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diff --git a/old/65043-0.txt b/old/65043-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 67e431c..0000000 --- a/old/65043-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8431 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The British Campaign in France and Flanders -1915, by Arthur Conan Doyle - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The British Campaign in France and Flanders 1915 - -Author: Arthur Conan Doyle - -Release Date: April 09, 2021 [eBook #65043] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Al Haines - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BRITISH CAMPAIGN IN FRANCE AND -FLANDERS 1915 *** - - - - - THE BRITISH CAMPAIGN - - IN FRANCE AND FLANDERS - - 1915 - - - - BY - - ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE - - - - AUTHOR OF - 'THE GREAT BOER WAR,' ETC. - - - - SECOND EDITION - - - - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO - MCMXVII - - - - - UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME. - - BY THE SAME AUTHOR - - THE BRITISH CAMPAIGN - IN FRANCE AND FLANDERS - 1914 - - LONDON: HODDER AND STOUGHTON - - - - -{v} - -PREFACE - -In the previous volume of this work, which dealt with the doings of -the British Army in France and Flanders during the year 1914, I -ventured to claim that a great deal of it was not only accurate but -that it was very precisely correct in its detail. This claim has -been made good, for although many military critics and many -distinguished soldiers have read it there has been no instance up to -date of any serious correction. Emboldened by this I am now putting -forward an account of the doings of 1915, which will be equally -detailed and, as I hope, equally accurate. In the late autumn a -third volume will carry the story up to the end of 1916, covering the -series of battles upon the Somme. - -The three years of war may be roughly divided into the year of -defence, the year of equilibrium, and the year of attack. This -volume concerns itself with the second, which in its very nature must -be less dramatic than the first or third. None the less it contains -some of the most moving scenes of the great world tragedy, and -especially the second Battle of Ypres and the great Battle of Loos, -two desperate {vi} conflicts the details of which have not, so far as -I know, been given up to now to the public. - -Now, as before, I must plead guilty to many faults of omission, which -often involve some injustice, since an author is naturally tempted to -enlarge upon what he knows at the expense of that about which he is -less well informed. These faults may be remedied with time, but in -the meantime I can only claim indulgence for the obvious difficulty -of my task. With the fullest possible information at his disposal, I -do not envy the task of the chronicler who has to strike a just -balance amid the claims of some fifty divisions. - -ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE. - - WINDLESHAM, CROWBOROUGH, - _April_ 1917. - - - - -{vii} - -CONTENTS - -CHAPTER I - -THE OPENING MONTHS OF 1915 - -Conflict of the 1st Brigade at Cuinchy, and of the 3rd Brigade at -Givenchy--Heavy losses of the Guards--Michael O'Leary, V.C.--Relief -of French Divisions by the Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth -British--Pressure on the Fifth Corps--Force subdivided into two -armies--Disaster to 16th Lancers--The dearth of munitions - - -CHAPTER II - -NEUVE CHAPELLE AND HILL 60 - -The opening of the spring campaign--Surprise of Neuve Chapelle--The -new artillery--Gallant advance and terrible losses--The Indians in -Neuve Chapelle--A sterile victory--The night action of St. Eloi--Hill -60--The monstrous mine--The veteran 13th Brigade--A bloody -battle--London Territorials on the Hill--A contest of endurance--The -first signs of poison - - -CHAPTER III - -THE SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES - -(Stage I.--The Gas Attack, April 22-30) - -Situation at Ypres--The poison gas--The Canadian ordeal--The fight in -the wood of St. Julien--The French recovery--Miracle days--The -glorious Indians--The Northern Territorials--Hard fighting--The net -result--Loss of Hill 60 - - -{viii} - -CHAPTER IV - -THE SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES - -(Stage II.--The Bellewaarde Lines) - -The second phase--Attack on the Fourth Division--Great stand of the -Princess Pats--Breaking of the line--Desperate attacks--The cavalry -save the situation--The ordeal of the 11th Brigade--The German -failure--Terrible strain on the British--The last effort of May -24--Result of the battle--Sequence of events - - -CHAPTER V - -THE BATTLE OF RICHEBOURG-FESTUBERT - -(May 9-24) - -The new attack--Ordeal of the 25th Brigade--Attack of the First -Division--Fateful days--A difficult situation--Attack of the Second -Division--Attack of the Seventh Division--British success--Good work -of the Canadians--Advance of the Forty-seventh London Division--The -lull before the storm - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE TRENCHES OF HOOGE - -The British line in June 1915--Canadians at Givenchy--Attack of 154th -Brigade--8th Liverpool Irish--Third Division at Hooge--11th Brigade -near Ypres--Flame attack on the Fourteenth Light Division--Victory of -the Sixth Division at Hooge - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE BATTLE OF LOOS - -(The First Day--September 25) - -General order of battle--Check of the Second Division--Advance of the -Ninth and Seventh Divisions--Advance of the First Division--Fine -progress of the Fifteenth Division--Capture of Loos--Work of the -Forty-seventh London Division - - -{ix} - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE BATTLE OF LOOS - -(The Second Day--September 26) - -Death of General Capper--Retirement of the Fifteenth -Division--Advance of the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-first -Divisions--Heavy losses--Desperate struggle--General retirement on -the right--Rally round Loos--Position in the evening - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE BATTLE OF LOOS - -(From September 27 to the end of the year) - -Loss of Fosse 8--Death of General Thesiger--Advance of the -Guards--Attack of the Twenty-eighth Division--Arrival of the Twelfth -Division--German counter-attacks--Attack by the Forty-sixth Division -upon Hohenzollern Redoubt--Subsidiary attacks--General -observations--Return of Lord French to England - - -INDEX - - - - -MAPS AND PLANS - - -Map to illustrate the British Campaign in France and Flanders -[Transcriber's note: omitted from ebook because its size and -fragility made it impractical to scan] - -British Front, 1915 - -Ypres District - -Order of Battle, May 7th - -Richebourg District - -Loos District - -Battle of Loos--I. - -Battle of Loos--II. - - - - -[Illustration: BRITISH FRONT, 1915.] - - - - -{1} - -CHAPTER I - -THE OPENING MONTHS OF 1915 - -Conflict of the 1st Brigade at Cuinchy, and of the 3rd Brigade at -Givenchy--Heavy losses of the Guards--Michael O'Leary, V.C.--Relief -of French Divisions by the Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth -British--Pressure on the Fifth Corps--Force subdivided into two -armies--Disaster to 16th Lancers--The dearth of munitions. - - -The weather after the new year was atrocious, heavy rain, frost, and -gales of wind succeeding each other with hardly a break. The ground -was so sodden that all movements of troops became impossible, and the -trench work was more difficult than ever. The British, with their -steadily increasing numbers, were now able to take over some of the -trenches of the French and to extend their general line. This trench -work came particularly hard upon the men who were new to the work and -often fresh from the tropics. A great number of the soldiers -contracted frost-bite and other ailments. The trenches were very -wet, and the discomfort was extreme. There had been some thousands -of casualties in the Fifth Corps from this cause before it can be -said to have been in action. On the other hand, the medical service, -which was extraordinarily efficient, did everything possible to -preserve the health of the men. Wooden troughs were provided as a -stance for them in the trenches, {2} and vats heated to warm them -when they emerged. Considering that typhoid fever was common among -the civilian residents, the health of the troops remained remarkably -good, thanks to the general adoption of inoculation, a practice -denounced by a handful of fanatics at home, but of supreme importance -at the front, where the lesson of old wars, that disease was more -deadly than the bullet, ceased to hold good. - -On January 25 the Germans again became aggressive. If their spy -system is as good as is claimed, they must by this time have known -that all talk of bluff in connection with the new British armies was -mere self-deception, and that if ever they were to attempt anything -with a hope of success, it must be speedily before the line had -thickened. As usual there was a heavy bombardment, and then a -determined infantry advance--this time to the immediate south of the -Bethune Canal, where there was a salient held by the 1st Infantry -Brigade with the French upon their right. The line was thinly held -at the time by a half-battalion 1st Scots Guards and a half-battalion -1st Coldstream, a thousand men in all. One trench of the Scots -Guards was blown up by a mine and the German infantry rushed it, -killing, wounding, or taking every man of the 130 defenders. Three -officers were hit, and Major Morrison-Bell, a member of parliament, -was taken after being buried in the debris of the explosion. The -remainder of the front line, after severe losses both in casualties -and in prisoners, fell back from the salient and established -themselves with the rest of their respective battalions on a straight -line of defence, one flank on the canal, the other on the main -Bethune-La Bassée high road. {3} A small redoubt or keep had been -established here, which became the centre of the defence. - -Whilst the advance of the enemy was arrested at this line, -preparations were made for a strong counter-attack. An attempt had -been made by the enemy with their heavy guns to knock down the lock -gates of the canal and to flood the ground in the rear of the -position. This, however, was unsuccessful, and the counter-attack -dashed to the front. The advancing troops consisted of the 1st Black -Watch, part of the 1st Camerons, and the 2nd Rifles from the reserve. -The London Scottish supported the movement. The enemy had flooded -past the keep, which remained as a British island in a German lake. -They were driven back with difficulty, the Black Watch advancing -through mud up to their knees and losing very heavily from a cross -fire. Two companies were practically destroyed. Finally, by an -advance of the Rifles and 2nd Sussex after dark the Germans were -ousted from all positions in advance of the keep, and this line -between the canal and the road was held once more by the British. -The night fell, and after dark the 1st Brigade, having suffered -severely, was withdrawn, and the 2nd Brigade remained in occupation -with the French upon their right. This was the action of Cuinchy -falling upon the 1st Brigade, supported by part of the 2nd. - -Whilst this long-drawn fight of January 25 had been going on to the -south of the canal, there had been a vigorous German advance to the -north of it, over the old ground which centres on Givenchy. The -German attack, which came on in six lines, fell principally upon the -1st Gloucesters, who held the front trench. Captain Richmond, who -commanded {4} the advanced posts, had observed at dawn that the -German wire had been disturbed and was on the alert. Large numbers -advanced, but were brought to a standstill about forty yards from the -position. These were nearly all shot down. Some of the stormers -broke through upon the left of the Gloucesters, and for a time the -battalion had the enemy upon their flank and even in their rear, but -they showed great steadiness and fine fire discipline. A charge was -made presently upon the flank by the 2nd Welsh aided by a handful of -the Black Watch under Lieutenant Green, who were there as a working -party, but found more congenial work awaiting them. Lieutenant Bush -of the Gloucesters with his machine-guns did particularly fine work. -This attack was organised by Captain Rees, aided by Major -MacNaughton, who was in the village as an artillery observer. The -upshot was that the Germans on the flank were all killed, wounded, or -taken. A remarkable individual exploit was performed by Lieutenant -James and Corporal Thomas of the Welsh, who took a trench with 40 -prisoners. A series of attacks to the north-east of the village were -also repulsed, the South Wales Borderers doing some splendid work. - -Thus the results of the day's fighting was that on the north the -British gained a minor success, beating off all attacks, while to the -south the Germans could claim an advantage, having gained some -ground. The losses on both sides were considerable, those of the -British being principally among Scots Guards, Coldstream and Black -Watch to the south, and Welsh to the north. The action was barren of -practical results. - -There were some days of quiet, and then upon January 29 the -Fourteenth German Corps buzzed {5} out once more along the classic -canal. This time they made for the keep, which has already been -mentioned, and endeavoured to storm it with the aid of axes and -scaling ladders. Solid Sussex was inside the keep, however, and -ladders and stormers were hurled to the ground, while bombs were -thrown on to the heads of the attackers. The Northamptons to the -south were driven out for an instant, but came back with a rush and -drove off their assailants. The skirmish cost the British few -casualties, but the enemy lost heavily, leaving two hundred of his -dead behind him. "Having arranged a code signal we got the first -shell from the 40th R.F.A. twelve seconds after asking for it." So -much for the co-operation between our guns and our infantry. - -On February 1 the Guards who had suffered in the first fight at -Cuinchy got back a little of what was owing to them. The action -began by a small post of the 2nd Coldstream of the 4th Brigade being -driven back. An endeavour was made to reinstate it in the early -morning, but it was not successful. After daylight there was a -proper artillery preparation, followed by an assault by a storming -party of Coldstream and Irish Guards, led by Captain Leigh Bennett -and Lieutenant Graham. The lost ground and a German trench beyond it -were captured with 32 prisoners and 2 machine-guns. It was in this -action that Michael O'Leary, the gallant Irish Guardsman, shot or -bayoneted eight Germans and cleared a trench single-handed, one of -the most remarkable individual feats of the War, for which a Victoria -Cross was awarded. Again the fight fell upon the 4th Brigade, where -Lord Cavan was gaining something of the reputation of his brother -peer, Lord {6} "Salamander" Cutts, in the days of Marlborough. On -February 6 he again made a dashing attack with a party of the 3rd -Coldstream and Irish, in which the Germans were driven out of the -Brickfield position. The sappers under Major Fowkes rapidly made -good the ground that the infantry had won, and it remained -permanently with the British. - -Another long lull followed this outburst of activity in the region of -the La Bassée Canal, and the troops sank back once more into their -muddy ditches, where, under the constant menace of the sniper, the -bomb and the shell, they passed the weary weeks with a patience which -was as remarkable as their valour. The British Army was still -gradually relieving the French troops, who had previously relieved -them. Thus in the north the newly-arrived Twenty-seventh and -Twenty-eighth Divisions occupied several miles which had been held on -the Ypres salient by General D'Urbal's men. Unfortunately, these two -divisions, largely composed of men who had come straight from the -tropics, ran into a peculiarly trying season of frost and rain, which -for a time inflicted great hardship and loss upon them. To add to -their trials, the trenches at the time they took them over were not -only in a very bad state of repair, but had actually been mined by -the Germans, and these mines were exploded shortly after the -transfer, to the loss of the new occupants. The pressure of the -enemy was incessant and severe in this part of the line, so that the -losses of the Fifth Corps were for some weeks considerably greater -than those of all the rest of the line put together. Two of the -veteran brigades of the Second Corps, the 9th Fusilier Brigade -(Douglas Smith) and the 13th (Wanless {7} O'Gowan), were sent north -to support their comrades, with the result that this sector was once -again firmly held. Any temporary failure was in no way due to a -weakness of the Fifth Army Corps, who were to prove their mettle in -many a future fight, but came from the fact, no doubt unavoidable but -none the less unfortunate, that these troops, before they had gained -any experience, were placed in the very worst trenches of the whole -British line. "The trenches (so called) scarcely existed," said one -who went through this trying experience, "and the ruts which were -honoured with the name were liquid. We crouched in this morass of -water and mud, living, dying, wounded and dead together for 48 hours -at a stretch." Add to this that the weather was bitterly cold with -incessant rain, and more miserable conditions could hardly be -imagined. In places the trenches of the enemy were not more than -twenty yards off, and the shower of bombs was incessant. - -The British Army had now attained a size when it was no longer proper -that a corps should be its highest unit. From this time onwards the -corps were themselves distributed into different armies. At present, -two of these armies were organised. The First, under General Sir -Douglas Haig, comprised the First Corps, the Fourth Corps -(Rawlinson), and the Indian Corps. The Second Army contained the -Second Corps (Ferguson), the Third Corps (Pulteney), and the Fifth -Corps (Plumer), all under Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien. The new -formations as they came out were either fitted into these or formed -part of a third army. Most of the brigades were strengthened by the -addition of one, and often of two territorial battalions. Each army -consisted roughly at this {8} time of 120,000 men. The Second Army -was in charge of the line to the north, and the First to the south. - -On the night of February 14 Snow's Twenty-seventh Division, which had -been somewhat hustled by the Germans in the Ypres section, made a -strong counter-attack under the cover of darkness, and won back four -trenches near St. Eloi from which they had been driven by a German -rush. This dashing advance was carried out by the 82nd Brigade -(Longley's), and the particular battalions which were most closely -engaged were the 2nd Cornwalls, the 1st Royal Irish, and 2nd Royal -Irish Fusiliers. They were supported by the 80th Brigade -(Fortescue's). The losses amounted to 300 killed and wounded. The -Germans lost as many and a few prisoners were taken. The affair was -of no great consequence in itself, but it marked a turn in the -affairs of Plumer's Army Corps, whose experience up to now had been -depressing. The enemy, however, was still aggressive and -enterprising in this part of the line. Upon the 20th they ran a mine -under a trench occupied by the 16th Lancers, and the explosion -produced most serious effects. 5 officers killed, 3 wounded, and 60 -men _hors de combat_ were the fruits of this unfortunate incident, -which pushed our trenches back for 40 yards on a front of 150 yards. -The Germans had followed up the explosion by an infantry attack, -which was met and held by the remains of the 16th, aided by a handful -of French infantry and a squadron of the 11th Hussars. On this same -day an accidental shot killed General Gough, chief staff officer of -the First Corps, one of the most experienced and valuable leaders of -the Army. - -On the 21st, the Twenty-eighth Division near Ypres {9} had a good -deal of hard fighting, losing trenches and winning them, but coming -out at the finish rather the loser on balance. The losses of the day -were 250 killed and wounded, the greatest sufferers being the Royal -Lancasters. Somewhat south of Ypres, at Zwarteleen, the 1st West -Kents were exposed to a shower of projectiles from the deadly -_minenwerfer_, which are more of the nature of aerial torpedoes than -ordinary bombs. Their losses under this trying ordeal were 3 -officers and 19 men killed, 1 officer and 18 men wounded. There was -a lull after this in the trench fighting for some little time, which -was broken upon February 28 by a very dashing little attack of the -Princess Patricia's Canadian regiment, which as one of the units of -the 80th Brigade had been the first Canadian Battalion to reach the -front. Upon this occasion, led by Lieutenants Crabb and Papineau, -they rushed a trench in their front, killed eleven of its occupants, -drove off the remainder, and levelled it so that it should be -untenable. Their losses in this exploit were very small. During -this period of the trench warfare it may be said generally that the -tendency was for the Germans to encroach upon British ground in the -Ypres section and for the British to take theirs in the region of La -Bassée. - -With the opening of the warmer weather great preparations had been -made by Great Britain for carrying on the land campaign, and these -now began to bear fruit. Apart from the numerous Territorial -regiments which had already been incorporated with regular -brigades--some fifty battalions in all--there now appeared several -divisions entirely composed of Territorials. The 46th North Midland -and 48th South Midland Divisions were the first to form independent -{10} units, but they were soon followed by others. It had been -insufficiently grasped that the supply of munitions was as important -as that of men, and that the expenditure of shell was something so -enormous in modern warfare that the greedy guns, large and small, -could keep a great army of workmen employed in satisfying their -immoderate demands. The output of shells and cartridges in the month -of March was, it is true, eighteen times greater than in September, -and 3000 separate firms were directly or indirectly employed in war -production; but operations were hampered by the needs of batteries -which could consume in a day what the workshops could at that time -hardly produce in a month. Among the other activities of Great -Britain at this period was the great strengthening of her heavy -artillery, in which for many months her well-prepared enemy had so -vast an advantage. Huge engines lurked in the hearts of groves and -behind hillocks at the back of the British lines, and the cheery news -went round that even the heaviest bully that ever came out of Essen -would find something of its own weight stripped and ready for the -fray. - -There was still considerable activity in the St. Eloi sector -south-east of Ypres, where the German attacks were all, as it proved, -the preliminaries of a strong advance. So persistent were they that -Plumer's men were constantly striving for elbow room. On March 2 -part of Fortescue's 80th Brigade, under Major Widdington of the 4th -Rifles, endeavoured to push back the pressure in this region, and -carried the nearest trench, but were driven out again by the German -bombs. The losses were about 200, of which 47 fell upon the 3rd, and -110 upon the 4th {11} Rifles. In these operations a very great -strain came upon the Engineers, who were continually in front of the -trenches at night, fixing the wire entanglements and doing other -dangerous work under the very rifles of the Germans. It is pleasing -to record that in this most hazardous task the Territorial sappers -showed that they were worthy comrades of the Regulars. Major -Gardner, Commander of the North Midland Field Company, and many -officers and men died in the performance of this dangerous duty. - - - - -{12} - -CHAPTER II - -NEUVE CHAPELLE AND HILL 60 - -The opening of the spring campaign--Surprise of Neuve Chapelle--The -new artillery--Gallant advance and terrible losses--The Indians in -Neuve Chapelle--A sterile victory--The night action of St. Eloi--Hill -60--The monstrous mine--The veteran 13th Brigade--A bloody -battle--London Territorials on the Hill--A contest of endurance--The -first signs of poison. - - -We now come to the close of the long period of petty and desultory -warfare, which is only relieved from insignificance by the fact that -the cumulative result during the winter was a loss to the Army of not -less than twenty thousand men. With the breaking of the spring and -the drying of the water-soaked meadows of Flanders, an era of larger -and more ambitious operations had set in, involving, it is true, -little change of position, but far stronger forces on the side of the -British. The first hammer-blow of Sir John French was directed, upon -March 10, against that village of Neuve Chapelle which had, as -already described, changed hands several times, and eventually -remained with the Germans during the hard fighting of Smith-Dorrien's -Corps in the last week of October. The British trenches had been -drawn a few hundred yards to the west of the village, and there had -been no change during the last four months. Behind the village was -the Aubers Ridge, and behind that again {13} the whole great plain of -Lille and Turcoing. This was the spot upon which the British General -had determined to try the effects of his new artillery. - -[Sidenote: The British surprise.] - -His secret was remarkably well kept. Few British and and no Germans -knew where the blow was to fall. The boasted spy system was -completely at fault. The success of Sir John in keeping his secret -was largely dependent upon the fact that above the British lines an -air space had been cleared into which no German airman could enter -save at his own very great peril. No great movement of troops was -needed since Haig's army lay opposite to the point to be attacked, -and it was to two of his corps that the main assault was assigned. -On the other hand, there was a considerable concentration of guns, -which were arranged, over three hundred in number, in such a position -that their fire could converge from various directions upon the area -of the German defences. - -It was planned that Smith-Dorrien, along the whole line held by the -Second Army to the north, should demonstrate with sufficient energy -to hold the Germans from reinforcing their comrades. To the south of -the point of attack, the First Army Corps in the Givenchy -neighbourhood had also received instructions to make a strong -demonstration. Thus the Germans of Neuve Chapelle, who were believed -to number only a few battalions, were isolated on either side. It -was advisable also to hinder their reinforcements coming from the -reserves in the northern towns behind the fighting lines. With this -object, instructions were given to the British airmen at any personal -risk to attack all the railway points along which the trains could -come. This was duly done, and the junctions of Menin, Courtrai, Don, -and Douai were {14} attacked, Captain Carmichael and other airmen -bravely descending within a hundred feet of their mark. - -The troops chosen for the assault were Rawlinson's Fourth Army Corps -upon the left and the Indian Corps upon the right, upon a front of -half a mile, which as the operation developed broadened to three -thousand yards. The object was not the mere occupation of the -village, but an advance to the farthest point attainable. The Second -Division of Cavalry was held in reserve, to be used in case the -German line should be penetrated. All during the hours of the night -the troops in single file were brought up to the advanced trenches, -which in many cases were less than a hundred yards from the enemy. -Before daylight they were crammed with men waiting most eagerly for -the signal to advance. Short ladders had been distributed, so that -the stormers could swarm swiftly out of the deep trenches. - -The obstacle in front of the Army was a most serious one. The barbed -wire entanglements were on an immense scale, the trenches were -bristling with machine-guns, and the village in the rear contained -several large outlying houses with walls and orchards, each of which -had been converted into a fortress. On the other hand, the defenders -had received no warning, and therefore no reinforcement, so that the -attackers were far the more numerous. It is said that a German -officer's attention was called to the stir in the opposing trenches, -and that he was actually at the telephone reporting his misgivings to -headquarters when the storm broke loose. - -[Sidenote: Terrific bombardment.] - -It was at half-past seven that the first gun boomed from the rear of -the British position. Within a few {15} minutes three hundred were -hard at work, the gunners striving desperately to pour in the -greatest possible number of shells in the shortest period of time. -It had been supposed that some of the very heavy guns could get in -forty rounds in the time, but they actually fired nearly a hundred, -and at the end of it the huge garrison gunners were lying panting -like spent hounds round their pieces. From the 18-pounder of the -field-gun to the huge 1400-pound projectile from the new monsters in -the rear, a shower of every sort and size of missile poured down upon -the Germans, many of whom were absolutely bereft of their senses by -the sudden and horrible experience. Trenches, machine-guns, and -human bodies flew high into the air, while the stakes which supported -the barbed wire were uprooted, and the wire itself torn into ribbons -and twisted into a thousand fantastic coils with many a gap between. -In front of part of the Indian line there was a clean sweep of the -impediments. So also to the right of the British line. Only at the -left of the line, to the extreme north of the German position, was -the fatal wire still quite unbroken and the trenches unapproachable. -Meanwhile, so completely was the resistance flattened out by the -overpowering weight of fire that the British infantry, with their own -shells flowing in a steady stream within a few feet of their heads, -were able to line their parapets and stare across at the wonderful -smoking and roaring swirl of destruction that faced them. Here and -there men sprang upon the parapets waving their rifles and shouting -in the hot eagerness of their hearts. "Our bomb-throwers," says one -correspondent, "started cake-walking." It was but half an hour that -they waited, and yet to many it seemed {16} the longest half-hour of -their lives. It was an extraordinary revelation of the absolute -accuracy of scientific gunfire that the British batteries should dare -to shell the German trenches which were only a hundred yards away -from their own, and this at a range of five or six thousand yards. - -[Sidenote: The infantry attack.] - -At five minutes past eight the guns ceased as suddenly as they had -begun, the shrill whistles of the officers sounded all along the -line, and the ardent infantry poured over the long lip of the -trenches. The assault upon the left was undertaken by Pinney's 23rd -Infantry Brigade of the Eighth Division. The 25th Brigade of the -same division (Lowry-Cole's) was on the right, and on the right of -them again were the Indians. The 25th Brigade was headed by the 2nd -Lincolns (left) and the 2nd Berkshires (right), who were ordered to -clear the trenches, and then to form a supporting line while their -comrades of the 1st Irish Rifles (left) and the 2nd Rifle Brigade -(right) passed through their ranks and carried the village beyond. -The 1st Londons and 13th London (Kensingtons) were pressing up in -support. Colonel McAndrew, of the Lincolns, was mortally hit at the -outset, but watched the assault with constant questions as to its -progress until he died. It was nothing but good news that he heard, -for the work of the brigade went splendidly from the start. It -overwhelmed the trenches in an instant, seizing the bewildered -survivors, who crouched, yellow with lyddite and shaken by the horror -of their situation, in the corners of the earthworks. As the -Berkshires rushed down the German trench they met with no resistance -at all, save from two gallant German officers, who fought a -machine-gun until both were bayoneted. - -{17} - -[Sidenote: The ordeal of the 23rd Brigade.] - -It was very different, however, with the 23rd Brigade upon the left. -Their experience was a terrible one. As they rushed forward, they -came upon a broad sheet of partly-broken wire entanglement between -themselves and the trenches which had escaped the artillery fire. -The obstacle could not be passed, and yet the furious men would not -retire, but tore and raged at the edge of the barrier even as their -ancestors raged against the scythe-blades of the breach of Badajoz. -The 2nd Scottish Rifles and the 2nd Middlesex were the first two -regiments, and their losses were ghastly. Of the Scottish Rifles, -Colonel Bliss was killed, every officer but one was either killed or -wounded, and half the men were on the ground. The battalion found -some openings, however, especially B Company (Captain Ferrers), upon -their right flank, and in spite of their murderous losses made their -way into the German trenches, the bombardiers, under Lieutenant -Bibby, doing fine work in clearing them, though half their number -were killed. The Middlesex men, after charging through a driving -sleet of machine-gun bullets, were completely held up by an unbroken -obstacle, and after three gallant and costly attacks, when the old -"Die-hards" lived up to their historic name, the remains of the -regiment were compelled to move to the right and make their way -through the gap cleared by the Scottish Rifles. "Rally, boys, and at -it again!" they yelled at every repulse. The 2nd Devons and 2nd West -Yorkshires were in close support of the first line, but their losses -were comparatively small. The bombers of the Devons, under -Lieutenant Wright, got round the obstacle and cleared two hundred -yards of trench. On account of the impregnable {18} German position -upon the left, the right of the brigade was soon three hundred yards -in advance and suffered severely from the enfilade fire of rifles and -machine-guns, the two flanks being connected up by a line of men -facing half left, and making the best of the very imperfect cover. - -It should be mentioned that the getting forward of the 23rd Brigade -was largely due to the personal intervention of General Pinney, who, -about 8.30, hearing of their difficult position, came forward himself -across the open and inspected the obstacle. He then called off his -men for a breather while he telephoned to the gunners to reopen fire. -This cool and practical manoeuvre had the effect of partly smashing -the wires. At the same time much depended upon the advance of the -25th Brigade. Having, as stated, occupied the position which faced -them, they were able to outflank the section of the German line which -was still intact. Their left flank having been turned, the defenders -fell back or surrendered, and the remains of the 23rd Brigade were -able to get forward into an alignment with their comrades, the Devons -and West Yorkshires passing through the thinned ranks in front of -them. The whole body then advanced for about a thousand yards. - -At this period Major Carter Campbell, who had been wounded in the -head, and Second Lieutenant Somervail, from the Special Reserve, were -the only officers left with the Scottish Rifles; while the Middlesex -were hardly in better case. Of the former battalion only 150 men -could be collected after the action. The 24th Brigade was following -closely behind the other two, and the 1st Worcesters, 2nd East -Lancashires, 1st Sherwood Foresters, and 2nd {19} Northampton were -each in turn warmly engaged as they made good the ground that had -been won. The East Lancashires materially helped to turn the Germans -out of the trenches on the left. - -[Sidenote: Gallant Indian advance.] - -Whilst the British brigades had been making this advance upon the -left the Indians had dashed forward with equal fire and zeal upon the -right. It was their first real chance of attack upon a large scale, -and they rose grandly to the occasion. The Garhwali Brigade attacked -upon the left of the Indian line, with the Dehra Duns (Jacob) upon -their right, and the Bareillys (Southey) in support, all being of the -Meerut Division. The Garhwalis, consisting of men from the mountains -of Northern India, advanced with reckless courage, the 39th Regiment -upon the left, the 3rd Gurkhas in the centre, the 2nd Leicesters upon -the right, while the 8th Gurkhas, together with the 3rd London -Territorials and the second battalion of the Garhwalis, were in -support. Part of the front was still covered with wire, and the -Garhwalis were held up for a time, but the Leicesters, on their -right, smashed a way through all obstacles. Their Indian comrades -endured the loss of 20 officers and 350 men, but none the less they -persevered, finally swerving to the right and finding a gap which -brought them through. The Gurkhas, however, had passed them, the -agile little men slipping under, over, or through the tangled wire in -a wonderful fashion. The 3rd Londons closely followed the -Leicesters, and were heavily engaged for some hours in forcing a -stronghold on the right flank, held by 70 Germans with machine-guns. -They lost 2 officers, Captain Pulman and Lieutenant Mathieson, and 50 -men of A Company, but stuck to their task, and eventually, with the -help {20} of a gun, overcame the resistance, taking 50 prisoners. -The battalion lost 200 men and did very fine work. Gradually the -Territorials were winning their place in the Army. "They can't call -us Saturday night soldiers now," said a dying lad of the 3rd Londons; -and he spoke for the whole force who have endured perverse criticism -for so long. - -The moment that the infantry advance upon the trenches had begun, the -British guns were turned upon the village itself. Supported by their -fire, as already described, the victorious Indians from the south and -the 25th Brigade from the west rushed into the streets and took -possession of the ruins which flanked them, advancing with an ardour -which brought them occasionally into the zone of fire from their own -guns. By twelve o'clock the whole position, trenches, village, and -detached houses, had been carried, while the artillery had lengthened -its range and rained shrapnel upon the ground over which -reinforcements must advance. The Rifles of the 25th Brigade and the -3rd Gurkhas of the Indians were the first troops in Neuve Chapelle. - -It is not to be imagined that the powerful guns of the enemy had -acquiesced tamely in these rapid developments. On the contrary, they -had kept up a fire which was only second to that of the British in -volume, but inferior in effect, since the latter had registered upon -such fixed marks as the trenches and the village, while the others -had but the ever-changing line of an open order attack. How dense -was the fall of the German shells may be reckoned from the fact that -the telephone lines by which the observers in the firing line -controlled the gunners some miles behind them were continually -severed, {21} although they had been laid down in duplicate, and -often in triplicate. There were heavy losses among the stormers, but -they were cheerfully endured as part of the price of victory. The -jovial exultation of the wounded as they were carried or led to the -dressing stations was one of the recollections which stood out -clearest amid the confused impressions which a modern battle leaves -upon the half-stunned mind of the spectator. - -At twelve o'clock the position had been carried, and yet it was not -possible to renew the advance before three. These few hours were -consumed in rearranging the units, which had been greatly mixed up -during the advance, in getting back into position the left wing of -the 25th Brigade, which had been deflected by the necessity of -relieving the 23rd Brigade, and in bringing up reserves to take the -place of regiments which had endured very heavy losses. Meanwhile -the enemy seemed to have been completely stunned by the blow which -had so suddenly fallen upon him. The fire from his lines had died -down, and British brigades on the right, forming up for the renewed -advance, were able to do so unmolested in the open, amid the horrible -chaos of pits, mounds, wire tangles, splintered woodwork, and -shattered bodies which marked where the steel cyclone had passed. -The left was still under very heavy fire. - -[Sidenote: The reserved advance.] - -At half-past three the word was given, and again the eager khaki -fringe pushed swiftly to the front, On the extreme left of the line -of attack Watts's 21st Brigade pushed onwards with fierce -impetuosity. This attack was an extension to the left of the -original attack. The 21st was the only brigade of the Seventh -Division to be employed that day. There is a hamlet {22} to the -north-east of Neuve Chapelle called Moulin-du-Piètre, and this was -the immediate objective of the attack. Several hundreds of yards -were gained before the advance was held up by a severe fire from the -houses, and by the discovery of a fresh, undamaged line of German -trenches opposite to the right of the 21st Brigade. Here the -infantry was held, and did no more than keep their ground until -evening. Their comrades of the Eighth Division upon their right had -also advanced, the 24th Brigade (Carter's) taking the place of the -decimated 23rd in the front line; but they also came to a standstill -under the fire of German machine-guns, which were directed from the -bridge crossing the stream of the little Des Layes River in front of -them. - -The Bois du Biez is an important wood on the south-east of Neuve -Chapelle, and the Indians, after their successful assault, directed -their renewed advance upon this objective. The Garhwali Brigade, -which had helped to carry the village, was now held back, and the -Dehra Dun Brigade of 1st and 4th Seaforths, Jats, and Gurkhas, -supported by the Jullundur Brigade from the Lahore Division, moved -forward to carry the wood. They gained a considerable stretch of -ground by a magnificent charge over the open, but were held up along -the line of the river as their European comrades had been to the -north. More than once the gallant Indians cleared the wood, but -could not permanently hold it. The German post at the bridge was -able to enfilade the line, and our artillery was unable to drive it -out. Three regiments of the 1st Brigade were brought up to -Richebourg in support of the attack, but darkness came on before the -preparations were complete. The troops slept {23} upon the ground -which they had won, ready and eager for the renewal of the battle in -the morning. The losses had been heavy during the day, falling with -undue severity upon a few particular battalions; but the soldiers -were of good heart, for continual strings of German prisoners, -numbering nine hundred in all, had been led through their lines, and -they had but to look around them to assure themselves of the loss -which they had inflicted upon the enemy. In that long winter -struggle a few yards to west or east had been a matter for which a -man might gladly lay down his life, so that now, when more than a -thousand yards had been gained by a single forward spring, there was -no desire to flinch from the grievous cost. - -[Sidenote: Subsidiary attacks.] - -It has already been stated that the British had made demonstrations -to right and to left in order to hold the enemy in their trenches. -In the case of Smith-Dorrien's Second Army, a bombardment along the -line was sufficient for the purpose. To the south, however, at -Givenchy, the First Corps made an attack upon the trenches two -hundred yards in front of them, which had no success, as the wire had -been uncut. This attack was carried out by Fanshawe's 6th Infantry -Brigade, and if it failed the failure was not due to want of intrepid -leading by the officers and desperate courage of the men. The 1st -King's (Liverpool) suffered very heavily in front of the impassable -wire. "Our boys took their bayonets and hacked away. It was -impossible to break through." Colonel Carter was wounded, but -continued to lead his men. Feveran and Suatt, who led the assault, -were respectively killed and wounded. The officers were nearly all -hit, down to the young Subaltern Webb, who kept shouting "Come on, -the {24} King's!" until he could shout no more. A hundred were -killed and 119 wounded in the ranks. Both the 2nd South Staffords -and the 1st King's Royal Rifles joined in this brave, but -ineffectual, attack, and lost very heavily. The total loss of the -brigade was between six and seven hundred, but at least it had -prevented this section of the line from reinforcing Neuve Chapelle. -All along the line the night was spent in making good the ground that -had been won. - -[Sidenote: Second day of battle.] - -The morning of the 11th broke with thick mist, a condition which -continued during the whole of the day. Both the use of the aircraft -and the direction of the artillery were negatived by the state of the -weather--a grievous piece of ill-fortune, as it put a stop to any -serious advance during the day, since it would have been a desperate -business to march infantry against a difficult front without any -artillery preparation. In this way the Germans gained a precious -respite during which they might reinforce their line and prepare for -a further attack. They essayed a counter-attack from the Bois du -Biez in the morning, but it was easily repulsed by the Indians. -Their shell-fire, however, was very murderous. The British infantry -still faced Moulin-du-Piètre in the north and the Bois du Biez in the -south, but could make no progress without support, while they lost -heavily from the German artillery. The Indians were still at the -south of the line, the 24th Brigade in the middle and the 21st in the -north. Farther north still, at a point just south of Armentières, a -useful little advance was made, for late at night, or early in the -morning of the 12th, the 17th Infantry Brigade (Harper's) had made a -swift dash at the village of {25} l'Epinette, calculating, no doubt, -that some of its defenders had been drafted south to strengthen the -stricken line. The place was carried by storm at the small cost of -five officers and thirty men, and the line carried forward at this -point to a depth of three hundred yards over a front of half a mile. -A counter-attack upon the 13th was driven off with loss. - -[Sidenote: Third day.] - -So far as the main operation was concerned, the weather upon the 12th -was hardly more favourable than upon the 11th. The veil of mist -still intervened between the heavy artillery and its target. Three -aeroplanes were lost in the determined efforts of the airmen to get -close observation of the position. It also interfered with the -accuracy of the German fire, which was poured upon the area held by -the British troops, but inflicted small damage upon them. The day -began by an attack in which the Germans got possession of a trench -held by the 1st Sherwood Foresters. As the mist rose the flank -company of the 2nd West Yorks perceived these unwelcome neighbours -and, under the lead of Captain Harrington, turned them out again. -Both the Indians on the right and the Seventh Division on the left -lost a number of men during the morning in endeavouring, with poor -success, to drive the German garrisons out of the various farmhouses, -which were impregnable to anything but artillery. The gallant 20th -Brigade, which had done such great work at Ypres in October, came -into action this day and stormed up to the strongholds of the -Moulin-du-Piètre. One of them, with three hundred Germans inside, -was carried by the 2nd Borders, the defenders being made prisoners. -All the battalions of the brigade--the 2nd Scots Guards, the 1st -Grenadiers, the 2nd Gordons, and their {26} Territorial comrades, the -6th Gordons--lost heavily in this most desperate of all forms of -fighting. Colonel McLean of the latter regiment died at the head of -his men. "Go about your duty," was his last speech to those who -tended him. The Grenadiers fought like heroes, and one of them, -Corporal Fuller, performed the extraordinary feat of heading off -fifty Germans by fleetness of foot, and single-handed compelling the -surrender of all of them. At the other end of the line, the 25th -Brigade, led by the Rifle Brigade, also made desperate efforts to get -on, but were brought to a standstill by the trenches and machine-guns -in the houses. The losses of the British upon this day were heavy, -but they were a small matter compared to those of the Germans, who -made several counter-attacks in close formation from dawn onwards in -the vain hope of recovering the ground that had been lost. It is -doubtful if in the whole war greater slaughter has been inflicted in -a shorter time and in so confined a space as in the case of some of -these advances, where whole dense bodies of infantry were caught in -the converging fire of machine-guns and rifles. In front of the 1st -Worcesters, of the 24th Brigade, alone more than a thousand dead were -counted. From the ridge of Aubers, half a mile to the eastward, down -to the front of the Indian and British line, the whole sloping -countryside was mottled grey with the bodies of the fallen. All that -the British had suffered in front of the barbed wire upon the 10th -was repaid with heavy interest during the counter-attacks of the -12th. Gradually they faded away and were renewed no more. For the -first time in the war the Germans finally abandoned a position that -they had lost, and made no further {27} attempt to retake it. The -Battle of Neuve Chapelle was at an end, and the British, though their -accomplishment fell far short of their hopes, had none the less made -a permanent advance of a thousand yards along a front of three -thousand, and obtained a valuable position for their operations in -the future. The sappers were busy all evening in wiring and -sand-bagging the ground gained, while the medical organisation, which -was strained to the uttermost, did its work with a bravery and a -technical efficiency which could not be surpassed. - -[Sidenote: Result of Battle of Neuve Chapelle.] - -Upon the last day of the fighting some 700 more prisoners had been -taken, bringing the total number to 30 officers and 1650 men. The -original defenders had been men of the Seventh German Corps, raised -from Karlsruhe in Westphalia; but the reinforcements which suffered -so heavily were either Saxons or Bavarians. The losses of the -Germans were estimated, and possibly overestimated, at 18,000 men. -The British losses were very heavy, consisting of 562 officers and -12,239 men. Some 1800 of these were returned as "Missing," but these -were the men who fell in the advanced attack upon ground which was -not retained. Only the wounded fell into the enemy's hands. The -Fourth Corps lost 7500 men, and the Indians about 4000. - -Of the six brigades of the Fourth Corps, all suffered about equally, -except the 22nd, which was not so hard hit as the others. The -remaining brigades lost over 25 per cent of their numbers, but -nothing of their efficiency and zeal, as they were very soon to show -in the later engagements. When one remembers that Julius Cæsar -describes an action as a severe one upon the ground that every tenth -man was wounded, {28} it may be conjectured that he would have -welcomed a legion of Scottish Rifles or Sherwood Foresters. -Certainly no British soldier was likely to live long enough to have -his teeth worn down by the ration bread, as was the case with the -Tenth Legion. The two units named may have suffered most, but the -2nd Lincolns, 2nd Berkshires, 2nd Borders, 2nd Scots Fusiliers, 1st -Irish Rifles, 2nd Rifle Brigade, the two battalions of Gordons, and -the 1st Worcesters were all badly cut up. Of the five commanding -officers of the 20th Brigade, Uniacke of the 2nd Gordons, McLean of -the 5th Gordons, and Fisher Rowe of the Grenadiers were killed, while -Paynter of the 2nd Scots Guards was wounded. The only survivor, the -Colonel of the Borders, was shot a few days later. It was said at -the time of the African War that the British colonels had led their -men up to and through the gates of Death. The words were still true. -Of the brave Indian Corps, the 1st Seaforths, 2nd Leicesters, 39th -Garhwalis, with the 3rd and 4th Gurkhas, were the chief sufferers. -The 1st Londons, 3rd Londons, and 13th (Kensingtons) had also shown -that they could stand punishment with the best. - -So ended the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, a fierce and murderous -encounter in which every weapon of modern warfare--the giant -howitzer, the bomb, and the machine-gun--was used to