FRANCIS FOLJAMBE WAR DIARY 32 BRIGADE 1917

Chapter 9 - Last Battles and Homecomings - January - July 1917

 

January-July 1917
Francis started 1917 waiting for orders to move to a new battery. He had decided lo transfer again, both to get away from Major Young, whom he did nor like, and also because he wanted to get back into the war and command his own troops. He knew that his experience would make him a .strong runner to command his own battery. In the event this was 10 be his most satisfactory period as a soldier and he had much less time to devote to his diary:

14th January
I received orders to join the 4th Division artillery and on the following day left by car to take over command of the 135tb Battery RFA at Longpre. went into Amiens to have dinner with Dennis.

17th January
Marched to Camp 14. the battery is a very slovenly concern after G battery and the guns appear to be much the worse for wear. very cold, and snow fell all day.

18th January
Got a lift in a car driven by a Frenchman and after skidding about the roads arrived at a point about a mile from our position, whence I walked to the French battery which we are to relieve. The French have, eight batteries in one long line with excellent deep dug outs and guns lightly screened. It was difficult to find the place in the snow, although I went lo the exact map reference, as there were no tracks or any sign of life. I found the required battery at length and. penetrating a deep dug-out, found the commandant and the lieutenant of the battery, the former had a long beard and was in bed.
the latter was listening, to someone who way singing down the telephone for the amusement of the brigade.
The working of a French battery was curious. The gun lines appeal-to rather disperse the echelon and treat it merely like an arrangement to supply the needs of the battery. Much attention was paid to the mathematical side of gunnery and great reliance was placed on the results calculated.
For example, neither of these two officers has visited any OP.
when they had first come into position an NCO from the group had gone to an OP and tested each gun onto a point de reglement. Subsequently an NCO manned an OP to keep a look-out for the group: the remaining personnel seemed scarcely ever to more from their dug-outs. which were incidentally very lousy.

19th January
Moved four guns into action as soon as the French 75s were clear.

20th January
remaining two guns into action. There followed a remarkably cold spell, our thermometer registered over 30 degrees of frost. The extreme cold may have accounted for some very short rounds which fell about half way to the target. We established an OP near Marrieres Wood some 100 yards in advance of the French look out post and carried out the usual routine of shooting and liaison.
No work possible on account of the extreme hardness of the ground.

6th February
A bombardment was carried out to liven things up. we fired about 1,000 rounds.

11th February
I cut the german wire in front of Sap 16. observing from the latter place and having two guns in the Marrieres Wood area. The Germans did not interfere.

Not all was well back in Osberton. The Squire finally died at the age of 82. Francis was not able to get back to the funeral but wrote to his father on 20 February:
Thanks for the teller. I saw in the papers on the same evening that I got your previous letter that the Squire had died. I hadn't seen him for more than two years and am glad I did not go there last lime I was on leave. I prefer to remember him as he was. the kindest and best grandfather anybody has ever had. Osberton will indeed seem strange now.
Rain has come again and with it the mud. This place is really the scene of utter desolation. Dead horses and broken carts and guns everywhere and shell hole touches shell hole as far as the eye can reach in even' direction. every other one is the grave of some unfortunate and marked with an old helmet or a shell stood up on end. I think, however, that we have about done our tour of duty here.
I acquired an MC, some time ago. as a matter of fact towards the end of last year, they are slow in publishing anything. As a battery commander of six guns I get the temporary rank of major, but only while this war lasts.
Francis was very mailer of fact about the award of his MC. The citation has not survived but it was a very satisfactory award for Francis, He was a most effective artillery officer and very professional in his understanding of his business, but did not get on well with his superiors. he must have been a difficult man to command but he was respected and liked by his soldiers.

23rd February
Moved to Marrieres Wood and carried out the usual routine of constructing cover, registering our zone and reconnaissance. There was a marked decrease in German shelling about this time and it is likely
that they were starting to withdraw guns in accordance' with their plan to evacuate the whole Somme salient, which was shortly afterwards put into execution.
Still very cold and I think I caught a chill: at any rate I woke up one morning and couldn't move at all without great pain.
I sent for a doctor and look some medicine lo try and get a sweat up. which I managed to achieve after six hours or so when I felt better. He said keep dry and warm which was not very sensible or constructive in view of the fact that the dug-out areas dank, always full of smoke, the roof dripping water continuously and several inches of liquid mud on the floor.

