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.

Royal Engineers on the Somme

Dyke Valley shown in black

Friday 2nd February 1917 from our correspondent in the field

The 1st Field Company East Anglian Royal Engineers is still on the Somme. Their varied tasks include supplying skilled labour, constructing dug-outs, repairing billets under the orders of the Town Major, Ovillers Area, laying trench boards in communication trenches and building a sandbag barricade as a defensive measure across a place called Dyke Valley {shown on the map above).

Source: WW1/WD3

Day Forty Four on the Somme

Sunday 13th August 1916 From our Correspondent in the Field

There have been no French attacks between Maurepas and Guillemont today and so no units from our army have advanced either(1). So far August has seen considerably less activity than July and all of it seems to have been concentrated into small areas rather than the sweeping attacks which characterised 1st and 15th July. It is not clear to we “newspapermen”whether this is a well-thought-out strategy by High Command or local responses made by officers on the ground.

The fighting continues at Pozières. 12th (Eastern) Division, supporting the Australians, has been involved in hand-to-hand fighting with the enemy west of the village and south-west near the fortress village of Ovillers, which fell a month ago on 14th July.

(1) In the event the French were receiving German counter-attacks following French successes on the previous day and so no advance could be made.

Day Sixteen on the Somme

Sunday 16th July 1916 From our Correspondent in the Field

Today I understand from the adjutant that 7th Bedfords, currently out of the front line at Maricourt, were ordered to be prepared to attack the village of Guillemont but as they began to move off around 2 pm the order was cancelled as the Germans were still holding parts of Delville Wood and Longueval village, immediately west of Guillemont. Sadly the South Africans have been so decreased in numbers that their attempts to take the last portion of the wood (the north-west tip) have come to nothing. An attack to take the northern part of Longueval village by other units of 9th Division was also repulsed.

Elsewhere the village of Ovillers has finally fallen after sixteen days of attacks. The victors, we believe, were units from 25th and 48th Divisions. In High Wood the units of 7th Division in the wood were withdrawn just before midnight in the face of overwhelming German numbers and strong defensive positions.

Source: X550/8/1