the full, and -where the reward of the victor was a slice of ground no larger than a -moderate farm. And yet the moral prevails over the material, and the -fact that a Prussian line, built up with four months of labour, could -be rushed in a couple of hours, and that by no exertion could a -German set foot upon it again, was a hopeful first lesson in the -spring campaign. - -{29} - -On March 12 an attack was made upon the enemy's trenches south-west -of the village of Wytschaete--the region where, on November 1, the -Bavarians had forced back the lines of our cavalry. The advance was -delayed by the mist, and eventually was ordered for four in the -afternoon. It was carried out by the 1st Wilts and the 3rd -Worcesters, of the 7th Brigade (Ballard), advancing for two hundred -yards up a considerable slope. The defence was too strong, however, -and the attack was abandoned with a loss of 28 officers and 343 men. -It may be said, however, to have served the general purpose of -diverting troops from the important action in the south. It is to be -hoped that this was so, as the attack itself, though fruitless, was -carried out with unflinching bravery and devotion. - -[Sidenote: Action of St. Eloi.] - -On March 14, two days after the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, the Germans -endeavoured to bring about a counter-stroke in the north which should -avenge their defeat, arguing, no doubt, that the considerable -strength which Haig's First Army had exhibited in the south meant -some subtraction from Smith-Dorrien at the other end of the line. -This new action broke out at the hamlet of St. Eloi, some miles to -the south-east of Ypres, a spot where many preliminary bickerings and -a good deal of trench activity had heralded this more serious effort. -This particular section of the line was held by the 82nd Brigade -(Longley's) of the Twenty-seventh Division, the whole quarter being -under the supervision of General Plumer. There was a small mound in -a brickfield to the south-east of the village with trenches upon -either side of it which were held by the men of the 2nd Cornish Light -Infantry. It is a mere clay dump about seventy feet {30} long and -twenty feet high. After a brief but furious bombardment, a mine -which had been run under this mound was exploded at five in the -evening, and both mound and trenches were carried by a rush of German -stormers. These trenches in turn enfiladed other ones, and a -considerable stretch was lost, including two support trenches west of -the mound and close to it, two breastworks and trenches to the -north-east of it, and also the southern end of St. Eloi village. - -So intense had been the preliminary fire that every wire connecting -with the rear had been severed, and it was only the actual explosion -upon the mound--an explosion which buried many of the defenders, -including two machine-guns with their detachments--which made the -situation clear to the artillery in support. The 19th and 20th -Brigades concentrated their thirty-six 18-pounders upon the mound and -its vicinity. The German infantry were already in possession, having -overwhelmed the few survivors of the 2nd Cornwalls and driven back a -company of the 2nd Irish Fusiliers, who were either behind the mound -or in the adjacent trenches to the east of the village. The stormers -had rushed forward, preceded by a swarm of men carrying bombs and -without rifles. Behind them came a detachment of sappers with -planks, fascines, and sand-bags, together with machine-gun -detachments, who dug themselves instantly into the shattered mound. -The whole German organisation and execution of the attack were -admirable. Lieutenants Fry and Aston of the Cornwall Light Infantry -put up a brave fight with their handful of shaken men. As the -survivors of the British front line fell back, two companies of the -1st Cambridge Territorials took up {31} a rallying position. The -situation was exceedingly obscure from the rear, for, as already -stated, all wires had been cut, but daring personal reconnaissance by -individual officers, notably Captain Follett and Lieutenant Elton, -cleared it up to some extent. By nine o'clock preparations had been -made for a counter-attack, the 1st Leinsters and 1st Royal Irish, of -the 82nd Brigade, being brought up, while Fortescue's 80th Brigade -was warned to support the movement. - -It was pitch-dark, and the advance, which could only be organised and -started at two in the morning, had to pass over very difficult -ground. The line was formed by two companies of the Royal Irish, the -Leinster Regiment, and the 4th Rifles in general support. The latter -regiment was guided to their position by Captain Harrison, of the -Cornwalls, who was unfortunately shot, so that the movement, so far -as they were concerned, became disorganised. Colonel Prowse, of the -Leinsters, commanded the attack. The Irishmen rushed forward, but -the Germans fought manfully, and there was a desperate struggle in -the darkness, illuminated only by the quick red flash of the guns and -the flares thrown up from the trenches. By the light of these the -machine-guns installed upon the mound held up the advance of the -Royal Irish, who tried bravely to carry the position, but were forced -in the end, after losing Colonel Forbes, to be content with the -nearest house, and with gaining a firm grip upon the village. The -Leinsters made good progress and carried first a breastwork and then -a trench in front of them, but could get no farther. About 4.30 the -80th Brigade joined in the attack. The advance was carried out by -the 4th Rifle Brigade upon the right {32} and the Princess Patricia's -(Canadians) upon the left, with the Shropshires and the 3rd Rifles in -support. It was all-important to get in the attack before daylight, -and the result was that the dispositions were necessarily somewhat -hurried and incomplete. The Canadians attacked upon the left, but -their attack was lacking in weight, being confined to three platoons, -and they could make no headway against the fire from the mound. They -lost 3 officers and 24 men in the venture. Thesiger's 4th Rifle -Brigade directed its attack, not upon the mound, but on a trench at -the side of it. This was carried with a rush by Captain Mostyn -Pryce's company. Several obstacles were also taken in succession by -the Riflemen, but though repeated attempts were made to get -possession of the mound, all of them were repulsed. One company, -under Captain Selby-Smith, made so determined an attack upon one -barricade that all save four were killed or wounded, in spite of -which the barricade was actually carried. A second one lay behind, -which was taken by Lieutenant Sackville's company, only to disclose a -third one behind. Two companies of the Shropshires were brought up -to give weight to the further attack, but already day was breaking -and there was no chance of success when once it was light, as all the -front trenches were dominated by the mound. This vigorous night -action ended, therefore, by leaving the mound itself and the front -trench in the hands of the Germans, who had been pushed back from all -the other trenches and the portion of the village which they had been -able to occupy in the first rush of their attack. The losses of the -British amounted to 40 officers and 680 men--killed, wounded, and -missing, about 100 coming under the last category, {33} who represent -the men destroyed by the explosion. The German losses were certainly -not less, but it must be admitted that the mound, as representing the -trophy of victory, remained in their hands. In the morning of the -15th the Germans endeavoured to turn the Leinsters out of the trench -which they had recaptured, but their attack was blown back, and they -left 34 dead in front of the position. - -It is pleasing in this most barbarous of all wars to be able to -record that all German troops did not debase themselves to the -degraded standards of Prussia. Upon this occasion the Bavarian -general in charge consented at once to a mutual gathering in of the -wounded and a burying of the dead--things which have been a matter of -course in all civilised warfare until the disciples of Kultur -embarked upon their campaign. It is also to be remarked that in this -section of the field a further amenity can be noted, for twice -messages were dropped within the British lines containing news as to -missing aviators who had been brought down by the German guns. It -was hoped for a time that the struggle, however stern, was at last -about to conform to the usual practices of humanity--a hope which was -destined to be wrecked for ever upon that crowning abomination, the -poisoning of Langemarck. - -A month of comparative quiet succeeded the battle of Neuve Chapelle, -the Germans settling down into their new position and making no -attempt to regain their old ones. Both sides were exhausted, though -in the case of the Allies the exhaustion was rather in munitions than -in men. The regiments were kept well supplied from the depots, and -the brutality of the German methods of warfare {34} ensured a steady -supply of spirited recruits. That which was meant to cow had in -reality the effect of stimulating. It is well that this was so, for -so insatiable are the demands of modern warfare that already after -eight months the whole of the regiments of the original expeditionary -force would have absolutely disappeared but for the frequent -replenishments, which were admirably supplied by the central -authorities. They had been far more than annihilated, for many of -the veteran corps had lost from one and a half times to twice their -numbers. The 1st Hants at this date had lost 2700 out of an original -force of 1200 men, and its case was by no means an exceptional one. -Even in times of quiet there was a continual toll exacted by snipers, -bombers, and shells along the front which ran into thousands of -casualties per week. The off-days of Flanders were more murderous -than the engagements of South Africa. Now and then a man of note was -taken from the Army in this chronic and useless warfare. The death -of General Gough, of the staff of the First Army, has already been -recorded. Colonel Farquhar, of the Princess Patricia Canadians, lost -his life in a similar fashion. The stray shell or the lurking sniper -exacted a continual toll, General Maude of the 14th Brigade, Major -Leslie Oldham, one of the heroes of Chitral, and other valuable -officers being killed or wounded in this manner. - -[Sidenote: Battle of Hill 60.] - -On April 17 there began a contest which was destined to rage with -great fury, though at intermittent intervals, for several weeks. -This was the fight for Hill 60. Hill 60 was a low ridge about fifty -feet high and two hundred and fifty yards from end to end, which -faced the Allied trenches in the Zillebeke region to the south-east -of Ypres. This portion of {35} the line had been recently taken over -by Smith-Dorrien's Army from the French, and one of the first tasks -which the British had set themselves was to regain the hill, which -was of considerable strategic importance, because by their possession -of it the Germans were able to establish an observation post and -direct the fire of their guns towards any portion of the British line -which seemed to be vulnerable. With the hill in British hands it -would be possible to move troops from point to point without their -being overseen and subjected to fire. Therefore the British had -directed their mines towards the hill, and ran six underneath it, -each of them ending in a chamber which contained a ton of gunpowder. -This work, begun by Lieutenant Burnyeat and a hundred miners of the -Monmouth battalions, was very difficult owing to the wet soil. It -was charged by Major Norton Griffiths and the 171st Mining Company -Royal Engineers. At seven in the evening of Saturday, April 17, the -whole was exploded with terrific effect. Before the smoke had -cleared away the British infantry had dashed from their trench and -the hill was occupied. A handful of dazed Germans were taken -prisoners and 150 were buried under the debris. - -[Sidenote: Storming of the Hill.] - -The storming party was drawn from two battalions of the veteran 13th -Brigade, and the Brigadier Wanless O'Gowan was in general control of -the operations under General Morland, of the Fifth Division. The two -battalions immediately concerned were the 1st Royal West Kents and -the 2nd Scottish Borderers. Major Joslin, of the Kents, led the -assault, and C Company of that regiment, under Captain Moulton -Barrett, was actually the first to reach the crest while {36} it was -still reeking and heaving from the immense explosion. Sappers of the -2nd Home Counties Company raced up with the infantry, bearing -sandbags and entrenching tools to make good the ground, while a -ponderous backing of artillery searched on every side to break up the -inevitable counter-attack. There was desperate digging upon the hill -to raise some cover, and especially to cut back communication -trenches to the rear. Without an over-crowding which would have been -dangerous under artillery fire, there was only room for one company -upon the very crest. The rest were in supporting trenches -immediately behind. By half-past one in the morning of the 18th the -troops were dug in, but the Germans, after a lull which followed the -shock, were already thickening for the attack. Their trenches came -up to the base of the hill, and many of their snipers and -bomb-throwers hid themselves amid the darkness in the numerous deep -holes with which the whole hill was pocked. Showers of bombs fell -upon the British line, which held on as best it might. - -At 3.30 A.M. the Scots Borderers pushed forward to take over the -advanced fire trench from the Kents, who had suffered severely. This -exchange was an expensive one, as several officers, including Major -Joslin, the leader of the assault, Colonel Sladen, and Captains -Dering and Burnett, were killed or wounded, and in the confusion the -Germans were able to get more of their bombers thrown forward, making -the front trench hardly tenable. The British losses up to this time -had almost entirely arisen from these bombs, and two attempts at -regular counter-attacks had been nipped in the bud by the artillery -fire, aided by motor machine-guns. As the sky was beginning to -whiten {37} in the east, however, there was a more formidable -advance, supported by heavy and incessant bombing, so that at -half-past five the 2nd West Ridings were sent forward, supported by -the 1st Bedfords from the 15th Brigade. A desperate fight ensued. -In the cold of the morning, with bomb and bayonet men stood up to -each other at close quarters, neither side flinching from the -slaughter. By seven o'clock the Germans had got a grip of part of -the hill crest, while the weary Yorkshiremen, supported by their -fellow-countrymen of the 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry, were hanging -on to the broken ground and the edge of the mine craters. From then -onwards the day was spent by the Germans in strengthening their hold, -and by the British in preparing for a renewed assault. This second -assault, more formidable than the first, since it was undertaken -against an expectant enemy, was fixed for six o'clock in the evening. - -At the signal five companies of infantry, three from the West Ridings -and two from the Yorkshire Light Infantry, rushed to the front. The -losses of the storming party were heavy, but nothing could stop them. -Of C Company of the West Ridings only Captain Barton and eleven men -were left out of a hundred, but none the less they carried the point -at which their charge was aimed. D Company lost all its officers, -but the men carried on. After a fierce struggle the Germans were -ejected once again, and the whole crest held by the British. The -losses had been very heavy, the various craters formed by the mines -and the heavy shells being desperately fought for by either party. -It was about seven o'clock on the evening of the 18th that the -Yorkshiremen of {38} both regiments drew together in the dusk and -made an organised charge across the whole length of the hill, -sweeping it clear from end to end, while the 59th Company Royal -Engineers helped in making good the ground. It was a desperate -tussle, in which men charged each other like bulls, drove their -bayonets through each other, and hurled bombs at a range of a few -yards into each other's faces. Seldom in the war has there been more -furious fighting, and in the whole Army it would have been difficult -to find better men for such work than the units engaged. - -From early morning of that day till late at night the -Brigadier-General O'Gowan was in the closest touch with the fighting -line, feeding it, binding it, supporting it, thickening it, until he -brought it through to victory. His Staff-Captain Egerton was killed -at his side, and he had several narrow escapes. The losses were -heavy and the men exhausted, but the German defence was for the time -completely broken, and the British took advantage of the lull to push -fresh men into the advanced trenches and withdraw the tired soldiers. -This was done about midnight on the 18th, and the fight from then -onwards was under the direction of General Northey, who had under him -the 1st East Surrey, the 1st Bedfords, and the 9th London (Queen -Victoria) Rifles. Already in this murderous action the British -casualties had been 50 officers and 1500 men, who lay, with as many -of the Germans, within a space no larger than a moderate meadow. - -During the whole of the daylight hours of April 19 a furious -bombardment was directed upon the hill, on and behind which the -defenders were crouching. Officers of experience described this -concentration {39} of fire as the worst that they had ever -experienced. Colonel Griffith of the Bedfords held grimly to his -front trench, but the losses continued to be heavy. During that -afternoon a new phenomenon was observed for and the first time--an -indication of what was to come. Officers seated in a dug-out -immediately behind the fighting line experienced a strong feeling of -suffocation, and were driven from their shelter, the candles in which -were extinguished by the noxious air. Shells bursting on the hill -set the troops coughing and gasping. It was the first German -experiment in the use of poison--an expedient which is the most -cowardly in the history of warfare, reducing their army from being -honourable soldiers to the level of assassins, even as the sailors of -their submarines had been made the agents for the cold-blooded murder -of helpless civilians. Attacked by this new agent, the troops still -held their ground. - -[Sidenote: Desperate fighting.] - -Tuesday, April 20, was another day of furious shell-fire. A single -shell upon that morning blew in a parapet and buried Lieutenant -Watson with twenty men of the Surreys. The Queen Victorias under -Colonel Shipley upheld the rising reputation of the Territorial -troops by their admirable steadiness. Major Lees, Lieutenant -Summerhays, and many others died an heroic death; but there was no -flinching from that trench which was so often a grave. As already -explained, there was only one trench and room for a very limited -number of men on the actual crest, while the rest were kept just -behind the curve, so as to avoid a second Spion Kop. At one time -upon this eventful day a handful of London Territorials under a boy -officer, Woolley of the Victorias, were the only troops upon the top, -but it was in safe keeping none the less. {40} This officer received -the Victoria Cross. Hour after hour the deadly bombardment went on. -About 7.30 in the evening the bombers of the enemy got into some -folds in the ground within twenty yards and began a most harassing -attack. All night, under the sudden glare of star shells, there were -a succession of assaults which tried the half-stupefied troops to the -utmost. Soon after midnight in the early morning of Wednesday, April -21, the report came in to the Brigadier that the 1st Surreys in the -trenches to the left had lost all their officers except one -subaltern. As a matter of fact, every man in one detachment had been -killed or wounded by the grenades. It was rumoured that the company -was falling back, but on a message reaching them based upon this -supposition, the answer was, "We have not budged a yard, and have no -intention of doing so." At 2.30 in the morning the position seemed -very precarious, so fierce was the assault and so worn the defence. -Of A Company of the Surreys only 55 privates were left out of 180, -while of the five officers none were now standing, Major Paterson and -Captain Wynyard being killed, while Lieutenant Roupell, who got the -Cross, and two others were wounded. It was really a subalterns' -battle, and splendidly the boys played up. - -All the long night trench-mortars and mine-throwers played upon them, -while monstrous explosions flung shattered khaki figures amid a red -glare into the drifting clouds of smoke, but still the hill was -British. With daylight the 1st Devons were brought up into the -fight, and an hour later the hill was clear of the enemy once more, -save for a handful of snipers concealed in the craters of the -north-west corner. In vain the Germans tried to win back a foothold. -Nothing {41} could shift that tenacious infantry. Field-guns were -brought up by the attackers and fired at short range at the parapets -hastily thrown up, but the Devons lay flat and held tight. It had -been a grand fight. Heavy as were the strokes of the Thor hammer of -Germany, they had sometimes bent but never shattered the iron line of -Britain. Already the death-roll had been doubled, and 100 officers -with 3000 of our men were stretched upon that little space, littered -with bodies and red with blood from end to end. But now the action -was at last drawing to its close. Five days it had raged with hardly -a break. British guns were now run up and drove the German ones to -cover. Bombers who still lurked in the craters were routed out with -the bayonet. In the afternoon of the 21st the fire died gradually -away and the assaults came to an end. Hill 60 remained with the -British. The weary survivors were relieved, and limped back singing -ragtime music to their rest-camps in the rear, while the 2nd Cameron -Highlanders, under Colonel Campbell, took over the gruesome trenches. - -It was a fine feat of arms for which the various brigadiers, with -General Morland of the Fifth Division, should have the credit. It -was not a question of the little mound--important as that might be, -it could not justify so excessive a loss of life, whether German or -British. Hill 60 was a secondary matter. What was really being -fought for was the ascendancy of the British or the Prussian -soldier--that subtle thing which would tinge every battle which might -be fought thereafter. Who would cry "Enough!" first? Who would -stick it to the bitter end? Which had the staying-power when tried -out to a finish? The answer to that question was of more definite -military {42} importance than an observation post, and it was worth -our three thousand slain or maimed to have the award of the God of -battles to strengthen us hereafter. - -This description may well be ended by the general order in which Sir -John French acknowledged the services of the troops engaged in this -arduous affair: - -"I congratulate you and the troops of the Second Army on your -brilliant capture and retention of the important position at Hill 60. -Great credit is due to Lieutenant-General Sir Charles Ferguson, -commanding Second Corps; Major-General Morland, commanding Fifth -Division; Brigadier-General Wanless O'Gowan, commanding 13th Brigade; -and Brigadier-General Northey, commanding 15th Brigade, for their -energy and skill in carrying out the operations. I wish particularly -to express my warmest admiration for the splendid dash and spirit -displayed by the battalions of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Brigades -which took part under their respective commanding officers. This has -been shown in the first seizure of the position, by the fire attack -of the Royal West Kents and the King's Own Scottish Borderers, and in -the heroic tenacity with which the hill has been held by the other -battalions of these brigades against the most violent counter-attacks -and terrific artillery bombardment. I also must commend the skilful -work of the Mining Company R.E., of the 59th Field Company R.E., and -2nd Home Counties Field Company R.E., and of the Artillery. I fully -recognise the skill and foresight of Major-General Bulfin, commanding -Twenty-eighth Division, and his C.R.E., Colonel Jerome, who are -responsible for the original conception and plan of the undertaking." - -{43} - -It will be noticed that in his generous commendation Sir John French -quotes the different separate units of Engineers as a token of his -appreciation of the heavy work which fell upon them before as well as -during the battle. Many anecdotes were current in the Army as to the -extraordinary daring and energy of the subterranean workers, who were -never so happy as when, deep in the bowels of the earth, they were -planning some counter-mine with the tapping of the German picks -growing louder on their ears. One authentic deed by Captain -Johnston's 172nd Mining Company may well be placed upon record. The -sapping upon this occasion was directed against the Peckham Farm held -by the Germans. Finding that the enemy were countermining, a -_camouflet_ was laid down which destroyed their tunnel. After an -interval a corporal descended into the shaft, but was poisoned by the -fumes. An officer followed him and seized him by the ankles, but -became unconscious. A private came next and grabbed the officer, but -lost his own senses. Seven men in succession were in turn rescuers -and rescued, until the whole chain was at last brought to the -surface. Lieutenants Severne and Williams, with Corporal Gray and -Sappers Hattersley, Hayes, Lannon, and Smith, were the heroes of this -incident. It is pleasant to add that though the corporal died, the -six others were all resuscitated. - -[Sidenote: A military crime.] - -It is with a feeling of loathing that the chronicler turns from such -knightly deeds as these to narrate the next episode of the war, in -which the gallant profession of arms was degraded to the level of the -assassin, and the Germans, foiled in fair fighting, stole away a few -miles of ground by the arts of the murderer. So long as military -history is written, the poisoning of {44} Langemarck will be recorded -as a loathsome incident by which warfare was degraded to a depth -unknown among savages, and a great army, which had long been honoured -as the finest fighting force in the world, became in a single day an -object of horror and contempt, flying to the bottles of a chemist to -make the clearance which all the cannons of Krupp were unable to -effect. The crime was no sudden outbreak of spite, nor was it the -work of some unscrupulous subordinate. It could only have been -effected by long preparation, in which the making of great retorts -and wholesale experiments upon animals had their place. Our -generals, and even our papers, heard some rumours of such doings, but -dismissed them as being an incredible slur upon German honour. It -proved now that it was only too true, and that it represented the -deliberate, cold-blooded plan of the military leaders. Their lies, -which are as much part of their military equipment as their -batteries, represented that the British had themselves used such -devices in the fighting on Hill 60. Such an assertion may be left to -the judgment of the world. - - - - -{45} - -CHAPTER III - -THE SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES - -Stage I.--The Gas Attack, April 22-30 - -Situation at Ypres--The poison gas--The Canadian ordeal--The fight in -the wood of St. Julien--The French recovery--Miracle days--The -glorious Indians--The Northern Territorials--Hard fighting--The net -result--Loss of Hill 60. - - -It may be remembered that the northern line of the Ypres position, -extending from Steenstraate to Langemarck, with Pilken somewhat to -the south of the centre, had been established and held by the British -during the fighting of October 21, 22, and 23. Later, when the -pressure upon the British to the east and south became excessive, the -French took over this section. The general disposition of the Allies -at the 22nd of April was as follows. - -The Belgians still held the flooded Yser Canal up to the -neighbourhood of Bixschoote. There the line was carried on by the -French Eighth Army, now commanded by General Putz in the place of -General d'Urbal. His troops seem to have been all either Colonial or -Territorial, two classes which had frequently shown the utmost -gallantry, but were less likely to meet an unexpected danger with -steadiness than the regular infantry of the line. These formations -held the trenches from Bixschoote on the canal {46} to the -Ypres-Poelcapelle road, two thousand yards east of Langemarck, on the -right. At this point they joined on to Plumer's Fifth Corps, the -Canadian Division, Twenty-eighth and Twenty-seventh British -Divisions, forming a line which passed a mile north of Zonnebeke, -curling round south outside the Polygon Wood to the point where the -Fifth Division of the Second Corps kept their iron grip upon Hill 60. -The average distance from Ypres to all these various lines would be -about five miles. Smith-Dorrien, as commander of the Second Army, -was general warden of the district. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{47} - -[Illustration: Ypres] - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Sidenote: The coming of the poison gas. April 22.] - -Up to the third week of April the enemy opposite the French had -consisted of the Twenty-sixth Corps, with the Fifteenth Corps on the -right, all under the Duke of Würtemberg, whose headquarters were at -Thielt. There were signs, however, of secret concentration which had -not entirely escaped the observation of the Allied aviators, and on -April 20 and 21 the German guns showered shells on Ypres. About 5 -P.M. upon Thursday, April 22, a furious artillery bombardment from -Bixschoote to Langemarck began along the French lines, including the -left of the Canadians, and it was reported that the Forty-fifth -French Division was being heavily attacked. At the same time a -phenomenon was observed which would seem to be more in place in the -pages of a romance than in the record of an historian. From the base -of the German trenches over a considerable length there appeared jets -of whitish vapour, which gathered and swirled until they settled into -a definite low cloud-bank, greenish-brown below and yellow above, -where it reflected the rays of the sinking sun. This ominous bank of -vapour, impelled by a northern breeze, drifted {49} swiftly across -the space which separated the two lines. The French troops, staring -over the top of their parapet at this curious screen which ensured -them a temporary relief from fire, were observed suddenly to throw up -their hands, to clutch at their throats, and to fall to the ground in -the agonies of asphyxiation. Many lay where they had fallen, while -their comrades, absolutely helpless against this diabolical agency, -rushed madly out of the mephitic mist and made for the rear, -over-running the lines of trenches behind them. Many of them never -halted until they had reached Ypres, while others rushed westwards -and put the canal between themselves and the enemy. The Germans, -meanwhile, advanced, and took possession of the successive lines of -trenches, tenanted only by the dead garrisons, whose blackened faces, -contorted figures, and lips fringed with the blood and foam from -their bursting lungs, showed the agonies in which they had died. -Some thousands of stupefied prisoners, eight batteries of French -field-guns, and four British 4.7's, which had been placed in a wood -behind the French position, were the trophies won by this disgraceful -victory. The British heavy guns belonged to the Second London -Division, and were not deserted by their gunners until the enemy's -infantry were close upon them, when the strikers were removed from -the breech-blocks and the pieces abandoned. It should be added that -both the young officers present, Lieuts. Sandeman and Hamilton Field, -died beside their guns after the tradition of their corps. - -By seven o'clock the French had left the Langemarck district, had -passed over the higher ground about Pilken, and had crossed the canal -towards {50} Brielen. Under the shattering blow which they had -received, a blow particularly demoralising to African troops, with -their fears of magic and the unknown, it was impossible to rally them -effectually until the next day. It is to be remembered in -explanation of this disorganisation that it was the first experience -of these poison tactics, and that the troops engaged received the gas -in a very much more severe form than our own men on the right of -Langemarck. For a time there was a gap five miles broad in the front -of the position of the Allies, and there were many hours during which -there was no substantial force between the Germans and Ypres. They -wasted their time, however, in consolidating their ground, and the -chance of a great coup passed for ever. They had sold their souls as -soldiers, but the Devil's price was a poor one. Had they had a corps -of cavalry ready, and pushed them through the gap, it would have been -the most dangerous moment of the war. - -[Sidenote: The Canadian ordeal.] - -A portion of the German force, which had passed through the gap left -by the retirement of the French, moved eastwards in an endeavour to -roll up the Canadian line, the flank of which they had turned. Had -they succeeded in doing this the situation would have become most -critical, as they would have been to the rear of the whole of the -Fifth Army Corps. General Alderson, commanding the Canadians, took -instant measures to hold his line. On the exposed flank were the -13th (Royal Highlanders) and 15th (48th Highlanders), both of the 3rd -Brigade. To the right of these were the 8th Canadians and 5th -Canadians in the order named. The attack developed along two-thirds -of a front of five thousand yards, but was most severe upon the left, -where it had become a {51} flank as well as a frontal assault; but in -spite of the sudden and severe nature of the action, the line held -splendidly firm. Any doubt as to the quality of our Canadian -troops--if any such doubt had existed--was set at rest for ever, for -they met the danger with a joyous and disciplined alacrity. General -Turner, who commanded the 3rd Brigade upon the left, extended his men -to such an extent that, while covering his original front, he could -still throw back a line several thousand yards long to the south-west -and so prevent the Germans breaking through. By bending and thinning -his line in this fashion he obviously formed a vulnerable salient -which was furiously attacked by the Germans by shell and rifle fire, -with occasional blasts of their hellish gas, which lost something of -its effectiveness through the direction of the wind. The Canadian -guns, swinging round from north to west, were pouring shrapnel into -the advancing masses at a range of two hundred yards with fuses set -at zero, while the infantry without trenches fired so rapidly and -steadily that the attack recoiled from the severity of the -punishment. The British 118th and 365th Batteries did good work in -holding back this German advance. - -Two reserve battalions had been brought up in hot haste from Ypres to -strengthen the left of the line. These were the 16th (Canadian -Scottish) and the 10th Canadians. Their advance was directed against -the wood to the west of St. Julien, in which lay our four guns which, -as already described, had fallen into the hands of the Germans. -Advancing about midnight by the light of the moon, these two brave -regiments, under Colonels Leckie and Boyle, rushed at the wood which -the Germans had already {52} entrenched and carried it at the point -of the bayonet after a furious hand-to-hand struggle. Following at -the heels of the flying Germans, they drove them ever deeper into the -recesses of the wood, where there loomed up under the trees the huge -bulk of the captured guns. For a time they were once again in -British hands, but there was no possible means of removing them, so -that the Canadians had to be content with satisfying themselves that -they were unserviceable. For some time the Canadians held the whole -of the wood, but Colonel Leckie, who was in command, found that there -were Germans on each side of him and no supports. It was clear, -since he was already a thousand yards behind the German line, that he -would be cut off in the morning. With quick decision he withdrew -unmolested through the wood, and occupied the German trenches at the -south end of it. Colonel Boyle lost his life in this very gallant -advance, which may truly be said to have saved the situation, since -it engaged the German attention and gave time for reinforcements to -arrive. The immediate pressing necessity was to give the French time -to re-form, and to make some sort of line between the Canadian left -and the French right. As early as half-past two in the morning, -while the two Canadian regiments were struggling in the wood of St. -Julien, the First Cavalry Division were showing once again the value -of a mobile reserve. De Lisle's horsemen were despatched at full -speed to get across the Canal, so as to act as a support and an -immediate reserve for the French. The 2nd East Yorks from the -Twenty-eighth Division was also sent on the same errand. - -[Sidenote: April 23.] - -With the dawn it became of most pressing importance {53} to do -something to lessen, if not to fill, the huge gap which yawned -between the left of the Canadians and the canal, like a great open -door five miles wide leading into Ypres. Troops were already -streaming north at the call of Smith-Dorrien from all parts of the -British lines, but the need was quick and pressing. The Canadian 1st -Brigade, which had been in reserve, was thrown into the broad avenue -down which the German army was pouring. The four battalions of -General Mercer's Brigade--the 1st (Ontario), 4th, 2nd, and 3rd -(Toronto)--advanced south of Pilken. Nearer still to St. Julien was -the wood, still fringed by their comrades of the 10th and the 16th, -while to the east of St. Julien the remaining six battalions of -Canadians were facing north-eastwards to hold up the German advance -from that quarter, with their flank turned north-west to prevent the -force from being taken in the rear. Of these six battalions the most -northern was the 13th Royal Canadian Highlanders, and it was on the -unsupported left flank of this regiment that the pressure was most -severe, as the Germans were in the French trenches alongside them, -and raked them with their machine-guns without causing them to leave -their position, which was the pivot of the whole line. - -[Sidenote: The crisis.] - -Gradually, out of the chaos and confusion, the facts of the situation -began to emerge, and in the early morning of April 23 French saw -clearly how great an emergency he had to meet and what forces he had -with which to meet it. The prospect at first sight was appalling if -it were handled by men who allowed themselves to be appalled. It was -known now that the Germans had not only broken a five-mile gap {54} -in the line and penetrated two miles into it, but that they had taken -Steenstraate, had forced the canal, had taken Lizerne upon the -farther side, and had descended the eastern side as far south as -Boesinghe. At that time it became known, to the great relief of the -British higher command, that the left of the Canadian 1st Brigade, -which had been thrown out, was in touch with six French -battalions--much exhausted by their terrible experience--on the east -bank of the canal, about a mile south-east of Boesinghe. From that -moment the situation began to mend, for it had become clear where the -reinforcements which were now coming to hand should be applied. A -line had been drawn across the gap, and it only remained to stiffen -and to hold it, while taking steps to modify and support the salient -in the St. Julien direction, where a dangerous angle had been created -by the new hasty rearrangement of the Canadian line. - -It has been said that a line had been drawn across the gap, but dots -rather than a line would have described the situation more exactly. -Patrols had reached the French, but there was no solid obstacle to a -German advance. This was partially remedied through the sacrifices -of a body of men, who have up to now received the less credit in the -matter because, being a mere chance collection of military atoms, -they had no representative character. No finer proof of soldierly -virtue could be given than the behaviour of these isolated British -regiments which were now pushed up out of their rest camps near -Ypres, many of them wearied from recent fighting, and none of them -heartened by the presence of the comrades and superior officers who -had formed their old brigades. The battalions were the 2nd Buffs, -{55} half of the 3rd Middlesex, the 1st York and Lancasters, the 5th -Royal Lancasters, the 4th Rifle Brigade, the 2nd Cornwalls, the 9th -Royal Scots, and half the 2nd Shropshires. These odd battalions were -placed under the command of Colonel Geddes of the Buffs, and may be -described as Geddes' Detachment. These scattered units, hardly -conscious of each other's presence, were ordered upon April 23 not -only to advance and fill the gap, but actually to attack the German -Army, so as to give the impression of strength, and bring the -assailants to a halt while reinforcements were being hurried to the -Ypres front. These battalions, regardless of fire and gas, marched -straight across country at the Germans, got right up to their line, -and though unable to break it, held them fast in their positions. -The 1st Royal Irish, under Colonel Gloster, had done the same farther -to the eastward. For three days these battalions played their part -in the front line, deliberately sacrificing themselves for the sake -of the army. Colonel Geddes himself, with many senior officers, was -killed, and the losses of some of these stubborn units were so heavy -that it is reported that an observer approached a long row of -prostrate men, whom he took to be the 1st York and Lancaster, only to -find that it was the helpless swathe of their dead and wounded -filling a position from which the survivors had been moved. The -other battalions were in no better case, but their audacity in -attacking at a time when even a defence might seem a desperate -business, had its effect, and held up the bewildered van of the -enemy. It might well be quoted as a classical example of military -bluff. Nearly all these battalions were in reserve to the 27th or -28th Divisions, who were {56} themselves holding a long line in face -of the enemy, and who, by turning their reserves to the West, were -like a bank which transfers money to a neighbour at a time when it -may have to face a run upon its own resources. But the times were -recognised as being desperate, and any risk must be run to keep the -Germans out of Ypres and to hold the pass until further help should -come from the south. It was of course well understood that, swiftly -as our reinforcements could come, the movement of the German troops, -all swirling towards this sudden gap in the dam, would necessarily be -even swifter, since they could anticipate such a situation and we -could not. The remains of these battalions had by the evening of the -23rd dug themselves in on a line which roughly joined up the French -and the Canadians. - -In the afternoon of the 23rd those of the French troops who had -escaped the gas attack advanced gallantly to recover some of their -ground, and their movement was shared by the Canadian troops on the -British left wing and by Geddes' detachment. The advance was towards -Pilken, the French being on the left of the Ypres-Pilken road, and -the British on the right. Few troops would have come back to the -battle as quickly as our allies, but these survivors of the -Forty-fifth Division were still rather a collection of brave men than -an organised force. The strain of this difficult advance upon a -victorious enemy fell largely upon the 1st and 4th Battalions of -Mercer's 1st Canadian Brigade. Burchall, of the latter regiment, -with a light cane in his hand, led his men on in a debonair fashion, -which was a reversion to more chivalrous days. He fell, but lived -long enough to see his infantry in occupation of the front German -{57} line of trenches. No further progress could be made, but at -least the advance had for the moment been stayed, and a few hours -gained at a time when every hour was an hour of destiny. - -[Sidenote: Canadian gallantry.] - -A line had now been formed upon the left, and the Germans had been -held off. But in the salient to the right in the St. Julien section -the situation was becoming ever more serious. The gallant 13th -Canadians (Royal Highlanders) were learning something of what their -French comrades had endured the day before, for in the early dawn the -horrible gases were drifting down upon their lines, while through the -yellow mist of death there came the steady thresh of the German -shells. The ordeal seemed mechanical and inhuman--such an ordeal as -flesh and blood can hardly be expected to bear. Yet with admirable -constancy the 13th and their neighbours, the 15th, held on to their -positions, though the trenches were filled with choking and gasping -men. The German advance was blown back by rifle-fire, even if the -fingers which pulled the triggers were already stiffening in death. -No soldiers in the world could have done more finely than these -volunteers, who combined the dashing American spirit with the cool -endurance of the North. Little did Bernhardi think when he penned -his famous paragraph about our Colonial Militia and their uselessness -upon a European battlefield that a division of those very troops were -destined at a supreme moment to hold up one of the most vital German -movements in the Western campaign. - -The French upon the left were not yet in a position to render much -help, so General Alderson, who was in command of this movement, threw -back his left {58} wing and held a line facing westwards with the 4th -Rifle Brigade and a few Zouaves, so as to guard against a German -advance between him and the canal. When the night of the 23rd fell -it ended a day of hard desultory fighting, but the Allies could -congratulate themselves that the general line held in the morning had -been maintained, and even improved. - -Reinforcements were urgently needed by the advanced line, so during -the early hours of the morning of April 24 two battalions of the York -and Durham Territorial Brigade--the 4th East Yorkshires and -another--were sent from the west to Ypres to reinforce the weary 13th -Brigade, much reduced by its exertions at Hill 60, which was in -immediate support near Brielen. There was no fighting at this point -during the night, but just about daybreak some of the 2nd Canadian -Brigade upon the right of the British line, who were still holding -their original trenches, were driven out of them by gas, and -compelled to re-form a short distance behind them. - -Though the British advance upon the left had gained touch with the -Canadian 3rd Brigade, the latter still formed a salient which was so -exposed that the edge of it, especially the 13th and 15th battalions, -were assailed by infantry from the flank, and even from the rear. To -them it seemed, during the long morning of April 24, as if they were -entirely isolated, and that nothing remained but to sell their lives -dearly. They were circumstances under which less spirited troops -might well have surrendered. So close was the fighting that bayonets -were crossed more than once, Major Norsworthy, of the 13th, among -others, being stabbed in a fierce encounter. Very grim was the -spirit of the Canadians. "Fine {59} men, wonderful fellows, -absolutely calm, and I have never seen such courage," wrote a -Victoria Rifle Territorial, who had himself come fresh from the -heroic carnage of Hill 60. It may be added that, good as the -Canadian infantry was, their artillery was worthy to stand behind it. -It is on record that one Canadian heavy battery, that of Colonel -McGee, was so pre-eminently efficient that it was in demand at any -threatened portion of the line. - -It was clear on the morning of April 24 that the advanced angle, -where the French and Canadians had been torn apart, could no longer -be held in face of the tremendous shell-fire which was directed upon -it and the continuous pressure of the infantry attacks. The 3rd -Canadian Brigade fell slowly back upon the village of St. Julien. -This they endeavoured to hold, but a concentrated fire rained upon it -from several sides and the retreat continued. A detachment of the -13th and 14th Canadians were cut off before they could get clear, and -surrounded in the village. Here they held out as long as their -cartridges allowed, but were finally all killed, wounded, and taken. -The prisoners are said to have amounted to 700 men. The remainder of -the heroic and decimated 3rd Brigade rallied to the south of St. -Julien, but their retirement had exposed the flank of the 2nd -Canadian Brigade (Curry's), even as their own flank had been exposed -by the retirement of the French Forty-fifth Division. This 2nd -Brigade flung back its left flank in order to meet the situation, and -successfully held its ground. - -[Sidenote: The arrival of reinforcements.] - -In doing this they were greatly aided by supports which came from the -rear. This welcome reinforcement consisted of three battalions of -the 84th Brigade, {60} under Colonel Wallace. These three battalions -were ordered to advance about four o'clock in the afternoon, their -instructions being to make straight for Fortuin. Their assault was a -desperate one, since there was inadequate artillery support, and they -had to cross two miles of open ground under a dreadful fire. They -went forward in the open British formation--the 1st Suffolks in the -van, then the 12th London Rangers, and behind them the 1st Monmouths. -Numerous gassed Canadians covered the ground over which they -advanced. The losses were very heavy, several hundred in the -Suffolks alone, but they reached a point within a few hundred yards -of the enemy, where they joined hands with the few Canadians who were -left alive in those trenches. They hailed their advent with cheers. -The whole line lay down at this point, being unable to get farther, -and they were joined at a later date by the 9th Durhams, who came up -on the right. This body, which may be called Wallace's detachment, -remained in this position during the night, and were exposed to -severe attack next day, as will be seen later. So perilous was their -position at the time the 9th Durhams came up that preparations had -been made for destroying all confidential records in view of the -imminent danger of being overwhelmed. - -In this and subsequent fighting the reader is likely to complain that -he finds it difficult to follow the movements or order of the troops, -but the same trouble was experienced by the generals at the time. So -broken was the fighting that a regimental officer had units of nine -battalions under him at one moment. The general situations both now -and for the next three days may be taken to be this: that certain -{61} well-defined clumps of British troops--Twenty-eighth Division, -10th Brigade, Canadians, and so forth--are holding back the Germans, -and that odd battalions or even companies are continually pushed in, -in order to fill the varying gaps between these ragged forces and to -save their flanks, so far as possible, from being turned. These odd -battalions coalesced into irregular brigades which are named here -Geddes', Tuson's, or Wallace's detachment, after their senior officer. - -[Sidenote: Days of miracle.] - -Every hour of this day was an hour of danger, and fresh ground had -been abandoned and heavy losses incurred. None the less it may be -said that on the evening of Saturday, April 24, the worst was over. -From the British point of view it was a war of narrow escapes, and -this surely was among the narrowest. The mystics who saw bands of -bowmen and of knights between the lines during the retreat from Mons -did but give definite shape to the undeniable fact that again and -again the day had been saved when it would appear that the energy, -the numbers, or the engines of the enemy must assure a defeat. On -this occasion the whole front had, from an unforeseen cause, fallen -suddenly out of the defence. Strong forces of the Germans had only -five miles to go in order to cut the great nerve ganglion of Ypres -out of the British system. They were provided with new and deadly -devices of war. They were confronted by no one save a single -division of what they looked upon as raw Colonial