Yesterday in Palestine

Saturday 3rd July 1918

The 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment are currently in the front line at Mejdel Yaba north-east of Ramleh. A desultory shelling has been carried on by our guns for the last two days and the Turks, by the reckoning of the adjutant, have only fired two rounds of high explosive and six rounds of shrapnel. He also noted that patrolling is difficult because of long, dry grass, which can conceal snipers and picquets until one virtually stands on their toes.

Source: X550/6/8

Day Sixty Nine on the Somme

7th September 1916: From our Correspondent in the Field

This morning 56th (London) Division have finally taken over the line vacated by 5th Division. This includes Leuze Wood, which was captured unopposed on 5th and 6th.

Leading on from our concersation of yesterday, the Commanding Officer of 1st Bedfords, Colonel Allason, has sent me a copy of the recommendations he has made in the light of the recent attacks.

1. Orders were not always issued in sufficient time; thus the Order to attack Falfemont Farm at 6.30 p.m. on 3rd, was only received at 6 p.m.

2. Communication between Brigade Headquarters and the Battalion was bad. An Operation Order to make an immediate attack on Falfemont Farm, issued at 12.30 a.m. on the 5th only reached Battalion at 8.0 a.m., though the distance was under a mile. It was taken by a relay runner who lost his way.

Where relay runners are used they should be stationed at telephone test stations, so that the line can be followed. This is especially the case by night. If the shelling is very severe these test stations should be closer together and cover provided. An advanced "exchange" should be made where reports as to progress made, etc., can be duplicated and sent out to neighbouring units. Patrols can very rarely obtain this information.

3. When an important success has been gained, fresh troops should be available to take advantage of it before the enemy has time to re-organise, but where this is not so even tired troops can push on provided their flanks remain secure.

Some sort of signal, such as rockets or flares, visible from an Observation Post should be pre-arranged.

Both field and heavy guns should lift 800 yards or more according to the nature of the signal, and thus enable the advance of our Infantry to continue.

4. One or two Field Guns pushed well forward may be of great assistance in dealing with a counter attack.

5. The "P" Bomb for dug-outs and the arrangement of carrying 2 grenades per man proved invaluable.

6. A machine gun pushed into the front line safeguarded the left flank. Lewis guns were pushed up close behind the line of bombers (the ground was convex) and did excellent work at close range.

7. Military police stationed on main avenues of approach and close to the front line could send back into action cases of pseudo "shell shock" and also men not carrying back their full load.

7th Division made another unsuccessful attack on Delville Wood this afternoon.

Source: X550/2/5

A Complaint by the Artillery

 A British 6 inch howitzer at IWM Duxford

Tuesday 16th November 1915: With some wry amusement, as there is often little love lost between infantry and artillery, the adjutant of the 2nd Battalion tells us that the divisional artillery has complained of their men using the la Bassée Road as far as a barricade at a certain point where there are artillery observation posts. Apparently this means the posts are liable to shell fire by the enemy, which cannot be tolerated so the infantry must go another way. Of course shell fire in their position is something the infantryman in the front line knows all about!

The adjutant of the 6th Battalion tells us that two inches of snow fell last night. In order to avoid the debilitating condition of trench foot, where men can lose toes or whole feet to gangrene, their socks are being sent out of the trenches to be dried and the men’s feet rubbed with oil. Later today the men are to go back behind the lines to bathe.

Sources: X550/3/wd; X550/7/1

What an Artillery Duel Means

Sunday 25^th July 1915: Trooper W T Hobkirk of A Squadron, Bedfordshire Yeomanry tells us: “Before leaving England I often read in the papers such a sentence as this: “There were several infantry attacks and an artillery duel near ---“. I cast the paper aside considering this no news. Now my opinion is changed for I have an idea of what actually happens in an artillery duel. Last week we were billeted in a wood, as we were on a trench-digging expedition. It was generally known by midday that the previous night the Germans had successfully driven out some of our men from the trenches. On returning to our billet, after witnessing a lot of aerial scouting and wondering why our airmen were taking such enormous risks, for they had been shelled heavily there was a bang, but no one took any notice as it is nothing to hear these explosions, for, as our men at the guns say “We must send them a souvenir now and then to let them know we are still here”. A shell had left the gun, silence and then a distant rumble told us the shell had found its mark. Bang again; still no notice was taken. Again the guns spoke, but there was to be no silence this time, no isolated shots now but one continuous roar, as that of a huge waterfall. Certainly none of us had witnessed anything like it before. In spite of all this tumult the western sky reddened and another day was about to close, and perhaps the lives of brave men fighting were coming to a close with it. But the day’s work was not finished, at least, not as far as the Allies’ guns were concerned. The darkness came, and most of us were keen to see what we could of this wonderful warfare. In the distance, from a mound in our wood, we saw enough to make us thank God we were fighting on the English side. The noise was now more British and more deafening. The enemy were replying to the best of their ability, and I am sure no orator, with the best of lungs, could have made himself heard a dozen yards from his listeners. The guns sent forth death messages with a goodly streak of light, but the exploding shells created much more light. Along the whole line of trenches the Star shells gracefully rose and flared up like a magnesium wire, spluttered out like a rocket and fell, reminding me of the fireworks at the Stadium, White City. At last roll-call came. The din lasted four hours: the shortest four hours I ever remember, and still they were at it; but it was time for us to retire, so we left the mound and slept peacefully. Next day several German prisoners were taken through; they had been captured when our men re-occupied the lost trenches. I spoke to some of our artillerymen and by all accounts on the previous night only twenty guns of ours had been in action, so I can imagine the din when 350 guns were on the go at Neuve Chapelle”.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard 6th August 1915