Major Foley took over the command of the Battalion on June 16th, 1915, vice Lieutenant-Colonel Hindle, wounded; Major Nickson became senior Major, vice Major Foley, from the same date; Lieutenant Duckworth became Adjutant, vice Captain Norman, wounded; Captain Widdows took over command of C Company, vice Major Nickson; Lieutenant Rennard of D Company, vice Captain Hibbert, missing; Lieutenant Gregson B Company, vice Captain Peak, missing; Second Lieutenant Rogerson became Machine Gun Officer, vice Second Lieutenant Rawsthorn, killed.
The weather was good and sunny, and we bathed in the LA BASSEE Canal. Most of us were exhausted by the attack and in need of rest. Indents for clothing and necessaries were rendered.
Orders were received on the 21st for the Battalion to proceed to billets near LE TOURET. A working party of 200, under Captain Booth, was detailed for work under the R.E. building a light railway.
JUNE 22nd–JUNE 24th.
The Battalion arrived in billets about 7 p.m., and took over the billets of the 1/7th Royal Highlanders.
There was no working party to be furnished for the night, the 22nd/23rd June, but one of 100 men under the command of Captain Widdows for the night following. This working party was detailed for work in the firing trench. The trench, which needed extra traverses and wider parapets, was protected from the German view by an old ruined communication trench which was to be demolished as soon as the new low fire trench was ready for use, and in neither working party were there any casualties.
This stay at LA COUTURE was quiet, and was devoted to resting and reorganising. There was a little shelling of the village to our right, but none near to us. Second Lieutenant Rogerson rejoined the Battalion after a fortnight’s machine gun training.
JUNE 25th.
The Battalion moved off about 7 p.m. on the night of the 24th June, and marched to ESTAIRES, where it arrived about 11 p.m., and was billeted, the menbeing in factories or breweries. These billets were very similar to the ones we occupied on May 18th. ESTAIRES is a fair-sized town, a market town in many ways, with some industries. It was interesting to us, because it was the first town we had been quartered in since landing in France.
In the afternoon of June 25th, orders were received to move to the trenches the same night. The Battalion marched to the trenches via LAVENTIE, which had been heavily shelled by the enemy, but most of the damage centred on the church, as in other villages where we had been. Here the church, and the two roads which crossed near the church, as well as the adjoining streets for a length of about 200 yards, were in ruins; the nearer you got to the church centre the more intensive was the damage. The inhabitants, however, were living in the village and carrying on their business outside this shelled ring.
The trenches were reached at 8 30, and relief was completed by 9 p.m. The Battalion we relieved was the 1/1st London Regiment (T.F.).
JUNE 26th–JULY 4th.
We spent eight days in these new trenches. They are known as “E 2 Lines, FAUQUISSART,” and were of the breastwork type, a shallow trench first being dug to a little above the water level and a high parapet of sandbags placed in front of this. The line we occupied was practically, when allowances are made for the fact that it was a fire trench, the equivalent of the reserve trenches which we held about June 10th. It was the same line. The British here had been able to make no headway. The parapet was very good and very thick as a rule, but much of the parados was shaky and had to be rebuilt. The long grass in front had already been partly cut by the previous trench holders, and there was a fair amount of wire in front, but not too much. The enemy was about 300 yards off, but the lines were not exactly parallel, and at one point the enemy must have been nearly five hundred yards away. There was very much less shell fire than in the previous trenches we had held, and very much more rifle shooting. There was a number of fixed rifle batteries with which the enemy tried to break the sandbags. There were also snipers normally to be found firing from a flank. The telescopic-sighted rifle, which had been issued to the Battalion just before entering the trenches, proved very useful for sniping in return. These rifles were the short rifles, fitted with telescopic sights, with a crossed hair-line on the object lens and a range dial. One ran to 600 yards and the other 1,200 yards in range.
A, B, and D Companies were in the trench line, with C Company in reserve holding an entrenched post. These “forts” took the place of the support line in the trenches we had been in before and were intended as defensive and rallying points in case of an attack. Battalion Headquarters was in the open.
Second Lieutenant Evans, who had been left behind with Second Lieutenant Norwood at Oxted when the Battalion moved to Bedford preparatory to sailing for France, rejoined the Battalion from the 2/4th Loyal North Lancashire Regiment on the night of June 26th.
On June 27th, Second Lieutenant R. A. Ostrehan and Second Lieutenant E. G. Baker, from the 2/4th Battalion, joined the Battalion, and Second Lieutenant D. H. Ostrehan joined on the night of the 28th.
