Chapter II: Part 2

Owing to a mistaken order, one platoon of "C" Company actually advanced on Oppy to capture it, but were themselves taken prisoners after severe fighting. During this advance one 77mm., two field guns, and one 4.2 howitzer were captured, and whilst moving forward, at the Colonel's side, to the railway embankment, the Adjutant of the Battalion, Captain Lissaman, was killed by an enemy shell.

Being relieved on the 14th by the 1st Royal Berks, the Battalion moved into support and reserve lines, but on the 18th were in the trenches west of Ecurie, moving to a tent camp on the Roclincourt-Maison-Blanche road on the 22nd. Another move, to Maroeil, was made on April 23, and on the 25th the 17th Royal Fusiliers were relieved in the trenches west of Bailleul.

On April 29, at 4 a.m., "B" Company took part in an attack on Oppy by the 1st Royal Berks and the 1st King's Royal Rifle Corps, and then the Battalion moved back into reserve trenches.

On May 1 a composite battalion was formed of two companies of the 23rd Royal Fusiliers and two companies of the 1st Royal Berks, and moved forward to a position in front of Oppy to deliver an attack on the Oppy-Fresnoy line.

Attacking on March 3, Fresnoy trench was captured with between sixty and seventy prisoners and a machine gun. Heavy counter-attacks were made by the Germans during the day, and, in view of these and the retirement of the troops on the right, it became necessary to retire along Fresnoy trench. At 3.30 a.m., on the night of May 3-4, the Battalion was relieved by the 15th Warwicks, and moved back to disused enemy trenches in the Roclincourt area, the total casualties sustained being 7 officers and 122 other ranks.

On May 5 Lieutenant-Colonel Vernon having proceeded on leave, Major E.A. Winter assumed command, and on May 24 Lt.-Colonel Vernon having to report to the War Office on promotion to Brigadier-General, Major Winter was promoted Lieutenant-Colonel, and appointed to the command of the Battalion. On the same day the Battalion moved into the line again, relieving first the 1st Royal West Kents, and then the 22nd Royal Fusiliers.

June 1 saw the Battalion relieved by the 1st King's Royal Rifle Corps in the front line (Oppy-Arleux line), and moved back to Deutscher House and Thelus Wood, working parties for the front line being provided each night. On the 4th, the 22nd Royal Fusiliers came in as the relief, and the Battalion moved to St. Aubyn for rest.

This did not last long, for on June 8-9 the Battalion relieved the 1st King's Royal Rifle Corps in immediate support, Oppy-Arleux line, the casualties sustained being one other rank killed and two wounded. Then, relieving the 22nd Royal Fusiliers, the Battalion went into the front line, being relieved in turn on the night of June 13-14 by the Royal West Kents, and proceeded to Bray.

On June 20 the Battalion was taken by omnibus to Beuvry, and on the 21st relieved the 2/5th Manchester Regiment in the front line, Cambrin left sub-sector, the casualties being two other ranks killed and six wounded. A German raid on the Battalion right was repelled at 3.30 a.m. on the 27th, and the 22nd Royal Fusiliers came in as relief on the evening of that day, the Battalion proceeding to Noyelles for rest.

July opened with the Battalion training at Noyelles under company arrangements, so far as it was possible, having in view its proximity to the line and liability to observation by the enemy. On July 3 the Battalion went into the front line, Cambrin left sub-sector. Six days later it went into support with headquarters at Annequin.

July 5 saw the Battalion, less two companies, in the Cambrin left sub-sector front line, Major N.A. Lewis assuming command in the trenches, with 100 Corps cyclists attached, while Lieutenant-Colonel Winter remained at Annequin for the purpose of training "C" and "D" Companies for a raid.

About 3.30 a.m. an enemy raiding party, about fifteen strong, entered the front line, wounding and carrying off one man. Bombing parties at once bombed along the trench, driving the raiders out, who came under Lewis gun and rifle fire both on entering and leaving their objective. On returning to their own lines they left our wounded man, who was brought in. The body of one of the enemy was found in No Man's Land, but a complete search could not be made owing to the light. At night, however, a patrol went out and brought in the body of the dead German. Other bodies had apparently been dragged back to the enemy trenches. Our casualties were only four wounded.

On July 20, at 10.30 p.m., a raiding party, consisting of two officers and about a hundred other ranks, crossed to the enemy's front and support lines, the object being the capture of these two lines, the infliction of loss on the enemy, and the securing of prisoners and identifications. The raid was preceded by a hurricane barrage from our artillery, Stokes' mortars, and machine guns, being also accompanied with a discharge from oil projectors.

Very few of the enemy were found in the front and support lines, but small parties who were in dug-outs were bombed. Five of the enemy were also bayoneted in a communication trench. The main garrisons of the lines had apparently retired, and no prisoners were taken. Our casualties during the raid were two killed, fifteen wounded, and five wounded and missing.

Then came a move into reserve at Annequin, but from the 27th the Battalion moved into the front line of the Cambrin left sub-sector again up to, and including, August 1. From then until the night of August 25 the Battalion were doing duty in the trenches and in reserve, but on the 26th was relieved by the 8th Sherwood Foresters, and moved to Oblinghem.

There training was carried on, and on September 6 the C.O., accompanied by the company commanders and specialist officers, reconnoitred the Givenchy support line. On the following day the Battalion proceeded to the village support line, no shelling being experienced during the relief of the 17th Middlesex. On September 13 the Battalion relieved the 22nd Royal Fusiliers in the Givenchy left sub-sector front line, a battalion of the Portuguese troops being attached for instruction.

Gas was projected upon the enemy on the 14th; there was no retaliation, and on the following day the Portuguese were relieved by another of their battalions.

