| Regiment | 1st Royal Berkshire |
|---|---|
| Location | France, BETHUNE |
| Entry | Battn left BETHUNE at 1am and proceeded by march route to LE TOURET. The 1st Division were to attack on the line ILLIES - LORGIES - RUE DE MARAIS and the 2nd Division was brought up in reserve to push through the gap they were to make. With this in view, the 1st Division was ordered to assault from its breastworks in front of RICHEBOURG L'AVOUE but after three attempts failed to reach the German trenches. The Battn marched from LE TOURET at 3.25pm and marched to RICHEBOURG ST VAAST where the men had teas. At 7.30pm the order was received to move up and take over the line in front of RICHEBOURG L'AVOUE from the 1st Division and deliver an assault at 8.30pm. This gave the Battalion one hour to march two miles, get into trenches which were absolutely unknown to all ranks in the Battalion, and assault in the dark across a piece of country which had not been previously reconnoitred. In addition, no one can know the direction of the enemy's trenches, and all ranks felt the assault was doomed to failure. At 8.20pm the order was cancelled. The Battn then relieved the 2nd Battn Gloucestershire Regt in the trenches in front of RICHEBOURG L'AVOUE. The relief started at 11pm and was completed by 1am on the morning of May 10th. |
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