WITH THE FIRST ARMY.
(_a_) Ferme du Bois Sector.
The Battalion arrived at Merville about 8-0 a.m. on March 8th. A very
cold night had been spent on the train, snow was falling on arrival,
and the hot tea which was served at the station was very welcome. A
short march brought the Battalion to the village of La Fosse, where
the next night was spent in fairly comfortable billets. Apart from a
little difference of opinion between the Commanding Officer and a very
ill-tempered Frenchman, who said he would rather have Germans than
British in his barn, the day was uneventful. The next day the Battalion
relieved the 12th Battalion London Regt, in Brigade Reserve to the
Ferme du Bois Sector. As the same billets were occupied on and off for
over two months, some description of them is necessary.
Battalion H.Q. and one company were lodged at Senechal Farm, near
Lacouture. This was one of the large moated farmhouses, so common in
the district, and consisted of the usual hollow rectangle of buildings,
surrounding a pond and a midden. It was supposed to accommodate 500
men, but never more than about half that number occupied it while the
Battalion was in the area. A second company was quartered in a similar,
but smaller, farm about half a mile distant; a third occupied billets
in the village of Lacouture; and the fourth was in houses on King’s
Road, on the way to the trenches. Considering how near the Battalion
was to the front line, these billets were quite comfortable. The
country around was very flat and intersected by ditches; much of it was
under cultivation, and the inhabitants hardly seemed to realise that
there was a war. The owner of Senechal Farm, who was a very important
man in the district, certainly did very well out of the troops; not
only did he receive considerable sums for billets, but an estaminet,
which he ran on the premises, was well patronised, and must have been
a very profitable concern. Dotted about the district were a number of
fortified posts, some in a very bad state of repair. The Battalion was
required to find “caretakers” for about ten of these posts, and the
“flat cart”--that cart which carried on so long with the transport, in
spite of its official “destruction” about once every three months--came
in very useful for taking rations to these men.
On March 13th the Battalion relieved the 1/5th Battalion Duke of
Wellington’s Regt. in the Right Sub-sector of the Ferme du Bois Sector.
Here it remained, inter-relieving with the same battalion, usually
every six days, until the latter part of May. This period was very
uneventful. The line was exceptionally quiet--almost the quietest the
Battalion ever held. Casualties were very slight; in fact, on occasion,
a six-day tour in the line was carried through without a man being
injured.
Owing to the low-lying and damp condition of the country trenches could
not be dug, and the defences consisted entirely of breast-works. The
material for these had been obtained from “borrow-pits,” which quickly
filled with water and so became additional obstacles to the enemy.
Millions of sandbags must have been used in the building of this line.
The shelters occupied by officers and men were built into the parados,
and were comparatively comfortable. Such a line was quite satisfactory,
indeed almost luxurious, in quiet times. But it was the worst type
possible to occupy in a bombardment, for none of the shelters were more
than splinter-proof, and breast-works are poor protection against shell
fire.
The Battalion front was well over 2,000 yards in length--by far
the longest it had held up to that time. Two continuous lines of
breast-works, each garrisoned by two companies, formed the main
defences. The front line was held by seven platoon posts, three on the
right company front and four on the left. Each post was complete in
itself, was well wired front and rear, and was only in communication
with neighbouring posts by means of patrols, which moved along the
unoccupied parts of the line at stated times. At night the entrances
to these posts were blocked by chevaux de frise, and sentries
challenged everyone who approached along the front line. Between the
two companies there was an unoccupied gap, 500 yards long.
The support line was held rather more continuously, but long stretches
were quite unoccupied. Three communication trenches connected the front
line with the Rue du Bois--Rope Street, Cadbury Street and Cockspur
Street. When the Battalion first took over the sector the hard winter
weather was just breaking. The whole country-side was very wet and
many of the trenches, particularly the communication trenches, were
deep in water. But, before the Battalion left, the sector had dried up
considerably.
Battalion H.Q. was in a nameless farm on the Rue du Bois. This farm
had suffered little from enemy shelling and there were several quite
comfortable rooms in it. All headquarter personnel lived either in the
farm buildings or in shelters which had been erected in the orchard.
Few of the latter were even splinter-proof, but the locality was never
shelled. It was one of the most comfortable H.Q. ever occupied by the
Battalion and much work was done to improve it. It was customary for
the resting battalion to provide a platoon each day to work under the
orders of the battalion in the line. During one of his tour’s, the
Adjutant of the 1/5th Battalion made use of this working party to build
a new sandbag dugout for himself. Apparently he was pleased with the
work for he named the dugout “Deodar House,” after the secret nomme
de guerre of his own battalion, quite overlooking the fact that the
work had been done by men of another unit. But the men of the 1/4th
Battalion had their revenge. When they were next in the line they
painted every scrap of the woodwork outside the Farmhouse red--their
battalion colour--much to the disgust of the other battalion which
preferred its own colour--green. At this time there was a perfect mania
for naming places and nailing up notice boards so that there should
be no mistakes. An energetic police corporal, having a prisoner for
whom he wanted to find a job of work, built a small sandbag ammunition
store, and was so pleased with the finished article that he placed upon
it a big notice-board--“The Binns Redoubt.”
