James WEIR

HISTORY OF THE EAST LANCASHIRE REGIMENT IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918 (Littlebury Bros. Ltd. 1936)

2nd Bn. East Lancashire Regiment

1918
A German prisoner captured on the 22nd [April] had given information to the effect that the enemy was preparing a strong attack, which was to be preceded by a heavy bombardment mixed with gas and accompanied by tanks. This information was correct, and at dawn, on the 24th, which broke with a heavy mist, the enemy, in the words of one who was present, “put down the heaviest barrage of gas and H.E. shell that it has ever been my fate to witness.”

About 7 a.m. the enemy attacked from the south and south-east under an intense barrage, and with liquid fire; they broke through the front line south of the main road and overran and outflanked the troops in the village defences. In spite of this, it was not until about 9:30 a.m. that the survivors of the battalion began to appear west of the village. Some information of what was passing in the village had already reached Colonel Hill from ‘A’ Company, and soon after he received it there came a rush of men of several battalions, including some 30 men from the 2nd East Lancashires a number which afterwards increased to 100. Colonel Hill writes: ‘I had a hectic twenty minutes stopping them and putting them into position. I felt it would be useless, in the state the men were, without officers and thoroughly disorganized, to try and retake the village, and the only thing to be done was to hang on where we were. This would at least give us a breathing space to allow of re-organization and preparation. Our own men behaved splendidly and I don’t think a single man passed me or moved from where I had placed him.’

About 10:30 a.m. the enemy emerged from the village and got into some scattered houses which were on both sides of the main road and about 150 yards from the line taken up by the men collected by Colonel Hill. About the same time a German tank, accompanied by strong infantry patrols, advanced from the south-east along the railway. This advance threatened the flank of the battalion line, but fortunately one 18-pounder… was in action about 150 yards west of the railway bridge; at Colonel Hill’s request the gun was switched on to the tank and forced it to retire with a direct hit. The infantry with the tank, however, continued to advance, but were stopped by rifle fire from ‘C’ Company, which was holding the railway line facing south… The Germans in the houses… showed some signs of advancing, but did not do so, being probably not in great strength, and uncertain of the numbers against them; the action then became an exchange of rifle fire with casualties on both sides.

Shortly afterwards a new danger threatened from the Bois d’Aquenne into which the enemy, with the help of tanks, had forced their way… Fortunately the advance from the wood was not pressed with much vigour and was easily held by ‘C’ Company; constant enfilade and reverse fire from the wood, however, harassed the battalion for the rest of the day.

Between 3 and 4 p.m. a British tank appeared from behind the rear of the left of the battalion line, and forced the enemy to retire from the line they were holding west of the village. Thereupon the battalion, leaving ‘C’ Company to cover the right flank, advanced some 150 yards to the higher ground commanding the exits from the village. Here it remained until 1 a.m. on the 25th, reinforced by two companies of the 22nd Durham Light Infantry which dug in just in rear of the battalion.

[James Weir was killed in action on the 24th April.]