V Inglefield

“ At 9 A.M. the 5th Division began to advance towards Falfemont Farm. This attack was at first only partially successful, but indirectly it was very useful in diverting the enemy’s attention from Guillemont.
Zero hour for the 20th Division was noon. Just before this, liquid fire was projected and a “push pipe” mine was exploded with the object of destroying a German machine-gun emplacement in the line of the first sunken road opposite Arrow Head Copse—a formidable obstacle which had held up former attacks on this flank. The mine had evidently struck a stone in being run out and had turned back. ”

“ The German infantry advanced in a succession of from eight to twelve waves, preceded by a great number of low-flying aeroplanes which rained machine-gun fire on the troops and dropped smoke bombs to screen the assaulting lines. The front line battalions met the enemy with heavy rifle and Lewis gun fire, but when the right companies had been taken in front and rear and all had lost a large proportion of their strength, the whole line was eventually overcome. ”

“ As soon as they showed themselves, the enemy, obviously ready for the attack, put down an extremely quick and accurate barrage, and met the assaulting line with a hail of bullets. Although nearly all the most advanced troops became casualties, some of the 11th K.R.R.C. fought their way forward to the objective, and Captain O. R. Ord, with a few riflemen of the 10th R.B., reached the enemy wire, where they were all killed in making a gallant attempt to get through. Most of the troops, coming under overwhelming machine-gun fire from the front and flanks, were unable to make much progress. ”

“ The stretcher bearers, working under the 60th Field [172] Ambulance, had more casualties in this action than in the battle of Langemarck. Again, their task was a severe one, as the Decauville line was broken too often to be of much use, but by their untiring efforts all the wounded were cleared without a hitch. As an example of what was done, 24 bearers at Gallwitz Farm carried back 142 stretcher cases in 24 hours.
Prisoners stated that a concerted attack against the Divisional front had been arranged, and it is evident that our success here completely upset the enemy’s plans. ”

“ Close under the barrage—in places within thirty yards of it—the infantry advanced, “A” Company on the right, “B” Company on the left. “A” Company, in close touch with the assaulting troops of the 8th Division, attacked the enemy in front. One platoon of “B” Company advanced on the left of “A.”
The enemy was undoubtedly surprised by the rapidity with which these troops reached the line, and left his trench, making a stand on the far side. The fight was brief. Under very effective fire from rifles, Lewis guns and rifle grenades, many of the enemy fell. ”

“ On the 20th the Corps Commander, Lieut.-General Sir John Du Cane, addressed the 12th King’s and the 7th D.C.L.I. as representatives of the Division. He said that the 20th Division had driven back the enemy from the trenches in front of Morval and Lesbœufs to the Hindenburg Line, a greater distance than that achieved by any other division on that front. The 20th had seen much hard fighting and had never failed to gain its objectives. ”

“ For the first time since the retirement began, the infantry was given really good artillery support. After a very effective bombardment for twenty minutes the attack was launched with complete success. Fifty-three prisoners and nine machine guns were captured and the original line was restored. In appreciation of this very fine action by troops tired out by incessant fighting, the G.O.C. XIXth Corps wired to the Division: “Well done the 20th. Such a counter attack after all your hard work is splendid. Please congratulate your troops.” ”

“ There was no lack of men in the Division, many units being well over establishment; the main difficulty to be contended with was the shortage of regular officers and N.C.O.’s to carry out the training. For a few weeks one or two experienced officers and a few re-enlisted N.C.O.’s in each battalion and artillery brigade were confronted with the task of turning a thousand totally untrained men into an efficient and well-disciplined fighting force. ”

“ The enemy’s trenches opposite the Lens sector were in many places extremely difficult to raid. The ground between the lines was very much cut up by shell-holes and was a mass of débris. East of the Lens—Arras road not only did the ruined houses constitute a formidable obstacle in themselves, but the gaps between the ruins and the spaces inside the houses were filled with barbed wire. The enemy had a number of forward machine guns in strong concrete emplacements which were difficult to silence. ”

“ There is no doubt that the demonstration was a success. The enemy must have suffered a good deal from our shell fire, while the casualties in the 20th Division were only about 50. The dummies were most realistically worked so that the enemy was thoroughly deceived and certainly concentrated his artillery on the area of the 60th Brigade. A German communiqué dealing with this demonstration came later into our hands. It ran: “A strong attack by the enemy was stopped at his trenches.” ”

“ Before leaving, another congratulatory message was received from General Sir Hubert Gough:
“The Army Commander wishes to thank all ranks 20th Division for the part they have played in the third battle of Ypres. The Division may well be proud of the capture of Langemarck on August 16th and the taking of Eagle Trench on September the 23rd. While holding the line of the Steenbeek during a prolonged spell of bad weather the Division showed a good soldierly spirit under difficult conditions. The Army Commander is sorry to lose such a good fighting Division.” ”

