The Seventh Manchesters, S. J. Wilson [most important books to read TXT] 📗

triumphantly with the officer

and one man as prisoners. They proved to be Jaegers, and although the

officer told us nothing the man was very voluble. It was some comfort to

find that of one fresh battalion that had entered Ablainzevelle, about

forty only remained. A couple of packets of Woodbines were found in the

pockets of the officer—loot from the canteen at Achiet-le-Grand. The

soldier told us that this form of German enterprise was reserved for the

officers.

 

This day, March 28th, marked the end of the heavy fighting. The German

thrust had been checked, and the effort to reach the Coast had failed. A

glance at the map will show that, had the advance continued here the

Arras position would have been seriously threatened, and the Germans

would have been well on their way to Abbeville and the Channel Ports.

That night the 7th were overjoyed to hear that they were to be relieved.

The L.F’s. took over the brigade sector, but the relief had been ordered

so suddenly that there was no time for reconnaissance, with the result

that it was almost dawn before the last platoon of the battalion had

struggled over the crest line to the old system of trenches 1,500 yards

further back in dead ground. Heavy rain, during the evening had

converted these neglected trenches into veritable ditches of mud. A few

cubby holes had been constructed by the previous occupants, and filled

with mud though they were, our men dropped into them and fell fast

asleep. It was the first undisturbed sleep they had had for nearly a

week, a period which had seemed more like a month. During the afternoon

the battalion received orders to furnish a billeting party which had to

proceed to Gommecourt. Billeting—this was indeed bliss. They received a

rude shock on arrival however to find that the word was a misnomer. We

were to relieve the 15th Hampshires of the 41st division, who had just

been hurried back from Italy. They occupied trenches on the edge of

Gommecourt village in support to the front line, which was only about

400 yards away. The astonishment of the battalion on arrival about 3

a.m., on March 30th, when they found the nature of their new

headquarters, can be easily imagined. They were indeed “fed up”—back to

the old game, mucking about in a muddy trench, keeping a keen look-out

when on sentry (for owing to a gap in the front line a portion of our

position virtually was front line), and still shell dodging. We were

also becoming rather disreputable for the weather had broken, and mud

became the ruling element. In this manner, Easter Sunday was spent. But

there were cheering rumours about going back for recuperation, and these

kept our spirits up.

 

April 1st—All Fools Day—we might have known. The brigade went back to

the old spot and thus settled all rumours for the present. Our work was

not yet done. The 7th went to the support trenches they had recently

vacated, but the 41st divisional R.E’s. had been busy upon them during

our absence, and a few habitable bivvies had been made. The 5th and 6th

were further back behind Essarts. The Hun had converted Essarts into a

perfect hell, and at irregular intervals he subjected it to tremendous

bombardments with his largest guns, particularly during the night. Our

transport knew something about this, for their road passed through the

village when bringing up rations at night. In this connection Lieut.

Wilkinson distinguished himself by the courageous manner in which he

got his column through during the most anxious moments. His job at this

time was not an enviable one, but we could always rely upon his arrival

each evening, very seldom late, with his store of rations, water, rum

and bundle of letters. After three days in reserve the brigade took over

the front line, in practically the same position as before, but there

had been a readjustment of divisional boundaries, so that we were now on

the left, while the 125th brigade were on the right, and their line ran

in front of Bucquoy. The 7th were in support at first, so we only moved

about 400 yards to trenches vacated by the 8th Manchesters.

 

At dawn on April 5th the Hun commenced to send over thousands of gas

shells in the direction of Essarts. It was a dull, misty

morning—perfect conditions for this form of devilry—and we could hear

the brutes whistling and whining over our heads for more than three

hours. The intention was, of course, to silence our guns, and the object

of this was to make an attack upon Bucquoy all the easier. He came over

at the L.F’s. and there was heavy fighting all the morning, but he did

not progress much. The 8th L.F’s. suffered severely, losing all their

officers, including Lt.-Col. Davies (previously of the 6th Manchesters),

who was killed. The enemy’s intention had been to take the village and

push on with a view to straightening the line, but he only captured the

eastern portion of the village, and that only after very heavy losses.

Similar progress had previously been made against the division on the

right, and this made the L.F. situation impossible. We afterwards learnt

that a large number of gas casualties had gone down from the Essarts

district. In their solicitude during the bitterest days the division had

called upon the battle surplus of each unit, and had made a composite

battalion of them to act in reserve amongst the trenches N.E. of

Gommecourt. These people, as well as the gunners, came in for the gas

shelling, and it was very disappointing to hear of our own men, like

C.S.M. Shields, Sgt. Tabbron, etc., who had been left behind as battle

surplus, going down gassed. Fortunately, most of them rejoined the

battalion later. During this day’s fighting some L.F’s. were staggered

to find an old French woman in a cellar in Bucquoy, and they had the

utmost difficulty in persuading her to leave her “home.” That was her

abode and she was prepared to live in it whatever the conditions.

 

The next few days resulted in a complete victory for mud. Rain

continued, and work as we would the conditions could not be conquered.

Men stood in it, and when they could, slept in it. To move about meant

wading through it, in places up to the thighs, and this was steadily

wearing out the last flicker of humanity and grit in our men. Casualties

were also increasing. Lieut. Bateman was wounded in Essarts whilst on

his way back to the battalion from a Course, and in “B” company 2nd-Lt.

Woodworth was hit. Eventually we relieved the 5th in the front line near

Ablainzevelle, where we found the trenches in an even worse condition,

if that were possible. Real joy possessed our souls, although it is

doubtful whether at the time we were capable of appreciating it, when

the news was definite that the division was to go right out for a rest.

On the night of April 7th, the 2nd 7th West Ridings (62nd division) came

up and relieved us, and the Fleur de Lys set their faces joyfully to the

west and marched off in good spirits, although with exhausted bodies,

conscious of having done their duty in stopping the mad rush of the

Huns.

 

CHAPTER VIII.

 

Worrying the Hun.

 

Never since the weary entry into Katia did the 7th Manchesters present

such a sorry appearance as they did when they straggled into Soustre in

the grey hours of April 8th. It was an effort to drag one leg in front

of another, and our feet were sodden and painful. Almost every particle

of clothing and equipment was smothered with red, clayey mud, and thin,

tired faces were covered with a many days’ growth of beard. Here we

struggled into a row of lorries and were carried off to Vauchelles to be

housed in huts vacated by some army school. After a good meal and a

sleep we were roused in the middle of the afternoon to be told that

another move had to be accomplished. With imprecations on the staff and

all its works we fell in and marched off to Louvencourt to occupy

billets, and were at last assured that we had settled for a rest.

 

The next few days we spent in recuperation and cleaning up. The rapidity

with which the men recovered their smart appearance was one of the

striking features of the war, and indicated the wonderful desire for

fitness that the Britisher had acquired in his soldiering days. Col

Bromfield, however, had not been able to withstand the strain, and to

the regret of everyone departed to hospital with pleurisy, a

circumstance made all the more depressing when we learnt that his return

was highly improbable. A more popular C.O. never commanded the 7th, and

we were always proud of his high opinion of us. In his dealings with all

ranks, from the second in command to the lowest private, he had ever

proved himself a perfect gentleman, while his control of matters during

the most anxious times inspired an unswerving confidence. As a gallant

leader and commander his name stands high in the records of the

battalion.

 

It was by no means certain that the enemy would not open out with

another onslaught on this front, for he was making desperate efforts to

reach Amiens further south, and a break through here would make his task

much easier. With the assistance of Chinese labour lines of trenches had

been dug, and they were speedily wired in by batches of Royal Engineers

and Labour Corps. The first system to be defended if the front line

collapsed was called the Purple Line. Behind that was the Red Line,

while further back still was the Brown Line, protecting Doullens. It was

here during these troubled days that the historic meeting took place

between Sir Douglas Haig and Marshal Foch, when the latter took over

supreme command. As well as regaining lost energy the 42nd division had

to be responsible for a portion of the Red Line in the event of a break

through, so at various times parties of officers and N.C.O’s. made trips

to it for reconnaisance purposes, and schemes were evolved for the

possible disposition of companies and the siting of L.G. posts, etc.,

under the leadership of Major Higham, now commanding the battalion.

 

After a week at Louvencourt we moved up into the line again, the

division relieving the 37th division in the Hebuterne and Rossignol Wood

sector. No one was sorry to get into a fresh part of the line. We felt

that we did not wish to see the Bucquoy-Ablainzevelle road again! For

some time now the 42nd had been one of the divisions of the IV. Corps,

commanded by Lt.-Gen. Harper, the one-time commander of the famous 51st

(Highland Territorial) division, and as such we were to remain until

Germany was defeated. We were in goodly company, for the other divisions

were the New Zealanders, the 37th and eventually the 5th, but we were

never put to shame at any time. Indeed, the spirit of “Go one better”

was always amplified by deeds, and by none more assiduously than the 7th

Manchesters.

 

Hebuterne and the immediate district was the “happy hunting ground” of

the division until the final grand hunt in August. As in 1914 the

village stood on the high-water mark of the advancing tide of Huns. In

their last effort they had captured it but the Australians had driven

them out again. If a visit be paid to this part of France the reason for

its importance to either side will be seen at once, for it stands near

the northern end of a commanding ridge which runs north and south, and

from which good observation is obtained