The Battle Book of Ypres: A Reference to Military Operations in the Ypres Salient 1914-1918 by Beatrix Brice

Author:Beatrix Brice [Brice, Beatrix]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781473843028
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2014-09-21T16:00:00+00:00

Near Gheluvelt Château, 19141

“The 1/Battalion Scots Guards had been holding the line near Gheluvelt Château since the night of the 26th October. The night of the 27th to 28th was spent in exploring the hastily dug trenches already in existence. No movement was possible by day and there was considerable shelling and sniping on the night of 28th/29th. Shortly after dawn on the morning of the 29th the Germans attacked in force on a wide frontage. We withheld our fire until the leading wave was about 300 yards away, and then opened bursts of rapid. Germans fell in bundles, but wave after wave pressed on, some of them getting to within 10 or 15 yards of our trenches. Our men were cool and collected and their fire was causing deadly destruction. Eventually the attack died away. I was in command of ‘Left Flank ‘at the time and sent a message back to Battalion Headquarters to the effect that the attack had been repulsed and that the Germans had lost very heavily, to which I got an answer from Captain Stephen, our Adjutant, ‘Well done, Left Flank; other companies doing like you/ I could count approximately 400 to 500 dead Germans within 200 yards of my company’s trenches, and as ‘Right Flank ‘and ‘C ‘Company had been attacked equally strongly, it is no exaggeration to say that the battalion had so far killed about 1,000 to 1,500 Germans that morning. Our own casualties up to then had been slight; we were shelled continuously, but our trenches were well concealed and the enemy’s shell fire was only fairly accurate. Our men were in the highest spirits and delighted with the result. Shortly afterwards we heard heavy firing which seemed to be coming from our right rear; there was a hedge between Left Flank and ‘C ‘Company which obscured our view, so I ran across to find out what was happening. I found ‘C ‘Company having a desperate fight with a large force of Germans who were trying to work round their right. Captain Stracey, who was in command of the company, had formed a defensive flank with three of the platoons, as he realised that the Germans had broken through the line som ewhere on our right, and this small party was now holding a line at right angles with the rest of the battalion. I could hear ‘Right Flank ‘under Captain de la Pasture still fighting hard. I spoke to Stracey, who was in splendid spirits, and asked him if he would like any help from my company. He said that he would, and it certainly seemed necessary; so I brought up two platoons of ‘Left Flank ‘and prolonged his defensive line to the right. An enormous number of Germans were killed, and after an hour or two they withdrew. One of the battalion machine gunners named Clancy inflicted terrible losses with his Vickers gun—a very gallant man who was killed shortly afterwards. ‘Right Flank ‘fought to the last man and last round, and practically the whole company was killed or wounded.

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