The History of the 2/6th (Rifle) Battalion, "the King's" (Liverpool Regiment) 1914-1919Wurtzburg, C. E. (Charles Edward)
History
The History of the 2/6th (Rifle) Battalion, "the King's" (Liverpool Regiment) 1914-1919
Wurtzburg, C. E. (Charles Edward)
Great Britain. Army. King's Liverpool Regiment; World War, 1914-1918 -- Regimental histories -- Great Britain
During this period in billets the reorganized seniority of the
Territorial Force was published, all temporary rank being cancelled. We
suddenly found ourselves with no Majors and only four Captains, while
several of our Company Commanders fell to 2nd-Lieutenants. The system
of promotion to acting ranks was, however, at once instituted, and we
resumed most of our original ranks, though Major Charles Wilson lost
his majority, only one Major being allowed instead of two. About this
time Captain Bowring took over command of "A" Company.
On June 12th "A" Company relieved "C" Company in the subsidiary line,
and on the 15th the battalion relieved the 2/7th K.L.R. The route
chosen was Buterne Avenue, the common communication trench between
ourselves and the right battalion. Owing to the destructive shooting
of the enemy, Irish Avenue had more or less ceased to exist; and "C"
Company, who once more found themselves in this unhealthy sector, had
to use Cambridge Avenue and Regent Street, which made their relief a
slow and tedious process. "B" Company was on the right, and then came
"A" and "D" Companies. Owing to the raiding detachment being left out
of the line, "D" Company had to be assisted by a loan of men from "C"
Company; while "A" and "B" Companies were supplemented by various
employed men--buglers, grooms, etc.--normally left out of the line.
The sector was again full of gas, and the persistent efforts of the
R.Es. to discharge it seriously hampered the patrolling that had to
be carried out nightly in the vicinity of the area to be raided, and
which was of vital importance. The real nature of the bridge over the
ditches, which eventually proved to be a brick culvert, had long been
in dispute, and Lieutenant Royle, the Intelligence Officer, spent
every night while we were in Armentières with the Battalion scouts
in No Man's Land up to and including the night of the raid. In spite
of his multifarious duties as Intelligence Officer and his two daily
summaries, he never spared himself in his efforts to make certain that
the gaps were open and the routes beyond dispute. The enemy activity
had meanwhile still further increased. Irish Avenue was reduced to a
mere chain of shell-holes and débris, while every communication trench,
and in fact every part of the sector, was well hammered. We were
surprised and pleased to find how well the gas cylinders stood being
knocked about.
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