FLEURBAIX.
The Battalion was in France. On arrival at Boulogne it disembarked at
once and marched to St. Martin’s Camp, which was on a hill a mile or
two outside the town. This camp had only recently been started and the
arrangements were far from ideal. A few tents for the officers, and
bivouacs for the men, were the only accommodation. No one had had a
proper meal since he left Doncaster, but no food was provided at the
camp until the following morning. One blanket per man--sewn up to form
a sort of cloak, with a hole in the top for the owner to put his head
through if he felt so inclined--was the only covering provided. Tired
and hungry the Battalion turned in, but not to sleep. It was a cold and
frosty night. After their comfortable billets at Doncaster the men were
not in good training for such rigorous conditions, and the memory of
that night still lives in the minds of some of the “old-timers” of the
Battalion. By a very early hour nearly everyone was out on the road,
stamping up and down in an attempt to get warm. Breakfast time was very
welcome.
After breakfast, rations for the day were drawn and iron rations
issued, and then the Battalion started on one of the hardest marches
it ever had to make. A late change in the orders had caused a delay
of more than two hours so that, when the men at length moved off, the
march was much more strenuous than it would otherwise have been. It was
a very hot day, with a blazing sun. Most of the men were tired before
they started. They had had a long railway journey and a sea crossing
the previous day, and few had been able to get any sleep during the
night. Clad in their thick winter underclothing, and with packs much
heavier than they had been used to in training, they were none too
suitably equipped for a long tramp. But, worst of all, were the new
boots with which everyone had been supplied before leaving Doncaster;
these had not yet become fitted to the feet, and before long many men
were suffering severely. Men who had never fallen out on a march before
were compelled to do so then, and there were soon many stragglers
on the road, gamely trying to struggle along. It was a very jaded
battalion which at length arrived at the little wayside station of
Hesdigneul.
The train, with transport vehicles, animals and personnel on board,
was already waiting in the station. Some tea was obtained from a
little wooden canteen near by and then the Battalion entrained, most
of the stragglers having come up by that time. Here the men were first
introduced to what would be called a cattle truck in England, but which
in France bears the mystic legend “Hommes 40, Chevaux 8”--the type of
compartment which was to be their customary means of conveyance on the
somewhat rare occasions when they travelled by rail. Many were the
speculations as to the Battalion’s destination, but no information
could be obtained from the railway officials. Wild rumours circulated,
the most popular being that a great battle was in progress and the
Battalion was being hurried up as a reinforcement. But, as usual,
rumour proved false. After a journey, uninteresting but for the fact
that it was the first most of the men had ever made on the Continent,
the train arrived at Merville about 6-0 p.m., and orders to detrain
were issued.
There followed another march, worse in some respects than the first.
Certainly it was not so hot, but the rest on the train had allowed
muscles to stiffen and sore feet to develop. Only their tremendous
keenness, and the novelty of active service, kept many of the men
going. One N.C.O. at least arrived at his destination carrying his
boots, having tramped the last part of the way in his stockinged feet.
It was long after dark before the Battalion reached Estaires where it
took over its first billets in France. These were on the edge of the
town, on the Neuf Berquin Road. They had previously been occupied by
Indian troops and were, almost without exception, filthy. Battalion
H.Q. was in the Chateau, but those who had looked for a fine,
castellated mansion were grievously disappointed. It was some time
before the place could be found, and when it was discovered, it turned
out to be a large, but quite uninteresting, building up a side street.
According to rumour, it had been occupied by all sorts of undesirables,
from Germans to typhoid patients; at any rate it was very dirty,
and much work was necessary before it could be put into a habitable
condition. For a day or two all officers messed at a large estaminet by
the Hotel de Ville, but then the system of company messes was started
and continued throughout the Battalion’s period of active service.
