INGOYGHEM AND OOTEGHEM. ‘THE LAST RIDGE’
There was delay at the start, and some confusion was caused by a dense fog produced by hostile gas-shelling and by the smoke of our barrage drifting back on the infantry. The fog however blinded the Germans in Vichte, and the 11th Royal Scots entering the village surprised the garrison and then moved on towards Hill 50; a few posts were missed but these were accounted for by the K.O.S.B. On leaving the village the Royal Scots came under heavy fire from Klijtberg and Hill 50 and were checked. For a time the situation was very obscure, and Lieut.-Colonel Ker, who had led his battalion along the railway to the bridge south-east of Vichte, had the greatest difficulty in ascertaining the whereabouts of the leading Royal Scots. Our gunners exhibited once more the daring that had characterised their efforts throughout the advance, and the guns of B/50 Battery were already in action east of the village. Boldly reconnoitring on horseback Captain Andrews located a farm near Hill 50 from which the enemy was firing, and suggested to Lieut.-Colonel Ker, who had already ascertained that Hill 50 was firmly held by the Germans, that covered by the fire of the gunners his battalion should assault the Hill. This was done, and shortly after noon the K.O.S.B. stormed Hill 50. But any movement towards Ingoyghem was out of the question; losses had been heavy and the hostile machine-gun fire from the village and buildings near it was accurate and severe.
The Black Watch, who were now temporarily attached to the 27th Brigade, filled a gap of 1000 yards between its right and the left of the Twenty-ninth Division at the end of the day’s fighting. By nightfall our line ran from the road junction a mile east of St Louis to Hill 50, and thence to the south-east of the Klijtberg, and the troops were in touch with the divisions on both flanks. There were rumours of a German retirement in the north, but on our front the enemy showed great activity and bombarded our area savagely from time to time with gas. The Twenty-ninth Division was now relieved by the Forty-first, and the 27th Brigade by the 26th and 28th Brigades on the night of the 24th/25th.
At 9 A.M. on the 25th the 26th and 28th Brigades with the Camerons, Seaforths, Royal Scots Fusiliers,[134] and the “Rifles” in line, resumed the operations against the Ooteghem-Ingoyghem Ridge in conjunction with the Forty-first and Thirty-sixth Divisions. The attack was made under cover of a creeping barrage of smoke and H.E., which was more intense than usual because our artillery had been augmented by the 17th Brigade R.F.A. (Twenty-ninth Division); two companies of the 9th Machine-gun Battalion and one company of the 104th Machine-gun Battalion also supported the infantry by firing concentrations on certain points and by barraging roads in rear of the enemy’s position. The German artillery-fire had been so violent during the evening that four gun teams of a company of the 9th Battalion were completely wiped out before the attack commenced.
On the fall of the barrage our infantry immediately dashed forward but met with most stubborn opposition. The enemy seemed resolved to dispute every inch of ground, and shortly after zero he put down a fierce counter-barrage on our leading troops and swept the ranks of the 28th Brigade with gusts of machine-gun fire; but in spite of grave losses the infantry made headway and by 10.30 A.M. some of them were on the objective from Klein Ronsse Hill to the Chapel near Ingoyghem. But all the ground had not been cleared; every farm with its steading was a centre of resistance and furious conflicts were being waged in rear of the objective. The leadership was excellent. Brig.-General Hore Ruthven and Brig.-General Jack were constantly in the stormiest parts of their sectors. Lieut.-Colonel Campbell of the Royal Scots Fusiliers was ubiquitous; clad in his jerkin, since the day was warm though the night had been cold, he was perspiring profusely from the kit he carried, his rapid pace, the distance he had covered, and the discomfort of one or two nasty crawls, but he seemed to be absolutely tireless. On our left the Thirty-sixth Division had failed to carry the slopes of Kleineberg, and word was received that the right division had also been checked. It was therefore inadvisable to press on from the ridge and the infantry were commanded to consolidate the ground which they had won at no slight cost.
Our gains had been substantial; they comprised the entire Ooteghem-Ingoyghem Ridge, the last commanding position in the Ninth’s area of operations. During the afternoon and evening our position was subjected to galling artillery and machine-gun fire from the east and north-east. The enemy clung tenaciously to the Kleineberg, from which an attack by the Thirty-sixth Division at 5 P.M. failed to dislodge him. During the night of the 25th/26th the Germans surrendered their last hold on Ooteghem and a patrol of the Camerons pushing past Klooster Hoek and Langestraat gained the banks of the Scheldt at Waermaerde; on its return it met and attacked a party of the enemy, driving it out of Okkerwijk. On the left patrols of the 28th Brigade went out but could not make much progress since the enemy still occupied Meulewijk and Bergwijk, which dominated all the country east of Ingoyghem.
The men were keen to follow up their victory, but they had now reached the limit of physical endurance. Our losses, though insignificant compared with the results achieved, had been serious, for practically no reinforcements had arrived to fill up gaps. There had been no contraction of front to balance our diminishing numbers and consequently each successive advance entailed increasing effort. On the 25th October battalions could muster scarcely 200 bayonets, and daily it was becoming more doubtful if the Division would have sufficient weight to carry it forward against anything like a resolute defence. Hence the weakness of the units and the exhaustion of the men rendered it desirable, if not necessary, to withdraw the whole Division for a rest; and its relief by the Thirty-first Division took place on the nights of the 26th/27th and 27th/28th, when it went back to the area near Harlebeke and Cuerne.
This was the last operation of the Division in the war. Since the 28th September it had covered over twenty-six miles of ground and advanced from Ypres to the banks of the Scheldt. It had captured over 2600 prisoners and many guns,[135] but the trophies gained were more numerous than were recorded; the advance was so rapid that there was no opportunity of making a proper search of the battlefield. And our losses suffered during this amazing march, involving constant fighting, amounted to only 188 officers and 3604 other ranks, just 1000 more than the number of prisoners captured. It was certainly the most spectacular of the Ninth’s many successes. Throughout the advance the admirable co-operation of all branches of the Division had been the principal factor in contributing to this glorious result. The spirit of the Division was nowhere more typified than in the personal example of General Tudor and his staff, Lieut.-Colonel Mudie, the G.S.O.I., with his thoughtful, cool head, and Lieut.-Colonel Jeffcoat, the A.A. & Q.M.G., with his typically exact “Q” arrangements. The G.O.C. during the battles was invariably in or very near the front line, at the top of insecure church spires surveying the landscape, or on horseback in shelled areas, and could always decide with personal knowledge. Incorrigibly dapper, he was invariably calm, quiet, human, and entirely regardless of his own safety; it was no wonder that the Division trusted him implicitly. In similar fashion Brig.-Generals Hore Ruthven, Croft, and Jack were never far from the hottest encounters and the ready judgment of these experienced officers was of the utmost value to the G.O.C. The leading of the infantry had been daring and skilful, while the men responded to every demand of their officers with unfailing cheerfulness and determination. As had always been the case in the Ninth, infantry and gunners worked splendidly together, and the former will never forget the intrepid dash of the latter who assisted them with such admirable and dexterous promptitude. Nor must the assiduous though less showy efforts of the Sappers, the Pioneers, the R.A.M.C., and A.S.C. go unmentioned; its very best work was freely given by each branch and was necessary for the common success.