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a and Other places, by Francs

Buckley
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Ttle' Q.6.a and Other places
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-uthor' Francs Buckley
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D TranscrberEs =ote' D
D D
D 9nconsstent hyphenaton n the orgnal docu"ent has D
D been preser#ed. D
D D
D For the nterest of the reader, Ethe "ornng hateE s D
D FF9 slang for the G7tand To -r"sG. D
D D
D Ob#ous typographcal errors ha#e been corrected. For D
D a co"plete lst, please see the end of ths docu"ent. D
D D
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9n the follo!ng pages 9 ha#e tred to set do!n as fathfully as 9 can
so"e of the "pressons !hch re"an to "e no! of three yearsE
ser#ce
n France and Flanders.
9 ha#e naturally suppressed "uch of the gr" and ghastly horrors
that
!ere shared by all n the Aghtng area. - narrat#e "ust be !rtten
fro" so"e pont of #e!, and 9 ha#e had to select "y o!n. 9 regret
that so "uch personal and tr#al ncdent should appear. Perhaps
so"e
!ll be able to see through the gross egotstcal co#erng and get a
gl"pse, ho!e#er fant, of the deeds of deathless heros"
perfor"ed by
"y belo#ed co"rades%%the oJcers and "en of the +th
=orthu"berland
Fuslers, the oJcers and "en of the )I*th 9nfantry Brgade, the
oJcers and "en of the 41th .#son.
The cl"aK of the story s the battle on the 7o""e !here so "any
dear
frends ha#e pershed. The na"e s taken fro" a spot !here a s"all
party of the +th =.F. dd so"ethng long after!ards to a#enge ther
fallen co"rades.
Fnally no crtcs" of the 8gher ;o""and s ntended by anythng
that has been !rtten. 9f such can be read bet!een the lnes, t s
unntentonal and a "atter for sncere regret.
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=OTE
The follo!ng abbre#atons are used'
B.8.Q. Q Brgade 8ead%Ruarters.
;.;.7. Q ;asualty ;learng 7taton.
;.O. Q ;o""andng OJcer.
;.T. Q ;o""uncaton Trench.
..-.Q./.G. Q .eputy%-ssstant%Quarter"aster%General.
..8.Q. Q .#sonal 8ead%Ruarters.
F.-. Q Feld -"bulance.
8.Q. Q 8ead%Ruarters.
&.%;. Q &ance%;orporal.
=.;.O. Q =on%co""ssoned OJcer.
O.;. Q OJcer ;o""andng.
O.P. Q Obser#aton Post.
O.T.;. Q OJcersE Tranng ;orps.
Q./. Q Quarter"aster.
(.T.O. Q (al!ay Transport OJcer.
$./.;.-. Q $oung /enEs ;hrstan -ssocaton.
Q. 6. -
(E;O&&E;T9O=7 OF )*)6, )*)+, -=. )*),
9
F8E= 9T BEG-=
Before the !ar 9 !as l#ng n &ondon, !th cha"bers at &ncolnEs
9nn.
9 !as not surprsed !hen the trouble started. E#er snce )*1I t !as
reasonably clear to "e that our country !ould ha#e to Aght the
Ger"ans or go under.
The days before !e declared !ar on Ger"any !ere spent n &ondon.
.urng the last fe! of the" t !as as though a terrble thunderstor"
!as hangng o#erhead, ready to burst' gloo" and forebodng on the
faces of all. There s no doubt that "ost of our people !ere taken by
surprse and that they !ere aghast at the sudden gatherng of the
!ar
cloud. But !hen the stroke of fate fell and !e !ere co""tted to the
!ar, there !as a curous sense of relef n "any hearts. Better death
and run than dshonour. - sha"eful peace or neutralty s for "ost
Englsh"en harder to bear than all the horrors of !ar. Besdes, ths
struggle for freedo" had to be fought out, though fe! can ha#e
foretold the cost.
9 had been rejected for the Terrtoral Force by the -r"y authortes
n )*1, on account of !eak eyesght. 9 had therefore fe! hopes of
better luck n -ugust )*)I. -t Arst only traned "en !ere enrolled
at
the 9nns of ;ourt O.T.;., and ths !ent on for so"e "onths%%tll the
naton n fact began to realse the sSe of ts task. 7o after t!o or
three #an atte"pts to And "y !ay nto the ser#ces, 9 had to be
content !th the truncheon and ar"let of a specal constable. Fth
ths force 9 had no specal ad#entures, but 9 learnt a good deal about
the Lne 7treet Polce area, and about the electrc po!er statons of
the Fest End. ;hrst"as .ay !as spent on duty n the streets, and
Easter .ay found "e stll there. Then so"ethng happened !hch
decded
"y o!n lttle fate, as !ell perhaps as the fate of Europe. Ths !as
the snkng of the good shp T&ustanaT on /ay +, )*)4, under
pecularly barbarous and nhu"an crcu"stances. E#entually t
brought
the -"ercans nto the !ar, !hen they ca"e to understand that the
Ger"an people glored n the deed of sha"e. -s for "e, t took "e
once
agan to the doors of the O.T.;. n &ncolnEs 9nn. 9f 9 could not go
as an oJcer 9 !ould at least go nto the ranks. But by ths t"e the
rush of oJcer recruts had ded do!n, and they !ere not so
partcular about eyesght. 7o on /ay )1, )*)4, 9 found "yself n
possesson of a sut of khak. 9t !as second%or thrd%hand and an
ndUerent At, but t enclosed a glad heart. The de !as cast, and
one lttle boat farly launched on ts perlous passage. =e#er ha#e 9
had cause to la"ent ths step. 9f t has brought "e great troubles
and
angush, t has also g#en peace of "nd and the satsfacton of
usng
to the full such energy as 9 possess. 9t took "e out of the stVng
heat of the to!n and ga#e "e at least four years of an open%ar lfe.
For !hch God be thankedW 9f t dd not brng "uch pro"oton or
honour, t brought the frendshp of real "en, and a treasure greater
than all the stars and rbbons n the !orld.
- recrut at the 9nns of ;ourt O.T.;. had nothng to fear fro" those
n charge f he !as !llng to do hs best. There !as lttle
bosterousness or horse%play a"ong the recruts, the dark shado!
!as
too close for thatX and the sprt a"ong "y ne! co"rades !as one
of
great earnestness. For the Arst t!o or three !eeks !e !ere traned
n
To!n near the 8.Q. of the Battalon n &ncolnEs 9nn. -fter that
recruts !ere sent on to the ca"p at Berkha"sted for Aeld tranng.
Fe !ere blleted on the local nhabtants. 9 stayed at the house of
/r. ;harles .pple, fro" !hose fa"ly 9 rece#ed "uch knd
hosptalty. 9t !as a sudden change for one !ho had spent the
greater
part of ten years n &ondon cha"bers. -nd at Berkha"sted they
!orked
you hard, al"ost to the last degree of physcal endurance. 7a#e
once,
durng a dark t!o !eeks n France, 9 ha#e ne#er before or snce felt
the sa"e fatgue of body. -lso the change of food !as a lttle
strange
and startlng at Arst. The drll and dscplne could do nothng but
good to a healthy "an. The enthusas" of nearly all !as great, our
chef dea beng to get ready and out to France or else!here before
the !ar should be o#er. &ttle dd !e kno! !hat the future had n
store.
There s nothng "uch to tell of ths part of oneEs eKperence. One of
the "ost pleasant ncdents !as a fortnghtly lea#e of thrty%sK
hours at the !eek%end, !hch 9 used to spend !th "y frends n
To!n.
=ght "anoeu#res on Fednesdays and Frdays and guard duty !ere
perhaps
the "ost unpleasant part of our lot. 7o"e !ould add the adjutantEs
parade on 7aturday "ornng. But that !as short, f not al!ays
s!eet.
9 had the good luck to !n an unpad lance%corporalEs strpe to!ards
the end of "y stay, cheVy, 9 thnk, on account of a certan apttude
for drll, a clean rVe, and clean boots. Of ths s"all ache#e"ent 9
!as and stll a" a lttle proud.
9 left the battalon on gettng "y co""sson !th respect for the
oJcers n charge of the tranng. The short eKperence n the ranks
!as to be of great #alue after!ards, !hen 9 ca"e to deal for the Arst
t"e as an oJcer !th "en n the ranks. 9t ga#e a certan sy"pathy
!th the" and taught !hat to a#od. 9t !as the custo" of our ;.O.,
&eut.%;ol. Errngton, to g#e a fe! !ords of ad#ce to those lea#ng
the battalon to take up co""ssons. -nd 9 ha#e ne#er forgotten
t!o
of the prncples !hch he urged upon us. One !as the constant
necessty for a solder to deny h"self n lttle thngs. The other
!as the dea that e#ery oJcer n hs o!n co""and, ho!e#er s"all,
had
a duel to face !th another oJcer n a s"lar poston on the other
sdeX and that n ths duel the one that used hs bran best !ould
!n. -nd so ths e"bryo eKstence ca"e to an end%%a careless,
happy
t"e !th no partcular thought for the troubles ahead. 9n the "ddle
of :uly )*)4 9 obtaned a co""sson n the Mrd lne Battalon of the
+th =orthu"berland Fuslers, Terrtorals, supplyng drafts to the
)st lne battalon n France. 9 had no desre to dsplay "y gnorance
of thngs "ltary before a group of neghbours and possbly
relatons, so 9 appled for a co""sson, not n the Terrtorals of
the Fest (dng (eg"ent, but n a north%country battalon of
Terrtorals, !th the )st lne Aghtng n France. The Terrtoral
Force see"ed to "e "ost sutable for one !ho had no "ltary
career n
#e!. -nd France, the land of old t"e ro"ance and ch#alry, ga#e a
"ore urgent call than Egypt or the East. The choce of a unt, f one
can be sad to choose t, s fraught !th greater conseRuences to
oneself than "ght be supposed. 9 cannot say after a lapse of three
years that the choce has pro#ed unfortunate to "e. 9t ca"e about
n
ths !ay. Fe !ere dong a rVe parade one day at Berkha"sted,
!hen
&eut. (eynolds @=.F.B appeared !th our co"pany co""ander, ;apt.
;larke, and asked for the na"es of any "en !ho !ould lke to jon
the
Mrd lne of the +th =.F. The )st lne battalon, he sad, had just
been badly cut up n France, and !e should be out there n four
"onths
perhaps, certanly n sK "onths. That !as all the nfor"aton !e
had,
but t !as enough for "e. - north%country terrtoral battalon and
France n sK "onths%%those !ere the attractons. 9 had ne#er spent
"ore than one nght n =orthu"berland and 9 kne! of -ln!ck only
by
na"e. 9t !as therefore rather a step n the darkX but to one !ho !as
stll gnorant of the "eanng of a EBrgadeE or a E.#sonE only
general consderatons could appeal. -nd so on :uly M1, )*)4, 9 set
oU for -ln!ck to jon "y battalon, !th a ne! unfor" and kt, !th
a so"e!hat ner#ous feelng nsde, but !th a deter"naton to do
"y
best.
99
T8E /E= OF T8E =O(T8 ;O<=T($
9 ha#e a great respect and ad"raton for the "en of
=orthu"berland.
Especally for those !ho co"e fro" the country to!ns and #llages,
the
far"%lands and "nes n the northern parts of the county. -s solders
they ha#e ganed a na"e the !orld o#er, of !hch t !ould be dle
for
"e to talk. - cold cl"ate and a Aghtng ancestry that goes back
"any
hundreds of years ha#e produced so"e "arked Rualtes n the race
of
=orthu"brans to%day. There are fe! of the" that are not true to
type,
fe! that you !ould not care to ha#e as co"rades n a tght corner.
Ther stubborn courage and conte"pt for danger ha#e been pro#ed
agan
and agan. The !orse the outlook the "ore cheerful they see" to
beco"e. 7turdy ndependence s there, and for ths allo!ance has to
be
"ade%%slo! to lke and slo! to changeX f you are kno!n as E/sterE
7o%and%so, !hate#er your rank, you ha#e !on ther respect. =o
better
solders n the land can be found to hold or to fortfy a poston.
But 9 doubt !hether they ha#e Rute the sa"e genus for the
attack.2)5 - certan lack of "agnaton, a certan !ant of
forethought, ha#e al!ays, as t see"s to "e, been a handcap to
these
bra#e "en !hen they attack. -gan and agan durng an assault
they
ha#e fallen n hundreds, they ha#e sho!n the"sel#es as !llng to
de
n the open as n the trenches. But ha#e they the !ld fury that
carres the 7cot, the 9rsh"an, or the French"an o#er E"possbleE
obstaclesY =o, they are not an enthusastc people, nor a #ery
"agnat#e one. -nd these Rualtes are needed to press ho"e a
dJcult attack. They are not as a !hole a Ruck or a #ery
ntellgent race. But for stark gr" courage under the "ost a!ful
surroundngs they stand second to none. There s a streak of
ruthlessness, too, n ther dealngs !th the ene"yX a legacy fro"
the
old Border !ars !th the 7cots. They are Rute ready, f need be, to
take no prsoners. - hard and strong, but a #ery lo#able race of
"en.
$es, 9 thnk all the !orld of the "en of the north, although 9 a" not
blnd to ther faults. Taken as a !hole no "ore handso"e or "anly
set
of "en can be found n the Brtsh 9sles.
The =orthu"bran dalect s dJcult to understand untl you get the
trck of t. -nd the trck of t s n the accent and ntonaton, and
not so "uch n any pecular for" of !ords. They ha#e a pecular !ay
of
droppng ther #oces, too, !hch s so"et"es dsconcertng. But t
s a clean !holeso"e language, undeAned by the dsgustng and
chldsh obscenty !hch s too often a dsgrace to other dstrcts n
England. 9t re"nds "e a lttle of the 7cottsh tongue, but rather
"ore of the country speech n the northern parts of $orkshre, but n
so"e !ays t s all ts #ery o!n. 9t "ust ndeed be one of the
earlest sur##ng types of the -nglo%7aKon speech. 9 had no great
dJculty n understandng t, but to ths day 9 a" so"et"es puSSled
to pck up !hat s sad o!ng to that curous drop n the #oce.
- !ord or t!o as !ell about the oJcers of the =orthu"berlands,
"eanng, of course, the nat#es of the county. For the" as !ell as
for
the hardy "ners and far"ers of the north 9 ha#e a #ery sncere
respect and lkng. Better co"rades on the Aeld of battle no "an
could !sh for, better oJcers for a Terrtoral battalon t !ould
be hard to And. Ther unbendng courage, ther gallant bearng n
danger, ther cheerfulness and ther care and thought for ther "en
ha#e been responsble n a great "easure for the successes !on by
the
=orthu"berland battalons and for the la"entable but noble
sacrAces
!hen success !as dened. Gallant and de#oted solders they ha#e
been,
and !ell they ha#e earned the lo#e and ad"raton of ther "en.
-l!ays
cheerful !hate#er !as on foot, readest of all to turn a danger
passed
nto a jest. There could not be a better sprt n !hch to face the
long delays and the btter dsappont"ents of the !ar. T!o
outstandng
features n ther character are, to "y "nd, practcally un#ersal,
!hate#er for" they happen to take. -n nherent pugnacty, and a
!hole%hearted belef n and lo#e of ther county, !hch a"ounts to
so"ethng "ore than clannshness. They kno! e#erythng about
e#ery
one n =orthu"berland, and !th others they do not trouble
the"sel#es
"uch. They do not talk about t lke the 7cots, but t s there all
the sa"eX and t has a profound nVuence on ther actons and
judg"ent. Fthn ths sacred crcle, nto !hch no outlandsh "an
can
break, ther pugnacty de#elops countless local feuds. -nd these
feuds
can be btter enough, and 9 do not thnk 9 e#er "et a north%
country"an
!thout one. Generally there are t!o or three on foot at a t"e. One
to!n aganst another, the "en !ho dd aganst the "en !ho dd
not.
7o"et"es 9 ha#e thought that these Rueer heredtary nstncts, for
such they undoubtedly are, ha#e led the "en of the north astray.
The
house has been d#ded aganst tself, justce has not been done, or
t has been delayed, nco"petence has been allo!ed to spread ts
blghtng nVuence. 9n other !ords the lo#e of ther county and the
strength of ther local feuds ha#e at t"es blnded the "en of the
north to the real nterests of ther country, !hen a unted front and
a concentraton of the best eUort a#alable !ere absolutely
necessary
to get on !th the !ar. To "e the =orthu"bran oJcer has been
un#ersally knd, and 9 ha#e ne#er had the least dscourtesy or
njustce fro" any of the", but "any acts of kndness. But 9 ha#e
seen
!th regret on se#eral occasons a loss of eUort and strength
through
the d#sons caused by prejudce. Thoroughly cheerful and a
generous
and char"ng co"rade, "uch g#en to hosptalty, 9 do not thnk the
=orthu"bran oJcer s al!ays a #ery brllant person ntellectually.
There are "any notable eKceptons, but they are notable enough to
establsh the "presson.
Beyond these general obser#atons t !ould be un!se%%and 9 do not
ntend%%to enter nto the do"estc hstory of any battalon or
brgade. Better co"rades one could not ha#e, and a nobler and
"ore
de#oted body of "en 9 ha#e yet to "eet.
FOOT=OTE7'
2)5 Ths crtcs" can of course be "ade of any troops of Englsh
natonalty.
999
-&=F9;>
- short sketch of "y stay at -ln!ck "ay not be out of place. For
though t dd not see" #ery ad#enturous at the t"e t had a great
nVuence on "y subseRuent career, both n France and after!ards.
9t
s a "ost ro"antc spot, !th one of the Anest castles n England.
The heather hlls run do!n through corn%land to!ards the seashoreX
and
the general features of the countrysde re"nded "e "uch of "y
o!n
ho"e n the Fest $orkshre hlls. The curous battle"ents and gates
n
the to!n and the "onu"ents outsde tell of a t"e !hen t !as one
of
EnglandEs front lne posts aganst the radng 7cots. 9t see"ed to "e
to be a Attng spot to tran "en for the !ars.
Fhen 9 arr#ed at the end of :uly )*)4 the 8.Q. of the Mrd lne
battalon !ere at the 7tar 8otel n Fenkle 7treet%%#ery co"fortable
but rather eKpens#e Ruarters. Only a fe! of the oJcers had arr#ed
as yet. :ust a fe! ne!%co"ers lke "yself, #ery green and ra!, and
about four or A#e oJcers of the )st lne battalon !ho had returned
!ounded fro" France. These latter had for the "ost part been
!ounded
at the battle of 7t. :ulen n -prl )*)4, durng the 0nd Battle of
$pres. They !ere no! dscharged fro" hosptal and attached to the
draft battalon for tranng before gong out once "ore. They !ere
#ery frendly and nce to the ne!%co"ersX and ndeed !e looked
upon
the" Rute as #eterans, although ther act#e ser#ce n France had
not eKceeded a fe! days. ;apt. :. Felch, &euts. :.F. /er#ale, E.
=Kon, and E. Fen!cke ;lennell beca"e specal frends of "ne, and
9
a" grateful for "any acts of kndness fro" the" both then and
later on
abroad. The "en of the battalon, also ra! recruts and !ounded
"en
returned fro" hosptal, !ere Ruartered n the houses n the to!n.
The
O.;. battalon !as /ajor @after!ards &eut.%;olonel and Bre#et
;olonelB :.:. Gllespe, T..., and the -djutant ;apt. F.-.;.
.arlngton. The ;.O. !as a "an of great personalty, so "uch so
that
he s one of the best kno!n and "ost talked of persons n the
=orthu"berlands. - great organser and a hard !orker, !ho
generally
got hs o!n !ay !th s"all and great, he has done "uch to "ake
the
drafts eJcent. 9 !as lucky to And fa#our n hs eyes, and our
relatons !ere al!ays frendly.
Fe had as near neghbours n -ln!ck the Brgade of Tynesde
7cottsh,
!ho !ere enca"ped n the Pastures near the ;astle, as Ane a body
of
"en as you could !sh to see. -fter stayng for a !hle at the 7tar
our battalon "o#ed out to /oorla!s ;a"p and !e re"aned there
under
can#as tll the "ddle of October. 9n the "eant"e 9 !as lent for
about A#e days to the 0)st Pro#sonal Battalon =.F., a ho"e ser#ce
battalon, !ho !ere enca"ped at ;a"bos @E;a""sEB on the sea%
coast.
Ths !as lke a pcnc for "e, for all the oJcers there treated "e
kndly and dd not !ork "e hard. One nght 9 #olunteered for nght
duty and had the eKperence of #stng the sentres @all !th loaded
rVesB at the #arous posts along the shore. 7hortly after returnng
to -ln!ck 9 !as sent, on 7epte"ber 0, to the -r"y 7chool of
7gnallng and Bo"bng at Tyne"outh, and !ent through the
Bo"bng
course, !hch lasted about a !eek. 7o pr"t#e !ere the
arrange"ents,
e#en at ths date, that !e !ere only taught ho! to "pro#se
grenades
out of old ja" tns, and ho! to Are the" out of ron ppes as
trench%"ortar bo"bs. Fe !ere ndeed allo!ed to handle precous
spec"ens of the fa"ous =o. M @8alesB and =o. 4 @/llsB, but there
!ere not enough a#alable for l#e practce. The Fest 7prng
Thro!er
had not arr#ed, but 9 sa! a trench catapult n actonX and so"e
du""y
7tokes bo"bs !ere Ared oU for us to see. -t ths course there !as
an
eKa"naton, and 9 got a Arst%class certAcate as a grenade
nstructor, an e#ent !hch had consderable nVuence on "y career
n
France, as !ll appear later on. Fhen 9 got back to -ln!ck 9 found
the battalon under can#as at /oorla!s. 8ere 9 beca"e Egrenader
oJcerE to the battalon, and 9 had daly classes of "en !ho had
#olunteered to beco"e bo"bers, or EgrenadersE as they !ere then
called.
&#e practce !as carred out entrely !th "pro#sed bo"bs, old
ja"
tns and black po!der. But !e procured a certan nu"ber of
du""es of
=os. ) and 4 to practse thro!ng. /ajor =.9. Frght @!ho had
returned
!oundedB took a great nterest n our proceedngs and had so"e
du""y
grenades "ade for us. - gallant solder !th hard ser#ce n 7outh
-frca and the Great Far, he has al!ays been a good frend to "e. 9
!ent on !th the bo"bng tll about October 01, !hen the battalon
returned to -ln!ck and !ent nto !ooden huts n the Pastures. The
oJcers !ere blleted at a house called E-lnbank,E a "anson so"e
lttle dstance fro" the "enEs Ruarters. -fter ths "o#e 9 !as
apponted ;o"pany ;o""ander to ; ;o"pany, a ne!ly for"ed
co"pany !th
only ra! recruts n t. /y second n co""and !as &eut. :oseph
(obnson, a dear frend, !ho had co"e all the !ay fro" the
-rgentne,
and !ho" 9 Arst "et at the O.T.;. at Berkha"sted. 8e !as kno!n as
E7trafer (obnsonE on account of beng physcal drll nstructor, and
a pretty eKactng one. 9 found the recruts n ; ;o"pany "ost !llng
and anKous to learn ther jobX and they ne#er ga#e "e "uch
trouble
ether n orderly roo" or on parade.
9 !as kndly treated by e#ery one at -ln!ck. /y stay there has only
pleasant "e"ores. /ajor the 8on. -rthur :ocey, !ho had returned
fro" the )st lne, ga#e "e se#eral glorous days after partrdges at
&onghrst. The nu"ber of these brds so far north farly astonshed
"e. The doctorsE fa"les n -ln!ck !ere also #ery knd and
hosptable to all our oJcers. /rs. 7cott :ackson, the !fe of the
;olonel of the )st lne battalon, could not do enough for usX and
"any happy e#enngs ha#e been spent at her houseX notably a
great =e!
$earEs E#e party for all the oJcers, just before 9 left for the
front. 9 took part n a (ugby football "atch, the Arst t"e for
ele#en years. The Mrd lne +th =.F. succeeded n defeatng the
reser#e
battalon of the Tynesde 7cottsh, largely through the pro!ess of
0nd%&eut. /c=aught at half%back. There !as rather a pleasant
nsttuton to!ards the end of "y stay%%na"ely, a "eetng of the
senor oJcers for dnner e#ery Fednesday e#enng at the Plough
9nn.
They dd you !ell there, and t !as a pleasant change fro" the
"ess
dnner.
-bout :anuary M, )*)6, 9 !as !arned to proceed !th a s"all draft of
oJcers to the front. Four of us !ere to go, and 9 !as delghted to
And "yself one of those selected. -fter a splendd fare!ell dnner
!th the oJcers of the battalon on :anuary I, 9 left the sa"e nght
for &ondon to spend "y Anal lea#e.
9L
T8E :O<(=E$ O<T
On /onday, :anuary )1, )*)6, 9 left England !th three other
oJcers,
bound for the Base ;a"p at 8a#re. /y co"panons !ere 0nd%&euts.
Peters, O. ;larke, and Gregson. /y Anal purchases at 7outha"pton
ncluded an eKtra ha#ersack and so"e "orpha plls. The latter had
been strongly reco""ended for certan knds of !ounds and they
!ere
stll sold !thout a prescrpton.205 The journey across the ;hannel
!as done at nght. The transport left port about , P./. and stea"ng
slo!ly !thout lghts reached &e 8a#re about 4 -./. neKt "ornng.
/y last #e! of England !as the dreary !et dock, and later on a fe!
dstant and recedng lghts. Though !e got nto port at 4 -./. !e
!ere
not allo!ed to lea#e the #essel tll , -./. But, at last, as a cold
and cheerless "ornng !as breakng, 9 stepped ashore and set foot
for
the Arst t"e on foregn sol. Fe soon found an hotel @Y 8Ztel de
=or"andyB !here they understood the Englsh language and so"e
of our
!ays, and !e got breakfast n the Englsh fashon. -fter a look round
the shops and a sha#e n a s"all establsh"ent n a sde street, !e
reported at a large oJce n the to!n. 8ere !e sgned our na"es n
a
large regster, and !ere g#en drectons to proceed to a ;a"p,
so"e
dstance fro" the to!n, !here renforce"ents for the +th =.F. !ere
collected and acco""odated tll they could be sent Eup the lne.E
Our
stay here !as a short one, for !hch 9 !as thankful. They dd not
see"
at all pleased to see usX t see"s !e had arr#ed a fe! days later
than had been eKpected, and the ;a"p ;o""andant appeared to
thnk t
!as our fault. Fe left &e 8a#re neKt day !thout ha#ng tasted the
joys of the EBull (ngE or any other educatonal entertan"ent
prepared for those stayng on at the ;a"p. The tran started about
"dnght, and lke "ost troop trans n France "o#ed along n a
lesurely, dgnAed "anner, !th freRuent stops and long !ats
bet!een the statons. Fhen !e dd arr#e at (ouen, !hch !as
about
"dday on Thursday, !e had to change. -nd feelng unrefreshed by
our
nght n the tran, !e spent the t"e restng at an hotel nstead of
seeng the sghts. But t s a Ane lookng old to!n and !ould be
!orth #stng n "ore peaceful t"es.
Fe left (ouen agan at nght and !andered along n the sa"e
dlatory
fashon, arr#ng at 8aSebrouck and e#entually at Popernghe.
The latter !as ralhead for the $pres 7alent. 9t !as not surprsng
then to And the houses near the ral!ay staton lookng shattered
fro" the shells and bo"bs that had been a"ed at the staton. Fe
had
tea !th the $./.;.-., !ho had !th ther usual dauntlessness
selected
a house close to the staton. 9t had been struck by a bo"b a fe!
nghts before, and there !as a hole n the roof and n the celng and
Voor of one of the roo"sX but 9 understood that no one had been
hurt
by the eKploson. These shattered houses and the dstant sound of
gun
Are, !hch !e Arst heard about 8aSebrouck, !ere the Arst sgns of
!ar that !e notced. -fter a long !at a l"ber arr#ed at the staton
to take oursel#es and our #alses to the ca"p of the +th =.F. at
Ouderdo". 9t !as not really a #ery long journey, 9 bele#e, but t
see"ed so to us after our long and !earso"e journey n the tran.
To "ake "atters !orse the "ltary polce "ade us take a
roundabout
road, and the dr#er lost hs !ay. Of course a l"ber s not Rute the
#ehcle you !ould select for co"fort, especally o#er roads that are
stony or pa#[. The Ger"an Vare lghts could be clearly seen all the
!ay, and they see"ed to be on three sdes of us. - "ost brllant
and
nterestng sght the Arst t"e you see t.
E#entually !e reached the ca"p at Ouderdo". 9t !as called
E;anada
8utsE and conssted of a cluster of !ooden huts erected just oU a
narro! "uddy road. -t one t"e 9 a" told, the "ud !as thgh deepX
but
no! duck boards had been lad do!n, and though decdedly "uddy
the
ca"p !as Rute passable. Fhen !e arr#ed t !as Rute late, and !e
found the ca"p n total darkness and e#ery one asleep. But so"e of
the
bat"en @or oJcersE ser#antsB !ere roused, and they not only
sho!ed
us a place to sleep n, but got us so"e tea and a scratch "eal, #ery
!elco"e after our unco"fortable rde fro" the staton. Fhat
!onderful
people these bat"en areW -l!ays so cheery and good to ther
oJcers.
9nsde the huts !e found !ooden bunks n t!o ters round three
sdes
and also a !ooden table and for"s n the "ddle. =ot "uch roo" to
"o#e
about perhaps, but farly dry and !ar". -fter t!o sleepless nghts n
the tran !e dd not need rockng.
Fe found that !e had arr#ed just n t"e to go !th the battalon to
the front lne trenches neKt day. For the battalon had just spent
three days n the rest area and !as due to take o#er the lne on the
fourth day. There !as not "uch t"e, therefore, to get acRuanted
!th
our fello! oJcers or to learn "uch about the platoons to !hch !e
!ere assgned. 7e#eral of the oJcers !e had kno!n !ell at ho"e n
the Mrd lne battalon at -ln!ck, and /ajor =.9. Frght and ;apt. :.
Felch and &euts. :.F. /er#ale and Fen!cke ;lennell !ere old
frends. -lso !e had already "et our ne! battalon co""ander
&eut.%;ol. G. 7cott :ackson at -ln!ck !hen he !as last on lea#e. 9t
!as nce to be greeted by frendly faces !hen our trals !ere so
soon
to begn.
The last fe! hours before gong back to the lne are al!ays rather
dreary and unproAtable, spent cheVy n packng up and decdng
!hat to lea#e behnd. Lalses of course !ere left behnd !th all
Espare partsE n the Q./.Es stores. But n !nter a farly hea#y load
of thngs !as necessary, and the !eather !as !et and stor"y. Fe
had no
steel hel"ets n these days and no gas boK%resprators, only t!o
cloth
resprators of lttle !eght. 9 found "yself n charge of =o. I
Platoon n - ;o"pany, of !hch ;apt. 8.(. 7"al !as co""ander.
There
!ere t!o other 0nd%&euts. n the co"pany besdes "yself. The
Aghtng
strength of a co"pany dd not "uch eKceed )11 "en, f as "any.
Before !e left ;anada 8uts, 9 !as pro#ded !th a bat"an, co"ng
of
course fro" - ;o"pany. -nd a good fello! he !as and "uch 9 o!e
to h".
8e has looked after "e contnuously fro" the day after 9 arr#ed
untl
he !as de"oblsed on .ece"ber 0I, )*),%%nearly three years. -
"ner
fro" -shngton, !ounded at 7t. :ulen n -prl )*)4, he had rejoned
the battalon so"e "onths before n France. -t a later stage 9 had to
rely "uch on hs skll as a cook. - !onderfully cheerful person and a
s"art and handy "an at "pro#sng lttle co"forts for "e. 8s
na"e
!as Flla" ;rtchlo!.
FOOT=OTE7'
205 Fortunately 9 ne#er had occason to use the".
L
89&& 61
Fhen t !as begnnng to get dark the battalon for"ed up n the
road
and the roll !as called o#er. -t last !e set oU slo!ly, sRuelchng
through the "ud on the !et roads, the ran pourng do!n
unceasngly.
Fe soon struck the pa#[ road that runs through .ckebusch, a long
stragglng #llage, stll farly ntact and occuped by Belgan
c#lans. 9t !as shelled no! and agan but not se#erely. Fhen !e
reached ths place, the battalon opened out consderably, platoons
keepng 011 yards apartX a precauton necessary on roads that !ere
perodcally shelled at nght. -fter ploddng along for so"e t"e !e
reached the ;af[ Belge, a "ere run no!, but a !ell%kno!n haltng
place for troops on the "arch. 8ere !e turned oU to the rght and
left the pa#[ road !hch runs on to $pres, and after ths the roads
!ere "uch "ore dJcult to tra#el. 7hell holes !ere freRuent and
generally full of !ater, so that n the dark t !as only too easy to
stu"ble nto the". E7hell%hole on the rght,E E7hell%hole on the
left,E E7hell%hole n the "ddle,E E>eep to your rghtE !ere beng
passed back contnually. Progress !as slo! of course under these
condtons and !th the hea#y loads that !e all carred. But t !as
all so no#el to "e that 9 had not a "o"ent to feel dull or depressed.
-fter a t"e !e reached the notorous E7hrapnel ;ornerE and turned
to!ards ETransport Far",E for !e !ere bound for trenches at 8ll 61.
Ths place !as of course fa"ous for the Brtsh attack n )*)4, and
for the Ger"an counter%attack !th gas a lttle later on !hch !as all
too successful. 9t !as also notorous for beng one of the hottest
corners of the Brtsh front. O!ng to ther #antage ground on the
hll the ene"y had lttle dJculty n snpng and shellng our
trenches eUect#ely.
29llustraton' 8ll 61.%%OJcal /ap, /arch )*)6.5
-s !e approached Transport Far" 9 ca"e for the Arst t"e under
ndrect rVe Are. - nu"ber of bullets Ared at our trenches
carred o#er and landed not far fro" the roads at the back. Though
rather alar"ng n the dark to one unaccusto"ed to the", they
seldo"
dd "uch da"age. Occasonally a "an or t!o got !ounded durng
these
relefs. Our co"pany turned to the left agan near Pllebeke ral!ay
staton, and then struck oU the road and reached the "outh of a ;.T.
!hch led after about a hundred yards to the support trenches.
- glance at the oJcal plan of the trenches at 8ll 61 !ll g#e
so"e dea of the eKtraordnary place t !as. Fhlst the Ger"an lne
ran sold along the top of the rdge, there !ere t!o co"plete gaps n
the Brtsh Are trenches bet!een 8ll 61 and /ount 7orrel on the
left. On paper t looks as f there !ere nothng to stop the Ger"an
fro" !alkng across and behnd our lnes !hene#er he chose. But 9
"agne that these e"pty spaces !ere co#ered by "achne%gun
posts, and
that the artllery !ere ready to deal !th any atte"pt of that sort.
-nother feature of the place !as the a!ful nature of the ground
outsde the trenches. 9t !as a "orass Alled !th partally bured
bodes%%that s, partally bured by nature n the ooSe and "ud.
.urng a dense "st about se#enty dentty dscs !ere reco#ered
fro"
the ground behnd our support lnes. -nd t !as !orse n front
bet!een
the opposng trenches. 9t !as not lkely, then, that the Ger"an
!ould
!sh to press us farther do!n the hll, at any rate for tactcal
purposes.
- ;o"pany had t!o platoons n the front lne trench I), so"e )11
yards
fro" the ene"y, and t!o platoons n a support lne called EI)
support.E The trenches the"sel#es !ere !ell%bult and re#etted !th
sand bags, and dry enough e#en durng the !ettest !eather. Fe
had n
these days only s"all shelters%%the deep dugout !as unkno!n. The
three
subalterns n - ;o"pany took turns at duty n the trenches, four
hours
on and eght hours oU, nght and day. The duty conssted cheVy of
#stng the sentres e#ery hour, and keepng a general look%out, and
seeng that the trench rules !ere obeyed. - good deal of rVe Are
!ent on at nght. 7entres on ether sde !ould eKchange shots, and
an
occasonal "achne%gun !ould open out. -t close range the bullets
"ake
a curous crack as they pass o#erhead. Beng tall and ha#ng been
!arned of the eJcency of the Ger"an snper, 9 had to !alk n "ost
of the trenches !th a bend n the back, !hch soon beca"e trng.
On 7unday, :anuary )6, 9 had a decdedly l#ely t"e for "y Arst day
n the trenches. 9t !as al!ays sad that the Ger"ans got a fresh
supply of a""unton at the !eek%end, and 7unday !as scarcely
e#er a
day of rest. 8o!e#er that "ay be, ths 7unday !as the !orst day 9
had
for so"e t"e. -fter sendng o#er a fe! s"all ho!tSer shells, the
Ger"an Aeld%guns sent perodcal sho!ers of shells, E!hSS%bangsE
!e
called the", on to the support trench and ;.T.
Ths !ent on all "ornng, and !hlst the shoot lasted they ca"e
o#er
n a perfect strea". -fter a Rueter afternoon a regular trench battle
opened out at nght, rVe grenades and bo"bs beng freely
eKchanged,
and a nu"ber of trench%"ortar bo"bs%%Esausages and ru" jarsE%%
co"ng
o#er fro" the ene"yEs trenches. E#entually our hea#y guns opened
out
!th l#ely retalaton and the ene"y Ruetened do!n. (ather a bg
dose to get the Arst day n the trenches, !hen e#erythng !as so
strange and ne!. 8o!e#er 9 !as assured that t !as not an Ea#erageE
day e#en on 8ll 61, but so"ethng lke an organsed shoot. One of
the
features of the place !as the nu"ber and sSe of the ratsX they
looked
the sSe of rabbts as they scuttered along the trenches at nght.
-nother !as the a!ful taste of the !ater !e got to drnk. 9t !as
boled and t !as turned nto strong tea, but t had a "ost
ndescrbably horrble taste. The food, on the other hand, !as
eKcellent and plenty of t. 9n the lght of subseRuent ratons these
!ere ndeed the days of plenty. O!ng to the kndness of so"e
frends
of the battalon n England, both oJcers and "en !ere suppled
!th
sheep%skn coats or jackets !hch !ere !onderfully good n keepng
out
the cold at nght. E7tand%toE !as a regular nsttuton of trench
!arfare, both an hour before dark and an hour before da!n.
=aturally
the latter !as the "ore tryng, but at ths t"e the ru" raton !as
ser#ed outX and t certanly pre#ented you fro" beng froSen stU
and
enabled you to get to sleep agan f your dutes dd not keep you to
the trenches. - #ery curous lfe n the trenches, a #ery s"all !orld
but e#ery bt of t packed full of nterest and no#elty to "e. Fro"
the trenches, f you looked back!ards, there !as a splendd #e! of
$pres, !th ts shattered spres and houses, stll a beautful grey
run, e#en n death. 9 !as destned to ha#e a "uch closer
acRuantance
!th t later. Beyond the usual rounds of shellng on both sdes
nothng of partcular nterest happened durng the neKt three days.
On
the e#enng of :anuary )* !e !ere rele#ed by a co"pany of the 4th
=.F. @;apt. =orth /.;.B, and "o#ed out after dark for a short rest n
close support.
/y career as a platoon co""ander n the trenches !as a short one,
for
as t happened that !as "y Arst and last eKperence as such. Fe
"o#ed
out and back for about a "le, e#entually reachng a house called
Blau!poorte Far".2M5 9t !as not a bad place then, and !as not
shelled,
though at nght the bullets used to rattle round f you !alked
abroad.
8ere on the second day 9 took a s"all party of "en, as a !orkng
party, to the shelters at the E7unken (oad,E rather nearer the lne. 9
thnk !e !ere engaged n clearng the road of "ud and generally
cleanng up. On the !ay there 9 sa! so"e rather hu"ourous notces
stuck up at #arous ponts. EThs s a dangerous spot.E 9t !as kndly
"eant no doubt, but on the !hole no part of the 7alent aUorded
"uch
of a rest%cure, and t !as practcally all under drect obser#aton
of the ene"y. Fe eKsted s"ply through hs forbearance.
On :anuary 00, )*)6, 9 beca"e bo"bng oJcer to the battalon, or,
as
t !as then called, Egrenader oJcer.E /y predecessor had had bad
luck, gettng hs hand shattered by the accdental eKploson of a
detonator. -ccordngly 9 !as sent to see 7ergt. F. /oUat, the
battalon bo"bng sergeant, n order to pck up !hat 9 could of the
routne at so short a notce. 7ergt. /oUat !as a short !thered "an
!th sandy har, a Ruet "anner, but a cheery t!nkle n hs eye. 8e
had ser#ed n the 7outh -frcan !arX and had been "entoned n
despatches for good bo"bng !ork durng a Ger"an attack at
8ooge. -
"ost conscentous and hard%!orkng fello!, !th a passon for all
sorts of bo"bs. 9 could not ha#e fallen nto better hands. 8e !as an
ad"rable nstructor and assstant, and kne! all there !as to be
kno!n
about trench routne. 9 could see he !as un#ersally respected n the
battalon. 8e !as a 7al#aton -r"y "an at ho"e, and !ore ther red
!oollen jersey under hs tunc. /uch do 9 o!e h" and "uch do 9
stll
la"ent hs unt"ely end.
;apt. 7"al returned to England about ths t"e, lea#ng "e hs
!oolly
coat, a prceless partng gft. ;apt. :. Felch ca"e to co""and -
;o"pany and a cheerer fello! surely ne#er eKsted. 9 !as glad to
accept hs oUer of "essng !th - ;o"pany. There ne#er !as a dull
"o"ent at "ess !hen Felch presded.
Fe !ent back to 8ll 61 for four days on :anuary 0M. 9 cannot
re"e"ber "uch of ths stay n the lne, and nothng specal
happened.
