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diff --git a/29333.txt b/29333.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9c116bd --- /dev/null +++ b/29333.txt @@ -0,0 +1,10254 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of War Letters of a Public-School Boy, by +Henry Paul Mainwaring Jones + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: War Letters of a Public-School Boy + +Author: Henry Paul Mainwaring Jones + +Release Date: July 6, 2009 [EBook #29333] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WAR LETTERS OF A PUBLIC-SCHOOL BOY *** + + + + +Produced by Geetu Melwani, Sigal Alon, Christine P. Travers +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at +https://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + +[Transcriber's note: Obvious printer's errors have been corrected. +Hyphenation and accentuation have been standardised, all +other inconsistencies are as in the original. The author's spelling +has been maintained.] + + + + +WAR LETTERS + +OF A + +PUBLIC-SCHOOL BOY + + + + +[Illustration: Lieut. Paul Jones. + +(_From a Photograph by his Brother._)] + + + + +WAR LETTERS + +OF A + +PUBLIC-SCHOOL BOY + +BY + +PAUL JONES + +Lieutenant of the Tank Corps + +Scholar-Elect of Balliol College, Oxford: Head of the Modern Side +and Captain of Football, Dulwich College, 1914 + + +WITH A MEMOIR BY HIS FATHER + +HARRY JONES + + + _He was the very embodiment in himself of all that is best in the + public-school spirit, the very incarnation of self-sacrifice and + devotion._ + + A DULWICH MASTER. + + +WITH EIGHT PLATES + + + CASSELL AND COMPANY, LTD + London, New York, Toronto and Melbourne + 1918 + + + + +CONTENTS + + + Page + Introductory 1 + + +PART I. MEMOIR + +Chapter + + 1. Childhood 9 + 2. At Dulwich College 14 + 3. Football 28 + 4. Cricket 37 + 5. Editor of _The Alleynian_ 41 + 6. Public Schools and the War 47 + 7. Tastes and Hobbies 52 + 8. Music 59 + 9. Literature and Ethics 72 + 10. History and Politics 85 + 11. In the Army 98 + 12. Personal Characteristics 110 + + +PART II. WAR LETTERS + + At a Home Port 121 + With the 9th Cavalry Brigade 131 + With a Supply Column 186 + In the Somme Battlefield 202 + With the 2nd Cavalry Brigade 212 + With the Tank Corps 229 + + +PART III + + Epilogue 257 + + INDEX 277 + + + + +LIST OF PLATES + + + H. P. M. Jones as 2nd Lieut. A.S.C. _Frontispiece_ + + _To face page_ + Paul as an Infant 8 + In his 6th Year 12 + Winning the Mile, March 27, 1915 22 + Dulwich College First XV, 1914-15 28 + Dulwich Modern Side XV, 1914-15 32 + Paul Jones in his 19th Year 110 + As a Subaltern in the A.S.C. 120 + + + + +WAR LETTERS + +OF A + +PUBLIC-SCHOOL BOY + + + + +INTRODUCTORY + + _These laid the world away; poured out the red + Sweet wine of youth; gave up the years to be + Of work and joy ... + And those who would have been, + Their sons, they gave, their immortality._ + + RUPERT BROOKE. + + +In deciding to publish some of the letters written by the late +Lieutenant H. P. M. Jones during his twenty-seven months' service with +the British Army, accompanying them with a memoir, I was actuated by a +desire, first, to enshrine the memory of a singularly noble and +attractive personality; secondly, to describe a career which, though +tragically cut short, was yet rich in honourable achievement; thirdly, +to show the influence of the Great War on the mind of a public-school +boy of high intellectual gifts and sensitive honour, who had shone +with equal lustre as a scholar and as an athlete. + +My choice of the title of this book was determined by the frequent +allusions made by my son in his war letters to his old school. He +spent six and a half years at Dulwich College. His career there was +gloriously happy and very distinguished. On the scholastic side, it +culminated in December, 1914, in the winning of a scholarship in +History and Modern Languages at Balliol College, Oxford; on the +athletic side, in his carrying off four silver cups at the Athletic +Sports in March, 1915, and tieing for the "Victor Ludorum" shield. + +As a merry, light-hearted boy in his early years at Dulwich, his love +for the College was marked. It waxed with every term he spent within +its walls. After he left it, that love became a passion, sustained, +coloured and glorified by happy memories. Everybody and everything +connected with it shared in his glowing affection. Its welfare and +reputation were infinitely precious to him. Like a _leitmotif_ in a +musical composition, this love of Dulwich College recurs again and +again in his war letters. Every honour won by a Dulwich boy on the +battlefield, in scholarship or in athletics gave him exquisite +pleasure. The very last letter he wrote is irradiated with love of the +old school. When he joined the Tank Corps, stripping, as it were, for +the deadly combat, he sent to the depot at Boulogne all his +impedimenta. But among the few cherished personal possessions that he +took with him into the zone of death were two photographs--one of the +College buildings, the other of the Playing Fields, this latter +depicting the cricket matches on Founder's Day. In death as in life +Dulwich was close to his heart. + +Paul Jones was a young man of herculean strength--tall, muscular, +deep-chested and broad-shouldered. But he had one grave physical +defect. He was extremely short-sighted, had worn spectacles habitually +from his sixth year and was almost helpless without them. In fact, his +vision was not one-twelfth of normal. Much to his chagrin, his myopia +excluded him from the Infantry which he tried to enter in the spring +of 1915, and he had to put up with a Commission as a subaltern in the +Army Service Corps. His first three months in the Army were spent at a +home port, one of the chief depots of supply for the British Army in +the field. Eagerly embracing the first chance to go abroad, he left +Southampton for Havre in the last week of July, 1915. A few days +after his arrival in France, he was appointed requisitioning officer +to the 9th Cavalry Brigade--a post for the duties of which he was +specially qualified by his excellent knowledge of the French language. +After 11 months in this employment, he was appointed to a Supply +Column, and subsequently, during the protracted battles on the Somme, +was in command of an ammunition working party. In October, 1916, he +was again appointed requisitioning officer, this time to the 2nd +Cavalry Brigade. + +Though his duties were often laborious and exacting, his relative +freedom from peril and hardship while other men were facing death +every day in the trenches sorely troubled his conscience. Feeling that +he was not pulling his weight in the war and seeing no prospect of the +Cavalry going into action he resolved, at all hazards, to get into the +fighting line. After two abortive efforts to transfer from the A.S.C., +he succeeded on the third attempt, and was appointed Lieutenant in the +Tank Corps, which he joined on 13th February, 1917. His elation at the +change was unbounded, and thenceforth his letters home sang with joy. +He took part as a Tank officer in the battle of Arras in April, and +when the great offensive was planned in Flanders he was shifted to +that sector. In the battle of 31st July, when advancing with his tank +north-east of Ypres, he was killed by a sniper's bullet. He seemed to +have had a premonition some days before that death might soon claim +him. In a letter to his brother, a Dulwich school boy, dated 27th +July, he wrote: + + Have you ever reflected on the fact that, despite the horrors of + the war, it is at least a big thing? I mean to say that in it one + is brought face to face with realities. The follies, selfishness, + luxury and general pettiness of the vile commercial sort of + existence led by nine-tenths of the people of the world in peace + time are replaced in war by a savagery that is at least more + honest and outspoken. Look at it this way: in peace time one just + lives one's own little life, engaged in trivialities, worrying + about one's own comfort, about money matters, and all that sort + of thing--just living for one's own self. What a sordid life it + is! In war, on the other hand, even if you do get killed, you + only anticipate the inevitable by a few years in any case, and + you have the satisfaction of knowing that you have "pegged out" + in the attempt to help your country. You have, in fact, realised + an ideal, which, as far as I can see, you very rarely do in + ordinary life. The reason is that ordinary life runs on a + commercial and selfish basis; if you want to "get on," as the + saying is, you can't keep your hands clean. + + Personally, I often rejoice that the war has come my way. It has + made me realise what a petty thing life is. I think that the war + has given to everyone a chance to "get out of himself," as I + might say. Of course, the other side of the picture is bound to + occur to the imagination. But there! I have never been one to + take the more melancholy point of view when there's a silver + lining to the cloud. + +The eagerness to subordinate self displayed in this letter was very +characteristic of its author. He was by nature altruistic, and this +propensity was intensified by his career at Dulwich and his experience +of athletics, both influences tending to merge the individual in the +whole and to subordinate self to the side. Death he had never feared, +and he dreaded it less than ever after his experience of campaigning. +His last letter shows with what serenity of mind he faced the ultimate +realities. He greeted the Unseen with a cheer. + +His Commanding Officer, in a letter to us after Paul's death, wrote: + +"No officer of mine was more popular. He was efficient, very keen, and +a most gallant gentleman. His crew loved him and would follow him +anywhere. He did not know what fear was." + +From the crew of his Tank we received a very sympathetic letter which +among other things said: + +"We all loved your son. He was the best officer in our company and +never will be replaced by one like him." + +A gunner who served in the same Tank company testified his love and +admiration for our son and said that all the men would do anything for +him; even the roughest came under his spell. + +A brother officer who served with Paul in the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, in +paying homage to his character, wrote: "He was a most interesting and +lovable companion and friend. He never seemed to think of himself at +all." + +Among the many tributes that reached us were several from the masters, +old boys, and present boys at Dulwich College. Several of the writers +express the opinion that Paul Jones would, if he had lived, have done +great things. Mr. Gilkes, late headmaster of Dulwich, in a touching +letter, spoke of the nobility of his character and his high gifts; Mr. +Smith, the present headmaster, testified to his intellectual power, +energy and keenness; Mr. Joerg, master of the Modern Sixth, to his +sense of justice, loyalty and truth; Mr. Hope, master of the Classical +Sixth, to his high conception of duty, "his sterling qualities and +great ability." From the young man who was captain of the school when +Paul was head of the Modern Side came this testimony: "He was one of +the finest characters of my time at school; in me he inspired all the +highest feelings." One of his contemporaries in the Modern Sixth +wrote: "I owe more than I can express to your son's influence over me. +As long as I live I shall never forget him. His spirit is with me +always; for it is to him that I owe my first real insight into life." +A well-known Professor wrote: "I felt sure he was destined to do great +things; but he has done greater things; he has done the greatest +thing of all." Some of these letters are set forth in full in the +Epilogue. + +Appended is a list of events in this rich and strenuous, albeit brief +life: + + Born at 6 Cloudesdale Road, Balham, May 18th, 1896. + Entered Dulwich College, September, 1908. + Junior Scholarship, Dulwich College, June, 1909. + Senior Scholarship, Dulwich College, June, 1912. + Matriculated, with honours, London University, 1911. + Appointed Prefect at Dulwich, September, 1912. + Secretary and Treasurer of the College Magazine, 1913-14. + Editor of _The Alleynian_, 1914-15. + Head of the Modern Side, 1913-15. + Member of 1st XV, 1912-13, 1913-14, 1914-15. + Hon. Secretary 1st XV, 1913-14. + Captain of Football, 1914-15. + Won a Balliol Scholarship, December, 1914. + Tied for "Victor Ludorum" Shield, March, 1915. + Joined the Army, April, 1915. + Killed in Action, July 31st, 1917. + +All that was mortal of Paul Jones is buried at a point west of +Zonnebeke, north-east of Ypres. + + + + +PART I + +MEMOIR + + + + +[Illustration: Paul Jones as an Infant.] + + + + +CHAPTER I + +CHILDHOOD + + Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: + The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star + Hath had elsewhere its setting, + And cometh from afar; + Not in entire forgetfulness, + And not in utter nakedness. + But trailing clouds of glory do we come + From God, Who is our home. + + WORDSWORTH: "INTIMATIONS OF IMMORTALITY." + + +Henry Paul Mainwaring Jones, born in London on May 18, 1896, was the +first child of Henry and Emily Margaret Jones. His grandfather, the +late Thomas Mainwaring, was in his day a leading figure in literary +and political circles in Carmarthenshire. My own people have been +associated with that county for centuries. For our son's christening a +vessel containing water drawn from the Pool of Bethesda was sent to us +by my old friend Sir John Foster Fraser, who in the spring of that +year passed through Palestine on his journey by bicycle round the +world. + +At this time I was acting editor of _The Weekly Sun_, a journal then +in high repute. Later, at Mr. T. P. O'Connor's request, I took charge +of his evening newspaper, _The Sun_. After the purchase of _The Sun_ +by a Conservative proprietary I severed my connection with it, and in +January, 1897, went to reside in Plymouth, having undertaken the +managing editorship of the _Western Daily Mercury_. + +We remained at Plymouth more than seven years. Paul received his early +education at the Hoe Preparatory School in that town. He was a lively +and vigorous child overflowing with health. When he was in his sixth +year we discovered that he was shortsighted--a physical defect +inherited from me. The discovery caused us acute distress. I knew from +personal experience what a handicap and an embarrassment it is to be +afflicted with myopia. Regularly thenceforward his eyes had to be +examined by oculists. For several years, in fact until he was 16, the +myopia increased in degree, but we were comforted by successive +reports of different oculists that though myopic his eyes were very +strong, and that there was not a trace of disease in them, the defect +being solely one of structure which glasses would correct. + +To Paul as a boy the habitual wearing of spectacles was at first very +irksome, but in time he adapted himself to them. Even defects have +their compensations. He was naturally rash and daring, and his short +sight undoubtedly acted as a check on an impetuous temperament. He +early gave signs of unusual intelligence. His activity of body was as +remarkable as his quickness of mind. At play and at work, with his +toys as with his books, he displayed the same intensity; he could do +nothing by halves. There never was a merrier boy. His vivacity and +energy and the gaiety of his spirit brightened everybody around him. +When he bounded or raced into a room he seemed to bring with him a +flood of sunshine. + +From his childhood he gave evidences of an unselfish nature and a +desire to avoid giving trouble. He had his share of childish ailments, +but always made light of them and bore discomfort with a sunny +cheerfulness; his invariable reply, if he were ill and one asked how +he fared, was "Much better; I'm all right, thanks." Marked traits in +him as a small boy were truthfulness, generosity and sensitiveness. In +a varied experience of the world I have never met anyone in whom love +of truth was more deeply ingrained. On one occasion in his twelfth +year, when he was wrestling with an arithmetical problem--the only +branch of learning that ever gave him trouble was mathematics--and I +offered to help in its solution, he rejected my proffered aid with the +indignant remark: "Dad, how could I hand this prep. in as my own if +you had helped me to do it?" His generosity of spirit was displayed in +his eagerness to share his toys and books with other children; his +sensitiveness by his acute self-reproaches if he had been unkind to +anyone or had caused pain to his mother or his nurse. + +Plymouth is a fine old city, beautifully situated and steeped in +historic memories. Our home was in Carlisle Avenue, just off the Hoe, +and on that spacious front Paul spent many happy hours as a small boy. +His young eyes gazed with fascination on the warships passing in and +out of Plymouth Sound, on the great passenger steamers lying at anchor +inside the Breakwater, or steaming up or down the Channel; on the +fishing fleet, with its brown sails, setting out to reap the harvest +of the sea; and when daylight faded in the short winter days he would +watch the Eddystone light--that diamond set in the forehead of +England--flashing its warning and greeting to "those who go down to +the sea in ships and do business in great waters." Always from the Hoe +there is something to captivate the eye--the wonder and beauty of the +unresting ocean; on the Cornish side the wooded slopes and green sward +of Mount Edgcumbe; on the Devon side Staddon Height, rising bold and +sheer from the water; looking landward the picturesque mass of houses, +towers, spires, turrets that is Plymouth, and far behind the outline +of the Dartmoor Hills. On the Hoe itself one's historic memories are +stirred by the Armada memorial and the Drake statue; close at hand +is the Citadel, the snout of guns showing through its embrasures; and +near by is Sutton Pool, whence the Pilgrim Fathers set forth in the +little _Mayflower_, carrying the English language and the principles +of civil and religious liberty across the stormy Atlantic. + +All these sights and scenes and historical associations had their +influence on a bright and ardent boy in these impressionable years. He +soon got to be keenly interested in the Navy, amassed a surprising +amount of information about the types, engine strength and gun-power +of the principal warships, and found delight in making models of +cruisers and torpedo-boats. The Army in those days made no appeal to +him, though he was familiar with military sights and sounds--the +ceremonious displays that take place from time to time in a garrison +town, bugles blowing, the crunch of feet on the gravel in the barrack +square, and the tramp, tramp of marching men. It was to the Navy that +his heart went out. The natural set of his mind to the Navy was +encouraged by the accident that his first school prize was Southey's +"Life of Nelson"--a book that inspired him with hero-worship for the +illustrious admiral. + +[Illustration: Paul in his 6th Year.] + +On Saturday afternoons, whenever weather permitted, it was my custom +to roam with Paul over the pleasant environs of Plymouth. We would +visit Plympton or Plym Bridge, Roborough Down or Ivybridge, Tavistock +or Princetown, for a tramp on Dartmoor. Or we would go by water to +Newton, Yealmpton, Salcombe, or Calstock, or cross by the ferry to +Mount Edgcumbe for Penlee Point, with its marvellous seaward view. He +was an excellent walker and a most delightful little companion, keenly +interested in all he saw, and absorbing eagerly the beauty of earth +and sea and sky. No wonder he had happy memories of the West country +and that his mind retained clear images of Plymouth, the sea, and +gracious, beautiful Devon! + +In the summer of 1904 I returned to London, having accepted an +appointment on the editorial staff of the _Daily Chronicle_. Paul, who +had left his first school with high commendation, was entered in +September at Brightlands Preparatory School, Dulwich Common. There he +remained four years, during which he made rapid strides in knowledge. +His first report said: "Is very keen and has brains above the average; +conduct and work excellent; extremely quick and a splendid worker. +Doing very well in Classics, and making marvellous progress in +French." From later reports the following expressions are taken: "Keen +in the extreme, and a hard worker; a marvellously retentive memory." +"His work has been superlatively good; conduct excellent; drawing +poor; written work marred by blots and smudges." "Developing very +much; thoroughly deserves his prizes; his work is neater; composition +and geography excellent; and even in mathematics no boy has improved +more; now plays very keenly in games." "He is making splendid progress +with his Greek; gets flustered in Mathematics when difficulties +appear." Paul won numerous prizes at Brightlands for Classics, +English, French, General Knowledge, Reading, Athletics, and was almost +invariably top of his form. He left the Preparatory School after the +summer term, 1908. + + + + +CHAPTER II + +AT DULWICH COLLEGE + + Ah! happy years! once more who would not be a boy? + + BYRON: "CHILDE HAROLD." + + +Our son entered Dulwich College in September, 1908, when he was twelve +years of age, and remained a member of it until March, 1915. These six +and a half years had a powerful influence on the development of his +character, which flowered beautifully in this congenial atmosphere. +The most famous school in South London, Dulwich College has a notable +history. It was founded through the munificence of Edward Alleyn, +theatre-proprietor and actor, a contemporary, an acquaintance, and +probably a friend of Shakespeare. At the inaugural dinner in +September, 1619, to celebrate the foundation of Alleyn's "College of +God's gift," an illustrious company was present, including the Lord +Chancellor, Francis Bacon, "the greatest and the meanest of mankind," +then at the summit of his fame but soon to fall in disgrace from his +high eminence; Inigo Jones, the famous architect, who in that year was +superintending the erection of the new Banqueting Hall in Whitehall; +and other distinguished men. + +Since its foundation the College has passed through many vicissitudes. +With the development of building