Mobilisation On 25 July 1914 the two Lincolnshire TF battalions assembled at
Bridlington for their annual camp, being joined on 2 August by the Leicestershire battalions to make a full brigade camp. However, with the international situation deteriorating, the units returned to their homes on 3 August and on the evening of 4 August the orders for mobilisation were issued. By the afternoon of 6 August the whole battalion was concentrated at the Infantry Drill Hall, Grimsby, and billeted in schools in the town. The battalion's first duties were to guard Grimsby docks and harbour, the electric power station and wireless station, and to dig trenches by the mouth of the Humber at
Cleethorpes. However, by 11 August the 5th Lincolns was able to hand these over to the
Special Reserve battalions of the
Manchester Regiment and proceed to the brigade's war station at
Belper. It then entrained in 15 August for
Luton, where the North Midland Division went into training. On 1 September 1914, 52 former pupils of Wintringham School, Grimsby, formed a company based at the armoury of the school's
Officer Training Corps. The company was offered to the 5th Lincolns, but by then the battalion was full. The volunteer company then became the nucleus of a complete battalion of
Kitchener's Army formed by the Borough of Grimsby known as the
Grimsby Chums, later the 10th (Service) Bn, Lincolnshire Regiment.
1/5th Battalion Ypres Salient The 1/5th Lincolns landed at
Le Havre on 1 March 1915 and by 8 March the North Midland Division had completed its concentration – the first complete TF formation to arrive on the Western Front. It was numbered the
46th (North Midland) Division in May, when the Lincolnshire & Leicestershire Brigade was numbered
138th (Lincoln and Leicester) Brigade. However, on arrival at
Ploegsteert in the
Ypres Salient, the two Lincolnshire battalions were attached to the Regulars of
11th Brigade in
4th Division for instruction in trench duties. They went into the line for the first time on 9 April opposite
Spanbroekmolen. The battalion's first task was to keep the German trenches under fire on 17 April to assist an attack on
Hill 60. On 20 May the Germans exploded a
mine under 1/5th Bn's trenches, killing 11 men (and four missing, believed killed) and wounding 22. On 6 June the
Royal Engineers detected and destroyed another mine beneath the battalion before the Germans could blow it. The battalion was not involved in the 46th Division's first action (the German
flamethrower attack at Hooge on 30–31 July 1915), but was under heavy shellfire during this period, and was mined again on 26 September, suffering numerous casualties.
Hohenzollern Redoubt The 1/5th Bn was in the forefront of the attack on the
Hohenzollern Redoubt in October 1915. This was an attempt to restart the failed
Battle of Loos, and the division was moved down from Ypres on 1 October for the purpose. The Germans had recaptured the Hohenzollern Redoubt on 1 October after severe fighting, and had driven off a hastily organised British attack. 46th (North Midland) Division was ordered to make a prepared attack on 13 October. The battalion took over its place in the line on the night of 12/13 October. The preliminary bombardment began at noon on 13 October, a
gas cloud was discharged from the British trenches at 13.45, and the troops went over the top at 14.00. 1/5th Lincolns formed the left half of 138th Bde's attack, advancing in four waves, the first two platoons of each company jumping off from the front line, the other two from the support line. The battalion's objective was Fosse Trench, about 400 yards behind the Hohenzollern Redoubt. The
barbed wire in front of the redoubt was well cut and the leading waves of the battalion swept over its east and west faces with little difficulty until they reached the dead ground between the redoubt and Fosse Trench, which was open and swept by rifle and machine gun fire from the front and both flanks, particularly from Mad Point out to the left. The attack melted away, although isolated parties maintained themselves in shell holes, including Sergeant Harry Drewery with the only surviving machine gun team, who set up in a German communication trench and stayed in action until evening. (Drewery was awarded the
DCM and his gunner, Private Percy Coulson the
MM.) The CO, Lt-Col T.E. Sandall, was among the wounded. At dusk the battalion's survivors under the only unwounded officer,
Captain R.E. Madge, withdrew to the redoubt, which the support battalion (1/4th Lincolns) and the
divisional pioneers (1st Bn
Monmouthshire Regiment) were consolidating for defence. The Germans put down a heavy bombardment on the east face, obliterating the defences, and the survivors had to retreat to the west face, which they held throughout the night until relieved next morning. (Corporal C. Leadbeater won a
bar to his previous DCM for consolidating a point in the north face, defending it with
Hand grenades through the night, and then acting as a stretcher bearer when the battalion withdrew; several other MMs were slo awarded.) The battalion had lost 22 out of 23 officers in action, and 461 other ranks, killed and wounded. After the disaster, the 46th Division undertook trench-holding duties and absorbed drafts of reinforcements until 23 December, when it was ordered to
Egypt. The 1/5th Lincolns entrained for
Marseille and embarked on the troopship HMT
Anchises on 8 January 1916, reaching
Alexandria on 13 January. However, the movement was immediately cancelled, and the troops disembarked next day and went into camp. However, the division's move to Egypt was countermanded on 21 January and the units that had arrived were re-embarked. The 1/5th Lincolns boarded HMT
Megantic at Alexandria on 2 February to return to France on 5 February. The battalion landed on 9 February and the division had reassembled near
Amiens by 14 February. The 46th Division went back into the line in the
Vimy sector, where 1/5th Bn was involved in a sharp fight when the Germans blew a mine under the parapet of their trench on 12 March. The battalion had been badly hit by sickness and was at less than half its establishment strength, and so was primarily used for fatigue duties. In April it received a strong draft from home, enabling it to take its place in the line, and Lt-Col Sandall returned to resume command.
