On the 20th of May, Brigadier Cameron attended a conference at Divisional Headquarters, and was warned to prepare 103 Brigade to carry out a series of trench raids on the enemy in the opposite trenches, near the village of La Boisselle. The Irish boys were not going to sit back and let the Germans have it all their own way. Accordingly the Battalions were warned to put together and start training raiding parties, in preperation for the forthcoming raids. The parties from the 24th and 26th Battalions were selected to carry out the operation.
On the 22nd May, the Brigade moved back to Bresle and became the Divisional reserve, supplying working parties for the front line. Meanwhile two groups of raiders started practising; a ' Left Raiding Party ' dug a practice trench and a ' Right Party ' found an old trench that resembled their objective. Meanwhile the Officers and NCOs of both parties visited the front line several times to reconnoitre the objective when exact points of departure from the British Line, and point of entry in the German Line were fixed. The raid was postponed initially to the 3rd of June and then to the night of the 5th/6th of June. On the 1st and 3rd meetings were held at Divisional Headquarters to ensure that the Artillery programme was fully understood by everyone concerned. Meanwhile those taking part in the raids kept practising.
Special stores required for the raid by the 24th Battalion were supplied by Division as follows:
140 Mills Grenades
4 Grenade Waistcoats
19 small hand axes ( very useful little tool )
18 traverser mats
6 torch rifles
6 small electric torches
6 whistles
40 pairs of wire gloves
300 yards of white tape
3 sets silent signalling apparatus
4 wire cutters large
2 wrist watches
Liason between 102 Brigade ( Tyneside Scottish ) who were holding the front line and 103 Brigade was arranged as follows: Brigade Commanders to be together in the Advanced Brigade Headquarters in the Tara-Unsa Line, close to St Andrews Avenue. Officer Commanding 24th Battalion to be at A Battalion HQ ( Chapes Spur )
Officer Commanding 26th Battalion to be at B Battalion HQ ( Maissin ). Right Raid Commander to be in close touch with Left Company Commander A Battalion. A Captain, detailed by 26th Battalion to be at Advanced Company HQ, Right Company B Battalion. As the Tyneside Scottish was holding the line, the password was chosen as follows. A soldier of the Scottish, challenging would say " Scotch " the reply from the Irish would be "Geordie " A soldier from the Irish challenging would shout " Irish " a soldier from the Scottish would reply
"Geordie. " The 24th Battalion raid was to be commanded by Major J P Galway and would be in two squads, each commanded by a subaltern, comprising:
On the 22nd May, the Brigade moved back to Bresle and became the Divisional reserve, supplying working parties for the front line. Meanwhile two groups of raiders started practising; a ' Left Raiding Party ' dug a practice trench and a ' Right Party ' found an old trench that resembled their objective. Meanwhile the Officers and NCOs of both parties visited the front line several times to reconnoitre the objective when exact points of departure from the British Line, and point of entry in the German Line were fixed. The raid was postponed initially to the 3rd of June and then to the night of the 5th/6th of June. On the 1st and 3rd meetings were held at Divisional Headquarters to ensure that the Artillery programme was fully understood by everyone concerned. Meanwhile those taking part in the raids kept practising.
Special stores required for the raid by the 24th Battalion were supplied by Division as follows:
140 Mills Grenades
4 Grenade Waistcoats
19 small hand axes ( very useful little tool )
18 traverser mats
6 torch rifles
6 small electric torches
6 whistles
40 pairs of wire gloves
300 yards of white tape
3 sets silent signalling apparatus
4 wire cutters large
2 wrist watches
Liason between 102 Brigade ( Tyneside Scottish ) who were holding the front line and 103 Brigade was arranged as follows: Brigade Commanders to be together in the Advanced Brigade Headquarters in the Tara-Unsa Line, close to St Andrews Avenue. Officer Commanding 24th Battalion to be at A Battalion HQ ( Chapes Spur )
Officer Commanding 26th Battalion to be at B Battalion HQ ( Maissin ). Right Raid Commander to be in close touch with Left Company Commander A Battalion. A Captain, detailed by 26th Battalion to be at Advanced Company HQ, Right Company B Battalion. As the Tyneside Scottish was holding the line, the password was chosen as follows. A soldier of the Scottish, challenging would say " Scotch " the reply from the Irish would be "Geordie " A soldier from the Irish challenging would shout " Irish " a soldier from the Scottish would reply
"Geordie. " The 24th Battalion raid was to be commanded by Major J P Galway and would be in two squads, each commanded by a subaltern, comprising:
1 Officer
1 Sergeant
7 Bayonet Men
4 Bombers
3 Carriers
2 Scouts
2 Signallers
2 Stretcher Bearers
1 Sergeant
7 Bayonet Men
4 Bombers
3 Carriers
2 Scouts
2 Signallers
2 Stretcher Bearers
No1 Squad would come from D Company and No2 Squad from C Company. In each party there would be at least 1 Corporal and 1 Lance Corporal. Raid HQ would be made up of OC Raid and 2 telephone Operators.
