The Sherwood Foresters in the Great War

Excerpt:

. . . The trench H4, was also an isolated point immediately below Petit Bois, West of Wytscheate, and was at times heavily bombed with trench mortars by the Germans and it came in for a considerable amount of sniping. It was thought the enemy snipers climbed the trees in the wood and used these for sniping posts and so our machine guns frequently swept the upper part of the trees. The Robin Hoods on occupying these trenches at once commenced to work in improving them, and to connecting each isolated trench with the adjoining one, and to make the barbed wire entanglements more secure. The trenches had suffered a good deal from " whizz-bangs, " which did a considerable amount of damage, and caused many casualties.

During the afternoon of May 13th the Germans opened with Artillery fire on a trench immediately adjoining the right of our sector of the line, and afterwards made a raid on this portion of the line. The Robin Hoods in G3 and G4 trenches opened with machine gun and rifle fire, the enemy then retired having several casualties and leaving one dead German behind. His buttons soon disappeared as souvenirs.

On the evening of May 15th the Battalion was relieved in the trenches by the 8th Sherwood Foresters and returned to rest billets at Locre. For the next month the Robin Hoods and the 8th Sherwood Foresters relieved each other in the trenches, the two Battalions alternately occupying the trench line for four days and going into billets for four days. During these periods the trenches were very greatly improved and strengthened, the isolated trenches being joined together. Nothing of special importance occurred beyond the ordinary trench warfare, and the daily casualties. During this period the 8th Battalion King's Royal Rifles and the Shropshires (New Army) were sent into these trenches for instruction in trench warfare. Additional trenches to the North of our sector of the line were taken over. These were known as J3 (left) and K1, with Strong Point 6 near Farm Vandamme.

A large shell hole immediately behind H5 Support trench concealed from view of enemy afforded an excellent bathing pond for A Company, who were garrisoning this trench. An Officer writing home said, " I have very happy recollections of three huge shell holes merged into one, close behind H5 Support trench, which we made good use of in those hot days of June, as a swimming bath. How wTe enjoyed those dozen strokes or so across the mud-stained waters of Flanders in bliss and comfort ! "

On May 24th whilst in rest billets at Locre, the Battalion was inspected by General Sir H. C. O. Plumer, C.M.G., K.C.B., who had recently taken over the Command of the Second Army. When at Locre the Companies were frequently sent to the excellent baths at Bailleul which needless to say were greatly appreciated.

On May 28th in the trenches, the Battalion unfortunately lost one of its excellent Company Commanders, Capt. B. E. Baily. His Company had suffered a good deal from the enemy's snipers during the time they occupied one particular trench in this sector, and the Captain decided to excavate under the parapet and make a small observation post in front of the trench, so that if possible the German snipers might be located and shot. When this post was completed, the Captain, who was a good shot himself, went into the observation post, and having located the snipers, endeavoured personally to shoot them, but unfortunately after firing a few rounds he must have been seen by the enemy, and was shot through both hands, which afterwards necessitated him having his right arm amputated. Losing the services of this most capable Officer was a great loss to the Battalion.

On June 7th the Battalion Headquarters moved from Kemmel to a small estaminet at Rossignol. The Battalion Transport now came up at nights to Seige Farm which was occupied by one Company of the Robin Hoods forming support to the trench position, and the Battalion was unfortunate in having Lieut. Qr.-Mr. Skinner wounded at this Farm, whilst superintending the issue of rations to the orderlies sent down from the fire trenches.

It may here be interesting to give an extract from a letter written by an Officer on June 8th during one of the periods the Battalion occupied this sector of the line. It gives a graphic account of the daily routine in the front trenches.

"It rained like the devil this morning, and when I woke up about 8 a.m. most of the trench was flooded. Have since been directing operations for draining. It has been dull all day but it is still warm enough to go about in shirt only, without collar. The trench is now more or less dry. We've had considerable fun with Rifle Grenades to-day, the men call them "apples on sticks;" they yell out to the Allemans "We've got apples on sticks for yer." The Allemans were shooting at McCraith's forward trench and we replied to protect him. They did no damage whatever, but I have since heard we got one at least in their trench, one on the parapet, and one hit a tree just over their trench, and burst with good shrapnel effect I hope. It's great fun. The only thing that worried me is, that we can't see theirs coming, you can hear them. Ours you can see all the way, but perhaps as they are not very conspicuous things it is much easier for the shooter to watch them than for others to pick them up in the air. I've got one of theirs unexploded, found it yesterday.
 

It is hanging up as an ornament in my dug-out. Very similar pattern to ours, in fact, I should think ours is a copy of theirs. I also got one of their hairbrush bombs, unexploded, which they threw into J3 trench, I opened it with one of your excellent tin openers ! Nothing in it but a detonator and explosive, no destructive. Our jam tins are loaded up with rivets, nails and any old bits of iron and are therefore, I think, more effective."

