Source: File: Remains of Beaumont Hamel. See an
original image at: <http://51hd.co.uk/history/battle_ancre_beaumont_hamel>
[Accessed 26 November 2016]
Out of Gallipoli
experience, the 63rd Naval
Division landed
into the midst of Somme
Offensive - six
months later, 7 October 1916
Brigades were
stationed about Beaumont
Hamel - before
the village 188th and 189th
Held trenches to
banks of the river Ancre.
The situation was
deplorable as October
Had sunk into
atrocious weather - trenches
Had been wrecked
by enemy shelling and
All communication
trenches ran throughout
A targeted area -
without dugouts soldiers
Stood in restricted
space of freezing mud.
Lying a right
angle to the river valley
The 63rd Naval
Division held a sector
1,200 yards wide
north of the Ancre -
250 yards away
lay the German line.
Numbers had
dropped 200 to 500 men;
Finally orders
came for planned attack.
Beyond a first
objective on the ridge, stood
Second target, a
fortified position - further
On higher ground
Beaucourt trench, their
Third objective -
after bombardment days,
Finally zero hour
13 November 5.45 a.m.
They stepped out
behind a shrapnel wall.
5 minutes paced
out 100 yards in a dense,
Dark mist - the
left Naval brigades, to right
189th Brigade the
Highland divisions set
Between the Hoods
on the right - men fell
By positioned machine
gunners to the right -
Still the
fighters took over the German line.
The first waves
of the Hood Battalions
Followed close to
the barrage; the officers
Compass bearings
kept them on track -
To swiftly take
the three lines of trenches,
Relaying
prisoners away - with sacrifice
Lt Commander
Kelly took down a threat.
Kelly was killed in
the action of putting out
Enfilade machine
gun threat; the Drakes
Battalion
suffered, losing half their force.
Despite wounded
and killed officers
Lt Colonel
Feyberg advanced, with 420
Men from both Drake
and Hood forces.
Success was made,
taking 400 prisoners
From Station Road
dug outs to secure
The ridge - about
the ridge and redoubt
Intensive
fighting fought on and continued.
Lingering mists hid their target that had
Been missed by
the artillery barrage.
German redoubt
defenders occupied
With the Hawke
Battalion, as the Nelson
Battalion pushed
out, but with losses
At Station Road -
Howe and Anson
Being right hand sections,
had better
Gains; as Howe's
kept to the barrage.
In tactics they reached
the German line.
The third line
was taken by 20 men led
By Lt. commander
Sprange, but failed
To hold positions -
enemy fighters from
The redoubt quickly
emerged to re-take
Target; the
Anson's men had more luck.
Leapfrogged and
crossed Station Road
Valley to reach
the ridge and their given
Objective - while
1st and 2nd Marines
Faced disaster
with high losses under
German artillery
- soldiers killed during
The first move, as
followers had success.
3rd and 4th waves
dropped into the two
Lines - low
numbers formed the 2nd wave.
Dropped behind
the barrage engaged in
Hand to hand
fights, the advance had
Become scattered
- the Redoubt proved
A headache to
prompt HQ staff out.
They failed to
make a difference, officers
Wounded or killed,
yet Commander
Fairfax of the
Howe formed a temporary
Center, to
establish a hold on first lines.
A wait until 7.30
a.m. as the barrage
Indicated the
attack of Beaucourt trench.
Freyerg's section
had taken higher ground
Though Gilliland
was in view of enemy -
To take advantage
of gains came orders
Of a postponement
for the village due
8.30 a.m. -
advance took place 9.30 a.m.
Fairfax moved
north in a bombing party.
Gilliland had led
a southern push with
Enemy alongside
in Muck Trench - while
Men pulled
together under commanders
To take a hold on
German third line - only
By early hour on
14 November did Anson
And Marine
battalions join highlanders.
Into the darkness
of 13 November was
Problematic -
everywhere blown trench
Systems to make
distance and bearings
Difficult - as seen
by Private Macpherson
In the early
hours, tanks rumbled out from
Auconvillers; mud
became their undoing.
With one machine
well bogged down,
Another tank was
disabled by a hit from
A chance shell -
while the third directed
By an officer, crawled a distance until
Succumbing to mud
- but in a good position
Was able to fire
on the enemy redoubt.
The result to be 400
number of surrendering
Germans, likely
seen by the reserves being
Marched behind
the lines - 7.45 a.m. and
Brigade and fusiliers
pressed towards
The village -
forced to take cover along
With Howe, Drake
Hawke and Nelson men.
Lieutenant
Colonel Freyberg with a further
Wound, led the
fight into Beaucourt village
As other troops
curved in from south east;
With Beaucourt captured
by hardly any
Resistance - the
east edge secured from
Rounded up enemy pockets from dugouts.
10.30 a.m. marked
the minute of official
Possession of the
target commune - within
An afternoon hour,
the consolidated area
Had possible
threat of enemy troops that
Massed a mile
away at Farm Baillescourt,
But an effective barrage
halted any attempt.
Finally by
evening Lieutenant Colonel
Freyberg left the
field, having refused
Until his final
instructions were given -
Initially
confusion had resulted from
The first
objective, but he rallied men
Who were separated
from their units.
He pulled them
together to take their
Second objective,
where he twice took
Wounds,
displaying contempt at danger
To those about
him - he held position for
Day and night
without support - under
Heavy fire Freyberg organized new attack.
Freyberg led the
rush of the fortified village,
Again taking two
more wounds - to impress
The men of his
strength of mind - the officer
Gained a citation
for his deeds that led
To capturing of the
forces furthest objective
Beaucourt village, to be held by allied hands.
by Jamie Mann.
Source: File:
51st Highland Division. The Battle Of Ancre (Beaumont Hamel) November 1916.
Available at: <http://51hd.co.uk/history/battle_ancre_beaumont_hamel>
[Accessed 26 November 2016]
Source: File: Battle
of the Ancre. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Ancre_Heights> [Accessed 26 November 2016]
Source: File: Battle
of the Ancre Heights. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Ancre> [Accessed 26 November 2016]
Source: File: The
role of the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division in the Battle of the Ancre, November
1916. Available at:
<http://www.ww1wargraves.co.uk/ww1_cemeteries/lt_colonel_tetley.asp>
[Accessed 26 November 2016]
Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal
communication, 26 November 2016).
#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary
#worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Ancre
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