Orders, Decorations and Medals

A rare M.M. group of four awarded to Staff Sergeant G. C. J. Johnson, 2nd Battalion, Royal Munster Fusiliers, Machine Gun N.C.O. who fought in the legendary rear-guard action at Etreux during the retreat from Mons, was taken prisoner, and awarded the M.M. for this action under Army Order 193 of 1919

Military Medal, G.V.R. (9118 S/St. G. C. J. Johnson, 2/R. Muns. Fus.); 1914 Star, with clasp (9118 Sgt., R. Muns. Fus.); British War and Victory Medals (9118 S.Sgt., R. Mun. Fus.) rank rather crudely altered on all medals by adding ‘S’ before ‘Sgt.’, otherwise nearly very fine (4) £350-450

M.M. Army Order 193 of 1919.

During the retreat from Mons the 2nd Munsters occupied the position of honour as rearguard to the 1st Guards Brigade which, in turn, acted as rearguard for the 1st Division commanded by Major General Lomax. On the morning of Thursday 27th August 1914, the Irishmen, supported by two 18-pounders of the 118th Battery R.F.A. and a troop of the 15th Hussars, held the villages of Fesmy and Bergues, together with two important road junctions in that immediate area. Approaching them in an arc from North to East was an entire German Army Corps preceded by masses of cavalry and backed by an impressive array of artillery. Early in the afternoon, having inflicted savage casualties on 12 battalions of the German 2nd Guards’ Reserve Division which had attacked Fesmy, the Munsters began to withdraw to the South to the village of Oisy, and on to Etreux. As they approached the village they came under heavy fire from the houses on the northern outskirts, followed by salvoes from eight German field guns positioned south-east of the village. Now, for the first time, the Irishmen began to fall thick and fast and although the one remaining 18-pounder promptly came into action, its ammunition was nearly exhausted. After a series of desperate bayonet attacks, and with the artillerymen all dead and wounded about their gun, the gallant Munsters fell back to an orchard on the west of the road. Despite a further bayonet charge, at odds of fifty to one, which had temporarily held the enemy, the orchard was now ringed by Germans against whom the survivors, lining the four sides of the orchard, made every shot count.

It was now growing dark and, for the first time since early morning, the machine guns fell silent. The last cartridge had been fired and Sgt. Johnson, the machine gun N.C.O., took his beloved guns in turn and smashed them to pieces in the light of flames from burning houses. Gradually the Germans edged forward, bringing fresh machine guns into action, and at 9.15 p.m. about 200 surviving Munsters, many of them wounded, were overpowered. By now Lomax’s Division was safely 12 miles away to the south and, in the words of the Official History “... their heroic sacrifice had not been in vain.” Eight officers and 110 other ranks were buried in the orchard. Sergeant Johnson was taken prisoner and interned at Soltau for the remainder of the war. Under Army Order 193 of 1919, one D.S.O., two M.C.’s, three D.C.M.’s and three M.M.’s were awarded for this historic action.