PASSCHENDAELE (SECOND TIME)--ARMENTIÈRES--ST. HILAIRE (SECOND
TIME)--ARREWAGE--FLEURBAIX
On December 16th, at 8.45 in the morning, the battalion moved off
from camp to Proven Station, where we duly entrained for Boesinghe,
the transport moving to Birbeck Camp, near Elverdinghe. On arrival at
Boesinghe a dispute arose with the 2/5th K.L.R. as to the camp which
each of us was to occupy, the orders being conflicting. Eventually we
agreed to take Canal Bank Camp, and the 2/5th K.L.R. the more bleak and
exposed Baboon Camp, which from our point of view was a satisfactory
arrangement. As this was the second time the battalion had been in
this area, there is no need to describe it further. It looked almost
as inhospitable as ever, though certain traces of civilization had
begun to appear. The enemy put a few shells in to the camp that night,
but did no serious damage. The next day (December 17th) everyone was
busy with preparations for going into the line. Gum-boots and extra
water-bottles had to be drawn from Baboon Camp, and men had to be
issued with "Tommy cookers," two days' preserved rations, and spare
socks. The weather was now very cold, with occasional snow-storms,
and offered a very poor prospect of pleasant conditions in the line.
At 3.30 p.m. "D" Company moved, followed at quarter-hour intervals
by "A" (support) Company, and "B" and "C" in reserve. To Battalion
Headquarters the distance was about six miles, the whole route being
along a duck-board track, called Clarges Street. The scene on either
side of the track was the same--one unending chain of shell-holes,
as usual in this part of the world. It was a long and tedious march.
A whole battalion strung out on a tortuous and slippery track, with
countless short twists to avoid shell-holes and greater twists to
prevent accurate shelling, moves very slowly. There was also a long
footbridge over the Steenbeck to be negotiated, and the various side
tracks running off from the main one confused the guides.
Two companies were taken round by an alternative way along the remains
of the road from Koekuit to Les Cinque Chemins, our destination. This
proved our salvation, as on reaching the end of Clarges Street, near
Les Cinque Chemins, the leading guide of the two companies ahead of
Battalion Headquarters turned to the right along this same road,
and promptly collided with "D" and "A" Companies coming up. But for
this accident "B" and "C" with Battalion Headquarters, after many
hours marching, might have arrived at Canal Bank Camp once more.
The difficulty of finding one's way in the dark in these miserable
districts baffles description. All landmarks are obliterated, and main
roads are only recognizable under the most favourable conditions.
Tracks lead off from the main way at frequent intervals, and there is
nothing to show which is the correct way. The one thing usually certain
is that one leads nowhere and the other the way you want to go. To
discover which is which is rather a lengthy and tiresome business.
The sector was on the whole probably the most remarkable one ever held
by the battalion. Representing as it did the high-water mark of a push,
it was rather curiously organized. The front line (held by "D" Company)
consisted of a number of shell-hole positions, movement along which was
impossible in daylight, and three posts in the Houthulst Forest. These
latter, as will appear, were mere wooden barricades of a very rough
description and absolutely unbulletproof. No cover of any description,
either from the weather or from the enemy, existed in any of these
posts. There was one pill-box, Colombo House, in what was practically
the front-line, and, as usual, with its door facing the enemy. This
acted as a kind of advance headquarters for the front-line company.
The next thing in the rear of these scattered posts was a pair of
pill-boxes--Ajax House, Battalion Headquarters; and an unnamed
one adjoining, which was shared by the front and support company
headquarters, "D" and "A" Companies. Ajax House was a magnificent
pill-box with a side door; the other one was smaller, and with a door
facing the Germans.
Behind Battalion Headquarters came the main line of resistance,
Posts "D," "E," "H," and "J," small redoubts organized for all-round
resistance; while the counter-attack party of two platoons was
considerably farther back at Vee Bend. After about an hour's march back
along the duck-boards you came to the reserve company at Gruytezeele,
Craonne, and Montmirail Farms; while "C" Company were even more
distant, at Lapin Farm. As regards the latter, who were in rear of
Brigade Headquarters, it was only after great difficulty that any
accommodation could be found for them at all, the fact being that we
were much stronger than the 7th Buffs, whom we were relieving.
The relief march up to Battalion Headquarters passed without incident,
except for a sudden burst of "whizz-bangs" at Les Cinque Chemins,
where, but for the extreme muddiness of the surrounding country, we
might have sustained serious casualties. In point of fact, no one
was hit with anything worse than lumps of thick mud. The front line
company, having now to quit the duck-boards, found their task far from
easy. The only key to the situation was a tape line to the various
posts, and the going in the Houthulst Forest for those destined for
that point was extremely trying. In spite of the heavy shell fire, this
was still a large forest; but the number of fallen trees and branches,
together with deep pools of mud and water, not to mention miscellaneous
stretches of unexpected barbed wire, presented in the dark obstacles to
progress of no mean order. At midnight the relief was finally complete,
and the 7th Buffs made their way out.
[Illustration: Houthulst Forest Sector.
