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4 November 2014

100 YEARS AGO, THEY SHONE AS BRIGHT

Tuesday, 28 October 2014

The magnificent conduct of the Indian troops during World War I was recorded for posterity by many people, including Field Marshal John French and James Willcocks, who gave stirring accounts of the soldiers’ courage

The history of the Indian Army contains few nobler pages than that of the 28th October 1914”. Thus stated Field Marshal Sir John French, Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force, after the action that day by a mere 500 men of the Indian Army who recaptured the vital village of Neuve Chapelle in northern France from the Germans in the opening days of what has become known as the first battle of Ypres. 

The Indian Corps had arrived piece meal at Marseilles from 26 September 1914, hastily re-equipped with Lee Enfield Mk.III rifles and some warm clothing, and then rushed to northern France and Flanders to reinforce the beleaguered BEF, which faced the formidable combined German and Bavarian Armies, before the final push to capture the Channel ports and, thus, complete the capture of France. The rushing in of Indian troops into battle without proper plans or equipment had been an indication of the desperation of the situation but it could hardly be considered to be an auspicious beginning, with troops split up and pushed in piecemeal by battalions, half battalions and even companies, in a strange environment, isolated from their own Commanders and Brigades, in appalling weather conditions and facing terrible fire and attack from superior odds.

The Indian troops were fated to undergo a harassing experience, out-numbered and out-gunned, without the bombs, grenades and other munitions freely used by the enemy. This action describes the front held by the Jullundur Brigade comprising the 1st Manchesters, 47th Sikhs, 59th Frontier Force and 15th Sikhs, the forward companies of which the 59th were holding 1,500 yards of front. As there were no communication trenches, platoons were dug in just where they happened to be with no lateral communication except ‘over the top’. On October 25, at about three in the afternoon, the German Army attempted a daylight attack on the centre of the line. But this was repulsed, not, however, without casualties to British officers and other ranks. After dark, the German attacks were renewed and the position became precarious with heavy rain and the new rifles beginning to jam. A company of the 34th Sikh Pioneers and some Sappers and Miners were rushed as reinforcements and by three in the morning, the German attack had given up.

On October 26, the Germans took up strong entrenched positions opposite the Jullundur Brigade and a heavy attack developed against the 59th centre, which was reinforced by the 15th Sikhs. A vigorous fire fight ensued but after an hour, the Germans were beaten back to their trenches all along the line. On October 28, two more attacks were launched but were beaten off, and a night attack repulsed the following night. The weather was extremely trying, wet and cold, and the Jullundur Brigade had been fighting without sufficient food, with little or no sleep, for two days, men soaked to the skin. Snipers were worrying the Brigade, so patrols from the 15th Sikhs carried out house-to-house searches. Further attacks were repulsed with the aid of machine guns and artillery. On the 27th evening, the 15th Lancers were sent up as reinforcement, representing the last available reserves. Fortunately, the Germans had taken a severe mauling too and there were no further attacks.

Messages poured into the Jullundur Brigade from the Secretary of State for War, Lord Horatio Herbert Kitchener, and the Commander-in-Chief of the BEF, Sir John French, GOC II Corps and the GOC Lahore Division, congratulating the troops “for the splendid courage and endurance in battle... and the fighting prowess they have shown…giving the enemy a severe blow, successfully frustrating all their efforts”.

However, on October 26, the Germans had gained a footing on the north-east side of Neuve Chapelle, having advanced under cover of the Bois du Biez woods which were slightly to the east. During the 27th, desperate hand-to hand fighting took place for possession of the village, and in spite of vigorous counter-attacks by the 7th and 9th Brigades of the 3rd British Infantry Division, the Germans still clung on. Heavy German reinforcements were brought up and British troops, fighting with greatest valour, were forced back. The entire village was taken by the Germans. The village of Neuve Chapelle itself was captured by the 16th Bavarian Infantry Regiment of the 14th Division in which, one corporal Adolf Hitler served as a ‘runner’. It was on October 27, that one of the first Military Crosses was won by the Indian Army. It was awarded to Subedar Thakur Singh of the 47th Sikhs, who had taken command of the Company after the commanding British officer was severely wounded.

