VCs of the First World War: Road to Victory 1918 E-Book

Gerald Gliddon

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 469

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

By August 1918 fortune was on the side of the Allies: America was increasing its contribution of troops and equipment substantially; the morale of the German Army was sinking as it failed to deliver the desired 'knock out blow'; and Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig found a new confidence, firmly believing that the Allies could at last push the Germans out of France and Belgium. This volume of the best-selling VCs of the First World War series covers the fifty days of the Allied advance from 8 August to 26 September 1918. Arranged chronologically, it tells the story of the sixty-four VC winners during this period. The recipients came from many countries, including Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand; some never lived to know that they had been awarded for their extraordinary bravery, while others returned home to face an uncertain future. This is their story.

Leseprobe

CONTENTS

Title page

Acknowledgements

Preface to the 2014 Edition

Introduction

H.J. Good

J.B. Croak

A.E. Gaby

H.G.B. Miner

J. Brillant

R.M. Beatham

J.E. Tait

A.P. Brereton

F.G. Coppins

R.L. Zengel

T.J. Harris

T. Dinesen

R. Spall

P.C. Statton

D.M.W. Beak

E.B. Smith

R.A. West

G. Onions

W.D. Joynt

L.D. McCarthy

H. McIver

S. Forsyth

D.L. MacIntyre

H.J. Colley

B.S. Gordon

R.S. Judson

C.S. Rutherford

H. Weale

W.H. Clark-Kennedy

C.H. Sewell

G. Cartwright

J.P. Huffam

A.D. Lowerson

R. Mactier

E.T. Towner

W.M. Currey

A.H. Buckley

A.C. Hall

J.G. Grant

C.J.P. Nunney

A. Evans

J. Harvey

B.S. Hutcheson

A.G. Knight

W.H. Metcalf & C.W. Peck

G. Prowse

L.C. Weathers

J.F. Young

M. Doyle

J. McNamara

W.L. Rayfield

L. Calvert

H.J. Laurent

A. Wilcox

D.F. Hunter

M.V. Buckley

L.A. Lewis

W.H. Waring

W.A. White

J.P. Woods

F.E. Young

J.C. Barrett

D.J. Dean

Sources

Bibliography

Plate Section

Copyright

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank the staff of the following institutions for their assistance during the research for this book: the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Imperial War Museum, the National Army Museum and the National Archives. In addition, I would like to thank the archivists and curators of the many regimental museums and libraries who have replied to my requests for information.

Where recently taken photographs have been used, their owners have been acknowledged with the individual illustration. As with my previous books in the VCs of the First World War series, Donald C. Jennings of Florida has been very kind in allowing me to reproduce many of the pictures of graves or memorials used in this book. Many of the maps used have been taken from regimental histories or from the British Official History of the War: Military Operations in France and Belgium, 1914–1918, edited by J.E. Edmonds, Macmillan / HMSO, 1922–49.

Other individuals who have been of great help in many ways included Peter Batchelor, John Bolton, John Cameron, Jack Cavanagh, Colonel Terry Cave CBE, D.G. Gage, Ray Grover, Peter Harris, Chris Matson, Dick Rayner and Steve Snelling. Other people who provided additional material but whose names are not mentioned here have been acknowledged in the list of sources at the end of the book.

PREFACE TO THE 2014 EDITION

The History Press has decided to reissue the VCs of the First World War series in new editions and I have taken advantage of this decision by revising and updating the texts of the current volume.

Since the initial research for this book was carried out fourteen years ago there has been an increasing interest in and awareness of the stories and lives of the men who were awarded the nation’s and the Commonwealth’s highest military honour. Evidence of this can be found in the number of new books being published on the subject; the re-issuing of servicemen’s records by the National Archives and the accessibility of other records of family history, which are now available via Ancestry, the family history magazine, and from other sources. The Internet has also played a major part although information received using this method should always be verified by cross-checking. Finally, the founding of the Victoria Cross Society in 2002 by Brian Best has encouraged further research and publication of informative articles on the holders of the Victoria Cross.

While this book was being prepared the British Government announced plans for commemorating the First World War centenary from 2014 to 2018. One of the ideas put forward is directly linked with the commemoration of the servicemen who won a Victoria Cross during the Great War. It was decided that for men born in the UK a special paving stone would be installed at an appropriate place in the town or district most associated with them. As for VC winners born abroad, it is hoped that their governments might also take up the paving stone scheme or an act of commemoration in their honour.

In addition, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission has an active programme of placing visitors’ information panels in cemeteries where VC holders are buried or memorials where they are commemorated.

Gerald Gliddon

November 2013

INTRODUCTION

The previous volume to be published chronologically in this series, VCs of the First World War, was one that dealt with the German spring offensive. The book ended on a note of optimism for the Allies as they prepared for their great counter-blow, which led to the end of the war within a hundred days from the beginnings of their new offensive on 8 August 1918.

The German Army had not exactly given up all hope of winning the war, but after their March offensive had failed to deliver the hoped-for ‘knock-out blow’, their leaders must have considered that their best chance of victory had now passed. In addition, American troops and equipment were beginning to contribute substantially to the Allied cause.

The British commander Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig now firmly believed that the war on the Western Front could be finished by the end of 1918. And this despite it not being long since some members of the British Government and military hierarchy thought the war might drag on until 1920. Whatever reason Haig had given to his detractors in the previous three years as Commander of the British Expeditionary Force, there was no doubt that by the beginning of August 1918 he had acquired a new-found confidence and belief in the ability of the Allied armies to at last push the Germans out of France and Belgium. There is also little doubt that British and Dominion troops had learnt the lessons of the previous four years of relative stalemate and had now mastered the art of dealing with an enemy which was beginning to face manpower and equipment shortages in addition to the beginnings of loss of morale and confidence associated with a losing army.

