Bedfords at Jolimetz

Tuesday 5th November 1918

The advance begun yesterday by our armies continued today. Progress has not been so fast as the top brass might like but this is not down to want of courage or industry by the soldiers. Those of us present last year during the latter stages of the Battle of Passchendaele are minded of conditions then. The roads are practically impassible by continuous, sheeting rain. This makes bringing up the artillery and supplies a very time consuming operation. the rain has also had its effect on the many small brooks in the area, turning them, at times, into veritable torrents. We understand things are as difficult for our American allies south of us, embedded with the French armies but, like our men, they continue to make progress. Rumour has it that the enemy are withdrawing along a line extending from the River Meuse to Condé.

1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, part of 5th Division was in action today. near Jolimetz, a mile or two south-east of le Quesnoy where yesterday the New Zealanders returned, for a few hours, to the Middle Ages in storming this walled fortress town. Jolimetz is also on the north-west limits of the Forest of Mormal. The Bedfords seized their first objective without opposition but encountered machine gun fire in advancing towards their next objective which, despite casualties, they also took.

Source: X550/2/5

The Attack Goes On

Monday 4th November 1918

The great allied offensive clicked into gear once again this morning. The aim has been to break enemy resistance south of the Condé Canal and undertaking an advance in the general direction of Avesnes, Maubeuge and the place it all began for the British Expeditionary Force - Mons.

Fourth Army has had to negotiate the Sambre Canal and also the Forest of Mormal. The canal is only about head-high but is seventy yards wide. Those of us who reported on the Battle of the Somme remember a vile litany of woods which needed to be taken at a high cost in men's lives - High Wood, Delville Wood, Trones Wood and others.

The canal was crossed at first light this morning on planks and pontoon bridges and it is testament to the increasingly feeble nature of our enemy that it was done almost without resistance. One cannot imagine such an undertaking against the German Army of 1916 or 1917. Only 2nd Division suffered significant losses as the enemy resistance here was very stiff indeed. Indeed the fighting was desperate and called for gallantry of a very high order(1).

In the action around the forest there was hard fighting at times over the ground leading up to the trees. However, our tanks worked their magic and an advance of four miles has been made. As part of the action here the indomitable New Zealanders took the walled town of le Quesnoy, scene of fighting two centuries ago during the ears of the Duke of Marlborough. The walls had to be breached and scaling ladders used in old-fashioned style and fighting through the town was hand-to-hand and vicious until the garrison surrendered. Tonight the army is just in front of the Forest of Mormal.

2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, part of 18th (Eastern) Division has been in action around the village of Preux-au-Bois south-west of Maubeuge. Three officers have been wounded and one, Second Lieutenant Abbott has been killed. Seven other ranks have been killed and 34 wounded, with three missing but the adjutant was able to inform be brusquely: "Operations entirely successful"

Source: X550/3/wd

(1) Four Victoria Crosses were won here, two of them posthumously and it was here that the celebrated war poet Wilfred Owen lost his life.

More Advances

Sunday 1st September 1918

Today three divisions to the north of the Somme - in descending order north to south - 42nd, New Zealand and 5th Divisions have made some progress east, the gallant Kiwis, once again, in the lead. On the Somme itself key progress has been made. 38th (Welsh) Division has taken Morval and 18th (Eastern) Division has take the eastern portion of Saint-Vaast Wood. Last night and this morning the Australian Corps crossed the River Somme and drove on Peronne, taking Mont-Saint-Quentin and ending up just west of the town - in German hands since 1914. Everywhere our armies are on the march towards what looks increasingly like a final victory

Marking Time

A7V Captured by the New Zealand Division [from Wikipedia]

Saturday 31st August 1918

Early this morning 42nd Division finally succeeded in taking the remains of the village of Riencourt. The enemy has finally put in a counter-attack against the all-conquering New Zealand Division. They even employed four of their lumbering tanks in the operation but it failed and two of these monsters have been captured by the triumphant Kiwis.

South of this 38th (Welsh) and 18th (Eastern) Divisions have made no set piece attacks today but German positions at Morval and Combles have been systematically bombarded to weaken the defences. That does not mean that the infantry has been idle. 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, for example have pushed forward a series of posts north-east of Combles as shown on the map below. The adjutant reckoned that during the month of August the battalion has captured one German officer and seventy-one other ranks as prisoners-of-war

Source: X550/3/wd

More Success for the New Zealanders

Friday 30th August 1918

With Bapaume taken the New Zealand Division was today given the task of taking two villages to the east of the town - Bancourt and, to the north-east of that place, Fremicourt. The villages have duly fallen and the line taken some two thousand yards forward. Sadly, 42nd Division have been unable to take the village of Riencourt. 

Similarly, 38th (Welsh) Division have been unable to take Morval, mainly owing to the strength of the enemy's artillery barrage on any attempt to get forward. The same artillery has rendered impossible the 18th Division's attempts to make any serious advance though a little ground has been made. 

