Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-28
KINGS OWN MOVED
LIKE STRICKEN GRAIN
BY SCYTHES OF WAR
Colonel Falls Early, Shout
ing Encouragement to Men.
and Eleven Officers Are
Lost in Covering Allies
Retreat.
LONDON, Sept. 2S.

LONDON, Sept 2S.
The first connected narrative of the Sc
we're fighting in which the Kings Own
Royal Lancashire Regiment was engaged
when in killed and wounded the regiment
had eleven officers put out of action, is
given by sergeant of the regiment who
has Just arrived home wounded.
The Kings own, with the Lancashire
Fusiliers and the MiddeseX Regiment.
were ordered TO cover the retreat of part
OF the allied forces from Mons. ON
August % they left the position in which
they had been eHtrenchcd 10 take new
. ground, and were marching through the
night. finding themselves at daybreak
between Cambria and lie Chateau. Sew
eral thousand Frenchmen anda Highland
regiment had passed down their lines.
While the Kings own were taking break
fast the German artillery doomed forth.
Several shells fell in the vicinity OF the
trenches without doing harm, but the
enemy's artillery was much superior in
numbers to that of the Allies. and they
poured in raking shrapnel fire before
the English guns began to speak. There
was no doubt either about the enemy's
range finding, and under cover of the
guns the enemy came on in the propor-
tion of six to one.
Men were moved down like ninepins
as If the Kings own had been singled
out for the special fury of the onslaught,
Colonel Dykes fell at an early stage OF
the engagement, while shouting encour-
agement to his men. Fighting continued
fIriously until about $3.50. Then there
was Il lull and the enemy, seemingly
reinforced, made good thelr advance,
and another five hours desperate con-
fliCt ensued.
The Allies fought the advance inch by
inch, fighting becoming so close that the
Kings own got home with several dash
ing bayonet charges one of the most
brilliant OF which was led by Captain
Clutterbuck formerly OF the Yorkshire
Light Infantry, who with n handful of
men routed four times the number OF men
under his command, He paid the price
of his gallantry with his life, but the
casualties to his men We're slngularly
light. The sergeant said, 1T was just
like Clutterbuck"
"Then," continued the sergeant, there
was Lieutenant Steel-Perkins, who died
one Of the grandest deaths a British
officer could wish He was lifted out of
the trenches wounded four times, but,
protesting. crawled hack again till he
was mortaly wounded" Proceeding, the
sergeant said The first man knocked
over was one Of tine most popular OF the
Rugby footballers in the Dover garrison.
He was shot through the mouth. Lieu
tenant WOodgate distinguished himself i'm
bravery and Major Parker was coolness
persOnlned
"a German aeroplane which came over
our position on the day preceding the
battle was accounted for. Assailed by a
shower of bullets from more than one
regiment, its reconnoitring career had a
sudden stop The enemy swOoped down
on ms so quickly at the finish that We
were unable TO remove all our dead and
wounded. StTctCher bearers were shot
down and /, who had been wounded with
a shrapnel bullet in the muscle OF the
left arm, was taking a message FOR the
doctor from the field hospital. in a school.
when a shell came and demolished the
roof
"All our Kings Own are buried In
France a few miles from the frontier We
saw many burning villages and our artil-
lery helped along many old women and
childen who were heeing before the
enenf