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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment
Hugh Carton MM.
British Army 1st Battalion Irish Guards
from:Ballymoney, Co. Antrim
(d.15th Sep 1916)
Lieutenant Greer had been seriously wounded in 1915, but returned to the front line and was decorated for bravery and fought at the Somme. On the 15th September 1916 he led his men once more into battle in the attack on the village of Flers. What followed was told to ‘The Chronicle’, 28 April 1917, by Private Joseph Doherty of Seacon, another local Irish Guard who showed outstanding courage and fortunately survived: “The Coldstreams led the attack, the ‘Micks’ [Irish Guards] followed, and the supports were the Scots Guards and the Grenadiers. Lieutenant Greer led us to the second line of trenches. He had a revolver in one hand and a stick in the other, and he rushed in front pointing his stick towards the enemy and shouting at us to ‘Come on’. It was between the trenches he got hit on the head, and fell. He gave his revolver to Quartermaster-Sergeant Hugh Carton, and told him to ‘Carry on’. Carton then told us to follow him, and that we did, right into the German third line. It was pretty hot there, I can tell you. Our N.C.O. then asked for ten volunteers to go out and make a barricade in order to bomb the Germans in case of a counter-attack. As a Ballymoney man, I did not hesitate. It was during the erection of the barricade that Sergeant Carton got knocked out with shrapnel in the head. Three of us bandaged him as well we could, but he died about three minutes after he got it. There were only four now left out of the ten, so we had to retire to the trench. Another officer was coming out at the time and got wounded. I tried to pull him in but that was the time when I got it with shrapnel, a bullet going right through my leg above the ankle and shrapnel in my thigh and stomach. It was six in the evening when I got to the dressing station and was sent right away to ‘Blighty’. â€
Sergeant Hugh Carton is commemorated in Carncullagh Presbyterian Church. Lieutenant J. K. M. Greer died of his wounds on 3 October 1916, he is commemorated both in First Ballymoney Presbyterian Church and, until recently, on a plaque in Ballymoney Courthouse erected by the North Antrim Solicitors’ Association.
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