Chapter IV: Part 4

On the evening of the 17th we returned to the left subsection, Mount Sorrel Section, relieving the 8th Queen’s, and were if anything rather glad of the change. The companies were disposed exactly as in the previous tour. Although we were only in the line two days this tour, it was quite sufficient. Soon after the completion of the relief at about 2 a.m. the enemy strafed very severely, mostly on the right company’s front. D Company had a very bad time, and lost eight men, killed, including Pte. Bill Ladbury, the champion boxer, and three wounded. The rest of that day, the 18th, was very similar to the previous tour in the line, with intermittent shelling during the day, becoming heavier towards evening.

One of the features of both this and the former tour in the Hedge Street trenches was the activity of the enemy with low-flying aeroplanes over our lines. Our own aircraft had been very much in evidence actually at the time of the battle, and it was very seldom that a Hun plane was seen, but later he had things very much more his own way. He always appeared twice a day, at dawn and just before dusk, and flew so low that we used to say that he came in the morning to count the men in our trenches and again in the evening to see that no one had left.

The next day was fairly quiet during the morning, but in the afternoon the two left companies got badly shelled, and 2nd Lieut. G. H. Griffith, of A Company, and 2nd Lieut. S. A. French, of C Company, were wounded, in addition to other casualties. Things calmed down again in the evening, and we had hopes of a quiet relief, but our hopes were not to be fulfilled. Though in the forward areas it remained fairly quiet in the early part of the night, the ominous sound of crumping could be heard further in rear, and we realised that the relieving battalion, the 1st Royal Fusiliers, were having a nasty journey up. The relief was expected quite by 11 p.m., but midnight and 1 o’clock arrived without its appearance, and we began to wonder if we should get out at all that night, as it would be dawn at a very early hour, and a relief in daylight in this sector would have been most unwise. However, just as we were beginning to reckon up what supply of water and rations we had for an extra day in the line, the relief turned up, and we were able to get out just in time. Probably no one will forget that journey out of the line. There seemed to be shells everywhere. The mention of the names of the two main routes will probably bring back tender memories to many. The more northerly way was from Hedge Street down Davidson Street, past Sanctuary Dump and Stafford Trench, along the southern and western edges of Maple Copse, down Zillebeke Street to Hell-blast Corner, in Zillebeke along the Promenade on the southern bank of the Zillebeke Lake to Transport Farm and the railway dug-outs, and then down the side of the railway to Shrapnel Corner. The other route was from Davidson Street down Observatory Trench to Fosse Wood and Junction Trench, and along Fosse Way past Battersea Farm and Manor Farm to Transport Farm, and then as before. It did not matter which way you chose; the advocates of each were loud in their claims that their route was the worse. It was only too evident that some of the units going up for the relief had suffered very heavily. One very gallant company-sergeant-major, to whom apparently the particular sensation was new, was heard murmuring on the way out: “My God, what an awful thing it is to have the wind up.”

Mic Mac Camp, for which we were bound, was a camp partly of huts and partly of canvas, situated between Ouderdom and Dickebusch, and some seven miles or more from the line, and when the Battalion dragged itself in there between 5 and 7 o’clock the next morning it was pretty well fagged out. The whole Brigade was here out of the line in Divisional Reserve. Four fairly restful days were spent in camp, during which the new Divisional Commander, Maj.-Gen. L. J. Bols, C.B., D.S.O., who was subsequently Chief of Staff to Sir E. Allenby in Palestine, inspected the Battalion.

The neighbourhood of the camp was sometimes shelled by a long-distance 9·5-inch gun. The shell made an unpleasant roar on arrival, likely to create alarm and despondency to those within some hundreds of yards, but never did us any real damage. Night bombing by enemy aircraft was incessant. The droning of enemy aeroplanes more or less directly over one’s head throughout the hours of darkness on every night in which flying was possible—and at this time of the year that was nearly every night—was most unsettling, and robbed us of rest which was badly needed.

After four days at Mic Mac, on June 23, we moved up to Dickebusch, where we were in reserve to the rest of the Brigade, which had taken over the right subsection from the 73rd Brigade. The camp, which was of tents, situated to the east of the village near the brewery at Vyjverhoek, was known as the Brewery Camp. We spent three days in this camp, and except for the first night were not seriously molested, although the usual night bombing continued.

The camp was on the side of the Dickebusch-Café Belge road, along which there was a fairly deep dry ditch, and in this ditch the companies had been ordered to take cover in the event of shelling, and we had, during the first night, plenty of practice in moving from the camp to the ditch. Every hour from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m. the Hun dropped shells from a smallish high-velocity gun with considerable rapidity into the camp for about five minutes, just long enough in fact to get everyone thoroughly disturbed and all but the most bold into the ditch.

