John Arthur BUTTERFIELD

THE K.O.S.B. IN THE GREAT WAR by CAPTAIN STAIR GILLON (Thomas Nelson and Sons, Limited, 1930)

BOOK I–THE SECOND BATTALION

CHAPTER XII

THE FINAL EFFORT

Aug. 1918

The situation had so far improved that for the last time during the Great War the 2nd K.O.S.B. celebrated the battle of Minden at Tannay in good spirits. Farewell was soon to be said to Flanders, for on the 4th buses whirled the battalion off to the country just S. of St. Omer, where they trained on the uplands, and were distributed in billeting parties in the villages of Heuringhem, Le Ronz, Coubronne, and Islinghem. While there they heard the glad tidings that their comrades in the Fourth Army had dealt a wound that might, as it did, prove mortal to the foe, and the young officers read their Field Service Regulations with a practical interest that made it seem a different book. Divisional training was back to open warfare manœuvres.

The call to the 5th Division came soon. On the 13th the 2nd K.O.S.B. entrained at St. Omer, and the next morning marched from Bouquemaison via their old friend Frévent on the Canche 6 or 7 miles, some to Ligny and some to Nuncq. On the 18th they returned to Neuvillette, close to Bouquemaison, whence on the 20th buses conveyed them to Marieux, once the H.Q. of the VIII. Corps in the 1916 Somme battle. The very next evening the battalion were in the line in brigade reserve in trenches W. of Bucquoy, and either that night or the following morning brought casualties. Lieut. J. A. Garvie, M.C., and 6 O.R. were killed by a chance shell. That officer had done very good work at Polderhoek, and recently distinguished himself in the Lys fighting, and his M.C. was only awarded on June 8th. His death was a blow to the battalion.

The 5th Division, now commanded by Major-Gen. John Ponsonby of the Coldsteam Guards, in the place of their beloved Gen. Stephens, promoted to command X. Corps, now found itself in the IV. Corps under Lieut.-Gen. Sir G. M. Harper, who had done so much to “make” the 51st Highland Division. The IV. Corps were in Sir Julian Byng’s Third Army, which had just opened the battle of Albert on the 21st by an advance E. through that once conspicuous landmark, the “Bois de Logeast,” and by taking Achiet-le-Petit, 2 miles S.. The general line of advance pointed E. towards Bapaume, via such classic spots as Grévillers and Loupart Wood. Farther S. Albert had been taken by the III. Corps (Butler), and Miraumont and Irles were threatened. But the real effort was begun on the 23rd when there began “a series of strong assaults on practically the whole front of thirty-three miles from our junction with the French” (3 miles S. of the road from Amiens to Péronne), “to Mercatel, in which neighbourhood the Hindenburg Line . . . joined the old Arras–Vimy defence line of 1916.” The 22nd had been a day of consolidation and mopping up. In the two days some 850 prisoners had been taken. On the 23rd the division attacked on a two-brigade front, the 95th I.B. being on the R. and the 15th on the L.. The 13th I.B. were in reserve, and the 2nd K.O.S.B., under Major Dudgeon in the absence of Col. Furber (on leave), was its R. reserve battalion supporting the 14th R.W.R. . Participation did not begin till the evening, when, despite resistance at Irles, the situation warranted an advance on Loupart Wood. The account in the War Diary is far from clear as to what happened. We are not told what resistance was met with by the R.W.R., or to what extent the main body of the K.O.S.B. were involved. But what must have happened is that the New Zealand Division leapfrogged them, and went on ahead to the edge of Loupart Wood. In the small hours of the 24th Lieut. K. A. T. McLennan, with a platoon of C., and 2nd Lieut. G. Howat (Cameronians), with a patrol, did good work in clearing the wood of a M.G. nest, taking 14 M.G. and 47 prisoners. Unfortunately the gallant young Howat was killed, but L.-Sergt. J. M‘Leod took charge of the little band of 87 men. He divided them into two parties, which proceeded by different trenches to various M.G. posts, pinching them out and killing all who would not surrender. Eight M.G. were taken, and all the teams were killed or captured. “A very fine feat.” Keenness at this time was marked. This support from the R. rear must have materially improved the position of the New Zealanders. The result of the day and night was that Irles and Loupart Wood were ours, and that on the three days’ fighting the division had advanced 2 miles and more, and had captured 2,768 prisoners, 25 guns, over 350 M.G., etc., at a casualty cost of 70 officers and 1,600 O.R.

