The Square showing the Cloth Hall.
]
On the 21st 2nd Lieut. Orchardson of D Company was wounded in the
shoulder by a shell splinter, and both that day and the next there was a
good deal of “minnying” on the two right companies. Throughout the
morning of the 23rd the enemy carried out a Minnenwerfer strafe mainly
on the right of D Company, and did considerable damage both in
casualties and to the trenches. The right half of Vancouver Trench was
obliterated, and Cross Trench was blown in badly near the junction with
Crab Crawl, cutting off communication between the two. The B Company
stretcher-bearers showed great gallantry in getting back the wounded
from isolated portions of Cross and Vancouver Trenches across the open
under heavy fire.
In the evening the Brigadier came up and ordered the repair of the
trenches as quickly as possible; but even before he had left the
trenches at 7 p.m. an exceptionally heavy bombardment was opened,
affecting the right centre and support companies. The majority of A
Company were able to get shelter in the Crab Crawl tunnel and B Company,
with D, again came in for the worst of it. Crab Crawl, Winnipeg Trench,
Vigo Street and Hill Street were immediately blocked, but Fort Street
and the left of Winnipeg remained open, and D Company there filled the
gap which was left in the front line. The B.G.C., who only escaped the
bombardment by a few minutes, is reported to have said that there would
not be a man left alive in the trenches. The high-explosive bombardment
lasted for an hour, and was then followed by shrapnel, and all the
companies stood to in expectation of an attack. Our artillery, however,
was putting down a beautiful counter-barrage, which must have seriously
disorganised any intended attack, and certainly in the gathering
darkness and heavy smoke no assaulting troops were seen by our men. Next
day some new stick bombs were found near the evacuated portion of
Vancouver Trench, from which it would appear that a small portion of the
enemy did succeed in trickling through that far.
The bombardment stopped at 8.55 p.m., but was renewed at 9.30, mostly on
the support and communication trenches, until 11 p.m. One company of the
support battalion, The Queens, was sent up in close support, and one
company to the Zillebeke Dug-outs. Our casualties were seven killed and
thirty-one wounded.
Our trenches were in a terrible state, and one hundred men of The Queens
were sent up at once to assist us in digging them out.
The next evening D Company relieved B in the centre. Cross Trench was
again occupied and communication with Crab Crawl restored. Vancouver was
also occupied, except on the extreme right. To dig out this, a party of
one hundred East Surreys were sent up, but they had considerable
difficulty in retracing the line of the old trench. We were also hard at
work all night, and a strong patrol from A Company, under 2nd Lieut.
Griffith, was sent out to cover our working parties. The enemy, however,
made no attempt to molest us, and had evidently suffered considerably
himself, as he could be heard working all night.
On the night of the 26th/27th we were relieved by The Queens and
returned, excepting A Company, who remained in close support in
Wellington Crescent and Ritz Street, to the infantry barracks at Ypres
without further casualties.
On the night of the 28th/29th we were relieved by the 2nd Bedfords, and
proceeded by train from the siding near the asylum to Hopoutre, and from
there we marched to camp near Wippenhoek. The area round the station and
asylum was heavily shelled while we were entraining, and we had a most
unpleasant finale to the tour. Lieut.-Col. Parker was slightly wounded,
but remained at duty.
The Battalion arrived in camp in the early hours of the morning of May
29. The officers were quartered in some old and rather dilapidated huts
and the men were under canvas which had been erected by the details at
Transport Lines the day before.
That day was spent in cleaning up, kit inspection, and the posting to
companies of a new draft of about seventy-five other ranks, which had
joined the details a few days previously.
For the next few days training was carried out as far as was possible.
Time was also spent in preparing the equipment for “Fighting Order,” and
collecting and practising with the various forms of ammunition, bombs,
rifle grenades, flares, Lewis-gun drums, and other appurtenances of war
which have to be hung on the person of a soldier about to enter into
offensive operations.
All this time the guns were roaring away at their work of demolishing
those celebrated defences, thought at one time to be almost impregnable,
which protected the famous Messines-Wytschaete Ridge.
At about this time we lost two of our company commanders. Capt. Sir
Henry Hawley, Bart., had served with the Battalion before it came
overseas, and rejoined early in 1916. He succeeded Capt. T. P. P. Walker
in command of C Company, and held this appointment with great success
for some months. Capt. W. G. Lock joined D Company as a 2nd lieutenant,
after the Battle of Loos, and succeeded Capt. C. F. Penton in command of
the Company when the latter was wounded on the Somme. He was
subsequently transferred to command B Company, and remained with them
for eight months until he went down for a rest as a temporary instructor
at a Musketry School; there he seems to have made himself indispensable,
and he never came back. We were very sorry to lose them.
On the night 5th/6th the Battalion moved from the Wippenhoek Camp to N
Camp, near Scottish lines at Busseboom, arriving in at 2.15 a.m. on the
6th. There were great numbers of troops and transport on the road and
progress was very slow. The next day was spent in camp, and the
Battalion again moved forward at 11 p.m., and went into billets in the
ruined houses and cellars at Dickebusch, which was reached at 2 a.m.
This day, June 7, was the day of the great 2nd Army offensive, known as
the Battle of Messines. The 24th Division was in Corps Reserve to the
10th Corps, which was the left of the three corps engaged in the attack.
The 72nd Brigade had no definite rôle allotted to it for the battle, but
was ready to move off at a moment’s notice if required to fulfil any of
the duties which may be demanded of the reserve. The 17th and 73rd
Brigades had objectives allotted to them, which they would be required
to take in the event of the original attack proving a complete success.
As it turned out, the attack was a success, and these two brigades moved
up at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, passed through the troops who
had attacked in the morning, and successfully captured the final
objectives with remarkably few casualties.