On the evening of the 26th we went up to relieve the 8th Queen’s in the left subsection of the Battle Wood Section. It was a very wet day, but otherwise the relief was not particularly bad. The three companies in the line from the right were B, C, and A, with D Company in support. The line, which ran just on the eastern outskirts of Battle Wood, was held by means of short isolated lengths of trench garrisoned by either one platoon or two sections. Some of these trenches were freshly dug in the open, while others were parts of old Boche trenches repaired and fire-stepped for our own use. By day there was no communication between the forward posts, which were in the open clear of the wood, but as the enemy posts were fairly close to them, they escaped most of the shelling. The support platoons of the front line companies and the support company came in for far more shelling. The supports of A and C Companies on the left were in a ravine, along which the Boche had built some concrete pill-boxes. The two Company Headquarters shared one of these, named by the Boche Haus Barbara. The name conjured up visions of a charming little villa built in a wood, with beautiful green foliage and the birds singing in the trees, and perhaps a stream flowing lazily by. In fact, the villa was chiefly remarkable for a choice collection of fleas. The wood was in a very dilapidated state, and few of the trees stood more than ten feet high. The stream consisted of rainwater trickling from one shell-hole to another. “Ah,” you ask, “but were the birds there, and did they sing?” We are afraid that we cannot answer that question from memory, but we have it on the authority of one of our most eminent “Special Correspondents at the Front,” that during one of the big battles the birds not only continued to sing, but chose the neighbourhood of the front line as a suitable place in which to do so; and in view of this incontestable (and doubtless first-hand) information, we are prepared to admit that it is possible that the birds did sing. Being truthful, however, we are compelled to admit that the only singing that impressed itself on our memory was that of the shells.

Haus Barbara had a direct hit with a 5·9 on the afternoon of the second day in, and stood the test well; a bit of concrete was chipped out of the face, and the occupants were mostly shaken on to the floor, while the inside was filled with dust and black smoke, but no one was hurt.

There were no communication trenches left in existence, and the tracks used, which in some places were in full view of the enemy, got badly strafed, while Battalion Headquarters in a pill-box in the wood also came in for a lot of attention, and Cpl. Littleproud, claimed to be the best officers’ mess cook in the Division, was badly wounded in the leg. The Signallers also had a bad time, the telephone lines forward to the companies were continually being cut, and the linesmen had to spend a great deal of time on their dangerous job in most exposed positions. Among others, L.-Cpl. Bolton, an invaluable linesman with many months’ fine service to his credit, was killed.

On the night 28th/29th the A Company post, held by 2nd Lieut. B. Wade and No. 2 Platoon, was raided by the enemy, who bombed it rather severely, but failed to enter the post, and were driven off by bombs and rifle fire with only one casualty to us. He, strange to say, was hit full pitch by a bomb which luckily did not explode. Lieut. Wade handled the situation with his unfailing resource and cheerfulness.

On June 27 part of the transport was sent off by road to the Lumbres rest area, while another portion followed by train on the 29th, and only such horses and vehicles as were necessary for the relief were kept back.

On the night 29th/30th we were relieved by the 8th Yorkshire Regiment, and we returned direct to Mic Mac Camp. The relief was complete at about 1 a.m., and although the prospect of our walk back had filled us with some thought, it turned out to be a comparatively peaceful night, and was probably the most quiet relief we ever had up in the Ypres area.

The casualties for the month were 23 other ranks killed and 3 officers and 53 other ranks wounded, and when one considers the number of shells and other forms of death which abounded, it is wonderful that the number was not much greater.

We got to Mic Mac Camp at 5 or 6 o’clock in the morning, and had a few hours to get a little rest and to get cleaned up. At 11.45 we marched in pouring rain to Reninghelst to entrain for Lumbres, whence we marched to Senningham, arriving in our billets at about 8 p.m.

Senningham was a pleasant little village, situated just south of the main St. Omer-Boulogne road and about three miles from Lumbres. The billets were not particularly good, but were considerably improved when we were able to procure some fresh straw for the floors. The first day or two were spent in cleaning up and kit inspections, and then training was started, chief attention being given to the prospect of future offensive operations. The ground in this neighbourhood was mostly covered with standing crops, and was not very suitable for training. Quite a good short rifle-range was made against the steep hill which sloped up to the main road, and rifles and Lewis guns could be heard cracking away there all day long.

Saturday, July 7, was a half holiday, and the Divisional Horse Show was held. The Battalion distinguished itself by taking the 1st Prize for travelling kitchens, C Company’s cooker being the selected representative, while Diana, the C Company’s charger, took 1st Prize for Infantry Officers’ chargers.

The following Friday was observed as a whole holiday and Battalion Sports were held, organised by Maj. Whitty. One of the features was the officers’ race of 100 yards, with handicap of 1 yard for each year of age over 21. Col. Parker and Lieut. Wood, the Quartermaster, who were on the forward marks, carried off the honours to the delight of everyone present. The tug-of-war was secured by C Company, and the most prominent in other events were Ptes. French, Lloyd, and Wells. The Transport supplied two most amusing events in the mule race and wrestling on mules.

The latter portion of the stay at Senningham was devoted to preparation for the next offensive, including the studying of a large model made by the Royal Engineers of the area in which the Division was to operate. The frontage of the 72nd Brigade was between the Mount Sorrel and Battle Wood Sectors, which we had just left.

At a very early hour on July 17, our stay at Senningham terminated, the Battalion marching away at 3.45 a.m. via Lumbres and Arques to Renescure, a distance of about fifteen miles. Packs were carried by motor lorry, and as the hottest part of the day was avoided by the early start, the march was not very exhausting. The billets at Renescure were excellent, and we could have done with a longer stay there.

