THE BATTLE OF LOOS.
On the 21st we again went into the trenches, taking over the
Grenay-Vermelles line, preparatory to the Battle of Loos. Shelling had
now become intense, the bombardment being in full swing. Before going
into the line the fact that the attack was going to take place was
kept most secret, nobody below the rank of Company Commander being
informed of the project. We were, therefore, somewhat surprised to
learn, on getting into the line, that the Germans knew all about it.
In fact we were told by those in the front line that the enemy was
shouting across to our trenches asking what was the cause of the delay!
At 4.45 a.m. on the 25th the Battalion moved out to take part in its
first great battle, a battle which is one of the greatest in the
history of Scotland, owing to the number of Scottish troops employed.
On that day there were five battalions of Camerons engaged. The
morning was dull and misty, with practically no wind. At 5.50 a.m. our
gas was turned on, and ran alternately with smoke candles. Owing to
the lack of wind, however, it is doubtful if the gas did not do more
harm than good, numerous British casualties being due to it. At 6.30
a.m. the assault was delivered, the 9th Black Watch and 8th Seaforths
leading, with the 7th Camerons in support, and the 10th Gordons in
reserve. The advance was practically due East towards the Towers of
Loos, these being kept slightly on our right. Within a very short time
the Black Watch and Seaforths got clear away.
The Camerons, following, were very shortly streaming through the
village of Loos, having crossed the third German line of wire and
trenches, which had been regarded as impregnable. Unfortunately,
traces of the gallant part played by the Camerons in cutting this
wire, which was almost untouched by Artillery fire, were too evident,
the ground being strewn with dead and wounded. The houses in Loos were
practically battered to pieces. Germans were being bombed out of the
cellars, others bayoneted, dozens were surrendering, but nothing
seemed to stay the advance of the 44th Brigade.
The Battalion Headquarters were established in a red brick building
near the church, which was now a heap of ruins. There the Commanding
Officer, with the Signallers and Scouts collected round him, remained
in comparative security until suddenly a number of the heaviest type
of high explosive shells rained down on them. All dashed for a cellar,
in which was found a German soldier. Soon after it was decided to go
down into the lower cellar, where we found a German officer still
telephoning. It was evident that he had directed the Artillery fire
upon our Headquarters. His telephone apparatus was for a long time
afterwards in the possession of, and used by, the Battalion Signallers.
As the Commanding Officer was going through the village he came across
two Companies of the 7th Royal Scots Fusiliers, who attached
themselves to him, and all went on together to Hill 70. On their
arrival at the foot of the Hill, information was received that 300/400
of the Brigade--most of them Camerons--had pressed forward over the
Hill and were heavily engaged with the enemy's lines at St. Laurent.
It must be remembered that the orders received before going into
action were that the Battalion was to press on to the Cité St.
Auguste, beside St. Laurent, which was given to them as their final
objective.
Major Crichton of the 10th Gordons handed over the command of the Hill
to Colonel Sandilands, who, at once realising the gravity of the
situation, decided to establish a line on the reverse slope of Hill
70. Luckily here there was a sort of natural line of defence,
consisting of a bank about 3 feet high, running roughly North and
South along the Hill. This proved an invaluable feature to hold on to,
as men instinctively rallied to it. Major Barron, 2nd in command, 7th
Camerons, and Major Crichton (10th Gordons) volunteered to go forward
and order the advance party, who had charged over the Hill, to retire.
Both officers fell in the task, but their orders reached the advanced
line, and the men began to fight their way back. Major Crichton was
killed outright, while Major Barron, who was wounded and taken
prisoner, died of his wounds in a German Field Hospital.
