On 17 October 1914, the 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Fusiliers was fighting to capture the town of Armentières during the ‘Race to the Sea’. The Battalion gradually gained ground during the street fighting until it was held up by heavy enemy fire from a farm. B Company suffered many casualties until Captain R J Kentish set off a charge which blew down the farmhouse wall and cleared the building. Captain Kentish was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and four men were awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) for their part in the action.