On Friday the 13 the Commanding Officer and Scout officer from the 2 Seaforths went forward to take a look at the ground to the battalion front. The CO decided that a surprise attack could be made on Dewdrop Trench through dead ground, however before the attack could be launched he was ordered to relieve the Irish Fusiliers in the front line.

The 2 Seaforths relieved the Irish Fusiliers by placing two companies in the front line and two in support. ‘A’ Company was placed in Burnaby Trench, ‘C’ Company was in Foggy trench, ‘D’ Company in Thistle trench and ‘B’ Company was in support at Shamrock trench. The companies found the trenches to be in a terrible state, badly blown in with no overhead cover. As they entered their new positions they were shelled, two men were killed and five wounded three fatally.

At 11am on Saturday the 14 of October, the Seaforths Commanding Officer was informed to make a night attack at 6pm on the trenches to his front, the attack was to be from a different direction to that which he and the scout officer had seen the previous day. The C.O then met all his company commanders at 2:15pm in battalion headquarters as they went through the plan of attack. The battalion task was to attack and consolidate Rainy and Dewdrop trenches then move on and capture the North Gun-pits, the 2 Royal Dublin Fusiliers would attack and take the South Gun-pits. Once the objectives were taken the trenches were to be linked up with the Warwicks trench and held against any counter-attack. (As this briefing was taking place the battalion came under heavy shellfire, ‘A’ Company suffered twenty-four casualties). The battalion immediately drew attack stores and after a quick briefing of the men by the commanders, began to move off at 6pm to get into position. By zero hour (6:30pm) ‘A’ and ‘C’ Companies were in place opposite their objectives, ‘B’ Company was behind them but ‘D’ Company was not yet in position.

At 6:38pm ‘A’ and ‘C’ Companies began to move forward towards the enemy lines, however they were spotted one hundred yards from the objective as the enemy put up a red light and an intense bombardment fell in front of the gun-pits. The Officer Commanding ‘C’ Company, Captain Woods shouted at his men to charge and the Company rushed into the enemy lines; Woods and several others were shot before reaching the objective.

The companies in the rear were now hung up by artillery fire, only two officers (Lt. Cooper and Lt. Brown) and nine men from ‘C’ Company were actually in the gun-pits. The enemy trench was at first full of German soldiers, who however seemed almost immediately to disappear. The small party of Seaforths remained in enemy trench for about twenty minutes, bombing dug-outs etc, Lt. Brown was badly wounded at this time and soon only Lt. Cooper and five men were left.

Lt Cooper then decided to withdraw, as they did the enemy opened fire from both sides with machine-guns and launched a bombing attack from the front. The Seaforths pulled back from the gun-pits taking the wounded men with them; Lt Brown was temporarily stunned but recovered consciousness and got back to the British lines.

Meanwhile ‘A’ Company had got within fifty yards of Rainy trench before the red light went up and the attack was discovered. The Company rushed into the enemy line, killing all the Germans who were there; they then carried on to Dewdrop trench but were driven back by heavy machine-gun fire.

Rainy trench was held for the next five hours by Captain Booth and thirty men from ‘A’ Company until the CO ordered them to evacuate the trench and return to their previous positions. This order was carried out just before daybreak on Sunday the 15.

The 2 Battalion Seaforth Highlanders took heavy casualties, during the attack on Rainy trench, the battalion war diary stays they were lucky not to lose more. Three out of the four company Sergeant-Majors were wounded, Captain Wood who had been hit in the head and body made his way back to the battalion lines after lying out in a shell hole, a few yards from the gun-pits. Captain Wood and Captain Booth were both awarded the Military Cross; Sergeant Proctor from ‘A’ Company was awarded the Military Medal, for their gallant actions during this battle.

Private David Newlands was killed in action during the attack on Rainy Trench; he was one of sixteen other ranks to be killed that day fifty-three were wounded. David Newlands brother John served in the 5th Seaforth Highlanders and was wounded, another brother Donald served in the Scots Guards. Both brothers survived the war and came home to their family in Skerray.