"At mid-night a thickish mist and a pitch black night. Just before twelve bang, bang, upon J3 trench again, and a regular fusilade. I seized jam tins and rushed to find they'd been grenaded again, and were manfully chucking bombs back. It appears that the Allemans had been crawling up where they couldn't be seen, one man actually fired his revolver over the parapet wounding a man. You will probably say our men weren't alert or doing their job properly, but from the position of their observation post they probably can't see the Allemans. I was out there the rest of the night putting wire up. After " stand to " I got some well-earned sleep. About 9 a.m. I had breakfast, and then they began rifle grenades. We replied with great vigour, and I think good effect, partly because sentries in two trenches heard a man yell when one burst, so I'm hoping I hurt someone, and partly because soon after they got 'Little Minnie' to work, but did no damage beyond making an infernal noise. 'Little Minnie' is a small specie of " Big Minnie " or Minnewerfer, Trench Mortar. We came in for Minnie and some rifle grenades, but the majority of the latter were aimed at J3 trench. Luckily no one was wounded by any of these daytime destructives. I was hurling rifle grenades practically all day, on and off, the only trouble being shortage of supplies. In that trench you want unlimited grenades. McCraith had five men wounded and one killed (by bullets) so had a badish time, and his men were rather shaken which is only natural after four days and nights on the strain the whole time." "Last night, our relieving night, they began again, but only threw them across without getting near the trench at all. I went up again with one of my pet blackguards and we crawled out to try and waylay them if they came again. We were out about half-an-hour, during which they threw another bomb across the front, but made no attempt at a raid again. We've now strewed the ground with tins and barbed wire balls to try and make a noise and then give them a jam tin. We had two other men hit while getting out of the trenches after relieving but neither very badly. The 8th Sherwood Foresters had five casualties before they had finished relieving. Yesterday another trench near got pretty heavily shelled and one of my men who was temporarily there to make room for the Shrop-shires who were attached to my platoon, got buried in his dug-out, but is quite fit now. All he seems to have suffered is the spilling of his tea, at which he swore volubly. That is more or less what happened during the trenches period this time. Rather more breezy than usual, but I enjoyed myself immensely, and so did my men. Of course, we were awfully lucky never to have either a rifle grenade or a Minnie in the trench."

On the evening of June 15th the Battalion left their rest billets at Locre and marched to Kemmel to take over the trench line from the 8th Battalion. The four Company Commanders and Machine Gun Officer as was the custom had gone on in advance. During the march an unusual amount of Artillery and rifle firing was heard on our immediate front, and on arriving at Kemmel the Robin Hoods were informed that the Germans had exploded a mine and blown up J3 trench, and that they had afterwards attacked and captured some of the trenches.

 

Col. C. W. Birkin at once went forward to ascertain personally what had really happened, the Battalion taking up a defensive position along the east side of the Kemmel Road, and waited further developments, also the information received was forwarded to the Brigadier, with a request to know if the Battalion should proceed with relieving the 8th Sherwood Foresters, and on a reply being received in the affirmative, the Companies were withdrawn from the defensive position, and proceeded by scouts and flanking patrols moved up to the trench line.

J3 trench had always been a difficult trench to hold, and on referring to the reference map No. 2 it will be seen that this trench was in advance, with the other trenches in more or less of a semi-circle behind. It was a question which had been carefully considered whether this trench should not be abandoned and destroyed as in its position it cloaked the fire of the trenches in the rear, and from its isolation suffered an unusual amount of " strafing " from the enemy, but it was considered that it would be bad for the " Morale " to give up a trench that had previously been taken from the Germans at very considerable loss, and also this trench might be of use as cover from which to tunnel and mine the enemy's trenches opposite, but on the miner's commencing this work they got into difficulties with quick sand near the surface and found that it would be impossible to dig a mine gallery. Evidently the Germans on their side had mined on a lower strata and it came as a great surprise when on the night of the 15th they blew up this trench, which was afterwards attacked, but the 8th Battalion generally maintained their position, and when the Robin Hoods came up it was felt that with both Battalions present all danger of losing these trenches was gone. A portion of J2 trench, immediately covering J3, had been vacated with the exception of a Coy. Sergt.-Major of the 8th Battalion and Capt. E. H. Spalding of the Robin Hoods; the latter picking up a rifle joined the Coy. Sergt.-Major in cool and deliberate firing on the Germans who were then in the occupation of J3. They were, however, counter attacked and later on the debris of what was once J3 trench was again in our hands. The Battalion Machine Guns occupied a position about the centre of J4 trench, and this point came under considerable artillery fire from the enemy. It was here that 2nd Lieut. A. F. O. Dobson of the 8th Battalion Machine Guns, whilst rendering effective assistance during the attack, was seriously wounded by shrapnel. Lieut. A. M. Williams commanding the Robin Hoods' Machine Gun section on coming up with his relief at this time immediately went to the assistance of Dobson when another shell burst and killed them both instantly. It was a great loss to lose at the same moment the Officers under whom both Battalion machine gunners had been trained to a very high state of efficiency, and Lieut. A. M. Williams' loss was deeply felt by all ranks of the Robin Hoods to whom he had much endeared himself. He was the first Officer of the Robin Hoods to be killed in action. Shortly after this the relief was completed and the whole of the trenches were occupied by the Robin Hoods, the 8th Battalion returning to rest billets at Locre. So ended a small minor attack, which, if it had not been successfully dealt with, might have developed into one of considerable importance . . .