“ Stonham, M.C. It was a difficult place to raid, as a heavily wired railway embankment had to be crossed.
A “box” barrage was put down two hours before the raid took place to simulate a raid, and a bugle was blown from the front trenches a few minutes after the artillery fire had ceased, to make the Germans think that the raiding party was being withdrawn. During the real attack only smoke shells were used. Within half an hour two prisoners, both wearing iron crosses, had been taken, the enemy’s dug-outs had been blown up by two sappers, and the whole party had returned without a scratch. ”

“ At 2 P.M. the whole line went forward up to the Ginchy—Wedge Wood road, which the 59th Brigade reached without heavy casualties in spite of many small parties of the enemy who were found in dug-outs along the road and at the cemetery east of the village and were made prisoners. On the left the Royal Irish passed to the attack through the other battalions of the brigade. They were joined by the Munsters, and these two battalions having got forward under a hot fire to within 70 yards of the road, rushed the position, where they captured a machine gun and more than 100 prisoners. ”

“ Along the top of the ridge were several “tunnels,” which gave cover to a large number of troops. Just south of Sanctuary Wood, Tor Top Tunnels, a huge underground cavern lit by electric light, held the whole of the battalion in reserve to the left brigade. As there were only four exits from this place, so that very few men might have escaped if a fire had broken out, great precautions were taken, and nobody was allowed even to strike a match. ”

“ The 4th Division advanced at 6 A.M. parallel to the railway, with its left flank some 600 yards south-east of it, and by 10 o’clock, when the protective barrage was reported to be most effective, had gained the final objective, the right of which touched the northern outskirts of Poelcapelle. The town itself was entered by the 11th Division.
The fighting on the general battle front since the 20th of September had been remarkable for the many [175] heavy counter attacks launched against our troops when the objectives had been taken. ”

“ A machine-gun barrage was provided by the four machine gun companies with the exception of half of the 60th and half of the 61st, which accompanied their brigades.
The attacking troops formed up during the night of the 15th/16th. It was, of course, of the utmost importance that they should take up their position east of the Steenbeek without the knowledge of the enemy. As the enemy’s posts opposite the 60th Brigade were at an average distance of 150 yards from the stream and only 80 yards opposite Au Bon Gite on the front of the 61st Brigade, this was an extremely difficult manœuvre. ”

“ While the remnants of the 59th and 60th Brigades had been fighting desperately to stem the enemy’s advance and had finally established a line on the north-eastern [200] and south-eastern slopes of Welsh Ridge, the 60th Brigade also had been hotly engaged.
The enemy’s most dangerous advance developed on the right flank, where by 9.30 A.M. he had taken Bonavis, Villers-Guislain, Gonnelieu and Gouzeaucourt, and was on the southern outskirts of La Vacquerie. On the left the 29th Division was gallantly holding out in Masnières. ”

“ The front line was approached by a line of duckboards which became so slippery that one unit coming up for its tour in the trenches considered itself extremely lucky in having only two or three casualties from men falling off. Snow fell again on the 31st, and the hard frost lasted without a break until the middle of February.
On the 22nd of January a raid was attempted against the 6th Oxford and Bucks L.I.—the left battalion of the left group. The raiding party was dressed in white so as not to show up against the snow, but was nevertheless driven back with loss and in disorder. ”

“ Although this country was now outside the main battle area, attacks had been made on the 1st of July between the Ancre and Serre and north of Hebuterne, with a view to holding the enemy reserves and occupying his artillery. To meet these attacks the enemy had concentrated a large force of artillery, with the result that when the 20th Division took over the line the trenches were in an appalling state and the ground still covered with dead. The front line could be held only by advanced parties, and it had to be reclaimed ”

“ The 61st Brigade came under enfilade fire from Au Bon Gite until that place was taken, but otherwise, although under fairly heavy rifle and machine-gun fire, met no serious opposition until the K.O.Y.L.I. on the left were held up by concrete blockhouses west of Langemarck and later at Langemarck station. At these two places great dash and initiative were shown by individual men, who, when practically all their officers had been lost, carried on, and with Lewis guns and bombs fought splendidly together. ”

“ As part of the front line defences taken over by the left brigade group there was a very isolated post, known as “B” post, some 300 yards in front of the trenches and out of sight from anywhere in the line. This was a very difficult place to hold, and even to approach. Owing to the constant fire of the enemy’s machine guns throughout the night, the only way in which reliefs could be carried out was by sending up two or three men at a time. ”

“ All three parties entered the enemy’s lines and went thoroughly through the salient, suffering very few casualties. The German trenches had been badly knocked about by our artillery fire, but a great deal of work had evidently been expended on them. They were found to be deep and strong, well revetted, and absolutely dry. Seven prisoners—including an officer—were taken, but the officer was killed and five of the men were wounded by a German shell after they had reached our lines. ”

“ With the capture of Bilhem the Division had finally [137] driven the enemy on its front into the Hindenburg defences. It then became necessary to organise the line as a defensive position in order to safeguard the ground which had been gained. The front line, after a certain amount of readjustment, ran from the south-east of Bilhem in a general north-westerly direction as far as the right flank of the 11th Division on the canal, and included the whole of Havrincourt Wood except a part of the north-eastern area just south of the village of Havrincourt. ”

