THE END OF THE SALONICA AND MESOPOTAMIA CAMPAIGNS
I. 4TH BATTALION
Before studying the final phases and great events of 1918 in France and
Flanders, and the conclusion of the war in that area, it may be as well
to see how matters ended further afield and in other regions where the
Buffs were engaged. It may be remembered that the 10th left Palestine
in March, when the initial successes of the German offensive rendered
it necessary to reinforce the Western Armies with every available man.
Therefore the continuation of the history of that battalion is similar,
as regards locality, to that of the 1st, 6th and 7th. The 4th remained
in India till some time after the end of the struggle. The 5th endured
a weary time in Mesopotamia, and the 2nd was in the neighbourhood of
Salonica. As far as the 4th Battalion is concerned, with the exception
of the tour of work at Aden, already described, it saw no war as a
unit, though nearly all its individual members at some time or another
were seriously engaged. For instance, when this battalion returned from
the Aden campaign and was stationed at Bareilly, it sent, as well as
detachments to the north-west frontier of India, about five hundred
officers and men to the 5th in Mesopotamia.
In July, 1918, the 4th Battalion proceeded to Multan, in the Punjaub,
and was in this place when news of the armistice reached India. Now,
the great cessation of hostilities brought the blessings of peace to
all the rest of the Buffs, even if it brought no immediate change
of surroundings, but this was not the case as regards the garrison
of India; all sorts of internal troubles were fomented in the great
eastern dependency, particularly in the Punjaub, chiefly because
certain ignorant and foolish folk at home are too full of the sense of
their own importance to leave the ruling of foreign lands to those of
our nation who really know all about it and have made their adopted
country their life study. Troublous times there were, and in May,
1919, six months after war was supposed to have ended, martial law
having been proclaimed, the Buffs were employed on different important
points on the railway line and at Amballa, Lahore and other places.
Another Afghan war, too, broke out and about half the battalion was
employed upon it, both officers and men being called upon to perform
various duties at the front. Headquarters, under Lt.-Colonel Dunstan,
who had succeeded Lt.-Colonel Gosling, remained at Lahore during the
hot weather of 1919. At last, at the end of October, a year after the
European peace, the men were collected, embarked on the S.S.
_Nevasa_ and landed at Devonport in November, after five years’
foreign service, which must be a record, or nearly so, for a strictly
home service unit.
The good work of this battalion is recorded in the following
letter written, just before its departure from India, by the
Commander-in-Chief, General Sir C. C. Munro:--
“Officers, Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Men of the
4th Battalion the Buffs, East Kent Regiment. On your departure from
India I desire to place on record my high appreciation of your services
to the Empire during the period of the Great War.
“Many of you, previous to the outbreak of War, had by joining the
Territorial Force already given proof of that patriotism and public
spirit for which the Force has rendered itself so conspicuous.
“On the declaration of War, your ranks were filled by eager
volunteers animated by the same spirit of self-sacrifice. When
called upon to undertake the further obligation of service
overseas your response was immediate and unanimous. By so doing
you set free a large number of regular units for service in the
main theatres of war, at a time when every trained soldier was
of the greatest value. Many of you have seen service, and by
your conduct and bearing have added to the reputation of the
famous regiment whose name you bear.
“Since the termination of active fighting in all the theatres
of war you have been subjected to the further stress of waiting
for your relief. That you appreciated the difficulties which the
authorities have had to face in this respect is clear from the
patience with which you have borne this trying period.
“You are returning to your homes in Kent, and I bid you God
Speed and a Happy Homecoming.
“As an old Commander of a Territorial Division at home I am
proud to have again been associated with you in India.”
The government of India, in a long resolution at Delhi (dated
31.12.19), recorded that:--
“The Governors-General in Council desire to express to all ranks
of the 4th Battalion the Buffs, East Kent Regiment, the thanks
of the Government of India for their patriotic services, which
will long be remembered and will serve as a noble and enduring
example of good citizenship to future generations.”
