Cambrai.
Everyone thought that our long-expected rest was now forthcoming, so it
was a great surprise when we were ordered to hold ourselves in
readiness for a long march.
What did it all mean? Were we marching into our new area and having our
rest there or were we to be pitchforked into another scrap?
No indication of our destination was given, and everything seemed most
mysterious: and, when the Brigade arrived in the neighbourhood of
Merville, there did not appear to be any sign of a definite halt. At
all events the journey was being performed in easy stages, as if we
were filling in time, and we were always making further south, till,
passing behind Bethune, the vicinity of Arras was reached. Here news of
the surprise attack at Cambrai first reached our ears, the secret of
which had been kept so well, and, heading in the direction of Bapaume,
we were acquainted with the fact that we were again “for it.”
Now, the initial attack, which came as a complete surprise to the
enemy, had met with instant success, and, with the aid of a
considerable number of Tanks, the great Hindenburg line had been
breeched over a distance of from 6 to 8 miles, with the result that the
fall of Cambrai a centre of great importance to the Germans appeared
imminent.
However, after the first couple of days, the attack was not pressed
home as it might have been, for some reason or other, and the fight
came to an abrupt standstill, leaving our troops in a particularly
baggy salient. These were the conditions that prevailed when the
Division gradually moved nearer the scene of action.
In the beginning of the fourth week of November, we entered the battle,
taking over from a famous Scottish Division which had fought with great
distinction on the opening days.
The battery was placed in action to the north of Flesquieres, well
inside the salient facing Bourlon Wood, in a position only recently
completed by the enemy and which had not even been occupied by him.
There was plenty of accommodation for everyone in the deep mined
dug-outs prepared by him some thirty to forty feet below the ground,
and the officers’ quarters were spacious and lavishly constructed.
From this point the domes and the spires of the city of Cambrai could
be clearly distinguished; indeed, they appeared such a short distance
away, it looked as if a saunter would carry us into the heart of the
town.
It was most interesting and instructive studying the elaborate system
of the Hindenburg defences. First, there were three separate belts of
closely-entwined barbed wire, each being some thirty yards wide, and
behind them came a deep, narrow forefield trench that was only intended
to be lightly manned. Communication trenches led back to the main
Hindenburg trench some distance behind, in most cases being out of
immediate view from our lately occupied positions.
This trench was both deep and wide, being some twelve feet across and
duck-boarded throughout, raised on wooden stakes to prevent the water
reaching the level of the pathway. At short intervals shafts led down
to the spacious dug-outs beneath, which were all connected and linked
up with one another. In fact, practically speaking, one could walk from
one end of the line to the other below the surface of the ground.
Skilfully concealed, at frequent intervals, were emplacements for both
trench-mortars and machine-guns, all heavily concreted and covered on
top with turf.
The enemy must have thought himself very secure in this vast
stronghold, but in a way this very fact contributed, in a great
measure, to his undoing; for, it is common knowledge that the more one
frequents deep dug-outs the less inclination there is to emerge from
them when a scrap is taking place.
Finally, some 500 yards in the rear, a support line ran along, which,
though not constructed with the same strength, was formidable enough in
itself.
To judge by the indescribable mess, and by the mass of material left
littered about, the enemy must indeed have beat a hasty retreat. The
dug-outs were filthy to the last degree, and there was no sign of any
system of sanitation having been used by these people, who considered
their “Kultur” to be superlative, and who desired to impose it on the
rest of mankind. All through the campaign, whenever one had the
opportunity of inspecting hostile trenches and billets, one always
found the same thing, filth and lack of sanitation.
Now, for some little time our hold on Bourlon Wood had been precarious,
so a further attack was initiated, and the Guards went in to straighten
the line. They swept through the Wood, taking the villages of Bourlon
and Fontaine, but a gigantic counter attack pressed them back again
owing to reinforcements being late in arriving to render assistance.
They were so badly mauled and cut up that it was necessary to withdraw
them from the line to refit, and infantry from an “Old Contemptible”
Division took their place. Bourlon Wood became so saturated with gas
that, after a great tussle, neither side was able to tenant it any
longer, and so withdrew, leaving a screen of outposts to prevent any
surprise attack.
This was the situation when dawn broke on the 30th of November, a day
which proved to be one of ups and downs for us, and caused many
misgivings to arise in the old country. The object of the enemy was to
pinch either side of the jaws, and, if his attack on the north had met
with equal success with that on the south, there would have been little
hope for the troops in the salient, who undoubtedly would have been
surrounded and cut off. However, as events turned out, our men held out
and remained firm. Moreover, it was afterwards discovered from captured
documents that the enemy’s scheme was a large and ambitious one. Not
only was it his intention to retake the whole of our recent gains, but
to press on further through Havrincourt Wood, and establish himself on
a line beyond it.