The Transport Lines were at Vieille Chapelle and everything was so
quiet that ration limbers were brought up nightly along the Rue du
Bois, as far as Battalion H.Q. Each company had its trench kitchen
in the support line and hot meals were provided for all men with
little more difficulty than if the Battalion had been back in rest.
The canteen was set up at Battalion H.Q., and a “hawker” went round
the front line daily to sell cigarettes, etc. to the men, within two
hundred yards of the enemy.
From the British front line the ground sloped very gently up to the
Aubers Ridge, from which the Germans had good observation. But they
made little use of this. Their artillery was very quiet, except on
rare occasions. Canadian Orchard and the posts on the right got most
attention; Sec.-Lieut. S. P. Stansfield was killed near Shetland Post.
But, compared with what the Battalion had experienced elsewhere and
was to encounter later, the shelling was almost negligible. Occasional
salvoes would be fired on one of the communication trenches or some
other part of the line, but these caused very little inconvenience.
Rarely was anything of heavier calibre than the 10.5 cm. howitzer used.
One noteworthy exception to this was the afternoon of May 12th, when
the junction of Cadbury Street with the Rue du Bois was heavily shelled
with what appeared to be 21 cm. armour-piercing shells. Though there
were no casualties this caused great inconvenience, for the pump, which
supplied all water for the companies, was seriously damaged, and it
took about two days to get it into working order again. The reason for
this bombardment was never understood, but, as it was the only occasion
on which shells of such heavy calibre were used, it was probably only
a visit from a “travelling circus.” Occasionally the 15 cm. howitzer
appeared; one day it heavily shelled the Rue du Bois near Sandbag
Corner; on another occasion it wrecked the officers’ mess of the A246
Battery, which lay about 1,000 yards behind Battalion H.Q.
In other ways too the enemy seemed quite willing to “live and let
live,” if he were not interfered with. He had both medium and light
trench mortars in his lines, but seldom fired more than a few rounds at
a time from them. His machine guns did little and sniping was almost
unknown. Undoubtedly he held his front line thinly, though movement
was observed almost daily in the vicinity of the Boar’s Head, where
much work was in progress. One day he gave very clear evidence that
he was awake. An energetic platoon commander, who was trying to make
things uncomfortable for the “Hun” with rifle grenades, unfortunately
had a premature, and the loud cheering that was heard from the opposite
side of No Man’s Land showed that the enemy was on the watch and fully
appreciated the incident.
The Battalion had two excellent observation posts on the Rue du
Bois, which boasted the grandiloquent names of the “Savoy” and the
“Trocadero.” From these, and from smaller ones in the front line,
excellent observation could be obtained of the whole enemy system and
of much of the country in rear. The enemy seemed to make very little
effort to conceal himself and so the sector was a regular “promised
land” for the Battalion Intelligence Officer. The Sugar Factory at
Marquillies, with its prominent chimney, was of particular interest,
both for the large amount of enemy transport which moved about near
it, and for the careful record which was kept of the times when the
chimney smoked. This chimney also exercised a great fascination on the
Commanding Officer, and the first thing that had to be done when the
Battalion moved to neighbouring sectors was to identify this landmark
from the new position. Indeed, it was almost a relief to some when the
Battalion went to the coast and was quite out of view of Marquillies.
During the whole time the Battalion was on the Ferme du Bois Sector
patrolling was very active. At first this was very uncomfortable, for
the greater part of No Man’s Land was badly water-logged. For a long
time no brilliant success was gained. No Man’s Land was thoroughly
mapped, but practically all attempts to enter the enemy front line were
unsuccessful. Until about the middle of April, the Battalion was faced
by the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division--the Quinque Rue was one of its
inter-regimental boundaries--which did practically no patrolling. With
the exception of a patrol encounter on the night of April 18/19th, no
enemy patrol was ever seen in No Man’s Land. On the same night C.S.M.
W. Medley, M.M., of B Company, entered the enemy front line south of
the Quinque Rue, and made some valuable observations, but failed to
secure an identification.
[Illustration: Capt. A. E. MANDER.
(Killed).]
[Illustration: Capt. J. G. MOWAT, M.C.
(Killed).]
[Illustration: Capt. E. N. MARSHALL, M.C.]
[Illustration: Capt. N. GELDARD, D.S.O., M.C.]
Much permanent work was done while the Battalion was in this sector.
