X550/2/5/1410

War Diary for October 1914 1 Oct 1914 - Jury-sur-Aisne Marched at 10 pm back to S. bank of Aisne, & billeted at JURY in mill & farm near by 2 Oct 1914 - Launoy 7 pm. Left JURY & marched through Namptenil to Launoy: billeted there for night 3 Oct 1914 - Corcy Left Launoy at 6 pm. marched through Hartennes Longepont to CORCY billeted there, at Chateau. 4-5 Oct 1914 - Vattier Left Corcy about 6 pm, & marched with Bde marched thro Villar-Cotterets [sic] to Vattier arriving 5 a.m.: billeted there 6 Oct 1914 - Bethisy-St-Pierre Left Vattier, & marched thro' GILLOCOURT [sic] to BETHISY ST.PIERRE. Billeted there for night. 7 Oct 1914 - onboard train 7 a.m. marched thro' Saintines [,] Verberie to Pont St.Maxena [sic] and arrived there about 11 a.m. Outspanned in a field near Railway station. No room on train for 'C' Company & one wagon; which had to come on later 4 pm Entrained: passed thro' CREIL, Amiens, Abbeville 8 Oct 1914 - Gennes-Ivergny 5 a.m. detrained Noyelles, & marched to Millancourt [sic] arriving about 10 a.m. 6 pm. marched with Brigade thro' Agenvilliers [sic], Brailly, Boufflers to Genne-Ivergny [sic], arriving about midnight. Marched about 28 miles in all; tiring day. 9 Oct 1914 - Haravesnes 2.15 pm. Battn started without transport towards HARAVESNES to be picked up by motor buses (French) at 7 p.m. Waited - no 'buses. Continued to wait by roadside. 10 Oct 1914 - la Thieuloye Motor 'buses arrived about 10 a.m. Moved by 'bus through FILLIEVRES, St.POL, to LA THIEULOYE, where Battn was billeted. Transport, which had started by road on afternoon of 9th, arrived soon after the Battn. 11 Oct 1914 - Essars 6.30 a.m. Marched, as Adv. Guard to Division, through Dival towards BETHUNE. Found Bethune occupied by French; & moved at 2 pm. across canal to ESSARS to hold line there. Found Essars occupied by French territorials. After a little discussion finally decided that the Territorials should withdraw, & Battn took over trenches from them. 12 Oct 1914 - Givenchy-les-la-Basse Left ESSARS in morning early, & proceeded East. Ordered to occupy GIVENCHY. Occupied village & rough trench E. of it without much opposition except a few shells & a little rifle fire. Considerable shelling towards evening, of which a proportion was enfilade fire. Dorsets on our right; line on left unable to advance as far as intended. 17 casualties. 13 Oct 1914 Heavy bombardment of trenches & village all day. About midday cannonade became terrific. Practically every house damaged & neighbourhood of church continually shelled. Our front trenches, in continuation of Dorsets, unable to hold on in afternoon after Dorsets were enfiladed & withdrew. Smoke of shells & dust of falling houses made it impossible to see clearly what was going on to flanks. Enemy attacked front & flanks & Battn retired about 300 yards in rear of village & reformed on new line holding road to Pont Fixe in continuation of Dorsets. Norfolks on our left. Losses 7 officers & 140 other ranks. 14 Oct 1914 Held out new line. 15 Oct 1914 2nd Lt Edwards wounded, badly, also stretcher bearers who went to his assistance. Altogether 5 casualties. Enemy reported retiring during night. 16 Oct 1914 Lieut.Rendell & scouts reconnoitred Givenchy: & found enemy had evacuated It except for two or three snipers. Lt. Rendell mortally wounded, but carried in & reported 'all clear'. Battalion reoccupied the village, & recovered a number of wounded officers & men, most of whom had been given rough 1st aid by enemy. 17 Oct 1914 Troops in trenches & supports in one or [sic] ruined houses, with trenches close at hand. 18 Oct 1914 French attack through Devons on our right; Bedfords in reserve. French advance some little distance towards La Basse along canal. 19 Oct 1914 Quiet. 'B' Company sent to join Cheshire Regt on our left near VIOLAINES. Subsequently at dawn on 22nd inst. were in support close to Cheshire front trenches when the latter were rushed by Germans, who came through on to 'B' Co. Lts. Coventry & Litchfield [sic] missing, believed to be killed. About 40 other ranks killed, wounded or missing. 20 Oct 1914 Quiet. Little Shelling. 21 Oct 1914 Fairly quiet. Some shelling 22 Oct 1914 GIVENCHY somewhat heavily shelled in morning: several men wounded. battn ordered to move to CHAPELLE ST.ROCH about 12 noon & report to O.C. 13th Inf. Bde. On arrival, ordered to assist in attack on farms near VIOLAINES about dusk. Attack not pushed home, & orders received for Bde to fall back at midnight to new line running through GIVENCHY & about 1 mile E. of FESTUBERT. 'B' Company rejoined the Battalion. 23-25 Oct 1914 - trenches 1 mile east of Festubert Occupied line of trenches south of FESTUBERT - RUE QUINQUE road about 1 mile East of Festubert. Enemy particularly active & pertinacious, constantly sapping forward & making attacks at various hours of night & day: all successfully repulsed. Owing to length of line held, nearly whole Battn had to be kept in front trenches, & constantly on the alert. 26 Oct 1914 Battn was relieved from the trenches by 1st Battn Manchester Regt in the evening. Lt.Walker & about 14 men killed & wounded. 27 Oct 1914 - Gorre Moved to GORRE to billets, arriving about 7 am. 28 Oct 1914 Sent out to FESTUBERT for the night as support returning to GORRE following morning. 29 Oct 1914 - Festubert 1 p.m. Hd Qrs & B & D Companies ordered to proceed to assist Manchester Regt. part of whose trenches had been occupied by enemy. Assisted Manchesters to regain their trenches & remained in support. 30-31 Oct 1914 4 a.m. returned towards Gorre 12 noon. Ordered to reinforce Indian Troops E. of Festubert, found Germans had driven back Ghoorkhas (8th) & occupied part of their trenches. West Ridings, 58th Wilde's Rifles, 107th Pioneers, 41st Dogras ordered to assist. Whole, including Devon Regt & 8 Ghoorkhas put under command of Lt.Col.Griffith D.S.O. 1/Bedf Regt. Difficulty in ascertaining which trenches were occupied by enemy as enemy called out 'We are Gurkhas' & it was impossible to see in the dark. Line finally re-established. Capt Gale, Sergt Cooper & 2 or 3 men wounded.

