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Company Sergeant Major L/8667 Maxwell ELDERKIN,
D.C.M., M.M.
1st Battalion, the Queen's (Royal West Surrey)
Regiment
Maxwell was born in South Kensington, London
around 1887 but by 1890 his mother and brother Ernest lived
in Glapthorne. The 1901 census shows his mother and step father
were Emma Elizabeth and Frederick Ingram and they lived with
their two half brothers and two half sisters in Upper Street,
Glapthorne.
By the time war broke out Maxwell was an "Old
Contemptible" Army regular who was married to Ellen Elderkin
and lived at Abinger Cottages, New Cross Road, Stoughton in
Guildford. During his service in the Great War, Maxwell won
a Military Medal as well as the vaunted Distinguished Conduct
Medal for gallantry.
Maxwell's Military Medal was gazetted on page
38 of Issue 29608 of the London Gazette 2nd June 1916. Although
the citations have been destroyed it is likely that he won it
in the preceding two months, although I am unable to confirm
this.
His Distinguished Conduct Medal was probably won
during the Arras battles of April 1917. The citation is shown
on page 40 of issue 30204 of the London Gazette dated 24th July
1917 and reads:
"8667 C.S.M. M. Elderkin,
R.W. Surr. R. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty.
He continually organised bombing attacks and throughout was
instrumental in repelling hostile counter-attacks."
John Hamblin has been kind enough to forward me
a very detailed account of the action mentioning Sergeant Major
Elderkin, which is shown below and taken from the Divisional
History. For him to have been included by name he must have
been recognised as one of the more important men in the Battalion
as being mentioned in this way is unusual.
"An attack was planned
for the 23rd of April. In this attack the 98th Brigade to the
north was ordered to force it's way south down the Hindenburg
Line, chiefly with bombs and make a junction with the 100th
Brigade in the Sesee valley; the 100th Brigade delivering a
frontal attack upon the Hindenburg Line. The attack was particularly
difficult to carry out. The Hindenburg Line consisted of a highly
fortified front and second line, with concrete machine gun emplacements,
some of them with two storeys, about every fifty yards along
it. Both lines were defended in front by strands of the thickest
wire to a depth of about 20 yards and were connected by the
most complete system of tunnels and dug outs that has ever been
seen in the history of warfare".
An officer then serving with the 1st Queens wrote:-
"Sunday April 22nd.
The battalion moved off to a position of assembly in quarries
half a mile north east of Croissilles, east of the Sensee River.
They are to advance across 800 yards of open in the dark and
attack the Hindenburg Line on a front of about 400 yards to
the south of the Sensee River and to hold the line until the
98th Brigade, who are attacking down the Hindenburg Line from
the north, have joined up; their right flank is to be protected
by two tanks. A mad scheme in my opinion as if the 98th don't
join up, they will be left in the middle of the German line
with both flanks in the air and it will be impossible to get
up reinforcements or ammunition until dark. In addition the
advance to within 200 yards of the enemy in the dark is a most
difficult and dangerous operation; the wire in front of the
enemy is very strong, in three lines radiating from a centre,
and only gaps have been cut by artillery. Two companies of the
KRRC are following the battalion with bombs, ammunition etc.
The battalion passed through Hamlincourt
about 7.30pm on the 22nd and picked up extra ammunition and
bombs near Judas Farm and reached the place of assembly about
11.30pm; here 20 entrenching tools per company were distributed
and hot cocoa was served out, and at 3.30 am on the 23rd the
Queens moved on from the quarry to the position of deployment,
deploying on a front of 300 yards on tapes previously laid down,
150 yards each side of the Croisilles-Fontaine Road.
The first 2 waves were composed of D Company,
Captain Brodhurst-Hill on the right of the road, and A Company
(2nd Lt Carpenter) on the left with "mopping up" platoons of
B and C companies forming a third line to the first wave. The
3rd and 4th waves moving at 50 yards intervals were made up
of C and B Companies on right and left under Captain Ball and
2nd Lt Holliday; the 2 companies of the KRRC attached comprised
the 5th and 6th waves.
The advance from the
position of deployment was over 1,000 yards of open country,
along the valley of the Sensee River, which was only a trickle
running in a water course giving only a certain amount of cover,
but commanded generally from the high ground on either side.
The front German trench was protected by at least two rows of
barbed wire radiating from where the trench crossed the road,
with more thick wire between the 1st and 2nd lines. The German
front line trench was much knocked about, and for the most part
not more than four feet deep. It was enfiladed from the north.
