ARMENTIÈRES AND THE RETURN TO THE "SALIENT."
_First Phase._
On Sunday, the 20th June, the Battalion marched off from Vlamertinghe at
8.30 a.m. through Ouderdom and Locre to Dranoutre, where it went into
bivouacs at Corunna Farm, being now in the II Corps commanded by Sir
Charles Ferguson, who inspected and addressed the men the following day.
In the evening, after their inspection, they moved up to the front line
and took over the trenches from "E1" to the barricade on the
Kemmel-Wytschaete Road--a quiet sector except for trouble from snipers.
A few days after taking over, an interesting incident occurred. A notice
board was put up in the German trenches bearing the words "Lemberg is
taken." It was accompanied by cheering and the lighting of flares, to
which the front line Companies replied by rapid fire in the direction of
the board. The same day (23rd June) work was started on the mines, which
were eventually blown up in the successful attack on the Wytschaete Ridge
in June, 1917. Apart from this, nothing of interest occurred beyond the
usual reliefs till the middle of July. An announcement which aroused
considerable delight was made on the 15th July to the effect that leave
to England was to be granted, two officers and three other ranks being
allowed to be away at a time for periods of six and four days
respectively.
On the 16th July the Battalion was relieved and moved from Kemmel at 7.30
p.m. proceeding via Dranoutre and Bailleul to Armentières, where it
arrived at 1 a.m. the next morning and went into billets at the Blue
factory. The following night it moved up to relieve Battalions of the
Royal Scots and Monmouths. B Company under Lieut. R.V. Hare, took over
"67" trench, C Company under Lieut. T.B. Heslop, "68" trench, A Company
under Capt. Ritson (8th D.L.I.), "69" trench, and D Company under Capt.
Livesay, Lille Post. The sector proved to be very quiet and the trenches
exceptionally good. It is interesting to note that about this time the
training of bombers was organised, and 2nd Lieut. P.H.B. Lyon of the
Battalion was appointed first Brigade Bombing Officer.
The men were now beginning to realize that their first taste of
conditions in France was not typical of the whole front, and that war had
its more pleasant side. After the "Salient," the Armentières trenches
were a picnic, and though there is little of historic interest to record
concerning the tour, it formed the subject of many conversations and
jests when harder times followed. Many times, probably, in the
water-logged shell holes of Passchendaele in 1918 was it recalled how
once at Armentières even the duck boards were cleaned daily and men were
crimed for throwing matches on them. It is not forgotten either how the
Battalion Band first came into being at Houplines.
On the 11th August, the 6th and 8th Battalions once more assumed a
separate identity. Major Borrett, D.S.O., the King's Own, took over
command of the 6th Battalion with Capt. Jeffreys once more as Adjutant.
Four days later Major Borrett left and handed over the command to Capt.
Jeffreys, 2nd Lieut. P.H.B. Lyon becoming Adjutant. On this
re-organization the Companies of the Battalion became known as W, X, Y,
and Z. About the same time the 5th Battalion Loyal North Lancashire
Regiment left the Brigade, and was replaced by the 5th Battalion Border
Regiment.
Early in September, some excitement was caused by the rumour that the
"Mushroom," a circular trench in the Battalion sector, was mined and
likely to be blown up. Bombers of W Company patrolled it and slept in it
for six nights without result. On the 25th September the heavy firing at
Loos caused a little anxiety. The day after this the Battalion sector was
slightly altered by the taking over of the Houplines trenches from the
12th Division. A little more excitement than usual occurred on 13th
October, when a demonstration was made by the artillery and the throwing
of smoke bombs.
The tour ended on the 10th November, when the Battalion was relieved and
marched to billets at La Creche, near Bailleul, where it stayed for a
month enjoying its first rest since embarkation.
_Second Phase._
Early in December it was known that the next tour was to be once more in
the "Salient." On the 17th December the Battalion entrained at
Steenwercke for Poperinghe, from where it marched to Dickebusch huts,
which are always remembered as being built on islands in a sea of mud.
The following night another march via Kruisstraat and Zillebeke brought
the men to Maple Copse where they relieved the 11th Royal Scots (9th
Division). The trenches were found to consist of holes and ditches which
were worked on till they were quite good and dry. It was here that
arrangements were first made for the prevention of trench feet.
Sunday, the 19th December, was marked by a German gas attack north of
Hooge, but the Battalion was not involved. The following day the
artillery activity continued, and Lieut.-Col. Jeffreys was wounded whilst
going round a new piece of the line which had been taken over from the
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Major G.A. Stevens (8th D.L.I.) took
over command, and the following day Capt. R.B. Bradford (afterwards
Brig.-Gen. Bradford, V.C.) joined as Adjutant. An unusual occurrence took
place on the 22nd December, when two Russians, who had been prisoners in
Germany and had been working behind the line, escaped and came into the
trenches in the Battalion sector. On Christmas Day the Battalion was out
of the line and in the huts at Dickebusch. Capt. Bradford left on the
31st December to join the 7th Battalion, and was succeeded as Adjutant by
2nd Lieut. C.E. Yaldwyn.
