The History of the 2/6th (Rifle) Battalion, "the King's" (Liverpool Regiment) 1914-1919
by C. E. Wurtzburg · English · Gutenberg #49875 · 1,435,185 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: The History of the 2/6th (Rifle) Battalion, "the King's" (Liverpool Regiment) 1914-1919
Author: C. E. Wurtzburg
Release date: September 4, 2015 [eBook #49875]
Most recently updated: October 24, 2024
Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HISTORY OF THE 2/6TH (RIFLE) BATTALION, "THE KING'S" (LIVERPOOL REGIMENT) 1914-1919 ***
THE HISTORY
OF THE
2/6th (RIFLE) BATTALION "THE KING'S"
(LIVERPOOL REGIMENT)
1914-1919
[Illustration: Photo by Houghton, Margate.
LIEUT.-COL. W. A. L. FLETCHER, D.S.O.]
THE HISTORY
_of the_
2/6th (Rifle) Battalion "The King's"
(Liverpool Regiment)
1914-1919
_BY_
CAPT. C. E. WURTZBURG, M.C.
_Adjutant, Nov. 1916-Nov. 1918_
WITH A FOREWORD BY
MAJOR-GENERAL SIR R. W. R. BARNES, K.C.B., D.S.O.
_Late G.O.C. 57th (West Lancs.) Division_
PRINTED FOR THE REGIMENTAL COMMITTEE
BY
GALE & POLDEN LIMITED
WELLINGTON WORKS, ALDERSHOT
1920
To the Memory
OF
LIEUT.-COL. W. A. L. FLETCHER, D.S.O.
THE OFFICERS
WARRANT OFFICERS
NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS
AND
RIFLEMEN
WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES
FOR THEIR
COUNTRY
_Not fearing death, nor shrinking for distress,
But always resolute in most extremes._
FOREWORD
As I had the honour of commanding the 57th (West Lancashire) Division
during the greater part of the time that the Division was fighting in
France and Flanders in the Great War, included in which Division was
the 2/6th Battalion "The King's" (Liverpool Regiment), I am very glad
that the Author has given me the opportunity of recording in print
my appreciation of the gallant and soldierly conduct of this fine
battalion whilst under my command.
Captain Wurtzburg's work in writing this history of the battalion in
which he served is, I am sure, of great value: to the survivors of
the battalion, as a record of their achievements; to the relatives of
the fallen, as showing that their sacrifice was not in vain; and to
the historians of the future, who will obtain inspiration as to the
realities of war from the experiences of this fighting unit.
The 2/6th "The King's" (Liverpool Regiment) took part with distinction
in all the fighting of the Division from February, 1917, up to the
Armistice. The battalion showed its offensive spirit in the third
battle of Ypres, the breaking of the Drocourt-Quéant switch of the
Hindenburg Line, the battle of Cambrai, and the capture of Lille; and
its steadiness in defence during the long periods of trench warfare,
and especially in the terrible gas bombardment of Armentières.
The battalion was always to be depended upon, and its fine "tone" was,
I think, largely owing to that good Commanding Officer and sportsman,
the late Lieutenant-Colonel W. A. L. Fletcher, who imbued his battalion
with his own personality, and than whom no man in the war more truly
gave his life for his country.
In these present difficult times of peace we are all, I think, inclined
to forget the great lesson of the war--that it is only by "comradeship"
we can overcome these difficulties; and the records of the 2/6th
"The King's" (Liverpool Regiment) should help to remind us that this
battalion gained its name and achieved its object by the equal and
united efforts of its Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Riflemen.
Personally, I feel I cannot end these few lines without expressing my
intense gratitude to all my old comrades of the battalion.
R. W. R. BARNES,
_Major-General_.
LIVERPOOL,
_July, 1920_.
PREFACE
Shortly after the Armistice Colonel Fletcher wrote to me asking if I
would undertake to write a history of the battalion. All through the
war I had cherished a vague idea of doing something of the kind, and
with this view had devoted considerable care to the War Diary and to
the preservation of other records. I was, therefore, only too pleased
to accede to my old Commanding Officer's request, though I felt that
I should experience--as, indeed, I have done--some considerable
difficulty in dealing with periods during which I was away from the
battalion. These cover the time from January, 1915, to March, 1916;
the action of the battalion in the third battle of Ypres; and the
major portion of the second battle of Cambrai, for which I have had to
rely on information which has been readily supplied by those who were
present.
The work of compilation has, I must admit, been arduous to a degree,
and an active business life has necessitated the whole work being
written in my evenings and at week-ends. To this fact, I think, the
unevenness of the book may fairly be attributed, written as it had to
be at odd times, bit by bit, and in the varying states of mind in which
I found myself after my day's work at the office. It has, however, been
a labour of love, and if the book does in any way fulfil the objects
for which I mainly wrote it--first, to perpetuate the memory of our
gallant comrades who laid down their lives for their country; and,
secondly, to aid those who survived to recall to their recollection our
days of service, and to hand down to their descendants some written
record of their lives during those great years--I shall feel that my
labours have been amply repaid.
I have received so much assistance in the preparation of the book
that I am afraid it is impossible to make any adequate individual
acknowledgments of my debt. My thanks, however, are particularly due
to the following:--For continuous advice and valuable suggestions, to
C. W. Wilson, J. L. Heyworth, T. Sutherland, and A. L. Reade (whose
diary, placed freely at my disposal, has proved invaluable); for
contributions, to R. Barker, N. L. and W. A. Corkill, W. M. Ewan, E. A.
Garrod, H. M. Griffiths, J. K. Harris, J. L. Henderson, J. B. Herbert,
F. C. Hildred, F. Hooper, V. J. Kneen, G. L. Lane, J. Longridge, R. E.
Noon, J. Payne, W. Penrice, K. V. Stevenson, H. Taggart, C. W. Walter,
and T. A. Williams; for compilation of addresses, to J. McCoy; for map
work, to A. S. Brown and J. T. Hazell; for photographs and drawings
(the reproduction of which, on grounds of economy, had drastically to
be curtailed), to W. T. Barrow, J. Beavan, W. A. Belk, C. S. Freeman,
E. Fryer, T. H. Louden, F. V. Smith, and A. E. Williams; and for
unfailing courtesy and ready assistance, to the War Office and No. 1
Infantry Record Office, Preston.
To my father, E. A. Wurtzburg, I owe a great debt for assistance of
every description, the value of which I cannot adequately express. He
has, further, revised all the proofs.
I should also like to record the help rendered by my publishers,
Messrs. Gale & Polden, Ltd.; throughout the long period that has
elapsed since the work was first commenced their interest and
assistance have never flagged.
In conclusion, I must add that financial responsibility for the
production of the book was generously accepted by a small body of
gentlemen who shall be nameless, but in the absence of whom it is
certain that the work could never have been undertaken.
C. E. W.
3, LAWN ROAD,
HAMPSTEAD, N.W. 3.
_August, 1920_.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I PAGE
FORMATION OF THE BATTALION--THE
DEPOT--BLACKPOOL--CANTERBURY--MARGATE--UPSTREET CAMP--CANTERBURY--GORE
STREET CAMP 1
CHAPTER II
PREPARATION FOR OVERSEAS--BOURLEY CAMP--INKERMAN
BARRACKS, WOKING 17
CHAPTER III
OVERSEAS--STRAZEELE--FLEURBAIX--BAC ST. MAUR--RUE DU
BOIS--RUE MARLE--RUE DORMOIRE 30
CHAPTER IV
ARMENTIÈRES UP TO GAS ATTACK 68
CHAPTER V
FROM GAS ATTACK TO ST. HILAIRE--PASSCHENDAELE (FIRST
TIME)--LOUCHES 126
CHAPTER VI
PASSCHENDAELE (SECOND TIME)--ARMENTIÈRES--ST. HILAIRE
(SECOND TIME)--ARREWAGE--FLEURBAIX 148
CHAPTER VII
MERVILLE--PERIOD IN RESERVE--GOMMECOURT--FAMPOUX 172
CHAPTER VIII
BATTLE OF CAMBRAI 204
CHAPTER IX PAGE
RUITZ--LILLE--FROYENNES 231
CHAPTER X
ARMISTICE--LILLE--ARRAS--FINALE 252
APPENDICES
APPENDIX I
BRIEF NOTES ON SPECIALISTS 269
APPENDIX II
ROLL OF COMMANDING OFFICERS, SECONDS IN COMMAND, ADJUTANTS, }
AND QUARTERMASTERS }
} 281
ROLLS OF COMPANY COMMANDERS (OVERSEAS) AND WARRANT }
OFFICERS (OVERSEAS) }
APPENDIX III
NOMINAL ROLL AND RECORD OF SERVICE OF ALL OFFICERS,
WARRANT OFFICERS, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND
MEN 286
INDEX OF PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL PLACES 361
ILLUSTRATIONS
LIEUT.-COLONEL W. A. L. FLETCHER, D.S.O. _Frontispiece_
_Facing page_
BATTALION CAP BADGE, TITLE, AND DISTINGUISHING PATCH 1
COLONEL G. A. WILSON, V.D. 16
THE BATTALION--BLACKPOOL, 1914 33
GROUP--CANTERBURY, 1916 33
THE OFFICERS--MARGATE, 1915 48
THE KING'S INSPECTION, REVIEW GROUND, LAFFAN'S PLAIN,
1916 65
THE OFFICERS--WOKING, FEBRUARY, 1917 80
SERGEANTS' MESS--WOKING, FEBRUARY, 1917 97
THE BATTALION--WOKING, FEBRUARY, 1917 104
RUE DE LILLE, ARMENTIÈRES 112
HOUPLINES ROAD, LOOKING TOWARDS ARMENTIÈRES 129
BOCHE FRONT LINE OPPOSITE LEFT SECTOR, HOUPLINES.
FRELINGHIEN IN BACKGROUND, AND RIVER LYS IN FLOOD 129
HOUPLINES--BRITISH AND GERMAN TRENCHES ON LEFT COMPANY'S
FRONT. RIVER LYS, HOBBS AND EDMEADS FARMS.
AEROPLANE PHOTO DATED 1/1/18 144
THE PONT BALLOT SALIENT HOUPLINES. BRITISH AND GERMAN
TRENCH ON RIGHT AND RIGHT CENTRE COMPANIES' FRONT.
AEROPLANE PHOTO DATED 28/12/17 144
THE TRAIL TO PASSCHENDAELE 161
NEAR LANGEMARCK 161
LIEUT.-COLONEL HON. N. C. GATHORNE-HARDY, D.S.O. 176
GOMMECOURT PARK 193
GENERAL VIEW OF FAMPOUX 193
MŒUVRES, INCHY AND CANAL DU NORD. OBLIQUE AEROPLANE
PHOTOGRAPH 208
QUÉANT 225
INCHY 225
PRONVILLE 225
"CHEERIO" 232
THE CANAL DU NORD 240
CANAL DE L'ESCAUT NEAR CAMBRAI 240
THE CAMBRAI--BAPAUME ROAD, NEAR FONTAINE NOTRE DÂME 240
APPROACH TO CAMBRAI--RIFLE RANGE IN FOREGROUND.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY AEROPLANE, 1/10/18 248
HÔTEL DE VILLE, ARRAS 257
LIEUT.-COLONEL C. L. MACDONALD, D.S.O. 264
LIEUT.-COLONEL C. C. STAPLEDON 264
MAPS
_Facing page_
BOUTILLERIE SECTOR 40
RUE DU BOIS SECTOR 58
HOUPLINES 72
PONT BALLOT SALIENT HOUPLINES 106
IN FRONT OF LANGEMARCK 140
HOUTHULST FOREST SECTOR 150
SITE OF RAID, MARCH, 1918 170
GOMMECOURT 188
FAMPOUX 200
THE CAPTURE OF RIENCOURT 210
THE ROAD TO CAMBRAI 216
OPERATIONS 21-23 OCTOBER, 1918, NORTH OF TOURNAI 242
HAZEBROUCK, 5A } _In_
LENS 11 } _Pocket_
CAMBRAI AREA } _at end_
LILLE AND TOURNAI }
[Illustration: _Battalion Cap Badge, Title, and Distinguishing Patch_]
THE HISTORY
OF THE
2/6th (Rifle) Bn. "THE KING'S"
(Liverpool Regiment)
CHAPTER I
FORMATION OF THE BATTALION--THE
DEPOT--BLACKPOOL--CANTERBURY--MARGATE--UPSTREET CAMP--CANTERBURY--GORE
STREET CAMP
Owing to the rush in the early days of the war, when recruits were many
and records few, the actual date of the formation of the 2/6th (Rifle)
Battalion "The King's" (Liverpool Regiment) is obscure, but from
general evidence we can assume the date to have been September 10th,
1914. Certain it is that recruiting for the Second Line opened on that
date.
Before going further it may be worth setting forth the reasons which
prompted the War Office to create ours and similar battalions.
The Territorial Force was planned for Home Defence, and presumably
it was considered that there would be time and opportunity to train
recruits to replace the casualties and normal wastage of war. The
wholesale volunteering of battalions for Foreign Service altered
the situation completely, and it became necessary to create Reserve
Battalions. Their duty was twofold: first, to replace the battalion
that went abroad and relieve it of its function as a defensive force;
and, secondly, to supply it with the necessary drafts.
Consequently enlisting for the Reserve Battalion included both men
for Home and Foreign Service, and it was not until the following
spring that the success of the Territorial Battalions abroad prompted
the authorities to go one step further, and make the Second Line
Battalions, as they were then called, into Overseas Battalions. To make
this possible, Home Service men were transferred to Home Defence units,
known as Provisional Battalions, while Third Line Depots were created
for training drafts for the battalions on active service.
A clear understanding as to the position is necessary, so that the
reason why we remained in England till February, 1917, may be grasped.
Owing to the call on us for drafts throughout 1915 and early 1916,
our strength was much reduced. The Third Line Depots, however, owing
to the falling off in recruiting, were never strong enough to repair
the wastage of the First Line Battalion already overseas, much less
bring us up to strength. The necessary troops had, therefore, to be
raised from broken-up divisions in England, and it was from one of
these in 1916 that we were to receive the necessary men to complete our
strength. However, the terrible casualties of the Battle of the Somme
diverted to France as reinforcements the men that we were to have had
(some of them found their way to us in 1917 at St. Hilaire), and we
found ourselves with a couple of hundred "Derby men" in their place,
with a promise that we should go overseas as soon as these were trained.
However, to return to September, 1914, the early destinies of the
Reserve Battalion were placed in the hands of Captain J. Howard Temple,
who, with Captain H. K. Wilson and Captain Broad, had been sent back
to the Depot from the original 6th Battalion to organize the new unit,
and they could not have been placed in better hands. During the first
two days about 200 men were enlisted, and the work that devolved on
the head of Captain Temple may be better imagined than described. The
staff at his disposal were Colour-Sergeants Taggart, Firth, Ramsay,
Staff-Sergeant Miller, and Sergeants Blackburn, Cormack, Pender, Lee,
and Leask. In addition some budding officers with O.T.C. experience
helped to fill the gap, and the work of training and organization
proceeded apace, though most of the staff for a considerable period had
to sleep and eat at the Depot.
As the numbers increased the men were formed into eight companies,
and from the ranks men with some experience were picked out and
appointed Acting Lance-Corporals, amongst these being Heyworth, Batson,
Higginbottom, H. Lewis, Hockenhull, Hinde, C. E. Peck, Brunner, Pryce,
and Beeston.
Those early days are amusing to look back upon. We came daily to
the drill-shed for training in every form of costume that can be
imagined--some men in everyday clothes of a clerk, some in shooting
coats and grey trousers, others in khaki bought at their own expense,
and so on. Bowler hats were early discouraged, but except for that
there were no restrictions as to dress.
Little by little khaki began to appear and our regulation black
puttees, though the regimental "walking out" uniforms had for some time
to be used as a temporary arrangement, which made us look a motley
crowd.
"Bugles" were soon formed, and behind these we marched gaily to the Old
Farm Field in Sefton Park for drill, and to Allerton or Arrowe Hall for
field days. In those early irresponsible days life proceeded easily;
the "King's Regulations" and the "Manual of Military Law" were volumes
unknown except to a very few. Keenness and enthusiasm were the keynotes
of our life. Someone murmured the word "inoculation," and forthwith
we trooped in gay crowds to the Medical Officer to undergo that
much-discussed but very innocent operation. The 1/6th Battalion wanted
men to complete their numbers: the draft could have been made up ten
times over. How proudly we marched through the streets of Liverpool!
How we envied the New Army Battalions--the "blue-eyed boys" of the
War Office--who called themselves "Regulars," and on whom everything
seemed to be lavished. Beyond frequent inspections, we got no serious
assistance for two and a half years, and equipment was doled out but
sparingly up till the last moment. The reason of this apparent neglect
was probably sound and in accordance with policy, but it was none the
less heart-breaking at times.
With the beginning of November things began to move apace. Colonel G.
A. Wilson, V.D., was appointed Commanding Officer, and to this fact we
can attribute the smartness and _esprit de corps_ that distinguished
the battalion up till the end of its history. The sound principles on
which Colonel Wilson proceeded to train his battalion produced the best
and most lasting results, and, without wishing in any way to overstep
the mark, one may say that few, if any, battalions were brought from
the early chaotic state to a well-organized and self-contained machine
in such a short time as our own. It was not only, however, in his
scheme of training that Colonel Wilson was so successful, but also in
his choice of officers. He gathered round him officers of many kinds:
not only young and enthusiastic members of School and University
O.T.Cs., but older men also--some without military experience, it is
true, but with that broader outlook and ability that more mature years
bring with them; others, again, who had much military experience to
their credit, and--precious above all--experience of war itself. Of
the latter, Captain W. A. L. Fletcher, D.S.O., Captain C. W. Wilson,
Captain G. L. Fletcher, and Captain G. P. Rogers had all served with
distinction in the Boer War, and, be a war great or be it small, the
knowledge that comes from actual shells and bullets is worth the having.
Captain W. A. L. Fletcher, who came as Adjutant, requires further
mention. One of the greatest oarsmen Oxford ever produced, a great
traveller and big game shot, he represented the very finest type of
Englishman, and his presence with the battalion first as Adjutant and
later as Commanding Officer, was an asset impossible to estimate.
Strong and self-reliant, capable and far-seeing, he had a natural
genius for military science, while for personal gallantry the deed
that won him the D.S.O. when a subaltern in South Africa was more than
sufficient testimony. From the day he joined till the day of his death,
in 1919, his thoughts were centred on the success and the welfare of
the battalion with the most whole-hearted devotion.
The organization of the battalion into eight companies, which
had been roughly sketched out, was now completed, the Commanders
being respectively--Captains Wilson, G. L. Fletcher, W. R.
Clarke, Rogers, Lawrence, A. T. Miller, Herschell, and Wurtzburg.
Colour-Sergeant-Instructor Kelly was appointed regimental
sergeant-major provisionally, and Regimental Sergeant-Major Barnett, of
the 1/6th "The King's" (Liverpool Regiment), was gazetted Lieutenant
and Quartermaster.
Training proceeded on the normal lines of arms drill (with twenty old
D.P. rifles circulated in turn), outposts, guards, musketry (including
miniature range practice), route marching, and physical training. The
foundations were also laid of the scout and signal sections.
On November 4th a draft of 240 men left for Redhill to join the 1/6th
Battalion, and a very fine body of men they were. In addition, four
officers were dispatched--2nd-Lieutenants G. Hughes, T. E. Rome, E. H.
Tyson, and N. B. Ronald. We also received a draft of men in exchange,
composed of those too young or unfit for active service, with a
sprinkling of those unwilling to undertake foreign service obligations.
On November 10th the battalion proceeded to Blackpool with the
remaining reserve units of the Liverpool Regiment, under the command
of Colonel Wilson as Acting Brigadier. Captain Broad remained as O.C.
Depot. The route to Exchange Station was thronged with people to wish
us good-bye and God-speed. The battalion was now entering its first
real stage on the road to active service. We arrived at Blackpool to
find the sun shining brightly, and all were as cheerful as could be.
The men were billeted with subsistence, at a heavy cost, in streets at
North Shore, the officers being quartered at Stretton Private Hotel on
the front.
Military life now assumed a more stern aspect. Early morning parades on
the cold and breezy front, hours of drill on the sands or on the bleak
and wind-swept slopes of Norbreck Hill, were somewhat more severe than
our easy training at Liverpool. However, we meant to get efficient, and
though we worked all day and every day, including Saturday afternoons,
with lectures in the evening, life at Blackpool was happy enough, and
the local attractions all the more alluring by reason of our hard work
and fine condition.