About a hundred enemy heavy shells fell on September 16 near the right company's headquarters at Barnton Tee, Barnton Road, blowing in the trench in five places. A bombardment on the left, which commenced later, ceased on our retaliating. On September 17 the Portuguese troops left the trenches and returned to their billets, while on the night of the 18th-19th the Battalion was relieved and proceeded to Beuvry.

Training there until September 26, the Battalion then relieved the 22nd Royal Fusiliers in the Cambrin left sub-sector, and finding the enemy to be ominously quiet, a patrol was sent out to Railway Craters. On the following night eight small patrols were sent out into No Man's Land, and on the 28th two patrols reconnoitred the enemy wire. On the following day eight small patrols were established in No Man's Land to cover work in the trenches, and, ensuing upon this, the German artillery became fairly active.

A move into support, following relief, was made on September 2. On the 5th the Battalion was relieved, and the companies marched independently to the Orphanage, Bethune, then on to Raimbert, the Battalion being watched on the line of march by Generals Pereira and Kellett.

AT BOURLON WOOD.--Training was carried on, and on November 5 the Battalion made a move through Busnes, Merville, and the Eecke area to the Herzeele area. More training ensued, and a strong rumour was in the air that the 2nd Division was "for Italy." The Battalion was equipped up to the last button, all ranks were looking forward to a change of scenery and new phases of fighting; the medical officer lectured the Battalion on the perils to be avoided in relation to charming Italians, and spirits were high and merry.

But the first attack on Cambrai took place, and instead of going to Italy the 2nd Division was hurriedly moved south by road and rail to take over the line from troops which had conducted the attack.

On the night of November 26-27 the Battalion had reached Beaumetz-les-Cambrai, from which it was moved up to the slopes of Bourlon Wood to take over from elements of the 2/4th King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and the Bays. The march along the Cambrai road, across the captured Hindenburg Line, and on to the Sugar Factory will long be remembered by those who took part in it.

Again it snowed--it is curious how many important moves of the Battalion took place in a snowstorm. This time, however, it was a blessing, for it deadened the sound of moving troops, and certainly saved the Battalion being heard and shelled by the enemy.

On the line (if a few scattered posts in shell-holes can be called a line) being taken over, the Battalion at once set to work to dig itself in, profiting greatly by the recent training it had received in "intensive digging." On the left was the 1st King's Royal Rifle Corps, and on the right the 62nd Division, the battalion in support being the 1st Royal Berks. The Battalion held the line on the 27th, and on the 28th changed places with the 1st Royal Berks, going into support positions to them.

On the 30th the heavy enemy attack developed, and the Berks being hard pressed, three companies of the 23rd were moved up to their support. The enemy gained a footing in their line, and one company of the 23rd was used to counter-attack and re-establish the line, which it successfully performed.

The 17th Royal Fusiliers, on the Berks' left, having severe fighting, a section of the 23rd was sent to strengthen their posts, and help was given in supplying them with bombs and S.A.A. On the evening of December 1 the line was readjusted between the 1st Royal Berks and the 23rd Royal Fusiliers--the Berks taking the left and the 23rd the right. On the night of December 1 the position of the Battalion was: two companies and two platoons in the line; two companies, less two platoons, in support.

On the night of December 2 the unit on the right of the 23rd Royal Fusiliers pushed forward its line. In order to keep touch with them, one company from the support positions went over with them at 8.10 p.m. The advance was successful, the objective duly gained and rapidly consolidated--one prisoner and one machine gun being taken in the advance.

Then came a great disappointment to the troops who had fought so well. Further south the enemy's counter-attack had proved successful, converting the position held by the 2nd Division into a very dangerous salient, from which it was imperative to retire.

The necessary orders were issued, and at dead of night, December 4-5, the Battalion retired through Graincourt to Hermies. To cover the retirement two sections per company were left in the line with orders not to retire until just before dawn, and to spend the night in moving up and down the vacated line, firing Verey-lights and rifles to delude the enemy into thinking the line was still held.

By this ruse the Battalion was enabled to carry out the difficult operation of withdrawing in the face of the enemy without his knowledge. The sections so left behind gallantly carried out their tasks and safely rejoined the Battalion at Hermies.

From December 5 the Battalion was in support, but on the 11th it relieved the 21st Londons in the Hindenburg Line, and, after relief, marched on December 20 to Gropi Camp, where Christmas was spent in tents in the snow. In reserve until the 30th, it then relieved the 22nd Royal Fusiliers in the left canal sector (Canal du Nord) of the Hindenburg Line.

1918.

On January 3 the Battalion, relieved, marched independently by companies to Barastre for Divisional rest. January 23 found them at Villers Plouich in the Vacquerie right sub-sector, the Battalion headquarters being in Farm Ravine. On February 3 they entrained on the light railway for Equancourt, where they were placed in Divisional reserve. Not much time was spent in this way, though, for on the 9th the Battalion entrained for Trescault, and proceeded from there to the Vacquerie right sub-sector, remaining in the line there until going into reserve at Equancourt again on the 15th.

On February 22 a move was made to the line again in the Vacquerie right sub-sector. On the night of March 6-7 the Battalion was relieved, and marched to Metz, where they were billeted in huts. It was impossible, however, to secure any real rest here, for the camp was shelled intermittently both during the day and the night.

The afternoon of March 12 saw the Battalion back in the trenches again at Lincoln Reserve and Midland Reserve, "D" Company being in Snap Trench. There was a heavy gas-shell bombardment by the enemy on the nights of the 12th, 13th, and 14th, the Battalion suffering heavy casualties, also intermittent shelling during the day and night, while there was, as a welcome change, a raid on the enemy front line by the Battalion on the night of March 13-14. Then came the relief of the Battalion, which marched back to Equancourt, a rest for the Battalion being absolutely necessary owing to the fact that all the remaining members were suffering from gas poisoning.

