Raid on Manor Farm (night 19-20/06/1918, 15 minutes after midnight)

• By the 12th of April 1918 there were no friendly batteries in front of 154 Siege Battery and the Battery was under heavy German shell fire. It was not until the 13th that the Battery received orders to retreat from Zillebeke to Reninghelst. The 9.2 inch Howitzers were dismounted and the last ammunition truck got away early in the morning of the 14th. The Germans took Manor Farm and occupied it for the first time during WWI.

• The Infantry Battalion, 2nd Worcesters who covered later on that piece of the front in Zillebeke, contemplated a large raid on Manor Farm which was now occupied by the enemy. The C.O. Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Stoney asked that an officer from 154 SB should visit them to give particulars (as they had earlier been postioned for 4 months at Manor Farm) as to the exact locations of the dugouts etc.

• 2nd Lieutenant Greene (then positioned at Vlamertinge) accordingly visited Battalion headquarters to give the required information, but in addition offered himself to lead the raiding party to their objective. Lieutenant Greene took with him five volunteers of 154 Siege Battery: Corporal Filkins, Bombardier E.T. Rolfe, Gunners W.H. Hughes, H. Graham and F.Waterfield to act as additional guides during the raid.

• At the underside of this page, as attachment, a description of the raid is added (out of the History book of Captain Walker). A second attachment, out of the diaries of 2nd Worcestershere Regt., 33th Divisional HQ & 43 Heavy Artillery Group gives info and a full detail of the preparations and of the raid itself.

Above you see the map with the frontline, april 1918. It can be seen (most left line) that part of Zillebeke Lake and Manor Farm were (for the first time in WWI) under German occupation.

Hereunder we can see the 6 objectives to be reached by the raiding party. The black arrows are added by the author of the site. Several machine gun posts faced straight opposite the raiding party.

Source: WO95/2407, held in The National Archives, UK, Kew, non- commercial use, personal licence M. Coene 12267

The following text about the raid extracted from "The Worcestershire Regiment in the Great War. Kidderminster, (1928)", p. 407, by Captain H. Fitz M. Stacke (information Dominiek Dendooven, In Flanders Fields 'Archives', Ypres):

On the night of June 15th/16th the 2nd Worcestershire relieved the 1st Queen's in the frontline south east of Ypres along the shores of Zillebeke Lake. For some days the Battalion remained quiet, while the platoons worked busily on improving the defences. Then arrangements were made for a raid to discover the identity of the enemy in front, who held the ruins of "Manor Farm" as a defended post. Plans were laid, and in the night of June 19th/20th the attack was delivered.

The raiders, five officers (2nd Lieutenant H.E. Boswell (commanding), 2nd Lieutenants H.G. Hill, F.D. Barnard and C.E. Lively, also 2nd Lieutenant Greene of 154 SB, RGA) and 138 N.CO.'s and men, moved from the front trenches fifteen minutes after midnight. Creeping along the bank of the lake they reached a German outpost in front of the farm. That outpost was rushed with bomb and bayonet and the defenders were killed or captured. The raiders pushed on to "Manor Farm", attacked it with bomb and bayonet and dropped a large explosive charge down a dugout nearby. Then they came back, bringing five prisoners of the German 457th Regiment and regained our lines with no heavier casualties than two men wounded.

On the photo hereunder you can see the German bullets (production year '18, Ütendörffer,Nürnberg) found in a box at Manor Farm. We are pritty sure that these would have belonged to the German 457th Regiment but luckily these were not used against the raiders (and were indeed not used at all).........

The same night the Battalion was relieved and went back into reserve, first in trenches behind the line and then in Divisional Reserve at Brandhoek.

• Congratulations came from the Divisional Commander, the Brigadier General Commanding Heavy Artillery and the 2nd Corps Commander (with coutesy of Dr Heather M Rutt, daughter of 2nd Lieutenant Herbert Greene).

• 2nd Lieutenant Herbert Greene was awarded the Military Cross and Gunner Hugh Graham the Military Medal for their brave actions in the raid.

• Also the other volunteers of 154 SB, Corporal Filkins, Gunner E.T. Rolfe, Gunner W.H. Hughes, & Gunner F. Waterfield were awarded the Military Medal for their part in the raid.

• 2nd Lieutenant H.E. Boswell, the officer commanding the 2nd Worcesters raiding party, was also awarded the Military Cross.

2nd Lieutenant Herbert Greene, M.C. and Bar, 154 SB, RGA

Gunner Hugh Graham, M.M., 154 SB, RGA