The next day we left Renescure at 4.35 a.m., and marched via Staple and Hondeghem to Le Briarde, a shortish march of about eight miles. The next day we again had a short march to the area about Eecke and Steenvoorde, and an advanced party was sent on to prepare a camp near Reninghelst. At 5.5 a.m. on the 20th the march was continued, via Godewaersvelde and Boeschepe, to the Reninghelst area, where the camp consisted of a not too plentiful supply of bivouacs. On the 21st a further move was made at 7.30 a.m., via Ouderdom, to our old friend Mic Mac Camp.

On the evening of the next day we moved up and relieved the 10th West Riding Regiment of the 23rd Division in Brigade Reserve. Battalion Headquarters were in Larch Wood Tunnels, A Company in Battersea Farm, B Company in “the Dump,” and C and D Companies in shelters at Scottish Wood.

On the 24th we relieved the 9th East Surreys on the 72nd Brigade battle front in Image Crescent, with A and B Companies in the front line, C with Battalion Headquarters in Immovable Support, and D Company in reserve in Metropolitan Left. There was some gas shelling on the way up and during the next day. Mustard gas, which was at this time a fairly new form of frightfulness, was used plentifully in this area, but, thanks to good gas discipline, we were very free from casualties. One distinguished officer in the Brigade had the misfortune to sit down on ground contaminated with the stuff, with disastrous results.

The front line, which was, of course, an old Boche trench captured at the Battle of Messines, was still in very bad condition and was in places only three feet deep. There were a few old Boche concrete pill-boxes along it, but otherwise not much cover. It was in a small wood at the top of the eastern slope of the ridge, and afforded very good observation over the enemy country to the immediate front.

Our artillery preparation for the coming attack was steadily going on, and the enemy’s guns were by no means silent, so that it was not very pleasant in or near the line. Knowing as he did that we were shortly going to attack, the enemy put down a protective barrage every morning from about half an hour before dawn until just after daylight, increasing it in intensity day by day as he grew more and more apprehensive. The quietest part of the day was from the cessation of the dawn hate until about 10 a.m., and then for the rest of the day the majority of the shelling would be searching for battery positions in rear, and the forward areas would be comparatively quiet until nightfall. Time was mostly spent in digging out and improving the assembly trenches, and in carrying up barrage rations and ammunition and bombs for forward dumps.

At 5.30 p.m. on the 26th a practice barrage was carried out by our artillery, and under cover of this 2nd Lieut. E. G. Brown, M.C., with eight men of B Company, carried out a raid on Job’s Post, a strong point in a concrete pill-box between our line and the enemy’s. The raid was a complete success, twelve men being captured, and 2nd Lieut. Brown was most deservedly awarded a bar to his Military Cross. An additional four Boches gave themselves up to B Company during the night. Cpl. G. Simmonds and Pte. R. T. Roper distinguished themselves in this raid, and won the Military Medal.

We had the misfortune on this day to lose 2nd Lieut. Wade, of A Company, with shell-shock. He was a very valuable officer under all conditions, and more especially so when things were most unpleasant, and the loss of his unfailing cheeriness was a great blow to his company.

On the night 27th/28th C Company relieved A Company in the front line, and the following night D Company relieved B. On the 28th we lost Maj. G. W. F. Powell, C Company, attached from 2nd/1st Kent Cyclist Battalion, who was killed by shell-fire after being with the Battalion only two months.

On July 28, during the enemy retaliation, a shell exploded at the entrance to a dug-out occupied by A Company, blowing a box of ignited hand grenades into the dug-out and wounding eleven of the twenty occupants. One bomb with the fuse burning fell amongst a group of men, and Pte. G. Neal, a young soldier (himself wounded), with the greatest courage and presence of mind picked up the bomb, carried it to the entrance of the dug-out, and threw it over the parapet, where it immediately exploded. Pte. Neal, whose gallant conduct undoubtedly saved the lives of many of his comrades, was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, and was the first private soldier in the Battalion to earn that distinction.

At 4.20 a.m. on the 29th the enemy, seemingly looking upon it as a danger after his recent experience, blew up Job’s Post. 2nd Lieut. Tanner took out a patrol in broad daylight, and in a very exposed position, to investigate what had happened, and showed great gallantry in getting back, under heavy fire, a man who was wounded in the open some way from our trench, and he was subsequently awarded a bar to his Military Cross. Sergt. E. Turner rendered great assistance, and was awarded the Military Medal.

That night the attacking battalions moved up to their assembly positions, C Company being relieved in the front line by the 1st North Staffords and D Company by the 8th Queens. The shelling was very severe all night, and relief was not complete until after daylight. All four companies were now concentrated in the Brigade support assembly positions north of the railway cutting, near Hill 60, in Immovable Trench and Immovable Support, the old enemy front and support trenches.

A Warning Order had been received that if the attack was a great success, the Battalion would be required to carry on the attack on the Brigade frontage, and capture the enemy positions to a depth of about 1,500 yards, and hold a line just east of Kent Farm.

