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THE ROLE PLAYED BY THE ROYAL NEWFOUNDLAND INFANTRY REGIMENT DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR based upon its War Diary.

KEY:

Extracts for the Newfoundland Regiment’s War diary are preceded by a date, colon (:) and are shown within inverted commas, e.g. 01/03/1917: ‘Battalion relieved British troops in the newly captured firing line.’

The commentary written by the author is shown in Italic script and is preceded by the word Commentary and a colon.

Further details about warfare are headed Information, followed by a colon and are within squared brackets ([ … ])

INTRODUCTION:

When the First World War broke out in 1914, Newfoundland was a separate dominion territory within the British Empire. Like most of the Imperial countries, the government of the Dominion of Newfoundland decided to actively support Britain, ‘the mother country’ when she declared war on Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. On 4th September 1914, the Newfoundland Legislative Assembly passed an act authorizing the formation of the Newfoundland Regiment. Over the next five years, the Newfoundland Regiment, later renamed the Royal Newfoundland Regiment played an important part in the trench war first in the Gallipoli campaign and then on the Western Front. The Regiment participated in nearly all the important battles fought by the British Army during this period. Of the 4,000 men who fought so bravely for their people, 1,300 were killed and another 2,300 were wounded. For the size of its contingent, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment sacrificed the highest percentage of lives within the British and Imperial Army.

THE FIRST FIVE HUNDRED:

The First Five Hundred Newfoundlanders landed at Portsmouth on 20th August 1914. More and more new drafts followed them as they moved from camp to camp within Britain. By the time they reached Inverness in Scotland in December 1914, the Regiment had reached battalion strength of 1,000. During this period, the Newfoundland troops were undergoing training as well as carrying out some ceremonial guard duties at Edinburgh Castle.

[Information: A regiment or battalion (led by a Lieutenant-Colonel backed up by a Major) contained about 1,000 men and 35 officers, organised into a number of sub- groups including in order of size, 4 companies each containing 240 soldiers, led by a captain), 16 platoons (each made up of 60 men, led by a lieutenant); and 64 sections (each numbering 14 men, led by a corporal). The NICO’s (Non Commissioned Officers) 2 who did so much to organise the men and maintain their morale were sergeants and corporals.]

EGYPT:

On 19th August 1915, the Regiment sailed from Devonport on the ‘Megantic’ for the Near East. On arrival at Alexandria, the troops set about training to take part in a seaborne attack on a supposedly unknown destination.

GALLIPOLI AND THE DARDANELLES CAMPAIGN:

On 14th September 1915, the Regiment embarked from Alexandria in Egypt upon His Majesty’s Troop Ship ‘Ausonia’ ‘for an overseas destination.’ [Its destination was supposed to be secret, but almost everybody in Egypt and the enemy Turkish Empire already knew that the British were going to launch an attack upon Gallipoli and the Dardanelles, the gateway to the Black Sea).

19/09/1915: The Regiment landed at Sulva Bay, Gallipoli on Kangaroo Beach and suffered compared with other British and Imperial regiments in the assault force relatively few casualties: only 1 officer and 8 Other Ranks were wounded. This was because the Turks had failed to defend this area to the same degree as the rest of Gallipoli.

01/10/1915-11/10/1915: Commentary: The Regiment took up position in shallow Fire Trenches and immediately came under heavy fire. During this period, Lieutenant James Donnelly was awarded the Military Cross while Sergeant W. Green and Private R.E. received Distinguished Conduct Medals for ‘acts of gallantry and devotion to duty.’ These were the first of many gallantry medals to be awarded to members of the Newfoundland Regiment.

The Newfoundlanders’ quickly became disillusioned with their hopeless situation:

‘I’d like to know,’ said one chap, ‘why we all enlisted.’

‘“It doesn’t do any good to talk about it now,” said Art Pratt, in a matter of fact voice. “Some of you enlisted so full of love of country that there was patriotism running down your chin and some of you enlisted because you were disappointed in love, but the most of you enlisted for love of adventure, and you’re getting it!”’

Commentary: Unfortunately, the expeditionary force’s situation in Gallipoli was untenable. As the Turks were waiting for the invading British and Imperial forces to land on their coasts, they were able to build up their defences and prevent the expeditionary force from driving inland and worse still inflicted heavy casualties upon them. On landing, the Newfoundlanders and the rest of the British expeditionary force had almost no shelter and suffered badly on some days from the appalling heat and swarms of flies 3 while on others they were drenched with rain. Reluctantly, the British High Command decided to evacuate their troops.

26/11/1915: ‘Heavy rain storm, trenches flooded.’

04/01/1916: ‘First party of the Regiment evacuated.’ Commentary: Unlike the initial attack, the evacuation was carried out in an exemplary manner with hardly any casualties: ‘Down dozens of little gullies leading back from the front lines came little groups of six to a dozen men, the last (in every case) an officer closing the gully with a previously prepared frame of barbed-wire, or lighting a fuse which an hour later would fire a mine for wrecking the sap or a tunnel by which the enemy could follow … There was no check, no halting, no haste or running, just a steady, silent tramp in single file … each line marched (like so many ghostly figures in the dim light) … and so on to a motor barge. There was a short pause to make sure no one was left behind.’ The Turks were completely deceived. There were no casualties. And so the disastrous Gallipoli campaign came to an end.

