The Battle of Cambrai and the German counter attack.

(Vide Map III.)

After three days in the Bapaume area the Division moved east to face the Hindenburg Line south-west of Cambrai. By the 10th of October, when this sector had been taken over from the 40th Division, headquarters was at Sorel, about 1000 yards south of Fins. All three brigades were in the line, the 61st on the right, east of Villers Guislains and Gonnelieu, the 59th in the centre from the outskirts of Gonnelieu to a line passing through Villers Plouich, and the 60th on the left, with its left flank between Beaucamp and Bilhem. Except for ten days towards the end of the month the Division was in the IIIrd Corps of the Third Army.

October passed quietly. By the 25th the Divisional Artillery had returned from the Ypres Salient and was in action, covering the Divisional front; the battery positions of the 91st Field Artillery Brigade lay in the area Villers Guislain-Gonnelieu-Gouzeaucourt, those of the 92nd Brigade about Gouzeaucourt and in the country to the north.

On the 27th Brig.-General Butler left to command an infantry brigade in the Guards Division and handed over command of the 60th Brigade to Brig.-General F. J. Duncan, C.M.G., D.S.O.

On the 29th the 55th Division took over from the 61st Brigade the ground up to Villers Guislains inclusive. The front occupied by the 20th Division was even then a long one, but the formation of the ground made it possible to defend it without holding a continuous system of trenches. It will be seen from Map III that the line crossed several spurs and valleys. The spurs were held as defended localities, fortified for all-round defence and each occupied by one battalion; places of tactical importance in the position were held by a number of small strong points. At the heads of the valleys machine guns were so placed as to cover both the low ground and the slopes of the spurs on each side.

Preparations for an attack to be launched on the 20th of November were then begun, but with the greatest secrecy, as the success of the operation depended on the Germans being surprised. The scheme was revealed to brigade commanders and their staffs early in the month, but no other officers in the brigades were told until a week before the battle, and then only under a strict pledge of silence, which was faithfully kept. Not until the day before the attack were the details generally disclosed. It was, of course, impossible in the later stages to conceal these preparations from the troops. When battalions were withdrawn to the rear to train with tanks, gun positions reconnoitered close to the German line, new ammunition dumps formed in forward positions and all the familiar measures carried out, it became clear that an operation of some magnitude was at hand. Among the many arrangements made to facilitate the advance of the artillery, bridges were constructed and carried forward to enable the guns to cross the trenches. During the four nights before the attack the guns were moved up to positions in the open close behind the front line, camouflaged and left there. By the night of the 19th/20th only two guns remained in the original line to cover the front of the Division.

The task of providing signal communication for the three attacking divisions on the Divisional front fell almost entirely on the 20th Divisional Signal Company. 137 miles of armoured cable were laid out to the front line and to the various battle headquarters of all arms. As the day of attack drew nearer the normal five to seven hundred messages per day received at the Divisional Headquarter office at Sorel grew to two thousand a day, which severely taxed the powers of the Signal Company.

A thick mist which hung over the position for several days before the attack assisted the preparations incalculably, as it prevented the enemy’s aeroplanes from obtaining any information. On the 17th and 18th of November the 61st and 60th Brigades, which were to deliver the assault on the Divisional front, were relieved by troops of the 12th and 6th Divisions; outposts belonging to the 20th Division were left, however, covering the original front. On the 19th the 61st on the right and the 60th on the left took over the new Divisional line, which then extended only from a thousand yards north-west of Gonnelieu to the north-east of Villers Plouich. At the same time the 59th Brigade, to which a special rôle had been assigned, moved back to Gouzeaucourt in reserve. The concentration was a very complicated and difficult one, especially for the 20th Division, which was manning the trenches up to the last moment. Concentration camps for the 20th and for three other divisions had been made and completely camouflaged by the 83rd, 84th and 96th Field Companies R.E. and the 11th D.L.I. under the orders of Lieut.-Colonel Newell, the C.R.E.

The essence of the plan was to surprise the enemy, overwhelm him with a sudden rush of tanks followed by infantry, and break his line before he had time to realise the nature or the locality of the attack. There was therefore no preliminary bombardment, nor even was any registration of the guns allowed. The infantry lines were to be preceded by waves of tanks and the attack covered by standing barrages, which were to lift from objective to objective as the assaulting troops advanced. Of the 60 tanks at the disposal of the Division 36 were allotted to the 61st Brigade and 24 to the 60th.

The general direction of the attack was north-east, across the Hindenburg and Hindenburg Support Lines on the front of La Vacquerie and Welsh Ridge. The left boundary was the Villers Plouich—Marcoing railway; the right boundary an approximately parallel line about 2500 yards to the south-east. The first objective followed the general line of a track from Banteux to Ribécourt, between the road from La Vacquerie to Bonavis and the railway. La Vacquerie, a particularly strong point, was the key position of the enemy’s first line of defence on the right. This village and the trenches north-west of it formed an initial objective in the area of the 61st Brigade. The second and final objective included the whole of Welsh Ridge, from a point in the sunken road nearly 3000 yards north-east of La Vacquerie to the railway 1200 yards south-west of the railway junction at Marcoing.

The 12th Division on the right and the 6th Division on the left were to attack objectives prolonging those of the 61st and 60th Brigades.

After this line had been taken the 29th Division was to pass through the 20th to a line north of Masnières and Marcoing. To prepare the way for this advance and to secure the right flank of the 29th Division the 59th Brigade was to move forward as soon as the second objective had been occupied in order both to seize the crossings of the canal between Masnières and Marcoing and to form a defensive flank by holding a line from Les Rues Vertes to the south for a distance of 2000 yards. For this purpose sixteen tanks from those allotted to the 61st Brigade were to be placed at the disposal of the 59th. Defensive flanks were to be formed by the 12th Division from the right of the 59th Brigade as far as Lateau Wood (inclusive) and by the 6th Division from the left flank of the 29th towards the south-west. During the night of the 19th/20th the infantry and tanks formed up about 1000 yards from the enemy’s wire. To help to drown the noise of the advancing tanks intermittent bursts of machine-gun fire were kept up throughout the night.