On the 30th movement by day was restricted as much as possible, and work was concentrated on improving the existing dug-outs in our area. 2nd Lieuts. Proctor and Tanner, with the D Company carrying party, which was to accompany the attack, carried up the Stokes mortar ammunition to the assembly trench, where, as it happened, some of it was destroyed by enemy shell-fire during the night. In the early hours of the next morning, which was the day of the attack, the D and C Companies carrying parties moved up to their assembly positions, being all in at 3.10 a.m. The C Company party, under 2nd Lieut. L. P. Y. Smith, got badly strafed on the way up, but had no casualties. Heavy rain set in, and the going became very difficult and considerably interfered with the attack. Zero hour was at 3.50 a.m., and at that time the guide from the Stokes mortars, who was to take the carrying party, had not put in an appearance, and after waiting some time 2nd Lieut. Tanner went up, located the trench-mortar positions, and returned to take the carrying party up to the guns. 2nd Lieut. Smith was wounded, and there were casualties to about five other ranks.

The attacking battalions had very severe casualties, and a large party of D Company, under Coy.-Sergt.-Maj. Mitchell, who was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, did fine work in helping to evacuate the wounded under heavy shell-fire. This work was carried on in most exposed ground on the forward slope of the ridge between Image Crescent and Jehovah Trench, the new front line. The wounded had been lying out there in pouring rain for many hours, and this rain, combined with the terribly ploughed up state of the ground, made the carrying of stretchers very difficult. Col. Parker afterwards received from the Commanding Officer of the Queens a letter containing his thanks for our great assistance in evacuating his wounded and for the unfailing regularity with which we had delivered his battalion’s rations throughout the tour under circumstances which demanded the very greatest determination and devotion to duty. The doctor and his orderlies, assisted by Cpl. Andrews of A Company, also did very fine work.

On August 1 B Company moved out from Immovable Support into Metropolitan Trench to make room for the reserve company of the East Surreys, who relieved the Queens and the North Staffs in the front line. On the 3rd our Brigade frontage was extended to take over a large portion from the 73rd Brigade, and A Company relieved the 13th Middlesex in Jeer Trench in Shrewsbury Forest. The front line here was fairly comfortable, and was well supplied with concrete dug-outs, but the journey up to or down from it through Shrewsbury Forest was absolute hell. Battalion Headquarters and D Company were in Canada Street Tunnels, which were in a state of appalling filth and horribly hot and overcrowded. C Company were in the old enemy front and support lines on Mount Sorrel, and B Company still in Metropolitan Trench. The weather continued bad until the 5th, then there was a slight improvement. On that day, after a heavy strafe, the enemy raided the East Surreys on our right, and came under heavy rifle and Lewis-gun fire from A Company. We were very sorry to hear that Col. de la Fontaine, the gallant Commanding Officer of the East Surreys, was killed in this affair.

During this tour Cpl. C. Andrews collected, dressed, and evacuated six wounded men of other units, who had been lying unattended in front of the line for three days.

The same night at 11 o’clock, just as D Company were starting out to relieve A, the enemy commenced a very heavy bombardment of the area, and caught D Company in the open. They had a very nasty time getting up to the front line, and had several casualties.

The 6th and 7th were fairly quiet days to what had gone before, and on the night 7th/8th we were relieved by the 17th Brigade, the 8th Buffs taking over the front line. The relief was none too pleasant, as the enemy shelled heavily, but eventually the whole Battalion was relieved by 4.30 a.m., and made its way out to Kruisstraathoek, where motor-buses were available for completing the journey to Mic Mac Camp. The tour had lasted seventeen days, and included a battle, with its attendant heavy shelling and exhausting demands for work and carrying, as well as some of the worst weather that has ever been experienced in mid-summer, and it is little wonder that the Battalion arrived in camp in a thoroughly exhausted condition.

We spent four days at Mic Mac cleaning up and resting. These were, on the whole, quite uneventful, except for enemy aerial activity at night. The continual droning of enemy aircraft all night and every night, mixed with three short blasts on the whistle at frequent intervals by the sentry and shouts of “Put that —— light out,” and the sound of bursting bombs at varying distances, was our unkind fate. Drafts of 170 other ranks, which had arrived during the tour, were posted to companies.

On the 10th Maj. Whitty went into hospital with trench fever, and a few days later Capt. H. J. Wenyon, who had been attached to the staff since February, returned from Division to take over the duties of 2nd-in-Command.

The Division had now only one brigade in the line, one brigade in support at Dickebusch, and the third in reserve at Mic Mac Camp, tours being of four days’ duration. On the 11th we moved up to support in H Camp at Dickebusch, where the accommodation in tents was rather crowded. Life there was very similar to that at Mic Mac, not a great deal of work was done, and night bombing was the rule rather than the exception. An additional diversion was offered when the enemy carried out shoots on the captive balloons in the neighbourhood, during which our camp was in quite as much danger as the balloons.

Just about 200 yards behind the camp there was a 9·2 naval gun on a railway mounting, which used to shoot at the enemy railhead at Roulers and at his billets in the back areas. Its rate of fire was usually only four or five rounds an hour, so that quite a small shoot kept the neighbourhood awake for an unpleasantly long time.

On the afternoon of the 15th the enemy carried out a most alarming daylight air-raid with six bombing machines on the siding between the camp and Café Belge. There were extensive horse lines all round, and the casualties to men and horses were severe. The place was a horrible sight just afterwards.

