JACOB GLAISTER DCM, MM and the capture of Eaucourt L’Abbaye October
1916
By Shaun Corkerry MA,BA(hons)
 |
| Joseph Glaister DCM,MM |
The capture of Eaucourt l’Abbaye does not rate as a battle
in the official nomenclature of the First World War1, rather it is
classed as a tactical incident during the Battles of the Transloy Ridges, and
that is in turn classed as a part of “Operations on the Somme”.
However for many soldiers it figured largely in their lives before and after
October 1916, and this article concerns just two of them.
I first encountered Jacob Glaister whilst carrying out
research into my wife’s family (he is her second cousin thrice removed) and he
stood out as he had two decorations for gallantry. I decided to find out more.
Jacob Glaister Junior was born at Whitehaven in Cumberland in Feb 1886. A
self employed builder and contractor, living at 88 George Street Whitehaven, his
hobbies were motoring and motor engineering and he owned a motorcycle when he
was just eighteen years old.2
As Jacob was 30 in 1916 and was a committed motorcycle fan
it is interesting to speculate that he may have enlisted as a result of the
Motorcycle News recruiting initiative, whereby adverts appeared appealing for
mechanically minded individuals to contact the editor, who would then personally
interview candidates. Most were then sent direct to Bisley thereby bypassing
the normal army recruitment process! 3
In any event Jacob first joined for duty at Coventry on 2 Feb 1916 where he was medically
examined. He was attested (sworn in) at Whitehaven aged 29 on 15 Feb 1916- he
was allocated service no 32243. He was mobilised on 29 Mar and arrived at
Bisley the same day; immediately being transferred to the Armoured Car Section.
Jacobs’s mechanical talents had not gone unnoticed and he
was then posted to the Heavy Section MGC (machine gun corps) on 4 May 1916.
The Heavy section Machine Gun Corps was a cover name for a
unit formed to operate Tanks, which had been in development since 1915.We shall
not dwell on their development here but the works in further reading will
assist anyone interested. The tanks being issued in 1916 were little more than
prototypes but they were desperately needed to counter barbed wire and machine
guns in France.
4
Jacob was posted to D Company on 25 May and after initial
weapon training at Bullhousen Farm near Bisley, and tuition on the
6lb gun by the Royal Navy, the company moved to Elveden in Suffolk where a
secret training location had been established. In June 1916 the
first tanks arrived, including the prototype "Mother". In
the next eight weeks, the crew members learned to drive and
"fight" their vehicles but not every crew was able to work
together or train on the specially built mock battle area.5
Jacob and the rest of D company embarked at Southampton on 2
Sep and arrived at Le Havre
on 3 Sep 1916.
The tanks were rushed into action for the Battle of
Flers-Courcelette, which began on 15 September 1916 and lasted for one week.
This was the third and last of the large-scale offensives mounted by the British
Army during the battle of the Somme that had
begun with such high hopes in July.
After final training across old trench lines near
Yvrench, and performing many demonstrations for the benefit of various General
Staff members, C and D companies went into action on the morning of 15
September 1916. 49 tanks were tasked to support an attack
designed to capture German strong points between Courcelette and
Combles. Several of the tanks broke down en route to their starting
points; others were unable to cope with the dreadful ground conditions and
became stuck. Many were damaged by enemy artillery fire as they made their
way across No Man's Land but a few managed to get beyond the German front
line trenches and assist the infantry in taking their objectives.
We shall not dwell here on the Battle of Flers nor the
subsequent controversies as the reader can do no better than read Trevor Pigeons’
work and some of the others cited-d we shall only consider the actions of Jacob
and the crew of his tank during that day.6
Jacobs’s tank was D16- named “Dracula”- and was a “female”,
being armed with 5 machine guns and not the 6 pounder cannon of the “Male”. His
tank commander was Lt Arnold 7and there were a total of eight
crewmen in the tank8 -Jacob operated machine guns in action.
Dracula successfully made its way to its objective using its
machine guns to chase the defenders away. During a lull in the battle, the crew
were able to cook breakfast but this calm was interrupted as the tanks were
spotted by a German observation balloon, located to the north of Flers, who
directed artillery fire upon them. They
then moved along the edge of the village, where Arnold and Pearsall (D11 – Die
Hard) helped Nixon’s crew put out the fire in his tank (D12). At noon, they lead an assault at the NW of
the village where there was a substantial German defensive position. They provided close fire support to infantry,
causing significant casualties amongst the Germans who were unable to respond,
and the position was over-run. The tanks
then assisted in beating off the inevitable German counter attack, using their
machine guns to destroy the German infantry as they advanced from Factory
Corner.
Later in the afternoon Dracula stopped to rescue a wounded
New Zealander and Lt Arnold got out of
the tank to help. He was then wounded in the leg. Jacob took charge of the tank
-no easy feat as it took the coordinated efforts of three men to change gear -and
manoeuvred it in order to shield Arnold and the New Zealander –the two wounded
men were then pulled inside the tank. For this deed Jacob was later awarded the
Military Medal. Dracula returned to base with the wounded New Zealand soldier inside
having helped the Infantry take Flers.
On 1 Oct Jacob was back in action - As the capture of
Eaucourt L’Abbaye is comparatively little known we shall consider the wider
events of the battle and Jacobs’s part in it in some detail. Dracula and a male
tank -D8 (not apparently named) were both assigned to III corps on 22 September
to assist the attack of 141 Infantry Brigade, 47 Division.
The aim of the attack was straightening out the left of the
4th Army front by the capture of Eaucourt l’Abbaye and the Flers
line as far as le Sars. This involved the whole of III Corps and the New
Zealand Division (part of XV Corps).9
Eaucourt L’Abbaye itself -which was identified as a key German
strongpoint -consisted of two large farms in the same walled enclosure built on
top of an old Augustine Abbey. The old Abbey cellars were in good condition and
a great source of secure shelter for the German troops..
The Abbey lay low at a point where a short valley from the
direction of High Wood turns at a right angle north west towards the Albert -Baupaume
road.
“Eaucourt l’Abbaye
therefore is commanded by higher ground on every side except on the north west” 10
1 October 1916
At 0700 on 1st October -a fine autumn day-a
steady bombardment opened along the whole army line and continued until zero
which was 1515. The bombardment then changed to a creeping barrage.
We will consider the progress of the units involved in the
attack from right to left or clockwise.
Reference to the battle map must now be made throughout.
XV corps-the New Zealand Division
The right of the 47th Division was to be secured
by the advance of the 2nd New Zealand Brigade to a line across from
Gird-Goose junction to the Abbey. The New Zealand Division would swing forward
its left flank pivoting on the Gird trenches 1500 yards east of Eaucourt
l’Abbaye. (This bit cannot be seen on the map)
The junction of the two divisions –the 47th and
New Zealand -was laid down as the “Circus”
trench system.
