Northamptonshire 6th "A" Company

[machin]

I'm looking for some details about the German attack at Fricourt in December 1915 and early new year

[Stebie9173]

Tim,

I think you're stalking me....

Or is it the other way round?

We have discussed it before on this topic. I also have pictures of 15 of the 20 captured Northamptonshires.

 

Don't miss Jack Sheldon's attachment regarding the German perspective.

There is a mention in one of the sources regarding an officer going on leave. I doubt that this will be Heriz-Smith as he had only arrived a week before...

War Diary Extract:

SECTOR D2 OF TRENCHES

4th to 11th December 1915

The battalion occupied D2 Sector for the first time relieving 11th Royal Fusiliers. Weather wet throughout. The trenches were in a very muddy state. Casualties:- 2/Lt. Gilbertson and 2 men wounded. [Wounded were probably: 13150 Pte. A S Hills, 11094 Pte. A. Birt]

BUIRE

11th to 24th November 1915

The battalion were relieved by the 11th Royal Fusiliers and marched to new rest billets at BUIRE.

SECTOR D2 OF TRENCHES

24th to 31st Deecmber 1915

The battalion relieved the 11th Royal Fusiliers. On the 27th our artillery fired about 800 shells into the trenches in and close to FRICOURT. On the 29th the enemy retaliated with about 2000 shells from guns and trench mortars on D2 Sector from 3.30pm to 5.30pm among them were a number of gas shells. Towards the end of the bombardment a party of the enemy entered our trenches west of the Cemetery and captured twenty of our men who had taken cover in a dugout. These men were made prisoners and taken away to the German lines before the posts on their right and left became aware of the occurrence.

The point selected for the attack was right by the enemy’s gun fire during the operation and the parapet partly blown in. A German soldier who had strayed from the party was shot by our men.

Total casualties during this tour of duty in the trenches were 4 killed, 17 wounded, 20 missing. The weather was continuously wet but mild and the trenches were in a very bad state.

From the Brigade History:

The Germans retaliated the next evening hammering trenches 86 and 89 in D2 sector (held by Nos. 4 and 5 platoons of Northamptonshire Regiment) until they were almost flattened and also sending over a lot of tear-gas shells. After a while the fire was lifted from these trenches and put down on the support trenches in rear, and also on trenches on either side. This "box barrage" isolated a part of the Northamptonshire Regiment's front in the region of the sunken road running from the station, which we held, into Fricourt itself. A party of about 20 Germans then came over, bombed out some cellars, and marched about 16 of our men back. Three of our men, including one wounded by a bomb, did not leave the cellars, and, escaping attention, managed to reach the rest of their battalion.

The whole affair was a chapter of accidents. The officer commanding the platoon which suffered was absent, bad weather in the Channel having delayed his return from leave. The platoon-sergeant had gone on leave that day, and a lance-sergeant left in charge had gone to see his company commander and had been gassed on the way back. The day sentry had been knocked out, and in the absence of a responsible leader all the nineteen men took refuge in a cellar without leaving a sentry at the spot the Germans entered. The platoons on the right and left stood to when the bombardment opened, and as soon as it was known that Germans had come over bombing parties were sent out. One German who had apparently lost his way was found in our trenches and dealt with.

This was the Brigades first experience of a trench raid; indeed, it was the first on the Divisional front and the use of tear-gas shells was also a novelty to us, accounting for a good deal of confusion. It was noted that the Germans wore gas-helmets of the "snout" pattern.

Steve.

[machin]

Thanks as ever! I hope I can be a help to you once I have catalogued the school resources.

Tim

[HarryBettsMCDCM]

15029 Pte E.W.Preston of Farcet,Near Peterborough 6th Bn POW 29th December 1915{from 1914 UK Group photograph~comaprisoned with Newspaper Picture}

[Stebie9173]

Photos from the Northampton Independent:

15 of the 20 men captured.

Steve.

[machin]

Steve brilliant as ever. Was there a sizeable German attack in the same sector on New Years Eve !915? H-S goes into some detail on this in a letter to his father and said that he was luckily half an hour too late and it had died down by midnight.