THE GERMAN OFFENSIVE.--Next came the great offensive by the enemy--the time when the Germans almost thrust their way right through by force of numbers.

The first indication of the break-through which the Battalion received was enemy bullets actually falling in the camp. Every man turned out, the Battalion took up a line north of Equancourt in an attempt to hold up the advance of the enemy, patrols being sent forward into Fins, where it was found the Germans had succeeded in establishing themselves.

On the following morning an enemy attack was beaten back with heavy loss, but both its flanks being "in the air" the Battalion received orders to retire on Le Transloy. Moving though Hayettes Wood, Ytres, Bus, and Rocquigny, Le Transloy was reached late at night, where the Brigade from which it had become separated was rejoined.

Moving again before dawn, a line was taken up round Gueudecourt, which was held during the day. Making another move at dusk, a fresh line was established at Eaucourt l'Abbaye. Very heavily attacked on the following day, the Battalion was forced to fight a rearguard action, retreating through Le Sars on Pys, where another stand was made.

Again slipping back at night, a position was taken up near Beaucourt sur Ancre. From this position the Battalion again moved back and occupied the old British trenches known as White City trenches near Beaumont Hamel. In spite of many heavy enemy attacks this position was held until the Battalion was relieved by New Zealand troops.

_On relief it marched out to the wood at Mailly-Maillet only four officers and seventy men strong._

Resting at Englebelmer for a day or so, it was again moved into the front line at Aveluy Wood, where a German attack was beaten off, the enemy being badly mauled. During the fighting round Gueudecourt, Brigadier-General Barnett-Barker was killed, and, as senior Colonel in the 99th Brigade, Lieutenant-Colonel Winter assumed command, the command of the 23rd Royal Fusiliers devolving upon Major Lewis.

In his anxiety to hold up the enemy for as long as possible and to get the battalion back safely to a line being formed behind him, Major Lewis was taken prisoner at Eaucourt l'Abbaye. The command then devolved upon Captain C.H. Bowyer, who kept it until the return of Lieutenant-Colonel Winter, who rejoined the Battalion on General E. Ironside (now General Sir E. Ironside, who earned fame in Russia) taking over the Brigade.

It only remains to add that the gas casualties from March 12 onwards amounted to 11 officers and 240 other ranks, while the casualties in action from the 22nd to the 31st were:

Officers killed 1
" wounded 2
" wounded and missing 1
" missing 10
Other ranks killed 15
" wounded 59
" wounded and missing 6
" missing 210

During the early part of April the Battalion was busy in moving, being in turn in Hedeauville, Beauval, Houvin, Houvigneul, Ivergny, Coullemont, La Cauchie, and on the 14th relieved the 1st Coldstream Guards in Brigade Reserve in front of Blaireville. Two days later it was in the front line, right sub-sector, in front of Adinfer, doing alternate front line and support duty until the end of the month.

It was not until May 12 that the Battalion marched back to billets at Berles au Bois, where training was carried on until June 7. On that date it relieved the 1st Grenadier Guards in the Ayette left sub-sector. Relieved on the night of June 10-11, it marched back to reserve position near Monchy au Bois, going into the line again in the Ayette sector on the night of 13th-14th.

During the night of June 24-25 "A" Company carried out a raid on the enemy front line, and at 2 a.m. on the 26th "B" Company also carried out a similar operation. July came round, and on the night of the 22nd-23rd the Battalion supplied a flanking party to a raid carried out by the 1st Royal Berks. On the 30th the Battalion was in the Ayette right sub-sector, but on August 5 and August 6 there was a reorganization of the Brigade front, and it went into support.

Then came the British advance, and on the night of August 20-21 the Battalion moved up for an attack by the 3rd Army. Leading off in a dense fog, the 23rd Royal Fusiliers went over the top at Ayette, capturing Aerodrome Trench, and so clearing the way for other troops to leap-frog over them and capture Courcelles.

Moving forward again in its turn, two companies of the Battalion, under Major W.B. Cluff, captured Behagnies. On the night of August 23-24, being relieved by the Loyal North Lancs, the Battalion moved back to bivouac near Courcelles, where it remained until September 2. Moving forward on that day to Vaulx-Vraucourt, it attacked at dawn on the 3rd and reached Morchies, bivouacking near Doignes.

On the 6th-7th the Battalion took over the front line from the 1st King's Royal Rifle Corps and delivered an attack on Slag Avenue, suffering casualties of 3 officers killed and 100 other ranks killed and wounded.

Relieved on the 8th by the 52nd Light Infantry, a bivouac was made at Beaumetz-les-Cambrai, moving on the 15th to Mory. On the 27th the Battalion moved forward in support to the Brigade which was fighting its way onwards, and spent the night in the Hindenburg Support Line just west of Flesquières.

The advance continuing, the Battalion moved again at dawn on the 28th, reaching Nine Wood just west of Noyelles. From here one company was sent forward and assisted the King's Royal Rifle Corps in capturing Noyelles. Then the remainder of the Battalion moved up and took over the front line from the 1st King's Royal Rifle Corps. Attacking on the 30th, the Battalion found itself up against the strong position of Mount sur l'Ouvres, suffering casualties of two officers and sixty-four other ranks. This position could only be subsequently captured by the use of a whole new brigade for the purpose.