The Germans employed the same tactics as we used on the opening day of
the battle—there was no preliminary bombardment, and their troops
advanced under cover of a heavy mist and preceded by a creeping
barrage. They put an overwhelming number of troops into the fight, the
odds against our men being something like three to one, but our
infantry in the north fought valiantly, although they were forced to
give ground step by step in the initial stages. As the day wore on and
the mist rose, we were able to see the hostile infantry advancing in
masses, but they were paying a heavy toll at the hands of our machine
gunners, who cut many a line in their ranks.
The situation became tense when the enemy succeeded in driving our men
across the Bapaume-Cambrai road, and were seen to be approaching Anneux
and Graincourt. The 18 prs. batteries which were lying alongside of us
dragged their guns out of their pits on to the crest in front, and
proceeded to rake the enemy, firing as rapidly as they were able,
through open sights, the gunners stripped to the waist, toiling and
sweating in their endeavour to stop the oncoming tide. The fight swayed
backward and forward throughout the whole day, but finally the enemy
was held in check without gaining further ground, and he incurred very
heavy casualties.
In the south the situation was very obscure, and somehow or other the
enemy broke a gap in the defences between La Vacquerie and
Gouzeaucourt, capturing the latter place as well as the village of
Gonnelieu, and commenced streaming through. He had advanced a
considerable distance before the importance of his move was fully
realised, consequently most extraordinary incidents occurred, stories
of which are now familiar to everyone. Battery positions were rapidly
overrun, and even wagon lines were captured, while Labour companies,
working on the roads far behind the front, on looking up, discovered
the foe almost on top of them.
There were no reserves in immediate support, and affairs were taking on
a most serious complexion. Something had to be done and that right
speedily! Therefore the Guards, who had only two days previously been
withdrawn from the fight, were again called upon. They were lying in
rest around Bertincourt, Ytres and Ruyaulcourt, and were hurriedly
conveyed in ’buses and motor lorries to Metz, where they formed up and
set out on their big counter-attack, supported by our sister Brigade
and another gunner unit which chanced to have been pulled out on the
previous night. Now, the enemy troops appeared to be as much surprised
at their success as we were, and continued advancing in a bewildered
kind of fashion, astonished at the little or entire lack of opposition
with which they met. Suddenly, however, they came face to face with the
full strength of the best disciplined troops in the world, whereupon
they paused, staggered, and at length commenced to fall back, in
confusion and disorder, with the result that the day was saved just in
the nick of time, and most of the ground was recovered, in addition to
some 50 guns.
Meanwhile the wagon lines were situated in the village of Ribecourt,
right inside the salient, and, although it was known that a scrap was
taking place, no one had any idea as to its stupendous nature. The fact
that the village lay in a valley, surrounded by hills, prevented much
noise of the conflict reaching those in it. However, shortly after
breakfast, it became apparent that something was amiss, and the place
became subjected to a heavy bombardment. The horses and vehicles were
evacuated as quickly as possible, without suffering undue casualties,
and collected on the hillside a short distance away, facing Bourlon
Wood, where they “stood to” awaiting further orders.
Hostile aeroplanes put in an appearance, flying daringly low hither and
thither across the salient, endeavouring to pick up as much information
as possible, and sometimes dropping bombs. Many a tussle took place
between them and our airmen, who did not allow them undisputed sway for
long.
At noon instructions came through to be prepared to withdraw the guns
at any moment, but in the end this was found unnecessary. Even at this
time we were unaware that the enemy had penetrated our line to the
south, and the first indication we had that something unusual was
taking place, was the arrival of some reinforcements, who hurried along
the top of the hillside behind us, and took up positions facing in the
opposite direction! A short time elapsed, and then we were astonished
and horrified to see a creeping barrage roll along, top the crest, and
gradually draw nearer us from the rear. Fortunately, it stopped before
actually reaching us, for by this time the enemy had attained his
furthest point of penetration, and the counter attack had already been
launched. Throughout the rest of the day the wagon line “stood to”
ready for any emergency, and at dusk the limbers were sent up to the
position, and the guns were withdrawn the same night and placed in
action in the railway cutting immediately behind the ridge to the south
of Flesquieres.
