Offensive in the North to Resume

Sunday 13th October 1918

With the British and Imperial forces at the River Selle and Second Army, we understand will continue its break-out from the four year long siege of Ypres tomorrow. With their Belgian allies great strides were made earlier in the month with an advance in one day equivalent to the advance in the whole of the latter half of 1917. With Passchendaele and its ridge once more in out hands General Plumer's troops will hope for similarly spectacular progress in the days ahead.

The Fight Goes On

Saturday 28th September 1918

Today the attack by First and Third Armies continued. 57th and 63rd Divisions penetrated the German defences on the line from Marcoing to Cantaing and took the third objective from yesterday. 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment was still in support after its success yesterday and moved forward to a position near Cantaing in the area marked by a cross on the map above. Yesterday's casualties were one officer and twelve other ranks killed, seven officers and 61 other ranks wounded. Pushing on, the divisions crossed the Schelde Canal and captured Marcoing. Further north the Canadian 3rd Division took Fontaine-Notre-Dame and the left wing of First Army is now level with the left wing of Fourth Army. Today the 1st Bedfords found to their delight that the enemy had evacuated the village of Beaucamps and, in common with other units, moved forward through the ruins.

Further north still a major offensive began today in the shellscape around Ypres. The Belgians and our Second Army, as ever the main axis was the road from Ypres to Menin. Amazingly it has taken just one day for the Belgians to seize Passcehndaele and its ridge, which took our armies four months of the summer and autumn last year. British divisions have managed equally impressive advances - up to five miles. Messines and Wytschaete have been abandoned by the enemy, we understand. All this simply underlines how the allied armies continue to learn new tactics whilst the enemy falters.

Withdrawal from Passchendaele

Monday 15th April 1918

As predicted yesterday, our troops have begun to fall back from the Passchendaele Ridge today. One can only imagine how the men who fought for that ridge, saw their comrades fall, and shed many pints of sweat and, perhaps, blood, too, feel about this turn of events. As indicated yesterday this withdrawal is a strategic necessity, but Tommy Atkins does not have to like it, and doesn't. As far as we of the press corps are aware, the enemy has not followed up the withdrawal of our men, suggesting he is, as yet, in ignorance of it. If so, General Plumer's staff and all involved can congratulate themselves in carrying out that most difficult, as well as most unwelcome, manoeuvre, a retirement in the face of the enemy, to perfection.

Meanwhile the enemy attack towards the River Lys in the area around Bailleul has come to a halt only a little way beyond that town. 

Bailleul Falls

Sunday 14th April 1918

Yesterday and today the enemy has attacked and taken Bailleul, south of Ypres. This has forced General Plumer to make a very unpalatable decision. Much of the ground gained, with so much effusion of blood, last summer and autumn is likely to have to be given up. The Passchendaele Ridge is now a long way further east than the British line south of Ypres. This makes the line longer and, of course, due to casualties since 21st March there are now less troops to hold it. the only way, at the moment, to shorten the line, is to pull it back further west. 

The 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, continues to hold the support line between Pilkem and Langemarck. As they have a Belgian unit on their left flank they have received a distinguished guest - Flemish nobleman Viscount Obert, who will act as translator.

In recognition of the bravery shown by 4th Battalion at Bouzincourt Ridge and during the March retreat. several of its other ranks have received decorations for bravery. Private George Bunyan has received a bar to his Military Medal whilst the following have been awarded that same medal:Sergeant W G Marks; Lance Corporal P le Gros; :Lance Corporal W Batchelor and Private W E Auburn(1).

Sources: X550/3/wd; X550

(1) 14124 Private W G Batchelor MM would die on 27th August 1918 and is buried at Beaulencourt British Cemetery, Ligny-Thilloy

Comparisons

Monday 12th November 1917

It seems clear, with winter drawing near and the weather worsening, that the Third Battle of Ypres must be drawing to a close, of it has not actually done so, especially now the all-important village of Passchendaele and its ridge have been taken. Certainly there seems to be no urgency to troop movements following the last attack on Saturday. This has led the gentlemen of the press corps to compare the great offensive here with that which occurred in the second half of last year on the Somme.

