THE BRITISH CAMPAIGN
IN FRANCE AND FLANDERS
1915
BY
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
AUTHOR OF
'THE GREAT BOER WAR,' ETC.
SECOND EDITION
HODDER AND STOUGHTON
LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO
MCMXVII
UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME.
BY THE SAME AUTHOR
THE BRITISH CAMPAIGN
IN FRANCE AND FLANDERS
1914
LONDON: HODDER AND STOUGHTON
{v}
PREFACE
In the previous volume of this work, which dealt with the doings of
the British Army in France and Flanders during the year 1914, I
ventured to claim that a great deal of it was not only accurate but
that it was very precisely correct in its detail. This claim has
been made good, for although many military critics and many
distinguished soldiers have read it there has been no instance up to
date of any serious correction. Emboldened by this I am now putting
forward an account of the doings of 1915, which will be equally
detailed and, as I hope, equally accurate. In the late autumn a
third volume will carry the story up to the end of 1916, covering the
series of battles upon the Somme.
The three years of war may be roughly divided into the year of
defence, the year of equilibrium, and the year of attack. This
volume concerns itself with the second, which in its very nature must
be less dramatic than the first or third. None the less it contains
some of the most moving scenes of the great world tragedy, and
especially the second Battle of Ypres and the great Battle of Loos,
two desperate {vi} conflicts the details of which have not, so far as
I know, been given up to now to the public.
Now, as before, I must plead guilty to many faults of omission, which
often involve some injustice, since an author is naturally tempted to
enlarge upon what he knows at the expense of that about which he is
less well informed. These faults may be remedied with time, but in
the meantime I can only claim indulgence for the obvious difficulty
of my task. With the fullest possible information at his disposal, I
do not envy the task of the chronicler who has to strike a just
balance amid the claims of some fifty divisions.
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE.
WINDLESHAM, CROWBOROUGH,
_April_ 1917.
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
THE OPENING MONTHS OF 1915
Conflict of the 1st Brigade at Cuinchy, and of the 3rd Brigade at
Givenchy--Heavy losses of the Guards--Michael O'Leary, V.C.--Relief
of French Divisions by the Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth
British--Pressure on the Fifth Corps--Force subdivided into two
armies--Disaster to 16th Lancers--The dearth of munitions
CHAPTER II
NEUVE CHAPELLE AND HILL 60
The opening of the spring campaign--Surprise of Neuve Chapelle--The
new artillery--Gallant advance and terrible losses--The Indians in
Neuve Chapelle--A sterile victory--The night action of St. Eloi--Hill
60--The monstrous mine--The veteran 13th Brigade--A bloody
battle--London Territorials on the Hill--A contest of endurance--The
first signs of poison
CHAPTER III
THE SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES
(Stage I.--The Gas Attack, April 22-30)
Situation at Ypres--The poison gas--The Canadian ordeal--The fight in
the wood of St. Julien--The French recovery--Miracle days--The
glorious Indians--The Northern Territorials--Hard fighting--The net
result--Loss of Hill 60
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CHAPTER IV
THE SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES
(Stage II.--The Bellewaarde Lines)
The second phase--Attack on the Fourth Division--Great stand of the
Princess Pats--Breaking of the line--Desperate attacks--The cavalry
save the situation--The ordeal of the 11th Brigade--The German
failure--Terrible strain on the British--The last effort of May
24--Result of the battle--Sequence of events
CHAPTER V
THE BATTLE OF RICHEBOURG-FESTUBERT
(May 9-24)
The new attack--Ordeal of the 25th Brigade--Attack of the First
Division--Fateful days--A difficult situation--Attack of the Second
Division--Attack of the Seventh Division--British success--Good work
of the Canadians--Advance of the Forty-seventh London Division--The
lull before the storm
CHAPTER VI
THE TRENCHES OF HOOGE
The British line in June 1915--Canadians at Givenchy--Attack of 154th
Brigade--8th Liverpool Irish--Third Division at Hooge--11th Brigade
near Ypres--Flame attack on the Fourteenth Light Division--Victory of
the Sixth Division at Hooge
CHAPTER VII
THE BATTLE OF LOOS
