Historical records of the Buffs, East Kent Regiment (3rd Foot)

by R. S. H. Moody

V. 7th Battalion: The Selle, etc.

The story of the 7th Battalion for October and afterwards is as follows: on the 16th October, when the well-earned fortnight’s rest was completed and the unit fit and ready again, it was taken by train to Roisel and marched to Templeux la Fosse, moving on again on the 18th by familiar Ronssoy to Beaurevoir, and after a night in billets there to Elincourt, where the men were interested to find civilians once again. It was really wonderful how the brave French peasants, both men and women, clung to their homes. On the 21st to Maurois, four miles further on, where at last hostile signs were met with once more, shells coming over and bombs arriving per aeroplane at night time. The next day took the brigade to Reumont and the concentration area west of Le Cateau.

The 3rd Army was now engaged in important operations in the strip of country to the immediate north of the region awarded to the 4th, of which the 18th Division now formed a unit, and on the 23rd October it fell to the lot of the latter army to attack for the purpose of protecting the major operations to be carried out by the former. The country now forming the theatre of operations was widely different to the Somme Valley and other parts to which the troops had become so accustomed. The numerous hedgerows and ditches affected the style of attack and defence. The arrangements for the attack by the 18th Division on the 23rd October, which formed part of the battle of the Selle, were made with most elaborate care. The area over which the advance was to take place was most exactly divided into portions with an objective at the further end of each portion and, of course, troops detailed to take each objective; moreover, each piece of ground was to be gained by a certain time and each halting place left for further adventure exactly so many minutes afterwards. (See diagram on next page.)

The 53rd Brigade on the right, with the 54th, less the Northamptonshire Regiment, on the left, were to make good the first and second objectives, and the 55th Brigade, with the Northamptonshire and certain details, were to capture the third, fourth and fifth. The 55th and Northamptonshires’ attack was arranged to be carried out leap-frog fashion, so that the ground between the second and fourth objectives was to be made good by the Buffs and East Surreys, the latter being on the right. The advance was not to be covered by a creeping barrage, but was to be proceeded with at the regular rate of one hundred yards in four minutes, and no one unit, if instructions were carried out, could ever find itself unsupported by another through advancing too fast. This leap-frog system of advance obtained even amongst battalions. At any rate, the Buffs arranged that C Company on the right and B on the left should be responsible for the ground from the second objective to a certain line, where A and B should pass through them bound for the fourth objective, at which the Northamptonshire would leap-frog the Buffs and go on to the end. A section of machine guns and one trench mortar was with the battalion reserve and a section of tanks in the immediate rear; the idea being that any company getting into trouble was to apply to the commanding officer, who would send tanks to its aid. Communication was carefully arranged with the accompanying aeroplanes. The zero hour was 2 a.m.

DIAGRAM OF ADVANCE OF 18TH DIVISION AT BATTLE OF THE SELLE[33]

The Buffs arrived at their assembly position at 4.15, suffering fifteen casualties from shell fire on the way. At five they moved in artillery formation towards the forming-up line. Before reaching this the leading companies came under heavy machine-gun fire from the right flank, the brigade in front having only established the line of the first objective. This little trouble, however, was obviated by our aeroplanes dropping bombs on the machine guns. The second objective was passed at 8 o’clock, or forty minutes late. D Company (Captain E. V. Morse, M.C.), on the left, cleverly outmanœuvred and captured a battery of guns, but soon afterwards the captain was killed. He had ably led his company and dealt with many difficult positions. C Company also captured its battery, but, after passing the second objective, the enemy’s opposition stiffened and a great deal of machine-gun fire came from the village of Bousies. However, at 10 o’clock the leading companies were close up to the third objective, which, by the way, should have been reached four hours earlier. At twenty minutes past ten a message was dropped from the air: “Huns still in Bousies. Our boys in eastern part ‘mopping up.’ Huns’ transport just galloped from village.” Ten minutes later Colonel Curtis ordered Captain Whitmarsh to take command of all troops in the battalion sector and endeavour to establish the Green Line, or third objective. At 12.30 the officer in charge of tanks reported that he had been in the village of Bousies with A Company (the right support) and that he had left that company there “mopping up” the village. At 2.40 p.m. all the Buffs’ companies were on a road which is beyond the point where B and A Companies were to relieve the other two. The battalion was in touch on their right, but its left flank was exposed, though patrols were busy in this direction, and these soon reported that the 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, though in rear of the Buffs’ position, were pushing forward. A and B Companies were then directed to hold the road, with the others in close support. Heavy machine-gun fire was experienced from the high ground a little distance in front. At 6 o’clock A and B moved forward and made good their objective by 7.15, and an hour afterwards were relieved by the Northamptonshire Regiment, the Buffs going into brigade reserve. Great credit was given in connection with this day’s work to the accompanying tanks under Lieut. Grey, who very fearlessly reconnoitred to the front and dealt with the machine-gun difficulty.

