Le Cateau 26th August 1914

On the same day I travelled to Ors, I also visited Le Cateau. It was here that the BEF ll Corps staged a delaying action against the German army. The were exhausted and needed to slow the German advance down. It was dubbed by some “The battle which saved the British army”. General Smith-Dorrien commander of ll Corps decided to stop, stand and fight.

I was most interested in the 52nd Battery of the XV Artillery Brigade. This brigade and battery are special to me as my Great, Great Grandfather serving with them until early 1916 and was at Le Cateau.

Overall their mission was to slow down the oncoming German Army allowing the balance of the BEF to continue retreating and also to take the pressure off their exhausted soldiers and horses. One group of artillery that took a real thrashing were the artillery battalions of the 5th division who were positioned on the right flank of the battlefield, just left of Le Cateau.

Orders were given to the battalions to stand their ground. The advancing German Army took the high ground (Point 150) on Montay Spur. The Artillery for the 5^th Division fired at the gun flashes from the German guns. The German batteries were able to range in the British RFA positions and caused many casualties within the British Batteries. The Artillery was position near the front line which is unusual as it risks losing the guns if overrun.

Enfalading fire from the Germany Army hit the 28^th and 15^th Brigade RFA as well as the 37^th Howitzer battery. They sustained heavy losses. The official history of the War stated… “caused considerable losses: salvos of shells crashed down on gun after gun in succession, but the gunners stood to their work, and the supply of ammunition never failed”.

The German army had now infiltrated the town of Le Cateau pushing the 1^st DCLI and 1st East Surreys into a fighting retreat. The 2^nd Suffolks, 2^nd Manchesters and 1^st Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders were sent to help the artillery. This gave the gunners the chance to retreat and escape the carnage as well as save some of the guns.

52 Battery was located just on the south side of the Montay to Ruemont Road (D932). Around a mile southwest of the from the current Le Cateau Military Cemetery.

There were five Victoria Crosses awarded at Le Cateau, with three for saving the guns. Capt Douglas Reynolds managed to save two guns of the 37th Battery RFA and asked for volunteers to return to try and save another two. Driver Fred Luke and Job Drain, volunteered and the three of them returned to the front line. They were under heavy gun fire from only 100 yards away and managed to rescue one of the remaining guns. All three survived the battle. Capt Reynolds was killed in February 1916 during an actioned when he was hit by gas. Fred Luke survived the war and ws the oldest holder of a VC until he died in 1983, aged 87. Job Drain, also survived the war and died in 1975.

Luckily my Great Great Grandad 15846 Bombardier James McMillan was one of the lucky ones and was able to hook up his 18 pounder and get away back to safety and continue the retreat.

Many of the graves at Le Cateau are dated 1918, as the British Army had to re-visit the town and capture it before the action at Ors. This was the opposite to 1914. The German Army had just had their Spring Offensive and now were in retreat during the 100 day push, which would end back in Mons on the 11th November 1918. There were over 7,000 British casualties at Le Cateau, with a large number being prisoners of war. There is a debate over these numbers with those killed maybe being as low as 700. They did also lose 38 guns. Many of the dead would have been buried by the German Army and may have been lost as the town was not retaken until 1918.