To the left of our positions, the opposing lines narrowed down until in one place, known as Red Lamp Corner, they were no more than fifty yards apart. A mine was sprung here by us one morning at dawn, and shook the earth around. There was a short bombardment by our artillery of the mine crater and of the enemy line, and a slight reply from the German artillery, which bombarded the position much more heavily two days later, but these bombardments did not affect us.
JULY 4th–JULY 9th.
The Battalion was relieved in the night of the 3rd/4th July about 10 p.m. by the 1/7th Gordon Highlanders, and marched off to billets in the ESTAIRES—LA BASSEE road, near LA GORGUE, taking over billets from the 1/5th Seaforth Highlanders. The billets were of the usual type, orchards and farm buildings. The Officers’ Mess was established in the local schoolroom.
The six days’ rest from the trenches was interrupted by a series of working parties, which swallowed the whole available strength of the Battalion, Officers’ servants, signallers, stretcher-bearers, transport, and machine gunners all having to be impanelled in order to provide the number required. The work done was miscellaneous—digging in communication trenches, improving communication trench parapets, laying a level bed for a light trench railway, &c. This resulted in most of the men sleeping all day. New clothing was issued on the 4th July, and a day was set apart for bathing the Battalion in the brewery-bathhouse. This bathhouse had been made by taking vats from the brewery and tubs, and filling these with hot water. Men filed in at one door and gave up their dirty underclothing, and tied their clothes into a bundle, fastened with their identity disc. Each man was issued there with clean shirt and underclothing, whilst his old garments were washed and cleaned. Facilities were provided for bathing a Company at a time. Six baths for Officers were laid down also. This hot bath was greatly appreciated by the men; it was the first one they had had since landing.
The G.O.C. Indian Corps, to which the Division had been attached, inspected the Brigade on Wednesday, July 7th. The Battalion paraded as strong as possible, and put 293 rifles into the field. The General, Sir James Wilcox, expressed himself as well satisfied with the Brigade and welcomed them back to the Indian Corps, which they had temporarily left, expressing a hope that they were back for good.
JULY 10th–JULY 15th.
In these six days the Battalion was on trench duty in F lines, a little to the right of our previous position. The trenches were of the same type as those of E 2 Lines, consisting of a strong breastwork sandbagged trench, only a little sunk below the level of the ground, with several supporting points in rear. The wholeBattalion was in the line, with the exception of Battalion Headquarters, which were situated about 1,000 yards back from the firing line in a farmhouse. Captain Booth was sent to hospital from here.
Nothing of much moment happened to us in these lines. There was one very wet night, which left the trenches in a very bad condition for the following day. What shelling there was was directed upon the house behind us; very few shells fell on the trench.
Our casualties amounted to one killed and three wounded in this period, mainly from sniping, which was fairly active. We had a sniping post, heavily sandbagged, in an orchard to the rear of the line, and a sniping party with telescopic-sighted rifles to garrison it.
There was an order that equipment must never be removed for any purpose. One day a man emerging from his billet with equipment on but the shoulder straps of his jacket unbuttoned cannoned into the R.S.M., who accused him of having had his equipment off. This he denied, and muttered that he had just been having breakfast. “Do you need to unbutton your shoulder straps to have breakfast, then?” enquired the R.S.M. in his silkiest tones. The man stood glowering for a moment, and then in desperation burst out, “Well! Ah’ve got to saay summat, ’evn’t I?”
We were relieved on the night of the 16th/17th July by the 1/4th Royal Lancaster Regiment, about 10 p.m., and moved off to reserve billets near Headquarters. Detachments from A Company, under Second Lieutenant Evans, and C Company, under Second Lieutenant R. A. Ostrehan, garrisoned “fort” supporting points behind the line. There was a heavy trench mortar bombardment of the trenches held by the 2/5th Lancashire Fusiliers on the night of the 19th/20th July, which caused a Brigade “stand-to,” but nothing happened. The 2/5th Lancashire Fusiliers had rejoined the Brigade the week before.
The Brigade was relieved on the night of the 23rd/24th July by the 13th Brigade, the Battalion by the 1st Middlesex Regiment.
On the 27th we left for LA GORGUE Station, where we entrained, and arrived at CALAIS at 8 p.m., then on via ABBEVILLE and AMIENS to CORBIE, where we detrained and marched to billets at RIBEMONT. On the 31st we went to MARTINSART, being then in Divisional Reserve. Here we remained for a week training.
This SOMME country was a great change from the plains of Flanders, and the air was better.
