The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-04-07 00:00:00

THE ATTACK ON DOVER.

A correspondent thus describes Monday's operations
near Dover: During the earlier part of the morning
heavy rain clouds gathered in the north-east, and
before the combatants could get fairly settled in theh
positions the showers came down and continued until
the operations were nearly over. The roads hardly
yet hardened after the recent snowstorms, were con.
verted into a mass of slush and mud, impeding the
passage of ambulance waggons and water carts, and
rendering walking both diffcult and disagreeable.
The effect of the downpour upon the clayey fields,
especially those which had been ploughed, which the
troops had to traverse in the course of the manoeuvres,
was, as may be imagined, infinitely worse; and when
the day's work was over many of the men were in a
deplorably dirty condition.
By the early trains the attacking and defending
forces were reinforced by arrivals from London and
elsewhere up to something like their full strength
on paper. Most of the invading force had stayed the
night in Dover, and were compelled to parade early
in order to get to their rendezvous near Folkestone in
time. Here they were joined by the volunteers
brought down by special trains from Charing-cross,
who upon detraining marched at once to the
rendezvous, where they formed up in brigades. The
defenders were not under the necessity of parading
so early, as they had only to get to Elms
Vale, about three-quarters of a mile out of the
town, where the whole of the defending forces were
ordered to rendezvous at half-past nine. By
that time both forces were assembled at their
appointed rendezvous, and although some regi-
ments were obviously below their nominal strength,
the total force engaged cannot have been much
under the estimated figure of 13,500. The attacking
force, which was formed up in brigades near
Creteway Down, was under Major-General P.
Smith, C. 8., commanding the 2nd Infantry Brigade,
Aldershot, whose commanders of divisions were
Colonel J. C. Russell, Commandant Cavalry
Depot, and Colonel Tucker, C.B. Commanding
the 7th and 57th Regimental District. The
Ist Division consisted of the Ist Squadron
14th Hussars, a detachment of the Middlesex
Yeomanry cavalry, the C Battery, Ist Brigade, Royal
Artillery, a half company, the 26th Company Royal
Engineers, and the following infantry brigades: Ist
Brigade (Lieutenant-Colonel G. F. Vesey)-Ist Bat-
talion Oxfordshire Light Infantry (661), Ist (Oxford
University) Volunteer Battalion Oxford Light Infantry
(41), 4th (Cambridge University) Volunteer Battalion
Suffolk Regiment (43), Ist Volunteer Bat. Royal Fusileers
(450), 2d Volunteer Battalion Royal Fusileers (500),
2d Brigade (Lieutenant-Colonel L. J. Collum), 2d
Battalion Leinster Regiment (537), Ist Middlesex
Engineer Volunteers (441), Ist Tower Hamlets Rifle
Volunteers (450). Colonel Tucker's Division
comprised the 2d Squadron 14th Hussars ;
S Battery 2d Brigade Royal Artillery, and two
brigades of infantry—viz., Ist Brigade (Colonel W.
J. Brown)-7th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers (525), 14th
Middlesex Rifle Volunteers (107), 16th Middlesex Rifle
Volunteers (502), and 19th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers
(521). 2nd Brigade (Colonel F. T. Kitson)-12th
Middlesex Rifle Volunteers (278), 25th Middlesex Rifle
Volunteers (45), 21st Middlesex Rifle Volunteers (563),
22nd Middlesex Rifle Volunteers (401), Ist Volunteer
Battalion Royal Warwick Regiment (232), and 2nd
London Rifle Volunteers (410). The nominal strength
of the attacking force was, therefore, 7,134,
with 13 guns. The defending force, num-
bering nominally 6417, was commanded by
Colonel Hon. P. S. Methuen, C. 8., Scots
Guards, by whom the principal relief column had
been marched to reinforce the Dover garrison
against the impending attack. He had under him
• the Ist Squadron 20th Hussars, Royal East Kent
Yeomanry, B Battery 3d Brigade, Royal Artillery,
with four field guns; 4th Volunteer Battalion
Cinque Ports Division Royal Artillery, with six 40
pounders; half company of the 26th Company Royal
Engineers; and three infantry brigades. The Ist
Brigade (Colonel J. W. Scott) comprised the Ist Battalion
East Kent Regiment (559), 3d Volunteer Battalion
Cinque Ports Division Royal Artillery (453), Ist
Volunteer Battalion East Kent Regiment (702), Ist
London Rifle Volunteers (700). 2d Brigade (Lieu-
tenant-Colonel L. Hornby)-2d Battalion East Surrey'
Regiment (464), 2d Volunteer Battalion Middlesex
Regiment (474), 17th Middlesexßifle Volunteers (432),
4th Volunteer Battalion East Surrey Regiment (473).
