War Stories of the Rich and Famous

A question about this map from a post about the Canadians at Second Ypres led to the fascinating story of two grandfathers in the Great War. Steve McKenna contacted me and mentioned his brother-in-law Andrew Leach had spied the village of Wieltje on the map and wanted to chat.

Steve has been a buddy since Grade 9 and the main catalyst for us both attending the Royal Military College (RMC) in Kingston, and our subsequent careers in the Air Force. Steve’s sister Sharon married Andrew Leach; a British Bobby turned Toronto Policeman. Their house in Toronto became a staging spot for our first-year escapes from RMC. Andrew tells the story of taking us to Union Station on our way back from leave and racing through the station with our Capes flying to catch the last train back to Kingston.

Andrew had a letter from the Platoon commander of his Grandfather Robert Phillips that referred to action at Wieltje and asked me if I was interested. Of course, I said yes, and received details of Andrew’s Grandfathers Frederick Leach and Robert Phillips.

Andrew Leach

Andrew was born in 1944 in Middlesex, England to Douglas Leach and Violet Victoria Phillips. Andrew was the younger brother of Robin Leach, best known as host of The  Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous in the 80’s and 90’s, hence the post title.

Robert Phillips

Robert James Phillip was born in 1883 in Exeter, Devon, son of Henry Phillips and Anne Southwood. Robert was one of 11 children. Robert was Baptized on 19 July 1883 at the All Hallows on the Walls Anglica Church in Exeter.

In the 1911 census, Robert is listed as Married to Lucy Louisa Gillard and was working as a Tannery Labourer. Their son Alfred was 2 months old, having been born 21 January 1911. They would also have a daughter Violet Victoria born 22 October 1913.

 Given his service number, Robert likely served in the army prior to the war. Service Number 7685 for the Rifle Brigade, indicated Robert would have been 17 or 18 when joined up in 1900 or 1901. He would likely have joined on a short service agreement and served 5 years and been in the reserves for a period of time, subject to recall in times of mobilization. Robert was 31 when sailed with the Brigade to France on 23 August 1914, indicating he had prior service and was integrated back into the regular battalion.

The 1st Battalion of the Rifle Brigade was part of the 11th Brigade, 4th Division of the British Expeditionary Force. Originally, the 4th Division was held back to provide defence of Great Britain, but it was quickly decided they were required in France, so began movement a few weeks after the initial deployment of 1st and 2nd Corps.

Battle of Le Cateau

The Rifle Brigade arrived in Le Cateau on the morning of 25 August and all day watched troops of the 3rd and 5th Division who had retreated from Mons straggling through the Rifles’ formation. The Brigade finally reached their position south of Fontaine-au-Pire (red oval) at 0200 on 26 August.

Battle of Le Cateau

The plan was to continue the retreat at 0600 the next day, but at 0200 2nd Corps Commander Gen Smith-Dorrien was informed that the Germans would be on them before they could move, so he made the decision to stand and fight. The battalion stood to at 0400 and engaged the Germans in cultivated corn fields. The Germans attacked with artillery and machine gun fire before launching infantry attacks around 1000.

German Infantry Assault

The Rifle Brigade held their positions against repeated assaults, but breaks in the line exposed the 11th Brigade to enfilade fire from 3 sides, so around 1500 they fought a rear-guard action, covering the withdrawal of the other Brigades before finally withdrawing along with the remains of the 3rd and 5th Divisions.

The losses of the First Battalion on August 26th amounted to eight officers and some three hundred and fifty other ranks. The BEF suffered 7,800 casualties in total, including 720 in Henry Goodfellow’s 2nd Battalion Suffolk Regiment.

Battle of the Marne

Along with remainder of the BEF, over the next several days, the Rifle Brigade retreated to the east of Paris, and finally pushed the Germans back at the Battle of the Marne. They chased the Germans back to the River Ainse on 14 September, finally getting a period of rest. In the twelve days of the retreat the Battalion had covered one hundred and fifty-six miles — all but ten on foot.

The Race to the Sea was a series of manoeuvres where one army tried to outflank the other and effectively established the battle lines of the Western front. The 1st Battalion was involved in a number of minor actions with the Germans, ending up at Ploegstreet Woods south of Ypres, where they remained until 1915.

