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OBJECT OF THE MONTH -
October 2002 - The Battle of Gheluvelt
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Vastly outnumbered by the Germans, the British and their allies were
forced into a long and exhausting retreat, fighting every step of
the way to hold the Germans back. By the time the Worcestershire's
reached Ypres (Belgium) in mid-October, they had already marched over
300 miles, and still had to face ten days of continuous fighting as
the British made a stand. By the 31st October, the Battalion, which
had landed in France 1025 men strong, had just 492 men left. They
were tired, weak and battered, but their biggest test was yet to come. On the 31st October, the Battalion was resting slightly behind the lines, near the village of Gheluvelt. Captain 'Bowie' Clark remembered: "Every sole was dog tired, cold, wet, and plastered with mud, had been unwashed and unshaven for days on end… There we were - a pretty picture indeed - dug in along the edge of a wood, wondering what next, so to speak. The roar of artillery and the crashing of the Bosche [German] shells were tremendous, whilst the constant rattle of machine guns and bursts of rifle fire told us plain enough that there was something doing on a big scale." Sure enough, the Germans were launching a massive attack on Gheluvelt. The British Army had reached breaking point, stretched dangerously thin and at the limits of their endurance. As the Worcestershire's waited for news, the Battalion of the South Wales Borderers who were holding the village were pushed out of it and were surrounded off to the north. The line had broken. The Germans were now free to turn their men loose behind the British, destroying them and capturing the Channel Ports which were their supply life-line. If the Germans achieved this, the war would be all but over, and only 500 exhausted soldiers of the Worcestershire's stood in their way. 'A' Company was immediately sent forward and took up positions in some trenches behind the village, ready to support the Welsh if they were to retreat. The other three companies, around 370 men led by Major Hankey, advanced up the long, open slope which led from their position towards Gheluvelt. As they crossed these fields, shells rained down on them. For nearly a kilometer they advanced without cover, taking over 100 casualties. Private Jack Cole was there: "At the Major's command 'Charge!' the Battalion spread out, bayonets fixed, leaving it to luck how many came out alive. The German reaction was swift. A barrage of artillery burst among the troops, gaps appeared, buts the waves of bayonets went on." On the far side of the field, they reached a hedgerow which marked the edge of the grounds of the Chateau of Gheluvelt. Hacking through the hedge, with the officers using their swords for the job, they found on the other side the Chateau and beyond that the village, with well over a thousand Germans milling around. Jack Cole: "These unshaven, haggard men of the 2nd Worcesters came face to face with the fresh-faced tough youngsters of the German 244th and 245th Regiments. The swearing Tommies in khaki, with their remorseless cold steel, caused the heat to go out of the Germans and they fled in a grey mass." Taking the Germans by surprise, the Worcestershire's charged home and routed a force three times their size. Holding the road between the village and the Chateau, the Worcestershire's called up 'A' Company and dug in along a sunken road. On their left, they linked up with and relieved the remains of the South Wales Borderers. Together, they resisted all further German attempts to retake the village. The line was held, and the Army and the war were saved. The battle had cost the Worcestershire's nearly 190 men killed or wounded, and after the war Gheluvelt Park was opened in Worcester to commemorate their sacrifice. The Battalion, meanwhile, fought on. With the reputation gained at Gheluvelt, they were used to plug any other gaps that appeared in the lines, and held the Germans at bay until the trenches which would last another four years were dug and established. The war was not yet won, but thanks to their courage, it was not lost either. |
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