them for five days. The first night in, Capt. Welch was badly wounded
through the shoulder whilst bringing in a wounded man who had been hit
whilst outside wiring. He was a great loss to the battalion, and was
sadly missed by the men as well as by the officers. It now turned very
cold, and we had a fall of snow several inches deep. This made it
difficult for parties to work in the trenches without being spotted. I
had an unpleasant experience of this. I was looking for an emplacement
for a grenade-rifle stand, and I selected a likely-looking spot just
behind the front line. Then I brought a party of bombers to dig the
place out. We had not thrown out five shovelfuls of earth before a
shell came whistling just over our heads. Fortunately I dispersed the
party at once along the trench. Then the fun began. Shells came
whizzing in all round the unlucky spot, till a direct hit right in the
middle of it apparently satisfied the German gunners and the storm
ceased. After that I chose another place farther along the trench
where no digging was required.
On February 25 we left Canny Hill and went back to Canada Huts. On
this occasion we had to make rather a detour to allow the troops of
the 3rd Division to use the roads; and in so doing we passed Ypres
railway station.
On March 1 we moved into the support dugouts at Transport Farm, called
Railway Dugouts. We were told to expect a bombardment by our guns that
night, as the 'Bluff' was to be attacked and retaken early next day.
The bombers of the 7th N.F. spent some time detonating grenades by
candlelight in the bomb store at Transport Farm. Sure enough there was
a terrific bombardment for half an hour. It was the first of the kind
that I had seen, and I believe that at least 500 guns of all calibres
were collected for the occasion. The whole of the landscape seemed to
be alight, every hedge flickering with flame; whilst away towards the
'Bluff' there was a sullen red glare where our shells were bursting.
Nothing further happened that night. But at dawn next morning the 3rd
Division attacked the 'Bluff' without bombardment and surprised the
garrison, taking many prisoners and recapturing the lost trenches and
some more ground besides. I saw one or two droves of prisoners coming
back past Bedford House, the first time I had seen any live Boches.
The bombardment by our guns started again soon after the attack, and
our guns kept up a slow rate of fire all day. In reply the German
heavy guns shelled the back areas freely, especially the road past
Transport Farm, and we got a few shells near the railway. We got
orders to take over the trenches at Mount Sorrel the same night. I
left with a party of bombers soon after 1 P.M., going along a C.T. to
Sanctuary Wood and then back through the trenches to Mount Sorrel.
We found the trenches in a sad mess. That morning there had been a
demonstration with all arms along this part of the front, and the
enemy had naturally retaliated and done a lot of damage. To increase
our troubles it became very cold, and the snow fell inches deep. But
there was no more shelling on either side for the next week. Apart
from sniping, which was assisted by the snow, we were left in peace to
bale out the mud and repair the trenches. This cold snap caused a lot
of sickness, and it was not improved by our having to hold these
trenches for over a week--a long time under such wintry conditions. At
last, on March 9, we were relieved and moved back to some dugouts near
Bedford House. Here we stayed for some days, taking working-parties up
to Hill 60 at night, from 7 P.M. to 1 A.M. One night we were shelled
off the roads, and had to come back with nothing done. Another time I
took a party to mend a breach in the front line at Hill 60. I think we
went back to Canada Huts about March 16--at any rate we had a longer
rest than usual. Sir Douglas Haig came over to Canada Huts to inspect
the battalion. Amongst other things he inspected A Company who were
drawn up in their hut, 2nd-Lieut. Gregson and myself being the
subalterns there in charge. The General spoke to Gregson first, and
asked him how long he had been out. He replied: 'January 14,
sir'--meaning January 14, 1916. His reply was, however, taken to mean
'January 1914,' and quite a little discussion took place, which amused
me much, as Gregson stuck to his point. Afterwards the General came
round to my end of the hut and asked me how long I had been out.
'January '16, sir,' I replied. 'That's all right,' he said, 'well, I
wish you the best of luck.' There was an amused twinkle in his kind
sympathetic face, as I was still half-smiling over his little
controversy with Gregson.
