Schwaben Redoubt
Encyclopedia
The Schwaben Redoubt lies between the Thiepval Memorial and the Ulster tower
. It was a German strongpoint on the western front
in the First World War. Consisting of a mass of gun emplacements, trenches and tunnels, this warren of defensive works helped anchor the German line on the Somme
until late 1916. It was defended by the 26th division
that came from Swabia
, the general name for the southwestern part of Germany.
, by the 109th Brigade of the 36th (Ulster) Division. Although they attained a foothold in the redoubt, the men of the 109th Brigade were ultimately forced to retire. The redoubt then remained in German hands until late September, all the while helping to prevent the British capture of the fortress-village of Thiepval.
During assaults that lasted from September 26-8 as part of the Battle of Thiepval Ridge
, the British finally succeeded in both wresting control of Thiepval from the Germans, and securing a permanent lodgment in the Schwaben Redoubt. This success came courtesy, in large measure, of the 18th Division's 54th Brigade. By the evening of September 28, most of the redoubt was in British hands, although the Germans held on to the north face until October 14, 1916, when it was captured by the 39th Division's 118th Brigade. By all accounts, the fighting here was simply dreadful.
On the 14th October 1916, the Territorial ‘Fen Tigers’ under the brilliant command of Lieutenant Colonel Riddell advanced under a creeping barrage and were in and amongst the defenders without loss of life. The fierce fight that followed devolved into a hotly contested struggle, commanded by corporals and junior commanders with bayonet and grenade. The bewildered German occupants were routed and Riddell’s Cambridgeshire’s went on to successfully defend the Redoubt for a further 24 hours before being relieved, having beaten back several determined counter-attacks. By First World War standards British loss of life was light, with 218 men killed or wounded. The success was so phenomenal that General Haig recounted the attack as being “one of the finest feats of arms in the history of the British Army”. For their personal skill and bravery, 41 awards for gallantry were bestowed on the Regiment.
Lt.Col Edward Pius Arthur Riddell, DSO
Lt Geoffrey Barker, MC
Captain Archibald Ballentine Henderson Dunlop,MC (Margate),
Company Sergeant Major James Coe, MC
2nd Lieutenant Francis Alennye Marr, MC (Cambridge)
2nd Lieutenant Underwood Saville, MC (Natal, South Africa)
Corporal JW Archer, DCM (Wisbech)
Private Herbert Brickwood, DCM (Lolworth)
Company Sergeant Major Harry Charles Clarke, DCM (Cambridge)
Private PG Cornwall, DCM (Ely)
Sergeant John Jordan, DCM (Wisbech)
Corporal Fred Latham, DCM (Wisbech)
Private James Smith, DCM (Manea)
Sergeant Walter Stubbings, DCM (Sawston)
Lance Corporal Frank Touch, DCM (Chatteris)
Private Alfred Wayman, DCM (Ely)
Sergeant Robert Bushell, MM (Wisbech)
Private Maurice Carter, MM (Shepreth)
Private Harry Cash, MM (Cambridge)
Private Henry Coker, MM (Cambridge)
Sergeant Sidney Dockerill, MM (Little Shelford)
Private Archibald Fairweather, MM (Cambridge & later Haverhill)
Lance Corporal Mat Gilbert, MM (Sutton St James, Lincs)
Private Frederick Hailstone, MM (Whittlesey)
Private Horace Johnson, MM (Emneth)
Private Bert Jolley, MM (Cambridge)
Private Rudolph Buckley Lister, MM (Cambridge)
Lance Corporal Walter Lupson, MM (Ely)
Lance Corporal Edward Miller, MM (Doddington)
Lance Corporal George Nightingale, MM (Cambridge)
Lance Corporal Sam Parker, MM (Cambridge)
Corporal Walter Sidney Sallis, MM (Littleport)
Private John Saunders, MM (Cambridge)
Lance Corporal Ernie Scarr, MM (Great Shelford)
Private John Searle, MM (Cambridge)
Private Alf Setchfield, MM (Coates)
Lance Corporal Horace Tabor, MM (Cambridge)
Corporal Harry Gordon Teverson, MM (Ely)
2nd Lieutenant John R Strickland, MiD
Ulster Tower Thiepval
The Ulster Tower is a memorial to the men of the 36th Division. The memorial was officially opened on November 19, 1921 and is a very close copy of Helen's Tower which stands in the grounds of the Clandeboye Estate, near Bangor, County Down in Northern Ireland...
. It was a German strongpoint on the western front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
in the First World War. Consisting of a mass of gun emplacements, trenches and tunnels, this warren of defensive works helped anchor the German line on the Somme
Somme River
The Somme is a river in Picardy, northern France. The name Somme comes from a Celtic word meaning tranquility. The department Somme was named after this river....
until late 1916. It was defended by the 26th division
26th Division (German Empire)
The 26th Division , formally the 26th Division , was a unit of the Prussian/German Army. It was headquartered in Stuttgart, the capital of the Kingdom of Württemberg. The division was subordinated in peacetime to the XIII Corps The 26th Division (26. Division), formally the 26th Division (1st...
that came from Swabia
Swabia
Swabia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.-Geography:Like many cultural regions of Europe, Swabia's borders are not clearly defined...
, the general name for the southwestern part of Germany.
First Assaults
It was first assaulted on July 1, 1916, the opening day of the British Somme OffensiveBattle of the Somme (1916)
The Battle of the Somme , also known as the Somme Offensive, took place during the First World War between 1 July and 14 November 1916 in the Somme department of France, on both banks of the river of the same name...
