NOVEMBER 1914 TO MAY 1915 (2ND BATTALION)
[Sidenote: 2nd Batt. Nov. 1914.]
The Battalion remained in billets at Meteren from November 22 till
December 22. The casualties among the officers had been severe, and
there only remained Lieut.-Colonel Smith, Major Jeffreys, Captain
Ridley, Captain Cavendish, Lieutenant Hughes, Lieutenant and Adjutant
the Hon. W. Bailey, Lieutenant Beaumont-Nesbitt, Lieutenant Marshall,
Second Lieutenant Cunninghame (Transport Officer), Second Lieutenant
Gerard, Lieutenant and Quartermaster Skidmore, and Captain Howell,
R.A.M.C. (attached).
[Sidenote: Dec. 3.]
The King inspected the 4th Guards Brigade at Meteren, and afterwards
presented Distinguished Conduct Medals to a certain number of N.C.O.'s
and men.
In the evening the following special order was issued:
The Brigadier is commanded by His Majesty the King, the
Colonel-in-Chief, to convey to the four battalions of the Brigade of
Guards the following gracious words which His Majesty addressed to
the four Commanding Officers: "I am very proud of my Guards, and I
am full of admiration for their bravery, endurance, and fine spirit.
I wish I could have addressed them all, but that was impossible. So
you must tell them what I say to you. You are fighting a brave and
determined enemy, but if you go on as you have been doing and show
the same spirit, as I am sure you will, there can only be one end,
please God, and that is Victory. I wish you all good luck."
[Sidenote: Dec. 21.]
On December 21 the news arrived that the Indian Corps had been heavily
attacked, and driven out of its trenches between La Bassée Canal and
Richebourg. The First Corps was at once to be moved down to this part of
the line, and that evening orders were received by the Second Division
to be ready to march at two hours' notice. When a line of trenches
stretches some hundreds of miles, the rough must be taken with the
smooth, and the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers was soon to find that the site
of its trenches was anything but an ideal one. To dig a trench in a
water-logged valley outraged all preconceived principles; yet it was in
such a locality that the men of the Grenadiers were to find themselves
for the following months.
Minor operations, as they were called, consisted in nibbling away a few
hundred yards. The casualties which occurred daily from bombing and
sniping were hardly taken into account. Yet those who took part in this
monotonous underground warfare did as much to win the war as those who
were fortunate enough to fight in one of the big battles.
[Sidenote: Dec. 22-23.]
The 4th Brigade marched off early by Merville to Bethune, about nineteen
miles, and there billeted fairly comfortably. The next day it marched
on, and halted in a field at Essarts, near Le Touret, in readiness to
support the 2nd Brigade. In the evening it moved on again, and took over
the line at Rue de Cailloux from the Royal Sussex Regiment after dark.
These trenches were very bad, and had been hastily improvised from
dykes, when the Germans succeeded in capturing our front-line trenches a
few days before. The water was always knee-deep, in some places
waist-deep, in mud and water, and as the enemy's trench was within
twenty-five yards, his snipers, who were always enterprising, had plenty
of opportunities of shooting. The taking over of these trenches was
complicated by men getting stuck, and having to be dug out, so that it
was nearly six hours before the relief was completed. In some cases it
took four hours to dig the men out, during which time many of them
fainted several times. No. 1 Company under Captain Sir M. Cholmeley, No.
2 under Captain P. A. Clive, and half No. 3 under Captain Cavendish,
were in the firing line, while the other half of No. 3, and No. 4
Company under Captain Ridley were in reserve.
[Sidenote: Dec. 24.]
The early morning began with considerable sniping and bombardment with
trench mortars. It was bitterly cold, and the water in the trenches made
communication almost impossible. It seemed madness to attempt to hold
such a line of trenches, and yet there was no alternative.
Notes of warning arrived from General Headquarters:
It is thought possible that the enemy may be contemplating an attack
during Christmas or New Year. Special vigilance will be maintained
during these periods.
And again later:
Please note that when the enemy is active with Minenwerfer, it is
generally the prelude to an attack.
The enemy had the advantage of the ground, for not only did his trenches
drain into ours, but he was able to overlook our whole line. In addition
to this he was amply supplied with trench mortars and hand grenades, so
that we were fighting under very great difficulties. He mined within ten
yards of our trench, and blew in the end of No. 2's trench, after which
he attacked in great force, but was unable to do more than just reach
our line. Captain Sir M. Cholmeley, Bart., and Second Lieutenant J. H.
