9th (Scottish) Division Memorial
Arras, April 9, 1922
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W. 1
1922
List of Illustrations
| The Cairn | Frontispiece | |
| Before the Unveiling* | Face page | 4 |
| The Moment of Unveiling* | ″ | 6 |
| Some of the Wreath-Bearers* | ″ | 10 |
| The Day after the Unveiling | ″ | 12 |
| * By kind permission of The Daily Mirror. | ||
9TH (SCOTTISH) DIVISION MEMORIAL
THE FINAL PAGE.
The history of the Ninth Division opens upon the day when certain ragged regiments—without uniforms, without rifles, without experience; fortified by nothing but their own native courage and great expectations—came tramping into Aldershot shortly after the outbreak of War, the First Division of the New Army and the First complete unit of the First Hundred Thousand. The final page of an immortal record was written and turned upon the afternoon of Palm Sunday, 9th April 1922, on the Point du Jour, a hilltop just outside Arras, with the unveiling by one of its own illustrious leaders of a memorial commemorating the service of the Division upon the soil of France and Flanders.
It was a perfect spring afternoon, with a bright sun, and the old familiar larks in full song overhead, as the little company which had crossed from Dover the previous day began to gather at the point of assembly. All ranks were represented, and all ranks had travelled there in a single party, without distinctions of seniority or service, upon their common errand of commemoration.
The road out of Arras climbs and winds steadily for some three miles. Then comes a curve in the hill, and the Memorial is suddenly visible, standing up against the sky at the highest point on the road to Douai, dominating the valley of the Scarpe. It is in the form of a great cairn, and stands some twenty paces back from the road, on the north side, in a little half-acre of soil which, as General Furse most movingly reminded us, is now “for ever Scotland.” The plot has been left exactly as the War left it. For this was the left of the third and final objective of the attack allotted to the Division on 9th April 1917. The surrounding country has been reclaimed and tilled again, but the half-acre of the Ninth Division still remains a war zone in miniature. There are trenches; a dug-out; here and there you may discern rusty barbed wire and derelict ammunition. But there are mitigating features. Round the base of the cairn heather brought from Scotland has been planted; broom is growing on the top; gorse and whin-bush, too, have been planted round about. And these, one hopes, will abide and flourish long after the hand of time has smoothed away the last grim disfigurements of war from this “corner of a foreign field” to which they find themselves so strangely transplanted.
Here, then, on the road two hundred yards from the Memorial, our simple pageant was marshalled, and the procession moved off, headed by its pipers, to the appointed place. General Furse and General Tudor led the way with the officiating clergy. Next came the wreath-bearers, some twenty in all, each carrying a great laurel wreath decked with regimental colours. Behind, in fours, marched the main body, most of them in uniform and all wearing their medals. Last of all came mothers, wives, sisters, sons, and daughters, headed by a little company without whose presence the ceremony would have been incomplete indeed—certain women in black, carrying certain private and particular wreaths of their own.
From the Memorial to the road runs a little roughly-flagged pathway. The pipers took their stand on either side of this, while the procession halted, turned left, and stood aligned in the road, facing the Memorial, which was veiled in three flags—the Union Jack, the Tricolour of France, and the Royal Standard of Scotland. Each unit was duly played into its place by familiar music—the members of the Highland Brigade by “Highland Laddie,” of the Lowland by “Blue Bonnets over the Border,” and of the South African by “The Atholl Highlanders.”
And here let a word be said about the rest of the assembly. Naturally there were present representatives of France—General Huguenot, commanding the First Division of the French Army; M. Delatouche, Sous-Prefet; Mm. Leroy and Dupage, Maires of Arras and St Laurent-Blangy, and certain others. There were numerous little processions and deputations come to wish us well and bear us company. There was a body of French Comrades of the Great War, most of them partially disabled, who had marched out from Arras to take their stand beside us. There was a procession of young boys, Military Cadets in uniform. There was a procession of very small children, tramping sturdily up the hill from their shattered city, carrying bright-coloured flowers, a pleasant foil to the sombre distinction of our own laurel wreaths. There was a half-troop of French Cavalry. There was a detachment of French Infantry, standing in the road, an immovable wall of horizon blue, just behind our own line of khaki. And behind these and all round, banked up on every eminence, stood a crowd—an extraordinarily attentive and reverent crowd—of some hundreds of French civilians. Their demeanour throughout was a most memorable feature of a memorable afternoon. Standing for more than an hour in solid masses, listening to a language which they could not understand and words which they could barely hear, they never once by sound or movement disturbed for a moment the course of our simple ceremony.
When all were in position, and the visiting delegates made welcome, the service of dedication began. It was conducted by the ex-Moderator of the Church of Scotland and Dean of the Thistle, Dr A. Wallace Williamson, assisted by the Rev. C. N. de Vine, M.C., and concluded with the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer, in which all joined. Then suddenly the pipes broke into “Lochaber No More.” General Furse stepped forward and touched a cord. The unveiling flags slipped to the ground, and the inscription stood revealed, carved on a great block of granite set in the base of the cairn:—
REMEMBER
WITH HONOUR THE
9TH
SCOTTISH DIVISION
WHO ON THE FIELDS
OF FRANCE
AND FLANDERS
1915-1918
SERVED WELL
Above the inscription, cut deep into nine lesser blocks set one above another and reaching to the very summit, came the tale of the battle honours of the Division—Loos, Delville Wood and Longueval, the Butte de Warlencourt, Arras, Passchendaele, Gauche Wood to Albert, Wytschaete and Messines, Meteren, and Ypres to the Scheldt.
With such a record to inspire both speaker and audience, General Furse’s spoken tribute, which followed, could not fail to be profoundly impressive. His words, which are recorded fully below, were of the simplest, and that very fact enhanced the nobility of his theme. His text, obviously, was written on the cairn behind him. His first words were most appropriately devoted to setting forth the difficulty experienced by the Committee in selecting the most fitting spot upon which to erect the Divisional Memorial. Finally Arras had been chosen. “The reason,” said the General, “why we finally settled on this spot was that five years ago to-day the Ninth Division covered itself with conspicuous glory over the battle-ground we see to the west of us. Its success on that day was complete and convincing. This was indeed its ‘Point du Jour.’ It was its third and final objective. It was won on the hour ordered. The Division on that day made a further advance, took more prisoners, and at a comparatively smaller loss to itself, than had fallen to the lot of any single Division in any single day up to that date in the War.”
Yet, as General Furse most justly pointed out, the passer-by had merely to glance up at the list of battlefields upon the cairn to realise that the service of the Division had not been limited to the Arras district, or indeed to any particular point in France or Flanders. Its record ran gloriously from end to end of the Western Front.
Next, in setting forth the reasons which influenced the Committee in their choice of this particular form of memorial, the speaker enlarged upon the composition of the Division—the fact that it contained units from England, The Channel Islands, South Africa, and Newfoundland, which rendered it more truly Imperial in its composition than any other Division in the British Army. “But,” he added, “it was born in Scotland; it was named after Scotland; it was fed throughout the four years of its active life in the main from Scotland; its symbol was the thistle of Scotland; and it is but right, therefore, that its monument should be fashioned in the form beloved of Scotland.”
Then followed an affecting tribute to the dead, enhanced by a reminder that in every year of its active service the Division lost in battle casualties alone not less than a hundred per cent. of its full strength. Some of its most conspicuous members were mentioned by name. Next came a most appreciative reference to the loyal co-operation and complete harmony which had always existed between “our splendid Infantry” and other arms of the Division. “I do not believe,” said the speaker with simple truth, “that there was any Division in the whole Army in which this spirit of fellowship and good comradeship burned more brightly or achieved greater results.”
The General’s speech ended in a note of justifiable pride—pride that our Division, though the Ninth in the Old Army, should have been the First in the New. “First of the new Divisions raised for the War, First of these Divisions to come to France, almost the First in the respect won from a hard-fighting enemy, First to cross over on to German soil when victory had been achieved, the Ninth Scottish Division will, I am convinced, remain for all time First in the affections of those who had the real honour of serving in it. Ours was indeed a royal fellowship, not only of death but of service.”
