The 11th Division came in for their second turn in the offensive the British line had been carried some way east of the positions the Division had secured in August. The front which the 32nd Brigade now took over ran east of White House (Langemarck) and Pheasant Farm (Jungburg), north-east of New Houses (Langemarck) and through Quebec Farm, being thus within striking distance of Poelcappelle, the objective in this quarter of the next attack. For this the 33rd (left) and 34th (right) Brigades were detailed, with the Lancashire Fusiliers (right) and the Manchesters (left) in the 34th's front line and the Dorsets in support.
The 32nd Brigade was duly relieved on the evening of October 2nd, on which the Dorsets came up by 'bus from Herzelle to the familiar Dirty Bucket Camp. Next morning they moved forward to Siege Camp, spent the day there and advanced again at 8 p.m. to dug-puts at Meurat Shelters. At 3 p.m. on October 4th, the day fixed for the attack, " A " and " D " Companies proceeded " up the line," with orders to reach Hurst Park by 4.30 a.m. At " Zero " (6 a.m.) they were to move forward and occupy the line they had vacated in rear of the assaulting battalions. " B " and " C " were to leave the Shelters at 5.30 a.m., and get into position by 8 a.m., east of the Steenbeek, north-west and south-east of Maison Bulgare (Langemarck), where Lt.-Col. Hannay had his Battalion Headquarters. The ground was a mass of shell-holes, but for once the weather was fine, and despite fairly heavy shelling and several casualties the companies reached their assigned positions in time. Battalion Headquarters shifting forward to Bülow Farm (Langemarck).
The attack had meanwhile gone forward, the first objective or Red Dotted Line being taken by both brigades with fair ease and without heavy casualties. While the troops were waiting on the first objective before advancing to the second a counter-attack began to develope, but was disposed of without a summons to the Dorsets, who were specially detailed to deal with counter-attacks. More resistance was encountered when the leading battalions pushed on towards the second objective and casualties were heavier, but this line also was duly reached and taken. For a moment there seemed to be a chance of exploiting the success gained by capturing the Green Dotted Line, which included Meunier House and Beek Houses. With this object the Battalion was ordered forward soon after mid-day, and by 3 p.m. it had reached the Red Dotted Line. Then, however, came a change of plan ; the situation on the left was uncertain and a successful attack promised merely to land the assailants in a salient too pronounced to be defensible.
The 5th had therefore to return to their original positions, and skilfully as the movement was made the net result was a considerable addition to the casualty list, the day's total coming to over sixty, among the killed being Captain Dancer, who had won the M.C. just a year earlier at Mouquet Farm (France).
The night of October 4th/5th. therefore. "A" and " D " Companies spent in Beer Trench (Langemarck), with " B " and " C " back near the Steenbeek. Up in front things were quite livery, some counter-attacks were attempted, the enemy's bombers and snipers were busy, and their guns were also active, the supports also coming in for a share. By day things were quieter, though " B " and " C " lound that the near neighbourhood of some batteries near Maison Bulgare involved them in no little shelling, and again casualties were rather numerous. That evening the 5th moved forward and relieved the Manchesters, putting " A " and " D " Companies into the front line, with " B " and " C " five hundred yards behind. Both front line and supports were nothing more than consolidated shell-holes. Battalion Headquarters itself being in a large one west of
The relief was accomplished with some difficulty, snipers impeding that of " D " Company on the right of the front line so much that it was not completed till 4 a.m., long after that of the support companies and of " A ", the other front line company. Conditions in the line had been bad and all ranks reached Dirty Bucket Camp quite exhausted. They were not to stay here long; that afternoon they entrained for Serques, where they billeted before moving next day to Moulle in the Eperlecques training area. After a week in this area the Division started on October 18th for a quite unfamiliar area, having been transferred to the 1st Corps in the First Army with orders to relieve the 6th Division in the Loos salient. Captain Lindsay, the youngest officer in the Battalion, had joined the 5th in time for the Poelcappelle fight, having previously served with the 1st Battalion and been wounded on July 1st, 1916. He was killed on the night of December 17th. " A " Company had been filling in two saps and putting wire in front of them, and were coming in after completing their task when Germans were heard talking close at hand. Captain Lindsay, therefore, took a party back and had just ordered them to fire in the direction of the voices when a machine-gun opened fire twenty yards away, hitting him through the head.
Incidents of note were few. With casualties low there was little occasion for many drafts, in fact from reaching Lens to the end of the year almost as many officers joined as men. Two " veterans ", Captain Cooke and Lieut. Richards, were detailed for the six months' tour of Home duty which was now being given to those who had had a long spell at the front and leave was fairly freely given, the Commanding Officer, Second-in-command, Adjutant and R.S.M. all getting a month and most officers a fortnight. The New Year's " Honours " brought Lt.-Col. Hannay a well-deserved D.S.O., while Captain James, who had just received the M.C. for his good work in the Langemarck and Poelcappelle battles, was given a bar, seven more M.M.'s being awarded for Poelcappelle.
Bron: History of the Dorsetshire Regiment, 1914-1918; door Ward D.
