Davson, HISTOIRE de la 35ème DIVISION de la GRANDE GUERRE, 1914-1919 Bantams SOMME mode Ypres

The History of the 35th Division in the Great War

Excerpt:

XV. Locke

On June 30th the division entrained at Doullens and Candas for the XIX Corps Area (Lieut.-General Sir H. E. Watts). The 104th Brigade detrained at St. Omer and marched to Tattinghem ; the 105th at Wizernes and billeted in the neighbourhood ; the 106th at Arques and marched to Ebblinghem. The artillery detrained at all three places and concentrated at Wormhout and Ouderzeele. The 19/Northumberland Fusiliers were at Hallines. Divisional Headquarters spent the day at Wizernes.

The division was once again in the area which had been occupied on the first arrival in France two-and-a-half years before, but next day all units moved forward by omnibus and march route to the area between Winnizeele and Abeele and were accommodated partly in billets and partly in camp. The 104th Brigade relieved three battalions of the French 71st Division in reserve.

On July 3rd the positions were as follows :—-The 104th Brigade was moving up to relieve the French 217th Regiment in the Locre sector, and advanced parties of the 17/Lancashire Fusiliers, the Machine-Gun Battalion and the Trench Mortar Batteries went into the line with the French. The 105th Brigade was partly at Arques and partly at Abeele. The 106th was at Winnizeele. The Pioneers were at Godewaersvelde. The artillery was in the act of taking up reserve positions 2,000 yards south-west of Poperinghe, relieving the French 7th divisional artillery.

On the 4th the 104th Brigade began the relief of the 217th French Regiment; the 105th relieved the 104th in the Abeele area ; the 106th moved to Godewaersvelde, the 18/Highland L.I. relieving a battalion of the 221 French Regiment in the line of the Locre sector. The artillery put two guns per battery into the line in the neighbourhood of Westoutre.

During the next two days the relief was completed.

The G.O.C. took over command of the Locre sector at 8 a.m. on the 6th, with headquarters at Le Mort Homme (La Montagne) in a quarry one mile north-east of Mont des Cats. Rear headquarters was at Terdeghem. The division was under the tactical command of the French XVI Corps, but was administered by the British XIX Corps. The 41st Division was on the left, and the 41st French Division, which was in process of relief by the 36th British Division, was on the right. The 104th Brigade was on the left at the Scher-penberg, the 105th, which had relieved the 358th French Regiment on the previous night, was in the centre on Mont Rouge, and the 106th on the right on Mont Vidaigne and Mont Noir.

The country in which the 35th Division was destined to fight for the next month is chiefly noteworthy in that it contained "many of those isolated hills which rise at intervals above the Flanders Plain, the best known of which lie in a straight line from west to east, namely, Cassel, Mont des Cats, and Kemmel. Cassel, with its town, for long the headquarters of the Second Army, and its numerous windmills was to become familiar to the troops of the division. Mont des Cats, crowned by the buildings of the Trappist Monastery, was a notable feature in the landscape, and the once beautiful and verdure-clad Kemmel was, when the 35th Division arrived in the area, a stark memorial of the desolation of warfare.

Between Mont des Cats and Kemmel is a range running from north-east to south-west including Scherpenberg, isolated to the north, and Mont Rouge, Mont Vidaigne, and Mont Noir. These latter joined together to form one chain about two miles in length, and rising about 300 feet above the level of the plain. Since 1914 this region had been a reserve billeting area, but the events of the 9th and 10th of April had brought it once more into the battle zone. The heavy onslaughts of fresh German troops against British divisions, many of which had already been deeply engaged farther south, had compelled the Commander-in-Chief to ask for assistance from the French. On the 16th these reinforcements began to arrive and eventually came into line from the Kemmel-Messines road to the Flanche Becque, north of Bailleul. On April 25th a violent bombardment followed by an overwhelming attack had forced our allies from Kemmel Hill and back across the intervening low ground to the east of the Scherpenberg-Mont Noir line. Here, in spite of further enemy efforts, the hostile advance was stopped and some successful counter attacks improved the position and re-took the village of Locre, part of which had been lost. This German success on the south seriously threatened the communications in the Salient and made necessary a withdrawal of the line east of Ypres. Any further success in this area might have made necessary the evacuation of Ypres itself. As it was, the advantage gained by the enemy necessitated the Ypres-Poperinghe road being camouflaged as far as Vlamertinghe.

Such was the situation when the 35th Division took over the line, and instructions were issued to the effect that no further withdrawal was to be thought of, and that any movement made was to be in advance.

The enemy commenced operations at once. At 4.15 a.m. on the. 7th a party of about 30 attempted a raid on a post of the 17/Lan-cashire Fusiliers near Locre Hospice. A sharp hand-to-hand fight ensued, and the enemy was driven off with casualties, leaving identifications. From 3.30 p.m. to 6 p.m. a destructive shoot was carried out against C/159 Battery, which was situated close under the hills, and considerable damage was done to the equipment and to the position. On the 8th Scherpenberg was shelled throughout the day.

Heavy thunderstorms possibly stopped any hostile infantry movements, but the headquarters of the division was bombarded and 5 casualties caused by a direct hit on the General Staff Office. Mont Rouge was shelled by howitzers (5.9 in.), and the left portion of the front line also received attention.

The communications forward of the line of heights were in full view of the enemy, and in most cases reliefs, supply parties, etc., could only move at night.

The next few days were very wet but fairly quiet. An enemy raid on the left battalion front was repulsed, and a patrol encounter in front of the centre brigade caused a few casualties.