Militia, with such -odds and ends of reinforcements as could be suddenly called upon. -And yet of the five miles they could only accomplish two, and now -after days of struggle the shattered tower of the old Cloth Hall in -front of them was as {62} inaccessible as ever. It needs no visions -of over-wrought men to see the doom of God in such episodes as that. -The innocent blood of Belgium for ever clogged the hand of Germany. - -Reinforcements were now assembling to the immediate south of St. -Julien. By evening the Northumberland Brigade and the Durham Light -Infantry Brigade--both of the Fiftieth Territorial Division--had -reached Potijze. More experienced, but not more eager, was Hull's -10th Regular Brigade, which had come swiftly from the Armentières -region. All these troops, together with Geddes' detachment and two -battalions of the York and Durham Territorials, were placed under the -hand of General Alderson for the purpose of a strong counter-attack -upon St. Julien. This attack was planned to take place on the -morning of Sunday, April 25. When night fell upon the 24th the front -British line was formed as follows:-- - -The Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth Divisions held their original -trenches facing eastwards. In touch with their left was the 2nd -Canadian Brigade, with one battalion of the 1st Canadian Brigade. -Then came Wallace's detachment with two battalions of the York and -Durham Territorials joining with the remains of the 3rd Canadian -Brigade. Thence Geddes' detachment and the 13th Brigade prolonged -the line, as already described, towards the canal. Behind this -screen the reinforcements gathered for the attack. - -[Sidenote: April 25.] - -The advance was made at 6.30 in the morning of April 25, General Hull -being in immediate control of the attack. It was made in the first -instance by the 10th Brigade and the 1st Royal Irish from the {63} -82nd Brigade. The remains of the indomitable 3rd Canadian Brigade -kept pace with it upon the right. Little progress was made, however, -and it became clear that there was not weight enough behind the -advance to crush a way through the obstacles in front. Two flank -battalions retired, and the 2nd Seaforths were exposed to a terrible -cross-fire. "We shouted to our officers (what was left of them) to -give the order to charge, knowing in our minds that it was hopeless, -as the smoke was so thick from their gas shells that we could see -nothing on either side of us." Some cavalry was seen, the first for -many days, but was driven off by the machine-gun of the Highlanders. -Finally a brigade of Northumberland Territorials came up to sustain -the hard-pressed line, passing over some two miles of open country -under heavy fire on their advance. It was then nearly mid-day. From -that point onwards the attackers accepted the situation and dug -themselves in at the farthest point which they could reach near the -hamlet of Fortuin, about a mile south of St. Julien. - -It will be remembered that Wallace's detachment had upon the day -before already reached this point. They were in a position of -considerable danger, forming a salient in front of the general line. -Together with the 9th Durhams upon their right, they sustained -several German assaults, which they drove back while thrusting wet -rifle rags into their mouths to keep out the drifting gas. From -their right trenches they had the curious experience of seeing -clearly the detraining of the German reserves at Langemarck Station, -and even of observing a speech made by a German general before his -troops hurried from the train into the battle. This advanced line -was held {64} by these troops, not only during the 25th, but for -three more days, until they were finally relieved after suffering -very heavy losses, but having rendered most vital service. - -Whilst the British were vainly endeavouring to advance to the north, -a new German attack developed suddenly from the north-east in the -region of Broodseinde, some five miles from St. Julien. This attack -was on a front of eight hundred yards. The trenches attacked were -those of the 84th and 85th Brigades of the Twenty-eighth Division, -and no doubt the Germans held the theory that these would be found to -be denuded or at least fatally weakened, their occupants having been -drafted off to stiffen the Western line. Like so many other German -theories, this particular one proved to be a fallacy. In spite of a -constant shower of poison shells, which suffocated many of the -soldiers, the enemy were vigorously repulsed, the 2nd East Surrey -Regiment getting at one time to hand-to-hand fighting. The few who -were able to reach the trenches remained in them as prisoners. Great -slaughter was caused by a machine-gun of the 3rd Royal Fusiliers -under Lieutenant Mallandain. Still, the movement caused a further -strain upon the resources of the British General, as it was necessary -to send up three battalions to remain in reserve in this quarter in -case of a renewal of the attack. On the other hand, the 11th Brigade -(Hasler), less the 1st East Lancashires, came up from the south to -join the 10th, and Indian troops were known to be upon the way. The -flank of the 85th Brigade was in danger all day, and it was covered -by the great devotion of the 8th Durham Light Infantry to the north -of it. This battalion lost heavily both in killed, {65} wounded, and -prisoners, but it fought with remarkable valour in a very critical -portion of the field. Early in the morning of the 26th the 1st -Hants, on the right of the newly-arrived 11th Brigade, joined up with -the 3rd Royal Fusiliers on the left of the 85th Brigade, and so made -the line complete. Shortly after the arrival of the Hampshires the -enemy charged through the dim dawn with a shout of "Ve vos the Royal -Fusiliers." Wily Hampshire was awake, however, and the trick was a -failure. - -Up to the evening of Sunday, April 25, the 2nd Canadian Brigade had -succeeded in holding its original line, which was along a slight -eminence called the Gravenstrafel Ridge. All the regiments had -fought splendidly, but the greatest pressure had been borne by -Colonel Lipsett's 8th Battalion (90th Winnipeg Rifles), who had been -gassed, enfiladed, and bombarded to the last pitch of human -endurance. About five o'clock their trenches were obliterated by the -fury of the German bombardment, and the weary soldiers, who had been -fighting for the best part of four days, fell back towards Wieltje. -That evening a large part of the Canadian Division, which had endured -losses of nearly 50 per cent and established a lasting reputation for -steadfast valour, were moved into reserve, while the Lahore Indian -Division (Keary) came into the fighting line. It is a remarkable -illustration, if one were needed, of the unity of the British Empire -that, as the weary men from Montreal or Manitoba moved from the -field, their place was filled by eager soldiers from the Punjab and -the slopes of the Himalayas. - -That evening a fresh French Division, the One Hundred and -Fifty-second, under General de Ligne, {66} came up from the south, -and two others were announced as being on their way, so that a -powerful French offensive was assured for next day upon the further -side of the Canal. De Lisle's First Division of Cavalry continued to -support the French opposite Lizerne, while Kavanagh's Second Division -was dismounted and pushed into the French territorial trenches in -front of Boesinghe. The enemy had come within shelling distance of -Poperinghe, and caused considerable annoyance there, as the town was -crowded with wounded. - -Splendid work was done during these days by the motor ambulances, -which on this one evening brought 600 wounded men from under the very -muzzles of the German rifles in front of St. Julien. Several of them -were destroyed by direct hits, but no losses damped their splendid -ardour. - -[Sidenote: Glorious advance of the Indians.] - -The Lahore Division having now arrived, it was directed to advance on -the left of the British and on the right of the French, along the -general line of the Ypres-Langemarck road. Encouraged by this -reinforcement, and by the thickening line of the French, General -Smith-Dorrien, who had spent several nightmare days, meeting one dire -emergency after another with never-failing coolness and resource, -ordered a general counter-attack for the early afternoon of April 26. -There was no sign yet of any lull in the German activity which would -encourage the hope that they had shot their bolt. On the contrary, -during the whole morning there had been confused and inconclusive -fighting along the whole front, and especially along the -Gravenstrafel Ridge, where the British 10th and 11th Brigades were -now opposing the advance. The 11th Brigade and 85th Brigade {67} -suffered heavily from shell-fire. About two o'clock the -counter-attack was set in motion, all forces co-operating, the -general idea being to drive the enemy back from the line between -Boesinghe on the left and Zonnebeke on the right. Of the French -attack on the east of the Canal one can only say that it kept pace -generally with the British, but on the west of the Canal it was -pushed very strongly in the direction of the village of Lizerne, -where the Germans had established an important bridge-head. - -The Indians advanced to the right of the French, with the Jullundur -Brigade upon the right and the Ferozepore Brigade upon the left, the -Sirhind Brigade in reserve. This Indian advance was an -extraordinarily fine one over fifteen hundred yards of open under a -very heavy shell-fire. They had nearly reached the front line of -German trenches, and were making good progress, when before them -there rose once more the ominous green-yellow mist of the poisoners. -A steady north-east wind was blowing, and in a moment the Indians -were encircled by the deadly fumes. It was impossible to get -forward. Many of the men died where they stood. The mephitic cloud -passed slowly over, but the stupefied men were in no immediate -condition to resume their advance. The whole line was brought to a -halt, but the survivors dug themselves in, and were eventually -supported and relieved by the Sirhind Brigade, who, with the help of -the 3rd Sappers and Miners and the 34th Pioneers, consolidated the -front line. General Smith-Dorrien tersely summed up the -characteristics of this advance of the Lahore Division when he said -that it was done "with insufficient artillery preparation, up an open -slope in the face of overwhelming {68} shell, rifle, and machine-gun -fire and clouds of poison gas, but it prevented the German advance -and ensured the safety of Ypres." In this war of great military -deeds there have been few more heroic than this, but it was done at a -terrible cost. Of the 129th Baluchis, only a hundred could be -collected that night, and many regiments were in little better case. -The 1st Manchesters and 1st Connaughts had fought magnificently, but -it cannot be said that there was any difference of gallantry between -Briton and Indian. - -[Sidenote: The Northern Territorials. April 26.] - -Farther to the eastwards another fine advance had been made by the -Northumberland Brigade of Territorials (Riddell) of the Fiftieth -Division, who had just arrived from England. Some military historian -has remarked that British soldiers never fight better than in their -first battle, and this particular performance, carried out by men -with the home dust still upon their boots, could not have been -improved upon. In this as in other attacks it was well understood -that the object of the operations was rather to bluff the Germans -into suspending their dangerous advance than to actually gain and -permanently hold any of the lost ground. The brigade advanced in -artillery formation which soon broke into open order. The fire, both -from the German guns, which had matters all their own way, and from -their riflemen, was incessant and murderous. The 6th Northumberland -Fusiliers were on the left with the 7th upon the right, the other two -battalions being nominally in second line but actually swarming up -into the gaps. In spite of desperately heavy losses the gallant -Geordies won their way across open fields, with an occasional rest -behind a bank or hedge, until they were on the actual outbuildings of -St. Julien. They held on to the edge {69} of the village for some -time, but they had lost their Brigadier, the gallant Riddell, and a -high proportion of their officers and men. Any support would have -secured their gains, but the 151st Durham Light Infantry Brigade -behind them had their own hard task to perform. The battalions which -had reached the village were compelled to fall back. Shortly after -six in the evening the survivors had dropped back to their own -trenches. Their military career had begun with a repulse, but it was -one which was more glorious than many a facile success. - -On their right the Twenty-eighth Division had been severely attacked, -and the pressure was so great that two and a half battalions had to -be sent to their help, thus weakening the British advance to that -extent. Had these battalions been available to help the -Northumbrians, it is possible that their success could have been made -good. The strain upon our overmatched artillery may be indicated by -the fact that on that one afternoon the 366th Battery of the -Twenty-eighth Division fired one thousand seven hundred and forty -rounds. The troops in this section of the battlefield had been flung -into the fight in such stress that it had been very difficult to keep -a line without gaps, and great danger arose from this cause on -several occasions. Thus a gap formed upon the left of the Hampshire -Regiment, the flank of the 11th Brigade, through which the Germans -poured. Another gap formed on the right of the Hampshires between -them and the 3rd Royal Fusiliers of the 85th Brigade. One company of -the 8th Middlesex was practically annihilated in filling this gap, -but by the help of the 8th Durham Light Infantry and other Durham and -Yorkshire Territorials the line was restored. The {70} 2nd -Shropshire Light Infantry also co-operated in this fierce piece of -fighting, their Colonel Bridgford directing the operation. - -The Indians upon the left had suffered from the gas attack, but the -French near the Canal had been very badly poisoned. By 3.30 they had -steadied themselves, however, and came forward once again, while the -Indians kept pace with them. The whole net advance of the day upon -this wing did not exceed three hundred yards, but it was effected in -the face of the poison fumes, which might well have excused a -retreat. In the night the front line was consolidated and the -Sirhind reserve brigade brought up to occupy it. It was a day of -heavy losses and uncertain gains, but the one vital fact remained -that, with their artillery, their devil's gas, and their north-east -wind, the Germans were not a yard nearer to that gaunt, tottering -tower which marked the goal of their desire. - -[Sidenote: A day of hard fighting. April 27.] - -The night of the 26th was spent by the British in reorganising their -line, taking out the troops who were worn to the bone, and -substituting such reserves as could be found. The French had been -unable to get forward on the east of the Canal, but on the west, -where they were farther from the gas, they had made progress, taking -trenches between Boesinghe and Lizerne, and partially occupying the -latter village. In the early afternoon of the 27th our indomitable -Allies renewed their advance upon our left. They were held up by -artillery fire, and finally, about 7 P.M., were driven back by gas -fumes. The Sirhind and Ferozepore Indian Brigades kept pace with the -French upon the right, but made little progress, for the fire was -terrific. The losses of the Sirhind Brigade were {71} very heavy, -but they held their own manfully. The 1st and 4th Gurkhas had only -two officers left unwounded in each battalion. The 4th King's also -made a very fine advance. Four battalions from corps reserve--the -2nd Cornwalls, 2nd West Ridings, 5th King's Own, and 1st York and -Lancaster--were sent up at 3 P.M., under Colonel Tuson, to support -the Indians. The whole of this composite brigade was only one -thousand three hundred rifles, three out of the four battalions -having been with Geddes' decimated force. The advance could not get -forward, but when in the late evening the French recoiled before the -deadly gas, the left of the Sirhind Brigade would have been in the -air but for the deployment of part of Tuson's detachment to cover -their flank. At 9 P.M. the Morocco Brigade of the French Division -came forward once more and the line was re-formed, Tuson's detachment -falling back into support. Once again it was a day of hard fighting, -considerable losses, and inconclusive results, but yet another day -had gone and Ypres was still intact. On the right of the British the -10th and 11th Brigades had more than held their own, and the line of -the Gravenstrafel Ridge was in their hands. Across the Canal also -the French had come on, and the Germans were being slowly but surely -pushed across to the farther side. By the evening of the 28th a -continuation of this movement had entirely cleared the western side, -and on the eastern had brought the French line up to the -neighbourhood of Steenstraate. - -[Sidenote: Results.] - -At this point the first phase of the second battle of Ypres may be -said to have come to an end, although for the next few days there was -desultory fighting {72} here and there along the French and British -fronts. The net result of the five days' close combat had been that -the Germans had advanced some two miles nearer to Ypres. They had -also captured the four large guns of the London battery, eight -batteries of French field-guns, a number of machine-guns, several -thousand French, and about a thousand British prisoners. The losses -of the Allies had been very heavy, for the troops had fought with the -utmost devotion in the most difficult circumstances. Our casualties -up to the end of the month in this region came to nearly 20,000 men, -and at least 12,000 French would have to be added to represent the -total Allied loss. The single unit which suffered most was the -British 10th Brigade (Hull), consisting of the 1st Warwicks, 2nd -Seaforths, 1st Irish Fusiliers, 2nd Dublin Fusiliers, and 7th Argyll -and Sutherlands. These battalions lost among them no fewer than 63 -officers and 2300 men, a very high proportion of their total numbers. -Nearly as high were the losses of the three Canadian brigades, the -first losing 64 officers and 1862 men; the second 71 officers and -1770 men; while the third lost 62 officers and 1771 men. The -Northumbrian Division was also very hard hit, losing 102 officers and -2423 men, just half of the casualties coming from the Northumberland -Infantry Brigade. The Lahore Division had about the same losses as -the Northern Territorials, while the Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth -Divisions each lost about 2000. General Hasler, of the 11th Brigade, -General Riddell, of the Northumberlands, Colonel Geddes, of the -Buffs, Colonels Burchall, McHaig, and Boyle, of the 4th, 7th, and -10th Canadians, Colonel Martin, of the 1st King's Own Lancasters, -Colonel {73} Hicks, of the 1st Hants, with many senior regimental -officers, were among the dead. No British or Canadian guns were lost -save the four heavy pieces, which were exposed through the -exceptional circumstance of the gas attack. The saving of all the -Canadian guns was an especially fine achievement, as two-thirds of -the horses were killed, and it was necessary to use the same teams -again and again to get away pieces which were in close contact with -the enemy. - -The airmen, too, did great work during this engagement, bombarding -Steenstraate, Langemarck, Poelcapelle, and Paschendaale. In so short -an account of so huge an operation it is difficult to descend to the -individual, but no finer deed could be chronicled in the whole war -than that of Lieutenant Rhodes-Moorhouse, who, having been mortally -wounded in the execution of his duty, none the less steered his -machine home, delivered her at the hangar, and made his report before -losing consciousness for ever. - -As to the German losses, they were very considerable. The -Twenty-sixth Corps returned a casualty list of 10,572, and the -Twenty-seventh of 6101. These are great figures when one considers -that it was almost entirely to their rifles that the British had to -trust. There were many other units engaged, and the total could not -have been less than 25,000 killed, wounded, or taken. - -In this hard-fought battle the British, if one includes the whole -area of contest, had seven divisions engaged--the Fourth, Fifth, -Twenty-seventh, Twenty-eighth, Fiftieth, Canadian, and Lahore. -Nearly half of these were immobile, however, being fixed to the long -line of eastern trenches. Forty thousand men would be a fair -estimate of those available from first {74} to last to stop the -German advance. It would be absurd to deny that the advantage rested -with the Germans, but still more absurd to talk of the honours of war -in such a connection. By a foul trick they gained a trumpery -advantage at the cost of an eternal slur upon their military -reputation. It was recognised from this time onwards that there was -absolutely nothing at which these people would stick, and that the -idea of military and naval honour or the immemorial customs of -warfare had no meaning for them whatever. The result was to infuse -an extraordinary bitterness into our soldiers, who had seen their -comrades borne past them in the agonies of asphyxiation. The -fighting became sterner and more relentless, whilst the same feeling -was reflected in Great Britain, hardening the resolution with which -the people faced those numerous problems of recruiting, food supply, -and munitions which had to be solved. Truly honesty is the better -policy in war as in peace, for no means could have been contrived by -the wit of man to bring out the full, slow, ponderous strength of the -British Empire so effectively as the long series of German outrages, -each adding a fresh stimulus before the effect of the last was -outworn. Belgium, Louvain, Rheims, Zeppelin raids, Scarborough, -poison-gas, the _Lusitania_, Edith Cavell, Captain Fryatt--these were -the stages which led us on to victory. Had Germany never violated -the Belgian frontier, and had she fought an honest, manly fight from -first to last, the prospect would have been an appalling one for the -Allies. There may have been more criminal wars in history, and there -may have been more foolish policies, but the historian may search the -past in vain for any such combination {75} of crime and folly as the -methods of "frightfulness" by which the Germans endeavoured to carry -out the schemes of aggression which they had planned so long. - -[Sidenote: Reorganization.] - -The gain of ground by the Germans from north to south in this -engagement necessitated a drawing-in of the line from east to west -over a front of nearly eight miles in order to avoid a dangerous -projecting salient at Zonnebeke. It was hard in cold blood to give -up ground which had been successfully held for so many months, and -which was soaked with the blood of our bravest and best. On the -other hand, if it were not done now, while the Germans were still -stunned by the heavy losses which they had sustained and wearied out -by their exertions, it might be exposed to an attack by fresh troops, -and lead to an indefensible strategic position. - -[Sidenote: May 2.] - -Upon Sunday, May 2, they made a fresh attack on the north of Ypres -along the front held by the French to the immediate south of Pilken -and along the British left to the east of St. Julien, where the -newly-arrived 12th Brigade (Anley) and the remains of the 10th and -11th were stationed. The 12th Brigade, which came up on May 1, -consisted at that time of the 1st King's Own Lancasters, 2nd -Lancashire Fusiliers, 2nd Essex, 5th South Lancashires (T.F.), 2nd -Monmouths (T.F.), and 2nd Royal Irish. The attack was in the first -instance carried out by means of a huge cloud of gas, which was -ejected under high pressure from the compressed cylinders in their -trenches, and rapidly traversed the narrow space between the lines. -As the troops fell back to avoid asphyxiation they were thickly -sprayed by shrapnel from the German guns. The German infantry {76} -followed on the fringe of their poison cloud, but they brought -themselves into the zone of the British guns, and suffered -considerable losses. Many of the troops in the trenches drew to one -side to avoid the gas, or even, in some cases, notably that of the -7th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, waited for the gas to come, -and then charged swiftly through it to reach the stormers upon the -other side, falling upon them with all the concentrated fury that -such murderous tactics could excite. The result was that neither on -the French nor on the British front did the enemy gain any ground. -Two battalions of the 12th Brigade--the 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers and -the 2nd Essex--suffered heavily, many of the men being poisoned. The -Lancashire Fusiliers lost 300 men from this cause, among them the -heroic machine-gunner, Private Lynn, who stood without a respirator -in the thick of the fumes, and beat off a German attack almost -single-handed, at the cost of a death of torture to himself. - -It was found that even when the acute poisoning had been avoided, a -great lassitude was produced for some time by the inhalation of the -gas. In the case of Hull's 10th Brigade, which had been practically -living in the fumes for a fortnight, but had a specially bad dose on -May 2, it was found that out of 2500 survivors, only 500 were really -fit for duty. The sufferings of the troops were increased by the use -of gas shells, which were of thin metal with highly-compressed gas -inside. All these fiendish devices were speedily neutralised by -means of respirators, but a full supply had not yet come to hand, nor -had the most efficient type been discovered, so that many of the -Allies were still poisoned. - -{77} - -[Sidenote: May 3.] - -Upon May 3 the enemy renewed his attack upon the 11th Brigade, now -commanded by Brigadier-General Prowse, and the 1st Rifle Brigade, -which was the right flank regiment, was badly mauled, their trenches -being almost cleared of defenders. The 1st Somersets also suffered -heavily. Part of the 1st York and Lancasters and the 5th King's Own -Lancasters were rushed up to the rescue from the supports of the -Twenty-eighth Division. The gallant Colonel of the latter battalion, -Lord Richard Cavendish, was wounded while waving on his men with his -cane and shouting, "Come along, King's Own." At the same time the -German infantry tried to push in between the 11th Brigade on our left -and the 85th on the right, at the salient between the Fourth and -Twenty-eighth Divisions, the extreme north-east corner of the British -lines. The fight was a very desperate one, being strongly supported -by field-guns at short ranges. Three more British battalions--the -2nd Buffs, 3rd Fusiliers, and 2nd East Yorks--were thrown into the -fight, and the advance was stopped. That night the general -retirement took place, effected in many cases from positions within a -few yards of the enemy, and carried out without the loss of a man or -a gun. The retirement was upon the right of the British line, and -mainly affected the Twenty-seventh, and to a less degree the -Twenty-eighth, Divisions. The Fourth Division upon the left or north -did not retire, but was the hinge upon which the others swung. -During the whole of these and subsequent operations the Fourth -Division was splendidly supported by the French artillery, which -continually played upon the attacking Germans. - -[Sidenote: Lost of Hill 60.] - -Before closing this chapter, dealing with the gas {78} attacks to the -north of Ypres, and beginning the next one, which details the furious -German assault upon the contracted lines of the Fifth Army Corps, it -would be well to interpolate some account of the new development at -Hill 60. This position was a typical one for the German use of gas, -just as the Dardanelles lines would have been for the Allies, had -they condescended to such an atrocity upon a foe who did not -themselves use such a weapon. Where there is room for flexibility of -manoeuvre, and a temporary loss of ground is immaterial, the gas is -at a discount; but where there is a fixed and limited position it is -without respirators practically impossible to hold it against such an -agency. Up to now the fighting at Hill 60 had furnished on both -sides a fine epic of manliness, in which man breasted man in honest -virile combat. Alas, that such a brave story should have so cowardly -an ending! Upon the evening of May 1 the poisoners got to work, and -the familiar greenish gas came stealing out from the German trenches, -eddied and swirled round the base of the hill, and finally submerged -the summit, where the brave men of the Dorsets in the trenches were -strangled by the chlorine as they lay motionless and silent, examples -of a discipline as stern as that of the Roman sentry at Herculaneum. -So dense were the fumes that the Germans could not take possession, -and it was a reinforcement of Devons and Bedfords of the 15th Brigade -who were the first to reach the trenches, where they found the bodies -of their murdered comrades, either fixed already in death or writhing -in the agonies of choking. It is said that the instructions of the -relieving force were to carry up munitions and to carry down the -Dorsets. One officer and {79} 50 men had been killed at once, while -4 officers and 150 men were badly injured, many of them being -permanently incapacitated. The 59th Company of Royal Engineers were -also overwhelmed by the fumes, three officers and many men being -poisoned. - -The gas attack upon Hill 60 on May 1 may have been a mere experiment -upon the part of the Germans to see how far they could submerge it, -for it was not followed up by an infantry advance. A more sustained -and more successful attack was made by the same foul means upon May -5. Early in the morning the familiar cloud appeared once more, and -within a few minutes the British position was covered by it. Not -only the hill itself, but a long trench to the north of it was -rendered untenable, and so was another trench two thousand yards -north of Westhoek. - -The 2nd West Ridings were holding the front trench at the time, and -suffered horribly from the poison. Mr. Valentine Williams, in his -admirable account of the episode, says: "There appeared staggering -towards the dug-out of the commanding officer of the Duke's in the -rear two figures, an officer and an orderly. The officer was as pale -as death, and when he spoke his voice came hoarsely from his throat. -Beside him his orderly, with unbuttoned coat, his rifle clasped in -his hand, swayed as he stood. The officer said slowly, in his -gasping voice, 'They have gassed the Duke's. I believe I was the -last man to leave the hill. The men are all up there dead. They -were splendid. I thought I ought to come and report.' That officer -was Captain Robins.... They took him and his faithful orderly to -hospital, but the gallant officer died that night." His two -subalterns, Lieut. Miller {80} and another, both remained in the -front trench until they died. - -Such was the upshot of the fighting at Hill 60. What with the shells -and what with the mines, very little of the original eminence was -left. The British still held the trenches upon the side while the -Germans held the summit, if such a name could be applied. The -British losses, nearly all from poison, had been considerable in the -affair, and amounted to the greater part of a thousand men, the -Dorsets, Devons, Bedfords, and West Ridings being the regiments which -suffered most heavily. When the historian of the future sums up the -deeds of the war it is probable that he will find nothing more -remarkable than the patient endurance with which the troops faced a -death of torture from the murderous gas in the days when no -protection had yet been afforded them. - -One incident of this period may be quoted as showing the peculiar -happenings of modern warfare. The village of Poperinghe was at this -time the chief depot for stores and resting-place for wounded, being -ten miles to the rear of the line. Great surprise and confusion were -caused, therefore, by a sudden fall of immense shells, which came out -of space with no indication whatever as to their origin. They caused -more fright than damage, but were excessively unnerving. From their -measured fall it was clear that they all came from one single gun of -gigantic power behind the far distant German line. To the admirable -aeroplanes was given the task of solving the mystery, and regardless -of gun-fire or hostile craft they quartered the whole country round -until at last, by a combination of luck and skill, they concluded -that a Belgian barn, five miles behind the enemy {81} line and -fifteen from Poperinghe, was the lair of the monster. A large -British gun came stealthily up and lay concealed till dawn when it -opened upon the barn. The third or fourth shell went home, a -magazine exploded, the barn went up, and there was peace henceforth -in Poperinghe. - - - - -{82} - -CHAPTER IV - -THE SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES - -Stage II.--The Bellewaarde Lines - -The second phase--Attack on the Fourth Division--Great stand of the -Princess Pats--Breaking of the line--Desperate attacks--The cavalry -save the situation--The ordeal of the 11th Brigade--The German -failure--Terrible strain on the British--The last effort of May -24--Result of the battle--Sequence of events. - - -It was upon the evening of May 4 that the difficult operations were -finished by which the lines of the British Army on the north-east of -Ypres were brought closer to the city. The trenches which faced -north, including those which looked towards Pilken and St. Julien, -were hardly affected at all by this rearrangement. The section which -was chiefly modified was the long curved line which was held from -Zonnebeke southwards by the Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth -Divisions. Instead of averaging five miles from Ypres, these troops -were now not more than three from that centre, and the curve of their -line was from Wieltje and Frezenberg to past the Bellewaarde wood and -lake, and so through Hooge and on to Hill 60. - -[Sidenote: The second phase.] - -The second phase of this great battle, which began with the poisoning -of Langemarck, is dated from the time that the British line was -readjusted. {83} The Germans were naturally much encouraged by so -general a withdrawal, and it seemed to them that, with a further -effort, they would be able to burst their way through and take -possession at last of this town which faced them, still inviolate, -after nearly eight months of incessant attack. Their guns, aided by -their aeroplanes, after wasting a day in bombarding the empty -trenches, hastened to register upon the new line of defences. - -During the 5th, 6th, and 7th the enemy were perfecting their new -arrangements, but no peace or rest was given to that northern portion -of the line which was still in its old trenches. The bombardment was -turned on to this or that battalion in turn. On the evening of the -5th it was the 5th South Lancashires, on the right of the 12th -Brigade, who were torn to pieces by jets of steel from the terrible -hose. The battalion was relieved by the 2nd Monmouths, who beat off -an attack next morning. All day upon the 7th the Germans were -massing for an attack, but were held back by the steady fire of the -French and British batteries. On the 8th, however, the new -preparations were complete, and a terrible storm, destined to last -for six unbroken days--days never to be forgotten by those who -endured them--broke along the whole east, north-east, and north of -the British line. - -It has been shown in the last chapter that during the long and bitter -fight which had raged from the 22nd to the 28th of April the two -British divisions which together formed the Fifth Army Corps had not -only been closely engaged in their own trenches, but had lent -battalions freely to the Canadians, so that they had at one time only -a single battalion in their own {84} reserve. During the period of -the readjustment of the line nearly all these troops returned, but -they came back grievously weakened and wearied by the desperate -struggle in which they had been involved. None the less, they got to -work at once in forming and strengthening the new dyke which was to -keep the German flood out of Ypres. Day and night they toiled at -their lines, helped by working parties from the Fifth Division, the -50th Northumbrian Division, and two field companies of sappers from -the Fourth Division. All was ready when the German attack broke upon -the line. The left of this attack was borne by the Fourth Division, -the centre, in the Frezenberg sector, was held by the Twenty-eighth -Division, and the right by the Twenty-seventh Division, who joined up -with the Fifth Division in the south. This was at first almost -entirely an artillery attack, and was of a most destructive -character. Such an attack probably represents the fixed type of the -future, where the guns will make an area of country impossible for -human life, and the function of the infantry will simply be to move -forward afterwards and to occupy. Along the whole line of the three -divisions for hour after hour an inexhaustible rain of huge -projectiles fell with relentless precision into the trenches, -smashing them to pieces and burying the occupants in the graves which -they had prepared for themselves. It was with joy that the wearied -troops saw the occasional head of an infantry assault and blew it to -pieces with their rifles. For the greater part it was not a contest -between men and men, but rather one between men and metal, in which -our battalions were faced by a deserted and motionless landscape, -from which came the ceaseless {85} downpour of shells and occasional -drifting clouds of chlorine. At one point, near Frezenberg, the -trenches had been sited some 70 yards down the forward slope of a -hill, with disastrous results, as the 3rd Monmouths and part of the -2nd Royal Lancasters who held this section were almost destroyed. -When the 3rd Monmouths were eventually recalled the Battalion H.Q. -and some orderlies and signallers were all who appeared in answer to -the summons. - -[Sidenote: Attack on the Fourth Division. May 8.] - -About seven o'clock the German infantry attack developed against that -part of the line--the northern or left wing--which was held by the -Fourth Division. The advance was pushed with great resolution and -driven back with heavy losses, after getting within a hundred yards -of the trenches. "Company after company came swinging forward -steadily in one long, never-ending line," says an observer of the -11th Brigade, describing the attack as it appeared from the front of -the 1st East Lancashires and of the 5th London Rifle Brigade. "Here -and there their attack slackened, but the check was only temporary. -On they came again, and the sight was one that almost mesmerised us. -They were near enough for us to hear the short, sharp cries of the -officers, and the rain of bullets became more deadly than ever. It -was simple murder." The barbed wire in front of the defences was -choked and heaped with dead and wounded men. This desperate German -attack had more success farther to the south. - -At this part of the line the Germans had pushed through a gap and had -seized the village of Wieltje, thus getting behind the right rear of -the 12th Brigade. It was essential to regain the village, for it was -a vital point in the line. The 1st Royal Irish, which {86} had been -attached to this brigade, together with two companies of the 5th -South Lancashire, were ordered to advance, while two reserve -battalions of the 1st Irish Fusiliers and the 7th Argyll and -Sutherlands, all under General Anley, supported the attack. It is no -light matter with an inferior artillery to attack a village held by -German troops, but the assault was brilliantly successful and the -village was regained, while the dangerous gap was closed in the -British line. That night there was some desperate fighting round -Wieltje, which occasionally got down to bayonet work. The 1st Hants -and 1st East Lancashire from the 11th Brigade had come up and helped -in the fierce defence, which ended where it began, with the British -line still intact. - -So much for the fighting on May 8 in front of the Fourth Division. -Farther down the line to the south the situation was more serious. A -terrific bombardment had demolished the trenches of the Fifth Corps, -and a very heavy infantry advance had followed, which broke the line -in several places. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{87} - -[Illustration: SECOND BATTLE OF YPRES ORDER OF BATTLE FROM MAY 7th.] - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -The weight of this attack fell upon the Twenty-eighth Division in -front of Frezenberg, and very particularly upon the 83rd Brigade, -which formed the unit on the right flank. The German rush was -stemmed for a time by the staunch North of England battalions which -made up this brigade--the 1st Yorkshire Light Infantry on the extreme -right, and their neighbours of the 5th Royal Lancasters, the 2nd -Royal Lancasters, and the 2nd East Yorkshires. Great drifts of gas -came over, and the gasping soldiers, with their hands to their -throats and the tears running down their cheeks, were at the same -time cut to pieces by every kind of shell beating upon them in an -{89} endless stream. Yet they made head against this accumulation of -horrors. The East Yorkshires were particularly badly cut up, and the -Monmouths, who were in support, endured a terrible and glorious -baptism of fire while advancing in splendid fashion to their support. -But the losses from the shell-fire had been very heavy, and the line -was too weak to hold. Of 2500 men in the Frezenberg trenches only -600 men were left standing. The brigade had to fall back. The left -flank of the 80th Brigade of the Twenty-seventh Division upon the -right was consequently exposed and in the air. A glance at the -accompanying diagram will show the situation created by the -retirement of any unit. - -[Sidenote: Great stand of the Princess Pats. May 8.] - -The flank trench was held by the Princess Patricia Canadians, and -their grand defence of it showed once more the splendid stuff which -the Dominion had sent us. Major Gault and all the other senior -officers were killed or wounded, and the command devolved upon -Lieutenant Niven, who rose greatly to the occasion. Besides the -heavy shelling and the gas, the trenches were raked by machine-guns -in neighbouring buildings. So accurate was the German artillery that -the machine-guns of the Canadians were buried again and again, but -were dug up and spat out their defiance once more. Corporal Dover -worked one of these guns till both his leg and his arm had been shot -away. When the trenches were absolutely obliterated the Canadians -manned the communication trench and continued the desperate -resistance. The 4th Rifle Brigade sent up a reinforcement and the -fight went on. Later a party of the 2nd Shropshires pushed their way -also into the fire-swept trenches, bringing with them a welcome -supply of {90} cartridges. It was at this hour that the 83rd Brigade -upon the right of the Twenty-eighth Division had to fall back, -increasing the difficulty of holding the position. The enemy charged -once more and got possession of the trench at a point where all the -defenders had been killed. There was a rush, however, by the -survivors in the other sections, and the Germans were driven out -again. From then until late at night the shell-fire continued, but -there was no further infantry advance. Late that night, when -relieved by the Rifles, the Canadian regiment, which had numbered -nearly 700 in the morning, could only muster 150 men. Having read -the service over their comrades, many of whom had already been buried -by the German shells, they were led back by Lieutenants Niven, Clark, -Vandenburg, and Papineau after a day of great stress and loss, but of -permanent glory. "No regiment could have fought with greater -determination or endurance," said an experienced British general. -"Many would have failed where they succeeded." - -[Sidenote: Breaking of the line. May 8.] - -It has already been described how the 83rd Brigade had been driven -back by the extreme weight of the German advance. Their fellow -brigade upon the left, the 84th (Bowes), had a similar experience. -They also held their line under heavy losses, and were finally, -shortly after mid-day, compelled to retire. The flank regiment on -the right, the 1st Suffolk, were cut off and destroyed even as their -second battalion had been at Le Cateau. - -At this time the 1st Suffolk was so reduced by the losses sustained -when it had formed part of Wallace's detachment, as described in the -last chapter, that there were fewer than 300 men with the Colours. -{91} When the Germans broke through the left flank of the 83rd -Brigade they got partly to the rear of the Suffolk trenches. The -survivors of the Suffolks were crowded down the trench and mixed up -with the 2nd Cheshires, who were their immediate neighbours. The -parapets were wrecked, the trenches full of debris, the air polluted -with gas, and the Germans pushing forward on the flank, holding -before them the prisoners that they had just taken from the 83rd -Brigade. It is little wonder that in these circumstances this most -gallant battalion was overwhelmed. Colonel Wallace and 130 men were -taken. The 2nd Northumberland Fusiliers and the 1st Monmouths -sustained also very heavy losses, as did the 12th London Rangers. -The shattered remains of the brigade were compelled to fall back in -conformity with the 83rd upon the right, sustaining fresh losses as -they were swept with artillery fire on emerging from the trenches. -This was about 11.30 in the morning. The 1st Monmouths upon the left -of the line seem, however, to have kept up their resistance till a -considerably later hour, and to have behaved with extraordinary -gallantry. Outflanked and attacked in the rear after the Germans had -taken the trenches on the right, they still, under their gallant -Colonel Robinson, persevered in what was really a hopeless -resistance. The Germans trained a machine-gun upon them from a house -which overlooked their trench, but nothing could shift the gallant -miners who formed the greater part of the regiment. Colonel Robinson -was shot dead while passing his men down the trench one by one in the -hope of forming a new front. Half the officers and men were already -on the ground. The German stormers were {92} on the top of them with -cries of "Surrender! Surrender!" "Surrender be damned!" shouted -Captain Edwards, and died still firing his revolver into the grey of -them. It was a fine feat of arms, but only 120 men out of 750 -reassembled that night. - -After this severe blow battalions held back in reserve were formed up -for a counter-attack, which was launched about half-past three. The -attack advanced from the point where the Fourth and Twenty-eighth -Divisions adjoined, and two battalions of the Fourth Division--the -1st Warwicks and the 2nd Dublin Fusiliers--together with the 2nd East -Surreys, 1st York and Lancasters, and 3rd Middlesex, of the 85th -Brigade, took part in it, pushing forwards towards the hamlet of -Frezenberg, which they succeeded in occupying. On their left the -12th London Regiment (the Rangers) won their way back to the line -which their brigade, the 84th, had held in the morning, but they lost -very heavily in their gallant attack. Two other reserve battalions, -the 1st East Lancashires, of the 11th Brigade, and the 7th Argyll and -Sutherland Highlanders, of the 10th, fought their way up as already -mentioned on the extreme left in the neighbourhood of Wieltje, and -spliced the line at the weak point of the junction of divisions. All -these attacks were made against incessant drifts of poison-gas, as -well as heavy rifle and shell fire. It was a day of desperate and -incessant fighting, where all General Plumer's skill and resolution -were needed to restore and to hold his line. The Germans claimed to -have taken 500 prisoners, mostly of the 84th Brigade. - -[Sidenote: Desperate attacks. May 9.] - -The net result of the fighting upon May 8 was {93} that the area held -in the north-east of Ypres was further diminished. Early upon the -9th the Germans, encouraged by their partial success, continued their -attack, still relying upon their massive artillery, which far -exceeded anything which the British could put against it. The attack -on this morning came down the Menin road, and the trenches on either -side of it were heavily bombarded. At ten o'clock there was an -infantry advance upon the line of the 81st Brigade (Croker), which -was driven back by the 2nd Cameron Highlanders and the 2nd -Gloucesters. The shell-fire was continued upon the same line until 4 -P.M., when the trench was obliterated, and a second advance of the -German infantry got possession of it. A counter-attack of the -Gloucesters was held up with considerable loss, the advance of the -regiment through the wood being greatly impeded by the number of -trees cut down by shells and forming abattis in every direction, like -the windfalls of a Canadian forest. This trench was the only capture -made by the Germans during the day, and it did not materially weaken -the position. The Gloucesters lost Colonel Tulloh, five other -officers, and 150 men. - -These attacks along the line of the Menin road and to the north of -Lake Bellewaarde were all directed upon the Twenty-seventh Division, -but the Twenty-eighth Division immediately to the north, which had -been defending the sector which runs through Frezenberg and Wieltje, -had also been most violently shelled, but had held its line, as had -the Fourth Division to the north. All these divisions had -considerable losses. The general result was a further slight -contraction of the British line. It could not be broken, and it -could {94} not be driven in upon Ypres, but the desperate and (apart -from the gas outrages) valorous onslaughts of the Germans, aided by -their overpowering artillery, gained continually an angle here and a -corner there, with the result that the British position was being -gradually whittled away. - -[Sidenote: May 10.] - -On the 10th the Germans again attacked upon the line of the Menin -road, blasting a passage with their artillery, but meeting with a -most determined resistance. The weight of their advance fell chiefly -upon the 80th Brigade to the north of the road, the 4th Rifle Brigade -and the 4th Rifles bearing the brunt of it and suffering very -severely, though the 2nd Camerons and 9th Royal Scots, of the 81st -Brigade, were also hard hit. So savage had been the bombardment, and -so thick the gas, that the German infantry thought that they could -safely advance, but the battalions named, together with the 3rd -Battalion of Rifles, drove them back with heavy loss. It was always -a moment of joy for the British infantry when for a brief space they -were faced by men rather than machines. The pitiless bombardment -continued; the garrison of the trenches was mostly killed or buried, -and the survivors fell back on to the support trenches west of the -wood. This defence of the Riflemen was as desperate a business as -that of the Canadians upon the 8th. Several of the platoons remained -in the shattered trenches until the Germans had almost surrounded -them, and finally shot and stabbed a path for themselves till they -could rejoin their comrades. It was on this day that the 9th Argyll -and Sutherland Highlanders suffered heavy losses, including their -splendid Colonel, James Clark. - -{95} - -[Sidenote: May 11.] - -On May 11 the attack was still very vigorous. The Twenty-seventh -Division was strongly pressed in the morning. The 80th Brigade was -to the north and somewhat to the west of the 81st, which caused the -latter to form a salient. With their usual quickness in taking -advantage of such things, the Germans instantly directed their fire -upon this point. After several hours of heavy shelling, an infantry -attack about 11 A.M. got into the trenches, but was driven out again -by the rush of the 9th Royal Scots. The bombardment was then -renewed, and the attack was more successful at 4 P.M.