Either something in Francis's letters had concerned George or he was not hearing from him as often as usual, so he wrote to Francis's CO, Colonel N. C. Tilney, commander of the 4th Division artillery, who replied on 1 March:
In reply to your letter of 23rd, I am glad to say that your son is alright, and 1 fancy it must be on account of the badness of the post that you have not heard from him. Letters often take ten days to reach us here and I believe that they take nearly as long to get home. He was bothered a day or two ago by his neck, and had to stay in bed for a day. but be is better now, although still a little stiff.
Since he joined this brigade, he has been working very hard with his battery, and is an excellent battery commander,
Please excuse my writing paper, but I have run out of the proper article.

1st March
Orders with regard to a minor attack on Fritz Trench were issued and I was well enough to stagger to the OP and test our barrage. There was an official test barrage late and ours was passed as very good.

3rd March
Spent the day cutting wire at Fulda Point from an OP called Rachel North,

4th March
Attack on Fritz Trench by 8th Division. Zero hour at 5.15 a.m.
A complete success and all objective's gained bill rather heavy casualties were sustained later during consolidation by shell fire.
All quiet at 6.30 a.m. except German shelling on the lost trenches.

6th March
Orders to withdraw half battery to the wagon line.

7lt March
I took remainder of battery out and bivouacked in wagon line. Bitterly cold and snowing hard.

8th March
Marched via Sailly-le-Sec. St Gratien. Talmas. Outrebois to Couchy-sur-Canche.
A very different show to marching G Battery. These poor old horses can hardly struggle along after a winter in the Somme mud. Ended up the march some thirty horses short. The roads, after the break up of the frost, were almost impassable, we got bogged twice in the main street of villages.
We went into billets at Couchy and rested, cleaned tip generally and did some training.

22nd March
Battery moved up into action near St Nicolas. 10.C.2.2. there are about three brigades in line here: in fact the whole area is stiff with guns of all sizes. OP is in a large building off the square in Arras.
About twenty other artillery officers observe from the same place.

22nd March - 2nd April
usual routine of registration , look-out liaison and preparation of barrage tables. German air supremacy
Very marked. Their red squadron is on this front and every day several of our planes were shot down. The Germans here seem to be superior in every way to our airmen. There is a rumor that we have got some better machines ready but are waiting for the offensive to start before letting them loose.
On the 24th a shell landed on the trail of NO 6 gun and killed Bombardier Webb and three of the detachment. The No 1 was unhurt, though the shell must have nearly bit him. The gun was knocked out.
On the 31st our wagon line was shelled by a gun called Percy by the drivers. The brigade HQ lost some men and a good many horses, so the wagon line was moved to Lazerette.
On the 25th I went to reconnoiter OP's down a trench which led forwards from the crest of the hill in front. I turned down a cul-de-sac trench and looked for some time with my glasses at the German lines when a 5.9-inch battery started shooting at the junction of my cul-de-sac and the trench.
This went on for so long that I decided to run past as soon as a shell had fallen and before the next could arrive

The Germans must have seen me I think because this time a shell was followed very quickly by another which very nearly got me and my signaler. It fell just over the thrown-up earth of the communication trench and covered us with earth. Returned to find Squires looking pale and found that he also had been just missed by a shell. He said he had been bruised in the back so I had a look and found a minute hole in the middle of what looked like a slight bruise. When the doctor probed it. he found it was inches deep and Squires retired to England for good and all.
I heard afterwards that be bad to undergo several operations before they could get him well again.

3rd April
I compared barrages with contiguous batteries. McKay and Richey and found all correct. No 6 gun was again knocked out that day.

4th April
Start of bombardment of the Battle of Arras

5th April
Went down to front line and One of our airplanes was bit by one our own shells and broke into many bits.

6th April
Practice barrage to detect gaps and to cause casualties.

