| Regiment | 1st Royal Berkshire |
|---|---|
| Location | France, RICHBOURG I'AVOUE |
| Entry | Preparations continued for the assault. Our artillery shelled the German breastworks heavily all day. Germans replied wounding a good many of our men. At 3.50pm the order was received that the Battn was to assault at 11.30pm in the night. Major C G Hill DSO Commanding the Battn made the following dispositions: "C" Company under Capt E M ALLFREY, with 2/Lieuts C S Searle, H R H Hilliard, R Haigh were to assault and take the first German trench. They were to carry 250 bombs. "D" Company under Captain C W Frizzell with Lieut G Gregson-Ellis, Lieut C R Taffs, Lieut E Basedin were to pass through "C" Company and push on and attack the second German trench. "B" Company under Captain G Belcher, with Lieut C W Green, Lieut E. Getting, and 2/Lieut L H Allison were to push on to the second German trench and start to consolidate the ground made good by "D" Company. They were to carry 90 shovels and 70 picks. "A" Company under Lieut W G Cox with Lieut G T S Weston Lieut H G Clark 2/Lieut R D Apps were to go to the first German trench and consolidate the ground won by "C" Company. They were to carry 90 shovels, 10 picks and 400 sandbags. Two sections, and 2 machine guns were to accompany "B" company under 2/Lieut E L Gerwood. The ammunition carriers were to follow in rear of "A" company. They were also to carry all the periscopes. Captain S D Large Army Medical Corps established a dressing station about half a mile in rear, with all the necessary arrangements for the wounded. The brigade were to attack in accordance with the attached Brigade order: 7th Btn KINGS (Liverpool) Regt were on the right. 1st Btn R Berkshire Regt were in the centre. 1st Btn KRRC on the left On the left of the 1st KRR the 5th Brigade were to attack. The portion of the German trenches which the Battn had to assault lay between R1 and R6. See attached map shaded portion. The distance to be covered was about 450 yards. The idea was for all the assaulting companies with the exception of "A" Company which was to remain in our trenches at the Btn Reserve, (with orders to keep up sniping fire on the German trenches) to get out over the parapet and lie down in front of our trenches about 50 yards to the front until the time for the assault. The following prearranged signals were utilized. One motor lamp was to be put on the German parapet when the first trench was captured. When the second German trench was captured another motor lamp was to be placed on top of the first one. Captain M C Radford was placed in charge of the two assaulting companies. The men were dressed in fighting order** and each man carried three sandbags. [Margin note in sheet] ** Fighting order. The pack is discarded. The haversack is placed on the back in the position where the pack is normally carried. Each haversack contains the following articles: 1. Day Rations. 2. Canteen I.e. mess tin. 3. Soap, towel, shaving kit. 4. Spare pair of laces. All water bottles filled. Each man carried his mackintosh cape rolled on his belt fastened in the centre of his back. A spare pair of socks carried inside mackintosh cape. Each man carried 200 rounds of ammunition, except grenadiers, who carried 100 rnds and 6 bombs each. The compass bearing was taken which was 155 degrees. The time for the assault to start was 11.30pm. Major C.G.Hill DSO Commanding the Battn decided that "C" Company should rise and start at 11.30pm. "D" Company to follow at 11.32pm, "B" Company at 11.37pm. "A" Company he kept in his own hands. Our getting out places were all carefully marked, and at 10.30pm "C" Company started to get out over the parapet very silently, and lay down 50 yards in front of our line of trenches - then "D" Company proceeded very silently to get over and lay down behind "C" Company, then "B" Company proceeded very silently to get over the parapet and lay down behind "D" Coy. All companies were in single file, on a frontage of about 200 yards. The machine gun sections followed "B" Company. All three companies were out ready by 11.15pm and all was done without the enemy having any knowledge. The night was fairly dark and it was difficult to discern any movement. Punctually at 11.30pm "C" Company rose, and proceeded in quick time. They got about 150 yards before the Germans were aware of their approach, when suddenly a very heavy rifle and machine gun fire was opened on them. They then rushed the remaining 200 yards and reached the first German trench. Here they bombed, and in many cases caught hold of the German rifles and shot the firer. Meantime, "D" Company was advancing through a hail of rifle and machine gun fire. They reached the first trench, went right on, assaulted and took the second trench. This second trench was about 80 yards in rear of the first trench. Then "B" Company came up and immediately started to consolidate the trench "D" Coy had taken. Unfortunately Captain Belcher Commanding "B" Coy was killed very early in the advance, this made "B" Company rather longer in coming up than would have otherwise been the case. About 11.45pm Major C G Hill DSO Commanding the Battn came up himself with two platoons of "A" Company. He reached the first German trench where he halted for a short time and rallied the men, then proceeded to the second German trench, and immediately issued orders for its consolidation. The remaining two platoons of "A" Company were then ordered up. The KRRs on our left had also reached their objectives and taken and consolidated the German trenches on our left. On our right the 7th KINGS (Liverpool) Regt had also reached the German trenches but had come a little too much to their left. By this unfortunate error some of the enemy were not cleared from the right, and they did considerable damage by enfiladed fire. They surrendered next morning to the 1st KINGS when some 200 prisoners were taken. Thus by 12 midnight the whole Battn had been launched to the assault, and had taken all the German trenches allotted to them as their task. The assault was completely successful, magnificently timed, and magnificently carried out. The enterprize, alas, was NOT accomplished without heavy losses, our casualties were as in the margin. See attached orders, map, newspaper cutting from the LONDON TIMES dated May 17th. [Margin notes re casualties] Killed. Captain G Belcher. Lieut W.J Cox, Lieut C.R. Taffs, Lieut H.J. Clarke. 45 other ranks. Wounded. Captain E.M Allfrey, Lieut E Baseden, 2/Lieut C.S. Searle, 287 other ranks. Missing. 2/Lieut L.H. Alison, 2/Lieut R.S. Apps. 75 other ranks. |
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