Gheluveld, the more I read of it, the more I see that the Worcestershire Reg 2nd Batt did their bit, but are given the glory for taking the village when they only held the Chateaux, when it was a guerilla force under Watson and Boyd that took and held the village. Im reviewing it for an edit of my verse on the topic, as theres a family connection alleged to Boyd.
Pic of Boyd as a Colonel, he was a second lieutenant during Gheluvelt.
Has anyone info on anything I'm missing from the story.
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20-08-2017, 8:51 PM #1
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Gheluveld: Why have Worcesters get the Glory?
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23-08-2017, 6:01 PM #2
I’m unsure whether you have read the War Diary of the 1st Battalion The Queen’s (Royal West Surrey Regiment) for the period 29th to 31st October 1914, as it gives a slightly different account of the battle for Gheluvelt. The 1st Battalion arrived outside Gheluvelt on 29th October. Also in the area were Companies of King’s Royal Rifle Corps, Welch, Loyal North Lancashire and South Wales Borderers Regiments. The attack by the Germans on 31st effectively annihilated the Welch, mostly killed or captured. The remainder, including The Queen’s, were forced to retire. The two officers you mentioned (the only ones left standing at the end of the day) rallied what was left and together with stragglers from other units , set up in trenches at the junction to the south of Gheluvelt, which they held until the end of the day. In the meantime, reinforcements arrived and the 2nd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment made their bayonet charge and retook the village. Gheluvelt, just 4 miles from Ypres, was the last obstacle before Ypres itself. It was for that reason that the charge was and is seen as saving the day and why when Gheluvelt Park in Worcester was opened on 17 June 1922 to commemorate the Battle of Gheluvelt, Field Marshal John French, 1st Earl of Ypres said "on that day the 2nd Worcesters saved the British Empire." And why, despite the fierce resistance put up by The Queen’s, their regimental history marks that, “October 31st was one of the worst days experienced by the 1st Battalion during the whole war”
Peter Nicholl
Researching:Nicholl,Boater, Haselgrove & Vaughan
Helping you trace your British Family History & British Genealogy.
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