Still Fighting Fit

Lieutenant Holbrook [X550/1/81]

Monday 11th February 1918

8th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment may no longer exist as a fighting formation but its men are still fighting fit. A small group, referred to as details, are attached to 16th Brigade Headquarters. Today there was a cross-country run for all units in the Brigade and the 8th Bedfords had five men home in the first six - Sergeant Vivian being the winner in a time of fourteen minutes. Meanwhile Second Lieutenant Oakley and ten other ranks were despatched to join 4th Battalion.

7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment is at Salency east of Noyon. Today the reinforcements from the disbanded 8th Battalion arrived. One of them was Second Lieutenant Arthur Pratt who died of wounds this evening. He had the misfortune to be posted to C Company and shortly after entering a billet it received a direct hit by bombs from enemy aircraft. Nine other ranks were killed outright, two more have subsequently also died of wounds and six more are wounded.

2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment is currently at Moyencourt, south-west of Ham. Lieutenant W J Holbrook has been struck off strength whilst on a six month tour of duty in England. Lieutenant W L Carpenter and six other ranks have joined from 8th Battalion. Today the Battalion was transferred from 89th Brigade to 90th Brigade, replacing 17th Battalion, Manchester Regiment which has transferred to 21st Brigade.

Sources: X550/3/wd; X550/8/1; X550/9/1

Fifty Third Day of the Third Battle of Ypres

Friday 21st September 1917

Readers will recall my caution last evening about the gains of yesterday being subject to enemy counter-attacks. I am surprised, but delighted, to say that there have been none so we may take yesterday’s gains as true gains. There has been some fighting today as 41st Division made an attack using 123rd Brigade. Progress has been slow and limited in the bog which covers this part of the battlefield but a stream called the Bassevillebeek has been reached. The enemy counter-attacked the division this afternoon but all have been seen off. I understand that as I wrote this another counter-attack is developing(1)

As promised, I have been able to discover more of the role of 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, which launched a raid near Hollebeke on the extreme right flank of yesterday’s advance. The report below was handed to me by the commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel C H de St. P. Bunbury and is a copy of the summary sent to headquarters.

Captain W J Holbrook [X550/1/81]

“On the morning of 20th September 1917, zero hour 5.40 a.m. the Battalion carried out two minor operations in conjunction with a general advance of the 2nd and 5th Armies. Captain W. J. Holbrook M.C. and Second Lieutenant T. G. Searle M.C. were in command of a party consisting of fifty other ranks, with orders to raid the enemy Centre of Movement (shown on the map above) for the purpose of collecting information, capturing prisoners and machine-guns and damaging Dug-outs. They were accompanied by a party of eight Royal Engineers with blasting charges”.

Second Lieutenant T G Searle [X550/1/81] 

“The party, on nearing their objective, were fired on heavily both with machine -guns and rifles. This fire, so intense, and the wire discovered to be uncut, made further advance and return impossible. The party, among whom were several wounded, remained in shell-holes during the whole day and returned about 9 p.m. to our own line”.

“Much valuable information was collected from this enterprise”.

Simultaneously with the above, B Company on our left flank pushed forward their left post on the Ypres-Commines Canal to a line from No. 9 Post to the canal, in prolongation of the 6th Battalion, Wiltshire Regiment, thereby advancing about 300 yards. Our line then joined the Canal at about the position shown on the map”.

“This operation was entirely successful”.

The casualties for the raid included Second Lieutenant T G Searle MC who was wounded and is now missing(2). Amongst other ranks they were as follows:

• Killed 8;
• Missing 4;
• Wounded and missing 3;
• Wounded 13.

Lieutenant G R Jacob [X550/1/81]

Other casualties incurred included Lieutenant G R Jacob, who has been wounded, with three other ranks killed and five wounded.

Source: X550/3/wd

(1) It was ended by artillery, machine-gun and rifle fire.

(2) He was evidently killed or died of his wounds that day and he is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, his body having never been recovered.

Forty Third Day of the Third Battle of Ypres

Inniskilling Fusiliers cap badge

Tuesday 11th September 1917

There is an enemy strong-point nicknamed The Hut which the 9th Battalion, Manchester Regiment of 42nd Division attacked today. As with the majority of these small-scale attacks in recent weeks, it proved unsuccessful. We are hearing, however, that they did achieve something remarkable. This was to rescue and bring in for treatment a man of the Inniskilling Fusiliers who had been lying wounded in No Man’s Land since 11th August - exactly one month ago! He had managed to stay alive because the waterlogged ground provided enough liquid for him, but one can only imagine the state of this poor man - in pain, starving hungry and tormented by fear, lying unprotected in a bog for a month whilst the war.

This year has seen two major offensives, in April and May around Arras and now around Ypres. Because they have not been able to receive sufficient reinforcements, 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, in a quiet area near Vimy Ridge, have reorganised into three platoons per company rather than the usual four. At least they have had two officers, Lieutenant J P Kingdon and Lieutenant J B Spreston and 21 other ranks join them in the last two days.