We found ourselves forming, with the Reserve Battalions of the 5th,
7th, and 8th Liverpools, the Reserve Liverpool Infantry Brigade, under
the command of Colonel S. H. Harrison, an old "King's" officer--a
most courteous and kindly Irishman, and a very keen and enthusiastic
soldier. Our Divisional Commander, Brigadier-General F. A. Adam, C.B.,
lately commanding the British brigade at Malta, had been appointed to
command a division earmarked for immediate service in France, but had
most unluckily been injured in an accident while riding. A most capable
and efficient soldier he was, and his misfortune was the good fortune
of our division.
On November 28th we were inspected by our Brigadier at Singleton Hall,
the owner of which kindly lent his grounds for the purpose, and we
were complimented on our bearing and steadiness. This was our first
introduction to the intricacies of the "Manual of Ceremonial."
Christmas leave was our great anxiety at this time, and, after having
been at first disappointed, we were at length allowed to go in batches
to our homes. From Christmas till the move down south we were actively
employed--guards on the pierheads, piquets on the North and South
Shores, drill, and, later, musketry with real rifles at Fleetwood.
The battalion was now organized into four companies in accordance with
"Infantry Training, 1914," which were respectively commanded by Major
H. K. Wilson ("A" Company), Captain C. W. Wilson ("D" Company), Captain
G. L. Fletcher ("C" Company), and Captain Lawrence ("B" Company).
Colour-sergeants were divided into company sergeant-majors and company
quartermaster-sergeants to meet the new organization; and R. Smith
was appointed regimental sergeant-major, Kelly being made company
sergeant-major of "B" Company.
Many more officers meanwhile had joined--so many, in fact, that we were
for a time over strength. Captain Wurtzburg was attached as Acting
Staff Officer at Brigade, and was subsequently gazetted as a Brigade
Major.
On January 12th a draft of 210 men were dispatched to Canterbury, many
N.C.Os. gladly giving up their temporary stripes to join the draft.
That was ever the spirit. Two days later General Sir R. Pole Carew,
Inspector-General, Territorial Force, inspected us on the South Shore
field, and expressed himself much pleased with our steadiness on parade.
Transport, consisting of requisitioned civilian vehicles, had recently
arrived, and Lieutenant L. G. May was appointed as Transport Officer.
His men were not long in appearing clad in riding breeches and spurs,
and lent a slightly military aspect to their antique civilian carts.
Route marching formed a considerable part of the training programme,
and on January 20th the battalion marched to Garstang and back, a
distance of thirty-three and three-quarter miles. It was congratulated
by General Adam on being "so hard and fit that it can perform a long
march in such good order." On February 1st a more ambitious scheme of
marching to Liverpool and back was entered upon. Rifles had arrived
that morning, and were issued on parade, string being provided in lieu
of slings. The first day's march was to Preston, where we billeted for
the night. The next day it rained steadily, and we were glad enough
to reach Ormskirk, where the popular reception was such that the
orderly-room was deluged with requests from people asking if they could
not entertain at any rate one man. The spirit of Ormskirk was, indeed,
conspicuous all along the route, and the arrival on the Exchange flags
the next day produced a rousing reception. After breaking away for
the rest of the day, the battalion set off for the return march the
following day, and completed its 100-mile march in splendid form, only
a few men having become casualties, and these because of ill-fitting
boots. "Rip," the battalion dog, led by the Commanding Officer's groom,
attracted no little attention during the march.
Forms of recreation at Blackpool were manifold, the town going out of
its way to entertain the troops. The Salford Harriers put up a military
run of seven miles, and this was won by Rifleman J. N. C. Davies in 45
minutes 18 seconds.
On February 8th the battalion moved down to Canterbury to replace the
1/6th Battalion, and at Blackpool we left behind many friends and a
high reputation, of which the battalion may well be proud. Captain
Lawrence left us at this point, _anno domini_ having proved too much
even for his dauntless spirit.
At Canterbury we found the band and 170 details of the 1/6th, the
former being a great asset under the able direction of Sergeant
Hodgson. Billets were different from those at Blackpool. We now
had at the most two or three men to a billet, and we also had army
rations. However, the "occupiers" were most kindly and made us
very welcome, though they were apt to resent the rigorous daily
inspection--apparently a novelty to them. Our transport was further
augmented by some quaint vehicles and still quainter mules discarded
by our predecessors, also one or two pack ponies. The mules were
productive of considerable amusement. On March 15th, after this brief
stay in Canterbury--due to the congestion of troops--we marched down
to Margate, and were given billets in Cliftonville. We were the only
battalion of the Division in Margate, the rest of our Brigade being
at Canterbury. That we were popular at Margate, and that Margate was
popular with us, need hardly be added. The behaviour of the battalion
fully justified the continued and generous attention which we received
from the authorities and people of the town.
We had now left the reserve training area of the north, and were in the
zone of possible invasion. The First Line Division had gone overseas
piecemeal, and their Divisional and Brigade Staffs now took charge of
us. Major-General J. B. Forster, C.B., commanded our Division, which
was a unit of the Central Force, commanded by General Sir Ian Hamilton;
while our Brigade was commanded by Brigadier-General A. R. Gilbert,
D.S.O., with Major Fulton, of the Worcesters, as Brigade Major, and
Captain Beazley, of the 1/6th, as Staff Captain.
Soon after our arrival in Margate, Major Temple, to our great regret,
left us, being seconded to the Navy for special service, with the rank
of Commander. He had been the principal pioneer of our battalion, and
had done all that industry and money could do to further our interests.
Though detached from us, we are glad to think he followed our movements
and furthered our schemes by every means in his power.
We now entered on a series of inspections by many Generals, including
Lieutenant-General Hon. Sir Frederick Stopford, Commanding the Second
Army, Central Force, in Dane Park, when he was good enough to say that
we were one of the best units he had seen.
Equipment now began to arrive, and Japanese rifles, which we could
really fire, and we began to feel that we were becoming a fighting,
and not merely an ornamental, battalion. We were responsible for the
Margate defences, and alarms, practice or otherwise, occurred at
most inconvenient moments with most unpleasant frequency. Many are
the stories connected with these alarms, but lack of space prevents
their narration. Easter Monday morning, in particular, saw us marching
hurriedly to Broadstairs at 5.30 a.m., where the remainder of the
Brigade met us from Canterbury. This was believed to have been a
genuine alarm, but it ended in nothing. Zeppelins were the only form of
enemy we saw, and they dropped no bombs on Margate while we were there.
Musketry parties were now busy at Sandwich, where they were billeted
in the Golf Club-house; and a Vickers' machine-gun was received, which
enabled Lieutenant Bowring to teach his most efficient section with
something more satisfying than a wooden dummy.
In the middle of April those who had not signed the form in which the
obligation to serve overseas was accepted were separated, and formed,
with others, the 43rd Provisional Battalion for Home Defence. This left
us only 700 strong, but the defence of Margate and the entrenching in
connection with it passed from our hands, and left us more time for
training. It may be worth recalling that some of the men who elected to
join a Home Service Battalion actually proceeded overseas, by reason of
the Military Service Act, before we did.
On May 17th the Third Line Depots were formed, and a nucleus of
officers and N.C.Os. were dispatched to Weeton Camp, near Blackpool, to
organize our new unit. Amongst the former were Captain G. L. Fletcher
to command and Captain A. T. Miller to act as Adjutant. Captain Clarke
also left us to take command of the Depot at Liverpool. Captain Moon
soon after was appointed to command "B" Company, vacated by Captain
Miller, which had been temporarily commanded by Lieutenant R. L.
Dobell, who was attached to us for a short time. "C" Company was given
to Captain Parker on Captain G. L. Fletcher's departure.
About this time the Central Force was amalgamated with the Eastern
Command, and we came under the orders of that Command for operations.
General C. L. Woollcombe, C.B., lost little time in coming to inspect
us, and confirmed the good reports already made by inspecting officers.
Two serious changes now occurred in our Battalion Headquarters Staff.
Lieutenant Barnett, while acting as umpire at a big field day, was
knocked down and sustained a fracture of the skull. He was away for
some time, returning eventually as Captain and Adjutant; his place
as Quartermaster, after it had been held as a temporary measure by
Lieutenant Kelk, being taken by Sutherland, till then orderly-room
sergeant, who more than filled the post he took over. In addition,
Colonel Wilson on June 20th resigned command owing to pressure of
business which demanded his personal attention. As has already been
said, he had laid the best foundations that a battalion could wish for.
A keen "rifleman" himself, he had never been content with anything but
the best. If he worked us hard, if he was stern and exacting, he always
himself set the example, and the spirit of leadership with which he
inspired Officers and N.C.Os. remained with the battalion till its last
days.
Training at Margate was carried out with zeal and energy of no
mean order. As a rule the battalion formed up in companies in line
opposite Lancaster House, to the strains of the band. After that the
programme varied between route marches round Thanet, Minster and Sarre
generally figuring somewhere on the route; field days on Thanet Golf
Course; battalion drill--always a prominent and important feature in
our training; bayonet fighting, under Sergeant Bowling; bombing with
tiny bags filled with sand; or general training in a field at the
North Foreland end of Margate. A cold ration was usually taken, and
the battalion returned about 3 p.m., and, after marching past the
Commanding Officer by companies, dismissed for the day, and found its
way severally to "Bobbie's" or other popular cafés for tea. Night
operations occurred weekly, and resulted in many amusing contretemps.
Church parades were carried out with full military ceremonial, and the
sight of the battalion marching back on a gorgeous Sunday morning, with
the band playing at its head, was a sight to be remembered, and evoked
the unstinted admiration of the people and visitors of Margate. The
parade ended with "Officers, take post," after which the companies
moved off under their senior warrant officer or N.C.O.
Upstreet Camp, some miles along the Canterbury Road, was in the
meantime being prepared, and our advanced party was busy putting up
tents and other necessities.
If we had been worked hard at Margate, we had certainly had a good
time. Sea bathing, concerts, Sunday afternoons on the promenade
with our band playing in the Oval, and other pleasurable forms of
recreation abounded. Mention must also be made of two most successful
singing competitions organized under the auspices of the Mayor and
Corporation, for which the proprietors of the Winter Gardens very
generously provided their magnificent hall free of charge. Some 3,000
people were present, and the success of these concerts, not only for
the prizewinners, but for all present, was undoubted. The reports in
the local press are eloquent on the subject, as they were, in fact, on
the "unfailing kindness, courtesy, and general behaviour" of the 2/6th
(Rifle) Battalion (as we were now styled) of "The King's" (Liverpool
Regiment).
On July 13th we marched to Upstreet Camp, set close to the Thanet
Marshes, a pleasant spot in summer, but a quagmire in the autumn, as we
found out later to our cost.
While in camp at Upstreet, except for occasional field operations
towards Reculvers and one memorable Brigade field day at Whitstable,
the battalion was engaged practically continuously digging trenches,
wiring, and revetting in the vicinity of Upstreet and St. Nicholas.
The effect of the three months' hard manual labour on the physique
of the battalion was very marked, the men growing and broadening out
almost beyond recognition. There was considerable movement of men at
this period. On August 3rd Captain Wilson conducted 96 men overseas,
and on August 6th 112 men were received from the Third Line. Officers
were also proceeding at intervals overseas, and others recruiting
from hospital were also attached to us for varying periods of time. In
November our establishment was reduced to twenty-three officers, and
all the remainder were dispatched to the Third Line.
On August 8th Major W. A. L. Fletcher, D.S.O., was gazetted
Lieutenant-Colonel, and took over the command of the battalion. Captain
Gilling had meanwhile assumed command of "A" Company.
By October 10th we were more than pleased to vacate our camp, where we
were wellnigh drowned and frozen, and moved to billets at Canterbury
once more. Our move was made more dignified by the presence of
regulation transport, which had been received at Upstreet Camp, in
place of our miscellaneous collection of almost prehistoric civilian
vehicles.
Headquarters at Canterbury were at Dagmar House in Dane John, the men
being billeted in all the neighbouring streets, Wincheap, York, Oxford,
Guildford, and Martyrsfield Roads being the chief. A number of mules
were received, of varying dispositions, the most notorious rejoicing in
the name of "Lusitania."
The end of 1915 found us plodding steadily on with the now somewhat
monotonous round of general training, the only excitement being an
occasional Zeppelin scare or a more serious "stand to." The latter,
during the earlier days of 1916, kept us for nearly a week in a state
of readiness to move at half an hour's notice. Transport vehicles were
kept fully loaded, and meals were served from field kitchens, while
trains stood waiting with steam up in the station.
During the first three months of 1916 fourteen drafts of "Derby"
recruits were received, numbering in all 319 men. Some of these men
we thought were rather old at first, but they turned out splendidly.
These drafts were distributed into squads under specially selected
instructors, whence they were drafted as they became qualified into
the companies to which they had been posted. The care and attention
lavished on these men were productive of excellent results, as the
records of many of them can testify. A Brigade N.C.Os.' class was
also held during this period at Old Park, and was conducted by Captain
Barnett.
Training, owing to the weather, was apt to be confined to the "vicinity
of billets" or the Presbyterian Hall. Dane John was generally tenanted
by signallers or other specialists. We also had occasional field
days at Bridge, and withheld stoutly the attacking Germans who had
invariably landed at St. Margaret's Bay.
In February our first Lewis guns were received, and the number went
on increasing from that time till about the spring of 1918, when we
reached a total of twenty-eight. Rumours of the separation of machine
gunners into a new machine gun corps had been for some time afloat,
and on May 2nd twenty-two men of the battalion were discharged and
re-enlisted in the Machine Gun Corps. The quick promotion which
practically all these obtained is a proof of the good tone of the
battalion and of the magnificent instruction which the men had received
under Lieutenant Bowring. A draft of 150 men had been sent just prior
to this to the Third Line _en route_ for overseas, but the majority
reappeared shortly after. A party, under Captain Gilling, was detached
at Birchington for some time, working on the defences, and a small
observation post for hostile aircraft was stationed at Wootton, and a
party was also kept at the R.F.C. ground, Bekesbourne.
On April 19th the battalion was inspected at Sturry by General Right
Hon. Sir Arthur Paget, who expressed himself favourably impressed; and
on May 8th the Commanding Officer went to France for a tour in the
line, bringing back many valuable hints. He spent his time in front of
Gommecourt, a spot that was to be very familiar to us later on.
Musketry was now resumed at Sandwich in intensely hot weather, the
march--some sixteen miles--proving too much for some of the men who had
not experienced that training in march discipline with which the older
members of the battalion were acquainted. The balance of the battalion
not so employed were inspected, with the rest of the 57th Division (we
had ceased to be the 2/1st West Lancashire Division and 2/1st Liverpool
Infantry Brigade, the latter now being designated the 171st Infantry
Brigade), at Westbere by Sir John French, who had recently been
appointed Commander-in-Chief Home Forces. He endeavoured to explain
our continued presence in England, which was in no way connected with
inefficiency, but was due to the lack at the moment of any adequate
force of trained troops for Home Defence.
The continued rumours of early foreign service, however, still buoyed
us up, in spite of their failure to materialize, and it speaks wonders
for the battalion that they endured two and a half years of training in
England, with every kind of alteration in policy, without losing to any
extent their cheerfulness and their keenness.
Canterbury, with its church parades in the Cathedral, with its general
training at the Parsonage Farm, its company training and battalion
operations, its company concerts and its comfortable billets, was now
about to join Blackpool and Margate among the memories of the past.
Advanced parties were now at Gore Street, where a joint camp was being
constructed for the 2/5th K.L.R. and ourselves. Excellently situated on
a branch from the main road between Monkton and Minster, it was only
some four miles from our old camp at Upstreet. Standing, however, on
higher ground, it looked over the Thanet Marshes, and so escaped the
disadvantages of damp and mist which belong to such low-lying ground.
The tents were also particularly good. The only disadvantage was a lack
of space, the area, limited as it was, being further cramped by the
presence of the Wessex Field Ambulance, a pleasant party though they
were.
Digging operations now recommenced, in addition to the usual round of
general and specialist training. A visit by Sir Francis Howard with an
Ordnance inspector who murmured of "foreign service" filled us with the
highest hopes. Our equipment was condemned, and likewise our rifles,
which had replaced the Japanese weapons some months previously.
Apparently we were to have everything we wanted, proceed to Aldershot
for final training, and then to France. Before we left Gore Street some
very successful sports were organized in conjunction with the 2/5th
K.L.R. and many amusing sideshows were added. A practice night alarm
for hostile aircraft caused some merriment when Captain Moon was seen
hurrying to report attired in a service cap, nightshirt, British warm,
and a pair of gum-boots. One memorable field day must be recorded,
which was known for long after as the Battle of Pluck's Gutter, the
scene of operations.
The command of "C" Company passed to Captain Eccles about this time. He
had relieved Lieutenant May as Transport Officer when the latter joined
the Home Service unit, but had handed over this duty shortly after to
Lieutenant Hutchinson.
On July 15th, after vast preparations--we had made no considerable
move for eighteen months--we entrained at Canterbury, after a long and
tiring march, for Aldershot, getting a magnificent send off from our
Canterbury friends, not to mention ample supplies of fruit from the
manager of the Queen's Hotel, Margate.
With what high hopes we set off on our journey! Now at last we felt
that the final stage in our education had been reached. Aldershot and
Salisbury Plain were the universities of the military student, whence
he was launched into the vortex of war complete with all the necessary
knowledge. That we had now at last been admitted to this select academy
must mean that our days in England were strictly numbered. Alas for our
hopes!
[Illustration: Photo by Houghton, Margate.
COL. G. A. WILSON, V.D.]
CHAPTER II
PREPARATION FOR OVERSEAS--BOURLEY CAMP--INKERMAN BARRACKS, WOKING
On arrival at Aldershot we detrained at the military siding and marched
off over the switchback road across the edge of Laffan's Plain to
Bourley Bottom, some two miles from the town in the direction of Fleet.
The camp, which was on the site of one of the usual summer camping
grounds, was from the picturesque point of view delightfully situated.
It lay in the centre of a ring of low, wooded hills which sheltered
it from all wind, and the white tents stood out in pleasing contrast
to the surrounding browns and greens of the background. As a place of
habitation, however, it could not compare with Gore Street; the canvas
was poor, and the general arrangements by no means so modern. Moreover,
by its very situation the camp was damp, and in continued bad weather
would probably have proved unhealthy. However, we had come there with
a purpose--viz., to complete as quickly as possible our military
knowledge--and we were in no mood to cavil at details.
From the moment of our arrival we realized that every moment would
be precious. A musketry course had to be fired, and the outline of a
tactical training programme had already been issued. Musketry commenced
on July 17th, two days after arrival, and we fired on alternate days
on Cæsar's Camp ranges, hardly a mile away, and on Ash ranges, a
good six miles away. As firing was always to commence at 7 a.m. when
not prevented by an early morning mist, as frequently happened, we
used to rise very early for Ash ranges, and the "butt party" still
earlier. Away we would tramp over the rough road to Aldershot, through
the silent streets, past the many barracks when "Reveillé" was just
sounding, and so out of the town again towards the Fox Hills and our
destination at Ash ranges.
Throughout the musketry course the weather was brilliant, but the heat
tremendous. Home we would come after a cold ration for lunch, and
sing ourselves hoarse as we marched through Aldershot. Many were the
comments passed on our singing powers, and truly the men sang well, and
marched even better. Our musketry also proved good, and we came out top
of our Brigade and second in the Division.
On August 6th Lieutenant-Colonel H. D. Spencely, T.D., Honorary Colonel
of the battalion, came and paid us a visit, to our great delight, and
we think that he was more than satisfied with what he saw.
We were now embarked on a series of the field operations of which
brigade training mainly consists. Each day saw us marching off towards
the Long Valley, for ever famous in military annals, there to practise
attack formations, advance and rear guards, outposts, fire control,
and so forth. Some days we joined battle with the other battalions of
the Brigade, one against three or two against two. Norris and Eelmoor
Bridges frequently figured somewhere in the scheme of operations, or,
again, Cocked Hat Wood or Outridden Copse. Many of the battles were of
the most determined description, and casualties were caused, if not
by enemy action, at any rate by order of the supervising staff, which
consisted frequently of several distinguished soldiers, including
General Sir Archibald Hunter, G.O.C.-in-C. Aldershot Command, and Sir
Francis Howard, Inspector-General of Troops for overseas. The work was
hard and the conditions variable. Sometimes the dust stirred up seemed
almost too choking to be endured; at other times one waded through mud
and slush well over the boots, to the great detriment of black puttees.
