The history of the Twentieth (Light) DivisionInglefield, Valentine Erskine
History
The history of the Twentieth (Light) Division
Inglefield, Valentine Erskine
Great Britain. Army. Division, 20th (Light); World War, 1914-1918 -- Regimental histories -- Great Britain
On the 3rd the enemy took Moreuil and pushed forward some distance to
the west. In a further attack delivered on the following morning after
a heavy bombardment he reached a line just east of Rouvrel, and by the
evening was only a mile south of Hailles. This forced the 92nd Brigade
to withdraw about mid-day to the neighbourhood of Fouencamps, 12 miles
north-west of Hailles. The French counter attacked on the evening of
the 4th, and again on the 5th, and drove back the enemy from part
of the ground he had gained. Then, on the 6th, the 20th Divisional
Artillery Headquarters and the 92nd Field Artillery Brigade withdrew to
Poix, 15 miles south-wrest of Amiens, to rest and refit.
The 91st Field Artillery Brigade, when last mentioned, had successfully
withdrawn from Guiscard on the night of the 24th/25th of March. Under
the orders of the 9th French Division the brigade moved that night
to Crisolles, and from there to Lagny, where positions were taken up
south of the village in the early morning of the 25th, to cover the
crossings over the canal near Bussy. At 4 P.M. the French
retired across the canal, and the batteries took up forward positions
about a mile and a half south-east of Lagny, to cover the withdrawal of
the French artillery, which was still in position on the canal bank.
By dusk the French batteries had been successfully withdrawn, and
those of the 91st Brigade, after an exciting fight for half an hour
with the Germans who were crossing the canal, returned to their former
positions. The brigade then marched back through Cuy and Thiescourt,
along roads blocked with troops of every kind. The last battery
reached Chevincourt, two miles south-south-east of Elincourt, at 8
A.M., on the 26th. No billets were available, and no rations;
no one had had any sleep for days, and men and horses were dead beat.
On the 27th the batteries took up positions on the Thiescourt Massif,
which gave a wonderful view over miles of the country below, in order
to cover the line from Thiescourt to the south-east. Although dust
columns could be seen at Cuy, no action developed opposite the 9th
French Division, although there was considerable activity on the left
flank about Lassigny, in which D/91 Battery was taking part. Since
the 21st of March D/91 had been attached to the 153rd Field Artillery
Brigade under the C.R.A. 36th Division. It had fought its way back
in a succession of rearguard actions through Tugny, Ham, Buverchy,
Flavy-Le-Meldeux (1½ miles north-west of Berlancourt), Freniches, and
Beaulieu (one mile north of Ecuvilly), to Gury (three miles south-west
of Lassigny), where it came into action on 26th of March, and covered
the 177th French Division. Before the battery rejoined the 91st Field
Artillery Brigade, a week later, it had taken part in a heavy attack
by the Germans on the 30th of March, when the French were forced back
through the guns but retrieved the situation by a brilliant counter
attack, taking 700 prisoners.
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