My Grandfather went through this hell and survived.
Sadly he had to relive it everyday of the last 2 years of his life until he died in 1967.

A tribute to Cpl Peter Lewis.

War Diary 2nd Battalion Lancs Fus 1914 All extracts through PRO WO 95/ 1507 subject to usual conditions

Aug 23rd Disembarked at Boulogne at 6am proceeded to rest camp.

24th Proceeded to BARTRY by rail and Marched to LIGNY

25th Marched to VIESLY were shelled for short time in evening, no casualties

25-26th Marched via CAUDRAI-LIGNY to high ground by WIMBAIX STA. arrived there about 4am + proceeded to site + dig trenches. Heavy tools not available owing to heavy roads. Heavy shell + m.g fire opened at 6am. Bn held pn until about 9am falling back to pn above HAUCOURT. brigade retired late in afternoon to SELVIGNY thence to VENDHUILLE at night. Casualties

27th Marched to ROISEL as A.G to Division, entrenched at ROISEL, returning to HANCOURT.

28th Night marched to VOYENNES

Extract from Journal of 2/20th, 24th –26th Aug 1914.
All extracts through PRO WO 95/ 1507 subject to usual conditions

Aug 23rd. 11pm. Started in train from Boulogne, Aug 24th p.m. Detrained Bertry. Marched to Ligny & bived. there.

Aug 25th early a.m. Marched to Quievy, NNE of Caudry and entrenched. Tropical rain twds evg, and sky illuminated by burning Mons. Few Ger. shell landed nr 2/20th’s trenches. No one hit.

To assist in the effective retirement of the Second and First Corps Sir J French had ordered the Forth Div. to take up a posn with its R on Solesmes and L on Cambrai-Le Cateau Rd. S of La Chaprai (La Chapelle?).

Aug 26th 3.45 am 2/20th reached Longsart Fme. The ground was a boggy stretch of moorland. It was still pitch dark, there were no guides and the tool limbers had stuck fast 2 m back . When light came C.O. began to site trenches. Men v tired but set to work digging at once with their “grubbers”.

Shortly after dawn a Fr. Cav. Patrol reported to C.O. that the front was clear for miles.

5.45 am shallow trenches completed by A.C & D. Only 2 pltns of A had trenches quite ready for occpn. “B” in res. 1 ptn of A behind a small bank. T’pt of 2/20th reached Longsart Fme. & b’fast was prepared. 1 Sgt. &10 men D acted as covering party and went abt 300 yds to L front of Bn line. From this pt no Br. Or Fr. Troops were seen to the L. After a short interval fire was opened on this post from the R front and from m.gs in the corn-stooks. The Sgt. Was severely W & was kicked into a quarry by the Gers.

6 am 1/4th arrvd and sat down in ¼ col. To await the issue of their tools. Part of A 2/20th , also moved down to draw some tools, when a heavy fire- m.gs and S burst over the 1/4th wh suffered hvilly. After 1/4th had got under cover, this fire turned to 2/20th. It was thought that a Ger. Maxim Btty turned onto the Bn at 1000 yards range. Ger. Cav. led the attack; but after their guns had opened dense masses of inf. issued from wood and farm buildings. .

The L coy of the 2/20th was now withdrawn. The main force of the attack had been thrown on the R flank, but it suddenly developed with greater force agst the L and the Gers. Adved agst L coy wh suffered hvily. The L coy and the L pltn of A were now much harassed my m.gfire. It was not long before all the offs. of D were K or W. The effect of the enfilade fire was severe & Gers. were seen working round the L flank. Retirement was clearly necessary. A coy withdrew to the cover of a hedge C coy followed. Many were K and W in this opern and the Gers. reached within 200 yds and a m.g was particularly deadly. The unequal contest between line of inf. and massed guns & m.guns lasted 3 hrs.

9 am 2/20th rallied on a saddle-back ridge and opened fire on the pursuers, who came on in dense col. With their rifles held agst hips. Assisted by our art. The 2/20th, under Capt. Woodman, with Capt Spooner and Lt Crosse asstg him , held the ridge. As the Ger. Advance was checked the 2/20th withdrew a few hundred yards and the 3 offs rounded up and gathered others together and attempted to est. touch with Bdg. Staff. A hvy S fire now opened on the Bn and cover was taken behind a fm building wh soon fell to ruins.

2pm It was thought that the Gers. Had in action in this section of the field from 90 to 150 guns. The whole sect. As far back as Selvigny, was thoughly searched. The bulk of the 12th I.B was ordered back to Selvigny, some troops being left above Haucourt to cover the retirement of our guns. One of these parties consisted of men collected by Capt. Davenport. By this time 2/20th and 108th were considerably intermingled. Various parties of the 2/20th assembled on the rd under the C.O (Maj Griffin) and were ordered by the staff of the Fourth Div. to march until 10pm when they b’lltd in some frm buildings.

The cas on 26th were
2 offs K
3 “ W
10 “ W&M, 2 of these rejoined later
402 NCO’s and men failed to answer roll that night. By 9th Sept 143 of these rejoined which leaves 259 NCO’s and men KWM on 26th August.

Hand written account 23rd to 26th August 1914 All extracts through PRO WO 95/ 1507 subject to usual conditions

The Battle of Ligny

The Battalion left Boulongne on August 23rd in the evening and after a long train journey with no halts long enough to be of use detrained at BERTRY in the afternoon of the 24th. After tea had been made in a adjoining field we then marched to LIGNY where we bivouacked for the night, headquarters being most hospitably dined by the Mayor of the town. Early next morning 25th August the Brigade marched to VIESLY about 12 miles NE where we entrenched ourselves. Late in the afternoon heavy rain began to fall with tropical severity and the sky was illuminated with the light from MONS which had been set on fire by the Germans. A few shells landed near our trenches but no one in the Brigade was injured.