GERMAN TANKS UNSUCCESSFUL.--Relieved at night, the Battalion moved back to bivouac at Nine Wood. Remaining there, resting, till October 7 the Battalion moved up to east of Rumilly on the night of 7th-8th, and delivered a successful attack on Forenville at dawn on the 8th. During a counter-attack the enemy used tanks against the Battalion in an endeavour to oust it from the positions secured, but without success.

On one tank, indeed, getting close to our line an officer, Lieutenant Anderson, armed with a rifle, and accompanied by his batman, got out of the trench, went forward under heavy fire, reached the oncoming tank, hammered at its side with his rifle-butt, and called on it to surrender. The iron door opened, and out came the crew, to be escorted back in triumph as prisoners!

On the early morning of the 9th the Guards' Brigade "leap-frogged" the Battalion and continued the attack, the Battalion moving back to bivouac at Flesquières. Remaining there for a few days, a move was made on the 13th to keep in touch with the general advance, Wambaix being reached after a long march.

Training was carried out here until the 19th, when the Battalion marched to Boussières. At midnight on October 22, under the command of Major H.P. Rogers, it moved up to St. Python, and on the 23rd to Escarmain, taking over the front line from the 52nd Light Infantry. At dawn on the 24th it attacked and captured Ruesnes, and established a line of outposts on the railway beyond. This was the last actual fighting done by the Battalion. Relieved on the 26th by the 7th King's Shropshire Light Infantry, it moved back into reserve.

With the signing of the Armistice came a welcome change. Duty was relaxed so far as was possible, and the Battalion employed the rest of the year in fitting itself out, and getting back into something approaching its old condition, and marching into Germany, a distance of 200 miles.

1919.

January found the Battalion in billets at Niederaussem, forming part of the British Army of Occupation in Germany. Training was still being carried on, however, but sport was not lost sight of. There were platoon football matches, whist drives, paper-chases, and so on, while there was also voluntary educational training in such things as English, French, and shorthand.

On January 24 came the presentation of the King's Colour to the Battalion by Major-General Pereira. Later, on the reorganization of Divisions taking place, the Battalion on February 27 left the 99th Brigade, 2nd Division, in which it had served so long, proceeded by rail through Cologne to Ehreshoven, joined the London Division, and took over the outposts of the Occupied Zone at Lindlar on March 18.

On April 15, the Battalion then being back in Cologne, the command was taken over by Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel L.F. Ashburner, M.V.O., D.S.O., Lieutenant-Colonel Winter being appointed to the command of the British Camp at Antwerp. On May 6 the Battalion was inspected and complimented by General Sir William Robertson, G.C.B., K.C.V.O., D.S.O., Commander-in-Chief British Army of the Rhine.

In the event of the non-acceptance of the Peace Terms by Germany, preparations were made between June 8 and June 19 for an advance, but the orders on June 20 were held in abeyance and subsequently cancelled.

On June 22, at the Brigade swimming gala, the Battalion won two-thirds of the prizes put up for competition, although they had previously lost (2-1) in the "Kalk" football cup final to the 57th Siege Battery.

Battalion sports were held at Klef, near Vilkerath, on July 19, the championship being annexed by "C" Company. A competition for the best company in the Division was won by "D" Company, who were subsequently called upon to furnish a guard of honour on the occasion of the visit of the Army Council to Cologne.

The Battalion also scored in another way, for on August 1 the War Savings results for July were announced. The amount subscribed by the 23rd Royal Fusiliers was £1,137 19s. 1d., the percentage of members being 51 per cent, of the Battalion strength, and the Battalion being top of the VIth Corps list for the amount subscribed.

Finally, the 23rd (Service) Battalion Royal Fusiliers (1st Sportsman's) ceased to exist in March, 1920, after having had a longer life than any other Service Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers.

+-----------------------------------------------------+ | GREAT WORK ACCOMPLISHED--HOLDING UP A GERMAN | | ADVANCE--SILENCING SNIPERS IN A DERELICT TANK--AND | | SOME OTHER THINGS | +-----------------------------------------------------+

GREAT WORK ACCOMPLISHED--HOLDING UP A GERMAN ADVANCE--SILENCING SNIPERS IN A DERELICT TANK--AND SOME OTHER THINGS

From the official narratives available it is possible to amplify, in some few instances, the great work accomplished by the Battalion, and which is told but tersely in the War Diary from which the previous pages have been collated.

Taking May 3, 1917, as an instance, when the 23rd Royal Fusiliers formed a part of the attacking force, we are told it was determined to capture--

Fresnoy Trench on a front of 1,400 yards.

Oppy Support, by a bombing attack, over a length of 200 yards.

Crucifix Lane, by a bombing attack, over a length of 200
yards.

Form a defensive front facing south on a front of 400 yards,
and

Form eight strong points and four posts.

The above, it may be explained, entailed the Brigade having, on the whole, a fighting front of no fewer than 2,200 yards.

"The task of the 23rd Royal Fusiliers, forming the left assaulting battalion, was to capture a certain sector of Fresnoy Trench, to form two strong points, and to form four posts....

"The whole of 'C' Battalion (the 23rd Royal Fusiliers) gained their objective, but, owing to a slight loss of direction, found the enemy still occupying Fresnoy Trench to their north.

"A strong bombing party was immediately organized, the trench cleared, sixty to seventy prisoners and a machine gun captured, and touch established with the Canadians at the south end of Fresnoy Wood. At about 5.45 a.m. a strong enemy counter-attack developed from Oppy, which, coming up over Oppy Support and Crucifix Lane, and over the top by several well-covered approaches, worked its way north, and attacked the right company, whose flank was left bare owing to the retirement of 'B' (another) Battalion.