“ Nevertheless there was much fighting, especially in certain parts of the front such as the Ypres salient and about La Bassée and in the battles of Neuve Chapelle and Loos.
The sector about Laventie during the autumn and winter of 1915 was one of the quietest on the British front. The first month that the Division spent in the line was uneventful, though there was continued activity in some form or other; mining was always being carried out by both sides, and enemy sniping never ceased. ”

“ The 60th, 61st and 62nd Field Ambulances had been attached respectively to the 59th, 60th and 61st Brigades, but during the successive retirements they had to deal with the casualties of many different units. Their work was splendid. Many times when communication was difficult and the situation uncertain, advanced dressing stations were established close to the front line and the wounded carried back, often under heavy fire, with great perseverance and courage. ”

“ Attempts were made to keep this gun in action, but every man sent up to replace the casualties met the same fate, so the gun had to be withdrawn. Up to this time the artillery had had observation posts in the village—an unpleasant place even then, as it was shelled frequently with gas. After the bombardment on the 17th, it was fairly obvious that the Germans intended to make a supreme effort to capture Villers Bretonneux, from where they would have observation over all the country to the west as far as Amiens. ”

“ The enemy’s line ran a little to the west and north-west of Guillemont, which being part of his original second line of defence, though by this time reduced to a mass of ruins, was very strongly fortified. The village lay on high ground, but in a slight depression which is really the head of a long valley running up from the west. To the north, high ground extends for 3000 yards, with the village of Ginchy at the highest point; [71] to the south, after forming a ridge from 400 to 1000 yards across, the ground fulls sharply in a series of irregular spurs and re-entrants towards the Somme. ”

“ A raid on the Bull Ring just north-west of the outlying houses of Méricourt was very well carried out by the 2nd Scottish Rifles, commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Sandilands, in the early morning of the 23rd of June. At 3.5 A.M. the Divisional Artillery, with the assistance of Stokes, medium, and heavy trench mortars, barraged the enemy’s position. Two minutes later “A” and “B” Companies of the Scottish Rifles advanced, and after crossing two belts of wire concealed in long grass reached the embankment. Up to this time very few of the enemy were seen. ”

“ At first it took as long as nine hours to complete one of the reliefs, and one stretcher party took seven and a half hours to get from company to battalion headquarters. The trenches were very bad and kept falling in, especially in the first few days spent in this sector, and frequently men had to be dug out of the mud. The 11th D.L.I., composed chiefly of miners, and well known for their [113] good work under the worst conditions, improved matters so that before the Division was relieved communication trenches could be used up to a certain distance. ”

“ For the 20th, and for many other divisions, a rest was imperative, and large reinforcements were needed before units could be brought up to their former strength. At the same time it was unlikely that the Germans would rest long before renewing their offensive, and although by this time preparations for an attack north of La Bassée were known to be nearly complete, the strong forces still concentrated in the Somme battlefield directly threatened our positions east of Amiens. ”

“ The field companies, working in the areas of their brigades, constructed among other things extensive breastwork trenches in No Man’s Land and a large number of framed machine-gun emplacements with concrete head cover. The amount of work that was done by the R.E. and infantry is indicated by the fact that at one time an average of four tons of material was taken up to the line each night from the workshops and dumps of the 96th Field Company alone. The artillery did a great deal of work constructing new observation posts and improving communications and battery positions. ”

“ East of Schreiboom the enemy held a defensive position known as Eagle Trench. It was a curiously constructed work, in which the actual trench ran between two solid embankments about 8 feet high. These details were not known at the time of the attack, as owing to the formation of the ground it was an extremely difficult place to see. As, however, it was known to be strongly held, 290 oil drums were fired on to it at zero; they seem to have fallen beyond the trench, and to have done little more than light up the surroundings and show the enemy our advancing lines.
On the left flank all went well ”

“ The rest went back to their battalions as battalion or company bombers. The training was carried on under some difficulty at first, as nothing was provided. No bombs were available for instructional purposes, and therefore they had to be improvised. Machine-gun classes were also formed, and from time to time officers and N.C.O.’s went to Wisques for a course in the use of machine guns in the field. Gas-mask drill was very strict, and was practised every day. Demonstrations and lectures were given, and as many men as possible were made to pass through gas. ”

“ On the right of the 20th Division the situation was not so good. The divisions further south had not made much progress; the 11th Division therefore had to form a defensive flank. Its left was in touch with the 60th Brigade on the third objective, but Rat House, south-east of Langemarck, remained in the possession of the enemy.
About 400 prisoners had been taken by the Division, including the officer commanding the battalion which had held Langemarck. A section of 4·2 howitzers, one 77 mm. field gun, and 20 or 30 machine guns had also fallen into our hands. ”

“ This battalion was at the time in reserve, and the men showed extraordinary goodwill and keenness to do all they could, and worked with the greatest determination. Each man carried down with him two rounds of ammunition besides his own rifle and equipment. Then, with fifty men on each gun besides the men of the batteries and one team of horses, the whole brigade was got into action by mid-day, with the exception of one gun which was badly stuck upside down in a shell-hole. ”