The 1st Battalion was heavily involved in the action at Second Ypres in April and May of 1915.  On a recent battlefield tour with Richard Holmes, we had four days in the Ypres Salient.  In preparation for that visit I looked up the entries in the War Diaries for this action.  I have attached my notes and also some maps as well as photos from the tour.

Map showing the area of action Map detail showing 1st Battalion assault Hand drawn map showing the farms Map showing the situation by the 25th April Photos from No Man’s Cot Cemetery

As well as the action on the 23rd April I have included a page for the action on the 8th May which also included the 1st Battalion. These were both part of Second Ypres.

Some notes showing the involvement of 1st Battalion York & Lancaster Regimentt taken from War Diaries of 1/Y&L; V Corps and Report of Col Geddes. The source diary is indicated on each line, where the source changes; i.e the first is V Corps, then 1st Battalion (shortened to Y&L). 

22nd April

     V Corps;  5pm.  Heavy firing heard on left of our line.  The 45th French Div. attacked by Germans after discharge of asphyxiating gases. Fumes even reached our Report Centre 7000 to 8000 yards away.

          7.10 pm.  Canadian Div. reports French have retired.  They retired in disorder some running to VLAMERTINGHE.  They left their trenches and their guns and practically ceased to exist as a fighting force east of the canal.  The left of the Corps is in the air.         

     Y&L;  The battalion was billeted in huts outside Ypres (to the south west), where they had arrived at 4am on the 22nd.  At 6pm they heard "very heavy firing to the north". The 1/York & Lancs were part of 83 Brigade, 28Division, and were resting in reserve on the 22nd.

          7pm.  "French troops came down all roads in great disorder saying the Germans had advanced overwhelming them with asphyxiating gases".  The battalion 'Stand to'.

The map below is from the PRO files and shows the area of fighting following the German breakthrough with their first use of gas.

23rd April

     V Corps;  12.30am.  28th Div. to collect 31/2 battalions at ST JEAN to come under orders of G.O.C. Canadian Div. to get touch with French.    

     Y&L;  1:15am 28 Division order battalion to move to St JEAN and come under command of Col GEDDES of the Buffs.  On arrival at St Jean they heard that 2 kilometres of French trenches had been rushed. 

          Battalion occupies trenches to the north of St Jean while the Buffs, 5/Kings Own 3rd Middlesex tries to join into the gap made in the lines.  [GEDDES' report has Y&L arriving about 3.30am]

          5.30am   Battalion ordered to move forward and take up a position N.W. of WIELTJE.  During this movement which was executed by small detached parties the battalion experienced a severe shelling by shrapnel and high explosives causing a few casualties.  The battalion dug itself in in some disused trenches and was heavily shelled most of the morning.         

     V Corps; 12.32pm Situation as follows from right;

          2nd Canadian Brigade in its original trenches, 3rd Canadian Bde. partly in its original trenches and partly facing the N.W. through C.6.a to about wood in C.10.d   2 battalions 1st canadian Bde. on left of 3rd Bde and on their left 2 battalions of 28th and 27th Div in first line and in support.  On left of these are the remaining 2 Bns. of the 1st Canadian Bde.   The left of 1st Canadian Bde rests on road YPRES-PILCKEM in C.20   The attack of this force reported progressing.         

     GEDDES' Report for 23rd;  extracts of the report on the action on the 23rd.  The Middlesex were to advance on the left to connect with the French and then extend to their right while the 5/King's Own were to advance up the centre (PILCKEM) road and connect up the Middlesex and Buffs.  The York & Lancs were to follow the 5/King's Own in support along the centre road.  In consequence of the messages received from the Canadians, the York & Lancs were later instructed to move to astride the wood by WIELTJE to be nearer, in case as seemed likely, it was necessary to support the Canadians.  HQ of Col Geddes moved to WIELTJE when the movements were all well in progress.

          During the advance news was received as to the presence of portions of the 1st Canadian Bde on the East side of the Canal, so instructions were sent to the Middlesex and 5/King's Own to incline to their right and so shorten a rather extended front, while keeping touch with the 1st Canadian Bde.

