The Battle of Armentières. 13th October-2nd November.

"By the evening of the 11th October the IIIrd Corps had practically completed its detrainment at St. Omer, and was moved east to Hazebrouck, where the Corps remained throughout the 12th." (Official Despatches.)

11th October 1914

Whilst the 4th Battalion was engaged in the Battle of La Bassée, the 1st Battalion, farther north, had, with other units of the 19th Infantry Brigade and IIIrd Corps, forced the enemy back eastwards in the Battle of Armentières. The formation of the IIIrd Corps at this period was :-4th Division (10th, 11th and 12th Infantry Brigades); 6th Division (16th, 17th, 18th and 19th Infantry Brigades.)

The 1st Middlesex (in Brigade) marched out of St. Omer at 7 a.m. on the 11th October, and, taking the road through Arcques, reached Renescure, in which position the Battalion covered the detrainment of the 4th Division at St. Omer. In a field near the village the Middlesex men bivouacked for the night.

12th October 1914

At dawn on the 12th the Battalion set out to occupy a portion of the line Strazeele-Caestre_St. Sylvestre, the 19th Infantry Brigade having been detailed as the advanced guard of the 6th Division. The march was by way of Wallon Capel and north of Hazebrouck to Borre; at each village a halt of 4 hours was called. At 3 p.m. the 1st Middlesex moved to Pradelles, the right-half battalion taking up position in defence of Rouge Croix and Strazeele. The left-half battalion went into billets.

13th - 15th October 1914

Touch had been established with the enemy about Strazeele, for "A" Company of the Middlesex was shelled and two men were wounded. On the morning of the 13th the 19th Infantry Brigade concentrated at Rouge Croix, the Middlesex reaching the rendezvous at 7a.m. Here the Brigade was in Corps Reserve, and the Middlesex men remained all day in a field, moving off to billets in Rouge Croix at 6.30 p.m. On this day the IIIrd Corps attacked the enemy on the line Vieux Berquin-Meteren-Berthen, the Corps Commander having been ordered by General Headquarters to move towards the line Armentieres-Wytschaete. At 12 noon on the following day the 1st Battalion (in Brigade) marched out of Rouge Croix south-east, through Strazeele, where direction was changed to east, the 19th Brigade advancing on Bailleul with the object of attacking the village. But when the Brigade arrived the enemy had already evacuated Bailleul, and the 1st Battalion marched through the village and bivouacked in a meadow east of it. Late on the 15th the 19th Infantry Brigade moved to Steenwerck, as reserve to the 4th Division; it was 11p.m. before the 1st Middlesex bivouacked in a field just west of the village and 12 midnight before the whole Brigade was settled in.

The next day's march tried the troops of the 19th Brigade to the utmost. Since the 11th they had been moving eastwards, following a retreating enemy over very difficult country, broken by ditches and dykes, but on the 16th orders were suddenly received by Brigade Headquarters to change direction completely and march north to Vlamertinghe, where the Brigade was to act as reserve to the IVth Corps. The Ist Corps had not yet arrived in the Ypres area, and at this date the IVth Corps consisted of 7th Division and 3rd Cavalry Division; the 7th Division then holding a line east of Ypres on a line extending from Zandvoorde through Gheluvelt to Zonnebeke. The 3rd Cavalry Division was on its left towards Langemarck and Poelcapelle.

The diary of the 1st Battalion states:-" Marched east 1245 p.m. via Station-Ouderdom to Vlamertinghe, and went into billets at 8 p.m.-a long march, 17 miles.". "East" should undoubtedly read "north." The four Battalions forming the 19th Brigade, worn out, very much appreciated the next two days, for they were spent in billets in the village. On the 19th, however, between 1 and 2 p.m., the Brigade marched out of Vlamertinghe, with orders to move south again via Neuve Eglise, Steenwerck and Estaires, thence cross the River Lys to Laventie. This entailed another long march of some 27 miles, at the end of which the tired troops trudged into Estaires at about 2a.m. on the 20th, finding only "very bad billets." At 12 noon the whole Brigade received orders to move on Fromelles. Half-an-hour later the Middlesex marched out of Estaires, taking up a position on the left of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, then posted along the road to Pont Pierre, in support of French Cavalry. All night long the Middlesex men were engaged in digging trenches and in putting the position in a state of defence.

20th October 1914

The 19th Brigade Diary gives the general situation on the 20th October as follows:-"The right of the IIIrd Corps was at Radinghem; the left of the IInd Corps about Aubers; the space between these two points being held by French Cavalry. Two Battalions, the Welch Fusiliers and Middlesex, were pushed forward to the line Fromelles-Pont de Pierre to hold a line slightly in rear of the French Cayalry. The enemy was in touch with French Cavalry along our front, and were engaged with the 6th Division at Radinghem during the afternoon. The two battalions bivouacked about a mile north-west of Fromelles for the night."

During the night 20th-21st October IIIrd Corps Headquarters ordered the 19th Brigade to occupy Fromelles and Le Maisnil, and thus fill the gap which existed between the left of the lind Corps (about Aubers) and the right of the IVth Corps (about Radinghem). To carry out this object the 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders moved at 4a.m. to Le Maisnil, whilst the Welch Fusiliers extended their front so as to hold from the southwest corner of Fromelles to Pont de Pierre. The Cameronians and 1st Middlesex moved to a central position about Bas Maisnil at 7a.m.

