Читать книгу The War History of the 1st/ 4th Battalion, 1914-1918. The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment онлайн

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The Brigade was relieved on the night of the 23rd/24th July by the 13th Brigade, the Battalion by the 1st Middlesex Regiment.

On the 27th we left for LA GORGUE Station, where we entrained, and arrived at CALAIS at 8 p.m., then on via ABBEVILLE and AMIENS to CORBIE, where we detrained and marched to billets at RIBEMONT. On the 31st we went to MARTINSART, being then in Divisional Reserve. Here we remained for a week training.

This SOMME country was a great change from the plains of Flanders, and the air was better.

We relieved the 25th Lancashire Fusiliers on the 6th August in Sector B. A, B, and C Companies were in the fire trench; D Company in support at POSTE LESDOS; Battalion Headquarters in AVELUY WOOD south of AUTHUILLE. The trenches were cut in the solid chalk—hardly any sandbags—and the French had made the dugouts very comfortable. The barbed wire was thick. On the 4th Second Lieutenant W. R. Haggas had reported from the 2/4th Loyal North Lancashires, bringing five N.C.O.’s and men, who had been wounded, from the base, and a week later Lieutenant-Colonel Hindle returned from England and again took over the command of the Battalion. On the 9th a thunderstorm broke and turned the trenches into mud. On the 11th the first party went on leave. Two men were wounded the same day. The sector was quiet, and so was LA BOISELLE sector, where we went on the 14th, relieving the 1/5th Irish. C and D Companies were in the fire trench; A and B in support at POSTE DONNEZ. The opposing lines were so close that high bomb nets were found necessary.