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Enlisted-Stratford

The Somme trenches were no place to be during the winter of 1916-1917.  Constant rain, snow and cold winds made them a nightmare. Men who were able to make the comparison said that the mud of the Somme was worse than that at Passchendaele, later in 1917. Simply surviving in the shell battered trenches was arduous enough but by now the plans for a major offensive at Arras were well advanced and they included a need to keep the Germans fully occupied on the Somme front. Starting early in the year, the British launched a number of attacks on the Somme front, aimed at capturing strategic points in the German line and thereby undermining their overall defences.

An example of this occurred on 28th February, 1917, when 86 Brigade of 29th Division attacked Palz and Potsdam trenches east of Sailly-Saillisel as the Germans began their retreat to the Hindenburg line. At 5.30am, 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers attacked on the left of the Brigade front with a company of 1st Lancashire Fusiliers covering their left flank. They moved forward behind an excellent artillery barrage. Four minutes after zero the enemy artillery opened up but did not interfere with the attack because it fell on the old front line and behind it. The right of 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers succeeded in getting into the German trenches without too much difficulty but the left of the battalion and the company of 1st Lancashire Fusiliers found the wire poorly cut in front of Palz Trench and here they were held up. On the right 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers bombed down the trench and when their machine-guns became blocked with mud they established a block. It proved impossible to clear the whole trench so the left of 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers, once they had gained entry, consolidated Potsdam Trench, the German front line. At the same time and after some hard fighting, the company of 1st Lancashire Fusiliers gained its objective. In the early afternoon the German shelling became intense and their bombers began working their way towards the captured positions but these counter attacks were repelled and the gains were consolidated. The attack had been a success but 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers had suffered a number of casualties during the course of the fighting and on the following day when still in these captured positions. One of these was William Knowles who was killed on 1st March.