shelter dugout was close at hand. The field of view extended along the
left flank of the Corps and Divisional front, and went a long way back
to the high ground between Niergnes and Esnes. Flesquières, Ribécourt,
Marcoing, Rumilly, and Masnières could all be seen. The next few days
were spent in locating our surroundings and in reporting the traffic
seen on the back roads. On September 27 I went with L.-C. Cowen to
inspect an O.P. in the British front-line system south-east of
Trescault. We went through the wood and then along a winding C.T.
which brought us to the front line. Here we found a deep dugout with a
ladder leading up to an O.P. on ground level. The view in front was
not altogether satisfactory, but towards the left it was good.
At dawn on September 28 the grand assault on the Hindenburg Line
began. It was quite successful on our left and on the left of our
front, but the Division on our right had great difficulty in getting
forward. By the following day, however, the line was advanced along
the whole front, and the N.Z. Division, taking over the pursuit from
us, made good captures of men and guns. L.-C. Cowen and Pte.
McGarrigle went to the O.P. in the front line on September 28 and had
rather a rough passage. Pte. Fail had a small party at the other O.P.,
and obtained a fairly good view of the battle. On September 29 Pte.
King went with Pte. Chappell in the direction of Ribécourt, but this
expedition was brought to an end by a shell which wounded Pte.
Chappell badly in the face. This was the second and, as events turned
out, the last casualty amongst my observers. I spent a long time the
second day with the observers at the O.P. in Havrincourt Wood and we
saw much German transport hurrying back south of Niergnes. On the
night of September 29 the 42nd Division was relieved, and I received
instructions to remain at our quarters near Bertincourt. After the
battle we were no longer troubled with any shells. Second-Lieut.
Edmunds who had been on leave since we left Miraumont came back to
assist me, for about another month. Great droves of German prisoners
now began to pass us several times a day, a cheering sight in one way,
but not a pleasant one in another. They were truly a desperate-looking
collection of men, mostly of a very low class.
This halt enabled me to get round the country and make sketches of the
various battle-fields.
One night I had dinner at D.H.Q. as the guest of Capt. Kirsopp, and
enjoyed the hospitality of 'Z' Mess. I found a great curiosity in the
fields near Bertincourt. An old cannon-ball pitted with rust and
dating possibly from Marlborough's days. As I could not take it away
with me, I gave it to Major Clarke, the G.S.O. II.
On October 7 the observers moved to some dugouts near Trescault, where
we remained two days. On October 8 I went on to Welsh Ridge, but
nothing much could be seen from there. The battle-field was strewn
with Germans who had fallen in the battle ten days before. On October
9 we had a long march which took all day. We went through Beaucamp and
then towards Masnières, finally reaching the shattered village of
Crèvecoeur. Next morning we moved on again to Esnes, where we had
billets in a nice farm-house.
At last we had reached the land of vegetables, and for the rest of the
campaign we had a plentiful supply. We had been very short of this
kind of food since May.
On October 11 we moved on again and got a billet in a small cottage in
Fontaine-au-Pire. Next day on again to the next town, Beauvois, which
was not at all badly smashed. We had billets in a couple of small
cottages off the main street and we were fairly comfortable here. The
plague of house-flies was very bad at this place; the whole place was
full of them.
The 42nd Division relieved the N.Z. Division on October 12 on a front
extending south of Solesmes and covering Briastre.
XXXVI
THE GERMANS' LAST STAND
On October 12 I went with Pte. Firth to a ridge south of Viesly to
look for an O.P., and selected a spot in the open, but near a sunk
road. However, the G.O.C. required a post to be held on the high
ground north of the village. This was only half a mile from the
enemy's front line and in full view of the enemy, so that I suspected
we should not be allowed to stop there very long. A regiment of
Hussars was attached to the Corps and stationed at Caudry.
It was arranged that an officer and six observers from this regiment
should work in conjunction with the Divisional observers. These
mounted men were particularly useful in getting messages back quickly
from the O.P. to a report centre, for during this open warfare it was
impossible to connect the observers by telephone to D.H.Q.
The first day at the O.P. north of Viesly passed quietly enough, and
Ptes. King and McGarrigle made a useful sketch of the view in front.
Next day, when I went up to the O.P. to make additions to the sketch,
conditions were not very good. Our only cover was a shallow trench
about one foot deep; and for an hour whilst I was trying to sketch
the details of the landscape the enemy's 4.2-inch howitzers shelled
the hill persistently. I told the observers, when I went back, to
leave this post if things got no better and to man the post south of
Viesly. And this was done soon afterwards, as the shells began to fall
very close. Unfortunately from now onwards the light was no good for
long-range observation. Day after day the country was covered with a
thick white mist, a common experience in October, which made
observation quite out of the question. However, from the sketches that
had been made, I was able to make a drawing of the panorama in front,
which was printed out for the use of the troops in the line.
