12th (Service) Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment (Bristol's Own)

5th Division moved to the Arras sector in mid-February 1916, and 12th Gloucesters took over dry, well-made trenches with deep dug-outs, and lived in cellars in Arras when out of the line.[23][24] Steel helmets began to be issued to British troops early in 1916, but there were great shortages: Lt-Col Archer-Shee used his position as an MP and own observations in the trenches to ask embarrassing questions of the Under-Secretary of State for War.[6]

The battalion's first real taste of offensive warfare came during the Battle of the Somme. The offensive had begun on 1 July, and 5th Division took over part of the line in the Delville Wood sector near Longueval between 18 and 20 July, where 95th Brigade was to deal with German strongpoints in the orchards. When the commander of 95th Brigade, Brigadier-General C.R. Ballard, was wounded on 20 July, Lt-Col Archer-Shee took temporary command until Brig-Gen Lord Esme Gordon-Lennox arrived to take over.[22][25][26] From 23 to 26 July the battalion was in the front line and was heavily shelled, with high explosive, shrapnel and gas, suffering many casualties. It went back into Longueval on 28 July, when the line was advanced to 'Duke Street' without opposition, but shelling was heavier than ever. At 15.30 next day 95th Brigade attacked to complete the capture of Longueval in support of the main attack (the Battle of Delville Wood). 12th Gloucesters put in two companies on the left of the brigade after a half-hour bombardment, and they successfully advanced the line some 500 yards (460 m) beyond Duke Street. The battalion held these positions until relieved next day.[22][27][28][29]

12th Bn Gloucesters' attack at Guillemont, 3 September 1916.

The phase of the offensive that began on 22 July culminated in the Battle of Guillemont. The village of Guillemont had withstood repeated British attacks, but 5th Division made a new attempt on 3 September. The bombardment began at 08.30 and the attack began at 12.00, with the men advancing behind a Creeping barrage (a recent innovation) moving at 50 yards (46 m) a minute; the men were instructed to keep within 25 yards (23 m) of the bursting shells. However, a flanking position at Falfemont Farm, which should have been captured in the morning, was still in enemy hands and threatened 95th Brigade's advance. The two leading companies of 12th Gloucesters took their first objective, a sunken lane, and found the dugouts beyond to be unoccupied. But then they came under enfilade fire from a machine gun off to the right in the Falfemont direction, which caused numerous casualties before A Company eliminated it. At 12.50 the battalion moved on to its second objective, the German line between Wedge Wood and the south of Guillemont village, which was taken without too much trouble. It then moved on at 14.50 to the third objective, a sunken lane running north from Wedge Wood towards Ginchy. Amidst the devastation of the battlefield C Company mistook Leuze Wood for Wedge Wood, got too far ahead and were caught by their own artillery fire. Although no enemy could be seen at Leuze Wood, the battalion was ordered to halt and consolidate its position rather than push into an awkward salient.[22][30][31][32]

12th Gloucesters moving up in support near Ginchy, 25 September 1916.

The 12th Gloucesters was now only 300 strong and took no active part in the Flers-Courcelette (18–22 September) though the battalion was later awarded it as a Battle honour. Although the battalion had been told that it would not have to go back into the line, it received a draft of 116 reinforcements and was given a role in 95th Brigade's next attack, the Battle of Morval on 25 September. The battalion was in support while 1st Bn Devonshire Regiment and 1st Bn East Surreys suffered heavy casualties taking the first and second objectives. 12th Gloucesters and 2nd King's Own Scottish Borderers then moved through the village of Morval itself and dug in on the far side. The battalion's casualties were 12 killed and 61 wounded. The next night the battalion was relieved and went into camp in Happy Valley.[22][30][33] [34]

According to Lt-Col Archer-Shee, of the 950 members of 12th Gloucesters who entered the Battle of the Somme, 736 became casualties.[35] After the end of the Somme offensive the battalion continued to do duty in the appalling trenches in the area, alternating with tents in devastated Mametz Wood. 5th Division moved to the Béthune sector in October and spent the next six months in this quieter area. On 22 October Lt-Col Archer-Shee returned to the UK for treatment to an old wound and was succeeded on 20 November by Lt-Col Robert Rawson, a Regular officer of the Gloucesters who had commanded 6th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders for two years. Rawson also acted as 95th Brigade's commander during the winter. Archer-Shee returned to the battalion in January 1917, but resigned his command on 10 February 1917 to devote himself to his parliamentary duties. Rawson returned from Brigade HQ on 18 March and took over full command.[36][37]

