17th Division had moved to relieve 3rd Division in the canal sector between 5th and 8th February 1916, and placed 51st Brigade on a 1300 yard front at the Bluff position. It was also responsible for the south bank, and had 52nd Brigade there.

Enemy shellfire began to fall on both Brigade fronts in the morning of 14th February, intensifying on the Bluff from mid afternoon. (The enemy was also shelling 24th Division at Hooge at this time). British artillery began to retaliate, and the infantry at the Bluff stood by to meet an anticipated attack. All telephone wires were cut by the shelling, which severely affected the ability of units in the front line to call for support.

The German tunnellers blew three small mines at 5.45pm, one under the Bluff (which buried a platoon of the 10/Lancashire Fusiliers sheltering in an old tunnel) and two slightly further north, under the 10/Sherwood Foresters.

Shortly afterwards, German infantry attacked, between the canal bank and the Ravine. They entered and captured the front line trenches but were driven out of the support lines behind the front. Small local efforts to counter attack over the next two days failed. The all-important Bluff position had been lost, and it would take more than localised efforts to regain it.

A detailed account by one of the units that counter attacked - the 6th Dorsets - can be seen here.

The operations in the area of the Bluff from the start of the enemy attack to noon on 17th February cost the British 1,294 casualties.

Lieutenant-General H. Fanshawe, officer commanding V Corps, ordered 17th Division to not only recapture the Bluff, but improve the position by capturing the German trenches called The Bean. He placed 76th Brigade of 3rd Division, as well as an additional RFA Brigade and an RE Field Company, under the Division for the operation.

76th and 51st Brigades began an intensive exercise in training, to prepare for a frontal assault, to take place at dusk on 29th February 1916. All troops were equipped with the new steel helmets. 52nd Brigade held the line and carried out much preparation work, digging new communication and assembly trenches, burying telephone cables, and bringing up stocks of ammunition. This work was not helped by snowfalls, which showed up the new works to enemy observers, whose artillery promptly destroyed them. The severe weather and cold also forced a change of plan, to minimise the time that the assault troops would need to be in the front line before the attack went in. Even the date could be not be agreed: it would have to be "the second morning after the first day fine enough for artillery registration".

The bombardment eventually opened on 1st March, by 17th Divisional artillery plus 35 larger guns and howitzers of Second Army and Canadian Corps heavies. At 2.15am, Brigadier-General Ernest Pratt, officer commanding 76th Brigade, advised Divisional HQ that he would not require a planned extra 20 minute intensive bombardment. The leading infantry (right to left, the 2/Suffolk, 8/King's Own and 1/Gordon Highlanders) began to move at 4.15am, and the assault was launched fifteen minutes later. British barrage fire began two minutes after that. The attack achieved complete surprise, although a machine gun on the left caused heavy casualties to the Gordons. A party of 172n Tunnelling Company RE also suffered from a machine-gun burst when, having destroyed a tunnel in no man's land that led to the Bluff, every man was shot down. By 5.10am, the infantry had captured all objectives, finding many enemy without equipment. 5 German officers and 248 men were sent back as prisoners.

German artillery was curiously slow to react and only opened fire at 9.30am, intensifying at 11am, which caused problems for reinforcement and supply as the infantry consolidated the ground won. Some sporadic attempts to counter attack were made by the enemy, but British bombs were for once in plentiful supply and these attacks were beaten off.

Casualties incurred in recapturing the position amounted to 1,622.

Back to the Actions of Spring 1916