1-31 Oct 1914

From: 1914 To: 1914

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Edwards, Edwin Allen James,
Rendell, Leonard Wyndham,
Coventry, William St.John,
Lithfield, John,
Walker, Walter Arthur Beaumont,
Griffith, Charles Richard Jebb,
Gale,
Cooper

1st Battalion Bedfordshire Regiment, Aisne (River), Montgard Mill, railways, omnibuses, French, canals, 1st Battalion Dorset Regiment, 1st Battalion Norfolk Regiment, deaths, 1st Battalion Devonshire Regiment, 1st Battalion Cheshire Regiment, 13th Infantry Brigade, 1st Battalion Manchester Regiment, Indians, 2nd/8th Battalion Gurkha Rifles, 57th Battalion Wildes Rifles, 41st Battalion Dogras, 107th Battalion Pioneers, 2nd Battalion Duke of Wellington's Regiment, Jury-sur-Aisne, Nampteuil-sous-Muret, Launoy, Corcy, Longpont, Hartennes-et-Taux, Chateau de Corcy, Villers-Cotterets, Vattier-Voisin, Gilocourt, Bethisy-Saint-Pierre, Pont-Sainte-Maxence, Verberie, Saintines, Abbeville, Amiens, Creil, Agenvillers, Millencourt-en-Ponthieu, Noyelles-sur-Mere, Boufflers, Brailly-Cornehotte, Gennes-Ivergny, Haravesnes, Fillievres, Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, La Thieuloye, Dieval, Bethune, Essars, Givenchy-les-la-Bassee, Pont-Fixe, la Bassee, Violaines, Chapelle-St-Roch, Festubert Rue Quinque, Festubert, Gorre