Anderson, armed with a rifle, and accompanied by his batman, got out
of the trench, went forward under heavy fire, reached the oncoming
tank, hammered at its side with his rifle-butt, and called on it to
surrender. The iron door opened, and out came the crew, to be escorted
back in triumph as prisoners!
On the early morning of the 9th the Guards' Brigade "leap-frogged" the
Battalion and continued the attack, the Battalion moving back to
bivouac at Flesquières. Remaining there for a few days, a move was
made on the 13th to keep in touch with the general advance, Wambaix
being reached after a long march.
Training was carried out here until the 19th, when the Battalion
marched to Boussières. At midnight on October 22, under the command of
Major H.P. Rogers, it moved up to St. Python, and on the 23rd to
Escarmain, taking over the front line from the 52nd Light Infantry. At
dawn on the 24th it attacked and captured Ruesnes, and established a
line of outposts on the railway beyond. This was the last actual
fighting done by the Battalion. Relieved on the 26th by the 7th King's
Shropshire Light Infantry, it moved back into reserve.
With the signing of the Armistice came a welcome change. Duty was
relaxed so far as was possible, and the Battalion employed the rest of
the year in fitting itself out, and getting back into something
approaching its old condition, and marching into Germany, a distance
of 200 miles.
1919.
January found the Battalion in billets at Niederaussem, forming part
of the British Army of Occupation in Germany. Training was still being
carried on, however, but sport was not lost sight of. There were
platoon football matches, whist drives, paper-chases, and so on, while
there was also voluntary educational training in such things as
English, French, and shorthand.
On January 24 came the presentation of the King's Colour to the
Battalion by Major-General Pereira. Later, on the reorganization of
Divisions taking place, the Battalion on February 27 left the 99th
Brigade, 2nd Division, in which it had served so long, proceeded by
rail through Cologne to Ehreshoven, joined the London Division, and
took over the outposts of the Occupied Zone at Lindlar on March 18.
On April 15, the Battalion then being back in Cologne, the command was
taken over by Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel L.F. Ashburner, M.V.O.,
D.S.O., Lieutenant-Colonel Winter being appointed to the command of
the British Camp at Antwerp. On May 6 the Battalion was inspected and
complimented by General Sir William Robertson, G.C.B., K.C.V.O.,
D.S.O., Commander-in-Chief British Army of the Rhine.
In the event of the non-acceptance of the Peace Terms by Germany,
preparations were made between June 8 and June 19 for an advance, but
the orders on June 20 were held in abeyance and subsequently
cancelled.
[Illustration: PRESENTATION OF COLOURS: NIEDERAUSSEM, GERMANY,
JUNE 24TH, 1919.]
On June 22, at the Brigade swimming gala, the Battalion won two-thirds
of the prizes put up for competition, although they had previously
lost (2-1) in the "Kalk" football cup final to the 57th Siege Battery.
Battalion sports were held at Klef, near Vilkerath, on July 19, the
championship being annexed by "C" Company. A competition for the best
company in the Division was won by "D" Company, who were subsequently
called upon to furnish a guard of honour on the occasion of the visit
of the Army Council to Cologne.
The Battalion also scored in another way, for on August 1 the War
Savings results for July were announced. The amount subscribed by the
23rd Royal Fusiliers was £1,137 19s. 1d., the percentage of members
being 51 per cent, of the Battalion strength, and the Battalion being
top of the VIth Corps list for the amount subscribed.
Finally, the 23rd (Service) Battalion Royal Fusiliers (1st
Sportsman's) ceased to exist in March, 1920, after having had a longer
life than any other Service Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers.
+-----------------------------------------------------+
| GREAT WORK ACCOMPLISHED--HOLDING UP A GERMAN |
| ADVANCE--SILENCING SNIPERS IN A DERELICT TANK--AND |
| SOME OTHER THINGS |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
GREAT WORK ACCOMPLISHED--HOLDING UP A GERMAN
ADVANCE--SILENCING SNIPERS IN A DERELICT TANK--AND
SOME OTHER THINGS
From the official narratives available it is possible to amplify, in
some few instances, the great work accomplished by the Battalion, and
which is told but tersely in the War Diary from which the previous
pages have been collated.
Taking May 3, 1917, as an instance, when the 23rd Royal Fusiliers
formed a part of the attacking force, we are told it was determined to
capture--
Fresnoy Trench on a front of 1,400 yards.