Sandy Lane, the euphemistic name for the track to our camp, was
notorious for its depth of mud, which the constant passing of vehicles
churned up into a paste of most vile consistency.
Many were the amusing incidents of these training days, but one cannot
detail them here. Still, they helped us to carry through the long days
of strenuous physical exercise.
A pleasant respite, however, was ahead. On August 19th the whole
battalion, less a small party left to guard the camp, proceeded to
Liverpool for its "last leave," reassembling on August 24th on St.
George's Plateau for the return. Great was the enthusiasm that welcomed
the battalion and again sent it on its way.
On August 18th fifteen men, too young for foreign service, had been
dispatched to the 5th Territorial Force Reserve Battalion K.L.R. at
Oswestry, and on August 22nd we said good-bye to nine more machine
gunners who were transferred to Grantham. Moreover, a light trench
mortar battery was in course of formation in each brigade, and to this
we contributed Lieutenant H. E. Barrow to command, 2nd-Lieutenant D. G.
Leonard, and twenty-three men. The battery proceeded on September 3rd
to Pirbright, returning again after some range practice on September
10th, when they occupied a corner of our camp. Later in September they
finally left us for Pirbright, and we saw them no more till we met in
the trenches in France.
Another important part of our training took place in the trenches
constructed in the vicinity of the Foresters Public-House (or "P.H.,"
as the maps described it, and as, in fact, it was generally called),
which was situated about two miles north of our camp on the far side
of the race-course. Here an elaborate set of trenches had been dug,
and these the battalions occupied in turn for varying periods not
exceeding thirty-six hours, relieving each other in the approved
fashion, and carrying on in the trenches as far as possible as they
would do in France. An enemy was generally provided in the enemy front
line opposite, and silent raids occurred at uncertain intervals. Major
Geddes, the Brigade Major, and 2nd-Lieutenant Bevir, the Brigade
Bombing Officer, even worked a gas attack on us; but as the sentry
thought it was only smoke from an adjacent rubbish destructor the
efforts of our enthusiastic staff fell somewhat flat. That these
practices were valuable no one can doubt; added to which we learnt
something of night-working parties, ration carrying, patrolling, laying
of telephones, S.O.S. alarms, and so on; but it must be admitted that
nights in the Foresters P.H. Trenches were vastly more uncomfortable
than those in any trench sector we held in France in similar weather.
Apart from mere practice in trench routine, we carried out some
elaborate attacks across these trenches in the "wave" method then
in vogue, such an operation on September 19th being performed under
the eye of Sir John French, who made some flattering comments on the
Division.
Three days before this we had a practice alarm, followed by a
concentration of the whole Division in the Long Valley, where our
Divisional Commander, Major-General Forster, carried out his final
inspection before giving up command. On September 23rd the Division
had the honour of being inspected by His Majesty the King. It was a
brilliant day, and the scene was one that will long live in the memory
of those who took part in it. The Division was drawn up in review order
on the Review Ground facing the Pavilion, and after a Royal Salute the
King rode round the ranks. It was a pretty severe test of discipline
and steadiness, but, as a regular officer was heard to remark in the
Aldershot Club that evening, "the men were magnificent, and the march
past first rate. You would have thought it was a regular division."
The battalion gained great credit for their share in the march past,
though the pace set by the band was almost too quick even for riflemen.
After this Commanding Officers were introduced to His Majesty, and we
set off for home, feeling more than satisfied with our turn out, our
discipline, and our drill.
We had all this while been confident of our early departure for
overseas. We had had our last leave and been inspected by the King, we
had lent our rifles to a draft of men from the Home Counties Division
to enable them to complete their musketry before joining us, and we
had all been recently inoculated and vaccinated. How near we were
then to going abroad only those in the secret know, but gradually the
suspicion spread that our time had not yet come, and it proved only
too true. Our draft, or what we called "our draft," proceeded overseas
direct, and we learned to our dismay that we were shortly to proceed to
Woking for winter quarters. It was a terrible disappointment. Everyone
had felt that at last the promised day was come, and here were our
hopes dashed to the ground once more. The battalion behaved splendidly,
however, and only those who knew the men intimately realized how severe
was the blow. For two long years had we been training, and now, when
our hopes were all but realized, we found ourselves condemned once more
to the old grind and the old routine for an indefinite period. Men were
almost ashamed to go on leave and face the heartless gibes of those who
did not know the facts; but they settled down again to the old tasks
with grim determination, feeling that one day they would really be
allowed to go, and that the more efficient they made themselves, and
the quicker they trained the promised drafts of raw men, the sooner
would their ambition be realized.
Our stay at Aldershot, although it had not proved the final prelude
to our move overseas, had not been without its value. During the
long period of training in the different stations where we had been
quartered work had to a certain extent suffered either from lack of
facilities or from the special attention that had to be paid to drafts,
and also from the changes necessitated by the latters' departure.
Consequently an undue proportion of time had perforce been devoted to
certain special aspects of training, such as physical drill, rifle
exercises, bombing, and so forth; little scope being provided, except
occasionally, for the more practical side of training of which field
operations mainly consist. During the period at Aldershot we had for
the first time worked daily not only as a self-contained unit with all
the specialists cooperating according to their particular functions,
but also as part of an active field force, represented by not only the
whole Brigade, but by the various arms of the service, which nominally
work in unison during active operations. The experience gained was
therefore very valuable, and the instruction in trench routine gave
every man some inkling, at any rate, of what the real life in the line
was like.
On September 27th the battalion set off on a fine, sunny day to march
to Woking, a halt being made about 12.30 p.m. in a pleasant wood for
dinner, which had been cooking in field kitchens as we marched along.
We arrived at our destination in comfortable time for tea. Inkerman
Barracks in normal times must be a very pleasant spot. They stand well
on high ground above Woking and close to the hamlet of St. John's, and
are well laid out. Unfortunately, owing to a lack of space we shared
these barracks with the 2/5th K.L.R., and in addition a squadron of
Bedfordshire Yeomanry and a company of A.S.C. were also accommodated
in the outbuildings. We had half the barracks, together with the
guard-room and the orderly-room at the entrance to the barrack square,
while the officers had the officers' quarters. The 2/5th K.L.R. had the
other half of the barracks and most of the married quarters for their
officers. We had also one or two of these small cottages. The mess we
shared jointly.
For training there was a large field next the barracks, and some rough
ground behind, where final assault courses were constructed. There
were several pieces of common land in the near vicinity, and some four
miles away was the splendid piece of country known as Chobham Common.
On the whole, therefore, we were well off; while the barrack square was
admirably suited for close order drill, there being just room to move a
whole battalion _en masse_.
The barracks were very dirty when we took them over, but before long
they became spotless under the keen eye of the Commanding Officer at
his weekly inspection. The men were accommodated in large dormitories,
the majority on beds; and though the rooms were apt to be somewhat
cold and draughty, there was no real cause of complaint. There was a
Y.M.C.A. hut in the barrack square, and another one nearer Woking.
The morning after our arrival the Commanding Officer read out the
message from His Majesty the King, in which he expressed himself most
satisfied with the appearance of the Division at the review, and his
confidence that when the time came the men would fight as Lancashire
men always fought. He added, however, that he would reserve his final
message until definite orders were received to proceed overseas. On
October 3rd General Broadwood inspected the battalion in the barrack
square, and all officers were introduced to him. We now commenced a
further General Musketry Course at Pirbright Ranges, the weather being
on the whole good, though intensely cold.
The promised drafts now began to arrive, and between October 10th
and 23rd 229 men arrived, bringing the strength of the battalion up
to 1,116 men. On their first arrival the new-comers created no very
favourable impression, but by the time that we proceeded overseas
they had grown and broadened out almost beyond recognition. After
considerable discussion all the drafts of the Division were sent to
Training Reserve Battalions at Aldershot for six weeks--an arrangement
which certainly had some points in its favour, but in the light of
experience probably more against it.
On October 6th the Signal Section competed in an efficiency
competition, open to all battalions in the Aldershot Command, and
finished a good winner over a large number of competitors. This was
the prelude to further victories in similar competitions won by the
battalion, to which we shall refer later.
On October 14th an elaborate mine explosion took place at Frith Hill
under the most realistic conditions, including an occupation of the
crater by a large force from the adjoining model trench system. The
proceedings were admirably stage-managed, and were witnessed by a
most imposing display of General and other Officers from all parts
of the country. The detonation was expected to be such that even as
far as Woking all windows had to be left open for fear of damage from
concussion. However, so heavy was the charge, and apparently so light
the soil, that, so far from anything very spectacular occurring, a
small quantity of earth was flung almost silently into the air, and the
greater portion of it fell back into the place from which it had been
dislodged. In spite of this misfortune, the occupation party dashed
forward, and, regardless of the heavy fire from the enemy trenches,
consolidated the position and constructed wire entanglements with great
vigour and determination.
As another form of instruction suitable for men about to proceed
overseas, we commenced, under R.E. supervision, deep dug-outs on
Dawney's Hill. These were worked in the first instance by the 2/5th
K.L.R. and ourselves in continuous forty-eight hour shifts. Other men
were meantime engaged in such exercises as construction and capture
of a strong post, wiring and revetting, throwing live bombs (each man
throwing one by day and one by night), and instruction in gas-helmet
drill, including the standard tests; and in addition there was the
usual rapid loading, bayonet fighting, and drill.
On November 3rd Captain Barnett was examined by a Medical Board and
found to be permanently disabled by the injury to his head which
had been caused by the accident previously mentioned. He proceeded,
accordingly, the next day on leave, pending the _Gazette_ notifying the
relinquishment of his commission; and Captain Wurtzburg took over his
duties, being subsequently gazetted Adjutant.
To any battalion, however well trained, Captain Barnett, by reason of
his vast experience of every side of military training, would have
been invaluable. It is therefore quite impossible to over-estimate the
benefit that a young battalion like ours derived from his knowledge and
efficiency. The Commanding Officer had just previously left us for a
few weeks to undergo a slight surgical operation, and the Command had
devolved on Major C. W. Wilson, in the absence of Major H. K. Wilson,
who was attending the Senior Officers' Course at Aldershot.
On November 15th a draft of four officers--Lieutenant Ormrod,
2nd-Lieutenants McCormick, E. E. Paul, and Moseley--from the 6th
Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers arrived, and their arrival was most
timely. We were being absolutely swamped with courses of every possible
description; in addition, we had to maintain and relieve regularly
an officer with the deep dug-out party; there were numerous courts
of inquiry and courts-martial on foot, and the result, of course,
was that the shortage of officers had become acute. Moreover, to
stimulate efficiency, the Divisional Commander had devised four
competitions--route marching by a battalion; bayonet fighting and
physical training, each by a company; and wiring by a platoon.
Preliminary Brigade competitions were held, and we were selected to
compete in the Division for the first three events.
On November 21st the Division organized a concentration march and
billeting scheme for our Brigade, involving a march of some eight
miles to Chertsey. Coming as this did only two days before the final
of the Divisional Route Marching Competition it was rather a severe
handicap. However, on November 24th the whole battalion (except about
half a dozen men required to guard our quarters), accompanied by a full
regimental transport, set off on a fifteen mile march, which was to be
done in five hours. Marks were given for accurate timing in passing the
starting and finishing posts, for appearance of the men at the end of
the march, for march discipline, and for correct contents of vehicles
and packs. Hidden judges watched us at different parts of the march;
others checked our halts, ten minutes every hour; and the contents
of one platoon's packs were duly examined. The battalion marched
magnificently, and although a cooker horse dropped a shoe and had to
be shod by the cold shoer and regain the column without trotting, and
although during the latter part of the march the road was inches deep
in sand along a steep gradient, the last vehicle was clear of the
finishing point with five seconds to spare. Our casualties were only
two or three men, and but for the concentration march would never have
occurred. After some discussion over the case of another battalion,
who, contrary to the rules of the competition, had marched all the way
headed by a band who did not wear packs, we were declared the winners,
which we should have been in any case had we not forfeited a large
number of points. We lost these because one man had no boot-laces in
his pack; he remembered afterwards that they were in his pocket after
all; and another man was also apparently deficient of some small
article of kit. However, the battalion had every reason to be proud
of itself, and the result certainly served to remind the Divisional
Headquarters that other battalions existed besides the two Brigades
in their close vicinity at Blackdown. "B" Company trained for the
bayonet fighting, and, under Captain Moon, put up a display on November
29th, before the Chief Instructor of the London District School, which
astonished him, and in due course they were declared the winners. "D"
Company, under Captain Parker, also produced a splendid exhibition
of physical training, and were proclaimed joint winners with the
company of another battalion. In these last two competitions Company
Sergeant-Major-Instructor McLelland, A.G.S., deserved the very greatest
credit; he had been indefatigable in his exertions, and his methods
proved most efficient.
For the continued successes of the battalion we were awarded a richly
deserved twenty-four hours off parade.
All this time the specialists were receiving what may be described
as intensive training. Apart from the ordinary work under their own
instructors, they attended lectures and demonstrations of various
descriptions with the object of increasing their efficiency and
familiarizing them with the conditions under which they would have to
work. The snipers in particular received great attention, and were not
infrequently proceeding to Aldershot in connection with training. A
splendid model miniature range was also constructed by them in one of
the huts in the barrack square.
On December 11th Captain Moon left us to join the Portuguese
Expeditionary Force as an interpreter; and on Christmas Eve Major C.
W. Wilson proceeded overseas for a tour of instruction in the Ypres
Salient. On Boxing Day the battalion proceeded on a final three days'
last leave, receiving an even warmer welcome and send-off than before
from the good people of Liverpool, who realized that the departure of
the battalion for the front was imminent at last.
From Christmas till our actual departure was a period of intense
activity. Travelling Medical Boards came and examined our "Category
men," who were dispatched to various units according to their medical
fitness; others were earmarked, by reason of special knowledge, for
munition works, and so forth. Nominal rolls had to be completed
and checked, casualty forms filled up for every man, the N.C.O.
establishment completed, and a hundred other items of detail to be
foreseen and provided for.
On February 4th we had a further welcome addition of
officers--2nd-Lieutenants Royle, Goulding, Evans, and Rothwell, all of
whom had seen considerable active service with the 1/6th K.L.R., and
Lieutenant Parkinson and 2nd-Lieutenants Dugdale and Rule, from the
"King's Own." Of the latter, Lieutenant Parkinson was a fully qualified
R.F.C. pilot resting after a "crash."
On February 17th Major Turner, now convalescent after a serious wound
received while serving with the 1/6th K.L.R., arrived as O. i/c
Details, and began to take stock of everything; and on January 22nd
the battalion appeared for the first time in khaki puttees, a sure
sign that a real move overseas was intended. All the animals were
examined and "duds" replaced, and all vehicles completed in all items
of equipment. The distinguishing patch first approved at Aldershot, and
originally consisting of a small rectangle of black and green cloth in
two equal triangular sections (later divided by a thin red strip), was
now abolished, and we found our new mark was a green diamond worn on
each sleeve between the elbow and the shoulder.
In spite of our manifold activities, we managed to have some really
good entertainments, to which our newly formed orchestra, Rifleman
Kessen, the conjurer, and another rifleman, a superb banjo artiste
(unfortunately, in a low medical category), added talent of the highest
order; and the Divisional Band,--the old 6th it was--which had been
selected from all the bands to accompany the Division overseas, came
from time to time to give us the benefit of their music.
On February 3rd, 1917, we were inspected at Woking by H.R.H. the Duke
of Connaught, who in a short speech wished us all God-speed.
On February 12th the transport and Lewis gunners, with their respective
officers, under the command of Major H. K. Wilson, entrained at
Brookwood at 9.30 a.m. for Southampton. The Battalion was to proceed on
February 14th viâ Folkestone. The long years of training were over; the
memories of Blackpool, Margate, Canterbury, Bourley were fast fading
away. Only the future concerned us now. All that could be done by
training had been done, and it now rested with each individual whether
the battalion maintained its reputation and assisted the Division to
justify the confidence placed in it by His Majesty the King, who had
sent us the following most gracious message:--
* * * * *
"OFFICERS, NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE 57TH DIVISION,
"On the eve of your departure for active service I send you my
heartfelt good wishes.
"West Lancashire Regiments have earned a high reputation on the field
of battle, and from the impression I formed on the occasion of my
inspection of your Division last September, I am confident that you,
too, will equally uphold the traditions of the fine regiments whose
names you bear.
"Your period of training has been long and arduous, but the time has
now come for you to prove at the front the results of your instruction,
and with your comrades now in the field to maintain the unceasing
efforts necessary to bring this war to a victorious ending.
"Good luck and God speed.
"GEORGE R.I."
"_February 2nd, 1917._"
CHAPTER III
OVERSEAS--STRAZEELE--FLEURBAIX--BAC ST. MAUR--RUE DU BOIS--RUE
MARLE--RUE DORMOIRE
February 13th. It seems impossible to believe that to-morrow the
battalion really embarks for France; that the long period of training
and waiting has at last come to an end, and that to-morrow we embark
on the enterprise for which we all joined up, and for which some of
us have now been waiting two and a half years. The sceptics of the
battalion even now throw doubts on it. Admitted that the Transport and
Lewis gunners have gone; admitted that the entraining orders are issued
for to-night; admitted that everything is packed and ready. We have
been fooled before, and likely enough this is only a ruse of the War
Office to give another fillip to our flagging spirits, such as they
administered in the summer when the move seemed almost a certainty; so
much so, in fact, that we all enjoyed a "last leave" and returned ready
for the front, only to commence the dull round of general training once
more.
The barracks present an air of subdued excitement. Men stand about
in groups discussing soberly the prospect of active service, each
wondering in his innermost soul how he will acquit himself in the
unknown trials that are before him. After all, England is a comfortable
place. Life proceeds quietly and peacefully in spite of the bugle
calls, the shouts of N.C.Os., the almost inhuman activity of the
"physical jerks expert," and the endless exhortations of the officers.
May not one in a few days be looking back on all this with bitter
regret, and wondering sadly why we were so anxious to quit it and to
plunge into the dangers and discomforts of war; the real war, that is
to say, not the war of "blanks" and umpires, from which one returns
punctually for tea, and grouses if the battalion should be half an hour
late?
The only really active people are the O. i/c Details and his myrmidons.
Major Turner is seen hurrying across the barrack square, hot on the
trail of some deficient item of barrack equipment. The Quartermaster
smiles to himself as he looks forward to the day when "destroyed by
enemy action" will be the conclusive answer to all inquiries into
deficiencies.
Slowly the day drags on. For fear that anything should be late,
everything has been finished hours too soon. One last visit is paid to
our old haunts and our old friends, and now it is time to collect our
kit and get ready for the parade--"_the_ parade," we call it, because
it is different from all others. Never since the days of 1914 have we
paraded with such alacrity and "dressed" with such zeal. Weird rites
prescribed by King's Regulations for regiments proceeding on active
service are about to be performed. The moon shines brightly, as befits
this solemn ceremony. Two sergeants, not proceeding with the battalion,
are standing by while the roll is called, and woe betide the absentee
with such witnesses to proclaim his guilt! Surely no one, having waited
so long, will now miss the chance, but yet something seems to be wrong.
Company Sergeant-Majors and the Regimental Sergeant-Major are in solemn
conclave with the Orderly Sergeants. Two men are missing. Reference is
promptly made to the Adjutant, who is standing by, and more discussion
follows. It is all right, no one has missed his chance, but the
Commanding Officer's and Adjutant's servants are proceeding by taxi to
the station in charge of some kit.
And now it is time to move off. As companies in turn form fours and
move out of the barrack gate, it is odd to feel that we shall never
again execute this familiar movement on this well-remembered spot.
Quietly, in the dead of night, we move down on the frosty road to
Brookwood Station. The battalion is to go in two trains, with a short
interval between, the second train under the orders of Major C. W.
Wilson. At Brookwood the ladies of the district are dispensing hot
drinks and buns. Modern conditions have taken away the glamour of war.
No longer do we leave for the fight amid a crowd of cheering people,
with flags flying and bugles blowing. The ladies of Brookwood, and our
unlucky pals who could not bluff the doctor, are the only ones to see
us depart, but their send-off leaves nothing to be desired.
The run to Folkestone was only a matter of a couple of hours, and
the early morning light saw us detraining at the Jetty Station. Here
the arrangements were excellent. The R.T.O. was full of information,
and guides appeared to conduct the troops to the Rest Camp. This was
a crescent of pre-war lodging-houses and an hotel, all railed in.
