The 8th (Service) Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment (8th EYR), was a unit of 'Kitchener's Army' raised shortly after the outbreak of World War I. Following a short period of training it went to the Western Front with other Kitchener battalions and endured a disastrous initiation at the Battle of Loos. It was then transferred to the experienced 3rd Division and fought with it on the Somme, at Arras and Ypres. After heavy casualties the battalion was disbanded early in 1918.

Recruitment and training

On 6 August 1914, less than 48 hours after Britain's declaration of war, Parliament sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men for the Regular British Army, and the newly-appointed Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward. This group of six divisions with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1', and was quickly followed by 'K2' and 'K3' as a flood of volunteers poured into the recruiting offices and were formed into 'Service' battalions at the regimental depots. The East Yorkshire Regiment formed its third such battalion, the 8th (Service) Battalion, on 22 September at Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, from a draft of recruits sent from the depot at Victoria Barracks, Beverley.Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 2 & 8; Appendix I.Frederick, p. 182.James, p. 59.Wyrall, p. 24.East Yorkshires at Long, Long Trail.

The new battalion was assigned to 62nd Brigade in 21st Division, the senior K3 division, formed from units raised in North East England, which was assembling around Tring in Hertfordshire. The men started out in billets, but the division soon moved under canvas at Halton Park. Throughout October drafts arrived from Beverley until on 4 November the battalion reached a strength of 25 officers and 1092 other ranks (ORs) under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel L.C. Fryer. Mud and rain brought a return to billets for the winter, with 8th East Yorkshires housed in Wendover, Aston Clinton and Weston Turville.Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 103–9.21st Division at Long, Long Trail.Edmonds, 1915, Vol II, pp. 293–4.

Service in France Huts had been built at Halton by the time the division returned there in May 1915, and training continued. Towards the end of June the first service rifles arrived and the men began their musketry courses. This was completed by 9 August, when the infantry began moving to Witley Camp in Surrey. Although its training was still woefully inadequate (the K1 and K2 units had taken all the best instructors and staff officers), the division soon received orders to join the British Expeditionary Force on the Western Front, and advance parties left at the beginning of September. 8th East Yorkshires crossed to Boulogne on 8–9 September under the command of Lt-Col B.I. Way (North Staffordshire Regiment). By 13 September 21st Division was concentrated west of St Omer with 8th EYR billeted in Moulle. Final training took place, in route marching, bomb-throwing, sniping, and machine-gun practice, culminating in an attack on practice trenches. Less than two weeks after arrival it was thrown into a major attack at the Battle of Loos, without the men ever having visited the frontline trenches.Wyrall, pp. 81–2.

Loos

The move south to Loos was achieved by a series of night marches beginning on 20/21 September, arriving at Nœux-les-Mines at 23.00 on 24 September, when the men bivouacked in open fields in heavy rain. The British attack was launched at 06.30 the following morning, and at 11.15 62nd Bde was ordered up to a concentration area north of Mazingarbe. Before the men had time to eat, orders arrived for the brigade to go up to support 15th (Scottish) Division, which was believed to have captured Hill 70. The brigadier selected 8th EYR and 10th Green Howards for this task. Without time for reconnaissance all he could do was point out Hill 70 on the map and tell the battalion commanders: 'We do not know what has happened on Hill 70. You must go and find out: if the Germans hold it, attack them; if our people are there, support them; if no-one is there, dig in'. As the inexperienced battalions set out (still accompanied by their transport) they were instructed by a military policeman that according to trench routine they must open out, with intervals between sections. Spacing out the columns took time, and it was 16.30 before they crossed the old front line and headed for Loos. Shortly afterwards they came in full view of German artillery, which practically destroyed the battalion transport. Instead of going through the village of Loos and north of the Loos Crassier spoil heap, the 8th Yorkshires, followed by 10th Green Howards, passed on the south side, bumping into 1/20th Londons of 47th (1/2nd London) Division, which was holding part of the German positions. The CO of 1/20th Londons tried to stop the advance, but the two Yorkshire battalions carried on in extended lines towards Chalk Pit Copse, well south of Hill 70. A few minutes later they came under intense machine gun fire from the German-held part of the copse, 8th EYR and the leading companies of 10th Green Howards sustaining heavy casualties. In the confusion and gathering darkness some troops trying to retrace their steps and go through Loos were mistaken for attackers and fired upon by the rear companies of 10th Green Howards. It was 19.30 before Lt-Col Way and the CO of the Green Howards were able to restore order. 8th East Yorkshires, together with the remnants of the 1/19th Londons, dug in, continuing the line of 1/20th Londons over the Crassier into the outskirts of Loos village. Two companies dug communication trenches back towards the old front line, and cleared German stragglers out of Loos.Cherry, pp. 175–6.Edmonds, 1915, Vol II, pp. 296–8.Wyrall, pp. 82–5.

