More Awards for the 2nd Battalion

Acting Major J P Pitts [X550/1/82]

Saturday 8th June 1918

The 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, in support west of Albert had the good news today of three more awards for bravery during the recent German offensives. Acting Major J P Pitts has been awarded the Military Medal. The Distinguished Conduct Medal is a higher award (the other ranks version of the Distinguished Service Order) and has been awarded to both 9126 Sergeant A Cobbold and 8172 Sergeant L Hibbocks.

Source:
X550/3/wd

Forty First Day of the Third Battle of Ypres

Sunday 9th September 1917

Inverness Copse continues to be the scene of bloodshed. Today it is mostly Germanic blood as they launched an attack through the wood on 24th Division but were repulsed after a stiff fight.

Captain J P Pitts [X550/1/82]

Last night 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, suffered a raid. The Battalion is in the front line east of Oostaverne, some way south of most of the recent fighting. The raid fell on A and B Companies. A Company is commanded by Captain J P Pitts, who was able to give your correspondent the following account:  “At 11.55 p.m. the enemy put down an intense box barrage, consisting of light trench Mortars and 77 mm shells, on a front of 400 yards to a depth of 300 yards. The front portion of the barrage, which consisted chiefly of light trench mortars, fell on the front line taking in about 150 yards of A and 150 yards of B Companies”.

“The tail end of the barrage fell on and behind the supporting platoons, the majority of this was 77 mm shells. At 12 midnight the barrage lifted off the front line for 100 yards. The enemy then attempted to rush two of our posts, both of which were Lewis gunners, they both saw the Bosche coming and opened fire, the Lewis Gunner of A Company succeeded in keeping the Raiders off and killing two, but the Bosche managed to get round the right flank of B Company Post”.

“I should imagine the enemy were in our trench for two minutes, certainly no longer. I managed to get to my right post about 12.02 a.m., the Bosche had just left our trench. I then put up Very Lights for ten minutes but could not see any movement, but saw the two bodies about 20 yards from my right post, we at once got them in. The barrage lasted until 12.10 a.m. but after that everything was very quiet”.

“The place the enemy raided was the only part of our line that we had no wire out. Directly the barrage lifted I sent out a patrol to see if B Company were alright, but found they had lost some men”.

In fact it appears that overall three men have been killed, three more are missing and fifteen have been wounded. Also wounded was an attached officer, Second Lieutenant H H Harman of the 32nd Battalion, Royal Fusiliers. One of B Company’s Lewis guns was captured.

Source: X550/3/wd

All Change

Second Lieutenant Pitts [X550/1/81]

Thursday 5th April 1917 from our correspondent in the field

The acting adjutant of the 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment has been in contact to say that two of their company commanders, Captains L F Beal MC and P C Cavan have left the battalion temporarily for a Senior Officers Course of instruction at Aldershot. Lieutenant H de Buriatte has taken over command of A Company and Second Lieutenant J P Pitts "D" Company.

Source: X550/3/WD

Changes in the Second Battalion

Second Lieutenant Pitts

Thursday 14th December 1916 From our Correspondent in the Field

Today your correspondent decided to leave Albert and catch a lift on a General Service lorry to go and visit the 2nd Battalion at Berles-au-Bois. On arrival he found that Second Lieutenant J P Pitts, who had been attending 3rd Army School, had returned and taken command of D Company. Second Lieutenant R E Oakley has taken over command of C Company from Second Lieutenant L A L Fink.

Second Lieutenant Oakley

Whist I was there a draft of ten other ranks arrived from base. They were all men who had served in France and Flanders earlier in the war with a number of different regiments, had been wounded and sent back to “Blighty” as the troops out here call home. Now recovered they have been posted to the 2nd Bedfords.

Source: X550/3/wd

Day One Hundred and Five on the Somme

Captain E S M Poyntz

Friday 13th October 1916 From our Correspondent in the Field

The 2nd Battalion tell me that the night passed quietly and the enemy did not counterattack. Today I have learned a little more about the Battalion’s attack of yesterday. Captain Poyntz told me that they reckon to have gained about 200 yards of Bite Trench and about 70 yards of Gird Trench. He commented: “The Battalion did magnificently and were the only Battalion to gain any ground on the whole of the Corps Front, all the others having to withdraw to their front trenches”. I am very pleased to say that the message carried by second Lieutenant Pitts reached Captain Beal's party last night and they were able to withdraw to the original front line.

Second Lieutenant Chadwick

The total of dead comes, so far, to 82 dead. Officers killed were: Second Lieutenant Joseph Chadwick; Second Lieutenant Harold Fyson; Second Lieutenant Lawrence Walker and Lieutenant William White. Amongst the wounded were Lieutenant-Colonel Poyntz, Second Lieutenant William Bird, Lieutenant R. Hopkins and Second Lieutenant J P Pitts. The latter two were both slightly wounded but remain at duty.

The 8th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, are in front line trenches near Gueudecourt. Enemy artillery has been active, as have snipers. There was an intense bombardment this evening which ended about three-quarters of an hour ago, which we hope does not foreshadow an enemy attack. So far today casualties have been four other ranks killed and eleven wounded.

