On This Day ... in 1914 & 1940
During the great German onslaught in the first battle of Ypres, Lieutenant James Anson Otho Brooke, of the 2nd Battalion The Gordon Highlanders, was sent across with a message from the right flank to the centre of the defence. He arrived just as the British were once more being driven back by the sheer weight of the enemies numbers.
Seeing that a general counter attack could not be organised to prevent the Germans breaking through, Brooke gathered a handful of men, consisting of servants, cooks and orderlies, from the rear: and amidst a storm of bullets from rifles and machine guns, dashed forward and recaptured a lost British trench.
Nearly all his men had fallen but returning to the support trenches to summon reinforcements, Brooke was killed. He was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.
At Festubert in France, 2nd Lieutenant Leach
and Sergeant Hogan
of 2nd Battalion, The Manchester Regiment, led a party of ten volunteers in a bayonet charge to recapture another trench taken by the Germans - two previous attempts had failed. They eventually secured the entire trench, killing or capturing all their opponents. Leach and Hogan were each awarded the Victoria Cross.
1940: The Luftwaffe mounted eight daylight attacks and sweeps. At night, London suffered less than usual, but Birmingham and Coventry were more heavily targeted.
Two Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve officers, Lieutenant Baker and Sub-Lieutenant Cummins, succeeded in recovering safely a German acoustic mine from the River Ogmore near Porthcawl, allowing its mechanism to be studied at HMS Vernon and counter-measures developed.
Comments
The mine fuse incident is recalled in the “Torpedomen” by Rear Admiral Poland. A good book that does a lot to explain who Naval bomb disposal came to be. It was edited by my Late Father in Law Cdr G Gutteridge OBE who also served at HMS Vernon during this period and was decorated for the East India Docks Bomb in the 50’s.
At the time the fuse protected by a photocell which had already put paid to at least one team. The mine was tackled at night and during a thunderstorm. As the cover was removed a flash of lightening occurred but failed to generate enough light to operate the switch. The photocell and the main fuse were both recovered. The photocell under examination was found to have been scarred by the flash of lightening.
As an aside the early designs of bomb fuses were all recorded at the London Patents office before the war yet apparently no one thought to check until late in 1940!
Posted by: Tim C | October 29, 2007 11:19 AM
In addition, all tools used by EOD teams were (and are) made of non-magnetic mateials to avoid setting off magnetic fuses.
COL Beausaber (whose company commander as Executive Officer of 9th Infantry Division Headquarters Company was an EOD Major)
Posted by: Beausaber | October 29, 2009 12:50 AM