Some notes on attrition at Arras – 1917

The Battle of Arras undoubtedly took its toll on many of the divisions that took part in it. When the 2^nd Division took part in the Third Battle of the Scarpe on the 3^rd May 1917 it was only able to do so with a composite brigade consisting of four battalions designated ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’ as follows, each numbering around 400 men:

‘A’ Battalion                                                                       ‘B’ Battalion                                                                  

1 Company 17^th Royal Fusiliers                                              2 Companies 1^st King’s (Liverpool)

1 Company 24^th Royal Fusiliers                                             1 Company 2^nd South Staffs

1 Company 2^nd Ox & Bucks Light Infantry                          1 Company 13^th Essex

1 Company 2^nd Highland Light Infantry

‘C’ Battalion                                                                           ‘D’ Battalion

2 Companies 1^st Royal Berks                                                     1 Company 22^nd Royal Fusiliers

2 Companies 23^rd Royal Fusiliers                                            3 Companies 1^st King’s Royal Rifle Corps

When the 9^th (Scottish) Division carried out its attack on Roeux as part of the same battle it had to do so without the South African Brigade, which had still not recovered from the losses it had incurred three weeks earlier, mainly on the 12^th April attacking towards Greenland Hill. Its place was taken by the 52^nd Brigade, 17^th (Northern) Division which acted as divisional reserve.

One divisional commander even remarked that out of a recent draft of 700 men the majority had only enlisted seven to nine weeks earlier. The job of turning such raw material into an efficient fighting unit was also beginning to fall on an increasingly dwindling body of experienced NCOs. The same was also true after the German offensives in spring the following year.

The Household Battalion’s war diary contains a narrative account of operations on the 11^th and 12^th May 1917 against Roeux. Compiled by Major J.H.M. Kirkwood, it lays bare the state to which many battalions had fallen. He notes that his own battalion line consisted of 5 officers and 177 other ranks. When his units on the right and in the centre became held up near the cemetery by machine- gun fire from nearby houses he asked permission to deploy a company from the 1^st Royal Warwickshire Regiment. His request was approved and ‘B’ Company was sent forward to assist, but it numbered fewer than 30 men, in fact he goes on to point out that each of the Royal Warwickshire companies amounted to less than a full platoon, i.e. they were operating at less than 25% of normal strength.

Sir William Robertson, Haig’s Chief of Staff, had pointed out that 1917 would make huge demands on the British, a pressure that was already being felt on this sector of the Western Front. When the Arras offensive opened the Battle of Messines was just two months away, and that was just the precursor to a much bigger affair, the Third Battle of Ypres. As Arras dragged on, and attrition began to bite, the Battle of Messines drew ever closer and it became extremely difficult to replace tired divisions with fresh ones.

In all, twenty-six infantry divisions were used during the main phases of the Battle of Arras and a further seven during the main fighting at Bullecourt, although the 20^th (Light) Division, the 33^rd Division and the 21^st Division were also deployed in actions against the Hindenburg Line between the 20^th May and the 16^th June. The following table shows which divisions were used at Arras and Bullecourt, as well as the number of times they were used in brackets, but excludes the minor phase between the end of May and the first half of June. The information is taken from “A Record of the Battles and Engagements of the British Armies in France and Flanders 1914-1918” by Captain E. James. It’s a very thin book that has lived on my bookshelf for quite a number of years. It’s not something I reach for very often, but it’s still a very useful reference book to have around.

The Battle of Arras – 9^th April to 15^th May¹

3^rd Division (4)                                                                          17^th (Northern) Division (2)

2^nd Canadian Division (4)                                                      21^st Division (2)

2^nd Division (3)                                                                        29^th Division (2)

5^th Division (3)                                                                          30^th Division (2)

12^th (Eastern) Division (3)                                                       50^th (Northumbrian) Division (2)

34^th Division (3)                                                                          51^st (Highland) Division (2)

37^th Division (3)                                                                          56^th (London) Division (2)

1^st Canadian Division (3)                                                          63^rd (Royal Naval) Division (2)

3^rd Canadian Division (3)                                                          18^th (Eastern) Division (1)

4^th Division (2)                                                                            24^th Division (1)

9^th (Scottish) Division (2)                                                          31^st Division (1)

14^th (Light) Division (2)                                                              33^rd Division (1)

15^th (Scottish) Division (2)                                                         4^th Canadian Division (1)

1^st Cavalry Division (1)

2^nd Cavalry Division (1)

3^rd Cavalry Division (1)

The 3^rd Division, 12^th (Eastern) Division, the 17^th (Northern) Division and the 51^st (Highland) Division were also involved in operations on the 13^th and 14^th May, often referred to separately as the ‘Capture of Roeux’. The 4^th Division should also be included here, as is evident from Major Kirkwood’s account of the fighting referred to above. For some reason, Captain James makes no mention of the 4^th Division’s role on the 11^th and 12^th May. According to the ‘Official History’, it could only muster 2,444 officers and men, exclusive of four companies used as carriers, and those battalions belonging to its 12^th Brigade were attached to the 10^th and 11^th Brigades for the purpose of this operation. The 4^th Division was therefore deployed at Arras on three occasions, not two as stated by Captain James.

The Battle of Bullecourt – 11^th April – 17^th May

62^nd (West Riding) Division (4)                                                 1^st Australian Division (2)

7^th Division (2)                                                                             2^nd Australian Division (2)

58^th (London) Division (1)                                                           4^th Australian Division (1)

5^th Australian Division (2)

4^th Cavalry Division (1)²

Some readers of my website may already have seen the article I posted earlier this year on the Canadian operation to capture Hill 70 on the old Loos battlefield. The operation took place in August 1917, and whilst it was principally a Canadian affair, the 6^th Division and the 46^th (North Midland) Division are also credited as part of the Order of Battle. Although this engagement isn’t really anything to do with the Arras battlefield, many of the Canadian dead can be found in some of the cemeteries featured in ‘Arras North’ and on the Canadian Memorial at Vimy Ridge, which is why I wrote the article. The account didn’t include the role played by these two British divisions, but this is perhaps an opportunity to acknowledge that they did play a part.

¹ The figures shown include the subsidiary operations known as the Attack on La Coulotte on the 23^rd April, and the Battle of Arleux on the 28^th and 29^th April, but not subsequent operations, i.e. the Capture of Roeux on the 13^th and 14^th May (Third Army) and the Capture of Oppy Wood on the 28^th June (First Army). This latter operation involved the 5^th Division and the 31^st Division.

² Captain James does not include the 4^th Cavalry Division in his order of battle. It was briefly involved on the 11^th April and was ordered forward at around 9.35 a.m. with instructions to push on to Fontaine-les-Croisilles and Chérisy, albeit in the mistaken belief that Bullecourt and Riencourt had been captured. Whilst cutting lanes in the wire an advance party from the Lucknow Brigade came under machine-gun fire suffering around twenty casualties. The leading squadron of the 17^th Lancers, having reached the line of the railway, came under shell fire shell fire and was forced to retire losing eight men in the process. The division’s involvement in the fighting was therefore minimal, which may be why he didn’t include it in his reckoning.