All now knew that they were near the Front. Ruined houses along the
road had borne silent testimony to the presence of war. In Estaires the
sound of the guns could be clearly heard, and there the first aeroplane
fight which anyone had seen was witnessed. The Division was now in the
IV. Corps of the First Army. A few days after landing it received its
new title of the 49th Division; the 2nd West Riding Infantry Brigade
became the 147th Infantry Brigade.
About a week was spent at Estaires and, during that time, practically
all the officers and many other ranks visited the front line trenches
for short periods of instruction. The first party, which comprised
about half the officers and a large number of N.C.O’s, went up on
April 19th for twenty-four hours. Old London omnibuses carried them
to beyond Bac St. Maur, and then they walked up to the section of the
line which they were soon to take over the defence of--No. 3 Section
of the Fleurbaix Sector. Here they came under the tutelage of the 2nd
Battalion West Yorkshire Regiment. On the return of this party, the
remainder of the officers and more N.C.O’s had their turn. Then the
Battalion began to send up whole platoons, each under its own platoon
commander, for twenty-four hours. It was during one of these tours
of instruction that the Battalion suffered its first casualties.
At that time movement to and from the front line, in the Fleurbaix
Sector, was almost entirely across the open, communication trenches
being practically non-existent. When coming out after their tour of
instruction on April 23rd, one man was killed and two were wounded by
stray bullets.
Meanwhile the Battalion was resting. Little work was done at Estaires.
Platoon commanders’ inspections and occasional short route marches
were all the military training that was attempted. The men were given
a chance to settle down in their new life. A surprise visit from
Lieut.-General Sir H. Rawlinson, G.O.C. IV. Corps, was the one exciting
event.
On April 22nd, the Battalion marched to billets at Doulieu. This move
caused some discomfort to the platoons which were then undergoing
instruction in the line, as they had considerable difficulty in
finding the Battalion when they returned. Guides had been left behind
for them, but these apparently got tired of waiting and departed. At
Doulieu the Battalion was visited by General Sir Douglas Haig, at
that time commanding the First Army, who surprised a luckless, though
well-meaning, subaltern in the very act of issuing rum to his platoon
at unauthorised hours.
Two days later the Battalion moved to the neighbourhood of La Croix
Lescornez, where it was in Brigade Reserve to the front line. The
following day, an order to provide 400 men for work under the
Royal Engineers was an indication of much of the future life of
the Battalion. The same day the whole of A Company went into the
line, being distributed along the front held by the 3rd Battalion
Worcestershire Regt., which had relieved the 2nd Battalion West
Yorkshire Regt.
On April 26th, the Battalion relieved the 3rd Battalion Worcestershire
Regt. in No. 3 Section of the Fleurbaix Sector.
* * * * *
One relief is much like another, and all who know the Western Front can
picture the scene in the billet of No. -- Platoon of -- Company on the
morning of April 26th, 1915.
A dirty yard, with the usual midden in the middle, is surrounded by
buildings on all sides. Nearest to the road is the great barn, which
has been the platoon’s home for the last few days. It is not an ideal
billet. The floor is of trampled earth, with a little straw here and
there; a timber framework, filled in with clay and straw, forms the
walls; the roof is tiled. Many holes in the walls let in light and
air and allow the wind to whistle round the barn; many tiles are
missing from the roof and, at night, a sleepless man can lie gazing
at the stars, or feel the rain falling on his face, according to the
weather. Walls, four to five feet high, subdivide the barn into several
compartments.
On the opposite side of the yard lies the house--all ground floor. Its
kitchen is well known to the platoon, for the people have been good to
the men. Many of them have sat round that strange closed stove, which
will burn anything, and have drunk coffee, while they aired their
French with their hosts. Stables, pig-sties, and other farm buildings
form the other sides of the yard.
“Blankets, rolled in bundles of ten and labelled,” have been dumped
ready to be collected by the transport. Equipment has been made up and
packed, and is lying about the yard. Rifles lean against the walls. The
barn has been left “scrupulously clean” and passed as satisfactory.
For the moment there is nothing special to do. The men stand about
the yard in groups, smoking and talking. Some are drinking coffee
in the kitchen. Private X is carrying on a lively conversation with
“Mademoiselle.”
