A FINE
"HINDENBERG LINE"
MILITARY CROSS
& 1914-15 TRIO CASUALTY GROUP OF FOUR.


To:
2nd Lt /Captain EDWARD MAURICE GONNER.
16th KINGS ROYAL RIFLE CORPS.
(THE CHURCH LADS BRIGADE)

KILLED IN ACTION DURING THE ATTACK ON THE HINDENBERG LINE ON 23rd APRIL 1917

[HISTORY]
The 16th (Service) Battalion (Church Lads Brigade) was formed in Denham, Buckinghamshire in September 1914 and recruited from members and ex-members of the Church Lads Brigade, an Anglican organisation aimed at young men who were thought to have abandoned Sunday School after starting work.

The lads of 16th KRRC landed at Le Havre on 17th November 1915 and the battalion was largely destroyed the following year in the Battle of High Wood on the Somme.

(HIGH WOOD, JULY 1916. A TOTAL BLOOD BATH & A NEAR WIPE OUT FOR THE 16th K.R.R.C. )
The real name of High Wood, as used before the War and as marked on French maps today, is Bois des Fourcaux, (Fourcaux, relating to pitchforks). The name 'High Wood' probably derives from the fact that the wood was at the top of a slope on slightly higher ground. It's elevation is actually not that great, but in such a relatively flat landscape, any improved vision was therefore a tremendous advantage.The Germans held it in July 1916, and they were not about to give up these advantages lightly. High Wood is not large, but was of tremendous significance during the Battle of the Somme. The Wood was first attacked on 14th July, 1916, but the British were unable to take it.

High Wood was the last of the major woods in the Somme offensive of 1916 to be captured by the British. The fighting in Mametz Wood was grim, and in Delville Wood it was hellish, but they eventually fell, as did Trones Wood. Despite a whole series of attacks spanning two months, High Wood held out until 15th September 1916.

The wood was never fully cleared after the war, and it is estimated that the remains of around 8000 soldiers, British and German, still lie today in High Wood.

[THE HUGE LOSS AT HIGH WOOD]

Unlike other periods, there is no single clear casualty entry in the 16th KRRC war diary for the action at High Wood. Even the strength return sent to HQ on 21st July may be misleading, as it's not clear if this includes the draft of 79 Other Ranks that joined on the 18th. But this return shows the huge scale of the losses. Just 6 officers out of 27 and 214 other ranks out of 877 survived the attack. 2Lt Edward Gonner was one of the six fortunate surviving officers who walked away after this bloody attack.

The war diary entry for the 24th July remarks upon the loss of Non Commissioned Officers which were reduced to just 1 sergeant and 7 corporals. Like so many other “New Army” battalions on the Somme, who were a year or more in the making, the 16th KRRC was decimated in a single day. The 16th Battalion had however fought bravely in this their first action, which involved a 1,000-yard advance over the open with exposed flanks. Lieutenant-Colonel L. F. Wyld was wounded.

This action gained the battle honour ALBERT, 1916. In a further action fought on 16th July the 16th Battalion and one company of the 20th Battalion gained the honour BAZENTIN.

[THE ARRAS OFFENSIVE].
(The Attack on The Hindenburg Line, APRIL 1917)
In 1917 The 16th Battalion KRRC then moved to Arras where it took part in the 1917 Arras Offensive (officially the First and Second Battles of the Scarpe) which included the April attack on the Hindenburg line. These actions were widely considered the most savage battles of the entire war.

On 23rd April 1917 the 1st Queen’s Regiment advanced on the Hindenburg Line between Croisilles and Fontaine-Les-Croisilles and the 16th Battalion KRRC was charged with bringing up ammunition and hand grenades to reinforce the initial units in their attack and in setting up an arms pile. During the action the 16th brought up thousands of rounds of ammunition and over 1500 grenades.

Men of the 18th then also attacked the enemy along the Sensee Valley while in constant logistical support of the other combatant units. At 00:45, B & C companies which were under the command of Captains E.M. GONNER & A.B. BERNARD had moved into their pre-attack positions. At 4:45am they and the entire attack force moved forward.

THE SAD LOSS OF CAPTAIN GONNER

















It was during this attack that Captain E.M.Gonner M.C. was lost and it was for his unswerving bravery in this action that he was decorated. His MILITARY CROSS which was gazetted on 4th June 1917 was awarded for his gallantry and ultimate sacrifice during this attack.

Although Captain Gonner was at first reported as 'wounded & missing' his body was later lost on the day of the action. Then, almost a month later on 20th May when the 16th KRRC again went over the top his body was found in the German lines. A report filed by 7730. Corporal O. Whiteside when on hospital ship 'Stad Antwerpen' in Calais on 25th May stated that he (Whiteside) had been next to Captain Gonner when he had been hit by a grenade, and that subsequent to 20th May while in the dressing station at Croisielles he had been told that his body had been located and that it was being brought in, but clearly it was either not finally recovered or was subsequently buried & again lost. Indeed, a chaplain's report stated that his body had been found "WITH HIS FACE TO THE FOE" ....and another letter stated that, "...he kept his head amidst all the excitement & danger, and even when withdrawal was inevitable he appealed for a further charge, "LET'S TRY AGAIN MEN" . He was the last to think of leaving the occupied position and seems to have been hit just after he got his men clear of the enemy trench.

As a result he now has no known grave and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial, Bay 7, one of the 34,774 Commonwealth servicemen who died in the Arras sector between the Spring of 1916 and 7 August 1918 and who were also lost without trace.

A Truly Exceptional group with a large file of extensive research which includes all the normal MIC, gazette details etc and copies from several books and copy papers from his officers file at Kew. The MC is "MINT" and is in it's original case. The trio and ribbons are also mint and the three original white card trio boxes are still present. Several copies of the shown picture of Captain Gonner are also included.

SOLD with part exchanges welcomed.