AT the April meeting an early battle of the First World War was the subject of a meticulously researched talk by Lt. Colonel Mike Watson about the 37 Howitzer Battery, Royal Field Artillery, now the 93 Le Cateau Battery, Royal Artillery.
Le Cateau, in north east France, 30 miles south of Mons, was the scene of a battle which had a major impact on the future course of the war.
On August 26, 1914, 22,000 British soldiers were confronted by 100,000 Germans.
The appalling casualties, perhaps inevitable in the light of the soldiers' own description of themselves as 'the cheese in the Le Cateau mousetrap' (a telling phrase deleted in official reports), mask the tremendous bravery of the Battery.
Many decorations resulted from the battle, including the Victoria Cross to 18-year-old Job Drain, and a DSC to the even younger boy soldier Jonny Waldron.
Lt Col Watson told of the poor physique of many recruits and the short rations they and their horses endured, horses which also were to die in large numbers.
The Battery was given the Freedom of Le Cateau in 1964 and Lt Col Watson was able to talk to veterans at that time.
His account, drawn from their memories and detailed sketch maps he drew of the relative positions of British, Allied and German armies, brought this battle vividly, though sombrely, to life.
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