On this day 25th September:-
1915 - Battle of Loos; attack made by 2nd Bn Oxf & Bucks LI at Givenchy
(casualties, 9 Officers and 226 men);
1915 – 2nd Bn Oxf & Bucks LI -IN TRENCHES AT GIVENCHY.
About 2am information received that the “accessory” cylinders would be opened at 5.50am so that our attack would commence at 6am.
The attack by the 5th Infantry Brigade was timed to be half an hour in advance of the attack Southwards.
In this neighbourhood at the above hour the air was practically motionless , with the result that the “gas” hung very considerably and in our part of the line did more harm to our own men than to the enemy, who in only very few cases were found to have suffered from its effects.
The Right Company (A) had little difficulty in reaching the German first line and a great part of this company also penetrated to the second line another 150 yards beyond. The company had about 20 bombers and between them about 200 bombs of the new Ball pattern. Each man carried five in a belt and each pair shared a box of twelve. This supply was however nothing like sufficient to withstand the attack by the German bombers launched about an hour after their lines were occupied.
The 2 companies of the 1/Queens Regt as well as the 2/HLI on their right were gradually forced back and by about am all these five companies or what remained of them were back in the British Front Line trenches. Once more a shortage of bombs is one cause of our retirement: another is that the match striker in use with these Ball bombs was very much affected by the damp weather: another – the Germans use handle bombs and these undoubtedly carry further than those without handles.
Meanwhile the Left company (D) on advancing from the neighbourhood of the WARREN where our gas had affected many men, received a very warm reception from the enemy.
They advanced in 2 parties each of 2 sections; the Southern one under Lt NEWTON-KING at once came under severe Machine Gun fire and practically no advance could be made here; the Northern Party did no better, as on advancing to the edge of the craters, they found the enemy ready prepared for them and for some little time a bombing and fire encounter took place in which we were able to kill many Germans but no ground could be gained owing to the very heavy wire entanglements in front of their trenches and the presence of many Machine Guns .
Between 6 and 11am our trenches were pretty steadily bombarded by “Whiz-bangs” whilst heavier shells were directed on the neighbourhood of the church.
The remainder of the day and the night was quiet.
The 5th Brigade had been told not to press their attack continuously should the first results be fruitless.
A section of the 3rd Field Company Royal Engineers was in readiness to assist should the attack be successful.
A Working Party of 100 men of the 7/Kings Regt was employed in digging out a communication trench, but the work did not proceed very far. In one part of the line a party thus employed very much impeded the advance of reinforcements on this line of slight cover.
Casualties:
Killed:
Lieut P F NEWTON-KING
2Lieut E R G HUGHES
2Lieut L A VIDAL
And 33 men.
Wounded:
Lieut T E TITHERINGTON
Lieut A N CAREW-HUNT
Lieut P L C WEBSTER
Lieut J D BELGRAVE
2Lieut C HURST-BROWN (Died of Wounds 26/9/1915)
Capt E SCOTT (RAMC)
And 124 men.
Missing:
Lieut V V JACOB
And 69 men.
Lieut R CLARK took over Medical charge of the Regiment vice Capt SCOTT.
1915– 1/1st Buckinghamshire Battalion – HEBUTERNE
Battalion in Trenches.
Guns shelled enemy position 2pm & intermittently onwards.
1915 - 5th Bn Oxf & Bucks LI attacked Bellewarde Farm, Ypres
(casualties, 13 Officers and 463 men).
1915 - Battle of Loos; attack made by 2nd Bn Oxf & Bucks LI at Givenchy
(casualties, 9 Officers and 226 men);
1915 – 2nd Bn Oxf & Bucks LI -IN TRENCHES AT GIVENCHY.
About 2am information received that the “accessory” cylinders would be opened at 5.50am so that our attack would commence at 6am.
The attack by the 5th Infantry Brigade was timed to be half an hour in advance of the attack Southwards.
In this neighbourhood at the above hour the air was practically motionless , with the result that the “gas” hung very considerably and in our part of the line did more harm to our own men than to the enemy, who in only very few cases were found to have suffered from its effects.
The Right Company (A) had little difficulty in reaching the German first line and a great part of this company also penetrated to the second line another 150 yards beyond. The company had about 20 bombers and between them about 200 bombs of the new Ball pattern. Each man carried five in a belt and each pair shared a box of twelve. This supply was however nothing like sufficient to withstand the attack by the German bombers launched about an hour after their lines were occupied.
The 2 companies of the 1/Queens Regt as well as the 2/HLI on their right were gradually forced back and by about am all these five companies or what remained of them were back in the British Front Line trenches. Once more a shortage of bombs is one cause of our retirement: another is that the match striker in use with these Ball bombs was very much affected by the damp weather: another – the Germans use handle bombs and these undoubtedly carry further than those without handles.
Meanwhile the Left company (D) on advancing from the neighbourhood of the WARREN where our gas had affected many men, received a very warm reception from the enemy.
They advanced in 2 parties each of 2 sections; the Southern one under Lt NEWTON-KING at once came under severe Machine Gun fire and practically no advance could be made here; the Northern Party did no better, as on advancing to the edge of the craters, they found the enemy ready prepared for them and for some little time a bombing and fire encounter took place in which we were able to kill many Germans but no ground could be gained owing to the very heavy wire entanglements in front of their trenches and the presence of many Machine Guns .
Between 6 and 11am our trenches were pretty steadily bombarded by “Whiz-bangs” whilst heavier shells were directed on the neighbourhood of the church.
The remainder of the day and the night was quiet.
The 5th Brigade had been told not to press their attack continuously should the first results be fruitless.
A section of the 3rd Field Company Royal Engineers was in readiness to assist should the attack be successful.
A Working Party of 100 men of the 7/Kings Regt was employed in digging out a communication trench, but the work did not proceed very far. In one part of the line a party thus employed very much impeded the advance of reinforcements on this line of slight cover.
Casualties:
Killed:
Lieut P F NEWTON-KING
2Lieut E R G HUGHES
2Lieut L A VIDAL
And 33 men.
Wounded:
Lieut T E TITHERINGTON
Lieut A N CAREW-HUNT
Lieut P L C WEBSTER
Lieut J D BELGRAVE
2Lieut C HURST-BROWN (Died of Wounds 26/9/1915)
Capt E SCOTT (RAMC)
And 124 men.
Missing:
Lieut V V JACOB
And 69 men.
Lieut R CLARK took over Medical charge of the Regiment vice Capt SCOTT.
1915– 1/1st Buckinghamshire Battalion – HEBUTERNE
Battalion in Trenches.
Guns shelled enemy position 2pm & intermittently onwards.
1915 - 5th Bn Oxf & Bucks LI attacked Bellewarde Farm, Ypres
(casualties, 13 Officers and 463 men).
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