CHAPTER XIV

THE MORINGHEM TREK

A long stay of eleven days in Dominion Lines ended with a return to the Support positions around Swan Château on the 8th of May, but only three days were spent here (during which time there were thirteen casualties, an unusually high number for the comparative safety of support positions) before the Battalion was relieved by the Poplar and Stepneys, and moved back to the village of Dickebusch for two days, before starting on the “Moringhem Trek,” the first affair of its kind since the memorable trek to the Somme.

The trek began on the 13th of May with a march to the village of Watou, and the old soldier now knew that he would soon be taking part in an attack. “They’re not taking us all this way for exercise, or simply for our amusement” he told the latest joined recruit as they marched along, “but it’s worth it to get away from the Salient for a few days and to see the civvies once more without any fear of shelling. And remember, when we go over the odds are generally about four to one on a blighty, so don’t worry.”

The billets were good in Watou, but they were even better in the village of Sercus, where the Battalion, after marching through Hazebrouck, spent the second night. General regret was felt that only one night was spent in this village, and on the third day, after passing through Arques and St. Omer, the training area was reached and the Companies were billeted in the village of Moringhem and the neighbouring villages. On the whole the billets were poor and uncomfortable, besides being scattered. “A” and Headquarters Company were in Moringhem itself, “B” and “C” were about a mile and a half away in Petit Difques, and “D” were in the little hamlet of Cuslinghem.

It was announced that about three weeks would be spent in this district, and a somewhat ambitious programme of sports and recreation was drawn up. The training was often finished soon after mid-day. An inter-platoon football competition was started, and preliminary heats for the Battalion Sports Meeting, to be held on the 20th of May, were run off during the early days of the “holiday.”

The Brigadier having expressed a wish that officers and men should be given facilities to visit St. Omer, parties were made up each day for that purpose. The men generally went in G.S. wagons and limbers, and the officers usually returned _a voiture_.

A novelty in Regimental Sports was introduced on the 19th of May at what was reported in the _Financial Times_ as the Moringhem May Meeting, when the only event was a horse race for officers’ chargers.

The race took place after church parade, and was over a five furlong course behind the village church. Unfortunately, one or two of the starters were not quite sure where the course was, and consequently several horses had to wait at “the tapes” while Battalion orderlies scoured the village for missing runners and jockeys. More unfortunate still was the experience of the “bookie” who, at great trouble, had secured costumes for himself and his clerk, but who spent the morning wandering about the neighbouring hills, vainly searching for the course, and cursing his clerk for a fool.

Lieutenant Craig, the Transport Officer, acted as starter to a field of seven. The Adjutant’s horse, Bunty, was first away, but his jockey lost a stirrup and could not keep the lead. Entering the straight, the Medical Officer (Captain C. M. Gozney) on the Boy, was in front, and, shaking off the challenge by Bunty and Sunshine, he rode a good race and won by a short head from the former, with Sunshine (ridden by Captain F. D. Balfour) close up third. The winner started at 5-2, Bunty at 3-1, and Sunshine at 100-3. The favourite Polly (5-4), ridden by Captain Bowers Taylor, a heavyweight jockey, was quite unable to give the weight away to the leaders. The bookie, it should be mentioned, arrived on the course just in time to “pay out,” as there had been considerable ante-post betting, and all the placed horses had been well backed.

The Battalion Sports Meeting on the following day was marred by orders to send off a digging party of 200 other ranks to dig trenches on the training ground. The whole Battalion had turned up on the Transport Field, and cookers were in attendance so that tea could be had on the ground, but after the departure of the working party, interest in the Sports died down, and the crowd, somewhat disappointed, filtered away.

Much keener interest was taken in the Inter-platoon football competition, in the final of which Numbers 5 and 15 Platoons met three times at Moringhem without being able to come to a decision. Two hours exciting play on each of the first two occasions failed to produce even a goal, but at the third meeting, play actually continued until Lights Out, when the score was two goals all. It should, perhaps, be mentioned that in these days of summer time it was not uncommon for Lights Out to be sounded while it was still daylight. The football final was not decided until after the Battalion had been in the front line. The score on that occasion, when Number 15 Platoon won by no less than nine goals to nothing, was an eloquent but sad testimony to what had happened since the three drawn games at Moringhem.