          The advance was carried out with determination under heavy fire and a practically continuous line established from the 3rd Canadian Bde to the Canal and considerable information obtained as to the line held by the enemy.  Owing to a mistake by a signaller the 5/King's Own received and acted on the message sent to the York & Lancs to move across to nearer WIELTJE, thus leaving temporarily a gap in the middle of the line.  The enemy made no attempt to take advantage of this.  The 5/King's Own received orders to return to their place, and in spite of very heavy shell fire moved back again with such skill and steadiness that their casualties were wonderfully slight.

          Orders were issued to the units to dig themselves in and maintain the line they had gained.  It was now about midday on the 23rd.

GEDDES' Report  3.10pm;  Orders were received for an attack. 

          The 13th Bde was reported to be crossing the pontoon bridge at 3pm and advancing to the attack at 3.45pm with its right on the YPRES-PILCKEM road.  Col Geddes' two reserve battalions (E.Yorks and York & Lancs) were to attack in conjunction with 13th Bde with their left on the YPRES-PILCKEM road.

          The attack was not very late (about 4.15pm) and was pushed home with gallantry and determination.  In places the attack reached within 100 yards of the enemy's position.  owing to orders not reaching them on time the Middlesex also advanced with the attack and suffered considerably.  The losses were very great and no further progress was possible.         

     2/East Yorks  Their diary has the following entry as part of the report on the attack on the 23rd.

          "Superb courage was displayed throughout by all ranks. The spirit of tenacity of the men is shown by the fact that a party of men, under Corporal HALL, who for some unaccountable reason did not receive the order to retire, actually entrenched themselves within 30 yards of the enemy, where they remained undisturbed by the GERMANS for over 48 hours without food or water.  Finding themselves isolated and not receiving orders they retired after dark on the 25th." 

The map below shows the attack made by the 1st Battalion and the 2/DCLI.  Turco Farm is towards the top centre of the map.

The map to the left shows the layout of the farms with Turco Farm in the road triangle towards top left, with La Belle Alliance below it.  The phot above shows Turco Farm today from No Man’s Cot Cemetery, which we visited. The cemetery is between Turco and La Belle Alliance, between to 20m contour north of La Belle Alliance, and the little track immediately above the contour.

Y&L; 4pm   Orders were received for Bn. to participate in an attack on the German position.  A sketch map of the area to be attacked by the York & Lancs is shown below and taken from their diary [WO 95/2275].  The writing is a little faint but it shows Fusilier and Turco farms on the ridge line, (to the left and right respectively od the letter ‘D’) with Belle Alliance at the bottom.  I am unsure if the positions marked as 'A' and 'B' on the diagram refer to the hedges in the description below.

          4.10pm   Companies marched independently to the farm and the attack debouched from behind it under very heavy rifle and machine gun fire.

              On arrival at hedge B Lt Chamier was sent forward with nos. 1 and 2 and Capt. Palmer with 2/Lt Connors followed with nos. 3 and 4 platoons close behind.  No. 5 platoon under Capt Cowley moved off with A Coy, having become detached from B Coy before the attack started.

              At about the same time C Coy moved out to the right of A; nos. 11 and 12 platoons leading under Capt Eansly-Wilmot and Lt Briscoe followed by nos. 9 and 10 platoons under Lt Gauntlett

              A and C Coys were followed by D and B Coys also moving in small parties as far as hedge A.  Here D Coy followed the line of A at about 250yd distance in the following formation :-

          During the advance of the infantry and after the last two coys. had passed hedge A, the machine gun section took up a second position along the hedge B where 2 Canadian machine guns were already in action.  From this post the guns opened fire on the same ridge at 1000yd.  The remainder of the country in front was so open that the guns were not advanced further until the fighting had considerably diminished and darkness had fallen when they were sent to the forward line in anticipation of a possible counter-attack by the Germans.