The New Zealanders –from top to bottom the 2nd Canterbury and 2 Otago Regiments-
both supported by 2nd Wellington Regiment-had the following as their
objectives:
2nd Canterbury-Goose alley /gird trench intersection
strongpoint.
2nd Otago had the Circus as its objective.11
At 1515 the 2nd Canterbury went forward with the
help of 36 oil projectors operated by the Special Service Brigade which
blanketed the entire area of the German Trenches in smoke and flame-this
certainly helped as the history of the New Zealand Division refers to the
terrifying effect on German prisoners (the main opposition to the New Zealand
division were the 21 Bavarian Reserve Regiment.)
The New Zealanders pressed right up to the creeping barrage
and in spite of initial resistance soon reached the Gird lines at the junction
of Goose alley and the eastern part of The Circus.
2nd Canterbury took its objectives relatively quickly-
though with casualties- and 2nd Otago also
suffered casualties on the approach to the Circus from machine gun fire, mostly
among officers and NCO’s, but the Circus was taken and the Germans evicted.12
It was here that the first VC of the battle was awarded:
Sergeant D F Brown of the 2nd Otago rushed a German Machine gun and
was killed in the process of silencing it.
Some of the New Zealanders then went well beyond their
objective and were rallied on the Le Barque road by Capt Jardine of the 2nd Wellington.
During the remainder of the day 2nd Wellington cleared the communication trench
from the Circus to Abbey road and a strongpoint was put in place there.
The New Zealanders now occupied a position which overshot
the Circus but was seen to be so good they were soon joined by elements of the 19thLondon
and a line was then established with them and elements of the 20th London which joined the
left of the line.
Consolidation of this position was commenced by the New
Zealanders immediately.
IIIrd Corps-
47th Division
141 Brigade attacked Eaucourt l’Abbaye with three Battalions
and two tanks.
D8- a male tank, armed with 6 pounder guns, commanded by Lt
Bown13 and Jacobs tank D16. Both tanks had seen action on 15
September. By now there were few serviceable tanks left.
The wounded Lt Arnold was replaced by Lt William Jefferson
Wakley who had been a tank park officer. The heavy officer casualties of 15
September meant that Wakley now had his chance to command a tank in action. He
had been visibly disappointed when this eluded him on September 15th.
14
William Jefferson Wakley was born 21 Sep 1893 in West London. He was educated at St Pauls School and
served a four year apprenticeship with The Northern iron works in Southampton from 1908 to 1912, and subsequently attended
Kings College University of London. 15
On the outbreak of war he was resident in Birmingham and joined the 15th (S) Bn Royal
Warwickshire Regiment on 14 September 1914 as a Private.
Commissioned on 10 March 1915 into 6th Worcs Regt (Spec Res)
as 2nd Lt on probation, he was attached to Heavy Branch MGC on 17
April ’16.He was then responsible for the maintenance and movement of the tanks
of D company.
The two tanks made their journey from their base at Green
dump at some point (it is not clear when) and
were assembled at the Starfish Redoubt under cover 16 and
were ordered to make for the right of the divisional front -a distance of about
1500 yards. They had further orders to pass up the Flers lines to Eaucourt
l’Abbaye. The tanks did not start out from the Starfish until zero.
The route of the tanks then took them along the Cough drop
and along the north side of Drop alley. The going was very rough as the ground
had been heavily shelled but nonetheless the tanks reached the Flers lines in
around 40 minutes. Obviously they arrived far too late for the start of the
infantry assault.
The crossing point and movements of both Tanks are both
shown on the map.
The Infantry and Tank
attack -141 Brigade, 47 Division
The attacking Infantry units were all from the London Regiment
and were- from right to left, the 1/19th,1/20th and 1/17th Battalions.
The 1/18th London Regiment was in reserve and the
1/23rd London
regiment was further back under the command of 141 Brigade. The 23rd
were actually part of 142 Brigade but had been placed at the disposal of 141
Brigade at 1730. 17
The artillery barrage changed to a creeping barrage at zero
behind which the infantry were supposed to advance, sticking closely to the
path of the barrage- giving the Germans little time to react.
The Infantry attack was launched in four waves on a four
company frontage -an RFC aerial observer saw the Brigade forming up and his
impression was that 141 Brigade was late forming up and advanced a good bit too
far behind the barrage.
As a result 1/19th London on the right was checked by heavy
machine gun fire when 50 yards from the German trenches. The infantry therefore
waited in shell holes for the Tanks.
The same observer says this of the Tanks progress:
“The tanks were
obviously too far behind ,owing to lack of covered approaches, to be able to
take part in the original attack, but they were soon seen advancing on either
side of the Eaucourt l’Abbaye-Flers line continuously in action and doing
splendid work.They did not seem to be the target of much enemy shell fire” 18
However once both Tanks had passed and dealt with the German
machine gun strong points progress was easy and the leading two waves of the Battalion
pressed on past Eaucourt l’Abbaye to join the New Zealand Division on the Le
Barque road.
The Tanks continued northwest heading across the front of the
1/20th, D16 continuing to drive between the trench lines and D8 travelling
behind the Flers support trench.
On its way up to the Abbey D8 was seen dispersing pockets of
German resistance with its 6 pounders and D16 did likewise with its four
Vickers guns.19
The 1/20th London,
the centre Battalion, was given the Abbey itself as its objective.
Again, after the Tanks had passed in front of the infantry
progress was good and the Battalion crossed the Flers line, entered the Abbey enclosure
and swept through the buildings (without clearing the extensive cellars
unfortunately), and the first two waves of the Battalion then joined the 19th
London’s lines north west of the Abbey buildings.
The 19th and 20th battalions had
therefore established a line to the north of the Abbey and this line was
successfully held by troops of both Battalions -Lt Bartlett commanding the
troops of the 19th and Lt Needham commanding those of the 20th.
The line was held for the next couple of days until the capture of the Abbey. 20
The two Tanks met up at the point shown on the map and D8
was later seen firing at the Abbey enclosure to good effect with its 6 pounder
guns (German machine guns were sited at the edges of the enclosure). Thereafter
the tracks of the tanks diverged.
Shortly afterwards the two tanks got stuck in the Flers
lines west of the Abbey. It is not clear why but the ground was probably incredibly
muddy. This could have happened around 1700-1730.
In the meantime the left battalion of the attacking Brigade-
the 1/17th London- had lacked the early support of the tanks and had
therefore been unable to advance due to uncut wire and intact Machine guns.
Small parties of the Battalion had got into the wire of the Flers line but were
driven out by German bombing attacks.
