'THE GREAT WAR', 'THE WAR TO END WAR', 'WORLD WAR 1'
1914 - 1918
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EDWARD GARSIDE WHITEHEAD Guardsman 21718, 4th BATTALION GRENADIER GUARDS: Service No. 385 GUARDS MACHINE-GUN CORPS No. 2 Company Killed in Action 31st July 1917 3rd Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) |
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With many page transcriptions from 'The Grenadier Guards in the Great War of 1914-1918' by Sir Frederick Ponsonby, to recount the actual organisation & battles in which the Grenadiers, in particular the 4th Battalion, took part. Pub. 1920 in 3 Volumes, . from Volume 2 |
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Chapter XIX Sep. 1916 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p.127-128 THE 4th BATTALION - AT THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME After a course of training with the other battalions of the 3rd Guards Brigade, the 4th Battalion Grenadiers moved up in omnibuses to the neighbourhood of Carnoy, where it was employed in repairing a road running from Carnoy Wedge Wood. When this work was finished, it bivouacked in shelters near Talus Boise, about two and a half miles west of Leuze Wood. On September 9 Captain Mitchell left to take up an appointment at the Central Training School at Havre. On the evening of the 9th the 4th Battalion was sent up to relieve the 47th Brigade, which had just attacked, while the Welsh Guards took the place of the 48th Brigade. As the attack had succeeded in some places and failed in others, the front line ran in an irregular pattern; in some parts large dents had been knocked in the German line, but in others we had made no progress at all. In the particular section of the line which the 3rd Guards Brigade was to relieve, the 48th Brigade, on the left, had secured all its objectives, but the 47th Brigade, in the centre, had the misfortune to find itself opposite the Quadrilateral. It could not be blamed for failing to advance, for the Quadrilateral was one of the strongest points in the enemy's line, and contained eight machine-guns. Hence its losses were very heavy and it was quite unable to make any headway. On the other hand, the 167th Brigade on its right had been completely successful, and had gone well forward. So at the close of this attack the left of the 167th Brigade and the right of the 48th Brigade were in the air, with a space of 600 yards between the two still in the hands of the enemy. About midnight the 4th Battalion made its way slowly towards Trones Wood, and took over the line occupied by what was left of the 47th Brigade between Guillemont and Leuze Wood,with its left on the Wedge Wood Road, 500 yards south of Ginchy. The Battalion advanced across country under a light shell-fire, leaving Guillemont immediately on its left, and heading direct for Ginchy. On reaching its destination No. 1 Company got touch with the supports of the 167th Brigade on the right; No. 2 came next, and No. 3 was on the left, while No. 4 remained in support with the Battalion Head-quarters. |
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4th Battn. Sep. 10 - 11 1916 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p.129 The relief was complete by 5am., and patrols were sent out in the thick morning mist to try and locate the enemy. In the trenches that were taken over lay heaps of wounded and dying men, some of whom had been there for five days. There was constant. sniping by the enemy in front, and patrols from both sides continually met in No Man's Land (which varied from 80 to 200 yards in width); often neither party knew whether the others were friends or foes. It was difficult for officers commanding companies to send in any clear report of the situation, as whole trenches had been obliterated and the position on both flanks was most obscure. Meanwhile the incessant sniping and shell-fire made any movement almost impossible. As will have been seen in the account of the 1st Battalion, General Corkran tried to remedy this very unsatisfactory state of things by sending up No. 3 Company from the 1st. Battalion Grenadiers to support the Welsh Guards, and No. 2 Company to the 4th Battalion Grenadiers. It was reported at the time that the Quadrilateral was thinly held by a small garrison, which was only waiting for a suitable opportunity to surrender. Nothing further from the truth could well have been imagined, as the 4th Battalion soon discovered. Orders had been sent from Brigade Headquarters for the 4th Battalion to push up north and get touch with the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, the impression being that these two battalions were in line; but since the Welsh Guards were 600 yards in front of the Grenadiers' position, it was impossible to carry out these instructions. |
