[Illustration:
[_Swaine_
MAJOR-GENERAL W. DOUGLAS SMITH, C.B.
[_Frontispiece._]
THE HISTORY OF
THE TWENTIETH
(LIGHT) DIVISION
BY
CAPTAIN V. E. INGLEFIELD
WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY
LIEUT.-GENERAL
THE EARL OF CAVAN
K.P., G.C.M., K.C.B., M.V.O.
[Illustration]
London
NISBET & CO. LTD.
22 BERNERS STREET W.1
_First Published in 1921_
_Printed in Great Britain
by Turnbull & Spears, Edinburgh_
PREFACE
This history has been compiled from the official records and from the
notes of many of those who took part in the operations described.
The fighting troops of the Division necessarily occupy the chief
place in the narrative, but it must be remembered throughout that the
achievements of these troops would have been impossible without the
co-operation of the Royal Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps and
Army Veterinary Corps units, and the good work of the Field Ambulances
and stretcher-bearers.
Of the great number of honours won, and of the still greater number of
gallant actions performed, only a few have been mentioned. These must
be taken merely as typical of the many brave deeds which there is no
space to record.
The rank of officers and non-commissioned officers given is that which
they held at the time of the events described. Every effort has been
made to ensure accuracy in this and in all other respects. For any
inaccuracies or omissions I offer my apologies.
I wish to thank the many officers of the Division who have helped me
by reading the narrative and by giving me most useful information, in
particular Lieut.-Colonel A. E. Erskine, whose assistance throughout
has been invaluable. I wish to thank also the publishers, Messrs Nisbet
& Co., for the interest they have shown and the trouble they have taken
in the production of this book.
V. E. I.
INTRODUCTION
When one feels a personal affection for a Division such as I do for the
20th, it is the pleasantest of tasks to record it publicly.
The 20th Division never failed me, and never failed its neighbours,
during the time that I had the honour of commanding the XIVth Corps.
How can one say more?
I owe the Division my undying thanks, and I trust this book may
perpetuate its great deeds, as an incentive to all to show an equally
bold front in the day of trouble.
[Illustration:
_Cavan_]
GUARDS CLUB,
S.W.1.
CONTENTS
PAGE
PREFACE v
INTRODUCTION vii
CHAPTER
I. THE FORMATION OF THE DIVISION AND TRAINING IN ENGLAND 1
II. THE LAVENTIE SECTOR 7
III. THE YPRES SALIENT 36
IV. THE SOMME 61
V. THE SOMME (_continued_) 88
VI. WINTER IN THE SOMME AREA 108
VII. THE GERMAN RETREAT 122
VIII. THE THIRD BATTLE OF YPRES 143
IX. THE BATTLE OF CAMBRAI 178
X. THE MENIN ROAD SECTOR 210
XI. THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE ON THE SOMME 218
XII. THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE ON THE SOMME (_continued_) 248
XIII. LENS AND AVION 270
XIV. THE FINAL ADVANCE 300
INDEX 307
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
MAJOR-GEN. W. DOUGLAS SMITH, C.B. _Frontispiece_
FACING PAGE
MAJOR-GEN. R. H. DAVIES, C.B. 4
GUILLEMONT STATION 70
MAJOR-GEN. T. G. MATHESON, C.B., C.M.G. 124
THE MILL HOUSE, HAVRINCOURT WOOD 136
THE STEENBEEK 148
AU BON GÎTE 158
THE BROKEN BRIDGE, MASNIÈRES 186
THE MENIN ROAD, YPRES 212
MAJOR-GEN. G. G. S. CAREY, C.B., C.M.G. 256
LIÈVIN 278
AVION SECTOR 292
MAPS
FACING PAGE
A. LAVENTIE, 1915 8
B. GUILLEMONT, 1916 62
C. LENS AND AVION, 1918 272
D. THE FINAL ADVANCE 302
AT END OF BOOK
I. YPRES
II. THE SOMME, 1916–17
III. BATTLE OF CAMBRAI
IV. GERMAN OFFENSIVE ON THE SOMME
HISTORY OF THE
20TH (LIGHT) DIVISION
CHAPTER I
THE FORMATION OF THE DIVISION AND TRAINING IN ENGLAND
_4th August 1914 to 19th July 1915_
On the 4th of August 1914 war was declared between England and Germany.
Two days later Parliament sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men to the
army, and in a letter to the nation on the 7th of August Lord Kitchener
appealed for the immediate enrolment of 100,000 men.
The ready response to this appeal soon supplied more than sufficient
men for the first six divisions of the New Army, eventually numbered
9 to 14. New battalions continued to be raised to absorb as far as
possible the stream of recruits and on the 11th of September the
formation of six additional divisions--the 15th to the 20th--was
authorised. Thus the 20th (Light) Division came into existence. It was
to be composed entirely of Rifle and Light Infantry battalions--formed
into the 59th, 60th, and 61st Infantry Brigades--and Divisional troops.
A few changes were made later, and the order of battle of the Division
as finally constituted was as follows:--
_59th Infantry Brigade_
10th (Service) Battalion the King’s Royal Rifle Corps.
11th (Service) Battalion the King’s Royal Rifle Corps.
10th (Service) Battalion the Rifle Brigade.
11th (Service) Battalion the Rifle Brigade.
_60th Infantry Brigade_
6th (Service) Battalion the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire
Light Infantry.
6th (Service) Battalion the King’s (Shropshire Light Infantry).
12th (Service) Battalion the King’s Royal Rifle Corps.
12th (Service) Battalion the Rifle Brigade.