9 !as too busy learnng all 9 could of the routne of the trenches and
locatng and checkng bo"b stores. 9 had to #st all the trenches
held by the battalon, and thus got the chance of "akng the
acRuantance of the other ;o"pany co""anders, ;apt. 8. &ddell @B
;oy.B, ;apt. ;. .a#es @; ;oy.B and ;apt. G.F. Ball, /.;., @. ;oy.B. 9
re"e"ber beng asked by our Brgader%General ;lUord to eKplan
so"e
part of a derelct Fest 7prng Thro!er n the cuttng at 8ll 61 @9
had ne#er e#en seen one beforeB and beng sa#ed by the t"ely
nter#enton of 7ergt. /oUat.
On :anuary 0+ !e !ere rele#ed and !ent back to ;anada 8uts for a
rest
of four days. Oh, that Arst rest out of the trenchesW The
acco""odaton !as poor enough seen n the lght of ho"e
co"forts, but
!hat a palace of rest and refresh"ent t see"ed to "e then, and
ho!
Ruckly the t"e passed. 9 had to practse the bo"bers @nneteen
fro"
each co"panyB n thro!ng du""y grenades each "ornng on the
"ud Vat
@t !as once a AeldB outsde the huts. 9n order to st"ulate keenness
9 organsed a co"petton and ga#e one franc each day as a prSe for
the best score. 9 soon found out !ho !ere the "ost eKpert thro!ers.
Fe had a $./.;.-. hut close to the ca"p, and t !as nterestng to
drop n and ha#e a chat !th the "en n charge and a cup of cocoa.
There !as an old gentle"an there, n co""and, !ho !as rghtly
proud
of beng the c#lan nearest to the front lne. 8e dsplayed to us
!th great prde a sou#enr found n $pres, the huge base of a )+%
nch
shell%%t !as al"ost too hea#y for one "an to lft. Fe had our ;hurch
7er#ce and our concerts n the "arRuee attached to the $./.;.-.
hut.
/ost of the oJcers got lea#e to go to Popernghe durng these rests
out of the lne, but 9 ne#er !ent there "yself. There !as an
attracton there n the EFances,E a Ane concert party, "any of !hose
songs 9 learnt at second hand.
FOOT=OTE7'
2M5 &eut. F.B. ;o!en, a #ery cheery "achne%gun oJcer, also +th
=.F., had hs Ruarters here.
L9
/O<=T 7O((E& -=. ;-==$ 89&&
Fhen !e !ent up the lne agan on :anuary M), t !as to /ount
7orrel,
on the north of 8ll 61. 8ere !e had a good set of trenches, but they
!ere practcally cut oU fro" our trenches at 8ll 61 by a s!a"p.
Through the s!a"p ran a !atery sort of dran about four feet deep.
9t
!as the old front lne, no! !aterlogged and Rute untenable.
-lthough
the dran !as not held by day, a patrol of bo"bers used to pass
along
t at nter#als durng the nght. -nd t !as part of "y dutes to !ade
through t e#ery nght. Ths !as not a pleasant job, because you
could
not sho! a lght and the "ud s"elt abo"nably. Fe !ere pro#ded,
ho!e#er, !th rubber boots reachng up to the thgh, so !e dd not
get
#ery !et. The oJcers of - ;o"pany occuped an EelephantE shelter
just behnd the support lne. -ll ts occupants !ere klled by a shell
burstng n the door!ay, just t!o days after !e had left these
trenches. 9 Arst "et &eut. F. >eene here. 8e !as the Brgade
Grenader oJcer and had the super#son of all bo"bng
arrange"ents
n the Brgade area, besdes beng responsble for the supply of
grenades. 9 al!ays found h" frendly and encouragng, and 9 !as
glad
to learn anythng he could tell "e. 8e asked "e to send n a daly
report to B.8.Q.X and 9 ha#e kept the copes of these reports to ths
day.
.urng ths stay n the trenches the Ger"ans stuck up a notce
board
!th the follo!ng legend' T-ttenton Gentle"enT, and belo! n
Ger"an,
E9f you send o#er one "ore trench%"ortar bo"b you !ll get strafed
n
the neck.E
On February M !e !ere rele#ed and - ;o"pany stayed four days n
the
ral!ay cuttng at 8ll 61 n close support. The second day 9 !ent
!th ;apt. Felch and &eut. Greene to the trenches north of /ount
7orrel !hch !ere called ;anny 8ll. That journey !as full of
ncdent, !e see"ed to be shelled or bo"bed all the !ay to /ount
7orrel and back, and ;apt. Felch has often hu"ourously suggested
that
9 !as the :onah. 9t also "eant crossng the ds"al s!a"p n
daylght,
and ho! !e dd t !thout beng seen and shot 9 really do not kno!.
.urng our stay n the cuttng 9 eKplored the old broken trenches
behnd our support lne at 8ll 61, and found a Ane du"p of Englsh
bo"bs of early types. 9 spent Rute a long t"e dra!ng ther teeth.
One lttle ncdent 9 re"e"ber at ths spot. -bout ) -./. an elderly
(.E. oJcer ca"e nto our shelter, and told us n a #oce shakng
!th joyful e"oton that he had just blo!n up a Ger"an counter%
"ne
!hch had been threatenng our "ne galleres at 8ll 61.
On February , !e "arched back to ;anada 8uts, and had another
four
daysE rest. Ths t"e the bo"bers carred out a good deal of l#e
practce !th /lls bo"bs at so"e bo"bng%pts about half a "le
fro"
;anada 8uts. 9t !as "y Arst eKperence of the sortX but 7ergt.
/oUat
kept "e up to the procedure at the Arng%pt. -lso t !as the Arst
t"e 9 had the chance of thro!ng a l#e /lls bo"b "yself. On
February )0 !e !ere due to take o#er the trenches at ;anny 8ll,
and 9
!ent up early and by "yself, rdng to ;af[ Belge and thence on
foot
to 8ll 61, /ount 7orrel, and so on to 7anctuary Food. 9t !as a long
!ay round but 9 kne! no other !ay. /y dugout !as n the !ood,
rather
far fro" the front lne and fro" the 8.Q. of - ;o"pany n .a#son
7treet. Our front lne trenches !ere about Ruarter of a "le a!ay
fro"
the Ger"an front lne, but there !ere sgns that the Ger"ans !ere
dggng a for!ard trench along a hedge about 011 yards a!ay fro"
our
front. Ths act#ty ga#e the 7taU so"e uneasness, and
consderable
nterest !as taken n these for!ard !orkngs. 9 !ent out !th ;apt.
Felch for a short #st n that drecton the Arst nght, but !e sa!
nothng of nterest. The neKt nght ;apt. Felch brought back a
re#ettng stake fro" the ne! Ger"an trench. 9 bele#e t !as on
February )M that the Ger"ans attacked and took the EBluU,E so"e
trenches south%!est of 8ll 61. -bout M.M1 P./. our o!n trenches
!ere
bo"barded for about t!o hours contnuously !th Aeld artllery, and
a
lot of peces !ere blo!n out of the top of our trenches, but no
nfantry attack de#eloped. -fter ths a s"all "ne !as blo!n up
under
our old trenches at 8ll 61 and a platoon !as !ped out there. But
an
atte"pt by the Ger"ans to occupy the crater !as frustrated
through the
ntat#e of a "achne%gun oJcer. 9 sa! and felt the shock of ths
"ne gong up, and a !onderful sght t !as n the e#enng lght. The
shellng !ent on for so"e t"e after dark, !hlst to our rght our
artllery thundered a!ay n support of se#eral frutless atte"pts to
recapture the lost trenches at the EBluU.E
On February )I 9 !as told to organse a seres of bo"bng partes,
one
fro" each co"pany, to #st the Ger"an ad#anced trench at
dUerent
t"es durng the nght and f possble to bo"b Ger"an partes
!orkng
there. 9 decded to acco"pany the Arst party, fro" - ;o"pany,
bet!een
, and )1 P./. 7ergt. .organ, an eKperenced patroller, !ent !th
"e,
also &.%;. &o!es, Ptes. -ustn and Gbson, and t!o other bo"bers.
-s
t !as #ery !et, 9 had a sandbag taken by each "an to le do!n on.
The
sche"e !as to creep rght up to the ne! trench near the hedge, and
a!at the arr#al of the Ger"an !orkng%party. 7o !e crept out along
the !et ground and got to the trench, !hch !as about t!o feet
deep.
Fe found no one there, and Pte. -ustn !ent on nto the hedge to
keep
a look%out. 9n the hedge !ere found a Ger"an snperEs plate, a steel
sheld !th a loop%hole n t, and a Ger"an entrenchng tool, lke a
s"all spade. These !ere at once anneKed. Then !e lay do!n agan
on
the sandbags and !ated !th eyes and ears stranng for about an
hour. But no Ger"ans ca"e, though !e had one !arnng fro" our
sentry
to get ready to Are. -fter that, cold and thoroughly soaked, !e
returned n tru"ph !th the sandbags and our spols, !hch !e
placed
n our o!n trench. The other partes !ent out later but found no
Ger"ans at !ork. Possbly the !et nght or the battle on our rght
pre#ented the" fro" co"ng out to !ork that nght. The object of
these
for!ard trenches !as after!ards apparent, !hen four "onths later
the
Ger"ans attacked and took /ount 7orrel. On February )6 !e !ere
rele#ed and !ent back nto support for four days. 9 ha#e forgotten
!here !e !ent, but 9 thnk t !as to the ;anal .ugouts not far fro"
7!an ;h\teau.
On February 01 !e returned to the sa"e trenches at ;anny 8ll and
held
the" for A#e days. The Arst nght n, ;apt. Felch !as badly
!ounded
through the shoulder !hlst brngng n a !ounded "an !ho had
been ht
!hlst outsde !rng. 8e !as a great loss to the battalon, and !as
sadly "ssed by the "en as !ell as by the oJcers. 9t no! turned
#ery
cold, and !e had a fall of sno! se#eral nches deep. Ths "ade t
dJcult for partes to !ork n the trenches !thout beng spotted. 9
had an unpleasant eKperence of ths. 9 !as lookng for an
e"place"ent
for a grenade%rVe stand, and 9 selected a lkely%lookng spot just
behnd the front lne. Then 9 brought a party of bo"bers to dg the
place out. Fe had not thro!n out A#e sho#elfuls of earth before a
shell ca"e !hstlng just o#er our heads. Fortunately 9 dspersed the
party at once along the trench. Then the fun began. 7hells ca"e
!hSSng n all round the unlucky spot, tll a drect ht rght n the
"ddle of t apparently satsAed the Ger"an gunners and the stor"
ceased. -fter that 9 chose another place farther along the trench
!here no dggng !as reRured.
On February 04 !e left ;anny 8ll and !ent back to ;anada 8uts.
On
ths occason !e had to "ake rather a detour to allo! the troops of
the Mrd .#son to use the roadsX and n so dong !e passed $pres
ral!ay staton.
On /arch ) !e "o#ed nto the support dugouts at Transport Far",
called
(al!ay .ugouts. Fe !ere told to eKpect a bo"bard"ent by our
guns that
nght, as the EBluUE !as to be attacked and retaken early neKt day.
The bo"bers of the +th =.F. spent so"e t"e detonatng grenades
by
candlelght n the bo"b store at Transport Far". 7ure enough there
!as
a terrAc bo"bard"ent for half an hour. 9t !as the Arst of the knd
that 9 had seen, and 9 bele#e that at least 411 guns of all calbres
!ere collected for the occason. The !hole of the landscape see"ed
to
be alght, e#ery hedge Vckerng !th Va"eX !hlst a!ay to!ards the
EBluUE there !as a sullen red glare !here our shells !ere burstng.
=othng further happened that nght. But at da!n neKt "ornng the
Mrd
.#son attacked the EBluUE !thout bo"bard"ent and surprsed the
garrson, takng "any prsoners and recapturng the lost trenches
and
so"e "ore ground besdes. 9 sa! one or t!o dro#es of prsoners
co"ng
back past Bedford 8ouse, the Arst t"e 9 had seen any l#e Boches.
The bo"bard"ent by our guns started agan soon after the attack,
and
our guns kept up a slo! rate of Are all day. 9n reply the Ger"an
hea#y guns shelled the back areas freely, especally the road past
Transport Far", and !e got a fe! shells near the ral!ay. Fe got
orders to take o#er the trenches at /ount 7orrel the sa"e nght. 9
left !th a party of bo"bers soon after ) P./., gong along a ;.T. to
7anctuary Food and then back through the trenches to /ount
7orrel.
Fe found the trenches n a sad "ess. That "ornng there had been
a
de"onstraton !th all ar"s along ths part of the front, and the
ene"y had naturally retalated and done a lot of da"age. To
ncrease
our troubles t beca"e #ery cold, and the sno! fell nches deep. But
there !as no "ore shellng on ether sde for the neKt !eek. -part
fro" snpng, !hch !as asssted by the sno!, !e !ere left n peace
to
bale out the "ud and repar the trenches. Ths cold snap caused a
lot
of sckness, and t !as not "pro#ed by our ha#ng to hold these
trenches for o#er a !eek%%a long t"e under such !ntry condtons.
-t
last, on /arch *, !e !ere rele#ed and "o#ed back to so"e dugouts
near
Bedford 8ouse. 8ere !e stayed for so"e days, takng !orkng%
partes up
to 8ll 61 at nght, fro" + P./. to ) -./. One nght !e !ere shelled
oU the roads, and had to co"e back !th nothng done. -nother
t"e 9
took a party to "end a breach n the front lne at 8ll 61. 9 thnk !e
!ent back to ;anada 8uts about /arch )6%%at any rate !e had a
longer
rest than usual. 7r .ouglas 8ag ca"e o#er to ;anada 8uts to
nspect
the battalon. -"ongst other thngs he nspected - ;o"pany !ho
!ere
dra!n up n ther hut, 0nd%&eut. Gregson and "yself beng the
subalterns there n charge. The General spoke to Gregson Arst, and
asked h" ho! long he had been out. 8e repled' E:anuary )I,
srE%%"eanng :anuary )I, )*)6. 8s reply !as, ho!e#er, taken to
"ean
E:anuary )*)I,E and Rute a lttle dscusson took place, !hch
a"used
"e "uch, as Gregson stuck to hs pont. -fter!ards the General
ca"e
round to "y end of the hut and asked "e ho! long 9 had been out.
E:anuary E)6, sr,E 9 repled. EThatEs all rght,E he sad, E!ell, 9
!sh you the best of luck.E There !as an a"used t!nkle n hs knd
sy"pathetc face, as 9 !as stll half%s"lng o#er hs lttle
contro#ersy !th Gregson.
-fter ths !e "o#ed oU to another rest ca"p not far a!ay, for a fe!
days. On /arch 0I !e !ere due to take o#er the trenches at 8ll 61
agan for three days. 9 !ent up early n the day and Etook o#erE the
#arous bo"bng arrange"ents. The trenches no! ncluded so"e on
the
south sde of the (al!ay ;uttng, and 9 had "y dugout there n the
top of a s"all hllock called the E/ound.E Fro" +.M1 P./. to )1 P./.
that nght the trenches and ;uttng !ere hea#ly bo"barded, but
the
relef !as not "uch delayed. The +th =.F., ho!e#er, had great luck
n
ha#ng only t!o "en !ounded !hlst co"ng n. They !ere
unfortunate
casualtes, t s true, 0nd%&eut. :.8.;. 7!nney2I5 and 7ergt.
.organ, both good "en and a loss to the battalon. The neKt three
days
!ere bad days for us. The battalon had o#er Afty casualtes, "uch
abo#e the a#erage. Four days n the lne generally ga#e about se#en
or
eght casualtes. On /arch 04 Brtsh "nes !ere eKploded at 7t.
Elo,
and the "ne craters !ere occuped by the Mrd .#son. The
eKploson
took place just before da!n, about a "le or "ore to the south, but
t
!oke "e all of a shake. 9 thought at Arst that 9 !as gong to tu"ble
do!n nto the ;uttng the ground hea#ed and rocked so "uch. The
Ger"an
hea#y artllery took the precauton of bo"bardng our part of the
front, and caused "any casualtes and "uch da"age n the front
lne.
The !hole of ; ;o"pany bat"en !ere klled by a shell, and 0nd%
&eut.
Burt, a ne! arr#al but an old frend, !as also klled. Poor lad, he
!as al!ays certan that he !ould be klled as soon as he got out to
FranceW 9 sa! n the trenches a ple of our dead, three or four deep,
!atng for re"o#al to the rear. The shellng !as se#ere at t"es
durng the neKt t!o days. &eut. Platt, a for!ard obser#ng oJcer of
the 41th .#sonal -rtllery and a !ell kno!n and !elco"e Agure n
the trenches, !as klled by a shell just belo! "y o!n dugout. Fe
had
cause, ndeed, to re"e"ber our last #st to 8ll 61. .urng ths
#st 9 Arst "et so"e ;anadan oJcers !ho !ere lookng o#er the
lne before takng t o#er fro" the 41th .#son.
On /arch 0+ !e !ere rele#ed and 9 !ent back !th - ;o"pany to
so"e
dugouts near Bedford 8ouse. Our Arst day there !e !ere shelled out
of
these dugouts and had to take refuge for a t"e n Bedford 8ouse. -
Belgan battery had just arr#ed close to us, and unfortunately they
ga#e the poston a!ay. 9n the afternoon 9 !ent a long round to
#arous reser#e bo"b stores to check the stores. =eKt nght 9 pad a
last #st to the ;uttng at 8ll 61 !th a !orkng%party.
7econd%&eut. E.F. 7tyles !as also there on a s"lar job.
8e had just co"e outX and beng anKous to see so"ethng of the
fa"ous
8ll 61 trenches he !ent oU by h"self nto the front lne, and, 9
suppose, asked #arous Ruestons of the sentres. -ny!ay, !hen
neKt 9
sa! h" he !as co"ng back do!n the ;uttng follo!ed at an
nter#al by
a sentry !th a AKed bayonet, !ho asked "e f 9 kne! !ho he !as.
/y
reply !as no doubt dsappontng to the solder, !ho thought he had
really captured a spy ths t"e, and earned hs t!o !eeksE lea#e%%
the
re!ard for arrestng a spy.
On /arch 0*, before lea#ng the area, 9 acted as gude to so"e
;anadan troops, fro" ;af[ Belge to the ;anal .ugouts. They
see"ed to
be Ane fello!s and !ell up to strength n all ther co"panes. The
sa"e nght our battalon !ent back to 7cottsh &nes at Ouderdo",
but
!e "o#ed back to ;anada 8uts neKt day.
FOOT=OTE7'
2I5 - specal frend, !ho unhapply !as klled at Fancourt n )*)+.
L99
>E//E&
On /arch M) 9 rode o#er !th #arous co"pany oJcers to >e""el,
and
!e looked o#er the trenches 80%>) belo! Fytschaete (dge. Fe
!ere to
take o#er ths part of the lne fro" the ;anadans n t!o daysE t"e.
9t !as once a Ruet spot, and 9 thnk !e !ere sent there for that
reason. But !e soon found that !e had co"e out of the fryng%pan
only
to go nto the Are. The battle that !as stll ragng at 7t. Elo
about a "le to the north !as destned to alter the character of the
once peaceful >e""el area. 9 had no! changed "y "ess. -ll the old
oJcers of - ;o"pany had dsappeared snce 9 Arst joned the
battalonX so 9 accepted an n#taton fro" ;apt. G.F. Ball to jon .
;o"pany "ess. 9 !as glad to do ths, for not only !as ;apt. Ball the
kndest and best of fello!s, but there !ere old frends
there%%0nd%&euts. Peters and :. (obnson%%!ho" 9 kne! !ell at
-ln!ck.
On -prl ) the battalon set out for the ne! area, "archng Arst to
&ocre and haltng there for the "dday "eal. &ater on, to!ards
nght,
. ;o"pany proceeded to (.E. Far", a support bllet just #acated by
;anadans, and stayed the nght there. The ;anadans left a lot of
eKcellent raton tobacco behnd the" both here and n the trenches.
29llustraton' Fytschaete (dge%%Trench /ap, -prl )*)6.5
=eKt day !e !ent for!ard to the ne! trenches. They !ere a change
ndeed fro" those n the 7alent, and t !as e#dent that there had
not been "uch hea#y shellng there. 9nstead of the hgh narro!
trenches at 8ll 61, they !ere "ostly "ere breast!orks !th lttle or
no back protecton. -nd the ;.T.s !ere hardly deep enough to aUord
protecton fro" snpng or ndrect rVe Are. Fortunately the
Ger"ans dd not snpe these trenches. There !ere three gaps n the
front lne, and t!o s"all posts n =o /anEs &and. - long !ndng ;.T.
brought you fro" Battalon 8.Q., !hch !ere at (ossgnol Far"
about a
"le fro" the front lne trenches. The "an features of the
landscape
!ere the Fytschaete (dge and Pett Bos%%a thck !ood on our left
front. The Ger"an trenches !ere not at Arst at all close to oursX and
both ther !re and ours !as thck and sold. Fe had a bg "ne
shaft
n the supports, but a good !ay back fro" the front lne. The
;anadans told us that there had been lttle Aghtng there eKcept
bet!een patrols and durng rads. -nd t !as e#dent that they had
spent "ore t"e and labour n dranng the trenches than n
fortfyng
the". 9 had "y Ruarters !th "ost of the bo"bers n a support
trench,
8.4, about 041 yards fro" our front lne. Fe had the trench all to
oursel#es and durng "y Arst #st to these trenches, !hch lasted
sK days, t !as a Ruet, happy ho"e, !th a green Aeld behnd and
an
occasonal pheasant cro!ng n the hedges. <nfortunately for the
bo"bers, e"place"ents for 61%pounder trench%"ortars @!orked by
the
(.F.-.B !ere already beng dug at ether end of our trench, and 9
kne!
there !ould soon be trouble for 8.4. Fe had a curous lttle
bo"bng%post outsde the front lne at 8.I, !hch !as only held at
nght. 9t !as nsde our !re, but you could only reach t by
cla"berng o#er the top of the parapet after dark. The post !as
connected by a strng to a sentry%post n the front lne. -nd #arous
sgnals !ere arranged to !arn the sentry n the front lne as to !hat
!as gong on, for eKa"ple, t!o jerks on the strng' E/an returnng to
trench,E three jerks' EEne"y patrol on rght,E and so on. - s"lar
bo"bng%post !as also held at nght for the Arst t"e durng ths
#st. Ths !as n an old broken%do!n trench outsde our !re, called
E:.M (ght.E 9t !as "ore dJcult of approach o!ng to the "ud and to
ts dstance fro" the front lne, and of course "ore dangerous
because
t "ght be attacked by the ene"yEs patrols. ;apt. 8ugh &ddell of B
;o"pany found ths old trench !hlst patrollng =o /anEs &and. 9t
!as
probably once part of the front lne !hch had beco"e !aterlogged
and
then abandoned. ;apt. &ddell had hs 8.Q. n :.I at ths t"e. The
Arst nght he !ent !th "e to ths trench !th a party of bo"bers,
and !e stayed fro" 0 -./. tll da!n !as breakng. ;apt. &ddell !as
a
great to!er of strength to us n these trenches, one of the "ost
fearless and pugnacous of "en, !th a taste for !anderng about
=o
/anEs &and oE nghts. 9t dd you good "erely to look at h".
On -prl , !e !ere rele#ed by the 6th =.F., and . ;o"pany "o#ed
to a
bllet at (.;. Far". One of the buldngs had recently been Ared by a
shell, and the bodes of se#eral horses that had been cre"ated
nsde
"ade the ar rather pungent. Fhlst !e !ere out of the lne, the
Ger"an artllery started shellng the trenches se#erely, nVctng
hea#y casualtes on the 6th =.F., and punshng especally the
support
trench at :.I and the bo"bers retreat at 8.4. .urng our rest 9 !ent
!th ;apt. &ddell and a !orkng party of B ;o"pany to dg and All n
so"e cable trenches behnd the supports of the E&E Trenches. .urng
the !ork 9 Arst "ade the acRuantance of &eut. -.E. Odell, the
Brgade 7gnallng OJcer, !ho later on beca"e a great frend. Fe
!ent back to the old trenches on -prl )M, and 9 found the bo"bers
of
the 6th =.F. had "o#ed ther Ruarters fro" 8.4 to Turner To!n @leftB,
t!o ro!s of s"all splnter%proof dugouts behnd the "ne shaft. The
trenches !ere badly knocked about, and the Ger"an artllery and
trench%"ortars !ere stll causng trouble. 9 no! "essed !th .
;o"pany
at ther 8.Q. n >.).a. On the e#enng of -prl )1, 9 had to patrol
the ground near the "ne shaft !th a party of bo"bers, to look out
for a Ger"an spy !ho !as thought to be "akng back ths !ay. Fe
sa!
nothng of h", but 9 bele#e that 0nd%&eut. :. (obnson arrested a
;anadan /nng OJcer, !ho n the dark !as unkno!n to h".
On -prl ), !e !ere rele#ed by the 6th =.F. ther Bo"bng OJcer,
0nd%&eut. -. Toon, takng o#er fro" "e. Ths t"e !e "o#ed back
to
&ocre. But 9 !as sent to B.8.Q. at Bruloose !th "y ser#ant, as &eut.
F. >eene !as a!ay on lea#e, and t !as ntended that 9 should act
for
h" tll he ca"e back. 8o!e#er 9 !as not long at B.8.Q. before t
appeared that &eut. >eene !ould be returnng that nght. Before
gong
oU to &ocre, ho!e#er, 9 !as asked to stay to dnner !th the oJcers
of B.8.Q. !hch 9 ddX and t !as a pleasant eKperence. The
battalon
had good Ruarters n &ocre n the ;on#ent 7chool, and !e soon
found
that a good lunch or dnner !as ser#ed by the =uns at the con#ent
to
!eary oJcers. They also let you use the con#ent baths. On -prl 01
!e held a battalon dnner there n co""e"oraton of the Battle of
7t.
:ulen.
On Good Frday !e had an Easter ser#ce, as !e !ere to be n the
trenches agan on Easter .ay. Our padre !as ;apt. (e#. :.O.
-glonby,
;.F., !ho" !e ca"e to kno! and lke #ery !ell. The bo"bers had a
dayEs
tranng at Bruloose, and !e !ere asked to brng our steel hel"ets,
!hch had just been ssued. 7o 9 !ore "ne for the Arst t"e. -fter
the practce !as o#er, 9 !as asked to co"e and see the Brgade
Bo"bng
OJcer Are oU so"e /lls rVe%grenades, !hch !ere a no#elty then.
Fhlst ths !as gong on a grenade burst pre"aturely soon after
lea#ng the rVe, and a pece ca"e back and struck "y hel"et,
cuttng
the lnng and scratchng the "etal. -fter that 9 !ould ne#er part
!th that hel"et, though ne!er ones !ere ssued later on. Our last
#st to the trenches !as to be shorter, and !e !ere to be rele#ed
by
the Mrd .#son n three days. Fe set oU on 7aturday, -prl 00, and
arr#ed n the ;.T. all rght, for the Ger"ans seldo" shelled the
roads n ths area. But !hen !e got there !e found thngs rather
l#ely. - shell klled t!o or three "en of . ;o"pany as they !ere
approachng >.).aX and ;apt. &ddell and 9 had a splnter fro"
another
shell bet!een us as !e passed up (ossgnol ;.T. On arr#ng 9 got a
"essage fro" the -djutant sayng, EThe G.O.;. orders that you use
the
greatest #glance by day and by nght.E The neKt day, Easter .ay,
the
ene"y shelled the trenches all day. ;apt. G.F. Ball and 9 had an
unpleasant eKperence n >.).a, after lunch. For nearly t!o hours a
ho!tSer battery shelled the place slo!ly and "ethodcally, !orkng
up
and do!n the lttle trench. /any t"es drt and rubbsh ca"e Vyng
nto our shelter, but the only drect ht !as on a "nor structure
!hch of course dsappeared. =eKt day our cook%house !as blo!n n
and
the crockery all s"ashed, but fortunately t !as e"pty of "en at the
t"e. 9n these trenches t !as dJcult to get artllery retalaton,
for the Aghtng at 7t. Elo s!allo!ed up "ost of the spare
a""unton, and the allo!ance of shells for the batteres !as s"allX
so the ene"y had a free hand n shellng our defences. Early on the
/onday "ornng the ene"y Ared a shallo! "ne bet!een hs
trenches and
our o!n. 9t !as a "ethod of ganng ground, for the craters !ere
fortAed and turned nto a trench. 9n ths !ay the Ger"ans began to
approach farly close to us at >.) and :.M. 9 had to regster !th
=e!ton rVe%grenades on the crater, but as !e !ere short of
cartrdges t !as not possble to Are at nght.
On -prl 04 !e !ere rele#ed by the Ith Battalon of the (oyal
Fuslers, and 9 got a!ay fro" the trenches !th the last of the
bo"bers about "dnght. There !as a bg bo"bard"ent of these
trenches
neKt day, causng eghty casualtes to the ne!%co"ers. /y o!n lttle
shelter !as blo!n to peces by a ho!tSer shell and the occupants
klled. =early t!o years elapsed before 9 !as agan l#ng n front
lne trenches.
L999
.9L979O=-& (E7T
9n the early hours of -prl 01 the battalon reached &ocre and spent
the rest of the nght n bllets. By , -./. !e resu"ed our "arch, and
!ent through Balleul to /eteren. 9t !as pleasant ndeed to see the
nsde of a to!n agan, and to get a!ay fro" the area that !as
broken
to bts. Fe !ere to be out of the lne, !e hoped, for at least a
"onth, so naturally e#ery one !as feelng lght%hearted. The
bo"bers
of the battalon !ere collected n a co"pany about eghty strong,
and
they !ere blleted together under "y charge. Our Ruarters !ere at a
large French far", called on the "ap EFe#er Far",E and near to t !as
a Ane set of bo"bng trenches. &eut. F. >eene !as also l#ng at
ths far", n order to be near the bo"bng ground. -nd !e had our
lttle "ess together n the far" parlour, and our bedroo" n a nce
dry attc. =o bo"bng !ork !as done for the Arst three days, n
order
to g#e t"e for the "en to get rested and to clean ther eRup"ent.
The bo"bers !ere blleted n a large barn just across the yard, !th
plenty of clean stra! nsde. The French far"er and hs !fe !ere
pleasant bodes, nce and frendly to us, and glad no doubt to be
able to sell ther lght beer and eggs to the Englsh solder%"an. The
other co"panes of the battalon !ere blleted n far"%houses near
/eteren. 9n case of an attack by the Ger"ans on the ;orps front the
battalon had orders to go for!ard and "an the trenches on >e""el
8ll. 9 rece#ed a paper of nstructons as to !hat to do n case of
alar". Fe could tell that the Ger"ans !ere causng trouble up the
lne, for !e heard a hea#y bo"bard"ent gong on beyond >e""el.
-bout
).M1 -./. on 7unday, -prl M1, the bo"bersE sentry ca"e and !oke
"e
up, and 9 !ent do!nstars to And a "essenger had arr#ed !th the
code !arnng E>e""el .efences.E 7o 9 Ruckly roused the "en and
!arned
the" to be ready to start n half an hour. Fe hurred nto our !ar kt
and for"ed up n the dark outsde, and soon "arched oU to jon the
rest of the battalon outsde /eteren. Fe learned that the ene"y
had
loosed oU a lot of gas beyond >e""el, and !e !ere to "an the
defences
as soon as possble. The battalon "arched along as far as the
entrance to Balleul, !hen just as day !as breakng a cyclst orderly
rode up !th orders for us to return to our bllets. =o nfantry
attack had follo!ed the gas cloud, and !e !ere free to return to
rest.
The Brgade had another alar" neKt day, but t !as Ruckly
cancelledX
and after that !e !ere not called out agan. E#ery "ornng !as
g#en
to bo"bng practce, and 9 oUered a s"all prSe each day for a
co"petton n thro!ng. 9f t !as !et the "en stopped n the barn,
and had a lecture on Englsh or Ger"an grenades. One afternoon 9
!alked o#er to Balleul and had a bath at the ;orps baths. They
!ere
rather pr"t#e but the !ater !as hot.
9t "ade a nce change to get back to c#lsaton once "ore and to
ha#e a "eal at a restaurantX and the shops of course !ere a great
attracton.
-bout /ay 4, just as 9 !as about to set out a second t"e for
Balleul, a letter ca"e n for "e fro" "y brother George. 9t !as
dated
the pre#ous day and sad that he !as blleted !th hs unt close to
/eteren. 7o 9 set oU at once to And h", and had the good luck to
"eet h" as he !as cyclng round on so"e "edcal nspecton
dutes.
8s unt had just co"e out to France and he had no dea 9 !as so
near
at handX and 9 thnk he nearly fell oU hs bcycle !th surprse !hen
9 Arst appeared n that country lane. 8e could not !at long then, so
9 asked h" to co"e to tea !th us at Fe#er Far" neKt day. -nd t!o
days after that 9 dned !th the 8.Q. /ess of hs unt, the )4th 8ants
(eg"ent, !hch 9 enjoyed #ery "uch. <nfortunately 9 sa! no "ore
of
h" at ths t"e, as 9 left Fe#er Far" about /ay )).
9t !as no! decded that 9 should hand o#er the bo"bng to 0nd%
&eut.
E.G. &a!son, a "ost cheery and energetc bo"ber, and return to
co"pany
!ork. 7o 9 !as put n co""and of ; ;o"pany and returned !th
the" to
&ocre, !here 9 stayed for about a !eek. 9 had not "uch to do here,
eKcept the daly nspecton of the co"pany and orderly roo". The
"en
of the co"pany ncluded "any of "y old recruts of ; ;o"pany at
-ln!ck !ho" 9 !as glad to see agan. -bout /ay )* 9 got "y Arst
lea#e, t !as for se#en clear days. -nd 9 suppose there !as no
happer
"an n France just then. The tran started fro" Balleul staton about
6 -./. so 9 had to lea#e &ocre the nght before and stay the nght at
an hotel at Balleul. 9 had a co"parat#ely Ruck journey to the
coast, for !e reached Boulogne at )1.I4 -./. just n t"e to catch
the
)) oEclock boat. 9 arr#ed n Folkestone about ).I4 P./. and n
&ondon
about M.M1 P./. the sa"e day. Though short, t !as a happy t"e,
and 9
returned on /ay 06, stayng one nght n Boulogne and reachng
Balleul about "dnght on 7aturday, /ay 0+. 9 found that the
battalon !as stll at &ocre, but the Brgade had gone back to the
lne, holdng the sa"e trenches on Fytschaete (dge. -n
unfortunate
accdent had just happened n our old trenches. &eut. F. >eene and
0nd%&eut. Toon !ere both badly njured and an =.;.O. klled n the
trenches by a /lls rVe%grenade, !hch, through a defect#e
cartrdge, fell out of the rVe and burst n the trench. 7o !hen 9
got back to the battalon 9 !as told 9 had to proceed to B.8.Q. at
Bruloose and take o#er the oJce of Brgade Bo"bng OJcer n
place
of &eut. >eene. Ths closed "y ""edate connecton !th the +th
=.F.
for t!enty "onths.
9N
B(9G-.E 8E-.%Q<-(TE(7
-n 9nfantry Brgade 8ead%Ruarters n France could be a happy ho"eX
but
only f the Brgader !as lked and respected by the rest of the
7taU, and tred to "ake the" feel at ho"e. 9t see"s al"ost an
"pertnence e#en at ths date for "e to say anythng !hether n
prase or n bla"e of the "an !ho controlled the ""edate
destnes
of the )I*th 9nfantry Brgade !hen 9 Arst joned t. But as 9 beca"e
"uch attached to Brgader%General ;lUord 9 "ay perhaps be
forg#en
for descrbng h" rather closely. Tall and dgnAed, !th a cold
eKteror and a penetratng grey eye, he had the po!er of
co""andng
the respect and obedence of all. 8s fatalstc conte"pt of danger
took h" nto the trenches !here#er shellng !as hottestX and t s
dJcult to "agne ho! he escaped beng snped at 8ll 61 or on the
Fytschaete (dge.
8e !as lo#ed by the "en of the +th =.F. as one !ho !as !llng to
share ther dangers, and al!ays ready !th a !ord of cheer n the
hottest corner. EFe could ha#e gone any!here and done anythng
for
h", f only he had been there to see t.E 7uch !as the eptaph that
the gallant =orthu"berlands ga#e h" !hen he fell. 9 found hs
old%!orld courtesy of "anner and arstocratc bearng "ost
nsprng.
-nd he kne! the rght !ay of gettng a thng done !thout beng
cross
or o#erbearng. - splendd type of ch#alrous solder, he stands out
n "y "e"ory as a beacon of lght !hen 9 ha#e felt nclned to
gru"ble
at the -r"y syste". 9 can call to "nd a score of acts to "e, !hch
re#ealed the kndly, generous heart beneath that cold eKteror. One
of
the Arst thngs he sad to "e !hen 9 joned the Brgade !as ths'
EBuckley, "nd you "ake your authorty felt !th these adjutants.
(e"e"ber, for the purposes of bo"bng, you are the General.E 8o!
could
he ha#e sho!n "ore generous conAdence or encouraged "e "ore
for the
ne! rZle 9 had to playY
/ajor (o!an, our Brgade%/ajor, !as another typcal oJcer of the
old
(egular -r"y, !ho !as generally lked. 9 dd not get to kno! h" so
!ell, as he left us for hgher 7taU dutes before t!o "onths had
passed. 9 al!ays found h" knd and consderate.
;apt. .. 8ll had been 7taU%;aptan e#er snce the Brgade ca"e out
to France, and !hat he dd not kno! about the job !as not !orth
kno!ng. 8e often astonshed "e by hs kno!ledge of !hat could be
done, and by hs serene conAdence !hen thngs !ere lookng
dJcult.
=e#er ru]ed, the kndest and "ost genal of "en, he often pro#ed a
good frend and counsellor.
;apt. G.E. Flknson stayed !th us a short t"e and then left to jon
a "ess of hs o!n /achne%Gun OJcers. - "an of the brghtest
good%hu"our and gaety, he al!ays kept us l#ely and a"used. 8e
!ent
far n the !ar%%fro" 0nd%&eut. to ;olonel of a battalon n eghteen
"onths. 9 need say nothng further of hs Rualtes as a solder. 8e
!as at OKford !hen 9 !as there, and 9 re"e"bered seeng h" at
our &a!
&ectures.
&eut. G.7. 8agge, the best of fello!s too, !as al!ays a knd frend
to "e, and "ade "e feel at ho"e n "y ne! surroundngs. 9 sa! a
lot of
h" both no! and later on !hen !e dd "any a strange hunt
together for
a""unton du"ps n the "ost "possble of places. 8e !as a
tre"endous
!alker and could get o#er really bad "uddy ground at an a"aSng
speed.
9 !as destned also to see "uch of the Brgade 7gnaller, &eut. -.E.
Odell, !ho !as Rute a re"arkable character. 8e !as a lon n the
guse of a do#e, an autocrat n the guse of a radcal, a rgd
dscplnaran n the guse of an ar"y refor"er. 8e !on the /.;. and
Bar and earned the" both. 8e !orked hs "en hard but h"self
harder
stll. 8e had the curous faculty of beng able to !ork for hours by
day and to spend the !hole nght n so"e "uddy dtch up n the
front
lne. 8s kndness to and consderaton for hs sgnallers, !ere only
eKceeded by hs conscentous de#oton to duty. 8e "ade "e
respect and
lke and en#y h", e#en f he occasonally "ade "e s"le.
/ajor (o!an left us, 9 thnk, at &a ;lytte or .ranoutre, and ;apt. F.
-nderson beca"e Brgade%/ajor n hs place. 8e had joned the 6th
=.F.
at the outbreak of !ar and got hs co"pany and the /.;. at the
Battle
of 7t. :ulen. 9n :anuary )*)6 he !as apponted G.7.O. 999 at 41th
.#son 8.Q. EBllE -nderson !as a great "an, and co"bned the
fearlessness of the =orthu"bran !th a great bran. 8e !as
probably
the best Ec#lanE tactcan n the -r"y, and had he decded to jon
the (egular -r"y 9 should ha#e eKpected h" to rse #ery hgh
ndeed.
9 kno! !hat the )I*th 9nfantry Brgade o!ed to h"X but 9 doubt
!hether "any others kno! Rute as !ell. -nd 9 ha#e al!ays thought
that
he !as ne#er g#en full scope for eKercsng hs !onderful ablty. -
tall solderly Agure, !th noble features and percng blue eyes that
could harden al"ost to ruthlessness, 9 carry h" n "y "nd as "y
deal of a 7taU OJcer. 8e could get "en to do anythng for h"X hs
kndly tact and sy"pathy, hs rare apprecaton of your eUorts,
ho!e#er clu"sy, "ade you ready to !ork for h" lke a sla#e. 8e
has
been a good frend to "e throughout, and he has done "ore for "e
than
any other "an n France.
-t Bruloose the oJcers of the Brgade had s"all !ooden huts of the
-r"strong type for oJces and sleepng roo"s. The "ess roo" !as
n
the far"%house. =aturally t !as a great change fro" the rude
acco""odaton of a ;o"pany /ess. /. Bunge, the French
nterpreter,
looked after our co"forts !ell.
=eKt to B.8.Q. !as a large and farly useful bo"bng ground, !here
the
Brgade Bo"bng 7chool !as carred onX and 9 spent a good deal of
t"e
there, as 9 !as n charge of the school. On t!o days out of e#ery
four
9 spent the "ornng there, and n the afternoon 9 !as free to #st
the trenches, so"e four "les a!ay. On the other t!o days 9 could
go
up to the trenches n the "ornng.
9 dd not "ss a dayEs #st to the trenches and once or t!ce 9 !ent
up t!ce n the day.
The journey !as done on foot, so 9 had Rute a good dayEs eKercse.
/y
dutes n the trenches !ere to see that the battalons n the lne had
a proper supply of grenadesX these !ere taken up by the battalon
transport at nght. -lso that the grenades n the trenches and all
bo"b stores !ere properly stored and cleaned. 9 had also to see
that
suJcent rVe%grenades !ere Ared at nght to harass the ene"yEs
!orkng%partes, and that our bo"bng%posts !ere properly "anned.