RETURN TO EGYPT:

Commentary: The Newfoundlanders reached Alexandria on 10/1/1916. For the next couple of weeks, the Regiment went into training.

16/01/1916: ‘From now onwards training and reorganising and equipping took place; attention (was also) paid to ceremonial drill.’

27/01/1916: ‘Brigade inspection and march past (took place).’

29/02/1916: ‘Effective strength of the Battalion: 19 Officers and 560 Other Ranks.’

14/03/1916: ‘Embarked on HMT ‘Alaunia’’.

ARRIVAL AND CAMPAIGN IN FRANCE:

22/03/1916: ‘Disembarked at Marseilles and entrained to Buigny.’ Commentary: From there, the regiment marched to a series of different camps gradually getting closer and closer to the Western Front, a line of trenches stretching from the North Sea coast in the west to the borders of Switzerland in the east.

[Information: The British trench system consisted of three parallel lines: the front, the support and the reserve lines. The front line facing the enemy was usually made up of two trenches: the fire and the command trenches. Although continuous, the fire trench was by no means straight. At intervals, it was crossed by thick earth buttresses called ‘traverses’. Their function was to protect the troops in the trench from enfilade fire when the enemy tried to fire straight down along its whole length. Normally, the buttresses 4 were placed between 18 and 30 feet apart. Machine-guns were also distributed along this line.

A continuous belt of barbed wire, some 3 feet high and 30 feet wide was erected about 20 yards in front of the fire trench. A number of ‘sap’ trenches were built out into No Man’s Land to act as an observation or advanced warning post.

The ‘command’ trench lying about 20 yards behind the fire trench contained ‘dug-outs’ for men to sleep in and ‘latrines’ (toilets). 5

Enemy trenches

No Man’s Land

Saps Front Line

Command line

O O O

Support line

Reserve line

Artillery line

Key: The vertical lines in the diagram represent the communication trenches. O represents a strong point containing machine-guns and trench mortars.

70 to 100 yards further back, the ‘support’ trench was occupied by fresh troops who lived in deep dug-outs so that they could move forward to support their comrades in the first line when they came under attack.

Roughly 400 to 600 yards further behind the support trench lay the ‘reserve’ line that was occupied by resting soldiers who, in an emergency, could be called forward to support the troops in the front and support lines.

Strong points were built on the land between the first, support and reserve lines, containing machine-guns and trench mortars.

Finally, the field artillery (the big guns) was situated well behind this trench system out of range of enemy rifle and machine-gun fire.

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At frequent intervals, the front, support and reserve lines were linked by communication lines along which fresh troops, food and ammunition could be passed to the front. Telephone cables were laid along these lines to connect the soldiers in the front line to battalion headquarters and the batteries (the big guns).

This form of warfare used up enormous amounts of equipment: picks, spades and machines with which to dig the trenches; pumps and pipes to drain them; duckboards to floor them; concrete to fortify them; millions of miles of barbed-wire to protect them; vast quantities of sand-bags to reinforce them; and miles of telephone cable to connect them. ]

06/04/1916.: ‘Four Officers and eleven Other Ranks proceeded to England on leave.’ (These were the first of a series of drafts sent to England for a short break away from the fighting.)

08/04/1916: ‘Battalion moved into Reserve Trenches in front of Engelbeiner for night operations.’

15/04/16: ‘New drafts of Officers and Other ranks arrived.’

Commentary: All through the war, dead and wounded Newfoundlanders were constantly replaced by new drafts (groups of soldiers) from England – normally, these men had only had basic training in how to deal with the horrors of trench warfare.

16/04/1916: ‘One Officer and eleven Other Ranks form Trench Mortar Battery.’

Commentary: As the war developed, each British regiment created a series of specialist units containing mortar bombers, machine-gunners; grenade-throwers, snipers, and runners (who carried messages to and from the trenches to the command posts or Headquarters), as well as stretcher-bearers who carried the wounded back behind the lines. A mortar was a relatively small but deadly weapon consisting of a short metal tube supported upon a stand which lobbed high explosives into neighbouring enemy trenches.

22/04/1916: ‘Two Companies in the Firing Line, two in the Reserve trenches.’

01/05/1916: ‘Firing line heavily shelled.’

03/05/1916: ‘Relieved at night and marched to Louvencourt, where the Battalion went into training.’

Commentary: Throughout the war on the Western Front, battalions normally only remained in the firing line for a few days at any one time before they were relieved by new troops. The relieved battalions then marched back [often under fire] to a base camp where they took part in drills, route marches and further training.

[Information: During a route march, every ordinary infantryman was required to wear his thick uniform, heavy boots and an elaborate harness made of webbing (woven 7 canvas-like cloth) or leather straps which supported a series of pouches and cases. His ‘valise’ or backpack contained an overcoat, a spare pair of boots, a rubber ground sheet, a blanket, iron rations, a gas respirator (after 1915), a steel helmet, and a tool for digging trenches. In addition, he carried a rifle, a bayonet in its sheath and 60 rounds of ammunition. The rifle alone weighed nine pounds while the total weight of a marching soldier’s equipment varied between seventy and eighty pounds. In glaring heat, drenching rain and heavy snow, it must have felt much heavier than that to the exhausted men who were often called upon to march over distances of ten or more miles in one day with only short stops in which to rest and have something to eat and drink. Remember these men were almost always extremely tired before they even started marching as they had only managed to snatch a little, disturbed sleep during their time in the trenches.

