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Chapter XLII.

At 11 a.m. on the 21st August, both 1st and 2nd Battalions were ordered to mobolize, and the 1st Battalion assembled accordingly, two companies in Biez Switch, one company in Cod trench, and one in Fish Alley, while the 2nd Battalion assembled in or near Grayline trench and Gommecourt trench. Both battalions remained in readiness that day, and the whole of the following; day. During the morning of the 22nd, the enemy counter-attacked against the division, but he was easily beaten off and some three hundred prisoners taken. Again that night, there was a further counter-attack and the S.O.S. went up along the whole front. No information seemed to be available as to the position.

During the afternoon of the 23rd August, the First Brigade was ordered to move in the direction of Achiet-le- Petit, to start immediately and be on the road between Rossignol Wood and Buequoy within an hour. A start was made at once, 1st Wellington and 2nd Auckland leading with 2nd Wellington following and 1st Auckland bringing up the rear, Halting near Achiet-le-Petit, the companies bivouaced in trenches round about. Late that night in 2nd Wellington Battalion Headquarters, battalion commanders met General Melvill, who then explained the situation and unfolded the plans for the attack at dawn next morning. The brigade orders, given verbally by the Brigadier, were:—The brigade will attack and capture Loupart Wood and Grevillers—1st Wellington on the right to take Loupart Wood; 2nd Auck-page 275land on the left to take the objectives from Grevillers inclusive to the railway on the edge of Biefvillers: 2nd Wellington in support, to cover the junction of the leading battalions and 1st Auckland to be in brigade reserve. A rond running direct from Achiet-le-Petit to Grevillers marked the boundary for the advance between 1st Wellington and 2nd Auckland. It was then after midnight, and as zero was fixed for 5 o'clock in the morning, and we had to move more than three thousand yards to the point of assembly, there was little time to be lost.

Both battalions were in positions by 4 o'clock a.m. There was a fresh breeze blowing and the sky was overeast. First, there was to he no barrage: then, later, word came through that a barrage would be put down at 5 a.m. By that time, companies were moving. However, there was no barrage finally, and so at 5 a.m., the operation started without it in the grey light of the morning. First Wellington, with Tara- naki Company on the left, Wellington-West Coust on the right, Hawkes Bay in support and Ruahine Company in reserve, supported by the Wellington Machine-Gun Company and two tanks, attacked Loupart Wood.

It rained heavily for a few minutes, and visibility was bad. That, however, was fortunate for it enabled us to cover a considerable distance of open ground and beyond his first screen of machine-guns before the enemy knew we were upon him. When day broke, the mist cleared. First Wellington encountered strong resistance on the right from machine- guns and rifle fire, and for a time, companies were held up. Sergeant H. H. Thomason and Corporal J. R. Blake each led a section of bombers against a machine-gun post, killing the crew and capturing the gun. Sergeant W. Murray, with the aid of a runner, captured a machine-gun and crew of five. It was not long before the reserve company (Ruahine) had to be sent forward. Then two extra tanks lent their aid. Lieut. G. A. A. Barton in command of Wellington-West Coast Company pushed on with great vigour and determination, and cleared the section in front of his company, capturing a machine-gun and 26 prisoners, and leading his men with page 276conspicuous gallantry and energy. It was not, easy, however, to make progress against well concealed machine-guns with no artillery barrage.

Wellington-West Coast (2nd Battalion) early became involved at Grevillers, filling in between 1st Welling!on and 2nd Auckland. Here, excellent work was done by two platoons under Lieut. R. V. Hollis in clearing the southern part of Grevillers where several machine-guns and three eight inch Howitzers were captured. Hawkes Bay Company (2nd Battalion) on the right assisted 1st Wellington to clear Loupart Wood where enemy machine-gun nests were proving very troublesome, Ruahine Company, supporting the Auckland left, crossed the railway to the north and associated itself with 2nd Auckland and the tanks and later with the 2nd Brigade in clearing up the area west of Biefvillers just north of the railway, and in capturing Biefvillers itself. By noon, the enemy's resistance had been overcome, Grevillers and Loupart Wood captured, and 1st Wellington and 2nd Auckland firmly established in posts, on the edge of the wood with a company in support in the open ground behind it.

Early in the morning, Lieut.-Col. S. S. Allen, commanding 2nd Auckland had been wounded in the mouth, and compelled to go out, while, later in the day, Major W. F. Navby was wounded also and Captain F. S. Varnham, M.C., took command of First Wellington.

About ten o'clock in the morning, the 2nd Brigade pushed out to the north of Grcvillers, clearing up Biefvillers and the trench system to the north of it. Towards evening 2nd Wellington received orders to co-operate with the 63rd Division in a further advance which was being undertaken immediately. This operation was cancelled by a later message, not, however, before Tarmiaki Company had gone forward and substantially completed its task.

At 5 o'clock the following morning (the 25th), the 63rd Division on the right, of 2nd Wellington and the 2nd Brigade on the left attacked, with 2nd Wellington patrols co-operating. The 63rd Division met with very hot machine fire from Thilloy, and our patrols, endeavouring to push forward page 277received a very warm reception from strongly pouted enemy machine-guns. The 63rd Division made no pro«i'ows, nor did our patrols. The 2nd Brigade on our left was mure successful; but it was a very long time, owing to the intense machine-gun fire, before any information filtered back from companies. The rest of the day passed fairly quietly.

On the morning of the 25th, 1st Wellington had gone back into reserve where it remained until the evening of 27th. Major F. K. Turnbull, M.C. was now transferred from 2nd Battalion and appointed to command the 1st Battalion with the temporary rank of Lieut.-Col.

