Battle of Le Cateau: 26th August 1914

The Battle of Le Cateau was fought on the 26th August 1914.

The XIV Brigade (or 14 Brigade RFA) of the Royal Field Artillery was stationed at the Artillery Barracks of Colchester Garrison in August 1914, when WW1 began. The brigade consisted of three batteries; the 39th, 68th and 88th Batteries. The XIV Brigade was part of the 4th Division of the British Army at the start of WW1 and was sent to France in the British Expeditionary Force in August 1914. The brigade – consisting of men on horses and horse-drawn field guns, followed by horse/mule-drawn ammunition wagons – probably moved out of the Artillery Barracks along the curving road in front of Roman Circus House, along Circular Road North and Napier Road, and down the hill of Mersea Road to St Botolph’s railway station, where they would have been entrained for the coast and then by ship to France. The 4th Division landed in France during the 23rd-24th August.

By the night of the 25th August, II Corps of the British Army was retreating from the Battle of Mons, pursued by the German First Army. I Corps was nearby. The 4th Division had just arrived and was brought forward to join II Corps, though not all its divisional elements were present. The Division took up its position on the evening and through the night of the 25th. The retreat was halted and II Corps had to stand and fight the German First Army on land to the west of the town of Le Cateau, on the 26th August. II Corps and the 4th Division were heavily outnumbered by the First Army but managed – largely due to their artillery brigades – to hold the German forces off for a while and to inflict some losses in a heroic delaying/rearguard action before a last-minute retreat. The positions of 39 Battery, 68 Battery and 88 Battery at the battle are known. The commanding officer of 88 Battery, Major Raymond England, was killed during the battle.

The Battle of Le Cateau was only the second engagement of WW1 and it was regarded as significant and as a British military tactical success, despite terrible losses of men (and horses). However, military experts have now revised the number of British casualties down from 7,800 to about 5,000 of all ranks being killed, wounded and missing. This is still a high and dreadful number of casualties, of course. Le Cateau was a field artillery battle, and 38 British field guns were lost. It is now regarded as a less significant action of WW1. The 4th Division, including XIV Brigade, went on to take part in the Battle of the Marne on the 7th-10th September 1914 and was deployed throughout the war.

The Artillery Barracks at Colchester Garrison were renamed ‘Le Cateau Barracks’ at some time after the battle.

The Trust’s premises, and the Roman circus centre, are in the building which originally housed the NAAFI of the Artillery (Le Cateau) Barracks. The site of the Roman circus was discovered during the programme of archaeological  investigations ahead of the redevelopment of the old garrison at Colchester; the Army has now moved to the new garrison at Colchester. There is an audio of Driver James Goodson of 68 Battery talking about his life (in the Army 1902-1920), including his recollections of the Battle of Le Cateau, which the Trust is planning to include in our display on the Army within the Roman circus centre and which will be our small tribute to all the servicemen who passed through the Artillery (Le Cateau) Barracks.

Remember the Battle of Le Cateau, 99 years ago today.

Read more about an artillery brigade at www.1914-1918.net/whatartbrig.htm and about the Battle of Le Cateau at www.1914-1918.net/bat2.htm

The image shows the Royal Field Artillery on parade at the Artillery Barracks in Colchester, circa ?1914; you can just see Jumbo, the water tower, in the background (old postcard reproduced here with the kind permission of Jess Jephcott).

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