It was decided to attack the German positions at midnight on October
19-20. Taking advantage of the heavy mist the British field artillery
placed their guns in two long lines, twenty-eight guns in a line and
almost wheel to wheel, behind the ridges south of Viesly. This was an
extraordinary sight, for they had no cover whatever except the thick
white mist overhead. Behind the second row, there was a battery of
heavy howitzers (8- or 9-inch calibre), and a little farther back
several batteries of 60-pounder guns. The night attack was carried out
by the 126th Infantry Brigade and was wonderfully successful.
At 10 A.M. on October 20 I called at B.H.Q., a house in Prayelle, to
get the latest news. Then I joined Ptes. Fail and Greenwood at the
O.P., which was now under the muzzles of the field guns. We left this
post and went towards Briastre, and, crossing the road from Viesly, we
finally selected a position near the Briastre Cemetery. Just across
the valley the enemy's guns were pounding the positions we had won
that morning. It was in preparation for a counter-attack, which,
however, was crushed by the fire from our own artillery. We sent in
several situation reports to D.H.Q. through the H.Q. of the 10th
Manchester Regiment, which were now in a cutting not far from the
cemetery.
On my way back to Beauvois I met a number of tanks travelling slowly
forward towards Viesly; but I believe they were unable to get across
the River Selle that night. For the next two days the observers held a
post on the north side of Viesly; and on October 23 the 42nd Division
attacked again, the N.Z. Division taking up the pursuit of the enemy
about midday. The men of the 42nd Division have every reason to be
proud of their battle at Solesmes; the Germans were very strongly
entrenched and they were picked troops, and a night attack is, of
course, one of the most difficult of all to carry out successfully.
The observers were instructed to remain at their quarters in Beauvois,
and for the next eleven days training was resumed. I was told that
great advantages might be obtained from panoramic sketches, if rapidly
and accurately drawn by the observers. And so I directed most of the
training here towards making these sketches. There was nothing in
training that the men liked better than that.
During our rest at Beauvois the New Zealanders had pushed the Germans
farther back, to the outskirts of Le Quesnoy, and towards the end of
October we were warned that the 42nd Division would relieve them after
a further attack.
XXXVII
THE FINAL RUSH FORWARD
On November 3 I moved with the observers to the village of Viesly and
got a billet in a cottage. The village had been badly mauled by the
German guns during the recent fighting. The German does not behave
nicely when his nerves are shaken, and we heard stories of
ill-treatment of women in Solesmes.
Next day we went towards Romeries to reconnoitre the roads, and on
November 5 we had a long march in the rain. Hitherto we had been lucky
to have fine weather for trekking, but now it began to rain almost
every day. We went on over crowded roads through Briastre, Solesmes,
Romeries, and Beaudignies. At the latter place our heavy guns were
still firing, for the Germans had only been pushed out of Le Quesnoy
that morning, and their main body was retreating through the Mormal
Forest. Our advance party, L.-C. Cowen and Pte. Addinall, who had gone
forward on bicycles to find a billet in Le Quesnoy, met with a very
warm reception from the French civilians in the town. After a little
trouble I managed to get possession of a nice empty house near the
railway station, where we were glad to turn in and get our clothes
dry. Next day I went to D.H.Q. at Potelle, a moated farm or château.
There was some idea of disbanding the observers at this time, for
Capt. Kirsopp found difficulty in getting us forward fast enough to be
of any use. However the G.O.C. would not hear of it, and said the
D.A.Q.M.G. must arrange to transport our things.
The same day I went forward to the advanced B.H.Q. at Forester's
Point, on the N.W. side of the forest, east of Carnoy. And I arranged
with the Brigade-Major of the 126th Infantry Brigade to send some of
the observers to help him next day. This, however, was cancelled, as
the Germans began to retreat towards the River Sambre. I saw some
French children still about the cottages near the Mormal Forest,
though there was still shelling going on. Coming back I avoided the
village of Carnoy, as it was being heavily shelled by the enemy's
long-range guns. This was the last time I came anywhere near the
enemy's shell fire. The German dead lay in little clusters in the
fields east of Le Quesnoy, and at various points along the railway.
On November 7 I moved my quarters to a small house at Herbignies, our
belongings being brought for us by Divisional transport. Our hand-cart
was finally dumped at Le Quesnoy. The next day I sent a small party of
observers through the forest to Petit Bavay, and also detached Ptes.
