THE 42ND (EAST LANCASHIRE) DIVISION 1914-1918
[Illustration: COUNTRY LIFE]
_First published in 1920_
PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY RICHARD CLAY & SONS, LIMITED,
BRUNSWICK ST., STAMFORD ST., S.E. 1, AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK.
[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL SIR WM. DOUGLAS, K.C.M.G., C.B., D.S.O.
_By permission of Lyddell Sawyer._]
The
42nd (East Lancashire) Division
1914-1918
BY
FREDERICK P. GIBBON
Author of “The Lawrences of the Punjab”
LONDON
PUBLISHED AT THE OFFICES OF “COUNTRY LIFE,” LTD.,
20 TAVISTOCK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C. 2, AND BY
GEORGE NEWNES, LTD., 8-11 SOUTHAMPTON STREET,
STRAND, W.C. 2
NEW YORK: CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS
_To the Officers, Warrant Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Men of
the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division_
_As their late Commander, I dedicate this history of their achievements,
conspicuous even in days of great deeds, in the hope that the record of
their unchanging spirit of courage, loyalty, and comradeship may give
gratification to survivors and solace to relatives of the fallen._
[Signature: A. Solly-Flood. Major-General.]
_11th November, 1920._
[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL A. SOLLY-FLOOD, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O.
_By permission of Keturah Collings._]
FOREWORD
The 42nd (East Lancashire) Division was only a comparatively short time
under my command, but during that period officers, N.C.O.s and men showed
themselves to be possessed of a magnificent fighting spirit.
The 42nd Division came to France at a time of crisis, and shared in the
glory of breaking the most desperate and most dangerous German offensive
made since the early days of the war. In my Despatches I have drawn
attention to some of the outstanding actions of the Division. I am glad
now to express to all ranks my personal gratitude for their splendid
service.
[Signature: D. Haig.]
FIELD MARSHAL.
_G.H.Q. The Forces in Great Britain, Horse Guards, London, S.W. 1._
_14th July, 1919._
PREFACE
“Sir William Douglas asks me ‘to write a few lines’ to be embodied in the
preface to a history of the 42nd Division.
“In the regions of time and space the Dardanelles enterprise forms only a
trifling part of the record of this famous Division; but, in the sphere
of the imagination, that part will be reckoned by Lancastrians yet unborn
as the most precious heirloom bequeathed to them by the generation who
fought the great war.
“Why? I will give the reasons in the words of a gallant young Australian
killed shortly after he wrote me as follows from the front in France: ‘I
often compare the two situations: out here and on those wild romantic
shores of the Ægean; I compare them and I find that the Peninsula war
stands quite alone and apart, an ineffaceable memory.’
“Bearing in mind that I am limited to a few lines I propose to think out
nothing new, but to repeat now what was jotted down about a sample of the
42nd Division at the time (the 4th June, 1915), in my post of command,
shared that day with two enormous tarantulas—
“On the right the French rushed the ‘Haricot’—so long a thorn in their
flesh; next to them the Anson lads stormed another big Turkish redoubt in
a slap-dash style reminding me of the best work of the old Regular Army;
but the boldest and most brilliant exploit of the lot was the charge
made by the Manchester Brigade in the centre who wrested two lines of
trenches from the Turks; and then, carrying right on to the lower slopes
of Achi Baba, had _nothing_ between them and its summit but the clear,
unentrenched hillside. They lay there—the line of our brave lads, plainly
visible to a pair of good glasses—there they actually lay! We wanted, so
it seemed, but a reserve to advance in their support and carry them right
up to the top. We said—and yet could hardly believe our own words—‘We are
through!’
“Alas, too previous that remark. Everything began to go wrong. First
the French were shelled and bombed out of the ‘Haricot’; next the right
of the Naval Division became uncovered and they had to give way, losing
many times more men in the yielding than in the capture of their ground.
Then came the turn of the Manchesters, left in the lurch, with their
right flank hanging in the air. By all the laws of war they ought to have
tumbled back anyhow, but by the laws of the Manchesters they hung on and
declared they could do so for ever....
[Signature: Ian Hamilton]
GENERAL,
“LIEUTENANT OF THE TOWER OF LONDON.”
_1st September, 1919._
* * * * *
The foregoing words were written by the Commander-in-Chief under whom the
42nd (East Lancashire) Division went into action for the first time of
its existence. It is nearly a year now since Sir Ian Hamilton wrote them;
this will give the reader some idea of the gigantic task those who have
collected the material for, and the writer of, this book have had.
The work is an attempt to record the doings and follow the fortunes of
the 42nd (East Lancashire) Division in the Great War, but nothing that
can be written can adequately disclose the noble manner in which these
lads preserved throughout that dogged courage and insistent resolution
from which it was impossible, for those who were present, to withhold
their admiration. My own four years’ experience of them has left me with
the deepest feelings of pride and affection. From first to last they
proved themselves to be gallant, loyal and self-sacrificing soldiers,
warm-hearted, responsive and lovable men.
The thanks of the Committee responsible for the publication of this book
are due to Captain E. R. Streat and Mr. George Bigwood, who collected
much of the data, but more especially to Mr. F. P. Gibbon, who so kindly
consented to write the History. The labour of collecting information from
War Diaries and comparing the various accounts which so many old members
of the Division have been kind enough to send him, has been very great,
and we owe Mr. Gibbon a debt of deep gratitude.
[Signature: W. Douglas.
Maj. General [illegible] 42nd Division]
_7th August, 1920._
* * * * *
The Committee and the Author wish to record their warm appreciation of
the assistance given in the compiling of this History by many Officers,
Non-commissioned Officers and Men of the Division.
* * * * *
As the final proofs of the book were being passed, there came the sad
news of the death of the first Divisional Commander, Major-General Sir
William Douglas, K.C.M.G., C.B., D.S.O., at Cultz, near Aberdeen, on
November 2nd, 1920. He had come to be regarded as the Father of the
Division. It was under him that it earned the distinction of being the
first Territorial Division to leave these shores, and under him it
received its baptism of fire. Even when he had passed from command—both
during the war and after hostilities had ceased—his interest in the
welfare of all ranks remained unabated, and the affection he felt towards
them was warmly reciprocated.
In expressing their deep sorrow and their sympathy with Lady Douglas, the
Committee feel that they may speak for all ranks and all services of the
Division.
