War Diary Entry
X Camp – 9 Apr 1917 – 6.45am: Battalion left X camp, 2nd Seaforth Highlanders in front, Household battalion in rear. Route in Preliminary Instructions No 2 attached.
9.50am: Battalion arrived at assembly area. Shovels and picks and two sandbags per man issued. Dinners issued.
12.20pm: battalion working and carrying parties moved off for their various rendezvous.
1.30pm: Battalion headquarters moved off and proceeded to blue line via 12th Brigade track.
4.30pm: battalion headquarters arrived at blue line.
EVENTS:-
7am: Black line taken
11.30am: Blue Line taken. Large number of German prisoners coming in.
4pm: Brown line captured and consolidated. Prisoners still coming in. 12th Brigade HQ are 100yds north of ours. Advance troops hold a line just E of Fampoux. Cold day, snow. Very cold night with some snow.
Casualties: 3 OR's killed, wounded and 2 evacuated sick
Book Passage
The 4th Division had left the Somme at the end of February, and was now in position just north of Arras. Their role on April 9th 1917 was to follow through, after the 9th Division of Highlanders and South Africans had stormed St. Laurent-Blangy and Athies, and to capture Fampoux. Nowhere was the success that day more triumphant.
The 1st Royal Warwickshire, who were in support, occupied and consolidated in turn four successive lines of trenches, and at evening were established east of Fampoux.
Two days later [11th April 1917] at noon the Royal Warwickshire attacked towards Plouvain in support to the Royal Irish Fusiliers, whilst the Household Battalion attacked towards Greenland Hill on the left. There were many casualties from shell-fire before starting, and the attack was almost at once checked by the enemy’s machine-guns. The Royal Warwickshire had advanced till they found the leading battalion’ held up. Then, since the fire from the Chemical Works and Railway Embankment made further progress impossible, Major Sir G. Lacon (who was in command that day) ordered a line to be consolidated, and at nightfall had established his battalion with the Royal Irish Fusiliers on the right and the Household Battalion on the left. The failure to achieve more was due partly to the fact that the brigade had been practically in the view of the enemy as it came up to the assembly, and partly to the heavy barrage which the Germans at once put down.
The Royal Warwickshire remained in their advanced position till April 18, and were in support for a week longer.
Their losses from April 9th to the 20th were 2 officers and 48 men killed, and 6 officers and 207 men wounded or missing.
General Fergusson congratulated the Division on having held the line’ for nearly a fortnight without relief in the worst possible weather. They had, he said, shown a grit and endurance worthy of the best traditions of the Old Army.
