Day Sixty Three on the Somme

Friday 1st September 1916 From our Correspondent in the Field

Today sees the beginning of a third month of fighting in this Battle of the Somme. The longest continuous battle in which British forces have taken part in this war before this was the fourteen days of the Battle of Loos. Indeed, one questions whether this really is a battle at all, it is more like a long, protracted siege and the longest of those in which the British Army has ever been engaged is the siege of Gibraltar from 1779 to 1782, which lasted three years and seven months. Today there was been more serious fighting in Delville Wood. 24th Division has attacked the wood from the east but has been able to make no progress.

Second Lieutenant Christopher Blake

The 1st Battalion are currently in Silesia Trenches, just north of Maricourt and now, after two months’ fighting some way behind the lines. They have been finding working parties nearer the front line, which have been heavily shelled with tear gas and other gas shells. The adjutant described Silesia Trench to me succinctly as “in a very bad condition and insanitary”. Second Lieutenant Blake and Second Lieutenant Williams, along with thirty other ranks have just joined as reinforcements.

Second Lieutenant H D Chester

The 2nd Bedfords are at Gorre, near Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée, where they were for much of 1915. They, too, have had reinforcements including Second Lieutenant I T M Collins, Second Lieutenant W H Bird and Second Lieutenant H D Chester.

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

Day Fifty Seven on the Somme

Saturday 26th August 1916 From our Correspondent in the Field

Today the 1st Bedfords have moved from Méaulte to Bronfay Farm near Bray-sur-Somme. This is still well behind the lines.

The other regular battalion of the Regiment, 2nd Bedfords, are currently at Gorre near Béthune, miles to the north. Their adjutant has wired that Sergeant R A Foster, Corporal F Selby, Private S F Burrows and Private A Girdlestone have all been awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the recent Somme battles(1)

The Australians have had another crack at Mouquet Farm today and have occupied a trench leading to it. Sadly, no further progress could be made.

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

(1) 18551 Private Samuel Foster Burrows MM, of B Company and from Fulham [London] would be killed on 11th February 1917. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial. 10835 Private Albert Edward James Girdlestone MM would be killed on 5th January 1918. He also has no known grave, being commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial near Ypres.

The East Anglian Royal Engineers and Their Monorail

Tuesday 6th July: The 1st/1st Field Company, East Anglian Royal Engineers are at Gorre in northern France, near the town of Béthune: They have taken over the work and supervision of the 2nd Line Defence known as The Village Line, with support points at Cambrin, Pont-Fixe and Windy Corner, Cuinchy (which already existed but had become into a bad state of repair). These were reconstructed and new works made.

Deep dugouts with ferro-concrete walls and roofs were constructed. Walls were loopholed and barricaded with sandbags and second roofs of ferro-concrete to the cellars were made and the cellars where the levels of floors permitted were defended by loopholes for rifles and machine-guns. The houses on the Cambrin-Pont-Fixe Road and the Pont Fixe-Windy Corner Road were also defended in a similar manner.

 A simple design of monorail has been erected in Hertford Street Trench for means of transport. The principle points in the design of the rail are that it can be erected in any good communication trench and will carry any load of reasonable dimensions not exceeding 250 lbs at a fast walking speed and little labour. The most usual loads are found to be dixies(1), rations, ammunition, bombs, sandbags and wounded men. A special stretcher was designed for the latter to overcome difficulties of suspension and taking wounded round trenches, which zig-zag in shape rather than linear. A special chair was also designed for the same purpose and can be adjusted to any angle according to the requirements of the wound, This chair can be handled by one man. The increase of speed and reduction of labour in using the rail have been most marked.

Source: WW1/WD3

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(1) Mess tins

It's Quiet

Sniper camouflage at the Imperial War Museum

Wednesday 4th November 1914: Both our battalions in the front line have had a relatively quiet time. The 2nd Bedfords, in the more volatile area of Ypres have been shelled again today and some of their men were buried by a trench which caved in due to the force of the explosion. They have lost one man killed.

The 1st Bedfords have also lost a man killed. They were in the front line at Festubert but have been relieved during the day and have returned back to Gorre. This “daily wastage” of men, as the army terms it, will probably become the norm from now on whilst units are in the front line. Men can be killed by snipers and by artillery even when otherwise relatively secure in trenches. With winter coming on we can also expect that men will fall ill with various complaints which, at home, might even be relatively trivial, such as a cold, but which, in an environment exposed to the elements, living in thick mud or drifting snow whilst under constant strain might lead to serious complications such as bronchitis, pleurisy or even pneumonia from which men in a weakened state may succumb.

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

Taking Stock

Tuesday 3rd November 1914: Both our battalions in the field have had relatively uneventful days so we thought we would take stock of their positions. The 1st Battalion have been at rest behind the lines at Gorre but will be proceeding back to the front line near Festubert today. This part of the front seems a little quieter than the area around Ypres but the enemy can make sudden local attacks at any time and so the men in the front line must always be vigilant.

The 2nd Battalion is still in trenches south of the Menin Road facing the village of Zandvoorde which was lost on 30th October. They have been shelled today but there has been no further attack after the Germans’ unsuccessful attempts yesterday.

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