| Regiment | 1st Wiltshire |
|---|---|
| Location | France, [Neuve Chapelle] |
| Entry | (Monday) Moved HQ back to farm. B & D Coys and two platoons A Coy in trenches. 2 platoons A Coy in support C Coy 80 strong, in reserve. About 1p.m. Enemy again shelled the trenches and vicinity of HQ very heavily. Regt on our left mostly cleared out of their trenches. 4.30p.m. heard enemy had come through on left of our trenches. Sent up 2 platoons in support, moved up reserve Coy closer just in time to meet the Germans debouching from W side of village of NEUVE CHAPELLE. Deployed 2 platoons of C Coy who held them at the HQ farm. Enemy came on to within 200 yards on the road, as it was getting dark, and they proceeded to entrench there. Deployed 3 platoons of C Coy and attacked them with the bayonet, drove them back into the burning village behind, killing and wounding a certain number of them and taking about 6 prisoners. Time about 6p.m. We are now informed that 2 Coys S Lancs, 2 Coys RIR and 2 Coys RF are coming to reinforce us. Arrange for a line to be made, and a general advance to be made to clear the village with the bayonet. Meanwhile, C Coy pushed up to the edge of the village. Great delay in getting the line forward. 5 different units, no senior officers to take command, no co-ordination. After waiting nearly an hour for a Regt on our left to come up the units of 7th Bde, Wilts, S Lancs, RIR (5 Coys in all), decided not to wait but push on to the relief of their comrades in the trenches. C Coy Wilts Regt formed the advance guard of the little force, and was led forward by Capt and Adj P S Rowan. We advanced to the S and middle of the village, and met with little opposition except from snipers. C Coy Wilts Regt pushed on down to left of our trenches and there found the adjoining trenches of the RIR which had been vacated and were now held by Germans. Capt Rowan led forward this party with gallantry, and, attacking the Germans with the bayonet, drove them back from RIR trenches, C Coy now occupied those trenches until the RIR come up. Rifles now put into these trenches and pushed up towards the left. Having seen this part of the task accomplished I, (Major Roche) returned to the village, where the other troops had waited. I there met with the other Commanding Officers and informed them that we were all right in our trenches, and Rifles rapidly getting theirs back, and urged that they should clear the rest of the town, and, re-establish the rest of the line on left of RIR held by the RF. The OC Royal Fusiliers who was the senior officer present, said that in approaching the W end of the village his Battn came under heavy fire and suffered many casualties. After considerable delay and hesitation as to try and re-establish the firing in their trenches in front of the N end of the village of NEUVE CHAPELLE. It was eventually decided by the Senior Officer present that the N end of the village could not be attacked and cleared without Artillery support, and that to get this he must wait until daylight. All units about the village, which was now burning, withdrew to about half mile W of it, to about the line upon what the RF had been checked. I got the supplies up by hand, also ammunition, the road being rendered impossible by the holes from shell fire. These supplies and ammunition were got down to the trenches. I reinforced the trenches by 50 men of C Coy to replace casualties, and, withdrew about 3a.m. to my headquarters on W of village, having now with me only the HQ party of about 18 men and 40 men of C Coy under Capts Richards and Mee. During the night I discovered that a platoon of A Coy under 2nd Lieut Martin, who I thought had gone up to reinforce the trenches had not got there. I took half this platoon (1 & 12 men) and posted them about midway through the village with the object of preventing Germans in N end working down to S and again getting behind the trenches held by the Battn. The remainder of the platoon under 2nd Lieut Martin was directed to go back to the position it had been in, in support of the trenches. Our casualties this day were: Capt M L Formby killed. Capt & Adj P S Rowan dangerously wounded, (Receiving two bullet wounds) this being the second time in this campaign this officer was wounded. Lieut Richardson severely wounded. 20 men killed, 40 men wounded, and 10 reported missing. |
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