on the estate the income rapidly +expanded in the nineteenth century. In 1857 the charity was +reorganised and the trust varied by Act of Parliament. The present +school buildings were opened in 1870. The old college--including the +chapel (containing the pious founder's tomb), almshouses and the +offices of the estate governors--remains in Dulwich Village, a very +picturesque and well-preserved structure embowered in trees. At its +rear is the celebrated Picture Gallery, the nucleus of which was a +collection of pictures originally intended to grace the palace of +Stanislaus, the last King of Poland. The new college buildings have a +delightful situation. All around them are wide stretches of green +fields; here and there pleasant hedgerows; on the slopes of Sydenham +Hill charming woodlands, some of them a veritable sanctuary for +bird-life. In the spring-time the whole neighbourhood is musical with +the song of birds, and one is often thrilled by the rich haunting note +of the cuckoo. On the fringes of the playing-fields and round about +the boarding-houses are magnificent trees--chiefly elm, beech, birch +and chestnut, more rarely oak. In short, the surroundings of the +college have a thoroughly rural aspect. It is an ideal environment for +the training of boys. There is nothing in this sylvan and pastoral +beauty to suggest that we are in a great city. + +Dulwich College is both a boarding school and a day school, the +boarders numbering about 120 and the day-boys about 550. When Paul +Jones entered the college as a day-boy in 1908 the Headmaster was Mr. +A. H. Gilkes, who retired after the summer term of 1914. Our son, +therefore, had the good fortune to come under the influence for six +years of one of the greatest public-school masters of our generation. +A former colleague of mine, Mr. Henry W. Nevinson, used to speak to me +in glowing terms of Mr. Gilkes, who was a master at Shrewsbury School +when he was a boy there, and I note that the Rev. Dr. Horton in his +"Autobiography" alludes to him as "the master at Shrewsbury to whom I +owed most." Undoubtedly Mr. Gilkes's best work was done as Headmaster +of Dulwich. The College has never known a greater head. Under him the +whole place was revivified. During his reign not only did a fine moral +tone characterise the school, but there was equal enthusiasm for work +and games. Thanks to a commanding personality, in which strength, +dignity and graciousness were subtly mingled, the influence of Mr. +Gilkes pervaded the whole school from the highest to the lowest forms. +Paul quickly recognised the nobility of the "Old Man," as he was +universally known to the boys. His affection for him amounted to +veneration, and however brief the leave he had from the Army he always +found time to pay his old headmaster a visit. On his part Mr. Gilkes +had a great regard for our son, whom with sure perception he described +as "fearless, strong and capable, with a heart as soft and kind as a +heart can be." + +A new boy's early days in a public school are often trying. He is in a +strange world with its own laws and customs; and at the outset he has +to endure the scrutiny of curious and often hostile eyes. Our son's +marked idiosyncrasies, sturdy independence, fastidious refinement and +passion for work, singled him out from his fellows as an original. As +boys resent any deviation from the normal, he had a rough time until +he found his feet, and the experience was repeated as he moved up to +new forms. Not a word about all this escaped his lips at home; I have +ascertained it from others. Stories reached me of personal combats +from which he usually emerged the victor, and of one prolonged fight +with an older boy that had at last to be drawn. In the end Paul won +through; his pluck and strength compelled a respect that would have +been refused to his intellectual gifts. His tormentors realised that +he was not a mere "swot," that he had fists and knew how to use them. +Animosity was also disarmed by his chivalric spirit. He began his +career at Dulwich in the Classical Lower IV. In June, 1909, he won a +Junior Scholarship, which freed him from school fees for three years, +and in 1912 a Senior Scholarship of the same nature. When he was in +the Classical Lower Fifth (1909), his form master, Mr. H. V. Doulton +reported: + +"He is a boy of great promise and will make an excellent scholar. He +has marked aptitude for classical work, and success in the great +public examinations may be predicted for him with absolute +confidence." "Painstaking and anxious to do well, but rather slow," +was the verdict of his mathematical teacher. + +In the summer term, 1910, Paul changed over from the Classical to the +Modern side of the school. I was averse to the change, and his +Classical form-master dissuaded him against it. But once Paul's mind +was made up nothing would break his resolution: he had a strong and +tenacious will. His main desire in transferring to the Modern side was +to study English literature and modern languages thoroughly. He never +regretted the change. As he grew older the firmer became his +conviction that Classics were overdone in the public schools. Even in +a school responsive to the spirit of the age like Dulwich, which has +Modern, Science, and Engineering sides, the primacy still belongs to +Classics, and the captaincy of the school is rigidly confined to boys +on the Classical side. My son believed that this bias for Classics was +bad educationally. He thought the prestige given to Greek and Latin as +compared with English Literature, Science, Modern Languages and +History was simply the outcome of a pedantic scholastic tradition, +which made for narrowness not for broad culture. With him it was not a +case of making a virtue of necessity, as he had real aptitude for +Greek and Latin. But he wanted the windows of our public schools to be +cleared of mediaeval cobwebs and flung wide open to the fresh breezes +of the modern world. + +In the report for the last term of 1910, when he was in the Modern +Upper V, he was described as "a very capable boy with great +abilities." The next report, when he was in the Remove, complained of +his "frivolous attitude" in the Physics classes, but "otherwise he has +worked well and made good progress." In June, 1911, he passed the +Senior School Examination with honours, winning distinction in +English, French and Latin--a remarkable achievement for a boy who had +only just turned fifteen. Owing to his being under age, the London +Matriculation certificate in respect of this examination was not +forwarded until he had reached sixteen. "Considering that he is only +fifteen," wrote Mr. J. A. Joerg, his form-master, "it should be deemed +a great honour for him to have passed in the First Division; it does +him much credit." Mr. Boon, who prepared him in mathematics, testified +that Paul had "worked with interest and energy" at what was for him an +uncongenial subject. He entered the Sixth Form in September, 1911, +being then fifteen and a half years old; the form average was +seventeen years. In 1912 his reports showed that he was making +all-round progress, and was applying himself with zest to a new +subject, Logic. In the summer term, 1913, he was first in form +order--1st in English, 2nd in Latin, 3rd in French, 4th in German. +Though specialising in History, he retained his position as head of +the Modern side until he left school, with one interval in the summer +term of 1914, when he had to take second place, recovering the +headship next term. In order to have a clear road to Oxford +University, he qualified in Greek at the London Matriculation +Examination, January, 1914. During his Dulwich career he won many +prizes, most of which took the form of historical works. As will +appear later, he played as whole-heartedly in games as he worked at +his books. + +History was a subject to which he was instinctively drawn, and in 1913 +he began preparing definitely for an Oxford University scholarship. He +read thoroughly and covered a wide field. In addition to the +systematic study of History, he touched the fringes of philosophy and +political economy. He was helped in his studies by a very retentive +memory. One of his schoolfellows said to me, "Paul has only to read a +book once and it is for ever imprinted on his mind." Among the +historical writers whom he read during his eighteen months' +preparation were: Gibbon, Carlyle, Macaulay, Hallam, Guizot, Michelet, +Thiers, Bluntschli, Maine, Froude, Bagehot, Seeley, Maitland, Stubbs, +Gardiner, Acton, John Morley, Bryce, Dicey, Tout, Mahan, Holland Rose, +G. M. Trevelyan, Hilaire Belloc and H. W. C. Davis. Two recent books +that gave him special pleasure were Mr. G. P. Gooch's masterly +"History of Historians" and Mr. F. S. Marvin's entrancing little work +"The Living Past." + +His hard reading was crowned in December, 1914, by a considerable +achievement, for he won the coveted Brakenbury Scholarship in History +and Modern Languages at Balliol College, Oxford. This scholarship, +worth L80 per annum, is tenable for four years; to it subsequently +Dulwich College added an exhibition of the annual value of L20. He was +the first Balliol scholar in history from Dulwich. Not at all +confident that he had won the Brakenbury, he went up to Oxford a +second time, while the result of the Balliol examination was still +unknown, to try for a less exacting scholarship. Happily there was no +necessity for him to undergo this second test, as he found on his +arrival at Oxford that his name had just been posted as a Brakenbury +scholar. + +When he went up, in the last week in November, 1914, for examination +at Balliol College, it was his first visit to Oxford. Short as was +his stay within its precincts, it was long enough for the glamour and +beauty of the venerable university to steal into his soul; and the +spell of it remained with him as a permanent possession. In spite of +examination anxieties he had a pleasant time at Oxford, as the +following letter shows: + + THE OLD PARSONAGE, + OXFORD, + _December 1st_, 1914. + + Everything going as well as could be anticipated. But I don't + expect to win the Brakenbury, so there can't be much of a + disappointment. I have done one paper already, the + essay--subject, "A Nation's character as expressed in its Art and + Literature." I think I got on fairly well. The papers end by + Thursday afternoon. I was round with all the Dulwich fellows in + Wetenhall's rooms at Worcester College last night, and had a + great time. Cartwright came across, and a lot of other O.A.'s. + To-night I am dining with Gover, an old friend of mine, in hall + at Balliol, and going on to his rooms afterwards. I am booked for + brekker and dinner to-morrow. Dulwich is a magic name here; if + you add "captain of football" all doors fly open to you. + Altogether I don't feel I am up for a scholarship at all--a good + thing, for it prevents my getting nervous. + +Of the many congratulations on his success in winning a Balliol +scholarship, none granted him more than a letter from an "Old +Alleynian," who wrote: + + My very best congratters on the fresh laurel with which you have + adorned your crown of victory. A Balliol scholarship for four + years, and this to have been secured by the captain of a public + school 1st XV that has won four out of its five great school + matches! My dear Paul, you have done splendidly. I don't remember + during my time such a happy combination of work and play. + +Mr. Llewelyn Williams, K.C., M.P., himself an Oxford history scholar, +wrote: "Paul's brilliant success warmed even my old heart. Tell him +from me I hope when he is a Don he will write the History of Wales." + +Paul was appointed a prefect at Dulwich in 1912. He participated in +every phase of school life and was devoted to athletics. In cricket he +was quick and adroit as a fielder, but he had no skill either as a +batsman--doubtless owing to his visual defect--or as a bowler. Very +fond of swimming, he was a regular visitor to the college swimming +bath. He had great endurance in the water, but lacked speed, and much +to his disappointment failed to get his swimming colours. His love of +swimming never waned, and in the sea he would swim long distances. +Swimming brought him an ecstasy of physical and moral exhilaration. He +could say with Byron: + + I have loved thee, Ocean! and my joy + Of youthful sports was on thy breast to be + Borne, like thy bubbles, onward. + +Lawn tennis is discouraged at Dulwich, but Paul became adept in this +pastime, thanks to games on the lawn attached to our house. In the +whole range of athletics nothing gave him so much pleasure and +satisfaction as Rugby football. Too massive in build to be a swift +runner, and unable owing to his defective vision to give or take +"passes" with quick precision, he was not suited to the three-quarter +line; but as a forward he made a reputation second to none of his +contemporaries in public-school football. He played for the College +1st XV in three successive seasons, during which he was not once +"crocked," nor did he miss a single match. His success in football was +an illustration of how a resolute will can triumph over a hampering +physical defect. + +In the autumn of 1913 he was offered a house scholarship, which would +have meant residence in one of the boarding-houses. Without +hesitation he declined what was at once an honour and a privilege, +preferring to remain a day-boy. He dearly loved his home, and his +opinion was that the advantages of public-school training were much +enhanced when combined with home life. His custom was to ride to the +College on his bicycle in the morning, stay there for dinner and +return home in the evening between 6 and 7 o'clock, the hours +following afternoon school being devoted to games, the gymnasium, or +some other form of physical training. + +In 1914 he was elected Captain of the 1st XV. No distinction he ever +won--and there were many--gratified him more. In a great public school +the duties that devolve on a captain of football are laborious and +responsible. They entail many hours of work weekly, the careful +compilation of lists of players for the numerous school teams, a +vigilant oversight of training and a watchful eye for budding talent. +But Paul loved the work, and love lightens labour. He threw himself +into the duties with all the enthusiasm of his nature. The amount of +time he was devoting to football in September and October made me +doubtful of his ability to carry off a Balliol scholarship in +December. Accordingly I suggested that he might relinquish the +captaincy temporarily, say for a month, so as to allow him freedom to +concentrate on his history reading before the examination. He would +not listen to the suggestion. He said he meant to fulfil the duties of +captain to the uttermost. If this jeopardised his chances for a +scholarship he would be sorry, but whatever the cost he was not going +to fall short in his work as captain of football. In the result he +brought off the double event, winning the scholarship and leading his +team with shining success. + +[Illustration: Winning the Mile, March 27, 1915.] + +His athletic career culminated at the school sports on March 27, +1915, when he won the mile flat race, the half-mile, and the +steeplechase, and was awarded the silver cup for the best forward in +the 1st XV. He tied for the "Victor Ludorum" shield with his friend +S. J. Hannaford (a versatile athlete reported missing in France, +September, 1917). These successes at the sports were a dazzling +finish to Paul's school days. He bore them, like his scholastic +triumphs, very modestly, but in his heart he was proud and happy. It +was not his nature to plume himself on any achievement. Only once do +I remember his betraying pride in what he had accomplished. It is +the custom in Dulwich to inscribe on the walls of the great hall the +names of boys who distinguish themselves on entering or leaving the +Universities and the Army. In due time the ten Oxford scholars of +1914 were walled. During his first leave from the Army Paul +revisited the old school, and I recollect his telling me that the +names of those who had won scholarships at Oxford had been duly +painted in hall. "My name is placed first," he said with a smile; +adding with emphasis, "and so it ought to be." + +It was his hope that his own success would give a stimulus to the +study of history at Dulwich. In 1916, when he learnt that another +Dulwich boy was thinking of preparing for a Balliol scholarship in +history, he wrote to me from France, requesting that his notes, +memoranda, essays and books should be placed at the student's +disposal. He added in reference to a matter on which I had asked his +opinion: + + The education you get from a correspondence course is of a kind + which, while useful for acquiring a knowledge of facts, is of + very little value in the development of that culture which is the + first and essential element in obtaining a 'Varsity--above all, a + Balliol--scholarship. If a boy decides to go in for a history + scholarship, the Dulwich authorities ought to provide him with + adequate tutorship as part of his school training. Were the boy + to go to an outside institution, the school would lose part of + the honour gained by the winning of the scholarship. But + remember that no one would have the ghost of a chance for an + Oxford scholarship on the knowledge gained from a correspondence + course taken by itself. Finally, any honour gained by a Dulwich + boy ought to redound to the credit of Dulwich; the school alone + should have the credit of the achievements of its members. + +From masters and boys I learnt that my son's influence was specially +marked in his last two years at the College. It was an influence that +was always thrown on the side of what was lovely, pure and of good +report. Frank, free-spirited, open-hearted, his buoyancy and his rich +capacity for laughter diffused an atmosphere of cheerfulness; his +unflagging enthusiasm stimulated interest in athletics; his love of +learning and passion for work were contagious; his high ideals of +conduct helped to set the tone in morals and manners. The qualities he +most prized in boys were courage, purity, veracity. No one loved books +more, but book-learning by itself he placed low on the list. To use +his own words: "It is character and personality that tell." Purity in +deed and thought was with him a constant aspiration. He reverenced the +body as the temple of the Holy Spirit. From the ordeal of the +difficult years between 14 and 16 he emerged like refined gold. A boy +he was + + With rosy cheeks + Angelical, keen eye, courageous look, + And conscious step of purity and pride. + +His serene and radiant air was witness to a soul at peace with itself. +Things coarse and impure fled from his presence. It was the union in +him of moral elevation with physical courage that explained the secret +of his remarkable influence in school. + +At Dulwich the school year is full and various. In addition to the +acquisition of knowledge there is much else to engage a boy's +interest--cricket, football, fives, swimming, the gymnasium, athletic +competitions, the choir; and then those red-letter days--Founder's +Day, with its Greek, French or German play, the Prize Distribution and +the Concerts. Our son bore his share in every phase of this varied +life. He had a warm corner in his heart for the College Mission, which +maintains a home in Walworth for boys without friends or relatives and +enables them to be trained as skilled artisans. The home has +accommodation for twenty-one boys; a married couple look after the +house work, and two old Alleynians are in residence. He never failed +after he left the College to send an annual subscription anonymously +to the Mission funds. An enthusiastic lover of music, he was for years +in the College Choir, singing latterly with the basses. + +At the 1913 Founder's Day celebration Paul took a subsidiary part, +that of Fitzwater, in a scene from Shakespeare's _Richard II_, on +which occasion the King was brilliantly impersonated by E. F. Clarke +(killed in action, April, 1917). On the same occasion Paul was one of +the voyageurs in the scenes from _Le Voyage de Monsieur Perrichon_, +his amusing by-play in that modest role sending the junior school into +roars of laughter. At the 1914 celebration of Founder's Day he took +the part of Fluellen in a scene from _Henry V_, and sustained a very +different role, that of Karl der Sieberite, in a scene from Schiller's +_Jungfrau von Orleans_. Reviewing the performances, _The Alleynian_ +said of the former: "In this piece Jones was the comedian. He was +clumsy and not quite at home on the boards, but his Welsh was +delightful." + +Of his performances as Charles VII in Schiller's play the critic +wrote: + + The scene chosen is one of the most powerful scenes in the play. + It is that in which the King, sceptical of the divine + inspiration of the Maid, determines to test her by substituting a + courtier upon his throne.... When she is not only not deceived, + but proceeds also to interpret many of the King's innermost + thoughts, the surprise of the monarch, passing into hushed + reverence, calls for a studied piece of careful acting. H. P. M. + Jones sustained this part, and sustained it well. He gave it the + dignity which it needed, and if his natural gift of physical + stature helped him somewhat, so also did the smooth diction and + easy repose which he had evidently been at pains to acquire. + +Of the performance as a whole: "It says a very great deal for the +German in the upper part of the school, that a scene can be enacted in +which both accent and acting can reach so high a level." + +The school year at Dulwich always closes with a concert at which the +music, thanks to the competent leadership of Mr. H. V. Doulton, is of +a high order. The solos of the two school songs on 19th December, +1914, were sung by H. P. M. Jones and H. Edkins, both of them Oxford +scholars who have since been killed in action. Edkins, who had a rich +baritone voice, sang the song in praise of Edward Alleyn, the pious +founder. My son, as captain of football, sang the football song, the +first and last verses of which are appended: + + Rain and wind and hidden sun, + Wild November weather, + Muddy field and leafless tree + Bare of fur or feather. + Sweeps there be who scorn the game, + On them tons of soot fall! + All Alleynians here declare + Nought like Rugby football. + + . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . + + Broken heads and bleeding shins! + What's the cause for sorrow? + Shut your mouth and grin the more, + Plaster-time to-morrow. + Young or old this shall remain + Still your favourite story: + Fifteen fellows fighting-full, + Out for death or glory. + +After each stanza the choir and the whole school rolled in with the +chorus, proclaiming in stentorian voices that "the Blue and Black" +(these being the Dulwich football colours) shall win the day. My wife +and I were present at this concert, and there is a vivid image before +us of our son, a tall, powerful figure in evening dress, standing on +the platform in front of the choir, his eager face now following the +conductor's baton, now glancing at the music-score, now looking in his +forthright way at the audience. The reception that greeted him when he +stepped on to the platform must have thrilled every fibre of his +being; another rapturous outburst of cheers acclaimed him as he +retired to his place in the choir. Those cheers, loud, shrill and +clear, with that poignant note that there often is in boyish voices, +still resound in our ears. We had heard that Paul was popular at +Dulwich: we had ocular and audible testimony of it on this +unforgettable night. Those had not exaggerated who told us that he was +the hero of the school. + + + + +CHAPTER III + +FOOTBALL + + Play it long and play it hard + Till the game is ended. + + DULWICH FOOTBALL SONG. + + +The earliest reference to Paul as a footballer appears in _The +Alleynian's_ report of a match, "Boarders v. School," played on +September 25, 1912, when the School won by 32 points to 21. "Jones," +says the reporter, "presented an awesome sight." His first appearance +in the 1st XV was against London Hospitals "A" in October. Singling +him out for honourable mention, the critic says: "Jones displayed any +amount of go." He was awarded his 1st XV colours after the match +against Bedford School at Bedford in November. In this hard-fought +game Bedford led at half-time by 15 points to 5, and 25 minutes before +the close of play the score was in Bedford's favour by 28 to 5. Then, +by a wonderful rally, Dulwich scored 23 points in almost as many +minutes, the match finally being drawn 28-28. In _The Alleynian_ for +February, 1913, Paul is thus described in the article, "First XV +Characters": + + A young, heavy and extremely energetic forward. Puts all he knows + into his play, and is a great worker in the scrum. In the loose, + however, a lot of his energy is somewhat misdirected, and he has + an alarming tendency for getting off-side. + +[Illustration: Dulwich College 1st XV, 1914-15, of which Paul Jones +was Captain. + +_From left to right, top Row_: H. C. Jensen, M. Z. Ariffin, E. A. F. +Hawke, R. L. Paton, J. Paget, J. F. G. Schlund, J. M. Cat, G. H. +Gilkes. _Middle Row_: A. H. H. Gilligan, L. W. Franklin, H. P. M. +Jones, L. Minot, R. S. Hellier. _On Ground_: C. A. R. Hoggan, S. H. +Killick.] + +In the 1913-14 season, a daily newspaper, describing the hard-fought +Sherborne _v._ Dulwich match, said: "H. P. M. Jones worked like a +Trojan for the losers, his Pillmanesque hair being seen in the +thick of everything." That season Paul had charge of the Junior games. +He had a way with small boys, and soon fired them with his own zeal. +In an article in _The Alleynian_ for December, 1913, giving counsel to +the juniors, he wrote: + + You must not gas so much on the field, but play the game as hard + as it can be played. Except in rare circumstances, the only + players who are to shout are the captain, the scrum-half, and the + leader of the forwards. Forwards must learn to pack low and shove + straight and hard. Three-quarters must remember not to run across + too much, and never to pass the ball when standing still. + +There are other useful hints. Looking upon the junior games as the +seed-bed for future crops of 1st XV players, he devoted a great deal +of time and patience to teaching the youngsters how to play. In +addition to matches with other schools and clubs, a feature of the +football season at Dulwich are the side-games. Paul played in three +seasons for the Modern Sixth and Remove, and was captain of the +victorious team in the side-contests, 1914-15. House matches of which +he was only a spectator he often reported for _The Alleynian_. + +It was at a meeting of the Field Sports Board on July 28, 1914, that +Paul Jones was elected captain of the 1st XV, being proposed by A. W. +Fischer and seconded by A. E. R. Gilligan. At the same meeting R. B. +B. Jones was elected captain of the gymnasium. Fischer, Basil Jones +and my son have been killed in the War. In a report of a meeting of +the Field Sports Board held on September 29 appears the following: "H. +P. M. Jones then submitted a code of rules to regulate the management +of the school games. These were unanimously approved." In a survey of +the prospects of the 1914-15 football season which appeared in the +October _Alleynian_, Paul paid tribute to the magnificent work done +for football in Dulwich by one of the masters, Mr. W. D. Gibbon, an +old International, who joined the Army shortly after the outbreak of +war and is now Lieutenant-Colonel. Paul wrote: + + The loss of Mr. Gibbon is a staggering-blow. He it is who, more + than anyone, has given us the very high place we hold among + Rugby-playing schools. To lose his services is disastrous. Still, + it would be shameful to grouse over his departure considering + that he goes to serve his country. Rather let us congratulate him + on his captaincy in the Worcestershires. + +A reformer by temperament, my son was determined to improve the +forward play during his captaincy, as he believed that not enough +attention had been given to the forwards for several seasons at +Dulwich. It was inevitable that the War would derange the football +programme, but though there would be few club matches, the new captain +thought that the "school games" might benefit from this very lack. +Anyhow it was "a unique chance to build them up on a sound basis." He +believed in doing everything to encourage in-school football, meaning +by that the half-holiday games, the side-matches, cup matches, and +such games as Prefects v. School, Boarders v. School, the House +matches, etc. He realised that the first three XV's only include 45 +boys, and that there were 600 others whose claims to consideration +were equally great. Moreover, good in-school football would produce a +succession of players for the first XV. Having all this in mind, in +his article in _The Alleynian_ he exhorted the game captains to instil +"a general keenness" and to do their duty unselfishly and +enthusiastically. His survey then proceeds: + + Now as to the teams. In the first place, let it be said at once + that the outsides are going to be fine this year. Franklin and A. + H. H. Gilligan, the "star" wings of last year's team, and Minot, + undoubtedly the best of the centres, remain to us. Franklin is + faster than of yore, and still goes down the right touch-line + like a miniature thunderbolt, brushing aside the opposition like + so many flies. If he is the thunderbolt, Gilligan, on the other + wing, is undoubtedly the "greased lightning"; we have not seen so + fast a school wing for years, and his newly acquired swerve makes + him all the more dangerous. Minot has quite mastered the art of + passing; we have rarely seen "transfers" made so accurately and + so artistically. He can cut through when required, and altogether + should make Gilligan a splendid partner. All these three defend + stoutly. We are also fortunate in retaining the services of Paton + (2nd XV) for the other centre position; he only wants a little + more judgment to be quite first-class. + + At half, Evans and A. E. R. Gilligan have left a terrible gap. + But again fortune is on our side, as we have in Killick (2nd XV) + a worthy successor to the latter--very quick off the mark, and an + excellent giver and taker of passes; while Jensen (2nd XV) shows + promise of becoming a really "class" scrum worker. At present his + chief fault is inaccuracy of direction, but that will soon + vanish. Both these halves are excellent in defence. Again, Hooker + (3rd XV) is a very useful scrum half, but slow in attack. For the + full-back position we have that wily old veteran Ariffin (2nd + XV), whose kicking has distinctly improved since last year. He + tackles as well as ever. Sellick (3rd XV) is a useful back, but + weak in defence. + + So, gentlemen, outside the scrum all is well. But what of the + scrum itself? This, we don't deny, is going to be a difficult + problem. It is not that there isn't plenty of good stuff. Hellier + and Gilkes (2nd XV), Hoggan, Schlund, Cat and Fischer (all 3rd + XV)--here is the nucleus of a fine pack, not to mention a host of + hefty and keen fellows as yet without colours. But the difficulty + lies in the traditions of the past. Since 1912, our forwards have + steadily deteriorated as our backs have got better and better. It + was always the way last year that, if we had a ground wet to any + degree, we were as good as beaten--look at the Easter term, for + example. Also, the helplessness of the forwards threw a lot too + much work on the outsides. This has got to be stopped. You can't + always get weather to suit your team's outsides. We must learn + how to play a forward game when it's necessary. We must learn + to screw, to wheel, to shove and to rush. We repeat, the + individuals are there, but they have to be trained into a + combination. The outsides are so brilliant that they can be + trusted faithfully to fulfil the work of passing and open-side + attack. + + Our chief efforts this year must be directed to the training of + the forwards: (1) to play a truer forward game; (2) and not to + forget how to attack and adopt open-side tactics when necessary. + Once the teams have re-learnt these lessons, the games will + automatically do so. In the days of Jordan, Mackinnon and Green + we won as many matches by our forwards as by our outsides. It is + fatuous to develop one division at the expense of the other. The + outsides are going this season to receive all possible attention, + _but so are the forwards_. + +Paul carried out thoroughly the policy here foreshadowed. As a +consequence forward play at Dulwich was absolutely transformed, and +the impulse he gave to it survives to this day. Under his captaincy +the 1st XV had a brilliantly successful season, winning four out of +five of the great school matches, viz.: + + Dulwich v. Merchant Taylors; won 6 points to 5. + " v. Sherborne, won 39 points to 9. + " v. St. Paul's, lost 16 points to 28. + " v. Bedford, won 30 points to 16. + " v. Haileybury, won 36 points to 2. + +With the exception of 1909-10, when Dulwich won all its school +matches, this 1914-15 record during Paul's captaincy was the best for +a dozen years. Of the football in the school generally the captain, +writing in the December _Alleynian_, said: "Such a uniform standard of +keenness has rarely been witnessed. For this I have to thank the Games +Captains most sincerely. They have done their part most loyally and +unselfishly. The next few years will prove the value of their work." + +[Illustration: Dulwich Modern Side XV, 1914-15, Captained by Paul +Jones. + +_From left to right, Top Row_: C. F. N. Ambrose, W. B. Jellett, B. A. +J. Mills, G. Walker, C. R. Mountain. _Second Row_, J. C. Corrie, R. W. +Mills, G. Roederwald, L. Paton, H. V. Morlock. Seated: R. L. Paton, A. +H. H. Gilligan, H. P. M. Jones, C. A. R. Hoggan, J. F. G. Schlund. _On +Ground_: L. A. Hotchkiss, R. A. Mayne.] + +In a review of the 1st XV characters in _The Alleynian_ for February, +1915, appeared the following: + + H. P. M. Jones (captain) (1912-13-14-15) (12 st. 6 lb.). + Forward.--One of the keenest captains Dulwich has ever produced. + An untiring and zealous worker both in the game and organisation, + from which he has produced one of the finest packs Dulwich has + seen in recent years. He uses every ounce of his weight to + advantage, and his knowledge of the game is beyond reproach. He + is sound in defence, and in the open wherever the ball is you + will find him. We shall all greatly miss him, but will remember + that his valuable work for the forwards will mean much to the + school in the future. (Forward Challenge Cup.) + +On February 6 he had the gratification of avenging the defeat by St. +Paul's in the previous November, Dulwich this time being victorious +over the Paulines by 39 to _nil_. With this victory he regarded his +work as captain of football finished, though he played in the +side-games until March. In spite of the difficulties caused by the +war, the season had been a triumphant one. An old member of the 1st +XV, Lieut. A. E. R. Gilligan, writing from his regiment, congratulated +Paul on "the magnificent record of the team--a record which reflects +the utmost credit on its captain. Without your keenness and energy the +side would have been a poor one." Lieut. Gilligan added: "To have +beaten St. Paul's was absolutely a crowning effort. All the 'O.A.'s' +here are overjoyed at our victory. It is simply splendid, and makes up +for the defeat of last term. Best congratulations to all the gallant +team and to its victorious captain." + +Paul's football enthusiasm inspired him on one occasion to attempt a +metrical description of a match between Bedford and Dulwich. The +nature of this poetical effusion may be gauged by the following +quotations: + + In November, month of drabness, + Month of mud and month of wetness, + Came the red-shirted Bedfordians, + Came the lusty Midland schoolmen, + Skilled in every wile of football, + Swift to run, adept to collar, + 'Gainst the Blue-and-Blacks to battle. + Know ye that this famous contest + Has from age to age endured: + Thirty years and more it's lasted + 'Twixt Bedfordians and Dulwich, + 'Twixt the Midlanders and Southrons. + + . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . + + Behold the game now well in progress; + See the dashing Dulwich outsides, + Swift as leopards, brave as lions, + Down the field come running strongly-- + See the fleet right-wing three-quarter + Darting through the ranks of Bedford, + Handing off his fierce opponents, + Scoring now 'mid deaf'ning uproar, + 'Mid wild shouts of "Well played, Dulwich!" + 'Mid the sweetest of confusion. + +He followed with close attention the exploits of the chief Rugby +clubs, especially those hailing from South Wales. His sympathies were +with Wales in the international games. These international matches +enthralled him, and he was a spectator whenever possible of those that +were played in the vicinity of London. One of his ambitions was some +day to don the scarlet jersey with the Prince of Wales's plume and +play for Wales in international contests. To achieve that distinction +and to win his football "blue" for Oxford--these were cherished +ambitions which but for the War would doubtless have been realised. + +In the spring of 1915, interviewed by a London football editor, he +explained how Dulwich had built up its great football reputation. Much +of the success he attributed to the system of training. + + We do not divide the school into so many "houses," as they do + elsewhere, but into "games." We have no fewer than eight senior + games, which means eight groups of players, about thirty in each + group; and these are selected so that boys of about the same age + and weight will meet each other. When we have arranged our games, + one of the Colours--1st XV men--is told off to coach. Sometimes + we play as many as nine XV's in one day. With the first team we + practise what are called "set-pieces." One day we will take the + forwards, get the scrum properly formed, practise hooking, + heeling and screwing. We have devoted a lot of attention to + wheeling. We also practise hand-to-hand passing among the + forwards. + +My son held that brain as well as muscle was needed in athletics. +"Rugby football," he wrote, "tends more and more to become an ideal +combination of scientific actions. Haphazard, clumsy battering is +useless. Your footballer has to be a thinking and a reasoning factor." +He believed that games properly played are invaluable as a training in +character. "They make," he wrote, "not only for courage and +unselfishness, but also for clean living: a sportsman dare not indulge +in excesses." + +Nobody could have found greater happiness in a game of football than +did Paul Jones. He revelled in a hard-fought match and seemed +impervious to knocks and bruises. One of his merits as a captain was +that he never lost heart; he would fight doggedly to the last, even +against adverse conditions. He knew, too, how to adapt his tactics +skilfully to varying conditions of play. It was an intoxicating moment +after a victory, for the boys would sweep into the field of play and +carry the captain in triumph shoulder-high from the arena. In +public-school football no animosities are left, no matter how keenly +contested the game. Victor and vanquished dine together after the +match, the best of friends, and the home team escort their visitors to +the railway station. How well I recollect Paul coming home on Saturday +evenings about eight o'clock after a victorious match; his firm, quick +step, and the eager joy that shone in his face! His mother and I +often watched the games at Dulwich, and he would go over every phase +of the play with us, inviting comments and contributing his own. He +was always severe in his condemnation of anything in the shape of +"gallery play," his constant maxim being that the player should +subordinate himself entirely to the side. It was his conviction that +unselfishness was stimulated by football. The amateur athlete, who +forgot himself in the team of which he was a part, and who played and +worked hard for the honour of the game, and without thought of +personal advantage or reward, was the god of his idolatry. Fond as he +was of sport, and highly as he appreciated it as a discipline for +character, he held that the cult of athletics could be overdone, and +that to make a business of what should only be a pastime was a grave +blunder. In an essay which he wrote on "Sport," he characterises the +professional athlete as a man who is engaged "in the vilest of +trades." "Life," he wrote, "is made up of varied interests, and man +has serious work to do in the world. Excess in sport--or in anything +else--puts the notes of the great common chord of life out of +harmony." + + + + +CHAPTER IV + +CRICKET + + _Your cricketer, right English to the core, + Still loves the man best he has licked before._ + + TOM TAYLOR in _Punch_. + + +Though, as has been said, Paul had no skill in cricket, he was jealous +of the cricket reputation of the College. He knew the game thoroughly. +His cricket "Bible," if I may use the expression, was Prince +Ranjitsinhji's excellent "Jubilee Book of Cricket." He often +accompanied the 1st XI for out-of-town matches, to act as scorer or +reporter. His cricket reports in _The Alleynian_ make racy reading. +The following is taken from a picturesquely-written account of a +victory over Brighton at Brighton in May, 1914: + + When A. E. R. Gilligan appeared at the wicket things became more + than merry. He was in fine fettle, and from the first made light + of the bowling, hitting all round the wicket with immense vigour. + The gem of the day was his treatment of D. S. Johnson's fifth + over. We seem to recollect reading in our childhood a work of P. + G. Wodehouse's, in which he remarks that "when a slow bowler + begins to bowl fast, it is as well to be batting if you can + manage it." Well, Johnson was--we think--originally a slow + bowler, and he tried to bowl fast. The result was that traffic + had to be suspended on the road running past the school. First + Franklin--who had replaced Shirley, brilliantly caught at + point--smote Johnson for a three. This brought Gilligan to the + batting end, and a horse passing outside the ground nearly had + its life cut short. The next ball just missed the railings, and + the next almost smashed the fanlight in a house across the road. + It was then that the police suspended the traffic. Gilligan + finally played inside a good length ball, and was most + unfortunately bowled when within two of his century. Hard luck! + He had been missed twice--once, we admit, badly--but on the whole + his smiting was admirably timed and placed. He hit three sixes + and fifteen fours. Franklin had meanwhile been busy, and scored + 22, with three fours. Finally, Brown and Wood put on some 30 + runs, the former being not out for a useful 16, and the latter + getting 13. Our score was 326 for eight when Gilligan declared. + +Appended is a passage from his account of the match with Bedford on +June 6 (in which Dulwich were victorious by 81 runs), describing a +record achievement by A. H. H. Gilligan, one of three brothers who +distinguished themselves in athletics in Dulwich: + + A. H. H. Gilligan was now well over the 170 mark, and had + therefore beaten the previous school record for the highest + score. At 190, however, he just touched a short fast ball from + Cameron, and put the ball into the hands of Dix at second slip: + 283-9-190. The innings closed for 284 in the next over, Paton + being run out. To score 190 out of 284 is an almost superhuman + performance. For a man who was only playing his second match this + season it was a positively marvellous achievement. Gilligan's + innings was a masterpiece, and at no time did he seem to be in + the slightest degree troubled by the bowlers, yet the latter were + distinctly good, as they proved by the fact that they got nine + men out for 94 runs or less. Gilligan's innings included a six + and thirty-two fours. The previous best score--against a weak + scratch side in 1911--was 171 by C. V. Arnold. Gilligan was at + the wickets in all only two and a quarter hours or so. + +The following is from his report of the Sherborne match, which Dulwich +won handsomely: + + Had not the last few wickets been able to put on a few more runs + all earlier efforts might have been wasted, and certainly all + would have been altered had it not been for the amazing bowling + of Paton. His analysis was five for 6--a wonderful achievement. + The wicket was, indeed, to a certain extent favourable to him, + but he was able to make