CONTENTS
CHAP. PAGE
I. LANCASHIRE AND EGYPT (AUGUST 1914—MAY 1915) 1
II. GALLIPOLI (MAY 1915) 19
III. GALLIPOLI (JUNE 1915—JANUARY 1916) 34
IV. THE SUEZ CANAL AND SINAI (JANUARY 1916—MARCH 1917) 63
V. FRANCE (MARCH—AUGUST 1917) 86
VI. YPRES (SEPTEMBER 1917) 97
VII. NIEUPORT (OCTOBER—NOVEMBER 1917) 106
VIII. LA BASSÉE (DECEMBER 1917—MARCH 1918) 114
IX. OPENING OF THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE (MARCH 21—APRIL 8, 1918) 128
X. ENTR’ACTE (APRIL 9—AUGUST 20, 1918) 142
XI. THE BEGINNING OF THE END (AUGUST 21—SEPTEMBER 6, 1918) 155
XII. THROUGH THE HINDENBURG LINE (SEPTEMBER 7—30, 1918) 171
XIII. ACROSS THE RIVER SELLE (OCTOBER 9—23, 1918) 179
XIV. FORÊT DE MORMAL AND HAUTMONT (NOVEMBER 3—11, 1918) 191
ROLL OF HONOUR 200
HONOURS AND AWARDS 232
HEADQUARTERS STAFF AND OFFICERS COMMANDING UNITS 242
[Illustration: KEY MAP SHEWING APPROXIMATE POSITIONS OF BATTLE FRONTS
OCCUPIED BY THE 42ND DIVISION (E. Lancs. T.)]
MOVEMENTS FROM OUTBREAK OF WAR UNTIL ARMISTICE
1914-1915
Sept.-May British Army of Occupation in Egypt, and on Suez
Canal Defences.
1915-1916
May-Jan. M.E.F. At Cape Helles, Gallipoli Peninsula.
1916-1917 E.E.F. Suez Canal Defences and Sinai Peninsula.
Jan.-Feb. Advance through Romani to El Arish.
1917
Feb. and March B.E.F. Arrived at Marseilles and proceeded to
neighbourhood of Abbéville.
May In the line at Epéhy and Lempire.
June ” ” Havrincourt Wood and Trescault.
Aug. and Sept. ” ” Ypres.
Sept. ” ” Coast Sector, Nieuport Bains.
Oct., Nov. ” ” Nieuport and St. Georges.
Nov., Dec., Jan.,
Feb., 1918 ” ” Opposite La Bassée.
1918
Mar., April ” ” Ervillers, Bucquoy.
May, June, July ” ” Bucquoy, Gommecourt, Hébuterne.
Aug. Advanced through Miraumont, Riencourt,
Villers-au-Flos.
Sept. ” ” Havrincourt Wood to Welsh Ridge.
Oct. ” ” Esnes, Beauvois, across R. Selle.
Nov. ” ” Le Quesnoy, Mormal Forest to
Hautmont.
Nov. 11 Stood fast on line of Maubeuge—Avesnes Road.
ILLUSTRATIONS
_Facing page_
MAJOR-GENERAL SIR WM. DOUGLAS, K.C.M.G., C.B., D.S.O. _Frontispiece_
MAJOR-GENERAL A. SOLLY-FLOOD, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O. iv
CAPT. W. T. FORSHAW, V.C., 1/9TH BN. MANCHESTER REGT. 46
LIEUT. A. V. SMITH, V.C., 1/5TH BN. EAST LANCS. REGT. 57
PTE. W. MILLS, V.C., 1/10TH BN. MANCHESTER REGT. 116
SGT. E. SMITH, V.C., D.C.M., 1/5TH LANCS. FUS. 157
LC.-CORP. A. WILKINSON, V.C., 1/5TH BN. MANCHESTER REGT. 187
LIEUT.-COL. P. V. HOLBERTON 131
THE DIVISIONAL COMMANDER AND BRIGADIERS 242
EGYPT AND SUEZ CANAL 18
GALLIPOLI: C. HELLES AND KRITHIA NULLAH SECTOR 19-29
C. HELLES AND GULLY RAVINE SECTOR 48-60
SINAI PENINSULA 76-83
COLOURED PLATE: DIVISIONAL FLASHES 84
BELGIUM: YPRES SECTOR 98-104
NIEUPORT SECTOR 105-108
FRANCE: LA BASSÉE SECTOR 114-118
THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE, MARCH 1918 130-131
GOMMECOURT—HÉBUTERNE SECTOR, APRIL-AUGUST 1918 142
THE BRITISH ADVANCE: MIRAUMONT—TRESCAULT 148-166
” ” THE HINDENBURG LINE 172
” ” ACROSS THE R. SELLE 182-186
” ” FORÊT DE MORMAL AND HAUTMONT 192
MAPS
KEY MAP x
GALLIPOLI: CAPE HELLES 22
TRENCH MAP 34
FRANCE: THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE, 1918 128
THE BRITISH ADVANCE, 1918, FIRST STAGE 171
” ” ” FINAL STAGE 179
THE 42ND (EAST LANCASHIRE) DIVISION
CHAPTER I
LANCASHIRE AND EGYPT
(_August 1914—May 1915_)
For a week or two there had been talk of war and of the likelihood
of England being involved. The prospects and possibilities formed an
interesting topic of conversation and speculation. We leant over the
sheer side of the precipice and caught glimpses of the black chasm below,
but few really doubted the soundness of the fence over which we peered.
Warnings of disaster had been frequent—but disaster had always
been averted, and fair words had prevailed. For years we had been
living on the verge of national ruin through strikes of railway-men,
transport-workers, miners, or the spinners and weavers of Lancashire,
but at the last moment conciliation always won; there was always room
for compromise. Though civil war in Ireland seemed imminent, it was
comforting to reflect how much common sense there was in the world.
Besides, had it not been proved to every one’s satisfaction that under
modern conditions war between great nations could not possibly last for
more than a month or two, as in that short period victor and vanquished
would alike be reduced to bankruptcy and impotence? Knowing this no
Great Power would be likely to commit suicide. We were living in the
twentieth century, and a great European war was an abstract conception,
not something that could actually occur.
In the closing days of July 1914 this complacency was giving way to a
very real dread. War might mean suicide even for the victor, might be
“unthinkable,” but it was in sight—plain, stark, menacing. War such as
other nations had known; not a war in which those who had a taste for
soldiering might take part while the rest of us could read about it in
the papers, feel proud of a success and depressed by a disaster, and
wonder whether sixpence would be added to the income tax. The fantastic
image that had thrilled us not altogether unpleasantly—as children
experience ecstatic shudders when listening to tales of ogres and
hobgoblins—was taking on an appearance of grim reality. Could it after
all be a grisly spectre and not a mere bogey of turnip and white sheet?
England began to regret that the warnings of her greatest soldier had
passed unheeded.
A day or two later Germany flung down her challenge to Christianity and
Civilization, stripped herself of the cloak of decency and stood revealed
in stark brutishness; and on Tuesday, August 4, 1914, England took up
the challenge and declared war. The decision was apparently not expected
by the German Staff. To them it was rather a matter for exasperation
than for apprehension. England had her hands full at home, and her vast
possessions would prove a source of weakness. She had a small regular
army, a force with high traditions, well trained and well equipped for
service on the frontiers of India and other outposts of the Empire,
containing a larger proportion of officers and men with experience of
actual fighting than any other army of the Great Powers, yet so small in
numbers and so scattered over the face of the globe, that one can almost
sympathize with the German belief that the few thousand men who could be
spared from the duty of policing India, Egypt, South Africa, and other
possessions, might safely be regarded as negligible. She had, too, a
small, indifferently trained and equipped, unprofessional, home-defence
force, but even the British themselves did not take the Territorials
seriously.