At about the time we reached Dickebusch the guns, which had been roaring
so incessantly for many days past, seemed to grow strangely silent, and
from half-past two onwards there was a hush which even the Boche must
have felt boded him no good. This silence was broken as far as we were
concerned just before 3 o’clock by the enemy himself, who began to shell
the village with gas shells. Rumour had it that zero hour would be 3
o’clock, and when that hour came and nothing happened, many of those who
had stayed out to see the mines go up and the opening of the barrage,
went in to get a little rest. As a matter of fact, it was ten minutes
later that great sheets of flame suddenly leaped from the earth, showing
the positions of the nineteen great mines, the firing of which marked
the opening of the second big offensive of 1917. Simultaneously
thousands of guns opened along the whole of the nine miles’ frontage of
the attack. It was a most impressive sight, and it is small wonder that
the enemy’s front lines offered very little resistance to our attack. It
is no exaggeration to say that not a blade of grass was showing anywhere
over which that barrage had passed.
Our own part in this great battle was destined to be a passive one. So
successful was the attack, following almost to the minute the exact
time-table prepared for it, that the reserve was not called upon.
Throughout the day prisoners and walking wounded came streaming down the
track, which passed close to the village, the former looking very
dejected and the latter equally elated. From these we learnt that
everything was going well, and that our casualties were not very great,
and those mainly slightly wounded.
At 1 p.m. we left our billets and marched up to trenches known as G.H.Q.
2nd line, just east of Café Belge, on the Voormezeele-Vlamertinghe road.
Headquarters, A, B, and C Companies were in the neighbourhood of a large
dug-out which was well supplied with sleeping accommodation, but which
was so damp as to floor, walls, and ceiling, and smelt so foully, that
the majority preferred sleeping under the open heavens close by. The
disadvantage to this was a battery of particularly noisy 60-pounders
firing directly over our heads from a distance of about 200 yards away.
Those who have tried it will know that 60-pounders, even at a distance
of half a mile, are not conducive to sleep. D Company found themselves
some disused gun-pits on the other side of the road, and occupied them.
Late in the evening and on the next day there was some shelling of the
area round Café Belge, but though several shells fell in the actual
field in which we were, they did not cause us any casualties.
At 9 p.m. on the 9th we marched up to the Brigade Reserve positions of
the Mount Sorrel Section, relieving the 9th K.O.Y.L.I. and the 10th
N.F.’s of the 23rd Division. A and B Companies were in Railway Dug-outs,
and further forward Headquarters were in Rudkin House, and C and D
Companies in Maple and Stafford Trenches, between those two noted spots,
Maple Copse and Armagh Wood. The night was fairly quiet, but just after
midday on the 10th the enemy shelled Stafford Trench heavily from the
north-east, getting it in enfilade and giving the garrison a most
unpleasant time. There were several casualties, including 2nd Lieut. R.
N. Killick, D.C.M., of C Company, who was badly wounded in the chest,
and about six men of D Company, who were buried and were suffering badly
with shell-shock when dug out. That night the Battalion relieved the
11th Sherwood Foresters in the left subsection of the Mount Sorrel
section. The journey up was a most unpleasant one. Either the Boche was
attacking or thought that we were, as our front line and all
communication trenches and approaches were plastered heavily for some
time just as the Battalion was half-way up for the relief. The companies
were absolutely caught, and for some time could neither move forward nor
find any cover where they were. However, things quietened down, and the
relief was eventually over by 2.30 a.m. This sector was the extreme left
of the front of the attack on the 7th. D Company on the right in the
“Triangle” and C Company in the centre were in the old Boche trenches,
while A Company on the left was holding G Sap, which ran across what had
been No Man’s Land, and our own front line at Hedge Street. B Company
were in support in Canada Street Tunnels. Headquarters were in Hedge
Street Tunnel, a fairly extensive underground system, in which was also
quartered a company of the 9th East Surreys in close support.
The trenches were, of course, in a very bad state indeed, particularly
on the front over which the barrage had passed. The trenches there were
almost obliterated, and, except in a few places, offered practically no
cover.
At about the zero hour of our big attack on the morning of the 7th the
enemy had made a determined raid on the left of our front, supported by
heavy artillery and trench-mortar fire, which had caused considerable
damage to these trenches. It also accounted for a very large number of
dead Huns lying about the neighbourhood, and as they were now four days
old and the weather was hot, they were not the most attractive feature
of the locality. All these bodies had, of course, to be buried, an
unpleasant job, and one which took a lot of labour which might very
profitably have been spent on improving the trenches. G Sap, which
connected C and A Companies, was only fully dug for half of its length
on the A Company side, and this had to be continued, a task which was
shared by A Company and the company of East Surreys in close support.
Considerable improvement was made in all the company areas during our
stay, but it would be idle to pretend that they were anything
approaching good even when we left. Work was not easy on account of the
frequency of the shelling on our whole front, which not only interfered
with the work in progress, but also was continually causing further
damage to the trenches.
One of the worst features of this sector was the difficulty of
communication with the back areas. The communication trenches were very
badly knocked about, and offered little cover either for safety or from
view, and both they and overland ways of approach were frequently
shelled, especially throughout the hours of darkness. This made the
evacuation of wounded a very difficult matter; even when the party was
not being shelled, its progress was very slow on account of the state of
the ground. The ration parties also had very nasty journeys to and from
Valley Cottages, where the rations were dumped. Valley Cottages itself
was no paradise, and the journey also included such notoriously evil
spots as Armagh Wood, Stafford Trench, and Rudkin House. The transport
had no enviable task in bringing up the rations, the back areas coming
in for a lot of attention by the Hun.
