Pilkem - Relieved - 8th of July

Well chums its time for my final instalment of the Pilkem Saga.

The last time I wrote to you I left the story at 9:00pm on the 7th of July. My Regiment and fellow pals had been on the receiving end of a continual horrendous shelling and frontal assaults over the top by the Hun. We had survived everything he had thrown at us and repulsed all his attacks. It had taken a tremendous toll on my fellow soldiers and we had dead, dying and wounded all around us. There was a constant stream of stretcher bearers and medical officers dashing around. Up on top there was plenty of dead and dying Hun. Nobody was coming for them except a 5.9 inch shell from their own artillery!

But the darkness hours were coming now, would we survive the night?

Well chums the Hun kept up his horrendous shelling that night and never left off once to make an attack. So you could say we were safe, if you could call it that bearing in mind we were in the midst of the biggest bombardment ever seen by the British military!

There was still the shored up Trench that ran straight on into Fritz's where the Hun kept up his bombing and sometimes attacks over the top. We bombed him likewise and any head that appeared over the top of the barracade or Trench was well and truly blown off.

We had ran out of food and water by this time but owing to the shelling and Fritz's antics by the barricade we didn't notice. We hadn't time to think about filling our stomachs or making a brew, we were too busy fighting or sheltering.

The only food we wanted was Mills bombs. We had got the hang of these beauties by now. They were mighty effective and mighty is the key word. They blew huge holes in the Huns lines and were effective over a 30 yard area. Hundreds were brought up to us and as fast as we got them we let Fritz have them.

This is a picture of a Mills Bomb next to one of our hand made jam tin bombs.

Mills Bomb next to a Jam Tin Bomb

Things had got so hot in the centre of our lines that Lieutenant G C Martin, leading a Platoon of D Company, had decided to Sap forward from our lines to get away from the Hun shelling. They dug their way some 10 yards forward and hastily created a new Trench. They then sat quite untroubled in the new Trench as the Hun blasted to smithereens the old Trench were they had been. Fritz hadn't noticed their switch and honed in on the coordinates he had for what was his old front line.

During the night the horrendous shelling went on and several times the Hun rushed the barricade at the end of our Trench. Each time we repulsed him with plenty of Mills Bombs and some good old Rifle fire.

Morning eventually came and at about 9:00am we thought the Hun was amassing to do a frontal attack again. Our artillery gave him a bashing and changed his mind. Then at 10:00am they started moving to right and amassing on our right flank. The artillery gave him another bashing and he decided the better of attacking us.

The day wore on with shelling, fighting down the saps, bomb fights, sniping, shooting and machine gunning. There's was no let up. I can tell you folks I was completely worn out. I hadn't eaten any proper food since the evening of the 6th. I'd had some bully beef and some biscuits but that was it.

In the early afternoon the Hun let off a massive salvo of shelling upon us. This time he wass really going for it. The shelling was so bad that the battalion HQ had to be moved to the far side of the canal. We knew what was coming, another attack.

We were well stocked up with bombs and ammo so when the lull in the shelling came we were up and out on Trench sides. The Hun duly came on and we let him have it with all we had. There was withering machine gun fire laid down by our gunners and the artillery blasted their front line trenchs. We laid down a blanket of bombs and bullets. The poor bloody Hun fell in swaithes. He didn't get near our positions and after the first few had been despatched none followed up, the artillery was cutting them to pieces.

So another attack had been repulsed but after two days of almost continuous fighting we were absolutely knackered.

Then at about 9:00pm we heard we were going to be relieved. The 1st Hampshire's were going to take over. It couldn't have come at a better time, I couldn't have kept the fight up much longer.

At 9:30pm the changeover was done. As we clambered and scrambled out of what was now a complete shambles I couldn't help but feel sorry for those blokes coming in. There wasn't any real Trench systems along the front any more, just some shattered few hundred metres of earth. In fact in some places the trench system no longer existed and there was just some pockets of trenches. This made it impossible to communicate down the line!

There was also dead bodies and other bits all over the place. It was like a butchers shop in some sections.

When we got out of the trenches we found out that it was only my Company and D Company that had been releived from the front line. We had been in the hottest and most contested part of the trench system. We had endured the most savage and prolonged fighting and it had taken its toll on our numbers. The top brass had seen this and decided it was time to change us before our numbers had got too few or before what was left of us collapsed from fatigue.

We marched down to a farm near Elverdinghe where we were able to get some good hot scoff and some long awaited sleep. When we awoke the next day we washed and then took up guard duties on the surrounding roads.

Our chums in C Company were moved back to the support trenches and A Company was left in position on the right hand side of the front line. Both these were then relieved by the York's and Lancs on the evening of the 9th. Instead of joining us at the farm it had been decided to retire us all further behind the front. The brass had decided to transport us lot  in B and D Company by motor buses, a rare treat! A and C Company had to route march.

We all rendezvoused in a field near Poperinghe. We had bivouced the night there but A and C Companies arrived at 6:00 am. They were given some good hot scoff and time to rest and recoup. Then at 5:00pm we all packed up and marched off for Proven. We had a rare old surprise when we arrived there. The incumbent Regiment had turned out and presented arms as we marched in. This was in tribute of our fine defence of the trenches at Pilkem. I can tell you chum I was as proud as Punch as we marched in there, head held high and chest pumped out. To get a tribute from your fellow soldiers is a rare honour and we warmly welcomed it with all due pride and swagger.

So chums thus ended the Pilkem Saga. It had taken a huge toll on the battalion. So much so that we have now been out of the front line since then and I don't think we'll be going back any time soon. I'll bring you up to date the next time I write to you, giving details of the status of the battalion and what has happened to us since the 10th of July.

Bye for now,

Proud as Punch, Albert x