GOMMECOURT AGAIN.
29th Oct., 1916. 15th April, 1917.
Many Divisions were now taking part in the Somme battle for the second
time, and as we suddenly left Pommier on the 29th October--our final
destination unknown--we naturally thought it probable that we, too,
should soon be once more in the thick of the fighting. However, our
fears were groundless, and we moved due West, not South. Our first night
we spent in Mondicourt, and then moved the next day in pouring rain to
Halloy, where we stayed two days. On the 1st November we marched 14
miles through Doullens to Villers L'Hôpital, on the Auxi le Chateau
road, where we found our new Padre waiting for us, the Rev. C.B.W. Buck.
The march was good, and no one fell out until the last half mile, a
steep hill into billets, which was too much for six men; as we had done
no real marching for several months, this was very satisfactory. There
was only one incident of interest on the way, a small collision between
the heavily laden mess cart and the level crossing gates at Doullens,
due to the anxiety of the lady gate-keeper to close the gates and let
the Paris express through, a feat which she accomplished, despite all
the efforts of our Transport, which was consequently cut in half. The
following day it rained again, and we marched to Conteville, stayed a
night, and went on to Millencourt the next morning. Here we found good
billets and, as we were told we were likely to remain a month, fixed up
a Battalion Mess in the Farm Chateau.
We were soon informed that we had not come to Millencourt to rest, but
to carry out "intensive training" to fit us for offensive action. This
meant very hard work all the morning, many afternoons, and two or three
nights a week as well. The idea was to devote the first week to Platoon
and Company work, the next to Battalion drill and training, and to
finish our course with some big Brigade and Divisional days. The weather
was not very good, but we managed to do many hours work, the usual
physical training, bayonet fighting, steady drill, and extended order
work, night compass work and lectures. The most exciting event was one
of the night trainings, when Col. Jones combined cross country running
with keeping direction in the dark. The running was very successful, but
the runners failed to keep direction, and ran for many miles, getting in
many cases completely lost; far into the night the plaintive notes of
the recall bugle could be heard in the various villages of the
neighbourhood.
Soon after our arrival a Divisional Sports Committee drew up a programme
for a meeting to be held at the end of our training, and to consist of
football, boxing, and cross country running. Eliminating heats and
events had to be decided beforehand, and, with Lieut. Heffill and Serjt.
J. Wardle to look after the boxing, and Capt. Shields as "O.C.
Football," we started training without delay. At the football we had our
usual luck, for, after a good victory over the 4th Lincolnshires, we
were once more beaten by our own 4th Battalion. The last game was very
exciting, and feeling ran so high that the language on the touch line
became terrible, and would have shocked even a Brigadier. The finals of
the boxing and cross country running could not take place until later
when we had left the area. On one or two of the spare afternoons we
managed to get some Rugby football, and had some excellent games, during
which we discovered that our Padre was a performer of considerable
merit.
On the 22nd November we started back Eastwards, and, after a night at
Prouville and two at Fortel, arrived in the pouring rain at Halloy,
where we were told we should stay for about a week. We were put into the
huts, which were unfinished and entirely unfit for habitation, while to
make matters worse, the field in which they stood had become a sea of
mud. After the good billets of Millencourt, this change for the worse
produced the inevitable sickness, and, in addition to many N.C.O.'s and
men who went away with fever and influenza, we lost for a short time
Col. Jones, and several of the officers. Amongst them was 2nd Lieut.
J.R. Brooke, who had long ago been warned against the danger of again
getting nephritis, but in spite of this refused to stay away from the
Battalion, and insisted on braving even the worst weather and the
wettest trenches. About the same time, Captain Burnett went to England,
going to Hospital from the Army School.
The week in these horrible surroundings was lengthened to a fortnight,
and we were at last able to hold the finals of the cross country run.
Many of the Battalion entered, and over two hundred came home in the
time, a very good performance, though not good enough to win. The boxing
tournament was held still later at St. Amand, and we sent two entries.
In the heavy weights, Boobyer was beaten on points after a plucky fight,
and in the feather weights, O'Shaugnessy knocked his opponent all over
the place, and won in the second round.
On the 6th December we marched to the Souastre huts, where the Colonel
returned to us, and we once more began to feel fit; the huts here were
not palaces, but were far better than those we had left at Halloy. On
the 11th we moved up through Bienvillers and went into our old trenches
opposite Monchy. But the recent heavy rains had undone all the good that
we had done in the early autumn, and they were now in a very bad state.
