The Maoris in the Great War

Chapter VIII. — Maori Raiding Parties (1916)

Chapter VIII.
Maori Raiding Parties (1916).

The Pioneers had carried on their trench duties with admirable courage and endurance under harassing conditions but were getting impatient for an opportunity of taking the offensive and having a cut at the Germans. So early in July, the G.O.C consented to the Battalion making a raid, and there was keen anticipation of an exciting night enterprise. Fifty men were picked from each Maori company, from volunteers, and training was started under Captain R. I. Dansey.

One night (July 3rd), about 9.30 o'clock, Lieut. Dansey saw a man on the roof of a factory in rear of the billets holding a light in the direction of the camp's trenches. He searched the roofs but failed to catch the fellow, so he put, all the civilians in the building under arrest and handed them over to the Assistant-Provost Marshal. An enemy bombardment of Armentieres followed immediately the showing of the light. The shelling was particularly heavy and lasted until midnight; the guns used were 5.9-inch, 8-inch, and 11-inch howitzers; incendiary shells were also fired. Several buildings were burned and considerable damage was done, but the casualties in the town were not great. The same night the enemy raided L'Epinette Salient and captured a bombing post of five men. The German barrage de feu which encircled L'Epinette, caused a hundred casualties in the 1st Auckland Regiment, who garrisoned the post.

The Maori raiding party was engaged in bombing practice and physical training, and a model of the section of the enemy's trench to be attacked, was laid out on the ground near the Pont de Nieppe. All ranks were very keen about the coming night adventure, and the volunteers were far in excess of requirements. The C.O. and his officers reconnoitered the ground over which the attack would be made.

At 10.45 o'clock on the night of July 9th, a party, consisting of five officers and 80 other ranks under Captain Dansey, attempted the raid on the German trenches. The raid was to have been made on the 12th, but instructions were received from Divisional Headquarters to get it off on the 9th, so preparations were rushed on. The party, however, found the wire in front of the salient had not been cut, and therefore, was withdrawn. On the return across No Man's Land the men came under a heavy fire of shrapnel from the enemy, and one man (L.-Cpl. Toka) was killed and three were wounded. Trench 84 and the post at Petty Curry were also heavily shelled for about half an hour and four men were wounded in the trenches. The New Zealand artillery put up a counter-barrage fire but were stopped by telephone after ten minutes. The raiding party returned to billets at 4 a.m. It was a bitter disappointment to the Maoris, who had thus lost their longed-for chance of using the bayonet on their foes.

A Raid that Failed.

Next night, July 10th-11th, half an hour before midnight, the Maori raiding party went out again and had a nerve-trying experience in the dark. The wire was cut by trench mortars between 7 and 8 p.m., but scouts found that the fire had not sufficiently destroyed the entanglements, so half an hour's shelling was spent in clearing a track for the raiders. The attacking party, however, were nearly cut off by an enemy force in No Man's Land and had to retire to Petty Curry. There were no casualties. The New Zealand artillery fire was immediately opened and it was hoped caused some casualties among the enemy massed in the open. The Germans' return fire was very poor, and no casualties were caused in the trenches. During the raid the N.Z.F.A. shelled the Railway Salient and put down a barrage fire on the communication trenches in rear of it. Smoke was released from the Pioneer trenches, and drew a heavy fire from the enemy's guns and mortars and a considerable amount of shelling directed on the town.

The following is Lieut.-Col. George A. King's report on the Pioneers' attempted raid of the night July 10th-11th:—

“Scouts under Lieut. Vercoe left the gap south of Petty Curry at 11 p.m. At 11.22 they reported to me that the gap in the enemy's outside wire was not passable owing to the way the artillery had blown it about. The remainder of the raiding party then moved out into No Man's Land and formed up in rear of the scouts. The wire was very difficult and a gap was not cleared until 12.30 a.m. The scouts then moved round the end of the second wire and found a good gap in the third row and so got up to the enemy's parapet, which was about fifteen feet wide on the top. Many Germans were walking about on the parapet to the right of the gap, and as their movements seemed out of place Lieut. Vercoe sent two scouts down inside of the third wire. By this time the whole party was inside the wire and extended ready to rush the trench. Up till now there had not been a shot or a flare fired from any of the enemy's trenches opposite trenches 83 and 84, and this unusual quiet on the part of the enemy caused a general feeling among the raiders that a trap had been set for them.