II. 5TH BATTALION
On the 1st April, 1917, the defeated Turkish 14th Corps was broken
into fragments and driven up the two great rivers and the Diala, while
their 13th Corps was falling back before the Russians, who were coming
down from the hills to the north-east of Baghdad. Our own people were
covering the city from any possible attempt that the enemy might
make down the rivers. On the 2nd April touch was established with
the Russians, so our people from the Diala were withdrawn, a further
advance up both banks of the Tigris considered and, as a preliminary,
about the 8th of the month portions of the enemy were driven over the
Shatt el Adhaim river. The Buffs at this time were at Hinaidi, which
is about two miles below Baghdad, but in view of the contemplated
operations the battalion started for the north on the 3rd April, doing
no less than twenty-six miles the first day, the distance being divided
into two considerable marches. This journey was continued during the
following two or three days, and on the 8th April the battalion was
at Dugamia. It was discovered, however, on this date that over six
thousand of the enemy, with thirty-two guns, had issued from the Jebel
Hamrin and were moving down the right bank of the Nahr Khalis Canal
towards Deltawa. Indeed, by the evening of the 9th they had reached
a point seven miles or so south-west of Deli Abbas. The Buffs, with
the rest of the brigade, were ordered at short notice to Deltawa, in
support of a force under Lt.-Colonel Champain, and a picquet line
was thrown out to the north of the place, Dogras being on the left
and Buffs on the right. The following day it was found impossible
to reach the position which it was intended to occupy, owing to the
presence of several very steep nullahs deep with water, and the brigade
counter-marched and moved through Deltawa.
On the 10th it proceeded to a point opposite Abdullah Effendi and
found the country partially inundated, the banks or “bunds” having
been broken. All this day and part of the next, the enemy continued
his advance down the canal, lured on by our cavalry which retreated
before him; but on the 11th he met with failure, for on that day
British troops, including the Buffs, had been sent up the right bank of
the Nahr Khalis towards Deli Abbas to meet him, while another column,
after a night march from Dogamia, fell upon his right flank. This
latter movement proved a complete surprise, was entirely successful
and resulted in a Turkish retreat, hurried somewhat at first, but
soon covered by an efficient and properly worked rear guard, which
caused the pursuit to be a slow one, though quite continuous. On the
12th the Buffs reached the junction of the Nahr Khalis, with the Nahr
Tahwila, where they bivouacked with B Company, and the Dogras in front
on picquet. The next day the cavalry tried a turning movement, with a
view to reaching the Kifri road at a point behind the retreating army,
but lack of water caused this adventure to fail. The Buffs, leaving
B Company and the Dogras behind, continued the advance with the 13th
Brigade R.F.A. and took up, in conjunction with the 102nd Grenadiers,
a fresh picquet line for the night. The regiment lost two men killed
and nineteen wounded on this date. On the 14th this new picquet line
was sniped all day by a few men supported by a rear guard with machine
guns, and Captain Dolamore of the Middlesex, who was attached to the
Buffs, was killed, thirteen men being wounded. After marching forward
a few miles on the 15th, it was determined to stop the pursuit, as
it was not advisable to enter the hilly country of the Jebel Hamrin,
where the defence would have great advantages; so the original idea
of crossing the Shatt el Adhaim was resumed, those who had interfered
with the scheme having been now driven away. So the marching of the
next two days was in an opposite direction, and on the 18th at 4 a.m.
the Buffs started, in support of the 38th Brigade, for the point where
the smaller stream joined the Tigris, at which place a bridge was
thrown and the crossing at once commenced. The Buffs got over about
noon without opposition, proceeded to Deluiya and at dusk went out on
picquet along the Nahrwan Canal. The Turkish opposition on the left
bank of the Tigris had collapsed and many prisoners were taken. The
following day all available lorries and ambulances spread away over the
country behind the cavalry, with a view to collecting booty, but this
enterprise was of no avail at all: the local Arab had seen to all that
business. The enemy still had some fight left in him on the other side
of the great river, however, and on the 20th April the Buffs marched
up the left bank as escort to the R.F.A. The next day the Turks stood
to fight on the other side of the water, and, their aeroplane having
been destroyed, they were unaware of anything likely to interfere with
their plans on the bank opposite to them; but our guns enfiladed their
position with very marked success and, after this participation in the
action, the troops marched back seven miles to Deluiya. Of course, the
main avenue of communication between the army of Mesopotamia and the
base had always been the river, and the spot up to which the boats
could come with safety was constantly being changed as the armies
advanced up stream. This river-head, as it was called, was the advanced
depot for supplies, and when troops wandered far from river-head they
were badly fed. Consequently, the 22nd April was a red-letter day
because a better and fuller supply of rations was issued, as the boats
now came up to Samjali, where a bridge over the Tigris had been made on
the 19th.
