War Diary May 8th
In the Trenches – 8/5/17 – 6.30am: Battalion in position in new area. Battalion HQ B.15 Central. At 8.30am telephone orders received for Battalion to be taken back to region of Orchard Dugout at once.
By 11.30am the Battalion was in position in close support trenches near HQ. At about 12.30pm verbal orders were received that the battalion would attack and take the village of Fresnoy and the wood at the southwest corner of it.
At 2.30pm the Commanding Officer made his dispositions and explained them to the Company Commanders. A Coy on the left and D Coy on the right were to lead the attack with C Coy on the left supporting A and B Coy on the right supporting D. Left boundary the Arleux-Fresnoy southern road. Right boundary the south eastern edge of wood C.1.a.4.2 to C.1.a.6.5. (Map Gloster Wood). The 95th Brigade carried our the attack on the left and 2/KOSB + 1 Company 1/RW Kent on the right.
Objectives Fresnoy Village and wood and dug in line U.25.b.6.0 to V.25.d.8.0. C Coy were to do the mopping up.
Assembly Area A & D Coys assembly area, trench running from the road B.6.b.1.1 to B.6.c.9.3. C&B Coys in trench running from about B.6.c.28.00 to B.12.a.6.5.
At 3.35pm orders that barrage commenced at 7:00 PM were received and immediately sent out to companies who were to start moving, A Coy leading at 4:00 PM. At about 5 minutes to 4.00pm telephone orders were received that the Battalion was not to move off for at least 10 minutes and the movement orders were accordingly cancelled. Immediately afterwards Battalion ordered to stand by until further notice,
At about 6.30pm SOS reported on our right and left and dispositions of the battalion more immediately made by the commanding officer protecting the approach from towards Arleux on the left and Oppy on the right. As soon as all quiet companies were withdrawn to their original position in close support.
At about 10.00pm zero hour was fixed at 2am 9/5/17. At 11pm companies moved forward, A Coy leading from their battalion HQ to assembly area. Casualties OR Killed 6, wounded 18.
Weather wet.
War Diary May 9th
Trenches – 9/5/1917 – 1.0am: The Battalion was in position in the assembly area.
2.0am: the barrage correct and the attack was launched. The night was very dark C&B companies had moved up close to their Companies they were supporting and all the Companies got away from the assembly area clear of enemy barrage. The pace of our barrage (100 yards every 5 minutes) proved very slow and the enemy barrage shortening the troops were pinched between the two. Casualties became heavy notwithstanding the Companies on the right succeeded in reaching nearly to their objective. One party commenced digging in in Fresnoy Wood and another entered the trench running SE in C.1.a and C.1.c.
A&C companies on the left succeeded in getting into Fresnoy and a few more penetrated Fresnoy Park in U.25.c, Capt Hollick OC A Coy being killed in the wire close to our left boundary road, almost in the village. Close encounters were made and a great deal of machine gun was met with. Not being able to establish touch on either side Capt Rutter OC D Coy, the only Coy Commander left, with three other officers finding the battalion entirely in the air on either flank and very weak in numbers withdrew all the details he could muster to the jumping off trenches. These included some details of other units and with Lewis guns all of which in spite of a very heavy proportion of casualties amongst Lewis gunners had been brought back, he manned and held original assembly area from B.6.d.1.8 to B.6.c.9.3 thence to B.6.c.8.1, where 2/Lieut Siddons of C Coy occupied a position in Sunken Road.
During the whole of the day shelling was heavy and continuous. The Battalion was relieved by a Company of the 16/R WAR R add withdrew to reserve trenches on the Ridge at B.19 central.
Weather fine
Casualties: Officers: Killed 6, wounded 6
Other Ranks: Killed 7, wounded 137, missing 50 [NB. Note the missing me – was one Frederick?]
