The newly appointed Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, issued his famous call to arms: 'Your King and Country Need You', urging the first 100,000 volunteers to come forward.

After initial training at the crowded barracks at Winchester, the new battalion went by rail to 21st Division's tented camp at Halton Park, near Wendover in Buckinghamshire.

13th RB went into a tented camp on Windmill Hill near Ludgershall, where it finally received its rifles and khaki uniforms in place of the temporary Navy blue it had been wearing.

[4][8][9][11] The battalions of 111th Bde began providing working parties and then in mid-August went up by companies to be attached to units of 12th (Eastern) Division near Armentières for their introduction to trench warfare.

Several days later, when the stragglers had come in and hospital reports collated, it emerged that the battalion had lost 20 officers and 380 other ranks (ORs), of whom 84 were dead.

The rest of 111th Bde tried and failed to push forward into the 'Triangle' over the following days and was finally relieved on 19 November, returning to Puchevillers[8][9][31][32][33][34][35][36] Lieutenant-Col F.S.N.

The attack was to begin on 9 April after four days of bombardment, with the assaulting formations taking a succession of objectives, the Black, Blue and Brown lines.

The fresh 37th Division waiting in the Arras suburbs would then pass through to capture the final (Green Line) objective, just beyond Monchy, but it was unclear whether this could be tackled on the first day.

During the night the troops of 111th and 112th Bdes were disentangled from those of 12th (E) Division, and at 04.00 on 10 April 13th RB was ordered to a point near Broken Hill, and then warned to take up a more advanced position, but this was cancelled because the attack by 10th and 13th RF had failed and they had to fall back and dig in about 500 yards (460 m) short of Monchy.

At 09.00 Jackson found only four officers and 120 ORs of the battalion in the captured trenches opposite Gavrelle with several Lewis gun teams missing.

This position was consolidated, and early on 24 April three of the missing Lewis gun teams turned up, having gone forward with 63rd Bde by mistake; these were posted in shellholes to link up with 13th KRRC's line.

Later, 13th RB carried out a successful night raid, and on 6 August its patrols established observation posts in front of the line; the division was relieved that evening, then spent three more weeks training.

[63][64] By early 1918 the BEF was suffering a manpower crisis, and infantry brigades were reduced from four to three battalions each, many of the surplus units being disbanded to provide reinforcements to the remainder.

The assault was launched punctually, but the cemetery proved tougher than expected and casualties were heavy as the company fought to eliminate the German riflemen and machine gunners hidden among the gravestones.

The two leading parties having lost their officers, Serjeant William Gregg led them forward to the crucifix, until a German counter-attack from the support trenches drove them back to the edge of the cemetery.

Meanwhile, the adjacent platoon on the left had lost its serjeant and all its section leaders, but Rifleman William Beesley took command and continued the advance.

On the night of 20/21 August 13th RB moved up from the support line to take part in 37th Division's dawn attack on Ablainzevelle next day.

The German line now formed an acute salient, and at 04.00 on 24 August 13th RB was ordered to straighten this out by moving forward and occupying the high ground north-east of Bihucourt.

By 07.00 next morning this had been completed and the battalion was ordered to exploit this success by sending out strong patrols towards Favreuil and getting in touch with the New Zealand Division which was attacking that village.

Just as the battalions were moving into their assembly area under cover of some banks around 800 yards (730 m) west of Favreuil, the Germans put down a barrage in front of the village and on the valley up which they were to advance; it was suspected that the divisional telegraph message ordering the attack had been intercepted.

Although 13th KRRC was held up short of the village,13th RB quickly entered the southern end and pushed through, taking prisoners and machine guns until it reached its objective, a trench 150 yards (140 m) east of the village.

During the night the brigade had managed to establish outposts at the edge of the wood, despite enemy gas shelling, and jumped off from this line at 05.25, 13th RB on the right, 13th KRRC on the left, with 10th RF in support.

13th KRRC had been held up by the village of Trescault beneath the spur and a strongpoint east of it which were obstinately defended, but these were suppressed by crossfire from 13th RB.

[8][9][91][92][93][94][95] The Allies carried out a series of coordinated attacks along the Western Front on 26–29 September, including an assault crossing of part of the Canal du Nord.

On 30 September 111th Bde found that the German bridgehead at Banteux had been abandoned, and closed up to form an outpost line along the bank of the Escaut Canal.

37th Division's advance now became a pursuit of the beaten enemy to the River Selle, but 111th Bde was withdrawn for rest, with 13th RB spending 10 days at Ligny-en-Cambrésis among liberated French civilians.

Pushing forward it overcame all opposition and passed Louvignies-Quesnoy to reach the Blue Line objective on time at 07.30, machine gun and trench mortar posts being efficiently mopped up by small groups or individual riflemen.

This culminated in close quarters fighting with heavy casualties to both sides, but by 07.15 the company had cleared up the situation, capturing several machine guns and 70 prisoners.

Heavy mist ruled out visual communication throughout the fight, and the runners suffered numerous casualties trying to get through the barrages that the Germans laid behind the attacking battalions.

On 11 November the division moved to Caudry, and during the march the men were told that the Armistice with Germany had come into force at 11.00, bringing hostilities to an end.