatively -small gains to set against them, and they were beginning to think that -since Ypres we had not taken our proper share of the fighting. Sir John -French determined, therefore, to prepare a regularly organised attack on -the enemy's line near Neuve Chapelle. He selected this portion in the -hope that, if the enterprise succeeded and the ridge overlooking Lille -was reached, the La Bassée--Lille line would be threatened. and possibly -the enemy might have to abandon Lille. He communicated his plans to Sir -Douglas Haig in a secret memorandum, and put him in command of the whole -attack. - -It was arranged that the assault should be undertaken by the 4th and -Indian Corps in the First Army. The guns were to be massed west of Neuve -Chapelle, and were to smash the wire entanglements, and break down the -enemy's trenches before the infantry attempted to advance. Later they -were to concentrate their fire on the enemy's supports and reserves, and -prevent any more men from being sent up to the firing line. This was the -first time that we used what afterwards became a regular feature of the -attack--the _barrage_ of fire. - -The sorely tried Seventh Division was again given a very difficult task, -and the 1st Battalion Grenadiers was once more to bear the brunt of the -attack. - -The officers of the Battalion at the time were as follows: - - Lieut.-Colonel L. R. Fisher-Rowe, Commanding Officer. - Major G. F. Trotter, M.V.O., D.S.O., Second in Command. - Lieut. C. V. Fisher-Rowe, Adjutant. - Lieut. J. Teece, Quartermaster. - 2nd Lieut. E. H. J. Duberly, Machine-gun Officer. - Capt. W. E. Nicol, Bombing Officer. - Captain the Hon. G. H. Douglas-Pennant, King's Company. - Lieut. H. W. Ethelston, King's Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. T. R. S. Guthrie, King's Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. G. Goschen, King's Company. - Major G. W. Duberly, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. Lord Brabourne, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. F. Burnand, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. A. Foster, No. 2 Company. - Capt. E. F. F. Sartorius, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. Lord William Percy, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. G. R. Westmacott, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. R. G. Gelderd-Somervell, No. 3 Company. - Captain the Hon. R. Lygon, M.V.O., No. 4 Company. - Lieut. M. A. A. Darby, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. A. S. L. St. J. Mildmay, No. 4 Company. - - _Attached_--Captain G. Petit, R.A.M.C. - -[Sidenote: Mar. 10.] - -It was on the 10th of March that the attack began. At 7.30 A.M. all the -troops were in position, and a powerful bombardment from our massed -batteries was opened on the trenches protecting Neuve Chapelle, but the -enemy made no reply. After thirty-five minutes' bombardment the infantry -advanced; the Eighth Division and the Garhwal Brigade from the -Anglo-Indian Corps attacked, and captured the village and entrenchments. -But the success thus gained was more or less thrown away, owing to the -delay that occurred in bringing up the Reserve Brigades. All day our men -waited for reinforcements to continue the advance, but by the time they -arrived it was dark. So there was nothing to do but wait until next -morning, and meanwhile the Germans had had time to bring up more troops. - -[Illustration: Battle of Neuve Chapelle. March 11th, 1915.] - -[Sidenote: Mar. 11.] - -Being in the Reserve Brigade, the 1st Battalion Grenadiers did not reach -the firing line till the following morning, when the weather was thick -and misty. This made artillery observation impossible, and as many of -the telephone wires had been cut by the enemy's shells on the previous -day, communication between the different Brigades became a matter of -great difficulty. The position of affairs now stood thus: the Eighth -Division had carried the German trenches north of Neuve Chapelle, but -had not succeeded in crossing the River des Layes, and the Garhwal -Brigade on their right had also been held up in front of the Bois du -Biez. The Seventh Division was on the extreme left, with the 21st and -22nd Brigades in the firing line and the 20th Brigade in support. The -21st Brigade was reported to be holding a position with its right -resting on the captured German trenches some two hundred yards east of -Moated Grange, and in touch with the Eighth Division, but it was soon -discovered that it did not extend so much to its right as it imagined, -and the 20th Brigade was therefore sent up to fill the gap. The attack -along the whole line was delayed until the leading battalions of the -20th Brigade were ready. - -The 1st Battalion Grenadiers was now ordered to move up into the old -British line of trenches. It started off at 4 A.M., led by -Brigadier-General Heyworth, and after passing down the Rue du Bacquerot -struck off across the fields, keeping along a trolly line. Dawn was just -breaking, and the flashes of the shells lit up the sinister sky. The -trolly line ended on a road where, in the uncertain light, glimpses -could be caught of trestles, barbed wire, and ammunition boxes, standing -near the remains of a house. Now for the first time bullets could be -heard striking the trees, and the men realised that they were nearing -the front line. The men in front eager to go forward moved rather too -fast, which made it difficult for those in the rear to keep touch with -them, and the platoon leaders, afraid of losing touch with the rest of -the Battalion, had even to urge the men to double. On reaching the Rue -Tilleloy, the Battalion followed it for a few hundred yards south, -keeping behind a breastwork until it came to a road which led to the -left, and apparently ended in a ruined farm. There it received orders to -go into some support trenches, and at 7 A.M. Lieut.-Colonel Fisher-Rowe -sent for the Company Commanders, and explained their orders to them. The -Battalion was to advance in columns of platoons at fifty yards interval -in the following order: - - No. 2 Company The King's Company - - Platoon 5, 2nd Lieut. Foster Platoon 1, Lieut. Ethelston - - Platoon 6, 2nd Lieut. Burnand Platoon 2, 2nd Lieut. Guthrie - - Platoon 7, Lieut. Lord Platoon 3, 2nd Lieut. Goschen - Brabourne - - Platoon 8, Major Duberly Platoon 4, Capt. - Douglas-Pennant - -Leaving the old British line it advanced across the open, over trenches -which had been captured from the Germans the day before. Almost -immediately after the advance began, Captain Douglas-Pennant was struck -by a shell, and mortally wounded just as he had emerged from a trench, -and was looking round to see whether his company was going in the right -direction. - -When the accounts written by the Divisional and Brigade Staffs are -compared with those written by the Commanding Officer and individual -officers, there can be no doubt that the information, which trickled -back during the day's fighting, was often so incorrect, that it led not -only General Capper, but also General Heyworth, to form entirely wrong -conclusions as to what was happening in front, and the orders issued -were in many instances unintelligible. Communication between the -Battalion and the Brigade was maintained by orderlies, and on several -occasions when the orderlies were killed the orders never reached the -front line, or reached it so long after they had been despatched that -the situation in front had completely changed. It hardly seems to have -been realised at Divisional Headquarters, how much the artillery -bombardments on both sides had obliterated all landmarks. Roads were -mentioned of which no trace could be seen, and the four lines of -trenches, the old and the new German lines, and the old and the new -British lines, no doubt added considerably to the lack of clearness in -the orders. - -The whole position was most complicated, as the Germans had been only -partially driven back on the 10th, and consequently their line in places -faced in different directions. Though Neuve Chapelle itself was in our -hands, the enemy still occupied part of their old line farther north. In -order to attack this position, it was necessary to come down the old -British trench, and then advance due west for a quarter of a mile, after -which the attacking force had to wheel round, and go in a northerly -direction. - -Whether such intricate manoeuvres could ever have been successfully -accomplished in the face of machine-gun fire is very doubtful, but there -seems to have been no other way of attacking this part of the enemy's -line, which jutted out at right angles, and made any advance by the -Eighth Division an impossibility. - -To accomplish its difficult task, the 1st Battalion Grenadiers started -with the Gordons on their left. It had hardly reached the road when it -came in for a murderous enfilade fire from the German machine-guns on -its left front, which very much puzzled the men, who imagined the enemy -to be straight in front of them. Two platoons under Lieutenant Ethelston -and Second Lieutenant A. Foster had pushed on, and were quite one -hundred yards ahead of the rest of the line, but No. 2 Company on the -left, being nearest to the German machine-guns, lost very heavily. -Lieutenant Lord Brabourne and Second Lieutenant C. F. Burnand were -killed, in addition to a large number of N.C.O.'s and men. Soon -afterwards Second Lieutenant A. Foster was mortally wounded, being hit -in five places. - -Meanwhile the Gordon Highlanders in the orchard were held up by the -enemy, and could make no headway against the machine-guns in front of -them. Lieut.-Colonel Fisher-Rowe, after having gone round the front -line, saw clearly that unless steps were taken to silence this -machine-gun fire on the left his Battalion would soon be annihilated. He -accordingly sent back a message to Brigade Headquarters explaining his -position. Apparently he was under the impression that the Battalion had -reached the River des Layes, but as a matter of fact it was astride a -small stream much farther back. General Heyworth ordered him to hold on -where he was, in the hope that when the Gordons cleared the orchard the -Grenadiers would be able to press home their attack. - -The platoons had naturally telescoped up during this advance, as those -in rear were always pushing on to get into the front trenches. -Sergeant-Major Hughes, in command of the last platoon of the King's -Company, was joined by Lieutenant Westmacott with his platoon, and soon -afterwards by Lieutenant Somervell. Lieutenant Goschen also managed to -get his platoon up to the front trench, where Lieutenant Duberly with -his machine-gun arrived a little later. No. 4 Company under Captain -Lygon, having passed through two lines of trenches occupied mostly by -the Devonshire Regiment, had come up on the left of No. 2. Lieutenant -Darby with No. 13 Platoon managed to cross a ditch full of water by -means of a plank bridge, and get touch with the Gordon Highlanders; but -when Lieutenant Mildmay attempted to follow with his platoon, he found -the enemy had a machine-gun trained on it, and had to wade through the -water farther to the left. Captain Sartorius was seriously wounded as he -came along at the head of No. 3 Company; his two orderlies attempted to -carry him back, but were both shot. Second Lieutenant Lord William -Percy, who was close behind, was wounded in the thigh; Lieutenant A. -Darby was shot through the heart as he was lighting a cigarette, and -Second Lieutenant Mildmay, who was close to him, was badly wounded. The -casualties among the other ranks were very heavy. - -The 1st Battalion Grenadiers found itself from the start in a hopeless -situation, and was enfiladed the moment it crossed the road. - -But it continued to go forward in spite of the German machine-guns, and -stubbornly held on to the position it had gained. Men who had been -wounded early in the day had to be left lying where they fell, and many -of them were subsequently killed by shrapnel. The King's Company was -unfortunate enough to lose two of its best sergeants: Sergeant Russell -was killed, as he followed Lieutenant Ethelston into the front trench, -and Sergeant Annis fell somewhat later. - -Just before dark the Battalion received orders to dig in where it was, -and the advanced position to which Lieutenant Ethelston and his platoons -clung had to be reached by a communication trench. The darkness made all -communication very difficult, and the piteous cries of the wounded and -dying, who asked not to be trodden on, added to the troubles of the -officers, who were trying to collect their platoons. When orders were -subsequently received for the Battalion to retire and get into some -reserve trenches, it was found that the casualties had been very heavy. -It was disappointing to learn that the British line on the right had -been 200 yards ahead of the Battalion, and that all the losses had been -incurred in passing over ground captured by the Eighth Division. - -The Battalion assembled by degrees, and retired to the place appointed -to it, which was not far from the junction of the three roads. During -its retirement Second Lieutenant R. G. Somervell was mortally wounded, -and was picked up by a stretcher-bearer of another battalion. Rations -were brought up and issued, and the men afterwards got what sleep they -could, but they were wet through, and spent a most uncomfortable night. - -Lieutenant Ethelston was now in command of the King's Company, and -Second Lieutenant Westmacott of No. 3, while Major Duberly and Captain -Lygon retained command of their companies. - -[Sidenote: Mar. 12.] - -Having grasped the gravity of the situation, the Germans were now -hurrying up guns and men to the threatened portion of the line as fast -as they could. At an early hour they opened a savage bombardment on the -trenches, and almost continuously throughout the morning shells were -falling round the men in rapid succession. Only two actually dropped -amongst the Grenadiers, but these caused many casualties. - -In the afternoon the Battalion was ordered to support the Scots Guards, -who were to undertake the attack with the Border Regiment. The orders -were to advance with the right on the Moulin du Piètre, but although -this looked on paper a perfectly clear landmark, it was not so easy to -locate from the trenches. In the orders the abbreviation Mn. was used -for Moulin, which was new to the majority of platoon commanders, but -even those who knew its meaning were quite unable to discover the mill. -They could not see much through their periscopes, and nothing at all -resembling a mill was to be observed. Presumably, as the Grenadiers were -to support the Scots Guards, they should have followed them, and made a -considerable détour; but the Staff Officer who directed the initial -stages of the advance appears to have told them to go straight for the -Moulin du Piètre. - -From information obtained from a German prisoner it appeared that the -enemy intended to retake Neuve Chapelle that day at all costs, and that -reinforcements had been sent up to enable them to do so. Major Trotter -with the left half Battalion started off down the road leading past -Brigade Headquarters, where he was joined by Captain Palmer, the Brigade -Staff Captain. No. 4 Company under Captain Lygon was here ordered to -advance in two lines with two platoons of No. 3 under Sergeant Powell -and Sergeant Langley in support. After having gone forward for about -half a mile it came under enfilade fire from the right, which seemed to -indicate that it was not going in the right direction. Captain Lygon -decided to bear to the right, and sent word to Lieutenant Westmacott, -who was farther back with the remainder of No. 3, to swing round in that -direction, as they were all going too far to the left. He himself hit -off a communication trench which led to the front line, but after the -leading half company had passed through, the Germans trained a -machine-gun down this trench, which made it impossible for the remainder -to follow. Half of No. 4 Company and the two platoons of No. 3 therefore -took refuge in a ruined house. Captain Lygon endeavoured to move down -the front trench to the right, but found all farther progress stopped by -a deep stream which cut the trench in two. After several ineffectual -attempts to cross this stream, he turned back, but the German -machine-gun made all attempts to return by the communication trench an -impossibility. His half company was practically caught in a trap, from -which it would be impossible to escape in daylight. There was therefore -nothing to do but to wait until it was dark. Eventually, Lieutenant -Fisher-Rowe, the Adjutant, who had been sent in search of this lost -company, swam the stream, and told Captain Lygon what was happening on -the right. - -[Illustration: Battle of Neuve Chapelle. March 12th, 1915.] - -Major G. Trotter had been hit in the head by a shrapnel bullet, and -although the wound was not serious it placed him _hors de combat_ for -the rest of the day. - -Meanwhile, the remainder of the Battalion, after waiting two hours, -received orders to advance, but after passing the old British line, -instead of keeping straight on, it began to swing to the left, in the -same way as No. 4 had done. Lieutenant Westmacott, observing this, ran -forward to tell the platoons to swing round to the right, but in the -smoke it was not easy for the platoon leaders to make out what exactly -was the objective. - -There seems no doubt that for some time the Grenadiers were lost in the -labyrinth of trenches, but in spite of all their difficulties the right -half Battalion succeeded in getting eventually to its proper place. - -About the same time Lieut.-Colonel Fisher-Rowe, who came up with the -companies in support, was struck in the head by a bullet and killed. The -death of "the old friend," as he was always called, was a great loss. He -had proved himself so good a Commanding Officer, and inspired the whole -Battalion with such confidence, that he was not easily replaced. - -The Scots Guards and Border Regiment having made a most gallant assault -without any bombardment to aid them, managed to capture some of the -German front trenches, and the 1st Battalion Grenadiers which, with the -exception of No. 4 Company, had got up to its right place, was now ready -to support them. Seeing an opportunity of taking another bit of trench, -Lieutenant Westmacott advanced with some men of his company, who were -able to throw their grenades at the retiring Germans. Men of the -Wiltshire and Border Regiments joined in, and soon bombs were flying -about in every direction. - -But the event which overshadowed all other trench fighting was the -advance of Captain Nicol with his bombers. This was watched with -admiration by the whole line, and the Germans could be seen pursued -everywhere by the Grenadier bombers, and surrendering in large numbers. - -Meanwhile Private Barber advanced by himself down one of the enemy's -communication trenches with a bag of bombs: when a bullet from one of -the enemy's snipers struck the bombs he was carrying, he threw them -away, and they exploded. Gathering up a fresh supply from a dead man, he -rushed along, throwing them with such effect that a large number of -Germans put up their hands and surrendered. He continued his advance -until he was shot by a sniper, and was responsible for taking over one -hundred prisoners. For this conspicuous act of bravery he was awarded -the Victoria Cross. - -Another gallant exploit was also rewarded by the Victoria Cross. -Lance-Corporal W. D. Fuller, seeing a party of the enemy trying to -escape along a communication trench, ran towards it, and killed the -leading man with a bomb. The remainder, finding no means of evading his -bombs, surrendered to him, although he was quite alone. - -Major Nicol himself was later awarded the D.S.O., and many thought that -he should have received the V.C. - -The enemy could be seen streaming away, and the rifle-fire consequently -dwindled to nothing. The ground was torn up by shellfire, so that all -landmarks were obliterated, and the dead and dying were lying about in -large numbers everywhere. Major-General Capper sent an order to the -Battalion to support the Scots Guards by attacking a point in the German -line to their right. The order was received by Lieutenant Westmacott, -who found that the situation had so altered since the order was written -that it would mean having his right flank in the air, and exposed to -enfilade fire. He therefore consulted Colonel Wood, commanding the -Border Regiment, who also thought the time had passed for an attack of -this nature, and advised him to remain where he was in support of the -Scots Guards. - -Not entirely convinced, Lieutenant Westmacott ran back to consult Major -Duberly, and met him as he was coming up with the Adjutant, Lieutenant -Fisher-Rowe. All three officers returned to the firing trench to discuss -the point again with Colonel Wood, and although Major Duberly was at -first strongly in favour of carrying out the order, it was eventually -agreed that to take on the attack ordered some hours ago, under entirely -different conditions, would mean practical annihilation. - -Soon afterwards orders were received for the Battalion to withdraw to -the original line fifty yards in rear, where they remained for the -night. The only officers left with the Battalion were Major Duberly, in -command; Lieutenant Fisher-Rowe, Adjutant; Lieutenant Ethelston, King's -Company; Second Lieutenant C. G. Goschen, No. 2; Lieutenant Westmacott, -No. 3; Captain Lygon, No. 4; and Second Lieutenant Duberly with the -machine-guns. - -During the night Major Duberly and Captain Lygon went up to reconnoitre -the Royal Scots Fusiliers' trenches, from which the Battalion was -expected to attack the next morning. On their return Major Duberly went -to Brigade Headquarters to discuss the situation with General Heyworth, -who decided to go round the trenches himself. He accordingly started -off, accompanied by Captain Lygon, and having visited the front trench -gave orders for the Grenadiers to relieve the Royal Scots Fusiliers on -the right of the line, with a view to attacking Moulin du Piètre. - -[Sidenote: Mar. 13.] - -Unfortunately the rations had only just arrived, and were being -distributed when the orders were received. As it was essential that this -move should be accomplished before daylight it was impossible to see -that each man received his rations before the Battalion moved off. They -started at 3.30, led by Captain Lygon. Owing to the darkness and the -lines of trenches to be crossed, progress was necessarily slow. Though -the distance was only 1000 yards, the constant climbing in and out of -trenches in the dark, the shell-holes, and the remains of barbed-wire -obstacles, made it seem interminable. - -On the way Lieutenant Westmacott, who was standing on the parapet -directing his men where to cross over a trench, was blown up by a bomb -thrown by a wounded German who was lying close by. He had a wonderful -escape, and although completely stunned, he recovered sufficiently to -join his company again later in the day. The Battalion was sadly in need -of officers, and he insisted on returning that evening in spite of his -dazed condition. - -Captain Lygon led the Battalion over a maze of wet trenches and ditches -to where the Royal Scots Fusiliers were in front of the Moulin du -Piètre, and the companies as they came up were ordered to get into the -trenches. But as the day dawned slowly it was found that there was no -room in the trenches for the men, as the Royal Scots Fusiliers were -still there, and there was not time for them to get away. There were but -some mere scratches in the earth, which would hardly hold a quarter of -the men. The lighter it got the more obvious became the peril of the -Battalion's position. Major Duberly did all he could. Absolutely -regardless of danger, he went about shouting to the men to dig -themselves in where they were, and endeavouring to establish -communication between the groups of men who were making themselves some -sort of shelter. - -Soon after daybreak the firing became intense, and the whole ground was -ploughed up with shells and furrowed with machine-gun bullets. Major -Duberly was killed early in the day, and Lieutenant Fisher-Rowe, who -came down a communication trench filled with water, was wounded in the -leg and unable to move, just as he had nearly reached the trench. His -satchel, containing the orders, was passed up by the men to Captain -Lygon in the front trench. The orders were to the effect that the -Grenadiers were to attack Moulin du Piètre in co-operation with the -Eighth Division on the right after a bombardment, which would last from -9 to 9.30 A.M. The Gordons were to attack on the left. - -[Illustration: Neuve Chapelle. March 13th 1915.] - -Captain Lygon, on whom the command of the Battalion now devolved, found -himself in a position of extreme difficulty. Owing to the distances -between the groups he had no means of sending messages to the men on the -right and left, and the roar of musketry and bursting shells made all -communication by word of mouth out of the question, though it was -evident that before an attack could be carried out with any prospect of -success, the men would have to be formed up and got into some sort of -order, in spite of the withering fire. - -To make matters worse, some of our own heavy guns were dropping shells -on the trenches occupied by the Gordon Highlanders, under the impression -that that part of the line was held by the Germans. The Gordons wisely -withdrew to their support trenches until the mistake was rectified. - -As our attack was to be made at the same time as that of the Gordons, it -was more than ever necessary to wait until they were in a position to -co-operate. The enemy on the right front was causing most of the -casualties, and owing to the curve in the trenches would have enfiladed -any advance on Moulin du Piètre. Captain Lygon wriggled down the shallow -trench, over the legs of the men, to consult the Gordons, but found that -any attack from them was for the moment impossible. The Eighth Division -was in equal difficulties, and found it impossible to attack. - -There was, then, nothing to be done but to lie out in the open and wait -for further orders, and in the infernal din of shell-fire the Battalion -went through a terrible ordeal. The shallow scratches they had managed -to dig gave little protection, and the casualties were consequently very -heavy. One incident may be quoted to give some idea of the way in which -the men's nerves were strained. Two men were observed to get up and walk -about, and were shouted at, and told to lie down. All they did was to -smile inanely, and very soon, of course, they were shot by the enemy. -They had gone clean off their heads. - -Twice orderlies were sent back with a report of the position occupied, -and when it was dark Captain Lygon sent Lieutenant Westmacott to report -the situation to Brigade Headquarters, while the Gordon Highlanders sent -a subaltern on the same errand. - -Captain Petit with the stretcher-bearers behaved in the most gallant -manner, and succoured the wounded oblivious of shells and bullets. - -Orders were at last sent to the Grenadiers and Gordon Highlanders to -withdraw, and to march to Laventie, but owing partly to a mistake on the -part of the guides, partly to the darkness, the Battalion did not reach -its billets until 2 A.M. The only three officers left with the Battalion -now were Captain Lygon, Lieutenant Goschen, and Lieutenant Duberly; but -Major Trotter, who had recovered from his wound, met them on arrival, -and took over command. - -It was a source of deep disappointment to the men to feel that many -lives had been lost, and little accomplished. On each day the Battalion -had been given a very difficult and intricate task, and it was entirely -owing to the indomitable pluck of the men that, in spite of all their -difficulties, they had invariably succeeded in reaching their -destination. - -The casualties in the Battalion at Neuve Chapelle were 16 officers and -325 N.C.O.'s and men. Lieut.