The British Campaign in France and Flanders, 1917Doyle, Arthur Conan
History
The British Campaign in France and Flanders, 1917
Doyle, Arthur Conan
World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Western Front
failure, so that darkness fell before the task had been accomplished,
but with true British tenacity, at 3 A.M., in the darkest hour before
dawn, the Middlesex men tried once more and carried Ibex, taking a
number of prisoners. The 168th Brigade had with varying fortunes
kept pace upon the left, and in the early morning the London Scottish
on its right were in touch with Ibex Trench. The position of the
167th was still dangerous upon the flank, as it was always ahead of
its southern neighbours, so that instead of advancing eastwards, the
colonel of the Middlesex now turned south, his depleted ranks being
strengthened by the 9th London (Victorias) from the reserve brigade.
The enemy were only forty yards off upon the flank, with a perfect
warren of trenches, and the mud was so dreadful that some men who got
in could hardly be dragged out again alive. In spite of every
difficulty the Londoners, after an initial check, swept triumphantly
down Ibex and Zoo trenches, clearing in one wild, glorious rush the
whole position, capturing 197 more prisoners of the 31st Prussian
Regiment with several machine-guns. Captain Cousens, who led this
charge, after being badly wounded, was unhappily killed by a sniper
in the moment of victory. The Victorias were too late to join in the
victorious charge which stands to the credit of the 7th Middlesex,
but they helped to hold and to extend what had been won. {29} The
general effect of the advance of this division was to turn the flank
of the southern German defences and to open up a road for the
Thirtieth and Twenty-first Divisions upon the right.
The Fourteenth Light Division to the north of the Londoners was faced
by the slight slope and formidable defences of Telegraph Hill. They
went forward in close conformity with the Sixth Corps upon their
left, the 42nd Brigade being upon the left and the 43rd upon the
right. Their movement during the day was a particularly fine one,
and they not only took the strong position of Telegraph Hill, but
they carried the British line to a point far to the east of it.
Their whole advance was largely regulated by the situation upon their
northern flank, and they were exposed to such an enfilade fire
whenever they got at all ahead, that they found it impossible to act
entirely upon their own.
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