Chapter VII: Part 7

“The trench still looks quite new, but is only about three feet deep, and there are no dug-outs in this vicinity. About 1.25 a.m. the order was given to return to our lines. This was done successfully without further casualties, although trench mortars were bursting freely in No Man’s Land. From the speed and accuracy with which the enemy’s barrage was brought down it would appear that the exact locality of the raid had been discovered. Probably the tape-laying and Bangalore parties had been spotted. 2nd Lieuts. Michie and Binney both did good work.”

By the end of June, profiting from the experience in the recent German offensive, the principle of depth in the holding of the line was taken up thoroughly. This necessitated a further change in the defence scheme. By this time we were getting a little accustomed to the constant changes. In general terms the line was held now by one company only in the outpost zone, and three companies back in the main forward battle positions known as the Black Line, about 1,500 yards behind the front line. The object of this arrangement was that the large majority of the garrison should be beyond the range of the enemy’s trench-mortar fire, which he had used in the opening stages of his offensive on so many fronts during the spring and early summer with annihilatory effect.

Battalion Headquarters was moved from Cameron Castle to some new dug-outs on high ground in Cité St. Pierre behind the Black Line.

On one memorable occasion, when we were in the front line, a practice “stand to” was ordered by Brigade. Gen. Morgan came up, and had gone round the Left Black Line company’s front, when the enemy elected to put down a thick gas bombardment of the Black Line area. The inspection was abandoned, and the General and his party started to grope their way back in gas-masks. Each communication trench which was tried seemed to be a particular mark for the enemy’s guns. Finally, by a very circuitous route, the party arrived at St. Pierre Church. Here all seemed quiet, but as soon as the General and the Brigade Major started to climb the hill to Morgan Mansion, Brigade Headquarters, gas shells began to follow them again, and continued in their tracks all the way home, the final insult being a perfectly good shell which landed at the entrance to their dug-out just as they were going to enter. In retrospect it looks to have been a very amusing evening. At the time it had its comic moments, but not many.

During July everyone was very busy. When we were out of the line we were training hard. Several days were spent at the training-ground at Marqueffles Farm, where there was a good rifle range, and where we had opportunities to practise with tanks and contact aeroplanes. When in support, large parties were out every day making concrete Lewis-gun and rifle posts in the Blue Line, where the support platoons of the outpost company had their battle positions.

In the front line we were patrolling with exceptional vigour, keeping touch with the enemy in every way possible. Several times we encountered the enemy in No Man’s Land and drove him off, and he on his part made one or two attempts to get into our lines without success.

On July 20 the Corps Commander, Sir Aylmer Hunter-Weston, visited us and went round the Black Line. The enemy honoured the day with a very heavy bombardment of the area round Counter Alley from which our gas projectors were usually released. The inspection of the Black Line was a vigorous affair; few who took part in the race will ever forget it. The distinguished general kept up his habitual pace of six miles per hour without turning a hair, and by the end of the afternoon his staff and following were stretched over at least a mile of trench. Many of them had succumbed into one or other of our Company Headquarters for liquid refreshment very early in the contest. Of twenty starters in the Marathon, only four were in sight when the favourite flashed past the post at Battalion Headquarters at 5.30 p.m.

The reader will have taken for granted on reading the name of our Corps Commander, that in addition to the other strenuous work of these days, activity with the whitewash brush and other fly-proof devices was to be seen on all sides at all times.

On July 21 the first performance of the new Brigade Concert Party, “The Dragonflies,” took place. It had been in the rehearsal stage for a long time, but the results fully justified the care which had been given to it. The Party continued to entertain us until long after the Armistice.

The Divisional artillery had a forward section of guns at the Opera House in St. Pierre at this time, and the enemy carried out several protracted shoots on the Opera House area. He never succeeded in hitting the guns, but parts of the village were very unpleasant at times. On the night of August 4/5, Battalion Headquarters was shelled heavily with high-explosive and sneezing gas, direct hits being obtained on the mess and Commanding Officer’s dug-out. On August 5 a particularly heavy shoot on the Opera House made a nasty mess of that part of the village. Lieut. Walker, an R.E. officer, who had done a lot of work with the Battalion, was killed. In the front line patrolling activity was very great, and the enemy was given no chance in No Man’s Land. Only on one or two occasions was the enemy encountered, and he invariably made off immediately he saw any of our men.

On August 8 the officers beat the rest of the Battalion at cricket by 120-odd to 60-odd, Col. Wenyon being top scorer with some 60 runs to his credit. This was by way of revenge, as on the previous tour at Bully the other ranks had been successful by 110–102. On the 13th we played the Sherwood Foresters, and were rather badly beaten.

On August 9 the Divisional Horse Show took place. We took second prize in transport turn-out, and “Diana,” the veteran C Company mount, won second prize in the officers’ chargers competition.

A few weeks later in the Corps Commanders’ Transport Cup Competition, when the entire transport of all units were inspected for efficiency and turn out, we were placed first in the Division.

Our Transport Section was justly proud of this result, and it was a well-merited reward for the splendid work of Capt. Arnaud, Sergt. Shepherd, and all ranks of the Transport Section.