Neville were killed. Sergeant G. H. Thomas, who had just been awarded
the D.C.M., was also killed, while Second Lieutenant G. G. Goschen was
wounded and taken prisoner. He had a narrow escape of being drowned in
the trench, and was propped up by one of the men just in time.
Lieutenant Eyre and Second Lieutenant Mervyn Williams were wounded.
In the evening Lieut.-Colonel Smith came to the conclusion that
fighting under such conditions was only courting disaster, and that it
would be clearly better to dig a new line of trenches during the
night, but it was absolutely necessary to finish the new line before
daylight--otherwise it would be useless. Accordingly he gave orders
for a new line to be dug, and the men, soaked and stiff with cold as
they were, set to work at once. Rockets and fireballs gave the enemy's
snipers their opportunity, and the freezing water and hard ground made
the work difficult. There was, however, no artillery fire, though the
Minenwerfer were nearly as bad, and threw large shells into our
trenches. The new line was just completed as dawn broke on Christmas
morning.
[Sidenote: Dec. 25.]
The sniping continued steadily the next day with great accuracy, and the
slightest movement drew a shot at once. Captain E. G. Spencer Churchill
was wounded in the head in this way, the bullet making a groove in his
skull. The new trenches, however, threatened to become as wet as the old
ones, although in the worst places they were built with a high parapet
and a shallow trench. No. 3 Company, under Captain Cavendish, in
particular succeeded in erecting an elevated trench of this nature, in
spite of the incessant sniping which was carried on during the night.
Lord Cavan sent a message:
Hearty congratulations on good night's work. Thank Captain Cavendish
and his Company. Am absolutely satisfied with arrangements. Report
when and how you manoeuvre the little stream.
It being Christmas Day, plum puddings and other luxuries were
distributed, and Princess Mary's present of a box, containing a pipe,
tobacco, and cigarettes, was much appreciated.
In the evening the Battalion was relieved by the 3rd Battalion
Coldstream, and marched back to Le Touret, where it billeted, and
remained for forty-eight hours.
The Battalion was now composed as follows:
Lieut.-Colonel W. R. A. Smith, Headquarters.
Major G. D. Jeffreys, Headquarters
Lieutenant and Adjutant the Hon. W. R. Bailey, Headquarters
2nd Lieut. M. Williams (Machine-gun Officer), Headquarters
Lieutenant and Quartermaster J. H. Skidmore, Headquarters
Capt. J. S. Hughes, No. 1 Company.
Lieut. A. K. S. Cunninghame (Transport Officer), No. 1 Company.
2nd Lieut. J. N. Buchanan, No. 1 Company.
2nd Lieut. G. W. V. Hopley, No. 1 Company.
Capt. P. A. Clive, M.P., No. 2 Company.
Lieut. F. G. Marshall, No. 2 Company.
2nd Lieut. J. C. Craigie, No. 2 Company.
2nd Lieut. H. C. L. Rumbold, No. 2 Company.
Capt. A. B. R. R. Gosselin, No. 3 Company.
Capt. R. H. V. Cavendish, M.V.O., No. 3 Company.
Lieut. C. R. Gerard, No. 3 Company.
2nd Lieut. H. S. E. Bury, No. 3 Company.
Capt. E. D. Ridley, No. 3 Company.
Lieut. F. G. Beaumont-Nesbitt, No. 4 Company.
Lieut. C. R. Britten, No. 4 Company.
2nd Lieut. E. G. Williams, No. 4 Company.
_Attached_--Captain F. D. G. Howell, R.A.M.C.
[Sidenote: Dec. 27-28.]
The Battalion returned to the same line of trenches, and found them as
unpleasant as before. The cover had been improved, and the communication
trenches were better, but the water stood in them as deep as ever. On
the night of the 28th it blew a gale, and the cold was intense. The rain
that came down all night not only filled the trenches with more water,
but broke down the parapet and loopholes in many places. The men passed
a miserable night, soaked to the skin, with no means of keeping warm,
and although the constant repairs to the parapet kept them employed, the
sniping made all work difficult and dangerous.
[Sidenote: Dec. 29-30.]
A few of the enemy's 6-inch shells fell on the trenches, but not with
sufficient accuracy to cause any damage. The trenches were still in a
terrible state, communication was impossible, and there were numerous
cases of frostbite. In the evening of the 29th the Battalion was again
relieved by the 3rd Battalion Coldstream, and went back to Le Touret,
where it remained two days.