the ball swing with his arm and break + back in a fashion that was quite astounding. A. E. R. Gilligan + worked with his usual energy and bore the brunt of the bowling. + While he did not have the success of Paton, he bowled extremely + well, taking four for 30. All our team fielded so well that to + specify individuals would be unnecessary. The Sherborne team + brought off some excellent catches, though their ground-fielding + was not quite so good. Wheeler bowled very well, and Westlake was + in splendid form behind the wicket. After the match there were + the usual handshakings and so forth, and we started back for + London at five-thirty, getting to Waterloo at about eight + o'clock. Our visit was quite delightful, and we send our very + best thanks to our Sherborne friends for their kindness and + hospitality. + +Of the match with St. Paul's School in July, 1914, in which Dulwich +were badly beaten, he wrote: + + We would have given much to win this match, in particular, but at + least there is the consolation that we lost to a really great + side which could hardly have been beaten by any school in the + country. The St. Paul's batting was so splendidly balanced that + every man could be sure of a 10 or 20, while Skeet and Gibb were + always certain of really good knocks; and in bowling the wizardry + of Pearson was in itself enough to conjure any team out. + +St. Paul's knocked up 188 in their first innings. Dulwich were +disposed of for 67, largely owing to the bowling of Pearson. + + The Pauline "demon" had now got all our men into a terrible + "funk," and the result was that wickets began to fall at both + ends like ninepins: 44-9-3. Then came the best batting of the + game. Gilkes joined Brown, and quickly showed that he was not the + man to hide his head before foes, however strong. After smiting + Roberts to the leg boundary, he did the same to the off, and with + Brown playing his usually steady game--being particularly smart + in short runs--the 50 and 60 soon went up. But it could not go + on, for at 67 Brown, avoiding Scylla, fell into the jaws of + Charybdis--in other words, keeping Pearson out, was bowled by + Skeet: 67-10-11. His 11 was a most valuable piece of batting. + Gilkes, with 12 not out, was top scorer on our side--except for + Mr. Extras. He had really done extremely well, and played with a + straight bat at everything--therefore he did not get out. A most + plucky and useful bit of work this. + + But what of our innings as a whole? Let the heavens fall in + confusion on us! We decline to discuss the matter. Pearson took + five wickets for 17, Skeet three for 21, Roberts two for 13. St. + Paul's fielded well, especially Skeet, Hayne and Gibb. It was + Pearson's cakewalk-tango bowling that undid us. Note, however, + that in a second innings we quite redeemed ourselves, Rowbotham + (31 not out), Paton (29), and Brown (29 not out) playing really + excellently. Why, oh, why! didn't we do it in the first innings? + +His detailed and graphic reports were greatly appreciated by the +members of the 1st XI, and read with relish by the whole school. +Whenever opportunity offered Paul would visit the Oval for a great +cricket match. Lord's not being so accessible, he seldom went to the +M.C.C. ground. Though a poor cricketer himself, he loved the great +summer game and admired those who excelled in it. + + + + +CHAPTER V + +EDITOR OF "THE ALLEYNIAN." + + _True ease in writing comes from art, not chance._ + + POPE: "ESSAY ON CRITICISM." + + +To the school magazine, _The Alleynian_, which is published monthly, +Paul began contributing in 1912. His success in essays having shown +that he had facility in writing, he was asked by those in authority to +report the lectures for the magazine and help to liven up its +contents. His first contribution deals with a lantern lecture on the +"Soudan," delivered before the Science and Photographic Society by +Major Perceval on November 23, 1912. A summary of the lecture is +enlivened by such observations as these: + + A large and very distinguished audience was present. On the back + benches in particular was a great array of Dulwich "knuts." The + lecturer was, however, undaunted, though there can be no doubt + that he felt much awe at the number of mighty men in his + audience. + +From the report of a lecture delivered on January 31, 1913, "The Land +of the Maori," the following quotation is made because of its +allusions to then topical events: + + The lecturer said that in New Zealand the interests of labour + were so well safeguarded that the country is called "the + working-man's paradise" (loud cheers), while the women there had + votes. At this an unparalleled uproar broke out. Cheers and + hisses were commingled in one tremendous cataclysm of sound. + Certainly we heard shouts of "Bravo" countered by shrieks of + "Shame." The lecturer seemed dazed by the dreadful din. + +A report of the "Servants' Concert" (28th July, 1913) is in rollicking +vein: + + Success was in the air from the very start. The crush at the + doors was like Twickenham on the day of the England v. Scotland + match--we had almost said the Crystal Palace on Cup Final Day. It + is evident that there is a tremendous amount of talent for the + stage and the music-halls in the school. To hear Gill give the + tragic history of "Tommy's Little Tube of Seccotine," or the duet + on the touching story of "Two Little Sausages," by Savage and + Livock, would have brought tears to the eyes of a prison warder. + Then there were F. W. Gilligan to relate his horticultural, and + brother A. E. R. his zoological reminiscences--works of great + value to scientists and others. To hear Killick dilate upon the + dangers of the new disease, the "Epidemic Rag" (which seems to be + quite as catching as the mumps), Gill upon the risks of the + piscatorial art, or Savage upon an original Polynesian theme, + "Zulu Lulu," was to feel like Keats's watcher of the skies, "when + a new planet swims into his ken." For the admirer of Spanish + customs there was A. E. J. Inglis (O.A.) to sing, as only he can, + the Toreador's song; while for the Cockney there was Killick to + give, in his own inimitable fashion, that really touching little + ballad "My Old Dutch," Ould Oireland being well catered for by + Livock in "A Little Irish Girl." The pianoforte solos by Nalder, + Jacob and Shirley were all excellent and thoroughly well + appreciated, as was our old friend, "Let's have a Peal," by the + First XI. + + And now for the "star" performance of the evening. Positively for + one night only, the Dulwich College Dramatic Society were down to + give us W. G. O. Gill's one-act farce, "The Lottery Ticket." This + fairly brought down the house. It went "with a bang," as actors + say, from the very start. The great point about it was that all + the performers forgot that they were acting, and were so + perfectly natural. There was not a hitch. Killick, as a withered + old Shylock, gave a really masterly representation of ancient + villainy. Evans was admirably suited with the role of a dashing + young man-about-town. The way he took his gloves off was worth a + fortune in itself. We felt that there must be many degrees of + blue blood in his veins. His back-chat repartee was far better + than that of Mr. F. E. Smith, K.C. If Gill and Waite are in the + future ever in need of a berth they should, judging by their + performances in this play, apply to Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree for + parts as a dilapidated charwoman and unwashed office-boy + respectively. The topical allusions in the play were all + thoroughly well made and appreciated. We might suggest that it is + not the custom "in polite circles" to open and read other + people's telegrams, but for a hardened old reprobate like Mr. + Grabbit we can feel no pity, while we can forgive anything to a + Principal Boy like Mr. Knowall. + + It is an open secret that the concert was organised by Killick. + We take this opportunity of congratulating him heartily. From + what rumour says, we take it that the Powers-that-be are very + pleased with the concert. So are we. It was a complete success + from start to finish. It is to be hoped that it will become a + regular institution, especially considering the object it has in + view--to give pleasure to those who have not often the chance of + it. + +In 1913 he was appointed secretary and treasurer of the magazine, and +a few months later he became one of the editors. Throughout 1913 and +1914 he was the chief contributor to its pages. Reporting a lady's +lecture on Tibet (October 17, 1913), he wrote: + + But, at least, the Tibetans can teach us something--simplicity in + ceremonies. For when Miss Kemp went to see the palace of the King + all the decoration she saw there was a simple table and chair. A + Tibetan kitchen was a very popular slide. In that country they + apparently use a golf-bag to brew tea in, and cast-off bicycle + wheels for plates. There prevails in Tibet some element of + democracy, for Miss Kemp's cook was also a J.P., a Civil Servant, + and held other such offices of fame. One of her assistants was a + positive marvel--a human carpet-sweeper. If the floor was to be + brushed he would simply roll over and over on it and clean it + with his clothes! The Tibetans have no motor-bikes and no S. F. + Edges, their fastest conveyance being a yak, a species of ox, + which moves at an average speed of two miles an hour (with the + high gear in), and can slow down to an infinite extent. However, + the nature of the country would make high speeds rather + dangerous, as constantly you find yourself in danger of falling + over precipices, down crevasses, or of being overwhelmed by + falling boulders, for the mountain lands are covered with great + glaciers. It was these mountain views that were especially + magnificent. They were, for the most part, taken with + tele-photographic lenses at a distance of fifty or sixty miles. + +To the November _Alleynian_ he contributed a racy and rattling parody +of the modern sensational drama entitled _Red Blood: a Western Drama +in Two Acts_, in which the dramatis personae are an English cowboy +(heir to a million dollars without knowing it), an Indian chief (his +friend), a wicked uncle, a murderer, and a New York detective. His +historical tastes peep out in his report of a lecture delivered 7th +November, 1913, on the famous mediaeval doctor, Pareil (1510-1590). +From this report the following is extracted: + + Much interest attaches to the historic associations of Pareil's + life. As a famous surgeon he was in constant attendance on + figures renowned in history, personages like Coligny (who was + murdered by the mob of Paris while recovering from an amputation + of Pareil's), Erasmus, Servetus, Leonardo da Vinci, and Catherine + de Medici. Like Chaucer's doctour of physik, Pareil knew well the + works of "Olde Ypocras," Galen, Avycen, etc., the famous + physicians whose names have come down from history, but he was no + pedantic scholar, preferring to do his own thinking. A stout + Protestant, his last act was to beseech the Catholic Archbishop + of Lyons, who was holding Paris against the assaults of Henry of + Navarre (with the result that the population of the city was + perishing by thousands), to open the gates and save the + inhabitants, but he beseeched in vain. + + Altogether a remarkable figure, this old Pareil. Looked at in + perspective, and in his era, it is clear how great a man he was. + For he, first of all men in medicine, freed the world from the + influence of pedantic tradition, and paved the way for modern + medical science. Then all honour to his name, for, as the Master + put it in proposing the vote of thanks to Mr. Paget, the art of + healing is the greatest boon which man can give to the world. + +The last lecture he reported was delivered by Mr. F. M. Oldham, chief +Science Master at the College, on "Primitive Man," on 3rd April, 1914. +From this report the following extract is taken: + + Our main knowledge of man in the earliest stages of his existence + comes from the examination of river mud. Mr. Oldham showed how + different strata are built up by the river on its bed, and how in + the lowest of these strata there will be found the oldest relics + of man. In this way we are able to declare that the difference + between the earliest man and his immediate followers lay in the + question of polishing his flint instruments. That is to say, the + earliest or palaeolithic man had his implements unpolished; his + successors polished them, often to a beautifully smooth surface. + This Mr. Oldham illustrated with a series of films--your pardon, + slides--of the arrow-heads made by palaeolithic and neolithic man. + It was a natural step, once man had learned to polish his + instruments, and when he was advanced enough to try to form + conceptions of beauty for himself, that he should draw or scratch + pictures on stone. Several of these Mr. Oldham showed on the + screen; some of them are extraordinarily well executed and show + real artistic feeling. We would particularly mention one such + representation of a reindeer, and another of a man stalking a + bison. + + After the cave-dwellers' epoch comes that of huts, wood and + bronze. Man in this stage is really but little different from + what he is to-day. He has even the wit to construct himself + lake-dwellings, consisting of huts placed on rafts and secured + temporarily with large stones sunk in the lake-bed. + Characteristic of this period are the great tolmens and monoliths + found all over the world. Neolithic man had, indeed, sometimes + constructed for himself a hut of stone, as Dartmoor will testify, + but the tolmens are of quite different origin, and indicate a + distinctly greater mental development, in that they are usually + put up as monuments to great men or events. Of the same nature + are the great mounds or "barrows" that abound in Ireland; inside + there was a sort of crypt in which chiefs were buried. The + monoliths were constructed, as doubtless the Pyramids also were, + by rolling the great stones up an inclined bank of earth + previously built up. + +Throughout 1914 Paul was the mainstay of the magazine. The May number +contains from his pen exhaustive reports of two house matches +(football), a shrewd commentary on the Junior School Cup matches, and +a long report of a lecture. For the July number he wrote ten pages of +cricket reports, and an account of the swimming competition. He was +also responsible for the finances of the magazine, continuing to act +as secretary and treasurer. All this time he was preparing for his +Oxford scholarship. If he owed much to Dulwich, the College also owed +something to him. No boy ever worked harder for it, or consecrated +himself with more entire devotion to its welfare. + + + + +CHAPTER VI + +PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE WAR + + _Now all the youth of England are on fire._ + SHAKESPEARE: "HENRY V." + + +To _The Alleynian_ for October, 1914, Paul contributed an editorial +article on the War that had then begun to rage in its destructive +fury. Taking the view that "this war had to come sooner or later," he +wrote: + + When one nation has a world-wide Empire embracing a fifth of the + globe, founded on principles of absolute liberty for all whom it + contains, and when another, built up by the force of + circumstances on a basis of military despotism, also aspires to a + different sort of world-power, and challenges the first nation, + whose principles it abhors as much as its own are abhorred--in + these circumstances it is hopeless to talk of reconciliation till + one or the other is down. Actually, Germany's monstrous conduct + in violating the neutrality of a small, industrious and + inoffensive Power--a neutrality to which, be it marked, Germany + was as much a partner as England or France--has put her + hopelessly in the wrong with the civilised world. But that does + not alter the fact that the War is primarily one for political + existence. Either the despotism of Potsdam or the constitutional + government of Westminster must survive. We, more even than Russia + or France, are fighting for our very existence. + + Things are, indeed, very favourable to us and to our Allies. + Through the brutal but clumsy blundering of Prussian diplomats, + Europe has been long awaiting the conflagration; every move in + the game has been brought out long ago. Besides, Germany + undoubtedly counted on our domestic troubles and our pacific + tendencies to keep us out of this conflict. They imagined France + could easily be wiped out while Russia's vast bulk was slowly + mobilising, and that the Russians would then be held up by the + victorious legions pouring back from Paris. Then in, say, ten + years they would turn on England and wipe her from the map. Our + entrance into the War now has not only braced the whole moral + fibre of France, Russia, Belgium and Serbia, but has strangled + German commerce and held up her food supply by means of our + command of the seas. Thus all the enemy plans have been thrown + into confusion. We would be indeed foolish if we did not realise + our position--what it means to ourselves, to Europe, and to the + world. Having won the toss on a hard wicket, we are not going to + put Germany in. We must fight to the death. The law is "Eat or be + eaten." + + In these circumstances we call on Dulwich College to realise its + duties to the State. Nothing--not work nor games--must be allowed + to stand before the Corps till the War is over. Special drills + and parades, extra route marches, all these must be and ought to + be looked forward to cheerfully and willingly. The splendid + number of recruits shows that the school is not going to fail in + its duty here. We are not going to indulge in theories and + jingo-patriotism, but call on you with deadly seriousness--the + British Empire, the British principles of liberty, all are at + stake. If we go down now we go down for ever. Germany is said to + have called up every male between the ages of fifteen and sixty. + If they can do that, surely we ought to be able to reply. Let + that voluntary system which is the glory of our armies and navies + carry us through now! We call on every one in the School to join + the Corps at once. + +Nothing was finer in the first months of the War than the rally of the +manhood of Great Britain to the call of the country in its time of +need. All classes, rich and poor, patrician and peasant, employer and +workman, were uplifted by the great occasion. Through the influence of +patriotism, the recognition by all sorts and conditions of our people +of the honourable obligation of fidelity to the pledged word of +Britain, combined with a chivalric desire to champion the cause of +weak, unoffending Belgium against the Teutonic bully--there was +released in this country a flood of noble idealism and pure emotion, +the memory of which those who lived during that spiritual awakening +will never forget. No section of the community rose more finely to the +height of the occasion than the athletes and scholars from our public +schools and universities. Nobly did they respond to the call voiced by +one of their number, R. E. Vernede (an old Pauline, now sleeping in a +soldier's grave in France): + + Lad, with the merry smile and the eyes + Quick as the hawk's and clear as the day; + You, who have counted the game the prize, + Here is the game of games to play. + Never a goal--the captains say-- + Matches the one that's needed now; + Put the old blazer and cap away-- + England's colours await your brow. + + Man, with the square-set jaws and chin, + Always, it seems, you have moved to your end + Sure of yourself, intent to win + Fame and wealth and the power to bend. + All that you've made you're called to spend-- + All that you've sought you're asked to miss-- + What's ambition compared with this: + That a man lay down his life for his friend? + +Exulting in the response of the athletes, Paul Jones found his faith +in the value of games confirmed by this memorable rally to the Flag. +His last contribution to _The Alleynian_ was inspired by it. Shortly +after he joined the Army he wrote to the magazine a letter (published +anonymously in May, 1915) under the caption "Flannelled Fools and +Muddied Oafs." In this contribution he sings a paean in praise of the +amateur athlete. After reminding his readers of pre-War denunciations +of "the curse of athletics," he asks, "What of athletics now?" + + At present, we see that the poor, despised athlete or + sportsman--call him what you will--is coming to the front, + practically and metaphorically, in a way which makes one wonder + if, for the higher purposes of duty, athletics are not really the + very best of all systems of training. When we look at the matter + in the broadest light, the explanation shines forth clearly. All + learning and all business are in the end simply and solely + _selfish_. For example, you work hard for a scholarship at Oxford + or Cambridge--why? So that you can obtain _for + yourself_--(underline these words, Mr. Printer, please!)