The London Irish
At the village of Loos the streets cut the village in half from east to west, being lined with poor shops and cafes and leading to the cemetary. In the centre of Loos stands the ancient parish church, with the core of a once pleasant old-fashioned village around it, from which spread rows of two-story pitmen's cottages of a cheap and shabby quality. the cellars were packed with field grey figures, and our bombing parties went down the side streets searching for these underground shelters, and marking their progress by explosions. There were trenches in the street, showing that the enemy had intended to fight for every house and as the Scotman and Londoners worked forward, there was a great deal of sniping from the broken windows of the cafes and cottages. Some of the Germans had a strange notion of the conventions of modern warfare. They would fire away furiously, killing and wounding our men in considerable numbers, and then when they were caught at a disadvantage, by a bomber or
bayoneter, they would throw up their hands and cry " Kamerad! " The Bavarians especially seemed to think that their surrender would be accepted after they had gone on slaying till the last possible moment. The Briton may be chivalrous, but he is not an utter fool. One man was deliberately sniping from a window as our troops passed. He held up his hands in token of surrender, but a British soldier walked towards him, he again raised his rifle and fired. His cartridge did not explode. So down went his rifle and up went his hands once more and cried ' Kamerad' He got comradeship at the point of the bayonet.
Loos had suffered severely from our bombardment. The village church was almost levelled to the ground, not even the shell remaining. Of the 12,000 inhabitants only about 300 men, women and children remained. Most took refuge in the deep cellars. One event stands out and that is the extraordinary courage of a 17 year old girl by the name of Emilienne Moreau. She left the shelter of her home and began to pick up and tend to the wounded Highlanders, thought the battle was raging round her. The story continues, that some Germans came up from their cellar to assail the Scotsmen. Emilienne on seeing this siezed the grenades from the wounded Highlanders along with a revolver and killed five of the enemy.
Two or three snipers were brought down from the " Tower Bridge " and some of the London Territorials who had worked round to a chalk pit, south-west of Loos, climed a slag heap commanding a sunken road running to Hill 70. The Territorials brought up machine-guns and linked forces with the Highlanders who had cleared the village and when the Germans tried to return down the sunken road they were shattered by machine-gun fire and shells from a trench mortar which the " Terriers " had also brought forward. The London Irish who had led the Territorial Division which closed the gap west of Lens seem to have had a good share in the taking of Loos. Major C. Beresford led the 1st Battalion London Irish over the top on the 25th September. In the front rank was the battalion football team's captain Sergeant Frank Edwards, who kept a football tied to his pack. Once over the top of the parapet he kicked the ball long and hard towards the enemy lines, then it was continually kicked forward by the men, under fire the whole time, until finally it was kicked into the enemyfront line trench which a shout of " GOAL! " ( The football is preserved in the Regimental Museum ) The Irishmen of London had done their work, and the taking of Loos was not their job, but swept on by the spirit of thier nation, and the enthusiasm of battle they worked away all the rest of the day, clearing house after house, or rather what was left of the houses after the bombardment. Their advance was a tide against the German defenders, stabbing, shooting and bombing until they felt ready to drop dead themselves. The 23rd Silesian Regiment was wiped out by the Irishmen in a scene of horrible slaughter.
All this was only preliminary work of the London Irish and the spledid Territorial Division to which they belonged. The far-extended and exhausted Highland Division, which had pierced Lens and then held on to Hill 70, was relieved on Saturday night. But the bayonets of London, whose losses were not so heavy, were set to hold the line they had won against the enemy's grand counter-attack. The Germans began by a bombardment lasting days and nights, and of extraordinary intensity. TheTerritorials of London were cut off from their army for three days by a wall of mingled shrapnel and high explosive fire. Even water could not be brought up to them, and most of their water bottles were smashed in the fighting, the men learnt what thirst was. The weather was very bad raining on and off for the four days they held the line. Some of the troops hung out their muddy ground-sheets, and drank the water which collected in the waterproofs. Happily the new trenches, constituting the German third line, with the sand-bag parapets moved sack by sack to the other side, had been fairly well consolidated after the first victory, and by admirable foresight large quantities of supplies had been moved up.
bayoneter, they would throw up their hands and cry " Kamerad! " The Bavarians especially seemed to think that their surrender would be accepted after they had gone on slaying till the last possible moment. The Briton may be chivalrous, but he is not an utter fool. One man was deliberately sniping from a window as our troops passed. He held up his hands in token of surrender, but a British soldier walked towards him, he again raised his rifle and fired. His cartridge did not explode. So down went his rifle and up went his hands once more and cried ' Kamerad' He got comradeship at the point of the bayonet.
