PONTRUET.
14th Sept., 1918. 25th Sept., 1918.
Our journey Southwards was uncomfortable and uneventful. The only
remarkable feature was the acrobatic skill displayed by the mess staff,
transferring meals from the kitchen-cattle-truck to the officers
mess-cattle-truck. Even at the usual speed of a French troop train, it
is no easy task to drop off the train with a pile of plates in one hand,
a dish of potatoes in the other, walk fast enough to catch up the
carriage in front, and finally, in spite of signal wires, sleepers and
other pitfalls, deliver all safely at the "Mess." Yet this was done not
once but often. We spent the whole day in the train passing St. Pol,
Amiens, and Corbie, and finally towards evening reached Ribemont, where
we found our billeting party waiting for us. Billets consisted of some
distant dug-outs across a swampy moor, and the recent rains had made
what few tracks there were too slippery for the horses. It was all very
unpleasant, and we spent a cold and cheerless night. "A" Company, which
had remained at Chocques doing loading duties, did not arrive until
midnight--very wet and tired.
The next day was bright and warm, and we soon discovered that the two
villages, Treux and Buire would hold Headquarters and half the
Battalion, so moved into them without delay and evacuated all except the
more sumptuous and easily approached dug-outs. We were now fairly
comfortable, and our only grouse was the absence of any canteen or even
French civilians for miles and miles, and the consequent lack of
tobacco, beer and other little luxuries.
Our move had brought us into General Rawlinson's Fourth Army, and, as we
were apparently not needed at once for a battle, we started vigorous
training. Route marches, and even "field-firing" practices were carried
out, and there was one big Divisional Field day, which ended
triumphantly with the Brigade and Battalion Staffs picking mushrooms on
the final objective. Meanwhile the Second in Command's Department under
Major Burnett fixed up baths and other comforts for us and, by the 18th
of September, we were really very comfortable. This same day we were
ordered to move at short notice.
Motor lorries took us on to the main Amiens road at Corbie, and turning
East along it we jolted and bumped and splashed our way through
Brie-sur-Somme to Tertry. The country--what we could see of it in the
dark--seemed to consist of a barren waste of shell holes with here and
there a shattered tree or the remains of some burnt-out Tank standing
forlornly near some dark and stagnant swamp. Villages were practically
non-existent, and Tertry was no exception, but we soon settled down
under waterproof sheets, corrugated iron and a few old bricks. The
transport under Major Burnett and Serjt. Yeabsley came all the way by
road, and arrived some hours later; but much of our stores had to be
left behind with two storemen in Buire. Many efforts were made during
the following months to retrieve these stores, but it was not until
after the armistice that we were finally successful.
We were now IXth. Corps, and found our neighbours were old friends from
the Béthune area--the 1st and 6th Divisions. The Transport lines and
"battle details" of the 1st and 11th Battalions of the Regiment were
quite close to us, and we paid several calls. On the 20th, Captains
Tomson and Banwell returned from leave, much to the delight of their
Companies, for the following day we went into trenches, relieving the
14th and 45th Australians in the Hindenburg Outpost line, that they had
so brilliantly captured a few days before. We were in Brigade support
along Ascension Ridge, called after a farm of that name, and the other
two Battalions held the line in front of us.
In their attack, the Australians had pushed forward further than anyone
else, while the English troops on their right, after some very hard
fighting, had been held up by the village of Pontruet. Consequently
there was a sharp bend in the line, and the Australian right flank,
though on high ground, was somewhat exposed. The line ran roughly as
follows:--
[Illustration: Sketch of the line at Pontruet.]
The enemy still held posts on the ridge close to the Australian front
line, and were known to have several posts in Forgan's trench, which was
the Southward continuation of our front line across the valley. Pontruet
was overlooked from everywhere, and constantly bombarded by our
Artillery, so it did not seem likely that it held many Boche. The
Sherwood Foresters held the right of the Divisional line and joined with
the 1st Division on the high ground South of the village. There was no
sign of any intended operation, and it certainly looked as if we could
not move until the troops on our right had advanced. Accordingly on the
22nd the Adjutant rode back to Brie to go on leave. Capt. Banwell,
really a "battle detail," went up to assist the Headquarters, while the
other "details"--Major Burnett, Captain Petch, Lieut. Pierrepont, 2nd
Lieuts. Edwardes, Griffiths, Taylor, C.S.M.'s Cooper and
Martin--remained with the Q.M. Stores.
No sooner had the Adjutant gone, than orders came for a battle. At dawn
on the 24th the Division on our right was going to advance, and the 46th
Division, by way of assisting them, was to capture Pontruet and hold
Forgan's trench as a final objective. The 138th Brigade were chosen for
this fight, and General Rowley decided to use one Battalion
only--ourselves. We were to attack the village from the rear, by
advancing into the valley from the North and then turning West, while
one Company turning East would capture and hold Forgan's. There was
little time for preparation, so Colonel Griffiths called a Company
Commanders' meeting, reconnoitred the village from above, and decided on
his plan of attack. At the same time a runner was sent after the
Adjutant, and found him just boarding the leave train. It was a near
thing, but not for anything would he have missed the next few weeks.
The Colonel's plan was as follows:--To assemble the Battalion in lines
of platoons in fours facing South, just behind the right of our front
line. "A" would be on the right, "D" on the left. At Zero all would move
forward with a barrage, keeping about 50 yards distance and interval
between platoons. All would cross the Bellenglise road and finally, when
the leading platoons were level with the farther, i.e., South, edge of
Pontruet, "A" and "B" would turn to the right, sweep through and reform
on the West side of it. "D" would turn left and capture Forgan's trench,
having a platoon of "C" Company to help them. The rest of "C" would
assist which ever party seemed to be in difficulties. The Headquarters
would move to the high ground, whence the fight would be visible, and
there was every hope of opening signal communication with the attacking
Companies. Artillery arrangements were made accordingly, and
bombardments ordered for the supposed posts in Forgan's. Unfortunately,
much against our wishes, and in opposition to the Brigadier's scheme, a
heavy smoke barrage was to be placed on the Western edge of the village.
A West wind would make this a thick blanket and seriously hinder our
advance, and West winds are very common; however, we could not alter
this part of the scheme. The Sherwood Foresters were ordered to assist
by pushing up to the village after we had captured it. Zero would be 5-0
a.m. on the 24th of September.
As soon as it was dark on the 23rd, Captain Banwell taped out a
"jumping off" line for the leading platoons. There was some unpleasant
shelling at the time, but he completed his task successfully, and also
taped out the route to this assembly position. At midnight, relieved by
the 6th South Staffordshires (Lister), we marched off after an issue of
hot tea and rum to the assembly ground, leaving great coats behind and
wearing fighting order. On arrival we found that the Lincolnshires had
been raided in their North end of Forgan's trench a short time before,
and, as there might still be some of the enemy near the trench, "D"
Company were ordered to form up in it, instead of on the top. It was not
a dark night, and had we been seen assembling all would have been lost.
There was some scattered shelling, and Lieut. Brodribb, commanding "A"
Company, was wounded in the leg. He had it dressed at the R.A.P., and,
finding he could still walk, rejoined his Company before the advance
began. In absolute silence we lay in shell holes waiting for Zero. A
mist had started to blow up from the valley, and the Battalion was
almost invisible. Here and there a few heads, the muzzle of a Lewis gun,
the end of a stretcher might be seen just above the ground, and
occasionally one could see the tall figure of Capt. Tomson,
imperturbable as ever, walking quietly round his Company with a word of
encouragement for all. As the time went on, the mist became thicker and
thicker, and by 4-50 a.m. platoons and Companies were unable to see each
other. The shelling had ceased, it was very quiet.
Punctually at 5-0 a.m. the barrage opened, and the advance started. The
timing of the Artillery was perfect and, with the road to guide them,
"A" Company on the right swept across the Bellenglise road, keeping
close to the barrage. By 5-14 a.m. No. 1 Platoon (Quint), which was
leading, was ready for the right turn. The rest of this Company
followed, and, though No. 4 Platoon (Dennis) slightly lost direction for
a time, they soon regained their place, so that the whole Company was
ready to turn together. It was still half dark, and, as we had feared,
the smoke barrage blew across and shrouded us in a thick blanket of fog.
During their advance, "A" Company had found the machine gun and rifle
fire very hot from their left flank, apparently from Forgan's trench,
and had already lost Serjt. P. Bowler, who was killed outright. They had
met no enemy outside the village, and could not see more than a few
yards through the smoke. The other Companies were out of sight.
Turning into Pontruet, "A" Company found it full of the enemy. Odd
lengths of trenches here and there, cellars in every direction were
filled with bombers and machine gun teams, some facing West, others, who
had realised our intentions, facing East. Led by Lieut. Brodribb and
their platoon commanders, "A" Company dashed in with the bayonet. Here
and there a bomb was thrown down a cellar, or a Lewis gun turned against
some party which resisted, but for the most part the bayonet was the
weapon of the day. The enemy were scattered, a few tried to fight, but
large numbers were killed trying to escape, while 120 were captured, and
50 more driven into the Sherwood Foresters' lines. The work on the North
side was the easiest. Here, small parties led by 2nd Lieut. Dennis, who
was slightly wounded, C.S.M. Wardle, Serjt. Toon, and others carried all
before them, cleared the lower road and the cemetery, and formed up
outside the N.W. corner, where they were joined by their Company
Commander.
[Illustration: DIAGRAM (not to scale) to illustrate positions
of Companies at 5.14 A.M. Sept 24th 1918 during attack on Pontruet.]
In the centre there was more fighting, and while L/Cpls. Downs and
Starbuck and Pte. Meakin led their parties through with tremendous dash,
one Lewis Gun section under Dakin, a "No. 1" Lewis Gunner, found itself
held up by a strong German post. The "No. 2" was killed, and Dakin
himself was shot through both thighs almost at once, so that there was
no one left to work the gun. However, Hyden, an untrained soldier, came
forward and fired the gun, while Dakin, bleeding freely and with both
thighs broken, lay beside him and corrected stoppages, until he
succumbed to his injuries.
The Company's heaviest losses were on the Southern or upper side of the
village. For, in the S.W. corner, the Germans had two lengths of well
defended trench, supported by a block house, and against these 2nd.
Lieuts. Aster and Quint and Corporal Tyers led their men. The two
officers were killed almost together at the second trench, but the
Corporal broke clean through, only to be shot through the head when
almost outside the village. Seven others of this same gallant party were
killed at this corner, and the remainder, unable to deal with the
blockhouse, fought their way through to the main part of the Company.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Battalion had been far less fortunate, and,
with no road to guide them, had been baffled by the fog. 2nd Lieut.
Lewin and Serjt. Harrison with a small party of "B" Company crossed the
valley and, turning right, followed No. 1 Platoon into the Southern half
of the village. They were too small a body to clear the blockhouse
corner, and first Serjt. Harrison, then 2nd Lieut. Levin were killed as
they gallantly tried to get forward. Two others of their men were hit,
and the rest were scattered.
One platoon of "B" Company remained intact. 2nd Lieut. Cosgrove, finding
he could not keep direction and advance at the required pace, dropped
behind. Stopping every few yards to take a compass bearing, this officer
finally brought his platoon to its allotted turning point and entered
the village. Following the lower road, the platoon split into two halves
and "mopped up" anything left by "A" Company, making sure that the whole
of this side of the village was absolutely clear of the enemy. 2nd
Lieut. Cosgrove with his two sections joined Lieut. Brodribb outside the
village. Corporal Barber with his Lewis gun section took up a position
inside near the Cemetery.
The rest of "B" Company and the left half Battalion fared badly.
Forgan's trench, supposed to be held by a few odd posts, was strongly
manned from end to end. It was wired in front and lateral belts had been
placed at frequent intervals across it. It would have been a stiff task
for a Company to take it with a direct frontal attack; to "work up" it
was impossible. None the less, "D" Company (Brooke) did their utmost.
Led by their Company Commander in person, the Company left the trench at
Zero and started to work along it. There was wire everywhere, and the
going was very bad on top, so that many men of the rear platoons dropped
back into the trench and made their way along it--a fatal mistake. On
nearing the Bellenglise road this Company was met with a perfect
hurricane of machine gun bullets from three guns in a nest near the
road. Captain Brooke was hit but continued to lead his men, and, ably
backed by Serjt. Darby, made a gallant attempt to rush the position. The
men still in the trench could give no assistance, and though two
prisoners were taken the rush failed, and the German machine guns
remained unharmed. Captain Brooke was twice hit again and with 2nd
Lieuts. Sloper and Buckley, who were both wounded, had to leave the
fight. Serjt. Darby and L/Cpl. Smith had been killed close to the
enemy's guns, Serjeant Sullivan was wounded, and for the moment the
Company was leaderless. Lieut. Corah came up to take command, but by the
time he reached the head of the Company it was too late to act, and
Forgan's trench remained full of the enemy.
The occupants of Forgan's, mostly machine gunners, appear to have
realised almost at once the direction of our attack, and opened a hot
fire on our left flank as we crossed the Bellenglise road and set off
across the valley. "A" Company felt this severely, but far more severe
were the losses of "C" Company and those platoons of "B" which did not
make their turn into the village. These were nearer to Forgan's trench,
and both lost heavily. The mist and smoke were very thick, connecting
files were useless, and the various officers, collecting what men they
could find, made their way as far as possible in the right direction.
Lieut. Hawley with the bulk of "C" Company found a few of the enemy
still in the Eastern end of Pontruet, turned them out, and occupied a
trench along the edge of the village, facing East. Further South along
this same trench another party of "C" under Lieut. Steel made use of a
small road bridge, and took up a position facing the same way. The rest
of the Company followed Lieut. Barrett and Serjt. Spencer and reached
the far side of the valley, being joined on the way by some of "B"
Company. A few yards up the bank on the Southern side, Lieut. Barrett
found to his surprise a trench across his route. The fog was still
thick, and this puzzled him--it had been newly dug during the
night--but, as it was full of Germans, he rushed it, got inside, and
turned towards Forgan's. He was hit doing so. Reaching Forgan's, this
party, in which Serjeant Spencer was conspicuous, quickly disposed of
three German machine gun posts and their teams, but were then themselves
fired at and bombed from several directions. Undeterred, Lieut. Barrett,
though again wounded, drew his revolver and with it held up one bombing
party, while Serjeant Spencer dealt with another. A bomb burst close to
Lieut. Barrett's pistol arm and put it out of action, and by this time
he was becoming exhausted. Calling his N.C.O.'s together, he explained
what had happened and gave them careful directions as to how to get out,
himself quite calm the whole time. Acting on his instructions, those of
the party who were left cut their way out; Lieut. Barrett, refusing
help, started to crawl through the wire, and was again wounded. He
eventually reached the R.A.P. literally covered with wounds. Contrary to
the Doctor's expectations, however, he not only lived to receive his
Victoria Cross, but soon made a complete recovery.
At the same time, Captain Tomson, finding his Company now consisted only
of his signallers, runners, and batmen, and unable to find out where the
rest had gone, determined to try and rush the machine guns which were
keeping up such a steady fire close to his left flank. His little party
forced their way through some wire and found themselves opposed by three
guns. With a shout of "Come along Tigers, show them what you can do,"
Captain Tomson led them straight at the enemy. Two of the gun teams were
overcome, but the third could not be reached, and fired at them point
blank. L/Cpl. Signaller J. Smith was wounded and fell, Captain Tomson,
bending down to tie him up, was shot through the head. Only two men got
away, leaving their leader, now dead, in a small shelter outside the
trench. Smith, mortally wounded, refused to be taken away, saying "Leave
me with Captain Tomson, I shall be all right"--and there he died next to
his Company Commander. So perished the kindest hearted and bravest
gentleman that ever commanded a Company in the Regiment. Calm, cheerful,
with a friendly word for all, Captain Tomson was the father of his men,
and a warm friend to his brother officers and N.C.O.'s.