_61st Infantry Brigade_
12th (Service) Battalion the King’s (Liverpool Regiment).
7th (Service) Battalion Prince Albert’s (Somerset Light
Infantry).
7th (Service) Battalion the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry.
7th (Service) Battalion the King’s Own (Yorkshire Light
Infantry).
_Pioneer Battalion_
11th (Service) Battalion the Durham Light Infantry.
_Divisional Artillery_
90th Field Artillery Brigade.
91st Field Artillery Brigade.
92nd Field Artillery (Howitzer) Brigade.
93rd Field Artillery Brigade.
_Divisional Engineers_
83rd Field Company Royal Engineers.
84th Field Company Royal Engineers.
96th Field Company Royal Engineers.
_Signal Service_
20th Divisional Signal Company Royal Engineers.
_Divisional Transport and Supply_
20th Divisional Train.
_Medical Units_
60th Field Ambulance.
61st Field Ambulance.
62nd Field Ambulance.
Originally the 12th King’s did not belong to the Division, but were an
attached battalion of army troops; the 11th D.L.I. then formed part of
the 61st Brigade. Towards the end of 1914 a pioneer battalion was added
to each division. Being composed largely of miners, the 11th D.L.I.
became the pioneer battalion of the 20th Division, and the 12th King’s
then took their place in the 61st Brigade.
The Division was formed at Blackdown in September 1914. The first
officer of the Divisional Staff to join was Major J. E. B. Martin,
M.V.O., who at first had charge of the musketry, and who served with
the Division in France as A.P.M. until September 1918. Within a few
weeks Major-General R. H. Davies, C.B., a New Zealander, who had
commanded the 6th Brigade in France through the critical fighting of
August and September, was given command of the Division. Major-General
Davies applied himself whole-heartedly to the work of training his
new command, and by his personality won the complete confidence of his
officers and men. It is largely due to him that the 20th on arrival in
France was a thoroughly efficient division. He was ably assisted by his
two senior staff officers, Lieut.-Colonel W. R. N. Madocks, G.S.O. 1,
and Lieut.-Colonel F. C. Dundas, A.A. and Q.M.G., both of whom served
with the Division for over two years. At this time the 59th Brigade was
commanded by Colonel G. Leslie, the 60th by Colonel A. E. W. Colville,
C.B., and the 61st by Colonel O’D. C. Grattan, D.S.O. Brig.-General
John Hotham became the C.R.A. and Colonel E. R. Kenyon the C.R.E.
Early in 1915 the 20th Divisional Ammunition Column was formed under
Lieut.-Colonel J. R. Foster, who although over sixty years of age
commanded the column until the end of the war.
The whole of the Division was not concentrated in one area. The 59th
and 60th Brigades were at Blackdown, and the artillery near by at
Deepcut. The battalions of the 61st Brigade were at Aldershot and later
at Woking; the R.E. units were trained at Chatham. The field ambulances
remained at Aldershot, where they carried out nearly all their
training, joining the Division only in the following June, a little
over a month before embarkation for France.
[Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL R. H. DAVIES, C.B.]
Throughout the period of training, but particularly in the early days
at Blackdown, there was the greatest difficulty in getting clothing
and equipment. No uniform was available until November, when a suit of
emergency blue was issued to each man. A certain number of old rifles
for drill purposes became available about the same time. There were so
few S.M.L.E. rifles in some battalions that only one or two companies
could fire at a time, and even then each detail after firing had to
hand over the rifles to another detail waiting to fire. The artillery
at first had only enough harness for one six-horse team in each
brigade. The shortage of saddles was made good to a certain extent by
private gifts. Each brigade had two 90-mm. and two 15-pr. guns, but
these had no sights. Wooden sights and wooden guns were improvised to
carry out battery gun drill. It was not until February that one 18-pr.
gun was issued to each battery.
There was no lack of men in the Division, many units being well over
establishment; the main difficulty to be contended with was the
shortage of regular officers and N.C.O.’s to carry out the training.
For a few weeks one or two experienced officers and a few re-enlisted
N.C.O.’s in each battalion and artillery brigade were confronted with
the task of turning a thousand totally untrained men into an efficient
and well-disciplined fighting force. The task was made possible by
the unbounded enthusiasm of the men, all of whom had volunteered
immediately after the outbreak of the war and whose one desire was to
learn their job and to get out to France.
In February 1915 the Division moved to Witley. Some of the units
were encamped or billeted near Guildford and Godalming; others,
after marching to Witley in the pouring rain, went into a camp there
described as a sea of mud with damp and leaky huts. The training now
became more interesting, and included tactical schemes. Officers and
N.C.O.’s had joined or had been promoted, and the issue of service
dress begun at Blackdown was completed. A large number of horses, guns
and equipment for the artillery became available, the stamp of draught
horse obtained at this time being particularly good. The Divisional
Ammunition Column had to be completed with mules.
At the beginning of April the Division moved by road to Salisbury
Plain, covering the sixty-three miles in four days--a creditable
performance, as the weather was warm and the roads were dusty, and the
men marched for the first time in full marching order. Three months of
hard work followed; field firing and night operations were carried out
in addition to tactical exercises which often involved a long march to
the training area and back.
At this time the number of field companies per division was increased
to three, and the 96th Field Company, which had originally formed part
of the 26th Division, joined the 20th on the 15th of May.
The three field ambulances, having completed nine months of hard
training at Aldershot, often under most unpleasant conditions, joined
the Division on Salisbury Plain in June.
Meanwhile the transport and equipment of units were being completed,
and everything pointed to an early departure. The Division was finally
inspected by the King towards the end of June, and a month later
embarked for France.