The Boar's Head - 30th June 1916 - Southdowns in Action

The Eastbourne Gazette on 2nd August 1916, had these two reports of the action at 'Boar's Head'.

Southdowns in Action


Letter from Sergeant Rowsell


Writing from the V.A.D. Hospital, Fernlagul, Larkfield, near Maidstone on July 29th. Lance-Sergeant T.S. Roswell says:-

“As an old Eastbourian I have been a reader of your valuable paper for some years and I received it weekly in the trenches before I was wounded. I belong to one of the Southdowns Battalions of the Royal Sussex Regiment and am able to tell you that our long training in England enabled the men to become not only good fighters but good workers as well. If any trenches needed making or repairing by our division one of the ‘Southdowns’ Battalions was sure to get the job. With regard to the fighting, all were eager to go over the parapet to meet ‘Frtiz’ when the time came and the ‘Squareheads’ the other side of No Mans land soon learnt what they were up against. You were quite correct in your surmise that some day Sussex people will hear the official truths of what did actually occur and when that is known it will be seen that the Southdowns did their bit in the true British way. Before closing I would just mention that the editor of an influential London weekly once said, “The Southdowns will never fire shot in the Great War.”

Southdowns Capture Prisoners

Private T Hart, Royal Sussex Regiment, writing to his mother, Mrs Turner, 1 Salehurst Road, Old Town, Eastbourne describes the operation on June 30 as being “like hell”.

He says, “The bombardment was enough to drive us off our heads, but we took three lines of trenches and faced the shells as coolly as anything. I had the bottom of my rifle blown off, but I didn’t get a scratch myself. We were up to necks in mud. We gave them (the Germans) a few pills to go on with. We took several prisoners and all they could say was ‘Mercy, kamarade.’ Our colonel said we stuck it grandly. I think we have got them done for this time. I saw I lot of my chums fall by my side, but I was one of the lucky ones. It is your prayers that have saved my life mum,” concluded the writer, “and I thank God for it.”

The Boar's Head - 30th June 1916 - The Wounded Officers Letter – “The Men Were Magnificent”

This is another report in the Eastbourne Gazette on 19th July 1916. No name is given by the wounded officer, but his letter confirms the other reports without overemphasising the carnage of the attack.

The Wounded Officers Letter – “The Men Were Magnificent”

No warmer tribute to the splendid work of “Lowther’s Lambs” in the recent operation on the Western Front could be given than contained in a private letter by a wounded officer, who says:-

“The men were magnificent; there is no doubt about that. If the men in the rest of Kitchener’s Army are anything like the ‘Southdowns’ nothing will stop us now that we have made the right start.

Our divisional General said only a few days before the beginning of this great push, “You men (meaning the Southdowns) do not require leading, we know their reputation.” And he was right. When their officers and men fell on the survivors went, right through the hell of fire. ‘My Company (‘A’ Company of the 13th Royal Sussex) went 150 to 200 yards in the face of it with never a falter. It was a superb test.

The men were absolutely wonderful. Their training had fitted them for what they had to go through, and the pity of it is that so many had to fall to accomplish what they did.
We had not counted on the enemy being so prepared for our reception with heavy guns and machine guns. You can imagine what we had to go through.

“Corporal Parsons, an Eastbourne man who is missing, showed indomitable pluck , and all through the ‘Southdowns’ a similar spirit was apparent. No regular soldiers could have been finer.

Sergeant Baker, an old regular army man, is attached to the “Southdowns”. When his officer was knocked over he led the men on to the second line of German trenches. I heard him shouting, “Come on boys, here are the Huns!” This was followed by cries of ‘Kamarade’ from the German soldiers. But the blood of the ‘Southdowns’ was up, for the enemy had been bombing them only a few minutes before. Sergeant Baker showed a splendid example both to the N.C.O’s and men.”

“I had a narrow escape in this attack. I was wearing a Dayfield body shield and a bullet struck me just below the shoulder blade and about an inch below the top of the shield. It did not penetrate the shield but turned upwards and gouged its way out through the fleshy part of the shoulder."

