The West Riding Territorials in the Great WarMagnus, Laurie
History
The West Riding Territorials in the Great War
Magnus, Laurie
Great Britain. Army. Division, 49th; Great Britain. Army. Division, 62nd; World War, 1914-1918 -- Regimental histories -- Great Britain
We have drawn attention to the secrecy and the Tanks. ‘The measure of
further success,’ so ran an order of the day, ‘is entirely dependent on
the speed with which the operation is carried out. Every minute is of
importance.... Once the enemy is on the run, every man must put forth his
utmost efforts to press on and to prevent his rallying.’ Here, again, the
7,000 yards of the 62nd Division bear witness to exemplary team-work in
training for this Infantry-rush both in the period of Divisional rest and
of intensive preparation. One more detail may be set down in this place.
At the Dinner of the 62nd Division, held at Leeds on September 9th,
1919, when Major-General Sir James K. Trotter took the Chair, General
Braithwaite, on leave from his Command in Cologne, announced that a site
for a Divisional Battle Memorial had been sought and courteously granted
in Havrincourt Park—an announcement which, as we shall see, derived
additional force and appropriateness from the further record of the
Division at Havrincourt in the victorious advance of 1918.
Meanwhile, still on that first day, when the Tanks went crashing
through the fog, the Highlanders (51st Division) were repeating against
Flesquières on the right, the ‘bound’ of the 62nd against Havrincourt.
Its capture was reported about 11 a.m., but two hours later authentic
news arrived, that, though the troops were holding the front trench of
the Hindenburg Support Line in front of the village, machine-gun and
rifle fire had broken the assault; a large number of Tanks had been put
out of action; the Support Line and Flesquières itself were still in
enemy hands. This retardation of the programme affected immediately the
advance of the 186th Infantry Brigade (Graincourt). Its right wing was
dangerously exposed; and the two Field Artillery Brigades to the east of
Havrincourt, deprived of the hope of Cavalry assistance, were also left
hanging. Still, the Infantry pressed on. The results achieved were too
good and too promising to be sacrificed to a risk which might eventuate
either way, and it would at least be practicable to call a halt on the
Graincourt-Cambrai road till the position at Flesquières was clearer.
This plan was exactly carried out, and shortly after 5-30 that afternoon
the 186th Brigade had captured Graincourt, and was resting (or at any
rate not advancing from) a line north of the Cambrai road.
[Illustration: HAVRINCOURT: CANAL DU NORD BRIDGE.
HAVRINCOURT: IN THE PARK.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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