Two battalions, 1st Somerset Light Infantry on the right with 1st Hampshire Regiment on the left, were detailed for the assault : the 1st East Lancashire Regiment was in support of these two battalions, whilst the 1st Rifle Brigade was in Brigade reserve. On the right and left of the brigade front were units of the 33rd and 10th Brigades respectively.
" C " Company (less 2 platoons), very ably commanded by Captain B.A.Barron, M.C., was put under the command of the O.C. 1st Somerset Light Infantry for the express purpose of watching the right flank and for filling any gaps that might occur between the 11th and the 33rd Brigades duringthe course of the action. No such precaution was deemed necessary as between the 11th and 10th Brigades. In the light of subsequent events it might have been prudent to have adopted such aprecaution. Of the other two platoons of " C " Company one was employed as " pushers " on the trolley line whilst the remaining one was attached to " B " Company.The battalion, there fore, went into action with a strength of three companies only, disposed as follows:
" D " Company (Captain H. E. C. Knight) on the right.
" A " Company (Captain G. E. Tinling) on the left.
" B " Company (Captain M. Sayers, D.C.M.) in support.
The front occupied by the two assaulting battalions at Zero hour lay about half way between Langemarck and Poelcapelle facing north-east. The forward troops of the 1st East Lancashire Regiment were about 200 yards in rear of this line. The final objective was no more than a distance of,say,1,250 yards. Zero hour was at 6 a.m. at which time the light was ideal.
So far as the 11th Brigade front was concerned, the battle proceededentirely to programme;so successful,indeed, was the advance, that a message from Brigade H.Q. ordered the final objective to be extended another 300 to 400 yards.Zero hour for this further advance was to be at 6.30 p.m. : orders to this effect were sent out from Battalion H.Q. at 1.45 p.m.
At about 2 p.m., however, troops on the left were observed to be retiring from the direction of 19 Metre Hill, situated 1,200 yards N.W. of Poelcapelle Church. Captain Tinling, on his own initiative, at once led his company through the retiring troops and restored the situation insomuch that the exposed flank of the 1st Hampshire Regiment was thus protected. " D "and " B " Companies supported " A " Company, though to what extent the fog of war concealed. In any case much time was lost, the battalion was much disorganized and heavy casualties were suffered. The further proposed advance of the 11th Brigade had therefore to be abandoned. The gallant Tinling was killed. The action of a party commanded by Sergt.Cottom is particularly noteworthy. This N.C.O. had been warned by Captain Tinling, his company commander, of the importance of 19 Metre Hill : grasping the situation at once, he took command of what was left of the company, some 50 in number, established himself on the eastern slopes of 19 Metre Hill, crushed an enemy counter-attack by rifle and Lewis-gun fire and in spite of heavy artillery fire, directed by hostile aircraft, held on to his position until relieved forty-eight hours later. Unfortunately he failed toinform Battalion HQ. as to his whereabouts and being, as he was, on another Brigade front it was improbable that Battalion HQ. would discover him. For his gallant conduct Sergt. Cottom was deservedly awarded the Distin-guished Conduct Medal.
A very dark night following the battle rendered the task of re-organisation a matter of great difficulty : it is safe to compute that, at daybreak on the 5th, the regiment would not have been able to muster more than 100 rifles. The day following the battle passed, so far as the infantry was concerned, like many another battle, that is to say the opposing sides sat down and, metaphoric-ally speaking, licked their sores. The artillery, however, on both sides was as busy as ever. The enemy’s heavy artillery was particularly severe, mostly 8-inch howitzers. A direct hit from one of these guns was rare, but when it did occur, it was devastating. During October 5th Lieutenant Hannaford and his platoon was in communication with Battalion H.Q.and actually had received their orders to retire. During the day many men rejoined their companies and at nightfall the battalion was withdrawn to Brigade reserve in Candle Trench (east of Pilckem) with a total strength of 8 officers and 220 other ranks.Neither Lieutenant Hannaford nor one man of his platoon has ever been heard of to this day.
For the 1st East Lancashire Regiment the third Battle of Ypres was over. By easy stages the battalion was withdrawn from the battle area to Poperinghe,near which place it entrained, to return once more to the Arras area to spendthe winter of 1917-18.
Bron: History of the East Lancashire regiment in the Great War, 1914-1918; door Nicholson L.