On 8 August the first blows of the Anglo-French offensive fell on the German Second and Eighteenth Armies to the east of Amiens, and were delivered by General Sir Henry Rawlinson’s Fourth Army and the French First Army under General Debeney. Great care was taken to deceive the enemy as to the real whereabouts of the Canadian Corps prior to 8 August, and it was a ruse that appeared to have fooled the enemy. In addition, the Allies now integrated their weaponry of aircraft, artillery, tanks, armoured cars and motorised machine guns. Battlefield communication had also been much improved. In particular the small light tank known as the Whippet was found to be able to work easily with the cavalry when the possibilities of exploitation occurred. The brilliantly executed Allied victory at Hamel in early July, when tanks and infantry combined so successfully, was a glimpse of the future of land warfare. After the initial Allied success on 8 August, the ‘Black Day of the German Army’, there was an inevitable slow-down with the planned advance. However, the writing was clearly on the wall for the German Army, as within a few days of the beginning of the new offensive, German representatives made official peace overtures to the Allies via President Woodrow Wilson of the USA.

Although the British Army had a good August it was thought that their French colleagues were not pulling their weight in the operations. The British Third and First Armies entered the campaign on 21 August and at the end of the month the Australian Corps captured the stronghold of Mont St Quentin, the protective gateway to the important town of Péronne, which subsequently fell to the victorious Australians.

A few days later, on 2 September, further to the north, the Canadian Corps achieved astonishing success with their breaking of the heavily defended Drocourt–Quéant Line known by the enemy as the Wotan Line. In a matter of twelve days the BEF had advanced 14 miles on a front of 28 miles and had also taken more than 45,000 German prisoners. On 4 September the New Zealand Army made an important contribution by forcing another part of the German defensive line, the Canal du Nord. Later in September further north the Second and Fifth Armies made substantial progress between the La Bassée Canal and Ypres. All these campaigns were accompanied by considerable heroism and gallantry, resulting in the winning of sixty-four VCs between 8 August and 26 September.

It will not come as a surprise to find that the Canadian and Australian Dominion troops figured very highly in the tally of VCs won in this seven-week period. No fewer than eleven VCs were won in the period 8–9 August, six more in the fighting for Mont St Quentin and twelve at the time of the fall of the Drocourt–Quéant Line on 2–3 September. Another dramatic day was the final day of the Battle of Épéhy, when six more Crosses were won. The following day, on 19 September, the British Army began to approach the Hindenburg Line and a week later they were lined up against it.

The last man to be covered in the previous book in the series was the New Zealander Dick Travis, who won his VC on 24 July, close to Hébuterne, and who died the following day. This book covers the fifty days of the Allied Advance from 8 August 1918 to 26 September, and the first two men covered are Herman Good and John Croak, both members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, who won their VCs in the fighting at Hangard Wood on 8 August. The sixty-fourth man to win the VC covered by this book was Donald Dean in the period 24–26 September. The next book in the series will cover the period from the Battle of the Canal du Nord on 27 September to 6 November 1918, when the last VC on the Western Front was won. Five days later the Armistice was signed on 11 November 1918.

H.J. GOOD

Hangard Wood, France, 8 August

The great Franco-British Offensive began on 8 August 1918 and within one hundred days the Allies had defeated the German Army, resulting in the signing of the Armistice on 11 November. The Allied plan for the Battle of Amiens included a major role for the Australian, British and Canadian Forces who, with fifteen divisions, were to be very heavily engaged. It was the Canadian and Australian Corps who were to spearhead the advance.

The major offensive was to take place to the east of the city of Amiens and plans were laid to use various ruses and deceptions in order to confuse the enemy about Allied intentions. Units of the Canadian Expeditionary Force were sent northwards to the Ypres Salient and were put into the line on the Kemmel Front, where they were duly identified by the enemy. Corps headquarters was prepared and casualty clearing stations were set up in places where they could be seen. Wireless activity was also stepped up on the First Army Front and the impression was given to the enemy of a great concentration of tanks gathering in the area of St Pol. Training operations, too, were carried out, which in turn were noted by enemy reconnaissance. The rumour that the British were about to begin a large offensive on the Northern Front quickly spread.

While the decoy units were busy near Ypres, the whole of the Corps – nearly 100,000 men – were being moved secretly from the Arras sector to Amiens, some 50 miles to the south-west. Preparations for the advance were carried out as much as possible during the hours of darkness and sounds of tanks or troop movements were muffled by either aerial or artillery activity. The assault began in the early hours of 8 August with a well-timed artillery barrage, combined with the use of several hundred tanks accompanied by troops from Canadian, Australian and French troops moving forward. It was the beginning of the end of the war and the day was later described by the German commander Field Marshal von Ludendorff as the German Army’s ‘Black Day’.

The 3rd Brigade (Canadian 1st Division) had to cover a front which was originally nearly 2 miles in width, and which was later reduced by a quarter of a mile. The brigade was the spearhead of the 1st Division together with the 4th Tank Battalion, which had forty-two Mark V tanks at its disposal. The first Canadian troops swept forward, regardless of hostile posts, which they left for the following infantry to deal with.

Corporal Herman Good was a member of the 13th Battalion Quebec Regiment (Royal Highlanders) of this Brigade and was a member of ‘D’ Company. Although in the early morning of 8 August the barrage began very accurately, it later caused casualties to the Battalion when shells began falling short. However, despite this, the Canadian advance was very swift and the village of Aubercourt to the east of Hangard was soon reached. Twenty out of an original twenty-eight tanks in this area reached the high ground and moved off ahead of the 13th and 14th Battalions of the 3rd Brigade. The tanks demoralised the enemy, but the Germans still put up a stout resistance. Their supports were duly dealt with and, according to the British Official History, ‘the fighting went on simultaneously all over the field’.

