54-0 -O) -O) "CD CNJ "to m Presented to the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO LIBRARY by the ONTARIO LEGISLATIVE LIBRARY 1980 I THE FIFTH DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from University of Toronto http://www.archive.org/details/fifthdivisioningOOhuss Xmas 1917. By Capt. Keesey, R.E. THE FIFTH DIVISION IN THE ^i ■ GREAT WAR BRIGADIER-GENERAL A. H. HUSSEY C.B., C.M.G. AND MAJOR D. S. INMAN WITH A FOREWORD BY FIELD.MARSHAL EARL HAIG OF BEMERSYDE K.T., G.G.B., K.C.I.E., G.C.V.O., C.B. 4798 Xon^on NISBET B GO. LTa_ «e=^:^^ 22 BERNERS STREET, W.I^C*-^^^ ^^"'^^^'^^ 'f^' .4- r-4 r% L1DRAR7 JAM First Published in igzi D TO THE MEMORY OF OUR FALLEN COMRADES PREFACE AT the Annual Dinner of the 5th Division held in London on 26th June 1920 the idea was mooted that the history of the Division should be written. Brigadier-General Hussey and Major Inman were asked if they would undertake the work. They have done so, with much diffidence — with what success must be left to the judgment of the reader. The Authors wish to apologise for any short- comings, mistakes, or omissions which may have occurred. The War Diaries for the first few months of the War are necessarily very meagre, and they have had to rely upon private diaries and accounts kindly lent by Officers, and books already published, for their information. As the War went on, the Official Diaries became much fuller, and the Authors have also drawn largely from their own personal recollections. They wish to express their thanks to Field-Marshal Earl Haig for having so kindly written a Foreword, to Major-General Romer for his help in the first two chapters, to Major-General Lord E. Gleichen for per- mission to make use of his book, to the Royal Air Force for permission to reproduce photographs taken by them, to Captain Keesey for the frontispiece, to Mrs, Edmond for the photograph of the Staf!, to the publishers, Messrs. Nisbet & Co., for the help they have given and the interest they have taken in the book, and viii PREFACE lastly to the many Officers who subscribed towards the expenses of publication. In conclusion, they wish to say what a pleasure it has been to them to have written the record of a Division, which not only has won such imperishable fame, but was also a very happy home to them during the greater part of the Great War. A. H. H. D. S. I. London, March 1921. FOREWORD FOR those who served in the 5th Division during the Great War this Foreword to their divisional history is not intended as an introduction, for they need none, but as a well-earned tribute paid to a very fine and gallant record. Those who did not serve in the Division will find in this book a full and varied account, covering the whole period from August 1914 to the suspension of hostilities in November 1918, and embracing almost all the greater episodes of the War on the British front in the West. The Division had its full share in the fighting during the opening months of the War, at Mons, Le Cateau, at the crossing of the Marne and the Aisne, and in the first battles in Flanders. The last battle of the War found it in the forefront of our advance, pressing on in pursuit of the retreating enemy East of the Sambre. In the interval between that early fighting and the final victory many a fine exploit had been set to the credit of the Division. In the Somme battle of 1916, the skilful and successful fighting about Falfemont Farm and Leuze Wood vies with the capture of Morval in its claim on our attention. In the Arras battle, 1917, the 13th Brigade of the 5th Division took part with the Canadians in the storming of the Vimy Ridge, and well upheld the honour of the Old. Country by the share it took in a brilliant Canadian achievement. X FOREWORD Later in the same year the Division once more found itself in the old Ypres battlefield. It had heavy fighting there, and was pulled out of the line early in November, only to be hurried ofi to Italy. It returned to France in April 1918 just in time to be sent straight into the Lys battle where, East of the Forest of Nieppe, it helped to stop definitely and permanently the German advance in that direction. Finally, when our turn came to attack again, the 5th Division fought right through the August battle of Bapaume, and was engaged with equal success in all our subsequent advance — until the Armistice. This brief summary of a splendid tale of achieve- ment gives but an inadequate idea of the courage and devotion displayed through four and a half years of war. A more detailed account will be found in the pages of this book ; but the full story can only be understood by those who know from their own experience what it was our troops were called upon to do, and the spirit in which they accomplished their task. It is with that knowledge, and in the sense of gratitude which springs from it, that I have written this Foreword. l^jjSA\)J^^^H^ - \m December 1920. CONTENTS I. MoNs — Le Catbau and the Retreat II. The Aisne and La Bass^e Front TTI. November 1914 to March 1915 IV. '« Hill 60," Ypres . V. The Bray Front and Arras VI. The Somme— 1916 VII. The B^thune Front . VIII. ViMY Ridge . IX. Third Battle op Ypres X. Italy . XI. ForAt de Nieppe XII. Final Operations Conclusion Appendix I. Order of Battle „ II. Composition of Staff Indkx .... 1 22 44 59 82 107 135 151 174 191 208 229 259 262 266 269 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Christmas, 1917 . . . . . Frontispiece FACINO PAOB The Staff of the 5th Division, August 1914 . . 16 Lieut. -Gen. Sik Charles Fergusson, Bart., K.C.B, K.C.M.G., etc Lieut. -Gbn. Sir T. L. Morland, K.C.B., D.S.O. . Lille Gate, Ypres ..... Maj.-Gen Sir C. T. M'M. Kavanagh, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., etc Hotel de Ville, Arras .... Maj.-Gen. Sir K. B. Stephens, K.C.B., C.M.G. . A SoMME Cemetery ..... Oppy Wood ...... POLDERHOEK ChATEAU (BeFORE) 1 Polderhoek Chateau (After) j AsiAGo Plateau ..... Bridge on River Piave .... Lord Rawlinson's Chateau .... Attack of 28th June 1918 .... Gouzeaucourt ..... Maj.-Gen. J. Ponsonby, C.B., C.M.G., etc. 32 70 78 90 104 126 134 164 182 194 204 220 228 240 254 MAPS NO. 1. MONS .... FAC INO PAOK 2 2. Le Gateau 10 3. The Aisne . . . 26 4. La Bassee Front 34 5. Mbssines Front . 44 6. Ypres .... 58 7. "Hill 60" 60 8. Bray Front, 1915 82 9. Arras Front 96 10. The Somme, 1916 108 11. Falfemont and Morval 118 12. ViMY Front 150 13. La Coulotte 158 14. PiAVE Front 190 15. Bois DE Dieppe . 208 16. Attack op 28th June 1918 224 AT END OF BOOK 1. General Map op Western Front 2. Final Operations CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF EVENTS OF THE FIFTH DIVISION Aug. 16 . . . >> 23 . . . 11 24 and 25 . » 26 . . . >> 27 to Sept. 3 Sept. 5 . . . »» 6 to 9 >> 13 to Oct. 2 Oct. 12 to 30 Nov. 1 to 29 »> 30 to March 1915 April 17 . . . » 22 to May 24 May 1 X) July . Aug. to Feb. 1916 . March to July July 19 . . . » 27 . . . » 30 . . . Aug. 2 to 23 » 26 . . . Sept. 3 . . . » 5 . . . » 25 . . . Oct. to March 1917 April 9 » 23 1014 Diviwion landed in France. Battle of Mons. Retreat from Mons. Battle of Le Gateau. Retreat from Le Gateau to Tournan Area. Advance commenced. Battle of the Marne. Battle of the Aisne. Fighting on La Bassee Front. Messines. Ypres. Wulverghem Front. 1915 Gapture of Hill 60. Second Battle of Ypres, and Hill 60 Operations Ypres Front. Bray Front. 1916 Arras Front. Into Line — Battle of the Somme. Capture of Longueval by 15th Brigade. Attack North of Longueval by 13th Brigade. Rest. Belloy-St. Leonard Area. Lito Line, Maltz Horn Ridge. Attack on Falfemont Farm. Gapture of Falfemont Farm and Leuze Wood. Gapture of Morval. Bethune Front. 1917 Capture of Vimy Ridge. Operations near La Coulotte. xvi CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF EVENTS May 3 5» 8 June 28 Sept. 7 to 29 . Oct. 1 n 4 >» 9 » 26 Nov. 6 » 11 to 24 . »> 27 to Dec. 12 Dec. 1917 to Jan. 1918 Jan. to March 18 . March 19 to 26 April 1 to 5 . » 8 to 10 » 12 j> 12 to 14 . June 28 Aug. 8 j> 13 » 19 )> 21 » 23 to 24 . » 26 n 30 Sept. 3 » 18 » 27 » 30 Oct. 20 » 23 Nov. 5 » 7 >t 8 » 9 )i 11 1917 (continued) Into Line, Oppy-Fresnoy Front. Operations at Fresnoy. Capture of German Line, Oppy Wood. Rest. Le Cauroy and Eperlecques Areas. Into Line, Ypres Front. Advance along Reutelbeek. First Attack on Polderhoek. Second Attack on Polderhoek. Third Attack on Polderhoek. Rest. Westoutre and Nielles Areas. Entrained for Italy. 1918 Area North of Padua. In Line on River Piave. To Area East of Vicenza. Entrained for France. Lucheux Area. Took up Line East of Foret de Nieppe. German Advance repulsed. Capture of Line on the Plate Becque. To Compagne Area. To Frevent Area. To Ai-ea East of Doullens. Commencement of Great Advance. Capture of Achiet-Le Petit. Capture of Irles, and Loupart Wood. Capture of Beugnatre. Advance continued to West of Beugny. Capture of Beugny and advance to East of Velu. Attack on African Trench. Capture of African Trench, and Beaucamp Ridge. Capture of Gonnelieu and Banteux. Crossing of River Selle forced. Capture of Beaurain. Foret de Mormal cleared. Capture of Pont-sur-Sambre, and Crossing of River. Capture of St. Remi-mal-bati. Line advanced to Damousies-Ferriere. Cavalry and Cyclists sent forward. Armistice. THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR CHAPTER I MONS— LE CATEAU AND THE RETEEAT {For Operations dealt tvith in this Chapter, see Map 1) SO many accounts have been written of the mobilisa- tion scenes of the " Contemptible Little Army " which embarked for France in August 1914, and of their experiences on first arrival there, that it seems unneces- sary to recount these events again. Suffice it then to say, that on the fateful 5th of August the mobilisation of the 5th Division at the Curragh and Dublin commenced, that it was carried through without a hitch of any sort, and that on the 10th the Division was fully equipped and ready to embark. The troops left Dublin and Belfast amid patriotic cheering and waving of handkerchiefs, and after an uneventful passage arrived at Le Havre in the course of the next two days. Here they entrained and travelled through Kouen and Amiens to the Le Cateau- Landrecies area, arriving there on the 18th. The G.O.C., Sir Charles Fergusson, visited the Brigades in their billets and made them a stirring speech, giving many technical tips about the Germans and how to meet their various wiles. The Division together with I 2 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 the 3rd formed the II. Corps, commanded by Lieut.- Gen. Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien ; he had succeeded General Grierson, who had died suddenly from heart failure in the train on the way out. On 20th August, orders were received for an advance in a Northerly direction on the next day. Every one was almost in complete ignorance as to the situation. It was known that the 3rd Division was to march on the right, and that the I. Corps were still farther to the East ; but as to the enemy or the French, there was no information. As this was the first occasion on which the Division was to move as a complete unit, it was lucky that it was to all intents and purposes a " peace march," as it served to give the Staf!s valuable practice, and helped the units to find their legs ; it was a fair test, too, for the Reservists. The weather on the 21st was fine; the country through which the Division passed looked very smiling with its clean and tidy cottages and farms, fields ripe for harvest, and orchards laden with fruit; and the country people were most attentive in offering drink and fruit to the thirsty men. The Division billeted that night in and around Bavai, where they were vociferously welcomed. On the following day the march was resumed via Dour and Boussu, the latter part of the journey being through a crowded mining district, full of slag-heaps, mine- shafts, and small houses. The roads were mostly " pave " of uneven sets, with great pits in them, just broad enough for one vehicle, and extremely painful to march on ; on either side of the road, where this villainous " pave " did not exist, it was either deep dust or caked mud, which became a morass after rain. The inhabitants here, most of them able-bodied young M O N S Map 1 -1 Milti iToface p. 2. 1914] MONS— LE CATEAIT AND THE RETREAT 8 men, were very friendly, but nevertheless had the air of being benevolent spectators ; one could not help wondering why they were not fighting in the ranks. Rumours of the approach of the Germans soon began to come in, and were substantiated by the receipt of orders from the II. Corps for the 3rd and 5th Divisions to hold the straight reach of the Mons-Conde Canal running due West from Mons. The left of the 5th Division was to be on the Pommeroeuil-Thulin road, the right at Mariette in touch with the 3rd Division. The front was divided up between the 13th Brigade (Brig.-Gen. Cuthbert) on the right, and the 14th Brigade (Brig.-Gen. Rolt) on the left, while the 15th Brigade (Brig.-Gen. Lord E. Gleichen) remained in reserve and prepared a defensive line about Wasmes in case the Canal line was forced back. In the 13th Brigade, the West Kents were on the right, with the "Duke's" in support; then came the K.O.S.B. sup- ported by the K.O.Y.L.I. ; and in the 14th Brigade the East Surreys and the D.C.L.I. held the front. Each BattaHon in the front line had a few men thrown across the Canal as a screen. The morning of the 23rd opened misty and wet, but by 10 a.m. the weather had cleared, and there was every promise of a hot day. The Divisional Mounted Troops, consisting of A Squadron 19th Hussars, under Major Parsons, and the Cychst Company, under Major Burnett, pushed forward to reconnoitre, and quickly came into contact with the enemy, whereupon ensued some spirited skirmishing. Exaggerated rumours of calamities began to come in, but soon authentic reports were received showing that the enemy was advancing in strength. About 1 p.m. an attack developed on the whole front, and both Brigades found themselves 4 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 hotly engaged. The German Infantry made repeated efforts to press the attack home, but the good work of our machine-guns and the steady rifle-fire of the men in the front Hne kept them in check, and they failed to reach the bridges. About 3 p.m. the 19th Brigade was sent up to extend the line on the left of the 14th, and we appeared to be holding our own, although much harassed by the hostile Artillery. Two hours later, a barricade, which had been erected on the North side of the Canal, was destroyed by Artillery fire, and our troops on that side were compelled to withdraw. A gap also occurred between the two Divisions, and the German Infantry took instant advantage of it, crossing the Canal and penetrating through as far as Wasmes, where they ran up against the Bedf ords and Dorsets of the 15th Brigade, who were holding the line of the railway. The right flank of the Division was thus in danger, and it looked as if a wedge were being thrust in between the 13th and 15th Brigades ; so menacing indeed was the situation that the II. Corps appealed to the I. Corps for help, with the result that General Haking's Brigade (the 5th) was sent by the latter to fill the gap. After dark, German bugle calls were sounded all along the line, and died away in the distance North- wards ; they appeared to be sounded in order to give the impression that a withdrawal was taking place. Also, refugees came in, among them a priest, who declared that the enemy was retiring to the North, but no credence was placed in their reports. At 9 p.m. the Brigades on the Canal fell back to the prepared position North of Wasmes, but, although the, distance was not great, the country was so inter- sected with dykes, and the situation on the right flank 1911] MONS— LE CATEAU AND THE RETUEAT 5 was so confused, that it was practically daylight before all units were in position. The superiority of the German Artillery had been much felt during the day. Early in the morning four guns of the 120th Battery had been brought into action on the Canal bank near St. Ghislain, but they had had to withdraw owing to shell and rifle fire ; later another section of the same Battery was brought up ; they suffered many casualties, the CO., Major Holland, being killed, and in the withdrawal in the evening one gun had to be aban- doned. The 119th Battery was sent up to cover the retirement, and did some good execution against hostile columns moving through Pommeroeuil, and the 52nd and 124th Batteries were also moved forward later, but did not come into action. The remainder of the Artillery had been disposed to cover the Wasmes line. During the night the G.S.0.1 was summoned to Corps Head-Quarters and received orders that a further retirement would be carried out, the general direction of which would be South-West. It looked as if this might be difficult to do, for not only were the Germans likely to make a strong frontal attack, but the evening reports also showed that there were large hostile columns on the left, which might interfere with a re- tirement to the South-West. Orders were accordingly issued, and all Transport directed to march at once. The new line that had been taken up during the night ran from the small wood on the railway just North of Wasmes, past the railway works to Halte, and back towards Dour station. It was by no means continuous, but consisted of various " points d'appui " and patches of entrenchment ; the field of fire was bad except on the left, where the railway crossed the Boussu road. The ground was a mass of slag-heaps, mine- 6 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 heads, and chimneys, with here and there a green field, the whole intersected with a network of railway lines. The trenches had been dug with the help of some pit-boys, who were at first somewhat unwilUng, but buckled to with a little persuasion. The Dorsets and Bedfords of the 15th Brigade were still holding the railway at Wasmes with the right bent back towards Paturage, the other two Battalions (Cheshires and Norfolks) being kept in Divisional Reserve. On the left of the Bedfords came the 13th Brigade (K.O.S.B. and West Kents, with the " Duke's " and K.O.Y.L.I. in Brigade Reserve). Then came the 14th Brigade (Manchesters, D. C.L.I, and Suffolks, with the East Surreys in reserve). Covering the right were the 28th Brigade R.F.A., and on the left the 27th Brigade R.F.A., while the 15th Brigade R.F.A. and the 108th Heavy Battery were in position on the extreme left. Very early in the morning the Germans began pushing forward. At first our Artillery and rifle-fire proved too much for them, and they suffered heavy casualties without achieving much result, but the right soon became outflanked, and, under the ever- increasing pressure, began to retire. On the left, too, the situation was threatening, the 14th Brigade being violently attacked about Dour station. A message was received at this time from General Allenby to the effect that his orders were to retire to a line some miles back, but the danger of the 5th Division left being enveloped was so evident, that Sir Charles Fergusson, who had been ordered to hold on in order to cover the withdrawal of the 3rd Division, pointed out in reply that it was of vital importance for the Cavalry to prevent the Germans outflanking us. The Cavalry responded splendidly to this appeal, with great gal- 1914] MONS— LE CATEAU AND THE RETREAT 7 lantry standing their ground until the retirement was well under way. When this retirement took place, about 1 p.m., the Divisional Reserve, consisting of the Norfolks and Chcshires with the 119th Battery, under Lieut.-Col. Ballard of the Norfolks, was ordered to act as a flank-guard. Severe fighting now developed at Elouges and out to the West, and the 9th Lancers, of General de Lisle's Brigade, made a gallant charge against the enemy's guns, but they were held up by wire, and could not get through ; a heavy toll was taken from them, and only a small remnant, under Captain Grenfell, escaped the storm of shells and bullets. Later in the day Colonel Ballard's flank- guard became seriously involved near Elouges, and had some very stifi fighting, the Cheshires losing some five hundred men. The Battery, too, was in trouble ; one Section was detached about four hundred yards to the right, under Lieut. Preston ; they fired on the German Infantry until orders to retire were received, and then came into action again against the German Cavalry, when a machine-gun was brought against them at a range of four hundred yards. Lieut. Preston, though four times wounded, made repeated efiorts to get his guns away, but had to give it up and was eventually taken away in an ambulance. With the other guns the casualties were so great that Lieut.-Col. Ballard ordered their withdrawal ; most of the detach- ments had been wiped out, and it was only a matter of minutes before the rest went. Captain Grenfell, 9th Lancers, with his small remnant of men, saw their dijQiculties and offered to help ; and with their assist- ance the guns were dragged out singly, limbered up, and got safely away. Both Captain Grenfell, who had already been wounded, and Major Alexander, 8 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 the Battery Commander, received the V.C. for their gallantry. Meanwhile the main column of the Division got clear of the mining area, with its maze of villages and pits, and retired to the vicinity of St. Waaste-La-Vallee, where it billeted. The 3rd Division, in its with- drawal, had crossed behind the 5th, and was billeted, or bivouacked, West of it. The German Cavalry made no attempt to pursue in the afternoon, but heavy firing was heard to the North-West, and a defensive position was taken up for a short time North of Athis. The plight of the unfortunate inhabitants was most pitiful. Mystified children and women, with glazed, resigned eyes, were standing about, and to their anxious inquiries as to why the British were retreating the only answer that could be given was that it was a strategical movement to the rear, " pour mieux sauter." On the next day the 5th Division was allotted the Bavai-Le Cateau road. In order to use this road they would have to make practically a flank march into Bavai with a superior enemy threatening on the North ; such a march could not but cause the G.O.C. much anxiety. The 14th Brigade, with adequate Artillery, was therefore ordered to form the rear-guard and to occupy a position covering this road, while every efiort was made to get the Transport clear of Bavai as soon as possible. The Germans soon began to make this pressure felt ; some Jaegers attacked, and a couple of field-guns opened fire at a close range — luckily the range was not exact, and there were only a few men wounded. The anticipated danger appeared to be imminent, but the 14th Brigade had no difficulty in keeping the enemy ofi, and the whole column cleared Bavai in safety. 1914] MONS— LE CATEAU AND THE RETREAT 9 The march was then continued in sweltering heat along the dead straight road on the Western edge of the Foret de Mormal, whose tall trees, mostly oak, beech, and hornbeam, acted as a suffocating blanket and kept off any breeze there might be. The roads in many places were blocked with ox-wagons, and streams of refugees trundling along their worldly possessions in wheelbarrows or perambulators ; one had to be hard on them and turn them of! to the side roads till the columns had passed. Engelfontaine and Montay were passed, and Le Cateau was reached in the course of the afternoon. To the disappointment of all, the orders were to continue the retirement next day, and it was not till early in the morning that these were cancelled. Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien had decided that the II. Corps was to stand and fight. Le Cateau lies in the valley of the Selle River, which is little more than a stream; the rolling, billowy nature of the country, cut up here and there into deep valleys, made the position a difficult one to defend. A spur lay to the East of the village running in a Northerly direction, parallel to the stream, and a similar spur with a branch towards Troisvilles lay on the Western side. The country was principally cornfields, but the corn was nearly all cut and stood in stooks ; the only restriction to free movement of aU arms was an occasional wire fence. Some trenches had been dug by the civilians to the West of the viUage, but they were nothing Uke deep enough and were badly sited ; starting on the right, a little beyond the Reumont-Le Cateau road, the line ran to Troisvilles ; from that place to Caudry it was held by the 3rd Division, and from Caudry to Haucourt by the 4th Division, just arrived from home ; these trenches had been taken up as an 10 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 outpost line during the evening. As soon as it was known that the Corps was to make a stand, the 14th Brigade was allotted the right sector, the 13th the centre, and the 15th the left ; it was a long line for one Division to hold, and the Corps Commander consequently placed the 19th Brigade at Sir Charles Fergusson's disposal. Covering this line was the Divisional Artillery — a Brigade, with a proportion of howitzers, to each sector. Divisional Head-Quarters were at Reumont, where the R.E. constructed a plat- form on one of the houses, whence a view could be obtained of the battlefield. The disposition of the Brigades was as follows : 14th Brigade — Suffolks, South of the Reumont road, half the East Surreys and Manchesters in support. 13th Brigade— K.O.Y.L.I. and K.O.S.B., the former with their right resting on a point just East of the Reumont road, with the West Kents and " Duke's " in support. 15th Brigade — Bedfords and Dorsets (the latter in Troisvilles in touch with the 3rd Division), with the Cheshires and Norfolks in the second line. The troops occupied the sodden, cheerless trenches in thick mist ; little could be done to improve them, for there were no entrenching tools available — only a few picks from the neighbouring farms. The battle opened with an unfortunate incident. The D. C.L.I. , two Companies of the East Surreys, and two Com- panies of the Suffollcs, under Lieut.