.urng our stay at Bruloose 9 had nearly 0111 grenades taken out of
the trenches and replaced by ne! onesX ths !as hard !ork for the
transport. But the transport oJcers245 !ere #ery oblgngX and 9
found on Arng these old grenades at the school that about M1 to I1
per cent dd not burst properly or e#en at all. The stuaton n the
trenches !as gettng #ery bad. 7hellng by the ene"yEs artllery !as
no! less freRuent, but the annoyance fro" ene"y trench%"ortars
!as
so"ethng cruel. =ot only large ol%cans, full of eKplos#es, ca"e
o#er both by day and by nght, but a horrble *%nch trench%"ortar
no!
"ade ts appearance and ble! large craters n the ;.T.s and
supports.
9 had t!o of the ol%cans pretty close to "e at dUerent t"es, and
they !ere not pleasant. E#entually the trench%"ortarng got so
se#ere,
that the L ;orps had a )0%nch ho!tSer brought up on the ral!ay,
and
se#eral of these huge shells !ere Ared nto Pett Bos !hen the
Ger"an trench%"ortars started. -nother feature to be reckoned !th
!as
the approach of the ene"y to!ards >.) and :.M by "eans of a seres
of
fortAed "ne craters. These craters !ere !orked on at nght, and by
the GeneralEs orders they had to be kept under constant Are fro"
rVe%grenades. 7e#eral nghts 9 !ent up to the trenches to see ths
carred out, once acco"paned by the General h"self. 9 had at the
Bruloose bo"b store a farly good stock of s"oke and ncendary
bo"bs,
lke large cocoa tns, only contanng red or !hte phosphorus. 9t
occurred to "e that they "ght be used !th eUect aganst the
Ger"ans
!orkng n the craters. 7o 9 carred a nu"ber of these bo"bs up to
the
trenches, and they !ere duly Ared fro" the Fest sprng%thro!er or
fro" the trench%catapult. The Ger"ans dd not see" to lke the", as
ther dscharge al!ays dre! a lot of "achne%gun Are n reply. Fe
also tred to get so"e "ore noKous bo"bs @e.g. E/.7.>.EB, but no
supply could be obtaned fro" the Base. The Bo"bng OJcers265 of
the
6th and +th =.F. carred on the harassng Are !th such eUect that
e#entually the Ger"ans took to sendng sho!ers of EAshtalsE
!hene#er
a rVe%grenade !as loosed oU. The EAshtalE !as a s"all
trench%"ortar bo"b, !hch the Ger"ans substtuted for the
rVe%grenade and used !th great eUect. =eedless to say our
de"onstratons !ere not #ery popular !th the nfantry n the front
lne. But ;apt. Lernon /er#ale, /.;., appeared to take a specal
delght n these harassng shoots.
FOOT=OTE7'
245 Brgade Transport, ;apt. >nsellaX +th =.F., ;apt. B. =e#lleX 6th
=.F., &eut. F. ;laytonX 4th =.F., &eut. /.G. PapeX Ith =.F., &eut.
F./. Turner.
265 0nd%&euts. Toon and Tho"pson @6th =.F.B and &a!son and
Foods @+th
=.F.B.
N
T8E B(9G-.E BO/B9=G 7;8OO&
The staU of nstructors at the Bo"bng 7chool conssted of three
hghly traned sergeants%%t!o of these had been nstructors at the
41th .#sonal Bo"bng 7chool !hch !as no! g#en up. 7ergt.
8ogg of
the 4th =.F. and 7ergt. P. Flanngan of the Ith. =.F. took t n turns
to be at the school and at the Brgade Bo"b 7tore. 7o !th 7ergt.
/oUat, !ho !as no! apponted Brgade Bo"bng 7ergeant, 9 had
al!ays
t!o to help "e at the school.
On the t!o bo"bng days sKteen untraned "en ca"e fro" the
battalon
restng at &ocre and sKteen others fro" the battalon restng at (.;.
Far".
.urng the t!o days these "en had to be suJcently nstructed to
thro! three l#e /lls grenades. Generally they thre! one l#e
grenade
apece after the Arst dayEs nstructon, and the t!o others the
second day. The Arst thng !as to g#e a lecture to the "en,
eKplanng the nature of the /lls grenade and the proper !ay to
hold
t and thro! t.
-fter ths a party of sKteen "en !ere lned up n t!o lnes, about
forty yards apart, and each of the eght "en n turn thre! a du""y
grenade to!ards the "an opposte h". The nstructor had to be
careful
that the "an thre! n the correct !ay and held hs grenade rght.
The
acton of thro!ng the grenade !as "ore lke bo!lng o#erhand than
thro!ng. -fter about an hour of ths the Arst party of "en, eght n
nu"ber, !ent do!n to the Arng%trench, !hch had to be 011 yards
clear of any troops. There !ere t!o sandbag !alls, breast!orks,
about
A#e feet hgh%%the one n front !th a s"all tra#erse !all. -t the
front !all stood the recrut, the sergeant%nstructor, and the Brgade
Bo"bng OJcer. 9n front about thrty yards a!ay !as a deep pt,
"ostly full of !ater, !hch had been eKca#ated by nnu"erable
grenades
thro!n nto t. The other se#en "en took refuge behnd the second
!all, untl t !as ther turn to thro!. Before the grenade !as thro!n
the oJcer had to blo! t!o blasts on hs !hstle. The Arst "eant
EGet ready to AreE%%.e. dra! the safety%pn, the second "eant
EFre.E 7o"e "en of course !ere "ore conAdent than othersX but on
the
!hole the =orthu"berlands !ere easy to teach, for "any !ere
"ners and
accusto"ed to eKplos#es%%n fact, t !as so"et"es dJcult to
"ake
the" take co#er properly. Fhen the grenade !as thro!n, e#ery one
ducked do!n behnd the !all and !ated for the eKploson. 9f t !ent
oU all rght, all !as !ellX and the neKt "an ca"e along for hs turn.
9f, ho!e#er, the grenade dd not go oU, t had f possble to be
retre#ed and the detonator taken out. Ths !as the "ost eKctng
!ork 9 had to do. Generally the sergeant and 9 took t n turns to
pck up these EdudE grenades as they !ere called. -fter so"e
eKperence t !as possble to tell the "o"ent the grenade !as
thro!n
!hy t dd not go oU, for eKa"ple the fuse "ght be da"p and ne#er
lghtX or the cap "ght "sAreX or, !orst of all Eduds,E the strker
"ght stck fast through rust or drt.
Before 9 ganed the eKperence of pckng up these EdudsE and
dra!ng
ther teeth, 9 had one lucky escape. The grenade n Rueston had a
Ehangng strkerE and burst on the ground !thn A#e yards of "e. 9t
!as not, 9 thnk, a #ery good eKploson, but one of the peces caught
"e on the thgh%%happly t cut nto the sea" of "y breeches and
then
turned, follo!ng the sea" out and lea#ng "e !th a bruse and t!o
holes n "y clothes. 9 ne#er lked pckng up these Eduds,E but later
on 9 got to kno! fro" the sound !hat !as the "atter !th the"X
and
then t !as just a "atter of eKperence gettng the" to peces
safely.
The l#e grenades !hen they burst n the pt, so"et"es thre! out
old
EdudE grenades lyng n the "ud. One of these latter burst n "d%ar,
but hurt no oneX and another t"e the grenade dropped rght nto
the
Arng%trench but dd not go oU. -nother nasty thng !as !hen the
grenade burst too RucklyX "any "en ha#e been klled by pre"ature
bursts durng practce. But though so"e grenades !ent oU too
Ruckly,
9 ne#er had one burst n less than a second, by !hch t"e the
grenade !as farly !ell a!ay fro" the trench. Besdes these thrty%
t!o
untraned "en, the bo"bers fro" the battalon at &ocre used to
co"e
and practse on the ground under ther o!n Bo"bng OJcer. But f
any
of these "en !shed to pass the l#e Arng test, to Rualfy the" to
!ear the Bo"bers badge @a red grenade on the rght ar"B, 9 had to
test
the" !th sK l#e grenades. Three out of the sK had to fall !thn a
narro! trench about t!enty%A#e yards fro" the Arng pont.
Of course 9 had to !atch the grenade tll t reached the ground%%and
pray that t !ould not burst pre"aturely. Fhat a blessng those steel
hel"ets !ere durng l#e bo"bng practceW They !ere proof aganst
bo"b splnters and ga#e you a feelng of conAdence.
The battalon bo"bers !ere also traned at the school to Are l#e
rVe%grenades. =o rsks !ere taken !th the =e!ton rVe%grenadeX
durng Arng all "en had to be behnd a barrcade and the rVe !as
Ared oU !th a strng and held n poston by an ron stand. But !e
used to thnk the 8ales rVe%grenade Rute safe, so that "en !ere
traned to Are oU these grenades holdng the rVe to the ground n
the kneelng poston. On one occason se#eral of us had a lucky
escape. The grenade burst at the end of the rVe, nstead of burstng
)01 yards a!ay on contact !th the ground. 7ergt. 8ogg and
another
bo"ber of the 4th =.F. !ere holdng the rVe and both got knocked
o#er, 7ergt. 8ogg !th a slght cut on the head, the latter shaken
but
unhurt. The Bo"bng OJcer of the 4th =.F. and 9 both got scratched
on the face !th splnters.
.urng our stay at Bruloose about I01 "en !ent through the
recrutsE
course and o#er )+11 grenades !ere Ared.
&ater on 9 had to be content !th "uch less elaborate bo"bng
grounds.
7o"et"es they had to be "pro#sed fro" nothng, at other t"es a
bo"bng%pt of a sort !as found, and !e had to "ake the best of t.
-fter the battle on the 7o""e far less attenton !as pad to
bo"bngX
but for a t"e t !as thought desrable to ha#e e#ery "an traned n
bo"bng, e#en at the eKpense of the rVe.
N9
7T. E&O9 -=. =E<LE EG&97E
-bout :uly 0 the Brgade ca"e out of the lne for a short t"e, and
B.8.Q. "o#ed to a ca"p bet!een /ont (ouge and Festoutre.
.urng ths
stay 9 !as able to carry on the tranng at the Bruloose Bo"bng
7chool. There !as a Ane #e! of the trenches fro" /ont (ouge. Fe
could of course hear the sound of the bo"bard"ent on the 7o""e,
but at
ths dstance t !as "ore dstnct so"e days than others.
On :uly )I the Brgade !ent nto the lne agan, south of 7t. Elo,
the support trenches beng n (dge Food. B.8.Q. "o#ed to a ca"p
at &a
;lytte, farther than e#er fro" the front lne trenches.
-t &a ;lytte there !as a s"all bo"bng ground, but t !as not #ery
safe for l#e practce, and 9 !as glad !hen !e left t. Fe dd not
stay long n these trenchesX but before !e left the" the bo"bers of
the 6th =.F. klled a Ger"an and he !as brought back to our
trenches.
9t !as the Arst dead Ger"an that 9 had seen.
Our neKt "o#e !as to a Rueter part of the lne, na"ely to
Ful#erghe",
belo! the /essnes (dge. B.8.Q. !ent to a can#as ca"p at =eu#e
Eglse, but "o#ed soon after to .ranoutre, !here !e !ere blleted n
houses. &eut.%;ol. Turner, O.;. the 4th =.F., ca"e to co""and the
Brgade for about a !eek, n the absence of General ;lUord, !ho
!ent
to England on lea#e. 8e !as a regular oJcer, !th a keen sense of
hu"our and !th an eKtraordnary dslke of parsons. These ne!
trenches !ere Ruet enough, but the snpng of the ene"y !as far
too
good. 9 !as nearly caught out before 9 realsed that fact. 9 !as
lookng o#er the parapet the Arst day !th &.%;. -ustn, !hen a
bullet caught the edge of the parapet just n front of us, tearng the
sandbag along the top and stoppng !thn a fe! nches of our
heads.
Of course !e dropped do!n Ruckly nto the trench, but &.%;. -ustn
!a#ed hs cap o#er the top to sgnal a E"ss.E 8e told "e t !ould
ne#er do to let the Ger"an snper thnk he had scored a ht. The
EVyng pg,E our large trench%"ortar, !as Arst used n a
bo"bard"ent
of the Ger"an trenches here, and 9 bele#e our 7tokes "ortar
battery
dd a record rate of Are on the sa"e occason. Fe had a lot of gas
cylnders stored n the front lne trenches ready for use. But they
!ere not reRured and !e had the pleasant job of re"o#ng the".
They
!ere al!ays talked about as Eru" jars.E
There !as no bo"bng ground at .ranoutre, and 9 had to "ake a
place
for l#e practce n a far"erEs Aeld, "uch to hs dsgust. E;Eest la
guerre, "onseurWE !as all !e could say to hs eKpostulatons. Fe
could no! hear the great cannonade on the 7o""e gong on to the
south
al"ost day and nght.
- large nu"ber of !ooden a""unton huts !ere erected along the
roads
near .ranoutre, and hea#y gun e"place"ents !ere beng "ade
about
>e""el. Perhaps t !as ntended that the Ffth -r"y should "ake a
bg
push here, f the battle on the 7o""e had been "ore successful at
the
start.
-bout -ugust + !e !ere rele#ed by t!o shattered d#sons fro"
the
7o""e, one of the" beng the <lster .#son that had seen hard
Aghtng south of 7erre. Fe had a good dea !hther !e !ere bound.
But
at Arst !e "o#ed oU to the /eteren area, !here B.8.Q. !ere
Ruartered
n a ca"p of !ooden huts for about A#e days. The censorshp no!
beca"e #ery strct, no nklng of our "o#e"ents !as to be g#en to
anyone at ho"e. Lalses too had to be lghtened by sendng ho"e
all
spare ktX and all papers and "aps relatng to the >e""el area had
to
be destroyed or returned. -"ongst other thngs 9 sent ho"e "y
Eslacks,E and ne#er !ore the" agan n France. -bout -ugust )) !e
"o#ed oU to Balleul ral!ay staton and entraned there, lea#ng
about "dnght. =eKt "ornng !e reached .oullens, !here !e left
the
tran. The (.T.O. at .oullens !as ;apt. (earden, !ho" 9 kne! as a
boy
at Fellngton ;ollege and had not seen for sKteen years. But he
recognsed "e and cla"ed acRuantance.
Fe "arched that day to Fen#llers, and stayed there t!o days n a
French house. The neKt "o#e !as to =aours !here !e spent one
nghtX
and the neKt nght !e stayed at Perregot. On -ugust )+ !e
"arched to
the !ood at 8[nencourt.
The !hole Brgade !as enca"ped n the neghbourhood of the
!ood. Fe
had at last arr#ed n the rest area of the 7o""e front, and t could
only be a "atter of days before !e !ere n#ol#ed n the great battle.
But before that could happen there !as a great deal to do to
prepare
the "en for ther ordeal, and perhaps not a great deal of t"e n
!hch to do t. The .#son !as ser#ed out !th the short rVe for
the Arst t"e. 8therto !e had only had the long rVe such as !as
used n the 7outh -frcan Far.
N99
T8E 7O//E2+5
The battle on the 7o""e !as to "e the great tragedy of the !ar. -
glorous noble tragedy, but stll a tragedy. Both sdes of course ha#e
cla"ed the #ctory, the Brtsh a tactcal one, the Ger"ans a
strategc one. The net result to the -lles fro" a "ateral pont of
#e! !as the recapture of so"e hundreds of sRuare "les of France,
for
the "ost part battered to bts and as desolate and useless as a
!ldernessX and the capture or destructon of so "any thousands of
the
ene"y at a cost altogether out of proporton to ther nu"bers. The
Ger"ans cla", and cla" Rute rghtly, that they frustrated our
atte"pt to break through ther lne. On the other hand t can be
lttle consolaton for the" to kno! that a naton of a"ateur
solders2,5 dro#e the" out of the strongest fortress n the !orldX
dro#e the" out so co"pletely that they !ere glad to take refuge,
"orally as !ell as physcally, behnd ther fa"ous 8ndenburg &ne.
=o doubt our grand attack lastng fro" :uly to =o#e"ber )*)6
ce"ented
the -llance !th France and sa#ed Lerdun fro" fallng. =o doubt t
pa#ed the !ay, n kno!ledge and "orale, for further attacks at a
later
date. The fact re"ans that before ts lessons !ere learnt the slopes
of the -ncre and the 7o""e !ere so!n !th the bodes of
thousands of
the Anest spec"ens of the Brtsh race. Fhat a cost !as pad for
the
eKa"ple and the lessonW =e#er agan durng the !ar had Brtan
such
Ane athletc "en, such gallant and heroc sons to Aght her battles.
=o horror or hardshp could subdue ther sprt. -gan and agan,
through shattered ranks and o#er ground co#ered !th the fallen,
they
!ent for!ard to the supre"e sacrAce as cheerfully and as
lght%heartedly as f they !ere out for a holday. They kne! they
could beat the ene"y n front of the", and they !ent on and dd t
agan and agan, n spte of the !re, n spte of the "ud, n spte
of thousands of "achne%gun bullets and shells. The tragedy of t all
s !rtten n one !ord. TFasteT%%!aste of l#es, !aste of eUort,
!aste of a""unton. The fact s no! clear that n )*)6 the
resources
of the Brtsh =aton !ere not suJcently de#eloped to s"ash the
Ger"an !ar "achne. That !as undoubtedly the hope of e#ery one
!ho
took part n the battle, to del#er a Anal knock%out blo!. But ths
hope faled, e#en f t faled by a lttle. Our artllery, "ghty as
t undoubtedly !as, !as not "ghty enough yet to destroy the
ene"yEs
defences and to shatter hs po!er of resstance. -las, t !as a blo!
that could ne#er be repeated agan !th such "agnAcent hu"an
resourcesW
-fter the supre"e eUort by all ranks a terrble !a#e of depresson
naturally follo!ed. -nd can ths be !ondered atY For a t"e there
!as
lack of conAdence !hch "ade tself all too apparent n )*)+, a year
of unparalleled dsasters. =o one !ho has not set out !th such hgh
hopes can kno! ho! a!ful that depresson can be.
The eUort of the Brtsh -r"y !as ne#er so unted, ne#er so ntense
as t !as n the battle on the 7o""e. &ater on re#erses brought
kno!ledge and kno!ledge at last brought #ctory. But for so"e that
#ctory had ts sad sde tooX for thousands upon thousands of those
gay and gallant co"rades n the Great Endea#our !ere not there to
share t.2*5
The part of the 41th .#son n the battle !as not a s"all one.
BreVy the .#son !ent nto the 7o""e area on -ugust )+, )*)6,
and
left t about /arch )1, )*)+. Ther Arst attack !as launched on
7epte"ber )4, )*)6, n co"pany !th the Guards and so"e of the
Anest
d#sons n the Brtsh -r"y. -fter al"ost contnuous Aghtng they
!ere !thdra!n about October 4, and !ent back to the rest area
around
8[nencourt tll October 0)%%after ha#ng ad#anced ther lne fro"
8gh
Food (dge to the edge of &e 7ars.
On October 04 they returned to the sa"e front and "ade t!o
gallant but
frutless attacks on the Butte of Farlencourt, n support of larger
operatons about Beau"ont 8a"el. The hardshp of the Aghtng
bet!een
October 04 and =o#e"ber )6 cannot be realsed by those !ho dd
not
actually eKperence the condtons. Fro" .ece"ber 0, to :anuary 0M
the
.#son held the lne south of &e BarRue and &gny%Thlloy. -fter
that they "o#ed farther south and held the lne n front of Belloy
and
Estr[es, trenches that had been captured by the French. =o !onder,
after ths hard !ork, that the 41th .#son ganed the reputaton of
a hard Aghtng d#son.
9 can g#e no #ery accurate dea of the casualtes suUered by the
.#sonX but so"e dea of the losses "ay be dra!n fro" the
casualtes
a"ong the bo"bers of the +th =.F. Of these 9 ha#e farly accurate
detals. The bo"bers of the +th =.F. !ent nto acton on 7epte"ber
)4,
)*)6, about eghty strong%%ten =.;.O.s and se#enty "en. Fhen the
roll
!as called at Bresle on =o#e"ber 01, )*)6, ele#en "en alone
ans!ered.
Of the =.;.O.Es t!o !ere !ounded and the rest !ere klled. The
bo"bers
of the Ith =.F. suUered al"ost as hea#ly, but 9 ha#e no! no detals.
FOOT=OTE7'
2+5 7ee 9llustraton, p. ,).
2,5 9 allude of course to the =e! -r"es.
2*5 These #e!s of the battle, 9 a" told, are unduly pess"stc. But
9 let the" stand as a record of personal feelngs aroused as a result
of the battle.
N999
8O=E=;O<(T
Brgade 8ead%Ruarters !ere acco""odated n !ooden huts, but the
battalons !ere "ostly under can#as. 7trenuous eUorts had no! to
be
"ade to co"plete the tranng of the "en, and to ntate the" to a
style of !arfare that !as Rute ne! and strange to the".
/y o!n task !as to tran as "any "en as possble n the use of the
/lls grenade. Each day 9 had Afty "en to tran, and they !ere kept
at t all "ornng and agan n the e#enng, untl they had each
thro!n
t!o l#e grenades. 9 had the ser#ces of three sergeant%nstructors,
!ho !ere n#aluable n gettng the "en past the Arst stage. -ll the
l#e Arng 9 had to super#se "yselfX that beng the rule of the
-r"y, that an oJcer should al!ays be present durng l#e practce.
-ll "y spare t"e !as spent n gong o#er and testng the grenades
to
be Ared neKt day, or n balng out the bo"bng trench, !hch Alled
#ery rapdly n !et !eather. -nd so t !ent on day after day.
Thrteen
oJcers and 6+) "en !ho had ne#er pre#ously thro!n a l#e
grenade
!ent through the course at 8[nencourtX and about )I11 l#e
grenades
!ere Ared. The battalon bo"bers used the ground n the afternoon
n
charge of ther o!n oJcersX and they got through another )111
grenades. On 7epte"ber 0 9 !as able to tell the General that e#ery
"an
n the Brgade, ncludng "achne%gunners and trench%"ortar "en,
had
been through the course, !th !hch he eKpressed h"self #ery
pleased.
To!ards the end of our stay the General ca"e to see the l#e
thro!ng
se#eral t"es n the e#enngs, and he al!ays spoke #ery
encouragngly
to the "en.
-bout 7epte"ber 6 9 !ent !th a party of oJcers fro" the Brgade
to
#e! the trenches !e !ere to take o#er on the 7o""e battleAeld.
-nd
as ths !as "y Arst #st there t naturally "ade a great "presson
on "e. Fe started oU n the dark and rode through 8[nencourt and
/llencourt to -lbert. :ust before !e reached -lbert !e passed
through
a cloud of lachry"atory gas, !hch "ade "e !eep copous tears for
nearly half an hour. The great sght n -lbert !as of course the
runed cathedral, !th ts colossal statue of the Lrgn and ;hld
hangng do!n!ards o#er the road!ay. Fe rode on to !here the
front lne
had been at Frcourt then to Frcourt E;rcus,E /a"etS, and then to
the south of /a"etS Food, !here !e left our horses. Frst !e !ent
through the !ood to B.8.Q., !hch !ere n so"e deep dugouts
there.
8a#ng obtaned gudes and a rough sort of "ap, !e !ent on to
Battalon 8.Q. at the ;halk Quarry east of BaSentn%le%Pett. Ths !as
about )111 yards fro" the front lne, !hch lay just belo! the rdge
fro" /artnpuch to 8gh Food. - deep ;.T. called E:utland -lleyE
took us up to the front lne%%E;larkEs Trench.E 7o far !e had lttle
trouble fro" shellng, but !e passed o#er the bodes of t!o
unfortunate 8ghlanders n :utland -lley !ho had been recently
klled
by a shell. The entrance to 9nter"edate Trench on the left !as
terrble, the s"ell beng o#erpo!erng. -s a "atter of fact there
!ere
scores of dead "en just out of sght on both sdes of ths trench,
!ho" t had been "possble to bury. 9t !as not unusual to see an
ar"
or leg protrudng out of the sde of the ;.T., so hastly had the
Ger"ans bured ther dead. -nd there !ere s!ar"s and s!ar"s of
Ves
e#ery!here. Fhen !e had Anshed lookng round n the front lne,
!hch !as a good trench and Rute Ruet, !e turned back do!n
:utland
-lley. The Ger"an Ehea#esE !ere no! shellng the supports and
close
to the ;.T. One shell, !hch see"ed not to eKplode, ht the edge of
the ;.T.X and !hen !e got to the place !e found the trench partally
Alled n and an unfortunate "an bured up to hs neck, "uch shaken
but not "uch hurt. Fe left h" to be eKtrcated by hs frends !ho
had
got spades. 9 then #sted the trenches near the !nd"ll and then
returned to the south of /a"etS Food. Fhlst !atng here 9
eKa"ned
!th nterest the "any curous lttle Ecubby holesE that our troops
had "ade durng the attack on /a"etS Food. 9 also !atched the
Ger"an
Ehea#esE shellng our Aeld batteres near BaSentn%le%Grand, and
sendng up clouds of chalky dust. - fe! shrapnel shells !ere also
Ared near the road, and 9 bele#e our horses and orderles !ere
nearly ht, but escaped by gallopng oU !hen the Arst shell ca"e.
The countrysde looked #ery desolate and knocked about tll !e got
to
Frcourt ;rcus, only the chalky roads !ere cra""ed !th l"bers
and
lorres takng up supples. -t the ;rcus there !as a re"arkable
sght, a huge ca"png ground co#erng se#eral sRuare "les, e#ery
a#alable spot on t packed !th du"ps and horse%lnes, artllery
parks, b#ouacs, and tents. -ll the roads round here !ere full of
troops on the "o#e, and of lnes and lnes of lorres ether co"ng or
gong. -fter passng -lbert there !as less of nterest, but !e sa!
one
of our aeroplanes stranded n a ploughed Aeld east of /llencourt.
The plot told us he had got hs "achne da"aged o#er the Ger"an
lne,
but had "anaged to get back thus far, !hen he had "ade a bad
landng.
7uch !as "y Arst #st to the great battleAeld, a dreary lookng
spot !th a general aspect of chalk, broken stu"ps of trees, and
cro!ded "uddy roads.
Our stay at 8[nencourt !as dra!ng to a close, but before !e left
!e
had an nspecton by the 999 ;orps ;o""ander. -nd on the last day,
7epte"ber *, !e held a grand sports day and had a band playng.
The
"en looked splenddly At and !ell after ther "onthEs rest, and they
dsplayed a !onderful sprt, talkng eagerly of ther part n the
co"ng attack. -las and alasW -t t"es 9 could ha#e !ept to see
these
splendd bronSed "en go "archng by, the #ery Vo!er of our
Englsh
race. For 9 kne! that #ery soon 9 should see fe! of the" agan, or
fe!
ndeed of ther lke.
N9L
/-/ETP FOO.
On 7unday 7epte"ber )1, the Brgade left 8[nencourt, and B.8.Q.
!ent
to the deep dugouts n /a"etS Food. 9 tra#elled there !th 7ergts.
/oUat and 8ogg, and !e !ere lucky enough to get good lfts, Arst n
a ;anadan 7taU car and then on a "otor%lorry. ;apt. Bloo"er @4th
..&.9. and attached to B.8.Q.B shared a deep dugout !th "e, and
!e
had "eals together.
9t !as the Arst deep dugout 9 had entered, and of course t !as the
!ork of the Ger"ans. There !ere about t!enty steps do!n at ether
end,
the !ooden sdes of the star!ay scarred !th bullet holes and
splnters. 9nsde there !ere just t!o narro! apart"ents, one for our
bedroo" and the other for "eals. Though rather draughty t !as
co"fortable enough and practcally shell%proof. ;apt. Bloo"er had
an
unpleasant job, !hch kept h" out late at nghts, and 9 dd not en#y
h". 9n order to "ake the attack, t !as decded to dg a for!ard
trench so"e !ay n front of ;larkEs Trench. The dggng !as done at
nght and cost us a nu"ber of casualtes fro" shell and rVe Are.
;apt. Bloo"er used to go up e#ery nght to see the !ork done.
The second "ornng at /a"etS Food 9 !as greatly shocked to hear
that
our Brgader had been klled by a snper fro" 8gh Food, as he !as
gong out to nspect the for!ard trench just after da!n. 9t !as nearly
t!o days before hs body could be brought n, o!ng to the shellng
that !ent on at nght. 8e !as bured at -lbert. - fe! days later
Brgader%General O#ens, an 9rsh"an, ca"e to take co""and of the
)I*th 9nfantry Brgade.
/y job !as no! to prepare the Brgade bo"b stores and to see that
the
grenades !ere properly packed nto sandbag carrers for takng up
the
lne. - specal dugout had been prepared as a bo"b store near the
;halk Quarry at BaSentn%le%Pett, but al"ost at the last "o"ent the
(.-./.;. co""andeered the place for ther for!ard dressng%staton.
7o
the boKes of grenades had to le n the open n large shell%holes,
co#ered !th Ger"an greatcoats, "ackntosh sheets, or anythng
else !e
could get hold of. 9 spent hours and hours eKa"nng the grenades
and
packng the" nto sandbag carrers. One of our transport%
!agons2)15
had a lucky escape, !hlst carryng a load of 0111 /lls grenades, all
detonated, to one of our du"ps. The safety%pn of one of the
grenades
broke !th the joltng of the !agon, and the grenade !ent oU,
burstng ts o!n and se#eral other boKes, but not settng oU any
other of the grenades. 9 had an anKous t"e unpackng that
!agon%load. The brass safety%pns of the /lls grenades !ere #ery
unsatsfactory at ths t"eX but 9 had collected a large nu"ber of
steel pns fro" the bo"bng grounds, and 9 used to re%pn any that 9
thought had !eak brass%pns. Ths eKa"naton of the grenades !as
rather !earso"e, but t !as t"e !ell spent, for !e had no accdent
!th the" !hen the carryng%partes took the" up the lne. -nd
other
unts !ere not so fortunate n that respect. -bout 0I,111 grenades
!ent through "y hands, and of these perhaps 4111 !ent nto the
sandbags. On 7epte"ber )I !e Arst sa! the "ysterous tanks,
!hch had
arr#ed behnd the Ruarry to take part n the great attack neKt day.
Fe had t!o allotted to our .#son. That nght !e "o#ed fro"
/a"etS
Food to the ;halk Quarry at BaSentn%le%Pett. 8ere one of the
.#sonal Feld ;o. (.E. had prepared for us eKcellent 8.Q. n the
sde of the Quarry. The oJces !ere !ell do!n n the sde of the
Quarry, the "ess roo" !as a large shelter co#ered !th sandbags a
lttle hgher up. Fe !ere farly cro!ded that nght, for a large
nu"ber of ElasonE oJcers arr#ed for duty neKt day. Fe !ere
sleepng nsde the "ess shelter, practcally shoulder to shoulder all
o#er the Voor. OJcers !ere sleepng and feedng and !orkng there
all at the sa"e t"e. - day and nght "ess !as run for the beneAt
of
all that ca"e n.
For the last four or A#e days our artllery had kept up an al"ost
contnual Are on the ene"yEs lnes. =o! at the last "o"ent the
guns
of the Feld -rtllery !ere taken out of ther hdng places and
brought for!ard nto the open. Our chalk pt !as practcally under
the
"uSSles of about a doSen Aeld guns.
&ater on that nght !e heard a curous !hstlng, puJng sound, t
!as the t!o tanks cla"berng up the hll to get nto poston near
the
front lne.
FOOT=OTE7'
2)15 &eut. F.;. ;layton !as no! Brgade Transport OJcer.
NL
T8E )4T8 7EPTE/BE( )*)6
Fe !ere all up early neKt "ornng, and got so"e breakfast !ell
before
da!n. The ar outsde had a regular autu"n chll. -t Arst only an
occasonal gun Ared n the dstance. But about t!enty "nutes
before
da!n, our hea#y guns opened ther bo"bard"ent. To one standng
n the
Ruarry, belo! the le#el of the ground, they had the "ost !erd of
sounds. - dull ru"blng n the rear and a contnual !hSS and hss
hgh o#erhead. 8ardly a sound of the guns Arng and no sound of
the
shells burstng. Only that terrble grndng s!sh n the ar abo#e.
T!enty "nutes of that, and then, !th a terrAc roar, all our Aeld
guns opened, and !e kne! that our co"rades n front, the Ith =.F.
on
the rght and the +th =.F. on the left, had Egone o#er the top.E The
nose n front of the Aeld batteres !as pande"onu", eKcrucatng
to
the ner#es. The ar shook and Ru#ered !th the sound, the Ruarry
see"ed to shake. $ou could only hear !hen the speaker shouted n
your
ear. -nd so t !ent on hour by hour all day. The rate of Are
subsded, but the guns !ent on all day. 9 !as standng !th the
7taU%;aptan n the Quarry, !hen 9 got !hat felt lke a stone n
the face. 9t pro#ed to be a pece of a shell, but happly for "e t
struck the ground Arst and caught "e on the rebound. - s"all cut
about the nose and chn, but 9 had to go and ha#e t dressed. 9 got
!ell chaUed after!ards on "y rather co"cal appearance. 9t !as an
anKous t"e before the Arst ne!s got back, but !hen t dd t !as
good. Our "en had taken the Arst Ger"an trench, and !ere !atng
to
go ahead agan. <nfortunately 8gh Food !as not taken by the I+th
.#son on our rght tll "dday, and "ean!hle !e lost nu"erous
casualtes fro" ha#ng our rght Vank eKposed to "achne%gun Are.
-
report ca"e n that a large party of Ger"ans !ere startng a
bo"bng
attack on our rght, so t !as decded to send up a supply of
grenades. 9 !ent, therefore, and found &eut. /ackenSe, !ho !as n
charge of )11 "en actng as carrers, and handed o#er 0I11
grenades.
Ths party !ent up to the front lne and back !thout "shap. But
shortly after!ards &eut. /ackenSe !as badly !ounded by one of
our
o!n shells burstng pre"aturely. Fe had Afty casualtes at the
Quarry
fro" pre"ature bursts. 9t !as not the fault of the gunners, but
ether
the guns !ere !orn or the shells !ere defect#e.
29llustraton' 7cene of -ttacks by 41th .#son. 7ept. )4%=o#.
)I, )*)6.5
9 lost t!o sergeant%nstructors n the Quarry. 7ergt. /oUat !as badly
ht n the thgh !th a frag"ent fro" a pre"ature and ded a fe!
days
after. 7ergt. 8ogg !as !ounded n the chest by a bullet, but not
fatally. The !ounded and prsoners began to strea" back past the
Quarry. -nd as they ca"e !e began to get ne!s of our frends n
front. Though successful the Brgade had to pay a hea#y prce. The
Ith
=.F. !ere lterally cut to peces. 9 lost "any frends klled,
ncludng ;apt. :.F. /er#ale, 0nd%&eut. :. (obnson, and 7ergt.
-ustn, and "any "ore !ounded, ncludng ;apt. G.F. Ball.2))5
.urng
the attack thrty%se#en out of the eghty bo"bers of the +th =.F.
!ere
klled or !ounded, and the bo"bers of the Ith =.F. pad a stll
hea#er prce, ncludng ther gallant oJcer klled.
-t I P./. the )4)st 9nfantry Brgade took o#er the operatons on our
front and contnued the attack at nght. =eKt day B.8.Q. returned to
/a"etS Food.2)05 9 had to pay a #st to the nearest large
dressng%staton to get the ant%tetanus noculaton. Ths pro#ed
"ore
troubleso"e than the s"all cut 9 rece#ed, and t "ade "e feel farly
!eak for the neKt ten days. On 7epte"ber 01 9 !ent !th ;apt. ..
8ll
to select a place for a du"p near 8gh Food, and !e passed o#er
the
Arst captured Ger"an trench. There !ere fe! of our "en lyng
about,
for the bural partes had been hard at !ork. But farther back around
9nter"edate Trench there !ere ples of Brtsh and Ger"an solders
stll lyng !here they had fallen !eeks before. Fe had no! to get a
nu"ber of sandbag carrers "ade for takng "ore grenades up the
lne,
and 9 !as g#en a s"all party fro" the 4th =.F. to get ths done.
-bout 7epte"ber 00 !e returned to the lne, and B.8.Q. to the ;halk
Quarry at BaSentn%le%Pett. 9 ha#e but a confused recollecton of the
perod fro" no! to the end of our stay n ths localty. /y ser#ant
had a lucky escape n the Quarry. 8e !as sttng outsde "y dugout
!th t!o others "akng so"e tea, !hen a s"all shell fell rght n the
"ddle of ther feet. -ll !ere thro!n o#er by the eKploson, but only
one !as really hurt%%;apt. Bloo"erEs ser#ant. Fe brought the poor
fello! nto the dugout, !th hs rght ar" al"ost se#ered at the
elbo!X and !e spent the neKt ten "nutes tyng h" up as best !e
could. 8e ded about a !eek later. 9 also re"e"ber payng t!o #sts
to a "ost unpleasant spot selected as the Brgade a""unton
du"p, at
the juncton of ;rescent -lley and 7pence Trench. The Ger"an
artllery
ne#er see"ed to lea#e t alone.
-bout October M the 4th =.F., co""anded by &eut.%;ol. =.9. Frght
attacked the Flers &ne, and took t!o trenches. Before ths attack
started a huge ho!tSer !as brought up and placed on the !est sde
of
/a"etS Food. -nd durng the one and a half hours precedng the
attack,
t Ared sKty )4%nch shells nto &e 7ars, of !hch only t!o faled
to burst. On October 4 the 41th .#son !as rele#ed, and B.8.Q.
"o#ed back to a doctorEs house n -lbert. That nght General O#ens
ga#e a dnner to the oJcers of the 7taU at a restaurant n the
to!n, !here a good repast !as ser#ed by so"e French c#lans.
=eKt
day !e "o#ed farther back to /llencourt, and !e !ere blleted n a
nce house.
FOOT=OTE7'
2))5 The t!o other ;o"pany ;o""anders of the +th =.F., ;apt. L.
/er#ale, /.;., and ;apt. E.F. ;lennell, /.;., got safely through the
acton.
2)05 -t ths place 9 Arst had the opportunty of speakng to our
.#sonal ;o""ander, /ajor%General 7r P.7. Flknson, >.;./.G.,
;.B., !ho !as belo#ed by e#ery one n the .#son.
NL9
/9&&E=;O<(T
9 !ent oU to /llencourt, on October 6, n front of the rest of
Brgade n order to look for a bo"bng ground. 9 found one all rght,
but 9 cannot say that t !as altogether safe or n #ery good
condton. The Arng%trench !as a sRuare e"place"ent cut nto the
ground and there !as no easy eKt n case of troubleX also our
predecessors there ob#ously had had an accdent on the spot, for 9
found a boK of /lls grenades lyng there, half bured, t!o or three
of the grenades eKploded and the rest "ore or less da"aged and n
a
dangerous condton. 8o!e#er, the "ess !as cleared up at last, and
9
had to "ake the best of the place, such as t !as. 9 had no! only
7ergt. P. Flanngan to help "e, but &eut.%;ol. 7cott :ackson, ..7.O.,
"y colonel, kndly allo!ed &.%7ergt. Percy of the +th =.F. to co"e
and assst n the tranng at the Brgade Bo"bng 7chool. -fter the
hea#y Aghtng the Brgade !as suppled !th large drafts of ne!
"en.
They ca"e cheVy fro" the Fen country and !ere only partally
traned. 9 found the" far "ore dJcult to nstruct n bo"bng than
the =orthu"berland "ners. 9 had bet!een forty and Afty of these
"en
each day, and they had to thro! t!o l#e grenades before they left.
One eKctng e#ent happened durng ths tranng. One of the drafts
!as about to thro! hs grenade, !hen he dropped t and of course t
started to burn. Fth great Ruckness and resoluton 7ergt.
Flanngan
pcked t up and got t out of the trench before t burst%%and hs
acton undoubtedly a#erted a tragedy. /any "en ha#e rece#ed
decoratons for s"lar acts n the trenches, but the Brgade decded
that nothng could be done n ths case eKcept "entonng t n
.#sonal Orders and recordng t n the 7ergeantEs pay book. -fter
ths 9 arranged !th the 7ergeant to keep an undetonated grenade
handy, and f any "an see"ed too ner#ous to thro! hs Arst
grenade
safely, !e suppled h" !th ths. 8e !ent through all the e"otons
of
thro!ng a l#e grenade, and endangered nether h"self nor us. The
e"pty grenade !as then pcked up and treated as a Edud,E .e. one
that
had "sAred. Bet!een October + and October 0), I++ ne! "en
!ent
through the bo"bng course, and nearly a thousand grenades !ere
Ared.
7hortly after ths 7ergt. P. Flanngan !ent to the ;orps 7chool, Arst
as a bo"ber and after!ards as a &e!s gun nstructorX and 9 ne#er
had
hs ser#ces agan.
Brgader%General O#ens !as a pleasant, genal 9rsh"an, !ho tred
to
"ake us all feel at ho"e n hs "ess. But 9 doubt !hether the 9rsh
really understand the =orthu"brans or #ce #ersa. -t ths t"e :ohn
;oates, the fa"ous tenor snger, ca"e out as a leutenant n the
$orkshre (eg"ent. 8e !as attached to us for a t"e. 9t !as a
sportng thng for h" to do, but he !as nether young enough nor
hard
enough to stand the se#ertes of the ca"pagn. 8e acted as
GeneralEs
Orderly%OJcer for a t"e and after!ards beca"e To!n /ajor of
B[court, not an easy or a #ery pleasant job. 8e sang se#eral t"es
for
the "en, once n the open ar, and hs sngng !as certanly top
hole.
.urng ths stay at /llencourt 9 pad a Vyng #st to -"ens !th
&eut. -.E. Odell. Fe !ent there and back n a .#sonal 7gnal car
and stopped only a fe! hours, n fact for dnner.
-bout October 0I !e !ent to -lbert, stoppng one nght at the sa"e
house as before, and neKt day !e !ent back to the lne.
