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Remembered Today:

Coldstreams near Boulogne?


adrianjohn

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Lance Corporal Frank Herbert Phipps, 19350, 3rd Bn., Coldstream Guards died on 13 April 1918. He is buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery. Can anyone tell me what action the battalion was involved in that area on the day Frank was killed?

I have no information on him except the inscription on a family gravestone and the certificate from the CWGC site.

TIA. adrian

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SDGW has his death as DOW. Boulogne was a base for incoming British troops as far as i know. There was a hospital there (or hospitals), as he DOW, its possible he was brought in.

dave

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Believe 3rd CG were involved in the Battles of the Lys, possible he was wia during these actions.

Bob.

From Ross of Bladensburg's History, it appears that the 4th Guards Bde (including 3 CG) reached Strazeele (by lorry) at 8.30 p.m. on the 11th April, and on the 12th took up a position on the eastern edge of the Forest of Nieppe and spent the day counter-attacking, and being attacked by, the enemy pushing towards Hazebrouck: the fighting is described as being "of a peculiarly desperate character". The bde, much reduced in strength, ended up with a front of more than 2 miles to cover! At the end of the fight, on the 14th, the battalion comprised about 40 men, a total of 483 all ranks having been lost.

Hope this helps, and could i end with a plea? It's "Coldstream" - never "Coldstreams". Cheers.

Steven

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or coldstreamers :D

Thanks both - and point taken! Knuckles just a bit red. :unsure: Coldstream from now on.

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Hang on - the Army's official Coldstream Guards website says:

The Regiment should either be called the '' Coldstream Guards'' or ''The Coldstream'' and never the ''Coldstreams''.

But it also says:

Members of the Coldstream Guards are known as ''Coldstreamers'' and never as ''Coldstream''.

Tom

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Nice one Tom, keep us right.

Bob.

Didn't mean to sound like a schoolmaster and sorry if I did. I just saw the word "Coldstreamer" used on the official site when I was trying to find the actual date when George V granted use of the rank "Guardsman."

Incidentally, I was looking at the Regiment's traditions (where I learned that members of the Corps of Drums are known as "Drummers" :blink: ) and one of the traditions is that "Coldstreamers do not recognise ''retreat''."

Does anyone know - just how literally do they take this? (What I mean is, what do they do if they are ordered to retreat? Or is it that they prefer to be ordered to "retire in an orderly fashion" or something like that?)

Tom

Edited by Tom Morgan
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It's OK - I just found the answer to my own question in another website which goes into regimental traditions more fully. It refers not to the act of retreating in battle but to the sounding of "Retreat" with a capital "r" which the other site didn't have:

Coldstreamers do not recognise ‘Retreat’ so they do not stand still when it is sounded, except when politeness demands it.

Tom

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Maybe they conduct a manoeuveur I once read about in connection with an American unit: an 'advance to the rear'.

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It's OK - I just found the answer to my own question in another website which goes into regimental traditions more fully.  It refers not to the act of retreating in battle but to the sounding of "Retreat" with a capital "r" which the other site didn't have:

Coldstreamers do not recognise ‘Retreat’ so they do not stand still when it is sounded, except when politeness demands it.

Tom

I like that "politeness demands it". Very 'Empire' if you ask me.

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Hello

title of guardsman was issued 1918 I believe - will try and find out when

I take it no one minds me being "Coldstreamer" - I took the name from an old document, if its wrong then :P !!(joke before I upset any one)

Ian

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