General Furse concluded with a few graceful sentences of thanks and appreciation, delivered in their own language, to the French delegates grouped at the foot of the cairn. As his voice died away the whole company stood to the salute, while the French military band played “God Save the King,” followed by “The Marseillaise.” Thereafter the French officials delivered short, clear, and most appropriate speeches.
Then came the most moving episode of the afternoon. The kilted pipers resumed their station on either side of the stone pathway and began to play “The Flowers of the Forest.” Up this avenue of wailing pipes marched the wreath-bearers, two by two, in slow time; first, Lord Sempill, the first member of the Division to set foot in France in 1915, representing the Eighth Black Watch, accompanied by Cameron of Lochiel, representing the Fifth Camerons; then representatives of all other units. The wreaths were hung high upon the cairn, upon stone projections occurring at regular intervals round its circumference, until the entire cairn was ringed with green laurel and fluttering ribbons. A last great wreath, the gift of women to whom the Ninth Division had meant something more than most, was laid at the foot of the cairn beneath the inscription. Lastly came the votive offerings of the French delegations—bright spring flowers in most cases—until the whole base of the cairn was a mass of colour. The last wreath was laid by some very small French girls.
Then the French band played the National Anthem again, and the formal ceremony was at an end. The Ninth Divisional pipers stepped on to the road and broke into “The Barren Rocks of Aden”—the march which had played the Division into Brussels in the course of its victorious advance into Germany—and the French troops fell into column of route and marched away down the hill; but hundreds of onlookers remained to make a closer inspection of the cairn and the wreaths, and in particular of a row of rough-hewn blocks of stone, each inscribed with the name and crest of a Divisional unit, set in line on the ground facing the edge of the road, to mark the boundary of this our little corner of Scotland, until the end of time.
Two predominant impressions remain. Firstly, the completeness of the arrangements. There had been little or no rehearsal of the ceremony, but everything passed off without hitch or hesitation. For this our thanks are due to those responsible, especially General Furse, Colonel Kennedy, and Captain Darling. Secondly, the very representative and very united bearing of our party. Men were there from all ranks, all units, and each country and Dominion concerned. General Furse reminded us in his speech that the cairn had been dedicated not only to the memory of the dead, but to the service of the Division as a whole. That was undoubtedly the right and just view to take: yet for us who stood there on that sunny April afternoon and watched the flags flutter down from the face of the inscription, the ceremony had but one significance—the rendering of the final tribute to those who were taken by those who were left. And it was a pleasant thought that a worthy company should have gathered upon the Point du Jour from all parts of the Empire for that end.
9TH (SCOTTISH) DIVISION MEMORIAL
THE UNVEILING AND DEDICATION
ARRIVAL AT ARRAS AND PROCESSIONAL ARRANGEMENTS.
The party for the unveiling numbered about 130 of all ranks, and left London under arrangements concluded by Captain W. Y. Darling, M.C., 11th Royal Scots, at 8.30 on the morning of Saturday, 8th April. The route taken was by Calais and Amiens. Arras was reached at about six o’clock in the evening, and all ranks were accommodated at the Hotel de l’Univers and Hotel de Commerce.
On Sunday afternoon the party were conveyed by automobiles to the point of assembly, near the Point du Jour, where a procession was formed in the following order:—
| Lt.-Gen. Sir W. T. Furse, K.C.B., D.S.O., Divisional Commander. | |
| Maj.-Gen. H. H. Tudor, C.B., C.M.G., Divisional Commander. | |
| Dr A. Wallace Williamson, ex-Moderator of the Church of Scotland and Dean of the Thistle. | |
| Captain the Rev. C. N. de Vine, M.C., C.F. | |
| Wreath-Bearers. | |
| Lt.-Col. Lord Sempill | 8th Black Watch. |
| Colonel T. Fetherstonhaugh, D.S.O. | 7th and 9th Seaforth Highlanders. |
| Sergeant D. Wilkie, D.C.M., M.M. | 8th Gordon Highlanders. |
| Colonel Cameron of Lochiel, C.M.G. | 5th Cameron Highlanders. |
| Lt.-Col. H. G. Sotheby, D.S.O., M.V.O. | 10th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. |
| Lt.-Col. John Murray, D.S.O. | 11th and 12th Royal Scots. |
| Sergeant W. Smith | 6th Royal Scots Fusiliers. |
| Sergeant G. Smith, D.C.M., M.M. | 6th King’s Own Scottish Borderers. |
| Colonel W. D. Croft, C.M.G., D.S.O. | 9th Scottish Rifles. |
| Major G. H. Callender, M.C. | 10th and 11th Highland Light Infantry. |
| Captain E. F. Dufton, M.C. | 1st South African Regt. |
| Mr E. Thompson | 2nd South African Regt. |
| Sergt.-Major T. Young | 3rd South African Regt. |
| Captain W. Maclean, M.C. | 4th South African Scottish Regiment. |
| Lt.-Col. W. Maclean, C.M.G., D.S.O., M.P. | 1st Newfoundland Regiment. |
| Major J. W. Hoggart, D.S.O., M.C. | Royal Artillery and R.A.O.C. |
| Captain L. A. Culliford, M.C. | Royal Engineers. |
| Major F. K. Norman, M.C. | R.A.S.C. |
| Major G. Rankine, M.C. | R.A.M.C. |
| Major J. H. Beith, C.B.E., M.C. | Machine-gun Corps. |
| Captain Lord Hastings | Glasgow Yeomanry and Cyclists. |
| Mrs A. C. Campbell | .... |
| Miss Brash | .... |
| Other members of the party in columns of fours, by units. | |
| Ladies accompanying the party, and other friends. | |
A detachment of French troops—33rd Infantry and 3rd Engineers, with Regimental flags, under the command of Colonel Potez—formed a guard of honour lining the road facing the Memorial.
DESCRIPTION OF THE MEMORIAL.
The site is a square forty yards by forty yards, at Point du Jour road junction. Two trenches cross there, and they and the general state of the ground are as the battle left them. The cairn stands in the centre of the square.
Owing to the many shell-holes and the unsettled state of the ground, it was found necessary to sink a circular raft of concrete, reinforced with steel rails, twenty-four feet in diameter and five feet thick. The cairn stands on this, circular in plan, eighteen feet in diameter at the base, fourteen feet at top, and over thirty feet high, and is on a mound of earth which rises about two feet from the general ground level. It is built of large rough blocks of grey Belgian granite, from the quarries of Soignies. Stones containing red iron stains and quartz seams were specially selected. The stones diminish towards the top. The largest are over six feet long, and the highest over three feet high. The stones are built up dry, naturally keyed together, or wedged with smaller stones.
The method of building was as follows. On the foundation raft a ring of stones was placed in position, forming a circular wall three feet thick. The centre was then filled up solid with concrete formed of cement, granite chips, and granite dust. The wall was then continued all round, but not in distinct rings, and the centre again filled up solid. This procedure was followed right up to the top. Thus no scaffolding was used, the cairn itself acting as a platform on which the men worked, and a hand gear hoist erected stage by stage for raising the stones. The backs of the stones are embedded in the concrete core and frequent long stones project a considerable distance into the concrete.
At the projecting cornice level the concrete core is finished with cement, weathered from the centre, and the top ring of stones is filled with earth of a depth of about two feet six inches and then is turfed over, dome-shaped.
Above the inscription stone, down the entire length of the front, are nine stones, bearing the names of the battles, their size suiting the inscriptions they bear.
Nineteen stones project from the cairn at a height of about eight feet to bear wreaths.
A sloping and irregularly paved pathway leads to the road, the ditch being spanned by a monolithic granite bridge, about seven feet square.
The four corners of the site are marked by square granite posts, about six feet high, each bearing the Divisional sign carved in a sunk circle. To the front, along the road, on the top of the bank, are twenty-six stones. Each bears the name and crest of a unit of the Division. These are grouped in brigades.
