In The Firing Line 5

In The Firing Line 5

You have read of the charge of the Light Brigade. It was nowt to our

cavalry chaps. I saw two of our fellows who were unhorsed stand back to

back and slash away with their swords, bringing down nine or ten of the

panic-stricken devils. Then they got hold of the stirrup-straps of a

horse without a rider, and got out of the melée. This kind of thing was

going on all day.

 

In the afternoon I thought we should all get bowled over, as they came

for us again in their big numbers. Where they came from, goodness

knows; but as we could not stop them with bullets they had another

taste of the bayonet. My captain, a fine fellow, was near to me, and as

he fetched them down he shouted, “Give them socks, my lads!” How many

were killed and wounded I don’t know; but the field was covered with

them.

 

* * * * *

 

_Letter 18.--From a private in the Coldstream Guards to his mother:_

 

First of all I sailed from Southampton on August 12th on a cattle boat

called the _Cawdor Castle_. We sailed at 9.30 at night, and after a

passage of 14½ hours landed at Le Havre, on the coast of France. We

went into camp there, and then left on August 14th, getting into a

train, not third class carriages, but cattle trucks. We were on the

train eighteen and a half hours, and I was a bit stiff when I got out

at a place called Wassigny. Then we marched through pouring rain to

a village, where we slept in some barns. The next day being Sunday,

August 16th, we got on the march to a place called Grooges, a distance

of about nine miles. We stayed there till Thursday.

 

Then we started to march to get into Belgium. We got there on Sunday,

the 23rd, just outside Mons. We dug trenches, from which we had to

retire, and then we got into a position, and there I saw the big

battle, but could not do anything, because we were with the artillery.

We retreated into France, being shelled all the way, and on the

Tuesday, the 25th, we marched into Landrecies. We arrived there about

one o’clock and were thinking ourselves lucky. We considered we were

going to have two days’ rest, but about five o’clock the alarm was

raised. The Germans got to the front of us and were trying to get in

the town. So we fixed our bayonets, doubled up the road, and the fight

started. The German artillery shelled us, and some poor chaps got hit

badly. The chap next to me got shot, and I tried to pull him out of

the road, so that I could get down in his place, as there was not room

for us all in the firing line. We had to lay down behind and wait our

chance. I had got on my knees, and just got hold of his leg, when

something hit my rifle and knocked it out of my hand, and almost at the

same time a bullet went right through my arm. It knocked me over, and

I must have bumped my head, for I do not remember any more till I felt

someone shaking me. It was the doctor--a brave man, for he came right

up amongst the firing to tend the wounded. He bandaged my arm up, and I

had to get to hospital, a mile and a half away, as best I could.

 

The beasts of Germans shelled the building all night long without

hitting it. We moved next morning, and by easy stages left for England.

I am going on fine; shall soon be back and at it again I expect. Keep

up your spirits, won’t you? I believe it was only your prayers at home

that guarded me that Tuesday night, simply awful it was.

 

* * * * *

 

_Letter 19.--From a wounded English Officer, in a Belgian hospital,

to his mother:_

 

I do not know if this letter will ever get to you or not, but I am

writing on the chance that it will. A lot has happened since I last

wrote to you. We marched straight up to Belgium from France, and the

first day we arrived my company was put on outposts for the night.

During the night we dug a few trenches, etc., so did not get much

sleep. The next day the Germans arrived, and I will try and describe

the fight. We were only advanced troops of a few hundred holding the

line of a canal. The enemy arrived about 50,000 strong. We held them

in check all day and killed hundreds of them, and still they came.

Finally, of course, we retired on our main body. I will now explain

the part I played. We were guarding a railway bridge over a canal. My

company held a semicircle from the railway to the canal. I was nearest

the railway. A Scottish regiment completed the semicircle on the right

of the railway to the canal. The railway was on a high embankment

running up to the bridge, so that the Scottish regiment was out of

sight of us. We held the Germans all day, killing hundreds, when about

five p.m. the order to retire was eventually given. It never reached

us, and we were left all alone. The Germans therefore got right up to

the canal on our right, hidden by the railway embankment, and crossed

the railway. Our people had blown up the bridge before their departure.

We found ourselves between two fires, and I realized we had about

2,000 Germans and a canal between myself and my friends.

 

We decided to sell our lives dearly. I ordered my men to fix bayonets

and charge, which the gallant fellows did splendidly, but we got

shot down like nine-pins. As I was loading my revolver after giving

the order to fix bayonets I was hit in the right wrist. I dropped

my revolver, my hand was too weak to draw my sword. This afterwards

saved my life. I had not got far when I got a bullet through the calf

of my right leg and another in my right knee, which brought me down.

