Poem ~ Ancre: Against All Odds - Sunday, 26 November 1916 - Wednesday, 29 November 1916

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). 

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Ancre

Poem ~ Battle of Ancre: Heights and Lows - Sunday, 19 November 1916 - Saturday, 25 November 1916

Source: File: Battle of the Ancre. Prisoners taken in Beaumont Hamel by the 51st (Highland) Division, 13 November 1916.. See an original image at: <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Battle_of_the_Somme,_July-november_1916_Q4507.jpg> [Accessed 19 November 2016]

i

From September's push for Thiepval Ridge,

Emerged a new allied fight in the battle

Of the Anrce Heights - when summers path

Had led into inevitable autumn weather.

The allied struggle found Thiepval fortified

And determinedly defended - organised

Issues and poor weather conditions played

Badly against General Joffre’s intentions.

Days fed into one another to reach date

27 September - after a night and morning

Of German shelling, Canadian patrols made

Discovery; Germans had made a withdrawal.

North east of Courcelette, Canadian brigades

Moved on the trenches of Dyke Road, to gain

Their set objective -1st Canadians at Kenora

Trench, omly forced back in fight for occupation.

6 p.m. on 27th, an enemy bombing party failed

To retake Dyke road trenches - another allied

Advance found Zollern Redoubt fully devoid

Of Germans - Canadian gains finally joined.

A postponed advance led to orders for 3 p.m.

Still a further delay gave no definite hour -

The south edge of Stuff Redoubt was reached;

Again links formed up by Brigades successes.

With Zollern and Bulgaren trenches secured,

Into the early hour of 28th September resumed

Advance via Thiepval - 5.45 a.m. - then on hour

Of 11 a.m. the area about Thiepval was gained.

ii

Over the last official days of Thiepval's

Battle, the fighting had intensified about

Redoubts of Stuff and Schwaben - where

The British objective had been reached.

Yet many stubborn, dug-in Germans halted

British attempts to completely clear out the

Redoubts; although they captured a good

Section of the Schwaben by 30 September.

Without any final outcome a new chapter

Began; September ended badly for Germany,

In the region losing 135000 soldiers - with

Prisoners taken by army reserves of 10,000.

The Somme push from the summer was not

Yet over, with another chapter about the river

Ancre - troops were quickly gathered around

The northern bank, as divisions converged.

This was in the early days of October, when

Attacks were due on 4th to last until the 12th -

Intent had been to create a pocket by artillery

Hits about Irles, Pys, Puisieux and Miraumont.

Slowness on the Ancre's south bank sought

To gain Regina trench - determined Germans

Held on; inclement conditions made for delays

Both sides of the river to be almost impossible.

Mid October's turbulent conditions weighed

Down body and spirit into a trial - any plan

That Haig had made had become reliant

On pockets of environmental improvements.

iii

A shorter, sharper battle plan had emerged

By mid October, when a previous operation

From September was finally cancelled, for

Favour of a converging attack of river Ancre.

With fourth army failures and postponements

From dire weather, plans were again revised.

Haig and Gough desires different planned

Dates of attack, settled to wait for fair weather.

A need was for freedom of saturated ground.

With a conference called, no firm dated could

Quite be agreed; Haig and Foch 4 November,

Debated 4th army plans at Querrieu chateau.

Further came talks on 8 November at fifth army

Toutencourt headquarters where Gough, with

Corps commanders, proposed further attacks -

If the weather remained dry on 13 November.

Three days before, the time 5.45 a.m. was set

By Gough - Haig looked over the plans to give

Agreement; depended on weather if all went

Well, they would push towards Irles and Pys.

Five divisions would act alongside the river -

Gough's plan was to shrink the enemy salient

Between Serre and Thiepval; set out were

3 objectives, initially from Beaucourt Station.

First to gain 800 yards over Beaumont to Redan

Ridge; secondly 1000 yards west of Beaucourt

Onwards to Star wood - the third target to be

Puisieux road out of Stuff trench and Schwaben.

iV

From redoubt to line of Hansa, edging them

Out of defences to secure Beaucourt road

Bridges, target time 7.25 a.m. - a tactic was

Set to keep Germans in their comfort zone.

