8th Rifle Brigade's Third VC At Hooge July 15

[medalmaniac]

Have been trying to post on the Forum but without success until 'Sam' (R.B. man) came to my rescue. I've glanced over the end result and it isn't very pretty but you can get the gist.

I was reading an article in the current ' Spink Insider' about the first Indian VC awarded and it rekindled an old assertion of mine, that I'm firmly convinced that Rifleman Frederick Hamilton 8th (Service) Battalion, Rifle Brigade, should have been the first K1 man to be awarded the coveted Victoria Cross for his actions during the Liquid Fire Attack at Hooge 30th July 1915.

Here you have a young man, an amateur soldier, one of Kitchener's volunteers; never been in the firing line before; pitch black at night; suddenly overwhelmed by a new terrifying weapon spewing flame and smoke, annihilating his comrades to right and left of him; leaderless, his MG Section officer out of it, badly wounded; utter bedlam all around while a horde of German infantry sweep over and around his trench until his MG is blown up and all but he and one other are killed; on his own initiative he commandeers another knocked out MG and taking charge of the situation proceeds to mow down innumerable German infantrymen until that MG is likewise knocked out killing most of his crew,. After miraculously extricating himself, he is then required to charge, over open ground and in broad daylight the trenches lost. just a few hours earlier.

What you have below is a first hand, well written account on which you can reserve your own judgement.

Les

CORPORAL FREDERICK HAMILTON D.C.M.

8th (Service) Battalion, The Rifle Brigade &

41st Machine Gun Company, Machine Gun Corps

Distinguished Conduct Medal G.V.R. Rif. Bde.

1914-15 Star Rif. Bde

British War Medal Rif. Bde.

Victory Medal Rif. Bde.

Bronze Memorial Plaque

An Illuminated Memorial Scroll MGC

A large ‘Cemetery’ Memorial Scroll MGC

An original and most emotive and graphic, five-page manuscript letter from Hamilton to his wife, written only a few hours after the ‘Liquid Fire attack at Hooge on 30th July 1915

A small archive of original photographs, letters and ephemera

Mrs Hamilton’s original copy of ‘Deeds that Thrill the Empire’

published by Hutchinson's featuring L/Cpl Hamilton, D.C.M. page 140-1

Died of wounds 20th September 1916 - age 24

Hooge 30th/31st July 1915

The following is a transcript of a manuscript letter written by young Frederick Hamilton, a native of Stockport, Cheshire and a Rifleman in the 8th Battalion, Rifle Brigade, to his wife Ethel, a bride of just a few months,. The letter was written just a few hours after the events of the infamous 'Liquid Fire' attack at Chateau Hooge near Ypres, in which the Germans, for the first time in military history employed their secret flame throwing weapon. the 'Flamwerfer' against the British army. This terrifying attack, in the early hours of the 30th July 1915, was launched by the Germans, with sheets of flame and smoke sprayed into the forward trenches held by the the 8th Rifle Brigade, sited around the edge of the enormous Hooge crater; a crater which had earlier been formed by the British engineers undermining and explodings a massive mine under the German positions. These same trenches, that had only a few hours earlier had been taken over by the fledgling 8th Battalion, Rifle Brigade. Their very first day in the firing line.

In the letter, Hamilton describes the events of the attack and the incredible part played by himself in attempting to stem the overwhelming German assault. He also describes the extrication by 2nd Lieutenant Woodroffe[1], of his platoon as the Germans, having incinerated the

occupants of the foremost trenches next to Woodroffe’s, over-ran the Rifle Brigade’s positions. It also describes the desperate, chaotic withdrawal of the remnants of the battalion, its frantic regrouping and his subsequent participation in the disastrous, suicidal counter-attack in full daylight, which resulted in the near annihilation of the entire Brigade.

The letter is remarkable in its accuracy and exactly mirrors the citation, which originally recommended Frederick Hamiliton for the award of the Victoria Cross but which was subsequently remitted to the award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal. (The first Distinguished Conduct Medal awarded to Kitchener’s New Army)

Distinguished Conduct Medal - London Gazette 15th September 1915.

Private F. Hamilton, 8th Rifle Brigade

"For conspicuous gallantry and ability on 30th July 1915 at Hooge. When his own machine gun had been knocked out he mounted another, the detachment of which had been disabled and fired it at the enemy attacking from the rear. When the water failed, he filled the water jacket of the gun from the men's water bottles, kept the gun in action and finally stopped the enemy bombing attack with his fire."

