The 13th (Service) Battalion, Rifle Brigade, (13th RB) was an infantry unit recruited as part of 'Kitchener's Army' in World War I. It served on the Western Front from July 1915 until the Armistice, seeing action at the Somme where it was half-destroyed in its first attack, and later at the Ancre, at Arras and Ypres, against the German spring offensive, and in the victorious Hundred Days Offensive. The battalion won two Victoria Crosses in a single action in May 1918. It was finally disbanded in May 1919.
Recruitment and training
On 6 August 1914, less than 48 hours after Britain's declaration of war, Parliament sanctioned an increase of 500,000 men for the Regular British Army. The newly appointed Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward. Men flooded into the recruiting offices and the 'first hundred thousand' were enlisted within days. This group of six divisions with supporting arms became known as Kitchener's First New Army, or 'K1'. K2 and K3 followed shortly afterwards.War Office Instructions No 32 (6 August) and No 37 (7 August).Becke, Pt 3a, pp. 2 & 8.
13th (Service) Battalion was formed as part of K3 at the Rifle Brigade's regimental depot at Peninsula Barracks, Winchester, on 31 October 1914. It was designated as 'Army Troops', ie not assigned to a specific formation, but it was attached to 21st Division. The battalion's recruits were mainly Londoners and Welsh miners. After initial training at the crowded barracks at Winchester, the new battalion went by rail to 21st Division's tented camp at Halton Park, near Wendover in Buckinghamshire. Here it trained with dummy rifles under the command of Lt-Col Charles Pretor-Pinney, who had retired from the Rifle Brigade in 1898 but continued serving as a major with the 7th (King's Own Royal Tower Hamlets Militia) Battalion of the regiment, seeing service in the Second Boer War. In November the battalion moved out of tents into huts, and then on 28 November went into billets in nearby High Wycombe.Frederick, p. 248.James, p 111.Becke, Pt 3a, p. 108.Rowlands, pp. 20–7.Seymour, pp. 54–5.
The battalion's training advanced at High Wycombe. At last, on 9 April 1915, it left for Salisbury Plain with orders to join the new 37th Division. As authorised in March, 37th Division consisted of Kitchener battalions that had originally been allocated as Army Troops to the New Armies. 13th Rifle Brigade was assigned to 111th Brigade in the new division; the brigade also included 10th (Stockbrokers) and 13th Battalions, Royal Fusiliers (RF), and 13th Bn, King's Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC). 13th RB went into a tented camp on Windmill Hill near Ludgershall, where it finally received its rifles and khaki uniforms in place of the temporary Navy blue it had been wearing. By the time the division assembled, all its units had been training for some months, and it soon began final battle training.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 71–9.37th Division at Long, Long Trail.Rowlands, pp. 27–30.
In July orders arrived for the division to move to France to join the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front. 13th RB embarked on the paddle steamer Mona's Queen at Southampton Docks on 29 July and landed at Le Havre next day. By 2 August the division had completed its concentration by rail around Tilques, near Saint-Omer. It then began marching towards the rear areas of the front, where 13th RB went into billets at Saint-Sylvestre-Cappel.Rowlands, pp. 30–6.
Service The battalions of 111th Bde began providing working parties and then in mid-August went up by companies to be attached to units of 12th (Eastern) Division near Armentières for their introduction to trench warfare.Carter, p. 92.O'Neill, p. 77. On 25 August they marched to Godewaersvelde and entrained for Doullens where the division took over a section of the Somme front from the French. The battalions of 111th Bde carried out their first spells in the trenches near Hannescamps, from the beginning of September, suffering a few casualties: 13th RB was relieved by 13th KRRC on 10 September after its first spell in the front line. When not in the front line the battalions provided working parties. On the evening of 24 September the brigade was moved a few miles north and next day waited in full fighting order in case it was called upon to join in the Battle of Loos that began that day. However, it was not employed, and a few days later it returned to its previous trenches. The battalions settled into a routine of six days in the line, six in reserve and 12 at rest (though often providing working parties). When in the from line, they occasionally mounted trench raids, and there was a trickle of casualties. This routine continued until the end of January 1916, the trenches often being flooded during the winter.Berkeley, pp. 132, 141.Carter, pp. 93–115.Rowlands, pp. 36–53.
In February the brigade went back into the line, taking over from the French some trenches at Le Gastineau, a few miles north of the Gommecourt Salient. Duty here was six days in the front line and six out of it; 13th RB and 13th RF took turns to man the line in their sector, going into billets at Bienvillers when not in the line. It was a quiet sector, apart from occasional artillery bombardments and raids, though the uneven nature of the ground meant that snipers could find good vantage points on the higher ground. On 12 February 111th Bde took over more of the line from the French, 13th RB moving a few miles to Bailleulval, relieving the French 5th Dragoons opposite Avinger Wood. On 19 March 37th Division was withdrawn and marched back to the Doullens area to undergo a month's training, 13th RB going to Auxi-le-Château. Here it was attached to Third Army School of Instruction as a demonstration battalion until the end of April. It then returned to Bailleulval, where activity had increased, with more raids by bombing parties.Berkeley, pp. 145, 149, 153.Carter, pp. 122–34.Rowlands, pp. 54–61.
