Other formats

    TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Official History of the Otago Regiment, N.Z.E.F. in the Great War 1914-1918

Chapter XI — 1918.

page 265

Chapter XI.

1918.

With the dawn of a new year, 1918, the military horizon failed to reveal any sign which might be construed as promising from the point of view of the Allies. The fogs of winter hung with depressing weight over he battlefield; the guns still boomed their unsatisfied challenge over the incarnadined and tortured wastes; and mud was everywhere so deep and movement in consequence so difficult and restricted as to force the great Armies to a complete standstill. It was as yet too early to forecast the startling denouement which the advent of spring was to witness. Of this and the subsequent rapid and decisive march of events which the year 1918 produced, the succeeding chapters of the History will proceed to speak.

On January 6th orders were issued for the relief by the 2nd Infantry Brigade of the 3rd (Rifle) Brigade in the left sub-sector of the New Zealand Divisional front. The 1st Battalion of the Regiment was to take over the Noordemdhoek sector, and the 2nd Battalion the Reutel sector, both lying immediately to the east of Polygone Wood.

In accordance with these orders, the Regiment reached the front line on the evening of January 8th, the 1st Battalion occupying the extreme left of the Divisional frontage. The state of the two sectors was such that all the available strength had to be employed in the hope of effecting an improvement. Heavy snow made the conditions infinitely worse, and the lack of shelters was keenly felt. Following upon an almost immediate thaw, the trenches were reduced to a state impossible to describe. There were further heavy falls of snow; Large areas of country became completely inundated; the trenches were either flooded or fell in, and many of the avenues were waist deep in mud. The Ypres area was living up to its winter reputation.

The Regiment was relieved on the 14th, whereupon the 1st Battalion moved back to dug-outs at Halfway House and Railway Wood, and the 2nd Battalion to Otago Camp. page 266 After such an arduous tour it was unfortunate indeed that there should have been an immediate and insistent call for working parties. Exceedingly heavy weather continued, and there was great difficulty in meeting the daily demand for men, owing to the large number who were medically classified as "excused duty," or "light duty." A number of men were also suffering from the various stages of trench feet; a state of affairs which was not to be wondered at.

On January 20th the Regiment returned to the line, the 2nd Battalion being now under the command of Major J. Hargest, who temporarily succeeded Lieut.-Colonel J. B. McClymont, evacuated sick. The trenches were in an even worse condition than formerly; but any improvement by drainage could not be hoped for until there was a return of fair weather. Shortly after midnight on the 20th the enemy heavily shelled our support and reserve areas, and following upon this the S.O.S. signal appeared on the right. OUR artillery responded and the enemy fire died down. About 6 o'clock on the evening of the 21st a party of the enemy moved across the front of one of the forward posts occupied by 14th Company of the 2nd Battalion. They were immediately engaged, and when a party under Sergt. J. T. Clearwater moved out and reconnoitred the area one wounded prisoner and a heavy machine gun were secured. At 1.30 on the following morning the enemy was encountered in considerably greater strength. A total of approximately 100, in four parties, attempted a raid on the left of the line held by 8th Company of the 2nd Battalion, under cover of a preliminary bombardment. Only one of the four parties succeeded in getting through the wire, and none of them reached out trenches, the attack being beaten off by Lewis gun, rifle fire and bombs, aided by the artillery and machine gun barrages which came down promptly in response to a call from the line. In this action the combined bombing efforts of Sergt. Travis and Sergt. A. Maclean, the latter of whom remained at his post though severely wounded, assisted very materially in effecting the repulse of the raiders. There were eight enemy dead in front of our wire, and our casualties numbered one killed and three wounded.

There was a slight improvement in the weather on the 23rd, and consequently improved observation; but after page 267 his experience of the previous night the enemy was not disposed to show himself. On the 24th our artillery carried out a destructive shoot on the right of the Brigade sector, Lewis gunners and snipers standing by in anticipation of obtaining favourable targets, but without their materialising. Subsequently Sergt. Travis and some of the members of his special patrol party moved out and examined the area to which the artillery fire was directed. During the evening an enemy relief was plainly visible in the bright moonlight, and considerable fire was brought to bear on it, The Regiment was relieved in the line an the 26th, and the 1st Battalion moved back via Wattle Dump and Westhoek Road to Manawatu Camp, and the 2nd Battalion to Otago Camp. Much useful work had been accomplished during the tour.