While operations had been going on on the right bank of the main river
it became clear that the other Turkish corps was again issuing from
the Jebel Hamrin, this time down the Shatt el Adhaim, and that it
was advancing against our troops on the left bank. On the 23rd his
leading units had reached Dahuba with the remainder seventeen miles
in rear, and it was determined to endeavour to crush this leading
force before it could be reinforced, so a night march and attack at
dawn was arranged. The enemy’s position ran north-west from the Shatt
el Adhaim, and his right flank was bent back in a northerly direction
in front of Dahuba. Specially detailed parties of a hundred Buffs
and a hundred Dogras, under Captain Jones of the latter regiment,
proceeded in motor-cars to surprise and attack the Turks’ extreme
right at 6 a.m., but our guns had already so cleverly made use of the
surprise element, and with such great effect, that the position had
already been abandoned. The Buffs took up a picquet line, but, being
relieved by the 102nd Grenadiers, they marched back to bivouac on the
river. The next day the pursuit commenced. The enemy was retiring up
both banks of the Shatt el Adhaim, and the British force followed for
three sultry days, reaching Satha on the evening of the 27th. Here the
Turk was close to his Jebel Hamrin, from which hilly region he had
so recently issued, and here, amongst the foothills, he elected to
stand while a strong rear guard covered the withdrawal to his selected
position. Opposite to this the Buffs bivouacked for the night, being
in reserve to the rest of Thomson’s force, which was holding a portion
of our picquet line, about two miles separating our main line from
that of the enemy. Reconnaissance was rendered almost impossible by
reason of the heat and low visibility, besides during the night there
came on one of those dreadful dust-storms so common in these regions,
and this one lasted for about forty-eight hours. The last day of the
month saw a very successful attack made on the position, in spite of
the dust-storm, which, however, greatly assisted the enemy to secure
his line of retreat after he had been defeated. During this fight the
Buffs were in reserve; the 35th Brigade, however, bore their full share
of the victory, which resulted in the capture of numerous prisoners
and trophies. In describing the events recorded above, Sir Stanley
Maude in his official despatches uses the following words: “During
this period of hard marching and heavy fighting the Buffs specially
distinguished themselves on several occasions.” On the 1st May our
aeroplanes reported the enemy seven miles away in full retreat.
Sir Stanley Maude now determined that a redistribution of the troops
for the hot weather was a necessity, and as the resistance of the
enemy was thoroughly broken the chief matter to consider now was the
wellbeing of our men during the trying portion of the year which was
before them. On the 5th May the Buffs marched to Satha, thence on to
Dahuba, and on the 10th crossed the pontoon bridge over the Adhaim,
escorting transport and guns. A certain amount of time was spent at
Bakuba and more at Abu Kamed, on Diala river. At the latter place
the battalion remained all the early summer and was employed chiefly
in digging and wiring. Hot weather in the plains of India, with all
the appliances and inventions of long experience to mitigate the
discomforts of existence, is trying enough, but month after month
of lassitude and exhaustion caused by summer in a burning country
without any such mitigation is a terrible trial to the strongest; the
experience was just one that had to be lived through, and that is all
about it.
Early in August a little break came, bringing with it, at any rate,
a change of scene: our aeroplanes reported that the Turks were
entrenching a position south-west of Shahroban, and it was determined
to occupy that place at once. Therefore on the 13th August the Buffs
with the remainder of their brigade crossed the Diala river to Bakuba,
and then moved towards the north-east and on the 19th reached Misdad
from Abu Jisra without opposition. The next day the brigade moved out
at 4.30 a.m. to march on Shahroban with orders to skirt the town,
the Buffs to go round the south side and the Dogras the north. The
great objective was a certain nullah, and this was occupied without
opposition at 6.35 a.m. Then another period of monotony set in and
until the 18th October the battalion was at Shahroban in Mesopotamia,
and that was all its history.
The Jebel Hamrin, though not a lofty range of mountains, is a very
broken set of hills, and it is from this region that the waters
which feed the canals is obtained. So long as the Turks remained in
possession of these hills, so long had they control of the canals.
Early in October, therefore, it was decided to take over this Jebel
Hamrin, but first to clear the left bank of the Diala from the enemy.
This was done by attacking a position he held near Deli Abbas, on which
occasion all objectives were gained, and the British were enabled to
take up a line astride of the Diala river where it issues from the
gorge of the Jebel, and so gain control of the head waters of the
canals. In connection with these operations the Buffs, who had a series
of canals on their front, began their work on the 18th October by
sending A Company out to seize two bridges--Lieut. Bonner’s platoon
to attack, while that under Sgt. Turnbull occupied a mound close by.
Certain opposition was encountered, but we held the bridges by 10 a.m.,
at which hour no enemy was in sight. Two Buffs were killed and one
wounded. During the evening B Company advanced and took up a picquet
line along the Haruniyah Canal without opposition, C Company took over
the mounds and D was in reserve three hundred yards to the south-west.
