Newton Trench Howitzer – April 3rd, 1918

Wednesday April 3rd, 1918

Reveille 6am, breakfast 7am, parade for drill 8:15. Arms; PT; gas; musketry. 2pm kit inspection.  Johnny flings old iron over. Canteen opens – current cake and chocolate.

 Fatigues & Training

The Battalion is working on improving the defences by making trenches deeper and wiring more robust.  The programme of work is such that every four days one company enjoys a day of training.  Today it is the turn of Frank and B Company to hone their military skills.  Even better news – the Battalion Canteen has reopened and Frank gets his sweet fix in the form of current cake and chocolate.  Quite a treat, especially when you recall that chocolate manufacture has been banned in the UK since Christmas.

Placement of Artillery

Illtyd Davies, 1918*

The author of the Battalion’s Diary yesterday seemed quite sanguine about the proximity of some heavy guns to the camps of the 13th. According to Illtyd Davies this was not always the case. Private Davies had recently been trained to work with the Newton Trench Howitzer.  ‘I believe our gun was the first Newton Trench Howitzer to be fired on the Balkan front, thereby introducing to the Bulgar, one of the newest weapons to be used in trench warfare. Bet he wondered where did that one come from. We out-minnied his minnies.’º

His gun crew was initially located on Rockleigh Fort on the Dojran front. However after a couple of weeks they had to move on as the Bulgars had ‘tumbled to our line of fire, and was constantly shelling the area searching for our position.’  

Our new weapon attracted considerable attention from the nearby infantry units, but more than one company commander suggested that we move to some other part of the line. The infantry did not relish our presence as we attracted retaliatory fire from the enemy.’ 

They then moved to the head of Torquay ravine.  There they were near a company of the South Wales Borderers. ‘They were not exactly keen on us moving into their area. One officer suggested that we move to the other side of Tortoise Hill and not upset the quiet life of Torquay. What a joker he was, Torquay was constantly shelled, and at night the ravine was raked by enemy machine guns.’¹

13th (Service) Battalion War Diary – 3rd April 1918 – Saida

Work and training as described yesterday, companies changed about 10 OR invalided to England on 15-3-18, 3 OR on 21-3-18 and 2 OR on 23-3-18. 11 OR are transferred to Labour Corps with effect from various dates.

References & Further Reading

º The memoir is somewhat vague on dates, likely early 1918.

¹ ‘A Little Account’ by Illtyd Davies, in a collection of the Salonika Campaign Society

* Image from a collection of the Salonika Campaign Society. May be subject to copyright.