I have been looking in to my families WW1 history and found I had a great-uncle who was killed during the Battle of the Marne while serving with the 3rd Coldstream Guards in a little french village named Boitron, He is buried with one other coldstreamer and two unknown soldiers, but there is also one other grave belonging to a George Shannon of the 2nd Batt Worcestershires.
Has anyone any idea how he ended being the only Worcester soldier buried there and what action he was in prior to hes death.
Steve
2nd Battalion September 1914
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2nd Battalion September 1914
by Medic7922 » Fri May 25, 2007 9:11 pm
- Medic7922
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- Location: Bristol
by scully » Fri May 25, 2007 10:14 pm
Hi Steve,
Below is an extract from the Regimental History for the period of September 1914 which you are interested in. It covers the activities of the 2nd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment.
THE BATTLE OF THE MARNE (September 1914)
While the French and British armies had been retreating from the Belgian frontier, the French Higher Command had been organising fresh forces and preparing a counter-stroke. At the end of the first week in September the advancing German columns clashed against the new French formations. We cannot here tell in detail how the turning movement of Manoury's Sixth Army and the victorious attack of Foch's Ninth Army enveloped the flank and broke the front of the German battle-line. The regimental officers and men of the British forces were told but little of the plan of operations. They could not guess that the German armies had outrun their supplies and were in a position ill-suited to meet the counter-stroke. But the spirit of the British troops had chafed against the long retreat, the order to advance was hailed with joy, and it was with high hearts that in the dawn of a hot autumn morning the British battalions began the forward movement.
Leaving their outpost line at Les Chapelles Bourbon at 5 a.m. (September 6th, 1914) the 3rd Worcestershire joined in the column of the 7th Infantry Brigade and advanced back along their tracks into the Forest of Crecy. No opposition was met, but the column halted at the obelisk in the Forest till shortly before noon, when orders were received to move eastward. An advance, still unopposed, was made to Hautefeuille, which was reached as evening drew on.
To explain that movement we must return to the 2nd Battalion, which at 7.15 a.m. had left the billets at Manes and had marched with the rest of the 5th Brigade some three miles eastward to take up a defensive line near Champlet. To the right of the Brigade the line of the 2nd Division was continued by the 4th (Guards) Brigade. Against that line the German artillery came into action about 9 a.m. The shelling was not heavy and caused no casualties, but as a precaution the 5th Brigade were ordered to dig in; and the northward movement of the 3rd Division further to the left was diverted, as we have seen, in order to offer assistance.
That long range shelling of the British positions about Champlet was to prove the high-water mark of the German advance. To the eastward the French Armies were gaining ground, and to the westward the French Sixth Army was closing on the German right flank. About 2.30 p.m. the shelling ceased and word ran down the line that the enemy were retiring. At 4 p.m. the 5th Brigade advanced from its position to Pezarches, and there the 2nd Worcestershire bivouacked for the night.
Meanwhile the retirement of the enemy had enabled the advance of the 3rd Division to be resumed. At 6.10 p.m. the 7th Brigade advanced from Hautefeuille northward to the line of the Grand Morin. Two battalions were pushed across the river. The remainder of the Brigade, including the 3rd Worcestershire, were billeted for the night in Faremoutiers.
That night the troops were heartened by a Special Order of the Day issued by the Commander¬in-Chief. The German Armies, he stated, were moving in a south-easterly direction, exposing their right flank to an attack from the combined French Sixth Army and the British Forces. "I call," he continued, "on the British Army in France now to show its power and to push on vigorously to the attack beside the French Sixth Army."
Sunrise of the next day (September 7th) showed his words to be true. The German columns were in full retreat, and the British forces pressed hard on their heels. The 5th Brigade left the bivouac at Pezarches about 7 a.m. and moved forward to Mauperthuis. There the Brigade halted from 9 a.m. till noon and then pushed on again through Bertheuil, La Touche and Chailly-en-Brie to St. Simeon, where the Brigade bivouacked for the night.
That day the 7th Brigade, after a disturbed night of outpost fighting on the north bank of the river, stood fast until 6 p.m. Then the Brigade marched eastward from Faremoutiers to billets in Les Petits Aulnois. Outposts were found by the 3rd Worcestershire.
