Battle Honour YPRES 1914,'15,'17,'18
The Battle Honour YPRES 1914,'15,'17,'18 is emblazoned on the King's Colour of The Royal Irish Regiment. The following concerns the Fifth Battle of Ypres, also called the Advance of Flanders, or the Battle of the Peaks of Flanders, which was a series of battles from 28 September - 2 October 1918.
After the German Spring Offensive of 1918, the Allies launched the Grand Offensive. In Flanders the attack was on a seventeen mile front between Voormezeele and Dixmude. The 36th (Ulster) Division was attached to the II Corps which attacked in heavy rain at 0530 hours on 28 September 1918. The Corps attack was to be carried out with the 29th Division on the right and the 9th Division on the left. Although not employed on the first day, the Ulster Division was ordered forward by 1100 hours.
On 29 September, the Division's 109 Brigade moved into the line. Its objective was Terhand and it was to attack with the 2nd Inniskillings on the right, the 9th Inniskillings on the left, and the 1st Inniskillings in support. A dawn assault was not possible due to the difficulty in moving on a cold wet night across broken country with its damaged and thronged roads and enemy aircraft conducting nighttime bombing along the approaches to the line.
'There were limbers by scores with rations; there were G.S. wagons with forage for the battalion transports forward; there were R.E. wagons, mess-carts, guns and ammunition; there were lorries stuck in shell-holes in the road, and the cause of most of the trouble. On every odd bit of ground bordering the road were French cavalrymen. The surface and the language were equally bad, and there was mud everywhere.'
The attack was therefore delayed until 0930 hours. Terhand fell at 1545 hours
At 0450 hours on 30 September, 107 Brigade, with the 2nd Battalion The Royal Irish Rifles leading, advanced on Becelaere. At 0730 hours, 108 Brigade, with the 9th Battalion The Royal Irish Fusiliers (9 Faughs) right, 12 RIR left and 1 Faughs in support, passed through 109 Brigade. After heavy fighting for over 1 mile the Brigade reached the Menin-Roulers road near three farms fortified as strong-points on a dominating feature known as Hill 41. The farms, from right to left, were Goldflake, Mansard and Twigg.
At 1600 hours, 12 RIR attacked Hill 41 but were driven back when the Germans counterattacked. At 1355 hours, 2 RIR had been ordered to advance to the right of 108 Brigade and seize Klythoek on the main road. The Battalion found it impossible to advance against heavy machine-gun fire and with no supporting artillery fire, the attack was halted. That night, the Riflemen lay on the ground under their waterproof sheets and waited for the dawn.
A dense wet misty dawn broke on 1 October. On Hill 41, 108 Brigade sent the 1st Faughs to overrun Twigg Farm but Goldflake and Mansard on the reverse slope withstood the Brigade attacks and Hill 41 was not captured; 108 Brigade was relieved by 109 Brigade. On 2 October, 109 Brigade experienced both the strength of the enemy's artillery and his determination when at 1700 hours a heavy barrage of artillery of all calibres fell along the front line. Half an hour later the German infantry advanced to the attack. The force of the barrage had caused a withdrawal from some forward positions. These the enemy penetrated, but was quickly driven out with the bayonet. By the night of 2 October, the line was completely restored.