"An amusing incident of the attack was recalled a few days ago when I visited a wounded sergeant of my company who is now in hospital. I had taken a little German prisoner who insisted upon following closely upon my heels. The sergeant recalling the fact said, ‘I could not help laughing when I saw that little German chap following you about the trenches like a lap-dog.’

I got rather tired of him following me about. There were a lot of rifles lying about and I did not know when this fact might occur to him. Finally, I showed him my revolver and pointed to our trenches in the distance, and he very soon took his departure there.

The Germans were more than willing to surrender when we got close to them, but they were throwing things at us when we did get close?”

Corporal Percy Parsons metioned above, of the ‘A’ Company, 13th Battalion had dodged a sick parade to ensure his part in the attack, died on the German wire. He was 37 and was married to Susanna Parsons, of 20, Lower Rd., Gore Park, Eastbourne. He is buried in CABARET-ROUGE BRITISH CEMETERY, SOUCHEZ.

The Boar's Head - 30th June 1916 - How The South Downs Fought - Eastbourne Hero

Reports continued to filter into the newspaper about the fighting on 30th June 1916. The Eastbourne Gazette on 26th July 1916 contained these reports.

The first is from a letter by Lieutenant Robinson where he writes about the heroism of CSM Nelson Carter who would later be posthumously awarded the V.C. for his actions during the battle.


"How the Southdowns Fought


Eastbourne Hero


Loses his life while rescuing comrades


In a private letter to a friend an Eastbourne officer, Lieutenant Harold C.T. Robinson, who is at home wounded, tells of the gallantry of a local soldier who lost his life in the great advance on the morning of June 30, while rescuing comrades who had fallen wounded over the parapet.

Lieutenant Robinson, who is the younger son of Mr. C. Wyndham Robinson, of Kya Lami, The Greys, Eastbourne, was the officer commanding A Company, 12th Royal Sussex Regiment and the soldier of whose heroism he speaks was Company-Sergeant Major N.V. Carter (formerly an attendant at Old Town, Cinema) whose widow resides at 33 Greys road. “He was a splendid type of soldier”. Writes Lieutenant Robinson “and had already been recommended for the Military Cross for gallantry before the incident of June 30. "
“Several men were lying wounded over the parapet and C.S.M. Carter went over many times under heavy fire to help carry them to safety. He succeeded in rescuing a number of them but was finally killed while engaged in the heroic work.”

“Another Eastbourne man notable for his pluck is Corporal E.A. Dewey (formerly doorkeeper at the Hippodrome theatre). Although he was suffering from a painful malady, he rose from his bed of sickness and insisted upon accompanying his comrades to the enemy’s trenches. ‘I’ve been with the boys all along’ he said ‘and I intend to go over the parapet with them.’ He was allowed to go, and did his duty well but he was badly wounded in several places and lost his right eye.’
“Corporal Dewey, who is 45 years of age and has a son at the front, had never seen service prior to the war, but joined up shortly after the outbreak in order to ‘do his bit.’

“Speaking of the Southdown’s generally and my own Company in particular, I have nothing but the highest praise for them. As soon as they heard that they were going to attack and knew at last they were to have the chance to do something, they were exceedingly keen and enthusiastic. We rehearsed the attack and the night spent in completing the arrangements.”

“At 2.50 am an intense bombardment by our artillery began and at 3.5 am – all our watches synchronised- the artillery lifted and infantry went over parapet. The enemy had replied to our bombardment with a terrific fire, but this mattered nothing. The men simply poured over wave after wave of them, with the results that you know, ‘the news that reached England next day that a ‘strong raiding party had reached the enemy lines.’

“From the number of killed and wounded Germans lying in the trenches and the great damage done to the trenches it is evident that the British artillery was very accurate.”

“A particularly gratifying feature of the attack and one which bore evidence to the splendid training of the men was the way in which the N.C.O’s took over the duties of the officers when they fell.”

“My Company was almost entirely composed of Eastbourne men, and although losses are to be regretted it must some slight consolation to bereaved friends to know that the men all do so splendidly. I have the greatest admiration for them all and could never wish to command a better company.”

The second report was a small piece by the Gazette itself, which correctly assesses where the battle took place and the failure of the bombardment to destroy completely the enemies’ wire.

