War Diary Transcription
13th October 1915 – Near Loos-en-Gohelle: The Battalion receives orders to assault, 8th Royal Berks on its left & Loyal N. Lancs (who were not to go forward) on our right, at the conclusion of one hours smoke discharge from candles bombs with which we have been provided. The assault was delivered at 2.0pm but owing to the strong wind the smoke afforded very little protection. D Coy (Capt. WH Anderson) who moved forward first had a large number of casualties before reaching the road. Several men who tried to cross the road were hit.
A Coy moved up in support on their right & suffered very heavily also. They were unable to get across the right & suffered very heavily also. They were unable to get across the road. Capt.. H.L. Syer himself succeeded in doing so, and reconnoitred the German wire at great personal risk and discovered [that] it was uncut.
It was intended to cut the wire by hand under cover of small poisonous bombs which had been issued but the men carrying them had been hit and a party to go forward for this purpose could not be organised.
The fire was now found to be enfilading from both flanks, and the wind was blowing from the SW so that had these bombs been available the wind would not have been in the right direction to admit of them being used.
Two platoons of B Coy, Lt. HC Sparks, went to the assistance of A Coy but owing to the unbroken nature of the wire & and the failure of the means provided for cutting it as above described, gave evidence that the assault could not succeed without large weight of numbers which were not available.
The CO therefore decided to remain here until dusk. Immediately after dusk, Capt. Low with C Coy & those who had not been engaged relieved the whole of the men who had taken part in the assault who returned to their trenches to reorganise.
The wiring party of the 3rd Brigade was discovered and instructed to put up wire to the left of the 3rd Brigade on the W side of the Lens/La Bassee Road, behind which line C Coy dug themselves in. A working party of the 23rd Field Company, Royal Engineers was sent up to assist in this and digging a communication trench to join up with our front line.
The assistance of 170 men from the Loyal North Lancs was asked for and obtained for this purpose, together with a number of 70 men from the Berkshire Regiment who had become somewhat disorganised as they had lost all their leaders.
14th October 1915: 1.30am: orders were received to abandon this work as the Battalion would be shortly relieved by the 15th County of London Regt. This was accomplished by 3.0am & the Regiment withdrew to the support line.
Casualties: Estimated – Officers 3, OR 100.
4.20am: The Battalion moved back to the old British Trenches W of the Lone Tree and was relieved at nightfall and moved to Noeux-les-Mines whence to billets in Lillers. Casualties 1 officer killed, 3 wounded OR killed [blank] & wounded [blank].
Oundle School Obituary
He enlisted as Private (1833) with the 1st/14th (County of London) Battalion, (London Scottish) London Regiment, Signalling Section. He was sent to France in September 1914 and was reported as "at the Front" by December 1914. By 1915 his increasing deafness caused him to be made a stretcher bearer for his company and the same disability prevented his obtaining a commission. An order for his release from service had been obtained from the War Office to enable him to return Teddington to take charge of research on optical glass but the order did not reach him by the time he
was killed near Loos (France) on 13th October 1915, aged 28 years.
Newpaper Obituaries
Birmingham Daily Post – 22nd October 1915
BIRMINGHAM GRADUATE KILLED
Information has been received of the death of Private Donald Ewen, of the London Scottish Regiment, who was killed in the 13th inst. whilst tending the wounded between the lines in France. Private Ewen was the son of Mr. T.B. Ewen of Sedgemere, Knowle, being educated at Oundle School and afterwards at the University of Birmingham where he took his M.Sc. in metallurgy.
Leaving the University he obtained a position at the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington where he was engaged in research work. While at the latter place he joined the London Scottish and on the outbreak of war volunteered for active service.
Some time ago Private Ewen was offered a commission, but a slight deafness, the result of exposure in the trenches, prevented his acceptance of it.
Stratford Herald – 29th October 1915
Information has also been received in the neighbourhood of the death of Private Donald Ewen, of the London Scottish Regiment, who was killed in the 13th inst. Private Ewen was the son of Mr. T.B. Ewen of Sedgemere, Knowle, being educated at Oundle School and afterwards at the University of Birmingham where he took his M.Sc. in metallurgy.
Leaving the University he obtained a position at the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington where he was engaged in research work. While at the latter place he joined the London Scottish and on the outbreak of war volunteered for active service.
Some time ago Private Ewen was offered a commission, but a slight deafness, the result of exposure in the trenches, prevented his acceptance of it.
