2nd Battalion War Diary, December 1914: Difference between revisions

|At about 11am Major Warren received orders from 20th Brigade for 2 companies 2nd Border Regt. to attack enemy's trenches at 6.30 pm/ 2 companies of Scots Guards attacking their front at 6pm. In the trenches at about 2.30 pm Captain C. Lamb DSO, was informed by Lieut. Sampson B Company that B & D Companies would attack at 6.30pm. At about 3pm Major G.E. Warren arrived at the trenches with Captain H.A. Askew and B and D companies. Major Warren gave orders that A & C Companies were to make attack not B & D Companies. The left was to be the road running SE of LA CORDONNIERE FARM, and the right to be the Scots Guards whose left was the SAILLY-FRAMELLES ROAD. This necessitated the moving of the whole of C Company to the right - A Company also moving their position. B and D companies were to get behind each man of A & C Companies and help them out of the trenches. The companies were not in position until well after dark and consequently no one knew exactly their correct front or point of attack. At 6.15pm the companies advanced – strength about 300 men. Both A & C Companies reached the enemy's trenches <s>reached the enemy's trenches</s> being fired on the whole time crossing the intervening distance between trenches – about 150 yards. Many casualties occurred in this advance, some of our men being hit by our own Artillery, which opened fire at the same time. Owing to our Artillery fire the Companies withdrew about 50 yards, lay down and waited for orders. The order came after about 1 hour to advance again. The Companies did so but the attack failed and they retired to our own trenches and lay down in front of them. Major Warren then collected the remnants of A & C Companies and brought up 2 platoons of B Company under [[The_Border_Regiment_during_World_War_One#The_First_Battle_of_Ypres|Captain N.F. Jenkins]]. Again they advanced to the enemy's trenches but halted in a ditch near the enemy's barbed wire – more cutters being required. Major Warren went back and obtained 3. On his return he said he would go and see the General who was at LA CORDONNIERE FARM. He did so and was way 1½ hours. When he returned he found that Captain Jenkins had brought the Companies back to our trenches as the General had ordered no further attack unless it could be done without heavy loss – further operations ceased and collecting of dead and wounded was carried on.