As the companies marched through the gate, the guides took them to
their destined houses, where breakfast was served. The officers were
conducted to the hotel and similarly provided for. The hour of parade
for embarkation was simultaneously communicated to officers and men.
There were several hours to wait even after a shave and a breakfast,
but the time passed quickly enough. After all, it was our last sight
of England, perhaps for all time, and we were not in quite so much
of a hurry as a week before. At 12.30 p.m. we marched on board s.s.
_Victoria_, one of the regular cross-Channel boats. Besides ourselves
there were innumerable officers and men returning from leave, who
glanced with casual interest at the obviously new crowd going out for
the first time. The Commanding Officer was O.C. Ship, and consequently
entitled to a cabin, where wonderful instructions dealing with action
in event of submarine attack, etc., were to be found. There was also
an amusing notebook in which Os.C. Ships were asked to make their
comments on the ship. The names of many distinguished Generals were
to be found among the signatures, and some of the remarks were highly
entertaining.
[Illustration: THE BATTALION BLACKPOOL, 1914.]
[Illustration: GROUP--CANTERBURY, 1916.]
The day was fine and cold, with a strong wind blowing, and although it
was not exactly calm, few showed any serious signs of sea sickness. Two
other transports and a couple of torpedo-boat destroyers made up the
party. Boulogne was reached about 2 p.m., but owing to the speed of the
other vessels we were last in. A long wait followed, and eventually
we had to cross over another ship to get to the quay, a tiresome
process in full kit. We had intended to have a very orderly landing,
but the efforts of the Commanding Officer to get the men formed up
were frustrated by the Assistant Military Landing Officer, who would
not allow any halt until we were clear of all the quays and over the
bridges into the town. An unpleasant and fatiguing "follow my leader"
round trucks and over metals, dodging engines and motor lorries,
resulted, during which process the whole battalion got well mixed up.
Eventually, however, after considerable excitement, we formed up in
close column of companies, and proceeded to march to Ostrehove Camp.
No one who took part in that march will ever forget it. It was not
a long one, two or three miles at the most, but the last part of it
was up a hill of the very steepest description. This is bad enough in
itself at any time when you are carrying a heavy pack and all the rest
of the impedimenta that adorn the "P.B.I.," but when, owing to burst
water-pipes, the road is covered with very smooth ice for yards at a
stretch, the march becomes laborious and painful to a degree.
Arrived at the top of the hill, we looked round hopefully for the
promised rest camp. The sight was indeed depressing. A few dejected
and battered-looking tents, one or two marquees struggling with the
gale, and an odd hut or two, were the only signs of human habitation
on this bleak and wretched moor. The temperature was several degrees
below freezing, the wind swept over us in an icy gale, and daylight
was rapidly failing. So this was active service, and how warm and
comfortable those barracks at Woking were, and how strange that once we
thought them cold and bare!
Little time, however, was allowed for reflections. The Camp Warden was
there to introduce us to the amenities of the place, and companies
and platoons were soon struggling off to try to find shelter from the
wind. Blankets had to be drawn and rations issued, and as darkness fell
parties were still hurrying about in every direction, endeavouring
to get things straight for the night. Presently our indefatigable
Quartermaster arrived, having forced a lorry driver, apparently at the
point of his revolver, to bring the mechanical transport up to the
camp; but how it got up, and still more how it ever got back, are among
the unsolved mysteries of the war.
It now appeared that we had to entrain at Boulogne at 8 a.m. the next
morning, and an early rise and breakfast were arranged. Few were sorry
that our stay on this frozen mountain was to be short; most of us,
indeed, regretted that we had ever to come there at all. Very early
next morning all were astir. The misery of shaving with freezing water
on an icy cold morning was a new experience, and no more pleasant
on this than on the many subsequent occasions when it occurred. The
officers were more fortunate; they had luckily secured a wooden hut,
and also a good breakfast at the Church Army Hut, a veritable oasis in
the desert.
After some heated moments while the Commanding Officer inspected
the men, who looked rather different from the spotless battalion of
Woking--how distant, by the way, that place seemed!--the battalion
proceeded down the hill. The descent, if less arduous than the ascent,
was certainly more perilous. Even the "higher command" could not always
control its feet, and the battalion descended in various postures,
mostly in a sitting or prone position; while the clatter of equipment,
the crash of falling rifles, and the curses of the victims, aroused the
local inhabitants, who regarded us with unseemly mirth.
On arrival at the station we found, to our surprise, that our train was
in. It was of the usual kind, "Chevaux 8, Hommes 40," new to us then,
but familiar to all the world now. Into this the battalion was sorted,
the officers having a first-class carriage of an old-world aspect. Then
we began to wait, a practice in which we were all greatly skilled, and
about 9.30 a.m. we started off.
Before leaving England we had been issued with two wonderful pamphlets
on embarkation and landing, containing, amongst other details, some
remarkable returns of great length and complexity which had to be given
to various railway, embarkation, and landing officials. The compilation
of these returns had wellnigh deprived the Orderly-Room Sergeant of
his wits, and but for the fact that he was to join that mysterious
body called "3rd Echelon," we might have felt inclined to abandon the
returns in order to save his reason. However, done they were. The next
thing was to get rid of them. This proved even more difficult than
their compilation; in fact, in the end we had to admit defeat. Every
official wearing "tabs," a "brassard," or in any other way disclosing
an official capacity, was offered these returns. Persuasion, threats,
entreaties, demands were tried in turn without success. As a last
resource, just as the train was moving off, they were thrust into
the hands of the R.T.O. at Boulogne, who, however, hastily returned
them, muttering that they were as dead as the dodo, and retaliated by
presenting us with a Movement Order and a sheaf of papers dealing with
the manifold responsibilities of O.C. Train.
The journey up from the Base has been so often described that it
requires no particular notice here. It is a long and stately process.
The train, when it moves at all, which is only occasionally and for
short periods, makes a great deal of fuss about it; but if you should
happen to be wandering about on the permanent way, in spite of orders
to the contrary, you can always walk after it and climb on board once
more. For the new-comer there was much of interest. On the outskirts
of Boulogne the train passed huge dumps of war material of every
possible description--guns, ammunition, wagons, trucks, stores, etc.,
with which gangs of "P.B." men, "Chinks," and other miscellaneous
persons were coping in a leisurely fashion. As the train proceeded,
the scenery of Northern France began to unfold itself. It is not
very interesting--flat for the most part and agricultural, but full
of differences from our own English country. The lack of hedges, the
strange advertisements, the women at the level-crossings with their
quaint horns, all struck a fresh note, especially for those who had
never crossed the Channel before, even in the days of peace.
At 8.30 p.m., long after it was dark, the train drew into Bailleul
Station, where the Staff Captain, Captain Beazley, was awaiting our
arrival. Instantly everyone was galvanized into life. Huge flares
illumined the darkness, and officers and N.C.Os. rushed about rousing
their men, who were wildly searching in the dark recesses of their
cattle-trucks for missing articles of kit. As usual, in a short time
apparent chaos resolved itself into order, and the battalion moved off
on its eight-mile march to billets under the guidance of an Australian,
who was quite distressingly frank about his ignorance of the route.
It was a trying march. The experience of the last two days, including
twelve hours cramped up in trucks, had not been a very good preliminary
to a three hours' tramp. Never had one's kit weighed so heavily.
The "tin hat" between the pack straps seemed to increase the weight
terribly. The road through the silent streets of Bailleul was cobbled,
but as soon as the town was cleared a good country road with a pleasant
surface took its place. Slowly the column moved along, and it was
nearly midnight before we reached the forked roads where some of the
companies had to branch off to their billets. The guide went with them,
as the Quartermaster, who had passed us with the stores in a lorry,
knew about the billets in Strazeele village. The guide, however, proved
a broken reed, and much marching and counter-marching took place, and
many an angry conversation with irate householders, before the tired
companies at last got to rest in their respective billets--empty
barns of a draughty nature. Headquarters proceeded to Strazeele, and
eventually settled into billets where, in one case at any rate, a
kindly hostess was waiting up with ample supplies of excellent coffee.
About six o'clock the next morning Major Wilson awoke the Adjutant to
say that the transport had arrived, and where was it to go? On this
question the Adjutant was entirely devoid of information, having seen
nothing of the village in the blackness of the previous night. However,
on further inquiry the Major found the field that had been selected,
and soon the transport were settled in it, and the battalion was now
collected and ready for any emergency.
Strazeele is (or was) a typical little village, consisting of two
main streets forming a cross, a few straggling houses wandering off
from these, two chief avenues, a church, a mairie, and innumerable
estaminets. The surrounding country is slightly undulating arable land
dotted with small farms, in which the various companies were billeted.
The frost held for the first two days, but then the thaw set in with
the thin rain and thick mud so strongly identified with Northern France
and Flanders.
Beyond getting things straight, little training was attempted except
the fitting of small box respirators and instruction in their use,
which was duly carried out. Then each man had to pass through tear
gas to test his respirator. When the Commanding Officer's turn came,
Lieutenant James, the Gas Officer, to make assurance doubly sure,
produced such a powerful mixture that Colonel Fletcher suffered
severely, and his return to the orderly-room caused a rapid exodus of
the staff with streaming eyes. The only other item of interest was the
valiant attempt of a fatigue party, working night and day, to bury a
dead horse in ground which, owing to the recent frost, was as hard as
iron, which caused an interchange of very emphatic telegrams between
Brigade and Battalion Headquarters.
Orders were now received for the Brigade to move on February 20th to
the Sailly area, the battalion to pass the starting-point at 8.35
a.m. This meant early breakfasts and early preparations generally;
but this, our first move on active service, proved a severe test of
our training. However, after some vigorous criticisms from those in
authority, we managed to take our places to time in the Brigade column,
and set off for the new area in a steady drizzle. On the way we passed
the Corps Commander, Lieutenant-General Sir A. J. Godley, commanding
2nd Anzac Corps.
After leaving Merville we were warned against gas shelling. This,
together with the screens which now became conspicuous at all points
of the road open to observation from the enemy's positions, served to
remind us that we were now at last personally interested in the war,
and had ceased to be mere onlookers.
In due course we arrived at La Rue de la Lys, a little distance short
of Sailly, where we were to spend the night. Our billeting officer
had meantime got lost; we overshot the mark and nearly reached Sailly
itself, but fortunately discovered our error in time. We turned about
by the military cemetery, where the first name to catch the eye was
that of a sergeant who had been with us in Margate.
The billets consisted of a group of farmhouses, which with difficulty
accommodated the battalion. Intermittent rumbling of artillery could
now be heard quite distinctly, and you really felt that the war was
getting nearer, and that any day now you might be taking an active part
in it. That night we felt this still more keenly, as the New Zealand
Division, whom we were to relieve, were celebrating their departure by
a battalion raid, and the farmhouses shook and echoed to the roar of
the guns as the barrage opened on the Germans. At all times a barrage
is rather awe-inspiring, but when heard for the first time without
warning on a winter's night by raw troops, the effect produced is
distinctly sobering.
At 8.15 a.m. the next morning (February 17th, 1917) the battalion was
on the road again, this time for Fleurbaix, just behind the line. The
column was pursued by a Brigade motor-cyclist, demanding the names of
two nominees for commissions. The reply that none were suitable only
produced a further and more peremptory demand, and names had to be
supplied. This was the beginning of that inevitable process which, more
quickly even than the tax levied on the battalion by the enemy, robbed
you of your best N.C.Os. as fast as you trained them.
The final stages of the march revealed clearly that we were now in the
region where more than an occasional shell descended. The people of
Strazeele had proudly pointed to isolated bullet marks and so forth,
relics of the fighting of 1914, but here there were real shell holes
and houses that had been hit obviously by something more effective
than a bullet. Fleurbaix itself was a ruined village, though some of
the surrounding farms were intact and flourishing. The church was a
mere skeleton, and whole sides of some of the streets were in a state
of collapse. Windows were few and far between, and the spaces usually
covered with glass were now mostly filled with canvas, or in a few
privileged places with oil-silk, which lets in the light. According
to the local report, the enemy shelled the place heavily at regular
intervals, gas shell being particularly plentiful in the previous
bombardment. We hoped secretly that the next bombardment would be
deferred for a while, and inspected our box respirators carefully
before turning in that night.
As soon as the battalion reached the village the Commanding Officer and
Adjutant reported to the New Zealand Brigade Headquarters, under whose
orders we were to come for that night. There we met the Colonel of the
2nd Battalion Wellington Regiment, the battalion holding the line, who
had come down to meet Colonel Fletcher. After a few preliminaries it
was decided that the Commanding Officer and Adjutant should proceed
up the line forthwith (it was then about noon), and the Company
Commanders, for whom guides were provided, should come up after lunch.
We were somewhat surprised to hear that we could go up on horseback,
so after getting rid of spare kit and seizing tin helmets and box
respirators we set off.
As we cleared the village evidences of hostile activity became more
apparent, and our own 18-pounders were found in barns on either side of
the road, their front being screened with hangings painted to resemble
a brick house wall. The country looked depressing enough--flat as
could be, and intersected with sluggish ditches full of dirty water
and fringed with stunted willows. Remains of farms and flapping canvas
screens stood about, looking strangely gaunt in this empty wilderness.
The grass was rank and overgrown, while here and there lay remnants
of trenches and great strips of rusty barbed wire, the defences of
Fleurbaix. Suddenly our guide pointed to a notice, "Steel helmets
will be worn forward of this point," which served to remind one, if
a reminder had been necessary with shell-holes all around, that the
German was within a distance measurable in yards.
After a few minutes' ride a large farm, to which had been added huts
and also some defences, appeared in view. This, our guide informed us,
was Elbow Farm, where the reserve company was located; likewise the
best water supply and the gum-boot store. Still we went on till we came
to a forked road with a large sand-bag wall. This was Sand-bag Corner,
and here we left our horses. The enemy, it appeared, was a bit free
with overhead machine-gun fire at night, and this screen had been put
up to limit the flight of the bullets. A few minutes brought us to Wye
Farm, in front of which was a large pond, and round this we skirted
on duck-boards. On the right lay the military cemetery, where several
figures were lying wrapped in blankets. We had met the walking wounded
from the night's raid as we marched to Fleurbaix. These silent figures
were those whose luck had not brought a "Blighty," but a more permanent
rest in a foreign land.
[Illustration: Boutillerie Sector]
The Headquarters at Wye Farm were in a sense commodious, but hardly
of a description to inspire much confidence in a new arrival. Imagine
an ordinary block of farm buildings with barn and cowshed attached.
Knock holes in the roof till all the tiles and most of the beams are
down; put one layer of sand-bags to protect the ceiling of the first
floor in the house itself, and add sand-bag walls where walls of the
usual description have ceased to exist, and you will have a fair idea
of the Battalion Headquarters. There was one small sand-bag "bivvy"
leading out of the orderly-room, late a stable for a couple of horses;
and the regimental aid post was situated in a small brick outbuilding
beyond the cemetery. In front of the house was a double duck-board
track, which wandered round the corner into the farmyard behind. The
Officers' Mess consisted of a low room with a fine fireplace; and
the Commanding Officer's sleeping room was of reasonable size, and
contained R.E. bunks for the Commanding Officer and Second-in-Command.
Here we were introduced to the Second-in-Command, the Adjutant, and
other Headquarters' officers of the battalion we were relieving; and
then, under the guidance of the Adjutant, we set off to have a look at
the line. All the way from Fleurbaix, and, in fact, the whole time we
were going round the sector, the enemy preserved an entire and complete
silence, due perhaps to the inoffensive nature of our particular
opponents, or more probably to their rather harrowing and costly
experience of the night before.
City Avenue, the communication trench we were to use, had one branch,
which started from Wye Farm through a hole in the wall at the back of
the farm. As in most communication trenches in that part of the world,
the track rests on "A" frames to keep it above water level. Down this
track we moved, experiencing for the first time the impression of the
endless duck-board beneath one's feet and a few yards of trench, with
an occasional glimpse of bushes or rank weeds, as the only prospect
before the eye. The air was damp, and strange stale odours filled the
nostrils. Everything was symptomatic of death and decay. Water and mud
predominated, and everything looked dreary and unkempt to the last
degree.
The support line round Hudson Bay looked fairly bright, with quite
reasonable "bivvies," but the mud was there; and now empty tins and
refuse of every sort began to add to the wretched aspect of the place.
As we neared the front line in the left sector--we were now in Bay
Avenue--water and mud became still more plentiful, the ground even
more bare, and the general sense of desolation even more pronounced.
Suddenly we found ourselves in the front line--a sand-bag breastwork,
looking old and weather-beaten, with a duck-walk running along it and a
sudden descent of two or three feet to a continuous chain of pools of
green and stagnant water. A few sand-bag "bivvies" among the traverses,
an occasional roof consisting of a single sheet of corrugated
iron--here was "home" for the next eight days. Whichever way you looked
along the line you saw the same endless bays and traverses, most of
them more or less fallen in; the same pools of evil-smelling water; the
same stretches of shell-churned ground; the same old litter of tins and
débris. If you turned your gaze backwards towards Wye Farm, in search
of something less desolate and inhuman, the scene was hardly more
inspiring. Overgrown bushes, stunted willows and mud, ill concealed by
discoloured grass, were all that met the eye; and the landscape was
only broken by the irregular lines of trenches which showed up in the
distance like Brobdingnagian mole runs.
We visited the scene of the raiding party's exit from the line, and
the smears of recent blood on the duck-boards and the pieces of
field-dressing lying about similarly stained told their own story.
We also heard how our advance party, who left us in Woking, had been
initiated during the last few days into the mysteries of trench
warfare. We then returned to Battalion Headquarters, where all the
details of trench routine were gone into and explained with great
clearness and precision.
No one could have been more kind and helpful than those New Zealanders,
from the Commanding Officer downwards. They knew we were totally
inexperienced, and they did everything possible to instruct us in the
short time available. Their name became a synonym in the battalion for
gallantry and courtesy, both of which qualities we had full opportunity
of estimating.
As the weather was misty, and showed every sign of remaining so, it was
arranged that the relief should take place on the next day (February
22nd) in daylight, commencing at 7.30 a.m. In the afternoon Company
Commanders and selected N.C.Os. arrived to visit their areas, and their
New Zealand opposite numbers proved as helpful and instructive as the
Battalion Headquarters staff had been.
That night in Fleurbaix was quiet enough, and it was hard to realize
how close we were to the war. The village, in fact, was only a mile or
two from the British front line. As one looked from the windows, Véry
lights could be seen shooting up into the sky, while the rattle of
desultory machine-gun fire rang clear in the stillness of the night.
Billets, on the whole, were good, the houses we used being but slightly
damaged; but the draughts through the broken panes, and the subdued
light caused by opaque coverings, did not make for comfort, as that
word was understood by those whose idea of billets was a snug room in
Blackpool or Margate.
Next morning (February 22nd) revealed a scene of great activity. Relief
day is always a busy one, but when the process has not yet become
so familiar as to be almost a second nature there is considerable
excitement, and not a little confusion, before things begin to
straighten out. Our guides, one for each platoon, duly arrived, and at
7.30 a.m. Captain Gilling and his heavily laden company were moving
off. To the uninitiated it might seem that the Army Authorities had
given the infantry soldier under ordinary circumstances, as much
permanent equipment as one man could well carry. But it is a trifle
compared with the loads carried on a relief. It is true that greater
experience enabled one to devise means for reducing the distance over
which these extra items had to be borne; but on this occasion, owing
to the request of the New Zealanders to reduce horse transport as far
as possible in case visibility improved, the men struggled off under
fearful burdens. In the peaceful days of trench warfare a relief was
almost tantamount to a household removal. There were valises, mess
boxes, orderly-room boxes, Lewis guns, carriers for Lewis-gun drums,
Véry pistols, periscopes, gum-boots, wire-cutters, rations, fuel, and
a thousand and one other things to be taken up. The rate of movement
decreases in proportion to the load, and consequently one mile per hour
became the average pace. Companies proceeded in an order determined
by the distance each had to cover. "A" Company led off, as they were
bound for the right sector of the front line, viâ Elbow Farm and Tin
Barn Avenue. Captain Steward and "B" Company followed, heading for
the left sector of the front line past Wye Farm and up City Avenue
and Bay Avenue. Captain Eccles and "C" Company only had to go to
Jay Post, as the support line was in close proximity to Battalion
Headquarters; while Major Charles Wilson and "D" Company had to go no
farther than Elbow Farm, where life "in reserve" was comparatively
peaceful--"comparatively" only, because all the fatigues and working
parties generally fall to the lot of the reserve company, which means
that the night is spent in tramping about and toiling. Headquarters
proceeded last. They are not required till the relief is well advanced,
and the Headquarters of the battalion being relieved can begin to
dribble out and make room for them.