The German salients created a dangerous situation and it was imperative to rectify this without delay. At 1700 hours on October 27, the Germans had broken through the south of Neuve Chapelle, forcing the West Kents, Wiltshires and South Lancashires to retire. The danger of a gap being created between the 3rd and 5th Divisions could seriously affect the entire position of II Corps. The 9th Bhopals were ordered at once to counter-attack in the direction of Pont Logy in order to outflank the Germans, now advancing west of Neuve Chapelle. Confused fighting took place in the hamlet south of Neuve Chapelle, and there were many casualties. By now, the two Companies of 47th Sikhs and Nos 20 and 21 Companies Sappers and Miners, under Major SR Davidson, had moved into line on the left of the Bhopals but considerable gaps remained. The German attacked frequently through the night but were repulsed even while heavy machine-gun fire, with searchlights from Neuve Chapelle, were sweeping the front and trenches all night.

A brief description of the village of Neuve Chapelle and the area around it would be pertinent. It lies in a flat, marshy, dyke chequered country, but close behind it, to the east, the ground begins to rise gently towards a ridge, which comes westward in two spurs. At the end of one spur is the village of Aubers, at the end of the other is the village of Illies — both within German lines. Beyond the junction of the spurs, the ridge runs away north-east, from Fournes to a point two miles south-west of Lille. Along this ridge is the road to Lille, Roubaix and Tourcoing, three of France’s chief manufacturing towns. Possession of the ridge was so important for the possession of Lille that its occupation was regarded as almost implying the capture of that town. Neuve Chapelle was the gateway to this ridge. The capture of Lille would indeed have been of the highest importance. It would have placed the Allies in a fair position to move against the Germans between that point and the sea. For this, the capture of Neuve Chapelle was a necessary preliminary.

Behind this area, the Germans had established one post with machine guns at a bridge over the river, and another one further up at the Pietre mill. Lower down the river, at the junction of a road into the village with the main La Bassee road, they were fortified in a group of ruined buildings known as Port Arthur, whence a great network of trenches extended north-westward to the Pietre mill. The Germans were also established in Bois du Biez, and in shattered houses on its fringe. They were well and strongly placed, though their forces were not large. The German method at that time was to man their front trenches thinly, and keep large reserves in readiness to go where wanted, by means of their excellent lines of communication.

The British line now ran in a curve around the village, with the Germans closest at about a 100 yards distance. Sir John French had visited II Corps headquarters and directed it to maintain and strengthen its position but also seize every opportunity for vigorous local offensive. The operation orders for October 28, issued by General Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien at 2300 hours on October 27 directed that, while other troops remained on the defensive, the 3rd Division should counter-attack the Germans at Neuve Chapelle. The Indian troops west of Neuve Chapelle were placed under command of the Division whose 7th Brigade, the 14th Brigade of the 5th Division and the 2nd Cavalry Brigade were tasked to support some units of the 6th Division; the French chasseurs and cyclists of General Louis Conneau’s Corps and the Royal Scots were also detailed to support the attack. However, most of the troops were too exhausted by the previous day’s fighting to cooperate, except by fire.

Fog and mist prevented an early advance, and it was not until 11.00AM that a short general bombardment of the positions was begun by four British and nine French batteries. At 11.15AM, the artillery lengthened 500 yards, and the infantry should have moved forward. However, there was no properly combined movement between the units of the three nationalities involved. As a result, the attack on Neuve Chapelle was carried out only by four companies — two of the 47th Sikhs, with the 20th and 21st Companies of the Sappers and Miners on either side of them — and with the greatest of gallantry. Their right was to have been protected by the 9th Bhopals but, as the unit advanced, it came under heavy fire and halted, and only continued to fire from a trench they had reached. The Sikhs and Sappers went on. Covering the 700 yards of open ground between them and Neuve Chapelle by rushes alternating with fire, as if on a training ground, the four companies reached the ruins of the village. Casualties were numerous but the excellence of their fire control prevented a heavier loss. The Indians drove out the Germans (battalions of the 16th Bavarian Regiment) by close hand-to-hand fighting.