The next day picquets were pushed out early and occupied the line of
the Ruz Canal. Meanwhile Egerton’s force had secured the Jebel Hamrin,
and at 3 p.m. the battalion was ordered through the hills. The next day
Kizil Robat was occupied by cavalry and the Norfolk Regiment. The Buffs
had four men wounded while digging, the working party being shelled by
a camel gun from across the Diala. On the 30th October the battalion,
with many others, was issued with winter clothing and settled down
to road-making in the Jebel, for the General Commanding-in-Chief had
decreed that all the communications in this district were to be made
good, the canals bridged in many places and the wild hills penetrated
everywhere by roads fit for wheeled traffic. The enemy tried a
counter-demonstration on the other side of the Tigris, and what was
still a war rolled away to the westward of the troops in which we are
interested.
On the 19th November the army received the sad news of the death by
cholera of their Commander-in-Chief, Sir Stanley Maude--a soldier much
beloved and highly respected by officers and men. He had won the war in
Mesopotamia, and all had gone well there from the moment of his taking
over. He was the son of General Sir F. F. Maude, V.C., G.C.B., the
first commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion The Buffs, which unit was
added to the regiment in 1857.
Towards the end of November the enemy had retired so far both up the
Tigris and the Euphrates that Sir W. R. Marshall, who had succeeded
Maude, considered that the only way to strike him was to attack that
portion of his forces which were holding certain passes in the Jebel
Hamrin and Kara Tepe. There is a stream called the Nahrin which,
flowing from the north, joins the Diala to the east of the Jebel, and
the Turks had flooded the low land east of the junction of the two
streams, so creating a considerable obstacle in connection with any
attack from the southward on Kara Tepe. At midnight on the 2nd/3rd
December the brigade held the left bank of the Diala from Tawila to
Sawaya, with the Buffs in the centre, and the orders were to engage
the enemy’s picquets on the far bank at dawn, while the 37th Brigade
attacked due west from the north of Kizil Robat, but the scheme was
found unworkable in its entirety, simply because the 35th Brigade had
no means of crossing. The fords had disappeared and it was two o’clock
in the afternoon before the Buffs got over, after which the brigade
concentrated again and bivouacked for the night. During the day the
enemy was reported to be retiring on Kara Tepe, having been driven
from the Jebel passes by the 13th Division. On the 4th December the
advance on Kara Tepe continued, the 35th Brigade halting about five
miles short of it. The Buffs were the brigade advance guard during
this day. It was a trying march, for two reasons: water was very
scarce--and it is an undoubted hardship to have to work and march, even
in December, without an adequate supply of water, and also the progress
was terribly slow because the ground was intercepted by nullahs, many
of which had to be filled in and prepared for crossing. At daybreak on
the 5th the march was continued and, after moving about four miles,
water was found in some small nullahs. Here the brigade deployed for
attack, the 37th Dogras leading, with the 2/4th Ghurkas in support,
the Buffs soon coming up in echelon on the right of the Ghurkas. The
attack of the brigade was materially assisted by a flank advance by the
40th (British) Brigade and the whole work proved extremely easy, the
previous marching being the worst feature of the operation. The whole
position was taken and the enemy soon in full retreat on Kifri. The
pursuit was not pushed far, and the Buffs, after passing through a dust
storm on its way to Kizil Robat on the 7th, and after a long and dusty
march the next day, found themselves back in their old camping ground
north of Shahroban.
January, 1918, proved a very wet month, but work of all sorts was
carried on during the early part of the year, and this work included
extensive gardening and farming operations. There is but little to
record for the year 1918; as far as the 5th Battalion is concerned,
their enemy was broken, but the final surrender was not till the end
of October, and in the meantime the men remained for the most part in
the same camp and worked at gardening and also at a new railway which
was in progress. The news of a few honours was received during the hot
weather. On the 21st May Pte. A. W. King was mentioned in despatches;
as were Captain W. A. Harrison, attached from the 4th Battalion, and
Lieut. Weldon on the 11th June. R.Q.M.S. Middleditch, C.Q.M.S. Woodruff
and Pte. Friend all got the Meritorious Service Medal in August.
The news of the armistice with Turkey was received on the 1st November,
1918, and of the armistice with Germany on the 11th. There is nothing
to show that the story about the latter news being received by the men
in silence, and that later on wild cheering was heard but ascertained
to be only because a belated consignment of ration rum had at last
turned up, relates to the 5th Battalion of the Buffs. As after every
war, when peace or its equivalent is proclaimed, the exiled soldier’s
thoughts immediately and naturally turn to home; of course they do.