Reports of "relief complete" soon began to arrive, and the last company
was through in a remarkably short time, a fact which the New Zealanders
commented on with pleasure. Nothing is more annoying for an outgoing
unit than to be held up by a bad relief. The last words of wisdom were
spoken, trench stores signed for, and the other little formalities
completed. With a cheery "Good luck!" and a hearty handshake they were
off, and our Commanding Officer found himself for the first time in
sole charge of a sector. As soon as our friends were clear, he, with
his usual energy, was calling for his runner, and was off round the
line to see how "A" and "B" Companies were getting on. With their
wonted consideration, the New Zealanders had left an officer and N.C.O.
for the first twenty-four hours with each company, knowing that the
first night in the trenches is rather a strain, and the helping hand
of the experienced was a great asset. Many were the problems which
were exercising the minds of the Company Commanders as the Commanding
Officer visited them in turn. Endless questions of detail presented
themselves, which had first to be learnt and understood by oneself, and
the information then passed on to the company--a far more laborious and
difficult task.
Only a few hours of daylight remained, and there was still much to be
done. The lists of things contained in the Trench Standing Orders,
"What every Platoon Commander should know," "What every Section
Commander should know," and so forth, were enough to distract the most
phlegmatic mind, especially when nobody knew the answers to half the
questions. The ideal--that is, when everyone knows and understands
the answers to all these vital questions--is never attained except in
a sector in which every member of the battalion knows them by heart,
and at present no one had the requisite knowledge. To add to the
difficulties, you constantly lost your way and wandered aimlessly in
half derelict trenches, searching in vain for (say) No. 2 Post, where
Sergeant X., only recently promoted to that exalted rank, was certain
to be in need of advice and assistance. Eventually, giving up for the
time all hope of finding this elusive post, you decide to return to
Company Headquarters, where the Company Sergeant-Major is anxiously
working out patrols, ration parties, and duties of every description,
only to find your own Headquarters even more cunningly concealed than
the much-sought No. 2 Post. In vain you consult the elegant sketch map
of the trenches, that pretty but fallacious document which shows the
way so clearly, but omits any reference to _disused_ trenches, which
often look in such good condition as to lead you astray and lure you
by gradual stages into a forlorn wilderness of abandoned saps. It is
all very trying.
The sector itself--La Boutillerie, as it was called--requires little
description beyond what has already been given and what can be seen on
the map. Its two outstanding features were the Salient, a triangular
piece of trench said to have been dug in one night during the days
before trench warfare became stabilized, and Jay Post, a wonderful
deep dug-out of magnificent proportions, which was but slightly used,
as the enemy, in spite of our elaborate camouflage, had all its exits
accurately registered.
That night, and in fact all the time the battalion was in this sector,
the Germans were amazingly quiet. It is true that the vicinity of
Battalion Headquarters, the road leading up to it, and the principal
communication trenches, were liberally bespattered with machine-gun
bullets. This was apt to "put the wind up" those whose duties compelled
them to move about at night, and caused many curses to be heaped on
the head of "Parapet Joe," as the chief offender was called, from the
skill with which he could traverse along our front line parapet, with
its many variations in level, even on the darkest night. An occasional
"minnie" also descended on the front line with a loud report; and the
Brewery, where the pump was, and where the observers had an observation
post along with the gunners, received spasmodic attention from
"whizz-bangs." At first people in the front line talked in whispers,
although generally speaking the enemy was 400 yards away; but common
sense, and the war experience of some of the officers who had been out
with the 1/6th Battalion, soon put an end to that and many other little
absurdities. The main stumbling-block at night was the tendency of
people, contrary to orders, to take refuge in shelters and "bivvies."
The order forbidding this caused considerable heartburning, though its
sound sense was clear enough.
The weather, after being muggy and wet, had now turned bitterly cold
again, and nights in the trenches under arctic conditions are never
pleasant, and for the new-comer very trying. Accordingly, we were not
sorry to be informed that our time in the line was to be of only four
days' duration, and almost before we had realized we were in the line,
officers and N.C.Os. of the 2/7th K.L.R. were arriving on tours of
exploration. On the last night we had our first casualties, a "minnie"
falling right on to a post, killing three men and wounding two. The
fortune of war is very curious: some men go for months, and even years,
unscathed through dangers of every description; others, like these
three, are killed on their first tour of duty in one of the quietest
sectors in France. We buried them next day in the cemetery by Battalion
Headquarters, and it was melancholy to realize that the dissolution of
our happy band had now commenced in grim earnest, and was likely to
proceed more rapidly in the days to come.
At 7.30 a.m. (February 26th, 1917) the relief commenced, and in
due course the companies were finding their way back to billets at
Fleurbaix, feeling themselves twice the men they were but a few days
before. They knew now what the real trenches were; previously their
knowledge had been limited to those poor imitations at the Foresters
Public-House at Aldershot.
Before completing the impressions of our first tour in the line, we
cannot omit one thing from our account of this sector; not that the
phenomenon is peculiar to these trenches or any other particular
sector--in fact, till the more persistent use of gas sounded their
death knell, they were to be found everywhere, "they" being, of course,
rats. Now at home, in small numbers and well under the control enforced
by long-established civilization, rats present no particular terrors
or inconvenience except, perhaps, to a sensitive female. But in the
trenches, where food was abundant and engines of destruction, at least
as far as rats were concerned, few, they waxed plentiful, and their
audacity increased with their size and their numbers. Not content
with running all over the duck-boards, and all but refusing to step
aside and let you pass, they ran riot in your dug-out, gnawed your
clothes, devoured your food, scampered all over you as you slept, and
in one notorious case caused grave inconvenience to a Medical Officer
by removing bodily his set of false teeth. In the front line they
climbed on the sleeping soldier and gnawed through his haversack to
reach his iron ration. In the "bivvy" they nibbled holes in a man's
socks as he lay on the ground. In fact, so bold were they that you
could fire two or three rounds at a rat and hit all round him before
he would condescend to move at all, and then he would only twitch
his whiskers and remove himself in a leisurely fashion to some less
disturbed spot. The services of Mr. Browning's "Pied Piper" would have
been invaluable to us. There were, to be sure, various trench cats and
an occasional dog, but they had other and better means of subsistence
and took little heed of the rats. So the latter flourished, and, though
curious diseases broke out among them, their lot must have been a happy
one till the gas shells began to fall in every sector, and then their
numbers dwindled rapidly, and in many parts they "ceased to be," at any
rate for the moment.
Our second visit to Fleurbaix, for our first had been but a fleeting
one, enabled us to get a more comprehensive view of our surroundings.
The destruction in the village proved more considerable than had at
first been realized, and though civilians abounded, the place had a
weary and depressed air, which was hardly to be wondered at. Everything
looked so sadly out of repair; little attempt had been made, or was
indeed possible, to make good the ravages of war. Streets where there
was little traffic were grass grown, gardens were rank with weeds,
fences and railings were broken down, and débris of bricks and mortar
littered the ground. Work on improving billets was at once put in
hand, and things left unfinished by the 2/7th K.L.R. were completed
and improved, in accordance with one of the unwritten laws of trench
life--viz., "Always leave a place better than you find it." The 2/8th
K.L.R., working with the 2/5th K.L.R., occupied in turn billets
opposite ours; and in rear of the village in quite a decent house were
Brigade Headquarters, pleasantly adjacent to a couple of 60-pounders!
[Illustration: THE OFFICERS MARGATE, 1915.]
Being now Battalion in Brigade Reserve, we were initiated at once
into one of the special functions of that privileged position,
the reconnoitring of emergency routes. This necessary but tedious
performance is complicated by the very hazy details usually supplied,
and the tendency of the local inhabitants to remove guide posts and to
put wire fences across the tracks.
Although the battalion remained in Fleurbaix till March 6th as Brigade
and Divisional Reserve, it must not be imagined that the time was an
idle one. Even in so-called "rest periods" the infantry are never
allowed much peace, while in reserve in the vicinity of the front line
there is more than enough for all to do. To begin with, the troops
found, to their disgust, that general training was not confined to
England, and for those not otherwise employed the usual physical
training and bayonet fighting, rapid loading, wiring, and all the other
inventions of the training enthusiast, appeared once more on the scene.
All the same, the proximity of the enemy added interest to the bayonet
fighting and other exercises, for no one knew but that skill in those
arts, and of the very highest order, might be demanded of every man at
the shortest notice. The natural tendency to dirtiness and slovenly
appearance produced by a time in muddy trenches had also to be checked,
and the battalion soon realized that the best soldiers in action are
generally the best turned-out behind the line.
Apart from training in arms and discipline, the majority of the
battalion were heavily engaged, under R.E. supervision, in digging
or cleaning out drains and channels in rear of the line. This most
necessary but unpleasant and tedious work fills the soul of the
fighting man with burning indignation; and though warnings to that
effect had often been uttered, it took practical experience to prove
that more than half an infantryman's work consists of digging. It is
curious to note that, essential as is proficiency in the use of the
spade, no real instruction in the subject is ever given at Officers' or
N.C.Os'. Schools, though to watch an untrained digger and a trained one
working side by side is a revelation. In Major Bishop, R.E., we found
a man full of knowledge and withal of consideration and tact. Everyone
liked him, and while he commanded the Field Company with which we
worked, though misunderstandings sometimes arose and mistakes occurred,
as was inevitable, our relations with him were always most cordial, and
it was with deep regret that we heard of his death at Passchendaele
later in the year. His place was, luckily, filled by another good man.
There is nothing particularly amusing, still less heroic, about a night
working party. As soon as the light begins to fail the parties fall in,
wearing gum-boots and skeleton equipment, with the rifle slung across
the back. Each man carries a pick or shovel, or, if it is a wiring
party, rolls of wire slung on a stick between two men. Off they go,
their footsteps, owing to the rubber soles, sounding rather ghostly
as they tramp along the _pavé_. Rapidly darkness falls, and, except
for the subdued sound of their feet, the gentle "swish" of water in
the water-bottles, and the occasional "clang" as someone stumbles and
hits his spade against his rifle, there is little in their progress
to attract attention. Presently the party halts, and a voice from the
darkness inquires: "Is that 'A' working party, 2/6th K.L.R.?" The
answer is in the affirmative, and the party is allotted its task.
An occasional Véry light shows up the men in silhouette, their rifles
and equipment lying in a row out of the way of the earth they are
throwing up, but ready to hand in case of emergency. Presently a
machine gun begins to speak and slowly traverses in their direction.
The work continues, but attention is centred on the stream of bullets
which may suddenly spray right across the party. Here it comes, and
down they all go on their stomachs as the bullets hiss and crack above
them. It ceases as suddenly as it began, and work proceeds again.
Another moment and there is a swift, rushing sound, followed at once
by a loud report, then by another and yet another in quick succession.
Those nearest hastily take cover, for a "whizz-bang" at close quarters
can be very destructive. The stretcher-bearers accompanying the party
listen for the call, "Stretcher-bearers forward," but no one calls,
and work begins again. About midnight it is finished. Plastered with
mud--thick, stinking mud--the men collect their equipment, spades and
picks are checked (it is so easy to leave some behind, just put down
for a moment and forgotten) and off they go, listening eagerly for the
order, "Smoke if you like," back to Fleurbaix, where hot tea awaits
them; "and so to bed," as Mr. Pepys says.
Another interesting experience was our first visit to the Divisional
Baths. This entailed a pleasant march in light order to Sailly, where
bathing apparatus had been erected in a disused factory. The apparatus
consisted of showers and tubs. As each man passed in he handed over
all his personal effects and received a numbered disc in exchange. He
then proceeded to undress, and while he was bathing his uniform was
"stoved." As soon as the bather had dried himself he was presented
with a clean set of underclothing, and his soiled linen was removed.
This was really an excellent system, but it suffered from one serious
drawback. A man gave up a good shirt and perhaps his own home-knitted
socks. The quality, not to mention the size, of the articles issued
in return did not always correspond to those handed in. This was apt
to be a frequent source of complaint, but, taking all things into
consideration, it did not appear that any other system was feasible.
For the officers there were half a dozen hip-baths, surrounded by
duck-boards, with which, in fact, the whole floor of the baths
was covered; and though the Commanding Officer possessed a rubber
saucer-bath, which he lent freely to the other officers, a complete
immersion in hot water was a pleasure too keen to be resisted, and the
comfort of it almost indescribable.
One rather interesting little ceremony was performed at Fleurbaix.
This was the presentation by our billet lady at Headquarters to each
of the battalion runners of a rosary specially blessed by the priest.
She assured them that so long as they wore these rosaries no harm
could befall them, and it is interesting to note that only two out of
the ten died: one of them, Manick, was killed in 1918 while serving
with another battalion; the other, Turnock, died as a prisoner-of-war,
having been captured while serving with another unit. Manick, it is
said, had sent his rosary home a few days before he was killed.
At 7.30 a.m. on March 6th "Gipsy," the new code name for our battalion,
commenced to relieve "Giddy," the _nom de guerre_ of the 2/7th K.L.R.
The order of march this time was "C," "D," "B," "A"; "C" on the right
and "D" on the left in the front line, "B" in support, and "A" in
reserve. An innovation, always adopted in future, was made by the
dispatch of signallers into the line ahead of the battalion, thus
ensuring the proper take-over of signal stations throughout the sector
in the ample time at their disposal. Taking over a complicated exchange
at Headquarters and smaller switch-boards at the Company Headquarters,
involving as it does a clear understanding of which line is which and
where it is laid, where the test boxes are, and so forth, is a business
that requires care and takes time. The irritating and even disastrous
results that might arise from mistakes or erroneous information can
easily be imagined.
Nothing eventful happened during the relief, but Headquarters were
interested to learn that the Germans had shelled Wye Farm, putting one
shell, in fact, right through the roof just above where Colonel Slater
was sleeping. The New Zealanders had warned us that the place looked
like an empty ruin from the enemy's position, and that only charcoal
or coke should be used during the day, so as to prevent smoke. Whether
these precautions had been relaxed, or whether the enemy was merely
being spiteful, was not clear; but at any rate the work of making
shell-proof "bivvies" which had already commenced, was hurried on, and
"baby elephants," the smaller corrugated iron semi-circular shelters,
began to arrive and were inserted into some of the rooms, together with
a liberal supply of sand-bags.
The weather was again positively arctic, and everyone looked half
frozen. No one, therefore, was particularly displeased when orders
were issued at 11 p.m. on March 7th that "Gilt"--_i.e._, the 2/8th
K.L.R.--would relieve us, commencing at 8 a.m. the next morning. The
2/8th K.L.R. were in the trenches on our right, and the scheme was
that they should thin out their posts and with the surplus troops
take over the most vital positions in our sector. This thinning-out
process was taking place all up and down the line, men being drawn from
quiet sectors to increase the number available for the great offensive
planned for 1917. Profound secrecy was to be maintained, and strict
orders were issued that no troops should move in daylight along routes
where they might be detected. Nature, however, took the matter into her
own hands, and thoughtfully provided a blizzard throughout the whole
period of the relief.
The orders for the relief were somewhat complicated. Two platoons of
"C" Company were to move out at once, the other two to remain and be
relieved in the positions they held. "D" Company could release one
platoon and retain three; "B" Company released two platoons less one
section, and "A" Company the same. Plenty of guides were provided, each
supplied with a note as to the location and name of his post, and the
relief proceeded steadily and without a hitch. Wye Farm, from being a
Battalion Headquarters, sank to the more humble position of a telephone
exchange, with one section to guard it.
An interesting item in the orders was paragraph 9, which stated
that on March 9th the battalion would proceed to Bac St. Maur into
billets, and that 2nd-Lieutenant Clarke was to proceed there at once as
billeting officer. The battalion gradually percolated to Fleurbaix as
the relief proceeded, and the Quartermaster and his satellites were
busy there packing up and making ready for the move on the morrow. The
Quartermaster's Stores and transport lines were already quite close to
Bac St. Maur, and many were the inquiries as to the sort of billets we
were likely to get.
For the following morning orders were issued on the zero principle,
companies and platoons being ordered to fall in at so many minutes
after zero, which was 9.30 a.m. It was an experiment in timing, and
was not used again except for active operations. Intervals of 50 yards
between platoons and 200 yards between companies had to be observed,
while a space of 50 yards had also to be maintained between every group
of three vehicles. These precautions were valuable, not only in the
case of hostile artillery fire, but also to prevent congestion and
blocks on the narrow French roadways. Never, even in rest areas, did
a battalion move in that solid stream of which we used to be so proud
in England. Long distances between battalions and shorter distances
between companies was the invariable rule, though it gave a battalion a
somewhat disjointed appearance and, if horses for any reason were not
available, made communications between the companies rather a tedious
performance on the march.
The distance to Bac St. Maur was only a matter of two or three
miles, and we were soon there. The village consisted of two long
rows of ugly houses and factories on either side of the main
Lille--Armentières--Estaires road. Most of the houses were small and
poor-looking, such as you find in little industrial villages; and the
_pavé_ road, much in need of repair owing to the continuous stream
of lorries, by no means added to the beauty of the place, which
indeed looked dreary enough. However, it seemed pretty peaceful,
and the war seemed removed to a far greater distance than the few
miles traversed really warranted. After the usual discussion over
billets--for everyone thinks another company has done better than his
own in the allotment--the battalion settled down very comfortably,
and prepared to carry out the work usually assigned to a Brigade in
Divisional Reserve--viz., providing working parties. Of these there
were two distinct kinds: one was for the improvement of the line of
strong posts in front of Fleurbaix, which rejoiced in such names as
"Croix Marèchal," "Command Post," "Ferret Post," etc., where the
only excitement was an occasional shower of "whizz-bangs"; the other
was working on the dumps at Strazeele, which meant starting by motor
transport at 6 a.m.--or rather being ready to start then, as the lorry
was anything up to two hours late. For the rest of the men there was
general training, and the companies were changed about daily.
A pleasant addition to Bac St. Maur was the Divisional theatre bought
by our Division from the Australians. It was a large army hut, suitably
fitted with stage, etc., and here the Divisional Concert Party, "The
Dons," used to perform with great skill.
We were much worried at this time with anti-gas instructions. Not only
did the Divisional Gas Officer, whom we had not seen since our first
arrival at Strazeele, begin to realize our existence once more and come
to inspect respirators, but countless instructions came out containing
a perfect maze of directions. The whole of the front was divided into
zones--"Gas Alert," "Precautionary," etc.--and notice boards were
posted on the roads warning the wayfarer as to which zone he was
entering. Further, when the wind was "dangerous," boards revealed that
fact to all and sundry, and harrowing accounts were circulated as to
the swiftness with which the German gas penetrated into back areas.
The Quartermaster's stores and transport lines were quite pleasantly
situated on a side road about ten minutes' walk from the battalion.
The former consisted of two or three small Armstrong huts, where the
Quartermaster and Transport Officer lived in considerable comfort and
entertained freely. All the animals were in good covered standings, and
the billets for the drivers and the grooms were conveniently adjacent.
The transport section always distinguished themselves by their taste
for beautifying their surroundings, and in their spare moments
Lieutenant Hutchinson and Sergeant Lloyd had many an anxious discussion
as to the most suitable site for a row of whitewashed stones, collected
with great trouble from the neighbourhood.
One thing which impressed us during our stay in Bac St. Maur was the
very pronounced salient in which we were living. At night this was
very marked, as in whichever direction you turned Véry lights could be
seen in your rear. So striking, in fact, was this that a soldier of
another battalion, somewhat the worse for drink, came up to Lieutenant
Sutherland one evening, and, pointing to those Véry lights rising well
behind our backs, inquired in a confidential manner: "Can you tell me,
sir, if that is the same war as we are taking part in?"
On March 17th our first draft of officers, three in number,
arrived--2nd-Lieutenants McWilliam, Fell, and Hodgkinson. Of these
McWilliam had been badly wounded in 1915 while serving as a sergeant
in the 1/6th K.L.R. As against this access of strength we had to set
the loss of a sergeant and a number of men who had to be sent as
bridge guard to Estaires, and whose return, when we had ceased to be
in Divisional Reserve for some months, was only effected after a very
lengthy correspondence. Sergeant Webster was also dispatched on traffic
control duty, at which work he remained till the end.