As to the rest of the potential fighting material of the British Isles,
had it not been proved to the satisfaction of the Germans (who had made
a special study of such matters with the typical Teutonic thoroughness
which works so efficiently when applied to material facts, and fails
so lamentably when the human factor enters) that the young manhood
of the nation was mainly decadent, of poor physique, weak-chested,
half-educated, lacking in patriotic purpose, with no thought of the
morrow and no ideals? With the exception of the few hundred thousands
who had received some training in physical drill and discipline in the
Boys’ Brigade and its daughter-organizations which teach discipline,
self-respect, and _esprit de corps_, or in the School Cadet Corps, all
were utterly untrained, and they hated discipline. England had clearly
shown that she was too selfish to submit to any form of compulsory
service; too wrapped up in the love of comfort, ease and luxury to do
more than bribe fools to die for her. It was a nation that had lost its
soul. The military aid she could give to France could be contemptuously
brushed aside. When France had been paralysed and the Channel ports
secured, the British mercantile marine could be sunk or scared off the
seas, and the British Empire brought to its knees.
Teutonic reasoning was wrong. The British character is too simple or
too complex for the Hun. It may be that no other nation brings so much
froth to the top as ours; that none extends such tolerance to cranks, nor
gives so much rope to little cliques of shrieking egoists, nor shows such
stolid indifference when the few, claiming to speak on behalf of the
nation, so egregiously misrepresent her. On August 5, 1914, it was seen
that practically every man, woman and child approved what the Government
had done, and felt instinctively that their country would have been
shamed had there been a day’s hesitation. England had found her soul, not
lost it. A nation supposed to consist largely of pleasure seekers, of
lovers of compromise, conciliation and tolerance, of comfort and luxury,
had decided that all it held most dear would be as dust and ashes if it
stood aside, a passive spectator of the agony of France and Belgium.
Practically without a dissentient voice the nation prepared to sacrifice
its all. Unhappily, the politicians, unaccustomed to realities, were
not ready to make the most of this spirit of sacrifice. Unable to leave
their grooves of finesse, intrigue, and opportunism, they knew not how to
appeal simply to the noblest instincts; so they talked of “business as
usual,” and attempted to cajole the nation into giving a part when the
whole was ready to be offered.
[Sidenote: _Composition of the Division_]
This is the story of the part played in the most appalling of human
tragedies by the East Lancashire Territorial Division, which, on leaving
England, was composed of the following units—
Cavalry: “A” Squadron, Duke of Lancaster’s Own Yeomanry—6
officers, 132 men.
R.F.A.: The 1st (Blackburn) and the 3rd (Bolton) East
Lancashire Brigades—55 officers, 1289 men.
R.E.: 1st and 2nd Field Companies and Signal Company—19
officers, 568 men.
Infantry: The 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Battalions, the Lancashire
Fusiliers—120 officers, 3962 men.
The 4th and 5th Battalions, the East Lancashire
Regiment—60 officers, 1990 men.
The 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th Battalions, the
Manchester Regiment—180 officers, 5966 men.
A.S.C.: Three Companies and the Transport and Supply Column—16
officers, 276 men.
R.A.M.C.: Three Field Ambulances—30 officers, 665 men.
Total (including Divisional and Brigade
Headquarters): 511 officers, 14,966 men.
The twelve battalions of infantry were brigaded as follows—
The Lancashire Fusiliers Brigade—the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Battalions,
Lancashire Fusiliers.
The East Lancashire Brigade—the 4th and 5th Battalions, East Lancs
Regiment, and the 9th and 10th Battalions, Manchester Regiment.
The Manchester Brigade—the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Battalions, Manchester
Regiment.
The 5th L.F. was mainly composed of men from the Bury district, the 6th
from Rochdale, the 7th and 8th from Salford, the 4th E. Lancs from
Blackburn, the 5th from Burnley, the 5th Manchesters from Wigan, the 6th
and 7th from Manchester and its suburbs (including a good proportion from
the Cheshire suburbs), the 8th from Ardwick and East Manchester, the 9th
from Ashton-under-Lyne, the 10th from Oldham.
The 1st R.F.A. Brigade (Blackburn) was composed of the following
batteries: the 4th (Blackburn), the 5th (Church), the 6th (Burnley). The
3rd R.F.A. Brigade (Bolton) of the following: the 18th, 19th and 20th,
all from Bolton and district.
Many of these units date back to 1859, when the Volunteer movement came
into being. For forty-one years the Volunteers were an untried force,
but in the year 1900 their offers of service in the South African War
were accepted, the infantry battalions providing detachments which
served with credit in that campaign. It was not until 1907 that serious
thought was given to the equipment and organization of this fine body
of patriotic men. Lord Haldane’s Territorial Scheme, based on the model
of the Regular Army, did more than change the name from Volunteers to
Territorials. Major-General Douglas Haig, Director of Military Training
at the War Office, had charge of the scheme, and in bringing about this
great change, he gave evidence of the foresight and grasp of essentials
which in 1918 enabled him to lead the armed strength of the Empire to
victory. The various batteries, battalions and corps, no longer scattered
and independent units, were organized and trained as divisions, and the
force was actually treated as a valuable and even essential element in
the system of national defence, with the result that the Territorial
Force soon reached a higher state of efficiency than the Volunteers had
ever been permitted to approach. The East Lancashire Division had the
reputation of being one of the smartest and most efficient of the whole
force.
[Sidenote: _Mobilization_]
On August 3 units in camp for their annual peace training were recalled,
and the order to mobilize the Division was received at 5.30 p.m. on
the following day. Probably few members of the Territorial Force had
realized that their “calling-up” notices had been ready from the day they
joined; that month by month the addresses on the envelopes were checked
and altered when necessary; that enough ball ammunition was stored at
the various headquarters to enable every man to march out with the full
complement of a fighting soldier, and that field dressings were available
for issue. It must be remembered that never before had the Force been
embodied, and that officers and men were civilians, few of whom had
ever regarded mobilization as other than a remote possibility quite
outside the range of practical politics. Yet the absence of confusion was
remarkable, as all ranks threw themselves into their new parts with zest,
making the best of unusual conditions and treating discomfort as a jest.
The men were quartered in drill-halls or schools within easy reach of
their Headquarters. Major-General Douglas, commanding the Division, with
his General Staff Officer, Lieut.-Colonel A. W. Tufnell, was daily at the
Divisional Headquarters in Manchester, or at the Headquarters of units,
supervising the mobilization and arrangements. These have been described
as “hectic days.” Improved though the organization was as compared
with that of the Volunteers, it was anything but complete. Animals and
vehicles for transport, harness, and an infinite variety of requisites
had to be procured by free purchase or by commandeering in great haste.
