The Irish Guards in the Great War, Volume 1 (of 2) : $b The First BattalionKipling, Rudyard
History
The Irish Guards in the Great War, Volume 1 (of 2) : $b The First Battalion
Kipling, Rudyard
Great Britain. Army. Irish Guards -- History; World War, 1914-1918 -- Regimental histories -- Great Britain
On the 27th August medal ribbons were presented by the General of
the 1st Brigade to those who had won honour in the Boesinghe battle,
either by their cool-headedness in dealing with “surprise situations”
or sheer valour in the face of death or self-devotion to a comrade;
for there was every form of bravery to choose from. Lieutenant E.
Budd received the bar to his Military Cross, and Sergeant (a/C.S.M.)
P. Donohoe (No. 3056), No. 1910 Sergeant (a/C.S.M.) F. M’Cusker, No.
3224 Corporal E. M’Cullagh, No. 4278 Lance-Corporal J. Vanston, No.
7520 Private S. Nulty, No. 5279 Private J. Rochford (bar to Military
Medal), No. 10171 Lance-Corporal S. McHale, Military Medal; No. 10161
Lance-Corporal W. Cooper, D.C.M.
The following N.C.O.’s and men were unable to be present on parade,
but were awarded honours during the past month. No. 4512 Sergeant J.
Balfe, No. 3146 Lance-Corporal F. Coyne, No. 4386 Sergeant Macdonald,
No. 6078 Private J. Martin, Military Medal; No. 4884 Private D.
O’Brien, Croix de Guerre.
On the last days of August they marched to Proven Siding and
entrained for Elverdinghe and thence to Dulwich Camp, well known as
being “somewhat exposed and liable to long-range shell-fire.” They
were used at once by the greedy R.E.’s for burying cables and making
artillery-tracks preparatory to the next move in the interminable
Third Battle of Ypres.
From the 1st to the 4th September they, with the 1st Guards Brigade,
were in support to the 3rd Guards Brigade which was in the line,
and sent up about half their strength for carrying-parties every
night. The line, swampy and overlooked by the high ground under
Houthulst Forest to the north and north-east, consisted of posts in
shell-holes--the shell-holes being improved only just sufficiently
to make them “habitable.” The standard of comfort in the Salient
at that time was lower than on the Somme, where men were dying,
at least, dry. All posts were elaborately concealed from overhead
observation, for the enemy aeroplanes roved over them, bombing and
machine-gunning at large. Though the Battalion was lucky in its four
days’ turn, it lost on the night of the 4th September 2nd Lieutenant
G. P. Boyd and four men killed and twenty-three wounded. Some of the
other battalions in support suffered severely from bombing raids, and
all back-areas were regularly raked over so that the troops might be
worried by loss of sleep.
From the 5th to the 8th they lay in Rugby Camp, in reserve to the
2nd Coldstream and 2nd Grenadiers of their own Brigade in the front
line. Here they enjoyed a “fairly quiet time,” and had only to find
a hundred men or so per night for forward-area work. Rugby, Dulwich
and the other camps were all duly and regularly bombed, shelled and
gassed, but that was accepted as part of the daily and nightly work.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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