-Col. Longley, which had formed part of the rear-guard the day before, had bivouacked on the outskirts of Le Cateau, S.E. of the c^ lOllJ MONS— LE CATEAU AND THE RETIiEAT 11 town, with a view to joining up with tlie 1. Corps. They were preparing to rejoin the rest of the Brigade and resume the retirement, not having heard of the change in the orders, when, at 6.30 a.m., a sudden volley rang out from the houses just beyond the railway. Men fell in all directions. Taken by surprise and massed in column along the exposed side of the road, there was only one thing to be done they were turned about and doubled to the high ground South of the town. It then became evident that not only was the enemy occupying the Southern part of the town, but that he also held the railway for a considerable dis- tance to the South. So Lieut.-Col. Longley determined to move still farther South, but each attempt to do so was headed of!, until the timely arrival of some of the 16th Lancers of General Gough's Brigade enabled them to rejoin the Division ; but there had been a heavy tale of casualties, the Suf!olks alone losing over 200 men. The East Surreys w^ere then ordered up to cover the right flank East of Maurois. About 6 a.m. the w^eather cleared, and the German Artillery opened fire, at first with comparatively few guns, but their numbers gradually grew until by noon their superiority was almost overwhelm- ing. The enemy attacked all along our line, but his principal efforts, on the 5th Division front, were against the right and right centre. This was our vulnerable flank, for beyond Le Gateau there was nothing except Briggs' Cavalry Brigade, and they could give little assistance. The I. Corps had been heavily engaged near Landrecies, and there was no hope of their being able to come up in time ; the danger of envelopment was so evident that two Bat- talions of the 19th Brigade were ordered up to support 12 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 the right flank. Up to about 11 a.m., however, we seemed to be holding our own in spite of the tornado of Artillery fire. It was about this time that a message was received from the II. Corps saying that the situation was most critical at Caudry (some three miles to the West), and asking if Sir Charles Fergusson could send any assistance. Although the situation on his own front was by no means encouraging, the G.O.C., in view of such an urgent appeal, decided to send the remain- ing two Battahons of the 19th Brigade and a Battery towards Caudry. As the engagement developed on the right front, the trenches, which afiorded little protection to the firing-line, became quite untenable, and the casualties mounted up in an alarming way. Wounded men were coming back in a continuous stream. Strong hostile columns were seen advancing against the whole front, and the direction of the enemy's Artillery fire showed that they were outflanking us more and more ; it seemed doubtful whether our line could hold out any longer. To quote the Commander- in-Chief's dispatch : " It became apparent, if complete annihilation was to be avoided, that a retirement must be attempted, and the order was given to commence it about 3 p.m." The K.O.Y.L.I., on the right of the 14th Brigade, had in the morning received a written order : " There will be no retirement for the fighting troops — fill up your trenches, as far as possible, with water, food, and ammunition." And later this order was repeated verbally by a Staff Officer. Surrounded on three sides, swept by a concentrated rifle and machine-gun fire from front and flanks, battered by shells, and with their ammunition exhausted, the Battahon stayed to its death, faithful to the order. Lieut. Denison, 1914] MONS— LE CATEAU AND THE RETREAT 18 though mortally wounded in the head, and blind, continued to encourage his men until he became insensil)le. As the final German rush came, Major Yate gave an order to meet it with a charge, refusing the call to surrender. Sixteen Officers and three hundred and twenty rank-and-file of this gallant regiment were captured, and there were many more killed and wounded. On the left, the 15th Brigade was faring better at first ; Inchy was in flames, shelled by both sides, British and German, and the Dorsets were so happy (?) at Troisvilles that they asked permission to counter- attack on that flank, but as the day wore on the shell- fire increased, they saw the right first and then the centre falling back, and finally the 15th Brigade too had to give way. The Norfolks, on the right of the Brigade, stuck to it bravely and covered the retirement of the 13th Brigade, till they were taken to form the rear-guard of the Division. The rest of the Brigade followed the K.O.S.B., and fell back in good order to the St. Quentin road, South of Maurois. To turn to the fortunes of the Artillery : — As stated before, a Brigade of Artillery (18-prs.), with a proportion of the Howitzer Brigade, was attached to each of the three sectors of the line, the 108th Heavy Battery and 61st Howitzer Battery being at first kept in Divisional Keserve. On the right the 15th Brigade R.F.A., with the 37th Howitzer Battery, covered Le Gateau and the ground East of it, being posted on the right of the Reumont-Montay road, from 200 to 400 yards in rear of the Infantry. The first German shells came from about 5000 yards distant on the slopes North- West of Le Gateau. Some of these Batteries were quickly silenced, but more and more U THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 German Batteries were brought up, and a heavy fire also opened from the North of Inchy. Our Batteries had to fire in all directions, the most extreme case being that of the 11th Battery, which had in the first place to swing the left half Battery back in order to fire to the right rear, and later to run up a gun to meet an Infantry attack on the right front of the original line. Commencing at between 2000 and 3000 yards, the range quickly dropped, as the enemy advanced, to 1000 yards, and eventually to 600 yards. Casualties mounted up rapidly ; in the 11th Battery every Officer, the two Staff-Sergeants, and half the Sergeants were either killed or wounded, and what with casualties to men, horses, and material, and in some cases to shortage of ammunition, the number of guns in action was gradually reduced, until eventually only five out of the eighteen guns were firing in the Brigade, one in the 11th Battery, and two in each of the 52nd and 80th. Advantage was taken during a cessation of fire to attempt to withdraw the guns to a position farther back, and the limbers and wagon-teams came up, but two teams were at once blown to pieces. In the 52nd Battery it was found impossible to get any of the guns away, so the breech-blocks were removed, and the survivors among the men withdrawn. Eventu- ally the reduced Brigade was re-assembled behind the village of Reumont, and the five guns were brought into action again to cover the retirement of the Infantry. Of the eighteen Officers of the Brigade only four, one Captain and three Subalterns, were left unwounded. The 37th Battery maintained its fire to the end, and was particularly valuable when the Germans had reached the dead ground close in front of our firing-line. In the first attempt at withdrawal 10141 MONS— LE CATEAU AND THE RETREAT 15 four guns were brought away, but when they tried to save the remaining two, all the horses of one team were shot down and the gun had to be abandoned ; the other one, however, was safely brought away. Captain Keynolds and two Drivers, Drain and Luke, received the V.C. for this gallant exploit. In the centre sector the 28th Brigade R.F.A. took up a very similar position to that of the 15th Brigade, but on the opposite side of the Reumont-Montay road. The German Artillery, after dealing with the 15th Brigade, turned their attention on to the 28th guns, and to such a concentration of fire, our guns, in their exposed position, fighting almost back-to-back, could make no adequate reply. The O.C. the Brigade, Colonel Stephens, with the whole of his Stafi, and two Majors, Nutt and Jones, had been captured in the observation station on the right, and the C.R.A. decided that the only thing to be done was to take advantage of any lull in the firing to get at any rate some of the guns away. Only three could be limbered up, and the horses of one of these were almost immedi- ately shot down, so that only two guns in the whole Brigade were saved. In the left sector the ground offered greater facilities for concealment than in the other two, and the Battery positions of the 27th Brigade R.F.A. were never ac- curately located ; casualties were therefore compara- tively light, and the Brigade was successfully withdrawn from action on the retirement being ordered. The 61st Howitzer Battery and the 108th Heavy Battery, which had been kept in reserve at the com- mencement of the action, had taken up good positions and were never discovered by the enemy ; they had been first employed against the enemy's guns in the 16 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 neighbourhood of Forest, and afterwards, when the Infantry gave way in the centre, the 61st Battery established a belt of fire in front of the abandoned trenches, denying the ground to the enemy, none of whom gained the crest while the Battery remained in action. The 108th Heavy Battery moved a Section back to a position North of Maurois when the retire- ment began, one gun of which got stuck in a ditch ; the other Section remained in action against the enemy's guns and advancing Infantry until the end, and this unit was the last to leave this part of the field. The G.O.C., after congratulating them, person- ally gave the order to leave, which they did reluctantly ; they only had nine rounds left, and said they were having " the time of their lives."' By 4 p.m. the Division was retiring along the St. Quentin road covered by a rear-guard of the Norfolks and some Companies of the 19th Brigade, which were hastily got together and placed under the command of Lieut.-Col. Ballard. Transport, guns, and Infantry were hopelessly mixed up, and the confusion was increased by some of the Transport and troops of the 3rd Division coming on the main road at Maretz. This road presented a truly alarming spectacle ; it was packed with vehicles, double-banked, and moving at a snail's pace with frequent blocks — guns, ambulances, and small bodies of tired Infantry without Ofiicers were crawling along past derelict motor-lorries and wagons. The hungry and exhausted men plodded along in a hopeless way, many men lying down by the roadside utterly worn-out and broken, and every carriage was crowded with wounded, the Artillery outriders and even the horses of the teams being used to carry them. To make matters worse o < is" o in > 5 X H i-ri H O H 191 IJ MONS -LE CATEAU AND THE KETIUvAT 17 a steady rain set in and continued tlirouglioiit the pitch-dark niglit. It is difficult to say what would have happened had the Germans followed up and shelled the road ; luckily the battle had exhausted them too, and they made no attempt to pursue. The Staffs worked hard to improve matters ; organised bodies of the Train were moved off to side roads, and the wandering groups of Infantry were formed into temporary Platoons, and placed under the nearest available Officer. At the cross-roads South of Estrees a short halt was made, and the column was further re-organised. All mounted troops and Train were ordered to continue their march into St. Quentin ; Infantry of the 3rd Division were directed to wheel to the right, and that of the 5th Division to the left ; they were then collected into Brigades, and finally inta Battalions. Throughout the retirement successive positions were taken up by Batteries, Sections, or guns, wherever the ground offered ; that the help thus afforded by the Gunners was appreciated by their comrades of the Infantry was touchingly shown next morning ; exhausted as they were by the long night- march, many a man stepped out from the ranks, as they passed, to silently pat the guns drawn up on the roadside. Daylight of the 27th of August found most of the Transport through St. Quentin, and the Infantry within a few miles of the town. Another rest was allowed and food distributed to the hungry men; but rumours arrived that the Germans were approaching St. Quentin, and the Division had to deploy quickly and get into readiness South of the town, once more becoming a fighting force. Fortunately the rumour was false, the weary and footsore troops were again put on the move, and it was only in the afternoon that 18 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 they finally reached their billets in and around OUezy, having marched some thirty miles in a little over twenty-four hours after a desperate battle. During the night a further retirement via Guiscard and Noyon was ordered, the hour of starting being 5 a.m. The long line of Transport moved ofi at that hour, but shortly came to a standstill, and it was discovered that some of the wagons of the Divisional Ammunition Column had broken down in a narrow part of the road ; there was a delay of almost an hour, and much anxiety was felt, as the rear-guard was holding the hne of the Somme Canal at no very great distance from the blocked Transport. The Germans, however, never came into touch with them, and the rear-guard finally withdrew, after having destroyed the bridges and boats on the Canal. Before coming to Guiscard the 5th Division came on to the main Ham-Noyon road, which was also being used by the 3rd Division, and there was naturally some delay. The Commander- in-Chief, Sir John French, met them here and watched the Division on the march, and called up the Battahon and Battery Commanders in order to express to them his satisfaction, telling them that a message had been received from the French to the effect that the action of II. Corps had saved the left wing of the Allied Armies ; and in truth not only had they held, but they had also broken the German attack, thereby saving Paris. This speech had a most encouraging effect on the exhausted troops. On reaching Noyon the Division was diverted to Pontoise, where it was to billet. The crossing of the Oise was by a narrow and shaky bridge, which was only just passable for the Transport, and which caused so much delay that the rear-guard did not get into billets 1911] MONS— LE CATEAU AND THE lU/rUEAT ift for some seven hours after the leading tiuoj^s. 1 J opes of a prolonged rest at Pontoise had been dangled before our eyes, but, as the billets were commanded by high ground, it was thought better to move on to Carlepont ; and here too their hopes were dashed to the ground, as orders came to move on at midnight. The march across the plateau between the Oise and the Aisne was a most trying one, as the weather was extra- ordinarily sultry. The Aisne was crossed at Attichy, and billets were taken up at Croutoy. German Cavalry patrols followed the rear-guard, but made no attempt to delay the march. The next day, 31st August, there was another hot and trying march, with constant halts, to Crepy-en-Valois ; here we had rumours that the German Cavalry had swept round the left flank of the Army and had got in rear of the British ; in fact, a German motor-car did approach our outposts in the dark, and the occupants were killed. Early in the morning of 1st September the Germans attacked the rear-guard just as the Division w^as moving out of Crepy, but the 13th Brigade repulsed the attack, and then, after falling back through Crepy, took up a defensive position South of the town. The " Duke's '' here put up a very pretty little ambush, capturing a car containing a German General and his Staff. The 15th Brigade, too, with guns and a Squad- ron of North Irish Horse, was sent off to the left to support the 4th Division, which, it was rumoured, was being attacked. Its co-operation was not required, but, as there w^ere again persistent rumours that the German Cavalry were in our rear — ^in fact, a patrol of six Uhlans had got across the river at Meaux — ^the 15th Brigade was detailed to march on the left, while the orderlies accompanying the G.O.C. and the Divisional 20 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 Staff scouted ahead in the woods. However, no Uhlans were met with, and the Division marched without further incident to Nanteuil. On the 2nd the march was continued to Cuisy, and on the 3rd to Boulers, the Marne being crossed at Isles-Les-Villenoy, where the bridges were destroyed after the troops had crossed. Lieut.-Col. TuUoch, the C.R.E., had now become very expert in blowing up bridges, and so many had he demolished that, when the Division had to submit a name for the Legion d'Honneur, Tulloch was unani- mously voted as most worthy to receive the decoration. Eleven bridges in all had been destroyed, and the two Field Companies, the 17th and the 59th, had carried out their task with conspicuous bravery. On the 13th August a Subaltern of the 59th Company had gone back 7 or 8 miles behind the rear-guard in order to complete the destruction of the suspension bridge at Pontoise, which was reported not properly done ; and at Mons a Subaltern of the 17th Company had set off a miss-fired charge with a revolver shot, though he must have been dangerously close to bring off the coup. On this day a German wireless was intercepted ordering their Cavalry to strike at the left flank of the British Army ; firing was heard in that direction, but there were no further signs of an attack. On the 4th the Division had a trying night-march to Tournans, only 15 miles from Paris, starting at 9 p.m. There were numerous delays caused by one thing or another ; the advance-guard took a wrong turn in the Foret de Crecy, a Battalion fell asleep at the hourly halt and lost touch, and the 3rd Division crossed our road. There was a good deal of straggling, which naturally annoyed the G.O.C. He met one man, a Reservist, crawling along and using his rifle as a 1914] MONS— LE CATEAU AND THE RETREAT 21 support ; to his .stem inquiiy wliy he had fallen out the man re.j)lic(l that he was exhausted ; and well he might have been — for slung over each shoulder was an enor- mous Belgian hare, three huge round loaves took the place of his knapsack, and tied to his belt was a colossal frying-pan. CHAPTER II THE AISNE AND LA BASSEE FEONT Maps 3 and 4 AT Tournans, appropriately so named, the Army was turned about. The retreat was at last over, and late in the afternoon of the 5th of September the joyful order was received, " Army is advancing — Be prepared to move at a moment's notice/' The effect was electrical ; the men's spirits rose to the highest pitch, the difference in their bearing on the march was most marked, and there were no stragglers on that day. Perhaps what pleased every one most was the know- ledge that the Germans were now going to suffer for the savage way in which they had burnt and pillaged the farms on their way South. This day brought home to one some of the horrors of war ; wagons, guns, dead horses, and every sort of material lay strewn about the sides of the road ; but the most maddening spec- tacle was the wanton wreckage of the farms and houses ; ricks were burnt, dismembered cattle, pigs, and sheep were flung about indiscriminately, and the stench was appalling ; furniture out of the cottages (much of it old and priceless) was broken and thrown aside ; and perhaps the most blatant sight of all was the pile of empty wine bottles which marked the bivouacs of the retreating savages. The first part of the march was to Villeneuve, then 1914] THE AISNP: and la BASSIilE FRONT 28 througli tlio forest of Ci'6cy to Mortccrf, and here Head- Quarters sto))])ed, the advance-guard (15th Brigade) pushing on 3 miles farther to La Celle. Small parties of stray Uhlans were met with in the forest, but they did not offer any opposition, and evinced no sorrow at being captured. On the 7th the advance was continued to Coulommiers and Boissy-le-Chatel, and on the 8th to Done, where a short halt was made. On passing through Doue the advance-guard (13th Brigade with the 27th Brigade R.F.A.) found themselves opposed by rifle-fire, and had to deploy. It soon became clear that the German rear-guard meant to make a stand, and defend the line of the Petit Morin, evidently in order to cover the crossing of their main body over the Marne. The 14th Brigade were brought up, and the two Brigades, well supported by two Brigades of Artillery, plunged into the wooded valley, and occupied the hamlets of St. Cyr and St. Ouen with little opposition ; then, after a pause, they pushed up the steep Northern slopes, gained the top of the ridge, and from there neared the La-Ferte-Boussieres main road. By this time the 5th Division had gained so much ground, that they were some 2 miles in advance of the 3rd Division on the right and the 4th on the left, both of which seemed to be heavily engaged ; and the G.O.C. decided to send the Cyclist Company along the main road to Boussieres, in order to strike at the rear of the Germans opposing the 3rd Division. No sooner were the cross-roads at Montapeine in our possession than the Cyclists were let loose, and in a short time they had captured a hundred Uhlans ; unfortunately some British guns opened an accurate fire on them, killing a few of our Cyclists, and forcing the remainder to retire, w^ith the result that naany of the Cavalrymen 24 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 escaped. As it was getting nearly dark now the advance was stopped, and the tired troops bivouacked where they stood. The task of the 5th Division the next day (9th Sep- tember) was to cross the river Marne, and continue to press the enemy. The bridge leading to Mery was found to be intact, and the Division crossed at Saacy without difficulty ; but when the advance-guard (14th Brigade) reached the plateau near Le Limon, it was met with heavy Artillery and rifle-fire, both from Hill 189 (South-East of Montreuil), and from its left front. The position of the 5th Division was at the North end of a big loop of the Marne, some 3 or 4 miles in advance of the III. Corps on the left, who were held up at La Ferte at the Southern end of the loop, and the Germans on the ridge running from La Ferte to Mon- treuil were able to enfilade the left flank of the Division with impunity. In the thick woods it was impossible to say exactly where the enemy was, and a concealed German Battery near Hill 189 seized every opportunity of shelling any of our troops that emerged on to the open ground. It was not till the evening that a flash betrayed the whereabouts of this persistent Battery, and enabled our Artillery to deal with it efiectively. The D.C.L.I. charged through the woods, but were brought up by a hail of bullets from a wood 80 yards on their right flank ; to meet this opposition they had to change direction to the right, so exposing their left flank to the main trenches 300 yards away ; thus they remained on the edge of the wood unable to move. The 15th Brigade was then sent up and de- ployed on the right, connecting up with the troops the 3rd Division ; even so it was found impossible to push on, although the Bedfords and Dorsets, sup- 1914] THE AISNE AND LA HASSI^:E FRONT 2.5 ported by the NorfolkH, managed to reach Bezu, where they dug tlieinsclvcs in in the dusk. In the late afternoon, too, the 13tli Brigade was sent forward into the loop to see if it could get across at the railway bridge and attack the ridge, but nightfall put an end to the battle, and by next morning the enemy had cleared out, after having fought a very successful rear- guard action. In the dark the D. C.L.I, were with- drawn to a road at the back of the position, where an amusing incident occurred ; dog tired, they had thrown themselves down on the road and were soon wrapt in sleep, when a swelling shout, mingled with many in- vectives, aroused the Officers ; at once the Battalion was ordered "Fall in — Fix bayonets — No firing," and they momentarily exjiected a night-attack ; but the shouts came from the men themselves, whose feet, sticking out into the road (as T.A.'s feet always do when wagons or guns are passing), were in jeopardy of being driven over by the G.S. wagon bringing up their rations ! The episode ended in much laughter, and joy at the prospect of biscuits and bully-beef. These difficulties had prevented much progress being made, and the holding up of the 5th Division, too, had delayed the advance of the 3rd Division. On the 10th September a start was made at 4 a.m. towards the valley of the Aisne, the 15th Brigade leading as advance-guard, covered by the 3rd Cavalry Brigade. Hill 189 was passed, where stood the derelict German Battery, or what remained of it, with some twenty corpses lying around. The enemy was in full retreat, and the Cavalry had an exhilarating time, bringing in many prisoners ; and occasionally the Divisional Artillery had the chance of shelling a hostile column. During this and the, following day traces of 26 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 the precipitate retreat of the Germans were very- manifest, the roadside was littered with cast-ofi equip- ment, rifles, clothing, etc. The Division bivouacked for the night near Chezy, and continued the march the following day via St. Quentin to Billy-sur-Ourcq without any incident worth recording. The Sixth French Army was now close on the left, moving towards Soissons and Noyon, and a short march on the 12th, in pouring rain, through Hartennes and Nampteuil, brought the head of the Division to the edge of the plateau overlooking the Aisne Valley. The 13th Brigade, close on the heels of the Cavalry, were the advance-guard, and, as they approached the Aisne, they could see ahead of them the strong position on the Northern bank, 2 miles or so on the other side. The Aisne is a sluggish river, 60 or 70 yards across ; on the North side the hills stand out like a wall, with the thickly wooded spurs dipping down sharply into the valley, while on the South of the river lay the heights of Champagne, practically a tableland, whence a series of ridges sloped down towards the river ; the valley in between these heights was a veritable death- trap ; no living creature could exist there except in the hours of darkness. The German guns posted on the heights commanded all the crossings, and the enemy was fully prepared to hold up by every means the advance of the British. It was clear that a formid- able task lay in front of the Division, and the position was not one to be lightly rushed ; nobody could say whether the German Army were awaiting us, or whether, as at the Marne, they were only rear-guards. Definite orders, however, were received from Corps Head-Quarters that the advance was to be pushed on strenuously. 