-Colonel L. R. Fisher-Rowe, Major G. W. -Duberly, Captain the Hon. G. H. Douglas-Pennant, Captain E. F. F. -Sartorius, Lieutenant H. W. Ethelston, Lieutenant Lord Brabourne, -Lieutenant M. A. A. Darby, Second Lieutenant C. F. Burnand, Second -Lieutenant A. C. Foster, Second Lieutenant R. Gelderd-Somervell were -killed, and Major G. F. Trotter, D.S.O., Lieutenant C. V. Fisher-Rowe, -Second Lieutenant C. T. R. S. Guthrie, Second Lieutenant Lord William -Percy, Second Lieutenant G. R. Westmacott, and Second Lieutenant A. L. -St. J. Mildmay were wounded. - -The total British losses during three days' fighting were: 190 officers -and 2337 other ranks killed, 359 officers and 8174 other ranks wounded, -and 23 officers and 1728 other ranks missing. - -Ten days later Major-General Capper sent the following message to the -Battalion: - - The Divisional General has now received the report on the action of - Neuve Chapelle on March 10-14. He desires to express his - appreciation of the steady conduct of the 1st Battalion Grenadier - Guards, which maintained a difficult position in the open under very - adverse circumstances. The conduct of Lance-Corporal W. Fuller and - Private T. Barber and the grenade-throwers of this Battalion - commands the admiration of every one who heard of their exploits, - and testifies in the highest degree to the gallant spirit which - animates this Battalion. - -At the end of the month the Commanding Officer conveyed to the Battalion -stretcher-bearers a message received from the G.O.C. Seventh Division, -expressing his appreciation of the courage and devotion to duty -displayed by them during the recent action. - -Moreover, when Sir John French, the Commander-in-Chief, inspected the -Battalion with the rest of the 20th Brigade in April, he made them a -short but most impressive speech, in which he praised their conduct at -Neuve Chapelle, and referred to the heavy losses they had suffered. He -made a special reference to the gallant death of Lieut.-Colonel -Fisher-Rowe. - -In a private letter written by command of the King to Colonel -Streatfeild, Lieut.-Colonel C. Wigram said: - - The King has read your letter of the 17th inst., and is much - distressed to hear how terribly the 1st Battalion suffered. It is - indeed heart-breaking to see a good Battalion like this decimated in - a few hours. His Majesty has heard from the Prince of Wales, who has - seen the remnants of the Battalion, and he told His Majesty how - splendidly they had taken their losses. - -Major G. Trotter, in spite of his wound in the head, insisted on -returning, and took command of the Battalion, and Lieutenant Charles -Greville, who had rejoined the Battalion on the last day of the battle -of Neuve Chapelle, was appointed Adjutant. Captain Nicol and Lieutenant -C. Mitchell, who had been employed at Brigade Headquarters, returned to -the Battalion. - -On the 15th Major Lord Henry Seymour and Captain J. Hughes came from the -2nd Battalion. On the 20th a draft of 350 men arrived with the following -officers: Captain M. Maitland, Captain G. C. G. Moss, Lieutenant the -Earl of Dalkeith, Lieutenant Lord Stanley, Second Lieutenant the Hon. C. -Hope Morley, and Second Lieutenant A. B. Lawford. - -On the 21st Lieut.-Colonel C. Corkran arrived and took command of the -Battalion, and on the 24th Lieutenant C. Mitchell was appointed Adjutant -in the place of Lieutenant C. Greville, who proceeded to Brigade -Headquarters for duty with the Grenade Company. - -The greater part of the rest of the month was spent in billets, when the -Battalion was reorganised, but the usual routine was followed, and the -Battalion took its turn in the trenches. - -[Sidenote: April.] - -Nothing worth recording happened in April. The days that were spent in -the trenches were uneventful, and when in reserve the Battalion went -into billets at Estaires. On the 2nd, Lieutenant Corry and Lieutenant -St. Aubyn, on the 21st a draft of thirty men under Second Lieutenant C. -Dudley Smith, and on the 27th Captain F. L. V. Swaine, Second Lieutenant -E. O. R. Wakeman, and Lieutenant L. E. Parker joined the Battalion. - -[Sidenote: May.] - -The first few days in May were spent in the trenches, which the enemy's -artillery at times shelled very heavily. It was thought at first that -this denoted an attack, but although the Battalion stood to arms nothing -serious in the way of an attack developed. On the 3rd Captain J. -Morrison was wounded, and there was a certain number of casualties. On -the 2nd Captain T. Dickinson, 16th Cavalry, Indian Army, was attached to -the Battalion, and on the 12th Captain W. S. Pilcher arrived. - -On the 9th the 1st Battalion Grenadiers with the remainder of the 20th -Brigade moved up to the support trenches in rear of the Eighth Division, -but was not called upon to go into action. - - - - - CHAPTER XI - THE BATTLE OF FESTUBERT - - - The 1st Battalion - - -[Sidenote: May 1915.] - -In May the French resolved to make a determined attack on the German -line in Artois, and in order to prevent the enemy moving up any -reinforcements to support that part of the line, Sir John French agreed -to attack simultaneously at Festubert, where the German Seventh Corps -was posted. - -[Sidenote: May 9.] - -Sir Douglas Haig, who was entrusted with the task, began operations on -May 9, when the Eighth Division captured some of the enemy's first-line -trenches at Rougebanc, while the First and Indian Divisions attacked -south of Neuve Chapelle. But the enemy's positions proved much stronger -than had been expected, and little progress was made in either place. -During this attack the 1st Battalion Grenadiers was never engaged, but -remained in close support. Lieut.-Colonel Corkran himself accompanied -the Eighth Division, and remained with it in case the services of the -Battalion should be required. - -[Sidenote: May 10-11.] - -A second attack was made by the Eighth Division east of Festubert on the -10th, preceded by a long artillery bombardment, the Seventh Division -remaining in reserve. During the interval between the attacks of the 9th -and 15th, the Seventh Division was brought up on the right of the First -Corps, the Canadian Division being in support, while the Indian Corps -still remained on the left. - -On the night of the 10th the 1st Battalion marched to Bethune, where it -was billeted in a tobacco factory, and on the 11th moved to Hinges. The -roll of officers of the Battalion was as follows: - - - Lieut.-Colonel C. E. Corkran, C.M.G., Commanding Officer. - Major G. F. Trotter, M.V.O., D.S.O., Second in Command. - Lieut. C. Mitchell, Adjutant. - 2nd Lieut. E. H. J. Duberly, Machine-gun Officer. - Lieut. J. Teece, Quartermaster. - Capt. M. E. Makgill-Crichton-Maitland, King's Company. - Capt. W. S. Pilcher, King's Company. - Lieut. F. C. St. Aubyn, King's Company. - Lieut. Lord Dalkeith, King's Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. G. Goschen, King's Company. - Capt. F. L. V. Swaine, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. Lord Stanley, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. R. P. de P. Trench, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. Dudley Smith, No. 2 Company. - Capt. J. S. Hughes (attached from 2nd Batt.), No. 3 Company. - Lieut. O. Wakeman, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. P. K. Stephenson, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. L. E. Parker, No. 3 Company. - Capt. G. C. G. Moss, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut, the Hon. C. Hope Morley, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. A. B. Lawford, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. E. O. R. Wakeman, No. 4 Company. - Capt. W. E. Nicol, Grenade Company. - Capt. C. H. Greville, Grenade Company. - Capt. G. Petit, R.A.M.C. - - _Attached_--Lieut. F. M. Dickinson. - -[Illustration: Festubert. Position on the evening of May 17th.] - -[Sidenote: May 15.] - -On the 15th the Seventh Division moved up to the trenches north of -Festubert, and the 1st Battalion Grenadiers marched to the assembly -trenches in and around Dead Cow Farm. The attack was opened by the 20th -Brigade. On the right was the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards, supported by -the 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders, and on the left the 2nd Battalion -Border Regiment, supported by the 1st Battalion Grenadiers, while the -6th Battalion Gordon Highlanders was in reserve. On the right of the -20th Brigade was the 22nd Brigade, and on the left the Second Division. - -[Sidenote: May 16.] - -The attack began at 3.15 A.M. on the 16th. The Scots Guards met with -little opposition, and easily secured their objective, but the 2nd -Border Regiment had hardly started when it came under a murderous -machine-gun fire. It lost a large number of men and most of its -officers, including the Commanding Officer, Lieut.-Colonel Wood, but it -succeeded nevertheless in reaching the enemy's trenches. In the -meantime, however, the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards had pushed on beyond -the German support line, so that its left was in the air. Even in the -support trenches, which were only thirty yards in rear of the front -line, the 1st Battalion Grenadiers came in for a great deal of shelling, -and one shell burst in the middle of No. 8 Platoon, killing four men and -wounding many others, including Lieutenant Dickinson and Lieutenant St. -Aubyn, who was struck in the face by a piece of shrapnel. All the time a -stream of wounded from the front trenches was passing by, some walking -and some on stretchers. - -The machine-guns under Lieutenant Duberly were sent up to support the -Scots Guards, and helped them greatly. With a view to protecting their -left flank, the 1st Battalion Grenadiers was now ordered forward. It was -about 10 A.M. Lieut.-Colonel Corkran, who saw clearly that his Battalion -would share the same fate as the Border Regiment, if they advanced -against the machine-guns, which had inflicted such loss, decided to move -his Battalion farther to the south, and advance from the original -forming-up trench of the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards, where a -communication trench was being constructed by the Gordon Highlanders. -Down this trench the 1st Battalion rushed, jumping over a mass of -wounded men as it went, and when it reached the German front-line -trench, the King's Company under Captain Maitland, and No. 3 under -Captain Hughes, remained to consolidate it, while No. 4 under Captain -Moss, followed by No. 2 under Captain Swaine, pushed on to prolong the -left of the Scots Guards. - -Lieut.-Colonel Corkran met Lieut.-Colonel Cator, commanding the 2nd -Battalion Scots Guards, and discussed the situation, which was very -obscure. One and a half companies of the Scots Guards had most gallantly -pushed on right through the German lines, and had completely lost touch -with the rest of the Battalion. It was afterwards discovered that they -had been surrounded, and cut off by the enemy. The left of that -Battalion was consequently in the air. It was determined that the Scots -Guards and No. 2 Company Grenadiers under Captain Swaine should -consolidate the line they had reached, namely, the German third line; -No. 4 Company under Captain Moss was to advance over the open on the -left, and attack a small house still held by the enemy about six hundred -yards off; No. 3 Company under Captain Hughes, from the original German -front trench, was to make a bombing attack down a German communication -trench leading apparently to the small house; and the King's Company -under Captain Maitland was to remain where it was in the German front -trench in reserve. - -Captain Hughes with No. 3 Company made a most successful advance down -the German trench, clearing about three hundred yards of it, and killing -a number of Germans, while the bombers under Captain Nicol were equally -successful down another German communication trench in which they -captured a large number of prisoners. But the advance of No. 4 Company -was held up almost immediately by machine-gun fire from the small house. -The leading platoon under Lieutenant E. O. R. Wakeman was practically -annihilated, and its gallant commander, as he pluckily led his men on to -this death-trap, was killed. Second Lieutenant C. Hope Morley was struck -by a bullet in the eyes and blinded. Finding any farther advance -impossible, No. 4 Company received orders to prolong the left of No. 2 -Company, and keep in touch with No. 3 Company, which was in the German -communication trench. - -At 1 P.M. Lieut.-Colonel Corkran went back to the 22nd Brigade -Headquarters, and got into communication by telephone with General -Heyworth, who ordered him to push his Battalion as far forward as he -could and assist any advance made by the 22nd Brigade on the right. - -Rain began to fall at 6 P.M., and grew into a steady downpour. The two -companies, which had been moved up on the left of the Scots Guards, -found themselves in some old German trenches, which had to be -reconstructed, as they faced the wrong way, and would have been -lamentably weak if they had been left as they were. In these ill-covered -trenches the men were soaked to the skin, and spent a miserable night, -which was not improved by the fact that all the time the officers were -busy in getting them into their right order, so that they might be ready -to attack at daybreak. Everywhere the wounded, both British and Germans, -lay about groaning. - -Lieut.-Colonel Corkran, having returned to his Battalion, sent Major G. -Trotter to the 22nd Brigade Headquarters as liaison officer, so that -close touch might be kept with it. - -As soon as it was dark, No. 2 Company was ordered to establish itself as -close to the small house as possible and to dig itself in, at the same -time gaining touch with No. 3 Company in the German communication -trench. The King's Company was to fill up the gap in the line created by -the advance of No. 2. It was hoped that the small house might be rushed, -but when No. 2 pushed forward it came under such a heavy machine-gun -fire that it had to abandon all idea of seizing the house. It had -accordingly to leave one platoon to hold the line, which it had gained, -and to return to the main line. - -[Sidenote: May 17.] - -Early next morning the 1st Battalion advanced another 400 yards, and the -men began to dig themselves in, but as the rain continued in torrents -the trenches were knee-deep in mud, and it was difficult to provide -adequate shelter from the enemy's artillery. - -It was while the 1st Battalion was lying in this position that the 4th -Guards Brigade was observed coming up in artillery formation, under a -hail of shells and bullets; and--a memorable incident--the 1st and 2nd -Battalions Grenadiers suddenly found themselves fighting side by side. - -Although the Seventh Division had carried several lines of trenches, the -part of the German line opposite the extreme left of the 20th Brigade -was still in the hands of the enemy. In certain sections of the line the -attack had been most successful, while in others the enemy had offered a -stubborn resistance. Thus the advance had not been uniform, and there -were consequently several places where the German machine-guns were able -to enfilade our men. But, in spite of the constant counter-attacks, the -enemy had not been able to retake any considerable portion of the ground -they had lost on a front of over two miles. - -On the evening of the 17th the 21st Brigade received orders to relieve -the 20th Brigade, and the 1st Battalion Grenadiers consequently withdrew -to the second line, where it remained throughout the 18th. - -[Sidenote: May 19.] - -The attack continued next day with varying results. As the weather was -heavy, artillery observation was difficult, and the guns were unable to -support the infantry attacks. The 1st Battalion Grenadiers was ordered -back to Brigade Headquarters in the Rue du Bois, where it bivouacked in -a field, and presently moved back to Hinges. - -Thus ended the first phase of the battle of Festubert. The Second and -Seventh Divisions had succeeded in cutting two gaps in the German line, -but unfortunately between the two gaps there lay an untouched and -strongly held line, stretching for nearly three-quarters of a mile, -which made any farther advance a matter of great difficulty. - -On the 20th of May the attack was renewed by the Canadian Division, and -on the 24th the Forty-seventh London Territorial Division joined in, but -although considerable progress was made, and a large number of Germans -accounted for, our defective ammunition supply did not at that time -allow us to compete with the Germans on even terms. The net result of -the battle was that we pierced the enemy's lines on a total front of -four miles. The whole first-line system of trenches was captured on a -front of 3200 yards. The total number of prisoners taken was 8 officers -and 777 of other ranks, and a number of machine-guns were captured and -destroyed. - - - The 2nd Battalion. - - -[Sidenote: 2nd Batt. May 1915.] - -The following is the list of officers of the 2nd Battalion at the battle -of Festubert: - - Lieut.-Colonel W. R. A. Smith, C.M.G., Commanding Officer. - Major G. D. Jeffreys, Second in Command. - Lieutenant the Hon. W. R. Bailey, Adjutant. - 2nd Lieut. D. Abel-Smith, Machine-gun Officer. - Lieut. W. E. Acraman, Quartermaster. - Major Lord Henry Seymour, No. 1 Company. (Brigade Transport Officer) - 2nd Lieut. J. N. Buchanan, No. 1 Company. - 2nd Lieut. A. H. Penn, No. 1 Company. - Capt. P. A. Clive, No. 2 Company. - Capt. G. L. Derriman, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. J. C. Craigie, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. Viscount Cranborne, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. the Hon. P. P. Cary, No. 2 Company. - Major B. H. Barrington Kennett, No. 3 Company. - Lieut. A. V. L. Corry, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. O. Creed, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. R. S. Corkran, No. 3 Company. - Major C. R. C. de Crespigny, No. 4 Company. - Capt. I. St. C. Rose (Divisional Observation Officer), No. 4 - Company. - 2nd Lieut. E. G. Williams, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. O. Lyttelton, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. the Hon. G. S. Bailey, No. 4 Company. - - _Attached_--Captain F. G. Howell, R.A.M.C. - - -[Sidenote: May 16.] - -The 4th Brigade did not take part in the first phase of the battle, and -on the 16th it was moved up to the old line of breastworks at Rue du -Bois, to support the 6th Brigade. The 2nd Battalion Grenadiers and Irish -Guards were placed immediately behind the 6th Brigade, while the two -battalions of Coldstream remained still farther back. The attack of the -5th and 6th Brigades was successful, and the first German line of -trenches was taken, but the Indian Division was held up, and could not -advance as the barbed wire had not been destroyed. - -The 2nd Battalion Grenadiers was not called on to do anything that day, -and remained behind the breastworks, where it was subjected to a heavy -shelling. Although there were few casualties, the noise was terrific, -for not only were the enemy's shells dropping all round, but our own -artillery was firing just over the men's heads. It stood by all day, and -withdrew in the evening to Lacouture. - -[Sidenote: May 17.] - -Next day the 4th Brigade was sent up into the front line. The men had -breakfast at 3.30 A.M., an unusually early hour even for those about to -take part in the fighting, and after standing by all the morning marched -at 1 P.M. to Le Touret, where they received orders to make good the line -of La Quinque Rue. This involved not only getting up to the front line, -but also attacking La Quinque Rue, which ran about five hundred yards -east of it. The Germans were systematically shelling all the roads -leading to the trenches, and it was therefore some time before the 2nd -Battalion Grenadiers could be moved up in artillery formation across the -open _via_ Cense du Raux Farm, Rue de l'Epinette, and the hamlet known -as "Indian Village." - -When it reached the supports of the front line, it was by no means easy -to ascertain precisely what line the Battalion was expected to occupy. -Units had become mixed as the inevitable result of the previous attack, -and it was impossible to say for certain what battalion occupied a -trench, or to locate the exact front. An artillery observation officer -helped, however, by pointing out the positions on the map. - -It was not till late in the afternoon that the 2nd Battalion began to -move up into the front line. Progress was necessarily slow, as after the -heavy rain the ground was deep in mud, and the shell-holes were full of -water. It advanced gradually through a maze of old British and German -trenches, much knocked about and obstructed with troops' material and a -great many wounded, and passed through the Scots Fusiliers, the Border -Regiment, and the Yorkshire Regiment. Its orders were to pass over what -had originally been the German front line, and to establish itself about -five hundred yards from the German trench at La Quinque Rue. The 5th and -6th Brigades had in the meantime been sent back in reserve, while the -Canadian Division had been ordered to come up on the right and take the -place of the 20th and 22nd Brigades. - -It was dark before the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers reached the line it was -ordered to occupy. The men had stumbled over obstacles of every sort, -wrecked trenches and shell-holes, and had finally wriggled themselves -into the front line. The enemy's trenches over which they passed were a -mass of dead men, both German and British, with heads, legs, and other -gruesome objects lying about amid bits of wire obstacles and remains of -accoutrements. Lieut.-Colonel Smith had originally intended to launch -the attack on La Quinque Rue at once, but decided to wait until dawn. -Brought up in the dark to an entirely strange bit of country, without -any landmarks to guide him, or any means of reconnaissance, and not even -certain as to what troops were on each flank, the Commanding Officer was -faced with many anxious problems. - -The 4th Brigade, however, was no novice at this type of fighting, and it -was astonishing to see how quickly the men settled down. The 2nd -Battalion Grenadiers was on the right, the Irish Guards on the left, -while the 1st and 2nd Battalions Coldstream were in reserve some way -back. Lieut.-Colonel Smith ordered Major Jeffreys to take charge of the -front line, while he remained in the proper place assigned to the -Commanding Officer, which was with the supports. No. 2 Company under -Captain P. Clive on the right, and No. 3 under Major Barrington Kennett -on the left were in the firing line, and No. 1 under Lord Henry Seymour, -and No. 4 under Major C. de Crespigny were in reserve, in some old -German breastworks. As No. 1 Company moved up, Second Lieutenant A. H. -Penn was shot by a sniper through both legs. - -By a curious coincidence the 1st Battalion Grenadiers in the Seventh -Division was immediately on the right, so that for the first time in the -war the 1st and 2nd Battalions were side by side in the line. Second -Lieutenant C. J. Dudley-Smith came over from the 1st Battalion to get -touch, and to his surprise found himself amongst brother officers. - -The men had only their little entrenching tools, and with these they dug -frantically, and managed to scrape up some sort of protection before the -morning. The Germans fired a good deal at first, but finding it -difficult to locate exactly the position of the line they determined -later to save their shells, and as the morning went on did not molest -the Battalion much. The Battalion Headquarters and Reserve Companies -came in for a lot of shelling, but owing to the soft ground many shells -failed to explode. Sleep in such an advanced position was out of the -question, more especially as every moment was precious. - -[Sidenote: May 18.] - -The 4th Brigade was ordered to attack a point marked P 14 and Cour -l'Avoué at 9.30 A.M., but owing to the mist and bad weather the attack -was indefinitely postponed, and the 2nd Battalion had to remain all day -in its hastily made trench, which really offered very little resistance -to artillery fire. The weather cleared about 10 A.M. and the enemy began -a terrific bombardment, which made things very unpleasant, although it -did very little actual damage. It was not till 3.45 P.M. that the 2nd -Battalion received orders to attack at 4.30 P.M., which gave no time for -adequate preparation. Soon afterwards a second message arrived to the -effect that, if the Canadians were late in relieving the 20th Brigade on -the right, the attack was not to be delayed, although there would -necessarily be a gap on that flank. - -The front of the Canadian attack was to extend to the left, so that it -overlapped No. 2 Company. The attack was therefore to be made by No. 3 -Company alone, although a platoon from No. 2 was to be pushed forward as -far as the barricade. - -Our guns began their preparation about forty minutes before the attack -was ordered, and although they undoubtedly did a good deal of damage, -they never succeeded in knocking out the enemy's machine-guns, which -remained hidden during the bombardment. The advance was made by No. 3 -Company in short quick rushes by platoons, but as the ground was very -flat, with no possible cover from the machine-guns, the men never had -any real chance of reaching the German trenches. The distance was about -600 yards, and the ground was intersected with ditches full of water. -The first platoon was mown down before it had covered a hundred yards, -the second melted away before it reached even as far, and the third -shared the same fate. The Irish Guards on the right attacked on a much -wider front, but were also held up by the machine-guns which swept the -whole ground. It was magnificent to see the gallant manner in which they -brought up reinforcements on reinforcements, unfortunately with no -success. - -In the first rush of the Grenadiers Major Barrington Kennett was killed, -and Second Lieutenant the Hon. P. Cary was hit soon afterwards. Second -Lieutenant Creed was mortally wounded as he rushed on to the attack, and -died of his wounds some days later. The only officer left in the Company -was Lieutenant Corry, who behaved with great gallantry when the enemy's -machine-guns opened fire with a storm of bullets. - -Lieutenant Lord Cranborne who commanded the platoon from No. 2 Company, -which had been pushed up as far as the barricade, was completely -deafened by the shells which burst incessantly round his platoon during -the attack. Lieut.-Colonel Smith was struck in the head by a bullet as -he watched the attack from behind a mound of earth, and though he was -carried by Major Jeffreys and Major Lord Henry Seymour into a place of -safety, and eventually taken to the dressing-station, he never recovered -consciousness, and died the following day. He was buried in the British -Soldiers' Cemetery near Le Touret, and his funeral was attended by Lord -Cavan and many officers and non-commissioned officers of his battalion. -Never was a Commanding Officer more mourned by his men; he had endeared -himself to them by his soldier-like qualities and constant care for -their welfare. He was a gallant and distinguished soldier, imperturbable -in action, never flurried or disconcerted in perilous situations, a -strict disciplinarian, but the kindest and best of friends, and his loss -was keenly felt by all ranks of the regiment. - -Major Jeffreys, now in command of the Battalion, ordered No. 2 Company -to reinforce No. 3 and continue the attack, but Captain Clive -represented that it would be practically impossible for his Company to -cross over the exposed ground under so heavy a fire. The enemy's -machine-guns were absolutely undamaged, and commanded the ground over -which it would be necessary to pass, and Major Jeffreys was forced to -the conclusion that it would be merely throwing men's lives away to ask -them to advance. At this moment Captain Lord Gort (Brigade-Major) came -up to investigate the situation, and Major Jeffreys told him that he did -not propose to renew the attack until darkness gave the Battalion some -chance of reaching the objective. - -Lord Cavan, on hearing from Lord Gort how matters stood, sent orders to -the 2nd Battalion to dig in where it was. It had gained 300 yards, and -before it could possibly advance any farther it would be necessary to -wait until the Canadians came up on the right. Soon after dark the -Canadians arrived, and, true to their reputation, carried out their -attack in a very dashing manner. They met with very little opposition at -first, and got on very well until they were stopped by machine-gun fire. -In all probability, if the two attacks had taken place simultaneously, -there would have been a far greater prospect of success, but, as things -happened, first the 4th Brigade and then in turn the Canadians drew on -themselves the attention of all the German troops in that part of the -line. - -Major Jeffreys contemplated a combined attack all down the line by -night, but the Corps Commander sent instructions that the 4th Brigade -was to remain where it was, and join up with the Canadians. So another -gruesome night had to be spent amongst the dead and dying, and the men -had to work hard to make the trench fit to remain in. - -[Sidenote: May 19.] - -All the next day the 2nd Battalion held this line, and came in for a -great deal of shell-fire, but the trenches that had been dug during the -night proved sufficient protection, and there were not many casualties. -That night the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers was relieved by the 3rd -Battalion Coldstream, and went into reserve with the rest of the Second -Division. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - MAY TO SEPTEMBER 1915 - - - Diary of the War - - -[Sidenote: 1915. April, May, June.] - -At the end of April, Hill 60 near Ypres was taken by the Second Corps -under Lieut.-General Sir Charles Fergusson, and was lost again early in -May when the enemy used gas. The second battle of Ypres began on May 10, -and will always be notorious for the treacherous use of poisonous gas by -the Germans. The British Army was totally unprepared for this treachery, -and had no gas helmets of any kind, yet such was the tenacious courage -displayed by it that the Germans were unable to do more than drive the -line back a certain distance. It was in this battle that the Canadians -greatly distinguished themselves. The battle of Festubert was the -principal offensive at the end of May, although there was continual -fighting in other parts of the line. - -On May 22 Italy joined the Allies, and declared war on the Central -Powers. This was a great blow to the Germans, who had fondly hoped that -Italy would remain at least neutral, and it completely altered the -situation in Central Europe. - -The Gallipoli Campaign commenced, and the British and French troops -effected a landing at the extremity of the Peninsula near Krithia in -April. In Mesopotamia operations against the Turks were carried forward -under great difficulties, while a Turkish Army under the command of -German officers made an unsuccessful attempt to cross the desert and -attack Egypt. In German South-West Africa General Botha succeeded in -pushing his way into the enemy's country, and in capturing a large -number of prisoners. - -The Zeppelin raids on London and the East Coast began, and as there were -practically no defences at the time the Germans were able to carry them -out with impunity. - -In April the Russian Army continued its advance in Austria, but was -gradually driven back by General von Mackensen's German Army. In the -extreme north the Germans, supported by their Baltic Squadron, captured -the Russian port of Libau. The Austrian Army was now being reorganised -by the German General Staff, and by the end of June the combined -Austrian and German Armies had recaptured Przemysl and Lemberg, and -driven the Russians back over the frontier. - -[Sidenote: July, Aug., Sept.] - -With the exception of continual fighting round Ypres no serious -operation was undertaken by the British Army until September, when the -battle of Loos was fought. - -The Russians were slowly driven out of Poland by the Germans, but had -some successes in Galicia. - -A second landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula was effected at Suvla Bay, -and some farther advance was made later. - -The conquest of German South-West Africa was completed by General Botha. - - The 1st Battalion - - -[Sidenote: 1st Batt. May 1915.] - -For the remainder of May the Battalion remained in billets at Robecq. On -the 22nd a draft of sixty men arrived, and on the 29th Second Lieutenant -Viscount Lascelles, and on the 30th Second Lieutenant F. E. H. Paget -joined the Battalion. - -On the 23rd, after Divine Service, Major-General Gough, commanding the -Seventh Division, after going round the billets made a short speech to -each Company, and afterwards talked to a large number of men, which -greatly pleased them. - -On the 27th the Division was inspected by General Joffre, the French -Commander-in-Chief. The three brigades were drawn up in one field in -mass, the artillery being in an adjoining field. General Joffre was -received with the general salute, and walked down the front of the line. -After giving three cheers the whole of the infantry marched past in -fours, being played past by the massed pipers of the Division. - -On the 31st the sad news of the death of Brigadier-General G. C. Nugent -was received. He had served for many years in the Grenadiers before he -was transferred to the Irish Guards, and his unrivalled wit and literary -talents had long delighted the readers of the _Guards Magazine_. He was -a man of exceptional ability, and there is small doubt that had he lived -he would have risen to high distinction. - -[Sidenote: June.] - -The Battalion went into a new line of trenches in front of Festubert and -Givenchy, which it took over from the 6th and 18th Battalions of the -London Regiment. On June 3 these trenches were very heavily shelled, as -the 6th Battalion Gordon Highlanders was making an attack farther to the -right, and there were 3 men killed and 45 wounded. On the 5th the -Battalion went into billets at Hingette, and on the 8th moved to Robecq, -thence to Essars, where it remained until it relieved the Border -Regiment in the trenches on the 14th. - -On the 15th an attack was made by the Seventh Division over some flat -ground between two rises at Givenchy. The portion allotted to the -Battalion was on the flat ground, where an advance was not a matter of -great difficulty, but until the rises on each side had been made good it -was useless to attempt to press the attack home in the centre. After -going a short distance, the Battalion was forced to wait until the -situation on each flank developed. Owing to the nature of the ground the -artillery was unable to dispose of the wire entanglements behind these -rises, and therefore the Battalions on each side were held up. During -this engagement Second Lieutenant Dudley-Smith was killed, -Lieut.-Colonel Corkran slightly wounded, and Second Lieutenant Viscount -Lascelles wounded in the head. There were sixty-three casualties among -the N.C.O.'s and men. The Battalion hung on all day under heavy -shell-fire to the line it had gained, but it was found impossible to -advance farther on the flanks, and the whole force withdrew to its -original line. - -Lord Cavan wrote in a private letter: "I am proud to say that the old -1st Battalion stuck it out last night and to-day in glorious isolation. -Pray God they are fed, watered, and replenished to-night. I wrote to -Heyworth to pass them a word of encouragement from me if he could." - -On the 19th the Battalion was relieved by the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, and -went into the reserve trenches in front of Gorre, and on the 21st into -billets at Les Choqueaux. On the 24th it returned to the trenches -between Givenchy and La Bassée Canal, and on the 27th was relieved by -the Border Regiment, and went into billets at Le Preol. - -On the 20th Lieutenant Sir A. Napier joined, and on the 23rd a draft of -sixty-seven men arrived under Lieutenant R. Wolrige-Gordon and Second -Lieutenant G. J. T. H. Villiers. - -Lieut.-Colonel Corkran wrote to Colonel Streatfeild, and asked that some -drums and fifes might be sent out, and Lord Derby, who paid a visit to -the Battalion, promised to procure them and send them out. In the -meantime eight men with some musical skill came forward, and offered to -form a drum and fife band. The instruments arrived at the end of the -month, and were a great success. The band now consisted of six drums and -twelve fifes, and marched at the head of the Battalion for the first -time on the 30th, when it moved to billets at Busnes. - -[Sidenote: July.] - -The Battalion had a good rest, and remained in billets till the 17th of -July, when it relieved the Yorkshire Regiment in the trenches at Quinque -Rue. - -[Sidenote: July 1915.] - -On the 13th Lieut.-Colonel Corkran was promoted to the rank of -Brigadier-General, and given command of the 5th Infantry Brigade. His -departure was much regretted by the whole Battalion, which had the -greatest confidence in him. Major G. Trotter then assumed command, and -his appointment as Commanding Officer was confirmed about a week later, -and gave universal satisfaction. - -The Battalion remained in the trenches from the 17th till the 26th, when -it withdrew into billets at Calonne. During the time it was in the -trenches there were but few casualties, among them Lieutenant C. G. -Goschen, who was wounded in the thigh. - -While the Brigade was in billets the officers of the 1st Battalion -entertained the officers of the 2nd Battalion at dinner. The Prince of -Wales and Captain Lord Claud Hamilton also attended. A few days later -the coming of age of Lord Stanley gave another opportunity for a -gastronomic triumph composed mainly of bully beef and Maconochie -rations. The flies in these hot days became unbearable, and fly-traps -and fly-papers were sent out in some measure to mitigate this plague. - -[Sidenote: Aug.] - -On August 3 the Battalion received orders to join the newly formed -Guards Division. It was not without regret that it left the Gordon -Highlanders and Border Regiment, alongside of whom it had fought for -nearly a year, and with whom it had shared the glorious reputation which -had been earned by the Division. All the battalions of the Division -prepared entertainments to bid them farewell, but the notice was so -short that these invitations could not be accepted. - -On the 4th the Battalion was inspected by General Gough, the Corps -Commander, who wished it God-speed in a short speech, after which it -marched to Molinghem. The remainder of the 20th Brigade turned out, and -lined the streets of Robecq, through which it passed, while the band of -the Seventh Division and the pipers of the 2nd Gordon Highlanders played -it out of the divisional area. On the 5th the Battalion marched to -Nizernes, and was met by the drums and fifes of the 3rd Battalion -Grenadiers. - -Lieutenant Lord Stanley, who was suffering from sciatica, refused to go -sick, and in order to keep him Colonel Trotter appointed him temporarily -Transport Officer. - -On the 6th Major-General Capper, commanding the Seventh Division, -inspected the Battalion, and took leave of it in the following words: - - Colonel Trotter and all the ranks of the 1st Battalion Grenadier - Guards--This is a very sad moment for me to have to say good-bye to - you. You have been with us nearly a year, and I feel that with you - leaving the heart of the Division is being taken away. - - You have seen some very hard fighting, notably at Kruiseik and again - at Ypres, when you covered the retirement. - - I must congratulate you on the way you have upheld the traditions of - your famous regiment. You have always done what has been asked of - you. It did not matter whether it was fighting a battle, holding a - line, or digging a trench; you have done well, as a Grenadier always - does. - - Although you are leaving the Division, yet on some future occasion - we hope to have you fighting side by side with us. I can only say - again that it is indeed a very sad moment for me, and it only - remains for me to say Good-bye. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - MAY TO SEPTEMBER 1915 (2ND BATTALION) - - -[Sidenote: 2nd Batt. May 1915.] - -During the remainder of May the Battalion remained in billets at La -Pugnoy and later at Vendin. On the 24th it was inspected by General -Horne, and turned out looking very smart. At the conclusion of the -inspection the General addressed it, and said that he wished to convey -to it the hearty thanks of the Corps Commander, Lieut.-General Sir C. -Monro, as well as his own, for all the good work done by the Battalion -during the past five months. Whether it was in billets, where its -discipline, good behaviour, and smartness had been an example to the -Army, or in the trenches, where it had endured hardships such as few -troops had been called upon to bear, or in action against the enemy, the -conduct of the Battalion had been all that could be desired. More than -that he could not say. They had to deplore the death of their gallant -Commanding Officer, whose loss was mourned by all who knew him, but no -losses must deter them, and it was their duty to prosecute the war with -the utmost energy, until the German Empire lay at the feet of England -and her Allies. - -On the 31st the Battalion marched with the Irish Guards and the 11th -Field Company, R.E., under Major Jeffreys to Noeux les Mines _via_ -Bethune. The Prince of Wales and Lord Claud Hamilton marched with it -most of the way. Some shelling took place _en route_, and it turned out -that the enemy's fire, which seemed unaccountably accurate, was being -directed by an observation balloon which could be seen behind his lines. -As the Battalion moved into its billets the enemy commenced to shell the -town, and succeeded in destroying some houses and wounding a few -civilians. - -On the 25th a draft of 120 men under Second Lieutenant H. A. Clive -arrived, and on the 31st Second Lieutenant E. R. M. Fryer joined the -Battalion. - -[Sidenote: June.] - -During June the Battalion spent alternately two days in the trenches and -two days in billets. The billets were at Sailly-la-Bourse, and the -trenches at first near Auchy and afterwards at Vermelles. - -Every precaution against gas attacks was taken, and an order was issued -to the effect that a G on the bugle was to be the signal to prepare for -gas. As the Battalion at that time had only two buglers owing to the -casualties and the boys who had been sent home sick, the order was -difficult to carry out, but men were found who, without being musicians, -were at least able to produce the desired note on the bugle. - -The trenches at Auchy were indifferent, and required a great deal of -attention, but those at Vermelles were much better. The great difficulty -the men had to contend with at both places was the high crops and long -grass which had grown up quite close to the line, and which not only -impeded the view, but also provided cover which might be used by the -enemy. During the day it was an absolute impossibility for the men to go -out and cope with this difficulty, but at night parties were sent out to -cut down the crops. The men after working for an hour or so at this work -seemed to lose all sense of direction, and when an alarm was given they -had no idea in which direction their own trenches lay. It often happened -that men would wander off towards the German lines under the impression -they were going home. On several occasions when the enemy became aware -of any large numbers of men working out in front they would open a heavy -rifle-fire on them. All the men in the working party would then at once -lie down and wait until the fire subsided; but on one occasion the -Germans showed no inclination to cease firing, and the party had to be -withdrawn. They crawled back slowly, being guided by Captain Cavendish, -who held up his luminous watch to show them the right direction. Every -night there were a few casualties, and on the 7th Lieutenant R. S. -Corkran who had just gone out with one of these parties was severely -wounded by a rifle bullet in the thigh, and died a few days later. - -On the 29th Brigadier-General the Earl of Cavan was promoted, and left -to take over command of the Fiftieth Division. He was succeeded by -Brigadier-General G. P. T. Feilding, who had commanded the 2nd Battalion -Coldstream Guards since the commencement of the war, and who had gained -a great reputation during the last twelve months' fighting. - -[Sidenote: July.] - -On the 28th the Battalion changed its billets from Sailly-la-Bourse to -Oblingham, and on July 1 to Annezin. On the 5th it went into the -trenches at Annequin in precisely the same part of the line it had -occupied in January and February, when hundreds of men had been killed. -The trenches were in a hollow, which was generally known as the Valley -of Death, and were in a very bad condition. Little seemed to have been -done to them since the Battalion was last there, and in many places the -parapet was too high and not bullet-proof. The Battalion therefore set -to work to improve them, and a company of the Queen's Regiment from the -Corps troops was sent up to help. This seemed the height of luxury to -the men, who were unaccustomed to having other people digging their -trenches. - -On July 2 Second Lieutenant H. F. C. Crookshank arrived, and on the -5th Second Lieutenant E. H. Noble, Second Lieutenant M. A. -Knatchbull-Hugessen, and Second Lieutenant E. W. M. Grigg joined the -Battalion. - -On the 15th the Battalion took over the trenches at Guinchy, spending -alternately two days in the trenches and two days in billets at Bethune. -On the 21st it went into Brigade Reserve, and remained for a week at -Bethune, and on the 28th moved into billets at Le Preol, and acted as -reserve Battalion to the troops in the trenches at Givenchy. - -At Cuinchy, in addition to the regular shelling, the Germans employed -their new type of Minenwerfer, from which they fired large bombs, but -their effect was local, and as the men were able to see them coming, -they did little damage. Once a large wooden bomb landed in a trench -without exploding, and was carried off as a souvenir by two -stretcher-bearers, who happened to be passing. On the 18th the enemy -began shelling Bethune, and continued for nearly a week, which made the -men's two days' rest in billets a farce. The shells came screaming and -roaring into the town, and terrific explosions followed. The enemy of -course had no difficulty in hitting the town and shelling the houses, -but it was merely a matter of chance how many men were hit. The shells -were at first directed on the railway station, but beyond causing a -complete suspension of traffic they did little harm, and there were few -casualties. On the 22nd the bombardments became more searching, and many -men were killed. The Inniskilling Fusiliers alone lost seventy men that -day. The Grenadiers were more lucky, and at first escaped with little -loss, but on the 24th some men were wounded and nineteen horses were -killed. - -[Illustration: Officers of the Second Battalion Grenadier Guards.] - -On the 20th Captain Derriman who had been appointed Staff Captain to the -4th Brigade was very seriously wounded, and although he was moved down -to the base, he never recovered, and died some time afterwards. The -pluck he had shown in coming out in spite of a stiff knee which made him -lame, and the dogged manner in which he had persisted in serving with -the Battalion in the trenches until he was placed on the Staff aroused -the admiration of every one. - -On the 18th Lieut.-General Gough, the new Commander of the First Corps, -Major-General Horne commanding the Second Division, and -Brigadier-General G. Feilding commanding the 4th Brigade paid a visit to -the Battalion, and went round the trenches at Cuinchy. - -[Sidenote: Aug.] - -During the first fortnight in August the Battalion followed the same -routine, spending two days in the trenches at Givenchy followed by two -days in billets at Le Preol. Mining operations were begun on a large -scale by both sides. It was assumed that as an advance above ground in -the face of machine-gun fire was too costly, the only other alternative -was to advance under ground and blow up the enemy's parapet. In the -craters made by the explosion of the mines men were then pushed, and the -position was consolidated. The advantage of this subterranean method of -warfare was that the men were safe from rifle- and shell-fire while they -were working, but there was always the danger of a counter-mine which -meant being buried alive. - -On the 2nd the Battalion exploded three mines successfully near Sunken -Road, and in doing this blew in some of the enemy's galleries, and that -night the Irish Guards exploded three more mines. In each case the -positions were consolidated after much bomb-throwing, but the occupation -of the craters was always difficult, on account of the bombs from the -enemy's Minenwerfer. - -On the 5th Brigadier-General Feilding and the Prince of Wales came round -the trenches, and inspected the sap-heads and craters. - -On the 6th in the early morning the enemy exploded two mines in the -orchard near the shrine. At the time Captain Clive and Second Lieutenant -Crookshank were taking out a working party, and had they gone a little -farther, all the men must inevitably have been killed, but fortunately -they were just short of where the mine exploded. The whole ground moved -up in one great convulsion, and when it settled down several men were -completely buried. Captain Clive himself was severely cut and bruised by -the mass of debris that was blown past him, and after being shot up in -the air he came down so doubled up that his teeth were nearly knocked -out by his knees. Second Lieutenant Crookshank was completely buried in -about four feet of earth, and would inevitably have died had not Captain -Clive remembered where he stood before the explosion, and directed the -men to search for him. When he was finally dug out it was found that -beyond a few bruises and the inevitable shock from the explosion he was -not hurt. He was sent back to the dressing-station, but pluckily -insisted on returning to his Company in the evening. One N.C.O. was -killed by the explosion, and eighteen men who had been buried were sent -back suffering from shock and contusions. The work of digging out these -men was much retarded by the constant rifle-fire from the enemy's -trenches, and the enemy's guns also commenced shelling the neighbourhood -of the craters, but were not accurate enough to prevent our -consolidating the position. - -These two mines wrecked the trench connecting our sap-heads and filled -in parts of the saps with debris. The Battalion received orders at once -to reoccupy the sap-heads and dig out the saps again. On the 5th -Lieutenant D. Abel-Smith was slightly wounded. - -On the 7th a draft of drummers arrived, and proved a great acquisition. -When the Battalion was in billets at Le Preol, they played "Retreat" in -the village street, much to the delight of the remaining inhabitants. On -the 10th the enemy again exploded two mines near the Sunken Road, -destroying some of their own wire, and the explosion formed a new crater -on the northern side of a crater known as "Bluff." Second Lieutenant -Hon. G. S. Bailey was killed by a bomb, and Lieutenant A. V. L. Corry -was badly wounded. The casualties from mining and bombing in addition to -those from rifle-fire and shells were very heavy while the Battalion was -at Givenchy, and the digging was most unpleasant on account of the -bodies thrown up by mine explosions. On the 12th Lieutenant E. G. -Williams was accidentally killed in the Trench Mortar School at St. -Venant, where he was undergoing a course of instruction. - -Some ten days later the following order was published: - - The Commander-in-Chief has intimated that he has read with great - interest and satisfaction the report of the mining operations and - crater fighting which have taken place in the Second Division area - during the last two months. He desires that his high appreciation of - the good work performed be conveyed to the troops, especially to the - 170th and 176th Tunnelling Companies, R.E., the 2nd Battalion - Grenadier Guards, the 1st Battalion Irish Guards, the 1st Battalion - King's Royal Rifles, 2nd Battalion South Staffordshire Regiment. - -The 4th Brigade now received orders to join the newly formed Guards -Division. - -On the 18th, before their departure, the officers of the 2nd Battalion -Grenadiers entertained General Horne, Brigadier-General Feilding, the -Commanding Officers of the other regiments in the 4th Brigade, and the -principal Staff Officers of the Second Division at dinner in the house -of Madame Richepin, who placed all her plate, china, and glass at the -disposal of the officers' mess. - -The following order was published by Major-General H. S. Horne, C.B., -commanding the Second Division: - - The 4th Guards Brigade leaves the Second Division to-morrow. The - G.O.C. speaks not only for himself but for every officer, - non-commissioned officer, and man of the Division when he expresses - sorrow that certain changes in organisation have rendered necessary - the severance of ties of comradeship commenced in peace and cemented - in war. - - For the past year by gallantry, devotion to duty, and sacrifice in - battle and in the trenches, the Brigade has maintained the high - tradition of His Majesty's Guards, and equally by thorough - performance of duties, strict discipline, and the exhibition of many - soldier-like qualities has set an example for smartness which has - tended to raise the standard and elevate the moral of all with whom - it has been associated. - - Major-General Horne parts from Brigadier-General Feilding, the - officers, non-commissioned officers, and men of the 4th Guards - Brigade with lively regret. He thanks them for their loyal support, - and he wishes them good fortune in the future. - -[Sidenote: Aug. 19.] - -On the 19th the 4th Brigade, including the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers, -left the Second Division to join the newly formed Guards Division, and -marched about ten miles to Ham-en-Artois. It was a sort of triumphal -progress, and Major-General Horne and the other two Brigadiers came to -see them off while detachments from every unit in the Division lined the -road. The Divisional Band played them as far as Lillers, and on the way -they were joined by Major-General Lord Cavan accompanied by Major -Darrell and Lieutenant Oliver Lyttelton. - -[Sidenote: Aug. 20.] - -On the 20th the Brigade proceeded to Renescure, and as it passed by the -south of Aire it marched past General Sir Douglas Haig commanding the -First Army. In the evening the following order was published by Sir -Douglas Haig: - - The 4th Guards Brigade leaves my command to-day after over a year of - active service in the field. During that time the Brigade has taken - part in military operations of the most diverse kinds and under very - varied conditions of country and weather, and throughout have - displayed the greatest fortitude, tenacity, and resolution. I desire - to place on record my high appreciation of the services rendered by - the Brigade and my grateful thanks for the devoted assistance which - one and all have given me during a year of strenuous work. - - (Signed) D. HAIG, - Commanding First Army. - -On the 21st the Brigade marched past Field-Marshal Sir John French in -the big square at St. Omer, and presented a very fine appearance. So -smart did it look that many of the onlookers were under the impression -that it had just come out from England, and one man in the crowd was -heard to say as the Grenadiers went past: "Wait till you've been in the -trenches a bit, then you won't look so clean and smart, my boys." - -In the evening the 4th Brigade received the following message: - - The Commander-in-Chief wishes to thank all ranks for the splendid - services they have rendered. He is much impressed by their - soldier-like bearing, and very much regrets that owing to pressure - of work he is unable himself to come and visit all units and speak - to them himself. - -After marching for several days the Battalion arrived at Campagne les -Boulonnais, where it joined the rest of the Guards Division, and -remained until September 22. - -On August 21 Second Lieutenant the Hon. W. A. D. Parnell, and on the -24th Second Lieutenant H. G. W. Sandeman joined the Battalion. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - FORMATION OF THE GUARDS DIVISION - - -[Sidenote: The Guards Division. Sept. 1915.] - -The creation of a Guards Division was not regarded without -misapprehension by some of the older officers of the Guards. The -reputation that had been so dearly won by the original officers, -non-commissioned officers, and men of the regiments of Guards, at the -expense of thousands of lives, might possibly be thrown away by their -successors. The flooding of the army with new recruits might produce an -entirely new stamp of man. Was the system alone good enough, were the -traditions alone strong enough, to produce the fighting man who had -hitherto, rightly or wrongly, been associated with the regiments of -Guards? At the time there was no thought of conscription, and therefore -it might be necessary to take any men who were willing to join. Would -there be a sufficient nucleus of old Guardsmen to ensure that the -traditions carefully preserved through many generations were strictly -maintained? - -The mill through which men of the Guards have to pass, however, is so -severe, and the discipline so stern, that no one need have doubted that -the new recruits would prove equal to their predecessors. - -The Guards Division was formed in September 1915, and Major-General the -Earl of Cavan, who had commanded the 4th Guards Brigade in every -engagement almost since the commencement of the war, was naturally given -the command. - -He had proved himself a great soldier, and his exceptional ability as a -commander of men had rendered him eminently fitted for this command. -Thoroughly acquainted with the methods of the enemy, he had shown -himself to be resourceful in strategy and bold of decision in action. -Upon several occasions he had extricated his Brigade from situations of -the utmost peril, and had turned a half-anticipated failure into -hard-won victory. In the darkest hour at Ypres he never lost heart: the -more hopeless the situation, the greater the opportunity for a gallant -fight and great achievement. His perfect confidence in his men was -equalled only by their whole-hearted trust in him. His appointment, -therefore, was hailed with enthusiasm by all ranks of the Brigade of -Guards. - -The Guards Division was composed as follows: - - _The 1st Guards Brigade._ Brigadier-General G. P. T. FEILDING. - - The 2nd Batt. Grenadier Guards. - The 2nd Batt. Coldstream Guards. - The 3rd Batt. Coldstream Guards. - The 1st Batt. Irish Guards. - - _The 2nd Guards Brigade._ Brigadier-General J. PONSONBY. - - The 3rd Batt. Grenadier Guards. - The 1st Batt. Coldstream Guards. - The 1st Batt. Scots Guards. - The 2nd Batt. Irish Guards. - - _The 3rd Guards Brigade._ Brigadier-General F. J. HEYWORTH. - - The 1st Batt. Grenadier Guards. - The 4th Batt. Grenadier Guards. - The 2nd Batt. Scots Guards. - The 1st Batt. Welsh Guards. - -Thus there were four battalions of Grenadier Guards, three battalions of -Coldstream Guards, two battalions of Scots Guards, two battalions of -Irish Guards, and one battalion of Welsh Guards. The 4th Battalion -Coldstream Guards formed the Divisional Pioneer Battalion. - -The Guards Division formed part of the Eleventh Corps under General -Haking, and were placed in the First Army. - - - Arrival of the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards - - -[Sidenote: 3rd Batt. 1915.] - -The 3rd Battalion Grenadiers was the only regular battalion at home. For -months it had fretted at being left behind when all the other battalions -had left, for they had a history second to none in the British Army, and -had taken part in all the great campaigns during the last two hundred -years. - -Whether it was part of that mysterious thing called the British -Constitution, or whether the idea of keeping one regular battalion in -London emanated from the brain of some timid member of the Cabinet, is -not clear, but the 3rd Battalion remained at home after all the rest of -the regular army had gone. At first it was said that two regular -battalions would have to remain behind in London, one for the King, the -other for the Houses of Parliament, but His Majesty, having at once -disposed of the idea that he needed the services of any regular -battalion, Lord Kitchener decided to retain only one battalion, and that -happened to be the 3rd Battalion Grenadiers. - -The only exceptional event during the time it remained at home that -deserves to be chronicled is the fact that for the first time in history -this Battalion found the duties in London in service dress. On the 27th -of August 1914 the King's Guard, under Captain de Crespigny, mounted for -the first time in khaki. - -Although the 3rd Battalion was unable to go as a unit, the terrible -casualties the 1st and 2nd Battalions had suffered during the first -months of the war made it very difficult to find the large draft -required, and so it happened that most of the officers and -non-commissioned officers made their way to the front in the other -battalions. - -When the Guards Division was formed it was decided to send out not only -the 3rd Battalion but also the 4th Battalion, and to form another -reserve battalion. On July 26 the Battalion paraded at Chelsea Barracks, -and Colonel Streatfeild read to them a message from Field-Marshal His -Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught, who was still Governor-General of -Canada: - - On hearing our 3rd Battalion has been placed under Orders to leave - for the front, I ask you to give them a personal message from - myself, wishing them God-speed and success, and assuring them of the - great confidence I repose in them nobly to continue their splendid - record of the past, and to assist our brave battalions at the front, - who have so gloriously maintained the traditions of the First - Regiment of Guards. May every blessing rest upon the Regiment, of - which I am so proud to be the Colonel. - - ARTHUR, - Colonel, Grenadier Guards. - -The Battalion crossed over _via_ Southampton to Havre in the steamboat -_Queen Alexandra_, accompanied by a destroyer, and curiously enough was -disembarked by one old Grenadier, Captain Sir F. E. W. Harvey-Bathurst, -Bt., and entrained by another, Major G. C. W. Heneage. It proceeded by -train to Wizernes, where it detrained, and marched into billets at -Esquerdes. On July 31 the Battalion was inspected by General Stopford, -who said it was the finest Battalion he had seen. On August 18 it took -part in a review held on the aviation ground at St. Omer, when M. -Millerand, the French War Minister, Lord Kitchener, and Sir John French -inspected those battalions of the Guards Division which had arrived. - -The 2nd Guards Brigade was complete on August 23, and was placed under -the command of Brigadier-General J. Ponsonby, as Brigadier-General -Lowther had been appointed Military Secretary to the Commander-in-Chief. -On August 26 the officers of the four battalions of Grenadier Guards -dined together at Wisques. - -During the two months spent at Esquerdes the Battalion was busily -engaged in training. Officers and non-commissioned officers went through -several courses, and were initiated into the mysteries of bombing and -the mechanism of the new Lewis gun. - -On August 30 Lieutenant A. T. A. Ritchie arrived, and on September 22 -Lieutenant Sir Robert Filmer, Bt., was appointed Brigade Transport -Officer. - - - Arrival of the 4th Battalion. - - -[Sidenote: 4th Batt. 1915.] - -It was in July that the King on the advice of the military authorities -decided to form another Battalion of Grenadier Guards, since the Reserve -Battalion had swollen to enormous proportions, in spite of the standard -of height being raised. Colonel H. Streatfeild received instructions to -this effect, and at once summoned a conference of the commanding -officers and adjutants of the two Battalions of the Regiment in London -(the 3rd and Reserve Battalions). The part of Chelsea Barracks occupied -by the School of Instruction was vacated to make room for the new -Battalion, which was to become the 4th Battalion, while the Reserve -Battalion was in future to be known as the 5th (Reserve) Battalion. - -Major G. C. Hamilton, D.S.O., was appointed Commanding Officer, and -Sergeant-Major E. Ludlow, Quartermaster. By July 16 the 4th Battalion -completed its establishment, and on the 20th proceeded to Bovingdon -Camp. Captain T. F. J. N. Thorne was appointed Adjutant, and the 3rd -Battalion lent their Sergeant-Major and Orderly-Room Sergeant to assist -the Staff of the 4th Battalion. - -[Illustration: Colonel Sir Henry Streatfeild, K.C.V.O., C.B., C.M.G. The -Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the Regiment.] - -On August 15 the 4th Battalion left Bovingdon Camp, and embarked at -Southampton for Havre. The King, through Lieut.-Colonel Wigram, sent the -following message to Colonel Streatfeild: - - His Majesty heartily congratulates the Regiment on being able to - place four Battalions in the field, thereby creating a record which - will always be cherished in the annals of the Regiment. His Majesty - desires you to tell all ranks of the 4th Battalion that they will - constantly be in the thoughts of their Colonel-in-Chief, who wishes - them every success. - -Field-Marshal His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught sent the -following message from Canada: - - My best wishes accompany the 4th Battalion on their first tour of - active service. I am confident they will do their duty and emulate - their comrades of the older battalions. - - ARTHUR, - Colonel, Grenadier Guards. - -The Battalion crossed over in the _Empress Queen_, accompanied by a -destroyer, and on arrival at Havre proceeded by train to St. Omer, where -it detrained and marched to Blendecques. There it remained until the -Guards Division was formed in September. On August 21 it was inspected -by Brigadier-General Heyworth, who expressed himself pleased with its -smart appearance. On September 17, during the inspection of the 3rd -Guards Brigade, Major-General the Earl of Cavan complimented Major -Hamilton on the way his Battalion had turned out. - - - - - CHAPTER XV - BATTLE OF LOOS, 1915 - - -[Sidenote: Sept. 1915.] - -In September General Joffre and Sir John French agreed that a determined -attempt should be made to break the strong German line. Thousands of -guns were to be massed, and after an action by which, it was hoped, the -German trenches would be destroyed, twelve infantry divisions were to be -launched upon the enemy. Then Sir Douglas Haig, with the First British -Army, would attack between La Bassée Canal and Lens, while the French -were to force their way through the lines south of Lens. - -Sir John French in his despatch thus described the character of the -front to be attacked by the British Army: - - Opposite the front of the main line of attack the distance between - the enemy's trenches and our own varied from about 100 to 500 yards. - - The country over which the advance took place is open and overgrown - with long grass and self-sown crops. - - From the canal southward our trenches and those of the enemy ran, - roughly, parallel up an almost imperceptible rise to the south-west. - - From the Vermelles--Hulluch road southward the advantage of height - is on the enemy's side as far as the Bethune--Lens road. There the - two lines of trenches cross a spur in which the rise culminates, and - thence the command lies on the side of the British trenches. - - Due east of the intersection of spur and trenches, and a short mile - away, stands Loos. Less than a mile farther south-east is Hill 70, - which is the summit of the gentle rise in the ground. - - Other notable tactical points in our front were: - - "_Fosse 8_" (a thousand yards south of Auchy), which is a coal-mine - with a high and strongly defended slag heap. - - "_The Hohenzollern Redoubt._"--A strong work thrust out nearly 500 - yards in front of the German lines and close to our own. It is - connected with their front line by three communication trenches - abutting into the defences of Fosse 8. - - _Cité St. Elie._--A strongly defended mining village lying 1500 - yards south of Haisnes. - - "_The Quarries._"--Lying half-way to the German trenches west of - Cité St. Elie. - - _Hulluch._--A village strung out along a small stream, lying less - than half a mile south-east of Cité St. Elie and 3000 yards - north-east of Loos. - - Half a mile north of Hill 70 is "_Puits 14 bis_," another coal-mine, - possessing great possibilities for defence when taken in conjunction - with a strong redoubt situated on the north-east side of Hill 70. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 25.] - -It was arranged that the First Corps, consisting of the Second, Seventh, -and Ninth Divisions, under Lieut.-General Hubert Gough, should attack -the line between La Bassée Canal and Vermelles, while the Fourth Corps -(First, Fifteenth, and Forty-seventh Divisions), under Lieut.-General -Sir H. Rawlinson, attacked from Vermelles to Grenay, the -Hulluch--Vermelles road forming the boundary between the two Corps. - -The attack began at 6.30 A.M. on September 25, after four days' -continuous bombardment by our massed guns. Gas was employed, but -unfortunately the wind was unfavourable, and it moved so slowly that it -retarded the advance. Further, the wire in some places had hardly been -touched, and consequently the Second Division was held up from the -start. Meanwhile the Ninth Division started well, and even managed to -reach the northern end of "Little Willie," but was unable to maintain -its advanced position on account of the check to the Second Division. -The Seventh Division captured the first line of the trenches and cleared -the quarries half-way between the front line and Cité St. Elie, while -the leading troops even penetrated as far as Cité St. Elie itself. - -By mid-day the First Corps had secured the whole of the German front -from the Hohenzollern Redoubt southwards and had pushed forward to the -second line at three points. But in this achievement it suffered heavy -casualties, and was left too weak to do more than hold on to the -position it had gained. - -In the Fourth Corps the First Division swept forward, carried the first -two lines of German trenches, and reached the outskirts of Hulluch, -where it waited for reinforcements, but as these did not arrive it had -to fall back on the Lens--La Bassée road. As for the Fifteenth Division, -whose objective was Cité St. Augusté, it pushed through not only to -Loos, but even over Hill 70, and the 44th Brigade in this division -actually reached the outskirts of Cité St. Laurent. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 26-27.] - -On the afternoon of the 26th the Eleventh Corps was placed at the -disposal of Sir Douglas Haig; it consisted of the Guards Division and -the Twenty-first and Twenty-fourth Divisions. The two latter were at -once hurried up into the firing line, the Twenty-first Division sending -two brigades to Loos while the Twenty-fourth went to the Lens--La Bassée -road. - -Throughout that Sunday the fighting was very severe, and it was only -with the greatest difficulty that we held on to Loos. The First Corps -was also being strongly counter-attacked, and the quarries changed hands -several times. All day the Crown Prince of Bavaria, who was in command -of the army facing the British divisions, was engaged in bringing up -reserves from other parts, and by next day he had strengthened his whole -line. The German line ran from Auchy--La Bassée over comparatively flat -country to the Vermelles--Hulluch road, where the ground became -undulating and culminated in Hill 70. - -Early on Monday the advance was renewed, but the Germans had started -counter-attacking, and a confused struggle went on, with varying -success. Several times our line gave way, only to be rallied and go -forward again. We managed to maintain our ground on the right and centre -of Hill 70, but on the extreme left the enemy pressed the line back -towards Loos. In the meantime the 64th Brigade of the Twenty-fourth -Division was being driven back and subjected to withering enfilade fire. -The line from the Chalk Pit to the northern end of Hill 70 had to be -abandoned, and Loos was thus left exposed to an attack from the -north-east. A brigade of the Third Cavalry Division was then brought up -to reinforce the hard-pressed troops who were holding Loos. - - - The Guards Division - - -The Guards Division arrived early on Sunday morning at Haillicourt, more -than ten miles off, and marched through Noeux-les-Mines and -Sailly-la-Bourse to Vermelles. For the first time since its creation the -Guards Division was to go into action, and naturally, after the fame -individual battalions had won in the earlier part of the war, a great -deal was expected of it. All the troops were cheered by the news that -the Division had arrived and was going in, but the situation had altered -a good deal since the attack was first launched. All element of surprise -had disappeared, and the Germans had had time to recover from the -effects of the first blow and to collect reinforcements. It is doubtful -whether the Guards Division ever had any real chance of succeeding in -its attack. It had to start from old German trenches, the range of which -the German artillery knew to an inch, while the effect of our own -original artillery bombardment had died away. - -However, there was no alternative but to put in the Guards Division and -try and regain as much of the lost ground as possible. Major-General -Lord Cavan sent round on the 25th a stirring message to the men, -reminding them that great things were expected of the Division, and they -were full of confidence as they went into action. - -The easiest task fell to the lot of the 1st Guards Brigade, under -Brigadier-General Feilding, on the left. It was to advance in the -direction of the Bois Hugo and straighten the line, so that it would run -parallel to the Lens--La Bassée road. The 2nd Brigade, under -Brigadier-General Ponsonby, was to take and hold the Chalk Pit and Puits -14 bis, and the 3rd Brigade, under Brigadier-General Heyworth, to -advance against Hill 70. But to a large extent the movements of the 1st -and 3rd Brigades depended on the success of the attack of the 2nd -Brigade. - -Accomplishing their work at once, Feilding's Brigade secured a good -position on the ground over which the Twenty-fourth Division had -retired. General Feilding, who understood that he was to assist the -other brigades by fire as far as possible, at once collected as many -smoke-bombs and smoke-candles as he could, and at zero hour formed a -most effective smoke-screen, which drew off the fire of a great many -German guns from the other attackers. - -Success at first also attended the attack of Ponsonby's Brigade. It took -the Chalk Pit and Puits 14 bis, but then a tremendous fire from -machine-guns in Bois Hugo swept it down, and it was unable to keep its -hold on these positions. This made it very difficult for the other -brigades to move forward. But on learning that Ponsonby's Brigade was -fighting furiously for the possession of the Chalk Pit, Lord Cavan -decided that the only way to relieve the strain on them was to order -Heyworth's Brigade to advance. It did so, and this course proved -successful in enabling Ponsonby's Brigade to retain possession of the -Chalk Pit. Going forward, Heyworth's Brigade took Hill 70, but it too -found it impossible to keep what it had won. The enemy's trenches were -marked on the map as being on the crest of the hill, but in reality they -were on the reverse slope, and had never been touched by shell-fire. - -The net result of the attack of the Guards Division was the -establishment of the British front along a line running, roughly, -northward from the south-eastern end of Loos and parallel to the -Lens--La Bassée road. Another attempt to gain Puits 14 was made by the -1st Battalion Coldstream on the 28th, but was no more successful than -the first. As before, a small party reached the Puits, but was driven -out again by enfilade fire. - -Measured by the length of the advance made during the battle and the -extent of ground taken from the enemy, the results of the battle of Loos -would seem distinctly disappointing, more especially when the casualty -list of 45,000 men is considered. But to estimate these operations in -terms of geography is a mistake. The smallness of the theatre of -operations and the comparatively narrow depth of our advance give a -totally misleading impression of the success of the battle. It is -obviously more valuable to put out of action 50,000 Germans and gain -half a mile than to gain five miles and only inflict a loss of 10,000. -When it is realised that we drove the enemy from positions which they -considered impregnable to the assaults of modern weapons, that their -casualties must have been as heavy as, if not heavier than, our own, and -that we took 3000 prisoners (including 50 officers), 26 field-guns, and -40 machine-guns,--it will be seen that Lord Kitchener's description of -the battle as a substantial success was not very far wide of the mark. - - - The 2nd Battalion - - -The following were the officers of the 2nd Battalion Grenadier Guards -who took part in the battle: - - Lieut.-Colonel G. D. Jeffreys, Commanding Officer. - Major Lord Henry Seymour, Second in Command. - Capt. the Hon. W. R. Bailey, Adjutant. - Lieut. W. E. Acraman, Quartermaster. - Lieut. D. Abel-Smith, Machine-gun Officer. - 2nd Lieut. the Hon. A. V. Agar-Robartes, Machine-gun Officer. - Lieut. A. K. S. Cunninghame (Transport Officer), No. 1 Company. - Lieut. J. N. Buchanan, No. 1 Company. - Lieut. E. W. M. Grigg, No. 1 Company. - 2nd Lieut. L. St. L. Hermon Hodge, No. 1 Company. - 2nd Lieut. H. G. W. Sandeman, No. 1 Company. - Capt. A. F. R. Wiggins, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. F. O. S. Sitwell, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. E. H. Noble, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. H. A. Clive, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. H. F. C. Crookshank, No. 2 Company. - Capt. R. H. V. Cavendish, M.V.O., No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. W. H. Beaumont-Nesbitt, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. I. H. Ingleby, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieutenant the Hon. B. B. Ponsonby, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. E. R. M. Fryer, No. 3 Company. - Capt. A. de P. Kingsmill, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieutenant the Hon. W. A. D. Parnell, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. M. A. Knatchbull-Hugessen, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. Crosland, No. 4 Company. - Capt. E. A. Aldridge, R.A.M.C., Medical Officer. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 26.] - -The 1st Guards Brigade, under Brigadier-General Feilding, reached -Vermelles early on the Sunday morning, and at 1 P.M. on the same day it -was ordered forward to the old British trenches near Le Rutoire, where -the two Coldstream battalions were placed in the firing line, and the -2nd Battalion Grenadiers and 1st Battalion Irish Guards in support. The -orders General Feilding received from Major-General Lord Cavan were to -advance and hold a line running parallel to the Lens--La Bassée road. -The two Coldstream battalions found no difficulty in doing this, and -having straightened the line, they occupied what had formerly been the -German first-line trench. - -The 2nd Battalion Grenadiers was not brought into action, as the 1st -Guards Brigade could not advance until the Germans had been driven from -the Chalk Pit Wood and Puits 14. The enemy, however, shelled the reserve -trenches intermittently, and caused a few casualties. Second Lieutenant -C. Crosland and five N.C.O.'s and men were wounded. - -[Illustration: Battle of Loos. September 26, 1915.] - -[Sidenote: Sept. 27.] - -On the 27th the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers was ordered to move up to the -old German first-line trenches, which it did about 9 P.M., eventually -settling down in the new position about midnight. No. 3 and No. 4 -Companies were placed in the old German second line, while the Battalion -Headquarters and No. 1 and No. 2 Companies were in rear of the old -German first line. Two men were killed and five wounded during this -operation. - -In this position it remained until the 30th, when it was relieved by the -9th Battalion Royal Fusiliers, and retired to billets at Mazingarbe. - - - The 3rd Battalion - - -The 2nd Guards Brigade reached Vermelles about 7 P.M. on Saturday, -September 25, having marched _via_ Ligny-les-Aire, Burbure, and Houchin. -The officers of the 3rd Battalion Grenadiers were: - - Colonel N. A. L. Corry, D.S.O., Commanding Officer. - Major G. F. Molyneux-Montgomerie, Second in Command. - Lieut. G. G. B. Nugent, Adjutant. - Lieut. G. H. Wall, Quartermaster. - Capt. G. N. Vivian, No. 1 Company. - Lieut. G. G. Gunnis, No. 1 Company. - Lieut. E. H. J. Wynne (Transport Officer), No. 1 Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. T. E. Crabbe, No. 1 Company. - 2nd Lieut. A. T. Ayres Ritchie, No. 1 Company. - Capt. C. F. A. Walker, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. C. S. Rowley, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. A. Anson, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. F. D. Lycett-Green, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. R. Williams (Machine-gun Officer), No. 2 Company. - Lieutenant the Hon. F. O. H. Eaton, No. 3 Company. - Lieut. G. P. Bowes Lyon, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieutenant the Hon. A. G. Agar-Robartes, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. H. D. Vernon, No. 3 Company. - Capt. E. G. H. Powell, No. 4 Company. - Capt. W. R. C. Murray (Bombing Officer), No. 4 Company. - Lieut. C. M. C. Dowling, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. G. F. R. Hirst, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. F. Anson, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. T. C. Higginson, No. 4 Company. - - _Attached_--Lieut. A. T. Logan, R.A.M.C. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 25.] - -It was bitterly cold on the night of the 25th, which was spent by the -3rd Battalion Grenadiers in the old British front trench north-west of -Loos. Some of the platoons got into an old remnant of a trench, and some -had to lie down outside. So chilly was it that sleep was difficult, and -the men had constantly to get up and run about to warm themselves, and -then try to snatch a little more rest. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 26.] - -At 3.30 next morning the 3rd Battalion started off in the direction of -Loos. At first it marched in fours, but on coming into the shell area -assumed artillery formation, and went across the open. While ascending -the slope it was not fired upon, but when it came down the hill towards -Loos shrapnel burst all round it. When the Battalion arrived at the -bottom of the hill, which it lost no time in doing, it relieved the -Scots Guards, and got into what had formerly been the German third-line -trenches. Both officers and men were filled with admiration at the -intricate dug-outs they found, twenty to thirty feet down in the chalk; -evidently great trouble had been expended on this part of the line, and -the German officers had been accustomed to live almost in luxury. - -As soon as the 3rd Battalion reached the trench, it was ordered to dig -communication trenches and repair the parapet. Soon the men were soaked -to the skin by pouring rain, and an icy cold wind added to their -discomfort, as they had no prospect that night of getting either dry or -warm. - -Colonel Corry, being the senior Commanding Officer of the Brigade, was -sent to serve temporarily on the Divisional Staff, so that he might be -able to assume command of the Brigade in the event of the Brigadier -being killed. The command of the 3rd Battalion Grenadiers therefore -devolved on Major Molyneux-Montgomerie. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 27.] - -Next day this was the position. The 3rd Battalion Grenadiers was still -in the line of trenches in front of Le Rutoire farm, with its right on -the Loos Redoubt. In front of it was the 1st Battalion Scots Guards, -with its right on the village of Loos. The 2nd Battalion Irish Guards -was on the left of the Scots Guards, with the 1st Battalion Coldstream -in support. At 2 P.M. Brigadier-General J. Ponsonby collected the -commanding officers near the Loos Redoubt, and informed them that an -attack was to be made that evening on Chalk Pit Wood by the 2nd -Battalion Irish Guards, supported by the 1st Battalion Coldstream, and -on Puits 14 (a large colliery) by the 1st Battalion Scots Guards, -supported by the 3rd Battalion Grenadiers. A heavy bombardment was to -start at 3 P.M. The Irish Guards were to advance at 4 P.M., but the -Scots Guards were to wait until the wood was captured before they began -their assault on the Puits. The enemy was known to be strongly -entrenched along Hill 70 to Puits 14. - -Instructions were given for the 3rd Battalion Grenadiers to follow the -1st Battalion Scots Guards and occupy its trench as soon as it was -quitted. Major Montgomerie, now in command of the Battalion, immediately -went forward with Captain Powell to find a way down the old German -communication trenches between the Scots Guards' and Grenadiers' lines. -On his return he sent orders to all company commanders to come to the -right of the Battalion line near the Loos Redoubt, and there explained -the situation. He ordered them to go back and bring their companies one -after another to the communication trench he had found. - -This operation necessarily took a long time, and the whole Battalion -began to file down through a maze of communication trenches towards the -line held by the Scots Guards. The intervening ground was being -searchingly shelled, but at 4 P.M. the Grenadiers reached the trench -from which the Scots Guards were to advance. This trench had become much -broken down during the last days' fighting, and there were many wounded -lying about, some of whom had been there for two days. When he arrived -Major Montgomerie found that the attack had already begun, and that the -Scots Guards were well away over the open, making for Puits 14. He -therefore ordered No. 1 and No. 2 Companies, as they emerged from the -communication trenches, to follow on at once in support of the Scots -Guards. No. 3 and No. 4 Companies, under Lieutenant Eaton and Captain -Powell, were kept in reserve under the immediate orders of the -Brigadier, who had now established his headquarters in that trench. - -The Irish Guards, supported by the Coldstream, succeeded in gaining -Chalk Pit Wood, but the Scots Guards had a more difficult task with -Puits 14. After they had passed the Hulluch--Loos road they were not -only shelled, but came in for heavy machine-gun fire from Hill 70 and -Bois Hugo. The fire came almost entirely from the right flank. The two -Grenadier companies under Captain Vivian and Captain Walker pushed on -under terrific shell-fire, and came up with the Scots Guards just -outside Puits 14, stubbornly defended by the Germans. Regardless of the -machine-guns which were mowing down our men, the Scots Guards and two -companies of Grenadiers pressed on, and endeavoured to reach Puits 14, -but very few of the Scots Guards and not more than a dozen Grenadiers, -under Lieutenant Ritchie, actually got into the Puits, where they threw -bombs into a house occupied by the enemy. - -But the enemy had not occupied this position for a year without thinking -out every possible event, and machine-guns were soon turned on the -attackers from every direction. Finding it impossible to retain -possession of the Puits, the Scots Guards retired with the two companies -of Grenadiers to just in front of Chalk Pit Wood, making it equally -impossible for the enemy to hold his position. Lieutenant Ritchie and -Second Lieutenant Crabbe, not knowing of this retirement, remained with -six men among the buildings in the Puits, until they found themselves -almost surrounded by Germans who had come from the Bois Hugo. At first -they tried to drive the enemy back, but, finding themselves outnumbered -and in danger of being captured, they decided to retire. The majority of -the party got back to Chalk Pit Wood, but Second Lieutenant Crabbe was -last seen standing on a wall throwing bombs at the enemy when he was -killed. Captain Vivian, Lieutenant Ritchie, Lieutenant Dowling, and -Lieutenant Lycett-Green were wounded. The last afterwards had his leg -amputated. Lieutenant Rowley, also wounded, was too badly hurt to be -moved, and so was left behind and taken prisoner. Lieutenant Ritchie, -finding himself alone and wounded, walked slowly back to Chalk Pit Wood, -where he collected all the men he could, and told them to dig themselves -in for the night. He then came back and reported to General Ponsonby the -result of the attack. Captain Walker was left behind in the retirement, -but was able to get back after dark. - -Lieutenant Ritchie, who commanded No. 1 Company after Captain Vivian was -wounded, was specially recommended for "exceptional courage and -ability." In spite of his injuries he continued to fight on with his -company for six hours, and even when the retirement was ordered he made -a valuable reconnaissance. Captain Walker was also specially mentioned -for the splendid way he led his company into action. - -Meanwhile the Irish and Coldstream Guards on the left had established -themselves in the Chalk Pit and adjoining wood, where they dug -themselves in. - -When darkness fell, Brigadier-General Ponsonby ordered another -company from the Grenadiers to support the Scots Guards. Major -Molyneux-Montgomerie, on receiving the order, went out with -Lieutenant Ritchie to find the exact position of the two companies, -and having done this he sent back a guide to bring up another -company. No. 4, under Lieutenant Hirst, started off, but was held up -by machine-gun fire, and it was two hours before it was able to -reach the other two companies, who had suffered very much during the -attack. The 3rd Battalion Grenadiers was now prolonging the line of -the Scots Guards to the right, and holding from the south-west -corner of Chalk Pit Wood to the corner of Loos, facing Puits 14. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 28.] - -The positions remained unchanged during the night and following morning, -with shelling at intervals by the enemy, who knew the range of the -trench precisely. In the afternoon the 1st Battalion Coldstream made a -very gallant attempt to take Puits 14 from the Chalk Pit, but the attack -failed. During the night two platoons of No. 3, under Lieutenant Eaton, -were sent to make a line across the Loos--Hulluch road facing north, and -to establish communication with the 1st Battalion Coldstream towards the -Chalk Pit. Lieutenant F. Anson in No. 4 was wounded early that morning, -and Captain Murray, in charge of the 3rd Battalion bombers, was very -severely wounded while making a plucky raid on the Puits buildings. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 29-30.] - -Until the night of the 30th the Battalion remained in the same trenches. -It was very wet and cold, and the constant shelling greatly interfered -with the work of bringing up supplies. The remnant of No. 2 Company, -under Captain Walker, was moved to the left, and was used, together with -No. 3 Company, to continue the line facing north, thus completing the -junction between the 2nd and 1st Guards Brigades. - -When the Brigade was relieved on the night of the 30th, the Berkshire -Regiment came up to take the place of the Grenadiers. The relief did not -finish till past 2 A.M., when the Battalion, much exhausted after its -three days' fighting, marched slowly back through Noyelles and -Sailly-la-Bourse to Verquigneul, which was reached about 6 A.M. - -Among the officers the casualties were: Second Lieutenant Crabbe, -killed; Captain Vivian, Captain Murray, Lieutenant Ritchie, Lieutenant -Lycett-Green, Lieutenant F. Anson, and Lieutenant Dowling, wounded; -Lieutenant Rowley, missing. The total casualties--killed, wounded, and -missing-amounted to 229. - -The following message was sent from the Brigadier to Colonel Corry: - - To the Commanding Officer 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards. - - I wish to express to the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards my - appreciation and admiration at their steady advance under very - deadly fire to the attack on September 27. Lord Cavan, commanding - the Guards Division, a former Grenadier Guardsman, has expressed to - me the sincere pride with which he watched his old regiment advance - to the assault. - - J. PONSONBY, Brigadier-General, - Commanding the 2nd Guards Brigade. - - - The 4th Battalion. - - -[Sidenote: Sept. 26.] - -The 3rd Guards Brigade, under Brigadier-General Heyworth, marched _via_ -Lambres, Lières, and Marles-les-Mines to Haillicourt, where it arrived -on Sunday morning the 26th. At Marles-les-Mines it had to halt for six -hours to allow a cavalry corps to pass, and as the men never knew when -their turn would come to advance, they had to sit down on a muddy road -and wait. The battalions were crowded into billets for a short time at -Haillicourt, where the violent bombardment of the French attack at -Souchez could be distinctly heard. In the afternoon the Brigade moved -off, and marched to Vermelles, where it remained for the night. - -The officers of the 4th Battalion Grenadier Guards were: - - Lieut.-Colonel G. C. Hamilton, D.S.O., Commanding Officer. - Major the Hon. C. M. B. Ponsonby, M.V.O., Second in Command. - Capt. T. F. J. N. Thorne, Adjutant. - Lieut. M. G. Williams, Machine-gun Officer. - Lieut. C. E. M. Ellison, Machine-gun Officer. - 2nd Lieut. E. Ludlow, Quartermaster. - Capt. J. A. Morrison, No. 1 Company. - Lieut. G. E. Shelley, No. 1 Company. - 2nd Lieut. G. A. Ponsonby, No. 1 Company. - Captain Sir G. Houstoun-Boswall, Bart., No. 2 Company. - Lieut. E. F. Penn, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. P. Malcolm, No. 2 Company. - Capt. E. D. Ridley, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. M. A. T. Ridley, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. A. H. Tompson, No. 3 Company. - Capt. H. L. Aubrey Fletcher, M.V.O., No. 4 Company. - Lieut. E. R. D. Hoare, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. B. C. Layton, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. M. H. Macmillan, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. E. Brunton, R.A.M.C., Medical Officer. - -Lieutenant Blundell, Lieutenant Britten, Lieutenant R. Leigh Pemberton, -and Lieutenant Tennant were left at Vermelles with the transport. - -On the 27th Brigadier-General Heyworth received orders to attack Hill -70. The movements of the 3rd Guards Brigade more or less depended on the -success of the 2nd Brigade. Originally it had been decided not to go -through Loos, but to leave it on the right and to rendezvous close in -rear of the Loos--Hulluch road, but these orders were afterwards -cancelled. - -Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton explained to the company officers the -general plan of attack, with some more detailed particulars about the -part the 4th Battalion was to play, but on being ordered at once to -accompany General Heyworth, who was going into Loos, he handed the -command of the Battalion to Major Ponsonby, and told him to bring it to -a position of deployment in Loos, where he himself would meet them. At -the same time Captain Aubrey Fletcher was sent forward to reconnoitre -the best route into Loos, and Lieutenant Blundell was ordered to bring -up the Brigade S.A.A. and tool limbers to Fort Galatz. - -At 2.30 the 4th Battalion moved off in fours down the Vermelles--Douai -road, with No. 1 Company, under Captain Morrison, leading, and on -reaching the top of the ridge assumed artillery formation. The order of -march was: 4th Battalion Grenadiers, Welsh Guards, 2nd Battalion Scots -Guards, and 1st Battalion Grenadiers. For one and a half miles, under -heavy artillery fire--not shrapnel, but percussion H.E.--and in full -view of the Germans, the 3rd Guards Brigade advanced in artillery -formation. Perfect order was maintained in spite of the shells, which -burst all round, and there was not a man out of his place. Nothing more -splendid has ever been recorded in the annals of the Guards than the -manner in which every battalion in the Brigade faced this trying ordeal. -The 4th Battalion Grenadiers was all the time under machine-gun fire -from the right, and during this stage of the attack Lieutenant Hoare was -wounded. - -On nearing Loos the 4th Battalion Grenadiers was ordered to double down -the slope and get into a trench which ran through some ruined houses. -The German artillery was now directing its attention to Loos, and using -a great many gas shells. Major Ponsonby, guided by Captain Aubrey -Fletcher, led the Battalion down an old German communication trench -immediately north of Fort Galatz. It had already gone some distance -along the trench when General Heyworth arrived at full gallop down the -road, and ordered Captain Ridley and the men in rear of him who had not -yet entered the communication trench to follow him at once. It would -seem that the Battalion had either advanced too far or was going in the -wrong direction. In any case from that moment it was divided into two -parts. - -Captain E. Ridley took with him Nos. 6, 7, and 8 platoons from No. 2 -Company under Captain Sir George Houstoun-Boswall, No. 10 platoon from -No. 3 Company under Lieutenant M. Ridley, with a few men from No. 4 -Company, and worked down a trench towards the outskirts of Loos. Here -they were again met by General Heyworth, who told them to go through the -town and await Lieut.-Colonel Hamilton. Passing through the ruins at a -rapid pace, Captain Ridley and his party reached the corner of the -church which was being heavily shelled. The noise was deafening; shells -were bursting in every direction and houses were falling in. The enemy's -snipers were shooting at every place which might shelter a man. Through -this hideous pandemonium the platoons came, not yet taking any part in -the battle, but simply on their way to the place from which the attack -was to start. - -It was then found that Lieut.-Colonel Hamilton had been gassed and so -placed _hors de combat_. Captain E. Ridley was told to take his platoons -to the south-east corner of the town, but at that moment Major Ponsonby, -accompanied by the Adjutant, Captain Thorne, and also Captain Fletcher, -arrived and guided them to their destination. Major Ponsonby had been -hastily sent for and told by the Brigadier to take command of the -Battalion in Colonel Hamilton's place. Finding the Battalion split in -two, he at once sent back for what really was the main portion, but the -orderly who took the message was killed, and the order never reached -Captain Morrison. Meanwhile the men were placed in a shallow trench just -outside the town and facing Hill 70. - -Here they were joined by Lieutenant M. Williams and Second Lieutenant -Ellison with the machine-guns, who had made their way across country -while the limbers went by road. Corporal C. Gould, who brought up the -limbers under continual shell-fire, met on the way a runaway horse -racing down the road at full gallop with a bomber's wagon behind him, -fully loaded with bombs. The driver had been killed, and the horse, -terrified by the shells, was making for home. Corporal Gould succeeded -in stopping the horse, and put one of his men on the wagon. On arrival -at Loos the machine-guns were carried on by hand. - -The Welsh Guards now came up under Lieut.-Colonel Murray Threipland, who -said that General Heyworth wished the attack to begin at once. Major -Ponsonby, however, realised that to attempt an attack with the small -force at his disposal was merely to court failure, and sent back word to -General Heyworth stating what had happened to his battalion, and adding -that he hardly considered the few platoons under his command sufficient -to carry out the attack with any prospect of success. Messages, however, -take some time to deliver, and every moment might be precious. He -therefore consulted Colonel Murray Threipland, who undertook the attack, -giving him instructions to join in on the left. - -The firing line was composed of the Prince of Wales's Company of the -Welsh Guards on the right, and Nos. 6 and 7 platoons of the 4th -Battalion Grenadiers, under Sir George Houstoun-Boswall, on the left. -Nos. 2 and 3 Companies of the Welsh Guards and Nos. 8 and 10 platoons of -the Grenadiers were in support, while Colonel Murray Threipland kept his -4th Company as a reserve, and to it were added the remaining Grenadiers, -including the men of the Battalion Headquarters. As soon as the men were -formed up Major Ponsonby decided to take command himself, and sent -Captain Ridley back to find the remainder of the Battalion. - -Colonel Murray Threipland sent a message to General Heyworth to warn him -that the attack had been launched, but the news had just arrived that -the 2nd Guards Brigade had been unable to retain their hold on Puits 14. -At this General Heyworth appears at first to have contemplated -cancelling the attack, but on receiving orders from Lord Cavan to -relieve the pressure on the 2nd Brigade by launching the attack on Hill -70, he destroyed the cancelling order. - -So the attack started. Steadily the 4th Battalion Grenadiers and 1st -Battalion Welsh Guards advanced towards Hill 70. At first they met -nothing but rifle-fire, but on reaching the crest of the hill they were -greeted by a murderous machine-gun fire, which caused great havoc among -the front line. Staggered for a moment, the men hesitated, but Major -Ponsonby urged them on, and they got to within twenty-five yards of the -German trenches. There had been no attempt at any surprise in this -attack, which was not supported by artillery, although the cavalry -machine-guns rendered all assistance they could. The enemy's -machine-guns were cleverly placed and were most effective, especially in -the neighbourhood of Puits 14 bis, which was now again in the hands of -the Germans. - -Explicit orders had been given by General Heyworth to the commanding -officers on no account to advance over the crest of the hill; when a -line on the reverse slope of the hill had been occupied it was to be -consolidated. Owing to Lieut.-Colonel Hamilton having been gassed, the -Grenadiers knew nothing of this order, and pushed on, while the Welsh -Guards remained just under the crest of the hill. But the Grenadiers' -position was quite untenable on account of the machine-guns which were -enfilading them, and they withdrew to behind the crest. - -Darkness now came down, and the exact position of the front line was not -clear to those in rear. It was known that Hill 70 had been taken, and -that somewhere on this hill were the Welsh Guards and a portion of the -Grenadiers, with isolated parties in front of them. The 2nd Battalion -Scots Guards, under Colonel Cator, was being sent up to relieve the -front line, while the 1st Battalion Grenadiers remained in reserve in -Loos. - -During the last part of the advance Major Myles Ponsonby was hit while -advancing with his men. Captain Thorne, the Adjutant, remained with him, -although they were only twenty-five yards from the Germans, tied up his -wounds, and, seeing how badly he was wounded, gave him morphia tablets. -Early next morning Major Ponsonby died. No more glorious end could have -been than his. He died, as Lord Cavan afterwards put it in a private -letter, a great and lion-hearted Grenadier fighting to the last, within -a few yards of the Germans. - -Captain Thorne was himself wounded in the head, and after leaving Major -Ponsonby he tried to get back when it was dark. On the way he came upon -two drummers who had been acting as orderlies; one had been killed and -the other wounded through the leg. Knowing that if he left the boy where -he was, he would probably be killed, he determined to carry him back. He -put him on his shoulders and started off, but must have made some noise, -for the Germans at once put up a flare and fired at him with -machine-guns. He fell forward at once with the drummer--both killed. - -Captain Sir George Houstoun-Boswall, who was in command of the first -line of Grenadiers during this attack, behaved with great gallantry, and -was killed as they were nearing the German trenches. Captain Fletcher -was badly wounded earlier in the attack, as was Lieutenant M. Ridley: -thus all the officers who took part in the attack were either killed or -wounded. - -When the attack started Lieutenant Mervyn Williams was ordered by Major -Ponsonby to follow with his machine-guns in case of a counter-attack, -and to leave Lieutenant Ellison behind in Loos with the reserve guns. -The machine-gun party therefore followed on till it got to the top of -Hill 70, where a large number of Grenadiers who had been killed were -found. Crawling on, the men suddenly realised that they had gone too far -and that there were Germans firing behind them, so they wheeled round, -and came across Captain W. Berkley with some Welsh Guards and a small -number of Grenadiers under Lieutenant M. Ridley, who was badly wounded. -The fire was very heavy and there seemed no prospect of being able to -advance. Uncertain where the remainder of the force was, the party -hesitated to fire for fear of killing its own men. It was pouring with -rain, and as darkness came on Lieutenant Williams decided to dig in -where he was on Hill 70. - -It is necessary now to return and follow the movements of the other half -of the Battalion. It was moving down the German communication trench -quite unconscious that General Heyworth had diverted the two last -companies to Loos. When Captain Morrison arrived at the spot appointed -as a rendezvous, he waited. The attack had clearly begun, as the -shelling was very violent, but no orders of any sort came to him, nor -did he know what had become of Major Ponsonby, Captain Fletcher, and -Captain Thorne, any one of whom might have been able to explain to him -the situation. He accordingly sent off an orderly to the Brigade -Headquarters asking for instructions. But it was far from easy to find -the Brigadier in the middle of a battle, and as the first orderly did -not return he sent a second, and repeated this process until four -orderlies had gone. He had with him No. 1 Company (his own), one platoon -of No. 2 Company under Lieutenant Penn, two platoons of No. 3 Company -under Lieutenant Tompson, and the greater part of No. 4 Company under -Second Lieutenant Layton and Second Lieutenant Macmillan. - -As no orders came, he formed up the men and determined to take part in -the fighting. He had been told that the 3rd Guards Brigade were to -attack Hill 70, and that the 4th Battalion Grenadiers were to form part -of the attacking force. It was clearly wrong, therefore, for these -companies to be doing nothing. But he could see no sign of the rest of -his battalion, and efforts to obtain instructions had proved fruitless. -At this moment he observed the 2nd Brigade attacking Puits 14, and -thereupon decided to take on himself the responsibility of joining in, -feeling sure that if he was wanted by the 3rd Brigade to attack Hill 70 -he would be in the best position to assist them; rather than remain -inactive he thought it best to throw his forces in anywhere. - -Captain Morrison's men now extended for attack, and came up on the right -of the 1st Battalion Scots Guards just as they were attacking Puits 14. -The ground in this part of the line was being fiercely contested, and -they found themselves under very severe machine-gun fire. When the Scots -Guards retired from Puits 14, this portion of the 4th Battalion -Grenadiers found themselves completely isolated. They lay down where -they were under heavy fire, and when it was realised that the 2nd Guards -Brigade could make no farther advance, Captain Morrison gave his men -orders to crawl back and dig themselves in on the Hulluch--Loos road. -During this movement Second Lieutenant Macmillan was wounded in the -head. Captain Morrison then went back and reported his position to -General Heyworth, who told him to go up with the 2nd Battalion Scots -Guards, under Colonel Cator, and dig in a line on Hill 70. - -That evening the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards was sent up to relieve the -4th Battalion Grenadiers, but fifty men of No. 3 Company, who had -originally formed part of the attacking force and were now without an -officer, finding how thinly this line was held, insisted on staying -where they were in order to strengthen the line. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 28.] - -Early in the morning the 4th Battalion went to the Loos--Hulluch road, -and remained there till the night of the 29th, but it was found that -there were still the fifty men of the Battalion already mentioned on -Hill 70, in addition to some thirty who had joined the 3rd Battalion in -the 2nd Brigade. The machine-gun section, under Lieutenant Williams, -also remained out on Hill 70, hoping that the attack would be renewed, -when it could join in. Some Engineers had got out to them and erected -barbed-wire entanglements partially across their front. Wounded men were -continually crawling back to this little oasis in the desert of -shell-holes. Painfully and slowly, inch by inch, these maimed men would -arrive, often being sniped by the enemy. It was such an exposed spot -that, beyond helping them into the shallow trench, the men in this party -could do little. - -About 8.30 that night Lieutenant Williams+ saw a party of Germans crawl -out and advance toward some of our wounded who were unable to move. They -appeared to be quite unaware of the handful of men in this trench. -Feeling sure they intended to take the wounded prisoners, when their -injuries would, no doubt, be dressed, he gave orders that no one was to -fire. The Germans crept on slowly, but on reaching the wounded, to -Lieutenant Williams' horror, they proceeded to bayonet them. It was -hardly necessary for Lieutenant Williams to give the order to fire, as -the men with the machine-guns had seen this dastardly act, and the two -machine-guns soon wiped out the whole party of Germans. Our wounded men -were finally rescued by the Scots Guards when they came up, and -Lieutenant Williams retired with the machine-guns to Loos. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 29.] - -Meanwhile, Captain Morrison had succeeded in collecting the men who had -been scattered in various parts of the line. They had all joined in the -attack somewhere, although they received no instructions to do so. That -night the Battalion marched back to Vermelles, and went into billets. - -The casualties among the officers were: Lieut.-Colonel G. Hamilton and -Lieutenant Shelley, gassed; Major the Hon. M. Ponsonby, Captain Thorne, -Captain Sir George Houstoun-Boswall, Second Lieutenant A. Tompson, -killed; Captain Aubrey Fletcher, Lieutenant P. Malcolm, Second -Lieutenant M. Ridley, Lieutenant E. R. D. Hoare, Second Lieutenant -Macmillan, wounded. The total casualties in other ranks amounted to 342. - - - The 1st Battalion - - -The officers of the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards at this time were: - - Lieut.-Colonel G. F. Trotter, M.V.O., D.S.O., Commanding Officer. - Major C. R. C. de Crespigny, Second in Command. - Lieut. E. H. Duberly, Adjutant. - 2nd Lieut. P. K. Stephenson, Machine-gun Officer. - Capt. M. E. Makgill-Crichton-Maitland, King's Company. - Lieutenant Sir A. L. M. Napier, Bt., King's Company. - Lieutenant Lord Stanley, King's Company. - 2nd Lieut. G. J. T. H. Villiers, King's Company. - 2nd Lieut. A. G. Bonham-Carter, King's Company. - Capt. F. L. V. Swaine, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. R. P. le P. Trench, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. F. E. H. Paget, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. Leeke, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieutenant the Hon. I. A. Charteris, No. 2 Company. - Major W. E. Nicol, D.S.O., No. 3 Company. - Lieut. O. Wakeman, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. E. Heneage, No. 3 Company. - Capt. W. S. Pilcher, No. 4 Company. - Lieutenant Viscount Lascelles, No. 4 Company. - Lieutenant the Earl of Dalkeith, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. A. A. Moller, No. 4 Company. - Capt. G. Petit, R.A.M.C., Medical Officer. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 26-27.] - -The 1st Battalion reached Vermelles on the Sunday with the rest of the -3rd Guards Brigade. On Monday it advanced towards Loos, and was placed -in reserve, which meant being heavily shelled, without taking any active -part in the fighting. It received orders to occupy the old German -second-line trench on the outskirts of Loos, and Lieut.-Colonel G. -Trotter left it there under Major de Crespigny while he went forward to -Brigade Headquarters. The advance of the 3rd Guards Brigade into Loos -under heavy shell-fire already referred to was described afterwards by a -General as one of the most splendid and inspiring sights he had ever -seen. - -Major de Crespigny led the 1st Battalion to an old German trench just -outside Loos, and ordered the men to put on gas helmets. Lieut.-Colonel -Trotter, having been told to keep his battalion well under cover and to -wait for further orders, returned to find that they had already carried -out these instructions. The attack by the 4th Battalion Grenadiers and -Welsh Guards started, but when General Heyworth found they could not -capture and hold Hill 70 he decided to take up a line a little short of -the crest of the hill and not to throw in the reserves. The 1st -Battalion Grenadiers therefore remained just outside Loos, and in the -evening sent up digging parties to assist the Royal Engineers. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 28.] - -All next day the 1st Battalion Grenadiers remained in this trench, where -it was heavily shelled. The Germans of course knew the exact range of -this trench, and were able to hit it with monotonous regularity, but the -dug-outs were so craftily constructed that little damage was done. The -danger lay in entering and coming out of these caves, and a certain -number of men were killed in this way. All night digging parties were -sent out to work on the lines in front. Marching in the dark through -Loos was a hazardous proceeding, as the roads were a mass of shell-holes -into which men frequently fell, and since the parties had to work in the -open with the German trenches not very far off, their task was a -perilous one. Flares were sent up, and if a man moved the Germans -started firing at once. Nevertheless the Battalion got through a great -deal of work, and barbed wire and sand-bags were taken up to the Scots -Guards, who were now holding the line on Hill 70. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 29.] - -The 1st Battalion stayed in the same trenches next day, but the front -line was by no means straight. This enabled the Germans to bring up a -field-gun, with which they enfiladed the whole trench. When the shells -first arrived down the trench from no one knew where, there were a great -many men outside the dug-outs, and consequently many casualties. Major -W. E. Nicol was hit in the head by a fragment of a shell, and died soon -afterwards; Second Lieutenant Villiers had his jaw broken in two places, -and Lieutenant Sir A. Napier was wounded in the thigh. The total -casualties among other ranks were 45. - -[Sidenote: Sept. 30.] - -On the 30th the Battalion was relieved by a battalion of the 37th -Brigade, and retired into billets at Sailly-la-Bourse. