Remembering Neuve Chapelle

Today marks the anniversary of the start of the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, in which the 2nd Scottish Rifles suffered heavy casualties taking and holding their objectives. This is a copy of a speech by the then Commander in Chief of the British Expeditionary Force, Sir John French, to the 2nd Battalion at an inspection on 12th April 1915. A copy of the speech was recorded in the 2nd Battalion’s War Diary, and also in the Digest of Service kept by the Regimental Depot in Hamilton.

Copy of speech given to 2nd Scottish Rifles by Sir John French following the Battle of Neuve Chapelle

It reads:

“Second Battalion Scottish Rifles – I come here as Commander-in-Chief of the force to express to you my heartiest gratitude for the splendid part which you took in the Battle of NEUVE CHAPELLE in the middle of last month. I know what a terrible time you had – I know what awful losses you suffered.  I know the gallantry you displayed on that occasion has never been surpassed by a British soldier.  You came up against the enemy’s wire, and although the artillery was unable to get at it you showed the utmost bravery and gallantry.

I deeply regret the terrible losses you suffered on that occasion, 22 officers being killed or wounded.  The officer commanding your splendid Battalion, Colonel Bliss, being amongst the losses.  Everyone in the regiment will deeply regret this loss.  I am sure your officers will always lead you on, it may be to die, but follow them right gallantly; as I know you will. I am sure at the same time you will all feel what your officers have done for you, leading you as they have done, but still at the same time the officers on their part felt they had splendid and gallant men who would follow them anywhere, and had every confidence in them.

That is the one great thing – the mutual confidence which exists between leaders and men.

I cannot say more.  I feel deeply what you have done for us by your courage and your gallantry. I am certain one of your old officers, Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood, will be proud of the work you have done. You have many noble honours on your Colours: none are finer than NEUVE CHAPELLE which will soon be added to them.”

Between 10th and 14th March, the 2nd Scottish Rifles had 13 officers killed or died of wounds, with a further nine wounded. Only one officer emerged from the battle unscathed, Second Lieutenant W. F. Somervail, who was awarded the Military Cross for his actions during the Battle. Having survived Neuve Chapelle, Somervail was killed only a month before the War ended. From among the rank and file 112 men are recorded in the War Diary as being killed in action, with a further 21 men missing, and 314 men wounded. Included in the rank and file casualties were 29 sergeants or lance sergeants killed or wounded.

The Le Touret Memorial to the missing c.1934, where many of the men who were killed at Neuve Chapelle are commemorated.

10th March would later become known as Neuve Chapelle day in the Regiment, and was usually marked by a service or parade. In 1928 one of the training platoons of recruits formed at the Regimental Depot at Hamilton Barracks was named Neuve Chapelle Platoon in honour of the part played by the 2nd Scottish Rifles in the Battle.

As Sir John French predicted, NEUVE CHAPELLE would become one of the 10 main battle honours chosen by The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) to commemorate the Regiments involvement in the First World War.

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Two pals at War

These photographic postcards show two pals from Glasgow, William Wilson (seated on left) and Alexander Harris (standing on right) during the First World War. Soldiers often had photographs like these taken as souvenirs to send home to their families.

William and Alexander enlisted into the British Army in November 1914, and were both posted to the 10th Battalion Scottish Rifles. The 10th Battalion was a Service Battalion of The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), raised as part of Lord Kitchener’s ‘New Army’. On enlistment Alexander was given the regimental number 17097, and William given 17098, suggesting they enlisted together.

In the left photograph, William and Alexander are wearing ill-fitting scarlet jackets; uniform that was largely out of fashion by the time of the First World War. This suggests the image dates to late 1914 or early 1915, when the rapidly expanding army was faced with severe shortages of uniform and equipment resulting in new recruits being issued with old, obsolete uniform from stores. Both men are bare-headed, suggesting that there was no headdress available. The photographer’s negative number, 4798, is recorded in the bottom left corner of the photograph.

An officer of the 9th Scottish Rifles, another battalion of Kitchener’s Army, described the problems faced in clothing and equipping these new battalions:

“We had absolutely nothing in the way of uniform or equipment or anything else. In spite of that we started marching quite soon, as one of the first things to do was to get the men as fit as possible. I think that broomsticks, instead of rifles, were the first equipment that we learnt to drill with. Then a certain amount of uniform started to arrive. This was all old full dress uniform from every kind of unit, and you got a most extraordinary selection on parade. You’d see a man for instance in a rifle tunic and tartan trews, wearing a straw hat, next to somebody else in a red coat and some civilian trousers. At all events the men were clothed – in a way. The next stage was khaki and everybody got fitted out, not so very long after.”

Captain (later Lt-Col) R. M. S. Baynes, quoted in A Tale of Two Captains

In the right photograph, William and Alexander are now wearing khaki Service Dress jackets and trousers, along with Glengarry headdress complete with the cap badge of The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). Now identifiable as Cameronians, the two friends have a new photograph taken to mark the occasion. They return to the same studio, with the same background as in the first photograph, and adopt similar poses. The negative number on this photograph is 6102.

Dressed in new khaki uniforms, and finally equipped with the correct service rifles, the 10th Scottish Rifles embarked for France on 10th July 1915 on board SS Victoria. They would remain on the Western Front for the duration of the War. Their first real experience of battle was at Loos in September 1915 where, along with the other battalions of the 15th Scottish Division, they would suffer heavy losses.

Alexander Harris was killed in action on 27th January 1916 – the anniversary of the Kaiser’s birthday. The German forces opposite the 10th Scottish Rifles celebrated the Kaiser’s birthday with a heavy bombardment of the British trenches, followed by an attack later that evening. The attack was repulsed but the heavy artillery bombardment resulted in several casualties, Alexander being among them. The whereabouts of Alexander’s grave is unknown, and he is commemorated on the Loos Memorial.

William Wilson survived the First World War. By August 1916 he had been transferred to the 11th Scottish Rifles and served with that battalion in Salonika. At the end of 1918 he was seriously ill with malaria, and was transferred to the Army Reserve on 19th March 1919.

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