On New Year's morning the Battalion had its first experience of a really
heavy British bombardment of the enemy's trenches. The bombardment was so
intense that it was possible to find one's way about Sanctuary Wood by
the light of the gun flashes. The only other incident of importance in
the first month of 1916 was the departure of the machine-gun section
which, under 2nd Lieut. L. Brock, was sent to form part of the Brigade
Machine Gun Company. To replace the guns, the first Lewis Guns were
issued and put under the command of 2nd Lieut. J.P. Moffitt. It was also
about this time that the Battalion journal, _The Whizz-Bang_, came into
existence, edited and run by 2nd Lieut. Yaldwyn. Its illustrations by
Lieut. Catford and articles were much appreciated, but, unfortunately,
its publication ceased in November of the same year.
Throughout January and February there were local artillery combats which
terminated with the capture of Hill 60 and "The Bluff." On the 1st March
there was a demonstration at 5 p.m., which consisted of artillery and
infantry fire and cheering as if for an attack. The following morning at
4.32 a.m. the 3rd Division attacked and captured International and New
Year trenches and "The Bean" with over 200 prisoners. On the 18th March,
the Battalion was relieved and moved to Poperinghe by train from Ypres.
Four days later it returned again by train and took over the recently
captured Bluff trenches from the 10th Royal Welsh Fusiliers (3rd
Division). These trenches were round the edge of the Bluff crater and
were in a very bad condition due to the rain and heavy shelling, and were
littered with remnants of German equipment and their dead. X Company were
on the right in New Year trench supported by Y Company in Gordon Post. W
Company were in the centre in "The Loop," and Z Company on the left in
"The Bean."
On the 27th March, at 4.15 a.m., the 3rd Division on the right attacked
at St. Eloi, and during the attack the Medical Officer (Capt. White) and
a party of stretcher bearers rendered valuable assistance. A few days
later (2nd April) the Battalion was relieved by the Canadians, who had
suffered heavily from shell fire in coming up, and moved again to
Dickebusch, where there was a stay of two days before moving South to
Scottish Lines at Westoutre and La Clyte.
A week later, on the 8th April, the Battalion was again in the line, this
time relieving the 7th Battalion Shropshire Light Infantry in trenches N
and O, in front of Wytschaete, with back area at La Clyte. These trenches
were of the breastwork type. About this time there was a good deal of
fighting on the left, where the Germans were trying to retake the St.
Eloi craters.
On the 24th April the Battalion was relieved and marched to rest billets
at Berthen. These billets were found to be farms scattered over a large
area. A few days after arrival, Lieut.-Col. Jeffreys, D.S.O., returned
and took over command from Lieut.-Col. Stevens, who went as Brigade Major
to a Canadian Brigade. Early on the morning of the 30th the Battalion
was roused by the news of a gas attack, but after standing to till
daylight it was not required to move. A week later, 2nd Lieut. G.
Kirkhouse was appointed Adjutant in place of 2nd Lieut. Yaldwyn, and on
the 8th May the Battalion returned to La Clyte for four days working
parties. The only other incidents of importance during May were an
inspection by Sir Douglas Haig and the farewell inspection and address on
the 16th by Brig.-Gen. Shea prior to his departure to take over command
of the 30th Division. He was succeeded by Brig.-Gen. Westmorland.
On the 28th May the Battalion returned to the trenches it had left a
month before, and on the 2nd June the men were able to watch the German
attack between Hill 60 and Hooge and the Canadian counter-attacks on the
following day. Lieut. Ebsworth, M.C., D.C.M., East Lancashire Regt.,
joined as Adjutant on the 7th June. During this tour the first Battalion
raid was made by men of Y Company under 2nd Lieut. H.C. Annett and 2nd
Lieut. J.F.G. Aubin, who was Battalion Bombing Officer. The party
consisted of 24 men, including two bombing squads, and had as its object
identification of the enemy on the immediate front. The night of the 6th
June was chosen and the party went out as arranged. In No Man's Land they
met a large enemy wiring party and their object was not attained. Three
nights later, however, a German was captured, and again on the 12th the
raiding party went out, this time with the object of killing Boches. They
entered the enemy trench, and after doing considerable damage with bombs
and rifles, returned without casualty.
Apart from these incidents the sector was on the whole quiet, except for
a certain amount of sniping. The principal feature was the daily enemy
bombardment with trench mortars, which lasted from one to three hours,
and was on occasions very heavy. The front line, however, was thinly held
and very few casualties resulted. After receiving two drafts of 190 and
110 men respectively the Battalion was relieved on 7th August by the 7th
Battalion King's Own and moved to its old billets at Berthen.
This ended the second phase of its war history, and a few days later it
moved South to the Somme area.