NL99
8OO> 7-P
On October 04, )*)6, !e took o#er fro" a brgade of the )st
.#son
at the runed sugar factory at BaSentn%le%Grand. The sleepng
apart"ents !ere n a dugout belo! ground, but the "ess roo" and
oJces !ere n the buldng on the ground Voor. -fter arr#ng 9
!ent !th a bo"bng sergeant of the Black Fatch to ha#e a look at
the
Brgade .u"p, !hch !as a good !ay fro" B.8.Q. $ou got at t by
!alkng across country to the !est end of 8gh Food, and then
along a
trench tra"!ay tll t ended rather abruptly at the Flers 7!tch. &ke
"ost du"ps, t !as at the end of the tra"!ay and none too healthy
a
spot. 9t !as after!ards "o#ed for!ard to a sunken road called
E8eKha"
(oad,E !here the boKes of a""unton !ere just pled n the open.
The poston n front !as no! as follo!s. The )st .#son had
pushed
the ene"y back to a lne along the top of a rdge runnng fro" the
Butte of Farlencourt practcally due east. Ths rdge pre#ented our
seeng the ene"yEs approaches and support postons n &e BarRue.
On
the other hand fro" &oupart Food the !hole of our approaches and
support trenches !ere n full #e! of the ene"y, as far back as 8gh
Food. -cross those t!o "les no one could "o#e n daylght !thout
beng seen by the ene"y, and there !as practcally no poston to
put
our Aeld guns for!ard of 8gh Food. The ene"yEs front lne
conssted
of t!o trenches%%Grd &ne and Grd 7upport%%!th a for!ard trench
on
the top of the rdge, called on the left EButte TrenchE on the rght
E8ook 7ap.E Our front lne 7nag Trench and /aK!ell Trench lay ths
sde the rdge and about t!o hundred yards a!ay fro" the Ger"an
for!ard trench.
The Butte of Farlencourt, an old Gallc bural place, !as a round
chalk hll, rsng about )11 feet abo#e ground le#elX and had been
"ned !th deep dugouts and "ade nto a for"dable strong pont.
Fro"
the Butte "achne%guns defended the approaches to 8ook 7ap, and
fro"
8ook 7ap and the Grd &ne "achne%guns defended the approaches
to the
Butte. The ground bet!een and around the opposng trenches had
been
ploughed up !th nnu"erable shells, so"e of huge calbre, and t
!as
no! a spongy "orass, dJcult to cross at a !alk and "possble at a
run. -s e#ents pro#ed, unless both the Butte and the Grd &ne could
be taken at the sa"e t"e, the one !ould render the other
"possble
to hold. Ths then !as the proble" that faced the 41th .#son, a
proble" that !ould ha#e been dJcult enough n the drest of
!eather, but rendered four t"es "ore so by the ran !hch fell n
deluges on three days out of four durng the !hole of October and
=o#e"ber. 9 ha#e dealt !th these detals rather fully, because ths
phase of the 7o""e battle has been passed o#er as a thng of no
account. The eyes of the publc ha#e been drected to the successful
operatons at Beau"ont 8a"el and Beaucourt. They ha#e not been
drected to the "sery and horror that !ere endured herocally but
una#alngly on the slopes bet!een Eaucourt &E-bbaye and &e
BarRue.
=e#er ha#e the solders of the 41th .#son deser#ed "ore and !on
less prase than they dd durng the operatons bet!een October 04
and
=o#e"ber )4. 9 ha#e no pen to descrbe the condtons that !ere
faced
by the bra#e "en, !ho, after labourng unceasngly n the sl"y
horrors and ran for three !eeks !thout rest or relef, stor"ed and
took 8ook 7ap, only to be cut oU and klled to the last "an by
success#e counter%attacks. 9t s a sorro!ful page n the hstory of
the +th =.F., but for stark gr" courage and de#oton to duty t
cannot be surpassed by anythng n the hstory of the battalon.
The Arst attack on the Butte and Butte Trench took place about the
begnnng of =o#e"ber and !as "ade by the )4)st 9nfantry
Brgade. On
the rght the attack dd not succeedX but on the left the troops
reached the Butte and took or klled "any Ger"ans. <nfortunately
the
"achne%guns behnd the Butte pre#ented the Brgade fro"
consoldatng the ground !on, and the troops e#entually retred to
ther orgnal lne. .urng ths operaton the "en of the )I*th
9nfantry Brgade !ere e"ployed n carryng up stores and as
stretcher
partes. E#entually, about =o#e"ber )0, the Brgade took o#er the
front lne, !th a #e! to rene!ng the attack !hene#er the !eather
should per"t. Our 8.Q. !ere establshed at 7e#en El"s, about a
"le
fro" the front lne, !th rear 8.Q. at the sugar factory. -t da!n on
=o#e"ber )I the Brgade attacked the 8ook 7ap and Grd &ne, the
4th
=.F. on the rght, the +th =.F. on the left opposte the sap. -t the
sa"e t"e an -ustralan ;orps attacked farther to the rght, but no
attack !as "ade on the Butte tself. -n oJcer, !ho !as n the
trenches south%!est of the Butte and sa! the =orthu"berlands go
for!ard, told "e that he had ne#er seen such a strange sght. The
"en
staggered for!ard a fe! yards, tu"bled nto shell%holes or stopped
to
pull out less fortunate co"rades, for!ard a fe! "ore yards, and the
sa"e agan and agan. -ll the !hle the "achne%guns fro" the
Ger"an
trenches poured a ptless hal nto the slo!ly ad#ancng lneX and
the Ger"an guns opened out a hea#y barrage on the trenches and
on the
ground outsde. 9n spte of "ud, n spte of hea#y casualtes, the
sur##ors of t!o co"panes of the +th =.F. struggled across that
spongy s!a"p and ganed the Ger"an lne. Fhat happened after
that can
only be conjectured, for they ne#er kept touch !th the 4th =.F., !ho
reached and took the Grd &ne. But t s kno!n that the +th =.F. got
a footng both n 8ook 7ap and n the Grd &ne behnd. The
Ger"ans
barraged the captured trenches t!ce or three t"es durng the day,
and are thought to ha#e attacked the" n force !th fresh reser#es
each t"e. O!ng to the hea#y and contnuous barrage across =o
/anEs
&and no ne!s could be got back and no supports could be sent
for!ard.
Fnally, at nght, the re"nants of the shattered brgade !ere
collected, and another atte"pt "ade to reach the trenchesX but the
Ger"ans had e#dently no! got back to ther old poston and n the
"ud and darkness the fresh attack had lttle chance of success.
=othng "ore has been seen or heard of the t!o co"panes that
reached
8ook 7ap. 9t s bele#ed that they pershed to the last "an,
o#er!hel"ed by success#e Ger"an counter%attacks. 7econd%&eut.
E.G.
&a!son fell at 8ook 7ap, also 0nd%&eut. (.8.F. Foods, both Bo"bng
OJcers of the +th =.F.X also Bo"bng 7ergts. :.(. (chardson and :.
Percy.
The 4th =.F. dd !ell ndeed, for they succeeded n holdng ther
ground n the Grd &ne and handed t o#er neKt day to the troops
that
rele#ed the". But that also had to be abandoned at last, o!ng to
ts
solated poston.
The only consolaton that can be dra!n fro" ths heroc but tragc
aUar s that t "ay ha#e created a d#erson to our successful
operatons at Beaucourt. -s an solated operaton t !as doo"ed
fro"
the start o!ng to the state of the ground and the eKhauston of the
"en !ho took part n t.
/y o!n part n the suUerngs of the Brgade at ths t"e !as so
nsgnAcant that t s not !orth g#ng "any detals of "y
eKperences. 9 found !alkng o#er the "uddy ground "ost terrbly
eKhaustng, especally n a trench coat drppng !th ran and "ud.
-nd t !as a long !ay, o#er three "les, fro" rear 8.Q. to the du"p
at
8eKha" (oad. One "ornng 9 !ent !th /ajor -nderson to the runs
of
Eaucourt &E-bbaye on a #st of nspecton. For "onths ths !as a
terrbly shelled place, and t !as no! nothng but a ple of broken
stcks and brckdust. Fe !ere lucky to get clear of t before the
"ornng hate began. There !ere stll large nu"bers of Brtsh and
Ger"an dead lyng n heaps round the Flers &neX and t!o broken
do!n
tanks co"pleted the pcture of "uddy desolaton. On =o#e"ber )I,
the
day of the battle, 9 !ent up to ad#anced B.8.Q. at 7e#en El"s,
!here
Ruarters !ere #ery cro!ded. 9 re"e"ber beng so tred out that
nght
that 9 fell asleep standng n one of the passages, propped aganst
one of the !alls. =eKt day 9 returned to the sugar factory. -nd on
=o#e"ber )+ B.8.Q. "o#ed back to a bllet n -lbert. 8ere, on
=o#e"ber
)*, 9 attended the Battalon ;hurch Parade n a barn. - "ere handful
of "en, gaunt, hollo!%cheeked, and eKhausted, ther faces dead
!hte
and ther clothes al"ost n rags, t !as one of the saddest parades 9
can re"e"ber.
.urng ths #st to the lne 9 Arst had the ser#ces of Pte.
Farclough of the 4th =.F. as "y Brgade Bo"bng Orderly, and he
re"aned !th "e n that capacty tll 9 left the Brgade n )*),. 9
found h" a "ost useful, !llng "an, and he soon ganed hs lance
strpe. On =o#e"ber )*, o!ng to the kndness of /ajor -nderson, 9
!as
granted lea#e to England for ten days. 8e told the General that 9
!as
lookng rather !ar%!orn and that 9 should be needed for further
grenade tranng on "y return.
9t !as durng ths #st to BaSentn%le%Grand that 9 Arst started
studyng 9ntellgence !ork. The Brgade%/ajor asked "e to spend
"y
spare t"e n assstng h" !th so"e aeroplane photographs. 9 had
to
go o#er the daly seres that ca"e n fro" the ;orps, and note
anythng ne! on our o!n part of the front. /ajor -nderson !as an
eKpert reader of these photographs, and he taught "e all 9 kno!
about
the subject. 9 found t an nterestng subject, and t !as to ha#e a
great nVuence o#er "y future career.
NL999
7E;O=. &E-LE%%B(E7&E
/y journey fro" -lbert to England !as re"arkable for the hardshps
that occurred. 9t should be re"e"bered that e#ery one !as
desperately
tred and !orn out already. Fe !ere told to appear at -lbert staton
at "dnght. Fhen !e got there !e !ere told to eKpect the tran at
0.)4 -./. Ths "eant !alkng about the platfor" to keep !ar", for
there !as no shelter for oJcers at the staton. ;apt. :.O. -glonby,
;.F., our padre, and ;apt. &dderdale, (.-./.;, our battalon doctor,
!ere both gong by the sa"e tran, so 9 !as not !thout co"pany.
Fhen
0.)4 -./. ca"e there !as no tran, and !e kept !alkng about tll
da!n
broke, but stll no tran. The (.T.O. then told us that there had been
a breakdo!n and that the tran could not be eKpected for a long
t"e.
7o !e decded to go and get breakfast at our bllets and then to go
to
-"ens by "otor%lorry, and catch the tran there. -t least there
!ould
be less chance of beng shelled there, and so"e food and shelter.
7o !e set oU about )1 oEclock and e#entually got to -"ens, !here
!e
had a decent lunch. Fe had to keep hangng about the staton,
ho!e#er, nRurng for the tran. 9t arr#ed about * P./., about
eghteen hours late, and !e !ere glad enough to get on board. 9t s
dJcult enough to sleep sttng n a tran, but 9 thnk 9 "anaged a
fe! hours of troubled sleep. -nd neKt "ornng !e arr#ed n &e
8a#re.
The Arst thng there !as to "arch the "en do!n to a rest ca"p a
long
!ay fro" the to!n, and a good !ay fro" the docks. Fe !ere told to
report back at the sa"e place at 0.M1 P./. 7o !e trudged back to &e
8a#re and got sha#ed and fed. On returnng to the (est ;a"p !e
!ere
told that the boat !ould lea#e n t!enty "nutes and that, as t !as
a
good thrty "nutes !alk, !e had better be Ruck. Fortunately !e
got
hold of a "otor%car and got a lft part of the !ay and hurred along
after that as fast as !e could. Fhen !e reached the dock !e found
the
boat !ould not lea#e for another t!o hours. The organsaton here
!as
rotten just at ths t"e, but t "pro#ed later. TThe LperT, a fast
packet%boat, took us across to 7outha"pton. -nd neKt "ornng 9
proceeded to Feston%super%/are, ha#ng taken nearly three days on
the
journey. /ost of that lea#e 9 spent n bed n the hands of the doctor.
9 !as utterly !orn out, not only !th eKhauston, but !th the
depresson naturally caused by losng so "any frends and
co"rades n
a "anner apparently so frutless.
The co"pany of recruts 9 had at -ln!ck, !as practcally !ped out,
9
found about t!o of the" !th the battalon !hen 9 returned. Only
ele#en !ere left of the battalon bo"bers, "y good co"rades of the
7alent. The Bo"bng OJcers of the four battalons !ere all
casualtes, four of the" klled. There !ere fe! traned bo"bers left
n the !hole brgade. 9 !ent back to France on .ece"ber 0 n
anythng
but buoyant sprts.
On returnng to -lbert 9 found that the Brgade !ere blleted at the
s"all #llage of Bresle. -nd 9 got there !thout "uch dJculty. The
!eather !as !et and cold, as t generally s n .ece"berX but act#e
preparatons !ere soon started for gettng the Bo"bng 7chool
open. Fe
found a farly good bo"bng%pt for the Brgade 7chool, but !e had
to
"ake one for the battalons. 9 !as no! !thout traned nstructors
and
9 had no Brgade Bo"bng 7ergeant, but 9 !as lent ;orp. /unro, a
bo"ber fro" the 6th =.F., and 9 "ade !hat use 9 could of Pte.
Farclough, "y orderly. The result !as that 9 had not only to attend
to all the l#e Arng, but 9 had to do the sergeantsE !ork as !ell.
-fter!ards there !ere the grenades to be sorted out for neKt day
and a
frendly hand g#en to the Bo"bng OJcers of the battalons, "ost
of
!ho" !ere ne! to ther !ork.
.urng our stay at Bresle I++ fresh "en !ent through the recrutsE
bo"bng course. -nd on .ece"ber 06 and 0+ the tests !ere carred
out
!th the battalon bo"bers, for the purpose of grantng the
Bo"bersE
Badge. These tests !ere no! "ade "uch "ore dJcult to pass, and
only
se#en "en passed the thro!ng and Arng tests. -fter ths perod 9
ne#er carred out any further nstructon n the hand%grenade. The
drafts later on ca"e out "ore fully traned and the Battalon
Bo"bng
OJcers carred on any further nstructon that !as reRured. .urng
and n preparaton for the operatons on the 7o""e )6 oJcers and
0)16 "en !ent through the courseX and at least 4111 l#e grenades
!ere
thro!n. 9 !as lucky to ha#e no accdent !th the /lls grenade, and
no
fatal ones e#en !th the rVe%grenade.
General O#ens !ent on lea#e at Bresle, and &eut.%;ol. G. 7cott
:ackson, O.;. +th =.F., ca"e as Brgade ;o""ander to our 8.Q. Fe
had
h" se#eral t"es agan n that capacty, and he !as al!ays a
fa#ourte n our "ess. 8s Ane record and ser#ces are !ell kno!nX a
..7.O. and Bar, he probably co""anded a Aghtng battalon as long
as
any oJcer n France. Fro" the t"e !hen the battalon landed n
France n -prl )*)4 tll he left the battalon for the (.-./.;. at
the latter end of )*)+, he !as only oU duty for about three days, n
a Ruet part of the lne. 8e al!ays looked a pcture of robust
strength, ne#er "ssed hs cold bath e#en !th the te"perature
near
Sero, and !as one of the "ost opt"stc "en n the !hole Brgade.
8e
!as a "ost pleasant kndly Brgade ;o""ander, !th the supre"e
#rtue
of lea#ng the specalsts to do ther !ork n ther o!n !ay.
Before !e left Bresle 9 got a Brgade Bo"bng 7ergeant%%7ergeant T.
/atthe!son of the 4th =.F., !ho had had long eKperence as
Battalon
Bo"bng 7ergeant, and !as a thoroughly traned and relable "an. 9
found h" "ost useful n hs ne! oJce and 9 a" glad to kno! that
he
got safely through the !ar. -"ongst other acco"plsh"ents he !as
a
good !cket%keeper, as 9 found later on.
On ;hrst"as .ay 9 !ent to dnner !th the +th =.F. at ther 8.Q.,
and
!as #ery hosptably entertaned. The Brgade "o#ed fro" Bresle to
a
ca"p at B[court on =o#e"ber 0,, and stayed there t!o daysX and
then
took o#er fro" a Brgade of the )st .#son at BaSentn%le%Pett.
N9N
B<TTE OF F-(&E=;O<(T%%T(E=;8 F-(F-(E
On .ece"ber M1, )*)6, the Brgade !as n the reser#e area about
BaSentn%le%Pett, and ready to take o#er the lne of trenches runnng
east!ards fro" a pont south of the Butte of Farlencourt. =o
"ateral
change had taken place on ths part of the front snce the frutless
attack of =o#e"ber )). The )st .#son, ho!e#er, had done a good
deal
of !ork n the back areas, and had lad duck%board tracks fro" 8gh
Food to the front lne, and ncreased the nu"ber of lght ral!ays.
B.8.Q. !ere at so"e dugouts at the E;ough .rop,E a place about a
"le
north of 8gh Food. The )I*th 9nfantry Brgade had no! decded to
"ake
use of a party of EObser#ers,E and /ajor -nderson asked "e to take
charge of the". 9 !as a lttle dJdent about ths as 9 had ne#er had
any eKperence as a Battalon 9ntellgence OJcer and really kne!
nothng at all about obser#aton. But 9 !as glad to take on the job,
and 9 soon got to lke t. On .ece"ber M1, therefore, t!o traned
obser#ers fro" each of the four battalons of the Brgade reported to
"e. -nd 9 had t!o =.;.Os. !th ths party%%a corporal of the Ith =.F.,
!ho soon left to take a co""sson, and &.%;. -"os of the +th =.F.,
!ho after!ards beca"e =.;.O. n charge. On the sa"e day 9 "et the
9ntellgence OJcer of the )st Brgade !ho took "e o#er the lne and
sho!ed "e the t!o O.P.s. 9 !as lucky to "eet at the start an oJcer
!ho understood the busness so !ell. 8e ga#e "e "any useful
hnts, and
handed o#er an eKcellent panora"c sketch "ap of the #e! fro"
one
O.P., as !ell as the &og Book. The latter !as a notebook contanng
reports of e#ery "o#e"ent of the ene"y seen fro" the O.P.s. On
.ece"ber M) 9 took the party of obser#ers up to the ;ough .rop
!here
they had a shelter near B.8.Q. 9 had also super#son of the t!o
Brgade du"ps, one at 8eKha" (oad and the other at the Flers &ne
about half a "le north of B.8.Q. Both places ca"e n for hea#y
shellng at nter#als all day and nght, for both !ere stuated about
the end of a trench tra"!ay, an ob#ous place for du"png stores.
8o!e#er 9 had the latter du"p "o#ed to a better place, so"e
dstance
fro" the tra"!ay, !here there !as less scrap ron lyng about.
.urng
ths tour n the lne !hch lasted eght days, 9 !as e"ployed n
lookng after the obser#ers and the t!o Brgade bo"b stores.
To!ards
the close of our stay 9 started to "ake a ne! bo"b store n 8eKha"
(oad. ;apt. 8. &ddell ga#e "e the general desgn of t and told "e
!hat "aterals 9 should reRure. But 9 had no "ore t"e than to get
the e"place"ent dug out and the !ooden fra"e!ork erected.2)M5 9
re"e"ber that !e struck t!o bured Ger"ans n eKca#atng the
e"place"ent and had to treat the" !th so"e #ery po!erful
corros#e
before the !ork could be contnued.
-lso t !as rather a !ar" corner n 8eKha" (oad, and 9 caught a
shell
splnter on the legX ths, ho!e#er, struck the steel buckle on "y
trench boot and only rased a bruse. The !eather beca"e #ery cold
to!ards the end of our stay, !th sno! and frost. The Ger"ans
opposte
our trenches !ere not dsposed to be unfrendly about the =e! $ear.
On
the left near the Butte they sgnalled to our "en n the trenches
before a trench%"ortar bo"bard"ent started, as f to !arn the" to
take
co#er. On the rght they !ere stll "ore nclned to fraternse. 8ere
both sdes !ere holdng trenches that !ould ha#e beco"e
"possble f
any snpng had been done. 7o both our "en and the Ger"ans
!orked a!ay
at deepenng ther o!n trenches !thout "olestng ther opponentsX
although so"et"es a cro!d of "en !ere eKposed fro" the !ast
up!ards
at a range of about 011 yards.
9t !as one of those curous understandngs !hch arse !hen no
#olent
operatons are n progress. 8o!e#er, on =e! $earEs .ay t !ent
e#en
further. - solder of the 4th =.F., after sgnals fro" the Ger"ans,
!ent out nto =o /anEs &and and had a drnk !th a party of the".
-fter ths a s"all party of the ene"y approached our trenches
!thout
ar"s and !th e#dently frendly ntentons. But they !ere !arned
oU
and not allo!ed to enter our trenches. Ths lttle aUar, 9 bele#e,
led to the solder beng court%"artalled for holdng ntercourse !th
the ene"y. -fter eght days n the lne the Brgade returned to a
ca"p
at the north end of /a"etS Food. B.8.Q. !ere close to a battery of
*%nch ho!tSers, and !hen these hea#y guns Ared a sal#o, !hch
they
dd occasonally both day and nght, t farly lfted the thngs oU
the table. Fe got shelled here one nght, but beyond gettng a
sho!er
or t!o of splnters and stones on to the huts no da"age !as done. 9
had no! t"e to ra"ble round, and eKa"ne #arous thngs of
nterest.
9 found a regular du"p of Ger"an bo"bs at BaSentn%le%Grand, and
so"e
of these !ere collected for tranng purposes.
There !ere so"e .#sonal baths at BaSentn%le%Pett, and 9
re"e"ber
ha#ng a "ost cold and "serable bath there one nghtX but t !as
better than none at all. 9t !as surprsng ho! Ruckly the hea#y
ral!ay had been brought along. 9t no! reached 8gh Food, but of
course dd not cross the rdge, !hch !ould ha#e been n #e! of the
ene"y. -bout :anuary )4 !e !ent back to the lne n #ery cold
!eather,
and B.8.Q. stayed at the ;ough .rop agan for eght days. .urng
ths
t"e 9 set to !ork co"pletng the bo"b store at 8eKha" (oad, and
Allng t !th grenades. Each "ornng 9 got a party of about sKteen
"en, and !e collected a lot of Alled sandbags to pack round the
fra"e!ork and shed !hch !ere soon Anshed. The Brgade
obser#ers
held a post n the old Flers &ne, fro" !hch good obser#aton !as
obtaned on the ground bet!een &oupart Food and Gre#llers. 9t !as
not
dJcult to get the hea#y gunners to Are on Ger"an !orkng%partes
that !ere spotted by the obser#ersX and se#eral partes !ere duly
dspersed by our shells. Before !e left the lne ths t"e, the
Brgade bo"b store at 8eKha" (oad !as co"pleted and Alled. -nd
!hen 9
#sted the dstrct agan n :une )*)+ t !as stll standng. 9 also
began no! to !rte out the Brgade 9ntellgence (eports !hch !ere
sent n each day, and contaned a su""ary of the e#ents that had
happened or had been obser#ed on our front. On :anuary 0M !e
!ent back
to the ca"p north of /a"etS Food.
-fter a fe! days !e "o#ed oU to -lbert, and stayed t!o or three
days
n a house near the ral!ay lne. The to!n got both bo"bed and
shelled
at t"es, though not #ery se#erely. -fter ths !e "o#ed oU to the
#llage of .ernancourt for a short rest.
/ajor ;.G. :ohnson, /.;., !ho !as adjutant of the +th =.F. !hen 9
joned the battalon, !as no! attached to B.8.Q. as
-ssstant%7taU%;aptan. 8e !as an eKceedngly able "an, and had a
good
kno!ledge of "ltary la!. Fe all lked h" !ell as adjutant of the
battalon, and our relatons at B.8.Q. !ere al!ays frendly. 8e left us
e#entually to beco"e ..-.Q./.G. n a hgher 7taU for"aton.
FOOT=OTE7'
2)M5 Pte. 7lack @+th =.F.B, a Brgade poneer, helped "e greatly !th
the carpenterEs !ork.
NN
F(-=;E -=. T8E F(E=;8
The !ar has done at least one thng for "e. 9t has opened "y eyes
and
changed "y #e!s !th regard to the French. 9 confess that once 9
had
no lkng for the" and a certan "easure of conte"pt. 9 suppose the
a#erage Englsh"an has started !th #e!s lke these. There has
been
bad blood bet!een the t!o races, and that at no #ery dstant date.
9ndeed the -llance or Entente started "uch lke a "arrage of
con#enence. The t!o partners !ere joned n nterest together
aganst
a co""on foe and a co""on danger.
Personally, 9 do not thnk there !as "uch lo#e lost bet!een the t!o
natons for so"e t"e after the !ar started. The bond of "utual
ad"raton and respect, and 9 hope of aUecton, !as forged n the
Battle of the 7o""e and n the heroc defence of Lerdun. Ths bond
has
been strengthened snce on "any a strcken Aeld. The clouds of
"utual
"strust and jealousy ha#e been largely dspelled. Fe ha#e learnt
"uch
about the French snce the early days of the !ar, and they "uch
about
usX other!se t !ould ha#e been "possble for a French General to
be n supre"e co""and of the ca"pagn.
9 ha#e often co"e n contact !th the French c#lan n to!n and
country, but only rarely !th French troops. -lso 9 ha#e co"e to
kno!
and lke a seres of French nterpreters attached to battalons or
brgade. The deeds of the French -r"y speak for the"sel#es, and
ther
7taU !ork has been often beyond prase. Fhen !e re"e"ber the
cruel
fate that befell the north%eastern corner of France and ts unhappy
ctSens, !e "ay sy"pathse !th the fury of the French naton
aganst
ther old oppressors. =o one l#ng n England can realse the
hdeous
!ounds nVcted on ths far country%sde. 9t "ay eKplan to so"e
eKtent at least the heroc resstance of the French for o#er four
years%%a resstance that could scarcely ha#e been predcted before
the
!ar.
9n consderng our relatons !th the French at dUerent t"es, t s
!ell to ha#e a deep sy"pathy for the cruel !rongs she has suUered.
Thus they "ust ha#e regarded !th #ery "Ked feelngs ther
harbours,
ral!ays, and to!ns beng taken o#er by an alen though frendly
people.
-ll thngs consdered the French"an "ay !ell ha#e sad at the Arst,
EThese Englsh, they are e#ery!hereWE -t least, ths 9 notced !hen 9
arr#ed n &e 8a#re n :anuary )*)6, there !as no enthusas" for us
there. There !as no rudeness, t s true, but the at"osphere of the
place !as rather chlly and aloof. The country folk about /eteren
see"ed pleased to see usX 9 thnk they had got used to the !ays of
the Brtsh solder and found h" not such a bad fello! after all. 9t
!as pleasant to see the country folks round here after our stay n
Flanders, co"ely and straght, "e"bers of a thoroughbred race.
The
contrast !as rather forcble perhaps.
The Brgade 9nterpreter n )*)6, /onseur Bunge, a nat#e of &e
8a#re,
!as a pleasant, l#ely sort of person, al!ays ready for a joke and an
ad"rer of the Brtsh. Fth h" 9 got on #ery !ellX and 9 learnt one
or t!o thngs of the French fro" h". One of the" !as ho!
senst#e
they are n s"all "atters of con#ersaton. 9f n your hea#y Englsh
!ay you dd not respond at once !th an"aton to hs re"arks, /.
Bunge thought he had oUended you.
They are a #ery senst#e race, especally n "atters of courtesy. The
colder "anner and bearng of the Brtsh "ust ha#e been a sore tral
to the" tll they got to understand the"%%especally f they !ere
layng the"sel#es out to be frendly. 9t s !orth !hle to let
yourself go a bt n the "atter of speech and bearng !hen talkng
to
the". -nd, abo#e all thngs, f you !ant to please the", try to talk
to the" n French, ho!e#er badly, for they all take t as a great
co"pl"ent. -nother thng 9 dsco#ered !as the un!llngness of the
French oJcers to take the ntat#e n salutngX yet they !ould
ne#er fal to return such a courtesy. Perhaps ther earler
eKperences n ths lttle "atter had been dscouragng. 9t s "uch
the sa"e !th the polus and far"er folk. 9f you !sh the" EBonjourE
they !ould n#arably respond and also salute.
&ater on 9 had a day or t!o n -"ens !hch pro#ded so"e
"pressons
of the French solders. The oJcers there contrasted rather forcbly
!th our o!n, 9 re"e"ber. They !ere #ery s"artly dressed n
ho"e%parade unfor"s, !ore ther "edals, and carred the"sel#es
!th
an ad"rable prde and sprt. Our oJcers, on the other hand,
dressed n the ho"ely khak, often the !orse for !ear, had generally
an ar of !ar%!earness. =o doubt "ost of our "en had co"e al"ost
straght fro" the battle%Aeld and !ere enjoyng only a fe! hoursE
relaKaton n ths Ane cty. 7tll t "ade one reVect that the
French are ndeed a naton of solders !hch !e are not. Fe
ob#ously
ha#e not the sa"e prde n the paraphernala of !ar, and that sho!s
!hch !ay the !nd blo!s. 9 also sa! a nu"ber of polus gong on
lea#e
and returnng to the lne. They looked #ery Ruet and patent, but
!thout a great deal of enthusas" sho!ng on the surface. &ater on
9
sa! French solders on the "arch se#eral t"es. They get o#er the
ground #ery fastX but t s "ore go as you please !th the" than
!th
us. 9 ha#e often notced ho! gra#e these polus look, e#en after the
!ar !as o#er. =othng of the reckless fun and eKplos#e good
hu"our of
the Brtsh solder. 9f the latter s not ha#ng a rotten t"e he s
!onderfully cheerful and often lght%hearted.
9 ha#e also seen the French solders holdng the lne n a Ruet partX
and ndeed !e Etook o#erE fro" the" there. They do not eKpose
the"sel#es nearly so "uch as !e do near the trenches. E#erythng
see"ed to be done !th scentAc "ethod and e#ery one see"ed to
kno!
eKactly !hat to do on all occasons. They hold ther front lne
thnly, trustng n case of accdents to reco#er t by a
counter%attack. -nd f the French are not Aghtng a battle they
generally keep ther front as Ruet as they can. Ths of course s all
#ery dUerent fro" our o!n syste". 9f !e had a Ruet part of the
lne, t !as generally because !e had slenced the ene"yEs guns
and
trench%"ortars by Aghtng.
9 had one great chance of studyng the French oJcer at ho"e n
these
trenches. 7hortly before takng o#er the French (eg"ental
;o""ander
n the lne asked our Brgader, Brgade%/ajor, and Eone other
oJcerE to #st the trenches, but to be sure and call n at
(eg"ental 8.Q. before proceedng up the lne. Ths !as really an
n#taton of good!ll and cere"ony rather than an n#taton to
eKa"ne the lne. But as ths !as not Rute understood at the t"e 9
!as ncluded n the party as Brgade Bo"bng OJcer, rather than
the
7taU%;aptan or /achne%Gun OJcer, ether of !ho" should ha#e
gone
n "y place. 7o on a terrbly cold day at the end of :anuary )*)+ !e
set oU, and after a long rde fro" .ernancourt to Fontane%les%;appy
n a "otor%car, !e arr#ed near (eg"ental 8.Q. and proceeded
there on
foot. The Brgader !as a far French lngust, 9 had about t!o !ords
of French, and the Brgade%/ajor had none. 7o t !as just as !ell
that
the junor Otat%/ajor happened to be a Vuent Englsh speaker.
9ndeed, he had spent a good t"e n =e!castle and kne! not only
England but the north. Fe !ere !elco"ed by the French Brgader
!th
e#ery "ark of courtesy and good!ll. 9t s the custo" for a French
oJcer to salute hs superor and then to shake hands !th h". The
salute s g#en e#en f you do not happen to be !earng a cap.
These !orthy and hosptable !arrors !ere n charge of a reg"ent
@or
as !e should say a brgadeB fro" the south of France about
BordeauK. 9
bele#e they had !on for the"sel#es a good reputaton as Aghtng
"en.
They kne!, ho!e#er, as !ell ho! to take care of the"sel#esX and 9
fancy they had a Arst%class chef a"ongst ther ser#ants. 9t !as a
great aUar, that "eal, !hch had been prepared to do us honour,
especally consderng that t !as ser#ed actually n the trenches.
Qute a nu"ber of dshes succeeded one another, and !ere !ashed
do!n
!th so"e eKcellent red !ne. These !ere follo!ed by se#eral
s!eets
and a glass of s!eet cha"pagne%%the latter to drnk to our good luck
n the ne! trenches%%glasses !ere sole"nly clnked at ths stage of
the proceedngsX after!ards cognac, coUee and cgars. The French
oJcers eKpressed consderable nterest n the Terrtoral ET.EsE on
"y tunc, askng !hat they stood for. The French ETerrtoralE s of
course a dUerent type to ours, beng n the nature of the last
reser#e, elderly "en not used as Estor"E or EshockE troops. The "eal
passed pleasantly ndeedX and at the end, a photograph "ust be
taken
as a sou#enr of the "eetng, and that !as duly done n the !nter
sunlght outsde. The French solders use s"all ca"eras n the
trenches, a pr#lege dened to us. 9 ha#e ne#er before or snce been
n such elaborate trenches as these that !e took o#er fro" the
French.
Last co""uncaton trenches, sK to ten feet deep, ran back for
"les
behnd the front lne. The sa"e !th the for!ard area, the nu"ber
of
deep trenches !as s"ply eKtraordnary. Ther dea "ay ha#e been
to
"ake so "any trenches that the ene"y !ould not kno! !hch to
shell.
<nfortunately the trenches !ere not re#etted, and !hen the frost
broke
!e ca"e to thnk less of the" and tra#elled as "uch as possble
across
the open. The nsde of the trenches !as #ery clean%%not a tn or a
scrap of paper to be seen. The refuse !as all du"ped just o#er the
parapet or n the shell%holes outsde. The French are accusto"ed to
an
easy syste" of santaton. .urng the day fe! French solders are
seen
outsde ther dugouts, eKcept partes cleanng the trenches. 9n the
front lne only a fe! sentres !ere kept on duty, and they !ere
rele#ed e#ery t!o hours. The French speak !th great conAdence of
ther Aeld artllery, the terrble +4Es. - battery of these guns
handled by French gunners can Are al"ost lke a "achne%gun, and
the
nose s deafenng.
-s a naton the French ha#e ther faults. They are eKceedngly proud
and Ruck to take oUence, they are not #ery stable or constant
@obstnate shall !e sayYB, and they are about the hardest barganers
n the !orld.
Thrft and "akng use of the shnng hour ha#e been dr#en to ther
last conclusons. The Brtsh solders ha#e been "ade to pay #ery
s!eetly for ther #st to France. 9 do not thnk the French e#er ga#e
the Brtsh such a !ar" !elco"e as the Belgans dd.
But !hen all s sad and done !e all ha#e our o!n faults, and the
French"anEs "ost shnng #rtue s patrots".
NN9
7O<T8 OF T8E 7O//E
-fter stayng for about a !eek or "ore at .ernancourt, the Brgade
rece#ed orders to go south of the 7o""e, and to take o#er part of
the
lne !on by the French ths sde of Peronne. Fe "arched, therefore,
through Bray and stayed t!o nghts at /ercourt and t!o at
Fontane%les%;appy. -t the latter place 9 !as surprsed to And so"e
gra#es of Brtsh solders !ho had fallen there n the earler part of
the !ar. -lso 9 had one eKctng eKperence at Fontane%les%;appy.
There !as a large grenade du"p near our ca"p, and, just as 9 !as
passng t, an eKploson took place. - party of "en had been
detonatng grenades, and t!o or three grenades had gone oU n the
boK, kllng t!o of the party and hurlng the grenades n a sho!er all
round the place. One fell close, and 9 !as lucky not to be rddled by
t. For the safety%pn !as blo!n out and the le#er of the grenade
held
do!n by a pece of !ood fro" the sde of the boK, !hch !as
ja""ed by
the eKploson nto the shoulder of the grenade. 9 spent a lttle t"e
pckng up such grenades as 9 could And, and t!o or three of the"
!ere n a dangerous condton.
Fhen !e got nto the lne near Belloy 9 l#ed for a t"e at ad#anced
B.8.Q. called EP.;. 8ede#auKE @EPost ;o""andantE T8ede#auKTB. The
dugouts !ere deep and proof aganst ordnary shells. The General,
Brgade%/ajor, and 7taU%;aptan resded farther back at EP.;.
Buelo!.E 9 !as sho!n o#er the trenches by the ToJcer bo"barderT
@Bo"bng OJcerB of a French unt. -nd 9 found t farly easy to talk
to h" !thout the ad of an nterpreter. 9 told h" t!o Englsh
eKpressons !hch see"ed to please h" greatly. One !as Edugout,E
the
other Edu"pEX the eRu#alent for the latter n French beng E.epot de
/untons.E
9 "ade an entrely ne! Brgade bo"b store n these trenches, usng
the
lttle shelters n a lne of dsused trenches. -fter a !eek n the
trenches the frost broke, and the trenches !hch had been hard and
dry
no! beca"e nothng but "uddy drans. To !ade along the" e#en n
daylght and n gu" boots n#ol#ed the greatest physcal eKerton.
One
unfortunate "an stuck n the "ud, and before they got h" out he
!as
pulled out of hs boots and breeches and had hs coat torn oU hs
back. Fnally he !as sent to the dressng%staton !th only hs shrt
on. Fe stayed about sKteen days n the lne, and durng the last A#e
or sK days 9 retred to P.;. Buelo! to assst n the 9ntellgence
Fork.
Ths part of the lne !as Ruet and our stay une#entfulX but t!o
thngs of nterest "ght be noted. The Brgade obser#ers reported
that
the Ger"ans !ere e"ployng French prsoners on the roads about a
"le
behnd ther front lne, a co!ardly and dsgraceful proceedng. The
Ger"ans !ere seen !orkng hard on ther dugouts behnd the lne%%
ths
!as of course a EblndE for our beneAt, for the Ger"an retreat
started the day after the 41th .#son !as rele#ed.
-fter our sKteen days n the lne B.8.Q. "o#ed back to Foucaucourt
and re"aned there tll about /arch +. Then the 41th .#son Anally
left the 7o""e front and "o#ed back for a rest. B.8.Q. !ent to
Farfus[e and !e had good bllets there.
Brgader%General O#ens, ;./.G., left us at Foucaucourt and
&eut.%;ol. B... Gbson, ..7.O., of the Ith =.F., co""anded the
Brgade for a fe! days, beng succeeded as Brgade ;o""ander by
&eut.%;ol. G. 7cott :ackson, ..7.O., of the +th =.F.
T!o #ery startlng thngs !ere done at ths t"e. -ll the "en of the
Brgade !ere told that they !ere about to be traned for open
!arfare,
and they !ould not ha#e to go nto the trenches agan. They !ere to
be
used as part of a ;orps de ;hasse durng the neKt oUens#e. Ths
!as
not borne out by e#ents, but t thro!s so"e lght on the
eKpectatons
of the Brtsh 7taU. 9t !as also decded at ths juncture to change
the organsaton of the Brtsh 9nfantry ;o"pany. Each co"pany !as
n
future to consst of four sectons%%one rVe"en pure and s"ple,
another &e!s gunners, another bo"bers, and the fourth rVe%
bo"bers.
9t !as perhaps an unfortunate t"e to sprng ths change on the
B.E.F., just on the e#e of a ne! oUens#e. The dea appears to ha#e
been sound enough, but the atte"pt to rush t through n three
!eeksE
t"e !as hardly lkely to ha#e good results. To con#ert a rVe"an
nto a rVe%bo"ber n a !eekEs tranng !as of course out of the
Rueston. 8therto only the "ost eKpert and steadest bo"bers had
been
e"ployed on rVe%grenade !ork. But no! the ordnary nfantry !ere
eKpected to beco"e rVe%bo"bers, although ther kno!ledge of
bo"bs
!as of the "ost ele"entary descrpton. T!o proble"s therefore
faced
those responsble for the tranng and eRup"ent of the rVe%
bo"bers.
Frst ho! to get the" e#en partally traned n the t"e, and second
to n#ent so"e apparatus for carryng the rVe%grenades. -t Arst t
!as only possble to tran the =.;.O.s n charge of the rVe%bo"bng
sectons%%lea#ng the" to nstruct ther sectons as !ell as they
could.
9t s hard to realse the co"plete nadeRuacy of ths arrange"ent,
!thout kno!ng so"ethng of the rVe%grenade, and !thout
kno!ng
the eKtraordnary dJculty of tranng a "an to beco"e an
nstructor
of others. 8o!e#er that !as the best that could be "ade of the ne!
orders at the "o"ent. -nd so t fell to "e to take a class for a !eek
of =.;.OE.s dra!n fro" the four battalons. 9 had not only to teach
the" to Are the rVe%grenade the"sel#es, of !hch they kne!
nothng,
but to teach the" to hand ther kno!ledge on to others.
The tranng !ent on fro" /arch )0 to )+, and thrty%four secton
leaders attended the course. -bout ))41 rounds !ere Ared. 9 dd not
atte"pt any l#e Arng%%n fact, 9 ha#e ne#er thought t ser#es any
useful purpose to Are l#e rVe%grenades n practce.
9t s of course "uch "ore dangerous than thro!ng a l#e hand%
grenade,
and one accdent n practce s enough to dscourage all the recruts
!ho see t fro" Arng l#e rVe%grenades n actual !arfare. On the
other hand, e#en !here the rVe%grenades are only used as
du""es,
the !aste of #aluable a""unton s s"ply appallng. - 8ales
rVe%grenade used to cost 04s. and t ca"e do!n to )4s. a lttle
later, but once Ared as a du""y t !as not "uch use to Are agan.
