*VIRTUAL TOUR - The Somme Offensive Continued* The Battle Of Ancre (Beaumont Hamel)

THE BATTLE OF ANCRE (BEAUMONT HAMEL)

Assembly Point

Beaumont Hamel was an important objective of the Battle of Ancre, which took place between the 13th and 19th November 1916; the final phase of the Somme Offensive. As mentioned in the Newfoundland Park section, Beaumont Hamel had been attacked on the first day of the Somme Offensive; unfortunately, the attack failed, and the heavily fortified area was regarded as almost impregnable. The November attack was to be carried out by the Fifth Army, with II Corps South of the river, and V Corps North of the river. V Corps attack would have the 63rd Division on the right, 51st Highland Division and 2nd Division in the centre, and the 3rd Division on the left, with the 37th Division in reserve. 

The objective for the 52nd Highland Division ran from the village of Beaumont Hamel South-East to ‘Y’ Ravine. The latter was a heavily fortified ‘Y’ shaped Ravine with steep sides running towards the British line; there was also a second valley, down which ran the old Beaumont Road. To assist in monitoring progress of the attack there were a number of report lines, the first objective being green and a second yellow. There were also intermediate report lines red, blue, and purple. The attack had been originally planned for the 24th October, but because of the torrential rain, there were a number of delays until the attack was eventually scheduled for the 13th November. 

According to the book The History of the 51st (Highland) Division 1914-1918, by Major F W Bewsher DSO, MC:

The attack was originally planned for 24th October, but owing to the weather a succession of postponements took place. The first postponement was until 30th October; on 25th October, a further postponement of 48 hours was ordered. On 29th October, the date of the attack was changed to 5th November. Later, it was again postponed to 9th November, and again to 10th November. On 7th November information was wired that the attack was indefinitely postponed. On 10th November, it was ordered to take place on 13th November. On 11th November the hour for zero-that is, the hour at which the infantry advance begins-was selected as 05:45hrs on 13th November

The Carnage

General Harper, commanding the 51st Highland Division, had been urged to conduct the attack on a three Brigade front; however, it was his judgement that he would do better to have a phased attack with a reserve, and therefore, determined to advance the two Brigades up, 152 on the left, 153 on the right, and 154 in reserve. Because the attack had been planned to be launched earlier, wire cutting using Artillery and 2-inch mortars had begun in late October. Patrols reported that this was very successful; details were kept on the extent of the damage, and where the route had been clear. During the preparations before the attack, a number of raiding parties and patrols were launched into the enemy trenches, with the task of determining what Units the attack would face; this was particularly important as it gave a clear indication of the extent and numbers of the Enemy Defenders.

As has already been mentioned, in the days before the attack the weather had been atrocious, and the ground had become a sodden mass. The move forward to the start line during the night was difficult, and those who arrived there first had a long wait as the rest moved slowly into position. At 05:45hrs, Z-hour, a mine was exploded as a signal to commence an intense bombardment of the German position; there had been no preliminary bombardment, which would have risked giving away the preparations for the attack. There was a thick fog in the morning, and this helped with the concealment and delayed the response of the Germans. The progress behind the barrage was deliberate and slow; the state of the ground made it impossible to move quickly, and the rate of advance was about 25 yards a minute. There was stiff resistance, but by 07:50hrs both Brigades had reached the third line; although, pockets of resistance, emerging from tunnels, were still behind them. “Y” ravine proved particularly stubborn, and despite progress elsewhere it took all day to overcome the resistance there. Elsewhere, the attack had reached the Green line, and in one case continued in the direction of the Yellow line. However, the casualties had been too heavy for a sustained attack to the Yellow line, so they fell back to conform to the flanking movements. The night was spent consolidating the position on the Green line, and preparing to continue the attack the next morning. On the 14th November, further attacks were made in conjunction with the 2nd Division, which culminated in the taking of the Munich Trench, just short of the Frankfurt Trench, on the Yellow line. During the 15th November 154 Brigade took over the line from 152 and 153 Brigades, and on the 17th November the Division was relieved by 32nd Division.

After The Attack