However that may be, orders came that the Buffs were to be one of the
regiments to remain in Mesopotamia for another hot season.
The cadre of the battalion, a very tiny remnant of those who embarked
in 1914, reached home in January, 1920, under command of Lt.-Colonel
J. Body, D.S.O., O.B.E. This battalion was therefore actually a few
days longer abroad than the 4th. Casualties during the war were 12
officers and 118 other ranks killed; 26 officers and 533 other ranks
wounded. Honours: two D.S.O.’s, one bar to D.S.O., one Albert Medal,
two O.B.E.’s, one M.B.E., six M.C.’s, sixteen D.C.M.’s, one M.M.,
eight M.S.M.’s, five foreign decorations and fifty-two mentions in
despatches.
III. 2ND BATTALION
New Year’s Day, 1917, found the 2nd Battalion at Barakli Dzuma, on
the eastern side of the River Struma, on the flat ground and under
the hills which were occupied by the Bulgarian troops. A more or less
quiet time ensued after the raid on “Little Ferdy” trench previously
described, though the Buffs made a demonstration on the 8th January in
aid of the Middlesex, which regiment carried out on that day a somewhat
similar attempt on two trenches on their front. There was, too, at this
time a good deal of patrol work done, mostly in the direction of the
railway. On the 23rd the battalion, changing places with the 3rd Royal
Fusiliers, moved to Ormanli, and a few days later to Lozista, where it
remained working very regularly all February. News had arrived on the
9th January of a D.S.O. for Captain Sebastian, and D.C.M.’s for L.-Sgt.
Spiller and L.-Corpl. Geohegan. Some little excitement about this time
was caused by a rumour that numerous Turks were slipping through our
lines and sailing over the lake to join the Bulgarians, but, in spite
of several efforts, none were ever caught.
There came a distinct change of scene early in June, and the chief
incidents immediately before that date were as follows: on the 4th
March the Bulgarians tried to burn the village of Butkova; on the 13th
C.S.M. Andrews was awarded the (Italian) Bronze Medal for Military
Valour; on the 17th there was heavy shelling on the right of the
battalion and the Bulgarians made a demonstration, their infantry
advancing to within six hundred yards of our trenches, but we suffered
no casualties; and on the 19th the battalion moved to Haznatar, B and
C Companies going on three days later to Ormanli to find the guard on
Koprivi Bridge. L.-Corpl. Arnold, of D Company, died on the 24th of
wounds received when out patrolling. On the 28th and 29th Haznatar
was flooded owing to the rising of the river. From the 4th to 14th
April the Buffs were at Orljak and then returned to Haznatar. There was
always a good deal of patrolling work to be done at this latter place,
which was in the advanced British lines, so that casualties from the
enemy’s shell fire were not altogether infrequent. For instance, five
occurred on the 21st April, one of the men dying of his wounds. On the
2nd May Captain Vertue had a narrow escape and indeed owed his life or
his liberty to C.S.M. Andrews. The captain and the sergeant-major were
out together, and seeing a Bulgar they fired on him. A minute or two
later several of the enemy appeared and then returned the fire; Vertue
was wounded, but Andrews immediately picked him up and carried him
back. 2nd Lieut. Goodheart was wounded on the 12th.
In the middle of May a minor action was arranged and carried out by the
Buffs and 3rd Royal Fusiliers. The latter were on the Buffs’ right and
opposite the “Ferdy” group of enemy trenches. During the afternoon of
the 15th troops began to get into assembly positions and were ready at
6 p.m. Half an hour later our artillery opened and C and D Companies
deployed and advanced, each with one platoon in front extended to five
paces; another fifty yards in rear, and the remaining two a hundred
yards behind again. These went through the enemy’s line and took what
was known as the “Essex” group of trenches, while the Royal Fusiliers
on the right took the “Ferdy” group. The Buffs’ casualty list was
but six wounded, and several thousand rounds of ammunition and some
rifles were found in the captured trenches. Patrols were immediately
sent out to front and flanks and the place consolidated, in case of
counter-attack, which was, in fact, attempted but without result. On
the 27th May the brigade was relieved by the 84th and marched to Orljak.
