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
The officers were equally well catered for, considering that
Armentières was within range of the lightest field-guns. There were a
few naturally expensive and equally naturally indifferent tea-shops.
There were one or two restaurants where dinner could be obtained, in
which the French cooking afforded a relief from the normal efforts of
the company's mess cook. And there was the famous Lucienne's.
Lucienne lived at a corner house in the Rue Sadi Carnot, and had
assisted in the management of a restaurant there since the early days of
the war. The majority of the neighbouring houses, including the large
church some fifty yards from the restaurant, had at one time or another
been struck by shells. Most of Lucienne's windows had been broken during
these bombardments. She, however, still possessed the most buoyant
spirits. She had ready wits, and in any form of badinage usually had the
last word. She, in fact, resembled a character from a light opera rather
than a player in the real drama of war. After the German offensive in
April 1918 she was driven out of Armentières, but remained undaunted;
and subsequently, after the tide had turned, opened a similar
establishment in Amiens. The officers of the Division had to thank
Lucienne's courage for many a pleasant evening spent in Armentières.
The sector, in fact, acted as a tonic to the Division, and with its
quiet trenches, wonderful weather, and good billets soon effaced all the
bitter memories of the Somme and the weariness of the Labyrinth.
The enemy's activity, such as it was, was directed chiefly against the
town and the suburbs of Houplines, both places being intermittently
shelled, particularly the latter. At times the bombardments were severe,
Divisional headquarters being ultimately shelled out of their house in
Rue Sadi Carnot, and being in consequence moved to Steenwerk.
On 11th September the Division sustained a considerable loss in the
death of Brigadier-General C. E. Stewart, C.M.G., commanding the 154th
Infantry Brigade. General Stewart and his intelligence officer were
walking through Houplines when a chance shell burst within a few feet of
them, killing them both. It was a case of the cruellest bad luck, as
this was the only shell which fell in that vicinity during the day.
General Stewart had commanded the 154th Brigade since its reconstitution
as a Highland brigade. His troops were considerably attached to him, and
his loss was much felt by them.
On 17th September, Brigadier-General J. G. H. Hamilton, D.S.O., Black
Watch, assumed command of the 154th Brigade.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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