Samuel Harrison

Killed in Action 25/01/1915 at Cuinchy during the 1st Action of Givenchy

Samuel and the Battalion arrived at Le Havre on the 14/08/1914 and were part of the 1st Guards Brigade, 1st Division. First Action of Givenchy, 25th January 1915 : A German deserter gave away Chief of the General Staff Erich von Falkenhayn's plan for an attack by the German Sixth Army against the British First Army near Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée, on the road between La Bassée and Béthune, on January 25, 1915. After stumbling into the British trenches in the pre-dawn hours, around 6:30am the deserter warned a British officer that the Germans were about to open a general assault with a huge artillery bombardment accompanied by the explosion of mines and tunnels dug under No Man's Land all the way to the British lines and packed with explosives (another tactic resurrected from siege warfare). Despite this warning, the wave of artillery shells and exploding mines which hit the British positions at 7:30am was more intense than expected, tearing a gap in the British line which allowed the Germans to advance all the way to the second line of British trenches south of the canal, reaching the centre of Givenchy to the north. Beginning in the early afternoon, British Officers rallied troops from two Regiments, the famous Coldstream Guards and Scots Guards. They finally halted the onrushing Germans with blistering massed rifle and machine gun fire. The British forces then attempted to regain the momentum with a counterattack of their own, but found the tables turned as they ran into a wall of fire from the Germans, now entrenched. THE 1st BATTALION SCOTS GUARDS WAR DIARY FOR THE 25/01/1915 states - "At 6.30a.m. a German deserter reported that an attack was going to be made in half an hour, bombardment first, and then our trenches were to be blown in by previously made mines. After an hour all happened as deserter had said. 5 RF (right flank) and 40 LF (left flank) got away. Their story is as follows" - "The Germans first shelled them, then got rest of their trench, then attacked half right, then threw bombs in, got to the lip of the parapet and shot down into the trenches. The Germans afterwards swarmed up to the 'Keep' where Major Romilly was. There they were checked and held. Reinforcements came up and a counterattack was delivered at 1p.m. but did not retake much ground. Battalion was relieved at 4p.m. by the Sussex Regiment". SEE PHOTOS x 22 FOR THE BATTALION WAR DIARY OCTOBER 1914 - JANUARY 1915. Samuel's parents received letters from the front that he was wounded in the trenches but there was no official word of his death until 3 months after he died. His death is listed as "on or since" and "death presumed" on his records (date listed as 25/01/1915). See Directory for Samuel's younger brother Private Charles Harrison's page. Samuel is also remembered in the St. Augustine's Parish (book) Roll of Honour. See photos for Samuel's Medal Index Card, his Army Register of Soldiers Effects, his Service Medal and Award Rolls x 2, his CWGC Grave Registration, his name on the Le Touret Memorial Panel List, his name on the Le Touret Memorial, Samuel and his brother Charles' Pension Records x 3, the Scots Guards Cap Badge and the Memorial to the 1st Division at La Groise (Chapeau Rouge) crossroads. The 1st Division passed this way in the retreat of summer 1914 and advance of summer 1918. Finally, the 1st Division Order of Battle x 12 (the Division he was with when he died), Poppy placed by myself at Samuel's name on the Le Touret Memorial in July 2023 x 2 and a Newspaper clipping from the Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser 27/03/1915.