IN THE SLOUGH OF DESPOND
After three days at Millencourt the Battalion moved forward into that
featureless waste for the possession of which so much blood had been
shed. For 7 miles or more east of Albert along both sides of the great
highway to Bapaume up the long slope from La Boisselle to Pozières
windmill, and down again towards Le Sars, the eye would pick out no
natural landmark except a few broken sticks, once trees. The surface
of the country, churned up and scooped out by innumerable shells, was
literally a sea of mud; where water had collected in the hollows it
was deeply stained with green and yellow, the result of gas and fumes.
The cold was coming, but at present was only sufficient to chill the
mud through and through, not to freeze it into hardness. No buildings
were available for the great army echelonned along this area, and few
dugouts; the vast majority of all ranks lived out in rough shelters,
or under the scanty protection of sodden tents. Though the infantry
were glued to their shell-holes the artillery still maintained the
characteristic activity of battle areas: and the few roads and paths
available for transport and communication were their constant targets,
especially during the hours of darkness.
The Battalion soon found that the hardships to be undergone far
exceeded those experienced up to date. On their arrival at Lozenge
Wood (so-called) they took over from the 11th Argyll & Sutherland
Highlanders in the pouring rain a camp which consisted only of one
bivouac sheet per platoon, and eight tents for officers: and any
attempt at improvement was frustrated by the complete absence of
material. Reserve and support lines were alike in affording no shelter
of any kind, and the front trenches were naturally the worst of all,
any part of which was considered to be in good condition if the liquid
mud at the bottom did not exceed a foot in depth. No hot rations could
be brought up, for the cookers could come no nearer than the ridge
behind Martinpuich, more than 2 miles away as the crow flies. A
'Tommy's cooker' was served out to each section, but there were no
dugouts in which to use it, and in the open the mud and rain were an
effectual hindrance. The trenches themselves were in the shallow
valley to the north of Le Sars, looking across to the last ridge that
defended Bapaume, with Loupart Wood fringing its crest. On the left
our line was extremely dangerous and weak, for it was enfiladed from
the high ground in the direction of Pys; while the extreme left post
in a chalkpit was not only isolated by 300 yards from the next
Battalion, but had close by a covered ravine leading to the German
lines. This post was, in fact, raided by the enemy soon after we had
been relieved. This first tour lasted three days, and considering the
violence and the methodical character of the shelling the Battalion
were fortunate in having only 17 casualties. In addition five cases of
trench feet were reported, for though dry socks were sent up every
twenty-four hours, this could do little to mitigate hardship. It was
rather surprising that the number of cases were so small, for amongst
the men was a large draft of Yeomanry having their first experience of
the trenches.
Meanwhile a new camp at Lower Wood, about a mile behind Martinpuich,
had been started, and we inhabited and improved it during the next
four days. The rain had at last ceased; and the whole country was
enveloped with those dense, clinging mists so characteristic of
Artois, which at least had the merit of blinding the artillery's
action.
On November 16th orders came for the Battalion to make an attack on
the Butte of Warlencourt in 48 hours. Accordingly that night they
moved up into the trenches on the east of the Bapaume road immediately
facing the Butte. This ancient burial place rose steeply in a rounded
hump 50 feet above the surrounding country about 500 yards north-east
of Le Sars. Its greyish-white sides were pitted and scarred by
shell-fire, but none the less in its chalky bowels it contained plenty
of dugouts filled with machine gunners, who took full advantage of
their dominant position. It had already been reached and even
partially taken, but never held. The attack, however, was cancelled at
the last moment. Everything, indeed, had combined to make success
unlikely. The flanks were not secure, the weather was again thoroughly
broken and the Battalion was very weak in numbers. Although the
nominal ration strength was not much under 700, barely half of these
were available for fighting purposes; in D Company at this time the
average strength of platoons was only 13. In these wretched trenches
the average casualties each day were about six, an apparently small
number, perhaps, but equivalent in a year to twice the strength of a
strong Battalion. The wastage from sickness was also high, while many
of those who carried on in the line were tired almost to the point of
collapse. Nor was there any rest, comfort or security in the camps
behind. There were no fires, no cookhouses, only tents without
floorboards. It was very different from the winter before, when,
whatever the hardships of the line (and they were incomparably
smaller) men could look forward to a good spell at Authie with its
pleasant aspect, its untouched houses, its estaminets, and its
cheerful civilian population. Almost the only thing which could now be
done for the comfort of the men was the institution of a Battalion
Canteen, at which all the articles bought from the Expeditionary Force
Canteen were sold at cost price.
The weary interchange between camp and trench went on for nearly
another month. Scotland and Chalk Trenches, the same line which had
been taken over after first going forward from Lozenge Wood, were
twice revisited. On the second occasion 2nd Lieut. Cawley was kept
throughout in Destremont Farm with 20 men, and used entirely for
patrol work. This new experiment proved a great success, for on one of
these expeditions, which started from the chalk pit already mentioned
on the left, they came by surprise on a German working party, and
killed about 30 without loss to themselves. Among the many other
troubles in these trenches was the exact knowledge which the Germans
naturally possessed of their few dugouts, which the artillery firing
(as always against captured ground) with great accuracy continually
shelled. On December 8th C Company Headquarters were blown in and
three casualties caused; next day a shell hit A Company Headquarters,
with even more disastrous effect, killing 3 and wounding 6. These
shelters might, it is true, be patched up, but with the earth
liquefying all around and a shortage of material the result was not
likely to be very secure. At last, on December 14th, the Battalion,
now reduced in strength to 540 all ranks, moved back to Bécourt Camp,
a mile south of La Boisselle. It was a poor place, but situated beyond
the western border of the great waste, and practically immune from
shell-fire. For the greater part of December the Battalion was
commanded by Captain J. H. Goolden, who had returned during the Somme
Battles after a long absence with the Brigade and Divisional Staff.
Colonel Clarke was at this time on a month's leave in England, while
Major Battcock had gone sick. Of the original officers who had gone
out in March, 1915, there were now only four remaining: Colonel
Clarke, Captains Goolden and Challoner, with the Quartermaster, Lieut.
Payne. The interpreter, M. Hénaut, still remained with us, and indeed
stayed on, always cheerful, willing and helpful, the friend of
everybody, until our departure for Italy next November. The casualties
(exclusive of sick) during this year of severe fighting amounted in
all to 779, including 24 officers. As a result of these losses, and
the impossibility of finding adequate local drafts, the Battalion
during the latter half of the year gradually lost its exclusive
Berkshire character, which at the beginning of the war had been its
unique possession.