“Corporal Cotter was born at Folkestone thirty-four years ago, being the eldest of six sons, all of whom entered the Navy or Army. He joined the Buffs when he was about twenty years old, and was on the Reserve at the outbreak of the War. Being called up, he went to Canterbury, and was sent to France, notwithstanding that he had a glass eye, having lost the sight of his right eye through an accident some years ago. Excepting two intervals, he had been at the front ever since, and right up to March 6th he remained unwounded, although he had several narrow escapes from being shot. His letters home were always of a cheery type, and in the trenches he was one of the happiest and best of men. He kept his comrades in good spirits, and he was always ready to help the wounded or dying. Corporal Cotter distinguished himself on several occasions in bayonet fighting, and in December last he was recommended by his officers for conspicuous bravery. He was then, it appeared, recommended for the D.C.M.”
The 6th Battalion remained in the same sector until Easter, when it went back for a well-deserved rest near Lillers. Here it was refitted and reorganized and given plenty of hard work and hard training with a view to what was to come. It benefited much from the complete change; football and sports were indulged in, and at last there came some decent spring weather.
On the 19th July six officers were mentioned in despatches, but only two of them, Lea-Smith and Smeltzer, were alive. The names were Major Soames, D.S.O., Captains Furley and Smeltzer, and 2nd Lieuts. Brodie, Lea-Smith and Jelf.
During this month the battalion moved south to Amiens, and everybody knew where the ultimate destination would be. On the 28th the real warlike move took place. All surplus kit was left behind and a position finally taken up behind Albert, as the brigade was not to come into action just at first, but to form part of a reserve force. On the 30th three thousand Mills grenades were issued out and a move made to Bresle, from which place during the night tremendously heavy shelling from our guns was heard.
The 1st July was the opening day of the great Somme struggle and the Battle of Albert, 1916. Zero hour found the 6th just outside Lavieville, and when the moment came it marched through Millencourt and halted in a field north-west of that village—being, of course, in reserve. A great deal of firing was heard and some rumours caused a good deal of excitement: at first “all objectives had been gained,” and then “the assault on Ovillers had failed”—which latter was unfortunately fairly true, as the attack on this sector did not achieve much success on the first day. At 5 p.m. orders came to be ready to move at a moment’s notice into the intermediate line and the brigade actually moved off at 7 o’clock, finding the greatest difficulty in getting through the congested streets of the village of Millencourt, but at 8.15 orders were changed again and the 12th Division was now to relieve the 8th, which had suffered many casualties. This move was accomplished at night time, the Buffs, with the rest of the division, being all in the trenches by about 2.45 a.m. The 2nd of the month did not bring another important effort by our troops at this part of the line, though Ovillers was heavily bombarded.
At 1.15 a.m. on the 3rd, however, orders came that this village would be attacked by the 35th and 37th Brigades at 3.15 a.m., after an hour’s intense bombardment. The order of battle for the 37th Brigade was 6th Battalion The Queen’s on the right, supported by two companies of the Buffs; 6th Battalion Royal West Kent on the left, supported by two companies of the Buffs; the 7th East Surrey Regiment in support. After a few casualties, sustained by reason of the usual retaliation to our bombardment, the Queen’s and West Kents attacked. Very heavy machine-gun flanking fire met the Kentish men from the left and the Queen’s from the right. A Company of the Buffs “went over” by platoons about 3.30 a.m., and the first wave suffered few casualties until the German wire was reached; but the succeeding waves of this company, and those of C Company also, suffered heavily in their advance. The few men that succeeded in getting into the German trenches, under 2nd Lieut. Farmer, at once commenced to bomb the dug-outs. Eyewitnesses report that the accuracy and regularity of this advance was remarkable, and reminded them of field-day work. Two communication trenches were found to be blocked. Owing to casualties amongst bomb-carriers the supply of these necessities was soon exhausted, and casualties were inflicted by German bombs. Finding at length that it was impossible to remain any longer in the trench, 2nd Lieut. Farmer collected all the men around him and brought them back to the English lines. The intense enemy machine-gun fire held up also the attack on the right, and B and D Companies did not go into the struggle. The German artillery maintained a heavy fire on our trenches with great accuracy and weight.
About 7.30 a.m. a message was received that the 10th Corps was making another attack, preceded by artillery preparation, at 8.15 a.m. If successful, the 35th Infantry Brigade would co-operate. A message was also received that if the 37th should again attack, the 6th Buffs were to lead it with the two companies that had not suffered, and that they would be supported by the Queen’s. However, it was decided that no further efforts should be made on this sector for that day; the East Surrey took over the front-line trenches and the brigade settled down to be shelled. During the night a number of wounded were brought in. The casualties of the 3rd July were, for the 6th Battalion The Buffs: killed, Captain J. C. T. Leigh and 2nd Lieuts. H. G. Cox and S. T. Hinkley; wounded, Captain Child, Lieut. W. W. Chapman, 2nd Lieuts. Free, Carter and Madden; missing, Lieut. G. W. M. Burton and 2nd Lieut. L. H. Batson, both of whom it was afterwards ascertained had been killed. Total casualties, 11 officers and 263 other ranks.
It sometimes most unfortunately occurs that in war all casualties cannot be discovered and collected. A man may be killed outright or he may be wounded, perhaps in such a way as to prevent his crawling or staggering away. Every effort is always made to retrieve and bring away the sufferers, and it is most distressing to think this cannot always be done. After the fight on the 3rd, the Buffs, together with the rest of the brigade, had a comparatively quiet time, but on the 7th 2nd Lieut. Bond left the trenches with a patrol. He reported on the German wire as being in bad condition, and he brought in five wounded men who had been lying out, poor fellows, ever since the early morning of the 3rd. Lieut. Lea-Smith was killed by a chance shell during the morning of the 7th. The battalion did not go into the trenches again till the 27th July, when the whole brigade took its place in the Ovillers section once more after being hastily refitted and brought up to strength.
What is described by Sir Douglas Haig as the first phase of the great fight was now over, and the discovery had been made that the enemy was in an immensely strong position, fortified, line behind line, to an extent perhaps never before known in war, unless it be compared with Wellington’s lines at Torres-Vedras, which Massena never dared to assault. On the 3rd August, the Battle of Pozieres Ridge being then in full swing, orders were issued for an attack to be delivered by the 6th Battalion The Buffs on a certain German strong point and for it to be carried out in conjunction with the 36th Brigade on the right; this brigade was to assail what was known as the Ration Trench, which communicated with the strong point in question. The attack was to be launched at 11.15 p.m. B Company was on the left, D Company on the right and A and C Companies in reserve. About 9 o’clock the enemy shelled our trenches heavily, but some French ·75 guns were turned on the German batteries with gas shells and completely stopped their fire. Had it not been for this timely action, due to the initiative of Lt.-Colonel Cope, commanding the Buffs, the casualties would probably have been very severe. At 11 p.m. 2nd Lieut. Hanmer and a party of bombers crept out under the barrage to be ready to bomb an enemy’s machine gun should it open upon our men when they advanced.
Punctually to the hour ordered B Company went over the parapet and was immediately joined by D, the barrage lifting at the same moment. D Company then went through B to take the trench on the left of the strong point, but during its advance eased off a bit too much to its right; so A Company was brought up from the reserve and soon after C Company also, and these two took and consolidated the objective and, together with a company of Royal Engineers, pushed on a bit further; but when dawn came B Company found itself in the Ration Trench. However, touch was secured with the 36th Brigade, and the Buffs had done their job. Lieut. A. J. Hanmer did most gallant work during this action. He won the M.C., but was so severely wounded that he died of his injuries on the 7th October.