Great war diaries - 6th Dorsetshire

6th (Service) Battalion, the Dorsetshire Regiment

From the daily war diary 1 January 1918 to 31 March 1918 as a tedious and quiet period explodes into chaos during the enemy's great offensive

January 1918
1 January 1918	In front line at Flesquieres, K.18.c. Trench strength 24 officers and 530 other ranks.
2 January 1918	Inter-Company relief, A with B, C with D. Trench strength 24 officers and 497 other ranks.
	[On this day, two men of the battalion died of wounds. 20150 Pte Thomas Fallon from Rochdale, formerly with the ASC, and 32 year-old 19613 Pte William Westmacott from Dorchester are both buried in Ruyaulcourt British Cemetery]
3 January 1918	Quiet day. 3 other ranks wounded from shell fire.
4 January 1918	Relieved on night of 4/5th by 7th Yorkshire Regiment. Good relief, completed at 8.35pm. Returned to Reserve Line. A and B Companies to Bilhem Chapel Wood Switch and C and D to Hindenburg Line. Battalion HQ at K.35.a.4.7, Havrincourt.
6 January 1918	Relieved on night of 6/7th by 20th London Regiment. After relief to Slagheap J.34.c.8.1. Good relief, complete at 11.30pm.
7 January 1918	Rest and clean up. Very severe frost.
8 January 1918	Training. A and D Companies moved to J.35.d.2.6 owing to overcrowding.
9 January 1918	Battalion working party at Dean Copse (K.33.a.1.7). Battalion shelled during work.
10 January 1918	Training in morning. Ordered to "Stand to" at 12 noon. Issued all mobile reserve of grenades and bombs and 50 rounds SAA extra per man. Made all preparations for an immediate move. Whole of the 50th Brigade including Brigade HQ concentrated at Slagheap and J.35.d.2.6.
11 January 1918	B and D Companies supplied working party same as on 9th. A and C Companies at disposal of Company commanders for training. Resumed normal conditions at 10am.
12 January 1918	Battalion working party at Dean Copse.
13 January 1918	Training. On the night 13/14th relieved 3/4th Bn, Royal West Kent in Right Sector of Divisional Front. K.11.c and K.17.a and b. Relief complete by 10.50pm. A and D Companies in front line, B and C in support.
14 January 1918	Very hard frost. Trench strength 22 officers, 508 other ranks.
15 January 1918	Inter-Company relief, B and C to front line, A and D to support.
	[On this day, 28243 Pte Stanley Pentecost from Bristol was killed, and is buried in Flesquieres Hill British Cemetery]
16 January 1918	Rain after 10 days hard frost. Trenches very bad. Quiet day.
17 January 1918	Relieved on night of 17/18th by 7th Yorkshire Regiment. Good relief. After relief to Support - London Trench and Tank Trench, K.21.a and c.
	[On this day, two men of the battalion died. 13918 Pte Walter Child, a Leeds man who had seen service with the Hussars, has no known grave and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial to the Missing. 20111 Pte Frederick Portlock, formerly of the ASC and from Chaddleworth in Berkshire, is buried in Flesquieres Hill British Cemetery]
18 January 1918	Worked in trenches and cleaned up.
19 January 1918	Worked in trenches all day. Night carrying and digging parties for whole Battalion.
20 January 1918	Worked in trenches all day. Night carrying and digging parties for whole Battalion.
21 January 1918	On night 21/22nd relieved 7th Yorkshire Regiment in front line. Right Battalion. Good relief complete by 7.20pm. A and D Companies in front line, B and C in support.
22 January 1918	Quiet day, trenches worked on and improved.
23 January 1918	Inter-Company relief, B with A, C with D.
24 January 1918	Gas shells, 2 casualties.
25 January 1918	Relieved on night of 25/26th by 7th Border Regiment. Relief not complete until 10.20pm. No representative came to take over at all. After relief to Saunders Camp near Haplincourt, arrived there at 2am on 26th.
26-28 January 1918	Resting and cleaning up. Training.
29 January 1918	Fatigue party by day - digging cable line at K.25.d.5.8.
30 January 1918	Training all day. Night wiring party in support line.
31 January 1918	Preparations for trenches. On the night 31st/1st, relieved Royal West Kents in Reserve, J.35.d. Good relief, complete by 5.30pm.

February 1918
1-3 February 1918	In Reserve.
4 February 1918	On night 4/5th relieved 7th Yorkshire Regiment in front line. Right Battalion of Left Brigade. A and D Companies in front line, B and C in support.
5-9 February 1918	In Front Line (no incidents noted).
10 February 1918	Relieved by 7th East Yorkshire Regiment and went into supports.
11-12 February 1918	On night 12/13th relieved by 10th Sherwood Foresters. After relief went into reserve with Battalion HQ and B and D Companies at Hebbron Camp (J.34.d) and A and C Companies in the old British line, K.31 and 32.
13-14 February 1918	In reserve.
15 February 1918	A and C Companies moved further back, to Herrick Camp near Haplincourt.
16-18 February 1918	In reserve. (On 18th) left Hebbron and Herrick Camps for front line Havrincourt, as Left Battalion, Right Brigade. 7th East Yorkshire Regiment on right, 10th West Yorkshire in support. A and D Companies in front and B and C in support.
19-22 February 1918	In front line. On 20th inter-Company relief, support Companies to front line and vice versa. On 22nd, relieved by 10th West Yorkshire and returned to Supports with Battalion HQ, A and D Companies in London Trench and London Support (K.21.d) and B and C Companies at Yorkshire Bank (K.32)
23-26 February 1918	In Supports. Night 26/27th relieved 10th West Yorkshire in front line, Left Battalion, Right Brigade. A and D Companies in front, B and C in support.
27-28 February 1918	In Front Line. On 28th inter-Company relief.
	[It does not appear that the Battalion suffered any fatal casualties in February 1918]

