2nd Lieutenant Richard Faulkner Ackerley, 9th LF

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After staying about a month at Lapuqnoy we were ordered back to the trenches. I was very concerned about Jack Hayes who was still missing. I warned his servant of the serious consequences if he did not turn up. Lamb must have got news through to Jack as he turned up on the morning of departure, reporting sick to the doctor and being given two days in dock. He then came back and took over command again without any explanation and I never asked him for one.
We had to start at 6am and I was up until 2am on the 20th January issuing the orders, as they came very late from Battalion HQ. Everything had to be cleared up and the order of march decided as we were the leading company.
On the 21st we went into Support lines at Vermelles. On the night of the 22nd/23rd we took over the front line at Cite St. Elie, Hullock. The position at Hullock was peculiar to the situation. From the support line you entered an old mining shaft where the tramlines were still in operation and used to bring up food and supplies. We went some 4/500 yards down the tunnels and surfaced in circular strongpoints, about two hundred yards apart and held by each company. Except for those on duty in the trenches, you were in deep dugouts with electric lighting installed. Very comfortable indeed and a very quiet front. You never saw a Boche and a shell was almost unheard of. Indeed, I formed the opinion that the Germans withdrew from the front line in the daytime and that was at least three hundred yards away. In fact, after a few days, I satisfied my curiosity by crawling over in daylight and found that this was so.
And now I must tell you of an experience I have never had before or since. On first arriving I weighed up the ground in front of our position. Two of the features were a sap head and a very large shell hole, both of which looked as though they might be occupied and give cover for a near approach to our strongpoint at about sixty to one hundred yards distance. Accordingly I decided that on the first night I would take out a patrol and investigate the shell hole; the following night I would send Mende and another officer to look at the sap head, as Mende had never been out on patrol before. Well, I went out with a sergeant and six men and after fifty yards left the men in the charge of a L/Cpl. with orders to support us if necessary. I went ahead with the sergeant. The shell hole was on the left and the sap head on the right. After going another twenty yards I told the sergeant to wait and watch for any movement from the sap while I went forward and reconnoitred the shell hole. I went all round the shell hole and found no trace of occupation. I returned to the sergeant and things seemed so quiet that I decided to have a look at the sap head as well. This was where a trench, running out of the German main lines, came to the surface. I crept up to it and, having looked all round it, decided they were not manning it. Then I went back, collected the men and returned to the strongpoint, where I made out my report without mentioning the sap head as I wanted to see how Mende and the other officer would conduct themselves.
The next night I duly sent them out. When they returned, about half an hour later, we were sitting around the table in the dugout, reading and talking and as safe as houses under about twenty feet of earth and all the station fully manned. They came back very excited to report that there was a strong Boche patrol lying in wait across the sap head, but they had returned without being seen. In my imagination I saw myself having run into this trap the night before and my bowels turned to water. I never knew what this old Biblical saying fully meant before, but it was the most frightful sensation and I was trembling with fear.
Fortunately, I was seated with my back to the wall, with my legs hidden by the tablecloth. After about two minutes I gained control of myself without anyone noticing and then said that I would take out a fighting patrol, and asked for volunteers. That was the only way I could prove myself to myself. It seemed so absurd when I had never been safer, but that is how it happened.
I took two officers and about fifteen men, placing one officer with a machine gun away on the right and the other with about seven men on the left. I myself was in the centre with 5/6 men. Having placed the force personally, I started to move forward, stooping at first and then crawling, taking advantage of any cover, the whole line being kept in touch. To make the whole thing more bizarre, when we got to the sap head there wasn't a soul about, nor could I discover any trace of any occupation. As I said, it was Mende's first patrol and the other fellow with him wasn't very experienced. Things can look very queer on a pitch-black night in No Mans Land. You can look at a wire post on a tree stump long enough to convince yourself that it is a man. There is only one way to settle it and that is by moving to a flank and gradually getting nearer. I had spent so much time in No Mans Land when I.O. that it had become second nature to me but it was rather scarifying to anyone inexperienced. This is why I nearly always left the patrol some way back and completed the survey alone or with just my sergeant. If someone panicked the Germans would fill the air with Very Lights, making the whole place like daylight and putting us at the mercy of their machine guns or possibly a gun barrage, which would make it extremely nasty to get back.
Anyway, I had learnt another lesson, namely that anyone can be subject to that debilitating fear. It helped me to be considerably more sympathetic a few nights later when I found one of the men I had placed on patrol in a hopeless state of funk, teeth chattering and shaking with fear. It took me about ten minutes before I could get him more shipshape, by talking about his family and home.
I don't know whether I mentioned before that we had a narrow exit out of the side/rear of the strongpoint that we could use to mount a counter attack from or to bring enfilade or cross-fire onto the enemy in case they got too near. It was of course well below the walls of the strongpoint, well camouflaged and had a sentry on day and night. One night I was prowling around outside on my own, checking on things, when I noticed that the sentry seemed very still. I crept up on him and, finding him fast asleep, removed his rifle without incident. I then leapt on him, seizing him by the throat. He thought his end had come and had the daylights scared out of him. I then pointed out to him that, if I was going to report this, there would be no option but to have a courtmartial, the extreme penalty for sleeping while on sentry duty being death. However, I thought I had brought home to him the enormity of his offence and so took no further action. Not quite the orthodox way of dealing with the matter but he was adecent enough lad and not likely to offend again. However, I had the corporal in charge visit every ten minutes in future, as , if the enemy had managed to infiltrate, they could have done enormous damage.

