2nd Battalion, East Lancs Regiment 18th to 20th December 1914 - Where

[quemerford]

In researching the 2nd Battalion East Lancs Regiment I noted what (to my untrained eye) seems to be a bit of a conundrum. From the War Diary, I have located the following movements from 18th to 20th December 1914:

"18^th December 1914 - Battalion left Estaires and marched to new trenches along Rue de Bacquerot right in the main La Bassee road left on the road junction M.32.c

Verbal orders received to move to the Min (M.32. with Headquarters and 2 Companies, sending 2 Companies 200 yards southeast of the Min in close support of the Devonshire and West Yorkshire Regiments, which had carried a German trench and expected counter attacks (Battalion in position on 19^th December)

19^th December 1914, 7 am - The two advanced Companies were withdrawn to houses on the Rue de Bacquerot northwest of the Min. Battalion remained at the Min and on the Rue de Bacquerot during the day.

19^th December, midnight - Orders were received to leave on Company in constant readiness at the Min and move the remainder to billets at Red Barn (move completed at 2 am on the 20^th)"

All OK so far, except that by my reckoning, the Rue de Bacquerot extended northwest from Rouge Croix (M.21.d) towards Wangerie (M.17. - and nowhere near to M.32.b or c, which was some way further to the southwest.

Certainly the references to the junction of the La Bassee road (at Rouge Croix?) agree with the M.21.d location of the unit at this time, but can anyone shed any light on where the Battalion actually was at this time? And why the apparent error in location?

Many thanks,

Duncan

[spof]

Hi Duncan

According to the war diary, they left Estaires, marched along the Rue De Bacquerot to the new trenches and ended up with thier right flank not on the Rue De Bacquerot but south of the La Bassee Road and their left extended to the road junction at M32c. (I can't see any road junction in that actual square though) They then moved to Min Post (map ref M22d) near Rue De Bacquerot to support the Devons and West Yorks.

This is also mentioned in the 2nd Northants war diary:

"The 2/East Lancs Rgt were holding a bit of the same line of trenches on our left, our dividing line being hte road from Estaires-Pont Logy."

So they were in the bottom half of this map

Glen

[quemerford]

SPOF,

Thanks for the reply. The lack of a road junction in M.32.c reinforces my view that they weren't in M.32 at all. Further, the 2nd Northants entry supports them being to the east (left - since the troops were facing roughly to the southeast) of the Estaires-Pont Logy road and south of Rue de Bacquerot (which runs northeast from Rouge Croix). Thus I think the 2nd East Lancs must have been in squares 28-29.

I don't think they'd have been any further southeast because they'd already served near Pint Logy and thus would have referred to their location by the latter name, rather than 'Rue de Bacquerot'.

Duncan

[spof]

Oops. I got my left and right mixed up. I think you are correct about 28 and 29.

I wonder if the verbal orderes were for M32 but the written ones were for the other location.Or another lot came through without being recorded. Most war diaries from this period are very basic but I wonder if the Brigade (both 23 and 24) war diaries might have some operational orders in them.

[quemerford]

Good idea: I'll have to look at those too. It's taken a while, but I think I've now located all of the places mentioned in the 2nd East Lancs war diary up to May 1915, and many ('Pont Rouchon', 'Pont Nogy' etc) are mis-spelt and in a number of different mis-spelt permutations!