We relieved the 25th Lancashire Fusiliers on the 6th August in Sector B. A, B, and C Companies were in the fire trench; D Company in support at POSTE LESDOS; Battalion Headquarters in AVELUY WOOD south of AUTHUILLE. The trenches were cut in the solid chalk—hardly any sandbags—and the French had made the dugouts very comfortable. The barbed wire was thick. On the 4th Second Lieutenant W. R. Haggas had reported from the 2/4th Loyal North Lancashires, bringing five N.C.O.’s and men, who had been wounded, from the base,and a week later Lieutenant-Colonel Hindle returned from England and again took over the command of the Battalion. On the 9th a thunderstorm broke and turned the trenches into mud. On the 11th the first party went on leave. Two men were wounded the same day. The sector was quiet, and so was LA BOISELLE sector, where we went on the 14th, relieving the 1/5th Irish. C and D Companies were in the fire trench; A and B in support at POSTE DONNEZ. The opposing lines were so close that high bomb nets were found necessary.
On the 21st we were relieved by the 1/5th King’s Liverpool Regiment, and went into billets at AVELUY. It is chronicled in the War Diary that at this time the men began to have hot tea and soup served about midnight and that one-third were allowed to sleep at night. On the 22nd a draft was received from the 2/4th Loyal North Lancashire Regiment of 101 Other Ranks, and the following day four Officers, Second Lieutenants A. B. Bratton and H. M. Strong, from the 3rd Loyal North Lancashires, and Second Lieutenants J. S. Walker and M. W. Nolan, from the 11th Loyal North Lancashires, joined.
On the morning of September 4th the enemy shelled the trenches at POSTE LESDOS fairly heavily, and one shell burst in the midst of a working party, killing one and wounding five Other Ranks of D Company, whilst a week later one Other Rank was killed. On the 17th Lieutenant-Colonel Foley left the Battalion and crossed to England to take over command of a third-line unit. The succeeding day, just before being relieved by the 1/8th Liverpool Irish, the trenches were again heavily shelled, and one Company Sergeant-Major, one Sergeant, and one Corporal were killed by a single shell, whilst three Other Ranks were wounded. Captain H. Parker, Captain J. A. Crump, and Lieutenants K. H. Moore, R. Ord, and J. L. Brindle rejoined the Battalion from the 3/4th Loyal North Lancashires, and the first-named three Officers took over the command of A, B, and C Companies respectively.
At this time Companies of one of the Service Battalions of the Highland Light Infantry were attached to us for instruction.
On October 1st Brigadier-General J. L. Hibbert was wounded in the shoulder, and Lieutenant-Colonel Hindle took over the temporary command of the Brigade, while Major Nickson took over the Battalion with Captain Crump as second. Captain Rennard and Second Lieutenant Norwood went into hospital the same day, and Captain Gregson on the 3rd, and on the 4th Captain Green, R.A.M.C., reported for duty, vice Lieutenant Sugars transferred to the 3rd Battalion. Lieutenant-Colonel Hindle returned to the Battalion on the 7th, and Brigadier-General G. T. G. Edwards, C.B., took over command of the Brigade.
On the whole the month was quiet. On the 3rd we went into the line, A, C, and D in front and B in support at POSTE LESDOS—being relieved on the 15th by the 2/5th Lancashire Fusiliers, when B and C Companies relieved the 1/8th Irish on the right of F 1 sector, A and D being in support at POSTE DONNEZ; here we stayed till the 21st, going back to AVELUY, whence nightly working parties went up the line.
On the 27th, “fur” coats were issued, and we went back to POSTE LESDOS sector.
On the 28th, the enemy bombarded the wire and front line from 7 10 a.m. to 9 30 a.m., doing considerable damage and blowing in 100 yards of trench between AINTREE STREET and MERSEY STREET, held by C Company, and 30 yards in A Company’s sector. C.S.M. Edwards earned the D.C.M. for manoeuvring his Company about during the shelling in such a way as to escape with very few casualties.
The whole of the month was quiet and uneventful, but there was some desultory shelling of the working parties; salvos of H.E. and H.V. shells were sent over hourly, and in one of these bursts on the 30th Major Nickson was killed, whilst Second Lieutenant Bratton and six Other Ranks were wounded.
On the 31st Captain J. O. Widdows went sick and Second Lieutenant Nolan and 20 Other Ranks were wounded, the total casualties for the month being:—Officers: killed one, wounded two, sick four; Other Ranks: killed one, wounded 35, missing one.