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER 1915 - - - Diary of the War - - -The marshy condition of the ground and the bad weather made operations -on any large scale impossible, and, with the exception of raids in -various parts of the line, no serious offensive movement was attempted. -In December Field-Marshal Sir John French resigned command of the -British Army in France, and took over command of the Forces in the -United Kingdom. He was succeeded by General Sir Douglas Haig. - -In October the Bulgarians, under the impression that the Central Powers -were winning the war, decided to join them, and declared war on the -Allies. - -In Mesopotamia the British Forces reached Kut-el-Amara with a view to -the capture of Bagdad. - -The campaign in Gallipoli having reached a deadlock, it was decided to -withdraw the British Forces and abandon the attempt to reach -Constantinople by that route. The whole of the Forces were successfully -withdrawn with only three casualties. - - - The 1st Battalion. Roll of Officers. - - - Lieut.-Colonel G. F. Trotter, M.V.O., D.S.O., Commanding Officer. - Major C. R. C. de Crespigny, Second in Command. - Lieut. E. H. J. Duberly, Adjutant. - Lieut. P. K. Stephenson, Machine Gun Section. - Lieut. the Earl of Dalkeith, Bombing Officer. - Lieut. Lord Stanley, Transport Officer. - Lieut. J. Teece, Quartermaster. - Capt. M. E. Makgill-Crichton-Maitland, King's Company. - 2nd Lieut. F. G. Bonham-Carter, King's Company. - Capt. F. L. V. Swaine, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. R. P. le P. Trench, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. F. E. H. Paget, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. Leeke, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. the Hon. I. A. Charteris, No. 2 Company. - Capt. C. H. Greville, No. 3 Company. - Lieut. O. Wakeman, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. E. Heneage, No. 3 Company. - Capt. W. S. Pilcher, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. Viscount Lascelles, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. A. A. Moller, No. 4 Company. - Capt. G. Petit, R.A.M.C., Medical Officer. - -During October the 1st Battalion remained either in or just behind the -trenches until the 26th. The casualties in the other battalions -necessitated a certain redistribution of the officers, and Captain R. -Wolrige-Gordon, who had returned from sick leave, was transferred to the -3rd Battalion, while Captain Greville and Second Lieutenant F. G. -Bonham-Carter went to the 4th Battalion. On October 3 the 1st Battalion -relieved the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry in the -trenches, and came in for a good deal of shelling, during which it had -twenty-six casualties. On the 6th it was relieved by the 6th Buffs, and -went into billets at Vermelles, where it lived in cellars. From -Vermelles to the trenches was a march of one and a half hours through -communication trenches practically the whole way, and fatigue parties -sometimes amounting to over 150 men were constantly sent up to the front -line. Lieutenant O. Wakeman and Lieutenant Lord Lascelles were -recommended for the rank of temporary Captain on account of their -gallant conduct, and the efficient manner in which they handled their -platoons under fire. - -On the 7th Second Lieutenant R. W. Phillipps and a draft of 50 men -arrived, and on the 9th Second Lieutenant F. C. St. Aubyn and Second -Lieutenant H. Alexander joined the Battalion. - -On the 14th the Battalion moved up into the trenches near the -Hohenzollern Redoubt and occupied the front line south-east of "Big -Willie," the name given by the men to the largest of the two German -trenches connecting the Hohenzollern Redoubt with the main line of the -German trenches. - -[Sidenote: Oct. 17.] - -On the 17th Lieut.-Colonel G. Trotter received orders to direct a -bombing attack against the German line towards Slag Alley. The attack -was to be undertaken by No. 3 Company under Lieutenant O. Wakeman, and -the men went out over the top with the expert bombers leading, but on -arrival they found two German machine-guns enfilading the front of the -German block. Second Lieutenant the Hon. I. Charteris and Second -Lieutenant H. Alexander, two very promising officers, were killed at -once, and a large number of men were killed and wounded. Lieutenant O. -Wakeman behaved with great gallantry, and went forward to see whether -anything could be done. He found that to attempt an advance was -impossible, and was just sending back for more reinforcements when he -was shot through the top of the skull and was completely paralysed in -both legs. Colonel Trotter now sent up Lieutenant Lord Lascelles to take -command of the Company, telling him, if possible, to keep all that had -been gained, but to use his discretion as to what should be done in the -circumstances. Lord Lascelles, on coming up, quickly grasped the whole -situation. He saw that while the two German machine-guns were in -position, it was a practical impossibility to take the trench, and he -very wisely withdrew what remained of that Company to our trenches. It -was well that he did so, for soon afterwards the Germans commenced a -heavy bombardment, which lasted till noon. The casualties were 2 -officers killed and 3 wounded, with 125 of other ranks killed and -wounded. - -Lieutenant Trench had asked the Commanding Officer the night before -whether he might lead the bombers, but his request was refused, as his -business was to remain in our trenches and see that every bomb was -properly fused before it was passed along to the front. When Lieutenant -Charteris, however, was killed, his men, not knowing what was expected -of them, started to come back. Lieutenant Trench rallied them, and took -them up again, when he was knocked down with a bit of a bomb through his -right arm. On the previous day only he had had a nasty blow from a piece -of shell on the shoulder, but had refused to take any notice of it. -Lieutenant St. Aubyn was also wounded during this bombing attack, but -not seriously. In the evening the body of Lieutenant Charteris was -recovered, and buried at Sailly-la-Bourse, Lord Stanley superintending -the funeral. - -On the 10th the Battalion was relieved by the 3rd Battalion Coldstream, -and went into billets at Sailly-la-Bourse, but returned to the trenches -on the 26th, when Second Lieutenant R. Phillipps, who had only joined -the Battalion a fortnight before, was killed. On the 20th Lieutenant G. -Inglis and a draft of sixty-eight men arrived. On the 26th the Battalion -marched about fifteen miles to Allouagne, where it remained in billets -for a fortnight. The King, who was in France, had expressed his -intention of inspecting the Guards Division on the 28th, and all the -battalions were actually marching to the ground when the news arrived -that, owing to an accident to His Majesty, the inspection would not take -place. It was known afterwards that while the King was inspecting some -troops his horse, frightened by the cheering, had reared up, falling -back on His Majesty, and crushing him severely. Before he left France, -the following was published in orders: - - SPECIAL ORDER OF THE DAY BY HIS MAJESTY THE KING - - I am happy to have found myself once more with my armies. - - It is especially gratifying to me to have been able to see some of - those that have been newly created. For I have watched with interest - the growth of these troops from the first days of recruit drill and - through the different stages of training until their final - inspection on the eve of departure for the Front as organised - divisions. Already they have justified the general conviction then - formed of their splendid fighting worth. - - Since I was last among you, you have fought many strenuous battles. - In all you have reaped renown and proved yourselves at least equal - to the highest traditions of the British Army. - - In company with our noble Allies you have baffled the infamous - conspiracy against the law and liberty of Europe, so long and - insidiously prepared. - - These achievements have involved vast sacrifices. But your - countrymen who watch your campaign with sympathetic admiration will, - I am well assured, spare no effort to fill your ranks and afford you - all supplies. - - I have decorated many of you. But had I decorated all who deserve - recognition for conspicuous valour, there would have been no limit, - for the whole Army is illustrious. - - It is a matter of sincere regret to me that my accident should have - prevented my seeing all the troops I had intended, but during my - stay amongst you I have seen enough to fill my heart with admiration - of your patient cheerful endurance of life in the trenches; a life - either of weary monotony or of terrible tumult. It is the dogged - determination evinced by all ranks which will at last bring you to - victory. Keep the goal in sight, and remember it is the final lap - that wins. - - GEORGE, R.I. - - _November 1, 1915._ - -On October 31 Major M. Maitland was transferred to the 3rd Battalion. - -[Sidenote: Nov.] - -On November 1 the 1st Battalion went into Brigade Reserve, and moved -into billets on the La Bassée road. On the 10th Lieutenant G. Wilson -joined from the Yorkshire Light Infantry, and on the 18th Lieutenant the -Hon. P. P. Cary and Second Lieutenant H. V. Cholmeley arrived. On the -16th it went into the trenches at Chapigny with two Companies in the -front line, one in support and one in reserve in Rue Bacquerot, where -the Germans were very quiet, but the inevitable sniping made it -dangerous to any one who exposed himself. A great deal of work had to be -done improving and draining the trenches, but the men were wonderfully -well equipped during the cold weather, for they had high waders, leather -waistcoats, mackintosh caps, and good gloves. - -[Sidenote: Dec.] - -On the 26th the Battalion retired into billets at La Gorgue, and went up -into the trenches, relieving the 4th Battalion every two days, until -December 20, when it went into Brigade Reserve at Laventie. On the 21st -the 1st and 4th Battalions Grenadiers dined together, the dinner being -arranged by Captain Morrison. On the 23rd Second Lieutenant C. Wilkinson -joined the Battalion. On the 22nd the Battalion returned to the front -line, again taking turns with the 4th Battalion, and as the trenches -were ill suited for Christmas festivities, it was unanimously agreed to -postpone the Christmas dinners until January. Captain G. Petit, -R.A.M.C., who had been attached to the 1st Battalion for over a year, -left to take up another appointment. He had followed the fortunes of the -Battalion, and had fought with it in all the battles in which it had -taken part during the last twelve months. His departure was therefore -much regretted by the officers and men, with whom he was very popular. - - - The 2nd Battalion. - - - ROLL OF OFFICERS - - Lieut.-Colonel G. D. Jeffreys, Commanding Officer. - Major Lord Henry Seymour, Second in Command. - Capt. the Hon. W. R. Bailey, Adjutant. - Lieut. D. Abel-Smith, Machine-Gun Officer. - 2nd Lieut. the Hon. A. V. Agar-Robartes, Machine-Gun Officer. - Lieut. W. E. Acraman, Quartermaster. - Lieut. J. N. Buchanan, No. 1 Company. - Lieut. E. W. M. Grigg, No. 1 Company. - 2nd Lieut. L. St. L. Hermon-Hodge, No. 1 Company. - 2nd Lieut. H. G. W. Sandeman, No. 1 Company. - Capt. A. F. R. Wiggins, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. F. O. S. Sitwell, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. E. H. Noble, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. H. A. Clive, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. H. F. C. Crookshank, No. 2 Company. - Capt. R. H. V. Cavendish, M.V.O., No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. W. H. Beaumont-Nesbitt, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. I. H. Ingleby, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. the Hon. B. B. Ponsonby, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. E. R. M. Fryer, No. 3 Company. - Capt. A. de P. Kingsmill, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. J. C. Craigie, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. the Hon. W. A. D. Parnell, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. M. A. Knatchbull-Hugessen, No. 4 Company. - Capt. E. A. Aldridge, R.A.M.C., Medical Officer. - -[Sidenote: Oct.] - -In the redistribution of officers after the battle of Loos, Lieutenant -F. O. S. Sitwell and Second Lieutenant I. H. Ingleby were transferred to -the 4th Battalion, and Second Lieutenant E. R. M. Fryer and Lieutenant -L. St. L. Hermon-Hodge to the 3rd Battalion. - -On the 3rd the 2nd Battalion returned to the trenches, and took over the -section of old British trenches east of Vermelles, where it remained in -support of the 2nd and 3rd Battalions Coldstream, who were in the old -German trenches south of the Hohenzollern Redoubt. It was hardly in -position when the Germans shelled the whole line heavily, and caused -some casualties. Two high-explosive shells landed in the trench occupied -by No. 1 Company, killing two and wounding five men. Second Lieutenant -Sandeman was knocked down, but not seriously hurt, and Lieutenant -Craigie was wounded. - -This activity on the part of the German artillery was the prelude to a -counter-attack, by which the enemy retook the Hohenzollern Redoubt. On -the 4th the East Yorkshire Regiment tried to retake this Redoubt, but -failed. The 2nd Battalion Grenadiers, still in support, was engaged in -digging communication trenches towards the old German trenches which -were now our front line. It was an intricate piece of trench line, with -the Germans not thirty yards off, and required a great deal of work to -make it tenable. On the 5th the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers moved up in the -front line, and there was a certain amount of bombing on both sides. For -two days the Battalion remained in its trenches, and sniping was reduced -to a fine art, as hyposcopic rifles had been provided. On the 7th the -Battalion was relieved by the 3rd Battalion Coldstream, and retired to -billets at Vermelles, but even here the shells followed it, and fell in -and about the village. - -On the 8th the Battalion returned to the trenches, and that night the -enemy attacked, but were easily driven off. On the 10th Lieut.-Colonel -Jeffreys determined to take the enemy's bombing post by surprise, and to -bomb up his trench as far as possible. No. 1 Company under Lieutenant H. -A. Clive was selected for the task, and the whole scheme of attack was -carefully planned and explained to every officer, N.C.O., and man who -took part in it. Second Lieutenant Sandeman was ordered to command the -party, but Lieutenant J. C. Craigie, the bombing officer, went first. It -was a pitch-dark night and very quiet, so that every man had to be -careful not to make any noise, more especially as every few minutes a -light went up silently. Slowly thirty crawling figures went out, and -made their way through the grass. A quarter of an hour went by in -silence, and Colonel Jeffreys, fearing that there was some mistake, -telephoned to Lieutenant Clive to ask why the attack had not begun, but -at that moment the first bombs exploded. Lieutenant Craigie reached the -German bombing post in safety, and as soon as the bomb-throwing began in -earnest, whistled back, which was the signal for Lieutenant Grigg to -come out with a chain of men carrying bombs. - -The Germans, surprised by this shower of bombs, hastily retired, and -were followed by Lieutenant Craigie and Lieutenant Sandeman up the -trench. Having got 150 yards up the German trench, Lieutenant Craigie -sent back for reinforcements, and Lieutenant Clive came up himself with -another platoon carrying picks and shovels to consolidate the position. -Meanwhile in front the Germans were making a stand, and soon a message -came back for stretcher-bearers, but the narrowness of the trench made -stretchers dangerous, as they might possibly block the trench, so the -wounded were carried back over the top. A message had just been received -that barbed wire was wanted in front, when the telephone wire was cut by -a shell. With a narrow trench full of men filling sand-bags and making -fire positions, barbed wire is an awkward thing to carry up, and -Lieutenant Clive therefore gave orders that it was to come up over the -top. Now carrying the wounded back over the top has a certain -sentimental attraction, for anything connected with the wounded is -associated in men's minds with the V.C., but carrying barbed wire up, -although every bit as dangerous, is mere coolie work. Nevertheless the -barbed wire arrived at its destination, and the farthest point taken was -consolidated. One thousand five hundred bombs had been thrown, and there -were no more available; so when Major Lord Henry Seymour came along, and -ordered a second attack to begin at 1 A.M., he found there were no more -bombs, and there was nothing else to do but to build up the trench. It -was hardly to be expected that Lieutenant Craigie, who had been in front -all the way, should escape unscathed, but he got off very cheaply with a -piece of a bomb in his leg. Lieutenant Sandeman was untouched. No. 3 -Company under Captain Cavendish had remained in support, feeding No. 1 -Company with reinforcements as the situation developed. Almost -immediately after the attack started, Captain Cavendish sent Lieutenant -B. Ponsonby up with one and a half platoons to help No. 1, and soon -after Lieutenant Beaumont-Nesbitt was ordered off to look after the -Lewis gun. The remaining three platoons were therefore without officers, -and were gradually sent up in small parties for various duties. Captain -Cavendish himself was ordered not to go up, as he would have been senior -to Lieutenant Clive, and would therefore have had to take command in the -middle of these operations. Moreover, owing to the telephone wire to No. -1 Company being cut, he became the connecting link between the -Commanding Officer and the bombing party. When, therefore, he was -ordered at 4.30 to relieve No. 1, he had some difficulty in finding -where all his Company had got to, but eventually collected it, and -carried out the relief. - -The Germans made a further counter-attack early next morning, but failed -to regain any of their lost trench. They contented themselves with a -heavy bombardment of our line. - -The next day the Battalion received orders to cut the wire near the -front line, to prepare the way for our attack, which was to take place -two days later, but the men had not started when the Germans suddenly -began to shell that particular portion of wire with shrapnel. There was -something almost uncanny in their accuracy as regards time and place, -and it conclusively proved that they must have tapped our telephone -wires. After waiting until the Germans had finished, a party went forth, -and carried out the orders. - -On the 12th the 2nd Battalion remained in the same trench, and although -in the morning there was only intermittent shelling the bombardment -increased in intensity during the afternoon. The Germans made a severe -bombing attack on the trench which had been taken from them, but were -easily beaten off. Although at one time there was some anxiety on our -part as to whether the supply of bombs would hold out, the enemy was not -only driven off but our bombers succeeded in throwing bombs into his -bomb stores, causing two violent explosions. During the whole attack our -line was heavily bombed by aerial torpedoes, a particularly accurate and -powerful form of trench mortar, but when it got dark the enemy's attack -died gradually away. The new Mills grenades proved a great success, as -they could be thrown farther than those of the enemy. The Battalion was -to have been relieved at 6.45 P.M., but owing to this attack the -relieving Battalions did not arrive until nearly midnight, and the -relief was not completed until 3 A.M. - -On the 13th Major Lord Henry Seymour left to take command of the 4th -Battalion, and the same day Lieutenant T. A. Combe arrived. The -casualties during the two days in the trenches were 150 killed and -wounded. - -In a private letter dated October 13, Major-General Lord Cavan wrote to -Lieut.-Colonel Jeffreys: - - I should like to come and thank all your Battalion for its splendid - and glorious work of the past week, but I cannot leave Headquarters - till the fight is ended, and I do not want to bother you and your - officers and men, but simply wish them rest. In case I cannot manage - to come, and we are wanted again quickly, I hope you will accept - this letter of my profound gratitude for, and intense admiration of - your splendid services. To the men who have repulsed attack after - attack on the trench they took so gallantly, I simply could not say - enough, and I hope you have already put in names for due reward of - those who actually win our battles for us. My heartiest - congratulations and undying thanks. - -The Battalion went back into billets at Verquin on the 13th, and then to -Sailly-la-Bourse. On the 19th it returned to the trenches opposite Big -Willie, and owing to some mistake Nos. 1 and 2 Companies were crowded -into a trench capable only of holding one Company, with the result that -quite an unnecessarily large number of men were hit. On the 19th Second -Lieutenant F. A. M. Browning arrived, and on the 21st Major A. St. L. -Glyn joined the Battalion as second in command. - -On the 22nd the shelling became so violent that a message was sent down -the whole British line to the effect that at any moment an attack might -be expected. On the 23rd the German artillery turned its attention to a -communication trench called "King's Head," which it blew in in several -places. Second Lieutenant H. Crookshank was wounded, and there was a -certain number of casualties among other ranks. - -On the 26th Lieut.-Colonel Jeffreys was sent for to take command of the -35th Brigade, much to the regret of the whole Battalion. The Battalion -was formed up in mass near Fosse 8, and Lieut.-Colonel Jeffreys thanked -it for the splendid manner in which they had supported him during the -time he had been in command. He made touching references to his -predecessor Lieut.-Colonel W. Smith, and ended by congratulating it on -all it had done since the beginning of the war. - -Thus the command of the Battalion devolved on Major A. Glyn, who had -only just arrived, and who wrote diffidently to General Feilding, -pointing out the difficulty in which he was placed by being in command -of a Battalion so soon after his arrival. On the 23rd Lieutenant Irvine -and on the 31st Second Lieutenant F. J. V. Hopley joined. - -[Sidenote: Nov.] - -The Battalion remained in billets at Lapugnoy until November 10, when it -marched to Chocques, where it stayed till the 14th, and then marched to -La Gorgue. On the 18th Lieut.-Colonel Jeffreys returned to the -Battalion, as his appointment to the 35th Brigade had only been -temporary, and it was not till some two months later that he was given -command of the 58th Brigade. On the 20th Major the Right Hon. Winston -Churchill was attached to the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers for instruction. -The 1st Guards Brigade took over the line of trenches opposite Pietre, -all in a very bad condition--communication trenches flooded, and -front-line breastworks crumbling and not bullet-proof. There was -consequently a great deal of work to be done, which the incessant -shelling retarded, while the weather, being cold and raw, with snow at -intervals, made things generally unpleasant. For the rest of the month -the Battalion remained in this part of the line, retiring occasionally -as far as Merville in reserve. - -[Sidenote: Dec.] - -The suspected presence of a German mine had for some time caused -anxiety, and it was therefore decided to send out a party to find and -destroy the shaft in the German trenches. Lieutenant the Hon. W. A. D. -Parnell, Sergeant Lyon, and eleven men volunteered for the expedition. -As soon as the moon had gone down the party started off over the -parapet, and advanced cautiously through the long grass which covered -the ground between the two lines. They had to cross a stream which was -composed of water pumped from the enemy's trenches, but fortunately -found a shallow place through which they were able to wade. On arrival -at the German trenches they cut the wire, and silently one by one -dropped down in the trench, but not a soul was to be seen. They moved -slowly forward until they reached the communication trench, where they -left two men to look out, and then went down the communication trench, -but after going on for about forty yards they heard voices. Their -mission was not to alarm the enemy, but to find out if there was an -entrance in the German trench to a shaft of any description; so having -satisfied themselves that none existed, they returned by the same route -they had come, and reported all they had seen to Lieut.