Thomas enlisted in the 9th (Service) Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers on 7 August 1917 and was assigned serial number 77193. Although the exact date of his arrival in France is unknown, by January 1918, his Battalion was stationed near Trescault, southeast of Cambrai, manning a quiet section of the front. The Battalion formed part of the 58th Brigade of the 19th (Western) Division. After several uneventful weeks, they relocated to a training camp between Haplincourt and Bertincourt in early March.
Operation Michael
The move was in response to Allied intelligence indicating a likely German offensive. The calm was shattered on 21 March, when the Germans launched Operation Michael, a massive offensive aimed at breaking through the Allied lines, separating the French and British armies, and seizing the Channel Ports. The offensive covered a 43-mile front from Arras to La Fère, with the 58th Brigade positioned right in the centre.
The men were awoken at 5am by a devastating German artillery barrage, which destroyed much of the Quartermaster’s supplies. With the Allied defences incomplete, the Battalion was ordered to dig a new defensive line on the Beaumetz-Hermies Ridge. It was a fast- moving and chaotic situation, and after several hours of labour, they were ordered to withdraw. During the night, they marched northward, and the following day they dug another defensive line near the village of Morchies.
Amid the confusion, the Battalion struggled to maintain coordination with neighbouring units. German forces assembled on the high ground near Vaulx Morchies and launched a heavy attack during the afternoon, which was successfully repelled. A subsequent counterattack, supported by tanks, temporarily pushed the enemy back.
The situation worsened on 23 March. Although the main thrust of the German offensive was elsewhere, the Brigade still endured relentless shelling. Ordered to withdrew towards Beugny, the intense bombardment severely disrupted communications and many units had difficulty passing through the barrage. The Battalion commander was so sure that they would be captured that he ordered all official papers to be burnt. Nevertheless, they managed to escape and regroup, resting briefly that night.
As the Germans continued to break through the lines the situation across the whole front became chaotic and confused. Over the following days, the Battalion conducted a series of fighting withdrawals, covering 20 miles through Bapaume, Grevillers, and Puisieux, before reaching Hébuterne on the 26th. Exhausted, they were relieved by an Anzac division and transported by train to a camp near Loker, Belgium. The Battalion suffered 460 casualties—killed, wounded, or missing.
The Allies managed to halt the German advance at Villers-Bretonneux, east of Amiens, in early April. Although the Germans advanced 40 miles, they failed to achieve any of their strategic objectives, and moreover had captured land difficult to defend while suffering 250,000 casualties. The Allies were able to quickly bring in reinforcements of men and equipment, particularly as the Americans began to arrive, while the German Army was unable to recover.
Battle of the Lys
The Battalion’s respite was brief. On 10 April they moved into the line near Oostaverne, just to the south of Ypres. The day before, the Germans had launched Operation Georgette, the second of their planned spring offensives. The initial attack was to the south of the 9th Battalion in what was previously a quiet and lightly defended sector, achieving a breakthrough at Éstaires with very high casualties to the defending Portuguese divisions.
On the 10th the Germans captured the Lys crossing at Armentières and pushed on to capture the strategically important village of Messines. The Battalion sustained heavy casualties in the fighting. Over the next several days the British were pushed westward, losing ground hard-won the previous year. By 19 April, the Battalion had retreated 8 miles west to Reninghelst and was moved into reserve.
The offensive eventually stalled as French reinforcements arrived. As with Operation Michael, the Germans had penetrated the Allied lines but failed in their main objective.
Recovery and redeployment
The Battalion spent most of May recuperating well behind the lines at Herzeele in France, before being abruptly relocated 160 miles south near Chaumuzy, southeast of Reims, on the 28th. After a short spell in the trenches, during which they skirmished with German forces, they withdrew to reserve on 6 June.
Over the following weeks, the Battalion trained at camps in Haussimont, Ligny-lès-Aire, and Chocques, replenishing men and equipment after the gruelling spring battles. In mid-August, they returned to the trenches near Béthune, a quiet sector, where they remained until October.
The Battalion was moved to Cambrai, recently captured by the Allies. Over the summer the tide of the war had turned decisively. Following the failure of the German Spring Offensive, the Allies had won a rapid series of victories and forced the Germans into retreat. By 11 October, German forces had established new defensive positions east of the Selle River. After six days of preparation, the Allies attacked on 17 October. Despite stiff resistance they successfully crossed the river and advanced. Initially held in reserve, the 9th Battalion entered the fray on the morning of the 20th, securing the high ground east of the Selle, but at the cost of 19 killed and 61 wounded.
Battle of the Sambre
As the war entered its final month, the Battalion prepared for another assault near Sommaing, east of Cambrai, part of an Allied offensive over a 30-mile front along the Sambre Canal.
The attack began at 6am on 4 November with a creeping barrage. Although the Battalion was again held in reserve, they endured heavy shelling and a gas attack. They joined the attack the following day, advancing in torrential rain to seize high ground. Initial resistance was light until a well-placed German machine gun inflicted significant casualties. They pressed on until relieved on 8 November, suffering further losses from machine-gun fire and shelling.
Thomas was one of these casualties, losing an eye to shrapnel. He was treated at a casualty clearing station in Awoingt before being evacuated to England via a hospital ship. After receiving further care at Chelsea Royal Hospital in London, he was discharged in February 1919.
Units
- 9th (Service) Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers (1917-1919)
Medals
See also
