13th
November 1916
Orders
were received stating that the 1st
Divn would relieve the 50th Divn between the 17th and 19th of
November.
At 6.30pm,
Bde HQ issued an operation order, detailing the 5th
Bn to attack on the right flank and the 7th Bn on
the left. The 4th Bn were to be held in support with
two Coys in Hexham Road and
two in the Flers Line (with 5th Bn Green Howards
attached). The 6th Bn were to hold the front line
from the left of the 7th Bn to the Bde Boundary on
the left and support the attack with Lewis Gun and
rifle fire.
During
the night of the 12th/13th Snag
new support trench was dug and completed and Pioneer
Alley was cleared as far as possible. To make it
passable approximately two hundred duck-boards were
laid cross wise in Snag Trench.
At 5.45am a
Chinese barrage was laid down on Hook Sap and the
Gird Line. With the artillery suddenly opening and
the barrage steadily creeping forward, it gave the
Germans the impression that an infantry assault was
in progress.
This
of course, alarms the Bosche, who thinks we are coming
over, and brings down all his artillery barrages
too. These bombardments took place at 6am for several
days’ (Glubb
p76))
Enemy
retaliation was very severe especially on Hexham
Road, where an intense barrage was put up for an
hour. Bn once again had several casualties from shell-fire.
The
relief of the Bn by the 5th Bn commenced at 8pm,
‘C’ and ‘D’ Coys moved back
to the Flers Line, but ‘A’ and ‘B’
Coys remained at Hexham Road. The relief was completed
at 11.45pm.
the
5th and 7th Bns moved into position during the night
ready to attack Hook Sap and the Gird Line at 6.45am.
‘The
position was now as follows. The 1st Divn had pushed
the enemy back to a line running along the top of
a ridge running from the Butte of Warlencourt practically
due east. This ridge prevented our seeing the enemy’s
approaches and support position in Le Barque. On
the other hand from Loupart Wood the whole of our
approaches and support trenches were in full view
of the enemy, as far back as High Wood. Across these
two miles no one could move in daylight without being
seen by the enemy, and there was practically no position
to put our field guns forward of High Wood. The enemys’ front
line consisted of two trenches - Gird Line and Gird
Support - with a forward trench on top of the ridge,
called on the left
‘ Butte Trench and on the right ‘Hook Sap’.
Our front line Snag Trench and Maxwell Trench lay this
side of the ridge and about two hundred yards away
from the German forward trench’. (Capt
Francis Buckley, Q6a)
‘The
Butte of Warlencourt was a round chalk hill, rising
about one hundred feet above ground level; and had
been mined with deep dugouts and made into a formidable
strong point. From the Butte, machine guns defended
the approaches to Hook Sap, and the Hook Sap and
the Gird line, machine guns defended the approaches
to the Butte. The ground between and around the opposing
trenches had been ploughed up with innumerable shells,
some of huge calibre, and it was now a spongy morass,
difficult to cross at a walk and impossible at a
run. As events proved, unless both the Butte and
the Gird Line could be taken at the same time, the
one would render the other impossible to hold. This
then was the problem that faced the 50th Divn, a
problem that would have been difficult enough in
the driest of weather, but rendered four times more
so by the rain which fell in deluges on three days
out of four during the whole of October and November’. (Capt
Francis Buckley, Q6a)
‘A’ and ‘D’ Coy were in Hexham
Road and ‘B’ and ‘C’ Coy
in the Flers Line when the 5th and 7th Bns went ‘over
the top’ to attack Hook Sap, alongside troops
from the 2nd Australian Divn. On this occasion mist
obscured the attacking troops from the troops in
the Flers Line. The enemy defensive barrage was very
prompt, opening up within two minutes of zero hour.
The
19th Australian Bn in conjunction with the 5th and
7th Bns took Gird Support. However, the trench was
waterlogged, so they fell back to Gird Trench. The
7th Bn appeared to have taken Hook Sap, but they
came under severe fire from Butte Trench and nothing
more was heard from them. The day wore on and counterattacks
were fought off. Two Coys of the 20th (New South
Wales) Bn attempted a move against the Maze at 4.45pm
but were stopped by machine gun fire. (McCarthy.
p.156).
At 10am Capt
RW Cranage was slightly wounded by piece of shrapnel
in Flers Line.
On
receipt of this news a sap was begun running out
from Snag Trench to Hook Sap, the men digging hard.
This sap was begun by 'D' Coy of the 4th Bn, who
had been detailed for the work in operation orders.
But at 11.30am they had to cease
digging as the enemy machine gun fire was too heavy (50th
Divn)
‘D’
Coy, under the orders of the 7th Bn, proceeded from
Hexham Road to the head of Pioneer Alley to continue
this Communication Trench towards Hook Sap. Machine
Gun fire was so heavy that the party returned to
Hexham Road.
At 2.35pm ‘A’ Coy
was placed at the disposal of the 5th Bn. At 5pm 2nd
Lt T Bonner and fifty men reinforced the Gird Line
on right (held by 5th and 7th Bns) with bombs and
occupy left flank portion of line next to enemy.
This party was engaged in heavy bomb fighting all
next day.
3.30pm Trenches
.
CO
moves to Hexham Road to meet GOC 149th Bde
At 5pm ‘B’ and ‘C’
Coys move up to Hexham Road. ‘D’ Coy moves
up to Snag trench front line.
At 6.30pm ‘B’ Coy
moved to Snag trench to dig a Communication Trench
from the head of Pioneer Alley to Hook Sap. ‘C’ Coy
moved to Snag left of Pioneer Alley. Capt JW Robinson
(OC ‘B’
Coy) was killed while leading a patrol reconnoitring
Hook Sap.
At 11pm Lt
Col B.D. Gibson and Maj N.I.Wright (5th Bn) went
forward to reorganise the front line prior to an
attack. For this task they had one Coy from the 4th
and 7th Bns on the left and another Coy from the
4th Bn and the remains of 'A' Coy from the 7th Bn
about thirty men.
The
two coys in
Starfish Trench went forward and occupied positions
in Prue Trench vacated by the 7th
Bn, who had gone further forward. Later in
the day these Coys were recalled as the 7th Bn
were returning there. The Bn expected to be relieved
that night, but at 3pm orders
were received that stating the the 4th and 7th
Bn should relieve the Durhams in
the front line. The 4th Bn relieved the 8th Bn
DLI and 5th Bn Borders.
The weather and the mud was appalling and a large
number of bombs had to be carried forward, so the
men were absolutely exhausted. The relief was not
completed until about 9am on the
morning of the 3rd.
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Copyright NStorey 2004 |
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