It has been difficult in these notes to mention the work of our Transport from month to month, but this has not been because it did not deserve mention. Everyone intimately acquainted with the Battalion would agree that the work of the Transport Section was always one of the great features of our life. Capt. Arnaud joined the Battalion on the Somme in 1916, and remained Transport Officer till the end of the war. He was associated first with Sergt. Wood, M.S.M., and later with Sergt. Shepherd, M.S.M. The whole section pulled together magnificently, and their loyalty to the Battalion was always most marked. During the very difficult days in the Salient in 1917, throughout the winter at Hargicourt in 1917 and 1918, and at Lens during the summer of 1918, the men in the line had ample reason for thankfulness to Capt. Arnaud and his splendid section. But the greatest work was during the retreat in March and April 1918, and during the final advance from Cambrai in October and November 1918. During both these times of trial everyone was fed and supplied every day; and during the March retreat especially, the fight the Battalion was able to put up day after day was only made possible by the indefatigable zeal of our Transport Section so gallantly led by Capt. Arnaud. By hook or by crook he succeeded every day in getting hot meals up to the men who were fighting, and supplies of ammunition were rushed up at a moment’s notice wherever they were needed.

The Military Cross awarded to Capt. Arnaud and the M.S.M.s awarded to Sergt. Shepherd and Cpl. Verrall were among the very best earned rewards gained during the whole history of the Battalion.

During August the Hun commenced to shell Fosse 10, where up to that time the Transport and Quartermaster Stores had spent a very peaceful summer. It had previously been subject to night bombing raids, and a few long-range shells every now and then, but at the end of August he was shelling there daily and making things very unpleasant. On the 23rd he got a direct hit on the Quartermaster’s Mess, and on the 24th the Transport moved, followed on the 28th by the Quartermaster’s Stores, to Aix-Noulette. Unfortunately the Hun then turned his attention to Aix-Noulette, and it became nearly as uncomfortable as Fosse 10.

Some time before this, during one of the bombing raids on Fosse 10, we lost Regt.-Quartermaster-Sergt. Ifould, who was most unluckily hit by a splinter, which came through his window. He had succeeded Regt.-Quartermaster-Sergt. Dadd in the previous summer, after being Coy.-Quartermaster-Sergt. of B Company for a long period. He was very popular, and was a most valuable warrant officer, and we were all very sorry to hear of his departure to England. Coy.-Sergt.-Maj. W. Dunk, D.C.M., was his successor.

Bully-Grenay was also getting quite uncomfortable, and was frequently either bombed or shelled, mostly at night.

On the 27th, when we were at Bully, we suddenly had orders to go into the line to the right of our Brigade front for one night. The front was being rearranged, and the 73rd Brigade was moving round to take over from the left brigade of the 20th Division in front of Lievin. The enemy shelled Lievin heavily at night with mustard gas, and the reserve company had a few casualties. We returned to Bully the following night.

On the 29th a special performance of the Brigade Concert Party was held in aid of our Regimental Prisoners of War Fund, the proceeds of which, 903 francs, were duly sent to the Depot.

On the 30th a most successful Sergeants’ Mess Concert was held, with Regt.-Sergt.-Maj. Greenaway in the chair, to celebrate the close of the Battalion’s 3rd year in France.

Towards the end of August there was a distinct feeling that if anyone was going to do a push at Lens, it would not be the Boche. On September 1 the system of “peaceful” penetration commenced. 2nd Lieut. R. N. Killick, with a platoon of C Company, pushed forward at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon into the ruined streets of Lens. This small party were the first British troops to enter Lens, and once there they established positions for D Company, who relieved C Company at night, to take up and hold.

We had a busy time from now onwards. Although our line had been advanced only a few hundred yards, it was decided that working parties could show themselves in hitherto forbidden places by day. With a view to a possible advance, all work was concentrated on the clearing of the two main roads in Lens, the making of forward tracks, and the formation of large forward dumps of ammunition and rations.

The enemy strangely enough left these huge working parties almost unmolested, and in a very few days we had the strange sight of almost perfect _pavé_ roads running practically into the front line, and men employed in the open in all directions in broad daylight.

In the front posts which we had taken, things were not so quiet. The enemy would put down heavy bombardments on to place after place each day. On September 3 he attacked the East Surrey posts at the junction of Claud and Canary Trenches on our left, captured two days before, and recaptured them. In rendering assistance in this fight, one of our officers, 2nd Lieut. F. Carville, M.C., was badly wounded. We remained in the front line until September 12, during which time inter-company reliefs took place each forty-eight hours. A great deal of work had been done, and we handed over a new organised front line to the 9th East Surrey Regiment.

Our six days in reserve at Bully were busy ones. On the 15th the whole Battalion attended a tank demonstration at Marqueffles. On the 16th we carried out a battalion tactical exercise in the form of an advanced guard march to Marqueffles and an attack in open country. Field guns, machine guns, and Stokes mortars co-operated.