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4th Battn. Sep. 11 - 12 1916 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p. 130 Lieut.-Colonel Lord Henry Seymour did his best, and ordered No. 3 Company under Captain Stewart to move off to the left, its place in the line being taken by No. 4 under Captain E. Spencer-Churchill. Captain Stewart eventually got touch with a company of the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards, which had been sent up in support of the Welsh Guards. Noticing this movement of troops, the enemy imagined that an attack was in preparation, and sent up a succession of lights, presumably to call for a barrage. In answer to these signals the German artillery despatched a regular flow of 5.9 shells, and one pitched in the trench occupied by the 4th Battalion Grenadiers; Second Lieutenant R.F.C. Tompson and Sergeant Todd of No. 4 Company were killed, and Captain C.G. Goschen of No. 1 Company was wounded very slightly in the face. All that day the Welsh Guards in their advanced position were very heavily attacked, but managed to retain their trenches with the help of a company from the lst Battalion Grenadiers. An attempt was made at 1 o'clock next morning to secure the Quadrilateral, and No. 2 Company from the 1st Battalion carried out a bombing attack; this proved unsuccessful, and Captain Graham, Lieutenant Corry, and a. number of other ranks were killed. No. 4 Company from the 4th Battalion went up in support, but as it was found impossible to advance beyond a certain point, its services were not required. |
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4th Battn. Sep. 1916 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p. 131 At 3am. the 4th Battalion was relieved by a battalion of the Suffolk Regiment, and No. 2 and No. 4 Companies were placed at the disposal of the officer commanding the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, while No. 1 and No. 3 Companies retired to Bernafay Wood, which they reached at 5.30am. While No. 2 Company was moving up to support the Welsh Guards, Lieutenant R.Y.T. Kendall was wounded, being shot through the lungs. In the course of the day efforts were made to connect the various parts of the line, and the 1st Battalion Grenadiers and 2nd Battalion Scots Guards were sent up by companies to strengthen the weaker portions. By the evening the line, though not by any means straight, had been joined together in one continuous trench. Even when No. 2. and No. 4 Companies got to Trones Wood they were still under very heavy shell-fire. Captain Spencer-Churchill reported this by telephone to the Brigade-Major, who inquired whether he wanted any retaliation. "Very much," replied Captain Spencer-Churchill, and instructions were accordingly given. The effect was wonderful, and after a few minutes the German artillery turned their attention to another part of the line. Later on No. 3 Company was sent up and placed at the disposal of the O.C. 1st Battalion Grenadiers. At 10pm the 4th Battalion Grenadiers was relieved by the 1st Battalion Scots Guards and marched back to Happy Valley Camp, remaining there until the 14th. During the evening of the 14th the Battalionmoved to Carney, and afterwards to a small copse east of Trones Wood, where it stayed till the following morning. |
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4th Battn. Sep. 15 1916 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p. 132 The ofiicers of the 4th Battalion who took part in the attack of the 15th were : Major (temp. Lieut.-Colonel) Lord Henry Seymour, D.S.O ... Commanding Officer. Lieut. (temp. Captain) R. S. Lambert ... Adjutant. 2nd Lieut. R. Gault ... Sapping Platoon. 2nd Lieut. A.F. Newey ... No. 1 Company. 2nd Lieut. B. Burman ... No. 1 Company 2nd Lieut. A.C. Flower ... No. 1 Company Lieut. (temp. Captain) C.R. Britten ... No. 2 Company. 2nd Lieut. G.H.T. Paton ... No. 2 Company 2nd Lieut. C.G. Keith ... No. 2 Company Capt. W.A.L. Stewart ... No. 3 Company. Lieut. R. Farquhar ... No. 3 Company Lieut. M.H.F. Payne-Gallwey ... No. 3 Company Capt. E.G. Spencer-Churchill ... No. 4 Company. Lieut. L. Abel-Smith ... No. 4 Company 2nd Lieut. J.W.F. Selby-Lowndes ... No. 4 Company Capt. N. Grellier,M.C., R.A.M.C ... Medical Ofiicer. The attack started at 6.20 am., and the 1st and 2nd Guards Brigades advanced with the 3rd Guards Brigade in reserve. After some waiting news was brought down to the 3rd Brigade by the wounded that the lirst objective had been secured, and about 9 am. the Brigade received orders to move up to a position north of Ginchy, and be prepared to support the attack or counter any hostile movement against the right flank of the Division. Originally it had been intended that the 4th Battalion Grenadiers should pass through the rows of massed field-guns, but when the guns began an intense fire this was obviously impossible, and orders were therefore issued for the Battalion to move by platoons at 100 yards' interval along the old railway. |