The trenches were put into a thorough state of repair and were much
improved, mainly by the construction of new shelters. A good deal of
wire was put out. A series of concrete machine gun posts in front
of the support line was begun. Front line and support companies
inter-relieved in the middle of each tour, and, as tours were spent by
companies on the right and left alternately, all officers and N.C.O’s
got a thorough knowledge of the whole line.
Reliefs were all carried out by daylight and with greater ease than in
almost any sector the Battalion has occupied. The distance to billets
was short, and a relief which began about mid-day would be complete,
with the relieved troops settled in billets, by about tea-time. Periods
of rest were taken up mainly with training, though a certain number of
working parties had to be found. The training area was near Richebourg
St. Vaast, less than two miles from the front line, but it was very
rarely a shell dropped there. Platoon exercises were generally carried
out in the neighbourhood of billets. While in rest many football
matches were played, both within the Battalion and against neighbouring
units. An excellent recreation room at Senechal Farm was used for
smoking concerts and lectures, as well as for reading and writing.
April 14th--the second anniversary of the Battalion’s landing in
France--was celebrated at Vieille Chapelle. A dinner for all surviving
officers of the original Battalion was held at the estaminet, best
known for its associations with a lady named Alice. A smoking concert
for the men who had come out with the Battalion was held in the
Y.M.C.A. hut at Vieille Chapelle, the 49th Divisional Band coming over
to assist in the programme. It was found that there were nearly two
hundred survivors still serving with their old Battalion.
On April 27th Lieut.-General R. Haking, G.O.C. XI. Corps, presented
medal brooches to a number of officers and other ranks of the 49th
Division, including Major A. L. Mowat, M.C., Capt. J. G. Mowat, M.C.,
and ten other ranks of the Battalion. The ceremony took place at
Merville and a guard of honour of 20 other ranks, under the command of
Sec.-Lieut. A. J. Robb, was furnished by the Battalion.
Meanwhile, the first British offensive of 1917--the Battle of
Vimy-Arras--had opened on April 9th. Lying only a few miles to the
north of the battle area, the Battalion could clearly hear the roar
of the artillery, and at night could see the glare of burning dumps
and the flashes of the guns. Before long a current from the battle
began to affect it; the demand for identifications became more and
more persistent. Early in May signs began to point to the presence of
a different division on the Ferme du Bois front, and the Intelligence
Department was most anxious to secure a prisoner. On the afternoon of
May 10th, a particularly urgent memo. on this subject was received.
Very early the following morning a Battalion runner arrived at 147th
Infantry Brigade H.Q. and insisted on seeing an officer at once. When
told that all were asleep he still insisted, saying that the officer
would not mind having been awakened when he saw his message. This is
what had happened.
About 10-30 p.m. on May 10th, C.S.M. W. Medley, M.M., with eleven
other ranks of B Company, left the front line, crossed No Man’s Land,
and reached the enemy wire. There he left six men to form a covering
party, and, cutting a passage through the wire, entered the enemy
front line with the remainder of his patrol. About seventy yards to
his right was an enemy sentry post, but he decided to attempt nothing
against it as it was difficult for anyone to approach without being
observed. He crossed over to the enemy second line, passed that also,
and continued straight across country until he reached the third
line. The patrol was now about six hundred yards in rear of the enemy
outposts. Leaving the rest of his party in an old shelter, the patrol
leader went forward alone to reconnoitre. He reached a communication
trench, known as Serpent Trench, and saw a man walk along it. He
returned and brought up his men, getting into the trench with two of
them, and leaving the rest on the parapet. They were barely in position
when three Germans--afterwards found to be a water-carrying party--came
along the trench. C.S.M. Medley called on them to surrender and they at
first laughed, probably thinking it was a joke of their own men; but,
presently realising that they really were face to face with a British
party, they turned and ran. The parapet party immediately opened fire
and killed one German; Medley pursued and captured a second; but the
fate of the third is unknown. The prisoner was promptly hoisted out of
the trench and the patrol returned by the way it had come, reaching the
British line without loss after an absence of more than four hours. The
prisoner turned out to be a machine gunner of the 3rd Bavarian R.I.R.
(1st Bavarian Reserve Division), a most valuable identification, since
it proved that a relief had taken place opposite the Battalion front,
and that one of the German divisions which had been shattered at Vimy
was now holding the sector. It was to receive this news that Brigade
H.Q. had been disturbed in the early morning.
Needless to say, this particularly daring enterprise--the enemy front
had been penetrated to a depth of 700 yards--caused considerable stir,
and C.S.M. W. Medley and the Battalion received many congratulations.