In the same action and in the trench adjacent to that occupied by Hamiliton, nineteen year old, 2nd Lieutenant Sidney Woodroffe, commanding 'A' platoon, 8th Rifle Brigade, was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously for his outstanding bravery and leadership during both the initial Liquid Fire attack and later in the incomprehensible day-light counter-attack in which, although twice severely wounded, he made the supreme sacrifice whilst attempting to breach the German barbed-wire, so that his men might advance. Like young Hamilton’s D.C.M., it was to be the first Victoria Cross awarded to Kitchener’s New Army.

Rifleman Hamilton’s Letter

Rfn. Hamilton

No. S 7625

Machine Gun Section

8th Battalion, Rifle Brigade

41st Brigade, 14th Division

B.E.F.

August 1st 1915

Dear Ethel

I received your letter this morning and I thank the Lord that I am alive to read it. I will tell you about Friday, the one day we had in the firing line; Dear me, it makes me shudder to think about it but I will try to tell you the thing that happened that day.

We had been in the support trenches seven days when on Thursday afternoon we had orders to pack up and get ready to move into the firing line. We got ready but it was nine o'clock at night before we moved off and we were told that we were going into the firing line for ten days. We arrived in the firing line about one o'clock Friday morning and relieved the 7th Rifle Brigade and the 8th King’s Royal Rifles. For a little while we were busy unpacking and getting guns ready for firing, then between two and three o'clock there appeared just in front of our trenches a large fire of yellow flames and a dense cloud of smoke.

We were perplexed for the moment wondering what game the Germans were up to and then they started shelling us and sending liquid fire into our trenches.

Dear, Dear, Dear, what a terrible moment that was, we got the guns firing on them when a shout went up that the Germans were advancing and that one of our platoons were retreating, we saw then that the Germans were coming and we let them have it for all we were worth with the machine guns. Suddenly one of the men on one gun rushed up and shouted that his gun was blown up and also his men but we could do nothing, only stick to our guns and keep firing and all the while they were spraying the trenches with this liquid fire. Then our gun got blown up and out of seven men on the gun, only two of us never got hit.

Well it was no use stopping there now, the gun was blown up, so I started moving down the trench with the others and it was horrible to see the dead and wounded in the trench being trampled on. I got a tidy way down the trench when I come across a machine gun turned over and the men dead under it. I looked round and saw two of our machine gun men and going to them, I said 'come on lads, let us get this gun and have a pop at the b……s. We got the gun off its tripod and put it on top of the trench, telling them to get some ammunition. I got behind the gun and simply slaughtered the Germans that were advancing and between us we killed between two and three hundred of the devils. At last they got in one part of the trench and killed a great many of our men by throwing bombs.

About the same time as they got in the trench, our gun got blown up and three men got killed by the same shell, so we retreated and then came a duel between our bombers and theirs and what a sight, it was awful, terrible and then came a calm and we could get no further.

All this took place till about eleven o'clock and out of a battalion of men, we had about two hundred and fifty left, that makes our loss over seven hundred men and all in nine hours. After that, I with a few more men went to help the 7th K.R.R.'s and in the same afternoon we had a charge and I saw men go mad with the shock of the shells.

I cannot write any more, but we got relieved at night and went back to the rest camp. We have lost all our officers besides those men and we will have a long rest now.

I lost everything, Rifle, haversack, valise and every damn thing that had been sent me.

I will close now with love to all

I remain,Yours, Lovingly

Fred XXXXX

P.S. Please show this letter to my mother and Bella because I cannot write about the horrible thing again.

8th Rifle Brigade Casualties 30th/31st July 1915 – Liquid Fire Attack

9 officers killed – 10 wounded – 19 out of 24

212 o/r’s killed and missing – 262 wounded – 474 out of 758

41st Coy., Machine Gun Corps

Some time later, Hamilton was transferred to the 41st Machine Gun Corps and at some stage, between July 1915 and September 1916 was wounded in action, which resulted in him being hospitized. (there are a number of photographs in the archive of Hamilton in a Military Hospital).

In September 1916, 41st MG Coy took over part of the front line from 166 and 164 MG Companies and on the 15th of that month, took part in the massive attack on Flers in which British tanks were employed in action for the first time in the war.

The War Diary of 41st MGC shows that 2/Lt A.H. Gilbert was wounded, one OR killed and eight OR,s wounded in the action. It would appear that the gallant young Hamilton was included in that latter number. He died of those wounds five days later at No. 36 Casualty Clearing Station on 20th September 1916. He was buried in the Heilly Station Cemetery, Merricourt-L’Abbe.

