Berkshire and The War: the "Reading Standard" pictorial record. Volume 4. p 778

I st BATT. ROYAL BERKSHIRE REGIMENT .

BOURLON WOOD.

€œ Utmost Valour € of 1st Berks.

Pte. FREDK . HUGGINS , Green Lane, King Street , Wokingham. €” Mi s s i n g .

W . J . READ , 2, Newbury Street ,
Kintbury , Hungerford. €” Mi s s i n g .

The late Sergt. FREDK. A. WELLS, 91 Providence Place, Oxford Road, Reading. Killed in action.

Pte. ALBERT SAUNDERS, Station Cottages, Earley. Wounded.

In th e g r e a t b a t t le o f Bourlon Wood on
November 30th, 1917, w hen th re e B ritish
d ivision s b e a t o ff a co u n te r a tta ck o f seven
German d ivision s, th e 1st B erkshires show ed
th e u tm o s t v a lo u r.
T h e ir g a lla n t co n d u ct
is th u s d e sc rib e d :—
I n this lo c a lit y (w e st o f B o u rlo n W o o d )
five o th e r p osts h e ld b y a. c o m p a n y o f th e
1st B a tt. R o y a l B e rk sh ire R e g im e n t r e ­
p u lsed all th e e n e m y ’ s a tta ck s and m a in ­
t a in e d th em selves u n til o u r re in fo rce m e n ts
h a d re s to re d th e s itu a tio n . T h is co m p a n y
s h o w e d th e u t m o s t v a lo u r a n d s te d fa stness in ia m o s t critica l p e rio d e x te n d in g
o v e r s o m e six h ou rs.
T h e enem y m ade
a tta ck a fte r a tta ck , a lw a ys in va stly
su p e rio r n u m b e rs, an d tim e a fte r tim e
c a m e r ig h t u p t o o u r posts, o n ly t o b e
m own, d o w n b y o u r fire a n d d riv e n b a ck
in d iso rd e r.
T h e ca su a ltie s o f th is c o m ­
p a n y w ere 46 o f all ranks. T h e y cla im to
h a v e k ille d o v e r 500 o f th e e n e m y .
T h e s to r y o f th e g a lla n t fig h t a ga in st
od d s p u t u p b y th e g a rrison s o f these
p osts, b o th th o s e w h o su rv iv e d an d those
w h o d ie d v a lia n tly , co n stitu te s on e o u t o f
th e m a n y exa m p les fu rn ish e d b y th e fig h t­
in g o f th is d a y o f th e su p rem e im p o rta n ce
o f th e resista n ce t h a t can b e o ffe re d b y
sm all p a rtie s o f d e te rm in e d m en w h o
k n o w h o w to u se th eir w ea p on s an d are
resolved t o use th e m t o th e last.
S ir D o u g la s H a ig ’ s d isp a tch o n th e B a ttle
o f G a m b ra i, is e lo q u e n t w ith h is t r ib u te s to
d e e d s o f g re a te s t v a lo u r p e rfo rm e d b y all
a rm s o f th e la n d service.
C on ce rn in g t h e
h e r o ic co n d u ct o f th e Royal Berkshire Regt.
in th e n o r th e rn a tta ck a t Bourlon W o o d ,
S ir Douglas Haig s a y s :"€”
E a r ly in th e a fte r n o o n la r g e m asses o f
th e e n e m y a g a in a tta ck e d w est o f B o u rlo n
W o o d a n d , a lth o u g h b e a te n off w ith g r e a t
lo ss a t m o s t p oin ts, s u cce e d e d in o v e r ­
w h e lm in g th re e o u t o f a lin e o f p osts h eld
b y a co m p a n y o f th e 1st B a t t . R o y a l
B e rk s Regt-., o n th e r ig h t o f th e S econ d
D iv isio n . T h o u g h re p e a te d ly a tta ck e d
b y v a stly s u p e rio r n u m b ers th e re m a in d er
o f th e se p osts s to o d firm , an d w h en, tw o
d a y s la te r, t h e th re e p o sts w h ich had! b een
o v e r p o w e re d w ere re g a in e d , such a h ea p
o f G erm a n d e a d la y in and a ro u n d th e m
t h a t th e b o d ie s o f o u r o w n m e n w ere
h id d e n .
T h is is o n ly o n e o f t h e m a n y trib u te s p a id
t o th e g a lla n t B e rk sh ire m e n , w h ose e x p lo its
an d d e e d s o f v a lo u r in b a t t le a g a in st te rrific
o d d s w ill b e h a n d e d d o w n t o p o ste rity .

The l at e Pt e. TOM PILCHER , 6, Mill Road,
Padworth . K i l l e d in act i on.

T h e l at e Sergt . HERMON TOSTEVIN ,
21, Elm Park Road . Reading . €” Di e d .

Lce.- Corpl . IVAN NORTON,
Craven Cottage , Uffington . €” W o u n d e d , left foot
amputated.

Corpl. A. GOMM, Spring Gardens,
Bourne End , Bucks . €” W o u n d e d a n d mi ss
i ng a n d s u pposed t o h a v e di ed.