"This attack was pushed home with the greatest energy and determination, and succeeded in driving the right two companies and part of left centre company out of Oppy Trench. At this point, however, it was brought to a halt by a strong bombing and sniping post of the 23rd Royal Fusiliers, who not only stopped it, but counter-attacked in their turn, and regained some 400 yards of the trench.

"This party then halted owing to numerical weakness and lack of bombs, and retiring a short way, formed a block and a post, and occupied a shell-hole line from the first point named through the second and a little beyond it, thus forming a defensive flank in close touch with the Canadians.

"This party held out all day, until relieved by the 15th Warwicks at 3.30 a.m. A strong point was also formed immediately after dark and handed over to the 15th Warwicks on relief...."

"In one instance the garrison of a post calmly watched an enemy machine-gun team establish a machine gun in position; they then opened rapid fire, killed all the team, and brought in the gun...."

Amongst the gallant services mentioned by Major-General Pereira in the special order of the day, dated December 17, 1917, is the following:

"No. 1,079 Lance-Sergeant James Cochrane, M.M., and No. 2,852 Private Frank Hemington: In the enemy lines west of Bourlon Wood there was a derelict tank, from which enemy snipers were very active at only 70 yards from our line, causing many casualties.

"On December 1, Lance-Sergeant Cochrane and Private Hemington volunteered to deal with them. Creeping out through our wire, they succeeded in reaching the tank in spite of heavy enemy fire. They put two Mills' bombs into the tank, and on the bombs exploding they came under heavy machine-gun fire, but returned in safety. No further sniping came from this tank. By their gallant work we were saved many casualties, and this daring feat cheered and encouraged the men in the line...."

In the desperate fighting in March, 1918, the Battalion also distinguished itself.

"Hexham Road," says the narrative of the morning of the 25th, "where the headquarters of the 23rd Royal Fusiliers was in a dug-out, had been swept by machine-gun fire all the morning, and as the Divisions on the right had retired, the 23rd Royal Fusiliers were left in a very precarious and isolated position, from which only small bodies of men were able to extricate themselves...."

Then, however, came March 28, and here our men were afforded an opportunity of getting their own back. It is with delight that we consequently read:

"The old trenches were, on the whole, in surprisingly good condition, the men had ammunition and had had some sleep and food, and orders had been received that this was to be the line of resistance, and that there would be no further retirement.

"It was a day of anxiety, but still a day on which our men could at last settle down to shooting down the enemy. This they did with great relish."

Bald, perhaps, these details may appear to those who have judged the war from the pen pictures of the various war correspondents, but they possess the ring of real reality to those who have known what it is to be shelled day after day and night after night in the trenches, to have advanced in the face of a rain of machine-gun bullets, or to have been forced to take shelter in an all too small shell crater, when to show an inch of head or body meant death or a serious wound.

+-----------------------------------------------------+ | PRESENTATION OF THE KING'S COLOUR--MAJOR-GENERAL | | SIR C.E. PEREIRA, K.C.B., C.M.G., AND HIS PRIDE IN | | THE BATTALION | +-----------------------------------------------------+

PRESENTATION OF THE KING'S COLOUR--MAJOR-GENERAL SIR C.E. PEREIRA, K.C.B., C.M.G., AND HIS PRIDE IN THE BATTALION

His pride in the Battalion was expressed by Major-General C.E. Pereira, C.B., C.M.G., on the occasion of the presentation of the King's Colour at Niederaussem, Germany, on January 24, 1919.

"First of all," said Major-General Pereira, "I will tell you how highly I esteem the privilege of presenting these colours to-day.

"For two years," he went on, "I have had the honour to command the 2nd Division, and I have been proud of your work in the Field and out of it, and of the fine spirit which you have always shown.

"These colours are given you as a mark of the magnificent service you have rendered in the campaign during the last four years.

"The record of the Regiment during the whole of its service will compare with the services of any battalion in the British Army, whether in the Somme fighting, 1916, Courcelette, Vimy Ridge, and Bourlon Wood in 1917, the retirement from the Cambrai salient in March, 1918, or the recent victorious advance which culminated in the overthrow of the Germans. In all these operations, in spite of mud, heat or cold, or desperate resistance, you have always shown the dogged determination to win.

"It is a fine tribute to the British race that a newly-raised battalion, without any previous traditions, which are such assets to regular battalions, should have outfought the German battalions, trained to war for generations.

"Perhaps your finest record is that of March, 1918, when along a great part of our front detached Divisions fought their way slowly back from position to position, facing overwhelming numbers, and an enemy drunk with the idea that the final victory was theirs; it was then, when short of food, without rest, short of men, that you showed what you were made of, and after successive days of retirement you turned and held the Germans.

"It is fitting that the work of this Battalion should be crowned by the victorious march to the Rhine, and that your colours should make their first appearance in a conquered country--a country which has taken us four and a half years to reach."

+-----------------------------------------------------+ | "GOOD-BYE, AND GOOD LUCK!"--BRIGADIER-GENERAL A.E. | | McNAMARA, C.M.G., D.S.O., AND HIS FAREWELL TO THE | | 23RD ROYAL FUSILIERS (FIRST SPORTSMAN'S BATTALION) | +-----------------------------------------------------+

"GOOD-BYE, AND GOOD LUCK!"--BRIGADIER-GENERAL A.E. McNAMARA, C.M.G., D.S.O., AND HIS FAREWELL TO THE 23RD ROYAL FUSILIERS (FIRST SPORTSMAN'S BATTALION)

Appreciation of and admiration for the Battalion was also expressed by Brigadier-General A.E. McNamara, commanding the 99th Infantry Brigade, when he bade it "good-bye and good luck" on February 25, 1919, when it left the 2nd Division to join the London Division.