The Commanding Officer being satisfied that his right was protected by
the London Regiment which was astride the Loos Crassier, ordered the
Royal Scots Fusiliers to dig in for all they were worth. There is
little doubt that if these two Companies had not acted contrary to the
strict letter of their orders, in coming on with Colonel Sandilands,
things might have gone badly with the 15th Division. About 8 a.m. the
Battalion Flag, which consisted of one of the Divisional yellow
distinguishing flags, with a patch of Cameron tartan taken from an old
kilt sewn on to it, was planted on Hill 70, and remained flying till
midnight, when we withdrew. Throughout the operations the flag was
carried by Scout-Sergeant Lamb, and on more than one critical occasion
he rallied men of all regiments by waving them back to the Hill. This
flag has been presented to the Depot, and is now in the Officers' Mess
at Inverness. About midnight, when the line had been fairly well dug,
those in front were ordered to retire. It was on the forward slope of
Hill 70 that the greatest number of casualties in the 7th Camerons
occurred. The confusion which of necessity arises after an assault of
this nature can be realised from the fact that on Hill 70 the
Commanding Officer had under his command representatives from no less
than nine different Battalions.
At 3 p.m. all were cheered by seeing large bodies of troops coming
over the Hill, apparently to relieve us. They turned out to be part of
the 1st Division, who had been delayed in the attack on our left, and
not a relief. At 6 p.m. word was received that we were to be relieved
by the 62nd Brigade, but owing to some error they did not arrive until
early next morning.
At 8 p.m. the Commanding Officer discussed the situation with the
Brigadier, and satisfied him that the position on Hill 70 was secure
for the night, and, in view of the fact that the few Camerons who
still remained could not influence the situation, received orders to
hand over the command to Lieut.-Colonel M'Lean of the 10th Royal
Scots, and to withdraw his own men. At midnight he ordered his little
band of weary Camerons to retire. Not many who came out that night
will very readily forget it. In drenching rain, pools of mud, and
incessant shelling, they picked their way amongst the dead by the
light of burning houses, and they plodded wearily on, powerless to
take any notice of the wounded who lay waiting for stretcher-bearers.
Mistaking the road, they made a detour through Maroc, finally fetching
up at the old Headquarters, which, although it consisted merely of a
badly shelled house, appeared like a sanctuary. Without calling a
proper Roll the men were numbered off, and it was found that there
were 4 officers and 75 other ranks present out of 20 officers and 827
rank and file who had started off so proudly 24 hours earlier.
Throughout the night and early morning stragglers kept coming in, and
there were finally collected 6 officers and about 290 other ranks.
Philosophe was reached about 3 a.m., and we were lucky to find the
cookers waiting for us, and, after having some tea, both officers and
men slept on the ground, too exhausted to take any notice of the mud
or water. The usual rumours of going back for a long rest were
prevalent, a rest which was often talked about but never matured.
However, about 8 a.m. 26th September, a Staff Officer came over and
said that the battle was going far from well, and that there was no
alternative but to send the remnant of the Battalion back into the
fight. It is impossible to realise the feelings of men under such
circumstances. They fell in, and went straight back, picking their way
through Quality Street, which by this time was literally running with
blood and blocked with wounded. On they went amidst a hail of gas
shells, pushing their way through bunches of disorganised troops--raw
recruits who had never before experienced the sights of a battlefield,
and arriving finally at the old German front-line, where they found
the trench so full of gas that they had to dig themselves in behind
the parados. They held this position well on into the Monday morning,
when they were finally relieved. Twenty-four hours after this these
men marched out of Mazingarbe, headed by the pipes and drums, with
their buttons cleaned and their equipment polished in so smart a
manner that they were mistaken for a new draft, and were greeted with
shouts from those whom they passed: "Wait till you have been in the
trenches, and you won't look like that."
Our casualties for the day were:--
OFFICERS. MEN.
Killed, 4 Killed, 64
Wounded, 6 Wounded, 255
Missing, 4 Missing, 215
-- ---
14 534
Total, 548.
Colonel Sandilands received the following letter from Colonel The
Mackintosh of Mackintosh:--
"INVERGORDON, _12th October, 1915_.
