The First Seven Divisions: Being a Detailed Account of the Fighting from Mons to YpresHamilton, Ernest, Lord
History
The First Seven Divisions: Being a Detailed Account of the Fighting from Mons to Ypres
Hamilton, Ernest, Lord
World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- Western Front
With the additional assistance which had been lent him, Gen. Pulteney
was everywhere successful in holding his ground. At one moment in the
day the enemy succeeded in getting possession of Le Gheir, but as the
loss of this place would have laid bare the flank of the cavalry at St.
Yves, Gen. Hunter-Weston decided that it must be retaken at any cost,
and the work was entrusted to the K.O. Regiment and the Lancs.
Fusiliers. These two battalions, finely handled by Col. Butler, of the
Lancs. Fusiliers, proved themselves quite equal to the call made upon
them, and not only re-captured the lost trenches, but took 200
prisoners and released 40 of our own men who had been captured.
THE BIRTH OF THE YPRES SALIENT
It is necessary now to turn for the moment to the scene further north,
where a mild interest was beginning to be displayed in England in the
war-clouds which were gathering round the picturesque and historical
Flemish town of Ypres. It will be remembered that, on the 14th, Sir
Henry Rawlinson, with the 7th Division and the 3rd Cavalry Division,
had reached Ypres from Dixmude. On their first arrival, the 3rd Cavalry
Division had been sent south of Ypres, the 6th C.B. going to Wytschate
and the 7th C.B. to Kemmel; but as the Cavalry Corps under General
Allenby gradually drew up from the direction of Béthune, the 6th and
7th C.B. (3rd Cavalry Division) were withdrawn to the north side of
Ypres, where they worked the ground between Zonnebeke and the Forêt
d'Houlthust, filling, in fact--as well as might be--the gap between the
French Cavalry to the north and the left of the 7th Division. This
latter division, since its arrival, had pushed forward with little or
no opposition to a convex position some six miles east of Ypres, which
embraced the villages of Zonnebeke, Kruiseik and Zandvoorde. South of
Zandvoorde there was a considerable hiatus, Allenby's Cavalry Corps,
which had unexpectedly found itself opposed by the XIX. Saxon Corps and
three divisions of German Cavalry, having not yet got into proper touch
with the right of the 7th Division. This, however, in view of the fact
that the 7th Division was on the outside of the wheeling movement, and
had therefore the bigger sweep to make, was a matter of little moment,
and one which would have speedily righted itself at a later stage, had
the original plan been successfully carried through. A matter of more
moment at the time was that the 22nd Brigade, on the left of the 7th
Division at Zonnebeke, was considerably in arrear of the 20th Brigade
at Kruiseik, whereas the converse should have been the case.
Accordingly, in the early morning of the 19th, the 22nd Brigade was
ordered to advance from Zonnebeke in the direction of the straight road
connecting Roulers and Menin, so as to bring the left shoulder of the
7th Division well forward. When this had been done, the 20th and 21st
Brigade were to join in the general advance.
[Illustration: Ypres and its surroundings.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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