The history of the Twentieth (Light) Division

by Valentine Erskine Inglefield

Except for heavy gun-fire nothing very unusual was apparent until 9.15 A.M., when Lieut.-Colonel G. Hayes, commanding the battalion, noticed men coming back and horses galloping towards Fins. At that moment heavy machine-gun fire was heard close to the village and an artillery sergeant-major stated that the enemy was coming over in masses from the direction of Villers Guislain. Lieut.-Colonel Hayes immediately led the party out towards a small hill, known as Hill 135, some 700 yards south-west of the village. There he saw the Germans advancing in the most perfect order, entirely unopposed. The leading waves were by that time across the railway and the others were in force on the ridge behind, from which they swept the crest of Hill 135 with machine-gun fire. He ordered one platoon to defend the houses in the southern end of Gouzeaucourt, in order to cover the left flank, placed two along the road between Hill 135 and the village to check the advance from the ridge in front, and sent one to the southern end of the hill to protect the exposed right flank. The men were well led by the company commander, Lieut. Bushell, who showed great coolness and courage throughout the day. Three sections of R.E. of another division then came up; two were sent to reinforce the left flank and one to fill the gap between the top of the hill and the right platoon. The machine-gun fire was by this time extremely heavy; the Germans had broken through Gouzeaucourt, where the left platoon had found them already in possession. Lieut.-Colonel Hayes, therefore sent Sgt.-Major M’Evoy and twenty men to a position a little south of the main road 1500 yards west of Gouzeaucourt, with orders to hold on to the last man and cover the retirement of the others. The rest of the company and the R.E. withdrew to this line under heavy machine-gun fire both from the town and from Hill 135, but with comparatively little loss. Later the 20th Hussars reinforced the party and prolonged the line to the right, and at noon the counter attack of the Guards on Gouzeaucourt relieved the situation. The adjutant of the 11th D.L.I., Captain Tollit, had meanwhile returned to the old battalion headquarters and succeeded in getting away with the confidential papers; he was sent to Sorel for machine guns and reinforcements, and then returned to the line. On the following day “C” Company moved back to a position near Villers Plouich.

In the A.D.S. at Gouzeaucourt between thirty and forty wounded were lying when shell and machine-gun fire gave the first warning of the enemy’s approach.

A shell hit the dressing station, bringing down the wall of the room in which the wounded were being dressed, and soon afterwards the enemy appeared on the ridge between Gouzeaucourt and Villers Guislain. The wounded were immediately placed in the Decauville train and got away and the A.D.S. was abandoned just before the enemy surrounded the village. Lieut.-Colonel Osburn, commanding the 60th Field Ambulance, went back to his rear headquarters at Fins and ordered all available bearers to march towards Gouzeaucourt. Captain R. V. C. Ash had meanwhile withdrawn the unit. A provisional A.D.S. was formed half way between Fins and Gouzeaucourt, and there three or four hundred wounded were dressed. In the evening, when Gouzeaucourt had been retaken, most of the stores were rescued from the original dressing station.

When the enemy’s attack was launched on the morning of the 30th, Brig.-General Hyslop was at rear Divisional Headquarters at Sorel on his way home on sick leave, and he took command of the headquarter details of the 20th and 29th Divisions, and also of the details of the 20th Division at Nurlu. Part of this force was rushed forward towards Gouzeaucourt and part took up a position near Revelon and helped to repel an attack. All transport except the mobile ammunition echelon was sent back to Moislains. A line of straggler posts was formed, and all labour units in the neighbourhood, as fast as they could be collected, were employed either in digging or in carrying forward ammunition and R.E. material. Towards evening it was ascertained that the situation was in hand.

Thanks to an alternative emergency ground line which the 20th Divisional Signal Company had laid to Corps through the outskirts of Gouzeaucourt, to supplement the poled cable route erected by Corps, signal communication between Divisional Headquarters and Corps was successfully maintained throughout the day, in spite of the fact that at one time a portion of the line passed into German hands and out again. This line also proved of inestimable value to the 6th, 12th and 29th Divisions, whose communications with Corps had broken.

Constant and most strenuous efforts were made to maintain signal communication forward of Division. Cpl. Thompson gained the M.M. for conspicuous bravery in mending lines time after time under heavy shell-fire.

By the end of the day the line ran from Gouzeaucourt, past the north-west outskirts of Gonnelieu to La Vacquerie; it then turned east round the cross-roads between La Vacquerie and Bonavis, thence north-west to the ravine, and along the eastern and north-eastern slopes of Welsh Ridge. There were gaps in the line, in particular· north-east of La Vacquerie. As no troops were available to fill them, IIIrd Corps was asked for reinforcements and sent two battalions of the 6th Division—the 2/6th Sherwood Foresters, who were placed under the 59th Brigade, and the 1st Buffs, who went to the 60th. Between the 59th and 60th Brigades were elements of the 12th Division.

The 91st Field Artillery Brigade in action in the valley received orders from the C.R.A. during the afternoon to withdraw the batteries to Beaucamp that night. The limbers had been ordered up by the C.R.A., and they made their way by Metz and Beaucamp to Villers Plouich.

It was out of the question to withdraw the guns until after dark, as the enemy lay close up to the south-east edge of La Vacquerie, and through this village passed the only route to the battery positions. This was a deep sunken road, only wide enough for one team, and it had to be used to bring up the teams as well as to withdraw the guns. To ensure that no block should take place, arrangements had to be made for each battery to complete its withdrawal through the sunken road in turn.

Thanks to the thorough grasp of the situation and to the greatest coolness shown by all ranks the guns were successfully withdrawn with extraordinarily few casualties, in spite of the darkness of the night.