Rouez Camp

Friday 1st March 1918

7th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment has moved to Rouez Camp, north of Viry-Noureuil and west of Tergnier. Headquarters and three companies are at the camp itself whilst C Company is in nearby Noureuil. The camp is not far behind the front line and during the day officers and NCOs reconnoitred the assembly position in case of an enemy attack.

There is some speculation on this point. With Russia no longer in the war and the Americans not yet on the western front in any numbers some are of opinion that the Germans now have a superiority in men and resources over the allies here and so may see the time as propitious to make an attack in an effort to defeat our armies and those of the French before the Americans arrive. We have even heard the hope expressed that the enemy will attack as he is sure to get a bloody nose. Others point to the fact that our Fifth Army is now dangerously stretched, with less men and a longer line to hold.

Source: X550/8/1

Conscription in America

Lieutenant-Colonel Collings-Wells

Wednesday 6th June 1917

The adjutant of 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, has let us know that their commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel J S Collings-Wells has been temporarily placed in command of 190th Infantry Brigade in the absence of Brigadier-General H W E Finch. During his absence Major G P Nunneley has taken over command of the Battalion(1).

We have heard heartening news from across the Atlantic, conscription having been introduced yesterday in the United States of America. The American army is small, smaller than was ours in 1914, so this step is necessary to bring it up to suitable strength to tackle the Germans on the Western Front. Naturally, it will take time to train these men. Experience with our own forces suggests it takes about a year from the time a man enlists to the time he and his unit is ready to be sent overseas - many new units were raised in our country in August 1914 and most did not come to France and Flanders until July 1915. With the advent of conscription it should mean that, provided ourselves and our French and Belgian allies have not dealt a knock-out blow to the Kaiser before then, the Germans will find themselves swamped by vast numbers of American troops in early summer 1918.

Source: X550/5/3

(1) Both men would be killed in action on 27th March 1918, Collings-Wells being awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for gallantry.

United States Declaration of War

Saturday 7th April 1917

The 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment have left Blairville and gone into the front line at Hénin-sur-Cojeul, a place they probed on 20^th March during the German retreat, but found occupied.

Now that the enemy seems to have ended his retreat by occupying pre-prepared positions, which the army is calling the Hindenburg Line, he will have to be evicted from them. No one here doubts that a “big push” is coming soon, perhaps within the next few days.

This would be a daunting task but everyone here is buoyed by the fact that the United States of America has declared war on Germany.  Those who think this will mean an instant flood of fresh allied forces into France are, however, mistaken. It appears that the American army is tiny, smaller than ours was in 1914. Readers will remember that it took the British Army just over a year to launch its first large-scale offensive, at Loos in September 1915. So it seems inevitable that we will not seeany American units in France and Belgium for about the same length of time. When they do arrive they will be in their millions whicxh must give the Kaiser and his cronies nightmares.

Source: X550/3/WD

A New Adjutant, A New Commanding Officer and A New Ally?

Lord Ampthill [X550/1/82]

Tuesday 3rd April 1917 from our correspondent in the field

The adjutant of the 2nd Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, Lieutenant G A Anstee has been admitted to hospital, sick. The new acting adjutant is Lieutenant L A L Fink MC. This afternoon the battalion left its billets in Bailleulmont heading for Blaireville. This place is quite close to Agny, where the battalion has been for much of the year. Both Agny and Blaireville are south-west of the town of Arras.

The 8th Battalion are in the front line near Loos. They came under intense bombardment for about ten minutes at 10 o’clock this morning and braced themselves for an enemy raid or attack – but nothing happened. They lost one man killed and thirteen wounded. The adjutant noted wryly that it was as if it was a fanfare to welcome their new commanding officer, none other than Lord Ampthill, cousin to the Duke of Bedford. He is a thoroughly familiar figure to many of the men, who undertook their training at Ampthill Camp where he was commandant. It is understood that he has been desperate to command one of “his” battalions at the front and so one peer of the realm succeeds another (Lord Henry Scott) as the 8th Battalion’s commander. He is expected to assume his duties tomorrow once he has “learned the ropes”.

Undoubtedly the biggest news out here, however, comes from our former colonies in North America. Yesterday President Wilson requested Congress to declare war on Germany. The enemy’s arrogance in opening a campaign of unrestricted submarine warfare, posing a real and present danger to all American shipping, and their foolish suggestion of an alliance with Mexico against three of the USA’s southern states has rebounded on them in the fullest fashion. All fingers are firmly crossed that Congress backs their president.

Sources: X550/3/WD; X550/9/1

Awards and Diplomatic Relations

Captain Willans [X550/1/82]

Sunday 4th February 1917 from our correspondent in the field

We have heard today that yesterday the United States of America broke off diplomatic relations with Germany following Germany’s declaration of unrestricted submarine warfare on Thursday. This news is something of a tonic for the boys at the front as it is seen as a prelude to an declaration of war, with all that entails for new armies on the Western Front.

Today in the theatre at Béthune Sir R B Haking, commander-in-chief of XI Corps presented awards to a number of officers including Military Crosses for Captain H Willans, Captain O A R Beale and Second Lieutenant H S Everett of the 1st Bedfords.

Meanwhile the 4th Battalion, in the front line north of the River Ancre has suffered more casualties. Four men have been killed, one has died of wounds and fifteen have been wounded. Remarkably this is the same “butcher’s bill” as that suffered on 31st January.

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

A Commotion "Over the Pond"

Friday 12th January 1917

Readers will recall that we reported that between 1st and 9th January the Regiment had received 414 reinforcements. Today 2nd Battalion received another 56 of them.

There is some talk of the former colonies in the army today. News reached us early this morning of a great explosion at a munitions factory in the state of New Jersey. The United States of America is, of course, neutral in this war, but its munitions industry has grown greatly since the outbreak of hostilities and the insatiable need of the allied armies for ammunition from bullets to shells of the largest calibre.

This explosion, we understand, is rumoured to have been caused by a German agent. Whether this is true or not, it shows that the people of America have a distrust of the Germans and their allies which might, in time, drive them into the alliance against the Central Powers(1)

Source: X550/3/WD

(1) The Kingsland Commission, reporting in 1931, concluded that no German agent was implicated in the explosion and fire which destroyed the whole factory but, mercifully, took no lives.