The rest of my men got driven round into the trench on our left. The

officer there charged the Germans and was killed himself, and nearly

all the men were either killed or wounded. I did not see this part

of the business, but from all accounts the gallant men charged with

the greatest bravery. Those who could walk the Germans took away as

prisoners. I have since discovered from civilians that around the

bridge 5,000 Germans were found dead and about 60 English. These 60

must have been nearly all my company, who were so unfortunately left

behind.

 

As regards myself, when I lay upon the ground I found my coat sleeve

full of blood, and my wrist spurting blood, so I knew an artery of some

sort must have been cut. The Germans had a shot at me when I was on

the ground to finish me off; that shot hit my sword, which I wore on my

side, and broke in half just below the hilt; this turned the bullet off

and saved my life. I afterwards found that two shots had gone through

my field glasses, which I wore on my belt, and another had gone through

my coat pocket, breaking my pipe and putting a hole through a small

collapsible tin cup, which must have turned the bullet off me. We lay

out there all night for twenty-four hours. I had fainted away from

loss of blood, and when I lost my senses I thought I should never see

anything again. Luckily I had fallen on my wounded arm, and the arm

being slightly twisted I think the weight of my body stopped the flow

of blood and saved me. At any rate, the next day civilians picked up

ten of us who were still alive, and took us to a Franciscan convent,

where we have been splendidly looked after. All this happened on August

23rd, it is now September 3rd. I am ever so much better, and can walk

about a bit now, and in a few days will be quite healed up. It is quite

a small hole in my wrist, and it is nearly healed, and my leg is much

better; the bullets escaped the bones, so that in a week I shall be

quite all right. Unfortunately the Germans are at present in possession

of this district, so that I am more or less a prisoner here. But I hope

the English will be here in a week, when I shall be ready to rejoin

them.

 

* * * * *

 

_Letter 20.--From W. Hawkins, of the 3rd Coldstream Guards:_

 

I have a nasty little hole through my right arm, but I am one of the

lucky ones. My word, it was hot for us. On the Tuesday night when I

got my little lot, what I saw put me in mind of a farmer’s machine

cutting grass, as the Germans fell just like it. We only lost nine poor

fellows, and the German losses amounted to 1,500 and 2,000. So you can

guess what it was like. As they were shot down others took their place,

as there were thousands of them. The best friend is your rifle with

the bayonet. But I soon had mine blown to pieces. How it happened I

don’t know.... I got a bullet through the top of my hat. I will bring

my hat home and show you. I felt it go through, but it never as much

as bruised my head. I had then no rifle, so I was obliged to keep down

my head. The bullets were whirling over me by the hundred. I stopped

until they got a bit slower, and then I got up and was trying to pull

a fellow away that had been shot through the head when I managed to

receive a bullet through my arm. When I looked in the direction of the

enemy I could see them coming by the thousand. Off I went. I bet I

should easily have won the mile that night. I got into the hospital

at Landricca amid shot and shell, which were flying by as fast as

you like. I got my arm done, and was put to bed. All that night the

enemy were trying to blow up the hospital, where they had to turn out

the lights so that the Germans could not get the correct range. Then

we were taken away in R.A.M.C. vans to Guise, where we slept on the

station platform after a nice supper which the French provided.

 

* * * * *

 

_Letter 21.--From Sergeant Griffiths, of the Welsh Regiment, to his

parents at Swansea:_

 

The fighting at Mons was terrible, and it was here that our 4th and

5th Divisions got badly knocked, but fought well. Our artillery played

havoc with them. About 10 o’clock on Monday we were suddenly ordered to

quit, and quick, too, and no wonder. They were ten to one. Then began

that retreat which will go down in history as one of the greatest and

most glorious retirements over done. Our boys were cursing because our

backs were towards them; but when the British did turn, my word, what

a game! The 3rd Coldstreams should be named “3rd Cold Steels,” and no

error. Their bayonet charge was a beauty.

 

 

Among numerous other such letters that have been published up and

down the country is this in which a corporal of the North Lancashire

Regiment gives a graphic little picture of his experiences to the

_Manchester City News_:

 

 

When we got near Mons the Germans were nearer than we expected.

They must have been waiting for us. We had little time to make

entrenchments, and had to do the digging lying on our stomachs. Only

about 300 of the 1,000 I was with got properly entrenched. The Germans

shelled us heavily, and I got a splinter in the leg. It is nearly right

now, and I hope soon to go back again. We lost fairly heavily, nearly

all from artillery fire. Altogether I was fighting for seventy-two

hours before I was hit. The German forces appeared to be never-ending.

They were round about us like a swarm of bees, and as fast as one man

fell, it seemed, there were dozens to take his place.

 

 

There is one in which James Scott, reservist, tells his relatives at

Jarrow that British soldiers at Mons dropped like logs. The enemy were

shot down as they came up, but it was like knocking over beehives--a

hundred came up for every one knocked down. He thought the Germans

were the worst set of men he had ever seen. Their cavalry drove women

and children in front of them in the streets of Mons so that the British could not fire.