On the other hand, officers were not required to carry heavy equipment, although in battle many tried to disguise themselves as ordinary soldiers by carrying a rifle and ‘skeleton’ equipment. Their reason for doing this was simple. Enemy snipers always concentrated upon shooting enemy officers first.

Whenever possible, the troops were ‘entrained’ that is transported by train to and from camps to sites close to the firing line. As the war progressed more and more reliable motor lorries became available to transport the soldiers, although thousands of horses and mules were still needed to pull all kinds of carts as well as the field guns.]

20/05/1916: ‘Lieutenant-Colonel A.H. Hadow and Captain J.J. Donnelly (were) at Buckingham House receiving a SMG and MC (Military Cross) respectively.’

[Information: From time to time the outstanding gallantry of individual officers and men was recognised by the awarding of medals. Moreover, on very special occasions the recipients were sent to Buckingham Palace to receive their award from a member of the Royal Family.]

Commentary: On returning to the Front Line, the Newfoundlanders experienced a series of heavy enemy bombardments accompanied by considerable dead and wounded casualties. The weather – extremely heavy rain – was appalling and turned the ground where the troops were stationed into thick, glutinous mud which greatly hampered their activities.

27/05/1916: ‘During the night 220 yards of (barbed) wire entanglements, four rows deep, were erected in front of the new line.’

[Information: Both the Germans and the British protected the approach to their trenches by laying down barbed wire entanglements to slow down advancing infantry by forcing them to cut their way through the wire while the defenders fired at the attackers with their rifles, machine-guns and field artillery.]

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Commentary: After a brief rest behind the front, the Newfoundlanders returned to the firing lines on 15/06/1917 where they experienced ‘continuous shelling and casualties.’ They also attempted to capture German soldiers by raiding enemy trenches.

[Information: While they were in the trenches, soldiers were often under bombardment for long periods of time. Field guns were continually firing small low-level shells which the troops nicknamed ‘whizz-bangs’ or ‘pip squeaks’ because of the noise they made passing through the air and upon exploding. The waiting men often tried to cheer themselves up by singing:

Hush! Here comes a whiz-bang, Hush! Here comes a whiz-bang, Now you soldiers, get down those stairs, Down in your dug-outs and say your prayers. Hush! Here comes a whiz-bang, And it’s making straight for you: And you’ll see all the wonders of No Man’s Land If a whiz-bang hits you!

Long-range shells that passed well overhead were nicknamed ‘Weary Willies’ because they appeared to the soldiers to be moving slowly through the sky. On the other hand, shells from high-trajectory howitzers were named ‘Whistling Percies’ while heavy shells fired from really big artillery guns were called either ‘Crumps’ from the noise they made on landing or ‘Woolly Bears’ from the smoke they created. But the ‘Silent Susans’ were most feared. These were German high-velocity shells that actually arrived and did their damage before the soldiers even heard the sound made by the guns that fired them. In addition, to shells there were all kinds of shattering noises made by exploding mortar bombs and grenades as well as the angry ‘chattering’ of the machine-guns and the ‘crack - crack’ of rifles. The constant noise of a bombardment was almost unbearable for many men and totally unbearable for an unfortunate minority. The latter usually suffered from ‘shell-shock’. In extreme cases, after long periods under shell-fire, they became totally confused and were unable to walk or talk. Unfortunately, at the time, this terrible condition wasn’t fully understood and the military authorities refused to accept that ordinary soldiers could experience this condition as well as officers! ]

THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME:

Commentary: On 1st July 1916, the Newfoundland Regiment took part in the massive British advance upon the German lines following a tremendous bombardment by the British Artillery which completely failed to demolish the German barbed wire entanglements and trenches. When the British troops ‘went over the top’, that is climbed out of their trenches and marched slowly across No Man’s Land in extended lines, the Germans emerged from their hiding places in their trenches and slaughtered the advancing British troops with machine gun and rifle fire. On the first day of the battle alone, the British suffered over 50.000 casualties. Of the 780 Newfoundlanders who took 9 part in the attack at Beaumont Hamel, 272 were killed and a further 438 wounded – in fact 90% of the regiment became casualties.

Major-General Sir Beauvoir de Lisle wrote of the Newfoundlanders’ action: ‘It was a magnificent display of trained and disciplined valour, and its assault only failed of success because dead men can advance no further.’ The Newfoundland Regiment had been virtually destroyed. Of the 110 survivors, only 68 were fit enough to attend roll call the following day.)

The Newfoundlanders’ War Diary recorded:

‘The Brigades in front of us failed to take their objectives.’

‘09.15: ‘The Regiment moved forward to occupy the first line of the German trenches, but through miscommunication the Essex Regiment failed to attack at the same time. Men advanced in single file in the open and were hit by both machine gun and artillery fire. The heaviest casualties occurred on crossing through the gaps (in the barbed wire entanglements) where the men were mown down in heaps.’