At 9.30 pm the Brigade started back from VIESLY to march to a position about 5 miles slightly NW of LIGNY amidst rain and ever deepening mud.

About 3.45am a thoroughly tired battalion had reached the high ground near LONGSTART FARM and between the village of HARCOURT and WAMBEAUX STATION. It was pitch dark. There were no guides and the tool limbers were miles back. As soon as it was light enough to see, Major Griffin began to site our trenches and General Wilson came up and gave us directions where to put the trenches and also instructed us to begin some for the King’s Own Regiment, who having been entangled in the masses of transport in LIGNY had not yet arrived.

This work was taken in hand with the entrenching tools caried on the men, and by 5.45am shallow shelter trenches had in most cases been completed by A, Cand D Coys- B being in reserve (though only two platoons of “A” company had trenches ready for occupation) and in a sunken road, and one platoon “A” company behind a small bank.

At 6am the King’s Own Regiment arrived and sat down in quarter column to await the issue of engineers tools which were then coming towards them under Captain North (?) (L.F). Part of A Coy L.F were on their way to these wagons also to draw tools, when an appalling burst of shrapnel and machine gun fire was opened on the King’s Own. Colonel Dykes and many men were killed before the Regiment could get under cover on the reverse side of the hill; when they had gone this fire was turned onto our trenches. The Companies stuck gallantly to their posts, but the casualties were very heavy, the shallow rifle pits being little protection from the artillery. For about three hours the unequal contest was carried on, our infantry receiving no support from our artillery which had not yet arrived. One by one the trenches were enveloped and enfiladed and the survivors forced to retire. Captain Ward and Lient Boyle were killed, Captains Roffey and Moody, Lients Corbett-Winder, Rowling and Phelps (?) were wounded. Captain Davenport, Lients Humfrey, Bass and Wilkinson were not seen again and grave doubts us to their safety are entertained. Lients Fulton, Stuart and Smyth rejoined some days later.

The survivors fell back on the next ridge and opening fire on the pursuing Germans with the artillery which had now begun to come into action drove them back.An advance back to the old position was made by portions of the line, but the arrival of fresh German artillery drove them back.

About 2pm the German artillery began a thorough searching of our position and the plain back to the village of SELVIGNY, guns variously computed from 90 to 150 in number being employed. Most of the brigade were ordered back to SELVIGNY, a small party being left above HARCOURT to cover the retirement of our Artillery. Further casualties were incurred here and during the final withdraw to SELVIGNY, including Capt. Davenport wounded in the arm and subsequently taken prisoner in the temporary hospital at HARCOURT.

Total casualties during the action as far as can be asurtained are as follows
K 2 officers (Ward + Boyle)
W 5 Officers (Roffey, Moody, Sidebottom, Rowley Phelps)
M 7 officers (Davenport, Corbett-Winder, Bass, Wilkinson(wounded +Missing) Humfrey-missing Fulton, Stuart + Smyth, who joined a few days after
Men –K- 198 men
Wd 448
Wd (situation unknown) 38

Interestingly, and purely by chance I have been analysing the 2nd L F casualties during this very period.

Major S Napier (for officer i/c Infantry records) GHQ 3rd echelon signed off a "list of places of Burial of Officers, NCOs and men of the above (2nd LF) battalion who have been killed in action or died from wounds" on 22nd May 1916.

It is by no means a complete record and contains a number of errors, but you may find the list of burials for those killed on 26/8/14 to be of interest.

The men are recorded on LA FERTE-SOUS-JOUARRE MEMORIAL. except for:

Cpl J Hurley; Pte Hodgson, N and Pte Hartley, N are buried at Esnes Communal Cemetery

There is one glaring error. Pte 716 Hibbert, T should be Pte 716 Hibbert, W DoW 8/9/14.

Details for the men given as died on 26/8/14 on the list are as follows

(please forgive the formatting)

Reg. No. Rank Name Place of Burial
Capt Ward, A C Where he fell near Harcourt
Lieut. Boyle, D E Where he fell near Harcourt
2/Lt Humfrey, W K Where he fell near Harcourt (Supposed)
657 Pte Fitzpatrick, C
(initial should be T) Where he fell near Harcourt
5602 Cpl Hurley, J Where he fell near Harcourt
9338 Pte Hodgson, T Where he fell near Harcourt
284 Pte Hartley, T
(initial should be N) Where he fell near Harcourt
9383 Cpl Hibbert, T Where he fell near Harcourt (Supposed)
716 Pte Hibbert, T Where he fell near Harcourt
240 Pte Hargest, P Where he fell near Harcourt
2838 Pte Parkinson, W Where he fell near Harcourt

Hello to all

whilst researching my great uncle, 284 Private Nathaniel HARTLEY whom you've mentioned, here's a few things I noted:

three officers recorded as 'wounded' or 'missing' are on CWG records as killed 26/08/1914:

Captain Charles BASS at NAVES COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION [the son of a vicar]
Captain Rowland H M MOODY and
Captain Robert Y SIDEBOTTOM, both at LA FERTE-SOUS-JOUARRE MEMORIAL

Sidebottom is mentioned in accounts as leading an attack on a machine gun when he fell. I believe he may have a family connection to me.

- William