Tuesday 26th
September 1916: From our Correspondent in
the Field
Today the
attacks of yesterday have continued, albeit at a more local level. But the
principal action today has taken place on the great bastion of German defenses
on the Somme, Thiepval Ridge. Without this place being captured any meaningful
advance towards Bapaume is impossible, as it dominates the whole battlefield.
We have heard from the adjutant of the 7th Bedfords, Captain Bridcutt, that
they are likely to have a hand in this struggle, but more of that later.
Another major advance took place today on the Somme, a fine, clear day with temperatures in the low seventies. 56th (London) Division took the northern end of Bouleaux Wood and met up with the French at Combles which they then took, adding another village to the trophy list for this long battle. On their left 21st Division took the village of Gueudecourt along with the dismounted 19th Lancers from 1st Indian Cavalry Division.
The capture
of Gueudecourt is another very important event but your correspondent hopes
that readers will forgive him if he now concentrates on events around Thiepval.
The attacking forces here, from east to west were: the Canadians between
Courcelette and Mouquet Farm, 11th Division around Mouquet Farm and 18th (Eastern)
Division at Thiepval itself.
The Canadians
attacked just after midday and advanced their line by about 1,000 yards north.
This evening they are dug-in, expecting a counter–attack. They are just short
of a main German defensive position called they have dubbed Regina Trench after
the principal city in Saskatchewan.
11th Division
have finally completed the capture of Mouquet Farm, begun by the Australians on
14th August, so to that division belongs the glory of achieving something the
Antipodeans could not quite manage. Most of the ruins above ground had been
taken but it was the cellars and dug-outs beneath that restricted capture and
here a subterranean battle has been fought through the day with the 6th
Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment (Pioneers) completing the capture and
taking over fifty prisoners into the bargain. The rest of the division was less
successful as they ran into a very strongly fortified German position called
Zollern Redoubt north of Mouquet Farm. The division has suffered very large
numbers of casualties owing to this redoubt.
There are
three of these redoubts that ring Thiepval from the east (Zollern) to the
north. That to the north of Thiepval is called Schwaben Redoubt and that
between Schwaben and Zollern is named Stauffen, or Stuff, Redoubt.
The village
of Thiepval has held out against attacks ever since 1st July and today it has
been attacked again. 18th Division, of course, were one of only two divisions
to achieve all their objectives on the opening day of this battle so to them
has fallen that enormous task of finally taking Thiepval. 53rd Brigade made an
attack from the south and manage to advance as far as Zollern Trench which runs
eastwards from Thiepval and this trench they took.
7th Bedfords
formed the reserve for the attack by 54th Brigade. This attack was conducted on
a very narrow front- just 300 yards, the right flank resting on the road from
Thiepval to Authuille, and involved going up the slope south-west of the
village. The attack was held up by machine gun fire from the ruins of the
château which lay directly in the men’s path, but then a “tank” arrived and
managed to keep the machine-gunners heads down long enough for the position to
be taken. This evening a large part of the village is in the brigade’s hands with
the northern part still holding out. Captain Bridcutt mentioned to me a few
minutes ago that this looks as if it will be the Bedfords’ task for tomorrow –
the final capture of the village of Thiepval.
Source: X550/8/1
