100 Days.
Bailleul. Locre. 2 Bn South Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Volunteers). 21 August 1918.
During the 100 Day Offensive the 2 Bn South Lancashire Regiment was in the sector at Locre to the north of Bailleul. The battalion had come into the line early on 20 August and gone into the support lines at Mont Vidaigne (Map A). At 10.25 that evening they moved forward to Locre Chateau Gates (Map B). Here they met up with guides, and carrying parties loaded up with Yukon Packs, each with a coil of wire, 6 screw pickets and an LG Drum, as well as extra bandoliers of SAA. The deployment started at 11.30pm, the guides took them forward to their start line between Prose Farm and Starling Farm (Map C). All troops were in position by 1.00am. Their objective was Locrehof Farm Ridge (Map D), they were to establish a new line running to the south in front of Mobray Wood. (Map E). They would advance on 400 yard frontage with 2 companies in front divided between the front and in support acting as ‘moppers up’.
At 2.05am the creeping barrage started and the men advance under its cover. Enemy retaliatory fire fell behind them and was not heavy. Resistance was light and about an hour later they had taken and consolidated the new position. About 50 PoWs and 5 MGs were captured. Things remained quiet until 9am when the enemy started shelling the battalion positions. The shelling continued throughout the day until 10pm when the Germans launched a counter attack. They managed to capture part of the battalion’s left front but they were quickly beaten back and the situation restored. The battalion stayed at the front until 24 August when they were relieved. Casualties for the tour were – Officers, 2 KIA (Lieutenant FA Aron, CWGC and Second Lieutenant HV Larsen, CWGC) and 3 wounded; ORs 18 KIA, 91 wounded and 22 missing.
GOOGLE MAPS Satellite view centres on Locre Chateau
2 Bn South Lancs. (PoW Volunteers) Regt. Locre. 20-24 August 1918. (National Archives)
References and Sources WAR DIARY 2 Bn Sth Lancs.
B&O 1918. 100 Days. Locre. 2 Bn South Lancashire Regiment (Prince of Wales’s Volunteers). 21 August 1918.
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