(Commentary: In spite of their enormous losses, the remaining Newfoundlanders continued to advance ‘until close to the enemy’s wire by which time very few remained (alive).’ The few survivors managed to throw grenades into the German trenches. At that moment the most stupendous barrage of shells was laid down on the area. In spite of the continuing explosions and the thick gluey some men managed to crawl back during the night to their lines.)

[Information: A German Officer recorded his impression of what took place during the first day of the Battle of the Somme:

‘The intense bombardment was realized by all to be the prelude to an infantry assault sooner or later. The men in the dugouts therefore waited ready, belts full of hand- grenades … through the long trench periscopes there could be seen a mass of steel helmets above the parapet (of the British trenches) showing that the storm troops were ready to attack. At 7.30 a.m. the hurricane of (British) shells ceased as suddenly as it had begun. Our men immediately clambered up the steep shafts leading from the dugouts … As soon as (our) men were in position, a series of extended lines of (British) infantry were seen moving forward from the British trenches … They came on at a steady easy pace as if expecting to find nothing alive in our front trenches … A few moments later, when the leading British line was within a hundred yards, the rattle of (German) machine gun and rifle fire broke out … The (British) advance rapidly crumpled under this hail of bullets and shells. All along the line (British) men could be seen throwing up their arms and collapsing, never to move again … The extended lines, though badly shaken and with many gaps, now came on all the faster … Within a few minutes the leading troops advanced to within a stone’s throw of our front trench, and whilst some of us continued to fire at point-blank range, others threw hand grenades among them. The British bombers answered back, whilst their infantry rushed forward with fixed bayonets. The noise of 10 battle became indescribable. The shouting of orders and the shrill cheers as the British charged forward could be heard above the violent and intense fusillade of machine guns and rifles and bursting bombs, and above the deep thunderings of the artillery and shell explosions. With all this were mingled the moans and groans of the wounded, the cries for help and the last screams of death. Again and again the extended lines of British infantry broke against the German defence like waves against a cliff, only to be beaten back.’

No wonder some of the men sang:

I want to go home, I want to go home, I don’t want to go in the trenches no more, Where whizz-bangs and shrapnel they whistle and roar Take me over the sea Where the Alleyman (the Germans) can’t get at me.

26/07/1916: ‘Raid made on German trenches by 50 specially trained men. Failed: couldn’t cut the enemy wire and (were) fired on.’

27/07/1916: ‘Raid repeated and repelled (by the Germans) with all (our) Officers wounded and six Other Ranks killed and 13 wounded.’

Commentary: Soldiers on both sides constantly carried out raids in order to obtain information about the enemy’s strength and how they were deployed. The raiders had to crawl across No Man’s Land in pitch darkness in the hope that their whereabouts wouldn’t be discovered by enemy sentries. As soon as this happened, the sentries gave the alarm by sending up rockets and lighting flares. Then the wretched raiders had to face withering fire from both enemy machine guns and artillery.

06/07/1916: (Commentary: The Regiment moved out of the trenches into billets in Engelbelmer. Here, they began reorganising and training their new drafts of troops. For example:

11/07/1916: ‘Received a draft of 127 Other Ranks’ and

21/07/1916: ‘Received a draft of 126 Other Ranks.’

24/07/1916:‘Sir Edward Harris, Prime Minister of Newfoundland inspected the Regiment and addressed it.’

The weather was so bad that the soldiers sang the following song:

Raining, raining, raining, Always ruddy well raining. Raining all the morning, And raining all the night. 11

Grousing, grousing, grousing, Always ruddy well grousing. Grousing at the rations, And grousing at the pay.

Marching, marching, marching, Always ruddy well marching, Marching all the morning And marching all the night.

Marching, marching, marching, Always ruddy well marching: When the war is over We’ll ruddy well march no more!

Alternatively, when thoroughly fed-up, they may well have grumbled:

Nobody knows how tired we are, Tired we are, Tired we are; Nobody knows how tired we are, And nobody seems to care!

08/08/1916: ‘Gas attack on Ypres, no casualties.’

[Information: The Germans had introduced the use of poisonous Chlorine Gas as a terror weapon in April 1915 and continued to employ this appalling means of attack for the rest of the war. At first the British troops had no effective means of defence, but gradually effective anti-gas helmets and masks were introduced: some had long hoods reaching down to the wearer’s shoulders and covered the soldier’s entire head except for thick built-in goggles which protected his eyes. The British and French retaliated and used gas against the Germans.]

18/09/1916: ‘Enemy heavily bombarding our line with trench mortars but no infantry action.’

01/10/1916: ‘One of our aeroplanes brought down an enemy observation balloon.’ [Information: Both sides used tethered balloons with baskets hanging underneath in which officers spied on the enemy and informed their guns where they should fire.] [Information: The war in the air: Serviceable aircraft had only been available for eleven years before the First World War broke out. The Germans were much quicker than the British in making use of this new ‘weapon’. At first the Germans employed their bi- planes to shoot down enemy Observation Balloons and to scout and photograph the positions of the British battalions so they could predict what they were likely to attempt to 12 do next. However, the Allies – the British and French – were quick to copy the Germans and develop reconnaissance planes of their own.