This was the weakest part of the scheme, and though much ingenuity was
displayed by officers unaccustomed to this sort of thing, the waste was
great. To such shifts were they reduced that street watering-carts were
bought from Urban District Councils, and actually taken to Egypt. Among
the weird varieties of carts thus acquired one of the best remembered is
the “Black and Green” van which did duty as a Medical Officer’s vehicle,
and was last seen bleached by the sun, but with the original lettering
still traceable under the service grey, at Gabari Docks, Alexandria in
February 1917. Nothing could better illustrate the inability of a large
and patriotic section of the public to grasp the significance of events
than the expectation freely expressed by vendors that their horses or
carts would be returned to them in the course of a few weeks. In some
cases the drivers of requisitioned animals joined the Territorial unit in
order to remain with their horses.
On August 10 Lord Kitchener invited the Territorial Force to volunteer
for foreign service. By August 12 the three Infantry Brigades had
accepted the invitation, and within a few days ninety per cent. of the
East Lancashires eagerly seized the opportunity. England saw with pride
the keenness of the Territorials to meet the enemy, and knew that her
sons were true to the breed. For more than fifty years she had treated
her citizen-army as something that must not be taken too seriously, but
that is England’s way. The response was magnificent, but it was expected,
for the nation never doubted that they would answer the call. It was no
small gift they offered. The most powerful army the world had ever seen
was moving forward victoriously towards Paris, remorseless and apparently
irresistible; and the Territorials offered their bodies for death and
mutilation, and gave up parents, wives, children, homes, prospects, and
all they held most dear. At a later period such sacrifice was demanded
as the nation’s right, but in August 1914 a lead had to be given, an
example set. Old volunteers were not content to look on while the younger
generation fought and suffered. Daily a stream of old members, N.C.O.s
and men, many in the autumn of their lives, besieged the Headquarters of
their old corps and clamoured to be allowed to join up, lying cheerfully
and brazenly in respect of their age. Many gained their object; more
were almost broken-hearted by their rejection. The example set in those
dark days was a stimulus and incentive to recruiting all over the
country, and especially so in the great towns of Lancashire, where the
“Pals” battalions were soon to be raised. It was the vindication of the
Volunteer. “Defence, not Defiance,” had been their motto, but who among
the prescient founders and bulwarks of the movement could ever have
conceived the idea of the glorious rôle to be filled by the corps they
had helped to raise—of the old Volunteer units from every county and
city, at full strength, fighting and laying down their lives in Belgium,
France, Egypt, Gallipoli, Palestine and Greece, and taking an inspiring
part in the greatest of all crusades against the Turk?
Until August 20 officers and men remained within easy reach of
their Headquarters. The Division was then moved into camps in the
neighbourhoods of Bolton, Bury and Rochdale, and anxiously it awaited the
summons. Another fortnight passed, and the rumour that Egypt was to be
the destination began to gain ground. Rumour was, however, at this time a
discredited jade, fit subject for scorn, for was she not responsible for
the passage through England and Scotland of myriads of Russian soldiers,
the ice and snow of Archangel still clinging to their boots and beards,
who had been seen by thousands of British optimists at every railway
junction in the land? But in the training camps of East Lancashire she
was restored to public favour when a telegram, dated September 5, was
received by the Divisional Commander from Lord Kitchener—
“Inform the Division from me that I hope that they will push
on hard with their training in Egypt, as, before they are
ready, there will be plenty of troops from India to garrison
Egypt, and I hope they will be one of the first of the
Territorial Forces to join our Army on the Continent. All will
depend on their fitness for service against the enemy in the
Field.—KITCHENER.”
General Douglas spoke for every man in the Division when he replied: “All
ranks much gratified to receive your message. They are animated with keen
desire to fit themselves to join our forces on the Continent.”
On the 9th September the Division entrained for Southampton, about forty
trains being required to convey men, horses, guns, and all the material
of war; and on the 10th 15,500 Lancashire men, with about a thousand
officers and men of the Hertfordshire and City of Westminster Yeomanry,
embarked upon the great adventure, the first Territorial Division to
volunteer for foreign service, and the first to leave England’s shores.
It was a record of which the Lancashire men were justly proud, and which
secured to them from the start the prestige and _esprit de corps_ that
are usually the outcome of long and honourable tradition. The details
that were not going out with the Division became the nucleus of the
Second Line, which sent drafts to the First Line until about the end of
August 1915, when the Second Line East Lancashire (66th) Division was
formed. After that date the drafts came from the Third Line units. The
Duke of Lancaster’s Own Yeomanry had been accepted for voluntary service
overseas, and it had been hoped that the whole regiment would accompany
the Division, but finally only “A” Squadron, was ordered to embark.
[Sidenote: _Departure for Egypt_]
It was midnight when the troopships steamed out of the harbour, a dark
night, all lights doused, no coastwise lights to guide, the blackness
stabbed by scores of searchlights. The troops on board one of the ships
began to sing and the whole convoy took up the strains. In the morning
the first arrivals lay-to off the Eddystone, until, by late afternoon, a
great fleet had assembled. At sundown the convoy sailed in three lines
ahead, escorted by the battleship _Ocean_ and the cruiser _Minerva_. It
is said that this was the first actual convoy that had left England since
the Napoleonic wars.
The rough weather of the first three days and much unavoidable discomfort
aboard ship were borne with cheerfulness. The men had the impression
that they were sadly overcrowded, but subsequent experience of life
in “cubby-holes” and “dug-outs” modified their ideas of what lack of
space really means. It was noticed that even the worst sufferers from
seasickness never lost hope, as, although whole messes did not eat a meal
during those three days, the daily indent for one bottle of beer per man
was always drawn, to be saved for happier days. Rumours of the presence
of enemy craft off Portugal gave rise to a pleasing sense of excitement
and risk, but nothing happened. Early on September 17 the mighty rock
of Gibraltar loomed suddenly out of the mist, and soon the mystical,
sun-scorched, tawny hills of Northern Africa were sighted.
From Gibraltar the convoy was escorted by the _Minerva_ only. As the
weather improved it was found that, in spite of the crowded life aboard
the troopships, quite a lot of theoretical training, and even a certain
amount of physical, could be given, and there was little time for leisure
in the Mediterranean. One brilliant day, after Malta had been passed, the
sight of a great fleet sailing towards the West caused much excitement.
Soon the news spread that this was the Lahore Division bound for
Marseilles—war-hardened Sikhs, Gurkhas, Dogras, Punjabis, Pathans, and
Rajputs, all eagerly looking forward to the day when they should cross
steel with the famous soldiers of Germany, and confident of the result of
such meeting. After exchange of greetings and of escorts, the _Weymouth_
taking the _Minerva’s_ place, flags were dipped and adieux waved. It was
a wondrous sight, this great gathering of mighty ships, carrying tens of
thousands of men and all their material of war from East to West and from
West to East—an object lesson of the strength and resources of the Empire.