Lieut.-General R. Haking, in forwarding the report to the Army
Commander, wrote: “It is one of the best examples of good patrol work
that I have ever heard of.... I am of the opinion that the whole
operation was a model of how to carry out an enterprise of this
nature.” The Army Commander fully agreed, and spoke of it as “a very
fine example of an offensive patrol.” The G.O.C., 147th Infantry
Brigade, in congratulating the Battalion on its success after so many
disappointments, said “The skilful handling of the commander, and the
courage of all ranks was only excelled by their spirit of determination
to succeed in their task before returning. Men who have such a spirit
cannot be beaten.” For his work on this occasion C.S.M. W. Medley
received the Military Cross, and the Military Medal was awarded to four
other members of the patrol.
During the latter part of the Battalion’s stay in the area the
main feature was the arrival of two divisions of the Portuguese
Expeditionary Force, which were to take over that part of the line.
They had been excellently equipped by the British Government, but
lacked the experience of trench warfare necessary before they could be
trusted with the defence of a sector. The front between the River Lys
and the La Bassée Canal had always been considered a suitable one for
the training of new troops, and so a number of Portuguese units were
attached to the 49th Division for instruction. At first, only some
officers and N.C.O’s came up to the line for a few days at a time. But,
towards the end of April, a whole company was sent up for 48 hours,
and from that time, until the Battalion left the sector, there were
usually some Portuguese in the line with it. As is usual with troops
sent in for instruction, the Portuguese were not entrusted with the
actual holding of any part of the line. When a company came up, one
of its platoons would be sent to each of the four British companies;
the company commander would attach a section to each of his platoons;
while the platoon commander would arrange that every Portuguese
soldier should be attached to a British soldier, should work with
him everywhere, and thus get an idea of the routine of trench life.
Language was a difficulty and interpreters were not always available;
but, as many of the Portuguese officers and a few of the men had a
knowledge of French, this was used whenever possible. Yet, on the
whole, though they had no common language, the private soldiers seemed
to be able to make themselves better understood than their officers.
Another difficulty was accommodation--there was not room for two or
three hundred additional men in the shelters; however, as the weather
was fine and warm for the time of the year, this was overcome.
Some Portuguese transport men were also sent to the Battalion for
instruction, but they learned little. Love of their animals and a high
standard in turn-out were strong points with Sergt. Crossley’s men.
But the Portuguese were very different. Few of them cared anything
for their animals and the majority were deliberately cruel; they knew
nothing of “eye-wash” and the appearance of their transport on the road
was a standing joke among the British. Their “A” and “Q” departments
were also far from efficient. They never seemed to know how many men
they had, nor what rations they ought to receive. Certain it was that
the Battalion was better off for rations while the Portuguese were in
the line with it than it had been before.
When the 147th Infantry Brigade finally left the sector it was taken
over by the Portuguese and was held by them until the German offensive
in April of the following year.
On May 16th the Battalion was relieved in the Ferme du Bois Sector for
the last time and went back into Brigade Reserve.
(_b_) The Cordonnerie Sector.
Towards the end of May the whole of the 147th Infantry Brigade had
been withdrawn from the line, but, as the relief of the other Brigades
of the 49th Division by the Portuguese was not complete, the Division
could not yet be made use of in any other sector. Just north of the
49th Division was the 57th Division--a Lancashire Territorial Division,
recently out from England. The attack on the Messines Ridge by the
Second Army was timed to begin early in June, and the 57th Division had
to send two battalions to support the flank of that attack. To replace
these in the line, the 1/4th and 1/5th Battalions, Duke of Wellington’s
Regiment were lent by the 147th Infantry Brigade.
On May 25th the Battalion marched to Estaires, where it remained for
one night. The next day it moved to Sailly-sur-la-Lys, and on May 27th
it took over the Cordonnerie Sector from the 2/5th Battalion Loyal
North Lancashire Regt. Here it came temporarily under the orders of the
170th Infantry Brigade, 57th Division.
The Battalion sector was a very long one--about 2,800 yards--and the
front line was very thinly held. It was divided into three company
fronts, but each company had only one platoon in the front line,
scattered in small posts. At night a second platoon was sent up to
patrol between the posts on the company front. The other two platoons
were in the support line for garrison and counter-attack. The fourth
company also lived in the support line but was held in Battalion
Reserve. The defences of this sector were very similar to those which
the Battalion had just left, but were in better condition. The New
Zealand Division had held the front recently and had done a great
deal of work there; the support line was well supplied in parts with
concrete dugouts, and two very large dugouts, each of which would
easily hold a company, had been constructed by the Maori Pioneer
Battalion. There were many communication trenches between the front and
support lines, and there was an exceptionally comfortable Battalion
H.Q. in a farmhouse which had been knocked about very little. There
was a bath-house on the premises, and also a bakery--the pride of the
2/5th Battalion Loyal North Lancs.; but the latter was not used by the
Battalion.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of the sector was that it included
about half of the old No. 3 Section, Fleurbaix--the very first sector
the Battalion had held on coming to France. Its present left extended
almost as far as the Convent Wall, and the left communication trench
was that very Dead Dog Alley which had been dug by it two years before.