On the right of the Hannescamps road they were particularly bad, and
Liverpool Street, which ran from Lulu Lane to the front line, was almost
impassable. There was the same terrible clinging mud, feet deep, that we
had found at Richebourg a year before, and the old troubles of lost gum
boots began again. Fortunately we were now prepared, and were able to
combat the dangers of "trench foot." Each Company had its drying room--a
dug-out occupied by the Stretcher bearers, and kept warm by an ever
burning brazier. Here at least once in every 24 hours every man who
could possibly have got wet feet, and every man wearing rubber boots,
came, had his feet rubbed, and was given dry socks and boots, while at
Headquarters and in Bienvillers were large drying rooms where the wet
boots could be dealt with. In this way we were able to keep almost free
from the complaint, and the few men whose feet did fail were all men
who had had "trench feet" the previous winter, and were consequently
always liable to it.
All this time it was not only wet, but cold, and after Christmas it
became colder until the first week in January, when heavy snow fell.
Thenceforward, until the middle of February, there was continuous frost
with occasional heavy falls of snow, though generally the days and
nights were fine and clear. For several feet down, the ground was frozen
hard, and digging became absolutely impossible. There was now solid ice
instead of water in the trenches, and the front line sentries found
their task a particularly cold one. Fortunately by this time the trench
cook-house was not only an established thing but had become a very
successful affair, and four times a day hot meals were carried in tanks
and food containers from Battalion Headquarters to the front line. For
this purpose the rectangular tanks from the cooks' wagons were used,
being carried by two men, on a wooden framework or stretcher. Along a
road or up a well made communication trench this was a comparatively
light task, but to carry a tank full of hot tea over slippery shell
holes and through knee-deep mud was a difficult matter, and on more than
one occasion a platoon lost its hot drink at night through the
disappearance of the carriers into some shell hole. The wonderful thing
was that both tea-less platoon and drenched carriers would laugh over it
all.
Christmas Day was spent in trenches. We were relieved in the afternoon
by the 4th Battalion, who had their festivities on Christmas eve, and
went back to Souastre, where the following day we, too, had our dinner.
Pigs had been bought and killed, and we all gorged ourselves on roast
pork and plum pudding, washing them down with beer--a very satisfactory
performance. There were also the usual games and Company dinners, and we
all spent a very enjoyable few days. Later on we managed to arrange a
Battalion concert which was a tremendous success, and voted by all a
most excellent evening; the "star" turn was Colonel Jones, who gave a
recitation.
The weather made raids and active operations impossible, and though we
made all preparations for a rifle grenade demonstration to assist a
Staffordshire raid on New Year's night, this had to be cancelled on
account of the snow. Patrols, however, still continued to tour No Man's
Land in the hopes of finding a stray Boche, or encountering a Boche
patrol. In front of Essarts the lines were so far apart that there was
plenty of room for a small pitched battle, and night after night Lieuts.
Pearson, Creed, Poynor, and others visited such familiar haunts as the
"Osier Bed," "Thistle Patch," "Lonely Tree," and other well-known
places. The first to meet the enemy was Lieut. Pearson, who came upon a
small party in the "Thistle Patch," who made off rapidly back to their
lines. Our patrol used their rifles, but, though they hit one of the
enemy, failed to take a prisoner, and for a week or two the Boche did
not show himself. Then on the 10th January, 2nd Lieut. Creed, with a
mixed party of scouts from all Companies, while reconnoitering the
"Osier Bed" suddenly found that a party of the enemy was in their right
rear and close to our wire, where four of them could be seen. Our patrol
turned at once and ran straight at the four as fast as they could,
coming, as they ran, under a heavy fire from a Boche covering party
lying some 50 yards out. Pte. A. Garner was killed outright, but the
remainder, led by 2nd Lieut. Creed and Pte. Frank Eastwood of "C"
Company, rushed on and wounded and captured one of the four, who was
found to be the officer. The remainder of the enemy took the alarm in
time and made off. The officer proved to be an English-speaking
subaltern of the 55th Regt.--our old opponents of Hohenzollern in
October, 1915. He was led down to the Aid Post to have his wound
dressed, much to the disgust of Captain Terry, the M.O., who would have
liked to have killed him outright, though Serjeant Bent, the medical
orderly, took compassion on his shivering prisoner and fed him on hot
tea, and actually gave him a foot warmer!
