Trench Raid at Le Touquet.

A dagger used in hand-to-hand fighting in a trench raid.

In mid-January 1916, the 2nd Battalion The Royal Irish Rifles was in the line opposite the German trenches in Le Touquet, a quiet sector near Armentières. The Battalion planned a large scale 45-minute raid. The raiding party, splint into north and south groups, consisted of nine officers and 220 other ranks including a party of Royal Engineers. Raiding tasks included identifying the German unit in Le Touquet, killing as many enemy as possible, destroying machine-gun emplacements and, as mining was suspected, deploying the Engineers to destroy any mine shafts and tunnels.

A four-hour artillery shoot preceded the raid and was fired to deliberately cut the wire protecting the enemy's positions. At 1630 hours 373 gas cylinders were released on the left and at 1635 hours smoke was released on the right; the latter screening the raiders as they crossed no-man's-land. The northern group entered the German lines at two points and prisoners were taken within minutes. This group's tasks included penetrating as far as the German's third line and raiding the large building known as Crown Prince Farm. However, the farm proved to be too strongly defended and was not captured. The southern group fought its way to the second line, attacking a stronghold known as Red Tile House, bombing and destroying its dugouts and killing many enemy.

At 1715 hours the Battalion's Buglers in the Battalion's front trenches sounded the signal to withdraw. This was not heard above the noise of battle, but watches had been synchronized and both groups returned on time as planned. The casualties numbered three officers dead, four wounded, 11 other ranks dead and 37 wounded. The II Corps Commander, Lieutenant General Sir Charles Fergusson, visited and congratulated the Battalion. A total of three Military Crosses and four Distinguished Conduct Medals were awarded.