The site has been planted with clumps of gorse and broom, and the mound round the cairn with heather sent from Scotland by many members of the Division.
The contractor was Octave Bouchez of Arras, and it was built with his own local labour. Among his many difficulties was the complete lack of water. Before beginning he had to construct a tank close by, and a horse-drawn water-cart was almost continuously employed filling this from Athies.
THE CEREMONY.
Shortly before 2.30 the Ninth Division procession moved up from the point of assembly and took station immediately in front of the French troops, facing the Memorial, the inscription upon which was veiled by the Union Jack, the Flag of France, and the Royal Standard of Scotland. General Furse, accompanied by General Tudor, then took his stand at the foot of the cairn and greeted the representatives of France, namely: General Huguenot, representing General Lacapelle, G.O.C., the First Corps of the French Army; M. Delatouche, representing M. le Prefet; M. Doutremepuich, Councillor-General; M. Leroy, Mayor of Arras; M. Dupage, Mayor of St Laurent-Blangy; the Curé of Athies-Feuchy, and other officials representing: Les Mutilés et Souvenir Français, La Chambre de Commerce, La Société de gymnastique d’Arras, Les Sapeurs-Pompiers, Le Bulletin des Eglises Devastées, Les Ecoles d’Athies-Feuchy, Officers of the Garrison of Arras.
The service of dedication followed, the Rev. Dr Wallace Williamson, ex-Moderator of the Church of Scotland, and the Rev. C. N. de Vine, M.C., officiating. The ceremony concluded with the Lord’s Prayer, in which all joined.
The Memorial was then unveiled by General Furse, who proceeded to deliver the following speech of dedication:—
“When the Ninth Scottish Division formed part of the victorious British Garrison on the Rhine, General Tudor, knowing it would shortly be demobilised, called together a representative conference to decide the most fitting manner of memorialising the service of the Division in the Great War. That conference decided—most wisely in my opinion—that we should have two memorials—first, a History of the Division; second, a Battlefield Monument.
“The History was completed and published fifteen months ago, and we are indebted to Major Ewing, of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers, for the admirable book he has given us.
“As to the Battlefield Monument, you have only to turn your eyes to the battle honours recorded on this cairn to realise that the site was not too easy to choose. We considered the claims of many places. Loos, where the Division—its three Infantry Brigades composed of the flower of Scottish manhood, who had left their Highland or Lowland homes in instant response to the call to arms—first experienced the shocking, awful realities, to units as well as to individuals, of a crashing battle, but proved to themselves and through themselves the amazing power of disciplined courage over terrifying opposition. Longueval and Delville Wood—that prolonged three weeks of the fiercest fighting, taking terrible toll daily—bodies mutilated and dying, but spirit ever alive and showing its noble endurance hour after hour and day after day—in the repeated attacks of the Lowlanders, in that glorious culminating counter-attack of the Highlanders, and in the hanging on of the unconquerable remnant of the splendid South African Brigade. In those three weeks we lost 7500 officers and men in the Division, and fully 60 per cent. of our Infantry. This again was a site peculiarly difficult to discard as the most appropriate for a monument to our beloved Division.
“It would take too long to recall other than very briefly the numerous exploits of the Division on other fields of France and Flanders—the disheartening but doughty struggles with mud and misadventure near the Butte de Warlencourt; the share taken by the Division in the heroic attacks towards Passchendaele under similarly ghastly conditions; the dogged ten days’ opposition to the great German advance in March 1918, where the Division had the supremely difficult task of linking the Fifth with the Third Army from Gauche Wood back to Albert; the stubborn defence and brilliant counter-attacks at Wytschaete and Messines during the following month; the capture of Meteren in July 1918 before the tide of war had begun to turn in our favour; and finally the succession of hard-fought victories in the open warfare of October 1918 from Ypres to the Scheldt. All these names are recorded on this cairn, that those who pass by may not think that the Ninth Division’s service was confined to this particular neighbourhood.
“The reason why we finally settled on this spot was that five years ago to-day the Ninth Division covered itself with conspicuous glory over the battle-ground we see to the west of us. Its success on that day was complete and convincing. This was indeed its Point du Jour! It was its third and final objective. It was won on the hour ordered. The Division on that day made a further advance, took more prisoners and at a comparatively smaller loss to itself than had fallen to the lot of any single Division in any single day up to that date in the War.
“Knowing that a special monument to the South African Brigade is to be set up at Delville Wood, and after balancing up all the comparative claims of this and other sites, we came to the conclusion that this one was the best. I can only trust that the majority of our comrades are satisfied with that decision. I believe them to be so satisfied with the form of the monument. For myself I am convinced that a Scottish cairn built of rough-hewn stones, such as these, is a more fitting monument to the rugged, simple, and enduring war service of soldiers than sculptured group or elaborate architecture. And though the Division embraced men of England, the Channel Islands, South Africa, and Newfoundland, and was therefore more truly Imperial in its composition than any other Division in the British Army, it must be remembered that it was born in Scotland, it was named after Scotland, it was fed throughout the four years of its active life in the main from Scotland; its symbol was the thistle of Scotland; and it is but right, therefore, that its monument should be fashioned in the form beloved of Scotland.
“May I say how much we are indebted to our architect, Mr Ian Hamilton, and to our builder, M. Bouchez, for the skill and care with which they have carried out the work.
“You will notice that our little plot is purposely left as the fighting left it. It will remain a visible portion of the battlefield until Nature succeeds in obliterating the scars of war. Only in one respect are we modifying it. By planting whins and broom and heather taken from various parts of its native land we hope to make ‘this corner of a foreign field’ a place ‘that is for ever’ Scotland, and arrangements have already been made with our friends in South Africa to send here plants typical of that country to mingle with the indigenous plants of Scotland, and thus symbolise the undying link between these two countries forged in the glowing heat of battle.
“We have here to-day representatives both of the commissioned and of the other ranks of almost every regiment that fought in the Division. Each one of us will be thinking of this and that particular comrade, of this or that incident in the wonderful life we lived together. What a life-time it was! To old or young a time absolutely apart from any former experience, a time that we shall always look back to with pride in our race, a pride born not only of a four years’ weaving of heroic examples of selfless devotion to a common ideal, but of a background of good cheer and good fellowship—the outcome, in my belief, of men, for that period at least, not fearing to show themselves at their very best!
“Our thoughts naturally turn in a particular way to those we shall never meet on earth again—friends who maybe were not widely known outside their own units, or others again whose name and reputation, by reason of their rank and responsibilities, were revered throughout the Division. May I just mention three or four? Scrase-Dickins—a Brigadier, loved and respected by his Lowlanders; Frank Maxwell—whose lovely personality, brilliant courage, and winning leadership inspired every officer and man in his brigade; Eric Gordon—whose trust in his beloved Black Watch was only equalled by their confidence in him; Smyth—known as a special friend to the Infantry while still in command of his 90th Company of Engineers, and later, the fearless leader of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers in one attack and counter-attack after another; and Dawson, who fought on with his handful of South Africans in March 1918 till literally overwhelmed from all sides. How many more gallant fellows could we all mention! May I recall yet one more name—one who still lives, and whose thoughts are, I know, with us here to-day—General Lukin. Had he been able to be with us in person, his should have been the honour of unveiling this cairn; for he was in command of the Division when it won its great success here five years ago and had the fortune of serving in the Division, first as Infantry Brigadier and then as Divisional Commander for nearly two years on end.