If the battle has indeed come to an end after the attack of 10th November this battle, which began on 31st July has lasted 103 days. The Somme began on 1st July and ended a week later on 18th November, for a total of 141 days. The length of front has, generally been shorter here, but the Somme was a joint attack by our own forces and the French whereas this battle has been carried on solely by British and Imperial forces.

It is reckoned that the Somme saw an advance of six miles at its greatest extent. The gains here have been less but still substantial. The most vexed issue, as always, is the number of casualties, for which there may never be a completely reliable number. Indeed, the numbers for the Somme are still in dispute, one year on. In the end we each did our separate research, each estimated a figure and found the average! We suggest 400,000 British and Empire and 200,000 french casualties (dead, wounded, missing) on the Somme as opposed to 450,000 German. We arrived at figures of about 250,000 for each side in this battle.

These figures are, obviously, guesses and, it may be said, irresponsible guesses at that. Each statistic is a man’s life. What is clear, however, is that this battle has been less hungry of those men's lives. Given the awful conditions prevailing for much of this battle and the fact that the enemy’s fortifications were of longer standing than those on the Somme this shows that our army is becoming more efficient and less destructive of its most precious resource.

I see from my notes that the battalions of the Bedfordshire Regiment involved suffered 1,281 deaths. By my best calculations, after speaking to the various adjutants, the Regiment has suffered something like 339 casualties during this battle, a reduction in the order of two-thirds. Of course, the Regiment was less heavily involved in this battle, the 8th Battalion, for example, playing no part. Nevertheless the numbers are remarkable.

Hundred and Third Day of the Third Battle of Ypres

Saturday 10th November 1917

Two divisions have made attacks here today, in heavy rain and aching mud. The 1st Canadian Division’s 2nd Brigade took all its objectives in advancing the front line on the Passchendaele ridge 500 yards east from the Mosselmarkt-Meetcheele road. They took Venture Farm in so doing.

The British 1st Division also made an attack on the Canadians’ left flank. Only 3rd Brigade was employed but it did not manage to achieve very much. Virile Farm and Goudberg Copse resisted attack, though Void Farm and Veal and Vat Cottages were taken. An advance half way up the slope was made but sent tumbling back by a barrage. In then defending Void Farm they made ingenious use of the mud, making it into the mud-balls which they threw at the enemy who, thinking they were bombs, fell back. It was all to no avail, however, and the farm was eventually retaken by the enemy. Later in the day Tournant Farm was taken and held(1)

(1) The Official History later decided that this was the last day of the battle.

Ninety Ninth Day of the Third Battle of Ypres

Tuesday 6th November 1917

More attacks have been made here at Ypres today. 95th Brigade of 5th Division made another attempt on Polderhoek Chateau. This has not ended successfully as the defences are strong and the enemy brought down a barrage on the attackers which lasted for two hours, so eager are they to retain control of this strong-point.

Meanwhile 2nd Canadian Division used its 6th Brigade to attack the village of Passchendaele. The enemy were seen to be evacuating the village, or more correctly, its rubble on 30th October. Accordingly no real resistance was encountered until they had passed through the village and then took fire from pillboxes on the north side of the ruins. So this village, which has achieved almost the status of a talisman or icon for the army over the last few weeks has finally fallen. The men from the prairies and mountains add another embellishment to their proud record in this war!

1st Canadian Division also made an attack today, seizing a spur of land between Bellevue and Meetcheele. They seized a blockhouse at Mosselmarkt and seized Vine Cottage south of Goudberg. From here, as from Passchendaele there are views over the German lines further east which will be relished by our artillery spotters.