.u""es could ha#e been "ade for about )s. at the "ost, but of
course
no one n England thought about a trVe lke thatX and so the
colossal !aste !ent on all the t"e 9 had the tranng n hand. 9 dd
!hat 9 could by straghtenng the rods to use the grenades agan,
but
9 could not sa#e "uch n ths !ay. Thousands of pounds n
rVe%grenades "ust ha#e been used !here thousands of shllngs
should
ha#e been spent.
-t Farfus[e Brgader%General 8.;. (ees, ..7.O., ca"e to take o#er
co""and of the Brgade. 8e had seen #ery hea#y Aghtng n the
early
part of the !ar, and had snce co""anded t!o Brgades before he
ca"e
to the )I*th 9nfantry Brgade. 8e !as lked and respected by e#ery
one
n the Brgade. Lery tall and !ell bult, and a solder !ho ga#e you
the greatest conAdence n hs ablty and leadershp, the Brgade
o!ed "uch to h", especally at a t"e !hen the trench Aghtng
!as
g#ng !ay @as t see"edB to open !arfare. 8e !as a Arst%class
rVe%shot h"self, and ne#er ceased to "press the necessty of
de#elopng ths !eapon to the ut"ost. For the hand%grenade he had
the
greatest conte"pt, !hch he !as rather fond of eKpressng.
Fortunately
for "e, bo"bng !ork !as g#ng !ay to 9ntellgence, although for
so"e
t"e to co"e 9 had to tran the "en n rVe grenades and to look
after the Brgade a""unton stores.
-fter Anshng the rVe%grenade !ork 9 acted as
-ssstant%7taU%;aptan for about a !eek. 9t !as cheVy oJce !ork
as far as 9 !as concerned, the returns beng #ery #olu"nous. Fork
as
9 could there see"ed to be no gettng to the end of these returns tll
* or )1 oEclock at nght. There !ere also one or t!o "nor
court%"artal cases, n !hch "y legal tranng pro#ed so"e
assstance. On /arch 0+ 9 got "y thrd lea#e granted, for ten days.
9t
!as perhaps rather Ruck after "y last lea#e, but the fact of "y
beng
ll on that occason !as taken nto consderaton. Ths t"e 9 !ent to
-"ens by "otor%lorry and thence to Boulogne, reachng /anchester
on
the sa"e day that 9 saled fro" France.
On -prl 6 9 left Folkestone and got to Boulogne about I oEclock.
8ere
no one could say !here the 46th .#son !as, and 9 !as drected to
lea#e by a "dnght tran and to report to the (.T.O. at -bb[#lle. 9
got there about 0 -./. and !as told to go back to Otaples by an ,
oEclock tran that "ornng. 9 "anaged to get a fe! hoursE sleep and
breakfast at the OJcers ;lub at -bb[#lle, and reached Otaples
about "dday on -prl +. On -prl * 9 !as told to proceed to 7t. Pol
and get further drectons there. 9 arr#ed there n t"e for lunch,
and then reached Fr[#ent by another tran. 8ere 9 !as told to go by
the lght ral!ay to!ards FanRuetn and to "ake nRures for the
41th
.#son on the !ay. -t Fr[#ent 9 sa! a lot of slghtly !ounded
solders co"ng back fro" -rrasX they had been o#er the top that
"ornng on the Arst day of the great battle !hch had just started.
:ust before reachng -#esnes%le%;o"pte 9 spotted so"e .#sonal
transport on the roads, and, on "akng nRures at -#esnes, 9 learnt
that the )I*th 9nfantry Brgade !ere Ruartered at /ann about t!o
"les a!ay. 7o 9 left the tran and reached our 8.Q. just n t"e for
dnner.
The 41th .#son had "arched fro" Farfus[e, and !ere no!
proceedng
to!ards -rras to take part n the battle !hch had started on -prl
*.
NN99
T8E B-TT&E OF -((-7
The Battle of -rras started !th a great success. The L"y (dge !as
recaptured and the #ast fortress bet!een Telegraph 8ll and =eu#lle
Ltasse, ncludng a substantal part of the fa"ous 8ndenburg &ne,
fell n one day. The hgh ground at /onchy%le%PreuK !as soon
stor"ed
and secured. But after ths progress beca"e #ery slo!, nothng
see"ed
to co"e of these great tactcal successes. The Aghtng, nstead of
de#elopng nto open !arfare as !e had eKpected, beca"e agan
#ery
s"lar n character to the great trench to trench battles on the
7o""e.
The French !ated a !eek before startng ther oUens#e n
;ha"pagne,
and !hen t dd start t faled co"pletely. The !eather broke do!n
on
-prl )1, as t generally dd n )*)+ !hene#er the Brtsh
co""enced
oUens#e operatons. 9t beca"e #ery cold and t raned or sno!ed
al"ost ncessantly for o#er a !eek. 9t s hard for one !ho sa! only a
s"all sector of ths great battle to understand !hat pre#ented us
fro"
takng greater ad#antage of our great ntal success, !hch certanly
surprsed and dsorgansed the ene"y. But t !as not "erely the
!eather !hch broke do!n at a crtcal "o"ent. There !ere other
causes
at !ork to delay and "pede success. 9 strongly suspect that the
Brtsh nfantry unts !ere stll suUerng fro" ther tre"endous
eKertons n )*)6X and they certanly had not the conAdent
assurance
of #ctory !hch nspred the terrble sacrAces on the 7o""e.
8therto our artllery had ne#er been so strong nor had the
"echancal
ads to #ctory been so nu"erous or so #ared. Gas%projectors and
ol%dru"s !ere Arst used n ths battle, ne! aeroplanes !ere Arst
launched out n publcX the Brtsh held the "astery of the ar, and
the Ger"ans had not yet de#sed any eUect#e re"edy for the
Brtsh
tanks. But the Brtsh troops !ere not the troops of the 7o""e. The
old type of #olunteer had largely dsappeared, and the sa"e
resoluton
and conAdence !ere not dsplayed by so"e of the Brtsh d#sons.
The #ery strength of our artllery !as sappng the old relance on the
rVe, and !hen the barrage stopped the nfantry often see"ed to be
po!erless to defend the captured postons.
On the other hand the superor and "ore lengthy tranng of the
Ger"an
reser#es no! began to tell. Personally, 9 ne#er ad"red the Ger"an
as
a Aghtng "an untl he !as no! for the Arst t"e dr#en out of hs
#ast defences. On the 7o""e the Ger"ans had artllery support
nearly
eRual to our o!n, and they !ere defendng superb trenches !th
unbroken roads and country behnd the". =o!, !hen they !ere
thrust out
of ther fa"ous stronghold and plastered !th e#ery sort of
projectle, they held up repeated attacks, backed by enor"ous
artllery preparaton and support, held the" up by sheer dogged
Aghtng and superor kno!ledge of !ar. Ther 7taU !ork "ust ha#e
been good, and the tranng and "orale of the troops eRually good
to
ha#e done t. -fter the Arst great success, !e ganed only s"all
local successes, costng thousands of casualtes and #ast
eKpendture
of a""unton. E#entually, after about A#e !eeks of Aerce thrusts,
the Battle of -rras ca"e to an end, g#ng us, t s true, a "uch
"pro#ed poston n front of -rras, but lea#ng the "an object of
the attack unacco"plshed. The further oUens#es of )*)+ !ere
carred
on "ore to the north and south, and the -rras area sa! no "ore bg
Aghtng tll the begnnng of )*),.
The 41th .#son ca"e nto acton on -prl )), and !orked
alternately
!th the )Ith .#son. The ene"y !ere pushed across the ;ojeul
Lalley
and nto the outskrts of Ls%en%-rtos and ;hersy. The ad#ance of
these t!o .#sons !ould ha#e been undoubtedly greater, but
Gue"appe
on the left and the uncaptured part of the 8ndenburg &ne on the
rght for a t"e held up the d#sons attackng on ether Vank. Thus
both the 41th .#son and the )Ith .#son captured ;hersy n
turn,
but had to abandon the place through ha#ng ther Vanks eKposed.
By
ther operatons n ths area both .#sons "antaned ther already
!orthy reputaton.
NN999
F-=;O<(T TOFE(%%;(O979&&E7
The )I*th 9nfantry Brgade left /ann on the "ornng of -prl )1,
and
"arched to FanRuetn, !here the troops !ere blleted n houses. On
the
follo!ng day t began to sno! hea#ly about "dday and ths
contnued
far nto the nght. The Brgade !ere ntended to attack on -prl )0,
but, o!ng to the eKhauston and eKposure of the troops, the )4)st
Brgade !ere substtuted !hen the attack reco""enced on -prl )M.
Fe
started our "arch n the sno! just as the lght !as begnnng to fal,
and trudged along through the "uddy slush tll !e reached -rras.
8ere
there !as a delay of se#eral hours before gudes arr#ed to lead the
#arous unts to ther statons. B.8.Q. "arched through the to!n and
e#entually arr#ed at the runed sugar factory at Faubourg (on#lle,
!here there !ere deep dugouts belo! the runs. Fe could not see
"uch
of the cty but t appeared to be badly knocked about by the
ene"yEs
shells. =ot "any houses, perhaps, had fallen to bts, but there !as
hardly a house that had not been ht. - great "any s"all shells
"ust
ha#e been Ared nto the to!n. The place of course !as full of
underground passages%%though 9 ne#er had the chance of enterng
the".
Fhen "ornng ca"e 9 !as able to take stock of "y surroundngs.
The
sugar factory !as one of the last buldngs at the 7.E. end of the
cty, and a trench tra"!ay led to !hat had once been the front lne
trenches about a Ruarter of a "le fro" these 8.Q.
/y job that "ornng !as to hunt round for the du"ps of grenades
Hc.
!hch had been "ade by our predecessors before ther ad#ance. 9
re"e"ber Andng t!o of these n farly good condton n the
neghbourhood of Telegraph 8ll%%only of course on the -rras sde.
The
cold nght on !hch !e arr#ed had taken hea#y toll of the ca#alry
horses, and "any of these splendd an"als could be seen scattered
about on the ground, so"e already dead and others dyng. They
!ere too
Ane bred to stand that !ntry nght n an open b#ouac. -s far as 9
could "ake out our lghter sege guns had "o#ed up to!ards the
Telegraph 8ll rdge and our Aeld guns to!ards =eu#lle LtasseX
there !ere stll ho!tSers of hea#y calbre n the en#rons of the
cty tself. 9 bele#e the )4)st 9nfantry Brgade attacked on -prl
)M, and pushed across the ;ojeul Lalley north of 8[nnel, and dug n
just !est of the Fancourt To!er rdge. Fancourt !as captured but
not
Gue"appe, and /arl^re !as n our hands. On that day 9 !as
nstructed
to "ake a du"p at Telegraph 8ll, !hch 9 had no dJculty n dong
as the place !as Rute Ruet.
29llustraton' 7cene of -ttacks on ;hersy. -prl )*)+.5
The neKt day ths du"p !as re"o#ed to the regon of the El" Trees
at
Fancourt behnd the EBro!n &neEX and the Brgade rele#ed the
)4)st
9nfantry Brgade. B.8.Q. !ere at the El" Trees, and conssted of
so"e
Ane deep dugouts, !hch the Ger"ans had used as an a""unton
store.
The entrance to the" !as n a s"all sunken road. The a""unton
!as
"ostly stored n large !ooden boKes, and !e had to pull t out and
get
rd of t. Ths !as done by e"ptyng the boKes nto the nearest
shell%holesX so that the ground outsde !as lttered !th Ger"an
a""unton. 9n one of these shell%holes, a"ongst a lot of rubbsh of
ths knd, 9 found four old pe!ter dshes and t!o pe!ter spoons.
They
had been hea#ed out of the dugout along !th the rest of ts
contents.
One of the plates !as dated )+MM, and all !ere "arked !th the
foregn
"akerEs sta"p. They aUorded, !hen cleaned, a rather unusual
decoraton for the !alls of the "ess roo". Ths lttle collecton !as
dsposed of Eunder .#sonal and Brgade arrange"ents,E but 9
"anaged
to secure the spoons.
The poston n front !as no! as follo!s. - battalon held the
trenches across the ;ojeul Lalley, supported by three battalons n
the Bro!n &ne and n Fancourt tself. The ene"y !as n Gue"appe
and
also n so"e trenches just o#er the rdge of Fancourt To!er 8ll. 9t
!as the busness of the Brgade to hold the trenches and to "ake
such
"pro#e"ent n the" as opportunty "ght oUer. General (ees !as
not
the "an to let any such opportunty slp. =othng happened durng
the
Arst fe! days, beyond the usual hea#y shellng of the roads and
batteres and for!ard postons.
But a patrol of the 4th =.F. pushed out to!ards Gue"appe, and
carred
out a useful daylght reconnassance.
-lso about -prl )6, )*)+, &eut.%;ol. F. (obnson of the 6th =.F.
dsco#ered the ene"y approachng the runed buldngs on the
Fancourt
To!er 8ll, and pro"ptly ordered a platoon to attack the". Ths plan
succeeded ad"rably and the To!er and house !ere captured. The
place
!as of #tal "portance to us as t co""anded drect obser#aton on
all the roads leadng to our part of the front. On -prl )+ the ene"y
shelled the To!er !th ,%nch ho!tSers%%generally a sgn that he
"eant to attack sooner or later. The To!er contaned a for"dable
concrete "achne%gun e"place"ent, facng of course our !ay, but
by
General (eesE orders t !as blo!n up by the Engneers. 7ure enough
the
ene"y attacked the To!er that nght, and at an unfortunate t"e for
us, for the +th =.F. !ere n the process of rele#ng the 6th =.F. n
the front lne, and t !as a #le nght, !th a blSSard of sno!.
The Ger"an attack succeeded n dr#ng our "en out of the To!er
and
buldngs, and though se#eral bo"bng attacks !ere "ade that
nght to
reco#er the poston t could not be done. General (ees at once
prepared to stor" the poston at the earlest opportunty neKt day,
the +th =.F. ha#ng co"pleted the relef of the trenches durng the
nght. 9t s dJcult to descrbe the conAdence !hch our General
nspred at ths crtcal t"eX he !as rather gra#er and "ore
thoughtful than usual, perhaps, but he treated the "atter !th great
conAdence and "ade e#ery one feel that the "sfortune could and
!ould
be retre#ed at the Arst atte"pt. 8s plans !ere "ade n conjuncton
!th /ajor :ohnson of the 41th .#sonal -rtlleryX and as a result
t !as arranged to attack across the open supported by a barrage
fro"
A#e brgades of Aeld artllery. The hour !as AKed for t!el#e noon
@Ger"an t"eB just !hen the ene"y s thnkng about hs dnner.
Fthout any prel"nary bo"bard"ent, the barrage opened out at
the
apponted hour, and farly dro#e the ene"y oU the hll top. The +th
=.F. ad#anced n perfect order and !th lttle opposton recaptured
the To!er and the neghbourng trenches. T!o or three prsoners
!ere
sent do!n, !ho had been unable to get a!ay before the attackers
reached the". 9t !as a lttle attack, but carred out !th ad"rable
precson and practcally !thout loss, and e#ery credt "ust be
g#en
to General (ees for the !ay he handled the proble". -s ths
operaton
!as carred out n full #e! of all the surroundng country t
attracted consderable attenton, and congratulatons soon poured
n
fro" all sdes. 9 !as kept ndoors or rather underground a good deal
durng ths stay n the lne, as t !as "y busness to record n a
log%book e#ery note or "essage that ca"e n to the Brgade OJce,
ether by day or nght. 9 had the chance, too, of hearng the
.#sonal 9ntellgence OJcer eKa"nng a fe! Ger"an prsoners
!ho
!ere captured on our front. 8e brought !th h" three large books
contanng no doubt the pre#ous hstory of the Ger"an BrgadesX
and
!th the ad of these he !as able to check the accuracy of the
prsonersE state"ents.
One day 9 !ent !th General (ees to /arl^re, and !e !ent so"e
dstance do!n 7outhern -#enue, !hch !as then bet!een the
Ger"an
outpost lne and our o!n. -nother day !e !ent to so"e hgh ground
=.F.
of Fancourt for the purposes of obser#aton. 9 re"e"ber that on
ths
occason !e had to hurry as the Ger"ans !ere shellng rather close,
and General (ees got a splnter on the hel"et. Fe !ere rele#ed by
the
)41th 9nfantry Brgade on -prl 0), and 9 rode back to -rras !th
;apt. 8agge. 9 !as no! blleted for t!o days n a house n -rras,
!here the Brgade 7taU%;aptanEs oJce !as located. The Arst nght
!as Ruet enough, but the follo!ng nght !as not so pleasant. For
our
hea#y guns !ere no! bo"bardng the Ger"an postons and ther
long%range guns thre! a lot of shells n reply nto #arous parts of
the cty. On -prl 0M, 7t. GeorgeEs .ay, the Brtsh resu"ed the
attack and the )41th 9nfantry Brgade attacked fro" the top of
Fancourt To!er 8ll. - good nu"ber of prsoners !ere "ade, but
Gue"appe stll held out and the Ger"ans launched a hea#y
counter%attack along ths part of the front. 9n the "ornng 9 !ent
for!ard to so"e dugouts east of Telegraph 8ll !here the General,
Brgade%/ajor, and 7gnallng OJcer !ere statoned for ths battle.
Our Brgade of course !as n reser#e, eKcept the Ith =.F. !ho !ere
attached to the )4)st 9nfantry Brgade. Fro" ths place near
Telegraph
8ll 9 got a good #e! of the battle around Gue"appe. -bout "dday
Brgader%General ;a"eron of the )4)st 9nfantry Brgade took o#er
co""and of the 41th .#sonal front, and at once "ade
preparatons to
rene! the attack n the afternoon. 9 !as sent o#er to the El" Trees
dugouts to And out eKactly !hat he proposed to do !th the Ith =.F.,
and he !as then busly engaged !th the -rtllery oJcers arrangng
the barrages. Before the attack !as resu"ed, Gue"appe !as
hea#ly
shelled by our sege guns, a !onderful sght. The !hole place
see"ed
to dsappear n dense clouds of dust and s"oke. 9t had been a
dng%dong battle all day, attack and counter%attack, and at ths pont
nether sde had ganed "uch ad#antage. The Ger"ans had not only
repelled the attack on our rght, but had atte"pted to push through
nto 8[nnel, n the ;ojeul Lalley. Fortunately, ho!e#er, the )I*th
/.%G. ;o"pany, co""anded by /ajor /orrs, stopped ths
"o#e"ent by a
!ell%drected Are to our rght Vank. Fhen, ho!e#er, the attack !as
rene!ed n the afternoon thngs !ent better for us. The Ger"ans
!ere
pushed do!n the hll fro" Fancourt To!er and Gue"appe !as
taken. The
Ith =.F. dd !ell, gettng to a place called Buck Trench. -nd the
.#sonal front !as ad#anced to a pont not far fro" the outskrts
of ;hersy. 9t !as unfortunate that !e had no fresh troops at ths
juncture to press ho"e the attack. -ccordng to Ger"an state"ents,
the
Ger"an troops !ere practcally broken up at the end of the day and
they had at the "o"ent no reser#es a#alable. Our s"all party
re"aned
at the 8.Q. on Telegraph 8ll tll the "ornng of -prl 04, !hen !e
returned to the (on#lle sugar factory, beng rele#ed by a Brgade of
the )Ith .#son.
On -prl 06 a large ;orps du"p about a Ruarter of a "le fro" the
factory got on Are, and !ent on Varng and eKplodng all day. - good
"any peces of shells and frag"ents fro" ths du"p ca"e rattlng
aganst the !alls of the sugar factory, "akng t no place to loter
about. 9 learnt that the I0nd F.-., to !hch "y brother George !as
attached, !as due to take o#er fro" our F.-. n (on#lleX but 9 dd
not get n touch !th h".
On -prl 06 B.8.Q. "o#ed to a Ane ch\teau at the !est end of -rras,
!here !e !ere "uch "ore co"fortable than at the sugar factory.
That
nght 9 !ent to a battalon dnner of the +th =.F., and t !as
!onderful !hat a good dnner they "anaged to procure under the
crcu"stances. The neKt day, -prl 0+, !e "arched back to a rest
area
near Po""era, gong along the -rras%.oullens road. B.8.Q. !ere
blleted n a far" at the south end of the #llage. 9 shared a bllet
!th &eut. Odell and found the place #ery co"fortable.
Fe !ere not left long here. - fresh attack !as to be "ade, and the
41th .#son !as to be "o#ed for!ard, to be ready to press ho"e
the
attack f t succeeded. Fe left Po""era on /ay ) and "arched to
7ouastre, !here B.8.Q. !ere blleted n a French ch\teau !th a nce
garden. =eKt day !e "arched for!ard agan to a bare lookng spot
at
/ereatel, !here the acco""odaton !as #ery l"ted. Fe "anaged
to rg
up a fe! !ooden shelters and b#ouacs a"ongst the runs of the
houses.
Ths had been a nce #llage, but the Ger"ans had blo!n do!n
e#ery
house and cut do!n e#ery tree before they left t. They had e#en
destroyed the s"all frut bushes n the gardens, an unnecessarly
!anton act.
The bg attack !as arranged for /ay M and t !as preceded by the
usual
hea#y bo"bard"ent. But nothng ca"e of t but hea#y casualtes,
and t
!as decded to send the .#son back to the rest area agan. On the
e#enng of /ay M 9 "et a ;olonel of the (.-./.;., )Ith .#son, !ho
told "e that he had seen "y brother George at =eu#lle Ltasse just
t!o hours before, and that he !as Rute !ell. 9 got ths nfor"aton,
just too late, as !e !ere no! under orders to "o#e back to the rest
area. -nd on /ay I 9 "arched back !th the B.8.Q. transport to
7ouastre, and on /ay 4 to Po""era.
For the neKt ten days the Brgade carred out #arous tactcal
eKercses under the drectons of General (ees. One day !as g#en
to
Aeld Arng practce, on !hch occason 9 acted as one of the
EcasualtyE oJcers%%that s to say, 9 had to select #arous "en
durng the sha" attack and order the" to drop out as casualtes.
&#e
a""unton !as used n rVes and &e!s guns as !ell as l#e
rVe%grenadesX and 9 re"e"ber there !ere se#en slght casualtes
fro"
accdents !th the rVe%grenades. These El#eE Aeld days n France
!ere not !thout ther o!n lttle eKcte"ents, especally for those
!ho had to keep up !th the Arng lne.
-fter ten days the Brgade !as detached fro" the 41th .#son and
attached to the MMrd .#son, holdng the lne about ;roslles. The
dea !as to assst the MMrd .#son by holdng the lne for the" for
three days, n the nter#al bet!een t!o attacks. 7o on /ay )+ the
Brgade "o#ed fro" Po""era to 7ouastre, 8.Q. beng agan at the
French
ch\teau. 8ere, through the good ser#ces of our French nterpreter,
!e
had for dnner a pece of the fa"ous TsanglerT !hch l#es n the
!oods at Po""era. One of these creatures had been shot, and the
hunts"en presented a pece of t to B.8.Q. /ess. 9t tasted "uch lke
pork, !th a "ore ga"y Va#our.
On /ay ), !e "o#ed fro" 7ouastre to Bory 7t. /artn, !here
B.8.Q.
!ere n so"e !ooden huts, a"ongst the runs of the #llage. On /ay
)*
9 !ent o#er to -yette, a neghbourng #llage, and spent the "ornng
tranng "en of the +th =.F. n rVe%grenades. =eKt day 9 !ent !th
;apt. 8agge to nspect a Brgade a""unton du"p at ;roslles,
and
on /ay 0) 9 !ent to a can#as ca"p at 8a"lncourt and spent the
nght
there. 9 dd not get a good nght as the ene"y shelled the #cnty of
the ca"p at nter#als durng the nght. =eKt day 9 !ent for!ard to
B.8.Q. !hch !ere n so"e shelters n a sunken road just !est of
;roslles. Fe held the lne tll /ay 04 and nothng #ery startlng
happened. But t!o or three ncdents occurred here !hch 9
re"e"ber
!th nterest. The #st of three Far ;orrespondents, ncludng
/essrs. Beach Tho"as and Phlp Gbbs. They spent about half an
hour
at our 8.Q. and !ere put n "y charge to see the sghts. Fe dd not
go
far fro" 8.Q. as the hgh ground there aUorded the best general
#e!
of the country round.
Both of the Englsh Far ;orrespondents nterested "e "uch. Beach
Tho"as, tall and dgnAed and gra#eX Phlp Gbbs, short and brght
and cheery' both #ery sy"pathetc to and apprecat#e of the
Brgade.
The other !as a .utch gentle"an !ho told "e !th a Vash of
nspraton that 9 should not recollect hs na"e.
-nother strkng personalty appeared n the shape of the Brgade
;o""ander of one of the .#sonal -rtllery Brgades. ;ol.
FtSgerald
ca"e to call on us to nRure !hether the artllery arrange"ents
!ere
to our satsfacton and to kno! f he could do anythng to help us. -
tall "an !th glasses and a kndly, gentle face. One "ornng he
brought n a great bunch of Vo!ers for our "ess roo" that he had
gathered near ;roslles. The follo!ng story !as brought to us by
the
-rtllery &ason OJcer. ;ol. FtSgerald !ent to the front lne and
out nto the broken trenches n =o /anEs &and n order to nspect the
regstraton of the Aeld guns. 7eeng a Ger"an snper at !ork, he
borro!ed a rVe and co""enced a duel !th the Boche n !hch
se#eral
shots !ere eKchanged. 8a#ng klled hs "an he returned !th great
satsfacton, feelng the day had been !ell spent. Ths occurred near
the E8u"pE !hlst !e !ere holdng these trenches. 8e told us that
hs
guns had had a !onderful target on the 7o""e n :uly )*)6. They
!ere
so"e!here on the hgh ground south of BaSentn%le%Grand !hen the
Ger"an Guard had "assed for an attack on ;ontal"ason. These
guns had
the eKtraordnary chance of Arng !th open sghts on the dense
Ger"an "asses behnd BaSentn%le%Pett and they had nVcted
terrble
losses on the Brandenburghers.
9t !as fro" our O.P. near B.8.Q. that 9 Arst tred to "ake a
panora"c sketch of the country n front. 9t !as a crude atte"pt, no
doubt, but General (ees !as knd enough to speak encouragngly of
t,
and to tell "e to try and de#elop ths sde of 9ntellgence.
That ad#ce bore frut, for n )*), "y obser#ers !ere traned to
sketch, and ther sketches dd "ore da"age to the ene"y than any
reports that !ere sent n. For the hea#y artllery got nterested n
the" and Ared on the targets !th great eUect.
-bout /ay 04 !e ca"e out of the lne and stayed one nght at
/oyenne#lle, returnng neKt day to our .#sonal rest area at
/onchy%au%Bos.
NN9L
/O=;8$%-<%BO97
Fe !ere no! able to settle do!n to tranng and "anoeu#res. The
country round /onchy !as !ell suted for ths, for there !ere "any
old
Ger"an trenches about, and the #llages !ere all s"ashed to bts,
g#ng a realstc touch to Aeld tranng. B.8.Q. !ere under can#as,
but 9 selected an old Ger"an dugout !hch 9 thought !ould be drer
!hen the rans set n. 9t !as also cooler n the hot !eather, and ts
only dra!back !as rats. 9 kept the" n check, ho!e#er, !th a s"all
trap that the Ger"ans left behndX they !ere al!ays good at
n#entng
kllng "achnes. /y o!n job !as no! to tran as "any nfantry "en
as
possble n the use of the rVe%grenade. -nd bet!een /ay 0* and
:une
)6, )*1 "en !ent through the course. -lso &eut. Odell brought hs
sgnal co"pany of t!enty%nne "en one e#enng to be sho!n the
!orkng
of the rVe%grenade, as t !as thought that the rVe%grenade @e"ptyB
"ght be used as a "essage carrer.
The course of nstructon !as so"e!hat as follo!s. 9n the Arst place
9 ga#e a short lecture on the "echans" of the grenade and
"ethods of
Arng t. Then the party of ten !as splt nto t!o sRuads and Arng
practce took place. The "en !ere traned to Are kneelng and lyng,
behnd co#er and !thout, and also out of a deep Are%trench. 9 !as
greatly asssted by 7ergt. T. /atthe!son, !ho !as a really eKpert
bo"ber, and by "y orderly%%&.%;. Farclough. Ths tranng took all
"ornng, and as far as 9 could judge the "en !ere nterested n the
course and dd ther best to learn the ntrcaces of ths ne! !eapon.
9n the afternoon 9 !as free to !ander round and eKa"ne the
surroundng country. 9t !as of consderable nterest, for t !as part
of the ground e#acuated by the ene"y !hen he retreated to the
8ndenburg &ne. The trenches !ere "agnAcently bult, and
re#etted
!th !ood or !attle%!ork, and pro#ded !th deep dugouts and
concrete
"achne%gun e"place"ents. The latter !ere not only !onderfully
strong,
the forerunners of the Ger"an Epll%boKE%%but so"et"es !onderfully
decorated !th coats of ar"s and "ottoes.
Lery lttle eRup"ent !as left behnd, and "any of the dugouts !ere
blo!n n before lea#ng. 7o"e of the gun e"place"ents, too, !ere
#ery
cle#erly concealed. The guns !ere kept n shelters n a lne of
reser#e trenches and a set of du""y e"place"ents !as dug out a
lttle
dstance a!ay for the beneAt of our aeroplane obser#ers.
9t !as an educaton n "ltary engneerng and fortAcaton to !alk
round these !onderful defences. The !rng too !as "ost ngenous
and
often carefully concealed n the hedges or dtches. 9nsde the gun
shelters, you found that the gun !as AKed on a central p#ot and
!orked round a !ooden platfor" !th e#ery degree carefully
"arked.
Fhlst on the !alls stood a panted board !th e#ery barrage lne
and
target carefully !orked out, and the range and code call set out as
!ell. The O.P. !as so"et"es n a hgh tree, !th the ladders to get
up and the telephone !res stll re"anng. 9t had been a Ruet part
of the lne, and conseRuently the patent ndustry of the Ger"an had
had full scope.
The 41th .#son began to take o#er the lne !est of ;hersy and
Ls
about the "ddle of :uneX but only t!o brgades !ere n the front
trenches together, and t !as our turn to re"an behnd. On :une ),
the Brgade "o#ed fro" /onchy%au%Bos to BosleuK%au%/ont, !here
B.8.Q. !ere n a can#as ca"p. Fro" :une 01 to 0M 9 contnued the
rVe%grenade tranng. The recrut tranng !as no! practcally o#er
and these days !ere g#en to sho!ng the handlng of a rVe%
grenade
secton n open !arfare. Forty%one oJcers, nne =.;.O.Es and
sKty%t!o "en took part n these sche"es. 9 had also t!o or three
rather "portant court%"artal cases to attend to durng the
e#enngs.
Before gong back nto the lne 9 !as g#en nne "en to act as
Brgade
obser#ersX the 6th =.F. sent &.%;. ;happell and Ptes. Frght and
8u"eX
the +th =.F. Ptes. Fal and E!artX the Ith =.F. Pte. Brook and
anotherX the 4th =.F. &.%;. (oKburgh, !ho had once been n the +th
=.F. and Pte. Garnett. Pte. Brook 9 found ca"e fro" /eltha", only
se#en or eght "les fro" "y o!n ho"e. 8e !as a typcal lad fro"
these
parts, !th the brght red face and the speech that 9 kne! so !ell.
=aturally 9 took an nterest n h" and 9 !as sorry !hen he left us
about the end of =o#e"ber )*)+. 8e has co"e through the !ar
safely, 9
a" glad to say. Ptes. Fal and E!art !ere destned to act as "y
obser#ers both !th ths brgade and n the I0nd .#son n )*),.
-nd
9 cannot speak too hghly of the eKcellent !ork done by Pte. Fal.
O!ng to eKceptonal eyesght he !as a Arst%class counter%battery
obser#er, and later on hs skll !th the pencl dd the Ger"ans a lot
of da"age. On ths front he spotted the Vash of a I%nch gun battery
that used to shell B.8.Q., !th the result that the hea#y gunners
Ared on ths battery and slenced t co"pletely.
9 had also the ser#ces of &.%;. :. ;o!en and Pte. :. >ng @both +th
=.F.B !hen the 41th .#sonal obser#ers !ere dsbanded. Pte. >ng
!ent shortly after!ards back to the battalon. But both these "en
dd
"agnAcent ser#ce n collectng ntellgence durng the re"ander
of
the !ar.
NNL
T(E=;8 F-(F-(E%%L97%;8E(97$ F(O=T
Fro" :une tll October )*)+ the 41th .#son held the lne of
trenches
runnng fro" the 8ndenburg &ne !est of Fontane%leS%;roslles to
;a#alry Far" on the -rras%;a"bra (oad. Fth hea#y Aghtng gong
on n
Flanders ths !as a co"parat#ely Ruet part of the front. Our
trenches
!ere good and got better e#ery !eek, and the hgh ground about
Fancourt
To!er 8ll ga#e us eKcellent obser#aton on the ene"yEs country,
especally to!ards the left. Ths part of the front !as d#ded nto
t!o sectors, and they !ere held by t!o out of the three brgades. 7o
that each brgade spent sKteen days n the lne, and then eght
days
n the rest area about =eu#lle Ltasse. -lso each brgade held n
turn
the trenches on the rght, kno!n as the ;hersy sector, and then the
trenches on the left, kno!n as the Ls sector.
/y t"e !as g#en to 9ntellgence n the lne and to 7al#age !hen
out
of the lne.
9ntellgence !ork ncluded, selectng a con#enent O.P. for the
Brgade obser#ers and arrangng and super#sng the "ethod of
holdng
tX "akng panora"c sketches for the obser#ersX !rtng out the
Brgade 9ntellgence (eport bet!een )1 -./. and noon e#ery dayX
super#sng the !ork of the Battalon 9ntellgence OJcers2)I5X
"arkng the Brgade 9ntellgence "aps !th all features of nterestX
studyng and catalogung the aeroplane photographs !hch ca"e n
large
nu"bers e#ery fe! daysX destroyng obsolete and useless
docu"ents @not
a s"all part of "y job etherWBX and sendng to the /achne%Gun
OJcer, /ajor /orrs, e#ery !eek the targets for ndrect "achne%
gun
Are at nghts. Feld !ork, .e. actual obser#aton and sketchng,
for"ed really a co"parat#ely s"all part of "y dutes, though 9 tred
to get up to the obser#aton post once e#ery day. The "ost
"portant
part !as oJce !ork%%and 9 had a far%sSed shelter at each
8ead%Ruarters, the !alls co#ered !th "aps and the table loaded
!th
aeroplane photographs and reports of all knds.
Besdes the ;orps and .#sonal 9ntellgence (eports !hch ca"e n
daly, there !ere .aly (eports fro" the t!o adjonng brgades, and
generally a goodly sheaf of "scellaneous papers fro" the -r"y
9ntellgence .epart"ent. 9n ths !ay a great deal of nterestng
nfor"aton ca"e nto "y hands, as to ho! thngs !ere gong onX
and 9
ha#e ne#er before or snce been so !ell suppled !th nfor"aton as
to !hat !as gong on and !hat !as ntended to take place. Fhen
out of
the lne, n a ca"p near =eu#lle Ltasse, 9 had to g#e the obser#ers
a certan a"ount of practcal tranng n the use of the co"pass and
protractor, and "ap readng. But after that 9 !as free to do !hat 9
lked !thn reason, and 9 generally de#oted "y spare t"e to
sal#age.
The obser#ers often turned out to assst "e n ths, and &eut. Odell
on se#eral occasons ga#e "e "ost #aluable assstance !th hs
sgnallers and orderles.
7al#age !as left #ery "uch at ths t"e to the dscreton of the
co""anders of nfantry unts. =aturally !hen the solder "an got
out
of the lne, he !as not "uch nclned to do "uch sal#agng on -r"y
-ccount. 7o"e of the transport oJcers "ade a specalty of t, and
;apt. B. =e#lle of the +th =.F., the prnce of Ruarter"asters,
rescued tons of sal#age of all knds. 9 dare say, ho!e#er, a good
"any
thngs found ther !ay nto hs o!n stores as !ell, for 9 ne#er kne! a
Ruarter"aster so !ell suppled as he. There !ere certan s"all
partes
of "en e"ployed at .#sonal and ;orps 7al#age du"ps, but they
ne#er
see"ed to "e to take the job #ery serously. Perhaps the oJcers n
charge !ere not eKactly the sort of "en to hustle, or to see that
ther "en got busy. E#ery one kno!s that there !as a #ast a"ount
of
!aste, and that the Ger"ans had ths "atter "uch better organsed
than
!e.
The Ger"ans !ere partcularly act#e aganst our Aeld artllery on
ths front. -lthough !e had the ad#antage of ground for "ost
purposes,
and could carry out nfantry relefs n daylght, there !ere fe!
places satsfactory for concealng our Aeld guns. They !ere "ostly
concentrated about Fancourt and 8[nnel, and these t!o places
conseRuently rece#ed freRuent and hea#y punsh"ent fro" the
Ger"an
hea#es. 9t !as !ell to keep your eyes and ears open !hen passng
through these #llages and not to lnger there unnecessarly. The
peces fro" the Ger"an ,%nch shell carred a long !ay, and 9 had
&.%;. ;happell !ounded through the hand and sent do!n to hosptal
through a splnter that carred o#er a Ruarter of a "le. Fe sa! a lot
of the 41th .#sonal (.F.-. about ths t"e and a Ane lot of
fello!s they !ere. On the left our 8.Q. !ere neKt door to the B.8.Q.
of the 04)st -rtllery Brgade, co""anded by &eut.%;ol. /oss
Blundell. 9 got to kno! and lke h" !ell, and he dd e#erythng he
could to assst our brgade, and especally n "atters of
ntellgence. -ny ne!s that he got he sent on to us at once and #ce
#ersa. 9 ha#e ne#er kno!n the lason bet!een Feld -rtllery and
9nfantry "ore close or "ore eUect#e than at ths t"e.
One of the "ost "portant operatons carred out by the 41th
.#son
!as a double rad and gas projecton on 7epte"ber )4, )*)+, and
the
follo!ng nght. 9t !as carred out by the )4)st 9nfantry Brgade n
the rght sector, and at the t"e the )I1th 9nfantry Brgade !as
holdng the trenches on the left. 9 bele#e the *th ..&.9, suppled
the radng partes. 9t !as such a no#el and eUect#e rad that so"e
account ought to be g#en of t. The sche"e !as to dece#e the
ene"y
as to the eKact eKtent and nature of the attack. For ths purpose a
great "any s"oke%shells !ere Ared to screen the operatons fro"
the
ene"yEs obser#aton. -lso along the Vanks of the actual rad a
nu"ber
of du""y Agures !ere arranged to represent an attackng force and
so
to dra! the ene"yEs Are a!ay fro" the actual radng partes. The
du""es !ere put out n =o /anEs &and the nght before, face
do!n!ards, and at the rght "o"ent they could be rased or
lo!ered by
"eans of ropes !orked by the "en n the trenches. -lso a du""y
tank
!as prepared and hauled for!ard 011 yards by "eans of ropes. The
co"bnaton of s"oke%shells and du""es !as !onderfully
eUect#e, and
the ene"y reported that he had been attacked n great force and
!th
tanks along a large part of ths front.
Fhat really happened !as ths. -fter a prel"nary bo"bard"ent of
great ntensty by our guns and trench%"ortars @ncludng "any
ther"te or Va"e%shellsB, about 0 P./. three co"panes of the *th
..&.9, dashed across and captured the Ger"an front and support
lnes
co#erng ;hersy. They klled and captured a nu"ber of Ger"ans
!thout
suUerng "any casualtes the"sel#es, and then returned at once to
our
o!n trenches. -t the sa"e t"e the du""es n =o /anEs &and !ere
lo!ered agan. -fter !atng A#e or sK hours, another short
bo"bard"ent started, the du""es !ere agan rased and one
co"pany of
the *th ..&.9, dashed across nto the sa"e trenches and klled or
captured "ore Ger"ans. They then returned to our trenches and
the
du""es !ere agan lo!ered. -fter dark our "en !ent out and
re"o#ed
the du""es, so that the Ger"ans ne#er had a chance of
dsco#erng the
ruse. The sa"e nght at M -./. Afty cylnders of gas !ere projected
o#er the Ger"an lnes. Ths gas attack cost the Ger"ans dear,
probably
"ore than the t!o rads, for the neKt day they !ere seen buryng or
re"o#ng large nu"bers of the "en caught n the gas cloud. /y
o!n
obser#ers reported 011 gas casualtes and the total nu"ber
reported
reached a Agure bet!een M11 and I11. Gas casualtes !ere easly
dstngushed, as the Ger"ans re"o#ed the" n blankets slung
bet!een
t!o "en on a pole. Besdes, as t happened, the gas cloud drfted
north and caught the Ger"ans durng a relef nearly half a "le
a!ay
fro" the scene of the t!o rads. For eKa"ple, the Ger"ans !ere
buryng
dead all day n the neghbourhood of 7t. (oharts Factory, !hch s
so"e dstance fro" ;hersy. The Ger"an report of ths operaton
sho!ed
that they had faled entrely to realse the nature of the attack. -nd
a s"lar rad !as repeated shortly after!ards near /onchy%le%PreuK
!th great success. Our aeroplanes s!ooped do!n to M11 feet and
took
photographs of the Arst rad fro" that heght. -nd 9 !as lucky
enough
to secure so"e #ery nterestng copes of these photographs, !hch
sho!ed our "en crossng =o /anEs &and and enterng the Ger"an
trenches.
9 got "y fourth lea#e, ten days, about -ugust M1 and tra#elled ho"e
#a Boulogne and Folkestone. 9t !as the Arst lea#e that took "e out
of the lne, !hch t dd for about four days. -ll the pre#ous
lea#es had occurred durng .#sonal rests.
Fe !ere rele#ed n these trenches by the 4)st .#son about the
begnnng of October, and the 41th .#son "o#ed out of the lne to
the neghbourhood of ;ourcelles%le%;o"pte for a short rest.
