 On 27th August at 5.00am; the day after the battle of Le Cateau, the remnants of the Battalion arrived at St. Quentin.
They called the roll and it soon became apparent that the action had been more costly than it was originally thought. The War Diary for that day noted just who was left: "Officers (Captain Blackwell and Lieutenant Oates) 1 Medical Officer (Captain Phelan R.A.M.C.) A Coy - 31, B - 19, C - 38, D - 16, Attached - 7. Total 114" The first major engagement of The Suffolk Regiment was a costly one. The losses to the Battalion in killed, wounded or captured, were a staggering 88%; so high in fact that the Battalion could never be reformed from its remaining ranks. It would become a single company of the East Surrey Regiment, only being re-embodied the following spring. "Le Cateau" would soon rank beside Dettingen, Minden and Gibraltar as a major Battle Honour of the Regiment. Comments are closed.
|
Welcome to our online 'chronicle' that charted the history of the many battalions of the Suffolk Regiment throughout their service during the Great War.
This record is now closed, but we have retained all our original posts here for you to search through and in the fullness of time, we hope to add to it as and where new stories come to light. It was at times, a challenging but rewarding endeavour which has helped many people in their research of the Regiment. If you know the specific month of an action of the Regiment, you can search for it in the list below: Archives
February 2025
|
