Remembering the 327 Guernseymen who lost their lives protecting the WW1 front line
A battle which virtually wiped out a generation of Guernseymen has been commemorated.
People gathered in both Guernsey and France to remember the bravery and sacrifice of the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry (RGLI) during World War One.
It's the 107th anniversary of when RGLI men lost their lives in the Battle of Cambrai in 1917.
The regiment was surrounded on three sides by German troops and within days more than 320 of them were killed.
The service took place in the French town of Masnieres, just outside Cambrai, where the regiment suffered its heaviest losses.
Masnieres residents paid tribute to the Guernseymen who protected their town, with one saying: "In a way to remember about those who came here to defend us."
Another explains: "I think it's important not to forget all the soldiers that have fallen for us here."
Dignitaries from Guernsey were also in attendance, including the Bailiff of Guernsey and Lieutenant Governor Lt. Gen. Richard Cripwell - the first time they've attended the service at the same time.
Lt. Gen. Cripwell says: "It really was very special to see so many people out on a cold day - not as cold as it was back in 1917, but particularly to hear the children singing our national anthem and the French national anthem so beautifully.
"And [they are] so clearly engaged in what was going on."
Who were the Royal Guernsey Light Infantry?
The Royal Guernsey Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed from the Royal Guernsey Militia in 1916 to serve in World War I.
They fought the Battle of Cambrai, where the RGLI's role was to go through the Hindenburg Line after the first wave and take 'Nine Wood' to the north of Marcoing.
This went according to plan, with few casualties and they then moved on to the front line at Masnières.
On 2 December 1917, the Guernseymen found themselves defending the small town of Les Rues Vertes against a huge and determined German counter-attacks.
The RGLI were the only British regiment to hold the line, whilst other Allied troops around them were forced to withdraw. The RGLI were fundamental in preventing the German counter-offensive from being successful.
However, their losses were large, with 327 men from the regiment's total strength of 1,000 killed, missing, or lost.
The RGLI only made their strategic withdrawal, still under fire, when they were ordered to by the high command.
The high loss of life and inability to find enough recruits from Guernsey meant the RGLI would never just be made up of Guernseymen again.
Terry Coule's grandfather was one of the hundreds of Guerseymen who fought in the RGLI, who also lost his 21-year-old brother in the regiment.
He explains: "After the fighting, my grandfather wrote to his Mother and said 'I can’t find babe', and his younger brother had been killed in the attack – but they couldn’t find his body.
"It was never recovered, so he was just posted as missing."
The sacrifice of the Guernsey soldiers meant that the RGLI entered 1918 with 50% of the men being non-Guernsey born.
Dean of Guernsey, the Very Reverend Tim Barker, says: "This was perhaps one of the most significant times in Guernsey’s history.
"Of course, the occupation was a tremendously important part of our history, but perhaps that’s eclipsed in some ways the memory of just how devastating the events of 1917 were for the islands."
Lt Col Colin Vaudin of The RGLI Charitable Trust adds: "Husbands; fathers; it was a tragedy for Guernsey but also something we should be immensely proud of that the men of Guernsey stood here and fought untrained against the might of the German Army.
"I'm incredibly proud of them but incredibly sorry for the sacrifice they made."
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