--an almost -exact repetition of the events upon the day before, save that the -stress fell upon the 81st instead of the 80th Brigade. During the -night the Leinsters of the 82nd Brigade drove the Germans out again, -but found that the trench was untenable on account of the shell-fire. -It was abandoned, therefore, and the line was drawn back into the -better cover afforded by a wood. Afterwards the trench was partly -reoccupied by a company of the 2nd Gloucestershires under Captain -Fane. - -[Sidenote: The cavalry save the situation.] - -By this date many of the defending troops had been fighting with -hardly a break from April 22. It was an ordeal which had lasted by -day and by night, and had only been interrupted by the labour of -completing the new lines. The losses had been very heavy, and -reinforcements were most urgently needed. Some idea of the stress -may be gathered from the fact that at the time the six battalions of -the 83rd Brigade had been formed into one composite battalion under -Colonel Worsley Gough. At the same time it was impossible to take -any troops from the northern sector, which was already hardly {96} -strong enough to hold a violent German attack. In the south the Army -had, as will be shown, become involved in the very serious and -expensive operations which began at Richebourg on May 9. In these -difficult circumstances it was to the never-failing cavalry that -General Plumer had to turn. It is sinful extravagance to expend -these highly trained horsemen, who cannot be afterwards improvised, -on work that is not their own, but there have been many times in this -war when it was absolutely necessary that the last man, be he who he -might, should be put forward. So it was now, and the First and Third -Cavalry Divisions, under General de Lisle, were put into the firing -line to the north of Lake Bellewaarde, taking the place of the -Twenty-eighth Division, which at that time had hardly a senior -regimental officer left standing. The First Cavalry Division took -the line from Wieltje to Verlorenhoek, while the Third carried it on -to Hooge, where it touched the Twenty-seventh Division. Their -presence in the front firing line was a sign of British weakness, -but, on the other hand, it was certain that the Germans had lost -enormously, that they were becoming exhausted, and that they were -likely to wear out the rifling of their cannon before they broke the -line of the defence. A few more days would save the situation, and -it was hoped that the inclusion of the cavalry would win them. - -[Sidenote: May 12.] - -They took over the lines just in time to meet the brunt of what may -have been the most severe attack of all. The shelling upon May 12 -can only be described as terrific. The Germans appeared to have an -inexhaustible supply of munitions, and from morning to night they -blew to pieces the trenches in front {97} and the shelters behind -which might screen the supports. - -It was a day of tempestuous weather, and the howling wind, the -driving rain, and the pitiless fire made a Dantesque nightmare of the -combat. The attack on the right fell upon the Third Cavalry -Division. This force had been reorganised since the days in October -when it had done so splendidly with the Seventh Infantry Division in -the fighting before Ypres. It consisted now of the 6th Brigade (1st -Royals, 3rd Dragoon Guards, North Somerset Yeomanry), the 7th Brigade -(1st and 2nd Life Guards and Leicestershire Yeomanry), and the 8th -Brigade (Blues, 10th Hussars, and Essex Yeomanry). This Division was -exposed all morning to a perfectly hellish fire, which was especially -murderous to the north of the Ypres-Roulers road. At this point the -1st Royals, 3rd Dragoon Guards, and Somerset Yeomanry were stationed, -and were blown, with their trenches, into the air by a bombardment -which continued for fourteen hours. A single sentence may be -extracted from the report of the Commander-in-Chief, which the -Somersets should have printed in gold round the walls of their -headquarters. "The North Somerset Yeomanry on the right of the -brigade," says the General, "although also suffering severely, hung -on to their trenches throughout the day and actually advanced and -attacked the enemy with the bayonet." The Royals came up in support, -and the brigade held its own. On one occasion the enemy actually got -round the left of the 3rd Dragoon Guards, who were the flank -regiment, upon which Captain Neville, who was killed later upon the -same day, gave the order, "Even numbers deal with the enemy in the -rear, odd {98} numbers carry on!" which was calmly obeyed with -complete success. On the right the flank of the Twenty-seventh -Division had been exposed, but the 2nd Irish Fusiliers were echeloned -back so as to cover it. So with desperate devices a sagging line was -still drawn between Ypres and the ever-pressing invaders. The strain -was heavy, not only upon the cavalry, but upon the Twenty-seventh -Division to the south of them. There was a time when the pressure -upon the 4th Rifle Brigade, a battalion which had endured enormous -losses, was so great that help was urgently needed. The Princess -Patricia's had been taken out of the line, as only 100 men remained -effective, and the 4th Rifles were in hardly a better position, but -the two maimed battalions were formed into one composite body, which -pushed up with a good heart into the fighting line and took the place -of the 3rd Rifles, who in turn relieved the exhausted Rifle Brigade. - -On the left of the cavalry line, where the First Cavalry Division -joined on to the Fourth Infantry Division, near Wieltje, the -artillery storm had burst also with appalling violence. The 18th -Hussars lost 150 men out of their already scanty ranks. The Essex -Regiment on their left helped them to fill the gap until the 4th -Dragoon Guards came up in support. This fine regiment and their -comrades of the 9th Lancers were heavily punished, but bore it with -grim stoicism. To their right Briggs' 1st Brigade held splendidly, -though all of them, and especially the Bays, were terribly knocked -about. In the afternoon the 5th Dragoon Guards were momentarily -driven in by the blasts of shell, but the 11th Hussars held the line -firm. - -{99} - -[Sidenote: The ordeal of the 11th Brigade.] - -The situation as the day wore on became somewhat more reassuring. -The British line had been badly dented in the middle, where the -cavalry had been driven back or annihilated, but it held firm at each -end. South of the Menin road the Twenty-seventh Division, much -exhausted, were still holding on, officers and men praying in their -weary souls that the enemy might be more weary still. These -buttressed the right of the line, while three miles to the north the -Fourth Division, equally worn and ragged, was holding the left. The -10th Brigade had sustained such losses in the gas battle that it was -held, as far as possible, in reserve, but the 11th and 12th were hard -pressed during the long, bitter day, in which they were choked by -gas, lashed with artillery fire, and attacked time after time by -columns of infantry. The 11th Brigade in that dark hour showed to a -supreme degree the historic qualities of British infantry, their -courage hardening as the times grew worse. The 1st East Lancashires -had their trenches destroyed, lost Major Rutter and many of their -officers, but still, under their gallant Colonel Lawrence, held on to -their shattered lines. Every point gained by the stubborn Germans -was wrenched from them again by men more stubborn still. They -carried a farmhouse near Wieltje, but were turned out again by the -indomitable East Lancashires after desperate fighting at close -quarters. It is said to have been the fourth time that this -battalion mended a broken line. Severe attacks were made upon the -trenches of the 1st Hampshires and the 5th London Rifle Brigade, but -in each case the defenders held their line, the latter Territorial -battalion being left with fewer than 200 men. It was in this action -that Sergeant Belcher, of {100} the London Rifle Brigade, with eight -of his Territorials and two Hussars, held a vital position against -the full force of a German infantry attack, losing half their little -band, but saving the whole line from being enfiladed. - -The 12th Brigade had been drawn back into reserve, but it was not a -day for rest, and the 2nd Essex was hurried forward to the relief of -the extreme left of the cavalry, where their line abutted upon the -Fourth Division. The battalion made a very fine counter-attack under -a hail of shells, recovering some trenches and clearing the Germans -out of a farmhouse, which they subsequently held against all -assailants. This attack was ordered on the instant by Colonel Jones, -of the Essex, and was carried out so swiftly that the enemy had no -time to consolidate his new position. - -Whilst each buttress held firm, a gallant attempt was made in the -afternoon to straighten out the line in the centre where the Third -Cavalry Division had been pushed back. The 8th Brigade of Cavalry, -under Bulkeley-Johnson, pushed forward on foot and won their way to -the original line of trenches, chasing the Germans out of them and -making many prisoners, but they found it impossible to hold them -without supports under the heavy shell-fire. They fell back, -therefore, and formed an irregular line behind the trenches, partly -in broken ground and partly in the craters of explosions. This they -held for the rest of the day. - -[Sidenote: The German failure.] - -Thus ended a truly desperate conflict. The Germans had failed in -this, which proved to be their final and supreme effort to break the -line. On the other hand, the advance to the north of the Bellewaarde -{101} Lake necessitated a further spreading and weakening of the -other forces, so that it may truly be said that the prospects never -looked worse than at the very moment when the Germans had spent their -strength and could do no more. From May 13 the righting died down, -and for some time the harassed and exhausted defenders were allowed -to re-form and to recuperate. The 80th Brigade, which had suffered -very heavily, was drawn out upon the 17th, the Second Cavalry -Division, under Kavanagh, taking its place. Next day the 81st -Brigade, and on May 22 the 82nd, were also drawn back to the west of -Ypres, their place being taken by fresh troops. The various units of -the Twenty-eighth Division were also rested for a time. For the -gunners and sappers there was no rest, however, but incessant labour -against overmastering force. - -The second phase of this new Battle of Ypres may be said to have -lasted from May 4 to May 13. It consisted of a violent German -attack, pushed chiefly by poison and by artillery, against the -Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth Divisions of the Fifth British Corps -and the Fourth Division to the north of them. Its aim was, as ever, -the capture of Ypres. In this aim it failed, nor did it from first -to last occupy any village or post which gave it any return for its -exertions. It inflicted upon the British a loss of from 12,000 to -15,000 men, but endured itself at the very least an equal slaughter -without any compensating advantage. The whole operation can only be -described, therefore, as being a costly failure. Throughout these -operations the British infantry were provided with respirators soaked -in alkalis, while many wore specially-constructed helmets to save -them from being poisoned. {102} To such grotesque expedients had -Germany brought the warfare of the twentieth century. - -[Sidenote: Terrible strain on the British.] - -There is no doubt that the three British regular divisions and the -cavalry were worn to a shadow at the end of these operations. Since -the enemy ceased to attack, it is to be presumed that they were in no -better case. The British infantry had been fighting almost day and -night for three weeks, under the most desperate conditions. Their -superiority to the infantry of the Germans was incontestable, but -there was no comparison at all between the number of heavy guns -available, which were at least six to one in favour of the enemy. -Shells were poured down with a profusion, and also with an accuracy, -never before seen in warfare, and though the British infantry -continually regained trenches which had been occupied by the German -infantry, it was only to be shelled out of them again by a fire -against which they could make no adequate answer. An aerial observer -has described that plain simply flaming and smoking from end to end -with the incessant heat of the shells, and has expressed his wonder -that human life should have been possible under such a fire. And yet -the road to Ypres was ever barred. - -All the infantry losses, heavy as they were, are eclipsed by those of -the Third Cavalry Division, which bore the full blast of the final -whirlwind, and was practically destroyed in holding it back from -Ypres. This splendid division, to whom, from first to last, the -country owes as much as to any body of troops in the field, was only -engaged in the fighting for one clear day, and yet lost nearly as -heavily in proportion as either of the infantry divisions which had -been in the firing line for a week. Their casualties were 91 -officers {103} and 1050 men. This will give some idea of the -concentrated force of the storm which broke upon them on May 12. It -was a most murderous affair, and they were only driven from their -trenches when the trenches themselves had been blasted to pieces. It -is doubtful whether any regiments have endured more in so short a -time. These three brigades were formed of _corps d'élites_, and they -showed that day that the blue blood of the land was not yet losing -its iron. The casualty lists in this and the succeeding action of -the 24th read like a society function. Colonel Ferguson, of the -Blues, Colonel the Hon. Evans-Freke, Lord Chesham, Captain the Hon. -J. Grenfell, Lord Leveson-Gower, Sir Robert Button, Lord Compton, -Major the Hon. C. B. Mitford, the Hon. C. E. A. Phillips, Viscount -Wendover--so runs the sombre and yet glorious list. The sternest of -Radicals may well admit that the aristocrats of Britain have counted -their lives cheap when the enemy was at the gate. Colonel -Smith-Bingham, of the 3rd Dragoon Guards, Colonel Steele, of the 1st -Royals, Colonel Freke, of the Leicestershire Yeomanry, and many other -senior officers were among the dead or wounded. The Leicester -Yeomanry suffered very severely, but their comrades of Essex and of -Somerset, the Blues and the 1st Royals, were also hard hit. The -losses of the First Cavalry Division were not so desperately heavy as -those of the Third, but were none the less very serious, amounting to -54 officers and 650 men. - -It is possible that the German attack desisted because the infantry -were exhausted, but more probable that the great head of shells -accumulated had been brought down to a minimum level, and that the -gas cylinders were empty. For ten days, while the {104} British -strengthened their battered line, there was a lull in the fighting. - -[Sidenote: The last effort of May 24.] - -There was no change, however, in the German plan of campaign, and the -fight which broke out again upon May 24 may be taken as the -continuation of the battle which had died down upon the 13th. Fresh -reservoirs of poison had been accumulated, and early in the morning -in the first light of dawn the infernal stuff was drifting down wind -in a solid bank some three miles in length and forty feet in depth, -bleaching the grass, blighting the trees, and leaving a broad scar of -destruction behind it. A roaring torrent of shells came pouring into -the trenches at the instant that the men, hastily aroused from sleep, -were desperately fumbling in the darkness to find their respirators -and shield their lungs from the strangling poison. The front of this -attack was from a farm called "Shell-trap," between the Poelcapelle -and Langemarck roads on the north, to Bellewaarde Lake on the south. -The surprise of the poison in that weird hour was very effective, and -it was immediately followed by a terrific and accurate bombardment, -which brought showers of asphyxiating shells into the trenches. The -main force of the chlorine seems to have struck the extreme right of -the Fourth Division and the whole front of the Twenty-eighth -Division. but the Twenty-seventh and the cavalry were also involved -in a lesser degree. - -Anley's 12th Brigade was on the left of the British line, with Hull's -10th Brigade upon its right, the 11th being in reserve. On the 12th -and 10th fell the full impact of the attack. The 12th, though badly -mauled, stood like a rock and blew back the Germans as they tried to -follow up the gas. "They doubled {105} out of their trenches to -follow it up half an hour after the emission," wrote an officer of -the Essex. "They were simply shot back into them by a blaze of fire. -They bolted back like rabbits." All day the left and centre of the -12th Brigade held firm. The Royal Irish upon the right were less -fortunate. The pressure both of the gas and the shells fell very -severely upon them, and the few survivors were at last driven from -their trenches, some hundreds of yards being lost, including the -Shell-trap Farm. The Dublin Fusiliers, in the exposed flank of the -10th Brigade, were also very hard hit. Of these two gallant Irish -regiments only a handful remained, and the Colonels of each, Moriarty -and Loveband, fell with their men. Several of the regiments of the -10th Brigade suffered severely, and the 7th Argyll and Sutherland -Highlanders were left with only 2 officers and 76 men standing. -These two officers, by some freak of fate, were brothers named Scott, -the sole hale survivors of thirty-six who had been attached to the -battalion. - -This misfortune upon the right left the rest of the 12th Brigade in a -most perilous position, attacked on the front, the flank, and the -right rear. No soldiers could be subjected to a more desperate test. -The flank battalion was the 1st Royal Lancasters (Colonel Jackson), -who lived up to the very highest traditions of the British Army. -Sick and giddy with the gas, and fired into from three sides, they -still stuck doggedly to their trenches. The Essex battalion stood -manfully beside them, and these two fine battalions, together with -the East Lancashires and Rifle Brigade, held their places all day and -even made occasional aggressive efforts to counter-attack. At {106} -eight in the evening they were ordered to form a new line with the -10th Brigade, five hundred yards in the rear. They came back in -perfect order, carrying their wounded with them. Up to this moment -the Fourth Division had held exactly the same line which they had -occupied from May 1. - -To return to the events of the morning. The next unit from the north -was the 85th Brigade (Chapman), which formed the left flank of the -Twenty-eighth Division. Upon it also the gas descended with -devastating effect. There was just enough breeze to drift it along -and not enough to disperse it. The 2nd East Surrey, the flank -battalion, held on heroically, poison-proof and heedless of the -shells. Next to them, just south of the railway, the 3rd Royal -Fusiliers were so heavily gassed that the great majority of the men -were absolutely incapacitated. The few who could use a rifle -resisted with desperate valour while two companies of the Buffs were -sent up to help them, and another company of the same regiment was -despatched to Hooge village, where the 9th Lancers and 18th Hussars -of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade were very hard pressed. On the left of -the cavalry, between Hooge and Bellewaarde, was the Durham -Territorial Brigade, which was pushed forward and had its share of -the gas and of the attack generally, though less hard pressed than -the divisions of regular troops upon their left. In a war of large -numbers and of many brave deeds it is difficult and perhaps invidious -to particularise, but a few sentences may be devoted to one isolated -combat which showed the qualities of the disciplined British soldier. -Two platoons of the 7th Durhams, under two 19-year-old lieutenants, -Arthur Rhodes and {107} Pickersgill, were by chance overlooked when -the front line was withdrawn 200 yards. They were well aware that a -mistake had been made, but with a heroic if perhaps Quixotic regard -for duty they remained waist-deep in water in their lonely trench -waiting for their certain fate, without periscopes or machine guns, -and under fire from their own guns as well as those of the enemy. -Both wings were of course in the air. In the early morning they beat -back three German attacks but were eventually nearly all killed or -taken. Rhodes was shot again and again but his ultimate fate is -unknown. Pickersgill was wounded, and the survivors of his platoon -got him to the rear. The loss of such men is to be deplored, but the -tradition of two platoons in cold blood facing an army is worth many -such losses. - -The Durham Territorial Artillery did excellent work in supporting the -cavalry, though they were handicapped by their weapons, which were -the ancient fifteen-pounders of the South African type. These -various movements were all in the early morning under the stress of -the first attack. The pressure continued to be very severe on the -line of the Royal Fusiliers and Buffs, who were covering the ground -between the railway line on the north and Bellewaarde Lake on the -south, so the remaining company of the Buffs was thrown into the -fight. At the same time, the 3rd Middlesex, with part of the 6th and -8th Durham Light Infantry, advanced to the north of the railway line. -The German pressure still increased, however, and at mid-day the -Buffs and Fusiliers, having lost nearly all their officers and a -large proportion of their ranks, fell back into the wood to the south -of the railway. - -{108} - -A determined attempt was at once made to recapture the line of -trenches from which they had been forced. The 84th Brigade (Bowes), -hitherto in reserve, was ordered to move along the south of the line, -while the whole artillery of the Fifth Corps supported the advance. -Meanwhile, the 80th Brigade (Fortescue) was pushed forward on the -right of the 84th, with orders to advance upon Hooge and restore the -situation there. It was evening before all arrangements were -completed. About seven o'clock the 84th advanced with the 2nd -Cheshires upon the left and the 2nd Northumberland Fusiliers upon the -right, supported by the 1st Welsh, the Monmouths, and the feeble -remains of the 1st Suffolks. Darkness had fallen before the lines -came into contact, and a long and obstinate fight followed, which -swayed back and forwards under the light of flares and the sudden red -glare of bursting shells. So murderous was the engagement that the -84th Brigade came out of it without a senior officer left standing -out of six battalions, and with a loss of 75 per cent of the numbers -with which it began. The machine-gun fire of the Germans was -extremely intense, and was responsible for most of the heavy losses. -At one time men of the Welsh, the Suffolks, and the Northumberland -Fusiliers were actually in the German trenches, but at dawn they were -compelled to retire. Late in the evening the 3rd and 4th Brigades of -Cavalry were pushed into the trenches on the extreme right of the -British position, near Hooge, to relieve the 1st and 2nd Brigades, -who had sustained heavy losses for the second time within ten days. - -The general result of the attack of May 24 was that this, the most -profuse emission of poison, had {109} no more solid effect than the -other recent ones, since the troops had learned how to meet it. The -result seems to have convinced the Germans that this filthy ally -which they had called in was not destined to serve them as well as -they had hoped, for from this day onwards there was no further -attempt to use it upon a large scale in this quarter. In this -action, which may be known in history as the Battle of Bellewaarde, -since it centred round the lake of that name, the British endured a -loss of some thousands of men killed, wounded, or poisoned, but their -line, though forced back at several points, was as firm as ever. - -In all the fighting which forms the second half of this great battle -one is so absorbed by the desperate efforts of regimental officers -and men to hold on to their trenches that one is inclined to do less -than justice to the leaders who bore the strain day after day of that -uphill fight. Plumer, of the Second Army; Ferguson, of the Fifth -Army Corps; Wilson, Snow, and Bulfin, of the Fourth, Twenty-seventh, -and Twenty-eighth Divisions, De Lisle of the Cavalry--these were the -men who held the line in those weeks of deadly danger. - -On May 25 the line was consolidated and straightened out, joining the -French at the same point as before, passing through Wieltje, and so -past the west end of Lake Bellewaarde to Hooge. At this latter -village there broke out between May 31 and June 3 what may be -regarded as an aftermath of the battle which has just been described. -The château at this place, now a shattered ruin, was the same -building in which General Lomax was wounded and General Monro struck -senseless in that desperate fight on October 31. Such was the -equilibrium of {110} the two great forces that here in May the fight -was still raging. Château and village were attacked very strongly by -the German artillery, and later by the German infantry, between May -30 and June 3, but no impression was made. The post was held by the -survivors of the 3rd Dragoon Guards, and the action, though a local -one, was as fine an exhibition of tenacious courage as has been seen -in the war. The building was destroyed, so to a large extent was the -regiment, but the post remained with the British. - -[Sidenote: Result of the battle.] - -This narrative is a brief outline of the series of events which make -up the second phase of that battle which, beginning in the north of -the Allied lines upon April 22, was continued upon the north-eastern -salient, and ended, as shown, at Hooge at the end of May. In this -fighting at least 100,000 men of the three nations were killed or -wounded. The advantage with which the Germans began was to some -extent neutralised before the end, for our gallant Allies had never -rested during this time, and had been gradually re-establishing their -position, clearing the west of the canal, recapturing Steenstraate -and Het Sas, and only stopping short of Pilken. On the other hand, -the British had been compelled to draw in for two miles, and Ypres -had become more vulnerable to the guns of the enemy. If any -advantage could be claimed the balance lay certainly with the -Germans, but as part of a campaign of attrition nothing could be -devised which would be more helpful to the Allies. The whole of -these operations may be included under the general title of the -second Battle of Ypres, but they can be divided into two clearly -separated episodes, the first lasting from April 22 to the end of the -month, which may be called the Battle of Langemarck, {111} and the -second from May 4th to the 24th, with a long interval in the centre, -which may, as already stated, be known as the Battle of Bellewaarde. -In this hard-fought war it would be difficult to say that any action -was more hard-fought than this, and it will survive for centuries to -come if only in the glorious traditions of the Canadian Division, who -first showed that a brave heart may rise superior to bursting lungs. -These were the greatest of all, but they had worthy comrades in the -Indians, who at the end of an exhausting march hurled themselves into -so diabolical a battle; the Northern Territorial Division, so lately -civilians to a man, and now fighting like veterans; the 13th Brigade, -staggering from their exertions at Hill 60, and yet called on for -this new effort; the glorious cavalry, who saved the situation at the -last moment; and the much-enduring Fourth, Twenty-seventh, and -Twenty-eighth Divisions of the line, who bore the bufferings of the -ever-rising German tide. Their dead lie at peace on Ypres plain, but -shame on Britain if ever she forgets what she owes to those who -lived, for they and their comrades of 1914 have made that name a -symbol of glory for ever. - -[Sidenote: Sequence of events.] - -It may help the reader's comprehension of the sequence sequence of -events, and of the desperate nature of this second Battle of Ypres, -if a short _résumé_ be here given of the happenings upon the various -dates. A single day of this contest would have appeared to be a -considerable ordeal to any troops. It is difficult to realise the -cumulative effect when such blows fell day after day and week after -week upon the same body of men. The more one considers this action -the more remarkable do the facts appear. - -_April_ 22.--Furious attack upon the French and {112} Canadians. -Germans gain several miles of ground, eight batteries of French guns, -and four heavy British guns by the use of poison-gas. The Canadians -stand firm. - -_April_ 23.--Canadians hold the line. Furious fighting. French -begin to re-form. Reserves from the Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth -British Divisions, 13th Brigade, and cavalry buttress up the line. - -_April_ 24.--Desperate fighting. Line pushed farther back, and -Germans took about a thousand prisoners. Line never broken. - -_April_ 25.--Battle at its height. 50th Northern Territorial -Division come into the fight. 10th Regular Brigade come up. -Canadians drawn out. The French advancing. - -_April_ 26.--11th Regular Brigade thrown into the fight. Also the -Lahore Division of Indians. Trenches of Twenty-eighth Division -attacked. - -_April_ 27.--The French made some advance on the left. There was -equilibrium on the rest of the line. Hard fighting everywhere. - -_April_ 28.--The enemy still held, and his attack exhausted for the -moment. French made some progress. - -_May_ 1.--British 12th Brigade came into line. - -_May_ 2.--Renewed German assault on French and British, chiefly by -gas. Advance held back with difficulty by the Fourth Division. - -_May_ 3 and 4.--Contraction of the British position, effected without -fighting, but involving the abandonment of two miles of ground at the -north-eastern salient. - -_May_ 5.--German attack upon Fourth Division. - -_May_ 6.--Attack still continued. - -{113} - -_May_ 7.--Artillery preparation for general German attack. - -_May_ 8.--Furious attack upon Fourth, Twenty-eighth, and -Twenty-seventh British Divisions. Desperate fighting and heavy -losses. The British repulsed the attack on their left wing (Fourth -Division), but sustained heavy loss on centre and right. - -_May_ 9.--Very severe battle continued. British left held its -ground, but right and centre tended to contract. - -_May_ 10.--Fighting of a desperate character, falling especially upon -the Twenty-seventh Division. - -_May_ 11.--Again very severe fighting fell upon the Twenty-seventh -Division on the right of the British line. Losses were heavy, and -there was a slight contraction. - -_May_ 12.--Readjustment of British line. Two divisions of cavalry -put in place of Twenty-eighth Division. Furious artillery attack, -followed by infantry advance. Cavalry and Twenty-seventh Division -terribly punished. Very heavy losses, but the line held. Fourth -Division fiercely engaged and held its line. - -_May_ 13.--The Germans exhausted. The attack ceased. Ten days of -mutual recuperation. - -_May_ 24.--Great gas attack. Fourth Division on left had full force -of it, lost heavily, but could not be shifted. In the evening had to -retire five hundred yards for the first time since the fighting -began. General result of a long day of furious fighting was some -contraction of the British line along its whole length, but no gap -for the passage of the enemy. This may be looked upon as a last -despairing effort {114} of the Germans, as no serious attempt was -afterwards made that year to force the road to Ypres. - -Such, in a condensed form, was the record of the second Battle of -Ypres, which for obstinacy in attack and inflexibility in defence can -only be compared with the first battle in the same section six months -before. Taking these two great battles together, their result may be -summed up in the words that the Germans, with an enormous -preponderance of men in the first and of guns in the second, had -expended several hundred thousand of their men with absolutely no -military advantage whatever. - - - - -{115} - -CHAPTER V - -THE BATTLE OF RICHEBOURG--FESTUBERT - -(May 9-24) - -The New Attack--Ordeal of the 25th Brigade--Attack of the 1st -Division--Fateful days--A difficult situation--Attack of the 2nd -Division--Attack of the 7th Division--British success--Good work of -Canadians--Advance of the 47th London Division--Lull before the storm. - - -Whilst this desperate fighting was going on in the north a very -extensive and costly operation had been begun in the south, a great -attack being made by the First Army, with the main purpose of -engaging the German troops and preventing them from sending help to -their comrades, who were hard pressed by the French near Arras. In -this the movement was entirely successful, but the direct gain of -ground was not commensurate with the great exertions and losses of -the Army. For some days the results were entirely barren, but the -patient determination of Sir John French and of Sir Douglas Haig had -their final reward, and by May 25, when the movement had been brought -to a close, there had been a general advance of 600 yards over a -front of four miles, with a capture of 10 machine guns and some 800 -prisoners. These meagre trophies of victory may, however, hardly be -said to compensate us for the {116} severe and unavoidable losses -which must always in the case of the attack be heavier than those of -the defence. - -This important attack was made upon May 9, over a front of about ten -miles from the Laventie district in the north to that of Richebourg -in the south. In the case of the northern attack it was carried out -by Rawlinson's Fourth Corps, and was directed upon the sector of the -German lines to the north-west of Fromelles at the point which is -named Rouges Bancs. The southern attack was allotted to the Indian -Corps (Willcocks) and the First Corps acting together. These two -efforts represented the real foci of activity, but a general action -was carried on from one end of the line to the other in order to -confuse the issue, and hold the enemy in his trenches. - -Both in the north and in the south the special attack was opened by a -sudden and severe bombardment, which lasted for about forty minutes. -This had been the prelude to the victory of Neuve Chapelle, but in -the case of Neuve Chapelle the British attack had been a complete -surprise, whereas in this action of May 9 there is ample evidence -that the Germans were well informed as to the impending movement, and -were prepared for it. Their trenches were very deep, and more -vulnerable to high explosives, in which we were deficient, than to -shrapnel. None the less, the bombardment was severe and accurate, -though, as it proved, insufficient to break down the exceedingly -effective system of defence, based upon barbed wire, machine guns, -and the mutual support of trenches. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{117} - -[Illustration: Southern Portion of Richebourg-Festubert Operations.] - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -The attack in the north was confided to Lowry-Cole's 25th Brigade, -supported by the remainder of {119} the Eighth Division. This -brigade consisted of the 1st Irish Rifles, 2nd Berkshires, 2nd Rifle -Brigade, 2nd Lincoln, and two Territorial battalions--the 1st London -and the 13th London (Kensington). The latter regiment was given a -special task, which was to seize and hold a considerable mine-crater -upon the left of the line. The rest of the brigade were ordered at -5.30 to charge the German trenches, which was done with the greatest -dash and gallantry. Through a terrific fire of rifles and -machine-guns the wave of men rolled forward, and poured into the -trench, the 1st Irish Rifles and the 2nd Rifle Brigade leading the -assault. It was found, however, that further progress could not be -made. As the men sprang over the parapets they were mowed down in an -instant. Long swathes of our dead marked the sweep of the murderous -machine-guns. The Brigadier himself with his Brigade-major at his -heels, sprang forward to lead the troops, but both were shot down in -an instant, Lowry-Cole being killed and Major Dill badly wounded. It -was simply impossible to get forward. No bravery, no perseverance, -no human quality whatever could avail against the relentless sleet of -lead. The 1st Londons coming up in support deployed and advanced -over 400 yards of open with the steadiness of veterans, but lost -nearly half their numbers. The Kensingtons in their crater had a -similar experience, and could only hold on and endure a most pitiless -pelting. For a long day, until the forenoon of the 10th, the ground -which had been won was held. Then at last the bitter moment came -when the enfeebled survivors, weakened by thirty-six hours of -fighting, and fiercely attacked on all sides, were compelled to fall -back {120} upon their original lines. The retirement was conducted -with a steadiness which verged upon bravado. "These God-like fools!" -was the striking phrase of a generous German who observed the thin -ranks sauntering back under a crushing fire, with occasional halts to -gather up their wounded. The casualty figures show how terrific was -the ordeal to which the men had been exposed. The Irish Rifles lost -the very heavy numbers of 9 officers killed, 13 wounded, and 465 men -out of action. The total of the 2nd Rifle Brigade was even more -terrible, working out as 21 officers and 526 men dead or wounded. -The figures of the 2nd Berkshires and of the 2nd Lincolns were heavy, -but less disastrous than those already quoted. The former lost 20 -officers and 263 men, the latter 8 officers and 258 men. The 24th -Brigade (Oxley) which had supported the 25th, and had also reached -the first trenches, endured losses which were almost as disastrous. -The 2nd East Lancashires lost 19 officers and 435 men; the 1st -Sherwood Foresters, 17 officers and 342 men; the 2nd Northamptons, 12 -officers and 414 men; the 5th Black Watch, 8 officers and 140 men. -The losses of the 23rd Brigade, which remained in support, were by no -means light, for the Scottish Rifles lost 12 officers and 156 men; -while the 2nd Devons lost 7 officers and 234 men. Altogether the -Eighth Division lost 4500 men, a single brigade (the 25th), -accounting for 2232 of these casualties. Deplorable as they are, -these figures must at least show that officers and men had done all -that could be attempted to achieve the victory. When it is -remembered that these were the same battalions which had lost so -terribly at Neuve Chapelle just two months before, one can but marvel -{121} at the iron nerve which enabled them once again to endure so -searching a test. - -It has been stated that the Kensingtons were given a separate mission -of their own in the capture and defence of a mine-crater upon the -left of the British line. They actually carried not only the crater, -but a considerable section of the hostile trenches, penetrating at -one time as deep as the third line; but reinforcements could not -reach them, their flanks were bare, and they were at last forced to -retire. "It was bitter and damnable!" cries one of them out of his -full heart. It was with the greatest difficulty that the remains of -the gallant band were able to make their way back again to the -British line of trenches. Nine officers were killed, 4 wounded, and -420 men were hit out of about 700 who went into action. - -Such was the attack and bloody repulse which began the Battle of -Richebourg. At the same hour the Indians and the First Corps had -advanced upon the German lines to the north of Givenchy with the same -undaunted courage, the same heavy losses, and the same barren result. -The events of May 9 will always stand in military history as among -the most honourable, but also the most arduous, of the many hard -experiences of the British soldiers in France. - -In the case of the Indians, the attack was checked early, and could -make no headway against the terribly arduous conditions. Their -advance was upon the right of that already described of the Fourth -Corps. Farther still to the right or to the south in the region of -Richebourg L'Avoué was the front of the First Division, which was -fated to be even more heavily punished than the Eighth had been in -the north. In this case also there was a prelude of forty minutes' -{122} concentrated fire--a period which, as the result showed, was -entirely inadequate to neutralise the many obstacles with which the -stormers were faced. During the night, the sappers had bridged the -ditches between the front trenches and the supports, and had also -crept out and thrown bridges over the ditches between the two lines. -The 2nd Brigade (Thesiger), consisting of the 1st Northamptons, 2nd -and 5th Sussex, 2nd Rifles, 1st North Lancashires, and 9th -Liverpools, attacked upon the right--indeed, they formed at that -moment the extreme right of the whole British Army, save for the -Forty-seventh London Division to the south. The weather was bright -and clear, but the effect of the bombardment was to raise such a -cloud of dust that two men from each platoon in the front line were -able to carry forward a light bridge with which they gained a line -about eighty yards from the enemy's parapet. The instant that the -guns ceased, the infantry dashed forward, but were met by a withering -fire. The 1st Northamptons and 2nd Sussex were in the lead, and the -ground between the armies was littered with their bodies. In a -second wave came the 2nd Rifles and the 5th Sussex, but human valour -could do nothing against the pelting sleet of lead. The wire had -been very imperfectly cut, and it was impossible to get through. The -survivors fell back into the front trenches, while their comrades lay -in lines and heaps upon the bullet-swept plain. The 5th Sussex -Territorials had their baptism of fire, the first and last for many, -and carried themselves like men. A line of German machine-guns was -posted in a very close position almost at right angles to the -advance, and it was these which inflicted the heaviest losses. -Hardly {123} a single man got as far as the German parapet. At 6.20 -the assault was a definite failure. - -On the left, the 3rd Brigade had kept pace with the 2nd, and had -shared its trials and its losses. The van of the charging brigade -was formed by the 2nd Munsters and the 2nd Welsh. The 1st -Gloucesters, 1st South Wales Borderers, and 4th Welsh Fusiliers were -in close support. Their attack was on the German line at the Rue des -Bois, 300 yards away. They reached the trenches, though Colonel -Richard of the Munsters and very many of his men were killed. This -was the third Munster Colonel--Charrier, Bent, Richard--to be killed -or disabled in the war. The men surged over the parapet, Captain -Campbell-Dick standing on the crest of it, and whooping them on with -his cap as if they were a pack of hounds. He fell dead even as they -passed him. The trenches were taken, but could not be held, as there -were no supports and the assault had failed on either side. Under -cover of a renewed artillery fire the survivors came slowly and -sullenly back. Once more, and for the third time, the 2nd Munsters -were reduced to 200 rank and file. Three officers emerged unhurt -from the action. - -A second attack was ordered for mid-day, the regiments being shifted -round so as to bring the supports into the front line. It was soon -found, however, that the losses had already been so heavy that it was -impossible, especially in the 2nd Brigade, to muster sufficient force -for a successful advance. The 1st Guards Brigade (Lowther) was -therefore brought to the front, and after a renewed bombardment at 4 -o'clock the two leading battalions--the 1st Black Watch and the 1st -Cameron Highlanders--rushed to the assault over the bodies of their -fallen {124} comrades. It is on record that as the Highlanders -dashed forward, a number of the wounded who had been lying in the -open since morning, staggered to their feet and joined in the charge. -It was a desperate effort, and the khaki wave rolled up to the -trenches, and even lapped over them in places; but the losses were -too heavy, and the advance had lost all weight before it reached the -German line. At one point a handful of Black Watch got over the -line, but it was impossible to reinforce them, and they were -compelled to fall back. The 3rd Brigade on their flank had pushed -forward the 1st Gloucesters and 1st South Wales Borderers. They -found the enemy "standing 3 and 4 deep in their breastworks and -fighting like demons." The British threw themselves down, and their -guns showered shrapnel on the crowded German trenches. The enemy -losses were great but the machine-guns were intact and no advance was -possible. At 6 o'clock the survivors of both Brigades were back in -their trenches once more. Late the same night the 5th Brigade of the -Second Division was brought up to take over the line, and the remains -of the First Division were withdrawn to the rear. - -The losses of the 2nd Brigade were 70 officers and 1793 men, which -might have been cited as possibly the highest number incurred in the -same length of time up to that time, had it not been for the terrible -figures of the 25th Brigade upon the same fatal day. The other two -brigades of the Division were hard hit, the total losses of the -Division amounting to nearly 5000 men. If the loss of the Indian -Corps be included, the number of casualties in this assault cannot -have been less than from 12,000 to 13,000 {125} men; while the losses -to the enemy inflicted by the artillery could not possibly have -approximated to this figure, nor had any advantage been obtained. - -There are few single periods of the War so crowded with incident as -from May 7 to 9, 1915. In the north the second Battle of Ypres was -at its height. In the south the Battle of Richebourg had begun. But -a third incident occurred upon the earlier date which struck the -civilised world with a horror which no combat, however murderous, -could inspire. It was the day when nearly 1200 civilians, with a -considerable proportion of women and little children, were murdered -by being torpedoed and drowned in the unarmed liner the _Lusitania_. -Such incidents do not come within the direct scope of this narrative, -and yet this particular one had an undoubted military bearing upon -the War, since it hardened our resolve, stimulated our recruiting, -and nerved our soldiers in a very marked degree, while finally -removing any possibility of peace based upon compromise. No such -crime against civilians has been committed in deliberate warfare -since the days of Tamerlane or Timour the Tartar; yet it is dreadful -to have to add that it was hailed as a triumph from one end of -Germany to the other, that medals were struck to commemorate it, and -that no protest appeared in the German Press. To such depths of -demoralisation had this once Christian and civilised nation been -reduced! Touch Germany where one would, on land or air, on the sea -or under it, one came always upon murder. - -It is impossible not to admire the tenacity of Sir John French under -the very difficult circumstances in which he was now placed. His -troops at Ypres were still fighting with their backs to the wall. -Their {126} position on May 10 was precarious. The only -reinforcements they could hope for in case of disaster were from the -south. And yet the south had itself received a severe rebuff. Was -it best to abandon the attack there, and reassume the defensive, so -as to have the men available in case there should come an urgent call -from the north? A weaker general would have said so, and accepted -his check at Festubert. Sir John, however, was not so easily to be -deflected from his plans. He steadied himself by a day or two of -rest, during which he not only prepared fresh forces for striking, -but got the measure of the enemy's power at Ypres. Then it was -determined that the action should proceed, but that it should be -directed to the more southerly area of the British position, where it -would be in closer touch with the French, and receive some support -from their admirable artillery. - -The centre of the British movement was still at Richebourg l'Avoué, -but the direction of the advance was to the south and west. It had -already been shown that the passage of open spaces under machine-gun -fire was difficult and deadly by daylight, so it was determined that -night should be used for the advance. Several successive nights were -unfavourable, but the days were spent in a deliberate artillery -preparation until the action was recommenced upon May 15. In the -interval, the Second Division had taken the place of the First in the -Givenchy sector, and the Seventh Division of the Fourth Corps had -been brought round from the Laventie district, and was now upon the -right of their comrades of the First Corps. The Canadian Division -was brought up in support, while the Indian Corps still preserved its -position upon the left. The {127} general line of attack was from -Richebourg by the Rue des Bois, and so south in front of Festubert. - -The advance was made by the Indians upon the left, and the Second -Division upon the right at 11.30 on the night of May 15. The Indians -were held up, and maintained from that time onwards a defensive -position. When it is remembered that the Meerut Division had -suffered heavily at Neuve Chapelle, that the Lahore Division had been -very hard hit at Ypres, and that there was only a limited facility -for replacing the losses of the native regiments, it is not to be -wondered at that the Corps had weakened. The Second Division, -however, would take no denial. The attack was in the hands of the -5th and 6th Brigades, with the 4th Guards Brigade in support. It was -to sweep over the ground, which had been the scene of the repulse of -the 9th, but it was to be screened by darkness. Soon after ten -o'clock the men passed silently over the front trench, and lay down -in four lines in the open waiting for the signal. At 11.30 the word -was passed, and they advanced at a walk. The front line of the 5th -Brigade was composed of the 2nd Worcesters upon the left, and the -Inniskilling Fusiliers (taken from the 12th Brigade) upon the right. -The leading battalions of the 6th Brigade were the 1st Rifles, the -1st King's Liverpools, 1st Berkshires, and upon the extreme right two -companies (A and B) of the 7th King's Liverpools. Flares were -suddenly discharged from the German trenches, and a ghostly -flickering radiance illuminated the long lines of crouching men. -There were numerous ditches in front, but the sappers had stolen -forward and spanned them with rude bridges. The German fire was -terrific, but the uncertain quivering light made it {128} less deadly -than it had been during the daytime, though very many fell. It was -insufficient to stop the determined rush of the British infantry. -The rifles could not hold them back, and sweeping jets from -machine-guns could not kill them fast enough: nothing but Death could -hold that furious line. In three minutes they had swarmed across the -open, and poured into the trenches, killing or taking all the Germans -who were in the front line. The 2nd Worcesters on the left were held -up by unbroken barbed wire, and were unable to get forward; but all -the other battalions reached the trench, and cleared it for a -considerable distance on either flank, the bombers rushing along it -and hurling their deadly weapons in front of them. The remainder -rushed down the communication trench, and seized the second line of -defences some hundreds of yards behind the first. On the morning of -Sunday, May 16, the Second Division had gained and firmly held about -half a mile in breadth and a quarter of a mile in depth of the German -trenches. There was still an open plain in the rear between the -advanced troops and their supports, which as the light grew clearer -was so swept by German fire that it was nearly impossible to get -across it. About 8.30 in the morning, the remainder of the 7th -King's Liverpools with some of their comrades of the 5th King's -Liverpools endeavoured to join the others in front, but were shot to -pieces in the venture. During the whole of the morning, however, -single volunteers kept running forward carrying fresh supplies of -bombs and bandoliers of cartridges for the men in front. The names -of most of these brave men are to be found in the casualty lists, and -their memory in the hearts of their comrades. - -{129} - -Four hours after this successful attack by the Second Division, at -3.30 on the morning of Sunday May 16, another assault was made some -miles to the south, just to the north of Festubert. The attack was -made by the 20th Brigade (Heyworth) upon the left and the 22nd -(Lawford) upon the right. The 2nd Borders and 2nd Scots Guards led -the rush of the 20th, supported later by the 1st Grenadiers and 2nd -Gordons; while the 1st Welsh Fusiliers and 2nd Queen's Surrey were in -the van of the 22nd with the 2nd Warwicks, 8th Royal Scots, and 1st -South Staffords behind them. The famous Seventh Division has never -yet found its master in this campaign, and the Seventh Prussian Corps -in the south could make no more of it than the Fifteenth had done in -the north. - -In the case of the 20th Brigade the Borders upon the left were held -up for a time, but the Scots Guards advanced with a fury which took -them far beyond the immediate objective, and was carried to such an -extent that one company outdistanced all their comrades, and being -isolated in the German position, were nearly all cut off. The rest -of the Guards, however, having crossed the trench line, swung across, -so that they were in the rear of the Germans who were holding up the -Borders, so that the defenders were compelled to surrender. The 1st -Grenadiers came up in support and the ground was made good. -Meanwhile the 22nd Brigade upon the right had some desperate -fighting. The 2nd Queen's Surrey had been temporarily stopped by -heavy machine-gun fire, but two companies of the Welsh Fusiliers -rushed the trenches opposite them and were quickly joined by the rest -of the battalion. The Queen's {130} Surrey refused to be rebuffed, -and with the support of the 1st Staffords they again came forward, -and dashing through a sleet of bullets got to the German line. -Colonel Gabbett of the Fusiliers and Major Bottomley of the Queen's, -one of the heroes of Gheluvelt, both met their death in this fine -attack. On reaching the trenches the South Staffords sent their -bombers under Lieutenant Hassell down the alleys of the Germans, -gathering in many prisoners. A surprising feat was performed by -Sergeant-Major Barter of the Welsh Fusiliers, while engaged in -similar work, for he and seven men brought back 94 Germans, including -3 officers. The leading companies of the South Staffords under Major -Lord and Captain Bearman got well forward into the enemy's ground, -and held on there for three days under a terrible shell-fall, until -they handed the position over to the 21st Brigade. Meanwhile, upon -the left a mixed lot of men from the Welsh Fusiliers, Scots Guards, -and Warwicks, all under Captain Stockwell, struggled along, actually -swimming one ditch which was too deep to wade, and got into the -Orchard which had been assigned as their objective. These men were -afterwards withdrawn to the German front line trenches in order to -escape from the very severe bombardment on the Orchard. Great -difficulty was experienced in bringing in the wounded, owing to the -space covered and to the incessant and extreme shelling. It is on -record that the men of the field ambulance, under Lieutenant -Greenlees of the Royal Medical Corps, were at work for thirty-six -hours with three hours' break, always in the open and always under -fire. These are the men who have all the dangers of war without its -thrills, working and dying for the {131} need of their comrades and -the honour of their corps. - -In this fine day's work, in which the Seventh Division lived up to -its own reputation, Colonel Wood of the Borders and Colonel Brook of -the 8th Royal Scots were killed, making four losses in one day among -commanding officers of battalions. - -On the night of May 16 the Germans made a counter-attack, which -pushed back the extreme apex of the ground gained by the Seventh -Division. All other points were held. The British had now cut two -holes in the German front over a distance of about three miles; but -between the two holes into which the heads of the Second and Seventh -Divisions had buried themselves, there lay one portion of a thousand -yards inviolate, strongly defended by intricate works and -machine-guns. Desperate endeavours had been made upon the 16th to -get round the north of this position by the Second Division, but the -fire was too murderous, and all were repulsed. At half-past nine in -the morning of the 17th the attempt was renewed from both sides with -a strong artillery support. On the north the Highland Light Infantry -and the 2nd Oxford and Bucks made a strong attack, while on the south -the 21st Brigade pushed to the front. The 4th Camerons, a -Gaelic-speaking battalion of shepherds and gillies, kept fair pace -with the veteran regular battalions of the Brigade, but lost their -gallant Colonel, Fraser. The fiery valour of the Camerons is shown -by the fact that afterwards bodies of the fallen were found far ahead -of any point reached that day by the main advance. Gradually the -valiant defenders were driven from post to post, and crushed under -the cross fire. About {132} mid-day the position was in the hands of -the British, 300 survivors having been captured. After this -consolidation of their front, the two attacking divisions drove on -together to the eastward, winning ground all the day, but meeting -everywhere the same stark resistance. Farmhouse after farmhouse was -carried. At one point a considerable body of Germans rushed out from -an untenable position; but on their putting up their hands and -advancing towards the British, they were mowed down to the number of -some hundreds by the rifles and cannon of their comrades in the rear. -South of Festubert the thick spray of bombers and bayonet men thrown -out by the Seventh Division into the German trenches were also making -ground all day, and the enemy's loss in this quarter was exceedingly -heavy. The 57th Prussian Regiment of Infantry, among others, is said -to have lost more than two-thirds of their numbers during these -operations. - -By the evening of Monday, May 17, the hostile front had been crushed -in for a space of over two miles, and the British Army had regained -the ascendancy which had been momentarily checked upon May 9. If a -larger tale of prisoners was not forthcoming as a proof of victory, -the explanation lay in the desperate nature of the encounter. The -sinking of the _Lusitania_, and the murders by poison-gas, were in -the thoughts and on the lips of the assaulting infantry, and many a -German made a vicarious atonement. At the same time the little mobs -of men who rushed forward with white flags in one hand, and in many -cases their purses outstretched in the other, were given quarter and -led to the rear, safe from all violence save from their {133} own -artillery. There were many fierce threats of no quarter before the -engagement, but with victory the traditional kindliness of the -British soldier asserted itself once more. - -On the evening of the 17th the men in the front line were relieved, -Lord Cavan's 4th Guards Brigade taking over the advanced trenches in -which the 1st King's Liverpools and other battalions of the 5th and -6th Brigades were lying. The Guards had to advance a considerable -distance under very heavy fire to reach their objective, and there is -a touch of other days in the fact that the Bishop of Khartoum stood -by the trenches and blessed them as they passed. They lost many men -from the terrible artillery fire, but in spite of this they at once -advanced in a most gallant attack which won several hundred yards of -ground. The Irish and 2nd Grenadiers were the attacking battalions -with the Herts territorials in close support. The Irish Guards were -especially forward and held the ground gained, but lost 17 officers -and several hundred men. All day of the 18th the Guards held the -advanced front line until relieved at midnight of that date by the -advance of another Division. - -The 18th saw the general advance renewed, but it was hampered by the -fact that the heavy weather made it difficult to obtain the artillery -support which is so needful where buildings have to be carried. The -Indians upon the left sustained a heavy attack upon this day, the -losses falling chiefly upon the Sirhind Brigade, and especially on -the 1st Highland Light Infantry and the 15th Sikhs. It was in this -action that Lieutenant Smyth and Private Lal Singh of the latter -regiment saved the fight at a critical moment {134} by bringing up a -fresh supply of bombs. Ten men started on the venture, and only the -two won home. The 19th was wet and misty. It was upon this date -that the two hard-working and victorious Divisions, the Second and -the Seventh, were relieved respectively by the Fifty-first Highland -Territorial Division and by the Canadians, the guns of the two -regular Divisions being retained. The operations which had hitherto -been under Monro of the First Corps, were now confided to Alderson of -the Canadians. At this time, the general level of the advance was -the road which extends from La Quinque to Bethune. The change of -troops did not entail any alteration in strategy, and the slow -advance went forward. Upon the night of May 20-21 the Canadians -continued the work of the Seventh Division, and added several fresh -German trenches to the area already secured. From Richebourg to the -south and east there was now a considerable erosion in the German -position. The first objective of the Canadians was an orchard in the -Quinque Rue position, which was assaulted by the 14th Montreal -Regiment (Meighen) and the 16th Canadian Scottish (Leckie), after a -gallant reconnaissance by Major Leckie of the latter regiment. The -Canadians were thrust in between the 3rd Coldstream Guards of the -Second Division upon their left, and the 2nd Wiltshires of the -Seventh Division upon their right. The orchard was cleared in most -gallant fashion, and a trench upon the flank of it was taken, but the -Canadian loss was considerable in the battalions named and in the -13th Royal Canadian Highlanders in support. Another Canadian -battalion, the 10th, had attacked the German line a mile to the south -of the orchard, and had been repulsed. A {135} heavy bombardment was -organised, and the attempt was renewed upon the following day, two -companies of the 10th, preceded by a company of grenade-throwers, -carrying 400 yards of the trench at a very severe cost. It was -partly recaptured by the Germans upon May 22, while part remained in -the hands of the Canadians. Several counter-attacks were made upon -the Canadians during this day, but all withered away before the -deadly fire of the Western infantry. - -On May 24 the Canadians were attacking once more at the position -where the 10th Battalion had obtained a partial success upon the -22nd. It was a strongly fortified post, which had been named -"Bexhill" by the British. The assault was carried out at daybreak by -two companies of the 5th Battalion under Major Edgar, with a company -of the 7th British Columbians in support. Before six o'clock the -position had been carried, and was held all day in face of a -concentrated shell-fire from the German guns. It was a terrible -ordeal, for the Brigade lost 50 officers and nearly 1000 men, but -never their grip of the German trench. On the same night, however, -another Canadian attack delivered by the 3rd Battalion (Rennie) with -great fire, was eventually repulsed by the machine-guns. - -This long-drawn straggling action, which had commenced with such fury -upon May 9, was now burning itself out. Prolonged operations of this -kind can only be carried on by fresh relays of troops. The -Forty-seventh London Territorial Division was brought up into the -front line, and found itself involved at once in some fierce fighting -at the extreme right of the British line near Givenchy. The -Forty-seventh Division (formerly the Second London {136} Division) -was in reality the only London division, since the battalions which -composed the first, the Artists, Victorias, Rangers, Westminsters, -etc., had already been absorbed by regular brigades. The division -commanded by General Barter consisted of the 140th (Cuthbert), 141st -(Thwaites), and 142nd (Willoughby) Brigades. On the evening of May -25 the latter Brigade, which occupied the front-line trench, was -ordered to make an attack upon the German line opposite, whilst the -18th Battalion of the 141st Brigade made a strong feint to draw their -fire. The first-line battalions were the 23rd and 24th (Queen's), of -which the 23rd upon the left had some 300 yards of open to cross, -while the 24th upon the right had not more than 150. Both battalions -reached their objective in safety, and within three minutes had -established telephonic communications with their supports of the 21st -and 22nd Battalions. The capture of the trenches had not been -difficult, but their retention was exceedingly so, as there was a -ridge from which the German machine-guns commanded the whole line of -trench. Each man had brought a sandbag with him, and these were -rapidly filled, while officers and men worked desperately in building -up a defensive traverse--a labour in which Sergeant Oxman greatly -distinguished himself. Three German counter-attacks got up within -ten yards of the 24th, but all were beaten back. The German bombers, -however, were deadly, and many officers and men were among their -victims. The 21st Battalion had followed up the 23rd, and by 10.30 -they were able to work along the line of the German trench and make -good the position. All day upon May 26 they were exposed to a very -heavy and {137} accurate German fire, but that afternoon about 4 P.M. -they were relieved by the 20th London from Thwaites' 141st Brigade. -The line was consolidated and held, in spite of a sharp attack on the -afternoon of May 28, which was beaten off by the 20th Battalion. - -Whilst the London Division had been thrust into the right of the -British line, the Canadian infantry had been relieved by bringing -forward into the trenches the dismounted troopers of King Edward's -and Strathcona's Horse, belonging to Seely's Mounted Canadian -Brigade, who fought as well as their fellow-countrymen of the -infantry--a standard not to be surpassed. From this time onwards -there was a long lull in this section of the British line. The time -was spent in rearranging the units of the Army, and in waiting for -those great reinforcements of munitions which were so urgently -needed. It was recognised that it was absolutely impossible to make -a victorious advance, or to do more than to hold one's ground, when -the guns of the enemy could fire six shells to one. In Britain, the -significance of this fact had at last been made apparent, and the -whole will and energy of the country were turned to the production of -ammunition. Not only were the old factories in full swing, but great -new centres were created in towns which had never yet sent forth such -sinister exports. Mr. Lloyd George, a man who has made atonement for -any wrong that he did his country in the days of the Boer War by his -magnificent services in this far greater crisis, threw all his energy -and contagious enthusiasm into this vital work, and performed the -same miracles in the organisation and improvisation of the tools of -warfare that Lord Kitchener {138} had done in the case of the New -Armies. They were services which his country can never forget. -Under his energy and inspiration the huge output of Essen and the -other factories of Germany were equalled, and finally surpassed by -the improvised and largely amateur munition workers of Britain. The -main difficulty in the production of high explosives had lain in the -scarcity of picric acid. Our Free Trade policy, which has much to -recommend it in some aspects, had been pushed to such absurd and -pedantic lengths that this vital product had been allowed to fall -into the hands of our enemy, although it is a derivative of that coal -tar in which we are so rich. Now at last the plants for its -production were laid down. Every little village gasworks was sending -up its quota of toluol to the central receivers. Finally, in -explosives as in shells and guns, the British were able to supply -their own wants fully and to assist their Allies. One of the -strangest, and also most honourable, episodes of the War was this -great economic effort which involved sacrifices to the time, comfort, -and often to the health of individuals so great as to match those of -the soldiers. Grotesque combinations resulted from the eagerness of -all classes to lend a hand. An observer has described how a peer and -a prize-fighter have been seen working on the same bench at Woolwich, -while titled ladies and young girls from cultured homes earned -sixteen shillings a week at Erith, and boasted in the morning of the -number of shell cases which they had turned and finished in their -hours of night shift. Truly it had become a National War. Of all -its strange memories none will be stranger than those of the peaceful -middle-aged civilians who were seen eagerly {139} reading books upon -elementary drill in order to prepare themselves to face the most -famous soldiers in Europe, or of the schoolgirls and matrons who -donned blue blouses and by their united work surpassed the output of -the great death factories of Essen. - - - - -{140} - -CHAPTER VI - -THE TRENCHES OF HOOGE - -The British line in June 1915--Canadians at Givenchy--Attack of the -154th Brigade--8th Liverpool Irish--Third Division at Hooge--11th -Brigade near Ypres--Flame attack on the Fourteenth Light -Division--Victory of the Sixth Division at Hooge. - - -The spring campaign may be said to have ended at the beginning of -June. It had consisted, so far as the British were concerned, in -three great battles. The first was that of Neuve Chapelle. The -second, and incomparably the greatest, was the second Battle of -Ypres, extending from April 22 to the end of May, in which both sides -fought themselves to a standstill, but the Germans, while gaining -some ground, failed to reach their final objective. The third was -the Battle of Richebourg, from May 9 to May 18, which began with a -check and ended by a definite but limited advance for the British. -The net result of the whole operations of these three months was a -gain of ground to the Germans in the Ypres section and a gain of -ground to the Allies in the region of Festubert and Arras. Neither -gain can be said to have been of extreme strategic importance, and it -is doubtful if there was any great discrepancy between the losses of -the two sides. There now followed a prolonged lull, during which the -Germans were content to remain {141} upon the defensive upon the west -while they vigorously and successfully attacked the Russians in the -east, combining their forces with those of Austria, and driving their -half-armed enemy from the passes of the Carpathians right across -Poland until the line of the Vistula had been secured. The Allies -meanwhile pursued their ill-fated venture in the Dardanelles, while -they steadily increased their numbers and, above all, their munitions -of war in France and Flanders, having learned by experience that no -bravery or devotion can make one gun do the work of six, or enable -infantry who have no backing from artillery to gain ground from -infantry which are well supported. For a long period to come the -most important engagements were a series of fights upon June 16, July -30, and August 9, which may be looked upon as a single long-drawn-out -engagement, since they were all concerned with the successive taking -and retaking of the same set of trenches near Hooge, in the extreme -northern section of the line. Before giving some account of these -events it would be well to interrupt the narrative for a time in -order to describe that vast expansion of the British Army which was -the most unexpected, as it was the most decisive, factor in the war. -Without entering into the question of the huge muster of men within -the island, and leaving out of consideration the forces engaged in -the Near East, the Persian Gulf, and the various Colonial campaigns, -an attempt will be made to show the reader the actual battle-line in -France, with the order and composition of the troops, during the -summer of 1915. - -The extreme left wing of the Allied Army consisted now, as before, of -the Belgians and of a French corps, the right Moroccan Division of -which was the {142} neighbour of the British Army. The British line -had been extended northwards as far as the village of Boesinghe. If -now the reader could for a moment imagine himself in an aeroplane, -flying from north to south down the Imperial battle-line, he would -see beneath him first Keir's Sixth Army Corps, which was composed of -the Fourth Division (Wilson) and of the Sixth Division (Congreve). -To the south of these lay the Forty-ninth West Riding Division of -Territorials (Baldock). These three divisions, the Fourth, the -Sixth, and the Forty-ninth, formed Keir's Sixth Army Corps, lying to -the north of Hooge. Upon their right, in the neighbourhood of Hooge, -holding the ground which had been the recent scene of such furious -fighting, and was destined to be the most active section of the line -in the immediate future, was Allenby's Fifth Corps. General Allenby -had been taken from the command of the cavalry, which had passed to -General Byng, and had filled Plumer's place when the latter took over -Smith-Dorrien's Army at the end of April. Allenby's Corps consisted -of the veteran Third Division (Haldane's) on the north. Then came, -defending the lines of Hooge, the new Fourteenth Light Division -(Couper). Upon its right was the Forty-sixth North Midland Division -(Stuart-Wortley). These three divisions, the Third Regular, -Fourteenth New, and Forty-sixth Territorial, made up the Fifth Corps. - -The Second Army Corps (Ferguson) lay to the south of Hooge. Their -northern unit was the old Regular Fifth Division (Morland). To its -south was a second Regular division--Bulfin's Twenty-eighth, of Ypres -renown. On its right was the Fiftieth Northumbrian Division -(Lindsay), consisting of those {143} three gallant Territorial -brigades which had done so splendidly in the crisis of the gas battle. - -The Third Army Corps (Pulteney's) came next in the line. This was -the strongest corps in the whole force, containing no fewer than four -divisions. These were, counting as ever from the north, the Canadian -Division (Alderson), the Twelfth New Division (Wing), the -Twenty-seventh Division of Regulars (Snow), and the Eighth Division -of Regulars (Davies). All these troops, the Sixth, Fifth, Second, -and Third Corps, made up Plumer's Second Army, which contained no -fewer than thirteen divisions, or, approximately, 260,000 men. - -The First Army, under Haig, which occupied the southern section of -the British line, consisted of three Army Corps. To the north, in -the Festubert region, was the hard-worked and depleted Indian Corps, -which had fought under such extraordinary difficulties and shown such -fine military qualities. Attached to them was the Fifty-first -Highland Territorial Division (Bannatine-Allason). The first two -brigades of this were pure Scottish, but the third contained three -battalions from that nursery of British regiments, Lancashire. South -of the Indians came the glorious old First Corps, and south of it the -equally glorious Seventh Division (Capper), forming part of -Rawlinson's Fourth Corps. Next to the Seventh Division was the new -Ninth Division (Landon), composed of Scottish regiments--a very fine -unit. South of these, carrying the British line over the Bethune-La -Bassée Canal, and six miles towards Arras, were the Forty-seventh -London Division (Barter) and the Forty-eighth South Midland Division -(Fanshawe), drawn mostly from Warwick, Worcester, Gloucester, and -{144} Bucks. Altogether, Haig's First Army at the end of June -contained nine divisions, or, roughly, 180,000 men. The whole great -Army, then, which extended from north of Ypres to north of Arras, may -have mustered in the line about 440,000 men, backed by an efficient -field service, which may easily have numbered 120,000 more. - -When one contemplates this magnificent force and remembers that ten -months earlier the whole British Army at Mons had been four -divisions, that at the Aisne there were six, that in the days of the -first Ypres battle there were eight, and that now there were -twenty-two, one marvels at the extraordinary powers of creation and -organisation which had created so efficient and powerful a machine. -It was rapidly made, and yet in no way was it crude or feeble. -Particularly pleasing was it to note the names of the divisional -commanders, and to see how many of the heroic leaders of brigades in -those early classical conflicts--Landon, Snow, Bulfin, Davies, -Morland, Wing, Haldane, Wilson, and Congreve--were now at the head of -small armies of their own. Of the quality of this great force it is -superfluous to speak. The whole of this chronicle is a record of it. -One observation, however, should in justice be made. With that -breadth and generosity of mind which make them the truly imperial -people of the world, the English and the English press have -continually extolled the valour of the Scots, Irish, Welsh, or men of -the Overseas Dominions. There has hardly ever been a mention of the -English as such, and the fact has given rise to some very false -impressions. It is for the reader to bear in mind, none the less, -that four-fifths of this great army was purely English, and {145} -that the English Divisions, be they North or South, have shown a -sobriety of discipline and an alacrity of valour which place them in -the very first place among fighting races. The New Army like the Old -Fleet was in the main a triumph of England. Of its first -thirty-three divisions all but five were predominantly English. - -The men and the generals were there. The delay was still with the -guns and the munitions. A heavy gun is not the product of a week or -of a month, and before a great increase can be made in the output of -shells the machinery for producing them has itself to be produced. -But energetic minds and capable hands were busied with the problem -from one end of Britain to the other, and the results were rapidly -taking form. A considerable amount of the product was being -despatched to Archangel to help our hard-pressed Russian Allies, and -constant supplies were being despatched to the Dardanelles; but an -accumulation was also being stored behind the lines in Flanders. The -whole progress of the campaign depended upon this store being -sufficient to sustain a prolonged attack, and the time had not yet -come. - -Before turning to the trenches of Hooge, where the greater part of -the fighting occurred during this period of the war, some description -must be given of a brisk action upon June 15, opposite Givenchy, -immediately to the north of the La Bassée Canal, where the Canadian -Division attacked with great gallantry and partly occupied a position -which it was not found possible to retain. In this attack the -Canadians displayed their usual energy and ingenuity by bringing up -two eighteen-pounder field-pieces into their front trench, and -suddenly opening fire point-blank at the {146} German defences only -seventy-five yards away. Captain Stockwell, with Lieutenants Craig -and Kelly and their men, obviously took their lives in their hands, -as their guns became the immediate mark of the German artillery, with -the result that one was destroyed by a direct hit, and the crew of -the other were put out of action by a shrapnel-burst. But before -they were silenced the two guns did great damage to the German -front-line defence, knocking out several machine-guns and cutting the -barbed wire to pieces. After a quarter of an hour of glorious -activity they were out of action; but they had smoothed the path for -the infantry, who at six in the evening were over the parapet and -into the trench opposite. The attack was made by the 1st Ontario -Battalion (Hill), supported by the rest of the 1st Canadian Brigade. -The storming-party was checked for a moment by the explosion of their -own mine, which threw back with disastrous results, killing -Lieutenant-Colonel Beecher and burying the bomb-store of the front -line. Having seized the German trench, some remained to reverse the -parapet, while others rushed on to the second trench, which they also -carried. The supply of bombs ran short, however, and could not be -replenished. Four messengers in succession rushing back for more -were shot dead by the enemy's fire. A fort upon the left had not -been taken, and the machine-guns from its loopholes swept down the -captured trench and made it untenable. Slowly the Canadians were -forced back, and before ten o'clock what was left of the Ontarios -were back in their own trench once more. When it is stated that of -23 officers who took part in the advance 20 were killed or wounded, -no further {147} proof is needed of the stern insistence of the -attack. - -This gallant though fruitless attack of the Canadians at Grivenchy -was, as it appears, intended to coincide with an advance by the -Seventh Division on their left, and of the Fifty-first upon the right -of them. In the case of the Seventh Division there were two -advances, one by day and one by night, in which single battalions -were employed and no result achieved. In the second of these the 2nd -Gordons lost heavily, having occupied a deserted trench which proved -to be so commanded as to be untenable. Before regaining their own -lines D Company was cut off and destroyed. On the right the -Fifty-first Highland Territorial Division had an experience which was -equally unsatisfactory. Hibbert's 154th Brigade made an advance -which was bravely urged and bloodily repelled. The preparatory -bombardment was answered by a very intense German fire, which was so -heavy and accurate that it buried a number of men in the advance -trenches, destroyed the bomb-stores, and made all communication -nearly impossible. The secret of this extreme readiness of the -Germans was divulged by a deserter who came over into the British -trenches at the last moment, and said that they all knew that the -attack was for six o'clock that day. It was at that very hour that -the 6th Scottish Rifles and the 4th North Lancashires, of the -Brigade, rushed the German position. Each battalion lost its -commanding officer and its adjutant in the first few minutes, but the -line of trenches was carried at one tiger-spring. The enemy's -shell-fire was exceedingly heavy, and the losses were considerable. -Having cleared the trench, the {148} attacking line, especially the -Scottish Rifles upon the left, came on unbroken wire, so they dug -themselves in in the open and awaited supports. These for some -reason were slow in coming up, and as the Germans were in force on -either side, and the North Lancashires were also held up by wire, -there was a danger lest the forward line might be cut off. It fell -back, therefore, closely followed by the enemy, until an advance of -the 4th Royal Lancasters helped them to form a line. The whole night -was spent in a prolonged rifle duel, the two sides being at very -close quarters, and the action resolving itself into a series of -stubborn encounters by little groups of men holding shell-craters or -fragments of trenches, and offering a sullen resistance to the -considerable forces which were now pressing upon them. All order had -been lost, the three battalions were hopelessly mixed together, and -the command of each little group fell into the hands of any natural -leader who won the confidence of the comrades round him. Slowly the -ragged line retired, until they found themselves in the early morning -back in the position from which they had started, having suffered and -inflicted grievous losses, but with no gain of ground to justify them. - -It might well have seemed that the attack had failed, or at least -that another brigade would be needed to put matters right; but a -reserve battalion had not yet gone into action, and to this unit was -given the hard task of putting the Germans out once more from the -trench which they had re-occupied. There have been days when the -Liverpool Irish have proved themselves to be pugnacious in riotous -times at home, but now they were to efface all such memories by their -splendid bearing at this {149} critical hour. It was 4 P.M. upon -June 16, when, with a true Celtic yell, the 8th King's Liverpool, led -by Major Johnson, dashed over the parapet and stormed through a -hellish sleet of shrapnel to the German trenches. "It was pattering -like hail upon a window-pane." Officers and men went down in heaps, -but nothing could stop the glorious impetuosity of the charge, -delivered in the full light of a summer afternoon. "It's sure death, -but remember we are Irish!" yelled a sergeant as he bounded on to the -sand-bags. Next instant he had been blown to pieces. Captain -Finegan, leading the rush, was shot down, as were the greater number -of the regimental officers. Finegan's body was found afterwards at -the extreme point of the advance, with twelve of his men lying round -him. The Germans were swept out of the front trenches once more, and -the Irishmen held desperately on to it for a long time against all -the shell-fire of the enemy. It was a great day for Liverpool, July -16, when two of their citizen regiments, the 8th in the south and the -10th in the north, helped to stem the tide of two separate battles. -The 8th King's lost nearly 500 men, and gained a reputation which -will not easily die. The survivors were too few, however, to -permanently hold the shell-raked trench which they had gained. The -153rd Brigade (Campbell), consisting of Gordons and Black Watch, -relieved them in the front line, and the exhausted and decimated -battalion was drawn off. In the meantime the 152nd Brigade, upon the -left, had been unable to make progress. Of the attackers of the -Fifty-first Division some 1500 men had fallen, and there was no -permanent gain of ground. - -{150} - -On Wednesday, June 16, there occurred a brisk action to the immediate -north of Hooge, at a point to the west and south-west of the Château, -where the German line formed somewhat of a salient. This it was -determined to straighten out in the familiar fashion, and a -considerable force of artillery was secretly concentrated. The -assault was assigned to the Third Division, and was carried out by -Bowes' 8th Brigade on the left, and on the right by the 9th Brigade, -which consisted of the three Fusilier battalions and the Lincolns, -together with the 10th Liverpool Scottish. The latter battalion had -been seven months at the Front, doing every sort of hard work, but -never getting an opportunity for distinction in action. The 9th -Brigade, now commanded by General Douglas Smith, was in reserve near -Poperinghe, but it was brought forward through Ypres for the assault. -They marched through the shattered town on the Tuesday evening. "The -sight of the ruined beauties of that once glorious old town did lots -to make us just long to get at the Vandals who had done this wanton -act of destruction." It was a longing which was soon to be appeased. -By midnight the troops were in position, and at three in the morning -of June 16 the bombardment began. It lasted with terrific intensity -for about an hour, and was helped by the guns of the French -Thirty-sixth Corps firing towards Pilken, whence the supports might -come. Black and yellow clouds covered the whole line of the front -German trench, which lay at the fringe of a wood, and out of this -mist of death trees, sand-bags, and shattered human bodies flew high -in the air. The barbed wire was shattered to pieces and the front -parapets knocked to atoms. {151} Then, in an instant, the guns -lifted on to the more distant support trenches, and the infantry, -swarming over the low barricades, dashed in perfect order over the -two hundred yards which separated them from the Germans. - -It was an admirable advance, and could not have been better carried -out. The front of the assault was about a quarter of a mile. The -three Fusilier battalions in one long line, Northumberland Fusiliers -on the left, Royals in the centre, and Scots on the right, rushed -forward with terrific impetus, the rising sun glinting upon their -lines of bayonets. They were over the lip of the front trench -without a check, and rushed on for the second one. The supports, who -were the Lincolns on the right and the Liverpool Scots on the left, -followed closely after them, and seizing the German survivors, sent -them to the rear, while they did what they could to reverse the -parapet and prepare for a counter-attack. As they charged forward, -it had been observed that one German trench upon the left was at -right angles to the line of advance, and that it had been untouched -by the bombardment. It was only about forty yards in length, but the -fire from it was very murderous as it swept across the open ground. -With quick decision the rear company of the Liverpool Scottish turned -aside, and in spite of unbroken barbed wire carried the trench, -capturing all the occupants. - -Meanwhile the German artillery had opened with an intensity which was -hardly inferior to that of the British, and they shelled with great -accuracy the captured trench. The Fusiliers had dashed onwards, -while the Liverpool Scots and Lincolns followed {152} swiftly behind -them, leaving the captured trench to the leading battalions of the -7th Brigade (Ballard), which was immediately in the rear of the -attackers, So eager was every one that the van of the supporting -brigade was mixed with the rear of the attacking one. Thus the -Honourable Artillery Company were exposed to a baptism of fire only -second in severity to that of their Territorial comrades from -Liverpool. They and the 3rd Worcesters, together with the 1st -Wiltshires upon the flank, endured a very violent shelling, but held -on for many hours to the captured positions. The Worcesters had over -300 casualties, including their colonel (Stuart), who had led them -ever since Mons. The Honourable Artillery Company and Wiltshires -suffered almost as heavily. - -The advance still continued with great fury. It should have ended on -the taking of the second line of trenches, but it was impossible to -restrain the men, who yelled, "Remember the _Lusitania_!" to each -other as they surged over the parapets and dashed once more at the -enemy with bayonet and bomb. The third trench was carried, and even -the fourth. But the assault had gone too far. The farther spray of -stormers had got as far as the Bellewaarde Lake. It was impossible -to hold these advanced positions. The assailants dropped sullenly -back, and finally contented themselves by settling into the first -line and consolidating their position there on a front of a thousand -yards. The losses had been heavy, especially from the high-explosive -shells, which, as usual, blew both trenches and occupants to pieces. -Men died happy, however, with the knowledge that the days were past -when no artillery answer could be made, and that now at {153} least -they had given the enemy the same intolerable experience which they -had themselves so often endured. The Liverpool Scots suffered -especially heavily, losing about 400 men and 20 officers. All the -battalions of the 9th Brigade paid the price of victory, and the 8th -Brigade, upon the left, sustained considerable losses, but these were -certainly not larger than those of the Germans. Altogether, it was a -very brisk little fight, and a creditable victory--small, of course, -when measured by the scale of Neuve Chapelle or Richebourg, but none -the less heartening to the soldiers. Two hundred prisoners and a -quantity of material were taken. The trenches gained were destined -to be retaken with strange weapons by the enemy upon July 30, and -were again carried at the point of the bayonet by the British upon -August 9. These actions will be described later. - -A pause of nearly three weeks followed, broken only by the usual -bickerings up and down the line, where opposite trenches ran mines up -to each other or exchanged fusillades of hand-bombs. There was no -serious movement upon either side, the Germans being concentrated -upon their great and successful Eastern advance; while the Allies in -the West were content to wait for the day when they should have -accumulated such a head of shell as would enable them to make a -prolonged effort which would promise some definite result. More and -more it had become clear, both from the German efforts and our own, -that any _coup de main_ was impossible, and that a battle which would -really achieve a permanent gain must be an affair which would last a -month or so, with steady, inexorable advance from day to day. This -could only be hoped for by the storage of a very {154} great quantity -of ammunition. Hence the pause in the operations. - -The lull was broken, however, by a sharp fight upon July 6, in which -Prowse's 11th Brigade of the Fourth Division took, and permanently -held, a section of the German line. This considerable action was -fought at the extreme northern end of the British line, where it -joined on to the French Moroccan troops to the north of Ypres. The -sudden and swift advance of the 1st Rifle Brigade, the leading -British battalion, seems to have taken the Germans by surprise, and, -dashing forwards, they seized two lines of trenches and established -themselves firmly within them. The 1st Somerset Light Infantry -shared the credit and the losses of the charge. They were in -immediate support of the Rifle Brigade, their task being to dig a -communication trench. A hundred prisoners and a number of mortars -and machine-guns were the immediate trophies. Three times during the -day did the Germans counter-attack in force, and three times they -were driven back with heavy loss. Their total casualties certainly -ran into a thousand. On the other hand, both the Rifle Brigade and -the Somersets suffered severely, partly from flanking machine-gun -fire in the attack, but chiefly, as usual, from heavy shell-fire -afterwards. Indeed, it may be said that a victorious battalion was -too often an exhausted battalion, for since the German guns had the -precise length of the captured trench, the more heroically it was -held the heavier the losses. Until the artillery of the Allies -should be able to dominate that of the enemy, it was difficult to see -how ground could be gained without this grievous after-price to be -paid. On this occasion it was {155} paid to the full, but the ground -was permanently occupied, and a heavy blow was struck at the -Bavarians and Prussians who held that portion of the line. - -Part of the 12th Brigade (Anley) took over some of the captured -trenches from the 11th, and came in for some of the German anger in -consequence. The 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers were very heavily shelled, -losing their commanding officer, Colonel Griffin, the machine-gun -officer, and the adjutant on the morning of July 7. A sap ran up to -the trench, and this was the scene of desperate bomb-fighting, the -Fusiliers expending eight thousand bombs in two days. So great was -the pressure that part of the 1st Warwicks came up in support. There -were several infantry advances of the enemy, which were all crushed -by the British fire. No dervishes could have shown more devoted -courage than some of the Germans. In one rush of sixty men all were -shot down, which did not prevent another forty from emerging later -from the same trench. Gradually they learned that their task was -impossible, and the position remained with the British. Altogether -the Lancashire Fusiliers lost 8 officers and 400 men in this action. - -The succession of British successes which have been recorded in their -order was broken at this point by a temporary reverse, which involved -no permanent loss of ground, but cost many valuable lives. It is a -deplorable thing that, when fighting against men who are usually -brave and sometimes heroic, we are obliged continually to associate -any success which they may obtain with some foul breach of the -ancient customs of war. With the Germans no trick was {156} too -blackguardly or unsoldierly for them to attempt. At the end of -April, as already shown, they nearly snatched an important victory by -the wholesale use of poison. Now, at the end of July, they gained an -important local success by employing the cruel expedient of burning -petrol. These different foul devices were hailed by the German Press -at the time as various exhibitions of superior chemical methods; -whereas in fact they were exhibitions of utter want of military -chivalry and of that self-restraint which even in the fiercest -contest prevents a civilised nation from sinking to such expedients. -It is the most pressing objection to such methods that if they are -once adopted the other side has no choice but to adopt them also. In -the use of gas devices, both aggressive and offensive, the British -engineers soon acquired an ascendency, but even if the Germans -learned to rue the day that they had stooped to such methods the -responsibility for this unchivalrous warfare must still rest with -them. - -The attack fell upon that section of trench which had been taken by -the British in the Hooge district on June 16. It was held now by a -brigade of the Fourteenth Light Infantry Division (Couper), which had -the distinction of being the first unit of the New Army to be -seriously engaged. Nothing could have been more severe--indeed, -terrific--than the ordeal to which they were subjected, nor more -heroic than the way in which it was borne. Under very desperate -conditions, all the famous traditions of the British rifle regiments -were gloriously upheld. They were destined for defeat--but such a -defeat as shows the true fibre of a unit as clearly as any victory. - -{157} - -Nugent's 41st Brigade, which held this section of trench, consisted -of the 7th and 8th King's Royal Rifles, with the 7th and 8th Rifle -Brigade. The position was a dangerous little salient, projecting -right up to the German line. - -It is clear that the Germans mustered great forces, both human and -mechanical, before letting go their attack. For ten days before the -onset they kept up a continuous fire, which blew down the parapets -and caused great losses to the defenders. On July 29 the 7th King's -Royal Rifles and the 8th Rifle Brigade manned the front and -supporting trenches, taking the place of their exhausted comrades. -They were just in time for the fatal assault. At 3.20 in the morning -of July 30 a mine exploded under the British parapet, and a moment -afterwards huge jets of flame, sprayed from their diabolical -machines, rose suddenly from the line of German trenches and fell in -a sheet of fire into the front British position. The distance was -only twenty yards, and the effect was complete and appalling. Only -one man is known to have escaped from this section of trench. The -fire was accompanied by a shower of aerial torpedoes from the -_minenwerfer_, which were in themselves sufficient to destroy the -garrison. The Germans instantly assaulted and occupied the -defenceless trench, but were held up for a time by the reserve -companies in the supporting trenches. Finally these were driven out -by the weight of the German attack, and fell back about two hundred -yards, throwing themselves down along the edges of Zouave and -Sanctuary Woods, in the immediate rear of the old position. What -with the destruction of the men in the front trench and the heavy -losses of the supports, {158} the two battalions engaged had been -very highly tried, but they still kept their faces to the foe, in -spite of a terrific fall of shells. The British artillery was also -in full blast. For many hours, from dawn onwards, its shells just -skimmed over the heads of the front British line, and pinned the -Germans down at a time when their advance might have been a serious -thing, in the face of the shaken troops in front of them. It is said -that during fourteen hours only five of their shells are known to -have fallen short, though they fired from a distance of about three -miles, and only a couple of hundred yards separated the lines--a -testimony to the accuracy of the munition-workers as well as of the -gunners. - -The position gained by the Germans put them behind the line of -trenches held upon the British right by two companies of the 8th -Rifle Brigade. These brave men, shot at from all sides and unable to -say which was their parapet and which their parados, held on during -the whole interminable July day, until after dusk the remains of them -drew off into the shelter of the prophetically-named Sanctuary Wood. -Another aggressive movement was made by the German stormers down the -communication trenches, which enabled them to advance while avoiding -direct fire; but this, after hard fighting, was stopped by the -bombers of the Riflemen. - -The two battalions of the 41st Brigade, which had just been relieved -and were already on their way to a place of rest, were halted and -brought back. They were the 8th King's Royal Rifles and the 7th -Rifle Brigade. These two battalions had been eight days under -incessant fire in the trenches, with {159} insufficient food, water, -and sleep. They were now hurried back into a hellish fire, jaded and -weary, but full of zeal at the thought that they were taking some of -the pressure off their comrades. An order for an instant -counter-attack had been given, but it was recognised that two -brigades at least were necessary for such a task, and that even then, -without a very thorough artillery preparation, the affair was -desperate, since the Germans had already consolidated the position, -and their artillery, large and small, was very masterful. For some -reason, however, instead of a brigade, only two fresh battalions -could be spared. These were the 9th King's Royal Rifles, of the 42nd -Brigade, and the 6th Cornwalls, of the 43rd. Of these the 9th King's -Royal Rifles attacked, not from the wood, but from the Menin road -upon the left. - -There had been three-quarters of an hour of intense bombardment -before the attack, but it was not successful in breaking down the -German resistance. At 2.45 P.M. the infantry advance began from the -wood, all four units of the 41st Brigade taking part in it. It is -difficult to imagine any greater trial for troops, since half of them -had already been grievously reduced and the other half were greatly -exhausted, while they were now asked to advance several hundred yards -without a shadow of cover, in the face of a fire which was shaving -the very grass from the ground. "The men behaved very well," says an -observer, "and the officers with a gallantry no words can adequately -describe. As they came out of the woods the German machine-gun fire -met them and literally swept them away, line after line. The men -struggled forward, only to fall in heaps along the edge of the {160} -woods." The Riflemen did all that men could do, but there comes a -time when perseverance means annihilation. The remains of the four -battalions were compelled to take shelter once more at the edge of -the wood. Fifty officers out of 90 had fallen. By 4 P.M. the -counter-attack had definitely failed. - -The attack of the 9th King's Royal Rifles, along the Menin road, led -by Colonel Chaplin, had rather better success, and was pushed home -with great valour and corresponding loss. At one time the stormers -reached the original line of trenches and took possession of one -section of it. Colonel Chaplin was killed, with many of his officers -and men, by a deadly machine-gun fire from the village of Hooge. A -gallant lad, Lieutenant Geen, with a handful of men, charged into -this village, but never emerged. The attack was not altogether -unproductive, for, though the advanced position was not held, the 9th -retained trenches which linked up the Menin road with the left of the -Zouave Wood. With the darkness, the wearied and thinned ranks of the -41st Brigade were withdrawn into reserve. - -It was not destined, however, that Nugent's hard-worked brigade -should enjoy the rest that they needed so badly. They had left the -10th Durham Light Infantry and the 6th Cornwall Light Infantry to -defend the wood, but at 2.20 in the morning the Germans renewed their -diabolical tactics with liquid fire, which blazed over the trenches -and scorched the branches overhead. This time the range was farther -and the effect less deadly. An attack was evidently impending, and -the Riflemen were hurried back to reinforce the two battalions left -in possession. There {161} was a night of alarms, of shell-fire, and -of losses, but the German infantry advance was not serious, and those -who reached the woods were driven out again. For some days -afterwards there was no change in the general situation. Sixty -officers and 2000 men were the terrible losses of the 41st Brigade -during this action. The 9th battalion, in its flank attack, lost 17 -officers and 333 of the ranks. The 43rd Brigade (Cockburn) endured -considerable losses whilst in support of the 41st, especially the 6th -Cornwalls, who bore the brunt of the fighting. This battalion had -only seven officers left when it returned to Ypres, and by the -unfortunate mischance of the fall of a ruined house, they lost -immediately afterwards four more, including Major Barnett, the -temporary chief, and the adjutant Blagrove. These officers perished -whilst endeavouring to save their men who were buried among the ruins. - -This difficult and trying action was fought under the immediate -supervision of General Nugent, of the 41st Brigade, who was with the -firing-line