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Age-27

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.

From 29th to 31st October a massive concentration of German troops tried to break the British line around Gheluvelt at the eastern apex of the Ypres salient. 1st and 7th Divisions stood in their path. On the 29th October, after a day of intense fighting, often hand to hand, the British were pushed back to the Gheluvelt cross roads. The following day the Germans attacked Gheluvelt itself and although the village remained in British hands, German troops had some success further south at Zandvoorde and were now able to enfilade the British line. Then on 31st October came the main German attack and Gheluvelt fell. At one stage the it seemed that all was lost but a dramatic counter attack by 2nd Worcestershire, stabilised the line. However, the loss to the British army had been enormous.

Despite the hard fighting that they had already undertaken, it was felt by high command that the British were still able to launch a counter-attack on 30th October and with this in mind the 1st Northamptonshire and 2nd Royal Sussex battalions, both 2 Brigade, 1st Division, and both in Corps reserve, were sent to a rendezvous between Veldhoek and Zandvoorde to support this offensive. However, rather than launch their own attacks, they soon themselves on the defensive as the enemy continued with their pressure on the British line but at least they were able to help 2nd Gordon Highlanders and 1st South Staffordshire bring the German attack to a standstill. At 12.30 pm orders were issued that the line from the bend in the canal near Hollebeke to a point in front of Gheluvelt must be held at all costs, a line that was so thin that it was impossible to return 1st Northamptonshire and 2nd Sussex to Corps reserve. The following morning saw desperate fighting for the battalions in positions across the forward slopes of three spurs that converge on Zandvoorde marked by Klien Zillebeke, the woods later known as Shrewsbury Forest and  the group of houses  ¾ mile west of Gheluvelt, called Tower Hamlets. Under intense pressure 22 Brigade fell back and not wishing to be outflanked, 2nd Sussex and 1st Northamptonshire on their right, conformed and swung back about 500 yards to form a flank in front of Shrewsbury Forest. The enemy were now infiltrating in many places and some British guns were nearly captured when less than 100 men from the 2nd Gordon Highlanders, from a position ¾ mile back, made one last counter attack. In order to cover them, 2nd Sussex and 1st Northamptonshire opened rapid fire, the ‘mad minute’ when they heard cheering behind them, which was the 2nd Gordons coming up to get stuck in with the bayonet. It worked, the line was stabilised and the enemy did not break through. On 2nd November, 2nd Sussex moved back into reserve but they were straight way ordered to send individual companies to bolster the line where danger threatened. The following day was quieter but not without incoming shell fire to contend with and it was this that killed Barry Duke just as he arrived to join the battalion.