The Chris Murphy Collection of Medals to the Royal Munster Fusiliers

Five: Private D. O’Shea, Royal Munster Fusiliers

India General Service 1908-35, 1 clasp, North West Frontier 1908 (6963 Pte., 1st Rl. M. Fus.); 1914 Star, with clasp (6963 Pte., R. Muns. Fus.); British War and Victory Medals (6963 Pte., R. Mun. Fus.); Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, G.V.R., 1st issue (7211047 Pte., R. Mun. Fus.) generally very fine (5) £250-300

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Chris Murphy Collection of Medals to the Royal Munster Fusiliers.

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Private Daniel O’Shea was taken prisoner at Etreux on 27 August 1914 and interned at Giessen prisoner of war camp. Sold with copy of m.i.c.

On 26 August 1914 Lieutenant-General Sir Douglas Haig arranged that his I Corps, comprising the 1st and 2nd Divisions, should retreat by road through Guise. The Germans hovered, and Brigadier-General F.I. Maxse commanding the 1st (Guards) Brigade, to which the 2nd Royal Munster Fusiliers belonged, was ordered to cover the withdrawal of both divisions with his brigade. He disposed his rearguard over eight miles, and selected as the commander of the rear party, Major Paul Charrier, the commanding officer of 2 R.M.F. Besides his own Battalion, Charrier was also given two guns from 118th Battery, R.F.A., and two Troops of the 15th Hussars. Early on the 27th Charrier positioned his force to meet the expected attack, placing two companies, ‘B’ and ‘D’ at a cross roads a mile north of Fesmy (a village seven and a half miles south east of Le Cateau); and holding the remainder in front of the village. Later half of ‘A’ Company and a Troop of 15th Hussars were pushed south east to Bergues.

9 a.m. brought news that an entire German Army Corps was approaching Fesmy. At 10.30 a.m. ‘A’ Company was attacked by German infantry on which it inflicted heavy casualties before withdrawing to the south. On the other flank ‘B’ and ‘D’ Companies were likewise probed. At about 1 p.m. a ferocious attack was launched on Fesmy itself, and the situation looked so grave that ‘C’ Company’s commander ordered a counter-attack which was delivered by two platoons ‘with a swing and dash that carried all before it’. The Germans next tried driving cattle before them but these were duly slaughtered in great numbers with machine guns. Meanwhile ‘B’ and ‘D’ Companies had been heavily attacked and in accordance with Charrier’s orders they fell back on Fesmy, from which the force, proceeded by its guns, retired ‘amid the din of rifle, machine-gun and artillery fire, and the groans of the wounded’ in the same calm manner ‘as it had done as hundred times before in mimic battle at Caesar’s Camp or Salisbury Plain’. At 5.30 the main body of the Munsters were at Oisy, but with ‘B’ Company missing. Runners and cyclists were sent off, and an hour later the Company turned up, though the delay was to prove fatal to the Battalion.

Having foiled the enemy’s attempt to contain the Munsters in Oisy, Charrier fell back on Etreux but as he approached German infantry were seen crossing the road infront of him and infiltrating the northern outskirts of the village. The Battalion was cut off. ‘C’ and ‘D’ Companies made desperate and costly attempts to dislodge the enemy, who had surprised and all but wiped out the passing gun teams with murderous short-range rifle fire from loopholed buildings. Charrier was among those who were killed in trying to break into the buildings. ‘D’ Company then attempted a last chance flank movement across the fields but was halted with a punishing fire from a hedge lining the top of a steep railway cutting. The Company Commander ordered the men to fix bayonets and charge. ‘Huge gaps appeared in the on rushing wave; the survivors struggled forward a few more yards only to fall in their turn ...’

The survivors of the various attacks then fell back to an orchard near the main road. Some men under an officer from ‘A’ Company tried to meet the enemy with cold steel, but the Germans who now formed a complete ring around the remnants of the Battalion, shrunk away. Command of the Munsters had devolved on Lieutenant Gower and under his direction the fight was continued against the weight of ‘at least six battalions of the 73rd and 77th Reserve Infantry Regiments, of the 19th Reserve Division, besides three of the 15th Regiment of the 2nd Guard Reserve Division’. As darkness fell the situation was ‘regretfully recognized as hopeless’ and at 9.15 p.m. 240 men, including many wounded, staggered to their feet with four unwounded officers.

‘The action’, records a public memorial at Etreux, ‘is likely to become the classical example of the performance of its functions by a rearguard. The Battalion not only held up the attack of a strong hostile force in its original position thereby securing the unmolested withdrawl of its Division but in retiring drew on to itself the attack of very superior numbers of the enemy. It was finally cut off at Etreux by five or six times its numbers but held out for several hours. The Regiment only surrendering when their ammunition was practically exhausted and only a small number of men remained unhurt. The Survivors were warmly congratulated by the Germans on the fine fight they had made. No other claim to a memorial near Etreux is likely to be advanced - certainly nothing which would not take second place to the Munsters.’