During the month of May, as has been seen, the casualty list from
the action of the enemy was a very small one, but this flat valley
of the Struma appears to have been a very unhealthy and malarious
place in the summer time and not fitted for even the temporary home
of Englishmen. During the month ninety-three Buffs were admitted to
hospital, and 63 per cent of the cases were diagnosed as malaria. What
was worse, during the following month, though the regiment left the
valley, it took the malarial germs with it in the men’s blood, and no
less than 240 were admitted to hospital. On the 7th June the battalion
left Orljak and marched away, making for the healthy hills. The final
object was Paprat, which was reached on the 29th June by a circuitous
route, and after a stay of ten days at a place called Vaisili. Here the
battalion remained for the whole of the month of July, the men’s health
wonderfully improving by the change.
August took the battalion into what was to them an entirely new region.
The Allied Army covered Salonica by means of a line north of the town,
and roughly some forty miles away from it, the right of this line
being thrown back about Butkova, Barakli Dzuma and the River Struma.
Up to now this flank had been the scene of the Buffs’ adventures and
activities, but August was to be spent in the main part of the line
and in the vicinity of Lake Doiran. A deep valley or pass runs up
a gentle slope from Lake Doiran towards the east to Dova Tepe, and
thence downward again to Butkova lake and the vale of the Struma. On
either side of this pass are lofty ranges of mountains. That on the
south was in our hands and is the same range on which Paprat stands.
The mountains to the north were occupied by the enemy. The railway,
which passes over the flat land on the eastern side of the Struma,
crosses that stream above Demirhissar, makes a sharp turn westward and
penetrates the valley in question, going on to Doiran. The British line
was just south of this railway and on the foothills of the southern
range of hills which are called the Krusha Balkans. The positions taken
up by the companies were as follows: D Company was on Hairy Hill, B
Company on Lucky Hill, C on Bermondsey Ridge, with A Company in reserve
on a small spur behind it. The enemy at this part of the line was at
some distance away, but he had posts of varying strength in all the
villages north of the railway line. The first work undertaken was the
strengthening of all our defences, which, with the making of the Buffs’
redoubt, was no light labour on account of the hard and rocky ground.
A great deal of reconnaissance was also undertaken mostly in the
direction of Chalki or Cakli Station and village. There is a great deal
of wood, shrub and vegetation about this portion of the country, which
rendered patrolling a matter of some difficulty and danger.
However, on the 25th August a raiding expedition was carried out by C
Company, under Captain Sebastian, having D Company in support; the plan
being that the first-named was to be just south of the Cakli railway
station by 3.30 and that two Lewis guns were to be on Lonely Hill. The
raiders were then to rush the station, turn south-west and clear Cakli
village, push on to Erdzili and Karlu Ovacu and ultimately to withdraw
as soon as the villages were clear, covered by a rear guard. A party of
the enemy was seen by 2nd Lieut. W. G. Neve’s platoon when close to the
railway line and fire was opened through the dense scrub, the Bulgars
at once retiring. Seeing this retreat, Neve at once dashed on ahead of
his men and reached the railway embankment, where he was shot in the
head; he died on reaching the aid post. Our scouts now discovered that
the enemy had retired to a trench four hundred yards north-north-west
of the station, but from there he continued his retreat up a nullah to
Garbali, so the trench was occupied by our people, and from there C
Company turned left for Cakli village; but two platoons had to be left
behind at the station while Sebastian advanced, having scouts out on
his right flank, that is to the north of him. However, he entered the
village unopposed. Here, finding that one platoon would not suffice to
guard it even temporarily, he put two in position and asked for more
men, with the result that Lieut. Marden came up from the reserve with
half the company, one platoon going to the village and the other to
the station. After scouts had been out to reconnoitre north of Stevens
Wood, Sebastian went on and entered the two villages of Erdzili and
Karlu Ovacu and, after reporting his success, got orders to withdraw.
Before these orders came to hand, however, 2nd Lieut. Manning with one
platoon had been sent to take up a position north and north-west of the
villages, and he was told to find 2nd Lieut. Renton, who was in charge
of the scouts. This was the commencement of a hunt for the scouts
in the dense bush. The order to withdraw had come through, but the
scattered men could not be found, though Sebastian sent patrol after
patrol in search. This, of course, had the effect of greatly delaying
the withdrawal, but Renton and his men were found at last and all was
well and a lesson in bush warfare learnt.
The battalion was relieved from this part of the country on the 27th
and for a good many days was on the march again, mostly on the high
ground till Turbes was reached; here work was commenced on the mainline
defences on the right bank of the Struma about Orljak bridge. The
battalion remained at Turbes till the 14th October. Towards the end
of August Lt.-Colonel Thewles, D.S.O., Captain Vertue, M.C., Lieut.
Beswick and L.-Corpl. Boswell were mentioned in despatches.
