Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
The War Diary for today records. At 0045hrs the Battalion was formed up ready to attack, C Company on the right, D Company on the left were on the light railway from R.8.b. 90.00 (in touch here with the 9th Norfolk Regiment) to R.2.d. 50.00 (in touch on left with the 1st/5th Gloucestershire Regiment). A Company were at R.8.b. 50.40 and B Company in the village of Basuel ready to follow in artillery formation. C and D Company’s were ordered to attack, A Company to mop up, and B Company to follow on and exploit. 9th Norfolk Regiment were attacking on our right, 1st/8th Gloucesters on our left. First objective in line from R.4.a. 3.0 to L.33.d. 6.2. Second or subsidiary objective G.19.d. 25.10 to L.24.a. 0.1. At 01.20hrs Zero hour. Attacking troops waited for four minutes and then moved forward with barrage. Enemy barrage started two minutes after our own. At 01.24hrs our troops had great difficulty in going forward. Immediately in front of them were small orchards for a distance of 500 yards, with thick hedges reinforced by wire, and although billhooks were used, the wire and the direction of the hedges soon caused the attacking lines to lose direction to some extent and the barrage was lost owing to the same reasons. In spite of this groups of C and D Company’s pushed on until held up by Machine Gun fire from direction of R.3.d. and R.4.c., and the fact that the Battalion on our right had failed to progress. We succeeded in gaining the ridge in the open country in R.3.c. by about 05.00hrs. At 05.30hrs Officer Commanding B Company, rear Company, reported that he had consolidated about 220 yards east of jumping off line on correct front and was held up by Machine Gun fire from left flank and front, that company’s in front were very much scattered and had (in some cases) lost direction. This officer, Lieutenant Collins waited on this line until about 05.45hrs and then took advantage of the growing daylight to push forward. At 05.45hrs the Battalion Intelligence Officer, 2nd Lieutenant L. G. Arnold was ordered by the Commanding Officer to proceed to the scene of operations and report on the situation. The Commanding Officer himself proceeded to the line shortly afterwards. At 06.10hrs Officer Commanding left front company, Lieutenant Mackay arrived at the Regimental Aid Post wounded and reported that he was hit very early in the action. His only information was that his company started well. At 06.15hrs a wounded man from the right front company reported that C Company started well, after going 450 yards heavy Machine Gun fire and shelling caused platoons to lose touch. This was afterwards confirmed by an officer of C Company, Lieutenant Mee. At 06.50hrs an officer of the American Tank Corps. reported as having reconnoitered as far as cross roads in R.3.d. 60.40 where he encountered three 77mm guns at 03.00hrs which he thought had been withdrawn by the time of reporting. This officer then proceeded to clear up the situation in R.9. and R.3.a. and d. when right Battalion was still held up. At 07.30hrs an officer of our right front company, 2nd Lieutenant Ponting came down to Battalion HQ’s by order of the Commanding Officer and reported that at 05.30hrs C Company was held up at edge of wood R.3.d. 90.90 by Machine Guns firing from about R.4.a. 75.75. The company was in touch on the left with our two rear company’s in R.3.b. He had seen nothing of the Battalion on our right, our right flank in R.3.d. was unsupported. At 0915hrs a man from A Company brought down two wounded, and one wounded officer prisoners belonging to the Jaeger Cyclists. Location of capture was probably L.33.a. showing that elements of A Company had lost direction, and were going towards Pommereuil. At 10.30hrs the Officer Commanding C Company, Lieutenant Colborne Smith reported at Regimental Aid Post wounded early in the action, he could give no information as to later progress of his company. Shortly afterwards Officer Commanding B Company reported wounded at Regimental Aid Post, his company had pushed forward as far as L.34.c. and the chief opposition met with in that area was from German snipers who were in the trees. Having no support on the right flank, he then had retired slightly to the line of his first objective. At the same same the Brigade on our left the 75th Infantry Brigade informed us that some of our men were in touch with them in L.34.c. and L.33.d. At 11.08hrs Officer Commanding A Company, Captain F.H. Jeeps reported that he had found B Company who were just in front of Red Line. He had consolidated with what remained of the four company’s on line L.33.d. 60.20 along Red Line to R.3.b. 99.70 to R.4.a. 40.55 and was in touch with the 21st Manchester Regiment on left but right flank was in the air. At 12.30hrs the Adjutant informed the Officer Commanding A Company that the 2nd Sherwood Foresters were sending one company to occupy the line from his right as far as R.4.d. central where the West Yorkshire Regiment were in position. At 12.30hrs casualties known at the Regimetal Aid Post up to this hour were 3 officers and 74 other ranks wounded. At 12.40hrs information received and transmitted immediately to Officer Commanding A Company that the enemy was retiring across the Canal de la Sambre at R.6.a. 00.30. Orders issued to Battalion to push out patrols, move forward and keep in touch with the enemy. At 13.30hrs left Corps. reported their line at G.9.b. 00.10. In accordance with orders issued at 12.45hrs Battalion line was pushed forward during the afternoon as far as road from L.34.b. 10.70 to L.34.b. 80.00. The company’s were then under the command of Lieutenant Mee, Captain F. H. Jeeps having been wounded at mid day. At 16.30hrs warning order received from Brigade saying that 71st Infantry Brigade was being relieved at night by the 16th Infantry Brigade. During the afternoon patrols were pushed well forward in the direction of the second objective. At 20.00rs Lieutenant Mee reported having captured a field gun, apparently for use against tanks during the morning on road at L.33.d. 99.60 the breech block is intact but the sights had been removed, four men of the crew captured at the same time. At 21.15hrs 71st Infantry Brigade Operational Order number 381 receieved ordering the Battalion to be relieved by the remainder of the 2nd Sherwood Foresters, four guides were sent out to meet the Battalion, two remaining at the railway arch at R.2.d. 70.40 and two proceeding towards L.34.b. The two latter took a long time to reach the Battalion and owing to the muddy state of the road between Basuel and the front line the relief was not complete until the early hours of the morning. The night was very quiet. Casualties, other ranks A Company 1 killed, 16 wounded. B Company 3 killed, 17 wounded. C Company 9 killed, 28 wounded, 8 missing. D Company 2 killed, 36 wounded, 3 missing. Officers wounded, Captain F. H. Jeeps, -?- F. S. Dennis, -?- Collis, Lieutenant A. Colborne Smith, -?- F.S. Markham.