An Interrupted Restor Fighting West of
Rheims in May-June, 1918.
The Ypres Times.
37
When the two main German offensives in March and April, 1918, had come to a stand
still, the Allied Command sent the British IX Corps (under Lieut.-Gen. Sir A. Hamilton
Gordon) to the Soissons-Rheims area on the French front. This was a quiet front and
the intention was to give the component divisions, the 8th, 21st, 25th and the 50th, all
of whom had been heavily engaged in the recent fighting, a chance to train and recuperate,
and incidentally to relieve the front held by the French divisions withdrawn for service
in Flanders.
In this account it is proposed to deal with the experiences of the 1st East Yorkshire
Regt., which was in the 21st Division. Like the rest of the Division, this battalion had
fought through the whole of the March retreat. It had been almost annihilated near
Wytschaete on the 25th April on the Kemmel front and it was a most welcome change
to find itself in the beautiful country of Champagne (Marne Dept.). It was not unlike
our English Sussex, with rolling downland, only the hillsides were dotted over with vine
yards everywhere was fresh and greenall such a contrast to the front which had just
been leftwar scarred, pitted with shell-holes, trees stripped of all their natural beaut}',
roads and villages almost wiped away.
The 1st East Yorkshire Regt, after a tedious journey of 30 hours from St. Omer,
via the Coast route, detrained at Bouleuse, near Fismes, on the afternoon of the 5th May
and marched to a French barraque camp at Romigny. Soon after arrival, drafts
were sent to the battalion and the administrative work of absorbing them and reorganising
the unit did not give anyone time to realise how wet the days were which we spent here.
On the 12th May, the battalion marched through Lhéry and over the River Vesle
to Proudly. A halt was made here for the night. The inhabitants remembered the
regimental badge of the battalion, when it marched to the Battle of the Aisne in 1914,
and accordingly the regiment was fêted, for we were the first British troops to stay there
since 1914. The next day the villagers gave the boys a great send-off as the battalion
marched away. This time it marched via Pévy to Chalons le Vergeur, near Hermonville.
21st Divisional H.Q. were established in the chateau of that name. In spite of the con
dition of the division, it had taken over a part of the line shortly after arriving in the
area. Our brigade, the 64th, was in reserve and training.
Chalons le Vergeur was merely a hamlet round a chateau of that name. The
surrounding country was beautifully wooded and although only about four or five miles
from the line, it was most peaceful. It was here that our real reorganisation commenced.
Training was pushed forward and undoubtedly the battalion enjoyed its complete rest
in its beautiful surroundings.
Marching up to the line, one could not help but remark on the brilliance of the French
Army camouflage precautions. The entrances to the wonderful caves and tunnels of the
Aisne district were ingeniously concealed. The same care was given to concealing military
traffic roads which were in any way visible from enemy positions were screened, and the
daylight road traffic was restricted to the minimum consistent with safety and military
efficiency. More use was made of the roads at night.
Our turn for the line came on the night of the 22nd-23rd May, when the 1st East
Yorkshire Regt. relieved French troops in front of Berméricourt. To put the battalion's
operations in perspective, it would be as well to describe briefly the organisation of the
British IX Corps in the line. It formed part of the French VI Army (Gen. Maistre),
which was one of Gen. Franchet d'Esperey's Army Group. There were three divisions