"DEAR SANDILANDS,
"Let me express the feelings of all here. We are proud of the dash and
gallantry shewn by the 7th Battalion Cameron Highlanders under your
command at the taking of Hill 70 at the Battle of Loos. To command
such officers and men is indeed enviable--they have added fresh glory
to the Cameron Highlanders, and their deeds will live in history.
"From my son, who was A.D.C. to General Sir Arthur Paget, Commanding
the Salisbury Division, I heard what Field Marshal Lord Kitchener said
about the 7th Battalion: 'It is far the finest Battalion of the new
Army I have seen,' no mean compliment from such an authority who knows
how to judge soldiers.
"Yours truly,
"A. MACKINTOSH OF MACKINTOSH, Colonel,
"3rd Cameron Highlanders."
The next three days were spent in the support line, which was not very
much more comfortable, but distinctly safer. The following three days
we had a bad time. The rain came down in torrents during the relief,
and continued incessantly for 40 hours. It is very difficult even to
imagine the misery and discomfort which the men suffered. The
so-called trenches were full of water and mud up to the men's knees.
It was almost impossible for the ration and water parties to get
either up or down.
During the second afternoon of this downpour the German Artillery got
on to our front line trench, blew in a machine-gun emplacement and
knocked down a considerable portion of the parapet, one man being
killed and two wounded. The parapet was rebuilt during the night. Next
morning nothing particular happened, but in the afternoon the German
guns again opened a heavy enfilade fire, resulting in 11 men being
killed and 21 wounded, and the parapet being very badly knocked about.
It was a very trying experience for new troops, and there is little
doubt that the Battalion deserved great credit for taking their
punishment so well.
The following day we were relieved, and went back into the support
trenches, and finally marched back to Noeux-les-Mines on 7th November.
On 17th November Major R. B. C. Raban joined the Battalion as Second
in Command. Christmas and New Year were celebrated at Allouagne, and
here too was held a Divisional Boxing Exhibition, the principal event
being an exciting 10 rounds fight between Private O'Rourke of the
Camerons, and Sergt. Macleod of the Seaforths, the latter winning.
On the 14th January, 1916, the Battalion returned to the trenches,
taking over section 14 bis on Hill 70. During this tour there was
attached to us "C" Company of the 6th Royal Irish Regiment for
instruction. Mining operations had now started in earnest, and this
involved heavy trench mortar and shell fire, causing numerous
casualties. It was during this tour of duty that we found and buried
the body of Lieut.-Colonel A. F. Douglas Hamilton, V.C. He was lying
just where he had been killed, and, although it was remarkable that
his body had not been discovered before, yet it was a source of
satisfaction to all that he should have finally been buried by the
officers and men of the Regiment in which he had served, and of which
he was so proud. On the 23rd March "B" Company proceeded to
Labuissiere for duty at 1st Corps Headquarters. The Battalion was to
have been inspected by the Commander of the 1st Corps on the 24th
March, but owing to snow it was cancelled. Next day we railed to
Lillers, and marched to billets in Allouagne. On the 3rd April Major
R. Raban left, on being appointed to the Command of the 13th Royal
Scots, and was therefore struck off the strength.
On the 13th April Colonel Sandilands relinquished the Command of the
Battalion on being promoted Brigadier-General Commanding the 104th
Infantry Brigade. He was given a great send off by the officers and
men of the Battalion, who lined the street of Allouagne in his honour.
The following article, which was written by Colonel Sandilands as a
brief review of the period during which he commanded the Battalion,
appeared in the April Number of _The 79th News_, 1916:--
A YEAR'S COMMAND.
It is now just a year since I took over command of the 7th Battalion,
but in some ways it seems like ten years since I arrived at Chiseldon.
Out of the 1000 men serving then, how many are there still with us in
the trenches?
Whatever officers and men there may be, must recall at times the old
days which we spent so happily together. The training on the Downs,
the long dusty march to Park House: these are now things of the past.
