Military History

John is listed as being killed in action on 13th May 1915 during the Battle of Frezenberg. The 1st/1st war diary entries for the period 12th to 14th May are transcribed below.

1st/1st Leicestershire Yeomanry Inspection in 1915. Photo courtesy of https://www.paoyeomanry.org.uk

12/5/15 – Brielen: Stood to in dug-outs at Brielen & gave men exercise in use of respirators.

At 7.30pm moved off and took over trenches just N of railway, near Bellewaarde Farm from Royal Fusiliers.

B Squadron ordered to supply 32 more men as reinforcements. This party with others from 2^nd Cavalry Brigade set out in buses under 2^nd Lt T.E. Brooks & joined Regt in huts at Brielen.

13/5/15 – Bellewaarde Farm: Position of Regt at midnight 12th/13^th, 700 yards W of road joining Zonnebeke Road & Ypres-Menin Road: extreme Right resting on railway, running N.E. from Ypres, and extending to farm furlongs about 300 yards NNW of railway.

B Sqn occupied N & C Sqn S. part of front line trenches. The trenches were bad, about 5 feet deep and 2½ feet wide at the bottom. Parapets of front & back about slanted very much and were made of loose soil. There were few sand bags and no Trenches were dug-outs or other protection from shell fire.

A Sqn occupied Support Trenches 300 yards in rear of advanced Trenches & on left flank of B Sqn.

M.G.S. in C Coy trench close to railway
H.Q. in dug-out on road joining Zonnebeke Road & Menin Road, 150 yards N of railway.

During the night 'til the trenches were somewhat improved.

Heavy shellfire 3:30 a.m. to 6 a.m. but few casualties. The enemy then began to pour over their parapets with the evident intent of attacking, but being met by a heavy fire from our men, they retired again to their trenches. A second and more violent bombardment immediately began & was kept up until 7.30am. Our losses during this bombardment were much heavier and the M.G’s were knocked out and a trench blown in.

At 7:30 a.m. the enemy advanced & occupied the advanced trenches vacated by the Regt of our left, from there they gained part of B Sqn trenches. They then advanced to within 200 yards of the support trenches and dug themselves in moving steel shields as a protection. Those of the enemy who had occupied the B Sqn trench advanced along the trench and Major B.R. Liebert, Lt W.S. Fielding Johnson and Sqn Sgt  Major J.P. Swain with what was left of B Sqn retired down the trench & joined up with C Sqn.

Unknown Regiment at Frezenberg

Here Major W.F. Martin ordered barricades of sand bags to be placed across the trench. Some of the trench party fired over this barricade at the enemy advancing from the flank, others at the enemy advancing from the front. Major Martin, Major Liebert, Lt C Peake & 2^nd Lt T.E. Brooks were all killed. The casualties were so heavy that Lt Fielding Johnson, the only surviving officer, decided to retire down the trench to cross the railway and join the 3^rd Dragoon Guards on the other side of it. He had great difficulty in crossing the railway which was swept by the enemy’s machine guns. Finally the crossing was effected by building a sandbag parapet across the railway and Lt Fielding Johnson joined the 3^rd Dragoon Guards with SSM Swain and 14 men, the sole survivors of the two squadrons of Leicestershire Yeomanry who had occupied the advanced trenches.

At about 6 a.m. Lt. Col. Hon. P.C. Evans Freme decided to establish a small advance post at a building about 150 yards in advance of the support trenches. He personally placed 2^nd Lt T.H. Simpkin with 15 men in charge of this post. While returning to the support trenches he was shot dead.

The support held their position until 12 noon, when the Brigade Major, Capt D.P. Tollemache arrived. The enemy were by this time very near at hand carrying shields which appeared to be quite bullet proof, and were digging themselves in.

Major W.F. Ricardo displayed great gallantry in holding onto the support trenches although wounded four separate times.

When the counter attack was made by the R.H. Guards the 10^th Hussars & the Essex Yeomanry, the remains of A Squadron led by Capt D.P. Tollemache and Lt. T.W. Best joined in the charge. The counter attack drove the enemy out of the new trenches which they had made near our support trenches but did not retake our advanced trenches, consequently the dead and wounded from them were never recovered.

The Regt was relieved during the night 13/14^th by the Royal Irish Fusiliers and reached their huts at Brielen about 4am on the 14^th.

Casualties: Killed: Officers 5 & Other Ranks 47
Wounded: Officers 5 & Other Ranks 90
Missing: Other Ranks: 39

14/5/15 – Brielen: Stood to in dug-outs at Brielen.