The Story of the Great War, Volume 3: History of the European War from Official Sources
History
The Story of the Great War, Volume 3: History of the European War from Official Sources
World War, 1914-1918
the Kensington battalion, or what was left of it, received the order
to retire. To do that necessitated fighting their way back through the
thickening line of their enemy. Those British Territorials had held
their peculiar position several hours, and had suffered severely in
consequence; but their loss was undoubtedly much larger when retiring
to their former line. They fought the greater part of the afternoon
and well into the evening in endeavoring to get back; and finally a
comparatively few of them succeeded. The last dash to the British
trenches was made over a barren piece of ground which was so flat that
there was no opportunity for concealment. And here the Germans raked
what was left of the battalion with rifle and machine-gun fire.
Ultimately, however, a portion of the brave band returned to the
British trenches. Previous to withdrawing the survivors from the
front, General Sir Henry Rawlinson told them that their gaining the
position which they took and holding it as long as they did had not
only relieved the pressure on Ypres but had aided General Foch's army
to advance between Arras and La Bassee. In conclusion he said: "It was
a feat of arms surpassed by no battalion in this great war."
The Sussex and Northampton troops made a desperate effort to get into
the German trenches on the morning in which this action started, but
they never got nearer than forty yards, being stopped by the deluge of
shrapnel, rifle, and machine-gun fire to which they were subjected.
When they were ordered to return to the British trenches, those who
remained able to make the attempt found it quite as dangerous as
trying to go forward. That afternoon the Black Watch and the First
Cameronians charged where the Sussex and Northamptons had been
repulsed, but the Scotchmen had but little more success. It is true
some of the men from the land of the heather got into the German
trenches; but they did not survive. The determination of the British
was shown when men, who had been wounded in the first charge and been
unable to return to their own line, joined the Scots in their mad rush
to death. Those men had lain under fire twelve hours before making
their dying assault on the German trenches. It had been expected the
Scotchmen would get into the opposing trenches and bomb and bayonet
the Teutons out. Then reenforcements would be sent from the British
line. But the artillery of King George was unable to check the
devastating work of the kaiser's big guns and give the reenforcements
a clear field through which to go to the aid of the attacking force.
The result was that the Germans continued such a leaden hail between
the lines that it was sending soldiers to certain death to order them
to cross the zone of fire. The remnant of the Scottish regiments was
recalled, and it lost as many men on its return as it had in its
desperate struggle to reach the German trenches.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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