By zero, 6.20 A.M. on the 20th, the dispositions were as follows:

The 61st Brigade, under Brig.-General Banbury, held the right of the line, with the 7th Somerset L.I. (Lieut.-Colonel Troyte-Bullock) on the right and the 7th D.C.L.I. (Lieut.-Colonel Burges Short) on the left. The 12th King’s (Lieut.-Colonel Vince) on the right and the 7th K.O.Y.L.I. (Major Storr) on the left were in support.

The 60th Brigade, under Brig.-General Duncan, held the left of the line with the 6th Oxford and Bucks L.I. (Lieut.-Colonel Boyle), in touch with the D.C.L.I. and the 12th K.R.R.C. (Lieut.-Colonel Moore), with their left on the railway just north-east of Villers Plouich. In support were the 6th K.S.L.I. (Lieut.-Colonel Welch) and the 12th R.B. (Lieut.-Colonel Riley).

The 59th Brigade, under Brig.-General Hyslop, was concentrated in and about Gouzeaucourt.

The Division was covered by two artillery groups. The Right Group, under Lieut.-Colonel Ricardo, consisted of the 92nd Brigade, the 232nd Brigade, and the 3rd Brigade R.H.A. The Left Group, under Lieut.-Colonel Erskine, consisted of the 91st Brigade, the 178th Brigade, and the 15th Brigade R.H.A.

The first wave of tanks moved forward at 6.10 A.M., and at 6.20 the barrage opened along the whole front.

The attack went exactly as planned from beginning to end. The Somersets and two companies of the D.C.L.I. advanced on La Vacquerie and the trenches north-west of it. The garrison at these places offered little opposition and, apparently demoralised by the tanks, ran towards the Hindenburg Line. La Vacquerie was taken by the Somersets about 7.30 A.M., and had been mopped up by 9 o’clock, when 80 prisoners, 6 machine guns and 2 trench mortars had been taken. Two companies of the King’s, with the two remaining companies of the D.C.L.I., carried on the advance to the first objective. The enemy offered a certain amount of opposition in the Hindenburg Line and the King’s on the right suffered rather heavily, but before 10 A.M. this line was taken, with 200 prisoners and many machine guns.

On the front of the 60th Brigade the 6th Oxford and Bucks L.I. and the 12th K.R.R.C. carried the defences of Welsh Ridge. The reserve company of the 12th K.R.R.C.—“B” Company, under Captain Hoare—lost heavily in attacking a strong point which held up the advance, for when this point had been taken, out of 3 officers and 96 men in the company only 34 men remained. That this company reached its objective was largely due to Rfm. A. E. Shepherd, K.R.R.C., whose gallantry was rewarded with the Victoria Cross. The following is the official account of his action: “For most conspicuous bravery as a company runner. When his company was held up by a machine gun at point blank range he volunteered to rush the gun, and, though ordered not to, rushed forward and threw a Mills bomb, killing two gunners and capturing the gun. The company, on continuing its advance, came under heavy enfilade machine-gun fire. When the last officer and the last N.C.O. had become casualties he took command of the company, ordered the men to lie down, and himself went back some seventy yards under severe fire to obtain the help of a tank. He then returned to his company and finally led them to their last objective. He showed throughout conspicuous determination and resource.”

On the whole, however, the casualties of the 60th Brigade were few, and the first objective was occupied at 9.25 A.M.

The advance to the final objective was more vigorously opposed. The remaining two companies of the King’s and the K.O.Y.L.I., attacking on the 61st Brigade front, encountered a good deal of resistance in the Hindenburg Support Line, a good natural position, well fortified and strongly held. Behind the line there were many gun-pits, some of which the enemy defended to the last. The K.O.Y.L.I. on the left fought with great dash, and in spite of severe losses carried all before them. Second-Lieut. Joffe, Sgt. Roberts and about a dozen men of this battalion distinguished themselves by rushing a 77 mm. gun which continued to fire point-blank till they were within fifty yards of it. The King’s also forced their way forward by hard fighting and took a number of prisoners.

The 60th Brigade attacked the second objective with the 6th K.S.L.I. and the 12th R.B. The enemy gave little trouble except on the right of the R.B., where “A” Company found him defending his positions throughout with determination. A particularly difficult point to carry was a nest of five machine guns and a trench mortar in the Hindenburg Support Line. Capt. Fraser, commanding “A” Company, obtained the assistance of a tank, which advanced straight on the post while a party of the R.B. worked round it. When the tank came within fifty yards of the enemy a direct hit from the trench mortar killed two of the crew and severely wounded the rest. The tank section commander, Capt. R. W. L. Wain, got out and rushed at the enemy with a Lewis gun, while “B” Company on the left turned the flank. In the fighting that ensued Capt. Wain was killed, but the post was taken, and the only gun of the five which could be used was turned on to those of the enemy who were able to get away. “A” Company took over 130 prisoners, a trench mortar, and 6 machine guns during the day.

About eleven o’clock the final objective was taken, and the 59th Brigade and the 29th Division were passing through the lines.

Arrangements had been carefully made by the Divisional Signal Company to establish signal communication as the attack progressed. The tanks, however, made small work of the ground lines as they were laid, and recourse had to be made to a poled cable route on each brigade front, which was successfully established in due course.

Meanwhile at 10.30 A.M. the 91st Field Artillery Brigade was ordered forward to the north-east of La Vacquerie. Good positions were found along the track from Banteux to Ribécourt between the roads leading from La Vacquerie to Bonavis and Masnières. Batteries were held up by tanks which had stuck in the sunken road, but managed to come into action during the afternoon.

