The capture of 4th Field Ambulance, 26 August 1914

On 26 August 1914, while the Battle of Le Cateau was being fought not far away, “B” and “C” Sections of the 4th Field Ambulance – well over 100 men – were captured near Landrecies. How and why?

4th Field Ambulance of the Royal Army Medical Corps, one of the regular army medical units under command of 2nd Division, entered the theatre of war in France on 16 August 1914.

By the early hours of 26 August 1914 the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was facing a crisis. It had been in France only for a matter of days, and a large element of it, notably II Corps, had already fought the opening Battle of Mons on 23 August. During the night 23-24 August, a general southwards withdrawal had begun which usually goes by the name of the “Retreat from Mons”. By dawn of 26 August men had barely slept for four days, some units were scattered, transport was exhausted – and I and II Corps of the BEF had been forced to separate onto either side of the vast Forest of Mormal when making their retreat. Commander of II Corps, Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien, acted on his own initiative and ordered his men to make a stand where they were, which was now west of Le Cateau. The 2nd Division, including 4th Field Ambulance, was part of I Corps.

Map from Geoportail. Landrecies highlighted. It lies south of the Forest of Mormal and on the canalised Sambre River. I Corps was retreating on the east side of the forest, and II Corps on the west side. 4th Field Ambulance had come towards Landrecies along what is now the D959 from Maroilles.

The 4th Field Ambulance diary describes a somewhat chaotic, desperate and exhausting retreat down past Maubeuge to Maroilles and on towards Landrecies on 25 August. The 4th Field Ambulance had arrived about a mile and a half outside Landrecies and took up a position in a field about 5pm, having been on the move from Pont-sur-Sambre and Maroilles, and soon (according to Major Falkner) a flood of “refugees – men, women and children – detached troops and transport etc etc” were “stampeding” out of the town. They said that the enemy had captured Landrecies. Panic ensued, during which shots were fired by the Army Service Corps drivers of the Ambulance who “lost their heads”. It was later discovered from a German officer that his troops had the Ambulance under observation at the time, and would have opened fire had the shots hit any of his men.

During that night, the Germans made an attempt to to capture Landrecies which was beaten off by the 4th (Guards) Brigade.

Sketch map of the fighting in Landrecies, from “The Grenadier Guards in the Great War of
1914-1918″, (volume I of III) by Lt-Col. the Right Hon. Sir Frederick Edward Grey Ponsonby (London: Macmillan, 1920)

Through the tense atmosphere of the night of 25-26 August, no contact could be made by 4th Field Ambulance with 4th (Guards) Brigade, and by midnight the Ambulance’s position became untenable due to the amount of firing going on in close proximity. A decision was taken to withdraw it to Le Favril.

In the early hours of next day, 26 August, the 4th (Guards) Brigade was ordered to withdraw out of Landrecies towards Etreux, and the 4th Field Ambulance was also ordered to withdraw by moving down the Landrecies – La Groise road.

The Ambulance moved off from Le Favril before daybreak, going down the D316 through la Rue du Bois and les Chant des Oiseaux to the junction north of La Groise, where it met retreating units of 2nd Division. The road going south was jammed with endless traffic, and only” A” Section and the heavy transport of the Ambulance managed to turn south onto the road.

While “B” and “C” Sections were waiting for a gap in the flow along the La Groise road, an officer of a Guards regiment, passing the crossroads where they were halted, reported that about 160 wounded men had been left behind in a convent school in Landrecies. The Ambulance’s Major Percy Hope Falkner, 48 years old and a veteran of the Boer War, took the difficult decision for a detachment of six ambulances, a water cart, a light medical stores cart and men to proceed at full speed the three miles north to Landrecies to rescue the stranded wounded. The heavier transport was left and instructed to follow and report to “A” Section as soon as it could.

The Ambulance intended to turn left onto the La Groise road at this junction, but found it so crammed with the units of I Corps moving south that only “A” Section managed to do so. It was while waiting here for a gap in the traffic that “B” and “C” Sections learned of British casualties being stranded at Landrecies.

The detachment passed through the British rearguard, and advanced into Landrecies, uncertain of the strength and whereabouts of the enemy. Approaching the town, it encountered and eventually cleared out of the way a barrier of carts, barbed wire, household furniture and felled tree trunks (presumably one that had been erected by 4th (Guards) Brigade).