“Fall in!” Men leisurely don their equipment, pick up their rifles, and
obey. Private Y is the last as usual, and is rebuked by his section
commander. N.C.O’s glance at their men and report “All Correct” to the
platoon sergeant. “Platoon--’Shun!” The men come up to the position of
readiness, described in the Drill Book. “Right--Dress!” They dress.
“Platoon, by Sections--Number! Form--Fours! Form--Two-deep! Stand
at--Ease! Stand--Easy!” The platoon is ready to move.
“Platoon--’Shun!” The officer has arrived. “Platoon present and
correct, sir!” A rapid inspection, a word of criticism here and there,
and the men again stand easy.
“Platoon--’Shun! Slope--Arms! Move to the right in Fours, Form--Fours!
Right! Quick--March! Right--Wheel!” The platoon moves out of the yard.
“March Easy!” Rifle slings are loosened and the rifles slung; pipes
and cigarettes appear; the pace settles down to a steady hundred to
the minute. With a cheery greeting to “Madame” and an affectionate
farewell to “Mademoiselle,” they pass the estaminet. The roads are wet
and muddy, and boots soon lose their parade polish. Now the platoon is
leaving the village. A little ahead are the cross-roads, which mark the
Battalion starting point. The subaltern consults his watch. Good! He is
exactly on time.
“Platoon, March to Attention!” Pipes and cigarettes disappear; slings
are tightened; rifles are brought to the slope. “Left--Left--Left,
Right, Left!” The pace smartens up to the regulation hundred and twenty
to the minute. “Eyes--Right!” They are passing the cross-roads where
the C.O., with his Adjutant, is standing.
“Eyes--Front! March Easy!” Again rifles are slung and matches struck.
The pace soon settles down to the old hundred to the minute. The road
is muddier than ever now. Few vehicles, except the infantry transport,
use it beyond the village; and so it is seldom repaired. The country
grows more desolate; on all sides are ruined buildings, shattered
trees, and the countless signs of war. But jest and song help to
enliven the way, for the men are fresh after their few days’ rest.
At “ten minutes to the hour” the platoon falls out on the right of the
road. Equipment is taken off. The grass is wet, but some sit down; in
later days, in spite of all orders to the contrary, they will sit on
their “tin hats.” It seems hardly a minute before they are called on to
don their equipment and fall in again.
At length a communication trench is reached. The men are quieter now.
Over to the right an occasional shell is bursting. The crack of a rifle
is heard now and then. The trench is muddy, and, here and there, water
is over the duckboards. Private Z slips, and expresses his opinion of
the sandbag-full of charcoal, which he is carrying, in unmistakeable
terms.
The trench seems endless, but, at last, the front line is reached.
Other men, covered with mud and wearing equipment, are waiting there.
The relief goes smoothly. Sentries are changed, duties are handed over,
the latest intelligence about “Fritz” or “Jerry” is imparted. “Quiet
tour. Not a casualty in our company. He doesn’t fire if you lie doggo.”
With every sign of satisfaction the relieved troops withdraw. Men who
are not on sentry seek their shelters and grouse at the condition they
have been left in. The platoon commander inspects his line, swears that
the people he has relieved have done no work during the whole tour, and
goes off to air his grievances at Company H.Q. The Company Commander
wires “Hundred gallons of rum urgently needed,” “Love to Alice,” or
some such message, which has been agreed upon to signify “Relief
complete.”
The tour has begun.
* * * * *
For the first time, the Battalion was responsible for the defence of a
sector of the line, with no one between it and the enemy. There it was
to remain for about two months, inter-relieving every few days with the
6th Battalion Duke of Wellington’s Regt., and spending its rest periods
in and near the village of Fleurbaix.
