6th Battalion on the Western Front (1916-1918): Difference between revisions
6th Battalion on the Western Front (1916-1918) (view source)
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The [[6th Border Regiment]] arrived in France in June 1916 as part of the [[11th (Northern) Division]], but didn't play any significant part in the Battle of the Somme until the beginning of September (and had been billeted around Arras until then).
Westlake's
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In the late September 1916 operations, the battalion lost 1 officer and 43
==Thiepval==
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It has been argued that the Battle of Messines was the most successful local operation of the war, certainly of the Western Front. Carried out by General Herbert Plumer's Second Army, it was launched on 7 June 1917 with the detonation of 19 underground mines underneath the German mines. The target of the offensive was the Messines Ridge, a natural stronghold southeast of Ypres, and a small German salient since late 1914. The attack was also a precursor to the much larger Third Battle of Ypres, known as Passchendaele, decided upon by the British Commander-in-Chief Sir Douglas Haig following the collapse of the French Nivelle Offensive earlier in May 1917.
General Plumer had begun plans to take the Messines Ridge a year early in early-1916. Meticulous in manner, Plumer preferred to plan for limited successes rather than gamble all on a significant breakthrough. In preparing for the Messines battle he had authorised the laying of 22 mine shafts underneath German lines all along the ridge, his plan being to detonate all 22 at [[zero hour]] at 03:10 on 7 June 1917, to be followed by infantry attacks so as to secure the ridge from the presumably dazed German defenders, the infantry heavily supported by the use of [[artillery]]
:{{quote-left}}this tour of duty in the line was most peaceful, the total casualties in the Battalion being 2 [[other ranks]] killed and 4 wounded The moral effect on the men of the wanton destruction of trees and houses roads and wells by the retreating Germans will, it is confidently anticipated, bear fruit in the next operations undertaken by the Battalion. Their feelings have undoubtedly turned to anger, and the local grindstones have been busy
On the 15th the 6th Battalion marched through the area of the old Somme battle-fields to huts at Montauban and on the next day to Fricourt, when a halt of twenty-four hours was called, and then on again by [[Albert]] and Abbeville to a camp at Caestre.
During May two officers joined for duty
While waiting for the opening of the bombardment every man had been provided with an extra water-bottle to carry on him bombs tools flares and
Pushing forward to the Chinese Wall a brief halt was made while the Battalion objective - Van Hove Farm-was pointed out
About 6.30 pm the rear Company, C Company was ordered to halt, and take up a position covering the valley of the Wambeke, but the others continued moving forward towards Polka Estaminet, where the Battalion Headquarters was now established and to the Odonto Line, a company being sent forward under [[John Wemyss Hood|Captain Hood]] with orders to capture and consolidate Van Hove Farm, which was
Patrols were now sent out to the right and left with orders to get into touch with other [[troops]] on the
By midnight things quieted down water was discovered close at hand, and the morning of the 8th showed no counter-attack imminent so work was re-com- menced, and, as the soil was easy,the men had soon linked up the many shell holes to form a tolerably strong defensive position. At 3 in the afternoon, however, things began to move ; the enemy guns commenced registering on the position and machine guns opened on it from the ridge in front while half an hour later small hostile groups were seen moving forward taking advantage of the cover afforded by hedges and barks, to the right front near Joye Farm. A message was at once sent back to the British guns and within a minute and a quarter a shrapnel [[barrage]] was playing on the enemy position when large numbers of Germans were seen retiring. "Our men and the Vickers and Lewis gunners," says the Battalion diary joyously, "then had the time of their lives!"
Just before darkness fell a heavy shell fire developed on both sides, and by 9pm was continuous along the whole front and the 7th South Staffords who were due to relieve the 6th Border Regiment, had a difficult and hazardous time of it. The relief was however, effected in due course and the companies rendezvoused at the Chinese Wall where all lay down to get some sleep after the two last very strenuous days; the casualties totalled 102 made up as follows:
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[[Category:6th (Service) Battalion]]
[[Category:Battalion histories|6-02]]
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