Current Information:

Born-Leyton

The Race to the Sea. September-October 1914

By the middle of September 1914, the Aisne battlefield had stagnated into trench warfare and in order to break this impasse, both sides tried to outflank each other in a general movement northwards. Moving up through Picardy, Artois and Flanders the race was over by 19^th October when the North Sea was reached. The Western Front, a line of trenches stretching from Belgium to Switzerland, was now a reality. Initially it was the French army that conducted this movement whilst the British Expeditionary Force remained on the Aisne but by 6 October British reinforcements were needed to help beat off German attacks around Lille. They moved north and along with reinforcements from Britain, they took up new positions in Flanders, on the left of the Allied line and much closer to the Channel ports.

The Battle of Armentières  12th October-2nd November 1914

The official History pinpoints the battle of Armentières to a series of battles that took place between the river Douve and a line between Estaires and Foumers. It was part of the Race to the Sea and it determined the line of the Western Front in that sector. It was fought by III Corps which consisted of 4th and 6th Divisions as well as 19 Brigade.

On 20th October the Germans attacked all three Brigades of 6th Division on the Lille Ridge along a line running from Radinghem through Ennetières and Prèmesques to Epinette.  Between 7 and 8 am their trenches were heavily shelled followed by German infantry attack which came on in bounds covered by machine guns.  18 Brigade took the brunt of this attack in the salient in front on Ennetières where 2nd Sherwood Foresters, 1st West Yorkshire and 1st East Yorkshire were holding a three mile line, largely isolated from each other and very vulnerable, so at 11am the reserve battalion, the 2nd Durham Light Infantry, was sent forward in support. The main German attack came on the right where La Vallée and Ennetières form one long village which was held as a salient by 2nd Sherwood Foresters. At first the enemy infantry came across open country and was easily repelled as were their other attacks that morning and at 1 pm there was a much stronger assault against 2nd Sherwood Foresters and the company of 2nd Durham Light Infantry sent up in support and although this was stopped it further weakened their right flank.  This right flank was now subjected to severe enfilade fire from the north-east, and after dark, three battalions of Germans advanced quickly and took Ennetières from the west and south-west. The platoons on the right were attacked from the rear and mostly captured. Survivors rallied on the Artillery Brigade near the windmill at the north-west end of La Vallée.  Charles Matthews was one of the casualties sustained by 2nd Durham during the fighting on this day.