Fail, Ewart, and Austin for duty on the following day, sending them
with bicycles to the Q.M. of the 7th N.F. at Petit Bavay. Also I
walked through the forest to D.H.Q. at the same place. It was a long
tramp in the mud, and I was thoroughly tired out when I reached
Herbignies again that night.
On November 9 we had our final trek forward, some fifteen miles
through the most glutinous mud. As the observers had been overlooked
when the Divisional transport left Potelle, we had now to transport
all our belongings as best we could without the aid of the hand-cart.
This unfortunately meant dumping all our stores except such as were
absolutely essential; and I lost a number of interesting records,
maps, &c., in this way.
We loaded ourselves up then with everything we could take--very full
packs and a blanket rolled on top, about the heaviest marching-order
possible. By midday we had got through the forest to Petit Bavay,
where we halted for a meal on the road side. Then we went on through
Vieux Mesnil, where we had to ford the river, as the bridge was
destroyed. On through Neuf Mesnil and at last to Hautmont. I was glad
to get a billet in the first empty house I came to, 135 Rue de
Gambetta. No beds, but a moderately clean floor to sleep on. Pte.
Fail's party rejoined me here. They had gone right on to the firing
line on the north bank of the River Sambre, where the Guards were
advancing. They brought back useful information as to what had been
going on.
After disputing the crossing of the Sambre the Germans fled rapidly
for about eight miles, and gave no further trouble beyond shelling the
villages of Quievelon and Ferrière. Cyclists and cavalry were pushed
out to keep in touch with them, but owing to the difficulties of
transport the infantry could get no farther. There was now a general
feeling that the end was not far off.
On November 10 I was told at D.H.Q. that there was a 'holiday air'
about every one, and that nothing further need be done by the
observers. Early next morning I heard two transport drivers discussing
the situation in the road outside. They were quite convinced that the
war was over. And they were right; a little later I got the message
from D.H.Q. 'hostilities will cease at 11 A.M. to-day.' Heavy firing
was still going on to the north, about Mons, and this only ceased at
11 o'clock. Then the silence and stillness outside were most uncanny.
It was a silence that could be felt.
XXXVIII
THE END OF IT ALL
After the armistice the Divisional observers were not disbanded at
once. They remained in my charge till December 6, when orders came for
us all to return to our own units. So ended the most pleasant command
that I held during the war.
The men who were with me when we were disbanded, were:
_Observers_ (_7th N.F._) _Signallers_ (_7th N.F._)
L.-C. COWEN L.-C. CROZIER, M.M.
Pte. KING, M.M. Pte. WARD
Pte. FAIL Pte. ROBINSON
Pte. EWART Pte. PARKIN
Pte. DRAKE
Pte. ADDINALL
Pte. AUSTIN
Pte. GREENWOOD (_10th M.R._)
Pte. FIRTH (_6th M.R._)
From the nature of the organisation and equipment of Infantry
observers, they were of more use during trench warfare than moving
warfare. You cannot turn an observer into a scout at a moment's
notice. Only a few of the men ever acquired any real knowledge of map
reading--they did not take the same interest in it as in other parts
of the training--and for moving warfare it is absolutely essential.
Another handicap was lack of transport, we were nobody's children and
left to fend for ourselves. The Q.M. of the 7th N.F. adopted us so far
as rations were concerned, but the collection of rations alone
prevented us from being a really mobile force: we could not move far
away from the source of food supplies.
During the ten weeks on the Auchonvillers Ridge the men did wonders.
But we never stayed long enough at the same place after that to give
them a real chance; and they never settled down to moving warfare.
On December 6 I was attached to B Company of the 7th N.F., commanded
by Major Smail, and living at Boussières; once more I became a platoon
commander, after nearly three years of continuous warfare.
About December 15 the 42nd Division moved into Belgium, and D.H.Q.
were established at Charleroi. After arriving here I became
Demobilisation Officer for the 7th N.F. and continued at that till
January 19.[20] Then I went on leave to England. On February 10 I got
back to Charleroi, and on February 13 I left Charleroi for
demobilisation or rather 'disembodiment.' I reached home at 4.30 P.M.
on February 22, glad to be back.
FOOTNOTES:
[20] I had the greatest assistance from Cpl. Seals (7th N.F.),
formerly N.C.O. in charge of Brigade Orderlies.
Printed by SPOTTISWOODE, BALLANTYNE & CO. LTD.
Colchester, London & Eton, England.
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End of Project Gutenberg's Q.6.a and Other places, by Francis Buckley