On the 18th we moved into the line again in relief of the 9th East Surrey Regiment. The map references of the forward posts taken over did not agree with the actual posts held, and after a few quiet days and some nights of active patrolling it was decided to put this right. On the night of the 23rd/24th, a party of C Company retook the enemy’s post at the junction of Canary and Claud Trenches, which post had been disputed several times during the past weeks. Up to now it had never been held for more than a few hours, and it was now our turn to have a shot at taking and keeping it. The full account of the events of the night, and the first attempt of the enemy to recapture the post on the morning of the 24th, are as follows:

When the position at the junction of Canary and Claud had been captured, consolidation was carried on vigorously all night, and by 6.30 a.m. considerable improvement had been made in the positions. At about 6.40 a.m. the enemy started to shell our old front line and communication trenches heavily with 5·9s, and shortly afterwards the officers in this area, 2nd Lieut. Davis and 2nd Lieut. Beynes, who were at the time engaged in establishing a fresh post to connect up Mason’s House with our new position, heard heavy bombing from the direction of the latter. A party of the enemy, about forty strong, had entered the post from the north-east, one lot coming straight down Canary and another entering Claud at its junction with Twisted Alley. The post was occupied, and one N.C.O. and five men were captured. 2nd Lieuts. Trenchard-Davis and Beynes at once organised a counter-raid. A bombardment with rifle grenades was commenced from a position in Canary, and the two officers each led a party along either side of the trench, ejected the enemy, and reoccupied the post. The Huns retreated hurriedly up Canary and over the open, and were followed with Lewis-gun fire from the recaptured post and Counter Sap. One German was killed just beyond the post, and it seems probable that several other casualties were inflicted on the enemy in his disorderly retirement. L.-Cpl. Binks and one of the men who had been captured were left, with a wounded Hun, in the charge of another Hun. When the attention of the latter was attracted by the commencement of our counter-raid, L.-Cpl. Binks relieved him of his rifle and brought in his escort and the wounded Hun as his prisoners.

The position was completely restored by 7.30 a.m. Our casualties were four men missing and two slightly wounded, and the enemy is known to have lost one killed and two prisoners and probably lost many more.

2nd Lieut. Trenchard-Davis and 2nd Lieut. Beynes acted with great resource and courage in organising and carrying out the counter-raid, and L.-Cpl. Binks showed great presence of mind and determination in turning the tables on his captors.

On the evening of September 24 a platoon of D Company relieved the C Company garrison in Canary Trench. The D Company platoon, No. 16, was under the command of Lieut. D. J. Dean. Most of the men in the platoon were young soldiers, as yet almost untried in the real rowdy-dow of a fight. As they took up their posts in that battered trench, none of them knew that in the next two days they were going to write the most glorious page in the history of their Battalion. They were heavily attacked almost immediately they had taken over the post, and for two days and two nights after this they were constantly attacked by overwhelming numbers, and with all the fury of shelling and trench mortaring which a resolute and exasperated enemy could summon to his command.

When No. 16 Platoon took over the post at 9 p.m. on September 24, it still required a great deal of consolidation, and the trench was very shallow. Within ten minutes of the arrival of the new platoon, the enemy made his second attempt that day to recapture the post. Covered mainly by machine-gun fire, the enemy advanced over the open from the north-east, but were driven off by Lewis-gun and rifle fire from the post. Lieut. Dean was in the most exposed positions, and moved about in the heavy machine-gun fire with absolute fearlessness. Immediately this attack had been dealt with, feverish work was put in to deepen the trench and improve the blocks in Canary and Claud. The enemy kept up a heavy machine-gun fire on the post, from which the trench, in most places only two feet deep, offered very little cover.

CONCRETE PILL BOX.

Our First Platoon Headquarters in Lens.
]

Just after midnight another attempt was made by the enemy. Two men were wounded, and the enemy got so close to the post that it was in great danger. Lieut. Dean, however, led his men forward, and the enemy, surprised by this bold move, were driven off.

DEAN’S POST.
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Again it was a case of digging for their lives, and by the time the dawn arrived both officer and men were nearly exhausted, but they were not to be allowed to rest. At 6 a.m. they were subjected to a third and very resolute attack by the enemy. A barrage of heavy shells was put down behind the post to cut off all communication, and the post itself was severely trench mortared. Lieut. Dean at once got his men into position, harassed the enemy approach down Canary with rifle grenades, and brought withering rifle fire to bear on them as they advanced over the open. One of the enemy was killed as he was entering the post down Canary Trench, and several casualties were inflicted on them as they retired in disorder. Regardless of danger, Lieut. Dean followed the retreating enemy over the open, but was driven back by rifle and machine-gun fire before he could secure any prisoners. For hours after this, enemy parties could be seen moving about their trenches. At first it was thought that they were coming up for a fresh attack, but there appears little doubt that actually they were engaged in removing casualties.

Throughout the 25th and the night 25th/26th Lieut. Dean and his men gave themselves no rest, but pressed on with the work of consolidation in face of great enemy opposition, and by dawn on the 26th the position had been very greatly strengthened. The garrison of the post was then relieved by two fresh sections of the same platoon, and Lieut. Dean remained in command.