Oppy Support, by a bombing attack, over a length of 200 yards.
Crucifix Lane, by a bombing attack, over a length of 200
yards.
Form a defensive front facing south on a front of 400 yards,
and
Form eight strong points and four posts.
The above, it may be explained, entailed the Brigade having, on the
whole, a fighting front of no fewer than 2,200 yards.
"The task of the 23rd Royal Fusiliers, forming the left assaulting
battalion, was to capture a certain sector of Fresnoy Trench, to form
two strong points, and to form four posts....
"The whole of 'C' Battalion (the 23rd Royal Fusiliers) gained their
objective, but, owing to a slight loss of direction, found the enemy
still occupying Fresnoy Trench to their north.
"A strong bombing party was immediately organized, the trench cleared,
sixty to seventy prisoners and a machine gun captured, and touch
established with the Canadians at the south end of Fresnoy Wood. At
about 5.45 a.m. a strong enemy counter-attack developed from Oppy,
which, coming up over Oppy Support and Crucifix Lane, and over the top
by several well-covered approaches, worked its way north, and attacked
the right company, whose flank was left bare owing to the retirement
of 'B' (another) Battalion.
"This attack was pushed home with the greatest energy and
determination, and succeeded in driving the right two companies and
part of left centre company out of Oppy Trench. At this point,
however, it was brought to a halt by a strong bombing and sniping post
of the 23rd Royal Fusiliers, who not only stopped it, but
counter-attacked in their turn, and regained some 400 yards of the
trench.
"This party then halted owing to numerical weakness and lack of bombs,
and retiring a short way, formed a block and a post, and occupied a
shell-hole line from the first point named through the second and a
little beyond it, thus forming a defensive flank in close touch with
the Canadians.
"This party held out all day, until relieved by the 15th Warwicks at
3.30 a.m. A strong point was also formed immediately after dark and
handed over to the 15th Warwicks on relief...."
"In one instance the garrison of a post calmly watched an enemy
machine-gun team establish a machine gun in position; they then opened
rapid fire, killed all the team, and brought in the gun...."
Amongst the gallant services mentioned by Major-General Pereira in the
special order of the day, dated December 17, 1917, is the following:
"No. 1,079 Lance-Sergeant James Cochrane, M.M., and No. 2,852 Private
Frank Hemington: In the enemy lines west of Bourlon Wood there was a
derelict tank, from which enemy snipers were very active at only 70
yards from our line, causing many casualties.
"On December 1, Lance-Sergeant Cochrane and Private Hemington
volunteered to deal with them. Creeping out through our wire, they
succeeded in reaching the tank in spite of heavy enemy fire. They put
two Mills' bombs into the tank, and on the bombs exploding they came
under heavy machine-gun fire, but returned in safety. No further
sniping came from this tank. By their gallant work we were saved many
casualties, and this daring feat cheered and encouraged the men in the
line...."
In the desperate fighting in March, 1918, the Battalion also
distinguished itself.
"Hexham Road," says the narrative of the morning of the 25th, "where
the headquarters of the 23rd Royal Fusiliers was in a dug-out, had
been swept by machine-gun fire all the morning, and as the Divisions
on the right had retired, the 23rd Royal Fusiliers were left in a very
precarious and isolated position, from which only small bodies of men
were able to extricate themselves...."
Then, however, came March 28, and here our men were afforded an
opportunity of getting their own back. It is with delight that we
consequently read:
"The old trenches were, on the whole, in surprisingly good condition,
the men had ammunition and had had some sleep and food, and orders had
been received that this was to be the line of resistance, and that
there would be no further retirement.
"It was a day of anxiety, but still a day on which our men could at
last settle down to shooting down the enemy. This they did with great
relish."
Bald, perhaps, these details may appear to those who have judged the
war from the pen pictures of the various war correspondents, but they
possess the ring of real reality to those who have known what it is to
be shelled day after day and night after night in the trenches, to
have advanced in the face of a rain of machine-gun bullets, or to have
been forced to take shelter in an all too small shell crater, when to
show an inch of head or body meant death or a serious wound.
+-----------------------------------------------------+
| PRESENTATION OF THE KING'S COLOUR--MAJOR-GENERAL |
| SIR C.E. PEREIRA, K.C.B., C.M.G., AND HIS PRIDE IN |
| THE BATTALION |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
PRESENTATION OF THE KING'S COLOUR--MAJOR-GENERAL
SIR C.E. PEREIRA, K.C.B., C.M.G., AND HIS PRIDE IN
THE BATTALION
His pride in the Battalion was expressed by Major-General C.E.