That evening we went back into the line, taking over from the 7th Northants the right subsection, Shrewsbury Forest, which was the original 72nd Brigade battle front. B Company went into the front line in Jehovah Trench, or rather in isolated posts in shell holes about fifty yards forward of where the trench had been, as in many places it was barely distinguishable. The weather was still very bad, and the whole area, which was absolutely churned up by shell-fire, was no better than a collection of little lakes, and shell-hole life was by no means a pleasure. However, the enemy was some way away, and did not trouble us with trench mortars and only very little with machine guns, and all the shelling was directed further back. C Company were in support in Image Crescent and Image Reserve. Battalion Headquarters was in a pill-box in the wood just north of the Zwarteleen-Klein Zillebeke road, and A and D Companies were in Immovable Support and Immovable Trench respectively. All these areas came in for a fair amount of shelling at different times, but the worst places were really further back in the battery positions, and such places as Larch Wood and Jackson’s Dump; really in the line things were very much quieter this tour than they had been since our arrival up north in May.

On the 16th there was an attack by the 5th Army just north of us. The artillery on our front was all engaged in the barrage, but we did not come in for any of the counter-strafe.

On the next night C Company relieved B, two days being quite sufficient in the front line posts in this appalling weather.

On the evening of the 19th we were relieved by the 3rd Rifle Brigade and returned to Mic Mac. The early portion of the journey out was fairly quiet, but there was some nasty shelling by 8-inch howitzers in the neighbourhood of Lock 8 and for some little way further back.

The four days spent at Mic Mac were very similar to our previous visits, and on the 23rd we again went up to Camp H at Dickebusch. A large draft of officers arrived at about this time, bringing the numbers up to seven a company.

There was in close proximity to our own somewhat crowded camp of tents a most beautiful little camp made of very attractive huts, absolutely new and clean. This camp was labelled “Reserved for Corps Cavalry only.” Now, it seemed a pity that the Corps Cavalry, who had not for months seen a vestige of a battle, and had been living in places of much greater comfort than the P.B.I., should have such a beautiful place reserved for them, when they were not even there to use it, and two Company Headquarters consequently decided to appropriate one of these huts for a joint mess. Shortly after dinner a senior officer entered and asked, somewhat peremptorily, “What are these lights doing here?” The answer came back pat from a most distinguished subaltern in the far corner of the hut, in the one word, “Burning.”

At 5 p.m. on the next day we were suddenly moved from our camp to Château Segard in support of the 14th Division, who were reported to be in difficulties in Inverness Copse. It was said to be quite likely that we should be sent up to counter-attack, as the situation was “obscure.” There was absolutely no accommodation available at all, and we had to make such bivouacs as we could with waterproof sheets and any R.E. material which was lying about. The next morning we returned to H Camp, as the situation had been cleared up without our assistance. That afternoon there was another big air-raid on the siding near the Brewery, and we know of at least one officer having a bath there at the time who very nearly left the building hurriedly in most unconventional attire.

On the 27th we returned to the old trenches, A Company being in the front line for the first two days, and D Company for the second. There was some heavy shelling on the way up in response to an S.O.S. on our left, but we were lucky in escaping casualties. The tour was very similar to the previous one, except that on the second day the weather at last really cleared after being at its worst for exactly a month, and that on the night 29th/30th 2nd Lieut. Carville, of D Company, collected a couple of Boches out of a shell-hole in front of our line of posts.

From Jehovah Trench it was by no means a pleasant journey back to Battalion Headquarters, as the way led up a steep slope for about 660 yards to Image Crescent, without a communication trench, in full view of the enemy, and with the ground so pitted with water-logged shell-holes that progress was bound to be very slow. One afternoon, after a perfectly quiet and uneventful day, in which there was absolutely nothing to put in the intelligence report, which was then due, the Company Commander in the front line decided, in order to save a runner the journey back with the report, to send it over the telephone by B.A.B. Code. This consisted of groups of figures representing sentences in general use. For instance, the sentence, “Our rum has not yet arrived,” might be represented by the figures 528, and “Please expedite” by 172. The only difficulty was that there was sometimes a difference of opinion as to how to make the correction. In this particular case the message selected by the Company Commander was “Situation normal,” which was duly dispatched to Battalion Headquarters. A few minutes later the Company Commander was rung up on the telephone by the Battalion Intelligence Officer. He gathered that his message had caused considerable alarm and despondency at Battalion Headquarters. He was able to reassure them until the report could be sent down by hand, and he then discovered that the message as deciphered at Battalion Headquarters read: “Tanks are approaching,” which had not unnaturally caused a considerable stir, and the Commanding Officer was already on his way up to Image Crescent, armed with field glasses, to investigate.

On the 31st we were relieved by the 8th Buffs, and returned to Mic Mac.

On the 30th Maj. Whitty returned from hospital, and a couple of days later Col. Parker went down, after being in very indifferent health for some time. Maj. Whitty took over command of the Battalion, and Capt. Wenyon remained as 2nd-in-Command.

Four days were spent at Mic Mac, and four at Dickebusch as before. The weather was very much better, and night bombing very active. On the 5th Lieut. G. Bullen, who was commanding B Company, left to join the R.F.C., and Lieut. E. G. Brown, M.C., took over command of the Company.

While at Dickebusch company commanders and others went up to reconnoitre what was to be our new front for the next tour, to wit, Inverness Copse. We had heard quite enough about Inverness Copse for some time past to make the prospect by no means alluring, in fact that celebrated spot, together with Glencorse Wood, figured almost daily in the communiqués as either attacked or counter-attacked, and more often than not the situation there was described as “obscure.”

