In the footsteps of William Humble Siddle DCM - Day One

2010-06-09T05:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (Monday, 7th June 2010) I returned from France at the end of a tour taking two brothers, Bill and Stanley, and Bill’s son Roger on a tour following in the footsteps of William Humble Siddle. William was Bill and Stanley’s father and he fought in the 1914-18 Great War. He served initially with the 7th Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry and later with the newly formed Tank Corps. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) for his actions during August 1918 in the Battle of Amiens and October 1918 in the Battle of the St Quentin Canal whilst serving with the 3rd Tank Carrier Company.

His citation reads: - ‘For Marked gallantry in front of Villers Bretonneux on 9th August, 1918, and later at Joncourt on 7th October, 1918. In spite of heavy hostile fire, he took his tank forward and succeeded in supplying our infantry with bombs and ammunition.’

Front to back: Roger, Bill and Stanley.

The aim of our tour was to follow ‘in the footsteps’ of William Humble Siddle as closely as possible.

Friday, 4th June 2010

Our tour began when I collected Bill from his home and drove to Roger’s house to collect Roger and Stanley. It was then on to Dover for the cross channel ferry to Dunkirk. On landing in France we drove to Steenvoorde where we began to follow William Humble Siddle’s route to the front in 1915.

In April 1915 William Humble Siddle was a Private serving in the 7th Battalion, The Durham Light Infantry (7 DLI). 7 DLI was part of the 151st (Durham Light Infantry) Brigade, which was one of three Territorial Infantry Brigades that made up the 50th (Northern) Division. On 17th April 1917, 7 DLI landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer on the Channel coast of France and proceeded to Steenvoorde with the intention of carrying out their final preparations, along with the other battalions of the 50th (Northern) Division, before entering the frontline in the Ypres Salient. The last units of the 50th (Northern) Division arrived on the 22nd and the training was due to commence in earnest the following day.

But, that training was to be cut short!

Gas! Gas! Gas!

At 5.00 pm on 22nd April 1915 the German Imperial Army opened the valves of 5,700 containers and released 168 tonnes of Chlorine Gas along a the four-mile front of the Gravenstafel Ridge between Steenstraat and Langemarck. The Allied frontline in this area was occupied by the French soldiers of the Groupement d’Elverdinghe commanded by General Quiquandon. This grouping consisted of General Quiquandon’s 45th (Algerian) Division and the French 87th (Territorial) Division commanded by General Roy.

An air photograph of Chlorine Gas being released.

As the gas began to flow out of the lead pipes that had been laid over the breastworks of the German frontline trenches it was carried towards the French by a gentle wind. Within ten minutes of the valves being opened the gas had been released and the cylinders were empty.

As the yellow-green cloud of gas formed and began to drift over them the French could be heard shouting from their positions. In less than a minute they began to fire randomly into the billowing yellow-green cloud with their rifles and machineguns. This small arms fire quickly increased to a crescendo that became so intense that it was described by one German observer as a solid wall of sound in which every field artillery gun, every machinegun and every rifle that the French could use must have been firing. The hail of bullets flying over the heads of the German soldiers as they waited in their trenches was unbelievable, but there was no stopping the drifting cloud of gas.

The gentle wind carried the Chlorine Gas on towards the French lines where it filled the trenches and dugouts. In the fields the cows could be heard bawling out in distress and the horses seemed to scream out in terror. In their trenches the French soldiers kept on vainly shooting as the effects of the gas took hold. Then, after 15 minutes or so the noise began to lessen and the guns began to fall quiet. Within half an hour the firing had ceased almost completely. In the French lines the Territorials, Tirailleurs and Zouave found themselves fighting not the enemy but for breath. Choking with their throats stripped raw of mucous membrane, blinded with their eyes burning and bloody slowly filling their lungs, they too screamed out in pain. Seized by panic those French infantrymen who were still able climbed out of their trenches and fled in terror.

An illustration depicting the Tirailleurs and Zouaves fleeing from the Chlorine Gas.

This was the first major use of Chemical Weapons on the Western Front in the 1914-18 Great War and heralded the beginning of a new style of warfare.

The 50th (Northern) Division moves to the Frontline

News of the German attack reached the 50th (Northern) Division at 10.40 pm and ten minutes later orders were received at the Divisional Headquarters (DHQ) for six Companies of the 150th (York and Durham) Brigade to be ready to move to reinforce the frontline by motor-bus. At 11.30 pm this order was amended to include all units of the Division, though there was no move forward that night.

At 5.30 am on the 23rd the 149th (Northumbrian) Brigade was ordered to Winnezeele and the York and Durham Brigade to Beauvoorde. The Divisional Headquarters, 151st (Durham Light Infantry) Brigade and the Divisional Troops were to remain in the vicinity of Steenvroode. At 9.05 am the 50th (Northern) Division was formally placed under command of General Plumer’s Second Army.

As series of orders were then received throughout the morning which resulted in the York and Durham Brigade moving to Poperinge shortly after midday and then on to Vlamertinge where it was placed at the disposal of V Corps. The Northumbrian Brigade was ordered to occupy the Third Defence Line in the vicinity of Brandhoek and they set off around 1.00 pm. Later that afternoon the Durham Light Infantry Brigade also received orders to move forward with 6 DLI and 8 DLI being sent by bus to Poperinge and Vlamertinghe respectively and Brigade Headquarters (BHQ), 7 DLI and 9 DLI moving to Poperinge by foot.

