Rocking With The Leeds Rifles

[Guest England The Great]

The 8th Battalion (Leeds Rifles) at Bois de Petit Champ and Bligny, The Marne, 20th - 30th July 1918, awarded the French Croix de Guerre Medal signed by General Guillaumat, commanding 5th French Army;

"This Battalion d'elite, under the forceful command of Colonel Norman Aryton England, from July 20th to July 30th, took a brilliant part in the heavy fighting that won us the Vallee de l'Ardre. On July 23rd, having cleared a path through the dense thickets of the Bois de Petit Champ, it captured a vital position despite continuous fire from enemy machine guns. On July 28th, 1918, with magnificent spirit it captured the Montagne de Bligny, strongly defended by enemy forces superior in number, and maintained the position in spite of heavy losses and the desperate efforts of the enemy to regain the ground."

http://www.expage.com/englandthegreat

(Webpage on things that are different which contribute to the English success story. Check out the links for those that ought to be Haig supporters even though he was a Scot)

[Kate Wills]

Hello and welcome to the Forum.

Why have you entitled your thread "Rocking" with the Leeds Rifles?

[Guest England The Great]

Figure of speech. And because they belonged to one of the best Divisions, the 62nd, here up in Yorkshire =)

[Frank_East]

8th Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment. 28 th July 1918

It wha bravery lad,Rheims of the stuff.

Henry Slater, MM on the day, said 50 years later slogging up the Montaigne de Bligny,"we moved forward at dawn, we kept our mouths shut and watched where we put our feet". A rifle cracked, and suddenly the morning was alive with small arms fire. "We got up in a series of dashes" he added, making it all sound very simple, but I was 20 then,and nimble".

Later pausing at the graves in the Bligny Military Cemetery he said "that's Sgt Speight, my platoon Sergeant and that's young Fisher.We were running together.I think a sniper got him".

From Barker's "Yorkshire". 50 years after the event on Montaigne de Bligny with a detachment of the Leeds Rifles.

Regards

Frank East

[pazz106]

could you expand on this publication 'Barkers' "Yorkshire". Is it worth me obtaining a copy. My Grandfather was with the 8TH W.Y. in the Ardre & I would like to read any accounts of this week and this is one that I have not heard of before.

Pazz

[Frank_East]

Hello Pazz,

The article was in The Yorkshire Post dated June 27 1998. It was one of a regular column entitled Barker's Yorkshire written by a Yorkshire Post journalist,Malcolm Barker.In this article he relates going back to the Montaigne de Bligny in July 1968,50 years after the event with a detachment of Leeds Rifles led by their then C.O, Lt Col Gerry Jarret and the honorary colonel, Col John Taylor.In the group was Harry Slater,who won the MM on the day, described to Malcolm the way they took the hill.

On point on my posting I said the British Military Cemetery was Bligny which was incorrect,that was my assumption, there is no such name.The cemetery is Chambrecy which I have visited in the past and is an immaculate cemetery in untouched rolling countryside.

Harry Slater mentioned two soldiers, "young" Fisher, Rifleman Alfred John Fisher who was brought down along side of Harry as they scaled the hill.He was 18 years of age and his parents lived in Sheffield.The other soldier was his platoon Sergeant,Sgt Speight who little is known about other that he was 32 years of age and was the holder of the DCM. All the dead from this battalion on July 28 1918 from the lower ranks were 18,19 or 20 years of age.Harry Slater himself was only 20 years old.

Malcolm Barker also wrote a similar article on 7 November 1998 relating the background to a letter written by Henry Edwin Reed of the York and Lancaster Regiment on Church Army notepaper to his sister in Hull.It was written in February 1918 and Edwin, as he was called, states, "I am still searching for (Horatio) Bottomley's steak and chips, which he said he had with the boys in the trenches.He might manage it with Base Wallahs, but here,well". Edwin was posted missing on September 28 1918 when the Yorks and Lancs were storming the Hindenburg Line. He has no known grave and is remembered on the Vis-en- Artois Memorial to the missing.

Pazz,regarding your Grandfather's service with the Leeds Rifles,the best line of research is to research Malcolm Barker's archives at the YP as well as general search of the Yorkshire Post.Hope you find what you want.I am sure that the Yorkshire Post would have had plenty to report about the Leeds Rifles.

Regards

Frank East

[kerry]

IN fact in a few eeks time here up in West Yorkshire, representatives of the sadly gone Leeds Rifles (the Light Infantry part of the West Yorkshire Regt) are holding 'Bligny Sunday' to mark the occasion of the battle honour of 1918. Yorkshire (North and West) Army Cadets will be in attendance, as will Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant for West Yorkshire, and a representative from the French Government.

If any Pals would like to attend or want more details, please contact me

Kerry

[Simon R]

Malcolm Barkers archives??

Is he still with us?

Is all this material personally collected? Is it all original documents/photos?

Or are they above stories culled from material sent in to the paper?

[John W]

Pazz,regarding your Grandfather's service with the Leeds Rifles,the best line of research is to research Malcolm Barker's archives at the YP as well as general search of the Yorkshire Post.Hope you find what you want.I am sure that the Yorkshire Post would have had plenty to report about the Leeds Rifles.

Regards

Frank East

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually you need to search the Yorkshire Evening Post. The Yorkshire Post during the war carried the important things in life, prices of commodoties a little bit of general war news etc, more like a National paper. The local stories were carried in the evening post.

John

[Guest AugustePezenas]

"... that's young Fisher.We were running together.I think a sniper got him."

So, that's how my great Uncle Alfred bought it.