_To face Page 150._]
With the exception of the two days in the line in front of Langemarck,
the conditions for the men in the front line were probably as
unpleasant as at any time in France. The shell-hole posts were
literally shell-holes, with the very minimum done to improve them as
habitations for six or seven men. The exact locality of the respective
British and German front lines was to either side somewhat vague, and
we were anxious that the men should not give away their positions by
elaborating their shell-holes to such an extent that they would be
obviously artificial when examined on an aeroplane photograph. The
comfort of this form of abode will be better appreciated when one
realizes that the best pattern had been deepened to allow of a sump
pit in the centre, across which duck-boards had been fixed to keep the
inhabitants above water level. No movement was possible in daylight
even in the vicinity of Battalion Headquarters. "Tommy cookers" were
allowed in the front line by day, and one man at a time was allowed to
smoke.
In the forest itself conditions were slightly better, though the
wretched breastworks erected for the protection of the posts were only
hurdles of the flimsiest description. The proximity, or the reverse, of
the enemy was quite uncertain, and the surrounding mass of gloomy trees
and undergrowth was calculated to produce a feeling of considerable
uneasiness in the minds of the occupants, which was hardly to be
wondered at.
Colombo House was a small pill-box with a large door facing the enemy.
The atmosphere within baffles all description. So bad, indeed, was
it that the Regimental Sergeant-Major, immediately after entering
it, had hastily to withdraw for the purpose of being violently sick.
Ajax, on the other hand, never reached quite such a condition. It
was a large concrete erection, with walls and roof of reinforced
concrete about eight feet thick, much scarred with direct hits, but
quite sound. It was square, with a doorway at the side which was
protected by a sand-bag wall. In the centre was a huge concrete pillar
supporting the roof, and round this the occupants sat on forms. On
this occasion the party consisted of the Commanding Officer, Adjutant,
and the Intelligence Officer, the Regimental Sergeant-Major, a cook
and a servant, six signallers, three gunner signallers, two wireless
operators, and some runners. Here we sat from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. There
were two bunks in the corner which we shared in turn, and we had two
Primus stoves for cooking purposes. The Company Headquarters next door
was also a strong pill-box, but owing to the door facing the enemy it
had to be entered and quitted after dark with great caution, for fear
the light should shine towards the Germans.
In the early hours of the morning, after relief, it began to freeze.
In a short while everything was as hard as iron, and remained so all
the time we were in. Except for the acute cold, frost was perhaps
not an unmixed evil; one could move about with comparative ease,
and everything was hard and dry, instead of soft and sodden. Dry
cold is always less insidious than damp cold, and that there was so
little sickness caused by this tour was due to the frost. However,
it seriously interfered with the wiring programme and the elaborate
arrangements made for the improvement of the positions by the addition
of small elephants, etc., which we arranged to be sent up. Salvage
was abundant, thousands of pounds' worth of Lewis gun drums, machine
guns, and other material being scattered in every direction, but it was
frozen so hard that only a small quantity was eventually retrieved.
Hot tea and stew were brought up nightly on mules to Battalion
Headquarters. It was carried in petrol-tins placed in haversacks and
packed round with hay. In spite of the four hours which the party
took coming from the Quartermaster's stores, the system of packing
stood the test, and gave the men in the line the great benefit of warm
drinks and warm food. During the night everyone took the maximum amount
of exercise possible to restore the circulation. Even the stuffy
atmosphere of a pill-box did not keep one warm, and by day it was
necessary to wear two sand-bags over each foot to prevent them being
reduced to a frozen condition. Each morning, as so often happens during
a sharp frost, there was a heavy white mist till the sun got well up.
During this time movement about the sector was comparatively safe,
though very slippery, and tours of the line by Brigade and Battalion
Staffs generally took place about this time. On one occasion the
Commanding Officer and Lieutenant Huntley, going round, made so much
noise through merriment over the sudden fall of Captain Patteson on a
frozen shell-hole, that the Germans opened rapid fire with "minnies,"
fortunately without any damage being done. They shelled certain spots
regularly--Les Cinque Chemins, "J" Post, Battalion Headquarters, and a
few other localities.
Egypt House, the 2/5th K.L.R. Headquarters, dropped in for frequent
bursts; and the efforts of a siege gunner to range on the White Chateau
from our Headquarters produced such violent retaliation on Egypt House
that we had in common decency to request him to desist.
On December 19th "C" Company relieved "D" Company in the front line,
and "B" Company relieved "A" Company in support. This movement was
completed at 9.25 p.m. "A" Company had some gas casualties on the way
back, the track being twice shelled; and Captain Bowring, having to
put on his small box-respirator for the second time, was disgusted to
find that the valve was frozen solid. He tore it off and pulled on his
"P.H." helmet, only to find that he had got it back to front. Next
moment he fell into a shell-hole, so, pulling off the helmet, he ran
for all he was worth down the duck-boards, and escaped anything worse
than a slight touch of sickness. The next afternoon a carrying party of
"C" Company near Koekuit was caught in a "crash," and six men killed.
The destructive area of a shell striking frozen ground is, as may be
supposed, very considerable.
