Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

This is one of the Neulings that Mavis is enquiring about. Please can anybody tell her about this medal card.

Private Newling was in the Scots Guards and crossed to active service in France on 24Nov 1914. This almost certainly means that he was a regular soldier, or a reservist called back for war service.
He earned the 1915 Star, Victory and British War Medals.
'died' may mean that he died of illness, but I'll
look elsewhere.
D

John Newling was killed in action on 25 Jan 1915 and has no known grave. He is named on the Memorial to the Missing at Le Touret, Pas de Calais. 156 members of the Scots Guards died on that day.
The publication Soldiers Died In The Great War shows his birthplace as Liverpool.
There is a chance that his army records have been kept by the Scots Guards at their HQ at Birdcage Walk, London SW1, which may cost £30.
D

Thank you #31 I dont know your name but I have been wondering about John for many years, so young to die but he wanted to serve his country and I am very proud of him ---- I'm sure he changed the spelling of his name to Newling so as not to sound German, I know this happened almost 100 years ago but I am having a good cry right now, I remember my grandmother Catherine Neuling having a picture of John in his uniform on her wall I sure wish I could find who in the family ended up with his picture.

thanks again #31, Mavis

No picture in the local papers.

Thanks #31 - known to us all as "Daggers" who is one of our most helpful forum members on military matters.

Also thanks Katie for checking your database.

Mavis
I have been googling and found that 25 Jan 1915 was officially named 'First Action of Givenchy'.
Here is an account of it:
'The  British sector was  East of Cuinchy, the front line running some 800 yards to the East of the roofless walls of Cuinchy church and a similar distance South from the La Bassee canal to the Bethune to La Bassee road at which point the French Tenth Army held the line to the south.  The line occupied formed a pronounced salient, for from the canal it ran forward towards the railway triangle, which was in the possession of the enemy, and then back to the main road.  The country was absolutely flat with the Bethune-La Bassee railway running on an embankment along the south bank of the canal and parallel to the canal until the triangle formed by the junction with another line going south through Vermelles.  The flat ground near Cuinchy was covered by brick stacks, big cubical heaps of bricks about 12 square yards and 16 feet high still standing in the position in which they were burnt.  Each had a hollow in the centre at ground level which contained the fire with flues through the structure by means of which the fumes escaped.  The bricks were packed in such a way that there remained minute spaces between each so that the mass was very elastic and practically impervious to shell-fire.  The brick stacks, about 30 in total, constituted a formidable obstacle in attack and an extremely useful shelter in defence. Most were within German lines with others lying inside British territory. From a group of brick stacks, a keep or small redoubt had been constructed about 500 yards East of Cuinchy through which a partially prepared second line of the defences ran.  The keep had been constructed by linking up four brickstacks with walls of loose bricks to form a square fort with the brickstacks at each corner.    The railway Triangle was of importance to the Germans, giving the enemy a fort he could hold and the utilization of the embankments.

The trenches at Cuinchy had not been completed; the communication trenches were bad and the fire trenches full of water and were insufficiently supported and too far from the reserve.  There was heavy rain all night.  On the 24th January the Germans shelled the position most of the day with their heavy guns – most of the fire being directed on Pont Fixe making it impossible for working parties to attempt to improve the trenches.  They had been undermined by the enemy ever since the 5th January, a fact of which no one was aware.

The Scots Guards held the sector from the Bethune/La Bassee road to a point where the Keep was, with platoons in the Keep, the fire-trenches and dug-outs in support, the 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards holding the remaining part up to the Canal.

At 0630 on the 25th January 1915 a German deserter stated to an officer commanding a Company of the Scots Guards that in an hour the enemy would begin a bombardment, and then fire mines blowing up the British trenches, after which there would be an assault.

At 0730 that morning heavy fire broke out along the front, the German attacks commencing with the explosion of a mine in the trench held by No. 4 Company of the Coldstream Guards under Captain Campbell.  The first line of trenches were consequently rushed by the Germans.  No. 1 Company on the embankment by the La Bassee Canal held its ground and No. 2 Company under Lieutenant Viscount Acheson held on to the keep and brick stacks and repelled the German attacks.