Reserve Brigade (Lieutenant-Colonel Woodward)-Ist
Battalion Royal Munster Fusileers (598), 20th Middle-
sex Rifle Volunteers (600), 2d Tower Hamlets Rifle
Volunteers (500), and 24th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers
(127).
The ground of Monday's operations covers a wide
expanse of country of most iregularformation, stretch-
ing from within a quarter of a mile of Dover to Capel
Lodge, which is 2;1 miles east of Folkestone. Within
its boundaries are the three principal roads leading to
Dover, the most northerly being that which passes
through Alkham, Wolverton, and Kearsney, where it
joins the main road from Canterbury. Between this
and Abbey-road, some distance to the south, is an open
valley, at the eastern end of which are thick woods.
Abbey-road, for that part of its course which is within
the prescribed boundary lines, runs over high ground
past Mount Ararat Farm, and the ruins of St. Radi-
gund's Abbey, trending in a south-easterly direction
towards Coombe Farm and Dover. Still further south-
ward a valley, fringed on either side by woods, sepa-
rates St. Radigund's and Gorse Hill from Park Hill, to
the south of which lies the third principal road, by
which the invader could reach Dover. This runs
from the village of West Hougham, through Elms
Valley to the Dover Cricket ground, and, save
for the not unimportant fact that it is
commanded for the greater part of its length by the
guns of the citadel at Dover, it forms by far the
easiest and most direct route to the town. Along
these roads and across the intervening hills Colonel
Methuen pushed forward his forces on Monday morn-
ing in the direction of Folkestone to meet the
invader, who had been driven back to his entrenched
position at Ctesar's Camp on Saturday, after a
vigorous but unsuccessful attempt to prevent
the two relief columns effecting a junction
with the Dover field force. Since his re-
pulse, 'however, Major - General 'Smith was
understood to have been strongly reinforced,
and he now threatened an attack on the
position covering Dover. His centre was sup-
posed to be at Capel Sole, on the western,
boundary of the field of operations, his right resting
on the village of Satmar, and his left at West
All: ham on the northern boundary. Owing to the
irregular configuration of the ground, the whole of
his forces were out of sight of the defenders, and
although it was expected that he would make an
attack through West Hougham, on the defenders'
left, the fact that the road from that quarter was
commanded by the guns of the citadel induced the
belief that his real attack would be developed
further to the north, either over Copt Hill and
by Poulton's Farm, or still further north, by
Mount Ararat Farm and St. Radigund's Abbey,
with the object of obtaining control of the Abbey-
road. Accordingly, Colonel Methuen, while occupy-
ing the village of West Hougharn as his
advanced post concentrated his strength near
Park Hill and St. Radigund's. His Ist Brigade held
St. Radigund's and Gorse Hill, scouts being sent out
to guard against the somewhat improbable event of
the enemy making his way along the Alkham road and
attempting to take the defenders in flanks. Poulton's
Farm and its approaches were occupied by the London
Rifle Brigade, and to the right of West Hougham the
four Royal Artillery guns were posted on Copt Hill,
within rang') of the enemy's artillery towards West
Alkham. The village itself was held by the East Surrey
men and a troop of the 20th Hussars, who were sup-
ported by the remainder of the 2nd Brigade, while the
Reserve Brigade was held in hand some distance to
their rear in the Elms Valley. On the crown of Park
Bill, between St. Radigund's and Elms Valley, the six
40-pounders of the Cinque Ports 4th Volunteer Bat-
talion were so placed as to command the whole
country from Crock's Court, south of West Hougham,
to Mount Ararat. Shortly before eleven o'clock the
Duke of Cambridge, Major-General Montgomery
Moore, who, being in command of the South-Eastern
District, was in chief command of all the troops, Sir
Redvers Buller, and the other officers of head-quarters
staff inspected the positions first of the de-
fending an then of the attacking force, mad the
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