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Battle
of Loos (1914-1918).
Whilst
looking in the Dean Forest Mercury archives, my brother David
Tuffley found information printed in 1914 about the Tuffley brothers
who fought in the Battle of Loos in France.
Reginald
Tuffley, my Grandfather, was in the 1st Grenadier Guards, along
with his brother William Tuffley.Their brother Percy Tuffley
was in the 10th Gloucester's.
Dean Forest Mercury Friday November 13th 1914.
Soudley soldier letter home.
Mrs William Tuffley, residing at Lower Soudley, whose son William is
lying at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, suffering from wounds received
at the front, is the recipient of a letter from him which is interesting.
He says, "I wanted to let you know that, although wounded and
in Hospital, I am going on alright. I was knocked over at Ypres, in
Belgium, at a time when fighting was so hot and violent, it was like
Hell. I got hit three times and had other wonderful escapes. The blow
that hurt me most was a bullet, which made its way through my right
elbow. Besides that, almost immediately afterwards, a bullet hit me
high on the forehead, whilst a fragment of shell made its way to my
hip, but these did not do much harm. The sight of the trenches is a
shocking one. The Germans charged up to us five times in one day, but
it was in the evening that there was nothing but dead men and horses
lying in such heaps one upon the other, that we could not see over our
positions in the trenches. The enemy's losses must have been enormous.
I can assure you that it is all very terrifying. It makes me say my
prayers a good many times. The Germans waste an enormous amount of ammunition.
They seem to fir in the air. When we have a chance we have a game of
cards sometimes, but when the Germans come up we all sing together "Here
they come boys; Let 'em have it", and we let go shooting "Are
we downhearted?"
In a concluding paragraph, Private Tuffley speaks of the welcome which
soldiers always accord a supply of cigarettes, and adds the Doctor comforted
him with the expectation that the wound may probably heal up by the
end of the month, when he hopes to be fit for service again.
Dean Forest Mercury sometime in 1915.
Letter to Mrs Tuffley written by Private William Tuffley.
"I am in the best of health despite having to rough it out here.
I am pleased to say that I did my bit in the great attack. The cannonading
for just an hour before the general advance, sounded like hell. We shelled
the enemy trenches until there were no trenches left, and got the best
of them. We took a great many prisoners. My brother Reginald was also
in it, but I never saw him at all. Hope he came through alright. We
are now back from the firing line, taking a rest. I am enclosing a German
bullet which fell into our trench the last day I was there. It fell
right by my side. I hope you will keep it in memory of me and our war."
Percy Tuffley
Percy was in an attack with the 10th battalion of the Gloucester regiment
either at Loos or Nieve Chappel. The attack was beaten off and Percy
started back to the British lines. He came across a wounded comrade
and bent down and picked him up and carried him back to the Gloucester's
trenches. He then got the man to the regimental First Aid post and left
him there.
After the war, Percy met the man he saved in Chepstow.
Field
Marshal Lord Kitchener, the British Secretary of State for war issued
a recruiting poster (above). Calling for volunteers between the ages
of 19 and 30.
Early August 1914, saw the famous "Your Country Needs You"
poster appear and by mid September 500,000 men from every walk of life
had enlisted to fight for Britain in a just and Holy war.
Map
of the British Forces - Spring 1915
My
grandfather Reginald Tuffley, served in the 1st Battalion, Grenadier
Guards, in the Battle of Loos Sept / Oct 1915.
He told the story of how the battle had been completed and he was back
in one of the Reserve Trenches. He then asked his junior officer if
he could visit his brother, Private Percy Tuffley, who had also just
left the front line, and was in the 10th Battalion of the Gloucester
Regiment.
He was granted permission on the condition that he spent an hour going
up the line to get to see his brother, and an our getting back. Anything
more than this and he would be put on the charge.
He travelled up the line, and found the 10th Battalion of the Gloucester's,
and asked anyone if they knew where his brother was. He was told he's
just over there sitting on a sand bank. He found Percy and they joyously
spent an hour in each other's company before he successfully found his
way back down the British lines.
Thankfully my Grandfather and his two brothers did not lose their lives
in the battle. But we remember all our fallen heroes. They are forever
in our hearts.
God Bless to them.
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