Capt Lord Richard Wellesley, Grenadier Guards

[Yorke Scarlett]

All

Maybe I placed this in wrong box the first time around.

Capt Lord Richard Wellesley, Gren Guards 29/10/14 Son of 4th Duke of Wellington

Buried in Hooge Crater Cemetery

A Gren Guard Oct 1914 - why Hooge? Why not Zillebeke Churchyard

Any answers anybody

[Black Sapper]

Perhaps because he was killed around the village of Gheluvelt when Sir john French was at Hooge & the Worcestershires lost 3 officers & 143 men? Weren't the Guards part of 7th Division?

I found this chapter in the Great War Magazine quite interesting ....

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/Browse/View.aspx?dbid=34980&path=The+Great+War+1914-18+Magazine.965

[Andrew Hesketh]

They (the 1st Grenadier Guards) were. 20th Brigade, 7th Division. And they were in the Gheluvelt area on the 29th.

[Yorke Scarlett]

Thanks for both replies Andrew and Black Sapper.

I was wondering whether anyone had a copy of the Battalion's WD for that day.

Thanks again

[Bardess]

Unfortunately the WD from 20th October to 4th November 1914 was not completed:

The period from 20^th October to 6^th November, 1914 was occupied in continuous fighting during which the 1^st Bn Grenadier Guards was very heavily engaged. It was not possible at that time to keep a diary. After the Bn was withdrawn to MÉTEREN I believe the diary was made up. The information at present in the diary was entered by the then Commanding Officer, Lieut Colonel M EARLE, DSO and myself as Adjutant, sometime before the end of October, 1914.

[Andrew Hesketh]

As Diane says, the fighting was extremely fierce. 1st RWF were in the same Division but their WD says little about that day. The following day they were effectively surrounded and annihilated. Their WD is torn so parts are missing, but the parts that remain somewhat terrifyingly states, "The enemy attacked the trenches of....the battalion at daybreak, and....cavalry on the right giving way...". That is all it says. The following day, in different handwriting, is the statement, "The exact nature of the casualties that day are unknown, but the following officers [12 are listed] and 320 NCO's and men were found to be missing that day. No accurate information is available regarding this action.".

None of this relevant to your query directly, but gives a flavour of why accurate details are hard to come by. However, from 'The Seventh Division', C. T. Atkinson, p.72.

(Location, to the right of the Gheluvelt crossroads)

"It was pretty clear that the First Division's line had been penetrated, for Germans were swarming forward along the road to Gheluvelt in strength. They came on shoulder to shoulder, presenting splendid targets of which the Grenadiers took ample advantage, though the support trenches proved a mere snare, being so deep that the men had to get out into the open to fire. Still, even when the King's Company had been brought up by Major Stucley, the second in command, the Grenadiers were too few to stay the advance of such overwhelming masses. Major Stucley led one counter attack which thrust the enemy back, but they surged forward again, and in heading a second he was killed and most of his men went down. The pressure increased every minute; Capt. Lord R. Wellesley was killed in a counter attack on the right, and before long No, 4 Company was forced back from the trenches to a brickyard in the rear. Here a brief stand was made, but finally the remnants of the battalion recoiled to a wood some distance back."

Edited 30 July , 2013 by Andrew Hesketh

[Steven Broomfield]

If no-one else does, I can look up the regimental history this evening.

[Steven Broomfield]

Not much to add to what Mr Hesketh says (I suspect Atkinson had used the regimental history for his work), except that Lord R Wellesly was shot through the head while making a counter attack with his Company (No. 3), shortly after Major Stucley of King's Company. As the extract indicates, the fighting was immense, with the 1st Grenadiers coming out with 4 officers and 100 men left out of a strength over 1,000 strong only days before.

[Yorke Scarlett]

Thanks Steven,

Another piece of the puzzle added.

I understand that as far as writing up WDs, the Grenadiers and all the other battalions involved in the fighting in and around Gheluvelt had far more pressing things to think about and all had a pretty grim time of it.

Yorke

[Steven Broomfield]

I suspect there wasn't anyone left to write them!