On the night 14th/15th the 18/Lancashire Fusiliers under a Stokes mortar and artillery barrage carried out a raid on the enemy position 1,200 yards east of Locre and north of the Kemmel road. The advance was checked owing to the trench mortar barrage falling short, and on account of this the party on the right had to withdraw. A few minutes later it appeared probable that enemy bombs were also falling in front of the hostile wire in addition to our own. In spite of this, efforts were made to reach the trench which was the point of attack. On the right 2nd Lieutenant Hill got through the wire, whilst it was being cut by a bangalore torpedo, and his section followed him. This party came under machine-gun and rifle fire, and Lieutenant Hill was wounded in the arm and knocked over by a bomb. Undaunted by this he led his men forward, bombed the trench, and silenced the machine-gun.

2nd Lieutenant Silliton, on the left, also entered the trench with two sections and searched a big dug-out, but found it empty. The delay caused by the short shooting of the mortars made further progress impossible; and the party withdrew.

Later on, a patrol under Captain Rigby, M.C., went out to search for killed and wounded. This patrol penetrated the wire for the second time by the gap made by the torpedo on the right. Corporal Gripps, 203rd Company R.E., had fired this. He also afterwards brought in a wounded man on his back from the hostile trench.

It was considered that the reason the raid did not achieve greater success was due to the delay and confusion caused by the short shooting of the Stokes. A considerable increase in hostile artillery activity on the next day was apparently the result of it.

As intelligence indicated a hostile attack on the army front on. the 18th, intense harassing fire was carried out on the night 17th/ 18th between 10 p.m. and 3.15 a.m., and again at noon on the 18th. No attack developed, and except that Locre was heavily shelled, the day was abnormally quiet. On the 20th the 12/Highland L.I. occupied several hostile posts, which the enemy made no attempt to retake. Booby traps were found in some of them, but were destroyed without mishap. The 105th Brigade advanced the posts held by it in order to conform. A patrol of the 4/North Staffordshire advanced on a machine-gun post but found it unexpectedly empty, and two nights later, in reply to an abortive German raid, a patrol attempted to force its way through the wire of an enemy strong point, but was held up with bombs and rifle fire. A hand-to-hand fight ensued, and one German was killed. The patrol leader and two others were afterwards found to be missing. Hostile fire now increased again, and on the 25th the battery positions were subjected to a severe bombardment. Both A/159 and B/159 Batteries lost guns.

The project was now formed that an attack should be made on the high ground known as the Dranoutre Ridge. This operation, which was to be on a somewhat large scale, was entrusted to the 106th Brigade, and accordingly, in order to allow of the necessary preparations, on the night 25th/26th, the 17/Royal Scots and the 12/Highland L.I. were relieved in the line by two battalions of the 90th Brigade, 30th Division (15th and 16th London battalions). On the following night the 18/Highland L.I. were relieved, and the command of the right sector passed to the G.O.C. 90th Brigade. Simultaneously, the 77th Brigade, A.F.A., came under orders of the C.R.A., 35th Division. At the same date General Marindin, by desire of the Corps Commander, moved his headquarters to the rear position at Terdeghem. The C.R.A. and C.R.E. remained at Le Mort Homme.

On the night of the 27th, at 11.30p.m., a very successful operation was carried out by the 19/Durham L.I. against the enemy trenches opposite the Hospice at Locre. The force consisted of 28 other ranks of " X " Company under Captains Smith and Ryall and 32 of " Z " Company under 2nd Lieutenants Dyer and Jordan. Captain H. Heaton, M.C., supervised the enterprise.

The party got into position in front of its lines before zero, and bangalore torpedoes were placed in the enemy wire. Then, under an accurate artillery and Stokes mortar barrage, the party advanced and entered the enemy work, at two points. It was soon evident that either a relief was in progress or that the enemy was forming up for an attack, for the trenches were full of men, many of whom lined up on the parapet. Fierce hand-to-hand fighting followed the entry of the Durhams in which at least 20 of the enemy were killed.

On the left, Captain Ryall with some men rushed a machine-gun post and, although himself seriously wounded, eventually captured it and killed the crew. Subsequently, with the assistance of his servant, he brought the gun back to our lines.

The enemy troops fought bravely and showed little or no inclination to surrender. It was, therefore, necessary to exercise extreme measures in dealing with them. Four prisoners were sent back to headquarters, but, owing to recalcitration on their part, only 2 could be delivered alive. In addition to those overcome in the actual fighting, about 50 dead were counted in the trench, who presumably had been killed by the barrage. None of the Durhams was killed. In addition to Captain Ryall, Captain Smith and Lieutenants Dyer and Jordan were slightly wounded, as well as about 20 men. The battalion was then relieved by the 17/Lancashire Fusiliers.

On the 29th the Army and Corps Commanders inspected the 106th Brigade, which was then training for attack in the Sylvester Cappel Area, and on this day the 27th Battalion of the 2nd Canadian Division was attached to the 35th Division for instruction in the line. On the 31st this battalion relieved the 19/Durham L.I. in reserve in the left sector, and the Durhams moved back to camp near Terdeghem.

Mont Rouge had now been heavily shelled for three days in succession and, in addition to this, the enemy appeared to be adopting our methods of dropping sudden crashes of fire on sensitive spots. Some damage was done, notably to the advanced wagon line of the 159th Brigade, R.F.A., but, generally, the casualties were not in proportion to the expenditure of ammunition. Per contra, it was stated by prisoners that our harassing fire by night was causing the enemy great inconvenience.

On August 1st the 17/Lancashire Fusiliers celebrated Minden Day by raiding the German trenches a thousand yards east of Locre. Two platoons started under Lieutenants Stott and Worthington. No artillery or Stokes barrage was employed. Lieutenant Stotts party entered the trench and captured a prisoner. The rest of the garrison were either killed or fled . . .