Ninety Second Day of the Third Battle of Ypres

Tuesday 30th October 1917

As expected, 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment has been in action today, for the first time here at Ypres. Altogether four divisions have made attacks towards the village of Passchendaele and its spur.

The southernmost attack was made by 12th Brigade of 4th Canadian Division. The Canadians have suffered heavily, but have taken all their objectives, including Vienna Cottage and Crest Farm. Best of all, patrols pushed into Passchendaele found that the Germans are leaving. No attempt was made to force the village, on the basis that it it wasteful to attack a place the enemy are yielding up. It is hoped that the village can be occupied in the next few days as the division is now consolidating on the western outskirts..

Part of the reason why the Canadians of 4th Division did not advance further is that 3rd Canadian Division, on its left flank, had a more difficult time. Snipe Hill and Duck Lodge were taken, as were Furst Farm, Source and Vapour Farms but they could not advance quite as far as the 4th Division, which tempered its advance to make sure the line kept abreast.

63rd (Royal Naval) Division used its only formation of army troops, 190th Brigade, in its attack. They went over the top at 5.50 this morning and struggled in the vile conditions underfoot, clinging mud and standing water around the stream called Paddebeek. To make matters worse the enemy dropped a barrage just behind the advancing British barrage and right onto the advancing troops. This evening we are hearing that the division has managed to cling on to the line running through Source Trench, Varlet Farm, Bray Farm and Berks Houses which had been taken by the division in the attack of 26th October. Preliminary figures from the Bedfords suggest that two officers have been killed (Captain L C T Gate and Second Lieutenant A E Tee) and seven wounded; amongst the other ranks 52 are reported killed, 150 wounded and 23 missing(1).

On the left flank of the 63rd Division an attack was made by 58th (2nd/1st London) Division using 174th Brigade. An advance of about 100 yards was accomplished and pillboxes around Noble Farm have been taken as has a mound overlooking the Spriet road.

Source: X550/5/3

(1) Lieutenant Cecil Hootton Wareing would die of his wounds on 1st November and is buried at Dozinghem Military Cemetery. A total of 850 Canadians were recorded as dying on that day. Deaths from the British units taking part in the attacks this day number about 500 with 93 men from the Bedfordshire Regiment recorded as dying.

Seventy Fourth Day of the Third Battle of Ypres

Friday 12th October 1917

Eight divisions have made concerted attacks today across a broad front stretching from Broodeseinde in the south to Veldhoek in the north. The main aim has been to take the village of Passchendaele and the spur on which it sits. However, it has been wet again and the conditions underfoot have been even worse than during the attack on 9th and this has severely limited the amount of ground which has been taken.

The 4th Australian Division formed a block on the flank of their compatriots further north. They took their first objective but made no attack on the second as the division on their left flank could make on further advance. This was 3rd Australian Division which attacked in two brigades attacking north-east from the area around Tyne Cot(1). Patrols from 9th Brigade got into the village of Passchendaele where they encountered men wounded in the attack by 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division three days ago. The terrible conditions, however, meant that men could not be got up quickly enough, nor were there enough men available, as the brigade’s flank was not secure, to consolidate and hold the village and the division, to its chagrin, was forced to fall back nearly to its start line. 10th Brigade, attacking on 9th Brigade’s left, could not get very far at all, we understand, though it took Waterfields on the Ravebeek, now a morass of deep, sucking slime. Mounting casualties from machine gun fire from their flank caused the brigade to abandon its attack and pull back to its starting position. We understand that there is great frustration amongst the division’s commanders and, indeed, corps and army headquarters that the village of Passchendaele, which is a major prize, has had to be abandoned but in truth the men seem to have done all they could, fighting not just the Germans but the ground and the elements.