Loos had suffered severely from our bombardment. The village church was almost levelled to the ground, not even the shell remaining. Of the 12,000 inhabitants only about 300 men, women and children remained. Most took refuge in the deep cellars. One event stands out and that is the extraordinary courage of a 17 year old girl by the name of Emilienne Moreau. She left the shelter of her home and began to pick up and tend to the wounded Highlanders, thought the battle was raging round her. The story continues, that some Germans came up from their cellar to assail the Scotsmen. Emilienne on seeing this siezed the grenades from the wounded Highlanders along with a revolver and killed five of the enemy.
Two or three snipers were brought down from the " Tower Bridge " and some of the London Territorials who had worked round to a chalk pit, south-west of Loos, climed a slag heap commanding a sunken road running to Hill 70. The Territorials brought up machine-guns and linked forces with the Highlanders who had cleared the village and when the Germans tried to return down the sunken road they were shattered by machine-gun fire and shells from a trench mortar which the " Terriers " had also brought forward. The London Irish who had led the Territorial Division which closed the gap west of Lens seem to have had a good share in the taking of Loos. Major C. Beresford led the 1st Battalion London Irish over the top on the 25th September. In the front rank was the battalion football team's captain Sergeant Frank Edwards, who kept a football tied to his pack. Once over the top of the parapet he kicked the ball long and hard towards the enemy lines, then it was continually kicked forward by the men, under fire the whole time, until finally it was kicked into the enemyfront line trench which a shout of " GOAL! " ( The football is preserved in the Regimental Museum ) The Irishmen of London had done their work, and the taking of Loos was not their job, but swept on by the spirit of thier nation, and the enthusiasm of battle they worked away all the rest of the day, clearing house after house, or rather what was left of the houses after the bombardment. Their advance was a tide against the German defenders, stabbing, shooting and bombing until they felt ready to drop dead themselves. The 23rd Silesian Regiment was wiped out by the Irishmen in a scene of horrible slaughter.
All this was only preliminary work of the London Irish and the spledid Territorial Division to which they belonged. The far-extended and exhausted Highland Division, which had pierced Lens and then held on to Hill 70, was relieved on Saturday night. But the bayonets of London, whose losses were not so heavy, were set to hold the line they had won against the enemy's grand counter-attack. The Germans began by a bombardment lasting days and nights, and of extraordinary intensity. TheTerritorials of London were cut off from their army for three days by a wall of mingled shrapnel and high explosive fire. Even water could not be brought up to them, and most of their water bottles were smashed in the fighting, the men learnt what thirst was. The weather was very bad raining on and off for the four days they held the line. Some of the troops hung out their muddy ground-sheets, and drank the water which collected in the waterproofs. Happily the new trenches, constituting the German third line, with the sand-bag parapets moved sack by sack to the other side, had been fairly well consolidated after the first victory, and by admirable foresight large quantities of supplies had been moved up.
Emilienne Moreau, who helped and protected the wounded
and killed five of the enemy.She was decorated for her courage.
and killed five of the enemy.She was decorated for her courage.
hooded british territorials charging the german trenches at loos, sept 25th 1915
One of the most awe-inspiring charges during the whole of the war was that made by the London Territorials on the German trenches between the " Tower Bridge " of Loos and the great double slag-heap opposite Grenay, known as the Double Crassier. The first line having been cleared, a number of fortified houses were rushed, and finally Loos Cemetary was taken. Under cover of gas, the Territorials, wearing their respirators
dashed forward with irresistable elan, and eventually emerged on to the front German line. The eerie effect produced by their Inquisition-like hoods struck terror into the hearts of the enemy. Sweeping with comparative ease over the German first-line trench, they encountered greater resistance at the sunken road and Lens Road junction at Valley Cross-roads, but this too, was overcome, the enemy retiring to his third line of defence through Loos. The masked figure on the right is wearing the regulation belt filled with bombs. On the left three German machine-gunners are surrendering.
dashed forward with irresistable elan, and eventually emerged on to the front German line. The eerie effect produced by their Inquisition-like hoods struck terror into the hearts of the enemy. Sweeping with comparative ease over the German first-line trench, they encountered greater resistance at the sunken road and Lens Road junction at Valley Cross-roads, but this too, was overcome, the enemy retiring to his third line of defence through Loos. The masked figure on the right is wearing the regulation belt filled with bombs. On the left three German machine-gunners are surrendering.
The men had food and ammunition, though they lacked water and sleep. For the rest, the strength of the resisting line was a matter of racial character and individual power of endurance.
