Aubers Ridge 9th May 1915

[stiletto_33853]

On May 9th, after a postponement from the previous day, the bombardment began at 5am. A number of "Shorts" caused severe casualties in the advanced sap where "B" and "D" Companies of the 2nd RB's were assembled. At 5.40am "B" and "D" Companies (Capt. P.A. Kennedy & Capt. C.A. Werner) swept across to the German Trench taking it in their stride and pushed on to the Battalion objective, followed by "A" and "C" Companies (Capt. S.A. Sherston & Capt. A.K. Hargreaves) who occupied and consolidated the German trench. Battalion HQ followed immediately in the rear of the support companies, but the enemy machine gun fire was terrific, and, heavy casualties were at once experienced. The Battalion machine guns were unable to get across, Battalion HQ was dispersed in the passage and the bombing and blocking parties were at once broken up and could not be reassembled. Nevertheless the task which had been set to the 2nd Battalion had been performed swiftly and well, and they were just enjoying the pleasant afterglow of success - when suddenly they realised that, apart for a small handful of the Royal Irish Rifles, they were entirely alone, and it dawned on them that their predicament was unenviable in the highest degree. Where were the turning movements to the right and left that were to enlarge the gap??. Where was the advanced guard that was to press on as soon as the first objective was secured???. Where were the East Lancashires on the right, and the Sherwood Foresters beyond them???.
They were lying out in no mans land, and most of them would never stand again.
The 2nd Northamptonshire Regiment advanced against point 372 from their place of assembly in the orchard near the foot of the Rue Petillon. They advanced on a two company front. The right company found the wire cut but was caught by enfilade machine gun fire and reduced to one officer and fourty men, who effected a lodgement in the German front line. On the front of the left company the wire was uncut, and that company was wiped out. The supporting company was held up in no mans land, unable to move. The reserve company could not get beyond the orchard.
The main attack, on the right of the Silly-Fromelles road was even less fortunate. The leading companies of the East Lancs, who were assembled in a trench on the south side of the road, at an angle to the line of their attack, sought to neutralise this disadvantage by creeping out at 5.30, during the bombardment of the German front line in readiness to charge when the guns lifted. Despite the bombardment they were at once met by heavy fire from the enemy front line and thrown into disorder. At 5.40 when the bombardment lifted, there was such a hurricane of machine gun fire that the East Lancs withered away and no further advance could be made from the Sailly raod. But speed was the essence of the operation. From the moment of zero every one was to move forward in obedience to the time table. There was to be a !Continuous forward movement of fresh troops". While the East Lancs attack was being smashed on their own parapet, the Sherwood Foresters, The Worcestershires and the Black Watch were all coming forward from behind. The trenches became congested, movement well nigh impossible, and then the enemies counter bombardment descended to add to the confusion. Half an hour after the attack began the Sherwood Foresters were launched at the supposed breach on the right of the East Lancs. The assaulting companies got within fourty yards of the enemy line and could get no further. Then it was discovered that "The wire was sunk on this front and was only effectively cut in one place about a yard wide". By 7am the 24th Brigade, in a state of hopeless confusion, was endeavouring to re-organise, and the attack was at a standstill.
On the left, except for the successful attack of the Rifle Brigade, the tale of misfortune was comtinued. The Royal Irish Rifles, barring a few who succeeded in reaching the German line with the 2nd Rifle Brigade, had disappeared completely in the tempest of machine gun fire that greeted both battalions as they left the trenches. The leading platoons of the 13th London Regiment flung themselves into the crater before the enemy had recovered from his suprise. The remainder of the battalion was unable to move a yard, owing to the severity of the fire that broke out immediately after that feat had been accomplished. The Royal Berkshires who, according to their plan, should have gone through the 2nd RB's on the Rouge Bancs Road were unable to get across no mans land. Most of the battalion crawled into a disused fire trench in front of the British breastwork. Some however made a shift with such cover as they could find in the open. The remaining troops of the 25th Brigade were herded together in the front line and assembly sap in an advanced state of disorganisation, and were so found by the Brigadier when he arrived at 6.20am fourty minutes after the attack began. In these circumstances he ordered up his brigade reserve (2 companies of the 2nd Lincolnshires) and despatched them in support of the 13th Londons with orders to bomb towards the 2nd RB's and join up with the latter. Almost immediately a further stroke of misfortune befell the attackers.
In some mysterious manner, which has never been explained, an order to retire was circulated among the troops out in front (8th Division account of the operation). It does not seem to have reached the 2nd RB's, nor is there any record of it in thied diaries, but from all directions men began retiring towrds the original line. With conspicuous gallantry General Lowry Cole sprang up on the parapet and succeeded in restoring order. The action cost him his life, for he was mortally wounded.
This fatality put Colonel Stephens of the 2nd RB's in command of the 25th Brigade, but Colonel Stephens was still forward in the captured part of the German front line. It was some time before hecould be informed, and some hours later before he could leave the 2nd RB's in order to take over. Major S. FitzG Cox of the 2nd Lincolns carried on in his absence, and during this time the two companies of the lincolns under Capt. B.J. Thruston succeeded in reaching the enemies line, some distance to the left of the 2nd RB's, where they made good about two hundred yards of the trench. Shortly afterwards the artillery re-opened fire upon selected targets, and Major Cox rallied the remaining two companies of the Lincolns which then tried to advance in vain. The machine gun fire was as heavy as before.
Meanwhile the two companies ("B" and "D") of the Rifle Brigade on the battalion objective found themselves in a veritable death trap, From either flank, and from the rear, they were subjected to a withering fire. One by one the company officers were killed and wounded, until by 8am there were none left, and the men, weary of being taken in the reverse began to fall back from the road upon the captured trench, astride the Rouges Bancs - Sailly road, which had been consolidated from a point 50 yards west of the road to a point 200 yards beyond it to the east.
The riflemen were hard at work, converting the trench, and building blocks on either flanks. This work had been attended by considerable difficulty, for they were constantly bombed from the flanks and could make ne effective reply, owing to the shortage of bombs and the disorganisation of the bombers. The reinforcements from the front, when they retired to the German front line, enabled the defence to be more securley prepared and the bombing attacks from the flanks were now more easily repelled. At noon, 2nd Lieut. W.E. Gray, the battalion machine gun officer, started from the assembly sap with fifty re-inforcements, all but twenty of whom were shot down crossing no mans land. A machine gun had been captured with the trench and 2nd Lieut. Gray was able to set this working, a valuable addition to the defences. Just at about this time Colonel Stephens was told of the death of the Brigadier, and his own succession to the command of the brigade. But for the moment the important thing was to hold the trench, and he remained with the battalion. At 7.50pm the enemy counter attacked again, he was easily beaten back, 2nd Lieut Gray's improvised machine gun contributing powerfully to the result.
At 8.30 pm all was quiet, Colonel Stephens then left the captured trench and returned to advanced HQ in the old British front line to take command of the brigade. The he was met by the Brigade Major, Capt. J.C. Dill with Colonel Hastings Anderson (GSO1 - 8th Division). A consultation took place.In view of the failure of the attack at all other points the question was wether to continue to hold the captured trench, or withdraw under the cover of darkness.
Colonel Hastings Andersons information was that the 7th Division would attack the next morning. On that assumption it was vitally important to hold what had been taken. Colonel Stephens therefore determined to reinforce the trench with every available man, and proceeded to the 7th Division HQ in order to arrange for fresh troops to take over as soon as possible.He succeeded in organising a party of some seventy riflemen with two machine guns, and two bombing parties from the Royal Berkshires. This detachment was sent forward under Capt. C.J. Newport, Royal Irish Rifles, who then took command of the trench - for all the senior officers of the Rifle Brigade had been killed.

