December 1917 ... Defence of Welsh Ridge
| The Division rested in billets at Ledeszeele, although the artillery remained in the line. The intention was for the Division to return to the trenches at Passchendaele, but following the German counterattacks around Cambrai, the Division was ordered to this sector. On December 6th, the Division entrained to join the Third Army and take over a section of the shattered front line in the Cambrai area. | ||||||||
| On inspecting the trenches, there was great concern at the gravity of the situation. The defences had been hurriedly constructed during the stress of battle. The position to be taken over by the Division jutted out into the German lines and came to a point. Between the fifteenth and twentieth, the Division took over the trenches of Welsh Ridge from the 31st and 62nd Divisions, with the intention of maintaining and fortifying the line at this point. All three brigades occupied the trenches, with two battalions in the front line, one in support, and the fourth in the rest area. During this period, Arthur Asquith was promoted to the command of the 189th Brigade, but two days later he was severely wounded. This was a great loss, as he was a supreme officer greatly respected by the whole Division. From Christmas Day, the intensity of the German barrage increased, and it was expected that a German attack was imminent. At dawn on the thirtieth, the Germans launched an assault against the entire Division's front. The attacking troops were dressed in white camouflage suits to blend in with the snow on the ground. After the action, interrogation of the captured prisoners revealed that at least fifteen different battalions were involved in the assault. Despite being heavily outnumbered, most of the line held, but the Germans were able to make progress at some of the junctions between battalions. Counterattacks quickly threw the enemy back at these points. On the 190th Brigade's front, the Germans were able to capture and consolidate the front-line trenches before being held. |
 | |||||||
|
On the Howe section of the front, a shell landed outside the entrance to the battalion headquarters, killing the senior officers as the attack was launched. When the Howe line was breached, the support units could not be organized quickly enough, and the Germans secured a position in the second line at the crest of the ridge. This German gain rendered Drake's position in the front line untenable. Anson counterattacked against the ridge at 14:15, but due to a delay in the transmission of orders between the units, he was thrown back. Anson counterattacked again at dusk with Nelson in support, and this time the vital position was recaptured.
Due to the losses on the front line in the 190th Brigade's sector, the Hood Battalion was forced to withdraw from the front-line trenches. Despite the enemy's very superior numbers and a fierce firefight, this position was held. German troops did manage to occupy some of the second line overnight but were thrown back again by Hawke in hand-to-hand fighting. Activity in this area died down around noon on the thirty-first. The Division suffered over fourteen hundred casualties in the action at Welsh Ridge. Casualties were always a greater strain on units when sustained in defence rather than in attack. However, despite the losses, the Division's reputation remained intact, and due to the rapid response of the counterattacks, very little ground had been conceded from an almost indefensible position. The Division was once again applauded by Sir Douglas Haig for its achievements. | ||||||||
|
||||||||