Operation Blucher-Yorck
Armentieres. St Andre, Lille. 12 Bn Gloucestershire Regiment. 9 July 1918
At this time the Armentieres sector was quiet. The main thrust of Kaiser Offensive and Operation Blucher-Yorck was to the south, it to had effectively stopped but would continue with Operation Gneisau the following week.
On 1 July 1918 the 12 Bn Gloucestershire Regiment was in Divisional Reserve at Steenbecque south of Hazebrouck. The battalion was spending their time cleaning themselves and their equipment as well as training. During this time replacements arrived with 6 Officers and 82 ORs – including Second Lieutenant John J Garland who arrived on 5 July. On the same day, at 5.30pm, the battalion left Steenbecque to relieve the 7 Bn Norfolk Rgt. on the left sector in the support line. The War Diary gives the Bn HQ as at Map Ref. K13 d 5.7, this would place them near to St Andre a short distance north of Lille and now a part of the city’s suburbs. The situation was quiet. The battalion was on the usual working and carrying parties. The only casualties occurred on 9 July – the War Diary records10 ‘On the morning of 9th when returning from working party 2/Lt JG(sic) Garland was killed, 2/Lt SJ Baylis and 3 ORs wounded’. The battalion moved up to the front line on 12 July.
GOOGLE MAPS Centres on St Andre (les Lille)
(National Archives)
References and Sources War Diary 12 Bn Gloucestershire Regiment.
B&O 1918. KO. Blucher-Yorck. Armentieres. 12 Bn Gloucestershire Regiment. 9 July 1918.
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