The Scene of the Fighting


From statements which have reached us from various quarters it would seem that the Soutdowns were in action not near the Somme but a good many miles further north. Two battalions went first to the attack and the third battalion suffered less severely. Notwithstanding the prolonged bombardment the enemy’s wire remained intact in certain places and the Southdown’s suffered from machine gun fire. As the official lists show the casualties were heavy. The attack which was made may have been in the nature of a feint advance due to assist operations elsewhere, but it is not for us to do more than outline the facts which have come to our knowledge. "

The Boar's Head - 30th June 1916 - The South Downs Battalion

On 30th June 1916 the Southdowns Battalions took a major part in their first battle. It was a diversionary operation at the village of Richebourg L’Avoue in northern France. A set piece battle had been planned to straighten out the line of a German position known as Boar’s Head.

The first reports started to trickle back in early July 1916 together with the start of the Battle of the Somme which was further south. The casualties from the the Somme were enormous, in fact the 1st July 1916 was the worst day in the history of the British Army; 60,000 casualties either, dead, wounded or missing.

The Battle of 'Boar's Head' has today been largerly forgotten about, in fact many books about that time do not even mention it. The cost to the three South Downs Battalions and to the people of Sussex was terrible. The total causalities were 15 Officers and 364 other ranks killed or died of wounds and 21 Officers and 728 other ranks wounded. In total nearly 1,100. A conservative count of men killed coming from Eastbourne alone stands at 47, hardly a town in the county escaped without some casualties.

The Eastbourne Gazette on the 5th July 1916 carried the first reports as the wounded arrived .

Cheery Wounded

"Several of the men who arrived at Eastbourne on Sunday night have been serving in the Southdowns battalions of the Royal Sussex Regiment; and we hear that most of them were wounded in the fighting last Friday. They are all bright and cheerful. A gentleman who visited a hospital ward on Monday was spoken to by the men who said, “We are in disgrace today. We have been laughing ever since we have been in here.”
The ambulance brought 142 men – eighty cot cases and sixty-two sitting cases. "

A week later on 12th July 1916, the Eastbourne Gazette received more information from a wounded soldier.

Southdowns in Action

Terrific Artillery Fire on Both Sides

Eastbourne Man Wounded Twice

"In August 1914, Private Leonard P. Newham (eldest son of Mr. L.G Newham, a director of Bobby & Co, Ltd.) joined the band of the 11th (Southdown) Battalion of the Royal Sussex Regiment: and has been serving in France for several months. The strictness of military regulations precludes our giving the exact position of the troops engaged in the recent fighting. Private Newman, it appears, was wounded on July 1st and he seems to have written without delay a very cheery letter, from which it would seem that the Southdowns have emerged with credit from a severe ordeal.

“I am more than thankful that I escaped with this little lot. My wounds are only slight.
My word! It was a strafe! Our Brigade had a job to do and they did it, although the odds were against them. The artillery firing on both sides was simply terrific.
I was first wounded in the left forearm by a small piece of Shrapnel. While I was dressing a comrades wounds a shell burst somewhere near, and I stopped one piece with my right thigh.
Neither of my wounds was very serious. I dressed my leg and a sergeant did my arm, I fell in with Percy Clack (formerly of the cabinet department in Bobby & Co.’s) and walked with him till a piece of earth or something caught me and knocked nearly all the wind out of me.
I went up to the aid-post with two walking cases. The trench was smashed up in several places and was still being heavily shelled.
I proceeded to the advanced dressing station, and the enemy shelled that place, but no one was killed although on of the R.A.M.C. doctors received a wound in the head.
It was a marvellous thing that no more mischief was done, for dozens of men were lying practically helpless.
I met two or three of our fellows afterwards, and we all agreed it was the roughest time we had had.”

Private Newham is now in hospital at Colchester.

Mr. L.G. Newham second son (Sapper Hugh M. Newham) is serving in the Royal Engineers, and is in hospital at Maidenhead."

Private L.P Newham survived the war, Private Percy Clack the friend he mentions, (SD/156) died on 18th September 1918 aged 21 and is buried in STE. EMILIE VALLEY CEMETERY, VILLERS-FAUCON, France.