Lieutenant Freeman, the Transport Officer, and his mules had several
experiences in their nightly visit to the line, the most amusing being
the short cut over the Broembeek which he attempted one night. The
mules were got over the single plank bridge without difficulty, but
after the bridge had been duly crossed it was found that the party was
on an island from which there was no other exit. Time had been wasted
during this operation, and when the party once more reached the plank
bridge dawn was not very far distant. Gladly, however, as the mules
had crossed the bridge in the first instance, now they one and all
refused to venture on it. Everything was tried, but without success,
and Lieutenant Freeman began to see himself revealed to the attentive
gunner when daylight should disclose his unlucky situation. Eventually
recourse was had to one of our own batteries, and after long and
arduous efforts on the part of all concerned the mules were persuaded
to cross the bridge.
On December 21st the battalion was relieved by the 2/7th K.L.R. "D"
Company completed their relief at twelve noon, but the handing over of
the line was not effected till 9.30 p.m. The 2/7th K.L.R. took over
with a new scheme of defence, the main principle of which was that the
strength of the front line garrison was increased to six platoons.
It was a long and weary march back to Canal Bank, but the enemy left
Clarges Street alone, confining his attention to Hunter Street, the
next track, which he shelled persistently.
The next day, about 4 p.m., the Germans carried out a raid on Turenne
Crossing, in the right battalion area. We were suddenly startled by
the sight of the S.O.S. signals going up--two reds and a white--and
next moment our guns opened. The number of S.O.S. signals covered such
a front that a stand-to was ordered, but before long we discovered
that it was only a raid. However, the 2/5th K.L.R. had to send up two
companies, and our luck in having taken Canal Bank instead of Baboon
Camp stood us in good stead.
Our stay at Canal Bank was a short one, for which no one was
particularly sorry, for, if better than Baboon Camp, it was still a
miserable spot. On Christmas Day we were relieved by the 2/9th K.L.R.,
and moved to Emile Camp, near Elverdinghe, where we found some really
comfortable huts in which we happily installed ourselves. Christmas
Day, from the weather point of view, proved a model of all that it
should have been. Everything was covered with snow, and the sun shone
in a brilliant blue sky. Owing to our anticipation that we should be in
the line on Christmas Day, little preparation had been made for dinners
till the very last minute, when Captain Smith, the newly arrived
Quartermaster, by almost superhuman energy, succeeded at last in
buying a pig. This made on Boxing Day a pleasant, if somewhat limited,
addition to the rations, which, together with plum puddings, and a
large quantity of cigarettes and toffee sent by the generous donors
to our Comforts Fund, made quite a good Christmas dinner. Huts were
decorated, and good humour abounded.
We now discovered that we were leaving Flanders again and returning to
Armentières, a very unexpected piece of news. We also discovered that
we were to go by road, which, in fine cold weather, appeared quite a
pleasant prospect. However, a thaw, followed by a frost, rather altered
our opinion, and when we moved off at 8.30 a.m. on December 29th from
Canada area, close to Proven, we found it almost impossible to stand,
and even more impossible to march. We moved off, therefore, with
many a slip and fall; but the only serious disaster was an accident
to the officers' mess-cart, resulting in a broken shaft and a very
long delay to that most valuable portion, from the officers' point
of view, of the transport. Our camps, which we did not find without
considerable difficulty, were called Poodle and Pitchett, and were both
most wretched affairs, with indifferent tents set amid a wilderness of
snow. The Medical Officer, Lieutenant Gordon, a newly arrived American,
reached the camp in a state of considerable exhaustion. Imagining that
he was to ride, he had donned an immense fleece-lined overcoat which
reached to his ankles. Riding, of course, was an impossibility, and
being somewhat new to marching, he had suffered considerably, but he
bore his affliction with the utmost good humour.
The next day (December 30th) we moved on again. The weather, from being
bright and frosty, was now raw and damp, with a partial thaw. As our
road lay over the Mont des Cats and past Meteren, the conditions were
particularly trying, and everyone was thoroughly tired when we reached
billets at Berthen. Here companies were widely scattered, and the
billets of a very varying quality.
The next day we resumed our march, and this was the most trying of
all. The road was frozen again and intensely slippery. We moved as a
Brigade, and, owing to a misunderstanding, no proper halts occurred for
the first two hours, which was a thoroughly bad arrangement, especially
under the existing conditions. After passing through Bailleul we
eventually arrived at 1.45 p.m., at Hollebeque Camp, near Steenwerck,
just vacated by the Australians. It is worth recording that throughout
these three trying days not a single man fell out and not a single
vehicle failed to complete the journey. Hollebeque Camp, for a summer
camp, would have been quite pleasant. In winter it was very far from
comfortable. It was composed of one big block of Nissen huts for the
men, while on the other side of the field stood a row of similar huts
for the officers. A large number of the huts had been stripped of their
wooden linings for firewood; they were badly put together and draughty
beyond words; and there was an almost complete absence of any of the
normal furniture of camps, such as lamps, tables, etc., nor were these
readily procurable. However, beyond finding it extremely cold, we had
little time to worry, as next evening we relieved the 36th Battalion
A.I.F. in our old Houplines sector. As far as Erquinghem the route was
more or less new, but from then onward it was very familiar both to
officers and men. It was a queer sensation picking up the old landmarks
and noting the changes. Armentières looked very strange and ghostly in
the moonlight, and the silence of absolute desolation was accentuated
by the deep snow. Silently we passed through the deserted streets;
everything seemed uncannily quiet after the noise and excitement that
had been everyday features of our last spell in this city. Not a shot
was fired as we moved along that "unhealthy" stretch from Barbed Wire
Square to Tissage Dump, and we felt that the enemy must be saving up
for some tremendous show, as he was at the moment so inactive.