The War diary of the 17th Londons gives some idea of the German defence
-“no company seems to have got more than
halfway across no mans land when they were met by terrific machine gun fire”21
Therefore when the Germans counter attacked down the
trenches later in the afternoon,(these were troops of the II/17th Bavarian regiment) the
few Infantry in position fell back to the original start line and the Tanks,
being immobile and unsupported, were set on fire after a brief conference
between Bown and Wakley. The crews then made their own way back to the British
lines.
“two tanks cooperated
and advanced along the Flers and Flers support lines and arrived about the
centre of the Abbey when they saw our troops on our left in retreat, the
occupants set fire to their tanks and left” 22
The crews of both tanks then made for British lines and it
was not clear in which direction they headed- though incredibly the Germans
provide the clue here:
The 17th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment saw
the vehicles approaching to the west of the Flers-Rancourt road using their armament
to good effect and supported by low flying aircraft also using their machine guns -and as we have
seen the tanks became bogged down. The Bavarians of course were surprised by
this: their war history continues,
“Upon this some of the
crewmen abandoned the tanks and tried to get into our rearward trenches. They
were shot down in short order. The rest ran towards the Eaucourt-Flers road,
apparently after they had set the tanks on fire, at any rate the vehicles burst
into flames immediately” 23
On exiting the tank Lt Wakley was wounded almost immediately
in his left leg by a shell fragment which lodged 4 inches above the knee-a
compound fracture of the leg was also sustained. Jacob stayed with Wakley and then
dragged him to some cover.
Also with Wakley and Jacob was Gunner George Foot who had
been a member of the crew of D21 on September 15th. Much to his
frustration D21 was put out of action almost straight away (the tank broke the axle of its steering tail
after 10 minutes and finished near the mine crater south east of High Wood) and he had then been reassigned to D16.24
Thanks to the German account we can pinpoint roughly where
the men were and I have accordingly marked the map.
As the whole area was raked by German machine gun fire here
they remained for the time being.
The remainder of the crew of “Dracula” and those of D8
managed to reach British lines safely-Lt Bown is recorded as having returned to
D company on the 3rd October.25
Meanwhile the two rear waves of the 19th and 20th
London Battalions had consolidated Flers support but were digging in when they
were driven back 100 yards by a party of Germans who were overlooked in the
advance.26
In consequence the two Battalions were unable to retain the
whole of the Flers line and Flers support -which had been badly shelled-was
left unoccupied and was instead covered by the New Zealand Division block
established at the end of their lines.
The failure of the 17 London’s
attack was known by 47 Division HQ by around 1700 and Divisional HQ sent
forward the 23rd London
during that night to renew the attack. The war Diary of the 23rd London states that the
order to reinforce 141 Brigade came at 2300.27
The war diary of the 18th London is of great interest as they were held
in reserve for most of the day and their observers could see the events of the
day unfolding:
Zero+10 troops
advancing in good order- Flers line taken….
Zero+15 smoke so thick
little can be seen-appears held up left of centre….
Conflicting reports
for next 4 hours….
At 1625pm the 1/18th ordered forward finding
elements of all 3 attacking battalions in the start lines.
1830pm in position-night dark morning misty….
Midnight orders
received to clear strongpoint at M23.c.8.1 double blocked and held by bombers.28
The Infantry
attack- 50 Division 151 Brigade
We now move right to the 50 Division sector.151 Brigade
attacked in the following formation:
Right to left- 6th Battalion Durham Light Infantry (DLI), 5th
Border Regiment and 8th Durham Light Infantry (a composite Battalion formed due
to manpower shortage) and 5th battalion Northumberland Fusiliers. The 9th
DLI were held in reserve.29
The 151 Brigade attacked on time but their right hand Battalion,
the 6 DLI, suffered from the failure of the attack of the 17th Londons. As a result they
only gained a small foothold in Flers trench. The Germans counterattacked and
drove the Durhams out but
by 1941 the Durhams had regained the Flers line on their
front.
However as their right flank was “in the air” the Durhams
built a block in the trench (usually done with sandbags) and they were ably
supported in this by the 9th DLI.
As a result of strenuous efforts by the 9 DLI and the 6 DLI
by 2130 Flers trench was secured. For his untiring efforts in this Lt Colonel
Bradford of the 1/9th DLI was awarded the second VC of Eaucourt
L’Abbaye.
The centre battalion (composite Border regiment and DLI) had
captured the Flers line without much trouble. This was due to the creeping
barrage and the troops of 50 Division were seen from the air as advancing
within 50 yards of it.
A similar story was unfolding on the left with 5 Northumberland
Fusiliers who by 1600 had taken their objectives and began consolidation.
The 23rd
Division -70th brigade
Moving left along the assault line the 23rd Division
-70th brigade (11/Sherwood
Foresters and 8/KOYLI with 9 Yorks and Lancs in support and 8th York
and Lancs in reserve) had as their objectives the Flers trench and the Flers
support trenches astride the Baupaume road. Having captured the objective a
defensive flank was to be thrown back to connect with the Canadians north west of Destremont
farm.
At 1515 the brigade assaulted in four waves and the Sherwood
Foresters, closely following the barrage, quickly took the right hand
objectives of Flers trench and Flers support and linked up with the left of 151
Brigade.30
The 8 KOYLI had a more difficult advance but carried the
objective in the Flers line except for a portion of line either side of the
Baupaume road.
The Germans resisted heavily any attempt to advance to Flers
support but 200 yards of this line were captured and the left flank blocked by
dusk.
The 8 KOYLI then joined hands with elements of the Canadians
on their left. The Germans offered stiff resistance-from dusk to 2300 no less
than 7 attacks were repulsed.
At 1615 one company of the 9 Yorks and Lancs attempted to
take the centre objectives which were the trenches north and south of the
Baupaume road.
Whilst this portion of Flers trench was secured, the Flers
support trench was trickier as it was covered by the village of Le Sars.
In the event only the portion south of the road was secured and
a block was placed on that side of the road to protect the left flank.
If the assault had gone well the village of Le Sars
would have been captured but it became abundantly clear this would now be a
separate operation.
That night the 70th Brigade was relieved by the 69th Brigade.
2nd October 1916.
The New Zealand
Division
The New Zealand Division had completed its consolidation by
dawn on 2nd. The 2 Auckland regiment
came up and assisted the 2 Canterbury
in this.
The New Zealanders soon found out that the Londoners with them
were cut off as the enemy was still in their rear in the Abbey buildings and to
the east of the Abbey. The Londoners were supplied with food by the New
Zealanders in the meantime.
The 2nd New Zealand Brigade was withdrawn during
the night and replaced by the 3rd New Zealand Brigade.
47 Division
Time was lost assembling the 23rd Battalion in
the cold wet night and crowded trenches and the Battalion was not ready until
0625.it had received final orders at 0400.