No. 3 Section was about a thousand yards in breadth. There was a
continuous front line but, apart from a few strong points with
all-round defence, there were no fortifications in rear of it. Those
were the days when artillery was scanty and shells few; when Lewis
guns were unheard of and the only machine guns available were the
two Maxims owned by each battalion. Hence it was to the rifle that
everyone looked for the defence of the line, and, in order to secure
the maximum of fire effect, as many men as possible were permanently
stationed in the front line. At that time there were practically no men
extra-regimentally employed, and the personnel of the Transport and
the Q.M. Stores was cut down to a minimum. No “trench strength” for
this first tour has been preserved, but the Battalion must have been at
least 900 other ranks strong. Thirteen out of the sixteen platoons were
stationed in the front line, so that, making due allowance for the men
attached to Battalion H.Q., there must have been nearly 700 men in that
1,000 yards of trench--in other words, well over a man to every yard of
fire bay. It can easily be imagined how crowded the line was. At stand
to men stood shoulder to shoulder on every fire step.
During the Battalion’s first tour in this Section, A Company was on the
right, D Company in the centre, and B Company on the left. C Company
lent one platoon to strengthen the garrison of the front line, the
remainder occupying Dead Dog Farm and another strong point in the
neighbourhood. In subsequent tours these positions were inter-changed
in order to give each company its turn in battalion reserve. The main
feature of the sector was the Convent Wall, which lay almost at right
angles to the front line, near the junction of B and D Companies. There
were no communication trenches up to the line. Reliefs were carried
out straight up the Rue des Bassiéres and then along the side of the
Convent Wall. From the front line the ground sloped gently up to the
crest of the Aubers Ridge. No Man’s Land was covered with thick grass
and rank weeds, and was intersected by many derelict trenches.
The country was so low-lying, and water lay so near the surface, that
digging was practically impossible. Hence the defences consisted almost
entirely of breast-works, built of sandbags. The line was of the
usual stereotyped kind--six yard fire bays alternating with four yard
traverses. Shelters were built into the parados. They were very flimsy
structures, affording protection against nothing but bullets and the
weather. It is doubtful whether there was a shelter on the whole sector
which would have stopped a “whizz-bang.” Such was the line in which the
Battalion served its apprenticeship.
From the G.O.C. to the latest-joined private, every man in the 49th
Division was new to trench warfare, and so had everything to learn.
Training in England had mostly taken the form of open warfare, and
practically no one in the Infantry had had any instruction in field
engineering, or in looking after his own comfort. So necessity became
the main teacher, and perhaps a better one could not have been found.
At first rations were carried up by the reserve company, but later
it was found possible to bring pack animals right up to the Convent
Wall; a light cart,--one of the many unauthorised vehicles owned by
the transport at one time or another on active service--was fitted
with axle and wheels, salved from a derelict motor car which was
found lying in a ditch, and was used for carrying ammunition and
R.E. material. All rations were sent up uncooked, and for a day or
two they were issued in that form to each man. But the waste and
futility of individuals cooking for themselves was so apparent that the
system was quickly given up and section messes were instituted, one
man in each being detailed as cook. The main source of water was the
Convent pump, but the reserve company sometimes sent men down to the
nearest inhabited houses to replenish, and it is rumoured that beer
occasionally came back instead of water.
About the time the Battalion reached France the enemy first made use
of poison gas in his second great attack on the Ypres Salient. This
caused great anxiety among the allied armies and measures were at once
taken to protect the men against it. The Battalion received its first
issue of respirators a few days after it arrived in the neighbourhood
of Fleurbaix. They were clumsy affairs--a piece of cotton waste,
saturated with a solution of hypo, and wrapped in black gauze. When
in use the cotton waste covered the mouth and nose and was gripped
in the teeth, the respirator being held in position by tying the
gauze at the back of the head. Old ammunition boxes, filled with hypo
solution, were installed in the front line, and the respirators were
often worn at stand to for practice. One awful wet night the Divisional
Commander visited the trenches to see the working of the respirators.