The moonlight and our knowledge of the ground together made short work
of the relief, which was complete at 8.30 p.m. The company sectors were
allotted as follows: "A" on the right from London Road to fifty yards
beyond Timaru, "B" from there to Edmeads Avenue, inclusive. "D" Company
occupied the left, and "C" was in the subsidiary line.
We found the sector in its essential features very much as we had left
it, except that considerable work had been expended on the subsidiary
line, which now formed a very fine trench, with really good traverses.
Except for that improvement, however, the sector generally had greatly
deteriorated. The principle of gaps and localities, which had always
tended to the neglect of the rest of the trenches, had now reduced the
latter to a lamentable state of disrepair. The number of posts in the
front line was only seven, and these of a very miserable description
from the defensive point of view. Such lateral connecting trenches as
had existed had been allowed to fall in, and in the case of the two
left posts communication even from the rear was difficult at night and
precarious by day. No wire worth speaking of had been erected to defend
these isolated spots, and altogether the sector presented no very
satisfactory appearance. The left area between No. 7 Post and the River
Lys, being frozen hard, presented a perfectly good concealed approach
for the enemy, and nothing had been done to deal with this exposed
flank.
The garrison of the subsidiary line consisted of three companies, two
being found by the battalion in support.
Our first tour in the line proved of the quietest. A few "pineapples"
from the enemy, a few 6-inch mortars from us, and an occasional shell,
made up the daily round. On January 6th we received urgent demands from
the authorities for an identification, and two patrols were sent out
to try and effect this. Of these, Lieutenant Burton's party got right
into the German wire opposite Hobbs Farm before they were spotted,
when they had to beat a hasty retreat under considerable fire from
machine guns and "pineapples." The other patrol was equally unlucky.
In the meantime a deserter had very considerately given himself up to
No. 1 Post ("A" Company). He was a Prussian, but recently transferred
to the division opposite us. He was understood to have complained that
he had considerable difficulty in finding anyone in the sector to whom
he might surrender. As he had brought the whole of his kit with him,
his solitary peregrination of our sector may well have been tiring.
However, Division sent a car to take him down, which rather tactlessly
ran into a ditch, nearly killing our valuable "find" and his escort as
well.
On January 7th we were relieved by the 2/7th K.L.R., and the battalion,
after a somewhat complicated shuffle, found themselves holding the
subsidiary line--"A" and "C" in Epinette, and "B" and "D" in Houplines
sectors respectively. Battalion Headquarters moved out to billets by
the Armentières Level Crossing on the Erquinghem road. One interesting
innovation that may be mentioned here was the Pioneer Platoon, recently
started under Lieutenant J. R. Paul, and then taken over by Lieutenant
Jones. This consisted of about twenty men, and included the original
pioneers and a number of other skilled men. It was their business to
attend to all the minor construction work that promoted the comfort of
the battalion, such as improving billets, making ovens, drying rooms,
etc.; and in the line to carry out any special defensive work which
required something more than ordinary care and skill. They were rather
a drain on our fighting strength, but they more than justified their
existence in a hundred different ways.
One or two changes had recently occurred also in officers. Lieutenant
Gordon had been relieved by Captain Kidston as Medical Officer;
Captain Eccles had returned from England and taken over "B" Company
from Acting-Captain Broad; Acting-Captain Fell had now command of "D"
Company; Lieutenant Burton was Battalion Scout Officer, Lieutenant
Hazell Intelligence Officer, 2nd-Lieutenant Novelle Signalling Officer;
2nd-Lieutenant Brighouse had been wounded; and Lieutenant Adam returned
to the 1/6th K.L.R., in exchange for Captain Eccles.
The period spent in the subsidiary line was very quiet, except for the
large wiring parties on the left, for which men were drawn from all the
reserve companies. Parties were also withdrawn from the trenches for
Lewis gun instruction, and others for baths. The Commanding Officer
proceeded on leave on January 8th, which left Captain C. W. Wilson in
command.
An amusing incident occurred while Headquarters was in billets by
the level-crossing. A guard was posted there to stop anyone not in
possession of a pass, and it so happened that they had red flashes
behind the cap badge not dissimilar to ours. One day we received
from Brigade a letter from Division complaining that the sentry at
the level-crossing had not turned out the guard to the G.O.C., but
merely sloped arms and tapped the sling. This amused us not a little,
and we respectfully replied, first, that we had no guard at the
level-crossing, and, secondly, that under no circumstances would a
rifleman slope arms!
A draft consisting of 2nd-Lieutenant Hicks and twenty men arrived
while we were here, most of the men being returned casualties. On
January 13th the battalion was relieved by the 2/10th K.L.R., and
moved back to Hollebeque Camp. The first three days in camp saw the
whole battalion out on wiring and working parties, day and night, in
the Houplines sector. This meant at least an hour and a half's march
each way, and it simply streamed with rain. The men were required to
complete an elaborate system of wiring in rear of the subsidiary line
and in front of some pill-boxes, and also to finish other defences
which were being constructed in Nouvel Houplines itself. The nights
were of the blackest, and the organization the most inefficient; with
the result that six hours were wasted nightly in the most torrential
rain. Fuel was indented for and drying-rooms hastily instituted, but
the men got so soaked that it was impossible to dry their garments.
