page 140

Chapter XX.
Le Bizet.

On the 25th February, the 1st Battalion marched to Le Bizet and took over billets in brigade support from 8th Border Regiment, while the 2nd Battalion relieved at Pont de Nieppe the 11th Cheshire Regiment in the line and the 8th Border Regiment in the subsidiary line. The village of Le Bizet was uninhabited by civilians, and the houses had been badly damaged by shell fire. It looked, and gave one the feeling of the "deserted village."

On the 1st March, the 1st Battalion relieved the 2nd Battalion in the line, the latter going into brigade reserve at Pont de Nieppe. The 1st Battalion had its headquarters at Surrey House. The trenches in this sector (Right sector—Le Touquet) were in bad shape, for the upper hundred yards of Long Avenue and portions of other trenches were under water. The whole of the parapet in the front line was very low, and in a bad state of repair: many of the dug-outs had fallen in: parados was non-existent in most places and, where it did exist, the trenches were much too narrow. Napoo Avenue and Watling Street were practically impassible. The support line in the left sector was uninhabitable, except for six dug-outs. There was no cook-house in the left company's sector, and the cooking was done at Widow House near Station Redoubt. Rations and supplies were brought by transport to Motor-car page 141Corner, and thence by a good tram-line to Battalion Headquarters and to Station Redoubt and Half-way House. There was an Engineer's dump alongside Battalion headquarters; but stores were very limited, and timber and rivetting material impossible to obtain. There was therefore much work to be done. The battalion in line heightened and strengthened the parapet, cleared drains and built up traverses and parados. Working-parties from the battalion in support opened up a drain under the duck-boards along the whole length of Long Avenue, also two other drains behind the support line, thus clearing the Avenue of water. When we took over the line, the enemy had a very marked superiority in sniping; but we soon gained ascendancy, killing at least three German snipers. A patrol of usually one officer and three men, went out from near the head of Barkenham Avenue every night. Our wire along the whole front was very poor, and that of the enemy generally very good. On the 3rd March, our light trench mortars fired 170 rounds from our left sector, and the enemy retaliated with 30 "pineapples." On the 8th March, both our medium and light trench mortars bombarded the enemy's line from the head of Long and Barkenham Avenues, the retaliation consisting of about twenty minenwerfers and a hundred "pineapples"; but, fortunately, no damage was done to us. Fine weather was now being experienced with a bright moon at night. It was very cold, and there was some snow.

On the 5th March, Lieutenant-Colonel H. Hart, D.S.O., was appointed temporarily to command 1st N.Z. Infantry Brigade, and Captain F. K. Turnbull, M.C., assumed command of the 1st Battalion, as Major C. F. D. Cook was on leave.

On the 9th March, the 2nd Battalion relieved the 1st Battalion in the line, the latter moving to Pont de Nieppe, Wellington-West Coast Company of the 1st Battalion then being detached and marching to Ravelsburg to work on trenches, etc., at the new Divisional School there. The 2nd Battalion remained in the line until the 14th March, when it was relieved by the 43rd Battalion, 11th Brigade, A.I.F., and marched to Le Romarin. The 1st Battalion stayed at Pont de Nieppe until the 15th, but was greatly reduced in numbers page 142by being called upon to supply two officers and about one hundred men for a brigade working party; two officers and seventy men for New Zealand Working Battalion; thirty men for the 3rd Canadian Tunnelling Company; and fifty men for a railway construction party (Proven Berques Line). On the 15th March, the 1st Battalion was relieved by the 42nd Battalion, A.I.F., and marched to billets in Nieppe. There, training was carried on daily, and in the afternoons inter-platoon Rugby matches and inter-company Soccer matches were played on very rough grounds. On the 18th March, the 1st Battalion marched about three miles to Bulford Camp and relieved the 10th Battalion, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Both our battalions had now to garrison certain posts in G.H.Q. 2nd Line of Defence with picquets of one N.C.O. and six men each, relieved every twenty-four hours. Training was carried on as best the battalions could, for both were still obliged to supply a very large number of men for working parties. A great many men were employed by day on railway constructional work at Connaught Road, Romarin and Quarry Road Sidings, while, at night, parties were digging the subsidiary line on the left brigade front and wiring the same with double apron, while other night parties were digging a support line on the right brigade frontage. Towards the end of the month, the 1st Battalion was inspected at Bulford Camp by Brigadier-General C. H. J. Brown, D.S.O., Commanding First New Zealand Infantry Brigade.

The weather during March had been changeable with a fair amount of rain and occasional snow storms, and there was a certain amount of sickness.