At 10.15 a.m. on the 26th the enemy commenced to shell the post and its vicinity with 5·9-inch howitzers, and also put a very heavy barrage on all communications behind. Dean at once got his men into their fire positions, and a fresh attack by the enemy was beaten off with loss. When this attack was over, Dean went to visit his other posts, and during this time the enemy recommenced shelling with the greatest intensity, and obtained several direct hits on the post itself. In view of the casualties, the sergeant in charge decided to withdraw temporarily, and got the men back to a position some fifty yards from the actual post. The enemy immediately followed up his barrage and occupied the post, showing great resolution. Lieut. Dean grasped the situation at once. He collected his two sections, and led them with the utmost gallantry across the open, and the whole thing was done with such speed and determination that the enemy did not wait for the bayonet, but evacuated the post in the greatest disorder, suffering many casualties from our fire. This counter-attack was greatly assisted by the platoon on the right in Cinnabar Trench. Immediately 2nd Lieut. Cambrook saw Lieut. Dean preparing to counter-attack, he collected two of his own sections and led them under heavy fire over the open with a view to taking the enemy in the flank and cutting off his retreat. He had reached a point on the flank of the enemy post before he was severely wounded in the chest, but his work was then done, as the enemy, seeing himself attacked from two sides, had already vacated the post. Lieut. Cambrook’s quick decision and fearless leadership were of the greatest value, and were rewarded with the Military Cross, but unfortunately he died of his wounds a few days later, and never heard of his honour. His sergeant, Sergt. Alderman, remained with him until the post was captured, and then most gallantly carried him back over the open, and was rewarded with the Military Medal.

This was the last of the enemy’s six attempts to retake the post in just over forty-eight hours, and five of the attacks had been withstood by Lieut. Dean and No. 16 Platoon of D Company. During the next night two dead Boches were brought in from the vicinity of the post, and groanings during the day testified to other enemy casualties. In addition, scattered round the post sufficient rifles and equipment were found to provide for a whole platoon, giving further evidence of extensive enemy casualties and of the completeness of his demoralisation. It should be mentioned that during the first bombardment on the morning of the 26th the enemy hit and exploded two heavy mobile charges, which had been brought up for the raid to be carried out in the afternoon. This explosion severely shook Lieut. Dean, who was very close at the time, and his subsequent work in organising and carrying out the counter-attack is all the more remarkable.

To sum up the work of Lieut. Dean, we give the closing paragraphs of his official recommendation for the Victoria Cross:

“During these two days Lieut. Dean worked unceasingly and with utter contempt for danger in an exceedingly difficult situation. His garrison was suffering casualties continually, but he himself bore a charmed life.

“Five times in this period he was attacked (three times very heavily) by a resolute enemy, and each time the attacks were thrown back.

“Throughout he inspired all his men with his own contempt for danger, and in consequence they all fought with the greatest bravery, though most of them were very young soldiers with little experience.

“He set an example of personal gallantry, initiative, splendid leadership, and devotion to duty of the very highest order.”

The battered remnants of No. 16 Platoon came back on the night of September 26. Even then they were reluctant to leave the post in other hands.

_Photo by_] [_Wykeham Studios Ltd., London._

LIEUTENANT D. J. DEAN, V.C.
]

The immortal defence of Dean’s Post was talked of from one end of England to the other when the announcement was made that the King had awarded the Victoria Cross to Lieut. Donald John Dean. The Battalion heard the news of the award in December in a little Belgian village, after all fighting was over. The news was telephoned through to us when the whole Battalion was in the village school at a Battalion concert. Such a scene of tumult and enthusiasm as greeted the announcement is impossible to describe. The events of those September days were still fresh in our minds, and a few of Dean’s platoon were still with us. Every man in the Battalion during those frenzied moments of cheering took Dean to his heart, and felt that he was the man who would stand at the head of the Battalion for all time. Dean himself was, of course, not there. He was only just past the critical stage following the severe wounds he sustained during October.

The official recognition of the work of No. 16 Platoon was expressed by the awards of the D.C.M. to Sergt. Skipper, and the M.M. to Cpl. Eversfield, L.-Cpl. Goodwin, and Pte. Yates.

After the second day of Dean’s defence it was obviously desirable to push the enemy away from the posts which always threatened ours. A daylight raid on the enemy post at the junction of Cinnabar and Claud was, therefore, planned for the afternoon of September 26.

The raid was led by 2nd Lieut. R. N. Killick, D.C.M., and 2nd Lieut. C. Trenchard-Davis with the utmost gallantry.

The following official account of the raid was written at the time:

“The raid on the enemy trench at the junction of Cinnabar and Claud took place this afternoon. The right party entered the enemy trench at the junction with Claud and the left party went over the open towards Cuthbert. 2nd Lieut. Davis, leading the left party, saw one of the enemy manipulating a machine gun just north of the junction of Cinnabar and Cuthbert; he appeared to be putting in a new belt. 2nd Lieut. Killick, seeing the danger the left party were in, rushed the post and shot the German dead just as he was starting to fire. Immediately afterwards 2nd Lieut. Killick was hit in the head and leg by a light trench mortar or rifle grenade.

“2nd Lieut. Davis led his party 50 to 60 yards up Cuthbert. No enemy and no dug-outs were seen. He then returned, and proceeded up Cinnabar about 100 yards. At the point where the machine gunner was killed he found a two-entrance deep dug-out.

“Several steel helmets and overcoats were hanging at the entrance. 2nd Lieut. Davis shouted down, but there was no response. He then threw in two Mills bombs, after which there appeared to be a disturbance downstairs. He shouted again to the men to come up, but there was no response. The R.E.’s and carrying party with the mobile charges were then called up and the charges successfully exploded at the bottom of the stairways. 2nd Lieut. Davis inspected both entrances before leaving. The whole dug-out appeared to have collapsed, and both entrances were effectually sealed. There is no doubt that there were inmates in the dug-out, and that they were irretrievably buried there.