The first mine explosion was followed by more at different points, the salient was blown in by these simultaneous explosions and the enemy rushing in got possession of it. Men began to retire from the trenches east of the Keep, and it was reported that the enemy was approaching the Keep from both the North and the South.  Some of the Supports from the Scots Guards who had been to the North came into the Keep as well as some men from the Coldstream Guards from the left trenches.  Some troops from both the Scots and Coldstream Guards were organised into a line facing north and north-east across the tramway running north from the Keep which was handed over to Lieutenant Viscount Acheson of the Coldstream Guards and the firm resistance prevented the Germans from surrounding the Keep from the north or pressing on to Cuinchy village.  Whilst the situation to the North was relatively secure there had opened a gap between the south of the Keep and the French beyond the La Bassee road when, with the Germans massing opposite this gap, reinforcements arrived and the position was secured by platoons of the Scots Guards with help from the French to the south and two companies of the London Scottish ordered up by Brigadier-General Lowther commanding 1st Brigade. The remnants of the Coldstream Guards and of the Scots Guards fell back to the second line, and endeavoured to check the German inroad.  Reinforcements furnished by the three remaining battalions of the Brigade (the Black Watch, Cameron Highlanders and London Scottish) and a battalion from divisional reserve, were soon on the scene and as they arrived they prevented a further hostile advance.  But the enemy having established himself among the brick-stacks, was even able to penetrate to the west, (Cuinchy side), of the keep and on either side of it.  The keep however where a party of the Scots Guards were posted under Major Romilly, D.S.O., and into which No 2 Company of the Coldstream Guards under Lieutenant Viscount  Acheson eventually retired, was held safe.  No. 1 Company moreover under 2nd Lieutenant C. G. Mills, repulsed an attack near the embankment;  and 2nd Lieutenant T.A. Tapp did great execution with a machine-gun, firing more than 7,500 rounds into the swarming German masses and effectually cooling their enthusiasm.  At 1 p.m. a counter-attack was organized under Colonel Stewart, Black Watch, and ultimately the enemy was forced back, while the British held a somewhat broken line from the canal to the keep and thence to the main road.  The French near this road had also been driven back, but not as far as the British right, and they were thus exposed in flank, but the enemy did not press his advantage home.  During the night the 2nd Brigade replaced the 1st (Guards) Brigade who, having lost heavily, were withdrawn to Bethune into reserve.'

There will be other accounts, and there is probably an official history of the Scots Guards, if you want to dig deeper into the sad tale.

Daggers

Wow, a very comprehensive reply, thanks D.

Daggers you brought me to tears, what brave men they were, I would like for you to give me any account that you can find, I will document all this for my family, it seems every generation brings a new wave of brave men and women and most of the information is tucked away in files, we have ladies like you to bring these sad stories to us, thanks again, Mavis

Mavis
There is a very useful site giving huge amounts of detail on aspects of the Great War.
http://www.1914-1918.net/greatwar.html
On the opening page, look on the right side and click onThe Great War.
The next page has a list of the Commander in Chief's dispatches. If you select the sixth you will find an overview of 25th January 1915.

I expect you will find lots to explore. There is also a link there to the Great War Forum.
Best wishes
Daggers
(male!)

Change out of your skirt Daggers

SORRY Daggers I didnt see a picture so I "guessed" it will Not happen again, I will check the sites out you gave and see what I can come up with, Thank you for the information you did give me, Mavis

Mary
You missed me when I wore a kilt, many moons ago!
D

Wish there was a wolf whistle button on here

Hello Daggers, just wanted to let you know I checked the other sits over about the First Action of Givenchy and I didnt find much more information ---- the account of the battle you sent me is the best I have found, another thank you Mavis

Hello Daggers,
I finally got to talk to my cousin Herman Neuling in Scotland the other day and told him all the information about our Uncle John you had found for me, he told he had a medal of John's --- I told him about the battle where he died and I think I will write it down and send him a copy, to think its almost 100 years ago and we are just finding out things about our family, just wanted to say thanks again, Mavis

Reading that account of the First Action of Givenchy posted by Daggers reminded me of the final moments of the Blackadder series which brilliantly portrayed the monstrous futility the over-the-top mentality of the generals.
http://youtu.be/7DGa9xHGB0c

It still moves me to tears whenever I watch it.

It was quite a stunning moment wasn't it, don't think we were expecting it.