Saturday 12 August 2017

Thirteenth Day of the Third Battle of Ypres



Sunday 12th August 1917

Today there has been little fighting around here. It has rained every day now since 8th, a good deal of rain having fallen between the beginning of the month and 6th. Everything is sodden and the mud is very deep. This not only hampers the infantry going forward but makes it very difficult to move the artillery or, indeed, to fire it, as the recoil ploughs the gun further into the glutinous substance.

The adjutant of the 7th Bedfords tells me that they have been attached temporarily to 53rd Brigade, the rest of the Brigade having been moved back to rest billets. The Battalion has been reorganised into four companies of two platoons each, instead of the normal four. Each platoon has one rifle section, one rifle grenadier section, one bombing section and one Lewis gun section. The total Battalion strength is only about 300, so large were the casualties in the attack two days ago.

At 2 o’clock this afternoon, after their dinners, the Battalion moved to a field mentioned where the Divisional commander, Lieutenant-General R P Lee addressed a few words to the men and thanked them for their gallant behaviour in the action of August 10th. He also said that he had given instructions that the Battalion is not to be used in action unless absolutely necessary.


Source: X550/8/1

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