At dusk on the 25th, Ruahine Company (2nd Battalion), who had remained in Biefvillers, moved up and relieved a portion of the 2nd Brigade in the front line, while batlnlion headquarters were now shifted to The Shrine. The night was very dark and wet, and runners had great difficulty in getting through to company headquarlers, to none of which there were wires. While making a personal reconnaissance of the outpost line, Lieut. R. V. Hollis encountered four of the enemy who had filtered through the line. He attacked them single handed, killing two with his revolver, and closing with the other two. One he knocked down with his fist, whereupon the other fled. Hollis collected a couple of his men and at once returned to the fray; but found the ground clear of all except, the dead Germans.

An attack was to be launched the following morning, by the 63rd Division and the New Zealand Division with artillery support, with the object of enveloping Bapaume bypassing beyond it on each flank and establishing a line Rein- courtles-Beugnâtre. 2nd Wellington was ordered to cooperate in this attack by pushing out strong patrols, and following up closely any enemy retirement resulting from the attack.

In general conformity with the 63rd Division's movement, 2nd Wellington made an attempt to get forward in broad daylight on the morning of the 26th August. We were met by a murderous machine-gun fire, and, though patrols made slight, progress at various points, and a company of 1^st page 278Auckland moved up to help us, no material gain was made. The 63rd Division met similar machine-gun fire from Thilloy, and was held up there. Here, that fine officer, Lieut. C. E. Lee, 2nd Battalion Intelligence Officer, was killed early in the attack. He had gone forward to reconnoitre, and was killed outright by a machine-gnu bullet. Captain A. T. White, going forward to ascertain the position of his company, also received a nasty wound in the head. The day passed without further progress being made.

It had been demonstrated, beyond all doubt, that the pocket was strongly held by the enemy, and that it was idle to tackle a very strong machine-gun nest in broad daylight. About mid-day. 1st Auckland were ordered to prepare to undertake the task that had been allotted to 2nd Wellington; but this was cancelled later, and no farther attempts were made that day. Before midnight, lst Auckland relieved 2nd Wellington, who, thereupon, moved back into support with three companies at Grevillers. Unfortunately, Lieut. N. MacLachlan was killed by shell fire while the relief was in progress.

Late in the afternoon of the 27th, 1st Wellington received orders to take over part of the from line before darkness if possible, and at six o'clock in the evening, that battalion moved from the reserve area and relieved 1st Canterbury in the line, two companies (Taranaki and Hawkes Bay) in the front line facing Bapaume, Ruahine Company in support in Avesnes, and Wellington-West Coast Company in second support responsible for the defence of Biefvillcrs. On the following day, two sections of the New Zealand ilachine-Gun Battalion were attached to 1st Wellington. The position was strengthened and reconnoitring patrols sent out at night.

The 2nd Battalion remained in its location until the evening of the 28th August. No operation took place, and the men who were very tired, had a fairly good rest in quite comfortable quarters. On the evening of the 28th. 2nd Wellington was relieved by 2nd Auckland in support and then page 279moved to a position north of Achiet-le-Petit-Grcvillcrs Road, where our men prepared new bivouacs for themselves.

During the afternoon of the 28th August, 1st Wellington received orders to hold themselves in readiness to make an assault on Bapaume the following day, and, preparations were, made accordingly, but, at five o'clock in the morning of the 29th August, patrols reported that the enemy was evacuating Bapaume. 1st Auckland on the right, confirmed the retirement of the enemy on its front. At. 7 o'clock, orders were given to follow up and get in touch with the enemy. The leading company of our 1st Battalion at once pushed forward patrols and followed them up in strength. Taranaki Company worked round the south of the town, keeping in touch with Auckland. Huwkes Bay Company worked forward to the northern and eastern edge of the town, and, at 9.30 a.m., when our artillery was finally called off from the hombardmenl of the town, strong patrols from Ruahine Company pushed through Bapaume, keeping in touch with Taranaki Company on the right and 3rd Battalion Rifle Brigade, on the left. Hawkes Bay Company then followed up through, the town and Wellington-West Coast Company, as a reserve company worked round to the south. In the meantime, orders were received for the New Zealand Division to advance due east. This necessitated a change of direction to the left; but still substantial progress was made with hardly any casualties. By 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the 1st Brigade had reached a point over a mile down the Peronne Road. Shortly after 6 o'clock, the New Zealand Division held securely the German trench system south and south-west of Bapaume to the Peronne Road and thence to the sugar factory on the Cambrai Road, whence the line continued to the north-east. The flank divisions had made equal satisfactory progress, and the positions at Ligny Thilloy and Thilloy, so sternly defended only a few days before, had now been yielded without opposition.

During this operation, there had been attached to 1st Wellington, a troop of the Royal Scots Greys under Lieut. Olliver, a section of the 1st Battery, N.Z.F.A., under Lieut.

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Page, two sections of Wellington Company, New Zealand Machine-Gun Battalion, under Lieut. Forsyth, and a section of the First Light Trench Mortar Battery, all of whom rendered valuable co-operation.

At mid-day of the 29th, the 2nd Battalion had moved forward some distance with battalion headquarters in Grevillers. Late in the afternoon, however, it was ascertained that the 2nd Battalion would not be moving further that night and everyone settled down, to get as much sleep as possible.

The advance was temporarily discontinued; but arrangements were already in train to press on along with the rest of the Army at daybreak on the following day.