OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER 1916
_Diary of the War_
The battle of the Somme continued, and further gains by both the
British and French armies were announced. On November 13 a successful
offensive operation was carried out by the British Army on the Ancre.
The French were still engaged in fighting at Verdun, and eventually
succeeded in regaining all the ground they had lost in that part of
the line.
The Germans now developed a strong offensive movement against the
Roumanians, who, finding themselves outnumbered and out-manœuvred,
retired into their own country.
The situation in Greece became very acute, because King Constantine,
in direct opposition to the wishes of his people, made persistent
overtures to the Germans. The Allies, on the invitation of the Greeks
themselves, landed men and blockaded the Greek coast. M. Venizelos was
brought back, and acclaimed by the people.
On the 22nd of November the Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria died.
THE 1ST BATTALION
[Sidenote: 1st Batt. Oct. 1916.]
The 1st Battalion remained in bivouacs at Carnoy after the battle of
the Somme, and on October 1 proceeded in motor buses, provided by the
French, to Fontaine-le-Sec, where it remained till the end of the
month. Training was carried out daily with bombing practice and
occasional musketry. The following officers joined during the month:
on the 5th, Second Lieutenant C. Wilkinson; on the 7th, Second
Lieutenant B. L. Lawrence; on the 18th, Lieutenant F. C. St. Aubyn and
Second Lieutenant T. P. M. Bevan; on the 19th, Second Lieutenant R. C.
Cain.
[Sidenote: Nov.]
On November 1 Field-Marshal His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught,
Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, accompanied by Colonel Sir Henry
Streatfeild, the Lieut.-Colonel, inspected the Guards Division. His
Royal Highness was received with a royal salute, and having ridden
down the ranks returned to the saluting base, when the three Brigades
marched past.
To relieve the monotony of the training, as well as to be prepared for
any eventuality, the Battalions were now trained in open warfare. On
the 10th the 1st Battalion moved in French motor buses to the sandpits
at Méaulte, where it remained five days. After spending forty-eight
hours at D Camp in Trônes Wood, it went into the front trenches east
of Gueudecourt, with the Australian Division on the left and the 1st
Guards Brigade on the right. The Battalion spent three uneventful days
in the trenches, except that while it was being relieved by the 59th
Australian Infantry, Lieutenant V. C. H. Gordon-Lennox was wounded. On
the 20th the Battalion proceeded to Montauban, moving on the following
day to Méaulte. On the 2nd Captain C. V. Fisher-Rowe joined the
Battalion, and on the 13th Lieutenant W. J. Dashwood arrived.
[Sidenote: Dec.]
After a fortnight at Méaulte the Battalion went into dug-outs in
Bouleaux Wood on December 6, and two days later relieved the 4th
Battalion in the trenches. On the 11th it retired to Maltzhorn Camp,
moving on the following day to Bronfay, and then back to Bouleaux
Wood. This routine was followed up to the end of the month, the
Battalion spending three days in the trenches followed by a week at
Maltzhorn, Bronfay, and Bouleaux, but nothing of importance happened.
On the 17th Captain P. J. S. Pearson-Gregory joined, and during the
month several drafts arrived to bring the Battalion up to strength.
[Illustration: INSPECTION OF THE GUARDS DIVISION BY FIELD-MARSHAL
H.R.H. THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT, K.G.
NOVEMBER 1, 1916.]
THE 2ND BATTALION
[Sidenote: 2nd Batt. Oct.]
After spending the end of September at Morlancourt, the 2nd Battalion
proceeded in buses lent by the French Government to Aumont, where it
remained for six weeks. The time was spent in training and musketry,
with instruction in bombing and Lewis gunnery. The following officers
joined during the month: Second Lieutenant W. H. S. Dent on the 2nd;
Captain E. O. Stewart on the 5th; Lieutenant the Hon. F. H. Manners
and Lieutenant F. A. M. Browning, Second Lieutenant R. A. W. Bicknell
and Second Lieutenant J. H. Jacob on the 6th; Second Lieutenant E. W.
