The History of the 51st (Highland) Division 1914-1918Bewsher, F. W. (Frederick William)
History
The History of the 51st (Highland) Division 1914-1918
Bewsher, F. W. (Frederick William)
Great Britain. Army. Division, 51st (Highland); World War, 1914-1918 -- Regimental histories -- Great Britain
Towards the evening the enemy's success on the left began to make itself
felt, strong pressure being brought against the Division from the north.
Just before 6 P.M. a heavy attack developed. The 7th Black Watch were
engaged from both sides of the Beaumetz line, and were driven back into
the Beaumetz-Morchies road, where a company of the 8th Royal Scots were
already in position, and had been doing fine work with their rifles. The
remnants of the company of the 6th Black Watch in the gun-pits (see p.
279) were cut off from the Beaumetz-Morchies line, and fell back in a
southerly direction, lining the Bapaume-Cambrai road. Here they were
reinforced by a platoon of the 8th Royal Scots and the remnants of the
7th Gordon Highlanders, and were supported in rear by men of the 6th
Gordon Highlanders and 6th Seaforth Highlanders, lining the
Beaumetz-Doignies road. These movements had become necessary, as the
turning of the Beaumetz-Morchies line and the enemy's progress on the
left was compelling us to change front and face north. The enemy
advanced as far as the Cambrai road, which he lined on the side opposite
to our troops; and though a certain amount of bombing took place, he
made no serious attempt to cross it.
With a view to opposing the enemy's advance more frontally, orders were
issued for the evacuation of the Corps line north of Beaumetz, and for
the taking up of a new line covering Lebucquière and Velu, the remnants
of the 153rd Brigade, the 8th Royal Scots, and the 6th Gordon
Highlanders being withdrawn into Divisional reserve at Fremicourt under
the command of the B.G.C. 153rd Brigade. The line then ran from Hermies
along the Hermies Switch to the Beaumetz line, thence along the Beaumetz
line, from which it bent back between Beaumetz and Lebucquière, to a
point west of Chaufours Wood. The 154th Brigade, with the 8th
Gloucesters and 10th Warwicks of the 57th Brigade (19th Division) on the
right, held this line as far as the southern corner of Beaumetz; next to
them came the 152nd Brigade, with the 10th Warwicks and 401st and 404th
Field Companies, thence the line was continued to the Divisional left
boundary by the 34th Brigade (23rd Division), with the 11th Cheshires.
The 58th Brigade (19th Division) and the 400th Field Company were in
position to the north of Beugny, and also extended the left of the
Divisional line towards Morchies.
During the evening, owing to the uncertainty of the situation in the
north, Divisional headquarters moved to tents at Bancourt, and thence to
the late Corps headquarters at Grévillers, while all three brigades
moved their headquarters to the old Divisional H.Q. at Fremicourt.
Early in the morning of the 23rd the Division was warned that events in
the south were such that their withdrawal to the Army line would become
necessary, and that if that were to take place by day, the 154th Brigade
were to conform to the movements of the 17th Division on their right.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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