Lieutenant Colonel Frederick John Saunders
ANSON BATTALION, ROYAL NAVAL VOLUNTEER RESERVE
IN THE FIFTH ARMY SECTOR, Gough had reached the point where he needed to either proceed with his attack or stand his men down for the winter. They had been anticipating launching their offensive since the third week in October. The attack was to be delivered not only eastwards from north of the Ancre, but also northwards from south of the river. However, the operation was repeatedly postponed, General Gough being given full discretion to do so by GHQ. On 27th October the provisional date was altered to 5th November, but the weather had wrought such havoc on preparations that on 3rd November Haig authorised Gough to postpone his offensive indefinitely, ‘with the proviso that arrangements are made to bring on the attack without delay as soon as the weather shows signs of being more settled’. More delays followed, until, on 8th November, following a visit from a member of Haig’s staff, General Gough conferred with his corps commanders and decided that, provided no more heavy rain fell, the attack should be launched on 13th November. Meanwhile, staff officers and patrols were sent out at short intervals to report on the state of the ground to monitor the situation. Even on the night of the 10th there was still debate about whether or not the ground was sufficiently dry for the attack to go forward, even though there had been no rain for two days and a cold spell was slowly freezing the ground. On 11th November, zero hour was fixed for 5:45am on the 13th. The die was cast. The men would go forwards one and a half hours before sunrise.
Headstone for Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Saunders at Hamel Military Cemetery. (Andrew Holmes)
View of Beaumont Hamel. (Authors’ collection)
Commanding one of the Naval battalions on Gough’s front was a 40-year-old lieutenant colonel named Frederick Saunders. In command of Anson Battalion, he had spent a career in the Royal Marine Light Infantry before being given command of Anson and was awarded a DSO for his service in South Africa.
In such torrid conditions, Frederick’s men struggled to prepare for their first big offensive in France. He lost a number of them on 8th November owing to a particularly vicious gas attack and the survivors were ordered to rest for forty-eight hours to recover from its effects. Some of the men were left to man the lines, while others came back to exercise at close order drill or form parties to carry up water and stores to assembly positions ready for the attack. On the 11th, Frederick collected all of his company commanders and explained the forthcoming operations to them at a conference. Then, at 8:30pm, all the junior officers were called in and they went through it again. The Royal Naval Division was doing its best to leave nothing to chance when it went forward on the Western Front for the first time.
By 12th November the preliminary bombardment had begun. It was emphasised to Gough that Haig did not want him going ahead in unfavourable conditions, but the decision was left to his subordinate and he was resolved now to either go ahead or the 13th or remove and rest as many troops as possible in the line and suspend offensive operations for the year. It was becoming cruel, having the men prepare to attack and then cancelling orders:
Up to the end of the first week of November, brigade commanders were generally of the opinion that conditions were too unfavourable for the attack to succeed. Then they became in favour of ‘attack or cancellation’ as repeated postponements were not fair to the troops.
As Haig arrived to satisfy himself that the time was right to attack, tanks were being withdrawn because the ground was too wet for them. Frederick was overseeing his battalion’s departure from Englebelmer. The men were as relieved as they were nervous:
With the attack constantly postponed but never cancelled, all ranks had passed through a time of great tension, so that it was a relief to know the hour was actually at hand.
For the Anson’s commander though, zero hour would never come. As Frederick made his way up towards Beaumont Hamel, the enemy began shelling a communication trench known as Gabion Avenue. High explosive and gas shells rained down, and, as the lieutenant colonel struggled through the mud, he was hit by a shell. Nearly twenty more men became casualties in the trench as they tried to progress up towards the front line.
Zero hour was fast approaching. Frederick Saunders’ men filed into their assembly trenches, another officer picking up the mantle and taking command. Lieutenant Colonel Saunders left behind a widow, Muriel, and was laid to rest at Hamel Military Cemetery, plot II.E.9.