The history of the Twentieth (Light) Division

by Valentine Erskine Inglefield

In the early hours of the 24th the 7th D.C.L.I. on the railway became almost isolated; they nevertheless held on until they were ordered to withdraw at 11 P.M. to Villeselve. By that time the enemy was in Golancourt and Brouchy on the left, and on the right was advancing on Cugny, out of which he drove our troops at 1.30 P.M. No attack on the D.C.L.I. developed from Ollezy, but the company on the right had to fight a hard rearguard action to gain time for the remainder to withdraw. This was successfully accomplished, and the battalion reached Villeselve at about 12.30 P.M.

The 91st Field Artillery Brigade, to which B/91 Battery had returned, took up positions of readiness in the morning in a thick fog south-west of Villeselve. At 1.10 P.M. 61st Brigade Headquarters left Villeselve for Beines.

When the troops at Cugny were driven back at 1.30 P.M. they also retired on Villeselve. By the time the remnants of the 7th D.C.L.I. and 12th King’s reached that place a number of French troops with various details of other divisions were occupying a line east and north-east of the village. To cover the right flank of these troops three companies of the D.C.L.I. took up a position on a ridge about 500 yards south-west of Beaumont; the remaining company of this battalion was in Villeselve, and a company of the 12th King’s supported the French.

The 91st Field Artillery Brigade had meanwhile been ordered to take up a position at Beines to cover the approaches to Villeselve. The troops of the 14th Division were falling back through Beines at 2.30 P.M. French troops also were coming back, and there was considerable confusion. What was left of the 61st Brigade was almost isolated, and the enemy was threatening Beaumont and was advancing from Brouchy and Golancourt.

Realising that immediate action was necessary to save the brigade from being surrounded, and being unable to communicate with the headquarters of the 36th Division, Brig.-General Cochrane explained the situation to Brig.-General Harman, 3rd Cavalry Division, who also was most anxious to do anything he could to check the retreat. Under the orders of Brig.-General Harman a composite squadron of cavalry, commanded by Major E. H. Watkins Williams, 10th Hussars, made a most gallant charge on the Germans north-west of Villeselve, killing a great many and taking 107 prisoners. This action of the cavalry considerably eased the situation on that flank.

From their position south-west of Beaumont the three companies of the D.C.L.I were able to prevent the Germans from entering Beaumont until 4.30 P.M. when, under cover of an intense trench mortar barrage, parties of the enemy began to filter through the village. At the same time the enemy was seen moving south-westwards across the Brouchy-Villeselve road. At 5 P.M. Lieut-Colonel Burges-Short was severely wounded, and shortly afterwards was taken prisoner as the enemy advanced.

“D” Company of the 11th D.L.I. had become separated from the 12th King’s in the fighting north of Cugny on the 23rd and retired on the village, carrying back two wounded officers of the King’s with them. No troops could be found except a company belonging to the 36th Division, whose line the D.L.I. prolonged until at 6.45 P.M. the enemy was reported to be working round their right. It was then decided to withdraw. Second-Lieut. Banks went to the assistance of the company of the 36th Division. Touch with this company was lost in the darkness, and 2nd Lieut. Banks was not seen again. “D” Company of the D.L.I. retired to Villeselve, meeting no organised body of troops before coming within three-quarters of a mile of the village. Having reported to Brigade Headquarters and procured three boxes of ammunition and a few badly-needed rations, the company commander led his company forward at 6 A.M. on the 24th, to try and get into touch with the rest of the brigade. In the thick mist he was unable to do so and dug in about a mile north-east of Villeselve, facing north, with a section of the machine gun company and a company of the 36th Division on his left, and some troops of the 14th Division facing east on his right. At noon the mist cleared, and the company, coming under heavy shell-fire from the east and south, had to swing round to the east. Although about this time the remnants of the 61st Brigade fell back, covering Villeselve further to the right, “D” Company was not in touch with them.

The troops on the left retired at 3 P.M., and after holding on for another half hour “D” Company fell back to a sunken road on the eastern outskirts of Villeselve. There a little later it gained touch with the reserve company of the 7th D.C.L.I. The Germans gradually worked their machine guns forward and swept the bank of the sunken road with fire; their field guns came into action about 6 P.M. at a range of 1500 yards, firing shrapnel which burst most effectively right on to the line. Half an hour later the troops were shelled out of the position, and retired along the road to Villeselve, which for the first 200 yards was swept by the enemy’s machine guns.

The batteries of the 91st Field Artillery Brigade held on in their position near Beines until 5.30 P.M., when orders were received to retire the brigade to Guiscard with a view to joining the 9th French Division. All batteries were accordingly withdrawn to Guiscard except C/91, which remained in position until dark, and was able to give most valuable support to the French on the right and to the cavalry on the north of the Villeselve—Guiscard road. C/91 managed to get back by the last available road after the enemy had captured Berlancourt and was close to Buchoire, about a mile south-east of Guiscard.

By 7 P.M. the remnants of the 61st Brigade, now very much mixed and scattered, had retired to a line covering Guiscard and Buchoire; Brigade Headquarters was 2000 yards south-west of Guiscard on the main road to Noyon. Large numbers of troops and stragglers retiring from Guiscard were stopped by a party of 100 men of various units of the brigade, who were formed up at 9 P.M. on a defensive line across the main road 400 yards in front of Brigade Headquarters. At 10 P.M. the right of the 61st Brigade line was found to be in the hands of the enemy.