Extract from the Spring 2001 Edition of the Waddelow Society Magazine

Pte. 3/1819 ALFRED LANGLEY
2nd Battalion. K.O.Y.L.I.
KILLED IN ACTION 7TH MAY 1915.

By Stan Langley

Items concerning my uncle Alfred have been published in the Magazine previously - although born in Middlesbrough, he grew up in Kings Lynn, and it is clear from newspaper reports of court proceedings that he was not the best behaved boy on the block - guilty of a youthful misdemeanour or two - but nothing approaching a hanging offence. In 1900-1901 he served with the Norfolk Regiment in the Boer War. Lance-Corpl. A. Langley is among those listed on a brass tablet erected in the Town Hall complex by the Corporation of Kings Lynn "In recognition of the services rendered by the Men of the Borough who fought in the South African War, 1900-1."

It was probably for economic reasons that he and his family left Lynn. For a time he became landlord of the "Ship Defiance" public house in Wisbech - one of his daughters once suggested to me that he may well have drunk any profit produced in this enterprise! After a period in Peterborough (at least one of his children was born there), and prior to the outbreak of war in August 1914, he moved to Wakefield - it was here that he enlisted in the Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.

In the recent past I subscribed to the ROOTSWEB GREATWAR-L list (scary computer stuff to the uninitiated) and through the good offices of another subscriber I have obtained a copy of the 2nd Battalion K.O.Y.L.I. War Diary covering the period during which Alfred became a casualty. It makes fascinating reading:-

Note: The various orders, etc., described in the text as being attached were not with diary copy received.

4th May - Attached to Canadian Divn.
Received orders at dawn to retire to huts near OUDERDOM (sapper town) where Battn. arrived at 6am & were promised 3 or 4 days rest - The attached letter and wire from G.O.C. 5th Corps & G.O.C. 1st Canadian Divn. (marked A & B respectively) were received on our leaving 1st Canadians to rejoin 5th Divn.

5th May - Rejoined 5th Divn.
At 9am heard that Hill 60 & the ZWARTELEEN SALIENT had been lost & the enemy again using asphyxiating gasses with appalling results - called out at 1pm and marched to Chateau near KRUISTRAAT where we halted until 4pm & then marched to trenches in G.H.Q. line between Canal & Railway Embankment S.E. of YPRES. At dusk the Bn. moved again under cover of Railway Embankment close to 13th & 18th [Bde.?] H.Q. to act in support to [West?] Kent Regt. & K.O.S.B.s who were attacking in ZWARTELEEN SALIENT and Hill 60 respectively. These attacks however failed and although the K.O.S.B. got to the top of the HILL the attack by the West Kents on the Salient was unable to [progress?] & HILL 60 was consequently untenable. The consequence was that the K.O.S.B.s after having practically retaken HILL 60, though with heavy loss, had to evacuate it again leaving the line the same as it had been before. The K.O.Y.L.I. did not move forward but remained for the night in their position under the Railway Embankment where we obtained good cover from the many shells that came our way.

6th May - Attack on Zwarteleen Salient
A Hot sunny day. At about noon the Colonel received notification that the Battn. was to make an attack during the night or at dawn on the ZWARTELEEN SALIENT and the Brigadier asked him to reconnoitre the position and let know how he considered the attack could best be made. Consequently at 2pm the C.O. [???????] Adjt. & 4 Coy. Commdrs set out to get a view of the Salient from 41 trench. As a result of this reconnaissance the attached orders for attack were issued by Brigadier at 6.5 p.m. (marked (a)) - After receiving these orders the C.O. assembled all officers & explained his dispositions for the attack which were as follows: -

(Reference rough sketch below)