Starting from Gouzeaucourt at zero the 59th Brigade moved forward, and led by the 10th and 11th R.B., with a troop of the 1/1st Northumberland Yeomanry under Captain the Hon. C. F. M. Ramsay, left the old front line at 9.10 A.M. to follow the assaulting battalions.

By 11 A.M. this advanced guard was passing through the second objective. The 11th R.B. (Lieut.-Colonel Cotton) advanced in open order along the north-west slope of the La Vacquerie valley to seize the crossings over the canal; the 10th R.B. (Lieut.-Colonel Troughton), to whom the two troops of yeomanry were attached, deployed on the south-east slope before moving on to form the defensive flank. In rear of these two battalions the 10th K.R.R.C. (Lieut.-Colonel Sheepshanks) formed up in the valley on either side of the sunken road and the 11th K.R.R.C. (Lieut.-Colonel Priaulx) took up a position about the crossing of the sunken road and the track from Banteux to Ribécourt.

The 11th R.B. advanced on a two company front. They came under a certain amount of shelling, but parties of the enemy who tried to hold them back by long-range fire, seeing the tanks and infantry coming on, either withdrew or gave themselves up. “B” Company on the left, moving towards a bridge east of Marcoing, encountered an enemy strong point about 800 yards south of the canal, but an outflanking movement by Lewis guns and bombers soon brought about the surrender of the garrison, which was estimated at 150 men. The bridge-head was then occupied and troops of the 29th Division crossed unopposed. “C” Company on the right had little difficulty, except from a machine gun which for a time delayed its progress; the gun was silenced by a tank, and the company then entered Les Rues Vertes. Here between 12 and 1 o’clock a certain amount of street fighting took place, but the village was cleared as far as the canal.

About 12.40 P.M., when the 11th R.B. were held up at the main bridge in Masnières, a tank arrived on the scene and prepared to move across, carrying a small party of the 11th R.B. to bomb the houses on the opposite side. Owing to a mechanical breakdown the tank was unable to move for an hour, by which time two more tanks had arrived and began to fire their 6-prs. into the houses across the canal. It is probable that the bridge, though apparently intact, had been partially destroyed, for when the tank eventually moved across, the centre of the bridge collapsed and the tank became wedged between the two ends, effectually blocking the crossing at this point. The Canadian Cavalry Brigade arrived in Les Rues Vertes about 2 P.M., but finding the bridge broken retired, although Lieut.-Colonel Cotton pointed out several other bridges close by, one of which was not marked on the map. Lieut.-Colonel Troughton, 10th R.B., who was holding two bridges intact to the south of Masnières, gave the same information. Only one squadron passed over, and in a brilliant engagement captured a battery of the enemy’s guns.

The town of Masnières, where the arrival of British troops was naturally most unexpected, was full of civilians, mostly women and children. It was an amazing and a most pathetic sight to see women with babies in perambulators in the streets under the fire of the enemy. Many of them were evacuated at once, and good work was done by Lieut. Duval, the interpreter of the brigade. The civilians showed great courage under shell-fire.

By 4.30 the 11th R.B. had handed over the canal crossings to the 29th Division and were established in the northern part of the defensive flank.

Meanwhile the 10th R.B. on the right had deployed on the line south of Les Rues Vertes; their right flank was exposed, as the 12th Division was still behind the Bonavis-Masnières road and the two troops of the Northumberland Yeomanry filled up this gap. Later, touch was gained with the 12th Division.

The 10th K.R.R.C. moved forward along the La Vacquerie valley, with two companies on each side of the road. All went well on the right, but the left companies were troubled by machine-gun fire from the north. A patrol sent out in this direction discovered the enemy holding a strong point, which was vigorously attacked and captured with some 200 prisoners. The battalion then took up a position in a sunken road 1500 yards south-west of Les Rues Vertes, sending one company in the afternoon to relieve the yeomanry on the right of the 10th R.B.

The 11th K.R.R.C. in reserve moved forward to a position close in rear of the 10th K.R.R.C.

The 61st and 60th Brigades were consolidating their objective across the north-eastern end of Welsh Ridge, and the 59th Brigade occupied the line running south from Les Rues Vertes. The 12th Division held the second objective from the right of the 61st Brigade to Lateau Wood inclusive, with a line running forward from there to the right of the 59th Brigade. The 6th Division, on the left of the 60th Brigade, had pushed through Ribécourt and thrown out a defensive flank along the high ground north and north-west of Marcoing, where it was in touch with the left of the 29th Division. The right flank of the 29th was then working through Masnières. The 51st Division was on the outskirts of Flesquières and the 62nd and 36th Divisions were advancing further to the north and north-west. Divisional Headquarters moved forward at this time to Villers Plouich.

By 9 P.M. the 10th R.B. on the right and the 11th R.B. on the left had pushed forward along the spur and were established between Les Rues des Vignes and the canal south of Mon Plaisir Farm. One company, under Capt. Ashwell, occupied part of the village of Les Rues des Vignes after severe opposition.

During the afternoon considerable advance was made on the left, where the 52nd Division penetrated as far as Anneux, over two miles north of Flesquières, although the latter still remained in the hands of the enemy. The British line, therefore, formed a salient between Lateau Wood and Marcoing, divided from the very sharp salient at Anneux by the re-entrant at Flesquières. It had been impossible to get the guns forward along the sunken roads quickly enough to support the infantry fighting at Masnières and Marcoing, but the two factors which most limited the results of the battle as a whole on this day were the check at Flesquières and the absence of a large force of cavalry on the far side of the canal. These factors, and the consequent inability of the 29th Division to push forward north and east of Masnières, allowed the Germans to occupy the Beaurevoir-Masnières line which ran in front of Rumilly and Crèvecœur. From this position the Germans were able to command the line of the 59th Brigade. On the 21st Flesquières was captured and the line straightened, and further advance was made towards the north.