Machine-gun nests in Hangard Wood put up considerable resistance and it was in dealing with these nests that Pte Croak and Cpl Good won their VCs. Good’s VC was gazetted on 27 September 1918 as follows:

For most conspicuous bravery and leading when in attack his company was held up by heavy fire from three machine guns, which were seriously delaying the advance. Realizing the gravity of the situation, this N.C.O. dashed forward alone, killing several of the garrison and capturing the remainder. Later on Corpl. Good, while alone, killing several of the garrison and capturing the remainder. Later on Corpl. Good, while alone, encountered a battery of 5.9 inch guns, which were in action at the time. Collecting three men of his section, he charged the battery under point-blank fire and captured the entire crews of three guns.

Having overcome the machine-gun nests in Hangard Wood, the 13th Battalion moved swiftly, killing numbers of the enemy and capturing several German batteries. However, at a position called Croates Trench, the Royal Highlanders were held up for forty-five minutes by some enemy machine guns which proved to be very stubborn. A shortage of bombs was giving the battalion great concern and according to the Regimental History:

Rifle fire was ineffective and two tanks, which went forward in response to the Infantry’s request for aid, were put out of commission as soon as they got astride the trench and before they could deal with the occupants. Eventually, two Stokes’ guns were brought up and opened fire. After a few rounds from these had burst in the enemy position, a shirt, once white, appeared on the end of a rifle and the German garrison surrendered. By 8 a.m. the 3rd Bde. had reached nearly three miles into enemy territory and the objective, the Green Line had been reached. Here the battalion halted and consolidated and the 2nd Bde. passed through their lines in order to continue the attack. It was at this point that the British Cavalry made an appearance. The day had been a great success.

Good was presented with his VC by the King on 29 March 1919 in the Ballroom of Buckingham Palace.

Herman James Good was one of six brothers and eight sisters, children of Walter and Rebecca (née Sealy) Good. He was born in South Bathurst, Gloucester County, New Brunswick, Canada, on 29 November 1887, where he attended Big River School. After leaving school he was involved in lumbering operations in the Bathurst area. By this time he had developed into a heavily built man, just under 6ft in height, with sandy hair and blue eyes.

On 29 June 1915 Good joined the Canadian Army in Sussex, New Brunswick, and was given the service number 445120. He left for Europe on the SS Corsician on 30 October and arrived in England on 9 November. He joined the 5th (2nd Pioneer) Battalion and later transferred to the 13th Battalion on 15 April 1916. Over a period of three years he served in the 55th, 2nd Pioneer and 13th Battalions. He was wounded three times, the first time when he was shot in the buttocks on 5 June 1916, and was subsequently moved to the 2nd Canadian Field Ambulance.

Six weeks later he rejoined his unit but nearly three months after that he was suffering from shell shock and was sent to the Convalescent Depot for Shell Shock Cases at Le Treport on 6 October. He spent some time at base and rejoined his unit on 11 November. A few weeks later he was back in hospital and rejoined his unit on 6 January 1917. Towards the end of May he caught a severe bout of mumps and was sent to a general hospital and on recovering returned to base once more. By now he wore three wound stripes. On 29 August 1917 he was made an acting lance-corporal, and this rank was confirmed four months later, on 29 December. On 18 May the following year he was made a full corporal and on 25 September 1918 he was promoted to lance sergeant after winning his VC.

When Lance Sergeant Good returned on the Olympic he was met by his parents from Big River and the Mayor of Bathurst, a town close by, on 22 April 1919 and given a hero’s welcome. Four days later he was discharged at Saint John, New Brunswick.

Much of his later life was spent in lumbering operations in the Bathhurst area and he later became a warden for game and fish, as well as acting as fire warden in the same district, a position he held for nearly twenty years.

Ten years after the war he travelled to London for a dinner hosted by the Prince of Wales and Admiral of the Fleet Earl Jellicoe, President of the National Executive Council of the British Legion, on 9 November 1929, in honour of all holders of the VC. The dinner took place in the Royal Gallery of the House of Lords. Dress was lounge suits with medals. As a souvenir of this famous dinner each winner of the VC was presented with a copy of the Legion Book, signed by the Prince of Wales, and copies of this book and signature have subsequently become highly collectable. They can be found in second-hand shops, but usually with the autograph removed.

Good was a modest man and made one of his rare public appearances in August 1962 when he laid the cornerstone of a new Legion building on St Peter Avenue, which was subsequently named after him. He was also made a life member of the Gloucester branch which was renamed ‘Herman J. Good, V.C. Branch No. 18.’ in September 1966. He was also a member of St George’s Anglican Church.

On 13 April 1969 Good suffered a stroke and died five days later at home in Bathurst. His body was taken from the hospital to rest at Elhatton’s Funeral Home, St George Street, Bathurst, before it was placed in the West Bathurst Protestant Receiving Vault until later in the spring. His funeral service took place in St George’s Church with full military honours, being attended by the CO of the Black Watch, Royal Highland Regiment of Canada, Lt Col G.S. Morrison, together with six other officers, a firing party of one sergeant and fourteen other ranks. A band with pipes and drums was also in attendance and took part in the service. Good was laid to rest in St Alban’s Cemetery, Sand Hill, Bathurst, where later a cairn was put up to his memory at the Salmon Beach Road entrance to the cemetery.

Good had three sons, Frank, Alfred and Milton (who died in childhood); he bequeathed his VC to Frank. His wife, Martha, predeceased him in 1941.

A second person from New Brunswick to win the VC was a great friend of Good’s, Dr Milton F. Gregg; Good named one of his sons after him.

Good’s decorations, including the VC, British War Medal (BWM), Victory Medal (VM) and Coronation Medals for 1937 and 1953, were acquired by the Canadian War Museum in December 2013.

