Chapter 2a – St Julien

Lt Col Alfred James Foster Context Within six weeks of the British mobilisation, the German Army had fought their way to within thirty miles of Paris before being checked at the Battle of…

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1. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was an integral part of Britain’s professional army, formed after the Boer War. It comprised approximately 120,000 men and was sent to France at the outbreak of war in 1914. The ‘Old Contemptibles’ 
2.  Ypres (Ieper in the Flemish language) is a medieval Flemish town around which the salient formed in 1914
3. Land reclaimed from the sea using a series of canals, ditches, sluice gates, pumping stations and embankments 
4. Transport Section
5. Brigadier-General James Foster Riddell – GOC Northumbrian Brigade 
6. Major Moore – Brigade Major
7. Major William Ernest Stephenson - 2 i/c 4^th Bn 
8. Captain Bernard Cruddas- Bn Adjutant 
9. Boulogne was the French port through which many thousands of troops from Britain and the Empire transited to and from the front line
10.  St Martin’s rest camp was located on a hill on the eastern outskirts of Boulogne. During the course of the war many Bns were billeted there whilst transiting between England and the Western Front
11.  Pont de Briques is approximately five miles inland from the port of Boulogne 
12. Reputedly, on the 11^th April 1677 during the Battle of Mont Cassel, the Regiment behaved gallantly against superior numbers despite the difficulties caused by the terrain
13. The very same hill, reputedly, that the Grand Old Duke of York marched his ten thousand men up and down two centuries earlier
14. German 35^th Pioneer Regiment
15. Prolonged exposure to Chlorine gas destroys the respiratory organs, causes choking attacks and the victim to drown
16.  Maj Gen. Sir William F.L Lindsay 
17. The 1^st Canadian Divn was comprised of the 1^st Canadian Bde (1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th Bns), 2^nd Canadian Bde (5^th, 7^th, 8^th and 10^th Bns) and 3^rd Canadian Bde (13^th, 14^th, 15^th and 16^th Bns)
18.  Kitchener’s Wood (Bois des Cuisiniersan Oak plantation) approx half a mile west of St Julien - St Julien Map: 10-28NW2 - Ref: C.10.d & C.11.c
19. The detachment was named after its commanding officer, Col. A.D. Geddes, and was comprised of four Bns from the 28^th Divn (2^nd Buffs, 3^rd Middlesex, 5^th King’s Own and 1^st York & Lancaster)
20. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was an integral part of Britain’s professional army, formed after the Boer War. It comprised approximately 120,000 men and was sent to France at the outbreak of war in 1914. The ‘Old Contemptibles’ 
21. The British 2^nd Army was commanded by Gen. Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien and was comprised of V Corps (1^st Canadian, 27^th and 28^th Divns)
22. The gas attack of the 22^nd and the subsequent actions on the 23^rd would later be officially designated as the Battle of Gravenstafel; the first of four actions in the 2^nd Battle of Ypres
23.  Gen. Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien was sacked and replaced by Gen. Sir Herbert Plumer 
24. 2^nd Army HQ was based in Hazebrouck, France
25. Supply section train
26. No2 Coy, Army Service Corps (ASC). ASC ‘train’ was the collective name for the army transport, comprising horses, carts, wagons and bicycles. There were four ASC Coys in every Divn, with one assigned to each Bde and one to Divn HQ. Divisional trains at this time were comprised of twenty-six officers and four hundred and two men from the Army Service Corps. They were responsible for 378 horses, 17 carts, 125 wagons and 30 bicycles. The Northumbrian Division Coys were the 467^th, 468^th, 469^th and 470^th 
