Night Manoeuvres

Tuesday 1st May 1917

We understand from the adjutant of the 1st Battalion that they are billeted at the village of Cambligneul, a little over five miles north-west of Arras. They have been practising night operations including attacking over open ground. Special attention has been paid to the training of scouts and specialists such as machine-gunners, signallers and so on.

 Lieutenant Jacob [X550/1/81]

The 2nd Battalion is at Nuncq around twenty five miles west of Arras and five and a halfd miles south-south-west of Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise.  They have been joined today by five new officers - Lieutenant G R Jacob and Second Lieutenants E L Marsden, K C J Jones, S G Hague and S H Smith.

Second Lieutenant Marsden [X550/1/81]

Sources: X550/2/5; X550/3/wd.

The Regiment at Easter

Easter Sunday 8th April 1917

The 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment have spent Easter Sunday on the move. On Saturday they moved from Allouagne, west of Béthune to Bruay-la-Buissiere and this evening they have arrived in Cambligneul between Béthune and Arras. Here they are acting as part of a reserve to the Canadian Corps a few miles away to the east on Vimy Ridge. Major R le Huquet has joined the battalion as second-in-command.

The 2nd Battalion, meanwhile, had an exciting night. About 2.15 am the enemy tried to rush one of their advanced posts just west of the village of Saint-Martin-sur-Cojeul, shown by the blue cross on the map above, but were repulsed.Tonight, the adjutant reports, the commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel H S Poyntz is not at all well and will probably have to go to hospital. His brother is currently away from the Battalion, so Captain R O Wynne will assume command(1).

Sources: X550/2/5; X550/3/WD

(1) This illness occurred a few hours before the Battalion went into action in the opening hours of the Battle of Arras