We had thought in England that we knew something about men being
employed on extra-regimental duty, but the few we had so employed there
was a trifle to the host supplied by us in France. Corps, Divisional
and Brigade clerks, area sanitary men, Divisional Baths employees,
cooks and servants at Formation Headquarters, traffic control, A.S.C.
loaders, men loaned to trench-mortar and machine-gun companies,
gum-boot store-keepers, tramway men, men employed at Corps Rest Camps,
N.C.O. instructors at schools, and Heaven knows what else, continued
to be a steady drain on the battalion. Vacancies for courses, too,
came pouring in; and when you consider the number of cooks, transport
drivers, clerks, police, storemen, etc., who are required for every
battalion's own use, it will be clear enough that the number left in
platoons and sections for ordinary duty was very small.
Our time in reserve was now drawing to a close, and it appeared that
on March 29th we were due to relieve the 2/5th South Lancashire
Regiment in the Rue du Bois sector north of (and next but one to) La
Boutillerie, the Fleurbaix trenches. The usual procedure followed. We
(_i.e._, the Commanding Officer and Adjutant) set off one morning and
rode along the road to Erquinghem, where we turned off to the right and
called at La Rolanderie, a pleasant farmhouse with some extra Nissen
huts, the Headquarters of the 172nd Brigade, the present tenants of the
sector. From there, after the usual discussion about the enemy and the
disadvantages and peculiarities of our new sector, we proceeded viâ
Gris Pot and La Vesée to a junction of roads a few hundred yards south
of the latter place. Here the horses were left, and inadvertently our
tin helmets, which were hanging from our saddles, and we proceeded on
foot. The country was flat and depressing. Tattered screens stood here
and there masking the roads. An occasional section of guns hidden in
old houses; a runner or two riding along the _pavé_ on that invention
of the devil an army cycle; an artillery officer and his signallers
making for a forward observation post--those were the only signs of
life. All the houses were untenanted, which was to be regretted, as
piquant advertisements testified to the excellence of Pierre Les Cornez
beer!
In the background behind the German front line the slopes of the famous
Aubers Ridge, the barrier that blocked the road to Lille, rose steadily
to a height of more than fifty metres, almost a mountain-range in this
flat country, giving the enemy a very fine view of all our activities.
Passing Billet and Ration Farms, which bristled with R.E. material
and salvage, we crossed a duck-board bridge and struck the subsidiary
line of the Bois Grenier sector on the immediate right of the Rue du
Bois. We plodded steadily along the duck-board track till Desolanque
Farm (or Deplanque Farm, as its real name is: the official map is
wrong), the usual ruin surrounded by a rectangular moat, appeared in
view. The subsidiary line ran about fifty yards in front of this, and
close up against it, in a long concrete dug-out, were the Battalion
Headquarters that we were seeking. Down the steps into this dug-out
we descended with more haste than dignity, as the enemy selected this
particular moment to send a shower of "whizz-bangs" into the farm,
just skimming the top of the dug-out. In the narrow stairway we met
the Commanding Officer, full of wrath. "Whizz-bangs" generally meant
that too many people were wandering about in the vicinity of the farm,
and strict orders had been issued to prevent this. It is extraordinary
how insensible to danger the average man soon becomes, and the most
reasonable orders for the protection of life are ignored or disregarded
unless very strictly enforced.
The Headquarters consisted of a very long concrete passage with five
small rooms opening on to it--the mess, two sleeping rooms, a signal
office, and the Adjutant's office and sleeping room combined. All the
rooms were small and required artificial light, and a general feeling
of chilly damp prevailed everywhere. We arranged ourselves as best we
could in the mess; but we were all crowded together in a space far
too small for the number of occupants, and the table was covered with
maps, defence schemes, aeroplane photographs, and the usual litter of a
trench headquarters, not to mention box respirators, tin helmets, and
other impedimenta which are hastily doffed on entering a dug-out.
[Illustration: RUE DE BOIS SECTOR.]
It appeared that the artillery observers had decided that the Germans
were registering, and a sketch map that was produced showed the area
which it was presumed they intended to raid. Colonel Bates, of the
2/5th South Lancashire Regiment, was rather contemptuous of the whole
thing, and ascribed the apparent registration to mere casual shooting
on various targets. But, at any rate, the matter had to be attended
to, although the expected raid never took place. The line was held
with three companies in the front and support lines, and two in the
subsidiary line, the additional company being supplied by another
battalion. The total frontage was about 2,800 yards, and to cover this
a system of "gaps" and "localities" had been arranged--_i.e._, a series
of posts covering vital points of the line. The "gaps" were ordinary
but unoccupied trenches, often derelict; but they were usually wired
and made difficult to penetrate.
Before leaving the 2/5th South Lancashire Regiment we were introduced
to Major Brookes, M.C., A/286 Battery R.F.A., and from that moment
commenced a long and lasting friendship with a most gallant and
capable officer in whom every man (and all knew him) placed the
utmost confidence. In the trying days ahead in Houplines at its worst
Major Brookes was daily round the line; and though his battery was
continually shelled by guns of every calibre, he always managed to do
all we asked him, and never failed to let the enemy have even more than
his daily quota of 18-pounder shells.
At 8 p.m. on March 28th Lieutenant F. C. Bowring, Sergeant Machell,
and the company Lewis gunners set off for the trenches. In view of
a possible hostile raid, it was thought advisable that they should
relieve in daylight, and be in a position to make their presence really
felt on the relief night in the event of the Germans choosing that time
for a raid. The route to be taken was viâ Erquinghem, Armentières, and
Rue Marle Level Crossings, and then straight down past Crown Prince
House to the subsidiary line, where they were to spend the night,
taking over their posts at dawn the following day.
It was a long and tiring march of many miles from Bac St. Maur, and
one which was considered too long for the battalion to undertake at
one stretch on relief night, and it was therefore arranged that a
long tea halt should be made in Armentières. The Commanding Officer
decided to spend the afternoon of the relief day (March 29th) in the
trenches with the Company Commanders; while Major Wilson was to meet
the battalion in Armentières, where he and the Quartermaster were
making the necessary arrangements for housing and tea; and the Adjutant
brought up the battalion. Coming through Chapelle d'Armentières
on their way back from the trenches, a question arose between the
Commanding Officer and the Company Commanders as to the location of
some place on the map. As it was raining and they wanted to examine
the map, they adjourned to a ruined house for a few minutes. The point
at issue being settled, and time getting on, they hurried out of the
house and on down the street. They had not gone thirty yards when a
shell entered the house they had just vacated and blew the place to
smithereens. How often in this and in every other war a few minutes
have made the difference between life and death!
The school at 57, Rue de Lille, had been selected for the tea halt, a
place eminently suited for the purpose, and fairly safe from possible
interference by the enemy. It was a fine building built round a
playground, with the front facing the Rue de Lille, and one side of
the school facing the Rue Gambetta. It had obviously been repeatedly
hit by shells of various sizes, but the Germans had not shelled
Armentières itself for some time; and although the concentration of the
whole of the battalion in such a small space caused some misgivings,
the scheme worked excellently, and nothing untoward occurred. Field
kitchens arrived with the companies, and as soon as tea was well under
way the officers repaired in turns to the "Au Bœuf," an excellent
restaurant--one of the few still doing business in the town.
At 7 p.m. the head of the battalion arrived at Sand-bag Corner, a
junction of roads with a great sand-bag barricade on the way to
Chapelle d'Armentières, where guides awaited us. The companies were to
hold in the order "D," "A" (now commanded by Captain Wyatt), "C" from
the right, with "B" Company in reserve in the subsidiary line, which
"B" Company, 2/7th K.L.R., proceeding viâ Gris Pot and La Vesée, had
already taken over, as extra company in the subsidiary line, from a
company of the 2/4th South Lancashire Regiment. For the first time the
men wore their packs detached from their equipment on kicking-straps,
this again being due to the possibility of a raid; and in future this
was the order for all reliefs, the manifold advantages being very
obvious. The last part of the route up to the subsidiary line was along
a lane full of shell-holes, but the frequent illumination produced by
German Véry lights made the going fairly simple. Transport came right
up to Battalion Headquarters, and dumps were formed accordingly in
the subsidiary line for Headquarters and for each company. The relief
proceeded quietly and without incident, and its speed was naturally
increased by the possibility, owing to their number, of having "up" and
"down" communication trenches--Wine Avenue and Leith Walk the former;
Park Row, Wellington Avenue, and Cowgate the latter. At 12.40 a.m. on
March 30th relief was reported complete, and our friends of the 2/5th
South Lancashire Regiment proceeded joyfully to Crown Prince House and
the reserve billets in the Rue Marle.
The tour, in spite of the gloomy forebodings of the gunners, proved
quiet enough. For the first night or two strong fighting patrols lay up
in No Man's Land in the hope of catching the enemy raiding party. The
Germans, however, showed no signs of any hostile intent, and after a
day or two the various precautions that had been adopted were discarded.
The left sector came in for a considerable amount of shelling,
particularly in the vicinity of Captain Eccles's Headquarters and also
the Ferme de Biez in rear of it, which our observers used to haunt.
However, there was plenty of room in the sector for shells to fall
without doing any serious harm, and our casualties were, fortunately,
very low in consequence. In the right company's front a stream came
in under the front line and wandered across the sector. Strict orders
had been issued that the water was not to be used for drinking or
cooking, inasmuch as it came from the enemy's line. Walking round
one day, Captain McHugh, our newly arrived and most delightful Irish
Medical Officer, took a sample for analysis through curiosity. It was
interesting to learn that a strong arsenic result was obtained.
A small incident that occurred during this tour, while we were still
fresh and inexperienced, and which caused considerable merriment at the
time, may be worth recounting here. In the apex of the salient C.S.M.
Barker, of "D" Company, had found a rifle-grenade machine--simply
the barrel of a rifle mounted on a fixed stand, at a point within
comfortable range of the enemy trench. Now, Barker had in the training
days in England been Bombing Sergeant, and was anxious to give a
practical demonstration of the skill he had acquired in the handling
of these treacherous and dangerous weapons. Moreover, O.C. "D" Company
was determined to show his company that "live and let live" was not
to be their motto, so his support in the venture was assured. "I will
come down to-night, corporal, and send a few over," remarked Barker in
an off-hand manner to Corporal Wright, whose section held the post of
honour at the salient. Accordingly that same night Barker, with a small
host of supporters, including Lieutenant Ormrod, the Trench Officer, F.
G. Roberts, the Trench Sergeant, Riflemen Forster, Alpine, and Liderth
from the next post, and Moody and Heath (runners) was to be seen in
the vicinity of the lethal weapon. All took such cover as they could
while Barker loaded the machine with a "Newton Pippin" and prepared
to do his worst. "Look out!" Bang! With a thin whistling sound the
grenade wended its way towards the enemy. Tense silence. A second later
an uninteresting report over the way. Hardly had that noise subsided
than a sinister "pop" was heard. "What was that? Keep low!" A rushing,
hissing noise approached, becoming rapidly louder. Clang! Clang! as
"pineapple" after "pineapple" burst in and among the party, covering
the prostrate soldiers with mud as they flattened themselves against
the ground. A swift crawling, creeping, shuffling, and the party were
hurrying away blindly trying to escape from "those damned things!" For
the remainder of the night the shoot was "off."
However, O.C. "D" Company was reluctant to leave the initiative with
the enemy. It is true that we might have known that he had the spot
registered from his previous experience, and that we laughed heartily
over the whole thing. Still, something had to be done. Suddenly O.C.
"D" Company remembered that at 6 a.m. the next morning the Light
Trench Mortar Battery were to do a shoot, supported by 18-pounders
if required. Here was the chance of showing the Germans that "D"
Company were not easily worsted. It was arranged that a "Newton"
should be mounted once more. Watches were quietly synchronized with
the unsuspecting Light Trench Mortar Battery. At five seconds before 6
a.m. the "Newton" was fired. Instantly came the German retaliation as
before, but hardly had the "pineapples" started when our Light Trench
Mortar Battery opened with great vigour. This annoyed the enemy, who
were expecting another easy victory, and the aid of their artillery was
invoked. To this our 18-pounders replied, and before long a regular
artillery duel was in full swing. This was more than the Germans
bargained for, and they soon stopped. "D" Company were avenged!
At night we used to get magnificent views of distant barrages,
especially towards the south. It was a wonderful sight, like summer
lightning, only more vivid and impressive; while every now and again
the uniform colour of yellowish light would be shot with a sudden
streak of vivid red as a dump exploded or some conflagration broke
out. It was fascinating to watch the endless dance of flickering light
against the blackness of the sky. One minute the whole heaven was lit
up, the next moment all was dark; or perhaps a series of small flashes
appeared, darting up now here, now there. If the barrage was far away,
no sound would be heard, though if you entered a dug-out facing in
that direction you would be conscious of a dull rumbling that warned
you this was no mere pyrotechnic display, but the most nerve-wracking
feature of modern war, an intense bombardment.
During this time we learnt with regret that General Gilbert, who had
commanded in turn for many years first the original and then the Second
Line Liverpool Infantry Brigade, was returning to England on account of
age, being relieved by Brigadier-General R. N. Bray, C.M.G., D.S.O.,
of The Duke of Wellington's Regiment. General Gilbert's dignified
kindness had made him most popular with all ranks, and we would gladly
have continued under his leadership, come what might. He arrived one
morning with his successor, and after the usual introductions they were
proceeding round the line when a curious thing happened. Going along
the front line just short of Chard's Farm, they must have been spotted.
Fortunately, however, General Gilbert stopped a few moments in a part
of the trench hidden from observation to point out certain features of
the ground. As they resumed their walk along the trench to the farm,
it suddenly became the centre of a regular storm of "whizz-bangs,"
obviously timed to greet their arrival, which had so happily been
delayed.
Another visitor was Major Derry, D.S.O., of the Welch Regiment, who had
just succeeded the late Major Thompson as G.S.O.2. Major Thompson had
been practically cut in two by a "whizz-bang" while talking to Colonel
Cohen, of the 2/5th K.L.R., outside the latter's Headquarters in the
Bois Grenier sector. We had seen little of Major Thompson, but what
we had seen we liked. Major Derry, with his cheery laugh and complete
disregard of personal danger, soon became highly popular among us.
[Illustration: Photo by Gale & Polden. Ltd., Aldershot.
THE KING'S INSPECTION--REVIEW GROUND, LAFFAN'S PLAIN, 1916.]
On the evening of March 6th the 2/7th K.L.R. relieved us, commencing at
8 p.m. with the right front company. "B" Company in the subsidiary line
was to remain as extra company, merely moving along to the positions
held during our tour of duty by "B" Company 2/7th K.L.R. Soon after
midnight the battalion was clear of the trenches and heading for Rue
Marle, where the reserve billets were situated. At the top of the long
straight stretch past Crown Prince House "D" Company turned to the
right, and were billeted in houses on the left of the road; "A" and
"C" turned to the left, "A" Company being next to Rue Marle Church, a
bright red brick edifice with a brick spire, looking as if it had only
been finished the day before; while "C" Company were in houses several
hundred yards farther down the same road.
Nothing of much importance happened while the battalion was in reserve
at Rue Marle. One company was always detailed as inlying piquet, and
spent its time training in the vicinity of its billets. The other
companies were up nightly, carrying medium trench mortar ammunition
up into the trenches in preparation for the raid to be carried out by
the composite company of 172nd Brigade--"Paynter's party," as it was
called, after their Brigadier.
One morning the Corps and Divisional Commanders arrived at Crown Prince
House and immediately demanded a map showing the Fleury Switch. Every
conceivable map was produced, but in vain; nor had anyone the faintest
idea what the switch was to which they so repeatedly referred. In the
end the A.D.C. to the Corps Commander sped back to the car (left round
the corner out of sight), and in due course produced the precious map,
and the party proceeded on their way restored to a more amiable frame
of mind.
On the night of March 11th "D" Company relieved "B" Company in the
subsidiary line. A night or so before a German aeroplane had made a
determined effort to do them serious harm by dropping a number of heavy
bombs in their immediate vicinity. Oddly enough, that night, as the
Adjutant and Lewis Gun Officer were undressing in their bedroom, which
faced the line, they suddenly noticed that the shutters were not drawn.
A rush was made for the candle, which was hastily extinguished. At that
moment there was a deafening report, and we felt that here was the
reward for our carelessness. However, it was soon realized that the
noise was not shelling, but the above-mentioned bombing, the hum of
the aeroplane being clearly audible; but after depositing its load it
departed, and peace reigned once more. No casualties were caused, and
quite a number of "D" Company were sleeping so soundly that they knew
nothing of the matter till the following morning.
It was always a remarkable thing to us who lived there that Crown
Prince House was not shelled. It was a large house in full view of
the enemy, standing quite isolated at the side of a long straight
road. It must have been very tempting to the German gunners, who liked
to see the red dust rise from a direct hit on a house. There was no
sort of cellar accommodation worth mentioning. Signals had the only
cellar, and that was but half underground. We used to encourage one
another by saying that the Germans could not shell the house without
committing _lèse majesté_ (the Crown Prince was reputed once to have
made his Headquarters there), though some very recent shell-holes at
the entrance seemed to prove that they were prepared occasionally to
risk being guilty of that serious offence. As a matter of fact, the
Headquarters of a South Lancashire Battalion were soon afterwards
shelled out of the house, and a very unpleasant proceeding they found
it.
The only other excitement was the sudden arrival of a shell in
Armentières; not by the railway-station, a place not infrequently
shelled in retaliation for a 12-inch railway mounting gun which used to
come up there occasionally, but right into the town, and only just over
the Rue de Lille. This single shell caused quite a sensation, but as
nothing more happened we concluded that the enemy had let off a gun by
mistake.
On March 13th after dinner the battalion (less "D" Company) moved off
to billets in the Rue Dormoire, the 2/5th South Lancashire Regiment
moving in at the same moment. In spite of all precautions, the
congestion of traffic was very great for a short time, but was soon
straightened out. We crossed Rue Marle Level Crossing, then left-handed
up the Boulevard Faidherbe, and so round to the Armentières Level
Crossing. The route after that was the main road through Erquinghem,
about a mile beyond which lay our new area. Headquarters was situated
in a fine old seventeenth-century farmhouse, built round the usual
quadrangle, with its usual vast heap of manure. Two sides were flanked
by a moat which you crossed by a brick bridge, entering the farm
through an archway. Opposite the entrance, and on the other side of the
road, was a large open field with a duck-board track running across
it, which led to two blocks of Nissen huts, occupied by "C" and "D"
Companies, the latter not expected to arrive from the subsidiary line
before midnight; though, owing to confusion over the transport for
the Lewis gunners, this estimate proved highly optimistic. Continuing
down the lane past Battalion Headquarters--and an unpleasant lane it
was, full of the most appalling holes and ruts, and deep in liquid mud
which concealed many a sharp stone and pitfall--you eventually arrived
at a group of farms. Here "A" and "B" Companies were accommodated in
large barns in which great tiers of bunks had been erected. These were
promptly nicknamed the "birdcage."
Reconnoitring of emergency routes and schemes for the reinforcing of
divisions in front or on the flanks again came to the fore. Though all
was quiet in our neighbourhood, considerable activity was apparent at
night north of the Lys opposite the Messines Ridge, where bursting
shrapnel and coloured lights were eloquent of raids in progress.
Working parties (of a minimum strength of a platoon) and training
became once more the order of the day. Rifle-grenade practice with
"Newtons" was very popular, even after Lance-Corporal Cathels and a
rifleman had been injured by the bursting of the breech of a rifle.
CHAPTER IV
ARMENTIÈRES UP TO GAS ATTACK
On April 19th we received orders to reconnoitre the Boutillerie sector,
held by the 2/5th King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, with a view
to early relief; and the Commanding Officer, Adjutant, and Company
Commanders proceeded the same day to Foray House, the "King's Own"
Headquarters. This sector was a combination of the old Boutillerie
trenches, held by us in February, and the trenches on our immediate
right. There had been several British and enemy raids since then, and
the damage caused had been considerable. The difficulty of maintaining
2,800 yards of front in a decent state of repair throughout its whole
length had further impaired the condition of the trenches, and we were
not surprised to find serious signs of decay on every hand. Our first
experience, moreover, of walking quite considerable distances--_i.e._,
several hundred yards--without finding a trace of the defenders proved
very instructive, and showed us what to expect for the future. The next
day (April 20th, 1917) these orders were cancelled, and we were now
informed that on the 26th we were to take over the Houplines sector in
front of Armentières from the Australians. We set out once more on a
tour of exploration. We rode to the Australian Brigade Headquarters in
the Rue Jesuit, and thence on foot along the Houplines road to Tissage
Dump, where the trenches began.
