| Hour, date, Place |
Summery
of Events and Information |
Remarks and references to
Appendices |
May 7th
Bois De Huit Rues |
Brigade marched
to HAZERBROUCK and went into original Billets there. |
|
| May 8th |
Brigade stood
to in billets. |
|
May 9th
8:30 am |
regiment
received message that enemy had made considerable
advance by making use of poisonous gas, and were ordered
to stand to, ready to move at very short notice. |
|
| 9:30 am |
Regiment
received orders to concentrate dismounted with A echelon
at LES CINQ RUES, as soon as possible, leaving one man
to 4 horses. |
|
| 11:30 am |
Brigade left
LES CINQ RUES in buses at 11:30 am. |
|
| BRIELEN |
Regiment went
into huts at BRIELEN near YPRES. Formed digging party of
200 men at night. |
|
| May 10th |
Regiment stood
to in huts in BRIELIN. |
|
| May 11th |
Stood to in dug
outs at BRIELEN. |
|
| BRIELEN |
Regiment
ordered to take over line of trenches near BELLEWAARDE
FARM from Shropshire light Infantry on the 12th. Lt A F
Turner and Lt SPD Thomson were sent forward on the night
of the 11th/12th to take over these trenches. Both were
killed by a shell in a dug out. Lt W S Fielding-Johnson
accompanied these officers but returned to Regiment to
act as guide. The taking over of this particular line of
trenches was subsequently cancelled. |
|
| May 12th |
Stood to in
dugouts at BRIELEN and gave men exercise in use of
respirators. |
|
| 7:30 am |
Moved off and
took over trenches just North of railway, near
BELLEWAARDE FARM from Royal Fusiliers. B echelon
ordered to supply 32 more men as reinforcements. This
party, with others of the 7th Cavalry Brigade set out in
buses under 2/Lt T E Brooks and joined Regiment in huts
at BRIELEN. |
|
| May 13th |
Position of
Regiment at midnight 12th/13th, 700 yards West of road
joining ZONNEBEKE ROAD and YPRES-MENIN ROAD : Extreme
right resting on railway running NE from YPRES, and
extending to farm about 300 yards NNW of railway. |
|
| |
B Sqn occupied
North, C Sqn South part of front line trenches. The
trenches were bad, 5 feet deep and 2 1/2 feet wide at
the bottom. Parapets at front and back slanted very much
and were made of lose soil. There were few sand bags and
no dug outs or other protection from shell fire. |
|
| |
A Sqn occupied
support trenches 300 yards in rear and on left flank of
B Sqn. |
|
| |
M.G.s in C Sqn
trench close to railway. |
|
| |
RHQ in Dug outs
on road joining ZONNEBEKE ROAD and MENIN ROAD, 150 yards
North of railway. During the night the trenches were
some what improved. |
|
| 3:30 am |
Heavy shell
fire 3:30 am to 6:00 am but few casualties. The enemy
then began to pour over their parapets with the evident
intention of attacking, but being met, by heavy fire
from our men. They retired again to their trenches. |
|
| |
A second and
more violent bombardment immediately began and was kept
up until 7:300 am. Our losses during this bombardment
were heavier and the M.G.s were knocked out and trench
blown in. |
|
| 7:30 am |
The enemy
attacked and occupied the advanced trenches vacated by
the Regiment on our left; from there they gained part of
the B Sqn trenches. They then advanced within 200 yards
of the support trenches and dug themselves in, using
steel shields as protection. |
**** 2nd Life Guards were the Regiment to the left
of B Sqn. |
| |
Those of the
enemy who had occupied the B Sqn trench advanced along
the trench, and Major B R Leibert, Lt. W S Fielding
-Johnson and SSM J P Swain, with what was left of B Sqn
retired down the trench and joined C Sqn. Here Major W F
Martin ordered barricades of sand bags to be placed
across the trench. Some of the trench party fired over
barricades at the enemy advancing from the flank, others
at the enemy advancing from the front. major W F Martin,
Major Leibert, Lt C Peake and 2/Lt T E Brooks were all
killed. The casualties were so heavy that Lt
Fielding-Johnson, the only surviving officer, decided to
retire down the trench to cross the railway and to join
the 3rd Dragoon Guards on the other side of it. he had
great difficulty in crossing the railway which was swept
by the enemy's machine guns. Finally the crossing was
effected by building a sand bag parapet across the
railway and Lt Fielding-Johnson joined the 3rd DGs with
SSM Swain and 14 men, the sole survivors of the two
squadrons of Leicestershire yeomanry who had occupied
the advance trenches. |
|
| 6:00 am |
Lt. Col. Hon P
C Evans-Freke decided to establish a small advanced post
at a building about 150 yards in advance of the support
trenches. He personally placed 2/Lt T H Simpkin with 15
men in charge of this post. While returning to the
support trenches he was shot dead. |
|
| 12 Noon |
The supports
held this position until the Brigade Major Capt D P
Tollemache arrived. The enemy were by this time very
near at hand carrying shield which appeared to be quite
bullet proof and were digging themselves in. Major
Ricardo displayed great gallantry in holding onto the
support trenches although wounded four separate times. |
|
| 2:30 pm |
When the
counter attack was made by the RHG, 10th Hussars and
Essex Yeomanry, the remains of A Sqn, led by Capt
Tollemache and Lt T W Best joined in the charge. the
counter attack drove the enemy out of the new trenches
which were made near our support trenches, but did not
retake our advanced trenches; consequently the dead and
the wounded were never recovered. |
|
Night
13th/14th |
The Regiment
was relieved during the night 13th/14th by the Royal
Irish Fusiliers and reached their huts at BRIELEN about
4:00 am on the 14th. |
|
| May 13th |
The casualties
of the action on the 13th were as follows:
Killed
Lt.Col. The Hon P C Evans-Freke
Major W F Martin
Major B R Leibert
Lt C Peake
2/Lt T E Brooks
Officers = 5
O/R = 47
Wounded
Major Ricardo
Capt C H Martin
Capt E R Hanbury
Capt G R Codrington
Lt T W Best
Officers = 5
O/R = 90
Missing O/R = 39 |
|
| May 14th |
Stood to in dug
outs at BRIELIN. |
|