First Gas Attack

On 22 April 1915, the Germans launched the first gas attack and made a severe dent in the British Lines. The Battalion was moved up to Wieltje on 25 April and spent a week in the front lines under heavy shell fire. The Battalion suffered 50 killed, 190 Wounded, 23 Missing and 102 Shell Shocked for the month of April, an indication of the heavy fighting.

Battle of Frezenberg 08 MAY 1915

The Rifle Brigade was out of the line from 04 to 08 May and were advancing when the Germans attacked at Frezenberg. They went into the new line on 08 May at Mousetrap (Shelltrap) Farm — a group of buildings surrounded by water, on the high ground north of Wieltje overlooking St. Julien and the valley of the Steenbeek. The trenches did not actually pass through the farm which was held as a double platoon post some thirty yards in advance and to the right of the front line. The 1st Rifle Brigade is shown on the left of the map, just before they moved into the front lines.

The Battalion continually worked on their trenches in an attempt to keep them intact. Their position was continually shelled and on 10 May Private Robert Phillips was killed by an artillery shell. In May 1915 alone, the Battalion had suffered 487 casualties, killed, wounded, shell-shocked or missing.

Death of Robert Phillips

Robert’s wife Lucy received a letter from his Platoon Commander after Robert’s Death. The transcription as well as the original letter are included.

                                                                                                                                25 May 1915

Dear Mrs. Phillips

                I had been away sick from the company, when I came back and heard of your husband’s death, I was very much grieved to hear it and more sorry still for you. He was one of my very best men in the platoon and I was very fond of him. He was a fine soldier and a brave man and constantly refused promotion to give younger men a chance. I know he died absolutely without pain.

The Captain joins me in condolences and praise of your brave husband.

                A shell exploded in his trench which was situated north of small village called Wieltje and killed him instantly. May God help you to bear your trouble for it is a great loss.

                Yours very sincerely

                B Gibbs, 2Lt.

I looked to see if 2Lt Gibbs survived the war. Sadly, he was killed on 06 July1915 and is buried in Talana Farm Cemetery north of Ypres. He received the Medal of Courage and was Mentioned in Dispatches.

Robert’s death was reported in the 04 June 1915 issue of the Devon and Exeter Gazette.

Robert has no known grave and is commemorated on Panel 48 of the Menin Gate at Ypres. He would have received the 1914 Star, colloquially known as the Mons Star, the Victory Medal and the British War Medal.

Robert and Lucy had two children Albert, born 21 January 1911 and Violet Victoria born 22 October 1913. Violet, Andrew’s Mother, never knew her father and never spoke of him. The War Gratuity document indicated that his wife Lucy received a little over 9 pounds as a survivor benefit.

Andrew happened on the letter and other documents while clearing out his mother’s house or this story would never have been known.

Frederick Leach

Frederick Leach was born on 19 January 1890 in Swindon, Wiltshire England, son of George Frederick Leach (born 1841) and Edith Sophia Pigeon, seventh of 12 children. Fredrick also had 4 step siblings from his father’s previous marriage.

Frederick joined the 1st Battalion Wiltshire Regiment in 1908. The 1911 Census shows Frederick with the Battalion in South Africa. This deployment lasted until 1913. Upon their return to England, the Wiltshires were based at Tidworth Camp, Wiltshire. The Wiltshires were part of the 7th Brigade, 3rd Division and sailed to Rouen on 14 August 1914. Frederick would have been 24.

The regiment travelled to Aulnoye by train on 16 August, then marched a total of 65 miles over the next 6 days (including two training route marches) arriving in Ciply, just south of Mons of 22 August (blue oval). Frederick would have been 24 when he entered battle.

Battle of Mons

The Battle of Mons was the first engagement of the war for the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). The Germans attacked on 23 August with the Wiltshires in reserve with the 7th Brigade. The British had agreed to hold the line for 24 hours to cover the French withdrawal on their right flank. The next day the Germans had crossed the Mons Canal, and the Wilts conducted a fighting withdrawal suffering 25 casualties and the Commanding Officer’s horse. The Wiltshires marched 15 miles on the 24th and 23.5 miles on the 25th. Gen Smith-Dorrien decided that 2nd Corps could not carry on retreating under fire, so decided to make a stand near Le Cateau.