(The First Day--September 25)
General order of battle--Check of the Second Division--Advance of the
Ninth and Seventh Divisions--Advance of the First Division--Fine
progress of the Fifteenth Division--Capture of Loos--Work of the
Forty-seventh London Division
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CHAPTER VIII
THE BATTLE OF LOOS
(The Second Day--September 26)
Death of General Capper--Retirement of the Fifteenth
Division--Advance of the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-first
Divisions--Heavy losses--Desperate struggle--General retirement on
the right--Rally round Loos--Position in the evening
CHAPTER IX
THE BATTLE OF LOOS
(From September 27 to the end of the year)
Loss of Fosse 8--Death of General Thesiger--Advance of the
Guards--Attack of the Twenty-eighth Division--Arrival of the Twelfth
Division--German counter-attacks--Attack by the Forty-sixth Division
upon Hohenzollern Redoubt--Subsidiary attacks--General
observations--Return of Lord French to England
INDEX
MAPS AND PLANS
Map to illustrate the British Campaign in France and Flanders
[Transcriber's note: omitted from ebook because its size and
fragility made it impractical to scan]
British Front, 1915
Ypres District
Order of Battle, May 7th
Richebourg District
Loos District
Battle of Loos--I.
Battle of Loos--II.
[Illustration: BRITISH FRONT, 1915.]
{1}
CHAPTER I
THE OPENING MONTHS OF 1915
Conflict of the 1st Brigade at Cuinchy, and of the 3rd Brigade at
Givenchy--Heavy losses of the Guards--Michael O'Leary, V.C.--Relief
of French Divisions by the Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth
British--Pressure on the Fifth Corps--Force subdivided into two
armies--Disaster to 16th Lancers--The dearth of munitions.
The weather after the new year was atrocious, heavy rain, frost, and
gales of wind succeeding each other with hardly a break. The ground
was so sodden that all movements of troops became impossible, and the
trench work was more difficult than ever. The British, with their
steadily increasing numbers, were now able to take over some of the
trenches of the French and to extend their general line. This trench
work came particularly hard upon the men who were new to the work and
often fresh from the tropics. A great number of the soldiers
contracted frost-bite and other ailments. The trenches were very
wet, and the discomfort was extreme. There had been some thousands
of casualties in the Fifth Corps from this cause before it can be
said to have been in action. On the other hand, the medical service,
which was extraordinarily efficient, did everything possible to
preserve the health of the men. Wooden troughs were provided as a
stance for them in the trenches, {2} and vats heated to warm them
when they emerged. Considering that typhoid fever was common among
the civilian residents, the health of the troops remained remarkably
good, thanks to the general adoption of inoculation, a practice
denounced by a handful of fanatics at home, but of supreme importance
at the front, where the lesson of old wars, that disease was more
deadly than the bullet, ceased to hold good.
On January 25 the Germans again became aggressive. If their spy
system is as good as is claimed, they must by this time have known
that all talk of bluff in connection with the new British armies was
mere self-deception, and that if ever they were to attempt anything
with a hope of success, it must be speedily before the line had
thickened. As usual there was a heavy bombardment, and then a
determined infantry advance--this time to the immediate south of the
Bethune Canal, where there was a salient held by the 1st Infantry
Brigade with the French upon their right. The line was thinly held
at the time by a half-battalion 1st Scots Guards and a half-battalion
1st Coldstream, a thousand men in all. One trench of the Scots
Guards was blown up by a mine and the German infantry rushed it,
killing, wounding, or taking every man of the 130 defenders. Three
officers were hit, and Major Morrison-Bell, a member of parliament,
was taken after being buried in the debris of the explosion. The
remainder of the front line, after severe losses both in casualties
and in prisoners, fell back from the salient and established
themselves with the rest of their respective battalions on a straight
line of defence, one flank on the canal, the other on the main
Bethune-La Bassée high road. {3} A small redoubt or keep had been
established here, which became the centre of the defence.