There, too, were the graves of the men who had been the first to lay
down their lives; these were sought out and put in good repair, for
it was always the practice of the Battalion to pay this tribute to
its lost ones whenever it had the opportunity. Officers were able to
revisit some of their old haunts, particularly Capt. W. C. Fenton who
stood again on the Rue des Bassiéres, happily without stopping another
machine gun bullet. But how changed were the conditions in other ways!
In 1915 the Battalion held a 1,000 yard front with something like 700
men in the front line; in 1917 it was holding a front nearly three
times that length with only about 100 men permanently posted in the
front line. In 1915 troops depended almost entirely on their rifles
to maintain their position; in 1917 they had Lewis and machine guns,
artillery and trench mortars, and they preferred to defend their
positions by counter-attack rather than by original fire effect.
On taking over the sector the Battalion learned from the outgoing unit
that the enemy front line was practically unoccupied, and that patrols
found little difficulty in entering it by night, or even in penetrating
to the second line. Acting on the assumption that this information was
correct, very vigorous patrolling was begun. It was gradually found,
however, that the inactivity of the enemy had been much exaggerated.
The boundary between two enemy divisions--the 38th Landwehr and the
79th Reserve--was opposite the Battalion’s front. The morale of the
former was low, its men kept an indifferent watch, and C Company’s
patrols had little difficulty in entering its line. But the front of
the latter was always covered at night by a strong fighting patrol
which effectually prevented the British approaching, though they made
several attempts. It was there that a patrol experienced the effects
of the gas which British projectors were throwing into Biez Wood, and
had to beat a hasty retreat. Gas masks had to be worn. The officer in
charge of the patrol, following his usual custom, had gone out with
nothing but a P.H. helmet, and that had not been out of its satchel
for many weeks. When he came to put it on, he found the eye-pieces so
dirty that he was practically blind, and had to be led by his men. The
incident caused a good deal of amusement in the Battalion at the time.
One day there was a most unfortunate accident on C Company’s front. A
trench mortar battery had arranged for a big “shoot,” and, for this
purpose, two large dumps of shells had been made in the front line.
For some cause, which was never satisfactorily explained, as soon as
the guns opened fire both dumps exploded, wiping out the gun crews.
The Battalion was fortunate in having only one casualty, but two great
holes were blown in the parapet, and, though C Company worked very hard
to repair the damage, the task was not finished when they were relieved.
On the last day of the tour a very successful piece of work was carried
out by a small patrol. Owing to the lie of the land and the height
of the enemy parapet, it was very difficult to obtain observation of
places immediately in rear of the enemy front line. To remedy this, it
was determined to establish a temporary observation post on the front
of the enemy parapet one morning. Such an operation would hardly have
been possible in any ordinary line, but the Battalion was still working
on the assumption that the enemy front line was practically deserted.
The party chosen consisted of Cpl. E. Jackson, M.M. and two men of B
Company, one H.Q. observer, with glasses and telescopic periscope, and
two signallers, whose duty it was to lay a telephone line across No
Man’s Land and maintain communication with the British front line. As a
precaution, arrangements were made for a box barrage to be put down by
the artillery and Stokes mortars if called for, and for Lewis guns to
provide cross fire.
About 3-30 a.m., just as dawn was breaking, the party started. They
crawled slowly through the long grass which covered No Man’s Land,
got through the enemy wire after much trouble, and Cpl. Jackson
and the observer established themselves on the enemy parapet. The
signallers succeeded in getting into telephonic communication with
the British front line. After lying on the parapet for about an hour
and a quarter, the N.C.O. and the observer entered the enemy trench
and moved along it. Almost immediately they came upon a deserted, but
recently occupied, sentry post. Continuing along the trench, they
turned a corner and saw six rifles leaning just outside a dugout, from
which very obvious snores were issuing. They immediately returned and
summoned two more men to their assistance. The last--one had been sent
back some time before--was posted on the parapet. The four proceeded
along the trench and arrived just in time to find the Germans coming
out of the dugout. One German fired, missing completely, and the
British at once closed, calling on them to surrender. Without further
resistance all the Germans--there were seven of them, including two
N.C.O’s--put up their hands. They were got over the parapet at once and
hurried across No Man’s Land. A few shots were fired by a neighbouring
German post, but the whole party, including prisoners, reached the
British lines unhurt.