27. The British Army 1908 pattern webbing equipment consisted of a waist belt and shoulder straps to which a large pack, haversack and various equipment pouches could be attached i.e. ammunition, water bottle carrier, bayonet scabbard, entrenching tool and helve (handle) carrier, respirator
28. V Corps at this time was comprised of the 4^th, 27^th, 28^th and 50^th Divns
29.  Yser canal 
30. The 13^th Bde was part of the 5^th Divn
31. Bns of the 1^st Canadian Divn
32. Locality 'C' – East of     .......          - St Julien Map: 10-28NW2 - Ref:
33. The Cloth Hall was designed by the town’s corporation of draper’s to mark the success of their trade and was built around AD 1200. It was destroyed in WW1, but rebuilt to the original design
34. Lt John Wilfrid Robinson joined the 4^th NF on the outbreak of war. He was the younger brother of Capt Frank Robinson
35.  Lt Gen. Edward Alfred Hervey Alderson was the GOC - 1^st Canadian Divn
36.  St Julien was xx miles northeast of Ypres and now part of the front line. Kitchener’s Wood was west of the village and Fortuin to the south east
37. The 10^th Bde (4^th Divn) was comprised of the 1^st Royal Warwickshires, 2^nd Seaforth Highlanders, 1^st Royal Irish Fusiliers, 2^nd Royal Dublin Fusiliers, 1/7^th Argyle & Sutherland Highlanders
38. The 13^th Bde (5^th Divn) was comprised of the 2^nd Kings Own Scottish Borderers, 2^nd Duke of Wellington’s Regt, 1^st Queen’s Own, 2^nd King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, 1/9^th London Regt
39. The field at Potijze –     Map – Ref: 4.c.5.8
40.  Lt Scaife returned to England and was engaged to be married whilst recuperating at home
41.  Oxford road junction –  St Julien Map: 10-28NW2 - Ref: C.28.b.3.4
42.  Capt. David Henderson Weir was the son of Jarrow Doctor J.J. Weir. At the outbreak of the war he was a medical officer in a Bradford school and a captain in the Durham Fortress (Territorial Force) Engineers (HQ in Jarrow). Weir was transferred to the RAMC and attached to 4^th NF. As a result of his wound Weir was admitted to Guy’s Hospital, London on the 29^th April 1915 
43. Bns of the York and Durham Bde
44.  Vanheule Farm lay immediately to the right of the Weiltje-St Julien road.  St Julien Map: 10-28NW2 - Ref: C.17.d.3.6
45. The artillery formation was adopted by infantry on the move when under artillery fire. Rather than advancing in rows of platoons, they switched to small columns at varying intervals and distances
46. St Julien Map: 10-28NW2 - Ref: C.22.t 
47. Lt John Wilfrid Robinson joined the 4^th NF on the outbreak of war. He was the younger brother of Capt. Frank Robinson 
48.  Pte William M. Spence (4/2021)
49. The wounded men from ‘C’ Coy were - Obediah Armstrong  (4/836), John J. Hyslop (4/1817), John Watson (4/1530), William Carrick (4/1787), Thomas Hepple (4/1968), Richard Middleton (4/1711), John Dodd (4/2292), J. R. Lee (4/913), Harold B. White (4/1888), Henry Blades (4/1890), Ellis Thompson (4/1732) and M. Fraser (4/3207). ‘D’ Coy – Pte William Ridley (4/1363?) and CSM Edwin Wind (4/182). CSM Wind (b.1889) was a miner from Prudhoe residing at No2 Wesley Street in 1911
50.  Ferozepur (Firozpur) is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in the Firozpur District of Punjab state, India 
51.  Jallundur (Jalandhar) is a city in the north-western Indian state of Punjab. The oldest city in Punjab
52.  Sirhind-Fatehgarh is a city and a municipal council in the Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab state. It is often simply called Sirhind
53.  Lt. Gen. Sir Edwin Alfred Hervey Alderson, KCB was the British army officer placed in command of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). He had enemies amongst the Canadian political and military elite and suffered disastrous casualties during operations in 1915. He was sidelined and eventually retired from service 
54.  Maj. Gibson wrote notes in his copy of Lt Bunbury’s published diary [zotpress items="6C9UZ7VX" style="harvard1"] (Author’s collection). The notes make it clear that the Bn was not supposed to cross the St Julien road