On the night of the 20th/21st the 11th R.B. were ordered to seize the crossings at Crèvecœur to allow French cavalry to pass through at dawn. The night was pitch dark, the men were exhausted, and Crèvecœur was found by then to have been occupied by the enemy. The battalion captured an enemy machine gun complete with team, but was unable to take the bridges. That night IIIrd Corps issued orders that every effort must be made to gain possession of the Beaurevoir-Masnières line and to capture Crèvecœur. The rôle of the Division was to push on to Crèvecœur in conjunction with the 29th Division on the left. The 59th Brigade was detailed to carry out this operation, with the assistance of twelve tanks, and zero was fixed at 11 A.M. on the 21st. Later, the attack of the 29th Division was cancelled. The tanks ran out of petrol, and eventually at 2 P.M. the 11th K.R.R.C., the assaulting battalion of the 59th Brigade, had to attack alone. The battalion came under enfilade fire from Rumilly and the high ground north of the canal, so that in spite of several efforts to force a passage during the day, little progress was made. That night the 11th K.R.R.C. consolidated a position on the spur north-west of Les Rues Vignes, while a company of the 11th R.B. held the bridge-head below the village. This company, owing to heavy casualties and to the impossibility of obtaining reinforcements, was ordered to withdraw during the night. Before doing so, the remains of the company, assisted by the R.E., made four gallant but unsuccessful attempts to destroy the bridge.

The 11th R.B. formed a defensive left flank, covering the crossings south and south-east of Mon Plaisir Farm.

Two batteries of the 92nd Field Artillery Brigade moved forward at daybreak to positions north-west of Lateau Wood and supported this attack under considerable shell-fire. In the evening they withdrew to a small re-entrant between Lateau Wood and the La Vacquerie—Masnières road, where they were joined by the rest of the brigade.

The medical arrangements for the battle included an A.D.S. and a walking wounded collecting post at Gouzeaucourt, and advanced posts near Villers Plouich and on the Gouzeaucourt—Bonavis road just behind the front fine. After the attack other posts were pushed forward to the La Vacquerie valley, towards Marcoing and later to Les Rues Vertes. Wounded from many different divisions passed through the A.D.S. at Gouzeaucourt. Excellent work was done by the bearers of the Division under Lieut.-Colonel A. C. Osburn, commanding the 60th Field Ambulance.

During the following days, while fierce fighting continued for the possession of an important ridge at Bourlon Wood, three miles north of Flesquières, the 20th Division was occupied in consolidating the position it had won. The main line ran from the left flank of the 12th Division, which was holding Lateau Wood, along the top of the spur and then north to the canal. In front of this an outpost line was held joining the main line on the right flank, passing forward on the spur about 500 yards north-west of Les Rues des Vignes, and turning back to the left flank south-east of Mon Plaisir Farm.

The position held by the Division at this time was most important. The line formed a deep salient, overlooked by the high ground which the enemy occupied. Not only did the enemy hold the bridges across the canal, but on the south-east face of this salient the steep convex slope of the ridge left a strip of dead ground along the front, so that even from the outpost line the bottom of the valley and the village of Les Rues des Vignes were out of sight. The two artillery brigades west and north-west of Lateau Wood covered an extent of front out of all proportion to the number of guns, and while they fired at ranges between 3000 and 6000 yards, the enemy had to advance only a few hundred yards into Lateau Wood to look straight down on their positions. A successful attack by the enemy on Bonavis Ridge would then completely cut off the whole of the infantry holding the Les Rues des Vignes salient and take the artillery positions in flank.

Between the 21st and the 24th the 7th Somerset L.I. moved to Masnières in support of the 88th Brigade of the 29th Division. The following is an extract from a letter sent by the Brigade Commander of the 88th Brigade to Brig.-General Banbury: “I wish to tell you how much I appreciate the excellent work done by the 7th Somerset L.I. in Masnières, in clearing the houses of snipers and exploring the many underground passages. The place is quite quiet now, with a Somerset on guard at each hole.”

By the morning of the 30th the Divisional front was held by two brigades, the 59th, which after seven days in reserve had just relieved the 60th, on the right, and the 61st on the left. None of the battalions had a fighting strength of over 400, and some of them well under 300. The front line from right to left was held by the 10th K.R.R.C., the 11th K.R.R.C., the 12th King’s and the 7th Somerset L.I. In support were the 10th R.B. in a ravine about 1500 yards south of Les Rues Vertes and the 7th D.C.L.I. at the northern end of the La Vacquerie valley, 1500 yards south of the canal. The 11th R.B., 800 yards north-east of La Vacquerie, and the 7th K.O.Y.L.I., were in reserve. The commanding officers of some battalions were sent back for a rest, as it was considered a good opportunity for their seconds in command to get some useful experience. On the 29th the 61st Brigade was ordered to take over next day another 1000 yards of front on the right. This all points to the fact that no counter attack was expected at this time.

The relief of the 60th by the 59th Brigade Headquarters was not complete when the Germans launched their great counter attack. Brig.-General Duncan therefore commanded the 59th Brigade throughout the operation, and the 60th Brigade fought under the orders of Lieut.-Colonel Troyte Bullock (7th Somerset L.I.), who was temporarily filling the place of Brig.-General Hyslop. The latter brigade was in reserve at Villers Plouich.

At 7 A.M. on the 30th the enemy opened a bombardment on the front of the 55th and 12th Divisions on the right. This spread to the 20th Division about 7.30, when three barrages, which included smoke and mustard-gas shells, fell simultaneously between the outpost line and the sunken road from La Vacquerie to Masnières. The infantry attack in the same manner developed from the south, the 55th and the 12th Divisions having been heavily engaged for some time, when at 8 A.M. the Germans advanced on the whole of the 20th Divisional front.

