Friday,
15th Sep 1916
By 2.30am,
the entire 50th Divn was assembled in its' battle
positions. The 150th Bde were on the left flank
of the 50th Divn sector with the 15th
(Scottish) Divn to its immediate
left, the 149th Bde were on the right flank with
the 47th (London) Divn to their right, immediately
south of High Wood. The 151st Bde was held in reserve.
The
7th Bn assembled on the left flank of the 149th Bde
sector and sited its' headquarters (HQ) in Clark's
Trench (map ref: S.3a 1,0). The 4th Bn moved into
the two lines of assembly trenches on the right flank,
connecting Bethel Sap and Jutland
Avenue, to the north of Clark's
Trench (principally Eye Trench) (map ref: S.3b 6.6
- S.3b O5.5.). Running from left to right the 4th
Bn Coys were ordered D, B, A and C. Bn HQ was sited
in Clark's Trench (map ref: S.3c.4.9). The 6th Bn
manned the support line with its' HQ at 'New
Quarry' (map ref: S8d 9.9.5).
The 5th Bn was held in reserve with HQ at the 'Old
Quarry' (map ref: S.8b.8.1).
149th Bde HQ was located in 'The Quarry' at (map
ref: S.8b.8.1).
The
50th Divn were given three objectives for the attack
planned to commence at 6.20am. The
first was Hook Trench,
which ran westward from High Wood along the top of
a ridge to a point south east of Martinpuich. On
the reverse slope of the ridge at about 500 yards
distance was the second objective; Martin
Trench, The
Bow and a portion of the Starfish
Line. The third objective was Prue
Trench and the left
end of the Starfish Line. These three objectives
were known as the Brown, Green and Blue Lines respectively.
A communication trench known as Crescent
Alley linked the enemy first
and second lines with their third line and the village
of Eaucourt L’Abbaye.
The 50th Divn would attack from a line approximately
eleven hundred yards wide, widening to eighteen hundred
yards at the final objective.
The
4th Bn were faced with an unenviable task. Earlier
fighting had left a 'dog-leg' in the front line,
therefore the 4th Bns' assembly (Eye) trench was
three hundred yards further forward than those of
the 47th Divn on the right flank. If the fusiliers
did not delay their advance until the 47th Divn were
alongside they would be totally exposed to enfilade
fire from enemy machine guns sited in the strongpoint
on the ridge top at the north west corner of High
Wood (Bois De Foureaux).
From this strongpoint it was possible for the enemy
to rake the ground between the wood and Martinpuich
to the west. The strongpoint had been repeatedly
attacked in the weeks preceding, but with no success.
However, if High Wood was outflanked by the 4th Bn,
there was the possibility of capturing trenches eight
hundred yards to the rear of the wood and cutting
off the enemy units in it. The decision was taken
for the 4th Bn to advance at zero hour. 
The
assault on the first objective, assisted by tanks
for the first time in history, commenced on time.
Two of the tanks supported the 150th Bde on the left
flank and three supported the 47th Divn on the right. Around 7am, 4th
Bn HQ recorded its first situation report from the
attacking troops. It was sent by OC 'B' Coy (Capt
L.D.Plummer) and stated that; Hook Trench had fallen
with little opposition, contact had been established
on the left flank with ‘D’ Coy (OC -
Capt H.H. Bell) and the 7th Bn and that the 7th Bn
were in contact with the 4th Bn East Yorks (150th
Bde). Shortly after this message another was received
stating that wounded men from ‘B’ Coy
were returning to the start point.
4th
Bn HQ telephoned Bde HQ at 7.14am to
report that the first objective had been 'made good'.
However, the 4th and 7th Bns had just begun to dig
in at the first objective when they came under heavy
machine gun and rifle fire from the direction of
High Wood. The fusiliers took shelter until it was
time to advance on the second objective at 7.20am.
The
time arrived and the 149th and 150th Bdes climbed
out of Hook Trench and advanced behind a creeping
artillery barrage moving forward at fifty yards per
minute. At
the same time a Coy from the 6th Bn, (OC - Capt Tweedy),
moved forward to occupy and consolidate Hook Trench.
