The Story of the 102nd Canadian Infantry Battalion
From BC to Baisieux by Sgt Leonard McLeod Gould HQ 102nd Canadians WW1
VI. Divisional Rest at Gouy Servins-Street Fighting in Lens-Growth of
Carency-South of Avion
A CEASELESS round of active duties had been engaging the 102nd Bn. for six
months; the unit was now to enjoy six weeks of comparative rest, prior to
carrying out a series of operations on the outskirts and in the suburbs of
Lens. This rest opened on June 13th in Vancouver Camp, where we remained for six
days, moving up to Comox Camp on the 19th, and finally back to the Chateau in
Gouy Servins on July 1st. For the most part the weather was good, and the whole
countryside was looking its best at that time of the year; the woods and grounds
surrounding Chateau de la Haie were a veritable Paradise after the conditions
under which we had been living for so long, and the long rest in June and July,
followed by a second and shorter one during the middle of September, stand out
in welcome relief to the general sordid nature of our surroundings. Of Gouy
Servins but little has yet been said, but it had gradually been assuming a
position of importance, both as being the nearest village to the camps at the
Chateau de la Haie and as being a supply assembly point on the narrow-guage
railway which served the Lens front. In the middle of the village is the usual
village pond, artificially constructed and filled with the semi-stagnant water
which seems to characterize all the village ponds in France. An enormous Chateau
is the principal feature of the place, a building large enough to accommodate
two battalions with sleeping quarters and boasting grounds which gave every
accommodation for parades, messes, theatres, and all the outside buildings which
spring up in the vicinity of every camp. During the summer Gouy Servins proved
an ideal resting-place. The inhabitants by this time had come to know the
members of the 11th Brigade well and regarded us with affection. There were
village belles, of whom perhaps the fair Josephine will linger longest in the
memory; there were village estaminets and various private establishments where
wines and beer could be purchased by those who came armed with a fitting
introduction (What sweet memories in these days of Canadian drought cling around
the portals of No. 7!) and there were village shops where the odd biscuit or tin
of fruit could be bought. There was no great craving when out of the line for
the bright lights of theatre or "movie" palace; it was good enough to wander
quietly through the country lanes, or quaff the country wines and just
appreciate the joys of peace and quietness when leisure permitted.
There was, however, a good deal of work done during those
days. The mornings were devoted to training, especially to the perfecting of the
"Tactical Platoon," well known to those who served, and a description of which
will not interest those who did not. To start with, training commenced at 5.30
a.m. and went on till noon, the rest of the day being at the men's own disposal;
later the hours were altered to 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. There were Athletic
Sports of all kinds arranged for the afternoons, with big Field Days when
Brigade vied with Brigade to win the Divisional honours. There were sundry
entertainments in one or other of the two buildings provided for such purposes,
as when on July 6th we saw for the first time the moving pictures taken of the
Battalion in Comox, or when on July 20th the Sergeants entertained the Brigadier
and Battalion Officers at a smoking-concert in the fine mess building they had
erected. On July 11th H.M. King George passed through from Villers to Camblain
L'Abbé and the Brigade units lined the road informally and gave him a welcome
which, it is to be hoped, had the unrehearsed effect which had been so
assiduously practised. In addition to the regular work, and to add zest to the
amusements offered, there were occasional inspections of a peculiarly searching
kind, going into details of feet and the interior of packs. It was after one
such inspection that the shadow of tragedy hung over the Battalion, when one of
our draft men, an alien by birth, "ran amok" and shot the first officer he could
see, who happened to be Capt. Carew Martin, of the 11th Brigade Staff, a most
popular officer and the very last whom anyone in his senses would have thought
of shooting; fortunately the wound, though serious, was not fatal; the miscreant
having been lucky enough to escape lynching, was further lucky enough to get off
with a life sentence.
On the 13th July we lost the services of our Adjutant, Major J. B. Bailey, who
followed Lieut,-Col. A. B. Carey to undertake the duties of Second-in-Command of
the 54th. Major Bailey, at One time Acting R.S.M. on the Spit, had come over as
a subaltern and had gained well-earned promotion by his unremitting activity in
performing the harassing duties of Adjutant during the Vimy operations. After
his departure Lieut. J. L. Lloyd became Acting Adjutant until the following
October. We had already temporarily lost the services of Major F. Lister, M.C,
This officer had greatly distinguished himself during the tours on "The
Triangle," for which he was later awarded the D.S.O., and for the first
fortnight on coming out of the line had assumed the command of the unit whilst
Col. Warden was away on leave. The latter returned on July 3rd, and on the next
day Major Lister left for England to undergo a three months' Commanding
Officers' Course at Aldershot.
On July 26th we moved out in the evening to a camp which had been constructed at
the Souchez end of Zouave Valley, known as Cobourg Street. Here we found that
the 46th had been billeted in the area which should have been reserved for us,
and we had to make the best shift we could to the left; this contretemps saved
us five casualties on the following day. Plenty of water abounded at this end of
the valley and an improvised swimming tank gave great relief, as the weather
became abnormally hot. Aug. 1st saw us moving up the line into our new battle
area, taking over the front-line from the 87th with Headquarters established in
a ruined chateau in Levin. The latter was one of the suburbs of Lens and was
exposed to constant bombardments; the road running from Souchez through Living
up to the Red Mill where the Transport waggons nightly reported was perilous in
the extreme, but our Transport had amazing luck and never lost a man. Living was
a mass of ruins, but the cellar accommodation was good and there was plenty of
water available. From the point of view of billets we were probably better off
on this front than in any other sector throughout the war. The front line itself
consisted of a series of posts established in houses. From the date of our entry
into the Lens Sector we began to get accustomed to the continuous use by the Hun
of gas shells; they had been encountered by us before, notably in the Second
Triangle tour, but from this time on they became a regular nuisance against
which every man, whether in the front line or back with Headquarters, had to be
on his guard. Our several tours on this front were chiefly marked by a series of
raids carried out either by our own companies alone or in conjunction with units
on the flanks. The first of these took place on Aug. 5th, when "D" Coy., under
the direct supervision of Col. Warden, carried out a daylight raid on a crater
at the junction of Bell Street and the Lens-Lens Road. This operation was
completely successful, and the dug-outs found in the crater and the tunnels
connecting it with the enemy lines were thoroughly bombed out. A similarly
successful enterprise was undertaken on the 9th by "B" Coy., when one party
under Sgt. 0. Massey stormed an enemy strong-point, drove out its occupants and
established a block further up the trench, whilst a second party under Cpl. C.
V. Brewer raided the crater a second time and undid all the repair work the Hun
had effected. On this occasion the defenders fled overland and came under the
fire of a Lewis Gun Section which had been strategically planted for that very
purpose.
On the 10th we moved back into Support, and Headquarters retired from the
Chateau a couple of hundred yards down the Street to the building which in
pre-war days had been the Gendarmerie, a large block of buildings surrounding a
big courtyard. Here we remained only four clear days, as on the 15th we were
hurriedly ordered into the line to relieve the 87th, which had been badly cut up
in an offensive which failed and been driven back 200 yards behind their
original front line; this relief we carried out in broad daylight because of the
urgency of the call. On Aug. 17th an operation on a more extended scale was
carried out, with the 4th Brigade co-operating on the left. The object of this
offensive was to reorganize the line, which had been handed over in a badly
dented condition, gaps existing between the companies and between our left flank
and the adjoining battalion, the 18th. These gaps had been occupied by the
enemy, and it was decided by a combined offensive to straighten out the line and
establish a safe connection between all the units holding. The barrage opened at
4.32 am. "C" Coy., under Maj. R. J. Burde, M.C., was to co-operate with the 18th
Bn. on the left and clean up the system of enemy trenches known as Cotton and
Amulet and at the same time to co-operate with "B" Coy. under Maj, F. J. Gary,
M.C., on the right. The latter Company in addition was to attack and hold the
Schoolhouse which the enemy was using as a strong-point. The first part of the
operation failed through the failure of the 4th Brigade to co-operate as
planned; owing to some misunderstanding they never reached Amulet Trench at all,
and finally Major Burde had to recall his men to their original positions. "B"
Coy., after overcoming strenuous opposition, managed to secure a footing in the
Schoolhouse, but failing to find the left flank secured owing to the
non-fulfilment of the first part of the operation, also had to fall back to
original positions. The same night we were relieved by the 46th Battalion and
returned to Niagara Camp. The total casualties incurred during this first tour
in Lens were as follows: Killed: Lieut. E. L. Gleason and 10
Other Ranks. Died of wounds: Three Other Ranks. Missing: Two Other Ranks.
