Current Information:

Born-Deptford

Enlisted-New Cross

After the opening battles of the war at Mons on 23rd August, 1914 and Le Cateau on 26th August, the British Army (BEF), in conjunction with the French Army, began a retreat that took them all the way back to the River Marne, 200 miles to the south. With the Germans in hot pursuit they were forced to fight a series of rear guard actions as they fell back in extremely hot weather. The Great Retreat, as it became known, came to an end on 5th September, 1914 when the allied forces attacked along the River Marne and drove the Germans back to the River Aisne.

By 1st  September 1914, 5th Division had retreated to the area around Mermont and  to the ground north of Crépy-en-Valois. Here their outpost line was held by 13 Brigade and in the morning this was attacked.  By 10am the pressure here became serious as the rest of 5th Division began to retire and it mainly fell on 1st Royal West Kent on the left, supported by a section of 119 Battery, Royal Field Artillery. Orders for withdrawal were received and they managed to get away and join the rest of the division, but had to leave their dead behind. One of these was John Steel.