The Grenadier Guards in the Great War of 1914-1918, Vol. 3 of 3Ponsonby, Frederick
History
The Grenadier Guards in the Great War of 1914-1918, Vol. 3 of 3
Ponsonby, Frederick
Great Britain. Army. Grenadier Guards; World War, 1914-1918 -- Regimental histories -- Great Britain
At the commencement of the fight, when No. 8 Post was falling back on
No. 7, Private Taylor, who had been sent back to No. 8 Post to fetch
some bombs, which had been left behind, ran straight into the arms of
a party of Germans, and was taken prisoner. He was ordered on pain of
death to lead the Germans to No. 14 Post, and feigned to be willing to
do so, when the raiders suddenly changed their minds, and told him to
lead them back to their own lines. He at once acquiesced, but instead
of doing so, led them to the strongest post in our line. When he knew
he was within a few yards of Nos. 7 and 8 Posts, he shouted a warning
to the garrison, and threw himself on the ground. His warning was heard
by his comrades, who at once hurled bombs in the direction of his
voice, and the Germans fled, abandoning their prisoner. Unfortunately,
one of our bombs wounded Private Taylor, but he was finally rescued by
Private Cunliffe, a stretcher-bearer who had already behaved with great
gallantry, bringing in the wounded under heavy shell-fire.
Meanwhile a totally distinct fight took place at Nos. 13 and 14
Posts, generally known as Alton Post, where there was a machine-gun
protected by a bombing-post, under Lieutenant W. B. Ball. It happened
that a party of Royal Engineers, under an officer, was working at the
machine-gun dug-out that night. The machine-gun itself was knocked out
by the first few shells of the barrage, and a small party of Germans
immediately afterwards emerged from the darkness, and rushed at the
post. Corporal Horan, who was in charge of the bombing-post, disabled
three of them with well-directed bombs, but one very tall German,
followed by some more, broke through, and proceeded to throw bombs
down the dug-out. It was all done in a moment, and the officer of the
Royal Engineers, who was in the dug-out, having just escaped the first
bomb, ran round to another exit, when he narrowly missed a second one,
before he got out into the open. Meanwhile, Private Moore, a Grenadier
attached to the Royal Engineers, closed with the leading German, and
was stabbed to death. Corporal Horan then came up, and shot the tall
German dead. Presumably the leaders of the party had all been accounted
for, as the remainder turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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