"Owing to the reorganization of the Army of Occupation," he said, "the 23rd Royal Fusiliers, the oldest member of the 99th Infantry Brigade, is leaving it.

"I wish to place on record my high appreciation and admiration of the magnificent services of the Battalion while in the 99th Infantry Brigade.

"The Battalion came out to France with the 99th Infantry Brigade in November, 1915. Since then it has taken a leading part in all the many and strenuous battles in which the Brigade has been engaged. In these eventful three years we have seen together good times and bad, but whether things were good or evil the 23rd Royal Fusiliers have ever shown the same high discipline, _esprit de corps_, and indomitable spirit which eventually beat down all resistance and won the war.

"The battles of Delville Wood, Bourlon Wood, Ayette, Behagnies, Mory Copse, Canal du Nord, Forenville, and Ruesnes stand out in history as a record of the achievements of the 23rd Royal Fusiliers--a record of which the Battalion may well be proud.

"The Battalion is now going to another Brigade and another Division. I wish it the best of luck, and know it will maintain the high reputation for discipline, efficiency, and, if need be, fighting, which it has built up since its formation.

"In bidding it farewell, I wish to thank officers, N.C.O.'s, and men (including the gallant comrades who have fallen in the fight), for their gallant services when in the 99th Infantry Brigade. It is they who have borne the brunt of the hardships and the fighting, and it is they who have won the war.

"I cannot express how sorry I am to lose the Battalion, or how proud I am of the honour I have had of having had it under my command.

"Good-bye, and good luck!"

+-----------------------------------------------------+ | THE BATTLE OF DELVILLE WOOD--AN ADVANCE IN FACE OF | | HUNDREDS OF MACHINE GUNS--A PERSONAL NARRATIVE | +-----------------------------------------------------+

THE BATTLE OF DELVILLE WOOD--AN ADVANCE IN FACE OF HUNDREDS OF MACHINE GUNS--A PERSONAL NARRATIVE

To the personal side of the late war we have, in a measure, been introduced by various war correspondents. But there has always been something actually lacking, and that something is the touch and the atmosphere which can only be introduced by those who have been through the baptism of blood and fire.

In the following pages the _real_ touch is introduced. Every incident is told by a man who has actually seen and experienced what he describes. These incidents are in the actual words of the writers. Nothing is altered.

Here, then, is the story of the capture of Delville Wood by the 1st Sportsman's Battalion in 1916, told by Major N.A. Lewis, D.S.O., M.C.:

"For two days before the fight the Battalion occupied some trenches near Bernefay Wood, and sustained a number of casualties from shell-fire. Battalion headquarters was a shelter dug in a bank at the side of Bernefay Wood. This shelter was constructed by Albany, the sculler, and as he was killed in the fight it was his last job as dug-out constructor. Needless to say, he did this job excellently.

"For some hours before the Battalion moved off to take up its position, the Huns shelled the area with gas shells. Fortunately, however, just before 11 p.m., the time for starting, a breeze sprang up, and we were able to move without wearing gas masks.

"The move up was not pleasant. The area had been much fought over, it had been impossible to bury the dead for ten days, and it was a hot July!

"Our artillery was firing to cover our move up. Just after passing Longueval one of our shells dropped, unfortunately, near the platoon which, with the C.O., I was following. As luck would have it, though, only one man was badly wounded. The platoon, of course, went on, and the C.O. went over to the man who had been hit.

"'It's hard lines, sir,' said the man.

"'I know it is,' said the C.O., 'but you will soon be all right. The stretcher-bearers are coming.'

"'Oh, it's not that,' was the man's rejoinder. 'It's being hit now! Here have I been all this time in France without having a real go at the b----s, and now the chance has come, here I go and get knocked out.'

"The C.O. made only one remark to me as we passed on. It was: 'Well, if that's what the rest of the Battalion feels, I have no fears for to-morrow.'

"We took up our position in a trench at the edge of the wood. This was all that remained after the South Africans had been beaten back, and our attack was to start at dawn on the following morning. This attack was in two parts, two companies to take the first objective, a trench in the centre of the wood, and two companies to capture the far edge, and dig themselves in there. The 1/60th were on our right, each battalion having half the wood allotted to it.

"The waves formed up in position shortly before dawn, and it was our first experience of going over the top as a battalion. The men, however, were quite cool and cheerful; in fact, one, named Lewis Turner, asked me, 'How long to go?' I looked at my watch, and said, 'Five minutes.' His reply was, 'Oh, then I've time to finish my breakfast.' And he did.

"At zero our barrage started, and our first waves were off, the thing I noticed most being that most of the men were smoking as they went over. The whole wood was immediately full of machine-gun bullets. There must have been hundreds of machine guns--up in trees, hidden in the undergrowth, in fact all over the place. The Hun artillery came down on all the approaches to the wood, but not on the wood itself so long as any of their own men were in it.

"Owing to the position of the wood, however, at the apex of a captured triangle of ground, we received fire from both flanks, and also from our right rear, as well as from the front.

"The first objective was quickly taken, and then there was a pause before the advance to the second. A large number of prisoners came in, and were herded up near Battalion headquarters' trench. We then found that we were up against the Brandenburg Regiment, which had been specially sent up to hold the wood.

"A number of these prisoners next got into a shell-hole near Battalion headquarters, refusing to come farther, and one of the funniest sights was to see our R.S.M., Sergeant-Major Powney, who, as a rule, was most dignified, rush at them, and kick and cuff them out of it.

"I said to him: 'Sergeant-Major, that's not your job.' He replied: 'I know that, sir, but I couldn't help it.' Poor Powney was wounded later in the day, and died of his wounds.

