DEATHLESS STORY OF 1914.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16147, 27 February 1918, Page 9

DEATHLESS STORY OF 1914.

MEN WHO SAVED CALAIS

There was popular rejoicing in Worcester in December, when the honorary freedom of the city was conferred upon Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Barnard Hankey, of tlio 2nd Battalion Worcestershire Regiment. One of tile most conspicuous and decisive achievements of the war stands to the credit of his battalion.

On Saturday, October 31st, 1914, ;n the first battle of Ypres. the Worcesters, led by Colonel Hankey. filled up the gap made by the ■ Germans at Gheluvelt, droro them out of the village at the point of the bavonet, and, by restoring tho British line, prevented tho enemy from breaking through to Calais. Colonel Hankev's home is at the WJi •to House, Red Hill. Worcester, and he has been in the Worcestershire Regiment for 23 years. A largo company representative of the City and County of Worcester attended at the Guildhall to see the ceremony. Colonel Ilankey, having been welcomed to the body of Freemen by Lord Coventry and Lord Beauchamp, gave an account of the gallant feat of tho Worcesters at Gheluvelt.

Ho said that the battalion had been 36 hours out of tho trenches. They were resting in a corner of Polygon W'ood, where there had been a desperate encounter a week before.

The Germans had broken through tho wood, and the Worcesters, in conjunction with the Highland Light Infantry, established the British line at its far edge. In that episode the Worcesters lost seven officers and 200 men. The spiritof tho men was wonderful. On October 31st the battalion consisted of 12 officers and nearly 500 rifles, which Mas then considered a strong force. Ho believed that they were the only battalion in the first and second divisions'which had not, so far, been engaged in the great battle on that day. They were a reserve of tho Second Division.

That morning he received a message from Brigadier-General FiteClarence, who was in command of the First Brigade of the Second Division.

Tiie generals in command of both divisions were wounded. It was not, therefore, a time for many orders. Brigadier-General FitzClarence explained the situation to him. He said that it was very bad, and that he had been personally to see how things stood, and had seen that all the reserves had been used up. He said that a gap had been made which must be filled up. The Worcesters were about a milo behind the line at the moment. Colonel Hankey said that ho had the ruined church of Gheluvelt in • the distance to indicate the way he should go, and the men set out.

What happened afterwards he should never forget. He could oply mention a few of the outstanding features of the charge. It occurred over three years ago, but ho felt as if it had happened only yesterday. It was ono thing to deploy a battalion at manoeuvres in times of peace, when there was no interruption and nothing to distract attention from the work in hand.

But how much more difficult it was to deploy a battalion when the guns of the enemy were making a deafening roar, wliich was added to by our own guns! But that was not all. Streams of wounded men were coming through as the Worcesters advanced, and other men, though not all wounded, were suffering from shell shock, as their glazed eyes indicated. When tho Worcesters got up they found that the South Wales Borderers were absolutely surrounded by tho enemy. Ho did not think that they had 150 men loft.

Then the Huns, bolted. The Worcesters established themselves along a line which extended into a part of Gheluvelt. By holding that fine they were able to give a breathing space to tho other troops, and that had the result of stopping the "rot." The line thus reorganised was held throughout the winter. The casualties of the Worcesters—three officers and 180 men—were light in view of the result achieved. What ho felt then, and what he felt now, was pride that he had the honour of leading such gallant men. What he wanted especially to bring out was their discipline. There were two things that made soldiers cheerful. One was a clear conscience. If they felt that they had dono their level best it did not matter what other people said about them. Tho second was that thc.y felt that those at home were doing their best to see them through.