King's Liverpool Regiment

[Guest newworldmember]

I wonder if any WFA members can set me straight about an incident at the Battle of Festubert in 1915.

I seem to have recalled reading somewhere years ago that Lt. Col. C. J. Steavenson, commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, King's Kiverpool Regiment, was watching some orf his men being cut to pieces during an attempt to support the first wave of attackers.

Horrified by what he was seeing, he called out, "My God! My boys! My boys!. He attempted to mount the parapet of his trench in an effort to go to them but was restrained by several of his officers.

I may have the wrong battalion, regiment and battle, but I know for a fact that this event happened somewhere.

I'll be most grateful for whatever help any members may be able to give me.

B. Cory Kilvert, Jr.

47 Colonial Square,

Peterborough, NH 03458-2126

USA

Email: ckilvert@pobox.com

[CROONAERT]

I'm not a WFA member but I may be able to answer.

From Lt.Col.C.J.Steavenson's private diary (reproduced in Wyrall's History of the Liverpools) in the entry for 15th May 1915 (festubert):

":At 3:30 am "B" Coy attempted the crossing (of no-man's land) by platoons.The first was mown down by machine-gun fire from Q2 on the right.The second was out before I could stop it and was also wiped out, but I managed to stop the third moving".

From this it looks very likely that Steavenson is the CO that you refer to.

Dave.

[Alan Seymour]

The following is taken from page 42 of "British Battalions on the Western Front - January to June 1915" by Ray Westlake.

May

................... Commanding Officer of 1st King's, Lieutenant-Colonel C.J. Steavenson, notes in his diary how 'B' Company attempted to cross No Man's Land at 3.30 pm, but its leading platoons were soon cut down by machine gun fire. With many dying and wounded men lying out in the open, Lance-Corporal Joseph Tombs volunteered to go out into No Man's Land and attempt to bring in as may as he could. An act of bravery for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross - London Gazette - 'For most conspicuous gallantry near Rue du Bois, on the 16th June, 1915 (date incorrect). On his own initiative he crawled out repeatedly under a very heavy shell and machine-gun fire, to bring in wounded men who were lying about one hundred yards in front of our trenches..............

Alan Seymour