--the + advantages of 'Varsity life and culture, and to the ultimate end + that you may be better fitted to make _your own_ way in life. Of + course, this is necessary, but life is always very sordid in its + details, and the more civilised we become, the more apparent is + that sordidity. In fact, it is only on our amateur playing-fields + that we become really unselfish. For here we play for a team or a + side; and for the success of that side--which success, by the + way, is in no sense material or selfish--we are prepared to take + all sorts of pains, to scorn delights and live laborious days. It + is the clearest manifestation of the simple, unsophisticated man + coming to the front and tearing aside for a brief moment the + cloud of materialism with which civilisation has been enveloping + him. + + Nothing but athletics has succeeded in doing this sort of work in + England. Religion has failed, intellect has failed, art has + failed, science has failed. It is clear why: because each of + these has laid emphasis on man's _selfish_ side; the saving of + _his own_ soul, the cultivation of _his own_ mind, the pleasing + of _his own_ senses. But your sportsman joins the Colours because + in his games he has felt the real spirit of unselfishness, and + has become accustomed to give up all for a body to whose service + he is sworn. Besides this, he has acquired the physical fitness + necessary for a campaign. These facts explain the grand part + played by sport in this War; they also explain why the amateur + has done so enormously better than the professional. + +"Let us therefore," is his injunction, "take off our hats to the +amateur athlete, who is one of the brightest figures in England +to-day. Let us indeed not forget that it is not in any sense only the +athletes who have gone, but let us remember that in proportion no +class of men has seen its duty so clearly, and done it so promptly, +in the present crisis. We suggest that this War has shown the training +of the playing-fields of the Public Schools and the 'Varsities to be +quite as good as that of the class-rooms; nay, as good? Why, far +better, if training for the path of Duty is the ideal end of +education." + +Here, as always, Paul distinguished between the amateur athlete and +the professional athlete. For the latter his scorn was unmitigated, +and he could not endure Association football with its paid players. He +also loathed the betting element that defiled the Soccer game. + +This letter was his last contribution to _The Alleynian_. Its +strictures are far too sweeping; it has the dogmatism and the note of +certitude to which youth is prone. But it is animated by a fine +spirit. Very characteristic is the emphasis placed in it on the ideas +of duty and unselfishness. The passion for sacrifice was in his +blood. + + + + +CHAPTER VII + +TASTES AND HOBBIES + + _Variety's the very spice of life._ + COWPER: "THE TASK." + + +Many of our son's vacations were spent in Llanelly, South Wales, +where his mother's and my own kindred dwell. Llanelly is not a +beautiful town--industrial centres seldom are--but Paul loved every +aspect of it--the busy works, the spacious bay with its great +stretches of sandy beach, the green and hilly hinterland, dotted +with snug farmhouses and cheerful-looking cottages. Accompanied by +his cousin Tom, for whom he had an intense affection, and under the +guidance of his uncle, Mr. Edwin Morgan, a consulting engineer of +high repute, he visited in process of time every industrial +establishment in the neighbourhood--steel works, foundries, +engineering shops and tinplate works. His insatiable curiosity, his +desire to know the reason for everything, his alert interest in all +the processes of manufacture, were noted with smiling admiration by +managers and workmen. His last visit to Llanelly was in the summer +of 1914. We joined him there in the third week of August. Clear in +recollection is an incident that took place during our stay there. +One sunny afternoon we were out in Carmarthen Bay in a little +tug-boat and hailed a large four-masted vessel that had dropped +anchor and was awaiting a pilot. She had just arrived from Archangel +with timber. Her crew, athirst for news about the War, were most +grateful for a bundle of newspapers. Paul thrilled at this meeting +at sea with a vessel that had come direct from Russia, and he +followed with fascinated interest the conversation between the +tugboatmen and the crew of the barque. Little did any of us think +then that the War was destined to claim Paul's life! + +Celtic on his mother's side and mine, he was proud of the fact that he +sprang from an "old and haughty nation, proud in arms." On many of his +school books he wrote in bold lettering: "Cymru am byth!" ("Wales for +ever!") His instinctive love of Wales was strengthened by his visits +to Llanelly and by holidays on the Welsh countryside, where, amid +romantic surroundings and far from the fret and fever of modern life, +he obtained an insight into rural ways and things. Welsh love of music +and Welsh prowess in football also appealed powerfully to him. + +Like most boys he went through the usual run of hobbies: silkworms, +carpentry, stamp-collecting, photography, parlour railways. +Thoroughness was his quality even in his hobbies. He had the +note-taking habit in marked degree. Even as a small boy on a long +railway journey he would carefully record in his notebook the name of +every station through which the train passed, and then, on reaching +his destination, would work out the distances by maps and books, and +finally draw an outline showing the route with the principal stations +and junctions marked. The same passion for classifying facts made him, +as soon as he began to follow cricket closely, compile tables showing +the batting and bowling averages of the leading players. Similarly +with football. He was familiar with the record of the leading Rugby +clubs and the characteristics of the principal players. + +Machinery had for him the fascination of life in motion. He would gaze +with rapture at the rhythmic movement of a flywheel and was thrilled +by the harmonious movement of cogs and eccentrics, pistons and +connecting-rods, all "singing like the morning stars for joy that they +are made." As a child visiting a printing office he used to clap his +hands with delight at the sight of "the wheels all turning." For +engines of all sorts he had a passion. At Plymouth he loved to watch +the great G.W.R. locomotives steaming into Millbay terminus, and would +often engage the driver or stoker in conversation. After our removal +to London he spent part of one vacation in an engineering shop. When +he was fifteen we bought for him a small gas-engine which was fixed in +an upper room. Clad in overalls he spent many a happy hour with this +engine, generating electricity which he used sometimes for lighting, +sometimes for driving the engine and train on his miniature railway. +Here are extracts from one of his vacation diaries: + + JANUARY, 1912 + + _January 1._--Went with Mother to first night of _Nightbirds_ at + the Lyric. Workman and Constance Driver excellent; Farkoa also + very good. + + _January 2-5._--Busy making switchboard at home. At the + engineering workshop I am starting on a steel rod; cutting with + hack saw, cutting 5/16 standard Whitworth thread; grooving it. + All this on a Drummond 3-1/2-inch lathe. + + _January 6._--Heard of 4 v. 20 a.h. accumulator for 10s. 6d. I + must buy it. Splendid acc. it is. Finished switchboard; all + correct; polished up meters and instruments. [Here is diagram of + connections.] + + Evening.--At _Tales of Hoffmann_, Opera House, with Mother. Good + performance. First and third acts excellent; second ("Barcarolle" + act) poor. Orchestra superb. Felice Lyne, Pollock, Victoria + Fer--artistes of great promise. Renaud a master. + + _January 7._--Wrote Economic Electric for new dynamo. Received + letter from "Humber" recommending motor bike. I will probably buy + one later on, or a "Triumph." + + _January 10._--Took my old accumulator to electrician. To my + great pleasure he said there was nothing wrong, only wanted + filling and charging. + + _January 11._--Tried my acc. on the train, running through + switchboard; a great success. Engine runs very well. All + switchboard connections absolutely correct; the reading when + running: volts 3.5 to 4.25, amps. 1 to 2.5. + + _January 12._--To Bassett Lowke's and bought wagon; yellow + colour, red lettering; splendid model. + + _January 13._--At matinee _Orpheus in the Underground_, at His + Majesty's. Exceedingly good show. Courtice Pounds, L. Mackinder + and Lottie Venn--all first rate; good voices and not afraid to + use them. + + _January 15._--To Hippodrome. The feature two amazingly clever + Chimpanzees. Leo Fall's _Eternal Waltz_ a pretty operetta. + + _January 16._--Final golf match between Dad and myself. Dad wins + match and rubber by 1 up. + + _January 17._--Got back my P.O. bank book. Total now L6 3s. + Discovered slight leakage at joint between the cylinder and + combustion head of the gas engine, owing to wearing away of + asbestos washer, so causing a very small but appreciable + diminution of compression. Made a temporary stopping with + vaseline. + + Evening.--Dad and I to _Tales of Hoffmann_, at the Opera House. + This time a magnificent performance. + + _January 19._--Dynamo arrived. A beautiful machine. + + _January 20._--Went with Dad to International football match, + England _v._ Wales, at Twickenham. Score--England, 8 points; + Wales, _nil_. A splendid game. Wales beaten chiefly owing to + their very poor three-quarters. Little to choose between the + packs. + + _January 31._--Having re-started music with a good teacher, a + pupil of Professor Hambourg, I have practised very hard on the + piano these last few days. + +In his enthusiasm for engineering he devoured books like "Engineering +Wonders of the World," "How it Works," "How it is Made," "Engineering +of To-day," "Mechanical Inventions of To-day"; also books on wireless +telegraphy and aviation. A great lover of books, he liked on off-days +to visit London bookshops and rummage their shelves. Very proud he was +of his purchases during these excursions. From time to time he would +have a run round the museums and picture galleries of London or take a +trip to Hampton Court--Wolsey's palace and William III's home--a spot +dear to him for its links with history and for the beauty of its +surroundings. He was always enthralled at the British Museum by the +Rosetta Stone--that key by means of which Champollion unlocked for the +modern world the long-hidden secret of Egypt's ancient civilisation. + +A subject which he pursued keenly for a couple of years--from fifteen +to seventeen--and which held him in fascinated wonder, was Astronomy, +a branch of knowledge that happens to be strongly represented among my +books. Often on starry nights he would be a watcher of the heavens. + + Many a night from yonder ivied casement, + Ere he went to rest, + Did he look on great Orion, sloping + Slowly to the west. + Many a night he saw the Pleiads, rising + Thro' the mellow shade, + Glitter like a swarm of fireflies, tangled + In a silver braid. + +It has been stated that most of Paul's vacations were spent in Wales, +but in 1913 he went farther afield, accompanying his mother, his +brother and myself on a tour in Germany. He was enraptured with this, +his first visit to the Continent. On our outward journey we halted at +Brussels, in those days a bright and happy city with nothing in its +cheerful, prosperous air to suggest that in less than a year there +would descend upon it the baleful shadow of the Great War. Much in the +old Germany appealed powerfully to our son, and even of the new +Germany, with its energy and its zeal for learning, he was something +of an admirer. But he hated in modern Germany its brazen materialism +and boastful arrogance. He attributed the change in the spirit of the +German people to the hardness of their Prussian taskmasters, whose +yoke was submissively borne because of the glamour of the military +victories achieved since 1866, and the rapid growth in wealth that had +followed the attainment of German unity. He read and spoke German and +was familiar with the literature and history of the country. Two great +Germans, Goethe and Wagner, he intensely admired. It so happened that +we were at Frankfort on the centenary of Goethe's death. Paul visited +the Goethe house and spent a couple of hours examining its souvenirs +with loving interest. He liked to see the places and the houses +associated with the names or lives of great men. On our homeward +journey down the Rhine he left us at Bonn to visit the house where +Beethoven was born, joining-us subsequently at Cologne. + +This holiday in the Rhineland and the Black Forest brought deep +enjoyment to him. His enthusiasm at his first sight of the Rhine was +unrestrained, and the morning after our arrival he plunged into its +waters for a swim. Professor Cramb, writing of the love of Germans for +the Rhine, quotes a letter from Treitschke, in which that fire-eating +historian said on the eve of his leaving Bonn: "To-morrow I shall see +the Rhine for the last time. The memory of that noble river will keep +my heart pure and save me from sad or evil thoughts throughout all the +days of my life." Paul in a marginal note writes: "Wonderful +attraction of the Rhine. I have felt it myself, though not a German." + +He got on excellently with the German people. One Sunday afternoon, +doing the famous walk from Triberg to Hornberg, he had a long and +friendly talk with a German reservist in the latter's native tongue, +about the relations of Germany and England. Both agreed that war +between the two nations would be madness, and both dismissed it as to +the last degree improbable, but the German said significantly that he +feared the Crown Prince was a menace to peace. + +In the spring of the following year (1914) Paul spent Easter week with +me in Paris. Never had I seen the French capital more beautiful or +happier-seeming than in that bright and joyous springtime. Who could +have dreamt then that war was only three months distant? Paris was a +revelation to Paul. He crowded a lot of sight-seeing into half a dozen +busy days. All that was noble or beautiful in Art as in Nature +appealed instinctively to him. I can see him now at the Louvre gazing +rapt from various angles at that glorious piece of statuary the Venus +of Milo. His knowledge of history made his visit to the glittering +palace of Louis XIV at Versailles an undiluted pleasure. Fascinated by +the genius of Napoleon, he spent a long time at the Invalides gazing +down on the sarcophagus within which the conqueror of Europe sleeps +his last sleep. + +Later in the year he and two other Dulwich boys arranged to spend +three weeks of the summer vacation in the house of a professor at +Rouen. They were to have left London on the second week in August. +This hopeful project was frustrated by the rude shock of war. + + + + +CHAPTER VIII + +MUSIC + + _Music is a kind of inarticulate, unfathomable speech, which leads us + to the edge of the Infinite, and lets us for moments gaze into that._ + + CARLYLE. + + +Paul began the study of music at an early age. He had natural aptitude +for it and an unerring ear. As a little boy he used to sing with much +expression in a sweet, clear voice. He received great assistance from +his mother in his musical studies. After he had turned fifteen, music +became one of his main interests. Indeed, if we except football, it +was his master passion, and, unlike football, it could be pursued +throughout the year. Whenever his scholastic studies and his athletic +activities permitted, he would spend his leisure at the piano. With +characteristic thoroughness he studied the lives as well as the works +of the great composers. During the Grand Opera season he was a +frequent visitor to Covent Garden Theatre and the performances of the +_Nibelungen Ring_ were for him a fountain of pure delight. He was also +a regular attendant with his mother at the Queen's Hall and Albert +Hall concerts. Ballad singing did not appeal to him in the same degree +as operatic and orchestral music. Thanks to instinctive gifts and +assiduous practice he became a scholarly and an accomplished musician. +A brilliant pianist, his playing was marked by power and passion, and +the colour and glow of an intense and sensitive personality. He could +memorise the most intricate composition, and would play for hours +without a note. Music was almost a religion with him: he found in it +solace, joy, inspiration. + +Above all other musicians, he reverenced Beethoven and Wagner. For +Beethoven's music, with its spiritualised emotion and divine +harmonies, his admiration knew no bounds. Of the famous symphonies he +assigned first place to that in C minor, No. 5, which he thought stood +alone in the art of musical expression, peerless and unapproachable, a +unique emanation from the soul and mind of man. "It holds us in its +grasp," wrote Wagner of this composition, "as one of the rarer +conceptions of the master, in which Passion, aroused by Pain as its +original ground-tone, raises itself upward on the stepping-stone of +conciliation and exaltation to an outburst of Joy conscious of +Victory." Paul loved to play the Fifth Symphony as well as to hear it +performed by an orchestral band. When playing it he seemed to lose +touch with earth and to be transported to celestial heights. In his +marginalia he compares the methods of expression of Shakespeare with +those of Beethoven. That able critic, the late Professor Dowden, in +some penetrating observations on Shakespeare's works, wrote: + + In the earliest plays the idea is at times hardly sufficient to + fill out the language; in the middle plays there seems a perfect + balance and equality between the thought and its expression; in + the latest plays this balance is disturbed by the preponderance, + or excess, of ideas over the means of giving them utterance. + +After underlining this passage Paul made the comment: "An +extraordinary coincidence occurs to me in that the same thing happens +with Beethoven, the greatest of the absolute musicians. Anyone must +see that in the last symphony (No. 9 in D minor) he seems often at a +loss how to put his feelings into shape (or sound), as though musical +style up to his time could not express the intensity of his ideas. +Hence in this symphony there is a distinct lack of balance--a defect +which is absent from the works of his middle period (_e.g._, Symphony +No. 5 or No. 7)." + +Another Beethoven work that he loved was the Third Symphony in E Flat, +with its epic opening; the mournful beauty of its funeral march, now +sad, calm, solemn like a moonless, starless night, now shining with +gleams of hope and faith; its crisp and lively scherzo; and the +triumphant finale, a veritable ecstasy of divine joy. My son as an +historical scholar found a peculiar attraction in this symphony by +reason of its association with Napoleon Buonaparte, for it was +inspired by Beethoven's belief--formed in those days when the soldier +of the Revolution was regarded as the liberator of peoples and the +enemy only of the old feudal order--that Napoleon was marked out by +destiny to realise Plato's ideal of government. One recalls how the +act of Napoleon in proclaiming himself Emperor shattered this +illusion; how Beethoven erased the fallen hero's name from the +title-page of his score, withheld the "Eroica" for a time, and then +gave it to the world in 1805 as "An Heroic Symphony composed in memory +of a great man." When Beethoven heard of Napoleon's death at St. +Helena, he said he had already composed his funeral ode 17 years +before. Of this _marche funebre_ M. Ballaique wrote: "It owes its +incomparable grandeur to the beauty of the melodic idea and also to a +peculiarity of rhythm. At the first half of each bar there is a halt, +a pause, which seems to punctuate each station, each painful slip or +descent on the way to the illustrious tomb." + +Of Wagner, Paul was a whole-hearted worshipper. He was familiar with +the myths, legends and folk-poems from which Wagner drew his themes, +and he exulted in the master's superb treatment of them. Never, he +thought, had music and ideas been more felicitously blended than by +Wagner, whatever the theme--the storm-tost soul of "the Flying +Dutchman," to whom redemption came at last through loyalty and +compassion; the conflict between sensuality and love fought out in the +arena of Tannhaeuser's mind; the cosmic glories of the Ring with the +resplendent figures of Siegfried and Brunhilde; the self-dedication of +Parsifal, the Sir Percival of our Arthurian legends, whom "The sweet +vision of the Holy Grail drew from all vain-glories, rivalries and +earthly heats." Into the glowing music of Wagner my son read lessons +in renunciation, the sordidness of the lust for gold, the sublimity of +pure human love, the redemptive power of self-sacrifice. The +occasional voluptuousness of the music was so transmuted in the +alembic of his temperament that for him the sensual element was +eliminated. An incident illustrative of his devotion to Wagner is +worth recording. In the summer of 1913, during our holiday tour in +Germany, we had for part of the time our headquarters at +Assmannshausen, a smiling village sheltering snugly at the foot of +vine-clad hills on the right bank of the Rhine. That great river is at +its best at Assmannshausen; the broad current here flows swiftly over +a stony bed. Day and night one's ears are filled with the music of the +rushing waters hastening impetuously to the distant sea as though +eager to lose themselves in its infinite embrace. One evening the +guests at the hotel arranged a concert, and to our surprise--for we +knew how diffident he was--Paul, evidently moved by the _genius loci_, +volunteered to take part in it. When the time came he advanced to the +piano through the crowded room and, with an elbow resting on the +instrument, astonished the audience by a few explanatory words. He +said he was going to play the "Ride of the Valkyries," and explained +what Wagner meant to convey by that wild, stormy music. Then seating +himself at the instrument, he proceeded to play the "Ride" from +memory. His execution had a verve whose charm was irresistible. It +was a lovely summer night. Through the open windows of the +concert-room one caught glimpses of the moonlight quivering on the +waters of the swift-flowing Rhine. Nothing could be heard save the +river's melodious roar softened by distance, and this enchanting music +interpreted by one who was saturated with its spirit, both sounds +blending harmoniously like the double pipe of an ancient Greek flute +player. All of us felt the spell of the scene and the occasion. +Everyone listened tense and silent until the descending chromatic +passage at the end when the "Valkyries" vanish into space, the echo of +their laughter dies away, and the "Ride" ends in a sound like the +fluttering of wings in the distance. When Paul rose from the piano the +pent-up feelings of the audience found expression in enthusiastic +applause. + +In the spring of 1913, just after he had turned 17, he wrote the +following appreciation of Wagner for the _Llanelly Star_: + + The 22nd of May, 1913, marks the centenary of an event of supreme + importance in the annals of music. To-day just one hundred years + ago was born at Leipzig Richard Wagner, king of the music-drama, + who towers above all other operatic composers like some lofty + mountain rising from the midst of a dull and featureless plain. + Such a colossal revolution as was effected by Wagner in Art can + hardly find a parallel in