Sgt Stevens' narrow escape

[FuManchu18]

I have been puzzling over a story from 6th August 1915, when the 4th Worcesters were annihilated at Helles. Stacke's history of the Worcesters records that:

Quote

The survivors numbered only twelve, commanded by Sergeant Stevens. They had expended nearly all their ammunition and there were no signs of help. The sergeant decided that they must retreat, and under cover of the darkness they succeeded in leaving the trench. Sixteen strong platoons had advanced to the attack; only this little party returned.

As far as I have been able to discover, this was indeed the only group that made it to the Turkish trench and then made it safely back, though plenty of men went to ground short of the enemy line and crawled back during the night. However, the identity of 'Sergeant Stevens' has been a bit of a mystery, because repeated examinations of the relevant lists (including the index card rolls) turn up no sergeant of that name in the 4th Worcesters at the relevant time, nor a corporal who might have been filling in.

My conclusion - admittedly based on speculation and circumstantial evidence - is that this man was Sergeant George Stevenson, who was with the 4th Worcesters at the Gallipoli landings. The main reason for this (other than the similarity of the name) is that it seemed to me that an NCO whose feat got his name in the Regimental history might reasonably have been mentioned in dispatches for it. There are only two names from the 4th Worcesters mentioned in the subsequent set of dispatches (Gazette 28/1/1916): Lt. S W Southwood, who led the battalion's bombing unit during the battle, and "No. 6300 Serjeant G Stevenson".

The obvious counter is that the name is wrong. However, George Stevenson was mortally wounded soon afterwards and died that October: he was unavailable to correct the record when the regimental history was being written, and none of those writing it had seen him since 1915, if at all. All they had was a half-remembered name and an incredible feat of survival.

Anyway, that's my conclusion. Does it hold water, do you think?

[michaeldr]

The relevant details from the WD appear (to me) to be

Objective - H13
Attack led by two half companies: W on right & X on left
2nd line remaining halves of W & X
3rd & 4th line each made up of half companies of Y & Z companies

The first line, though thinned by enemy fire, got the furthest
The 2nd line suffered terribly from MG fire when half way across & only isolated groups reached the slope to the Turkish trench
The 3rd & 4th lines suffered from murderous MG fire and got only 50yds from our trench
So, only detached parties of the 1st & 2nd lines entered H13

“On the right a continuous stretch of 30 or 40 yards was occupied by what afterwards proved to be about 30 men and one Sergeant and here an artillery screen was displayed denoting a firm foot hold had been established. … … …
Meanwhile a Sergeant and twelve men had returned to our trench. They were the survivors of the party of thirty who had secured a footing in the enemy's (trench) early in the afternoon and although the enemy occupied the same trench on either side, with the aid of barricades, they had maintained their position with four bombs only and rifle fire for five hours. Having then expended nearly all their ammunition and lost twenty men they withdrew under cover of darkness. … … …
… … lost in the attack 16 Officers & 752 Other Ranks.” 

You are possibly looking for a Sergeant from 'W' or 'X' Companies; probably from 'W' Company