At 7.27am Bde
HQ received a report from the 4th Bn stating that
the advance to the 2nd objective had begun in good
order and that the enemy barrage was falling almost
entirely in front of the 1st objective. This was
followed at 7.35am by
a report from the 141st Bde stating
that they were 'held up' in the front line in High
Wood.
The
second objective was captured and fusiliers of the
4th Bn entered the Starfish Line, but enemy fire
from both flanks inflicted very heavy casualties
on them. Wiith the 47th Divn held up in High Wood
and unable to provide any support on the right flank,
the 4th Bn were forced to fall back to Hook Trench.
The severe difficulties experienced by the 47th Divn,
in High Wood, meant that the right flank of the 4th
Bn was now dangerously exposed and would had to be
carefully guarded from attack. Hook Trench and Bethel
Sap were strengthened and made secure.
At 7.45am 4th
Bn HQ received a message from Bde HQ stating that
the 47th Divn attack on High Wood had ground to a
halt and that the 5th and 6th Bns were now advancing
in order to reinforce the attack.
Col
Gibson had no men to spare in Clark's Trench, so
at 8.05am he wired for another Coy
to be sent forward to Clark's Trench with the intention
of forming a defensive flank in Bethel Sap, and sent 2nd
Lt Wilson (Bn HQ) to assess
the situation to the right of Hook Trench. His report
stated that the north end of Bethel Sap and right
end of Hook Trench was being swept by machine gun
fire from High Wood.
At 8.20am 4th
Bn HQ received a further message from Bde HQ, which
stated that the London Irish were
unable to advance in High Wood, so they were now
trying to work round it. The 4th Bn was ordered to
assist them by directing Stokes
Mortar and Lewis Gun fire from
Bethel Sap onto the north western edge of the wood
(map ref: S3B 8.6), but not to fire into it.
At 8.25am two
Coys from the 5th Bn were sent forward to Brecon
Trench and Intermediate Trench
and shortly afterwards a Coy from the 6th Bn (OC
- Capt Demford) were placed at the disposal of Col
Gibson by OC 7th Bn. Half of this Coy was sent to
Bethel Sap and half to the left end of Hook Trench
with orders to work along half right and form a defensive
flank. At 8.50am 2nd Lt Wilsons'
findings were reported to Bde HQ by Col Gibson. However,
by 9am further reports were sent
stating that Stokes, Vickers and Lewis guns were
protecting Bethel Sap and that Hook Trench was held
for a few yards east of its junction with Bethel
Sap. At 9.05am the 9th DLI were
sent forward to assist the 149th Bde.
At 9.15am a
wounded NCO from the 4th Bn reported that the 2nd
objective had been reached on the right flank, however,
they had been forced to retire due to the machine
gun fire coming from the right flank.
At
9.25am the
4th Bn reported that the enemy had launched a
bombing attack on Bethel Sap from the direction
of High Wood, this was quickly followed by a
request for bombers to be sent forward to assist
with the defence. At 9.39am a
Coy from the 6th Bn, who by now were in Clark's
Trench, were placed at the disposal of OC 4th
Bn and a Coy from the 5th Bn moved forward to
take its place.
The
4th Bn received a message at 9.45am,
stating that Divn HQ had directed that Hook Trench
must be made good and strengthened as far right as
the Divn boundary. Hook Trench and Bethel Sap were
strengthened and the right flank was secured as far
as it was possible, with Lewis Gun and Stokes Mortar
fire employed to disperse the continued attacks by
enemy bombing parties from High Wood.
At
10am the
5th Bn were ordered to move three Coys forward
to Brecon Trench and to be prepared to support
4th Bn should an enemy counterattack from High
Wood materialise. Parts of
the third objective (Starfish Line) fell to the
150th Bde around this time, but the 4th Bn East
Yorks were forced to fall back to Martin
Trench because
they were so exposed on the right flank. Elements
of the 7th Bn had managed to reach 'The Bow'
and the sunken road immediately south of it by 10.12am,
but the 4th Bn had been cut to pieces by the
fire from High Wood
While
fighting continued on the right flank to the north-west
of High Wood, where the 6th Bn were now providing
a defensive flank.
