Home > War Diaries >2nd Battalion, the Duke of Wellington's (West Riding Regiment)
War diary 28th to 31st August 1918 covering operations around Haucourt
28th. At 1pm the Battalion (less details) marched to Mont St Eloi and from there embussed for unknown destination. At 2:30pm we debussed at St Catharine near Arras. The battalion then marched to an assembly point at Feuchy Chapel. At 6:30pm the battalion then marched in lines of Platoons towards the front line, keeping their right flank on the Arras - Cambrai road. When they arrived at the front line they relieved the 43rd Canadians (4th Canadian Division) who were holding the line there. The line we took over ran just in front of Vis en Artois along the near banks of the Sensée River from O.23.c.6.9 to O.23.a.95.95. The 1st Royal Warwickshire Regiment on our left and the Winnipeg Rifles on our right.
29th. Our patrols pushed forward in the early morning and captured Haucourt and occupied a line immediately in front of it. 3 other ranks killed, 7 other ranks wounded.
30th. At 4pm the battalion attacked. The men went forward magnificently and attained the final objective as per schedule, but owing to our flanks being in the air they fell back to the first objective. 43 prisoners including one officer were taken. Second Lieutenants Ward and Little were killed. Second Lieutenants Tunstall, Hebblethwaite, Morris, Banham MC and Johnson were wounded. 36 other ranks killed, 162 wounded, 7 missing, and 16 admitted to hospital. D Company of the 2nd Seaforths were attached as our reserve company.
31st. A small attack without barrage to capture the copse at O.24.d.9.6 was unsuccessful during the afternoon. (This attack was successful, but owing to our depleted numbers, a heavy counter-attack preceded by a violent bombardment drove our men out of the copse, and our patrols withdrew fighting.) But at dusk the men in splendid form carried everything before them and captured the copse (Stipe Copse), St Servins Farm and the final objective of the 30th. 45 prisoners including two officers were taken. A Company of the 1st Royal Warwickshire was attached to us during the evening. Second Lieutenants Watmough and Anson were killed. Second Lieutenant Johnson died of wounds. Second Lieutenant Blackburn was gassed. Lieutenant Skelton MC was admitted to hospital. 14 other ranks killed, 36 wounded, 17 missing, 21 to hospital. In this operation the Battalion also took nine enemy machine-guns and one enemy field gun.
This is an extract from the Battalion war diary which is Crown Copyright and held at the National Archives in document WO95/1508.
| The battlefield today | |
 |
On the Cambrai-Arras road, on the Sensee bridge looking west (towards Arras). This spot can be seen on the above map, at 23.c.5.9. On the far side of the river is the village of Vis-en-Artois, from where the battalion began their advance. |
 |
The 2nd Duke's moved up to the near bank of the river. We are here on the bridge, looking north into Remy Valley, and the 'near bank' is the one on the left. |
 |
From the same bridge, looking east across the fields leading up to the village of Haucourt. The battalion crossed this area in the morning of 29th August 1918. The towers of the Memorial to the Missing can be seen behind the trees. |
 |
Looking south-east along the main road, towards Cambrai. A slight rise in the ground can be seen once the road passes Haucourt. It was when the battalion had crossed this slope on 30th August 1918 that casualties began to mount. The German barbed wire defences that can be seen on the map lay on the forward slopes. |
 |
On the far side of the slope, St Servins Farm and Stipe Copse. This view is from the main road, looking north. The Duke's advance was left to right on this view, and they captured both places on 31st August 1918. |
 |
The Vis-en-Artois Memorial to the Missing and the cemetery are actually in Haucourt. Second Lieutenants John Ward, Henry Little, Oscar Watmough, Harris Anson and many other casualties of this operation are buried here, or listed on the panels of the memorial. |
 |
The plot nearest to the road contains the graves of many of the men of the battalion. They were buried close together and on most on the stones are two names. For example, here lie Second Lieutenant Watmough and Privates Scott, Farrar and Thompson. |