1911.1 THE AISNE AND LA BASSfiE FRONT 27 By dusk tlie Cuvalry reported that the bridges had been destroyed, and that they could do no more. There was, however, one left, the Conde Bridge, which was allotted by the II. Corps for the crossing of the 5th Division, but this was held by the Germans. Early on the 13th, the 13th Brigade, led by the West Rents, set out to reconnoitre the river line, and Lieut. Pennycuick, 59th Company R.E., reported two out of the three piers of the Bridge at Missy broken. The time was short, the R.E. had nothing with them but what they carried in their tool-carts, so, with ready resource, after the West Kents had cleared the enemy from the piers, they set to work to build rafts, and by the evening had five ready, two made of planks and three of straw and wagon-covers, in which two Battalions were ferried across. While the 13th were down by the river their Transport was stampeded by shell-fire as it tried to cross the plateau, and many men and horses were killed. The Artillery also found itself being heavily shelled without any chance of replying, as the range to the Chivres heights was too great. The 3rd Division on the right had crossed the river at Vailly, and the 4th Division on the left at Venizel — it was imperative that the gap between these two Divisions should be filled at once. The 17th Field Company R.E. had built a pontoon-bridge at Venizel, and during the night the 14th Brigade got across. The Manchesters and East Surreys advanced to St. Mar- guerite to support the 12th Brigade of the 4th Division, who had seized the high ground about Le Moncel, and soon became hotly engaged in Missy. Captain Johnston and Lieut. Flint, 59th Company R.E., greatly dis- tinguished themselves here, working for all they were worth ferrying the wounded . across and bringing 28 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 up ammunition into the village. Captain Johnston, who afterwards became Brigade-Major of the 15th Brigade and was killed at " Hill 60 " in May 1915, was awarded the V.C, and Lieut. Flint the D.S.O. In the afternoon the German Artillery had grown more active, and big howitzers (8-inch and 5*9) came into play ; it was improbable that a rear-guard should have such heavy Artillery, and the certainty that the Germans were in strength had to be faced. The 14th Brigade made some progress on the left, and were now on the line St. Marguerite-Missy, but the G.O.C. decided that no further advance could be hoped for until the plateau on which stood the Fort de Conde was in our hands. Accordingly, orders were issued for the 13th Brigade to be withdrawn South of the river, and for the 15th Brigade, who had crossed at Venizel, to move through Missy, and, with the 14th, to attack the Chivres Ridge on the 14th. It was difficult to discover the Battalions asleep in the fields in the early morning, and to collect the Brigade together ; St. Marguerite was being heavily shelled, and it was not till 4 p.m. that the two Brigades advanced to the attack. The Artillery crossed the river at Venizel, the only available bridge, in full view of the enemy — fortunately it was a misty morning, and most of the Batteries of the 8th and 15th Brigades R.F.A. got across unnoticed ; the 27th Brigade R.F.A. were in action on the plateau above Missy ; and the 28th Brigade, consisting now of only two guns of the 122nd Battery, had the misfortune to drop one of them in the river while crossing the bridge, which was, however, afterwards recovered by the R.E. Owing to the shape of the ground there was great difficulty in finding positions, the only suitable ones for 18-pounders being right out in the open, firing 1914] THE AISNE AND LA BASSJ^E FRONT 21) up the Chivrcs valley ; these were occupied, but soon had to be given up when the German fire became too hot. The howitzer positions were an easier job, and the 61st (Howitzer) Battery found an excellent one near St. Marguerite and did some useful work there. It was near here, in some dead ground, that the entire Transport of two Artillery Brigades, together with that of one Infantry Brigade, were assembled together in a mass, when the enemy's guns unfortunately found them out, and created great havoc among them. As has been said before, it was about 4 p.m. that the Infantry advanced. In the 14th Brigade the Manchesters and D. C.L.I, were in front, with the East Surreys echeloned in the right rear. In the 15th Brigade the Norfolks were leading, then the Cheshires and Bedfords, while the Dorsets remained at St. Mar- guerite and improved the defences there. Progress was very slow, direction was lost in the thick woods, and the men surging inwards on to a horseshoe-shaped road got inextricably mixed up ; a high wire-netting fence, together with some wire entanglements, added to the difficulties. Men began firing at each other in mistake for the enemy, and, though the casualties were few, many men turned about and retired down the hill into Missy ; the stream of men increased, the little village was heavily shelled, and the 15th Brigade lost many men. The attack had been a failure, and the Brigades found themselves back on the St. Mar- guerite-Missy line. The R.E. had by now built a trestle-bridge near Missy bridge, and in the night Sir Charles Fergusson met the Brigadiers of the 13th and 15th Brigades there, and gave them orders for another attack on the Conde plateau next day. The Artillery started by 30 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 shelling the Chivres spur, but their fire produced little efiect, as the Germans were all hidden and scattered about the wood. The 15th Brigade, with the Norfolks in front and the Bedfords in support, pushed on a short way, but the attack gradually came to a stand- still, whereupon orders were issued to take up a de- fensive line and consoHdate the positions held. The 14th Brigade, reinforced by the West Kents and the K.O.S.B., of the 13th Brigade, garrisoned the line St. Marguerite-Missy, and the 15th Brigade was brought back during the night to Jury, crossing by a pontoon- bridge which had been made between Missy and Venizel ; the remaining two Battalions of the 13th Brigade watched the Conde bridge from the low ground between Sermoise and Chassemy. The troops on the North side of the river were placed under the command of Brig.-Gen. Rolt, commanding the 14th Brigade, Head-Quarters being at an insalubrious farm known as " Rolfs Farm.'' The attack had passed into defence, and for the next fortnight it was stalemate. The Division was astride the Aisne, half the Infantry and two Batteries of Artillery being on the right or Northern side, the enemy trenches 200 to 300 yards from ours, dominating them from the higher ground. The ground was a bog, and in the damp, foggy woods water was struck only a foot below ground ; consequently most of the line there had to be constructed of breastworks, where the men lived in shanties made of faggots and water- proof sheets. It rained incessantly, and our trenches in the low ground were continuously being sniped by the Germans from the heights above ; the woods were daily subjected to searching salvos of shrapnel, up and down, backwards and forwards ; on these occasions 1911] THE AISNE AND LA BASSfiE FRONT 31 the men bolted, like a lot of rabbits, into their little cubby-holes till the storm was over, when a prospecting head was to be seen popping out, followed by another, and another, till it was safe to emerge altogether ; it was a marvel how few casualties there were. St. Marguerite and Missy were fiercely bombarded with H.E. every day ; the Eastern end of the former, where the road turned sharply to the right, was a most " mihealthy " spot, for it was in full view of the Germans, and anything that came in sight of them was instantly shelled; the place was called "Hell's Own Corner.'' The bulk of our Batteries were on the Southern side of the river (some in silent positions in case of counter-attack), covering the front at a range of about 4000 yards ; those on the North side had at last found some good positions, and were never dis- covered by the Germans. It must be remembered that at this period we had no Heavy Artillery, beyond the normal Divisional Artillery, which included the 108th 60-pr. Battery, and a great event was the arrival of some 5-inch howitzers from South Africa ; they were given positions near Jury, whence they plumped lyddite shells around Fort de Conde. Divisional Head-Quarters were in the school build- ings of Serches, a quiet little hamlet tucked away in a ravine. The Reserve Brigade (15th), at Jury, were given the task of constructing a defensive system on the left bank, under the guidance of Colonel Tulloch, the C.E.E. The Mth Brigade remained on the front until the 24th, when they were reheved by the 15th, Brig.-Gen. Lord Edward Gleichen taking over from General Rolt. Only one little episode needs recounting. Early in the morning of the 27th of September an Officer's 32 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 patrol of the 13tli Brigade sent in a report that the Germans were seen crossing the Conde bridge in force. Everybody had long felt anxious about the gap between the 3rd and 5th Divisions, and consequently this report caused great commotion. Orders were given to load up and be ready to march at a moment's notice, the 3rd Division and the II. Corps were warned, and the 14th Brigade was moved from Jury to the cross- roads East of Serches ; the 15th Brigade sent one Battalion back to the pontoon-bridge, and even the Cavalry were turned out of their comfortable quarters in Braisnes. But a misty dawn brought forth no Germans ; it was nothing but a scare, brought about by a patrol, who had lost their way, being mistaken in the dark for Germans ; eventually everybody, in a somewhat ruffled frame of mind, returned to their normal stations. It will not be out of place to quote here Lord French's words ; he says in his Dispatch : " With great skill and tenacity Sir Charles Fergusson maintained this position throughout the whole battle, although his trenches were necessarily on lower ground than those of the enemy on the Southern edge of the plateau, which was only 400 yards away." At the end of the month orders came that the whole of the 11. Corps was to be moved to another sphere of operations, and there was much surmising as to where this would be. The trenches were taken over by the 6th Division, and, as this was the first occasion on which a Division in close contact with the enemy had been relieved, everybody regarded it as a most critical operation. The problem was to withdraw in the dark without letting the enemy know ; guides had to be provided who had reconnoitred every inch Russell] Lieut.-'Jen. Sir Charles Fergusson, Bart., K.C.B., K.C.M.G., D.S.O., M.V.O. 17c face p. 32. 1914] THE AISNE AND LA BASSliiE FRONT 83 of the ground, and the strictest silence had to be observed. But all went well, the enemy never dis- covered the relief, and in the morning of the 2nd of October the 15th Brigade were across the river, and Sir Charles Fergusson had handed over the command of the Front. Now ensued a very pleasant week's marching through one of the most beautiful parts of France with grand Autumn scenery. The weather was fine, with gorgeous days and cold nights, and, above all, shells. Missy, and the trenches were left behind. Des- perate secrecy was observed, marching was only by night, and troops were enjoined not to show themselves during the daytime for fear of the enemy's aeroplanes. Evidently some great object was in view, though what it was could only be conjectured. Above was a bright clear moon — ^fortunately night-bombing was unknown then. What caused much joy was that a German wire- less message had been intercepted to say that " all six British Divisions w^ere still on the Aisne." On 7th October the Division entrained at Pont St. Maxence and neighbouring stations ; rumour had it that Calais, or even Ostend, or Bruges, would be the detraining station, but it turned out to be Abbeville — rather a disappointment, as it was hoped it would be farther afield. French motor-buses were to have been ready to take the troops from their billets on to the Dieval area, but they arrived late, and then were too few, so there was great delay, and many of the men had to spend the day and the greater part of the night lying in the fields by the roadside. However, by the afternoon of the 10th the Division was concentrated round Brias. Rumours came that the French were being hard pressed round Arras, that the German Cavalry were trying to 3 34 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 get round our Northern flank, and that Lille was sur- rounded by the enemy, but was still holding out with a few French Territorial Battalions in it. Hence the hurry ; but no one seemed to know anything definite except that the Division would soon be fighting again. La Bass:^e Front (Map 4) An early start was made on the 11th of October towards Bethune through the mining district of Bruay. The Corps urged the Division to hurry, but the G.O.C. pointed out that this was somewhat difiicult as our road was being crossed by a British Cavalry Division moving from East to West, and by a French Cavalry Division moving from West to East, while a long French convoy was trying to get through both columns. On Hearing Bethune, the Division was ordered to occupy the high ground South of Hinges, and the Divisional Mounted Troops were dispatched in all haste to the objective. They approached it with every mihtary precaution, watched by an admiring Staff, but, on arrival at the top of the hill, they found to their dis- appointment and annoyance only a French ammunition column peacefully slumbering there ! That night the Division billeted in Bethune, and, during the evening, orders and definite information as to the situation were received. The French Army was being outflanked ; they had been driven out of Vermelles, and, it was believed, out of Givenchy ; the II. Corps, 5th Division on the right, 3rd on the left, was to advance North of the Bethune-La Bassee Canal, and to swing round gradu- ally on to La Bassee, pivoting the right on the Canal. L A IflOO YitreUt — B A S S E E 1.000 tpoo ScaU 40.000 Br Line in' 1916-17 FRONT %,'"'%J'ont Logy Map 4. UNeuve I Chapelle Vchebourb A ff^ji- Indian Viflaye y\ .^(rRic^ebourg ^-^ l,"Avoue' ' 12J Ferme du Soi^ I Cour xie I Avoi) Factory '%a Quinque Rue Brewer/ Comer^,^ / \ -p^^e^^^J^JSj-a Lorjiei \:Purts Festubert [ To face p. 34. 19U] THE AISNE AND LA BASS^E FRONT 85 The Division was from the outset allotted a very extensive frontage, the original line being from the Canal South of (Uvenchy to beyor^d Richebourg L'Avoue (about 4 miles), but this frontage was very much increased when it was ordered to take over ground South of the Canal as well. The 13th Brigade (Brig.- Gen. Hickie, who had replaced General Cuthbert) was sent to Annequin with orders to act in co-operation with the French troops attacking Vermelles ; to the North of the Canal came the 15th Brigade, and then the 14th, who had the 3rd Division immediately on their left. With such a big front it was only possible to keep two Companies of the Devons (who had recently replaced the Suffolks in the 14th Brigade) in reserve. The Divisional Artillery, which had been re-equipped and brought up to strength before leaving the Aisne area, was disposed to cover this front. Head-Quarters of the Division were at Gorre Brewery. The country North of the Canal is perfectly flat, with the exception of a slight rise at Givenchy ; near the Canal, on both sides, are some " marais,^' or swampy woods, but farther North it is mostly arable land, inter- sected with muddy dykes, and rows of trees which much impede the view ; to the South are the villages of Cuinchy and Cambrin, and the mining village of Anne- quin with its big slag-heap ; farther on, towards Ver- melles, the ground is of chalk formation, and becomes more undulating. It was a cold morning on the 12th ; the freezing fog was so thick that one could hardly see 50 yards in front of one. On the right, General Hickie dispatched the West Kents, "Duke's,'' and K.O.S.B. to co- operate with the French ; the 15th Brigade took up the line from the Canal at Pont Fixe with the Dorsets ; 36 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 then came the Bedf ords at Givenchy, and the Cheshires holding Festubert ; the 14th continued the line with the D. C.L.I. , Manchesters, and East Surreys at Richebourg L'Avoue, where, after some fighting, touch was gained with the 7th Brigade of the 3rd Division. During the afternoon the Germans attacked along the Canal bank, but they were repulsed by the Dorsets, Lieut. Roper being killed whilst gallantly leading a bayonet charge. The night passed ofi fairly peaceably, except for a half-company of the Cheshires, who were captured in Rue D'Ouvert. It appears that a patrol reported Rue D'Ouvert free of Germans, and that this half-company was sent to make sure of the fact, when they found themselves surrounded by superior forces and violently attacked. The brave little band, though they had lost heavily, succeeded in getting into a farmhouse, which they held all day till the Germans set fire to it ; having no water they tried to put the fire out with some wine there was in the farm, but in the end they were com- pelled to surrender, their numbers reduced by this time to thirty. The 13th October was not a happy day for anyone. In the first place, the 13th Brigade could make little progress South of the Canal ; they were up against an extraordinarily strong position in the famous '" Railway Triangle," which remained in German hands till almost the end of the war ; the empty trucks, from which the enemy fired, had been fortified with stockades of sleepers, and the position was well-nigh impregnable. The French could make little progress against Vermelles, though they made attempts both on this day and the next to capture it. On the left, the 14th Brigade made some progress, but the advance was very slow, for every 1914] THE AISNE AND LA BASSIi:K FRONT 87 house and hamlet had to be foiiglit for. But it was in the centre, on the 15th Brigade front, that the trouble arose. Givenchy was heavily bombarded by the Germans for hours, and rendered quite untenable ; the Bedfords held out gallantly, but, after losing some sixty men, many of the wounded being buried by the falling houses, gradually fell back to the trenches in rear of the village. The Dorsets, who had advanced a bit and dug themselves in, were violently attacked at the Pont Fixe on the Canal, fire being opened on them from their left flank, which was now uncovered, and also from the railway embankment on the South. An act of treachery on the part of the Germans was responsible for many men being killed ; a party of some twenty of the enemy advanced holding up their hands, and, as the Dorsets advanced to take their surrender, these twenty suddenly fell flat down, and a fusillade was opened on our men from a flank. The Battalion retired slowly in admirable order to Pont Fixe, which they still held, though much shaken and pitifully thinned ; they had lost some four hundred casualties ; and two guns of the 11th Battery, which had come up in close support, had also to be abandoned. Colonel Bols, the CO. of the Dorsets, was severely wounded in this attack, and was actually taken prisoner and stripped of his clothing, but in the confusion he managed to crawl away, and regained his freedom, to become afterwards Chief of the Stafi to General Allenby in Palestine. Reports now came in that the enemy was advancing in large numbers along the Canal bank, and the situation appeared to be most critical. The two Companies of the Devons, which were in reserve, were hurried up to the assistance of the 15th Brigade, but by nightfall things had quieted down, and there were no attacks. 88 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 The next day (the 14th) the remainder of the Devons went up to the 15th Brigade, and a concerted attack by the 13th and 15th Brigades was arranged for the after- noon ; but Httle could be accompHshed. The second French attack on Vermelles had failed, the 13th Brigade could make no progress towards the Triangle, and this prevented the 15th Brigade from advancing ; but the 14th Brigade, with the 3rd Division on their left, made some advance towards the Estaires-La Bassee road. In the evening the French extended their left to the Canal, thus relieving the 13th Brigade, who were sent back in reserve. The 15th October was comparatively uneventful ; the men were much exhausted by the continuous hard fighting ; but on the left the 14th Brigade again made a little progress, and the 3rd Division gradually wheeled round to the South-East. The 16th and 17th showed a welcome advance. The whole of Givenchy fell once more into our hands, and the Bedfords, who occupied it, found some of their buried and wounded men there ; Rue D'Ouvert was taken by the Cheshires, Canteleux by the Norfolks, and in the 14th Brigade the D. C.L.I, and East Surreys seized Lorgies ; later, Violaines was occupied by the Cheshires, and the 14th Brigade took Beaux Puits. Astride the Canal, the Devons, who were ordered to make good the bridge on the Canteleux road, came in for some very heavy shelling ; one Company was on the South side, and two on the North side, and as they advanced to their objective a tornado of shells was poured into them, coming straight down the Canal into the ditch they were holding, and setting fire to some stacks behind which they were taking refuge. Under cover of the smoke they fell back, taking their wounded lUllJ TJIE AISNE AND LA DASSEE FRONT 39 with them, and many acts of bravery were performed there, notably by ]jiciit. Worrall (later in the war CO. of the Bedfords). La Bassee was now almost within our grasp, and the Corps urged the importance of capturing it, but, although a general attack was delivered on the 18th, no further ground could be gained. The D. C.L.I, in their advance met with a hail of bullets from machine-guns and rifles in a sugar-factory on the Estaires-La Bassee road, and though the place, which was a regular fortress, was bombarded by all our available guns, it resisted our efforts to capture it. Hitherto the IL Corps had been advancing, even if slowly, but the enemy was now reinforced by appar- ently the Vn. and XIV. Corps, set free by the fall of Antwerp, and on the 20tli of October the whole line was violently attacked. The pressure became greater on the 21st ; the enemy penetrated between the 14th Brigade and the 7th Brigade on their left, and the D.C.L.I. found their flank in the air ; they rushed up a Platoon, which took up a position facing half-left, but they were enfiladed by machine-guns and were forced to retire ; the Manchesters also at Trois Maisons made a fine bayonet charge when the enemy were within 200 yards, but they, too, were caught in enfilade and lost heavily. Early in the morning of the 22nd, when the foggy dawn was just breaking, the Cheshires were surprised while digging, and were driven back to Rue D'Ouvert, taking some of the Dorsets with them, and losing some two hundred casualties ; and the 13th Brigade Battalions, too, which had been sent up to reinforce the 14th, were fiercely attacked, the three Companies in reserve in the 15th Brigade having to be sent to their assistance. Later a counter-attack 40 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 under Lieut.-Col. Martyn (temporarily commanding the 13th Brigade vice General Hickie, sick), composed of the Manchesters, D.C.L.I., and Worcesters, was organised, but they could not gain much ground ; it had, however, the effect of stopping the German pressure for the time being. The Corps Commander now decided to fall back to a defensive position, which had been partially prepared ; and, accordingly, on the night 22nd-23rd October, the 5th Division withdrew to the line running just East of Givenchy and Festubert, then through La Quinque Rue, and West of the Bois de Biez to Neuve Chapelle. Ow- ing to the heavy fighting and the severe losses of some units, the proper organisation of the Infantry Brigades had to be departed from ; it was necessary, for example, to withdraw the Cheshires and Dorsets from the front line, but they could not be sent to the rear for a real rest because the Division was holding such a wide front and being constantly attacked ; instead, they were billeted in barns round Hamel and Rue de Bethune, where they were being constantly turned out ready to return to the front line in the many critical moments of the next few days. It is interesting to note that these Battalions persistently complained of being fired at by night from the houses in the village, thus starting the delusion which afterwards affected all newly arrived Divisions. The 15th Brigade was re- inforced by the " Duke's," while the Bedfords in their turn had got mixed up with the 13th Brigade. The French now re-inforced their troops North of the Canal both with Infantry and Artillery, and for a few days they came under the orders of Lord E. Gleichen, but eventually they sent over a General, who assumed full responsibility for the defence of the 1914] THE AISNE AND LA BASS^E FRONT 41 trenchcH hckl by tLcin — roughly from Givencliy (in- clusive) to the Canal. The next seven days were a lively period for the 5th Division. In the space of sixty days it had fought at Mona, stood the brunt of the battle of Le Cateau, taken part in the terrible retreat, fought again on the Marne and the Aisne, and already on this front had almost reached its limit ; it was now holding a long line with worn-out and exhausted troops, with no re- serves, and was attacked all day and every day. The Division and Brigade Stalls were continually being faced with a crisis ; either a Battalion appealed for help, which could not be sent, or a report arrived that the enemy had broken through ; but the men fought stubbornly, lost trenches were recovered, heavy shelling, wet, and exhaustion were borne unflinchingly, and a standard of human endurance established that no one hitherto thought possible ; the Staffs, too, learnt that though the Germans might capture a trench it did not mean that they could break through. The two most critical periods were on 26th October and 29th October. On the former day the Germans pierced the centre of the 7th Brigade of the 3rd Division, and captured Neuve Chapelle, and at the same time attacked the trenches of the West Kents to the South of the village. Exposed to terrific shelling, with their left flank un- covered, the West Kents immortalised themselves by repulsing the German attack and holding their own ; they lost most of their Officers and were sadly reduced in numbers, but they stuck to their trenches, and were finally brought out of action by two Subalterns, one with two years' and the other with six months' service. The situation at Neuve Chapelle was so critical that Brig.