Battle of Gavrelle Windmill—Worst Casualties in a Single Day for the Royal Marines

Royal Marines of the 63rd Royal Naval Division

Virtually forgotten in the never ending saga of the First World War, Gavrelle, a small North Eastern French village positioned at the eastern end of the Arras battlefield was the scene of some of the most vicious fighting of the 1917 Arras Offensive. The village was captured by the 63rd Royal Naval Division (RND) on 24 April 1917 and was the site of a subsequent action known as the Battle of Gavrelle Windmill on 28–29 April. This second action at Gavrelle saw the highest number of Royal Marine casualties in a single day in the history of the corps, with 846 recorded as killed, missing, or wounded. The dead Marines totaled 335.

How Did This Come About?

At the start of the Arras Offensive, Gavrelle had been a fortified village in the third line of forward defenses of the Hindenburg Line and had lain some miles behind the fighting line. However, by the third week of April 1917, it became a prominent target for the British Army because of its importance as part of the Arleux Loop defensive line. In addition, if Gavrelle and the high ground to the north of the village could be taken, then the British Army would have had excellent observation of practically the whole of the Douai Plain beyond.

Operations Around Gavrelle
Arrow at Top Indicates 28–29 April Attack
Note Location of Windmill

The task of capturing the village had eventually been given to the men of the Royal Naval Division, who, despite sleet, snow, and bitter fighting, captured Gavrelle on St George’s Day,  23 April 1917.  Soon, however, the division found it was in a pronounced salient. Furthermore, during the days after the 23rd,  the German artillery  became "very active" by continuously pouring fire into the RND and their newly won possessions. However, by Saturday 28 April, a second attack around the village was ready. The objectives were the capture of the village’s ruined windmill and the high ground to the northeast, which had been barring any advance out of and threatening the British hold on Gavrelle. 

The attack was assigned to the 188th Brigade of the RND, which consisted of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of Royal Marines Light Infantry, supported by the 1st Battalion of the Honourable Artillery Company from the Division’s 190th Brigade. 1st Royal Marines had been required to form a defensive flank for the 2nd Division on its left, thus protecting the 2nd Division’s right flank.  Once these tasks were completed, the unit was then to send fighting patrols out and link up with units from the Second Division in the north and 2nd Royal Marines to the south.

The second part of the plan was to be carried out by 2nd Royal Marines. They were to advance out of Gavrelle and move down the Fresnes road to a depth of 700 yards. Starting from within the village the unit had two separate objectives, the capture of the windmill on the high ground to the northeast, and a section of unfinished trenches to the south of the Gavrelle to Izel road, where, once the supporting artillery barrage had passed over, they had been ordered to  consolidate the trenches, and  link up with 1st Royal Marines to the north and the division’s Anson Battalion to the south. It was obvious that the 2nd Battalion would have both flanks in the air at the commencement of the attack, leaving the men in a precarious position.

Gavrelle Windmill Before the War

The Attack and Counterattacks

At 0425 hours on 28 April, the two Marine Battalions launched their very separate attacks. The 1st Battalion were to all intents and purposes never heard of again. They had advanced headlong into a strongpoint (where the German trench system crossed the railway line) and although some of them managed to fight their way through, the flanking units never made contact with them. The only form of news was from the few wounded who managed to get back to their own lines. For the actions in resisting the enemy's counterattacks for nearly 30 hours, two lieutenants of the Honourable Artillery Company, Reginald Haine and Alfred Pollard, would be awarded the Victoria Cross. [Note: It's unclear from their citations whether these efforts were in support of the 1st or 2nd Royal Marines.]

The 2nd Battalion RMLI managed to gain some territory, including the all-important windmill but by the evening the captured ground was back in the hands of the Germans with the exception of a small garrison who were hanging on to the  death at the windmill. A strong German counterattack was launched against Gavrelle itself, and this was repulsed only by the timely arrival of the 14th Bn Worcestershire Regiment, the divisional pioneers, who had been ordered forward at short notice. Toward the village center, the communal cemetery on the immediate right and an adjacent street was the defensive line held by the pioneers. The battle raged through the night and an attempt by the division's Anson Battalion to take the German position outside the village failed completely. 

Two Who Fought Gallantly at Gavrelle

(L) Lt. Reginald Haine (1896–1982), Hon. Artillery Comp.
Victoria Cross
(R) Corp. Wm. Mardsen (1882–1917) 2nd Royal Marine L.I.,
Military Medal (Died from Wounds)

The German counterattack was held off by the steady firing of the pioneers. By the evening of 29 April, the  village was solidly in the hands of the RND and the Windmill defenders were holding out. The following day the 31st Division took over the line.  Gavrelle would be secure for almost a year, when it was abandoned during the German spring offensive. The capture, defense and holding of the Windmill was described as a “very brilliant operation” which significantly strengthened the hold of the division on Gavrelle. However, the strength and determination of the Germans had been underestimated, and both Royal Marine Battalions paid the cost, suffering disastrous losses.

Sources: RoyalMarinesHistory.com; Imperial War Museum Volunteer London Blog entry by Tim Mansfield; Scarborough Maritime Heritage Center