any walk of life. What, in brief, was + the scope of Wagner's reforms? To answer this question it is + necessary to glance at the state in which the opera stood in + pre-Wagner days. From the days of Scarlatti the opera had + consisted of a number of semi-detached solos, duets or choruses + to which tunes were set. These pieces were joined up by any + jumble of notes sung by the characters on the stage, usually with + no artistic meaning whatsoever, known as the recitative. In a + word, the opera was a mere ballad concert. The recitative was so + utterly foolish and meaningless, as a rule, that men like + Beethoven and Weber, when they composed music-dramas, abolished + it altogether, and composed what is known as "Singspiel"--that + is, a number of ballads connected simply by spoken words. (The + well-known Gilbert and Sullivan operettas are really Singspiels + in a lesser form.) Thus it is obvious that the meaning of the + opera--that is, a drama whose significance is made more clear by + the aid of music suitable to the situation in hand--had been + entirely lost sight of. + + In the average French or Italian opera, or in the singspiels, all + that matters is a number of songs, ballads or arias--call them + what you will--entirely disconnected and quite destructive to the + continuity that must be the essence of every drama. This + continuity is an absolute necessity to every spoken play; imagine + the effect if Shakespeare or Ibsen had written little pieces of + rhyming verse joined up by any jumble of nonsensical prose! + Neglect of this fact led every opera composer before Wagner + astray. We can imagine a pre-Wagner composer telling his + librettist, "Now, mind you arrange that in certain parts the + words will allow me to put in arias or choruses." In short, the + situation was summed up in Wagner's famous phrase, "The means of + expression (music) has been made the end, while the end of + expression (the drama) has been made the means." Now this state + of affairs is clearly wrong. If there is no dramatic idea kept as + end to work to, then what is the use of writing opera at all? Why + not be content with song-cycles or ballads, or lieder like + Brahms's and Schumann's? + + There are no divisions into aria and recitative in Wagner's + operas, but dramatic continuity is retained by the voices of the + characters singing music the succession of whose notes is + determined by the emotional requirements of the moment. + Meanwhile, the orchestra forms a sort of musical background by + giving forth music which exactly suits the dramatic situation. + The orchestra, in a word, as Wagner himself said of _Tristan und + Isolde_, forms an emotional tide on which the voice floats like a + boat on the waters. The essential relevance of the music to the + dramatic situation is obtained, as a rule, by means of what are + known as "leading motives." These form the basis of all Wagner's + reforms. A leading motive is simply a musical phrase suggestive + of a dramatic idea. Wagner's motives are marvellous in their + descriptive and soul-stirring power. They seem to indicate not + only the pith, but the utmost depths of the heart of the ideas + which they represent. It is this that makes Wagner so very like + Shakespeare. All can appreciate him, yet he is above all + criticism, universal in his appeal. + + Who but Wagner could make us feel the awful tragedy of + Siegfried's death, the calm of the primeval elements, the pompous + yet somewhat venerable character of the Mastersingers, the agony + of Tristan's delirium, the superb majesty of Valhalla, or the + free, noble nature of Parsifal? Even when Wagner uses motives + comparatively little, writing rather "freely," as in _Tristan und + Isolde_, he always has the power of imprinting an idea with the + utmost clearness upon our souls. He will sometimes make a slight + change in a motive, or make a development of it, that gives us an + entirely different psychological impression of the idea + represented by the motive, as indicating some new aspect of it in + which the motives are all dovetailed together into a compact + whole that is simply marvellous. If one considers the "Ring," + that gigantic web of motives, and at the same time, in the words + of that able critic, Mr. Ernest Newman, "beyond all comparison + the biggest thing ever conceived by the mind of a musician," + colossal yet logical, gigantic yet compact, the power of the + Bayreuth master will become even still more evident. + + Wagner's first work, _Rienci_, composed frankly in the blatant + Meyerbeerian style, has no artistic significance. _The Flying + Dutchman_ marks a great advance. _Tannhaeuser_ and _Lohengrin_ are + milestones of progress, but in all these works Wagner's full + ideal is, generally speaking, but little perceptible. The really + great Wagner operas are his later works, _Tristan und Isolde_, + _Parsifal_, _Die Meistersinger von Nuernberg_, and, above all, + that gigantic tetralogy (a complete musico-dramatic rendering of + the Icelandic Saga put into English verse under the title of + _Sigurd the Volsung_ by William Morris) which consists of four + stupendous operas, _Das Rheingold_, _Die Walkuere_, _Siegfried_, + and _Gotterdaemmerung_. These marvellous works, the consummation + of the Bayreuth master's principles, undoubtedly stand with + Beethoven's symphonies as the greatest achievements in music. + + For the rest, it may be mentioned that Wagner was in private life + a most kindly man, albeit at times quick-tempered, a great lover + of children and animals. His philosophy was a somewhat variable + quantity; he fell under the influence first of Feuerbach, then of + Schopenhauer, and to some extent possibly of Nietzsche. But + still, throughout all his works runs the doctrine of the Free + Individual, of which Siegfried and Parsifal are perhaps the most + striking impersonations. + + Like Browning, Wagner believed in redemption by means of + sacrifice. In his richness and strength Wagner typified the + abounding vitality of the new Germany. To the Fatherland he is + what Shakespeare is to England. One may apply to him the noble + words Milton wrote of Shakespeare: + + "Thou in our wonder and astonishment + Hast built thyself a livelong monument. + + . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . + + And so sepulchred in such pomp dost lie + That kings for such a tomb would wish to die." + + H. P. M. J. + +I found among my son's papers a sketch in manuscript of Wagner's life +and work. It begins with some observations on Romanticism and +Classicism. + + Whereas in the Classical style the spirit is held in restraint by + certain forms, in the Romantic it refuses to acknowledge these + forms and breaks away to give the soul entirely free play. It + necessarily follows that the Romantic style makes the wider + appeal, for it touches chords of the heart that the Classical + cannot. Also the Romantic is rather more definite and less purely + intellectual than the Classical, though the ideal may be equally + high in the one as in the other. In short, the Romantic style is + human in its appeal, while the Classical is superhuman. The best + examples of men great in these two forms of art are Shakespeare + in the Romance and Milton in the Classic. + +Returning to music, he thought that Bach, "immortal though many of his +works are," was fettered by his servitude to rules. + + The Classical may become too cold, may lose all connection with + the warmth of humanity. Such a fate does Haydn seem to have met + in many of his works. Beethoven, the mightiest classicist, also + to some extent Mozart, saw that the soul must not hold entirely + aloof from humanity. Hence it is that Beethoven broke + deliberately several, though not indeed very many, of Bach's more + enchaining rules, while Mozart, in his operas at least, had a + large amount of Romance worked into his music. On the other hand, + by its very nature the Romance style is occasionally apt to slip + into what is pre-eminently Classicism. + +He confutes the argument that because base things have to be expressed +in the Romantic style therefore that style degrades Art, for "base +things handled artistically excite pure emotions of anger or +indignation." + + Wagner, though he broke every rule set up by Bach, though he + abolished all the ideas of Classicism, produced with his later + works (_i.e._, _The Ring_, _Die Meistersinger_, _Tristan_, and + _Parsifal_) music which reveals infinitudes of art to quite as + great an extent as any classicist has done.... Wagner gives us + Nature's message, Beethoven the message of the incomprehensible + Empyrean, and it is for no one to say that the one message is any + greater or less than the other. + +Necessarily the opera must be more romantic than the symphony. +"Composers who have given the world both opera and symphony such as +Beethoven, Mozart, Weber, Spohr, Berlioz, always wrote Romantically in +their operas and Classically in their symphonies." Of the development +of opera he wrote: + + Opera was fast degenerating into a sort of collection of ballads, + with hardly any orchestration at all, when a strong man rose to + check these abuses. Gluck was the forerunner of the earlier + German school of opera composers, which includes such men as + Beethoven, Mozart, Weber and Schubert. Gluck had studied + carefully the progress of non-operatic music since Bach's time, + and seeing what vast strides the art had made in this direction, + tried to bring into line with the opera its improvements. He was + the first composer to show the immense and inestimable necessity + of properly orchestrated music in opera. Gluck's rich scoring, + beautiful melodies combined with dramatic connection between + action, voice and orchestra, entirely revolutionised the opera. + Fortunately, he had a still greater contemporary to carry on his + reforms. Gluck has himself explained how he set out to avoid any + concession of music to the vocal abilities of the singer; how he + had tried to bring music to its proper function, _i.e._, to go + side by side with the poetry of the drama--a clear forecasting of + Wagner's own reforms. + + Whereas in Monteverde's operas the dramatic significance was + kept, but only at the expense of the music, which had absolutely + no signification at all, in the works of Gluck, Mozart and + Scarlatti the musical part is elevated, but entirely at the + expense of the dramatic idea, which is quite lost. A Mozart + melody, rhythmic, square-cut, is as different as possible from a + Wagner theme, for whereas the former suggests nothing the latter + is very rich in suggestion. It is clear that Gluck and Mozart, + though they performed an inestimable service to the musical art + by the raising of the orchestra to its proper position with + regard to the voice and the music, yet failed to keep in view the + continuity of the drama in opera. Hence it was that Weber and + Beethoven frankly abolished the recitative that joins the formal + melodies of the arias and melodic passages and composed + Singspiel, having their works built up of airs and melodies + joined by spoken dialogue. Such is Weber's _Der Freischuetz_ and + such Beethoven's _Fidelio_. + +After discussing Meyerbeer, Scarlatti, and Rossini, Bellini and +Donizetti, my son comes to Wagner and the revolution in music he +accomplished: + + Wagner was a man of ripe culture, who was equally familiar with + Beethoven's symphonies, Shakespeare's dramas, Kant's philosophic + writings and Homer's epics. All the great works of literature and + philosophy were well known to him. Thus he brought to bear on his + music a mind singularly well equipped in every direction. He was, + too, essentially a Teuton, with all the German massiveness of + conception and depth of soul. A lesser man must have fallen + before the prospect of attempting such a colossal reform. What + was that reform in its essentials? It was this--to compose opera + in which the idea of the drama was made the ruling conception; to + attain this end by a wedding of suitable poetry to music of such + a kind as should reflect by its themes what was happening on the + stage or in the minds of the characters. There was to be no aria + or fixed form of ballad, but continuous melody, in which the + voices of the characters are regarded as extra instruments of the + orchestra, with just that element of personality included.... + + To have succeeded entirely in this bold design he would have had + to be a Shakespeare in poetry and knowledge of human nature, as + well as a musician of equal ability. How could any one man fulfil + both of these roles? In the matter of the music Wagner is a very + Shakespeare. But if we take his own writings as evidences of what + he meant to do, then his librettos must necessarily be + unsatisfactory. They keep the dramatic idea in sight so much as + almost entirely to lose sight of poetic beauty. Wagner was + pre-eminently a musician; he was not a poet, as he wished also to + be. Whatever his poetical achievements, the main fact is + unaltered. The dramatic idea and the musical expression are kept + so indissolubly close by Wagner as to be one for all intents and + purposes. + +Of Wagner's treatment of the vocalist he says: + + The melody sung is modelled upon the way in which the speaking + voice rises and falls in accordance with the feelings of the + moment. With marvellous skill the master of Bayreuth has made the + music sung reflect as clearly as any oration what are the + thoughts and feelings of the character. The orchestra makes, as + it were, a tide or ocean, over which the voice, in this manner, + floats, now rising high on the crest of the wave, now sinking + into the trough of the seas. Sometimes for added poignancy, + Wagner makes the voice sing the _leitmotif_ of some idea + connected with the idea of the moment. This is constantly + occurring in _Die Meistersinger_. + +After scornful allusions to French and Italian opera, he shows how +Wagner re-fashioned opera on new and nobler lines. Replying to those +who say "You must have lightness sometimes," he wrote: + + Yes, but never triviality. If we want lightness of touch and + wittiness, have we not _Die Meistersinger_, the greatest comedy + in the world, or a merry piece like Mozart's _Nozze di Figaro_? + Here is all the wit that one wants, yet the level is kept high + throughout. It is the same in literature. We have absurd, banal + pieces, said to be humorous, such as _The Glad Eye_, which really + contain not one-millionth the humour that there is in a noble + comedy like Shakespeare's _Twelfth Night_, or _As You Like It_, + or a Shavian play like _John Bull's Other Island_. Man is too + great a thing ever to be of his nature low and banal. We have in + life farce sometimes, comedy very often indeed, but never + banality. + +The essay thus concludes: + + If we have been flooded with rag-times and musical comedies, the + fault lies in the first place with the French and Italian + composers of the period 1790-1850. Pre-Wagner opera is as low a + concoction as can possibly be conceived. It took all the genius + of the great Bayreuth master to turn things back into their + proper channel. But he has succeeded, and the old style is + moribund. Anyone who glances over the list of living composers + must see that they are all enormously influenced by Wagner's + principle. The last of the old style was Massenet, and he is + dead. We see Richard Strauss, an extreme Wagnerian, only without + the master's full powers; Engelbert Humperdinck, who is a user of + the _leitmotif_ and a most skilled orchestrator, though his + motifs are not so powerful as Wagner's or even Strauss's; Pietro + Mascagni, a Mozartean composer; Bruneau, an extreme Wagnerian; + Glazounov and Mossourgsky have combined Wagner's ideas with + Tschaikovsky's; Puccini at least is a very strong supporter and + admirer of Wagner. It will thus be seen that, with the exception + of Mascagni, Wagnerian ideas have been paid tribute to by all the + leading opera composers of the day. In a word, the Man is here. + Opera, as represented by Richard Wagner's music-dramas, takes its + place on a level with the absolute music of which Beethoven's + work is the noblest example. + +Paul found keen pleasure in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, liking +the witty libretto as much as the bright, tuneful melodies. For the +work of Caesar Franck, a gifted Belgian musician who died on the +threshold of manhood, he had profound admiration, and was of opinion +that had he lived Franck would have taken rank with the great masters. +As was to be expected, my son had for Welsh music a strong natural +sympathy. He held that "Men of Harlech" was one of the greatest of all +battle hymns, and that "Morfa Rhuddlan," the ancient Cymric dirge, had +never been surpassed as a piece of funereal music. Some of the old +Welsh hymn tunes he regarded as unique in their wistfulness and devout +aspiration; and as for Welsh choral singing, he thought it was +matchless for richness, fire and harmony. + + + + +CHAPTER IX + +LITERATURE AND ETHICS + + _Without the blessing of reading the burden of life would be + intolerable and the riches of life reduced to the merest penury._ + + GLADSTONE. + + + _The taste for reading stores the mind with pleasant thoughts, + banishes ennui, fills up the unoccupied interstices and enforced + leisures of an active life; and if it is judiciously managed it is + one of the most powerful means of training character and + disciplining and elevating thought. To acquire this taste in early + life is one of the best fruits of education._ + + LECKY: "THE MAP OF LIFE." + + +From his childhood Paul Jones had been a voracious and an omnivorous +reader. He read with amazing rapidity. The first book he enjoyed +whole-heartedly was Mabel Dearmer's "Noah's Ark Geography," one of the +best children's books written in the past twenty years. He read and +re-read this book as a little boy and used to talk lovingly of Kit and +his friends, Jum-Jum and the Cockyolly Bird. Alas! Kit (Mrs. Dearmer's +son Christopher) and his gifted mother have been claimed as victims by +the World War. Paul revelled in "AEsop's Fables," "Robinson Crusoe," +"The Swiss Family Robinson," "Don Quixote," "Treasure Island," "The +Arabian Nights," "Gulliver's Travels," and classical legends. As he +grew older he passed on to "The Mabinogion," "The Pilgrim's Progress," +Lamb's "Tales of Shakespeare," and writers like Henty, Manville Fenn, +Clark Russell, W. H. Fitchett and P. G. Wodehouse. He followed with +delight the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, whose charm never faded for +him. He made a point of reading everything written by Conan Doyle. But +he gave first place among living writers to George Bernard Shaw, and +next place to H. G. Wells. He would never miss a Shaw play. His +delight at the first performance he saw of _John Bull's Other Island_ +was boisterous. He loved to read that play as well as to see it +performed. The glimpses of Ireland and the portraits of Irish +character enchanted him. Broadbent--typifying the self-complacency of +the well-meaning but Philistine Victorian who had solved to his own +satisfaction all mysteries in earth and heaven--he regarded as a +masterpiece of creative art. For Kipling his admiration was qualified; +but he loved "M'Andrews' Hymn," and often recited lines from the +"Recessional." Of the great novelists Dickens was easily his first +favourite; a long way behind came Scott, Stevenson and Jules Verne. +Dickens he knew and loved in every mood. Pickwick like Falstaff was to +him a source of perennial delight. He loved and honoured Dickens for +his rich and tender humanity, the passion of pity that suffused his +soul, the lively play of his comic fancy. Endowed with a keen sense of +humour, he read Mark Twain and W. W. Jacobs with gusto. As a +relaxation from historical studies he would sometimes devour a bluggy +story, and as he read would shout with laughter at its grotesque +out-topping of probabilities. He tried his own hand at sensational +yarns. I recall one of them, rich in gory incidents, with a villain +who is constantly leaping from a G.W.R. express to elude his pursuers. +Among his papers I found the manuscript of a detective story, +vivaciously written after the Sherlock Holmes and Watson manner. + +At one time Paul liked to read Homer and Thucydides, Virgil and +Tacitus; but as soon as he was at home in the wide realm of English +literature he thrust the old classics from him, and subsequently his +hard historical reading gave him no opportunity, even if he had felt +the desire, to revert to Greek and Latin writers. But he was fully +conscious of the world's debt in culture to Greece and in law and +government to Rome. He wrote: "The influence of Greek thought, Greek +form, Greek art, is universal and eternal." + +Of all names in literature he reverenced most that of Shakespeare, in +whom he saw "the spirit of the Renaissance personified," and whom he +described "as romantic, philosophic, realistic, and as varied and +impersonal as Nature." He was never weary of reading the tragedies and +historical plays. He resented any word in disparagement of +Shakespeare, and could not understand the inability of a supreme +artist like Tolstoy to appreciate his greatness. Though he has written +a noble sonnet in homage to Shakespeare's genius, Matthew Arnold once +permitted himself to say that "Homer leaves Shakespeare as far behind +as perfection leaves imperfection." Paul wrote in a marginal note, +"Bosh! to put it bluntly." He would say with Goethe, "The first page +of Shakespeare made me his for life, and when I had perused an entire +play I stood like one born blind, to whom sight by some miraculous +power had been restored in a moment." Paul and I often exchanged ideas +on Shakespeare. He was lost in wonder at Shakespeare's creative power, +his inexhaustible fertility, the universality of his range, the +perfection of his portraiture, his mastery over all moods, his cunning +artistry in the use of words, his exuberant imagery and effortless +ease. He made a pilgrimage to Stratford-on-Avon to see with his own +eyes the spots and scenes amid which Shakespeare's youth and declining +years were spent. The smiling beauty of Stratford and the rich rural +charm of its surroundings left on his mind a delightful impression +that was never erased. + +Next to Shakespeare his admiration flowed out to Milton. When