It wasn’t long before the opposing airman started to shoot at each other with their pistols, but this was a particularly ineffective form of fighting so the engineers on both sides tried to fit machine-guns on to planes. At first machine-guns had to be fitted on top of the wings so that when fired they didn’t destroy their plane’s propeller! Finally, the Germans invented an ‘interrupter’ device which enabled machine-guns to fire through the arc of space used by the propeller. Once again it wasn’t long before the British and French also mastered the device and were placing machine-guns immediately in front of their pilots so that it was much easier for them to set their sights on enemy planes and ground troops.

By 1916, British planes had started to dominate the skies above the Battle of the Somme. However their lead was short-lived as the Germans developed squadrons of fighter aircraft. Of course, the British and French followed suit and a full scale air war developed with opposing pilots fighting each other like the knights of old, but riding planes instead of warhorses and using machine-guns instead of lances! This was the time of the famous ‘aces’, expert pilots who shot down large numbers of enemy planes. A German pilot, Baron Manfred von Richtofen was the king of the air with 8o ‘kills’. In the end, even the ‘Red Baron’ as he was called, was shot down and killed. At this time, Britain’s newly trained Royal Flying Corps pilots on joining the squadrons on the Western Front had a life expectancy of less than three weeks!

1917 saw a dramatic change in the nature of the air war with larger, multiple-engined ‘bombers’ being increasingly used to attack civilian as well as military targets. The British and German publics were deeply shocked when enemy planes bombed unprotected towns in the mother countries and inflicted heavy casualties upon ‘innocent’ civilians. In the meantime, the war between rival fighter planes on the Western Front also changed dramatically. Now fighting was all about teamwork not individual brilliance. Squadrons of fighters fought each other in the skies above the battlefields and strafed (machine-gunned) and bombed the men in the trenches below them.

By the way, it wasn’t until 1918 that Royal Flying Corps pilots were issued with parachutes! Before that time, hardly any pilots survived being ‘shot down.’]

02/10/1916: ‘Private (no name) sentenced to 90 days F.P. (Field Punishment) for sleeping while on duty.’

08/10/1916: ‘Entrained and then marched to billets. Strength: 29 Officers and 560 Other Ranks. Dinners cooked and eaten en route.’

[Information: While they were in the trenches, if their luck held up, soldiers received hot food from their regimental ‘cookers’. These Field Kitchens provided simple hot meals like soup, an oatmeal porridge called burgue (pronounced burgoo), and a thin stew called ‘skilly’ that was sometimes thickened with suet dumplings called ‘floaters’ because 13 they rose to the surface of the stew. For ‘afters’, there was usually ‘duff’, a boiled suet pudding.

Orderly Men carried the food and drinking water in containers from the kitchens to the troops in the line. When the strength of the enemy bombardment made this impossible, the men cooked simple meals in their ‘dixie’, a large iron pot with a handle and lid. In this they were able to prepare soup, porridge, rice and stew. In addition, they often cooked bacon, sausages (which were usually referred to as ‘barkers’) and biscuit- pudding in the lid. Large quantities of extremely strong tea were always being boiled up in dixies to which lots of sugar and condensed milk were added.

When it was impossible to cook anything, the troops had to make do with tins of ‘bully- beef’ (corned beef) and maconochie. The soldiers referred to cold, uncooked bully-beef and biscuits as ‘hard tack.’ Tins of Maconochie contained a rather unpleasant mixture of sliced vegetables, mainly turnips and carrots, in a thin soup or gravy. To be edible, tins of Maconochie had to be heated up.

Every infantryman carried a supply of Emergency or ‘Iron’ Rations which consisted of a tin of bully-beef and packets of tea, sugar and biscuits. The men weren’t supposed to touch these rations until their officers gave them permission to do so.

For many men the highlight of the day was smoking a ‘Wood’ (a Woodbine, a cheap cigarette). Typically, officers used a different term, they called cigarettes ‘gaspers.’]

GEUDECOURT:

12/10/1916: ‘Attacked the enemy line and captured and held the same until relieved by the 2nd Hampshire Regiment about midnight. Casualties: 10 Officers and 229 Other Ranks.’

S.E. FLEURS:

17/10/1916: ‘Enemy shelled us with tear (gas) shells. Our bombing of the enemy was very heavy and continuous.’

19/10/1916: ‘Very heavy rain. Trench falling in (collapsing).’

[Information: The British trenches were deep ditches running approximately parallel to the enemy’s front line. Their depth and width depended upon how hard the ground was to dig and how much time and effort the defenders were able to commit to developing these lines of defence. Some trenches were so shallow that the soldiers had to crouch down while walking along them in order to prevent themselves from being shot by enemy snipers. If possible, however, most trenches were dug much deeper than this so that a special raised ‘fire step’ had to be constructed along their front wall so that the defenders could stand on it in order to fire at the enemy or spy on them through periscopes. In wet weather, even those trench floors which were covered by duckboards – these consisted of 14 two eight-foot long planks across which horizontal wooden slats were nailed - quickly became a stinking, gluey morass which seeped into the men’s boots causing a painful condition called ‘trench feet’. The conditions in the trenches were often so bad that many officers and men suffered from a mysterious disease called ‘trench fever’ which required hospital treatment. Because of the unhygienic conditions, both the soldiers and the trenches they lived in were infested with fleas, lice and rats!