Sorry if this is a bit long winded but it is an action that has always lit my imagination.
Counter attack to follow.
Andy

[stiletto_33853]

Counter Attack

The enemy had no intention of giving this trench up without a further striggle. It was not as thoogh a whole sector had been taken from him. He was in his original front line on either side of this trifling breach. Under cover of darkness he could frontally attack from Rouge Bancs and, at the same time, he could bomb in from both flanks. Satisfied with his experiences earlier in the day in previous counter attacks on this breach that he had a formidable adversary to encounter, who could not be dealt with by a haphazard or half hearted approach, he took time to organise a carefully planned minor operation involving three converging and simultaneous attacks. About two hours after midnight, when the sense of the defenders must inevitably have been dulled from fatigue - most of them had been fighting since daylight the previous morning - a strong force of German Infantry suddenly charged the trench from the fornt, and at the same moment heavy bombing broke out on either flank. The frontal attack was met with machine gun and rifle fire, and brought to a standstill. But the bombs of the defenders gave out, the blocks at either end of the trench were carried by the enemy, and the flanks driven in. A fierce hand to hand struggle raged up and down the trench, the severity of which may be gauged by a Roman Catholic Priest serving in the ranks of the German Army.

"After two hours fighting" he writes "the enemy was beaten back. You can scarcely have an idea of the work this represented. How these Englishmen had in twelve hours dug themselves in. The hundrd fellows who were in our trenches had brought with them an enourmous quantity of ammunition, a machine gun and one they had captured from us. Almost every single man of them had to be put out of action with hand grenades. They were heroes all, brave and true to the end, until death......... men of the active English Rifle Brigade".

By three in the morning it was all over. A few remnants of the battalion had escaped and made their way back. Fifty were overpowered and taken prisoner. Thirty wounded were picked up the next day by the enemy. The remainder of the garrison was dead.

The 2nd Rifle Brigade suffered 654 casualties in this action, an action little known by many and yet with a higher casualty rate than many later and more famous battles.

Andy

[Neil Mackenzie]

Andy.

Thanks for providing this information - what were the sources you quote?

I have just come back from France and to be on Aubers Ridge on the 90th anniversary of this action was very moving.

Thanks.

Neil

[stiletto_33853]

Hi Neil,

The source used was the History of the Rifle Brigade in the war of 1914 - 1918, The Rifle Brigade Chronicles.

The action described took place around near Kennedys Cross in case you visited that on your recent trip.

Andy

[Neil Mackenzie]

Andy.

Thanks for that.

The walk we did was in the area of the southern attack and I believe that the Rifle Brigade were involved in the northern part of the attack. So we were not in the Kennedys Cross area itself.

Neil

[stiletto_33853]

Hi Neil,

Yes the 2nd Rifle Brigade were in the northern sector of the battlefield.

Andy