he went +into the battle-line he took with him only two books--his Shakespeare +and his Milton. With Milton's character he had some marked +affinities--the virginal purity of Milton's youth, his love of +learning, his hatred of all tyrannies, secular and spiritual, making a +strong appeal to the sympathies of my son. "Milton," he wrote, "is +perhaps the very grandest figure in English history." "In Milton the +spirit of Puritanism is combined with a purely Hellenic love of +beauty." "'Paradise Lost' may be regarded (1) as a reflection of the +Puritan point of view; (2) as a poem pure and simple; (3) as an epic +of the classical school." + +Profound as was his admiration for "Paradise Lost," he could not +forbear smiling at Taine's quip that the Miltonic Adam is "your true +Paterfamilias, a member of the Opposition, a Whig, a Puritan, who +entered Paradise via England." + +Paul extolled Pope's ingenuity and metrical felicity--he has +thoroughly annotated the "Essay on Man"--but was acutely conscious of +aridity and the absence of rapture and vision in Pope as in Dryden. He +singled out as "the finest passage in the 'Essay on Man'" the eight +lines in which Pope contrasts the majesty of the Universe with the +insignificance of man, beginning: + + Let earth unbalanced from her orbit fly, + Planets and suns run lawless through the sky. + +He had not much respect for Pope's philosophy, and, commenting on one +passage in the same poem, writes: "Pope, like many other unsound +reasoners, when his position becomes dangerous, seeks to vindicate +himself by insults." + +Above all nineteenth-century poets he loved Wordsworth, the revelation +of whose richness and glory only came to him after he was seventeen. +There were no bounds to his admiration for the Wordsworth sonnets. +Many a time since the War he would recite the glorious sonnet which +proclaims that + + We must be free or die, who speak the tongue + That Shakespeare spake, the faith and morals hold + Which Milton held. In every thing we are sprung + Of Earth's first blood, have titles manifest. + +The magic of Keats and his adoration of beauty struck a responsive +chord in Paul's nature. Tennyson did not stir him to the depths of his +being like Wordsworth. "Ulysses," "The Revenge," and "Crossing the +Bar" were the only Tennyson poems that he cared for. In an essay +written when he was eighteen he defined poetry as "the soul of man put +into untrammelled speech, the voice of angels, the music of the +spheres." He read with critical discernment, sometimes agreeing, +sometimes disagreeing, with the author. It was his habit when reading +a book to mark passages that impressed him and make comments in the +margin. Some of his _obiter dicta_ shall be given. In judging them it +should be remembered that they were all pronounced before he was +nineteen. + + How aptly said that Dante seems to have tried to write a poem + with a sculptor's chisel or a painter's brush. + + Froissart observes clearly, but his observation is limited to the + world of nobles and chivalry; he ignores the life, the sufferings + and the joys of the people. + + Ben Jonson, master of dignified declamatory drama, was the + greatest of the post-Shakespeare school. We may justly say + post-Shakespeare, though Jonson was nearly contemporaneous with + the Bard of Avon, because the influence of such a man clearly + belongs to an age in which the freedom and romantic magnificence + of Shakespeare have been forgotten. + + Gibbon is the first of historians. The "Decline and Fall of the + Roman Empire" runs its course like some majestic river. + + Burns is a microcosm of Scotland. + + Burke--a stainless and beautiful character. A theorist in + practice; a practical man in theory. + + Burke's view of Rousseau was biased and unjust. + + Though contemptuous of Wordsworth, Byron himself is a romantic of + the romanticists. He was the guiding star of rebels the world + over. + + In the calm purity of his verse, Shelley is more classic than + romantic. What ecstatic melody in his lyrics! + + Dickens is often mawkish and often portrays oddities; but these + oddities do exist, especially in London (_e.g._, Sam Weller, Mrs. + Todgers, Jo, etc.), and Dickens unearthed them for the first + time. How his heart warms for the poor and the wretched! He is + the great poet of London life. + + Macaulay is not a philosophic writer; but then the English genius + is certainly non-philosophic. + + Froude in his essay on Homer says: "The authors of the Iliad and + the Odyssey stand alone with Shakespeare far away above mankind." + Paul's marginal note: "Add to them Milton, Goethe, the author of + the Nibelungen-lied, Browning." + + Froude, I think, has misunderstood the Nibelungen-lied entirely. + There is really much savagery and much glory in both the German + and the Greek epic. + + How strange that men like Rabelais and Swift, Goldsmith and + Dickens, who have done so much to make the world laugh, + experienced in their own lives great unhappiness. + + Browning is always an optimist. His manliness and vigour are + unfailing: + + I find earth not grey but rosy, + Heaven not grim but fair of hue. + Do I stoop? I pluck a posy. + Do I stand and stare? All's blue. + +Paul considered that Macaulay lacked ideas and vision. He liked the +lilt and swing of the Lays and Ballads, and enjoyed the Essays with +their superb colouring. Disputing Macaulay's dictum that neither +painters nor poets are helped by the advances in civilisation, science +and refinement, he wrote: "This argument disproved by the examples of +men like Shakespeare and Goethe, like Browning and Kipling. And did +not Leonardo da Vinci become a student of anatomy in order to learn +how to depict the human body properly on his canvas?" + +Macaulay in his Essay on Mackintosh's "History of The Revolution" +describes the condition of England in 1678, after eighteen years of +Charles the Second's reign, in graphic words, beginning "Such was the +nation which, awaking from its rapturous trance, found itself sold to +a foreign, a despotic, a Popish court, defeated on its own seas and +rivers by a State of far inferior resources, and placed under the rule +of pandars and buffoons." + +Paul's comment reads: "This superb passage is one of the most inspired +of Macaulay's utterances. Contrast with it in the same Essay the vivid +sentence beginning 'In the course of seven centuries,' in which he +pronounces a magnificent panegyric on the greatness of Britain." + +He thought the music of Macaulay's prose had often a metallic sound, +and that it suffered from excess of epithet and addiction to +antithetical phrases. In pithiness of style, sureness of touch and +dispassionate judgment, he contrasted Acton as an historical writer +with Macaulay, to the latter's disadvantage. He found every page of +Acton packed with thought, every essay richly freighted with ideas. +Moreover, Acton was sternly impartial and impersonal in his judgment +of persons and in his estimate of influences. Paul wrote: + + There has never been in historical writing such inexorable logic, + such compact phraseology, so much pith and point, as are to be + found in Acton's Essays. + +His view of Carlyle was thus expressed: "Take away his style and half +his greatness vanishes. Carlyle's works are not English in spirit, nor +have they any point of resemblance to those of any other English +writer." As for his views: "he has, alas! no love for democracy." +Carlyle's habit of apotheosising heroes and his worship of the Strong +Man made Paul pose the familiar problem: "Is the great man the +fashioner of his age, or its product?" He thought something was to be +said on both sides, and that it was impossible to lay down a positive +proposition on what he called "this terribly difficult question." But +he agreed with Guizot that "great events and great men are fixed +points and summits of historical survey." He emphasises the fact that +in his "French Revolution" Carlyle, in spite of his hero-worship, +accepts the evolutionary view of history. + +Among essayists he had a special liking for Froude, Matthew Arnold and +Edmund Gosse. He often turned for refreshment to Froude's "Short +Studies," and felt the fascination of his "Erasmus." In his essay on +the Book of Job, Froude writes: "Happiness is not what we are to look +for; our place is to be true to the best which we know; to seek that +and do that." On this my son comments: "I don't hold with this idea; +for, while happiness is not the end, yet it always in its purest and +brightest form comes to the really good or great man in the +consciousness of the work he has done." Froude in his essay on +"Representative Men" enlarges on the importance of educating boys by +holding up before them the pattern of noble lives. By picturing the +career of a noble man rising above temptation and "following life +victoriously and beautifully forward," Froude thinks you will kindle a +boy's heart as no threat of punishment here or hereafter will kindle +it. On this Paul writes: "A noble plea for an education of youth far +more effective than the cursed nonsense of forbidding this or that on +penalty of hell-fire." + +Matthew Arnold, whom in some moods he admired, occasionally got on +his nerves. I find this footnote on a page of "Culture and Anarchy": +"This is self-satisfied swank." On another page: "Matthew Arnold +himself often wanting in sweetness and light." On another: "Admirably +put; here I do agree with M. A." He liked Arnold's essay on "The +Function of Criticism," although he differed from some of the author's +judgments. "The French Revolution took a political, practical +character," wrote Arnold; on which my son's comment is: "Surely the +French Revolution was only one aspect of a great world-movement of +liberation! One side of it is Romanticism; another the Revolution +itself; yet another, the Industrial Revolution. No movement has ever a +character _sui generis_." On Joubert's remark: "Force and Right are +the governors of this world, Force till Right is ready," his comment +is: "A regular German theory." Paul's final note on "The Function of +Criticism" reads: + + I consider that Matthew Arnold insists too much on the + non-practical element of criticism. After all, it is the lesson + of life that the practical man wins in the end. When we are + brought face to face with the realities of things--as in a war + like the present one--all thought of art and letters simply + vanishes. How is it that the mass of the world is always + inartistic? How is it that the one people in the world--the + Greeks--who built up their State on what Arnold regards as ideal + conditions, collapsed in headlong ruin before the inartistic but + practical Romans? + +This comment illustrates one effect of the War on Paul's mind: he was +becoming less of an idealist and more of a realist. + +For Mr. W. H. Hudson's "Introduction to the Study of Literature" he +had high esteem. This book he has carefully annotated. Of Mr. Hudson's +remarks on the contrast between the style of Milton and that of +Dryden, between Hooker and Defoe, he writes: "A comparison of +remarkable discernment. The difference between the Miltonic and +Drydenic styles, _i.e._, pre-1660 and post-1660, was simply due to the +change in ideas caused by the reaction against Puritanism." Agreeing +with Hudson that there is much poetry which is prosaic and much prose +which is poetical, he cites as examples: "Prose in Poetry: Pope, +Dryden, Walt Whitman. Poetry in Prose: Carlyle, Macaulay, Goethe." He +did not concur with Hudson's remark that the "full significance of +poetry can be appreciated only when it addresses us through the ear," +and that "the silent perusal of the printed page will leave one of its +principal secrets unsurprised." Paul's comment on this: + + Too sweeping a statement. Take, for example, poets like Milton + and Browning, where every line is fraught with some deep + philosophic meaning and must be pondered over for some time + before the whole of the greatness of the poetry is realised. In + these cases reading aloud is not nearly so good as private, + silent study. + +He demurred to the proposition that while the function of Ethics is to +instruct, that of Art is to delight. "I hold," he writes, "that Art's +duty is to instruct as much as, if not more than, that of Ethics. Art +to be great must elevate and edify." Hudson wrote: "The common view +that the primitive ages of the world were ages of colossal +individualism is grotesquely unhistorical; they were, on the contrary, +ages in which group-life and group-consciousness were in the +ascendant." "Quite true," notes Paul. "See Maine's 'Ancient Law,' +where he points out that ancient history has nothing to do with the +individual but only with groups." Another annotated book is +Maeterlinck's "Wisdom and Destiny." To Maeterlinck's remark, "It is +often of better avail from the start to seek that which is highest," +he adds: "Always, not often." He heartily subscribed to Maeterlinck's +doctrine that our attitude to life ought to be one of "gladsome, +enlightened acceptance, not a hostile, gloomy submission." + +His philosophy of life was expressed in that beautiful passage in +Carlyle's essay on "Characteristics": + + Here on earth we are as soldiers fighting in a foreign land; that + understand not the plan of the campaign and have no need to + understand it; seeing well what is at our hand to be done, let us + do it like soldiers, with submission, with courage, with a heroic + joy. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with all thy + might." Behind us, behind each one of us, lie 6,000 years of + human effort, human conquest. Before us is the boundless Time, + with its as yet uncreated and unconquered continents and + Eldorados, which we, even we, have to conquer, to create; and + from the bosom of Eternity there shine for us celestial guiding + stars. + + My inheritance, how wide and fair! + Time is my fair seed-field, of Time I'm heir. + +The ethical side of Paul's character is reflected in the appended +quotations from some of his essays: + + Sacrifice is always the lot of the divine man. + + What is "to do good"? It is to think of other people. + + Joy only comes to Faust when at last he is labouring for others. + As Wolsey puts it in _Henry VIII_: "Love thyself last," and "bear + peace in thy right hand." + + The Epicurean idea is vile and detestable. If everyone thinks + only of his own indulgence, how can the wherewithal for that + indulgence be forthcoming? What is the use of man having all his + glorious gifts of character and intellect if he does not use + them? Why is man made so different from the animals if he is to + be the mere slave of his passions? + + Stoicism finally degenerates into mere pessimism. + + The great defect of Puritanism was its hostility to Art; for Art + glorifies and ennobles Life. + + "What is the final cause of the Universe?" This is the old + problem of the philosophers. Goethe's lines leap to the mind: + + "How, when and where? + The Gods make no reply; + To causes give thy care, + And cease to question why." + + Carlyle in "Heroes and Hero Worship" shows the folly of + condemning a man for the faults noted down by the world about + him--by those blind to the true inner secret of his life. "Who + art thou that judgest thy fellow?" + + Naturalism is illogical because it postulates Nature without + mind. + + If you do not place faith in humanity, what really is the use of + any philosophy of life? + + Let us remember St. Paul's injunction, "Bear ye one another's + burdens." + + It is a thought to make one ponder, that by far the finest Life + of Christ was written by an agnostic, Renan. + + Action is a great joy in life. + + When prehistoric man took up a flint and laboriously beat it into + a shape that his brain told him would be of use to him, he laid + the foundations of all civilisation. Man's progress is the story + of brute force laid low by Thought--which is the one really + irresistible influence in the Universe: + + "In the world there is nothing great but Man; + In Man there is nothing great but Mind." + + It is a perplexing reflection that there is no absolute moral + standard. The moral law appears to vary with environment and + according to conditions of time and place. I am reminded of + Pope's lines: + + "Where the extreme of vice was ne'er agreed. + Ask where's the North? At York 'tis on the Tweed; + In Scotland, at the Orcades; and there + At Greenland, Zembla, or the Lord knows where." + + The greater a man is in one direction, the more prone he usually + is to weakness in another: that is why we must never condemn + indiscriminately. + + The laws governing the Universe, so far from being mechanical + and dead, are elements filled with Truth and Beauty. + + Materialism is fatal to the higher instincts, because it + introduces that most sordid element--earthly pomp, circumstance + and recompense. + + The Universe, History, Life are before us. Why should they not be + investigated? It is not true that science leads to Atheism or + Fatalism. What science does is to destroy that fabric of + _Aberglaube_ or superstition which chokes and asphyxiates the + best parts of religion. What science does is to set up a new, + purer creed based on certainty and truth. + +Of French writers Paul liked most Taine, Sainte-Beuve, and Victor +Hugo. His love of reading he took with him into the War. A box of +books returned to us with his other effects from France included "The +Meditations of Marcus Aurelius," Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason," +Macaulay's "Essays," Saint-Simon's "Memoirs," Sainte-Beuve's +"Causeries," "The Imitation of Christ," Lecky's "History of European +Morals," and works by Goethe, Victor Hugo, Dumas the elder, Flaubert, +Maurice Barres, and Mrs. Humphry Ward. + + + + +CHAPTER X + +HISTORY AND POLITICS + + _History is philosophy teaching by examples._ + + BOLINGBROKE. + + + _The science of Politics is the one science that is deposited by the + stream of history, like grains of gold in the sand of a river._ + + ACTON. + + +Reared in the home of a political journalist, it was natural that Paul +Jones should be attracted to public affairs. He followed with lively +curiosity the progress of the two general elections of 1910, and from +that year was an interested observer of political events. As he grew +older his bent towards politics became more pronounced. A youth +familiar with Roman, mediaeval and modern history could not fail to be +fascinated by the political drama unfolding before his eyes. He +watched history in the making with the same eagerness that he read the +history of the past. The prevailing tone at Dulwich, as at most public +schools, is Conservative. Paul was a perfervid Liberal. In school and +out of school, not only did he not disguise, he gloried in his +advanced opinions. The extent of his political knowledge and the +ripeness of his views were astonishing in one so young. + +From the moment he began to think for himself his sympathies flowed +out to the wage-earning classes. What he remembered and what he had +heard of his Puritan grandfather, William Jones, a grand specimen of +the Victorian artisan, who died in December, 1905, on the verge of 80, +deepened his regard for them. But his own broad and sympathetic nature +would have drawn him instinctively to their side. In his judgment it +was on and by the working-classes that the wheels of the world moved +forward. He had nothing but contempt for the sparrow-like frivolity of +fashionable Society, and was repelled from the middle classes by their +servitude to conventions, their prejudices social and political, and +their non-receptivity to ideas. He for his part must breathe an ampler +air. He was wont to speak disdainfully of the Victorian era, because, +in spite of all the advances it witnessed in the physical sciences and +of Britain's rapid growth in wealth between 1850 and 1890, it did so +little for social welfare. + +For feudal magnates and the _nouveaux riches_ he had scant respect, +holding that both the aristocracy and the plutocracy had used their +political power for selfish ends. Old feudalism in some respects he +regarded as better than new Capital, for the landed aristocracy did at +least recognise some obligations to those under their sway, whereas +Capital was so concerned with its rights that it forgot altogether its +reciprocal duties. His view was that, under shelter of the +_laissez-faire_ system, with its false presumption that employers and +employed were on a parity in bargaining power, Capital had +scandalously evaded its obligations to Labour. He regarded the +conditions of life in some of our industrial districts as a grave +reproach to the nation. The lust for wealth and other unlovely aspects +of competitive commercialism were most repugnant to him. He knew that +Nature cares not a rap for equality and lavishes her gifts with a +strange caprice. But though there is inequality of natural gifts, he +thought it was the duty of the State to ensure equality of opportunity +to all its citizens. His ideal was a co-operative commonwealth, in +which the competitive spirit would be held in check by communal needs +and aims, and where every career would be opened freely to talent. In +one of his essays he deplores the fact that political economists had +fallen into the delusion of applying the laws that govern the +exchange of commodities without any variation to Labour, and leaving +out of account intangibles and imponderables like moral forces and +other expressions of the delicate and mysterious human spirit. +Political economy, he thought, would have to be recast and humanised. +"The economists," he said, "have entirely ignored the human factor." + +Paul's conviction was that when the rule of enlightened democracy was +established wars would cease. "The peoples never want wars," he wrote; +"under a pure democracy wars would be impossible." Because of the +associations clustering around it the word "Imperialism" jarred on +him, but he took pride in the greatness of the free and liberal +British Empire, with its rule of law, its love of peace, its humane +ideals. He had the historical sense in highly developed degree. The +story of human progress stretched before the eye of his mind in a +series of vivid pictures. Surveying the immense and imposing fabric of +recorded events woven by the ceaseless loom of Time, he had an +unerring instinct for the shining figures, the