| Regiment | 1st Wiltshire |
|---|---|
| Location | Belgium, Menen Road |
| Entry | 2.50a.m. Our artillery commenced bombardment on German trenches situated between ROULERS railway and Southern end of Ypres Wood. 4.20a.m. The 9th Bde had carried the first line of German trenches and 1 platoon of C Coy assaulted trench at S end of Ypres Wood which was taken without difficulty. A bombing party started to work up the enemy's trench in the direction of HOOGE and made rapid progress. The remainder of C Coy & D Coy followed up. The leading men (5a.m.) reached a point some 100yds from HOOGE village; meanwhile a Communication Trench was dug from culvert under Menen Road to S end of Ypres Wood and endeavours made to join up two pieces of German trench running E towards HOOGE. Until 6a.m. the situation remained unchanged. 6a.m. More progress towards HOOGE was made - a point within 50yds of the village being reached in the German trench. Between 6a.m. and 9a.m. the situation remained unchanged. Work of barricading and reversing the parapets was continued. 9a.m. The Germans advanced down two CTs from the N and under cover of a heavy fire started bombing heavily. We replied with grenades, this exchange lasted about 1 and a half hours. 10.30a.m. Our supply of grenades became exhausted and the Germans succeeded in driving us slowly back down the trench. In retiring we suffered heavy casualties during the period of the action. 11a.m. We evacuated the eastern portion of the German trench . We retired in the open and lost a considerable number of men in doing so. A counter charge was organised about this time to check the enemy's advance, but without success, as the officer and many men were shot down and the remainder made no progress. 3p.m. Germans commenced a heavy bombardment of Ypres Wood and the trenches which had been captured in the morning. Our guns replied by shelling the German's about BELLEWARDE Lake, presumably to break up any attempt at counter attack. The situation remained unchanged in our trenches. 6.30p.m. Germans started a very heavy bombardment of Ypres Wood which lasted about 1 hour. 8p.m. Germans fired a considerable number of gas shells in the neighbourhood of the Menen Road but these only caused temporary inconvenience. 11p.m. Suffolks started digging trench parallel to C trench from corner of Ypres Wood to culvert. The trench running eastwards from the corner of Ypres Wood was abandoned and blocked over a distance of 30yds. |
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