“As his task was finished, 2nd Lieut. Davis ordered the party to return. They brought back the body (which was that of an officer) and the machine gun (light) complete.

“Our casualties were 2nd Lieut. Killick and one other rank wounded. Before the raid commenced, two men of the trench garrison were killed and three wounded by enemy trench mortars.”

Both 2nd Lieut. Killick and 2nd Lieut. Davis were awarded the Military Cross.

The following special Battalion Order was issued:

8TH SERVICE BATTALION ROYAL WEST KENT REGIMENT

_In-the-Field, September 27, 1918_

SPECIAL BATTALION ORDER

During the past few days the Battalion has passed through experiences
which have tested the soldier-like qualities of all ranks to the
utmost degree.

You have stood the test in the finest possible way, and the fact that
our line still remains intact and stronger than ever, and that very
heavy casualties have been inflicted on a brave and resolute enemy,
redounds very greatly to the credit of all concerned.

I wish to mention the magnificent defence put up by D Company during
two days of very great stress and difficulty.

Five times a determined enemy, supported by all means at his disposal,
has attempted to drive in our post, and five times he has been thrown
back with heavy losses.

I also wish to mention the very excellent work done by all ranks of C
Company: first in capturing the positions from the enemy which we now
hold; secondly, for re-establishing our post when a strong attack by
the enemy had temporarily driven it in; and lastly, for the very
gallant manner in which the successful raid was carried out by them in
co-operation with D Company on the afternoon of September 26.

All the companies have done a tremendous amount of work in
consolidating the new positions and in daring patrol work.

A and B Companies on the right have been subjected to the trial of
heavy shelling in their posts on several occasions. I know that the
Officers Commanding and all ranks of A and B Companies will be the
first to join me in congratulating D and C Companies for their
magnificent work.

With the certain knowledge that soldier-like qualities of the highest
order exist throughout all the companies, we can look forward
confidently to the future. Whatever tasks lie in front of you will be
carried out to the utmost of your powers.

The fine work of the past few days is worthy of the very best
traditions of our magnificent regiment, and the Queen’s Own will
always be proud of the officers, N.C.O.s, and men, many of whom have
laid down their lives, who have done such sterling work during this
week of stress.

H. J. WENYON, _Lieut.-Col._,
Commanding 8th Service Battalion
Royal West Kent Regiment.

Battalion Headquarters,
_September 27, 1918_.

On the right company front during these days the enemy artillery fire had been very heavy, particularly in the vicinity of a post known as the Zeppelin. This was in the ruins of some dilapidated factory, the twisted iron of which stood up very much in the shape of the framework of a large airship.

On the night of the 27th/28th, after shelling this neighbourhood heavily for twenty minutes with 5·9’s, the enemy attempted to raid the post on the right of the Zeppelin. The post was held by B Company, and when the shelling started, about midnight, 2nd Lieut. C. P. H. Manley, who was the platoon commander, got his men into a dug-out for shelter. Immediately the artillery fire lifted, 2nd Lieut. Manley got the men into position, and seeing a party of the enemy at very close quarters, he got the Lewis gun into action himself, while the men used their rifles. Immediately after this, bombs and rifle fire came from the north, and 2nd Lieut. Manley saw another party of the enemy approaching him from that flank. He at once moved his post a few yards further south to a point from which he could command both raiding parties. From this point he brought rifle and Lewis-gun fire to bear on the enemy, who, after throwing one sulphur bomb into the now unoccupied dug-out, scattered and withdrew in considerable disorder. Just at this minute 2nd Lieut. Manley was badly wounded in the neck, but the enemy, who were in much greater strength than our post, had already been defeated. On searching the ground afterwards, one German rifle and five mobile charges were discovered near the post, and it is believed casualties were inflicted on the enemy, but the night was very dark and nothing definite could be seen. The men supported 2nd Lieut. Manley splendidly, and the next post also joined in with rifle fire during the enemy’s retirement.

2nd Lieut. Manley handled the position with great resource, and by his quick grasp of the situation and fearless leadership undoubtedly frustrated a very dangerous attempt to capture his post. He was awarded the Military Cross, but never heard of his honour, as he died of wounds six days after the raid. Very quiet in his manner, he was a most excellent officer, and was very popular. His death was a great loss to his company, and to the Battalion.

It was at about this time that we lost the services of our Adjutant, Capt. R. P. Baker, M.C. He seems to have developed some form of blood poisoning, and had to go into hospital. We all expected him back in a week or two, but it was more serious than we supposed, and he never rejoined the Battalion. He came out as a Platoon Commander after the Battle of the Somme, assumed the duties of adjutant in November 1916, and held the appointment for over eighteen months. A general officer once called him “a b—— half-baked civilian,” because their views on some point did not quite agree, and Baker declined to alter his to suit the general’s but it was in reality a very erroneous estimation of his military qualities. He was a good disciplinarian and a hard worker, and, unlike some adjutants, did not confine his activities when in the line to an office in a safe dug-out. His chief hobby was salvage. He was awarded the Military Cross in 1918 for consistently able and gallant work over a long period. 2nd Lieut. C. F. C. Mackaskie, who had been acting as assistant-adjutant, took over the duties of adjutant.

