The Childrens' Story of the War, Volume 2 (of 10): From the Battle of Mons to the Fall of Antwerp.Parrott, Edward
History
The Childrens' Story of the War, Volume 2 (of 10): From the Battle of Mons to the Fall of Antwerp.
Parrott, Edward
World War, 1914-1918 -- Juvenile literature
It was a very weary army which reached this position. It had fought and
marched incessantly for six days, but it was still undaunted, and was
eager for the moment when it should receive the order, "Right about
turn! quick march!" You can form some idea of the great feat which it
had performed when I tell you that besides fighting many rearguard
actions it had marched more than eighty miles--that is, on an average,
at least fourteen miles a day. After such an experience most armies
would have been a complete wreck. Not so the British. The rank and file
were now fully aware that, man for man, they were more than a match for
the Germans, and they were heartened by the knowledge that they had
foiled the frenzied efforts of an army that vastly outnumbered them, and
had striven with all its might to overwhelm them.
Though the general pursuit had slackened, von Kluck's cavalry were still
on the heels of the British rear. On the Friday afternoon on which our
men reached the La Fère-Noyon position two columns of the enemy's horse
moved south-east from St. Quentin in the attempt to attack our flank at
La Fère. Allenby, with two of his cavalry brigades, rode out to meet
them. The German column on the left consisted of Uhlans and of the
cavalry of the famous Prussian Guard. General Gough, with the 4th
Hussars and the 5th Lancers, charged down upon these much-vaunted
horsemen, and drove them back in headlong flight. Against the other
column, which was advancing further to the right, Sir Philip Chetwode
led the Scots Greys, the 12th Lancers, and the 20th Hussars.
[Illustration: Scots Greys on the March.
_Photo, Newspaper Illustrations, Ltd._
The Colonel-in-chief of the Scots Greys (2nd Dragoons) is the Tsar of
Russia, who wrote to the regiment as follows: "I am happy to think that
my gallant regiment, the Royal Scots Greys, are fighting with Russia
against the common enemy. I am convinced that they will uphold the
glorious traditions of the past."]
If you are a Scottish boy or girl, you will be certain to maintain that
the Scots Greys are the finest cavalrymen in the world. Your English
friends may not, perhaps, agree with you; but even though they may
prefer the 9th Lancers or some other English regiment, they will be
quite willing to give very high praise indeed to the Scots Greys. They
have a glorious record, and every one remembers how famously they bore
themselves at the Battle of Waterloo, where they charged down upon the
French with the Gordons clinging to their stirrup-leathers, horsemen and
footmen shouting, "Scotland for ever!" Napoleon knew them well, and
always feared "those terrible grey horses."
A friend of mine has talked with wounded officers and men who took part
in the engagement at St. Quentin, and has given me the following account
of the part played by the Scots Greys in the fight:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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