8th Lincolns captured in "Swan Trench" at Gommecourt 5 April 1918 - The Long, Long Trail (original) (raw)
This article is adapted from my report on William Boardman Weston, completed for a private client in October 2022.
How William came to be in “Swan Trench”
William Boardman Weston was attested (that is, he signified his willingness to serve) in Hanley, Staffordshire on 18 September 1916. It was recorded that he was aged 17 years and 11 months (this was less than a week before his 18th birthday), lived at 77 Fenton Road in Hanley with his mother, was unmarried, was employed as a potter’s turner, and that he had no previous military experience. Although the 1916 Military Service Act had come into effect and introduced conscription earlier in the year, William decided to enlist voluntarily. He did so under a method known as the Group System.
On 6 September 1916 a start was made in posting notices announcing the formation of a new “Group B” under this method. This was to be open for voluntary attestation of those born in 1899, with the assurance that they would not be called for service until they reached 18. At the same time all men in “Group A” and those in “Class A” and who were born in 1898 were informed that they would be required to serve from the age of 18 years and 7 months (previously 18 and 8 months). This category of man began to be mobilised from 7 October 1916.
William received his mobilisation notice on 28 March 1917 and found he had been allotted to the Prince of Wales’s (North Staffordshire Regiment). He was ordered to report to its regimental depot at Whittington Barracks near Lichfield. He became the regiment’s Private 38049. But this would prove to be short-lived.
William’s intake of recruits was transferred to the Lincolnshire Regiment and posted to its 3rd (Reserve) Battalion, located at Grimsby, on 5 April 1917. This required them to be renumbered and William became its Private 31959.
He was posted to France as part of a draft on 28-30 November 1917 and proceeded to Number 9 Infantry Base Depot at Etaples.
On 20 December 1917 William was assigned to a draft of 32 men that joined the Lincolns’ 8th (Service) Battalion. When he was taken prisoner (below) he was serving with the battalion’s “A” Company. It is likely that he was allotted to this company soon after arrival.
William draft reported to the battalion at “Murrumbidgee Camp” in the rear area behind the notorious Ypres sector of the front. It soon had once brief spell in the front line, which was relatively quiet at the time, before going out into the rear again. In mid-January 1918, the 37th Division was relieved and the whole formation moved out for a period of rest, with William’s battalion going to Wallon-Cappel, west of Hazebrouck. This proved to be relatively short, and the division returned to the Ypres front for February and most of March, with the battalion taking is turns as the various units were rotated between period of trench holding and out in close support or rest.
On 21 March 1918, the Germans commenced an immense offensive in France, and within days the 37th Division was released from its duties at Ypres in order to be sent urgently to reinforce the affected area. The battalion arrived in the rear area of the Somme sector on 29 March 1918 and march forward to be billeted at Hénu. On 1 April, it moved into the front line southeast of Gommecourt.
A German sketch map of the series of offensives that were either in operation on 26 March 1918 or were in planning for imminent execution. Operation “Michael” is the one of relevance to William’s capture. Note the location of the German Seventeenth Army and the British-held village of Hébuterne, which is near to the site of the battalion’s action on 5 April 1918.
German records give 5 April 1918 as the date on which William was captured, and that he was unwounded at the time. The war diary of his battalion reports a counterattack made in the area southeast of Gommecourt, Somme, and that in addition to numbers killed and wounded, 62 men were missing as a result of this action. William was one of them.
The counterattack
The battalion moved from Hénu to the Gommecourt front line on 1 April 1918 and began preparations for a large-scale counterattack. Note that Hébuterne lies a short distance southwest of Gommecourt.
Part of a map from the British Official History of Military Operations, France and Flanders, 1918 volume 2. The British Third Army finally halted Seventeenth Army’s offensive north of the River Ancre, and Hébuterne remained in British hands.
The war diary of the General Staff at the headquarters of 37th Division describes in detail the large-scale counterattack made on 5 April 1918, the Battle of the Ancre. This was a highly sophisticated “all arms” attack that combined artillery and machine gun barrages, tanks, infantry and air power. It succeeded in finally bringing the German offensive to a halt and regained some lost ground, but it was the action in which William was captured along with a large number of his battalion comrades.
Part of the after-action narrative by divisional headquarters staff, which summarised the work of William’s battalion. It appears that most of the men who were missing were in fact captured in the vicinity of “Swan Trench”.
The area of relevance is that of 63rd Infantry Brigade, which is shown in close-up below.
“Swan Trench” can be seen in red and is titled “2nd Objective”. Note that the trench runs through Rossignol Wood. This area will be familiar to anyone studying the attack on Gommecourt at the start of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916.
A Google map of the area today. It is little changed. The thinck straight black line marks an overhead electricity supply line and is a useful marker when walking or touring this battle area. Note the white lane that crosses the yellow D6 just west of Rossignol Wood. It was the site of “Duck Trench”, the first objective.
Google Maps, with the camera standing at the junction noted above. Looking along the D6 away from Gommecourt. Rossignol Wood can be seen on the left and was in the assault front of the Somerset Light Infantry. “Duck Trench”, the first objective of the counterattack, ran across the road where the camera is standing. On the Somersets’ right, the 8th Lincolns’ attack took it over the fields on the right, generally advancing away from the camera and broadly parallel to the road. William Boardman Weston was captured somewhere within the area shown.
William and others of his regiment named as “missing in action” in the War Office daily casualty list of 10 June 1918.
Aftermath
William was held at Parchim and Friedrichsfeld-bei-Wesel and was reported to have arrived back in England in the War Office list of repatriated men issued on 17 December 1918.
His family memory was that was deployed on POW guard duty work at Branston near Burton-on-Trent. This is perfectly possible and would fit into this timing in his story. His service record includes a blank disciplinary record, signed by an officer of 161st Protection Company of the Royal Defence Corps. This was a Nottingham-based unit, and the corps was used for tasks such as POW security. It may be that William was attached to it for a time (he does not appear to have been formally transferred.)
On 28 June 1919 he was sent to Ireland, for regiment’s 1st Battalion had deployed there at a most difficult time during the war of independence and was stationed at Clonmel and Cahir.