On 3rd Australian Division’s flank is the splendid New Zealand Division, which, again, used two brigades in its attack. The attack of 2nd Brigade was destroyed by the fact that the artillery had not done its job, only one narrow section of the enemy’s barbed wire around the road to s’Gravenstafel. The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the Otago Regiment have, we are hearing suffered horrific casualties from enemy fire for no ground gained; clearly it was not from want of trying(2). 3rd New Zealand Brigade became intermingled with 9th (Scottish) Division early in the attack. They captured the cemetery at Wallemolen and took Wolf Farm, getting as far as Wolf Copse and then the attack was halted given the misfortune developing with 2nd Brigade. It was planned, we understand to re-commence the attack in mid-afternoon, but this was called off due to the severity of the rate of casualties.

9th (Scottish) Division used the 26th Brigade to make its attack. On the right Adler Farm, part of the first objective, was taken and Wallemolen was entered. However, the Germans had numbers of defenders in the village and managed to turn the Scots out again, so they consolidated just west of the houses, a gain of about two hundred yards. On the left an advance of only about one hundred yards has been possible, we hear.

18th Division are on the left flank of the Scots and their attack was undertaken by 53rd and 55th Brigades. 7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment forms part of 54th Brigade and spent the day in attack practice at Tunnelling Camp well behind the line. 55th Brigade attacked Poelcapelle and Meunier House. They managed to take the best part of Poelcapelle, but the brewery on the eastern edge of the village proved too tough a nut to crack, as did Meunier House. There have been a number of counter-attacks to try and retake the village by the enemy through the afternoon but the last we heard the 18th Division is still in possession, adding another village to its impressive list of seizures since the opening day of the Battle of the Somme.

Next in the line is 4th Division which attacked with a composite brigade made up from the battalions in the division with the greatest numbers of men. Again, the advance was limited but some ground has been made and two farms, Besace and Memling have been taken.

17th (Northern) Division is on the left flank of 4th Division and used 51st Brigade in its attack. This attack has been a great success and all objectives have been taken, including the strongpoint at Senegal House. This was bypassed during the attack and, extraordinarily, we have been told that the whole garrison of ninety men surrendered to three unarmed men of the 7th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment, who were bringing up supplies!

The final attack was made by 3rd Brigade of the Guards Division. Their attack was due north, towards Houthulst Forest. As twilight closed in this evening the 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards took blockhouses at Angle Point and Aden House at the point where the division’s right flank met the left flank of 4th Division. The rest of the line now runs along the southern fringes of the forest.

So the second great attack this month has seen some more useful progress. It is unclear now long General Plumer and his staff plan to continue the offensive, but, clearly, they are not finished yet and, if nothing else, we suspect they will want to seize Passchendaele and its ridge.

(1) Today this is Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in the World with 11,965 inhabitants.

(2) The Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists 265 men from the Otago Regiment dying on 12th October and the numbers of wounded will probably have been at least twice this number. Overall 847 men from New Zealand units were killed or died of wounds on this day, compared to 866 from Australia (which had two divisions in the attack to New Zealand’s one). 1,854 men from British units died - there were five British divisions in the attack but the figure will include British units from across the World, so it can be seen that Antipodean units suffered far greater casualties than their UK counterparts. 

Seventy First Day of the Third Battle of Ypres

Tuesday 9th October 1917

Hard on the heels of the major attack on 4th October today has seen another significant onslaught, this time by ten divisions. Furthest south 5th Division attacked using 15th Brigade, though not the 1st Bedfords, who were in reserve, fortunately for them as the attack seems to have been a complete failure, the two assaulting Battalions, 1st Battalion Norfolk Regiment and 16th Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment making no progress whatsoever due to mud and withering fire from Polderhoek Château. Incidentally the 6th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, part of 37th Division, which took no part in the attack had, we understand, orders to advance if the enemy began to show signs of withdrawal, but this did not happen.

Next in the line, going north, is 21st Division, but this unit was not slated to make an attack. On their right flank is 7th Division, which did send its 21st Brigade “over the top” in order to straighten an inwards bulge by the enemy line at this point around the hamlet of Reutel. The hamlet was taken and the bulge satisfactorily dealt with.