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4th Battn. Sep. 1916 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p. 133 The advance was made with the 4th Battalion Grenadiers on the right and the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards on the left, and they reached trenches near Ginchy in comparative safety, as the German barrage did not extend so far back. Second Lieutenant Keith from No. 2 Company and Second Lieutenant Farquhar from No. 3 were sent on to locate and report on a position on the other side of Ginchy, to which the Battalion was to move later. On their return the two battalions moved forward, and passed over what had been the first objective of the two leading brigades, where heaps of dead Germans remained as evidence of the recent fighting. On arrival at their destination 500 yards north of Ginchy, the two battalions dug in in a defensive position, with a support line facing half right. In the line was a stranded tank whose commander claimed to have destroyed two of the enemy's machine-guns. It was hopelessly stuck, and, after the crew had spent most of the day vainly trying to move it, was eventually used to provide excellent cover for a dug-out which was constructed underneath it. At 5pm., by order of General Feilding, the 4th Battalion Grenadicrs was placed under the command of tl1e G.O.C. 1st Guards Brigade, and the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards under the G.O.C. 2nd Guards Brigade. It was rather disappointing for the 3rd Guards Brigade to be split up in this way instead of going in as a brigade, but of course the situation in front was not known to those who were in reserve. |
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4th Battn. Sep. 15 - 16 1916 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p. 134 At this moment No. 3 Company under Captain Stewart and No. 4 under Captain Spencer-Churchill were sent forward through the German barrage to protect the flanks of the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers in the 1st Brigade. No. 4 Company moved up to an empty trench which it explored as far as it went to the right, and there found a company of the Durham Light Infantry, led by a most gallant officer, a captain, who was killed soon afterwards by a German bomb. In order to expedite matters, Captain Spencer-Churchill sent twenty to thirty men over the top to co-operate with the party working down the trench, and the Germans were soon driven back some distance. Meanwhile No. 3 Company had gone to strengthen the left of the line held by the 2nd Battalion. These two companies remained in their position during the night of the 15th, while No. 1 and No. 2 stayed near Ginchy with the Battalion Headquarters. Next morning Lieut.-Colonel Lord Henry Seymour was ordered to withdraw one companyfrom the line, and sent a message to Lieut.-Colonel de Crespigny, asking him whether he would prefer to keep No. 4 Company on his right or No. 3 on his left. He decided to keep No. 3, and Captain Spencer-Churchill accordingly brought his Company back to Headquarters. While moving back through the barrage with No. 1 Company, Lieutenant Abel-Smith was wounded in the arm, and there were about seventy casualties among other ranks. Second Lieutenant R. Gault, in charge of the sapping platoon, went up to help the 2nd Battalion, and while putting out posts in front of the line was shot through the head. |
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4th Battn.
Sep. 1916
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p. 135 Instructions were given for Corkran's Brigade to pass through the leading brigades and continue the attack on the third objective, but owing to a protest having been referred back to the Corps Commander, the actual attack did not start until 1.15. The 1st Battalion Grenadiers and 1st Battalion Welsh Guards carried it out, with Nos. 2 and 3 Companies from the 4th Battalion Grenadiers in support. But this advance was soon held up by the enemy's machine-guns, and the battalions were told to dig in where they were. No. 3 Company from the 4th Battalion took part in the operation, and Sergeant Higgins particularly distinguished himself by clearing the Germans out of a trench and killing several single-handed. That night Corkran's Brigade was relieved by the Twentieth Division and returned to Carnoy. There it remained in bivouacs until the 20th, when it returned to the line just north of Ginchy. On the 13th Second Lieutenant H.C.S. Maine joined from the entrenching battalion, and on the 19th Second Lieutenant A.R. Ellice and a draft of thirty men arrived. Going up to the trenches in front of Lesboeufs at 7 P.M. on the 20th to dig communication and assembly trenches for the attack of the 25th, the 4th Battalion had what seemed an interminable march, owing to the congestion of the traflic and the bad state of the ground. The only available road was one mass of transport, guns, etc., and so deep was the mud in some places that it was difficult to cover more than half-a-mile an hour. |
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4th Battn.