The attack on Hill 70 was renewed next morning after an hour-long bombardment. The main attack was made by 15th (S) Division, with 62nd Bde in support. As the bombardment ended Lt-Col Way led C and D Companies (about 120 men) with a few of the Londons and a few Northumberland Fusiliers towards Hill 70. The mist suddenly cleared and they were clearly visible to the German outposts on the hill. Although some men reached the enemy trenches the lines 'withered away' (in the words of the Official History) and flanking fire forced them to retreat. The Crassier then came under shellfire, and snipers and machine guns caused steady casualties. While A and B Companies maintained their position on the Crassier until relieved the following afternoon, Lt-Col Way (who had been wounded) ordered the remainder back to the cover of the village and the support trenches where they joined 1/23rd Londons and were shelled all night. At 16.30 on 27 September the battalion went into bivouacs at Sailly-Labourse when a roll-call revealed that the battalion had lost 7 officers killed or missing and 12 wounded, 154 ORs killed or missing and 133 wounded. Next day the battalion entrained for Liettres where it began refitting.Cherry, pp. 194–9.Edmonds, 1915, Vol II, pp. 310–4, 342.Wyrall, pp. 85–6.

In October 21 Division went to the Armentières sector, where it received training in trench warfare. The BEF now instituted a policy of exchanging units between divisions to even up training levels between formations. Each of 21st Division's brigades exchanged one of its battalions with a Regular Army brigade, and on 16 November 8th EYR transferred to 8th Bde in 3rd Division. 3rd Division was composed of Regular units that had been fighting since the early days of the war. Many of the officers and men in the ranks of 3rd Division by now were replacements with no more experience than the East Yorkshires, but the staffs and support units were very experienced, and the battalion could expect its future operations to be better planned and executed. The brigade sent the battalion's companies one by one into the front line for two days each to gain experience of trench routine. It finally took responsibility for holding its own sector (near Voormezeele in the Ypres Salient) on 29 December.Becke, Pt 1, pp. 49–55.3rd Division at Log, Long trail.Wyrall, pp. 124–5.

Ypres Salient

In early 1916 the 8th EYR, temporarily commanded by Acting Lt-Col F.B. Brewis, took its turn in the trenches near St Eloi. On 2 March part of 3rd Division made a successful attack on The Bluff and 8th Bde relieved the attackers on the night of 3/4 March. 8th East Yorkshires took over flooded trenches in terrible condition, in a snowstorm, and had to deal with two German counter-attacks. By 6 March the effective strength of the battalion had been reduced by 55 per cent as a result of Trench foot and exposure.Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, pp. 170–2.

On the morning of 27 March the Royal Engineers exploded six mines under the German positions at The Mound near St Eloi and 3rd Division's 9th Bde attacked the craters. 8th Brigade was also in the line, with 8th EYR (under Lt-Col Way once more) alongside the attacking battalions. Despite the overall success, the Germans remained in possession of two of the craters and the battalion was involved in several days of shellfire and bombing attacks among the shattered trenches. After the 8th EYR were relieved by 31st Canadian Battalion on 3/4 April, the battalion's Lewis gun teams remained in the line for another week to help the Canadians, losing a number of casualties and having spent 18 consecutive days in the waterlogged positions.Edmonds, 1916, Vol I, pp. 180–6.Wyrall, pp. 131–3.

Somme 8th East Yorkshires spent the following weeks alternating between resting, training, and spells in the line near Dickebusch, while preparations went on further south for that summer's 'Big Push' (the Battle of the Somme). The battalion entrained for the Somme on the day the offensive began, 1 July. It went into brigade reserve when 3rd Division took over the Caterpillar Wood sector near Montauban, providing carrying parties and night patrols. After the disasters of the first day, 3rd Division in conjunction with three others was to make a daring night assembly and dawn attack on 13/14 July (the Battle of Bazentin Ridge). The Brigade Intelligence Officer had placed a screen of picquets and scouts out in No man's land within of the enemy line and the assaulting troops slowly moved up in the hours of darkness to a sunken lane just short of this line. They then moved forwards 15 yards every 15 minutes until they were on their jumping-off tapes about from the enemy by 03.15; 8th EYR was on the right of 8th Bde's line, with half of 1st Royal Fusiliers in support. At 03.20 a sudden intense bombardment was placed on the German barbed wire and trenches and five minutes later the whole attacking line of four divisions advanced behind a Creeping barrage. Along most of the line the German resistance was feeble; unfortunately the wire in front of 8th Bde was hardly touched, there were just a few breaks in the first belt and none in the second. Two platoons of the 8th EYR managed to get through on the right, the remainder had to shelter in shell holes in front of the wire or retire to the sunken road. Lieutenant-Colonel Way was wounded in the wire and Maj Brewis came up to take temporary command once more. Later a bombing party from 2nd Royal Scots came down from the left and cleared the Germans out of the trench in front of the battalion, but of the two platoons that had penetrated, no more was heard. In what was largely a successful British attack, the battalion had suffered severely, with 8 officers killed and 11 wounded, 81 ORs killed, 218 wounded, and 141 missing, over half the initial strength of the battalion. Even when the battalion took over the opposing trenches they were heavily shelled with high explosive (HE) and gas until they were relieved on 20/21 July.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 71–2, 78–80.Wyrall, pp. 149–52.