Lieutenants H. C. Holmes, T. Butler-Stoney and Count J. E. de Salis were wounded; and there were over 330 casualties in the other ranks. The total casualties in the Brigade were 1776.
No one seems to recall accurately the order of events between the gathering in Bernafay Wood and the arrival of the shadow of the Battalion in camp at the Citadel. The sun was shining; breakfast was ready for the officers and men near some trees. It struck their very tired apprehensions that there was an enormous amount of equipage and service for a very few men, and they noticed dully a sudden hustling off of unneeded plates and cups. They felt as though they had returned to a world which had outgrown them on a somewhat terrifying scale during all the ages that they had been away from it. Their one need, after food eaten sitting, was rest, and, when the first stupor of exhaustion was satisfied, their sleep began to be broken by dreams only less horrible than the memories to which they waked.
September 25
But the cure was ready to hand. On the evening of the 18th September, in wet and cold weather, the Brigadier sent the Battalion a letter of praise and prophecy:
As your Brigadier I wish to express my feelings as to your
most gallant work on the 15th September 1916 in the operations
at Ginchy. The advance from the Orchard in the face
of machine-gun fire is equal to anything you have yet accomplished
in this campaign, and once more the 1st Battalion
Irish Guards has carried out a most magnificent advance and
held ground gained in spite of the most severe losses. In
this, your first campaign, you are upholding the highest standard
of bravery and efficiency for your successors and more
praise than that I cannot give you. You may be called upon
in the very near future to carry out similar work and I know
you will not fail.
(Sd.) C. E. Pereira,
Brigadier-General,
Commanding 1st Guards Brigade.
