This Day in History: 1914-12-23
Having been subjected to a series of battles and skirmishes during the previous two weeks whilst occupying front trenches in La Quinque Rue, the 2nd Battalion was relieved by the Royal Sussex Regiment and withdrawn into billets at Vielle Chapelle. The Battalion’s casualty list underscores the intensity of the fighting: British officers: one killed, two wounded; Gurkha officers: four wounded, two missing; Other Ranks: 29 killed, 34 wounded, 60 missing. In addition 70 men were suffering from frostbite, of whom 24 had to be evacuated. The Battalion was to remain in various billets well to the rear of the fighting for refitting in men, clothing and equipment.