The Big Push at last - The Battle of Loos

Tom Hollins, (my half cousin 3 times removed) had recently arrived in France with the 8th (service) Battalion, Royal West Kent (Queens own) Regiment.

The Division concentrated in the area between Etaples and St Pol on 4 September and a few days later marched across France into the reserve for the British assault at Loos.

Early on the 25th September the Divison had moved forward to Vermelles, where it spent the day anticipating what lay ahead for them in the big push, listening to the guns and watching wounded and prisoners coming down from the front. The battalion finally moved back to some trenches and came under shellfire for the rest of the day.

British Army advancing at Loos

The men went into action the next morning (the 26th September) with little water or food and very short of sleep. The plan for the attack was made to advance down a gentle slope to the Lens – La Bassee Road, beyond which it rose gradually towards the German trenches. The Bois Hugo was key to the situation as it flanked the approach. Unfortunately, the Germans had counter attacked Bois Hugo, dislodged the defenders and filled the wood with machine guns.

At 11am, on cessation of the bombardment, the brigade advanced with the 8th Royal West Kent on the left of the leading line. It had been exposed since daybreak to heavy artillery fire but had found enough shelter in the old German trenches to escape heavy casualties.

They advanced steadily under artillery and rifle fire, to which machine gun fire from the flank was added. They swept through the first trenches and at last reached the rearward wire only to find it practically intact.

The position was desperate. Despite gallant attempts to get through the wire, all most could do was to throw themselves on the ground and attempt to return the enemy’s fire. For some time they hung on despite heavy losses, but to no avail the rest of the attack had failed and the position was hopeless.

One by one almost every remaining officer was shot down and to hang on any longer could only involve further useless sacrifices. The last remnants of the battalion fell back as best they could over the long distance to the Lens – La Bassee road.

Of the 24 officers and 800 men who had gone into action only one officer (Lt. Tillie) and 250 men remained effective.

Tom’s brother, Albert was serving with the 8th Battalion Somerset Light Infantry and was also involved in the Battle of Loos. He too had only recently arrived in France and for these units of the new army this was to be their baptism of fire.

Albert Hollins

The Somerset Light Infantry 8th Battalion War Diary for the period covering the Battle of Loos reads as follows.

On the morning of the 25th we marched to Vermelles and deployed to go into action about  7pm on the 25th September. B and C companies went to the Hullach –Lens Road, held the road for the night of the 25th and on the morning of the 26th were counterattacked by the enemy and ordered to retire by the Brigade mayor at 1pm. They returned to 1st line trenches and held them until 8am 27th September when they marched to bivovac near Vermelles and joined A and D companies there.

A and D companies participated in the attack on Hill 70 the night of 25th -26th September and retired about 12 noon on the 26th when they went into support line in old German trenches and were joined on the morning of the 27th September by B and C Companies.

The casualties in the Battalion numbered 15 officers, 271 other ranks, 15 mules and one horse. The Battalion stayed in bivovac near Vermelles.

Their half cousin and my Great uncle, Benjamin Hollins, serving in the 1/6th North Staffordshire Regiment had been in the brigade reserve for most of September. On the 25th September the regiment moved back into trenches reliving the 1/5th South Staffordshire regiment in trenches 33-36.

The conditions were described as showery and they suffered 4 casualties, all wounded. They remained in the trenches in wet and showery weather for the next few days suffering 4 more wounded.

The British had suffered heavy losses for very little gain and following significant counter attacks the relative positions of the opposing forces largely remained unchanged following the battle of Loos.

Of the 10,000 troops who went over the top in the Battle of Loos some 8,000 casualties were recorded in the first four hours of the attack, with the British suffering some 58,000 casualties as the battle dragged on until the middle of October.