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And so, on February 12th we came out of the line, only to be told that under the new reorganisation we were to be disbanded and spread among our other Battalions. This was as the country was so short of reinforcements it was impossible to keep all Battalions at much above half strength, so in every Brigade one of the four Battalions had to be disbanded. We were the unlucky ones in our Brigade. On what basis they made their decisions I don't know but we were furious that a Battalion of our fighting prowess should be scattered about.
The really serious problem that arose was what we should do with our considerable stocks of drink as we had only about ten days to go. We decided to make every effort to drink it all and then to divide out between us anything that was left. Fortunately for me, after four days my ten day leave came through and I departed for England to recover.
I don't remember very much of that leave but I do know I went over to Bakewell one day and that that was the last time I saw Uncle Dick. I suppose I did the usual things and went around seeing people but I do remember a curious feeling of unreality about this life, where everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves and carrying on as usual. I know there was food rationing, etc. but the gap between our austere and hazardous existence for very little pay, and the money nearly all of the stay-at-homes were making, and the enjoyments and theatres booming, hit one in the eye. It made you feel apart from them, a feeling of disgust, and instead of returning to the front with regrets it made you feel almost glad to be going back to a life of devotion to duty and good comradeship, and not the pursuit of selfish ends. I don't want to sound as though we were a class of wild idealists, we were anything but. When we came out of the line we hit the roof, drinking and gambling far too much, but you had that feeling of solidarity and comradeship, everybody mucking in together and helping one another. I don't infer that all the people at home were of the selfish kind - I know my own father worked on endless committees to forward the war effort, as well as being a special constable, and of course he worried about me. He had a very serious illness through overstrain. But I am referring to many of the business men and people in essential occupations, who seemed to be doing very nicely, one hearing of much profiteering. That is why every effort was made in the 1939 war to regulate prices, stamping on any undue profit in order to avoid the scandals of the previous war.

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Well, having got that off my chest, I will resume. When my leave was completed I crossed over the Channel on February 16th, eventually finding that I had been allocated to the 11th Battalion which was in the 25th Division and for most of the winter had been holding the line in the Laqnicourt section in the Somme area. The Germans had retreated to here in 1917 when they shortened their line. The 25th Division had come out to Achiet-le-Petit on February 11th, where they stayed until March 12th. I made my way to Achiet on February 17th, having stayed the night at the Officers Club at Boulougne, arriving there after dark. I had been immediately recognised by one of my friends from my white blancoed riding breeches.
The next two months proved to be the most hectic period in my life. When the Battalion had been disbanded it was easy enough to absorb all the men as all formations were under strength, but the officers had always to be at full strength. When our company was sent to the 11th we were entirely unwanted. Consequently, Jack Hayes was 2nd i/c of a company, while I was made 2nd i/o of a platoon in 'c' Company with Lieut. Nathan as platoon commander and Ward as Company O.C. Well, you can imagine my feelings after having been somebody of importance in the 9th, and senior subaltern and 2nd i/c ‘W’ Company, only to come down to 2nd i/c of a platoon and anybody's dogsbody. I had arrived on Thursday night and saw the Adjutant for my posting, but nobody else. So, when one or two of my friends suggested we went off to Amiens, about twenty miles distant, on the Saturday after lunch, I was all for it. There were other Bns. In the camp, a bus being run to Amiens from where we were picked up at midnight, arriving back in camp about 2am. We had had a good time in Amiens, doing some shopping, a haircut and plenty to drink with a very good dinner and show afterwards. We got to bed about 3am. I was pretty tired and slept heavily until about 9am when I was unceremoniously awakened by my batman saying that I was Company Orderly Officer for the day, the Company being already on Church Parade. I hastily dressed and dashed out, only to find that the C.O., who I hadn't met, was already inspecting the Company on No.3 Platoon accompanied by the Orderly Sergeant. Well, I didn't know what to do but fell in behind without saying anything. When we moved off to No.4 Platoon I ticked off a man in the rear rank, in a very loud voice, for not standing properly to attention. Then, when the C.O. had finished I saluted smartly and took over, but he never said a word.
So, I saw them into church, went back to shave and have some breakfast and then met them to bring them back after the service was over. Of course I should have looked at Company Orders but in my position in the 9th I was excused even Battalion Orderly Officer and, having been out late, never thought about Company Orders. About noon an orderly came along to tell me to report to the C.O. as early as possible. I knew then I was for it. The C.O. was alone in the office and greeted me quite pleasantly, apologising for not having met me before. Then he ticked me off for my efforts earlier on. I explained what had happened and expressed my regrets at my behaviour. His name was Lt./Col. E.C. De R.Martin, DSO, MC, Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, and afterwards I always got on with him exceedingly well.
The 2nd i/c of the Battalion was Major Massey (the son of the New Zealand Prime Minister) and the Adjutant was Capt. Potts.
Well, a few days after this incident I was made Battalion Orderly Officer. I made up my mind to see the job was properly done. The Battalion was quite a good one but by no means up to the standard of the 9th as regards organisation and discipline, though they did very well in action. When I went around the huts about 10am to inspect them I found them in a most slovenly way, some beds not made and the huts not properly swept out. So, after seeing a few of them I told the Sergeant to call out all the hut orderlies on parade. I gave them one hour to get everything in order, at the end of which time if I found anything that didn’t please me they would be put on a charge sheet.