After this we moved off to another rest camp not far away, for a few
days. On March 24 we were due to take over the trenches at Hill 60
again for three days. I went up early in the day and 'took over' the
various bombing arrangements. The trenches now included some on the
south side of the Railway Cutting, and I had my dugout there in the
top of a small hillock called the 'Mound.' From 7.30 P.M. to 10 P.M.
that night the trenches and Cutting were heavily bombarded, but the
relief was not much delayed. The 7th N.F., however, had great luck in
having only two men wounded whilst coming in. They were unfortunate
casualties, it is true, 2nd-Lieut. J.H.C. Swinney[4] and Sergt.
Dorgan, both good men and a loss to the battalion. The next three days
were bad days for us. The battalion had over fifty casualties, much
above the average. Four days in the line generally gave about seven or
eight casualties. On March 25 British mines were exploded at St. Eloi,
and the mine craters were occupied by the 3rd Division. The explosion
took place just before dawn, about a mile or more to the south, but it
woke me all of a shake. I thought at first that I was going to tumble
down into the Cutting the ground heaved and rocked so much. The German
heavy artillery took the precaution of bombarding our part of the
front, and caused many casualties and much damage in the front line.
The whole of C Company batmen were killed by a shell, and 2nd-Lieut.
Burt, a new arrival but an old friend, was also killed. Poor lad, he
was always certain that he would be killed as soon as he got out to
France! I saw in the trenches a pile of our dead, three or four deep,
waiting for removal to the rear. The shelling was severe at times
during the next two days. Lieut. Platt, a forward observing officer of
the 50th Divisional Artillery and a well known and welcome figure in
the trenches, was killed by a shell just below my own dugout. We had
cause, indeed, to remember our last visit to Hill 60. During this
visit I first met some Canadian officers who were looking over the
line before taking it over from the 50th Division.
On March 27 we were relieved and I went back with A Company to some
dugouts near Bedford House. Our first day there we were shelled out of
these dugouts and had to take refuge for a time in Bedford House. A
Belgian battery had just arrived close to us, and unfortunately they
gave the position away. In the afternoon I went a long round to
various reserve bomb stores to check the stores. Next night I paid a
last visit to the Cutting at Hill 60 with a working-party.
Second-Lieut. E.W. Styles was also there on a similar job.
He had just come out; and being anxious to see something of the famous
Hill 60 trenches he went off by himself into the front line, and, I
suppose, asked various questions of the sentries. Anyway, when next I
saw him he was coming back down the Cutting followed at an interval by
a sentry with a fixed bayonet, who asked me if I knew who he was. My
reply was no doubt disappointing to the soldier, who thought he had
really captured a spy this time, and earned his two weeks' leave--the
reward for arresting a spy.
On March 29, before leaving the area, I acted as guide to some
Canadian troops, from Café Belge to the Canal Dugouts. They seemed to
be fine fellows and well up to strength in all their companies. The
same night our battalion went back to Scottish Lines at Ouderdom, but
we moved back to Canada Huts next day.
FOOTNOTES:
[4] A special friend, who unhappily was killed at Wancourt in 1917.
VII
KEMMEL
On March 31 I rode over with various company officers to Kemmel, and
we looked over the trenches H2-K1 below Wytschaete Ridge. We were to
take over this part of the line from the Canadians in two days' time.
It was once a quiet spot, and I think we were sent there for that
reason. But we soon found that we had come out of the frying-pan only
to go into the fire. The battle that was still raging at St. Eloi
about a mile to the north was destined to alter the character of the
once peaceful Kemmel area. I had now changed my mess. All the old
officers of A Company had disappeared since I first joined the
battalion; so I accepted an invitation from Capt. G.F. Ball to join D
Company mess. I was glad to do this, for not only was Capt. Ball the
kindest and best of fellows, but there were old friends
there--2nd-Lieuts. Peters and J. Robinson--whom I knew well at
Alnwick.
On April 1 the battalion set out for the new area, marching first to
Locre and halting there for the midday meal. Later on, towards night,
D Company proceeded to R.E. Farm, a support billet just vacated by
Canadians, and stayed the night there. The Canadians left a lot of
excellent ration tobacco behind them both here and in the trenches.
[Illustration: Wytschaete Ridge--Trench Map, April 1916.]
