A quiet six months (January - June 1916): Difference between revisions

After a few weeks on French soil the [[Lonsdale Battalion|Lonsdales]] were beginning to gain some experience, something the Territorials and more so, the Regulars, had ample of. Although they had not yet been involved in any major battles, the unpleasant side of trench warfare soon enough revealed itself. Men who had grown up together, enlisted together. Those border men of Cumberland and Westmorland, of various towns and villages who had never met before, had spent months training together in Carlisle. They had built up friendships and soon some of those friends, those ‘pals’ would be decimated, victims of shell, machine gun and sniper fire. Every day presented itself with a different challenge but the most uncompromising yet simple challenge of all was not to get shot or wounded. Simple mistakes cost the men, sometimes with their lives. [[Percy Wilfred Machell|Lt-Col. Machell]] had concerns for the wellbeing of his men, however, even when times were difficult and the constant thought of being killed at any moment was ever at the forefront in anyone’s imaginings, the men still banded together. Both commanding officer and the men serving under his command had a mutual respect for each other. It was the start of 1916 and the Lonsdales journey was only just beginning.

It was a quiet start to the year. Seven days on and seven days off in billets for support seemed to be the normal rotation.<ref name="wylly77">{{wylly|pageno=77}}</ref> However, according to the Battalion war diary, throughout the entirety of January the Lonsdales did not endure hardships. Several days were “quiet,” with literally nothing else reported and only occasionally would “one man wounded” appear in the records to notify the reader of any casualties. If it wasn’t for the Lonsdales relieving the 17th Highland Light Infantry, or vice versa, you might wonder if there was a war on at all. On the [[14 January]] 1916, the Lonsdales returned to rest billets in Bouzincourt and then back in the line on the [[21 January]] for another seven days where artillery bombardments where intermittent. By the end of January they had returned to Aveluy supplying fatigues<ref>Fatigue duty is the employment of manual labour assigned to military men that does not necessitate the use of weaponry.</ref> for the Royal Engineers.<ref>A group of soldiers (or prisoners) that are assigned to perform manual tasks or duties, for their own or other units.</ref>

The month of February was spent in much the same way. When they were at the front there seemed to be very little in the way of enemy activity. Even when, on the [[9 February]], a heavy bombardment ensued, casualties were minimal with one man killed and another wounded. The Lonsdales seemed to have luck on their side until the big offensive of July, which we will come to shortly. By the [[12 February]] the Lonsdales were in Albert, this time supplying working parties<ref>A group of soldiers (or prisoners) that are assigned to perform manual tasks or duties, for their own or other units.</ref> for the Royal Engineers. On the [[18 February]] they were supplying fatigues at Henencourt and again at Millencourt on the [[27 February]]. The weather had been particularly bad during this period with snow, frost and thaw alternating. As a result the ground was sodden and trenches were in a bad state of repair, some falling in.

By the end of May 1916 half of the Battalion was billeted at the now familiar Bouzincourt whilst the other half bivouacked at Aveluy Wood. The 96th Brigade relieved the [[Glossary:Brigade, 97th|97th]] and the Lonsdales again provided working parties for the Royal Engineers. Nothing out of the ordinary occurred for the next few days until the night of the [[5 June|5]]/[[6 June]] when an [[Record of the XIth (Service) Battalion (Lonsdale) - Appendix B|important raid was led into enemy territory]] with the purpose of gaining valuable information about the trench systems at the “Bull’s“[[Glossary:Bull's Eye”Eye|Bull’s Eye]]” and “Granatloch”“[[Glossary:Granatloch|Granatloch]]” (quarry) on the Leipzig Salient. Unusual activity meant cause for concern, especially as the mining and laying of high explosives under each other’s trench systems was a very real threat that, if undetected, could result in a high number of casualties. Finding out what this unusual activity was and how any potential threat could be deterred was tasked to the Lonsdales: a small group of volunteers led by Lieut. Barnes, the outcome of which was a success but with a tragic loss to the battalion.