11th Battalion War Diary, March 1918
| 11th Border Regiment War Diary Transcriptions (1915-1918) The National Archives WO/95/2403
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| 1917 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| 1918 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | |||||
| Place | Date | Hour | Summary of Events |
Vandamme Camp |
Coy's at disposal of OC Coy's for training, on the range and in open fighting. Signallers, snipers, scouts and Lewis Gunners carry on independently. Lecture in salvage to NCO's | ||
| Same as yesterday, training from 9-12.30. Advance parties leave for trenches. Officers conferences. | |||
| Voluntary church services. Preparations before going into line. Moved by train from WOESTON to CHARPENTIER. Relieved 1st L.F. in No.1 Bn sector of No.1 Bde. Line consisting of posts extending from Colombo Ho to 19 post at U.56.8.2. A and D Coy's in line, B and C in support. | |||
| Quiet except for M.G.'s on tracks by night and T.M.'s in OWLS WOOD. BHQ at CALEDONIA CLUB. Officers patrols located wire and M.G.'s. | |||
| Artillery active in VELDHOEK and GAMBETTA. B Coy moved into line on right. B, A and D Coy's hold line in depth. C Coy is in reserve. B,A and D Coy's each have 6 posts of 1 NCO and 6 men. 2 posts in mainline. Wiring and working by nights. | |||
| Quiet except for artillery on main line posts. No movement possible in front area by day. | |||
| Artillery active in AJAX HO. SUEZ and VELDHOEK. Relieved at night by 10th A & SH. Relief complete 11p.m. Batt'n moved to ABRI WOOD into BDE RESERVE.. | |||
| Batt'n stood to about 8 a.m. in consequence of raid on A & SH about OWLS WOOD. 2 Coy's moved to WIDJENDRIFT Road, but precaution was cancelled about 4 p.m. Preparations to move forward tomorrow. | |||
| Day spent in preparations and conferences. Batt'n relieved 17th R.S. in No.2 Bn sector of No.2 Bde of 35th Div.(ie as a stop in the old line). B and C Coy's hold line of posts from near TURENNE CROSSING to COLOMBO HO. | |||
| Listening post in front of No.6 post raided at 1 p.m. 1 man captued and 1 wounded. Enemy quiet by day. M.G.'s active by night. | |||
| A party of 150 of the enemy armed with revolvers raided 15 Post. Covered by M.G. barrage, they swept into the post taking 4 prisoners. 1 man escaped with Lewis Gun. | |||
| Enemy quiet by day, active on tracks with M.G.'s by night. 3 Officers patrols left Posts 19, 15 & 11, proceeding along the roads and obtained useful information regarding enemy wire and M.G.'s. Aircraft very active. Wiring by night. | |||
| Artillery activity above normal. Enemy shelled EGYPT and AJAX HO and our artillery retaliated effectively on enemy M.G.'s by night. 2 Officers patrols left Posts 11 + 19 and gained valuable information. Further Officers patrol left Post 3, proceeded along railway and obtained useful intelligence. | |||
| Quiet by day. Enemy put down a heavy T.M. and M.G. barrage on EGYPT HO and frontline of posts from COLOMBO to right and left at 7.30 p.m. A party of enemy attempted to raid our posts, but driven off by L.G. and rifle fire. Posts 17,18 & 19 were heavily shelled, but none of the raiders reached them. Casualties 1 officer wounded, 1 O.R. missing, 1 killed, 1 wounded and missing, 4 wounded. | |||
| Relieved by 10th A & SH. Relief complete 1 a.m. Batt'n moved into Bde. Reserve with HQ at LA CHAUDIERE and Coy's scattered in shelters. | |||
| Men resting by day and working in ARMY ZONE by night. | |||
| Two Coy's bathed during afternoon and 2 working in ARMY ZONE. Working parties cancelled due to heavy bombardment on No.1 Bde front at 9 p.m. S.O.S. was put up near COLOMBO HO and Batt'n stood to. This precaution was cancelled at 10.05 p.m. | |||