-Gen. Maude (commanding the 14th Brigade), 42 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 with the Bedf ords, Cheshires, and Dorsets, was ordered to counter-attack in co-operation with the 3rd Division, but the situation had meanwhile improved, and the attack was never launched. The arrival of the Indian Divisions on the 29th re- moved a certain amount of anxiety from the Divisional Staff, although it did not at first help the troops in the trenches. Orders were received for the 5th Division to be relieved by the Lahore Division, and some of the latter's Battahons at once took over the trenches. Early on 29th October the Germans made a fierce attack on the trenches North of Festubert, held by the 1st Manchesters (of the Lahore Division) and the Devons, who had been in the firing-line for practically sixteen days. The attack was repulsed, but was renewed again about 10 a.m. with equal vigour. The Germans continued to shell the trenches, although their Infantry did not advance ; they could be seen digging in and driving saps forward to our lines. In accordance with the plan of relief the 2/ 8th Gurkhas took over during the night the trenches held by the 1st Man- chesters. The Germans resumed their desperate assaults on the 30th, and pressed the Devons and Gurkhas very hard ; at one moment they reached the wire in front of the Devon trenches, but, although almost at the limit of human endurance, the Devons held firm. The attacks continued during the whole morning, after which the enemy gave up his Infantry assault and settled down to bombard our trenches. With the dying down of the Infantry fire it was thought that the crisis was over ; it was therefore a shock when, late in the afternoon, news came from the Devons that the Gurkhas on their left had been driven by shell-fire out of their trenches, which had promptly been occupied 19111 THE AISNE AND LA BASSl^.E FRONT 48 by the Gleniiana. The i-elief had to be suspended, and the Devons were re-inforced by their reserve Company, who restored the situation on the left, while one of the relieving Battalions, the 58th Rifles, recovered the trenches on the right. The Devons had had a heavy toll of losses in the past week : Captains Besley and Elliot, and Lieutenants Ditmas, Dunsterville, and Hancock had all been killed, and many men too — heroes all, of whom Devon may well be proud. After this the relief was proceeded with, and Major- Gen. T. L. Morland, who had succeeded Sir Charles Fergusson (promoted to Lieut.-Gen.) in command of the Division, handed over to the Lahore Di\T.sion, leaving in six of his Battalions to strengthen the line, together with most of the Divisional Artillery. In these accounts of lurid battles, and intricate operations and marches, one is apt to overlook the very necessary and excellent work done by the Divisional Supply Column of the K.A.S.C. Never once during the past two months' fighting, during the retreat and during the advance, had the rations failed ; it speaks highly of the organisation, and the devoted work of the Officers, and of the lorry and G.S. Wagon Drivers, many of whom had to run the gauntlet of the enemy's shells and bullets in bringing their loads up to the troops. Nor would any history be complete without paying the very highest possible tribute to the R.A.M.C, who, in their advanced dressing-stations in ruined cottages, nearly always under shell-fire, carried on their noble work night and day, often having to go without sleep for days at a time ; their record of self-sacrificing devotion is indeed a magnificent one. CHAPTEE III NOVEMBER 1914 TO MARCH 1915 (Maps 5 and 6) AT the end of October the Germans opened their great offensive at Ypres, in their vain endeavours to reach the Channel Ports, their attacks extending down to Messines. Sanguinary battles were going on at Ypres, where the immortal 7th Division held the front so heroically against the furious onslaughts of the German hordes, until the I. Corps came to their assistance. The 5th Division, with no time to rest or recover from their hard fighting, were pulled out from the Neuve Chapelle-La Bassee front and sent up North. In common with other Divisions, they became much split up ; in fact, there was a regular jumble everywhere ; Brigades, Battalions, and Batteries were sent hither and thither to patch up the holes in the strained British front, and many units had no notion to what formation they belonged ; Battalions were attached for a day or two to a Division or Brigade, and then spirited away elsewhere as the circumstances demanded. For some time the Division was one only in name, and it was not till near the end of November that the com- ponent units forgathered together again. It will be convenient, therefore, to follow briefly the doings of each Brigade separately ; but, before MESS IN ES FRONT. Map 5. Dickebusch '.cale of Mil e^ txq, ioaooo 1 To /ace p. 4+ 1914] NOVEMBER 1911 TO MARCH 1915 46 doing so, it is necessary to glance at the operations of the Cavalry. On the 30th of October the Cavalry Corps, under General Allenby, were holding a long thin line against overwhelming masses of the enemy, from Hollebeke, South of the Ypres Salient, to Messines inclusive, together with Conneau's French Cavalry ; to their right was the 4th Division of the III. Corps, holding the Eastern edge of Ploegstreet Wood and St. Yvon, facing somewhat North-East. That evening the 2nd and 3rd Cavalry Divisions, under Generals Byng and Gough respectively, were compelled to fall back to the Canal, and Hollebeke was captured by the Germans ; the 1st Cavalry Division, imder General de Lisle, was also hard pressed at Messines, where the Germans, who had gained a footing in the town, were soon driven back again. Early in the morning of the 31st a strong attack forced the Cavalry out of Messines, and at the same time the 4th Division were seriously en- gaged farther South. No supports were available until 11.45 a.m., when the K.O.S.B., the K.O.Y.L.I., and the London Scottish came up, and were sent forward at once to re-capture the ridge. The K.O.S.B. on the right, and the K.O.Y.L.I., London Scottish, and 3rd Hussars on the left, advanced to the attack, and by 1 p.m. had made considerable progress in the Western edge of the town ; but during the night there was another violent attack on the exhausted 2nd Cavalry Division, who were forced back towards Kemmel, thus laying bare the left flank of the London Scottish. The latter at once threw back a defensive flank, but the enemy was by this time round both sides, and a retirement of the whole force became inevitable. In the nick of time the XVI. French 46 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 Corps arrived on the scene, and, together with Conneau's Cavalry, they held the prepared trenches in front of Wulverghem, with the British Cavalry and Battalions of the 5th Division in support. In these two days' fighting there had been many casualties ; the K.O. Y.L.I. lost 5 Officers and 150 other ranks, Captain Carter and 2nd Lieut. Corballis being the only Officers left with the Battalion. To turn now to the Brigades of the 5th Division : 13th Brigade The K.O.S.B., after taking part in the attack on Messines, were sent up to Ypres on 5th of November in company with the 9th Brigade to join the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Division, and to take over the trenches South of Hooge on the Menin road. Here they remained for thirteen days in the front line, suffering much from sniping, shell-fire, and " Minnies " ; though there were no regular attacks, the strain on the Officers and men, tired as they were, was very great, and it was with much joy that they were relieved on the 20th and rejoined their Brigade at Locre at the end of November. The K.O. Y.L.I, and West Kents were likewise first engaged on the Messines front in support of the Cavalry until the middle of the month, when they were also sent up to Ypres, and took part in an attack on Hooge Chateau, occupying the trenches in the thick woods East of Zillebeke. Both Battalions rejoined the Brigade at the end of the month. The " Duke's " were attached to the 15th Brigade, and went up with them to Ypres, where they v/ere at first in support of the Cheshires and Bedfords at 1914] NOVEMBER 1914 TO MARCH 1915 47 Hooge, and, on the 10th, took over the trenches near Weldhoek Chateau ; here they had some heavy fighting on the 11th and 13th, and lost altogether 14 Officers and 380 other ranks. They were relieved on the 15th by the 11th Hussars, and returned to Locre on the 21st November. 14th Brigade The whole Brigade was at first kept back as a reserve to the Indian Corps, marching and counter- marching to support or re-inforce any threatened point, until the 7th November, when it was sent up North to take over the trenches at Laventie, relieving the 8th Brigade and part of the Indian front. The fire trenches were in fair order, but there were no communication, support, or reserve trenches, and there was no wire in front ; their line ran along the Rue Tilleloy, from near Fauquissart on the left, to the cross-roads of Chapigny on the right, the German trenches being from about 200 yards distant on the left, to only 25 yards on the right. There is little to record of their week's stay here ; opposite to them were the 32nd Jaeger Regiment, who possessed some active and accurate snipers, and on two or three occasions they were subjected to mild bombardments, but on the whole they had a quiet time, and they were enabled to improve their trenches and put some concertina wire out. These Jaegers were inclined to be facetious, and used to put up a spade on their parapet on which they marked the hits or misses of our snipers, and on the right, where the trenches were so close, some back-chat and mutual taunts w^ere exchanged between the opposing sides. On the 15th the Brigade left, and marched to Meteren, with orders 48 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 to take over the trenches East of Wulverghem from the 39th French Division, which ran from the Wulver- ghem-Messines road to the Messines-Wystchaete road ; there was a perfect network of trenches here, all very- narrow and shallow, and tenanted by many gruesome rehcs of the hard fighting which had taken place. On the 28th November they were relieved by the 15th Brigade, just arrived from Ypres, and sent to the reserve area at St. Jan Capelle. 15th Brigade The 15th Brigade were at Dranoutre on 1st Novem- ber, and, like the other Brigades, were for the first four days employed in support of the Cavalry and the French. On the 5th they combined with the 7th Brigade (General McCracken) and marched to Ypres, taking with them the " Duke's " and the two K.E. Companies of the Division (17th and 59th). At dusk they relieved the 21st and 22nd Brigades of the 7th Division East of Hooge, with the Bedfords and Cheshires in the front line ; Head- Quarters were at Beukenhorst Chateau, afterwards so well known as Stirling Castle. Nothing much happened till the after- noon of the 7th, when a sudden rifle-fire broke out on the left ; the troops on the left and some of the Bedfords were seen to be retiring, and the enemy broke through ; it seems that an order to retire was given, but by whom no one could find out — possibly by a German in British uniform. Captain Monteith and the Adjutant of the Bedfords quickly rallied the men, and succeeded in driving some of the enemy back, and another party, led by Q.M. Sergeant Byford, charged with a cheer and bayoneted fifteen or twenty Germans in their trenches ; 1914] NOVEMIJER lOlt TO MARCH 1015 49 the 9th Brigade supports also counter-attacked on the left, and the position was restored, twenty-five prisoners being captured. The Bedfords were again heavily attacked on the 14th, the day on which the Flower of the German Army, the Guards, was launched against the front, and, as every one knows, completely repulsed. The lighting on that day on the 15th Brigade front was perhaps not so severe as at other parts ; but in one place the enemy managed to push a machine- gun through the woods, which enfiladed the Cheshires, forcing them and the Bedfords to retire. There was much confused fighting in the woods, and it was only by the grit of the men that the line was held ; among the many instances of individual gallantry one may be mentioned : Sergeant Mart, with only one other man of the Bedfords, succeeded in recovering some of the lost Bedford machine-guns by stalking and rushing the Germans in their trenches. On the 7th again there was heavy firing, but no attack supervened ; in fact, the Germans on the immediate front seemed to have retired a bit. At length on the 20th the two Battalions were relieved by French troops, and on the 21st marched back to Locre ; they had been fourteen days in the front line, and, in addition to the stifit fighting, had suffered much from the bitter cold and wet. At Locre a well-earned rest was enjoyed ; on the 25th the Brigade moved back to St. Jan Capelle, and on the 28th took over the trenches at Wulverghem from the Idth Brigade. Artillery The 8th (Howitzer) Brigade remained with the Meerut Division for another month ; at this time the need was much felt for more howitzers, both heavy and 4 ao THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 light, and the Divisional 4-5 Howitzers of nearly every Division were scattered about in different places. The Divisional 18-pr. Brigades (15th, 27th, and 28th) and the 108th Heavy Battery left the Indian Corps on 1st November, and marched to Bailleul ; on the following day they took up positions covering the Cavalry and French on the Messines front, as follows : 27th Brigade (on the right), near Neuve Eghse. 15th Brigade (centre), West of Kemmel-Neuve- Eglise road. 28th Brigade and 108th Heavy Battery (left), near Lindenhoek. A 6-inch gun and a 6-inch Howitzer Battery were attached, and were in action also near Lindenhoek; later, another 6-inch gun and a Battery of 4*7 guns (115th) joined, and "D,'^ "J," and "E^' Batteries, Eoyal Horse Artillery, also worked with the Division Artillery during the latter part of the month. The guns supported the French attacks on Messines on the 6th and 7th November, both of which attacks failed, and again the 39th French Division on the 14th. The 8th (Howitzer) Brigade on the whole had a quiet time with the Indians, and, with the exception of the 37th Battery, which remained with them until the end of January, rejoined the rest of the Artillery at the end of November, taking up their positions with the others. By the 29th November the Division was collected together again, with the exception of the 37th Battery, and the Cheshires, who were so weak in numbers that they were kept back in Corps Reserve. As the line now taken up was to be the home of the Division during 1914] NOVEMBER 1914 TO MARCH 1915 51 the Winter, it merits some further description. It ran from La Petite Douvc in a North-Westerly direction up the slope to the Wulverghem-Messines road, and thence along the crest of the ridge East of Wulverghem to Hill 75 — a frontage of approximately 3500 yards. The German line was roughly parallel to ours, at a distance varying from 30 yards on the left to about 800 yards on the Messines road. The trenches were poor ; owing to the water-logged nature of the ground, digging beyond a depth of a foot or two was impossible, and protection could only be obtained from breast- works ; these were neither high nor of sufficient thickness, and in places gaps of as much as 200 yards separated the occupied portions. Wire entanglements were practically non-existent, and on dark nights the lack of them, and the gaps, led to some awkward incidents ; on one occasion a ration party nearly de- livered their loads to the enemy in place of our own troops, but, realising their position just in time, reached our lines from the front. The Messines Eidge completely overlooked the forward area, and rendered movement by day impracticable ; the few communication trenches which did exist were a nightmare of mud and water. Some 2 miles behind our lines rose the wooded slopes of Kemmel Hill, which afforded grand observa- tion over the enemy's lines, and was a frequent resort of Artillery Officers, Generals, and Distinguished Visitors to the Front. Although bombarded from time to time, the mill on the top of the hill continued working for some considerable time, the farmer being apparently unconcerned by the battle being fought around him. After the heavy fighting in November in this area both Armies had settled down to their first Winter of 52 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 trench warfare, and, except for one occasion, no attacks were made by either side. On this occasion (14th December) the French XVI. Corps with the British 11. Corps undertook an offensive between HoUebeke and Messines. The role of the 5th Division Infantry was to demonstrate, and to lead the Germans to believe an assault was intended, while the Divisional Artillery, much re-inforced, supported the attack of the 3rd Division, in addition to carrying out heavy bombard- ments on their own front. The attack was a failure ; no progress was made, and, after another attempt on the following day, the operation was stopped. Although the fighting activity, with this one ex- ception, was small, the period spent in this sector was an extremely arduous and trying one for the troops. There were none of the amenities, such as duck-boards, iron-arch shelters, braziers, etc., which afterwards made life in the trenches bearable ; the Winter was one of continuous rain, and as a consequence the men lived in trenches half full of water and mud, often knee-deep, and the complaint of " trench feet "' became common. Various expedients were tried to minimise this danger, the most successful one consisting of square wooden tubs for the men to stand on, made by the R.E. ; it was necessary to provide a cross-bar of wood for a seat, or the men preferred to turn the tubs upside down and sit on them with their feet in the slush ! But there was very little real sickness, and this was no doubt due to the excellent food and warm clothing provided. The ground near the trenches, which was mostly ploughed land, quickly became a morass, which, owing to the scarcity of hurdles and fascines, made the move- ment of reliefs and ration and fatigue parties a tiring process with many slips and falls, and the many 1914] NOVEMRER 1011 TO MARCH 1915 58 drainage operations undertaken failed to make matters any better. All through the long Winter nights the R.E. and Infantry worked hard to improve the defences, but it was a very labour of Sisyphus ; no sooner had one part been built up, than, weakened by rain, another portion slid down into the water at the bottom of the trench, and the work was endless. By dint of much hard work, though, the position was gradually im- proved, until, by the Spring, the conditions in the trenches were tolerable, and a large amount of wire too had been put up in front. Whilst the units holding the line lived in such condition, those in support fared little better ; at first these were located in positions close behind the line, sheltered from view as much as possible. Accommodated as they were in shallow holes, scooped out of the ground, conditions were little better than those in the front line ; later, farms, or the remains of farms, were lived in ; these were usually roofless shells, but, having hard floors, they were infinitely preferable to the dug-outs, and, where cellars existed, there was comparative comfort. Brigade reserves were lodged in the villages of Neuve Eglise and Dranoutre ; the former was occasionally shelled, and many houses were damaged, but the latter place was untouched, and remained so until the Division left the area. The Divisional Reserve was billeted on Bailleul, in normal times an uninteresting town, but to troops returning from the line a veritable paradise. Billets were good, and at the shops, of which there were a good few, much could be got to supplement the ration fare ; at the Asylum on the Locre road very welcome and necessary hot baths could be obtained, while there were facilities for football and other recreations in and around the 54 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1914 town. The many cafes and estaminets provided a further condition of civilisation, and at the " Faucon " in the " Place '' a very passable dinner could be ob- tained. The Artillery remained in much the same positions as they took up on first arrival, the Batteries in each Brigade relieving each other every second or third night. Activity on both sides was slight ; nearly all firing was done by day, night-firing being very occa- sional ; facilities for close observation were limited, as it was impossible for F.0.0. to approach the line by day ; in some cases farm buildings close up were used as O.P.'s, but the life of a F. 0,0., who had taken up a position on the roof-beam of a barn before dawn and was compelled to remain there until darkness made his return to the Battery possible, was not a happy one. When telephone communication remained intact. Infantry Officers would occasionally observe for the Artillery, but, owing to the want of technical know- ledge and the lack of Artillery maps, the results were rarely satisfactory. The first 18-pr. H.E. shells were issued about this time, and were highly approved of. The wagon-lines were an orgy of mud, horses gener- ally standing in the open up to their hocks in slush. About the end of February the British Artillery was divided up into " Divisional," " Army," and " G.H.Q.," the former consisting only of 18-pr. and 4*5 Howitzer Batteries, and the 108th Heavy Battery consequently left the Division. The Divisional R.E. had their quarters in Neuve Eglise and Dranoutre, and were fully employed in making fascines and hurdles by day with the help of Infantry fatigue parties, and in improving the trenches by night. Dressing- Stations were established at Neuve 1914] NOVEMBER 1914 TO MARCH 1915 55 Eglise and Dranoutrc, the three Field Ambulances reUeving one another in turn. Divisional Head- Quarters were at first in the Convent at Locre, but moved later to the Chateau at St. Jan Capelle, where they remained for the rest of the time. During the Winter the system of rehefs varied ; at first the front was held by two Brigades, with the 3rd Brigade in reserve, and " triangular " reliefs were carried out ; afterwards the 14th Brigade had a short sector in front of Neuve Eglise, whilst the 13th and 15th relieved each other on the Wulverghem front. As previously stated, activity was slight ; the enemy's Artillery fire was only occasional, being mostly directed on the trenches, Wulverghem, Neuve Eglise, and Kemmel Hill. Among the German troops opposite were many snipers, who, having the advantage of a slightly commanding position, made things very uncom- fortable for the front-Hne troops ; most of our casualties were caused by their fire, though the shelling of Neuve EgUse contributed to the toll, the 14th Field Ambulance being particularly unfortunate in having a shell fall into their Dressing- Station. Daily, or rather nightly, patrolling in No Man's Land took place, and the Germans conceived the ingenious idea of tying chickens to their wire, which warned them by their clucking of the approach of our men ; the same thing happened two years later when geese were discovered acting as sentinels in No Man's Land. On Christmas Day occurred the much-discussed truce, which (leaving aside all questions of right or wrong) gave our troops the unique opportunity of inspecting No Man's Land and the enemy position at their ease. On that day every Officer and man in 56 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1915 the Division received a Christmas card from Their Majesties, and, in addition, a present of a pipe, tobacco, and cigarettes from Princess Mary. The King and the Prince of Wales visited the Divisional area on 14th December, the D. C.L.I, on that occasion cheering the Prince as " Duke of Cornwall " ; and the King of Belgium also honoured the Division with a visit, and inspected the 15th Brigade, who were in reserve in Bailleul. Two Territorial Battalions, the 9th London Regi- ment (Q.V.R.) and the 6th Cheshire Regiment, joined the Division, and were sent into the trenches with the regular Battalions for training ; the 6th Cheshires were withdrawn on 1st March, and replaced by the 6th King's Liverpool Regiment. Re-inf orcing drafts arrived and brought the BattaHons up to an average strength of 850, except in the Cheshires, who still remained at 300. In March, Brig.