Fortunately, after our share of working parties was finished, we had
three quiet days in which to get dry. We should have had more, only the
Lys proceeded to flood the trenches, and the Liverpool Scottish had a
bad time. The Scots were nearly drowned, and we were ordered in early
to relieve them.
The relief was to take place on January 21st, and that morning Captain
Wilson, who had been unwell for some days, was at last removed to
hospital seriously ill, and the Adjutant assumed command. The route to
the line was viâ Nieppe and Pont de Nieppe, as the Erquinghem Bridge
was under water. The battalion moved off at 2 p.m. and proceeded on
their long trek to the line. Passing up the road to Pont de Nieppe,
it was rather amusing to see some "silent" 6-inch batteries lying
like little islands in the sea, with their camouflage showing up
beyond any possible hope of concealment. Companies halted one by one
in Armentières to put on gum-boots, and an elaborate system of dumps
had been arranged in the vicinity of Tissage Dump. The latter, like
most complicated systems, proved a failure. Relief was complete at
8.30 p.m., and then one had an opportunity to appreciate the state of
the sector. The subsidiary line was dry in the main, but immediately
forward of it you got into water, which as you went forward got well
over the knees, and in places where the duck-boards were not nailed
down you sank up to the top of your thighs. The whole of the support
line was knee-deep in water, and so was a great part of the front
line; while the last stretch of communication trench in front of the
front line was flooded to a considerable depth. Posts Nos. 6 and 7
were completely flooded out and had to be abandoned. The "cricket
field" in front of the left company support line was converted into a
very fine lake, and it was impossible to see where the Lys began and
ended. Movement throughout the sector was most difficult. Many of the
duck-boards were floating about, and the mud at the bottom of the water
in the trenches was very difficult to negotiate.
[Illustration: Official Photograph by permission of The Imperial War
Museum.
THE TRAIL TO PASSCHENDAELE.]
[Illustration: Official Photograph by permission of The Imperial War
Museum.
THE BATTLE OF FLANDERS. GERMAN SHELLS SEARCHING THE NEWLY CAPTURED
GROUND NEAR LANGEMARCK.]
Active steps were taken to cope with the situation. Stringent orders
were issued as to care of feet, and a place for foot washing was
arranged at Tissage Dump. Each man came down daily, changed his
gum-boots and socks, washed his feet, and had some hot soup. Men in the
front line were, as far as possible, changed daily. Extra duck-boards
were taken up, so that raised platforms could be erected clear of the
water; and hot food was sent up as often as feasible. So successful
were our efforts, and so effective the support given to our schemes
by all ranks, that only two men were affected by foot trouble. The
position of companies in the line was "C," "A," "B" from the right;
"D" Company was in the subsidiary line. Work on drainage was commenced
with great activity, and snipers, who had been warned to be especially
on the alert, claimed several hits on Germans climbing over collapsed
portions of their trenches. On January 22nd the Divisional Commander
visited the sector to examine conditions for himself.
The only anxiety felt in regard to the enemy arose from our temporary
abandonment of our left company front. This was on the near side of a
plateau of which the enemy held the farther side; and it would have
seriously affected our hold on our sector if he had taken it into his
head to occupy our old posts. Patrols visited their locality almost
continuously at night and fired Véry lights and occasional rounds. By
day our absence was more conspicuous, as No. 7 Post at this time was
a regular rendezvous for wild duck, who used to swim in and out of it
with great nonchalance.
One problem that was raised during this tour was the question of the
holding of the brigade front when the forthcoming reduction of a
brigade to three battalions took effect; and the possibility of holding
the front with two companies instead of three had to be carefully
investigated.
On the 24th the battalion was relieved by the 2/7th K.L.R., and moved
into billets in Armentières, with Battalion Headquarters at the
Convent. Colonel Fletcher, having returned from leave, resumed command
of the battalion.
On February 1st the long-expected dissolution of the 2/5th K.L.R. took
place simultaneously with the reduction of the number of battalions on
the Western Front. A large number were posted to the 13th Battalion
K.L.R., but the 2/7th K.L.R. and ourselves shared the balance, our
share consisting of seven officers and 180 other ranks. This was a
considerable accession of strength, though a large portion of it was
paper strength and not actual. But at any rate Captain Williams,
2nd-Lieutenants Wilson, Hooper, Jacobs, and a little later Thomas,
actually materialized, together with a considerable number of men,
including certain specialists, in which, owing to the loss of our
Headquarters Staff at Armentières, we had long been deficient. Amongst
them were a sergeant-bootmaker, Sergeant Cox, of the 1st King's, and
a sergeant-cook, Sergeant Austin, from the London District School of
Cookery.
The presence of these two men was of very great value to the battalion,
because, though an army is said to "march on its stomach," it is
equally true that it marches on its boots, and both stomachs and boots
were now amply provided for. Wilson, Hooper, and Jacobs were posted
to "C" Company. The arrangements for the acclimatization and fitting
out of the draft had to be done quickly, as the next day we once more
relieved the Scottish in the front line.