March 1918
2 March 1918	Relieved by 7th Lincolnshire Regiment and returned; Battalion HQ, A, C and D Companies to Hermies as garrison of Hermies Defences and B Company to Hebburn Camp as a reserve.
3-9 March 1918	Worked on defences.
9 March 1918	Left Hermies and relieved 9th Duke of Wellington's in Left front subsector, Left Brigade sector.
9-20 February 1918	Throughout this tour the prospects of the commencement of the German offensive were anticipated and additional precautions taken. [Clearly, this diary was written after the German attack on 21st March].
	6th Dorsets position prior to the German attack
21 March 1918	The German offensive commenced, preceded at 4.45am by an extensive and intensive bombardment. Battalions on our right were attacked and a little ground taken. The 10th West Yorkshire on our immediate right counter attacked and regained all ground lost.
22 March 1918	During the night 21/22nd, the first withdrawal was made by our troops, which wa carried out [...]. The Brigade occupied a line east of Hermies.
23 March 1918	The enemy advanced during the morning of 23rd and made several attacks, one on Brigade right flank was made with the assistance of flammenwerfer, but he made no footing, our intense rifle and Lewis Gun fire kept him at bay throughout the morning. Between 1pm and 2pm the Brigade made a further withdrawal to a line near Villers au Flos, where they rested, passing through the 63rd (Royal Naval) Division who were holding a line in front of Bertincourt. This line was rendered very difficult to hold owing to the enemy occupation of Velu Wood on the left flank. The following officer casualties occurred on this day: Capt D.A. L. Dold wounded, 2/Lt P.A. Ranson wounded, and 2/Lt J. McCaske killed.
24 March 1918	The Brigade occupied a line near Rocquigny during the morning but were forced to withdraw in the afternoon, assisted on the left flank by tanks. Rendevoused at Geudecourt from whence the Brigade moved to Flers to Eaucourt L'Abbaye, where a position was taken up at night and consolidated. [This position was on the old 1916 Somme battlefield]. Lt Hands, OC C Company was wounded on this day.
25 March 1918	Early in the morning, intense MG and rifle duels took place between us and the enemy, from ridges respectively occupied. Enemy sniping was very accurate and our casualties were heavy. [Of Battalion HQ,] Lt-Col G. B. de M. Mairis DSO was wounded, Lt R. Graham, Assistant Adjutant, was killed, Lt E.L.B. Lart, Intelligence Officer was wounded [and the latter taken prisoner] within half an hour. The following casualties also occurred: Captain (acting Major) F.J. Morley MC, Lt C.D.W. Harvey, 2/Lt W.W. Hamley, wounded. About noon it was necessary, owing to our left flank having given, to withdraw, and rearguard actions were fought from ridge to ridge, and a stand made on the Ancre near Beaucourt by remnants of the battalion, attached to 2nd Division. It was only with great difficulty that the new CO, Major Morley MC, who was badly wounded in the last wave, was got away. On this date also the battalion reorganised at Henencourt with the 50th Brigade and about noon marched to a position in front of Meaulte where it remained until 5.30pm on 26th March, when it withdrew through other troops to Henencourt.
26 March 1918	Reorganised, many more men having rejoined, and in the afternoon marched with Brigade to Senlis, where battalion was billeted in reserve.
27 March 1918	During the afternoon, owing to suspected enemy attack, the Brigade took up a position east of Senlis. Enemy attack did not take place. During the night 27/28th the Brigade relieved units of 12th Division in front system near Albert in front of Bouzincourt. The line was very bad. The battalion relieved 9th Essex Regiment on right with Sherwood Foresters of 51st Brigade on right and the 10th West Yorkshire on left, and 7th East Yorkshire as support battalion to 50th Brigade.
28-29 March 1918	Held line. Enemy attacked 10th West Yorkshire, capturing and retaining posts on ridge W.15.
	By 29 March, the Dorsets were in position just north of Albert
30 March 1918	Held line. Situation remained the same as the night of 29th. Enemy MG, TM and rifles very active.
31 March 1918	Held line. At 5.30am, 7th East Yorkshire assisted by artillery and four Whippet tanks attacked posts, captured from 10th West Yorkshire on 29th and also an enemy trench 200 yards beyond the ridge in the valley. Attack succeeded on right but [was] held up by enemy MGs on left. On night 31st/1st April, the Brigade was relieved by 51st Brigade, this battalion being relieved by 7th Border Regiment. After relief, the battalion returned to Henencourt, in Divisional Reserve. 2/Lt C.O. Mortimer, who had only joined the battalion on the 29th, was killed on the march from the line to Henencourt in the early hours of 1st April Casualties during the operations from 21st to 31st March 1918: Officers: killed 3, wounded 9. Other ranks: killed 35, wounded 128, missing 56. As a result of gallantry in action during the operations, 30 recommendations for immediate awards were submitted.

The above is an extract from the Battalion war diary which is held at the National Archive, in document WO95/2001.

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