55.  2^nd Seaforth Highlanders (10^th Bde, 4^th Divn)
56.  Captain Frank Robinson
57. First Aid post
58.  Jack Johnson, an Afro-American, was reigning world heavyweight boxing champion until the 5^th of April 1915. His name became the nickname for a heavy German artillery shell that gave off a lot of black smoke when it exploded, typically the 21cm mortar and 15cm Howitzer shell
59. The 2^nd Seaforths were one of the five Bns in the 10^th Bde (4^th Divn) who had attacked on the 25^th 
60.  Cpl George O. Chadderton (4/1517, 200330) ‘A’ Coy; embarked for France with the Bn on 20 Apr 15. At a later date George was commissioned into the East Lancashire Regt
61.  Capt. Liddel (7^th NF), Capt. Norton Good 
62.  Sgt Nicholas Cornish(4/938) ‘A’ Coy embarked for France with the rest of the Bn on 20 Apr 15. Commissioned into the Machine Gun Corps
63.  Sgt S.W. Smith could be T.W. Smith 
64.  Vanheule Farm lay immediately to the right of the Weiltje-St Julien road -  St Julien Map: 10-28NW2 - Ref: C.17.d.3.6 
65.  Brig. Gen. James Foster Riddell (b.1862) originated from Otterburn, Northumberland. His father was John Riddell, of Roxburghshire. Riddell is recorded in the 1881 Census as an Infantry Private serving with the ….NF at “Grand Shaft Barracks, Western Heights, Dover,” Kent 
66. The Mount School in Northallerton?
67.  In common with many of the NF buried in the Salient his grave was subsequently lost. He is now commemorated in Tyne Cot cemetery 
68. The Regular 2^nd Dublin Fusiliers arrived in France in Aug 1914 as part of the BEF. They had been severely depleted after taking part in the ‘Retreat from Mons’ and Le Cateau, Battle of the Marne and the Aisne before even arriving in the Salient
69.  Maj. Scott Jackson (7^th NF) was the son of Daniel Jackson, the Hexham doctor 
70. Advanced Dressing Stations (ADS) were staffed by Field Ambulance Units and positioned close to the front line
71. L/Cpl William Ernest Woodman (4/1582) ‘A’ (Hexham) Coy
72. Pte Arthur John Herdman (4/1855) ‘B’ (Newburn) Coy
73.  Pte William Paxton (4/1719) ‘C’ Coy enlisted on the 1^st Sep 1914. Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres
74.  Pte Robert Scott (4/1883) from Stocksfield is commemorated on the Menin Gate, Ypres
75. 'D' Coy had lost three of its six officers
76. [zotpressInText item="{BPF9SFSU}"] and the Commonwealth Wargraves Commission (CWGC)
77.  Colonel Geoffrey Percy Thynne Fielding was commissioned into the Coldstream Guards in April 1888 
78. Within a matter of weeks censorship, would bring the publication of letters in newspapers to an end
79.  The Taube (Dove) was a type of aircraft used extensively by the German Army Air Service during the first year of the war, principally for reconnaissance purposes. Allied soldiers tended to label a variety of German aircraft types as ‘Taube’ well after their withdrawal from front line use 
80. Bellewaarde Farm - Zillebeke Map: M 28NW4 - Ref: I.12.a.6.0
81.  Divisional supply dumps were usually established at rail-heads some distance from the front line. From here the Divisional Supply Column brought the goods forward to unit supply dumps (refilling points). From here the supplies were the responsibility of the unit Quartermaster. Construction materials would be stockpiled at the RE supply dumps
82.  ‘The Base’ refers to the Infantry Base Depots (IBD) established in 1914 near the fishing village of Etaples, a few miles to the south of Boulogne 
83.  Pte Frank Lamb (4/1460) ‘D’ Coy subsequently reported for duty with the 3/4^th NF in Hexham on 19^th Aug 15. Admin Centre 25 Sep 15 
84.  Pte Peter Haley (4/1309) ‘D’ Coy subsequently reported for duty with the 3/4^th NF on 29^th June 15 
