The 1st Somersets met the 7th Battalion when moving forward to take up its assembly position on the night 3rd/4th October, the 4th Division having been ordered to relieve the 20th Division in the Langemarck sector.
The 1st Battalion was in its assembly position by 11 p.m. with the loss of only one man. This position was in three lines: the first consisting ot the leading platoons of A and B Companies with the mopping-up platoons of C and H in the first line at posts running approximately from just in Front of Louis Farm (Langemark) to U.24.c.9.3.
The 4th Division was to attack with two Brigades in the Front line and one in reserve. The 11th Brigade, on the right, and the 10th Brigade, on the left, the 12th in reserve. The 11th Brigade was to attack with two battalions in the front line, one in support and one in reserve; the 1st Somerset Light Infantry was to be the right assaulting Battalion, the Hants Regiment the left,the East Lancashires in support and the Rifle Brigade in reserve.
The Somersets were to attack on a two-company front, A on the right B on the left, with H Company in rear of A and C in rear of B. The leading Companies were to go right through to the final objective.
The German defences in front of the Battalion sector consisted first of Kangaroo Trench with a pill box in its immediate rear, next a road running west of Ferdan House (Kangoroo Pond) and Lemnos House (both of which were in the Battalion area) beyond which was another short length of trench; the road formed the first objective. The Green Line (the final objective) was east of the two houses and ran through Tragique Farm, also in the area to be captured by the Somerset men.
The orders for mopping up during the attack are interesting: Os.C.,H and C Companies, were each to detail one platoon as moppers. The platoon of H was to follow closely behind the leading two platoons of A Company,dropping one section to clear Kangaroo Trench and neighbourhood: there remaining sections were to capture, clear, and hold a concrete dugout and pill box east of Kangaroo Trench. The platoon of C Company was to follow close in rear of the leading two platoons of B Company, similarly dropping one section to clear Kangaroo Trench and neighbourhood, the remainder capturing, clearing and holding the Strong Point and neighbourhood on the Poelcapelle Road, north-east of the pill box allotted to the section of the platoon of H Company. These two Companies, H and C, were also to detail four sections for the following purpose: H-two sections to follow immediately in rear of the right rear platoon of A and two to follow immediately in rear of the left rear platoon of A Company; C Company-four sections were to carry out a similar duty for B Company. These were mopping-up sections whose functions were to mop up the various dug-outs and strong points captured by the platoons they were to follow. The task allotted to the right rear platoon of A Company was to capture Ferdan House (Kangaroo Pond), the left rear platoon of the same Company was to capture the concrete dug—out on the line of the first objective. B Company'S right rear platoon was detailed to capture the Strong Point 47, west of Ferdan House (Kangaroo Pond), while the left rear platoon was to take Lemnos House. After these two rear platoons of A and B Companies had captured the points allotted to them they were to hand them over to their mopping sections and push on with the leading troops.
It will thus be seen that the Support Companies of the Battalion had to find a considerable number of men for mopping-up duties, which left only a small number available for the capture of the final objective. But subsequent events justified the somewhat involved method of attack.
Zero hour was to be 6 a.m. 4th October.
The night of 3rd/4th passed quietly, though one man was killed by machine-gun fire. At about 5.30 a.m. on the 4th the German guns became active and many shells fell just behind the rear section of the Battalion. ln order to avoid casualties the Battalion moved forward about thirty yards before Zero.At 6 a.m. the British barrage fell and the advance began. The men had been impressed with the necessity of keeping close on the heels of the barrage and so eager were they to carry out these instructions and thus minimize casualties, that there was a tendency to keep too close and the result was that several men were wounded. Hostile machine-gun fire met the advance of the Battalion, but the Somersets do not appear to have suffered very much from the hostile barrage.The intense darkness made direction difficult to keep and there was a noticeable tendency to ease off to right.
Kangaroo trench was found occupied by the Germans, but they gave little trouble; the British barrage had accounted for a good many and the remainder were only too glad to give themselves up.The attack swept on and no serious opposition was met with until the line of the track running south from Lemnos House was reached. On the road,which was the line of the first objective, were several piles of stones and these were held by the Germans,in force. Heavy fire was opened on them and after several had been killed Opposition broke down and the Somerset men again advanced. The right of the Battalion, together with some men of the 11th Division (on the right of the 1st Somersets), then attacked a concrete house on the Poelcapelle Road,south of Ferdan House (Kangaroo Pond). A German machine gun was firing from the roof of this house and another from the side of it. A Lewis gun was then brought into action and, under cover of its fire, the attackers worked round a flank and got in rear of the house. Several Germans were killed before the remainder(about sixteen of the enemy) and the two machine guns were captured.