As we wade about in mud and water, it seems like a dream to think of
Tower Hill, where we used to lie amongst the trees, well concealed
from Generals, and eat our dinners from the cookers, which in those
days were strange machines of unknown habits.
The Highland Brigade Championship; the Officers' Riding School; the
gramophone in the Canteen; the sixpenny novels; Officers Mess garden,
which never produced a blade of grass; finally, the Sunday when we
got our orders to go to France, the suppressed excitement of the
Channel crossing, our triumphant march through Boulogne with pipes
and drums in full swing--how many of us are still alive who remember
these days?
It is amusing now to think of the difficulty we had in taking over
billets at Houle, and the deadly silence in which we marched from
Gonnehem, on the night when the regimental dog was lost, with his
tartan coat and regimental badges.
How many men are still left from those who rushed out of the houses
at Brèbis to see the shells bursting, and who dug at Maroc in the
firm belief that they were exposed to untold dangers? What letters
used to be written home in those days to fond mothers, describing the
hardships, the terrific shell fire, and the groans of the dying. No
doubt these mothers were moved to tears at the thoughts of what their
sons were suffering, little knowing of the peace and quiet of the
trenches at Maroc and Quality Street.
But if the same mothers could have seen their sons in the trenches at
Hulluch in October, they would have good reason to weep. Liquid mud
up to one's knees; the parapets consisting of half-buried Germans; a
perfect hail of shells at intervals throughout the day and night!
In those days it took me three solid hours to drag myself through the
mud and water on my morning round of perhaps 2 miles. Officers and
men alike were caked with mud.
What an afternoon that was when the parapet was blown in and we lost
12 killed and 25 wounded in a few minutes! I shall never forget
seeing boys who might well have been still at school, pinched with
hunger and cold, sitting crouched under a waterproof sheet, fumbling
with their frozen fingers, trying to open a letter from home. This
letter was probably their one gleam of light in their horrible
surroundings; and yet they never complained, but stuck to it like
Camerons. I used to curse in my heart the loafers at home who ought
to have been out here, instead of leaving it to lads who never should
have been exposed to a winter in the trenches.
Who is there left in the Battalion that used to come to the garden at
Verquin to listen to the drums and pipes playing Retreat, in the days
when we first began to know that we were to take part in one of the
greatest battles of the age?
The little broken-down house, which was the Battalion Headquarters at
Philosophe the night before Loos, is still there. Quality Street,
instead of being a peaceful little village where one lived in
comparative safety, is now battered every day by German shells.
How many men are there still in the ranks who clambered over the
parapet on the 25th, and joined in that mad rush which struck terror
into the Bavarian regiments who were up against us? I do not suppose
that in any case there can be many who have a clear recollection of
what actually did happen in the charge, or on that fateful afternoon
when the remnant of the 44th Brigade hung on to Hill 70, silent and
grim in their determination to hold the Hill for Scotland. The bank
behind which we first began to dig is still there, and easily
recognised, just between the firing and support line.
What a weary little party returned to Philosophe that night! What a
shambles Quality Street was next morning when we went back through it
to hold the old German line.
Even Christmas at Allouagne, the concerts in the Recreation Room, and
the boxing in the Hospital yard, are beginning to fade away in the
distance.
Although we have recently been lucky, yet there are many of our
comrades who marched off from Noeux-les-Mines in January, but will
never answer their names again at Roll Call. Some have been buried at
Loos, within a few yards of where we fought on the 25th, and some
have been buried in the trenches.
I often wonder whether the men of the Battalion realise the link that
is being formed amongst us. Do they realise, when the war is over,
the longing to see some of their old officers again will be such as
to defy description? Do they realise that little acts of
unselfishness and kindness, performed every day in the trenches, will
be amongst their most treasured remembrances, no matter whether they
go out into the world or return to a life of ease and comfort? Then
it may be that for the first time the old saying, "Once a Cameron
always a Cameron," will come home to them in its full intensity.
J. W. S.
29/2/1916.