"The advance to the second objective started promptly, but the Hun fought hard for a time, and held us up. Every bush seemed to contain a machine gun, and a redoubt on our left front caused us many casualties. This redoubt contained several machine guns, with overhead cover, and a first-aid post. As soon as the C.O. received news of this check he sent up two reserve Lewis guns. These worked round the redoubt, and, finding an opening, killed most of the garrison, and then rushed it. The survivors fled, but Sergeant Royston found one of their own guns was still in action, and finished them off with it.

"DEALING WITH COUNTER-ATTACKS.--The final objective was quickly reached and consolidated, and for a while our men had a pleasant time dealing with counter-attacks from the front. The field of fire was good, and they quickly dealt with all the attempts made to push us back. Our casualties, though, were very heavy, particularly amongst officers. At one time 'A' Company was commanded by Lance-Corporal Goodman, and another company by a C.S.M.

"Then the Hun artillery got busy on the wood, which was, of course, an ideal mark. For the rest of the day they simply poured heavy shells in. It was pretty terrible. Trees were torn up by the dozens, and fell blazing. By the end of the day there was nothing but shattered stumps.

"The Medical Officer had a busy time, and owing to the barrage could not evacuate his wounded. The aid post was filled, and the overflow had to be put in shell-holes round about. The consequence was that many of them were killed as they lay there. Owing to the barrage, too, the sending of messages back to Brigade headquarters and the companies in front became almost impossible. Out of sixteen headquarter runners no fewer than fourteen became casualties before mid-day.

"One message was sent back by carrier pigeon, and a message received from the Brigadier read: 'Hold on. Reinforcements are being sent.' The reply of the C.O. was: 'Of course we shall hold on. We are being hammered, but our tails are still up.'

"As the day wore on many efforts were made to get round our flanks and turn us out. Bombing parties crept up, and had to be dealt with by our bombers. It was in one of these tussles that Jerry Delany (the famous boxer) was killed.

"At one time word came from our comrades on the right that the Hun had broken through. So we sent over a party to their assistance, and finally repelled the attackers. We spent the whole of the afternoon and evening in this way, but when our relief came up that night we handed over the wood intact.

"The scene at night was awful, the wood being ablaze in many places. I read messages and wrote out the relief orders by the light of a blazing tree, which had fallen across the shell-hole then being occupied by Battalion headquarters.

"During the night our Brigadier came up and held a conference in our shell-hole. One of our men, Corporal Walker, who was attached to the Brigade Machine-Gun Company, came to this conference, and when asked by the Brigadier what he wanted, replied: 'I have reason to believe, sir, I now command the Machine-Gun Company.' This was actually the case, and he brought the remnants out, being badly wounded in doing so.

"We were relieved by the 6th Brigade, and at dawn returned to our quarters at Bernefay--that is to say, those of us who were left. Our casualties were nearly 400, over 60 per cent, of those who went in. Out of eighteen officers who went into the wood, thirteen became casualties, every company commander being included in this number, while the 1/60th suffered equally heavily.

"As I was making out our casualty return in our headquarters' shell-hole by the light of the blazing trees, our Quartermaster appeared with the rations. He threw a newspaper down to me, with the remark: 'You'll find something interesting in that.' I opened the paper, and found a full column describing how the South Africans took Delville Wood!

"When we were moving back into support, I noticed a horrible smell, and found it was due to the fact that almost every man was smoking a Hun cigar, large quantities of which had been found in the trenches, together with large quantities of soda-water.

"One of the Hun officer prisoners remarked that our advance through the wood was the finest thing they ever saw, but that he objected to being captured by civilians."

* * * * *

SOME LIGHTER STORIES.--Another story of Delville Wood, introducing the M.O.

"During the Delville Wood show a captured Hun Red Cross man was lending a hand in the Battalion aid post. Suddenly a scuffle was heard on the steps of the dug-out, and the prisoner went to see what was the matter. 'What's happened?' asked Doc. Isaac, busily engaged in bandaging a wounded man.

"'Oh, it's only some of those b---- Bosches!' was the reply...."

* * * * *

There were many middle-aged men in the First Sportsman's. This introduces one of them.

"The Battalion was marching down the main street of Carnoy when a charming French girl of about eighteen dashed into the line of route, evidently with the idea of 'parleyvooing' with one of the young sports. She commenced in a breezy manner chatting with my father, a youngster of fifty, not noting, at first, his grey hair. Suddenly he turned his head toward her and smiled. 'Oh, papa!' she ejaculated, and fled...."

* * * * *

The Quartermaster is a noted personage in the Army. This is to introduce him.

"While the Battalion was at Aix Neulette the transport came under shell-fire one morning. The shells came nearer and nearer, in a direct line with the water-carts, highly polished, the pride of the corporal in charge. The personnel eventually thought fit to take shelter in an adjacent shell-hole until the Hun had finished his unpleasant pranks.

"Over came the fifth shell with a whistle and a scream, and--bang!--up went the two carts in the air, while shell fragments flew all over the place. Hanging on a line were various articles of washing, the clean clothes of the water-cart crew. These were in the line of fire, and as a consequence were well perforated.

"Now comes the sequel. They were taken to the Quartermaster on the following morning, and, so it is said, he refused to replace them _on the ground that the holes were not the result of fair wear and tear_!..."

* * * * *

Two gentlemen rankers are introduced here.

"After some months of hard roughing it, two of the Battalion cooks decided to apply, modestly, for commissions. So they duly appeared before the Colonel. But the summons to attend did not give them time in which to get out of their cooking rig, and the sergeant paraded them in their old overalls.