Early on September 8th the advance was continued, and the 2nd Division pushed northward through Rebais. On reaching the line of the Petit Morin the advanced guard of the Division, the 4th (Guards) Brigade,was held up by fire from German artillery and machine-guns cleverly concealed on the northern bank. The enemy's cavalry were fighting a delaying action. To assist the Guards, the 5th Brigade sent forward the 2nd Worcestershire. The Battalion advanced and came into action on the left of the Guards Brigade.
The banks of the Petit Morin were found to be steep and thickly wooded. "A" and "B" Companies of the Battalion found covered positions on the wooded slopes and engaged the hostile machine-guns, while "C" and "D" Companies moved further to the left to effect a crossing. "C" Company found a sheltered bend in the river and waded across to the northern bank, and "D" Company made a similar crossing further to the left. The two companies pushed up the slope through the woods, and before their attack the German defenders gave way. The enemy were dismounted cavalry scattered in small parties along the heights. Several of these detachments were rounded up and killed or captured—"C" and "D" Companies between them secured 27 prisoners. The enemy evacuated Sablonnières and fell back through the wooded country to the line of the River Marne. In the woods scattered fighting continued during most of the afternoon, and not till dark did the bulk of the 5th Brigade bivouac for the night at La Petite Basseville (Total casualties of the 2nd Battalion in this action were eleven killed and wounded).
Even then one battalion of the Brigade was absent—the Connaught Rangers had been detached to the left to assist the 3rd Division, whose advance guard, the 8th Brigade, had similarly been held up on the river line at Orly. That check had meant a long delay for the 3rd Worcestershire who had left Les Petits Aulnois at 6.45 a.m. and had marched with the rest of the 7th Brigade to a position near Rebais. There the Battalion lay in enforced idleness until the route was cleared in front. Then the advance was resumed, and at 6.30 p.m. the 7th Brigade settled down for the night in Bussieres.
Next day the British Army addressed itself to the task of forcing the passage of the River Marne. The 2nd Division, on the left flank of the 1st Corps, advanced on Charly, and the 3rd Division, on the right flank of the 2nd Corps, advanced on Nanteuil. A stiff resistance had been expected, but the enemy's retreat was being hurried and at both places the bridges were found intact. Some long range shelling delayed the advance and caused the march of the 7th Brigade to follow a somewhat circuitous route, but neither Battalion of the Regiment suffered casualties and by nightfall both were north of the river (The 2nd Worcestershire found billets at Domptin and the 3rd Worcestershire at Bezu).
Early next morning (September 10th) the 7th Brigade left their billets and advanced through Ventelet Farm, Veuilly, and Chezy to billets at Montmarlet and Montmafroy, meeting no opposition but picking up on the way a few German wounded and stragglers. Further to the right the 5th Brigade had a more strenuous day. The Brigade left Domptin at dawn but was checked at Cupru. In front of them the advanced guard, the 6th Brigade, was engaged with the enemy. The 5th Brigade deployed for attack and advanced in "artillery formation" northwards towards Monnes. A few shells came over but no casualties were caused, and on reaching Monnes at 2 p.m. the Brigade halted.
All that afternoon the 2nd Worcestershire waited while an artillery duel was carried on- with the enemy to the northward. As night fell the shelling died down and the Worcestershire, together with the Connaught Rangers, were pushed forward as outposts to cover the front of the 2nd Division. The night was not undisturbed; for orders were received to reconnoitre the village of Marizy St. Mard in front of the line and discover if it was occupied. The Battalion scouts were sent out supported by two platoons under Captain E, L. Bowring. Cautiously they carried out the reconnaissance and found the village occupied indeed, but by our own cavalry—the 20th Hussars.
By the evening of September 10th the Battle of the Marne had been won. East and west the French armies had beaten back the Germans, and the enemy were in full retreat. The part played by the British army had not involved much heavy fighting, and, as we have seen, the casualties of the two Battalions of the Regiment had not been severe; but the opportune thrust of the British Divisions into the enemy's weakened line had contributed to the success of the Allied armies ; and the troops were greatly cheered by official news of the victory.