[Illustration: COUNTRY NORTH OF BAGHDAD]
[Illustration: COUNTRY NEAR CAKLI STATION]
In the middle of October a move was made to Nevolyen and a winter
scheme of work and arrangements commenced. The orders were to
hold a line on the left bank from Nevolyen to Jenikoj, so on the
13th two platoons of C Company proceeded to the former to clear the
village and hold it, while a similar party of the 3rd Royal Fusiliers
occupied Jenikoj and some of another brigade Cuculuk. No opposition was
encountered.
About this time there was established what was called an enterprise
company: that is, one at a time, the companies were struck off all
digging and other work, of which there was a good deal, and was kept
apart solely for patrolling and minor enterprises. On the 25th October
C Company, which had the first turn of this work, sent two patrols to
Papalova to look out upon the enemy. About 7.15 a.m. some fifty Bulgars
approached from Prosenik, but these were driven off.
The battalion remained at Nevolyen till the 14th November, and those
few days were remarkable only for certain actions of minor enterprise
and for scouting. For instance, on the 27th October Lieut. Renton, who
was in charge of the scouts, found signs of the enemy about Prosenik
and fired on one or two of them. Two days later about fifty Bulgar
cavalry and thirty infantry were seen to enter Prosenik by our scouts
who were well handled by Sgt. Rand but eventually had to withdraw,
losing one killed, one wounded and one missing. On the last day of the
month Captain Vertue took C Company out at 3 a.m. to take position
round Papalova and lie in wait for hostile scouts. About 6.15 a.m.
some thirty infantry with a few horsemen appeared and opened rapid
but wild fire. They advanced a little and the company hoped they were
coming right on, but they halted; our platoon, which had observed
them, immediately opened fire with rifle, Lewis gun and grenade. Other
parties, each about the same strength, appeared opposite our other
platoons and similarly fired wildly, but all shortly withdrew and soon
afterwards the enemy opened a small barrage between Papalova and
Prosenik which apparently caught their own people, for shouting was
heard and men were seen to fall. At 9.45 the company was ordered to
withdraw and in doing so was heavily shelled, 2nd Lieut. Young and one
man being wounded.
The 14th November took the Buffs back to billets at Orljak, where
labour and training took place on alternate days for some time. On
the 14th January, 1918, the regiment relieved the 3rd Middlesex in
what was known as the West Line and occupied six redoubts there, on
the improvement of which a good deal of labour was expended and which
was the battalion home till the middle of February, when A, B and C
Companies retired to Orljak on relief, and D Company, under Lieut.
Bremner, became enterprise company in lieu of one of the East Surrey
Regiment. This company soon got busy laying ambushes and so on and, as
usual, watching Prosenik and, for a change, Kalandra as well; but on
the 5th March it got rather into trouble attempting a more extensive
raid with the aid of B Company and one platoon of A. Bremner left
Nevolyen at 8.30 p.m. and, moving by Kalandra and dropping B Company
as supports upon the way, arrived within one hundred yards of the
Bulgar trenches, when a heavy fire was suddenly opened with rifle and
bomb. Lieut. Asprey with four or five men got up to the wire round one
of the posts and were engaged in cutting it when a bomb fell amongst
them, wounding them all but one. Finding that the posts were strongly
wired and the enemy alert, and being hampered by the darkness, Bremner
withdrew, having Lieut. Asprey and six men wounded. The next day B
Company relieved D as raiding company.
On the 27th March the Buffs moved away again, but an incident which
occurred on the 13th to the enterprise company is worthy of record.
Two platoons, under Captain Howgrave-Graham and Lieut. Wilson, lay up
as day ambushes in the vicinity of Prosenik, and they were visited by
small parties of the enemy at 9 o’clock and again at 3.30. Every effort
was made to capture some of these. Wilson with five or six of his
men made a sortie for the purpose, and one of the party was hit by a
Bulgar who had ensconced himself in a cunning spot from which he could
enfilade Wilson’s communication trench. Two stretcher-bearers went out
to fetch in the wounded man, but the wily Bulgarian hit them both.
This seems to have annoyed L.-Corpl. Wykes, who went out to see about
matters. Of course, he too was fired on, but he managed to kill the
troublesome fellow, and then, picking up the wounded Corpl. Stanley,
carried him away. The enemy seeing this, opened heavy fire, but Wykes
was one of those men who like to carry through any job they may
undertake, so he staggered along with his comrade for a thousand yards
till he reached the support sections, the shells screaming and bursting
around him the whole time. Wilson, being now heavily shelled, withdrew.
