The British Campaign in France and Flanders, 1916Doyle, Arthur Conan
History
The British Campaign in France and Flanders, 1916
Doyle, Arthur Conan
World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Western Front
stricken but triumphant, was drawn from the line, leaving the
northern half of the Ovillers front to the Thirty-second Division and
the southern half to the Twenty-fifth, the scattered brigades of
which were now reunited under one general.
That commander had found himself during these operations in a
difficult position, as the 74th Brigade had been moved from him and
allotted to the Twelfth Division, and the Seventy-fifth by the
Thirty-second Division. None the less, he had carried on vigorously
with his remaining Brigade--the 7th, and had enlarged and
strengthened the British position in the Leipzig salient. During
July 5 and 6 the 1st Wilts and the 3rd Worcesters had both broadened
and {113} extended their fronts by means of surprise attacks very
well carried out. On the 7th they pushed forward, as part of the
general scheme of extension upon that day, advancing with such dash
and determination that they got ahead of the German barrage and
secured a valuable trench.
When upon Sunday, July 9, the Thirty-second Division had entirely
taken over from the Twelfth on the west of Ovillers, the 14th Brigade
were in the post of honour on the edge of the village. The 2nd
Manchesters on the left and the 15th Highland Light Infantry on the
right, formed the advanced line with the 1st Dorsets in support,
while the 19th Lancashire Fusiliers were chiefly occupied in the
necessary and dangerous work of carrying forward munitions and
supplies. Meanwhile, the pioneer battalion, the 17th Northumberland
Fusiliers, worked hard to join up the old front trench with the new
trenches round Ovillers. It should be mentioned, as an example of
the spirit animating the British Army, that Colonel Pears of this
battalion had been invalided home for cancer, that he managed to
return to his men for this battle, and that shortly afterwards he
died of the disease.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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