II. 6th Battalion
There is a great high road running dead straight from Arras east-south-east for four-and-twenty miles to Cambrai. Two miles and a half from Arras along this road lies the village of Tilloy, and three miles further on Monchy is to the north and Wancourt to the south of it. Two miles south-east of the latter place and about two miles to the south of the great road is the scene of the 7th Battalion’s fight on the 3rd May, 1917—the village of Cherisy. It was round these places that the 6th Battalion fought and endured up till the 23rd October, when it retired away west to a more peaceful region for a few days and there saw a good deal of the 1st Battalion.
On the 1st July the 6th moved from Arras to the Wancourt line, and on that date it mustered 33 officers, but only 483 other ranks. While in this sector it was sometimes in front, sometimes in support and sometimes further back.
Amongst the various excavations of this region is what is known as “The Long Trench,” which, commencing about 1,200 yards south of Keeling Copse, runs southward and is continued in that direction by Tool Trench. In this long work was the 6th Battalion on the 10th July, when it received orders to raid the enemy’s shell holes east of Tool Trench at 7.30 a.m. the next day. The enemy, however, had made his own plans and, taking the initiative himself, attacked at 5 a.m. after an exceptionally heavy bombardment of guns of all sorts and sizes, smoke and liquid fire being also used. This heavy rain of projectiles was directed not only on Long and Tool Trenches, but on the supports. The infantry attack was directed chiefly on Long Trench, and the Germans managed to penetrate at one point after feinting or making a holding attack along the whole front of it. Having effected his penetration he rapidly deployed and occupied shell holes in rear or on our side. 2nd Lieut. Stevens, who was holding a post near by, at once realized the situation and organized and carried out a counter-attack along Long Trench, and almost at the same time L.-Corpl. Edgington and two men, who were all on duty with the 37th Brigade Sniping Company, seeing that the attack was serious, at once dashed up to ascertain the true situation. These three went up Long Trench for three or four hundred yards till they reached the point where the break through had occurred. Here, of course, they came across a lot of Germans who hurled bombs at them. The corporal, however, was a good and resolute Buff soldier, and he, posting one of his men in an advantageous position in the trench, with the other commenced to erect a block or stop in the work. He was soon joined by 2nd Lieut. Stevens and another man, and between them they consolidated the block and opened fire at close range on a number of the enemy. About two hours and a half later on the Buffs tried a counter-attack which was duly preceded by artillery preparation, but it failed owing to the heavy machine-gun fire it was subjected to. The enemy’s aeroplanes were very noticeable during this affair, flying low over our lines all day, particularly during the attack. 2nd Lieut. Gunther was killed, as were 9 men; another officer and 26 men were wounded, and there were 30 missing. Long Trench was recovered a week later by the 35th Brigade and the Royal West Kent Regiment.
On the 3rd August, at 6 p.m., the Buffs being then in rear in what was called the Brown Line, the enemy opened a heavy barrage and later attacked Hook Trench. Two officers and one hundred men of the Buffs were sent up about 8.30 to aid the Queen’s and West Kent in the front line. The attack was beaten off and heavy casualties were inflicted on the enemy, who withdrew, leaving several prisoners. On the 6th August the whole brigade was relieved and went into Beaurains Camp, near Arras. 2nd Lieuts. Hunt, Mason-Springgay, Russell and Sowter, with eighty-six men, who had been training for a raid, proceeded from here to take their part in an organized minor adventure which took place on the 9th of the month and which was most successful: the moral of the enemy had every appearance of being severely shaken and he suffered heavy casualties; his trenches were entered, many dug-outs destroyed and eighty prisoners brought back, and it was just a regimental misfortune that the men of Kent were in the flank which became subject to the enfilade fire and consequently suffered the following casualties and failed to get on as far as was hoped.
2nd Lieuts. J. Russell and F. I. Sowter missing, Mason-Springgay wounded and thirty-five men either killed, wounded or missing. It was afterwards ascertained that both Russell and Sowter had been killed. The raid party returned to camp about 3 a.m., played in by the Drums.
On the 24th August, while in the Levis Barracks at Arras, Corpl. Horton, L.-Corpl. Parker and Ptes. Hoare, Lane and Scott heard they had been awarded the M.M., and about the same time, while in the trenches again, news came of a M.C. for 2nd Lieut. Mason-Springgay.
On the 1st September the Royal Fusiliers, aided by the Buffs’ covering fire, made a neat little raid, sustaining only one casualty and bringing in twenty-six prisoners; and the next day a telegram came saying that 2nd Lieut. Stevens had the M.C. and Pte. Barham the M.M. An attempt was made by the enemy on the 24th to raid the brigade front, but it was repulsed with loss.
The 3rd October brought the battalion thirty-three casualties, including 2nd Lieut. Needman killed. This was because the Sussex Regiment, on the Buffs’ left, made a raid and the German heavily barraged the latter corps’ lines. Two days afterwards 2nd Lieut. N. E. FitzRoy Cole and one man were killed in the front line. The 24th of October took the 6th Battalion off westward, and the 29th found it billeted at Vacquerie le Bourg.
November opened with more than one pleasant meeting with the 1st Battalion. The 6th marched to Frevent with this object on the 1st November, and two drawn matches at football were played between the units, first at Beaudricourt and afterwards at Vacquerie, but the real business of life at this time was training and preparation for a coming attack. On the 16th the battalion entrained for Peronne, and by the 19th it was in position of assembly behind the village of Gonnelieu, which is about four miles south of Ribecourt, in the vicinity of which the 1st Battalion stood. Before describing the parts taken by the Buffs in the action before Cambrai it may be well to explain shortly why the battle came to be fought.