The Army to be Reduced in Strength

Monday 21st January 1918

8th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment has been in the vicinity of Bailleulmont, south-west of Arras. Yesterday it moved south-east to Courcelles-le-Comte via Bailleulval, Basseux, Ransart, Adinfer and Ayette. The billets taken over were in a good condition. The adjutant merntioned that the marching of the Battalion was good throughout.

Today the Battalion moved out of Courcelles and marched south-east to Lebucquière via Achiet-le-Grand, Bihucourt, Bapaume and Fremicourt. The battalion marched by companies at intervals of 100 yards. Transport moved in the rear of Battalion in two portions. The marching, again, was good throughout and very few men fell out.

Yesterday Field Marshal Haig, commander-in-chief of the British Expeditionary Force wrote to General Byng commanding 1st Army, as follows: “The situation with regard to man-power has rendered it impossible to maintain all the units now in the field, and in consequence the Army Council have issued orders that a large number of battalions must be broken up. I wish, through you, to convey to the Commanders and all ranks of the battalions about to be disbanded my great regret that this step should have been found necessary”.

“I know how deeply officers and men will feel the severance of the ties binding them to the units in which they have served and fought with such splendid gallantry and success and with which they had hoped eventually to return home after the great struggles had been won and their task achieved. But I know also that since this reorganisation has to be it will be accepted with the loyalty and devotion with which every trial has been met by British officers and men throughout the war”.

“Please convey to the officers and other ranks concerned, with my deep appreciation of their services in the past, my confidence that they will accept this disappointment in the right spirit and will give to the new units to which they are transferred the same devotion and espirit-de-corps that they gave to those they have been with until now”.

If this situation applies to 1st Army it will obviously apply to the other four armies on the Western Front, too. Given that it seems likely that some of the battalions of the Bedfordshire Regiment may be disbanded in the weeks and months to come(1)

Source: X550/9/1

(1) Each of the three service battalions of the Bedfordshire Regiment, 6th, 7th and 8th would be disbanded between February and May. The lack of manpower was due, in large part, to a political decision to withhold younger men from being sent as reinforcements to France. This was due to the high casualty rate in battles such as the Somme and Third Ypres and the belief in certain parts of the government that the generals were profligate with the lives of their men. It resulted in brigades being reduced from four to three battalions and divisions from twelve to nine. Despite losing a quarter of their strength the BEF was told by the same government that it had to take over an increased frontage by replacing French divisions south of the River Somme down to Saint-Quentin. This front was thus held too thinly to stop the great German offensive which would begin on 21st March.