KING EDWARD'S HORSE.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17104, 28 March 1921, Page 7

KING EDWARD'S HORSE.

MEMORIAL AT yiETTiTiTI CHAPELLE.

A NEW ZEALAND HERO,

(JBJOM OTTB QWN CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON, February 3,

Considerable interest attaches to an impressive littlo ceremony which took place last Sunday at the village of "Vieille Chapelle, Pns de Calais, wtheu. the first stone w as there laid of the only regimental monument which has been sanctioned by the Battle Exploits Cou»mittee. It is King Edward's Horse (the King's Oversea Dominions Regiment) which has been granted tinis unique distinction. The regiment ljad been in existence -for twenty years before the war, and one its squadrons was composed entirely of (olonial students working at Oxford and Cam-, bridge. Many of these obtained commissions in the infantry regiments after the outbreak of the war. but others remained with tihe original unit until the end. Among these New Zealand officers and men, a number of whom, lost their lives in the engagements in which the regiment took part. Vieille ChapeLe,' not many miles from Bethune, is the sfcene of the gallant defence of -the bridgeheads on the Lowe river, which was made by the regiment on the occasion of the German advance on April 9th, 1918. It was a desperate affair, for the regiment was in support of the Portuguese, and the precipitate retreat of our allies on this occasion left them to stem the full force of Uho enemy's .attack. Among 4 hnse who fell liere-was Lieutenant J. W". Pinckne.v . in command of a squadron which defended a bridge for' 48' hours. Eventually all their ammunition was expended; and they were surrounded by' the enerav. The.y blew up ihoir bridge, pud the few survivor. l ) withdrew to sonw farm buildings. When it came to the question of surrender, young Pinckney and three of his men said t!iey would not be taken prisoners. They .tried to get through the German.lines, but they wero killed about 500 yards from t)he> farm. For many months doubt was felt as to rho fate that had overtaken Air Pinckney, and many enquiries were made on hU account. *

The names of 89 officers and men of the regiment who died in Franco will appear on the monument at Vieille Chapelle. Besides that, of Lieutenant Pinckney there will be • the name of Capt. Dillon Bell, a son of Sir F. 'II. Dillon Bell, who was killed at Passchandaele on July 31st, 1917; while in charge of "C" squadron. • Nearly all the officers and men of the regiment have gone back to their respective Dominions, so that it was a small party that met to perform the ceremony of laying tihe first stone of the plinth for the monument, which will be built of plain Cornish granite, bearing the names of .the dead and the regimental crest. The visitors from England were Colonel Lionel James, tho commander of the regiment, Mrs Jame3, Major M. F. Dick (Canada), and Mn> Mcintosh, tho wife of Lieutenant MoIntosh (Melbourne).

Monsieur Descliiido, the Mayor of the nrrondissement. and Monsieur l'Ablo Albert Drou, tne cure, had arranged a suitablo and impressive' ceremony. A flagstaff with, a British flag had been raised above the chosen spot. A choir of tiho village children sang "God Save the King." M, l'Abbe delivered a stirring address and then consecrated the plot. The four English visitors placed the mortar on the while, in accordance with the French custom, Colonel James recited tho lust, roll-call, the French children acclaiming each namo with the sentence "Mort sur le champ d'honneur." A small French girl read an address in English which enjoined their guests to tell "their little comrades" in England *nd in tho overseas Dominions that thev would "never forget that their fathers and great brothers had como and fought near our fathers and gr<iat brothers, and that witlh them they have won the victory. Please tell them also that we shall ornament with flowers the fomb ol the glorious British soldiers : fallen on the lield of honour, and that we shall never forget t'hcni in our piayers." There were present at the ceremony the Mayor of Padditigton cud the delegation from that Mayoralty which has "ndopted"' xhe village of Vieille Chapelle. All added graceful tribute to the touching sympathy shown by tho arrondissement to the memory of tho gallant men of King Edward's Horse, so many of whom gave their lives in the jlefenco of the Vioille Chapello bridgehead. The peasants speak with bated breath of one machine-gun group, who, when they had fired their last round, surrendered, only to be shot m cold blood by An enemy enraged at the effectiveness of their resisrance.