It became evident, after the experiences of the previous day, that, as
long as we remained in this awkward salient, we would undoubtedly be
exposed to further attacks at the hands of the enemy. The Germans
meanwhile had concentrated huge forces in the vicinity, so a
continuation of our advance was now out of the question, and a
modification of our front was decided upon. The infantry constructed a
new line running north of Flesquieres Ridge, and, as soon as it was
completed, our troops fell back on it under cover of darkness,
unperceived and therefore unmolested by the enemy, who only made the
discovery on the following day, and then cautiously followed up until
they came in contact with us once more. The salient presented a curious
aspect at night to those inside it, and we seemed to be almost
surrounded by Verey lights, as indeed we were, except where the narrow
neck led out towards Metz.
The enemy did not, as was expected, attempt any further operations on a
large scale, but contented himself with making things very
uncomfortable for us. In spite of our withdrawal, the line was still
saggy to a large extent, and he could bring his guns to bear on any
part of the salient and enfilade it. He also paid much attention to
bombing, and his planes came over at dawn and dusk and caused a good
deal of damage. The wagon lines came in for their share of
unpleasantness, and in the course of a fortnight we were forced to quit
no less than three positions in turn. The battery was specially
handicapped by the colour of its horses, and was evidently easily
spotted by hostile aircraft, for we had more than our share of ill
fortune at this period. To take the worst case that befell us, one
night the wagon line lost 35 horses. A covey of enemy planes had been
over at daybreak, and apparently made a mental note of our location, as
they returned the same evening and dropped several bombs, though,
strange to say, no damage was effected. However, towards midnight, a
4.2 battery suddenly opened fire with instantaneous fuse action, and
many casualties were inflicted before the horses could be removed,
owing to difficulties in the pitch darkness.
The most wonderful fact in the whole proceedings was that, although
there was little or no cover for the men, who were ensconced in
bivouacs, except a few who were in an old disused trench close by, only
a couple of them were hit. The officers were rudely awakened by large
splinters entering their tent, and only just missing their heads as
they lay on their valises, while the sergeants had a most miraculous
escape. They had formed a Mess in a bay of the trench, the sides
supported and heightened by some of the Q.M.S.’s stores, and covered on
top by a large tarpaulin. A shell dropped practically on top of them,
fortunately detonating instantly against several boxes of iron rations,
which undoubtedly contributed to saving their lives. An officer arrived
on the scene immediately afterwards, and found them all lying
unconscious as the result of the explosion, but they soon revived and
took a stout part in rescuing the horses. The construction was
completely wrecked, and the clothes they wore were stripped into
ribbons, but only one of them had a scratch on him.
No delay was made in attending to the wounded horses, and in conveying
the remainder to a place of safety. The drivers were all splendidly
cool and collected under the trying circumstances, but many of the poor
beasts were beyond human aid, and had to be destroyed.
The scene next morning was a gruesome one, and it was a most pathetic
sight to watch the drivers, with tears running down their cheeks,
bidding a last farewell to their lost charges before burial, for the
men become exceedingly attached to their four-legged comrades,
especially when they have had charge of them for a considerable time.
No time was lost in selecting a new locality, as it was considered wise
to get out of the salient altogether, and thus avoid the risk of
incurring further unnecessary casualties; so the wagon lines were
removed to the vicinity of Ruyaulcourt.
A spell of hard frost set in, with an occasional fall of snow, which
added to our difficulties as well as to our discomforts, for it must be
remembered that both battery position and wagon line were occupied at a
moment’s notice, and no time could be spent in making any preparations
beforehand for our reception. Affairs were now settling down for the
winter, and nothing unusual was taking place beyond a good deal of
artillery activity on both sides, consequently we were only awaiting
orders to withdraw from the line. These came through in a few days’
time, and the Brigade pulled out in the middle of December to the
ruined village of Beaulencourt, situated south east of Bapaume. On the
following day a long march was undertaken, and we proceeded by way of
Achiet-le-Grand, Ayette, and Beaumetz to the village of Montennescourt,
due west of Arras, a distance of 25 miles.
It says much for the battery that it accomplished this long trail with
no less than 43 horses below establishment, and without any outside
assistance, in spite of the heaviness of the roads. The guns were
pulled by six-horse teams, and the vehicles and other baggage wagons by
four-horse teams, made up by requisitioning all the available
outriders, yet none of the horses suffered to any great extent from the
extra strain imposed on them.
It was with feelings of great gratification that we learnt that at last
we were going to have our long-delayed rest, and that it would fall to
our lot to spend the coming Christmas-tide and New Year season in more
congenial surroundings than had been the case in the two previous
years. All were prepared to enjoy themselves on this occasion, as it
was felt, on reviewing the past six months, during which time we had
been fighting incessantly in “pukka” battles, in which we had acquitted
ourselves not badly, that we had thoroughly earned a week or two of
complete rest and quiet.