[Sidenote: Dec. 31-Jan. 2.]
On the 31st it returned to the flooded trenches again, and was subjected
to the usual sniping and bombing. The Germans were using a trench mortar
which fired large bombs from some distance into our line, while at that
time we had nothing more than hand grenades, which were somewhat
primitive and dangerous to the thrower. The water, however, was the
greatest difficulty our men had to contend with: it made the
communication trenches impassable, and accounted for more men than the
enemy's bullets. It ate away the parapet, rotted the men's clothing,
rusted and jammed the rifles, retarded the food supply, and generally
made the life of the men in the trenches hideous; but in spite of all
this discomfort the men remained cheerful and in good spirits.
[Sidenote: Jan. 1915.]
Lord Cavan, who was much exercised by the water problem, gave orders
that all impossible places were to be vacated and watched by pivots, and
the R.E. received instructions from him to give their attention to this
portion of the line. Our artillery proceeded systematically to flatten
out any house on the enemy's side, as it was found that the smallest
building usually harboured snipers, while the enemy's artillery kept up
a desultory fire; but after what the Battalion had been accustomed to at
Ypres, it seemed mere child's play.
Second Lieutenant H. C. Rumbold happened to be engaged in drawing at one
of the gunners' observation posts, when a shell struck it; in addition
to being wounded, he was struck by the falling masonry, and was
consequently sent home. Though the casualties in the 4th Brigade had
lately been very heavy, drafts were sent from home with great
efficiency, and the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers had a fair supply of
officers. The Coldstream was, however, very short, and the Brigadier
found it necessary to transfer the following officers from the
Grenadiers to the Coldstream: Lieutenants Kingsmill, Abel-Smith, Lang,
and Creed.
On January 2 the Battalion was relieved by the South Staffords, and went
into reserve at Locon, where it billeted and remained till the 7th of
January.
The Prince of Wales, on one of his many visits to the Battalion, brought
the men a gramophone, which was much appreciated by every one, and
helped to enliven the evenings.
[Sidenote: Jan. 8-14.]
A few days' rest worked wonders with the Battalion, and converted
ill-shaved men, in clothes sodden and coated with mud, once more into
smart, well-turned-out Guardsmen. The line now taken over was near Rue
du Bois, and the Battalion Headquarters were at Rue des Berceaux. Two
companies were in the firing line, with two platoons in the front trench
and the other two in support; the remainder of the Battalion formed the
reserve.
The rain continued in torrents, and the trench line became a sort of
lake. The companies, not in the front trench, were engaged in digging
second-line trenches, and a trench that was dug by Nos. 2 and 4
Companies was known for two years after as the Guards' trench. It was
considered a model of what a good trench should be.
The usual routine was to relieve the men in the trenches every twelve
hours, and bring them back to be dried, rubbed, and cleaned; and there
was not much sickness, although several men were crippled with
rheumatism, and would have found great difficulty in marching any
distance. The gruesome task of removing the dead was effected by
floating the bodies down the communication trenches.
On the 12th the following order was circulated from Brigade
Headquarters:
The Brigadier has much pleasure in forwarding a copy of a letter
received from General Monro, and desires that it should be read to
every man.
"I have this moment heard from an officer of the Indian Corps an
account of what he saw at the fight for Givenchy, in which the 1st
Brigade was engaged. His position enabled him to see the attack of
the Coldstream, and the following are his words: 'They marched
forward without the least hesitation under the most terrific fire,
just as though they were on parade. The Indian Brigade watched the
progress of the Guards with the profoundest admiration. I thought
perhaps the officers and privates of the Brigade of Guards might
like to know the admiration which their conduct inspires in
outsiders. We who have been through much with them know right well
that the description I have given merely represents their normal
behaviour in action, yet possibly it may please the men to hear what
I have written.'"
Lieut.-Colonel Smith in a private letter to Colonel Streatfeild wrote:
I cannot thank you enough for the excellent officers you have sent
me out. I have had the sorrow of seeing nearly a whole battalion of
first-rate officers go one by one, and yet you have been able to
send me a second lot who promise to be almost as good.
[Sidenote: Jan. 18-20.]