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Meanwhile I carried on and visited the detention tent, where I found one of my 9th Battalion men. On asking the Sergeant in Charge what he was accused of, he couldn't tell me and had no copy of the charge sheet. Then I went to the canteen and on asking for a list of offenders (they were not allowed to use the canteen as a punishment) the orderly looked blank and said there wasn't one. Just then Major Massey came along and asked if everything was in order. I told him I was disgusted with the state of things and rattled off the various complaints, adding that I was reporting to the Adjutant but that I thought he would find the huts etc. in a proper state later in the morning. And they were. Several other lapses occured but I had stirred things up a bit. However, I was never made Battalion O/O again.
We were expecting the Boche to make an attack at anytime and we spent our time mostly in training. The air was thick with rumours. One day theMC/O ordered all junior officers on parade for tactical exercises in attack and fairly open affair. Well, we had been practising and doing the real thing all summer so it was second nature to me, and it was nearly always me who had to supply the right answer. It was a pretty poor show and the C/O was disgusted. He said there would have to be further exercises in two days time but that Mr. Ackerley was excused. So I was making my mark in the Battalion. I can't remember how soon it was that I was promoted to command a platoon but it wasn't long.
One day we went for a route march over the old Somme battlefield. We were passing a Pioneer Battalion who had parked their un-wanted kit alongside the road with their waterproof capes on top. I turned round and shouted 'Private -----, weren't you short of a cape on yesterday's kit inspection?' and went marching on. Then I heard a voice 'You silly b-----, he means you to pinch one'. Such were our morals where Army property was concerned. We saw nothing wrong with it, yet in Civvy life we would not have dreamt of it.
On March 12th the Battalion left Achiet-le-Grand and marched to Fremicourt where we spent our time digging trenches to strengthen the Corps line, and improving communications, as the presumption of a German offensive was very strong and the Corps and Reserve line were in a very poor state. The weather was now very good with plenty of sunshine making things quite enjoyable. I had a very good birthday party in warm sunshine one afternoon, making short work of a very good cake sent from home. The officers also spent much time in reconnoitring routes up to the front line, held by the 6th and 51st Divisions, and generally getting the lie of the land as we were expecting the attack any day. Eventually it was given definitely as the 21st. We were due to relieve the West Yorks. On the night of the 21st, but at 5am on that day the Germans put down a very heavy barrage so we 'stood to' at once and prepared to move up the line in support of the 51st Division Highland. I was placed on 'B' team under the C/O, Major Massey taking command and the Battalion digging-in that night about four miles NE of Fremincourt.
The Germans had broken through our main defences but apart from a few patrols no contact was made on the 22nd. The main offensive started again at 5.30am on the 23rd. At first the enemy was repulsed but gradually we were outflanked and had to retire. This happened several times until, late in the afternoon, after loosing about half our effectives, we withdrew first to Fremincourt and then, during the night, to Bipercourt. We in the 'B' teams camped at Bipercourt to await events but on the withdrawal of the Brigade from the front line it was decided to reorganise the 'B' team of our Battalion and the 9th Loyal North Lancs. were amalgamated into one Battalion commanded by Lt.Col. Martin. This was called the Lancashire Battalion. A and C Company were placed under 2nd Lieut. Bornstein MC, while B Company, comprising C and D Companys of our Battalion, was placed under myself, each with three further officers and C and D companies provided by the L.N.Lancs., as shown in a copy of orders in my possession. The C/O told us that he was informed by Higher Command that there were no reserves behind us at present and that we were to delay
the enemy advance as much as possible without holding on too long, so that the enemy were denied a breakthrough. Early in the afternoon of the 23rd the Battalion moved out and dug-in on the Biefvilles-Sapignies spur on the left of the Brigade in support.

