‘D’ Company, Essex Regiment, 13th Battalion, Service no. 41824
Story
Born in 1886, Jack Taylor enlisted in the Army Service Corps on the 11th December 1915. His mother lived on Kippax High Street, and Jack lived on Leeds Lane. He went Absent Without Leave on two occasions: the first for one day on 17th September 1916, after which he was apprehended by the police, and confined to his Barracks. On the second occasion, he went missing on the 8th March 1917 in Wimbledon, until 11:45pm on the 11th March, for which he was confined to Barracks for 8 days and docked 11 days’ pay. He was then transferred to the Essex Regiment. On 30th November 1917, Jack was posted as missing in action, before it was reported that he had been taken as a prisoner of war to Germany on 31st January 1918. This time he had very good cause to be missing.
‘D’ Company, Essex Regiment, 13th Battalion
At 8.45am on the 30th November 1917, ‘D’ Company of 13th Essex Regiment were part of the defence line at the Canal du Nord south east of Moeuvres. The line was under attack from the large numbers of Germans and although they nearly reached the British lines the attack was repulsed at the cost of casualties including their Captain. A second attack was also repulsed after which the Germans resorted to smaller sorties using a sunken road. At 11am, the opposition grew again and troops on the right and left flanks were forced to withdraw. Communications with the Battalion’s Headquarters were lost.
At 12 noon, the Company came under a bomb attack but the Germans were again forced back. However, their position became more isolated with the Germans holding ground on both sides of the Company, and further bombing parties were only held back by effective sniping from the British.
By 4.30pm, a council of war was held with the remaining Lieutenants and Platoon Sergeants. They recognised that their ammunition was running out and the position was hopeless but as they had been ordered to hold the position at all costs, they decided to attempt to hold on overnight and fight on to the last with no surrender.
One of the soldiers in the council of war, Sgt Legg and other soldier undertook the dangerous task of infiltrating the German lines to get back to the British lines and inform the command of the situation. They succeeded in getting through.
The men held on through the night but at 7.20am there was an overwhelming attack by the Germans that over-ran the British position with all remaining men being killed or surrendering. Having held on for 22 hours, the Company were all exhausted. Once Sgt Legg had delivered the message to Headquarters, an attempt was made to relieve the men but this was too late and unsuccessful.
Field Marshall Haig personally praised the stand and released the story to the British Press. The story appeared in newspapers throughout the world and ‘D’ Company became known as the ‘No Surrender Company’.
Above: Illustration of the stand by R Caton Woodville
Private Taylor was held at Limburg Camp (below) in Germany, and his arrival back to Kippax was reported in the press on 6th December 1918. He was released from the army on 4th February 1919.
Kippax Roll of Honour 