1st Battalion Relieved

Monday 18th February 1918

1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment has completed its first spell in the front line in northern Italy. It has been at Bidasio on the southern bank of the River Piave. As I write these lines they are being relieved by the 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment and will be marching back to the town of Visnadello. The adjutant remarked, in his wire, that enemy aircraft have been very active at night.

Source: X550/2/5

New Colonel for the 1st Battalion

Monday 18th December 1916: From our Correspondent in the Field

The 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, are currently at Béthune. Today they have been joined by Lieutenant-Colonel F N Butler from the 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment and he has assumed command of the Battalion. He was previously commander of 5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment. They have also been joined by Second Lieutenant J M Stantan from 16th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment.

Source: X550/2/5

Gased by the Germans

Ampthill Road, Shefford [Z1306/101/3/2]

Thursday 13th May 1915: Last week a report was received in Shefford that Private Algy Breed, C Company, 1st Bedfordshire Regiment, had fallen a victim to the asphyxiating gas used by the Germans on Hill 60 on the 19th April. Happily, the report was unfounded. On Monday three letters written from the trenches on the Hill and dated 27th April, were received by his wife, his father and Mr. Alldritt. They had taken a fortnight in transit!(1) Another letter to his wife, dated 9th May, was received by her on Tuesday. In his letter to Mr. Alldritt, Private Breed says: "I am quite safe and well, which I am very much pleased to say, for I have been in the hottest shop since the war began for shell fire, and all other sorts of fire, for the Germans used nearly everything in the way of killing; and they did kill and wound ever so many of the fellows of our regiment, and another, too(2). I thank God for sparing my life, for I am sure He has answered many a prayer which has been sent up by us. I said my prayers as a good many more did, for I am sure that all who were there were in the jaws of death. You would have thought the same if you had been there, which I am very pleased to know you were not. Well, sir, I am sure I did my best to help to hold the Hill, and I am sure that all of the 1st Beds Regiment did the same. I and all of us were very pleased when our reliefs came. As soon as we were relieved we were soon off out of it, for we had had enough of it for three days, but they kept on shelling us all the time we were going away out of the trenches to our other place to have a rest, which was, however, a very unpleasant one, for we were turned out at night and marched off towards the line again. So in our three days' rest we were very uncomfortable and at the finish we had what you would call no rest at all. All this was on taking that Hill. I am in the trenches now writing this. It seems such a long time since I heard from you last, and I should like to have another letter from you, or from anyone else from Shefford(3)".

Source: Bedfordshire Times 14th May 1915

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(1) Every effort was made to get mail to and from the troops as quickly as possible in order to maintain morale.

(2) 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment

(3) Happily, Algy Breed seems to have survived the war though five other men called Breed were killed with the regiment during the war.

The Bedfords Hold Hill 60

Wednesday 21st April 1915: yesterday at 6.30 pm the Germans made another attack on the 1st Bedfords, holding Hill 60 with 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment. This came after a day of interminable bombardment from three sides as the hill sticks out into the German lines. The attack was beaten off as was another at 8 pm. The adjutant reports that casualties on both sides have been very heavy. He adds that German machine guns and now firing into the flank of their position, as mentioned yesterday, this unpleasant situation is known as enfilading fire.

He goes on that German artillery is within thirty yards of the hill, firing at his men at point blank range. Strikes from shells have blown the trench parapet to pieces “mangling the defenders”. Our own artillery dare not fire at these guns for fear of hitting the defenders of Hill 60 and so giving them fire to cope with from a complete 360 degrees. They also seem to be ineffective at taking out the larger German guns, a good way behind the German lines, which are also doing great execution. He tells us that four officers have been killed and eight wounded. Over four hundred other ranks have been killed or wounded, thus reducing the battalion to about half strength. As he spoke to us men from the Cameron Highlanders and 1st Devonshire Regiment were beginning to relieve the battered Bedfords and Surreys who will leave this wasteland of shell craters and corpses to rest and sleep at Reningelst.

Source: X550//5

Terrible Shelling at Hill 60

Tuesday 20th April 1915: At Hill 60 south-east of Ypres 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment is holding the newly won Hill 60 along with 1st Battalion, East Surrey Regiment. They have suffered from a huge German bombardment all night which has lasted into this morning. The guns are close and on three sides of the hill, which juts out into the German lines. This means that shells are coming from the side, or flank, a situation known as enfilading fire as well as from the front. It must be terrible. No doubt further German attempts to take the hill will be made during the course of today.

Source: X550/2/5

The Bedfords In Charge of Hill 60

Monday 19th April 1915: As we predicted yesterday the Germans have spent much of the day trying to retake Hill 60. They succeeded in retaking part of it, though, seemingly, at great cost to themselves. Around six o’clock yesterday evening the two companies of 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, which had been held in reserve counter-attacked the Germans and drove them from the lodgement they had made on the hill. At this point the Brigadier-General commanding 13th Infantry Brigade handed over command of Hill 60 to the Bedfords’ commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Griffith DSO. The Bedfords have 1st Battalion East Surrey Regiment to help them hold the hill.

For two companies of the regiment to help take the hill and for the other two companies to help secure it means that the regiment has achieved something of real value to the war effort.  The value of this place is clear by the amount of shells and bullets that the garrison are having to endure as we write this. The adjutant of the Bedfords’ tells us that casualties are likely to be severe. So far the battalion has lost four men killed on 17th and thirteen men yesterday as well as numbers of men wounded.

Source: X550/2/5