J.B. CROAK

Hangard Wood, France, 8 August

Private John Croak, like Cpl H. Good VC, was a member of the 13th Battalion Quebec Regiment (Royal Highlanders of Canada) (3rd Brigade, 1st Division) and he also gained his VC at Hangard Wood. The village of Hangard is to the north of the Amiens–Roye road and, on the morning of 8 August, the Canadian Corps’ front line ran roughly north to south through Hangard Wood West to a line to the west of Hangard village. The 1st Divisional boundary was between the wood and the village.

The 13th Battalion led the attack in a heavy fog at dawn, with the 16th Battalion to their right and the 14th to the left. A huge barrage was set down, which was the prelude to a charge across No-Man’s-Land into the German positions. During the advance, accompanying tanks found themselves blinded as a result of the barrage. During the attack Pte Croak took on a German machine-gun nest with a supply of grenades, which resulted in seven Germans being captured. Although he was wounded in the arm during the action, Croak led the group of prisoners to company headquarters and, once there, was instructed to have his arm attended to. Ignoring this order he took on a second machine gun which was targeting the Canadian command post. Croak rallied some of his colleagues and together they charged the enemy position, managing to overcome it with the bayonet. During this second deed Croak was mortally wounded and died within a few minutes.

Croak became the first man born in Newfoundland (not then part of Canada) to win the VC; his citation was published in the London Gazette on 27 September 1918:

For most conspicuous bravery in attack when, having become separated from his section, he encountered a machine gun nest, which he bombed and silenced, taking the gun and crew prisoners. Shortly afterwards he was severely wounded, but refused to desist. Having rejoined his platoon, a very strong point, containing several machine guns, was encountered. Private Croak, however, seeing an opportunity, dashed forward alone, and was almost immediately followed by the remainder of the platoon in a brilliant charge. He was the first to arrive at the trench line, into which he led his men, capturing three machine guns and bayoneting or capturing the entire garrison. The perseverance and valour of this gallant soldier who was again severely wounded and died of his wounds, were an inspiring example to all.

This official citation was added to by Capt. Harwood Steele in his book The Canadians in France:

Private John Bernard Croak distinguished himself greatly. In the early stages of the attack he went hunting by himself, found a machine gun in action and bombed it with such fury that gun and crew became his captures. He then rejoined his platoon, although wounded, and went with it to the attack. Shortly afterwards, a machine gun nest in a trench was encountered. Private Croak led a magnificent charge under heavy fire, was first into the trench, and was largely instrumental in killing or capturing the whole garrison.

John Croak was buried in Hangard Wood British Cemetery, Plot 1, Row A, Grave 9 and it is very close to where he fell. The track leading to the cemetery is close to the No-Man’s-Land crossed by the 1st Canadian Division on 8 August and between the two sections of Hangard Wood.

On 23 November 1918, Lieutenant-Governor Grant of Nova Scotia presented Croak’s VC to his mother, Mrs James Croak, at a ceremony at Government House, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Mrs Croak, who was accompanied by her husband and daughter, was also awarded a second medal, that of the International Order of the Allied Mothers in Suffering.

At the conclusion of the proceedings, the Croak family were presented with two ‘handsome and valuable chairs’ by their son’s former employers, Local No. 7. The opening address from Local No. 7 to Mr and Mrs James Croak began with the following sentence:

We are here to-night to tender you the sincere and heartfelt congratulations of the officers and members of Local No. 7 A.M.W. of Nova Scotia, New Aberdeen on the high honour and distinction just conferred upon you in memory of the noble and valiant deeds of your brave boy, who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of his King and Country.

At Mr Croak’s request a Mr McAulay expressed the thanks of the family for the gifts and tributes on their behalf. A musical interlude then followed and the function ended with the playing of the National Anthem. In addition to receiving a letter of condolence from the 13th Battalion Chaplain, Mrs Croak also received a letter of sympathy from Brig.-Gen. G.S. Tuxford of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigade.

John Croak was the son of James and Cecilia Croak and born in Little Bay, Green Bay, Newfoundland, on 26 January 1892 and baptised into the Roman Catholic Church the same day. His name in Newfoundland was spelt Croke but he preferred Croak as the spelling of his name. Some records suggest he was born on 18 May in the same year. His parents moved to Glace Bay in 1894 and John attended St John’s High School, New Aberdeen, and later Aberdeen Public School in Glace Bay. He left school at the age of fourteen when he became a miner, working in Dominion No. 2 colliery at Glace Bay.

In 1915 Croak joined the Canadian Army in Sussex, New Brunswick, and was given the service number 445312. He volunteered for overseas service with the 55th Canadian Battalion, which left for Europe in November 1915. After training, Croak was transferred to the 13th Battalion Quebec Regiment (Royal Highlanders of Canada). He served in France and Flanders between 1917 and 1918, and saw action on the Somme, at Vimy, Arras, Hill 70 and Passchendaele.

After his death Croak was commemorated by Branch 125 of the Royal Canadian Legion in New Aberdeen being named after him but, owing to lack of funds, the branch was wound up. A chapter of the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire was also named after him, but it too became defunct. After that a school was named after him in St John’s, Newfoundland, only to be later closed down. Much later, though, Croak was commemorated with a plaque, hewn out of a block of Cape Breton rock to symbolise the ‘unpolished virtue’ of the character of Pte Croak of Glace Bay. This was placed in the Memorial Park in Glace Bay, which is also named after him. The site was formerly the grounds of the former Dominion No. 2 Colliery reservoir. The plaque was unveiled on Croak’s centenary, on 18 May 1992, and the ceremony was preceded by a Memorial Mass at St John the Baptist Church in New Aberdeen. Croak’s decorations were presented to the Army Museum at the Citadel, Halifax, by Bernard Croak, a nephew, on 19 August 1972. Apart from the VC, they incuded the BWM and the VM and are now on display at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