Seymour on the 7th; Captain C. F. A. Walker, M.C., and Second
Lieutenant J. D. C. Wilton on the 12th; Captain I. St. C. Rose,
Captain Lord Frederick Blackwood, D.S.O., Lieutenant A. H. Penn, and
Second Lieutenant Lord Basil Blackwood on the 16th. On the 10th
Captain the Hon. W. R. Bailey, D.S.O., was granted the temporary rank
of Major, and became Second in Command of the Battalion, his place as
Adjutant being taken by Lieutenant A. H. Penn.
[Sidenote: Nov.]
On November 6 Captain I. Rose was transferred to the 3rd Battalion. On
the 10th the 2nd Battalion proceeded in French motor buses _via_
Méaulte to the Citadel Camp, where it remained for two days, after
which it marched to “H.I.” Camp near Montauban. The weather was very
bad, and the whole country was a sea of mud, which made marching
across country anything but easy. On the 15th the Battalion proceeded
to Camps A and B at Trônes Wood, and moved up the following day into
the line, relieving the 1st Battalion Irish Guards in the inside right
sector between Lesbœufs and Gueudecourt, where the front line
consisted of shell-holes joined up, and was held by a succession of
small posts. Owing to the frosty condition of the ground, the relief
was carried out quickly and without casualties, but a working platoon
that had been sent on ahead had two men killed, and Lieutenant J. D.
Wilton, the officer in charge, and two men wounded. The line was not
good, and as there were no communication trenches considerable
difficulty was experienced in bringing up the rations and trench
requirements. The second day in the trenches was one of the most
trying the Battalion had experienced, as the snow changed to rain, and
a thaw began which converted the whole ground to a morass. No one who
has not experienced the difficulties of moving about up to the knee in
liquid mud can realise the great fatigue it entails: many men were
completely exhausted, while some lost their way owing to the tracks
having been obliterated. All the time the shelling continued, causing
a certain amount of casualties. On the 19th, after a long and
difficult relief, the Battalion returned to H.I. Camp, where hot food
and warm water for the feet were provided. During the relief Captain
C. N. Newton was slightly wounded, but remained at duty. On the 21st
the Battalion marched to Méaulte, where it remained until the end of
the month. However, it took some days to clean the clothes, rifles,
and equipment which were plastered with mud, and training was not
commenced until the 23rd. Every day a certain number of men were
detailed for work on improving the roads, each company taking it in
turns to supply the necessary fatigue parties.
[Sidenote: Dec.]
On December 2 the 2nd Battalion marched _via_ Bray to Camp 108 at
Bronfay, and later moved to Maltzhorn Camp. On the 9th it relieved the
1st Battalion Irish Guards in the trenches at Sailly-Saillisel, where
again, owing to the mud, it had a very fatiguing three days, and
suffered several casualties. On the 11th it was relieved by the 2nd
Battalion Irish Guards, and marched to Maltzhorn Camp. The following
day it went to Montauban, and after two days’ rest moved up to the
front line at Combles, where the trenches were still in a bad state
owing to the wet weather. For three days it remained in the line, and
the men worked very hard on improving the trenches and making a
foundation of timber and rubble. When it was relieved, No. 4 Company
was heavily shelled and suffered a number of casualties. On the 18th
the Battalion marched to Trônes Wood, where it entrained for Plateau
Siding. On the 20th it returned to Combles, where there was little
hostile fire, but the sodden condition of the ground made all work
very difficult. After three days in the trenches it moved back to
Plateau Siding, and subsequently marched to Camp 15. Divine service
was held there on Christmas Day, but as the Battalion had to return to
the trenches the following day, the Christmas dinners were postponed
until later. Three uneventful days were spent in the trenches at
Combles, and on the 30th they went back once more to Camp 15. On the
12th Lieutenant J. N. Buchanan joined the Battalion. Brigadier-General
C. E. Pereira, C.M.G., D.S.O., was promoted and given command of a
Division. He was succeeded by Brigadier-General G. D. Jeffreys, who
had fought in every engagement since August 1914, and who had latterly
commanded the 2nd Battalion Grenadiers with conspicuous ability.