Most men were carrying them in their great coat pockets instead of
their haversacks, and when he ordered them to be put on there was
great confusion. The rain poured down; in the darkness men dropped
their respirators in the mud and the crepe became thoroughly soaked.
Altogether the practice was not a success. These first respirators
were very uncomfortable to wear, difficult to keep in position, and
practically useless against anything more dangerous than a weak
concentration of chlorine. Before long the P. helmet superseded them
but, though rather more effective, it was quite as uncomfortable.
Having no outlet valve, it was difficult to breath through, and made
the wearer terribly hot. Its single mica window was very fragile and
the least crack in it rendered the whole helmet useless. As helmets had
to be inspected at least three times a day at that time, the wastage
was very great.
[Illustration: Major E. P. CHAMBERS.]
[Illustration: Lieut.-Col. H. A. S. STANTON, D.S.O.]
[Illustration: Capt. H. N. WALLER.]
From the very beginning great stress was laid on two things--the
continual wearing of equipment and sentry duties. These were legacies
from the experienced troops with whom the Battalion had undergone its
brief course of instruction. Periods in the line were very strenuous.
Theoretically, 25 per cent. of the men were on duty by day and 50 per
cent. by night. But, owing to the accumulation of odd duties and the
provision of working parties, no man got much rest. At Fleurbaix the
Battalion laid the foundation of its reputation as a working battalion
which it held throughout the war. Breast-works, if they are to be
kept in good condition, require even more constant attention than
trenches. Few of the men possessed any of the necessary technical
knowledge, and visits from the Royal Engineers were rare; but all men
were willing and, though some of the earlier efforts were very crude,
the work quickly improved. Professional bricklayers were in great
demand for sand-bagging, and C.S.M. E. Bottomley in particular was
looked upon as a great theoretical authority on this subject in his
own company. Not only was the upkeep of the trenches taken seriously
in hand, but entirely new work was planned and executed. The route to
the front line, by the side of the Convent Wall, was made safer, first
by the erection of canvas screens to hide movement, and later by the
construction of sandbag walls at the more dangerous points. But the
most enduring monument of the Battalion in the Fleurbaix Sector was
Dead Dog Alley--a regular communication trench which was taped out, and
nearly completed, before the Battalion left the district.
The Fleurbaix Sector was a very quiet part of the line. In its
inexperience, the Battalion never properly appreciated this fact until
it learned real “liveliness” at Ypres. The early War Diaries are full
of references to heavy shelling; in reality, the enemy artillery did
little. Once a shell dropped right into the Battalion H.Q. Officers’
Mess, but, luckily, two “shorts” had given the occupants timely
warning, and they had withdrawn to a safer spot. A few salvoes were
fired on different parts of the sector daily, the neighbourhood of the
pump receiving most attention; but there is only one recorded instance
of the front line being hit. This was fortunate for, so crowded was
the line, that well-directed shell fire would have wrought fearful
havoc.
Unlike their artillery, the German machine gunners and riflemen were
extremely active. The Rue des Bassiéres and the Convent Wall were
always dangerous spots, while at night the enemy traversed the front
line parapet with great accuracy. His snipers were very wide-awake and
excellent shots; they had all the advantages of superior observation
and high command, and some of them were certainly equipped with
telescopic sights. It was almost as much as a man’s life was worth
for him to show his head above the parapet for a few seconds in the
daytime. Nearly all the casualties in the Fleurbaix Sector were from
bullet wounds.
As has already been said, the British positions were held at this time
almost entirely by rifle fire. Few heavy guns were in use then and,
though there were a fair number of field guns, no really effective
barrage could be put down owing to the scarcity of ammunition. A very
few rounds daily were all that the artillery could fire. Some of their
ammunition was of poor quality. “Prematures” were not uncommon and
caused much worry to Battalion H.Q. One day a 4.7 shell lodged in the
breast-work just outside the Orderly Room, but did not explode.