This little affair caused the Boche extreme annoyance, and the following
day he spent the morning shooting at Berlin Trench, the Bienvillers road
and Bienvillers itself, round the Church. As we were relieved during the
morning we had to march out through it all, and found it particularly
unpleasant, especially when a shell hit the R.E. Dump, exploded an
ammunition store, and sent the house at the Church corner several
hundred feet into the air.
At this time there were again several changes in the personnel. Capt.
G.W. Allen went to Brigade Headquarters and thence to the Corps School
as an Instructor; Capt. J.D. Hills, who took his place, fell down and
injured his knee so badly that it took him to England for six months;
Capt. Knighton was made Town Major at St. Amand, and Captain Mould went
to England. Capt. Wollaston rejoined us, bringing with him 2nd Lieut.
Banwell and a new subaltern, 2nd Lieut. D. Campbell. 2nd Lieut. C.H.
Morris acted as Adjutant. 2nd Lieut. J.R. Brooke paid one of his
periodical visits to the R.A.M.C., driven thither by the M.O., who was
afraid he would die on his hands, but returned to us again soon
afterwards.
During the last fortnight of January we had several Units of the 58th
(London) Division attached to us for instruction. They were one of the
first "second-line" Territorial Divisions to reach France, and were
followed by our own second-line, the 59th, who went for their initiation
to the most Southern end of the British front, and we consequently did
not see them. Nothing of any note happened during their stay, except a
heavy gas shell bombardment on "D" Company's (Capt. Shields') trenches.
The men were all warned in time and put on helmets, so that we had no
casualties. The shells were almost noiseless, so that when the gas blew
over the crest into "B" Company (Capt. Wollaston), who were in support,
it was thought to be cloud gas and the Strombos horns were sounded. The
flank Units sounded theirs, too, and Bienvillers took it up, much to the
annoyance of the batteries and staffs who were thus unnecessarily
disturbed, since the Strombos should never be used for gas shells only.
It was a very natural mistake, but we were severely "strafed" by the
authorities; however, as we had no casualties, and there had been many
in other Units, we ended by being congratulated.
On the 14th February came the beginnings of the thaw, and with it the
first rumours of a German withdrawal. Three days later the enemy shelled
Foncquevillers heavily, apparently with a view to a raid, or possibly to
deceive us into thinking that he did not mean to retire. Our guns
replied, and the Right Half Battalion under Major Griffiths, who was
already quartered in the village, stood to, but nothing happened. The
remainder of the Battalion with the Headquarters was now in Bienvillers
in Brigade reserve. The weather once more became frosty, and there was a
thick mist almost every day. On the 23rd we relieved the 4th Battalion,
and occupied some 2,500 yards of front line opposite Gommecourt, where
the Huns shelled us at intervals all the next day, but did no damage. At
midnight 24th/25th the Brigadier had reason to believe the Boche was
going to leave his lines, and a strong patrol under Major Griffiths went
out to reconnoitre. They cut many gaps in the wire, but found the German
front line still held. At dawn it was very foggy, and there was some
shouting heard in Gommecourt, which sounded like "Bonsoir," but at 7-10
a.m. the enemy opened a heavy bombardment which lasted 3½ hours.
Shells of every kind were fired and our trenches hit in several places;
one man was killed. The next night patrols were again out and, though it
was found that the Boche had evacuated Gommecourt Park, he was still in
the village, where the following morning dug-outs were seen to be on
fire. Wire was cut and everything prepared for the advance.
However, the Boche still hung on to his line, and on the evening of the
26th and at dawn the following morning our patrols still found him
there. 2nd Lieuts. Banwell and Beardmore and Serjt. Growdridge were
constantly out, waiting for a chance to enter his lines, but the chance
never came, and, on the 27th, we were relieved by the 4th Battalion, and
returned to Souastre. That evening the Boche retired, and the 4th
Battalion entered Gommecourt. At this point we lost Captain J.W. Tomson,
who had been far from well for some time, and now went to England with
fever. He had never missed a day's work for two years. Lieut. D.B.
Petch took his place in command of "A" Company.
