The Battle of Festubert (15–25 May 1915) was an attack by the

British army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

in the Artois region of France on the western front during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The offensive formed part of a series of attacks by the French Tenth Army and the British First Army in the Second Battle of Artois . After the failure of the breakthrough attempt by the First Army in the attack at Aubers Ridge (9 May 1915) tactics of a short hurricane bombardment and an infantry advance with unlimited objectives, were replaced by the French practice of slow and deliberate artillery-fire intended to prepare the way for an infantry attack. A continuous three-day bombardment by the British heavy artillery was planned, to cut wire and demolish German machine-gun posts and infantry strong points. The German defences were to be captured by a continuous attack, by one division from Rue du Bois to Chocolat Menier Corner and by a second division north, which was to capture the German trenches to the left of

Festubert Festubert is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. The village was on the Western Front during the First World War and was largely destroyed in the May 1915 Battle of Festubert. Geography A farming v ...

. The objectives were forward, rather than the depth of advance attempted at Aubers Ridge. The battle was the first British attempt at attrition.

Background

Tactical developments

The Battle of Festubert was the continuation of the Battle of Aubers Ridge (9 May) and part of the larger French Second Battle of Artois. The resumption of the British offensive was intended to assist the French Tenth Army offensive against Vimy Ridge near Arras, by attracting German divisions to the British front, rather than reinforcing the defenders opposite the French.

Prelude

British plan

The attack was made by the

British First Army The First Army was a formation of the British Army that existed during the First and Second World Wars. The First Army included Indian and Portuguese forces during the First World War and American and French units during the Second World War. F ...

(General Sir

Douglas Haig Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, (; 19 June 1861 – 29 January 1928) was a senior officer of the British Army. During the First World War, he commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front from late 1915 until ...

) against a salient in the German lines between Neuve Chapelle to the north and the village of Festubert to the south. The assault was planned along a front and would initially be made by Indian and British troops of the Gharwal Brigade, 7th (Meerut) Division together with the 5th and 6th Infantry Brigades of the 2nd Division. Starting at on 15 May, this would be the first British night attack of the war.

Battle

The battle was preceded by a bombardment by that fired about This bombardment failed to significantly damage the front line defences of the German 6th Army and the initial advance only made progress on the 6th Brigade front in good weather conditions. The attack was continued at on 16 May by the original brigades plus the 7th Division which opened a front further south. Progress was again limited with casualties very high; on 17 May the 4th Guards Brigade of the 2nd Division relieved elements of 7th Division but made minor advances only. By 19 May, the 2nd Division and 7th Division had to be withdrawn due to their casualties with the main objectives of 15 May still in German hands. On 18 May, the 1st Canadian Division, assisted by the

51st (Highland) Division The 51st (Highland) Division was an infantry division of the British Army that fought on the Western Front in France during the First World War from 1915 to 1918. The division was raised in 1908, upon the creation of the Territorial Force, as ...

, attacked but made little progress in the face of German artillery-fire. The British dug in at the new front line in heavy rain. The Germans brought up reinforcements and strengthened their defences. From the attack was resumed but again made little progress. The offensive had resulted in a advance.

Aftermath

Casualties

The British lost from 15/16 to 25 May; the 2nd Division lost the 7th Division 47th Division had the Canadian Division lost and the 7th (Meerut) Division had The German defenders had including taken prisoner. French casualties during the Second Battle of Artois were and German casualties were

Commemoration

The 100th anniversary of the battle saw a range of commemorations held across the world. Some of the most poignant were those held in the Highlands of Scotland, in particular in shinty playing communities, which were affected disproportionately by losses in the battle. Skye Camanachd and Kingussie Camanachd, representing two areas which lost a great many men, were joined by the British Forces shinty team, SCOTS Camanachd for a weekend of commemorations, lectures, memorial services and shinty matches on the weekend of 15–17 May 2015 in Portree. Isle of Skye. A week later, the Beauly Shinty Club renamed their pavilion after the Paterson brothers, Donald and Alasdair, who were killed in the battle and were part of their 1913 Camanachd Cup winning side. Donald's bagpipes were recovered with his other effects in the early 1980s and were played at both commemorations.

Footnotes

References

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External links

British Order of Battle, Aubers Ridge and Festubert

on www.firstworldwar.com

on www.historyofwar.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Festubert

Conflicts in 1915 1915 in France Battle honours of the King's Royal Rifle Corps May 1915 events