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Auction: 8023 - Orders, Decorations, Medals & Militaria
Lot: 47

A Great War ´French Theatre´ M.M. to Guardsman R.J. Brooks, Coldstream Guards, Killed in Action, 30.11.1917 Military Medal, G.V.R. (16025 Pte. R.J. Brooks. 2/C. Gds:), nearly extremely fine Estimate £ 320-360 M.M. London Gazette 28.1.1918 16025 Pte. R.J. Brooks 2nd Bn. C. Gds.(Harbury) 16025 Guardsman Raymond John Brooks, M.M., born Harbury, Leamington Spa; served during the Great War with the 2nd Battalion Coldstream Guards on the Western Front; he was killed in action 30.11.1917, on the latter date the Germans launched a massive counter attack at Cambrai comprising of at least 6 Divisions under the command of General Von Der Marwitz; attacking from Crevecoeur, they penetrated the British positions as far as La Vacquerie, Gonnelieu and Gouzeaucourt; Brook´´s Battalion were part of a gallant action at Gouzeaucourt, ´´In the meantime Gouzeaucourt had fallen to the enemy. Situated mainly in a hollow on the Peronne-Cambrai road the village had no prepared defences; but in it were five batteries of heavy howitzers..... The Germans, descending in waves from Quentin Ridge, were already entering houses... In addition to the siege batteries, a fully loaded supply train, which had arrived in the station not many hours before, fell into German hands.... Germans continued to pour into Gouzeaucourt..... very wisely a withdrawal was made to an old British trench astride the main road about a 1,000 yards west of Gouzeaucourt..... the 1st Guards Brigade at Metz advanced alone towards Gouzeaucourt about noon..... Br.-General C.R. Champion de Crespigny, Commanding the 1st Guards Brigade, had ridden forward from Metz with his battalion commanders in advance of his troops. On reaching Gouzeaucourt Wood he learned that the Germans were in the village and decided to attack at once, although he had no artillery support. On their forward march the Guards battalions had to pass through groups of retreating men and vehicles making their way towards Metz; but 12.30pm the 2nd and 3/Coldstream and 1/Irish Guards were drawn up in artillery formation behind the crest of the high ground west of Gouzeaucourt, the Coldstream battalions south, the Irish Guards north of the Metz-Gouzeaucourt road....... The day had brightened and the advance over the downland of the three battalions moving in perfect order was a heartening sight. When they came into view of the enemy, machine-gun fire caught them, whilst guns and howitzers - including captured British guns - opened fire from behind Quentin Ridge. But, assisted by the fire of the brigade machine-guns which were handled boldly and well, nothing could stop the practiced deployment of the Guards into line and their rapid advance..... The fight for Gouzeaucourt was brief. A number of Germans were shot or bayoneted and about a hundred taken; the remainder retreated quickly, so that by 1.30pm the Guards had reached a line on the eastern edge of the village, the abandoned siege batteries with their dumps of ammunition being recovered almost intact..... The enemy had had no time to remove the contents of the supply train which proved most welcome to the Guards who had eaten nothing that morning.´´ (Official History of the War, Military Operations, France and Belgium, Imperial War Museum, refers); Despite this action and others like it, the Germans claimed 4,000 prisoners and 60 guns on this date. Brooks is buried in the Gouzeaucourt New British Cemetery, France.

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