The story of the 6th Battalion, the Durham Light Infantry : $b France, April 1915-November 1918
History
The story of the 6th Battalion, the Durham Light Infantry : $b France, April 1915-November 1918
Great Britain. Army. Durham Light Infantry; World War, 1914-1918 -- Regimental histories -- Great Britain
During the first week in December the visit of officers to the line
disclosed the new sector to be taken over, which included Passchendaele
village, recently captured by the Canadians. A few days later the
Battalion entrained at Watten for Brandhoek, where it spent a short time
in a hut camp in Divisional reserve. From there it marched up through
Ypres to a camp just west of Potijze Wood, the scene of its first action
in April, 1915. After two days there a further move was made to the
forward area, into a number of shelters known as the Seine area. The next
step was to the front line, which consisted of a series of shell hole
positions on the Passchendaele Ridge. Not only were these uncomfortably
wet, but they were very difficult to locate in the dark, and many will
remember the trouble experienced in selecting the routes from the heap of
debris of what had once been the village church. Battalion Headquarters
were in a German pill-box known as Hamburg. Four days were spent in the
front line, and the Battalion then went to Divisional reserve again at
Brandhoek. After another tour in the line, it again moved to Brandhoek on
Christmas Day, and there completed the 24 days which entitled it to a
similar period of rest and training. The whole tour had been without any
exciting incidents, and casualties were small, in spite of persistent
shelling which made the duck-board tracks (H, K, R.A.M.C., tracks, etc.)
very unpleasant. The Christmas at Brandhoek was thoroughly enjoyed by the
men. On Boxing Day a Christmas dinner was provided, consisting of
turkeys, puddings, port wine, beer, etc., the orderly work being done by
the N.C.O.'s, and the carving by the officers. A visit was paid to the
Battalion here by the Corps Commander (Lieut-Gen. Sir Aylmer
Hunter-Weston), who congratulated the men on their appearance and bearing
immediately after an uncomfortable trench tour.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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