The 13th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, (13th RF) was an infantry unit recruited as part of 'Kitchener's Army' in World War I. It served on the Western Front from July 1915 until the Armistice, seeing action at the Somme and the Ancre, at Arras and Ypres, against the German spring offensive, and in the final Hundred Days Offensive.
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. 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. Men flooded into the recruiting offices and the 'first hundred thousand' were enlisted within days. This group of six divisions with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'. K2 and K3 followed shortly afterwards.War Office Instructions No 32 (6 August) and No 37 (7 August).Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 2 & 8.
13th (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, was formed as part of K3 at the Royal Fusiliers' regimental depot at Hounslow on 13 September 1914, under the command of Colonel F.P. Hutchinson of the Indian Army. It was designated as 'Army Troops', ie not assigned to a specific formation, but it was attached to 24th Division camped under canvas on the South Downs. By the time the K3 units were formed the shortage of uniforms, equipment and instructors for the Kitchener units had become critical. 24th Division did not receive its first khaki uniforms until March 1915. After the weather broke the troops were moved out of their camps and billeted in the local towns: 13th RF moved into Worthing in December 1914. It remained there until 9 April 1915, when it moved to Ludgershall, Wiltshire, to join 44th (later 37th) Division.Frederick, pp. 287–8.James. p. 49O'Neill, pp. 2–3.O'Neill, p. 13.Monthly Army List August 1914.Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 127–33.Royal Fusiliers at Long, Long Trail.
As authorised in March 1915, 37th Division consisted of Kitchener battalions that had originally been allocated as Army Troops to the New Armies. 13th Royal Fusiliers was assigned to 111th Brigade in the new division; the brigade also included 10th RF (Stockbrokers), 13th King's Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC), and 13th Rifle Brigade (RB). By April 1915 when the division was formed, all its units had been training for some months, and it was quickly assembled on Salisbury Plain for final battle training.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 71–9.37th Division at Long, Long Trail.
On 17 June Temporary Major Henry J. Des Voeux from the 7th Bn Northamptonshire Regiment (formerly of the Grenadier Guards) was promoted to Temporary Lieutenant-Colonel to command 13th RF.London Gazette, 10 November 1914.London Gazette, 2 July 1915. In July orders arrived for the division to move to France to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front. Embarkation began on 28 July and 13th RF landed at Boulogne two days later. By 2 August the division had completed its concentration around Tilques, near Saint-Omer.
Service On arrival the units of 37th Division were attached to those of 12th (Eastern) Division for instruction in trench warfare in the quiet sector near Armentières.Carter, p. 92.O'Neill, p. 77. At the end of August 37th Division entrained for Doullens and then marched to Foncquevillers in the Somme sector, where the BEF was taking over more of the line from French troops. The battalions took turns in the front line, and there was a steady trickle of casualties. From 23 to 27 September during the Battle of Loos the division was stationed at La Cauchie to act as reserve for the French Tenth Army's attack, but then returned to Foncquevillers and the routine of trench holding alternating with billets in Souastre through the autumn and winter.Carter, pp. 93–115.
Somme
By June 1916 13th RF had been in France almost a year and had still not participated in any major action, but the BEF was now preparing for that summer's 'Big Push' (the Battle of the Somme). The artillery bombardment began on 23 June and the assault was launched on 1 July. Initially, 37th Division was not involved. Then 111th Brigade was attached to 34th Division from 7 July as a temporary replacement for a brigade that had been shattered on the First day on the Somme. The fresh troops were immediately rushed to the front. At 02.00 on 7 July 13 RF was assembled in the old German front line in front of La Boisselle ready to attack between Ovillers and Contalmaison. It was warned not to attack until ordered to do so by brigade HQ, or until the flanking attacks were well ahead. By 08.25 the battalion had lost touch with brigade HQ, but the flanks had advanced so Maj Ardagh led off with Nos 1 and 2 Companies, with bombing sections covering the flanks. Due east of La Boisselle some resistance was encountered that held up No 2 Company, and by the time this was overcome the right flank had lost touch with the neighbouring brigade. Nevertheless, the battalion gained nearly , occupying with little opposition its objective, a German trench running into the north end of Ovillers. During consolidation of this line some casualties were suffered from German artillery fire. Next day the battalion was ordered to push on to the next line. Captain Nelson took Nos 3 and 4 Companies on to this objective, stretching from the main Albert road to about west of Contalmaison. A small party pushed on ahead and suffered severely, but in two days the battalion had pushed the line forward materially, captured a battery of field artillery, several machine guns and nearly 200 prisoners for casualties that were moderate by the standards of the Somme: 1 officer and 20 other ranks (ORs) killed, 4 officers and 127 ORs wounded, and 13 missing.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 41–9.34th Division at Long, Long Trail.Carter, pp. 145–9.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 13, 41, Sketch 7.O'Neill, pp. 115–6.Shakespear, pp. 54–6.
On 10 July the rest of 111th Bde took over the left sector of 34th Division's front east of La Boisselle and continued pushing forward. The Battle of Bazentin Ridge was launched before dawn on 14 July: 112th Bde attacked Pozières at 08.30 the following morning (15 July), supported by 111th Bde. The attack was held up and although 10th RF of 111th Bde gave it new impetus it bogged down again. In the evening the attacking brigades fell back to the remaining trenches.Carter, pp. 145–59.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 97–8, Sketches 10 & 12.O'Neill, pp. 118–9.Shakespear, pp. 57–63. 111th Brigade spent early August digging and wiring new trenches in the High Wood area, suffering casualties from enemy shellfire. It moved north by rail to Calonne-sur-la-Lys and rejoined 37th Division on 22 August.Carter, pp. 169–72. Lieutenant-Col Des Voeux was evacuated sick during the month.
Ancre For over a month 13th RF and 13th RB shared a section of the line facing the coaltips of the Lens area, then on 17 October 37th Division marched back to the Somme, arriving at Puchevillers behind Albert on 22 October. Training here and at Hem-Hardinval was restricted by bad weather and the need to clear muddy roads.Carter, pp. 175–6.Rowlands, pp. 77–8. On 13 November 111th Bde moved up to the line and came under the command of 63rd (Royal Naval) Division for the Battle of the Ancre. Next day 10th RF mopped up a German redoubt that 63rd (RN) Division had bypassed the day before, then the rest of 111th Bde pushed on to Beaucourt, with 13th RF advancing between 13th KRRC and 13th RB. 13th RF set off a little too early and suffered casualties from its own barrage. It then fell back before resuming the advance under harassing machine gun fire from Beaucourt to the first objective, still ahead of the rest of the brigade. After an hour and a half more shelling on the final objective ('Muck Trench', so named from its muddy condition), 13th RF advanced with 13th KRRC and 7th RF (from 63rd (RN) Division) and took it without much opposition, though Lt-Col Ardagh was wounded. 37th Division took over command of the sector on 15 November and established strongpoints. On 18 and 19 November the rest of 111th Bde attempted to get forward to a group of trenches known as the 'Triangle', but was driven back by rifle fire. It was relieved from Muck Trench that night and returned to Puchevillers.Carter, pp. 176–81.Hare, pp. 177–8.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 490–1, 504–5, 512, 520–1.O'Neill, pp. 149–51.
37th Division marched northwards on 13 December, arriving in the trenches of the Neuve-Chapelle sector on 21 December. Here the battalions of 111th Bde began a routine of alternating trench duty with each other. In early February the brigade shifted to the Hulluch sector, and in early March it marched to the divisional training area at Roëllecourt, west of Arras, where it trained in snowy weather for the forthcoming Battle of Arras.Carter, pp. 183–9.
Arras