130
THE YPRES TIMES
more tenable through the capture of Schwaben Redoubt. The great ridge which
was crowned by that stronghold fell away very gradually towards the River Ancre
on the north until within a few hundred yards of the river, when it dipped with a
rather steep gradient. The valley behind the ridge sloped gradually to the river
bank from the site of Thiepval itself. A glance at the map will show that after
the capture of the Thiepval Ridge the British line for a considerable distance on our
right faced almost due north, and consequently lay almost at right angles to the
front we were to hold.
Immediately east of the river the ridge expanded into a dome-shaped hill which
was covered by what must once have been a thick wood. This—Thiepval Wood
was still fairly dense in October, 1916, though the place of the undergrowth was
taken by the debris of trenches and battles, and was cumbered with the branches
and tops of trees which had been split off by shells.
We had received the operation orders for a great attack some days beforeand
were, so to speak, waiting for the pistol to go off:or, in other words, a code
message fixing the date for X," Y" and Z days. X day was reached
on at least one occasion, but the subsequent letters of the alphabet did not follow,
owing to continued wet weather, and we found ourselves once more living in a
normal world where the prosiac and normal nomenclature of Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, etc., indicated the passage of the sun across the heavens.
Not that we ever saw the sun. It was one of the wettest months in the war.
All who were in the line appreciated this fact only too well, but perhaps none had it
so emphasized as those who were waiting day by day for the weather to clear in
order to take part in an attack and get back to a much-needed rest.
The interval was spent by companies and battalions relieving each other very
frequently in the trenches.
At long last we were notified that November nth was X day, and went into
Brigade Reserve at South Bluff till the nth, when we spent a night among the rats
of Martinsart Wood.
About 10 p.m. on the 12th we left rat-ridden Martinsart Wood, and in due
course reached Causeway," a cutting in front of Paisley Dump. Here a halt of
an hour was called, during which tea and rum warmed our hearts. Then silently,
in single file, we crossed the narrow bridge over the Ancre, and ascended the steep,
rough slopes of Speyside, between the south bank of the river and Thiepval, to our
assembly positions for the attack.
By the time we reached them Z day had arrived.
The general plan of operations was as follows: The 118th Infantry Brigade was
to advance from Thiepval front, and take the German system of trenches to our
right, north-east of Thiepval Wood, lying on the higher ground forming part of the
ridge, which here sloped gradually towards the north-west until a steep embankment
gave on to the river itself. The embankment was known to contain several large
dug-outs, and information had been obtained that a battalion headquarters and
dressing station, together with a large cellar of stores, were situated ator under
the little village of St. Pierre Divion, some half-mile from the position in which we
assembled. We had received very minute details of this village, of which the
remains of eight houses were still standing, with particulars of the tunnels, cellars,
dumps, and probable strength of the defence. The largest tunnel was between two
and three hundred yards long and had several entrances. The ist/6th Battalion
Cheshire Regiment, coming over from our right, was to capture this village, and
we were to make a subsidiary attack from the south, advancing along the embank
ment and ultimately occupying a line running east from the Summer House to a
point some distance short of St. Pierre Divion. It will therefore be seen that our
