Commanding the Battalion December 1917–June 1919.
]
The thaw set in on the 11th, and the trenches began to tumble in a bit.
Till the 13th we worked in every way with pumps and mud scoops to get
things better, and certainly improved the trenches a lot. They were at
least passable, and you could not get drowned in them when we handed
over again to the Buffs on the 13th. We moved to camp at Montigny Farm.
Just before we came out it was decided that we would try a raid on a
section of the Hun trench known by us as “Herbert’s Post” next time up.
Herbert was our name for the sentry they used to post there, or rather
for the successive sentries, because we shot several of him. They never
found out that we could see him from the chest upwards from a forward
post of ours a little to the right, and with a telescopic rifle at 300
you could not miss.
D Company were to carry out the raid, and 2nd Lieuts. Carville,
Crighton, and Janaway were to take part. While we were out of the line
until the end of the month every man in the Battalion was out on working
parties day or night. D Company were digging practice trenches for their
raid, and later practising it. Other work was concentrated on the
forward area, digging and wiring the intermediate (or Brown) line,
various switch lines and defensive works and digging in the Bolsover
Tunnel, a recent discovery of old underground works near Templeux. There
were very few men available for work round the camp, but the few there
were tarred and reroofed the huts, put in some stoves, and carried out
many minor improvements.
On the 20th we had a practice stand-to in Hargicourt Trench. We were, of
course, in the 5th Army at this time, and the activity on all sides was
part of the strenuous efforts to form some sort of defensive positions
in the enormous and threatened front held by Gen. Gough.
About this time the reorganisation of infantry brigades took place, and
the 8th Battalion, The Queen’s Regiment, left the 72nd Infantry Brigade
and joined the 17th.
On the 28th there was a bombing raid on Montigny Camp. One bomb hit the
new Theatre, “Daly’s Theatre,” where the Divisional Party had been
giving a highly successful pantomime, “Aladdin,” for some weeks. Several
of the performers were hit, and three of our men were wounded.
On the 30th we moved up to the line again in relief of the 2nd
Leinsters. The enemy was getting more alert in the front, and was
beginning to snipe and to use his light trench mortars quite a lot. On
the night of February 3rd/4th, D Company raided the enemy trenches. It
was a silent raid, and gaps in the enemy wire had been cut previously by
the 6-inch Newtons. The following is the official account of the raid,
sent in at the time by Lieut.-Col. Wenyon:
“The raid on the enemy position at Herbert’s Post was carried out last
night.
“The assembling of the parties in No Man’s Land was carried out in good
order as arranged, and the circumstances seeming to be favourable, the
Commander of each party took all his men to forward assembly positions
on the enemy wire within a few yards of the Gaps. This was completed by
the Right Party at 9.55 p.m., and by the Left Party at about 10.5 p.m.
“The Control Post had proceeded to its position, and Advanced Battalion
Headquarters was in touch with 2nd Lieut. Janaway by telephone from 9
p.m. until about 11.10 p.m.
“At 9.55 p.m. 2nd Lieut. Carville led his party into the enemy trench.
The wire had been perfectly cut, and the entry was made without
difficulty. The party then proceeded along the trench northwards and
reached a point where an enemy post is normally held. This was found to
be unoccupied, and the party proceeded again towards a suspected
dug-out. At this moment loud shouting was heard, and a large party of
the enemy appeared on the high bank which forms the parados of the
trench at this point. Our men were very heavily bombed from this bank,
and further reinforcements in large numbers came up. One of the enemy,
either officer or warrant officer, dropped into the front line and made
off north. 2nd Lieut. Carville at once pursued him and fired four
revolver shots into him at close range. 2nd Lieut. Carville did not
consider it possible to search this man, as by this time the enemy party
had been considerably reinforced, his party was hopelessly outnumbered
and in great danger of being cut off.
“It was impossible to scale the parados, and the order was given for our
party to throw all remaining bombs and return to their assembly
positions in No Man’s Land. One of the enemy stood up to throw a bomb,
and was shot by 2nd Lieut. Carville.
“By this time 2nd Lieut. Carville had been twice wounded, but he
succeeded in getting his party back to shell-holes outside the enemy
wire. From here he ordered the party to return to our trenches in small
parties, and finally returned himself at 10.45 p.m. The casualties in
this party were several, but not serious. Unfortunately a trench mortar
fell among a party of six entering our trenches in Curtain Lane and
killed or wounded them all.
“The Left Party entered the enemy trenches at about 10.10 p.m., and the
two blocking parties proceeded to their posts. Two of the enemy
retreated down the communication trench, and were fired at by the
blocking party.
“2nd Lieut. Crighton led his party to the ‘T’ head. This was found to be
unoccupied, but very fully stocked with bombs. The alarm was given by
two men running northwards behind the trench shouting ‘English.’ From
the ‘T’ head our party made for the enemy trench, and just as they were
entering it, 2nd Lieut. Crighton was shot. Men appeared to come out of
about four dug-out entrances behind the trench, as four patches of light
could be seen, and there was a good deal of shouting. A word like ‘Mull’
was passed down from mouth to mouth, and our party was heavily bombed
from the parados.
“Sergt. Vanner had taken command of the party, and all available bombs
were thrown. The blocking parties co-operated. Sergt. Vanner then went
to the blocking parties and gave the order to return through the enemy
wire. He and Sergt. Allen stayed behind and attempted to get 2nd Lieut
Crighton’s body away. They succeeded in dragging him some fifteen yards
towards the ‘T’ head, but they were seen and fired at by several rifles
from about fifteen yards away. Another effort was made to move the body,
but Sergt. Vanner was then heavily bombed as well as fired at. They
could not get the body any further. Sergt. Allen was hit slightly.
“Outside the enemy wire two of our party were wounded. Sergt. Vanner and
Sergt. Allen succeeded in getting them back to Bait Trench. They were
all reported in at 11 p.m.
“2nd Lieut. Janaway was still at the Control Post. He succeeded in
gaining touch with the Left Party, and kept me fully informed by
telephone of their movements. He made four attempts to gain touch with
the Right Party, but was prevented by heavy volleys of bombs and darts
which were put down by the enemy in front of his own wire. The enemy was
continually bombing his wire just in front of the Control Post, but 2nd
Lieut. Janaway and the sapper detailed for the work succeeded in
exploding one Bangalore Torpedo in the wire.
“After this the enemy trench mortared the Control Post, very severely
wounded one of the stretcher-bearers in 2nd Lieut. Janaway’s party, and
buried 2nd Lieut. Janaway. I then ordered 2nd Lieut. Janaway to return.
With the help of Cpl. Andrews the wounded man got in with very great
difficulty. 2nd Lieut. Janaway finally returned to our line at 12
midnight, having been at his post in very difficult circumstances,
constantly being bombed and later trench mortared for three hours. His
work in keeping touch with the Left Party and keeping me informed of
what was happening was of the greatest value.
“It was quite impossible for either attacking party to get in touch with
the enemy, and in both cases our party was considerably outnumbered. As
far as possible, in the case of each of these parties, as well as at the
Control Post, the plans made were carried out.
“The return to our trenches was carried out in orderly fashion. The
total casualties in the raiding party and the trench garrison were:
“One officer and five other ranks killed.
“One officer and twelve other ranks wounded.
“Also two of the sappers attached were wounded. A large proportion of
these casualties were caused through enemy trench mortars falling in one
of the posts in our trenches and among the party of six men previously
mentioned.
“Communication back and forward worked most excellently throughout. The
wire out to 2nd Lieut. Janaway fortunately held until after the return
of the Left Party.”
It turned out that 2nd Lieut. Crighton was not killed, as he was
subsequently reported wounded and prisoner of war.
The following decorations were awarded for this raid: 2nd Lieut.
Carville and 2nd Lieut. Janaway, the M.C.; Cpl. Andrews, Bar to the
D.C.M.; Sergt. Vanner, D.C.M.; and Sergt. Allen, M.M.
On the 5th we extended our Battalion front southwards. After a tour out
at Hancourt, where the whole Battalion was working all the time on
digging the Green Line (some five miles behind the front positions), and
a tour up at Cote Wood, where we relieved Indian troops (the Sialkot
Dismounted Cavalry Brigade), who had recently come up into the sector,
we took over the Right Subsector from the 1st North Staffordshire
Regiment. This was new ground.
Most of the front—which was a wide one—was held by isolated posts; there
were no continuous trenches. We had an uneventful tour here. Battalion
Headquarters were back again at our old friend The Egg—still very
comfortable.
On the 22nd we were relieved and moved to Vendelles. A battalion mess
had been built on quite luxurious lines there. Mess room, anteroom,
officers’ cubicles and bathroom were all complete. The whole place was
made in a large Adrian hut, and had been very generously furnished out
of the Divisional funds. News reached us here that we had finished our
long spell in the Hargicourt Trenches, and we were going out for a rest.
A draft of sixty-seven joined us at Vendelles during this tour there.
On the 27th we were relieved at Vendelles by the 2nd/7th Manchester
Regiment (66th Division), and we had a most cordial handing and taking
over. We marched away at 10 a.m., with the drums at our head blazing
away at the tune of “Good-bye-ee, Good-bye-ee.” We little knew how soon
we were to be back in the district. The Battalion entrained at Roisel at
noon, detrained at Villers Bretonneux, and marched to La Neuville near
Corbie, where we were greeted by a deluge of rain. A large draft of 108
joined us on Roisel Station that morning.
