MARETH CROSS

ON CROSS: R.I.P./ 6TH BN/ GREN. GDS./ MARCH 17TH 1943 PLAQUE (1):THE MARETH CROSS/ AFTER THE BATTLE, THE PIONEERS OF THE 6TH BATTALION/ BUILT THIS MEMORIAL CROSS FROM LOCAL STONE, CARVED THE INSCRIPTION/ AND PLACED IT IN THE GRENADIER CEMETERY ON THE BATTLEFIELD./ IN 1945 THE GRAVES WERE MOVED TO THE MILITARY CHAPEL AT SFAX./ BUT THE CROSS WAS LEFT STANDING ALONE IN THE DESERT./ IN 1957, THE FRENCH GOC IN TUNISIA NOTICED THAT THE CROSS HAD BEEN DAMAGED/ BY LOCAL ARABS AND REMOVED IT TO HIS GARDEN FOR SAFETY./ LATER, THE PIECES WERE SHIPPED HOME TO THE GUARDS DEPOT AT CATERHAM/ FOR RESTORATION, WHERE THE CROSS REMAINED UNTIL 1960/ WHEN THE DEPOT MOVED TO PIRBRIGHT AND IT WAS PLACED IN ALL SAINTS CHURCH./ IT WAS MOVED TO ITS PRESENT SITE AND DEDICATED ON 21ST MAY 1995./ THIS CROSS, FASHIONED BY THEIR OWN COMRADES,/ ENSHRINES THE MEMORY OF THE GRENADIERS WHO FELL AT MARETH,/ AND STANDS ALSO IN HONOUR OF THE 6TH BATTALION GRENADIER GUARDS, WHOSE DISCIPLINE AND VALOUR IN THE BATTLE/ WON THE ADMIRATION OF FRIEND AND FOE ALIKE,/ AND WHOSE SACRIFICE EARNED THE HONOUR/ WHICH IS EMBLAZONED ON THE COLOURS OF THE REGIMENT. PLAQUE (2): BATTLE OF MARETH/ ON THE NIGHT OF 16TH MARCH 1943, THE 6TH BATTALION GRENADIER GUARDS/ COMMANDED BY LIEUT-COLONEL A.F.L.CLIVE D.S.O. M.C./ WAS ORDERED TO ATTACK A FORMIDABLE AND PREPARED POSITION/ ON THE FRONTIER BETWEEN LIBYA AND TUNISIA./ THE ATTACK WAS CARRIED OUT BY MOONLIGHT ACROSS A DEEP WADI,/ TWO SUCCESSIVE MINEFIELDS AND AGAINST A STRONGLY ENTRENCHED ENEMY,/ MAINLY THE CELEBRATED GERMAN 90TH LIGHT DIVISION./ ALTHOUGH UNKNOWN TO THE BATTALION, SURPRISE HAD BEEN COMPROMISED BY/ THE CAPTURE OF A MARKED MAP FROM ANOTHER UNIT, ALL OBJECTIVES WERE REACHED./ THE IMMENSE NUMBER OF CLOSELY LAID MINES/ AND THE RESULTING VERY HEAVY CASUALTIES PREVENTED SUPPORT WEAPONS/ REACHING THE FORWARD POSITIONS DURING THE NIGHT,/AND WITHOUT THESE, EFFECTIVE DEFENCE AGAINST COUNTER-ATTACK BECAME IMPOSSIBLE./THE BATTALION WAS ORDERED TO WITHDRAW AT FIRST LIGHT./OF THE 29 OFFICERS WHO WENT INTO BATTLE/14 WERE KILLED, 5 WOUNDED AND 5 TAKEN PRISONER OF WHOM 2 WERE WOUNDED/63 OTHER RANKS WERE KILLED, 88 WOUNDED AND 94 TAKEN PRISONER/OF WHOM THE MAJORITY WERE WOUNDED./HISTORY RECORDS THIS AS ONE OF THE GREATEST AND MOST TERRIBLE/BATTLES/FOUGHT BY THE REGIMENT IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR.