Chapter VIII

THE THIRD BATTLE OF YPRES—VIMY
_September to Mid-November 1917_

In our joy to be rid of the Ypres area, we began at once to entertain hopes of never seeing it again. Vain hopes, for we were back again in under a month.

The first fortnight of our rest and preparations for future offensives was spent in camp close to St. Janster-Biezen. This was not sufficiently far behind the line to be entirely clear of the war, for enemy bombing planes paid us a most unwelcome visit every night that the weather was fine, and the Division suffered quite a number of casualties through them.

Leave reopened at once in a very fairly generous way, and everything that could be effected to make life more possible was done. Training was more important than anything, but this was completed in four and a half hours in the morning, and the afternoon and evening were given up to games. On one of these afternoons a number of officers and men of our 2nd line Battalion visited us, this being the first occasion on which the two Battalions had had any good opportunity of seeing each other since our second line came out.

Before we moved from this camp no fewer than thirteen officers had joined the Battalion as reinforcements, from the 1st Battalion Artists Rifles.

Our next move was carried out by train on September 16, the Battalion entraining at Abeele and detraining at Audruicq (north-west of St. Omer), whence a twelve-mile march brought us to Licques. Here the billets were excellent, as they had not been used as such before; and with the country and weather perfect, the rest promised to be all that one could desire. The training area included an excellent field-firing range, and in a company competition held throughout the Division C Company succeeded in gaining second place. A most successful Brigade horse show was also held on September 23, and the Battalion carried off more than its fair share of prizes.

The days in fact went all too quickly, and it was with feelings of genuine regret that we left the place at two o’clock on the morning of September 27, and, entraining at Audruicq, found ourselves at our old friend the canal bank on the same afternoon. Here we stayed for three days in reserve to the remainder of the Brigade, which had taken over the old divisional front close to St. Julien.

On our taking over the line from the 1/4th Battalion Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry on the night of September 30–October 1, it appeared that an appreciable though not very large advance had been made in our absence. The farms which we had seen so often on the map, but which wanted so much taking, namely, Hubner, Genoa, Von Tirpitz and the others, were at last ours, and the front line now ran along Cemetery Trench just in front of Quebec, and thence due south. The enemy shelling was as heavy as ever, especially at night, when the whole front area as far back as the Steenbeek became most “unhealthy.” The ground at this time was not quite at its worst, but this was sure to be the case when no attack was in progress. It was only necessary for the 1/6th and 1/7th Battalions Royal Warwickshire Regiment to march up and relieve us, with a view to attacking the following morning, for the rain to come down in torrents. The Battalion was ordered to leave one company in the line to act as an outpost company during the forming up and first phase of the attack to be made by the Royal Warwicks, the remainder of the Battalion moving back to a camp about half a mile behind the canal bank.

The objectives of this attack were: 1st—Tweed House, York and Winchester Farms, and Albatross Farm; 2nd—County cross-roads, Vacher Farm and Burns House (Map No. 3).

Divisions on the right and left were co-operating, and zero was fixed for 6 a.m., October 4.

The whole of the first objective was gained by 8.30 a.m. The second objective, excepting Vacher Farm and Burns House, was captured by 10.30 a.m. Three officers and about 320 other ranks belonging to the 369th, 370th and 371st German Infantry Regiments were taken prisoners, and two anti-tank guns and numerous machine guns captured.

The attack in fact was successful, and, provided that we could be spared a little fine weather, there appeared reasonable prospects of our being able to make some substantial progress. On the 5th, however, it rained off and on all day; on the 6th it came down in torrents without ceasing; and on the 7th, when we were moved back to Dambre Camp, there were frequent heavy showers. We had not been two hours in this camp before we were warned to get ready to leave again for the line in relief of the 6th and 7th Royal Warwicks, who were dead-beat, soaked to the skin and plastered from head to foot in mud. Sorry as we were for those in the line, we were none too well pleased at the prospect of going in again ourselves, especially as we had been marching hard in the opposite direction within the last two hours. Our feelings, however, were distinctly appeased on finding that we were to have a fleet of motor buses to take us up. These took us as far as Wieltje, where we debussed, proceeding by platoons up to the line via St. Julien. The relief was much complicated by the extreme darkness of the night and the indescribable condition of the forward area; in fact it was not until 2 a.m. that the relief was complete.

The Battalion dispositions then were (Map No. 3):

Battalion Headquarters—Hubner Farm.

C Company (front line)—Terrier Farm, County cross-roads, Cemetery.

B Company (front line)—Cemetery, Trench 400 yards east of Winchester
Farm.

D Company (support)—In front of Tweed House.

A Company (support)—By York Farm.

The 11th Division were on the left, and the 1/4th Royal Berks on the right.

Shelling throughout the night was heavy, and towards dawn the rain once again came down in great lumps. About 4 p.m. the Battalion received notice that it would be relieved during the evening by the 1/4th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment on the left and the 1/6th Battalion of the same regiment on the right, and that these two battalions in conjunction with other Divisions on their flanks would attack at dawn. The relief of the right by the 1/6th Gloucesters was a comparatively easy matter, as trench boards had been laid almost up to the front. The relief of the left was a very different affair, and turned out to be a perfect nightmare. No trench boards had been laid in that direction from Hubner, and the road shown as leading past Quebec Farm and Tweed House had long ceased to exist and had become amalgamated with the general quagmire which swamped the whole area. Tweed and Quebec existed as spots on the map, but were not there to be identified on the ground.

As we had only been in the area some twenty hours, during the greater part of which time it had been light and no movement had consequently been possible, guides who could really find their way without landmarks, in pitch darkness and with the rain teeming down, were very scarce. One had, however, been found for each platoon of the 1/4th Gloucesters, and some idea of the conditions will be obtained when it is said that this number proved wholly insufficient. It was impossible to walk twelve yards without either falling into a shell-hole or getting stuck fast in the mud, so that touch was constantly being lost between one man and the next. By 3 a.m. a few incomplete platoons of the 4th Gloucestershire Regiment had reached their assembly positions, many more were lost, and some had, after being lost, found their way back to Hubner and were wanting fresh guides. Nevertheless by zero we just succeeded in getting the majority of that Battalion to its positions, and this was largely due to the untiring efforts of two of our runners, by name L/Cpl. H. E. Collins and Pte. W. W. Cattell.

By zero the Battalion, with the exception of an outpost company (which had been left in the line to cover the forming up of the attacking Battalion), was concentrated round Cheddar Villa in divisional reserve. Zero was at 5.20 a.m., October 9. Although the rain ceased just before this time, the condition of the ground was such as to render the chances of a successful attack exceedingly small, if not quite impossible, but the progress actually made was considerably greater than expected, though casualties were heavy.

On the evening of October 10, the Division was relieved in the line by the 9th Division, and the Battalion left the Ypres battle area for good, being carried back to Dambre Camp from Wieltje in motor lorries. On leaving the Ypres sector the Divisional Commander received the following message from General Gough, commanding the Fifth Army:

“The 48th Division have taken part in much hard fighting during the past two months, including five general engagements. Their spirit and determination on all occasions have been admirable, and temporary setbacks have in no way affected their _moral_. I am very sorry to bid good-bye to such a dependable division and feel sure that the future holds many further successes for them.”

After a twenty-four hours’ halt at Dambre Camp and forty-eight hours at St. Jans-ter-Biezen, the Battalion entrained at Hopoutre on the evening of October 14, and proceeded by rail to Ligny-St. Flochiel, just east of St. Pol. Breakfasts were eaten here before we started on a long march to Mesnil-Bouché; after three days there we moved to Villers-au-Bois, where the remainder of the month was spent.

The Division had now come under the orders of the Vth Corps, taking the place of the 2nd Canadian Division. As usual on our arrival in a new area, statements of impending operations were prevalent, and it was now freely rumoured that the corps was to take Lens before Christmas.

Nothing tangible, however, pointed to any such offensive, and when, on November 1, the Battalion went into the line in front of Vimy, it became clear that we had taken over some very good and reasonably quiet trenches. Our chief occupation in this part of the line was preparing trenches for the coming winter. That we were successful in this respect is proved by the following message, received by the Division after its withdrawal from the line in the middle of November, on relief again by the 2nd Canadian Division:

“On my own behalf and on behalf of the troops under my command, I would be glad if you would cause to be conveyed to the G.O.C. 48th Division, an appreciation of the excellent work carried out in this area by the troops under his command during the period between 18th October and 18th November. The erection of the four Battalion camps in Neuville-St. Vaast has been so exceptionally well carried out that the G.O.C. 2nd Canadian Division reports that his troops have never been housed in greater comfort. The amount of work in the forward area, and the thoroughness with which it has been carried out, bear testimony to the unremitting labour and zeal of all concerned.

“(_Sd._) A. W. CURRIE, _Lieutenant-General_
“_Cdg. Canadian Corps._”

When the 48th Division took over the Vimy sector, everything seemed to point to our settling down there for the winter; consequently, it was with considerable surprise, not unmixed with regret, that we heard we were to be withdrawn.

Speculation of the wildest sort was rife as to our destination. Every sphere of operations, from Russia to German East Africa, was suggested. But the bulk of opinion, fully conscious of the gravity of the situation in Italy, inclined to consider this as our probable destination, although a good many believed a move to the Cambrai area more probable, as whispers of an impending offensive in that neighbourhood were beginning to reach us.

The situation, however, did not remain doubtful very long. When the Division reached the Aubigny area (November 14), where we were given a fortnight to refit, the fact that we were intended for Italy had become fairly common knowledge. The news, on the whole, was welcomed. That life on the Western front was thoroughly unpleasant and precarious we knew; but Italy, despite the long months’ disasters, only seemed to call up visions of sunshine, blue skies, and a general atmosphere of _dolce far niente_.