This relief was duly carried out by 8.35 p.m. Two companies only
were to hold the front and support lines, "C" on the right, "D" on
the left; while "A" and "B" manned the subsidiary line. The sector,
though still very wet, had much improved since we were last in. All
the trenches forward of the subsidiary line were, it is true, to some
extent under water, but not to any depth, and dry standings were
available in every post.
The tour was quiet in all respects, with just the normal amount of
casual shelling on either side, but nothing more. A visit from seven
R.F.C. officers afforded a slight comic relief. Only one had ever been
in the trenches before, and most of them were unprovided with either
respirators or tin hats. One tall officer caused considerable amusement
by walking the whole length of the subsidiary line doubled up, till
he realized at last that inflicting such discomfort on himself was
entirely unnecessary. His fears, however, were probably mild compared
with those of an infantryman making a trial trip in an aeroplane over
German territory.
We were relieved on February 5th by the 2/7th K.L.R., and took over
new dispositions as reserve battalion to the Brigade. Two companies
remained in the subsidiary line of the 2/7th and 8th K.L.R., a third
being in Nouvel Houplines itself, and another at the Jute Factory in
Armentières. Headquarters were at the Convent as before. On February
7th "B" Company were relieved in the subsidiary line by a company of
the 2/7th K.L.R., who had just completed a successful raid on our
old spot at Centaur Trench, and moved to the Jute Factory. This was
a fine large building close to the wooden bridge over the Lys, with
massive walls and concrete floors. In the cellars tiers of bunks had
been erected, and there was excellent shell-proof cover for a whole
battalion.
The next day the 2/7th K.L.R. relieved us in reserve, and we went to
Pont de Nieppe in Divisional Reserve.
The main attraction at the time was a "demonstration platoon" of
another regiment which was on tour. All the officers and N.C.Os. were
required to go and see this performance, but the distance was great
and the display not above the average. However, it fired the Commanding
Officer with enthusiasm to produce something better, in order that
the battalion might have ocular proof how admirably drill and similar
things can be carried out if the requisite trouble is taken.
The billets in Pont de Nieppe were indescribably dirty, and a great
deal of work had to be done in cleaning and improving them. The Pioneer
Platoon were invaluable in making ovens and other even more necessary
conveniences; and their services were also required to repair and adapt
some dilapidated rifle ranges. Units of the 38th Division, too, were
in Pont de Nieppe, and the band of one of the battalions used to play
daily in the streets, whence it was quite audible in the front line.
However, the enemy was very good to us, and never put a shell into the
place, which, considering that most of the houses were cellar-less, was
on the whole, perhaps, as well for us. An attempt was made at this time
to force us to change our green diamond for the green square previously
used by the 2/5th K.L.R., but happily we were able to prevent this.
On February 11th we relieved the 8th K.L.R. in Houplines, and occupied
those trenches, so rich in memories for the battalion, for the last
time. "B" Company occupied the right sector, "A" the left sector, and
"C" and "D" the subsidiary line. We found the trenches much improved
as regards water, but still in need of most urgent attention to
prevent a complete collapse of all breastworks. Except for one or two
angry bursts on Tissage Dump, the enemy was exceedingly quiet; and at
8.45 p.m. on February 14th, the first anniversary of our departure
for France, we handed over to the 13th Welch and said good-bye to
Houplines. Of the many men who served with the battalion, few, if any,
will look back on Houplines without some feeling akin to affection.
Tissage Dump, the Cemetery, Edmeads or Hobbs Farm, Cambridge, Irish or
Spain Avenues--what memories these names conjure up! Some happy, some
tragic, but all happily tempered now by the softening touch of years.
We spent from February 15th to March 1st in reserve at Pont de Nieppe,
engaged in strengthening the defences of Armentières and the River Lys.
This work the 38th Division had already commenced, and we took it up
where they left off. About 260 men per day were employed in digging and
wiring, and a great deal was achieved against the day when the great
German offensive should commence. Unfortunately, we learnt afterwards
that no men were available to hold our trenches, which in the end
caused little, if any, inconvenience to the enemy, as perhaps was not
unnatural. These great working parties did not end without a certain
amount of friction developing with the R.E., and a memorable meeting
took place at Headquarters between the Commanding Officer, the C.R.E.,
and the G.S.O.1. So warm grew the discussion that a considerable
quantity of Benedictine had eventually to be consumed in order to
restore that feeling of harmonious co-operation on which the text-books
dwell so persistently.
The demonstration platoon composed of riflemen was trained during this
period, and really reached a very high pitch of efficiency by the time
it was called upon to exhibit its powers to the battalion.
On February 27th, about 9.30 p.m., we received a message from the 38th
Division, warning us that it was understood that a German offensive
was to start up north at dawn, and that a barrage was to be put down
on Pont de Nieppe as a feint. This encouraging piece of information
caused a considerable stir. Arrangements, of course, had to be made for
the speedy evacuation of billets, should it be found necessary; and
also for providing some cover for Battalion Headquarters, which would
have to remain in position, bombardment or no bombardment. Fortunately,
nothing happened, and the night proved as quiet as any other.
Captain Ormrod left us on the 20th for six months' home service in
England, whither Lieutenant Goulding had already preceded him, and
Lieutenant Royle was soon to follow. Everyone thought the war would be
over before they were due to return. As a matter of fact, Royle, the
last to go and the only one to return, did rejoin before the Armistice.