A.E. GABY

Villers-Brettoneux, France, 8 August

On 8 August 1918, to the north of the Canadian Corps, the Australian Corps operated together with four divisions in the area of Villers-Brettoneux. A fifth Australian division entered the battle the following day. The 7th Australian Brigade of the 2nd Australian Division consisted of the 26th, 27th and the 28th (West Australian) Battalions which, together with the 5th Brigade, were involved in fighting to the north of the village of Marcelcave. According to an account based on the battalion diary published in the book They Dared Mightily the following occurred:

Soon after midnight movement extraordinary commenced behind our lines, columns of troops in fighting order, ably led to the jumping-off tapes by guides, were seen everywhere, and everything pointed to this great attack – the biggest in history to the Australians … Whilst on the tapes, the attacking troops were subjected to a very heavy barrage, but no casualties … at 4 a.m. a very heavy mist fell … covered all movement … everything was in order and quietness reigned. At 4.23 our artillery put down a terrific barrage on the enemy lines and at 4.25 the infantry moved forward to the assault … according to plan. In the attack many lively combats ensued and feats of great daring [were] performed by numerous members of this Battalion …

The attack, which began on the eastern outskirts of Villers-Brettoneux, was to cover the southern section of the 2nd Australian Division between the 4th Canadian and 5th Australian Brigades. It moved in a slightly south-easterly direction preceded by twenty-three tanks, one of which broke down. The attackers were broken up by Allied ‘friendly fire’ and the Australian survivors moved in small groups towards the Marcelcave railway line. In having to keep up with an accurate barrage, and with the tanks in their first real battle outing, it was inevitable that there would be accidents.

As the Australians moved forward they came across several enemy machine gun posts which had to be dealt with. As the attackers neared a small wood called Card Copse, to the north of the railway line, they hit a wire entanglement. A gap in the wire was spotted and the attacking Australians made for it, only to be shot at from an enemy strongpoint 40yds beyond the position. The attack, which had not yet been supported by tanks in this part of the advance, came to a swift halt. Visibility was described as being misty, made more dense by the dust from a continous barrage. Sections could not even see those sections next to them. It was at this point that, after emptying his revolver into a German garrison, Lt Gaby (Acting Commander of D Company) persuaded a company of fifty Germans armed with four machine guns to surrender. It was Gaby who had found the gap in the wire in the first place. After this capture the tanks that should have preceded the attack finally showed up and any further resistance failed. Gaby, who would not have known of his VC, was killed three days later when carrying out a similar deed east of Framerville. His VC was gazetted on 30 October 1918:

During the attack east of Villers-Brettoneux, near Amiens, on the morning of 8 August 1918, this officer led his company with great dash, being well in front. On reaching the wire in front of the enemy trench, strong opposition was encountered. The enemy were holding a strong point in force about 40 yards beyond the wire, and commanded the gap with four machine guns and rifles. The advance was at once checked. Lieut Gaby found another gap in the wire, and entirely by himself approached the strong point, while machine guns and rifles were still being fired from it. Running along the parapet, still alone, and at point-blank range, he emptied his revolver into the garrison, drove the crews from their guns, and compelled the surrender of 50 of the enemy, with four machine guns. He then quickly reorganised his men, and led them on to his final objective, which he captured and consoildated. On the morning of the 11 August 1918, during an attack east of Framerville, near Amiens, Lieut Gaby again led his company with great dash to the objective. The enemy brought heavy rifle and machine gun fire to bear upon the line, but in the face of this heavy fire Lieut Gaby walked along his line of posts, encouraging his men to quickly consolidate the line. While engaged on this duty he was killed by an enemy sniper.

Alfred Edward Gaby was born in Springfield, near Ringarmma, Tasmania, on 25 January 1892, the seventh son of Alfred and Adelaide (née Whiteway).

He was educated at Scottsdale and after leaving school worked on the family farm. He served for three years with the militia in the 12th Infantry Regiment (Launceston Regiment) and two of his elder brothers served in the Boer war.

In 1914 Gaby left Tasmania and went to Katanning in Western Australia where he worked as a labourer until he enlisted at Blackboy Hill Camp on 6 January 1916 as a private with the 28th Battalion (Western Australia) AIF where he trained at Blackboy Hill Camp. He was posted to the 10th reinforcements to the 28th Battalion and sailed on a troopship to France, and joined his battalion on 6 August. He became a lance corporal and then corporal, progressing rapidly through the ranks until he was commissioned on 7 April 1917. On 26 September he was promoted to lieutenant and during a gas attack in October was wounded. His battalion was then part of the 7th Brigade of the 2nd Division.

Three days after the action in which he won his VC Gaby was killed and was buried in Plot V, Row E, Grave 14 in Heath Cemetery, Harbonnières, close to the busy Amiens–St Quentin road. He is buried in the same cemetery as Pte Robert Beatham who gained a posthumous VC on 9 August.

Alfred Gaby Senior was presented with his late son’s VC on 19 July 1919 by the Governor in Launceston, Tasmania and it was later given to Reginald, another son. A tablet to his memory was unveiled in Katanning, Perth, in December 1920. In addition, a portrait of him was unveiled in the Scottsdale HQ of the Returned Soldiers Sub-Branch. Gaby’s decorations, including the VC, BWM and VM are owned by the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in Hobart. He is commemorated at Canberra in the Australian War Memorial. In addition his name is one of ninety-six Australian VCs won in the Great War, commemorated in Victoria Cross Park Memorial in Canberra and dedicated in July 2000, 100 years after Australia received its first VC. The same ninety-six names are also commemorated in the Victoria Cross Memorial in the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney.