Advancing in four waves in broad daylight the Battalion had
little chance of success and incurred 170 casualties from Machine Gun fire -the
attack proving utterly futile.31
The 23rd Battalion returned to the start line and
was withdrawn at Dusk.
Heavy rain set in 1100 on the 2nd and continued throughout
the next 2 days.
“A heavy downpour
followed throughout the next 24 hours. Several trenches, freshly dug, had of
course no duckboards, existing trenches had been battered to dust by the guns of both sides and the dust now
turned to thick clinging mud, later becoming the consistency of soup” 32
The 1/18th was also ordered to prepare for an
attack early in the morning but luckily for them no attack was undertaken that
day-heavy sniping was however reported “from
derelict tank” -it is not known which one.33
During the day Lt Wakley, Jacob and Foot were still trapped
in no mans land and as another bid to reach British lines was made, Jacob was
shot in the chest. (Possibly by a sniper in one of the tanks) The bullet
entered 2 inches to the right of the middle line opposite the lower end of his
sternum and exited over his left ribs in line with his nipple.
The plight of Jacob and Lt Wakley can only be imagined as
both were now both wounded and unable to move any distance unaided. Here in the
middle of the raging battle the men stayed throughout the day and night.
During the day the advanced parties of the 19th and 20th London were contacted by
runner after their positions became known -from midnight on the 1st
the parties were resupplied from Flers line -one Vickers and three Lewis guns
were sent forward as none of the original guns survived the initial attack. As
we have seen they also received aid from the New Zealand Division to their
extreme right.34
These advance parties were incredibly vulnerable as the
Germans were still in the Abbey cellars and in positions to the east of the Abbey.
During the night of the 2nd patrols from 18th London confirmed the
Flers line was still held as confirmed by the wounded being brought in.
The Germans were stated to be firing on any British parties
collecting wounded and attempting to clear the battlefield.35
It is reported that several men subsequently lost their
lives trying to rescue Jacob,Foot and Lt Wakley and this may have happened
during this period.36
50 Division
The 50th Division had completed its tasks before
dawn of the 2nd .The 9 DLI had captured its second objective by 0100
on the 2nd, and the 6th and 9th DLI formed a
block on their right using bombers and Mortars where the 47th
division had failed to get forward and exposed their flanks- and where the
Germans now probed relentlessly.
During the night the relief of 151 Brigade of the 50th
division by 149 Brigade was ordered. The relief was aided by a thick mist. 6
Northumberland relieved 5 Northumberland, 4 Northumberland relieved 8 DLI/ and
5 Border Regiment and 7 NF relieved 6 and 9th DLI. This was all
completed by 2100.37
23 Division
In the 23rd division sector, consolidation took
place of the captured positions and by dawn of 2nd October Flers
trench was occupied along the whole of the 23rd Division front, and Flers
support was held south of the Baupaume road. The Germans continued to deliver
probing attacks.38
3rd October 1916
47th Division
At around 1130 to 1200 on the 3rd patrols of the
18th London
(which relieved the 17th. at about that time) reported the Germans
had largely cleared out and there were few troops in the trenches covering the Abbey.
At about 1500-1530 The 18th Battalion moved two
companies up- opposed initially by machine gun fire- through the Flers line and
the Abbey to link with the 20th London, which had tenuously held its
forward positions beyond the Abbey buildings throughout, and also to link on
its left in Flers trench with 151 Brigade.
The objectives were reached by 1610.
The area was consolidated with the aid of two companies of
the 17th –these arriving at 0045 - the Germans then shelled the area
heavily all night.39
50 Division
68th brigade 23rd Division relieved
the 149 Brigade 50 Division from approx 2200 on the 3rd.
23rd Division
In the 23rd Division area the 69th Brigade
carried out two small operations to capture the Flers support line and Flers trench
to the south of the Bapaume road where the Germans had regained a foothold the
previous day.
These operations were carried out in the evening of 3 October.
The attack on Flers support north of the Baupaume road was
carried out by two companies of 10 DWR and failed in the face of heavy German
firepower.
The 8 York and Lancaster mounted a simultaneous bombing
attack in Flers trench and though a small portion of trench was taken it could
not be held.40
4 October
The New Zealand
Division
On the 4th the New Zealand Division was relieved
by the 41st Division, thereby ending its involvement in the Somme Battles.
It had sustained 130 casualties on 1 October alone and over 7000 casualties
from the start of operations on 10th September. 41
47 Division
As the Infantry moved forward they were able to rescue Jacob,
Lt Wakley and George Foot . Lt Wakley is recorded by others as being brought in
and back at the Loop by 4th
October. Wakley himself said he was actually bought in on October 4th.42
The Great War says
of this time:
“On October 4th
the abbey was furiously shelled and the entire place carried by British
Infantry crawling through deep, grey slime puddles and by water pools that had
once been shell craters. Nearby a battalion of Bavarians made a fierce stand in
the huge abbey vaults: they hid in dark corners waiting with bomb and rifle,
but were cleared out“..the conquerors, ....found the vaults a paradise after
days and nights of continual rain”
23rd
Division
By the 4th October following the relief of the 50th
Division, 23rd Division held Flers trench for 1000 yards south of
the Baupaume road, and 400 yards north of it.
Flers support was held for 1000 yards from the south of the
road.
Subsequent operations at Eaucourt are of little concern to
us here but on 4th October operations began to consolidate the area
around the Abbey and prepare for the capture of Le Sars-due to bad weather this
was put back to the 7th October.
From the 4th onwards the weather mercifully
improved and the 140th Brigade 47 Division took over the line from
141st Brigade in readiness for a general attack on Le Sars. Many of
the units we have encountered went on to fight in this operation.
Conclusion of the
battle
The Capture of Eaucourt L’Abbaye was concluded by the 4th
October. Though it was rated as no more than an inconvenience in the overall
scheme of operations a great deal can be learned from the study of it. I shall
make no attempt to fully analyse the battle but look at only the key points.43
The conduct of operations showed many differences from
tactics employed in July. For example, the use of creeping artillery barrages
and Tanks. Where the creeping barrage was closely followed by the infantry the
attack was successful. Where the tanks could be used to neutralise remaining
Machine Guns the attack was also successful.
The timing of the attack also showed the extent of the
lessons learned from 1 July: the timing attack was copied from the French as
their experience showed that mornings were best used for bombardment and a mid
afternoon attack allowed consolidation of objectives gained over dusk. The 1 July
attack of course went in at dawn.
However, the worst of the tactical problems of the Western
front also asserted themselves: poor communications meant that effective
control of the battle was lost once the attack commenced, and many
opportunities were therefore lost. Movement of large units in the congested
trenches was difficult and this led to delays in moving and forming up for
attack.
The skill of the Germans in constructing defence positions
was also shown by the number of Machine Guns which survived the artillery
bombardment.44
Sadly the attack of the 23rd London’s on the 2nd showed the
worst of the tactical thinking on offer and the attack should never have been
mounted.45
The two Tanks
made a great contribution to the assault but were too few and started too far
behind to help all the Infantry. However it showed what could be done.
The German view of events at Eaucourt l’Abbaye is
instructive;
“The loss of this place was no surprise to me” wrote Crown
Prince Rupprecht “when I last talked with General Bulow I emphasised that the
trenches to the south of the village formed a narrow salient and were
untenable. But General Below refused to order them to be abandoned for they
enabled us to bring a good cross fire to bear on the ground to the front.”
The British official history further states that the Germans
(“Bavarian sources”) regarded Eaucourt l’Abbaye as lost on the afternoon of the
1 October 46 -though the place was still doggedly defended .The
Germans in general were becoming increasingly worried by the progress being
made by the British in the Somme area and were hoping that the onset of winter
would give them some respite..
The Capture of Eaucourt l’Abbaye was over. Le Sars was to
fall following repeated assault on 7 October. The British were to advance
little further on the Baupaume road despite their efforts before the Battle of the Somme was
shut down in mid November.
We shall now return to Jacob and Lt Wakley.
Lt Wakley was taken initially to Bicourt field hospital
where the shell fragments were removed and he was evacuated to England
on 17 October.
He was taken to Princess Henry of Battenberg’s hospital in London where his septic
leg continued to give concern. The leg was eventually amputated at the hip in
January 1917 and in May 1917 he was fitted with an artificial leg.
Wakley was promoted substantive Lt on 1 Jul ’17 and was
later employed at the War Office from August that year. He was employed by
Directorate SD7 on what was described as “highly technical work -checking drawings
related to design and to prepare diagrammatical sketches of ideas
submitted”
Wakley was placed on the retired list at his own request on
account of ill health caused by wounds 14 Feb 1919 and was awarded a Silver War
Badge on 30th April 1921.
Wakley went on to have a successful career in Mechanical
engineering-he died on 22 June 1978 in St Peter Port, Guernsey.
On 11 Oct Jacob was transferred to 9th Gen Hosp (Rouen) on 12 Oct and
evacuated on 16 Oct via the Hospital Ship “Mahens”. He was first in
hospital at King George
Hospital then the Adelaide Hospital
in Dublin from
18 Oct to 18 Dec 1916.
For his devotion and actions during the action at Eaucourt
l’Abbaye and 15 September Jacob was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal (gazetted
on 14 November 1916.This was followed by the MM (gazetted on 9 December 1916)
which covered his actions on the 15th September.
Jacob was posted on 19 Jan 1917 to the Depot at Bovington,
then to the Recruiting Depot at Wareham
on 26 Jan 1917. Jacobs’s wounds had clearly rendered him unfit for further
overseas service.
Jacob was posted to Tank Corps Depot as Acting/Sgt on 13 Apr
1918, and then attached from 14 to 29 Oct with the Cameron Highlanders at Inverness. He was
transferred to Z Class Reserve 19 Feb 1919 and later
medically examined at the Military Hospital at Wareham-this
indicated less than 20% disablement and weakness from the wound so Jacob
received no pension.
A different fate awaited Gunner Foot. Later joining D Battalion, Foot was promoted Lance Corporal.
He fought at Cambrai, being killed on 20 Nov 1917 whilst fighting in D51 “Deborah”
as she made her way through the German occupied village of Flesquieres
. After his death, Lt Frank Heap, his tank commander, wrote to Charles Foot
stating he” was killed instantly and painlessly. We buried him two days later where he had
fallen” Heap indicates that he expected
Foot to be commissioned. Foot was
buried, along with four other members of the Deborah crew, at Flesquieres Hill
Cemetery. He is commemorated on the war memorial at
Great Missenden. 47
 |
| George Foot |
After discharge Jacob took over his father’s building and
sculpturing business on his father’s death in 1929, and his company built
Whitehaven Bus Station- only the second covered Bus Station in England
when it was built.
Jacob married Lydia Jackson (a teacher) in the June quarter
of 1931. They had no children.
Jacob continued to run his highly successful business and
was remembered as an extrovert character; however he appears to have made
little of his war service.
Jacob died after a long illness at 3 Hensingham Road, Whitehaven on 23rd
October 1950 aged 64. His funeral was at 11am on 26th October 1950 at St.
Nicholas Church, Whitehaven, followed by interment in grave 1V10 at Whitehaven Preston Quarter
Cemetery.
Jacobs’s medals are held at the Tank Museum and he was also
presented with a gold watch on his return to Whitehaven by the town council of
which his father was a member for many years. Of his actions in what had been a
packed month in France he had this to say in his thank you letter:
It is very difficult to give you any
idea as to our experiences, but with regard to Myself I only did my duty and
what is expected of every man, viz., to play the game straight.
I still have trouble with my wounds, but
hope to be strong and well again in a month or two.
Again thanking you with the Council for
kind expressions.48.
Until 1929 there was a preserved Mark IV female tank in the
park at Whitehaven and I wonder if Jacob ever went to see it and recall the actions
in which he had played such a great part. I do not know if Jacob ever kept in
touch with Lt Wakely or any of his wartime comrades. I like to think that he
did.
British Losses and Casualties at Eaucourt L’Abbaye compiled
from unit war diaries
47 Division
17th London
1-4th October officers, 3 killed 4 wounded, other ranks 23 killed,
137 wounded, 100 missing
18th unknown (not recorded)
19th killed 2 officers 38 OR, DOW 3 other ranks,
wounded 6 off, 220 OR, missing 35 OR.
20th unknown
23rd 170 casualties on 2 October comprising 5 OR killed,
7 officers 76 OR wounded, 75 OR missing.
Killed –5
officers, 69 OR
Wounded-17
officers, 433 OR
Missing-210 OR
23rd Division
70 Brigade –1 October, 30 officers, 770 OR killed, wounded
and missing
69 Brigade-3 October, 5 officers, 30 OR killed, 5 officers
130 OR wounded
29 OR missing.
50th Division
6 DLI unknown
9 DLI 1st -3rd October
1st October -one officer wounded, 2 OR killed, 45
wounded
2nd October -2 OR killed, 1 missing, 3 wounded
3rd October -2 OR missing
Killed -4 OR
Wounded- 1 officer 48
OR
Missing- 3 OR
Total 50 Division casualties 10 Sep-3 October 4,072
casualties
New Zealand Division
1-3rd October
2 Canterbury
11 officers, 164 men (6 and 28 killed respectively)
2 Otago 10 officers 175 men (4/33 killed)
Total NZD
Killed -10 officers,
61 OR
Wounded -11 officers,
278 OR
Total British and NZ losses at Eaucourt L’Abbaye 1-3
October:
Killed -1,020 approx
(based on an analysis of the Soldiers died in the Great war database I believe
this to be an accurate total for soldiers killed in operations around Eaucourt
l’Abbaye 1-3rd October 1916 )
Wounded-918 approx
(figures incomplete)
Missing -242 approx (figures
incomplete)
German Losses
Incomplete -though the 17th Bavarian Reserve Infantry
Regiment reported losses of 22 officers and 1624 men during this period.
Orders of battle Eaucourt L’Abbaye 1st
October 1916
British Forces
III Corps
GOC Lt General W P
Pultenay
23rd
Division (NA)
GOC Maj-general J M
Babington
68th brigade: 10 NF, 11NF, 12 DLI, 13DLI
69th brigade: 11WY, 8 GH, 9GH, 10DWR
70th brigade: 11 SF, 8 KOYLI, 8 York
and lancs, 9 York
and Lancs
Pioneers: 9 south staffs
50th (Northumberland
division (TF)
GOC: Major general P
S Wilkinson
149 brigade; 1st/4th NF,1st/5th
NF,1st/6 NF, 1st/7 NF
150 brigade: 1st/4 east yorks,1st/4th
GH,1st/5 GH,1st/5th DLI
151 brigade: 1st/5 border r,1st/6 DLI,
1st/8th DLI, 1st/9 DLI
Pioneers :1st/7th DLI
47th
Division (TF)
GOC major-general C
stL.Barter
140 brigade:1st/6th London (city of
London),1st/7th London (city of London),1st/8th
London (Post office rifles),1st/15th London (civil
service rifles)
141 Brigade:1st/17th London
(poplar and Stepney rifles): 1st/18th London
(London Irish rifles),1/19th London
(St Pancras),1/20th London
(Blackheath and Woolwich)
142 Brigade:1st/21st London
(first surrey rifles),1/22 London (the
Queens),1/23rd London,1/24th
London (the
queens)
Pioneers: 1/4th RWF
XV Corps
GOC Lt General H S
Horne
The New Zealand
Division
1st NZ Brigade: 1 Auckland,
1 Otago, 1 Wellington
2nd NZ Brigade: 2 Auckland,
2 Canterbury, 2 Otago,2 Wellington
3rd NZ brigade: 1 NZRB, 2 NZRB, 3 NZRB, 4 NZRB
Pioneers: NZ Pioneer Bn
German forces at Eaucourt l’Abbaye
6 Bavarian Reserve
Division
17th Bavarian reserve Infantry regt
21st Bavarian reserve Infantry reg
20th Bavarian reserve Infantry reg
Part of the 6 Bavarian Reserve Division -but not engaged at
Eaucourt L’Abbaye until the night of 2/3rd October- when it relieved
the 21st Bavarian Reserve Regiment-was the 16th Bavarian Reserve
Infantry regiment (the List regiment) of which Adolf Hitler was a member.
Hitler was with the regiment at
the time and whilst not in the immediate front line was of course exposed to
artillery fire. On the 5th a British shell hit the dispatch runner’s dugout in
the village of le Barque (2km approx from the trench
lines).Hitler was hit by a shell splinter in his left upper thigh. Hitler
was evacuated from the front and went to hospital near Berlin where he remained
for 2 months.
(Hitlers first war -Thomas Weber pp153-159)
(See also Jack Sheldon
pp323-324)
4 Erzatz Division
Detachments of 362 infantry Regiment
Notes
1- The official nomenclature
is reproduced in Liddle p172-173
2 -Details of Jacob from the
first tank crews website of Stephen Pope which is hereby acknowledged. This
website contains biographies of all those of C and D Companies HBMGC who fought
at Flers
3 -The first tank crews and Campbell p110-11
4 -Early tank evolution is
well covered in, for example, Pullen, Pidgeon, ,the Tank Corps, Munitions part III,
Fletcher- Landships and Smithers, a new Excalibur
5 -for more detail see the First
tank crews website and Pidgeon Vol 1
6 -Details of the Somme
battle and its build up are in Barton, Thompson and Military Operations 1916
volume 1 as well as the contemporary” the Great war” volume 8-Eaucourt is pp
163-64 .Flers is well covered in Military Operations 1916 Vol 2 pp 288-369 and
in Pidgeon vols 1 and 2.
7-Lt Arthur Edmund Arnold. Born Carn near
Llandudno. North Wales Apr - Jun 1892
second son of William and Ellen Arnold. In 1901 living in
"Causeway" 124 York Road,
Llandudno, father was a Norfolk
born Draper who employed two living in servants. Served in Inns Of Court
OTC initially joined D Company (No 5912) then served in 5 and 6 Companies,
attained the rank of Lance Corporal in the Corps. Commissioned into Liverpool
Regt 20 Jan 1916; transferred to MGC 17 April 1916. Awarded MC
for his action at Flers for conspicuous gallantry in action. He fought
his tank with great gallantry and went to the assistance of another tank. Later
he rescued a wounded man, and although himself wounded (in the knee), he
brought his Tank safely out of action (LG supplement dated 14 Nov 1916, page
11045). He returned to the UK
with Sumers
and joined F Bn. T/Capt whilst comding a section 12 Apr 17. he then deployed
the Bn on 20 May to France,
where it established its base to Auchy-Les-Hesdin. On 1 Jun the Bn moved
to Wailly (the Corps Driving School)
for two weeks then to the Corps Gunnery School
at Merlimont for live firing; Mark IV tanks were then drawn from Erin and taken back to Auchy before deploying to the
Ypres Salient. He was in command of either 8 or 10 section of 18
Company for the 61st Divi assault to the north east of St
Julian. Wounded and taken prisoner on 22 Aug 17, therefore
“Relinquished acting rank of Capt on losing comd of a section on 23 Aug
1917”. Later, during his time as a POW at Freiburg, he met his younger
brother Clement who had been captured following the successful action at
Villers-Brettonaux on 8 Aug 1918 when he was commanding the Whippet Tank”Musical
Box”(and for which Clement was awarded the DSO). Repatriated on 6 Dec
18. Relinquished his commission on account of ill health caused by
wounds (Inns of Court records show he was wounded twice) 10 May 1919, and
retains the rank of Capt. Inns of Court records shows his address
as The Causeway, Deganwy Ave, Llandudno. Later became a farmer,
married with one daughter. Wrote article
in 1963 (in French) on Flers-Courcelette – see Liddell Hart papers. Settled in South Africa
Details from the first tank crew’s
website. Lt Arnolds account of the action is in Fletcher tanks and trenches p9
8-details of all the crew can
be found on the first tank crew’s website
9-Eaucourt l’Abbaye is dealt
with by Pidgeon Tanks on the Somme P39, military operations 1916 Vol 2 p 427
and McCarthy pp 128-130.
Panoramas and maps of the
area are shown in Barton pp 298,279,272,258 and 234.
The divisional histories
cited all give valuable details.
23-pp 105-112
47-pp 69-72
50-pp 164-170
NZD pp 110-123
10-47 division history p69
11-for details of the
activities of the NZD on the western front see The NZD by Col Stewart-
pp110-123 refer to this action.
12- For more details and
contemporary photos of the activities of the NZD on the western front see Grey “From
the uttermost ends of the earth”- pp237-241 refer to this action
13- 2 Lt George Bown. Born Jul-Sep
92 in Mudford near Yeovil, the eldest son of Walter Bown. He followed his
younger brother Cyril into the West Somerset Yeomanry, was promoted
Sergeant and then commissioned on 2 May ‘15. He was attached to MGC from
16 Apr 16 and less than 6 months later was in action. Awarded MC
for action on 15 Sep for conspicuous
gallantry in action. He fought his Tank, which was disabled, with great
gallantry, reaching his third objective. He put two machine guns out of
action. Promoted T/Lt 1 Oct ‘16; he took part in the action towards
Eaucourt L'Abbaye; his tank became ditched and Bown fired it to prevent its
capture by the Germans - the crew returned to their lines unharmed. On 7 Oct,
whilst undertaking a recce prior to the attacks in the Auchonvillers
/ Hamel area, he was injured by artillery fire and evacuated. He returned
to the UK
with Summers in Dec ’17 and posted to F Bn.
He was appointed A/Capt whilst comding a Sect 12 Apr 17 (LG 16 May
‘17) and deployed with the Bn on 20 May to France. He fought at 3rd
Ypres and then dislocated his shoulder whilst
being thrown around inside a moving tank. He was evacuated to a hospital
in York
and therefore missed the battle of Cambrai . Promoted T/Capt from 19
Oct 18, he relinquished rank of T/Capt on ceasing to be employed with the
Tank Corps 16 Mar 21. Home address shown as Cornhill, Sherborne in Dorset. In 1922 he
went sugar planting in Cuba.
He met Gladys Menzies on the boat out, and they were married in 1922. They
returned to England in 1926,
and George became a successful farmer in Dorset
until retiring to live in Blandford.
Details from the first tank crew’s
website
14-Sampson letter to tank
museum 1971
15-Lt wakley service papers
and first tanks website)
16 -47 division p70, Pidgeon tanks
on the Somme p42
17 -23rd Londons war diary
18-(50 Division history p166)
Pidgeon Somme p42 says the observer was Maj J Chammier of 34 sqn RFC-at the
time the squadron were equipped with BE2e aeroplanes.
19-Pidgeon p42
20 -war diaries of both units
21 -war diary 17 Londons
22-war diary 20 Londons
23-Grossman,August and Merkt
Dr, Das K B Reserve Infanterie Regiment
Nr 17, 2 vols 1923-6,ii,p 61- cited Duffy, p 247.
24- George Charles Foot MGC. born 3
Sep 1897 in Regents Park, London. George enlisted at Aylesbury and served with
the Welsh Regt before joining the MGC.
He was awarded the DCM “for conspicuous gallantry in action. He displayed great courage and determination
fighting with his tank. Later he
remained for 30 hours with a wounded officer under heavy fire”. The citation was published in the London Gazette on 14 November 1916.
Jacobs’s citation, also
published on the 14th November was “for conspicuous gallantry in
action. He showed great courage and determination fighting with his tank. Later
he was very severely wounded trying to rescue a wounded officer.”
Interestingly”The Great
war”vol 8, Wilson and Hammerton” contains an account of the action at Eaucourt
pp163-164.Of the tanks it has this to say...
“...One monster that could
not move farther operated as a stationery fort, the wounded skipper lying with
2 of his men in a shell hole for 2 days”
32016 Gnr F J Roberts was
awarded the MM for his action on 2 Oct 1916-his fate is
unknown after the war. He may have been with Glaister and Foot but this is by
no means clear. He was certainly part of the crew of D16.
Information from the first
tank crews website unless indicated..
25-woods diary and Sampson
letter /wd of d company
26-20 London war diary
27 -20 London war diary
28- 20 London war diary
29-Military operations 1916
vol 2 and the 50th division pp165-171
30-the 23rd
division and war diaries
31- 23rd war diary
and 47 Division. The 47 division history pp70-71mentions that on the night of
the 1st October the German Battalion that met the attack of 141
brigade was expecting relief that night and left its positions before its
relief arrived. Quickly realising the error two companies were rushed into position,
one went east of the village and was stopped by the barrage and forward troops
of the 141 brigade and the other went west and got into position in time to
meet the attack of the 23rd. “they (the
Germans) were helped to save the situation by a dark night of pouring rain and
our ignorance of newly gained ground which we had hardly seen in daylight”
32-50 Division p169
33-18th London’s war diary
34-war diaries respective
units
35-war diaries 18 London
36-Sampson letter
37- War diaries and 50
division p169
38-the 23rd
division and war Diaries
39-47 division, war diaries
and military operations
40-war diaries and 23rd
division
41-the NZD p119 and Grey p240
42-Wakely service papers and
Sampson letter -also Captain Woods diary, also” the Great war” volume
8-Eaucourt is pp 163-64
43-interested readers can
consult a variety of works including the authors own, Chappell, Military Operations
1916 vol 2 p567-579 and Duffy.
44-for a detailed discussion
of tactics in 1916 see Chappell p104 and- for artillery effectiveness v German
defences- p38
45- Military operations 1916 vol
2 p 432 –“Major-general G F Gorringe arriving
directly from Mesopotamia took over command of the 47th division on
2 October from Brigadier General W H Greenley.”
46-cited Duffy p247 and p 431
Military Operations 1916 vol 2.
47-"D51 Deborah", is the only WWI tank to have been
recovered from the French battlefields in 1998, eighty years after she was
buried. Five of the crew died when she was hit by German artillery fire,
including Gunner Foot.
I am greatly indebted to Mr
Vince McGarry and the other members of the Deborah group for the information
regarding Foot and his role in the Wakely rescue.
48 - The following
references to Jacob Glaister appear in the Whitehaven Town Council Minutes:
13 Dec 1916 Minute 2349
Gunner
Jacob Glaister, of the H.S. Machine Gun
Corp, son of Councillor Glaister, and a native of the Borough, having
been awarded the Military Medal and the Distinguished Conduct Medal for two
conspicuous acts of bravery, with His Majesty’s Forces in France, it was
RESOLVED-
That the Town Clerk convey to Councillor Glaister and his son the Congratulations
of this Council on the Distinctions gained, and express the hope that Gunner
Glaister may have a speedy recovery from the very serious wounds he received
whilst serving his Country at the Front.
10 Jan
1917 Minute 2356
The
following letter was read;-
88
George Street, Whitehaven, January 9th 1917
Dear
Sir,
Please
accept my thanks for your letter of the 15th ult. Enclosing copy of
resolution passed by the Town council in reference to the Military distinctions
conferred upon my son, and shall be glad if you will convey my thanks to the
Council for their congratulations and good wishes for his recovery.
Yours
respectfully,
Jacob
Glasiter
To
Thomas Brown Esq.,
Town
Clerk, Town Hall, Whitehaven
16 Jan 1917 Soldiers Memorial Committee
Minute 10
Gunner
Jacob Glaister having been awarded the D.C.M. and M.M. and Private Robert Dixon
the D.C.M. it was
RESOLVED-
That Municipal recognition be taken of the honours gained, and that they each
be presented, at a meeting to be held at a later date, with a Gold Watch
bearing a suitable inscription.
14th Feb 1917 part Minute
2369
Bovington
Camp, Wareham, Dorset, January 10th 1917
Dear
Sir,
I
received your letter of the 15th ult., and in reply to contents I
should like to say that I appreciate the kind references made by the Mayor at
the Council Meeting.
It
is very difficult to give you any idea as to our experiences, but with regard
to Myself I only did my duty and what is expected of every man, viz., to play
the game straight.
I
still have trouble with my wounds, but hope to be strong and well again in a
month or two.
Again
thanking you with the Council for kind expressions.
I
remain, yours truly.
GUNNER
JACOB GLAISTER
10th April 1918 Minute 2511
The
Mayor, on behalf of the Council, and Burgesses, presented to Gunner Jacob
Glaister a Gold Watch, subscribed in recognition of the Military Distinctions
gained by him, and described in the “London Gazette” as follows:-
“On
the 14th November 1916, awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for
conspicuous gallantry in action. He shewed great courage and determination
fighting with his Tank. Later he was severely wounded trying to rescue a
wounded Officer.”
“
On the 9th December 1916, awarded the Military Medal for bravery in
the Field.”
NOTE-
Councillor Glaister sat on the Street and Sanitary Committee, the Hospital
Sub-Committee, the Housing Committee, the Education Committee and on the Joint
Burial Committee, as well as the Full Council and the General Purposes
Committee.
The Presentation was not reported in the
“Whitehaven News”.
I am indebted to Mr Stuart Nicholson –the archivist for the
Parish of Whitehaven-for the above.
The following were consulted during the preparation of the
article.
The Somme-the unseen Panoramas
Peter Barton, 2011 edition
Band of brigands ,Christy Campbell
The Somme 1916-crucible
of an Army Mike Chappell
“Instructions for the training of Divisions/Platoons for
offensive action” and
“The tactical employment of machine guns and tanks in the
first world war”, Shaun Corkerry (ed) 2000/2002
Through German eyes-the British and the Somme
1916 ,Christopher Duffy
Tanks and Trenches-Ed David Fletcher 1998 reprint
Landships –David Fletcher 1992
From the uttermost ends of the earth John H Grey
Christchurch NZ 2010
When the barrage lifts ,Gerald Gliddon 1990
The 1916 battle of the Somme Peter Liddle,1992
The Somme-the day by day
account-Chris mcCarthy
The Tanks at Flers-vols 1 and 2, Trevor Pidgeon 1995
Tanks on the Somme-From Morval to Beaumont Hamel-Trevor Pidgeon 2010
The landships of Lincoln
Richard Pullen ,2007
Track prints Richard Pullen ,2009
The First Tank Crews website by Stephen Pope.
The German Army on the Somme
1916 by Jack Sheldon
A new Excalibur A J Smithers
1916 the Somme
experience Julian Thompson 2006
The Tank Corps Major Clough Williams –Ellis and A
Williams-Ellis, 1919
The Great War volume 8 ed Wilson and Hammerton amalgamated press
1917
The official history of the Ministry of Munitions vol
XII,1921, reprinted Naval and military Press
Archive material
provided by the tank museum
Captain Woods diary
War diary of D company HSMGC
Letter from Lt Sampson’s Grandson 1971 relating to his
grandfathers recollections of D Company HSMGC 1916 and later.
War diaries
47 Division
17 London
regiment PRO/WO 95 /2737
18 London
regiment PRO/WO 95 /2737
19 London
regiment PRO/WO 95 /2738
20 London
regiment PRO/WO 95 /2738
23rd London
regiment PRO/WO 95 /2744
50th Division
151 Infantry Brigade
PRO WO 95/2840
23rd Division.
68 Infantry brigade PRO/WO95/2182
69 Infantry Brigade PRO/WO95/2184
Divisional histories
The History of the 47th (London) Division 1914-19, A H Maude 1922,
reprinted Naval and Military press
The 50th division 1914-19, Everard Wyrall 1939, reprinted
Naval and Military press
The New Zealand Division1916-19 Col H Stewart, 1920, reprinted
Naval and Military press
The 23rd Division, Lt-Col H R Sandilands 1925,
reprinted Naval and Military press
Acknowledgements
I wish to thank the following for their assistance:
Mrs Janice Tait -the librarian of the tank museum for her
kind help and her provision of many documents.
Photos of Jacob also kindly provided by the Tank Museum.
The National Archives for the provision of Lt Wakley’s
service papers and the war diaries of the 47th Division, 50th
Division and 23rd Division.
Mr Stuart Nicholson –the archivist for the Parish of
Whitehaven- for details of Jacobs’s burial and life.
Ancestry.co.uk for Jacob Glaisters service papers and other
family details.
Mr Stephen Pope. http://www.firsttankcrews.com/tankcrewsd13tod19.htm
Mr Vince McGarry and the D51 Deborah project
Mrs Freda Howson
Technical data-mark 1 female
tank
Weight
|
Male: 28 tons (28.4 tonnes)
Female: 27.4 tonnes |
Length
|
32 ft 6 in (9.94 m) with tail
|
Width
|
13 ft 9 in (4.33 m) [male]
|
Height
|
8 ft 0.5 in (2.44 m)
|
Crew
|
8 (commander, driver, two gearsmen and four gunners)
|
Armour
|
0.23–0.47 in (6–12 mm)
|
Primary
armament |
Female: Four .303 Vickers machine guns
|
Secondary
armament |
Female: Two .303 in Hotchkiss machine guns
|
Engine
|
Daimler-Knight 6 cylinder sleeve valve petrol engine
105 hp |
Power/weight
|
Male: 3.7 hp/tonne
Female: 3.8 hp/tonne |
Transmission
|
primary gearbox:2 forward and 1 reverse
secondary:2 speeds |
Operational
range |
6.2 hours endurance
|
Speed
|
4 miles per hour maximum
|
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