Ex-British minister visits Dublin for first World War lecture

John Hutton, who served as a cabinet minister in both the Blair and Brown governments, will give a lecture tonight on the surrender of the Royal Dublin Fusiliers (RDF) at St Quentin in northern France on August 27th, 1914.

Lord Hutton's book Surrender at St Quentin tells the story of how the RDF's commanding officer Lt Colonel Arthur Mainwaring and the Royal Warwickshire's commanding officer Lt Colonel John Elkington surrendered their men in the mistaken belief that they were surrounded by German troops.

Both men were court-martialed and cashiered (dismissed in disgrace) out of the British Army as a result.

The former British defence secretary said he was motivated to write a book about an incident involving an Irish regiment in the first World War because of his own family experience.

Lord Hutton said his grandmother was from Tralee, Co Kerry, and she had three brothers who enlisted in the British Army during the war.

“The first World War is part of our shared historical experience,” he said. “I’m delighted by the way we are able to talk about this now. It’s personal for me because my great-uncles all fought in British regiments.

“Twenty years ago, I don’t think I would have been able to come to Dublin to do this. Irish soldiers fought alongside English, Scottish and Welsh soldiers. Now we can talk about that. We should find a way to commemorate the service of Irish soldiers in the Great War who were all volunteers.

“I want to focus on the heroism of these young Irish soldiers who believed they were fighting for a just cause. The involvement of the Irish ambassador in laying a wreath at the Cenotaph was a historic step forward.”

The men of both regiments arrived at the front on August 24th and spent the next three days and nights marching away from the approaching Germans. By the time they got to St Quentin many had not slept for four nights. They were out of rations and water and many were suffering from heat stroke.

Surrender decision

Lt Colonel Mainwaring and Lt Colonel Elkington surrendered to the local mayor after he told them that they were surrounded and any decision to fight would only lead to the Germans shelling the town, killing innocent civilians.

They were unaware that two Irish cavalry regiments, the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards and the 5th Irish Lancers were acting as a screen keeping the Germans back.

In a celebrated incident, the Dragoon Guards commanding officer Major Tom Bridges persuaded the exhausted men to march by rousing them with musical instruments he borrowed from a shop in the town.

Later Elkington rehabilitated his reputation by joining the French Foreign Legion where he was decorated for bravery. Mainwaring disappeared from public life.

Lord Hutton said he was attracted to the story because of its implausibility. “If this was fiction, you’d think it was incredible, but this is a matter of historical record,” he said.

Lord Hutton will speak at an event organised by the Royal Dublin Fusiliers Association in the Dublin City Library in Pearse Street, Dublin at 6.30pm. Admission is free.