Machine Gun Corps at Montauban - Old Version

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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a bomber with 17 th Manchesters) Lieutenant Nash of the 16 th Manchesters suggested the Triangle Point detachment had withdrawn at the beginning of this German counter-attack at 3.30am.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.
Page 1 and 2: 90TH COMPANY MACHINE GUN CORPS AT M
Page 3 and 4: MONTAUBAN ATTACK ON 1ST JULY 1916 -
Page 5: Montauban defensive positions. Crow

Machine Gun Corps at Montauban - Old Version

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