VC at Langemarck

Battle of Langemarck. British troops moving forward over shell-torn ground near Pilckem, 16th August 1917. © IWM (Q 2708). IWM Non-Commercial Licence

The image that springs to mind for a lot of people when thinking of the First World War is one of mud with slivers of trees remaining. The battle that a lot of the photographs of these conditions come from is Passchendaele, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres (3rd Ypres). As with many of the big battles, it was actually made up of several smaller battles, in this case, eight (you can see a list here http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/the-battles-of-ypres-1917-third-ypres/). The Battle of Langemarck took place 16-18 August 1917, and was the second battle of 3rd Ypres.

There was no rain on the actual days of the battle, but there had been rain almost every day of August running up to it. This was landing on ground already churned up by fighting and shell fire, creating atrocious conditions, compounded by the fact that the British and French armies were operating in low lying areas.

The 20th (Light) Division was one of many that saw action over these three days, playing their part on the first day. The 20th Division’s objective was to take the village of Langemarck, from which the battle takes its name. One of the battalions in this division was the 12th King’s Royal Rifle Corps (12 KRRC), one of whose soldiers won the Victoria Cross during this action.

Edward ‘Ned’ Cooper was born in Portrack, Stockton (then in County Durham), in 1896. In 1914, he was 18 years old and working for the Co-op where he was in charge of his own fruit cart. After war was declared, the government commandeered the horse that pulled the cart, and the Co-op had to put Ned on leave. During this time, he decided to enlist in the army, but had to add a year to his age in order to go overseas. He enlisted in the KRRC and was posted to the 12th Battalion.

At 4:45am on 16 August 1917, the 6th Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry moved forward behind a creeping barrage of British artillery, making the way for 12 KRRC and 6th King’s Shropshire Light Infantry to come through. Due to the conditions of the ground, some of the advance had to be done in columns of men in single file, weaving their way around shell craters full of mud and water. 

D/DLI 7/63/2(182) Sketch map by Reverend Birch (5 DLI) of the Passchendaele area, October 1917

By 7:45am, 20th Division had taken its objectives, though it had not been without its challenges and heavy losses. 12 KRRC was the worst affected of the division’s infantry units, they lost:

Four officers and 43 men killed
Five officers and 152 men wounded
Two officers and 51 men missing *

However, there was also bravery. Sergeant Ned Cooper won the Victoria Cross for his actions in this attack. His citation, which appeared in the London Gazette on 14 September 1917, reads:

“For Most Conspicuous Bravery & Initiative in attack. Enemy machine guns from a concrete blockhouse, 250 yards away, were holding up the advance of the battalion on his left, and were also causing heavy casualties to his own battalion. Sergeant Cooper, with four men, immediately rushed towards the blockhouse, though heavily fired on. About a 100 yards distant he ordered his men to lie down and fire at the blockhouse. Finding this did not silence the machine guns, he immediately rushed forward straight at them and fired his revolver into an opening in the blockhouse. The machine guns ceased firing and the garrison surrendered. Seven machine guns and 45 men were captured in this blockhouse. By this magnificent act of courage he undoubtedly saved what might have been a serious check to the whole advance, at the same time saving a great number of lives.”

Ned managed to miss being notified of his award as he was on his way back to England on leave. Waiting for his train at King’s Cross, he read in the paper that he was one of ten new VC winners! The news had already reached the north east, and by the time he reached Stockton, the superintendent of the police, the mayor, and a large crowd had arrived to meet him. The crowd literally carried him home to Portrack.

Also part of 20th Division was 11th Durham Light Infantry (11 DLI), a divisional pioneer battalion. They were at work in the area from 31 July, improving communications and ‘constructing artillery tracks, roadways, and railways under heavy shell fire’*.

11 DLI’s role on 16 August was to get tracks and duckboards in place so supply and support could quickly get through to the new ground that had been gained, and to consolidate the position, ready the next push. This was done in swampy open ground with little cover from German artillery. The battalion had seven men killed, with three officers and 22 men wounded.*

After the objectives were taken, the positions were consolidated in time for a German counter-attack. This was repelled, though not without difficulty. The position was held and the division was relieved the next day by 38th Division.

* The 11th Durham Light Infantry – In Their Own Name, Martin Bashforth

Also used: The Third Ypres, Passchendaele, the Day-By-Day Account, Chris McCarthy

On 16 August 2017, a ceremony was held to unveil Sergeant Ned Cooper’s VC memorial paving stone, laid at Stockton Cenotaph:
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/wwi-hero-remembered-100th-anniversary-13486560

To find out more about Ned Cooper:
Durham at War: http://www.durhamatwar.org.uk/story/13508/
Stockton Heritage: http://heritage.stockton.gov.uk/people/major-edward-cooper/

Stockton Library’s Local Studies department have an ongoing exhibition about Ned Cooper.