Current Information:

Born & Enlisted-Birr, Ireland

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.

At  1pm on 26th August the transport of the main body of 5 Brigade, 2nd Division, halted one mile south-west of Marbaix.  The rearguard battalion, 2nd Connaught Rangers also had to stop.  They were allowed to rest after French cavalry informed them that there were no Germans around but at 3.15pm,French patrols warned of a group of 200 Germans, with a machine gun, nearby. Two platoons were sent towards Marbaix and after 600 yards met heavy artillery and machine gun fire.  The rest of the battalion were called up and deployed south of the road.  They advanced through difficult country  with high hedges and small  fields under heavy fire which ceased after an hour but which had caused them to lose contact with Battalion HQ.  That evening half of 2nd Connaught withdrew independently through La Grand Fayt and at 6pm the rest followed.  A local told them there were no Germans in the village but they were fired on by some of tthe enemy concealed in houses there.  Very few escaped.  Other parties were cut off too and 2nd Connaught lost 300 men. One of these was Patrick Norris.