The Wilts occupied a ridge just north of Caudry, at the most forward position in the centre of the line (blue oval). Although the two grandfathers would not have known each other, they fought side by side at Le Cateau. The Germans attack focused on the flanks, so the Wilts were less severely affected. Nevertheless, they suffered almost 100 casualties and were able to withdraw without further attacks on the battalion. In contrast, the 2nd Suffolks on the right of the line suffered 720 casualties, effectively wiping out their battalion. The stand at Le Cateau was credited with saving the British Expeditionary Force.

Retreat to Paris

The BEF continued to retreat until the Wiltshires reached Chartres south of Paris on 04 September, having marched more than 220 miles since getting off the train in Aulnoye on 16 August. The Germans were finally halted on the River Marne, less than 30 miles from Paris. The French and British were able to stem the tide and for the first time force the Germans to withdraw. The Wiltshires immediately started moving back north and on 05 October, they were back at the River Aisne where they had been more than a month previously.

By 11 September, the Wilts were at Vailly for nine days. There was constant shelling, patrols and attacks. By the time the regiment was relieved from the front line on 24 September, they had suffered 374 casualties since arriving in France.

Battle of Le Bassee

In mid October, the Division was moved north to around Neuve Chapelle in Northern France. The Wilts were attacked on the 21 and 22 October near Haplegarbe and after holding off the Germans, the Wilts moved to a location west of Neuve Chapple. The Germans outnumbered the British 11 Battalions to 4 and pressed the attack on Neuve Chapple for the next several days. The Wilts fought fiercely holding off repeated attacks until finally withdrawing from direct contact with the Germans. The Wilts suffered an additional 365 casualties in the four days of fighting around Neuve Chappelle.  The regiment was moved north to the Ypres area with 5 Officers and only 200 men remaining.

1st Battalion Wiltshire Regiment Losses

The losses of the 1st Battalion during the early days of the war were staggering. They entered France with 27 officers and 977 men. By 01 November they had suffered 26 Officer and 1000 men losses in action or sick, basically an entire battalion. Through reinforcements and returns from being wounded the strength on 01 November was 14 officers and 527 men.

Bellewaarde Ridge

The regiment moved to Hooge, just east of Ypres and spent the winter cycling in and out of the front-line trenches.  On 12 March 1915, while the main BEF was engaged at Neuve Chapelle in Northern France, the unit was involved in a diversionary attack at Spanbroek Molen south of Ypres, suffering almost 100 casualties in a one-day conflict. The Wilts spent the next several months south of Ypres with relatively little action.

The regiment went back to Hooge in early June and engaged in attacks on Bellewaarde Ridge, suffering more than 200 casualties with little progress. The next few months were spent around Hooge where the trenches were very close together and constant shelling took place.

Frederick Leach DCM

The Wiltshire’s War Diary for 31 August 1915 reads:

Quiet Day. Work was done in the advanced trench round the stables and in 1st retrenchment. At one point the German trenches run very close to ours. Parties of the enemy were observed putting out barbed wire. Some was laid on our parapet by the Germans who approached within 2 yards of our advanced posts. They apparently were not aware that we held it. Orders had been given not to fire and attract attention as our working parties were digging in very exposed places. Casualties: 1 wounded.

On 31 August 1915, Frederick Leach was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) for rescuing a comrade who was buried by a shell explosion. The DCM citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry on the 31st of August 1915, at Hooge. During the Bombardment of the trenches, a part of the parapet was blown in, burying a man. Corporal Leach went round the debris across the open under heavy fire and dug the man out just in time to save his life. He had previously been brought to notice for his gallant conduct at St Eloi, where he rallied his men and opened a rapid fire on the Germans immediately after they had exploded a mine close to our parapet. (9.10.15)

A copy of the newspaper article is enclosed.

Frederick’s wife received the following letter from his platoon commander, and commendation from his Division Commander, Major General Haldane:

A copy of the original handwritten letter from 2Lt Grece is attached.

