Jump to content
Free downloads from TNA ×
The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

9th East Lancs at 1st Doiran


Gardenerbill

Recommended Posts

To complete my posts on the 9th East Lancs I have decided to finish with their participation in the first battle fo Doiran. My final post in the February to April topic was for the 13th. So I will start this one on the 14th. The 65th Brigade, of which the 9th East Lancs is a part, is in reserve for the upcoming battle. In the image the battalion are at Worcester Nullah and there are a number of promotions of junior officers.

post-91681-0-75255900-1370174719_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The next few days (15th, 16th and 17th) are dominated by bombardments, the officers mess and signals dugouts are hit and there is a lot of aircraft activity. Can anyone explain the pip-squeak reference?

post-91681-0-41387300-1370369887_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the 18th the battalion is relieved by the 12th Lancs Fusiliers and moves to Shelter Ravine where they are digging Communication Trenches. Another question what might A.D.S stand for?

post-91681-0-72817300-1370457701_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the 22nd a 3 day barrage starts and the enemy respond with bombing raids trying to hit the batteries.

post-91681-0-22477800-1370545200_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is how the initial attack is described in the East Lancs Regimental History:

'At 9.45 on the evening of the 24th of April the 22nd and 26th Divisions attacked the enemy’s line from P4½ to Lake Doiran. On the left the 22nd Division, by the exercise of the most amazing courage and perseverance, gained it’s objective and, during the night, the 66th Brigade consolidated the new line from P4½ to Hill 380. During the following night the enemy twice counter attacked in force, but on each occasion was driven off with heavy loss. On the night the 26th Division met with less success. To their front lay the formidable Jumeaux Ravine into which the enemy poured a deadly artillery and trench mortar barrage. The rocky and precipitous sides of the ravine became a death trap from which those who reached the farther side came under the blinding rays of two Bulgarian searchlights and a devastating machine gun fire. Despite these difficulties, in many places the 22nd Division succeeded in gaining a footing in the enemy’s trenches but the barrage prevented the arrival of supports and the enemy’s counter attacks restored the situation to its original state.'

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In Wakefield and Moody’s ‘Under the Devils Eye’, the paragraph at the end of page 79 and the start of page 80 describes the 66th Brigade attack. The SCS trench map ‘Dojran 09-07-1917 Trenches 1:20,000’ shows all the key positions: P41/2 is on a ridge running NNW from Kidney Hill through Pillar Hill, Horseshoe Hill and P5 to P4. Hill 380 is on a similar ridge with the notorious Jumeaux Ravine along the Eastern side. The Mamelon is a hill on a smaller ridge in between. Worcester Nullah, where the 9th East Lancs are patiently waiting for their turn, is a small valley on the Western slopes of Kidney Hill. If you don’t have the trench maps, the map on page 66 of ‘Under the Devils Eye’ clearly shows most of the features mentioned.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the 25th while the 66th Brigade are repelling counter attacks the 9th East Lancs are still waiting patiently. Then on the 26th the battalion stands to and starts to move to Kidney Hill.

post-91681-0-97486000-1370900334_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Regimental history has a more detailed description of the move to the new line:

'During the first part of these operations the 65th Brigade was in divisional reserve, and it was not until the 27th of April that the Battalion moved up over the ground still covered with our own and Bulgarian dead, to relieve the 13th Manchesters on the left of the new line. During the relief and the following day the enemy’s artillery increased its activity and, at eight o’clock in the evening, the Kings Own on the right, anticipating an attack, put up the white, red, white rockets calling for our artillery barrage; the enemy replied by increasing the intensity of their fire, but no attack developed. The day had been a costly one for us-Lieutenant Purves and nine men killed, Rollo, Whitham and thirty-six men wounded. '

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The next two days entries show how dangerous it was in the new line as the casualties mount up. There is another reference to pip-squeeking and judging by the context it sounds like it may be mortar fire.

post-91681-0-42788400-1371239612_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the next 2 days the new front line continues to be a dangerous place and there are more casualties before the battalion is relieved by the 12th Lancs Fusiliers:

post-91681-0-97874700-1371381982_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With the battalion resting in camp at Kidney Hill there is not much to report in the diary, however, I am surprised that there is no mention of the barrage that started on the on the 5th in preperation for the attacks planned for the 8th. Major General Gordon is hospitalised but finds time to send a message to the men.

post-91681-0-44184300-1371494337_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the day of the May attacks the battalion moves to Pearse Hill further away from the front line. The other battalions of the 65th brigade; 8th S.W.B., 9th K.O.R.L. and 12th Lancs Fusiliers, are all given objectives to draw fire away from the main attack. The details of these attacks are in the last paragraph of page 94 in Wakefield and Moody’s ‘Under the Devils Eye’. The battalion are not out of danger as the entry on the 9th shows.

post-91681-0-75994400-1371582990_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The section of the line now held by the 9th East Lancs had been part of a Salient vulnerable to attack on 3 sides, the 67th brigades objective on the 9th was to move the line forward to Roach Back on the left of the Salient and straighten the line, this they achieved, which probably explains the relative calm reflected by the diary entries of the 12th and 13th.

post-91681-0-21799300-1371754772_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

An interesting entry on the 17th referring to Temp Lieut W.D.L. Purves who died on the 28th April (see earlier post), he seems to have been posthumously promoted to Acting Captain. I checked on the CWGC web site and he is listed as Captain and is buried at Karasouli Military Cemetery.

On the 20th the battalion has moved into Divisional reserve.

post-91681-0-13090600-1372013033_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the 21st with casualties mounting the spring offensive is called off, but there is no respite for the battalion who are back in the line at “AD” Sector.

post-91681-0-99452000-1372106132_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another curious entry on the 24th one of the patrols find two killed but it doesn’t say whether they are British or Bulgarian.

post-91681-0-91031500-1372183998_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

At the end of May the first battle of Doiran is over and on the 26th the battalion is relieved by the 8th K.S.L.I.

post-91681-0-65244800-1372270368_thumb.j

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I started researching my Grandfather’s war record, one of the first things I did was get a copy of Wakefield and Moody’s ‘Under the Devils Eye’. I was disappointed that there was no mention of the 9th East Lancs even though they were awarded battle honours for both battles of Doiran. Having created these posts I now have a better understanding of what they did and although they weren’t involved in any offensive actions, their losses in April and May of 1917, were 18 killed and 117 wounded and by the end of June the death toll had reached 37. So they did make a significant contribution, particularly the men listed below who lost their lives.

Captain W. D. L. Purves

Capta in G. H. T. Chowne

Second Lieutenant Arthur Henry Vella

Company Sergeant Major John Edwin Burton

Corporal B. Smallwood

Lance Corporal Percy Edwards

Private J. Clancy

Private H.W. Haggett

Private John Ireland

Private Sam Metcalfe

Private Thomas Barker

Private Joseph Harry Wright Greaves

Private Harold Ainsworth

Private H. Brown

Private J. Croston

Private Harry Ellis

Private R. Shorrock

Private P. Howarth

Private J. Cabrey

Private G. W. Goldstraw

Private William Greenhalgh

Private James Horsell Arthur

Private William Bradley

Private Edward Sutcliffe

Private H. Wilkinson

Private W. Palmer

Private Edward Swift

Private Barnard Monks

Private J. Dawson

Private H. Killian

Private J.E. Kendall

Private Matthew Booth

Private George Edmund Butterworth

Private Andrew Berry

Private T. E. L. Blezard

Private Sidney Crossley

Private James Flevill

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...