With a Reservist in France: A Personal Account of All the Engagements in Which the 1st Division 1st Corps Took Part, viz.: Mons (Including the Retirement), the Marne, the Aisne, First Battle of Ypres, Neuve Chapelle, Festubert, and LoosBolwell, F. A.
History
With a Reservist in France: A Personal Account of All the Engagements in Which the 1st Division 1st Corps Took Part, viz.: Mons (Including the Retirement), the Marne, the Aisne, First Battle of Ypres, Neuve Chapelle, Festubert, and Loos
Bolwell, F. A.
World War, 1914-1918 -- Campaigns -- France
On Tuesday the fifth we again left for Cambrin and relieved the King's
Royal Rifles from the trenches, Major Powell, who had joined us at
Hazebruck, going away sick. We arrived at Quinchy at 5.30 p.m., and the
Regiment took over the trenches in front of that village, two Companies
occupying the front line, one Company being in support behind the first
brick-stack and the other in reserve behind the other two brick-stacks,
whilst Headquarter Company took over and guarded a culvert running from
the road under the railway-line to the canal bank.
That night and during the next day little happened beyond artillery
duels. Around this sector of the line snipers were very prevalent.
Thursday the seventh was a wet day; nothing occurred with the exception
of a German mistaking his way in the early hours of the morning and
walking into our machine-gun emplacement. He came in with two cans, one
with hot water and the other with hot tea. The boys, after making him
taste a little of each, took possession of them for their own use. On
being taken down the communication trench this German had the audacity
to remark that our trenches were very dirty--not nearly so clean as
theirs, as they had working parties cleaning up each day.
On Friday the eighth there was a great deal of shelling on both sides
between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., and also a heavy cannonade and rifle-fire
during the afternoon, but no attack.
On Saturday the ninth the part of Headquarter Company doing guard
at the culvert were relieved, as they were no longer required, and
were put on fatigue duty, carrying all necessary things to the firing
line, to save the men in the firing line from becoming continually
wet through walking up and down the communication trench. These men
continued at this work until the Regiment was relieved, retiring at
night into a cellar at Cambrin to dry their clothes as best they might.
About 1 p.m. there was an hour's bombardment of the enemy's lines.
On Sunday the tenth there was a terrible bombardment, and seven men of
each Company volunteered to capture an enemy's machine-gun advanced
post, which was taken very successfully, with only slight casualties
and some prisoners.
Monday the eleventh and Tuesday the twelfth were very quiet, with the
exception of a bombardment each day.
On Wednesday the thirteenth I left the Regiment early in the morning,
and proceeded to Annequin, a small village just behind Cambrin, there
to find billets. We found a draft awaiting us there of four hundred
and eighty N.C.O.'s and men and three Officers, and the Regiment was
then relieved by the 2nd Royal Sussex, going to Annequin for rest, and
staying there the next two days.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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