Early in November Second Lieutenant R. S. De Blaby reported for duty from the base. On the 2nd an enemy shell burst in the trench held by A Company, killing two men and wounding one, whilst five others were admitted to hospital suffering from shock. Two mornings later two shells landed at the junction of Aintree Street and the fire trench, killing three men and wounding three others who were waiting as sentry reliefs. About this time, owing to the number of sick and wounded (the trenches were in a very bad state and knee-deep in water through the torrential rains and the men were very wet), it became extremely difficult to find the requisite number of men for the different duties each day.
On the 5th Lieutenant-Colonel Hindle went on leave for nine days, Captain Crump taking over command, and during that period the weather was so bad, snow falling on several of the days, that the programme of training could not be carried out. On the 18th Second Lieutenants T. A. Burnside, F. R. Best, and M. Wilson joined, and on the 20th one man was killed during an enemy burst of 30 small shells in reply to our artillery’s work on the German trenches.
On the 25th Bomber Gent did very good work. Taking nine bombs with him, he went out alone, and, encountering an enemy patrol coming from a sap-head, bombed them with good effect. The following day Lieutenant K. H. Moore was killed by a sniper. The month’s casualties consisted of one Officer killed, and of Other Ranks eight killed, three wounded, and 95 sick.
On December 2nd, at BOUZINCOURT, C.Q.M.S. E. E. Lester was presented with the Croix de Guerre for conspicuous bravery at Festubert on June 15th. This ceremony took place on Battalion parade. Second Lieutenant A. Hague arrived from the 3/4th Loyal North Lancashires, and later in the month Second Lieutenants A. Parker and Fairclough joined for duty, whilst Second Lieutenant Bryce-Smith rejoined from the base. As Christmas approached the weather was very bad, and the sides of the trenches were continually falling in. There were pumps in plenty,but the water ran in as fast as it could be pumped out. On Christmas Day we were relieved by the 1/4th King’s Own, and managed to get a good dinner, thanks to our excellent Quartermaster, Lieutenant Baker. The casualties during December consisted of 2 Other Ranks wounded and 82 sick, and for the whole year 23 Officers (4 killed, 10 wounded, 2 missing, 2 died of wounds, and 5 sick), and 624 Other Ranks (30 killed, 271 wounded, 146 missing, and 177 sick).
New Year’s Day, 1916, dawned wet and dismal in the trenches at AUTHUILLE, and though the general situation was quiet our trench mortar batteries were in action for a time. It was during the evening’s retaliation that a shell blew in a dugout, killing Second Lieutenant F. R. Best and wounding Second Lieutenants H. Rogerson and R. A. Ostrehan and three Other Ranks. The following day the Battalion was relieved by the 16th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers, and moved to billets at LAVIEVILLE, six miles away. The following day the Brigade left the 51st Division, and, moving off from HENENCOURT, we marched via BEHENCOURT to ST. GRATIEN and a day later to RAINNEVILLE. The Brigade stayed at RAINNEVILLE a day and a half, the time being spent in a much-needed clean-up, and at this point—on January 5th—we became the 164th Infantry Brigade of the 55th Division.
On the 6th we left the 13th Corps to move to the new Divisional area, the 55th Division being then part of the 14th Corps. The march was via BERTANGLES, VAUX-EN-AMIENS to ARGOEUVES, the Battalion subsequently moving independently to AIRAINES, via ST. SAUVNEUR, PICQUIGNY, and SOUES, reinforcements arriving from the base the day after the Battalion had been billeted. Company training was carried out, and we had the task of finding control posts for all entrances to the village to prevent British Army horses from entering on account of the number of diseased horses there. On the 14th Second Lieutenants Silveira, Agostini, and Matthews arrived from the 3/4th Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. The Brigadier should have inspected the Brigade the following day at COURCHON, but the event was cancelled owing to rain, and Battalion drill took place instead. In the afternoon the A.S.C.’s Picture Palace was booked and the men given a free show. During the week a bombing school, bayonet course, and rifle range were fixed up, and excellent progress was made with the training. On the 20th of January Major Parker took over the Battalion on Lieutenant-Colonel Hindle’s departure on leave. During the remainder of the stay there the training was rounded off by an attack over open country, a gas test in the presence of the G.O.C. of the Division, and instruction in grenade throwing for all the Officers and N.C.O.’s, before, ultimately, General Allenby inspected the Division near HALLENCOURT, on the 29th.
On February 2nd the Earl of Derby inspected the Battalion at VIEULAINE, and the following day we proceeded to billets at LONGPRE, whence the Brigade, less two Battalions, marched to new billets, Brigade Headquarters proceeding to RIBEACOURT, 2/5th Lancashire Fusiliers to BEAUMETZ, andthe 1/4th Loyal North Lancashires to PROUVILLE. At AUTHEUX, a few days later, the Battalion and Platoon bombers were inspected in their work by the G.O.C. of the 55th Division, Major-General Jeudwine. “Old Judy,” as he was called, soon found a place in our hearts—he had the gift of inspiring those under him—and we all loved him.
