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VCs of the First World War
Arras and Messines 1917
By Gerald Gliddon The History Press
Copyright © 2012 Gerald Gliddon
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-7524-7831-9
CHAPTER 1
E.J. MOTT
South of Le Transloy, France, 27 January
Fighting on the Western Front had virtually ended for the year in mid-November 1916 when the British captured the Somme village of Beaumont-Hamel, a success which seemed to come as a surprise to the British High Command. Several attacks were carried out in the Beaucourt valley of the Somme region during the winter months. In early January 1917 the British were requested by the French High Command to extend their line of responsibility to 5 miles south of the Oise, below Barisis.
The first VC won by a soldier on the Western Front in 1917 was awarded to Sgt Edward Mott of the 1st Battalion, the Border Regiment (87th Bde) 29th Division. The operation he was involved in was described as a minor one and was one of a series carried out by Gen. Rawlinson under the instructions of Sir Douglas Haig, the Commander-in-Chief. The main purpose of these secondary operations was to encourage the enemy to think that the Somme operations of the year before were to continue now that the new year had begun.
The first of the secondary operations was planned to take place on 27 January by the 87th Brigade of the 29th Division on the front of XIV Corps. It was to be launched in a northerly direction and would be 750 yards wide, astride the Frégicourt–Le Transloy road; the German name for the position was Landwehr Trench. Frégicourt was about a mile to the east of Combles and Le Transloy was about 3 miles to the south-east of the German-held town of Bapaume. The final objective was 400 yards distant from the centre of this frontage.
In the early morning, the first of two British barrages fell on the German front line and lasted for five minutes. The second, overlapping the first by one minute, fell just in front of the enemy front line and then the two lifted off to a position 100 yards northwards. Australian artillery also assisted the British barrage.
The 1st Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, also of the 87th Brigade, were on the right of the attack and the 1st Borders on the left. The attack, which began at 5.30 a.m., took the enemy by considerable surprise and the frosty ground helped the attackers to move forward quickly. The enemy surrendered without putting up much of a fight, although a machine gun in a strongpoint offered opposition. It was at this point that Mott, although wounded in the eye, worked round the flank and rushed forward. In a hand-to-hand struggle he overcame the gun crew. The trench map reference for the strongpoint was N36d 3 2 N36 c 6 0. All objectives were taken and there was a considerable haul of prisoners – 368 were captured and taken back to Antelope Trench where the headquarters of the operation was positioned. Mott was awarded the VC for his bravery; it was the thirteenth VC won by the 29th Division.
His VC was gazetted on 10 March 1917:
For most conspicuous gallantry and initiative when in an attack the company to which he belonged was held up at a strongpoint by machine-gun fire. Although severely wounded in the eye, Sergt. Mott made a rush for the gun, and after a fierce struggle seized the gunner and took him prisoner, capturing the gun. It was due to the dash and initiative of this non-commissioned officer that the left flank attack succeeded.
After their involvement in this successful attack, the 1st Borders marched back to the village of Carnoy where they were thanked by the Divisional Commander for their excellent work on the 27th. For most of the next two months the battalion remained in the training area around the village of Bussy.
* * *
Edward John Mott was born at Drayton near Abingdon in Berkshire on 4 July 1893. He was the son of a labourer, John Mott, and attended the local council school in Abingdon. When he was only seventeen years old he enlisted in the 1st Border Regiment; his service number was 9887. He took part in the Dardanelles landing in April 1915, and on the 28th of that month he won the DCM (London Gazette, 3 June 1915), which he subsequently received from the hands of the King in Liverpool. The citation read:
... during operations south of Krithia for gallant conduct in leading his company to successive fire positions, and again for conspicuous bravery and good service in attacking over difficult country.
He was evacuated to Egypt from the Gallipoli peninsula and left for service in France in March 1916. On 4 April 1917 he received his VC from the hands of the King at at Buckingham Palace.
After the war Mott became a commissionaire at Selfridges in Oxford Street, London, then in 1926 he returned to Berkshire, his home county. At some time he became a warden at an RAF depot, a position which he left in October 1940. During his life Mott regularly attended VC functions, including the 1920 VC garden party at Buckingham Palace and the VC centenary in Hyde Park in 1956. In 1962 he was among the 151 VC holders who attended a garden party at Buckingham Palace; he was accompanied by his daughter, Edna, and his granddaughter, Jennifer Stone. From 1959 he had lived with his wife, Evelyn Maud, at 38 New Yatt Road, Witney, which was the home of Mrs Rona Stone, another daughter. In 1964 Mott was Guest of Honour at the ABC cinema in Oxford for a showing of the film Zulu, being the story of the battle at Rorke's Drift in 1879 in which no fewer than eleven VCs were won.
The Mott family ran a building firm which employed Bernard Mott and his father Edward who owned the firm.