On the left another German machine gun at Lemnos House held up the attack for a while, but eventually by means of rifle fire and rifle grenades the gun was knocked out and the house taken.
At this period heavy machine-gun fire was coming from Ferdan House (Kangaroo Pond),but the British barrage had halted. The line of the first objective had been captured and reorganization now took place, direction was checked and Lewisguns and rifles cleaned.
Presently the barrage moved on again and the attack was renewed towards the Green Line, the right of the Battalion being directed on Ferdan House (Kangaroo Pond). Heavy machine-gun fire was still coming from the latter as the Somerset men moved forward but, aided by the Lewis guns and the fire of a Stokes mortar belonging to the 11th Division, the house was attacked. The East Lancashires worked round the right flank, the Somersets round the left and the house was rushed and captured. Two German officers and thirty other ranks, several of whom were wounded, were taken, together with two machine guns and two trench mortars. Ferdan House (Kangaroo Pond) having been captured, the advance was continued to the Green Line, but by now the enemy’s resistance was feeble and although some casualties were suffered from machine—gun fire from the direction of 19 Metre Hill, the line was reached, when the Battalion was reorganized and distributed in depth. Touch was maintained on both flanks.The advanced line of posts ran from Tragique Farm south—eastwards along the Green Line to the right Battalion boundary.
The attack had gone splendidly, but the 1st Somersets had suffered severely.The equivalent of four platoons only could be collected, with about thirtymen of the East Lancashire Regiment under one officer. Of the Somersets officers there were only five remaining and of these Captain Greetham, who had been ill during the two days preceding the attack, had to be sent back in the afternoon.
About 2 p.m. a German counter-attack developed on the left of the Somersets where a battalion of Seaforths held the line. The latter had to fall back,and in consequence the left of the 11th Brigade had to conform; but rifle,Lewis gun and the fire from captured machine guns was opened on the enemy and the whole line was shortly afterwards re-established. At about 5.40 p.m.another counter-attack was launched by the enemy on the left of the Somersets and again the line was forced back. Finally, the Somerset men had to fallback as the line of the Battalion was “continuously shelled by our guns."The new line was established from about 50 to 100 yards in front of Lemnos House and Ferdan House (Kangaroo Pond).
The concluding paragraph in the Battalion Diary of 1st Somersets for 4th October is of special interest to those in England who were responsible for the training of drafts for the Regiment:
"A satisfactory feature of the day was the way in which the last draft of 200 behaved. Though, for the most part only nineteen years of age, and neverhaving been under fire before, they showed the greatest keenness and determination and behaved excellently."
Of individual acts of gallantry it has only been possible to obtain particulars concerning the bravery of an N.C.O. This was Lance-Corporal W. V.Watkins (He was awarded the D.C.M.) of C Company. A portion of the line was held up by machine-gunfire from a pill box, but Watkins, though already wounded. in the arm, went forward alone to attack it. Advancing under heavy fire he worked round a flank, attacked the pill box single-handed and captured the machine gun and its crew, thus enabling the line to advance. Other gallant acts were seen but are unrecorded in the Diary of the Battalion.
On the 5th after a stormy day the 1st Somersets were relieved and marched back into Divisional Reserve, being located in Candle Trench (east of Pilckem).
Nine officers and 284 other ranks were the casualties of the 1st Battalion in the Battle of Broodseinde, the former including 2/Lieut. A. R. Barnes,who, first. reported wounded and missing, was afterwards numbered amongst the dead. Captains D. C. H. Edwards and C. A. S. Hawker, Lieuts. S. V.Butcher and P.J.Sylvester, and 2/Lieuts. E. G. Haskins, C. E. Mattheyvs,J. W. Harper and L. M. Mogg were wounded.
Four days of bad weather followed the Battle of Broodseinde, but in spite of the terrible state of the ground the next combined British and French attack took place on the morning of the 9th October, Zero hour being 5.20 a.m.On the British front the attack was renewed from a point east of Zonnebeke to the right flank of the French, north-west of Langemarck (a distance of about six miles), the French troops attacking from the left of the British to a point opposite Draaibank. The attack was successful, villages, farms-houses, and woods being captured along the whole front.
The 4th Division continued its progress along the Ypres-Staden railway and secured a line well to the east of the Poelcapelle-Houthulst road. Again stiff Fighting took place for the possession of certain enemy strong points anda hostile counter attack was repulsed. The 1st Somersets, however, were not engaged in the operations, the Battalion being still in Divisional Reserve at Leipzig Farm. At Zero hour on the 9th they “stood to” ready to move if necessary, but were not called upon and remained in camp all day.
Bron: The history of the Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) door Wyrall E.