10.10am 4th
Bn reported having sent half Coy to Bethel Sap and
half Coy to left flank of the 1st objective to bomb
down Hook Trench. Enemy still bombing down the right
flank of Hook Trench.
10.12am the
7th Bn reported that the Sunken road and Bow Trench,
just short of the 2nd objective, had been reached.
“By
10.30am so little progress had been made that Pulteney
curtailed the corps' effort for the day and ordered
the 50th and 47th Divns to aim only for the second
of their three objectives.” (Farrar-Hockley).
At 10.35am a
Coy from the 5th Bn (OC - Lt Daglish), arrived in
Clark's Trench to garrison it. At 10.40am 2nd
Lt Wilson was sent forward once more to assess the
situation around Hook Trench. Half
of Lt Daglish’s Coy was sent forward to bomb
round Hook Trench on the right and make contact with
Bethel Sap.
At 11.30am heavy
artillery bombarded the north west corner of High
Wood at the request of the OC 141st Bde. As the 47th
Divn gradually worked round High Wood the enemy began
to retire and were again caught by machine gun fire
from the 149th Bde. Approximately one hundred Germans
who had been caught in this machine gun fire subsequently
surrendered. High Wood was then cleared, step by
step.
News
of the frontal attack on the second and third objectives
was slow to come in and was principally based on
disconnected statements from wounded men for quite
some time.
At 11.40am 2nd
Lt Wilson returned to Bn HQ and reconfirmed his previous
report. Lt Westrope RFA reported
that he had taken command of ‘C’
Coy because all of its officers had either been killed
or wounded. Lt Westrope was himself then hit, so a
Cpl led the 'C' Coy attack against the second objective,
which they appear to have reached.
By 12
noon all of the 6th Bn were involved in
the action, so the CO (Col Spain) moved his Bn
HQ forward into Clark's Trench.
By 1pm the
47th Divn had succeeded in clearing the enemy from
High Wood, but it was to late the damage had been
done.
By 3.30pm shellfire
had forced all of the 4th Bn back to Hook Trench.
So when Col Gibson moved his HQ into it he discovered
that it was in a poor state with a muddle of fusiliers
from all four Bns. However, the men were quickly
sorted into their Bns and communications established
with the Bn of the 47th Divn on
their
right flank. At this time there were also approximately
one hundred men of the 7th Bn in the Sunken
Road forward of Hook Trench
and south of 'The Bow'. With
the exception of a handful of men that withdrew with
2nd Lt Browne (Bn HQ) around 1.30am on
the 16th, when part of the 47th Divn arrived, all
men of the 149th Bde forward of the Sunken Road had
become casualties. This was still the situation reported
to Bde HQ at dusk.
At 4pm it
was reported to 50th Divn HQ that the 150th Bde had
been shelled out of the Starfish Line and were holding
on to Martin Alley and
Martin Trench.
At 5.45pm General
Wilkinson ordered the 151st Bde to launch an assault
on Prue Trench between the right boundary of the
Divn and Crescent Alley at 7.30pm.
The 150th Bde were tasked with occupying the rest
of Prue Trench and linking up with the 15th Divn
in Martinpuich.
The
dispositions of the 149th Bde at 6.55pm are
thus given in the Bde diary;
“Scout
officers have been in touch with a body of men,
strength unknown, holding part of Starfish in M.34.a
(second objective on right of Divn front). About
one hundred men consolidated strong point M.33.D.26
(this was the sunken road between the first and
second objectives, occupied by the 7th Bn).” (50th
Divn)
About 7.30pm.
The 151st Bde passed through Hook Trench to attack
and consolidate the Starfish Line and Prue Trench,
where the situation had been unclear all day, but
the attack failed.
About 9.40pm the 5th
Bn Border Regt, 6th
Bn DLI and 9th
Bn DLI assaulted Prue Trench
east of Crescent Alley following a special bombardment.
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