, by the 109th Brigade of the 36th (Ulster) Division. Although they attained a foothold in the redoubt, the men of the 109th Brigade were ultimately forced to retire. The redoubt then remained in German hands until late September, all the while helping to prevent the British capture of the fortress-village of Thiepval.
During assaults that lasted from September 26-8 as part of the Battle of Thiepval Ridge
Battle of Thiepval Ridge
The Battle of Thiepval Ridge was the first large offensive mounted by the British Reserve Army of Lieutenant General Hubert Gough during the Battle of the Somme and was designed to benefit from British Fourth Army's Battle of Morval by starting 24 hours afterwards...
, the British finally succeeded in both wresting control of Thiepval from the Germans, and securing a permanent lodgment in the Schwaben Redoubt. This success came courtesy, in large measure, of the 18th Division's 54th Brigade. By the evening of September 28, most of the redoubt was in British hands, although the Germans held on to the north face until October 14, 1916, when it was captured by the 39th Division's 118th Brigade. By all accounts, the fighting here was simply dreadful.
Capture
During one of the engagements that were part of the costly Somme offensive, the Cambridgeshire Regiment assaulted and successfully captured the Schwaben Redoubt. The Redoubt was of great strategic importance and had been fought over many times with great loss of life.On the 14th October 1916, the Territorial ‘Fen Tigers’ under the brilliant command of Lieutenant Colonel Riddell advanced under a creeping barrage and were in and amongst the defenders without loss of life. The fierce fight that followed devolved into a hotly contested struggle, commanded by corporals and junior commanders with bayonet and grenade. The bewildered German occupants were routed and Riddell’s Cambridgeshire’s went on to successfully defend the Redoubt for a further 24 hours before being relieved, having beaten back several determined counter-attacks. By First World War standards British loss of life was light, with 218 men killed or wounded. The success was so phenomenal that General Haig recounted the attack as being “one of the finest feats of arms in the history of the British Army”. For their personal skill and bravery, 41 awards for gallantry were bestowed on the Regiment.
British decorations
The following is a list of those men of the British army who were decorated for gallantry, giving their rank at the time of the battle; their names; the awards; and the locations of their origins (where known):Lt.Col Edward Pius Arthur Riddell, DSO
Lt Geoffrey Barker, MC
Captain Archibald Ballentine Henderson Dunlop,MC (Margate),
Company Sergeant Major James Coe, MC
2nd Lieutenant Francis Alennye Marr, MC (Cambridge)
2nd Lieutenant Underwood Saville, MC (Natal, South Africa)
Corporal JW Archer, DCM (Wisbech)
Private Herbert Brickwood, DCM (Lolworth)
Company Sergeant Major Harry Charles Clarke, DCM (Cambridge)
Private PG Cornwall, DCM (Ely)
Sergeant John Jordan, DCM (Wisbech)
Corporal Fred Latham, DCM (Wisbech)
Private James Smith, DCM (Manea)
Sergeant Walter Stubbings, DCM (Sawston)
Lance Corporal Frank Touch, DCM (Chatteris)
Private Alfred Wayman, DCM (Ely)
Sergeant Robert Bushell, MM (Wisbech)
Private Maurice Carter, MM (Shepreth)
Private Harry Cash, MM (Cambridge)
Private Henry Coker, MM (Cambridge)
Sergeant Sidney Dockerill, MM (Little Shelford)
Private Archibald Fairweather, MM (Cambridge & later Haverhill)
Lance Corporal Mat Gilbert, MM (Sutton St James, Lincs)
Private Frederick Hailstone, MM (Whittlesey)
Private Horace Johnson, MM (Emneth)
Private Bert Jolley, MM (Cambridge)
Private Rudolph Buckley Lister, MM (Cambridge)
Lance Corporal Walter Lupson, MM (Ely)
Lance Corporal Edward Miller, MM (Doddington)
Lance Corporal George Nightingale, MM (Cambridge)
Lance Corporal Sam Parker, MM (Cambridge)
Corporal Walter Sidney Sallis, MM (Littleport)
Private John Saunders, MM (Cambridge)
Lance Corporal Ernie Scarr, MM (Great Shelford)
Private John Searle, MM (Cambridge)
Private Alf Setchfield, MM (Coates)
Lance Corporal Horace Tabor, MM (Cambridge)
Corporal Harry Gordon Teverson, MM (Ely)
2nd Lieutenant John R Strickland, MiD
See also
- Map coordinates : 50.06210°N 2.68860°E
- British 36th (Ulster) DivisionBritish 36th (Ulster) DivisionThe 36th Division was a division of Lord Kitchener's New Army formed in September 1914. Originally called the Ulster Division, it was made up of members of the Ulster Volunteer Force, who formed thirteen additional battalions for three existing regiments: the Royal Irish Fusiliers, the Royal Irish...
- J.R.R. Tolkien - Signals officer attached to the Lancashire FusiliersLancashire FusiliersThe Lancashire Fusiliers was a British infantry regiment that was amalgamated with other Fusilier regiments in 1968 to form the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.- Formation and early history:...
during this battle. - Wilhelm Karl von Urach (proclaimed king Mindaugas II of LithuaniaMindaugas II of LithuaniaPrince Wilhelm of Urach, Count of Württemberg, 2nd Duke of Urach was a German prince who was elected King of Lithuania with the regnal name Mindaugas II on 11 July 1918...
) - the defending general.