12th Gloucesters was in reserve to the Canadian Corps for the Battle of Vimy Ridge on 9 April. Then on the night of 4/5 May, as the Arras Offensive continued, 95th Brigade relieved a Canadian Brigade that had captured Fresnoy. Because of casualties, 12th Gloucesters was reduced to three companies, so it had two companies of 1st Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) under its command in order to hold the wood north of the town. During 7 May the British trenches were heavily bombarded, then that night two successive attacks came in. 12th Gloucesters repulsed the first at 03.45 (which may have been an unplanned clash as the German storm troops moved into position) but the battalion was overwhelmed by the second attack at 05.45, which completely broke through the British lines and recaptured Fresnoy. Rawson sent up D Company DCLI and his own C Company to try to restore the situation, followed later by D Company 12th Gloucesters, but all they could do was hold a sunken lane behind the lost positions until relieved at 10.00. The battalion lost 389 casualties, including 94 dead; A and B Companies had completely disappeared, killed or captured, and there were no officers left in the frontline companies.[22][38][39][40]

Preserved trenches at Sanctuary Wood Museum Hill 62: when 12th Gloucesters were stationed here it was 'an unimaginably foul and miserable place'. There were no trees left and the battalion was sheltering in shell craters and dugouts.[41]

The battered battalions were slowly built up to strength and trained hard, but 12th Gloucesters did not see major action again until the latter stages of the Third Ypres Offensive. 5th Division moved into X Corps' area on the night of 2/3 October during the Battle of Polygon Wood, then attacked on 4 October (the Battle of Broodseinde). Launched at 06.00, 95th Brigade advanced 500 yards (460 m) with the help of a tank to deal with German pillboxes. 12th Gloucesters had been in reserve to the attacking battalion, 1st East Surreys, and moved three companies up into the Surreys' forming-up trenches 40 minutes after Zero hour, where they suffered badly from the German counter-barrage. Later in the morning C Company was sent up to help 1st Devons. The following day the battalion held the captured line, under continuing artillery fire. In preparation for the next attack (the Battle of Poelcappelle on 9 October), 12th Gloucesters was in Sanctuary Wood, where it was under observation and artillery fire from the enemy and movement was restricted to duckboard tracks. On 8 October the battalion was split, with two companies providing carrying parties and the other two in the support line behind 1st Bn Cheshire Regiment. When the attack was delivered, the companies in Sanctuary Wood provided carrying and burial parties, while the two in the support line were pinned by artillery and could not be relieved until 10/11 October. Despite not actually attacking itself, 12th Gloucesters lost 359 casualties (150 from gas), of whom 88 died, in the period 1–12 October.[22][42][43][44]

While 5th Division continued to attack (the Second Battle of Passchendaele), 12th Gloucesters remained out of the line after Poelcapelle, resting, absorbing a few reinforcements, and training. It spent two short spells holding the line, suffering only light casualties, and then the whole division was pulled out. At the end of October Lt-Col Rawson left the battalion for a six-month tour of duty in the UK and the second-in-command, Maj H.A. Colt, was promoted to succeed him.[22][45][46]

Following the Austro-German breakthrough at the Battle of Caporetto, the BEF was required to release divisions to reinforce the Italian Army. On 23 November, 5th Division was warned that it would be moved to the Italian Front. Entrainment began at Hesdin on 27 November, but after A and C Companies were got away, B and D were held back under orders to move at a moment's notice to the Cambrai sector, where the German counter-attack following the Battle of Cambrai threatened to break through. The fighting died down after 3 December, and the two companies were released. 5th Division completed its concentration to the east of the River Brenta, not far from Padua, by 20 December. When 5th Division took over part of the line along the River Piave on 27 January 1918 12th Gloucesters relieved an Italian unit, and was ordered to wear Italian helmets to conceal the fact that British troops had taken over. The battalion carried out several fighting patrols against the opposing Hungarian units until 5th Division was relieved on 18 March.[9][22][47][48][49]