All kinds of ‘dug-outs’ were cut into the sides or floor of the trenches. The ‘cubby-holes’ that were built into the walls of forward trenches were usually only big enough for a couple of soldiers to sleep in. Much further back from the first line, bigger ‘shelters’, made out of wooden props, corrugated iron sheeting and layers of sand-bags, were also built into the walls of trenches. These could accommodate many more troops than the cubby-holes. Even further back, ‘deep-dug-outs’ were excavated six or more feet below the floor of a trench. They could only be reached by descending a stairway shaft. Some of these served as command posts and even possessed electric light and telephones.]

30/10/1916: ‘The night was very dark and wet and relief (by the Australian Infantry) was carried out under the most unfavourable conditions.’

BRICQUETERIE.

07/12/1916: ‘Day normal. At about 20.00 hours the battalion snipers went out in front (of the trenches) and were very active as were the rifle grenadiers. The enemy put up a barrage and continued a heavy bombardment for three-quarters of an hour.’

Commentary: The winter of 1916-17 was the worst in living memory. By October, rain, mist and snow were seriously affecting the troops in the trenches. But much worse was to follow. In November, the first snow fell. Thereafter for months on end, there was nothing but ice and snow … and still the fighting continued.

CARNOY.

19/01/1917: ‘Took over a section of line from the South West Borderers. Weather very cold and frosty.’

27/01/1917: The British advanced under a heavy barrage and captured two lines of German trenches. The Newfoundlanders’ War Diary recorded: ‘C Company went out helping to bring in the wounded and carrying up material for consolidation purposes. Company Sergeant-Major Gardener took between 60 and 80 German prisoners single- handed. Enemy shelled the whole area very heavily during the evening. Casualties: 7 killed; 179 wounded.’

[Information: A badly wounded soldier was carried by stretcher-bearers to the Regimental Aid Post where he was examined by the Battalion Medical Officer before being moved to an Advanced Dressing Station where his wounds were bandaged. If he needed further treatment, he was sent to a Casualty Clearing Station, a tented camp, 15 located behind the lines. From there, he might well be sent by train to a Base Hospital somewhere in France. The most seriously wounded were transported by Hospital Ship to England where they were treated in a specialist military hospital. As soon as he started to recover, he was transferred to a Convalescent Hospital or Home – these were usually converted grand houses or hotels. As soon as a Medical Board deemed he was once more fit for service, he was dispatched to a Command Depot where he was assigned to a new battalion as his old place in the regiment had been taken by somebody else. From there, he might well be sent back to fight on one of the many different fronts. Wounded men who failed to make a full recovery were awarded a Silver War Badge and invalidated out of the army.]

SCILLY-SAILLISEL (26/02/1917-03/03/1917)

23/02/1917: ‘Battalion moved into firing lines at Scilly-Saillisel relieving the Lancaster Fusiliers. Before going into the trenches, Battalion has anti- trench foot treatment at Combes. Strict orders given that gas-masks be worn as the enemy had been making frequent use of gas shells.’

HARDECOURT/BRONFAY

27/02/1917: ‘Battalion bathed in the Regimental Bath and had trench feet treatment at the divisional baths.’

28/02/1917: ‘Sudden orders (came) to move into firing line: 1 killed and 3 wounded. While the Battalion was in the trenches, a water cart and cooker were kept at Haie Wood. Hot soup was sent up to the firing line in hot-food containers twice during the night. This proved very beneficial and was greatly appreciated by the men.’

SAILLY-SAILLISEL

02/03/1917: ‘Orders for bombing attack cancelled as intelligence was received that the enemy intended raiding all along the line … All our trenches were subjected to a heavy and accurate bombardment during the day … The Monmouths and Royal Engineers were digging and wiring in our trench all night. Casualties: 4 killed; 13 wounded, 2 missing.’

03/03/1917: ‘On the night of 3rd several small bombing attacks were made by the enemy down Planet Trench.’ During a heavy enemy bombardment, ‘both Lewis Guns were put out of action and the enemy obtained a footing in one of our trenches and drove our men, who had used all their bombs, down the communication trench … A bombing counter- attack under 2nd Lieutenant Bymer and Corporal Picco covered by rifle Grenadiers drove the enemy out and secured for us in addition 120 yards of trench where a block was placed (to prevent enemy enfilade fire). Casualties: 6 killed; 26 wounded.’

MEAULTE

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06/03/1917-18/03/1917: Commentary: The Newfoundlanders stayed in camp where they bathed, had their feet checked, and renewed their training – ‘Battalion started training: Bayonet, Musketry (practising rifle shooting), Bombing and training for open warfare. Lewis (machine) gunners and snipers practised at the range.’

16/03/1917: ‘Rehearsal parade to prepare for the visit of Right Honourable Sir E.P. Norris, Prime Minister of Newfoundland.’ This took place the following day.

MONCHY-LE-PREUX

14/04/1917: ‘The Battalion formed up in the Assembly Trench and attacked in waves under cover a barrage laid down on the enemy lines:

05.30: Battalion advanced – barrage very poor.

