The headstone of Private R. Stewart, of the Black Watch, who died May 4, 1915, age 19, and is buried in Le Trou Aid Post Cemetery in Fleurbaix, Pas-de-Calais, France. It is inscribedTo memory ever dearFrom Father and MotherSisters and Brothers © 2015 John M. Shea
2459 Private R. StewartThe Black Watch4th May 1915 Age 19To memory ever dearFrom Father and MotherSisters and Brothers
"I was one of thirteen men left behind as a rearguard and we were told exactly what we had to do. What we did was fire a shot — and of course at night you could see the flash of the rifle, the Germans could see it — then we would walk along the trench, maybe for about ten yards, and we could wait a few seconds and fire another shot, and then another chap would come along and do the same and I'd come back to another place and fire off again. That led his nibs across the road to figure the trench was still fully occupied."
The German success in breaking the Allied line on April 22, 1915 in the Second Battle of Ypres, left British forces defending a salient subject to artillery fire from three sides. After fruitless attempts to improve their position, they withdrew to a more compact, defensible line with Ypres at their back, the night of May 3-4. Private J. W. Vaughan of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry was among those left behind to feign an active line. When he and his mates finally withdrew, 'all hell broke loose because, as soon as they didn't hear any more firing from the front line, the Germans figured we were coming over.'
1915, The Death of Innocence by Lyn Macdonald, page 272, copyright © 1993 by Lyn Macdonald, publisher: Henry Holt and Company, publication date: 1993 (Great Britain); 199
1915-05-04, 1915, May, Le Trou Aid Post, , Le Trou Aid Post Cemetery, Stewart, Black Watch, R. Stewart