1st Northamptons Destruction July 1917

[Mark Hone]

Can someone recommend a good account of the disastrous action of 10th July 1917 near Nieuport in which 1st Bn Northamptonshire Regt was overwhelmed and virtually wiped out? I presume there is a detailed account in the Official History, but I haven't got the 1917 volumes.

[MartinWills]

I seem to recall a good article in the "I Was There" Series of magazines, but generaly there is not much on this action, though there is a nice memorial at Nieuport. Much of the action took place on the dunes which had been one of Europes finest Golf courses before 1914. Today it is a Belgian army base where apparently they still come acros debris in the dunes from the period. The base is still approached by Golf Straat but there has been no golf course in local living memory.

[Robert Dunlop]

There is a good account in the relevant British Official History. A brief resume:

Nieuport is near the coast of Belgium. It was just inside the allied frontlines, alongside the Yser River. At the river mouth, the allies held a small salient north of the river. As part of the Flanders offensive in 1917, it was planned that an amphibious landing would take place. Tanks and troops from the 1st Division were to land at Middelkerke, which is on the coast between Nieuport and Ostend. This landing was to be supported by an attack out of the Yser bridgehead.

In late June 1917, British troops (1st and 31st Divisions) took over the line on the coast from the French. They found that defences were wholly inadequate. The French (quite sensibly) recognised that such a small bridgehead would not be worth defending. Their plan was to retreat across the barrier of the Yser River in the event of attack. The British decided to improve the defences by building dugouts and protective bunkers. The Australian 2nd Tunnelling Company was bought in specifically for their experience working in sandy drift. Details can be found in the Australian Official Account iv, pp 960-5.

The Germans caught wind of the change in nationality They decided to launch an attack on the Yser bridgehead. On 10th July, 1st and 2nd German Naval Divisions participated in an assault, spearheaded by stormtroopers, that virtually annihilated the defenders in the bridgehead. Operation Hush, the amphibious landing, never took place because the conditions to trigger the landing (ie rapid advance along the Passchendaele ridge) were never fulfilled.

Attached is a picture of members of the MarineKorps Sturm Battalion attacking through the dunes. The sand dunes extend about 500m inland. The storm troopers came down the coast and then got in behind the British defenders, who were numbed by the intensity of the artillery barrage.

Robert

[Mark Hone]

Thanks for the information. As a follow-up question has anyone visited the battlefield? I might pay a visit on my next trip to Bruges and Ypres. My dad was in 1st Northamptons (they're not keen on Northants!) during World War II.

[Robert Dunlop]

I have visited. You can see some of the coast and the dunes. However, this area of Belgium has changed considerably since the war. It is now like Blackpool. There are occasional concrete bunkers and coastal gun emplacements but most of these look to be WW2 in vintage. I'm pleased I went but it was a disappointment compared with the other battlefields.

Robert

[Robert Dunlop]

And here's the area that you are interested in:

Robert

[Guest Koert Debyser]

Hi,

If you are planning a visit to the Belgian Coast, I would recommend the Raversijde Domain. There are still bunkers from both the First and Second World War.

See The Raversijde Domain for more background and info.

Koert

[Mark Hone]

Thank you very much for all this information. The Raversijde Domain sounds very interesting and I may well call in when I'm over next.

[Kate Wills]

Mark,

Do you have 'No Easy Hopes or Lies' the war letters of Lt Arthur Preston White, 1st Northamptonshire Regiment? Unfortunately (for future generations interested in this action, that is) he went on leave in early July and missed the Battle of the Dunes, which forced the surrender of the few survivors, including Lt Col Tollemache. However, nine men escaped by swimming across the canal.

[Mark Hone]

Kate-No, I haven't seen that book. Do you have publication details? I must admit that I've only recently started getting interested in the Northamptons' World War One history.

[Kate Wills]

'No Easy Hopes or Lies' the World War 1 letters of Lt Arthur Preston White; edited and introduced by Michael Hammerson; pub. London Stamp Exchange 1991.