By 6-30 a.m. it was daylight, but the fog and smoke still lay like a
thick blanket along the valley, hiding the village and all that was
going on there. It was not until 7-45 a.m. that the wind blew this away,
and we were at last able to see how we had fared. The village, with the
exception of the blockhouse corner, was in our hands. "C" Company were
holding more than half its Eastern side, while "A" and part of "B" had
reformed after the attack and were dug in just outside the N.W. corner.
The only troops actually in Pontruet were those with Corpl. Barber at
the Cemetery. The road leading West from the village was thronged with
prisoners and stretcher bearers making their way towards the large
crater on the main road, used as a Company Headquarters by the Sherwood
Foresters. Captain Jack had established his Aid Post at the bottom of
the little valley running down to the road, and here, helped by the
never-tiring Padre Buck, was busily employed with our wounded.
In Forgan's trench there was a deadlock. Across the valley and on the
Southern slopes it was still full of the enemy, who had many machine
guns. Daylight made an attack over the open by "D" Company impossible,
for as soon as anyone was seen to leave our lines he was at once fired
upon. Every effort was made with bombs and rifle grenades to dislodge
the German machine gunners from their posts on the main road, but,
though Serjts. Marston and Haynes and L/Cpl. Thurman did their utmost,
no progress could be made. Here, therefore, "D" Company had to stay
throughout the day, almost powerless to help, except by harassing the
enemy with stokes mortars from the high ground. With daylight, the enemy
also had complete command of the Eastern edge of Pontruet, and Lieuts.
Hawley and Steel had to lie very quiet; the slightest movement attracted
the attention of the snipers in Forgan's.
At 8-0 a.m. the battle was practically at a standstill, and the C.O.
sent the Adjutant forward to see what could be done to improve our
position. The enemy's artillery was now fairly quiet, and, except for
the one machine gun post near the blockhouse, there seemed to be no
Germans in Pontruet. "A" and "B" Companies had exhausted all their
grenades and Lewis gun ammunition in their efforts to capture this one
post, but had failed, and our only hope was now that a 1st Divisional
Tank would do it for us. This Tank was seen coming up from the West,
and, to attract its attention, we waved our helmets on our rifles. It
turned towards us, but suddenly broke down, and soon afterwards was put
completely out of action.
At the same time, efforts were made to signal to Battalion Headquarters
for ammunition, but the signal apparatus had all been destroyed in the
fight. The only flag available was one of the "red, white and black"
Regimental flags, which the Adjutant happened to have in his pocket, and
though this was vigorously waved, it could not be seen. A runner had to
be sent instead.
Meanwhile, though we had practically cleared the village of the enemy,
we were not, as far as we knew at the Western end of it, holding it very
strongly. The only post known to "A" Company was Corporal Barber's at
the Cemetery. "C" Company were supposed to be "somewhere at the other
end," but no one quite knew where. However, with Corporal Barber was a
"C" Company soldier--Coles--who undertook to find his way back to his
Company. Our idea was to form a line through the village at once, and,
when ammunition arrived, push the line through to the far side. Coles
found "C" Company, but so hot was the sniping from Forgan's, that any
idea of moving men in that direction had to be abandoned, at any rate
until darkness. Coles himself was unable to return, so that the exact
position of "C" Company was never known at Headquarters.
On the return of the Adjutant, Battalion Headquarters moved up to the
valley next the R.A.P. At the same time a large supply of ammunition and
bombs was brought up as far as the crater. Colonel Griffiths himself
set off to visit "A" Company, but he had not gone many yards along the
road before he was heavily sniped by the enemy machine gunners. The
latter had established several posts on the high ground S.E. of
Pontruet, and were now making the road impassable. For a long time the
Colonel, making use of shell holes, tried to make his way to the
village, but every time he was "spotted" and finally he had to return.
Ammunition carrying parties lost very heavily and never got near our
companies; the village seemed to be completely cut off from us. To add
to our discomfort the enemy's artillery was again active and gas shells
were fired wherever movement was seen. The Headquarters and the R.A.P.
were frequently bombarded. At the same time the enemy's infantry started
to dribble back by Forgan's and the new trench, into the S.W. corner of
the village, probably to counter-attack. Observers saw this movement
from the Tumulus Ridge, and, as soon as Corpl. Barber's post could be
withdrawn, the suspected area was heavily shelled by our gunners, and no
attack developed.