Whilst the advance of the enemy was arrested at this line,
preparations were made for a strong counter-attack. An attempt had
been made by the enemy with their heavy guns to knock down the lock
gates of the canal and to flood the ground in the rear of the
position. This, however, was unsuccessful, and the counter-attack
dashed to the front. The advancing troops consisted of the 1st Black
Watch, part of the 1st Camerons, and the 2nd Rifles from the reserve.
The London Scottish supported the movement. The enemy had flooded
past the keep, which remained as a British island in a German lake.
They were driven back with difficulty, the Black Watch advancing
through mud up to their knees and losing very heavily from a cross
fire. Two companies were practically destroyed. Finally, by an
advance of the Rifles and 2nd Sussex after dark the Germans were
ousted from all positions in advance of the keep, and this line
between the canal and the road was held once more by the British.
The night fell, and after dark the 1st Brigade, having suffered
severely, was withdrawn, and the 2nd Brigade remained in occupation
with the French upon their right. This was the action of Cuinchy
falling upon the 1st Brigade, supported by part of the 2nd.
Whilst this long-drawn fight of January 25 had been going on to the
south of the canal, there had been a vigorous German advance to the
north of it, over the old ground which centres on Givenchy. The
German attack, which came on in six lines, fell principally upon the
1st Gloucesters, who held the front trench. Captain Richmond, who
commanded {4} the advanced posts, had observed at dawn that the
German wire had been disturbed and was on the alert. Large numbers
advanced, but were brought to a standstill about forty yards from the
position. These were nearly all shot down. Some of the stormers
broke through upon the left of the Gloucesters, and for a time the
battalion had the enemy upon their flank and even in their rear, but
they showed great steadiness and fine fire discipline. A charge was
made presently upon the flank by the 2nd Welsh aided by a handful of
the Black Watch under Lieutenant Green, who were there as a working
party, but found more congenial work awaiting them. Lieutenant Bush
of the Gloucesters with his machine-guns did particularly fine work.
This attack was organised by Captain Rees, aided by Major
MacNaughton, who was in the village as an artillery observer. The
upshot was that the Germans on the flank were all killed, wounded, or
taken. A remarkable individual exploit was performed by Lieutenant
James and Corporal Thomas of the Welsh, who took a trench with 40
prisoners. A series of attacks to the north-east of the village were
also repulsed, the South Wales Borderers doing some splendid work.
Thus the results of the day's fighting was that on the north the
British gained a minor success, beating off all attacks, while to the
south the Germans could claim an advantage, having gained some
ground. The losses on both sides were considerable, those of the
British being principally among Scots Guards, Coldstream and Black
Watch to the south, and Welsh to the north. The action was barren of
practical results.
There were some days of quiet, and then upon January 29 the
Fourteenth German Corps buzzed {5} out once more along the classic
canal. This time they made for the keep, which has already been
mentioned, and endeavoured to storm it with the aid of axes and
scaling ladders. Solid Sussex was inside the keep, however, and
ladders and stormers were hurled to the ground, while bombs were
thrown on to the heads of the attackers. The Northamptons to the
south were driven out for an instant, but came back with a rush and
drove off their assailants. The skirmish cost the British few
casualties, but the enemy lost heavily, leaving two hundred of his
dead behind him. "Having arranged a code signal we got the first
shell from the 40th R.F.A. twelve seconds after asking for it." So
much for the co-operation between our guns and our infantry.