About 1.30 p.m., on a fine cold day, we embussed for St. Hilaire,
arriving there about 4.30 p.m. All were glad to find themselves back
in this pleasant area again after a good spell of trench warfare and
our fair share of digging. No one anticipated much of a rest; in point
of fact, everyone expected lots of work, as we were to be polished up
and trained in view of the impending German offensive. The Commanding
Officer was full of zeal for modern methods of training. His enthusiasm
had been fired by the training theories of the Inspector-General of
Training. The principle was to sustain interest by constant variety,
and also to sharpen the intellect by lightning changes from (say) close
order drill to bombing, or from rifle exercises to physical drill. With
really efficient instructors in sufficient numbers the scheme might
have had obvious advantages. For the average battalion, however, it
was hardly practicable, though it certainly did inspire our men with a
brisk and business-like air which they had been in danger of losing.
St. Hilaire presented very reasonable training areas and ranges.
Moreover, the Corps Staff Officer responsible for training combined
enthusiasm with efficiency, both qualities of some rarity. Things moved
apace under the personal supervision of the Commanding Officer, who
spared no one, least of all himself, in his efforts to increase the
efficiency of the battalion.
On March 8th General Harper, the Corps Commander, inspected the Brigade
and presented decorations. Luckily, it was a very fine day, and the
march past of the battalion in column of fours after the ceremony was
warmly praised by the General, who was good enough to say that "he had
never seen a regular battalion march better." Two days later a select
party of officers and N.C.Os. were conveyed a great distance by motor
lorry to Enguinegatte to see a tank demonstration, which was quite
instructive, and ended in a more amusing performance in the shape of
joy rides. It was arranged that the Brigade should participate the
following week in a counter-attack scheme in co-operation with tanks,
and a G.O.C.'s inspection was also scheduled for that week.
However, late on Sunday night--or, more accurately, early on Monday
morning--March 10th, a warning "chit" arrived from Brigade intimating
an early move by motor bus. Sudden moves are always tiresome; indeed,
when out in "rest" that adjective is hardly strong enough. Everything
conceivable had been unpacked, and in anticipation of a G.O.C.'s
inspection nine-tenths of the transport was dismantled and covered with
wet paint. Accordingly, word was sent round at once, and by a stroke
of luck orders for an emergency move had been drawn up and circulated
only the previous day, so in a short time everyone was astir. Transport
men with candles in their hands were hurrying about the transport
lines collecting nuts and screws; parties were streaming into the
Quartermaster's stores with blankets and other gear; while others were
carrying articles of various kinds to the Town Major's office.
Further orders were received during the early hours that we were
to move at 8 a.m. by motor buses, the transport to proceed by road
at 8.30 a.m. Looking back, one can but feel that we accomplished a
very creditable performance. Everything went like clockwork; the
Medical Officer, an American but recently arrived, and unused to
sudden changes, alone proving not ready at the appointed time. He had
forgotten to alter his watch to summer time, which started that day,
and was accordingly an hour late in his movements. He was pushed into
his clothes and helped into the last lorry just as the column moved
off. The Brigadier then appeared on the scene, and seized upon lorries
like a gentleman hailing taxis in London, with the result that all
our baggage went with us, though it is to be feared that the 2/7th
K.L.R. were in consequence grievously short of mechanical transport
legitimately theirs.
At 11.45 a.m. the battalion debussed at Arrewage, a small hamlet in
rear of Merville. The companies were widely scattered, but the billets
were not bad, and the weather fine and warm. We at once received orders
to be ready to move at two hours' notice. The 33⅓ per cent. battle
reserve were told off, evacuation parties for civilians detailed, and
we really felt that the day of the great battle was actually at hand.
The next day the G.O.C. inspected the battalion, which made a very
creditable turn-out, albeit the transport was entirely coated in thick
dust well embedded in what had been wet paint. In conversation with
the General Staff, one learnt that a German attack was reckoned to be
imminent; and arrangements for reinforcing the Portuguese, who were
holding the Laventie area, were pushed forward with even more than the
usual zeal. Additional Lewis guns had been issued, making the total
twenty per battalion, and Major C. W. Wilson had returned from hospital.
Heavy shelling of Merville was now a daily occurrence, and the
countryside, not to mention the billets, was thronged with unfortunate
civilians flying for safety, surely one of the saddest sights of war.
Meanwhile reconnoitring parties hurried round the Portuguese area,
usually to be arrested as spies, while others went off to examine the
Sailly bridgehead defences.
In spite of the prospect of early hostilities, an inter-battalion rifle
competition was commenced on the miniature range in a corner of the
great Forêt de Nieppe, and was finally won by No. 14 Platoon of "D"
Company. A Brigade inter-platoon football competition was also started.
An amusing incident of this rather trying period occurred at XI Corps
Headquarters, where our guard of riflemen relieved the old guard,
which had been formed from a Line Battalion. The Corps Sergeant-Major
expended considerable effort in trying to effect a formal relief
between the two, but got so involved over sloping arms and fixing
bayonets that he finally left the two guard commanders to come to some
natural and more satisfactory arrangement.