Those who now saw Armentières for the first time might well be
impressed by the feeling of desolation which prevailed. The silent,
shuttered houses, the empty streets, the ruins and the débris were
familiar from the villages which had been already visited, but nowhere
hitherto had the picture been on so large a scale as here. Armentières
had been a bright and busy town before the war, with a population of
some 30,000 people. Large spinning factories, fine houses and handsome
shops abounded. Many of the streets, it is true, still contained
quite a number of inhabitants; but as you made your way down the Rue
Jesuit towards the line, fewer and fewer grew the signs of any civil
population, and more and more battered became the houses. It is a
long walk to Tissage Dump. On the left you soon passed Barbed-Wire
Square, then quite a pleasant grass-grown square with young trees just
beginning to bud. In the far corner a wonderful green and blue tiled
house had apparently been the residence of a lady fortune-teller. The
next landmark was the level-crossing, beside which a huge church bell
was suspended on a wooden frame to give warning against gas. The road
a little farther on swung round first to the right, past some very
dilapidated workmen's cottages of a curious blue tint; and then to the
left, where stood L'Octroi d'Houplines, the familiar little wooden
erection to be found on the outskirts of every French town. This had
been hit by a shell; it was a corner of ill repute, and the board
bearing its title hung at an acute angle, being only supported by a
fastening at one end. On the left of the road, next to the factory
belonging to an English firm, stood Von Kluck's house, alleged to have
been once the Headquarters of that famous General, and now used as the
A.D.S., which for many months escaped a direct hit, while neighbouring
houses were all but obliterated. A strip of open country followed;
on the left, a wilderness of ruins and marshland, with a glimpse of
18-pounders cleverly concealed; on the right, loop-holed screening with
a considerable view of the country beyond.
Nouvel Houplines (often thought to be Houplines itself, which was close
to the river) consisted of two main streets forming an acute angle. At
the junction stood Tissage Dump, where R.E. material for the line was
stored. In the adjoining houses were a pioneer workshop, an observation
post, the canteen, and the regimental aid post. The trench tram line (a
continuation of the ordinary tram line from Armentières) divided here,
one line running up alongside Gloucester Avenue to the trenches, the
other following round to Durham Castle and other dumps. Several tall
factory chimneys were grouped about this spot, all used as observation
posts, and rejoicing in colonial names difficult to pronounce. Most of
them bore signs of shell fire, one having been pierced right through
close to its base, another having a large piece taken right out of its
side.
The entrance to Gloucester Avenue--or "Gloster Ave," as the signboard
called it--was really very picturesque, the trench descending gradually
below ground level through what had once been a garden. On either side
was abundant foliage, which later became prettily covered with flowers
and presented a picture that might well have been the setting for the
opening scene of "The Arcadians."
We began our walk up Gloucester Avenue, noting the trench running off
to Spain Avenue, another fine communication trench. The way was up a
gradual incline. At the top a network of narrow trenches appeared, and
through these we made our way into the subsidiary line to Battalion
Headquarters, a group of "bivvies" and short trenches entered under a
small overhead traverse. On the immediate left stood a small elephant
back, which combined the dual functions of mess and Adjutant's office,
and opposite this was the cook-house. To the left was a double concrete
dug-out, where "Signals" dwelt, and up a little short trench a minute
concrete "bivvy" for the Commanding Officer.
In the mess we found the Commanding Officer of the 38th Battalion
A.I.F. awaiting us, and he explained that our present place of rest
was the old right Battalion Headquarters, while the left was in more
commodious but less conveniently situated quarters in the spacious
cellars of Cambridge House, some way along the subsidiary line. Half
the Australians' Headquarters lived in one place and half in the other,
and, though the two were connected by telephone, the disadvantages of
the separation were obvious.
The Company Commanders now proceeded to their respective areas, while
the Commanding Officer and Adjutant took a general survey of the line
under the guidance of the Australian Colonel. The first impression was
certainly most unfavourable. The principle of gaps and localities was
maintained here, and constant shell fire, combined with lack of any
means of repair, gave the sector a most dilapidated and depressing
appearance, which was intensified by a great superfluity of water and
a number of useless and derelict trenches running in all directions.
Lateral communication, too, as so often happens in a combined sector,
was extremely bad. After lunch at Cambridge House, the Commanding
Officer and Adjutant proceeded on a tour of the left sector. This was
notoriously the weak point, the left being bounded by the River Lys,
which in winter rendered an area of several hundred yards along the
bank quite impassable, though in summer this same area was perfectly
passable, and to a large extent undefended. From the support line an
excellent view could be obtained, the ground falling steeply away from
there to a flat stretch called the Cricket Field, and then sloping
upwards to a raised plateau on which Frelinghien stood, and on the
hither side of which was built our front line. The sector, we found,
was full of notices warning you that the spot you stood on was under
direct observation from the Germans, which caused you to move round
the traverses with alacrity. Most of these notices, we found, were
obsolete, but on the left company's front, parts of the front line
were certainly exposed, and till these spots were blinded casualties
occurred from snipers. Generally speaking, the line appeared fairly
quiet that afternoon, only intermittent shelling of a very desultory
nature occurring. To our disgust, however, we learnt that gas cylinders
were installed along practically the whole length of the front line,
and the absence of heavy shelling was accordingly noted with some
pleasure.
The relief took place on March 26th, the Lewis gunners entering the
line the previous evening, and, in addition, one signaller per station,
two battalion runners, all snipers, of whom one N.C.O. and three
men were to take over the observation post, and one officer and one
N.C.O. per platoon. On the morning of the 26th the Sniping Officer
and Sergeant, the Medical Officer's orderly, the Bombing Officer and
Corporal, all Company Sergeant-Majors, the Regimental Sergeant-Major,
and two runners, together with the balance of the signallers under the
Signalling Officer, made their way up to the trenches. This was the
usual advance party for a new sector, and the arrangement undoubtedly
quickened the relief, while in addition increased knowledge of a sector
was acquired from the extra length of time spent with members of the
outgoing unit.
Guides were to meet the companies at Houplines Level Crossing,
commencing at 7 p.m. The following were the dispositions and routes:
"D" Company, right front sector viâ Spain Avenue; "C" Company, right
centre viâ Gloucester Avenue; "B" Company, up Durham and Edmeads
Avenue to left centre; while "A" Company went up Durham and along
the subsidiary line to Irish Avenue and thence to left sector. Each
company was responsible for its own supports and reserves, the latter
consisting usually of a few cooks and ration carriers. Headquarters
were accommodated in "bivvies" in the subsidiary line round Battalion
Headquarters, and a few details at Cambridge House. The relief was
completed at 11.40 p.m., and the Australians moved off for a rest and
training preliminary to the Battle of Messines. They were a very cheery
crowd and extremely obliging, and rendered the relief a very agreeable
task. The code word was dispatched by telephone to Brigade, and we
commenced our first tour in a sector that we were destined to occupy,
turn and turn about with the 2/7th K.L.R., for four and a half months.
[Illustration: HOUPLINES.]
[Illustration]
As the period was such a long one, a more detailed description may
be attempted than has been thought necessary in regard to other
sectors held from time to time by the battalion. There were three main
communication trenches leading into the line, all previously referred
to. Spain and Gloucester Avenues, both starting from Tissage Dump,
cut the subsidiary line on the right and right centre respectively.
Durham Avenue started from Nouvel Houplines a few yards from Tissage
Dump and to the north of it, and joined the subsidiary line close to
Cambridge House. There was also the road from Nouvel Houplines to
Frelinghien which ran past the north end of the subsidiary and support
lines, but was under observation by day and unhealthy by night. On the
extreme right, and just beyond our boundary, was Buterne Avenue, a deep
traversed trench over which we had a right of way. It wandered about
distressingly, and eventually ended in a small side street near Barbed
Wire Square. Farther to the right and well on into the Epinette sector
was Lunatic Lane, which eventually became an open track and led into
the outskirts of Armentières by the Asylum.
The subsidiary line was marked on the right by a large civilian
cemetery, through which the trench passed. It was full of graves with
wooden crosses and artificial flowers such as are usually to be found
in a French burial-ground. From there to the Battalion Headquarters
the trench was traversed, but there was little parados. "Bivvies" of
small breadth and height abounded, and there were one or two concrete
dug-outs, usually full of water. A ditch, with a railing in front of
it, marked the approach to Battalion Headquarters, after which the
trench narrowed into two small alley-ways where Gloucester Avenue
joined the subsidiary line, and thence ran down steeply to a road from
Nouvel Houplines to Quesnoy. Here the tram line crossed the subsidiary
line and ran across country to the right company front. The open road
was masked by a big screen. At this point the subsidiary line was built
on a somewhat higher level, and contained big bays and long traverses,
protected in rear by a parados, behind which was a traffic trench, in
which a number of "bivvies" had been constructed.
Continuing your course, you came to Wessex Avenue, the finest
communication trench in the sector, though but little used. The
line now became a long, straight trench with a high parapet, with
duck-boards along the side of the bank and also at the bottom. Beside
the lower track was a green ditch. At the end of this stretch was a
bridge across the Panama Canal, which ran back in a south-easterly
direction to the support line in the right company sector. In design it
was merely a deep drain, but it was duck-boarded and a handy short-cut
diagonally across the sector. It was seldom used in daylight, in the
hope, which was probably justified, that the enemy would regard it
merely as a drain. Durham, Edmeads, and Sussex Avenues all met at
this point; and a few yards in the rear stood Cambridge House. The
last part of the line was full of "bivvies," and just before the end,
Irish Avenue, the left-hand communication trench of the sector, led
off to the front line. At the end the ground fell away steeply to
some marshland beside the banks of the Lys. The only other means of
communication with the front line, except the communication trenches
above mentioned and a few overland tracks, was the road which ran from
the junction of Wessex Avenue and the subsidiary line to Edmeads Farm.
This was only passable at night, but it was an excellent short-cut,
though subject to bursts of machine-gun fire and "whizz-bangs."
The description of the trenches forward of the subsidiary line is a
far more formidable undertaking. We will commence with the right, as
being the simplest and also, generally speaking, the most healthy.
The subsidiary line was followed to the right almost as far as the
cemetery. Just before reaching it a communication trench was found
leading off (if you were lucky and knew the way) to the left under an
overhead traverse, and guarded by a sentry. The latter in the early
days informed you, in a bored fashion, that the wind was dangerous or
the reverse, and criticized your box-respirator if not in the alert
position. Following the trench in its windings for a short distance,
Vancouver Avenue branched off to the left. This was only half finished,
though you could with much floundering get through it to Gloucester
Avenue; in reality, however, it was quite useless. A hundred yards or
so farther on you suddenly came on a corrugated iron sentry-box, with
a small weather-cock and a shell case suspended from a stick beside
it, where the gas sentry over the right company Headquarters was
stationed. Here in an open space you found two or three log huts of
small dimensions, with one or two orthodox "bivvies." You then passed
over a bridge, and, ducking your head to avoid a sheet of corrugated
iron, under which cooking operations were usually going on, you entered
a low edifice, which was lighted, it may be mentioned, with two small
windows of real glass. Here you might find O.C. "D" Company sitting
at the table, endeavouring to compose one of the innumerable reports
that the higher powers delighted to collect. Two or three bunks
adorned the walls; and a form on either side of the table, a Véry
pistol, a tin of cigarettes, some recent pamphlets, and odd pieces of
officers' equipment, made up the furniture. You could stand up more
or less erect, and the place was really quite comfortable, but hardly
shell-proof.
Beyond Company Headquarters the communication trench showed the
strongest inclination to close in. It was extremely narrow, and but for
the overhead struts would very soon have become impassable. Newburn
Lane led off to the left, certainly more of a lane than a trench,
through which you could reach the Orchard, a regular target for German
gunners, and a place to be avoided at certain times of the day. Farther
down the communication trench was a slit on the left where Light Trench
Mortar Battery men lived. Just below here the trench suddenly came to
an end, and you crossed a little stream running along a diminutive
valley. The tram line also came in sight, wandering away along an old
road through tangled bushes and weeds to the front line. It was badly
smashed in places, and was never used as far forward as this. The
trench began again up the far side of the tiny valley--London Road, as
it was now called--and here stood two graves marking the resting-place
of two unknown soldiers. The going was sticky and the trench much
battered. Later on grass and green things generally were conspicuous
on either side of the trench, but now everything looked bare and
muddy--just yellow clay, shell-holes, mud banks, and trenches more or
less derelict. Suddenly you heard voices, and without quite realizing
it you found you were in the front line.
A broad breastwork formed the means of defence, occasional bays being
held, but the majority being unoccupied and full of loose barbed
wire. Everything betokened the effects of shell fire where men were
too few to do more than just repair their own particular posts.
Derelict "bivvies," odd broken duck-boards half covered with slime,
sheets of corrugated iron riddled with holes, bits of old ground
sheets, and fragments of equipment, lay about in all directions.
Everything presented that damp, yellow aspect peculiar to clay soil.
The traverses, sodden with water, were bursting down the hurdles or
wire netting with which they were revetted, while the empty bays were
falling in of their own accord, or presented a crushed and crumbling
appearance, the result of the direct burst of a shell or "minnie."
As you rounded the traverse of an occupied bay the following picture
met your eye. Imagine a narrow trench about 12 feet long by 4 feet
wide, with a fire-step running along the entire length some 12 inches
from the ground. Near the centre of the trench stands a rifleman in
skeleton equipment, gazing into the bottom mirror of a box periscope
which is fastened by a spike to the parapet, its top covered by dirty
canvas to match the surrounding sand-bags. By the sentry's side is a
rifle, and close at hand are the empty shell-case gong and strombos
horn, in case of gas. Next to him sits his relief, similarly attired,
all men invariably wearing equipment in the front line. The relief
sentry is passing the time in cleaning some clips of ammunition from an
open small-arms ammunition box. The corporal and two men are filling
sand-bags, which will be required at dusk. Another rifleman sits at
the far end, sleeping peacefully and dreaming of something (we hope)
remote from the war. He was the last sentry. Two boxes let into the
parados contain Véry lights and bombs; the Véry pistol hangs from a peg
in the parapet. Five rifles with swords fixed stand in a row against
the side of the trench; while a shelf holds some mess-tin lids, two
water-bottles, some bread, and a tin of bully beef. Two sand-bags for
salvage and rubbish hang at the end of the bay. Round the corner two
"bivvies"--mere hovels about three foot high, wet and slimy--complete
the "home comforts" of this cheerful abode. From one of the "bivvies"
protrude two pairs of muddy boots and four legs covered with
clay-stained puttees. Their owners are enjoying a well-earned rest,
having spent most of the night prowling about in No Man's Land.
Taking the next communication trench, Gloucester Avenue, we could make
our way up to the front line to a point not far distant from the top
of London Road; or, better still, we could branch off along Pretoria
to the right-centre company's support line. Gloucester Avenue was a
good winding trench cut through what had once been cornfields. Pretoria
was even better, and brought you out close to the point where the
Panama Canal joined the support line. By the end of the canal were two
deep concrete dug-outs, both small and damp, and in one of these the
signallers and in the other the Company Commander were to be found. In
the latter, as you carefully descended the steps, you would have been
able at once to recognize, not only from the orderly appearance of
the spot, but from the number of parcels from Fortnum and Mason, that
Captain Eccles dwelt there; and, sure enough, there he was, looking as
if he had just stepped out of a band-box, with Company Sergeant-Major
Heyworth sitting by his side working at the company card index.
After making your way along the support line round interminable
traverses, you squeezed your way up Timaru to the front line.
Thence you went along past Wessex Avenue, which requires no further
description, to the end of Locality 12. From here a path led up to the
support line--Gap "M" being impassable--and from the support line by
another path to the left centre company's front line--quite a decent
stretch of bays and traverses with a wilderness of ruined trenches
in their rear. Half-way along this sector you turned up a miserable
ruin of a trench to Captain Steward's Headquarters, a concrete dug-out
set like an oasis in a desert of derelict trenches. In spite of the
neighbourhood, Captain Steward would appear perfectly groomed and with
a cheerful smile, though denouncing the Germans for making him so
uncomfortable. Another dug-out adjoining was used by his subalterns.
To visit the left sector it was now necessary to go right down Edmeads
Avenue and then up Sussex Avenue, whence you could go to Hobbs
Farm along Cambridge or along Fusilier Avenue to Captain Wyatt's
Headquarters at Goodwood. The latter was another of these concrete
dug-outs, and the owner, whether Captain Wyatt or any other Company
Commander, generally had some severe remarks to make about the enemy,
who gave the left sector but little rest. To reach "A" Company's front
line you went along the support line to Irish Avenue, which from there
back to the subsidiary line was good enough, but forward of the support
line was hardly better than a track, and, except for some canvas,
pretty well exposed to view from all points of the enemy front line.
The whole of the left front line, in fact, from Edmeads Farm past Hobbs
Farm, the ruins of which had almost been obliterated, was a maze of
battered and derelict trenches, only entered by the inquisitive or by
some luckless individual who had lost his way. The left company front
was built into the side of a small ridge, and possessed no general
parados, though most of the posts were self-contained. It ended some
two or three hundred yards from the Lys, though from the enemy point
of view it probably appeared to go much farther. It was very much
knocked about, and it was hard work to maintain even a semblance of
respectability.
Such is a brief outline of the Houplines sector. Its main features were
its size, its maze of useless and ruined trenches, and its lack of
lateral communication. There was not a single dug-out that would have
stood the direct hit of a 5·9, and only a few that one would have cared
to be in when hit by a "whizz-bang."
The day after relief (April 27th) was spent quietly enough. We had not
yet got used to the presence of so many gas cylinders in the front
line, and were not anxious to provoke unnecessary retaliation. The
Germans were also very quiet. Some shrapnel, a few "whizz-bangs," six
"pineapples," and two medium "minnies" made up his total expenditure
for the hours of daylight. Sniping from the Chicken Run on to "A"
Company's front line was, however, fairly persistent, but no casualties
occurred that day. "A" Company of the 2/7th K.L.R. moved into the
subsidiary line that evening as a more permanent garrison, and occupied
the line between Battalion Headquarters and Cambridge House.
At midnight a gas attack from the whole front of our Brigade and that
of the Brigade north of the Lys had been planned, but was cancelled at
the last minute, as the wind proved unfavourable. However, the right
battalion was not warned in time, and released their cylinders. We
much regretted that ours could not be released too, as the clearing
of the line had been arranged, and already several cylinders were
leaking badly. But on the night of March 29th, after many "alarums and
excursions," our two flank companies and the Brigade north of the Lys
let off their gas, while projectors were flung into Frelinghien at the
same time. It was a very bright night, and the whitish cloud could be
seen rolling across No Man's Land. The wind was rather light, and the
Germans must therefore have obtained sufficient warning. A number of
coloured lights shot up into the air, bells rang, and rapid rifle and
machine-gun fire commenced, which caused the inquisitive to expose as
little of their heads above the parapet as was feasible. "Whizz-bangs"
and "minnies" began to rain on the front line, where the special R.Es.
working the cylinders and the garrison of infantry had a somewhat
uneasy time. Our orders were to send an officers' patrol to inspect the
damage in the enemy's front line. Fortunately, however, this futile and
dangerous performance was countermanded, as No Man's Land was itself
full of the gas, which the wind hardly carried beyond our trenches, and
three of the R.Es. and four of our men were gassed, and a corporal was
killed. Otherwise no one was hit during the retaliation. In due course
the R.Es. withdrew in motor lorries and the rest of the men returned to
the front line, where the sickly smell of gas was strongly in evidence.
Now that most of the cylinders were empty we paid less regard to the
enemy, and determined to try to damp the ardour of the sniper, who had
already shot two of our men through the head. Every effort from the
front line to spot the fellow had failed, but the observation post in
the support line had detected him, though the distance from there to
the Germans made it futile to try a shot with a rifle. Major Brookes's
assistance was accordingly invoked. A telephone line was run out to the
observation post, and a trial round was fired with an 18-pounder. This
was sufficiently near for the purpose, but unfortunately was too much
for the sniper, who promptly retired. However, a few rounds of "battery
fire" were delivered, and the area in the immediate neighbourhood of
the sniper's lair was greatly disturbed. We knew he was not hit, but
_he_ knew that we had spotted him, and from that moment his activities
ceased.
[Illustration: Photo by Gale & Polden Ltd., Aldershot.
THE OFFICERS-WOKING, FEBRUARY, 1917.]