“Look once more at our inscription, and you will see that the cairn is erected to the memory not only of those who were killed, but of all who served in the Ninth Scottish Division. I have alluded already to the Highland, Lowland, and South African Brigades of Infantry. But, great and imperishable as their services were, they neither alone nor together constituted the Ninth Division. Without the help of the Artillery, the Engineers, the Machine-gun Corps, the Army Service Corps, the Field Ambulance, and the Divisional and Brigade Staffs, our splendid Infantry could not have done all they did, and the Division could not have won its high reputation. The longer the fighting went on, the more clear it became to all that unity of effort was essential to success, that the mere existence of a single will to Victory was not good enough, but that all arms must work towards that goal together, must learn to accommodate each other, and that real co-operation involved mutual trust and fellowship. I do not believe that there was any Division in the whole Army in which this spirit of fellowship and good comradeship burnt more brightly, or achieved greater results. First of the new Divisions raised for the War, First of these Divisions to come to France, almost First in the respect won from a hard-fighting enemy, First to cross over on to German soil when victory had been achieved, the Ninth Scottish Division will, I am convinced, remain for all time First in the affections of those who had the real honour of serving in it. Ours was indeed a royal fellowship, not only of death but of service. I know not how many can claim a share in that fellowship, but we cannot and should not forget that in battle casualties alone the Division lost not less than one hundred per cent. in each year of its War Service of its full strength. It may be surely said of the Ninth Division that Scotland, as well as those other parts of the Empire from which it was recruited, is ‘poorer in men but richer in heroes.’”
General Furse then addressed the representatives of France:—
“Monsieur le Maire, Monsieur le Général, Mesdames et Messieurs. La cérémonie de l’inauguration de ce monument serait incomplête si je manquais l’occasion de vous adresser quelques paroles, très courtes mais très sincères, au nom de mon Comité et de tous mes camarades de la IXième Division (Ecossaise).
“Nous éprouvons un vif sentiment de plaisir, que vous, Monsieur le Maire, ainsi que vos collégues, ayez voulu vous joindre à nous aujourd’hui, pour honorer nos morts et tous ceux qui ont servi leur pays dans notre glorieuse Division. Nous nous réjouissons particulièrement de la présence de nos camarades d’Armes Français—le Général Huguenot et ses vaillants soldats. En plus, je tiens à vous dire combien l’Angleterre apprécie l’esprit généreux et hospitalier de la France, en permettant la construction de ces nombreux monuments de guerre, qui nous attachent par leur souvenir de plus en plus à son sol.
“Nous avons la certitude que nous mettons notre monument sacré entre des mains qui le soigneront fidèlement et tendrement, et nous éspérons qu’il servira à renforcer les sentiments d’affection et d’estime qui ont toujours existé entre la France et l’Ecosse, et que les citoyens d’Arras, en regardant l’inscription gravée sur ces pierres, n’oublieront jamais que les hommes de la IXième Division étaient fiers et heureux de donner tout ce qu’ils avaient de meilleur en eux pour aider à chasser l’ennemi de leur ville.”
General Furse was followed by M. Leroy, Mayor of Arras; M. Dupage, Mayor of St Laurent-Blangy; and M. Delatouche, Councillor of the Prefecture, who replied in turn.
The wreath-bearers then advanced two by two, and hung the wreaths upon the stone projections surrounding the cairn. They were followed by the representatives of the French societies, who deposited their flowers at the base of the cairn.
The ceremony terminated with the playing of “God Save the King” and “The Marseillaise,” after which the formal proceedings were at an end.
The party returned home the same evening, arriving in London on Monday morning.
The following is a list of those known to be present:—
| Adamson, M. W., Esq. | 9th M.G.C. |
| Bache, W., Sergeant | 9th Signal Co. (R.E.) |
| Bates, J. Vincent, Major, M.C. | R.A.M.C. (8th Black Watch) |
| Bates, W. S., Esq. | .... |
| Beatson, T., Lieut. | 7th Seaforth Highlanders. |
| Beatson, Mrs A. M’Kay | .... |
| Beith, J. H., Major, C.B.E., M.C. | 10th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. |
| Brash, Miss Nellie | .... |
| Buchanan, N., Captain | 7th Seaforth Highlanders. |
| Callender, G. H., Major, M.C. | 5th Cameron Highlanders and A.D.C. |
| Callender, Mrs G. H. | .... |
| Cameron of Lochiel, Col., C.M.G. | 5th Cameron Highlanders. |
| Cameron, Mrs E. | .... |
| Campbell, Mrs A. C. | .... |
| Champion, A. G., Esq. | R.A.M.C. |
| Clark, B., Corporal | Signal Co. (R.E.). |
| Clarke, Mrs W. B. | .... |
| Cole, H. W., Esq. | 9th Div. H.Q. (R.A.S.C.) |
| Collins, Stanley, Esq., M.C. | 9th D.A.C. |
| Croft, W. D., Col., C.M.G., D.S.O. | Scottish Rifles and 27th (Lowland) Brigade. |
| Culliford, L. A., Captain, M.C. | Royal Engineers. |
| Darling, Will. Y., Captain, M.C. | Royal Scots and Div. Staff. |
| Davidson, H. Stuart, Esq. | 7th Seaforth Highlanders. |
| Denny, Mrs | .... |
| Dingley, L. A., Major | R.A.M.C. |
| Dufton, E. F., Captain, M.C. | 5th Cameron Highlanders. |
| Duncan, Mrs George | .... |
| Ewing, J., Major, M.C. | 6th King’s Own Scottish Borderers. |
| Fetherstonhaugh, T., Col., D.S.O. | 9th Seaforth Highlanders. |
| Furse, Sir W. T., Lt.-Gen., K.C.B., D.S.O. | Divisional Commander. |
| Furse, Lady, O.B.E. | .... |
| Furse, Roger, Esq. | .... |
| Geddes, G. F., Corporal | 5th Cameron Highlanders. |
| Geddes, T. A., Esq. | .... |
| Gibson, T. S., Captain, M.C. | 10th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. |
| Gibson, Mrs T. S. | .... |
| Gordon, Miss | .... |
| Gordon, Miss P. | .... |
| Greenaway, G. K., Lieut. | 6th King’s Own Scottish Borderers. |
| Greig, James B., Esq. | .... |
| Hastings, Captain Lord | .... |
| Hendry, G. A., Esq. | .... |
| Hennessy, A. R., Captain | 8th Gordon Highlanders. |
| Hoggart, J. W., Major, D.S.O., M.C. | R.F.A. |
| Holland, S. E., Col. Com., C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O. | Rifle Brigade and General Staff. |
| Horn, Mrs M. | .... |
| Jeffcoat, A. C., Brevet Col., C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O. | Royal Fusiliers and Divisional Staff. |
| Johnston, T. H., Esq. | 5th Cameron Highlanders. |
| Kelly, Talbot R. B., Lieut. | R.F.A. |
| Kennedy, J., Col., C.M.G., D.S.O. | 10th A. & S. H., and 26th (Highland) Brigade. |
| Lawrie, J. M., Pipe-Major | 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. |
| Le Page, George, Esq. | R.F.A. |
| McCrae, D., Corporal | 1st Cameron Highlanders. |
| McCulley, J., Staff Sergt. | 11th Royal Scots. |
| Macdonald, K., Esq. | .... |
| McHardy, A. A., Col., C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O. | Royal Artillery and Divisional Staff. |
| McHardy, A. B., Esq. | .... |
| McHardy, Mrs A. A. B. | .... |
| McKenna, A., Private | 10th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. |
| Maclean, W., Col., C.M.G., D.S.O., M.P. | R.F.A. |
| Maclean, W., Major, M.C. | 4th South African Scottish Regiment. |
| Milligan, Rev. O., M.C. | Chaplain, 9th Black Watch. |
| Mitchell, S., L/Cpl. | 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. |
| Muir, M. C., Major, M.C. | 5th Cameron Highlanders. |
| Murray, R. N. M., Captain, M.C. | 8th Black Watch and A.D.C. |
| Murray, J., Lt.-Col., D.S.O. | 12th Royal Scots. |
| Neil, W. H., Captain | R.A.M.C. |
| Norman, F. K., Major, M.C. | R.A.S.C. |
| Preece, R. J., C.Q.M.S. | 106th Co. R.A.S.C. |
| Rankine, G., Major, M.C. | R.A.M.C. |
| Renton, James, Esq. | .... |
| Richardson, Sergt.-Major | R.A.M.C. |
| Rodway, C. H. S., Sergt.-Major | 9th Signal Co. (R.E.). |
| Sempill, J., Lt.-Col. The Rt. Hon. Lord | 8th Black Watch. |