Meanwhile officers and N.C.Os. proceeded daily to Sailly area, not
only to explore the defences, but to seek out a suitable place for a
training ground for a raiding party, to be composed of "A" and "C"
Companies, under Captains Bowring and Williams.
On March 20th Regimental Sergeant-Major Smith left the battalion
to join an Officers' Cadet Battalion, and in due course Regimental
Quartermaster-Sergeant Heyworth took over the appointment.
The move to the Sailly area took place on the famous March 21st. We
were quite unaware of the stirring events taking place farther south,
though trouble was manifestly in the air. The route was viâ Neuf
Berquin and Estaires, and our main interest was whether the enemy would
or would not shell the road. Fortunately, he did not. We left at 8.15
a.m., and arrived in time for dinner. The 7th Royal Sussex Regiment
marched out as we marched in.
Immediately on arrival companies proceeded to occupy for instruction
their various defensive positions. In addition to this, the Brigade
might, as an alternative, be called upon to occupy a defensive
position in rear of the 2nd Portuguese Division, or the line Cockshy
House--Laventie Post, etc. Officers had to be despatched to these to
learn the emergency routes.
These posts, like the Sailly bridgehead defences, were mostly
incomplete, and much work would have been required from the occupants
in the short time that would have elapsed before an advancing enemy
had come to grips with them. The Sailly defences had a fair reserve of
ammunition, but no rations or water.
The next day a working party of 100 men was digging feverishly in the
neighbourhood of Fleurbaix, while "A" and "C" Companies were marking
out the trace of the practice trenches for their raid.
On March 23rd we received orders that we were to take over our old
Fleurbaix sector, and officers proceeded thither accordingly. In the
afternoon the final of the Inter-Battalion Football Competition took
place between No. 5 Platoon of "B" Company and a platoon of the 2/7th
K.L.R., which the former won by three goals to nil.
On March 25th "all leave and courses cancelled" was received, and
rumours of doings in the south became more persistent. The local
civilians were also becoming frightened, and carts full of refugees
streamed along the roads leading to the rear. The Germans shelled
Sailly at night occasionally, but did no real damage.
Word now came that the 12th Division, which had taken our place in
reserve, had been rushed south, and we found ourselves with the
possibility before us of not only reinforcing the Portuguese, but of
holding Sailly bridgehead at the same time. Nothing however, happened,
and on the evening of March 26th we relieved the 1/5th Loyal North
Lancashire Regiment in our old Fleurbaix sector. All maps and schemes,
we found, had been destroyed, and the imminence of an attack, though
less acute than a day or so previously, still appeared a matter for
serious consideration. Wye Farm we found transformed into a magnificent
and palatial pill-box, while others were dotted about the country. The
sector also extended farther north than it had done when we previously
held it.
It was arranged that "A" and "C" Companies should be in front and
support on the right, to enable their men to reconnoitre the area to be
raided; and that we should only hold the line for three days to begin
with, so as to enable the raiding party to get sufficient training. The
tour was not marked by anything of particular moment. "A" Company's
Headquarters were subjected to a very considerable bombardment, but
luckily without casualties. The efforts of a 6-inch howitzer battery to
cut our wire cost us our proposed raid headquarters, and very nearly
the lives of the Forward Observation Officer and Lieutenant Hazell, our
Intelligence Officer, as well. The enemy wore an air of quietness of
a suspicious character, although Intelligence said that the divisions
recently concentrated opposite this front had all gone down to the
Somme. We had no casualties.
[Illustration: AREA OF PROPOSED RAID, MARCH, 1918.
GERMAN FRONT AND SUPPORT LINES
OPPOSITE HUDSON BAY-BOUTILLERIE SECTOR.
_March 23ʳᵈ 18._
2/6 The King's (Liverpool Regᵗ) To face page 170.]
On March 29th the Irish took over from us, and our battalion moved
out--Headquarters and "B" Company to Fleurbaix, "D" Company to Canteen
Farm in reserve to the front line, and "A" and "C" to Sailly to
continue their training. A special telephone was laid to the latter in
case of emergency.
Battalion Headquarters and "B" Company were all congregated in a set
of farm buildings, which, had the enemy attacked, would certainly have
been blown to pieces at the very outset. In the absence, on leave, of
Major Charles Wilson, Captain Eccles, the next senior excepting the
Adjutant, was appointed O.C. Fleurbaix Defences, and included in his
command certain machine guns and trench mortars.
On March 29th the raiding party was reduced from two companies to
one, and the date was advanced to the 31st; and the next evening
the remaining company were also told they would not be required.
Two fighting patrols, under Lieutenant Burton and Corporal Corkill
respectively, were sent out to try and obtain identification, but the
enemy was evidently expecting a raid, as his front line was quite
unoccupied. It was probably, therefore, as well that the raid had been
cancelled, though we should have liked to carry it out.
Meantime all surplus stores were ordered to be sent to Estaires, and
we found ourselves ready to move without the great mass of transport
usually required on such occasions.
On March 31st the Second-in-Command of the 20th Middlesex Regiment
arrived to look round, and told us great stories of the retreat. The
next day (April 1st) they relieved us, and the battalion moved out at
10.30 p.m. on a long and weary march to Neuf Berquin. There we were
joined by the men who had formed the Brigade Pioneer Company, and the
battalion presented an appearance of unusual strength.