-Colonel -Jeffreys. - -On the night of the 17th two patrols were sent out to explore the -enemy's front trench. Lieutenant the Hon. W. Parnell, accompanied by -Sergeant Lyon, again started off with eight men. No rifles were carried, -but each man was armed with a bludgeon about eighteen inches long, with -an iron ring round the head. Two men carried six bombs each. A second -party was sent off by the 2nd Battalion Coldstream, and left at the same -time. On arrival in the German trench, which they again reached without -opposition, the Grenadiers went to the left and the Coldstream to the -right. - -The party of Grenadiers advanced slowly down the German trench. They had -not gone far before they observed a faint ray of light from a dug-out. -Lieutenant Parnell halted the party, and directed Sergeant Lyon to go on -ahead and see whether there was any sign of a sentry. Sergeant Lyon -crept on, and saw that not only was there a sentry, but that on each -side of the trench there was a small place hollowed out large enough to -hold a man, and, what was more, there was a man in each hollow. Having -located the exact position of these Germans, Sergeant Lyon returned, and -reported what he had seen. - -The whole party then advanced, and Sergeant Lyon flung himself on the -sentry, who made no attempt to alarm the others, and did not offer any -resistance. The man was accordingly bound and gagged. One of the other -Germans in the hollow managed to get out and fire off his rifle before -he was bludgeoned. The other made a similar attempt, but was killed -before he could manage to fire. - -This one shot, however, was sufficient to alarm the whole German line, -and soon the whole trench was in an uproar. Parties were seen to be -advancing from all directions. Lieutenant Parnell therefore decided that -no farther reconnaissance was possible, and that the only thing to do -was to take his party back. So they returned the way they had come as -quickly as they could, with the loss of one man, who was killed when the -alarm was given. - -Lieutenant Parnell was awarded the Military Cross, and Sergeant Lyon the -D.C.M. The Coldstream patrol reported it had gone some way down the -German trench, but had seen nothing. - -For the remainder of the month the Battalion remained in billets at -Merville, and afterwards at Riez Bailleul. The Christmas dinner took -place at Merville. On the 30th Second Lieutenant T. W. Minchin, Second -Lieutenant H. G. Carter, and Second Lieutenant N. McK. Jesper joined the -Battalion. - - - The 3rd Battalion. - - - ROLL OF OFFICERS - - Colonel N. A. L. Corry, D.S.O., Commanding Officer. - Major G. F. Molyneux-Montgomerie, Second in Command. - Lieut. G. G. B. Nugent, Adjutant. - Lieut. E. H. J. Wynne, Transport Officer. - Lieut. G. H. Wall, Quartermaster. - Lieut. G. G. Gunnis, No. 1 Company. - Capt. C. F. A. Walker, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. A. Anson, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. the Hon. F. O. H. Eaton, No. 3 Company. - Lieut. G. P. Bowes-Lyon, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. the Hon. A. G. Agar-Robartes, No. 3 Company. - Capt. E. G. H. Powell, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. C. M. C. Dowling, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. G. F. R. Hirst, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. A. T. Logan, R.A.M.C., Medical Officer. - -After the battle of Loos Colonel Corry returned, and resumed command of -the 3rd Battalion. Captain Wolrige-Gordon was transferred from the 1st -Battalion, and Second Lieutenant L. St. L. Hermon-Hodge and Second -Lieutenant E. R. M. Fryer from the 2nd Battalion to the 3rd Battalion, -while Captain Sir R. Filmer, Bt., went from the 3rd Battalion to the 4th -Battalion. - -The 3rd Battalion remained in billets till the 4th, when it took over -from the 5th Liverpool Regiment a line of trenches resting on the -Hohenzollern Redoubt, and there it remained until the 10th. The Germans -were now in possession of the Hohenzollern Redoubt, and the position -thus perilously close to them was anything but pleasant. On the 8th the -enemy made a determined attack on this line, and surprised our bombers, -killing most of them. Lieutenant A. Anson, who was with the bombers, -stoutly refused to give way, and was killed with all his party. The -bombs with which our men were armed proved useless, as they got very -damp and refused to detonate. It therefore became a very one-sided -contest, but a machine-gun under Lieutenant R. Williams barred the way -to the Germans, and this had to be disposed of before they could -advance. Bombs and shells rained down on this machine-gun, and -Lieutenant R. Williams was killed. He was replaced by three sergeants in -succession, who fought on as gamely as he had done, and who met with the -same fate. The gun was soon afterwards put out of action. - -The situation now looked ugly. The enemy was bombing down the trench, -and Nos. 2 and 3 Companies had retired somewhat precipitately before the -advancing Germans. The 3rd Battalion Coldstream on the right grasped how -serious this attack might become, and sent off some bombers who managed -to stop the rush. Later on Lieutenant Eaton and Lieutenant Gunnis -reorganised the men, and went forward to support the 3rd Battalion -Coldstream after they had succeeded in regaining the trench. The Germans -fought well, but were forced to retire, when they lost many men. The -total casualties in the 3rd Battalion were 137 all ranks, including -Lieutenant A. Anson and Lieutenant R. Williams killed, and Captain C. -Walker and Lieutenant the Hon. A. G. Agar-Robartes wounded. - -On the 10th the Battalion retired into billets at Vermelles, and on the -12th to Vaudricourt, where it remained in reserve until the 14th. On the -9th Captain E. O. Stewart, Lieutenant the Hon. R. P. Stanhope, and -Lieutenant P. M. Walker; on the 10th, Second Lieutenant R. W. Parker; -and on the 15th Captain Lord F. Blackwood and Lieutenant O. Lyttelton -joined the Battalion. The last was appointed Adjutant. - -The Battalion returned to the line opposite Big Willie on the 15th, and -at once set to work to improve the trenches, but the continual bombing -and shelling rather hampered its movements. On the 17th the enemy's -shelling became unpleasantly accurate, and the Battalion had 11 men -killed and 32 wounded. Lord F. Blackwood was blown up by a shell, and -was badly wounded. Captain Dowling and Lieutenant Hirst were buried in -their dug-out by a high-explosive shell, and were extricated just in -time. That night Major Montgomerie went out with a rifle and fixed -bayonet, and tried to ascertain exactly where the sap joined the -Coldstream trench. Having gained this information he took out a party -and finished the sap. - -During the time in the trenches the casualties had been constant and -often very heavy: the Battalion lost all four Company Sergeant-Majors. -Company Sergeant-Major Tyson was killed, and Company Sergeant-Majors -Eason, Aston, and Day wounded. On the 21st the Battalion suffered a very -severe loss in the death of Major Molyneux-Montgomerie, who was shot -through the head whilst superintending work on Kaiserin Trench under -heavy fire. - -The constant sniping and bombing caused many casualties, and the total -number of killed and wounded since the Battalion came to Loos was 19 -officers and 500 non-commissioned officers and men, which proved how -dangerous the trenches in the neighbourhood of the Hohenzollern Redoubt -were. - -On the 25th the Battalion left the front line and marched to Bethune, -where it entrained for Lillers, and on arrival went into billets at -Norrent Fontes. On the 28th the whole Guards Division was to have been -inspected by the King, but this had to be cancelled owing to an -unfortunate accident to His Majesty. - -On the 25th Captain E. N. E. M. Vaughan and Lieutenant Raymond Asquith; -on the 29th Lieutenant the Hon. H. E. Eaton, Second Lieutenant B. E. -Yorke, and Second Lieutenant E. G. Worsley; and on the 31st Major M. -Maitland joined the Battalion. - -[Sidenote: Nov.] - -On November 8 the Battalion marched to La Gorgue, a very long and tiring -march of twenty-six kilometres, and went into billets. There it remained -until the 14th, and then marched to the trenches just north of Neuve -Chapelle. The line here seemed very quiet after the perilous trenches -opposite the Hohenzollern; but if the shells were less, the water -difficulty was greater than ever. Men had again to stand knee-deep in -water, and in the cold weather many felt that the constant bombing and -shelling was preferable. Two days in the trenches and two days out was -the routine until the 20th, when the whole Brigade moved back again into -billets at La Gorgue, and remained there until the end of the month. - -[Sidenote: Dec.] - -In December the Battalion occupied the trenches from Sion Post Lane to -Moated Grange North, and continued alternately two days in the trenches -and two days out. This portion of the line was in itself comparatively -quiet, but the relief was not altogether pleasant, since it was -necessary for the relieving companies to go over the top of the ground -to get into the front trench. The enemy was, however, singularly -inactive in the neighbourhood, and very few casualties occurred. The -patrols sent out by the Battalion encountered no opposition, although -they boldly went close to the German trenches and explored the craters. -The men of the Battalion were mostly employed in extensive draining -operations, carried out under the supervision of Colonel Corry himself, -and many improvements were thus effected. - -On the 24th a new artillery commander seems to have taken over the -German guns, for the front trenches were subjected to a sound and -perfectly accurate fire, which contrasted strangely with the previous -desultory and usually ill-directed fire. The Battalion spent Christmas -Day in the trenches, and a plum-pudding and a pint of beer were given to -each man. On the 26th it left the trenches and marched to Merville. - - - The 4th Battalion - - - ROLL OF OFFICERS - - Capt. J. A. Morrison, Commanding Officer. - Lieut. R. S. Lambert, Acting Adjutant. - Lieut. M. G. Williams, Machine-Gun Officer. - Lieut. C. E. M. Ellison, Machine-Gun Officer. - 2nd Lieut. E. Ludlow, Quartermaster. - Capt. C. L. Blundell-Hollinshead-Blundell, No. 1 Company. - 2nd Lieut. G. A. Ponsonby, No. 1 Company. - Lieut. C. R. Britten, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. E. F. Penn, No. 2 Company. - Capt. E. D. Ridley, No. 3 Company. - Lieut. B. C. Layton, No. 3 Company. - Lieut. the Hon. E. W. Tennant, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. R. D. Leigh-Pemberton, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. E. R. Brunton, R.A.M.C., Medical Officer. - - -[Sidenote: Oct.] - -After the heavy casualties it had suffered at Loos, the 4th Battalion -had to be reorganised; and Captain Morrison, now in command, -redistributed the officers and non-commissioned officers, and as far as -possible made up the deficiencies. The Battalion remained in billets at -La Bourse until the 3rd, when it was ordered to occupy the trenches on -the left of the Hulluch--Vermelles road. Here there was a certain amount -of shelling. The system of trenches was highly complicated, and -extensive works were being undertaken. The Battalion was ordered to -prepare communicating trenches running parallel to Hulluch--Vermelles -road, and this work kept the men fully employed for two days. - -On the 5th the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards was in trouble, and sent for -assistance, as it had had a portion of its trench blown in, and was -harassed by the enemy's bombs. Captain E. Penn was sent off at once by -Captain Morrison, with 100 men of No. 2 Company and 20 bombers, and told -to report himself to Lieut.-Colonel Cator. Lieutenant Sitwell, with No. -4 Company, was ordered to be ready to follow, but no real attack on the -2nd Battalion Scots Guards developed, and neither company, therefore, -was wanted. That evening the Battalion retired into billets at -Vermelles, but were not free from the shells there, and three -high-explosive shells pitched quite close to its billets. Lieutenant E. -R. Brunton, R.A.M.C., who had come out with the Battalion, and been with -them through the battle of Loos, was killed by a shell on the 8th as he -was going round the billets. - -On the 9th the Battalion returned to the trenches, and relieved the 1st -and 2nd Battalions Scots Guards. Second Lieutenant M. Chapman, Second -Lieutenant G. C. Sloane-Stanley, Second Lieutenant E. W. Nairne, and -Second Lieutenant H. H. Sloane-Stanley joined the Battalion that day, -and on the 10th Captain Parry, R.A.M.C., arrived. On the 12th Major Lord -Henry Seymour came to take over temporary command of the Battalion. - -On the 17th bombing attacks by the 1st Battalion Grenadiers and 2nd -Battalion Scots Guards began, and the 4th Battalion Grenadiers was -ordered to form a continuous chain of men to pass up bombs, sand-bags, -ammunition, and tools, and to hold all positions vacated by the Scots -Guards as they advanced. Lieut.-Colonel Cator sent back for assistance -as his bombers had been knocked out. The 4th Battalion Grenadiers -bombers accordingly went up, followed later by 100 volunteers, many of -whom had never seen a bomb before. Lieutenant C. Britten on his own -initiative took charge of a party of Grenadiers and Scots Guards, after -the two Scots Guards officers had been shot, and with great gallantry -and coolness successfully drove off the enemy. - -The next day Lieut.-Colonel Cator expressed his indebtedness to the 4th -Battalion Grenadiers for its timely assistance; and the manner in which -the bombers of the Battalion had behaved on this occasion was specially -referred to by the Brigadier. - -On the 18th the 4th Battalion mourned the loss of a brave and popular -officer. Captain Eric Penn was in his dug-out when a shell struck it. He -was completely buried, and although still alive when he was extricated, -he died a few minutes later. - -The continual casualties and the strenuous digging were beginning to -tell on the Battalion, and although every two alternate days were spent -resting in billets, the high-explosive shells which reached it prevented -the forty-eight hours in billets from being a complete rest. The -Battalion went on the 21st for two days to Annequin, but on the 23rd -returned to the trenches opposite the Hohenzollern Redoubt, where again -there was a great deal of work to be done. The zeal which the 4th -Battalion showed in its digging operations elicited praise from -Brigadier-General Heyworth when he came round on a tour of inspection. - -[Sidenote: Nov.] - -On the 25th the Battalion retired to Allouagne, where it remained until -November 14, and then marched _via_ Estaires, La Bassée road, Pont du -Hem, to the trenches from Chapigny to Winchester road. Every alternate -forty-eight hours it went into billets, but during the days in the -trenches nothing of interest occurred. - -[Sidenote: Dec. 12.] - -The same routine continued until December 12, when a most successful -raid on the enemy's trenches was carried out. At 8.15 P.M. Captain Sir -Robert Filmer, accompanied by Sergeant Higgins and three men in No. 3 -Company, went out to make a preliminary reconnaissance. By crawling -right up to the enemy's trenches he succeeded in locating the exact -position of the German machine-guns, and was able to confirm the report -as to the gap in the enemy's wire entanglements. Captain Sir R. Filmer, -who had already earned a name for bravery, crept quite alone down the -entire length of the German trench, and carefully noted all he saw. On -his return to our line the final orders were issued to the raiding -party, consisting of thirty-three men from No. 3 Company, and the -Battalion bombers under Lieutenant G. Ponsonby. The night was very dark, -and it was difficult to see any landmarks. Sergeant Higgins led the -party over the parapet at 11 P.M., and was followed by Captain Sir R. -Filmer and a covering party. Silently they advanced, but lost direction -slightly to the left, with the result that they missed the gap and found -themselves held up by low wire entanglement. Sir R. Filmer came up to -ascertain the cause of the delay, and after considering the situation -decided to cut the wire and rush the trench. The wire-cutting was -successfully done, although only a few yards from the German line, and -the party, headed by Sergeant Higgins, dashed into the trench. At the -same time our artillery, in accordance with a previously conceived -arrangement, opened a most effective barrage of fire, which continued -until the party returned. - -Then bombing and bayoneting began in earnest, and the Germans were -completely cleared out of the trench. The machine-guns, which were found -to be too securely fixed to take away, were destroyed by bombs. It was -during this trench fighting that the bombing officer, Lieutenant G. -Ponsonby, was badly wounded in the leg. Private W. Sweetman, finding him -unable to move, carried him on his back under heavy fire to our lines. -The other casualties were one man missing and three wounded. This small -number of casualties proved how well arranged the raid had been, and how -brilliantly it had been carried out. - -General Sir Douglas Haig commanding the First Army specially mentioned -this raid in his report, and wrote: "A well-planned and well-executed -operation, reflecting the highest credit on all concerned, from Colonel -Lord H. Seymour commanding the 4th Battalion Grenadier Guards downwards. -The immediate rewards asked for have been well earned, and I shall have -very great pleasure in recommending the names put forward." - -The following day at Riez Bailleul, Major-General Lord Cavan sent for -and congratulated Captain Sir R. Filmer, Sergeant Higgins, and Private -Sweetman on the success of the raid. He also congratulated the Battalion -on having gained such a good reputation for digging and trench work. - -The rest of December was spent either in billets at Laventie or in the -trenches in the neighbourhood. The monotony of trench life was relieved -by various schemes to catch the enemy's patrols, who were constantly -reported to come out at night. Occasionally parties were sent to lie out -and capture any Germans who might venture in front of their line. -Whether any of their efforts were successful or not it is impossible to -say, but reports of any movement on the part of the enemy ceased. - -At the end of the month Major-General Lord Cavan was promoted, and -consequently gave up the command of the Guards Division. - -The post of Divisional Commander is perhaps the one that presents more -difficulties and demands a more remarkable combination of qualities than -any other in the Army of to-day. It is essential that a general -commanding a division should combine the characteristics of the fighting -man with those of the strategist. In the higher commands personal -bravery so essential in a brigadier or commanding officer is a secondary -consideration. Of a brigadier, on the other hand, whose programme is -mapped out for him in the minutest of instructions, there is not -expected nowadays anything of the precise chess-playing skill of the -professional strategist. Hence it often happens that a brigadier -promoted to command a division is found to lack the necessary qualities -of strategy, while the born strategist, though not deficient in courage, -may be totally unable to think clearly and act decisively when under -fire. - -Brigadier-General Feilding, who was now appointed to command the Guards -Division, possessed in a marked degree the two necessary qualifications. -A man of strong and resourceful character, fearless and independent in -judgment, he was gifted with that indefinable quality which enables men -to form prompt and wise decisions in moments of great emergency. His -practical experience of war under modern conditions was great and -extensive. He went all through the retreat from Mons, as well as the -subsequent advance, when he commanded first the 2nd Battalion Coldstream -and later the 4th (Guards) Brigade, and he had played an important part -in every battle in which the battalions of the Guards had fought. When -the Guards Division was first formed, he was placed in command of the -1st Guards Brigade, and carried out his duties with such distinction -that he was clearly marked out as the prospective successor of Lord -Cavan. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - JANUARY TO SEPTEMBER 1916 - - - Diary of the War - - -[Sidenote: 1916. Jan., Feb., March.] - -Although no large operations took place at the beginning of 1916, there -was continual fighting in various parts of the line. The Germans made -several attacks on the Yser Canal and at Neuville on the French front, -and also attempted minor operations at Givenchy and on the -Ypres--Comines Canal. In February the great battle of Verdun commenced, -and in spite of heavy losses the Germans made some progress, capturing -Haumont Wood and Village. Large masses of men were employed, and there -was severe fighting at Bethincourt and Le Mort Homme. The Germans -persisted in their attacks and captured Avocourt Wood, but the French -stubbornly held their ground. At the end of March the British Army made -a successful attack at St. Eloi, and penetrated the first and second -German line of trenches, but lost the Vimy Ridge, a position of some -tactical importance. - -The Russians won a great victory in the Caucasus and drove the Turks in -disorder towards Erzeroum, which they captured soon afterwards. The -position of the British Force on the Tigris was giving great anxiety, -and the Turks claimed to have completely surrounded it. - -In March Portugal joined the Allies, and declared war on Germany and -Austria. - -In Africa the Cameroons campaign was completed with the surrender of the -German garrison at Mora Hill. - -General Smuts advanced against the Germans in the Kilimanjaro area, and -a week later gained further successes west of Taveta. - -The United Kingdom resorted to conscription, and the Military Service -Act was passed in the House of Commons. - -[Sidenote: April, May, June.] - -On the British front the Germans launched determined but unsuccessful -attacks at Ploegsteert, and there was fighting on the Vimy Ridge and -between Loos and La Bassée. The struggle at Verdun continued with -unabated fierceness, and Mort Homme and Fort Douaumont changed hands -several times. - -The battle of Jutland was fought, and the British Grand Fleet had an -opportunity of meeting the German High Seas Fleet. The British Cruiser -Squadron had most of the fighting, as the battleships did not come into -action till late in the evening. The losses were heavy on both sides, -and the German Fleet fled back to harbour claiming the victory. - -Serious disturbances broke out in Ireland, and martial law was -proclaimed in Dublin. The headquarters of the rebel Sinn Feiners was -occupied after much street fighting, and the ringleaders were caught, -tried by court-martial, and shot. - -In Mesopotamia the troops sent up to relieve the British Force at -Kut-el-Amara failed in their attack on the intervening Turks, and on -April 29 General Townshend and a force of native and Indian troops -surrendered. - -President Wilson warned the Germans that if they persisted in their -indiscriminate sinking of neutral vessels, he would have no alternative -but to break off diplomatic relations. - -On June 5 H.M.S. _Hampshire_, conveying Field-Marshal Earl Kitchener on -a special mission to Russia, was sunk off the Orkney Islands by a mine, -and all but twelve men were drowned. - -On June 12 General Smuts captured Wilhelmstal, the capital of German -East Africa. - -[Sidenote: July, Aug., Sept.] - -The battle of the Somme commenced at the beginning of July and lasted -until November. Both the British and French Armies were engaged during -these months in systematically capturing the German positions on the -north and south of the River Somme. This was the first battle in which -Tanks were used. - -Salonika had now become an important place in the war, and a mixed force -under General Sarrail attempted an offensive movement, which, however, -came to nothing. - -The Russians continued their successful operations against Austria, and -captured vast numbers of prisoners. On August 27 Roumania declared war -on Austria, and advanced into Transylvania, in spite of warnings from -the Allies that they had better hold their frontier and join hands with -the Russians. - -At the end of August Field-Marshal von Hindenburg was appointed Chief of -the German General Staff. - - - The 1st Battalion - - -[Sidenote: 1st Batt. Jan.] - -The beginning of 1916 found the 1st Battalion in Brigade Reserve at La -Gorgue, where it had retired after a strenuous time in the trenches, and -where it settled down to steady drill and instruction in bombing. - -The list of officers was as follows: - - - Lieut.-Colonel G. F. Trotter, M.V.O., D.S.O., Commanding Officer. - Major C. R. C. de Crespigny, Second in Command. - Lieut. E. H. J. Duberly, Adjutant. - Lieut. F. E. H. Paget, Lewis Gun Officer. - Lieut. the Earl of Dalkeith, Bombing Officer. - Capt. Lord Stanley, Transport Officer. - Lieut. J. Teece, Quartermaster. - Capt. W. S. Pilcher, King's Company. - Lieut. L. G. Fisher-Rowe, King's Company. - 2nd Lieut. R. F. W. Echlin, King's Company. - Capt. F. L. V. Swaine, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. C. D. Baker, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. Wilkinson, No. 2 Company. - Capt. Viscount Lascelles, No. 3 Company. - Lieut. G. Inglis, No. 3 Company. - Lieut. A. A. Moller, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. H. V. Cholmeley, No. 3 Company. - Capt. G. B. Wilson, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. the Hon. P. P. Cary, No. 4 Company. - Lieut. R. D. Lawford, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. R. Turner, No. 4 Company. - Capt. J. C. B. Grant, R.A.M.C., Medical Officer. - - -On the 12th it moved to Laventie, and from there went into the trenches -at Picantin every alternate forty-eight hours, taking turns with the 4th -Battalion and the 2nd Battalion Irish Guards. On January 14 Second -Lieutenant C. T. Swift joined, and on the 29th Major de Crespigny left -to take command of the 2nd Battalion. - -,sn Feb. The same routine was followed until February 16, when the whole -Guards Division was sent to the coast for some sea air, although -February can hardly be said to be an ideal month for the seaside. -Captain Lord Claud Hamilton and Lieutenant H.R.H. the Prince of Wales -left the Headquarters Staff, and joined the Battalion. On arrival at -Calais the Battalion marched to Beaumaris, where they went under canvas. -High winds and heavy snow followed by a thick fog made life in a canvas -tent a doubtful pleasure, but, in spite of the intense cold, the change -undoubtedly did the men a great deal of good. After ten days by the sea -the Battalion entrained at Calais and proceeded to Kiekenput near -Wormhoudt, in Belgium. Captain Lord Claud Hamilton and Lieutenant H.R.H. -the Prince of Wales went on leave to England. - -[Sidenote: March.] - -The weather continued to be very bad, and prevented the men from -training, although a certain amount of route-marching was done. On March -5 the Battalion marched to Poperinghe, where it was again put under -canvas. On the 8th Second Lieutenant L. de J. Havard joined the -Battalion, and on the 10th Captain Viscount Lascelles was accidentally -wounded by a bomb whilst instructing his company, but the wound proved -not to be serious, and he was able to rejoin the Battalion a few days -later. - -On the 17th Lieut.-Colonel G. Trotter, having been promoted to the rank -of Brigadier-General, left to take up command of the 27th Brigade, and -Major A. St. L. Glyn arrived to take his place. - -The Guards Division now went into the Ypres salient, and there it -remained for several months, either in the trenches or in billets in the -neighbourhood. There can be no doubt that this was by far the worst part -of the line, and the constant casualties with no corresponding gain were -somewhat disheartening. On the 16th the 1st Battalion Grenadiers arrived -at Ypres, and on the 20th went into the trenches I.12.a to I.12.c, with -the Canadians on the right and the Welsh Guards on the left. Two -companies were placed in the front line, with one in support and one in -reserve. They immediately came in for a very heavy shelling, and had 6 -killed and 14 wounded, mostly in the King's Company. - -[Sidenote: April.] - -Back to Ypres on the 24th and then to Poperinghe for two days' rest, -after which the Battalion returned to the trench line east of Potidje, -going part of the way by train. The enemy shelled the railway station, -which was unpleasant for those who were starting on their journey, and -also delayed the train. The King's Company and No. 4 occupied the front -line, with No. 2 in support and No. 3 in reserve. On the 4th the enemy's -artillery knocked out one of our machine-guns with a direct hit, killing -one man. On the same day an unfortunate accident caused by the premature -explosion of a Pippin rifle grenade resulted in the death of one -sergeant, while another sergeant was wounded. - -The usual procedure was to hold the support line, and to place as few -men as possible in the front trench. The enemy seemed to be perfectly -aware of this, and confined themselves to bombarding the second line, -but our artillery was more than a match for them, and retaliated with -some effect. Whenever the men saw an observation balloon emerging from -the German lines they knew that a violent bombardment was imminent, and -took precautions accordingly. All dug-outs were at once cleared, and the -men were scattered along the bottom of the trench. - -On the 7th Lieutenant C. Leeke, 1st Battalion Grenadiers, attached to -the 3rd Guards Brigade, Machine-gun Company, was standing in front of -his dug-out, having completed his rounds, when he was hit in the thigh -by a stray bullet, and although his wound was at once dressed by a -surgeon, he died a few days later in hospital. Second Lieutenant H. V. -Cholmeley, attached to the same Machine-gun Company, was killed -outright, being struck in the chest by a large piece of shrapnel, and -Second Lieutenant C. Wilkinson was wounded in the shoulder by a shrapnel -bullet. Amongst the other ranks the casualties were 1 man killed and 60 -wounded. - -After these strenuous days in the trenches the Battalion went to -Poperinghe for four days' rest, and on the 12th returned by train to the -trenches at Potidje, with the 3rd Battalion Coldstream on the right and -the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards on the left. It was luckier this time, -and, except for the inevitable shelling, saw very little of the enemy. -An attack was made by the Germans on the Twentieth Division, but -although the 1st Battalion stood to arms, its services were not -required, as the attacks were easily repulsed. - -On the 15th the Battalion returned to Poperinghe, where it remained in -billets till the 27th. Although at first the weather was abominable, the -last few days were fine and hot. A short time before the men had been -shivering over braziers, and now they were lying about in their -shirt-sleeves. On the 27th the Battalion went into the trenches at -Rifleman Farm, with the Third Canadian Division on the right and the 1st -Battalion Welsh Guards on the left, and the enemy blew in a mine -gallery, killing some men of the Royal Engineers. The enemy's musketry -was active during these three days, and the German aeroplanes were very -busy. - -The following officers joined the Battalion during the month: Major A. -F. A. N. Thorne, as Second in Command, Lieutenant H. G. W. Bradley, -Captain A. C. Graham, Second Lieutenant R. H. P. J. Stourton, Second -Lieutenant E. Hoare, Second Lieutenant J. W. Graham, Second Lieutenant -E. G. L. King. On the 27th Captain Wilson left to take up his duties on -the Divisional Staff, to which he had been appointed. - -[Sidenote: May.] - -The Corps Commander, Major-General Lord Cavan, came round the trenches -on May 1, and expressed himself pleased with all he saw. That evening -the Battalion retired to Ypres, where it remained for four days. The -weather now was quite hot, with occasional thunderstorms; but, as the -enemy continued to shell the remains of Ypres, the men were unable to -enjoy fully the change, since they spent most of the time under the -ramparts. - -Back to Rifleman Farm on the 6th, and on the way up to the trenches, the -Battalion came in for a heavy shelling, which rather delayed matters. -Second Lieutenant J. Graham was wounded, and had his leg broken just -above the ankle as he was going up to the trenches for the first time. -The Engineers feared the enemy