Before the relef took place Brgader%General (ees had to lea#e us
"uch to e#ery oneEs regret. 8e !as taken ll !th a dstressng
nternal co"plant, !hch necesstated hs return for a !hle to
England. 8e !as succeeded by Brgader%General E.P.-. (ddell,
;./.G.,
..7.O.
General (ddell had at one t"e been -djutant of the +th =.F., that s
to say, long before the !arX and he kne! all about -ln!ck and the
people there. .urng the !ar he had been nstructng oJcers at
7andhurst for a t"e, and later on he co""anded a battalon of the
;a"brdgeshres at the Battle of the 7o""e. Ths battalon
succeeded
n capturng the 7ch!aben (edoubt, near Thep#al. &ater on he had
seen
ser#ce n the battle stll ragng n Flanders. Fhen he ca"e to
co""and the )I*th 9nfantry Brgade at the end of 7epte"ber )*)+
he had
already !on the ..7.O. and Bar. To ths he subseRuently added
another
Bar durng the Ger"an oUens#e n /arch )*),. 8e !as sad to be a
typcal =orthu"bran. - leader, gallant and !ar%!se, of !ho"
=orthu"berland s justly proud.
Fhen !e left the lne at ;hersy !e had a good dea !hat our
destnaton !as to be. But Arst of all !e "o#ed a short !ay back n
the drecton of /rau"ont. The )I*th 9nfantry Brgade !as
Ruartered
at ;ourcelles%le%;o"te, a shattered #llage n the area #acated by
the
Ger"ans after the battle on the 7o""e. 8ere !e stayed for about
ten
days, and the battalons resu"ed tranng ther "en for oUens#e
operatons. One Aeld day !as partcularly re"arkable for a
de"onstraton by the -r 7Ruadron statoned at /oyenne#lle. Fe
co""enced operatons before da!n, and 9 !as n charge of the
"essages
at a spot representng battle 8.Q. :ust before 9 left at the
concluson of the operatons, about * -./., an aeroplane s!ooped
do!n
o#er our "pro#sed 8.Q. and left a "essage sayng EEKpect a report
at
B.8.Q. n an hourEs t"e.E Fe returned to B.8.Q. and, sure enough,
about *.I1 -./. an aeroplane agan s!ooped do!n and dropped a
s"all
packet. On openng t 9 !as a"aSed to And a roll of about a doSen
photographs, taken about an hour before, of the Anal poston
reached
by the 9nfantry durng the sha" attack. 8o! they "anaged to
de#elop
and prnt these photographs n the short space of t"e s al"ost a
"ystery. But 9 "agne they "ust ha#e had so"e electrcal "achne
for
dryng the negat#es and prnts. .urng ths short stay out of the
lne 9 pad t!o #sts to the old 7o""e battleAeld. The Arst n
co"pany !th ;apt. 8. &ddell, !ho had for so"e t"e been actng
as
-ssstant%Brgade%/ajor. Fe rode to Gre#llers and !ent on fro"
there
on foot to 8eKha" (oad and Eaucourt &E-bbaye. 9 had #sted the
ground before !th &eut. Odell n :une, !hen !e !ere stayng at
/onchy%au%Bos. - good deal of sal#age had been done snce then,
and
there !ere fe!er dead "en lyng about. But the scene of the
Aghtng
at 8ook 7ap and round the Butte of Farlencourt !as stll lttered
!th
hel"ets, rVes, and broken eRup"ent of all sorts. Of course by ths
t"e the trenches had largely fallen n and !ere co#ered !th rough
rank herbage. But the !re belts and the duck%board tracks !ere stll
there. Fhen !e approached the entrance to the cellars under the
runed
abbey at Eaucourt, !e notced traces of "en l#ng there. 7"oke
!as
rsng out of the runs and there !ere recent foot"arks about, and
so"e tns of soapy !ater. The story !as, and 9 bele#e t !as Rute
true, that s"all partes of deserters d!elt n these old deep cellars
and dugouts, l#ng on the bully beef !hch stll co#ered the
battleAeld and on the "oney rece#ed for E7ou#enrsE sold at
neghbourng canteens. 9 kno! of one deserter !ho l#ed there fro"
=o#e"ber )*)6 to :une or :uly )*)+. -part fro" these slght traces
of
occupaton, the battle%Aeld see"ed Rute deserted fro" one end to
the
other.
On another occason 9 !ent !th General (ddell by car to Thep#al
and
!e rode back through BucRuoy. Ths !as a #ery nterestng #st, for
the General eKplaned on the spot eKactly ho! the 7ch!aben
(edoubt !as
stor"ed, and ho! the troops !ere brought for!ard and dsposed for
the
attack. Fe !ent o#er a lot of the neghbourng ground, and 9 !as
able
to see ho! the Ger"ans !ere forced out of 7t. Perre .#on,
/rau"ont, and Beau"ont 8a"el. 9 lttle thought as 9 rode ho"e
that
nght through BucRuoy that 9 should n lttle "ore than A#e "onthsE
t"e be co""andng a co"pany n the front lne n a "uddy dtch
outsde BucRuoy. 8o!e#er ths stay at ;ourcelles !as n#aluable
later
on, for t ga#e "e a general dea of the le of the land on the ene"y
sde, !hen !e !ere pressed back to Go""ecourt and ;olnca"ps.
Fe left ;ourcelles about October ),, and entraned at /rau"ont
staton. Fe left the tran near ;assel and "arched to the #llage of
-rneke, !here 9 spent t!o nghts at the house of the cur[%%a knd
hosptable old "an. -fter that !e "arched out of France and arr#ed
at
a ca"p about a "le !est of Pro#en, n Belgu".
FOOT=OTE7'
2)I5 &euts. O. $oung @4th =.F.B, :essop @6th =.F.B, and (chardson
@+th =.F.B.
NNL9
T8E 8O<T8<&7T FO(E7T
9 !sh 9 could o"t all reference to the operatons n Flanders )*)+.
7urely no one can be found to take "uch prde n the results of ths
part of the ca"pagn. :udged by the "ap alone bet!een /ay ),
)*)+, and
/ay ), )*),, t !ll be found that !e actually lost ground n
Flanders, and that !e !ere at the last hard put to t to retan any
footng there at all.
9t s dJcult to kno! !hat "ot#es, poltcal or "ltary, led to
our pressng an attack !th such colossal fury on ths part of the
lne. Perhaps the ;hannel ports at Ostend and Peebrugge !ere the
prSe
!e hoped to gan. Be that as t "ay, the result of our attack !as to
brng about a conVct of unparalleled ntensty. The bulk of the
Englsh hea#y artllery see"ed to be concentrated on the one sde
and
the bulk of the ene"yEs hea#y artllery on the other. 9n a country
lke Flanders the ground s bad enough n foul !eatherX but !here t
s churned up for "les !th the hea#est of shells, t beco"es
"possble to use tanks and neKt to "possble to use nfantry.
/oreo#er, the Ger"ans had superorty n the ar. They had
concentrated on arcraft the eUort !hch !e had eKpended on
perfectng the tank. The one can be used eUect#ely n !et !eather,
but the other cannot. The Ger"an had another defens#e surprse
for
us. O!ng to the nature of the ground the deep dugout !as
practcally
an "possblty. 9n the place, therefore, of ths the Ger"an de#sed
the concrete blockhouse or Epll%boKE as t !as called. For "les
behnd ther front lne the country !as dotted !th pll%boKes, !hch
could defy the tank and all but the largest knds of shells. -s soon
as our operatons started the ran strea"ed do!n, "akng
condtons
ten t"es !orse for the attackng force.
-ll honour to those that gallantly stor"ed the "uddy slopes of
PasschendaeleX to the !onderful engneers that conRuered the
sRuald
Ruag"res of &ange"arck and PonnebekeX to the gunners that stuck
to
ther guns under a ran of bo"bs and shells, and to the transport
dr#ers that fed the". 9t s a tale of !onderful gallantry and heroc
endea#our. But !hen all s sad and done, one s bound to look at
the
result.
On reachng the area round Pro#en the 41th .#son !as allocated
to
the Ffth -r"y @General GoughB, and rece#ed orders to prepare to
take
part n an attack on the ene"yEs lne bet!een the 8outhulst Forest
and
Passchendaele. On October 0), the day after our arr#al at Pro#en, 9
!ent to the Ffth -r"y 8.Q. to get all the "aps and nfor"aton 9
could relatng to the ne! front. The -r"y 8.Q. !ere n a large
ch\teau
north of Popernghe, and !hen 9 got there 9 !as rece#ed by the
;olonel n charge of 9ntellgence !th e#ery kndness. 8e got "e
se#eral "aps, ga#e "e the Ales of ntellgence to glance o#er, and
ad#sed "e to #st the -r 7Ruadron at Pro#en for aeroplane
photographs. 8e also oUered to turn out a 7taU car to take "e back,
but ths knd oUer 9 declned. /y neKt #st !as to the oJce of the
-r 7Ruadron, !here they had a Ale of all photographs relatng to our
front. 9 !as able to secure se#eral useful copes, and the pro"se of
so"e "ore. -fter ths 9 returned to our ca"p to !ork on the ar
photos. On October 0M !e "arched to Pro#en and entraned there,
gettng out at El#erdnghe. - short "arch took us to a ca"p of
!ooden
huts a lttle south of the ch\teau, !here the 41th .#son had ther
battle 8.Q. Fhen !e arr#ed the huts !ere Rute e"pty of all
furntureX but n a short t"e the Brgade poneers had "ade a table
and for"s to use n the "ess. 9t !as decded that only the General,
Brgade%/ajor, and 7gnallng OJcer should go for!ard to battle
8.Q., an old Ger"an pll%boK called /artnEs /ll, bet!een Fdjendrft
and &ange"arck. The rest of the Brgade 7taU !ere to re"an at
rear
8.Q. at 8uddersAeld .ugouts on the $ser ;anal close to BardEs
;ause!ay. -t ths t"e 9 !as "uch !orred by !hat appeared to "e
to be
an atte"pt to tap the nfor"aton of the Brgade as to the detals of
the forthco"ng attack. =aturally an 9ntellgence OJcer has to be
dscreet at all t"es, but especally so at t"es lke ths. 9 s"ply
record "y "presson although 9 cannot g#e any detals.
On October 0I 9 !ent to the rear B.8.Q. at 8uddersAeld .ugouts.
They
!ere n the northern bank of the $ser ;anal about half a "le south
of
Boesnghe. The front !as approached by "eans of se#eral long
duck%board
tracks, n places "ore lke !ooden brdges than the ordnary trench
footboards. 9n the "ornng 9 dd "y best to n#estgate !here these
tracks started, not altogether an easy "atter n an entrely strange
country. 9n the afternoon 9 !as asked by the 7taU%;aptan to see that
the hot food and tea and ru" for the use of the troops neKt "ornng
!ere ready for del#ery to the carryng%partes, and that the O.;.
carryng%party kne! eKactly !hat to do. 9 found that the food Hc.
!as
ready packed up n the hot food contaners by the four transport
oJcers, but 9 had great dJculty n Andng the oJcer n charge
of the carryng%partes. -fter !atng about for o#er t!o hours 9 dd
get n touch !th h". -nd by nghtfall 9 had the satsfacton of
seeng the hot food set oU !th ths carryng%party up one of the
tracks leadng to the front. Fe obtaned gudes for ths party fro"
the
41th .#sonal 7gnals, !ho ga#e us e#ery assstance n ther po!er.
The attack took place neKt "ornng about da!n, after a hea#y
artllery
bo"bard"ent, and n the ran. Of ths attack the Brgade has no
need
to be asha"ed, although by the afternoon of the sa"e day the
re"nants
of ts bra#e solders !ere !thdra!n to the startng pont. The +th
=.F. on the left had a shorter dstance to go than the rest, but on
ther left Vank !as the Forest of 8outhulst full of Ger"an snpers.
On the rght !ere the Ith =.F. and n the centre the 4th =.F.
Each battalon had to attack across a treacherous s!a"p, and each
!as
confronted by a ro! of unbroken concrete pll%boKes, carefully
concealed fro" aeral obser#aton. Each battalon "ade ground, but
each battalon !as "o!ed do!n n heaps by the "achne%guns n
the
pll%boKes. 9 ha#e nothng no! to g#e as an est"ate of the
casualtes, eKcept the oJcer casualtes of the +th =.F. T!el#e
oJcers of the +th =.F. !ent o#er the top that "ornng, and one
returned al#e, &eut -]eck. The others !ere all klled. 9t g#es
so"e dea of the sprt of these gallant fello!s, !hen 9 relate that
&eut -]eck !as preparng a further attack on the Ger"an pll%
boKes
at the t"e he !as ordered to return !th the re"nants of the
shattered brgade. The three battalons all suUered the hea#est
losses, but 9 ha#e no! no detals eKcept those 9 ha#e g#en abo#e.
&eut. Odell, the Brgade 7gnallng OJcer, and hs "en dd !onders
n keepng the battalons n touch !th B.8.Q. durng the battle, and
for hs great personal gallantry on ths occason he rece#ed a Bar to
hs /.;. The shattered re"nants of the battalons !ere dra!n out of
the Aghtng Sone and g#en bllets not far fro" the $ser ;anal. E#en
here bad luck follo!ed the 4th =.F., for a long%range shell crashed
nto one of the huts at (ose ;a"p and caused forty "ore casualtes.
9n the transport lnes on the !est sde of the $ser ;anal ;apt.
=e#lle, the Q./. of the +th =.F., !as klled by a bo"b neKt day. -n
old solder !th a !onderful record of ser#ce, he had preferred to
stck to hs battalon nstead of takng pro"oton. 9 ha#e already
called h" the prnce of Ruarter "asters. 9 had also to la"ent h" as
a #ery knd and generous frend.
Fe no! rece#ed orders to retre to the rest area about Ondank, and
on
October 06 9 !as sent to take o#er a ca"p for B.8.Q. On the !ay 9
called at ..8.Q. at El#erdnghe ;h\teau, !here 9 !as #ery
courteously
rece#ed by the EQE 7taU%%;ol. ;art!rght and /ajor /c;racken%%!ho
"ade "any sy"pathetc nRures after the oJcers n the Brgade.
Fe !ere no! Ruartered n so"e old !ooden huts, possbly
constructed by
the FrenchX and though #ery co"fortable nsde they !ere hardly
bo"b%proof. -t nghts all the back areas round $pres !ere hea#ly
bo"bed and a lot of horses !ere klled e#ery nght and a certan
nu"ber of "en as !ell.
On October 0+ the poor shattered re"nants of "y battalon passed
B.8.Q., #ery !eary and #ery fe! n nu"bers. Besdes the Battalon
8.Q.
;o"pany there !ere just enough "en to "ake one decent%sSed
co"pany.
&eut.%;ol. G. 7cott :ackson stopped to speak to "e, and the tears
trckled do!n hs !eather%beaten face, as he sad EBuckley, ths has
farly done "e.E Only those !ho ha#e had a Ane battalon cut to
peces can realse the feelngs of ther co""ander at such a
"o"ent.
9 set to !ork !th "y obser#ers packng a !all of sandbags round
the
!ooden huts, as a protecton aganst bo"b splnters. 9t !as not
possble to protect the roof, but these sandbags !ere eUect#e
aganst anythng but a drect ht.
9 ha#e ne#er kno!n Ger"an nght bo"bng "ore persstent or "ore
hea#y
than t !as n the 7alent just at ths t"e. -nd although !e ne#er
got a bo"b n the sa"e Aeld as our ca"p they dropped close
enough to
be dsturbng. - ca"p !th so"e of the .#sonal detals !as struck
so"e lttle !ay fro" us, and the sa"e nght ..8.Q. at El#erdnghe
;h\teau !ere bo"bed, se#eral "otor%lorres beng set on Are.
9t !as too far back for us to be troubled !th "uch shellng, and the
Ger"an long%range guns Ared "ostly o#er our heads at the "ore
attract#e targets of Popernghe and Pro#en. One day durng ths
short
rest, October 0*, 9 had a rde round !th &eut. Odell n search of a
Aeld%casherEs oJce !here "oney could be dra!n to pay Brgade
detals. -fter a long rde to dUerent places !e landed up at a
;anadan ;asherEs OJce near PoperngheX at ths t"e the
;anadans
!ere on Passchendaele (dge. -bout =o#e"ber 4 the Brgade
returned to
the lne for a fe! days before the .#son !as taken out. On that
day
9 returned !th the 7taU%;aptan and ;apt. G. Bell @6th =.F.,
-ssstant%7taU%;aptanB to 8uddersAeld .ugouts. On the follo!ng
day 9 !alked nearly as far as the 7teenbeke at /artnEs /ll, and the
ground around &ange"arck !as about as dreary and shattered as
any that
9 ha#e e#er seen. 9t !as !ell descrbed to "e once as Eutter sRualor.E
=eKt day 9 !ent to the ca"p of the Ith =.F. south of &ange"arck
and to
/arsoune ca"p, to arrange certan detals of the relef. The sa"e
nght the Brgade !as rele#ed, but 9 !as left n charge at
8uddersAeld .ugouts tll the e#enng of =o#e"ber , !hen 9
returned to
the ca"p at Ondank. On =o#e"ber )0 the Brgade entraned at
El#erdnghe staton and !ere taken through 7t. O"er to Fatten
staton.
Fe "arched fro" there n the dark to the lttle #llage of 7erRues.
Fe
!ere no! to ha#e about a "onthEs rest and tranng before returnng
agan to the 7alent.
NNL99
.9L979O=-& (E7T =E-( 7T. O/E(
7erRues !as Rute a pleasant lttle #llage to stay at, but the
arrange"ents for tranng !ere #ery scanty. 9 had to search round
for
sutable spots for rVe%ranges, and to agree !th the o!ners for
sutable co"pensaton. -lso 9 had to "ake so"e of the
arrange"ents for
a ferry boat to con#ey the troops across the ;anal .e &E-a to a good
tranng%ground bet!een Fatten and 7t. /o"eln. On =o#e"ber )I 9
pad
"y Arst #st to 7t. O"er, !hch s a nce to!n !th plenty of good
shops.
&eut.%;ol. G.(.B. 7pan, ;./.G., of the 6th =.F. ca"e to co""and
the
Brgade durng the absence of Brgader%General (ddell on lea#e.
8e
!as a "an of re"arkable erudton and a collector of prnts and
other
thngs. -nd 9 soon found that !e had "any thngs n co""on and
"any
nterestng talks 9 had !th h" on a #arety of subjects.
Fe dsco#ered together se#eral early Vnt "ple"ents and arro!%
heads
about 7erRues, and he told "e a lot about the early 7tone -ge,
!hch
nterested "e greatly and set "e lookng for these nterestng relcs
!here#er !e happened to be Ruartered.2)45 7hortly after ths t"e
&eut.%;ol. 7cott :ackson left the +th =.F. to jon the (.-./.;. and
to take co""and of a base hosptal. 8e !as succeeded by ;apt. 8.
&ddell, /.;., !ho no! beca"e &eut.%;ol. n co""and of the
battalon.
-fter stayng at 7erRues for about t!o !eeks the Brgade "o#ed to
the
area around Tournehe". Ths !as not such a Vat !atery countryX
and !e
had better Ruarters n the house of the cur[ of the place.
9t !as decded to hold Brgade 7ports here, and 9 !as sent oU to
Boulogne to buy the prSes. 9 !ent there and back n a .#sonal
7taU car. 9 had lunch at the OJcersE ;lub, !here the F.-.-.;.Es
!ere ser#ng as !atressesX and #ery nce t !as to see ther fresh
Englsh faces agan. - #st to Boulogne !hen you are not gong on
lea#e brngs back rather "elancholy feelngs, and 9 !as glad to
lea#e
the place.
-n ncdent happened at =ortleulnghe", !hch !as rather
unfortunate
for t spolt an unbroken record. The +th =.F., !ho !ere statoned at
ths place, !ere ordered to pro#de a Aeld%Arng de"onstraton for
the .#sonal 7taU. The de"onstraton !as to nclude the Arng of a
nu"ber of s"oke%bo"bs%%rVe%grenades !th a s"all can of
phosphorus
at the end. Ther successful dscharge reRured consderable
practce
and ner#e.
-s &eut. 8. (chardson, the Bo"bng OJcer of the +th =.F., !as
a!ay
9 !as asked to co"e o#er and nstruct the "en ho! to Are these
ne!
!eapons oU. There !ere only t!o "ornngs n !hch to nstruct
the"
before the de"onstraton ca"e oU. Of course t !as a #ery hurred
proceedng, and 9 !as rather horrAed to And that the "en kne!
practcally nothng about rVe%grenades. @/ost of the traned
rVe%bo"bers had beco"e casualtes n the battle at 8outhulst.B 9
dd
!hat 9 could to eKplan the !orkng of the s"oke rVe%bo"bX but on
the Arst practce takng place one of the "en succeeded n blo!ng
oU the foreAnger of another "an, through Arng too soon. Of course
that !as not a fatal accdent, but t put the "an out of acton for
the rest of the !ar%%"y only serous accdent n bo"bng of any knd.
Fhen the de"onstraton ca"e oU, there !ere to "y great relef no
further regrettable ncdents of that sort.
On .ece"ber * !e began to prepare to return to the 7alent, and 9
!ent
!th certan ad#anced detals to Fatten, !here 9 spent the nght n
one of the houses. 9 "anaged to get a #ery passable dnner at the
best
local nn. Fe entraned neKt day at Fatten staton and !ere taken
by
ral to BrandhoekX "archng to a ca"p Rute close to the staton.
9 had seen n so"e of our 9ntellgence papers that the )Ith .#son
!as n a ;orps ""edately on our left, and 9 therefore kne! that 9
"ght ha#e a chance of gettng n touch !th "y brother George.
-ccordngly 9 !alked to Lla"ertnghe neKt day and heard that hs
battalon !as statoned n a ca"p at 7t. :ean. On .ece"ber )0 9 !as
sent for!ard to take o#er B.8.Q. n $pres, at a con#ent at the =.E.
corner of the cty. The hgher Voors of the con#ent !ere all n
runs, but the ground Voors !ere "ore or less ntact, and n these
!e
had our roo"s and oJces. The "ess roo" !as under a ple of
rubbsh
outsde. 8a#ng "ade the arrange"ents !th the )41th 9nfantry
Brgade,
!ho" !e !ere rele#ng, 9 had stll an hour to spare before B.8.Q.
!ould arr#e. 7o 9 decded to !alk o#er to 7t. :ean and nRure for "y
brotherEs battalon. 9t took "e about t!enty "nutes to get there,
but
there !as no dJculty n Andng the battalon or ther 8.Q. 7o 9
"arched up to the 8.Q. hut and asked to see ;apt. Buckley. 8e
ca"e out
at once and !as #ery surprsed to see "e, for he had no dea !here
9
!as at ths t"e. 9t !as a hurred but eKceedngly pleasant "eetng.
9
had only t!enty "nutes to spare, and he !as just gong for!ard to
the
front lne that nght. 7o !e had to Es!op yarnsE #ery Ruckly. -nd he
!alked back part of the !ay !th "e to!ards $pres. 9 thought he
looked
#ery !orn out and depressed. 8e had had a #ery hard t"e n the
7alent, and n a fe! days he !as back n hosptal !th nVuenSa.
FOOT=OTE7'
2)45 -t ;ogneuK 9 found a seres of early "ple"ents n !hch the
Brtsh /useu" took consderable nterest.
NNL999
T8E P-77;8E=.-E&E (9.GE
The 41th .#son !ere holdng the lne n front of Passchendaele
Lllage and a lttle to the south. On our rght !ere the Fest (dng
Terrtorals, the I*th .#son, co""anded by /ajor%General
;a"eron
@once one of our brgadersBX on the left the )Ith .#son. Only one
brgade !as n the lne at a t"e%%another re"anng n support
around
$pres and the other back at rest about Brandhoek. Thus a brgade
!ent
to close support for four days, to the front lne for four days, and
then back to the rest area for four days. Ths see"s to be an easy
"ethod of holdng the lneX but, o!ng to the nature of the ground
and
to the hea#y shellng that !ent on "ost of the day and nght n the
for!ard areas, t !as "possble to keep a brgade #ery long n the
front lne. The battle on the rdge had been o#er for so"e t"e, but
nether sde !as yet prepared to dsperse ts hea#y concentraton of
guns. But the hea#y Arng !as gradually, #ery gradually, beco"ng
less se#ere.
$pres tself had been badly knocked about durng the great battle.
/ost of the troops blleted n $pres l#ed underground, but !hlst 9
!as l#ng there t !as ne#er se#erely shelled. 7hrapnel !as Ared
occasonally at the balloons o#er the cty, and also about the /enn
Gate and the roads leadng to!ards the east end of the cty. But
there
!ere no hea#y guns n $pres tself, and there !as at present no
partcular reason for shellng t. Fe therefore had not an unpleasant
t"e oursel#es n the cty. 9 bele#e that the 8.Q. at the con#ent
!ere shelled !hlst !e !ere n the front lne, but that only happened
once.
On .ece"ber )M 9 !ent for a !alk of nspecton as far as .an
;ottages,
so"e old Ger"an pll%boKes, !here the for!ard brgade had ther
8.Q.
For the Arst "le or so fro" $pres the ground see"ed to be
reco#erng
fro" the hea#y shellng t had rece#ed, and there !as a good deal
of
grass no! gro!ng about the old Brtsh front lne trenches. But as
you got farther for!ard to the area of the hea#y guns, the ground
!as
badly shattered and e#ery shell%hole full of !ater. Bet!een ths pont
and B.8.Q. the condtons !ere s"ply a!ful. - #ast s!a"p of
yello!%bro!n "ud d#ded nto craters of large sSe%%all full of
!atery sl"e. -nd so t !ent on as far as the eye could see.
8ere and there there !ere oases of dry ground, generally holdng
se#eral hea#y guns and du"ps of a""unton. Fhlst at nter#als
the
s!a"p !as ntersected by a !ooden road, used by the lorres to
brng
up a""unton, and by t!o or three duck%board tracks !hch ran
!ndng
through the a!ful "ess of "ud and !ater. These tracks !ere
supported
on !ooden ples dr#en nto the "ud, and !ere "ore lke !ooden
brdges
than tracks. 7o"et"es they rested on Ar" ground, but "ostly they
!ere held up n the ar by the !ooden ples. -gan rght through the
de#astated area ran a good pa#ed road fro" $pres to!ards
Ponnebeke.
8ere and there n so"e of the drer spots you could see Rueer !hte
"ounds%%the concrete pll%boKes, so"e of !hch !ere stll sound
enough, but others broken n and !aterlogged. The pll%boKes and
the
road and the !ooden tracks !ere of course !ell kno!n to the
Ger"an
artllery, !ho la#shed a great deal of a""unton e#ery day on
each
of these targets. But o!ng to the "ethodcal !ay n !hch the
Ger"ans
Ared on the tracks, t !as al!ays possble to "end the" !here#er
they
!ere s"ashed. Bet!een 0 -./. and , -./. practcally no shells
ca"e
o#er on to the tracks, and durng ths t"e each day gangs of "en
!ent
out and "ended the da"age done to the".
Fhen the frost ca"e and soldAed the "ud, tra#ellng beca"e safer
f
not so easyX for t !as then possble to lea#e the tracks and go
across country by !alkng round the edges of the shell craters. -ll
along the road there !as ceaseless act#ty day and nght. &nes and
lnes of lorres gong back!ards or for!ards, l"bers, !agons, "en.
Fhen the ene"y shelled the road, generally so"e da"age !as
done, and
t !as not unco""on to see pools of blood n the road and the ltter
of broken #ehcles. -t nter#als along the road there !ere #ast
du"ps
of a""unton and stores, and on the sde tracks huge ples of e#ery
sort of sal#age.
For!ard agan of B.8.Q. the country !as perhaps not so badly
s"ashed,
eKcept n the spots "ost eKposed to shell Are. But the shell%holes
!ere often full of Ger"an dead%%9 counted nearly )11 !thn a
Ruarter
of a "le of .an ;ottages. -nd on the for!ard !ooden tracks used
by
our transport, the ground reeked lke a slaughter%house. Frag"ents
of
e#erythng just s!ept oU the tracks. The l"bs and bodes of the
pack%"ules lyng so"et"es n heaps so"et"es at nter#als all
along
the route. Of course the nearer you approached to Passchendaele
(dge
the drer and Ar"er !as the ground. But that a!ful s!a"p behnd
has
probably no parallel n the hstory of !ar. 8o! the Engneers
o#erca"e
t s really a "ar#el. -nd great credt ndeed "ust be g#en to ths
#ery eJcent branch of the -r"y, and to the "en !ho laboured
there
under the terrble condtons around the". 9 ha#e "entoned the
Ger"an
deadX there !as no doubt lttle t"e to g#e to the". But 9 hardly
sa!
one body of a Brtsh solder !ho had been left !thout bural.
On .ece"ber )4 9 !ent !th General (ddell to #st the 4th =.F.
Battalon 8.Q. at Tyne ;ottages, so"e pll%boKes about half%!ay
bet!een for!ard B.8.Q. and Passchendaele. 9t !as a long !alk, and
!e
!ent up the Ponnebeke (oad tll !e !ere n the neghbourhood of
that
#llage, then along the "ule track to Tyne ;ottages. Fhlst !e !ere
talkng !th /ajor -. 9r!n at the pll%boK a fe! lght shells ca"e
o#er and sprnkled us !th earth. 9t !as best to be ether nsde or
!ell a!ay fro" a pll%boK' but as the entrance to ths pll%boK !as
lke a rabbt%hole and close to the ground General (ddell preferred
to stand outsde. -fter that !e pad a #st to .an ;ottages, and
returned back along the !ooden tracks to $pres.
29llustraton' Plan of B.8.Q. @:udah 8ouseB, .an ;ottages.5
=eKt day B.8.Q. !ent for!ard to .an ;ottages and stayed there for
four
days. The Brgade obser#ers !ere e"ployed n t!o !ays, partly as
obser#ers and partly as a gas guard for the B.8.Q. pll%boK. Ths
pll%boK had already stood one or t!o strong blo!s fro" shells, but t
stll appeared to be pretty sound. The door of course faced the
ene"y,
but !as protected by a stout concrete !all and a bank of earth
outsde
that.
9t !ll be seen fro" the abo#e plan that the Ruarters !ere #ery
conAned%%the bunks beng roughly sK feet long and the roo" rather
o#er sK feet hgh.
One obser#er stood n the narro! passage outsde the door as
sentry
and gas guard. 8e !as of course rele#ed e#ery four hours, and at
nght there !ere generally t!o on duty. The other obser#ers !ho
!ere
not on ths duty held a post about 8llsde Far" about a "le for!ard
of .an ;ottages. Ths !as not altogether a healthy spot, but a good
#e! !as obtaned to!ards /oorslede.
9n ths area obser#ers !ere asked to pay specal attenton to the
ene"yEs shellng, notcng the drecton fro" !hch the sound of the
Arng ca"e and the areas shelled and approK"ately the nu"ber of
rounds. 9 had of course to !rte out the Brgade 9ntellgence (eport
each "ornng. The last nght !e !ere n these Ruarters a nu"ber of
gas%shells !ere Ared round the batteres and B.8.Q. They "ade the
at"osphere #ery unpleasantX and though they !ere not thck
enough to
necesstate !earng the resprator, 9 suUered, especally the
follo!ng nght, fro" ther eUects.
On .ece"ber 01 !e !ere rele#ed and "o#ed back to the rest area
at
Brandhoek, !here !e !ere glad to ha#e four daysE rest. On
;hrst"as
E#e !e "o#ed to our old Ruarters at $pres, and the follo!ng nght
!e
had an eKcellent ;hrst"as dnner thanks to the good ser#ces of
&eut. Behrens, our French nterpreter, an old "achne%gunner of
Lerdun. On .ece"ber 0, !e agan !ent to the front area and held
the
lne for four days. 9t !as al!ays the custo" for one of the oJcers
of the Brgade to keep a!ake on duty durng part of the nght. Fe
took t n turns and dd t!o%hour shfts. On the "ornng of .ece"ber
M) t happened to be "y turn to be a!ake on duty just about da!n.
-nd
ths sa#ed "e fro" a #ery rude a!akenng. That "ornng the ene"y
had
decded on a bo"bard"ent of our .#sonal front and he
co""enced
proceedngs by shellng .an ;ottages !th a battery of I%nch na#al
guns, a #ery accurate !eapon. Fe got a shell on the roof of the
pll%boK !hch ga#e a nasty concusson and put all the lghts out.
That !oke the rest of the 7taU up eKcept the -rtllery OJcer. 9 had
hardly got the lghts on agan !hen !e got another shell on the roof.
-gan the lghts !ent out, and ths t"e a pece of concrete fell out
of the roof and crashed on to the Voor, knockng o#er so"e of our
belongngs, but fortunately "ssng the oJcers nsde.
- fe! s"all frag"ents of concrete also dropped on the face of the
-rtllery &ason OJcer !ho had slept peacefully through the Arst
concusson. 8e !oke up then !th a co"cal look of surprse, as f
so"e
one !ere playng a joke on h". -lthough another shell struck the
bank
at the door!ay !e had no "ore on the roof, and no casualtes%%only
!e
found that all our telephone !res had been cut. 9 !onder !hether
our
roof !ould ha#e stood another drect htW &ater on n the day 9 Alled
the holes n the roof outsde !th blocks of ce and froSen earth, n
fact anythng 9 could And to act as a EbursterE n case of further
shellng. -t )0 oEclock "dnght, beng the begnnng of =e! $earEs
.ay, our artllery Ared ther usual re"nder at the ene"y. 9t has
been
a pont of honour !th us to Are oU all our guns as soon as possble
after the =e! $ear ca"e n. On the e#enng of :anuary ) !e !ere
rele#ed and "o#ed back to Brandhoek. On :anuary M the .#son
!as
taken farther back for a rest, and the Brgade "arched to the dstrct
about Fatou on the French border.
8a#ng ser#ed for t!o years abroad 9 appled for a "onthEs lea#e%%t
!as a pr#lege granted to 7taU OJcers !ho needed a rest. /y
lea#e
!arrant reached "e on :anuary 4, and neKt day 9 left Fatou and
entraned at Popernghe for Boulogne.
NN9N
GOO.%B$E TO T8E 41T8 .9L979O=
Fhen 9 returned to $pres on February ,, )*),, 9 found that so"e
#ery
drastc changes had taken place n the groupng of battalons.
9nstead
of four battalons to a brgade, there !ere no! to be threeX and
e#ery
d#son !as to be pro#ded !th a Poneer battalon. Ths "eant that
the 41th .#son, !ho already possessed a battalon of poneers,
had
to part !th a battalon fro" each brgade. -nd these battalons
!ould
ha#e to be attached as poneer battalons to other d#sons !ho
possessed no poneer battalon. -s the junor battalon n the
=orthu"berlands, the +th =.F. !ere selected to go fro" the )I*th
9nfantry BrgadeX and ther co"panons n "sfortune !ere the *th
..&.9. and the 4th Border (eg"ent. /ajor%General 7r P.7. Flknson,
>.;./.G., our .#sonal ;o""ander, !as good enough to say that
he !as
partng !th three of hs best battalons.
-lthough 9 had been attached to the 7taU of the )I*th 9nfantry
Brgade snce /ay )*)6 9 !as ncluded n the General Order that all
detached oJcers should jon ther respect#e battalons before they
left the .#son. -t the t"e ths looked #ery hard. 9 had been a
specalst for o#er t!o years and had got co"pletely out of touch
!th
co"pany !ork. But 9 ha#e no doubt no! that n the e#ents !hch
happened 9 !as #ery lucky to lea#e the 41th .#son at ths
juncture.
9n sK !eeksE t"e 9 !as, through the good oJces of the Battalon
8.Q., g#en an 9ntellgence job !th our ne! .#sonX and the
eKperence 9 had ganed !th the 41th .#son !as not !asted as 9
had
feared t "ght be. -lso there !ent !th "e fro" the )I*th 9nfantry
Brgade four hghly%traned obser#ers !ho for"ed the nucleus and
backbone of the I0nd .#sonal obser#ers. On returnng to the +th
=.F. 9 lost "y actng%captancy and beca"e second n co""and to ;
;o"pany. -lso 9 had to part !th "any good frends n the old
Brgade'
so"e of the" 9 !as destned ne#er to "eet agan. &eut. E.F. 7tyles
!ho !as attached to the )I*th Trench%/ortar Battery !as unhapply
klled durng the Ger"an oUens#eX a great frend !ho" 9 shall
al!ays
"ss. /y bo"bng orderly, &.%;. Farclough, !as also klled durng
the
sa"e operatons.
Fhen 9 joned the +th =.F. they !ere statoned at 7t. :ean%%n -ln!ck
;a"p. -nd here the battalon sad good%bye to the Brgade.
9t !as a sngular turn of fate that ths should occur here. The +th
=.F. had fought ther Arst battle !th the Brgade on ths spot n
-prl )*)4, and the na"e of the ca"p !as of course taken fro" the
to!n
!here ther 8.Q. !ere statoned at ho"e. Fhen he ca"e to say
fare!ell
to the battalon, General (ddell referred to ths curous
concdence and also bade us re"e"ber the reg"ental "otto EQuo
Fata
LocantE @E Fhther the Fates callEB. 7o !e left the $pres 7alent for
the last t"e. -nd although 9 !ent nto Belgu" agan !th the -r"y
of
Occupaton, 9 ha#e ne#er set foot n Flanders agan. Of all countres
on earth t s surely the "ost ds"al and unhappy. -t least so t
appeared to "e.
NNN
.9GG9=G T(E=;8E7 -BO<T &OO7
Before !e left the 41th .#son !e learnt that !e !ere to jon the
I0nd @East &ancashreB Terrtoral .#son, co""anded at ths t"e
by
/ajor%General -. 7olly%Flood, ;./.G., ..7.O. The latter .#son had
seen ser#ce n Egypt and Gallpol before co"ng to France, and
they
!ere no! restng n the Bethune area, ha#ng just left the trenches
bet!een ;a"brn and &oos. Ths !as n the 9 ;orps area of the Frst
-r"y. -s poneers to the I0nd .#son the +th =.F. beca"e
.#sonal
troops, drectly under the co""and of the .#sonal 7taU and no
longer n a brgade. The three brgades of our ne! d#son !ere the
)04th @&ancs. FuslersB, )06th @East &ancashreB, and )0+th
@/anchesterB%%all Terrtoral brgades. The 7taU of the I0nd .#son
treated ther ne! poneer battalon !th kndness and consderatonX
and 9 bele#e !e !ere called on occason E7olly%FloodEs Pets.E On the
other hand there !as frcton at t"es bet!een the "en of the I0nd
.#son and the "en of the +th =.F.
The !hole .#son had htherto been dra!n fro" the East
&ancashre
area%%/anchester, Oldha", Bury, Hc., and they looked upon us
rather
as ntruders. The =orthu"berlands !ere of course not the people to
let
slp so ad"rable an opportunty of acceptng a feud' and n October
)*), they co""tted the unforg#able sn of !nnng the .#sonal
-ssocaton Football ;up, !hch co"pleted ther unpopularty.
-nd for a battalon !hch had seen the hard ser#ce of the +th =.F.,
the stock jests generally le#elled at a poneer battalon !ere a
lttle out of place. The I0nd .#son pro#ed the"sel#es a hard
Aghtng d#son n )*),, and l#ed up to ther "otto EGo one
better.E
The +th =.F. left the $pres area about February )), )*),, and after
spendng a fe! days at Brandhock they !ere con#eyed n "otor%
buses to
the s"all #llage of FouRuereul, !est of Bethune.
8ere the battalon !as nstructed to help the poneers of the 6th
.#son, !ho !ere holdng the front lne trenches bet!een ;a"brn
and
&oos. -ccordngly three co"panes of the +th =.F. !ere detached
fro"
the battalon and sent to the for!ard area. 9 !ent !th ; ;o"pany
@;apt. 8errottB to Phlosophe, a s"all collery #llage stll partly
nhabted by c#lans, though farly close to the front lne.
Our daly !ork !as "akng reser#e defences, trenches, deep
dugouts,
and "achne%gun e"place"ents bet!een Ler"elles and &oos.
.urng our
stay of about a !eek at Phlosophe the #llage !as Ruet. But one
nght the ene"yEs guns sent a perfect strea" of shells just o#er the
tops of the cottages for about t!enty "nutes. -bout a !eek after
!e
left the #llage t !as co"pletely knocked to bts by the ene"yEs
)1%nch ho!tSer shells.
Our neKt #st !as to so"e reser#e trenches at ;a"brn, !here !e
stayed for about a !eek, "pro#ng the defences. 9t !as a Ruet,
easy
t"e, though not far behnd the front lne. -fter ths the four
co"panes of the +th =.F. !ere reduced to three, and 9 !as
transferred
to - ;o"pany at 7ally%&abourse. 8ere !e !ere so"e dstance
behnd the
front lne, but !orkng%partes !ere taken up to the for!ard area,
and
9 used to go and nspect the". 7hortly after our arr#al at 7ally the
ene"y began to shell the back areas, causng great annoyance and
so"e
casualtes to the c#lan populaton, generally to chldren. They had
been allo!ed to l#e here "any "onths n peace, although not A#e
"les a!ay fro" the ene"yEs trenches. E#en 7ally%&abourse
rece#ed
al"ost daly sal#oes fro" long%range guns.
9 had a #ery unpleasant eKperence "yself n "y bllet, a brck
cottage, one nght about /arch )0. 9 !as n bed on the Arst
Voor%%the only person n the cottage eKcept "onseur and "ada"e
!ho
slept n the cellar. -bout "dnght the ene"yEs I%nch na#al guns
started shellng the place. Three shells n successon passed just
o#er the roof of "y cottage, one s"ashed the neKt house to pecesX
the
neKt fell nto our lttle back garden, eght yards fro" the cottageX
and the thrd struck the road on the other sde. -fter that 9 got up
and joned "onseur and "ada"e for ten "nutes n the cellar, untl
the shellng had ceased. Then back to bed. But neKt day 9 took the
precauton of changng "y bllet%%gong to the cellar of the broken
house neKt door.