2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment had been ordered to take a sunken lane north of Combles and the attempt was duly made. However, they could get no further than another sunken lane a little way to the west - both shown on the map below. Sadly some nine other ranks have been killed, five are missing and thirty two have been killed. Amongst officers Captain P J Reiss has been wounded and 2nd Lieutenant A D Greenwood has been killed.

Source: X550/3/wd

Bapaume Falls

Thursday 29th August 1918

Another great leap forward has taken place on the Somme today. 18th (Eastern) Division began its advance this morning at Trones Wood at first light, sweeping through the familiar village of Guillemont an hour later and at Leuze Wood about nine this morning. This evening sees them north, west and south of Combles, though the village itself yet holds out. 

2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, then part of 30th Division lost many men at Guillemont in 1916 so it must have been with great pleasure that this morning they advanced through its few remains without a scratch, following 38th (Welsh) Division. The battalion assisted in the capture of Leuze Wood, and the high ground to the north of it, which gave it little trouble due to the speed and momentum of the advance. Then, as the adjutant informed me a few moments ago: "Our advance was held by strong machine gun fire from the enemy in position along the spur running from Morval southwards towards Combles. the battalion then dug-in as shown on the map above. Altogether four other ranks were killed and thirty-four wounded in today's action.

As already related the Welshmen of 38th Division also advanced today, beginning at Longueval captured the shattered remains of the village of Ginchy and this evening have swept on to take the hamlet of Lesboeufs.

Meanwhile, in the north, the enemy must have evacuated Bapaume as today the New Zealand Division was able to enter the deserted ruins with no finger lifted against it. Similarly 42nd Division took the now empty Thilloy and Ligny-Thilloy. Thus it has taken a mere eight days to advance from Albert to take Bapaume, in 1916 a battle of 144 days brought the army no closer to Bapaume than a few miles to the west. Nothing can so starkly underline the greatly increased efficiency of our own armies and the greatly decreased ability of the enemy to resist.

Source: X550/3/wd

The Fall of Montauban

Monday 26th August 2018

On 1st July 1916 the village of Montauban-de-Picardie was captured by the men from Manchester and Liverpool of 30th Division. A few hundred yards to the west the 18th Division took all its objectives. Today the 18th Division, of Fourth Army, has been in action here again, when 7th Battalion, East Kent Regiment (The Buffs) assisted by 11th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers took the village. The main differences in today's attack were that two years ago the division was attacking south to north whereas today it has been moving west to east. Back then, although successful, roughly one man in ten was killed. mercifully, today's tally of the gallant fallen is nowhere remotely near that number.

Then it was the 7th Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment in action. Today it was 2nd Battalion, which was part of 30th Division two years ago, and held in reserve in case the attack by the northern battalions, whose first major action this was, faltered. In the event the Bedfords were not needed then, nor were they today, simply holding the line in case of a counter-attack which did not materialise.

Further north First Army today undertook an attack around Arras. Between the First and Fourth Armies, Third Army continues to undertake operations around Bapaume. The line has gone forward by another thousand yards during the day. The gallant New Zealanders have now encircled the north of the town, though to the south of the ruins the fighting has been severe where 63rd (Royal Naval) Division has been up against the strongpoint of Thilloy. The 4th Bedfords were to take part in the second wave of the attack on Thilloy and Ligny-Thilloy but never came into action as the initial attack could make no headway. Enemy resistance seems very patchy - in some places the troops are facing the tenacious German army of old, elsewhere the defenders seem to put up little fight. 

Meanwhile 5th Division has taken a troublesome hamlet north-east of Bapaume. There thus seems, despite the problems with Thilloy, every hope that the remains of the town may soon be in allied hands.

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

Back at Mametz

Sunday 25th August 1916

Today the New Zealand Division planned to begin the task of taking the town of Bapaume, with 63rd (Royal Naval) Division advancing in protection of its right flank to the south and 37th Division doing the same job in the north on the left flank. Nothing less than the envelopment of the town was the aim in the hope that the Germans would see all was lost and give up the prize without street fighting, than which there is no worse battlefield for an attacker because the defender has the benefit of cover from houses, interlocking fields of fire and the ability to lay booby traps in ruins.

The attack began at first light  under cover of a thick fog. Good progress has been made and the town is partially encircled. More might, perhaps, have been achieved but 63rd Division ran into the hamlet of Thilloy which the enemy has turned into a strongpoint from which he can pour a deadly fire into attacking troops.

Part of the actions of 63rd Division was 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment which began the advance in support to 1st Battalion, Artists Rifles who themselves followed 189th Brigade. The division was given the job of taking Thilloy and Riencourt. The battalion bypassed Loupart Wood to the south and reached the main road from Albert to Bapaume. Ahead of them la Barque had been penetrated but the division was held up my machine gun fire from the right flank. The divisional commander decided to made a defensive flank against this machine gun fire so the Bedfords, forming part of this flank ended the day facing south-west. A few enemy attacks on the division were made this evening but have, so far, been beaten off.