Covered by a thick mist the enemy moved forward with extraordinary rapidity. Although they put up an extremely good fight the outpost companies were soon overwhelmed; the majority were entirely cut off and were never heard of again. The right flank, which owing to the convex slope of the ground and the consequent difficulty of observation was the most vulnerable point, had already been turned by the successful attack on the 55th and 12th Divisions. The companies in the main line, therefore, at the moment when they had to face an attack in great strength on their front, found that the enemy had broken through to their right rear. The German infantry advanced in a succession of from eight to twelve waves, preceded by a great number of low-flying aeroplanes which rained machine-gun fire on the troops and dropped smoke bombs to screen the assaulting lines. The front line battalions met the enemy with heavy rifle and Lewis gun fire, but when the right companies had been taken in front and rear and all had lost a large proportion of their strength, the whole line was eventually overcome.

All communications had been cut, and battalion headquarters and the supporting battalions had no sooner become aware of the German advance than they found the enemy upon them. The headquarters of the 10th R.B. with two companies put up a gallant fight in a vain effort to stem the enemy’s onslaught on their flank and front. The few officers and men of the battalion headquarters who survived were eventually captured. Capt. T. H. Henderson, M.C., the adjutant, was killed while bravely attempting with a few riflemen to hold up the masses of the enemy. Capt. S. J. Pegler, D.S.O., took command of the battalion, of which he could find at that time only a party of 4 officers and 20 men. The remnants of these two brigades then fell back fighting to the north-eastern and south-eastern slopes of Welsh Ridge, where the reserve battalions had taken up their position. Major Macmillan, commanding the 7th D.C.L.I., lost his life while gallantly leading a party of men against the enemy, and many other attempts were made to check the advance, but wherever a stand was made the position was at once outflanked.

The machine gun companies fought valiantly but suffered great loss. Of the 217th, in the area north of Lateau Wood, only a few men got back. The 59th Machine Gun Company was on the ridge a little further east. As soon as the German aeroplanes came over, the twelve guns in the front line were mounted for anti-aircraft work and so had to be immediately remounted to engage the infantry attack. These guns then continued to fire, helping to cover the retirement of their own infantry, but the company was overcome, and such guns as still remained in action were destroyed before falling into the enemy’s hands. The officer commanding the company took the headquarter party forward to a trench which except for one machine gun was empty; he then went to look for a better position and was not seen again. The sergeant-major took command, fired the gun until it was put out of action, and then held the trench with bombs for an hour. After that the party moved to another trench occupied by one man with two guns, and remained there till at 4 P.M. the sergeant-major reported to an officer of the 61st Machine Gun Company, under whom he worked for the next three days. The second in command at the transport lines brought his men forward with two guns and joined the 11th R.B., with whom he served until the following afternoon.

Twelve guns of the 61st Machine Gun Company near Les Rues Vertes were quickly overwhelmed. All the teams disappeared, but from the accounts of eyewitnesses it seems clear that they fought bravely to the last. Meanwhile, Lieut. J. Neil had got No. 2 Section into action about 2000 yards south-west of the village, and opened fire directly on to the enemy, who was then on the spur east of his position. When he had only two guns left, the pressure of the enemy, and the fact that he was well in front of the infantry, forced him to withdraw. Pte. Drummond showed great courage at this time by firing his gun till the last possible moment although surrounded by the enemy. These two guns fired till 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon, when they were moved to form a defensive flank to the right.

Two sections of the 83rd Field Company R.E. were resting after night work north of Lateau Wood when the attack began, and became involved in the fighting between Lateau Wood and La Vacquerie. Their bivouacs were completely outflanked and they lost 2 officers and 22 men. The rest of the company manned a trench in front of Villers Plouich.

The 84th Field Company, under Major P. G. Norman, was south of Marcoing, and under orders of the 61st Brigade took up a position on Welsh Ridge, 2000 yards south of the village. As he could see parties of the enemy to the east and large numbers advancing down the slope of Bonavis Ridge, Major Norman sent reinforcements to the D.C.L.I. and to an important trench on the right, where they met the two sections of the 83rd Field Company. Then, as both the brigade major and the staff captain of the 61st Brigade had become casualties, Major Norman took over the duties of brigade major. Two sections of the company were sent later to reinforce the K.O.Y.L.I., under whose orders they remained until the brigade was relieved.

Two companies of the 11th D.L.I. took part in the fighting on this flank. “D” Company was on Welsh Ridge. On seeing the troops retiring Capt. Pemberton in command took up a position facing north-east and later advanced to reinforce the front line. At 5.30 P.M. this company was ordered to gain touch with the 7th K.O.Y.L.I. “B” Company, under Capt. Jee, returning from work near Les Rues des Vignes, occupied a line on the north end of Welsh Ridge to bar the Marcoing valley, and during the afternoon joined “D” company further to the right.

The A.D.S. near Les Rues Vertes was kept open until the enemy came within a few hundred yards. Capt. Edmond, 60th Field Ambulance, who was in charge of the dressing station, then withdrew his bearers, but finding a man dangerously wounded he ran back under heavy fire to get a stretcher, and with the help of Private Barker, carried back the wounded man for 6000 yards. Later he went forward again under severe shell fire to attend to other casualties and then was unfortunately killed by a fragment of shell.

A bearer party of the 61st Field Ambulance with a party of infantry fell into the enemy’s hands near Masnières. An officer broke away, collected some 20 men and fought for two days while the bearers, often at great risk, collected and treated the wounded. On the second night the few remaining men of the infantry party and the bearers returned to their own lines, bringing the wounded with them. The M.C. was awarded to Captain Rogerson, temporarily commanding the 61st Field Ambulance, for his excellent organisation, and to the bearer officer, Captain Jones.