From the Regimental record: “When our men were about 100 yards from the outskirts of the village, the Germans in the front trenches began to bolt, pursued by the gallant Sikhs and Sappers with the bayonet, a few being killed and others captured. The Indians then tore on into the village. Sikhs and Sappers mixed together, and worked in parties up the streets, under a furious fire from the roofs of buildings. By degrees, the houses were cleared after desperate hand-to-hand fighting in which a man of the 47th is reported to have captured three Germans out of eight, having previously killed the other five. From another house, the 47th recovered a wounded British soldier and two wounded Germans. The latter were searched, and one of them lifted his voice and wept bitterly, evidently thinking that our men were feeling for a soft place in which to insert a bayonet, until comforted by a stalwart Sikh who patted him kindly with the words ‘Be not afraid’”.

On reaching the crossroads in the centre of the village, the troops came under frightful machine-gun fire. Captain William McCleverty, always in advance, cheering on his men just as he had cheered on the regimental hockey team, dashed across the roads, the rest following close on his heels. But he was shot dead at a corner by a German concealed only a few yards away. The Punjabi Mahomedan of the Sappers soon stalked the German and killed him on the spot. Losses from enemy fire and several machine guns posted outside Neuve Chapelle which swept the main street, were rapidly becoming serious. The Indian troops had even penetrated to the eastern and northern borders, where they were met by heavy shell and machine-gun fire. Counter-attack after counter-attack was launched against them.

The Germans held on like a vice and each house formed a small fortress which had to be stormed before further advance could be made. The Sappers and Miners were also taking terrible losses, especially their officers, charging with impetuous valour ahead of the men. The fighting went on, counter-attack following counter-attack, the Germans’ using the bodies of their own dead as cover. Major SR Davidson of the 47th Sikhs was collecting his men for a final charge when the Germans came in overpowering numbers from the north and east. At the same moment, the machine gun fire re-doubled its fury down the main street. Without immediate reinforcements, the position of the 47th was now quite untenable as their losses had been heavy. Major Davidson was compelled to give up all he had won at such fearful cost, and retire, the line lying over some 500 yards of open ground, exposed to a tornado of shell and machine-gun fire. The bodies of the gallant Indians soon lay thick on the ground. Eventually, the remains of the two Companies of the 47th got back to relative safety, but only 68 out of the gallant 289 actually collected on the La Bassee road.

Such was the spirit of the Indian troops. It is on record that during the retreat from the village under fire, described as hellish, the men were laughing and joking with each other. Captain AM Brown, afterwards killed at Neuve Chapelle, stood up at the halts to fire, his example being followed by many of the men. Major Davidson throughout this confused and ding-dong fighting showed the highest qualities of bravery and leadership. He was awarded a brevet Lieutenant Colonelcy in recognition of his services.

In the end, the 20th Sappers and Miners were left with just 20 men in the centre of Neuve Chapelle. One Lt Kerr, leading some reinforcements, was wounded but Sapper Dalip Singh stood over him and kept up rapid fire to deter several parties of Germans from advancing, incredibly charging at a party of 20 Germans who then fled. He then carried his officer back to safety.

As recorded in official war history :“The attack was magnificently carried out and was within an ace of success. It is probable that, had reinforcements been available, the 47th and Sappers would have held the village which they took with such superb élan and at such a heavy cost”.

The magnificent conduct of the Indian troops was recorded for posterity by Field Marshal Sir John French who, in his dispatch dated November 20, 1914, said: “On the 28th of October 1914, especially the 47th Sikhs and the 20thand 21st Companies of the Sappers & Miners, distinguished themselves by their gallant conduct in the attack on Neuve Chapelle, losing heavily in officers and men".

As Sir James Willcocks later wrote, “The 47th Sikhs were raised in 1901 and have no battle honours on their colours. Throughout its service in France, this magnificent Regiment never failed to answer all calls. Its reputation would be secure and its right to fight shoulder to shoulder with the best British troops would be established, if based only on the record of Neuve Chapelle, but this action was only one of many in which the 47th distinguished themselves”.

(The author is editor, Vayu Aerospace and Defence Review)

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