Machine Gun Corps at Montauban - Old Version

90TH COMPANY MACHINE GUN CORPS AT MONTAUBAN
CLEARING UP AN ANOMALY AND SAVING MY GRANDAD’S LIFE WITH A RAT-TA-TA-TAT-TAT
© IWM (Q 1419) Men of the Machine Gun Corps in action with a Vickers machine gun (left) and a captured German MG 08 machine
gun on sledge mount, Mouquet Farm, September 1916.
This edition of the Battlefield Sleuth concerns reports of events on the first day of the Somme, from
the perspective of the 90th Company, Machine Gun Corps. As part of 90 th Brigade, the men of
Machine Gun Corps took part in the capture and subsequent defence of the village of Montauban.
The War Diary provides a summary of the action (WD), extended by the report from Captain Leslie
Grundy (in italics LG); who wrote a letter detailing his experiences of the day. Further notes [in
square brackets] are added to assist with context. The highlights of new information are highlighted
in bold.
The later sections of the paper (indented) recount my grandfather’s withdrawal from Triangle Point.
The heavy machine gun fire from 90 th Company covered this withdrawal and ultimately aided the
survival of the group; who has been bombed out from their advanced position. Captain Grundy was
not aware that his Company’s actions had saved the lives of some of the men in this group. Three
members of the 17 th Manchesters managed to return to British lines, of whom two were wounded –
including Grandad.
I am grateful to the staff and former pupils for publishing Captain Leslie Cundy’s letter to Charles
Lynam, his former Head Teacher at Oxford Preparatory School
https://skipperswar.wordpress.com/2016/07/27/july-27th-1916/comment-page-1/
BATTLEFIELD SLEUTH SERIES TIM BELL SEPTEMBER 2016

ETINHEIM 30 TH JUNE 1916
[The 90 th Brigade comprised infantry from the 2 nd Battalion Royal Scots Fusiliers with the 16 th , 17 th
and 18 th Battalions Manchester Regiment. They were supported by the 90 th Company Machine Gun
Corps, with men from the Royal Engineers.]
We had done all the practising for the last fortnight and were now waiting in the assembly trenches.
For us, these consisted of a few small trenches cut in a hollow between two woods about 700 yards
behind our front line. We had arrived in these trenches late the night before, and had passed a very
cold night indeed. Consequently we were all awake when dawn broke (LC).
No.2 Section leaving @ 4.30pm. No.4 4.40. No.3 4.50 No. [5] pm. The first party arriving in assembly
trenches behind CAMBRIDGE COPSE [near Maricourt] where we stayed all night. Everything was
quiet during the night. [This must only refer to German artillery](WD)
The guns had been keeping up a pretty heavy bombardment throughout the night, increasing in
intensity every minute. The fringe of the wood behind us (curiously enough called ‘Oxford Copse’)
was lined with 18-pounders, who were firing over our heads. As they were only 150 yards away, the
noise was deafening.(LC)
90 th Brigade assembly positions near Maricourt. Approximately 3,000 yards from their objectives in Montauban. The field artillery
guns were positioned in front of Oxford Copse. Crown Copyright

MONTAUBAN ATTACK ON 1ST JULY 1916 – THE FIRST DAY IN THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME
Although we had not been given the time for ‘Zero,’ we judged it was near enough for us to issue the
rum, so an issue of two jars among 150 men was made at 5 o’clock. We got word from Brigade
Headquarters that Zero was to be at 7.30.(LC)
About this time a heavy ground mist appeared and for some time it looked as if the attack would
have to be postponed. As it was near to 7.30 the Company Commander and I went over to a small
piece of rising ground that was in front of us [assembly trenches were protected by a shallow valley]
to watch the first wave go over the top [21 st Brigade, including 19 th Manchesters]. Over it went at
7.30 exactly, and as far as we could see there was only one casualty and it did not sound as if there
was very much hostile rifle fire…(LC)
At 6am we were told that zero [hour] was at 7.30am. The first part of the Brigade going over the top
[one hour after] at this time [8.30am]. Nos 2 & 4 Sections of the Coy went behind the last waves of
the 2 nd Battn R[oyal] S[cots] Fusiliers [in support of the 16 th & 17 th Manchesters], Nos 1 and 3
Sections behind the Brigade Reserve [18 th Manchesters]. (WD)
At 8.30 I went forward with my servant, and the two other sections followed 50 yards behind,
interval 100 yards, but owing to the weight of our loads we fell behind our appointed place and
found ourselves mixed up with some engineers [201 st Field Company RE]. This ground was made up
later on, while waiting for our artillery to lift.(LC)
All the men of the Brigade went towards the enemy’s lines at a walking pace. (WD)
War Illustrated July 1916

