Ypres 1914
Gheluvelt
31st October 1914
Geluveld, as it is now spelled, has become a town that if it is reached at all by the average battlefield tourist, it is only by chance, whilst they are on their way to somewhere more interesting.
Coming out the N8 main road from Ieper we pass Hooge, scene of mine warfare and flame thrower attacks, behind it on the right is the Canadian Memorial at Hill 62. A little further is Clapham Junction with its two monuments and the point at which you turn left to head towards Polygon Wood and Black Watch Corner. Or you can turn right and head down towards Zillebeke and Hill 60.
A few kilometres further down the N8 and Geluveld is reached. If you continue through the town, the road starts to dip down the far side of the spur. Here on either side of you was fought one of the most important engagements of the Great War.
The British Official History goes as far as to state :
The line that stood between the British Empire and ruin was composed of tired, haggard and unshaven men, unwashed, plastered with mud, many in little more than rags.
If they had been Vikings there would probably be songs as well to commemorate the day.
Geluveld commands the main road into Ieper from the south-east and despite the loss of Zandvoorde (to the south) it was essential for the British to hold fast. From here they could observe the Germans’ movements.
The British defensive line crossed the main road about four hundred metres past the church. Here the trenches were held by the 2nd Bn Welch Regiment of 3rd Brigade. Off to their right was 1st Bn Queen’s Regiment and part of 2nd Bn KRRC holding the area around Oude Zandvoordestraat. In front of the Queen’s was a small orchard that was held by two platoons.
Further south were two Companies from the 1st Bn Loyal North Lancashire Regiment and a detachment from the 2nd Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers who had just relieved the other half of the Loyals.
North of the Welch Regiment were the 1st Bn South Wales Borderers near Geluveld château from where 1st (Guards) Brigade held the line as it curved back towards Polygon Wood, there the line was held by the 1st Bn Black Watch.
The loss of Geluveld
Following a night of sporadic shelling and sniper fire the Germans launched their infantry assault at just after 0600 hours. Almost everywhere they were thrown back with heavy losses, but critically part of the orchard held by a platoon of the KRRC was captured.
Imagine three sides of a rectangle facing south-east, held by the Queen’s and KRRC. The orchard was situated just out of the bottom corner and allowed the Germans to get close and fire upon the flank of the trenches. Even so the Germans could get no closer than a hundred or so metres of the Queens’ trenches.
Having failed to take the position by infantry assault the Germans resorted once again to their artillery.
Even after months of bloody losses, both sides were still of the impression that will-power and fighting spirit were enough to carry the day. Despite their superiority in artillery the Germans (thankfully for the Allies) constantly tried to rush the opposing trenches as opposed to blowing them to pieces first — which they were about to do.
Within an hour and a half the trenches held by the Welch Regiment on the main road had been rendered impossible to hold and Lt Colonel Morland having personally informed the SWB on his left and sent messages to the Queen’s on his right, ordered his men to retire to their support line.
The support line, however, was also in full view of the Germans and that too had to be abandoned. Geluveld was open for the taking.
By the time that the Queen’s received the message that the Welch were pulling back it was too late. Their left flank had been exposed and by 1000 hours seven German battalions were advancing against the village from both sides of the main road. At the same time the three battalions of the 105 (Saxon) Infantry Regiment attacked the remnants of the Queen’s and KRRC.
Following on behind these ten battalions was the 16 Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment.
A tide of feldgrau rose and crashed against the British defences, the Germans were aware that the Kaiser himself was not far away and were determined to do themselves proud. But, for an hour they were held back. Volley after volley broke their charges and the Germans wrote afterwards that they had been met by a wall of machine-gun fire when in reality it was simply rapid fire from desperate men.
Their infantry assault having stumbled, the Germans brought up field guns into close range and that ended the heroic stand. Here and there the line was infiltrated and by now Geluveld was aflame and German infantry had made their way into the village.
The remains of the six companies holding the southern side of the road were surrounded, an attempt to fall back on the reserves found that the reserves had long since been forced to retire. An effort by three companies of the 1st Bn Gloucestershire Regiment and the remnants of the Welch to reach the Queen’s was beaten off by shellfire.
Two officers and twelve soldiers of the 1st Bn Queen’s Regiment managed to escape the encirclement and the 2nd Bn KRRC were reduced to 150 men.
With Geluveld all but taken by 1300 hours and the orchard salient crushed, the Germans now concentrated on the four hundred or so men of the 1st Bn Loyal North Lancashire Regiment and 2nd Bn Royal Scots Fusiliers who were holding a series of fire-pits (better known as a hole in the ground) over a front of about seven hundred metres.
Although subjected to some artillery and rifle fire they had hardly been engaged all morning. By early afternoon though they had been cut off from the rest of the army. Few survived to be captured.