9th April Attack on large front up to Vimy Ridge. Zero hour 5.30 a.m. The attack appeared to proceed according to plan throughout. There was little interference by German guns near us till the advance to the brown line. Started when a battery started firing gas shells close to our control dug-out.
At about 2.00 we limbered up and and according to plan proceeded forward towards Athies.
On arrival at the prearranged new position a message arrived to the effect that the progress on our front was greater than bad been anticipated and directing us to a position further east.
I rode on to Fampoux and. after consultation with the local infantry: selected a former German battery position as a good spot to come into action. Observation from the Fampoux ridge in front gave a good view of Greenland Hill the chemical works and Monchy-le-Preux on the south bank of the Scarpe. Many abandoned German guns about and most of their equipment was left behind by the battery whose position we now occupied, including interesting maps and good instruments. This battery must have bad an easy time in the past. Very cleverly hidden in the east end of Athies and just able to clear the buildings in front for shooting at our lines, it had concrete emplacements and concrete dug-outs for every gun all connected by tunnels so that it was unnecessary to go out at all. in visiting the guns.
The emplacement, however did not suit us well and for various reasons I made another position for the battery in a hedgerow at the boundary of' the garden. The guns were excellently concealed and were I believe unspotted by the Germans for some time.
A German aviator's target map had a query mark against our position, whereas all the other batteries of the brigade were marked in as identified. Shelled all night by one of our own 4.5-inch howitzers which must have got a thousand yards or so wrong in its range, but without damage.

l0th-llth April
Renewed attacks on Greenland Hill. Cavalry arriving all day at Fampoux but they are twenty-four hours too late. On the previous day they could have ridden onto Greenland Hill without opposition but unfortunately they were committed on the south side of the Scarpe and were held up at once at
Monchy-le-Preux.
The area in front of our guns was full of cavalry and in the afternoon a German airplane pursued one of ours which came down to about a height of perhaps fifty feet, straight over all the horses but the German never fired a shot at the ground targets but followed the airplane without a pause. He shot it down after it had passed us by 500yards and then turned and bolted for home. Sleet and snow, and the wretched cavalry almost dead with cold and exposure.
The attacks on Greenland Hill were unsuccessful, as were various attempts by the cavalry to debouch from Fampoux. Many troopers and horses were killed by.

13th April
The battery was deluged with gas shell. Dozens fell round the guns but the worst seemed to be left of the battery and shortly the 27th Battery reported many casualties. The air fairly hummed with projectiles for an hour.
Later on some HE was added by way of contrast.

14th April
Up early on a misty morning and went to Point du Jour to register some new points visible from there.
Wandered on in the mist and fortunately became anxious about my position and retraced my steps
when I came upon a post which the officer in charge said was the most advanced one in that sector. Waited about in the post until the mist cleared. Then ran out telephone line and carried out registration
shoot.

23rd April
Another attack on Greenland Hill 4.45 a.m. Bombardier Houghton killed: Bombardier Fraser. Gunners Clark and Godden wounded. Attack unsuccessful.

24tb April
Peaceful day. perhaps the German artillery is moving back. A French soldier arrived in the battery position and explained that be had come on leave from the Vosges to see how his farm was getting on. The battery was in action in what was once his garden and the house was just a rubble heap over our mess dug-out. Rather doleful about his home, he afterwards saw the humorous side and. after a drink, went away apparently cheerfully resigned.

26th April
Bombardier Hobbs killed. Milne joined the battery from G. I don't think be could stand Young any longer.

27th April
while [we were] playing cards in our dug-out a shell burst close and seemed to shake the place more than usual so we had a look out and found the most enormous hole outside our door. Shortly afterwards more shell could be heard coming, one of which struck the corner of the roof of one of the concrete shelters.
Jenkins. Talboys. Brown and Hollowav wounded, the head of the shell did not break up and we made it out to be an 8-inch armour piercing shell.

28th April
Another attack on Greenland Hill. There are sixteen 60-pounders in line along the railway bank 800 yards behind and they go off like the noise of tearing a gigantic piece of calico, with a sheet of flame.
One or more premature always occur and the result usually comes bang into us.
Bombardier Wade badly wounded today with one of them. The attack achieved slight success and stung the Hun into making a counter attack in considerable force.
This was clearly visible from the Op's and was repulsed mostly by shellfire with heavy losses.
An official communique later even went so far as to admit the considerable effect of the guns on this occasion.

3rd May
Another unsuccessful attack on Greenland Hill. Three companies which penetrated to their objectives were cut off and have not returned.

6th May
Ordered to withdraw all but a guard from the guns and go for four days rest to the wagon lines. Marched out at dusk on the south bank of the scarpe to avoid the main St-Laurent-Blangy road which is always shelled by the Germans at night, but just as we reached the outskirts of Arras a terrific flare up occurred and proceeding we found the big ammunition dump near the bridge burning merrily.
Crossing there was out of the question and we had to retrace our steps to the next bridge up and go to bed very late.

