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.