THE BEF AT THE END OF THE YEAR

1916

by Bob Butcher

Commanders and Principal Staff Officers CinC General Sir D Haig

CGS Lt Gen Sir LE Kiaael

AG Lt Gen AG Fowke

QMG Lt Gen RC Maxwell

 

First Army

GOC General Sir HS Horne MGGS Maj Gen G de Barrow DA&QMG Maj Gen PEF Hobbs

 

Second Army

GOC           General Sir HCO Plumer

MGGS         Maj Gen CH Harington DA&QMG Maj Gen AA Chichester

 

Third Army

GOC           General Sir EHH Alenby

MGGS         Maj Gen L Bols DA&QMG Maj Gen AF Sillen

 

Fourth Army (formed February)

GOC           Gen Sir HS Rawlinson

MGGS         Maj Gen AA Montgomery DA&QMG Maj Gen HC Holman

 

Fifth Army (formed as Reserve Army May)

GOC           Gen Sir H Gough

MGGS           Maj Gen N Malcolm DA&QMG Maj Gen HN Sargent

 

Composition at 31 December

GHQ and GHQ Troops

Five armies

Eighteen corps (inc two Anzac and one Canadian)

One cavalry corps

46 British Infantry Divisions

Five Australian infantry divisions

Four Canadian infantry divisions

One New Zealand infantry division

Five cavalry divisions (inc two Indian)

L of C and L of C troops

 

Line held

23 February:    (a) Boesinghe - just south of Loos (42 miles)

(b) Wailly - River Somme (25 miles)

30 June:         Boesinghe - Maricourt (80-90 miles)

31 December Boesinghe - Bouchavesness (85 - 90 miles)

Estimated Minimum (Jan) 993,368

Estimated Maximum (Oct) 1,546,474

Average daily ration strength 1,337,055 (including 268 followers and labour)

Casualties for the year

Total: 1,295,583 made up as follows

Battle 651,662 (K 107,411; DoW 36,879; Missing or PoW 43,675; wounded 463,679) Non-battle 643,021 (Died of disease or injury 5841; sick or injured 638,080).

Battles

An important observation area in the Salient -THE BUFF- was lost (14-15 February) but later regained (2 March). The part of the HOHENZOLLERN REDOUBT not left in British hands at the conclusion of the Battle of Loos was captured but could not be held (2-18March). Severe fighting took place at the ST ELOI CRATERS (27 March -16 April) which did not materially affect the situation. The Germans made a serious gas attack a HULLACH (27-29 April) but themselves suffered from it and gained no ground. A similar attack took place with like results at WULVERGHEN (30 April-17 June). The Germans gained around at VIMY RIDGE (21 May). Severe fighting took place at the Battle of MONT SORRELL (2-13 June).

The longest and costliest battle ever fought by the British Army -THE BATTLES OF THE SOMME 1916- (of which there were officially twelve) lasted from 1 July to 18 November. The first was that of ALBERT (1 -13 July) on the opening day of which the British Army suffered more casualties than on any other single day in its history if one excepts the surrender of Singapore. Although almost completely successful on the right the scale of the failure increased the farther left one went. The first day included a subsidiary attack on GOMMECOURT. During the Battle of Albert, MONTAUBAN, MAMETZ, FRICOURT, CONTALMAISON and LA BOISELLE were captured. The Battle of BAZENTIN (14-17 July) included a successfu dawn attack and the capture of LONGUEVAL, TRONES WOOD and OVILLIERS, but attacks at FROMEH ES and HIGH WOOD met with failure.

There followed the Battles of DELVILLE WOOD (15 July-3 September) and the Battles of POZIERES (23 July-3 September) which included fighting at MOUQUET FARM.

The Battles of GUILLEMONT (3-6 September) and GINCHY (9 September) followed. Then came the Battles of FLERS- COURCELETTE (15-22 September) when tanks were used for the first time and during which HIGH WOOD and MARTINPUICH were captured.

During the Battle of MORVAL (25-28 September) COMBLES, LESBOEUFS and GUEUDECOURT were captured. THIEPVAL was finally taken during the battle of that name (26-28 September). The Battle of LE TRANSLOY (1-18 October) included the capture of EAUCOURT L'ABBAYE and LE SARS and attacks on the BUTTE DE WARLENCOURT.

The fighting dragged on with the ANCRE HEIGHTS (1 -11 October) and SCHWABEN REDOUBT, STUFF REDOUBT and REGINA TRENCH were taken. Finally the Battle of the ANCRE 1916 (13-18 November) closed with the capture of BEAUMONT HAMEL.

A LOST GENERATION?

by Frank Gardner

Have you , like me, often wondered why there was no more resistance to the growth in military power of Hitler and the NAZI party between the two World Wars? Perhaps this extract from The History of the English Speaking Peoples 1900 to 1948 may help to explain this:

The aristocrats flocked to the colours in 1914, some 1500 served during 1914/18. The numbers killed numbered more than the mass culling during the Wars of the Roses.

Of the 5,650 Etonians who served, 1,150 lost their lives The death toll amongst 838 Balliol men was 183, or 22%.

Some thirty-two peerages and thirty-eight barometries became extinct, particularly in the GUARDS Division, Royal Artillery and Rifle Brigade.

A consequence of the war was that British politics became the preserve of the old; whereas before 1914, ambitious and talented young aristocrats entered the House of Commons and rose relatively quickly, the average age of a minister entering Asquith's cabinet was fifty-four.

After 1918 there were left older survivors, the average age of a minister entering Baldwin' 1935 cabinet, for example, was seventy years.

This made for the kind of cautious politics typified by the respectable tendency who dominated the National Governments of 1930 to 1940!

WHISKY GALORE by J.P-Lethbridge

Compton Mackenzie's novel Whisky Galore and the famous film based on it glamorised whisky stealing. In fact the courts treated it seriously.

On 19 December 1917 Henry Bonell a railway shunter aged fifty-one, and Charles Sutton, a head shunter aged fifty-eight, were tried by the Birmingham Stipendiary Magistrate, Lord Ilkeston, for allegedly stealing whisky from Lawley Street Goods Station, ie the Midland Railway depot. It was part of a consignment en route from Birmingham to Horncastle, Lincolnshire.

The police had quickly suspected the two men. In Bonell's locker they had found brandy bottles that had earlier been stolen from the railway depot. They raided Bonell's house and he eventually admitted his crime and returned four full whisky bottles. He said that he had hidden three in his garden workshop and one in a box in his bedroom.

Sutton's house was also visited and he handed over to the police two full whisky bottles and a empty. He admitted having drunk two bottles and thrown one empty away. The police searched his house anyway and found two empty whisky bottles from an earlier robbery and some stolen cocoa.

The Birmingham Post report of the case mentioned twelve bottles of whisky as having been stolen but only ten bottles including empties were recovered. Perhaps other men were involved or someone got their sums wrong.

Some may find this case amusing. Lord Ilkeston most certainly did not and sentenced both men to three months in prison. He who laughs last laughs longest!

The Bulletin of the Birmingham Branch of the WFA

Compiled by Bob Butcher

January 2008