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I was on the left of our Battalion and dug-in about 60 yards back from the crest. Later that afternoon the Boche put down a heavy barrage. I managed to contact the C/O of a Middlesex Battalion that was dug-in lower down on the slope of the valley in the direction of Sapignies and explained our position to him. In view of the gap between us I decided to bend my line back so as to safeguard my left flank. The barrage was still on but I had found on my journey to the Middlesex crowd that, owing to the configuration of the ground, it was passing harmlessly overhead. However, it sounded very frightening and all the troops were keeping their heads well down. So, to show them how easy it was, Mr. Showoff, when about one hundred yards off our line, lit a cigarette and strolled slowly along and explained to the left-hand platoon what I wanted and that they had nothing to fear from the barrage. I don't think they believed me but I got them into position and dug-in for the night.
It was during the next day that the 42nd Division came down the valley on our left to reinforce the line towards Sapignies at a point where the Boche had made heavy attacks and the position was rather confused. Years later I found that their righthand company was commanded by my lifelong friend Walter Gresty MC and bar, although we never made contact with one another during the fighting as things were so confused and our flanks continually in the air. Also commanding a company in the Lanes. Fus. in the same division was Arnold Boyd MC, later my employer and then partner, who was wounded early on that same afternoon.
It was while we were moving down to take up our positions on the afternoon of the 23rd that we saw a most amazing sight on the road from Bapaume to Achiet-1e-Grand, which we had to cross. The road was absolutely blocked with G.S. wagons, gun trailers and vehicles of all sorts, artillery men walking wounded, ambulances, etc. Many of the men were in a high state of inebriation, with handfuls of cigarettes and tins of food, as the canteen at Bapaume had been abandoned and thrown open to
the troops who had stripped it bare. Unfortunately we could not share in the looting. I saw one man slumped across the back of an artillery wagon with blood coming out of his ears he was so drunk. Talk about a rout, if the German planes had got amongst that lot they would have done untold damage, but the day of the low flying aeroplane was not yet.
The night of the 23rd and the morning of the 24th passed quietly for us but there was heavy fighting in front of the Arras road and during the afternoon the enormous ammunition dump, which stretched for half a mile along the Bapaume-Arras road, was set on fire, providing the finest 5th November show that I have ever seen, and going on well into the night. Cases of rifle bullets went off like rip-raps, fuses went off like golden rain, Very lights in beautiful colours went up as well as bombs and shells and mortars exploding. Nothing was left to fall into German hands, but what a waste of money and effort.

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The Germans attacked again on our front on the morning of the 25th. That was a strange day for me and I will try to record the true facts as far as I can remember. We repulsed the first attack but then had to retreat, taking up a position in a sunken road. During the fighting here, amid all the din of battle, I heard some silly devil singing at the top of his voice 'I'd give the sunshine to gaze in your eyes, I'd give the stars from the brightest of skies, if only you will be true', etc., etc. It was some time before I realised that the silly devil was myself. Our flanks went and we had to retreat, myself being left with a few men to cover this move. Eventually we had to break for it and unfortw1ately two men were wounded and unable to move, one being shot in both legs. I stayed behind with them but, as they were about twice as heavy as I was and there were about three hundred yards of ploughed field to cross to get to our next position, it was pretty impossible. They begged me to leave them and escape, so I put them with their backs to a tree and started to make a dash for it. I hated leaving them and it has often worried me but there was nothing I could do. As it was I was the only target on the landscape as I started my wild dash over the ploughed field, shedding my mack, haversack, etc. on the way with machine guns spraying bullets all round me. Mercifully I made it and I think it was then that the rumour started that I had a charmed life. My pal Healey told me that his servant had written to him to this effect.
We started to dig-in on this position and, while we were doing so, an engineer officer with about twenty men came in. As I had a gap in my line I told him to fill it. That wasn't his idea at all and he refused, so I whipped out my revolver and told him to get in the gap or I would shoot every man-jack of them. I must have been wild and suffering from hysteria, and I don't know what I should have done had they refused, but fortunately they took one look at me and decided to fill the gap. As I had a very long front line to look after I had to be away for sometime and, when I returned about thirty minutes later, they had cleared off and so I had to thin my line further.
Owing to our right flank being turned we had orders to retreat again later in the afternoon and take up a further position in the rear. Once again I was given the job of covering the retreat so I sent my company off and retained one platoon to cover with. I gave them half an hour to get established and, as there had been no more attacks, sent the platoon off to join the other while I did a bit of reconnoitring myself. There didn't seem a Germen about and then I came across Tommy Rufus who commanded D Company - he was awarded the Military Cross for his conduct in the fighting on the 21st and 22nd. How he came to be on his own like me I don't remember but probably he had been covering the retreat elsewhere as we had a very long line and I suppose he was doing some reconnoitring like me. We compared notes and decided to find the Battalion. Just then there hove in sight a battery of field artillery at full gallop towards the German lines. It was a splendid sight, just like a tattoo. However we halted them and asked them where they thought they were going. When we explained that we were the only people between them and the Germans they decided to retire for further orders. It just shows the confusion that is inevitable in a retreat, as it is almost impossible to send an up to date position back to the higher command and even to keep in touch with your flanks was almost impossible; each body of troops had to take its own actions.
Rufus and I continued on our journey and then occurred the reflex in my feelings, from having been what I can only call fighting mad, all day; I became absolutely depressed and felt I could easily keep on walking back and let the whole thing go hang. It was then that I could better understand the feelings of the sergeant at whose Court Martial I was a judge. It could happen to anyone. For the time being of course, you must understand I had had nothing to eat or drink all day and was in a highly emotional state. However we found a tin of pork and beans someone had dropped and managed to open it, sat down and shared it between us and talked things over, by which time I had recovered my sanity and we made our way back to the Battalion.

