Joseph William NELSON

War Diary of the 1/6th Battalion Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment)

HEADQUARTERS, 147th Infantry Brigade.

On 1st November 1918 the Battalion attacked in a North Easterly direction across the river RHONELLE, the frontage boundaries, and objectives, being shown on the map issued by Division.

The scheme of attack was as under:

Two Companies – A. and B. Companies – each of two platoons formed the first wave, and were to advance and seize all the ground up to and including the INTERMEDIATE OBJECTIVE. The second wave consisting of C. and D. Companies (each of three platoons) were to leap-frog through A. and B. Companies and to advance and seize the final objective.

It was expected there would be considerable difficulty in crossing the River RHONELLE and special bridges were provided and a carrying party consisting of EIGHT men and one N.C.O. were found by the 19th Lancashire Fusiliers. In all six parties were found by the 19th Lancashire Fusiliers and all bridges were placed in position with the exception of one. The carrying party followed the first wave.

ZERO was at 0515 hours and the barrage came down to about Two hundred yards in front of the SUNKEN ROAD which was our jumping off point. It was very intense and accurate and all ranks testified most highly to its accuracy.

As soon as the advance started the assaulting troops were harassed and worried by hostile M. G. fire, the bulk of which seemed to come from the far side of the river and the high ground beyond it, although a number of machine guns were on the near side of the river, but no serious difficulty was experienced and the river was successfully crossed, and the advance proceeded. In advancing up the slopes on the far side of the river the second wave suffered severely from long range machine gun fire, the whole of One Company Headquarters being knocked out, at about [map reference] K. 11. c. 3. 3..

The INTERMEDIATE OBJECTIVE was seized up to the proper time and in due course C. and D. Companies continued to advance to the FINAL OBJECTIVE, but owing to the Division on our right not making good their ground, D. Company were not able to seize and hold their objective, but the left of C. Company advanced and held their objective for some few hours. About 0930 I went forward and found the line ran roughly as follows: On the left we were in touch with the 5th West Yorks and the line ran along the Final Objective for a distance of approximately Two to three hundred yards up to about a point E. 30 c. 2. 7. and from there it bent back and went about Three hundred yards west of the wood in K. 6. a. and joined up with the First Hampshire Regt. on our right about K. 12. b. cent. at this time there was considerable hostile Machine Gun fire from the wood, and from the high ground in K. 12. b. and d. which rendered any further advance exceedingly difficult. I came back and reported the position to Brigade. Later on I received information from the O. C. C. Company on my left that the 5th West Yorks had retired leaving him in the air, and that he had withdrawn to a position approximately along the line Y – Y.

At this time Two companies of the 1/7th Dke of Wellingtons Regt. had been sent up to the INTERMEDIATE OBJECTIVE, and, on the enemy counterattacking about1639 hours the attack was repulsed, and our line advanced so as to run along the road from about K. 5. b. 0. 9. to K. 5. b. 5. 8. and thence in a South Easterly direction to about K. 12. a. cent, and the line remained pretty much in this position until it was taken over by the 1/7th Duke of Wellingtons Regt. who took and seized the FINAL OBJECTIVE early next morning.

10th November 1918. A B Clarkson Lt. Colonel Comg. 1/6th Duke of Wellington’s Regt.