The Seventh Manchesters - S. J. Wilson (leveled readers .TXT) 📗
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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
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