Salvage Work at Isolated Wood

Monday 6th May 1918

The 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment remains active in Palestine. They are in the front line east of Jaffa and just north of the old German Templar colony of Wilhelma(1). Over the last few days the, the adjutant tells us in a wire, they have been at a position called Isolated Wood. They reconnoitred this place on 3rd May and found an abandoned Turkish ammunition dump. They looked for more the following day and yesterday salvaged twenty-eight rounds of 4.1 inch (105 mm) artillery shells. 

Meanwhile here on the Western Front 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment following its rest, refit and training after its exertions in the March retreat and at Villers-Bretonneux in the middle of last month, is back in the battle zone again. At 9.30 this morning it boarded a fleet of buses at Warlus and ended up in Contay. From there it marched to Warloy-Baillon, mile or two south-west of Bouzincourt and so near enemy-held Albert, and took its place behind the front line in Brigade Reserve. 

Sources: X550/6/8; X550/8/1

(1) Today Bnei Atarot on the eastern perimeter of Ben Gurion Airport.

Cloud and Rain

Saturday 16th March 1918

D Company of 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, managed to salvage another hundred Turkish artillery shells on the night of 14th/15th near Mejdel Yaba. Yesterday morning snipers were sent out and remained out all day, which was very dull, the clouds hanging on the hills and making observation very difficult. In the evening heavy rain fell. Patrols sent out at dusk found no sign of the enemy.

Source: X550/6/8

Excitement at Wadi Rabah

Friday 15th March 1918

During the night of 13th/14th March, a platoon from D Company, 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment at Mejdel Yaba(1) salvaged about a hundred shells. These were probably left by a Turkish mountain gun battery which is known to have been somewhere in the vicinity. Meanwhile the companies in the line worked on their defences - sangars - small enclosures made of rocks.

The Bedfords are in the line with 75th Division, a mixed formation of units from the British Army and Indian Army. Just before dusk it was reported by Outram’s Rifles(2), on the right, that the enemy were concentrating in front of C Company. A patrol was immediately sent out but could find no trace of the enemy. At the same time a British aeroplane was dropping lights and firing tracer bullets about 1500 yards to the north of the nearby Wadi Rabah. The 'plane did not leave until quite dark. Patrols were sent out to the wadi at dusk and returned about 9 p.m. having found it to be all clear of the enemy.

Source: X550/6/8

(1) Now Rosh Haayin

(2) Formerly 23rd Regiment, Bombay Infantry 

Salvage

Lewis Gun by Balcer on Wikipedia

Friday 16th November 1917

Salvage is important. That has been the word from British Expeditionary Force General Headquarters. Salvage means retrieving such items as weapons, ammunition and steel helmets from battlefields so that they can be re-used. This puts less stress on the factories at home and round the Empire which are running at full steam to produce enough of these items to feed a front which seems to have an inexhaustible appetite for the material of war, just as it does for the men that use it.

The adjutant of the 6th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, tells us that the battalion is in the front line near Hollebeke. Today A Company was shelled by our own heavy guns though, fortunately, no casualties have been reported. The adjutant reports that a great deal of salvage work has been done by the reserve company at Corner House. After so great a battle as the Third Battle of Ypres has been there will, sadly, be many former soldiers in need of burial and equipment in need of salvaging.

Men I have spoken to at the front, not unnaturally, express a preference for salvage duty over burial duty. A number of them have cheerfully requested that this organ of news make known their theory that salvage would be greatly increased by the payment of a bounty - perhaps sixpence for every dozen rifles retrieved, or a shilling for a usable machine-gun.

Source: X550/7/1

News from Palestine

Sunday 6th May 1917

We have heard from Palestine about the doings of the 1st/5th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, in the aftermath of the unsatisfactory Second Battle of Gaza back in mid-April. They have been patrolling and salvaging. Yesterday a small party found six boxes of small arms ammunition, 71 sets of equipment, five Lee Enfield rifles and three identity discs from dead bodies. Another salvaging party recovered two discs from dead officers and thirty other ranks belonging to various units.  Patrols have found the Turks hard at work on defences against another attack on Gaza which both sides know will be coming at some point(1)

On a lighter note we have heard from the 1st Battalion. They are in tents near the village of Roclincourt, just north of Arras and a few miles behind the new front line. Today they played 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment at football, though the score, being, no doubt, top secret, was not divulged.  

On the Bullecourt battlefield today the Australians have been attacked by the enemy in the trenches they took a few days ago. The Germans employed flamethrowers, or flammenwerfers as they call them, and these proved highly effective, driving the 3rd Australians out of some of their line. However, reinforcements from 1st Australian Brigade halted the enemy and pushed him out, actually taking a little more trench than they had previously held in the process. Apparently the bravery of a man named Howell was instrumental in this German reversal and many are already saying he should receive a Victoria Cross for his actions(2).

Sources: X550/2/5; X550/6/8

(1) But not until 1st November.

(2) He did. Corporal (later Sergeant) George Julian Howell had dashed from cover and run parallel to the German advance, meaning he was in the open as the Germans advanced down the trench. He threw bombs at them until he was wounded, causing them to retreat and giving his comrades time to rally and to pursue the retiring Germans. Though wounded he survived the action.