The Grenadier Guards in the Great War of 1914-1918, Vol. 2 of 3 — John Shaqi
The Grenadier Guards in the Great War of 1914-1918, Vol. 2 of 3Ponsonby, Frederick
History
The Grenadier Guards in the Great War of 1914-1918, Vol. 2 of 3
Ponsonby, Frederick
Great Britain. Army. Grenadier Guards; World War, 1914-1918 -- Regimental histories -- Great Britain
On June 1 the 4th Battalion moved to Poperinghe again, and was
employed on fatigues and digging. On the 5th Second Lieutenant J. B.
M. Burke and Second Lieutenant C. S. Nash arrived, and on the 7th the
Battalion marched to Honbeghem. The next day after a march of fifteen
miles, it moved to Tatinghem, and on the 17th returned to Poperinghe.
These were two long, hot marches, but no man fell out on the line of
march either day. On the 18th the Battalion moved up to the Canal Bank
at Ypres, and then back into the trenches on the right of R sector,
with the Battalion Headquarters at Irish Farm. The line was very much
disconnected, and consisted chiefly of a chain of posts, most of which
were in bad order, while what trenches there were, were mostly
derelict, and required a good deal of work. On the 28th Lieutenant H.
H. Sloane-Stanley took out a patrol with the object of capturing an
enemy post, but it was surprised by one of the enemy’s patrols, which
opened fire on it, wounding every man in the left party of the patrol.
One wounded man was left behind when the party retired, and although
Lieutenant Sloane-Stanley, Lance-Corporal Holland, and Private Heap
returned and searched for him, he was never found.
[Sidenote: July.]
After four very wet days in the trenches the 4th Battalion retired to
Ypres for four days’ rest, and on the 4th returned for two nights to
the trenches. The days spent in the trenches proved uneventful, but on
the 7th a raid was made on a part of the enemy’s line known as the
Canadian Dug-outs. A party under Lieutenant H. H. Sloane-Stanley and
Second Lieutenant D. O. Constable was sent out, and crawled up quite
close to the enemy’s position. Unfortunately the ground was very wet
and muddy, and this made a noiseless advance a matter of some
difficulty. There seems no doubt that the enemy heard it, and took
precautions. The barrage was timed to commence at 1.5 A.M., and this
was to be the signal for the assault. At 1 A.M. the Battery covering
the Twentieth Division on the right opened fire, and the raiding party
mistook this for their barrage. Immediately Lieutenant Sloane-Stanley
and Second Lieutenant D. O. Constable sprang to their feet, and were
about to lead the assault when they found themselves confronted at
fifteen paces by a party of the enemy who opened a sharp fire on them.
Fortunately the shooting was very wild, and only four men were
wounded. The fighting then resolved itself into a bombing and
Lewis-gun contest, but the Grenadiers were well hidden and suffered no
loss. Lieutenant Sloane-Stanley’s orders were not to assault unless it
could be done by surprise, and he therefore decided to withdraw his
party four at a time, covered by the Lewis gunners, who behaved with
great coolness. So successfully did they cover the retreat that the
whole party returned without loss. This raid alarmed the enemy, who
opened a heavy bombardment on our line, during which 4 men were killed
and 18 wounded, in addition to Captain M.
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