FIENVILLERS.
FIENVILLERS.
We left Mailly early in the morning of October 26th, and marched down through Forceville and Varennes to Puchvillers where we stayed the night. Next day we marched to Fienvillers and went into billets. Fienvillers was a better town than Rubenpre. There were better barns for the men, and for a company headquarters mess we were lucky to get a lovely house standing in its own grounds with bedrooms for each Officer. We now had heard our fate, it was that the 107th Brigade was to go up to the trenches to take the place of the 12th Brigade of the 4th Division, which was coming out and going to be attached to our Division. Our two remaining Brigades were to be in Army reserve for about three months. Our Battalion, with the 14th R.I.R. from the 109th Brigade, was attached to the 12th Brigade under General Auley, taking the places of the Essex Regiment attached to the 109th Brigade, and Lancashire Fusiliers attached to the 108th. We joined the 12th Brigade at St. Leger-les-Domarts on the 5th November, the King’s Own being billeted in the same town. We now began a new and extensive system of training, both in march discipline and attack. General Auley, during the first week that we were in his Brigade gave the Officers a series of lectures on the retreat from Mons and the subsequent advance to the Marne. We heard the story from his own personal point of view, which made it a fascinating narrative rather than a tactical lecture. During the five weeks in which we were attached to his Brigade we obtained much practical and useful knowledge. In march discipline, especially, we improved greatly. We were taught that the most men can do with comfort is 112 paces to the minute. The pace was set from the rear and not from the head of the column. Company Commanders riding at the rear of their Companies were made to check the pace. The utmost importance was paid to keeping in step, and keeping the sectors of fours well dressed and well covered down. The rifle was carried at the sling, never over the shoulder, the reason for this being that men, when they get tired, will let their butts drop, and keeping hitting the man in the sector of fours behind, thus causing loss of space in the section, in the Company, and so on down to the Brigade and Division on the march. We did many long route marches, and the General used to hide in all sorts of weird places to watch us go past, and take us unawares.
ST LEGER
LIEUT. VANCE, CAPTAIN SAMUELS, LIEUT. YOUNG, LIEUT. ELLIS.
“C” COMPANY, ST. LEGER.
During the time we were in St. Leger, Major Clarke (Officer Commanding “C” Company) left the Battalion and joined the 108th Brigade as Staff Captain. I took over command of “C” Company on November 12th. Our Company headquarters were in the Cure’s house, the Cure, like most of his confreres in France, having gone to the front. On 27th we moved from St. Leger to Buigny l’Abbe, a small village about three kilometres from St. Requier where we were billeted until December 10th. Buigny was an unhealthy low lying village, and we experienced a considerable amount of sickness, principally influenza. Our stay of a fortnight was unpleasant, it rained most of the time, and the people were inhospitable. This, we found, was due to bad conduct on the part of a Regiment which had preceded us there. The triangular pond, which is a feature of all Picard villages, had in former days formed the fish pond of the ancient monastery of Buigny l’Abbe; and for this reason was held in more respect by the villagers than most ponds of its kind. Unfortunately, whether by accident or design, some bombs were thrown into this pond one night, and in the morning the villagers woke up to find their pond gone, and in its place a chasm of liquid mud. On investigation it was found that the bombs had burst in what proved to be the roof of a subterranean passage leading from the monastery, and through this the water had disappeared. During our stay in the town we had working parties engaged in making good the damage.