Current Information:

Age-35

5, Chesterfield Street, Mayfair

Guards Cemetery, Windy Corner, Cuinchy, France

The Battle of Festubert (15–25 May 1915)

This followed quickly on the heels of  the Battle of Aubers Ridge and was an offensive operation by the British Army in the Artois region of France in conjunction with a French attack further south.  Initial success soon ground to a halt and although there had been an advance of two miles in some places the end result was not the hoped for breakout but merely more muddy trenches which became the front line. British casualties over the ten days amounted to nearly 17,000, three times as many as inflicted on the Germans.

The Battle of Festubert was preceded by a three day bombardment of the enemy positions and at 11.30pm on 15th May 2nd Division and the Meerut Division from the Indian Army  attacked with mixed results. They gained some of their objectives but had met such strong German resistance, that they were unable to participate in the attack by 7th Division at 3.15am on 16th May.

On 16th May, 1915, 22 and 20 Brigades of 7th Division attacked at dawn with the 2nd Border and 2nd Scots Guards battalions leading on 20 Brigade front. Ordered to move to the attack at 3.10am, five minutes before the British bombardment ended, many became victims of their own guns but both battalions made it to the German front line. There progress came to a halt for 2nd Border but 2nd Scots Guards were able to move forward in support of the 1st Royal Welsh Fusiliers of 22 Brigade, on their left and by doing so they reached their objective, the road adjacent to the Orchard, a German stronghold. Once again the British artillery was found to be wanting and by falling short it forced one company of 2nd Scots Guards to move back. The German’s launched a counter attack and the remaining company was all but wiped out. Only four of them survived to be taken prisoner. This counter attack was eventually stopped by the support company. Meanwhile 1st Grenadier Guards, 20 Brigade, had reinforced 2nd Scots Guards and together the two battalions launched a bombing attack that cleared 300 yards of communication trench leading towards the ‘Quadrilateral’, another German stronghold.  Some prisoners taken but it was impossible to progress further over the open, without incurring heavy casualties. The battalion remained in these captured positions, under considerable shell until 18th May when they were relieved and moved back to billets in Festubert. During the course of the battle 2nd Scots Guards had sustained over 400 casualties including Ferdinand Marsham-Townshend who was killed on 16th May.