April 1915

The Queen Victoria Rifles (QVR) were a Territorial Battalion attached to the 13 Brigade allocated to the 5th Division at the time of the British attack on Hill 60 in April 1915.

 

The Battalion arrived at Le Havre on Bonfire Night 1914; QVR were formed of ex-serving personnel in the London area and were officially known as the 9th London Regiment.

 

Hill 60 (in Flanders, Western Belgium, just outside the town of Ypres) was originally formed from spoil during the construction of the Ypres to Commines railway which cut through the valley 

around Zillebeke - the leftover earth was piled up in two locations adjacent to the railway, which gave the predominantly flat Flanders ground two man-made features of tremendous value in war time. Additional earth from the railway construction was also deposited at "The Dump".

 

These two features became known to the British as Hill 60 and the Caterpillar (so named because the first was 60 meters above sea level and the other resembled a caterpillar and known to the Germans as Hohe 60 and 59). Hill 60 was the most prominent feature overlooking British lines and the supply routes from Ypres town and was supported by the Caterpillar which was slightly set back providing an excellent self-supporting redoubt.

 

The Germans wrestled control of these two man-made features from the French on 10th December 1914 after the cessation  of First Ypres in November 1914. The British returned to this part of the Salient in February 1915 and began taking over mine workings begun by the French.

 

On 17th April 1915 five mines were blown on 5th Division's front just after 19:00 at 10 second intervals. Attacking the trenches and the craters created by the explosion would be 1/Royal West Kents - 2/Kings Own Scottish Borders with the 2/Duke of Wellingtons in support with QVR and 2/KOYLI in reserve of this attack.

 

The attack was initially successful in driving the Germans from the trenches on Hill 60 but heavy counter-attacks through the subsequent nights of the 18 & 19 resulted in heavy causalities to the 13 Brigade after relatively light losses after the initial attack.

 

On the 20th April the Germans began bringing up reinforcements for a sustained attack to capture the ground lost; heavy artillery which was used for shelling supplies coming into Ypres was instead focused on Hill 60 and reports of 17 inch Guns being used to make the Hill 60 untenable to hold. The British for their part were short of guns and ammunition, with much being seconded to Neuve Chapelle and Aubers Ridge for offensives by I Corps.

 

The QVR took over the Trenches on the night of 20 April 1915 moving from their positions in reserve in Larch Wood via Zillebeke Lake and village. Although subject to artillery fire few causalities were reported. A & D companies moving up first with stores with B & C companies following up later.  A & D company arrive at Hill 60 at 22:00 but with difficult getting from communication trenches to firing trenches due to congestion from stretcher parties, they were unable to reach the support trenches until 00:00 on the 21 April. These waves of the Battalion responded to reports of counter-attacks and requests from the Bedfords (holding the line) for more small arms (bullets,  grenades), they pressed immediately into action.

 

Major Lees (commanding QVR) arrived but was unable to get an accurate evaluation of the situation in which he found himself. Large numbers of his forces were now caught up in the German counter-attack and he found himself unable to obtain a clear picture of the battlefield with parts of the QVR now occupying shell holes and fragmented parts of the line. Trying to obtain this information Major Lees headed towards Trench 38 but was killed in action trying to achieve this objective.

 

A Machine Gun post in a crater on the left of the battalion suppressed German attacks until it was eventually knocked out. The Germans in the meantime brought up field guns to shell Hill 60 from the Caterpillar and tore into the lips of the craters causing many causalities to the men occupying firing positions in them.

 

Orders received from Battalion HQ in Larch Wood ordered all men from QVR to retreat back to the woods, but owing to the chaotic nature of the situation, this message was sporadic in reaching the front line. B & C companies were never committed to the battle on Hill 60 before the order to retreat was given.

 

Isolated pockets of QVR, East Surreys and Bedfords held out against the German counter-attack through the night of the 20 & 21st. Bombers from the Northumberland Fusiliers supported these pockets and held the Hill from further German attacks.

Casualities for QVR for this period in the line amounted to: 2 officers killed (including Maj. Lees), 1 missing with 15 other ranks killed and 107 injured.  Included in this figure is the Conisbrough and Denaby 100 Project's Lance Corporal Norman Hattersley Smith.

 

Hill 60 would remain heavily contested for most of the War until the Summer of 1918, this part of the line was synonymous with Tommys for being forever "hot", even within the notorious  Ypres Salient - Hill 60 was a sector dreaded by British and German soldiers alike.

 

The Germans captured the Hill again in May 1915 and its not until June 1917 that the British would again hold the Hill and the Caterpillar supporting it.

 

Nowadays, a cafe is located on the former British front line on which Norman would have served, a memorial to the QVR is now found on the left of Hill 60, which is now a preserved part of the battle field in the Ypres region. The prominent feature now is the mines blown on 7th June 1917 as part of General Herbert Plumers 2nd army attack, which captured both these key battlefield features.

 

Norman Hattersley Smith is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, presumably his grave being destroyed in future fighting around this area.

Norman Hattersley Smith

The Caterpillar