in the woods during the greater part of it. When the -brigade, or the shattered remains of it, were withdrawn upon August -1, General Nugent remained behind, and consulted with General -Cockburn, of the 43rd Brigade, as to the feasibility of a near -attack. The consultation took the form of a reconnaissance conducted -on hands and knees up to a point close to the enemy line. After this -inspection it was determined that the position was far too formidable -for any merely local attempt. It was determined that General -Congreve, of the Sixth Division, should take the matter over, that -several days should be devoted to preparatory {162} bombardment, and -that the whole division should be used for the assault. - -All foul advantages, whether they be gas, vitriol, or liquid fire, -bring with them their own disadvantages. In this case the fall of -their comrades filled the soldiers with a righteous anger, which gave -them a fury in the assault which nothing could withstand. The -preparations were completed in a week, and the signal was given in -the early morning of August 9. Artillery had been concentrated -during the interval, and the bombardment was extraordinarily intense -and accurate. So perfect was the co-ordination between the infantry -and the guns, that the storming battalions dashed out of the trenches -whilst the German lines were still an inferno of exploding shells, -with the certain conviction that the shell-fire would have ceased -before they had actually got across the open. The cease-fire and the -arrival of the panting, furious soldiers were practically -simultaneous. On the left, some of our men ran into our own -shrapnel, but otherwise all went to perfection. - -The infantry assault had been assigned to the Sixth Division, who -advanced at 3.15, with two brigades in front and one in support. The -18th Brigade (Ainslie) was upon the right. Colonel Towsey was in -immediate command. The 2nd Durham Light Infantry were in the lead, -and got across two companies in front with little loss; while the 2nd -Sherwood Foresters, who followed, were caught in shell-fire and had -very many casualties. The attack on this flank was supported by the -1st East Yorks and the Westminsters, who lay in the woods to the -rear, the East Yorks being speedily engaged. The wave of infantry -were over the German parapet {163} in an instant. All resistance was -vain, and those who stood were bayoneted, while the fugitives were -pelted with bombs from traverse to traverse wherever they attempted -to make head against their pursuers. So sudden had been the British -rush that many of the Germans were found in the dug-outs and in the -old mine-crater, from which they had not time to emerge and to meet -the assault for which they were waiting. Over a hundred of these -were taken prisoners. The whole place was a perfect charnel-house, -for there were 200 German dead in the crater, 300 in front of the -line, and a great number also of the Riflemen who had been killed -nine days before. - -On the left of the line a no less dashing attack had been made by the -16th Brigade (Nicholson), and the trenches were carried in line with -those now held by the 18th. This successful advance was carried out -by the 1st Shropshires, the 1st Buffs, and the 2nd York and -Lancasters, with the 1st Leicesters in support. The distance between -the lines at this point was very much less than on the right, which -partly accounts for the smaller casualties. - -When the trenches had been taken, the sappers, with their usual cool -disregard of danger, sprang forward into the open and erected barbed -wire. The gains were rapidly consolidated, men were sent back to -avoid overcrowding, and protective cover raised against the heavy -shelling which always follows swiftly upon the flight of the German -infantry. It came in due course, and was succeeded by an attempt at -a counter-attack. "At about 10 o'clock the enemy was observed -creeping in four parties towards us. They were very near us, and -came forward on their hands and knees, laden with bombs and {164} -hand-grenades. We opened fire with rifles and machine-guns. Our -bomb-throwers worked like machines, and splendid work they did. The -Germans were all mowed down and blown to atoms, or else ran for their -lives." Many of our prisoners were killed by German shells before -they could be removed. In spite of the failure of the German -infantry, the artillery fire was very deadly, both the Durhams and -the Sherwood Foresters being hard put to it to hold on to their -trenches. At 4.30 in the afternoon the Sherwood Foresters fell back -to the edge of the wood, some of their trenches having entirely -ceased to exist. - -There were several German infantry attempts during the day, but all -of them met the same fate as the first. The loss of the enemy, both -in the attack and in the subsequent attempts at recapture, was very -heavy, running certainly into some thousands of dead or wounded; -while the British losses in the actual attack, owing to the admirable -artillery arrangements, were very moderate. Some hundreds of -prisoners were taken, sixty of whom by a strange freak surrendered to -an unarmed observation officer named Booth. It was a fair revenge -for the set-back of July 30, and it was won in honest, virile fashion -by the use of the legitimate weapons of civilised warfare. - -During the long day the Germans strove hard, by an infernal -shell-fire, raking all the trenches from the direction of Hill 60, to -drive the infantry from the captured position. They clung -desperately to what they had won, but they were cut off from all -supplies. Many of the Westminsters lost their lives in heroically -bringing up water and food to the advanced line. For fourteen hours -the men were {165} under a murderous fire, and for the same period -the British artillery worked hard in supporting them. Men can endure -punishment far more cheerfully when they hear the roar of their own -shells overhead and know that the others are catching it also. "The -guns put heart into us," said one of the survivors. Finally, night -put an end to the slaughter and the uproar. Under the shadow of -darkness relieving troops crept to the front, and the weary, -decimated, but triumphant brigades were drawn off to the rear. - -Some of the more forward of the troops had got right across the Menin -road and established themselves in positions so far in advance that -for some time no orders could reach them; nor was their situation -known until desperate messengers came back from them clamouring for -cartridges and bombs. These men were only drawn in on the morning of -the 10th, after enduring nearly thirty hours of desperate fighting, -without food, water, or help of any kind. - -The losses were, as usual, far heavier in holding the trenches than -in winning them. The 16th Brigade lost 400 and the 18th 1300 men. -The 2nd Durhams were the chief sufferers, with 12 officers and 500 -men out of action; but the Shropshires lost no fewer than 19 officers -with 250 men. The 2nd Sherwoods, 1st East Yorkshires, 1st Buffs, and -2nd York and Lancasters were all hard hit. - -A considerable change in the general arrangement of the Army was -carried out early in August. This consisted in the formation of a -third army under General Monro, an officer whose rapid rise was one -of the phenomena of the war. This army consisted of the Seventh -Corps (Snow) and the Tenth Corps (Morland). The rearrangement would -be of little {166} importance, since most of the units have already -been mentioned, but it was accompanied by a large extension of the -British line. Up to this date it had joined the French about six -miles south of the La Bassée Canal. Now the Tenth French Army (Foch) -was left in position before Lens, and the British took up the line -again upon the farther side of them, carrying it from the south of -Arras to the neighbourhood of Albert, thus adding a dozen miles or so -to the British region, and bringing the total to about fifty--a small -proportion, it is true, but a very vital sector, and the one most -free from any natural feature of protection. There was at this time -an ever-thickening flow of reinforcements, as well as of munitions, -from across the Channel, but the new movements of Germany in the Near -East made it very evident that their use would not be confined to the -lines of Flanders. It was towards the end of this summer that the -length of the war and the increasing pressure of the blockade began -to interfere with the food-supplies of the German people. It had -been pretended that this was so before, but this was an attempt by -the German Government to excite sympathy in neutrals. There is no -doubt, however, that it was now a fact, and that it continued to -slowly tighten from month to month, until it finally became extreme. -There are few Britons who feel satisfaction at such a method of -warfare, but so long as armies represent the whole manhood of a -nation, it is impossible to make any provision by which food shall -reach the civilian and not the soldier. It is always to be borne in -mind that the British, with an almost exaggerated chivalry, -considering the many provocations which they had received, did not -exert their full power of blockade {167} for many months. It was -only when Germany declared the British Islands to be blockaded as -from February 18, 1915, and that food-ships would be destroyed, that -the British in retaliation, by an Order of Council in March of the -same year, placed German food upon the index. Thus by one more -miscalculation the Germans called down trouble upon their own heads, -for whereas their decree proved to be worthless, that of Britain was -ever more effective. It is curious to remember that only forty-five -years before, the Germans, without one word of protest from any of -their people, had starved the two millions of Paris, while Bismarck, -in his luxurious rooms at Versailles, had uttered his brutal jest -about roast babies. They are not so very slow--those mills of God! - -Before passing on to an account of the great Battle of Loos, which -terminated the operations upon the British front for this year, a few -words may be said of those happenings elsewhere which do not come -within the immediate scope of this narrative, but which cannot be -entirely omitted since every failure or success had an indirect -influence upon the position in France. This is particularly true of -the naval campaign, for the very existence of our Army depended upon -our success in holding the command of the sea. This was fully -attained during the year 1915 by the wise provisions of Admiral -Jellicoe, who held back his Grand Fleet in such a manner that, far -from the attrition upon which the German war-prophets had confidently -counted, it was far stronger at the end of the year than at the -beginning, while its influence had been such that the German High Sea -Fleet might as well have never existed for all the effect which it -had upon the campaign. In spite of the depredations {168} of German -submarines, which were restrained by no bonds of law or humanity, -British commerce flowed in its double tide, outwards and inwards, -with a volume which has seldom been surpassed, and the Channel -crossing was guarded with such truly miraculous skill that not a -transport was lost. It was a task which the Navy should never have -been called upon to do, since the need of a Channel tunnel had for -years been obvious; but granting that it had to be done, nothing -could exceed the efficiency with which it was carried out. The -success, however, cannot blind us to the waste of merchant tonnage or -of convoying cruisers absorbed in this vital task, nor to the -incessant delays and constant expense due to the want of foresight -upon the part of those who opposed this necessary extension of our -railway system. - -There was little naval fighting during the year, for the simple -reason that our sailors had nothing to fight. Upon January 24 a -German squadron of battle-cruisers attempted a repetition of the -Scarborough Raid, but was nearly intercepted by a British squadron of -greater power under Admiral Beatty. In a running fight which only -came to an end when the Germans had gained the protection of their -mine-fields considerable punishment was inflicted upon them, which -included the loss of the 15,000-ton armoured cruiser _Blücher_. -There were 123 survivors out of a crew of 800. Some damage was -inflicted upon the _Lion_, but the British casualties were slight and -no vessel was lost, save in the Berlin papers. - -Upon February 20 the adventure of the Dardanelles was begun by a -bombardment of the outer forts by the Allied Fleets. The British -ships engaged in these {169} operations were pre-Dreadnought -battleships, with the notable exception of the new cruiser Queen -_Elizabeth_. On March 18, in an attempt to force the Straits, the -_Ocean_ and the _Irresistible_ were lost by floating torpedoes. On -May 13 we lost in the same locality the _Goliath_, which was also -torpedoed in a very gallant surface attack delivered at night by a -Turkish or German boat. On the 26th the _Triumph_ fell a victim to a -submarine in the same waters. The other naval events of the year -include numerous actions of small craft with varying results, and the -final destruction of the _Dresden_, the _Königsberg_, and every other -German warship left upon the face of the waters. The British -anti-submarine devices in home waters reached a high point of -efficiency, and the temporary subsidence of submarine warfare is to -be attributed rather to the loss of these vessels than to any -remonstrances upon the part of neutrals. - -Some allusion should be made to the Zeppelins which were malevolently -active during the year, but whose efficiency fortunately fell very -far short of either the activity or the malevolence. Instead of -proving a blessing to mankind, the results of the energy and -ingenuity of the aged German inventor were at once turned to the most -devilish use conceivable, for their raids effected no possible -military object, but caused the death or mutilation of numerous -civilians, including a large number of women and children. The huge -bombs were showered down from the airships with no regard at all as -to whether a legitimate mark lay beneath them, and the huge -defenceless city of London was twice attacked on the plea that the -possession of munition works made the whole of it a fortress. The -total result of all the {170} raids came to about 1500 killed and -wounded. It is probable that the destruction of the invading -airships in 1916 killed more German fighting adults than were killed -in England by all their raids combined. They effected nothing -decisive save the ignominy of the murderers who used them. - -Of the Dardanelles Campaign nothing need be said, since it will be -fully treated in many separate accounts, save that our general -position was greatly weakened by the large number of vessels needed -for the conduct of these operations, nor did we profit much by their -abandonment since the call of Salonica soon became equally insistent. -We were able during the year to continue the absorption of the German -Colonial Empire, none of which, save East Africa, remained intact at -the end of it. Egypt was successfully defended against one or two -half-hearted advances upon the part of the Turks. The Mesopotamian -Campaign, however, had taken at the close of the year a sinister -turn, for General Townshend, having pushed forward almost to the -gates of Bagdad with a very inadequate force, was compelled to -retreat to Kut, where he was surrounded and besieged by a -considerable Turkish army. The defence was a heroic one, and only -ended in the spring of 1916, when the starving survivors were forced -to surrender. - -As to the affairs of our Allies, some allusion will be made later to -the great French offensive in Champagne, which was simultaneous with -our own advance at Loos. For the rest there was constant fighting -along the line, with a general tendency for the French to gain ground -though usually at a heavy cost. The year, on the other hand, had -been a disastrous one for the Russians who, half-armed and suffering -terrible {171} losses, had been compelled to relinquish all their -gains and to retreat for some hundreds of miles. As is now clear, -the difficulties in the front were much increased by lamentable -political conditions, including treachery in high places in the rear. -For a time even Petrograd seemed in danger, but thanks to fresh -supplies of the munitions of war from Britain and from Japan they -were able at last to form a firm line from Riga in the north to the -eastern end of the Roumanian frontier in the south. - -The welcome accession of Italy upon May 23 and the lamentable -defection of Bulgaria on October 11 complete the more salient -episodes of the year. - - - - -{172} - -CHAPTER VII - -THE BATTLE OF LOOS - -(The First Day--September 25) - -General order of battle--Check of the Second Division--Advance of the -Ninth and Seventh Divisions--Advance of the First Division--Fine -progress of the Fifteenth Division--Capture of Loos--Work of the -Forty-seventh London Division. - - -Whilst the Army had lain in apparent torpidity during the summer--a -torpidity which was only broken by the sharp engagements at Hooge and -elsewhere--great preparations for a considerable attack had been -going forward. For several months the sappers and the gunners had -been busy concentrating their energies for a serious effort which -should, as it was hoped, give the infantry a fair chance of breaking -the German line. Similar preparations were going on among the -French, both in Foch's Tenth Army to the immediate right of the -British line, and also on a larger scale in the region of Champagne. -Confining our attention to the British effort, we shall now examine -the successive stages of the great action in front of Hulluch and -Loos--the greatest battle, both as to the numbers engaged and as to -the losses incurred, which had ever up to that date been fought by -our Army. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{173} - -[Illustration: La Bassée-Loos area] - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -The four days which preceded the great attack {175} of September 25 -were days of great activity. An incessant and severe bombardment was -directed upon the German lines along the whole front, but especially -in the sector to the immediate south of the La Bassée Canal, where -the main thrust was to be made. To this severe fire the Germans made -hardly any reply, though whether from settled policy or from a -comparative lack of munitions is not clear. On each of the days a -feint attack was made upon the German line so far as could be done -without actually exposing the men. The troops for the assault were -gradually brought into position, and the gas-cylinders, which were to -be used for the first time, were sunk in the front parapets. - -The assault in the main area was to extend from the La Bassée Canal -in the north to the village of Grenay in the south, a front of about -seven miles, and it was to be supported and supplemented by many -subsidiary attacks along the whole line up to the Ypres salient, and -northwards still to where the monitors upon the coast held the German -coastguards to their sand-dunes. For the moment we will deal only -with the fortunes of the main attack. This was to be delivered by -two army corps, both belonging to Haig's First Army, that tempered -blade which has so often been the spear-head for the British thrust. -The corps were the First (Hubert Gough's) and the Fourth -(Rawlinson's). It will be remembered that a British army corps now -consisted of three divisions, so that the storming line was composed -of six divisions, or about seventy thousand infantry. - -The line of the advance was bisected by a high road from Vermelles to -Hulluch. This was made the boundary line between the two attacking -corps. To {176} the left, or north of this road, was the ground of -the First Corps; to the right, or south, of the Fourth. The -qualities of the Regular and Territorial regiments had already been -well attested. This was the first occasion, however, when, upon a -large scale, use was made of those new forces which now formed so -considerable a proportion of the whole. Let it be said at once that -they bore the test magnificently, and that they proved themselves to -be worthy of their comrades to the right and the left. It had always -been expected that the new infantry would be good, for they had in -most cases been under intense training for a year, but it was a -surprise to many British soldiers, and a blow to the prophets in -Berlin, to find that the scientific branches, the gunners and the -sappers, had also reached a high level. "Our enemy may have hoped," -said Sir John French, "not perhaps without reason, that it would be -impossible for us, starting with such small beginnings, to build up -an efficient artillery to provide for the very large expansion of the -Army. If he entertained such hopes he has now good reason to know -that they have not been justified by the result. The efficiency of -the artillery of the new armies has exceeded all expectations." -These were the guns which, in common with many others of every -calibre, worked furiously in the early dawn of Saturday, September -25, to prepare for the impending advance. The high explosives were -known to have largely broken down the German system of defences, but -it was also known that there were areas where the damage had not been -great and where the wire entanglements were still intact. No further -delay could be admitted, however, if our advance was to be on the -same day as that of the {179} French. The infantry, chafing with -impatience, were swarming in the fire trenches. At 5.40 A.M. the -gas-cylinders were turned on. At 6.30 A.M. the guns ceased fire, and -the ardent soldiers--Regulars, New, and Territorials--dashed forward -upon their desperate venture. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{177} - -[Illustration: BATTLE OF LOOS I] - - APPROXIMATE POSITIONS OF BRITISH - DIVISIONS ON AFTERNOON OF SEPT. 25th - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -The rough diagram of the action on page 177 will help the reader to -understand the order in which the six divisions attacked, and in a -very rough way the objectives in front of them. It is impossible to -describe simultaneously the progress of so extended a line. It will -be best, therefore, to take the various divisions from the northern -end, and to follow the fortunes of each until it reached some -definite limit. Afterwards an attempt will be made to co-ordinate -these results and show their effects upon each other. - -The second regular division (Horne), acting upon the extreme left of -the main attack, had two brigades north of the La Bassée Canal and -one to the south. The most northern was the 5th (Cochrane's), and -its operations really formed part of the subsidiary attacks, and will -be treated under that head. South of it was the 6th (Daly's), to the -immediate north of the canal. The gas, drifting slowly up the line -before a slight southern breeze, had contaminated the air in this -quarter, and many of the men were suffering from the effects. None -the less, at half-past six the advance was made in a most dashing -manner, but the barbed wire defences were found to be only partially -damaged and the trenches to be intact, so no progress could be made. -The 2nd South Staffords and 1st King's Liverpools on the left and -right reached the German position, but in face of a murderous fire -were unable to make good their hold, and were {180} eventually forced -back to their own trenches after enduring heavy losses, shared in a -lesser degree by the 1st Rifles and 1st Berks in support. Upon their -right, south of the canal, was the 19th Brigade (Robertson). The two -leading regiments, the 1st Middlesex and 2nd Argylls, sprang from the -trenches and rushed across the intervening space, only to find -themselves faced by unbroken and impassable wire. For some reason, -probably the slope of the ground, the artillery had produced an -imperfect effect upon the defences of the enemy in the whole sector -attacked by the Second Division, and if there is one axiom more -clearly established than another during this war, it is that no human -heroism can carry troops through uncut wire. They will most surely -be shot down faster than they can cut the strands. The two -battalions lay all day, from morning till dusk, in front of this -impenetrable obstacle, lashed and scourged by every sort of fire, and -losing heavily. Two companies of the 2nd Welsh Fusiliers, who -gallantly charged forward to support them, shared their tragic -experience. It was only under the cover of dusk that the survivors -were able to get back, having done nothing save all that men could -do. Their difficult situation was rendered more desperate by the -fact that the wind drifted the gas--that filthy and treacherous -ally--over a portion of the line, and some of our soldiers were -poisoned by the effects. The hold-up was the more unfortunate, as it -left the Germans the power to outflank the whole advance, and many of -the future difficulties arose from the fact that the enemy's guns -were still working from Auchy and other points on the left rear of -the advancing troops. In justice to the Second Division, {181} it -must be remembered that they were faced by the notoriously strong -position called "the railway triangle," and also that it is on the -flanking units that the strain must especially fall, as was shown -equally clearly upon the same day in the great French advance in -Champagne. - -The advance of the next division, the Ninth Scottish Division -(Thesiger's) of the new armies, was of a most energetic nature, and -met with varying fortunes according to the obstacles in their path. -The valour and perseverance of the men were equally high in each of -its brigades. By an unfortunate chance, General Landon, the officer -who had played so essential a part on the fateful October 31, 1914, -and who had commanded the Ninth Division, was invalided home only two -days before the battle. His place was taken by General Thesiger, who -had little time in which to get acquainted with his staff and -surroundings. The front to be assaulted was of a most formidable -nature. This Hohenzollern Redoubt jutted forward from the main -German line, and was an enclosure seamed with trenches, girdled with -wire, and fringed with machine-guns. Behind and to the north of it -lay the slag-heap Fosse 8. The one favourable point lay in the fact -that the attacking infantry had only a hundred yards to cross, while -in the other parts of the line the average distance was about a -quarter of a mile. - -The attack of the Ninth Division was carried out with two brigades, -the 26th (Ritchie) and 28th (Dickens), with the 27th (Bruce) in close -support. - -Continuing the plan of taking each unit from the north, we will -follow the tragic fortunes of the 28th Brigade on the left. This -brigade seems to have been {182} faced by the same unbroken obstacles -which had held up their neighbours of the Second Division upon the -left, and they found it equally impossible to get forward, though the -attack was urged with all the constancy of which human nature is -capable, as the casualty returns only too clearly show. - -The most veteran troops could not have endured a more terrible ordeal -or preserved a higher heart than these young soldiers in their first -battle. The leading regiments were the 6th Scottish Borderers and -the 11th Highland Light Infantry. Nineteen officers led the -Borderers over the parapet. Within a few minutes the whole nineteen, -including Colonel Maclean and Major Hosley, lay dead or wounded upon -the ground. Valour could no further go. Of the rank and file of the -Borderers some 500 out of 1000 were lying in the long grass which -faced the German trenches. The Highland Light Infantry had suffered -very little less. Ten officers and 300 men fell in the first rush -before they were checked by the barbed wire of the enemy. Every -accumulation of evil which can appal the stoutest heart was heaped -upon this brigade--not only the two leading battalions, but their -comrades of the 9th Seaforths and 10th H.L.I, who supported them. -The gas hung thickly about the trenches, and all of the troops, but -especially the 10th H.L.I., suffered from it. Colonel Graham of this -regiment was found later incoherent and half unconscious from -poisoning, while Major Graham and four lieutenants were incapacitated -in the same way. The chief cause of the slaughter, however, was the -uncut wire, which held up the brigade while the German rifle and -machine-gun fire shot them down in heaps. It was observed that {183} -in this part of the line the gas had so small an effect upon the -enemy that their infantry could be seen with their heads and -shoulders clustering thickly over their parapets as they fired down -at the desperate men who tugged and raved in front of the wire -entanglement. An additional horror was found in the shape of a -covered trench, invisible until one fell into it, the bottom of which -was studded with stakes and laced with wire. Many of the Scottish -Borderers lost their lives in this murderous ditch. In addition to -all this, the fact that the Second Division was held up exposed the -28th Brigade to fire on the flank. In spite of every impediment, -some of the soldiers fought their way onwards and sprang down into -the German trenches; notably Major Sparling of the Borderers and -Lieutenant Sebold of the H.L.I. with a handful of men broke through -all opposition. There was no support behind them, however, and after -a time the few survivors were compelled to fall back to the trenches -from which they had started, both the officers named having been -killed. The repulse on the left of the Ninth Division was complete. -The mangled remains of the 28th Brigade, flushed and furious but -impotent, gathered together to hold their line against a possible -counter-attack. Shortly after mid-day they made a second attempt at -a forward movement, but 50 per cent of their number were down, all -the battalions had lost many of their officers, and for the moment it -was not possible to sustain the offensive. - -A very different fate had befallen the 26th Brigade upon their right. -The leading battalions of this brigade were the 5th Camerons on the -left, gallantly led by Lochiel himself, the hereditary chieftain of -{184} the clan, and the 7th Seaforths on the right. These two -battalions came away with a magnificent rush, closely followed by the -8th Gordons and the 8th Black Watch. It was a splendid example of -that _furor Scoticus_ which has shown again and again that it is not -less formidable than the Teutonic wrath. The battalions were over -the parapet, across the open, through the broken wire, and over the -entrenchment like a line of Olympic hurdlers. Into the trenches they -dashed, seized or killed the occupants, pressed rapidly onwards up -the communications, and by seven o'clock had made their way as far as -Fosse 8, a coal-mine with a long, low slag-heap lying in the rear of -the great work, but linked up to it in one system of defences. It -was a splendid advance, depending for its success upon the extreme -speed and decision of the movement. Many officers and men, including -Lord Sempill, the gallant Colonel of the Black Watch, were left upon -the ground, but the front of the brigade rolled ever forwards. Not -content with this considerable success, one battalion, the 8th -Gordons, with a handful of the Black Watch, preserved sufficient -momentum to carry it on to the edge of the fortified village of -Haisnes, in the rear of the German position. The reserve brigade, -the 27th, consisting of the 11th and 12th Royal Scots, 10th Argyll -and Sutherland Highlanders, and 6th Scots Fusiliers, swept onwards in -support of this movement. This brigade had varying fortunes, part of -it being held up by wire. It did not get so far forward as the -brigade upon its left, but it reached and took Fosse Alley, to the -immediate west of the Lens-Hulluch road. This position it held -against bombing attacks upon each flank until the morning of Monday -{185} the 27th, as will be described later. The Highlanders upon -their left, who had got nearly to Haisnes, dropped back when they -found themselves unsupported, and joined the rest of their brigade in -the neighbourhood of Fosse 8. - -It should be mentioned that the field-guns of the 52nd Brigade R.F.A. -pushed up in the immediate rear of the firing line of the Ninth -Division, and gave effective support to the infantry. The fact that -they could do this across the open tends to show that infantry -supports could be pushed up without being confined unduly to the -communication trenches. The spirited action of these guns was -greatly appreciated by the infantry. - -For the moment we will leave the Ninth Division, its left held up in -line with the Second Division, its right flung forward through the -Hohenzollern Redoubt and Fosse 8 until the spray from the wave had -reached as far as Haisnes. Let us turn now to the veterans of the -Seventh Division, the inheritors of the glories of Ypres, who filled -the space between the right of the Ninth Division and the road from -Vermelles to Hulluch which divided Gough's First and Rawlinson's -Fourth Corps. This division was constituted as before, save that the -8th and 9th Devons of the New Army had taken the place of the two -Guards battalions in the 20th Brigade. Upon receiving the word to -advance, "Over the top and the best of luck!" the men swarmed on -short ladders out of the fire trenches and advanced with cool, -disciplined valour over the open ground. On reaching the German wire -the leading brigades--the 22nd on the left with the 2nd Warwicks and -1st South Staffords in the lead, the 20th on the right with the 2nd -Gordons {186} and 8th Devons in the place of honour--lay down for a -short breather, while each soldier obeyed instructions by judging for -himself the point at which the broken, tangled mass of writhing -strands could most easily be penetrated. Then once more the whistles -blew, the men rushed forward, and, clearing the wire, they threw -themselves into the front trench. The garrison of 200 men threw -their arms down and their hands up with the usual piteous but -insincere cry of "Kameraden!" Flooding over the line of trenches, -the division pushed rapidly on without a check until they reached the -Quarries, a well-marked post in front of the village of Hulluch. -Here more prisoners and eight field-guns were taken by the 20th -Brigade. From the Quarries to the village is roughly half a mile of -uphill ground, devoid of cover. The impetus of the advance carried -the men on until they were at the very edge of the village, where -they were held up by the furious fire and by a line of barbed wire, -which was bravely cut by Private Vickers of the 2nd Warwicks and -other devoted men. Another smaller village, Cité St. Elie, to the -north of Hulluch, was also reached, the 2nd Queen's Surrey making -good the western edge of it. At both these points the division had -reached its limit, but still farther to the north its left-hand -brigade was at the southern outskirts of Haisnes in touch with the -gallant men of the Ninth Division, who were to the west of that -important village. These advanced lines could not be held without -supports; the 21st Brigade had already been absorbed farther back, -and the men of the Seventh Division fell back about 4 P.M. as far as -the Quarries, where for a time they remained, having lost many -officers and men, including Colonel {187} Stansfeld of the 2nd -Gordons, a gallant officer who was hit by a shell in the first -advance, but asked only that he should be let lie where he could see -his men. Colonel Heath of the Surreys was also killed after the -return to the Quarries. - -Such was the advance of the First Army Corps, ending in a bloody -repulse upon the left of the line and a hardly less bloody success -upon the right. Across the Vermelles-Hulluch high road, the Fourth -Army Corps had been advancing on the same line, and its fortunes had -been very similar to those of its neighbour. The First Division was -operating on the left of the corps, with the Fifteenth Scottish -Division (New) in the centre and the Forty-seventh Territorial -(London) on the right. Thus the First Division was advancing upon -Hulluch on the immediate right of the Seventh Division, so that its -operations are the next to be considered. - -The attack of this division was carried out by the 1st Brigade upon -the left and by the 2nd upon the right, while the 3rd was in support. -Two battalions, the 9th King's Liverpool and the London Scottish, -acted as a small independent unit apart from the brigades. The -respective objectives for the two leading brigades were the Chalk Pit -and Fosse 14 for the 2nd, while the 1st was to aim at Hulluch. These -objectives were somewhat diverging, and the two Territorial -battalions, forming what was called Green's Force, were to fill up -the gap so occasioned, and to prevent any German counter-attack -coming through. - -Both brigades soon found great difficulties in their path. In the -case of each the wire was but imperfectly cut, and the German -trenches were still strong. {188} We will first follow the fortunes -of the 1st Brigade. Their rush was headed by two brave battalions of -the New Army, the 8th Berkshires on the left and the 10th Gloucesters -on the right. Both of these units did extraordinarily well, and -after bearing down a succession of obstacles got as far as the edge -of Hulluch, capturing three lines of trenches and several guns upon -the way. The 1st Camerons pressed close at their heels, lending them -the weight to carry them over each successive difficulty. The -advance took some time and was very costly. The Berkshires alone in -the course of the day lost 17 officers and 400 men, and were led by a -young sub-lieutenant (Lawrence) at the close. The Gloucesters and -Camerons suffered almost as heavily. - -The experience of the 2nd Brigade to the immediate south was still -more trying, and it was held up to an extent which had a serious -bearing upon the fortunes of the day. The German trenches near Lone -Tree, which faced the brigade, were found to be intact and strongly -covered by wire. They were attacked by the 2nd Rifles and 1st North -Lancashires, with the 2nd Sussex in immediate support, but no -progress could be made. The 1st Northamptons threw themselves into -the fight, but still the trench was held at a time when it was vital -that the 2nd Brigade should be at its post in the general scheme of -advance. The ground was taken, however, on each flank of the Lone -Tree position, and Green's Force, whose function had been to link up -the diverging operations of the two brigades, was brought up for the -attack. The two battalions advanced over six hundred yards by -platoon rushes under heavy gusts of fire. As they reached a point -within fifty yards of the German line, {189} a few grey-clad, -battle-stained infantrymen clambered slowly on to the parapet with -outstretched hands. Upon the British ceasing their fire a party of 3 -officers and 400 men were marched out of the trenches and gave -themselves up. Their stout resistance is a lesson in the effect -which a single obstinate detachment can exert in throwing a large -scheme out of gear. - -The 1st Brigade had now got through upon the left, and the 2nd was -able to follow them, so that the whole force advanced as far as the -Lens-Hulluch road, getting in touch with the 20th Brigade of the -Seventh Division on the left. Here the resistance was strong and the -fire heavy. The division had lost very heavily. Of the 9th King's -Liverpool only Colonel Ramsay, 4 subalterns, and 120 men were left, -while many of the other battalions were almost as hard hit. It was -now raining and the light was failing. The men dug themselves in -near the old German trenches, the 3rd Brigade coming up and taking -its position on the right flank, where late that night it connected -up by means of its outer unit, the 2nd Welsh, with the Twenty-fourth -Division, which had come up in support. - -The temporary check to the advance of the First Division had exposed -the left flank of its neighbour to the south, the Fifteenth -(M'Cracken's) Scottish Division of the New Army. The two divisions -were to have met at Fosse 14, but the Fifteenth Division arrived -there some hours before the others, for the reason already stated. -In spite of this a very fine advance was made, which gained a -considerable stretch of ground and pierced more deeply than any other -into the German line. The 46th Brigade was on the left, consisting -of the 7th Scots Borderers and {190} 12th Highland Light Infantry in -front, with the 8th Borderers and 10th Scottish Rifles behind them. -It was upon the parapet in front of this brigade that Piper Laidlaw -marched up and down before the attack under a heavy fire, warming the -blood of the crouching men with the maddening scream of his -war-pipes. Not until he was shot down did this gallant man cease to -urge forward his comrades. The 46th Brigade dashed forward at the -signal, and with a fine fury flooded over the German trenches, which -they carried at a rush, storming onwards across the Lens road and up -the long slope of Hill 70, taking Fosse 14 upon the way, and -eventually reaching the summit of the incline. The 45th supporting -Brigade came along after them, detaching, as they passed, 100 bombers -of the 6th Camerons to help the First Division to get forward. These -brave Highlanders held the advanced line for some hours under heavy -fire from the Lens batteries. - -The 44th Brigade upon the right of the 46th had made an advance which -was equally fiery and successful. In this brigade the 9th Black -Watch and 8th Seaforths were in the lead, with the 7th Camerons and -10th Gordons behind. This brigade dashed into the main street of -Loos, where they met the Londoners of Barter's Forty-seventh -Division. They helped to consolidate this flank and to clear the -houses of Loos, while some of them pushed forward towards Hill 70. -When they reached the crest of the hill they found the remains of the -46th Brigade, consisting of remnants of the 12th H.L.I., 7th Scots -Borderers, and 10th Scottish Rifles, upon their left. It is possible -that they could have dug in and held their own, but the objective as -given in the original orders {191} had been the village of St. -Augustine, and with heroic perseverance these brave men would be -contented with nothing less than the full performance or death in the -attempt. Alas! for many of them it was the latter. Gathering -themselves together, they flung themselves forward over the crest. -On the other side was a long, low slope with isolated houses at the -bottom, the suburbs of the village of St. Laurent, which they mistook -for St. Augustine. These crackled at every window with machine-gun -fire. Of the devoted band who rushed forward none reached the -houses. The few survivors fell back upon the crest, and then, -falling back about one hundred and fifty yards, they dug in upon the -slope on the west side of it. Their position was an extraordinarily -dangerous one, for they had no protection upon the left flank, where -lay a thick wood--the Bois Hugo--through which a German attack might -come which would cut them off from the Army. Colonel Purvis, of the -Highland Light Infantry, with quick foresight, built up a thin line -of resistance upon this side from Fosse 14 in the south to the -advanced left point, manning it with a few of his own men under -Lieutenant M'Neil. A welcome reinforcement of the 6th Camerons and -7th Scots Fusiliers from the 45th Brigade were thrown in to -strengthen this weak point. This was done about 1 P.M. It was only -just in time, for in the afternoon the German infantry did begin to -debouch from the wood, but finding organised resistance they dropped -back, and their advance on this line was not renewed until the next -morning, when it fell upon the Twenty-first Division. For a time the -pressure was very great, but the men rallied splendidly round a -tattered flag bearing the Cameron tartan, and, {192} although it was -impossible to get forward, they still, in a mixed and straggling line -with hardly any officers, held firmly to their ground. Late in the -evening the 13th Royal Scots and the 11th Argyll and Sutherlands came -up to thicken the line. - -Leaving the Fifteenth Division holding on desperately to that -advanced position where, as Captain Beith has tersely said, a fringe -of Jocks and Sandies lie to mark the farthest point of advance, we -turn to the remaining division upon the right--the Forty-seventh -London, under General Barter. This division upheld splendidly upon -this bloody day the secular reputation of the Cockney as a soldier. -With a keen, quick brain, as well as a game heart, the Londoner, like -the Parisian, has proved that the artificial life of a great city -does not necessarily dull the primitive qualities which make the -warrior. The cream of the London Territorial regiments had already -been distributed among regular brigades, and had made themselves an -individual name, but this was the first occasion upon which a whole -division was engaged in a really serious operation. - -The left of the division was formed by Thwaites' 141st Brigade with -the 18th London Irish in the front line and the 20th Blackheath -Battalion in immediate support. To their right was Cuthbert's 140th -Brigade, which formed the extreme right of the whole attack, a -position which caused them to think as much of their flank protection -as of their frontal advance. This brigade had the 6th and 7th -Londons in the van, with the 8th and 15th (Civil Service) in support. -The 142nd Brigade (Willoughby) was in the second line. - -The advance of the 141st Brigade was a splendid {193} one. At the -whistle the 18th London Irish, with a fighting yell, flooded over the -parapet with their regimental football kicked in front of them, and -were into the German trench like a thunderbolt. A few minutes later -they were followed by the Blackheath men, who passed the captured -trench, rushed on to the second, and finally won the third, which -opened for them the road to Loos. Into the south end of Loos they -streamed, while the 44th Brigade of the Fifteenth Division rushed the -north end, turning out or capturing the 23rd Silesians, who held the -post. The 19th St. Pancras Battalion followed up the attack, while -the 17th (Poplar) were in reserve. Meanwhile, the 140th Brigade had -done most useful work by making a lodgment on the Double Grassier, -formidable twin slag-heaps which had become a German fort. The -ground to the immediate south of Loos was rapidly seized and -consolidated by the Londoners, several guns being captured in the -chalk pits near the village. This operation was of permanent -importance, as the successful British advance would inevitably form a -salient projecting into the hostile lines, which would be vulnerable -if there were not some good defensive position on the flank. The -work of the Forty-seventh Division assured such a line in the south. - -By mid-day, as has been shown, the British advance had spent its -momentum, and had been brought to a standstill at all points. The -German lines had been almost--but not quite--shattered. A map of the -photographed trenches shows that beyond the point reached by the -advanced troops there was only the last line which held them up. To -the east of that was open country. But the German reserves were -{194} hurrying up from all quarters in their rear, from Roulers, from -Thielt, from Courtrai and Menin and Douai. At the latter place was a -division of Guards just brought across from the Russian front. These -also were hurried into the fight. The extreme British line was too -thin for defence, and was held by exhausted men. They were shelled -and bombed and worn down by attack after attack until they were -compelled to draw slowly back and re-form on interior lines. The -grand salient which had been captured with such heroic dash and -profuse loss of life was pared down here and contracted there. The -portion to the south held by the Londoners was firmly consolidated, -including the important village of Loos and its environs. An -enormous mine crane, three hundred feet high, of latticed iron, which -had formed an extraordinarily good observation point, was one of the -gains in this direction. The Fifteenth Division had been driven back -to the western side of Hill 70, and to the line of the -Lens-Hulluch-La Bassée road. The Seventh and Ninth Divisions had -fallen back from Haisnes, but they still held the western outskirts -of Hulluch, the edge of St. Elie, the Quarries, and Fosse 8. It was -at this end of the line that the situation was most dangerous, for -the failure of the Second Division to get forward had left a weak -flank upon the north, which was weaker because the heavily-gunned -German position of Auchy lay to the north-west of it in a way that -partially enfiladed it. - -The struggle was particularly desperate round the slag-heaps which -were known as Fosse 8. This position was held all day by the 5th -Camerons, the 8th Black Watch, and the 7th Seaforths of the 26th -{195} Brigade, the remaining battalion of which, the 8th Gordons, -were with the bulk of the 27th Brigade in the direction of Haisnes. -These three battalions, under a murderous fire from the Auchy guns -and from the persistent bombers, held on most tenaciously till -nightfall. When the welcome darkness came, without bringing them the -longed-for supports, the defenders had shrunk to 600 men, but their -grip of the position was not relaxed, and they held it against all -attacks during the night. About five next morning the 73rd Brigade -of the Twenty-fourth Division--a unit straight from home--pushed up -to their help under circumstances to be afterwards explained, and -shared their great dangers and losses during the second day of the -fighting. - -The battalions of the Ninth Division which had got as far as the -outskirts of Haisnes held on there until evening. By that time no -reinforcements had reached them and they had lost very heavily. Both -their flanks were turned, and at nightfall they were driven back in -the direction of the Quarries, which was held by those men of the -Seventh Division (mostly of the 22nd Brigade) who had also been -compelled to fall back from Hulluch. During the night this position -was wired by the 54th Company of Royal Engineers, but the Germans, by -a sudden and furious attack, carried it, driving out the garrison and -capturing some of them, among whom was General Bruce, the Brigadier -of the 27th Brigade. After the capture of the Quarries, the flanks -of the 27th Brigade were again turned, and it was compelled to return -as far as the old German front line. The 20th Brigade had fallen -back to the same point. These misfortunes all arose from the -radically defective position of the {196} northern British line, -commanded as it was by German guns from its own left rear, and -unprotected at the flank. - -Whilst this set-back had occurred upon the left of the attack, the -right had consolidated itself very firmly. The position of the -Forty-seventh Division when darkness fell was that on their right the -140th Brigade had a strong grip of part of the Double Grassier. On -their left the 19th Battalion (St. Pancras), which had lost its -Colonel, Collison-Morley, and several senior officers, was holding -South-east Loos in the rear of the right flank of the Fifteenth -Division. The 20th was holding the Loos Chalk Pit, while the 17th -and 18th were in the German second-line trenches. - -There is reason to believe that the rapid dash of the stormers -accomplished results more quickly than had been thought possible. -The Twenty-first and Twenty-fourth Divisions were now brought up, as -Sir John French clearly states in his dispatch, for a specific -purpose: "To ensure the speedy and effective support of the First and -Fourth Corps in the case of their success, the Twenty-first and -Twenty-fourth Divisions passed the night of the 24th and 25th on the -line of Beuvry-Noeux-les-Mines." - -Leaving the front line holding hard to, or in some cases recoiling -from, the advanced positions which they had won, we will turn back -and follow the movements of these two divisions. It is well to -remember that these divisions had not only never heard the whistle of -a bullet, but they had never even been inside a trench, save on some -English down-side. It is perhaps a pity that it could not be so -arranged that troops so unseasoned in actual warfare should {197} -occupy some defensive line, while the older troops whom they relieved -could have marched to battle. Apart, however, from this -inexperience, which was no fault of their own or of their commanders, -there is no doubt at all that the men were well-trained infantry and -full of spirit. To bring them to the front without exciting -attention, three separate night marches were undertaken, of no -inordinate length, but tiring on account of the