White was born in Frome, Somerset in 1887, and was senior history master at Northampton Grammar School before the war. He took a keen intereset in his adopted town and published an excellent study called The Story of Northampton in 1914. He enlisted on 15 August 1914, and aside from a brief attachment, remained with the 1st Battalion throughout the war. He surmises that his inability to get past the rank of Lt. was due to his not joining Kitchener's mob. His active service came to an end in May 1918, when he was wounded at the Battle of the Lys. He took up a post a Highgate School (where his letters were discovered by Michael Hammerson), and died in 1952.

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

. My Dad was in 1st Northamptons (they're not keen on Northants!)

Absolutely! using the term "Northants" to a Northamptonshire Regiment Man,or even within ear shot, is tantamount to asking for a "Dry Slap"

I have seen grown men cowed by very indignant "Old Sweats" {& rightly so} when they have inadvertently asked about them serving in the "Northants"~~ Not a pretty sight!

[Paul Reed]

1st KRRC also lost heavily in this battle, and there is a good account of it in the KRRC Chronicles for 1917.

Most of the dead for this day are on the Nieuport Memorial.

[mwsmith]

Can someone recommend a good account of the disastrous action of 10th July 1917 near Nieuport in which 1st Bn Northamptonshire Regt was overwhelmed and virtually wiped out? I presume there is a detailed account in the Official History, but I haven't got the 1917 volumes.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Mark,

I have just joined the forum and have been researching my grandfather who was in 2KRRC throughout the war. They fought alongside the 1st Btn Northants and both battalions were almost destroyed at Nieuport Bains. Contrary to other reoryts on this site it is VERY interesting if you had a relative their. My grandfather was agreat swimmer and survived by swimminbg the Yser. I have visited the site. Would you like copies?

Mike Smith

[Chris_Baker]

Seen this? http://www.1914-1918.net/BATTLES/hush/strandfest.htm

[mwsmith]

Seen this? http://www.1914-1918.net/BATTLES/hush/strandfest.htm

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks Chris. I am planning to vist the museum mentioned in the Long Long Trail.

Very impressed with the GW Forum..

Regards MIke Smith

[gordon christie]

This is a long shot.

The tiny village of Staverton in Northamptonshire had a well known local character the like of which i have never known. I first met this old gentleman in the local pub when i was a tennage boozer. He was barely over 5 feet tall, wore a flat cap which was probably nailed to his head as it was never seen off his bonce, home made putees ww1 style from hessian sacks and a jacket that any poacher would be proud of. Rumour had it that on the crossbar of his ancient bicycle he tied a shotgun (with bale twine of course) with which he'd loose off a barrel at a long gone vehicle who he blamed for running him off the road, and not the fact that he'd had 17 pints of theakstones old nasty in the windmill at Badby.

He'd talk of serving in the war but details were hard to hear other than he was buried alive at some time and dug out a day later.

I allways had great respect for this chap . He lived in a spooky old house down Well lane in staverton that was without any hint that the 20th century had been within 200 yards of it. No water (he washed in a stainless steel dog bowl outside with well drawn water) and only lamps or candles for light.

Sadly in the eighties it was learnt that his house burnt down with him in it. He'd burnt every stick of wood- doors, furniture, to keep warm and a spark caught his matress that was drawm inches from the fireplace.

Gordon Pearcy RIP. any pals know if he served in the northamptons ? I'd love to see a local memorial to this hero who died in such sad way.

[Steven Broomfield]

Robert misprinted: the other British Div involved was the 32nd (not 31st); the History of the 16th NF has a detailed account of their experiences (in reserve at the time). They were involved in some fruitless counter-attacks on the 11th, and were relieved on the 12th. In late July, having been relieved by the 49th Div, they received a draft of 240 men - badly needed to make up the losses of the 10th/11th.

The Bn comments that the 49th Div suffered heavily as well, after relieving the 32nd, and that the 16 NF experienced mustard gas for the first time.

All in all, it was an extremely unpleasant experience, because the Rest Camps were regularly shelled by the Germans, and the restricted nature of the front meant that there were very few places to be 'out of the way'.