Most of the shelling on this front came from the north-east, and got our
trenches absolutely in enfilade. During the day it was spasmodic; at
times it would be quite quiet, and then a sudden burst of artillery fire
would create a small hell for some minutes. But it was in the evening
and early part of the night that the shelling rose to a crescendo. The
enemy was extraordinarily jumpy; he seemed to expect us to continue our
offensive, and was in the habit of putting up his S.O.S. at the least
provocation, with the result that our guns, seeing his barrage and
suspecting a counter-attack, would join in the disturbance, which would
probably last about half an hour before both sides eased off gradually.
L.-Cpl. J. C. Bolton and Pte. J. H. Wheeler greatly distinguished
themselves during this tour in maintaining communications under heavy
fire, and both were awarded the Military Medal, and Coy.-Sergt.-Maj. F.
Greenaway and L.-Cpl. S. Browne of A Company also did very gallant work,
and won the D.C.M. and the M.M. respectively.
On the night of the 13th/14th we were relieved by the 8th Queen’s, and
took over the support positions from the 9th East Surreys. There was
some shelling during the relief, but on the whole the early part of the
night was rather quieter than usual. The positions occupied were
Headquarters in Hedge Street Tunnel, C Company in Canada Street Tunnel
in close support to the 9th East Surreys, who were in the line on the
right, and the other companies in the Fosse Wood and Stafford and
Observatory Trench areas.
The four days spent in support were certainly no rest. The shelling of
Rudkin House, Stafford Trench, and Fosse Wood was very severe. On the
second day A Company evacuated Rudkin House as, although it appeared
fairly deep and had considerable accommodation, it was really by no
means safe, and the place had become a regular shell-trap. The next
occupants, the North Staffords, lost several men buried by shell-fire in
similar tunnels on the other side of the trench.
On the evening of the 17th we returned to the left subsection, Mount
Sorrel Section, relieving the 8th Queen’s, and were if anything rather
glad of the change. The companies were disposed exactly as in the
previous tour. Although we were only in the line two days this tour, it
was quite sufficient. Soon after the completion of the relief at about 2
a.m. the enemy strafed very severely, mostly on the right company’s
front. D Company had a very bad time, and lost eight men, killed,
including Pte. Bill Ladbury, the champion boxer, and three wounded. The
rest of that day, the 18th, was very similar to the previous tour in the
line, with intermittent shelling during the day, becoming heavier
towards evening.
One of the features of both this and the former tour in the Hedge Street
trenches was the activity of the enemy with low-flying aeroplanes over
our lines. Our own aircraft had been very much in evidence actually at
the time of the battle, and it was very seldom that a Hun plane was
seen, but later he had things very much more his own way. He always
appeared twice a day, at dawn and just before dusk, and flew so low that
we used to say that he came in the morning to count the men in our
trenches and again in the evening to see that no one had left.
The next day was fairly quiet during the morning, but in the afternoon
the two left companies got badly shelled, and 2nd Lieut. G. H. Griffith,
of A Company, and 2nd Lieut. S. A. French, of C Company, were wounded,
in addition to other casualties. Things calmed down again in the
evening, and we had hopes of a quiet relief, but our hopes were not to
be fulfilled. Though in the forward areas it remained fairly quiet in
the early part of the night, the ominous sound of crumping could be
heard further in rear, and we realised that the relieving battalion, the
1st Royal Fusiliers, were having a nasty journey up. The relief was
expected quite by 11 p.m., but midnight and 1 o’clock arrived without
its appearance, and we began to wonder if we should get out at all that
night, as it would be dawn at a very early hour, and a relief in
daylight in this sector would have been most unwise. However, just as we
were beginning to reckon up what supply of water and rations we had for
an extra day in the line, the relief turned up, and we were able to get
out just in time. Probably no one will forget that journey out of the
line. There seemed to be shells everywhere. The mention of the names of
the two main routes will probably bring back tender memories to many.
The more northerly way was from Hedge Street down Davidson Street, past
Sanctuary Dump and Stafford Trench, along the southern and western edges
of Maple Copse, down Zillebeke Street to Hell-blast Corner, in Zillebeke
along the Promenade on the southern bank of the Zillebeke Lake to
Transport Farm and the railway dug-outs, and then down the side of the
railway to Shrapnel Corner. The other route was from Davidson Street
down Observatory Trench to Fosse Wood and Junction Trench, and along
Fosse Way past Battersea Farm and Manor Farm to Transport Farm, and then
as before. It did not matter which way you chose; the advocates of each
were loud in their claims that their route was the worse. It was only
too evident that some of the units going up for the relief had suffered
very heavily. One very gallant company-sergeant-major, to whom
apparently the particular sensation was new, was heard murmuring on the
way out: “My God, what an awful thing it is to have the wind up.”
Mic Mac Camp, for which we were bound, was a camp partly of huts and
partly of canvas, situated between Ouderdom and Dickebusch, and some
seven miles or more from the line, and when the Battalion dragged itself
in there between 5 and 7 o’clock the next morning it was pretty well
fagged out. The whole Brigade was here out of the line in Divisional
Reserve. Four fairly restful days were spent in camp, during which the
new Divisional Commander, Maj.-Gen. L. J. Bols, C.B., D.S.O., who was
subsequently Chief of Staff to Sir E. Allenby in Palestine, inspected
the Battalion.
The neighbourhood of the camp was sometimes shelled by a long-distance
9·5-inch gun. The shell made an unpleasant roar on arrival, likely to
create alarm and despondency to those within some hundreds of yards, but
never did us any real damage. Night bombing by enemy aircraft was
incessant. The droning of enemy aeroplanes more or less directly over
one’s head throughout the hours of darkness on every night in which
flying was possible—and at this time of the year that was nearly every
night—was most unsettling, and robbed us of rest which was badly needed.