On the 25th September, a misty, languorous morning, the low, sandy
coast of Egypt, fringed with surf, with here and there a clump of palm
trees, was sighted. It was the Egypt of anticipation, curiously familiar
even to men whose travels had rarely taken them beyond the confines of
Lancashire. As the troopships slowly entered Alexandria Harbour they
passed a battle-cruiser of the U.S. Navy. Though a strict neutrality had
to be maintained in respect of action, there was no attempt to observe it
in sentiment. To the delight of the Lancashire men the Americans manned
ship; their band played “God save the King,” and generally “they did us
proud.” The Division was keen to show its appreciation. The band of the
8th Manchesters, uncertain whether “Yankee Doodle,” “The Star-spangled
Banner,” or “My Country, ’tis of Thee,” is considered the national anthem
of the United States, and doubting their ability to render either of the
first two airs pleasingly—the third tune being that of our own national
anthem, and therefore open to misconstruction—struck up “Marching through
Georgia.” All too late came the reflection that possibly the cruiser’s
complement had been drawn from States which might not appreciate this
air. However, every one seemed delighted by the display of cousinly
emotion, and felt the better for the incident.
[Sidenote: _Arrival in Egypt_]
The disembarkation, which began the same day, was watched critically
by regular officers who were waiting to embark for France, and who
expressed their delight at the fine appearance and soldierly bearing
of the Territorials. The first troops to land went on by train to
Cairo, where the Yeomanry, the Lancashire Fusiliers Brigade, the Signal
Company, and the Transport and Supply Column took over Abbasia Barracks.
The East Lancashire Brigade were partly in the Citadel and Kasr-el-Nil
Barracks in Cairo and partly in camp on the Heliopolis Racecourse. The
Artillery also encamped on the racecourse, and the Engineers occupied the
Kasr-el-Nil Barracks. The 5th, 6th and 8th Battalions of the Manchester
Brigade and one company of the 7th Manchesters remained in Alexandria as
garrison, the greater part being quartered in the Mustapha Barracks and
Camp, while detachments were accommodated in the forts of Ras-el-Tin and
Kom-el-Dik. Later, half of this company of the 7th was sent to Cyprus.
The other three companies of the battalion had been sent to Khartoum via
Port Sudan. Detachments of the R.A.M.C. accompanied the 7th Manchesters
to Cyprus and Khartoum, but the Field Ambulances as units remained with
their affiliated Brigades, the 1st at Alexandria, the 2nd at Heliopolis,
and the 3rd at Abbasia. Detachments of the T. and S. Column took over
A.S.C. duties from the Regulars at Alexandria, Khartoum and Cyprus.
Abbasia was chosen for Divisional Headquarters.
“Khaki” helmets were quickly issued, but as the Embarkation Staff had
put the tropical clothing in bulk in one ship, some time elapsed before
the heavy serge could be discarded in favour of light drill, and it was
astonishing how well the younger lads endured the excessive heat. They
showed their grit from the start. The usual conditions of issue were
experienced. When only the smaller sizes in headgear, boots, and clothing
are available, how is it that so large a proportion of big-footed,
big-headed, big-framed men turns up? The sun-helmets were approved.
“Bill, will they let us tak’ these whoam wi’ us?” one man was heard to
ask. Bill was not one of the many optimists who took for granted that
they would be home for Christmas. “Tha’ll be lucky if tha tak’s thi yed
whoam, never mind thi ⸺ ’emlet!” he replied.
Many of the horses had died on the voyage, for not only were the ships
ill-fitted for horse transport, but orders had been received from the
War Office, in spite of the Divisional Commander’s expostulations, not
to exceed one man to every six horses. It was not possible for so small
a proportion of men, most of whom were inexperienced, to cope with so
many animals. On one boat alone, the _Norseman_ (an Australian emigrant
boat), there were more than 700 horses in charge of ninety-five men, and
forty-six animals died during the voyage. The horses at first suffered
greatly from climatic conditions, and especially from sand-colic. One
apparently decided to lay a protest before the highest quarter, so,
evading the picket, it made its way through a narrow gate into the garden
of the C.R.A. and lay down to die almost on the General’s doorstep. The
veterinary officers had a busy time, and a story concerning one of these
was told with much enjoyment by General Maxwell himself. The “vet” was
working at the highest pressure, when a gentleman in civil garb came
along and, proceeding to ask him sundry questions, was curtly requested
to seek the nether regions and mind his own business there. His horror
on discovering later that his abuse had been levelled at the head of the
Commander-in-Chief may be imagined.
Lord Kitchener had asked the Territorials to push on with their training,
and General Douglas had assured him that all ranks were animated by a
keen desire to fit themselves for whatever service might be required of
them. Training had now begun in earnest, and before long a new stimulus,
a fresh incentive, to efficiency appeared, and the prospect of the
Division’s participation in actual warfare became less remote. During
October the suspicion that Turkey might take the plunge and declare
herself on the side of the enemy had become a probability. An attempt to
incite Egypt to revolt, and, indeed, to persuade Mohammedans throughout
the world that the day had dawned when a swift blow should destroy
British supremacy for ever, might confidently be looked for; and an
attack upon the Suez Canal would surely follow. To Mohammedans—with the
exception of the comparatively feeble Shiah sect—the Sultan of Turkey was
the Defender of the Faith, the representative of the Prophet. Who could
say what religious fanaticism might not accomplish if he should proclaim
_Jehad_ against the infidels? The situation was grave; it might become
critical, for the Khedive’s good faith was distrusted, and with reason.
The Regular Army of Occupation had left Egypt for France and Flanders,
and Lancashire civilians—clerks, warehousemen, artisans, mill-hands,
merchants, professional men—were responsible for law and order in the
ancient land of the Pharaohs, for its defence and for the safe-guarding
of the Suez Canal and the communications between West and East. They
kept their charge inviolate, and during eight months, amid strange
surroundings and under trying conditions of climate, the East Lancashire
Division gained the confidence of the Administration and the respect
and esteem of British colony and native population alike, by their
efficiency, their grit, and their exemplary conduct. As soldiers under
fire they had yet to be tested; as men they were proved and approved.
Lancashire, and, indeed, the whole Territorial Force, have reason to be
proud of the first civilian army that was placed in a position of grave
responsibility.
On the 22nd of October intelligence was received of considerable Turkish
activity in the Sinai Peninsula. We were still at peace with Turkey,
but it was highly probable that a surprise attack upon the Suez Canal
might precede a formal declaration of war. The Canal had been patrolled
by a battalion of Highland Light Infantry until early in October, when
its duties had been taken over by Indian troops. To strengthen the
Canal defences the 1st and 2nd Field Companies, R.E., were sent to
Ismailia on October 26 and 27, and a few days later a detachment of the
Signal Company and the machine-gun sections of the 5th Battalion, East
Lancashires, and 10th Battalion, Manchesters, also left Cairo for the
Canal zone. The Sappers bridged the Canal in three places, manned the
searchlights, supplied crews for steam-tugs—it was in consequence of an
explosion on one of these boats that the first casualties of the Division
occurred, Lieutenant Woods and six non-commissioned officers and men
being killed—supervised the water supply, destroyed the native village
of Kantara, and built fortifications. The Signal Company laid a cable
between Kantara, Ismailia, and Suez, and the motor-cycle despatch riders
of this company were the first ever employed on active service outside
Europe. The work of the Engineers received much-valued commendation from
the Commander-in-Chief.
