The 56th Division

IE-RIC

bit of the line may be so called. There was a rest for a few days in the neighbourhood of Belloy-sur-Somme, north-west of Amiens. Battalions moved there

villages, but the division was once more on the move almost immediately, and on the 24th October was behind the 61st Division in th

roportions. Naturally war conditions did not improve the draining, and at times large tracts of the country were flooded. Our defences [Pg 102] were breastworks, and the system of holding the line was by a combinati

r the 5th Division was put in on the right and the front was shor

t once. The artillery had been left on the Somme battlefield coveri

and in consequence officers and men suffered a great deal of discomfort. The horses also suffered very much from the constant hard, heavy work. The 56th Divisional Artillery were relieved on the 31st October by the 8th Divisional Artillery. Owing to the heavy going, the withdrawal of the guns was a difficult job, and one section of A/280, which got stuck in deep mud, took two days to get out. The 56th Divisional Ar

ery long walks going round them, as cars were not allowed forward. We were very well done by the Canadians, and the men were able to get reclothed, and the horses managed to pick up

ion was covered by the 6

umber fell during the battle of the Somme. In actual numbers the division was of average strength, but the quality had suffered. We find, for instance, a record that a draft of over a thousand men

a trench-mortar bombardment which Australian miners declared to have been [Pg 104] the heaviest they had experienced during their stay in that line. The system of holding the line by means of posts, too, gave many op

was flooded and patrols found it very difficult to move about, as the

d to secure identification. The next day, however, we secured identification in the shape of a Lieut. Steinhardt, 19th Bavarian Regt., who was in charge of a patrol which was disp

y chasing a German patrol of five men, of whom they killed one and the remaining four put up t

re entered again and again only to be found [Pg 105] empty. There is only one record of finding the line occupied, when the Queen Victoria's Rifles captured two prisoners. The reason, of course, was the

the 56th Division. There was nothing in the nature of an attack or even a raid of any magnitude-it was a matter of small

s adopted from the 1st January, 1917. On the first day of the year snipers, from the battalions in line, established

battalions of the 167th Brigade; those between the 14th an

"visit" the enemy trenches; this was no easy matter on account of the state of the ground. On the same night two o

ere [Pg 106] established in the enemy fr

heir Lewis gun was jammed and useless, and they were forced out of the post. One man was found to be missing. The record of this regiment is particularly fine, and they felt very acutely the taking of this prisoner by the enemy. The 7th Middlesex is one of the two Imperial Service Battalions of the Territorial Force which existed at the outbreak of war. It was the first battalion to leave the country and was sent to hold Gibraltar. In March 1915 it a

but two were taken prisoners. Almost immediately, [Pg 107] however, a patrol of the same regiment, composed of four men, left our front line and reoccupied the post, and by noon our troops had restored t

dment, the enemy succeeded in occupying Bertha Post. A counter-attack was at once organised, but it failed, owing to two machine guns

apture all the posts. After repeated attacks the garrison of Bertha Post was

a large percentage of lachrymatory shells, which shelling was followed by fou

ntil then had only received general attention from him, and succeeded in driving the garri

, Gen. Horne, directed that al

ter of shell-holes on our side of the German breastworks, and improved with the help of a shovel and a pick. In face of these hardships the courage and determination of the troops of the 56th Division never faltered, although at one time Capt. Newnham felt impelled to write that, "although wiring has been much strengthened, actual consolidation is impossible owing to the frozen ground. The garrison feel t

he Corps Commander a pers

on of the operations they have carried out so successfully during the last month in establishing posts

[Pg 109] of. They have shown the enemy the offensive and enterprising spirit displayed by our troops, and

r in which they continued the pressure against the enemy in spite of serious opposition. The various counter-attacks by our troops, immediately delivered without wa

sts were attacked. Also with "A" and "B" Companies of the London Rifle Brigade, under Lieut. Prior and 2/Lieut. Rose, who held Enfield and Barnet Posts in the enemy lines on the night of January 24/25th, when their posts were shelled with lachrymatory shells and our men had to

Lieutenan

ing XI

bruary

more ordinary trench routine; but

* *

in a very pronounced salient. A series of operations were undertaken against the flank of this salient, commencing in November 1916. It was, however, necessary to wait on the weather, and although some valuable positions were captured, real advance was not made until January, when actions were won and ground gained at Beaumont Hamel, Grandcourt, Mi

ing a battle. They knew it would require months of preparation before an army could advance to the attack across the wide area which they had systematically laid waste. Here at least they re

as regards the number of divisions, and this was known to the enemy.

om which they hoped to gain much benefit, but, on the other hand,

orff w

n might be alleviated! But my desire had been merely a castle in the air. Now it had c

nous year for the Germans, they were able, by a stroke of fortune, to save ammunition in the East, and to

Central Powers a blow by the capture of Baghdad; and although they had no immediate support f

w year in very fair strength, a

ers. O

eadquarters

e Headquarte

Regt.

Regt.

ex Regt.

Gun Coy. 11

e Headquarte

Regt.

n Regt.

n Regt.

n Regt.

ne Gun Coy.

e Headquarte

Regt.

Regt.

Regt.

n Regt.

ne Gun Coy.

re Regt.

ne Gun Coy.

Artillery Headqu

de R.F.A.

de R.F.A.

de R.F.A.

24

l R.E. Headqua

gh Field Coy.

Field Coy.

Field Coy.

Signals

l Train

Units

terinary

gun) howitzer battery. For this purpose A/282 Howitzer Battery was split up, one section going to D/280 and one to D/281. The 282nd Brigade, under the new organisation, became an Army Field

e soon to take place, Gen. Hull had Lieu

* *

o be empty. But the 13th London Regt., the Kensingtons, secured five prisoners of the 13th Bavarian Regt., and killed about forty on one occasion; and the London Rifle Brigade obtained identification and killed three in a s

ed back to the Flers area, Divisional Headquarters being at Le Cauroy, and battalions scattered about the country between Frevent and St. Pol, in the villages of Beauvois, Herni