| Two Coy's worked on CORPS LINE by day and the other two bathed during the afternoon and worked on CORPS LINE near NEY FARM by night. Conferences held concerning projected raid. | |||
| Men resting by day and preparing to move forward into the line again. 4 Officers and 60 O.R. chosen to carry out raid in the near future. These details move to ABRI WOOD at 8 p.m. | |||
| Battn relieved 10th A & SH in No.1 Bn Sector of No.1 Bde. Relief complete at 11.15 pm. Raiding Officers did patrols over the area to be covered by the raiders. | |||
| Quiet except for T.M.'s around EGYPT HO and M.G. fire on tracks by night. A and D Coy's held outpost line from near TURENNE CROSSING to COLOMBO HO. C Coy in support and B in reserve. Each post held by 1 NCO and 6 men. No movement by day, wiring and working by night. Hot food carried up twice nightly to all posts by B Coy. | |||
| Quiet, wiring work by night. Patrol reconnoitred ground in U.6.B. and V.1.A., between posts 15 and 17. Aircraft active. | |||
| Hostile artillery around EGYPT HO. Raid carried out at 11 p.m. on enemy posts in V.1.A., by 3 Officers: viz. 2nd Lt's HUNT, OLIVER and GOODWIN and 60 O.R. Party was divided into 3 sections of 20 O.R. and 1 Officer. Raiders advanced under heavy barrage, but met with stubborn M.G. resistance. They pushed forward to within bombing distance of the M.G.'s, which were unscathed by the barrage, but had to withdraw after accounting foe a few of the enemy. Casualties, 1 Officer, 2nd Lt Oliver and 1 O.R. wounded and missing, 1 O.R. killed, 6 O.R. Wounded. | |||
| Quiet day except for gas bombardment of back areas. Bat relieved in line by 15th HLI of the 14th Bde. Relief complete 10.30 p.m. Bat marched back to CANAL BANK and Bde moved into DIV. RESERVE. Raiders,under 2nd Lt J.R. McDonald M.C., rejoined rest of battalion. | |||
| Day spent in cleaning up after tour in line. Batt'n concentrated in shelters along CANAL BANK. 1 Coy out on working party in afternoon. 2 Coy's bathed during afternoon. | |||
| Two Coy's on range, 1 Coy bathing, 1 Coy on working party. | |||
| Church parade in BOSINGHE CHURC HUT. Warning of move. Shelling in vicinity of billets. | |||
| Training recommenced. Coys at disposal of O.C. Coy's - specialists detailed, 1 Coy working. | |||
| Left CANAL BANK at 9.30 a.m., entrained at ELVERDINGHE about 11 a.m. and detrained at AUBIGNY at 9 p.m. Transport left by road at 12 Noon. Battn marched to WANQUETIN about 9 miles during aerial bombardment and encamped in huts. Battle stores issued before departure from CANAL BANK. | |||
| Rest during morning. Practised attack in afternoon. Marched by night to RANSART, where Batt'n rested in sunken road until morning. | |||
| Batt'n moved at 8.30 a.m. to occupy old trenches in vicinity of ADINFER WOOD. 2 Coy's in rear and 2 Coy's on right flank. Later in day, rear Coy's moved to front of wood, men dug shelters in sides of old trenches. BHQ in rear. | |||
| Bde in reserve to Guards Div. BHQ moved to centre of wood, trenches improved. | |||
| Bde relieved by 96th Bde, Battn by 16th L.F.. Relief complete 10.30 p.m. Batt'n moved forward to advanced positions and relieved Yorks and Lancs and Scots Guards in line in front of MOYENVILLE to AYETTE. B,C and D Coy's forward, A coy in reserve. BHQ in embankment area . | |||
| Quiet except for snipre and M.G.'s at night. Our snipers claim to have killed at least 6 of the enemy. Identification of 466 Regt. achieved.
[signed] R.L. Beasley, Lt. Col.
Commanding 11th Border Regiment |
References / notes
- National Archives Catalogue Reference: WO/95/2403
- The transcription above is available under the National Archives Open Government Licence for public sector information.