The Battalion was relieved by an Indian regiment, and went into billets
at Le Touret to rest for two days, after which it returned to the
trenches in Rue des Bois near Rue des Berceaux. The water was as bad as
ever, and even rose after a snowstorm. The whole country was
water-logged, and there was constant difficulty in keeping up the
parapets, which crumbled and fell in great blocks, in spite of the
ceaseless labour expended on them. The enemy's snipers took every
advantage of the crumbling parapets, and accounted for many of our men.
Sergeant Croft was killed by a sniper, and Corporal Parkinson, who, as
Lord Bernard Gordon-Lennox's orderly, must have evaded thousands of
bullets and shells, was shot dead by a stray bullet.
[Sidenote: Jan. 25-28.]
After another four days in reserve at Les Choqueaux, the 4th Brigade
marched to Gorre in support of the First Division, which endeavoured to
retake the trenches which had been lost at Givenchy. Having waited about
all day, the Brigade returned to its billets at Les Choqueaux in the
evening. The same procedure was gone through the following day, but on
neither occasion was the Brigade wanted.
Four officers of the Grenadiers had been temporarily attached to the
Scots Guards: Second Lieutenant H. S. E. Bury, Second Lieutenant G.
Hamilton Fletcher, Second Lieutenant A. H. Lang, Second Lieutenant J. A.
Denny. On the 25th they were all four hit by a shell that exploded in
the trench. Second Lieutenants Bury, Hamilton Fletcher, and Lang were
killed, and Second Lieutenant Denny was severely wounded.
About this time a case of cerebral meningitis, or spotted fever, was
discovered at the Guards' Depot at Caterham, Surrey, and orders were
given for all drafts from England to be isolated. This caused a certain
amount of inconvenience, as it was by no means easy to isolate a draft
of 200 men. There were at the time only eight subalterns with the
Battalion, which made the duty very heavy for the officers, but some of
the other battalions had not even so many.
From the 28th to the 30th the Battalion remained in billets at Les
Choqueaux, and on the 30th marched to Bethune. It was only during
marches of this length that the whole Battalion assembled together, and
saw itself as a Battalion, instead of in isolated companies. It
presented an extraordinary appearance. Hung round like a Christmas tree,
wearing fur waist-coats, gum-boots, and carrying long French loaves,
braziers, charcoal, spades, and sandbags, it looked more like a body of
irregular troops from the Balkans than a battalion of Guards.
[Sidenote: Feb. 1-5.]
On February 1 the Battalion marched to Annequin, and No. 1 Company under
Lord Henry Seymour went into the trenches at Guinchy, to reinforce the
Coldstream Guards who had been heavily engaged. On the 2nd the whole
Battalion took over from the Irish Guards the trenches from La Bassée
road to the Keep, where it remained till the 5th. Although there was
heavy shelling, the casualties were not large, but Second Lieutenant G.
W. V. Hopley was badly wounded, and Sergeant Buttle killed.
On February 1 the Germans broke the line in the Guinchy neighbourhood,
and Cavan's 4th Brigade was brought up. A company of the 2nd Battalion
Coldstream, supported by one company of Irish Guards, was ordered to
counter-attack, but failed to retake the lost trench. Lord Cavan, having
left orders that the ground was to be held at all costs, went off, and
arranged a heavy bombardment from the howitzers and siege guns. As soon
as this ceased 50 men from the 2nd Battalion Coldstream, followed by 30
men from the Irish Guards, with a company of the 2nd Battalion
Grenadiers in support, dashed forward, and succeeded in taking all the
lost ground. The attack was so successful that the Grenadiers never came
into action.
[Sidenote: Feb. 1915.]
During the whole of February the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers occupied the
trenches at Guinchy. The usual routine was forty-eight hours in the
trenches, and forty-eight hours' rest in billets at Beuvry. The weather,
which at home is only noticed by people with weak conversational powers,
becomes a matter of enormous importance when you have to stand in a
ditch for two days and two nights. The wet and cold made the life in the
trenches at first very trying, but later, when the spring began, the
nights in the trenches became bearable.
Sniping and bombing with intermittent shelling were of constant
occurrence. The sad news that some officer, sergeant, or private had
been killed was passed down the trenches with wonderful rapidity, and
was known at once by the whole Battalion. The line of trenches now
occupied by the Battalion was much drier than those it had been
accustomed to, and far more intricate. When the trenches were known the
relief became easy, although it was always carried out in the dark, but
at first, when the officers and N.C.O.'s took over the trenches for the
first time, it was long before every one settled down.