constant blockings of -the road and the long waits which attended them. Finally they -reached the point at which Sir John French reported them in his -dispatch, but by ill-fortune their cookers came late, and they were -compelled in many cases to move on again without a proper meal. -After this point the cookers never overtook them, and the men were -thrown back upon their iron rations. Providence is not a strong -point of the British soldier, and it is probable that with more -economy and foresight at the beginning these troops would have been -less exhausted and hungry at the end. The want of food, however, was -not the fault of the supply services. - -The troops moved forward with no orders for an instant attack, but -with the general idea that they were to wait as a handy reserve and -go forward when called upon to do so. The 62nd Brigade of the -Twenty-first Division was sent on first about eleven o'clock, but the -other brigades were not really on the road till much later. The -roads on which they moved--those which lead through Vermelles to -Hulluch or to Loos--were blocked with traffic: guns advancing, -ambulances returning, troops of all sorts coming and going, Maltese -carts with small-arm ammunition hurrying forward to the -fighting-line. {198} The narrow channel was choked with the crowd. -The country on either side was intersected with trenches and laced -with barbed wire. It was pouring with intermittent showers. The -soldiers, cold, wet, and hungry, made their way forward with many -stoppages towards the firing, their general direction being to the -centre of the British line. - -"As we got over this plain," writes an officer, "I looked back, and -there was a most extraordinary sight; as far as you could see there -were thousands and thousands of our men coming up. You could see -them for miles and miles, and behind them a most colossal -thundercloud extending over the whole sky, and the rain was pouring -down. It was just getting dark, and the noise of our guns and the -whole thing was simply extraordinary." - -Early on the march the leading brigade, the 73rd, was met by a staff -officer of the First Army, who gave the order that it should detach -itself, together with the 129th Field Company of Sappers, and hasten -to the reinforcement of the Ninth Division at Fosse 8. They went, -and the Twenty-fourth Division knew them no more. The other two -brigades found themselves between 9 and 10 P.M. in the front German -trenches. They had been able to deploy after leaving Vermelles, and -the front line were now in touch with the 63rd Brigade of the -Twenty-first Division upon the right, and with the 2nd Welsh -Regiment, who represented the right of the 3rd Brigade of the First -Division, upon their left. The final orders were that at eleven -o'clock next day these three divisions--First, Twenty-fourth, and -Twenty-first--were to make a united assault past Hulluch, which was -assumed to be in our hands, and on to the main German line. This, -then, {199} was the position of the reserves on the night of -September 25-26. - -It was a nightmare night in the advanced line of the Army. The -weather had been tempestuous and rainy all day, though the men had -little time to think of such matters. But now they were not only -tired and hungry, but soaked to the skin. An aggressive enemy pelted -them with bombs from in front, and their prospects seemed as black as -the starless sky above them. It is, however, at such a time that the -British soldier, a confirmed grumbler in his hours of ease, shows to -the best advantage. The men knew that much ground had been gained. -They had seen prisoners by hundreds throwing up their hands, and had -marked as they rushed past them the vicious necks of the half-buried -captured cannon. It was victory for the Army, whatever might be -their own discomfort. Their mood, therefore, was hilarious rather -than doleful, and thousands of weary Mark Tapleys huddled under the -dripping ledges of the parapets. "They went into battle with their -tails right up, and though badly mauled have their tails up still." -So wrote the officer of a brigade which had lost more than half its -effectives. - - - - -{200} - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE BATTLE OF LOOS - -(The Second Day--September 26) - -Death of General Capper--Retirement of the Fifteenth -Division--Advance of the Twenty-fourth Division--Heavy -losses--Twenty-first Division before Bois Hugo--Desperate -struggle--General retirement on the right--Rally round Loos--Position -on the evening of September 26. - - -Sunday the 26th was a day of hard fighting and of heavy losses, the -reserves streaming up from the rear upon both sides, each working -furiously to improve its position. From early in the day the -fighting was peculiarly bitter round Fosse 8 in the section carried -and held by the Ninth Division. It has been already mentioned that -three battalions, the 5th Camerons, 7th Seaforths, and 8th Black -Watch of the 26th Brigade, held this place all the evening of the -25th and all night, until reduced to less than the strength of a -regiment. It has also been stated that the 73rd Brigade had been -detached from the Twenty-fourth Division to their aid. These men, -with no preliminary hardening, found themselves suddenly thrust into -one of the very hottest corners of a desperate fight. Under these -circumstances it is all to the credit of these troops that they were -able to hold their position all day, though naturally their {201} -presence was not of the same value as that of a more veteran brigade. - -The 73rd Brigade were put into German trenches to the east of Fosse -8, their order from the left being 7th Northamptons, 12th Royal -Fusiliers, and 9th Sussex, with the 13th Middlesex echeloned on their -right rear. They were constantly attacked, but were suffering more -from cold, hunger, and exhaustion than from the Germans. All day -they and the remains of the Scots held the place against intermittent -assaults, which occasionally had some partial success, but never -quite enabled the enemy to re-establish his position. It was not, -however, until the morning of the 27th, as will afterwards be -narrated, that their most severe ordeal was to come. - -[Sidenote: Death of General Capper.] - -Close to Fosse 8, and on the south of it, was the position of the -Quarries, from which the 22nd Brigade of the Seventh Division had -been driven by a sudden rush of the Germans during the night. After -an abortive but expensive attack by the 9th Norfolks next morning, -there was a more serious effort by a body of mixed troops, led by -Captain Carter and including several units of the Second Division, -notably the 2nd Worcesters and 1st Rifles. These battalions pushed -their way up to the Quarries, and although they were unable to evict -the Germans they established themselves firmly close to the -south-western edge and there awaited events. To the south of them -the 20th Brigade of the Seventh Division held firmly to their line. -It was on this day that they lost their heroic leader, Sir Thomson -Capper, the fine soldier who had so often braced by word and example -their ever-thinning lines during the black {202} days of Ypres, with -which his name and that of his division will be eternally associated. -There was no more valiant or trusted leader in the Army. He was shot -through the lungs, was carried to the rear, and died in hospital next -day. "We are here to do the impossible" was one of the fiery -aphorisms which he left to the Army. - -[Sidenote: The Fifteenth Division on Hill 70.] - -On the southern front of the British there was also an inclination to -contract the line upon the morning of the 26th. The fact that the -French attack upon the right on the day before had not had much -success rendered that wing very open to a flank attack. The -Fifteenth Scottish Division still held on hard to the slopes of Hill -70, but early in the day their line had been driven somewhat to the -westward. At nine o'clock they had renewed their attack upon Hill -70, supported by some reinforcements. They were not strong enough, -nor was their artillery support sufficiently powerful to enable them -to carry the crest of the hill. When their advance was checked the -Germans returned upon them with a series of counter-attacks which -gradually drove them down the hill. In the desperate series of -rallies in which they made head against the Germans it is difficult -to distinguish regiments, since the men fought for the most part in a -long, scattered fringe of mixed units, each dour infantryman throwing -up his own cover and fighting his own battle. The 6th Camerons -preserved their cohesion, however, and particularly distinguished -themselves, their gallant leader, Douglas Hamilton, falling at their -head in the thick of the fight. "I must get up! I must get up!" -were his last words before he expired. The final effect of these -episodes was to drive the British off the greater part {203} of the -slope of Hill 70, and down towards the village of Loos. - -It will be remembered that the weary Twenty-fourth Division (Ramsay), -with its comrade the Twenty-first (Forestier-Walker) upon its right -and the Regular First Division upon its left, had received its orders -to advance at eleven o'clock. It had been supposed that Hulluch was -in British hands, but this was found not to be so. The orders, -however, still held good. The Twenty-fourth Division had already -been stripped of the 73rd Brigade, and now it was further denuded by -two battalions of the 71st, the 9th Norfolks and 8th Bedfords, who -were told off to help to retake the Quarries. The Norfolks made an -attack upon a strong position, and lost 200 men and officers in the -attempt. The Bedfords, who were in support, lost touch both with -their own division and with the one that they were helping, so that -they were not strongly engaged during the day. - -The hour had now come for the general advance. General Mitford with -the 72nd Brigade was leading, with two battalions of the 71st Brigade -behind, and his pioneer battalion in support. On his left was the -2nd Welsh, and, as he imagined, the whole of the First Division. On -his right was the 63rd Brigade and the rest of the Twenty-first -Division, less the 62nd Brigade, as afterwards explained. It formed -a solid wall of 20,000 infantry which might well turn the tide of a -great battle. - -[Sidenote: The advance of the Twenty-fourth Division.] - -We shall follow this advance of the Twenty-fourth Division upon the -left, who were compelled to go forward with their flank exposed on -account of some delay in the attack by the First Division. -Afterwards we shall return to consider the movements of the {204} -Twenty-first Division on their right. The leading brigade, the 72nd, -moved forward with the 8th West Kents upon the left, and the 9th East -Surreys upon the right. Behind them were the 8th Queen's Surreys -(left) and the 8th Buffs (right), with the pioneer battalion, the -12th Sherwood Foresters, in support. They were followed by the two -remaining battalions of the 71st Brigade, the 9th Suffolks and the -11th Essex. As the advance continued the second line joined with the -first, and the 11th Essex from behind also pushed its way abreast of -the foremost. The line of advance was to the south of Hulluch, and -this line was preserved. As matters turned out, the numerous guns in -the south of that village were all available for defence against the -advance of the Twenty-fourth Division. This caused them very heavy -losses, but in spite of them they swept onwards with an unfaltering -energy which was a monument to those long months of preparation -during which Sir John Ramsay had brought his men to a high state of -efficiency. Under every possible disadvantage of hunger, cold, -exhaustion, and concentrated fire, they behaved with a steadiness -which made them worthy of the honoured names which gleamed upon their -shoulder-straps. One platoon of the Essex diverged into Hulluch in a -vain attempt to stop the machine-guns and so shield their comrades. -Hardly a man of this body survived. The rest kept their eyes front, -took their punishment gamely, and pushed on for their objective. The -breadth of the attack was such that it nearly covered the space -between Hulluch in the north and the Bois Hugo in the south. About -mid-day the Twenty-fourth Division had reached a point across the -Lens-Hulluch road which {205} was ahead of anything attained in this -quarter the day before. They were up against unbroken wire with an -enfilade rifle and machine-gun fire from both flanks and from Hulluch -on their left rear, as well as a heavy shell-fire of asphyxiating -shells. A gallant attempt was made to pierce the wires, which were -within fifty yards of the German position, but it was more than flesh -and blood could do. They were driven back, and in the retirement -across the long slope which they had traversed their losses were -greatly increased. Their wounded had to be left behind, and many of -these fell afterwards into the hands of the Germans, receiving -honourable treatment from them. The losses would have been heavier -still had it not been that the Suffolks in support lined up in a -sunken road three hundred yards south of Hulluch, and kept down the -fire of the machine-guns. Some of these raw battalions endured -losses which have never been exceeded in this war before they could -finally persuade themselves that the task was an impossible one. The -8th West Kents lost their Colonel, Vansittart, 24 officers, and 556 -men; the 8th Buffs their Colonel, Romer, 24 officers, and 534 men; -the other battalions were nearly as hard hit. These figures speak -for themselves. Mortal men could not have done more. The whole -brigade lost 78 officers and 2000 men out of about 3600 engaged in -the attack. When these soldiers walked back--and there is testimony -that their retirement was in many cases at a walk--they had earned -the right to take their stand with any troops in the world. The -survivors resumed their place about 1.30 in the German trenches, -where for the rest of the day they endured a very heavy shelling. - -[Sidenote: The story of the Twenty-first Division.] - -The movements of the Twenty-first Division upon {206} the right were -of a very much more complex nature, and there is a conflict of -evidence about them which makes the task of the historian a -peculiarly difficult one. The great outstanding fact, however, which -presents itself in the case of each of the three brigades is that the -men in nearly every instance behaved with a steady gallantry under -extraordinarily difficult circumstances which speaks volumes for -their soldierly qualities. Sir Edward Hutton, who raised them, and -General Forestier-Walker, who led them, had equal cause to be -contented with the personnel. "The men were perfectly magnificent, -quite cool and collected, and would go anywhere," says one wounded -officer. "The only consolation I have is the memory of the -magnificent pluck and bravery shown by our good men. Never shall I -forget it," cries another. It is necessary to emphasise the fact, -because rumours got about at the time that all was not as it should -be--rumours which came from men who were either ignorant of all the -facts or were not aware of the tremendous strain which was borne by -this division during the action. These rumours were cruel libels -upon battalions many of which sustained losses in this their first -action which have seldom been matched during the war. We will follow -the fortunes of each brigade in turn, holding the balance as far as -possible amid evidence which, as already stated, is complex and -conflicting. - -The 62nd Brigade (Wilkinson), consisting of the 8th East Yorks, 10th -Yorks, 12th and 13th Northumberland Fusiliers, with the 14th -Northumberland Fusiliers as pioneer battalion, was hurried away -separately and taken to the south and east of Loos to reinforce the -Fifteenth Division, which had {207} sustained such losses on the 25th -that they could not hold both the front and the flank. - -The 62nd pushed on, reached the point of danger as early as the night -of the 25th, and occupied a line of slag-heaps to the south-east of -Loos, where there was a gap through which the enemy could penetrate -from the flank. It was a prolongation of the same general defensive -line which had been established and held by the Forty-seventh -Division, and it was the more important as the French advance upon -our right had not progressed so far as our own, leaving our right -flank in the air, exactly as our left flank had been left open by the -holding up of the Second Division. The 62nd Brigade was only just in -time in getting hold of the position, for it was strongly attacked at -five in the morning of the 26th. The attack fell mainly upon the 8th -East Yorkshires and the 10th Yorkshires, who were driven back from -the farther side of the great dump which was the centre of the fight, -but held on to the Loos side of it with the support of the 13th -Northumberland Fusiliers. This line was held all day of the 26th. -So stern was the fighting that the Fusiliers lost 17 officers and 400 -men, while the 8th East Yorkshires at the slag-heaps lost the same -heavy proportion of officers and 300 men. More than once the -fighting was actually hand to hand, especially with the East -Yorkshires. Colonel Hadow, together with Majors Noyes and Dent, all -of the 10th Yorkshires, were killed, while Colonel Way of the East -Yorkshires was wounded. It will be noted, then, that the 62nd -Brigade was working independently of the rest of the Twenty-first -Division on one flank, as the 73rd of the Twenty-fourth Division was -upon the other. - -{208} - -The main attack of the division was carried out by the 63rd and 64th -Brigades, the only ones which remained under the command of General -Forestier-Walker. A formidable line of obstacles faced them as they -formed up, including the Chalk Pit and the Chalk Pit Wood, and on the -other side of the Lens-Hulluch road, upon their right front, Fosse 14 -and the Bois Hugo, the latter a considerable plantation full of -machine-guns and entanglements. The original plan had been that the -advance should be simultaneous with that upon the left, but the enemy -were very active from an early hour upon this front, and the action -seems, therefore, to have been accelerated. Indeed, the most -reasonable view of what occurred seems to be that the enemy had -themselves planned a great attack at this point at that hour, that -the bickerings of the morning were their preliminary bombardment, and -that the British attack became speedily a defensive action, in which -the 63rd Brigade was shattered by the weight of the enemy attack, but -inflicted such loss upon it that it could get no farther, and ceased -to endanger the continuity of our line. It is only on this -supposition of a double simultaneous attack that one can reconcile -the various statements of men, some of whom looked upon the movement -as an attack and some as a defence. - -The 63rd Brigade (Nicholls) moved forward with the 8th Lincolns upon -the right and the 12th Yorkshires upon the left. These regiments -advanced to a point just east of the Lens-Hulluch road. In support, -on the immediate west of the road, lining the Chalk Pit Wood, were -the 10th Yorks and Lancasters, with the 8th Somersets. For several -hours this position {209} was maintained under a heavy and deadly -fire. "The shells ploughed the men out of their shallow trenches as -potatoes are turned from a furrow," says an officer. Two companies -of the 8th Somersets, however, seem to have lost direction and -wandered off to Hill 70, where they were involved in the fighting of -the Fifteenth Division. Two companies of the Yorks and Lancasters -were also ordered up in that direction, where they made a very heroic -advance. A spectator watching them from Hill 70 says: "Their lines -came under the machine-guns as soon as they were clear of the wood. -They had to lie down. Many, of course, were shot down. After a bit -their lines went forward again and had to go down again. They went -on, forward a little and then down, and forward a little and then -down, until at last five gallant figures rose up and struggled -forward till they, too, went down.... The repeated efforts to get -forward through the fire were very fine." - -These four companies having left, there remained only two of the -Somersets and two of the Yorks and Lancasters in the wood. Their -comrades in advance had in the meantime become involved in a very -fierce struggle in the Bois Hugo. Here, after being decimated by the -machine-guns, they met and held for a time the full force of the -German attack. The men of Yorkshire and of Lincolnshire fought -desperately against heavy masses of troops, thrown forward with great -gallantry and disregard of loss. For once the British rifle-fire had -a chance, and exacted its usual high toll. "We cut line after line -of the enemy down as they advanced." So rapid was the fire that -cartridges began to run low, and men were seen crawling up to their -dead comrades to ransack their pouches. {210} The enemy was dropping -fast, and yet nothing could stop him. Brigadier Nicholls walked up -to the firing line with reckless bravery and gave the order to -charge. Bayonets were actually crossed and the enemy thrown back. -The gallant Nicholls fell, shot in the thigh and stomach, and the -position became impossible. The Lincolns had suffered the appalling -loss of all their officers and 500 men. The Yorkshires were in no -better case. The survivors fell back rapidly upon the supports. - -Fortunately, these were in close attendance. As the remains of the -Lincolns and the West Yorkshires, after their most gallant and -desperate resistance to the overwhelming German attack, came pouring -back with few officers and in a state of some confusion from the Bois -Hugo and over the Lens-Hulluch road, the four companies under Majors -Howard and Taylor covered their retreat and held up for a time the -German swarms behind them, the remains of the four battalions -fighting in one line. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{211} - -[Illustration: BATTLE OF LOOS II] - - APPROXIMATE POSITIONS OF BRITISH - DIVISIONS ON FORENOON OF SEPT. 26th - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -One party of mixed Lincolns and Yorkshires held out for about seven -hours in an advanced trench, which was surrounded by the enemy about -eleven, and the survivors, after sustaining very heavy losses--"the -trench was like a shambles"--did not surrender until nearly six -o'clock, when their ammunition had all been shot away. The isolation -of this body was caused by the fact that their trenches lay opposite -the south end of the Bois Hugo. The strong German attack came round -the north side of the wood, and thus, as it progressed, a -considerable number of the Lincolns and some of the West Yorks, still -holding the line upon the right, were entirely cut off. Colonel -Walter of the Lincolns, with Major Storer, Captains {213} Coates and -Stronguist, and three lieutenants, are known to have been killed, -while almost all the others were wounded. A number of our wounded -were left in the hands of the Germans. There is no doubt that the -strength of the German attack and the resistance offered to it were -underrated by the public at the time, which led to the circulation of -cruel and unjust rumours. - -The 64th Brigade (Gloster) was in support some little distance to the -right rear of the 63rd, covering the ground between the Lens-Hulluch -road and Loos. About noon a message was received by them to the -effect that the 63rd was being very strongly pressed, and that help -was urgently needed. The 14th Durham Light Infantry was moved -forward in support, and came at once under heavy fire, losing its -Colonel (Hamilton), 17 officers, and about 200 men. The 15th Durham -Light Infantry was then thrown into the fight, and sustained even -heavier losses. Colonel Logan, 18 officers, and 400 men were killed -or wounded. About one o'clock the two Durham battalions were in the -thick of the fight, while Captain Liebenrood, machine-gun officer of -the 64th Brigade, did good work in keeping down the enemy fire. The -two battalions of Yorkshire Light Infantry (9th and 10th) were held -in reserve. About 2.30 the pressure upon the front of the 63rd -Brigade had become too great, and both it and the two Durham -battalions were driven back. Their resistance, however, seems to -have taken the edge off the dangerous counter-attack, for the Germans -did not come on past the line of the road and of the Chalk Pit Wood. - -It will be remembered that when the two advanced {214} brigades of -the Fifteenth Division established themselves in hastily-dug trenches -upon the western slope of Hill 70, they threw back their left flank -obliquely down the hill towards Fosse 14 in order to avoid being at -the mercy of any force which endeavoured to get behind them on this -side. Only a very thin line of men could be spared for this work, -under a young Australian subaltern named M'Neil. These soldiers held -the post for twenty-four hours, but when the heavy German -attack--which drove in the Twenty-first Division and cut off the -Lincolns--struck up against them, they were all killed or wounded, -including their gallant leader, who managed, with several bullets in -him, to get back to the British line. This led to the final -retirement down Hill 70 of the men of the Scotch Division, who dug -themselves in once more at the foot of the hill, not far from the -village of Loos. - -[Sidenote: The losses.] - -It may be noted that the losses of the two supporting divisions were -about 8000 men. Their numbers in infantry were about equal to the -British troops at Waterloo, and their casualties were approximately -the same. Mention has already been made of the endurance of -Mitford's 72nd Brigade. The figures of the 63rd and their comrades -of the 64th are little inferior. Of these troops more than 40 per -cent of the rank and file, 65 per cent of their officers, and 75 per -cent of their commanders lay upon the field of battle. When one -recollects that 33 per cent was reckoned a high rate of loss by the -greatest authorities upon warfare, and when one remembers that these -were raw troops fighting under every discomfort and disadvantage, one -feels that they have indeed worthily continued the traditions of the -old Army and founded {215} those of the new. There were isolated -cases of unordered retirement, but in the main the regiments showed -the steadiness and courage which one would expect from the good -North-country stock from which they came. - -The divisional artillery of the Twenty-first Division had come into -action in the open behind the advancing infantry, and paid the price -for their gallant temerity. The 94th Brigade R.F.A. lost especially -heavily, eight of its guns being temporarily put out of action. -Major Dobson of this brigade was among the killed. It is to be -feared that the guns did not always realise the position of the -infantry, and that many of the 64th Brigade especially were hit by -their own shrapnel. Such painful incidents seem almost inseparable -from modern warfare. The artillery kept its place, and afterwards -rendered good service by supporting the advance of the Guards. - -[Sidenote: Reorganization.] - -Whilst this advance and check had taken place in the centre and right -centre of the British position, the London Division, upon the extreme -right, was subjected rather to bombardment than to assault. A heavy -fall of asphyxiating shells was experienced a little after 9 A.M., -and many men were gassed before they were able to put on their -helmets. The second German line of captured trenches was held very -firmly by General Thwaites with the rest of the 141st Brigade, while -the 140th retained a defensive flank, the whole forming a strong -_point d'appui_ for a rally and reorganisation. Men of the -Twenty-first Division re-formed upon this line, and the battle was -soon re-established. This re-establishment was materially helped by -the action of the 9th and 10th Yorkshire Light Infantry battalions -previously mentioned of {216} the Twenty-first Division, who had -become a divisional reserve. These two battalions now advanced and -gained some ground to the east of Loos on the enemy's left flank. It -may be mentioned that one of these battalions was ordered to discard -its packs in order to ease the tired soldiers, and that on advancing -from their trenches these packs were never regained. Their presence -afterwards may have given the idea that equipment had been abandoned, -whereas an actual order had been obeyed. The movement covered the -reorganisation which was going on behind them. One small detachment -under Captain Laskie of the 10th Y.L.I. did especially good work. -The Yorkshiremen were aided by men of the Northumberland Fusiliers of -the 62nd Brigade, who held on to the trenches to the east of Loos. A -cavalry detachment from Campbell's 6th Cavalry Brigade, under -Campbell himself, had also appeared about 4 P.M. as a mobile reserve -and thrown itself into Loos to strengthen the defence. - -The evening of this day, September 26, found the British lines -contracted as compared with what they had been in the morning. The -Forty-seventh Division had, if anything, broadened and strengthened -their hold upon the southern outskirts of Loos. The western slope of -Hill 70 was still held in part. Thence the line bent back to the -Loos-La Bassée road, followed the line of that road for a thousand -yards, thence onwards to near the west end of the village of Hulluch, -and then as before. But the exchanges would seem to have been in -favour of the Germans, since they had pushed the British back for a -stretch of about a mile from the Lens-Hulluch road, thus making a -dent in their front. On both sides reserves {217} were still -mustering. The Guards' Division had been brought up by Sir John -French, and were ready for operations upon the morning of the 27th, -while the Twenty-eighth Division was on its way. The Germans, who -had been repeatedly assured that the British Army extension was a -bluff, and that the units existed only upon paper, must have found -some food for thought as the waves rolled up. - - - - -{218} - -CHAPTER IX - -THE BATTLE OF LOOS - -(From September 27 to the end of the year) - -Loss of Fosse 8--Death of General Thesiger--Advance of the -Guards--Attack of the Twenty-eighth Division--Arrival of the Twelfth -Division--German counter-attacks--Attack by the Forty-sixth Division -upon Hohenzollern Redoubt--Subsidiary attacks--General -observations--Return of Lord French to England. - - -The night of September 26 was a restless and tumultuous one, the -troops being much exhausted by their long ordeal, which involved -problems of supply unknown in any former wars. The modern soldier -must be a great endurer as well as an iron fighter. The Germans -during the night were very pushful in all directions. Their reserves -are said to have been very mixed, and there was evidence of -forty-eight battalions being employed against the British line, but -their attacks were constant and spirited. The advanced positions -were, however, maintained, and the morning of the 27th found the -attackers, after two days of incessant battle, still keeping their -grip upon their gains. - -[Sidenote: Loss of Fosse 8.] - -The main part of the day began badly for the British, however, as in -the early morning they were pushed off Fosse 8, which was an -extremely important point and the master-key of the whole position, -as its {219} high slag-heap commanded Slag Alley and a number of the -other trenches to the south of it, including most of the Hohenzollern -Redoubt. The worn remains of the 26th Brigade were still holding the -pit when morning dawned, and the units of the 73rd Brigade (Jelf) -were in a semicircle to the east and south of it. These battalions, -young troops who had never heard the whiz of a bullet before, had now -been in close action for thirty-six hours, and had been cut off from -all supplies of food and water for two days. Partly on account of -their difficult tactical position, and partly because they were -ignorant of how communications are kept up in the trenches, they had -become entirely isolated. It was on these exhausted troops that the -storm now broke. The northern unit consisted of the 7th -Northamptons, whose left wing seems to have been in the air. Next to -them were the 12th Royal Fusiliers. There had been several infantry -attacks, which were repulsed during the night. Just at the dawn two -red rockets ascended from the German lines, and at the same moment an -intense bombardment opened upon Fosse 8, causing great loss among the -occupants. It was at this time that General Thesiger, Commander of -the Ninth Division, together with his Staff-Major, Burney, was killed -by a shell. Colonel Livingstone, Divisional C.O. of Engineers, and -Colonel Wright, of the 8th Gordons, were also hit. In the obstinate -defence of the post the 90th Company R.E. fought as infantry, after -they had done all that was possible to strengthen the defences. - -A strong infantry attack had immediately followed the bombardment. -They broke in, to the number of about a thousand, between the -Northamptons and {220} Fusiliers. By their position they were now -able to command Fosse 8, where the 9th Sussex had been, and also to -make untenable the position of the 27th Brigade, which occupied -trenches to the south which could be enfiladed. In "The First -Hundred Thousand" will be found a classical account of the straits of -these troops and their retirement to a safer position. General Jelf -telephoned in vain for the support of heavy guns, and even released a -carrier pigeon with the same urgent request. Seeing that Fosse 8 was -lost, he determined to hold on hard to the Hohenzollern Redoubt, and -lined its trenches with the broken remains of his wearied brigade. -The enemy at once attacked with swarms of well-provided bombers in -the van, but were met foot to foot by the bombers of the 73rd -Brigade, who held them up. The 26th Brigade endeavoured to -counter-attack, but were unable to get forward against the -machine-guns, but their bombers joined those of the English brigade -and did splendid work. The ground was held until the troops, -absolutely at the limit of human endurance, were relieved by the 85th -Brigade of the Twenty-eighth Division, as will be described later. -The trench held by the Sussex was commanded from above and attacked -by bombers from below, so that the battalion had a very severe -ordeal. Lieutenant Shackles defended a group of cabarets at one end -of the position until he and every man with him was dead or wounded. -Having taken that corner, the Germans bombed down the trench. -Captain MacIvor with thirty men on that flank were all killed or -wounded, but the officer leading the bombers was shot by Captain -Langden and the position saved. Nineteen officers and 360 men fell -in this one battalion. {221} "We gained," said one of them, "two -Military Crosses and many wooden ones." It had been an anxious day -for all, and most of all for General Jelf, who had been left without -a staff, both his major and his captain having fallen. - -[Sidenote: The coming of the Guards.] - -Up to mid-day of the 27th the tide of battle had set against the -British, but after that hour there came into action a fresh force, -which can never be employed without leaving its mark upon the -conflict. This was the newly-formed division of Guards (Lord Cavan), -consisting of the eight battalions which had already done such -splendid service from Mons onwards, together with the newly-formed -Welsh Guards, the 3rd and 4th Grenadier Guards, the 2nd Coldstream, -and the 2nd Irish. - -On September 25 the Guards reached Noeux-les-Mines, and on September -26 were at Sailly-la-Bourse. On the morning of the 27th they moved -forward upon the same general line which the previous attack had -taken--that is, between Hulluch on the left and Loos on the -right--and relieved the two divisions which had suffered so heavily -upon the previous day. The general distribution of the Guards was -that the 1st Brigade (Fielding), consisting of the 2nd Grenadiers, -2nd and 3rd Coldstream, and 1st Irish, were on the left. They had -taken over trenches from the First Division, and were now in touch -upon their left with the Seventh Division. On the right of the 1st -Guards' Brigade was the 2nd (Ponsonby), consisting of the 3rd -Grenadiers, 1st Coldstream, 1st Scots, and 2nd Irish. On their right -again, in the vicinity of Loos, was the 3rd Brigade (Heyworth), the -1st and 4th Grenadiers, 2nd Scots, and 1st Welsh. These last two -brigades, upon which the work fell--for the 1st Brigade remained in a -{222} holding position--were operating roughly upon the same ground -as the Twenty-first Division had covered the day before, and had in -their immediate front the same wood--the Chalk Pit Wood--from which -we had been driven, and the Chalk Pit near the Lens-Hulluch road, -which we had also lost, while a little more to the right was the -strong post of Fosse 14 and the long slope of Hill 70, the whole of -which had passed back into the hands of the enemy. These formidable -obstacles were the immediate objective of the Guards. During the -night of the 26th-27th many stragglers from the Twenty-first and -Twenty-fourth Divisions passed through the Guards, informing them -that their front was practically clear of British troops, and that -they were face to face with the enemy. - -At 2.30 P.M. the British renewed their heavy bombardment in the hope -of clearing the ground for the advance. There is evidence that upon -the 25th the enemy had been so much alarmed by the rapid advance that -they had hurriedly removed a good deal of their artillery upon the -Lens side. This had now been brought back, as we found to our cost. -At four o'clock the heavy guns eased off, and the two brigades of -Guards (2nd and 3rd) advanced, moving forward in artillery -formation--that is, in small clumps of platoons, separated from each -other. - -The 2nd Irish were given their baptism of fire by being placed in the -van of the 2nd Brigade with orders to make good the wood in front. -The 1st Coldstream were to support them. Advancing in splendid -order, they reached the point without undue loss, and dug themselves -in according to orders. As they lay there their comrades of the 1st -Scots passed on their right under very heavy fire in salvos of {223} -high-explosive shells, and carried Fosse 14 by storm in the most -admirable manner, while the Irish covered them with their rifle-fire. -Part of the right-hand company of the Irish Guards got drawn into -this attack and rushed forward with the Scots. Having taken Fosse -14, this body of men pushed impetuously forward, met a heavy German -counter-attack, and were driven back. Their two young leaders, -Lieutenants Clifford and Kipling, were seen no more. The German -attack came with irresistible strength, supported by a very heavy -enfilade fire. The remains of the Scots Guards were driven with -heavy losses out of Fosse 14, and both they and the Irish were thrown -back as far as the line of the Loos-Hulluch road. - -The remains of the shaken battalions were joined by two companies of -the 2nd Coldstream and reformed for another effort. In this attack -of the 2nd Brigade upon Fosse 14, the Scots were supported by two -companies of the 3rd Grenadiers, the other two being in general -reserve. These two companies, coming up independently somewhat later -than the main advance, were terribly shelled, but reached their -objective, where they endured renewed losses. The officers were -nearly all put out of action, and eventually a handful of survivors -were brought back to the Chalk Pit Wood by Lieutenant Ritchie, -himself severely wounded. - -Captain Alexander, with some of the Irish, had succeeded also in -holding their ground in the Chalk Pit Wood, though partly surrounded -by the German advance, and they now sent back urgently for help. A -fresh advance was made, in the course of which the other two -companies of Coldstreamers pushed forward {224} on the left of the -wood and seized the Chalk Pit. It was hard soil and trenching was -difficult, but the line of the wood and of the pit was consolidated -as far as possible. A dangerous gap had been left between the 1st -Coldstream, who were now the extreme left of the 2nd Brigade, and the -right of the 1st Brigade. It was filled up by 150 men, hastily -collected, who frustrated an attempt of the enemy to push through. -This line was held until dark, though the men had to endure a very -heavy and accurate shelling, against which they had little -protection. In the early morning the 1st Coldstream made a fresh -advance from the north-west against Fosse 14, but could make no -headway against the German fire. The line of Chalk Pit Wood now -became the permanent line of the Army. - -The 3rd Brigade of Guards had advanced at the same time as the 2nd, -their attack being on the immediate right on the line of Fosse 14 and -Hill 70. It may indeed be said that the object of the 2nd Brigade -attack upon Fosse 14 was very largely to silence or engage the -machine-guns there and so make it easier for the 3rd Brigade to make -headway at Hill 70. The Guardsmen advanced with great steadiness up -the long slope of the hill, and actually gained the crest, the Welsh -and the 4th Grenadiers in the lead, but a powerful German redoubt -which swept the open ground with its fire made the summit untenable, -and they were compelled to drop back over the crest line, where they -dug themselves in and remained until this section of the line was -taken over by the Twelfth Division. - -[Sidenote: Rearrangements.] - -The Guards had lost very heavily during these operations. The 2nd -Irish had lost 8 officers and 324 {225} men, while the 1st Scots and -1st Coldstream had suffered about as heavily. The 3rd Brigade had -been even more severely hit, and the total loss of the division could -have been little short of 3000. They continued to hold the front -line until September 30, when the 35th and 36th Brigades of the -Twelfth Division relieved them for a short rest. The Fifteenth -Division had also been withdrawn, after having sustained losses which -had probably never been excelled up to that hour by any single -division in one action during the campaign. It is computed that no -fewer than 6000 of these gallant Scots had fallen, the greater part -upon the blood-stained slope and crest of Hill 70. Of the 9th Black -Watch little more than 100 emerged safely, but an observer has -recorded that their fierce and martial bearing was still that of -victors. - -The curve of the British position presented a perimeter which was -about double the length of the arc which marked the original -trenches. Thus a considerably larger force was needed to hold it, -which was the more difficult to provide as so many divisions had -already suffered heavy losses. - -The French attack at Souchez having come to a standstill, Sir John -French asked General Foch, the Commander of the Tenth Army, to take -over the defence of Loos, which was done from the morning of the 28th -by our old comrades of Ypres, the Ninth Corps. During this day there -was a general rearrangement of units, facilitated by the contraction -of the line brought about by the presence of our Allies. The -battle-worn divisions of the first line were withdrawn, while -Bulfin's Twenty-eighth Division came up to take their place. - -[Sidenote: Arrival of Twenty-eighth Division.] - -The Twenty-eighth Division, of Ypres renown, {226} had reached -Vermelles in the early morning of Monday the 27th--the day of the -Guards' advance. The general plan seems to have been that it should -restore the fight upon the left half of the battlefield, while the -Guards' Division did the same upon the right. General Bulfin, the -able and experienced Commander of the Twenty-eighth, found himself -suddenly placed in command of the Ninth also, through the death of -General Thesiger. The situation which faced him was a most difficult -one, and it took cool judgment in so confused a scene to make sure -where his force should be applied. Urgent messages had come in to -the effect that the defenders of Fosse 8 had been driven out, that as -a consequence the whole of the Hohenzollern Redoubt was on the point -of recapture, and that the Quarries had been wrested from the Seventh -Division by the enemy. A very strong German attack was surging in -from the north, and if it should advance much farther our advance -line would be taken in the rear. It was clear that the Twenty-eighth -Division had only just arrived in time. The 85th Brigade under -General Pereira was hurried forward, and found things in a perilous -state in the Hohenzollern Redoubt, where the remains of the 26th and -73rd Brigades, driven from Fosse 8 and raked by guns from the great -dump, were barely holding on to the edge of the stronghold. The 2nd -Buffs dashed forward with all the energy of fresh troops, swept the -enemy out of the redoubt, pushed them up the trench leading -northwards, which is called "Little Willie" ("Big Willie" leads -eastward), and barricaded the southern exit. Matters were hung up -for a time by the wounding both of General Pereira and of his -Brigade-Major Flower, but Colonel {227} Roberts, of the 3rd Royal -Fusiliers, carried on. The Royal Fusiliers relieved the Buffs, and -the 2nd East Surrey took over the left of the line. - -An attack was organised upon the powerful position at Fosse 8, but it -had to be postponed until the morning of September 28. At 9 A.M. the -2nd Buffs delivered a very strong assault. The 3rd Middlesex were to -have supported them, but came under so heavy a fire in their trenches -that they were unable to get forward. The Buffs, in the face of -desperate opposition, scrambled up the difficult sides of the great -dump--a perfect hill self-erected as a monument of generations of -labour. They reached the summit, but found it swept by gusts of fire -which made all life impossible. Colonel Worthington and fifteen of -his officers were killed or wounded in the gallant venture. Finally, -the remains of the battalion took cover from the fire in Dump Trench -at the bottom of the hill. It was in this trench that the Middlesex -men had been held. Their Colonel, Neale, had also been killed. From -this time onwards Fosse 8 was left in the hands of the Germans, and -the action of the Twenty-eighth Division became more of a defensive -one to prevent any further whittling away of the ground already -gained. - -As the pressure was still great from the direction of Fosse 8, two -battalions of the 83rd Brigade, the 1st York and Lancasters and 1st -Yorkshire Light Infantry, were sent up to reinforce the line. On the -29th they helped to repel two attacks all along the front of the -redoubt, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, when the -Germans came on to the surface only to be shot back into their -burrows again. On the same day the 83rd and 84th Brigades relieved -the weary Seventh Division in the Quarries. - -{228} - -[Sidenote: Mixed fighting.] - -Whilst these operations had been carried on upon the north half of -the field of battle, to the left of the bisecting road, the Twelfth -Division, a South of England unit of the New Army, had moved forward -into the space to the right of the road, taking over the trenches -held by the Guards, and connecting up with the French at Loos. Save -in the sector occupied by the Twenty-eighth Division the action had -died down, and the British, aided partly by those pioneer battalions -which had been formed out of ordinary infantry regiments to do work -usually assigned to the sappers, strengthened their hold upon the -ground that they had won, in the sure conviction that they would soon -have to defend it. The shell-fire continued to be heavy upon both -sides, and in the course of it General Wing, of the Twelfth Division, -was unfortunately killed, being struck by a shell outside his -divisional headquarters. He had been one of the artillery officers -who had most to do with the fine handling of the guns of the Second -Corps at Le Cateau, and was a very rising soldier of the most modern -sort. Three divisional generals killed--Capper, Wing, and -Thesiger--and one brigadier a prisoner! Such losses in the higher -ranks are hardly to be matched in our history. To equal them one has -to go back a hundred years to that supreme day when Picton, De Lancy, -Ponsonby, and so many others died in front of their troops upon the -historic plateau of Waterloo. - -On October 1, at eight in the evening, Bulfin's men were hard at work -once more. It will be remembered that the "Little Willie" Trench had -been plugged at the southern end by the Buffs three days before. The -Germans still held the main line of it, but could not get down it -into the Hohenzollern Redoubt. It {229} was now charged most -brilliantly and carried by the 1st Welsh, of the 84th Brigade, but -after holding it for a day they lost so heavily that they were -compelled to resume their old position once more. The 1st Suffolk -tried to win the ground back, but without success. - -Upon the afternoon of Sunday, October 3, the fighting, which had died -down, broke out once more. The front line at this date was formed by -the Ninth French Corps, our splendid comrades of Ypres, upon the -right, occupying Loos and that portion of the slopes of Hill 70 which -had remained in our hands. On their left was the Twelfth British -Division up to the Vermelles-Hulluch road, and to their left Bulfin's -Twenty-eighth Division, holding the northern area, including the -Hohenzollern Redoubt. For several days the bombing parties of the -enemy had been eating their way into this fortress, and upon the 3rd -the greater part of it reverted into their hands, the enemy driving -in the 84th Brigade. These attacks were based upon their strong -positions in the north, and supported by the machine-guns of Fosse 8 -and the heavy artillery of Auchy. On the same day a strong force -advanced against the right of the Twenty-eighth Division between the -Quarries and the Vermelles-Hulluch road, but this attack was repulsed -with heavy loss. - -On October 4 and 5 the Twenty-eighth Division was withdrawn, and the -Guards, after three days' rest, were called upon once more, the 3rd -Guards Brigade taking its position at the section of the Hohenzollern -Redoubt which we held, while the 1st was on their right, and the 2nd -in reserve at Vermelles. At the same time the First Division moved -to the front on the right of the Guards, relieving the Twelfth {230} -Division. All these troops were keenly alive to the fact that the -Germans were unlikely to sit down under their defeat, and that the -pause was only the preliminary to a great counter-attack. All -efforts were therefore made to consolidate the ground. - -[Sidenote: The great counter-attack.] - -The expectations were fulfilled, for upon October 8 the enemy brought -up their reserves from far and near, determined to have back the -ground that they had lost. The British and French were no less -inexorable in their grip of that which had cost them so much to win. -It is the attacker in modern warfare who pays the price. Sometimes -he gets the value of his blood, sometimes he pays it freely and gets -nothing whatever in exchange. So it was in this instance. Along the -whole long curve of the defence, from the southern trenches of the -Hohenzollern Redoubt in the north to the French position in the -south, the roar of the battle went up. On the left of the French was -the First Division, on their left the Twelfth, on theirs the Guards, -on theirs the Seventh, stout fighters all. The Germans rushed on -boldly, swarms of bombers in front, lines of supporting infantry -behind. Everywhere they were cut down and brought to a stand by the -sleet of bullets. It was the British machine-gunner who now crouched -under cover and spread death fanwise before him, while it was the -German infantryman who rushed and tripped and rose and fell in the -desperate effort to carry out the plans of his chiefs. All honour to -him for the valour of his attempt. - -To appreciate the nature of a great deal of this fighting one must -remember that the whole scene of it was intersected by a perfect maze -of trenches which belonged to the original German third line of -defence, and were therefore familiar to them, while they were {231} -strange to those British troops who now occupied them. All along -these zigzag lines the two parties were only from thirty to fifty -yards apart, so that the broad, deserted plain was really intersected -with narrow runways of desperately active life. Attacks developed in -an instant, bombing parties sprang forward at any moment, rifles were -used at point-blank range, so that an exposed bayonet was often -snapped off by a bullet. "Close to the bombers' keep fifty small -bayonet periscopes, four bayonets, and five foresights of rifles were -shot off in an hour and a half," says an officer present. Over -traverses men pelted each other with anything that was deadly, while -above their heads the great shells for ever screamed and