Sep. 1916
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p. 136 To make matters worse the guides who had been supplied lost their way, and it was not till three o'clock next morning that the relief was complete. The front-line trench was very shallow, and not by any means bullet-proof, while the communication trench called Gas Alley was Filled with British and German corpses. Captain Spencer-Churchill was ordered to go with his company to Gas Alley and dig a trench connecting it with the one on the right, the exact position of which was not known. He was told that the shell·holes round the block in Gas Alley were strongly held by the enemy's snipers, and that he could call for artillery support if he thought it advisable. He decided that it would be useless to send out patrols at night, and determined to find the other trench himself. This he accomplished by going a long way round by the sunken road, and on reaching the block in the other trench he came across a small post with a Lewis gun which had attracted a good deal of attention from the Germans. Having located the other trench he returned to Gas Alley and organised a bombing party, which Lieutenant J.F.J. Joicey-Cecil was to lead. Just as the attack was about to start next morning the Germans hurled a succession of bombs at the trench, but they exploded some distance off and no one was hurt. Then the Grenadier party broke down the block and advanced, but discovered that the Germans had retired 100 yards towards their main line, where another block had been made by filling in the trench for 40 yards. Captain Spencer-Churchill followed on and established a bombing post there. On returning to the sunken road, he received orders to take over Gas Alley and the 80 yards of the trench leading into it. |
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4th Battn. Sep. 1916 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p. 137 Being told by the guide that it was quite safe to go over the top, he did so, with Sergeant Roberts and his runner, Private Woolridge, but hardly had they emerged when they found themselves in full view of the enemy, who fired at them from all directions. One bullet passed through Captain Spencer-Churchill's steel helmet, scratching his face and knocking a piece of the helmet into his eye, while another grazed Sergeant Roberts's ear. It was obvious, therefore, that any attempt to connect the two trenches would have to be made below the surface; as a preliminary, two long sticks with an empty sand-bag on top were put up in the farther trench, and proved to be easily visible from Gas Alley. In the meantime Lieutenant the Hon. E.W. Tennant, who had been left in Gas Alley, had occupied his time shooting at the enemy. Apparently there was some movement by the Germans which led him to shoot with his revolver, and a moment later he fell dead, shot through the head by one of the enemy's snipers. The men of No. 4 Company now set to work to connect the two trenches, and managed to complete the work, though in the gathering dusk they had at first some difficulty in hitting off the exact spot. That night the 4th Battalion was relieved by the lst Battalion Welsh Guards and retired to Bernafay Wood. Captain Spencer-Churchill's eyes were now giving him great trouble, and his sight became so much affected that he had to be led by his orderly. |
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4th Battn. Sep. 25 1916 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p. 138 At Bernafay Wood the surgeon insisted on giving him a tetanus injection and sending him down to hospital. The command of the Company therefore devolved on Second Lieutenant D.O. Constable. During the next two nights the 4th Battalion was again engaged in digging communication and assembly trenches, and had some casualties. On the 24th the orders for next day's attack were issued, and at night the 4th Battalion took up its position in the line. The officers of thc 4th Battalion who took part in the attack of the 25th were : The attack on the 25th, with the subsequent capture of Lesboeufs, formed one of the most successful operations in which the Guards Division was engaged in the war. |
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4th Battn. Sep. 1916 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p. 139 The preparation seems to have been complete, and every possible contingency foreseen. In the first attack on the 15th the 4th Grenadiers had been in reserve , and so had not seen so much of the fighting as the other battalions in the Division, but it was now to take a leading part, and to go through some of the toughest fighting of the whole battle of the Somme. Orders were given for the attack to be carried out by Pereira's Brigade on the right and Corkran's on the left, while Ponsonby's Brigade remained in reserve. In Corkran's Brigade, the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards were to take the right and the 4th Battalion Grenadiers the left. When the 