Wounded: Lieuts. V. Z. Manning, J. A. Cresswell, C. H. Packman, G. G. Allum, W.
W. Dunlop (at duty), and 86 Other Ranks.
It was not until the early hours of the morning that the troops began to arrive
at Niagara Camp; there is a wonderful satisfaction in wandering into camp at
such an hour and finding the Base Details waiting up with hot food and
hand-shakes and then turning in, knowing that for at least six days there will
be comparative comfort and rest. The following day was a Sunday, and the
conflicting claims of godliness and cleanliness caused a terrible fiasco, owing
to the well-meant endeavours of the officiating chaplain to harmonize the two,
"If your men have to go to the baths," said he, "well and good: I know that the
baths are the first consideration; but let them come into the Church Service on
their way back." The chaplain was right, from the point of view of common sense
and Christianity, but, sad to relate, it fell out that a party of Brass Hats
thought well to attend Divine Service that morning, and anyone who has had
experience of Brass Hats and their way of looking at things will readily
understand the consternation caused in their breasts when sundry members of
the 102nd turned up with no puttees on their legs, but with towels
hanging around their necks. It is entirely contrary to K. R. & 0. for an
enlisted 'man to worship his Creator unless he is properly dressed, and the
Brass Hats did not fail to register their opinions in the quarters where such
registration might be expected to do the most good. But what a blessing it is
that some of us have been endowed with a sense of humour and with backs akin to
those of ducks! It was on the occasion of this interval between tours that
elimination contests were held to select marksmen for the Corps Rifle Shoot,
which raises a curious question. Why on earth should the best marksmen in an
army be kept out of the line to shoot for prizes instead of being sent up the
line to kill Huns? The Army goes to all kinds of expense in order to train men
to kill the enemy, and then it keeps the best it has to shoot for sport instead
of for business. And yet we won the war!
August 20th figures as an important date in the history of the 102nd Bn., as on
that day the news was received that we had ceased to be a British Columbia unit,
and had been posted to the 2nd Central Ontario Regiment. The news came as
somewhat of a shock at first, though general relief was felt that the rumours
which had been prevalent of an impending break-up of the Battalion had been
proved false. The reasons which led to the 54th and 102nd Bns. being thus
transferred to Eastern postings are well-known; British Columbia was too weak
numerically as a Province to continue to supply reinforcements to all the units
she had in the field. Two alternatives were open: to merge some of her
Battalions and reorganize the Brigades affected, or to re-post some units.
Henceforth all our reinforcements were drawn from the East, but a great hardship
was inflicted on those original British Columbia men who, when evacuated sick or
wounded to England, were there posted to the British Columbia depot and sent
back to France to fight in strange battalions where they had to re-establish
their footing. It is hard on a man who has served for over a year in a Battalion
and made friends and perhaps put himself in the way of promotion, to find that
an unlucky wound has caused him to be transferred to a Battalion where he knows
nobody and where he has to start in from the beginning to prove his worth. But
the war was full of injustices of this nature. If Canada had in the beginning
allowed only that number of Battalions to be raised which could be reinforced,
there would have been none of the breaking-up of units which resulted in such
anomalies as the Battalion Quartermaster-Sergeant of a unit in England being
sent out to serve as a Private with a strange unit in France, or the man whose
work in the line had entitled him to promotion having to stand aside to see
men of confirmed rank being absorbed from other Battalions and barring his way.
If, however, the 102nd was unlucky in losing so many of its original British
Columbia men, it was lucky in having them replaced by the fine class of
reinforcement which systematically to it from the 2nd Central Ontario Depot,
whose Commanding Officer for many months, Major Fleming, made every effort to
inspire the drafts he sent with a proper "esprit de corps" with respect to the
unit they were reinforcing.