The German withdrawal was very slow, and we spent the next day having
baths in Souastre. On the 1st March we moved into the new front line,
round the East edge of Gommecourt, while the Boche was still holding
Pigeon Wood. The enemy was very alert, as General H.M. Campbell, the
C.R.A., discovered; he went into the wood, thinking it unoccupied, and
was chased out by a fat Boche throwing "potato mashers." In the evening
the Headquarters moved into a German dug-out, but the enemy still
occupied the "Z." The front line between there and Gommecourt was filled
with deep dug-outs, all connected underground, so the Boche occupied one
end, while 2nd Lieuts. Banwell and Barrett sat in the other, of the same
tunnel. There were many booby traps, such as loose boards exploding a
bomb when trodden on; trip wires at the bottom of dug-out steps bringing
down the roof, and other such infernal machines. We were warned of
these, and had no casualties.
On the 2nd March we continued to press the enemy, having as our
objective a circle 900 yards round Gommecourt Church. 2nd Lieut. Corah
was slightly wounded by a sniper, and one or two men were hit with
splinters of bomb, but there were no serious casualties. Our bombing
parties were very vigorous, and in one case consumed the hot coffee and
onions left by a party disturbed at breakfast. In this bombing work,
Serjeants A. Passmore, Cave and Meakin, Cpl. Marshall, and L/Cpls. Dawes
and A. Carr all distinguished themselves. Gommecourt wood was soon
cleared, and by the evening we had gained the whole of the circular
objective. The next morning early the 8th Sherwood Foresters came up to
relieve us, but, though the other Companies were relieved, "A" Company
(Petch) refused to be. They were busy chasing the Boche, and were quite
annoyed when told that they must come away. Relieved, we marched back to
Souastre.
We stayed at Souastre until the 11th March, and then moved up once more
to the line, taking over 2,600 yards of frontage from the la Brayelle
Road to the Hannescamps-Monchy Road. Our time in reserve had been spent
almost entirely in lectures on the attack, and on lessons drawn from the
enemy's recent withdrawal from Gommecourt, and we had more than once
been congratulated on our patrol work, which was excellent throughout
this time. Between Essarts and Monchy the Boche was still holding his
original line, and though expected to retire at any time, he made no
movement during the three days we stayed in the line. On the 13th we
were ordered, during the afternoon, to make certain that the enemy were
still present, so 2nd Lieut. T.H. Ball marched up the Essarts Road with
two platoons, until fire was opened on them from more than one
direction, and the strength of the enemy was apparent. That evening we
were relieved by the Lothian and Border Horse, and marched on relief to
Foncquevillers. The same night, just before midnight, the Staffordshires
made an attack on Bucquoy Graben, a strong Boche trench, and the
outskirts of Bucquoy village. It was very wet and dark, and the
operation altogether most difficult, so that the Staffordshires, though
they made a very gallant attack, lost heavily and gained little ground.
At dawn the following morning, 14th March, we were ordered to be ready
to go and support the Staffordshires, but, after considerable
uncertainty and waiting, this order was cancelled. Instead, a flagged
plan of the Bucquoy trenches was made on the plain N.W. of our village,
and here we practised the attack. The weather was bad, but we managed to
make all the necessary arrangements and do some attack drill. In the
village we had a singular stroke of ill luck. One solitary German
Howitzer shell dropped amongst a party of "D" Company, killing Pte. J.T.
Allen, who had done good work in the bombing at Gommecourt, and wounding
six others, one of whom, W. Clarke, died of wounds afterwards. The
practised attack, which should have taken place from Biez Wood on the
16th, never came off, for it was made unnecessary by the rapidity of the
German retirement.
After this the weather improved, and it was bright and warm when, on the
17th, we moved during the afternoon into Gommecourt and came temporarily
under orders of the 139th Brigade. The following day we moved again,
this time to dug-outs and fields 500 yards North of Essarts, country
which the enemy had now entirely evacuated. The villages and farms had
all been very badly battered by our Artillery, and the Boche had found
time to destroy almost everything before he went, except at Douchy,
where there was some good dug-out timber. Needless to say, the famous
Mary of that village was not to be found. The French were immensely
pleased at regaining part of their lost territory, though it was a
pathetic sight to see some of the old people coming to look at the piles
of bricks which had once been their homes. Two ladies came to
Gommecourt with a key, little thinking that so far from finding a lock
they would find not even a door or door-way--there was not even a brick
wall more than two feet high. Those officers who could get horses rode
round to look at the country which for nine months we had been watching
through telescopes, and the concrete emplacements of Monchy and Le
Quesnoy Farm were all explored, while No Man's Land, the only place free
from wire and shell holes, provided an excellent canter. The Companies
were largely employed in road mending, filling up German mine craters,
and making tracks across the trenches for our Artillery. The enemy
seemed to be really on the move at last, and we were all looking forward
to seeing some new country, but on the 20th the weather broke, there was
another fall of snow, and we were not sorry to be ordered back to
Souastre, where we went into the huts for two nights.