After four days at Mic Mac, on June 23, we moved up to Dickebusch, where
we were in reserve to the rest of the Brigade, which had taken over the
right subsection from the 73rd Brigade. The camp, which was of tents,
situated to the east of the village near the brewery at Vyjverhoek, was
known as the Brewery Camp. We spent three days in this camp, and except
for the first night were not seriously molested, although the usual
night bombing continued.
The camp was on the side of the Dickebusch-Café Belge road, along which
there was a fairly deep dry ditch, and in this ditch the companies had
been ordered to take cover in the event of shelling, and we had, during
the first night, plenty of practice in moving from the camp to the
ditch. Every hour from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m. the Hun dropped shells from
a smallish high-velocity gun with considerable rapidity into the camp
for about five minutes, just long enough in fact to get everyone
thoroughly disturbed and all but the most bold into the ditch.
On the evening of the 26th we went up to relieve the 8th Queen’s in the
left subsection of the Battle Wood Section. It was a very wet day, but
otherwise the relief was not particularly bad. The three companies in
the line from the right were B, C, and A, with D Company in support. The
line, which ran just on the eastern outskirts of Battle Wood, was held
by means of short isolated lengths of trench garrisoned by either one
platoon or two sections. Some of these trenches were freshly dug in the
open, while others were parts of old Boche trenches repaired and
fire-stepped for our own use. By day there was no communication between
the forward posts, which were in the open clear of the wood, but as the
enemy posts were fairly close to them, they escaped most of the
shelling. The support platoons of the front line companies and the
support company came in for far more shelling. The supports of A and C
Companies on the left were in a ravine, along which the Boche had built
some concrete pill-boxes. The two Company Headquarters shared one of
these, named by the Boche Haus Barbara. The name conjured up visions of
a charming little villa built in a wood, with beautiful green foliage
and the birds singing in the trees, and perhaps a stream flowing lazily
by. In fact, the villa was chiefly remarkable for a choice collection of
fleas. The wood was in a very dilapidated state, and few of the trees
stood more than ten feet high. The stream consisted of rainwater
trickling from one shell-hole to another. “Ah,” you ask, “but were the
birds there, and did they sing?” We are afraid that we cannot answer
that question from memory, but we have it on the authority of one of our
most eminent “Special Correspondents at the Front,” that during one of
the big battles the birds not only continued to sing, but chose the
neighbourhood of the front line as a suitable place in which to do so;
and in view of this incontestable (and doubtless first-hand)
information, we are prepared to admit that it is possible that the birds
did sing. Being truthful, however, we are compelled to admit that the
only singing that impressed itself on our memory was that of the shells.
Haus Barbara had a direct hit with a 5·9 on the afternoon of the second
day in, and stood the test well; a bit of concrete was chipped out of
the face, and the occupants were mostly shaken on to the floor, while
the inside was filled with dust and black smoke, but no one was hurt.
There were no communication trenches left in existence, and the tracks
used, which in some places were in full view of the enemy, got badly
strafed, while Battalion Headquarters in a pill-box in the wood also
came in for a lot of attention, and Cpl. Littleproud, claimed to be the
best officers’ mess cook in the Division, was badly wounded in the leg.
The Signallers also had a bad time, the telephone lines forward to the
companies were continually being cut, and the linesmen had to spend a
great deal of time on their dangerous job in most exposed positions.
Among others, L.-Cpl. Bolton, an invaluable linesman with many months’
fine service to his credit, was killed.
On the night 28th/29th the A Company post, held by 2nd Lieut. B. Wade
and No. 2 Platoon, was raided by the enemy, who bombed it rather
severely, but failed to enter the post, and were driven off by bombs and
rifle fire with only one casualty to us. He, strange to say, was hit
full pitch by a bomb which luckily did not explode. Lieut. Wade handled
the situation with his unfailing resource and cheerfulness.
On June 27 part of the transport was sent off by road to the Lumbres
rest area, while another portion followed by train on the 29th, and only
such horses and vehicles as were necessary for the relief were kept
back.
On the night 29th/30th we were relieved by the 8th Yorkshire Regiment,
and we returned direct to Mic Mac Camp. The relief was complete at about
1 a.m., and although the prospect of our walk back had filled us with
some thought, it turned out to be a comparatively peaceful night, and
was probably the most quiet relief we ever had up in the Ypres area.
The casualties for the month were 23 other ranks killed and 3 officers
and 53 other ranks wounded, and when one considers the number of shells
and other forms of death which abounded, it is wonderful that the number
was not much greater.
We got to Mic Mac Camp at 5 or 6 o’clock in the morning, and had a few
hours to get a little rest and to get cleaned up. At 11.45 we marched in
pouring rain to Reninghelst to entrain for Lumbres, whence we marched to
Senningham, arriving in our billets at about 8 p.m.
Senningham was a pleasant little village, situated just south of the
main St. Omer-Boulogne road and about three miles from Lumbres. The
billets were not particularly good, but were considerably improved when
we were able to procure some fresh straw for the floors. The first day
or two were spent in cleaning up and kit inspections, and then training
was started, chief attention being given to the prospect of future
offensive operations. The ground in this neighbourhood was mostly
covered with standing crops, and was not very suitable for training.
Quite a good short rifle-range was made against the steep hill which
sloped up to the main road, and rifles and Lewis guns could be heard
cracking away there all day long.
Saturday, July 7, was a half holiday, and the Divisional Horse Show was
held. The Battalion distinguished itself by taking the 1st Prize for
travelling kitchens, C Company’s cooker being the selected
representative, while Diana, the C Company’s charger, took 1st Prize for
Infantry Officers’ chargers.