At an early stage in the battle the situation of the artillery in the La Vacquerie valley became critical. The 92nd Brigade, in a fold of the ground on the slope of Bonavis Ridge, remained in action after the infantry had retired through the guns and drove back four attacks, firing at a range of 200 yards. Finally, with the enemy close in front and on both flanks, the gunners were overcome and the survivors were compelled to remove the sights and as many of the breech-blocks as possible and to withdraw. Part of the waggon lines of this Brigade, 2000 yards east of Fins, had been captured, but the rest got away with some loss, and the brigade collected at Metz-en-Couture.

The 91st Brigade was about a thousand yards in rear of the 92nd. When information was received that the enemy was advancing and had taken the valley in which the 92nd had been in action, Lieut.-Colonel Erskine turned all guns on to the spur just beyond this valley in order to prevent reinforcements coming up and to give room for a counter attack, sending officers forward to the crest just in front of the batteries. No counter attack, however, was possible with the few troops who were left. The trench which had formed the headquarters of the 61st Brigade and 91st Field Artillery Brigade was a short distance to the left front of the 91st battery positions. When the enemy had captured the 92nd Field Artillery Brigade and had advanced to a few hundred yards of Brigade Headquarters, Brig.-General Duncan moved his headquarters to a ravine north-east of Villers Plouich, the headquarters of the 91st Field Artillery Brigade joining the batteries in action.

Throughout the rest of the day the men continued to serve the guns with great coolness and gallantry under heavy fire and repeated aeroplane attacks, although the Germans were only a few hundred yards in front and completely overlooked the flank from the Bonavis Ridge. The steady fire of this brigade played no small part in checking the advance and in enabling the infantry to hold on.

The 11th R.B., the reserve battalion of the 59th Brigade, moved forward at 8.50 A.M. with the object of occupying a line below the north-east slope of Welsh Ridge. It soon became evident, however, that the enemy had broken through on the front of the 20th Division. Major Morgan Owen, who was in command of the battalion on this day, therefore decided that the two most pressing duties were to endeavour to save the guns and to take up a defensive position and gain touch with the troops on each flank. A position in front of the guns of the 92nd Brigade was then impossible. The line chosen crossed the La Vacquerie valley about 1500 yards from the village, and followed the south-east slope of Welsh Ridge. A platoon of “C” Company, under 2nd Lieut. Crawford, drove the enemy back from a wireless station on the lower slopes of the ridge so that some secret papers might be removed and the destruction of the apparatus completed. This platoon, with some forty artillerymen, then took up a position commanding the dismantled guns of the 92nd Brigade. Half “B” Company was sent up as a reinforcement and the guns were temporarily retaken, enabling the artillery to remove the remaining breech-blocks, but heavy shelling and an encircling movement of the enemy afterwards compelled this party to withdraw. 2nd Lieut. Crawford was awarded the D.S.O. The battalion, with both flanks in the air, repulsed four attacks before the remains of the other three battalions of the brigade fell back on to this line.

At 6 P.M. Lieut.-Col. Priaulx, commanding the 11th K.R.R.C., was placed in command of the battalions of the 59th Brigade.

The 7th K.O.Y.L.I., in reserve to the 61st Brigade, manned the Hindenburg Support Line on Welsh Ridge and formed a valuable rallying-point.

While the remnants of the 59th and 60th Brigades had been fighting desperately to stem the enemy’s advance and had finally established a line on the north-eastern and south-eastern slopes of Welsh Ridge, the 60th Brigade also had been hotly engaged.

The enemy’s most dangerous advance developed on the right flank, where by 9.30 A.M. he had taken Bonavis, Villers-Guislain, Gonnelieu and Gouzeaucourt, and was on the southern outskirts of La Vacquerie. On the left the 29th Division was gallantly holding out in Masnières.

Communications with flank divisions having been broken and the wireless station put out of action by a hostile shell, Divisional Headquarters knew that the Germans had broken through on the south only when parties of men were seen retiring over the high ground at Gonnelieu. A staff officer who was sent out to ascertain the situation ordered these men to hold the bank of the Gouzeaucourt—Villers Plouich road.

At 9 A.M. the 60th Brigade at Villers Plouich was ordered forward, the 6th K.S.L.I. and the 6th Oxford and Bucks L.I. to the ridge running south-west from Gonnelieu, the 12th R.B. to the village itself, and the 12th K.R.R.C. to La Vacquerie. Shortly after these orders had been issued it was reported that the front of the 20th Division had been broken; they were immediately cancelled as far as they concerned the K.S.L.I. and the Oxford and Bucks L.I., who were then directed to take up a position in the Hindenburg Line north-east of La Vacquerie. But by the time these two battalions had received the new orders, the K.S.L.I. were engaged with the enemy south-west of Gonnelieu and could not be withdrawn. The Oxford and Bucks L.I. stood fast, reported the situation, and later were ordered to attack the ridge. Both battalions made some progress but were unable to gain the crest, and eventually dug in on the north-west slope. The 60th Machine Gun Company reinforced the line near Gouzeaucourt.

The 12th R.B. advanced at 9.30 A.M. on Gonnelieu, which was already in the enemy’s hands. The leading companies worked up the valley north-west of the village, and by 10.30 were deployed south of the main road. For some time both flanks were exposed, but later the Oxford and Bucks L.I. moved forward on the right, and touch was gained in the afternoon with the 12th K.R.R.C. about 400 yards to the left. About 6 P.M. a patrol entered Gonnelieu and captured two German N.C.O.’s but found the village held in strength. Later patrols could get no further than the outlying buildings.

The 12th K.R.R.C. took up a position east and north-east of La Vacquerie, wisely putting no troops in the village, which during the day was heavily shelled. Some men of other divisions were collected about 10.30 A.M., and posted on the south-west side, and one company moved to the right to a position on the high ground to gain touch with the 12th R.B. and to watch the village of Gonnelieu.