We had just previously said good-bye to our Padre, who was promoted to be senior chaplain to the Naval Division. Rev. G. D. Barlow-Poole joined the Battalion at Blackdown Camp just before we sailed for France, and he remained with us for three years. He was not exclusively our own property, as he was also padre to the East Surreys, but he always took a very keen interest in all phases of the life of our Battalion, and his departure was keenly felt by all ranks. He was indefatigable in his work for the comfort and welfare of the troops, and was very popular, which is perhaps the criterion by which a padre’s work can be best judged. He was frequently to be found wandering about the front line, and performed most gallant service throughout the March Retreat, for which he was awarded the Military Cross.

From the 27th onwards the enemy commenced to blow up his dug-outs. He had finally given up all idea of ejecting us from our advanced positions, and he could see that we intended to advance still further. Such a clear instance of the enemy being defeated utterly in a straight fight is difficult to imagine, and it was all done by the matchless gallantry of a mere handful of men. Our whole Division was on the point of being relieved, but before we left Lens for the last time at the end of September, it was obvious that the enemy was preparing rapidly for a retirement all along this front. His shelling at close range ceased entirely, and the destruction of his defences on all sides went on continually.

On the night of September 29/30 we were relieved by the 2/24th London Regiment, who had just arrived from Palestine.

It was a dog-tired but triumphant Battalion that marched down the old Fosse 11 road to Bully-Grenay that night.

We expected, correctly, that we should soon be in the fight again, assisting in the hunt of a retreating enemy further south. All this would be new to us, yet we looked forward with confidence to anything that might come along. The Battalion had been tried in the fire for a full month, and in a perfect inferno for a week. It had come out tempered and steeled.

THE LENS AREA

_To illustrate Phase IV and VIII._
]

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

From Bully-Grenay we went in buses to Coupigny. The next morning we entrained at Hersin, and arrived that night at Sus-St.-Leger, a small village near Doullens, for a few days’ rest and preparation for the final phase of the war.

PHASE IX
THE FINAL ADVANCE FROM CAMBRAI TO MAUBEUGE
_October—November 1918_

After five days’ training at Sus-St.-Leger—chiefly on the lines of open fighting in co-operation with artillery and machine guns—we entrained on Sunday, October 6, detraining at Ribecourt from the first troop train to run into the station. We marched to the ruins of Graincourt and bivouacked in fields for the night, among constant visits from enemy aeroplane bombs. On the following day positions were reconnoitred at Rumilly, and we moved up into trenches at Cantaing for the night.

At this time the British positions near Cambrai were, roughly, the same as those reached in the advance of November 1917.

On Tuesday, October 8, a general attack on the enemy’s Cambrai positions in conjunction with other attacks on a wide front opened at dawn. The 72nd Infantry Brigade was in close support to the 63rd Division, and we were assembled in trenches near Rumilly at 8 a.m.

The attack immediately in front of us on the village of Niergnies was successful. In spite of several counter-attacks during the day, the village was still in the hands of the 63rd Division when the 72nd Brigade moved up to relieve them at night. The 1st North Staffordshire Regiment and the 9th East Surrey Regiment took over the line, and we were in close support behind the village. The enemy shelled the area just behind the village very heavily with gas shells all night.

About 9 p.m. we received orders that the Battalion would attack the village of Awoingt at dawn the following morning. The orders were received over the telephone, and details were very meagre. Battalion Headquarters had been pushed forward to a new position, where there was a telephone, close to the village. The intense blackness of the night and the heavy gas shelling made it most difficult to get in touch with the companies, and the final arrangements for the attack were not completed until nearly 4 a.m., when the written orders reached us.

The operation order was rather historic. It opened as follows: “The 8th Royal West Kent Regiment will capture the village of Awoingt at 5.20 a.m. on October 9, 1918. The Guards’ Division will attack on their right, the Canadian Corps from north of Cambrai on their left.”

The object of the attack was the final cutting off of the town of Cambrai, which lay away on our left burning all through the night and the next day. The assembly for our attack was successfully completed by 5 a.m. and our barrage opened at 5.20. The barrage was very heavy, and, apart from one or two isolated guns which were shooting short, very accurate. B Company attacked on the right in touch with the Guards, C Company on the left with D Company in support, and A Company in reserve. The enemy was not holding the village in great strength, and all objectives were taken without difficulty before 8 a.m. The captures by the Battalion included thirty-five prisoners, two field guns, three tanks, one limber with horses complete, a number of machine guns, and several dumps of ammunition. We had a few casualties from our own shells falling short, and a number from the enemy’s heavy shelling of the railway after the objectives had been taken. A strong enemy detachment with machine guns had been left behind at the railway bridge just south of the village, and they were making desperate efforts to destroy it. A party from D Company, under Lieut. Dean, captured the whole detachment with machine guns, and so saved the bridge intact.