The New Zealanders flowing round the north side of Bapaume also encountered stronger opposition than their comrades to the south. Tonight the town is not completely encircled but  the troops are in good shape and surround a good portion of it and a heavy German counter-attack north of the town has just been defeated by the 37th Division and the New Zealanders there. Four hundred prisoners have been taken along with machine guns and artillery pieces and continued determined action tomorrow and, if necessary, in future days should result in the fall of the town. 

Further south Mametz and Fricourt, famous names from the first day of the great 1916 offensive on the Somme, have been taken by 18th (Eastern) Division, coincidentally one of the divisions in action in this area on that now long ago July day. 12th and 38th Divisions have also advanced further today.

Source: X550/5/3

Advance on Bapaume

Saturday 24th August 1915

The advance continued today with IV Corps busy west of Bapaume. Whilst it was still dark the gallant New Zealand Division attacked the shattered foliage of Loupart Wood and the remains of the village of Grevillers. Meanwhile 37th Division attacked Biefvillers north-east of Grevillers. The intention was then for the men from the Land of the Long White Cloud to go on and take the town of Bapaume - the target, it may be remembered of four months' fighting in 1916. Around two dozen tanks were available to help the Kiwis in their endeavours.

Despite the rather poor weather today the New Zealanders quickly took Grevillers, though at some cost. At this time 37th Division was fruitlessly struggling to get up to Biefvillers under very heavy fire. rather than making a dash for Bapaume the commander of the New Zealand 2nd Brigade decided to add his numbers to those of 37th Division, surely the correct decision, and by ten o'clock this morning the village was taken. By this time the Germans, seeing the danger of this attack rushed reinforcements to the locality and a counter-attack pushed the leading British and New Zealand troops back from Avesnes-le-Comte. Bapaume may not have fallen today but the Kiwis are confident that it will fall tomorrow.

Meanwhile in the early hours of this morning 38th (Welsh) Division recaptured Thiepval and the Schwaben Redoubt. It will be remembered that Thiepval first fell to 7th Bedfords on 26th September 1916 and was held by the 4th Bedfords for a while during March. Seizing this high ground is vital as it overlooks enemy positions. 

La Boiselle and Ovillers, or rather the pathetic little cairns which mark the graves of the houses in these settlements were also taken by 18th Division. We are given to understand that the Welshmen have captured nearly 150 enemy machine guns today. One hundred and fifty! The enemy usually gives up a single one of these weapons up about as willingly as a healthy man would give up a hand, a fact very suggestive as to the state of the enemy's morale. 

In the south 18th Division has taken the hamlet of Becourt and its wood and elements from three divisions (12th 47th and 58th) have retaken Grove Town. During the 1916 battles Grove Town Camp was a huge staging post for men and material moving up to the front line. Finally the Australians have recaptured the remains of the town of Bray on the north bank of the River Somme. Any of these gains would be significant in itself and so many on one day means that the army is really beginning to believe that the dam of German resistance has cracked and it will only take a determined effort to break it completely.

The Attack on the Somme Begins

Wednesday 21st August 1918

The great attack by Third Army got underway early this morning. Two corps have been involved. IV and V. IV Corps have been in action in the northern part of the old Somme battlefield. New Zealand Division, eager not to let their cousins from across the Tasman have all the glory supported the attack by 37th Division. The village of Puisieux quickly fell and the division finally ended its advance a good thousand yards beyond. It was then the turn of 5th Division to the south of Bucquoy. This formation advanced two miles during the day and well to the fore was 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment

The Battalion went forward at 4.45 in a misty morning. It encountered but slight opposition and the objective was quickly achieved and consolidated as the 1st Battalion, Norfolk Regiment passed through to attack the next objective. Total casualties - killed and wounded were just 46.

The position of the 1st Battalion tonight

63rd (Royal Naval) Division attacked to the north of Bucquoy and the 4th Bedfords were in support to the attack. First, however, they had to get to their attack positions. The adjutant informed me via the telephone that they had considerable difficulty in getting into position near Foncquevillers as the road was blocked by lorries and a tank but they were all in position by 4.15. The attack was made by 189th Brigade and as the Bedfords followed them up the fog made it difficult to see, meaning they became somewhat disorganised. They then followed five tanks to the central part of the railway between Achiet-le-Grand and Miraumont at which point 189th Brigade dug, the Bedfords consolidating the line shown below just west of Achiet-le-Grand

The position of the 4th Bedfords tonight

Further south V Corps were tasked with crossing the River Ancre, of evil memory from the autumn of 1916. 21st Division were around Grandcourt, 17th (Northern) Division at Hamel and 38th (Welsh) Division around Aveluy. The Ancre, it is reported is as much of a swamp today as it was towards the end of 1916. During the day Beaucourt has been taken by 21st Division but the rest of the attack has been unable to make headway because of the marshy nature of the ground, so the Ancre retains its evil name with the army.

Despite this frustration around the Ancre good progress has been made during the day and there is the hope of more steady progress tomorrow.

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