Next day we went forward to the new trenches. They were a change
indeed from those in the Salient, and it was evident that there had
not been much heavy shelling there. Instead of the high narrow
trenches at Hill 60, they were mostly mere breastworks with little or
no back protection. And the C.T.s were hardly deep enough to afford
protection from sniping or indirect rifle fire. Fortunately the
Germans did not snipe these trenches. There were three gaps in the
front line, and two small posts in No Man's Land. A long winding C.T.
brought you from Battalion H.Q., which were at Rossignol Farm about a
mile from the front line trenches. The main features of the landscape
were the Wytschaete Ridge and Petit Bois--a thick wood on our left
front. The German trenches were not at first at all close to ours; and
both their wire and ours was thick and solid. We had a big mine shaft
in the supports, but a good way back from the front line. The
Canadians told us that there had been little fighting there except
between patrols and during raids. And it was evident that they had
spent more time and labour in draining the trenches than in fortifying
them. I had my quarters with most of the bombers in a support trench,
H.5, about 250 yards from our front line. We had the trench all to
ourselves and during my first visit to these trenches, which lasted
six days, it was a quiet, happy home, with a green field behind and an
occasional pheasant crowing in the hedges. Unfortunately for the
bombers, emplacements for 60-pounder trench-mortars (worked by the
R.F.A.) were already being dug at either end of our trench, and I knew
there would soon be trouble for H.5. We had a curious little
bombing-post outside the front line at H.4, which was only held at
night. It was inside our wire, but you could only reach it by
clambering over the top of the parapet after dark. The post was
connected by a string to a sentry-post in the front line. And various
signals were arranged to warn the sentry in the front line as to what
was going on, for example, two jerks on the string: 'Man returning to
trench,' three jerks: 'Enemy patrol on right,' and so on. A similar
bombing-post was also held at night for the first time during this
visit. This was in an old broken-down trench outside our wire, called
'J.3 Right.' It was more difficult of approach owing to the mud and to
its distance from the front line, and of course more dangerous because
it might be attacked by the enemy's patrols. Capt. Hugh Liddell of B
Company found this old trench whilst patrolling No Man's Land. It was
probably once part of the front line which had become waterlogged and
then abandoned. Capt. Liddell had his H.Q. in J.4 at this time. The
first night he went with me to this trench with a party of bombers,
and we stayed from 2 A.M. till dawn was breaking. Capt. Liddell was a
great tower of strength to us in these trenches, one of the most
fearless and pugnacious of men, with a taste for wandering about No
Man's Land o' nights. It did you good merely to look at him.
On April 8 we were relieved by the 6th N.F., and D Company moved to a
billet at R.C. Farm. One of the buildings had recently been fired by a
shell, and the bodies of several horses that had been cremated inside
made the air rather pungent. Whilst we were out of the line, the
German artillery started shelling the trenches severely, inflicting
heavy casualties on the 6th N.F., and punishing especially the support
trench at J.4 and the bombers retreat at H.5. During our rest I went
with Capt. Liddell and a working party of B Company to dig and fill in
some cable trenches behind the supports of the 'L' Trenches. During
the work I first made the acquaintance of Lieut. A.E. Odell, the
Brigade Signalling Officer, who later on became a great friend. We
went back to the old trenches on April 13, and I found the bombers of
the 6th N.F. had moved their quarters from H.5 to Turner Town (left),
two rows of small splinter-proof dugouts behind the mine shaft. The
trenches were badly knocked about, and the German artillery and
trench-mortars were still causing trouble. I now messed with D Company
at their H.Q. in K.1.a. On the evening of April 10, I had to patrol
the ground near the mine shaft with a party of bombers, to look out
for a German spy who was thought to be making back this way. We saw
nothing of him, but I believe that 2nd-Lieut. J. Robinson arrested a
Canadian Mining Officer, who in the dark was unknown to him.
On April 18 we were relieved by the 6th N.F. their Bombing Officer,
2nd-Lieut. A. Toon, taking over from me. This time we moved back to
Locre. But I was sent to B.H.Q. at Bruloose with my servant, as Lieut.