The York and Durham Brigade arrived at Vlamertinghe around 4.00 pm, the Northumbrian Brigade at Brandhoek about 7.00 pm and the Durham Light Infantry were in position by midnight.

From Steenvoorde we followed ‘in the footsteps’ of William Humble Siddle and drove to Poperinge via Watou. From Poperinge we continued on to Brandhoek. Here we visited the grave of Captain Noel Godfrey Chavasse.

Noel Godfrey Chavasse was a Medical Officer with the 10th (Liverpool Scottish) Battalion, The (King’s) Liverpool Regiment and was the only person to be awarded Britain’s Highest award for bravery, the Victoria Cross (VC), twice during the 1914-18 Great War.

Whilst at Brandhoek we continued to discuss William Humble Siddle’s route to the frontline.

Late in the evening of 23rd April 1915, the York and Durham Brigade of the 50th (Northern) Division was ordered to move to Brielen Bridge to support the 13th Infantry Brigade which was part of the 5th Division. Shortly after 1.00 am they moved forward and took up positions on either side of the Ypres-Yser Canal in the vicinity of the Essex Farm Dressing Station. Here they were shelled at dawn and sustained the first battle casualties of the 50th (Northern) Division during the Great War.

The remainder of the 50th (Northern) Division remained in their respective positions: the Northumbrian Brigade in the vicinity of Brandhoek, 8 DLI at Vlamertinghe and the remainder of the Durham Light Infantry Brigade in Poperinge. The 50th (Northern) Division and the Divisional Troops were still in the vicinity of Steenvoorde.

The Second Gas Attack

At 4.00 am on 24th April 1915, the German’s launched their second major gas attack of the war. This time it was directed against the Canadian soldiers occupying the frontline near Sint Juliaan. The Canadians however had seen the gas attack two days before and unlike their French comrades did not flee in panic. Captain Francis Scrimger who was a Medical Officer serving with the 14th Battalion, the Canadian Expeditionary Force had realised what had happened and had issued orders to the Canadians to cover their nose and mouth with a cloth soaked in water. This has led to the battlefield lore of the Canadians ‘urinating on their handkerchiefs’ when the gas was released.

The Canadians remained in their positions and took the advancing German Infantry following behind the gas cloud by surprise, but the ensuing battle was a fierce fight and strongly contested. At around 6.30 am the Germans managed to break through a section of the Canadian line and Lieutenant General Sir Edwin Alderson commanding the Canadians requested support.

In response to the gas attack against the Canadians the 4th Battalion, the East Yorkshire Regiment (4 E Yorks) and the 4th Battalion, the Yorkshire Regiment [Green Howards] (4 Yorks) were ordered forward from their positions along the Ypres-Yser Canal to man the GHQ line astride the Poelcapelle to Fortuin Road. At 10.00 am these two battalions began their move forward towards Ptijze where they halted and took up positions in the GHQ line about in 300 yards in front of the Chateau to support the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Brigade (2 Cdn Bde and 3 Cdn Bde). At 3.00 pm they were ordered to advance and assist the Canadians in a counter-attack, but Sint Juliaan was captured by the Germans and the planned counter-attack was cancelled in favour of an attack against Sint Juliaan. As the 4 E Yorks and 4 Yorks advanced towards Sint Juliaan the met the enemy pushing south in the vicinity of Fortuin. The first contact was with an enemy machine gun team which quickly withdrew. As they pushed forward towards Sint Juliaan however they came up against the enemy advancing south out of the town and battle was joined. The men of the York and Durham Brigade drove the advancing German back into Sint Juliaan. They were stopped along the left bank of the Haanebeek by German machinegun and rifle fire, but the German assault of the 24th had been halted. Here they were joined by the 1st Battalion, the Royal Irish Fusiliers and later by some men from a York and Lancaster Battalion who passed the order that they were to hold until dark before retiring towards Wieltje. During this action Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) G H Shaw the Commanding Officer (CO) of the 4 E Yorks was killed.

Meanwhile the remainder of the York and Durham Brigade, 5 Yorks and 5 DLI, had been ordered forward to support 3 Cdn Bde at Hampshire Farm and Sint Jean respectively. The Northumbrian Brigade was ordered forward to Potijze arriving around 10.30 pm where they were placed under command of the 10th Brigade from the 4th Division.

During the morning of 23rd April 1915 the Durham Light Infantry Brigade was been placed initially under the command of the Cavalry Corps, but this was subsequently altered to Lieutenant General (Lt Gen) Sir Thomas D’Oyly Snow’s 27th Division. 6DLI was ordered to move beyond Ypres and relieve 5 DLI in the GHQ Line, 7 DLI and 9 DLI to Potijze Chateau, and 8 DLI was placed under command of 85 Brigade, the 28th Division.

Following our discussions at Brandhoek we drove to our Ypres Salient hotel, the Kasteelhof t’Hooghe. After a short rest we drove to Ieper to attend the ‘Last Post’ Ceremony that night.

Bill, Stanley and Roger with the Buglers at the Menin Gate.

to be continued...

Battlefield Tours with 'In the footsteps'

In the footsteps of William Humble Siddle DCM - Day One