When Tommy First Met the Mademoiselle from Armentières During the Race to the Sea

 

The BEF Moving North, October 1914

The great chase, known as the "Race to the Sea" with its numerous lost opportunities for decisive action was winding down in the fall of 1914. The increasingly desperate German High Command realized the better strategic move was to leapfrog their opponents rather than race along them side by side. Their attention and energies were now refocused toward the Channel coast itself and Flanders. But in mid-October, a gap existed in northern France between the French and German forces still attempting to move up from the south and the Allied and German forces being pumped into Flanders. Sir John French was planning a general offensive in this area aimed at recapturing the important city of Lille which the Germans had taken.

On 10–11 October, transported by bus from Abbeville, the British troops took up position on the front line between Béthune and Ypres, and reinforcements from Saint-Omer and Antwerp soon joined them. The British Army set about establishing a front to Armentières with the French cavalry filling the farther gap between two army corps positioned farther south. On 12 October, however, the French lost control of Vermelles, a small town on the edge of the Pas-de-Calais coal basin, and this forced the British to make a move southward in an attempt to fill the breach. On 13 October, fierce fighting erupted between the British and Germans at Givenchy-lès-La Bassée and Cuinchy, on both sides of the La Bassée canal, and continued for four days. Decisively, German reinforcements had begun arriving in the midst of the fighting. The British managed to advance ten kilometers to the east until they came up against Aubers Ridge, where German counterattacks forced them to fall back. By its conclusion, Givenchy had been captured, lost, and recaptured, the town of La Bassée would be secured by German forces (and held for the next four years), and II Corps had suffered 3,000 casualties.

The La Bassée Canal Split the New British Sector, Armentières to the North and Notre Dame de Lorette in the South

Another Allied attack was planned for 19 October. The only success during this attack would lead to tragedy. The 2nd battalion of the Royal Irish captured Le Pilly, a village on Aubers Ridge, but the rest of the advance failed. On 20 October the Germans went on the attack. A major offensive was launched all along the German line from Arras to the sea. Fortunately, that day II corps had halted their offensive and been ordered to hold their line. German attacks on 20 and 21 October were repulsed, but General Smith-Dorrien decided to retreat to a stronger defensive line that had been prepared behind the front line.

The new line began close to the right wing of II corps, but as it ran north the gap increased until at its northern end it was two miles behind the most advanced portions of the line. The retreat was carried out over the night of 22–23 October and caught the Germans by surprise. 23 October was thus a quiet day. The German attack was renewed on 24 October along the entire Sixth Army front. A daylight attack failed to make any headway. It was followed by an attack at dusk, which did break into the British trenches at two places, but local counter-attacks restored the situation. During this period, the Lahore Division of the Indian Corps arrived, and Indian troops would subsequently play an increasingly important role in the fighting.

Late War Posed Photos of the
Mademoiselle from Armentières

A second night attack, on 26–27 October, caused more problems. Part of the British line was broken and the village of Neuve Chapelle captured. This created a shallow salient in the British line. At this early period in the war, the buildings of Neuve Chapelle still survived, making the village a dangerous strongpoint that threatened the British lines. A major counterattack was launched on 28 October but failed to retake the village. On 29 October the village was reported to have been evacuated, but later in the day German troops used the ruins as cover for their last major attack of the battle. After the failure of the attack on 29 October, the Germans moved much of their heavy artillery north towards Ypres, where it took part in the battle of Gheluvelt. This marked the end of the serious fighting around La Bassée. On 30 October the Indian Corps would relieve II corps.

After its occupation by the British Army,  Armentières—located just 2 km behind the front—would remain fairly quiet until the German Offensive of April 1918.  During the intervening time the nearby trenches were used to rest exhausted units. When the Germans finally assault the area, the town was drenched with a tremendous mustard gas bombardment that made it uninhabitable for several weeks before the enemy could occupy it.

Sources: Historyofwar.org; Remembrance Trails; St. Mihiel Tripwire, March 2021