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.