Thursday 16 March 2017

Raid Cancelled

Second Lieutenant R H Hose [X550/1/81]

Friday 16th March 1917 from our correspondent in the field

Whilst 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, were struggling to take the Bihucourt Line south of Achiet-le-Petit yesterday, 2nd Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment was at Agny south-west of Arras.

At 10.30 pm last night the 18th Battalion King’s (Liverpool) Regiment carried out a raid on enemy trenches on the Bedfords’ left. The Bedfords were also supposed to carry out a silent raid (that is, one without artillery support) at same hour. Frustratingly, this had to be cancelled, as the patrols which went out under Second Lieutenant A Stone and Second Lieutenant C.Shekury reported that trenches where gaps had been made were wired in and that sap heads were not held and also wired in. This barbed wire thus prevented any ingress to the enemy trenches.

In the end, the artillery, barraged the flanks of raid which was to have taken place as well as the enemy’s support line. The enemy retaliated with 77 mm shells which did very little damage and inflicted no casualties.

During the day Second Lieutenant R H Hose of 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, joined the Battalion. Six other ranks also joined from Base Camp.

Source: X550/3/WD

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