Lone British Sniper at a Railway Station - 1914

[andiS]

We've just had a history presenter / renactor in our school to talk to the students on the Great War, and (naturally) I popped along. He was telling the kids about an incident early in the war - vague about dates and locations but I got the feeling it was 1914 - where a German advance was held up pretty much entirely by a British infantryman who climbed up onto a railway station roof and used his marksman skills to pick off the advancing Germans, and when they bought up field artilliary to shoot the gun crews. I gather that the Germans were much impressed by this demonstration of sniping skills and not only buried the lad (who was just shy of his 18th birthday) and wrote what he'd done on the station wall. The modern station has a plaque commemorating the event.

I'd be interested in knowing more about this, does anybody know more details?

[Ski]

Sounds like the 4th Middlesex at Obourg.

See here:

http://battlefields1418.50megs.com/obourg.htm

Cheers

Lee

[andiS]

Sounds like the badger Lee - thanks :-)

[Jim Hastings]

Hi Andy,

I'm sure Richard Holmes makes mention of him in one of his TV programmes - I'm sure it was his War Walks Mons and from memory i'm sure he says he was Middlesex Regt

Only reason I recall it is because I too wondered who the sniper was on hearing the story

Jim

[Ron Clifton]

I dn't think anyone has ever found out the man's name, or he would probably have been given the VC.

Ron

[andiS]

Hi Andy,

I'm sure Richard Holmes makes mention of him in one of his TV programmes - I'm sure it was his War Walks Mons and from memory i'm sure he says he was Middlesex Regt

Only reason I recall it is because I too wondered who the sniper was on hearing the story

Jim

Whatever the rights and wrongs (and for copyright reasons they're wrongs) of putting tv programs on YouTube, you can catch the right bit of it here (about 4.30 minutes in)

[Jim Hastings]

Thanks Andy,

I haven't seen that for years and just goes to show how the late, great Professor Holmes could present history in such a memorable way, for me to still be able to remember the event and even the unit!

Wish he'd done more of these War Walks for other WW1 battles.

Certainly deserved a VC! Known only to his comrades alas

Cheers Jim

[Ron Clifton]

Hello Andy

I think that is the bridge at Nimy, where Lt Dease and Pte Godley actually did win VCs for a similar rearguard action not far from Obourg.

Ron

[bruce]

To get to the plaque at Obourg is not easy.

If you merely follow the advice of your sat nav, it will take you about 3 miles through a cement works. Easier is to go for Station road, park, and walk over the footbridge over the tracks. There is not a great deal to see, just a metal plaque set into a brick wall, but it marks another of those isolated acts of heroism. The rifleman is unknown, and is probably buried at St. Symphorien cemetery not far away.

A little further up the canal at Nimy is the bridge upon which Richard Holmes filmed. Under the bridge are a couple of, admittedly tatty, plaques about the two VC winners. There is no official path up the side of the bridge to get to the walkway along the bridge, but it is easy to climb. About a third of the way over is where Deese and Godley fought. Godley received his VC from the King upon his return to GB in 1919, and spent the rest of his days as a school caretaker.

Bruce