The stay at Moringhem differed in many respects from the preparation for the Somme battle in 1916. On this occasion the Division marched straight to its training ground, which was reached in three days. The marked out course quickly made its appearance, and it was made known at the outset that the 140th Brigade was training for the attack on the German positions around the White Château, just south of the Canal, near Hollebeke. Moreover, the “non-starters” were selected at the beginning of the training, and the rehearsals were carried out with the officers, N.C.O.’s and men who were going to take part in the actual attack.

The training was nothing like so strenuous as that for the High Wood battle, and the men thus finished their day’s work with sufficient energy left for football and other sports in the evening. In one respect the experience of the Somme preparation was repeated. The Adjutant, Captain W. E. Ind, M.C., threw himself whole heartedly and enthusiastically into the work of training the Battalion and had very quickly mastered every detail of the scheme. It was very largely due to his efforts that the Civil Service Rifles left Moringhem thoroughly prepared for their share in the battle and so full of confidence in their success.

On the whole a very happy time had been spent at Moringhem, and there was no great anxiety to leave the place on the 31st of May, when the Battalion returned by train from St. Omer to Poperinghe, where, as they marched out of the station, the troops were greeted at once with a few shells--just as a reminder that they were back in the Salient.

The discomforts of the Ypres Salient were rarely more forcibly illustrated than on the afternoon of the arrival at the so-called tented camp in Dominion Lines. The march from Poperinghe Station took place in the afternoon, and the Battalion marched into Dominion Lines with visions of a comfortable camp and a welcome cup of tea! The men were doomed to disappointment, for the “camp” proved to be a strip of waste ground, very dusty, and without even a blade of grass on it. There were a few bivouac sheets to be issued to each Company, and there were about three bell tents for officers. Beyond this there was not a stick of camp equipment of any kind. The disappointment was all the keener because the Area Commandant was a Civil Service Rifles officer, and it was thought he might have treated his own Regiment a little better. The other three Battalions of the Brigade were comfortably housed in huts.

The country all around presented a very different aspect from that seen in the autumn of 1916, when the Division came to Ypres for a rest. On all sides one now saw signs of the coming offensive. The roads were lined with big ammunition dumps, a few of which were blown up nightly by Bosche artillery fire, which had increased very considerably during the past month. The English artillery, too, had increased their activity, and some wonderful bombardments were witnessed both by day and night. The Bosche, in fact, could not have had much doubt of what was in store for him. The only doubt in his mind would be how much longer he would be allowed to remain in his front line trenches.

A mysterious-looking enclosure, marked “Segregated Area,” attracted a good deal of attention from the curious among the troops, who, after reading the notice outside, that no horses could be admitted, discovered that many tanks were housed there. Members of the Civil Service Rifles who had been on the Somme heaved a sigh of relief when they learnt that, although tanks were co-operating in the coming attack, none were allotted a definite part in the task of their Battalion.

The 2nd of June was devoted to final preparations for the battle. Officers got their men together for a little extra talk, and all ranks eagerly studied maps and aeroplane photographs, of which there was a generous supply and which showed clearly how thoroughly the artillery had prepared the way. There was an atmosphere of suppressed excitement similar to that of the days before High Wood, but on this occasion there was greater confidence, inspired by the unmistakable evidence on all sides of the magnificent work of the artillery and the Air Force.

Company Commanders went up to reconnoitre the support positions which the Battalion was to occupy the next day, and working parties were sent out along the cross-country tracks, which had been made to ease the traffic along the roads. These parties were occupied all day in the pleasant task of filling up the shell holes which the Bosche had made overnight.

The battle surplus to be left behind when an Infantry Battalion took part in an attack had by this time been clearly defined by General Headquarters, and consequently a large party of “non-starters” joined the Divisional Reinforcement Camp before the Battalion left for the trenches on the 3rd of June. These included, in addition to two of the regular Company Commanders, representatives of every platoon and specialist section in the Battalion-picked N.C.O.’s and men who would form a worthy nucleus on which to build a new Battalion in the event of heavy casualties being suffered. The Divisional Reinforcement Camp was commanded by Lieut.-Colonel Warrender, who had left the Civil Service Rifles the previous November to command the 47th Divisional School at Poperinghe.