Leicestershire Terriers on the Western Front

Britain has a very long history of organising local, voluntary bodies for the army. Significant reforms took place in 1908 which organised the local volunteers into the Territorial Force. In terms of its organisation, equipment and training doctrines, it followed closely the models of the Regular Army. However, the Territorial Force was composed of volunteers, men who would train as soldiers on a part-time basis - hence the nickname of Saturday Night Soldiers. These men had no obligation to serve overseas. This factor may have been part of the logic applied by Kitchener when he saw the need for huge expansion of the army for continental land war: instead of building on the existing local infrastructure for recruitment, administration and support already provided by the Territorial Force, he instead created the New Army. The eventual expansion of the Territorial Force was by duplicating the existing units into the so-called Second and Third Line formations.

Battalions of Territorial Force were aligned to the local county regiments, therefore Leicestershire volunteers formed the 4th and 5th Battalions (TF) of the Leicestershire Regiment. The next highest unit was the brigade which generally consisted of 4 infantry battalions. Finally the division was formed with 4 infantry brigades and other divisional troops consisting of four Brigades of artillery, one Battery of heavy artillery, two Field Companies of territorial Royal Engineers, one Signals Company, a Divisional Train (supply and transport column), three Field Ambulances of the territorial Royal Army Medical Corps, and a Clearing Hospital. The 4th and 5th Leicesters were joined by the 4th and 5th battalions of the Lincolns to form the 138th Brigade. The territorial infantry was then organised into 14 Divisions and the 138th Brigade forming part of the 46th (North Midland) Division.

The principal role envisaged for the Territorial Force in time of emergency was home defence and as previously mentioned the 'Terriers' were not obliged to serve overseas in the event of a crisis. Men who joined the territorials came from all backgrounds, and gave up a night or two a week to train. They also went on an annual camp which for many was a highlight indeed, as many otherwise rarely travelled beyond their home town or county. The enthusiasm of the Terriers for the war in the early days was measured by the fact that the majority signed up for overseas service. This enabled units to be mobilised and sent overseas.

The 46th North Midland Division became the first full Territorial Division to land in France when elements started arriving in Le Havre on the 26th February 1915. By early March the 5th Leicesters were in the trenches at Le Bizet accompanied by regular troops of the Essex and Lancashire Fusiliers. In April the Battalion was placed in the front line in the Ypres Salient and over the following months this 'hotspot' was a real baptism of fire.

On the 5th October 1915 the 5th Leicesters were glad to hand over their frontline trenches to a battalion from the Wiltshire regiment. However, this was to be the proverbial 'out of the frying pan and into the fire' as the Division was earmarked to assault the Hohenzollern Redoubt an enemy stronghold comprising huge slagheaps from the Fosse 8 mine and a myriad of trenches. The Hohenzollern Redoubt was no stranger to warfare as it had previously been unsuccessfully assaulted in the Battle of Loos on the 25th September by the 9th (Scottish) Division.

Map of the Front Line in the Loos Sector.
View the 46th Division Operation Orders

On the 12th October 1915 the Brigade left its base camps around the village of Hesdigneul in full order to take up position in the frontline opposite the redoubt. At noon on the 13th October the British artillery barrage commenced, the German artillery replied some 15 minutes later and at 1pm the British released Chlorine gas. At 2pm wearing gasmasks the first wave of the 4th Leicesters went over the top and within twenty yards they faced a hail of bullets. Whilst the attack took many of the German trenches it can only be considered a partial success as Fosse 8 itself remained in German hands. Despite this the many acts of bravery and stubborness in the face of numerous counter attacks earned the brigade respect, the Daily Express commented: "..among the many deeds of war, none stood out more than the charge of the Leicestershire men".

As the Battalions returned to base camp on the 14th October 1915 the toll on battalion strength was all too obvious. In the attack on the Hohenzollern Redoubt the 4th Leicesters had lost 20 officers and 453 other ranks and the 5th had lost 4 officers and 35 other ranks. Over the period 13th-15th October 1915 the 46th Division's total losses were 180 Officers and 3,583 Other Ranks killed, wounded and missing. The Division would go on to suffer even heavier casualties at Gommecourt on the Somme, on 1st July 1916, but the battle for the Hohenzollern Redoubt destroyed the original composition of the Division and destroyed much of its 'local' character. After the war the Old Comrades Association of the Division erected a memorial (pictured left) just outside Vermelles.

1916 saw the North Midland Division posted to the St Vaast - Suchez Sector and was in action in the attack on the Gommecourt Salient a pre-cursor for the Battle of the Somme. In April 1917 the brigade returned to the Loos Sector and remained in the general area up until January 1918 when they were pulled out of the frontline to restore the Battalions to full operational strength and conduct Divisional training. At 9.40am on the 21 March 1918, following a five hour bombardment, German Stormtroopers clambered out of their trenches to commence the 'Michael' offensive. One week later the Division once again returned the Loos sector to relieve the 46th Canadian Division. However, by early May the brigade was posted to a relatively quiet area surrounding the La Bassee Canal near Bethune.

The 'Michael' offensive was formally closed down on the 5th April having achieved great salients on the Western Front without achieving a complete breakthrough. In particular the German Spring Offensive had left it defending a huge salient in France and gave the British an opportunity to attack its Northern edge whilst the French and Americans attacked the Southern edge. In mid September, in an effort to consolidate its army on a smaller front, the Germans withdrew to a defensive line they built in 1916. The Hindenburg Line was made up of six defensive lines, forming a zone 6,000 yards deep with concrete emplacements and belts of barbed wire. Crucial to breaching the Hindenburg line was the capture of the St Quentin Canal which lay to the south of the line which was considered a major obstacle with its high steep banking.

On September 11th 1918 the Leicester Battalions left La Bassee as the brigade was to play a key role in breaking the Hindenburg Line. On the 24th September 1918 the 5th Battalion was the spearhead for the storming of Pontruet, a heavily defended village to the North of the St Quentin Canal. Despite being heavily outnumbered the village was taken and resolutely defended against counter attack for nearly sixteen hours, however, the lack of reinforcements forced the 5th to evacuate and it was here that Lieutenant J C Barrett won his Victoria Cross.

Despite nearly four years of continuous action on the Western Front the 46th Division where about to conduct what is considered one of the finest feats of arms of the war. At 5.50am on the 29th September 1918, spearheaded by the 137th (Staffordshire Brigade) the 46th Division crossed the St Quentin Canal (pictured above) under fire initially using lifebelts, lifelines and rafts and eventually over the Ricqueval Bridge. By the close of day the 5th Leicesters had advanced 4 miles captured eight large guns and over 100 prisoners. By late evening the Hindenburg Line had been breached the assault had consumed 945,052 artillery shells in the final 24 hours of a 56 hour artillery bombardment, by 1,637 guns on a mere 10,000 yard front.

The two Leicestershire Battalions were intrinsically involved in the continuing advance and on the 11th hour of the 11th day of 11th month, when the guns fell silent the two battalions had lost a thousand Leicestershire men with a further three thousand suffering from the effects of either wounds or gas which would remain with them for the rest of their lives.

Great War Battalion Casualty Figures:

4th Battalion Officers - 45
1/4th Battalion Other Ranks - 583
2/4th Battalion Other Ranks - 203
3/4th Battalion Other Ranks - 22

5th Battalion Officers - 25
1/5th Battalion Other Ranks - 440
2/5th Battalion Other Ranks - 151
3/5th Battalion Other Ranks - 4