We all had very pleasant memories of the Hargicourt Sector. Five months
in the same district was a long time, and there was probably no place
among our travels up and down the line which we had taken possession of
and made our home quite so much as this one.
When we had settled down, we had some good times behind the line. Trips
to Amiens were arranged fairly frequently, and the Division really
assisted greatly in organising concerts and shows. The inauguration of
the 72nd Brigade Concert Party, “The P.B.I.,” came about at Vendelles in
November, and started most successfully. Among the enormous working
parties when we were out of the line there was little time for organised
sport, but we had a few good football matches.
Even as we marched away from Vendelles that morning there was a feeling
in the air that something was going to happen. We were indeed on the eve
of tremendous events.
PHASE VII
WITH THE FIFTH ARMY AGAINST THE GREAT GERMAN OFFENSIVE
_March-April, 1918_
We detrained at Villers Brettoneux at about 6 o’clock in the evening of
February 27, and marched through the rain to Corbie. There was some
difficulty in getting into billets, and the position was not eased by
the rain, which had now become a positive deluge. However, we were back
in civilisation, and we were looking forward to a few weeks of it.
So much for our vain hopes. Soon after midday on the first day of our
rest, rumour—which ever travelled faster than orders—indicated that
everything was not right on the 5th Army front. During the afternoon we
received orders that our long-expected rest was cancelled, and we were
to entrain in the early hours of the next morning to take up a position
in reserve behind Vermand. The disappointment of this turn of events may
be imagined, and the situation is put before the reader here because it
is one of those cruel turns of fortune which, apart from fighting and
the trials of the trenches, made the lot of the infantry soldier a very
hard one. The next morning back we all went into camp near Devise, a
little village near Péronne.
We trained strenuously at Devise for a few days. We were now in the 19th
Corps, commanded by Lieut.-Gen. Sir Herbert Watts, and were in reserve
to the Dismounted Cavalry Division, who held the line in front of
Vermand.
On Sunday, March 10, the 72nd Infantry Brigade were inspected by our new
Corps Commander. Afterwards the whole Brigade marched past the General
by platoons. One of our platoons (No. 4 of A Company) was placed as the
smartest platoon on parade.
From time to time during our stay at Devise we reconnoitred the line we
were shortly to take over. Finally, on March 11, we moved up to relieve
troops of the 2nd Dismounted Cavalry Division at Vadencourt, and took
the position of left forward battalion of the 72nd Brigade. Vadencourt
was a beautiful place—once it must have been a superb château. All
buildings were of course demolished, but the grounds remained
practically untouched.
In view of the importance which later attached to the position at
Vadencourt, it is necessary to give a brief description of the lie of
the land and the method of holding the line.
The 72nd Brigade were on the right of the 24th Divisional front, and
held a front of about 3,000 yards, with two battalions forward and one
in reserve. The country was “rolling” from east to west. Vadencourt
Château was in a commanding position on a ridge which practically formed
our main line of resistance. A road ran due south from our Headquarters
to Maissemy, about a mile and a half from us, where was the headquarters
of the Right Battalion. About 600 yards east of us was another ridge, on
which and in the plain in front was the outpost zone to a depth of about
800 yards, and on a front of 1,500 yards. The Omignon River formed the
right flank of our Battalion front, and ran at right angles to our
position from Vermand, some 2,000 yards behind Vadencourt, into the
enemy territory in front of us. The forward positions were held by
isolated posts. There were no continuous trenches. There was a double
line of trenches in the ridge in front of Battalion Headquarters already
referred to, and Vadencourt itself was a large organised and well-sited
redoubt, with trenches with good field of fire and machine-gun
positions. The main road, known as Watling Street, from Vermand to
Estrees, was our left flank. Almost in the centre of our outpost zone
was a huge mound known as The Tumulus, standing some fifty feet high.
Such registration as the German gunners did was usually carried out on
this mound.
[Illustration:
THE TUMULUS.
]
Most of our positions were moderately well wired, and had a good field
of fire. There was a very wide No Man’s Land—about 1,000 yards. At
Vadencourt itself, in addition to the flank defence formed by the
Omignon, there was strong and well-sited wire, and on our right front an
arm of the river formed a swamp at the bottom of the valley about 300
yards from our fire positions. From the point of view of stationary
warfare, this seemed to be an ideal sector of the line. There was little
shelling, and it was a case of lying dogo simply during daylight, and
thoroughly beating up No Man’s Land during the night. Large patrols were
out each night from dusk till dawn, about eighty men and four officers
being employed.
[Illustration: