France and Belgium, 1914
Mons, the Retreat to the Seine, The Marne
and The Aisne, August-October 1914

Excerpt:

The Battle of Le Cateau, 26th August (continued): Noon to 5pm

 

Shortly after noon the situation of the Suffolk and of the batteries supporting them, on the right of the line, became serious under the German enfilade fire. The 108th Heavy Battery, in action well behind the right flank, had silenced one troublesome group of guns near Croix; but, despite this piece of good shooting, the hostile artillery still far outmatched the British. (Apparently the greater part of the artillery of the German 5th and 7th Divisions was in action against the 5th Division. "" F.A. Regt. No. 18 " (5th Division), p. 21, states that the division deployed for action about 11 A.M. and one of its artillery brigades ," had to be given up to the IV. Corps, which was engaged in a hard fight, whilst one battery of the other brigade was attached to the 6th Division. The regimental commander was wounded. ," Regt. No. 26 (7th Division), pp. 57-8, gives the interesting information that the artillery of the 5th Division about 12.25 P.M. fired on one of its own battalions and on other infantry of the IV. Corps because ," troops of the III. Corps put up artillery screens, painted black-white-red , on the rear side in order to make clear their position to the artillery. As our corps did not show their screens, the III. Corps artillery believed it had the enemy in front of it. The fire received was " heavy and loss, bringing." The regiment was also fired on by its own corps artillery, which did not suppose the attackers had got so far forward.") Reserves there were none, except the four battalions of the 19th Brigade ; of these the Cameronians and Royal Welch Fusiliers, in view of the enemy's movement on Ligny, had at 10 A.M. been moved away westwards to Montigny, behind the left flank of the II. Corps ; a part of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders had already been thrown into the fight ; and only the remainder of this battalion, together with the 1/Middlesex, was available on the right. By the orders of Major-General L. G. Drummond, commanding the brigade, two half-companies of the Argylls, with the battalion machine guns, were now sent up the track which ran over the ridge to the right rear of the Suffolk ; and the l/Middlesex moved forward into position upon the right of the Highlanders. The only reassuring feature in the situation of the 5th Division was that the Germans were not pushing their way up the valley of the Selle past the right flank of the 14th Brigade with the rapidity and vigour that might have been expected. Whether the German III. Corps had been slow in following its advanced troops, or, as it came upon the field, had been diverted from Le Cateau westward, in support of the frontal attack on the 14th and 13th Brigades, was unknown. In any case, the detachment of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, seeing no German troops in the valley, turned its machine guns at long range on to the ridge east of Le Cateau. This drew the fire of the German artillery, which put both the machine guns out of action. But, at the moment, the danger lay not in the east but in the north. About noon, General Smith-Dorrien again visited 5th Division headquarters, and discussed with Sir Charles Fergusson the question of holding on or retiring. As the Germans were so near, it was thought that a counter-attack would be necessary to disengage, and the decision to retire was, temporarily, postponed.

 

Shortly before 1 P.M., Sir Charles Fergusson from his lookout in Reumont village could see that the right of his division was shaken and might shortly give way, and he reported in that sense to corps headquarters. A little later he added that a German division (This was thought to be the head of the 5th Division of the III. Corps, but must have been the 165th Regiment of the 7th Division (in the same brigade as the 27th). This regiment went over the high ground east of Le Cateau, deployed south of the Le Cateau-Maubeuge railway and then, about 4 P.M., turned towards Honnechy, which it reached as the last British were leaving the village.) was working round his right from Bazuel. Finally at 1.20 P.M. he suggested that unless material assistance could be sent to him he had better begin retiring. It seems to have been about this time, during a lull in the German fire, that the teams of the 11th Battery came up to the guns, and got five of them away, that of the sixth being shot down. The teams of the 80th and 37th Batteries also came forward, and brought away five of the guns and four of the howitzers ; another howitzer as will be seen was recovered later on. But these three batteries were saved at the cost of the teams of the 52nd, whose guns had consequently to be abandoned. The gunners of this battery were ordered to retire, but a few remained and managed to keep one gun in action. Somewhat later, the teams of the 122nd Battery galloped up through the line of the West Kent, in brigade reserve, who stood up and cheered them loudly as they dashed between their trenches and onward down the slope towards their guns. As they came within view of the enemy, they were struck by a hurricane of shrapnel and of bullets from the machine guns in the Cambrai road ; but still they went on. The officer in charge of the teams was killed, and one team shot down in a heap before the position was reached ; but two guns of the 122nd Battery were carried off without mishap. A third was 1imbered up, but the horses went down instantly. It was an extraordinary sight : a short wild scene of galloping and falling horses, and then four guns standing derelict, a few 1imbers lying about, one on the skyline with its pole vertical, and dead men and dead horses everywhere. It was then decided to abandon the remaining guns, as also those of the 124th and 123rd Batteries, which were in an even more exposed position, the breech-blocks being first removed and the sights smashed. Altogether, twenty-four field guns and a howitzer were lost in this part of the field ; considering that the batteries were practically in the firing line, it is astonishing that any were rescued ; the feat redounds to the eternal honour of the officers and men of the 5th Division artillery.