05.33: The enemy responded with their own barrage. The Battalion was subjected to very heavy machine gun fire. The Newfoundland first and second waves went over the ridge and were not seen again. The scouts and snipers were nearly all knocked out by shell fire soon after the start. During the advance casualties are estimated at over 30% and most of these were from machine-gun fire. The wounded and presumably runners also were sniped on their way back (to their own lines). Casualties: 17 Officers; 470 Other Ranks.’

THIRD BATTLE OF YPRES:

15/08/1917-24/08/1917: Commentary: The Newfoundlanders attacked along the Steenbeck to Cannes Farm, near Langemarck. As the Official British History of the War recorded: ‘The shelled areas near the front became a barrier of swamp … The margins of the overflowing streams were transformed into long stretches of bog, passable only by a few well-defined tracks which became targets for the enemy’s artillery; and to leave the tracks was to risk death by drowning.’

15/08/1917: Commentary: The Battalion prepared to attack in four waves and started at 04.45 just as it was getting light. The troops followed a creeping barrage, that is the infantry followed just behind where the British landed their shells. Their objectives were captured and many Germans killed and their machine-guns seized.

‘The ground over which the Battalion attacked was a mass of shell holes and for the second objective both Companies had to cross a swamp.’ The foul wet weather and the continual shelling had turned No Man’s Land into a quagmire. The Battalion was immediately relieved and sent back to rest camp. This was hardly surprising as they had suffered heavy casualties: of the 21 Officers and 487 Other Ranks who took part, 9 were killed, 93 wounded and 1 was missing.

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25/09/2017: ‘Four days in the line. Heavy shell fire and casualties: 7 killed and 27 wounded. Gas shells were used by the enemy frequently … and the whole personnel of the 88th Brigade were gassed. Fine weather and moonlight nights.’

Many of the weary, disconsolate troops probably sang the following:

Far, far from Ypres I long to be, Where German snipers can’t snipe at me. Damp is in my dug-out, Cold are my feet, Waiting for whizz-bangs To send me to sleep.

BROENBEEK

09/10/1917: Commentary: The Battalion attacked from Broenbeek to Poelcapelle. ‘Owing to difficulties in ground direction’ the troops became ‘intermingled’ with men from other British regiments. However, all objectives were taken ‘in spite of fierce machine-gun fire and sniping.’ The Germans counter-attacked. Their first attack failed but their second forced the British to fall back 200 yards as the troops on the Newfoundlanders’ flanks retired leaving them ‘exposed.’ In spite of this temporary setback, the British troops rallied and regained the lost ground. ‘Casualties: 7 Officers (3 killed plus one shell-shocked); Other Ranks: 46 killed; 127 wounded; and 14 missing.’ The following day the Newfoundlanders were relieved.

15/10/1917: ‘Visited during the day by the Corps Commander – the Earl of Craven – and later by the Prince of Wales’ in recognition of the Newfoundlanders’ outstanding courage and contribution to the British war effort.

THE BATTLE OF CAMBRAI:

[Information: The British invented heavy armoured fighting vehicles called ‘tanks’ which crept along the ground on caterpillar tracks at a mere 3.5 miles an hour on level ground and only 0.5 miles per hour on rough or swampy ground . These new weapons made their first appearance in September 1916. They were intended to smash their way through the enemy’s barbed wire entanglements and rumble across the top of their trenches. ‘Male tanks’ were armed with two six-pounder guns and four machine-guns while ‘Female Tanks’ carried six machine-guns. Soon, other types of tanks and armoured cars were used for transporting troops. Unfortunately, these enormous metal monsters often sank into the thick mud surfacing the battlefields and could go no further. After their initial consternation, the Germans were soon manufacturing their own tanks. The new ‘weapon’ failed to have a decisive effect upon the fighting.]

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SOREL

20/11/1917: ‘Battalion strength: 17 Officers; 536 Other Ranks. Arrived in position at 8.45 a.m. and at 10.10 a.m. the signal to advance was given by bugle and the Battalion started forward in artillery (diamond-shaped) formation. There was little shell fire at this point.’ Later, the Battalion opened out into attack formation (parallel lines of men) ‘as here we came under the enemy’s sniping and machine-gun fire and suffered our first casualties. The advance of our army was preceded by tanks whose purpose was to trample down the (barbed) wire and deal with any machine guns that opposed us.’ Unfortunately, many got stuck in the thick mud and shell holes that covered No Man’s Land. The Newfoundlanders took the Bridge over the Canal and dug in. ‘Total casualties: 10 Officers; 238 Other Ranks.’

25/12/1917: ‘Xmas Day. Special dinners were given to the men and a Battalion mess dinner (was) held at night (for the officers).’

THE BATTLE OF THE LYS

10/04/1918 – 15/04/1918: Commentary: During the New Year, the Battalion continued to move in and out of a variety of trenches. The weather was truly appalling and attacks by enemy aircraft greatly increased in number:

31/05/1918: ‘Hostile air raids over area.’

01/08/1918: ‘Hostile air raid over area – very hot day.’

02/08/1918: ‘Eight mile route march in heavy rain.’

Commentary: The tremendous stress exerted by trench warfare was having its effect:

06/07/1918: ‘Private sentenced to 28 days FP (Field Punishment) for insubordination (refusing to obey orders).’

01/09/1918: ‘Very hot day. 2nd lieutenant returned after absenting himself (with permission) and was placed under arrest.’

