Once, too, a detachment had been sent off, as it were disappeared, and each party had to rely upon its individual Commander.
Tank crews had had no training in this kind of warfare, but the strange dilemmas in which a Tank frequently finds itself had accustomed them to the unexpected, and thus left alone they displayed plenty of initiative.
The chief work which fell to them was that of forming rearguards and of protecting the retreat of the infantry.
Food and ammunition were both short, and they, like the other troops, suffered many hardships.
Each of these Lewis gun detachments was made up of about four officers and forty men, and they ordinarily had twelve Lewis guns with them.
Three such detachments fought near Masvillers and Merlaincourt, others near Villers Bretonneux, Caix, Harbonnières and Marcourt, the general retreat carrying them back almost to Amiens.
Again and again small parties failed to get the orders to retire in time, and had to fight their way back after being surrounded and cut off by the enemy.
Sometimes they fought with French infantry, but chiefly with the Sherwoods, Queen’s and Royal Fusiliers of the 19th Corps.
Extraordinarily good individual work was done, as the list of honours shows. The story of a 5th Battalion detachment gives a typical picture:
[55]“The 5th detachment under the command of Lieutenant Pitt, consisted of Second Lieutenants Whyte and Storm, forty-one men and seven guns. On March 28 this detachment was attached to ‘Carey’s Force’ and ordered to hold the line on each side of the Villers Bretonneux—Warfusée—Abancourt Road, a position which was to be held for two days at all costs.