Gommecourt In May the division moved south to take part in the forthcoming offensive on the Somme. It was ordered to assault the north side of the
Gommecourt Salient on 1 July 1916. The operation, in conjunction with the
56th (1st London) Division attacking from the south, aimed at cutting off the salient, but was in fact a diversion for the main attack a few miles south that opened the
Battle of the Somme. Training for the assault was carried out in
Lucheux Forest during May, and in the weeks before the attack the battalion was engaged in fatigue duties, trench-digging, and taking turns in the front line, suffering a trickle of casualties. When the attack went in on 1 July, 138th Bde was in reserve; however, the assault by
137th (Staffordshire) and
139th (Sherwood Foresters) Bdes was a failure. At 08.30, the 1/5th Lincolns moved up cross-country in 'Artillery Formation' and took up positions in Midland Trench, the attacking brigades' original assembly position. It remained there for 12 hours under artillery fire, losing 10 men killed and one wounded. At 20.30 it was ordered to send forward patrols to try to get in touch with any of the
Sherwood Foresters who might be holding out in the German frontline trenches, and then at 21.00 it was ordered to make an attack to seize those trenches at midnight. The battalion struggled up through choked communication trenches through
Foncquevillers to relieve 139th Bde. The situation was chaotic and Sergeant Hamp, acting commander of a platoon, refused to advance without clear orders (he was not punished, and was subsequently promoted). The advance into No man's land in the dark found the German wire uncut and none of 137th or 139th Bde in the enemy lines. The battalion was eventually ordered to retire, bringing back wounded from No man's land. The abortive movement had cost a further 48 casualties. The battalion spent the following days clearing up the front line, with several men winning gallantry medals for their work in bringing in casualties from No man's land. It was relieved on 11 July. Through the summer of 1916 and the subsequent winter the battalion took its turn in holding trenches at Foncquevillers and
Berles-au-Bois. On 18 October, A Company launched a successful trench raid, supported by artillery, into the enemy lines. Early 1917 saw the 46th Division still holding the line in the same area. However, at the beginning of March, patrols found that the Germans were beginning to retreat from the Gommecourt defences. The division followed up as the enemy retreated as far as their new
Hindenburg Line defences well beyond the Somme battlefields. 46th Division was withdrawn from the pursuit on 17 March. It spent some time clearing the battlefield of 1 July 1916 and burying the dead who had been lying in No man's land for almost 10 months.
Lens and Hill 70 In April 1917 the division moved to the
Lens area and became involved in 10 weeks' bloody fighting round Hill 70. On 23 April, patrols of the battalion had the unaccustomed experience of street fighting while supporting an attack by 139th Bde on Hill 65. Until the battalion was relieved on 6 May, casualties were suffered from shelling and raiding, and several men were decorated for their actions in the confused fighting. 1/5th Lincolns took further turns in the line, with active patrolling and raiding, and full battalion attacks on 19 June (costing 74 casualties) and 30 June (51 casualties in taking Cité de Moulin). The division handed over to the
2nd Canadian Division in early July, having secured the jumping-off positions from which the
Canadian Corps launched the successful
Battle of Hill 70 in August. 46th (North Midland) Division was not used offensively again until September 1918, spending its time in tours of duty holding the front line in quiet sectors. When 2/5th Lincolns was disbanded on 31 July 1918 (
see below), the 1/5th Bn absorbed the remnants, reverting to the title of 5th Lincolns.