The way up passed a succession of places whose names will never be forgotten. First Ypres and the Main Square, then out through the famous Menin Gate and along the Menin road, past the Ecole on the right and the White Château on the left, the way led to Hellfire Corner and Birr cross-roads, Outpost Farm, the Culvert, and finally through what had been Hooge village. A journey up that long stretch of the Menin road was not undertaken without considerable fear and trembling, but we know of one company commander who went to reconnoitre the line held by the 2nd Leinsters, and who, after visiting each of the four company headquarters and battalion headquarters, and receiving typical Irish hospitality in the shape of a four by two (i.e. four inches of whisky and two inches of water) at each, came down the Menin road quite pleased with himself.

The relief took place on the morning of the 7th in broad daylight, and we have probably got the fact that it was rather misty to thank for the forbearance of the enemy in letting the whole Battalion march up the Menin road by platoons at intervals of 200 yards, almost without a shell. The Menin road was so heavily and persistently shelled by night, that to relieve by daylight and risk being seen was considered preferable to using it at night.

B, C, and D Companies took over the front line in that order from the right, B and C being south of the Menin road and D north of it. South of the road the main line of defence was New Cut—an incomplete trench which ran across Jasper Avenue and Jasper Lane to the Menin road, where work was in hand to connect it with the trenches north of the road. Forward of this there was a line of posts just inside the near edge of the copse, along the line of the old trench which connected Jasper Lane and Jasper Avenue. In the centre, C Company’s posts were in communication along this trench, but the B Company’s posts were isolated, the trench in the copse and that end of Jasper Avenue being both impassable. On the left D Company had a fairly normal trench system.

Battalion Headquarters were in a dug-out near Clapham Junction, and A Company in support were quartered in the long tunnel which ran under the Menin road. For the first two days things were fairly quiet, except for periodical shelling of the Stirling Castle neighbourhood, which was sufficiently near to B Company’s Headquarters and supports to be uncomfortable, and also of the entrances to the Menin Tunnel, which was apt to prove disconcerting to A Company.

At 4 a.m., about dawn, on the 9th, the enemy opened a very heavy barrage on our lines to a depth of several hundred yards, including Battalion Headquarters and the entrances to the Menin Road Tunnel. Under cover of this they attacked our advanced posts in the Copse with great determination, using specially picked and trained “Sturmtruppen” with Flammenwerfer. The barrage behind this line of posts and on the support line totally isolated them, and even at the tunnel of the support company the barrage was so severe that it was impossible to get a man out with a chance of reaching his destination.

On the right the attack was completely repulsed with Lewis-gun and rifle fire, assisted by our artillery barrage, with very heavy casualties to the enemy. This was largely due on the B Company front to the magnificent example and coolness of 2nd Lieut. A. B. Richardson, who was there in command, and the excellent behaviour of the men under him, and the right post of C Company, under Lieut. H. R. James, also put up a splendid performance. The repulse of the attack after a bombardment which might easily have proved demoralising to any but the stoutest troops, and under Flammenwerfer with which we had had no previous experience, and to face which is known to require a very high degree of courage, was a performance of which the B and C Company troops concerned had every reason to be proud.

The only post entered was that on the left of C Company, which consisted of a large concrete pill-box and the trench in its vicinity held by 2nd Lieut. H. W. Beattie and his platoon. The enemy were able to approach very close to this post under cover of the undergrowth and fallen trees, and although the platoon put up a stout resistance, the enemy got in and succeeded in capturing fifteen men, many of whom had been wounded in the preliminary bombardment. 2nd Lieut. Beattie succeeded in escaping, shooting two of the enemy with his revolver.

THE MENIN ROAD AT HOOGE.
]

Immediately the news of the loss of the post reached Battalion Headquarters, Maj. Whitty gave instructions to Capt. Wenyon to go up and restore the situation. No. 2 Platoon of A Company was sent up to assist, and bombs and rifle grenades were rushed forward. Capt. Wenyon very quickly grasped the situation, and his preparations for counter-attack were rapidly made. The plan was of the simplest, and was consequently brilliantly successful. The attack was carried out by C Company, with two parties under 2nd Lieuts. Pfeuffar and Beattie, working from different directions, the covering fire being supplied by bombs, rifle grenades, and Lewis-gun fire at very close range. L.-Cpl. Cook, with the Lewis-gun section of No. 2 Platoon, worked his way to a very exposed position, within twenty-five yards of the pill-box, at considerable risk, and was able to pour in a murderous fire which greatly assisted the attack. The fire of this Lewis gun, added to the very accurate rifle-grenade barrage, kept the heads of the enemy very much down, and enabled 2nd Lieut. Pfeuffar to lead his party right across the front of the dug-out and to launch his attack from the unexpected flank.

INVERNESS COPSE.

Showing the concrete Pill Box recaptured on September 9, and the Menin
Road
]

The attack, with 2nd Lieut. Pfeuffar and Sergt. Purfield very much to the fore throughout, was a great success, and resulted in the complete re-establishment of the line and the capture of fifteen prisoners, one machine gun, and one light trench mortar, while in addition the enemy casualties both in the attack and counter-attack were known to be heavy, and several of their dead were left in and around the post. The Lewis guns of D Company on the north side of the road did great execution and were very valuable. After the attack L.-Cpl. Cook worked his way with his Lewis-gun team along the embanked Menin road, 100 yards in front of our positions, and covered the work of consolidation.