At mid-day a very fine attack by the Guards drove the enemy out of Gouzeaucourt. At the same time the K.S.L.I. made a second attempt to clear the high ground south-west of Gonnelieu. Owing to heavy machine-gun fire and to the obscure situation on the right one company had to be sent towards Gouzeaucourt; the rest of the battalion was unable to gain the crest, but the right company fired into the flank of the Germans, mowing them down as they retired before the Guards.

Another attempt to seize Gonnelieu and the ridge was made that night. The K.S.L.I. were to work down the railway to a point east of Gouzeaucourt and then turn left-handed, while the Oxford and Bucks L.I. attacked in conjunction with the 12th R.B. The battalions were met by very heavy machine-gun fire, and although the right pushed forward the left encountered a hostile attack launched simultaneously with our own and was unable to gain ground.

A party of the 11th D.L.I. had meanwhile fought a spirited action on the extreme right. “A” Company of this battalion near Villers Plouich took up a position to cover the approaches from the south and was not engaged, but the headquarters and “C” Company were in Gouzeaucourt at the time when the German attack was developing against the village.

Except for heavy gun-fire nothing very unusual was apparent until 9.15 A.M., when Lieut.-Colonel G. Hayes, commanding the battalion, noticed men coming back and horses galloping towards Fins. At that moment heavy machine-gun fire was heard close to the village and an artillery sergeant-major stated that the enemy was coming over in masses from the direction of Villers Guislain. Lieut.-Colonel Hayes immediately led the party out towards a small hill, known as Hill 135, some 700 yards south-west of the village. There he saw the Germans advancing in the most perfect order, entirely unopposed. The leading waves were by that time across the railway and the others were in force on the ridge behind, from which they swept the crest of Hill 135 with machine-gun fire. He ordered one platoon to defend the houses in the southern end of Gouzeaucourt, in order to cover the left flank, placed two along the road between Hill 135 and the village to check the advance from the ridge in front, and sent one to the southern end of the hill to protect the exposed right flank. The men were well led by the company commander, Lieut. Bushell, who showed great coolness and courage throughout the day. Three sections of R.E. of another division then came up; two were sent to reinforce the left flank and one to fill the gap between the top of the hill and the right platoon. The machine-gun fire was by this time extremely heavy; the Germans had broken through Gouzeaucourt, where the left platoon had found them already in possession. Lieut.-Colonel Hayes, therefore sent Sgt.-Major M’Evoy and twenty men to a position a little south of the main road 1500 yards west of Gouzeaucourt, with orders to hold on to the last man and cover the retirement of the others. The rest of the company and the R.E. withdrew to this line under heavy machine-gun fire both from the town and from Hill 135, but with comparatively little loss. Later the 20th Hussars reinforced the party and prolonged the line to the right, and at noon the counter attack of the Guards on Gouzeaucourt relieved the situation. The adjutant of the 11th D.L.I., Captain Tollit, had meanwhile returned to the old battalion headquarters and succeeded in getting away with the confidential papers; he was sent to Sorel for machine guns and reinforcements, and then returned to the line. On the following day “C” Company moved back to a position near Villers Plouich.

In the A.D.S. at Gouzeaucourt between thirty and forty wounded were lying when shell and machine-gun fire gave the first warning of the enemy’s approach.

A shell hit the dressing station, bringing down the wall of the room in which the wounded were being dressed, and soon afterwards the enemy appeared on the ridge between Gouzeaucourt and Villers Guislain. The wounded were immediately placed in the Decauville train and got away and the A.D.S. was abandoned just before the enemy surrounded the village. Lieut.-Colonel Osburn, commanding the 60th Field Ambulance, went back to his rear headquarters at Fins and ordered all available bearers to march towards Gouzeaucourt. Captain R. V. C. Ash had meanwhile withdrawn the unit. A provisional A.D.S. was formed half way between Fins and Gouzeaucourt, and there three or four hundred wounded were dressed. In the evening, when Gouzeaucourt had been retaken, most of the stores were rescued from the original dressing station.

When the enemy’s attack was launched on the morning of the 30th, Brig.-General Hyslop was at rear Divisional Headquarters at Sorel on his way home on sick leave, and he took command of the headquarter details of the 20th and 29th Divisions, and also of the details of the 20th Division at Nurlu. Part of this force was rushed forward towards Gouzeaucourt and part took up a position near Revelon and helped to repel an attack. All transport except the mobile ammunition echelon was sent back to Moislains. A line of straggler posts was formed, and all labour units in the neighbourhood, as fast as they could be collected, were employed either in digging or in carrying forward ammunition and R.E. material. Towards evening it was ascertained that the situation was in hand.

Thanks to an alternative emergency ground line which the 20th Divisional Signal Company had laid to Corps through the outskirts of Gouzeaucourt, to supplement the poled cable route erected by Corps, signal communication between Divisional Headquarters and Corps was successfully maintained throughout the day, in spite of the fact that at one time a portion of the line passed into German hands and out again. This line also proved of inestimable value to the 6th, 12th and 29th Divisions, whose communications with Corps had broken.

Constant and most strenuous efforts were made to maintain signal communication forward of Division. Cpl. Thompson gained the M.M. for conspicuous bravery in mending lines time after time under heavy shell-fire.

By the end of the day the line ran from Gouzeaucourt, past the north-west outskirts of Gonnelieu to La Vacquerie; it then turned east round the cross-roads between La Vacquerie and Bonavis, thence north-west to the ravine, and along the eastern and north-eastern slopes of Welsh Ridge. There were gaps in the line, in particular· north-east of La Vacquerie. As no troops were available to fill them, IIIrd Corps was asked for reinforcements and sent two battalions of the 6th Division—the 2/6th Sherwood Foresters, who were placed under the 59th Brigade, and the 1st Buffs, who went to the 60th. Between the 59th and 60th Brigades were elements of the 12th Division.

