Delville Wood by Ian Uys

Author:Ian Uys [Uys, Ian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Endeavour Media
Published: 2016-05-12T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8 — The bombardment

Tuesday 18th

At 3.45 am the 76th Brigade of the 3rd Division managed to secure portion of the orchard between North Street and Flers Road. The see-saw backward and forward fighting had finally resulted in the Springboks joining up with the Scots in the north-west corner of the wood.

General Lukin had instructed Major Burges to lead his company to the north-west corner, which he succeeded in doing. Their victory was to be short-lived.

The Germans appeared to be resigned to the loss of the Bazentin ridges to the west, however concentrated all their guns and troops on the reconquest of Longueval and Delville Wood. The 7th and 8th Divisions of the Magdeburg Corps moved up to the assault.

At 8 am an intensive bombardment began, worse than anything which had come before and which was to last for seven-and-a-half hours. The shelling obliterated the defences on the perimeters and blasted the wood to pieces. It was the heaviest cannonade the division had ever experienced.

The 76th Brigade was then driven back and Germans began infiltrating on Burges’ flank. He was wounded shortly after reaching his objective. At 9 am an officer was sent with 50 men to reinforce Burges. Three hours later three of this party returned, saying that they had been ordered to retire as there only 12 of the original 50 left.

An SOS signal was seen in the wood and village after 2 pm. Men were then noticed dribbling back. Whole sections of the perimeter trenches with their occupants had been annihilated. The few stupefied survivors fell back on Thackeray’s HQ in Buchanan Street. In some cases their ammunition had run out and they returned to HQ looking for more. Thackeray sent an urgent message to Lukin outlining the position and saying that he would endeavour to hold the line.

At 2.30 pm Sec-Lieut Edward Phillips and 79 men of the Trench Mortar Battery were sent to Dawson as infantry reinforcements. At the same time Dawson was ordered to advance into the wood with all the men at his command. They numbered 150 and had been in action for four days, yet were eager to attack once more. Dawson found many wounded officers and men lying in the trenches near Thackeray’s HQ, so detailed some of his men to act as stretcher-bearers. Lieut Phillips and 100 men reinforced Thackeray.

Shortly after 3 pm Lieut Errol Tatham, the acting adjutant of the 2nd SAI, left the Buchanan Street dug-out to assist at the northern perimeter. Major Burges asked him to fetch reinforcements, but by the time he returned with a few men Burges had been killed.

Captain Wallace Hoptroff, who had taken Major Gee’s command, was killed on the northern perimeter. On the southern flank Capt John Jackson of the 3rd was killed, whereas Major MacLeod of the 4th was badly wounded.

At 3.30 pm the bombardment suddenly ceased. Three German regiments (1/104th Reserve followed by the 3/197th and 2/107th Reserve Regiments) were seen advancing in the east, north of the Ginchy Road. The attack dissolved before intense mortar, machine-gun and rifle fire.

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