11th may
Up to guns again for attack on chemical works by 4th division, the barrage arranged was a very thick one, one 18 pounder per six yards and as the attack was timed for the evening it was an easy matter to ensure great accuracy by shooting slowly at the starting line of the barrage until the last moment.
The sun was well in the west and observation perfect. The barrage came down at zero with a splendid crash and was quite the best I have seen in accuracy and thickness. The attack was a success.

12th May
A further attack on our left by the 17th division which we watched from our OP on Orange Hill.
In the evening a shell crashed into our tunnel leading into the mess and we were suddenly half smothered in gas fumes. Luckily everyone had his gas mask ready and on in next to no time but the fumes hung about for a long time and everything tasted very bad for several days.

13th-l6th May
German shelling much increased on our front, especially in Chemical Works area. Fampoux and the support line. I stupidly chose one of these days to wander out in front with Cockle to reconnoiter possible forward positions and had many times to shelter from bursts of shelling.
The shelling was followed at 3-30 a.m. on 16th May by a counter-attack in force. Detachments of Germans broke our line at Chemical Works but were afterwards driven out everywhere except from Cupid Trench. Hostile counter-battery work was heavy but we were lucky in only having a few close, though a very large number fell in our area. I think that our battery is still not located.
A lorry on the road by the 86tb Battery was hit direct and burst into flames.
During the morning we counted fourteen ammunition dumps go up from the group of batteries north of the 27th Battery.
The attack failed with great loss to the Germans who appeared to lose direction in their assault on the left of the sector. After the attack, the situation quieted down to a certain extent. Most of our shooting was by night. We used to send out two guns at dusk to previously prepared places to do the shooting
and thus avoid giving away the main position. It was difficult to find a spot to which no one had
some objection as the shooting often drew back a reply then or later.
Several times every night a large concentration was fired at selected communications behind the German line:
Altogether the enemy must have had a poor time from our artillery as ammunition now seems quite unlimited. In fact one gets almost sick of shooting so continuously. Much airplane activity all
the time. we saw one excellent fight when five Huns attacked one artillery machine of ours in the dusk when the tracer bullets could easily be seen, the fight bad just reached a point a couple of hundred of feet over the battery when a tri plane suddenly dived out of the sky and shot up one of the Huns who burst into flames and fell close by the guns.
The artillery on the Fampoux ridge in front got very careless and used to replenish ammunition by day and take no precautions as to concealment. One day I was crossing the Athies bridge in the afternoon when I heard a stream of shells coming and saw the whole of the ridge in front a mass of shell bursts. Several wagons were there at the time. They stampeded and galloped wildly about, dragging the dead horses until the harness broke and the survivors charged off the scene. there were many casualties and the following day much digging was started.
I had great fun one day shooting at a small length of trench near Cupid Trench into which several Huns disappeared just as it got light. Two guns with HE bolted them and the remaining four with shrapnel were ready to catch them as they appeared. They had only about a dozen yards to go to reach the main trench and I don't suppose I got one, though the bursts completely obliterated them, but it frightened them properly, and one extra fat German who doubled across at an amazing speed presented a most entertaining sight.

20th May
To wagon line. The first chance I have had of seeing the horses properly since 1 joined six months ago. We sent a digging party to dig a new forward position in front of the 134th Battery, otherwise carried out normal training and generally cleared up.

9th-20th June
Went on leave to England. 20th June-22nd July Spent a good deal of time at the wagon line Irving to smarten that department up for the 4th Division Horse Show which was held on 2nd July outside Arras.
The 32nd Brigade was placed in every event and I won the jumping with a clear round on my bay mare. Things were very quiet on our front and the normal life went on of shooting and liaison.
On 7th July I had a telephone message to say that I was posted to the Ministry of Munitions.

Spent my last night at the OP and returned to the battery at daybreak, when I said goodbye and rode back to the line. Thence to Arras station and so home, the end of a most enjoyable three years

 

The 4th Division artillery were in August moved to the Ypres Salient where in the 3rd Battle of Ypres they, together with most other artillery units employed there, lost nearly 100 per cent of their personnel.

So that was the end of Francis Foljambe,s war at the front. He had been mobilised and
Sent out to the front in August 1914, had fought at the very first British battle of the war at Mons, and had spent the next three years in France and Belgium with only three visits back to England for leave.

He spent the rest of the war at the Ministry of Munitions and there are no records of what he did there for the war effort.

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