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.