Lives of the First World War

known 20th October 1914

“On the morning of the 20th Le Riez was heavily shelled and the 4th Middlesex were compelled to retire to a position about 400 yards north-west of the village. At 6.45 a.m. Lieutenant A.M.S.Tandy, who was in command of the platoon on the extreme left, sent a message to say he was being outflanked. Major Daniell ordered 2nd Lieutenant Bredin’s draft to prolong A Company’s left, thrown back, roughly, 45°, and sent Lieutenant M.C.C.Harrison to select a position for them. He found that the Germans were then only 150 yards distant from and almost due north of Lieutenant Tandy’s left, so he occupied a ditch at right angles to and in rear of A Company’s trench. By 7.30 a.m. the attack on this side appeared to have been successfully repulsed and firing had slackened for the first time since dawn, but it reopened heavier than before on the right of the line. Lieutenant Harrison returned to (Regimental) headquarters to report to Major Daniell. He had been wounded in the arm before they occupied the ditch. On his way back he was severely wounded in the hip, but managed to crawl to headquarters and reported to Major Daniell. (He was attended to by Lieutenant Jackson R.A.M.C. and placed in a cellar) (Major Daniell) then went to D Company, which was now being attacked. He returned at noon satisfied with the position on the right, but he had already sent back asking for reinforcements. The machine guns had been largely responsible for breaking up the German attacks, but they were located by the Germans about noon, and put out of action by a shell. (Lieutenant Laing, the machine gun officer, was brought into the same cellar as Lieutenant Harrison about midday suffering from shell shock.) At about 3 p.m. Major Daniell sent back a verbal message that he was being hard pressed. He apparently met his death when running down to A Company’s trenches in order to direct them to turn about and meet a German attack from their rear. No further information as to the fate of the battalion was (then) available from (the British) side, but Lieutenant Martens of the 56th Infantry Regiment of the German Army (later) stated that on the morning of the 20th they were informed that an Irish infantry battalion was located near Le Pilly well in front of the British line. Owing to its isolated position it was decided that his battalion of the 56th Regiment, in conjunction with the 16th Regiment, should surround it and cut it off. The German batteries at Fournes ranged on the Irish entrenchments early in the morning – distance about 2000 yards – and poured shrapnel on them. The Germans attacked in converging directions in the early morning. Eventually, they got snipers and machine guns into all the surrounding houses and if any men attempted to show themselves they were at once shot down. Finally, about 3.30 or 4 p.m., they pressed home their attack, covered by the machine guns and snipers. They took 302 prisoners, the large majority of whom were wounded, some very severely – barely 100 could walk. The casualties on the 20th were: Killed – Major E.H.Daniell, D.S.O., Captain A.W.C.Knox, Lieutenant A.M.S. Tandy, 2nd Lieutenants J.R.Smyth, H.G.H.Moore and A.J.R.Anderson; Wounded and prisoners – Captains G.O.M. Furnell, J.A.Smithwick, Lieutenants M.C.C.Harrison, K.Foulkes, D.P.Laing (subsequently discovered to have been killed), and 2nd Lieutenant T.Nicholson; Missing – 2nd Lieutenant J.H. McLoughlin (subsequently discovered to be a prisoner of war); Prisoners – 2nd Lieutenants H.G.O.Downing, W.E.Bredin, 561 men and Lieutenant J.L.Jackson (R.A.M.C.).” (From The Campaigns and History of the Royal Irish Regiment, Vol. II) It seems that 153 men were killed at Le Pilly on the 19th/20th and only the remains of nine have a known grave. The others have no known resting place and are commemorated on two panels at the Le Touret memorial nearby. In the weeks and months that followed at least another 14 men died of the wounds they received at Le Pilly, either as prisoners of war or in hospital.

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