6th - 7th May - Attack on Zwarteleen Salient
The Enemy holds Hill 60 & all the line of trench marked. They had also dug a new trench across the neck of the Salient (a) & occupied it. At (b) a barrier had been erected by both sides. The Cheshire Regt. held 38, 39 & 40 trenches and the Royal Irish Rifles 46 trench. The Cheshires also occupied 41 trench. At 2.30 a.m., at which time the K.O.Y.L.I. were to attack, the Battn. was to be in position as follows: - The 2 assaulting Coys B & A under Command of Captain King & 2/Lt. Roberts respectively were to be massed in 41 trench. C Coy with shovels and sandbags were to be in communicating trench (c) (under Lt. Singleton) ready to move up & follow B & A Coys in the attack. D Coy to be in the rear of C (under Lt. Clarke) also to move up into 41 trench either to reinforce the attack or remain in 41 as required. At 2.30 a.m. the barrier (b), which had been mined, was to be blown up and the Cheshires in 40 assisted by Bombing Parties of K.O.S.B. & West Kents were to push up into 43 and assist our attack, the R.I.R. doing the same from 46 on the left. The head of each of these parties were to show us their position by a flashlight. The Battn. paraded under the Railway Embankment at 11.45pm & moved up along the railway & by 2 a.m. was all ready in the above positions - at the appointed hour (2.30 a.m.) although the explosion of the Barrier did not take place B Coy closely followed by A Coy jumped forward over the parapet of 41 & advanced direct on the new German Trench (a) - after they had gone about 10_ they were met with a terrific Rifle & Machine Gun fire & were mowed down fast. They were followed by C Coy & later by D Coy - the latter however, in the darkness lost direction & inclining too much to their right, got into 40 trench. Meanwhile the barrier at (b) exploded although somewhat late & the Cheshires pushed forward some 70_ up into the Salient. Nothing was seen or heard of the R.I.R. on the left and they gave us no assistance. The first reliable information to come back was from Lt. Roberts who came in wounded & stated that the first trench (a) had been taken and crossed and that B & A Coys were well up in the SALIENT. Shortly after this dawn broke and it became evident that although the enemy had been driven out of the neck of the Salient they still held the Salient itself. It also became evident that any of A, B or C Coys who had got through would not be able to communicate back or move until nightfall. The Cheshire Regt. who had advanced well into the Salient on the right had been bombed back again to their old position & had re-erected the blown up barrier.

The day passed fairly quietly & without any news from the Salient which caused a feeling of suspense all round. Darkness came at 7.45 p.m. & patrols were sent out to look for wounded men & to try to ascertain what the result of the attack had been. The situation, although it was known that the attack had failed, was not cleared up until Capt. King crawled in slightly wounded & gave the following narrative: - (attached marked (A)). From Capt. Kings narrative it is evident that only small parties of A, B & C Coys lived to enter the Salient & as only a sprinkling of these Coys ever turned up the remainder must have been either killed, wounded, or captured. Unfortunately there can be no doubt that many wounded men died lying out unable to get back. In fact as late as 12th May 3 men crawled into 40 trench. Two of these died of exposure before they could say anything. The third declared that there was a party of one Officer & about 14 men in an old trench in the Salient quite close to the enemy & that they were living on raw potatoes & water. They refused to surrender & whenever the Germans advanced to take them they fired on them. He stated they had no hope of getting back. As the narrator of this story died shortly after telling it to the men of the S. Lancashire Regt. & as it was impossible to do anything to assist the party the truth of this could never be verified. If true the officer must have been either Lt. Singleton or 2/Lt. Addenbrooke. Casualties in the attack were as follows: -

Killed. Lt. F.W. Snape & 21 N.C.O.s & men.
Wounded Lts. Roberts - Thom - Lumb - White - Gosschalk - Clarke - Roe.
Capt. King - & 116 N.C.O.s and men.
Missing. Lts. Singleton - Addenbrooke - & 40 N.C.O.s & men.
Total. 11 Officers & 177 R & F.

The Battn. was relieved at night by the S. Lancashire Regt. & retired again to the Railway Embankment near Bde. H.Qrs.

8th May - Railway Embankment near ZILLEBEKE
Shelled all day. Heavy fighting near HOOGE & north of MENIN ROAD.

9th May - Under Railway Embankment near ZILLEBEKE
More heavy fighting near HOOGE & very heavy artillery bombardment. Heard that 1st Battn. had been badly cut up. Line maintained. All quiet in our Sector and on Hill 60. Two hundred men out digging at night.

10th May - Under Railway Embankment
Hot sunny day & all quiet in our Sector. 4th Bde. & 27th & Divs. heavily attacked on our left but they held their line. 200 men out digging at night. A draft of 418 R & F joined the Battn. but no Officers.

11th May - To huts at Sapper Town
Under cover of Railway Embankment. Relieved at night by K.O.S.B. & returned to huts at Sapper Town near Ouderdom. On arrival there we found that the Norfolk Regt. had received no orders to move out & consequently the two Battns. were there together. Major R.H. Ellis, Capt. Buckle, Lieut. Palmer (Y & L Regt.) Lts. Garrard, Alexander & Butler joined the Battn.

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