| Sinclair, G. H., Lieut. | 9th Trench Mortar Battery. |
| Smart, J., Piper | 2nd Royal Scots. |
| Smith, G., Sergeant, D.C.M., M.M. | 6th King’s Own Scottish Borderers. |
| Smith, W., Sergeant | 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. |
| Somerville, John, Piper | 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. |
| Sotheby, H. G., Lt.-Col., D.S.O., M.V.O. | 10th Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. |
| Stanley, Hon. Sir Arthur, K.C.M.G. | .... |
| Stanley, Hon. Lady | .... |
| Stanley, Miss Adelaide | .... |
| Stanley, Edward, Esq. | .... |
| Staple, W. S. H., Captain, M.C. | 6th King’s Own Scottish Borderers. |
| Stewart, P. A. V., Lt.-Col., D.S.O. | 6th King’s Own Scottish Borderers. |
| Swinney, A., Corporal | 2nd Royal Scots. |
| Symons, Mrs Dorothy | .... |
| Symons, Miss | .... |
| Symons, Miss | .... |
| Taylor, F., Piper | 1st Cameron Highlanders. |
| Taylor, W. M., Pipe-Major | 7th Seaforth Highlanders. |
| Thesiger, Hon. Mrs F. | .... |
| Thompson, E., Sub-Conductor | R.A.O.C. (South African Infantry). |
| Tudor, H. H., Maj.-Gen., C.B., C.M.G. | Divisional Commander. |
| Tuton, J., Lieut., D.C.M. | 11th Royal Scots. |
| de Vine, Rev. C. N., M.C. | Chaplain, 9th Division. |
| Wallace Williamson, Dr A. | Ex-Moderator Church of Scotland, Dean of the Thistle. |
| Wilkie, D., Sergeant, D.C.M., M.M. | 8th Gordon Highlanders. |
| Wilson, A. T., Lieut. | 11th Royal Scots. |
| Wilson, D. J. B., Lieut. | 5th Cameron Highlanders. |
| Winchester, C. C., Lieut., M.C. | 11th Royal Scots. |
| Young, T., 1st Class Staff Serg.-Maj. | R.A.S.C. (South African Field Ambulance). |
Footnotes
1 An A.S.C. Company was attached to each brigade: the 104th to the divisional troops, the 105th to the 26th, the 106th to the 27th, and the 107th to the 28th Brigade.
The divisional train was responsible for arranging matters of supply between the Division and the Corps concerned. The task of the supply column was to work between the railhead and the divisional A.S.C. and it formed part of the Division until 1917 when supply columns became Corps troops. The Battalion Quartermaster drew the supplies for his unit from the company attached to his brigade.
2 The best account of life and training in the Division is contained in the well-known volume, The First Hundred Thousand, by Ian Hay, who was an officer in the 10th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders.
3 This was the result of an order issued by G.H.Q. fixing an age limit for Brigadiers.
4 See The First Hundred Thousand, p. 280.
5 “Minnie,” the popular name for German Trench Mortars, from Minenwerfer.
6 On one occasion no horse was provided to take the Prince up to the trenches. He, therefore, borrowed one belonging to the machine-gun officer of the 27th Brigade, and it was afterwards known as “Prince.”
7 So completely was the chance of success considered to depend upon the use of gas that the attack was to be cancelled if the wind was unfavourable; instead, a minor operation was to be carried out by the 7th Seaforths against the Hohenzollern Redoubt.
8 On the left of the Ninth the Second Division had to carry out two operations: first, to capture the Givenchy salient, and second, and more important, to attack the German front line trenches and then move on Auchy. Should the latter attack succeed, the Second Division was to form the defensive flank of the Army as far as Haisnes, from which point it was to be carried on by the Ninth Division.
9 It is common knowledge that at military concert parties the Staff shared with the Sergeant-Major and the Quartermaster the distinction of being the chief butt of the witticisms of the troupe. This is due partly to the British soldier’s inveterate love of “chaff,” and partly to the fact that the duties of the Staff officer, particularly in the higher formations, secured him comparative immunity from danger. The average infantryman was too much occupied with the ordinary details of his daily task ever to give any thought to the harassing and important duties that the Staff had to perform. Occasionally, of course, the latter made a bad slip. During the Battle of Arras, for example, a battalion in the 27th Brigade received a message to the effect that sacks for bayonet training were available! Such blunders were naturally cherished by the Regimental officer.
10 The effect of the German gas attack in May had produced a powerful impression upon both the army and the public. Since that time the energies and experiments of British scientists and doctors had provided the army with an efficient protection consisting of a chemicalised canvas bag with two gas-proof openings for the eyes. In the event of an attack this bag was pulled over the head, its loose ends being tucked in round the neck and covered up by the tunic so that the gas found no aperture to evade the chemical barrier.
11 See Map.
12 Those opposite the Ninth Division belonged to the One hundred and seventeenth Division.
13 Under the circumstances there could be nothing stronger than “belief”; it was impossible to go to the German lines to find out how many had been killed or wounded.
14 The wire was fairly well cut by the 18-pounders wherever it was possible to observe it, but the stretch opposite the front of the 28th Brigade was invisible from any point on our side. It was, therefore, the more essential that the result of the artillery-fire in this part should have been ascertained by patrols.
15 Brig.-General Bruce sent back by the machine-gun officer of his brigade an important account of the situation to Brig.-General Ritchie.
16 In the course of the battle the Germans brought up the 2nd Guards Reserve Division, the 10th Bavarian Regiment, and a battalion of the 123rd Division.
17 There is a good deal of obscurity as to what actually happened, but as the front of the Quarries had been wired by the sappers of the Seventh Division, and as troops of the Seventh Division were still holding out in the east of the Quarries when the western portions were in the hands of the enemy, it is certain that the Germans could have effected a lodgment only from the rear.
18 The gallant record of the Twenty-fourth Division in the war after the Battle of Loos is a sufficient proof, if any were needed, that the failure of the 73rd Brigade at Loos was entirely due to inexperience.
19 The machine-gun team never yielded a yard; the gun was destroyed by shell-fire, and all the members of the team were killed or wounded.
20 Five officers and 168 other ranks were captured by the Division.
21 Two German guns were left near the cottages at the Fosse. After dark on the 26th B/50 Battery took two limbers up to the cottages and brought back one of the guns; the other could not be found.
22 “On leaving the I. Corps, the G.O.C. wishes to tell the Ninth Division that he thinks their conduct in the assault on the German lines was beyond all praise, and no words can express the value of their gallantry and self-sacrifice to our country.
“They showed during the heavy fighting not only great dash and courage, but endurance and discipline, and the highest qualities of a soldier.
“He can only wish them the best of all fortune in their future efforts, and he is sure that they will maintain the high standard as soldiers and men that they have already reached.”—(Order from I. Corps, dated 30th September 1915.)
23 See Appendix IV.
24 Killed and Wounded (exclusive of subalterns).
| 6th K.O.S.B. | lost | 9 |
| 8th Black Watch | ″ | 8 |
| 7th Seaforth Highlanders | ″ | 8 |
| 8th Gordon Highlanders | ″ | 8 |
| 6th Royal Scots Fusiliers | ″ | 8 |
| 5th Cameron Highlanders | ″ | 7 |
| 9th Scottish Rifles | ″ | 6 |
| 11th Royal Scots | ″ | 4 |
| 10th H.L.I | ″ | 4 |
| 11th ″ | ″ | 4 |
| 12th Royal Scots | ″ | 3 |
| 10th A. & S. H. | ″ | 3 |
25 There were many salients in the British line, but “The Salient” was Ypres.
26 When the front trenches lay near each other, the artillery, in order to avoid hitting their own people, fired generally on the enemy’s support and rear trenches.