It is recorded that a certain Company Sergeant-Major of the Battalion
was walking quietly up towards the front line when he saw a number of
Germans come rushing over the parapet. Thinking it was an attack, he
dashed across the open, only to find on his arrival that the men he had
seen were prisoners. His disappointment was great, but he revived his
drooping spirits by clouting one of them over the head to put him in a
proper frame of mind. The Commanding Officer was in his morning bath
when the party arrived. So delighted was he that he rushed out in the
somewhat scanty attire of a towel and a pair of slippers, and, in this
garb, interviewed the seven well-drilled Germans, who stood stiffly
to attention throughout. Physically the prisoners were a well-built
lot of men, but their morale was very poor. They were very willing to
talk, and one of them said they had been talking recently of giving
themselves up. At any rate, they were saved that trouble.
The prisoners were despatched to Brigade H.Q. in charge of the men
who had captured them. Later, the Battalion received some highly
complimentary messages from the higher authorities, particularly from
the G.O.C., XI. Corps. He was so pleased with the operation that he not
only strongly recommended Cpl. E. Jackson, M.M., for the Distinguished
Conduct Medal, an honour which was awarded in due course, but bestowed
Military Medals on all the other members of the patrol. It should be
mentioned also that a congratulatory message was received by O.C. B
Company, addressed to “The Body-snatching Company,” from “The Working
Company” (i.e. C Company--self-styled).
The next night the Battalion was relieved by the 5th Battalion Duke of
Wellington’s Regt. and went back into Brigade Reserve at Rouge de Bout.
Here a very pleasant time was spent. The weather continued gloriously
fine, as it had been in the line, and the billets were good. Each
company provided one platoon to man a line of defensive posts; the
others carried on training. There was great competition in turning out
smart guards, B Company winning with a D.C.M., M.M., corporal and three
M.M. men. Here news arrived that Capt. W. C. Fenton and Capt. C. Jones,
the padre, had each been awarded the Military Cross, and the occasion
was suitably celebrated. Plans were also completed for an operation
which the Battalion was to carry out during its next tour in the line.
This operation was founded on the supposition that the enemy front
line was practically unoccupied--a supposition which the Battalion had
already begun to shake. The XI. Corps wished to impress the enemy with
the idea that active operations were in preparation on the Corps front,
and so hinder his sending troops away to the real battle areas. With
this idea in view a scheme was drawn up for seizing the German front
line and establishing a number of posts in it. The main points of the
scheme were these:--
1. In conjunction with the 146th Infantry Brigade, which was
still in its old sector on the right, and a Brigade of the 57th
Division on the left, a stretch of the enemy front line was to
be seized at night, and a number of fortified posts were to be
established in it.
2. Each of the three companies in the front line was to
establish one platoon post.
3. For purposes of this operation the four platoons of each
company were known as W, X, Y, Z. Their respective duties were
as follows:--“W” platoon was to seize the position in the enemy
front line and cover it during consolidation; “X” platoon was
to consolidate and garrison the post; “Y” platoon was to carry
the necessary ammunition and stores across No Man’s Land; “Z”
platoon was to garrison the old British front line during the
operation.
4. Additional parties, provided by the 5th Battalion Duke of
Wellington’s Regt., were to dig three communication trenches
across No Man’s Land to connect the new posts with the old front
line. These trenches were to be named “Halifax,” “Brighouse” and
“Hull.” “Cleckheaton” had been suggested as one of the names,
but was vetoed on the ground that the artillery would never
understand it; hence the introduction of “Hull,” which was not
thought to be beyond the intellect of the gunners.
5. The whole operation was to be carried out in one night.
When the Battalion took over the Cordonnerie Sector a second time the
necessary preparations were started at once. One of the most important
of these preliminary arrangements was the preparation of dumps of all
necessary stores in the front line. To carry this out Capt. H. Hanson
was attached to Battalion H.Q., and very hard he worked, perspiring
freely in the sweltering weather, and often pushing trucks on the light
railway, and carrying stores himself.
The night of June 15/16th had been fixed for the operation, and all was
ready. But, in the early morning of June 15th, the orders were suddenly
cancelled and the Battalion was warned to be ready for relief that
night. What would have been the success of the operation, had it been
carried out, can hardly be said. Judging from previous reconnaissance
of the front, it is probable that C Company would have established its
post without difficulty, and that B Company would also have succeeded
though it might have had to fight; A Company’s task would, almost
certainly, have proved the hardest, and it is doubtful whether its post
could have been founded at all.
The Battalion was relieved on the night of June 15/16th by the 2/4th
Battalion Loyal North Lancashire Regt., which had returned from the
fighting near Messines, and marched straight through to billets at
Estaires. A very pleasant three weeks had been spent in the sector,
there had been very few casualties, and the Battalion took away with
it the best of wishes from the 170th Infantry Brigade as the following
letter from the G.O.C. shows:--
H.Q., 170th Inf. Bde.,
June 15th, 1917.
