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 31st a new breastwork was made in order to straighten off a
re-entrant near the Duck’s Bill--a projecting trench on the extreme
right of the Divisional line. The Meerut Division on the right carried
on the work towards the south. One thousand men of the 20th Division
were employed in three reliefs, and between 8 P.M. and 3
A.M. they built the breastwork throughout the whole length to
a height of four feet. The work was continued the following night until
stopped by heavy and continuous rain.
Brig.-General Ross, who had commanded the 61st Brigade since June 1915,
left the Division on the 13th of November to take command of the 6th
Division. He was succeeded by Brig.-General W. F. Sweny.
During November two more changes were made in the extent of the
Divisional front. On the 10th the Indian Corps was relieved by the XIth
Corps, a division of which--the Guards--took over the right of the 20th
Division line on the 14th. The 60th Brigade thus relieved moved to
Laventie in Divisional reserve. The two battalions of the 23rd Division
being then no longer required returned to their own area. At the same
time the 11th D.L.I. look up their regular duties again as a pioneer
battalion.
A further move between the 21st and the 24th left the Division holding
the sector from east of Picantin to west of Le Bridoux with the Guards
Division on the right and the 23rd on the left. Divisional headquarters
was now at Sailly-sur-la-Lys. Two brigades were in the line and one in
reserve, and they relieved each other in regular sequence every ten
days. The headquarters of the Divisional Artillery moved to Sailly on
the 27th, by which date the artillery units were settled in the new
area and organised in two groups, the right and the left, with C/92
Battery acting as a counter-battery.
During the remaining two months which the 20th Division spent in this
area operations were chiefly confined to artillery bombardments. There
was a raid by the 59th Brigade in December, and a modified gas attack
was carried out the night before the Division moved out of the line,
but otherwise the task of keeping the enemy occupied and damaging
his defences fell principally to the artillery, whose accurate fire
also played an important part in supporting the infantry raid. On the
20th of November the enemy’s line had been shelled with the object of
destroying his mine shafts and as much as possible of his trenches.
Other bombardments in which the Divisional Artillery took part were
carried out on the 28th and 30th. Although considerable damage was
done there was very little retaliation. Between the 6th and the 10th
of December the German position at Turk’s Point Salient, just south
of La Boutillerie, was shelled with good results, the heavy artillery
co-operating both in this bombardment and in another which took place
on the 3rd of January.
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