About this time the Brigade experienced the French winter at its worst in so far as rain was concerned, conditions being so bad that no training was possible for two days. The men found welcome relief when the downpour ceased by participating in a five miles cross-country run. On the 15th the Brigade marched from HEM, via DOULLENS, to HALLOY and on to BELLEVUE, where units broke off to their respective villages, the 1/4th continuing the march via BAVINCOURT and GOUY-EN-ARTOIS to MONCHIET. Three nights afterwards hostile aircraft flew over the village and dropped two bombs not far from our lines. There were no casualties. Shortly before noon the following day an enemy ’plane again flew over the village, dropping a bomb about 150 yards from the huts, once more without effecting any damage. On the 23rd orders were received for the Battalion to go into the trenches to take over from the 1/5th King’s Liverpool Regiment. There was a heavy fall of snow that afternoon, followed by a frost at night, and we moved into the line the following night. The enemy was very quiet on this front and apt to show himself a good deal. Lieutenant-Colonel Hindle took over the command the day following the Battalion’s arrival. About this time the trenches became very wet owing to the thaw, and the discomforts familiar at these times recurred. Meanwhile the enemy indulged in rather more sniping than usual, while a visit by a dozen hostile aeroplanes one morning was accompanied by activity on the part of his artillery. There were no casualties or cases of sickness during the month—a record.
March also was quite uneventful. A German deserter surrendered to us, and there was only a single casualty during the month, one man being wounded. But on April 1st, while A, B, and C Companies were billeted at BRETENCOURT, the enemy fired about three salvoes to the west of the village, and one shell burst in a barn occupied by No. 15 Platoon (D Company), killed six men, and wounded eight others. On the 9th Lieutenant-Colonel Hindle went to the 3rd Army School, and Major Crump took command of the Battalion during his week’s absence. On the 23rd, while rifle grenades were being fired, one exploded in our lines and would have caused serious loss of life, but Private Carter threw himself upon it and received the full force of the burst. He was killed, and Second Lieutenant Wilson, trying at the same time to grasp the grenade and throw it away, lost his hand. Lieutenant-Colonel Hindle went on leave on the 27th, Major Crump taking over the command. During the month, in addition to the casualties referred to, there were seven men killed and a like number wounded.
On 1st April, while the Battalion was at GROSVILLE, four cavalry N.C.O.’s were attached, two from the 1st Dragoon Guards and two from the InniskillingDragoons. On the 4th the Battalion took over slightly to the right of the former frontage, the left Company frontage being taken over by the 165th Brigade. Owing to shortage of Officers, A and C Companies worked as one in respect of Officers’ duties. Lieutenant-Colonel Hindle resumed his command two days before the Battalion was relieved. As soon as duty again lay in the shape of trench life, it was discovered that though the enemy was very quiet there appeared to be a great amount of work in progress in his lines. One day the enemy shelled the front line with “Five-nines,” but there was no material damage. Obviously the object of the shoot was to discover trench mortar emplacements. During the next two days there was again some shelling, and on the 30th, during a “strafe” of the right Company, Second Lieutenant Eccles was killed, the only other casualties during the whole of the month being two Other Ranks killed and two wounded.
Shortly after mid-day, June 4th, our artillery and trench mortars opened an intense bombardment on the enemy wire, and this was replied to by heavy fire for half-an-hour, mainly on our support lines and communication trenches, but no severe damage was done, and, although the dressing station behind the support line was blown in, there were no casualties. The following day Second Lieutenant Ducksbury reported for duty from the base. The time was mainly occupied in training bombing parties, scouting, wire cutting and crawling, and cutting new pattern fire steps under R.E. supervision.
A special raiding party was practising and was increased to four Officers (Captain Gregson, and Second Lieutenants Martin, Roscoe, and Walker) and 15 N.C.O.’s and men per company, who were billeted separately in the village and trained. Short rifles and long bayonets were issued to the Battalion on the afternoon of the 19th, and long rifles and short bayonets withdrawn. The same day the Battalion moved up to AGNY to relieve the South Lancashires, the raiding party remaining at BRETENCOURT. Although the enemy shelled and sent over rifle grenades within the next few days, little damage was done and there were no casualties. Here we first met a large trench mortar called “Crashing Christopher”—the “Heavy Minnie” of later days.
The Battalion about to Parade for the Trenches, 1916.
The Battalion about to Parade for the Trenches, 1916.