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Age-26

35, Park Lane, Mayfair

The Battle of the Aisne 13th September -28th September, 1914

After the Germans were defeated on the Marne they fell back to the River Aisne, closely pursued by both the British and the French. The new German line was a very formidable defensive position. To attack it  meant  having to cross the Aisne and then climb up a 500 foot high ridge on top of which was the Chemin des Dames, a road that gave the Germans an easy way to move troops along the top of the hills. On 13th September the Aisne was crossed by both British and French troops but after that progress became slower, until there was no progress at all. Both sides dug in and the fighting settled down into trench warfare. The fighting on the Aisne continued for two weeks at the end of which both sides realised that frontal attacks on entrenched positions were both costly and non-productive, not that this deterred them from continuing with this tactic throughout the war.

Having crossed the River Aisne at Chavonne on 13th September, the following day, 14th September was a day of hard fighting for 4 (Guards) Brigade of the 2nd Division.  The 2nd and 3rd battalions of the Coldstream Guards were both involved when, in the afternoon, they came under fire while accepting the surrender of some German soldiers in woods on the Soupir Spur. Another body of Germans then appeared on the skyline and opened fire which was followed by a German counter attack developing from Ostel towards La Cour de Soupir. This brought the advance to a standstill and 4 (Guards) Brigade entrenched and bivouacked. Their casualties for the day amounting to 500 one of whom was Percy Wyndham of 3rd Coldstream Guards