Edward Mott died at home on 20 October 1967, leaving a widow, four sons and four daughters. His body was cremated at the Oxford Crematorium, Reference 32633. His ashes were placed close to an oak tree in the Garden of Remembrance and in cloister three space 1 there is a plaque to his memory and to his wife who died on 7 March 1979. The original house in Witney where Mott died had been built as a home for foremen who were employed at the local blanket factory. It was formerly named Pendennis.
Mott's VC and medals, including the DCM, 1914–15 Star, VM, WM and Coronation medals for King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II, appear to have been stolen in the 1930s and in September 1937 he was issued with replacements. It would now seem that the original 'stolen' decorations ended up in the London auction houses, where prior to 1928 they were acquired by Mr Lester Watson, an American investment banker. In 2006 this original group was donated by Mr Watson's son, Hoyt Watson as part of his father's collection to the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. Meanwhile the replacement set had previously been purchased by the Border Regiment from Glendinings in March 1976 for £1,950.
CHAPTER 2
H.W. Murray
Stormy Trench, France, 4/5 February
At the end of January 1917 the 4th Australian Brigade (4th Australian Division) was ordered to capture an enemy position called Stormy Trench, north-east of Gueudecourt, towards the village of Le Transloy, in what was another minor operation. It was a position of great tactical importance around 1,000 yards from Gueudecourt village and from it one had a view that stretched for miles. At the beginning of February the 15th Australian Battalion attacked it and although they were partially successful on the left flank they were held up on the right. The attack was a failure and the men of the 15th Battalion fell back to Shine and Grease Trenches where the 13th Battalion relieved them. The knowledge gained from the raid helped the 13th Battalion to capture the position a few days later, on the night of 4/5 February.
In preparation for the second attack, Capt. Henry Murray of the 13th Battalion and his scouts crawled out into no-man's-land in order to examine the terrain over which they were to attack; especially, of course, they needed to find out about the condition of the German wire. Within a couple of days Murray had a very accurate knowledge of the position that they were ordered to capture. The greatest worry was how to hold it against counter-attacks once they had taken it. There was to be no shortage of armament: 20,000 Mills bombs and 1,000 rifle grenades were requested, along with artillery support. To the south of Shine Trench was a position called the Chalk Pit where much of this ammunition was initially dumped; the pit was also the advance position of Col Durrant, who was in charge of the operation. In order to keep the enemy in ignorance it was decided not to send men up to the advance positions until after dark. Murray's A Company was to the right of the proposed attack with the other companies to their left. The forward positions occupied by the Australians were, in effect, a maze of old saps. It was extremely cold and the Australians wrapped their feet in sandbags to prevent the sound of tramping on the frozen ground alerting the enemy.
Murray's A Company was one of four companies which went into the attack preceded by a fierce artillery barrage at about 10.00 p.m. The company began with 140 men. They made good progress, moving quickly over the hard ground, but were held up on the right as the 15th Battalion had previously been. The enemy was very much on the alert, although some of them were slow to emerge from their dug-outs. They sent over showers of hundreds of 'eggs' (grenades) and 'potato-mashers'. This impeded the Australians' progress and Murray sent an SOS to the artillery which brought a quick response. Despite this, the German counter-attack continued and a group of bombers under Murray and Pte Robinson managed to push the attackers back towards their original positions. In the small hours the firing died down, but at 3.00 a.m. the enemy made one more attempt to turn the Australians out of their positions and fierce hand-to-hand fighting took place before the Germans decided that they had had enough for one night. After twenty-four hours Murray's A Company was reduced to fifty-eight men and they sought relief, which was supplied by members of the 16th Battalion who took over from their victorious colleagues in the 13th Battalion.
Not only had Murray's fighting ability and planning been outstanding, but Col Durrant had been an inspired commander. The colonel visited the captured Stormy Trench soon after it was taken and went backwards and forwards over the surrounding ground in order to align the new positions and communication trenches. Many of the men who fought were taking part in battle for the very first time. On 22 February the 4th Australian Brigade moved back over snow-covered roads to Ribemont. Although it had been cold for most of February, at the start of March the weather turned even colder. At this time rumours were circulating that the Germans were about to leave their Somme positions and retreat to the newly built Hindenburg Line. Open warfare training was subsequently carried out during March.
There was great rejoicing in the 13th Battalion when Murray's VC was announced on 12 March. It was gazetted on 10 March:
For most conspicuous bravery when in command of the right flank company in attack. He led his company to the assault with great skill and courage, and the position was quickly captured. Fighting of a very severe nature followed, and three heavy counter-attacks were beaten back, these successes being due to Capt. Murray's wonderful work. Throughout the night his company suffered heavy casualties through concentrated enemy shell fire, and on one occasion gave ground for a short way. This gallant officer rallied his command and saved the situation by sheer valour. He made his presence felt throughout the line, encouraging his men, heading bombing parties, leading bayonet charges, and carrying wounded to places of safety. His magnificent example inspired his men throughout.
