The Division was relieved early in January, 1917, by the 39th Division. The 165th and 166th Brigades went out at once, but the 164th Brigade, to which we belonged, was kept back in Reserve in view of a possible attack against the junction of the British and Belgian lines north of Ypres; the enemy might raid over the frozen canal. It was bitterly cold in the camps. There was much reconnoitring of the Elverdinghe defences and of the approaches thence to the front line.
On February 3rd the Battalion left “D” Camp and marched by Companies to the Cheese Market, Poperinghe, where it entrained at 5.50 for Bollezelle, arriving there at 10.15 p.m., and went into billets in the village. Here Battalion training was carried out so far as weather conditions would permit, but this training was often reduced to snow shovelling and even to snow balling! On the 7th we returned to “O” Camp, and on the following day the Brigadier presented Military Medals to Company-Sergeant-Major Crichton, Sergeant White, and Lance-Corporals Pedder and Taylor. We were doing well in the football field hereabouts, and defeated the Welsh Regiment, the A.S.C., and the 8th Liverpools in succession.
Feb.–Mch.–April, 1917
On February 27th we moved up to Ypres again, but a thaw having set in made road transport and marching extremely difficult. When back in the line we moved over to the trenches in the Left Brigade Sector, and got to know Saint Jean, Wieltje and the trenches immediately north, including a dangerous spot north of Dixmude Gate, known as Well X-Roads. Headquarters were established at La Brique Post. On March 8th, 1917, Major P. E. Robathan, from a New Army Battalion of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, was posted to the Battalion and appointed second-in-command. In the trenches a great deal of patrolling and investigation of the “Canadian Dugouts”—the old gun pits dating back to the First Battle of Ypres—which lay half-way between the lines. Lieut. (afterwards Major) J. H. Evans was very active in this patrol work. Trench life on the whole was uneventful, although enemy trench mortars were occasionally active. After the transition period, October to December, 1916, the Battalion had shaken down and the new organization was working smoothly—new commanding officer, new second-in-command, and new adjutant. Reinforcement officers had settled down, and the Battalion was gradually attaining the fine condition it enjoyed before the Third Battle of Ypres.
On April 16th we were relieved by the 10th Liverpool Scottish and proceeded to “Z” Camp. The following day the Battalion marched to Herzeele and went into billets, where a day or two was spent in cleaning up, organization, and bathing. On the 22nd we marched to Buysscheure and stayed the night in billets. The following day the Battalion reached its destination, Moulle, near St. Omer. This pleasant region was all that could be desired. The severe winter had given way to glorious spring, and feathered songsters, no less than ourselves, revelled in its advent. The silence of the clear moonlight nights was varied by the song of the nightingale in almost embarrassing volume.
For some time the Quartermaster, Lieut. J. Crossley, had shown signs of the strain of the campaign, and on May 7th he returned to England for a rest, after two years at the front, and was relieved by Lieut. P. W. Powell.
CHAPTER VII.
Third Battle of Ypres.
July 31st, 1917.
May, 1917
From April 23rd to May 6th we remained in Moulle under perfect conditions. The time was given over principally to practising the attack and consolidation of trenches. Training began early in the mornings and the afternoons were devoted to relaxation. The downs west of St. Omer formed ideal country for the re-conditioning of troops from the Salient, while by way of relaxation inter-Company league football matches were played. These were keenly contested and aroused close interest. St. Omer, too, lay within easy reach and a visit amply repaid the tedium of the brief journey. It was a sort of half-way house to Calais, and its amenities could not be excelled in another town of equal size. Its parks, even in wartime, were beautifully laid out and kept in irreproachable condition. The beau monde of St. Omer loved to dawdle in the gardens during these fine spring evenings, and an attractive wartime gaiety pervaded the whole town. Troops of various nationalities strolled about the boulevards or sat sipping coffee in the restaurants. Blue and khaki uniforms intermixed in the streets everywhere. Cadets wearing green bands were to be encountered at every corner. Flying Corps officers seemed to monopolise the club in the Grand Place. About the easy manners of the boulevardier there was an inexplicable charm, which, try as we might, we could never hope to imitate.
These pleasant days came to an end all too quickly, and on May 6th the Battalion began its return journey, marching to Buysscheure, where it went into billets for the night. The march was resumed the following morning to Arneke, where we entrained for Poperinghe and thence by march to “A” Camp, near Vlamertinghe, once more. Camp was shelled by long-range guns, causing some casualties.