Festubert. 1 Bn Royal Welsh Fusiliers. 16 May 1915.
GOOGLE MAPS Link to Rue de cailloux where the RWF took up position on night of 15 May 1915.
During the Battle of Festubert the 1 Bn RWF, part of 22 Brigade, 7 Division, was in the southern arm of the pincher movement. On 15 May the battalion left billets at Essars and moved up to take position on Rue de Cailloux, the road leading northwards from the village of Festubert. They had been allotted to capture a 200 yard stretch of German communication trench called the Northern Breastwork. At 2.45am on the 16 May a short and intense bombardment commenced. The battalion was to go forward in successive waves of half companies with A coy in the lead. At 3.15am the bombardment ceased and the order to go was given. The first line went over the parapet followed by successive waves 20 seconds later. It was dark and the enemy were shelling no man’s land. About half way across, at about 120 meters a water course – Rivière des Layes – had to be crossed. The lead troops were carrying trench boards with which they bridged the stream. Once across they came under heavy machine gun from their right and rifle fire from the front. A coy rushed into the German front line and were thus soon sheltered from the fire which was now directed at the stream of men in the following waves crossing over. Casualties were heavy, confusion set in, the attack began to break up but, after ‘half an hour of strenuous hand to hand fighting … … in a frightful tangle system of trenches’ (History of RWF) the line was taken. In the confusion troops from different units became mixed up. Order was restored and a mixed force, under the command of Captain Stockwell, of about 100 men continued the advance.
Again, they soon came under heavy enfilading fire, As they moved on the casualties mounted. They reached Rue de Quinque but had to halt because of the British artillery barrage – which caused more casualties from ‘friendly fire’. The halt did however allow Stockwell to get his bearings and about 20 minutes later, when the barrage had lifted they were able to move on and, at about 6am, and after a fire fight managed to capture their final objective. The Germans now began to shell the trench preventing more troops from getting forward and the group became isolated. At about 10.30am an officer from Queens Battalion reached them with a telephone. Stockwell asked for reinforcements which started to arrive about 1pm. They fought off counter attacks but by early evening the situation was untenable and they were withdrawn back to the German second line and then further back to Rue de Cailloux near to their start point. The battalion had managed to penetrate 1200 yards into the enemy defences but at a high costs with 118 other ranks killed, 271 wounded and 164 missing.
CHECK ID VARIOUS – Private 3988 Edward Jones, 1 Bn Royal Welsh Fusiliers. KIA 16 May 1915, Le Touret (unknown)
References and Sources WAR DIARY 5Bn Kings Liverpool, 1 Bn RWF, 2 Bn Sth Staffs
History of RWF.
B&O 1915 Bethune. Btle of Festubert. Richebourg L’Avoue. 1/5 Bn KLR & 2 Bn Sth Staffs. Festubert. 1 Bn RWF.15-16 May 1915.
The Battle of Festubert (15–25 May 1915) was an attack by the British army in the Artois region of France on the western front during World War I. The offensive formed part of a series of attacks by the French Tenth Army and the British First Army in the Second Battle of Artois (3 May – 18 June 1915).
