| Battle of Festubert | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theSecond Battle of Artois on theWestern Front of theFirst World War | |||||||||
 Front line following the Battle of Neuve Chapelle, (10–13 March 1915) | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Douglas Haig |   Crown Prince Rupprecht | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 6 divisions | 3 divisions | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
 16,648 | c. 5,000 | ||||||||
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TheBattle of Festubert (15–25 May 1915) was an attack by theBritish army in the Artois region of France on thewestern front duringWorld War I. The offensive formed part of a series of attacks by the FrenchTenth Army and the BritishFirst Army in theSecond Battle of Artois(3 May – 18 June 1915). After the failure of the breakthrough attempt by the First Army in the attack at Aubers Ridge (9 May 1915) tactics of a shorthurricane 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 600 yd (550 m) north, which was to capture the German trenches to the left ofFestubert. The objectives were 1,000 yd (910 m) forward, rather than the 3,000 yd (1.7 mi; 2.7 km) depth of advance attempted at Aubers Ridge. The battle was the first British attempt at attrition.
The Battle of Festubert was the continuation of the Battle of Aubers Ridge (9 May) and part of the larger FrenchSecond Battle of Artois. The resumption of the British offensive was intended to assist the French Tenth Army offensive against Vimy Ridge nearArras, by attracting German divisions to the British front, rather than reinforcing the defenders opposite the French.[2]
The attack was made by theBritish First Army (General SirDouglas Haig) against a salient in theGerman lines betweenNeuve Chapelle to the north and the village of Festubert to the south. The assault was planned along a 3 mi (4.8 km) front and would initially be made by Indian and British troops of theGarhwal Brigade,7th (Meerut) Division together with the 5th and 6th Infantry Brigades of the 2nd Division. Starting at11:30 pm on 15 May, this would be the first British night attack of the war.[3]
The battle was preceded by a60-hour bombardment by433artillery pieces that fired about100,000 shells.[4] This bombardment failed to significantly damage the front line defences of the German6th Army and the initial advance only made progress on the 6th Brigade front in good weather conditions.[5] The attack was continued at3:15 pm on 16 May by the original brigades plus the7th Division which opened a front further south. Progress was again limited with casualties very high; on 17 May the 4th Guards Brigade of the2nd Division relieved elements of the 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.[6] On 18 May, the1st Canadian Division, assisted by the51st (Highland) Division, 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.[7] From20 to 25 May, the attack was resumed but again made little progress. The offensive had resulted in a 1.9 mi (3 km) advance.[8]
The British suffered16,648 casualties from 15/16 to 25 May; the 2nd Division suffered5,445 casualties, the 7th Division4,123, the 47th Division2,355, the Canadian Division2,204 and the 7th (Meerut) Division2,521 casualties. The German defenders sufferedc. 5,000 casualties, including800 men taken prisoner.[8] French casualties during the Second Battle of Artois were102,533 men and German casualties were73,072.[9]
The 100th anniversary of the battle saw it commemorated; some of the most poignant were those held in the Highlands of Scotland, in particular inshinty-playing communities, which were affected disproportionately by losses in the battle.[10]Skye Camanachd andKingussie 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 inPortree,Isle of Skye.[11] 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 1913Camanachd Cup winning side. Donald'sbagpipes were recovered with his other effects in the early 1980s and were played at both commemorations.[12]
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