* * *
Henry William Murray was the son of Edward Kennedy Murray, a farmer, and his wife Clarissa, née Littler. He was born at 'Clairville', near Evandale on 1 December 1880 at Evandale, Launceston, Tasmania and was the eighth of nine children. After he left the state school at Evandale at the age of thirteen or fourteen, his family moved to 'Northcote' close to St Leonards where his father died.
Murray's connection with the army began when he joined the Australian Field Artillery (militia) at Launceston, with whom he trained for six years. At the end of his teens he moved to Western Australia and worked in the goldfields as a mail courier. His method of transport was either bicycle or horseback.
Two months after the war began Murray, already a trained soldier, enlisted in Perth, Western Australia as a private in the Australian Imperial Forces on 13 October 1914. He was thirty-four years of age, 5 foot 8½ inches tall and gave his occupation as 'bushman'. He had employed men to cut timber for use in the railways in the south-west of the state. At the time of his entering the army, Murray was said to be a tall, well-built man with dark hair, and a natural leader of men. He was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp close to Perth, where the 16th Battalion was being formed and which he joined. During his training period Murray teamed up with a man called Percy Black and they were destined to become great friends.
When the 16th Battalion landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 Murray was a member of one of its machine-gun crews. His friend L/Cpl Black was serving with him as Number 1 gunner. The day after the landing the two gun crews were on the rear side of Pope's Hill, sniping at Turkish soldiers who were moving on to Russell's Top. Later, both men, although wounded, refused to leave their posts during the following week's fighting. On 13 May Murray won the DCM (as did Black) for 'exceptional courage' in the period 9–13 May and was also promoted to lance corporal. Murray and Black had both been wounded during this action. Murray was wounded again on 30 May and was evacuated to hospital and declared unfit for further service. He was evacuated to Australia and returned to duty on the peninsula on 3 July 1915. On 8 August he was wounded yet again when his machine-gun section was covering the withdrawal after the attack on Hill 971. Five days later he was made up to sergeant, and was subsequently commissioned as a second lieutenant and transferred to the 13th AIF.
In September Murray had an acute attack of dysentery and was evacuated to Alexandria and then taken to Mudros; he subsequently returned to duty two months later. After having left the peninsula and while still in Egypt he was promoted to lieutenant on 20 January 1916 and then to captain in the following March. The story behind this rapid success was that the commander of the 13th Battalion, Col L.E. Tilney, was short of a machine-gun officer and Gen. Monash agreed to Murray's speedy promotion. In March the 13th Battalion moved to France
Murray was involved in most of the fighting that his battalion experienced; in addition to the operations at Stormy Trench in February 1917, Mouquet Farm, Pozières and Bullecourt all featured in his military career. In particular, in August 1916 Murray stormed the ruins of Mouquet Farm on the Somme with fewer than a hundred men. After seeing off the German counter-attackers four times he ordered his group to withdraw. Eventually the farm was recaptured by a force of 3,000 men. Murray was rewarded with the DSO (London Gazette, 14 November 1916):
For conspicuous gallantry in action. Although twice wounded, he commanded his company with the greatest courage and initiative, beating off four enemy counter-attacks. Later, when an enemy bullet started a man's equipment exploding, he tore the man's equipment off at great personal risk. He set a splendid example throughout.
Murray rejoined his battalion on 19 October, once his wounds had healed.
After the recapture of Stormy Trench in February 1917, at the end of the following month the 13th Battalion moved to Fricourt, Méaulte, Bazentin and Warlencourt, and then to dug-outs between Favreuil and Biefvillers. From 3 April the unit was at Favreuil during a period of sleeting wind, and worked for a week at road-making and cable-burying and carrying. The Hindenburg Line was studied from high ground close to Noreuil and on 8 April the Australian Brigade was planning an attack against it which would take place on the 11th in a battle which was to become the first battle of Bullecourt. The 13th Battalion was to move up to Noreuil and there it would join the rest of the brigade. The Hindenburg Line was to be broken through with the use of tanks and infantry only; artillery was not to be used. Scouts advised against the wisdom of this plan, but it was seemingly too late to halt or change it.
In the fighting that followed, Murray's unit was supporting the 16th Battalion. He could see the men ahead being held up by wire and cut down by machine-gun fire. The tanks which were supposed to deal with the wire were soon knocked out and the artillery cover was non-existent. In this fighting Black was killed. Despite the conditions a small group of 4th Brigade men managed to squeeze through the enemy wire and into the first two lines of German trench lines. At 7.15 a.m. Murray sent back for more grenades and ammunition which were vital if they were to have any chance of holding their positions. However, communication was inadequate and conflicting reports led to the artillery not firing, enabling the Germans to take advantage of the situation. The follow-up British reinforcements were wiped out and a heavy German barrage began. In addition, enemy small-arms fire swept the Australian positions on three sides. By 8.00 a.m. communications were completely cut off. The few survivors had no choice but to try to struggle back to their original lines, taking cover in the shell holes on the way back. It was a question of 'every man for himself'.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from VCs of the First World War by Gerald Gliddon. Copyright © 2012 Gerald Gliddon. Excerpted by permission of The History Press.
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