The forty-eight hours' rest was spent in comparative comfort in billets
at Beuvry, where the inhabitants still lived in spite of the proximity
to the trenches. When the moment came to leave the billets and return to
the trenches, the Battalion moved up in small parties at a time, in case
the road should be shelled. Through endless transport of all kinds the
men slowly wound their way. They usually met food going up, empties
coming back, ammunition and supplies of all sorts, and as it became
darker the road was more difficult. They often passed French troops on
the way, with the secondary French transport, a motley collection of
every conceivable sort of vehicle. Yet with all these different streams
of men and wagons there was never any confusion or accident. As the
platoons neared the trenches, stray bullets usually began to fly, and
occasionally shells. Then each company, on reaching its allotted
communication trench, disappeared, and so reached the firing line.
The Battalion Headquarters were in the cellar of the ruins of a house,
and here the business part of the work was carried on by clerks and
orderlies. Sometimes shells fell on the remains of the house, but the
cellar was never reached. A motor canteen presented by Lord Derby to his
old Battalion now arrived, and proved a great boon. It could provide hot
drinks for 300 men at a time.
On the 7th Second Lieutenant H. A. R. Graham was badly wounded, and
subsequently had to have his arm amputated. Captain A. B. R. R. Gosselin
was bending down trying to dress his wound, when a piece of shell struck
him in the neck and killed him instantaneously. On the 8th Second
Lieutenant P. L. M. Battye was wounded in the leg, and Lieutenant
Britten was sent to hospital with enteric fever.
On the 18th the Germans succeeded in taking a small portion of the
French trenches on our right, and that evening the French sent a party
to retake it. No report came, however, as to whether they had been
successful or not, and considerable doubt existed as to whether this
particular trench was in German or in French hands. In order to decide
this point, the French sent a reconnoitring party down our communication
trench on the right, and asked Captain P. A. Clive's permission to move
down our trench. Captain Clive not only offered to help, but decided to
go himself. Accompanied by Major Foulkes, R.E., he led the French
reconnoitring party into the trench of doubtful ownership, and there
found a dug-out full of German kit, with a lighted candle burning. This
evidence of German occupation satisfied the French party, but Captain
Clive insisted on making further investigation, and crept on in pitch
darkness, followed by Major Foulkes. Suddenly he was challenged in deep
guttural German by a sentry, not two yards off. "Français, Français," he
replied in a voice to which he was uncertain whether he should give a
French or German accent. "Halt, oder Ich schiesse," was the reply, and
the nationality of the occupants of the trench was settled beyond
dispute. Even Captain Clive was convinced, and as the bullets whistled
past him when he retired, the nationality of their makers was forcibly
impressed on his mind.
The shelling varied: on some days it was mild, and on others for no
apparent reason it became very violent. The difference, however, between
the shelling here and that which the Battalion had been accustomed to
near Ypres was, that while the German gunners at first had it all their
own way, they were now not only answered but received back as many
shells as they sent over. A great deal of work was done by the Battalion
during the month, and the digging was constant night and day. The Keep
was strengthened, many new communication trenches were dug, all very
deep, eight to nine feet, and the right of the line, near the French,
was made very strong. Supporting trenches were dug, and eventually the
whole line was straightened out and wired. The majority of the men
thoroughly understood how to dig, and the newcomers very quickly learnt
from the old hands. On February 20 Lieutenant R. D. Lawford and a draft
of sixty men joined the Battalion, and on the 23rd Second Lieutenants A.
H. Penn, O. Lyttelton, and Viscount Cranborne arrived.
[Sidenote: March.]
For the first ten days in March the Battalion rested, and remained in
billets at Bethune, where it had concerts and boxing competitions. On
the 10th it marched to a position of readiness east of Gorre, with the
remainder of the 4th Brigade, to form the reserve to the 6th Brigade,
which was the pivot on which the whole move at Neuve Chapelle hung,
though it did not come into action. The attack made by the 6th Brigade
proved a most gallant but disastrous business, and the casualties were
very heavy. At 3 P.M. the 4th Brigade was ordered up to support another
attempt, which, however, never came off, and it therefore returned to
its billets at Bethune. On the 11th the 4th Brigade was again moved up
to the same place, but again was not wanted.
Captain Ridley, who held the almost unique record in the 4th Brigade of
having taken part in every engagement from the commencement of the war,
and who had been constantly fighting for five months, having twice been
slightly wounded, went home sick, as the Commanding Officer and the
doctor insisted on his taking this opportunity of having a rest.