4th Grenadiers moved up on the night of the 24th, No. 4 Company under Second Lieutenant Constable on the right and No. 2 Company under Captain Britten were sent to the support trenches in front of Ginchy, while No. 1 Company under Captain Goschen and No. 3 under Captain Stewart remained in TronesVVood. On the left of the Grenadiers was a battalion of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, but it was to start from a line quite 100 yards in front of the assembly trench occupied by No. 2 Company, which made communication difficult. Captain Britten, realising that it was essential to keep touch with the battalion on the left, made his men deepen a shallow communication trench which ran in that direction. For the last live nights the 4th Grenadiers had been constantly employed in digging, and had been obliged to get what sleep they could during the day - not at all the same thing as a good night's rest. From 10 to 12 noon the artillery bombardment continued, and was supplemented by the Stokes mortars in the support trenches. During these preliminaries Second Lieutenant Maine was wounded in the foot, and sent down to the dressing station. |
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4th Battn. Sep. 1916 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p. 140 As zero time approached the men fixed bayonets and remained motionless, waiting for the whistle which was to be the signal to advance. The officers in each company had carefully explained to the platoon and section commanders exactly what was expected of them, and each non-commissioned oiiicer therefore knew as much as the captain. At 12.35pm. the line advanced, preceded by a creeping barrage, which moved 150 yards ahead at the rate of 50 yards per minute. In perfect order, with not a man out of his place, the line swept on until it came to the two intermediate lines, which the officers had been warned to expect somewhere in front of the first objective. These had only recently been discovered, and no one quite knew how strongly they were held. Although the leading companies closed up as near as they could to the creeping barrage, they were met by a terrific machine-gun and rifle fire from the intermediate lines, and terrible gaps were made in the ranks. But the companies pressed on, and made short work of the Germans in these lines. Over 150 were killed there with the bayonet. Re-forming again, the Grenadiers rushed the first objective, which, to their surprise, offered comparatively little resistance. Our guns, however, had dealt effectively with the first objective, and forced the occupants into dug-outs, whereas the intermediate lines had onlybeen passed over by the creeping barrage. On the right the Scots Guards met with little opposition, and easily secured their first objective with no serious loss. |
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4th Battn. Sep. 1916 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p. 141 An hour later, at 1.35pm., the attack on the second objective started, and the 4th Battalion Grenadiers moved forward, preceded as before by a creeping barrage. Although there was some stiff fighting at the end, the second objective was secured up to time. The brigade on the left had been held up, and the usual difliculty arose of one brigade pressing on while another was kept back. The right of the 4th Battalion under Sergeant Pitt had managed without difficulty to keep touch with the Scots Guards and had reached the second objective, but on the left, which was in the air, Second Lieutenant Keith was unable to advance while he had the Germans on the left in the same trench as his Company. In fact, the situation on the left had resolved itself into a bombing fight, and while the right got forward the left had always to form a defensive flank. At 2.35pm the 1st Battalion Grenadiers passed through the leading battalions and attacked the third objective; but, as the left flank was still exposed, the result was the same - the right got well forward while the left écheloned back and dug in. To fill the gaps the Welsh Guards were sent up, and thus a continuous line, nearly 1400 yards long, was made, protecting the left flank of the Division. That night the position was as follows: the 1st Grenadiers on the right in the third objective, facing east; the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards in the centre, facing east and north-east; the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and 4th Battalion Grenadiers on the left, facing north. |