-Gen. Lord E. Gleichen, having been promoted Major-General and ordered to take over the command of one of the new Divisions forming in England, handed over command of the 15th Brigade to Brig.-Gen. Northey ; about the same time Brig.-Gen. J. G. Geddes succeeded Brig.-Gen. J. Headlam as C.R.A., and Brig.-Gen. W^anless O'Gowan assumed command of the 13th Brigade. On the 17th February orders were received for the 13th Brigade to join the 28th Division (General Bulfin) in the Southern part of the Ypres Salient ; and ten days later the 15th Brigade were also ordered to join the same Division, the exhausted 83rd and 84:th Brigades coming down South to take their place ; at the same time the 37th and 65th (Howitzer) Batteries were sent to the 27th Division. 1915] NOVEMBER 1914 TO MARCH 1915 r,7 13tm and 15tii Brigades with the 28th Division The line taken over ran from the Mound at St. Eloi to the BkifE on the East side of the Ypres-Comines Canal, but early in March it was shortened by the 27th Division taking over the Mound ; it consisted mostly of breastworks, and was commanded by the enemy position at White Chateau opposite the left centre. On the left of the position, at the Bluff, a curious situation existed in the " International " trench ; part of this trench was held by the British and part by the Germans, the occupying troops being divided by blocks ; some wag suggested that the repairs should be undertaken by each side on alternate days ! The trenches were a slight improvement on those at Wulverghem as regards drainage conditions, but the fighting was a great deal more lively. The ground immediately in rear of the trenches was swept by rifle-fire by day and night, and a number of casualties used to occur w^hile reliefs were going on. The enemy's Artillery, too, was very active, using mostly 5*9 or 8-inch Howitzers, of which he appeared to have a great number ; our own covering Artillery was the 28th Divisional Artillery, but they had a miserable allowance of ammunition, which was mainly shrapnel and very little use against the enemy's deep trenches. There was also a Belgian Battery of 75 mm. guns, which apparently had a more liberal supply, most of which was H.E. ; this Battery was frequently called upon by the Infantry, and its rapid fire and satisfactory bursts had a most heartening effect on them. All was quiet till the 14th March, when the enemy opened a bombardment on the British position from the Canal to St. Eloi ; simultaneously a mine was exploded 58 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1915 under the Mound, and a formidable Infantry attack was launched. At the first onset they succeeded in forcing back the troops of the 27th Division on the right of the 15th Brigade, and captured the village of St. Eloi, thus threatening the flank of the 15th Brigade ; supports were rushed up, and the 13th Brigade (in reserve at Kruistraat) moved up their Battalions to be ready for further developments. During the night the 27th Division by a very gallant counter-attack re-captured St. Eloi, and re-established the original line with the exception of the Mound, which remained in the enemy's hands. The Germans appeared to be well acquainted with our dispositions, as, simultaneously with their attacks, a bombardment was opened on Kruistraat ; the Norf oiks, who were on their way up from there for a trench relief, had a lucky escape, as the shell -fire did much harm to the village, and would just have caught them had they been there. The enemy made no further attempts to take St. Eloi, and, after a short period of liveliness, conditions returned to '' normal." CHAPTER IV " HILL 60," YPRES (Maps 6 and 7) THE relief of the Division from the Wulverghem Front was completed at the beginning of April, and on the 6th, General Morland assumed comm^and of the new sector in the Ypres Salient. The new line ran from the East of the Mound at St. Eloi by the Bluff, " Hill 60," and Zwartelen, to the Western edge of Armagh Wood. The 15th Brigade remained in position in the right sector, and the 13th Brigade in the left sector, the 14th Brigade being at first in reserve. Weather conditions were now more favourable, and consequently the state of the trenches, and of the troops therein, was much better. The trenches, or rather breastworks, were rapidly improved, and soon formed a solid line of defence, though not yet continuous or adequately provided with support positions. On the taking over of the sector, preparations for the attack on '* Hill 60 " were proceeded with. As in all mining operations, large Infantry working parties were required nightly by the Engineers to carry up the necessary stores and dispose of the spoil from the mine- shafts. The Engineers and Territorials worked gal- lantly and with cheerful determination, so that, by the middle of April, their preparations were completed, 60 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1915 and the scene set for one of the most sanguinary and hard-fought encounters of the War. From the village of Zillebeke the ground to the South slopes gently up for some 2000 yards to the Zwartelen-Zandvoorde ridge. Eunning approximately from North-AVest to South-East through the position are the roads from Ypres through Verbrandenmoelen to HoUebeke, and from Zillebeke through Zwartelen to Zandvoorde. Between these roads, and roughly parallel to them, runs the double line of railway from Ypres to Comines, which, some 600 yards from Zillebeke, enters a cutting ; this cutting extends beyond the crest of the ridge and is some 15 or 20 feet in depth. The earth excavated has been deposited on either side, and has, in course of time, formed small hillocks. On the West side are two of these hillocks, one a long, irregular mound on the top of the ridge, which, owing to its shape, became known as " the Caterpillar," and the other, a smaller mound some 300 yards down the slope towards Zillebeke, more conical in shape, known as " the Dump."" On the East side of the cutting is a third mound, more or less regular in shape, and situated on the highest point of the ridge. It is this mound of excavated earth that has become famous as " Hill 60.*' To call it a hill gives a somewhat false impression, as, in fact, it is merely a small protuberance on the crest of a gently sloping ridge ; its position on the highest i^ortion of the ridge, however, rendered it an excellent post for observa- tion of the ground around Zillebeke and Ypres. Prior to the attack. Brigade reliefs had been carried out, and, on April 16th, the 14th Brigade was holding the right sector of the Divisional Front, and the 15th Brigade the left sector, around " Hill 60." The 13th Brigade had been withdrawn on the 10th, and were at HILL 60. Map 7, $00 ■ 96. 19161 THE BRAY FRONT AND ARRAS 97 horses had to be unhooked from other wagons to pull each vehicle up ; in some cases it was a question of hours before they could get to the top ; horses were continually stumbling, and whole wagons slid ofi the road. To add to the difficulties, other British Divisions, marching towards Arras, and French troops with long columns of lorries, marching South, were using the same roads ; the Infantry completed their march very late and exhausted, but many of the mounted units and transport wagons were unable to reach their de- stinations until the following day. This march was always subsequently referred to as " The Retreat from Moscow." Arras After a short rest, the march was continued by Doullens to the area between Avesnes and Arras, and arrangements were made for the relief of the French on the front from the River Scarpe to the South end of the *' Labyrinth '' North-East of Roclincourt. The relief was completed by 4th March, on which date General Kavanagh assumed command of the new front. The Division formed part of the VI. Corps (Lieut.-Gen. Sir J. L. Keir) ; on our right the 14:th (Light) Division of the same Corps held the line to the South of the River Scarpe, whilst on our left we had once again the 51st (Highland) Division of the XVII. Corps. The front was held by two Brigades, the 13th Brigade taking over the right" sector from the River Scarpe to the North side of the Arras-Bailleul road, and the 95th Brigade the left sector from that point to the Labyrinth ; the 15th Brigade was in reserve at Wanquetin and Hauteville, and Divisional Head- Quarters was at Duisans, with Head- Quarters R.A. 7 98 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1916 and B.E. at Wagnonlieu, where also dwelt the French Sound-ranging Section, known as " Les Sorciers." On our right the line was among the houses of St.-Laurent-Blangy, on the river-bank, and consisted of barricades, trenches, and fortified houses, access to some portions being through cellars and tunnels under the houses ; here our own positions and those of the Germans were very close together, and difiicult to locate among the ruins. To the North of the village the trenches ran approximately parallel, due North to Chantecler, a ruined inn on the Arras-Bailleul road, up the gradual slope of the South- Western spur of the Vimy Ridge ; to the North of Chantecler they con- tinued, still due North, over the crest of the spur, and down the slope of the valley in which RocHncourt is situated ; after passing some 700 yards East of RocHn- court, the Hne curved back to the point of junction with the 51st Division. The width of No Man's Land was in most places 100 to 150 yards, the exceptions being in St. Laurent and near Chantecler, where the distance separating the trenches was only about 50 yards. To the South of Arras the line bent back Westwards, so that the town and our positions lay in a saUent, which was overlooked from the North by the Vimy Ridge, and from the South by the high ground at Beaurains. The trench system taken over was of a complete order, much Hke that we had left at Bray, and the ground was also similar, i.e. clay and chalk. The weather had been fairly dry and fine, with the exception of the bhzzard referred to, and, consequently, the trenches were generally in fair order, though some were in a very dilapidated state. Communication trenches led to the various sectors from the suburbs of St. Nicholas 19161 THE BIJAY FRONT AND ARRAS 99 and St. Catherine, all movements beyond the outskirts of these places being visible to the enemy in daylight. The Divisional Artillery took up positions among the houses and in the gardens of Arras, or the suburbs, and were thus enabled to obtain cover from observation, and protection in the house cellars. The houses in Arras, which at the nearest point was only some thousand yards from the front Une, afforded good observation posts, the Refugies and Seminaire being popular resorts for Observation Officers of both Field and Heavy Artillery. The situation was generally quiet, and, with the exception of one or two short periods, remained so during our four months' stay in the area, w^hich were perhaps the happiest months of the whole War ; the quietness of the front, the comforts of Arras, and a fine Summer, all helped to this end. Although close to the front, the town was rarely shelled by Heavy Artillery, but there was a small daily ration of field- gun fire. The areas which had suffered the most damage in the early bombardments were the Station and houses near by, the Hotel de Ville and Petite Place, both in ruins, and the Cathedral and Bishop's Palace, both roofless shells. A few civilians remained in the town, hving mainly in their cellars, and a number of shops were still open. The troops billeted in the town lived for the most part in the cellars, which were many and strong, and during the day the upper rooms of the houses were used for messes and recreation. The two Infantry Brigade Head-Quarters, Artillery Group Head-Quarters, and BattaUon Head- Quarters, were very comfortably housed, some of the quarters being quite luxurious. In the event of a bombardment of the town there 100 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1916 was ample underground accommodation. In addition to the cellars which nearly every house possessed, in the region of the " Grande Place " there was a regular underground labyrinth ; here there were as many as four stories of cellars under the houses and the " Grande Place " itself, and chalk caves from which, presumably, stone had been taken to build the town. Further, several miles of sewers had been cleared, and boards laid, entrance being effected down manholes and other laddered shafts. It is interesting to note that before the opening of the offensive in this area in April 1917, more than two Divisions were sheltered under the town of Arras ; and the vaults under the Bishop's Palace and the Cathedral were regularly used to accommodate a BattaHon while we were there. Many of the gardens and orchards continued to bring forth fruit and flowers ; in some of the Battery positions strawberries, and asparagus even, grew among the gun wheels, and, if our stay had been prolonged slightly, there would have been a good supply of apples and pears. A Divisional OjBfi.cers' Club was later established in the town, where a good dinner could be obtained and a happy evening spent, whilst the " Whizz Bangs " and other Concert Troupes paid occasional visits to the Theatre. The Divisional Canteen, also, opened a large establishment, so that all the advantages of civilisation were available. Mining was in progress at several points along the line, but, as both sides had defensive galleries, most of the activity was confined to No Man's Land. Trench- mortars were also active along the whole front, and it was in this area that we first met with the small ** Granatenwerfer,'' which, owing to its rapid rate of fire and the fact that three or more guns were usually 1916] THE BRAY FRONT AND ARRAS 101 used as a Battery, was a more dangerous weapon than the heavier type ; the latter was much in evidence at Blangy, where its bursts had disastrous effects on the house walls. Our own armament of trench- mortars was rapidly improving, as, in addition to the IJ-inch and 2-inch trench- mortars (footballs), on 19th March we received the first of the Stokes 3-inch mortars ; with its rapid rate of fire and excellent bursts this became a most valuable weapon to the Infantry, and deservedly popular. It was at this time that trench-mortars were properly organised as a definite arm ; after much discussion as to who should control them, it was finally decided by G.H.Q. that the Heavy and Medium trench-mortars should form part of the Divisional Artillery, while Light trench- mortars (3-inch Stokes) should be an Infantry weapon, organised into one Battery for each Infantry Brigade. This organisation was carried out ; the 2-inch trench-mortars were formed into three Batteries under a Divisional Trench- Mortar Officer (D.T.M.O.), Captain Hewson, and the 13th, 95th, and 15th Light Trench-Mortar Batteries came into existence. It may be of interest here to trace the gradual evolution of this arm, which played such an important part, especially in wire-cutting, and, in the case of Light trench-mortars, in dealing with machine-gun nests in attack, in the later stages of the War. When trench warfare was commenced the British Army had no trench-mortars, but the Germans almost immedi- ately took them into use. To supply this want, in the Winter of 1914-15 several experimental mortars were made ; amongst the earliest were the " Tobys," so called after Captain " Toby " Rawlinson (Lord Rawlin- 102 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1916 son's brother), who conceived the idea of utiHsing some old French 15 cm. cast-iron mortars of Crimean date, fired from a vent-hole ; these threw a bomb containing ammonal, some 18 lb. in w^eight, about 400 yards, and developed " an important explosion," but they were not reliable, though better than nothing. The Indian Corps devised a contraption of wood bound with hoops of iron, not unlike the old leather Chinese guns, and the French actually experimented with a weapon which fired a projectile attached to a string, on which the desired range was measured ; the pro- jectile took the string out with it until the latter tautened, and thus stopped its flight. Next came the 4-inch howitzer, the first sent out from England, which threw a studded projectile, but, as the result was as often as not a premature burst, they were not popular, and met with an early demise. The l-|-inch and 2-inch mortars firing " footballs " were next on the scene, and were the first really satisfactory weapons. Like all early trench-mortars they were unpopular with the Infantry at first, as, when they were fired, they invariably drew retaliation from the enemy's Artillery, to which our own ammunition supply did not allow of an adequate response. The issue of the 3-inch Stokes mortar brought us on to level terms with the Germans, and from that date onwards we steadily gained superiority in this arm. Trench-mortar schools were established in various centres, and the trench- mortar was recognised as a valuable adjunct of war. About the end of 1916 the 9*45-inch trench-mortar was seen ; this fired a bomb 4 feet long, the burst of which was devastating ; but the mortar was very cumbersome, though it had its uses in destroying strong-points and dug-outs ; its disadvantage was that lf)16J THE BRAY FRONT AND ARRAS 108 frequently the bomb would fall very short indeed, in our own lines, and there explode with great eclat. At the end of 1917 came that most admirable weapon, the 6-inch Newton trench-mortar ; this worked on the same principles as the 3-inch Stokes mortar, had a range of about 1100 yards, and could be fired so rapidly that it was possible to have four or five rounds in the air at the same time. One of the main diffi- culties in connection with trench- mortars was the question of their transport in moving warfare. In the case of the Stokes mortars, hand-carts were first used, but they were found too clumsy, and eventually limbers were used. Towards the end of the War the Artillery ingeniously de\^sed means for rapidly trans- porting the 6-inch Newtons, and they often followed close in rear of the attacking Infantry, and were most useful in dealing with machine-gun nests and strong- points. To revert to the doings of the 5th Division. On 1st April Major-Gen. R. B. Stephens took over com- mand of the Division from Major-Gen. Kavanagh, who had been promoted to command the Cavalry Corps. During June, matters became more lively on the front ; on the 4th the Germans, having bombarded our positions all day, in the evening exploded five mines simultaneously near the Arras-Bailleul road. In the confusion ensuing on this explosion they carried out a raid, and succeeded in penetrating into our line, but were quickly driven off, not, however, without our sustaining some loss ; three of these mines formed huge craters just in front of our original front line, which were afterwards known as " Cuthbert," " Clarence,'" and " Claude," the names being taken from a song in vogue with the " Whizz Bangs " at the time. On the 19th 104 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1916 another mine was exploded at the " Gridiron," 200 yards North of the Bailleul road, and, although little damage was done to our trenches, some of the men working in the mine galleries were lost. We too had been active; many offensive patrols and raids had been carried out, and bombardments of the mining areas by the Field and Heavy Artillery had taken place. On one occasion a shoot was carried out by " Granny " (the 15-inch howitzer), who lived near Dainville, together with 12-inch, 8-inch, and 4*5 howitzers, against a part of the German front line distant only some 50 yards from ours. This operation caused much excitement among the Commanders of the various formations in the neighbourhood, and the shooting was observed with much interest by the gilded Staffs from the Army and Corps, who crowded the O.P.'s at the Refugies and other buildings in Arras. Our front hne had been cleared for safety in case of short rounds, but the shooting was accurate, the burst of the 15-inch and other heavy howitzers being most destructive ; the shoot was not crowned with complete success, however, owing to a breakdown of " Granny's "" recuperating mechanism after two rounds had been fired. We cannot pass without reference to the Battery of old French 220 mm. " mortiers,'' which assisted in bombardments on the Divisional Front, and lived among the trees near the Citadel of Arras. Their arma- ment consisted of muzzle-loading mortars of ancient pattern, which were fired from the vent ; the French gunners, some of whom seemed almost as ancient as their guns, were provided with scales by which the requisite amount of charge was measured out according to the range, and, after this had been rammed home, the shell was inserted on the top, often with some cheery remark, 1 1916] THE BRAY FRONT AND ARRAS 105 such as, " Un cadeau pour Guillaume " ; in spite of this somewhat mediaeval procedure, which precluded a rapid rate of fire, their shooting was most accurate, and the bursts of the projectiles were very effective, being accompanied by much noise and clouds of black smoke. About this time the organisation of the Divisional Artillery was slightly altered ; the 8th Howitzer Brigade was abolished, and the 37th and 65th Batteries were posted to the 27th and 28th Brigades respectively ; a new Battery for the 15th Brigade B.F.A. was formed by a section of each of these two Batteries, under the name ofD/15. During the latter part of our stay the Divisional Front was extended to include a new sector South of the Scarpe embracing the village of Blangy ; this neces- sitated the front being held by three Brigades, and a consequent re-adjustment of the dispositions. About 25th June preparations were made for an attack with the 55th Division against the enemy's position South of Wailly ; this projected attack was usually known as the '' Wailly stunt," and was planned to take place two days after the opening of the Somme Ofiensive. Positions were prepared, and vast quanti- ties of trench-mortar and other ammunition collected in Wailly ; a Field Artillery Brigade was attached from the 35th Division, and the Batteries for wire-cutting took up their positions. When the preparations were almost completed, orders were received for a postpone- ment ; subsequently the operation was cancelled, and the troops, who had been withdrawn to practise the attack, returned to their old positions near Arras. On 3rd July the Division was relieved, and marched to rest in the area around Le Cauroy, during which time the " Wailly stunt " came on again, and was again cancelled. 106 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1916 Our tour in the Arras area had been a happy one, and we left with regret ; both in the line and out of it the time had passed as pleasantly as could be expected. It was during this period that the first Divisional Horse Show was held, and achieved such success that it became an annual event. The Somme Offensive had opened, after several postponements, on 1st July, and it was realised that our stay in the rest area was only until such time as the Division would be required to participate in that battle ; training was therefore proceeded with energetically, and many tactical exercises were carried out. The training, however, was not so strenuous that it did not allow of recreation, and time was found for polo — not, as may be expected, quite up to Hurlingham standard, but at the same time very enjoyable. The existence of a trout farm in the area proved a magnet for Mess Presidents, and strawberries too were plentiful. At this time the 1/6 Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders joined the Division as Pioneer Battalion ; they had been posted from the 51st Division to replace the 5th Cheshires whom we had left at Bray. On the morning of Mth July orders were received for the expected move. The " Q "' Staff, who had been issuing instructions for every conceivable kind of move by rail, were probably relieved to find that the move was to be by march route ; little time was allowed for preparation, as at noon the various units were scattered over the country on tactical exercises, and the move was to be commenced that evening. Everything had been kept in readiness, however, and in the evening the Division commenced to march Southwards towards the never-ending rumble of gun-fire on the Somme. CHAPTER VI THE SOMME— 1916 (Maps 10 and 11) AFTER three days' hard marching by way of Fren- villers, Candas, Puchevillers, and Toutencourt, over hot and dusty roads, the Division arrived on the 16th of July in the Lahoussoye-Bresle-Ribemont-Heilly area. During the march, rumours came of a break through by the Cavalry near Bazentin, and visions of chasing a defeated foe over open country arose, only to be shattered later by the news of the actual situation. On the 19th, orders were received to move up immediately to re-inforce the 7th Division, holding the line between High Wood and Longueval. The move was carried out in the afternoon, the 95th Brigade going into position near Longueval, and the 13th Brigade on their left to High Wood. The front line ran along the road leading from the South corner of High Wood to Longueval. The 15th Brigade moved into position as Divisional Reserve in the captured trenches on the Pommier Ridge, and the 15th Brigade R.F.A. took up positions to support the Infantry in Caterpillar Valley, the valley lying between Pommier Ridge and Mametz Wood. During the afternoon the position on the new Divisional Front was fairly quiet, but to our right the battle for the possession of Longueval and Delville Wood was raging with fierce intensity. 