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The Battalion was by now a cohesive whole and they were starting to construct a line of defence in touch with the rest of the Brigade. By the time I found B Company it was almost twilight and after seeing that everything was going forward I decided it was necessary to try and find out where the enemy was located as we seemed to have lost touch. So I called up one of my officers and explained that I wanted him to take out a patrol to reconnoitre the position. This he was most anxious to avoid and practically refused and if I wanted the information why didn't I do it myself. Well, I couldn't do it myself as there were strict orders that a company commander in these circumstances must stay with his command. I could understand his attitude in a way as he was several years older than I was and had actually come over to France on the same boat and we were together at Etaples, but he along with several others came to the 11th Battalion and there was a certain amount of envy that a youngster like me, and from another Battalion, should be promoted over their heads. It was natural I suppose but then I had seen more action than they had and was more experienced in command and had caught the COs eye. While I was trying to be reasonable and explain things a message came that we were to prepare to move again as we were to be relieved by the 62nd Division, the first of the reserves to come up. So the argument ended and we marched out and reassembled around 10pm in a field near Bucquoy. I should say that the whole of the time the weather had been very fine and sunny during the day but very cold and with frosts at night.
Our transport managed to find us, with the cookers and even some of our baggage and so a hot meal was served to all ranks before we lay down on the ground to sleep as near as possible to a huge fire we had lit. I was lucky to have my flea-bag come up with the transport so I and two others of my officers got in it with the blanket over us. How we managed it I don't know but it helped to keep us warm and we slept the sleep of the just, in spite of a very heavy frost. When we awoke at dawn the fire was made up and everyone had to thaw out before we had breakfast.
During the morning of the 26th we took up our position in one of our old trench lines in front of Gommecourt, and proceeded to put it in some sort of order in case the Germans broke through the 62nd Division. However, the day was quiet as far as we were concerned and at about 11pm we received orders to move out and assemble on the main road to Souastre. Then we marched all through the night and on the morning of the 27th arrived at a little village near Couin. I have been on some route marches but never one like this, with the whole column asleep on the march. When we stopped for the ten minute break every hour we had to post men to keep awake while the rest of the Company slept at the side of the road. You must remember that we had been fighting and retreating and digging-in for six days and finished on the 27th and 28th by marching thirty-six miles in thirty-six hours. We had breakfast at the village and then billeted the men for a few hours sleep. I slept on a tiled floor in some house and it was about the hardest and coldest lie I have ever had.
However, we were off again by 2.30pm and marched to Puchevillers where we arrived about nightfall. The next day we marched to an area south of Doulleur. During this march B Company's permanent Officer Commanding, Capt. Beswick MC, came back from a course and took over command and I reverted to 2nd i/c. The 25th Division received very high praise from the Commander in Chief Haigh because, though constantly attacked, it was never dislodged from any position but had to retire to conform to the general retreat. It is a very difficult operation to know just when to retreat and when to hold, especially when your flanks are continually being exposed and it is difficult to keep in touch, but I still think we could have done better. But the confusion and each Company or Battalion having to act on its own without knowledge of the position elsewhere make it extremely difficult. Mind you, the one saving grace is that the enemy is in almost the same position as you are and while we were retreating on our supplies they were having to bring their supplies and guns up over bad country, with no roads over trenches and shell-holes, and having to continually regroup after having sustained heavy losses. But then of course they could bring up fresh divisions to sustain the attack whereas we had no support and heavy losses in men and equipment which we could not make good. However, the Germans could not sustain their impetus for ever and when our reserves finally came up they were eventually held. (It was on the evening of the 25th that I saw for the first time a group of tanks go into action and a big raid of 50/60 bombers on Bapaume. I had never seen so many before. Years later I found that two chaps I knew were in that show, one in the tanks and one in the planes).