9t !as a pteous sght to see the poor French folk as they Ved fro"
ther ho"es, !th ther "ost chershed belongngs packed on to
s"all
carts.
-bout ths t"e the I0nd .#son decded to for" a party of
obser#ers, kno!n as E.#sonal Obser#ers,E !ho !ere ntended to
keep
a !atch on the ene"y durng a battle and to report all sudden
"o#e"ents to the .#son. They !ere really ntended to collect
nfor"aton for ..8.Q. at t"es !hen the ordnary a#enues of
nfor"aton had broken do!n. -t Arst the party conssted of one
oJcer and nne traned obser#ers' but later on t !as ncreased by
the ncluson of sgnallers and one or t!o addtonal "en.
On /arch )4, )*),, 9 !as nstructed to return to &apugnoy to
Battalon
8.Q. n order to organse and co""and ths ne! party of "en. 9
obtaned ths job through the knd reco""endaton of the ;olonel
and
-djutant of the +th =.F. -lthough ths sde of 9ntellgence !as not
perhaps the one that 9 had "ost eKperence of, yet 9 haled "y
return
to an 9ntellgence job !th delght.
Fhen 9 reached &apugnoy no obser#ers had yet arr#ed, but neKt
day 9
!ent to nter#e! ;apt. E.;.B. >rsopp, /.;., the G.7.O. 999, !ho !as
the oJcer on the 7taU drectly responsble for the eRup"ent and
"o#e"ents of the obser#ers. ;apt. >rsopp !as, 9 bele#e, the father
of the obser#ers, .e. responsble for ther for"aton, and he sho!ed
at all t"es an nterest and a kndness !hch !ere fully apprecated.
8s fath n the possbltes of the party ne#er !a#ered, although
for so"e t"e t !as dJcult to kno! ho! to "ake ther nfor"aton
Ruck and eUect#e. 8o!e#er, he ne#er lost hope n us, and he ne#er
ceased to try to "pro#e the "eans of co""uncaton bet!een the
obser#ers and ..8.Q. -"ongst other thngs he got for the obser#ers
t!o
#ery po!erful telescopes, !th a "agnAcaton of forty%A#e t"es.
-nd although these glasses could not, o!ng to ther sSe and the
!eght of ther Attngs, be used durng the "o#ng !arfare, at a
later stage they pro#ed s"ply n#aluable for "akng target
sketches
of the ene"yEs defences. -nother oJcer !ho dd us good ser#ce
!as
&eut. ;.(. 7trde, the Q./. of the +th =.F. Fthout hs ad the hea#y
telescopes !ould ne#er ha#e gone nto acton, and the obser#ers
!ould
often ha#e been !thout ratons. 8e al!ays took an nterest n the
lttle party, and pro#ded us !th "any !elco"e co"forts fro" hs
store.2)65
On /arch )* the follo!ng obser#ers reported to "e. Fro" the +th
=.F.
&.%;. :. ;o!en and Ptes. :. >ng, F. Fal, and (. E!art%%all of !ho"
!ere old frends and obser#ers of the )I*th 9nfantry BrgadeX fro"
the
)04th 9nfantry Brgade &.%;. :. FlynnX fro" the )06th 9nfantry Brgade
Ptes. F. .unkerley and F. TurnerX fro" the )0+th 9nfantry Brgade
;orp. Falker and Pte. -. /orrs. O!ng to casualtes and to the
obser#ers beng recalled to ther battalons the personnel of the
party !as al!ays changng. But of the abo#e, the four "en of the
+th
=.F. and Pte. F. Turner practcally re"aned !th the obser#ers fro"
Arst to last.
For about a !eek 9 stayed at &apugnoy, g#ng lectures to the
obser#ers and carryng out so"e Aeld tranng !th the co"pass and
protractor. But our peaceful eKstence n the back area !as not
destned to last long. On Frday, /arch 00, 9 !as nstructed to take
the obser#ers to the I0nd .#son 7gnal 7chool at Bethune, n
order
that the "en "ght go through a course of sgnallng. Fe reached
the
7gnal 7chool at I P./. on Frday, and at )1 P./. the sa"e nght, !e
rece#ed orders that all oJcers and "en at the school !ere to be
ready to "o#e at 6 -./. neKt "ornng. The long eKpected blo! had
fallen at last. The ene"y had already launched the Arst !a#e of hs
great oUens#e.
FOOT=OTE7'
2)65 &eut.%;ol. 8. &ddell, ..7.O., /.;., !as "ost generous n
pro#dng "en to replace casualtes and n sendng us four sgnallers
fro" the +th =.F. 8.Q.
NNN9
T8E GE(/-= OFFE=79LE )*),%%7E;O=. B-TT&E OF -((-7
/arch 0M, )*), !as a Ane day' and that !as lucky for us, for !e had
a
long day n the open before us. Fe got a hurred breakfast about sK
oEclock, and !ere soon "archng by road to the place of asse"bly
on
the road fro" Bethune to 8esdgneul. 8ere !e had a !at of se#eral
hours on the roadsde, !hlst an unendng strea" of "otor%buses
hurred past all gong south!ards. 9t !as ru"oured that our
destnaton !as BasseuK, A#e "les 7.F. of -rrasX and 9 hoped t !as
true, for 9 kne! the dstrct better than any other n France. -t last
the buses allotted to the .#sonal troops dre! up and !e got
aboard
and set oU on our journey to the south. Fe !ent through &abuss^re
to 7t. Pol, and thence through Fr[#ent to .oullens, and then
north%east along the road to!ards -rras. EKcept for a fe! large and
recent shell%holes by the roadsde !e sa! lttle unusual untl !e
began to get near -rras. Fe stopped for a fe! "nutes near the
;.;.7.
at &aherl^re, and 9 got oU and asked one of the hosptal orderles
ho! thngs !ere gong on. Fe !ere told that our fello!s had had a
bad
day on the 00nd, but that to%day far fe!er casualtes had passed
through the staton. 7oon after that !e "et a nu"ber of French
c#lans !th carts strea"ng back fro" -rras, guarded by French
solders. Fe kne! then that thngs !ere not gong too !ell n front.
Fhen !e reached BasseuK about 6 P./. the buses !ere turned
round and
!e !ent on n an easterly drecton tll !e reached -yette. 8ere !e
got do!n and "arched n the darkness to the runed #llage of
-dnfer. ;ontnual Vashes n the drecton of /onchy%le%PreuK and an
nter"ttent roar fro" our long%range guns near at hand sho!ed
that
Aghtng !as stll gong on. But no shells arr#ed to add to our
dsco"fort. The obser#ers had to b#ouac n -dnfer Food, a
cheerless
proceedng after our long journey do!n, for !e had no blankets and
no
chance of gettng a hot "eal. 7o"e artllery"en ga#e "e a drnk of
!ater, !hch 9 re"e"ber !th grattude, for 9 had had no chance of
a
drnk snce 6 -./., and the roads had been choked !th dust. There
!as a keen frost that nght, and 9 could not sleep for long. Fhen
daylght ca"e 9 "anaged to lght a s"all Are and to heat up a tn of
E/achoncheEX and ths put a lttle "ore lfe nto "e. -fter that 9
!ent to -dnfer !here the .#sonal 7taU !ere Ruartered n !ooden
huts. 8ere 9 got a cup of coUee and had a chat !th the .#sonal
9ntellgence OJcer, &eut. G.F. .oble, /.;. 9 found that ..8.Q.
!ere "o#ng back to /onchy%au%Bos. /y nstructons !ere to
reconnotre the roads fro" -yette to!ards BucRuoy, -blanSe#elle,
and ;ourcelles%le%;o"te. 7o after gettng Ruarters for "y party at a
runed cottage n the !ood, 9 set out !th "ost of "y "en and spent
the !hole afternoon tra"png the roads as far as -blanSe#elle and
back agan to!ards /oyenne#lle. <nfortunately as e#ents pro#ed
ths
!as t"e and labour lost. For !hen 9 reported to ;apt. >rsopp at
/onchy%au%Bos 9 found that the I0nd .#son had rece#ed orders
fro" the 9L ;orps to hold the lne farther south, to!ards Behagnes
and 7apgnes. ..8.Q. !ere to "o#e neKt day to a ca"p bet!een
&ogeast
Food and BucRuoy. 9 !as told to send a party of obser#ers to the
east
end of &ogeast Food and to pay a #st "yself to the 8.Q. near
BucRuoy. The nght !as agan spent n -dnfer FoodX but t !as
"ore
co"fortable for !e had collected so"e ratons and blankets and
!ere
less eKposed to the !eather.
=eKt "ornng @/arch 04B 9 "o#ed across country !th &.%;. Flynn to
the
ca"p bet!een &ogeast Food and BucRuoy. The country%sde
see"ed
deserted and no sound of Arng could be heard. &.%;. ;o!en took
t!o
obser#ers to the east end of &ogeast Food and spent the day there,
but
nothng of "portance could be seen. They !ere, ho!e#er, shelled
by
the ene"y for a t"e n the afternoon. &ater on n the day there
!ere
"ore sgns of the ene"yEs act#ty. - large du"p eKploded at
;ourcelles, but t "ay ha#e been done by our o!n (.E.Es. -nd t !as
reported that the Ger"ans !ere ad#ancng to!ards -chet%le%Grand.
9
found out that e#enng that ..8.Q. had "o#ed back to the #llage of
FonRue#llersX so 9 decded to "o#e "y "en "ore n that drectonX
and
after nghtfall the obser#ers "arched along the road through
/onchy%au%Bos to Ben#llers.
On ths road !e sa! guns and transport n large nu"bers, "ostly
gong
south. 9t !as farly e#dent to "y "nd that the ene"y had "ade
another ad#ance durng the day, but deAnte ne!s !as hard to get.
8undreds of shells fro" the Ger"an I%nch na#al guns fell about the
roads all nght, but 9 heard not one of the" eKplode. They "ust ha#e
been a rotten lot of a""unton. On arr#ng at Ben#llers the
obser#ers got a bllet n the cellars of a shattered house at the
north end of the #llage. - lttle later 9 !ent to FonRue#llers to
get ne!s fro" ..8.Q.%%and nstructons for neKt day. The .#sonal
7taU !ere Ruartered n so"e =ssen huts. Fhen 9 arr#ed they had
no
partcular ne!s, but 9 !as asked to send a post of obser#ers agan, f
possble, to the east end of &ogeast Food, !hch !as thought to be
stll n our hands. -fter ths 9 returned to Ben#llers about
"dnght and arranged for an early start neKt day.
9n the "ornng @/arch 06B !e !ere cookng tea and bacon about
M.I4
-./. !hen a #ery tred and draggled oJcer ca"e n. 8e sad he had
just rdden o#er fro" Bapau"e on a "otor%cycle and he told us a
sorry
tale. 8e e#dently thought that the Ger"ans had broken rght
through
on the Ffth -r"y front @.e. on our rghtB, and that the Brtsh
forces !ere about to be surrounded. Bapau"e !as on Are, and the
Brtsh -r"y defeated and broken n the south. Ths !as the Arst
deAnte ne!s 9 had of the "sfortunes n the 7o""e area. 9t !as
dsRuetng enough and 9 deter"ned to approach &ogeast Food
!th
cauton and to keep a sharp look%out for unusual "o#e"ent as !e
!ent
for!ard. -cco"paned by Ptes. Fal and E!art 9 !ent across country
to!ards BucRuoy as the lght !as begnnng to break. Fe notced
that
the large trees on the road to 8annesca"ps had been prepared by
the
(.E.Es for fellng !th gun cotton%%the charges beng ready and ted
to the trunks so as to thro! the" across the road. The roads !ere
already full, "ostly horse transport pourng rapdly through
Ben#llers to!ards 7ouastre. Transport fro" the south%east co"ng
n
our drecton through 8annesca"ps appeared to be n a panc and
eKpectng pursut by the Ger"an ca#alry. Once !e got a!ay fro"
the
road and reached &e Quesnoy Far" there !as lttle "o#e"ent to be
seen.
- fe! s"all partes of our "en "o#ng to!ards us across the open
and
here and there a l"ber. =othng n a hurry, nothng at all to
ndcate a retreat on our o!n front, though t !as actually takng
place at the t"e. There !as no sound of Arng, and no shells. -
battery of Aeld guns stll lay n a hollo! just !est of BucRuoy, and
ths sght rather reassured "eX so 9 decded to push on a bt. &ea#ng
"y t!o obser#ers on the rdge !est of .er#lle Far" 9 approached
the
runed buldngs of the far" !hch le a lttle !est of the road
bet!een BucRuoy and -yette. Fhle 9 !as here 9 sa! so"e of our
nfantry "archng along ths road out of BucRuoy and for"ng a lne
along t. One of the" asked "e !here they could get n touch !th
our
troops on the left. Though 9 had been told to eKpect the" east of
&ogeast Food they had n fact fallen back durng the nght and !ere
e#en no! about to lea#e -blanSe#elle. The troops 9 sa! on the road
!ere n fact takng up a lne of resstance, for they !ere the Brtsh
front lne. -fter ths 9 decded that .er#lle Far" could be held as
an O.P. for the t"e bengX and so sendng "y t!o obser#ers on, 9
returned to Ben#llers to get a lttle "uch needed rest. -s 9 !ent
back there !as stll no shellng and no sound of rVe Are. $et t
after!ards transpred that the ene"y had already pushed hs
outposts
for!ard nto -blanSe#elle and !est of &ogeast Food. 7urely t !as
on
ths part of the front one of the "ost slent ad#ances "ade n the
!ar. Fhen they returned "y obser#ers reported all Ruet at .er#lle
Far", but the t!o obser#ers that rele#ed the" at )1 -./. found the
ene"y guns "ore act#e. -fter "dday a nu"ber of shells !ere sent
nto
the #llage of BucRuoy and not far fro" the far".
Fhen 9 got back the roads through Ben#llers beca"e "ore
cro!ded than
e#er !th horse transport, and "any guns !ere beng "o#ed on the
road
fro" /onchy%au%Bos. The sdes of the road, too, beca"e cro!ded
!th
nfantry, !ho !ere apparently a!atng orders to "o#e for!ard. 9n
spte of the congeston on the roads the ene"y "ade only one
atte"pt
that day to harass the". - )1%nch shell fro" a long%range gun fell
n
an open Aeld about )11 yards short of Ben#llers ;hurch, but t dd
no da"age eKcept to the Aeld. The strea" of traJc through the
#llage contnued !thout ceasng all that day. -t I P./. 9 rece#ed
orders fro" the .#son to jon the +th =.F. near Essarts and to
co"e
under the co""and of the O.;. +th =.F. 9t !as found "possble to
"ake
any drect use of the obser#ers at the t"e o!ng to the
dsorgansaton and uncertanty that pre#aledX so they !ere added
te"porarly as a renforce"ent to the battalon. 9t !as ndeed a
crss n the fate of the rght !ng of the Thrd -r"y, though at the
t"e !e dd not realse t. -t 6 p.". the obser#ers left Ben#llers
and !ent for!ard along the road to 8annesca"ps, "eetng "any
!ounded
on the road and a fe! other partes of troops returnng. Fe found
the
battalon n a hollo! !est of Essarts. They !ere just preparng to
"o#e. On reportng to /ajor /c&eod, !ho !as n te"porary
co""and of
the battalon, 9 !as told to attach the obser#ers to the 8.Q.
;o"pany.
The battalon had already had a brush !th the ene"y. On the
precedng
day, /arch 04, about "dday they had ad#anced n artllery
for"aton
fro" &ogeast Food to!ards -chet%le%Grand.
=ear that #llage they had co"e under drect Are fro" the ene"yEs
Aeld artllery and they had been shelled also !th 4.*%nch
ho!tSers. One co"pany suUered rather se#ere casualtes, but the
battalon succeeded n passng through the #llage and Allng a gap
n the lne. &ater on n the day they had been rele#ed by the
neghbourng Brgade and rece#ed orders to fall back Arst to
&ogeast
Food and later on to -blanSe#elle. The latter place they !ere
ordered
to lea#e at , -./. that "ornng. E#entually they reached the place
!here 9 found the". The "en !ere all n good sprts and e#dently
pleased !th ther part n the rearguard acton. Lery soon after 9
joned the" the battalon !as "o#ed agan, ths t"e about a
Ruarter
of a "le to the south across the BucRuoy%Ben#llers (oad. 8ere !e
!ated tll further orders should arr#e, and "eant"e so"e hot
soup
and ru" !ere ser#ed out. Then !e all lay do!n n the open, !th
blankets t s true, but the ar !as so frosty that lttle sleep !as
possble. -bout "dnght !e got orders to go to so"e trenches just
east of the #llage of Essarts. Fe "arched for!ard to ths place,
about a "le, !thout any nterference fro" the ene"y. 8.Q. !ere
establshed n a s"all tn hut n the #llage. -lthough there !ere
stll "any trees about the place, all trace of the buldngs had
dsappeared eKcept one or t!o cellars and so"e ples of rubbsh. Fe
found our Aeld batteres statoned Rute close to us, to the !est and
north of Essarts, and one n a s"all hollo! to the east. These
batteres kept up a pretty constant Are durng the nghtX but so far
the ene"y dd not reply. -ll our hea#y guns see" to ha#e been
taken
a!ay, eKcept possbly one battery of 61%pounder guns near
8annesca"ps.
The t!o follo!ng days, /arch 0+ and 0,, !ere "e"orable for a
contnuous seres of attacks by the ene"y along the !hole of our
front.
On the "ornng of the 0+th 9 !ent to the east sde of the Essarts
Food
to note !hat !as gong on, and 9 sent a party of obser#ers farther
north to the hgh ground at &e Quesnoy Far". -bout )1.M1 -./. the
ene"yEs artllery opened a scattered Are on the neghbourhood of
Essarts, apparently searchng the hollo!s for our battery postons.
But t !as not untl )) -./. that the ene"y started to shell our
for!ard postons. Fro" )) -./. to )).04 -./. a hea#y barrage of
Va"e%shells !as put do!n about .er#lle Far" and along the road
leadng fro" BucRuoy to -yette. 9 a" told that they dd not do "uch
da"age, but they !ere certanly a terrble sght. The Va"es that
burst fro" these shells !hen they reached the ground rose up thrty
or
forty feet n the ar, Vared on for a fe! "o"ents, and then
dsappeared nto a drty black s"oke. For t!enty%A#e "nutes they
ca"e o#er fast, and they dd not Anally cease tll )).I4 -./. -t the
sa"e t"e BeS Food on our rght !as hea#ly shelled and the area
to
the south of BucRuoy. Our Aeld batteres at Essarts "ade a gallant
reply, pourng n an unceasng ran of shrapnel !here#er the ene"y
!as
suspected to be concentratng. Ths n turn dre! a #ery unpleasant
Are on to Essarts, !hch !ent on !thout break tll 0 P./. -fter that
the ene"yEs counter%battery guns "ust ha#e run out of a""unton,
for
they ga#e lttle "ore trouble for the rest of the day. Our Aeld guns
ho!e#er contnued to Are all that day and through the greater part
of
the nghtX ther Are dd not slacken !hether shells !ere burstng
around the" or not. -nd great credt "ust be g#en to these
gunners
for ther share n dspersng A#e ene"y attacks. The battery on the
east sde of the !ood, belongng to the I)st .#son, ca"e n for
so"e #ery se#ere shellng, but the gunners ne#er ceased to Are or
to
carry a""unton for!ard to the guns n full #e! of the ene"y. -s
thngs had beco"e rather hot around our tn hut, 8.Q. !ere "o#ed
to a
cellar, used as a dressng%staton, !here the doctor, ;apt. ;.F.
&dderdale, "ade roo" for us.
.urng the e#enng the battalon got orders to be prepared to for" a
defens#e Vank bet!een &e Quesnoy Far" and -dnfer Food. The
ene"yEs
attacks had "ade progress on our left to!ards -yette, and t !as
feared that he "ght break through n that drecton. =eKt "ornng,
ho!e#er, /arch 0,, stll found us at Essarts. The battalon !as
ordered to lea#e the trenches and to fall back behnd the lne of
batteres on the !est of the !ood. 9n order to get a #e! of !hat !as
gong on n front, 9 !as sent by the -djutant !th t!o obser#ers2)+5
to a pont east of the !ood, and !e dug oursel#es n n so"e
partly%for"ed trenches there. 9n these trenches !e stayed tll !ell
on nto the afternoon, sendng n reports e#ery half%hour of !hat !e
could see to the 8.Q. of the 9nfantry Brgade n Essarts. E#dently
the ene"y had rene!ed hs attacks, for there !as hea#y shellng all
along the front, and a nu"ber of shells agan ca"e n a"ongst the
batteres about Essarts. .urng the afternoon the +th =.F. "o#ed
for!ard to so"e trenches n support, on the rdge east of Essarts.
-nd
there the obser#ers joned the" after dark. The Arng had been hot
all day, but t no! ded do!n. -nd t really looked as f the ene"yEs
attacks had beco"e eKhausted for the t"e beng.
Ths for!ard "o#e by the battalon !as, 9 found, prel"nary to
takng
o#er the front lne trenches to the north and east of BucRuoy. -nd
shortly before "dnght !e "o#ed out through the darkness and
took
o#er these trenches.2),5 The front lne lay on the hgh ground
beyond
the #llage. The 8.Q. !hch !e took o#er !ere n a "ned dugout to
the
!est of the #llage. Ths dugout had been "ade by the Ger"ans
before
the end of )*)6, and t !as s"all but #ery deep. 9t soon beca"e
unconsconably stuUy, as there !as only one entrance. But t !as
better than beng n the open.
=eKt day the ene"y kept farly Ruet, but the #llage !as shelled
occasonally !th hea#y ho!tSers. 9 !ent out !th t!o obser#ers to
the hgh ground !est of .er#lle Far". But !e sa! no "o#e"ent by
the
ene"yEs troops. &ater on the ene"yEs guns beca"e "ore act#e on
the
roads, and the road leadng back to Essarts rece#ed sal#oes all day.
Orders ca"e for our relef !hch !as to start after dark. 9t !as not
untl )1 P./. that the co"panes n the front lne !ere rele#ed and
the 8.Q. ;o"pany !as free to "o#e oU. The journey to
FonRue#llers,
!here !e !ere gong, !as not !thout nterference fro" the ene"y.
8therto 9 had had great luck n escapng beng shelled on the roads
at nght, but to%nght "y luck !as out. -s !e "o#ed back along the
road to Essarts%%the doctor and 9 at the end of the colu"n%%a nu"ber
of gas%shells !ere dropped on the !nd!ard sde of the road. They
!ere
not thck enough to stop us, but they s"elt #ery bad. -s !e
approached
the cross%roads east of Essarts a 4.*%nch shell fell close by the
roadsde. Fe had a sho!er of "ud thro!n o#er us by ths shell, and
three "ore ca"e n Ruck successon, but not Rute so unpleasantly
close.
-n ncdent also of a dsagreeable knd occurred near the end of our
journey. Bet!een Go""ecourt and FonRue#llers !e had to halt,
untl
the trenches allotted to us had been located. -t ths pont the road
!as packed !th troops returnng fro" the lneX and so"e battalons
brought ther cookers here, so that the road !as cra""ed al"ost
tght
!th "en and transport. For a long t"e nothng happened, but
e#entually a Ger"an Aeld battery Ared se#eral rapd sal#oes of
shells enAladng the road. Fortunately the greater nu"ber fell
slghtly !de of the road, but a fe! "en n one of the /anchester
battalons !ere ht. 9t !as ho!e#er a lucky escape. -fter ths the
road cleared Ruckly and !e "o#ed on nto FonRue#llers. Ths
#llage
had been badly knocked about n the early days of the !ar, and fe!
houses !ere n anythng but runs.
But there !ere stll "any cellars ntact, and also a nu"ber of tn
huts bult for the French refugees n )*)+. OJcers of Battalon 8.Q.
!ere blleted n a cellar, and ths !as "pro#ed by "attresses,
tables, and chars brought n fro" the huts outsde. 8ere n spte of
nter"ttent shellng !e got a "uch needed rest. But FonRue#llers
!as
no place for a per"anent rest cure. The #llage !as shelled on and
oU
all day, and se#eral of our "en !ere ht. 9 asssted the -djutant,
;apt. 7.P. Brook%Booth, /.;., to collect a supply of early #egetables
fro" the lttle gardensX and the oJcers n our reser#e ca"p at
7ouastre thoughtfully sent up a couple of cooked chckens and a fe!
other luKures, so that e#enng !e had so"ethng n the nature of a
feast. =eKt "ornng, /arch M), &eut. :ohnston, te"porarly n
co""and
of - ;o"pany got a shell splnter through hs hand and had to be
sent
back. 9 !as then put n co""and of - ;o"pany and left Battalon
8.Q.,
so that for so"e days the obser#ers !ere not under "y charge.
-bout
ths t"e &.%;. Flynn, one of the obser#ers, !as serously !ounded
by
a shell, and !e learnt later on that he ded of hs !ounds. 9t !as an
unlucky aUar, for he !as one of the best obser#ers. But 9 had no
further casualtes for a long t"e. 9 found - ;o"pany Ruartered n a
lne of old trenches bet!een Go""ecourt Food and FonRue#llers. 9
bele#e they !ere part of the old Brtsh front lne before the 7o""e
battle started. -cco""odaton !as #ery l"ted, and 9 found the
other
oJcers of - ;o"pany,2)*5 four n nu"ber, !th ther bat"en and
cook
all cro!ded together n a s"all shelter. 9t !as as "ay be "agned
unco"fortably hot at t"es, especally durng the nght, part of
!hch
9 spent n the trench outsde. Fe only got a fe! shells fro" the
ene"y
here, hs attenton !as drected "ore to the #llage behnd us and
Go""ecourt Food n front.
On -prl ) !e got orders to proceed after dark to the front lne
trenches at BucRuoy%%- ;o"pany !as to hold those on the left, !th
B
;o"pany to ther rght. Fe !ere also g#en a route, but n the
darkness t !as dJcult to And and t led to a curous ncdent on
our journey for!ard. Fe asse"bled the co"pany on the road
outsde
Go""ecourt and "ade to!ards the #llage as fast as the cro!ded
state
of the road !ould allo!. 8apply !e !ere not shelled here, but there
!ere sgns on the road that others had not been so fortunate. Fhen
!e
reached Go""ecourt, a "ere run no! of broken trees and
buldngs, !e
!ere clear of the press of transport and troops. Fe turned south%
east
hopng to strke a tra"!ay runnng to!ards BeS Food. =othng,
ho!e#er, could !e see of the tra"!ay, and !e could only push on,
hopng to And t. -fter gong on a!hle !e certanly see"ed to be
reachng a rather Rueer place, for !e sa! our "en settng out !re,
and a rather scared lttle "an appeared out of the darkness and told
us that E:erry !as o#er there,E pontng do!n the road. Fe dd not
stop for ths, but !hen a Ger"an Lerey lght shot up al"ost under
our
noses, !e decded that !e had ndeed co"e too far and that t !as
t"e
to turn back. Ths !e dd !thout !aste of t"e and retraced our
steps
to Go""ecourt. 9 !as eKpectng any "nute to hear a "achne%gun
open
on us do!n the road. But f E:erryE !as there n any force he had
decded to keep Ruet, and !e got safely back to Go""ecourt. -fter
ths eKperence !e took a !ay that !e kne!, although t !as not the
one lad do!n for us. -nd after a long "arch n the dark !e struck
the
Essarts%BucRuoy (oad, and found our gudes a!atng us on the road
near BucRuoy. Fhlst ths relef !as gong on our Aeld batteres kept
up a hot Are on the ene"yEs front, but he "ade no reply.
The gudes took us by a !ndng route through the north end of
BucRuoy
to the trenches, !hch conssted of an old Ger"an dran, #ery
straght
and about sK feet deep. 9t ran parallel to the east sde of the
#llage and about 011 yards fro" ts outskrts. The ;o"pany 8.Q.
lay a
lttle !ay behnd the front lne and conssted of a short narro! slt
n the ground, roofed o#er !th tn%%one of the s"allest shelters 9
ha#e e#er been n. 9t !as possble to st do!n, but not to le do!n,
and the Voor !as nches deep n cold "ud. 8ere 9 found t!o #ery
dsconsolate oJcers a!atng relef. They see"ed to be nearly
pershed !th the cold and !et, and Rute !orn out by ther
cheerless
sojourn n the trenches. The trench lay on the slope of a slght hll,
the crest beng about 011 yards a!ay. The ene"y !ere not close,
ther
poston !as out of sght and unkno!n. But to the left &ogeast Food
!as clearly #sble, and the ene"y !ere kno!n to be there. Our
trench
ended abruptly on the left, and the nearest Brtsh troops on ths
Vank !ere so"e !ay oU and "ore to the east, so that there !as a
consderable gap n the lne here. On the rght of course !e !ere n
touch !th B ;o"pany, !ho !ere co""anded by &eut. -]eck,
/.;., a
#eteran of the 8outhulst Forest battle, and one of our "ost
redoubtable !arrors n the +th =.F. 9 kne! that 9 need not !orry
about "y rght VankW =o s"oke fro" Ares could be allo!ed n the
trenches, and cookng had to be done o#er s"all Ares of Ane !ood
splnters. Fhen "ornng ca"e t !as possble to ha#e a better look
round. -ll the reser#e a""unton, about 4111 rounds, had been
pulled
out of the boKes, and the bandolers !ere "ostly bured n the "ud.
9t
!as a great busness clearng the trench of "ud and sal#agng and
cleanng the a""unton. The ene"y dd not kno! !here !e !ere.
-ll
"ornng three of hs aeroplanes, Vyng lo!, ho#ered about our lttle
trench, occasonally Arng bursts at us !th ther "achne%guns. Fe
only repled !th an occasonal shot, and of course they could not
tell !here that ca"e fro". -t any rate the Ger"an guns let the
trench
alone and poured a strea" of hea#y shells all day and nght nto the
#llage behnd us and nto the hedges at the east end. The fact
appeared Rute clearly later on that the ene"y could not locate our
front lne. - "essenger dog, belongng to the ene"y, !as captured
at
ths t"e near BucRuoy, bearng a "essage n Ger"an as follo!s'
EThe
aUar of BucRuoy s oU for the present, as !e donEt kno! !here
To""y
s.E 9t !as !ell ndeed for our t!o co"panes that the dran trench
!as not suspected by the ene"y. There !ere no tra#erses n t fro"
one
end to the other, and a #ery fe! !ell%a"ed shells !ould ha#e blo!n
us
to peces.
That nght @-prl 0B the Brtsh forces "ade a counter%attack at
-yette and dro#e the ene"y as far back as the old hangars at
/oyenne#lle. 7een fro" the trenches at BucRuoy t !as a Ane sght.
The ene"y put up all knds of coloured lghts, ncludng slhouette
lghts and EVa"ng ononsE both orange and "au#e.
/ean!hle !e of the +th =.F. undertook a s"all #enture aganst
certan
partes of the ene"y that had been seen and snped at fro" B
;o"panyEs
trench. These partes !ere busy dggng trenches about I11 yards
a!ay
to our front. 7oon after dark 0nd%&euts. :. .odds and :.8. Ed"unds
took out a radng party of o#er t!enty "en n order to secure a
prsoner f possble. -s t turned out ths !as done Ruckly enough
and !thout Arng a shot.
For on the party creepng for!ard to the !re belt at the top of the
hll, a Ger"an =.;.O. !alked to!ards the", !as surprsed by 0nd%
&eut.
.odds, and surrendered !thout a struggle. 8e !as already slghtly
!ounded, and had co"e for!ard perhaps to ha#e a look at the !re.
8e
!as brought back at once to the trench, and t fell to "e to eKa"ne
the "an and to re"o#e all papers fro" h" eKcept hs pay%book and
dentty dsc. 9 !ent out and eKa"ned h" n a "Kture of such
broken
French and Ger"an as 9 could su""on at so short a notce. 9 also
!ent
through hs papers !th the ad of lghted "atches. -fter ths he !as
sent do!n under escort to Battalon 8.Q., and thence to ..8.Q.
9t pro#ed to be a useful capture, for t sho!ed that a fresh Ger"an
d#son had arr#ed opposte our front. &ater on 0nd%&eut. .odds
!as
a!arded the /ltary ;ross for the capture. Early neKt "ornng @-prl
MB the .#son sent orders that 9 should return !th the .#sonal
obser#ers to the rear. 7o 9 left the trench n charge of 0nd%&eut. =.
8olt and !ent back !th "y ser#ant through BucRuoy, takng care to
a#od certan large shells !hch !ere fallng e#ery no! and then
about
the #llage. ;allng at Battalon 8.Q. 9 found that the obser#ers !ere
no! n so"e trenches about half a "le farther back n the drecton
of Essarts. 9 soon found the", ho!e#er, and !hlst !atng for the"
to get ready 9 !as hosptably suppled !th so"e !hsky and soda
by
the oJcers of one of the &ancashre (eg"ents.
-t last !e set oU n s"all partes to!ards Go""ecourt, our
destnaton beng 7ouastre, a long "arch for tred "en. Fhlst
passng
BeS Food !e ca"e n for so"e rather unpleasant attenton fro"
the
ene"yEs artllery, !hose obser#ers could see "o#e"ent at ths spot
all
too !ell. 8o!e#er !e got a!ay at last !thout "shap and collected
agan short of Go""ecourt, !here !e halted for a "eal of bully and
bscut. E#entually after passng through Go""ecourt and
FonRue#llers
!e struggled on to 7ouastre, #ery footsore and co"pletely !orn out.
Fro" /arch 0M on!ards t had been one long stran, hea#y "archng
"ost
days and, !th fe! eKceptons, sleepless nghts. For "yself 9 !as a
#ery tra"p, boots !orn to peces, clothes hangng !th "ud, and
thck
!th "ud up to the eyes. <ndoubtedly t !as the "ost tryng
eKperence
physcally that 9 ha#e e#er been through. -t 7ouastre 9 called at rear
Battalon 8.Q., !here ;apt. 8errott of B ;o"pany kndly lent "e hs
rubber boots and so"e clean socks, a great luKury and co"fort.
Then 9
!ent on to the OJcersE 8ut at the battalon reser#e ca"p, and !as
able to le do!n and sleep tll !ell on nto the neKt day. 7ouastre
!as not a bad place to rest, for t !as shelled only #ery occasonally
!th long%range guns.
The follo!ng afternoon @-prl IB ;apt. >rsopp ca"e to see "e and
he
brought a "otor%car. 8e !shed to reconnotre a Ebattle O.P.,E .e. a
place n the back area fro" !hch to obser#e ene"y shellng of the
for!ard areas or ene"y attacks on our lne. 9 !as told that thngs
!ere eKpected to happen neKt dayX and 9 !as nstructed to And a
post
!here 9 could see !hat !as gong on, so"e!here n the
neghbourhood of
the ;h\teau de la 8ae.
9n the "ornng @-prl 4B 9 !ent !th ;orp. Falker and &.%;. ;o!en to
the Bayencourt (dge, south of the ch\teau, and !e got nto a s"all
trench. Thngs certanly !ere happenng, for the ene"y !as
scatterng
hs hea#y hgh%#elocty shells broadcast o#er the country. 8e
see"ed
to drect the" cheVy aganst our battery postons and the roads
and
trenches n rear of FonRue#llers and 7ally%au%Bos. The nu"ber of
these shells !as unusually largeX but later on to!ards )1 -./. thngs
began to Rueten do!n n the back area. Fhat had happened !as
ths.
The M+th .#son !th the assstance of tanks "ade a counter%
attack
on (ossgnol Food. The Ger"ans had prepared to "ake another of
ther
grand attacks that sa"e "ornng. But t !as antcpated by about
half
an hour. The result !as a Aerce struggle n !hch !e ganed a lttle
ground and a certan nu"ber of prsoners. The Ger"an attack
therefore
ca"e to nothng, and ths pro#ed to be hs last atte"pt of a serous
knd on our part of the front. -nKety !as not ho!e#er, at an end for
"any days to co"e.
.urng the neKt fe! days the obser#ers held a battle O.P. near the
orchard n FonRue#llers. 9t !as a long !alk fro" 7ouastre and back,
but farly Ruet, for t could be reached by gong across country and
a#odng the sorely harassed roads.
On -prl , the I0nd .#son !as taken back for a short rest to the
area round -uthe.
FOOT=OTE7'
2)+5 Ptes. Fal and E!art.
2),5 /ajor L. /er#ale, /.;. @; ;o"panyB, ;apt. 8errott @B
;o"panyB,
and &eut. P. ;ole @- ;o"panyB !ere, 9 thnk, n charge of the three
co"panes.
2)*5 7econd%&euts. =. 8olt, ;.(. >ng, :. .odds, and :. &assey.
NNN99
T(E=;8 F-(F-(E%%8OB<TE(=E
.urng .#sonal rest the obser#ers !ere attached for ratons and
acco""odaton to the 8.Q. ;o"pany of the +th =.F. Fe "arched
back,
therefore, !th the battalon through ;oun and 7t. &eger to -uthe.
Fe found nce bllets a!atng us n ths pleasant French #llage,
!hch !as too far fro" the ene"y to be a]cted !th shell Are. 9t
!as full of French c#lans, and the s"all shops had #arous lttle
luKures to !hch !e had been unused for so"e t"e. Fro" -uthe
Foods
to Bayencourt ran the E(ed &neE trenches, a sort of Elast%but%oneE
reser#e lne, !hch had been hastly dug by ;hnese labourers and
!ere
stll only about four feet deep. Fe dd not stay long at -uthe, for
the bllets !ere !anted to acco""odate French troops !ho !ere
beng
hurred north!ards to the battle no! ragng about >e""el.
On -prl )0 the +th =.F. "o#ed for!ard to the #llage of ;ogneuK
and
8.Q. !ere establshed n a French esta"net. There !ere c#lans
here
too, but the #llage !as lable to be shelled and half of the" had
gone a!ay. - dstressng attack of tooth%ache took "e t!ce to the
;.;.7. near .oullens. 9 found that to!n "ore deserted than t used
to
be, for the Ger"ans had shelled and bo"bed t #gorously snce
ther
oUens#e started.
On -prl )6, after a !eekEs rest, the I0nd .#son took o#er the
trenches runnng fro" Go""ecourt to 8[buterne. The sa"e day
the
obser#ers "o#ed to so"e old trenches north of the ;h\teau de la
8ae.
9t !as a cold place n !et !eather, and !e !ere occasonally
shelled.
But after a fe! days through the kndness of ;ol. Guy, the G.7.O. 9,
bllets !ere found for us n a cottage at Bayencourt, !hch les about
half a "le south of the ch\teau. 9t !as ndeed a pleasant oass n a
badly shelled area. Fhy the ene"y left the place alone 9 cannot say.
But !hen !e got there there !ere stll plenty of old French folk, !ho
l#ed Ruetly on a"d the surroundng strfe, and contnued to keep
ther co!s n the Aelds and to cult#ate the land. The church had not
been shelled, for a !onder, and the clock !as stll gong and strkng
the hours.
The obser#ers sent up t!o partes of t!o "en e#ery day to an O.P.
north%east of 8[buterne. The other "en "anned a battle O.P. on the
Bayencourt (dge durng the "ornng.
-prl 0M, 7t. GeorgeEs .ay, pro#ded a lttle eKcte"ent for three of
us. Fe !ere told to try to And an O.P. near the Quarres at
8[buterne, not generally a #ery healthy spot. -s !e !ere shelled
ncessantly all the t"e !e !ere near the place, the dea of
establshng a post here !as abandoned. -nd e#entually another
post
!as AKed on, on the north%east sde of 8[buterne. 7o"e useful !ork
!as done here by the obser#ersX they obtaned so"e #aluable
nfor"aton about ene"y "o#e"ent and got the artllery to shell a
relef that !as takng place. -t the close of our tour n the lne,
!hch occurred about /ay I, the 9L ;orps drected all 9nfantry
obser#ers to take sound bearngs of ene"y guns and to !re the"
at
once to the ;ounter%Battery OJce. Ths !as gratfyng, as !e had
"ade a specal eUort to report these sound bearngs, a syste" of
!hch 9 had learnt so"ethng n the 7alent.
Fro" /ay I to :une * the .#son re"aned n the rest area about
;oun. The obser#ers left Bayencourt and joned the +th =.F. at
;ogneuK, !here !e l#ed n tents on the hgh chalky ground south
of
(ossgnol Far". 9 "essed !th the oJcers of - ;o"pany, and
shared a
tent !th &eut F.8. Fsher and 0nd%&eut .odd. O!ng to the
bo"bng
and shellng n the neghbourhood, !e !ere ordered to fortfy our
tents. 7o !e had a s"all trench dug for each nsde the tent and n
these !e put our #alses. 9t !as rather lke a shallo! gra#e, but t
ga#e you a feelng of securty !hen bts !ere Vyng about. .urng
ths "onth the obser#ers had a lttle "ld tranng each dayX but the
G.O.;. sent !ord to "e to rest the "en as "uch as possble. 9
a"used
"yself at the battle O.P. on Bayencourt (dge and sent n daly
reports of sound bearngs to the 9L ;orps ;ounter%Battery OJce.
On the !hole the ene"y let our ca"p farly !ell alone. Fe had one
large bo"b dropped n the ca"p, but t faled to do any "ateral
da"age. &atterly the I%nch na#al guns took to sendng a fe! shells
o#er daly, but !e had only a fe! "en !ounded fro" splnters.
Other
unts near us ca"e oU !orse. .urng the rest at ;ogneuK !e had a
#st fro" so"e -"ercan troops. 9 thnk they had co"e to gan a
lttle "ld eKperence of our "ethods. -ny!ay a s"all party of ther
obser#ers ca"e to see ho! !e held our posts. -nd they !ere taken
to
the battle O.P. and to the for!ard O.P. at 8[buterne.
