The Missing Lost. A 4CMR Myth?
We can make and dress up statistics to do anything
we like, from prove that chocolate is either good or bad for us, to stating
that a business is in a negative profit situation.
In the course of my 4CMR studies, and largely due
to my transcription of the entire Nominal Roll (4,544 men) from the
4th CMR Regimental History onto a spreadsheet, I quickly began to
realise that there was a considerable difference between the 4CMR loss figures I
was seeing when compared to those stated in WW1 publications and histories.
Most publications and website references (even this one) rightly point out that June 2nd,
1916, was a black day for the 4th CMR. One cannot get away from the fact, when reading the accounts,
that the
Battle for Mount Sorrel was a major incident,
with some 5,000 Canadian & British losses and an equal number of German losses over the 14 day
battle. Indeed, some have called for it to be called the "3rd Ypres", and
the battle currently known as the "3rd Ypres" (Passchendaele)
to be changed to the "4th Ypres" (not going happen).
Notwithstanding, I cannot make the figures quoted for 4CMR losses on June 2nd, 1916,
match between the Regimental History's Nominal Roll figures and those stated everywhere else.
That the Regimental History has errors is without doubt, but not on the scale I was finding.
The History itself quotes "73 men out of 680 answered to their names on June
4th." That does, as the History states, amount to 607 losses, which equates to
the "89% casualties" widely quoted in most sources on the subject today.
When one looks at the actual data from the Nominal Roll (and one has to acknowledge that time has now enabled
historians to refine figures from the records), there were some 1,281
men serving in the 4th CMR as of June 1st (I concede not factoring
in those taken out by wounds to that date). In sorting by date of
loss alone, we find 34 were lost prior to June 2nd. Of 1,247 men,
189 men were killed (including my relative) up to June 14th - that
was the end of the battle and I have allowed this to take into account
losses from original wounds and those incurred during the counter-attack
operations. This gives us 28% casualties based on 680 men, or 15%
based on 1,247 men.
Adding in the wounded, 88 men, and the P.O.Ws
on June 2nd, 139 men, we arrive at a figure of 416 taken by the action.
That is 61% on the basis of the "History's" 680 men, or
33% based on Nominal Roll total strength figures. Either way you look
at it, 607 men, or 89% losses, does not come out in the wash. On top
of that, when taking into account all known 4CMR burials and commemorations,
we can only account for 905 men (or 73% of the 1,247 strong figure) of the 4CMR
being lost throughout the entire War.
So what is happening? Good question, and one I'd like your feedback on.
Are the histories wrong? Well, there would
be inaccuracies, but not to this degree. There could be huge problems
with the data presented in the Nominal Roll. Errors have been discovered
in my sojourn through its pages, but again not anywhere near enough
to account for such a glaring difference.
Has a myth been propagated, or is it a question
of what figures you are looking at and from what angle? Certainly
the latter seems to be the case. One has to remember that in the cold
light of analysis today, with the perfect vision hindsight gives us,
indeed 73 men may well have responded to their names on June 3rd.
However, it is clear that with the ensuing chaos, and that the battle
was raging on when that figure was noted, and that men were scattered
all over the immediate countryside, that in fact nobody actually had
time to subsequently go back and run the numbers again. The 89% who did not
answer to their names on June 3rd subsequently became "losses", and the figure
has subsequently been used down the decades as losses.
Figures produced by the 3rd Canadian Division later in June, taking into account loss
reports from inside and outside the 3rd Division, from the RCR, PPCLI,
1CMR, 2CMR, 4CMR, 5CMR, 5thBN CI, 10thBN CI, 42nd & 49thBNs CI, to
name but a few, certainly paint a bleak picture at the time. It is
fair to say, however, that no amount of microscopic figure juggling
today can take anything away from the fact that there were monumental
losses incurred by Canadian, British and German troops over those
14 days. Estimates still settle on there being a total of some 10,000
lost. Just as an aside, a prestigious Canadian source actually goes
as far as stating that the Canadians alone lost nearly 8,500 troops.
They state no actual source for this number, and certainly the 3rd Division themselves
didn't suggest this figure.
My relative, Cpl. Frank Forsdike, was one of those killed on June 2nd, 1916. His body,
never recovered, lies undisturbed somewhere "in the vicinity
of Maple Copse" - suggesting that he in fact survived the initial
onslaught and was one of the few able to respond to the call to fall back,
but was at a position subsequently overrun by the advancing Wüttemberg
troops.
As they say, hats off to them all. Whether
it was 15%, 26% or 89% losses, a visit to the scene today shows just
how strategic the location was. The 4CMR held the central arena of
ground that the Wüttembergers fought so hard to get, initially
won, then resoundingly lost. Visit it if you can.
My thanks to Ron for his input on this article.
Sources used were the 4th CMR Regiment History, S G Bennett, The War
Diaries, as accessed through the Canadian Library & Archive website
(see the Links page), my own spreadsheet analysis of the Nominal
Roll, and the CWGC and MLLP databases.
This article © 2007 Ian Forsdike.
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