The history of the 9th (Scottish) Division, 1914-1919

by M.C. John Ewing

The Sappers of the 63rd and 64th Field Companies, assisted by two companies of the Pioneers, were responsible for the bridging and ferrying arrangements on the front of the Ninth. Each field company was to throw two single duckboard barrel bridges sufficiently strong to take infantry in file, and to launch and navigate two half pontoons and three rafts, each capable of taking eight men. Lieut.-Colonel Hickling’s task was far from enviable; all the pontoons of the Division were at the bottom of the Lys and all the material to make bridges had to be collected without delay. Since on our front the left bank of the river was exposed for a distance of several hundreds of yards, it was impossible to place the bridging material in position before dark. As it was calculated that our preparations would not be completed till 11 P.M., this was the hour arranged for the launching of the pontoons and rafts. The Ninth and Twenty-ninth Divisions agreed to go over simultaneously, but the Thirty-sixth decided to cross earlier. The first troops were to be ferried over, and it was hoped that the light bridges would be ready by 11.15 P.M.

In effecting the passage of the leading troops, surprise[132] was of course aimed at, and for that reason no artillery-fire was to open until 11.15 P.M., though forward guns were to be prepared to fire at point-blank range at two farms, which being near the crossings might be troublesome. From 11.15 P.M. to 11.45 P.M. an artillery barrage, thickened by machine-guns, was to be put down to cover the forming-up of the infantry on the line of the Harlebeke-Beveren road, after which it was to move forward to a line in front of the first objective. In order to avoid close range machine-gun fire from the houses in Harlebeke, no passage was to be attempted south of the junction of the Vaarneuykbeek and the Lys, and an enfilade smoke-barrage was to blind the northern end of the village while the crossing was being effected. In the afternoon the various divisions were ordered by the Corps to accelerate the passage of the river; in the case of the Ninth this was impossible, but the Twenty-ninth and Thirty-sixth both went over before the hour originally fixed.

The enemy’s bombing planes and artillery were uncommonly active during the evening and Stokerij and Heetje, important centres of communication, were subjected to concentrations of gas-shell at intervals and to steady harassing fire from 9 to 11.30 P.M. There was also considerable shelling of our forward areas, due probably to the alarm caused by the crossing of the divisions on our flanks. The enemy was thoroughly roused, and with his guns and trench mortars fired vigorously but somewhat aimlessly on our bank of the river.

On our right the Camerons were the first to go over, two companies passing on to the first objective while the remainder mopped up Harlebeke. The Seaforths followed, coming up on the left of the Camerons. On the sector of the 28th Brigade the enemy’s fire was heavy and accurate; one bridge was broken and the other badly damaged, while both pontoons were holed and the launching of the rafts was delayed. The casualties sustained and the confusion caused were undoubtedly due to the fact that a simultaneous crossing by all the attacking divisions had not been arranged. Nevertheless the “Rifles” and Royal Scots Fusiliers were concentrated on the right bank of the river half an hour after midnight. This very creditable achievement under continuous fire was a convincing demonstration of the fine discipline and resource of the infantry and sappers concerned. By 1 A.M. the Thirty-sixth Division had two battalions over the Lys and the Twenty-ninth one, a second having been stayed by machine-gun fire. Though the two attacking battalions of the 28th Brigade had crossed, they experienced so much difficulty in securing connection with each other and with the Thirty-sixth Division that for several hours it was uncertain if it would be possible to continue the advance at 6 A.M.; but by 5.15 A.M. all four of our front line battalions were in touch with one another on the first objective except on the left, where our line was about 300 yards behind, owing to the resistance of Beveren.

Both brigades moved forward at 6 A.M. on the 20th under cover of a barrage of H.E. and smoke. The Royal Scots Fusiliers had a brisk engagement at Beveren, which they helped the men of the Thirty-sixth Division to master, but apart from this there was little opposition at the start. By 8 A.M. Deerlyck fell into our hands, and as soon as the barrage ceased, the 7th Motor Machine-gun Brigade and the 1/1st Yorks Cyclists, who had been ferried across on rafts, passed through the infantry. The machine-gun brigade and two companies of the cyclists moving straight down the Deerlyck-Vichte road entered Belgiek, but were brought to a standstill a short distance beyond it by machine-gun fire. Another cyclist company, taking the road running south-east from Vichte, captured 4 field-guns, 40 prisoners and much material, knocked out the team of another field-gun who were attempting to escape, and finally took up a position on the St Louis-Vichte road. Other cyclists on our left wing compelled the enemy to abandon a heavy howitzer near Knock and drove him into the village; four more heavy howitzers were afterwards found abandoned just south of Belgiek cross roads.

It was on the wings that the infantry had most trouble. The country over which the Highlanders had to progress was marshy and in parts flooded, but by 9.30 A.M. they had reached the Railway where a German field-gun engaged them at close range. Two guns however of the machine-gun battery went to their assistance, and a steady advance was maintained despite ever-increasing opposition. Meantime the Sappers had completed a pontoon bridge south-east of Bavichove, and by 9.50 A.M. one battery of the 50th Brigade R.F.A., followed by the mobile medium trench mortars and later by the rest of the divisional artillery, had crossed the Lys. At 10.30 A.M. both the 26th and 28th Brigades were believed to be on their objective and a further advance was ordered to be made at 12.30 P.M.

By that time German resistance had stiffened. St Louis was in our hands, but the 26th Brigade was being subjected to flanking-fire from the Wolfsberg, which our gunners dared not shell as they did not know the exact position of the troops of the Twenty-ninth Division, in whose area it was. In the centre, Vichte Station was captured after stubborn fighting by the Newfoundlanders, and this gave rise to an erroneous report that the village, which lay 1000 yards to the east of it, was also in our possession. As a matter of fact a company and a half of the Royal Scots Fusiliers[133] did force their way into that village but were surrounded, and it is significant of the moral of the enemy that he did not venture to press his advantage. Some of our men broke through the German cordon after dark; others sheltered in cellars with the Belgian civilians until the village was taken two days later, when they rejoined their battalion. A French force was now on the left of the Second Army, but on this day it made such slow progress that the Thirty-sixth Division was compelled to hold a very extended line, stretching from Straate to the Gaverbeek north-west of Belgiek, and this strain on the Thirty-sixth inevitably reacted on our left wing, which was much exposed. On our right the Twenty-ninth Division, being held up, was consolidating on the line St Louis-Krote-Pont Levis No. 2, while the division on its right was some distance behind it.

To allow the units on the flanks to come up in line with them, the Ninth and Twenty-ninth Divisions undertook no operations on the 21st. The sector occupied by the Ninth was a very unpleasant one as it was overlooked by the enemy, who shelled one farm after another, devoting, it seemed, particular attention to those occupied by Brigade and Battalion H.Q. The 12th Royal Scots were unlucky enough to lose their popular and gallant adjutant, Captain McKinley, who was hit by three successive shells. On the night of the 21st/22nd the Twenty-ninth Division took over St Louis from the 26th Brigade, which was now able to hold its reduced front with the Black Watch alone. On the same night the 27th relieved the 28th Brigade with the 12th Royal Scots.

The objectives of the Ninth for the 22nd were Vichte, Hill 50, and Ingoyghem, and the assault was to be delivered by the 11th Royal Scots and 6th K.O.S.B. at 9 A.M. The former were to clear Vichte and Hill 50, at which point the latter were to pass through and exploit in the direction of Ingoyghem. The Highland Brigade was ordered to be ready to support the attack and was concentrated north-east of the St Louis-Vichte road.