On the 12th the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers relieved the Irish Guards at
Givenchy, where the trenches, which were comparatively new, were shallow
and the parapet not bullet proof. The village was a complete ruin, the
farms were burnt, and remains of wagons and farm implements were
scattered on each side of the road. This part of the country had been
taken and re-taken several times, and many hundreds of British, Indian,
French, and German troops were buried here. The roads were full of
shell-holes, bricks, tiles, cart-wheels, and debris of every
description. The shelling and sniping went on intermittently, but the
habits of the enemy were known, and when the shelling began it was
generally easy to estimate how long it would last, and when it would
begin again.
On the 16th Major Lord Henry Seymour and Captain J. S. Hughes were
transferred to the 1st Battalion in the Seventh Division, and Captain C.
de Crespigny joined the Battalion from Brigade Headquarters.
On the 22nd Lieutenant F. G. Marshall, who had been having tea with the
doctor at the dressing-station, was returning to the trenches, when a
stray bullet killed him. The casualties in the trenches were at that
time not great, but occasionally at night a violent shelling would
begin, directed towards the rear of the trenches, in the hopes of
catching the troops coming up to relieve those in the front line.
The terrible tragedies that went on daily between the two firing lines
gave some idea of the barbarous cruelty of the Germans. Men who were
wounded in any attack or raid were forced to lie out between the lines,
often in great agony, but whenever any of our stretcher-bearers
attempted to reach them they were promptly fired at by the Germans. To
show the vitality possessed by some human beings, cases occurred of men
being left out wounded and without food or drink four or five days,
conscious all the time that if they moved the Germans would shoot or
throw bombs at them. At night German raiding parties would be sent out
to bayonet any of the wounded still living, and would feel these
unfortunate men's hands to see if they were stiff and cold. If any doubt
existed, the bayonet settled the question. In spite of this, men often
managed to crawl back just alive, and were quickly resuscitated by their
comrades.
[Sidenote: April.]
On April 1 Major B. H. Barrington-Kennett, and on April 2 Second
Lieutenant Hon. G. S. Bailey and Second Lieutenant P. K. Stephenson,
joined the Battalion.
While digging a communication trench, in what had once been the Curé's
garden, some men of the Battalion unearthed some silver, and also some
presumably valuable papers. It seemed to the men that this was
treasure-trove, but Lieut.-Colonel Smith, on hearing of the find,
insisted that it should all be carefully packed up, papers, silver, and
all, and sent to the French authorities for safe keeping. The owner,
some weeks later, wrote a letter of profound gratitude, and enclosed a
plan showing where some more of his treasures were buried. Another
search was made, and these were all recovered, with the exception of one
box which had been blown to bits by a shell.
All throughout April the Battalion remained in the same trenches, and
was relieved every forty-eight hours by the Irish Guards, when it went
into billets at Preol. A new trench howitzer was produced by the
artillery with a range of 520 yards, which put us more on an equality
with the enemy, and gave the men confidence. The mining had now become a
regular practice, and every one was always listening for any sound that
might denote mining operations. The shelling continued regularly, and at
times a battalion coming up to take its turn in the trenches would be
subjected to an unpleasant shelling.
The Commanding Officer, Lieut.-Colonel W. Smith, was accustomed to what
he called "stumble round the trenches" every day, and many visits were
paid by Lord Cavan and his staff, who became quite proficient in evading
the various missiles which the enemy daily aimed at the trenches. On one
of these occasions the Prince of Wales, who was a constant visitor,
tried his hand at sniping, and as there was an immediate retaliation,
his bullets very probably found their mark. The men were delighted to
see His Royal Highness shooting away at the enemy, and when, as
sometimes happened, the evening shelling of the Germans--"the evening
hate," as it was termed by the men--began while the Prince was in the
trenches, the men were always anxious to hear that His Royal Highness
had finished his tour in safety.
On April 21 Captain G. L. Derriman and Second Lieutenant C. O. Creed
joined the Battalion, with a draft of thirty men. On the 12th Major Lord
Henry Seymour returned to the Battalion. On the 13th Second Lieutenant
P. K. Stephenson left to join the 1st Battalion, and on the 26th Captain
R. H. V. Cavendish was appointed Town Commandant at Bethune.
The weather gradually changed, and instead of the general gloom, the
appalling mud, snow, and rain, the days began to be bright and hot,
although the nights were still cold.