W. Keene was away on leave, and it was intended that I should act for
him till he came back. However I was not long at B.H.Q. before it
appeared that Lieut. Keene would be returning that night. Before going
off to Locre, however, I was asked to stay to dinner with the officers
of B.H.Q. which I did; and it was a pleasant experience. The battalion
had good quarters in Locre in the Convent School, and we soon found
that a good lunch or dinner was served by the Nuns at the convent to
weary officers. They also let you use the convent baths. On April 20
we held a battalion dinner there in commemoration of the Battle of St.
Julien.
On Good Friday we had an Easter service, as we were to be in the
trenches again on Easter Day. Our padre was Capt. Rev. J.O. Aglionby,
C.F., whom we came to know and like very well. The bombers had a day's
training at Bruloose, and we were asked to bring our steel helmets,
which had just been issued. So I wore mine for the first time. After
the practice was over, I was asked to come and see the Brigade Bombing
Officer fire off some Mills rifle-grenades, which were a novelty then.
Whilst this was going on a grenade burst prematurely soon after
leaving the rifle, and a piece came back and struck my helmet, cutting
the lining and scratching the metal. After that I would never part
with that helmet, though newer ones were issued later on. Our last
visit to the trenches was to be shorter, and we were to be relieved by
the 3rd Division in three days. We set off on Saturday, April 22, and
arrived in the C.T. all right, for the Germans seldom shelled the
roads in this area. But when we got there we found things rather
lively. A shell killed two or three men of D Company as they were
approaching K.1.a; and Capt. Liddell and I had a splinter from another
shell between us as we passed up Rossignol C.T. On arriving I got a
message from the Adjutant saying, 'The G.O.C. orders that you use the
greatest vigilance by day and by night.' The next day, Easter Day, the
enemy shelled the trenches all day. Capt. G.F. Ball and I had an
unpleasant experience in K.1.a, after lunch. For nearly two hours a
howitzer battery shelled the place slowly and methodically, working up
and down the little trench. Many times dirt and rubbish came flying
into our shelter, but the only direct hit was on a minor structure
which of course disappeared. Next day our cook-house was blown in and
the crockery all smashed, but fortunately it was empty of men at the
time. In these trenches it was difficult to get artillery retaliation,
for the fighting at St. Eloi swallowed up most of the spare
ammunition, and the allowance of shells for the batteries was small;
so the enemy had a free hand in shelling our defences. Early on the
Monday morning the enemy fired a shallow mine between his trenches and
our own. It was a method of gaining ground, for the craters were
fortified and turned into a trench. In this way the Germans began to
approach fairly close to us at K.1 and J.3. I had to register with
Newton rifle-grenades on the crater, but as we were short of
cartridges it was not possible to fire at night.
On April 25 we were relieved by the 4th Battalion of the Royal
Fusiliers, and I got away from the trenches with the last of the
bombers about midnight. There was a big bombardment of these trenches
next day, causing eighty casualties to the new-comers. My own little
shelter was blown to pieces by a howitzer shell and the occupants
killed. Nearly two years elapsed before I was again living in front
line trenches.
VIII
DIVISIONAL REST
In the early hours of April 20 the battalion reached Locre and spent
the rest of the night in billets. By 8 A.M. we resumed our march, and
went through Bailleul to Meteren. It was pleasant indeed to see the
inside of a town again, and to get away from the area that was broken
to bits. We were to be out of the line, we hoped, for at least a
month, so naturally every one was feeling light-hearted. The bombers
of the battalion were collected in a company about eighty strong, and
they were billeted together under my charge. Our quarters were at a
large French farm, called on the map 'Fever Farm,' and near to it was
a fine set of bombing trenches. Lieut. W. Keene was also living at
this farm, in order to be near the bombing ground. And we had our
little mess together in the farm parlour, and our bedroom in a nice
dry attic. No bombing work was done for the first three days, in order
to give time for the men to get rested and to clean their equipment.