My Dear Sugden,
I should like you and all your battalion to know how sorry
we are to part with you. I have not met a better organised
battalion nor one in which work was more thoroughly and quietly
done. You gave us a taste of your fighting qualities on Trinity
Sunday and I am disappointed indeed that circumstances prevent
you gaining the honourable distinction that your proposed
operations would undoubtedly have conferred on you and your
gallant fellows. At any rate your very complete preparations for
them will give us valuable assistance in the future.
The 1/4th West Riding Regiment takes with it the heartiest good
wishes of my brigade.
Yours sincerely,
F. G. Guggisberg.
(_c_) St. Elie Sector.
The Battalion spent three nights in Estaires and then moved by
motor bus to Sailly Labourse. The next day it marched to billets
in Philosophe, a mining village north-west of Lens. Here the 147th
Infantry Brigade came temporarily under the orders of the G.O.C., 6th
Division, relieving a Brigade of that division which was required for
an operation near Lens. The first days were spent in Brigade Reserve
at Philosophe, time being occupied in training and in reconnaissance
of the sector which the Battalion was soon to take over. The country
was typical of the Lens mining district and not unlike the Barnsley
coalfield. An excellent view of it was obtained from the top of a
neighbouring slag-heap.
On the night of June 25/26th the Battalion relieved the 6th Batt. Duke
of Wellington’s Regt, in the St. Elie Right Sub-Sector, where its
right rested on the Hulluch-Vermelles Road. This sector was a most
peculiar one, and quite different from any the Battalion had previously
occupied. The country-side was all chalk, so that the trenches were
comparatively easy to keep in order and were, on the whole, dry.
The sector was approached from Vermelles by Chapel Alley, one of
the longest communication trenches the men had ever seen, which ran
alongside the road to Hulluch; but most people preferred to use the
road or a cross-country route until they were about half way up to the
line. The trenches lay entirely on the ground which had been captured
from the enemy in the Battle of Loos. Battalion H.Q. was an old German
dugout, just off the old German front line. From this point the route
to the front line was up Devon Lane as far as St. George’s Trench, and
then along one or other of the tunnels. These tunnels were wonderful
works of engineering. Cut out of solid chalk, lit up by electric light,
ventilated by electric fans, and lying thirty to forty feet below the
surface, they gave one a feeling of absolute security, except against
gas. Indeed, this feeling was so strong that they exercised rather a
demoralising influence--once inside, one hardly liked to leave them,
for the heaviest shell or trench mortar could scarcely shake them.
Here and there stair-cases led up to posts, the parapets of which were
constructed from the sandbags of “spoil” obtained in the excavation of
the tunnels. Except on the centre company front, nearly every post was
reached in this way. Most of the old front line was derelict, little
being held except the posts at the tunnel exits, and a few great mine
craters.
A Company was on the right, B Company in the centre, and D Company
on the left. C Company was in Battalion Reserve, in deep dugouts off
St. George’s Trench. Both the right and left companies lived almost
entirely in the tunnels, but B Company had its H.Q. in a deep dugout,
which was approached by the half-derelict Grimwood Trench, and its
principal post in Newport Sap, a great mine crater garrisoned by one
platoon by day and two platoons by night.
Fosse 8, an enormous slag-heap a little to the north of the St. Elie
Sector, was the dominating feature of the district. Machine guns from
this mound had been one of the main obstacles to the British advance in
the Battle of Loos. Its possession gave the enemy excellent observation
over a large area and was probably the main reason for his great
artillery and trench mortar activity.
Never had the Battalion experienced such trench mortar activity. The
Stokes mortar battery, which had been left in the line by the 6th
Division, fired until its guns were red-hot. A heavy trench mortar,
which had its home thirty to forty feet below the surface and fired
up a sort of chimney, made things very lively for the Germans in Cité
St. Elie with its “flying pigs.” The enemy too was very active in this
department. Opposite the Battalion’s left were the St. Elie quarries
and these were packed with trench mortars of all descriptions, which
were able to carry on their deadly work in almost complete security.
The enemy, when he thought fit, could put down such a trench mortar
barrage as the Battalion had never known before. Deservedly, the sector
bore a very bad reputation.
However, the first day passed quietly, and the night of June 26/27th
was one of those glorious nights, with an almost full moon, which one
sometimes gets at Midsummer. Dawn had almost come before the silence
was broken. The Battalion was already standing to, and the additional
platoon had just been withdrawn from Newport Sap, when, at 3-10 a.m.,
without any warning, the enemy opened a terrific bombardment. Trench
mortar shells of all calibres rained down on the posts at Boyau 78,
Newport Sap, “K” Dump and Devon Dump, and on the centre company H.Q.
A heavy barrage of high explosive and shrapnel fell on St. George’s
Trench and Devon Lane. At the centre company H.Q. Capt. J. G. Mowat,
M.C., Sec.-Lieut. I. C. Denby and four other ranks were instantly
killed by a heavy trench mortar shell, just after the first had
sent up the S.O.S. signal. The entrance to “K” Dump was blown in and
Sec.-Lieut. H. Pollard wounded. All quickly realised that an enemy raid
on a large scale was in progress.