A pre-war postcard view of the southern route into the centre of Landrecies, coming in from the direction of La Groise. (thanks to Geneanet.) Falkner and his detachment passed this way. This view is very little changed today.

Finally, the detachment reached the convent school, where it found a harrowing scene: “this unfortunate mass of humanity.”

From the acount written by Major Falkner, a substitute for the official war diary. He recounts that 51 walking wounded, including three officers, were loaded onto the six ambulances as quickly as possible.
I have tried to identify the “convent school” and believe that it was probably this pensionnat (boarding school) and girls school, on Rue Vauban. It still exists. (I have contacted the Mayor’s office for confirmation, and will update this page when I have better information.)

Meanwhile, the commanding officer of 4th Field Ambulance, 43-year-old Major Percy Hildebrand Collingwood, had heard what was taking place and took some other officers on horseback to join the detachment in Landrecies. The rest of his unit, including the heavy transport, was to follow. As Falkner’s six ambulances were leaving Landrecies with the casualties packed on board, Collingwood met them. He decided to go to the convent school, taking four ambulances, a heavy wagon and some carts to rescue some of the wounded who were “stretcher cases”. Soon afterwards, Falkner received word that Colingwood was calling for more wagons. Keeping one NCO, 16 men and drivers to keep his six ambulances moving, Falkner reluctantly sent all others into Landrecies. About a mile and a half south of the town, Falkner’s detachment came across some full churns of milk; some they drank right away and gave some to all the casualties, some they carried. Lieutenant Harold William Hills, sent by Collingwood, briefly met Falkner but then returned to his CO. Moving as fast as possible, Falkner’s men reached the British rearguard near Etreux some nine miles south of Landrecies: they were safe.

Not 4th Field Ambulance, but an impression that may help understanding. Imperial War Museum image Q50299 “Bivouac of the 18th Field Ambulance near Bailleul during their march from Armentieres to Ypres in May 1915”.

Exactly what happened to Collingwood and those in Landrecies is not well documented, but they all fell into enemy hands as German forces moved in and occupied the town. Seven Medical Officers and 143 men went into captivity.

Just Falkner, 30 men, his six ambulances, the heavy wagons, light carts, the horses and 51 walking wounded were all that was left of 4th Field Ambulance.

From “Shepton Mallet Journal” of Friday 12 February 1915, an extract from an account by Army Service Corps Driver T/30111 Stanley Higgins, apparently one of those who managed to avoid capture. But despite its detail this account is suspect, for Higgins did not land in France until 26 August, according to his entry in the roll of the 1914 Star.

Captivity

The officers and men were separated after they had been captured: the former were taken to Fort Zinna at Torgau (east of Leipzig) and the latter to Sennelager (north of Paderborn). Some of the latter were later moved elsewhere.

A list of officers of the 4th Field Ambulance held at Torgau Camp in Germany in 1914 (National Archives CAB45/129). The red ditto is under the date 26 August 1914. The officers were first officially listed as missing in the “Times” of 3 September 1914. They were repatriated to England in June 1915. Major Collingwood was the Ambulance’s commanding officer; Captain Lynch commanded “B” Section.
From “Western Times” of Friday 13 November 1914 (British Newspaper Archive). See book review link, below.
From “Dundee Courier” of Wednesday 4 November 1914 (British Newspaper Archive)

This page is in memory of Private 7511 Oscar Harbord, a soldier I was asked to research many years ago. He was amongst those captured at Landrecies. After a period at Sennelager, he was repatriated with many other non-combattants in June 1915.

A page from the issuing roll of the 1914 Star, with Oscar Harbord featured (National Archives WO329). Most of these men fell into enemy hands on 26 August 1914.
From “Pall Mall Gazette” of Saturday 21 November 1914 (British Newspaper Archive)

Anyone interested in what happened to the officers during captiovity may wish to find a copy of the 1915 “In the hands of the enemy : being the experiences of a prisoner of war” by the chaplain attached to the Ambulance, Rev. Benjamin O’Rorke.

Sources

War diary, 4th Field Ambulance
War diary, 2nd Division Assistant Director of Medical Services
Review of “Padre, prisoner and pen-pusher”
The “Times” Digital Archive
Archive.org
British Newspaper Archive
Google Maps

Links

What was a Field Ambulance?
2nd Division
Mons and the retreat
The liberation of Landrecies, 4 November 1918
Ville de Landrecies