AWOINGT.
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The attack, though it did not involve heavy fighting, was a splendid exercise for the Battalion in following a hastily arranged barrage and in keeping direction in open country. The leading companies were on the heels of the barrage all the way, touch was maintained with the Guards throughout, and direction was never lost. It was almost dark when we commenced to advance, we could not see the village, and we went forward on a compass bearing. Soon, however, the sun came out and the morning mist cleared, and we wish we could have had photographs of the plain at about 7 o’clock that morning. The whole Battalion was spread out in extended order over our front of 1,000 yards. In front of the leading companies was the steadily advancing line of the creeping barrage, in front again, round the near outskirts of the village, smoke shells were bursting in profusion, while our big crumps falling continually in the village were sending up huge clouds of red dust from the unfortunate houses. On our left flank the town of Cambrai seemed to be one huge bonfire. It was the most wonderful view of a battle we ever saw during the war. Our casualties were 2nd Lieuts. Winch, H. A. Green, and nine other ranks killed, and 2nd Lieut. Taylor and forty-eight other ranks wounded. We remained on the objectives at Awoingt.

HAUSSY.

The house at the corner was Battalion Headquarters. The ground
attacked over was beyond the village.
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The village had been considerably knocked about by the shelling, and the enemy continued to add to the damage by his counter-shelling during the rest of the day. The 73rd Brigade passed through us in the afternoon and took over the advanced guard work. On the following morning the 17th Brigade followed the 73rd, and we became brigade in Divisional Reserve. During the day, October 10, we moved from Awoingt to Cagnoncles, where we were very comfortably billeted for the night.

The advance continued on the 11th, and we moved forward in the early morning to positions south of Rieux, where we dug in in artillery formation and remained for the night. It was during this digging in that Lieut. Dean was wounded. He was loudly cheered by the Battalion, and particularly by No. 16 Platoon, as he was carried away on a stretcher. This ended Dean’s active service with the Battalion, as after a critical time in hospital in England he did not become convalescent until long after hostilities had ceased, and he was not sent out again. After the charmed existence he had had during the past weeks, it was the irony of fate which decided that he should be the only casualty in the Battalion on the day when he was wounded.

On October 12 the enemy was reported to have retired across the River Selle, and the 17th Brigade were following. The enemy had, however, left strong rearguards behind, and the 17th Brigade had very heavy casualties during the advance on St. Aubert.

At night we moved forward into billets in Avesnes.

In the early morning of the 13th we relieved the Rifle Brigade on the Selle river in front of Haussy. The 1st North Staffordshire Regiment were holding similar positions on our left, and the 9th East Surrey Regiment were in reserve in St. Aubert. Our forward positions were on high ground just short of the ravine through which the Selle flowed. The enemy shelled us persistently in these positions, and the North Staffordshire Regiment had heavy casualties from gas in Montrecourt Wood.

During the night of the 13th/14th our patrols were very active along the line of the river. They found all bridges had been demolished, and the enemy was holding the line of the railway beyond with machine guns in considerable strength. During the early morning of the 14th small patrols from A Company succeeded in penetrating into the village of Haussy. The village was strongly held by the enemy, and the civilians were still there. Our patrols were immediately reinforced by two platoons, the men crawling two at a time behind a low hedge into the village. Capt. Selfe and a few men succeeded in crossing the river at one of the broken bridges, and brought back three prisoners as a result of some hand-to-hand fighting in the streets. The civilians were very much on our side. They gave us information as to the whereabouts of the enemy, they concealed our men in their houses, and fed them on coffee and eggs.

In the afternoon the enemy realised what we had done, and attacked our new positions in the village, but we succeeded in holding on. Lieut. Piggott and Sergt. Ashdown were killed.

At a brigade conference held later in the day, plans for an attack on the river line were discussed. The attack was to be carried out by ourselves and the North Staffordshire Regiment, and was to have as its objective the high ground from the chapel in the northern outskirts of the village northwards to the railway opposite Montrecourt. The village itself was not to be attacked. Our attack on the right was complicated by several sunken roads and a sand pit, and we decided to try a new experiment in the nature of the artillery barrage to be used, in order to avoid a frontal attack on the sunken roads. The attack was to take place in the early morning of October 16.

We spent the 15th in the same positions. The ground leading to the assembly positions was thoroughly reconnoitred by officers and N.C.O.s, and all arrangements for the attack were completed by midnight. 2nd Lieut. Thomas, who spoke French like a native, went into the village at night, and 150 civilians were escorted back behind our lines.

It was decided to make an effort to assemble for the attack on the far side of the river. To do this it was necessary to ensure that there were no enemy outposts remaining between the river and the railway. During the early part of the night of the 15th/16th, therefore, harassing fire by our artillery was brought down on the railway and on the ground between the railway and the river. From 3 a.m. on the 16th this fire continued on the railway only, and a strong patrol from C Company (under 2nd Lieut. Wallis) advanced across the river and cleared the ground as far as the railway, and took up a line as close to it as the shelling would permit. There was only one temporary bridge available, and all our assembling troops had to cross at this point. From about 3.30 a.m. the enemy commenced a counter-preparation on a wide front. All roads and approaches to the village and river were shelled with gas. In spite of this, and largely on account of the thoroughness with which the reconnoitring had been done, and thanks also to the work of 2nd Lieut. Wallis and his covering party, the two companies, D on the right and B on the left, were successfully assembled across the river by 5 a.m. Owing to the lack of bridges, and the winding nature of the river, the assembly positions were on the left flank of our attack, but the special barrages which had been arranged assisted us in launching the attack from these positions.