1st Australian Division was next north but, again, this formation did not make an attack. On their left flank 2nd Australian Division attacked with its 5th and 6th Brigades. We understand that most battalions in this fine force have been reduced to less than the strength of a company - between 150 and 200 men when they should have around one thousand. 6th Brigade pushed forward from Broodseinde to cover the flank of 5th Brigade  This formation cleared Decoy Wood and the strong-point called Rhine was taken and they surged on to their final objective. Here their lack of numbers told more than their excellent fighting spirit and they were forced back to the first objective, where they dug in.

On the Australians’ left is 66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division which used 197th and 198th Brigades in its attack. 198th Brigade reached its first objective but could go no further in the face of determined resistance whilst 197th Brigade managed more and reached its second line of objectives but, misinterpreting formation of a defensive flank by the troops on their left as a withdrawal , also withdrew back to their first objective. During the day patrols from the Division got all the way to the outskirts of Passchendaele so the eventual curtailing of this division’s advance, we guess, is particularly galling to high command.

49th (West Riding) Division also used two brigades in its attack, 146th and 148th. Again one of the brigades had better fortune than the other. 148th Brigade had to cross a stream called Revebeek. Reports suggest that this is now more of a shallow river, approaching fifty yards width of cold, muddy, waist-deep water. Heavy fire from well-defended positions has forced the attack to be abandoned after a day of trying to slog forward, we understand - exhausting and demoralising for the men concerned. 146th Brigade took Yetta House and a pillbox known, incongruously as Peter Pan as well as Kronprinz Farm but had to curtail the advance a few hundred yards short of their first objective.

48th (South Midland) Division used its 144th Brigade in the attack, with two battalions each from Gloucestershire and Worcestershire Regiments. Vacher Farm and Adler Farm were taken but Inch Farm and Oxford House resisted attack, confining gains to roughly the line of the first objective.

11th (Northern) Division also used a single Brigade, 33rd, for its attack. They began their attack in the eastern fringes of the village of Poelcapelle but, try as they might, could simply not get forward due to enemy fire.

4th Division used its 12th Brigade for this attack. It lies on the northern shoulder of the line and its attack, instead of going east or north east went almost due north-north-east. They did well on this day of disappointments, getting mid-way between their first and second objectives by the time their advance had to be shut down. We understand that both Millers Farm and Landing Farm have been taken.

29th Division’s attack , in between that of 29th Division and the Guards, was also north-eastwards and here great success was achieved. 86th and 88th Brigades cleared Olga House, Senegal Farm, Namur Crossing, Pascal Farm and Cairo House and the whole division ended up half way between their second and third objectives

The left-most division to attack today, again heading north-north-east, was the Guards Division, using its 1st and 2nd Brigades. They took Vee Bend, Egypt Farm and the Brickfield, Gruyierszale Farm and Ney Wood ending up with their left flank on the village of Veldhoek and their right on the brickfield at les Cinq Chemins having taken all objectives - a performance worthy of household troops and bringing them close to the southern reaches of Huthoulst Forest

Today’s attack was, it is fair to say, patchy with some great success, particularly in the northern sector, but also a complete lack of success in parts towards the south. The poor conditions were a major factor, swollen streams, clagging mud and cold. It truly feels like October now after quite a dry and balmy end to September. Some areas, such as around the approaches to Passchendaele are well and truly waterlogged. And, of course, the Germans continue to make use of their fortified positions long prepared; mud is of little handicap to defenders.

No one here knows when the next attack will be. Opinion is divided between those suggesting that high command may begin winding this battle down as the bad weather and dismal conditions draw on, others opine that it will speed-up due to time-pressure to achieve some sort of breakthrough before winter. Only time will tell.

Sources: X550/2/5; X550/7/1