On Aug. 22nd we moved out to Zouave Valley, occupying there the same camp as on
the previous occasion, and two days later moved up to Living, relieving the 54th
in Support. The 10th Brigade was holding the line and sustained very heavy
casualties, with the result that it was relieved by the 11th on the 25th, and
the 54th Bn. was brought up into Support, the 102nd moving Headquarters across
to a location further to the left, which had previously been used as a Company
Headquarters. During this tour Major R. J. Burde, M.C, left for England on a
three months' exchange, and Lieut. H. E. A. Pentreath, who had come over as a
Private, but had obtained a commission in England, reported for duty. Sept. 1st
found us in the front line in relief of the 87th, and Headquarters were
established as before in the Chateau. On the 3rd, "D" Company, under Capt. S. H.
Okell, under cover of a raid by the 8th Bn. on our left, managed to steal a
little territory from the Hun, successfully advancing the front line posts, but
the principal honours of this tour went to "A" Coy., under Lieut. I. C. R.
Atkin, which carried out a highly successful operation in the early morning of
September 6th, in conjunction with the 54th on the right. Under cover of an
unusually feeble barrage patrols stole forward and bombed their way to the
positions selected for the new advanced posts. It was on this occasion that
Lance Cpl. F. Quinn won his D.C.M. He was in charge of one of these patrols,
which successfully gained its objective, but was unable to drive the enemy clear
out of the house on the other side; dawn broke, and for twelve hours he
maintained his position in his side of the house against vastly superior
numbers, sending out a messenger under cover of night to secure the needed
relief. At 7.20 p.m. the enemy was observed to be massing for a counter-attack
to regain the valuable positions lost; Lieut. Atkin promptly withdrew his
outposts to better defensive positions, and called for artillery support which
was furnished by the 5th Canadian Divisional Artillery, which made its debut on
this occasion in the line, with the result that the oncoming Hun was caught in a
deluge of fire and left the new positions in our hands for good. The following
night we were relieved by the 7th Battalion, and once more returned to Niagara
Camp.
From September 8th to the 18th the Battalion remained in Niagara Camp and
enjoyed the best rest the men had yet had. The weather was fine throughout; the
mornings were devoted to training and the afternoons to sports. On the 9th Col.
Warden assumed temporarily the duties of the Brigadier, General Odlum having
proceeded to England on duty, and took up his quarters at King's Cross, Souchez.
Major E. J. Ryan assumed command of the Battalion, Major Lister being still in
England and Major G. L. Dempster being sick. The latter officer had joined us
during the Vimy operations and had more recently been in command of "A" Coy. It
was a great loss to the Battalion when his health broke down and he was finally
invalided out of France. Mention should here be made of the 4th Divisional
Concert Party, later known as "The Maple Leaves"; in which Pte. F. E. Petch, who
resigned his post as Mail Orderly in order to cater to the amusement of the
troops, played a prominent part. From small beginnings, this organization grew
to be an important factor in the Division, and for long had its headquarters in
the Irving Theatre in the Chateau de La Hale grounds: so called after Col.
Irving, of the 4th Divisional Engineers, who was responsible for its
construction, but, alas, was killed before it was officially opened. It was
really a very, perfect little theatre, electrically lighted, with seating
capacity for 1,000, and possessing magnificent acoustic properties. Life was
becoming quite civilized in the area. The summer had seen a remarkable change in
the road between Carency, which was still the home of the Quartermaster's
Department, and Zouave Valley. The Transport Lines of all the units were moved
nearer the Valley and horse lines constructed between Hospital Corner and the
Arras-Souchez road. New and good Divisional baths were constructed in the same
area. New camps were in process of construction, of which Alberta Camp, close to
King's Cross, was already in occupation. At King's Cross itself a regular
settlement was springing up, where Pioneers from all four Battalions, under
charge of Cpl. C. B. Kirby, were building -huts. A Chinese Labour Battalion was
working on road improvement, sewer-work, etc., and the Transports of each
Battalion , were busy bringing out stacks of salvage from Lievin for use in
making comfortable winter quarters. In short, it was evident that strenuous
efforts were being made to ensure the comfort of the troops during the coming winter. The irony of it all was that when the winter came we
were, for the most part, in another area, and what we had sown another reaped,
even to the vegetables in the agricultural allotments which had been laid out in
accordance with a settled policy of "Grow your own vegetables."