Each morning, 30 minutes prior to dawn,

Heavy artillery struck German frontline;

Hoping for the enemy to be complacent,

So they would not react to actual attacks.

Zero hour was set for 5.45 a.m. followed

By specific timed activity - 18 pounders

Would curtain advance - six minutes later

This would creep ahead over five minutes.

A barrage paused on German reserve lines,

Then onwards - giving 56 minutes to their

First objective - also using a machine gun

Barrage against their German equivalent.

Into the night of 11 November 1916, the rain

Ebbed away - a full moon rose to shine

Over a battered scape - as dawn came a mist

Manifested and general visibility quickly fell.

The curtain of dense fog helped the troops

Hiding their advance - though many soldiers

Lost the course of the barrage, further disabled

By heaving selves through thick, glutinous mud.

6.15 a.m. 117 Brigade advanced from Mill

Road, working to clear enemy dugouts along

The Ancre riverbank, meeting with lost troops;

Together to attack and take St Pierre Divion.

V

The 39th and 118th, unseen by Germans,

Advanced to Hansa line 7.30 a.m. - while

Battalions North West fought across to Mill

Trench, to reach Beaucourt Mill by 10 a.m.

Taking part in the forward force three tanks

Were to be involved, to set off from Thiepval.

But with one breaking down another found

Itself bogged; only one made the German line.

There the tank had tipped into a dug out, to be

Attacked at 7 a.m. - a pigeon was released

To get help, but for two hours none arrived.

Infantry appeared 9 a.m. and the enemy fled.

Amid the divisions the 9th Royal Scots were

Held in reserve - in keeping a diary Private

A. Macpherson had witnessed the approach

Of those tanks towards front on 12 November.

Near Auchonvillers they heard sounds of an

Engine running - odd reflective shapes lifted out

A trench, in its chinks of armour light escaped.

Without any time to stand and watch they left.

Waking from a few compressed hours of sleep,

Private Macpherson with his brigade, readied.

Being in position before the time of 5 a.m. then

Under sudden thunderous drumroll of gunnery.

Later he said, 'hard to believe humans could live

Through such a whirlwind of fire' - then a pensive

Wait, after columned shapes of prisoners came,

Marched down Mailly Maillet; a sign of success.

Vi

Beaumont Hamel stronghold had been taken,

Only to be tempered by failure - one division

Had not succeeded. The Royal Scots brigade

Were ordered to move out by that afternoon.

Private Macpherson and others readied

Under greatcoats and haversacks, to drag

Gun barrow through Mailly Maillet - while

Over their heads German shells whined.

From right of Auchonvillers Macpherson saw

Further prisoners - many dazed and fearful;

As one voice called, 'Guerre fini pour moi!'

Their guards searching them for souvenirs.

The reserves orders were to leave the gun

Barrows and ammo - with the battalion they

Moved along a rail-line near Auchonvillers

Where tanks edged outwards in snail pace.

Into slow hours of night they paused by old

Trenches and fresh shell holes - a salvo

Of shells aimed at the batteries, prompted

The whole battalion to get down to cover.

In seconds of silence blurted megaphones

Ordering - 'Number... ready to fire... fire!'

A stereo of 'bang, bang, bang' edging all

Along the line, to shake bodies and souls.

Seeping cold, edged into their fitful waiting

Game - someone illegally lit a fire - almost

Immediately were yelled orders, 'put it out!'

Soon they edged along Tipperary Avenue.

Vii

Filing down the communication trench was

Slowed by numbers - each having to weave

About collapsed walls left by tank tracks -

Briefly climbing onto Auchonvillers road.

Then dropping down into St Johns Road

Support trenches - some confusion flowed

Between them - without any officer present

The battalion stretched out, down the road.

Then a thunderous enemy bombardment.

The curse of shells hit a point on the trench.

Shouts of casualties were called out, a gun

Crew's lost survivors turned, about to move.

Back down in the narrow Tipperary trench, being

Shallow it lacked total safety, as Hun appeared

To have it in site - huddled down, they waited

For another shells arrival, like an express train.

A roar over hunched heads, tearing the ground

Throwing debris over them - a torture of a few

Minutes between each salvo - all expectant

Of death, sharing out words of casualty names.