rumbled. - -A great effort was made against the trench called "Big Willie," -running out from the Hohenzollern Redoubt, which had been taken over -by the Guards. In the afternoon of the 8th, after a heavy -bombardment had flailed the position for four hours, there was a -determined rush of bombers upon these trenches, the Germans, our old -friends of the Seventh Westphalian Corps, coming on in three -battalions, each of them down a different communication trench. The -general direction of the attack was from the north and east. The -trenches assaulted were held by the 1st and 2nd Brigades of Guards, -both of which were heavily engaged. The riflemen, however, were -useless, as only a bomber can meet a bomber. At first the stormers -had some success, for, pushing along very valiantly and with great -technical precision, they broke into the section of trench held by -the 3rd Grenadiers, putting out of action most of the bombers and -machine-gunners of that corps. "Our fellows were {232} being bombed -back from traverse to traverse, and we could just see the top of the -Bosche helmets going along the trench." Lieut. Williams, with a -machine-gun, stopped the rush, but was soon shot through the head. -General Ponsonby, commanding the 2nd Brigade, called, however, for -the bombers of the 3rd Coldstream, who swept down the trench, pelted -the Germans out of it, and gloriously avenged the prostrate -Grenadiers. The 2nd Coldstream had themselves been driven back, and -their bomb-store was temporarily captured, but they came back and -regained it after some stark face-to-face fighting, in which Sergeant -Brooks, a British berserker, won his V.C. The remains of the 3rd -Grenadiers also came back, led by Lieut. Geoffrey Gunnis, and cleared -the last corner of what they had lost. The Guards lost 100 men in -this action, many of them blown to pieces by the bombs, but they -entirely cleared the trenches and regained every inch of lost ground. -The fight lasted for two hours and a half, in the course of which -9000 bombs were thrown by the British. - -Another focus of strife upon October 8 was the Chalk Pit upon the -Lens-Hulluch road, that tragic spot which had seen in turn the -advance of the Fifteenth Division, of the Twenty-first, and of the -Guards. It had now been taken over by the First Division, who had -come back into the line after a rest. Across that road of death, the -Loos-Hulluch highway, lay the ill-omened Bois Hugo, which offered a -screen for the German advance. Twelve battalions were attacking, and -as many more on the line held by the French. Here the Germans lost -very heavily, going down in heaps before the rifle-fire of the 1st -Gloucesters, 2nd Munster Fusiliers, 9th King's Liverpool, {233} and -other battalions in the First Division firing line. The French 75's -had been equally deadly and successful. Between the position held by -the Guards near the Hohenzollern Redoubt on the left and that of the -First Division at the Chalk Pit on the right, the ground was held by -the Twelfth Division, the 37th Brigade of which (Fowler) was briskly -engaged. The 6th Buffs of this brigade was immediately to the right -of the Vermelles-Hulluch road, with the 6th Royal West Kent -continuing the line northwards down to the Quarries. The 6th Queen's -Surrey and 7th East Surrey were in support. Somewhat to the right -front of this brigade was a position one hundred and fifty yards -wide, called Gun Trench, which was one of the scattered forts which -the enemy still held to the west of the Loos-Hulluch road. An attack -was organised upon this position by Colonel Venables of the West -Kents, who was badly wounded in the venture. The British, led by -Captain Margetts, reached the trench in spite of terrific fire and -corresponding losses, including the whole crew of a machine-gun of -the East Surreys which had been most gallantly rushed to the front by -Lieutenant Gibson. Half the trench was cleared, but the Germans had -themselves been on the point of attacking, and the communications -leading eastwards were stuffed with men--a prolongation, no doubt, of -the same attack which was breaking to the north upon the Guards. The -weak spray of British stormers could make no progress against the -masses in the supporting trenches, and were bombed back to their own -position. It was a brave but fruitless attempt, which was destined -to be renewed with greater success a few days later, when Gun Trench -passed completely into the hands {234} of the British. The West -Kents lost 200 killed and wounded in this affair. At night the whole -line of the French and British defences was inviolate, and though -there was an acute controversy between the official accounts as to -the number of German casualties, it is certain that, whatever they -may have been, they had nothing to show in return, nor is it a sign -of military virtue to recoil from an enterprise with little loss. -The German fighter is a tougher fellow than the cutters-down of his -casualty lists will allow. British losses were comparatively small. - -Though the Germans had gained no ground upon the 8th, the British -were averse from allowing them to remain in undisputed possession of -that which they had won upon the 3rd. It was especially upon the -Hohenzollern Redoubt that the British fighting line fixed a menacing -gaze, for it had long been a centre of contention, and had now passed -almost completely into the possession of the enemy. It was -determined to make a vigorous attempt to win it back. The -Forty-sixth North Midland Territorial Division (Stuart-Wortley), who -were veterans of nine months' service at trench warfare, but had not -yet been heavily engaged, were brought up from the rear, and upon -October 12 they relieved the Guards Division on the left of the front -line. At the same time it was planned that there should be an attack -of the First Division to the west of Hulluch, and of the Twelfth -Division in the region of the Quarries. Of these we shall first -describe the attack of the Territorials upon the Hohenzollern Redoubt. - -[Sidenote: Attack of the Forty-sixth Division.] - -On October 13, at noon, a severe bombardment was opened which -concentrated upon the enclosure of the redoubt, and the space between -that and Fosse 8. {235} This bombardment for some reason does not -seem to have been effective, and even while it went on the sniping -and machine-guns were active in the enemy line. An hour later there -was an emission of gas, borne by a brisk breeze towards the German -trenches, and later still a smoke-cloud was sent out to cover the -advance. At two o'clock the troops dashed over the parapet, the -138th Brigade, consisting of men of Lincoln and Leicester, upon the -left, while the 137th, the men of Stafford, were on the right. In -immediate support was the 139th, a Sherwood Forester Brigade. The -line upon the left was headed by the 4th Leicesters and 5th Lincolns, -the men, with that light-hearted courage which is so intolerable to -the heavier German spirit, singing, "Here we are, here we are, here -we are again!" as they vaulted out of their trenches. The attack -upon the right was led by the 5th North and 5th South Staffords. The -advance was splendidly executed, and won the critical admiration of -some of the Guards who were privileged to see it. In the face of a -murderous fire the attacking line swept, in an order which was only -broken by the fall of stricken men, up to the front-line trench, two -hundred yards in front. - -Here, however, the attack was held up by an overwhelming fire. The -5th North Staffords, whose objective was "Big Willie," were -exterminated for all immediate military purposes, their losses being -19 officers and 488 men. The gallant survivors succeeded in getting -as far as a communication trench which led to "Big Willie," and held -on there. The advance of the 5th South Staffords upon the right was -conditional upon the success of their comrades to the left. The -officer commanding the left companies saw that little progress had -been made, and exercised his discretion {236} in holding back his -men. The officer on the right of the South Staffords could not see -what was going on, and advanced his company, with the result that -they ran into the same fatal fire, and lost terribly. The two -reserve companies coming up were only able with very great difficulty -to reach the British front-line trenches, dropping half their number -in the venture. The result of all this slaughter, which seems to -have been entirely due to inadequate artillery preparation, was that -the second line of attack upon the right, consisting of the 6th North -and 6th South Staffords, could do no more than garrison the -front-line trenches, and lost very heavily in doing so. - -On the left, however, things had gone better, for at that part our -guns seemed to have made more impression. The advance of the 4th -Leicesters and 5th Lincolns swept over the Hohenzollern Redoubt and -carried the whole of this formidable work up to Fosse Trench. About -a hundred yards short of this point the advance was held up by -concentrated machine-gun fire. The losses had been very heavy, -especially in officers. The rear companies won forward to the front -none the less, and the 4th Lincolns came up also to thicken the -attenuated firing-line. They held their ground with difficulty, but -were greatly helped by their pioneer battalion, the 1st Monmouths, -veterans of Ypres, who rushed forward with rifle and with spade to -consolidate the captured ground. - -Bombing parties had been sent out by the British, those on the right -to reach and bomb their way down "Big Willie," those on the left to -clear Fosse Trench. The parties upon the right, drawn from the -various Stafford regiments, got into "Big Willie," and stuck to their -work until they were all destroyed, officers and {237} men. The -enemy bombers then counter-attacked, but were met by Lieutenant -Hawkes with a party of the 5th South Staffords, who drove them back -again. The pressure was very severe, however, until about four in -the afternoon, when the action upon the right died down into a duel -of heavy guns upon either side. - -On the left, however, where the gallant Territorial infantry held -hard to its gains, the action was very severe. The bombing attacks -went on with varied fortunes, a company of the 5th Leicesters bombing -its way for more than two hundred yards up "Little Willie" Trench -before its supplies ran out and it had to retire. At three o'clock -there was a fresh infantry advance, the 7th Sherwood Foresters of the -reserve 139th Brigade endeavouring to get forward, but losing so many -in crossing the redoubt that they were unable to sally out from the -farther side. The redoubt was now so crowded with mixed units all -under heavy fire that there might have been a Spion Kop but for the -steadiness of all concerned. At one time the men, finding themselves -practically without officers, began to fall back, but were splendidly -rallied by Colonel Evill of the 1st Monmouths and a few other -survivors. The advent of two companies of the 5th Leicesters -retaining their disciplined order helped to avert the danger, and the -line was formed once again along the western face of the redoubt. -During this movement the 7th Sherwood Foresters who remained in the -north-east of the redoubt were cut off, but with splendid pertinacity -they held their ground, and made their way back when darkness fell. -In the early morning of the 14th, Captain Checkland, with a company -of the 5th Sherwood Foresters, pushed an advance up to the place -where {238} their comrades of the 7th Battalion had been, and found -Captain Vickars of that regiment, who, with of a bravery which -deserves to be classical, defended almost single-handed a barrier, -while he ordered a second one to be built behind him, cutting him off -from all succour. He was desperately wounded, but was brought back -by his comrades. - -The 8th Sherwood Foresters had also come to the front, and made a -spirited attack in the early morning of the 14th, driving the enemy -from the western side of the redoubt and firmly establishing the -British gains in that quarter. This gain was permanent, though it -proved to be rather a visible prize for valour than a useful -strategic addition to the line. So long as the sinister, low-lying -dump of Fosse 8 overlooked it and was itself untaken, it was -impossible to make much use of the redoubt. For forty-eight hours -the advanced line was held by the 139th Brigade against several brisk -counter-attacks. At the end of that time the position was handed -over to the safe custody of the Guards, while the Forty-sixth North -Midland Division withdrew from that front line which was of their own -creation. Colonel Martin of the 4th Leicesters, who was shot through -the knee, but refused to move until he saw the result of the attack, -Colonel Fowler of the 8th Sherwoods, Colonel Sandall of the 5th -Lincolns, Major Cooper of the 4th Lincolns, and nearly 4000 officers -and men, were among the casualties during the forty-eight hours of -exposure. - -The action was a very desperate one, and nothing could have been -finer than the conduct of all engaged. "It was not the actual -advance, but the holding of the position afterwards, that was -dreaded, as {239} the Germans are so quick at counter-attacking." So -wrote one of the combatants. The dread was well founded, for the -Germans proved to be very numerous and aggressive, and there can be -little doubt that at this period their bombers had a technical -proficiency which was superior to our own, whether their opponents -were Guards or Territorials. It is characteristic of the unique -warfare now prevailing that the contending parties had practically -abandoned rifles, save as so many pikes, and that each man carried a -pouch full of projectiles, the size of a duck's egg, and capable of -disabling a dozen in a single burst. It may be added that both sides -wore leathern helmets, sometimes with the visors up and sometimes -with the face entirely concealed, so that it appeared to be a -murderous strife of the strange, goggle-eyed, mask-faced creatures of -a nightmare. Such were the extraordinary products of modern European -warfare. - -Could all the ground taken have been permanently held, this would -have been a fine little victory. So constant has been the phenomenon -that the extreme point cannot be held that it could now be stated as -an axiom for either side, and seemed to suggest that the methods of -attack should be in some way modified. Each successive line of -resistance has decreased the momentum of the stormers and has helped -to lessen their store of bombs, while the farther they have advanced -the more difficult it is for fresh men or supplies to reach them. -Then, again, their diminished numbers have caused a contraction and -bunching of the line, so enabling the counter-attack to get round -their flanks. Add to this the physical exhaustion caused by extreme -exertions while carrying a considerable weight, and one has the -factors which always {240} produce the same result, and which led -eventually to the more fruitful tactics of the limited objective. - -When the Forty-sixth Midland Division advanced upon the Hohenzollern -Redoubt on October 13, there was a brisk attack also by the Twelfth -Division upon their right, and by the First Division on the right of -the Twelfth. In the case of the Twelfth Division, now commanded by -General Scott, the 37th Brigade (Fowler) was heavily engaged. The -7th East Surreys of this brigade carried and permanently held the Gun -Trench, a position which had cost them the lives of many officers and -men upon the 8th. Attacking the same line of trenches to the left, -the 6th Buffs lost heavily under oblique fire, without any -appreciable gain. Of three companies who went out, 11 officers and -400 men were left upon the ground, and a photograph has revealed the -perfect alignment of the dead. The 35th Brigade (Straubensee) had a -similar experience to the left near the Quarries, the losses falling -most heavily upon the 5th Berkshires and the 7th Norfolks. - -At the same hour the First Division, with a smoke and gas screen -before them, had broken in upon the German lines to the south-west of -Hulluch, near the Hulluch-Lens road. About a thousand yards of -trenches were taken, but the shell-fire was so murderous that it was -found to be impossible to retain them. On the whole, it must be -admitted that, although ground was gained along the whole line from -the Hohenzollern Redoubt to Hulluch by this very desperate fighting, -the losses were so heavy and the results so barren that there was no -adequate return for the splendid efforts of the men. The attack was -urged by Territorials upon the left, New Army men {241} in the -centre, and Regulars upon the right, and at all points it was equally -gallant. - -The operations at the main seat of action, the Loos sector, have been -treated continuously in order to make a consecutive narrative, but we -must now return to consider the subsidiary attacks along the line -upon September 25. - -[Sidenote: Subsidiary attacks.] - -While the First and Fourth Corps, supported by the Eleventh, had been -delivering this great attack between La Bassée and Grenay, a series -of holding actions had been fought from the coast downwards, so as to -pin the Germans so far as possible to their places. Some of these -attacks were little more than demonstrations, while others in less -serious times would have appeared to be considerable engagements. - -The Second Regular Division (Horne), acting upon the extreme left of -the main attack, was astride of the La Bassée Canal. The most -northern brigade, the 5th (Cochrane's), was opposite to Givenchy, and -its advance seems to have been intended rather as a distraction than -as a serious effort. It took place half an hour or so before the -general attack in the hope of misleading them as to the British -plans. At the signal the three leading regiments, the 1st Queen's -Surrey, the 2nd Oxford and Bucks, and the 2nd Highland Light -Infantry, dashed forward and carried the trench line which faced -them. The 9th Glasgow Highlanders advanced upon their right. The -attack was unable to make any further progress, but the fight was -sustained for several hours, and had the desired effect of occupying -the local forces of the enemy and preventing them from detaching -reinforcements to the south. - -The same remark would apply to the forward {242} movement of the 58th -Brigade of the Nineteenth Division to the immediate north of -Givenchy. This division of the New Army is mainly English in -composition, but on this their first serious engagement the work fell -chiefly upon two Welsh battalions, the 9th Welsh and the 9th Welsh -Fusiliers. Both these corps sustained heavy losses, but sacrificed -themselves, as so many others were obliged to do, in keeping up the -appearance of an attack which was never seriously intended. - -Taking the subsidiary attacks from the south upwards, we come next to -that of the Indians in the vicinity of Neuve Chapelle. This was a -very brilliant affair, carried out with the true Indian tiger spring. -Had it been possible to support by adequate reserves of men and an -unrestricted gun-fire, it had in it the possibility of a fine -victory. The attack was carried out by the Meerut Division, with the -Garhwali Brigade on the right and the Bareilly upon the left, the -Dehra Dun being in reserve. On the right the Garhwalis were partly -held up by wire, but the Bareillys came through everything and swept -into the front-line trenches, taking 200 unwounded prisoners of the -Seventh Westphalian Corps. Two battalions of the Black Watch, the -2nd and 4th, with the 69th Sikhs, were in the lead, a combination -which has broken many a battle line before. The 58th Rifles -(Vaughan's) and a second Sikh regiment, the 33rd, thickened the -attack, and they swept forward into the second-line trenches, which -they also cleared. They were now half a mile within the enemy's -position, and both their flanks were open to attack. The reserve -brigade was hurried up, but the trenches were blocked with wounded -and prisoners, so that progress was very difficult. The German -counter-attack was {243} delivered with great energy and valour. It -took the form of strong bombing parties acting upon each exposed -flank. The 8th Gurkhas, who had been the only battalion which -succeeded in breaking through on the right, linked up with the 4th -Black Watch, holding back the flank advance to the south, but to the -north the Germans got so far forward that the advanced Indians were -practically cut off. The immediate neighbours of the Indians to the -north were the 60th Brigade of the Twentieth Division, another -English division of the New Army. Two battalions of this brigade, -the 12th Rifle Brigade and the 6th Shropshires, were thrown into the -fight, and covered the threatened flank until their supply of -bombs--more and more an essential of modern warfare--was exhausted. -It was clearly necessary that the advanced troops should be drawn -back, since the reserves could not be got up to support them, and the -need was becoming very great. In a little they might be attacked on -front and rear with the chance of disaster. The Sikhs and -Highlanders fell back, therefore, with great steadiness, but enduring -heavy losses. In the end no ground was gained, but considerable -punishment was inflicted as well as suffered, the German trenches -being full of their dead. The primary purpose of holding them to -their ground was amply fulfilled. It cannot be denied, however, that -in this, as in so many other episodes of the Battle of Loos, the -German showed himself to be a stubborn fighter, who rises superior to -temporary defeat and struggles on while there is still a chance of -victory. His superior supply of bombs had also a good deal to do -with the success of his counter-attack. - -Whilst this very sharp conflict had been raging {244} on the Indian -line, the Eighth Division to the north was engaged in a very similar -operation in the region of Bois-Grenier. The course of events was -almost exactly the same in each instance. The attack of the Eighth -Division was carried out by the 25th Brigade (Stephens). The 2nd -Rifle Brigade were on the right, the 2nd Berks in the centre, and the -2nd Lincoln upon the left. The front trench was carried, and 120 men -of the Sixth Bavarian Reserve Division fell into the hands of the -stormers. Part of the second line was also captured. The positions -were held for the greater part of the day, and it was not until four -in the afternoon that the increasing pressure of the counter-attack -drove the British back to their original line. Here again the object -of detention had been fully achieved. - -The most important, however, of all the subsidiary attacks was that -which was carried out to the extreme north of the line in the -district of Hooge. This attack was made by the Fifth Corps, which -had changed both its general and its divisions since the days of its -long agony in May. It was now commanded by General Allenby, and it -consisted of the Third Regular Division (Haldane), the Fourteenth -Light Infantry Division of the New Army (Couper), and the Forty-sixth -Division of Midland Territorials (Stuart-Wortley), the fine work of -which at a later stage of the operations has already been described. -The first two of these units bore the brunt upon September 25. The -advance, which was across the old bloody ground of Bellewaarde, was -signalled by the explosion of a large mine under the German position -in the trenches immediately south of that Via Dolorosa, the -Ypres-Menin road. - -{245} - -The attack upon the left was made by the 42nd Brigade (Markham), all -four battalions, the 5th Oxford and Bucks, 5th Shropshires, 9th Rifle -Brigade, and 9th Rifles being strongly engaged. The German trenches -were reached and occupied, but after some hours the counter-attack -proved to be too strong, and the brigade fell back to its original -line. - -Two brigades of the Third Division attacked in the centre in the -direction of Bellewaarde Lake. The 7th Brigade upon the left ran -into unbroken wire, before which the leading regiments, the 2nd Irish -Rifles and the 2nd South Lancashire, sustained heavy losses while -making no progress. The 8th Brigade to the south of them had better -fortune, however. This brigade, strengthened by the 1st Scots -Fusiliers, made a fine advance immediately after the great mine -explosion. Some 200 prisoners and a considerable stretch of trench -were captured. A redoubt had been taken by the 4th Gordons, and was -held by them and by the 4th Middlesex, but the bombardment in the -afternoon was so terrific that it had to be abandoned. By evening -the original line had been reoccupied, the division having certainly -held the Germans to their ground, but at very heavy cost to -themselves. As these various attacks from the 5th Brigade at the La -Bassée Canal to the Fourteenth Division at Ypres never entered into -the scheme of the main fight, it is not to be wondered at that they -ended always as they began. Heavy loss of life was doubtless -incurred in nearly every case. Sad as it is that men should die in -movements which are not seriously intended, operations of this kind -must be regarded as a whole, and the man who drops in an attack which -from the beginning has been a mere pretence has enjoyed as {246} -heroic an end as he who falls across the last parapet with the yell -of victory in his dying ears. - -[Sidenote: Results.] - -A modern battle is a sudden furious storm, which may blow itself out -in two or three days, but leaves such a tempestuous sea behind it -that it is difficult to say when the commotion is really over. In -the case of the Battle of Loos, or of Loos-Hulluch, it may be said to -have begun with the British advance upon September 25, and to have -ended with the establishment of an equilibrium on the northern flank -of our salient on October 13. From that time onwards for many weeks -comparative peace rested upon this sector. A time therefore, has -come when the operations may be reviewed as a whole. The net result -was a gain to the British of nearly seven thousand yards of front and -four thousand of depth, though if one be asked what exact advantage -this gain brought, save as a visible sign of military virtue, it is -hard to find an answer. Had the gain gone to that farther distance -which was hoped for and aimed at, the battle might, as in the case of -the French in Champagne, have been a considerable victory. As it -was, the best that we can claim is that one or two more such advances -in the same neighbourhood would bring the valuable French coal-fields -back to their rightful owners. The most substantial proofs of -victory were 3000 prisoners, including 57 officers, 26 field-guns, -and 40 machine-guns. On the other hand, in the mixed fighting of the -26th we lost not fewer than 1000 prisoners, including a -brigadier-general. Altogether the losses to the Army during the -three weeks of fighting were not less than 50,000 men and 2000 -officers. A large proportion of these were wounded. - -{247} - -There are some consolations for our limited success in this venture. -Having started to endeavour to break the German line in one movement, -it was natural to persevere, but now that we can see from how strong -a hand our enemy played, we may well ask ourselves whether a more -successful advance upon the 26th and 27th might not have led to grave -troubles. The French had been held on the right; the Second Division -was stationary upon the left. Therefore we were advancing from a -contracted base, and the farther the advance went the more it -resembled a long, thin tongue protruded between the jaws of the -enemy. There was considerable danger that the enemy, closing in on -either flank while holding the advance in front, might have bitten it -off, for we know for certain that we had none of those successive -rolling waves of reinforcement coming up which would turn an ebb to a -flood. However, as it was we had much for which to be thankful. -When one thinks of the almost superstitious reverence with which the -German army used to be regarded--an army which had never once been -really beaten during three European campaigns--it is surely a just -cause for sober satisfaction that a British force, half of which -consisted of new formations, should have driven such an enemy with -loss of prisoners and guns out of a triple line of fortifications, -strengthened by every device of modern art, and should afterwards -have permanently held the greater part of the field against every -effort at reconquest. - -The account of this great battle, a battle in which from first to -last no fewer than twelve British divisions were engaged in the Loos -area alone, cannot be concluded without a word as to the splendid -French {248} success won in Champagne during the same period. There -is a great similarity between the two operations, but the French -attacked with at least three times as many men upon a threefold -broader front. As in our own case, their best results were gained in -the first spring, and they were able to continue their gains for -several days, until, like ourselves, they found that the -consolidating defence was too strong for the weakening attack. Their -victory was none the less a very great one, yielding 25,000 prisoners -and 125 captured cannon. It is impossible to doubt that both French -and British if they duly learned their lessons, and if they continued -to accumulate their resources, were now on the path which would lead -them to final victory. - -Before settling down into the inactivity enforced by the Flemish mud, -there was one further brisk skirmish upon October 20 in that old -battle-ground, the Hohenzollern Redoubt. This was a bombing attack, -organised by the 2nd Irish Guards and led by Captain Hubbard. The -Irishmen were new to the game, and somewhat outclassed at first by -the more experienced Germans, but under the gallant encouragement of -Lieutenant Tallents, who rallied them after being himself badly -wounded, they turned the tide, and, aided by the Coldstream, made -good the section attacked. Lieutenant Hamilton was killed and 60 men -killed or wounded in this brisk encounter. - -[Sidenote: Coming of winter.] - -So, for a second time, wet, foggy winter settled down upon the -water-logged, clay-bottomed trenches. Little did those who had -manned them at Christmas of 1914 imagine that Christmas of 1915 would -find them in the same position. Even their brave hearts would have -sunk at the thought. And yet a move {249} back of a couple of miles -at Ypres, and a move forward of the same extent in the south, were -all that either side could show for a year's hard work and the loss -of so many thousand lives. Bloch, the military prophet of 1898, had -indeed been justified of his wisdom. Far off, where armies could -move, the year had seen great fluctuations. The Russians had been -pushed out of Poland and far over their own borders. Serbia had been -overrun. Montenegro was on the verge of utter destruction. The -great attempt upon the Dardanelles had been made and had failed, -after an epic of heroism which will surely live for ever in our -history and in that of our brave Australian and New Zealand brothers. -We had advanced in Mesopotamia to within sight of the minarets of -Bagdad, and yet again we had been compelled to leave our task -unfinished and our little force was besieged at Kut. The one new -gleam of light in the whole year had been the adhesion of Italy to -the cause of Freedom. And yet, though nearly every detail had been -adverse to us, our deepest instincts told us that the stream did in -truth move with us, however great and confusing might be the surface -current. Here on the long western line, motionless, but not passive, -locked in a vast strain which grew ever more tense, was the real war. -All others were subsidiary. And here in this real war, the one -theatre where decisive results could be looked for, our position was -very different in the opening of 1916 to that which 1915 had shown -us. In the year our actual Army in France had grown three- and -fourfold. The munitions had increased in far greater proportions. -The days had gone for ever when a serious action meant three months -of shell economy before the fight and three months {250} of -recuperation after it. To the gunners it was like an evil dream to -look back to the days when three shots per day was the allowance, and -never save on a definite target. Now, thanks to the driving power of -Lloyd George and his admirable band of assistants, there would never -again be a dearth, and no attack should ever languish for want of the -means to follow it up. Our guns, too, were clustering ever more -thickly and looming ever larger. Machine-guns were pouring forth, -though there, perhaps, we had not yet overtaken our enemy. Above -all, our Fleet still held the seas, cries of distress or at least of -discomfort from within Germany rose ever more clearly, and it was -certain that the sufferings which she had so wantonly and wickedly -inflicted upon others were beginning to be repaid to her. "Gott" -does indeed "strafe," and needs no invocation, but now, as always, it -is on the guilty that the rod falls. The close of 1915 found the -Empire somewhat disappointed at the past, but full of grim resolution -for the future. - -[Sidenote: Change of command.] - -One event had occurred in the latter end of the year which cannot be -allowed to pass without comment. This was the retirement of Sir John -French, and his return as Lord French to take command of the home -forces. It is a difficult matter to get the true proportion, either -of events or of characters, in so great an epoch as this. It will be -years before the true scale will gradually be found. At the same -time it can be said now with absolute certainty that the name of John -French will go down to history for the sterling work that he has done -during sixteen months of extreme military pressure. Nothing which -the future could bring, however terrific our task, could {251} be -charged with the same possibilities of absolute disaster as those -operations of the past through which he and his brilliant -subordinates had successfully brought the Army. His was the -preparation of the troops before the campaign, his the -responsibilities of mobilisation, and his the primary credit that -they were in the fighting line by August 22, 1914--they who, upon -August 4, had been scattered without their reserves or full equipment -over a dozen garrison towns. This alone was a great feat. Then came -the long, desperate fight to make head against a superior foe, the -rally, the return, the fine change of position, the long struggle for -the coast, the victory saddened by the practical annihilation of the -old Regular Army, the absorption and organisation of the new -elements, the resumption of the offensive, and that series of -spirited actions which, if they never attained full success, were -each more formidable than the last, and were all preparatory -exercises for the great Somme battles of 1916. This was the record -which Lord French took back with him to the Horse Guards, and it is -one which can never be forgotten by his fellow-countrymen. - -Sir Douglas Haig, who succeeded to the chief command, was the leader -who would undoubtedly have been called to the vacant post by both -Army and public had leaders been chosen in the old Pretorian fashion. -From the beginning he and Smith-Dorrien had been the right and left -hands of the Chief, and now that ill-health had unhappily eliminated -the latter, Haig's claim was paramount. Again and again he had borne -the heaviest part in the fighting, and had saved the situation when -it seemed desperate. He was a man of the type which the {252} -British love, who shines the brighter against a dark background. -Youthful for so high a command, and of with a frame and spirit which -were even younger than his years, with the caution of a Scotchman and -the calculated dash of a leader of cavalry, he was indeed the ideal -man for a great military crisis. No task might seem impossible to -the man who had held back the German tide at Ypres. With Haig in -command and with an Army which was ever growing in numbers, in -quality, and in equipment, the British waited with quiet confidence -for the campaign of 1916. - - - - -{253} - -INDEX - - -Ainslie, General, 162 - -Alderson, General, 50, 57, 62, 134, 143 - -Alexander, Captain, 223 - -Allenby, General, 142, 244 - -Anley, General, 75, 86, 104, 155 - -Army Medical Service, 1 - -Aston, Lieutenant, 30 - - - -Baldock, General, 142 - -Ballard, General, 29, 152 - -Bannatine-Allason, General, 143 - -Barnett, Major, 161 - -Barrett, Captain Moulton, 35 - -Barter, General, 136, 143, 190, 192 - -Barton, Captain, 37 - -Bearman, Captain, 130 - -Beatty, Admiral Sir David, 168 - -Beecher, Lieutenant-Colonel, 146 - -Beith, Captain, 192 - -Bellewaarde, battle of, 82 - -Bennett, Captain Leigh, 5 - -Bernhardi and our Colonial Militia, 57 - -Bibby, Lieutenant, 17 - -Blagrove, Adjutant, 161 - -Bliss, Colonel, 17 - -Bottomley, Major, 130 - -Bowes, General, 90, 108, 150 - -Boyle, Colonel, 51, 52, 72 - -Bridgford, Colonel, 70 - -Briggs, General, 98 - -Brook, Colonel, 131 - -Brooks, Sergeant, V.C., 232 - -Bruce, General, 181, 195 - -Bulfin, General, 42, 109, 142, 144, 225, 226 - -Bulgaria joins the Central Powers, 171 - -Bulkeley-Johnson, General, 100 - -Burchall, Colonel, 56, 72 - -Burnett, Captain, 36 - -Burney, Staff-Major, 219 - -Burnyeat, Lieutenant, 35 - -Bush, Lieutenant, 4 - -Byng, General Sir Julian, 142 - - - -Cameron of Lochiel, Colonel, 183 - -Campbell, General, 149, 216 - -Campbell, Colonel, 41 - -Campbell, Major Carter, 18 - -Campbell-Dick, Captain, 123 - -Capper, General, 143, 201, 228 - -Carmichael, Captain, 14 - -Carter, General, 22 - -Carter, Colonel, 23 - -Carter, Captain, 201 - -Cavan, Lord, 5, 133, 221 - -Cavendish, Colonel Lord Richard, 77 - -Champagne, French offensive in, 170, 248 - -Chaplin, Colonel, 160 - -Chapman, General, 106 - -Checkland, Captain, 237 - -Chesham, Lord, 103 - -Clark, Colonel James, 94 - -Clark, Lieutenant, 90 - -Clifford, Lieutenant, 223 - -Coates, Captain, 213 - -Cochrane, General, 179, 241 - -Cockburn, General, 161 - -Collison-Morley, Colonel, 196 - -Compton, Lord, 103 - -Congreve, General, V.C., 142, 144, 161 - -Cooper, Major, 238 - -Couper, General, 142, 156, 244 - -Crabb, Lieutenant, 9 - -Craig, Lieutenant, 146 - -Croker, General, 93 - -Cuinchy, action of, 2 - -Curry, General, 59 - -Cuthbert, General, 136, 192 - - - -Daly, General, 179 - -Dardanelles, attempt to force the, 168, 170, 249 - -Davies, General, 143, 144 - -De Ligne, General, 65 - -De Lisle, General, 52, 66, 96, 109 - -Dent, Major, 207 - -Dering, Captain, 36 - -Dickens, General, 181 - -Dill, Major, 119 - -Dobson, Major, 215 - -D'Urbal, General, 6 - - - -Edgar, Major, 135 - -Edwards, Captain, 92 - -Egerton, Staff-Captain, 38 - -Elton, Lieutenant, 31 - -Evans-Freke, Colonel the Hon., 103 - -Evill, Colonel, 237 - - - -Fane, Captain, 95 - -Fanshawe, General, 23, 143 - -Farquhar, Colonel, 34 - -Ferguson, General, 7, 42, 109, 142 - -Ferguson, Colonel, 103 - -Ferrers, Captain, 17 - -Festubert, battle of, 115 - -Feveran, Captain, 23 - -Field, Lieutenant Hamilton, 49 - -Fielding, General, 221 - -Finegan, Captain, 149 - -Flower, Brigade-Major, 226 - -Foch, General, 166, 172, 225 - -Follett, Captain, 31 - -Forbes, Colonel, 31 - -Forestier-Walker, General, 203, 206, 208 - -Fortescue, General, 8, 10, 31, 108 - -Fowkes, Major, 6 - -Fowler, General, 233, 240 - -Fowler, Colonel, 238 - -Fraser, Colonel, 131 - -Freke, Colonel, 103 - -French, General Sir John, 12, 13, 42, 43, 97, 115, 125, 176, 196, -197, 217, 225, 250, 251 - -Fry, Lieutenant, 30 - - - -Gabbett, Colonel, 130 - -Gardner, Major, 11 - -Gault, Major, 89 - -Geddes, Colonel, 55, 72 - -Geen, Lieutenant, 160 - -George, Right Hon. David Lloyd, 137, 250 - -Gibson, Lieutenant, 233 - -Givenchy, actions at, 3, 145, 147 - -Gloster, General, 55, 213 - -Gough, General, killed, 8, 34 - -Gough, General Hubert, 175, 185 - -Gough, Colonel Worsley, 95 - -Graham, Colonel, 182 - -Graham, Major, 182 - -Graham, Lieutenant, 5 - -Green, Lieutenant, 4 - -Greenlees, Lieutenant, 130 - -Grenfell, Captain the Hon. J., 103 - -Griffin, Colonel, 155 - -Griffith, Colonel, 39 - -Griffiths, Major Norton, 35 - -Gunnis, Lieutenant Geoffrey, 232 - - - -Hadow, Colonel, 207 - -Haig, General Sir Douglas, 7, 13, 29, 115, 143, 144, 175, 251, 252 - -Haldane, General, 142, 144, 244 - -Hamilton, Colonel (Durham Light Infantry), 213 - -Hamilton, Colonel Douglas, 202 - -Hamilton, Lieutenant, 248 - -Harper, General, 24 - -Harrington, Captain, 25 - -Harrison, Captain, 31 - -Hasler, General, 64, 72 - -Hassell, Lieutenant, 130 - -Hawkes, Lieutenant, 237 - -Heath, Colonel, 187 - -Heyworth, General, 129, 221 - -Hibbert, General, 147 - -Hicks, Colonel, 73 - -Hill 60, battle of, 34-44 - -Hill 70, fight for, 202-225 - -Hohenzollern Redoubt, fight for, 220-240 - -Hooge, action at, 140-165 - -Horne, General, 179, 241 - -Hosley, Major, 182 - -Howard, Major, 210 - -Hubbard, Captain, 248 - -Hull, General, 62, 72, 76, 104 - -Hutton, General Sir Edward, 206 - - - -Italy joins the Allies, 171, 249 - - - -Jackson, Colonel, 105 - -Jacob, General, 19 - -James, Lieutenant, 4 - -Jelf, General, 219, 220, 221 - -Jellicoe, Admiral Sir John, 167 - -Jerome, Colonel, 42 - -Johnson, Major, 149 - -Johnston, Captain, 43 - -Jones, Colonel, 100 - -Joslin, Major, 35, 36 - - - -Kavanagh, General, 66, 101 - -Keary, General, 65 - -Keir, General, 142 - -Kelly, Lieutenant, 146 - -Khartoum, Bishop of, 133 - -Kipling, Lieutenant, 223 - -Kitchener, Lord, 137 - -Kut, British force besieged in, 170, 249 - - - -Laidlaw, Piper, V.C., 190 - -Landon, General, 143, 144, 181 - -Langden, Captain, 220 - -Langemarck, battle of, 45 - -Laskie, Captain, 216 - -Lawford, General, 129 - -Lawrence, Colonel, 99 - -Lawrence, Lieutenant, 188 - -Leckie, Colonel, 51, 52 - -Leckie, Major, 134 - -Lees, Major, 39 - -Leveson-Gower, Lord, 103 - -Liebenrood, Captain, 213 - -Lindsay, General, 142 - -Lipsett, Colonel, 65 - -Livingstone, Colonel, 219 - -Logan, Colonel, 213 - -Lomax, General, 109 - -Longley, General, 8, 29 - -Loos, battle of, 172-252; operations reviewed, 246 - -Lord, Major, 130 - -Loveband, Colonel, 105 - -Lowry-Cole, General, 16, 116, 119 - -Lowther, General, 123 - -_Lusitania_, sinking of the, 125 - - - -McAndrew, Colonel, 16 - -M'Cracken, General, 189 - -McGee, Colonel, 59 - -McHaig, Colonel, 72 - -MacIvor, Captain, 220 - -Maclean, Colonel, 182 - -McLean, Colonel, 26, 28 - -MacNaughton, Major, 4 - -M'Neil, Lieutenant, 191, 214 - -Mallandain, Lieutenant, 64 - -Margetts, Captain, 233 - -Markham, General, 245 - -Martin, Colonel (Lancaster), 72 - -Martin, Colonel (Leicester), 238 - -Mathieson, Lieutenant, 19 - -Maude, General, 34 - -Mercer, General, 53, 56 - -Mesopotamia, campaign in, 170 - -Miller, Lieutenant, 79 - -Mitford, General, 203, 214 - -Mitford, Major the Hon. C. B., 103 - -Monro, General, 109, 134, 165 - -Moriarty, Colonel, 105 - -Morland, General, 35, 41, 42, 142, 144, 165 - -Morrison-Bell, Major, M.P., 2 - - - -Neale, Colonel, 227 - -Neuve Chapelle, battle of, 12-28 - -Neville, Captain, 97 - -Nicholls, General, 208, 210 - -Nicholson, General, 163 - -Niven, Lieutenant, 89, 90 - -Norsworthy, Major, 58 - -Northey, General, 38, 42 - -Noyes, Major, 207 - -Nugent, General, 157, 160, 161 - - - -O'Gowan, General Wanless, 6, 35, 38, 42 - -Oldham, Major Leslie, 34 - -O'Leary, Private Michael, V.C., 5 - -Oxley, General, 120 - - - -Papineau, Lieutenant, 9, 90 - -Paterson, Major, 40 - -Paynter, Colonel, 28 - -Pereira, General, 226 - -Phillips, Hon. C. E. A., 103 - -Pickersgill, Lieutenant, 107 - -Pinney, General, 16, 18 - -Plumer, General, 7, 8, 10, 29, 46, 92, 96, 109, 142, 143 - -Ponsonby, General, 221, 232 - -Prowse, General, 77, 154 - -Prowse, Colonel, 31 - -Pryce, Captain Mostyn, 32 - -Pulman, Captain, 19 - -Pulteney, General, 7, 143 - -Purvis, Colonel, 191 - -Putz, General, 45 - - - -Ramsay, General Sir John, 23, 204 - -Ramsay, Colonel, 189 - -Rawlinson, General Sir Henry, 7, 14, 116, 175, 185 - -Rees, Captain, 4 - -Regiments: - - - _Artillery--_ - - Durham Territorial Artillery, 107 - - Hon. Artillery Company, 152 - - R.F.A., 40th Brigade, 5; 52nd Brigade, 185; 94th Brigade, 215 - - _Cavalry--_ - - 1st Life Guards, 97 - - 2nd Life Guards, 97 - - Royal Horse Guards (Blues), 97, 103 - - 1st Dragoons (Royals), 79, 103 - - 3rd Dragoon Guards, 97, 110 - - 4th Dragoon Guards, 98 - - 5th Dragoon Guards, 98 - - 10th Hussars, 97 - - 11th Hussars, 8, 98 - - 18th Hussars, 98, 106 - - 9th Lancers, 98, 106 - - 16th Lancers, 8 - - Essex Yeomanry, 97, 103 - - Leicestershire Yeomanry, 97, 103 - - North Somerset Yeomanry, 97, 103 - - _Guards--_ - - Coldstream, 2, 4, 5, 6, 134, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 232, 248 - - Grenadier, 25, 26, 28, 129, 133, 221, 223, 224, 231, 232 - - Irish, 5, 6, 133, 221, 222, 223, 224, 232, 248 - - Scots, 2, 4, 25, 28, 129, 130, 221, 222, 223, 225 - - Welsh, 221, 224 - - _Infantry--_ - - Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 72, 76, 86, 92, 94, 105, 180, - 184, 192 - - Artists' Rifles (28th London), 136 - - Bedford, 37, 38, 39, 78, 80, 203 - - Berkshire, 16, 28, 119, 120, 127, 180, 188, 240, 244 - - Black Watch, 3, 4, 120, 123, 125, 149, 184, 190, 194, 200, 225, - 242, 243 - - Border, 25, 28, 129 - - Buffs (East Kent), 54, 77, 106, 107, 163, 165, 204, 205, 226, - 227, 228, 233, 240 - - Cambridge, 30 - - Cameron Highlanders, 3, 41, 93, 94, 123, 131, 183, 188, 190, 191, - 194, 200, 202 - - Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), 17, 28, 120, 147, 148, 190 - - Cheshire, 91, 108 - - Connaught Rangers, 68 - - Devon, 17, 18, 40, 41, 78, 80, 120, 185, 186 - - Dorset, 78, 80 - - Dublin Fusiliers, 72, 92, 105 - - Duke of Cornwall's, 8, 29, 30, 55, 71, 159, 160, 161 - - Durham Light Infantry, 60, 62, 64, 69, 106, 107, 160, 162, 164, - 165, 213 - - East Lancashire, 18, 19, 64, 85, 86, 92, 99, 105, 120 - - East Surrey, 38, 39, 40, 64, 92, 106, 204, 227, 233, 240 - - East Yorkshire, 52, 58, 77, 86, 89, 162, 165, 206, 207 - - Essex, 75, 76, 98, 100, 105, 204 - - Gloucester, 3, 4, 93, 95, 123, 125, 188, 232 - - Gordon Highlanders, 25, 26, 28, 129, 147, 149, 184, 185, 190, - 195, 245 - - Hampshire, 34, 65, 69, 86, 99 - - Herts, 133 - - Highland Light Infantry, 131, 133, 182, 190, 191, 241 - - Inniskilling Fusiliers, 127 - - Irish Fusiliers, 98 - - King's Liverpool, 23, 127, 128, 133, 149, 179, 187, 189, 232 - - King's Own Royal Lancaster, 71, 75, 77 - - King's Own Scottish Borderers, 35, 36, 42, 182, 183, 189, 190 - - King's Royal Rifles, 24, 71, 157, 158, 159, 160 - - Lancashire Fusiliers, 75, 76, 155 - - Leicester, 19, 28, 163, 235, 236, 237, 238 - - Leinster, 31, 33, 95 - - Lincoln, 16, 28, 119, 120, 150, 151, 208, 210, 214, 235, 236, - 238, 244 - - Liverpool, 122 - - Liverpool Scottish, 150, 151, 153 - - London Rifle Brigade, 85, 99 - - London Scottish, 3, 187 - - 1st London, 16, 28, 119 - - 3rd London, 19, 28 - - 6th London, 192 - - 7th London, 192 - - 8th London, 192 - - 9th London (Queen Victoria Rifles), 38, 39, 136 - - 12th London (Rangers), 60, 91, 92, 136 - - 13th London (Kensington), 16, 28, 119, 121 - - 15th London (Civil Service), 192 - - 17th London (Poplar), 193, 196 - - 18th London (Irish), 136, 192, 193, 196 - - 19th London (St. Pancras), 193, 196 - - 20th London (Blackheath), 136, 192, 193, 196 - - 21st London, 136 - - 22nd London, 136 - - 23rd London, 136 - - 24th London, 136 - - Manchester, 68 - - Middlesex, 17, 18, 55, 69, 92, 107, 180, 201, 227, 245 - - Monmouth, 35, 60, 75, 83, 85, 89, 91, 108, 236, 237 - - Munster Fusiliers, 123, 232 - - Norfolk, 201, 203, 240 - - Northampton, 5, 18, 120, 122, 188, 201, 219 - - North Lancashire, 122, 147, 148, 188 - - North Staffordshire, 235, 236 - - Northumberland Fusiliers, 68, 91, 108, 150, 151, 206, 207, 216 - - Oxford and Bucks, 131, 241, 245 - - Queen Victoria Rifles, 38, 39, 136 - - Queen's Westminsters, 136, 162, 164 - - Queen's (West Surrey), 129, 186, 204, 233, 241 - - Rifle Brigade, 16, 26, 28, 32, 58, 77, 89, 94, 98, 105, 119, 120, - 154, 157, 158, 243, 244, 245 - - Rifles, 3, 10, 20, 31, 32, 90, 94, 98, 122, 127, 180, 188, 201, - 245 - - Royal Fusiliers, 64, 65, 69, 77, 106, 107, 150, 151, 201, 219, 227 - - Royal Irish, 8, 31, 55, 62, 75, 85, 105 - - Royal Irish Fusiliers, 8, 30, 72, 86 - - Royal Irish Rifles, 16, 28, 119, 120, 245 - - Royal Lancaster, 9, 55, 85, 86, 104, 148 - - Royal Scots, 55, 94, 95, 129, 184, 192 - - Royal Scots Fusiliers, 28, 150, 151, 184, 191, 245 - - Royal West Kent, 9, 35, 36, 42, 204, 205, 233, 234 - - Seaforth Highlanders, 22, 28, 62, 72, 182, 184, 190, 194, 200 - - Sherwood Foresters, 18, 25, 28, 120, 162, 164, 165, 204, 235, - 237, 238 - - Shropshire, 32, 55, 70, 89, 163, 165, 243, 245 - - Somerset Light Infantry, 77, 154, 208, 209 - - South Lancashire, 75, 83, 86, 245 - - South Staffordshire, 24, 129, 130, 179, 185, 235, 236, 237 - - South Wales Borderers, 4, 123, 125 - - Suffolk, 60, 90, 91, 108, 204, 205, 229 - - Sussex, 3, 5, 122, 188, 201, 220 - - Warwick, 72, 92, 129, 130, 155, 185, 186 - - Welsh, 4, 108, 123, 189, 198, 203, 229, 242 - - Welsh Fusiliers, 123, 129, 130, 180, 242 - - West Riding, 37, 71, 79, 80 - - West Yorkshire, 17, 18, 25, 210 - - Wiltshire, 29, 134, 152 - - Worcester, 18, 26, 28, 29, 127, 128, 152, 201 - - York and Lancaster, 55, 71, 77, 92, 163, 165, 208, 209, 227 - - Yorkshire, 206, 207, 208, 210 - - Yorkshire Light Infantry, 37, 86, 213, 215, 216, 227 - - - Royal Engineers, 11, 35, 36, 38, 42, 43, 79, 84, 195, 198, 219 - - _Canadian--_ - - 1st Canadians (Ontario), 53, 146 - - 2nd Canadians, 53 - - 3rd Canadians (Toronto), 53, 135 - - 4th Canadians, 53 - - 5th Canadians, 50, 135 - - 7th Canadians (British Columbia), 135 - - 8th Canadians (Winnipeg Rifles), 50, 65 - - 10th Canadians, 51, 134, 135 - - 13th Canadians (Royal Highlanders), 50, 53, 57, 58, 59, 134 - - 14th Canadians (Montreal), 59, 134 - - 15th Canadians (48th Highlanders), 50, 57, 58 - - 16th Canadian Scottish, 51, 134 - - Princess Patricia's, 9, 32, 89, 98 - - King Edward's Horse, 137 - - Seely's Mounted Brigade, 137 - - Strathcona's Horse, 137 - - _Indian Army--_ - - 129th Baluchis, 68 - - 39th Garhwalis, 19, 28 - - 1st Gurkhas, 71 - - 3rd Gurkhas, 19, 20, 22, 28 - - 4th Gurkhas, 22, 28, 71 - - 8th Gurkhas, 19, 243 - - 58th Indian Rifles (Vaughan's), 242 - - 3rd Indian Sappers and Miners, 67 - - Jats, 22 - - 34th Pioneers, 67 - - 15th Sikhs, 133 - - 33rd Sikhs, 242 - - 69th Sikhs, 242 - - -Rhodes, Lieutenant Arthur, 107 - -Rhodes-Moorhouse, Lieutenant, 73 - -Richard, Colonel, 123 - -Richebourg, battle of, 115 - -Richmond, Captain, 3 - -Riddell, General, 69, 72 - -Ritchie, General, 181 - -Ritchie, Lieutenant, 223 - -Roberts, Colonel, 227 - -Robertson, General, 180 - -Robins, Captain, 79 - -Robinson, Colonel, 91 - -Romer, Colonel, 205 - -Roupell, Lieutenant, V.C., 40 - -Rowe, Colonel Fisher, 28 - -Rutter, Major, 99 - - - -St. Eloi, action of, 29 - -Sackville, Lieutenant, 32 - -Sandall, Colonel, 238 - -Sandeman, Lieutenant, 49 - -Scott, General, 240 - -Scott, Lieutenant, 105 - -Seebold, Lieutenant, 183 - -Selby-Smith, Captain, 32 - -Sempill, Colonel Lord, 184 - -Severne, Lieutenant, 43 - -Shackles, Lieutenant, 220 - -Shipley, Colonel, 39 - -Sladen, Colonel, 36 - -Smith, General Douglas, 6, 150 - -Smith-Bingham, Colonel, 103 - -Smith-Dorrien, General Sir Horace, 7, 12, 13, 23, 29, 35, 46, 53, 66, -67, 142, 251 - -Smyth, Lieutenant, 133 - -Snow, General, 8, 109, 143, 144, 165 - -Somervail, Lieutenant, 18 - -Southey, General, 19 - -Sparling, Major, 183 - -Stansfeld, Colonel, 187 - -Steele, Colonel, 103 - -Stephens, General, 244 - -Stockwell, Captain, 130 - -Stockwell, Captain (Canadians), 146 - -Storer, Major, 210 - -Straubensee, General, 240 - -Stronguist, Captain, 213 - -Stuart, Colonel, 152 - -Stuart-Wortley, General, 142, 234, 244 - -Suatt, Captain, 23 - -Summerhays, Lieutenant, 39 - -Sutton, Sir Robert, 103 - - - -Tallents, Lieutenant, 248 - -Taylor, Major, 210 - -Thesiger, General, 32, 122, 181, 219, 228 - -Thwaites, General, 136, 192, 215 - -Townshend, General, 170 - -Towsey, Colonel, 162 - -Tulloh, Colonel, 93 - -Turner, General, 51 - - - -Uniacke, Colonel, 28 - - - -Vandenburg, Lieutenant, 90 - -Vansittart, Colonel, 205 - -Venables, Colonel, 233 - -Vickars, Captain, 238 - - - -Wallace, Colonel, 60, 91 - -Walter, Colonel, 210 - -Watson, Lieutenant, 39 - -Watts, General, 21 - -Way, Colonel, 207 - -Webb, Lieutenant, 23 - -Wendover, Viscount, 103 - -Widdington, Major, 10 - -Wilkinson, General, 206 - -Willcocks, General Sir James, 116 - -Williams, Lieutenant, 43 - -Williams, Lieutenant (Grenadier Guards), 232 - -Williams, Valentine, quoted, 79 - -Willoughby, General, 136, 192 - -Wilson, General, 109, 142, 144 - -Wing, General, 143, 144, 228 - -Wood, Colonel, 131 - -Woolley, Lieutenant, V.C., 39 - -Worthington, Colonel, 227 - -Wright, Colonel, 219 - -Wright, Lieutenant, 17 - -Würtemberg, Duke of, 46 - -Wynyard, Captain, 40 - - - -Ypres, second battle of, 45-114; result of the battle, 110; sequence -of events, 111-114 - - - -Zeppelin raids on Britain, 169 - - - -THE END - - - -_Printed in Great Britain by_ R. & R. 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