2nd /7th Battalion
The XXth Lancashire Fusiliers
"The Battle of Poelcapelle 1917,"
a phase of the Third Battles of the Ypres (6-10 October 1917)

Ypres October 1917
My Experiences

by
Pte H Hilton
We left Winnezeele on the morning of Oct 5th and went about 3 miles outside Ypres (in motors) about 3-30pm, we then marched until 5-0pm where we had bread and water (this was our tea) we moved off again and were marching through mud 9-0pm, where we broke off to wait for the bombers coming with guns, they arrived about 3-0am on the 6th (after waiting 6 hrs in the rain) we got the guns and arrived at our bullets (which were shells half full of mud and water) about 4-0am and were told to get down to sleep the best way we could. I got down in a shell hole and slept for two hrs and woke up wet through and covered with mud and had to walk about to keep warm, we had a biscuit and a drop of tea (without milk or sugar) for the day, we were shelled out 3 times that day.
We went on a fatigue that night carrying spades up the line, up to the knees in mud and water, we got back and slept the best way we could. On the 7th we were a bit lucky, we got a quarter of a loaf for breakfast and a drop of tea, it had been raining everyday for the last week and we were in a terrible state what with the state of the ground it was nothing but shell holes and the rain and mud it was awful.
We got no dinner and had a biscuit and a drop of cold tea for our tea, we were shelled out 3 times that day, I slept in an old motor lorry on the road that night. On the 8th we had breakfast (1/4 loaf and tea) and went on a fatigue to bring biscuits, bombs and ammunition from the brigade dump 2 miles away and finished about 4-0pm (no dinner) then we were told to pack up ready for going in the line, we sat ready and marched about 200 yards and had to wait there until 6-0pm in the pouring rain, we then got rations for two days (1/2 loaf and 2 tins of bully beef) we moved off at 6-30pm and were marching until 5-0am on the 9th (through pouring rain and up to the knees in mud) when we got to the assembly place, the barrage started immediately and we went into action without a minutes rest, after marching all that time, (I felt like having a good sleep instead of going over the top) and the fun started, Fritz opened out and was placing his shells all around us, as soon as we started he wiped a gun team out with one shell, the greatest confusion reigned, the officers did not know whose the objective was and we were wandering all over the place, it was one great mass of shell holes and we were walking on the edge of shell holes filled with the bodies of our men and Fritz's and the smell from the dead bodies was terrible, the sights were enough to make anyone sick without the smell. However we kept on going (I don't know how) and we got to the railroad and Fritz's were coming in in hundreds some wounded and some not, there were lads there straight from Berlin only 16 yrs old and they had very little training. When the prisoners were coming in Fritz was sniping his own men before letting them fall into our hands. We went down the railway with shells falling all around is and scores of dead on either side of us. I don't know how I got to the bottom of the railway, for Fritz was sniping and had a machine gun on us, he was wiping our men out by the score, I got to the bottom somehow and dodged into a shell hole which had a big pile of stones at the front and I felt a bit safer then, with having the stones for protection although there were shells and bullets flying all around and men were dropping everywhere shot through the temple, Fritz was very keen on his sniping there, but he had the advantage, he was on the ridge in front and we were in the hollow so he could see all that we did. He made two counter attacks in the morning and afternoon and was driven back by the machine guns. About 4-0pm about 50 of his planes came over, flying just over our heads and firing their machine guns on us and the worst of it was we could not fire back. At 5-0pm he made a counter attack in mass and drove us back a bit, so we had to take it back again, but there is one thing about Fritz he would not face the bayonet, it is his artillery that does all the damage. The Captain and a Lieutenant were wounded this day and our platoon officer was badly wounded at night and died later on and he was a gentleman and I was very sorry to hear he had gone west. Nothing happened during the night only sniping and artillery firing. We stuck it another day, we were eating Fritz rations what we had found and drinking water out of shell holes, but we pulled through somehow and we were relieved in the early morning of the 11th and we were marching all morning until 8-0am, where we had breakfast, as much bread, bacon, porridge and tea as we could shift and we needed it I can tell you, (we had breakfast outside the asylum in the city of Ypres) I have not seen a place like it before and I have seen many places, it is a big city and there is not a building left standing everything is smashed up.
We moved from Ypres at 6-0pm in motor wagons and arrived at Winnezeele again at 10-0pm, so that finished our exciting experiences at Ypres for the time being at any rate
Pte H Hilton 281856
2/7 Lanc Fuss


Just returned from a short break in Pembrokeshire where we visited St David's Cathedral.

In one of the side chapels the local school children had obviously making a pastiche to commemerate the start of WW1. It was to honour the death of a local boy, 20 year old William Bowen Stephens who served in the 2nd/7th Bn and was killed on a night patrol on the 18th Apr 17. I took the attached pictures which you might consider appropriate for the Postings/Galleries page?

Maurice Taylor

I was suprised not to find anything honouring the Welch Guards or Regiment? Perhaps I did not look in the right places?


281076 Sergeant Victor Claude Wright MM.



281076, 2nd/5th Bn., Lancashire Fusiliers
who died age 28
on 20 June 1918
Husband of Emma Wright, of 5, Waterside, Heap Bridge, Bury, Lancs.
Remembered with honour
LOOS MEMORIAL

Major Christopher Alderson
2/7th Lancashire Fusiliers


"Major C.Alderson was awarded the DSO for skilful work in leading the troops into action and using his own initiative,in helping to produce order out of chaos at various stages and in contributing to the defeat of counter-attacks and to the successful withdrawal of the leading lines when their flanks were exposed."
He is mentioned in the report on page 4 under Sergeant Victor Claude Wright MM story above




http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=463436