The Germans began their Spring Offensive on the Western Front on 21 March and achieved rapid successes. On 24 March 5th Division was warned that it would return to France. Entrainment began on 1 April, 12th Gloucesters started on 2 April, and the division completed its concentration between Doullens and Frévent on 9 April.[9][22][50][51]

A British Lewis gun team at the Battle of Hazebrouck

The second phase of the Spring Offensive (Operation Georgette, or the Battle of the Lys) had opened on 7 April and 5th Division took up positions from the Lys Canal to the Forest of Nieppe, where it came under immediate attack (the Battle of Hazebrouck). On 13 April 12th Gloucesters held off one German attack for the loss of 76 casualties, including 18 killed. By 15 April the battalion was well dug in and held off another attack. The battalion was out of the line from 16 to 21 April, and then carried out an attack of its own on 22 April. Close behind a creeping barrage it captured Le Vert Bois Farm (later renamed 'Gloucester Farm') without serious opposition, but it took all day to take Le Vert Bois itself. The battalion captured three German machine guns and 39 prisoners. The Germans abandoned Operation Georgette a few days later.[22][52][53]

On 28 June the British launched a limited operation to improve their positions along the edge of the Nieppe Forest. 12th Gloucesters was tasked with capturing Le Cornet Perdu, moving up in darkness to attack at 06.00. It took all its objectives by 09.30, and pushed patrols up to the Plate Becq river, though a handful of German machine guns had caused 164 casualties, of whom 45 died.[22][54][55]

The Allies launched their own Hundred Days Offensive on 8 August 1918, when 5th Division was in reserve. It then came into action at the Third Battle of Albert on 21 August. This was a three-phase attack, with 5th Division passing through 37th Division for the second phase. 95th Brigade led, with 12th Gloucesters as its reserve. Once the second objective had been taken, 12th Gloucesters took over and despite having lost the barrage advanced over a mile of open country with some of 1st East Surreys and just reached the Arras–Albert railway before meeting stronger opposition. Mist now hampered the artillery and tanks and the battalion was unable to push beyond the railway to the final objective. It had lost an officer and 11 other ranks killed, and nearly 100 wounded. Next day the battalion consolidated, then drove off a German counter-attack at 17.30, capturing 180 prisoners and five machine guns in the process. On 23 August, reinforced by two companies of 1st DCLI, the battalion launched an attack at 11.00 behind a creeping barrage to capture the railway line itself. The Germans had numerous machine gun nests along it and caused numerous casualties before they were overrun. Having lost the barrage, the battalion was unable to advance beyond the ridge to Irles, and requested reinforcements. Before they arrived, the neighbouring brigade attacked, so Lt-Col Colt led a charge by the remainder of 12th Gloucesters and the DCLI companies to capture the village, though losses were heavy: 30 men were killed and nine officers and 170 men wounded, including Lt-Col Colt (who was awarded the DSO). The previous CO, Lt-Col Rawson, returned to command the battalion.[22][11][56][57][58]

The weakened battalion was withdrawn into reserve while the rest of 95th Brigade attacked on 30 August (the Battle of the Scarpe) and then took over holding part of the front line. 95th Brigade was relieved on 4 September after the conclusion of the Second Battle of Bapaume. Part of 5th Division went into action at the Battle of Épehy on 18 September, and 12th Gloucesters later received the battle honour despite not being engaged.[22][57][59][60]

All the Allied armies began a rolling offensive all the way along the Western Front on 26 September. The BEF's Third Army stormed across the Canal du Nord on 27 September, and next morning 5th Division launched a follow-up attack. Because the designated assault brigade (13th Brigade) had suffered heavy casualties, 95th Brigade was substituted for it at short notice and only just got to the jumping-off position in time for Zero hour at 02.40. It ran into considerable opposition and 12th Gloucesters found both its flanks were open; 1st DCLI came up on the left later, but the right remained exposed and isolated German machine gun posts had to be dealt with using rifle grenades. It was not until 08.00 that the first village was taken. The brigade then had to resort to trench warfare methods to work its way up to the second objective on the slopes of Welsh Ridge by evening. 95th Brigade was also hung up when it attacked again next day, finding the pace of the creeping barrage too fast over broken ground. By the time it was relieved on 30 September 12th Gloucesters' casualties amounted to 52, 24 of them fatal, though it had taken about 120 prisoners.[22][60][61]