Category: Finsbury Rifles
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Away from the Western Front : 25th August – 31th August, 1917.
Back into the Front Line In order to allow soldiers to cope with the stress of trench life and fighting, British army practice was to rotate divisions between the front and rear lines for rest periods. However, although the troops were away from direct shelling or carrying out trench raids, these ‘rest’ periods often…
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Away from the Western Front : 12th – 24th August, 1917.
Major-General S W Hare and the 54th Divisional Training Camp Major-General Steuart Hare, the regular army officer commanding the 54th Division, believed strongly that Territorial soldiers could reach the same standard as those in the regular army. This was not a widespread view – the pre-war prejudice against the ‘Saturday night soldiers’ or the ‘town…
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Away from the Western Front : 30th July – 11th August, 1917.
Reinforcing the Redoubts and Reinforcing the Battalion By summer 1917, the drafts of men sent out to join the 54th Division were no longer drawn automatically from the training battalions of the Finsbury Rifles and the other battalions in the division. Conscripts rather than volunteers were replacing men who…
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Away from the Western Front : 28th – 29th July, 1917.
Captain Tattersall DSO The warning recorded about the dangerous currents off the beaches near Gaza proved to be horribly accurate. The war diary, usually so concise and impersonal, recorded the death and funeral of Captain Tattersall with more detail than usual. Philip Tattershall had grown up in the Gray’s Inn Road in Holborn,…
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Away from the Western Front : 15th – 27th July, 1917.
Umbrella Hill Umbrella Hill: the most advanced of the redoubts guarding Gaza.James McBey © IWM (Art.IWM ART 1520)“…British infantrymen advance at night across No Man’s Land towards Turkish positions on Umbrella Hill, which rises up gently in the right background. The British soldiers, carrying rifles, move out of their advanced trenches…
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Away from the Western Front : 1st – 14th July 1917
Night Working Parties Working on the defences at night was another solution to the problem of warfare in the searing heat. Needless to say, this was extremely unpopular amongst the men. The work was planned and directed by the division’s Royal…
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Away from the Western Front : 14th – 30th June 1917
Marina View The 54th Division had moved to the sector of the front line near the Mediterranean Sea that was nicknamed ‘Marina View’. The Finsbury Rifles would have easier access to the sea for bathing and washing but this would come at a price. Marina View was frequently shelled by the nearby enemy…
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Away from the Western Front : 1st – 13th June 1917
Training opposite Gaza More time was now being allocated for training now that the system of communication trenches had been dug along and behind the new front line facing Gaza. New officers and other ranks were joining the division and it was important that high standards were kept in up in all areas.…
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Away from the Western Front : 18th – 31st May 1917.
In reserve at Dorset House Conditions in the trenches facing Gaza were particularly unpleasant ; intermittent shelling from the enemy plus flies, extreme heat and lack of water . Battalions only stayed there for a few weeks at a time, moving between the front lines and the rear sector on a regular basis. However, being ‘ in reserve ‘ was no rest cure…
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Away from the Western Front : 1st – 17th May 1917
Digging Decoy Trenches in the Front Line After the failure of the two attacks on Gaza it was clear that the EEF needed to have far higher levels of manpower and equipment in order to be able to break through the Ottoman defences. This would take time to put in place. The front…
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