The following Friday was observed as a whole holiday and Battalion
Sports were held, organised by Maj. Whitty. One of the features was the
officers’ race of 100 yards, with handicap of 1 yard for each year of
age over 21. Col. Parker and Lieut. Wood, the Quartermaster, who were on
the forward marks, carried off the honours to the delight of everyone
present. The tug-of-war was secured by C Company, and the most prominent
in other events were Ptes. French, Lloyd, and Wells. The Transport
supplied two most amusing events in the mule race and wrestling on
mules.
The latter portion of the stay at Senningham was devoted to preparation
for the next offensive, including the studying of a large model made by
the Royal Engineers of the area in which the Division was to operate.
The frontage of the 72nd Brigade was between the Mount Sorrel and Battle
Wood Sectors, which we had just left.
At a very early hour on July 17, our stay at Senningham terminated, the
Battalion marching away at 3.45 a.m. via Lumbres and Arques to
Renescure, a distance of about fifteen miles. Packs were carried by
motor lorry, and as the hottest part of the day was avoided by the early
start, the march was not very exhausting. The billets at Renescure were
excellent, and we could have done with a longer stay there.
The next day we left Renescure at 4.35 a.m., and marched via Staple and
Hondeghem to Le Briarde, a shortish march of about eight miles. The next
day we again had a short march to the area about Eecke and Steenvoorde,
and an advanced party was sent on to prepare a camp near Reninghelst. At
5.5 a.m. on the 20th the march was continued, via Godewaersvelde and
Boeschepe, to the Reninghelst area, where the camp consisted of a not
too plentiful supply of bivouacs. On the 21st a further move was made at
7.30 a.m., via Ouderdom, to our old friend Mic Mac Camp.
On the evening of the next day we moved up and relieved the 10th West
Riding Regiment of the 23rd Division in Brigade Reserve. Battalion
Headquarters were in Larch Wood Tunnels, A Company in Battersea Farm, B
Company in “the Dump,” and C and D Companies in shelters at Scottish
Wood.
On the 24th we relieved the 9th East Surreys on the 72nd Brigade battle
front in Image Crescent, with A and B Companies in the front line, C
with Battalion Headquarters in Immovable Support, and D Company in
reserve in Metropolitan Left. There was some gas shelling on the way up
and during the next day. Mustard gas, which was at this time a fairly
new form of frightfulness, was used plentifully in this area, but,
thanks to good gas discipline, we were very free from casualties. One
distinguished officer in the Brigade had the misfortune to sit down on
ground contaminated with the stuff, with disastrous results.
The front line, which was, of course, an old Boche trench captured at
the Battle of Messines, was still in very bad condition and was in
places only three feet deep. There were a few old Boche concrete
pill-boxes along it, but otherwise not much cover. It was in a small
wood at the top of the eastern slope of the ridge, and afforded very
good observation over the enemy country to the immediate front.
Our artillery preparation for the coming attack was steadily going on,
and the enemy’s guns were by no means silent, so that it was not very
pleasant in or near the line. Knowing as he did that we were shortly
going to attack, the enemy put down a protective barrage every morning
from about half an hour before dawn until just after daylight,
increasing it in intensity day by day as he grew more and more
apprehensive. The quietest part of the day was from the cessation of the
dawn hate until about 10 a.m., and then for the rest of the day the
majority of the shelling would be searching for battery positions in
rear, and the forward areas would be comparatively quiet until
nightfall. Time was mostly spent in digging out and improving the
assembly trenches, and in carrying up barrage rations and ammunition and
bombs for forward dumps.
At 5.30 p.m. on the 26th a practice barrage was carried out by our
artillery, and under cover of this 2nd Lieut. E. G. Brown, M.C., with
eight men of B Company, carried out a raid on Job’s Post, a strong point
in a concrete pill-box between our line and the enemy’s. The raid was a
complete success, twelve men being captured, and 2nd Lieut. Brown was
most deservedly awarded a bar to his Military Cross. An additional four
Boches gave themselves up to B Company during the night. Cpl. G.
Simmonds and Pte. R. T. Roper distinguished themselves in this raid, and
won the Military Medal.
We had the misfortune on this day to lose 2nd Lieut. Wade, of A Company,
with shell-shock. He was a very valuable officer under all conditions,
and more especially so when things were most unpleasant, and the loss of
his unfailing cheeriness was a great blow to his company.
On the night 27th/28th C Company relieved A Company in the front line,
and the following night D Company relieved B. On the 28th we lost Maj.
G. W. F. Powell, C Company, attached from 2nd/1st Kent Cyclist
Battalion, who was killed by shell-fire after being with the Battalion
only two months.
On July 28, during the enemy retaliation, a shell exploded at the
entrance to a dug-out occupied by A Company, blowing a box of ignited
hand grenades into the dug-out and wounding eleven of the twenty
occupants. One bomb with the fuse burning fell amongst a group of men,
and Pte. G. Neal, a young soldier (himself wounded), with the greatest
courage and presence of mind picked up the bomb, carried it to the
entrance of the dug-out, and threw it over the parapet, where it
immediately exploded. Pte. Neal, whose gallant conduct undoubtedly saved
the lives of many of his comrades, was awarded the Distinguished Conduct
Medal, and was the first private soldier in the Battalion to earn that
distinction.
At 4.20 a.m. on the 29th the enemy, seemingly looking upon it as a
danger after his recent experience, blew up Job’s Post. 2nd Lieut.
Tanner took out a patrol in broad daylight, and in a very exposed
position, to investigate what had happened, and showed great gallantry
in getting back, under heavy fire, a man who was wounded in the open
some way from our trench, and he was subsequently awarded a bar to his
Military Cross. Sergt. E. Turner rendered great assistance, and was
awarded the Military Medal.