Pereira, C.B., C.M.G., on the occasion of the presentation of the
King's Colour at Niederaussem, Germany, on January 24, 1919.
"First of all," said Major-General Pereira, "I will tell you how
highly I esteem the privilege of presenting these colours to-day.
"For two years," he went on, "I have had the honour to command the 2nd
Division, and I have been proud of your work in the Field and out of
it, and of the fine spirit which you have always shown.
"These colours are given you as a mark of the magnificent service you
have rendered in the campaign during the last four years.
"The record of the Regiment during the whole of its service will
compare with the services of any battalion in the British Army,
whether in the Somme fighting, 1916, Courcelette, Vimy Ridge, and
Bourlon Wood in 1917, the retirement from the Cambrai salient in
March, 1918, or the recent victorious advance which culminated in the
overthrow of the Germans. In all these operations, in spite of mud,
heat or cold, or desperate resistance, you have always shown the
dogged determination to win.
"It is a fine tribute to the British race that a newly-raised
battalion, without any previous traditions, which are such assets to
regular battalions, should have outfought the German battalions,
trained to war for generations.
"Perhaps your finest record is that of March, 1918, when along a great
part of our front detached Divisions fought their way slowly back from
position to position, facing overwhelming numbers, and an enemy drunk
with the idea that the final victory was theirs; it was then, when
short of food, without rest, short of men, that you showed what you
were made of, and after successive days of retirement you turned and
held the Germans.
"It is fitting that the work of this Battalion should be crowned by
the victorious march to the Rhine, and that your colours should make
their first appearance in a conquered country--a country which has
taken us four and a half years to reach."
+-----------------------------------------------------+
| "GOOD-BYE, AND GOOD LUCK!"--BRIGADIER-GENERAL A.E. |
| McNAMARA, C.M.G., D.S.O., AND HIS FAREWELL TO THE |
| 23RD ROYAL FUSILIERS (FIRST SPORTSMAN'S BATTALION) |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
"GOOD-BYE, AND GOOD LUCK!"--BRIGADIER-GENERAL A.E.
McNAMARA, C.M.G., D.S.O., AND HIS FAREWELL TO THE
23RD ROYAL FUSILIERS (FIRST SPORTSMAN'S BATTALION)
Appreciation of and admiration for the Battalion was also expressed by
Brigadier-General A.E. McNamara, commanding the 99th Infantry Brigade,
when he bade it "good-bye and good luck" on February 25, 1919, when it
left the 2nd Division to join the London Division.
"Owing to the reorganization of the Army of Occupation," he said, "the
23rd Royal Fusiliers, the oldest member of the 99th Infantry Brigade,
is leaving it.
"I wish to place on record my high appreciation and admiration of the
magnificent services of the Battalion while in the 99th Infantry
Brigade.
"The Battalion came out to France with the 99th Infantry Brigade in
November, 1915. Since then it has taken a leading part in all the many
and strenuous battles in which the Brigade has been engaged. In these
eventful three years we have seen together good times and bad, but
whether things were good or evil the 23rd Royal Fusiliers have ever
shown the same high discipline, _esprit de corps_, and indomitable
spirit which eventually beat down all resistance and won the war.
[Illustration: BATTALION HEADQUARTERS: HORNCHURCH.]
[Illustration: THE BATTALION PIERROT TROUPE: GERMANY.
To face p. 80]
"The battles of Delville Wood, Bourlon Wood, Ayette, Behagnies, Mory
Copse, Canal du Nord, Forenville, and Ruesnes stand out in history as
a record of the achievements of the 23rd Royal Fusiliers--a record of
which the Battalion may well be proud.
"The Battalion is now going to another Brigade and another Division. I
wish it the best of luck, and know it will maintain the high
reputation for discipline, efficiency, and, if need be, fighting,
which it has built up since its formation.
"In bidding it farewell, I wish to thank officers, N.C.O.'s, and men
(including the gallant comrades who have fallen in the fight), for
their gallant services when in the 99th Infantry Brigade. It is they
who have borne the brunt of the hardships and the fighting, and it is
they who have won the war.