85.  Hellfire Corner was the name given to the point where the Ypres-Menin road crossed the Ypres-Roulers railway line. The Menin road was important route for the resupply of the front around Hooge and Bellewaarde. The crossing became notorious as a favourite spot for German artillery to concentrate on. It is now a roundabout 
86.  Col. Foster subsequently discovered that he had been suffering from German Measles
87.  Pte John B. Walton (4/1750) was posted to the 3/4^th NF ('A' Coy) on 21 Jun 15 
88.  On the 24^th of May the ruins of Turco farm were close to where the left flank of the British front line met the right flank of the French line, due north of Ypres. This was over a mile from the 4^th NF position south of Wieltje 
89.  The Cap Comforter was a scarf made from a tube of knitted wool, sewn up at both ends. Doubling the garment up, by pushing one end through the tube to the other end and then rolling it up produced a cap that could be worn under the steel helmet 
90.  A fire step, 2 or 3ft in height, was dug in the forward side of a trench so that soldiers could see and fire through the parapet 
91.  Despite the anger this attack stirred up, the truth of the matter was that the French had already used tear gas (1914) and the British Army immediately set about developing it own gas warfare capability and was to release Chlorine gas at the first battle of Loos in Sep 1915 
92. ‘Fleabag’ was the slang name for a sleeping bag
93.  Lt Henry Hogarth Bell,  the Bn transport officer
94.  Dysentry is caused by the shigella bacteria, which is found in faeces. The infection is spread through poor hygiene and affects the intestines resulting in diarrhoea containing blood or mucus
95. Home Bn refers to the 3/4^th (Home Service) NF based in Hexham
96.  Lt Cecil George Arkwright reported sick on the 23^rd of April. 2^nd Lt John Angus Bagnall, Henry Cheesmond, John Thomas Henderson, Tom Clough Lund. According to Maj.Bertand. D. Gibson’s notes this was also the day that Lt Percival Cox joined the Bn
97. Recommendations for medals, mention in dispatches etc
98.  Gen. Sir Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer was one of the most successful commanders during WW1
99. This was the opening of the Battle of Frezenburg which ran from the 8^th to the 13^th of May. This was the third of four subsidiary battles to the the Second Battle of Ypres (Gravenstafel 22-23 Apr, St Julien 24 Apr – 4 May, Frezenburg 8 – 13 May, Bellewaarde 24-25 May 15)
100.  Brig. Gen Fielding 
101. The 5^th (Cumberland) Border Regt joined the Northumberland Bde on the 5^th of May 1915 
102. Doctor’s Quinn, Metcalfe and Weir were Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) Officers attached to the Bn. Very little is known about Dr Quin 
103. Measles is still a highly infectious viral illness. Classic symptoms include a three day fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash of distinctive red-brown spots. The infection is spread through direct contact with an infected person or the droplets of saliva exhaled when coughing or sneezing. These droplets can survive and remain contagious, on surfaces for several hours.
104.  Maj. Stephenson reported for duty with the 3/4^th NF in Hexham and was appointed Bde Major on the 4^th Oct 15 
105.  Lt Bunbury’s diary suggests that for the first part of the journey to Poperinghe they were conveyed in a fleet of approximately one hundred London Omnibuses
106.  Henry Hogarth Bell 
107. The 27^th Divn at this time was comprised of the 80^th, 81^st & 82^nd Bdes
108. The 7^th Cavalry Bde comprised the 1^st  and 2^nd Life Guards and 1/1^st Leicestershire Yeomanry
109.  Major Bertrand Dees Gibson 
110. ‘Coal box’ was the British soldier’s slang name for a heavy German shell, usually 5.9-inch calibre, which gave off black smoke on detonation.(Anon., 1915).
111. unknown at this time
112. Pte R Dinning (4/1206) reported for duty with the 3/4^th NF 'A' Coy on 3 Jul 15 
113. Chateau des Trois Tours (photo in St Julien, p ) near Brielen
114. 4th Divn