1st. May 1915.
Western Front.
Second Battle of Ypres: Repulse of German attack on Hill 60; British ordered to withdraw to new line.
By the 1st May 1915 Hill 60 was occupied by 1st Bn Dorset Regiment (15th Brigade). The first gas attacks using chlorine had taken place on the far side of the salient and the men were now equipped with very basic gauze and
cotton face masks.
By now the Official History describes Hill 60 as:
...a medley of confluent mine and shell craters, strewn with broken timber and wire: and in this rubbish heap it was impossible to dig without disturbing the body of some British or German soldier.
At 1917 hours the Germans put down a bombardment on the hill and almost immediately released a cloud of gas. With the two front lines less than a hundred metres apart the defenders had very little time to react and many were overcome by the gas before being able to adopt their rudimentary gas masks.
Jumping up onto the parapet Lt Robert Kestell-Cornish avoided the denser part of the cloud and with a handful of men put down such a volley of rifle fire at random into the cloud that it discouraged the German infantry from rushing in. The little party's action gave the supporting units of the Dorsets just enough time to come up and charge into the gas cloud stopping the German advance in its tracks.
Despite the fact that this was the first time that such a gas attack had failed to gain the perpetrators any advantage the casualties to the Dorsets were considerable. 85 had been killed and over 200 wounded by the gas cloud (of whom 58 died). Just two men had become casualties as a result of other wounds. Kestell-Cornish was himself later evacuated for gas inhalation but was back at the front within a week refusing to accept a Blighty On their left the 1st Bn Bedfords were not directly attacked by the gas cloud (Though many of them suffered its effects) but as the Dorsets succumbed so their trenches emptied.
Private Edward Warner took a party into the gas ridden trenches and despite becoming gassed himself helped fight off the German attacks and rescue wounded men. When reinforcements couldn't get through to him he came back out to lead them in to the position. Exhausted and overcome by the gas Warner died shortly afterwards. He became the fifth soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross on Hill 60.
Private Edward Warner V.C.
Eastern Front.
Austro-German Spring Offensive in Galicia: Battle of Gorlice-Tarnow begins.
Germans occupy Shavli and approach Libau (Baltic Provinces).
Austro-German offensive towards the Uzsok Pass.
Southern Front.
Battle of Dilman (North Persia).
Dardanelles: Turks attack the Allied line at Gallipoli.
Naval and Overseas Operations.
Lusitania departs New York City bound for Liverpool.
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/snpwwi2.htm
Two German t.b.'s sunk by British destroyer in North Sea.
Union forces occupy Kubas (German south-west Africa).
"Gulf-light", American oil tank vessel, torpedoed by German submarine, but reaches port. First United States ship attacked by German submarine.
The South African Aviation Corps begin to fly reconnaissance sorties in support of South African Army units during operations against German forces in German South-West Africa. The colony surrendered 2 months later.
Political, etc.
Navigation resumed again between England and Holland.
Chinese Note to Japan requiring the restoration of Kiao-chau, and making other demands.
Rob.
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