The two old Maxims which the Battalion had brought out with it were
disposed to the best advantage, but, both in attack and defence, the
main reliance had to be placed on the rifle. And the amount of rifle
fire on that front was colossal. This was particularly the case at
night. Often, somewhere far away and for no apparent reason, a perfect
storm of firing would open; company after company would take it up,
and so it would travel quickly along the line until, literally along
thousands of yards of front, every man would be working his bolt as
rapidly as possible. Sometimes this would go on for many minutes, and
then it would gradually die down. The good old custom of “Five rounds
rapid” at stand to was always encouraged in the Battalion. Occasionally
rapid fire, to harass enemy transport or carrying parties, would be
opened on some back area. In the daytime the use of the rifle was
restricted to sniping, but in this the enemy had most of the advantage
owing to his higher command and his greater experience in constructing
positions. Yet every man in the Battalion was immensely keen to “bag
a Bosch.” Often one man would hurl the most insulting remarks across
No Man’s Land, or even show himself above the parapet, in the hope
that some very simple-minded German would appear, and thus present a
target to another Britisher who was anxiously waiting his chance in
a neighbouring bay. But no successes have been recorded. The enemy
was much too cute and usually retaliated only in kind. Hand-grenades
too were just coming to the fore. When they were relieved the 3rd
Worcesters had left two men in the line to instruct the Battalion
in the manufacture of “jam-tin” and “hair-brush” bombs. About this
time the Brigade Grenadier Company was formed, one platoon from each
battalion being sent for instruction in bombing. Sec.-Lieut. W. L.
Anderton became the Battalion’s first Bombing Officer. But bombing was
not taken very seriously until some months later.
The Battalion was handicapped a good deal by the C.L.L.E. rifle, with
which it was armed. This weapon was much inferior to the short rifle
of the Regulars. It usually jammed before ten rounds “rapid” had been
fired, and was thus a source of much anxiety. Also, it could not be
used for firing rifle grenades as these were constructed to clip on to
the short rifle. As time went on short rifles were gradually obtained,
but the C.L.L.E. did not wholly disappear until 1916.
Patrolling had not yet become the highly organised feature of trench
warfare which it was to be later in the war. In spite of the excellent
facilities offered by No Man’s Land, very little was attempted by the
Battalion in those early days. B Company tried a few patrols with
no very definite result, Sec.-Lieut. J. G. Mowat being the first
officer of the Battalion to go out. Late in May, Lieut. B. A. Bell
was seriously wounded by an enemy machine gun when out on patrol,
and was brought in by Private W. Brown, who afterwards received the
Distinguished Conduct Medal for his gallantry on that occasion. There
was a good deal of unauthorised coming and going in No Man’s Land,
where the chance of securing souvenirs was an attraction to many.
Usually, six days were spent in the line and six in Brigade Reserve.
During the rest periods one company was stationed at Croix Blanche Farm
and, for tactical purposes, came under the orders of the battalion in
the line. The rest of the Battalion, with the exception of a few small
garrisons in scattered redoubts, was billeted in farm-buildings near
Fleurbaix. At first practically no training was attempted, though later
a little was begun. Time was mainly taken up with interior economy and
inspections. At night large working parties were found, mainly for
digging assembly trenches in connection with the operations which were
planning for May 9th; later on in the period work was concentrated
on Dead Dog Alley. The men wrote shoals of letters, rather to the
disgust of the officers whose duty it was to censor them. Many of these
epistles were conspicuous more for vivid imagination than for strict
adherence to truth. A little cricket was played, bathing in the ponds
of the neighbourhood was indulged in, and several company concerts were
held. A few officers and N.C.O’s were able to visit Armentières, then
a very pleasant town, in spite of its nearness to the front line. The
enemy caused very little trouble; five shells daily into Fleurbaix was
his standard “hate.”