A section each of the 2nd and 3rd Field Ambulances had been sent to
Ismailia and Kantara respectively to be attached to the Canal defences,
and these gave what assistance was needed to Indian troops as well as
to the men of their own Division.[1] Another section of the 2nd Field
Ambulance took charge of the Australian hospital at Mena, at which place,
and also at Meadi and Zeitoun, the East Lancashire Transport and Supply
Column had formed depots and undertaken transport duties for the Anzacs
until their own A.S.C. units arrived.
On October 31 a force of nearly 9000 Yeomanry and Territorials marched
through the streets of Cairo. Such a display of troops had never
before been seen by the natives, and they were much impressed at a
critical time. The Commander-in-Chief, Sir John Maxwell, expressed his
appreciation of the splendid appearance of the men and of the salutary
effect of the parade on the Egyptians. Native agitators and German and
Turkish agents had for some time been active in Egypt and the Sudan,
seeking to discredit the allies, and one of these did his best to
convince spectators that what they took to be a powerful force was in
reality but a stage army—the same unit marching in a circle. On November
1 Martial Law was proclaimed throughout Egypt and the Sudan. On the 5th
of November war was declared against Turkey. The island of Cyprus was
formally annexed on the 7th. Two companies of the 8th Manchesters had
relieved the half-company of the 7th Manchesters as garrison on October
20, and detachments were sent to the various towns of the island to
prevent disturbances between Greeks and Turks when the proclamation was
made. On December 20 Prince Hussein was declared Sultan of Egypt under
British Protectorate, and the 5th Lancashire Fusiliers provided a guard
of honour on the occasion of the formal entry of the new Sultan into
his capital. In Alexandria and Khartoum the Manchesters had ceremonial
marches through the towns.
[Sidenote: _Work and Play_]
For some months the Division was occupied in strenuous training. The
men suffered from the heat, the glare of the sun, the dust, sandstorms,
flies, and other plagues of Egypt, the remarkable drop in temperature
at night, the long, shadeless, desert marches; but they took it all
cheerfully as part of the day’s work, and by the end of the year 1914
they were fairly well acclimatized and thoroughly fit. There was play
as well as work; cricket, rugger, soccer, lacrosse, and hockey teams
were soon hard at it; concert parties and pierrot troupes discovered
unsuspected talent. There were also boxing contests, and the race
meetings on Gezireh Island provided many dinners at the Continental
and Shepheard’s for the winners. Full advantage was taken of the
opportunities given at week-ends to visit the marvels of Egypt. The
hospitality of the British colonies at Cairo, Alexandria, and elsewhere
was warmly appreciated, and many friendships were formed between the
residents and the men from Lancashire.
The good feeling and comradeship that prevailed throughout the Division
may be illustrated by an incident, slight but typical. On the occasion
of some special parade the 5th Manchesters had to cross the very sandy
parade ground before reaching the asphalt road that led out of barracks.
Noticing the dusty state of their boots the men of D Company of the
6th Manchesters darted into their quarters, which were close at hand,
and, producing brushes and rags, they quickly polished the boots of the
Wigan men. It was a trifling incident, but still a perfect expression
of the spirit of good comradeship, and it had a wonderful and lasting
effect. The two battalions were knit more closely together, and later, in
Gallipoli, there was a sense of absolute security in either battalion in
the knowledge that the other was in support.
The first Christmas on active service was celebrated in traditional
style, plum-puddings and other Christmas fare being sent out by friends
at home. The old hymns and carols at the Morning Service stirred the
emotions deeply, and thoughts of home and memories of bygone Christmas
gatherings became poignant. Dining huts and messes, rooms and verandahs,
were garlanded with palm branches, flowers, lanterns, and chains of
coloured paper. Nothing was omitted to make the day a memorable and happy
one, and one to look back upon. Still, there were some decidedly novel
features, chief of which, perhaps, was the after-dinner swim in the sea,
indulged in by a number of Manchester men in Alexandria. On Boxing Day
a great sports meeting was held at the Gezireh Sporting Club, Cairo,
and many Lancashire men were successful competitors. They were, however,
outshone by the men of the Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps, whose prowess was
hailed with enthusiasm by their Territorial and Yeomanry rivals.
Casual mention only has been made of the 7th Manchesters. As the greater
part of this battalion occupied a position of splendid isolation its
very interesting experiences must be referred to separately and all too
briefly. B Company had been dropped at Alexandria to take over the duties
of a company of the Suffolk Regiment in that town and in Cyprus, and the
other three companies remained on board the troopship. Port Sudan was
reached on September 30 after a five days’ voyage, and the warm reception
given them by the Suffolks and the British officials was very welcome
after four weeks at sea. Half of C Company was left to garrison Port
Sudan and, later, among other duties, to patrol the Red Sea in H.M.S.
_Enterprise_, and to run an armoured train. The rest of the battalion
entrained for Khartoum, a journey of 600 kilometres, where, on October 2,
they were welcomed by the Sirdar, Sir F. R. Wingate, and his Staff.
Khartoum and the Sudan furnished a succession of novel experiences to the
men from Burlington Street, but no surprise quite equalled that conveyed
to them by the intimation that they were at once, without preliminary
coaching, to supply a half-company to form the British Camel Corps. The
two platoons of C Company were detailed for this duty. The departing
O.C. Camel Corps had little time in which to impart information to his
successor, and there were many documents to sign, some of these being
in Arabic. He seemed grieved that Manchester men should be ignorant
of Arabic and of the customs, habits, and requirements of camels, but
volunteered as much information as could be crammed into five minutes.
Captain C. Norbury and his subalterns gazed upon their new pets, seventy
in number, without affection, and sat down the better to enjoy the
humour of their predicament before sampling its difficulties. In despair
and not in hope, expecting rather to provoke merriment than to elicit
information, the new O.C. Camels asked his half-company if any man among
them had had experience of camels. Forth stepped the former camel-keeper
of Bostock’s menagerie. The Hour had brought forth the Man. The 7th
Manchesters now felt that they were equal to any emergency, and soon they
provided piano-tuners for the Sirdar’s palace, trained gardeners for the
barracks gardens, and skilled artisans for every variety of job for which
an expert was demanded.
The Camel Corps was soon proficient enough to be sent by the Sirdar on a
two-weeks’ trek through villages where white men had rarely been seen,
and their presence gave the lie to reports circulated by Turco-German
emissaries that all white troops had been recalled from Egypt and
the Sudan to defend their home country from the enemy at its gates.
Incidentally they had the opportunity of seeing the wonderful results of
Manchester enterprise in the great cotton-growing areas through which
they passed. Not only had Khartoum been transformed from a collection of
mud huts into a town of imposing buildings, shops, and public works, but
the savage Sudan of a few years ago was in process of transformation into
a land of peace and prosperity.
Training proceeded under the same trying conditions of climate
experienced by their comrades in Egypt; the same games and sports were
enjoyed with similar zest; and fitness and efficiency prevailed. The
conduct of the men received and merited high praise from the Sirdar—who
paid the battalion the distinction of becoming its honorary Colonel—and
from all with whom they came in contact. Relations with the natives
were excellent, and a firm friendship was formed with the Egyptian
regiment in Khartoum. The first of all active service periodicals, _The
Manchester Sentry_, was published in Khartoum, the Sirdar and Lady
Wingate contributing. The three companies rejoined their comrades of the
Manchester Brigade in Cairo on April 23, 1915.
[Sidenote: _Defence of the Suez Canal_]
On January 19, 1915, the Manchester Brigade was transferred from
Alexandria and Cyprus to Cairo, and the 5th and 8th Lancashire Fusiliers
were sent to Alexandria. Reports of renewed activity on the part of the
Turks pointed to an attempt to seize the Suez Canal and invade Egypt.
On January 20 the 1st and 3rd Brigades, R.F.A., were despatched to the
Canal zone, to be followed a few days later by the 1st Field Company,
R.E., which had recently been brought back to Cairo in order to take part
in divisional training. The artillery was posted on the west bank of
the Canal at El Kubri, Serapeum West, Ferry Post (Ismailia), El Ferdan,
and Kantara, most of the guns being concealed among the pines that grow
within a hundred yards of the bank. The Field Companies assisted the
garrisons of Indian troops in the strong points of the east bank to
improve their defences.
The expectations of hostile attack were realized in the early hours of
February 3, when a force of 12,000 Turks and Germans attacked, and made
an attempt to cross the Canal midway between the east bank strong points
of Serapeum and Toussoum. Heavy rifle and machine-gun fire developed
between those places about 3 a.m. The guns of the Egyptian Mountain
Battery had, by happy chance or remarkable intuition, been mounted on the
west bank within 400 yards of the main crossing-place selected by the
Turks. The chanty of the enemy, as, unaware of the battery’s proximity,
he attempted to launch the heavy steel pontoons, was much appreciated
by the gunners, who opened fire in the dark at point-blank range. When
daylight came the Battery Commander was able to congratulate himself
on some accurate “spotting,” several holed pontoons and many dead
Turks being found at the water’s edge. One of these pontoons is now in
possession of the Manchester Corporation.
Two sections of the 1st Field Company had been detailed to hold the west
bank at this point, and in the course of the fighting on February 3 they
lost one man killed and two wounded. The 19th Battery, under Major B. P.
Dobson (which had already been in action on the previous day against the
Turkish Camel Corps), played a conspicuous part in the enemy’s defeat.
They had hauled one 15-pounder through a wood to the bank of the Canal
and had fired point blank into the Turks as they vainly attempted to
launch their iron boats. Another gun was man-hauled to a hill behind the
wood, and this found good targets as the enemy approached the Canal.
Captain P. K. Clapham did some good spotting for the battery from a
precarious and exposed position in a tall fir tree. The 18th Battery,
at Ismailia, fired on the enemy positions with good effect from 2000 to
3000 yards, and every battery of the two brigades shared in the victory.
The 20th Battery, at El Ferdan, had the distinction of being the first
Battery of the Division—and probably the first of any Territorial unit—to
open fire upon an enemy. The total casualties of the East Lancashire
Artillery were five men wounded, four of these belonging to the 19th
Battery. The men of the Signal Company, who had done good work in this
sector, also received their baptism of fire.
The attempt to invade Egypt had failed. The Punjabis (upon whom fell
the brunt of the fighting), the Rajputs and Gurkhas on the east bank
were fully prepared both to meet the attack and to assume the offensive,
inflicting a serious defeat and making important captures. The Divisional
Yeomanry arrived at Ismailia on the 4th of February in time to co-operate
with Indians, Anzacs, and the 5th Battery in following up the enemy’s
retirement. More than 1600 prisoners were taken. On the 10th General
Douglas visited the posts on the Canal, held by units of his Division, to
congratulate his men on their good work. The 2nd Field Company reached
Ismailia on the 6th, and for the greater part of the month the sappers
were kept busy strengthening the Canal defences, making entanglements,
trenches and bomb-proof shelters, and laying mines. Another attack upon
the Canal was made on the 22nd of March, when the 5th Battery was again
in action, and the next day the Battery accompanied a column which
attacked the Turks in the Sinai Desert about nine miles N.E. of El
Kubri. While the East Lancashire Batteries remained in the Canal zone
Brigadier-General A. D’A. King, Divisional C.R.A., assumed command of the
artillery of the Canal defences.
[Sidenote: _Training and Fitness_]
From the beginning of the year 1915 the training had become more and
more strenuous. There were long marches in the desert—occasionally very
long ones—in full marching order, through native villages in which the
many odours were only excelled in numbers, variety, and offensiveness by
the yelping curs that were stirred into noisy activity by the tramp of
the battalions. The Khamsin wind was sickly in its heat, the atmosphere
heavy and laden with sand, the glare of the sun pitiless, the only shade
available while resting being the very inadequate shelter provided by
a blanket stretched on rifles. But the men were physically fit—they had
to be, for only fit men were needed. The amateurs had become _soldiers_.
The days were past when the colour-sergeant’s whispered order to the
right-flank man of a company in extended order for “two scouts” would
reach the left-flank man in the form of “the colour-bloke wants a couple
of stouts.” In spite, however, of good physical condition and a fine
spirit, it could not truthfully be stated that the Suez road, with its
five-mile towers, and the Virgin’s Breast had endeared themselves to
Lancastrians. Familiarity had bred not contempt but a whole-hearted
loathing for that accursed highway and that distant mound. The Third
Tower was the usual goal, the advance ceasing just beyond it. How the
troops hated the sight of this detestable pile which, in the dust and
glare, seemed to recede mockingly as they tramped towards it! On the
homeward march one very hot day, while the men were cursing the dust and
sand, a party of natives passed, all being mounted on asses. A bulky and
perspiring Salford Fusilier regarded them enviously, and growled: “They
say those blighters ain’t civilized. But _they_ don’t ⸺ well walk!” There
were night operations and marches, during one of which, after a battalion
had been wandering for hours in pitch darkness along the numerous roads
in and around Helouan, the company humorist suggested to his Captain that
they had lost their way. On being asked why, he replied, “Well, we’ve
just passed a road that we haven’t been down.”
Brigade “shows” and Divisional “stunts,” in conjunction with Australian
and New Zealand troops and English Yeomanry, now began to play an
important part in the training. The sounding of the _Cease Fire_ was the
signal for importunate orange-sellers to spring up on all sides, holding
out the refreshing fruit with shrill cries of “Two for half” (piastre).
Under the alleged cover of imaginary battle-ships “landing-schemes”
were rehearsed. These, like so many less provocative events, gave rise
to highly coloured rumours which, in spite of the hard fate of earlier
rumours, were entertained with much satisfaction, for Hope is a cheery
soul, always quick to reply that he is not downhearted. The men looked
forward eagerly to an exodus from the captivity of Egypt and longed
for the promised land, where an opportunity to test their soldierly
qualities might be found. Rehearsals, training, and all duties were
carried out with alacrity and unfailing cheerfulness, but they were
becoming monotonous; and the feeling undoubtedly existed that the
Division had—quite unintentionally—been penalized through being the first
Territorial Division to be complete for service. Had they been a little
less efficient another Territorial Division might have been chosen for
useful but inglorious garrison duty in Egypt, and the East Lancashires
might by now have been in France or Flanders. It seemed to be a case of
the first being last.
