Wrapping up

The Met' Office  forecasted snow to-day and it seems they were correct. I was watching a cantankerous grey squirrel vigourously defending it's territory in the pine tree at the bottom of the garden against the unwanted incursion of a wood pigeon when the first delicate flakes started to descend. It's now quite heavy and settling on the already-frozen ground. Cumbria will be shut for business again, no doubt!

The winter of 1914/1915 was a particularly cold one too and the soldiers on the Western Front would have needed all the insulation they could get, being as they were, exposed to the elements. In letters sent home by ordinary soldiers during that period a common theme seems to be requests for warm clothing - gloves, scarves, balaclavas, and the like. I'm not sure what the Army provided in the way of severe-weather clothing as 'kit' other than the standard-issue greatcoat. Whatever was issued, it appeared to have been inadequate. Given the rapid expansion of the British Expeditionary Force the requirement was perhaps on such a scale that no-one had ever really anticipated the need or planned for it.

In consequence, the photographs from that time tend to show men wearing a variety of garments and usually presenting a somewhat 'unmilitary' appearance. One particular item often seen was the fleece - quite literally, being either of goatskin or sheepskin. I don't know whether these were officially issued or whether individuals had to purchase them privately, although perhaps the latter is more likely as I would have thought that if they were generally available then most soldiers, if not all, would have been wearing them.

Men of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers in the trenches: Winter 1914.

Some photographs of the 2nd Battalion, King's Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) dating from February 1915, when it was billeted at Ouderdom near Ypres, also show men wearing fleeces.

Officers' Mess kitchen (King's Own Museum).

Hutted encapment (King's Own Museum).

Sitting writing this in a centrally-heated house it's difficult to imagine just how cold they must have been, living in wooden huts which, I suspect didn't even have a stove to provide warmth. It must have been even worse for the men stationed in the trenches - frostbite was the biggest source of casualties at that time. 'Miserable' probably sums it up adequately.

 Captain Thomas Brittain Forwood (King's Own Museum).

These photographs are particularly poignant for me. In all probability the men featured in them became causalties on May 8th at Frezenberg, either dead or taken prisoner, including Captain Forwood, who is now commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial.

Death of a battalion - Frezenburg, 8th May 1915

The proud recruit posing for this photograph is 17106, Private Cuthbert Saunders. In civil life he was a schoolmaster from Askam-in-Furness, but, like so many of his generation, he was determined to "do his bit" and enlisted at the earliest opportunity.

The photograph was taken at Saltash in early-1915, the location - for training purposes - of the Regiment's 3rd Battalion. He would be drafted out to join the British Expeditionary Force  in Flanders in March and be dead by the end of the first week in May, along with over 300 of his comrades from the 2nd Battalion; another 600 would be prisoners of war. Nearly all of the dead have no known grave and are now commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, including Private Saunders.

The devastation visited on the 2nd Battalion occurred at Frezenburg during the Second Battle of Ypres. A ferocious artillery bombardment followed by an all-out assault completely overwhelmed the British front line. Casualties were severe; nearly 1100-strong just a few days earlier, the 2nd Battalion lost over 90% of its strength and was effectively wiped out as a fighting formation. The War Diary for the period is incredibly terse, probably because there was no-one left to provide much first-hand detail about the calamity.

May. HUTS W. OF YPRES.

4th.

The Bn. were resting in the huts. The following reinforcements arrived on the 3rd May. Other Ranks 240.

7 p.m. Orders were received to march out to the trenches and relieve the 5th Bn. The King’s Own Regt.

8.30 p.m. The Bn. marched out and took over trenches in front of FREZENBERG. The trenches were new trenches and had not been completed. “A” ad “D” Coys. were in the first line. “B” and “C” Coys. in support. “B” Coy. acting as support to the 3rd Monmouths.

5th -7th.

Bn. in the trenches. Enemy shelled trenches intermittently.

8th.

7 a.m. Enemy shelled trenches blowing them in, and rendering them untenable. The enemy advanced and captured the front line trenches, they then advanced against the support dugouts. The O.C. 3rd Monmouths called for one company to support the line and “B” Coy. under Captain Forwood at once moved across the road and occupied some old trenches east of the burial ground in the rear of the Monmouth’s trenches.

10 a.m. Enemy commenced attack in the support dugouts but were held in check when 200 yards from them. The enemy were observed moving in a westerly direction on both flanks of the position. Major Clough assumed command on the death of Colonel Martin.

11.35 a.m. Message received to retire on POTIJZE. “B” Coy. was ordered to retire first followed by the 3 platoons of “C” Coy. on the North of the YPRES - ZONNEBEKE Road. The following officers were present during the engagement.


Lt. Col. A. R. S. Martin, killed
Major H. K. Clough
Captain C. W. Grover, wounded and prisoner
Captain T. B. Forwood, killed
Lieut. H. C. E. Jebb, wounded
2/Lt. G. P. M. Scudamore, missing
2/Lt. Mesney, wounded
Lt. Seddon, wounded and prisoner
2/Lt. Muchall, killed
2/Lt. Horne, hurt by fall
2/Lt. Brown, wounded
2/Lt. Somerville, wounded
2/Lt. Windeler, missing
2/Lt. Taylor, prisoner
Lt. Rawlinson, believed killed

After the retirement regiments got mixed up. Some of the Bn. retired through the POTIJZE line and some remained in the trenches till the 9th May.

Casualties of the Brigade. Officers 128, Other Ranks 4379.

9th.

The remainder of the Battalion were withdrawn from the front line and sent back to the huts. The total casualties during this last tour in the trenches from 4th May till 9th May were:-

Officers: Killed 4, Wounded 5, Wounded and Prisoners 2, Wounded and Missing 1, Missing 4.
Other Ranks: Killed 36, Wounded 110, Wounded and Missing 31, Missing 721.