SIEGFRIED SASSOON WINS HIS MILITARY CROSS IN THE BOIS FRANCAIS
TRENCHES(The above picture is of the Bois Francais trench line taken from the British Reserve trenches.)
Sassoon had joined the 1st Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers at Festubert on 24th November 1915. Robert Graves had taken part in the Battle of Loos (25th September 1915 to 8th October 1915) whilst serving with the 2nd battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers. Tending to be a little outspoken, he was not very popular in the Mess or with his superiors. However by November he had been transferred to the Regiment’s 1st battalion joining them at Festubert. Here the two men with similar literary interests began a friendship which (apart from some ups and downs) continued throughout their lives.
The battalion was moved to the Somme front taking post in the Bois Francais trenches opposite Fricourt. Both men were particularly fond of 2nd Lt. David Thomas and were both devastated when, in a series of officer casualties on the 18th March 1916, and within a space of 24 hours, three subalterns were killed including David Thomas. (The others were Pritchard and Richardson all three being buried at Point 110 (New) Cemetery).
Sassoon was particularly upset at David Thomas’death. His reaction was to take on dangerous duties, especially in patrol work, sometimes going on missions into No Man's Land with an experienced and highly regarded N.C.O. – Corporal O’Brien. The battalion called Sassoon "Mad Jack".
Returning from a course at the 4th Army School at Flixecourt, Sassoon was disappointed to learn that he had not been selected for command of the forthcoming raid on Kiel Trench. Instead, his friend Lt. Norman Stansfield was to take charge of the raiders. Thus, on the 25th May 1916 at 10.30 p.m. Stansfield’s party of 27 men (including 5 N.C.O’s), set off to raid the German lines at Kiel Trench. As was usual, they were equipped with hatchets in their belts, bombs and knobkerries. All had blackened faces. Corporal O’Brien led the way with a few others into the darkness of No Man's Land laying a trail of lime so that the raiders would be able to find their way to the German front line. Sassoon was in command of an evacuating party which lay out some 20 yards beyond the British trenches and whose job was to cover the return of the raiders.
The raid was a failure. Whilst trying to negotiate the German barbed wire the alarm was raised and the British party became involved in a bombing fight in which several of the raiders became casualties, in particular, Sassoon’s Corporal O’Brien.
Sassoon then went out into No Man's Land and met Lt.Stansfield wounded but being assisted back to the British lines by two of the raiding party. Sassoon then discovered that O’Brien was lying badly wounded at the bottom of a 25 feet deep crater. Returning to the British trenches he came back with some helpers and managed to get a rope round the wounded Corporal who, with the aid of a stretcher bearer and others, was brought to safety. Alas, Corporal O’Brien died of his wounds and was later buried behind the lines at Citadel Cemetery Plot 3, Row F. Grave 17.
For this exploit Sassoon was awarded the Military Cross. When the award was promulgated on 29th June, the battalion Medical Officer-Kelsey Fry took the M.C. ribbon from his own tunic and no doubt using his medical expertise, neatly sewed the ribbon on to Sassoon’s tunic.
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