Current Information:

Born-Swansea

Enlisted-London

After the opening battles of the war at Mons on 23rd August, 1914 and Le Cateau on 26th August, the British Army (BEF), in conjunction with the French Army, began a retreat that took them all the way back to the River Marne, 200 miles to the south. With the Germans in hot pursuit they were forced to fight a series of rear guard actions as they fell back in extremely hot weather. The Great Retreat, as it became known, came to an end on 5th September, 1914 when the allied forces attacked along the River Marne and drove the Germans back to the River Aisne.

On 12th September, 1914,  2nd Division moved to Courcelles-sur-Vesles where the bridge had been destroyed.  5 Brigade were the advance guard and 1.30pm the 2nd Worcestershire battalion had pushed on to Monthussart Farm, one mile north-east of Braine, and then by road to Brenelle. They were hard on the heels of the retreating enemy and some fighting took place during which Herbert Lewis was killed.