When about 100 yards off our original front line, we saw that the enemy was putting up a barrage in
No-man’s-land and a lot of our infantry were knocked out going through. When we got right up to
this barrage we made a dash and, as far as I could make out, lost very few men. One of the section
officers, however, was wounded rather badly in the back.(LC)
We found the Boche wire, when we got up to it, had been blown to pieces by our artillery fire and the
trenches themselves had suffered so terribly that it was difficult to tell in what direction they ran.
[Described as nothing more than a shallow ditch in other sources] I had my first rest here; it was a
hot day, and the packs were beginning to tell on us.(LC)
As it looked as if the Boches were shortening their range, we thought it best not to make too long a
stay at this spot and therefore pushed on as far as the [former German strongpoint behind the 2 nd
line] Glatz Redoubt [held by the 19 th Manchesters]. In a few minutes No. 2 section came up [Capt
Grundy must have been with 4 Section]; so far they had only lost three men. (LC)
We lost about 25 men including the attached on the way. (WD)
At this point a party of about 30 Boche prisoners were marched past; all of them apparently in great
fear of their lives! They had all, seemingly, been very much shaken by our bombardment, and in the
trench we were occupying there were many of them lying badly wounded. After a few minutes we
mounted our guns and opened fire on the Boches to the left of Montauban [Breslau Point], as the
[55 th ] Brigade there did not seem to have attained its objective.(LC)
All this time our heavy artillery
had been keeping up an intense
bombardment on Montauban,
and we could see our infantry
waiting in the open in a long line
[in Railway Valley], ready to go in
when the artillery fire lifted. Later
there seemed to be some
slackening of the fire and our
troops immediately went
forward. The whole thing was
done as if on parade. They went
over at a steady walk, keeping
their dressing all the time. As far
as we could see, there was no
hostile rifle fire from Montauban
at all and, as yet, no shell fire was
falling on them. [Sustained
machine fire from the
approaches to the village caused
significant casualties to the
Manchester Battalions](LC)
War Illustrated July 1916
I then decided that this would be
the time to get our machine-guns
into Montauban, so we went
forward…(LC)

Montauban defensive positions. Crown copyright
On arrival at MONTAUBAN, our guns were placed in the following positions. 4 guns in or near F Keep
[behind 16 th Manchesters in Montauban Alley]. 4 guns in or near C Keep [behind 17 th Manchesters].
2 guns at B Keep [the crossroads to Guillemont/Longueval], [?] another 2 guns were placed in
position about C Keep, making 6 in all, 4 guns in reserve by A Keep [near Church]. (WD)
The whole place was literally blown to pieces, and it was with great difficulty we discovered where
the roads had been. However, somehow or other, we managed to get both sections to A. Keep [west
of the church], where we found some men already busily consolidating. We had only been there a
few minutes when a Boche machine-gun started traversing the village…(LC)
At about 3.30 the enemy started advancing from the direction of LONGUEVAL between BERNAFAY
WOOD & MARLBORO WOOD but we easily dispersed them with our Machine Guns. The enemy then
heavily shelled MONTAUBAN we lost several of our men. MONTAUBAN was continually shelled all
the remainder of the day. About 10p.m., we had news from the front line that the enemy were
attacking. All the guns then put a ribbon fire
round the village. The attack was stopped [in
conjunction with the men of the 16 th & 17 th
Manchesters]. With the exception of shelling
everything was quiet until day break. (WD)
Among the ruins of Montauban
Just before dusk there seemed to be a small
attack, but it was easily dispersed by rifle and
machine-gun fire. [Captain Grundy must have
remained in A Keep during the German’s evening
counter attack.] (LC)

