Three: Second Lieutenant J. R. Speeding, Royal West Surrey Regiment, late 14th (County of London) Battalion (London Scottish), London Regiment, who fought in the gallant 'Halloween' charge at Messines on 31 October 1914, and survived the First Day of the Battle of the Somme when the London Scottish suffered nearly 600 casualties

1914 Star (1623 Pte. J. R. Speeding. 14/Lond: R.); British War and Victory Medals (2. Lieut. J. R. Speeding) mounted court-style for display, good very fine and better (3) £300-£400

Jack Rowland Speeding was born in Leytonstone on 24 February 1893, the son of Lagos (West Africa) Harbour Master William Clementenville Speeding. Educated at The High School for Boys, Croydon, Speeding took pre-War employment as a bank clerk for the County of Westminster Bank and lived in an apartment on The Prince of Wales Road, Battersea Park. He subsequently attested for the 14th Battalion, London Regiment, at Buckingham Gate on 4 March 1912 and embarked for France with the 1/14th per S.S. Winnifredia on 15 September 1914 as part of a fairly exclusive club; his compatriots were entirely composed of white-collar London professionals headed by private school boys and university-educated men, who had paid a subscription to join and had proven themselves Scottish by birth or parentage. 

Initially sent to St. Omer, the men spent their first few weeks overseas employed as labour and prisoner escorts. Transferred to lines of communication duties, their role soon changed in October 1914 as the British line began to fragment along a ridge of high ground running south from Ypres known as the Wytschaete-Messines Ridge. Considered strategically vital, if the Germans managed to occupy and hold this position then they could dominate the ground to the west and endanger the British force holding Ypres.

The Stand of the London Scottish at Messines
Described as a 'baptism of fire' on 31 October 1914, the repulsion of four separate German bayonet attacks by men of the 14th London Regiment is perhaps the most significant action in the storied history of the Regiment, later immortalised in a famous artwork by Richard Caton-Woodville. Commencing around 9pm, waves of enemy charged at the British lines and were driven back by rifle fire and a series of counter-attacks. Forced to 'single feed' rounds one at a time into the newly-issued Mark 1 rifles, the London Scottish immediately compensated for weak springs and incorrect front stop clips through steady shooting and the experience of training; proud of their marksmanship at Bisley, they proved highly efficient in administering the 'mad minute' of 15 aimed shots in 60 seconds. 

Despite desperate resistance, enemy forces of the 6th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Division attempted to make their way around the Battalion flank; with isolated pockets of wounded and exhausted men forced to surrender, Speeding succeeded in withdrawing to the west, one of 416 men who successfully made their way to Wulveringhem to regroup and take stock. Praise for the London Scottish, the first Territorial Force troops to see action, was as fulsome as it was generous; within hours of the engagement, Field Marshal Sir John French, Commander-in-Chief of British Forces, sent a telegram to Colonel Malcolm:

'I wish you and your splendid regiment to accept my warmest congratulations and thanks for the fine work you did yesterday at Messines. You have given glorious lead and example to all Territorial troops who are fighting in France.' 

The London Scottish were destined to spend the next month undertaking primitive trench duties in and around Hazebrouck, the casualties from sniping being unrelenting. Posted to Neuve Chapelle and Loos, Speeding and his comrades returned to the line on 25 July 1915, and on 5 August became the subject of a German barrage when their pipers played 'God Save the King' to mark the commencement of the second year of the War. Serving as part of 'Green's Force', the London Scottish faced bitter fighting around the Loos Chalk Pit before making their way to the Fosse Way trench system near Le Rutoire. A contemporary account notes: 'We were shelled and gassed out of these trenches several times that day... and in the evening it was raining so hard that we got out of the trench to save ourselves from swimming... everyone looked wrecked. Muddy and covered with dirt, many had lost their bonnets and no shave since the 21st. We were wrecks.' 

Returned to England on 6 January 1916 - likely exhausted - Speeding was attached for duty at the Administrative Centre at Buckingham Gate on 22 January 1916. He returned to France four months later, and was marked Category 'A' by a medical board assessment held at Rouen on 22 April 1916. He rejoined the 1/14th Battalion on 14 May 1916 and was soon back in the front line in front of Hebuterne on 1 June 1916 in the build up to the Battle of the Somme. Located on the line of the Hubuterne-Puisieux Road, the London Scottish emerged from their front line trenches and pushed forward into a smoke cloud on 1 July 1916; amidst hand-to-hand fighting and a scramble for the ground around the mine crater at La Boiselle, the men advanced with bomb and bayonet into a landscape which had been so decimated by the Allied artillery bombardment that it was practically impossible to distinguish the German trenches. Despite early success, the scene deteriorated in the afternoon - made worse by the enemy retaining the higher ground and the London Scottish suffering from a lack of ammunition. Facing a retaliation of gas shells, Speeding and his comrades were forced to retreat back to the British lines; of the 856 all ranks who had gone into action that morning, just 9 officers and 257 other ranks stood ready to fight the following day. According to The London Scottish in the Great War: 'No one could have done more that day than the London Scottish, a fact recognised by the General Officer Commanding in his Divisional Order published the next morning:

'I want to express to all ranks of the London Scottish my sincere thanks for the glorious example of dash and heroism which they set to all arms of the service who were in action with you yesterday.' 

Remaining on the Somme Battlefield, the London Scottish relieved the 2nd Battalion, East Surrey Regiment at Leuze Wood on 5 September 1916 and carried out a bombing fight with the Germans around the Quadrilateral. Admitted to No. 14 General Hospital at Wimereux on 28 October 1916 suffering from trench fever, Speeding was evacuated to England per H.S. St. David; he transferred under medical category 'A3' to the Reserve of the 14th London Regiment at Seaford on 10 July 1917 for further recuperation. 

Sent to No. 6 Officer Cadet Battalion at Oxford on 29 October 1917, Speeding was discharged from the 14th London Regiment on appointment to a commission in the 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, the Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment, on 26 March 1918. His Officer Cadet Confidential Report was positive: 'A very nice, steady cadet. Has worked hard and done well. He will make a thoroughly trustworthy officer and one who will command respect from all'. Arriving at Battalion Depot at Étaples on 18 June 1918, Speeding's Officer Service Record notes that he was admitted to hospital at Camiers on 26 June 1918. Transferred to the 6th Battalion, he was wounded on 23 August 1918. Speeding survived the Great War - one of a small band of 'originals' who fought at Messines - and relinquished his commission on 4 December 1920. 

Sold with copied research, including a group shot of the ‘Croydon High School “Old Boy” Territorials’, the recipient identified below.