On February 1 the Guards who had suffered in the first fight at
Cuinchy got back a little of what was owing to them. The action
began by a small post of the 2nd Coldstream of the 4th Brigade being
driven back. An endeavour was made to reinstate it in the early
morning, but it was not successful. After daylight there was a
proper artillery preparation, followed by an assault by a storming
party of Coldstream and Irish Guards, led by Captain Leigh Bennett
and Lieutenant Graham. The lost ground and a German trench beyond it
were captured with 32 prisoners and 2 machine-guns. It was in this
action that Michael O'Leary, the gallant Irish Guardsman, shot or
bayoneted eight Germans and cleared a trench single-handed, one of
the most remarkable individual feats of the War, for which a Victoria
Cross was awarded. Again the fight fell upon the 4th Brigade, where
Lord Cavan was gaining something of the reputation of his brother
peer, Lord {6} "Salamander" Cutts, in the days of Marlborough. On
February 6 he again made a dashing attack with a party of the 3rd
Coldstream and Irish, in which the Germans were driven out of the
Brickfield position. The sappers under Major Fowkes rapidly made
good the ground that the infantry had won, and it remained
permanently with the British.
Another long lull followed this outburst of activity in the region of
the La Bassée Canal, and the troops sank back once more into their
muddy ditches, where, under the constant menace of the sniper, the
bomb and the shell, they passed the weary weeks with a patience which
was as remarkable as their valour. The British Army was still
gradually relieving the French troops, who had previously relieved
them. Thus in the north the newly-arrived Twenty-seventh and
Twenty-eighth Divisions occupied several miles which had been held on
the Ypres salient by General D'Urbal's men. Unfortunately, these two
divisions, largely composed of men who had come straight from the
tropics, ran into a peculiarly trying season of frost and rain, which
for a time inflicted great hardship and loss upon them. To add to
their trials, the trenches at the time they took them over were not
only in a very bad state of repair, but had actually been mined by
the Germans, and these mines were exploded shortly after the
transfer, to the loss of the new occupants. The pressure of the
enemy was incessant and severe in this part of the line, so that the
losses of the Fifth Corps were for some weeks considerably greater
than those of all the rest of the line put together. Two of the
veteran brigades of the Second Corps, the 9th Fusilier Brigade
(Douglas Smith) and the 13th (Wanless {7} O'Gowan), were sent north
to support their comrades, with the result that this sector was once
again firmly held. Any temporary failure was in no way due to a
weakness of the Fifth Army Corps, who were to prove their mettle in
many a future fight, but came from the fact, no doubt unavoidable but
none the less unfortunate, that these troops, before they had gained
any experience, were placed in the very worst trenches of the whole
British line. "The trenches (so called) scarcely existed," said one
who went through this trying experience, "and the ruts which were
honoured with the name were liquid. We crouched in this morass of
water and mud, living, dying, wounded and dead together for 48 hours
at a stretch." Add to this that the weather was bitterly cold with
incessant rain, and more miserable conditions could hardly be
imagined. In places the trenches of the enemy were not more than
twenty yards off, and the shower of bombs was incessant.
The British Army had now attained a size when it was no longer proper
that a corps should be its highest unit. From this time onwards the
corps were themselves distributed into different armies. At present,
two of these armies were organised. The First, under General Sir
Douglas Haig, comprised the First Corps, the Fourth Corps
(Rawlinson), and the Indian Corps. The Second Army contained the
Second Corps (Ferguson), the Third Corps (Pulteney), and the Fifth
Corps (Plumer), all under Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien. The new
formations as they came out were either fitted into these or formed
part of a third army. Most of the brigades were strengthened by the
addition of one, and often of two territorial battalions. Each army
consisted roughly at this {8} time of 120,000 men. The Second Army
was in charge of the line to the north, and the First to the south.
On the night of February 14 Snow's Twenty-seventh Division, which had
been somewhat hustled by the Germans in the Ypres section, made a
strong counter-attack under the cover of darkness, and won back four
trenches near St. Eloi from which they had been driven by a German
rush. This dashing advance was carried out by the 82nd Brigade
(Longley's), and the particular battalions which were most closely
engaged were the 2nd Cornwalls, the 1st Royal Irish, and 2nd Royal
Irish Fusiliers. They were supported by the 80th Brigade
(Fortescue's). The losses amounted to 300 killed and wounded. The
Germans lost as many and a few prisoners were taken. The affair was
of no great consequence in itself, but it marked a turn in the
affairs of Plumer's Army Corps, whose experience up to now had been
depressing. The enemy, however, was still aggressive and
enterprising in this part of the line. Upon the 20th they ran a mine
under a trench occupied by the 16th Lancers, and the explosion
produced most serious effects. 5 officers killed, 3 wounded, and 60
men _hors de combat_ were the fruits of this unfortunate incident,
which pushed our trenches back for 40 yards on a front of 150 yards.