"I cannot express how sorry I am to lose the Battalion, or how proud I
am of the honour I have had of having had it under my command.
"Good-bye, and good luck!"
+-----------------------------------------------------+
| THE BATTLE OF DELVILLE WOOD--AN ADVANCE IN FACE OF |
| HUNDREDS OF MACHINE GUNS--A PERSONAL NARRATIVE |
+-----------------------------------------------------+
THE BATTLE OF DELVILLE WOOD--AN ADVANCE IN FACE OF
HUNDREDS OF MACHINE GUNS--A PERSONAL NARRATIVE
To the personal side of the late war we have, in a measure, been
introduced by various war correspondents. But there has always been
something actually lacking, and that something is the touch and the
atmosphere which can only be introduced by those who have been through
the baptism of blood and fire.
In the following pages the _real_ touch is introduced. Every incident
is told by a man who has actually seen and experienced what he
describes. These incidents are in the actual words of the writers.
Nothing is altered.
Here, then, is the story of the capture of Delville Wood by the 1st
Sportsman's Battalion in 1916, told by Major N.A. Lewis, D.S.O., M.C.:
"For two days before the fight the Battalion occupied some trenches
near Bernefay Wood, and sustained a number of casualties from
shell-fire. Battalion headquarters was a shelter dug in a bank at the
side of Bernefay Wood. This shelter was constructed by Albany, the
sculler, and as he was killed in the fight it was his last job as
dug-out constructor. Needless to say, he did this job excellently.
"For some hours before the Battalion moved off to take up its
position, the Huns shelled the area with gas shells. Fortunately,
however, just before 11 p.m., the time for starting, a breeze sprang
up, and we were able to move without wearing gas masks.
"The move up was not pleasant. The area had been much fought over, it
had been impossible to bury the dead for ten days, and it was a hot
July!
"Our artillery was firing to cover our move up. Just after passing
Longueval one of our shells dropped, unfortunately, near the platoon
which, with the C.O., I was following. As luck would have it, though,
only one man was badly wounded. The platoon, of course, went on, and
the C.O. went over to the man who had been hit.
"'It's hard lines, sir,' said the man.
"'I know it is,' said the C.O., 'but you will soon be all right. The
stretcher-bearers are coming.'
"'Oh, it's not that,' was the man's rejoinder. 'It's being hit now!
Here have I been all this time in France without having a real go at
the b----s, and now the chance has come, here I go and get knocked
out.'
"The C.O. made only one remark to me as we passed on. It was: 'Well,
if that's what the rest of the Battalion feels, I have no fears for
to-morrow.'
"We took up our position in a trench at the edge of the wood. This was
all that remained after the South Africans had been beaten back, and
our attack was to start at dawn on the following morning. This attack
was in two parts, two companies to take the first objective, a trench
in the centre of the wood, and two companies to capture the far edge,
and dig themselves in there. The 1/60th were on our right, each
battalion having half the wood allotted to it.
"The waves formed up in position shortly before dawn, and it was our
first experience of going over the top as a battalion. The men,
however, were quite cool and cheerful; in fact, one, named Lewis
Turner, asked me, 'How long to go?' I looked at my watch, and said,
'Five minutes.' His reply was, 'Oh, then I've time to finish my
breakfast.' And he did.
"At zero our barrage started, and our first waves were off, the thing
I noticed most being that most of the men were smoking as they went
over. The whole wood was immediately full of machine-gun bullets.
There must have been hundreds of machine guns--up in trees, hidden in
the undergrowth, in fact all over the place. The Hun artillery came
down on all the approaches to the wood, but not on the wood itself so
long as any of their own men were in it.
"Owing to the position of the wood, however, at the apex of a captured
triangle of ground, we received fire from both flanks, and also from
our right rear, as well as from the front.
"The first objective was quickly taken, and then there was a pause
before the advance to the second. A large number of prisoners came in,
and were herded up near Battalion headquarters' trench. We then found
that we were up against the Brandenburg Regiment, which had been
specially sent up to hold the wood.
"A number of these prisoners next got into a shell-hole near Battalion
headquarters, refusing to come farther, and one of the funniest sights
was to see our R.S.M., Sergeant-Major Powney, who, as a rule, was most
dignified, rush at them, and kick and cuff them out of it.
"I said to him: 'Sergeant-Major, that's not your job.' He replied: 'I
know that, sir, but I couldn't help it.' Poor Powney was wounded later
in the day, and died of his wounds.
"The advance to the second objective started promptly, but the Hun
fought hard for a time, and held us up. Every bush seemed to contain a
machine gun, and a redoubt on our left front caused us many
casualties. This redoubt contained several machine guns, with overhead
cover, and a first-aid post. As soon as the C.O. received news of this
check he sent up two reserve Lewis guns. These worked round the
redoubt, and, finding an opening, killed most of the garrison, and
then rushed it. The survivors fled, but Sergeant Royston found one of
their own guns was still in action, and finished them off with it.
"DEALING WITH COUNTER-ATTACKS.--The final objective was quickly
reached and consolidated, and for a while our men had a pleasant time
dealing with counter-attacks from the front. The field of fire was
good, and they quickly dealt with all the attempts made to push us
back. Our casualties, though, were very heavy, particularly amongst
officers. At one time 'A' Company was commanded by Lance-Corporal
Goodman, and another company by a C.S.M.
"Then the Hun artillery got busy on the wood, which was, of course, an
ideal mark. For the rest of the day they simply poured heavy shells
in. It was pretty terrible. Trees were torn up by the dozens, and fell
blazing. By the end of the day there was nothing but shattered stumps.
"The Medical Officer had a busy time, and owing to the barrage could
not evacuate his wounded. The aid post was filled, and the overflow
had to be put in shell-holes round about. The consequence was that
many of them were killed as they lay there. Owing to the barrage, too,
the sending of messages back to Brigade headquarters and the companies
in front became almost impossible. Out of sixteen headquarter runners
no fewer than fourteen became casualties before mid-day.
"One message was sent back by carrier pigeon, and a message received
from the Brigadier read: 'Hold on. Reinforcements are being sent.' The
reply of the C.O. was: 'Of course we shall hold on. We are being
hammered, but our tails are still up.'
"As the day wore on many efforts were made to get round our flanks and
turn us out. Bombing parties crept up, and had to be dealt with by
our bombers. It was in one of these tussles that Jerry Delany (the
famous boxer) was killed.
"At one time word came from our comrades on the right that the Hun had
broken through. So we sent over a party to their assistance, and
finally repelled the attackers. We spent the whole of the afternoon
and evening in this way, but when our relief came up that night we
handed over the wood intact.
"The scene at night was awful, the wood being ablaze in many places. I
read messages and wrote out the relief orders by the light of a
blazing tree, which had fallen across the shell-hole then being
occupied by Battalion headquarters.
"During the night our Brigadier came up and held a conference in our
shell-hole. One of our men, Corporal Walker, who was attached to the
Brigade Machine-Gun Company, came to this conference, and when asked
by the Brigadier what he wanted, replied: 'I have reason to believe,
sir, I now command the Machine-Gun Company.' This was actually the
case, and he brought the remnants out, being badly wounded in doing
so.
"We were relieved by the 6th Brigade, and at dawn returned to our
quarters at Bernefay--that is to say, those of us who were left. Our
casualties were nearly 400, over 60 per cent, of those who went in.
Out of eighteen officers who went into the wood, thirteen became
casualties, every company commander being included in this number,
while the 1/60th suffered equally heavily.
"As I was making out our casualty return in our headquarters'
shell-hole by the light of the blazing trees, our Quartermaster
appeared with the rations. He threw a newspaper down to me, with the
remark: 'You'll find something interesting in that.' I opened the
paper, and found a full column describing how the South Africans took
Delville Wood!
"When we were moving back into support, I noticed a horrible smell,
and found it was due to the fact that almost every man was smoking a
Hun cigar, large quantities of which had been found in the trenches,
together with large quantities of soda-water.
"One of the Hun officer prisoners remarked that our advance through
the wood was the finest thing they ever saw, but that he objected to
being captured by civilians."
* * * * *
SOME LIGHTER STORIES.--Another story of Delville Wood, introducing the
M.O.
"During the Delville Wood show a captured Hun Red Cross man was
lending a hand in the Battalion aid post. Suddenly a scuffle was heard
on the steps of the dug-out, and the prisoner went to see what was the
matter. 'What's happened?' asked Doc. Isaac, busily engaged in
bandaging a wounded man.
"'Oh, it's only some of those b---- Bosches!' was the reply...."
* * * * *
There were many middle-aged men in the First Sportsman's. This
introduces one of them.