At Newport Sap Sec.-Lieut. G. Crowther, in spite of the terrific
bombardment which blew in the trenches in several places, got his
men standing to and beat off a party of the enemy which appeared,
with rifle and Lewis gun fire. The men at Devon Dump, which post was
fortunately not hit, opened rapid fire to their front, but it was
purely blind fire for they could not see more than twenty yards owing
to the dust and smoke raised by the bombardment. Machine guns at
Dudley Dump fired on a party of Germans who were seen in the vicinity
of “K” Dump, and drove them off. But a third enemy party succeeded in
entering Boyau 78. Here the platoon commander had withdrawn his men
into the tunnels, as soon as the bombardment opened, in order to avoid
casualties. Unfortunately, two men took a wrong turning and were come
upon by the raiding party. One managed to escape into an old shelter,
but the other was captured. The raiders then blew in the main tunnel
exit with a mobile charge, and returned to their own lines, harassed
in their retreat by the machine guns at Dudley Dump, and the excellent
shrapnel barrage which the British artillery was putting down. By about
3-30 a.m. the raid was over and the barrage had ceased.
The total casualties in this raid were 2 officers and 4 other ranks
killed, 1 officer and 12 other ranks wounded, and one other rank a
prisoner. To the surprise of everyone the G.O.C., 6th Division, was
pleased when he heard that a prisoner had been taken. It suited him
well that the enemy should think his division had been relieved on that
sector by the 49th Division. But this was little satisfaction to the
Battalion which had suffered so seriously, particularly in the death of
Capt. J. G. Mowat, M.C., one of the most gallant and competent officers
in the Battalion. Its only real satisfaction was the knowledge that
heavy casualties had been inflicted on the enemy. Early in the morning
several German ambulances had left, crowded with wounded, and observers
had seen a number of bodies laid out for burial in the cemetery near
Cité St. Elie.
Early the following morning the Battalion was heavily bombarded
with gas shells, the right company and Battalion H.Q. receiving
most attention. Some of the gas got into the tunnels, but they were
quickly cleared by the ventilating apparatus. This was the first real
experience of enemy gas which the Battalion had had since the days
of the Somme, and about twelve casualties, including Sec.-Lieut. C.
E. Binns, were sustained. Many of these did not report sick until
some hours after the bombardment, the gas poisoning apparently taking
time to develop. The Commanding Officer had a slight touch of it, but
remained in the line.
To assist more active operations, which were in progress further south,
efforts were being made to attract the enemy’s attention to the St.
Elie Sector. The capture of a prisoner from the Battalion had already
assisted this object. The next night, a patrol of the 6th Battalion
exploded a Bangalore torpedo in the enemy wire opposite Boyau 78, and
left marks of identification near the spot, in the hope that they
would be found by the enemy. On June 28th companies had orders that
unusual movement was to be shown in their lines, and arrangements were
made for a smoke screen to be put up along the fronts of the two flank
companies that evening. At the same time the artillery was to put down
a heavy barrage. Actually, the smoke was not discharged, for the wind
was in the wrong direction, but the artillery part of the programme
was carried out. To save casualties all men, except a few sentries,
had been withdrawn to the tunnel entrances before zero hour. The enemy
replied to the barrage, shelling posts and communication trenches
for the most part, but no casualties resulted except at Newport Sap.
There the platoon commander had his men drawn up on the two stairways
leading to the deep dugout which they occupied. He remained at the top
of one stairway himself, with his platoon sergeant immediately behind
him. During the enemy retaliation a shell burst on the parapet just in
front, killing him and wounding the sergeant. Sec.-Lieut G. Crowther
was a great loss to the Battalion; he was a most competent officer and
very popular with everyone.
The remainder of the tour was fairly quiet. A good deal of rain fell,
flooding part of Devon Lane temporarily, but the water soon cleared.
No one was sorry when the 9th Battalion Suffolk Regiment returned from
the neighbourhood of Lens, and relieved the Battalion on the night
of July 1st/2nd. The heavy casualties at the beginning of the tour
had depressed everyone, especially after the quiet times which the
Battalion had had for some months. The tunnels too exerted a depressing
influence.
After two days in Brigade Reserve near Vermelles, the Battalion
was relieved by the 9th Battalion Norfolk Regt., and, embussing at
Philosophe, moved to L’Epinette, near Lestrem. Everyone was glad to
leave, and the “Hulluch” sector, as it is known to most, represents a
black page in the Battalion history. A little row of graves, in the
military cemetery at Sailly Labourse, is the only lasting memorial of
the Battalion’s sojourn there.
[Illustration: St. Elie Right Sub-sector.
June–July. 1917.]