Few events of importance marked this period of the Battalion’s
apprenticeship. Its first tour in the line only lasted three days, and
it was relieved on April 29th by the 6th Battalion Duke of Wellington’s
Regt. C Company was stationed at Croix Blanche and, shortly before
midnight on April 30th, it was suddenly alarmed and ordered up to
support the battalion in the line. The company fell in with the
greatest alacrity, some without caps or jackets, but all with rifles
and equipment. Down the road they went at the double, No. 9 Platoon
leading. Occasional enemy shells were falling in the fields and a
British battery of 4.7’s was firing vigorously. Some way down the Rue
des Bassières machine gun bullets began to sweep the road, and the men
were ordered to get into the ditch. At this point Sec.-Lieut. W. C.
Fenton was hit in the knee and had to be carried to the Aid Post; he
was thus the first officer in the Battalion to be wounded. The company
remained in the ditch for some time and then received orders to return
to billets. It had been nothing but a false alarm.
Meanwhile, the big attack on the Aubers Ridge was preparing. This
operation was based on the experience gained in the recent fighting
about Neuve Chapelle, and it was commonly believed in the Battalion
that the 49th Division had been sent out from England in April
specially to take part. Another rumour current about this time was that
the G.O.C’s of the 49th and 50th Divisions had tossed up to decide
which of them should go to Ypres, and which to Fleurbaix. It is not
recorded who won. Originally the attack had been fixed for April 22nd.
But when the enemy made his gas attack on the Ypres Salient, some of
the troops, who had been detailed for the battle, had to be sent north
to relieve the Canadians. So the battle was put off until May 9th. No
attack was planned on the sector held by the 147th Infantry Brigade,
but as the 8th Division was going over on its immediate right it was
very probable that the 49th Division would become involved. Actually,
the part taken by the Battalion was a very minor one; but the event is
of importance as being the first occasion on which the men were engaged
in operations on a large scale.
In the normal course of events the Battalion should have relieved the
6th Battalion in the front line on May 8th. But these orders were
cancelled and, instead, the men found themselves in reserve for the
attack. Their role was as follows:--
1. With the exception of A Company, which was placed under the
orders of the O.C. No. 3 Section, the Battalion was to assemble
in slits in the ground, near Croix Blanche, on the evening of
May 8th.
2. If the attack of the Kensingtons on the extreme left proved
successful, the Battalion was to dig a trench across No Man’s
Land to connect up the old British front line with the old
German front line.
3. Later, if Fromelles were captured, a company was to be sent
forward to hold a line to the north-east of that village.
On the evening of May 8th the Battalion marched up to its assembly
positions. Every man was in full marching order and carried an extra
bandolier of ammunition and the usual miscellaneous assortment of
sandbags, extra rations, etc. On arrival, all set to work to improve
their accommodation. Battalion H.Q. occupied Croix Blanche Farm, from
which building a good view of part of the battle area was obtained
the following day. At 5-30 a.m. on May 9th, the British Artillery
opened fire, and, to the inexperienced soldiers of the Battalion, the
bombardment appeared to be terrific. “The bombardment was a fine sight
and (it was) difficult to realise that anyone could be alive after it
in that particular zone,” says the Battalion’s War Diary. Actually,
it was very thin, but none of the men had any conception at that time
of what massed artillery can do. The German reply was slight, and was
entirely confined to counter-battery work on that part of the front.
In their ignorance, some put this down to the enemy’s scarcity of
ammunition. This mistaken idea that the enemy was short of shells was
not uncommon then. For a long time nothing was learned of the progress
of the attack. At length wounded began to arrive, and rumours to
spread. Some of these latter were only too true. The attack had failed.
It is unnecessary to tell the details of that day as the Battalion
never became engaged. It is sufficient to say that British infantry,
who lacked nothing in gallantry but had little artillery support, were
ineffective in the face of countless German machine guns.
The Battalion remained at its battle stations all day, without
receiving any orders. Very few shells fell near its positions and its
only casualty was caused by a premature from one of the British guns.
There was little for the men to do. Some of them spent their time
making tea, which they served out to the wounded who were dribbling
down the road in large numbers. Few prisoners were seen. The British
artillery continued firing most of the time, but the attack was really
at an end, on that part of the front, quite early in the day.