On the 23rd the Battalion relieved the Post Office Rifles
(Territorials), and continued to remain in the trenches, with two
companies in the firing line and two in reserve, relieving each other
every two hours.
[Sidenote: May.]
LIST OF OFFICERS OF THE BATTALION ON MAY 1, 1915
Lieut.-Colonel W. R. A. Smith, Headquarters.
Major G. D. Jeffreys, Headquarters.
Lieutenant and Acting Adjutant Hon. W. R. Bailey, Headquarters.
2nd Lieut. D. Abel-Smith (Machine-gun), Headquarters.
Lieut. and Quartermaster W. E. Acraman, Headquarters.
Major Lord Henry Seymour, No. 1 Company.
Lieut. A. K. S. Cunninghame (Brigade Transport), No. 1 Company.
2nd Lieut. J. N. Buchanan, No. 1 Company.
2nd Lieut. A. H. Penn, No. 1 Company.
Capt. P. A. Clive, No. 2 Company.
Capt. G. L. Derriman, No. 2 Company.
2nd Lieut. J. C. Craigie, No. 2 Company.
2nd Lieut. Viscount Cranborne, No. 2 Company.
2nd Lieut. Hon. P. P. Cary, No. 2 Company.
Major B. Barrington-Kennett, No. 3 Company.
Lieut. A. F. R. Wiggins, No. 3 Company.
Lieut. A. V. L. Corry, No. 3 Company.
2nd Lieut. R. D. Lawford, No. 3 Company.
Major C. R. C. de Crespigny, No. 4 Company.
Capt. I. St. C. Rose, No. 4 Company.
2nd Lieut. E. G. Williams, No. 4 Company.
2nd Lieut. O. Lyttelton, No. 4 Company.
2nd Lieut. Hon. G. S. Bailey, No. 4 Company.
2nd Lieut. C. O. Creed, No. 4 Company.
_Attached_--Captain F. D. G. Howell, R.A.M.C.
The Battalion remained in the trenches at Givenchy until May 12, when it
was relieved by the London Scottish, and went into billets at Le Casan.
During the time it had occupied these trenches, it had done a great deal
of work, and altered the appearance of the line.
On the 9th the offensive on the Richebourg--Festubert line began. To the
4th Brigade was assigned the task of holding the Givenchy--Cuinchy line,
while the First, Eighth, and Indian Divisions were to carry out the
attack. A terrific bombardment on both sides opened early in the
morning, but no attack developed against that part of the line. The
attack by our First Division proved a costly failure, although the
French made some progress near Notre Dame de Lorette.
News was received of the German gas attack at Ypres, and precautions had
consequently to be taken. The question of respirators became very
important, and masks of all sorts and kinds were tried. Here were
thousands of men absolutely unprepared, who at any moment might be
suffocated, but the idea of taking precautions against gas had never
occurred to us, any more than precautions against wells being poisoned.
Such things had been ruled out of civilised warfare by the Hague
Convention. It is hardly to be wondered at that this perfidious
treachery on the part of the enemy took the whole Army at first
completely by surprise, but an antidote was quickly provided in the
shape of gas helmets.
On the night of the 11th Lieutenant A. V. L. Corry, accompanied by
Sergeant Skerry, Lance-Corporal Hodgson, and Private Gillet, went out,
and commenced cutting the barbed wire in front of the German trenches.
While engaged in this they came in contact with a German patrol, one of
which was shot by Lieutenant Corry, a second was killed by a bomb thrown
by Private Gillet, while a third was killed by Sergeant Skerry. The
German officer in command of the patrol drew his revolver and shot
Sergeant Skerry and Corporal Hodgson dead, and wounded Private Gillet,
who afterwards succumbed to his wounds. Lieutenant Corry, finding the
remainder too numerous to tackle single-handed, had perforce to retire
to the trenches.
On the 14th we began a systematic bombardment of the German lines
opposite Richebourg--L'Avoué--Festubert. This continued for two days,
and prepared the line for the second attack, which was to be carried out
by the Second and Seventh Divisions and the Indian Corps. There was a
distinct salient at this part of the German line, and it was for this
reason that it was chosen for attack. The country was flat, although
intersected with water-courses, and owing to the barrage of fire from
the enemy constant difficulty was experienced in bringing up any
supports.