The 91st Field Artillery Brigade in action in the valley received orders from the C.R.A. during the afternoon to withdraw the batteries to Beaucamp that night. The limbers had been ordered up by the C.R.A., and they made their way by Metz and Beaucamp to Villers Plouich.

It was out of the question to withdraw the guns until after dark, as the enemy lay close up to the south-east edge of La Vacquerie, and through this village passed the only route to the battery positions. This was a deep sunken road, only wide enough for one team, and it had to be used to bring up the teams as well as to withdraw the guns. To ensure that no block should take place, arrangements had to be made for each battery to complete its withdrawal through the sunken road in turn.

Thanks to the thorough grasp of the situation and to the greatest coolness shown by all ranks the guns were successfully withdrawn with extraordinarily few casualties, in spite of the darkness of the night.

By 3 A.M. on the 1st of December the brigade was again in action just north of Beaucamp.

Among the many decorations awarded to the 91st Brigade for its successful action this day was the M.C. to Lieut. Ardagh, who was the sole remaining officer of C/91 Battery.

The same night Divisional Headquarters moved from Villers Plouich to a point half-way between Gouzeaucourt and Gouzeaucourt Wood.

Meanwhile the main German attack had been delivered with great determination on the north face of the salient. The divisions on this front inflicted enormous losses on the enemy, and against greatly superior numbers held their general line unbroken.

During the two following days the enemy’s attacks on the Divisional front were directed against the centre and the right of the line; the 61st Brigade on the left was not seriously threatened. Capt. Pegler, commanding the 10th R.B., who with a small party of his battalion had been fighting during the 30th under the 61st Brigade, reported at 2 A.M. on the 1st to Lieut.-Colonel Priaulx and took up a position on either side of the La Vacquerie—Masnières road. The enemy delivered two assaults against the 10th R.B. and the 11th R.B. at this point during the morning, but both were driven back, and the line was held under severe shelling throughout that day.

On the right the 60th Brigade was engaged more heavily. At dawn the Guards attacked along the ridge and entered Gonnelieu from the west, but at 8.30 A.M. the enemy put down a heavy barrage, followed by an attack on Gonnelieu and on the front of the 12th R.B. and the 12th K.R.R.C. to the north. The Guards were forced out of the village, and a wedge was driven between the centre and left companies of the 12th R.B. The three front line companies of this battalion (“D,” “A,” and “B”) had then only one unwounded officer among them. The company sergeant-major of “D” Company organised a counter attack with some of his men and a handful of “A” Company, and was last seen advancing against vastly superior numbers of the enemy near Gonnelieu. The right company of the 12th K.R.R.C. (“D” Company, under Capt. G. B. Loyd) meanwhile fired into the flank of the attack. At a critical moment Capt. Loyd was mortally wounded while directing the fire of his men, and this company, with twenty remaining men of “B” Company of the 12th R.B., fell back.

The situation at this point was saved by the right company of the 12th R.B. (“D” Company, under Capt. Williams, M.C.), which stood firm in the face of repeated attacks. Although wounded in the leg Capt. Williams remained in command and drove back the Germans on his front when they had broken through the gap on the left and were 200 yards to his rear. The men on the left used nearly all their ammunition, and three Lewis guns fired about twelve drums each into the enemy at ranges under 100 yards. The company suffered severely, only five men remaining unwounded in the left platoon, but the enemy was held and abandoned his efforts to break through.

At 10 A.M. the Guards delivered a counter attack with great steadiness under machine-gun fire and again entered Gonnelieu.

Meanwhile the 12th K.R.R.C. had been engaged at La Vacquerie. After very fierce fighting most of the day, they gallantly drove the enemy back and held the line unchanged. The battalion held a long line with no reserves, and the men were very exhausted. That night the 60th Brigade was relieved by the 183rd Brigade of the 61st Division.

The 29th Division at Masnières still held its ground, and during the day beat off a succession of determined attacks, withdrawing under orders during the night to the west bank of the canal. The gallant action of this division and of the 12th R.B. and 12th K.R.R.C. on each side of La Vacquerie went far to check the German advance.

During the 2nd of December the enemy confined his attacks to the La Vacquerie front, where he was repulsed three times by the 183rd Brigade. North-east of the village, after heavy shelling, he launched a bombing attack on the 10th and 11th R.B. under cover of heavy machine-gun fire, and gained a footing in the trench. Counter attacks were organised at once. Twice the trench was almost cleared, but eventually the supply of bombs gave out and a part of the line had to be withdrawn to the sunken road. “B” and “D” Companies of the 11th D.L.I. were sent from the 61st Brigade to reinforce the 11th R.B., and a new line on the slope just north-west of the road was established and held.

On the night of the 2nd/3rd the 59th and 61st Brigades were relieved, and on the morning of the 3rd the front was handed over to the 61st Division. Divisional Headquarters moved to Sorel, with the three brigades about Villers Plouich, Sorel and Fins.

The relief of the Divisional Artillery was out of the question, and the 91st Brigade remained for another fortnight in action north of Beaucamp. On the 3rd of December the enemy renewed his attack and succeeded in entering La Vacquerie and completed his capture of Gonnelieu. At Masnières and Marcoing he was again repulsed, but the line there was very exposed, and at night all troops who remained east of the canal were moved back to positions west of it.

Local attacks during the next few days gained little ground, and it was evident that the enemy was becoming exhausted. His success along the Bonavis Ridge, however, had left the divisions further north holding a dangerous salient, and made it necessary to withdraw that flank to the high ground at Flesquieres.[12] This was completed by the 7th, when our positions were finally established along the line shown in Map III.

The Headquarters of the Divisional Artillery was relieved on the 14th, and two days later the 91st Brigade pulled out of action.