Quotes by H. C. Wylly: Difference between revisions

{{quote|text=At the end of July the '[[Lonsdale Battalion|Lonsdales]]' were at Noyelles, finding carrying parties for the 8th Division to which they were attached....then about the [[15 November]] the battalion was called up with the [[Glossary:Division, 32nd|32nd Division]] to take part in the final operations of the Battle of the Ancre. It was on the [[17 November]], the day Somme Battle came officially to an end, that the 32nd Division took over the front-line trenches, relieving the 18th Division which moved further to the left, and the advance therefrom commenced on the morning of the [[18 November]], the 14th Brigade being on the left and the [[Glossary:Brigade, 97th|97th Brigade]] on the right; but the battalions composing these started off very short of bombs, while the state of the ground was so awful that the rate of advance could not exceed one mile an hour. <small>[see [[18 November]] for details of action this day]</small><br> When dusk fell those that were left of the Battalion were collected and reorganized and Wagon Road placed in a state of defence, and here the Lonsdales held till a little after noon on the [[19 November]], when they were relieved and went back to billets at Mailly-Maillet. There can be no doubt that some officers and men fought their way right through to the objective; some like Sergeant-Major Johnstone and Private Dixon, broke back again and rejoined after dark., but Captain Welch and others were cut off and held out until overwhelmed, though several rescue parties were sent out to try and discover their whereabouts and help them in. During the whole of December the Battalion was in rest billets at PushevillersPuchevillers; it was a long and cheerless winter, with much to be done, gaps to be filled, men to be trained, and every preparation made for the battles still to come.|person={{col-wylly}}|source=''[[The Border Regiment in the Great War]]'', pp.103-104}}