The rest of the 24th was spent in preparing the ground gained for defence, as Miraumont on the R. had not yet fallen. But the possession of the high ground E. and S. of Irles by the 12th Gloucesters and the 1st R.W.K. made its abandonment by the Germans a matter of hours. Next day the advance of the IV. Corps enabled the K.O.S.B. to march in column to an assembly point W. of Grévillers, with a view to pass through 37th Division troops and support the New Zealanders’ L. flank by a movement in the direction of Beugnâtre, 1¾ miles N.E. of Bapaume. The auspices for what turned out a fine feat of arms were none too favourable. Casualties at the assembly point were caused by shelling, and when orders came at 11 p.m. to advance to the jumping-off place the absence of guides made progress slow. When the unit in front was relieved E. of Favreuil, about 4 a.m. on the 26th, word came that the attack would be launched at 6.30 without a barrage. The village of Beugnâtre, with the usual M.G. nests half a mile to the E. confronted them with the dawn, but, “undaunted by . . . difficulties,” the K.O.S.B., supported by the 14th R.W.R., slowly but steadily moved forward in the face of heavy M.G. fire from the village.

They are described as gaining their objectives; but the rate of progress cannot have been rapid, for it was 6 p.m. before the actual assault of Beugnâtre was begun. At 10 a.m., Major Dudgeon, the C.O., was wounded. It was greatly to his credit and that of the battalion that they had found their way to and through the confusion which always marks troops at the end of a battle such as the 37th Division had come through. Luckily, Major B. C. Lake, who had been Bde.-Major 13th I.B. since October 1917, was available, and took command at 3 p.m., in time to direct and play a gallant part in the attack, which went off splendidly,

The gunners, now level with Bapaume, rained shells on Beugnâtre; and under protection of the creeping barrage the Borderers stormed the village, took 48 prisoners, and consolidated a line 200 yards to the E. of it, firing rapidly at bunches of retreating Germans. The actual village was cleared by B under Lieut. R. D. Peat, a recent recipient of the M.C., with the aid of two platoons of C under Lieut. K. A. T. McLennan (awarded the M.C.), who had done such useful work at Loupart Wood. On the L. of B were D under Lieut. W. Robertson, on whose L again was D company of the M.G. Battalion, who proved most helpful. On the R. of B were some of C under Lieut. H. C. Fraser (afterwards M.C.) and A led to the assault by the C.O. in person, as all its officers were hors de combat. Major Lake was twice badly wounded, but refused to be carried off the field till he knew all was secure on his flanks. It was a most gallant exit from the Great War. A D.S.O. followed as of course. All agree that touch was maintained internally, thanks largely to the intrepid and unwearied “running” of Pte. J. S. F. Pattullo (awarded the M.M.), and also with the invaluable loan troops of the 14th R.W.R., as well as with the equally successful New Zealanders on the R. . Naturally there was mixing up of companies and regiments when Lieut.-Col. W. Wilberforce, O.C. 14th R.W.R., took charge of both battalions, but the sorting out and re-allotting of sections was soon managed. The artillery beat off a threatened counter-attack that night, and on the night of 27/28th the K.O.S.B. handed over their sector of the ground won intact to the 15th R.W.R., and retired to trenches near Bihucourt, close to Achiet le Grand. It was then under command of Major J. Kay, D.S.O. of the 1st R.W.K., who had taken over at 8 a.m. on 27th.