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I must also stress the high morale of the troops throughout the operations and also in the subsequent fighting on the Lys. We never actually doubted that we had the measure of the Germans and that we would eventually get the upper hand. I don't know why but we did, and we were amazingly cheerful most of the time in spite of our heavy losses - we had one officer killed, two missing and eleven wounded, and over half its strength in other-ranks. In this kind of fighting physique and fitness were of the utmost importance and many of the older men and those of sedentary occupations, of whom we had had a preponderance in our recent drafts, were at a big disadvantage – they simply could not run fast enough at times. As I read recently in the memoirs of Lord Lovat 'you have to be a young man to enjoy going into action’.
On March 31st/April 1st the division entrained at Candas for Caestre in the 2nd Army area and took over the line on April 2nd in front of Bloegsteert from the 2nd Australian division. The river Lys ran through the middle of No Mans Land in our sector; the land here was very wet and low lying, and streams ran under the duckboards in the trenches. You couldn't have deep dug-outs but only excavate in the sides of the trenches with very poor overhead cover. We only held the trenches for a few days and during that time I remember someone had a birthday and we had a party with a gramophone in one of the shelters. It was a very quiet part of the front and we had been sent there to recuperate.
After a few days we were withdrawn to refit and receive reinforcements. We took the first opportunity of having a dinner and night out at the Officers Club at Armentieres which was still largely filled with Australians from the supply bases and dumps which were still there. They had held this area for a long time and, while we were having a drink at the bar, some came over and began talking very big. One big fellow, about six foot four and weighing half a ton, was boasting how long they had been fighting in France and I remarked 'no bloody wonder if he had sat guarding a dump well behind the line in such a quiet spot for the last eighteen months'. I thought I was for it as he advanced menacingly but I stood my ground and he was eventually held off by his friends and led away. I think he was just a loud-mouthed and was probably more frightened than I was. However, we had a good dinner and enjoyed ourselves. We were in huts and the place was swarming with rats, so when we got back to camp we got our torches and revolvers and went out rat hunting and got quite a few.
Over breakfast the next morning, April 9th, we received a report that there was very heavy shelling on the front line but we didn't take much notice as it was a very quiet part of the line and nobody had any idea of the Germans making an attack there. On the day previous (April 8th) we had received two new officers and about sixty other ranks in our company; most of the privates were of the nineteen year-old class and the NCOs were ones who had been combed out of cushy jobs in England, all very inexperienced just having arrived in France. Several officers had gone into Bailleul to shop and buy-in when, at 11am, we were told to fall in and be ready to march into action as the Germans had broken through the front line, which was held by the Portuguese at this spot. The whole line had simply disintegrated and no one knew where the Pork and Beans had gone and when they would stop running; I never saw any throughout the operations. We were about ten miles behind the front line near Meuse (?) Eglise and were told that we had to march through Steenwerk to Bac-st-Maur, where we were told that Brigade HQ would be established. All this part of the front line was pretty well unspoilt country and the civilians were living and farming quite close to the front line.

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As I said before, we had had no time to absorb our re-inforcements so all I could do was to inform them of what we were going to do and, as I couldn't know them from Adam, they must take a good look at me and obey my orders to the letter. This was essential as all officers went into action in Tommies' clothes and everyone looked alike. As we marched through Steenwerk all the people flocked to their doors; they were very anxious to know what was happening and some were already putting what they could together and preparing to evacuate. However, we could tell them nothing.
Bac-8t-Maur was about three miles ahead and we were marching in column of fours with the transport in front. After about a mile we suddenly ran into machine-gun fire. The transport hurriedly turned back to the rear and we spread out in extended order on each side of the road, we being on the left. Captain Ward, the officer commanding of C Company (which I had joined at first) was wounded at the head of the company while marching and later died of his wounds. The doctor said he shouldn't have died if he had lived a clean life but his blood was poisoned with disease and he never had a chance.
I don't know whether it was the excitement or what but during the pause before we started to advance again I had to find a quiet spot and evacuate myself - hardly a dignified procedure during an action but nobody saw me.
We then got orders to advance. At one spot where there was a lot of open ground the machine-gun fire was especially heavy and for untried troops it was rather unnerving. Most of the time we had fairly good cover with hedges and ditches but the men were quite good really and followed to a man when I gave a lead. One of the bayonet-fighting sergeants from England performed well, carrying on as though he was on the parade ground, in an exercise. Well, we pushed forward for about half a mile and captured a farmhouse which we turned into a company HQ, as we were finally held up just past it and it was now late in the afternoon. Meantime the 9th Loyal North Lanes on our right had been pushing forward to Bac-st-Maur but were also held up. The 3rd Worcesters were on our left but we were unable to make any contact with them. The farmer's wife at our HQ was in labour and the baby was born some time during that night. What a time to choose to arrive.
About 2am we were told that the brigade was to make a concerted attack, the 9th Loyal N.Lancs to capture the little village of Croix de Bec while we were to advance as far as the River Lys and push the Germans back on the other side. It was a most difficult attack to organise as it was pitch dark and no one knew the ground at all. Soon after it started I found the whole company, or so it seemed, bunched together on a road that ran along our line of advance. Having sorted that out we advanced again but were soon held up. However, at 4.30am a further attack was organised and it was while we were organising this that I gained contact with 2nd Lt.Bernstein MC on our right. We agreed on our plan of campaign. This was the last time I saw him as he must have been killed during the advance. I found his grave in a little burial ground just outside Croix-de-Bec when we visited there, one time in France. He was a very nice chap and a credit to the Jewish race.

