Ninetieth Day of the Third Battle of Ypres

Sunday 28th October 1917

We understand that 5th Division is being relieved in the front line by 14th (Light) Division following its attack two days ago. The 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment have been relieved by the 1st Battalion, Devonshire Regiment. The relief began at 4.45 pm and is drawing to its conclusion as I write these lines. The adjutant tells me that during the time the battalion was in the line it has suffered 101 casualties to other ranks, with two officers also being wounded one of whom, Second Lieutenant Croockewit, has subsequently died of his wounds.

Source: X550/2/5

Eighty Ninth Day of the Third Battle of Ypres

The attack on 26th October

Saturday 27th October 1917

Early this morning Hawke Battalion of 63rd (Royal Naval) Division recaptured Banff House. This strong-point had been taken in yesterday’s fighting but as darkness gathered last evening the troops inside had been forced to withdraw by enemy pressure. Some more ground has been taken by 4th Canadian Division, too. In fact they have taken all their first objective, which, again, pressure had forced them to relinquish yesterday.

Last night the 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment was relieved in the line by a battalion of the London Regiment. The adjutant explained to me, rather acidly: “This relief was about the worst on record, the relieving troops losing their way up and becoming thoroughly disorganised. The relief was not complete until about 10 a.m. this morning”.

Things are stirring in Palestine, as a few had predicted. With the arrival of the cooler weather another attempt to take the town of Gaza from the Turks seems to be on the cards. The adjutant of the 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment has explained to us that on Thursday they worked on Gas Training with box respirators then attended a demonstration by 1st/4th Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment on scaling cactus hedges. He notes that the General Officer Commanding XXI Corps (Lieutenant-General Edward Bulfin) came to the decision that it is better to use a spade to dig through a hedge instead of using scaling ladders as the place or hole once cut through the cactus hedge is permanent while scaling ladders easily break and are by no means permanent.

Yesterday more training with box respirators was undertaken. These were only issued to the Battalion on Wednesday. Less happily a Field General Court Martial assembled at headquarters for the purpose of trying 200456 Private Arthur Horace Holderness. We are pleased to report that no execution followed(1)

Source: X550/6/8

(1) No member of the Bedfordshire Regiment was executed during the First World War. Over a quarter of a million men from the British and Imperial forces were subject to court martial during the war with nine in every ten being convicted; 3,080 were executed. Common crimes were: absence without leave; drunkenness; desertion; insubordination and loss of army property such as a rifle. There is no record of Private Holderness’ offence. As well as death, and far more common, was imprisonment or field punishment. Field Punishment Number 1 involved being shackled to an object such as a wheel and left for up to two hours over a number of days. Field Punishment Number 2 involved being shackled by not attached to anything. With both the object was to humiliate the prisoner.

Sixty Second Day of the Third Battle of Ypres

Sunday 30th September 1917

Today the action at Ypres has been restricted to the area of 23rd Division, just north of the Menin Road. They relieved 33rd Division in the line last night. It may be that the enemy realised a relief was under way and sought to exploit the natural confusion that prevails at these times, or it may be they had planned an attack anyway. However it may be, the attack was made with the aid of numerous flame-throwers but was driven off by the 9th Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment of 70th Brigade.

Once again it has been a dry day, so the latter part of September, blue and clear and well and truly autumn, has mocked the high summer days of August, so full of greyness and rain.

Fifty Fourth Day of the Third Battle of Ypres

Second Lieutenant F C Baldwin [X550/1/81] 

Saturday 22nd September 1917

Today the army has been busy spending a second day consolidating the gains made on 20th September, bringing up the runs, re-registering them on the next series of targets and so on. It is the third day in a row without rain, though the battlefield still resembles a swamp in places.

Second Lieutenant D D Warren [X550/1/81]

Following their action on 20th, the 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment has moved back to a camp near the remains of the city of Ypres, though they have been finding some working parties in the front line. Five subalterns have joined them today - Second Lieutenants: D D Warren, J Kerr, W S Goble, F C Baldwin and S Courtney(1).

Second Lieutenant J Kerr [X550/1/81]

The 6th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, we have been told, have relieved the 6th Battalion, Cheshire Regiment, of 39th Division in the front line, at six hours’ notice, being brought up in a fleet of buses. The Battalion was heavily shelled on its way up to the line and the laconic adjutant of the Battalion simply described the whole operation as: “Extremely difficult”. 

Second Lieutenant S W Goble [X550/1/81]

Two officers, Captain J Hislop MC and Second Lieutenant C E Inch have been killed along with four other ranks, twenty men being wounded. The line they have taken over is shown on the map above, facing south-east.

Second Lieutenant S Courtney [X550/1/81]

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

(1) Second Lieutenant Frederick Charles Baldwin, from Bletchley [Buckinghamshire], would die on 11th May 1918 and he is buried at Esquelbecq Military Cemetery.

Quicker Relief

Sunday 27th February 1916: So bad has the weather been in France with heavy falls of snow and freezing temperatures that the adjutant of 2nd Bedfords tells us that they have been informed that all front line units will be relieved after just 48 hours in the line. He commented that it will still seem an eternity.

Source: X550/3/wd

What Happens at Night in the Trenches

Sunday 7th February 1915: Units only spend so long in the front line. Every so often, more often in winter, they are relieved by another unit. Private L. A. Wise of the 2nd Bedfords, whose mother lives at 22 King’s Place, Bedford, describes what happens: "We relieve another Regiment as soon as it gets dark, and then begins the sport. The other night my chum and I carried a plank with us from our billet and before we had time to get down in the trench the plank floated away from us and after all that trouble we went into our knees in mud. We had to laugh, although we had to swear a bit”.

“When it is our turn in the dug-out which runs our section during the day, because we are on duty at night, we get some wood and coke, which we have issued to us, and make a good fire to thaw us a bit and dry our boots and legs, because we have to stand all night, and when it rains we cannot get under cover. My trousers have got two holes in them where my knees knock together because we get so cold. We are well provided with gloves and scarves, which we have sent out to us”.

“We get plenty to eat considering the times, so we have not much to crib at, but every soldier cribs because we think it is a part of our rations. Tell the boys at home that there is plenty of room in the trenches where I am”.

Source: Bedfordshire Times 5th February 1915

Taking Over

Wednesday 13th January 1915: The 1st Bedfords are today taking over front line trenches near Wulvergem from the Dorset Regiment. The relief, as it is known, tends to happen at night and as quietly as possible to hide the fact that it is occurring from the enemy. This is because it is a hazardous time both for the unit withdrawing and the unit coming in to replace it.

Such wholesale movement, involving up to two thousand men in a very confined area, means that they are, inevitably, more focused on the task in hand than on the enemy and this can result in showing themselves above the parapet, with the inevitable tragic result. It also means that there is a certain amount of disorganisation which can lead to any raid by the Germans meeting with considerable success, even to the extent of taking the front line trench.

Source: X550/2/5