The plan was for the raiders to leave the British Front Line at the same spot and pass through the wire. They would then spread out and on reaching the German wire, two bombers and one carrier would throw their traversing mats over the wire and quickly cross, followed by the remainder of the squad, except for one scout who would return to raid HQ and report that the enemy wire had been crossed.
Two signallers would remain outside the wire and send a signal reporting the wire crossed. Having crossed the enemy wire, No1 squad would work to the right and No2 Squad to the left, and enter the enemy fire trench. Immediately the second scout would return to Raid HQ and report that the trench had been entered and the signallers would also report by sending a prearranged signal. The Bombers and bayonetmen, accompanied by a carrier, would begin working to the flank along the trench protecting the rest of the squad. The remaining along with the officer and sergeant would try to capture a prisoner, and if possible, obtain identification. The second party of bayonetmen would protect the rear of the squad and one stretcher bearer would remain on top of the parapet, whilst the other would enter the enemy trench to assist with the evacuation of any wounded. A late addition to the plan was the inclusion of a Lewis Gun Team of an Officer and two men, who would go out and protect the flank. This was the plan then for the 24th Battalion raid but what actually happened was something quite different.
The plan was for the raiders to leave the British Front Line at the same spot and pass through the wire. They would then spread out and on reaching the German wire, two bombers and one carrier would throw their traversing mats over the wire and quickly cross, followed by the remainder of the squad, except for one scout who would return to raid HQ and report that the enemy wire had been crossed.
Two signallers would remain outside the wire and send a signal reporting the wire crossed. Having crossed the enemy wire, No1 squad would work to the right and No2 Squad to the left, and enter the enemy fire trench. Immediately the second scout would return to Raid HQ and report that the trench had been entered and the signallers would also report by sending a prearranged signal. The Bombers and bayonetmen, accompanied by a carrier, would begin working to the flank along the trench protecting the rest of the squad. The remaining along with the officer and sergeant would try to capture a prisoner, and if possible, obtain identification. The second party of bayonetmen would protect the rear of the squad and one stretcher bearer would remain on top of the parapet, whilst the other would enter the enemy trench to assist with the evacuation of any wounded. A late addition to the plan was the inclusion of a Lewis Gun Team of an Officer and two men, who would go out and protect the flank. This was the plan then for the 24th Battalion raid but what actually happened was something quite different.
The Tyneside raiding parties would have been made up of a group eaxactly the same as the group above. This group of men is from the 1/8th ( Irish ) Kings Liverpool Regiment taken on the morning after a raid on the 18th April 1916. Looking at some of the German souveniers they have brought back and the smiles the raid appears to have been a success. The most prized souvenier would have been the German Pickelhaube helmet as seen worn in the above photograph and an original one from my own collection.The Pickelhaube was first intoduced in 1842 by King Frederick William IV of Prussia.
The raiding party left Franvillers in a motor bus at 6.30 pm on the evening of the 5th of June. It is almost impossible to imagine how they must have been feeling or what they were thinking about. They were conveyed to Albert, reaching the town at about 8 p.m, so that by 10 pm they were assembling in the large dugout at the enemy end of Mercer Street ( see map on previous page ) By the same hour the Brigade and Battalion Commanders were in their respective positions, communications had been tested and found to be in working order.
There was now almost complete silence over the line, with just an occasional rifle shot heard. At 11pm, Zero Hour
the bombardment started according to the programme and during this bombardment the raiders left the dugout and made their way along the trench to sap No6. At this time the barrage was supposed to lift. It did not. With shells landing all around the head of the sap, Major Gallwey waited for a opportunity to leave the sap and cross
No-Mans-Land, but the time ran out. The party had by now had several casualties. Private Joseph Hughes was killed and Lance Corporals' Stockhill and Blades and Private Brierly, Cain and Brown, along with Major Gallwey were wounded by British shellfire. Sergeant Patrick Butler and four other soldiers were awarded Divisional Cards of Honour for the part they played in the raid. The raid carried out by the 26th Battalion went far better and was planned slightly differently. There were two bombing parties, an NCO with nine men would provide a covering force. As the barrage moved forward, they crossed No-Mans-Land and entered the enemy front Line trench, where some dugouts were bombed, but no prisoners taken before it was time to withdraw.
There was now almost complete silence over the line, with just an occasional rifle shot heard. At 11pm, Zero Hour
the bombardment started according to the programme and during this bombardment the raiders left the dugout and made their way along the trench to sap No6. At this time the barrage was supposed to lift. It did not. With shells landing all around the head of the sap, Major Gallwey waited for a opportunity to leave the sap and cross
No-Mans-Land, but the time ran out. The party had by now had several casualties. Private Joseph Hughes was killed and Lance Corporals' Stockhill and Blades and Private Brierly, Cain and Brown, along with Major Gallwey were wounded by British shellfire. Sergeant Patrick Butler and four other soldiers were awarded Divisional Cards of Honour for the part they played in the raid. The raid carried out by the 26th Battalion went far better and was planned slightly differently. There were two bombing parties, an NCO with nine men would provide a covering force. As the barrage moved forward, they crossed No-Mans-Land and entered the enemy front Line trench, where some dugouts were bombed, but no prisoners taken before it was time to withdraw.
