1am to 6.35am
Near Havrincourt - 12th Sept 1918 – 1am: The Battalion moved forward at 1am to assembly positions which were taken up by 3am. These positions lay between Banbury Hill and Hubert Avenue about Q.2.c. Battalion HQ being in K.32.c (junction of Hubert Avenue and Shropshire Reserve.
Zero 5.25am: The Battalion advanced to the attack on a 3 company front, A Coy on the right C in the centre and D on the left with B Coy in support. Each company moving on a 1 platoon front.
5.45am: The complicated nature if the barrage made the attacking movement a difficult one, the defenses of Havrincourt forbidding a frontal attack, so that attacking troops had to approach the village from the left and then swing to their right. The general scheme was to gain possession of Havrincourt the first objective being a line passing through it from NE to SW, the final a line forward of the village to the NE.
The Battalion suffered several casualties before leaving the assembly positions at zero and 20, an enemy barrage dropped almost as they started but few further difficulties were encountered until the SW corner of Havrincourt was approached when fire was opened from about the village square.
36 prisoners were captured in Knab Avenue.
6.35am: On approaching the village the Battalion swung to the right and at zero and 70 was formed up at the SW of the village waiting for our barrage to lift. A, C & D Coys to whom, was allotted the first objective attacked in a 1 platoon frontage, two platoons to take the first half of the village, the remaining two platoons leap-frogging through to the Eastern edge.
7am to 11.30am
7.00am: Shells from our barrage were still falling at zero and 120, D Coy suffering several casualties in the Square.
7.28am: A Coy captured the Chateau without much opposition but a little later were attacked by machine-gun fire. The guns however were successfully dealt with. 1 Officer and 12 men with the M.G’s being taken [prisoner] and 1 officer and several men were killed.
8.30am: Shortly afterwards O.C A Coy received information that two enemy M.G’s were holding up the attack of the 2/4 D of W [Duke of Wellington] Regiment, on the right and moved a platoon to his right engaging the M.G’s and succeeding in killing or capturing the crews of both guns.
On the barrage lifting A,C & D companies went forward through the village, clearing cellars and dug-outs and taking a number of prisoners. C Coy met with some opposition near the church and had considerable fighting to do before occupying its objective.
D coy on the left were held up by two M.G’s but these were presumably engaged and the crews killed or captured.
9.00am: At this point B Coy should have come through the other companies and taken the final objective. The company had however lost heavily in the advance and were unable to reach their jumping-off place before the barrage had gone forward. They thus lost the advantage of it and were held up eventually reinforcing the other two companies along the railway cutting and E edge of the village.
11.30am: The general position was then as follows: D Coy had posts about K.22.c.31 to the north of the village, the remaining companies held a line from that point southwards, C Coy covering the S.E corner of the village. Company HQ and 1 platoon of C in support at K.27.b.7.2 and 1 platoon of C in reserve at K.27.d.7.9.
Several posts were pushed forward of the railway line and about dusk reported enemy massing in T Wood. An attack was delivered [by the enemy] about 7pm but was broken up by our rifle and Lewis-Gun fire and the enemy dispersed by the 18 pdr [pounder] barrage.
Overnight 12/13th & Casualties
Sept 12th/13th: The Battalion was relieved by the 5th Battalion K.O.Y.L.I and went into reserve in Shropshire trench. In the morning it was found that the posts of the S.E. of the village, amounting to between 50 and 60 men, chiefly of A Coy had not been relieved.
During the night the enemy worked forward along the railway to the left Battn sector and got in rear of our posts enfilading the railway. After some sharp fighting these posts had to withdraw slightly, forming a defensive flank for the 2/4 D of W Regt.
About 6.30pm the 2/4 D of W took over the position and the party left behind then rejoined the Battalion in Shropshire Trench.
Casualties during the 12th: 1 Officer and 27 O’Rs killed; 6 Officers and 198 O’Rs wounded.