Waiting, damning lack of orders - word of mouth

In Chinese whispers to say, 'back to the trench

Opening' - they edged down, fully knowing there

Was no authority in the order but glad to be safe.

They followed steps of companies to Auchonvillers,

Where police guards stopped them to quiz, why

They were leaving the line? But no one knew -

Came a random officer - confusion still continued.

Viii

Companies for White City? or for Auchonvillers?

Two were told to turn back in advance - not

Attached to them the Scots remained, to await

Correct orders - they roosted on the duckboards.

Night passed long and cold - cramp and dawn

Came. Combined efforts utilised bits of wood

To make a fire. Boiled water for tea and warmed

Tins of kippers served all a satisfactory feast.

14 November opened little better than the 13th -

A procession of souvenir hunters passed on route

To Mailly Maillet - the Scots advanced to Brooke

Street cutting into St Johns road to see results.

The bombardment of the last night very evident

In parapet damage - they stepped over bodies

To be guided by a runner sent by their officer;

Ordered down line to man some battered dugout.

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 19 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 19 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 19 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 19 November 2016]

Source: File: 51st Highland Division. Pte. MacPherson Account of 154 Brigade at Beaumont Hamel 12-14 Nov 1916. Available at: <http://51hd.co.uk/accounts/pte_macpherson_beaumont_hamel> [Accessed 19 November 2016]

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 19 November 2016). 

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Ancre

Poem ~ Somme Mines - Friday, 30 June - 1916

Source: File: The Somme: Secret Tunnel Wars (WWI Documentary) (BBC). [online] See: <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:British_plan_Somme_1_July_1916.png> [Accessed: 30 June 2016]

 Source: File: British infantry attack plan for 1 July 1916, the "first day on the Somme". British and French front line shown in red, German front line shown in blue. German second and third lines shown as dashed blue lines. British and French objectives on the first. [online] See an original image at: <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:British_plan_Somme_1_July_1916.png> [Accessed: 30 June 2016]

French Companies had started

Digging under German lines for some time.

Then the British arrival at the Somme

Carried on their task - these Royal

Engineers set up their base at Bray.

Maricourt La Boisselle, Fricourt,

And Carnoy shafts came into their control -

Named the 'Glory Hole' by the British;

An area about which careful secrecy

Was maintained and defended closely.

War under foot was a different 

Dimension to the fighting above ground.

With fundamental preparations

For the Somme breakthrough,

19 dug tunnels led to mines.

While the number was less than

Intended, the undertaking was ambitious -

In a south position were nine

Smaller mines about Fricourt;

Being charges of triple Tambour.

Out of Beaumont Hamel three

Tunnels spread out - one a communication

Trench connected to jumping off

Point of Sunken Lane, the others

Made towards Hawthorn Ridge.

There at 30 yards from German

Edges, in depth of 57 feet, a deep gallery

Created was filled with ammonal.

Prepared for zero hour - a dispute

Was raised over timing the mine.

A request for ridge's detonation,

By Lieutenant-General Hunter Weston,

To be four hours earlier, allowing

Resulting crater to be taken,

For any enemy alarm to settle.

Headquarters stated 'no,' but

Lieutenant-General Hunter Weston's

Persistence led to compromise;

Ridge redoubt would be blown

Ten minutes before zero hour.

In previous battle actions of

Lieutenant-General Hunter Weston,

General Haig declared him as

Rank amateur; despite some

Successful Gallipoli tactics.

Lacking competence earned

Hunter Weston the nickname 'Hunter-

Bunter' - with ruling tendency

Towards brutality, he led VIII

Corps within Somme Sector.

Tunnelled preparations were

Readied, as at Lochnagar Street mine -

In order to make crater cover

Against exposure to enemy fire,

All readied for the Battle of Albert.

by Jamie Mann.

Source: File: Mines on the first day of the Somme Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mines_on_the_first_day_of_the_Somme> [Accessed 30 June 2016]

Source: File: Aylmer Hunter-Weston. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aylmer_Hunter-Weston> [Accessed 30 June 2016]

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 30 June 2016). 

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Somme