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

Day One Hundred and Four on the Somme

Thursday 12th October 1916 From our Correspondent in the Field

Lieutenant-Colonel Poyntz

This morning 2nd Bedfords spent preparing for their attack on Bite Trench. Things did not begin well when the commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel H S Poyntz was wounded whilst explaining plan of attack to company commanders at 11 a.m. 

Second Lieutenant Fyson

A curious incident occurred about this time - a party of Germans (two officers and about fifty men) appeared in Gird Trench without any arms. They made signs of surrender, but hesitated to come over for fear of being shot, Second Lieutenant H G Fyson, however went out and spoke to the German Officer who got back into the trench, but just as he got in, someone fired a shot at him, and after this, naturally they did not surrender and come over to our lines.

2nd Bedfords' sketch map of the plan of attack

This might have seemed a good omen. The attack commenced just after 2 pm but owing to the Battalion’s trenches not facing the objective the companies on the left had to make a turn across the enemy's front which was only 250 yards away.

The attack was made in four waves, C and D Companies forming the first two waves, C Company under Lieutenant R Hopkins on the right and D under Captain L F Beal on the left. B Company formed the third wave under Captain E S M Poyntz and A Company formed the fourth wave, in support, under Lieutenant W White. The distance between each wave was one hundred yards.

Second Lieutenant (later Captain) Reiss 

At first all went well on the left until the first wave of attackers reached a small ridge about sixty yards in front , when it came under terrific machine gun and rifle fire from the left and front in Gird Trench, causing many casualties. They pushed on and got within fifty yards of Gird Trench, but the fire was so great that they were held up owing to having so many casualties. Second Lieutenant Fyson, the would-be negotiator of the morning, was killed and Second Lieutenant J Reiss wounded in the first five minutes of the attack. Here the attackers had to lie out until nightfall, as the 17th Battalion King’s (Liverpool) Regiment on their left were also held up and could not advance.

Second Lieutenant L H Bird

Further right, however, C and D Companies made better progress and passed over the Southern end of Gird Trench towards Bayonet Trench. They also came under heavy machine gun fire, this time from Gird Support Trench and got held up. At this time, about 3 p.m., Second Lieutenant Bird and Second Lieutenant Walker, who supervised digging of the assembly trenches last night, were killed.

Captain E S M Poyntz

On B Company reinforcing the attack they pushed on again and captured about 200 yards of Bite Trench, which is a shallow communication trench, much blown in. Seeing that Gird Support Trench and Bayonet Trench were very strongly held and being under very heavy enfilade fire from Gird Support Trench, Captain E S M Poyntz and Lieutenant R Hopkins decided it was useless to attempt to get further, so they dug in along the captured portion of Bite Trench. 

Captain R Hopkins

This they did under heavy enfilade fire. This portion of Bite Trench was converted by B and C Companies into a magnificent fire trench and is very important owing to the observation that can be obtained from it. Half of A Company converted the Southern portion of Gird Trench and placed a block about 70 yards up. An attempt was made to cut a trench from here to contact up to D Company who were isolated and digging in about seventy yards to the West of Gird Trench, but this had to be given up owing to the enemy's fire on this point.

Captain L F Beal

All hopes, I have been told, have given up of trying to get in touch with D Company under Captain Beal, who is isolated with about fifty men. Several messages have been sent, but the runners were either killed or wounded. Eventually 2nd Lieutenant J P Pitts got back to Headquarters with a message and he took back orders for Captain Beal to withdraw to his original position after dark. We hope he finds him.

Second Lieutenant J P Pitts

Thus the attack by 30th Division on Gird Trench has had mixed fortunes. Less has been achieved than was hoped but not everything has ended in failure, with some ground having been taken. On the left of the division 9th (Scottish) Division made an attack towards the Butte de Warlencourt but were only able to progress about one hundred yards due to intense fire.

To the left of 30th Division, 9th (Scottish) Division attacked the Butte de Warlencourt and a small stand of trees known as Little Wood. These places were not taken, but an advance of 200 yards was made

To the right of 30th Division, 6th Division, though not 8th Bedfords, made an attack today on Zenith Trench between Lesboeufs and Gueudecourt but were repulsed. The 8th Bedfords are in front line trenches east of Gueudecourt from which they relieved the attacking battalions yesterday. Other attacks by the Division gained some small success. 12th (Eastern) Division made some small gains also. One of the attacking units was the Newfoundland Regiment, temporarily attached from 29th Division. These men from the wild east coast of Canada suffered terrible casualties in unsuccessful attacks on 1st July. Today they enjoyed a bit more success and have suffered many less casualties. Their bravery in July was an exemplar to all in the army and their work today, though slight in its gains was, we understand, carried out with the same gallant determination.

On the right flank of the British Army on the Somme, 4th Division attacked alongside the French and managed to get five hundred yards forward. Attacks on Rainy, Dewdrop and Spectrum trenches have met with failure, however.

Source: X550/3/wd