114 AWARDED FOR VALOUR
Despite the fact that they were giving up ground, the BEF left Mons with
its Victorian honor and heroic ideals intact.
The BEF split its route of march to avoid the narrow roads of the
Mormal Forest, with I Corps passing to the east and II to the west of the
wood.^17 Sporadic contact was maintained with German scouts; one night
action at Landrecies resulted in the first VC for a soldier from I Corps.
Part of the 3rd Battalion of the Coldstream Guards came under attack in
a farmyard and during the firefight several straw sacks in the barnyard
caught fire:
On 25/26 August 1914 at Landrecies, FranceThe Lance-corporal
[George Henry Wyatt] twice dashed out under very heavy fire from the
enemy, only 25 yards away, and extinguished the burning straw, making
it possible to hold the position. Later, although wounded in the head, he
continued firing until he could no longer see owing to the blood pouring
down his face. The medical officer bound up his wounds and ordered
him to the rear, but he returned to the firing line and went on fighting.^18
The incident has the same flavor as the VC won by Lieutenant Robert Hope
Moncrieff Aitken during the Mutiny:
On one occasion when the enemy had set fire to the Bhoosa stock in the
Garden, the lieutenant, with other officers, cut down all the tents in order
to stop the fire from spreading to the powder magazine that was there.
This was done close to the enemy’s loopholes under the bright light of the
flames.^19
Likewise Victorian in character were the Crosses won by men of the II
Corps at Le Cateau. Turning at bay, Smith-Dorrien fought a costly delaying
action to set von Kluck’s pursuit back on its heels.^20 It also provided for
another display of Victorian bravado, as the 37th Battery, Royal Field Artil-
lery won three Crosses in the Korn Spruit tradition by galloping back
to within 100 yards of the advancing German infantry to retrieve one
of two guns that had been abandoned due to enemy fire.^21 They lost
only one desperately needed team of horses and one gun crew in the
process.^22
Less fortunate were two companies of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light
Infantry. Serving as point defense for the fighting retreat they were cut
off. Then:
lily
(lily)
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