Like most of the WWI war records, Frederick’s was lost during the bombing of London in WWII. He was likely promoted to sergeant around the time, likely because of his medal award. The regiment spent several more months in the Hooge area, and then with the rest of 7th Brigade transferred to the 25th Division on17 October 1915. At the time, there was a policy to put one regular service Brigade into each of Kitchener’s (Newly formed) Divisions. They spent 6 months in the Ploegstreet Woods area of Northern France before moving back to Mont St Eloi in the Vimy area in April 1916.

There was very active mining carried out in the region with 11 mines blown in a 3-week period. Each mine explosion was followed by a flurry of activity to capture new crater. The regiment was in the Pylones Trenches for several weeks, just south of Vimy Ridge, the area the Canadians would launch from in April 1917.

Battle of the Somme

The Wilts moved to the Somme to support the British Offensive. They were fortunate not to have been involved in the attack of 01 July and moved into the recently captured trenches at the Leipzig Salient.

On 05 Jul, the regiment advanced and took their objectives, but were unable to hold them in the inevitable German counterattack. They tried again on 07 Jul, capturing and holding the trenches but were subsequently heavily shelled. They were relieved that night, having suffered 425 casualties in the last few days. They were out of the line for more than a month for training and reorganization. On 22 August the Wilts attacked again at the Leipzig Salient, taking their objectives but suffering heavy casualties from the German shelling after the trenches were taken. They were in and out of the trenches, including those around Thiepval that were captured on 27 September. The Wilts remained in the area until the end of October when they headed back north to Ploegstreet Woods.

Image of the men of the 1st Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment (25th Division) returning from the attack on Thiepval, 25/26th August 1916, wearing captured German trophies; Bouzincourt.

1st Battalion Wiltshire Regiment after Battle of Thiepval 25 Aug 1916 – IWM Q-2933

Frederick Leach Discharge

Sgt Frederick Leach was honourably discharged from the Army on 11 October 1916 because of Wounds. He was granted the Silver War badge that he would have worn to “prove” that he had done his part in the war.

Wiltshire Losses

The losses in the Wiltshire Regiment were horrific. They had lost over 1,000 men in the first four months of conflict. The following Table lists the losses during their time in the 25th Division.

Time	Officers	Other Ranks
	Killed	Wounded	Missing	Killed	Wounded	Missing
Oct 1915 – Dec 1917	23	63	3	230	1467	186
Feb – Mar 1918	5	11	3	34	83	298
Apr-May 1918	5	5	6	24	173	482
Total	33	9	12	288	1723	566

After the War

Frederick had married Maria Louisa Lougheed (born 25 May 1887 in Dublin Ireland) according to 1939 England and Wales Register and 1921 Census) and they had a son Douglas Thomas Leach, born 10 May 1914, in Andover Down, Hampshire.

By the 1921 census, they were living at 1 Brynishh Terrace, Swansea, County Glamorganshire, Wales. Frederick was listed as a Warehouseman (Shop Assistant) at W Thomas and Co.

The family included:

George Frederick born in 1911 in Dublin.

Douglas Thomas born in 1914 in Andover, Hampshire, England

Eric Desmond born in 1919 in Andover, Hampshire, England

Ellen Lougheed (Mother-in-Law) born in 1854 in Dublin.

In the 1939 England and Wales Register, they are reported as living at 207 Glanmor Road, Sketty, Swansea where they remained until their deaths. Frederick was reported as an insurance agent.

Frederick died on 30 May 1958, at the age of 68. Tragically, Maria Louisa died later that year on 28 August 1958.

Andrew Leach

Douglas Leach married Violet Victoria Phillips on 17 May 1938, and they had sons Robin (1941) and Andrew (1944) born at Greenford, Middlesex. During WW2 Douglas worked as the Night Superintendent for the duration of the war, ensuring that production was never interrupted, and the highest standards were maintained. The plant was the Hoover Factory (domestic appliances)  which was converted into making aircraft parts, big machine shop facilities, for Spitfires and Hurricanes.

Conclusion

These stories highlight the tremendous losses suffered by the originals of the BEF. By 1916 the original battalions were completely destroyed, and the Battle of the Somme was fought by new soldiers recruited after fighting broke out.

Whenever I look at a soldier’s story, as well as being saddened by the losses and wonder how anyone actually survived the carnage.