Young Frederick it would seem, was highly thought of by the officers under whose command he came. This is apparent from two manuscript letters received by Hamilton’s mother and wife that have survived in this archive.

Lieutenant Le Blanc-Smith’s Letter

The first is to Frederick’s mother from Lieutenant Charles Le Blanc Smith[2], Machine Gun Section Officer, of the 8th Battalion, Rifle Brigade, regarding the award of the Distinguished Conduct Medal to her son. Lieutenant Le Blanc-Smith was himself severely wounded at the commencement of the 'Liquid Fire' attack and sadly like Frederick Hamilton, was later to loose his life in action on 27th November 1915.

Dear Mrs Hamilton,

I expect you have already heard of all the wonderful things that your son did during the awful attack we had at Hooge and he fired one of the machine guns over the back of the trench, killing a tremendous number of Germans - at one time there were Germans in the trench on each side of him, only being kept off by one of our bombing parties. How any of them got clear, I cannot imagine; but he did and I am very pleased to say that he is the first man in the battalion to receive the Distinguished Conduct Medal, which he most nobly deserves.

I must say I am most awfully proud of the way the machine gun section behaved; they really did most exceptionally well, especially as most of those round were cowed by the awfulness of the liquid fire.

Your son is so modest; he never says anything about himself and it is all the nicer therefore, to feel that he will now go through life with one of the most coveted things in the world - a medal for outstanding bravery.

Lieutenant Meredith’s Letter

The second letter, addressed to Hamilton’s wife Ethel, was from Lieutenant A.C. Meredith MC[3], 41st Machine Gun Corps, (Hamilton’s MG Coy. Section Officer) on his receiving news of Hamilton having been severely wounded.

2nd October 1916

Dear Madam

I have just heard that your husband was seriously wounded some time ago and I want to say how sorry I am to hear about it and how much I should like to know how he is going on. Your husband was the very heart and soul of the section and there was none more gallant than he.

I am his section officer but am resting at No. 11 Prisoner of War Company, 4th Army which is my present address.

I am greatly concerned about him and should so much value a note to let me know where he is so that I can write direct to him and also to tell me how he is going on

Believe me, yours sincerely

A.C. Meredith.2/Lt. MC

11th Prisoner of War Company

4th Army.

NB The letter is dated two weeks after Frederick Hamilton’s death.

Reference:

CWGC

Rifle Brigade Chronicles

History of the Rifle Brigade WW1

Public Records Office

London Gazette

‘Deeds that thrill the Empire’ magazine

MGC Data Web Site (Graham Sacker)

[1] The medal groups awarded to the three Woodroffe brothers also form part of this collection

a. 2^nd Lieutenant Sidney Woodroffe - 8/RB - Victoria Cross 1914-15 Star trio – KIA 1915 (1^st VC awarded to Kitchener’s Army).

b. Captain Leslie Woodroffe, 8/RB –Military Cross 1914-15 Star trio – MC for Liquid Fire attack and severely wounded in the same action – KIA 1916

c. Lieutenant Kenneth Woodroffe –8/RB MID 1914-15 Star trio – KIA 1915

2. Lieutenant Charles Ralph le Blanc-Smith, Machine Gun Officer, 8^th (Service) Battalion, The Rifle Brigade. An accomplished Eton and Cambridge University rowing Blue, he was severely wounded in the action at Hooge, 30^th July 1915. Appointed Machine-Gun Officer of the 41^st Brigade (Rifles) of the 14^th Light Division in August 1915, he was killed in action, 27^th November 1915 (His medal also forms part of this medal collection)

[3] Lieutenant A.C. Meredith M.C. & Bar – 41^st Machine Gun Corps (Infantry)

[Guest]

Frederick was my Grandfathers 1st cousin he was 11years older than Frederick and also served in the War fighting with the

Cheshire Regiment in France luckily he survived i am very proud of both of them.

Alexander Hamilton

Stockport

Cheshire.

[PB4935]

Hello, I am writing an article for the WFA on the flammenwerfer attack at Hooge on 30/07/1915 and would like to use the letters from Frederick and Charles Le Blanc Smith that you quote in your post. I would be very grateful if you could provide details of the archive/source so I can cite said source in my article.

Many thanks

[Michelle Young]

@medalmaniac hasn’t visited the forum for a year. With any luck, my tag will alert him to your post. 

[PB4935]

Thanks Michelle