27 That is, in numbers.
| For each trench mortar bomb | 1 salvo of 18-pounder H.E. | |
| ″ | enemy torpedo | 2 salvos ″ ” and 2 4·5-inch howitzers. |
| ″ | enemy 5·9 shell | 1 8-inch shell. |
29 Noises, alleged to be German mining on the Corps’ front, were actually traced to (a) revetting, (b) sentries stamping their feet, (c) rats burrowing on the parapet, (d) a loose beam or branch blown by the wind, (e) running water, (f) the beat of a man’s own heart, (g) a half-dead fly buzzing at the bottom of a hole (this was taken for a machine drill), and (h) actual mining.
30 The machine-gun was reckoned to be equivalent to thirty rifles.
31 Even under the most damping circumstances the men maintained a sense of humour. A platoon commander of the 12th Royal Scots on asking a man, standing in a water-logged trench, how he liked his surroundings, received the unexpected reply—“Weel, sir, this is no like Sauchiehall Street.”
32 The Bangalore torpedo presented the appearance of a drain pipe. It was filled with ammonal and fired with a fuse. It was most effective in clearing a gap in wire, and could be made any size by joining several sections together.
33 Targets were selected from the map, the guns being sited according to the estimated distance.
34 The XIII. Corps was under the Fourth Army, commanded by General Sir H. Rawlinson, K.C.B.
35 Sir Douglas Haig succeeded Sir John French as Commander-in-Chief in December 1915.
36 In July 1916 the strength of the British Army in France was 660,000. Despatches, p. 19.
37 Despatches, p. 19, para. 2, line 5.
38 A Company wore red; B Company, yellow; C Company, blue; D Company, green.
39 These were the 16th Bavarian Regiment and the 6th Bavarian Reserve Regiment of the Tenth Bavarian Division.
40 Where it entered the village, this road was known as Pall Mall.
41 During an engagement it was necessary to keep the infantry adequately supplied with ammunition, bombs, engineering material, rations, and water, so parties were always detailed to carry up these stores.
42 The “creeping barrage” does not creep—it really jumps. At Longueval the line of the barrage moved forward 50 yards at a bound. To a distant observer, however, the barrage did seem to creep forward, hence the name.
During this Somme Battle the use of the creeping barrage became universal by the British Army in all its attacks. Shrapnel was generally used, but the Ninth Division, having taken to H.E. and having found it successful, stuck to it. Which was the better of the two was controversial to the end of the war. In the Ninth the opinion was that the H.E. barrage had greater moral effect, was easier to follow, and did not throw such a strain on the artillery that the setting of fuses for a shrapnel barrage necessitated.
| 1st | Barrage | 5 minutes | till | Zero. |
| 2nd | ″ | Zero | ″ | Z. - 5 minutes. |
| 3rd | ″ | Z. - 5 mins. | ″ | Z. - 45 ″ |
| 4th | ″ | Z. - 45 ″ | ″ | Z. - 1.30. |
| 5th | ″ | Z. - 1.30. | ″ | Z. - 2. |
| 6th | ″ | Z. - 2. | ″ | Z. - 2.30. |
| 7th | ″ | Z. - 2.30. | ″ | Z. - 3.9. |
| 8th | ″ | Z. - 3.9 | ...... |
44 “Ninth Division Special Order of the Day, dated 15/7/16.
“1. The Corps Commander has asked me to tell the members of my staff, the brigadiers and their staffs, and all regimental officers, N.C.Os. and men, that in his opinion the Ninth Division carried out a very difficult feat of arms yesterday finely, that the assembly by night of a Corps within assaulting distance of the entrenched lines of an active enemy, could only be effected by divisions in which the staff work and the discipline were alike perfect, and that he is grateful to all. This is indeed high praise from such a soldier, and I need not say how proud I am to be allowed to convey such praise to the Ninth Division.
“2. For myself, I can only say with the deepest gratitude that you have once more proved to me what a glorious Division I have the great honour to command. However good the staff work and however good the leading, it would be impossible to win success against such an enemy unless every officer, N.C.O. and man was ready at all times to do more than his duty. On this I can always rely in the Ninth Division.—W. T. Furse.”
45 Lieut.-Colonel Fulton took over the command of the 9th Scottish Rifles in March 1916.
46 This was the Corps which the old Army fought at Le Cateau in 1914.
47 The artillery remained in the line until the 27th July, during which period it effectively supported the attacks of the Third and Second Divisions on Longueval and Delville Wood, Brig.-General Tudor acting as C.R.A. to both these divisions.
48 “As it will be impossible for me to speak personally to the Ninth Division, I desire to convey to every officer, N.C.O. and man, my thanks and congratulations for the splendid work the Division has done during the Battle of the Somme.
“The attack and capture of the hostile second line system of defence, and the village of Longueval on the 14th July, was a feat of arms which will rank high amongst the best military attainments of the British Army, whilst in the capture of Delville Wood, the gallantry, perseverance, and determination of the South African Brigade deserves the highest commendation.
“Not only has the fighting spirit of the infantry of the Division been admirable, but the manner in which the divisional artillery has helped and supported the infantry shows that a high degree of training has been attained, and it is with regret that I am informed that the Division is to be transferred to another army. I trust that at some future time I may again have the honour of finding them under my command.”
H. Rawlinson,
General Commanding Fourth Army.
H.Q., Fourth Army,
25th July 1916.
49 There can be nothing stronger than assumption. The Germans used their divisions in battle for shorter spells than we did, and it is highly probable that we persistently overrated their casualties.
50 Commanded by Lieut.-General Sir H. Wilson.
51 Commanded by General Sir C. Monro.
52 In September the artillery were reorganised on a basis of 6 guns per battery, the 53rd Brigade being broken up for this purpose. The Divisional Artillery then consisted of the 50th, 51st, and 52nd Brigades.
53 Commanded by Lieut.-General Pulteney.
54 The gloves were occasionally used, the jackets never.
55 On this occasion the 47th Divisional Artillery and two brigades of the 1st Divisional Artillery supported the attack under the direct command of the C.R.A. 47th Division. Brig.-General Tudor acted as C.R.A. to General Furse.
56 A “Chinese Attack” was not an attack; but the artillery put down the same sort of bombardment that was the usual prelude to an advance, moving by lifts over the enemy’s system and then suddenly coming back to his front line, and so catching his infantry when they were manning the trenches to repel the expected assault.
57 Consisting of Bavarians of the 6th Bavarian Reserve Division.
58 This was denied by the artillery, who suggested that the shells complained of were fired by the enemy; but many British fuses were found in the front trenches.
59 These were Saxons of the 40th Division, which had relieved the Bavarians.
60 Many dead South Africans were seen in front of Snag Trench by the 27th Brigade.
61 Commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Sir George Abercromby since the 20th September; Lieut.-Colonel Gordon, D.S.O., was promoted to a brigade in the Forty-first Division.
62 Here more might have been done to help the men by divisions in the line handing over stores to those taking over. It would have saved trouble if the ammunition for the machine-guns had been kept in sealed boxes and handed over; this plan was adopted later.
63 The artillery stayed in and supported the attack by the Fiftieth Division on the Butte.
64 Unfortunately long and constant strain had told on his health, and shortly after his appointment to the Thirty-seventh Division he was invalided to England.
65 For his services in the war General Furse received the K.C.B. in June 1917.
66 In Three Years with the Ninth Division Lieut.-Colonel Croft discusses several questions of interest to C.Os.
67 The barrage fell along three sides of a rectangle, screening the infantry from the front and the flanks.
68 News from the very start was good. Brig.-General Tudor, who was in the trenches watching the raid, was in touch with the front line by telephone, and the only reports he received were, “One more penny”—“Two more pennies,” etc. “Penny” was the code word for prisoner.
69 The following message was sent by Sir Douglas Haig on the 16th:—“Congratulate the Ninth Scottish Division, and particularly the 9th Scottish Rifles, on the success of their raid carried out on the 14th.”
70 In the Ninth, however, it was thought that the principal factor was surprise, and the raid of the “Rifles” already referred to was undertaken to show that a preliminary bombardment was not necessary for success.
