CHAPTER XI
PREPARATIONS FOR DEFENCE
October 1917 to 21st March 1918
The operations of the 12th October concluded the share of the Division in the fighting of 1917. It had played an important part in all the big battles except Messines and it had been too recently in action to be employed in the operations near Cambrai, which began in November. The Ninth was frequently engaged in the travail of battle; its rôle during the year had been rather that of storm-troops than of mere occupants of the line, and though this had entailed great hardships and a heavy casualty list, some compensation had been derived from the comparatively long interludes spent in rest and training. Through gain and loss, hope and fear, officers and men had shown that splendid and invincible cheerfulness which made the Ninth so terrible in battle. The general standard of physique was perhaps not so high as in earlier years, but the spirit of the Division remained as unconquerable as ever despite the disappointing nature of the recent operations.
The situation at the close of the year contrasted sadly with the soaring hopes entertained at the beginning. Russia, whose claim to be the protector of the Balkan Slavs had been the occasion of the war, had been ignominiously driven from the field, and her military collapse involved the sacrifice of Roumania. Near Salonica, the Entente had been able to do little more than hold its own, and the greater part of Serbia was in the hands of Bulgarians. The Italians, unable to wrest the coveted port of Trieste from the Austrians, were in October dispersed in rout at Caporetto before a combined army of Austrians and Germans, and the allies in the West had hurriedly to send reinforcements to stiffen Italy’s resistance. In Flanders the Passchendaele offensive dragged on beyond the limits sanctioned by sagacity or prudence until November, and its only result was to secure us less than five miles of ravaged soil without effecting any important strategical gain. The Belgian coast was still firmly controlled by the enemy and our military efforts had signally failed to contract his submarine campaign. Audacity and originality, exhibited in the intelligent employment of tanks, achieved on the 20th November our most remarkable victory and all but led to the capture of Cambrai, but we were either slow or unprepared to extend our success, and what had been our greatest triumph was counter-balanced by our gravest defeat. Ten days later the German counter-stroke made Cambrai secure and rent a gap in our line near Gouzeaucourt and Gonnelieu.
Even at sea there was cause for concern. Though the Battle of Jutland on the 30th June 1916 had rendered the German Navy negligible, the submarine activities of the enemy wrought serious havoc among our merchant shipping, and compelled the British Government to adopt a system of rationing to conserve the food supply. Till the end of the year it was estimated that we were losing ships faster than we could build them, and it was not till the beginning of 1918 that we made any real headway against the submarine menace.
Only in Mesopotamia and Egypt had the tide of fortune turned definitely in our favour. In the former, General Marshall pushed our conquests far beyond Bagdad, though it was impossible without Russian help on his flank to make any ambitious movement against Aleppo. General Allenby had been transferred to Egypt in June 1917, and in a vigorous and masterly campaign carried Gaza and gained possession of Jerusalem before the end of the year.
But if the year ended in humility and disappointment the future was not without a gleam of hope. The entry of America far outweighed the defection of Russia, and gave complete assurance of ultimate victory. Nevertheless the immediate situation was not happy. Though American troops had taken their place in the line by December, great numbers of trained men could not be expected to reach the Western Front from the United States until well on in 1918, and it was certain that Germany would make a supreme effort to snatch victory before their arrival. For such an emergency the British forces in France were perilously short of men, yet on the plea of home defence, which was absurd while the Navy controlled the seas, the Government retained in this country large bodies of troops urgently needed by Sir Douglas Haig as reinforcements. And at this juncture the British Commander became responsible for an additional stretch of 28 miles of front, taken over from the French in deference to a decision of the Versailles Council against the expressed opinion of the British military representative.
NIEUPORT BAINS, LOOKING TOWARDS THE GERMAN LINES
On leaving the disagreeable and constantly bombed camps near Ypres, the Division moved on the 25th October to the Wormhoudt area, and on the following morning to the coast in the Nieuport sector. Here two days later the 26th Brigade relieved the Forty-first Division in the line. After the stress and turmoil of the Salient the Belgian coast was a veritable haven of rest, the only storm centre being Dunkirk, which was nightly bombed. Even in the trenches there was little to disturb the harmony of life, and when our gunners in accordance with their usual practice began to liven up matters, they were ordered by the XV. Corps to assume a quieter attitude. Behind the lines the broad, firm expanse of sand fringing the coast offered ample scope not merely for the manœuvring of troops but for such forms of recreation as polo and football.
The sojourn in this sector, where preparations were made for a long period of useful training, came to an abrupt end. On the 11th November General Lukin was informed that his command was to be transferred to the X. Corps of the Second Army. Further orders were received that the 9th Seaforths were to be sent ahead of the Division, and on the 19th they moved to the area of the VIII. Corps. After relief by the XXXVI. French Corps, the Ninth concentrated near Fruges. Then on the last day of the month the Germans delivered their counter-thrust near Cambrai, and the whole Division was hurried by rail to Péronne. On the 3rd December it came under the III. Corps, and two days later relieved the right brigade of the Guards’ Division and the Second Cavalry Division in the sector extending from Gauche Wood to Chapel Crossing.