Private George Corfield, 3rd Coldstream Guards POW 13th April 1918

[Mark Hone]

My great-uncle George Corfield was serving with 3rd Battalion Coldstream Guards when he was captured, according to his army service record, on 23rd April 1918. He was a POW in Limburg until the end of the war. I would be interested if anyone has details of the activities of 3rd Coldstreams around this time which might cast light on the circumstances in which he was taken prisoner. I have downloaded the 3rd Coldstream Guards War diary from the National Archives but unfortunately there is a gap after February 1918 while the battalion was on attachment to 31st Division.

[Coldstreamer]

I will check but my records for the 3rd btn are quite thin on the ground for 1918

[Mark Hone]

Looking again at his Service Record I realise that I had slightly misread it and that he was actually captured on 13th April during 4th Guards Brigade's defence of the Nieppe Forest. This now makes sense. I have the description of the fighting in Kipling's History of the Irish Guards but if anyone does have specific information on 3rd Coldstreams I would be very appreciative.

[Mark Hone]

I tracked down a PhD thesis by Geoffrey Blades which took as its detailed example of the Lys fighting the stand of 4th Guards Brigade, including 3rd Coldstreams, at Nieppe. It has very good maps which should allow me to follow the action on the ground. Amazing what you can find on the internet. Many thanks to Nick Powley who has the thesis on his Battle of Hazebrouck website. Apparently a more detailed account of the 4th Brigade action by Geoffrey Blades, which he only summarised in his thesis, is held by the IWM.