"'Hem. Where were you educated?' asked the Colonel of one man.

"'Rugby and Oxford,' was the reply.

"'And what were you in private life?' asked the Colonel, turning to the other.

"'A painter.'

"'A painter?' queried the Colonel.

"'Yes, sir. I have exhibited at the Royal Academy....'"

* * * * *

Many Germans left London when the war started, to fight against us. This is one of them, turned up as a prisoner.

"We were up the line one day when a patrol brought in a Hun prisoner. Of course we wanted information, for we were expecting an attack of some sort that very night. So we hauled our man up before the C.O. and started asking him questions. We tried him in German, and got no reply. We tried French with him, and it had no result. Then, seeing he was eyeing a water-bottle eagerly, I suddenly thought he might be thirsty.

"'Ask him if he would like a drink,' I suggested.

"'I should,' came the reply, in quite as good English as I could have spoken myself. Naturally I was surprised, and I asked him where he had learnt his English.

"'In London, sir,' was the rejoinder. 'I worked as a barber close to Holborn for years.'

"We gave him a little drink of whisky, and he told us there would be no attack that night. But we took no chances. A guard, with fixed bayonet, was placed over him, and he was told in English that he would be the first to get his medicine if he had played us false.

"He had not, however. No attack was made, and he was sent back behind the lines to the 'cage' next day...."

* * * * *

Another.

Overheard in the ranks on the march up the Cambrai Road in a snow-storm to take over at Bourlon Wood.

"Italy!" said the Doc. "It looks more like being _another_ b---- Wood!"

+-----------------------------------------------------+ | EXPERIENCES AS A PRISONER OF WAR--EXTRACTS FROM | | THE DIARY KEPT BY "MR. BROOKS, THE SCHOOLMASTER" | +-----------------------------------------------------+

EXPERIENCES AS A PRISONER OF WAR--EXTRACTS FROM THE DIARY KEPT BY "MR. BROOKS, THE SCHOOLMASTER"

"Reported missing."

Many poignant memories attach to such a bald announcement as this. Dead--probably a prisoner of war--perhaps. And there have been those who would have preferred, had they had the chance, of a death under the open sky to imprisonment under the Hun.

In the diary of a 23rd Royal Fusilier, "Mr. Brooks, the schoolmaster," as he was once dubbed by his captors, tells the story of how he was made a prisoner, his detention by the enemy, and his eventual return home.

The arrival of a parcel, he says, was a red-letter event; the problem of how much to eat at a time, and how much to save out of his rations for the provision of another apology of a meal, was a big one. Boiled nettles and dandelions for dinner and tea on Whit Sunday, 1917, proves what the fare actually was; quarters of eggs were unaccustomed luxuries. "I have picked mouldy crusts off the ground, and prunes off dust-heaps," he says.

Dry bread and tea was a luxurious meal; beards had to be cut, or pulled out by means of borrowed scissors; one loaf, and a small one at that, had to prove sufficient for the needs of five men; there were occasional intervals of twenty-two hours between meals. "We were thinking of nothing but food," he explains. All this time, too, the prisoners were engaged in heavy manual work, humping bricks, loading and stacking hay, and so on.

While in hospital, "Mr. Brooks, the schoolmaster," sold his boots for tobacco and his socks for bread, and he mixed his jam ration with coffee in order to eke it out. "Personally, I am hungry all day long," is how he describes his feelings. "I bought about one-sixth of a loaf for seventeen cigarettes."

"I was rather slow in getting into bed," is how he describes another of his experiences, "and the German orderly picked up my satchel and hurled it against the wall, open as it was, at the risk of spilling its contents."

He pays a deep tribute to the humanity of the French who were still living in the occupied territory; the Belgians he met were also kind; some Germans showed traces of feeling, others were no better than brutes....

Here, however, are actual extracts from the diary itself. They speak for themselves.

"Three or four Germans began to advance, and it seemed to me that the question which had been at the back of my mind since a second or two after the first opening of the guns, Was this the end? was about to be answered....

"With many signs to hasten, my German hurried me on. Soon, with three others, I found myself by poor old Bill Shoebridge, a good old grumbler of some fifty summers, who had been cruelly sent out to us in December, and had kept his end up well, with, at times, many grumblings. He was painfully hit above the knee....

"We came to the village, yet unsmashed, but showing signs that it had received a knock or two. OPPY was printed in black letters on white boards in various places, and after wondering for some time what Oppy meant I found it was the name of a place.... We were then marched off, and after some more wandering found ourselves in a kitchen with two or three Germans, who looked quite comfortable, well fed, and at home....

"The Germans we saw almost all regarded us kindly, though many of them had something of mockery in their looks. We now began to see a few of the French inhabitants. They are splendid. Willingly they give us all they can spare, and much that they cannot. Were it not for the fact that they are not allowed to give, and that all their gifts have to be _sub rosa_, we should, I think, want for little....

"Then came the first unpleasant incident. A poor Frenchwoman rushed out and gave a loaf to one of us. One of the guards, a boy of about nineteen, snatched it out of his hands, and threw it on the pavement in front of the woman.

"At Phalemphin station we were all included in a party of eighty. We were addressed in English by a German officer. The gist of his remarks was that we were to be marched to our destination, and that any man who tried to escape would be incontinently shot, also that any man who did not behave would be punished....

"After this day, Saturday, April 28, for more than five and a half weeks, day in and day out, we left our prison between 6.15 and 6.40, struck work and returned for dinner between 11.15 and 1.30, according to the job, left the prison at 1.30 (if we had not arrived for dinner until after 1 we got extra time), and struck work any time between 5.30 and 10.30....