That night the attacking battalions moved up to their assembly
positions, C Company being relieved in the front line by the 1st North
Staffords and D Company by the 8th Queens. The shelling was very severe
all night, and relief was not complete until after daylight. All four
companies were now concentrated in the Brigade support assembly
positions north of the railway cutting, near Hill 60, in Immovable
Trench and Immovable Support, the old enemy front and support trenches.
A Warning Order had been received that if the attack was a great
success, the Battalion would be required to carry on the attack on the
Brigade frontage, and capture the enemy positions to a depth of about
1,500 yards, and hold a line just east of Kent Farm.
On the 30th movement by day was restricted as much as possible, and work
was concentrated on improving the existing dug-outs in our area. 2nd
Lieuts. Proctor and Tanner, with the D Company carrying party, which was
to accompany the attack, carried up the Stokes mortar ammunition to the
assembly trench, where, as it happened, some of it was destroyed by
enemy shell-fire during the night. In the early hours of the next
morning, which was the day of the attack, the D and C Companies carrying
parties moved up to their assembly positions, being all in at 3.10 a.m.
The C Company party, under 2nd Lieut. L. P. Y. Smith, got badly strafed
on the way up, but had no casualties. Heavy rain set in, and the going
became very difficult and considerably interfered with the attack. Zero
hour was at 3.50 a.m., and at that time the guide from the Stokes
mortars, who was to take the carrying party, had not put in an
appearance, and after waiting some time 2nd Lieut. Tanner went up,
located the trench-mortar positions, and returned to take the carrying
party up to the guns. 2nd Lieut. Smith was wounded, and there were
casualties to about five other ranks.
The attacking battalions had very severe casualties, and a large party
of D Company, under Coy.-Sergt.-Maj. Mitchell, who was awarded the
Distinguished Conduct Medal, did fine work in helping to evacuate the
wounded under heavy shell-fire. This work was carried on in most exposed
ground on the forward slope of the ridge between Image Crescent and
Jehovah Trench, the new front line. The wounded had been lying out there
in pouring rain for many hours, and this rain, combined with the
terribly ploughed up state of the ground, made the carrying of
stretchers very difficult. Col. Parker afterwards received from the
Commanding Officer of the Queens a letter containing his thanks for our
great assistance in evacuating his wounded and for the unfailing
regularity with which we had delivered his battalion’s rations
throughout the tour under circumstances which demanded the very greatest
determination and devotion to duty. The doctor and his orderlies,
assisted by Cpl. Andrews of A Company, also did very fine work.
On August 1 B Company moved out from Immovable Support into Metropolitan
Trench to make room for the reserve company of the East Surreys, who
relieved the Queens and the North Staffs in the front line. On the 3rd
our Brigade frontage was extended to take over a large portion from the
73rd Brigade, and A Company relieved the 13th Middlesex in Jeer Trench
in Shrewsbury Forest. The front line here was fairly comfortable, and
was well supplied with concrete dug-outs, but the journey up to or down
from it through Shrewsbury Forest was absolute hell. Battalion
Headquarters and D Company were in Canada Street Tunnels, which were in
a state of appalling filth and horribly hot and overcrowded. C Company
were in the old enemy front and support lines on Mount Sorrel, and B
Company still in Metropolitan Trench. The weather continued bad until
the 5th, then there was a slight improvement. On that day, after a heavy
strafe, the enemy raided the East Surreys on our right, and came under
heavy rifle and Lewis-gun fire from A Company. We were very sorry to
hear that Col. de la Fontaine, the gallant Commanding Officer of the
East Surreys, was killed in this affair.
During this tour Cpl. C. Andrews collected, dressed, and evacuated six
wounded men of other units, who had been lying unattended in front of
the line for three days.
The same night at 11 o’clock, just as D Company were starting out to
relieve A, the enemy commenced a very heavy bombardment of the area, and
caught D Company in the open. They had a very nasty time getting up to
the front line, and had several casualties.
The 6th and 7th were fairly quiet days to what had gone before, and on
the night 7th/8th we were relieved by the 17th Brigade, the 8th Buffs
taking over the front line. The relief was none too pleasant, as the
enemy shelled heavily, but eventually the whole Battalion was relieved
by 4.30 a.m., and made its way out to Kruisstraathoek, where motor-buses
were available for completing the journey to Mic Mac Camp. The tour had
lasted seventeen days, and included a battle, with its attendant heavy
shelling and exhausting demands for work and carrying, as well as some
of the worst weather that has ever been experienced in mid-summer, and
it is little wonder that the Battalion arrived in camp in a thoroughly
exhausted condition.
We spent four days at Mic Mac cleaning up and resting. These were, on
the whole, quite uneventful, except for enemy aerial activity at night.
The continual droning of enemy aircraft all night and every night, mixed
with three short blasts on the whistle at frequent intervals by the
sentry and shouts of “Put that —— light out,” and the sound of bursting
bombs at varying distances, was our unkind fate. Drafts of 170 other
ranks, which had arrived during the tour, were posted to companies.
On the 10th Maj. Whitty went into hospital with trench fever, and a few
days later Capt. H. J. Wenyon, who had been attached to the staff since
February, returned from Division to take over the duties of
2nd-in-Command.
The Division had now only one brigade in the line, one brigade in
support at Dickebusch, and the third in reserve at Mic Mac Camp, tours
being of four days’ duration. On the 11th we moved up to support in H
Camp at Dickebusch, where the accommodation in tents was rather crowded.
Life there was very similar to that at Mic Mac, not a great deal of work
was done, and night bombing was the rule rather than the exception. An
additional diversion was offered when the enemy carried out shoots on
the captive balloons in the neighbourhood, during which our camp was in
quite as much danger as the balloons.
