History of the 6Th Cavalry Brigade, 1914-1919
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HISTDRYOFTHE6I CAALRY BRIGADE 1914-1918 BY LIEUTENANT J.B.BICKERSTETH. M.C. WITH FOREWORD ET FIELD MARSHAL SIR DOUGLAS HAIG. K.T.. G.C.B.. O.M.. G.CVQ. KG.I.E.. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from University of Toronto http://www.archive.org/details/historyof6thcava00bick HISTORY OF THE 6tH CAVALRY BRIGADE 1914-1919 BY LIEUTENANT J^B. BICKERSTETH, M.C. 1ST ROYAL DRAGOONS, S.R. WITH FOREWORD BY FIELD-MARSHAL SIR DOUGLAS HAIG K.T., G.C.B., O.M., G.C.V.O., K.C.I.E. COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE BRITISH ARMIES IN FRANCE. DEC, 191 5 -APRIL, 19 19 THE BAYNARD PRESS (SANDERS PHILLIPS & CO., LIMITED), 6 & 8 UPPER THAMES STREET, E.C. 4 •54- &S3 CONTENTS PAGE Formation of the Brigade i First Battle of Ypres . 4 Second Battle of Ypres 23 Loos 36 The Hohenzollern Redoubt 43 The Somme 48 Arras ss Epehy and The Birdcage 61 Vadencourt and Tertry . 68 The German Offensive . 77 Villers Bretonneux 90 The Allied Offensive 102 Honnechy 109 The Armistice 117 The Break-up of the Brigade 120 PHOTOGRAPHS OF GENERALS 1—BRIGADIER-GENERAL E. MAKINS, C.B., D.S.O. COMMANDED THE 6TH CAVALRY BRIGADE. SEPTEMBER, i 9 i 4_NOVEMBER, 191+. r r r - t - * t 2—BRIGADIER -GENERAL D. G. M. CAMPBELL. COMMANDED THE 6TH CAVALRY BRIGADE. NOVEMBER, 1914—MAY, 19 16. / t * r t 3—BRIGADIER -GENERAL A. E. W. HARMAN, C.B., D.S.O. COM- MANDED THE 6TH CAVALRY BRIGADE. MAY, 19 16—MARCH, 191 8. , r ' ' ' ' 1 4—BRIGADIER - GENERAL A. G. SEYMOUR, D.S.O. COMMANDED THE 6TH CAVALRY BRIGADE. MARCH, 1918 — AUGUST, 1918 1 1 * 1 1 1 1 1 5—BRIGADIER-GENERAL EWING PATERSON, D.S.O. COMMANDED THE 6TH CAVALRY BRIGADE. AUGUST, 1918 — MARCH, 1919. 7 LIST OF MAPS 1. Movements of 3rd Cavalry Division, 8th October-20th October, 1914. 2. Position of 3rd Cavalry Division on 21st October, 1914, and following days. 3. Illustrating period, 19th October-iyth November, 19 14. 4. Illustrating positions of 6th Cavalrv Brigade, 13th and 14th May, 1915. 5. Position held by Brigade at Loos, 25th-26th September, 19 15. 6. Showing trenches held at Hohenzollern Redoubt in January and February, 191 6. 7. Showing position held at Arras on nth April, 191 7. 8. Showing sector held near Epehy and the Birdcage, May and June, 191 9. Showing sector held near Vadencourt and Le Verguier, December, 191 7, and January, 191 8: and area over which ' C ' Battery fought, 21st- 26th March, 191 8. 10. Showing area of Mounted and Dismounted operations, March, 191 8. 11. Illustrating charge of Composite Squadron near Villeselve, March, 1918. 12. Illustrating operations near Villers Bretonneux, 4th and 5th April, 191 S. 13. Illustrating operations east of Amiens, 8th-ioth August, 191 8. 14. Illustrating capture of Honnechy and Reumont, 9th October, 1918. 15. Showing series of battles leading up to the Armistice. FOREWORD r J § HIS straightforward account of the doings of the 6th -* Cavalry 'Brigade, which saw service on the Western Frontfrom the fall of ^Antwerp to the signing of the ^Armistice, will appeal not only to those connected with the Brigade, but to all who are interested in the future of Cavalry, d/fs a faithful description of the varied nature of wor\ that cavalry were called upon to perform, it should help to dispel any lingering impression that the cavalry soldier had an unduly easy time on the Western Front. By the account it gives of the several actions in which the Brigade did work which only cavalry could have undertaken it emphasises the view, which I myself hold, that cavalry have still a very important part to play in war. The book shows that from the First Battle of Tpres until the victory on the Sambre the Brigade took part in a long succession of important actions ; and that when it was not engaged in battle its personnel, in addition to maintaining themselves in a high state of efficiency as cavabymen, were required at different times to carry out most of the duties of infantrymen. It shows also that on occasions such as the brilliant mounted charge at Villesehe in March, 191 8, and later in the same battle at Villers Bretonneux when rapidity of movement was ofparamount and vital importance, cavalry have a definite advantage over FOREWORD any other arm. The rapid exploitation by the cavalry of the success of our infantry attack on the 8M October south of Cambrai is another case in point. In writing these few words of comment, therefore, at the opening of this account of the actions of one Cavalry Brigade, I pay tribute to all who saw service as cavalry soldiers in France and