Next day (September 11 th) the advance was continued. The direction of the advance was altered from northward to north-eastward, and the change of direction caused some difficulty in the movement of the marching columns along the available roads. The left of the 2nd Division overlapped the right of the 3rd Division, and the 5th Brigade, which moved forward at 5.30 a.m. along the road through Neuilly-St. Front, found the 7th Brigade, which formed the advanced guard of the 3rd Division, marching along the same road at their heels. Both Brigades had to pass through Oulchy-le-Chateau. There the 5th, Brigade were ordered to halt and let the 7th Brigade pass through ; and the 3rd Worcestershire tramped cheerily past the 2nd Battalion halted in the street. The 7th Brigade pushed on to Le Grand Rozoy, where the 3rd Battalion found billets, while the 5th Brigade eventually moved forward into billets in Beugneux. Throughout the day no fighting had taken place: touch with the retreating enemy had temporarily been lost.
On the following day (September 12th) there was sterner work to do. The enemy were reported to be holding the line of the Rivers Vesle and Aisne, and against that line the British Divisions advanced. The weather had broken and was dull and showery as the 5th Brigade left Beugneux at 5 a.m. and pushed forward through Arcy and Jouaignes towards the river Vesle about Braine. The 2nd Worcestershire were the vanguard of the advancing column. Passing Jouaignes shortly before 9 a.m. the Battalion advanced on Courcelles and came under fire from the German cavalry on the further bank. The bridge at Courcelles had been blown up by the enemy, but one narrow girder remained, and along that girder volunteers swung, hand over hand. By these and other expedients the Worcestershire companies made their Way across the Vesle: then swiftly pushing forward they scaled the slopes on the northern bank. A short skirmish with the enemy resulted in the capture of a whole German squadron (The Battalion captured 107 prisoners at the cost of only a few wounded). By 4 p.m. the remainder of the Brigade had come up and the passage of the Vesle was secured. The enemy had disappeared, and the 5th Brigade pushed onwards without further opposition, but under soaking rain, to Vieil Arcy. There the Brigade halted for night. The 2nd Worcestershire were sent forward to the slopes above Pont Arcy to take up an outpost line.
To the westward the advanced guard of the 3rd Division had pushed through Braine to the heights above Chavonne; but the 7th Brigade were in Divisional Reserve and marched only a short distance, from Grand-Rozoy to Cerseuil. There the Brigade found billets for the night, covered by the 3rd Worcestershire on outpost duty.
Thus both Battalions of the Regiment spent the night of the 12th/13th on outpost duty on the wooded slopes south of the Aisne. It was a terrible night, with high wind and driving soaking rain, and as officers and men crouched alert behind such shelter as they could find or improvise they heard both to east and west the roll of continuous artillery fire and saw the sky lit up with the flashes of the guns. From Soissons to Reims, on a front of some thirty miles, the opposing armies were in contact on the line of the River Aisne.
Below is an extract from the Regimental History for the period of September 1914 which you are interested in. It covers the activities of the 2nd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment.
THE BATTLE OF THE MARNE (September 1914)
While the French and British armies had been retreating from the Belgian frontier, the French Higher Command had been organising fresh forces and preparing a counter-stroke. At the end of the first week in September the advancing German columns clashed against the new French formations. We cannot here tell in detail how the turning movement of Manoury's Sixth Army and the victorious attack of Foch's Ninth Army enveloped the flank and broke the front of the German battle-line. The regimental officers and men of the British forces were told but little of the plan of operations. They could not guess that the German armies had outrun their supplies and were in a position ill-suited to meet the counter-stroke. But the spirit of the British troops had chafed against the long retreat, the order to advance was hailed with joy, and it was with high hearts that in the dawn of a hot autumn morning the British battalions began the forward movement.
Leaving their outpost line at Les Chapelles Bourbon at 5 a.m. (September 6th, 1914) the 3rd Worcestershire joined in the column of the 7th Infantry Brigade and advanced back along their tracks into the Forest of Crecy. No opposition was met, but the column halted at the obelisk in the Forest till shortly before noon, when orders were received to move eastward. An advance, still unopposed, was made to Hautefeuille, which was reached as evening drew on.
To explain that movement we must return to the 2nd Battalion, which at 7.15 a.m. had left the billets at Manes and had marched with the rest of the 5th Brigade some three miles eastward to take up a defensive line near Champlet. To the right of the Brigade the line of the 2nd Division was continued by the 4th (Guards) Brigade. Against that line the German artillery came into action about 9 a.m. The shelling was not heavy and caused no casualties, but as a precaution the 5th Brigade were ordered to dig in; and the northward movement of the 3rd Division further to the left was diverted, as we have seen, in order to offer assistance.