He was wounded in doing so, but gamely stuck to his job of commanding
his men. Captain Howgrave-Graham, noticing Wilson’s withdrawal,
conformed and the whole party returned to Nevolyen; the supporting
platoon, however, remained at Papalova till evening. The advanced
platoons had, besides Wilson, seven men wounded and Pte. Harrold, one
of the stretcher-bearers, killed. L.-Corpl. Wykes was given the M.M.
for his gallantry and Wilson got the M.C.
The move alluded to above was ultimately to the same neighbourhood
as before, near Lake Doiran, headquarters being at a place called
Grec Avance, but the march took ten days, round by Mirova, Kirkul and
Alexia, and on arrival the old work of patrolling toward Cakli and its
neighbourhood was undertaken anew. The men were in a number of posts,
wired all round, but on the 1st June they were withdrawn a little to
a second line in rear, the wire of the old position being demolished
and the works destroyed. The enemy at this period were observed to be
mostly about the village of Akinjali, near Lake Doiran. A great number
of the Bulgarians were deserting about this time to our lines. No
masses of them came over, but there was a pretty constant dribble. The
old line was reoccupied and the works repaired in August.
The Greek King Constantine having been deposed, the people, under his
son Alexander, had by this time definitely thrown in their lot with
the allies and their armies had now been in the field against the
Bulgarians since the beginning of March. The enemy was obviously losing
heart, as the desertions proved. Victory was crowning the allied arms
at last on the Western front, and a grand general offensive in the
neighbourhood of Salonica was consequently planned to commence in the
middle of September. The part allotted to the British contingent was
the attack and capture of the heights to the west and to the north-east
of Lake Doiran, and in this it was to be assisted by two divisions and
other troops of the Greek army.
On the morning of the 15th September the English General, Sir George
Milne, got orders from the French General-in-Chief of the allies that
the troops were to take the offensive on the morning of the 18th. On
that date the Greeks attacked and pierced the Akinjali outpost line
while the British conformed; with the result that the Buffs took up
position along the railway line on their front, remaining there all
day, but concentrating at 10 p.m. ready for a move. The next day orders
came to take up a line from Akinjali Wood to Lake Doiran, to cover the
retirement of the Greeks and to dig trenches and erect barbed-wire
defences. In this way four days passed, hostile cavalry being seen in
Akinjali on the evening of the 21st. Our line was along the Koja Suju
and at Brest. On the 23rd the regiment, being relieved, marched to
Surlovo and in the evening to Doiran town. On the 25th the battalion
moved to Obasi, but owing to the great congestion of the roads only
reached that place at 8.30 p.m. The next two or three days were spent
in more or less strenuous marching, and on the 26th the advance guard
was held up by machine guns, but these were silenced and the march
resumed. On the 28th the Buffs were back at Obasi and, on account of
the paucity of their numbers, had to be reorganized into two companies
each of two platoons. There had been recently an epidemic of what was
called Spanish influenza, and both the Buffs and the Middlesex Regiment
had suffered considerably.
On the 30th September at high noon hostilities ceased with Bulgaria,
and four days later Sir George Milne’s order of the day read as
follows:--
“Thanks to your gallantry, determination and devotion to duty
the Bulgarian army is now defeated and the Bulgarian nation
has sued for peace. This result has been obtained only by your
extraordinary exertions after three summers spent in a malarious
country and against obstacles of great natural and artificial
strength.
“What appeared almost impossible has been accomplished. I
gratefully thank you all, of every arm and of every rank, for
your steadfast loyalty, your perfect discipline and for the
magnificent manner you have answered to every call made on you.
No one knows better the odds against which you have had to
contend, and I am proud to have had the honour of commanding
you.”
Thus the war history of the 2nd Battalion of the Buffs concludes.
The unit was not kept long in the neighbourhood of Salonica: after a
stay of a few days at Organdzili, doing salvage work, it moved by
stages down to Summerhill, which was reached on the 5th November, for
re-equipment prior to leaving the country. On the 11th it marched
through Salonica to the quay, where it embarked on the S.S.
_Katoomba_ for Constantinople. At 10 o’clock on that date,
Salonica time being, of course, in advance of Greenwich, a telegram
came from the brigade that an armistice with Germany had been declared,
so the journey on the _Katoomba_ was a joyous one. On the 14th
Constantinople was reached and anchor dropped at Stamboul. Next day the
men disembarked and were conveyed by ferry boats to Bryukdere, where
they went into billets and there remained for some little time. On
the 28th November the battalion, 13 officers and 286 men strong, was
inspected by Sir George Milne.