Medal Index Card British War Medal and Victory Medal with 1st Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment – Effects to Widow Kathleen – Commemorated East Yorkshire Regiment War Memorial Beverley Minster East Yorkshire
Battalion History
1Oth SEPTEMBER 1918
So that after getting thoroughly soaked, assembling in strange trenches without sufficient preliminary reconnaissance, the troops advanced early in the morning behind a heavy barrage. In the rain, the gas shell smoke, and the smoke from the shells, it was not surprising that some of our troops lost direction, and wandered too far over to the left, but as the air cleared this mistake was partially rectified. The enemy greeted them with most determined resistance and annihilating machine gun fire, which broke up our advance. Parts of Lowland Trench, north of Chapel Hill, were occupied, but the enemy wrested them back by immediate counter-attack. Lieut.-Colonel du Moulin, who personally followed the attack, saw how disastrous the repeated assaults on the German position were, and as soon as the situation was sufficiently clear, he reorganised the Battalion in its original front line, Lowland Support. However, it was too late to prevent the capture of substantial parts of two Companies on the left to the number of 4 Officers and 138 Other Ranks, who were reported missing.
About 11.50 a.m. it was clear that the attack had failed. The Companies were withdrawn as re-organised to the positions of concentration occupied the night before. In this way B, C and D Companies were withdrawn to the sunken road in W 9 b & d. By 2.25 p.m. the Battalion had been withdrawn and re-organised. It was then moved forward to the line of the road in which Battalion H.Q. was established. ‘B’ Company was in a trench running from the Revelon Farm Road across Revelon Ridge to Battalion H.Q. The 9th K.O.Y.L.I, held the front line in disjointed trenches about Lowland Support line.
By mid-day the line was practically as before the attack, but after terrible losses. Lieut. C. E. Spragg was killed, and 5 Other Ranks; 3 Officers were wounded (in¬cluding Lieut. F. H. Monkman). How many killed were included in the number of missing it is not possible for the writer to say. Brigadier-General Edwards called at Battalion H.Q. during the morning to learn the result of the attack, and was not sur¬prised when he was informed of the circum¬stances. Except for continuous heavy ma¬chine gun fire on any movement the enemy did not further interfere with us. The Bat¬talion re-organised in case of further coun¬ter attacks, and nothing further occurred. The weather cleared up, but remained dull. During the night of the 10th / 11th September the 62nd Brigade relieved our Brigade in the line, and the Battalion marched hack to the sunken road running from Sorel to Nurlu to rest and absorb further reinforce¬ments, which had been arriving almost daily at the Transport Lines.