For the rest of March we were constantly on the move, mostly by march
route. First, on the 22nd, we marched via Couin and Bus-les-Artois to
Bertrancourt, where we found some huts and much mud. One very large
"Nissen" hut provided an Officers' Mess, but was completely devoid of
all furniture until the Colonel invented some wonderful hanging
tables--table tops hung from the ceiling on telephone wires. Here we
were joined by 2nd Lieuts. C.C. Craggs, S.R. Mee, and B.G. Bligh, all
new-comers. 2nd Lieuts. R.C. Broughton and A. Ramsden had joined a week
or two before, so we now had our full complement of Platoon Commanders.
Soon afterwards, however, 2nd Lieut. and A/Adjt. C.H. Morris went to the
Indian Army, and his place was taken by Lieut. L.H. Pearson. In
Bertrancourt we found some German prisoners working, one of whom
obviously received the latest news from London quicker than we did, for
he told us that as the result of an air raid "London was in bits"! After
one night here we marched via Acheux, Lealvillers and Arquèves to
Raincheval, where we again stayed one night--a hard frost. The next day
we moved on again, passing through Puchevillers, Rubempré and Pierregot
to Rainnevillers. The march was made particularly uncomfortable by the
number of different Units on the road, marching in all directions, and
we had to keep big intervals between Companies.
Rainnevillers was only six kilometres from Amiens, and many officers
availed themselves of this opportunity of visiting the town. The
mysteries of Charlie's Bar, Godbert's, the Café du Cathédral, and other
haunts were revealed for the first time, and proved so attractive that
two senior officers made a very wet night the excuse for staying in a
Hotel. They returned at dawn, but did not realise how early the Colonel
rose, and met him at the breakfast table, to be congratulated on their
(most unusual) earliness! We stayed here two days, and the G.O.C. came
and presented medal ribbons to those who had been awarded decorations at
Gommecourt. On the 26th March we "embussed" with the 4th
Leicestershires, and were taken through Amiens to Dury, whence we
marched a short distance to St. Fuscien, and went into billets. We were
still near enough to Amiens for those who wished to "joy ride" into the
town.
Two days later, on the 28th March, we marched to Saleux and entrained
for the North. Passing through Doullens we arrived at Lillers early the
next morning, and marched thence to Laires, twelve miles through the
driving rain. We reached billets all wet through. "B" Company followed
by a later train, and joined us in billets just after midnight.
We were now in the 2nd Corps, and, before we had time to look round our
new billets, the Corps Commander, General Jacob, came and was introduced
to all officers, speaking to us in the village school room. After that
we looked round our new quarters and found them excellent, so settled
down to have, if possible, an enjoyable rest. Marie, of the "Cheval
Blanc," provided a room where officers might meet and drink beer,
subalterns, of course, champagne, and her name must be added to the long
list of Tina's, Bertha's, and others who all over France welcomed the
British officer so cordially at their estaminets. Meanwhile, we spent
our days training, and particular attention was paid to route marching,
in which we were severely handicapped by the bad state of our boots. For
some reason there was at the time a shortage of leather, so Serjeant
Huddleston, our shoemaker, could do nothing to improve matters, and we
had to make the best of a bad job. It was really remarkable on some of
the longer marches how few men fell out considering that many had
practically no soles to their boots. However, the pleasant billets at
Laire amply repaid us for our other troubles, and we were all sorry when
on the 13th April, 2nd Lieut. Brooke and the rest of us bade farewell to
Marie and marched to Manqueville.
Here we continued training so far as the weather allowed, but a
considerable amount of rain rather hampered us. On the 15th we lost
Colonel Jones who went to England for three months' rest. With the
exception of a few weeks in 1915 he had been with us since the
beginning, and there was not an officer or man who did not regret his
going. There was never a trench or post which he did not visit, no
matter how exposed or how dangerous the approach to it. Moreover, he was
never downhearted, and while he was in it, the Battalion Headquarters of
the 5th Leicestershire Regiment was known throughout the Division as one
of the most cheerful, if not the most cheerful, spot in France. Major
Griffiths took temporary command until, on the 23rd, Major Trimble,
M.C., of the E. Yorks. Regt. arrived from the 6th Division and took over
from him.