21st - 22nd October 1914

Towards 11a.m. the enemy opened very heavy shell fire on Le Maisnil, and the Argyrlls began to lose heavily. Between 11a.m. and 12 noon Headquarters and "B" and "D" Companies of the Middlesex were sent forward to support the Highlanders in Le Maisnil. On entering the village these two Companies were shelled heavily, and suffered a number of casualties. Colonel Ward then assumed command of the village, into which the enemy's artillery continued to pour shell. At 3p.m. a heavy hostile infantry attack was launched from Radinghem, and "B" Company of the Middlesex went forward to the Argylls, who were hard pressed, for the enemy was attacking in great strength. Colonel Ward was now wounded. (Died of wounds on 22nd October. on which date Lieut. -Col. F. G. M. Rowley, senior Major, assumed command of the 1st Middlesex.) Some French cyclists, holding ground on the left flank of the defence, gave way about 5 p.m., whereupon the position held by the Highlanders and Middlesex became untenable, and the O.C. the Highlanders ordered a retirement. "B" and "D" Companies of the Middlesex fell back from the north-east end of Le Maisnil, "D" covering the retirement of "B" and one company of the Highlanders. Severe losses were suffered by "B" Company, for although darkness intervened, the enemy continued to shell the village heavily, and when finally the two Companies reached Bas Maisnil the Battalion's casualties numbered over 100 officers and men. (Wounded: 5 officers, 2 missing; 13 other ranks. Wounded and missing, 19 other ranks; missing, 64 other ranks. No names are given in Battalion or Brigade diaries.) Throughout the action "A" and "C" Companies of the Middlesex, under Colonel Rowley, had remained at Bas Maisnil, throwing out pickets towards Radinghem, but when darkness fell and Le Maisnil had been evacuated, "A" Company moved to Bacquart, covering the road from Le Maisnil. All that night the Battalion lay in two lines in extended order east of road Le Maisnil-La Boutillerie, about 200 yards in advance of the latter.

23rd -29th October 1914

On the following morning the 19th Brigade took up a defensive line La Boutillerie-Rouge Bancs, in touch with the 16th Brigade on the left and French Cavalry on the right. During the day the enemy attacked the covering parties, but was driven off. From the 23rd to the 29th of the month the 1st Middlesex occupied the same positions, suffering all the while heavy casualties from shelling and sniping, and it was not until the 30th that the enemy again launched an infantry attack against the Battalion. Casualties: 23rd October. 2 other ranks wounded; 24th, 3 other ranks killed, 5 wounded; 25th, 1 officer and 11 other ranks wounded; 26th, 5 other ranks killed, 19 wounded; 27th, 2 other ranks killed, 21 wounded; 28th, 2 other ranks killed; 29th, 3 other ranks wounded; 30th, 3 officers and 26 other ranks wounded, 26 other ranks killed.

29th October 1914

Throughout the 29th, the enemy's guns had kept the Battalion front under heavy fire, and soon after midnight 29th-30th, the Germans were heard advancing to the attack: they were coming through the farm buildings opposite the Middlesex, singing as they came. The 6th Divisional Artillery was at once informed, and opened fire on the buildings and ground in rear.

30th October 1914

With commendable self-restraint, the 1st Middlesex withheld their fire until the enemy reached the wire entanglements out in front of the Battalion, a distance of about 40 yards from the trenches. They then opened rapid fire and the German advance was stayed, though at one place where there was a gap in the line between "C" and "D" Companies, about 50 of the enemy got into a trench and behind the left half of "D" Company. The O.C. "B" Company reported the situation to the C.O., also stating that he had attacked the enemy but had failed to eject him. The last of the Battalion reserve-one platoon-was then sent up from Battalion Headquarters; a second attack was launched, but this also was a failure, as the enemy clung tenaciously to his new position. Lieut.-Colonel Rowley, who then went forward to discuss the situation with the O.C. "B" Company, was severely wounded, and Captain Osborne ("A" Company) assumed command of the Battalion. This officer organised another attack, asking meanwhile for support from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. This attack, in which every man was used-servants, pioneers, cooks, etc., who were carrying ammunition or fighting with "B" Company-was entirely successful. Every German who had penetrated the line was killed-37 being accounted for in this way-or captured. And on the following morning over 200 dead Germans were counted lying out in No Man's Land in front of the trenches. But "B" Company practically ceased to exist.

In this very gallant little fight, the 1st Middlesex lost 16 other ranks killed and 25 wounded, including Lieut.-Colonel Rowley, Capt. Gibbons and 2nd Lieut. Shaw. "Where all ranks behaved so well," said Colonel Rowley, "it was hard to single out any for reward, but at any rate all had the satisfaction of worthily upholding the name of Die-Hards." Captain A.F. Skaife was killed by a sniper on 1st November

The Battle of Armentières closed on 2nd November, with the 1st Middlesex still holding the line at La Boutillerie.

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