Flanders. * 4 7 4 FIELD ZMJRSHJL. INTRODUCTION ' HIS BOOK is a simple unvarnished narrative of the chief events in the history of the 6th Cavalry Brigade from September, 19 14, to March, 19 19. A Brigade is too large a formation to allow of the inclusion of personal anecdotes about individual officers and men. These will no doubt find their place in regimental histories. But the 6th Cavalry Brigade, which throughout the war always consisted of three out of the same four regiments, possessed a distinct corporate life. The Royal Dragoons and the 10th Royal Hussars went to Flanders together in October, 19 14. A month later they were joined by the 3rd Dragoon Guards. The North Somerset Yeomanry followed on 1 ^th November, 19 14. For a few days all four regiments were in the Brigade together. Then the 10th Royal Hussars were transferred to the 8th Cavalry Brigade, but remained in the 3rd Cavalry Division. From this date for over three years the 6th Cavalry Brigade consisted of the 3rd Dragoon Guards, The Royal Dragoons, and the North Somerset Yeomanry. In March, 19 18, shortly before the German offensive, it was decided to dismount a certain number of Yeomanry regiments and the North Somerset Yeomanry were withdrawn for this purpose. The 10th Royal Hussars returned to the 6th Cavalry Brigade in their place. Three weeks later, when continuous fighting (mounted and dismounted) had caused heavy casualties in the Brigade, the North Somerset Yeomanry came back as re-inforcements. Their regiment was broken up and their officers, N.C.O.s and men were distributed among the 3rd Dragoon Guards, the Royals and the 10th Hussars. The cheerfulness and loyalty with which this order was carried out by all ranks of the North Somerset Yeomanry is worthy of record in the history of a great regiment. VII INTRODUCTION " C " Battery, R.H.A., served with the Brigade throughout the war, as also did the 6th Cavalry Field Ambulance, and with the exception of the first few weeks the 13th Mobile Veterinary Section. The 6th Machine Gun Squadron was formed early in 191 6 and remained in the Brigade until both were broken up in March, 19 18. It was felt, therefore, that a short account of the Brigade as a whole would be of interest and value—of interest to those who took part in the events recorded, of value in after years to the more serious historian. Books giving personal reminiscences or individual experiences of the war have been countless. As a true description of what happened they are often inaccurate and mis- leading. In the following pages no attempt has been made at descriptive writing. Facts stated as accurately as possible speak for themselves. Adjutants and all senior officers concerned have had opportunity of reading this narrative at an earlier stage. My thanks are due to them and to Lieutenant J. F. Houstoun-Boswall for valuable help. The maps have been prepared by me from those used in action. For permission to make use of the original sketches from which Maps 1 and 2 have been coloured I am indebted to Messrs. Thomas Nelson and Sons. If 19 18 claims a larger space than other years, this is explained by the complicated character of the fighting during the first five days of the German offensive in March, 19 18, when the Brigade was divided up into so many different units, necessitating a separate account of each. From the earliest days of the war critics of the cavalry have been neither few nor silent. In the minds of a large section of the public there is the conviction that modern war rules out the mounted man and that cavalry warfare as practised, for instance, at the battles of Blenheim, Dresden, or even Rezonville is a thing of the past. Spurs, it is maintained, are as prehistoric as the bow and arrow. Such critics are ready enough to recognise the great achieve- ments of our mounted forces during the retreat to the Marne, the advance to the Aisne, in Palestine, Mesopotamia or elsewhere. But VIII INTRODUCTION they are under the impression that at any rate on the Western Front, since the day when trench warfare began, cavalry have done nothing except look after their horses in back areas. It is possible that the bare record of what has been accomplished by a Cavalry Brigade which did not cross the channel till after the battle of the Aisne may help to dispel this mistaken view. It would be probably true to say that during the war the cavalry- man was on the whole the best trained all-round soldier in the British Army. He could use a bayonet and he could throw bombs. His musketry was of a high standard. He was proficient in the use of his automatic rifle.