Offering 3 - 5 hr. St. John’s tours, including a drive, walk in the fresh air, laughs & local snacks.
15/04/2025
We will remember them
On April 14, 1917, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment suffered some of its greatest casualties and won its greatest victory at Monchy-le-Preux, France during the Battle of Arras.
Soon after beginning their advance, the 88th brigade, made up of the Newfoundland Regiment and British forces, was subjected to a strong German counterattack. Survivors were soon surrounded and made to surrender. An injured British soldier was able to return to Battalion headquarters and report that all men had been killed or captured. German forces pressed on and were able to claim the trenches at the edge of Monchy-le-Preux from which the British and Newfoundlanders had mounted their attack.
Commander of the Newfoundland forces, Lieutenant-Colonel James Forbes-Robertson, collected all available men of his headquarters staff, as well as weapons and ammunition from dead and wounded soldiers, and led twenty men through the destruction of Monchy-le-Preux. Ten men, nine Newfoundlanders (one who was knocked unconscious but joined the group 90 minutes later) and one soldier of the Essex Regiment, remained by the time they reached the outskirts of the village to face the approaching Germans. These men held their position for 11 hours until reinforcements arrived.
Ten men kept the entire German force at bay for 11 hours.
Total casualties for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment numbered 460: 166 were killed or died of wounds, 141 were wounded and 153 became prisoners. The heroic action of these ten men, who would become known as the Monchy 10, who had never thought they would survive 15 minutes let alone 11 hours, kept the British planners from major embarrassment, as the battle plan had proved to be woefully inadequate.
The village had been a hard won victory of the 37th Division only 3 days before. If those 10 men failed the Germans would have literally walked into Monchy-le-Preux and taken over.
Major-General Sir Beauvoir de Lisle, the commanding officer of the 29th Division, of which the Newfoundlanders were a part, told them afterwards that 40,000 men would have been required to recover Monchy-le-Preux had the Germans captured it. From defeat, a resounding victory had been achieved.
The Monchy Ten
Lt.-Col. James Forbes-Robertson, Commanding Officer.
Lieut. Kevin J. Keegan, Signalling Officer.
Sgt. J. Ross Waterfield, Provost Sergeant.
Cpl. Charles Parsons, Signalling Corporal.
Cpl. John H. Hillier, Battalion Orderly Room Corporal
Lance-Cpl. Walter Pitcher, Provost Corporal.
Pte. Frederick Curran, Signaller.
Pte. Japheth Hounsell, Signaller.
Pte. Albert S. Rose, Battalion Runner.
Pte. V. M. Parsons, 1st Battalion, Essex Regiment.
Image: The Rooms Provincial Archives - The Caribou Memorial, Monchy-le-Preux, built on German bunker, with yard in rear; Mairie [Town Hall] on right. July 1938
