Loos
2nd Division
Like the 1st Division in IV Corps the 2nd Division had been sent to France during the opening days of the war and then retreated from Mons. During that retreat it had taken part in the rear guard action at Villers Cotterêts Forest in the Aisne.
In October the Division was almost completely wiped out defending the area of Polygon Wood to the east of Ieper. Recruits and the transfer of three Territorial battalions brought the Division back up to strength.
Major General Henry Horne took over command of the Division in 1915 and commanded throughout their participation during the Battle of Festubert on 15th May 1915.
Henry Horne would command First Army two years later when the
Canadian Corps (Part of his command) would successfully take Hill 70.
Again, like 1st Division, August would see the 4th (Guards) Brigade leave the Division to be replaced by the 19th Brigade.
19th Brigade
2nd Division straddled the La Bassée Canal at Cuinchy with 19th Brigade the most southerly of the three Brigades (all of which were in the line) holding the front in front of Auchy lez la Bassée on the southern side of the Cambrin – La Bassée Road.
Today the town is called Auchy lès Mines (the word lès or lez means : close to, or nearby.
Note the accent).
The first wave of soldiers to go over were provided by the 1st Bn Middlesex regiment on the right and the 2nd Bn Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on the left. The ground in front of them (and 6th Brigade to their left) was pitted with the debris of constant mining warfare. In front of the Highlanders was a particularly large crater called Etna over two metres high which completely blocked the view.
To prevent themselves being overrun by a surprise attack from the craters the Germans had pulled back to their support trench and pulled down the parapet of their front line.
This area is so close to the water table that although the word trench is used much of the time the trench was built upwards rather than dug down. The Germans had learnt a great deal from earlier battles and had greatly reinforced their defences. As at Festubert the parapet was extremely solid with machine gun bunkers built into the structure. These were impervious to anything other than a direct hit from a large calibre shell.
Everything went wrong from the moment that the gas was released at 0550 hours. The wind made it drift back along the British trenches rather than waft across no man’s land. At 0620 hours two mines were exploded in front of 19th Brigade leaving the Germans in little doubt that an assault was immanent.
Ten minutes later at Zero the English and Scots went over the top trying to make their way between the myriad craters dotted about the battlefield. They reached as far as the wire in front of the original German front line and found it uncut.
In the hope of trying to regain momentum in the attack two companies of the 2nd Bn Royal Wech Fusiliers went forward but all they achieved was increasing the casualty count.
The attack having failed those out in no man’s land were ordered to make their way back to their own trenches as best as they could.
6th Brigade
On the northern side of the 19th Brigade the 6th Brigade held the line between the Cambrin – La Bassée Road and the Canal. Just before its release, the gas officer from 186th (Special) Company RE reported to 2nd Division that conditions were unfavourable and that he strongly advised against its use. The reply was that he was to follow his orders as planned — but could switch off the flow of gas if it was found to be unsatisfactory.
In the front line were the 1st Bn King’s (Liverpool) Regiment on the right and the 2nd Bn South Staffordshire Regiment on the left.
The leading companies of the King’s went forward and found the dense German wire uncut. It was not only impossible to continue but of little purpose to send over the remainder of the battalion. Lieutenant James Ryan made his way back, under fire, across no man’s land to apprise Lt Colonel Potter of the situation and then returned to his men. He would be killed later during the day and is commemorated on the Loos Memorial.
The South Staffords had been badly affected by the blow back of the gas and despite wearing their smoke-hoods (which were too unsophisticated to be truly considered gas masks) over a hundred men were rendered unfit for duty.
Two mines were detonated under the German front line (which was, as we now know, empty) and those that could went into action. They were met by heavy machine gun and rifle fire from the alerted Germans in the support line and could make no further headway than the King’s on their right.
Working along the canal towpath C Company, led by Captain Arthur Kilby, were required to take Embankment Redoubt, a heavily fortified position built into the railway embankment. The failure of 5th Brigade to capture the Tortoise Redoubt on the far side of the canal added to their woes as they came under repeated fire from the far bank. For ninety minutes Kilby encouraged his men despite having lost a foot from a grenade explosion.
At 0800 hours the order was received to withdraw. Kilby could not be found, despite a search by his men. Presumed killed, he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross and commemorated on the Loos Memorial.
On 19th February 1929 locals uncovered his body and he is now buried at Arras Road Cemetery, Roclincourt (Grave: III N 27).
5th Brigade
On the far side of the La Bassée Canal 6th Brigade were called upon to take the German trenches in front of Givenchy. A mine was detonated at 0558 hours and the infantry attack was carried out at Zero: two minutes later (half an hour, then, before the main attack).
Gas was released here as well (at 0550 hours) but the wind was too light to carry it forward with any speed towards the Germans. Initially the Brigade attack seemed to go well. The mine assisted in the taking of that sector and the Germans fearing further mines retired to their support trenches.
Alert and prepared, the Germans now put down intensive fire on the British from the support line. Casualties began to mount and the attacking troops were forced back into the old German front line. Outmatched in the number of grenades available for trench fighting (having taken insufficient forward) the retreat continued back across no man’s land and back into the British front line.
To coincide with the main attack at 0630 hours the 9th (Glasgow Highland) Bn Highland Light Infantry were required to take a position known as the Tortoise Redoubt situated alongside the canal. It was intended that by dealing with this threat the 6th Brigade would have an unmolested left flank.
One again the wind failed to cooperate and the HLI were engulfed in the gas cloud blowing across the canal from the south. Despite having less than a couple of dozen men fit to attack, the Highlanders went over the top to try their best. It was a pointless exercise, and when only one survivor returned the attack was called off.