2/D.C.L.I.  The diary for this battalion has an excellent sketch map of their assault, (shown a little higher up the page ) and includes the positions of the York & Lancs.  The following is their description of the attack.

          The battalion was ordered to move up to support the left of the CANADIAN DIVISION and crossing the ST JEAN-WIELTJE road dug themselves in along the hedges of a farm W of WIELTJE where they came under the orders of Col GEDDES.  The battalion was ordered to attack northwards towards PILCKEM on the RIGHT of the PILCKEM-YPRES road in conjunction with the 13th brigade who were to attack on the LEFT of this road.  The battalion was on the right of the York & Lancaster regt. whose LEFT was to be on this road.  B&D companies formed the firing line and A&C companies were in support. During the attack the battalion suffered heavily from machine gun, shell and rifle fire.  By 8pm the attack had reached the farm in square C.15.C but owing to the disorganisation caused by the attack the line was ordered to withdraw to the ridge in C.20 & 21 about 9.30pm where units were reorganised and ordered to dig themselves in.         

     Y&L;  8pm   Under cover of darkness Capt Wedgwood who had assumed command of the Bn. decided that the regt. had been so weakened that he could not hold such an advanced position.  [The diary does not mention in the text the fact that Lt Col A.G. Burt was killed around this time, so causing Wedgwood to assume command.]

          After consultation with officers of other regiments up there he decided to fall back and the Bn. dug themselves in along a position corresponding to the hedge A and continues to the left .  Three machine guns were placed in position along this line and one in the farm behind.  This had to be withdrawn on the following day owing to very heavy shell fire.

24th & 25th April

     Y&L;  Battalion remained in their position exposed to heavy shell fire.

     GEDDES report, situation at 8am;  3rd Canadian Bde facing ST JULIEN and wood C.10.d  with one coy. Buffs behind them in GHQ line.  Buffs held from South of farm C.16.b to C.16.c central with about a company of 1st Canadians on their left.  Next was 9th R Scots with machine guns and small party D.C.L.I. the remnants York & Lancs and Middlesex and the DCLI  C22c - C21 - C20d9.5 and thence NW up the road in C20a6.5 with 5/King's Own a little south in support.  13th Bde held roughly along road diagonally from South to North corner of C13.  Two Companies of 3/Middlesex held pontoon bridges C19c.  Remnants E.Yorks at ST JEAN and collecting there.

     Situation on the morning of the 25th is shown on the map below.

26th April

     Y&L; 3am   Battalion was withdrawn and marched to POTIJZE WOOD where it came under orders of the 27th Division - forming part of the Composite Brigade under Col TUSON D.C.L.I    

27th April

     Y&L; 4.30pm   Brigade was ordered to move out in support of the Sirhind Brigade [Lahore Division] which had suffered a temporary check to the right of the YPRES-PILCKEM road.

          Battalion moved out along hedge rows in single file following the D.C.L.I. and advanced under heavy shell and rifle fire to the ridge 'X'.  Companies took up position with A Coy. on the left with its left resting on the road.  Battalion dug themselves in.         

28th April

     Y&L;  Battalion relieved.

29th April  Near Ypres

     Y&L;  Br. Lt Col Isherwood arrives to assume command of the battalion

          Draft of 209 men waiting to join.

          Casualties of the last week for the 1/York & Lancaster

              Officers

                   1 killed; 1 died of wounds; 1 wounded but at duty; 2 missing; 10 wounded  [total 15]

              Other Ranks

                   60 killed; 293 wounded; 84 missing  [total 461]                  

Casualties for 83 Brigade from 23 April to 8 May, inclusive, were

          128 Officers and 4379 men.  A pretty heavy toll.

A view of the Cross of Sacrifice in No Man’s Cot Cemetery.  Turco Farm is behind me when I took the shot, La Belle Alliance would be in front left, out of shot.

In this shot Turco is out of shot on the right of the picture, shows the ridge line that was fought over.  Fusilier farm is a couple of hundred metres straight ahead beyond the farm in the left of shot.