In the evening orders came to carry out the relief which had been
postponed the previous night. This proved by far the most uncomfortable
part of the day’s proceedings. Though everything was quiet both at
Croix Blanche and in the front line trenches, the route between was
being fairly heavily shelled, and was swept by machine gun fire. It
was the Battalion’s first experience of heavy fire in the open and it
was not enjoyed, particularly when a hitch in the operation caused a
somewhat prolonged halt, and three companies were strung out along
the road without any cover. But luckily, and much to the surprise of
everyone, the relief was carried out without a single casualty to the
Battalion. This was the first and only time that a relief was carried
out by night in the Fleurbaix Sector.
Though the battle continued, on and off, for many days further to
the south, the Battalion was not again seriously affected by it.
Occasionally it received rather more than the usual attention from the
enemy’s artillery, particularly on May 10th, when a large hole was
blown in C Company’s parapet. It was then that Capt. E. E. Sykes had
his first chance of showing that absolute fearlessness and supreme
contempt for danger which later became a by-word in the Battalion. In
full view of the extremely accurate enemy snipers, who shot two of the
men who were helping him, he built up a rough barricade which served
until darkness allowed the breech to be properly repaired.
Towards the end of May the Battalion played a small part in a minor
operation on the 148th Infantry Brigade Sector. There a new front
line trench was in course of construction in No Man’s Land by the 4th
Battalion King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. They worked on it by
night, and withdrew by day. One night, on arriving to occupy it, they
found the Germans in possession. To assist in ejecting them, Lieut. E.
Lee, with part of the Battalion Machine Gun Section, was sent up. They
did not go into action, for the men of the 148th Infantry Brigade were
able to regain the trench without assistance, but a few casualties were
suffered by the party from enemy fire.
On May 24th, the Battalion suffered a serious loss. Lieut.-Col. H. S.
Atkinson, T.D., who had trained the Battalion in England and brought
it out to France, was invalided home. It was a great misfortune and
none felt it more than he. His health had been bad for three years,
following on a serious operation, but he had stuck very gamely to his
work in England, and hoped to be able to see the war through with the
Battalion. Had he undergone a proper army medical examination, he
would never have been allowed to leave England; but by keeping out of
the way of the doctors he had succeeded in getting to France. Major
E. P. Chambers assumed command of the Battalion, with the rank of
Lieut.-Colonel.
By the beginning of June, the Battalion had pretty well settled down
in its new life. Perhaps the men did not look quite so smart as in
Doncaster days, but they had become far more efficient soldiers. Trench
routine was no longer a hidden mystery, and enemy bullets had ceased
to be novelties. The Battalion had had to pay for its education. Much
discomfort was suffered before the men learned to fend for themselves;
much work had proved useless owing to the inexperience of the workers.
The toll of life had not been heavy, but the graves near Croix Blanche
still bear their testimony to the early work of the Battalion in France.
Early in June the Battalion suffered its third officer casualty. Capt.
A. L. Mowat, of D Company, was shot in the head while assisting in the
construction of a sandbag shelter.
The night before the anniversary of the battle of Waterloo great
preparations were made to annoy the enemy. When the sun rose the
following morning, it shone on a parapet gay with the flags of
Britain, France, Belgium, Russia and Italy. But the result was most
disappointing; the Germans did not show the least signs of annoyance.
Perhaps they remembered their own part in that battle exactly a
century before. So a stuffed dummy was placed on the parapet, and that
certainly did tempt their marksmen, who riddled it with bullets. But
they ceased fire when the dummy was decorated with an iron cross.
On the night of June 25/26th, the Battalion said good-bye to Fleurbaix
and moved to Doulieu. Thence it marched, by easy stages, halting a day
or two here and there, to a wood near St. Jans ter Biezen, which was
reached about 1-0 a.m. on July 1st.
The Battalion’s period of apprenticeship was over, and it was about to
learn what real war was in the very worst part of the British line--the
Ypres Salient.