108 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1916 Before the relief was completed the 13th Brigade received a severe blow, the Brigade Major, Captain WylUe, being killed by a stray shrapnel shell at the Brigade Head-Quarters near Montauban. The area into which we had moved was a famiUar one, as for six months we had overlooked it from our positions around Maricourt and Fricourt at the end of 1915. But what a change had come over the scene 1 The villages of Fricourt, Mametz, and Montauban were now only heaps of debris, with a mound of white stones marking the ruins of the Church in each place. Instead of a clearly defined system of trenches, with grass-land and trees in between, was a vast expanse of shell-torn ground, covered with deep, wide gashes, where trenches had once been, shattered stumps where once had been trees, and over all were scattered bombs, imexploded shells, arms, equipment, and all the other debris which marks the trail of modern battle. Divisional Head- Quarters were located at *' Rose Cottage," Fricourt. The peaceful beauty suggested by the name was not borne out in actuahty, the name being apphed to a field pitted with shell-holes, and covered with debris, the only cover in which consisted of a few tarpaulins stretched over poles, and a Nissen hut. The ruins of a red-brick cottage in one corner was the origin of the name, as, when in 1915 we had named the map, this had been a creeper-covered cottage with a fine rose-garden. Now it would have been impossible to find a rose or rose-tree anywhere in the locaHty. The situation on 19th July was as follows : The XV. Corps (Lieut.-Gen. Sir H. S. Home) held a line running from North of Bazentin-le-Petit to the Southern end of High Wood, and thence along the road leading to Longueval. From there the fine was continued by SOM M E 1916. Map W. Tormniers S\dae ^<^«^ /d^c ITo face p. io8. 1916] THE SOMME— 1916 109 the XIII. Corps past the cross-roads and Church in the centre of the village, through the Southern portion of Delville Wood, and then due South, past Waterlot Farm, to the West side of Guilleniont. Through the Northern portion of High Wood, and along the ridge North of Longueval, lay the German third line of defence, known as " Switch Trench," in which, on the left portion of Corps front, was the enemy front line, while from High Wood he held positions running ap- proximately parallel to ours, through Longueval and Delville Wood. Early on the morning of the 20th, at 3.30 a.m., an attack was launched by the 33rd, 7th, and 5th Divisions of the XV. Corps, against the enemy's position in High Wood and along Wood Lane, the sunken road leading from the East corner of High Wood to the South-East ; simultaneously the XIII . Corps attacked against Longueval and Delville Wood. The final objective was to be the Switch Trench, which necessitated a difficult change of direction for the 5th and 7th Divisions after the capture of Wood Lane, and this would be a particularly complicated manoeuvre for the units of the 13th Brigade (K.O.S.B., and 14th Warwicks in support), who had not had an opportunity of studying the ground in daylight. The attack on Wood Lane was met with very heavy machine-gun and rifle fire. The first objective was captured, and the advance continued to, and beyond, Wood Lane by the 2nd Gordons and 8th Devons of the 7th Division ; but eventually they had to fall back. On our left the 33rd Division met with determined opposition in High Wood, but yard by yard they worked their way forward, and by the evening had gained possession of practically the whole wood ; later they 110 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1916 were shelled out of the Northern portion, but con- solidated their position on the Southern half of the wood. During the night the 95th Brigade Head-Quarters was blown in by a shell, and General Ballard received a wound which necessitated his evacuation ; his place was taken a few days later by Brig.-Gen. Lord E. C. Gordon-Lennox. On the 20th the remainder of the Divisional Artillery came into action, taking up positions in Caterpillar Valley, and in the evening the troops of the 7th Division were withdrawn, except the Artillery, who remained in action under the command of the C.R.A. 5th Division. Caterpillar Valley, in which the Artillery positions were, was a most " unhealthy " area. It was packed from end to end with guns of every sort, 9*2-inch, 8-inch, 6-inch, and 4'5 howitzers, 60-prs., anti-aircraft guns, and hterally hundreds of 18-pr. guns, which kept up an almost continuous roar day and night. Over- looked by the German positions at Ginchy to the East, it was made the target of much Artillery fire. There was hardly any cover for the detachments, which were kept as small as possible in order to avoid losses, only holes dug in the ground covered with corrugated-iron and earth, which afforded httle protection against the " Caterpillar Valley Barrage," which swept relentlessly down the Valley at intervals during the day and night. In addition to the gun positions, a number of units had formed horse-Hnes towards the Fricourt end of the Valley, and almost every square yard was occupied in some way or another. The pronounced salient at Longueval was liable to enemy shell-fire from all directions, save from the South- West, a fact of which the Germans took every 1916] THE SOMME— 1916 111 advantage. Apart from the shelling of the village and trenches, a ban-age was frequently fired by the enemy on a line from the South edge of Delville Wood in a semicircle round the South of the village, to the windmill on the West side of it. This " Longueval Barrage " was so intense that it was practically im- possible to reach the village through it. During the capture of the village on the 27th, communication was entirely cut off between the troops in this place and Brigade Head- Quarters for over twelve hours, as every man who attempted to pass through the barrage was either killed or wounded. As the line of approach for reliefs, or for ration and fatigue parties, lay across Caterpillar Valley and over the slopes South and South- West of Longueval, the difficulties which had to be faced may to some extent be realised. The rest of the 20th and 21st passed without any renewed outbreak of fighting on the Divisional Front, except at 10 p.m. on the 21st, when a heavy bombard- ment was opened by the enemy along our front, and, although no attack took place against our line, assaults were made on High Wood and Longueval, on our flanks, without much success. At 2 a.m. another similar outburst occurred, but by daylight the position was again normal. On the 22nd the danger of Caterpillar Valley as a site for horse-lines was brought home to those who had used it as such. In the afternoon the Germans opened a sudden concentrated fire on them, and, in order to prevent appalling loss, the horses were cut loose, and stampeded terrified down the valley towards Fricourt in a cloud of dust and shell smoke ; it was a work of some hours to collect them again, and by great good fortune not many were lost. 112 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1916 At 10 p.m., after a bombardment, the 13th Brigade advanced to the attack against Wood Lane, the West Kents attacking on the right, and the 14th War wicks on the left. They were met with a heavy counter- barrage and streams of lead from numerous machine- guns, and, after suffering severe casualties, they were forced to retire to their jumping-off line. A further attack was then ordered for 1.30 a.m., the objectives being again Wood Lane, and afterwards Switch Trench. This attack was postponed till 3.30 a.m., and met with the same result as before. At the same time the 15th Brigade advanced on Longueval from the West, and, although they succeeded in penetrating some distance among the orchards and enclosures, their attack was broken up by machine-gun nests, and they had to withdraw, the Cheshires losing heavily. The 23rd and 24th passed without any attacks on either side. On the latter day a message was received from a reconnoitring aeroplane that the Germans were massing in a trench between Delville Wood and Flers. All guns were immediately turned on to the trench, and shortly afterwards a message was dropped by the aeroplane, '* No Germans left alive after our Artillery fire," a message which did much to cheer both the Artillery and the Infantry. The 25th was another day of no attacks, though the usual " S.O.S. Longueval "" was received during the evening and night. This message was regularly received by the Artillery every night of our stay in this area, often four or five times, and was due to the frequent barrages put down on that hapless village, any of which might have heralded an attack. How many times the prompt and effective reply of our guns prevented such an attack there is no means of knowing, 101(?1 THE SOMME— 1916 IIM but for the support thus given the Gunners earned the heartfelt gratitude of the sorely-tried Infantry. During the night the Divisional Ammunition dump situated near Mametz, containing some 100,000 rounds of trench-mortar and Artillery ammunition, and large quantities of bombs and rifle ammunition, was set on fire by an enemy shell. Lieut. Traill of the D.A.C., in charge of the dump, and his Sergeant-Major made valiant efforts to extinguish the fire, but about half an hour after it had started it reached the trench- mortar bombs, and immediately the whole dump ex- ploded with a tremendous detonation. Shells and bombs were hurled in all directions, and Lieut. Traill was blown about a hundred yards into the Cemetery. Luckily no one was killed, though several suffered from severe shock. By the 26th we had extended our line to the right, the flank now resting on the ruins of the Church at Longueval ; to our right the 2nd Division came up to replace the 3rd Division, and to the left were the 51st (Highland) Division. Preparations were now made for an attack on Longueval and Delville Wood from the South. To support this attack, 2-inch trench-mortars were brought up into the ruins of the houses in Longue- val ; whilst reconnoitring the positions, the D.T.M.O., Captain Clery, was killed, and when the trench-mortars had got into position they were buried by enemy shell- fire, and, in spite of all efforts, could not be got into action ; they were not recovered from their positions until the capture of Flers on 14th September. On the 27th, at 5.10 a.m., the bombardment of the enemy's position commenced, and continued for two hours. At 7.10 a.m. the attack was launched by the 15th Infantry Brigade, the Norfolks being in front, 114 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1916 supported by the Bedfords and 16th Warwicks ; and the 2nd Division on our right simultaneously assaulted Delville Wood. In reply to our preliminary bombardment the enemy opened a terrific fire on the village, wood, and surroundings, and as a result the trenches occupied by the attacking troops were almost demolished. At zero hour many of the Norf oiks were buried under the debris of trenches and houses, and the way in which they managed to extricate themselves and move forward to the attack was an exceedingly fine piece of work. It was in this attack that the " Creeping Barrage "" was first employed ; it did not at this time, however, move forward with the Infantry advancing close behind at a steady pace, but moved in a series of leaps at fixed times, the Infantry following in rushes. The attacking troops went forward steadily, and, starting from a point South of the cross-roads, captured most of the village. Towards the North end the German resistance stiffened ; parties of the enemy, armed with machine-guns, came up from cellars and dug-outs, and took up positions among the ruined buildings. The Norfolks, pressing forward, were checked, and the barrage went on in accordance with the time-table, leaving the Germans in the village free of shell-fire. The fight now developed into a struggle between the opposing Infantry amid the ruins of the village within a ring of Artillery fire. By a curious coincidence it was the 5th German Division opposed to us, and, man for man, they proved inferior to the British 5th. Gradually our men worked forward, bombing the cellars, rushing houses, and stalking machine-gun nests, until by late afternoon they had cleared the village. The final objective was a line 1910] THE SOMME— 1916 113 300 yards North of the village, necessitating the capture of a group of orchards and strong-points, but, bereft of the protection of the creeping barrage, our troops could not move beyond the outskirts of the village. The hardest part of the task was, nevertheless, completed, and the village of Longueval, for the possession of which fighting had been going on since 15th July, was completely in our hands. On our right the 2nd Division had made good progress in Delville Wood, and at one time of the day had practically cleared it of Germans ; later they were driven back from the Northern edge, but estab- lished a line some 200 yards inside the wood. Delville Wood, or, as it was known, " Devil's Wood," was at first a thick wood with almost impenetrable under- growth, some 160 acres in extent. The battle had raged to and fro in it for a fortnight, and now it consisted of a confused mass of broken trees, barbed-wire, and hastily-dug trenches, among which were littered many of our own and the enemy dead. In the dark it was a veritable nightmare, the glare of bursting shells only serving to show more clearly its gaunt devastation. From the opening of our attack a deluge of 5*9 and 8-inch shells was rained continuously by the Germans on the Southern portion of Longueval and Delville Wood. Owing to the barrage placed South of the village all communication with the rear was completely cut off, and for many hours no news could be got to Brigade or Divisional Head- Quarters, except a few messages from contact aeroplanes, and some messages through the 2nd Division on our right. Colonel P, V. Stone, commanding the Norfolks, took command of the operations on the spot, and carried them through to a successful conclusion. Even from 116 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1916 his Head-Quarters in the village communication with the various units was most difficult owing to the intensity of the shell-fire, and two dug-outs, which he took up successively as his command-post, were blown in. One of them caught fire, and in the con- flagration the two carrier-pigeons for communication with the Corps loft were killed ; although a means of communication was thus lost, it is rumoured that the pigeons were a useful addition to the Mess. In the evening the enemy counter-attacked with great vigour, but was repulsed with heavy loss ; and throughout the night he repeated these attacks, his greatest efiorts being made against Delville Wood ; but the line held firm. After dark the 15th Brigade regained touch with the 2nd Division in the wood on the right, which had been lost during the day. All through the 28th, Artillery fire on both sides was continuous, and the scene of the fight was shrouded in a cloud of dust and smoke. The line was now consohdated and remained unchanged. Since the commencement of the bombardment the Divisional Artillery had kept up a continuous fire for thirty hours, and on the 27th had fired an average of 520 rounds per gun. The support they gave to the Infantry, first in the creeping barrage, and, later, by the standing barrage beyond the village, was invaluable, and did much to prevent the formation of counter- attacks, and the advance of the enemy supports. From prisoners captured it was learnt that the attack had been expected, and preparations made to defeat it, a fact which makes the capture of the village and wood all the more creditable a feat of arms. On the night of the 29th the 13th Brigade relieved imc] THE SOMME— 1910 117 tlie 15tli Brigade, with orders to complete the capture of the orchards and posts North of the village. At 3 a.m. on the 30th we attacked — the K.O.S.B. on the right and the 14th Warwicks on the left, the West Kents in support, and the 15th Warwicks in reserve. After severe fighting the objective was gained on the right, and a line was established well clear of the wood and village. On the left it was reported that the attack had failed to gain the objective, but that some progress had been made ; a line was then consolidated in these positions. Actually a machine-gun team of the K.O.S.B. had established themselves in the final objective on the left, and there, unknown to anyone, they remained gallantly for several days, subjected to our own Artillery fire, and beat off all enemy attacks upon them ; finally, receiving no support, and being short of food and water, they retired into the lines of the 17th Division after we had left the area. On the night of 1st to 2nd August the exhausted Division was relieved by the 17th Division, and with- drew to the " Citadel " on the Bray-Fricourt road. During these operations the E.E. had been utilised in preparing positions in and around Longueval ; and in the various attacks sections had been attached to, and advanced with, the Infantry, to whom they had been of the greatest support, not only in their capacity as sappers, but also as riflemen. The 15th Field Ambulance had charge of the arrangements for evacuating casualties from the forward area, the A.D.S. being on the Mametz- Montauban road. Casualties among the bearers were heavy, but the clearing of the wounded was carried out gallantly and expeditiously. On one day alone over 118 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1916 600 lying cases and 2000 walking cases were passed through the A.D.S. The 14th Field Ambulance was at Becordel, and the 13th at Corbie, running the Corps Rest Station. On withdrawing from the line we bade farewell to our Divisional Artillery, who remained in position covering the 17th Division ; it was the last time we were to have their valuable assistance for nearly three months, as, much to the disappointment of all, they did not again cover the Divisional Front in the Somme Battles, and did not rejoin until 13th October, when the Division was in the Bethune area. Our first period of participation in the battle of the Somme was over, and a hard-earned battle honour had been added to the record of the old 5th Division ; Longueval will always be remembered by those who were there as the place where there was a more intense and continuous shell-fire than any other in the whole course of the War. On 2nd-3rd August the Division entrained near Bray, and moved back to rest in the area round Avraines, and Belloy-St. Leonard, S.E. of Abbeville, where, after a few days' rest, training for future offen- sives was commenced. Tactical schemes were carried out, several with the assistance of low-flying aero- planes, or " contact patrols,'' in order to accustom the Infantry to signalling their positions to the airmen. Contact patrols w^ere a feature of the Somme fighting, it being the first operation of any magnitude in which they were employed, and the results fully justified their use. A happy rest in this area was terminated by the receipt of orders for a return to the Somme, and on 24th August the Division moved by rail to the area FALFEMONT and MORVAL Map h. NiUs OCaX^' iQoooc ^Milti 100,000 I To /ace f>. iiS. 1010] THE SOMME— 1910 119 around Dernancoiirt, and joined the XIV. Corps (Lieut.- Gen. tlic Earl of C'avan). i)uriii < Trr'^' CHAPTEE X ITALY (Map 14) THE rumours of Italy which had been going round the Division the last few days grew stronger. OfKcers and men were recalled from leave and courses, warm clothing was issued, worn-out horses were ex- changed, re-inforcements put in an appearance, and new guns arrived for the Artillery to replace those which were still stuck in the mud at Ypres. At first it was ex- plained that all these preparations were " normal," and that there was no foundation for supposing that the Division was bound for Italy — even when a reserve of nine days' rations and forage was issued, it was declared to be for " normal reasons." At length orders came to entrain, commencing on 27th November, and it was then known definitely that Italy was the destination. During November the Italian Armies, whose morale had been weakened and undermined by insidious propaganda, had been pushed back from the Isonzo Front ; a complete rot had set in, and they had retired across the Tagliamento River (w^here it was hoped they might have made a stand) to the Piave River. In the mountains about Asiago and M. Grappa they were standing firmer, but were still being pressed hard there by the combined Austro - German forces. Twelve Divisions — seven French and five British — were 192 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1917 hastily dispatched from the Western Front to their assistance, and the 5th was one of the five. The prospect of a change to this new theatre of war was viewed by the Division with mixed f eehngs ; some felt that it was only a side-show, and that we should be missing the main and important operations in France, others looked forward to the clear skies and comparative ease we should enjoy in Italy. Anyway it was an end to the mud, the shells, and the discomforts of Flanders. The Artillery were the first to leave, entraining at Ligny and Tincques in twenty-five trains, and they were followed by the three Infantry Brigadiers with their Staffs, and one Battalion in each Brigade. The Third Army in France had on the 20th November carried out a highly successful attack with tanks South- West of Cambrai, but a week later they had been violently counter-attacked and driven back. The railway lines were congested by the sending up of re-inforcements, the move of the rest of the 5th Division was held up, and a composite Brigade was formed of the Battalions left behind, under Lieut.-Col. Norton. Meanwhile the Artillery and some Battalions were already on their way to Italy. The journey took five days, and was full of interest, and by no means un- comfortable, though the Artillery Head-Quarters had to travel the fijst few hours packed in a horse-truck, with the usual legend on it '* 8 chevaux 40 hommes.'* Soon after starting they noticed, after several bumps, that half the train was missing, and investigation showed that the coupling of the Officers' coach was broken, so the carriage had to be left behind and the journey continued in a truck. The journey the first two days, past Troyes, Dijon, and Lyons, to Marseilles, was uneventful, but after that it was one continuous 1917 1 ITALY 198 scene of novelty and interest. The train crawled along in a leisurely fashion, paying no heed to the scheduled halts where one was supposed to water the horses, make tea, etc. ; on the other hand, there were plenty of unauthorised halts, sometimes for hours at a time ; for instance, in one of the Infantry trains there was break- fast at one end of a short tunnel and lunch at the other end. The men had to take these opportunities for performing their ablutions and watering the horses ; and the engine-driver seemed to take a malicious pleasure in suddenly starting the train off without any notice, leaving Officers and men to sprint after it. Sometimes they caught it up, and sometimes they didn't, in which case they boarded the next train that was following. The troops were cautioned to be very careful when going through the tunnels, as it was said that some men of the 4:8th Division, which had pre- ceded us, had been electrocuted by touching the live wires. The only accident heard of, though, was that of a man of the D.C.L.I., who was kicked off the train by a refractory mule ; he was picked up on the line much shaken and bruised, and had to be taken to hos- pital. All along the Riviera the weather was glorious, and by night the Mediterranean with the soft moon- beams scintillating on its placid waters presented a picture of indescribable beauty ; the scenery, the palms, the flowers, and the bright sunshine deHghted every one. When the frontier was crossed the people all along the line were wild with delight, and at the halts the ladies, a good proportion of whom were British, plied the troops with chocolate, apples, and flowers. At Genoa, where a stop of an hour was made, a great crowd had assembled on the platform ready to welcome the British heroes ; they decked the Officers and men out with 13 194 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1917 flags and roses, whilst coffee and cigarettes were pro- vided by the Itahan Red Cross ladies. The whole scene reminded those who had seen it of the first land- ing in France in 1914. In one of the Infantry trains there was a band which discoursed music while stand- ing on an empty flat as the train was moving, to the great dehght of the cheering crowd. On the fifth day this triumphal journey came to an end at Legnago, where the troops detrained, and marched to billets in the neighbourhood. Two or three of the Division Staff had preceded the Artillery, and met them here, but there was no news yet of the rest of the Staff or Infantry ; nor were there any orders — ^there seemed to be no one to give any, for the Corps had not yet started to function. So the troops were left to their own devices for the next week or so, and wandered about billeting in different villages as best they could, making themselves understood by signs and " Trench '' French ; fortunately supplies had been arranged for, so there were no difficulties in that line. In another week the rest of the Division began to dribble in, de- training at Legnago and Montegnana ; most of them had travelled by the same route and met with the same acclamation everywhere. A few trains had gone by the Mont Cenis route, and in one of these, in which the 6th Argylls were travelling, an episode occurred greatly to their credit. Near Modane a French leave train took charge down a steep gradient, ending up in a tremendous smash ; the Argylls were at once on the scene, and worked heroically, saving lives and tending the injured. On the 17th December the Division Head-Quarters arrived, and established themselves at Vaccarino ; by the 20th the Brigades had all detrained, and the Division was more or less concentrated East of the 1917] ITALY 195 Brenta River, not far from Padua, the 13th Brigade near San Giorgio-in-Bosco, the 15th at Arsego, the 95th at Villa-del-Conte, and the Artillery at Levada. The XL Corps (commanded by Lieut.