In spite of all their troubles, very few Newfoundlanders ‘neglected their duty.’ However, like all soldiers, they were occasionally guilty of raiding the stores, for example:

24/08/1918: ‘Regimental Court of Enquiry on loss of 17 pairs of Boots.’

Commentary: Combat soldiers were always liable to lose some of their equipment. This common problem was commemorated in the following song:

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I’ve lost my rifle and bayonet, I’ve lost my pull through too, I’ve lost my disc and my puttees, I’ve lost my four by two. I’ve lost my housewife and hold-all I’ve lost my button-stick too. I’ve lost my rations and greatcoat – Sergeant, what shall I do?

The song tells us a lot about a soldier’s equipment. A’ pull-through’ was a long thin piece of cord that was used for cleaning out rifle barrels. A small piece of flannel soaked in oil – called a ‘four-by-two’ – was passed through a loop at one end of the pull-through and then dragged down the rifle barrel cleaning away any dirt that might have collected there. A ‘housewife’, a small cloth bag containing needles, cotton, and wool, was a necessity as soldiers were expected when necessary to darn their own socks, shirts and underwear. The linen ‘hold-all’ held the soldier’s, knife, fork and spoon, his toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, towel, razor, lather brush and shaving-soap. A ‘button-stick’ was a thin strip of brass that was split down the middle as far as a small circular hole. A soldier passed the strip under his metal buttons so that they could be cleaned without staining the uniform beneath. A ‘soldier’s friend’, a pink paste, was smeared on top of metal buttons. As soon as the paste was dry, it was brushed off and the buttons polished until they shone like precious metal. The ‘disc’ or identity disc was a small metal medallion on which a soldier’s name, regiment, number and religion were stamped so that he could be identified if he was found either unconscious or killed.

13/09/1918: ‘The battalion was moved to Wormhoudt where it was place under the command of the 26th Infantry Brigade of the 9th (Scottish) Division.’

20/09/1918: ‘Battalion took over trenches in front of Ypres.’

22/09/1918: ‘Enemy attacked on our left and captured some Belgian posts. Enemy using a considerable quantity of gas-shells.’

29/09/1918: ‘Big advance without artillery barrage. Heavy rain.’ Commentary: The British Army had finally realised that heavy bombardments not only failed to destroy the enemy’s wire and positions but also alerted them to the fact that an attack was about to take place.) The Newfoundlander casualties resulting from the advance were ‘Officers: 2 killed, 2 wounded; Other Ranks: 9 killed, 92 wounded, 5 missing and 38 sick.’ The appalling weather and conditions were taking its toil of the men’s health.

30/09/1918: ‘At 6.30 am after sleeping in the open in the pouring rain, we got our rations.’

Commentary: The War Diary continued to record the Newfoundlanders’ vital contribution to the war effort. In its new role, the battalion took part in the final battles in Belgium at Bellewarde, Keilberg, Ledeghaim and Vichte when at last the British Army 20 started to employ new tactics. As Sir John Monash, wrote: ‘The true role of the infantry was not to wither away under merciless machine-gun fire nor to impale itself on hostile bayonets … but on the contrary, to advance under maximum possible protection of mechanical resources, in the form of guns, machine-guns, tanks, mortars and aeroplanes.’

13/10/1918: ‘Battalion heavily shelled on the way to the front – impossible to see more than two yards because of the smoke.’ Large number of German soldiers captured.

20/10/1918: ‘Crossed the (river) Lys and reached the railway at Vichte where we had some hard fighting.’

25/10/1918: ‘Billeting heavily shelled and one billet took a direct hit resulting in 7 casualties.’

30/10/1918: ‘Advanced and badly hit by enemy enfilade fire. Casualties: Officers: 2 killed, 5 wounded; Other Ranks: 39 killed, 171 wounded, 15 missing and 102 sick.’

11/11/1918: The First World War finally came to an end.

Commentary: As enormously heavy casualties had stripped the Newfoundland Regiment of ‘the ability to maintain battalion strength, they were redeployed as ‘lines of communication troops.’ Later, they carried out guard duties at the British General Headquarters at Montreuil-sur-Mer.

14/11/1918: The Newfoundlanders crossed the Rhine into Germany as part of the Army of Occupation and formed part of the garrison of Cologne.

In March 1919, they were moved to Rouen to guard German prisoners of war.

In April 1919: the Battalion landed in England and moved to Hazley Camp, near Winchester. When the battered survivors of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment thought about their dead comrades they probably softly sang:

Good-bye! Don’t sigh-ee! Wipe the tear, baby dear, From your eye-ee. Though it’s hard to part I know, (Still) I’ll be tickled to death to go, Don’t sigh-ee! Don’t cry-ee! There’s a silver lining in the sky-ee. Bon soir, old thing! Cheerio, chin-chin! Napoo! Toodle-oo! Good-bye-ee!

03/05/1919: The Battalion took part in the Victory Parade in London.

04/1919 – 05/1919: Large drafts of Newfoundlanders returned home. 21

Those soldiers who after all their sufferings still retained their sense of humour might have sung:

I have no pain, dear mother, now, But ho! I am so dry. Connect me to a brewery And leave me there to die.