The success of the counter-attack clearly demonstrated the value of immediate action being taken by the troops on the spot, based on a bold but simple plan, and supported solely by the infantry weapons, thereby saving the time required in making elaborate arrangements for artillery support, which the enemy would gain for consolidating and organising his defences. Capt. Wenyon was to be heartily congratulated on the result.

The following decorations were awarded for this action: Capt. H. J. Wenyon, acting 2nd-in-Command, D.S.O.; 2nd Lieuts. K. Pfeuffar and H. W. Beattie, C Company, M.C.; and Sergt. Purfield, C Company, and L.-Cpl. Cook, A Company, the D.C.M.

2nd Lieut. H. C. Walton, of D Company, was killed in the bombardment, and Lieut. W. R. C. Hodge, also of D Company, was severely wounded. The casualties to other ranks during the day included twelve men killed.

While we were there the enemy made no further attempt to clear us from our footing in Inverness Copse, and the rest of that day and the next were as quiet as could be expected in such a very volcanic neighbourhood. On September 11 we were relieved in daylight by the 1st Battalion Royal Fusiliers, and we returned to Mic Mac without undue molestation by the Hun.

It turned out that we were about to shake the mud of Flanders from our feet for the last time, and it was with mixed feelings that we learnt of our impending departure for pastures new. It may surprise many of those who read the foregoing account of our stay up north to hear that there could be anything but joy at the prospect of departure. They read of shells and mud, of battles, gas, and air-raids, with particular emphasis on shells and mud, and it must be admitted that the dominant sensation on getting our orders for the move was one of joy—and yet somehow the life up there was not all bad. In spite of night bombing and long-range shelling there was something quite restful about Mic Mac Camp and those camps at Dickebusch, and the good fellowship throughout the Battalion seemed to increase in the mud of those Ypres trenches. If the tours in the forward area were bad, the arrangement of reliefs was such that, at least for the two final months, we got more time out of the line than ever before or since, and so we were leaving evils which we knew for evils which we knew not, and there was at least a possibility that the last state might be worse than the first.

In the early morning of September 14 we got into motor-buses and lorries which took us to Merris, a very nice farming village six miles south-west of Bailleul. The billets, which were scattered about the various farms, covered an extended area. It was good to be out again in fresh country unspoiled by shell-holes, and the place had an air of rest and peace which was very pleasant. It is sad to think now of the state to which this area was reduced by the fighting of 1918.

First we set to work cleaning up, and then training was started, but not too strenuously. Some football was played, and a very good match between the officers of the Battalion and Brigade Headquarters ended in a draw, one of the features of the match being the goalkeeping of Gen. Sweny. A great rugby match was also played, the only one we remember in France in our Brigade, in which The Queen’s Own and Brigade Headquarters beat The Queens, East Surreys, and North Staffords by one goal and one try (eight points) to nil.

On the 18th Maj. Whitty went on leave, and Capt. Wenyon took over temporary command. The Battalion was inspected on that day by Maj.-Gen. A. C. Daly, the new Divisional Commander, who succeeded Maj.-Gen. L. J. Bols, C.B., D.S.O., when the latter left to join Gen. Allenby in Palestine as Chief of the General Staff. Gen. Daly remained in command of the Division until it was disbanded in 1919. Capt. T. P. P. Walker here rejoined the Battalion, and resumed the command of C Company.

We finally left the area on September 21, when we marched out of Merris at 5.30 a.m. and entrained at Caestre, which we left about midday. B Company had gone to Caestre the day previous, and had been engaged in entraining the transport for the whole Brigade.

And so we left the Salient for the last time. There were few square inches of mud there from the Menin road southwards with which the Battalion had not been closely associated, either in the autumn and winter of 1915–16 or in the summer of 1917, and our experience had always been of fighting and shelling and mud, never of the more peaceful periods which were known in its history; and as our train moved out of the station at Caestre, we thought of the many good comrades who remained behind sleeping beneath the wooden crosses in Flanders’ fields, which marked the places where the Battalion so dear to us all had fought and won; and we were proud that it was ours to hold high the torch which their hands had thrown to us.

THE YPRES SALIENT

_To illustrate Phases II and V._
]

[_Reproduced by permission of the Geographical Section, General
Staff._
]

PHASE VI
TRENCH WARFARE IN THE DEVASTATED AREA AT HARGICOURT
_September 1917–March 1918_

For a troop train journey, the one from Caestre was quite good, and we arrived at the desolate and demolished station of Miraumont in Picardy about 11 p.m., and marched to camps at Beaulencourt, just outside Bapaume. By no means all the roads in this neighbourhood were as yet repaired, and we had to make a long detour, marching in all eleven miles when the actual distance was only seven. We stayed here a few days, and many of the Battalion took the opportunity of visiting the old scenes at Guillemont and Delville Wood. We heard indefinite reports of the front at Hargicourt, which we were soon to take over. There had just been a battle there to straighten our line by taking the Cologne Ridge. The attack had been successful, and the front was said to be still noisy and unpleasant.

On September 25 we moved to camp at Haut Allaines, near Péronne. From here, on the 26th, parties went up to reconnoitre the positions at Hargicourt. On the 27th we moved by motor-bus to Roisel for the night, and on the night of 28th/29th the Battalion relieved the 9th Northumberland Fusiliers (34th Division) as support battalion.