THE 3RD BATTALION
[Sidenote: 3rd Batt. Oct. 1916.]
After the battle of the Somme the 3rd Battalion moved from Carnoy to
Heucourt by train, and remained there till the end of October.
Training was carried out in accordance with the new training schemes,
and there were field days in which Advance-guards, Flank-guards, and
tactical schemes were practised.
[Sidenote: Nov.]
On November 1 Field-Marshal His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught,
accompanied by Colonel Sir H. Streatfeild, inspected the Guards
Division. On the 6th Captain I. St. C. Rose joined the Battalion. On
the 11th, after a journey in French motor lorries, the Battalion
arrived at Méaulte, where it remained until the 15th, and then moved
to Mansell Camp near Carnoy. There the men were employed in mending
the roads until the 27th, when the Battalion marched to the Camp at
L’Arbre Fourchée just north of Bray.
From this time onward the Division was divided into two groups, each
consisting of six battalions. This necessitated the 2nd Guards Brigade
being split up, and two battalions were sent to each group. The right
group consisted of the 1st Guards Brigade with the 1st Battalion
Coldstream and 2nd Battalion Irish Guards. The left group consisted of
the 3rd Guards Brigade with the 3rd Battalion Grenadier Guards and 1st
Battalion Scots Guards.
Thus the brigade system was in abeyance, and battalions worked the
line in a regular cycle, always going and returning to the same camp
or portion of the line. All blankets and cookers were made camp
stores, to reduce the work of the transport.
[Sidenote: Dec.]
On December 1 the 3rd Battalion moved to a camp at Maltzhorn Farm, and
on the following day marched _via_ Trônes Wood, Guillemont, and
Combles to Haie Wood, where it was taken by French guides into the
front line of trenches north of Sailly-Saillisel and south of Morval.
This portion of the line had been only recently captured by the
French, who had not had time to organise it properly. The parapets
were extremely thin, and there were few if any fire-steps, while
communication with the front was entirely overground. There was not a
single strand of wire on the frontage, and the enemy was hardly eighty
yards away. While the relief was being carried out, forty to fifty
Germans attempted to make a raid, and got right up to the parapet,
where they shot a French machine-gunner who was sitting on the saddle
of his gun. The remainder of the gun-team retreated hastily down a
small communication trench, and met No. 4 Company coming up. Rapid
fire was at once opened on the raiders, who disappeared carrying off
the machine-gun with them, and any further development of the attack
was successfully frustrated, although the German barrage on our front
line continued for some time. The following day a patrol that went out
found the bodies of seven Germans belonging to a storm section of the
23rd Grenadier Regiment of German Infantry, and close by the
machine-gun that had been lost. This gun was subsequently returned
undamaged to the French.
The rest of the time in the trenches passed without incident, but a
great deal of work was done in thickening the parapet and making
fire-steps. On the 5th the 3rd Battalion was relieved and marched to
Maltzhorn Farm. The following days were spent in going by train to
Bronfay Farm and then on to Bouleaux Wood. On the 11th the Battalion
returned to the trenches, which it found in a deplorable condition,
the parapet having fallen in along the greater part of the frontage.
Most of the men had to stand with the mud above the knee, and in some
places above the waist; some had to be dug out on the way up. Nor did
matters improve, as the weather conditions became still worse and rain
and snow came down intermittently. So bad were the trenches that it
was decided to hold the front line in islands, and to concentrate the
work on them. The three days spent in the trenches were some of the
most unpleasant the men had ever had, and when they were relieved they
were in a most exhausted condition, being encased in mud and quite wet
through. After four days’ rest, when all the arms and equipment were
overhauled, the Battalion returned to the front line for forty-eight
hours, but the trenches had already been very much improved. Two days
in and two days out of the trenches became the routine till the end of
the month, and by degrees the “islands” were made habitable. There had
been casualties almost every day in addition to cases of trench feet
and chills, but with the trenches in such a state this was inevitable.