Ramicourt The 46th Division went into action again on 3 October at
Ramicourt, where it penetrated the German Beaurevoir Line. C and D Companies of the battalion were sent up from reserve to repel a German counter-attack, but the furthest positions at
Montbrehain and the summit of 'Mannequin Hill' could not be held. There were several casualties from shellfire and the brigade spent the night under attack by German aircraft using
parachute flares.
Andigny The Battle of Andigny on 17 October (part of the
Battle of the Selle) was 46th Division's last general action of the war. 138th and 139th Brigades advanced through
6th Division and followed the barrage towards the objective. Direction keeping in the morning mist was difficult, and German machine gunners resisted fiercely, but 138th Bde overran the enemy's wire and trenches and 5th Bn was on its intermediate line by 08.00. However, it was slightly to the right of the objective, so that Andigny les Fermes on the left remained untaken. However, pressure from elsewhere led the Germans to evacuate the village by 15.30, and a line of platoon strongpoints and outposts was established. After a few days' rest, the division joined the pursuit of the retreating enemy (the
Battle of the Sambre). At the
Petit Helpe river on the night of 6/7 November, 5th Lincolns found the bridges washed away, and A Company improvised a crossing by throwing carts, planks and ladders across the stream, while civilians from the other bank did the same. The other companies had to fell trees and took longer to get over, but the battalion was across and formed up for its advance by 08.00, meeting little opposition. The
Armistice came into force on 11 November. The battalion was stationed at
Bousies until February 1919, engaged in salvage work.
demobilisation began on 1 February, and parties departed for home daily from then on. In April parties were transferred to
Prisoner of war escort companies and the battalion was reduced to a
cadre at
Inchy. The cadre left France on 24 June and paraded in Grimsby on 29 June when it deposited the battalion's colours in the parish church. The battalion was formally disembodied on 2 July 1919 • Lt-Col P.T. Westmorland (
Royal Warwickshire Regiment), 7 November 1915 – 30 April 1916 • Lt-Col H.A. Waring,
DSO, (
Royal West Kent Regiment), 8 May 1917 – 30 June 1918. • Lt-Col H.G. Wilson, DSO, (former 2nd-in-command) 30 June 1918 – 29 June 1919.
2/5th Battalion The 2nd Line battalion was formed on 16 February 1915 at Grimsby from men who had not volunteered for overseas service, together with the many new recruits under training. Mirroring its 1st Line parent, the battalion formed part of 2nd Lincoln & Leicester Brigade in 2nd North Midland Division; these were later numbered
177th (2/1st Lincoln and Leicester) Brigade and
59th (2nd North Midland) Division respectively. Training was carried out at Luton and later
St Albans. There was a shortage of weapons and equipment. Eventually, the men were issued with
.256-in Japanese Ariska rifles with which to train. These were not replaced with
Lee-Enfield rifles until September 1915. When the 59th Division began training for overseas service, the Home Service details of 2/5th Lincolns and other battalions of the 2nd Lincoln & Leicester Brigade went to the 28th Provisional Battalion, later the 13th Bn Lincolnshire Regiment, a home defence unit (
see below).
Ireland In the Spring of 1916 the 59th Division was the designated 'mobile division' in Home Forces, intended to repel German invasion of the East Coast, but on Easter Monday, 24 April, it was sent at a few hours' notice to
Dublin to help quell the
Easter Rising – the first TF units to serve in Ireland. 177th (Lincoln and Leicester) Brigade went with Divisional HQ to Kingstown (
Dún Laoghaire), where they landed on 28 April. The only serious fighting in Dublin fell to 178th (Sherwood Foresters) Brigade and in May 177th Bde was sent to Fermoy. The division remained in garrison in Ireland until the end of the year. With its units spread out in small garrisons, collective training was hindered. 59th Division returned to England in January 1917 and began final battle training at
Fovant, where there was a large purpose-built camp on the edge of the
Salisbury Plain training area. However, it never trained as a division, and when it was inspected before embarkation for active service, it was reported as being only partially trained. Nevertheless, it began moving to France in February.
Hindenburg Line 59th Division was fully concentrated around
Méricourt near Amiens by 3 March. There followed some weeks of trench duty in front of the Hindenburg Line, followed by intense training through the summer.