71 At the end of January a party of the Division proceeding along the road to Arras was accosted by a Canadian soldier. “Hullo, what crowd are you?” “Ninth Division” was the reply, and then came the exclamation, “Huh! the scrappin’ Ninth.” The Canadian’s tone of mingled friendship, admiration, and uneasiness betrayed more clearly than any words his firm conviction that storm-troops were gathering for a battle.
72 Haig’s Despatches, vol. i., p. 81.
| 14th | Brigade | R.H.A. |
| 50th | ″ | R.F.A. |
| 51st | ″ | R.F.A. |
| 52nd | ″ | A.F.A. (taken from the Ninth in January). |
| 23rd | ″ | A.F.A. |
| 29th | ″ | R.F.A. |
| 32nd | ″ | R.F.A. |
74 The enemy opposing us consisted of the 1st and 24th Bavarian Reserve Divisions.
75 A Short History of the Great War, p. 257.
76 The original Green Line consisted of the strongly-wired trenches immediately west and north of Fampoux. Shortly before the attack on the 9th April the final objective was altered so as to include the hostile positions just west of the Roeux-Gavrelle road and the village of Fampoux.
77 Major Sir J. Campbell commanded the 11th, and Major Macpherson the 12th Royal Scots in this action.
78 Brig.-General Tudor, who was assisting the Fourth Division, received news of the battle so late that he had no time to reconnoitre.
79 On the 9th April D.H.Q. were at Etrun; they moved forward to St Nicholas only on the 12th April.
80 General Lukin on 18th April suggested that the South African Brigade should be withdrawn from the Division on account of its weakness and its lack of reinforcements.
81 While this chapter was being written, news came of the cold-blooded murder of this officer in the County Club, Cork, on the 17th July 1920 by a dozen so-called patriots.
If ever a man lived who deserved a fair field and a fair fight it was Colonel Smyth. A more gallant and honourable gentleman never lived. As a captain in the Royal Engineers he commanded the 90th Field Coy. R.E. in the Ninth Division till October 1916, when he was promoted to the command of the 6th K.O.S.B. In October 1918 he commanded the 93rd Brigade in the Thirty-first Division as a Brig.-General.
Major-General H. H. Tudor, when given command of the Police Forces in Ireland in June 1920, found Colonel Smyth in command again of a Field Coy. R.E. in Ireland, and, knowing his worth, secured his appointment as one of his deputy commissioners.
82 Major Macpherson was wounded in the action of the 12th April, and the command of the battalion was taken over by Lieut.-Colonel Ritson.
83 Commanded since the 3rd May by Major A. R. Innes Browne.
84 These were the 3/10th Royal West Surrey Regiment, 3/10th Royal West Kent Regiment, 3/10th Middlesex Regiment.
85 Commanded by Lieut.-General Sir E. A. Fanshawe.
86 Now commanded by Lieut.-Colonel H. D. M. Maclean, the original C.O. of the battalion, who returned to France in August.
87 Lieut.-Colonel W. Lumsden succeeded Lieut.-Colonel Fulton at the end of July.
88 Commanded since April by Lieut.-Colonel Macleod.
89 Temporarily commanded by Major Cochran.
90 Lieut.-Colonel Croft was promoted to the command of a brigade a few days before the battle, and the battalion was now commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Sir J. Campbell.
91 32 officers, 312 other ranks.
92 Commanded by General Sir Ivor Maxse.
93 See Map.
94 Commanded by Lieut.-Colonel R. W. Hadow since September.
95 Commanded since the beginning of October by Lieut.-Colonel A. G. M. M. Crichton.
96 Commanded in this action by Major Scott.
97 The enemy opposing the division on this occasion was the Sixteenth Division, which had the honour of being classed by our G.H.Q. as a first-rate division.
98 Commanded in this action by Major A. R. Innes Browne.
99 On leaving the Fifth Army the Division received the following message from General Sir Hubert Gough:—
“The Ninth Division has fought splendidly while it has been in the Fifth Army and maintained the great reputation of the Scottish Divisions in France. The Division achieved a very notable success on 20th September and played a gallant part during the severe fighting of 12th October. In spite of the casualties sustained and the demands made upon the men’s endurance during the past six weeks, the Division’s moral remains as high as ever. Well done, everybody!”
100 Commanded by Sir W. Congreve, V.C.
101 Later General Lukin was awarded the K.C.B., an honour which gave much gratification to the Division.
102 The 2nd Regiment was now commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Christian. Lieut.-Colonel Tanner was promoted to the command of the 8th Brigade (Third Division).
103 Lieut.-Colonel Horn of the 7th Seaforths took over the command of the Army Musketry Camp on the 18th October; the battalion was commanded by Major P. C. Anderson during the retreat.
Lieut.-Colonel Crichton left the Camerons in March, and was succeeded by Lieut.-Colonel J. Inglis.
104 Lieut.-Colonel Sir J. Campbell being on leave, the 11th Royal Scots were commanded by Major A. C. Campbell during the retreat.
Lieut.-Colonel Maclean left the K.O.S.B. in October 1917, and was succeeded by Lieut.-Colonel Smyth, who returned to France at the end of September.
105 The 18th Division, for example, after holding the Villers-Guislain-Gonnelieu sector for fourteen days was relieved on the 3rd March by the 107th Division, a prisoner from which said that his division had undergone intensive training for an attack and break through.
106 The northern attack was entrusted to the 17th Army, the southern to the 2nd and 18th Armies.
107 For a clear, full, and concise account of the boundary question between the Fifth and Third Armies, see article in the April (1920) number of the National Review, entitled, the “Epic of the Ninth Division,” by W. S. Sparrow.
108 “After being captured at La Motte, near Corbie, I was taken to the German Battalion H.Q. for examination by an intelligence officer. In the course of this examination the officer asked me if I knew the Ninth Division; he said that the fight it put up was considered one of the best on the whole front, and particularly the last stand of the South African Brigade at (I think) Moislains, which, he said, was magnificent. Both men and officers fought to the last against overwhelming odds, the brigadier himself being taken, firing a machine-gun whilst his brigade major was killed beside him.
“After this conversation I was sent to Le Cateau, and on the way many German officers spoke to me and all mentioned the splendid fight put up by the South Africans.
“On reaching Le Cateau, I met two officers (British), who said that whilst their party was being marched to this place, they were stopped by the Kaiser, who asked if anyone present belonged to the Ninth Division. The Kaiser then said that had all divisions fought as well as the Ninth Division he would have had no more troops to carry on his attack with.”
109 W. S. Sparrow in “The Epic of the Ninth Division.”
110 “Great gallantry has been shown by the troops engaged in the fighting in this area and to the south of it. The Nineteenth and Ninth Divisions have distinguished themselves by the valour of their defence.”
(Extract from Communiqué published by the Press on the 25th March.)
111 The 1st Regiment was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Young; the 2nd Regiment by Captain Jacobs; and the 4th Regiment by Captain Reid.
112 Commanded since the 7th April by Lieut.-Colonel the Honourable David Bruce.
113 Under the command of Lieut.-Colonel H. W. M. Bamford of the 2nd Regiment.
114 The K.O.S.B. had been commanded by Major Innes Brown since the 24th March; he was killed at Hill 60 on the 10th April, and was succeeded first by Lieut.-Colonel Chamberlain, and then by Major H. J. Wilkie.
115 “Three weeks ago to-day the enemy began his terrific attack against us on a fifty-mile front. His objects are to separate us from the French, to take the Channel Ports, and destroy the British Army. In spite of throwing already 106 divisions into the battle and enduring the most reckless sacrifice of human life, he has as yet made little progress towards his goals.
“We owe this to the determined fighting and self-sacrifice of our troops. Words fail me to express the admiration which I feel for the splendid resistance offered by all ranks of our Army under the most trying circumstances.
“Many amongst us now are tired. To those I would say, that victory will belong to the side which holds out the longest. The French Army is moving rapidly and in great force to our support. There is no other course open to us but to fight it out.