Our Battalion Headquarters were at Cote Wood, and the Battalion was disposed in trenches running up hill and down dale in the region of Cote Wood and Fervaque Farm. The weather was beautiful, all was quiet, and we had an opportunity of reconnoitring the front line thoroughly. The whole Division was in the line here, the 17th Brigade on the right, 72nd Brigade in the centre, and the 73rd Brigade on the left.

We were to share the left subsection of the centre section with the 9th East Surrey Regiment. The 8th Queen’s Regiment and the 1st North Staffordshire Regiment worked the right subsection. Our front section consisted of a front line—tumbling to pieces—called Railway Trench on the right, and Pond Trench and Bait Trench on the left, a support line just being dug about 200 yards behind, and reserve positions with Battalion Headquarters in a chalk quarry, known as The Egg, just outside the ruined villages of Hargicourt and Villeret. There were good communication trenches, Club Trench and Onion Lane.

From the front line at Bait Trench we had a splendid view of the Hindenburg line and the village of Bellicourt. The ground sloped down steeply from this part of our positions, and we could see almost the whole of the valley called Buckshot Ravine, across which the Hindenburg front line and switches in front of Bellicourt had been dug. The country behind our lines was undulating and splendidly open. All villages had been totally destroyed by the enemy on his retirement in the spring.

The position of the support battalion at Cote Wood was quite comfortable. Protected from view, the trenches were well dug on the reverse slope of a ridge.

Our transport lines and Quartermaster Stores were established some four miles back in an orchard and paddock close to an old destroyed sugar factory, known as Montigny Farm. There was a rest camp here for the battalion out of the line in Divisional Reserve. From time to time our quarters when in Divisional Reserve were changed. We started at Montigny, later we used the ruined village of Hancourt, and last we were very comfortably quartered at Vendelles. Great improvements were made in the accommodation by the 24th Division during its long stay in this region.

The weather was fine when we arrived at Cote Wood, and we immediately took advantage of this to set our house in order for the winter. We were up working at full strength on the communication trenches to start with. By strenuous efforts, before the weather broke, we succeeded in getting our front and support lines and communication trenches into a state which would hold up in the winter. In the support line we started making deep dug-outs on our own, and Capt. Proctor and 2nd Lieut. Holliday did great work in this direction. Everywhere was a scene of strenuous activity. Fortunately the Boche interfered very little with us during this period, and later on, when things livened up considerably, we reaped the benefit in the shape of dry trenches and comparative safety. Half-way through the winter we side-slipped to the left a bit, taking over a piece of trench from some other people who had not seen fit to take advantage of the dry spell in October. This piece of trench—Fish Lane locality—caused us more trouble than the whole of the rest of our line together. Down at Montigny Farm there was a lot of work for the transport and Quartermaster’s Stores personnel. When they got there they found just a few huts and no covered standings for horses at all. Material for building was very difficult to obtain by indenting on the R.E.’s, and there was nothing for it but to “find” the stuff for building if we were going to make men and horses comfortable for the winter. Capt. Arnaud moved in a mysterious way his wonders to perform at Montigny. G.S. wagons and limbers used to creep out of the camp during the evening. No one knew where they were going or when they returned. But a growing dump of corrugated iron, timber, and bricks and some feverish activity in the building world might have given some clue to any one good at putting two and two together. By the importunity of our asking we finally got half an Adrian hut supplied, and made out of it a really splendid Quartermaster’s Stores.

MONTIGNY FARM.

The Sugar Refinery.
]

The N.C.O.s and men built their own shacks. Some of them were comical enough to look at, but they were pretty sound inside. Capt. Arnaud’s transport lines were a triumph. He made really splendid covered standings for all the animals, brick walls, wooden stalls, brick floor, corrugated iron roof—all without an inch of material supplied by the R.E.’s. Montigny was visited by some of the Battalion in April 1919, and most of these splendid covered standings were still there.

VENDELLES.

Occupied by the Reserve Battalion.
]

In the line we had six-day tours and daylight reliefs. There was no very great excitement while we were getting to know the line. The enemy was, on the whole, very quiet, and seemed quite reconciled to the loss of his bit of high ground at Cologne Farm. On October 17 we side-slipped northwards, and took over the extra bit of line previously referred to. At the same time we had to give up our Battalion Headquarters at The Egg, where we had just constructed a new mess, a deep dug-out, and many shelters, and where we were getting comfortably settled. Was it not ever thus? We only moved about 500 yards to the railway embankment, where there were a few shelters known as the Leicester Lounge. By the railway there was the remains of an old engine, popularly known as the “Leave Train.” We started building hard again here, and made good quarters, which we were fortunate enough to retain for the remainder of the winter. On the 22nd we moved back to Vendelles for six days, our first tour in Divisional Reserve.

The Battalion was housed in big Adrian huts, in rather a dilapidated condition. The village, of course, was totally destroyed.

There was very little in the way of amusement for anyone in this devastated country. Cinema shows, canteens, and concert huts were an urgent necessity, and the building of these was being taken up by the Division most energetically.

November 1917 was a month of changing fortunes, alarms, rumours, orders, and counterorders.

THE COTE WOOD POSITIONS.