NNN999
T(E=;8 F-(F-(E%%T8E ;O&9=;-/P7 (9.GE
=o oUens#e operatons on a large scale !ere undertaken aganst
the
ene"y on the 9L ;orps front, BucRuoy to -uchon#llers, before the
"ddle of -ugust )*),. The perod fro" /ay on!ards !as spent n
strengthenng the defences and n !earng do!n the ene"yEs
strength
and "orale. The latter object !as ache#ed by contnual harassng
Are
fro" our guns, strong counter%battery, perodcal gas projectons,
bo"bng fro" our aeroplanes, and rads. 9t !as stll necessary to
!ork
hard on our defences, for the Ger"an oUens#e !as by no "eans
o#er,
and t !as "possble to say at !hat "o"ent the ene"y "ght
rene! hs
attacks on ths part of the front.
The part played by the .#sonal obser#ers durng ths perod of
trench !arfare !as "ore "portant and useful than at any other
perod
of ther e"ploy"ent. Ths !as partly due to the eKcellent poston
for
ground obser#aton on the rdge bet!een ;olnca"ps and
-uchon#llers,
and partly to the "pro#e"ent n "eans of co""uncaton !th
..8.Q.
and the artllery. Great credt s due to ;apt. >rsopp for hs
contnual eUorts to "ake the nfor"aton obtaned "ore rapd and
eUect#e. -nd also to the "en !ho got the nfor"aton by patently
stckng to ther job for ten long !eeks, so"et"es under tryng and
dscouragng condtons.
The obser#ers !ere Ruartered n a nu"ber of s"all shelters on the
hgh
ground bet!een ;ogneuK and Bus, !ell back fro" the shelled and
bo"bed
area. The shelters !ere n the sde of a green "ound, near the Bus
!ater!orksX and ths place !as used as a battle O.P. and beca"e
kno!n
as EE#eE O.P. Fro" here there !as a splendd #e! of the country just
behnd the Brtsh front lne. 7o that the obser#ers statoned here
could say at once !here hea#y shellng !as gong on, ether by day
or
by nght. - telephone connected EE#eE O.P. !th ..8.Q. and also !th
the for!ard O.P. The latter post !as about four "les a!ay n a s"all
trench on the rdge north of -uchon#llers near so"e apple trees,
!hch perhaps suggested the na"e E-da"E O.P. 9n "any !ays t !as
an
ad"rable place for an O.P. 9f care !as taken t could be approached
!thout beng seen by the ene"y. 9t !as screened by a thck hedge
and
also by a deep belt of !re about thrty yards n front of the hedge.
The O.P. tself !as n the hedge bank, and !as roofed o#er !th
se#eral s"all EelephantE shelters, !th earth on top of the". There
!as plenty of roo" for at least three "en to !ork nsde. -nd
obser#aton !as obtaned through a s"all openng n the hedge
bank.
The openng !as al!ays further screened by sandbags, so that only
the end of the telescope !as eKposed to the ene"y and that !as
al!ays
n a deep shado!. - fe! yards a!ay outsde the O.P. n the trench
!as
a s"all "ned dugout. Ths !as not #ery deep, about sK feet do!n
at
the "ostX but t !as under the roots of the hedge, a good protecton
aganst the shells of Aeld guns. 9n ths dugout the obser#ers !ho
!ere not on duty !ere able to sleep, and the "en n the O.P. could
take refuge n case of hea#y shellng. The O.P. !as connected by
telephone !th ..8.Q. and also !th E#e O.P. =ot far a!ay n the
sa"e
trench there !ere other O.P.Es, one held by the &o#at 7couts @;orps
Obser#ersB and another, E(oseE O.P., by the hea#y artllery.
29llustraton' Panora"a fro" -da" O.P., :uly )*),.5
Our "ethod of !orkng the t!o O.P.Es !as as follo!s. The =.;.O., &.%
;.
;o!en, re"aned at E#e O.P. and asssted "e !th #arous dutes
there,
and !th the duty of nspectng the !orkng of -da" O.P. The other
obser#ers, eght n nu"ber, !ere d#ded nto t!o groups of four,
one
n charge of Pte. :. >ng and the other n n charge of Pte. F.O.7.
Fal. Three obser#ers fro" =o. ) group !ent for!ard to -da" O.P.
and
stayed there for forty%eght hours, dra!ng ther ratons each day
fro" the nearest Battalon 8.Q. -fter ths they !ere rele#ed by
three
obser#ers fro" =o 0 group and so on. By ths arrange"ent 9 !as
able to
rest the "en and to carry on obser#aton contnuously for ten !eeks
!thout unduly trng the "en. Out of the four obser#ers n a group,
only three !ere at -da" O.P. at the sa"e t"e, the fourth "an
re"anng back at E#e O.P. for a rest. Thus durng sKteen days each
obser#er had three tours of duty at -da" O.P. lastng t!o days each,
t!o rests of t!o days, and then a rest of sK days. Ths kept all the
"en fresh, an "portant "atter f you !sh for good obser#aton.
-t -da" O.P. t!o of the three obser#ers !ere al!ays at the
telescope
durng daylght, and one !as restng n the dugout. -nd at nght one
had to re"an a!ake, to be able to report hea#y shellng to ..8.Q.
and
to act as gas sentry for the others. 9t !as of course all done n a
syste" of relefs a"ongst the"sel#es. .urng these su""er
"onths
obser#aton !as possble n the "ost fa#ourable crcu"stances fro"
M.I4 -./. to *.)1 P./., so the nght !as co"parat#ely short. -da"
O.P. !as #sted on alternate days by &.%;. ;o!en and "yself. 9 !ent
n#arably n the early "ornng, so as to arr#e at the O.P. about an
hour or so after obser#aton had beco"e possble. The ene"y
eKposed
h"self "ore freely durng the t!o or three hours after da!n than at
any other t"e durng the day. By gong up early 9 !as able to see
that the "en !ere at ther post at ths "portant t"e, and to get
ther early nfor"aton, often of "portance, as soon as possble. 9t
"eant startng n the dark, and often a cold !et journey across
country, but the good fello!s at the O.P. al!ays had a cup of tea for
"e%%a lttle act of kndness !hch llustrates our frendly
relatons.
The "ost nterestng thngs !e could see fro" -da" O.P. !ere the
Ger"an front lne trenches south and south%!est of 7erre, t!o spots
kno!n as E&. MM. a. O. *.E and EQ. 6. a. *. ,.E !here anyone
approachng these for!ard trenches had to cross a rdge and so
co"e
under our obser#aton, the Ger"an transport roads about
-chet%le%Pett, 9rles, and &oupart Food. The Ger"an front lne !as
!thn 0111 yards, Q. 6. a. !thn I111 yards, &. MM. a. rather o#er
6111 yards, and the roads !ell o#er )1,111 yards a!ay. =ear to Pys
!as
a Ger"an ;.;.7., !hch !as narro!ly !atched, for any ncrease n
ts
sSe !ould ha#e probably "eant preparaton for an attack. -nd
behnd
9rles !as a derelct Brtsh tank !hch the Ger"ans used as an O.P.,
for t !as n#arably #sted by a nu"ber of "en just before one of
ther relefs took place, and at no other t"e.
E#ery day t!o reports !ere sent n to ..8.Q. of all "o#e"ent seen
durng the precedng t!el#e hours. -nd e#ery "o#e"ent seen !as
entered
nto a &og Book. Ths !as "y specal depart"entX and after a t"e t
!as possble to co"ple a further book called the 7u""ary Book,
!th
coloured charts of daly "o#e"ent. 9n a short t"e !e dsco#ered
the
a#erage or nor"al "o#e"ent for the t!enty%four hours. -nd after
that
t !as Rute s"ple to !arn the .#son at once !hene#er any
"o#e"ent
of an abnor"al character !as takng place.
O!ng to !eak eyesght 9 could not do "uch telescope !ork "yself%%
"y
part of the Aeld !ork !as "ap readng, n !hch 9 had consderable
assstance fro" aeroplane photographs at ..8.Q. 9 asked the
obser#ers
to "ake telescopc sketches, on e#ery co"pass bearng, of !hat
they
could see. -nd then fro" these sketches and !th "y o!n "aps and
protractor 9 !as able to tell the" !hat they !ere lookng at on the
"ap, and to prepare a panora"c sketch for ther use at -da" O.P.
Pte.
>ng sent n an ad"rable seres of sketches !hch !ere "ost useful
n
ths !ork of dsco#ery. &ater on the "ore po!erful telescope !as
also
taken up to -da" O.P., and !th ths Pte. Fal dd so"e "ost useful
!ork. Fth hs eKceptonal eyesght and a gft for sketchng he "ade
a
seres of eKcellent artllery target sketches. These 9 coped out and
coloured and sent to ..8.Q.X and they !ere sent on to the 9L ;orps
8ea#y -rtllery. These targets !ere Ared at !th great success. For
eKa"ple one of the Arst sent n !as of a cook%house and !reless
staton at &. MM. a. On :uly )) the hea#y artllery carred out a
successful shoot on the place, usng -da" O.P. as ther obser#ng
staton. 9n order to place on record so"e of the !ork done by "y
obser#ers at -da" O.P. 9 !ll g#e so"e of the results of ther
syste"atc obser#aton.
- .#sonal relef on :uly M and I !as spotted by ;apt. >rsopp on
nfor"aton g#en by the obser#ers of eKceptonal "o#e"ent n the
for!ard area. -nother .#sonal relef !as detected by largely
ncreased "o#e"ent on :uly 04. -nd a battalon relef on -ugust 6,
!th dsastrous results for the ene"y. -t least Afty copes of
dUerent telescopc sketches !ere sent n to the .#son, ncludng
a seres of eght sho!ng ne! !orkngs by the Ger"ans n ther
front
lne syste". (eports of nearly se#enty gun%Vashes !ere sent n as
!ell as "any sound bearng reports. The follo!ng nu"bers of
Ger"an
nfantry and transport #ehcles !ere reported fro" -da" O.P.
C%%%%%%%%C%%%%%%C%%%%%%%%%%%C%%%%%%%%%%%C%%%%%%%%%%C%%%%%%%%%%%C
D /onth D .ays D .ays of D EUect#e D 9nfantry D Transport D
D D D Bad &ght D .ays D 7een D Lehcles D
C%%%%%%%%C%%%%%%C%%%%%%%%%%%C%%%%%%%%%%%C%%%%%%%%%%C%%%%%%%%%%%C
D:une D 0) D , D )M D 0,)11 D ,M D
D D D D D D D
D:uly D M) D + D 0I D 4,I11 D I)M D
D D D D D D D
D-ugust D 01 D I D )6 D I,641 D 014 D
C%%%%%%%%C%%%%%%C%%%%%%%%%%%C%%%%%%%%%%%C%%%%%%%%%%C%%%%%%%%%%%C
DTotal D +0 D )* D 4M D )0,)41 D +*) D
C%%%%%%%%C%%%%%%C%%%%%%%%%%%C%%%%%%%%%%%C%%%%%%%%%%C%%%%%%%%%%%C
Our t!o best days occurred on -ugust 6 and )0. On the 6th a large
"o#e"ent !as obser#ed n the early hours, ndcatng a relef,
!hch
!as reported to the .#son at once by !re. 7o that !hen the relef
!as contnued at nght, our artllery !ere prepared to deal !th the
Ger"an partes "o#ng n or out of the trenches. On ths day alone
))06 nfantry and 44 transport #ehcles !ere seen on the "o#e. The
I0nd .#son 9ntellgence (eport of -ugust + reported the "atter as
follo!s'
E(elef south of the 7erre%/ally (oad !hch co""enced on a
large scale on the "ornng of the 6th !as contnued durng the
e#enngX bet!een 6.41 and ,.01 P./. )*+ "en !th packs n
nneteen partes ca"e to!ards the front lne past Q. 6. a. *4.
,1. These partes !ere engaged by 8.-. !th great success.
;asualtes caused beng est"ated to be at least AftyX four
drect hts !ere obtaned on a party at +.)4 P./., and on one
occason an out%gong party !as seen to ha#e a free Aght !th
an n%gong party to gan possesson of a sunken track or trench
n Q. 6. a. Total hostle nfantry seen by .#sonal O.P. on
the 6th reached the hgh nu"ber of ))06.E
The obser#ers had ther share n those Afty casualtes, as Pte. F.
Turner !ent to (ose O.P. and drected the 7ergeant Gunner n charge
to
the proper "ap reference of the Ger"an troops. That 6%nch battery
shot superbly, and 9 !sh 9 kne! the 7ergeantEs na"e. The G.O.;.
sent
hs congratulatons to the obser#ers on the dayEs !ork.
On -ugust )0 at 6 -./. the obser#ers nfor"ed "e that the
Ger"ans had
been seen gong out of ther trenches n large nu"bers and all
carryng packs, rVes, and boKes as !ell. On ths 9 sent a pgeon
"essage to the ;orps, sayng that the ene"y "ght be retrng no!.
-s
t happened ths !as Rute correct, as the Ger"ans ad"tted
the"sel#es
a fe! days later n ther co""unRu[.
9 also !sh to put on record an act of kndness to the obser#ers by
the .#son and ;orps. On -ugust , the ene"y began to shell the
neghbourhood of -da" O.P. rather se#erely !th a 4.*%nch ho!tSer
battery. -s ths !ent on, 9 rang up ..8.Q. and asked f anythng
could
be done n retalaton aganst the ene"yEs O.P.Es n &. MM. a. ;ol.
Guy told "e that he !ould see !hat the ;orps !ould do for usX and
rang
up later to tell "e to ask the obser#ers at -da" O.P. to note results
at 0.M1 P./. -t the apponted t"e, e#ery act#e hea#y gun n the
;orps Ared a shell s"ultaneously aganst selected targets, ncludng
&. MM. a. There !ere at least four brgades of hea#es n the ;orps
and the nose !as colossal. 9t "ust ha#e astonshed the ene"y as
"uch
as t dd "e.
On -ugust *, 0nd%&eut. Ed"unds of the +th =.F. ca"e to assst "e,
and
to take o#er co""and of the obser#ers durng "y lea#e !hch !as
no!
dra!ng near. 9 told h" that !e had ne#er been shelled at E#e O.P.
But as luck !ould ha#e t that #ery afternoon, about 0 P./., a
long%range gun shelled the O.P. for about t!enty "nutesX and 9 had
to
clear the "en oU nto the neghbourng (ed &ne trenches tll the
annoyance ceased.
On -ugust )I the ene"y !ere attacked all along the 9L ;orps front
and
a consderable ad#ance !as "ade that day. Pte. >ng re"aned at
the
telescope all day, and sent n a nu"ber of nterestng reports about
the ene"yEs "o#e"ents.
-t ths pont 9 ha#e to break oU the narrat#e, as "y lea#e !arrant
arr#ed that nght and 9 left the obser#ers tll -ugust M) n charge
of 0nd%&eut. :.8. Ed"unds.
One !ord about the ad"rable ser#ces of "y bat"an, Pte. F.
;rtchlo!.
For ten !eeks and "ore, n addton to lookng after "y o!n
personal
co"forts, he cooked for the !hole party of obser#ers at E#e O.P. Ths
"ay see" a s"all "atter, but he ne#er had a rest lke the other
"en,
and hs hard !ork contrbuted "aterally to the co"fort and
eJcency
of the secton.
NNN9L
T8E B(9T978 OFFE=79LE )*),%%B-P-</E (ET->E=
On "y return to France, 9 reached -utheule ral!ay staton on
-ugust
M), and !ent on neKt "ornng, partly by car and "otor%bus and
partly
on foot, to /rau"ont. 8ere 9 found the obser#ers !th B ;o"pany
@;apt. F.=. ;rags, /.;.B of the +th =.F. near the ral!ay staton. 9t
had been strange passng o#er the s"tten ground on the 7erre
(dge,
and t !as possble then to realse the terrble eUects of our hea#y
shell Are. Gangs of "en !ere no! "endng the road all the !ay to
/rau"ontX but t "ust ha#e been n a shockng state. 9n one place
part of a transport cart hung suspended fro" the shattered
branches of
a treeX and e#ery!here the ground !as absolutely churned to
peces.
9 learnt that ..8.Q. had "o#ed for!ard to Gre#llers, and on
7epte"ber
M 9 decded to "ake a "o#e for!ard to &oupart Food, n order to get
the obser#ers "ore n touch !th the".
Fe !ere badly handcapped n all the succeedng stages of the
ca"pagn
by ha#ng no transport to "o#e our belongngs. Besdes the ordnary
nfantry"anEs eRup"ent, no lght !eght, !e had our blankets,
three
telescopes, co"passes, and a lot of "aps, books, and statonery,
and
our daly raton to carry as !ell. By good luck, ho!e#er, !e found an
old Ger"an hand%cart n #ery far condton about the staton yardX
and !e used ths hand%cart for gettng our gear along for "any a
!eary
"le. 9n fact !e Anally dropped t at &e Quesnoy on =o#e"ber 4, not
because t !as !orn out, but because other transport !as found for
us.
By the e#enng of 7epte"ber M !e got settled nto so"e dugouts at
the
north end of &oupart Food. There !ere a fe! dead Ger"ans
scattered
about, but a lot "ore dead horses than "en. -nd as the !eather
!as
hot, the ar !as none too pleasant.
=eKt day 9 #sted ..8.Q. !ho !ere n so"e tents outsde Gre#llers,
and ;apt. >rsopp told "e that the obser#ers !ere urgently needed.
9t
!as proposed to send a party of the" for!ard on bcycles to keep n
touch !th the retreatng Ger"ans. -nd so the sa"e day Ptes. >ng
and
.rake @+th =.F.B and F. Green!ood @)1th /.B.B !ent for!ard to!ards
8a#rncourt Food to get such ne!s as they could. 9t had been
ntended
at Arst that 9 should go !th the", but t !as found "possble to
pro#de "e !th a horse. The Brtsh forces had already taken
Bapau"e,
Lllers%au%Flos, and (encourt, and the ene"y !ere supposed to be
retreatng fast n the drecton of the old 8ndenburg &ne !hch lay
beyond 8a#rncourt Food. Pte. >ngEs party dd good !orkX they
!ent
through Barastre and Bus n front of the ad#ance guards of the
nfantry, and "et !th no opposton beyond occasonal long%range
"achne%gun Are. Ther Arst O.P. !as just south of Bertncourt, and
the follo!ng days near =eu#lle%Bourjon#al. For ths eKpedton Pte.
>ng !as a!arded the /ltary /edal. On 7epte"ber M 9 !ent !th
Pte.
Turner to so"e hgh ground just south of Bapau"e and stayed there
se#eral hours. Fro" here lttle shellng could be seen, the "an body
of the ene"y "ust ha#e retred as far as 8a#rncourt Food. &ong%
range
shells fell near Bapau"e and the ral!ay durng the day. The sa"e
e#enng 9 reported at ..8.Q., and found thngs pretty l#ely durng
"y
#stX for t!o or three Ger"an Eplanes dropped a nu"ber of bo"bs
about
the place, not a pleasant eKperence for those l#ng n tents. =eKt
day @7epte"ber IB the obser#ers "o#ed for!ard !th the hand%cart
through Gre#llers and then to Thlloy and across country to the hgh
ground south of Bapau"e. 8ere there !ere plenty of s"all Ger"an
shelters and dugouts partally protected by a shallo! trench. 9n
these
!e took up our Ruarters, !hlst ..8.Q. "o#ed to so"e a""unton
dugouts on the other sde of the road fro" Bapau"e to Peronne.
=eKt
day @7epte"ber 4B acco"paned by Pte. Turner 9 reconnotred the
hgh
ground about Bus. There !ere "any Ger"an dead stll lyng about
near
the approaches to Lllers%au%Flos, !here a consderable stand "ust
ha#e been "ade by the Ger"an "achne%gunners to co#er the
retreat.
-lso !e sa! on our !ay back a party of the +th =.F. preparng to
bury
a nu"ber of our o!n "en !ho had fallen n the ad#ance. The sa"e
e#enng 9 !as told that the I0nd .#son !ould be rele#ed that
nght
by the =e! Pealand .#son, and that the obser#ers should stand
fast
untl further orders, Pte. >ngEs party joned us the neKt day. Fe
stayed here for the neKt t!o !eeks, n !hat pro#ed to be Rute
co"fortable Ruarters. - Ger"an soda%!ater factory !as dsco#ered
at
Beaulencourt, and !e !ere n t"e to secure a fe! bottles. Tranng
!as no! resu"ed n the "ornngs, and the obser#ers practsed
sendng
and rece#ng "essages !th four sgnallers of the +th =.F. !ho !ere
attached to us. 9n the afternoon !e !ere free to roa" o#er the
recent
battle%Aeld, !here "any sou#enrs of the ene"y could be pcked up.
Fe
no! lay just to the north of the old 7o""e battle%ground. -nd on
7epte"ber )4 9 !ent to /artnpuch by bus do!n the -lbert%
Bapau"e (oad
and re#sted the scene of our attack on the 8gh Food (dge, !hch
had taken place just t!o years before. .urng our stay at ths place
!e had #sts e#ery nght fro" Ger"an arcraft. But they fared none
too !ell. 9 sa! one aeroplane brought do!n n Va"es at nght near
Lllers%au%Flos by our ant%arcraft gunsX and t!o others shared the
sa"e fate. Ths !as a great feather n the cap of the ant%arcraft
gunnersX for an aeroplane s partcularly dJcult to ht at nght.
The I0nd .#son !as ordered to rele#e the M+th .#son on
7epte"ber 00. The latter .#son had no! reached the old Brtsh
front lne east of 8a#rncourt Food. -nd the Ger"ans !ere no! n
the
8ndenburg &ne, behnd Ethe !alls of bronSeE !hch had checked us
once and !hch they hoped !ould agan stay the pursut of ther
beaten
legons.
One partcularly dsgustng feature of our journey n pursut of the
ene"y !as the dreadful state of the huts he had occuped. They all
appeared to be "o#ng !th lce and Veas, and t !as a "ost
dJcult
"atter to keep oneself free fro" ther unpleasant attentons. 9t !as
the sa"e !here#er !e stopped.
NNNL
T8E 7TO(/9=G OF T8E 89=.E=B<(G &9=E =E-( T(E7;-<&T
On 7epte"ber 01 9 !ent !th &eut. G.F. .oble, the .#sonal
9ntellgence OJcer, to #st the ne! area n front. Fe found ..8.Q.
establshed n a !onderful seres of huts south%!est of L[lu Food.
These had been the 8.Q. of so"e Ger"an ;orps, and !onderfully
!ell
barrcaded they !ere. 9nsde each hut, !hch !as panelled !th
!ood,
there !as a sldng panel !hch ad"tted to a deep shelter dugout
beneath. 8ere n case of bo"bng by our aeroplanes, the Ger"an
oJcer
had been able to retre Ruckly and !thout loss of dgnty to a place
of safety. Fro" here !e pad a short #st by "otor%car to the B.8.Q.
north%!est of 8a#rncourt Food. On returnng through Bapau"e 9
had the
great pleasure of "eetng /ajor F. -nderson, ..7.O., /.;., "y old
Brgade%/ajor, !ho !as no! G.7.O. 99 of the M+th .#son.
On 7epte"ber 0) the obser#ers !ent for!ard !th ther hand%cart
through (encourt, Lllers%au%Flos, and 8aplncourt to the outskrts
of Bertncourt. Fe Arst selected so"e e"pty huts near L[lu Food as
our place of resdence. But as !e !ere shelled about A#e "nutes
after arr#ng, !e decded to "o#e a lttle farther fro" the !ood.
Fnally !e found t!o useful =ssen huts bult nto the roadsde and
sheltered by so"e tall el" trees, just !est of Bertncourt. 9t !as not
a #ery Ruet or healthy spot any!here near BertncourtX but !e !ere
not da"aged by the ene"yEs shells, though occasonally annoyed.
The
sa"e afternoon 9 !ent for!ard by "yself to reconnotre a poston
for
the .#sonal O.P. -nd 9 found a useful place n the north of
8a#rncourt Food, or rather n the rough thorny scrub that had once
for"ed part of the !ood.
29llustraton' 7cene of the -ttack on the 8ndenburg &ne, 7ept.
0,, )*),.5
Obser#aton !as obtaned through the branches of a tree, and a
s"all
shelter dugout !as close at hand. The Aeld of #e! eKtended along
the
left Vank of the ;orps and .#sonal front, and !ent a long !ay
back
to the hgh ground bet!een =ergnes and Esnes. FlesRu^res,
(b[court,
/arcong, (u"lly, and /asn^res could all be seen. The neKt fe!
days
!ere spent n locatng our surroundngs and n reportng the traJc
seen on the back roads. On 7epte"ber 0+ 9 !ent !th &.%;. ;o!en to
nspect an O.P. n the Brtsh front%lne syste" south%east of
Trescault. Fe !ent through the !ood and then along a !ndng ;.T.
!hch brought us to the front lne. 8ere !e found a deep dugout
!th a
ladder leadng up to an O.P. on ground le#el. The #e! n front !as
not altogether satsfactory, but to!ards the left t !as good.
-t da!n on 7epte"ber 0, the grand assault on the 8ndenburg &ne
began. 9t !as Rute successful on our left and on the left of our
front, but the .#son on our rght had great dJculty n gettng
for!ard. By the follo!ng day, ho!e#er, the lne !as ad#anced along
the !hole front, and the =.P. .#son, takng o#er the pursut fro"
us, "ade good captures of "en and guns. &.%;. ;o!en and Pte.
/cGarrgle !ent to the O.P. n the front lne on 7epte"ber 0, and
had
rather a rough passage. Pte. Fal had a s"all party at the other O.P.,
and obtaned a farly good #e! of the battle. On 7epte"ber 0* Pte.
>ng !ent !th Pte. ;happell n the drecton of (b[court, but ths
eKpedton !as brought to an end by a shell !hch !ounded Pte.
;happell badly n the face. Ths !as the second and, as e#ents
turned
out, the last casualty a"ongst "y obser#ers. 9 spent a long t"e the
second day !th the obser#ers at the O.P. n 8a#rncourt Food and
!e
sa! "uch Ger"an transport hurryng back south of =ergnes. On
the
nght of 7epte"ber 0* the I0nd .#son !as rele#ed, and 9
rece#ed
nstructons to re"an at our Ruarters near Bertncourt. -fter the
battle !e !ere no longer troubled !th any shells. 7econd%&eut.
Ed"unds !ho had been on lea#e snce !e left /rau"ont ca"e
back to
assst "e, for about another "onth. Great dro#es of Ger"an
prsoners
no! began to pass us se#eral t"es a day, a cheerng sght n one
!ay,
but not a pleasant one n another. They !ere truly a desperate%
lookng
collecton of "en, "ostly of a #ery lo! class.
Ths halt enabled "e to get round the country and "ake sketches of
the
#arous battle%Aelds.
One nght 9 had dnner at ..8.Q. as the guest of ;apt. >rsopp, and
enjoyed the hosptalty of EPE /ess. 9 found a great curosty n the
Aelds near Bertncourt. -n old cannon%ball ptted !th rust and
datng possbly fro" /arlboroughEs days. -s 9 could not take t a!ay
!th "e, 9 ga#e t to /ajor ;larke, the G.7.O. 99.
On October + the obser#ers "o#ed to so"e dugouts near Trescault,
!here
!e re"aned t!o days. On October , 9 !ent on to Felsh (dge, but
nothng "uch could be seen fro" there. The battle%Aeld !as stre!n
!th Ger"ans !ho had fallen n the battle ten days before. On
October
* !e had a long "arch !hch took all day. Fe !ent through
Beauca"p and
then to!ards /asn^res, Anally reachng the shattered #llage of
;r^#ecoeur. =eKt "ornng !e "o#ed on agan to Esnes, !here !e
had
bllets n a nce far"%house.
-t last !e had reached the land of #egetables, and for the rest of
the
ca"pagn !e had a plentful supply. Fe had been #ery short of ths
knd of food snce /ay.
On October )) !e "o#ed on agan and got a bllet n a s"all
cottage n
Fontane%au%Pre. =eKt day on agan to the neKt to!n, Beau#os,
!hch
!as not at all badly s"ashed. Fe had bllets n a couple of s"all
cottages oU the "an street and !e !ere farly co"fortable here.
The
plague of house%Ves !as #ery bad at ths placeX the !hole place
!as
full of the".
The I0nd .#son rele#ed the =.P. .#son on October )0 on a
front
eKtendng south of 7oles"es and co#erng Brastre.
NNNL9
T8E GE(/-=7E &-7T 7T-=.
On October )0 9 !ent !th Pte. Frth to a rdge south of Lesly to
look for an O.P., and selected a spot n the open, but near a sunk
road. 8o!e#er, the G.O.;. reRured a post to be held on the hgh
ground north of the #llage. Ths !as only half a "le fro" the
ene"yEs front lne and n full #e! of the ene"y, so that 9 suspected
!e should not be allo!ed to stop there #ery long. - reg"ent of
8ussars !as attached to the ;orps and statoned at ;audry.
9t !as arranged that an oJcer and sK obser#ers fro" ths reg"ent
should !ork n conjuncton !th the .#sonal obser#ers. These
"ounted "en !ere partcularly useful n gettng "essages back
Ruckly
fro" the O.P. to a report centre, for durng ths open !arfare t !as
"possble to connect the obser#ers by telephone to ..8.Q.
The Arst day at the O.P. north of Lesly passed Ruetly enough, and
Ptes. >ng and /cGarrgle "ade a useful sketch of the #e! n front.
=eKt day, !hen 9 !ent up to the O.P. to "ake addtons to the
sketch,
condtons !ere not #ery good. Our only co#er !as a shallo! trench
about one foot deepX and for an hour !hlst 9 !as tryng to sketch
the detals of the landscape the ene"yEs I.0%nch ho!tSers shelled
the hll persstently. 9 told the obser#ers, !hen 9 !ent back, to
lea#e ths post f thngs got no better and to "an the post south of
Lesly. -nd ths !as done soon after!ards, as the shells began to fall
#ery close. <nfortunately fro" no! on!ards the lght !as no good
for
long%range obser#aton. .ay after day the country !as co#ered !th
a
thck !hte "st, a co""on eKperence n October, !hch "ade
obser#aton Rute out of the Rueston. 8o!e#er, fro" the sketches
that
had been "ade, 9 !as able to "ake a dra!ng of the panora"a n
front,
!hch !as prnted out for the use of the troops n the lne.
9t !as decded to attack the Ger"an postons at "dnght on
October
)*%01. Takng ad#antage of the hea#y "st the Brtsh Aeld artllery
placed ther guns n t!o long lnes, t!enty%eght guns n a lne and
al"ost !heel to !heel, behnd the rdges south of Lesly. Ths !as
an
eKtraordnary sght, for they had no co#er !hate#er eKcept the thck
!hte "st o#erhead. Behnd the second ro!, there !as a battery of
hea#y ho!tSers @,% or *%nch calbreB, and a lttle farther back
se#eral batteres of 61%pounder guns. The nght attack !as carred
out
by the )06th 9nfantry Brgade and !as !onderfully successful.
-t )1 -./. on October 01 9 called at B.8.Q., a house n Prayelle, to
get the latest ne!s. Then 9 joned Ptes. Fal and Green!ood at the
O.P., !hch !as no! under the "uSSles of the Aeld guns. Fe left ths
post and !ent to!ards Brastre, and, crossng the road fro" Lesly,
!e
Anally selected a poston near the Brastre ;e"etery. :ust across
the #alley the ene"yEs guns !ere poundng the postons !e had
!on
that "ornng. 9t !as n preparaton for a counter%attack, !hch,
ho!e#er, !as crushed by the Are fro" our o!n artllery. Fe sent n
se#eral stuaton reports to ..8.Q. through the 8.Q. of the )1th
/anchester (eg"ent, !hch !ere no! n a cuttng not far fro" the
ce"etery.
On "y !ay back to Beau#os 9 "et a nu"ber of tanks tra#ellng
slo!ly
for!ard to!ards LeslyX but 9 bele#e they !ere unable to get across
the (#er 7elle that nght. For the neKt t!o days the obser#ers held
a
post on the north sde of LeslyX and on October 0M the I0nd
.#son
attacked agan, the =.P. .#son takng up the pursut of the ene"y
about "dday. The "en of the I0nd .#son ha#e e#ery reason to
be
proud of ther battle at 7oles"esX the Ger"ans !ere #ery strongly
entrenched and they !ere pcked troops, and a nght attack s, of
course, one of the "ost dJcult of all to carry out successfully.
The obser#ers !ere nstructed to re"an at ther Ruarters n
Beau#os,
and for the neKt ele#en days tranng !as resu"ed. 9 !as told that
great ad#antages "ght be obtaned fro" panora"c sketches, f
rapdly
and accurately dra!n by the obser#ers. -nd so 9 drected "ost of
the
tranng here to!ards "akng these sketches. There !as nothng n
tranng that the "en lked better than that.
.urng our rest at Beau#os the =e! Pealanders had pushed the
Ger"ans
farther back, to the outskrts of &e Quesnoy, and to!ards the end of
October !e !ere !arned that the I0nd .#son !ould rele#e the"
after
a further attack.
NNNL99
T8E F9=-& (<78 FO(F-(.
On =o#e"ber M 9 "o#ed !th the obser#ers to the #llage of Lesly
and
got a bllet n a cottage. The #llage had been badly "auled by the
Ger"an guns durng the recent Aghtng. The Ger"an does not
beha#e
ncely !hen hs ner#es are shaken, and !e heard stores of
ll%treat"ent of !o"en n 7oles"es.
=eKt day !e !ent to!ards (o"eres to reconnotre the roads, and
on
=o#e"ber 4 !e had a long "arch n the ran. 8therto !e had been
lucky
to ha#e Ane !eather for trekkng, but no! t began to ran al"ost
e#ery day. Fe !ent on o#er cro!ded roads through Brastre,
7oles"es,
(o"eres, and Beaudgnes. -t the latter place our hea#y guns !ere
stll Arng, for the Ger"ans had only been pushed out of &e Quesnoy
that "ornng, and ther "an body !as retreatng through the
/or"al
Forest. Our ad#ance party, &.%;. ;o!en and Pte. -ddnall, !ho had
gone
for!ard on bcycles to And a bllet n &e Quesnoy, "et !th a #ery
!ar" recepton fro" the French c#lans n the to!n. -fter a lttle
trouble 9 "anaged to get possesson of a nce e"pty house near the
ral!ay staton, !here !e !ere glad to turn n and get our clothes
dry. =eKt day 9 !ent to ..8.Q. at Potelle, a "oated far" or ch\teau.
There !as so"e dea of dsbandng the obser#ers at ths t"e, for
;apt. >rsopp found dJculty n gettng us for!ard fast enough to be
of any use. 8o!e#er the G.O.;. !ould not hear of t, and sad the
..-.Q./.G. "ust arrange to transport our thngs.
The sa"e day 9 !ent for!ard to the ad#anced B.8.Q. at ForesterEs
Pont, on the =.F. sde of the forest, east of ;arnoy. -nd 9 arranged
!th the Brgade%/ajor of the )06th 9nfantry Brgade to send so"e
of
the obser#ers to help h" neKt day. Ths, ho!e#er, !as cancelled, as
the Ger"ans began to retreat to!ards the (#er 7a"bre. 9 sa! so"e
French chldren stll about the cottages near the /or"al Forest,
though there !as stll shellng gong on. ;o"ng back 9 a#oded the
#llage of ;arnoy, as t !as beng hea#ly shelled by the ene"yEs
long%range guns. Ths !as the last t"e 9 ca"e any!here near the
ene"yEs shell Are. The Ger"an dead lay n lttle clusters n the
Aelds east of &e Quesnoy, and at #arous ponts along the ral!ay.
On =o#e"ber + 9 "o#ed "y Ruarters to a s"all house at 8erbgnes,
our
belongngs beng brought for us by .#sonal transport. Our hand%
cart
!as Anally du"ped at &e Quesnoy. The neKt day 9 sent a s"all party
of
obser#ers through the forest to Pett Ba#ay, and also detached Ptes.
Fal, E!art, and -ustn for duty on the follo!ng day, sendng the"
!th bcycles to the Q./. of the +th =.F. at Pett Ba#ay. -lso 9
!alked through the forest to ..8.Q. at the sa"e place. 9t !as a long
tra"p n the "ud, and 9 !as thoroughly tred out !hen 9 reached
8erbgnes agan that nght.
On =o#e"ber * !e had our Anal trek for!ard, so"e Afteen "les
through the "ost glutnous "ud. -s the obser#ers had been
o#erlooked
!hen the .#sonal transport left Potelle, !e had no! to transport
all our belongngs as best !e could !thout the ad of the hand%cart.
Ths unfortunately "eant du"png all our stores eKcept such as
!ere
absolutely essentalX and 9 lost a nu"ber of nterestng records,
"aps, Hc., n ths !ay.
Fe loaded oursel#es up then !th e#erythng !e could take%%#ery
full
packs and a blanket rolled on top, about the hea#est "archng%
order
possble. By "dday !e had got through the forest to Pett Ba#ay,
!here !e halted for a "eal on the road sde. Then !e !ent on
through
LeuK /esnl, !here !e had to ford the r#er, as the brdge !as
destroyed. On through =euf /esnl and at last to 8aut"ont. 9 !as
glad
to get a bllet n the Arst e"pty house 9 ca"e to, )M4 (ue de
Ga"betta. =o beds, but a "oderately clean Voor to sleep on. Pte.
FalEs party rejoned "e here. They had gone rght on to the Arng
lne on the north bank of the (#er 7a"bre, !here the Guards !ere
ad#ancng. They brought back useful nfor"aton as to !hat had
been
gong on.
-fter dsputng the crossng of the 7a"bre the Ger"ans Ved rapdly
for about eght "les, and ga#e no further trouble beyond shellng
the
#llages of Que#elon and Ferr^re. ;yclsts and ca#alry !ere pushed
out to keep n touch !th the", but o!ng to the dJcultes of
transport the nfantry could get no farther. There !as no! a general
feelng that the end !as not far oU.
On =o#e"ber )1 9 !as told at ..8.Q. that there !as a Eholday arE
about e#ery one, and that nothng further need be done by the
obser#ers. Early neKt "ornng 9 heard t!o transport dr#ers
dscussng
the stuaton n the road outsde. They !ere Rute con#nced that the
!ar !as o#er. -nd they !ere rghtX a lttle later 9 got the "essage
fro" ..8.Q. Ehostltes !ll cease at )) -./. to%day.E 8ea#y Arng
!as stll gong on to the north, about /ons, and ths only ceased at
)) oEclock. Then the slence and stllness outsde !ere "ost
uncanny.
9t !as a slence that could be felt.
NNNL999
T8E E=. OF 9T -&&
-fter the ar"stce the .#sonal obser#ers !ere not dsbanded at
once. They re"aned n "y charge tll .ece"ber 6, !hen orders
ca"e for
us all to return to our o!n unts. 7o ended the "ost pleasant
co""and
that 9 held durng the !ar.
The "en !ho !ere !th "e !hen !e !ere dsbanded, !ere'
TObser#ersT @T+th =.F.TB T7gnallersT @T+th =.F.TB
&.%;. ;OFE= &.%;. ;(OP9E(, /./.
Pte. >9=G, /./. Pte. F-(.
Pte. F-9& Pte. (OB9=7O=
Pte. EF-(T Pte. P-(>9=
Pte. .(->E
Pte. -..9=-&&
Pte. -<7T9=
Pte. G(EE=FOO. @T)1th /.(.TB
Pte. F9(T8 @T6th /.(.TB
Fro" the nature of the organsaton and eRup"ent of 9nfantry
obser#ers, they !ere of "ore use durng trench !arfare than
"o#ng
!arfare. $ou cannot turn an obser#er nto a scout at a "o"entEs
notce. Only a fe! of the "en e#er acRured any real kno!ledge of
"ap
readng%%they dd not take the sa"e nterest n t as n other parts
of the tranng%%and for "o#ng !arfare t s absolutely essental.
-nother handcap !as lack of transport, !e !ere nobodyEs chldren
and
left to fend for oursel#es. The Q./. of the +th =.F. adopted us so far
as ratons !ere concerned, but the collecton of ratons alone
pre#ented us fro" beng a really "oble force' !e could not "o#e
far
a!ay fro" the source of food supples.
.urng the ten !eeks on the -uchon#llers (dge the "en dd
!onders.
But !e ne#er stayed long enough at the sa"e place after that to
g#e
the" a real chanceX and they ne#er settled do!n to "o#ng !arfare.
On .ece"ber 6 9 !as attached to B ;o"pany of the +th =.F.,
co""anded
by /ajor 7"al, and l#ng at Bouss^resX once "ore 9 beca"e a
platoon
co""ander, after nearly three years of contnuous !arfare.
-bout .ece"ber )4 the I0nd .#son "o#ed nto Belgu", and
..8.Q.
!ere establshed at ;harlero. -fter arr#ng here 9 beca"e
.e"oblsaton OJcer for the +th =.F. and contnued at that tll
:anuary )*.2015 Then 9 !ent on lea#e to England. On February )1 9
got
back to ;harlero, and on February )M 9 left ;harlero for
de"oblsaton or rather Edse"bod"ent.E 9 reached ho"e at I.M1
P./.
on February 00, glad to be back.
FOOT=OTE7'
2015 9 had the greatest assstance fro" ;pl. 7eals @+th =.F.B,
for"erly =.;.O. n charge of Brgade Orderles.
Prnted by 7POTT97FOO.E, B-&&-=T$=E H ;O. &T..
;olchester, &ondon H Eton, England.
6 6 6 6 6
C%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%C
D Typographcal errors corrected n teKt' D
D D
D Page 4' s"lar replaced !th s"lar D
D Page 0*' keeness replaced !th keenness D
D Page I*' E"an the the defencesE replaced !th D
D E"an the defencesE D
D Page 6)' "ssAre replaced !th "sAre D
D Page +I' Eon both sdes ths trenchE replaced !th D
D Eon both sdes of ths trenchE D
D Page +,' Eone of the the .#sonalE replaced !th D
D Eone of the .#sonalE D
D Page )MI' chateau replaced !th ch\teau D
D Page )4*' Passehendaele replaced !th Passchendaele D
D Page ),M' .#sonal replaced !th .#sonal D
D D
C%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%C
6 6 6 6 6
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