would explode a mine in the neighbourhood -of our new crater, but every precaution was taken, and no explosion -occurred at that spot. On the 9th the enemy apparently contemplated an -attack, for at 4 A.M. a mine at the end of Muddy Lane was fired, and -then a heavy bombardment commenced, but when the infantry attack which -usually followed was expected the Germans did not appear anxious to -leave their trenches. Second Lieutenant E. Hoare, who had recently -arrived, was killed, and Lieutenant Bradley wounded. Amongst the other -ranks there were 2 killed and 16 wounded, but Major Thorne was able to -report to Major Glyn that the line remained intact, although in places -it was considerably damaged. - -Later in the morning Brigadier-General Heyworth came to see what had -happened, and although Major Glyn warned him that, owing to the parapet -having been blown away in several places, it was a perilous proceeding -to attempt to walk down the line, he insisted on going. Accompanied by -Major Glyn and Captain Warner, the Brigade-Major, he set off and reached -the front trench. As they were going down Muddy Lane, about fifty yards -from the front trench, they came across an obstruction caused by the -parapet having been blown into the trench. It was while crossing this -that Brigadier-General Heyworth was shot through the head by one of the -enemy's snipers. He had always scorned to take even the most ordinary -precautions, and was accustomed to ignore the enemy's snipers. His loss -was mourned not only by his friends in the Guards Division, and he had -many, but also by the whole British Army, who knew him to be a fearless -and capable commander. - -On the 10th the men were busily engaged in repairing the gaps in the -trenches, and were in consequence subjected to a certain amount of -sniping and bombing, during which Lord Stanley was wounded by a bomb, -and had five wounds, three in his leg and two in his arm, fortunately -none of them serious. That evening the Battalion was relieved and -retired to Poperinghe, and on the 20th it marched to Kiekenput, where it -remained in billets till the end of the month. - -[Sidenote: June.] - -On June 1 the officers of the Battalion were as follows: - - - Major A. St. L. Glyn, Commanding Officer. - Major A. F. A. N. Thorne, D.S.O., Second in Command. - Capt. E. H. J. Duberly, Adjutant. - Lieut. the Hon. P. P. Cary, Lewis Gun Officer. - Lieut. the Earl of Dalkeith, Bombing Officer. - 2nd Lieut. D. H. S. Riddiford, Transport Officer. - Lieut. J. Teece, Quartermaster. - Capt. W. S. Pilcher, King's Company. - Lieut. P. M. Spence, King's Company. - 2nd Lieut. R. F. W. Echlin, King's Company. - Capt. A. C. Graham, No. 2 Company. - Lieut. R. D. Lawford, No. 2 Company. - 2nd Lieut. E. G. L. King, No. 2 Company. - Capt. Viscount Lascelles, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. C. T. Swift, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. L. de J. Harvard, No. 3 Company. - 2nd Lieut. R. H. P. J. Stourton, No. 3 Company. - Capt. L. G. Fisher-Rowe, No. 4 Company. - 2nd Lieut. P. S. Hope, No. 4 Company. - - _Attached_--Capt. J. C. B. Grant. - - -The Battalion remained in billets at Poperinghe or Kiekenput until the -18th, when it moved up into the trench line. On the 7th a gloom was cast -over the whole of the British Army by the death of Lord Kitchener, who -went down in the _Hampshire_, mined on its way to Russia. This passing -away of a great soldier came as a profound shock to every one in France. -At first no one could realise that he was dead. The men felt that the -mainspring of the whole mechanism of the British Army was gone. - -The Battalion remained for ten days in reserve, and although there were -constant alarms, during which the men stood to arms, and news of gas -attacks, its services in the front line were not required. On the 18th -it took over the trench line near Irish Farm, and Nos. 2, 3, and 4 -Companies were placed in the firing line, with the King's Company in -reserve. Although the enemy's patrols were very active, nothing worth -recording appears to have happened, but on the 25th a successful raid -was carried out into the German lines, and a new trench north of Forward -Cottage was made. On the 27th the Battalion retired into dug-outs in -Canal Bank and Yperlee, where it remained until the end of the month. - -[Sidenote: July 1916.] - -On July 1 it returned to the trenches, and on the 3rd the King's Company -was so heavily bombarded that the parapet of the trench and the signal -dug-out were blown in. The Company Sergeant-Major, two sergeants, three -signallers, and four men were completely buried under the debris, but -the remainder of the Company at once set to work to rescue as many as -possible under a heavy shell and machine-gun fire. Owing to the -energetic manner in which the rescue party worked, one sergeant and -three men were brought out alive, but the others were all dead. - -On the 9th Major M. E. M. C. Maitland arrived from the 3rd Battalion, -and took over command of the 1st Battalion from Major Glyn, who -proceeded to take up an appointment at the base. On the 10th the -following were selected from the 1st Battalion to attend the National -Fête in Paris on July 14: Sergeant-Major Young, Lance-Corporal Ewell, -Private Upcott, Private Ayres, Private Andrews, and Private Call. On the -12th Captain Viscount Lascelles was appointed second in command of the -2nd Battalion, and on the 13th Lieutenant E. B. Shelley and Second -Lieutenant C. C. T. Sharpe joined from the Entrenching Battalion. - -On the 15th the 1st Battalion returned to the trenches, where it -remained until the 24th, with the usual routine of two days in and two -days out of the trenches. On the 27th it left the Ypres salient without -regret, and entrained at Poperinghe for Bollezeele, whence it marched to -Watten. There it remained until the 29th, when it proceeded to -Bavingchove and went by train to Fervent. On the 30th it marched to -Halloy. On the 28th Lieutenant R. P. de P. Trench and Lieutenant M. D. -Thomas joined from the Entrenching Battalion, and on the 30th Captain W. -D. Drury Lowe, D.S.O., arrived. He had been in command of a Territorial -Battery for a year and a half, and had so distinguished himself as a -gunner that he had been awarded the D.S.O. But, being a true Grenadier -at heart, he had decided to sink his rank and return to his old -regiment. - -[Sidenote: Aug.] - -During August the 1st Battalion only had two days in the trenches at -Beaumont-Hamel, when the King's Company had rather an unpleasant time -with the enemy's trench mortars, and had nine casualties. On the 9th His -Majesty the King, who was making an informal tour round the Front, -visited the Grenadier Camp, but there was no inspection of any sort. - -Before leaving France His Majesty sent the following message to Sir -Douglas Haig: - - _August 15, 1916._ - - OFFICERS, N.C.O.'S, AND MEN--It has been a great pleasure and - satisfaction to me to be with my Armies during the past week. I have - been able to judge for myself of their splendid condition for war, - and of the spirit of cheerful confidence which animates all ranks, - united in loyal co-operation to their chiefs and to one another. - - Since my last visit to the Front there has been almost uninterrupted - fighting on parts of our line. The offensive recently begun has - since been resolutely maintained by day and by night. I have had - opportunities of visiting some of the scenes of the later desperate - struggles, and of appreciating to a slight extent the demands made - upon your courage and physical endurance in order to assail and - capture positions prepared during the past two years and stoutly - defended to the last. - - I have realised not only the splendid work which has been done in - immediate touch with the enemy--in the air, under the ground, as - well as on the ground--but also the vast organisations behind the - fighting line, honourable alike to the genius of the initiators and - to the heart and hand of the workers. Everywhere there is proof that - all, men and women, are playing their part, and I rejoice to think - that their noble efforts are being heartily seconded by all classes - at home. - - The happy relations maintained by my Armies and those of our French - Allies were equally noticeable between my troops and the inhabitants - of the districts in which they are quartered, and from whom they - have received a cordial welcome ever since their first arrival in - France. - - Do not think that I and your fellow-countrymen forget the heavy - sacrifices which the Armies have made, and the bravery and endurance - they have displayed during the past two years of bitter conflict. - These sacrifices have not been in vain: the arms of the Allies will - never be laid down until our cause has triumphed. - - I return home more than ever proud of you. - - May God guide you to victory. - -On the 6th Second Lieutenant L. G. E. Sim arrived, and on the 15th -Second Lieutenant B. G. Samuelson and Second Lieutenant W. H. Lovell -joined the Battalion. On the 25th the Battalion proceeded by train to -Mericourt, and went into billets in Ville-sous-Corbie. - - - The 2nd Battalion - - -[Sidenote: 2nd Batt. Jan. 1916.] - -At the beginning of the New Year the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers was in -billets at Riez Bailleul, and went up every two days to occupy the -trench line at Ebenezer Farm. - - - LIST OF OFFICERS OF THE 2ND BATTALION - - Lieut.-Colonel G. D. Jeffreys, Commanding Officer. - Major A. St. L. Glyn, Second in Command. - Capt. the Hon. W. R. Bailey, Adjutant. - Lieut. W. E. Acraman, Quartermaster. - Capt. R. H. V. Cavendish, M.V.O. - Capt. A. de P. Kingsmill. - Capt. A. F. R. Wiggins. - Capt. E. W. M. Grigg. - Lieut. A. K. S. Cunninghame. - Lieut. D. A. Smith (Brigade Machine-gun Company). - Lieut. E. H. Noble. - Lieut. F. A. M. Browning. - Lieut. M. A. Knatchbull-Hugessen. - Lieut. the Hon. W. A. D. Parnell. - Lieut. W. H. Beaumont-Nesbitt. - Lieut. H. G. W. Sandeman. - Lieut. the Hon. B. B. Ponsonby. - 2nd Lieut. the Hon. A. V. Agar-Robartes (Brigade Machine-gun - Company). - 2nd Lieut. T. A. Combe. - 2nd Lieut. A. F. Irvine. - 2nd Lieut. T. W. Minchin. - 2nd Lieut. H. G. Carter. - 2nd Lieut. N. McK. Jesper. - 2nd Lieut. G. G. M. Vereker. - Capt. J. A. Andrews, R.A.M.C., Medical Officer. - - -On the 8th it marched to Calonne, and on the 12th to Arrewage, where it -remained until the 25th. On the 14th Lieut.-Colonel G. D. Jeffreys left -to take over temporary command of the 3rd Battalion, but after three -days he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General, and was appointed -to the 58th Infantry Brigade. On the 21st Second Lieutenant J. -Arbuthnott, and on the 23rd Second Lieutenant D. Harvey joined the -Battalion. - -January 27 being the German Emperor's birthday, an attack was expected, -and special precautions were taken, but the German Army were tired of -these Roman holidays. Previous attempts to snatch a victory of some sort -on the birthday of the All-Highest had proved costly and lamentable -failures. This time the Army determined to allow this festival to pass -unnoticed, and consequently no German showed the slightest inclination -to leave his trench. - -During the days spent in the trenches there were constant losses: on -some days men were killed, and almost invariably there were a certain -number wounded. - -[Sidenote: Feb.] - -On February 1 Major de Crespigny took over the command of the 2nd -Battalion from Major Glyn, who had been in temporary command since -Lieut.-Colonel Jeffreys' departure. - -The same routine was continued until February 7, when the 2nd Battalion -marched to La Gorgue, where it remained for a week. On the 11th it was -inspected by Field-Marshal Lord Kitchener in a field at Merville, and on -the 14th marched to Godwaersvelde _via_ Merville. On the 16th it reached -Poperinghe after a long march in the teeth of a strong wind and heavy -rain, and was put into huts in a camp, mostly under water. - -The following letter from Lieut.-General Haking commanding the Eleventh -Corps was addressed to the Guards Division on its departure: - - The Military situation did not permit of my seeing your Division on - its departure from the Corps in order to say Good-bye to you all, - and thank all ranks for the services they have performed during the - time the Division has been in the Corps. I am compelled therefore to - write what I should have liked to speak. - - Ever since the Division was formed and posted to this Corps, it has - proved itself to possess the finest military spirit. Lord Cavan, and - since his departure General Feilding, ably assisted by - Lieut.-Colonel the Hon. W. P. Hore Ruthven, G.S.O.I., Lieut.-Colonel - Darrell, A.A.Q.M.G., and a most efficient staff, have carried out - several offensive operations with distinguished success, including - the attacks during the fighting round Loos, the consolidation of a - difficult and unmade line about the Hohenzollern Redoubt, and the - raid into the hostile trenches along the Rue Tilleloy front. The - careful planning of these operations by the Divisional Commander and - his general and administrative staff, the accurate reconnaissance - and detailed organisation of each by the Brigade Commanders, - Brigadier-Generals Heyworth, Ponsonby, and Pereira, and also General - Feilding until he succeeded Lord Cavan in command of the Division, - together with their staffs, has been a model of good fighting. - - The infantry operations have been ably seconded by the artillery of - the Division under Brigadier-General Wardrop and his Brigade - Commanders, who have spared no pains, both in the construction of - forward observing posts and the training and organisation of good - observing officers, to secure the success of the infantry. - - The Royal Engineers also under Lieut.-Colonel Brough and his field - company commanders have been indefatigable in their work on the - defences, the water drainage in rear of our line, and in assisting - the artillery in the construction of some of the best observing - posts in any part of the British line. The Battalion commanders, - officers, non-commissioned officers and men who have been called - upon to bear the brunt of all this fighting have shown throughout an - offensive spirit which in my opinion surpassed any standard reached - by the Guards or any infantry in past campaigns, and which will be - the admiration of future generations of soldiers. The fine - discipline and soldierly bearing of all ranks is also a matter for - all of you to be proud of. You have been an example to other - Divisions with whom you have been associated, and that example has - produced the best results, and has raised the fighting value and - efficiency of the whole Corps. I am very sorry to say Good-bye to - you, but I am glad you are going to a corps which is commanded by - your old Divisional General Lord Cavan, who has the proud - distinction of being the first General Officer to command a British - Guards Division, and who has so greatly distinguished himself on - every occasion. - - I can only hope that the Eleventh Corps will find itself before long - by the side of the Fourteenth Corps with the Guards Division ready, - as it always will be, to lead the way to Victory. - -While the 2nd Battalion remained at Poperinghe, it was honoured by the -visit of some German aeroplanes which dropped bombs, but fortunately not -anywhere near the men's billets. On the 22nd a demonstration of German -liquid fire was held, and it was clearly shown that, provided the men -kept their heads low down in the trench, no harm would come to them, -since liquid fire rises in the air about six or eight yards from the -muzzle of the apparatus. - -On the 24th the 2nd Battalion proceeded to Cassel, and as the roads were -frozen the transport had several adventures. Down one steep hill several -wagons and cookers skidded into the ditch, from which they had to be -rescued, and there were many accidents. On the 28th the Battalion -entrained, and went by rail to Calais Coulogne station, where it marched -to No. 6 Rest Camp, about four kilometres from the town on the Dunkirk -road. Here it found the 1st Battalion Grenadiers, the 2nd Battalion -Scots Guards, and the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. - -[Sidenote: March.] - -In this breezy but healthy locality the 2nd Battalion remained for ten -days, and the health of the men improved immensely in spite of the -extreme cold. On March 5 it returned by train to Cassel, and marched -about nine miles to Herzeele, where it went into billets. On the 16th it -moved to Poperinghe, and on the 18th took over the line east of Potidje -village, with Nos. 3 and 4 Companies in the front trench, No. 1 Company -in support, and No. 2 in reserve. Major Glyn left the 2nd Battalion to -take command of the 1st Battalion vice Lieut.-Colonel Trotter. - -The trenches that had been taken over turned out to be in very bad -order, with parapets only waist high, and nowhere bullet-proof. There -were no communication trenches, and little or no attention appeared to -have been given to the difficult problem of drainage and sanitary -arrangements, but the men set to work at once, and before long there was -a marked improvement. During the days spent in the trenches by -companies, there were a certain number of casualties--among whom was -Sergeant-Major H. Wood, who was slightly wounded--and the parapet in the -line held by No. 1 Company was blown in by shells from a field-gun not -five hundred yards away. On the 24th the 2nd Battalion went to A Camp at -Vlamertinghe, where they remained for four days, and on the 28th they -returned to the trenches east of Potidje village. Although at first -there was a comparatively quiet time, the shelling increased later, and -a certain number were wounded, including Second Lieutenant H. G. Carter. -On the 30th the shelling increased in intensity, and the trenches of No. -4 Company were completely levelled for about 120 yards. Work was almost -impossible at this spot as the enemy's artillery continued to shell it, -and it was not until the following day that the men were able to erect -another parapet. - -[Sidenote: April.] - -After ten days' rest at Poperinghe, the 2nd Battalion returned to Ypres, -and went into cellars and dug-outs in the ramparts. On the 11th it took -over the line between Railway Wood and the Menin road, where it found a -large gap in the line on the left between it and the Coldstream. For the -next sixteen days it remained either in this line or in Ypres. Second -Lieutenant J. S. Burton joined the Battalion on the 10th, Lieutenant T. -Parker Jarvis on the 20th, and Second Lieutenant J. C. Cornforth on the -21st. On the 27th the 2nd Battalion went into billets at Poperinghe, and -was inspected by General Sir Herbert Plumer, K.C.B., commanding the -Second Army. It remained for a week in billets, and then returned to -Ypres on 4th May. One of the enemy's aeroplanes flew over one day, and -dropped bombs on Poperinghe, of which one fell about twenty-five yards -from Battalion Headquarters, and wounded two men. - -[Sidenote: May.] - -On May 5 the 2nd Battalion went into the trenches near Wieltje, and -although it succeeded in relieving the 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards -without sustaining any casualties, it came in for a very heavy shelling -the next day. Lieutenant the Hon. B. Ponsonby was wounded, and there -were three N.C.O.'s killed and seven wounded. This shelling continued -every day, and there was in consequence a daily list of men wounded. On -the 9th the 2nd Battalion returned to billets near the Prison at Ypres, -and remained there till the 13th, when it went into the trenches again. -On the 10th Second Lieutenant G. A. Arbuthnot arrived. A considerable -amount of work had to be done in deepening the trenches, heightening the -parapets, and wiring the entanglements, for which eighty-four coils of -barbed wire were used. A systematic shelling by the enemy, not only of -the front line, but also of all roads and communication trenches, was -daily carried out, and on the 16th Second Lieutenant J. S. Burton was -killed, whilst the casualties amongst other ranks were very heavy. On -the 19th the 2nd Battalion went by train to St. Omer, and marched to -billets at Tatinghem, where it remained resting until June 7. - - - LIST OF OFFICERS OF THE 2ND BATTALION - - Lieut.-Colonel C. R. C. de Crespigny, D.S.O., Commanding Officer. - Major E. N. E. M. Vaughan, Second in Command. - Capt. the Hon. W. R. Bailey, Adjutant. - Lieut. W. E. Acraman, Quartermaster. - Capt. R. H. V. Cavendish, M.V.O. - Capt. A. F. R. Wiggins. - Capt. A. K. S. Cunninghame. - Lieut. the Hon. W. A. D. Parnell. - Lieut. W. H. Beaumont-Nesbitt. - Lieut. H. G. W. Sandeman. - Lieut. T. A. Combe. - Lieut. A. F. Irvine. - Lieut. M. H. Macmillan. - Lieut. T. Parker Jarvis. - 2nd Lieut. T. W. Minchin. - 2nd Lieut. N. McK. Jesper. - 2nd Lieut. G. G. M. Vereker. - 2nd Lieut. D. Harvey. - 2nd Lieut. J. Arbuthnott. - 2nd Lieut. G. A. Arbuthnot. - - _Attached_--Capt. J. A. Andrews, R.A.M.C., Medical Officer. - - -[Sidenote: June.] - -On June 7 the 2nd Battalion left Tatinghem at 8 A.M. and arrived at St. -Sylvestre _via_ Fort Rouge and Staple after a long and hot march. After -ten days spent in Camp M near Poperinghe, during which time parties of -men were employed in cable laying, it proceeded to Elverdinghe and -remained there till the 20th, when it took over the Lancashire Farm -line. Captain G. C. FitzH. Harcourt-Vernon, Lieut. H. F. C. Crookshank, -Lieutenant the Hon. M. H. E. C. Townley-Bertie, and Lieutenant R. E. H. -Oliver joined the Battalion on the 15th, and Lieutenant P. M. Walker on -the 19th. - -The four days spent in the trenches were marked by heavy machine-gun -fire and sniping, but the line was fairly good, and there were in -consequence few casualties. On the 24th an artillery duel took place, -and although our guns did some good work in cutting the enemy's wire, -the German guns retaliated on the front line and support trenches. On -retiring into billets again at Elverdinghe, the men were given -permission to bathe in the lake in the grounds of the château, but this -peaceful pursuit was not without danger, for the German artillery, while -searching about for some target, dropped six shells over the lake, and -later shelled the château itself. - -[Sidenote: July.] - -After a week's rest the 2nd Battalion returned to Ypres on July 6, and -the next day relieved the 4th Battalion in the Irish Farm line, one of -the worst positions it had been in. The 1300 yards of trenches consisted -for the most part of unconnected and shallow shell-holes, which were -full of water, and there were no communication trenches of any kind. It -took four and a half hours to get round the line by night, and in places -it was necessary to walk above ground, which made the Commanding -Officer's tour very dangerous. Naturally in such a line the daily -casualty list was fairly heavy, but the men worked at the trenches with -so much energy that they soon transformed them. Once Captain Wiggins, -Lieutenant Irvine, and Lieutenant Combe were having luncheon in a hole -in the first line, when a shell from a German trench mortar pitched -quite close to them. With the exception of Captain Wiggins, who was hit -through the knee by a piece of the shell, no one was any the worse. The -Germans, finding that the large shells from the trench mortars could be -seen coming, hit upon the idea of firing salvos of shrapnel at the same -time, which confused our men. - -Lieutenant-General Lord Cavan paid a surprise visit to the 2nd Battalion -while it was in the trenches, and made a searching inspection of the -kits, greatcoats, respirators, and rifles. In spite of the men being in -the trenches, everything was complete and clean, but much to the -Sergeant-Major's annoyance two mess-tins and three spoons were found to -be deficient in the whole Battalion. The takings of the regimental -canteen had been greatly augmented by the presence of two Navvy -battalions, and Lieut.-Colonel de Crespigny was therefore able to give -the men certain luxuries, such as French bread and tinned milk, which -were much appreciated. - -During the next fortnight the 2nd Battalion remained either in billets -in the Canal bank or in the line in front, and worked unceasingly on the -trenches. The monotony of trench life was relieved by the exciting but -dangerous ventures of patrols. During the night of the 17th Lieutenant -A. Irvine and Lieutenant Parker Jervis took out patrols, and although -they were unsuccessful in securing any prisoners, they managed to pick -up a great deal of useful information. On the 19th Lieutenant M. H. -Macmillan went out with two men and managed to get quite near to the -German line, but a German sentry whom they came across threw a bomb at -them, wounding Lieutenant Macmillan and one of the men slightly. He, -however, obtained the information he wanted, and was later complimented -by General Pereira, who sent the following message: - - The Brigadier wishes Lieutenant Macmillan and his patrol on the 19th - inst. to be congratulated on their excellent report and the most - useful information which they brought in. - -Lieutenant Irvine also went out with a strong patrol, and on his return -narrowly escaped being bombed by his own company. Captain Wiggins and -ten men lay out on Admirals Road in the hopes of catching some of the -enemy's patrols, but were unsuccessful. On the 22nd Captain M. K. A. -Lloyd joined the Battalion. - -The improvement in the trench line did not escape the notice of -Brigadier-General Pereira, who sent the following message to -Lieut.-Colonel de Crespigny: - - After visiting your Battalion section of the trenches to-day, I wish - to say how very much I was impressed by the wonderful progress that - has been made in improving and strengthening the line, and I realise - the amount of thought and labour that has been expended on this - work. - - (Signed) C. PEREIRA, Brig.-Gen. - Commanding 1st Brigade. - -The enemy's artillery now turned its attention to Poperinghe, with the -result that all the civilians had to be cleared out and sent away. In -its search for suitable objectives, it succeeded in landing a big shell -on the 2nd Battalion Headquarters. Two men were buried, one of whom -survived, but the other was dead when dug out. On the 24th Second -Lieutenant G. A. Arbuthnot went out with five snipers, and although they -remained out all night, they saw nothing of the enemy's patrols. -Sergeant Lyon of No. 1 Company went out by himself into No Man's Land, -and returned the next morning with useful information, and also a German -flag which had been taken from a tree near Wieltje. - -On the 27th the Guards Division left the Ypres salient, and was relieved -by the Fourth Division of the Eighth Corps. - -[Sidenote: Aug.] - -The 2nd Battalion left Ypres on the 26th, and went by train to -Poperinghe. On the 27th it marched _via_ St. Jan der Bietzen Watou and -Houtkerque to Herzeele, and on the 30th to Proven, where it entrained -for St. Pol. From St. Pol it went in motor lorries to Bouque Maison, and -then marched on to billets at Neuvillette. After two days' rest it -marched on to Sarton, where it remained from August 1st to the 10th, and -then proceeded to Bertrancourt. - -The Guards Division was now approaching the Somme area, and the 2nd -Battalion Grenadiers marched from Bertrancourt through Beaussart, -Mailly, Vitermont, to the right sub-sector of the Beaumont-Hamel line. -The trenches were considerably better than any others the 2nd Battalion -had occupied since Loos, and there were several deep dug-outs in the -line. The enemy's artillery sent over some heavy shells at once, and the -casualties were one N.C.O. killed and six men wounded. After three days -in the trenches, when a certain number of men were wounded, the -Battalion was relieved by the 1st Battalion Leicestershire Regiment, and -retired to Bertrancourt. Two days later it marched to Courcelles, where -it remained for a week in billets, and on the 23rd proceeded to Beauval. -On the following days it marched to Flesselles, to Canadles, and to -Méaulte, where it remained till the end of the month. Second Lieutenant -C. C. Cubitt and Second Lieutenant A. Hasler joined the Battalion on the -15th, Second Lieutenant D. W. Cassy, who had been employed as signal -officer at Brigade Headquarters, on the 21st, and Lieutenant A. T. A. -Ritchie on the 25th. Second Lieutenant D. Harvey and ten men were -attached to the 180th Tunnelling Company, R.E. - -END OF VOL. I - -_Printed by_ R. & R. CLARK, LIMITED, _Edinburgh_. - - - - - A SELECTION OF NEW BOOKS - - -_3 Vols._ _With Portraits and Plans._ _8vo._ _£2:12:6 net._ - -THE LIFE OF - -LORD KITCHENER - -BY - -SIR GEORGE ARTHUR, BT., M.V.O. - -Private Secretary to Lord Kitchener, 1914-16 - -WITH PREFACES BY - -THE MARQUIS OF SALISBURY AND EARL HAIG - - * * * * * - -LETTERS OF TRAVEL. 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