On Palm Sunday, March 28, a brilliant day, the Division was reviewed in
Cairo by General Sir Ian Hamilton, who had lately arrived to command the
Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, and Major-General Douglas had good
reason for his pride in the troops under his command. The critical eye
of the Commander-in-Chief seemed to take stock of every individual that
passed before him, and he was obviously impressed by their soldierly
bearing and fitness.[2] Here was a Division whose outward appearance
equalled that of Regulars, and, as a judge of men, he was convinced that
their martial spirit would not belie the outward appearance. He never had
reason to alter his opinion or regret the judgment then passed. From that
day the East Lancashires were “in the ring,” and were destined to play a
part in one of the war’s greatest tragedies. In a Special Order of the
Day the Divisional Commander published the following letter—
“General Sir Ian Hamilton, having been accorded the privilege
of reviewing the East Lancashire Division, wishes to
congratulate the General Officer Commanding in Egypt, as well
as Major-General Douglas, on the turn-out and soldierly bearing
of that force.
“He was able to observe to-day that the East Lancashire
Division has made full use of the advantages which continuous
fine weather and the absence of billeting have given them over
their comrades now bearing arms, whether at home or on the
continent of Europe.
“Ever since the siege of Ladysmith, General Sir Ian Hamilton
has interested himself specially in the military output of
Manchester, and it is a real pleasure to him now to be able
to bear witness to the fact that this great city is being so
finely represented in the East.”
Early in April there were signs that a fresh attack on the Canal was
contemplated by the Turks, and orders were received that an Infantry
Brigade of the Division must be ready to occupy a position covering
Kantara at short notice. Major-General Douglas selected the East
Lancashire Brigade for this important task. The move was not begun,
however, until the 16th, when two battalions left for Kantara and Port
Said, the others following on the 19th and 20th.
[Sidenote: _Embarkation for Gallipoli_]
On April 28 verbal orders were received by the Divisional Commander that
the Division must be prepared to move to the Dardanelles at short notice.
The news soon spread; it was no rumour this time, but the real thing,
and on April 30 excitement was at fever heat. At last the Territorials
were to be given the opportunity to which all ranks had looked forward
so eagerly, and towards which recent training had been directed. Little
time was given for preparation, but no more was needed, as the Division
was ready to take the field. On May 1, 1915, the embarkation of the
East Lancashire Division began, the Lancashire Fusilier Brigade, the
Brigade Signal Section and No. 2 Company, A.S.C. leaving Alexandria for
the Dardanelles on the 2nd May. The Manchester Brigade, the Brigade
Section Signal Company, No. 4 Company, A.S.C., and the 1st Artillery
Brigade sailed on the night of the 3rd. Some of the transports had just
brought many hundreds of wounded men from Gallipoli. The _Derflinger_,
a captured German vessel, had landed 550 casualties a few hours before
she was boarded by the 5th and 6th Manchesters, and the gory clothing
and stretchers which littered her decks were sufficient evidence of
war’s brutality to sober the most irresponsible and banish all idea of
a “picnic” expedition. The embarkation of the remainder of the Division
was delayed by the lack of trains, but on the 4th all units, with
the exception of the Yeomanry, left their stations for the ports of
embarkation, and on the 6th of May were at sea. The men carried with them
grateful memories of the ladies of Alexandria, from whom much kindness
had already been received, and who now opened a buffet on the quay, and
from dawn until dusk supplied tea, coffee, and other refreshments to
troops awaiting their turn to embark.
While the troops were embarking Major-General Douglas received the
following telegram from Sir John Maxwell—
“When you have an opportunity will you let the East Lancashire
Division know that during the time they have been under my
command I have been filled with admiration of their conduct,
keenness, capacity for hard work, cheerfulness and soldier-like
spirit. Now they are going on hard active service I am sure
they will fight gallantly and uphold the great traditions of
Lancashire and the Empire, and prove, if proof be needed, that
the trained Territorial soldier is second to none. Good luck
and God speed to you all.”
On May 1 the Embarkation State of the Division was as follows—
Officers. Other Ranks.
Headquarters and Signal Service 21 242
Artillery (with twenty-four 15-pr. guns) 57 1,273
Engineers 15 410
Infantry (two machine-guns to each battalion) 369 11,189
R.A.M.C. 34 653
A.S.C. 24 313
--- ------
Total 520 14,080
=== ======
Officers commanding units—
C.R.A. Brig.-General A. D’A. King, D.S.O.
1st Brigade R.F.A. Lieut.-Colonel A. Birtwistle.
3rd Brigade R.F.A. Lieut.-Colonel C. E. Walker.
C.R.E. Lieut.-Colonel S. L. Tennant.
Div. Signal Company Major A. N. Lawford.
1st Field Company Major J. H. Mousley.
2nd Field Company Major L. F. Wells.
Lancashire Fusiliers Brigade Brig.-General H. C. Frith.
5th Batt. L.F. Lieut.-Colonel J. Isherwood.
6th Batt. L.F. Lieut.-Colonel Lord Rochdale.
7th Batt. L.F. Lieut.-Colonel A. F. Maclure.
8th Batt. L.F. Lieut.-Colonel J. A. Fallows.
East Lancashire Brigade Brig.-General D. G. Prendergast.
4th Batt. E.L. Lieut.-Colonel F. D. Robinson.
5th Batt. E.L. Lieut.-Colonel W. E. Sharples.
9th Batt. Manchester Lieut.-Colonel D. H. Wade.
10th Batt. Manchester Lieut.-Colonel J. B. Rye.
Manchester Brigade Brig.-General Noel Lee.
5th Batt. Manchester Lieut.-Colonel H. C. Darlington.
6th Batt. Manchester Major C. R. Pilkington.
7th Batt. Manchester Lieut.-Colonel H. E. Gresham.
8th Batt. Manchester Lieut.-Colonel W. G. Heys.
E.L. Divisional Train Major A. England.
1st E.L. Field Ambulance Lieut.-Colonel H. G. Parker.
3rd E.L. Field Ambulance Lieut.-Colonel W. M. Steinthal.
With one or two exceptions these officers were in command when the
units left England. Lieut.-Colonel Heywood (6th Manchesters) had been
pronounced unfit for active service by reason of defective eyesight, and
Lieut.-Colonel Needham (A.S.C.) was left at Alexandria sick.
[Illustration: 1/2nd GURKHA RIFLES CROSSING 1ST FIELD COMPANY’S BRIDGE
OVER SUEZ CANAL AT FERRY POST.]
[Illustration: TURKISH PONTOONS CAPTURED AT TOUSSOUM, SUEZ CANAL.]
[Illustration: 6th BN. MANCHESTER REGT. EMBARKING AT ALEXANDRIA FOR
GALLIPOLI.]
[Illustration: UNLOADING HORSES AT C. HELLES.]
[Illustration: SHIPPING OFF C. HELLES, MAY 1915.]
[Illustration: BIVOUACS IN THE “REST AREA,” C. HELLES.]