At 20 minutes before
zero hour, the force was to advance to the line of a sunken
road, crossing the Croisilles-Fontaine Road, which had been
picqueted during the night by the 2nd Worcesters, and was to
lie down there and wait for the barrage to fall; this was to
dwell for 8 minutes on the front line and for 10 minutes on
the 2nd line and then to continue behind the 2nd line until
90 minutes after zero, by which time it was expected that the
98th Brigade would have joined up. D and A Companies of the
Queens were to cross the German first line and occupy and consolidate
the second line. C Company was to make blocks on the right of
the first line and form a defensive flank along a communication
trench; B was to do the same on the left along the Sensee River.
The KRRC companies were to form a central dump of bombs etc.
and occupy and consolidate the German first line; the two tanks
were to follow on the right of the attack and work down the
enemy's line towards the river.
The Queens advanced
at 4.15am and moved in good order to the sunken road and there
lay down to wait for zero - fixed for 4.45am - without detection
by the enemy, and then when the attack began, they worked up
to within 50 yards of the barrage, entering the front trench
with few casualties; this was found to contain only a few of
the enemy who were quickly disposed of. The leading then went
forward to the German 2nd line, but were now held up by very
strong uncut wire, and the barrage on lifting was taken too
far back and rested beyond, instead of on, the German 2nd line
and the Germans were consequently able to man their parapet.
Only a small party of A Company had managed to reach the second
line and the remainder of the attackers took cover in the many
shell holes between the 2 lines.
The 2 tanks which should
have arrived by this time and given material assistance at a
critical moment, never turned up, having broken down before
zero.
Telephonic communications
with battalion headquarters was established and maintained until
5.30am and communication was only possible with runners.
In the German first
line on the right of the road two strong points were captured
and bombing parties pushed 100 yards forward until held up by
a third strong point and a double block was made here and established;
this was maintained until 11am when the Germans made a determined
attack with rifle grenades and bombs., but they were driven
back by parties under Company Sergeant Major Elderkin. On the
left a block was at first made at the river, but on the "box
barrage" lifting the enemy attacked; he was however repulsed
by the use of rifle grenades and a party under Corporal Spooner,
following him up for 150 yards, captured a concrete blockhouse
and a machine gun; on the enemy counter-attacking this was destroyed
by a bomb and a block was then made 50 yards from the blockhouse
and held until the end. The first line very soon became completely
filled with wounded men, and it became increasingly difficult
to pass bombs to the 5 different points where bombing was incessant
At 5.08am 2nd Lt Holliday
reported the first line taken, but the second strongly held
by Germans, while the tanks had not arrived. At 5.25am 5 prisoners
of the German 99th regiment were passed back.
At 7.10am 2nd Lt Carpenter
arrived at battalion headquarters wounded and reporting that
the front line companies were running out of bombs; this was
later confirmed by a message from Capt Godfrey, timed at 6.45am,
reporting the shortage of bombs and Lewis Gun ammunition, and
saying that the situation was critical. During the next few
hours parties from the KRRC carried up nearly 1,500 bombs. Then
at 10.10am Capt Godfrey was able to send a better report - that
the advance of the 98th Brigade had relieved the pressure, and
although the casualties were heavy the men were cheery and confident,
- but bombs, more bombs were wanted. 2 hours later came news
that the enemy were pressing the defence with repeated bombing
attacks, while the supply of bombs were again running low, and
now at 1.20pm the last lot of 800 bombs was sent up, but before
the carrying party had reached the front line the enemy had
started strong bombing attacks from 5 different positions and
25 minutes later the Germans, having massed on the right, rushed
the blocks under a barrage of aerial torpedoes and rifle grenades,
the defenders supply of bombs having given out. The enemy pressure
on the right flank now forced a retirement here, causing the
cutting off of the men in the centre communication trench.
Many casualties occurred
during this retirement, but the men rallied at the battalion
headquarters, which was heavily shelled, and further losses
incurred. Then at last, at 8pm, orders were received to fall
back to the railway cutting near Judas Trench
Casualties were 13
officers killed, wounded or missing out of the 14 who began
the attack, losses among the other ranks were 26 killed 101
wounded and 308 missing. 7 of the officers were reported as
German prisoners of war."
Having survived three and a half years of the
most dreadful war in history, winning two gallantry medals in
the process, as well as promotion to Company Sergeant Major
in one of the original 1st Division units who had served throughout
the entire war, Maxwell Elderkin was finally killed in action
on the 12th April 1918, aged 30 during the Battle of Hazebrouck.
He has no known grave but is remembered on panels
1 & 2 of the Ploegsteert Memorial to the missing.
Both of his half brothers (Alfred and Frederick
- see below) also fell in the war, making their family the hardest
hit in the village. Alfred was killed within a month or two
of arriving in France in 1915 and Frederick lost his life a
few months before Maxwell.
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