Battalion Headquarters in the Front Line - from The History of the Fifth Battalion Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment (TA)
Saturday 19th May 1917
Last night 1st/5th
Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment was relieved from the front line near Gaza. By
exchange of telegrams, your correspondent was able to learn something of what
they had been doing in their tour in support to the front line and in the front
line itself in addition to what has been reported in the last few days.
During the
whole period the Battalion found working parties. The whole Battalion less
necessary specialists worked at communication trenches for three to four hours
each night, cutting a considerable length of new trench and openings to allow
stretchers to pass, another the long length. The whole battalion was employed
for about four hours a day - generally between 7 and 11 a.m. - on erecting
terraces and dug-outs and also in building splintered roof verandahs on these
terraces which act as protection nfrom artillery to the dug-outs behind.
During the
period that the Battalion was in the front line trenches six hours work a day
was performed usually from 7 to 9 a.m. and from 7 to 11 p.m. This work
consisted chiefly in reconstructing fire bays, levelling parapets and heaped up
traverses, widening and deepening the communication ways behind the firestep
and constructing deep dugouts and company headquarters.
There has
been a considerable amount of sickness and a very large proportion of this is
due to slight abrasions got while digging, and at other times, becoming septic.
It was found useful for each company headquarters to keep a bottle of iodine
and some cotton wool and orders were issued that any man who grazed himself,
however slightly, was at once to be iodized.
Meanwhile at
Hulluch on the old Loos battlefield 8th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment’s
commanding officer Lieutenant-Colonel Lord Ampthill has left the battalion and
proceeded to General Headquarters for employment under the Director of Labour. The
new commanding officer is Major H R McCullagh.
No comments:
Post a Comment