December 21st, 1914

1st Manchesters, British Expeditionary Force, month of December 1914

3rd - Relieved and to Le Couture.
10th - Returned to firing line.
15th - Capt Fisher killed.
20th - Relieved and to Bethune.
20th (21st) - Crossed the La Bassée Canal at Pont Fixe and took part in attack on trenches east of Givenchy. Advancing 3 pm, the Battalion engaged enemy in hand-to-hand fighting at Givenchy and held the village throughout night. Attacked again at 6.30 am, but soon came under heavy machine gun and rifle fire. Enemy counter-attacked 11.00 am and forced Battalion to fall back through Givenchy, where more close quarter fighting took place, to Pont Fixe.

20th December, 1 Officer KIA, 26 Other Ranks KIA; 21st December 76 ORs KIA. The casualty figures are for 21st December 1914 with no officers killed on that date.
(SDGW CD-Rom gives 76 ORs KIA for 21st and 3 DOW; 20th December 1914: 26 KIA and 1 DOW)

Officers Died for December:

Capt. HAROLD FISHER DSO

1st Bn, Manchester Regiment
KIA Tuesday 15th December 1914

Capt. LEO CREAGH

"C" Coy. 1st Bn, Manchester Regiment
KIA Sunday 20th December 1914

Lt. STUART SHERIDAN NORMAN

1st Bn, Manchester Regiment
KIA Wednesday 23 December 1914

Casualties for December - Lt Creagh, Lt Norman and 64 other ranks killed; 3 officers, 123 other ranks wounded; 46 other ranks missing. Up to the end of December the Battalion had suffered 25% casualties, after going into the trenches on 26th October.