The Flame Attack at Hooge.
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THE JOURNAL OF THE YPRES LEAGUE
Vol. 4, No. 3
Published Quarterly
July, 1928
IN The Ypres Times of July, 1927, there appeared a very interesting account, by
an ex-N.C.O. of my late battalion, of the affair at Hooge on July 30th, 1915but
inasmuch as the writer was attached to Battalion Headquarters, he was naturally
unaware of some of the happenings in the front line. In a later issue appeared a
statement (afterwards contradicted) that liquid fire was first used against British
troops at Inverness Copse in August, 1917. On the other hand, Miss Beatrix
Brice's admirable Battle Book of Ypres" makes no mention of the action of
July 30th amongst the operations connected with the name of Hooge. Yet this
attack was marked by the first use of flamtnenwerfer against British troops, it was
checked only at frightful cost, and it was the occasion of the first award of the
V.C. in the New Army. It is for these reasons that I, one of the very few
survivors from the front line attacked on that day, venture to record my recollec
tions of this grim episode.
On the night of July 29~30th the 8th Battalion Rifle Brigade (Lieut.-Col. R. C.
Maclachlan) was due to reljeve the 7th Battalion of the same regiment in a sector of
the front line on either side of Hooge mine-crater. The 7th Battalion had spent
here by far the most trying "tour of duty" undertaken by any battalion in the
14th Division since we landed in France in the middle of May. The British line
was but lately captured from the Germans, the explosion of a mine at Hooge
being a part of the operation. The trenches were in an appalling statedry, it is
true, but dilapidated in the extreme, with no proper shelter anywhere and corpses
everywhere. For a stretch near the crater the Boche line ran fifteen yards from
the British. At one point (B in plan) what had been a German communication
trench led from their line right into ours; it was barricaded at our end, but by a
periscopic arrangement you could see the Boche sentry on the other side of the
barricade, standing within five yards of you. Bombing was frequent, sniping
incessant; but, worst of all, the Germans used to give the crater and its immediate
neighbourhood thrice-daily strafes with a heavy minenwerfer, which had caused
very heavy losses. The 7th Battalion had, in fact, after gallant efforts, found the
crater itself untenable. Furthermore, their men had definite orders to edge away
left and right from the crater whenever "Minnie" started, and to leave the bays
nearest the crater empty until the strafe" was over; these orders were passed on
to the 8th Battalion, and are worth remembering in view of what happened after
wards.
The 8th Battalion left Ypres by the Lille Gate something after 9 p.m. on
July 29th. A Company was commanded by Capt. L. A. McAfee, an old
Cambridge Rugger Blue, beloved of both officers and men, who was also in
charge of No. 1 Platoon. I commanded No. 2 Platoon, Lieut. M. Scrimgeour