During the afternoon of the following day the Buffs moved into positions in Bousies and there formed a line of resistance. While still in this village on the 25th a report came in that the right sector of the brigade was withdrawing and C Company was pushed forward to deal with any possible German counter-attack, but found the battalion of the Queen’s alert for that duty. The Buffs relieved the East Surreys on outpost duty. On the 26th the brigade on the left made a determined effort to gain ground, but without much success, owing to the usual machine-gun fire. The next day the Buffs became divisional reserve in billets in Bousies, but were back again in forty-eight hours.

There was a considerable pause in the proceedings after the fight just recorded, and no further advance was made until the 4th November, the brigade taking its turn with the others both in the front line and in the trenches, but never very far from the village of Bousies. For the above-mentioned date, however, another blow had been planned. The enemy was despairing and discouraged, but must not be given too much time in which to pull himself together. The task set was very similar to that of the 23rd October. The 53rd and 54th Brigades were first to capture Preux and Hecq and get into the western part of the Mormal Forest, which is a very extensive one, but easy to pass by reason both of the numerous roads and paths and by the absence of thick underwood. After this the Buffs and Queen’s were to pass through at a certain fixed hour. For this purpose Bousies was left at 8.15, two hours after zero, and a sunken road west of Landrecies reached after a few shell casualties had been suffered by the way. Here the headquarters of a Bedfordshire battalion informed the Buffs that the attack on the left had developed satisfactorily; but the 54th Brigade on the right, having come up against strong nests or pockets of hostile machine guns just west of Preux, had made but poor progress through the orchards on its line. Owing to this the 10th Essex had been unable to reach their forming-up position, and as it was the Buffs’ job to pass through this 10th Essex they were, of course, looking out for them. The officer commanding the Buffs therefore decided not to proceed till the Essex had got on a bit, but put his battalion for a while into the trenches with the Bedfords, and sent on patrols with a request to be kept informed of the movements of those they were to relieve. At last, at 12.50, orders came to advance gradually and an hour later to push on with speed to the third objective, and so, after passing Preux, the Red Line was reached at 3.40 without further incident. After the morning’s first stubborn resistance the enemy had, as a matter of fact, retired hurriedly through the forest and put up no further fight. At 10.50 at night orders came to continue the advance at 6.30 in the morning, and at that hour the 8th East Surrey started as divisional vanguard, the Buffs following at the head of the main guard. Very little resistance was met with, and the final objective, the bank of the River Sambre at Sassegnies, was gained about noon.

At 7.50 a.m. on the 6th the 55th Brigade was by arrangement squeezed out, as it was termed, and so had finished its long fighting record. The Buffs marched back to Preux tired and very cold and wet, for the weather throughout these operations had been bad. The 8th of November took the battalion further back to Pommereuil, and there, as nothing must be left to chance, immediate reorganization and making up of deficiencies was commenced. Then came the armistice and with it the finish of the war record of the 7th Battalion of the Buffs, a record which is comparable with any battalion in the army and which includes the First Battle of Albert in 1916, the Battle of Bazentin Ridge, Thiepval Ridge, the Ancre heights, the Battle of the Ancre, the Battles of Arleux, of Poelcappelle, St Quentin, Amiens, Second Battle of Albert in 1918, the Second Battle of Bapaume, the Battle of Epehy, Battle of St Quentin Canal, the Battle of the Selle and the Battle of the Sambre.

There is not much to record for the remainder of the year. The 7th Buffs was not one of the units told off to move into Germany on the 13th November; it went into billets at Elincourt, and on the 17th there took place a brigade thanksgiving service. Then a great deal of salvage work was done, as was the case with most corps. On the 4th December His Majesty The King came to Elincourt and passed on foot between the rows of his soldiers. On the 12th of this month the battalion moved to Mallincourt, and five days later came a most unfortunate occurrence, which strikes one as particularly bad luck after the armistice had been concluded only a month or so. During salvage operations a blind shell exploded, killing seven men and wounding twenty, as well as four more who, being only slightly injured, remained at work. There was a distribution of medals, etc., to the Buffs and East Surreys on the 23rd December.