Craven's Part in the Great War

by John T. Clayton

The Belgians were on the left and their soldiers created a very favourable impression. Later the 1st American Division arrived and came into the trenches with the ⅙th Battalion for instruction, before taking over the line themselves in the latter half of August. They appeared to be excellent material, and were very eager to learn all they could.

The outstanding feature of the stay was a very successful raid undertaken one morning by a party of A company under Lieut. C. Lowther, M.C. and Lieut. Farrer. Many Germans were killed and four captured. The following day Company Sergt.-Major Wiseman, D.C.M., led another successful foray, inflicting casualties on the enemy.

The ⅙th Duke’s left Ypres for the last time on August 19th, and with the rest of the Division had gone back to a delightful rest area between Calais and St. Omer. They had just settled down to training in charming surroundings when they were suddenly ordered to move south. The First Army had begun its final offensive and the 49th was required to take a part.

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.