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4th Battn. Sep. 1916 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p. 142 The 1st Battalion Grenadiers were in touch with the 1st Guards Brigade on the northern outskirts of Lesboeufs, and although the enemy made counter-attacks in several places, the situation remained unchanged during the night. In spite of their heavy fighting, the men were in very good spirits and made a hearty meal off the German rations which they found, ending up with German cigars. Water was the difficulty at first, but parties soon came up with this, as well as food and ammunition. The only company ofiicers now left with the Battalion were Lieutenant Farquhar, Second Lieutenant Keith, and Second Lieutenant J.W.F. Selby-Lowndes, and the untiring energy they displayed elicited the highest praise from the Commanding Oflicer. A tank made its appearance at 6am., and slowly crawled along on the left of the Division towards the Gird trench, where the brigade on the left had been checked. This trench was very strongly held by the enemy, but when the tank arrived and fired into it 300 Germans surrendered, and the Durham Light Infantry moved up and took possession of it. The Leicester Regiment continued the line to the left towards Gueudecourt. At noon a large number of Germans were seen to leave their trenches between Gueudecourt and Le Transloy and retire across the open in great disorder, dropping their rifles and equipment as they went. Frantic messages were sent back by telephone to our artillery, which opened fire on them and inflicted heavy losses. |
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4th Battn. Sep. 1916 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p. 143 A squadron of our cavalry rode up towards Gueudecourt, and a cavalry patrol from the 5th Lancers went towards Lesboeufs, but Lord Cavan decided that the situation did not permit of cavalry going through, and they retired. Between 8am. and noon the enemy ceased shelling, but between 12 noon and 2am. a barrage was sent over by the enemy's artillery on our two front support lines. Subsequently this died down, and the evening was comparatively quiet.Throughout the day the companies in the front line suffered a good deal from small parties of snipers concealed in shell-holes, but the patrols eventually cleared the ground. At 10pm. the 4th Battalion was relieved by the 2nd Guards Brigade, and went into bivouacs at Carnoy. From the 18th to the 26th the casualties in the 4th Battalion were 445, exclusive of officers. Among the otlicers Captain C.G. Goschen, Captain W.A.L. Stewart, Lieutenant the Hon. E.W. Tennant, Lieutenant J.F.J. Joicey-Cecil, Second Lieutenant D.O. Constable, Second Lieutenant M.H.F. Payne-Gallwey, and Second Lieutenant A.C. Flower were killed, and Captain E.G. Spencer-Churchill, Captain C.R. Britten, Second Lieutenant A.R. Ellice, and Lieutenant H.C.S. Maine were wounded. Second Lieutenant A.R. Ellice died of wounds three days later. The King, on hearing the result of the attack on the 15th, sent the following telegram :
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4th Battn. Sep. 1916 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p. 144 To which the Conimander·in-Chief sent the following reply :
General Sir Douglas Haig also congratulated the Fourth Army in the following terms:
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4th Battn. Sep. 1916 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p. 145-146 The following letters passed between the Commanders-in-Chief of the British and French Armies : G.H.Q. OF FRENCH ARMIES, September 17, 1916.
CENTRAL HEADQUARTERS,
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4th Battn. Sep. 1916 |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ p. 146 - 147 On the 26th Lieut.-General the Earl of Cavan sent the following message to Major-General G.Feilding
A fortnight later General Sir H. Rawlinson conveyed his appreciation of the part taken by the Guards Division in the battle in the following message :
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Part 1 * Edward enlists in Jan.1915; Transcripts: * formation of the 4th Battn. * Guards Division in 1915. |
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Part 4 Edward lands in France Oct. Transcripts: * Diary of the War- Oct., Nov., Dec., 1915; * 4th Battn. Oct - Dec |
Part 5 Edward transfers to Machine-Gun Guards Transcripts: * Diary of the War - Jan - Sept. 1916; * 4th Battn. Jan - Apr. 1916 |
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Part 9 Transcripts: * Diary of the War - Oct to Dec 1916: * 4th Battn - Oct - Nov 1916; * Diary of the War - Jan - Mar 1917; * 4th Battn. Jan - Mar 1917 |
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Part 12 Transcripts: * Edward Killed in action in Battle of Boesinghe 31 July 1917 *3rd Battalion - Boesinghe 1st battalion - Boesinghe 4th battalion - Boesinghe |
Part 13
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* Gallery of pictures & Maps |
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'The Grenadier Guards in the Great War of 1914-1918' by Sir Frederick Ponsonby Pub. 1920 in 3 Volumes, is freely downloadable as .pdf files or can be read on-line. |
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Vol 1 HERE |
Vol 2 HERE |
Vol 3 HERE |
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Contributed by Sheila Goodyear
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