-Gen. Sir R. B. Making), to which the Division belonged, was at Campo Sampieri, the other Division of the Corps being the 48th. The second British Corps, the XIV., commanded by Lieut.- Gen. the Earl of Cavan, consisted of the 7th, 23rd, and 41st Divisions. General Sir H. Plumer was the Com- mander-in-Chief, until the middle of March, when he returned to France and Lord Cavan took over the supreme command. The first instructions received were that, owing to the constant pressure of the enemy against the ItaHan troops on M. Grappa and Asiago, and the continued absence of snow, certain groups were to be organised to meet the situation in the event of a hostile success between the Rivers Piave and Astico, to the West. The XL Corps, together with the French XII. Corps and an ItaHan Corps, were to form one of these groups under General Maistre, commanding the Tenth French Army, whose role would be to prevent the enemy debouching into the plain between the Brenta and Astico Rivers, to cover the withdrawal of the Italians, and to counter-attack. The 5th Division would be in Corps Reserve, and would be prepared to act as the occasion demanded — either to re-inf orce or to counter- attack. Thereupon orders were issued for reconnaissances to be made in the mountains ; Alpenstocks and " grapines '' (iron spikes fixed to the boots) were issued, and many interesting and strenuous expeditions were carried out through Bassano and Marostica up to Rubio, Conco, and M. Alto, up the Brenta Valley, and in the 196 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1917 foot-hills West of Bassano. These excursions meant a long motor-drive of 20 miles or more, and then some desperate cUmbing up the mule- or goat-tracks, 6000 feet up into the snow. One mode of ascent was to seize hold of the tail of a mule and be towed up, and it was possible, too, to motor up as far as Rubio, but it was a long way round, and the British cars had difficulties in turning the hairpin corners, which the Itahan Fiat cars negotiated quite easily. The Italians had good back defence lines on the successive knife-edge ridges, with trenches 7 or 8 feet deep blasted out of the soHd rock and extraordinarily neatly finished, and machine- gun emplacements ready sited and prepared. The difficulty would be getting guns up these steep narrow tracks ; some of the Batteries made the attempt with mules, with a certain amount of success. After a time a reconnaissance camp was established close to the foot- hills at Palazzo Michieli, near Valrovina, where Officers could stay for three or four days and carry out their duties, thus avoiding the necessity of the long cold drives to and fro. It was hot, thirsty work cHmbing about the mountains, and often bitterly cold on the top ; luckily there were " albergi " (Anglice, " pubs ") strategically placed at the top of the mule-tracks, where excellent " vino rosso "' could be procured at a ridicu- lously low price. While this work was going on in the mountains the troops in the plain below were not idle ; the flat ground, planted with rows of mulberry-trees with interlacing vines, and the few open fields provided ample oppor- tunities for practising open warfare and for technical training. The R.E. built bridges on the Brenta, over which all three Brigades crossed while carrying out a route-march ; the Artillery started training horses and 1917] ITALY 197 mules with a view to pack-work in the mountains ; the Infantry were exercised in manning back lines of de- fence, crossing rivers in Berthon boats, and other opeiations of war, and schemes for all arms were worked out in the foot-hills. Billets were comfortable, in barns or houses, horses were mostly under cover, rations were good and could always be supplemented with local supplies in the way of eggs, spaghetti, polenta, etc. At first the villagers viewed us with a certain amount of suspicion, but when they found that we always paid for the goods they became quite friendly, and promptly put up the prices 50 per cent. The seductive " vino rosso '' was very popular, but was found to be considerably more potent than the " vin ordinaire '' of France, and there was some villainous local cognac which was the source of some trouble ; at first there was a good deal of drunken- ness, due partly to these causes, and partly to the men going a bit large after the strain of the last two months. The men soon picked up a smattering of the language, the negative " niente " being the first word they learnt, hke " napoo " in France, or " ikona " in South Africa ; and in a short time, what with a mixture of English, French, Italian, and signs, they could carry on quite a fluent conversation with the village maidens. Christmas Day was kept in good old-fashioned style, every unit got a donation from the Divisional Canteen funds — enough to buy pigs, poultry, puddings, and fruit for all — the N.A.C.B. provided beer, the rooms were decorated, and the Officers went round and ex- changed compliments, as in home life in Barracks. The weather in December and January was as a rule fine — clear and cold. Soon after the Division arrived there was some snow, followed by a hard 198 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1917 frost — snow was what the ItaHans prayed for, as it would stop all offensive in the mountains. The roads at this time became very slippery and dangerous, and as most of them had a high camber, and generally deep ditches on each side, many of our clumsy 3-ton lorries came to grief. When the thaw came a fortnight later, the roads became a pudding, and were absolutely impassable for any sort of wheeled traffic. Italy was short of fuel at this time ; many of the ohve trees had to be cut down, and there were great stacks of this wood in the amphitheatre at Verona. Though coal was issued in doles as a ration, it was as much as one could do to keep warm, especially on the stone and marble floors of the ^dllas in which the Officers were generally billeted. The Artillery Head- Quarters at Levada was a particularly cold spot. Here there dwelt a very fat and amiable Coimt. One day a complaint was made to him that the Mess-room fire smoked badly, and that his pictures were being spoilt. He said he would soon put that right, and sent a small boy from the village up the chimney ; the small boy was not seen again, and the fire smoked worse than ever ! This Count, by the way, sent in an enormous bill for " degats " when the Head-Quarters left, one of the items being the wearing- out of the marble staircase up which the Officers (five in number) went to their bedrooms ! It was not paid. Leave was granted pretty freely to Venice and Eome, and Padua was a great shopping centre. This place was continually bombed by a German air- squadron attached to the Austrian Army — it was not surprising, as it was the British Army Head-Quarters, which in consequence had to be moved a few miles out of the town. Considerable damage was done in 1918] ITALY 199 the town : one of the churches and part of the Head- Quarters were reduced to ruins, but the famous Giotto frescoes, which had been carefully protected with rope mantlets and sandbags, luckily escaped injury. During one of these bombing bouts two Officers of the Devons were unfortunately killed in the streets. Treviso and Castel-Franco were also favourite targets for their Airmen ; in the latter place the French Army Artillery General, General Liset, was killed, and there was a big funeral, attended by the Prince of Wales and most of the Allied Generals. Football and boxing tournaments, sports, cross- country runs, and competitions were held, and thus, what w4th moderate work and a good deal of play, six weeks were very happily, though uneventfully, passed. Then in the middle of January came the orders that the Division was to go into the line, not, as was expected after all the reconnaissances and preparations, in the mountains, but on the Piave River. Parties were sent off to reconnoitre the new front, guides being provided by the ItaHans. On 27th January the Division took over the trenches from the 48th and 58th Itahan Divisions, and the G.O.C. assumed com- mand, after much health-drinking and clinking of glasses between the British and ItaHan Staffs. The Piave, after emerging from the mountains and rounding the Montello Hill, flows generally in a South- Easterly direction. It varied in breadth, on the front taken over, from 400 yards on the left flank to IJ mile on the right. At this time of year the water flows with a swift current through several channels, most of them being fordable, leaving many islands of shingle and sand, some of which are sparsely covered with coarse grass. Perhaps two or three times in the year, 200 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1918 in the Autumn and early Summer, there is a flood, when the islands shift their positions ; consequently the existing maps were quite unreliable and had to be corrected from air-photographs. On either side the country is dead flat ; close to the river the soil is shingly ; farther away there are a few villas and farms, with vineyards, open fields, and acacia trees. The leaves of the acacia, by the way, were said to be very poisonous for horses, and all mounted troops were accordingly warned not to picket their horses anywhere near the hedges or trees. No horses, how- ever, were lost from this cause, and the poison theory was probably a myth. In France we were forbidden to tether the horses in the orchards, as, according to the Army Order, they would be " sure to bark and destroy the trees ! " Many of the G.H.Q. and Army Orders often had a distinct touch of humour in them. One, on the subject of complaints about the quality of the pork-and-beans rations, ran something as follows : " Soldiers on opening a tin of pork-and-beans must not be dis- appointed if they find no pork ; the pork has been absorbed into the beans." Somebody, on reading this, wrote and asked whether it was safe to pack pork-and-beans and bully-beef in the same lorry, or whether the bully-beef would not be absorbed in like manner ! In a certain Corps Intelhgence Summary one read at the bottom of the page that " a strange- looking enemy aeroplane was seen flying over our lines backwards " ; it was not till one turned over the page and read the words " and forwards " that this astonishing exploit was satisfactorily explained. To turn to Italy again, after these digressions. About the centre of the front, and a mile or two 1918J ITALY 201 back from the Piave, are the villages of Spresiano and Arcade, both a good deal knocked about and uninhabited. Farther back are Visnadello and Povegliano. On the extreme left, and close to the river, is the village of Nervesa, which was held by the British Division of the XIV. Corps on our left. Here the ground rises in an isolated hill, seven or eight miles in length by three or four in width, called the Montello Hill. This was the only high ground on our side of the river, and was the sole place, except for a few houses near the river, where O.P.'s could be found. On the left bank the Austrians were better off in this respect, as the foothills to the North, about San Salva- tore and Susegana, completely dominated our lines and back areas, though they were some way off ; but in the clear atmosphere no doubt the enemy could see much that went on. On this account many of the roads had to be screened, either with sacking or paHsades of rushes. Almost exactly in the centre of the line were two bridges — a road bridge called Ponte Priula, and a railway bridge ; both had been destroyed, but on our side three or four piers in each were left intact. The extent of front taken over was about 8000 yards — ^from Nervesa on the left to Palazzon (2 miles below the bridges) on the right, where the Division joined hands with an Italian Division. It was divided into two sectors, the dividing line being a little below the bridges ; each sector was allocated to a Brigade, two BattaHons of each being in the front line ; the respective Brigade Head-Quarters were at Casa Pin on the left, and near Spresiano on the right. The Brigade in reserve was located at PovegHano, and the Division Head-Quarters were first at Visnadello, and afterwards, when that place was shelled, at ViUorba. 202 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1918 The trenches were in fair order, those taken over from the 48th Italian Division on the right being far better found and cleaner than those of the 58th on the left. Owing to the shingly soil there was a good deal of revetting to be done, and there were many dug-outs to be completed, which kept the R.E. busy. In some parts the front line consisted of a number of T heads, with M.G. posts run forward into the retaining wall of the river ; behind this wall there was good protection and cover from view. A complete system of back lines existed, and there were lines upon lines of wire- entanglement, both parallel and at right angles to the front. The policy of defence was to divide the ground up into a number of compartments, or pockets, so that, in the event of a break through, the attack could be localised and time gained for launching a counter- attack. The Divisional Artillery, to whom had been added the 76th xArmy Field Artillery Brigade, were com- fortably ofi in the positions taken over ; some of these positions, though, were very much exposed to view, and had to be changed ; others had to be screened to hide the flashes. Dug-outs were fair, but the Ofi&cers and men mostly Hved in the farms and cottages close to their Batteries. The 13th and 95th Brigades were the first to be put in, on the right and left sectors respectively ; for the first week or so the sentries wore Italian helmets, so that the enemy should not be aware of the rehef, and prisoners, captured later, expressed great astonish- ment at finding the British opposite to them. The Austrian Artillery did not bother us much ; whenever a Battery was more than usually obnoxious it was hunted unmercifully by our Corps Counter- 1918] ITALY 208 Batteries. On one occasion the air-pliotographs showed a hostile Battery as having moved its position three times after being dealt with in three destructive shoots. It did not move again, as it no longer existed after the fourth lesson. But what did worry us considerably was the bombing, especially that by night. The trenches were bombed, the roads were bombed, and the villages were bombed, not only on moonlight nights, but on any clear nights as well ; extraordinarily little damage was done, but it was very nerve-racking and kept one awake. Behind Visnadello, and close to the Artillery Head-Quarters at Palazzo Venturali, was an old disused Italian aerodrome, which had a peculiar attraction for the enemy aeroplanes. Night after night they used to visit it and drop their eggs ; it was a good thing to encourage them in the belief that it w^as an important spot, as no one lived there and consequently no damage could be done. The Hippodrome ground — a large open space South of Visnadello, where training and football were carried on — also received attention. The Airmen had an uncomfortable habit, too, of machine-gunning the roads at night ; there was a report on one occasion of a machine-gun Company, belonging to the XIV. Corps, being caught in column-of-route and almost annihilated. The Airman flew up and down the straight white road, firing his machine-gun at them, and the unfortunate Company was helpless, being unable to scatter, as there was a deep ditch on either side of the road, and the whole thing was over before they could do anything in the way of reply. Artillery wagons and Transport, when moving on the roads at night, had to keep their eyes and ears open ; but the surest safety lay in using tracks off the roads, under 204 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1918 cover of hedges or buildings. Several Gothas were brought down, and about Christmas-time our Airmen made a great bag, kilHng 5J brace of birds in one day. The story was that the enemy Airmen had been suddenly ordered out on a bombing excursion after a convivial evening, and were not altogether compos mentis. No Man's Land was so wide that the men in the trenches were immune from sniping or ordinary machine- gun fire. The Infantry managed to carry out a good deal of patrolHng in the Islands, where they sometimes met Austrian patrols and had a miniature battle. These patrolling expeditions had to be conducted with great caution, as it was difficult to walk noiselessly on the shingle ; the men generally wore canvas shoes, and the 15th Warwicks went out one night clad in blotched and dirty sheets, making themselves quite invisible against the light background when they stood still. Several prisoners were captured, but no big raids were ever attempted. At the end of February preparations were com- menced for an operation to be carried out early in March, in order to help the Third Italian Army in an attempt to recover the lost ground between the old and new Piave Rivers near Venice. With a view to drawing off the enemy's attention from that place, and pinning his reserves down, the 5th Division were to send a Brigade across the Piave on the day of the Itahan attack, establish a bridge-head, and hold the ground for forty-eight hours, after which they would withdraw to their own side. The ground selected was that between Nervesa and the bridges, and the 15th Brigade was designated for the operation. General Oldman's plan was as follows : On the left a Battalion Bridge on River Piave. [ To face p. 204. 1918] ITALY 205 was either to ford or to be ferried across the channels, and estabHsh a footing on the left bank ; under cover of this, two more Battalions were to cross, deploy to the right, and, under a creeping barrage, to extend the bridge-head so as to include the two bridges. Simul- taneously with the first attack, the 4th Battalion were somehow to send a small party across at the bridges, " some on boards, some on broken pieces " (after the manner of St. Paul's shipwreck at Malta), and so to get a footing on the other bank, when the remainder of the Battalion were to cross and join hands with the main body. At the same time the 13th Brigade were to make a demonstration, with the help of Unes of dummies, lower down the river, and, if they met with success, to cross over and raid the Austrians on the other side. The troops were practised in aquatics, a Company being sent down to Treviso for that purpose, and a party of bluejackets from H.M.S. The Earl of Peterborough^ with boats, and some gondoliers from Venice arrived to help in the crossing. A large force of Artillery was collected, and the C.R.A. had under his command 26 18-pr. Batteries and 11 4"5 Howitzer Batteries, exclusive of the Corps Heavy Artillery ; and opposite the bridges there was a great array of trench-mortars, 6-inch Newton and 3-inch Stokes ; nearly 250,000 rounds of ammunition were brought up into the gun positions and stacks of trench- mortar bombs. The barrage map went by the name of " Tiger,'' from its resemblance to that animal in a couchant attitude. By night the R.E. drove in piles on the site of the bridges, but, to every one's horror, as secrecy was of course imperative, the air-photographs showed these up plainly, though they were well below the surface of the water. 206 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1918 By 1st March all was in readiness, but on the 3rd and following days there was heavy rain ; the Piave rose 18 inches, and the operation was postponed ; then the Italians asked for a modified scheme, then they only wanted a bombardment, and finally the whole thing was cancelled. Aiter all the preparations and training it was a very great disappointment to every one, though there was a certain tinge of rehef, as, though initial success was fairly certain, the Brigade might not have been able to get back if the Piave rose in the mean- while. The re-inforcing Batteries were sent back, and the vast piles of shells had to be returned to store — a job which took several days. Directly after this, orders came for the handing back of the front to the Italian 48th Division, and on 18th March the 5th Division left the Piave and marched to the back areas near Padua. It was understood that the Division was to move to the foot-hills North of Vicenza, and undergo further training in mountain warfare, and the prospect of spending the Spring among the valleys and hills of the Lower Alps was very pleasing. The Division Head- Quarters were first at the fat Count's viUa at Levada, afterwards at Montegalda, in a picturesque castle named " Castello Grimiani," situated on an isolated hill and surrounded with grand old cypress trees ; it was said to belong to the Mayor of Venice. Here Easter Sunday was spent, and, on the Saturday before, a Polo Match was arranged, to which many Italian Officers and the rank and fashion of the neighbourhood came ; band and tea were provided, and the scene was reminiscent of the piping times of peace. Just at this time dark news came from France, where the Germans were beginning their supreme 1918] ITALY 207 effort for victory and the British and French Armies were fighting with their backs to the wall. Day after day telegrams arrived with the gloomy news of further retreats and more captures of prisoners and guns ; and we learnt the then incredible news that Paris had been shelled at a range of 60 miles. The fighting spirit of the 5th Division arose and asserted itself, and all and every one prayed that they might be sent back to rejoin the ranks of our hard-pressed comrades in France. One Division, the 41st, had already left, Sir Herbert Plumer had gone, and the XL Corps also ; at length on 24th March the welcome orders came to commence entraining on 1st April. During the week of waiting some experiments and demonstrations with the new 6-inch Newton mortar were carried out at the Trench-mortar School, before a cosmopolitan assembly of French, Itahan, and British Officers. The ground chosen was some hilly ground with deep gullies, where the spring flowers were just beginning to peep out, and the demonstration included wire-cutting, barrages, and bombardments. For the latter there was a small cottage on the steep side of a gully, and the owner of it sat with a broad grin on his face, watching his home being reduced to ruins — he had evidently been well paid for its destruction. On 1st April the entrainment commenced at the stations of Padua, Vicenza, Poiana, and Campo Sam- pieri, and sixty trains conveyed the 5th Division back to the scenes of their former triumphs. Thus ended a very happy interlude in their experiences of the Great War. CHAPTEK XI FORfiT DE NIEPPE (Map 15) THE return journey was very different from what the Division had experienced on arrival in Italy ; the inhabitants seemed rather to scowl at us, imagining no doubt that we were leaving them in the lurch ; in addition, too, instead of the bright sunny weather, it was dismal, cold, and wet. Some of the trains went by the Riviera and up the Rhone Valley, others by the Mont Cenis route, and Frevent, Mondicourt., and DouUens were reached on 7th April. The Germans were within 10 miles of Amiens, so in passing that place the trains were diverted to the West of the town ; a few H.V. rounds came over, and one of the D.C.L.I. trains was almost hit, a shell exploding within 10 yards of the track and causing four casualties. The Division detrained in pouring rain, and the Head-Quarters settled themselves in the picturesque village of I^ucheux, the Artillery at Occoches, and the Brigades at Sus-St. Leger, Neuvillette, and Ivergny. The orders were to reheve the 2nd Canadians, South of Arras, on the Basseux-Wailly front, and, accordingly, after the usual reconnaissances, the troops moved up on the 10th to take over the line. They had nearly reached their destination when dispatch-riders hurriedly arrived with orders to cancel the relief, to return to billets, and to be 1918] FOR^T DE NIEPPE 209 prepared to move North at once — the Infantry to go by tactical trains the same evening, and the Artillery and Transport of the Division to march next morning. Then came the news that the Germans had made another big attack on a wide front on the First Army lietween the La Bassee Canal and Armentieres, that they had driven in the Portuguese opposite Neuve Chapelle, and were threatening the Foret de Nieppe and Hazebrouck ; Armentieres had been captured, and it was reported that Messines was in German hands. The Infantry entrained at Monlicourt and Soulty, and proceeded via Doullens, St. Pol, and Chocques, arriving at Thiennes and Aire on the night of the llth-12th ; portions of the line on the way up showed signs of war, for in one place a train had been cut in two by a shell, and Chocques station was badly knocked about. General Stephens, with his Staff, preceded the Infantry by car on the 11th, in order to ascertain the situation, which was very obscure ; it was then fairly well established that the 61st Division had taken up a line South of the Lys Canal and were holding on with difficulty, that there were only a few remnants of the 50th Division left, and that the 4th Guards Brigade were between Merville and Hazebrouck, with some Lewis guns of a Tank BattaHon near Le Sart. That night, therefore, as soon as the Infantry had detrained, the 15th and 95th Brigades were ordered to put out an outpost line between Aire and the Foret de Nieppe, and East of the steel-works at Isbergues, which they did. At 9.40 a.m. on the 12th the G.O.C. met the Briga- diers at Thiennes station, and explained to them the state of affairs ; Merville had been occupied by the enemy, and the Corps had ordered the 5th Division to re-take it. He directed the 13th Brigade to move South 210 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1918 of the Forest via Tannay, and the 95th Brigade North of the Forest via Pre-a-Vin and La Motte — ^to join hands on the Eastern side, and to make good the line Wictes-Les Lauriers-Arrewage before continuing the advance on Merville. This would be a difficult and rather risky operation, as there was no communication through the Forest between the two Brigades. The 15th Brigade was ordered to move in reserve on Haver- skerque vid St. Venant. Artillery support was to be arranged for, but how, no one quite knew, as the Divisional Artillery was not yet up, and nothing was known of any other Batteries in the neighbourhood. The O.K. A., consequently, went to La Motte Chateau (the old Cavalry Corps Head- Quarters) in the middle of the Forest, to see what could be done. On arrival there, he found a scene of great confusion ; the Head- Quarters of three Divisions were there temporarily, with their lorries and baggage-wagons jostled up together in front of the house. All was chaos — ^no one knew what was happening, or where any troops were. It was lucky the place was not shelled. About two hours later the XL Corps (to which the Division now belonged for the third time) sent a message cancelling the attack on Merville and ordering a line to be taken up, and to be held at all costs, from Robecq in the South, through the Forest, to La Motte Chateau. By this time the two Brigades had started — the 13th with the 15th Warwicks on the right, the 14th Warwicks on the left, the K.O.S.B. in support, and the West Kents in reserve, and the 95th with the Devons and D. C.L.I, in front, and the Gloucesters and East Surreys respectively in support and reserve. The troops pressed on through and on either side of the Forest, meeting with only a few stragglers of the 50th 1918] FORlilT DE NIEPPE 211 Division, reached the Eastern edge, and established themselves 100 to 200 yards outside. The Devons, on the right of the 95th Brigade, pushed forward to the lock and bridge over the Bourre stream, where they stopped any further advance of the Germans. General Stephens now urged the advantage the line at present held would have over that through the Forest, and obtained the sanction of the Corps Commander (Sir R. B. Making) to consohdate the position there. Meanwhile the Artillery, who had received their orders at midnight, had started on their march on the early morning of the 11th, and were nearing the scene of action ; the Batteries were diverted from the line of march, positions were reconnoitred on the South of the Forest and in some open- ground in the middle, and, by the evening, the guns were all in action covering the Infantry, with a large amount of ammunition. They had made a fine march of 65 miles in two days, and were ready to open fire at 8.30 p.m. on the second day. Up to this point the Infantry had met with little opposition, except on the extreme right, where the 15th Warwicks successfully attacked the Brickfields, and, later, repulsed a counter-attack, losing, however, nearly a hundred men in the engagement. In the evening the 61st Division, South of the Canal, under strong pressure began to yield ground, and a defensive flank was formed on the right by the K.O.S.B. By the evening our line was firmly estabhshed, the right in touch with the 61st Division, and the left with the Guards. It was ascertained afterwards that the enemy had been engaged in ransacking the cellars in MerviUe, and so had not pressed their advantage home at once as they might have done. The night was fairly quiet ; but next morning, the 212 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1918 13th, the furious attacks began. Commencing with a heavy bombardment, the enemy launched an assault at 10 a.m. on the left, and a party of the Guards, who were holding a very extended front and were much weakened by repeated attacks, was cut off at Le Cornet Perdu. The Coldstream and Irish Guards quickly put up a defensive flank, but there was a gap between them and the D.C.L.I. ; the latter counter-attacked with their support Company, thus gi\nng time for the Guards to reform. Both eventually fell back a short way in good order, and touch was gained with the Australians on the left ; the Gloucesters, too, were sent up, and the position was held firm. Three other attacks were de- livered on this front in the course of the day, but the fire from the trenches and the Artillery barrage kept the enemy off every time. In the right sector, in the afternoon, an attack developed against the 14th Warwicks, who repulsed it, except at Le Vertbois Farm, into which the enemy penetrated ; during the night they retook this farm, unfortunately losing their CO., Colonel Quarry, who was gallantly leading his men ; but later they evacuated it, as it formed a too exposed salient in the line. During the day there were urgent demands for tools and barbed wire for use in the front line ; the Transport, other than the tactical which accompanied the units, was still on the march from the South, and in it were all the tools of the Division. Search was made in the back area, and a dump of tools and wire was found at the Inland Water Transport Depot at Aire, and also two lorries. The whole lot was com- mandeered and taken up to the front line, while ammunition was obtained from an old Army dump near Aire, and sent forward. On this date^^he enor- 191 8 1 FOIifiT DE NIEPPE 218 mous amount of 2J million rounds of S.A.A. was sent up to re])lace expenditure. Early on the 14tli a very determined attack again developed on the left of the Division in the vicinity of Arrewage ; it continued without intermission for five hours, and again it was completely stopped. On the right the 15th Warwicks and the Artillery barrage prevented any advance at the Brickfields. The 14th Warwicks were also involved in an attack, necessi- tating a slight withdrawal ; but the support Company of the Devons immediately counter-attacked, and the situation was promptly restored. Several times during the day concentrations and mounted detachments were seen, and as soon scattered by the intense barrage of our Artillery and machine-guns, and the assaults were neutralised. All these attacks were preceded and accompanied by bombardments, and it was extremely difficult to move up any re-inf orcements through the belt of fire. The task of breaking them up devolved upon the Infantry and machine-guns in the front line, who had been there from the beginning, and who stolidly stood their ground with the utmost gallantry and steadiness. On the 15th the Germans were again seen massing for attack several times, but in every case were dis- persed by the Artillery and machine-gun fire, and no attacks materialised. The Australian Division on the left was firmly established, securing that flank, and the presence of the 2nd Cavalry Division, who were in bivouac in the wood, made the situation very much happier. By the 16th the Germans had expended their strength, and began to dig and wire their front ; the dead lay thick in the fields in front, and stretcher- bearers were constantly seen at work ; the lull in the 214 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1918 fighting gave the opportunity for the tired front-line troops to be reheved, and the 15th Brigade took over the left front from the 95th, who had stood the brunt of the fighting. The casualties had been severe ; the 13th Brigade in April lost 81 Officers and 500 other ranks, and the 95th Brigade 40 Officers and 650 other ranks. The 95th Brigade, too, had lost their Brigadier, Lord E. Gordon-Lennox, who was severely wounded on the 14th by a direct hit on his Head-Quarters at Pre-a-Vin, his Brigade-Major, Captain Gotto, and 8 signallers being also wounded. Lord E. Gordon-Lennox was succeeded by Lieut.-Col. Norton of the D.C.L.L In these three days the 5th Division had saved the situation on this part of the Western Front, and had stopped the German thrust on the important town of Hazebrouck. The Infantry, fresh from their four months in Italy, had gone into the attack with a marvellous dash and spirit, and their steadfastness in withstanding the furious and continuous onslaughts of the enemy was magnificent. The Artillery, too, deserve some praise for their rapid march and quickness in getting into action ; during all these attacks they had fired almost continuously throughout the day and night. The devoted action of the 80th Battery, under Major Smith, on the 13th, deserves a special mention ; during one of the enemy attacks the Battery had kept up its rate of fire the whole time, though it was being heavily shelled by 8-inch and 11-inch — seeing the place afterwards, it was a marvel how the Battery was not annihilated. To General Stephens himself also is the highest credit due for his insistence in taking up the forward line East of the Forest. One shudders to think what the fate of the Division would have been during the ensuing four months when the Forest 1918] FORflT DE NIEPPE 215 was drenched with gas, had the line been taken up through the middle of it as at first ordered. A message was received from General Making : ** Well done, 5th Division ! The Corps Commander congratulates all ranks on their steadiness and gal- lantry " ; and the Army Commander sent his con- gratulations in the following words : "I wish to express my appreciation of the great bravery and endurance with which all ranks have fought and held out during the past five days against overwhelming numbers. It has been necessary to call for great exertions, and more still must be asked for, but I am confident that in this critical period, when the existence of the British Empire is at stake, all ranks of the First Army will do their best.'' For the next few days it was quiet, at times omin- ously so, and we fully expected more attacks, but the enemy showed no desire to go on dashing his head against this front, and turned his attention to the North and South. On the North he captured Bailleul and Kemmel, and there was bitter fighting about Meteren and Locre, which latter changed hands two or three times. On the South, Givenchy was his objective, but the redoubtable 55th Division repulsed all the attacks and stood firm. Prisoners captured said that the intention was to pinch out the Forest by attacks North and South of it, while the Forest itself was to be gassed ; and on the 22nd there was a gas bombardment — the first of many that the Division was to undergo. Energies were now directed to improving and strengthening the front, and forming back lines of defence. A Decauville railway was built in a mar- vellously short time by the 7th Canadian Railway 216 THE 5th division IN THE GREAT WAR [1918 Troops, concrete " pill-boxes " were made by the B.E. for Head- Quarters, wire was put out in front of the trenches, and cellars of houses re-inforced. An extra Brigade of Artillery (the Sdth) was allotted to the Division, Siege and Heavy Guns were brought into position, the Corps Counter-Batteries were organised, and trench-mortars were posted on the edge of the wood — in fact, it became trench war over again. The Forest, v» hich consisted of low oaks and horn- beams and in places thick undergrowth, extended for nearly 5 miles to the rear. It had the advantage of concealing all movement or concentrations of troops, but, on the other hand, there were no com- munications through it from West to East, except paths and the Decauville railway. This railway, with its radiating branches built afterwards by the Divisional R.E., was of enormous value for bringing up reliefs, ammunition, and stores of all sorts ; many times it was broken up by shell-fire, but the R.E. invariably had it going again in a few hours. The ground avail- able for gun positions was very limited ; in the centre of the Forest there was an open space South and South- West of La Motte Chateau, where many Batteries were collected, and in some of the less dense parts of the wood room could be found for howitzers. The ground was dead flat, with many farms, hedges, and rows of trees which interfered much with observation. The Rivers Bourre and Plate Becque, slow, sluggish streams with muddy bottoms, traversed the ground from the North to the River Lys, the Bourre flowing part of the way through the Forest. It was difficult to fix up suitable sites for the Infantry Brigade and Artillery Group Head-Quarters and Dressing-Stations ; farms and estaminets were used, and later camps were estab- 1918J FORfiT DE NIEPPE 217 lished in the Forest, but they were hunted about a good deal by gas and shells, and had to be shifted on several occasions. There were many tree-trunks lying about, and great stacks of fascines, which could be used for strengthening shelters, and even the stacks themselves were used as living-quarters. The first operation undertaken by the Division was one against two farms, a few hundred yards outside the Forest, on 25th April, with a view of advancing the line 300 yards or so on a front of 2000 yards. The attack took place at 9.30 p.m. under a strong creeping barrage, the Gloucesters on the right being directed against Le Vertbois Farm and buildings, and the Bedfords on the left against a farm South-East of the ruined Les Lauriers Chateau. In the right attack one Company and a Platoon of the Gloucesters advanced with great pluck and determination and gained all their objectives by 10 p.m., meeting with considerable resistance at the farm, where they killed or captured the whole garrison. In the left attack the Bedfords were equally successful, and quickly established them- selves in the new position, unfortunately losing some men from our barrage. A total of fifty prisoners and four machine-guns were captured, and the farms were christened " Gloucester '" and " Bedford '" Farms respectively. The new positions were counter-attacked on the 27th, the enemy advancing to within 100 yards of our line, where they came under such heavy fire from machine-guns and rifles that the attack was completely broken up. At Gloucester Farm there was a pathetic tale about an old Frenchwoman who was found there. She had been wounded in the leg, probably by our fire, but she stoutly refused to leave her home. While it was in 218 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1918 German hands she had been living in the cellar, and, on our capturing the place, she still refused to leave. Eventually the Doctors injected morphia, and took her away to hospital. May and June passed without any further offensive developing on our front, though one was constantly expected. Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria, who had made an abortive attempt on Ypres on 29th April, still had a large reserve of 29 Divisions, and it was not known where his next blow would fall. Early in May the " wind '' blew very strong on our front, and again about 20th June. Every preparation was made to meet the expected attacks ; all isolated bodies in rear, Head- Quarters, Transport-Hnes, etc., prepared schemes for local defence in case of a break-through, and " Man Battle Stations " was practised several times ; plans were cut and dried for rushing up the reserves by De- cauville, and Batteries had " battle positions '" ready for occupation, as, in previous attacks, the Germans had begun their offensive by obHterating all known Batteries in their existing sites ; and whenever an attack appeared imminent, " counter-preparation,'' consisting of a bombardment of suspected assembly-places and Head-Quarters, was put down. At the end of May and beginning of June the Germans made their colossal effort on Paris, crossing the Marne and reaching Chateau Thierry, 45 miles from the Capital — the aspect appeared very dark — but the time was not yet ripe for Foch's great counter-stroke. And in Italy the Austrians attacked across the Piave on the well-known front, only to be driven back again with tremendous losses ten days later. On our front there was still comparative calm, mingled with expectancy. There was a great deal of sheUing, mostly from 8-inch 1918] FOUfiT DE NIEPPK 219 and 5'9 howitzers, and some night-bombing, most of which fell on Aire and the iron-foundry works near. Thiennes was shelled at the beginning of June, and the Division Head-Quarters shifted to a small rustic hamlet a mile to the West, where they lived in tents, farm- buildings, and huts, and where the Artillery shared their office with some calves, poultry, and a family of pink pigs. There were a good many pigs, live stock, and poultry about the vacated farms near the Forest when the Division first arrived. It was strictly forbidden to kill the pigs, and on one occasion a man was caught in the act of shooting one — his excuse was that he thought it was going to attack him ! Which reminds one of a story of the South African War when, contrary to orders, a man, with the lust of slaughter on him, was busily engaged in bayoneting some sheep that had been rounded up. On looking up he saw a Staff Officer approaching. " I'll larn yer to bite,'" said he, at the same time plunging his bayonet into another un- fortunate animal. The worst enemy the Division had to encounter was the gas shelling.^ In the Summer and Autumn of 1917 the chemical struggle between the belligerents became very intense. In July of that year a big surprise was sprung upon the British at Ypres by the use of a new gas, which for a time eluded our gas discipline. This mustard-gas was a distinctly new departure. With very little odour, and no immediate signs of any dis- comfort or danger, it was very persistent, penetrating the dug-outs and remaining on the ground for several days, and ca sing huge casualties. It produced temporary blindness and affected the throat and lungs, Times, 28th October 1920. 220 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1918 and even burnt the skin through the clothes. The surest panacea was to evacuate the shelled area at once, and not approach it again until the shell-holes had been sprinkled with chloride of lime and filled in with earth, as the sun's rays brought out the noxious fumes, even when there appeared no trace of the gas about. Other gases, the " Blue " and " Green Cross," producing violent nausea and intense pain, were also used, but it was the " Yellow Cross " mustard-gas mth which the Forest was being continually drenched during these months. It was no uncommon thing for an entire Head-Quarters, or nearly the whole personnel of a Battery, to have to be sent down to the Field Ambul- ance afiected by this disgusting and cruel weapon of war. The Allies, in self-defence, were obliged to resort to the same weapon, and when these bombardments took place, our guns invariably retaliated in like manner, firing shells containing " P.N.," described as a " lethal and persistent " gas, or " V.N.," which was " lethal and volatile." As a precaution against gas in the Forest a " gas patrol " was organised by the R.A.M.C. The duties of this patrol were to locate the areas in which mustard- gas shells had fallen, to warn troops against passing through these areas, and to fill in the shell-holes. They covered all the area of the Forest East of the St. Venant road, and, thanks to the thorough way in which they carried out their duties and closed tracks and roads when gas was about, many casualties were saved. The Gunners at this time revelled in the plentiful supply of ammunition, which was practically unlimited. Unfortunately there was a good deal of short shooting caused by defective ammunition and shells being of different weights ; it was most difficult to get to the 1918] FOll^T DE NIEPPE 221 bottom of it, and it was a great source of annoyance to the Gunners, and more so, of course, to the Infantry, who suffered some casualties thereby. The enemy's roads and tracks were harassed unmercifully every night by our guns, and on one occasion, when a rehef was known to be going to take place, every bridge and road was barraged continuously for two nights in succession, thereby (as was heard afterwards) stopping the enemy Division being taken out and sent up North for an attack. A word must be said for that mysterious person " Meteor," who apparently lived somewhere up in the clouds at G.H.Q. His weather prognostications were never wrong, and four or five times a day his cryptic messages were flashed all along the British Front ; the Gunners understood them, and from them worked out their corrections for elevation and deflection, thereby improving their shooting enormously. Poor ruined Merville was daily shelled by our guns, and the fine church tower, which was used by the Germans as an O.P., had to be demolished by the Heavy Artillery. Another favourite target was the villa occupied by Lord RawHnson in 1914-15, which was known now to be a German Regimental Head- Quarters. It was here that H.M. the King met the President (M. Poincare) and General Joffre in December 1914, and where a little later a well-known Society Lady, not unknown to literary fame, paid an unexpected visit to the IV. Corps. From being a comfortable modern chateau in those days, it is now a mere heap of stones and rubbish. During this time the 34th Division Artillery, and during July, the 59th, were attached to the 5th Division. Both these Divisions had suffered much in the Retreat, 222 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1918 and were practically non-existent, so their floating Artilleries were used to re-inf orce any front where they might be required. The pKght of the enemy in the front hne was not enviable ; he Hved in cubby-holes in the ground with a thin Hne of wire in front, and often had to go ration- less, as the ration parties could not approach the front line through the machine-gun and Artillery fire ; daily his morale was getting lower. Hardly a night passed without a raid being carried out by our Infantry, or prisoners being captured by a patrol, or deserters coming in. The most notable raids in May were one carried out by the Norfolks on the night of the 11th and one by the East Surreys on the 20th. In the former, one Platoon, under Lieut. Howe, and a Lewis gun Section, under Lieut. West, tackled some houses on the Canal bank in the right sector. The Lewis gun was taken forward on the left flank, while the rest of the party followed up the Canal to where a hedge jutted out, behind which were seen some steel helmets. The houses, after being bombed, were found to be empty, the occupants having hastily decamped, but the Germans in the trench were rounded up, and the result was six prisoners and one machine-gun captured, with only three casualties to the Norfolks. In the latter raid three Companies took part, the scene being on the left of the Division Front. Wire- cutting had been going on on the two preceding days, but was not completed, and there was also a thick hedge in front ; so a party went out at night with wire-cutters and bill-hooks to clear the way. At 4 p.m. the word " Cheerio " was sent, meaning that all three Companies 1918] FOR^T DE NIEPPE 223 were in position and ready, and at 4.20 the barrage opened. The left Company, under Lieut. Niven, attacked with two Platoons, and met with no opposition or difficulties except on the right, where they had to negotiate some hedges and work round an orchard before they could get to grips with the enemy. The centre Company, under Captain Sutton, also successfully reached their objective ; in one place the enemy were seen pushing a machine-gun through a hedge, but a brave Sergeant seized it by the barrel and dragged it out of their hands. Four machine-guns were captured by this Company. The right Company, under Captain Crouch, met with more opposition from some houses, which were full of Germans, but the bombers did some fine work, overcame the resistance, and captured 15 prisoners. The total bag was 24 prisoners and 8 machine-guns, besides abandoned rifles and equip- ment. The prisoners stated that owing to their failure in April their Division was no longer classified as an ** Assault Division," and that they were all very tired and demoraHsed. Again, on 17th June, a neat little patrol action was executed in the right sector by Lieut. Cubitt and one other man of the Norfolk Eegiment. The two crawled out by night through the long grass in No Man's Land up to the corner of an orchard, then along a ditch until they came to the enemy's wire and parapet. Having got through the wire, they proceeded quietly to pull down some of the parapet, and dropped into the trench. Coughing was then heard a little farther on, and four pairs of boots were seen sticking out of a shelter under a blanket. As it was impossible to cap- ture these men and bring them back all the way in the dark, they crept forward and threw in a bomb, killing 224 THE 5th DIVISION IN THE GREAT WAR [1918 the four men. They then made off at a trot, hopped out of the trench, and regained their hnes in safety. Hitherto the Division had had its back close up against the Forest — an uncomfortable situation ; and, with a view of improving it, and to enable an outpost line and main line of resistance to be formed well clear of the Forest, a big attack was carried out on 28th June on a front of 3 miles to a depth of 1 mile (see Map 16). This was the anniversary of the famous attack on Oppy in 1917, and oddly enough the same two Divisions carried out the operation, for the 31st Division, which was the right Division of the XV. Corps on the left, also took part in it. It was lent to the XI. Corps for the time being. The 28th June has consequently been chosen as the date of the Annual Divisional Dinner in London. The operation, which was camouflaged by the name of " Borderland,'' was carefully thought out by the Staff, and rehearsed with the help of a model of the ground by the troops taking part in it. These were, from right to left, Cheshires (2 Platoons), 15th Warwicks, West Kents, K.O.S.B., D.C.L.I., and Gloucesters. At 6 a.m. the Artillery, who had been re-inf orced with two Brigades, and the trench-mortars, opened an intense bombardment last- ing for four minutes ; the barrage then lifted, and the Infantry advanced under it, passages through our own wire having been cut overnight. The men displayed the greatest eagerness to come to grips with the enemy, and, though at first there was some opposition from machine-guns, these were quickly disposed of either with bombs or the bayonet, and the objectives were all gained up to time. Immediately the attacking troops had reached their final goal, strong patrols were pushed forward d C R. >^;^, L-I^r ',^A *^ -^t^ yf' / '^^K/ ^^ .^«' V >-^>"~"^'*"-'-f^-r ''^