During the afternoon, the Headquarters, finding that in their new
position they were in touch with neither Brigade Headquarters nor their
Companies, moved back to the hill-top. Captain Jack and the Padre
remained with the R.A.P., though their valley was almost continuously
shelled, and never entirely free from gas. The devoted work these two
did that day is beyond description and too great for praise.
At 4-0 p.m., as our position was materially unchanged, we received
orders for a fresh advance, to be made in conjunction with one Company
of the 6th Sherwood Foresters. Our objective was to be a line along the
Southern edge of the village, to link up with "C" Company, or at least
to extend to where we imagined "C" Company to be. Captain Pink, of the
Sherwood Foresters, commanded the Company which was to help us, and no
one could have worked harder than he did to make our advance a success,
but the uncertainty of "C" Company's exact position, and the
impossibility of sending them any orders, made our task very difficult.
Late in the afternoon we at last got news of Lieut. Steel. In spite of
shells and machine-gun bullets, a runner came along the main road from
St. Hélène to the crater. This runner, Private F. Lane, had had to crawl
250 yards across the open under direct observation, had had to kill two
Germans before he could get clear of the village, and had then run the
gauntlet of shells and bullets along the road--all this alone. Not
content with having delivered his message, he refused to rest, and,
though exhausted, made his way back by the same way that he had come. We
now knew where Lieut. Steel was under the bridge, but still we knew
nothing of the main part of "C" Company.
At 7-30 p.m., as it was getting dusk, the combined advance started
without a barrage. It was a big frontage for so small a force and
parties lost touch with each other amongst the ruins. "A" Company's left
kept close to the Sherwood Foresters, but the outer flanks of both were
"in the air," for "C" Company could not be found. It was dark when the
South side of the village was reached, and it was found terribly
difficult to keep direction amongst the ruins and trenches. A Lewis Gun
Section, under C.S.M. Wardle, disposed of the only party of the enemy
who were encountered, but the post near the Blockhouse could not be
found. Finally at 9-0 p.m. the Sherwood Foresters fell back to Fourmi
trench near the main road, and 2nd Lieut. Dennis, now commanding "A"
Company, ordered his platoons to return to their former positions. We
had accomplished nothing.
The original plan had been that we should be relieved as soon as it was
dark, but our present line was so uncertain that the relieving Battalion
refused to take it over as we had it. The men were tired out, and it was
impossible to expect them to make another attempt to form a line round
the village. "C" Company were found, but too far North to link up with
the others. Eventually, at 2-0 a.m. on the 25th, we were ordered to
withdraw all our Companies and evacuate the village. This we did by 4-0
a.m. What was left of the Battalion then marched back to where we had
left our greatcoats, while the Sherwood Foresters took over the line
north and west of Pontruet. The Adjutant saw the last parties out of the
village, and the Colonel, though tired out, insisted on going round the
lines and visiting each platoon as it came in.
The following day we received this message from General Boyd:--
"Please congratulate Lieut.-Colonel Griffiths and the 1/5th Bn.
Leicestershire Regiment on the good fight they put up yesterday,
and tell them I am quite satisfied. They captured many prisoners
and accounted for numbers of the enemy. Owing to unexpected
reinforcements they attacked an enemy twice as strong as
themselves, and moreover in a strong position. Although we did not
reach our objective, the enemy was prevented from reinforcing the
troops opposed to the Division on our right."
(sd.) G.F. BOYD, Major-General.
We had lost one Company Commander and three subalterns killed, one
Company Commander and six subalterns wounded. Of the rank and file,
thirty were killed, of whom three were Serjeants, one hundred were
wounded, and eight were missing. But we had proved that five platoons
could clear a village held by three Battalions (so said one of the
prisoners) of the enemy; we had shown that when N.C.O.'s became
casualties, private soldiers were ready to assume command and become
leaders, and, most important of all, the battle had proved to each
individual soldier that if he went with his bayonet he was
irresistible.