West Lydford Casualties, Le Cateau, 26 August 1914

Troops of the 4th Division at Le Cateau

On 26th August 1914, the 1st Battalion Somerset Light Infantry, part of the 4th Division of the BEF, were defending the village of Ligny near Le Cateau. During the day, they fought off repeated attempts by the Germans to outflank them. They were ordered to retreat later that day.

The British suffered around 8,000 casualties in the battle, two of which are young men from the village of West Lydford (Lydford on Fosse), Somerset.

Private 6749 William C Mintern (Alias: W ROSSITER). 1/Somerset Light Infantry, aged 26. Son of Fredrick W. and Ann Mintern, of 17, Market St., Yeovil.

Private 6748 Walter Tudgay. 1/Somerset Light Infantry, aged 30. Husband of Ethel Beatrice Tudgay and father of Irene Tudgay, of 42, High St., West Lydford, Taunton. Known to be a bell ringer at the local church. Walter's family lived the rest of their lives in West Lydford and are buried in the local churchyard.

Yesterday, the centenary of the battle of Le Cateau, today's bell ringers commemorated William and Walter's sacrifice by ringing the church bells at St Peters - the same bells Walter rang himself before they went away to war. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPWUMsjxI3A&feature=youtu.be

The sharp-eyed amongst you will spot that Walter and William's service numbers are one digit apart. I like to think that they were friends who went off together, but never came back.

They have no known grave. As the battalion retreated, there was no time to collect the bodies of their fallen comrades, and so they were probably buried by the Germans after the battle in a mass grave. Both are commemorated on the La Ferte-sous-Jouarre Memorial and, of course, in the churchyard at St Peter's in West Lydford.

The La Ferté-sous-Jouarre Memorial commemorates 3,740 officers and men of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) who fell at the battles of Mons, Le Cateau, the Marne and the Aisne between the end of August and early October 1914 and have no known graves.


You can read more about the battle here: http://www.britishbattles.com/firstww/battle-le-cateau.htm