| Regiment | 8th Royal Berkshire |
|---|---|
| Location | France, CONTAL MAISON |
| Entry | Reference the Operation of 21st Division on our right zero is 3.25am. The orders for this operation are attached. ADDENDUM I. 3:20AM. Fierce artillery bombardment of enemy's trenches on our right. The reflection in the sky made it crimson. This was the preliminary bombardment before the Infantry attack. The enemy thinking that the attack was coming on our front opened a very heavy barrage between the sunken road and his front line trenches and another barrage on the roads in CONTAL MAISON. As it was thought that possibly the enemy would vacate his trenches and retire in the face of the heavy bombardment and as it was important that no opportunity should be lost of gaining ground, two parties of one Officer and thirty men each were sent up PEARL ALLEY with orders to proceed as near to the enemy's line as possible and the Officers were personally to proceed to observe events and if it was certain that the enemy had vacated his front line trench, both parties were to move forward, cut the German wire by hand and establish themselves in the front line when a red flare would be sent up and reinforcements poured in across the open. 3:15AM. The parties were in position by 3.13am but owing to the heavy barrage which the enemy created across PEARL ALLEY they were forced to retire having sustained several casualties. This part of PEARL ALLEY was in very bad condition = being waist high in liquid muck = this added greatly to the difficulties of the men who had to pass through the muck as well as the barrage in order to get back to our trench on the sunken road. Throughout the day the enemy continued to shell our position on the sunken road and the trenches around the CHATEAU in CONTAL MAISON. 2:30PM. Orders had been received during the morning that at 2.30pm a Division 21st of the Corps on our right would attack the two main communication trenches of the enemy leading back from his second line defences. The direction of the attack was to come from the N.W. face of BAZENTIN-LE-PETIT WOOD. At the same time two Companies of the 2nd Bde were to commence a bombing attack from S.W. corner of BAZENTIN-LE-PETIT WOOD in a N. Westerly direction up front and support German trenches to X12CG.9. At the same time we were ordered to push up a strong patrol with another party in support up PEARL ALLEY and into the front trench of the German main second line defences. Having entered the trench we were to bomb outwards and establish a barricade 50 yards on either side of the point of entrance and if possible to bomb down the trench in a S. Easterly direction and try to connect up with the parties of the 2nd Bde who were bombing up to meet us. The difficulties of this operation as far as we were concerned can only be fully realised when it is remembered that a good supply of bombs, wire cutters, red flares etc had to be carried right up PEARL ALLEY through the almost impassable block of muck and through the enemy's barrage. The men detailed for the operation started off to go up the trench an hour and a half before the operation was timed to start in order to give them time to get the bombs along. Only the mutual support and co-operation of the artillery and the fact that the 21st Division on our right were co-operating at the same time could have led to the success of our enterprise. But at 2.25pm = 5 minutes before the operation was timed to start and when it was hopeless to try and recall our men = we were informed that the attack of the 21st Division had been postponed. Our men went on at the ordered time and succeeded in entering the German trench but all the attention of the enemy was drawn onto them and they were driven out by a German counter-attack across the open from the enemy's second trench. They were thus forced to retire back down PEARL ALLEY and their casualties considering the nature of the enterprise were slight. 11:30PM. The Battalion was relieved by the 1st Gloster Regiment and went back into billets in ALBERT. Orders for the operation on the afternoon of 14th July 1916 are contained in APPENDIX II. The summary of our casualties from July 11th to July 14th is as follows:- Officers:- Killed: 2nd Lt F.S. SNELL & 2nd Lt G.E. MAGGS. Wounded: Lieut-Col T.G. DALBY, Lieut H.C. CHURCHILL, 2nd Lieut A.C.P. LUNN, 2nd Lieut C.G.M. MORRIS (wounded. Other Ranks: Killed: 16 Wounded: 123 Missing: 2 Died of Wounds: 2 Total: 6 Officers. 143 O.R. |
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