 

It was now about 2 P.M. At 1.40 P.M., in response to the 1.20 P.M. message, General Smith-Dorrien had placed his two remaining battalions, the Cameronians and the Royal Welch Fusiliers, at Sir Charles Fergusson's disposal, ordering them to move from Montigny to Bertry, and asking him to hold his ground at any rate a little longer, so as to allow the preliminary movements of the retirement to take effect; he was to begin the withdrawal of the 5th Division as soon as he should think fit : after which the 3rd and 4th Divisions were to follow in succession. General Smith-Dorrien had already summoned to his headquarters the G.S.O.1 of the 4th Division-to which he was, about midday, connected by signal cable-to receive orders. These were to the same effect as those given to the 5th Division. Roads were allotted for the retirement to the north-west of St. Quentin, when it should take place, as follows :

To the 5th Division and 19th Brigade :

(1) via Bertry-Maretz, and thence the Roman road to Vermand ;

(2) via Reumont - Maurois - Busigny - Bohain - Brancourt - Joncourt - Bellenglise.

To the 3rd Division, via Montigny - Clary - Elincourt - Malincourt (east of the Church) - Beaurevoir - Gouy - Bony - Hargicourt - Jeancourt.

To the 4th Division, via Selvigny - Malincourt (west of the Church) - Aubeneheul - Ronssoy - Templeux - Roisel.

To the Cavalry, any roads west of the 4th Division.

The pressure upon the British line immediately west of Le Cateau now became severe, and it seemed clear that the Germans were preparing for a great effort. Before the teams of the 122nd Battery advanced, three platoons of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders had twice made gallant attempts to reach the trenches of the Suffolk, but had been beaten back with severe loss by artillery and machine-gun fire. They rallied under the protection of the 59th Field Company R.E., which gave up its trenches to them and lay down in the open. So intense, in fact, was the machine-gun fire upon the whole ridge to the rear of the Suffolk that the Highlanders had to abandon the line which they had taken up, and move further down the slope towards the valley of the Selle. Meanwhile, the German battalions were steadily gaining ground; in fact, as the last gun team of the 5th Division artillery was driving off, as described above, they were only four hundred yards from it, and were only kept back for a time by a party of the Manchester, which, with the machine-gun detachment, offered so stout a resistance as to gain a few minutes' respite. During this brief interval, Captain D. Reynolds of the 37th Battery, having obtained permission to call for volunteers, came galloping down with teams to rescue the two howitzers which had been left on the ground.

The German infantry was then within two hundred yards, yet by the gallantry and devotion of this little party both howitzers were limbered up; and though one team was shot down before it could move, the other galloped off with its howitzer and brought it safely away.

This episode was the last gleam of light upon this gloomy corner of the field. (It gained the Victoria Cross for Captain Reynolds and for Drivers Luke and Drain. Captain Reynolds was killed by gas near Ypres, 1916.) Between2.30and2.45 P.M. the end came. The Germans had by this time accumulated an overwhelming force in the shelter of the Cambrai road, and they now fell upon the Suffolk and Manchester from the front, right flank and right rear. The turning movement, however, did not at once make itself felt, and the two battalions and the Argylls with them opened rapid fire to their front with terrific effect, two officers of the Highlanders, in particular, bringing down man after man and counting their scores aloud as if at a competition. The Germans kept sounding the British " Cease fire " and gesticulating to persuade the men to surrender, but in vain. At length a rush of the enemy from the rear bore down all resistance. The Suffolk and Manchester and their Highland comrades were overwhelmed. They had for nine hours been under an incessant bombardment, and they had fought to the very last, covering themselves with undying glory . . .