Friday, 18 August 2017

Nineteenth Day of the Third Battle of Ypres


Saturday 18th August 1917

Another day without rain. 43rd Brigade of 14th (Light) Division went into action today. They have been given the unpleasant duty of attacking Inverness Copse, graveyard of so many of the hopes of 18th Division, as well as temporary resting place of so many of its men. Men from the Somerset Light Infantry and Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry, with support from tanks, have been able to advance half-way through this troublesome wood and are consolidating their positions. These woods - Inverness Copse, Glencorse Wood, Nonne Bosschen and Polygon Wood are, once again, underlining how difficult large bodies of shattered trees are to take, as did the numerous woods on the Somme last year.

We have heard from 7th Bedfords. They got on trains at Dickebush Railhead and have moved to the town of Arneke some miles to the west of Ypres, in France. They will be heading for billets in a village called Buysscheure a few miles to the south-west of Arneke as I write these lines.

Source: X550/8/1

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