The Grenadier Guards in the Great War of 1914-1918, Vol. 1 of 3Ponsonby, Frederick
History
The Grenadier Guards in the Great War of 1914-1918, Vol. 1 of 3
Ponsonby, Frederick
Great Britain. Army. Grenadier Guards; World War, 1914-1918 -- Regimental histories -- Great Britain
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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