ck described above had meant troops were spread out too far apart to be effective against such strong German defenses, British General Haig focused his efforts on a smaller front that stretched from Festubert north to Neuve Chapelle.
The artillery portion of the battle began May 13th with more than 400 howitzers and guns blazing. For 60 hours, British guns pounded German positions in an attempt to cut barbed wire and take out German machine gun nests to prepare for the ground assault. Finally, on the night of May 15th the infantry – including members of the British Indian Corps; Willcocks, Lahore and Meerut - began their assault.
First Night Assault by British Troops
On the night of May 15th and into the 16th, the British 2nd Division and Indian Meerut troops advanced across the terrain toward their target and made good progress at first, through the artillery barrage had failed to take out German strong-points. The British 7th, on the right, also made progress toward their objective of la Quinque Rue, despite coming under fire from German positions that were dug in between the British 2nd and 7th. Finally, on the night of May 16th, the Germans withdrew on a 3,000 yard front to a position behind la Quinque Rue.
The British interpreted the German withdrawal as an encouraging sign that the German reserves were stretched, and ordered the British 1st Corps to consolidate their position along la Quinque Rue with strength bolstered by the 3rd Canadian Brigade. Efforts to move forward that day failed, so General Haig ordered a renewed attack on May 18th.
Battle of Festubert with the Canadian Orchard at the bottom of the map
British General Sir Douglas Haig 1916
Securing La Quinque Rue
The main attack focused on capturing a mile-long stretch of La Quinque Rue, with the Indian Corps securing Ferme du Bois to the north and the 7th Division occupying part of the trenches that the Germans had abandoned. The Canadian 14th (Royal Montreal Regiment), 15th (48th Highlanders) and 16th (Canadian Scottish) Battalions or 'Bns' were ordered to advance to the orchard directly to the east and to occupy another part of the original German trenches.
By the time General Haig’s orders were issued and made their way to the front line, the time for the attack was upon the troops, and the delay in relaying Haig’s orders caused the preliminary bombardment to be an hour late starting. The advance by the Royal Montrealers across open fields was halted by heavy German machine gun fire, forcing the troops to detour to the south of their objective. The Canadian Scottish was able to push ahead and occupy a communication trench that ran along the Quinque Rue. But the Germans opened up on the trench, inflicting heavy casualties.
The Germans had been busy. They realized that the British were focusing their efforts on a narrower objective, and could push through if not halted. All available German reserves were ordered to bolster the lines, which they had begun doing the night of the 16th.
Some important "firsts"
The Battle of Festubert marked a couple of important "firsts" for British and Canadian troops. What were these?
After the initial push to La Quinque Rue, British troops had been reorganized into a temporary and very short-lived Corps under British General Edwin Alderson. The Corps was made up of British (51st Highland), 1st Canadian Division and Indian Corps troops.
On May 20th, Alderson’s troops were ordered forward following an artillery bombardment. Their two main objectives were 600 and 1000 yards ahead, and 3000 yards apart and included part of the original German front line. The 16th Bn reached what was called Canadian Orchard, and dug in. A nearby house which was also an objective was heavily defended, and attempts to take it were halted. On their right, the 15th Bn was coming under heavy fire as they attempted to reach their objective, and they had to halt their advance 100 yards beyond the North Breastwork that had formed part of the original German trenches.
The Canadian 2nd Brigade fielded two companies from the 10th Bn, who would go on to d