That long range shelling of the British positions about Champlet was to prove the high-water mark of the German advance. To the eastward the French Armies were gaining ground, and to the westward the French Sixth Army was closing on the German right flank. About 2.30 p.m. the shelling ceased and word ran down the line that the enemy were retiring. At 4 p.m. the 5th Brigade advanced from its position to Pezarches, and there the 2nd Worcestershire bivouacked for the night.
Meanwhile the retirement of the enemy had enabled the advance of the 3rd Division to be resumed. At 6.10 p.m. the 7th Brigade advanced from Hautefeuille northward to the line of the Grand Morin. Two battalions were pushed across the river. The remainder of the Brigade, including the 3rd Worcestershire, were billeted for the night in Faremoutiers.
That night the troops were heartened by a Special Order of the Day issued by the Commander¬in-Chief. The German Armies, he stated, were moving in a south-easterly direction, exposing their right flank to an attack from the combined French Sixth Army and the British Forces. "I call," he continued, "on the British Army in France now to show its power and to push on vigorously to the attack beside the French Sixth Army."
Sunrise of the next day (September 7th) showed his words to be true. The German columns were in full retreat, and the British forces pressed hard on their heels. The 5th Brigade left the bivouac at Pezarches about 7 a.m. and moved forward to Mauperthuis. There the Brigade halted from 9 a.m. till noon and then pushed on again through Bertheuil, La Touche and Chailly-en-Brie to St. Simeon, where the Brigade bivouacked for the night.
That day the 7th Brigade, after a disturbed night of outpost fighting on the north bank of the river, stood fast until 6 p.m. Then the Brigade marched eastward from Faremoutiers to billets in Les Petits Aulnois. Outposts were found by the 3rd Worcestershire.
Early on September 8th the advance was continued, and the 2nd Division pushed northward through Rebais. On reaching the line of the Petit Morin the advanced guard of the Division, the 4th (Guards) Brigade,was held up by fire from German artillery and machine-guns cleverly concealed on the northern bank. The enemy's cavalry were fighting a delaying action. To assist the Guards, the 5th Brigade sent forward the 2nd Worcestershire. The Battalion advanced and came into action on the left of the Guards Brigade.
The banks of the Petit Morin were found to be steep and thickly wooded. "A" and "B" Companies of the Battalion found covered positions on the wooded slopes and engaged the hostile machine-guns, while "C" and "D" Companies moved further to the left to effect a crossing. "C" Company found a sheltered bend in the river and waded across to the northern bank, and "D" Company made a similar crossing further to the left. The two companies pushed up the slope through the woods, and before their attack the German defenders gave way. The enemy were dismounted cavalry scattered in small parties along the heights. Several of these detachments were rounded up and killed or captured—"C" and "D" Companies between them secured 27 prisoners. The enemy evacuated Sablonnières and fell back through the wooded country to the line of the River Marne. In the woods scattered fighting continued during most of the afternoon, and not till dark did the bulk of the 5th Brigade bivouac for the night at La Petite Basseville (Total casualties of the 2nd Battalion in this action were eleven killed and wounded).
Even then one battalion of the Brigade was absent—the Connaught Rangers had been detached to the left to assist the 3rd Division, whose advance guard, the 8th Brigade, had similarly been held up on the river line at Orly. That check had meant a long delay for the 3rd Worcestershire who had left Les Petits Aulnois at 6.45 a.m. and had marched with the rest of the 7th Brigade to a position near Rebais. There the Battalion lay in enforced idleness until the route was cleared in front. Then the advance was resumed, and at 6.30 p.m. the 7th Brigade settled down for the night in Bussieres.
Next day the British Army addressed itself to the task of forcing the passage of the River Marne. The 2nd Division, on the left flank of the 1st Corps, advanced on Charly, and the 3rd Division, on the right flank of the 2nd Corps, advanced on Nanteuil. A stiff resistance had been expected, but the enemy's retreat was being hurried and at both places the bridges were found intact. Some long range shelling delayed the advance and caused the march of the 7th Brigade to follow a somewhat circuitous route, but neither Battalion of the Regiment suffered casualties and by nightfall both were north of the river (The 2nd Worcestershire found billets at Domptin and the 3rd Worcestershire at Bezu).