The barrage opened at 5.10, and our men advanced to the railway without difficulty. It was then discovered that the battalion who were to have attacked on our left had failed to assemble on account of the enemy’s shelling, and the left flank of our attack was therefore in the air. The enemy had several machine guns mounted on the railway north of us, and B Company suffered heavy casualties in crossing the railway. A large number of prisoners were captured in the shelters behind the railway embankment and in the sunken roads and the sand pit.

The enemy was obviously surprised by the novelty of the barrage, combined with an attack from the flank. In spite of the opposition from the left flank the attack progressed, and by 7 a.m. all objectives had been taken, together with over 200 prisoners, many machine guns, and a few trench mortars.

Our successful penetration into the village two days before, and our capture of one bridgehead, had led the Corps to include the village itself in the objectives of the attack, and the 9th East Surrey Regiment were detailed for this work. The greater part of the village was successfully taken, and we were in touch with their posts at the chapel.

We had a very long exposed northern flank, and it was necessary to put the greater part of our strength to protect it. A protective barrage was arranged to assist in this, and by 10 a.m. a defensive position had been made which seemed satisfactory. Had we had the men, and had the attack on our left been carried out, we could have exploited our success across the open country east of us, and could probably have got among the enemy’s battery positions. As it was, with greatly depleted numbers and with the necessity of guarding our left flank, we had to adopt a defensive attitude on our final objectives.

All the B Company officers had become casualties, and the sergeant-majors of both B and D Companies. Capt. J. C. Orchardson, commanding D Company, took command of the whole garrison, and he made the dispositions for defence, which successfully held the positions during the day.

As a result of their advance the East Surrey Regiment had an exposed southern flank. A company of the Guards were to come up to protect this flank, but until they came this was obviously a danger point, and there was no certainty that the Guards would be able to get through. From about 10 a.m. the enemy commenced to shell the village. The fury of his concentrated bombardment from then onwards beat almost anything we could remember in the way of shelling, with the possible exception of the attack on Delville Wood in 1916. Eight-inch and 5·9-inch shells were falling in the village at the rate of from six to ten a minute, and it became impossible to move troops anywhere in the streets. We had no troops ourselves in the village, except Battalion Headquarters and the Dressing Station, both of which had a most unpleasant day. The Guards’ Company on their way up shortly after 1 p.m. got caught in the shelling, suffered very heavy casualties, and were unable to get to their positions. There was thus an unprotected flank on the right of the East Surrey positions.

A lot of gas shell was mixed with the other shelling, and this, in spite of the fact that there were still several hundred civilians in the village—a fact well known to the enemy. Months afterwards we visited Haussy, and were told on all sides of scores of civilians who had died from the effects of the gas on October 16. In the early afternoon, after the continuous shelling for over four hours, the enemy counter-attacked. He succeeded in penetrating the exposed flank south of the village, and he advanced as far as the river, some 300 yards south of the church. From this point, under the cover of an intense barrage, he worked through the village on the eastern bank of the river, and large numbers of the 9th East Surrey Regiment, holding positions on the eastern outskirts of the village, were thus cut off, and our situation north of the village became critical. Capt. Orchardson was ordered to take up the line of the sunken road from the chapel to the railway, and to form a strong post at the chapel facing south, to deny the enemy the northern exits from the village. All this was done promptly, and just in time, and the enemy made no further progress. In the midst of all this inferno we were informed that two companies of the 7th Northamptonshire Regiment were on their way up to relieve us. It was a precarious position to hand over to them. We were the only troops left holding positions on the east of the river, but it was still a fact that we were able to hand over to them at the close of the day the whole 600 yards of river and bridge-heads captured by us in the early morning. During the day also we had added one or two improvised bridges, and the position we left was a very valuable one.

THE MEMORIAL BOARD AT HAUSSY.
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We feel that the Battalion can be justly proud of its share in the Battle of Haussy. The very daring and successful work of A Company, in cutting out part of the village two days before the attack and holding it, had a most important bearing on the operations. On the day of the attack the work of the attacking companies was beyond praise. In spite of very heavy casualties at the outset, all ranks displayed the greatest determination. The fact that all objectives were taken, together with a large number of prisoners and a great deal of material, reflects the very greatest credit on Capt. Orchardson and the other officers, N.C.O.s, and men. Throughout the very trying day which followed they held their ground with the greatest tenacity, in spite of repeated enemy attempts to dislodge them, and the crossings of the river were handed over intact at the close of the day.

THE RIVER SELLE AND THE MILL FROM WHICH MANY PRISONERS WERE TAKEN.
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At the chapel is a cross erected to the memory of our men who were killed in the Battle of Haussy. 2nd Lieuts. Laskey, Bain, Holman, and twelve other ranks were killed, 2nd Lieut. Wallis and Coy.-Sergt.-Maj. Gutteridge died of wounds, and Capt. Porter, Coy.-Sergt.-Maj. Dyer, and seventy-five other ranks were wounded.

The following decorations were awarded to the Battalion for the Battle of Haussy and the period preceding it:

THE MILITARY CROSS

Capt. J. C. Orcharson, Capt. A. J. Porter, Capt. J. H. Selfe.

THE DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT MEDAL

Coy.-Sergt.-Maj. J. Gutteridge, Cpl. H. Stoneham, Pte. A. Woodmore.

BAR TO THE MILITARY MEDAL

Pte. E. Bowes.

THE MILITARY MEDAL