62ND (WEST RIDING) DIVISION
Second Line
The 62nd Division, under the command of Major-General W. P. Braithwaite, who had gained distinction as chief of Sir Ian Hamilton’s staff in Gallipoli, left England for France on 11th January, 1917, and, on arrival, was taken to the Albert-Arras area. On 13th February they entered the line about Serre, thereafter until the end of March they were one of the divisions employed in pressing the enemy, and in causing him to hasten his withdrawal from the old Somme front. The pursuit came to a standstill near Bullecourt on the Hindenburg line. The capture of that place was to involve much hard fighting. The Division at this time was in the V. Corps, Fifth Army.
Sir Douglas Haig’s despatch of 25th December, 1917, as to the campaigns of that year, paragraph 16 (Dent’s edition), describes the fighting on 11th April in the Battle of Arras. “In combination with this attack on the Third Army front, the Fifth Army launched an attack at 4.30 a.m. on the 11th April against the Hindenburg Line in the neighbourhood of Bullecourt (4th Australian Division and 62nd Division, Major-Generals W. Holmes and W. P. Braithwaite). The Australian and West Riding battalions engaged showed great gallantry in executing a very difficult attack across a wide extent of open country. Considerable progress was made and parties of Australian troops, preceded by tanks, penetrated the German positions as far as Riencourt-lez-Cagnicourt.” As the Third Army was held up on this day the Fifth Army had to withdraw. Progress was made on the 12th.
Paragraph 27: “To secure the footing gained by the Australians in the Hindenburg Line on 3rd May it was advisable that Bullecourt should be captured without loss of time.... On the morning of the 7th May English troops (7th Division) gained a footing in the south-east corner of Bullecourt. Thereafter gradual progress was made in the face of the most obstinate resistance and on the 17th May London and West Riding Territorials (58th and 62nd Divisions) completed the capture of the village.” The operations 3rd to 17th May are now the “Battle of Bullecourt.”
Throughout the summer of 1917 the 62nd remained in the district south of Arras, but had no heavy fighting until the “Battle of Cambrai, 1917.”
Sir Douglas Haig’s despatch of 20th February, 1918, as to the “Battle of Cambrai, 1917,” 20th November to 3rd December, paragraph 3, dealing with the attack on 20th November, said: “The 62nd (West Riding) Division, T., stormed Havrincourt where also parties of the enemy held out for a time.... West of Flesquières the 62nd Division operating northwards from Havrincourt made important progress. Having carried the Hindenburg reserve line north of that village it rapidly continued its attack and captured Graincourt, where two anti-tank guns were destroyed by the tanks accompanying our infantry. Before nightfall infantry and cavalry had entered Anneux although the enemy’s resistance in this village does not appear to have been finally overcome until the following morning. This attack of the 62nd (West Riding) Division constitutes a brilliant achievement in which the troops concerned completed an advance of four and a half miles from their original front, overrunning two German systems of defence and gaining possession of three villages.”
Paragraph 4, 21st November, stated: “Following upon the capture of Flesquières the 51st and 62nd Divisions, in co-operation with a number of tanks and squadrons of the 1st Cavalry Division, attacked at 10.30 a.m. in the direction of Fontaine-Notre-Dame and Bourlon.” After drawing attention to the strain on the troops engaged in these operations Sir Douglas Haig said, paragraph 7: “It was decided to make another effort on 27th November to capture Fontaine-Notre-Dame and Bourlon village,” etc. “In this attack in which tanks co-operated, British Guards temporarily regained possession of Fontaine, taking some hundreds of prisoners, and troops of the 62nd Division once more entered Bourlon village. Later in the morning, however, heavy counter-attacks developed in both localities and our troops were unable to maintain the ground they had gained.” The Division was relieved by the 47th on the night of the 28th-29th. It was in reserve on the 30th November when the enemy counter-attacked in great force—see paragraph 9 of despatch, also under 47th, 55th, and 56th Divisions.
In the beginning of 1918, the Division was about Arras, on 5th January it took over from the 56th between Gavrelle and Oppy.
Soon after the launching of the German attack from the St. Quentin district, on 21st March, reinforcements were sent to the southern portions of the British front. On 25th March the 62nd Division arrived at Bucquoy and joined the IV. Corps of the Third Army. Along with the 42nd Division they formed a new line through which the worn-out 19th, 25th, 41st and 51st Divisions withdrew. The 62nd, which entered the front line on the 25th, had very heavy fighting on the 26th, 27th and 28th. On the afternoon of the 26th alone five attacks by regiments of the Prussian Guard were repulsed. After a magnificent stand the Division was relieved by the 37th on 31st March and 1st April. The fighting on 24th-25th is now the “First Battle of Bapaume,” and that on the 28th the “First Battle of Arras, 1918.”
Under the 42nd Division a quotation has already been given from the telegraphic despatch of 23rd April, 1918, in which the part played by the 42nd and 62nd about Bucquoy is referred to.