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In this second attack the 9th Loyal N.Lancs captured Croix-de-Bec but we failed to capture the river bank and so they were forced to withdraw about 7am owing to enfilade fire. It was about this time when their CO, Lt.Col.Wienholt, DBO, rode into the village on horse-back and, not seeing any of his men, rode down the main street shouting 'where are the bloody North Lancs?'. The Germans, who were now holding the village, opened fire on him but he was able to turn around and make his escape at full speed. He was a real character.
At 9am we were ordered to make another attack and ran right into the German second day offensive which we managed to hold up, stopping them in their tracks. I still had no contact with the Worcesters on the left and by 10.30am the machine gun fire was very heavy and, by the sound of the gunfire, the enemy seemed to be outflanking me. I went back to the company HQ to report the exact position to Beswick who gave me orders to withdraw down the road which ran down the middle of our front. I gave the order to my troops on the right of the road to withdraw slowly to the road, and then I went forward to the left and gave the same instructions to Drinkwater and Torrance. They started alright but then the last platoon made a dash for it instead of retiring quietly under perfectly good cover and paid the penalty in casualties. It was then that two of our company stretcher-bearers did excellent work in getting the wounded out and thoroughly deserved the Military Medals they collected.
Meantime we seemed to have fewer men from the right flank which was much more exposed than the left and meant crawling in the open. I enquired if the order had been passed right up the line but they said yes and that there were quite a few dead where they lay. I have often blamed myself since for not having personally crawled up to satisfy myself but I had to organise the retreat down the road in small parties and at the same time keep a line to cover the retreat as by this time the Germans were aware of our position and were pushing forward under a very heavy machine gun barrage. We retreated on the farmhouse HQ and evacuated the HQ staff and Beswick. We had no contact with any other troops as we continued to retreat and during the confusion Beswick and I became separated, I eventually finding myself on my own with about 20/30 men that I had collected. It is very difficult to describe the confused state of affairs as the country was so flat and wooded and there were no land-marks. We had never seen that country before and had no maps or guidance.
I thought I was retreating on Steenwerk but actually I was well left of it. I had no contact with other troops until I came on an artillery officer strolling along. He said he had a battery about two hundred yards back but didn't know what to fire at. So, I arranged to string my men out when they had a good field of fire and said I would give him protection. Having got my troops well established under cover my next thought was how I was to get out of the position under pressure from the Germans as there was a wide stream about fifty yards behind us which I later found ran up to Steenwerk station about a mile out of the village. However, I found my way down to the stream and was practicing taking cover through some bullrushes when suddenly a voice asked me 'what the devil I was doing'. It was Capt. Potts, the adjutant, all on his own and trying to get some cohesion into things. So I explained my position and he told me the Battalion were collecting to take up a position behind this stream, the Stil-Becque – a tributary of the Lys, about half a mile north-west of Steenwerk, running from Steenwerk station to Pont de Pierre. I then made arrangements to evacuate my position and to find some way to the other side of the stream which was about fifteen feet wide. While moving along the stream I found what I took for an island about midstream and decided we could jump on that about four feet and off again onto the other side. So of course Muggins must make the first leap and the whole thing proved to be a jam of logs and brushwood which must have been there some considerable time and looked solid enough. Well it wasn't and when I had extricated myself I had to swim to the other side, being absolutely soaked to the skin. But, moving ahead I found a small bridge and directed my party to cross by it. Everybody enjoyed the 'joke'?.

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It was by now late afternoon and we joined up with the rest of the Battalion on the line of the Stil-Becque. Our right-hand companies had been involved in heavy fighting in Steenwerk itself and Lt.Col. E.C. de R.Martin DSO was reported missing and was eventually confirmed as a prisoner of war. Command was taken over by Major Munday, a very nice chap who came from Rhodesia. We had shaken off the enemy for the time being and had time to reorganise in our companies and to join up with the Loyal N.Lancs. on our right. I should say that the wonderful weather continued throughout the operations, blue sky and sunshine all day though cold at night. So you can see that I was not in the best of trim to spend the night lying outside but I had no way of drying out. Somehow I managed to doze at times.
When morning came on the 11th we were ordered to advance and try to clear the outskirts of Steenwerk. In front of us was an enormous field with a farmhouse in the centre about halfway to Steenwerk. We started to advance about 9.30 in a typical early morning mist. We made good going and captured the farmhouse but were then held up. It was then that I saw Jack Giddings wounded but he was able to make his way back. Jack was a very nice chap and I met him again later in Manchester where he was a director of Giddings and Dacre, the wholesale suppliers of plumbing and other building materials just near the Cathedral bridge over the Irwell. He was a great friend of Rawle of Halliday and Constantine and we went over to their house at Chapel-en-le-Frith about 1936 but that was the last time I saw him as he died soon afterwards.
While we were at the farmhouse I spotted some valises lying out in the open, abandoned by some artillery officers, and decided to investigate. There were three and I had my pick of underclothes and shirts. I was in the middle of changing when the order came to advance, so I told Sgt. Major Abbott to 'carry on' and I carried on changing into a very good pair of breeks and magnificent field boots, only retaining my tommy's jacket which had dried out by now. What a pleasure to have got
rid of that lot and be nice and dry again.
Although we advanced further it was impossible to reach our objective as the Germans were holding in strength and they had many machineguns, so eventually we had to withdraw to our original line. We had a quiet night and also the following day, the 12th, apart from sending patrols forward. That same afternoon Beswick sent me back to Battalion HQ, based in a large farmhouse to the rear, and about four of us had a magnificent meal that we cooked ourselves and opened several bottles of white wine we had found in the cellar. It was very mature and very strong and tasted like nectar to us. Afterwards we got some feather-bed mattresses out on the floor and what with having had no sleep for the previous two days and nights, a good feed and plenty of wine, we slept the sleep of the just until the following morning. When we went out after breakfast the sun was shining, everywhere spring was bursting out and the animals were enjoying themselves; as Major Mundy observed to me, everything looked idyllic. The farmer and his family of course had abandoned the place some days ago. However we were soon back with the company and relieved others for a bit of a rest.
The enemy had made an attack on the right at the Pont-de-Pierre in the morning and had just made some impression but the position was restored very quickly. This was the 13th and the rest of the day passed fairly quietly on our front but the enemy made further progress on our flanks and we were gradually being squeezed in a salient. We were ordered to make an organised withdrawal during the night of the 13th/14th which we did quite successfully. By 5am on the 14th we were digging ourselves in on the forward slopes of the Mont-de-Lille, about 1 mile SE of Bailleul and forming a connected front.
The enemy soon found out that morning that we had retreated. Having brought up a considerable amount of artillery by now they soon registered on the new line we were digging. They gave us a very hot time and caused a number of casualties but the men needed no pushing to dig faster and gradually we were getting well down. During one heavy spell I was moving along to the right of the line, where I had a detachment, and stopped to have a chat with Capt. Rufus of A Company where they had dug an HQ which was very deep. As the shelling was very heavy he urged me not to be a 'damn fool' but to stay with them until things calmed down. However I was worried about my men as I had not seen them for the last hour and I decided to get on. They had had one or two wounded but were by now getting well dug-in and everything seemed to be in hand, so, after about a quarter of an hour, I started to go back to my main body.