Second Lieutenant A J H Rogers [X550/1/82]

The 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment is today moving back from the front line east of Oostaverne. They are moving into support in the vicinity of Wytschaete. During the relief ten other ranks suffered ill-effects from enemy gas shells. Two new officers joined today, Second Lieutenants A J H Rogers and Second Lieutenant W F Billingham, while Captain W J Holbrook MC has returned from leave.

Second Lieutenant W F Billingham [X550/1/82]

Sources: X550/2/5; X550/3/wd; 

Patrols to See if the Enemy are Retiring

The area patrolled by the 2nd Battalion - Jeffrey Trench shown in red, Jeffrey Support Trench in yellow and Jeffrey Reserve Trench in blue. The objective for B Company is the trench line immediately north of Jeffrey Support Trench and continuing it north-east

Saturday 28th July 1917

Last evening, 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, in the front line east of Zillebeke received a report that the enemy was evacuating his front line trenches north of Ypres. Accordingly, at half-past midnight this morning two strong patrols were ordered to go out and reconnoitre the enemy's front line to ascertain if they were withdrawing on the front opposite the Battalion.

Lieutenant Jacob [X550/1/81]

Patrols from A and B Companies went out. A Company patrol, under Lieutenant G R Jacob, was 3 officers, 14 non-commissioned officers and 43 men. Each man carried two bombs and 220 rounds of small arms ammunition. Nearly all men had shovels and two boxes of bombs were sent to the second line to be carried up as a Company Reserve. The Company went out into No Man’s Land under their platoon sergeants.

Second Lieutenant Collins [X550/1/81]

Jeffrey Trench was safely reached and men came back with the message that it was clear. On this supposition Second Lieutenant I T M Collins and three men were sent out to link up with them and move on to Jeffrey Reserve Trench. He sent back a runner with a message. The runner was wounded and lost the message. All the other patrols in Jeffrey Trench came back without orders and it is assumed that Second Lieutenant Collins is left now with two men somewhere in front of Jeffrey Trench(1).

Captain Holbrook [X550/1/81]

B Company patrol under Captain W J Holbrook consisted of one other officer and forty other ranks with the intention of occupying the enemy line as shown above. With this party were two Lewis Gun Teams. The sentry on duty in an advanced sap reported six Very lights fired from 11 pm to midnight from the enemy’s first line, second line, and also behind the ridge, this was confirmed by Captain Holbrook’s own observation.

He despatched immediately a patrol of five men. On returning they reported having reached enemy wire wire roughly at the spot marked on the map by a pink cross. A Very Light was put up and several forms were seen moving in the trench. They were this time lying on the parapet. As only half of the party returned Captain Holbrook sent out a second patrol to find the remainder. Both parties however returned individually but their reports were identical, additionally one party heard mumbling in the enemy front line and movement on their duck boards. The other party was sniped at on their way back.

At 1.15 a.m. British artillery shelled the enemy’s front line system and fifteen minutes later machine guns fired into No Man’s Land. At 1.45 the battalion on the left of the Bedfords reported that none of them had gone over from their front and said the enemy was still there. At 2 a.m. the enemy traversed the whole of Captain Holbrook’s front line some few times with machine-guns so he dedcided not to go forward.

At 2.30 a.m., however, he sent out two patrols each of five men, with instructions to establish themselves in the enemy's front line. Both parties going to different parts of the trench reported they were fired on by machine-guns and rifles. Captain Holbrook got into touch with the Trench Mortar Officer who arranged to put a barrage on the enemy system from 5 a.m. to 5.15 a.m. This he did, and at 5.15 a.m. our own Artillery barrage opened. The enemy then opened heavy artillery fire on the front line system combined with machine-gun and rifle fire.

Captain Holbrook told me on the telephone: “I did not consider it advisable for a party to leave the trench until 5.35 a.m. when matters had eased somewhat. This they did under cover of smoke and dust and got through the wire and on to Bosche parapet. A sentry on their left immediately shot at them, shouted, and our patrol heard answering shouts in the near neighbourhood. They retired and reached our front line without casualties”.

So it seems the enemy is not making any retrograde movement.

Yesterday 1st/5th Battalion in Palestine carried out another raid on Umbrella Hill. We are still awaiting details.

Source: X550/3/WD

(1) He seems to have been taken prisoner, at any rate he is not listed as dead by Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

8th Battalion Decorations

Lieutenant Holbrook

Saturday 23rd December 1916: From our Correspondent in the Field

The adjutant of the 8th Battalion told me this morning that the Corps Commander presented Military Cross ribbons to Captain J E Black, Royal Army Medical Corps, the Medical Officer and Lieutenant W J Holbrook. He also presented Military Medal ribbons to Privates Aston, Nottingham and Thurgrove.

Source: X550/9/1