2ND JULY 1916
At day break there was a mist & the enemy managed to creep up & take the front line unawares.
[The 16 th & 17 th Manchesters were fully aware of the German advance] (WD)
All that night we fired at all small
parties of Boches who could be
plainly seen, and as it grew light
we heard the sound of bombs
exploding and found the Boches
were bombing Montauban Alley
from the other end. (LC)
There seemed to be about two
Battalions attacking. The enemy
managed to get [to] our front line
but were completely stopped by
17 th Bttn Manchester Regiment War Diary. Crown Copyright
the M.G. fire & riflemen from
advancing further. [Confirmed by the 17 th Manchesters War Diary].(WD)
About 7 o’clock the bursting bombs seemed to be very close to one another and… about 30 of our
men jumped out of the trench and started to retire towards us in Montauban. (LC)
[This was the advance detachment of A Company, from 17 th Battalion Manchester
Regiment, retiring from Triangle Point, when they had used up all their grenades. “That was
when jumping out of our own trench, sealed behind us at Triangle Point, after throwing all
our bombs across the traverse to stop the enemy advancing along the trench. We were
making for the main trench behind us… The N.C.O. in charge at this point, a young newly
promoted Corporal, after bayonetting one of the invaders, had given the order to return to
the main trench at our rear…”(Private A A Bell a bomber with 17 th Manchesters) Lieutenant
Nash of the 16 th Manchesters suggested the Triangle Point detachment had withdrawn at
the beginning of this German counter-attack at 3.30am. The timing of the withdrawal at
7am is more consistent with the 17 th Battalion War Diary and Private Bell’s memoirs]
Immediately on seeing this, the Boches jumped out of their trenches and started firing on them. We
turned two machine-guns on the Boches and wiped the party completely out, but not before they had
accounted for [almost] all our men.(LC)
[The heavy machine gun fire from the 90 th Company Machine Corps was strong enough for a
small group to safely withdraw from Triangle Point to a shell hole towards the village. “There
were eight of us in that [shell] hole, but there was plenty of room for more; we stayed there
until nightfall – perhaps twelve hours later.” (A A Bell)]
The wounded in our trench were coming into the dug-out at an alarming rate and soon it became
evident that the only people holding the keep were the machine gunners, and we had only two men
per gun. As the bombing attack seemed to be developing, the Company Commander sent a message
back for an artillery barrage. In a short space of time our shells started to come over, bursting in the

valley in front of Montauban… [Lieutenant Nash recounted four waves of enemy infantry assaults
before the British artillery bombardment began.](LC)
During the day snipers were busy accounting for several casualties. Their sniper posts were located
and these were wiped out by the Machine Guns. (WD)
After this, the attack seemed to fizzle out. Several Boche snipers however, had managed to get into
position in the diagonal trench leading from Montauban Alley to Montauban. They managed to
cover all the exits from C Keep and they got a number of our walking wounded, who were trying to
get back. [This trench was slightly in advance of the 17 th Manchesters positions, to the east of the
16 th Battalion.](LC)
The shelling was fairly heavy throughout the day, but there were no more infantry attacks…”(LC)
At 10am the 2 nd Battn Wiltshire Regt came in to reinforce and at night the whole [90 th ] Brigade were
relieved by the 27 th Brigade. The relief of the Coy being completed by 3am, 3 rd Inst [July].(WD)
[Private A A Bell was probably helped again by the 90 th Machine Gun Company -“In the shellhole
when it became dark on the night of the 2 nd we were not absolutely sure whether the
portion of main trench nearest to us was occupied by our troops or not, so it was arranged
that one of us, a volunteer, should go along and, if all was well, to ask the machine gunner to
give the signal “Rat-ta-ta-tat-tat – tat tat”. A volunteer was found and we trooped across to
find our battalion had been relieved and we were eventually conducted some miles to our
own positions.”]
3RD JULY 1916
The Coy then proceeded to HAPPY VALLEY, BRAY, arriving at 11a.m. During the whole action we lost
two Officers and 29 Other Ranks also ten men who were attached to us for belt filling purposes.(WD)
CAPTAIN GRUNDY
“Jim” George Leslie Ord Grundy originally served in Gallipoli in 1915, commissioned as a Lieutenant
in the Yorkshire & Lancashire Regiment. Following attachment to the Machine Gun Corps he was
promoted to Captain on 3 rd December 1915. He finished his Service as a Major. Captain Grundy was
Mentioned in Despatches with the Machine Gun Corps. He retired in 1922 and married Jeanne
Upham Franklin in 1923. They had a son, George Michael Franklin Grundy two years later. In 1936
Jim was appointed a member of the Tanganyika Legislature.

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Thanks to Alice for more patient editing September 1916