 The next morning, the British cavalry came under heavy German artillery and machine gun fire before they were withdrawn; McCreery was shot in his right thigh, severing his femoral artery.In an effort to stem the blood loss from his wound, the circulation in his leg had been restricted sufficiently to cause gangrene in his foot; McCreery refused to have his leg amputated but lost two toes and parts of the others.He would have to learn to walk and ride again, and was affected by a pronounced limp for the rest of his life.