Person:Maurice Horrabin (1)

From the Regimental History – this account was written primarily by Capt Hodgson-Smith.

The 6th was still holding these trenches, having been ten days on end in the line, when about 7 a.m. on November 30th a tremendous bombardment was suddenly opened along the whole British front line. It developed rapidly in intensity and within a short time all communications with the front line were severed. The Battalion Headquarters of the 6th R.W.K. were on the reverse slope of a hill behind the Northern end of Lateau Wood. Directly the shelling started Captain Hodgson-Smith, who was now second in command, took the whole headquarters party and posted them in a sunken road just in front, ready to form a rallying point should the men in front get pushed in. Before long stragglers were coming back from the N.E. towards the 37th Brigade Headquarters at the Western end of Bonavis Ridge, with Germans behind them. This advance was checked by the Brigade signallers and other details, and in the same way Captain Hodgson-Smith’s party began to get targets in Germans advancing on their left, while directly afterwards the Buffs, who were in Brigade support, counter-attacked and re-covered Pam Pam Farm, to which the enemy had already penetrated. This counter-stoke, delivered about 8.15 a.m., held the enemy up for a time and allowed of the extrication of some of the East Surreys from the front line South of Bonavis Farm. For a time, apparently, the Buffs got touch with the 6th R.W.K. also, for at 10.20 they reported them as holding on.

However, the enemy continued to press hard, especially against the left of the Buffs, and about 10.30 forced them back. As they fought their way to the Hindenburg Support Line the few survivors of the 6th Battalion Headquarters, under Captain Dove, the Adjutant, joined in with them. These had put up a good fight against overwhelming numbers who had at first advanced against them in front and on the left, where, as one survivor writes, “the Germans came pouring on in masses like a Bank Holiday crowd.” Those in front the Headquarters’ party had promptly shot down, but almost immediately grey figures began emerging from Lateau Wood more to the right, and the post was before long practically surrounded and its garrison overpowered. Captain Hodgson-Smith was twice wounded, the second time very badly, and taken, and only a few got away. Colonel Dawson had been wounded rather before this, exposing himself as usual in the endeavour to discover for himself what was happening, but he had been safely got away. N.E. of La Vacquerie, however, a successful stand was made by about 250 men, mainly Buffs, but including about 60 East Surreys and nearly 20 R.W.K’s. Touch was obtained with the 36th Brigade on the right and with the Twentieth Division on the left, and the position was maintained, so that at last the enemy’s advance was checked.

Before this, however, the gallant resistance of the companies in the front line had been overpowered. Strung out over a long front—C Company for example had only 4 officers and 42 men to hold a front of 400 yards—they had been subjected to the bombardment followed by attacks in force on both flanks. The main attack on the Twelfth Division seems to have come against its right from Bantouzelle with a subordinate attack from Voleurs Bridge which made less progress, while the advance which had threatened the 37th Brigade’s Headquarters at 8 a.m. and the main pressure on the Buffs after their counter-attack developed more from the North-East, where another weakened and exhausted Division was trying to hold a line too long for its numbers. Apparently the first breach was effected through the very thinly-held front of the Fifty-Fifth Division on the right, for the reports of the survivors of the front-line companies describe the enemy as first assailing them from the right flank. The men, tired as they were and hopelessly outnumbered by fresh troops, put up a fine fight, though the denseness of Lateau Wood and the incomplete state of the defences were all against them, while the fact that the Canal bridges had been left intact, despite all Colonel Dawson’s urgent representations to be allowed to demolish them, did prove exceedingly useful, but unfortunately useful to the enemy. Thus, C Company, after a stubborn struggle against heavy attacks in flank and rear, were forced back to a strong point 100 yards East of Le Quennet Farm where the survivors kept the enemy at bay for another two hours, inflicting many casualties on them. At last, however, when every cartridge had been expended, the enemy penetrated into the strong point and compelled the dozen men who were left to lay down their arms. A Company in like manner had first found targets in enemy advancing to their right and had then been attacked in front and flank by large forces advancing on their left more from the direction of Masnières. These, too, they engaged, but to escape being surrounded they had to fall back to some gun-pits a little way in rear. Here, too, they made a stand, but with the Germans already in their rear and on both flanks, ammunition running short and no help forthcoming, surrender could not be long delayed. The fate of the other companies was much the same. Hardly a man got away; the only men who reached Battalion Headquarters before it was overwhelmed were runners bringing back messages, and the fight which was put up is a page in the history of the battalion of which it has every reason to feel proud. Outnumbered and exhausted, the men did all that was humanly possible and their resistance went far to take the sting out of the German attack and to leave them unable to extend their success or maintain all their gains.

During the night a few men managed to rejoin Captain Dove’s party which, by the time that the remnants of the 37th Brigade were relieved, had grown to 52 men. Captain Dove, however, was among the few casualties of December 1st, on which day the position remained unaltered, for though the enemy kept up a fairly steady shellfire he attempted no attack. Early on the 2nd a battalion of the Sixty-First Division took over the line and the 37th Brigade went back to Heudecourt. It was a sad termination to an operation which had opened so brilliantly, but that the Twelfth Division had fought on November 30th under the greatest disadvantages is clear, and though overpowered it had put up a stubborn fight and taken a heavy toll of the enemy. None of the officers in the front line of the 6th R.W.K. escaped. Captain Martyn, 2nd Lieuts. Carey, Sanders and Hodge proved to have been killed, Captain Hodgson-Smith, Lieut. S. G. Wright and half a-dozen 2nd Lieuts. were taken and nearly 250 other ranks were killed or missing. Colonel Dawson and Captain Thomas, who had also been hit quite early on the 30th, had been safely evacuated.

1. ↑ Commonwealth War Graves Commission