Somme 13th Rifle Brigade had been in France almost a year and had still not participated in any major action, but the BEF was now preparing for that summer's 'Big Push' (the Battle of the Somme). The artillery bombardment began on 23 June and 37th Division was moved to the Albert area, 13th RB going by bus. Here 111th Bde supplied working parties to carry forward gas cylinders for release when the assault was launched on 1 July. 37th Division was not involved initially. Then 111th Bde was attached to 34th Division from 7 July as a temporary replacement for a brigade that had been shattered on the First day on the Somme. The fresh troops were immediately rushed to the front to assist with carrying and working parties. 13th RB and 13th RF went up to the line first, on 6 July, attached to 56th Bde until 111th Bde HQ arrived to take over the line. The trenches were exposed and badly battered by shellfire and the battalions suffered a steady toll of casualties for two days. On 10 July 13th RB was in support for an attack on the Ovillers–Contalmaison line. At 20.15 the battalion received orders to attack towards Pozières in 30 minutes' time. Lieutenant-Col Pretor-Pinney deployed the battalion with D Company on the left of a tramway line with C Company in support, while A Company was on the right of the line with B Company in support. It went 'over the top' at 20.45 and advanced into a storm of shrapnel shells and machine gun bullets, much of the fire coming from the still-uncaptured Ovillers. With their lines rapidly thinning, the leading companies got into the third line of enemy trenches opposite, but as the CO followed with the two support companies he received a message that the attack had been cancelled. The units on either side had not advanced, leaving 13th RB exposed. Pretor-Pinney had to order his men to withdraw to their own trench through the curtain of enemy fire. Several days later, when the stragglers had come in and hospital reports collated, it emerged that the battalion had lost 20 officers and 380 other ranks (ORs), of whom 84 were dead. The CO and adjutant were wounded, the second-in-command was missing, three out of four company commanders were killed and the other wounded, the medical officer was dead and the Regimental Sergeant Major severely wounded; whole platoons had been wiped out. Although wounded, Lt-Col Pretor-Pinney remained with his men until the last of the survivors had come in. The battalion had been reduced to 4 officers and about 400 ORs. It was relieved in the front line next morning by two companies of 10th RF.Becke, Pt 3b, pp. 41–9. 34th Division at Long, Long Trail.Berkeley, pp. 161, 170–1.Carter, pp. 145–51.Rowlands, pp. 62–8.Rowlands, pp. 69–73.Shakespear, pp. 54–8.
On 17 July Lt-Col Denys Prideaux-Brune, a Regular RB officer,Prideux-Brune at IWM Lives. arrived to take over command of 13th RB and begin the task of rebuilding the battalion. Two large drafts of reinforcements arrived, but the battalion was still much understrength when it went back into the trenches on 30 July. At first it was in the support line, later moving up to a position just south of Mametz Wood. Here it was heavily shelled on the night of 6 August, losing 21 killed and 23 wounded, mostly original members of the battalion. Two days later the battalion moved forward to a new support line south-east of Bazentin-le-Petit, with Battalion Headquarters (HQ) in a chalk-pit next to the cemetery, which also came under shellfire. On 18 August the battalion entrained for Calonne-sur-la-Lys, where 111th Bde returned to 37th Division on 22 August. Here it trained and held the line among the coal tips until the autumn. 13th RB usually alternated with 13th RF in the front trench, providing working parties when not in the line.Carter, pp. 172–6.Rowlands, pp. 76–8.
Ancre On 17 October 37th Division marched back to the Somme, arriving at Puchevillers behind Albert on 22 October. Training here and at Hem-Hardinval was restricted by bad weather and the need to clear muddy roads. On 13 November 111th Bde moved up to the line between Varennes and Hédauville and came under the command of 63rd (Royal Naval) Division for the Battle of the Ancre. 13th RB was ordered forward and moved up through a heavy enemy barrage to reach the Green Line by midnight. Next morning 10th RF mopped up a German redoubt that 63rd (RN) Division had bypassed the day before, then at 06.15 13th RB and 13th RF pushed on behind a Creeping barrage towards Beaucourt and the objective of 'Muck Trench' (so named from its muddy condition). The barrage was inaccurate and the attack was held up for about an hour by machine gun fire, but with a renewed barrage 13th RB gained a footing in the enemy defences some north-east of 'Railway Alley', capturing numerous prisoners. Its left flank was now exposed and snipers were causing problems, but the bombers worked their way up Beaucourt Trench towards 'Leave Avenue'. The battalion finally consolidated the position, and then next morning D Company pushed on into Muck Trench. The battalion was relieved on 15 November and went back to bivouac at Englebelmer. Its losses were again very heavy, totalling 324, of which 93 were killed, and included nearly all of the battalion HQ runners and aid post staff. It was relieved by 10th RF that night, and 37th Division took over command of the sector. The rest of 111th Bde tried and failed to push forward into the 'Triangle' over the following days and was finally relieved on 19 November, returning to PuchevillersBerkeley. pp. 211, 232–7.Carter, pp. 178–81.Hare, pp. 178–9.Miles, 1916, Vol II, pp. 490–1, 504–5, 512, 520–1, Sketch 47.O'Neill, pp. 149–51.Rowlands, pp. 81–3.