Just about 200 yards behind the camp there was a 9·2 naval gun on a
railway mounting, which used to shoot at the enemy railhead at Roulers
and at his billets in the back areas. Its rate of fire was usually only
four or five rounds an hour, so that quite a small shoot kept the
neighbourhood awake for an unpleasantly long time.
On the afternoon of the 15th the enemy carried out a most alarming
daylight air-raid with six bombing machines on the siding between the
camp and Café Belge. There were extensive horse lines all round, and the
casualties to men and horses were severe. The place was a horrible sight
just afterwards.
That evening we went back into the line, taking over from the 7th
Northants the right subsection, Shrewsbury Forest, which was the
original 72nd Brigade battle front. B Company went into the front line
in Jehovah Trench, or rather in isolated posts in shell holes about
fifty yards forward of where the trench had been, as in many places it
was barely distinguishable. The weather was still very bad, and the
whole area, which was absolutely churned up by shell-fire, was no better
than a collection of little lakes, and shell-hole life was by no means a
pleasure. However, the enemy was some way away, and did not trouble us
with trench mortars and only very little with machine guns, and all the
shelling was directed further back. C Company were in support in Image
Crescent and Image Reserve. Battalion Headquarters was in a pill-box in
the wood just north of the Zwarteleen-Klein Zillebeke road, and A and D
Companies were in Immovable Support and Immovable Trench respectively.
All these areas came in for a fair amount of shelling at different
times, but the worst places were really further back in the battery
positions, and such places as Larch Wood and Jackson’s Dump; really in
the line things were very much quieter this tour than they had been
since our arrival up north in May.
On the 16th there was an attack by the 5th Army just north of us. The
artillery on our front was all engaged in the barrage, but we did not
come in for any of the counter-strafe.
On the next night C Company relieved B, two days being quite sufficient
in the front line posts in this appalling weather.
On the evening of the 19th we were relieved by the 3rd Rifle Brigade and
returned to Mic Mac. The early portion of the journey out was fairly
quiet, but there was some nasty shelling by 8-inch howitzers in the
neighbourhood of Lock 8 and for some little way further back.
The four days spent at Mic Mac were very similar to our previous visits,
and on the 23rd we again went up to Camp H at Dickebusch. A large draft
of officers arrived at about this time, bringing the numbers up to seven
a company.
There was in close proximity to our own somewhat crowded camp of tents a
most beautiful little camp made of very attractive huts, absolutely new
and clean. This camp was labelled “Reserved for Corps Cavalry only.”
Now, it seemed a pity that the Corps Cavalry, who had not for months
seen a vestige of a battle, and had been living in places of much
greater comfort than the P.B.I., should have such a beautiful place
reserved for them, when they were not even there to use it, and two
Company Headquarters consequently decided to appropriate one of these
huts for a joint mess. Shortly after dinner a senior officer entered and
asked, somewhat peremptorily, “What are these lights doing here?” The
answer came back pat from a most distinguished subaltern in the far
corner of the hut, in the one word, “Burning.”
At 5 p.m. on the next day we were suddenly moved from our camp to
Château Segard in support of the 14th Division, who were reported to be
in difficulties in Inverness Copse. It was said to be quite likely that
we should be sent up to counter-attack, as the situation was “obscure.”
There was absolutely no accommodation available at all, and we had to
make such bivouacs as we could with waterproof sheets and any R.E.
material which was lying about. The next morning we returned to H Camp,
as the situation had been cleared up without our assistance. That
afternoon there was another big air-raid on the siding near the Brewery,
and we know of at least one officer having a bath there at the time who
very nearly left the building hurriedly in most unconventional attire.
On the 27th we returned to the old trenches, A Company being in the
front line for the first two days, and D Company for the second. There
was some heavy shelling on the way up in response to an S.O.S. on our
left, but we were lucky in escaping casualties. The tour was very
similar to the previous one, except that on the second day the weather
at last really cleared after being at its worst for exactly a month, and
that on the night 29th/30th 2nd Lieut. Carville, of D Company, collected
a couple of Boches out of a shell-hole in front of our line of posts.
From Jehovah Trench it was by no means a pleasant journey back to
Battalion Headquarters, as the way led up a steep slope for about 660
yards to Image Crescent, without a communication trench, in full view of
the enemy, and with the ground so pitted with water-logged shell-holes
that progress was bound to be very slow. One afternoon, after a
perfectly quiet and uneventful day, in which there was absolutely
nothing to put in the intelligence report, which was then due, the
Company Commander in the front line decided, in order to save a runner
the journey back with the report, to send it over the telephone by
B.A.B. Code. This consisted of groups of figures representing sentences
in general use. For instance, the sentence, “Our rum has not yet
arrived,” might be represented by the figures 528, and “Please expedite”
by 172. The only difficulty was that there was sometimes a difference of
opinion as to how to make the correction. In this particular case the
message selected by the Company Commander was “Situation normal,” which
was duly dispatched to Battalion Headquarters. A few minutes later the
Company Commander was rung up on the telephone by the Battalion
Intelligence Officer. He gathered that his message had caused
considerable alarm and despondency at Battalion Headquarters. He was
able to reassure them until the report could be sent down by hand, and
he then discovered that the message as deciphered at Battalion
Headquarters read: “Tanks are approaching,” which had not unnaturally
caused a considerable stir, and the Commanding Officer was already on
his way up to Image Crescent, armed with field glasses, to investigate.
On the 31st we were relieved by the 8th Buffs, and returned to Mic Mac.
On the 30th Maj. Whitty returned from hospital, and a couple of days
later Col. Parker went down, after being in very indifferent health for
some time. Maj. Whitty took over command of the Battalion, and Capt.
