Current Information:

Born-London

Perreuse Chateau Franco-British National Cemetery, France

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 8th September, 3rd Division reached Les Feuchères and on the next day, the 2nd Royal Scots battalion of 8 Brigade, marched to Citry on the River Marne which they crossed at 7pm. On 10th September they continued the advance arriving at Chezy in the evening. The Battalion Diary makes no mention of any casualties nor of any action during this period but four soldiers from the battalion, including George Weiss, lost their lives on 8th September. Long range artillery may have been the cause.