“Every position must be held to the last man. There must be no retirement. With our backs to the wall and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight to the end. The safety of our homes and the freedom of mankind depend alike upon the conduct of each one of us at this critical moment.”
(Special Order issued by Field-Marshal Sir Douglas Haig on 12th April.)
116 “Farther north a heavy attack launched by the enemy this morning against our lines in the neighbourhood of Wytschaete and Hollebeke (the Messines Ridge) was completely repulsed by the Ninth Division with great loss to the enemy.”
(Extract from the official Communiqué of the 11th April.)
Before this appeared the Corps Commander informed the G.O.C. that Sir Douglas Haig and Marshal Foch fully appreciated the valuable work performed by the Division. This was communicated to units in the following message:—
“The Corps Commander wishes it to be known that the Commander-in-Chief, in course of conversation with him, said that it was mainly due to the stubborn resistance of the Ninth Division that the Army was now in a position to hold on to the present line. If the Ninth Division had not held on there would have been no alternative but to retire a long way back. He also stated that General Foch fully appreciated what had been done by the Ninth Division.”—No. A. 9837/12, 17/4/18.
117 “Please convey to General Tudor and to all ranks of the Ninth Division my deepest appreciation of the great gallantry displayed by them during many days of severe fighting north of the Lys. In the stubborn struggle for the Ridge at Wytschaete, with which their name will always be associated, as well as on many other occasions, they have shown the same high qualities which distinguished them throughout the Battle south of Arras, and have most worthily upheld the traditions of the British Army.” (Ninth Division, No. A. 9827/28.)
118 After the fighting near Kemmel Lieut.-Colonel J. Colchester Wemyss commanded the battalion until Lieut.-Colonel Smyth returned at the end of May.
119 In June Lieut.-Colonel Ritson left for England and the battalion from the time it went into the line near the end of May was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel J. Murray.
120 1 field-gun, captured at Gaza Cross Roads; 6 heavy trench mortars; 6 light trench mortars; 11 heavy machine-guns; 36 light machine-guns; 1 stick-bomb thrower.
121 20 heavy machine-guns, 22 light machine-guns, 342 rifles.
122 “I wish to express to you and to your officers, warrant officers, N.C.Os. and men of the brigade under your command my great regret that the exigencies of the Service prevented me seeing you all personally before you were transferred from the Ninth Division in order to say good-bye. For two and a half years your brigade has shared the fortunes of the Ninth Division. At Delville Wood, at Arras, at Ypres, in the Somme retreat, and finally at Meteren, it has fully contributed in establishing and maintaining the glorious record of this Division. The South African Brigade bore the brunt of the attack on the divisional front in March 1918, and its final stand at Bouchavesnes on 24th March, when it held out all day until all ammunition was exhausted, will live as one of the bravest feats of arms in the war. The cheery keenness and comradeship with which the South African Brigade has always worked and fought will be very much missed by me personally and by all the Ninth Division. We wish you and your brigade the best of fortune, and know that you will always fully maintain the splendid name you have earned.”
(General Tudor’s Letter to Brig.-General Tanner.)
123 Commanded by Lieut.-Colonel French since August.
124 The 28th Brigade was given a narrower front in the advance to the first objective in order to ensure that a sufficient force would still be in hand, after Frezenberg Ridge was reached, to press home the attack along the main ridge, most of which lay within the right brigade sector.
125 Owing to the small number of field-guns per yard (one gun to about 45 yards) the Division had to depend chiefly on smoke for the barrage, and the guns fired two rounds of smoke to one of H.E.
126 A great deal of trouble had been taken to arrange the right hour for zero, but all the calculations of the Divisional Staff were completely upset by the fact that the morning was cloudy with drizzling rain.
127 The 28th Brigade A.F.A. was attached to the Division.
128 The 6th and 7th Cavalry Divisions, consisting of men of fine physique, who, according to their own statements, were known as the “War-prolongers” because they remained full of fight while the resisting power of other German troops was diminishing.
129 The cavalry in reserve consisted of the 3rd French Cavalry Brigade, which, however, was not under the orders of the G.O.C. Ninth Division.
130 A tribute greatly cherished by the Division was received from General C. W. Jacobs in a Special Order issued on the 3rd October:—
“As the first phase of the operations which began on the 28th September 1918 is over, I wish to express to you and all ranks of the Ninth Division my gratitude and thanks for the splendid work which has been achieved.
“The Ninth Division was specially selected to carry out the attack on the left flank of the British Second Army and to cover the right flank of the Belgian Army attack. The objectives given were rather more distant than those we have attempted hitherto in Flanders, but, owing to the splendid leading of yourself and the officers of all units, not only were all those objectives gained, but you broke right through the enemy’s line to a depth of 9¼ miles. In 1917 it took our Army over three months to get only half that distance, and at great cost. The Ninth Division has done it, and a great deal more, in twenty-four hours. What further evidence is required of the magnificence of this exploit?
“The Ninth Division has done splendidly all through the war, but these last operations will be considered by history to have eclipsed all their previous performances. In the last few days the conditions have been trying and you have had to beat off many counter-attacks. The weather has been bad and shelter has been very scanty. Yet the spirit of all ranks has always kept at a high level and you have upheld the splendid traditions of the British Army and of the Division in particular.”
131 These earned another “mention” for the Division. “In these successful operations the Ninth Division, forming part of the command of General Jacobs’ II. Corps, has again fought with great distinction.”
(Extract from official Communiqué, 16th October.)
132 This however was practically impossible when the crossing was not to be carried out simultaneously by the attacking divisions.
133 Major King who was commanding the Royal Scots Fusiliers was wounded near Belgiek, and the command of the battalion was taken over by Captain J. S. Glass.
134 On the 23rd Lieut.-Colonel R. Campbell, D.S.O., who had seen a great deal of service with the Fifty-first Division, took over the command of the battalion.
135 Prisoners captured, 54 officers, 2555 other ranks; guns captured, 64.
136 Near the end of October a staff officer of the Ninth went to the Divisional Signals Office to find out if there was any news. The answer was “Yes, sir, Austria has thrown in her ‘mit.’” It was thus that a phlegmatic Scottish soldier announced the fall of the ancient Empire of the Hapsburgs, the oldest reigning family in Europe and heirs of the Holy Roman Empire!
137 The fact that some Germans were relieved of their watches may have been due to a custom that had sprung up during four years of war, or to some confusion of mind about the “Watch on the Rhine”!
138 The sight of a field ambulance racing through the streets of Cologne, with the R.A.M.C. men running breathlessly behind it, in order to reach its position in time is believed to have enormously impressed the citizens.
139 See Appendix VIII.
140 See Appendix IV.
141 The A.S.C. became R.A.S.C. 25/11/18. A.O. (362/1918.)
All times have been made consistent using a decimal point and not a mid-dot eg 6.35 A.M. All calibre sizes have been made consistent using a mid-dot eg 3·7-inch.
The table in Appendix VII and the List of Illustrations in the Addendum both have an asterisk Note placed at the bottom of the table (not a Footnote).
Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text, and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained.
Pg xi: ‘Lo s of Fosse’ replaced by ‘Loss of Fosse’.
Pg xvii: ‘Law e Farm’ replaced by ‘Lawrence Farm’.
Pg 21: ‘No. 8-Haisnes’ replaced by ‘No. 8—to Haisnes’.
Pg 115: ‘At 5.5 ’ replaced by ‘At 5.50’.
Pg 154: ‘for 2.5 ’ replaced by ‘for 2.50’.
Pg 187: ‘at 6.4 ’ replaced by ‘at 6.40’.
Pg 187: ‘by 1.2 ’ replaced by ‘by 1.20’.
Pg 336: ‘near Metern’ replaced by ‘near Meteren’.
Pg 403: ‘” to Armistice’ replaced by ‘” Armistice’.
Pg 420: ‘Beauchamp Ridge’ replaced by ‘Beaucamp Ridge’.
Memorial Addendum
Pg 14: ‘Le Mutilés’ replaced by ‘Les Mutilés’.