The bombers were billeted in a large barn just across the yard, with
plenty of clean straw inside. The French farmer and his wife were
pleasant bodies, nice and friendly to us, and glad no doubt to be
able to sell their light beer and eggs to the English soldier-man. The
other companies of the battalion were billeted in farm-houses near
Meteren. In case of an attack by the Germans on the Corps front the
battalion had orders to go forward and man the trenches on Kemmel
Hill. I received a paper of instructions as to what to do in case of
alarm. We could tell that the Germans were causing trouble up the
line, for we heard a heavy bombardment going on beyond Kemmel. About
1.30 A.M. on Sunday, April 30, the bombers' sentry came and woke me
up, and I went downstairs to find a messenger had arrived with the
code warning 'Kemmel Defences.' So I quickly roused the men and warned
them to be ready to start in half an hour. We hurried into our war kit
and formed up in the dark outside, and soon marched off to join the
rest of the battalion outside Meteren. We learned that the enemy had
loosed off a lot of gas beyond Kemmel, and we were to man the defences
as soon as possible. The battalion marched along as far as the
entrance to Bailleul, when just as day was breaking a cyclist orderly
rode up with orders for us to return to our billets. No infantry
attack had followed the gas cloud, and we were free to return to rest.
The Brigade had another alarm next day, but it was quickly cancelled;
and after that we were not called out again. Every morning was given
to bombing practice, and I offered a small prize each day for a
competition in throwing. If it was wet the men stopped in the barn,
and had a lecture on English or German grenades. One afternoon I
walked over to Bailleul and had a bath at the Corps baths. They were
rather primitive but the water was hot.
It made a nice change to get back to civilisation once more and to
have a meal at a restaurant; and the shops of course were a great
attraction.
About May 5, just as I was about to set out a second time for
Bailleul, a letter came in for me from my brother George. It was dated
the previous day and said that he was billeted with his unit close to
Meteren. So I set off at once to find him, and had the good luck to
meet him as he was cycling round on some medical inspection duties.
His unit had just come out to France and he had no idea I was so near
at hand; and I think he nearly fell off his bicycle with surprise when
I first appeared in that country lane. He could not wait long then, so
I asked him to come to tea with us at Fever Farm next day. And two
days after that I dined with the H.Q. Mess of his unit, the 15th Hants
Regiment, which I enjoyed very much. Unfortunately I saw no more of
him at this time, as I left Fever Farm about May 11.
It was now decided that I should hand over the bombing to 2nd-Lieut.
E.G. Lawson, a most cheery and energetic bomber, and return to company
work. So I was put in command of C Company and returned with them to
Locre, where I stayed for about a week. I had not much to do here,
except the daily inspection of the company and orderly room. The men
of the company included many of my old recruits of C Company at
Alnwick whom I was glad to see again. About May 19 I got my first
leave, it was for seven clear days. And I suppose there was no happier
man in France just then. The train started from Bailleul station about
6 A.M. so I had to leave Locre the night before and stay the night at
an hotel at Bailleul. I had a comparatively quick journey to the
coast, for we reached Boulogne at 10.45 A.M. just in time to catch the
11 o'clock boat. I arrived in Folkestone about 1.45 P.M. and in London
about 3.30 P.M. the same day. Though short, it was a happy time, and I
returned on May 26, staying one night in Boulogne and reaching
Bailleul about midnight on Saturday, May 27. I found that the
battalion was still at Locre, but the Brigade had gone back to the
line, holding the same trenches on Wytschaete Ridge. An unfortunate
accident had just happened in our old trenches. Lieut. W. Keene and
2nd-Lieut. Toon were both badly injured and an N.C.O. killed in the
trenches by a Mills rifle-grenade, which, through a defective
cartridge, fell out of the rifle and burst in the trench. So when I
got back to the battalion I was told I had to proceed to B.H.Q. at
Bruloose and take over the office of Brigade Bombing Officer in place
of Lieut. Keene. This closed my immediate connection with the 7th N.F.
for twenty months.
IX
BRIGADE HEAD-QUARTERS
An Infantry Brigade Head-quarters in France could be a happy home; but
only if the Brigadier was liked and respected by the rest of the
Staff, and tried to make them feel at home. It seems almost an
impertinence even at this date for me to say anything whether in
praise or in blame of the man who controlled the immediate destinies
of the 149th Infantry Brigade when I first joined it. But as I became
much attached to Brigadier-General Clifford I may perhaps be forgiven
for describing him rather closely. Tall and dignified, with a cold
exterior and a penetrating grey eye, he had the power of commanding
the respect and obedience of all. His fatalistic contempt of danger
took him into the trenches wherever shelling was hottest; and it is
difficult to imagine how he escaped being sniped at Hill 60 or on the
Wytschaete Ridge.