Early next morning (September 10th) the 7th Brigade left their billets and advanced through Ventelet Farm, Veuilly, and Chezy to billets at Montmarlet and Montmafroy, meeting no opposition but picking up on the way a few German wounded and stragglers. Further to the right the 5th Brigade had a more strenuous day. The Brigade left Domptin at dawn but was checked at Cupru. In front of them the advanced guard, the 6th Brigade, was engaged with the enemy. The 5th Brigade deployed for attack and advanced in "artillery formation" northwards towards Monnes. A few shells came over but no casualties were caused, and on reaching Monnes at 2 p.m. the Brigade halted.
All that afternoon the 2nd Worcestershire waited while an artillery duel was carried on- with the enemy to the northward. As night fell the shelling died down and the Worcestershire, together with the Connaught Rangers, were pushed forward as outposts to cover the front of the 2nd Division. The night was not undisturbed; for orders were received to reconnoitre the village of Marizy St. Mard in front of the line and discover if it was occupied. The Battalion scouts were sent out supported by two platoons under Captain E, L. Bowring. Cautiously they carried out the reconnaissance and found the village occupied indeed, but by our own cavalry—the 20th Hussars.
By the evening of September 10th the Battle of the Marne had been won. East and west the French armies had beaten back the Germans, and the enemy were in full retreat. The part played by the British army had not involved much heavy fighting, and, as we have seen, the casualties of the two Battalions of the Regiment had not been severe; but the opportune thrust of the British Divisions into the enemy's weakened line had contributed to the success of the Allied armies ; and the troops were greatly cheered by official news of the victory.
Next day (September 11 th) the advance was continued. The direction of the advance was altered from northward to north-eastward, and the change of direction caused some difficulty in the movement of the marching columns along the available roads. The left of the 2nd Division overlapped the right of the 3rd Division, and the 5th Brigade, which moved forward at 5.30 a.m. along the road through Neuilly-St. Front, found the 7th Brigade, which formed the advanced guard of the 3rd Division, marching along the same road at their heels. Both Brigades had to pass through Oulchy-le-Chateau. There the 5th, Brigade were ordered to halt and let the 7th Brigade pass through ; and the 3rd Worcestershire tramped cheerily past the 2nd Battalion halted in the street. The 7th Brigade pushed on to Le Grand Rozoy, where the 3rd Battalion found billets, while the 5th Brigade eventually moved forward into billets in Beugneux. Throughout the day no fighting had taken place: touch with the retreating enemy had temporarily been lost.
On the following day (September 12th) there was sterner work to do. The enemy were reported to be holding the line of the Rivers Vesle and Aisne, and against that line the British Divisions advanced. The weather had broken and was dull and showery as the 5th Brigade left Beugneux at 5 a.m. and pushed forward through Arcy and Jouaignes towards the river Vesle about Braine. The 2nd Worcestershire were the vanguard of the advancing column. Passing Jouaignes shortly before 9 a.m. the Battalion advanced on Courcelles and came under fire from the German cavalry on the further bank. The bridge at Courcelles had been blown up by the enemy, but one narrow girder remained, and along that girder volunteers swung, hand over hand. By these and other expedients the Worcestershire companies made their Way across the Vesle: then swiftly pushing forward they scaled the slopes on the northern bank. A short skirmish with the enemy resulted in the capture of a whole German squadron (The Battalion captured 107 prisoners at the cost of only a few wounded). By 4 p.m. the remainder of the Brigade had come up and the passage of the Vesle was secured. The enemy had disappeared, and the 5th Brigade pushed onwards without further opposition, but under soaking rain, to Vieil Arcy. There the Brigade halted for night. The 2nd Worcestershire were sent forward to the slopes above Pont Arcy to take up an outpost line.
To the westward the advanced guard of the 3rd Division had pushed through Braine to the heights above Chavonne; but the 7th Brigade were in Divisional Reserve and marched only a short distance, from Grand-Rozoy to Cerseuil. There the Brigade found billets for the night, covered by the 3rd Worcestershire on outpost duty.
Thus both Battalions of the Regiment spent the night of the 12th/13th on outpost duty on the wooded slopes south of the Aisne. It was a terrible night, with high wind and driving soaking rain, and as officers and men crouched alert behind such shelter as they could find or improvise they heard both to east and west the roll of continuous artillery fire and saw the sky lit up with the flashes of the guns. From Soissons to Reims, on a front of some thirty miles, the opposing armies were in contact on the line of the River Aisne.
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