“At about 12.45 a.m., one of the scouts who had been sent along the wire to the right (south) reported to Lieut. Vercoe that he had counted the heads of 69 Germans crawling along outside the middle row of wire to cut the party off. Captain Dansey immediately swung up the left flank of the raiders to meet the Germans with bombs. The movement was not complete before another scout reported a still larger body of the enemy outside the entanglement nearest our trenches also trying to cut off the raiders. The party was moving in a crescent formation.

“Captain Dansey then decided, as the danger of getting surrounded was too great, to withdraw his raiders. The party withdrew quickly and in good order, the scouts forming the rearguard. The enemy followed up as far as the line of small trees about 75 yards from our post at Petty Curry, throwing bombs.

“As soon as the raiding party got inside our wire I gave a signal for artillery barrage to be formed. The first howitzer shell arrived within 30 seconds of the rocket breaking. The infantry garrison at Petty Curry opened rifle and machinegun fire on the enemy, who were plainly visible at one time. The 18-pounders' fire covered most of the ground across which the enemy were retiring and the howitzer shells were bursting well along the German parapet. I consider that the fire of rifles and guns must have caused considerable loss to the enemy, as considerable noise and confusion were observed amongst them as they retired, which they did rapidly.

“The Pioneers retired on to the right flank party of the raiders and returned to the trench via south end of Haig's Barrier. The whole party, including raiders, communication post and flank party, were safely in our trenches by 1.30 a.m. without any casualties.

“Lieut. Vercoe is quite satisfied that the gap through the enemy's inside entanglement had been specially made by the enemy to encourage our party to rush the parapet, and I am of the opinion that Captain Dansey undoubtedly saved the party from total loss by withdrawing when he did, and that great credit is due to Lieut. Vercoe and his scouts whose careful work disclosed the trap in time for it to be avoided. All ranks behaved exceptionally well during the retirement under bomb-fire, and there was absolutely no noise or confusion.

“As a raid the operation was a failure, as no information was gained, except that the enemy is very much on the alert and that he had at least 150 men available for a counter-stroke.”

On the night of the 16th, Lieut. Kaa took a patrol out ready to go into No Man's Land, but was not allowed to make the raid owing to a New Zealand gas attack having been arranged. Next night Lieut. Vercoe took a patrol (A Company) out from Petty Curry but saw nothing of importance.

After this date patrol parties went out frequently at night. One of A Company, led by Lieut. O'Neill, reported having located an enemy listening post and also found a telephone cable running from No Man's Land under the German wire; this they cut.

There was at this time tremendous artillery activity along the front. The Pioneers' O.C. wrote in his diary on July 19th: “There is an awful row going on from our people and the Boches is shelling an oat paddock about 200 yards north of us, with 5.9 h.e.”

At this time the duties undertaken by the Pioneers in defence of Armentieres were multifarious and heavy. B Company parties were working on the support and second support lines in the 3rd Brigade sector between La Chappelle and Armentieres and the Bois Grenier; D Company was engaged in the sawmill and on concrete works and R.E. dumps.

The following were the instructions for the N.Z. Pioneer Battalion raid on German trenches:—

(July 8th, 1916.)

Battalion Orders NO. 1.

Armentieres, 8/7/1916.

Orders for Minor Enterprise on Night of July 10th-11th, 1916.

GEORGE A. KING, Lieut.-Col.

Commanding N.Z. Pioneers.