Sunday October 20^th, 1918

Warned for moving to 2^nd 2^nd East Lancs Field Ambulance. Left at 9am in motor. Arriving 12 noon. Monastry and Church, Maretz. Met some of our lads – heard Lieutenant Smith killed and Richards too – sorry.

Divisional Sick Collecting Station, Maretz

Frank has been moved from the care of the 2/3rd East Lancashire Field Ambulance to the 2/2nd East Lancashire Field Ambulance (2/2nd ELFA).   Both Field Ambulances work in support of the 66th Division though the 2/2nd is aligned to the 198th Brigade. That said, RAMC personnel move quickly amongst units, caring for different Brigades as battle conditions warrant.  Surely this flexibility and responsiveness were key reasons for their success.

Just a week ago, the 2/2nd ELFA moved to Maretz to open a Main Dressing Station there.  This allowed them to close the one at Serain.  Only two days later, they ‘Received 66^th Division Medical Arrangements No 7 re closing down the station at Maretz … as the Main Dressing Station and re-opening as the Divisional Sick Collecting Station’.¹

It is to this Divisional Sick Collecting Station that Frank has been despatched today.  The journey to the north ‘by motor‘ took three hours.  It is just over 41kms and, according to Google Maps, would take 42 minutes by car in 2018.

Lucky that Frank wasn’t expected to walk or, for the bearers’ sake, be carried on a stretcher.  The photograph shows two exhausted stretcher-bearers of the 6th Battalion, Seaforth Highlanders asleep after the capture of the Greenland Hill by the 51st division during the Battle of the Scarpe.*

Today, the 9th Battalion has also moved.  After another day of heavy fighting near Le Cateau, the 9th has been relieved from the front line and moved to Maurois.  This is quite close to Frank’s new digs – which just shows how far the Fourth Army has progressed in this area in the past two weeks.

9^th Battalion War Diary – 20^th October 1918 – Le Cateau K6 to Maurois

Enemy artillery fire increased and an attempt by a platoon of C Coy and a platoon of D Coy to establish posts on the Richmond Riv was repelled by MG fire. Lt J Schofield was wounded as well as a number of OR. Casualties for 19^th & 20^th were about 40.

The Battalion was relieved by the 7^th R. West Kent Regt and rested for the night at Maurois. 6 OR killed, 2Lt J Schofield and 14 OR wounded, 2 OR missing, 4 OR died of wounds.

References & Further Reading

¹ ‘War Diary’ of the 2/2^nd East Lancs Field Ambulance, National Archives, ref WO-95-3131-4_3 (page 53/54 of 150), Crown copyright.

* Q 7014, copyright Imperial War Museums