The two Battalions remained at their respective camps until the close of the month; and though a certain demand for working parties had to be complied with, there was time available for parading to the baths established at the Moat. Very close attention had to be devoted to all incipient cases of trench feet. Major McCrae had now returned from leave, and assumed command of the 2nd Battalion. On the last day of the month orders were received which involved a move into Divisional reserve, and within two days the Regiment was settled down at Walker Camp, where it remained over the succeeding week.

On February 7th several officers reported on loan from the 3rd Battalions of the Auckland and Wellington Regiments. This was the beginning of the end of the 4th New Zealand Infantry Brigade. A few days later a large number of other ranks reported at rear Battalion Headquarters as reinforcements from the 3rd Battalion of Otago.

Orders were now received for the Regiment to return to the line. On February 8th the 1st Battalion moved up to Polygoneveld into support positions in relief of 3rd (Rifle) Brigade troops, while the 2nd Battalion left Dickebusch siding, and after detraining at Birr Cross Roads, proceeded via Westhoek and the Butte to the front line of the Reutel sector. At this time it was announced that the 20th Division would take over the Cameron Covert sector, to the south of Reutel, from the New Zealand Division, and that the latter would extend its northern flank to a point opposite Brood-page 268seinde. While in support the 1st Battalion provided carrying parties for the front line troops, and during the same period erected over 3,000 yards of double apron wire entanglements in front of Patoka trench, Papanui switch, and Otaki support. The 2nd Battalion, minus the garrison, was similarly engaged, the state of the defences offering plenty of scope for surplus labour. On the 12th enemy artillery displayed marked activity, sudden bursts of file being delivered to points where any movement disclosed itself. On February 13th Lieut.-Colonel Colquhoun, D.S.O., arrived from the now disbanded 4th Brigade, and took over command of the 2nd Battalion.

While reconnoitring No Man's Land during daylight on February 15th, Pte. A. Macdonald, one of Sergt. Travis's special patrol party, was fired on by an enemy sniper. Returning and moving further along our line, he succeeded in picking up the post from which the shot had been fired, and then alone moved into No Man's Land with the object of attacking the position. Macdonald, who subsequent to moving out was joined by Sergt. B. W. Croker, reached the post unobserved. Peering through the loop-hole of a steel plate, he discovered that the position, which comprised a fortified shell-hole with a covering of "elephant" iron, was occupied by five of the enemy. Closing the loop-hole again he threw two bombs into the post, and then jumped in among the enemy. The n.c.o. in command, refusing to be taken prisoner, was killed, and the remaining four of the garrison successfully brought back to cur lines. The very daring of this action assured its success, and for this fine effort Pte. Macdonald was awarded the D.C.M., and Sergt. Croker the MM.

The 1st Battalion now moved into the front line from support, and the 2nd Battalion on relief trekked back to dug-outs in Albania Woods. The dispositions of the 1st Battalion on taking over the forward area were as follows:—4th and 10th Companies in the front line from right to left; 8th Company in support, and 14th Company in reserve. The weather over the succeeding few days was' considerably better, with a corresponding improvement in the state of the trenches. On the morning of the 17th a special patrol of two n.c.o.'s left our right post and set out to reconnoitre the ground and approaches to a derelict tank and "pill box" page 269 near Juniper Wood. The patrol reached the tank and remained in it for half-an-hour. Five enemy dead were counted, apparently the result of our shelling during the previous weeks. There were no obstacles in the way of wire entanglements to contend with, and there was a well-beaten track from the tank to the "pill-box."

During the 18th artillery activity was much above the normal. Between 10 o'clock at night and the early hours of the following morning, the enemy poured a heavy concentration of gas shells over the area of the Butte de Polygone, with disastrous results to the personnel of the 2nd Brigade and Battalion Headquarters established there. The mustard gas used probably did not reach the height of its activity until influenced by the warmth of the morning sun; but the fact remained that during the day the extraordinary total of 14 officers and 162 other ranks of the Division were evacuated as gassed cases, a large proportion of whom belonged to the Headquarters establishment of the 1st Battalion of Otago.