H.G.B. MINER

Démuin, east of Hangard, France, 8 August

Corporal Harry Miner won a posthumous VC at Démuin, to the east of Hangard on 8 August 1918 when he took on enemy machine gun and bombing posts single-handed, despite being wounded. He was a member of the 58th Battalion (2nd Central Ontario Regiment, 9th Brigade, 3rd Canadian Division). The 9th Brigade also included the 43rd, 52nd and 116th Battalions. The 43rd was responsible for capturing Rifle Wood, to the west of the Démuin–Moreuil road, which they duly accomplished by 7.30 a.m. The 116th attacked Hamon Wood from the north and Miner’s battalion, which had also been involved in the fighting at Rifle Wood, pushed on to Démuin and had cleared the hamlet of Courcelles, north-east of Démuin, by 7.05 a.m. It was during this fighting that Miner was severely wounded in the head, left arm and face. He later died from these wounds and was awarded a posthumous VC, which was gazetted on 26 October 1918 and presented to his parents by His Excellency, the Duke of Devonshire, Governor-General of Canada. The citation was as follows:

For most conspicous bravery and devotion to duty in attack, when, despite severe wounds, he refused to withdraw. He rushed an enemy machine gun post single-handed, killed the entire crew and turned the gun on the enemy. Later, with two others, he attacked another enemy machine gun post, and succeded in putting the gun out of action. Corpl. Miner then rushed single-handed an enemy bombing post, bayoneting two of the garrison and putting the remainder to flight. He was mortally wounded in the performance of this gallant deed.

Miner was buried at Crouy British Cemetery, 10 miles north-west of Amiens, Plot V. Row B. Grave 11. The commanding officer of the 58th Battalion, Maj. R.L. Smythe, wrote a letter of sympathy to his parents, as did several of the officers in his unit.

Harry Garnet Miner, the son of John and Orphra Miner, was born on 24 June 1891 in Cedar Springs in Ontario. He attended school at Selton and continued his schooling in Highgate School in Oxford Township, Ontario. After leaving school he went into farming and at some point lived in Ohio and Detroit in the USA. He enlisted in the Canadian Army on 1 December 1915 and was posted to the 142nd Battalion, being promoted to lance corporal on 1 October 1916. He arrived in Britain on 25 October when he became a member of the 161st (Huron) Battalion and also asked for his rank to be altered to private, acting lance corporal, in order that he could join the 58th Battalion, 2nd Central Ontario Regiment. He then trained for six weeks before transferring to the 58th Battalion in France in November 1916. He was made a full corporal on 1 January 1918. As a lance corporal he had won the French Croix de Guerre for deeds carried out in the St Emile sector between Hazebrouck and Lens in 1917.

His citation reads as follows: ‘During the night of 30–31 December 1917, being in charge of a wiring party, he did excellent work, by his example and energy, in keeping his men together for seven hours in spite of enemy machine guns which were firing on his position.’ On 22 September 1963 a historical plaque to his memory was unveiled in Cedar Springs, Miner’s birthplace. This plaque was one of several which commemorate the Canadian holders of the VC. The idea was instigated by the provincial Department of Travel and Publicity who acted on the expertise and advice supplied by the Archeological and Historic Sites Board of Ontario.

This particular ceremony was organised and sponsored by the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. The legion invited various local dignitaries to the unveiling, which included a legion drum head service. The plaque itself was unveiled by Mr Ross Miner, a brother of Cpl Harry Miner. It was dedicated by the Revd A. Meecham of Blenheim United Church, Ontario.There is also a plaque to Miner’s memory in the United Church in Cedar Springs.The branch 185 of the Royal Canadian Legion in Blenheim was also named after him.

Harry Miner’s decorations, including the VC, BWM, VM and Croix de Guerre, are kept in the Huron County Museum, Goderich.

J. BRILLANT

Near Wiencourt, France, 9 August

Between 8 August 1918, the first day of the Battle of Amiens, and 11 August, no fewer than eleven men gained the VC, of whom eight were serving with Canadian Forces. One of the Canadians, who in fact was a French Canadian, was Lieutenant Jean Brillant of the 22nd Canadian Infantry Battalion (5th Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division). On 8 August his battalion was operating south-east of Villers Bretonneux, engaged in mopping-up operations to the west of the village of Wiencourt-L’Équipée, during which he rushed an enemy machine-gun post which was holding up the left flank of his company. He killed two machine gunners but in doing so was injured in his left arm.

At 10 a.m. the following day his battalion moved from Wiencourt and, supported by artillery, proceeded in a south-easterly direction towards the village of Caix and took over enemy positions after very arduous fighting in the village of Vrély to the south of Rosières-en-Santerre. The enemy had entrenched machine gun positions close to the village of Vrély and any advance over open ground would prove to be very costly. Companies were organised into groups which used the cover of ditches and sunken roads. By 3.15 p.m. the leading groups had managed to progress through Vrély and beyond, and proceeded to consolidate 500yds east of Méharicourt, which they reached by 5.30 p.m. By then they were too far ahead and had to wait for their neighbours to catch up, which they did two hours later. Although the battalion had been successful it came at a very high cost in casualties of six officers and 176 other ranks either killed, wounded or missing.

During the attack on Vrély, athough Brillant was already wounded, he led a group of two platoons using bombs and grenades in a skirmish which led to the capture of no fewer than fifteen machine guns together with 150 prisoners. During this action he was wounded again, this time in the head, yet still managed to organise a party to capture an enemy four-inch gun which was engaging the battalion over open sights. It was for this bravery during this fighting, in addition to his work the previous day, that Lt Jean Brillant won his VC. In two days of hard fighting he had been wounded three times but tragically succumbed to his injuries on 10 August. His citation was published in the London Gazette of 27 September 1918:

For most conspicuous bravery and outstanding devotion to duty when in charge of a company which he led in attack during two days with absolute fearlessness and extraordinary ability and initiative, the extent of the advance being twelve miles. On the first day of operations, shortly after the attack began, his company’s left flank was held up by an enemy machine gun. Lieut. Brillant rushed and captured the machine gun, personally killing two of the enemy crew. While doing this he was wounded, but refused to leave his command. Later on the same day his company was held up by heavy machine gun fire. He reconnoitred the ground personally, organised a party of two platoons, and rushed straight for the machine gun nest. Here 150 enemy and fifteen machine guns were captured, Lieut. Brillant personally killing five of the enemy, and being wounded a second time. He had this wound dressed immediately, and again refused to leave his company. Subsequently this gallant officer detected a field-gun firing on his men over open sights. He immediately organised and led a ‘rushing’ party towards the gun. After progressing about 600 yards he was again seriously wounded. In spite of this third wound he continued to advance for some 200 yards more, when he fell unconscious from exhaustion and loss of blood. Lieut. Brillant’s wonderful example throughout the day inspired his men with an enthusiasm and dash which largely contributed towards the success of the operations.

