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Age-21

120, Droop Street, Queen's Park

First Battle of Ypres

Between 21st October and 22nd November, 1914 a desperate fight took place around the Belgium city of Ypres, the first of three major battles that were to be fought there during the course of the war. British troops entered Ypres in October. The 1st and 2nd Divisions plus the 3rd Cavalry Division had made their way up from the Aisne as part of the “Race to the Sea”, whilst the 7th Division came west to Ypres after Antwerp had fallen. The Germans knew that Ypres was the gateway to the Channel ports and that these were vital to Britain’s war effort so they poured reinforcements into the area. The fighting fell into three distinct battles; the Battle of Langemarck, 21-24 October, the Battle of Gheluvelt, 29-31 October and the Battle of Nonne Bosschen, 11 November. Ypres did not fall to the Germans but its defence during these two months resulted in the destruction of much of the old regular British Army.

On 24th October, 7th Division held an area of the Ypres Salient which included the Reutel Spur running parallel to Polygon Wood. Overnight they had been kept on the alert, mainly by enemy rifle fire, as the Germans attempted, mostly unsuccessfully, to establish snipers and machine guns near the British line. The 2nd Wiltshire battalion of 21 Brigade held the Reutel spur with one company of 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers 200 yards to their right and two companies of 2nd Scots Guards on their other flank. Both these battalions were forced back in the early morning leaving 2nd Wiltshire isolated and with German troops on their right flank and to their rear. At 8 am there was a mass German attack from Reutel which, aided by enfilading machine gun fire working from right to left, mopped up 2nd Wiltshire, capturing 450 of their number and killing and wounding many more. From an original strength of 1100 only 256 remained and remnants of the battalion gathered on the transport line near Ypres. Like the rest of 7th Division, 2nd Wiltshire had been sacrificed to save the Channel ports. One of those who did not survive the day was Walter Berry.