During the night of the 19th-20th a successful raiding operation was accomplished by the 1st Battalion, The party committed to the task comprised 30 other ranks from 4th Company, under the command of 2nd-Lieut. W. O'Connell, and had previously received special training at the Brigade School. The objective was a portion of the enemy's line at the northern edge of Juniper Wood, including the derelict tank and "pill-box" previously referred to. Heavy rain had fallen, and No Man's Land was in an extremely wet and muddy condition. Rapid movement was therefore almost impossible. The raiding party moved out into shell-holes about 30 yards in front of our parapet in readiness to carry out the plan of attack, which was to rush the derelict tank and then move in a northerly direction towards and slightly beyond the "pill-box." Our artillery maintained a heavy bombardment of other sectors of the line in order to mislead the enemy as to the location of the raid, while at the same time light trench mortars briefly bombarded the objective. The raiding party, on the trench mortars ceasing fire, rushed forward to their task, leaving a Lewis gun and section on the right flank to prevent their being cut off. The derelict tank was reached and surrounded, and five of the enemy. secured as prisoners, but one of them was immediately shot by Pte. Stark, who was not page 270 officially one of the raiding party. The mud was so bad and the going so heavy that the party detailed for the "pill-box" did not reach their objective within the allotted time. They were within 30 yards of it when the recall Me was sent up; and as the orders were that once identification had been secured the raiding party was to withdraw on the signal being given, the officer in command of the operation gave instructions for the party to return. Casualties were confined to one n.c.o. slightly wounded by a fragment of trench mortar shell.

The 2nd Battalion, which since the 15th had been supplying carrying and salvaging parties, on the 21st relieved the 4th Battalion of the 3rd (Rifle) Brigade in the Noordemdhoek sector. On the 22nd the 1st Battalion of the Regiment was relieved by the 4th Battalion of the Duke of Wellington's West Riding Regiment, and thereupon moved back to Manawatu Camp. On the same evening the 2nd Battalion was relieved by the 7th Battalion of the West Riding Regiment, and proceeded via Westhoek to the Ypres intantry barracks. where it received an additional strength of over 270 other ranks from the Reinforcement Camp, from the 3rd Battalion of Otago, and from the 2nd Brigade Training School. The 1st Battalion also received drafts totalling abut 150 men hop the same sources. On the 23rd the 1st Battalion entrained at Ypres en route for Caestre, where it detrained and billeted the same night. The 2nd Battalion followed suit, and after detraining at Caestre, marched to Hondeghem, which was reached after midnight.

On February 24th command of the New Zealand Divisional sector was handed over to the 49th Division, and the New Zealand Division passed into Corps rest area.

With the Regiment out of the line, and clear of the pestilent salient of Ypres, the first few days had necessarily to be devoted to interior economy, refitting, and reorganising. Continuous fighting under the worst possible conditions of ground and weather, such as had been experienced in the Salient over the preceding few months, had produced a state of complete exhaustion, and training of a judicious and progressive nature was required to stimulate and restore impaired vitality of mind and body.

A tragic affair occurred in the 2nd Battalion lines on March 3rd. Captain R. J. Hill, M. C., and 2nd-Lieut. D. page 271 McLean, M.M., were fatally shot without apparent reason by a private of the Battalion Transport, who, presumably insane, subsequently shot himself, A funeral service held in the Hondeghem Cemetery on the following day was attended by representatives of each Company and of other branches of the Division.

On March 5th Major McCrae left the 2nd Battalion on a tour of duty to the United Kingdom, and on the 7th Lieut.-Colonel Charters was evacuated suffering from the effects of gas poisoning. Major Hargest thereupon assumed command of the 1st Battalion.

In order to carry out a course of musketry it was necessary for the Battalions to proceed to Moulle, where several days were profitably devoted to rifle and Lewis gun range practices, open warfare and tactical schemes, and anti-gas training.

On March 22nd the Regiment's period of rest and training, pleasant and beneficial though it had been, came to an abrupt termination. The expected German offensive—the great Battle of St. Quentin—had opened against the Third and Fifth British Armies.