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On going through A Company section there was great activity amongst stretcher bearers and digging party. Poor Tommy Rufus and his Sgt. Major had copped a direct hit and been blown to blazes. So I was lucky again, as I had been about an hour earlier when supervising and urging on the digging-in and a shell landed at my feet splattering everybody with earth. It must have been a dud as when everything had cleared and the troops were frozen stiff expecting to have to pick up my pieces there I was standing up and shouting at them to b----- well get on with it, it wasn't a Sunday School party.
That afternoon the shelling got worse and you felt as though you were being sniped at by shells but we were well dug in and I amused myself by sniping at the Germans at about 800 yds range as they were gathering at the foot of a hill for an attack, eventually made later in the day. Beswick, who was now in command of the Battalion, had taken up his HQ in the convent at the summit and sent down a request for me to go to HQ and report on the whole situation. I went up and did so and Beswick said I had better get a sleep for a few hours as I had been up the previous night and looked like being up that night as well, which I was. During this period the Germans attacked around dusk and managed to make an inroad to our defences but fortunately 2nd Lieutenant Ward, who was bringing up about thirty re-inforcements from somewhere, took charge and made a counter-attack with great success, throwing the Germans out and pursuing them down the slope. For this action he received the Military Cross.
While all this was going on I was in the land of Nod but when I awakened I started looking round the cellars and found a stock of full Rum jars. So I rejoined the front line bearing gifts. I was received with great enthusiasm and dished out a good ration all round.
During the early hours of the 15th we were relieved by the 17th Brigade, a Midland Territorial, and we withdrew to the high ground overlooking the Bailleul-Meteren road. It was sometime during the fighting that my previous servant Roberts, from the 9th Battalion, came up from somewhere and immediately attached himself to me and took over, acting as servant and runner. As I had lost my razor he said he had found one in a haversack, thrown away by someone, and, after he had sterilised it in boiling water, it enabled me to get a shave that morning on the 15th. I have used that razor ever since up to about my 81st birthday but finally the thread has gone. I am afraid I looked on it as a talisman and refused to change it for any other. Such is superstition.
Later in the morning we were told to dig a new line of defence about 200yds down from the top of the ridge, which was heavily wooded, so as to give a good field of fire. We knew there were forces holding a line on the forward slope but they were well forward and we never made contact as we were so busy digging in. We were on the alert all night and in the early morning I took a fighting patrol up to the ridge and beyond but could make no contact. Later we heard our forward troops had melted away in the night and we were again in the front line. About 10am Beswick sent word that he was sending Capt. Hutson to relieve me and I was to go back to HQ. I was handing over to Hutson when we noticed a German party had taken over a farmhouse about halfway up the slope. Well they had to be ejected and Hutson asked me if I would take charge and clear the position. I was fed up as I was tired, no sleep for the last thirty-six hours but, as Hutson said, who else had he got to do the job satisfactorily, so I reluctantly agreed. You must remember that many of the troops were inexperienced young soldiers, or older ones dug out from cushy jobs, scrapings from here, there and everywhere and we had had no time to weld them into a fighting force. So, when I asked for volunteers there wasn't one. Not like the old W company. Shades of Box and Barlow. So I told off a 2nd Lieutenant and ten other men to accompany me.

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In 1918 Ricahrd was awrded the Military cross.

From the London Gazette 16th Sept 1918:

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From the Salford Reporter.