I was kindly sent the 2nd/10th London's war diary for September 1918 by pal Chris Noble, as a chap we both have an interest in was killed on 15 September.

The diary mentions an attack on the 7th, and I wonder if anyone can tell me more about this attack than is in the diary.

Here is the beginning of the war diary entry for the 7th:

Click to view attachment

And the conclusion:

Click to view attachment

Any information is much appreciated.

Cheers,
Carole.

Hi Carole,

I don't have war diaries for this but I would suspect that EPHEY is a typo which should read EPÉHY. By 7th September III Corps were up against German forces who had basically stopped their retirement short of the Hindenburg Line. Fourth Army and your Londons were, therefore, confronted by the old British Reserve, Support and Front Lines (3-4 miles from the St Quentin Canal) which really now formed part of the German outpost zone and an extension to the Hindenburg System (Siegfried Stellung). In the north of Fourth Army's front this 'outpost zone' started at Havrincourt/Epéhy. Looking at my notes there were no major assaults on this part of the line until 12th and 18th September, but there would have been a lot of attempts to adjust the positions with strong patrols. The III Corps didn't have their commander (Butler) back until 12 September, having taken 'leave' during the Battle of Amiens.

58th Division narratives and war diary have more information.
Fourth Army and 158th Infantry Brigade diaries are definitely worth a look.


Kind Regards,
SMJ

Hi Carole,

The following link to a memoir (2nd Lt A R Armfield) at the National Archives (held at Imperial War Museum) covers the period and location you refer to for another unit (2nd/4th Londons) within the formation and apparently gives some very evocative descriptions of the actions at Epehy over that time. It looks as if your action might have been part of tidying up/preparatory operations between the '2nd Battle Of Bapaume' and the 'Battle of Epehy'.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/A2A/rec...;Gsm=2008-06-18

Armfield was commissioned into the 20th County of London Regiment in January 1918 and proceeded to France in April, where he was attached to the 12th London Regiment, 58th (London) Division, who were in support near Albert. The following month he was transferred to the 2/4th Battalion, London Regiment, and for the next three months was largely engaged on constructing new defences astride the Amiens-Albert road. He also took part in several night patrols out into No-Man's Land. Towards the end of July, Armfield had a bout of influenza and, on returning to his Battalion in early August, was placed in charge of Brigade details at a sort of Divisional Reinforcement camp. During August the Battalion took part in the assault on Chipilly Ridge (8-10 August) and the fighting at Billon Wood and Maricourt (25-28 August), but Armfield himself did not go up to the front line until this latter date.
On 1 September Armfield took part as a platoon commander in the attack on Bouchavesnes, which constituted one phase of the Battle of Bapaume. Although the German trenches were successfully captured, Armfield was the only officer from the two attacking companies to reach the objective. The account contains an excellent description of the sensation of going "over the top" and of the progress of the assault itself (pp 151-67). On 10 September the 2/4th Battalion carried another attack, this time on Epéhy and Peizière. Although casualties were lighter than in the previous assault, the Battalion had been so decimated that it was now disbanded and its surviving personnel incorporated into the 2/2nd Battalion. Between 18 and 20 September a second and ultimately successful attack was made on Epéhy by this Battalion (pp 179-94).

Thanks Guys

I guess this is yet another thing to look into when I finally get the chance to go to the NA, hopefully in a year or two!

Cheers,
Carole.

This book also looks good:

http://www.worldwartwobooks.com/product.ph...hindenburg-line

Many thanks - book ordered from library!

Cheers,
Carole.