THE 4TH BATTALION
[Sidenote: 4th Batt. Sept. 1916.]
[Sidenote: Oct.]
The 4th Battalion was sadly depleted after the battle of the Somme,
having lost nearly half its number, and a reorganisation and
redistribution of the officers and non-commissioned officers was
therefore necessary. On the 28th September Major-General Feilding
addressed the men on parade, and paid a great tribute to their share
in the battle. On the 30th the 4th Battalion moved to the sandpits at
Méaulte, and the next day to Morlancourt, where it got into motor
buses belonging to the French, and proceeded _via_ Amiens to
Epaumesnil. There it remained for five weeks; the billets were good,
the weather on the whole was fine, and the Battalion was able
gradually to recover its spirits and normal proportions. Company
training was carried out in addition to musketry practice on the
rifle-range and Lewis-gun instruction. On the 4th Brigadier-General C.
E. Corkran, commanding the 3rd Guards Brigade, addressed the Battalion
on parade, and said that their splendid behaviour during the recent
fighting could not have been surpassed. He thought that the part
played by the Battalion in the battle of the Somme equalled in
brilliance what it had achieved in any of the battles whose names were
embroidered on the Regimental Colours.
The following officers joined the Battalion during the month: on the
2nd, Captain the Hon. F. E. Needham; on the 4th, Captain E. G.
Spencer-Churchill; on the 5th, Captain E. O. Stewart and Lieutenant R.
Farquhar; on the 6th, Second Lieutenant A. C. Adams; on the 14th,
Lieutenant H. J. Boyton and Second Lieutenant the Hon. A. H. L.
Hardinge; on the 17th, Captain M. Williams and Second Lieutenant E. H.
Tuckwell.
[Sidenote: Nov.]
On November 1 Field-Marshal His Royal Highness the Duke of Connaught,
accompanied by Colonel Sir Henry Streatfeild, inspected the Guards
Division. On the 10th the Battalion left Epaumesnil, and was
transported in French motor buses _via_ Amiens to the sandpits at
Méaulte. Two days later it moved to Carnoy, and on the 13th went up
into the trenches in front of Lesbœufs and Gueudecourt, with two
companies in the front line, one in support and one in reserve. The
front line was much battered, and was also 3 feet deep in mud, which
made the relief a matter of some difficulty. In addition to the
continual sniping there was considerable activity on the part of the
enemy’s artillery, which resulted in a considerable number of
casualties. The weather had now turned very cold, and it was freezing,
with snow and rain at intervals. On the 17th the 4th Battalion retired
to H Camp at Carnoy, where it remained until the end of the month. On
the 19th Lieut.-Colonel Lord Henry Seymour left to take temporary
command of the 2nd Brigade.
[Illustration: THE GRENADIER GUARDS MARCHING IN FOURS PAST THEIR
COLONEL, FIELD-MARSHAL H.R.H. THE DUKE OF CONNAUGHT, K.G.
NOVEMBER 1, 1916.]
[Sidenote: Dec.]
On December 5 the 4th Battalion took over a line of trenches near
Sailly-Saillisel, and two companies of the 2nd Battalion Scots Guards
were attached. The front line was a long one, and there were no
communication trenches, which made the relief more dangerous than
usual. After four days, during which there was little shelling, the
Battalion retired to Bouleaux Wood, and the next day proceeded to
Bronfay Farm. On the 9th Lieut.-Colonel G. C. Hamilton arrived and
took over command, and on the 14th the Battalion returned to the front
line. During this relief the Germans put down a barrage, and
Lieutenant H. J. Boyton was killed by a shell and a few men wounded.
After the first day the shelling diminished considerably, and there
were no more casualties, but the mud was as bad as ever. Private James
behaved with the greatest gallantry the first night, and went over to
bring in three men who were wounded within fifty yards of the enemy.
There were again a certain number of casualties, and Lieutenant J. W.
F. Selby-Lowndes was wounded. Returning to the line again on the 27th,
the Battalion had a quiet time, and suffered no casualties.