Wenyon remained as 2nd-in-Command.
Four days were spent at Mic Mac, and four at Dickebusch as before. The
weather was very much better, and night bombing very active. On the 5th
Lieut. G. Bullen, who was commanding B Company, left to join the R.F.C.,
and Lieut. E. G. Brown, M.C., took over command of the Company.
While at Dickebusch company commanders and others went up to reconnoitre
what was to be our new front for the next tour, to wit, Inverness Copse.
We had heard quite enough about Inverness Copse for some time past to
make the prospect by no means alluring, in fact that celebrated spot,
together with Glencorse Wood, figured almost daily in the communiqués as
either attacked or counter-attacked, and more often than not the
situation there was described as “obscure.”
The way up passed a succession of places whose names will never be
forgotten. First Ypres and the Main Square, then out through the famous
Menin Gate and along the Menin road, past the Ecole on the right and the
White Château on the left, the way led to Hellfire Corner and Birr
cross-roads, Outpost Farm, the Culvert, and finally through what had
been Hooge village. A journey up that long stretch of the Menin road was
not undertaken without considerable fear and trembling, but we know of
one company commander who went to reconnoitre the line held by the 2nd
Leinsters, and who, after visiting each of the four company headquarters
and battalion headquarters, and receiving typical Irish hospitality in
the shape of a four by two (i.e. four inches of whisky and two inches of
water) at each, came down the Menin road quite pleased with himself.
The relief took place on the morning of the 7th in broad daylight, and
we have probably got the fact that it was rather misty to thank for the
forbearance of the enemy in letting the whole Battalion march up the
Menin road by platoons at intervals of 200 yards, almost without a
shell. The Menin road was so heavily and persistently shelled by night,
that to relieve by daylight and risk being seen was considered
preferable to using it at night.
B, C, and D Companies took over the front line in that order from the
right, B and C being south of the Menin road and D north of it. South of
the road the main line of defence was New Cut—an incomplete trench which
ran across Jasper Avenue and Jasper Lane to the Menin road, where work
was in hand to connect it with the trenches north of the road. Forward
of this there was a line of posts just inside the near edge of the
copse, along the line of the old trench which connected Jasper Lane and
Jasper Avenue. In the centre, C Company’s posts were in communication
along this trench, but the B Company’s posts were isolated, the trench
in the copse and that end of Jasper Avenue being both impassable. On the
left D Company had a fairly normal trench system.
Battalion Headquarters were in a dug-out near Clapham Junction, and A
Company in support were quartered in the long tunnel which ran under the
Menin road. For the first two days things were fairly quiet, except for
periodical shelling of the Stirling Castle neighbourhood, which was
sufficiently near to B Company’s Headquarters and supports to be
uncomfortable, and also of the entrances to the Menin Tunnel, which was
apt to prove disconcerting to A Company.
At 4 a.m., about dawn, on the 9th, the enemy opened a very heavy barrage
on our lines to a depth of several hundred yards, including Battalion
Headquarters and the entrances to the Menin Road Tunnel. Under cover of
this they attacked our advanced posts in the Copse with great
determination, using specially picked and trained “Sturmtruppen” with
Flammenwerfer. The barrage behind this line of posts and on the support
line totally isolated them, and even at the tunnel of the support
company the barrage was so severe that it was impossible to get a man
out with a chance of reaching his destination.
On the right the attack was completely repulsed with Lewis-gun and rifle
fire, assisted by our artillery barrage, with very heavy casualties to
the enemy. This was largely due on the B Company front to the
magnificent example and coolness of 2nd Lieut. A. B. Richardson, who was
there in command, and the excellent behaviour of the men under him, and
the right post of C Company, under Lieut. H. R. James, also put up a
splendid performance. The repulse of the attack after a bombardment
which might easily have proved demoralising to any but the stoutest
troops, and under Flammenwerfer with which we had had no previous
experience, and to face which is known to require a very high degree of
courage, was a performance of which the B and C Company troops concerned
had every reason to be proud.
The only post entered was that on the left of C Company, which consisted
of a large concrete pill-box and the trench in its vicinity held by 2nd
Lieut. H. W. Beattie and his platoon. The enemy were able to approach
very close to this post under cover of the undergrowth and fallen trees,
and although the platoon put up a stout resistance, the enemy got in and
succeeded in capturing fifteen men, many of whom had been wounded in the
preliminary bombardment. 2nd Lieut. Beattie succeeded in escaping,
shooting two of the enemy with his revolver.
[Illustration:
THE MENIN ROAD AT HOOGE.
]
Immediately the news of the loss of the post reached Battalion
Headquarters, Maj. Whitty gave instructions to Capt. Wenyon to go up and
restore the situation. No. 2 Platoon of A Company was sent up to assist,
and bombs and rifle grenades were rushed forward. Capt. Wenyon very
quickly grasped the situation, and his preparations for counter-attack
were rapidly made. The plan was of the simplest, and was consequently
brilliantly successful. The attack was carried out by C Company, with
two parties under 2nd Lieuts. Pfeuffar and Beattie, working from
different directions, the covering fire being supplied by bombs, rifle
grenades, and Lewis-gun fire at very close range. L.-Cpl. Cook, with the
Lewis-gun section of No. 2 Platoon, worked his way to a very exposed
position, within twenty-five yards of the pill-box, at considerable
risk, and was able to pour in a murderous fire which greatly assisted
the attack. The fire of this Lewis gun, added to the very accurate
rifle-grenade barrage, kept the heads of the enemy very much down, and
enabled 2nd Lieut. Pfeuffar to lead his party right across the front of
the dug-out and to launch his attack from the unexpected flank.
[Illustration: