by Kevin Lynott » Sat Feb 17, 2007 12:08 am
Denise,
You haven't said it, but presumably you are referring to the Wood brothers.
On 3rd September 1916 the 13th Brig which was made up of 4 Bns of RWarks Pals was to be part of a general attack towards Falfremont Farm, two platoons the 14th RWarks were to assault a German position called the gunpits in Wedge Wood which was to the north west of the farm, in order to suppress the machine guns in the Farm 2nd KOSBs were to assault the Farm under the cover of artillery fire . As is often the case the case the artillery units were called upon to engage targets eleswhere as the 2nd KOSBs attack commenced, and the KOSBs were cut down by machine gun fire. At 12pm two platoons from C Coy/14th RWark attacked towards the Gunpit, they were pinned down in no-mans land by machine gun fire from the Gunpit and the unsuppressed machine guns in Falfremont Farm. At 12:30pm the CO of 14th RWarks ordered forwarded the remaining two platoons of C Coy to join the remnants of the leading two platoons to attack towards the Gunpit which they did under fire. At 1:30pm A and C Coys of 14th and 15th RWarks attacked towards Falfremont Farm, they were supposed to attack under a creeping artillery barrage but for some reason as the formed up to attack the barrage started to fall behind them. With their right flank in the air because of the misfortune which had befallen the 2nd KOSBs the 14th RWarks attack petered out in no-mans land and at the end of the day the Bn had secured only a toehold in the Gunpit position.