In the afternoon of September 19th we moved forward again to Support lines south
of Avion by way of Clucas Trench, a long communication trench running down the
northern slopes of Vimy Ridge, and relieved the 38th Bn. Headquarters were
established in Anxious Trench. This tour was marked by the introduction of
Battalion Tump-liners as a recognized Headquarters Detail, and they made their
debut under the command of Sgt. J. King. Their inestimable value was proved
later in Passchendaele, and it is hard in the light of later events to see why
they had not figured as a Battalion unit in the days of the Somme. In this
connection a story may well be told which has the hall-mark of truth upon it. A
demonstration of the use of the tump-line was being held at Corps Headquarters
and Capt. Archibald, who was responsible for the scheme being brought before the
Higher Command, had sent for a squad of 102nd men to act as demonstrators;
amongst these was Pte. Frank Campbell,. one of our "Originals" from the logging
camps, and he came back terribly aggrieved at the ignorance which he claimed
existed in the British Royal Family. It appeared that H.R.H. the Prince of Wales
was present at the demonstration, and Frank was asked if he could move a piano.
"Sure!" said Frank; "I`ll move any blamed thing if I can get it on my back."
So a piano was produced and Frank slung two tump-lines round it, gave a bit of-a
hoist and marched away, showing that-such a feat was possible. "And how far
could you carry that?" queried the Prince. "About a block,"- replied Frank: "And
what's a block?" came back the answer. "Such ignorance!" 'Frank used to say when
retailing the story, "and him a Prince with all the advantages of a Prince's
education!" Alas, poor Frank will never move any more pianos; he; "went West"
the following December. As for the Prince, by the time he has completed the
Canadian tour which is in progress whilst these lines are being written, he will
probably have a very distinct idea of what a "block" is.
On the 23rd we moved into the front line, relieving the 54th, and Headquarters
were moved away over to the right to a set of dug-outs on the Lens-Arras Road.
The enemy evidently realized that this relief was in progress, as he put over a
considerable barrage and attempted a raid on "B" Coy.'s position; his attacking
party, however, did not manage to advance nearer than our Listening Posts. This
uneventful tour, came to an end on the evening of the 27th, and on relief being
effected by the 44th and 47th Bns, we returned to billets in the Chateau, Gouy
Servins. As soon as the men had been thoroughly rested intensive training was
carried out on a scheme which had been prepared for the immediate capture of
Ltns. On the extensive grounds of the Chateau de La Hale a taped-out course was
laid down. Over which the Battalion practised the attack assiduously. At Souchez
also a course had been prepared and there the Model Platoon, an aggregation
composed of men who did not go up the line but were constantly drilled as a
model, through which all reinforcements passed, gave carefully rehearsed
exhibitions of the pending operation. Everyone was on the tip-toe of
expectation, and then, like a bolt from a blue sky, came word that the offensive
was "off" and that we were destined for a tour in Passchendaele.
Whether our Intelligence Department had received word that the Hun had obtained
information as to the plan for the capture of Lens, or whether the whole thing
had been a gigantic "bluff" to deceive his watching aeroplanes the chronicler is
in no position to state, but it is at least significant that all this training
should have been carried out in broad daylight in full view of the enemy
aeroplanes which were constantly hovering overhead. Whatever the answer to that
problem, Oct. 4th saw us on our way to and the blood-stained ridge of
Passchendaele.
TOP
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9
Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Images The Author The VC 29th Battalion Links
BATTLE HONOURS
"SOMME, 1916", "Ancre Heights", "Ancre, 1916",
"ARRAS, 1917, 18", "VIMY, 1917", "Hill 70", ", 1917",
"PASSCHENDAELE", "AMIENS", "Scarpe, 1918", "Drocourt-Queant",
"HINDENBURG LINE", "CANAL du NORD", "VALENCIENNES", "France and
Flanders, 1916-18".
Be sure and
visit the 102nd Battalion`s Sister Unit - the 54th Kootenay Battalion
Visit the 21st
Battalion from Eastern Ontario