Polygon Wood In September the division moved to the
Ypres Salient to take part in its first full-scale action, the
3rd Ypres Offensive. The 59th relieved the
55th (West Lancashire) Division after its successful attack at the
Battle of the Menin Road Ridge, and then took the lead in the next phase, the
Battle of Polygon Wood (26 September). This was equally successful, with the Leicester battalions of 177th Bde advancing behind the smoke and dust of a
creeping barrage and gaining their first objective without much opposition. The two Lincolnshire battalions then passed through to take the second objective, 2/5th Lincolns attacking with B company on the right, D on the left, C in support and A in reserve providing carrying parties. D Company met practically no resistance and dug a strongpoint north of 'Dochy Farm'. B Company attacked the farm, meeting machine gun and rifle fire, but worked round the flanks of the
pillboxes with the help of a platoon from B Company, whereupon some 50 Germans surrendered to them. The battalion then consolidated a line of strongpoints, and deepened and connected a line of shell holes in rear of the strongpoints. German shellfire caused only a few casualties and the battalion was relieved that night. Although the attack had been a complete success, the battalion still suffered 16 killed, 210 wounded and 74 missing; of 584 officers and men who went into action, only 285 marched out.
Bourlon Wood 59th Division was next moved south to join in the
Battle of Cambrai. The division relieved the
Guards Division on 28 November and the 2/5th Bn entered the recently captured Hindenburg Support Line near
Flesquières, losing a number of officers when a
dugout was destroyed by shellfire. The 2/5th Bn was unaffected by the fierce German counter-attack on 30 November, and continued to dig in. But on 2 December it moved into the forward trenches in the south east corner of
Bourlon Wood. Apart from heavy gas shelling this position was not attacked. However, by 4 December the decision had been made to withdraw from the dangerous Bourlon Salient, and 59th Division withdrew to the Flesquières Ridge, the 2/5th Bn retiring by platoons without the enemy noticing. On 7 December the British were back on the line that they would hold for the coming winter.
German Spring Offensive The
German spring offensive opened on 21 March while the division was in the
Bullecourt sector of the line with 177th Bde in reserve. The brigade was ordered to advance across country in artillery formation to take up its allotted positions in the support line. At noon the 2/5th Lincolns was ordered to occupy the second line trenches, but found that the enemy had overrun the Sherwood Foresters in the morning mist and was already in the second line. Before the battalion could extend its line, three companies were cut off at
Noreuil and were never seen again: 49 men were killed and all the rest were captured. The remaining company withdrew and took up positions in the partially-dug third line. Despite its losses, 177th Bde remained in action on 22 and 23 March under the command of
40th Division. 2/5th Lincolns consisted of just 5 officers and about 80 other ranks. It held positions north west of Vraucourt until forced to retire to the Army Line at 16.00 on 22 March, and then again to
Mory at 20.00. On 23 March the brigade had to withdraw over 5-600 yards of open ground under intense machine-gun fire, losing more men, before digging in, when they were relieved by 40th Division. During the battle the 2/5th Bn's casualties had amounted to about 510 all ranks. The battalion was made up to four companies with drafts, but most of these were not Midlanders, and there was no time to integrate them. The 59th Division now went to the Ypres sector. On 15 April the battalion was called forward to hold positions on the Ravetsberg Ridge. Each company had a platoon in an advanced post on the forward slope while the remaining platoons dug in on the reverse slope. At 06.00 on 15 April enemy patrols approached the positions, and at noon a heavy bombardment began. At 14.45 the enemy advanced behind an intense barrage but were held off with
Lewis gun and rifle fire. At 16.30 the 4th Lincolns on the left was forced back, but it formed a defensive flank and maintained contact with the 2/5th Bn. At 17.25 the enemy broke through the 4th Bn and got behind the left flank of the 2/5th Bn while a frontal attack was made simultaneously. D Company on the left was overrun after desperate fighting. The remainder of the battalion formed a flank but was forced back to join the rest of 177th Bde north-east of
Bailleul. 177th Brigade withdrew to Locre that night. The battalion's casualties in this action (the
Battle of Bailleul) were 356. The weak 2/5th Bn was formed into a composite battalion with 4th Lincolns under the command of Maj R.N. Holmes of the 4th. 'Holmes's Battalion' formed part of 'James's Force', about 2000 men drawn from the 59th Division, which served with
49th (West Riding) Division. The composite battalion suffered further casualties while digging positions near Locre on 17–19 April. By now the 59th Division had suffered such heavy losses that it was temporarily disbanded in May and its battalions reduced to cadres sent to train new drafts at
Saint-Omer. 2/5th Lincolns was briefly attached to
30th Division and then to the
66th (2nd East Lancashire) Division. The battalion was disbanded on 31 July and the remnants sent to the 1/5th Bn (
see above). ==Interwar==