Brillant’s last words were said to have been: ‘I am through. Take charge of the company because I know I won’t be here long.’ He died of his wounds and loss of blood on 10 August and was buried in Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery, Plot VIa, Row B, Grave 20, to the left of the Cross of Sacrifice. His posthumous VC was presented to his father in Rimouski, Quebec, on 16 December 1918 by His Excellency The Duke of Devonshire, Governor-General of Canada.

Jean-Baptiste-Arthur Brillant, a French-Canadian, was born of a military family, in Assametquaghan, Matapadia Co., Quebec, on 15 March 1890. His father was Joseph, a railway maintenance worker and his mother Rose-de-Lima Raiche Brillant. He studied at St Joseph University, Memramcook, New Brunswick, and later at the Seminaire de Rimouski (1904–05). He became a railway telephone operator. In 1903 he volunteered to serve in 89th (Temiscouata & Rimouski) Regiment (which in 1920 was renamed les Fusiliers du St Laurent) and claimed later to have been a member for thirteen years, becoming a lieutenant. He quit his job on 20 March 1916 when he applied to join the CEF. After six months’ training at Valcartier he attested at the camp on 20 September and sailed for Liverpool three days later on board SS Lapland. When he attested, his address was Bic. Co., Rimouski, Quebec.

Arriving in England on 6 October he became a member of the 69th Infantry Battalion on the 9th and left for France from the same port on the 29th having become a member of the the only French-Canadian Infantry Unit serving in the field at that time, the 22nd Battalion, Quebec Regiment (Canadian Français), CEF who were part of the 2nd Division. On arrival in France he proceeded to his new battalion at Bully-Grenay.

In 1917, between 9 and 14 April, Brillant took part in the fight for Vimy Ridge and subseqently spent a few days in hospital with trench fever. Three months later he was wounded briefly and became a patient in the Duchess of Westminster Hospital in Le Touquet on 17 July and was transferred to 51st General Hospital in Etaples the following day. After two months he was discharged to base on 18 September.

Brillant won the MC for his work during the night of 27–28 May in the vicinity of Boiry-Besqerelle, 110 miles north of Paris when he was called to assist in the silencing of an enemy outpost defended by two machine guns and fifty men. During the attack he spied a small of group of five Germans making their escape. He managed to despatch four of them and captured a fifth and took him back to battalion headquarters for interrogation. During the fighting Brillant was wounded. On 6 July he was able to go to Paris for a week for what was to be his last leave. Four weeks later he was mortally wounded on 9 August and died of wounds the following day.

His posthumous MC was gazetted on 16 September, eleven days prior to his VC. Apart from these two decorations, his medals included the BWM, VM and King George Vth Coronation Medal of 1911. They became the property of his regiment and were displayed at the Royal 22 Regiment Museum at Citadel, Quebec, together with a Dead Man’s Penny and other related items to his life. In addition, his name was the first to be listed on the Rimouski War Memorial, and a park in Montreal was named after him. Streets are also named after him in Rimouski and Montreal, and his name was also used by the Royal Canadian Legion Branch in Quebec City. Unusally his name has also been used for a retirement home group.

R.M. BEATHAM

Rosières, France, 9 August

On 8 August 1918, the first day of the Franco-British summer of 1918 offensive, four Victoria Crosses were won by members of either the Canadian or Australian Armies. The Dominion troops had to fight in order to overcome well-sited and tenaciously defended German machine-gun posts. Time after time this was what had to be done. Although the first day of the offensive had begun very successfully for the Allies, the second day was not well planned or coordinated and, in the words of the Australian historian C.E.W. Bean, ‘will probably furnish a classic example of how not to follow up a great attack’.

The advance continued with the 1st and 2nd Australian Divisions attempting to wrest the high ground from the enemy to the west of Chaulnes. It was the Canadian and French Armies accompanied by cavalry who were to create a southern flank for the Australians. The 7th and 8th Australian Battalions moved off from close to Harbonnières under heavy German artillery fire from Lihons to the south-east. Lihons had a protective hill in its north-west corner. During the advance, tanks accompanying the Australian move forward were gradually knocked out, but the 8th (Victoria) Battalion managed to push on uphill towards Lihons – it was during this fighting that Pte Robert Beatham of the 8th Battalion (2nd Brigade 1st Division) carried out his first deed of the day which led to him winning a VC. His action took place at the village of Rosières where his battalion was south of the Lihons road and the commander of its left company, Capt. A.G. Campbell, worked his way forward until they were in a position to enfilade the enemy positions. It was probably at this time that Pte Beatham, accompanied by Pte W.G. Nottingham, bombed and captured the crews of four machine guns which were holding up the advance. Nottingham also managed to turn two of the captured guns on the enemy. Later in the day the 8th Battalion had got too far forward and was expecting to be counter-attacked at any moment. However, Australian gunners had galloped up to some new positions near Vauvillers to the north, and the sight of the guns encouraged the enemy to withdraw from the crest. Even so there were still strong pockets of resistance covering enemy machine-gun positions and it was during this fighting that Beatham continued rushing enemy strongpoints, but this time lost his life in doing so. The historian C.E.W. Bean concluded that the attacking Victorians were as yet unaware that they had taken on a powerful reinforcement, in that they had been pushing back remnants of the German 109th Division.

