Attacks on 1st and 2nd Battalions

Saturday 27th April 1918

Last evening the 2nd Bedfords, now part of a composite battalion, were lining the Yser Canal from Lock 8 to Spoil Bank but had just been outflanked by the enemy crossing Norfolk Bridge near The Bluff. Number 1 Company was forced back and about midnight was ordered to withdraw.

The front line now runs from Zillebeke to Lock 8 on the canal. The composite battalion was able to withdraw successfully behind this line last night with few casualties, though in the fighting 107 men had been wounded. They are now at Scottish Camp, south-east of Poperinge.

The 1st Battalion, west of Estaires, were also attacked today. They were relieved during the day and have withdrawn to a camp in a wood. 

7th Battalion have withdrawn from the line. They marched to Amiens and were then taken by bus to Avesnes-le-Comte west of Arras.

Sources: X550/2/5; X550/3/wd; X550/8/1

Action at Cachy

Thursday 25th April 1918

Yesterday the 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment went into action near Cachy. They were to attack the road from Villers-Bretonneux south to Aubercourt to relieve German pressure on Cachy as they made a determined move on Amiens. At 10 o'clock last night, in complete darkness, the battalion moved into the assault and encountered only slight resistance for the first thousand yards or so. C Company was on the right, B Company in the centre and A Company on the left. D Company was in reserve but after those first thousand yards were brought into the line.

The battalion had both flanks in the air and was met with vicious fire from the enemy. 7th Battalion, Royal West Kent Regiment was attacking on the battalion's right and the Australians on the left. The men from the Antipodes and from the Medway encountered difficulties and their advance was slower than the Bedfords. We understand that the only officer left alive and unwounded was Second Lieutenant Tysoe(1). He reorganised the line and sent back a stream of accurate reports.

Throughout the day the enemy tried to dislodge the Bedfords from their temporary position. The battalion geld a frontage of about 1,100 yards and the right flank was reinforced by 54th Company, Machine Gun Corps. As I write the battalion is still defiantly in place, blocking the approaches to Amiens.

Meanwhile 1st Battalion is also in action this evening. They are between Merville and Lamotte, west of Estaires and tasked with advancing the line and capturing the remains of a farm which has been dubbed Bedford Farm.

Sources: X550/2/5; X550/8/1


(1) He would receive the Distinguished Service Order for his actions in this action.

Messines Falls

Wednesday 10th April 1918

As was anticipated yesterday, reserves brought up by general Horne, commander of 1st Army, have stopped the enemy in its tracks at Estaires; the ruins of the town itself have fallen, but the line has been stabilised just beyond them.

However, today the Germans launched another major assault north of Armentieres. Here, it is reckoned, four full enemy divisions threw themselves against one British Division - 19th (Western). It is not surprising that the enemy were able to make gains They have breached about three and a half miles of front and have advanced about two miles. It is most galling that they have retaken the ruins of the Belgian town of Messines, captured in such brilliant fashion last June. 

the enemy has also overrun the ruins of Armentieres and their progress, so far as we can determine it, is shown in yellow on the sketch map above. There is no doubt that things look trying but confidence is still high that the advance can be stalled.

Fighting at Estaires

Tuesday 9th April 1918

Today at dawn the Germans attacked in strength near Estaires. By great ill-fortune the brunt of their attack fell on the 2nd Portuguese Division. Portugal is this country's oldest ally and in 1916 declared war on Germany. The Portuguese Expeditionary Force, a corps consisting of two divisions arrived in France early last year and has acquitted itself quite well. Sadly, because replacing losses is difficult, the Portuguese units are below strength, particularly as regards officers and this means that their effectiveness is reduced. We understand that the Portuguese troops attacked by the Germans today were due to be replaced in the line during the day, making the attack on them doubly unfortunate.

We believe that the Portuguese troops have been forced to fall back towards Estaires, their positions overrun, but not before fighting bravely and causing the enemy a good number of casualties(1). Immediately to their north are the bantams of 40th Division, men of five feet three and less. They, too, have been forced to fall back, in their case to the north. South of the Portuguese, around Festubert, is 55th (West Lancashire) Division and they were able to fight off the German attack and have given very little ground.

So this evening it seems as if the enemy has made a breach about nine miles wide (shown in yellow on the map above). It is understood that they are now almost into Estaires. Reserve units are rushing to stem this advance and tomorrow will tell us how they fare. Atthis stage, however, there seems every hope that this attack will meet with less success than the attack commenced on 21st March.

(1) The Pork and Beans, as the British nicknamed them, lost about 7,000 men in this attack, about a third of their strength.

Sir John French Addresses the 2nd Bedfords

Sir John French

Monday 12th April 1915: Today Field Marshal Sir John French GCB, OM, GCVO, KCMG, Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force addressed the 21st Infantry Brigade at 3.30 pm just outside the French town of Estaires. He spoke to each of the four battalions comprising the brigade in turn and spoke to the 24 officers and 779 men of 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment as below.

“Men of Bedfordshire – I have come here today to tell you how much indebted I am to you for your recent work. I know what you have done. I know the losses you have suffered. I need not go into the detail of the part you played in the three days’ battle at Neuve Chapelle. But I know no other battalion pushed forward with more gallantry than you did”.

“In the first place you have won ground which will be invaluable in our future operations. You will realize – being intelligent men – that we are fighting the Germans on two fronts. In these attacks it is not so much the ground we gain but the fact that we tie the enemy to the ground in front of us and prevent him sending troops against the Russians on the East and also enable the French to make successful attacks further South(1). In fact we all help each other. Besides being a gain in ground, it was a great moral gain. For you have shown the enemy that you can beat him whenever you chose and I know when the time comes you will do it again. I want every officer, non-commissioned officer and man of this Regiment to feel that I give them my personal thanks for the splendid work that they have done”.

Source: X550/3/wd

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(1) The Germans had just halted a hitherto successful Russian offensive against the Austrians in the Carpathians. French Marshal Joffre was planning an attack in Champagne