The next day, April 30th, a great aeroplane fight took place high over
our line. The day was perfect, and it was a wonderful sight to see the
aeroplanes twisting and doubling and hear the thin rattle of their
machine guns. Suddenly one of the enemy's machines commenced to fall,
with a tell-tale streak of smoke trailing behind him. In a moment the
grey smoke became a vivid red, and the burning machine came roaring
down, crackling and spluttering as the ammunition went off in the
flames. For a few minutes it seemed that it must come down right on
the top of Battalion Headquarters, but eventually it crashed about two
hundred yards away on the open stretch between Battalion Headquarters
and Spain Avenue. Both the occupants must have been dead before the
machine reached the ground; the pilot was burned beyond recognition
in the machine; the observer, an artillery officer, fell out about
fifty feet from the ground, and among his papers we found a secret
correction card for artillery shooting with aeroplane observation. All
attempts to salve anything from the machine proved fruitless. It burned
and smouldered for more than twenty-four hours, and its proximity was
rendered dangerous by the exploding ammunition.
The question of our billets now began to exercise our minds. The 2/7th
K.L.R., in spite of remonstrances, had been located at first in a row
of houses close to the Houplines Level Crossing. In that position
they had been continually shelled, and the powers that be had finally
decided to move them back to a more salubrious locality. This we were
very glad to hear, because, other things being equal, billets that are
not regular targets for enemy artillery are distinctly preferable.
Casualties in billets are always more trying than elsewhere, as they
generally seem so gratuitous.
In the Houplines sector more than in any other our snipers and
observers had found plenty of scope for the exercise of their special
talents. The battalion observation post was in an upper room of a small
house in the Rue Solferino, a narrow street which ran off the main road
close to Tissage Dump. The Germans had kindly put a "dud" 5·9 through
the gable end, thereby providing an excellent view point. The official
apparatus installed in this spot was a telescope working on a pivot
which was fixed to a quadrant. The observer sat on a chair raised on a
rough platform to the necessary height, while next to him sat another
man to make the necessary written notes of observations. In addition to
a blanket to screen the shell-hole, the observation post was supplied
with maps and compass, and also a telephone to Battalion Headquarters
and the battery immediately in rear. A fine view of the enemy trenches
and the ground in rear was obtainable from this observation post. In
addition, there were three sniping posts in the front line, from which
subsequently P. G. Jones, Maddocks, Matchett, and Corkill all secured
definite "hits"; while for additional observation purposes there was
a natural observation post half-way up Irish Avenue, about level with
the support line, from which much valuable information of a more local
description was obtained.
On May 1st the activity of the hostile artillery began to give evidence
of registration on the left half of the battalion front, and support
lines, important trench junctions, and communication trenches received
direct hits or bursts sufficiently near to be suggestive. That night,
as had been anticipated, it being the German Labour Day, sounds of
shouting were clearly heard from the enemy lines, while a regular
"Brock's benefit" was kept up for a considerable time. Next day the
registration was even more marked, so early on the morning of May 4th
2nd-Lieutenant Hodgkinson and a small party of stout-hearted men from
"D" Company (Walmsley, Mann, Moore, Evans, Woods, and Bissell) crept
out to try to kidnap a German sentry. They worked their way up to a
post in Centaur Trench opposite the Pont Ballot salient, and got right
under the parapet without being detected. Hodgkinson was, in fact, just
climbing into the trench to effect the capture when, most unluckily,
the relief arrived, and one of them spotted the blackened face of
Rifleman Mann peering over the parapet. Dawn had broken and the game
was up. Bombs were hurled in among the Germans, the fellow who had
spotted Mann receiving a back-hander from a Mills grenade in the face,
and the party raced for home under a hail of machine-gun bullets, rifle
grenades, and "pineapples." No casualties were sustained, and, as the
G.O.C. Division remarked, "it was a bold and useful bit of work," which
only failed through sheer bad luck.
At 10 p.m. the 2/7th K.L.R. began to arrive, and at 12.40 a.m., relief
being complete, the various companies and platoons were making for
Tissage Dump, where transport awaited the Lewis guns and trench stores.
"C" Company moved into the subsidiary line.
Two companies were billeted in large houses in the Rue Jesuit adjoining
Brigade Headquarters. These must have been fine residences once, and
even the ravages of war had not been able entirely to destroy their
architectural pretensions. What was of more importance, they were very
strongly built and had good cellar accommodation.
The other two companies were at 57, Rue de Lille, where the battalion
had spent the evening _en route_ for the Rue du Bois. Battalion
Headquarters were in a good house, No. 3, Rue Bayard, a turning
off the Rue de Lille. You entered through a gateway into a paved
courtyard, surrounded by various domestic offices, and thence up a
few steps into a roomy building with a delightful garden behind.
The dining-room contained a book-case full of beautifully bound
volumes. The Quartermaster's Stores were situated in a large house
in the Rue de Lille, opposite which the truck-lines for the trenches
started. Mule-drawn trolleys as far as Tissage Dump, and from there
smaller trucks man-handled, were the methods of transport employed.
The transport lines remained at Bac St. Maur. For the men there
were several good estaminets dotted about the town; while a good
meal for officers could be obtained at the "Au Bœuf," an ordinary
French provincial restaurant, while the more fastidious frequented
"Lucienne's," opposite the church of Notre Dâme. There was also
"Madame Burberry's" shop, where most items of clothing and field kit
were on sale.
The period in reserve was not without incident. To begin with, General
Headquarters' pamphlet S.S. 143, "The Training of Platoons for
Offensive Action," had just been issued. It contained a scheme for the
employment of a platoon as a small force of all arms--one section Lewis
gunners, one rifle grenadiers, one bombers, and one riflemen, with
a platoon headquarters consisting of the officer, platoon sergeant,
runner, and signaller. Each battalion was now ordered to tell off
one platoon for special instruction in this latest scheme. This was
not particularly difficult, except that the average strength of a
platoon and its four sections never approached the strength of the
"War Establishment" platoon for whose instruction these illuminating
pamphlets were always designed. The selection of ground proved far more
difficult, but an open space in the vicinity of the Nieppe Bridge,
where some old practice trenches stood, afforded reasonable facilities
at a moderate distance from the billets. The Second-in-Command, Major
H. K. Wilson, undertook to find a site, and ultimately decided upon
what seemed suitable for the purpose. Unfortunately, the site selected
had also been chosen as the position for certain silent batteries
and defensive machine-gun companies, who watched Major Wilson making
notes in his notebook and arrested him as a suspected person. Major
Wilson persuaded the machine gunners to accompany him to Battalion
Headquarters, whence, after he had been identified, they retired,
feeling no doubt that they had at least done their duty. The incident
caused considerable merriment, but to no one more than to the officer
chiefly concerned.
The shelling of Armentières by the enemy had recently become a daily
and nightly operation. Our gradual increase of guns of major calibre
hidden among the houses--there were two 8-inch howitzers in a garden in
the Rue Bayard--was quite sufficient to attract hostile notice. Apart
from Armentières itself, the enemy had also been busy shelling many
back areas, and in retaliation the Second Army decided on a general
back area shoot, commencing at 7.30 p.m. on April 7th, and all ranks
were warned to keep under cover.
The shoot duly commenced, but in spite of the din we heard what
sounded uncommonly like a barrage on the 2/7th K.L.R. front. However,
we imagined, as at first did they, that this was the anticipated
retaliation. At 7.45 p.m. a false gas alarm occurred, but at 8 p.m.
the order came for the battalion to stand-to. The raid for which we
thought the Germans had been registering had actually come off, and,
as ill-luck would have it, at the same moment as our area shoot. At
10.15 p.m. we were ordered to send up a company to reinforce the 2/7th
K.L.R., and "D" Company duly moved off, returning at dawn the next
morning without casualties. A further barrage at 10 p.m. caused a
second stand-to, but the fire died away in a short time, and normal
conditions were finally re-established.
On May 8th "A" Company relieved "C" Company in the subsidiary line,
and full particulars of the raids were obtainable. The enemy had
certainly put up a very fine barrage, but fortunately "C" Company had
escaped casualties, though Captain Eccles, returning from Battalion
Headquarters, had a narrow escape, and had been forced on one occasion
to make a somewhat hasty descent into a muddy ditch.
Preparations now commenced for the relief, an operation which became
easier every time the battalion returned to the old sector. On May 11th
the Lewis gunners moved in, and the trollies were soon busy trundling
up and down the Houplines road, which became more unhealthy every day.
Shelling was, in fact, much more frequent and general by day, though
our nights also were regularly disturbed by the scream and crash of
the shells landing in the houses. The area round the Pont de Nieppe
attracted special attention, and many civilians were killed or wounded.
The gas-works, where a number of guns were concentrated, the churches
of Notre Dâme and St. Vaast, the Rue Sadi Carnot, the railway station,
and other places, also came in for their share of attention, till
really one began to think that perhaps the trenches were preferable to
the billets.
On May 10th a Padre was attached to us, the Rev. M. T. Eland, and it
was arranged that he should share Captain McHugh's elegant quarters at
Tissage Dump. This was a reasonably intact house, containing, amongst
other choice bits of furniture collected from the neighbouring houses,
some beautiful plush-covered chairs. The area just beyond Tissage Dump
itself used to come in for a good deal of shelling, but McHugh slept
unconcernedly on the first floor, and paid little attention to the
noise of falling débris and the hum of flying splinters. It was a handy
place of call for visitors, often rather breathless in consequence
of having traversed the last part of the Houplines road in what the
text-books call "a series of short rushes."
Just before the relief the enemy expended more than his usual quantity
of ammunition on Armentières, and we were not sorry when he desisted
shortly before the march to the trenches was scheduled to commence. The
relief itself was carried out without any interference on the part of
the foe. The companies had been moved round, and the order from right
to left was "A," "B," "C," "D." To our disgust, we found that great
quantities of gas were in process of being installed in our sector,
projectors being located near the cemetery and on the extreme left.
Every night large carrying parties of the Irish came struggling up the
trenches; and for the benefit of those who have never had personal
experience, it may be stated that gas cylinders are no light weight
and are awkward things to handle, apart from the extremely unpleasant
nature of their contents should a flying piece of shell happen to
cause a leak. One very wet night, when the duck-boards, slippery with
the rain, made the task more than usually distressing, Captain Eccles
was passing down Wessex Avenue on his nightly tour of inspection.
Suddenly the sounds of highly-coloured language from the direction of
the Fry Pan attracted his attention. Now, it was quite easy to turn
into the Fry Pan unwittingly, and even in daylight very far from easy
to find your way out again. An unfortunate carrying party, loaded
with cylinders, were found by Captain Eccles just completing their
third tour round this circular redoubt--an occupation which, when the
frequent low overhead traverses were concealed by the blackness of the
night, would warrant the employment of any form of bad language. Great
apprehension existed in the minds of the authorities, and not without
reason, lest the enemy should detect what was going on. Cylinders and
gas were never allowed to be alluded to as such either in the front
line or on the telephone. They were called "eggs," and incidentally
by the men many other names not fit for publication. In addition to
this, companies had to send out covering parties into No Man's Land
to prevent the approach of any inquisitive German. Lying flat on your
stomach in wet mud and grass on a drenching night, and for two hours
at a stretch, is most dispiriting work, especially if you have to live
in your soaking garments for the next eight days, with the added joy
of expecting that you may be in the front line when the gas is being
released. Fortunately, during these operations the enemy remained
exceedingly quiet. Artillery destructive shoots drew no response; and
a rifle grenade and light trench mortar battery shoot on Cell Trench,
and wire-cutting in front of Centaur Trench by medium trench mortar
batteries, produced no effect on him whatever.
The damage done by the raid barrage was found to be considerable. A
trench which had been laboriously constructed from the left-centre
Company Headquarters to the detached post at Hobbs Farm, previously
only accessible viâ Cambridge Avenue, had been completely obliterated.
It appeared to have been in the 100 per cent. zone of the barrage
line, and though to save time one did go along it, one risked constant
exposure.
The observers now began to notice considerable movement in and behind
the enemy's line. Men were seen wearing packs, others popped their
heads over the parapet, and transport was heard at night. A relief was
suspected, and on May 17th the suspicion was more than confirmed by
the unusual activity of the Germans. Their attitude became suddenly
aggressive. "Pineapples" became unpleasantly frequent on the left
company sector, and a sniper reappeared in the old loophole in the
Chicken Run, which had not been used for fifteen days. Fortunately,
the larger "minnie," which commenced operations just before our last
tour ended, showed no signs of activity; it was probably part of a
"travelling circus" brought up for the raid. Anyhow, "pineapples,"
small though they may be, are noisy and destructive, and made the
left company sector very unpopular. There was also a long-range light
"minnie" which carried nearly to the subsidiary line. Artillery
activity, though spasmodic, was considerable on some days. The
left-hand communication trenches--Edmeads and, more particularly, Irish
Avenues--were heavily shelled, direct hits being not infrequent, and
parties were always being sent to clear away the fallen earth. On other
days a few rounds on Houplines and two or three bursts of shrapnel over
the cemetery were the only signs of activity.
On May 20th Colonel Fletcher went on leave, and Major H. K. Wilson
assumed command of the battalion.
On the night of May 20th we made an attempt to get into Centaur Trench,
but the party was detected, and had to retire hastily under a shower of
grenades. At 2 a.m. the next morning the enemy returned the compliment
by trying to cut off a bombing post situated between Edmeads and Hobbs
Farms. The operation commenced with a sudden shower of stick grenades,
and a couple of men were seen trying to get through the wire into
the derelict trenches in "N" Gap. Bombs were thrown and rapid fire
opened, and Rifleman "Gink" Bailey distinguished himself by standing
on the parapet and slanging the Germans to the full extent of his very
adequate Irish-American vocabulary. The Germans, disliking this, or at
any rate not appreciating their general reception, withdrew, and a
patrol was immediately dispatched, which located a dead German on the
wire. He proved to belong to the 14th Bavarian I.R. Shrapnel was called
for on the enemy's front line to welcome their return, after which the
night settled down to its normal state once more.
As the spring advanced the trenches lost a great deal of their barren
unloveliness. What had been mud or greyish-looking grass now became
a deep and luxuriant carpet of bright fresh green, with many a wild
flower peeping out here and there. The trees, which so far had been but
gaunt skeletons, began to cover their nakedness with fresh foliage.
The sides of Gloucester Avenue were gay with poppies and white
daisies; Sussex Avenue became an ideal country footpath, dotted with
may-trees; and even that forbidding-looking spot the Orchard assumed
quite a cheerful aspect. Round Cambridge House the lilacs blossomed
out, both purple and white. Roses bloomed in the old gardens near
Tissage Dump, and later on a small crop of strawberries and currants
was gathered there. A stroll round the line in the early morning was a
real pleasure. Just as the dawn was breaking you could wander anywhere.
Not a shot would be fired and the guns were silent. As the sun climbed
higher in the heavens, the pleasant smell of fresh, moist earth filled
the nostrils, instead of the stale stench of which one had grown so
sick. Dew-spangled grasses and fern overhanging the trench brushed
your face as you passed along. In the rapidly clearing mist that
heralded the hot day even the ugliest features of the line seemed to
take on a certain softening outline, a certain grace in harmony with
the countryside. High over No Man's Land you could see the fluttering
lark, and all the air was resonant with its trilling notes. The call
of the cuckoo sounded from the trees, and the chatter of sparrows and
finches in the overgrown hedges filled the air with a merry sound,
while but a few hours previously the nightingale had been pouring out
its full-throated melody. "Oh, to be in England now that April's here!"
How we re-echoed Browning's wish, with the substitution for "April"
of the month of June, at which we had now arrived! How true the words
seemed, how deep their significance! Beautiful as Nature was around us,
rejoiced as we were at this delightful contrast to the hideousness of
strife, yet it increased the bitterness and made one feel more keenly
than ever the loathsome misery of war. How one pictured to oneself the
peaceful beauty of the English countryside, so like this in outward
appearance, and yet so different in reality! How one longed for the war
to be over, to wander once more in the fields on a summer's morn, with
the black clouds of war cleared away for good, and not merely lifted
for a few precious moments!
Boom! The "morning hate" has begun. With a start we come back from
our pleasant dreams. Another stifling day is before us, and the
never-ending struggle with its monotony, its destruction, its every
detestable feature, claims us once more for its own.
One of the special delights of the Commanding Officer was crawling
about exposed parts of the sector by day. It was not only his anxiety
to acquire an accurate knowledge of his sector, though that was
certainly one reason; he wanted to find out where every derelict trench
led to, what secrets lay hidden in those areas of abandoned chaos in
which the sector abounded, and no one could ever have known his sector
better than did Colonel Fletcher. But apart from all this, his old
big-game hunting instincts were aroused. This time he was not tracking
the shy koodoo or the skulking lion, but matching his brains and his
woodcraft against the ever-watchful German. Major Geddes more than
once accompanied him on these excursions, as he crawled and wriggled
on his stomach from place to place, now lying up to use telescope and
field-glasses, now tracing out all the intricacies of our own or the
enemy trenches. Home the pair would come at last, with the perspiration
streaming down their faces. "Well, that is the best afternoon I have
had since the war started!" the Commanding Officer would exclaim, as
he sat mopping his face and drinking large cups of tea.
The gas attack had originally been fixed for the night of May
20th-21st. The targets selected for the projectors were Census
Support Line, Les 4 Hallots Farm, and Battalion Headquarters at
Census Farm. The inclusion of the latter target caused some people
certain misgivings, as they had a suspicion--afterwards confirmed
from a captured German map--that our own Headquarters were not
unknown to the enemy. The usual invasion of our sector by "N" and "L"
Special Companies, R.E., took place on the night in question. Extra
telephones had been rigged up, and in addition cryptic messages about
"presentations of medals" and "indents for bicycles" came frequently
over the 'phone. At the last moment the wind veered round, as it
frequently did at night. It was too late to cancel the orders by
message, so a special signal rocket was fired from Headquarters. It
was a red, green and red rocket. The first one lighted refused to
move at all; but the second, a parachute light, went up with a roar
for about twenty feet, and then sailed off along the subsidiary line.
Fortunately, it was successful in stopping the discharge of the gas.
We took a more than usual interest in this discharge, as it appeared
that we could not be relieved till it took place. However, in the end,
when we had been in ten days, the attack was definitely postponed for
twenty-four hours to allow the relief to be effected. On the early
morning of May 22nd 2nd-Lieutenants Hodgkinson and Little with patrols
attempted entries into the German line at Cell Trench, opposite Hobbs
Farm and at Centaur Trench respectively. Both were spotted and heavily
bombed, Little being slightly wounded, but not sufficiently for
evacuation. Lieutenant Alcock two days previously had been hit in the
eye by a splinter from a "pineapple," and had retired temporarily to a
Base hospital.
In spite of rather depressing accounts from the 2/7th K.L.R. as to
shelling in the vicinity of billets, we were glad to find, on May
22nd, that the relief, twice postponed, was really to take place.
Dug-outs or "bivvies" are not particularly comfortable--some, indeed,
very much the reverse. You get tired of stooping, of working by the
light of one miserable candle, of eating at odd times and of sleeping
at odd hours. The daily and nightly tours round the line become more
than usually wearisome. Duck-boards seem to get more treacherous, angle
irons and stray bits of barbed wire seem to project still farther from
the sides of trenches; while for the man in the post--and everyone
else's position is bliss compared with his--the time must have been
trying indeed. Not that it was particularly dangerous, though even in
quiet sectors most posts have their highly unpleasant periods; but it
was infinitely uncomfortable and trying to the last degree. Besides,
there was the pleasant hope that the wind would surely be favourable
for one night at least out of the next eight, and then the 2/7th
K.L.R., and not we, would experience the delights of a gas discharge,
to the accompaniment of the applause of the enemy, which was usually
of a vigorous nature. However, the relief took place at last without
any hitch, and the early hours of May 23rd found us back in our old
billets in Armentières. The routine was the same as last time--working
parties, one platoon for special training, and the remainder general
training. The new extension for the box-respirator was also fitted,
and in addition we received twenty horse respirators, to which even
the mules raised no violent objection. The opportunity was also taken
to have all the swords sharpened. Two officers at a time were attached
for instruction to A/286 Battery, R.F.A., and as the latter's quarters
were situated in a comfortable orchard, the two days allowed passed
pleasantly enough.
On May 26th "B" Company, who had remained in the subsidiary line, were
relieved by "D" Company. Early the next morning sounds were heard
suggestive of a gas attack. The great bell at Houplines Level Crossing
was tolling. Runners flew off to rouse the companies. Officers appeared
at doorways
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