Beatham’s posthumous VC was gazetted on 14 December 1918 as follows:

For most conspicuous bravery and self-sacrifice during the attack north of Rosières, east of Amiens on 9 August 1918. When the advance was held up by heavy machine gun fire, Private Beatham dashed forward, and, assisted by one man, bombed and fought the crews of four enemy machine guns, killing 10 of them and capturing 10 others, thus facilitating the advance and saving many casualties. When the final objective was reached, although previously wounded, he again dashed forward and bombed a machine gun, being riddled with bullets and killed in doing so. The valour displayed by this gallant soldier inspired all ranks in a wonderful manner.

The officer commanding A Company of the 8th Battalion AIF, wrote to a Mr J. Hounsby on 12 September 1918 about the circumstances of Beatham winning the VC and being mortally wounded:

Yes, it is quite true, he was killed in action on Aug. the 11th. I was with him at the time.

He was a hero, and if ever a V.C. was earned, one was earned by him that day. First our advance was held up by ten enemy Machine Guns but this did not deter him, he worked up an old communication trench & knocked the M.G.’s out, killing & taking prisoners all the crews of same.

Later, the enemy were in the same trench as us, we were both bombing our way along the trench when the enemy jumped out of the trench & began shooting at us from the top. BEATHAM jumped up & killed them, but as he was getting back into the trench, he was sniped through the head. Death was instantaneous. We have recommended him very strongly from here & if these decorations [are] fairly awarded he is certainly to get the V.C.

It must be an awful blow to his people & I assure you it was a terrible blow to his comrades. Any praise that I could give would not be high enough for his magnificence, tenacity and courage.

The whole of the Battalion unite with me in expressing the very deepest sympathy for the Dear relatives of this magnificent soldier in their very sad bereavement.

Believe me to be

ys in very deepest sympathy

R.W. Dowling, Lieut.,

‘A’ Coy., 8th Batt. A.I.F. France

Beatham’s body was buried in Heath Cemetery, Harbonnières, close to the main road in Plot VII, Row J, Grave 13. In the same cemetery is the grave of Lt Alfred Gaby who won the VC on 8 August. Beatham’s VC was presented to his widowed mother in the Ballroom of Buckingham Palace on 8 March 1919.

Robert Matthew Beatham, the son of John and Eléabeth (née Allison) was born in Glassonby, an East Fellside village near Penrith, Cumberland, on 16 June 1894, although some accounts state that his date of birth was 11 August. He came from a large family of nine boys, and his father worked as a foreman for a paper manufacturer. Robert attended Maughanby Church of England School, and at the age of 14 left to work on a local farm before emigrating to Australia which he did with one of his brothers in 1913. Robert then worked as a labourer in Geelong, Victoria.

At the age of 20 Beatham enlisted in the Australian Army on 8 January 1915 and was allocated the service number of 2742. He was posted to the 8th Reinforcements for the 8th Victorian Battalion. He arrived in Suez in October and in November was officially taken on the strength of the battalion and served briefly in Gallipoli in December. He later sailed with them to France. In August he was wounded close to Pozières and was evacuated for six weeks. He was again wounded during the Third Battle of Ypres in October 1917 and returned to England to recover. His time in England included spending a short time in Glassonby during November.

Robert was the third of seven sons who served in the forces to die within a period of five months. Another brother, Walter Beatham, who emigrated with Robert to Australia, was taken prisoner in August 1916 after service in Gallipoli, later dying in 1918. A second brother, John Wilfred, died in the Salonika campaign.

Robert Beatham is commemorated on the war memorial in Glassonby, Cumbria, and by a brass plaque at Addingham-with-Gamblesby Church, in Yorkshire. The plaque records the names of men who died from that parish, and includes the three Beatham brothers from the smaller parish of Glassonby. The three former Sunday School boys are also listed on a small brass plaque on the wall of a Wesleyan Chapel in Glassonby. His portrait used to be on display at his former school at Maughanby.

Beatham is also commemorated at Canberra on the Australian War Memorial. His name is also one of ninety-six Australian VCs won in the First World War, commemorated in Victoria Cross Park Memorial in Canberra. The same ninety-six names are also commemorated in the Victoria Cross Memorial in the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney.

Beatham’s VC was sold by the Beatham family in 1967 by J.B. Hayward for £700 and is at present in private hands, having been sold again in March 1999 for £73,000 at Spink’s, in Melbourne. The VC is on loan to Queensland Museum, South Bank, Brisbane and the First World War trio of the 1914–15 Star, BWM and VM are kept privately.

J.E. TAIT

Beaucourt Wood, France, 8–11 August

Lieutenant James Tait of the 78th Battalion (Winnipeg Grenadiers) (12th Brigade 4th Canadian Division) won his VC over a period of three days between 8 and 11 August. By late afternoon of 8 August 1918 the Canadian advance to the south-east of Amiens had reached Beaucourt, near Le Quesnel and north of the road to Roye. To the south of Beaucourt Wood the landscape was very open and devoid of cover. Because of this the Canadians lost heavily from machine-gun fire coming from the direction of Fresnoy-en-Chaussée as well as the northern edge of Le Quesnel. As a result any idea of a frontal attack was ruled out. The right flank of the 12th Brigade in particular was strongly attacked by fire coming from Beaucourt Wood and it left a company from each of the the 38th and 78th Battalions in order to deal with it. The 78th Battalion took on the enemy machine guns at the north end of the wood and with artillery and tank support overcame them when they then formed a defensive flank. It was during this action that Lt Tait, in command of C Company, won his VC when he knocked out an enemy machine-gun post single-handed. In addition, his men captured a dozen machine guns and twenty prisoners. The 72nd Battalion, despite heavy rifle and machine-gun fire, succeeded in passing through the lines of the 78th Battalion to reach its final objective at about 6.15 p.m., a dozen miles from its starting point.