Craven's Part in the Great War

by John T. Clayton

THE ADVANCE FROM CAMBRAI.

After brief halts at Pierremont (near St. Pol), at Estrees-Cauchie, and at Ecurie, the battalion arrived on September 23rd, 1918, at Wilderness Camp, about two miles from Arras on the Cambrai road. During this period Brig.-General C. G. Lewes, C.M.G., D.S.O., was transferred to home service, and Brig.-General Morant, D.S.O., of the Durham Light Infantry, was promoted to the command of the 147th Infantry Brigade. At Wilderness Camp other changes occurred within the battalion. Major Tanner, after a long spell of arduous work with the 6th Battalion, returned to his original battalion (7th Duke’s) as second-in-command: and Major Hugh Dixon, who had made a great reputation both as a skilled instructor and a cheerful and tenacious leader, left the battalion on promotion to be second-in-command of the 9th Essex Regt.

Here the battalion remained a fortnight while the situation developed. The attack, as yet, had only been pushed forward south of the river Scarpe, and the Germans were known to have reserves in Douai, to the northward, which might be used against the flank of our advance. But on October 6th the order was given to move forward; the north was now secure. On the 9th, when Cambrai was captured, the 6th were close behind, and on the 10th moved up to Escadoeuvres in front of that city, and were in close support to the front line. The following day they were once again at grips with the enemy.

The southern half of the First British Army (south of the Scarpe) was at this time far in advance of the northern half, and the plan was formed to push forward by surprise attacks towards Valenciennes on the south, in order to cut off the German forces who were known to be holding out in the strongly defended neighbourhood of Douai.

For this difficult and hazardous task the 49th Division was selected. If a surprise was to be effected, no time was permissible in which to move up a full complement of artillery, and it was with a scattered barrage of 18-pounders that the 49th went over the top, over ground which they had had no time to reconnoitre.

The 146th Brigade (West Yorks.) was on the left and the 147th (Duke of Wellington’s) on the right. The 6th Duke’s, in support to the 4th and 7th Duke’s, moved out of Escadoeuvres at 11-45 p.m. on the night of Oct. 10-11th and dug in near the village of Naves. Advancing at dawn through the German barrage of gas shells they crossed the Erclin river without incident: but near the top of the ridge beyond found the front line coming back and themselves met with heavy machine gun fire. They were soon mingled with the front line on the top of the ridge and there saw four enemy tanks advancing through the division, causing many casualties. Lieut. H. Hopwood, with Corporal Ames and a party of D company Lewis gunners, opened concentrated fire upon the leading tank and caused them all to retire. The ridge was held, but the Division had suffered heavy casualties. The 6th, who had suffered less than some others, had lost three company commanders—Capt. Coulthurst, killed, and Capt. Clifford and Lieut. Grey wounded.

This line was occupied for the night. By next morning the enemy had retired, and the ⅙th led the way forward through the village of Villers-en-Cauchies without interference except from the machine guns of enemy aeroplanes. The next opposition was encountered at Saulzoir, on the Selle river, which was found to be strongly held. By vigorous patrolling the battalion gradually pushed their way into the village, where they found many civilians in cellars, who welcomed them affectionately and fed them with coffee, though themselves suffering severely from the enemy’s mustard gas. A large number of French civilians were removed to safety by night. By these advances, in which Lieut. Hopwood, M.C., Lieut. Farrar, 2nd Lieut. Bilham, Sergts. Best, M.M., Green, D.C.M., Calvert, D.C.M., Sykes, D.C.M., and Rosenthal, D.C.M., in turn did valuable work, the battalion had fought its way house by house practically up to the Selle river, where it was relieved on the night of October 18th by the 2nd Battalion Duke of Wellington’s Regt., among whom the 6th Battalion found many friends.

In the week’s fighting the battalion had lost heavily. Besides Capt. Coulthurst, 2nd Lieut. Ricroft, a most promising young officer, had been killed; also Company Sergt.-Major McDermott, D.C.M., one of the best N.C.O.’s the battalion ever turned out; Sergts. Godwin, M.M. and Midgley, M.M., Corporals Haw and Stanley, and many other good fellows. On the night before the relief, a gas shell, falling on the roof of the cellar which served as orderly room, placed almost all our battalion headquarters hors-de-combat. Lieut.-Col. C. M. Bateman, D.S.O., with Lieuts. Stewart and Thrackray, was taken to hospital; Lieut. A. P. Smith, M.C., the Acting Adjutant, left alone in the cellar, was just able to hold on and give the necessary instructions before he, too, had to be helped out of the line. Major A. B. Clarkson, M.C., took over the command of the battalion and Major F. L. Smith, M.C., who had been attached to the Divisional Staff, returned as second-in-command, with Lieut. A. Lacy as adjutant.