The Germans had followed up the explosion by an infantry attack,
which was met and held by the remains of the 16th, aided by a handful
of French infantry and a squadron of the 11th Hussars. On this same
day an accidental shot killed General Gough, chief staff officer of
the First Corps, one of the most experienced and valuable leaders of
the Army.
On the 21st, the Twenty-eighth Division near Ypres {9} had a good
deal of hard fighting, losing trenches and winning them, but coming
out at the finish rather the loser on balance. The losses of the day
were 250 killed and wounded, the greatest sufferers being the Royal
Lancasters. Somewhat south of Ypres, at Zwarteleen, the 1st West
Kents were exposed to a shower of projectiles from the deadly
_minenwerfer_, which are more of the nature of aerial torpedoes than
ordinary bombs. Their losses under this trying ordeal were 3
officers and 19 men killed, 1 officer and 18 men wounded. There was
a lull after this in the trench fighting for some little time, which
was broken upon February 28 by a very dashing little attack of the
Princess Patricia's Canadian regiment, which as one of the units of
the 80th Brigade had been the first Canadian Battalion to reach the
front. Upon this occasion, led by Lieutenants Crabb and Papineau,
they rushed a trench in their front, killed eleven of its occupants,
drove off the remainder, and levelled it so that it should be
untenable. Their losses in this exploit were very small. During
this period of the trench warfare it may be said generally that the
tendency was for the Germans to encroach upon British ground in the
Ypres section and for the British to take theirs in the region of La
Bassée.
With the opening of the warmer weather great preparations had been
made by Great Britain for carrying on the land campaign, and these
now began to bear fruit. Apart from the numerous Territorial
regiments which had already been incorporated with regular
brigades--some fifty battalions in all--there now appeared several
divisions entirely composed of Territorials. The 46th North Midland
and 48th South Midland Divisions were the first to form independent
{10} units, but they were soon followed by others. It had been
insufficiently grasped that the supply of munitions was as important
as that of men, and that the expenditure of shell was something so
enormous in modern warfare that the greedy guns, large and small,
could keep a great army of workmen employed in satisfying their
immoderate demands. The output of shells and cartridges in the month
of March was, it is true, eighteen times greater than in September,
and 3000 separate firms were directly or indirectly employed in war
production; but operations were hampered by the needs of batteries
which could consume in a day what the workshops could at that time
hardly produce in a month. Among the other activities of Great
Britain at this period was the great strengthening of her heavy
artillery, in which for many months her well-prepared enemy had so
vast an advantage. Huge engines lurked in the hearts of groves and
behind hillocks at the back of the British lines, and the cheery news
went round that even the heaviest bully that ever came out of Essen
would find something of its own weight stripped and ready for the
fray.
There was still considerable activity in the St. Eloi sector
south-east of Ypres, where the German attacks were all, as it proved,
the preliminaries of a strong advance. So persistent were they that
Plumer's men were constantly striving for elbow room. On March 2
part of Fortescue's 80th Brigade, under Major Widdington of the 4th
Rifles, endeavoured to push back the pressure in this region, and
carried the nearest trench, but were driven out again by the German
bombs. The losses were about 200, of which 47 fell upon the 3rd, and
110 upon the 4th {11} Rifles. In these operations a very great
strain came upon the Engineers, who were continually in front of the
trenches at night, fixing the wire entanglements and doing other
dangerous work under the very rifles of the Germans. It is pleasing
to record that in this most hazardous task the Territorial sappers
showed that they were worthy comrades of the Regulars. Major
Gardner, Commander of the North Midland Field Company, and many
officers and men died in the performance of this dangerous duty.
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