salient characteristic, +the determining factor. Away from a library he could have written a +quite tolerable essay on any century of the Christian era. Historical +characters in whom he was specially interested were Julius Caesar, +Octavius, Charlemagne, the Emperor Charles V, Queen Elizabeth, +Cromwell, Louis XIV, the elder Pitt, Frederick the Great, and +Napoleon; and among the non-political Roger Bacon, Erasmus, Luther, +Sir Thomas More, Isaac Newton, Faraday, and Darwin. The Elizabethan +age had for him a magnetic attraction, because of the Queen with her +enigmatical personality, marvellous statecraft and capacity for +inspiring devotion, and of the brilliant galaxy of great men, +statesmen and sailors, poets and scholars, who enriched her reign with +so much glory. Another epoch he loved to study was that of the French +Revolution. I have already referred to his habit of annotating the +books he read. From notes he made on political books and from some of +his essays I have culled the following: + + Man's tool-using power is simply a symbol of man's unique + reasoning gifts. Its connotations may be extended to mean the + entire intellect. + + The savage using his language with joy like a child, gives us the + wealth of beautiful mythology about all natural objects. + + It is wonderful to think that Julius Caesar's imperial system was + handed right down to the nineteenth century, until one not unlike + Caesar himself set his foot upon its neck in 1806. But long before + it fell the Holy Roman Empire had really ceased, in Voltaire's + words, to be holy, or Roman, or an empire. + + Froude holds up to admiration the "serene calmness" of Tacitus, + and says he took no side. But I ask anyone who has read the + sarcastic remarks about Domitian and the Emperors in the + "Agricola" whether he thinks Tacitus took no side in writing + history. + + Nothing can alter the fact that Mohammedanism has done a vast + amount of good. Compare Carlyle's appreciation of Mahomet with + Gibbon's acrimonious insinuations. + + Much that is strange in human history is explained if we remember + that aristocracies in the West were political, while in the East + they were religious. + + Hildebrand, who boldly declared that the Church compared to the + State was as the sun to the moon--the State only shining by light + borrowed from the greater orb--was now on the papal throne. His + giant intellect and tremendous personality had overawed Henry IV + into ignominious capitulation at Canossa. With Europe at his feet + Hildebrand cannot but have desired to assert his authority over + the island-State across the Channel. William the Conqueror and + Hildebrand were rarely-matched antagonists--the one determined to + set bounds to the Pope's scheme of world-domination; the Pope + equally determined to bend the stubborn Norman to his will. It + was the Conqueror who won. + + The conception of the Norman Conquest has shifted from the + grotesque over-estimate of Thierry to the under-estimate of + Freeman and Maitland. To the moderns the Conquest is now little + more than a change of dynasty. A juster estimate would be that + the very change of dynasty gave the Conquest its vital + importance.... The effects were really immense. The Conquest + substituted for the degenerate race of Anglo-Saxon kings a virile + dynasty able to give to England what it needed--a vigorous + central administration--and brought the English people into the + stream of European civilisation. + + It was the hope of Erasmus that Catholic forms could be blended + with the Greek spirit. + + Luther's songs express the very soul of old Germany; above all, + the great hymn "Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott." + + Though the Reformation in freeing the mind of man from + ecclesiastical tyranny made eventually for political liberty, its + whole tendency in England for the time being was in favour of + absolute monarchy. Its first outcome here was to set up a secular + monarchy, supreme in Church and State, founded on the theory of + the divine right of kings, based on an aristocracy made loyal by + the instinct of self-interest. + + Commerce and national wealth were at stake in the war between + England and Spain in the sixteenth century, and not merely, + perhaps not even mainly, religion. + + Drake was a very great sailor, but he was undoubtedly a + buccaneer. + + Many Ministers had been sent to the block for offences far less + rank than those of Charles I; nevertheless, his execution was + absolutely illegal and a fatal mistake in policy. + + Few men experienced such hard treatment at the hands of fortune + as Cromwell. In every case, save the rule of the major-generals, + his constitutional experiments were wise, far-seeing and + well-conceived. It was the perverse conduct of those who + professed to be his followers that ruined all. + + There has never been a shrewder king on a throne than Charles II. + + In the popular view, James II will always be regarded as the + tyrannical despot, the subverter of the religious and political + institutions of England, while his brother, Charles II, will be + looked upon as a kindly and amiable gentleman, who oppressed no + one and treated everyone kindly. Yet in the view of the student + of history Charles becomes the tyrant and James an honest though + bigoted fool. + + To compare the age of Cromwell with that of Charles II is to see + the Dorian and Lydian spirits respectively in their most + contrasted lights. + + The difference between Richelieu and Mazarin is the difference + between the creator and the developer. + + The political revolution of 1688 was contemporaneous with a + revolution in physics, shown by Harvey's discovery of the + circulation of the blood; with a revolution in astronomical + thought, shown by Newton's "Principia"; with a small revolution + in literature, shown by the rise of English prose; with a + revolution in popular feeling all over the world, as shown by the + riots against excessive taxation in France and the ejection of de + Witt in Holland. All the different threads of life seem to run + interwoven, and one cannot be disturbed without disturbing the + others. + + The character of Frederick the Great was stained by many infamous + deeds; he was in many ways unscrupulous, yet he was never petty, + and he was devoted to his country. He was the greatest genius in + practical reforms and in the art of war that the eighteenth + century produced. + + Frederick the Great has had a far stronger and better influence + on history than a selfish, callous person like Louis XIV. + + Of all the benevolent despots there is only one, Frederick the + Great, to whom can be fitly applied what Johnson said of + Goldsmith: "Let not his faults be remembered: he was a very great + man." + + Under a despotism the aristocracy loses all its powers, and, + except for the bureaucracy and "King's friends," there is no + privileged class unless the King is a weak man and under the + thumb of his court (e.g., contrast the France of Louis XIV with + that of Louis XV). + + Carlyle in his "French Revolution" paints a wonderfully vivid + picture of the idle, voluptuous noblesse of the eighteenth + century: compare the views of de Tocqueville. + + Carlyle in his grim account of the death-bed of Louis XV writes: + "We will pry no further into the horrors of a sinner's + death-bed." Paul's comment: "cf. the episode of the death of + Front-de-Boeuf in 'Ivanhoe.'" + + Lord Chesterfield saw clearly the symptoms of the coming + Revolution in France. Only two other men in Europe foresaw that + immense event: Goldsmith and Arthur Young. Note Gibbon's + complacent attitude _in re_ France to illustrate the general lack + of vision on the subject. + + Voltaire's summing up of the consequences of Turgot's fall may be + expressed in Sir Edward Grey's phrase: "Death, disaster and + damnation." + + If Louis XVI had been wiser and more capable, would he have + averted the French Revolution? I think not. It is to be doubted + whether even a strong king, after so many years of tyranny which + had generated such hatred of the ancient regime, could have + checked the flow of forces making for the Revolution. Apart from + the effect of the old tyranny, new ideas of democracy were + arising. Witness the contemporary failure of a great benevolent + despot in Joseph II. + + There was no idea of nationality in the foreign policy of the + younger Pitt. + + Hilaire Belloc's description of the guillotining of the + Dantonists forms a picture among the most thrilling, enthralling + and agonising that I know. + + Fox stands out as one of the most brilliant failures and one of + the most ineffective geniuses in history. + + Before war broke out in 1870 the world believed in the military + superiority of France. Only that grim trio, Bismarck, Moltke and + Roon, knew the contrary. + + William the First, grandfather of the present Kaiser, was an + absurdly overestimated character. He owed all his success to his + great Ministers. + + Treitschke writes: "The territories drained by great rivers are + usually centres of civilisation.... Our Rhine remains the king of + all rivers, but what great thing has ever happened on the + Danube?" Paul's comment on this: + + "I know of only three great events on the Danube. One, the + capture of Vienna by the Turks; two, the Battle of Blenheim; + three, the Battle of Ulm." + + The Jews are a truly extraordinary race. Though they have for + centuries been persecuted, despised, outcast, so far from being + crushed by their sufferings, they seem actually to have been + toughened in fibre, and to-day they exercise a commanding + influence in the world. + + England's geographical position does not fit her for the role of + a Continental Power. Her home is on the sea; her empire + world-wide. + + Each race, each nation, has its own characteristics, its own + peculiar type of civilisation. Attempts to destroy these inherent + qualities have time and time again been baffled--as the examples + of the Jews, Poland and Alsace-Lorraine clearly demonstrate.... + As Treitschke puts it: "The idea of a world-State is odious. The + whole content of civilisation cannot be realised in a single + State. Every people has the right to believe that certain powers + of the Divine Reason display themselves in it at their highest." + + Patriotism may indeed be but a larger form of selfishness, but it + is a larger form. It does involve devotion to others. As long as + men are men, it is so unlikely as almost to be impossible that + patriotism will ever be replaced by cosmopolitanism. + + A great point in favour of the rule of democracy is its + character-building power. + + It is customary in a certain class of society to abuse + trade-unionism. People talk of the tyranny of trade-unionism; it + would be as easy, perhaps more justifiable, to talk of the + tyranny of Capital. The trade union has its counterpart in what + are termed the "upper classes." For example, the British Medical + Association is nothing but a trade union under another name. The + trade union is an absolute necessity to the worker in modern + society. + + _Laissez-faire_ has advantages up to a point; State control has + advantages up to a point. The most successful nation will be that + one which succeeds in making a judicious mixture of the two + systems. + + The Englishman in his devil-may-care way does not trouble to + persecute or oppress; his tolerant spirit, aided by the splendid + devotion of a few great men, has, in the words of Seeley, built + up a glorious free Empire "in a fit of absence of mind." + + You will never make the English people idealistic, but you will + never conquer them on that very account. + + While the German talks and dreams of world-Empire, the Englishman + smiles, puts his pipe in his mouth and goes off to found it by + accident. + + The modern system of diplomacy is as vile as anything can be. + Even in England it is the negation of popular government. + + Man's duty to his neighbour ought to be observed as well as the + harsh and pitiless laws of trade and competition. + + The social conditions of our industrial towns to-day are a + standing indictment of the _laissez-faire_ system. + + The great warrior is no more important than the humble toiler. + + Gladstone's finance was governed by the determination to spend as + little as possible. It does not seem to be so good as that of + Lloyd George, viz., to be prepared to spend a great deal provided + you are sure it is for the benefit of the people. + + On a remark of Dr. Sarolea's _in re_ the alleged inherent + antagonism between Europe and America on the one side and Asia + and Africa on the other: "Absurd! If we are to be good Europeans + we must first of all be good world citizens. The Asiatic is as + much our brother as is the Belgian or the American." + + It is not the case that England has checked Germany's Colonial + development. Germany has herself to blame--herself and destiny. + But I must say that Germany had to some extent right on her side + in the Morocco dispute. + + The Germans ignore the fact that wherever we British go we throw + our ports open to the commerce of the world. + +In the autumn of 1914 my son read General von Bernhardi's book, +"Germany and the Next War." In his notes on this book he drew +attention to Bernhardi's frequent self-contradictions and his false +philosophy. From these notes the following excerpts are taken: + + Here Bernhardi flatly contradicts the biological argument he uses + earlier in the chapter. Biology knows nothing of States; it sees + only human beings. + + Look at the intimate connection between Darwinism and the + political and economic views of the Individualist Radicals of the + mid-Victorian era. + + Bernhardi assumes that mere material existence is always to be + man's destiny. But the perpetuation of existence beyond the + immediate present cannot be guided by the instinct of grabbing. + + The modern theory is that good and bad as abstract considerations + do not exist, but that they are what experience shows to be best + for us in the end. The animal knows this subconsciously; man + consciously to a certain extent. + + Emphatically No; mere brute force is not the law of the universe. + + Bernhardi may as well talk of conquering the moon as of + conquering the U.S.A. + + Man's true development consists above all in the negation of his + selfish elements for the good of humanity. + + Bernhardi's proposition, "Only the State which strives after an + enlarged sphere of influence can create the conditions under + which mankind develops into the most splendid perfection," Paul + counters by asking: "How does this theory fit in with the case of + the Greeks, who, politically so weak, were yet intellectually so + great that to-day, after 2,000 years, their influence in Europe + is as great as ever? Which would you rather have been, tiny + Greece or vast Persia?" + +On Bernhardi's remark: "No excuse for revolutionary agitation in +Germany now exists." + + No excuse? When the people have no power at all, and can at any + moment be led to the slaughter by a pack of Junkers--"all for the + good of the State"; in other words, to give the military caste + more wealth and dignity. In a few years Bernhardi will see + whether the people have any cause for revolution or not. + + The Germany of philosophy, poetry and song will rescue the German + people from the abyss into which the War Lords have plunged them. + + Germany was indeed unfortunate in entering the world as a great + Power so late. But she will not make any progress by perpetually + brandishing a sword before Europe. + + I do think that Prussia's policy in the past was largely + determined by her geographical situation. + + The Entente with France was the price we paid for Egypt. Germany + never entered our thoughts at all. + + On Bernhardi's allusion to India, Paul wrote: "Curiously enough, + the very day I read this I heard in the House of Commons the + wonderful story of the gifts presented to the British Government + for war purposes by the Indian princes. Such a passionate + outburst of loyalty has never been equalled. This gratitude and + devotion we have won not by the rule of force, but by that of + justice and kindness." + +In regard to Bernhardi's prediction that our self-governing Dominions +would separate from the British Empire: + + Our policy toward them nobly justified. Now in our time of need + the Colonies have flown to our side. + + God help civilisation when the Bernhardis set to work on it! + + Strange that people so far apart as Bernhardi and we Socialists + should yet be at one on this question of checking selfish + individualism by measures of State Socialism. + +A frequent visitor to the Lobby and Press Gallery of the House of +Commons, my son was known to many members of Parliament and political +journalists. Thanks to his free, affable manner, he was on terms of +cordial regard with several of the attendants and police-constables on +duty in and about the House of Commons. His last visit to the Press +Gallery was in May, 1916. He was stirred by the life and movement of +the House and enjoyed a good Parliamentary debate, but he had a +feeling that politicians were apt to mistake illusions for realities +and to think that words could take the place of deeds. + +In the last three years of his life, though his democratic sympathies +never waned, some of his opinions underwent a change. He was +disappointed at the indifference of the masses of the people to their +own interests, at their low standard of taste, at the ease with which +they could be exploited by charlatans. I remember his telling me once, +in 1915, _apropos_ of the blatancy of some noisy patriots: "I now +realise for the first time what Dr. Johnson meant when he wrote, +'Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.'" He disliked the +squalor of the political game and the glibness of tongue and tenuity +of thought of the mere politician. A generous-minded youth of high +ideals, he had not learnt to make allowances for political human +nature, or for the fact that the mass of mankind are necessarily +occupied with _petits soins_ and apt to be dulled by the mechanical +routine of their daily lives. Latterly he often told me that, after +all, there was a great deal to be said for the rule of the enlightened +autocrat. "But," he said, "the mischief is that you can't guarantee a +succession of enlightened autocrats; so we must make the best of the +rule of the majority." The backwardness of England in education used +to make him wring his hands. To lack of education he attributed the +tawdriness and vulgarity of popular taste. I thought my own political +and social views were advanced: to Paul I was little better than a +Whig with a veneration for Mr. Gladstone. He had a bold, +forward-looking mind, and was in favour of root-and-branch changes. He +was only 21 when he died, and his views on social and political +questions would doubtless have been modified in one direction or +another had he lived. But his passion for liberty of thought and +action and his deep sympathy with the unprivileged multitude would +have remained, for these things were inherent in his character. He +would have said with Ibsen: "I want to awaken the democracy to its +true task--of making all the people noblemen by freeing their wills +and purifying their minds." + +Literature, athletics, music, politics did not exhaust the interests +of this strong and eager mind. He was a good chess-player, and +followed with lively curiosity the new developments in mechanics and +aviation. Very fond of dogs, between him and our little fox-terrier +there was a tie of deep affection. As indicative of the catholicity of +his tastes I may mention that, going over his papers after his death, +I discovered in the same drawer a manuscript appreciation of Wagner, +"Football Hints," memoranda on "Pascal and Descartes on Method," and +the outline of an essay on "The Norman Conquest and its Effects." + + + + +CHAPTER XI + +IN THE ARMY + + _Ever the faith endures, + England, my England: + "Take and break us, we are yours," + England, my own._ + + W. E. HENLEY. + + +In the first flush of enthusiasm for the War in 1914 Paul wanted to +join the Public Schools Battalion, but I induced him to postpone doing +so, pointing out that he had been preparing hard for an Oxford +Scholarship, and that there would be ample time for him to join the +Army after the examination early in December. My reasons were +reinforced by his own desire to carry out his duties as Captain of +Football. After winning the Balliol Scholarship, and with the +knowledge that the number of recruits for the Army at that time was +far in excess of the provision of equipment, he was persuaded to stay +at Dulwich College till the end of the football season. But he became +very restless in the early months of 1915. He had never cared for +military exercises, much preferring free athletics, but in 1914 he had +joined the O.T.C. at the College. He assiduously applied himself to +drill and took part in many marches and several field-days. Meanwhile +he followed every phase of the War with fascinated interest. He read +all the War books he could get and began a War diary, which he entered +up every week-end, giving a succinct account of the War's progress on +land and sea and in the air. This diary he continued until he entered +the Army, and at his request I have kept it up since. + +From copious entries by my son under the dates named the appended +excerpts are taken. They indicate with what intelligence and +comprehension he followed every phase of the War. + + _August 18, 1914._--The British Expeditionary Force has landed + safely in France: embarkation, transportation and debarkation + carried out with great precision and without a single casualty. + Our men have made a magnificent impression on the French people + by their athletic demeanour, cheerfulness and orderly discipline. + Their arrival a source of great moral strength to France. + + The Belgian King and Staff have left Brussels for Antwerp. + + _August 30._--News filtering through of the retreat from Mons. + After the battle of Charleroi and the collapse of the French on + our right, the British troops fought stubbornly, but had to fall + back before enormous forces of the enemy, which sought to + annihilate them by sheer weight of numbers. In most difficult + circumstances the ten days' retreat was carried out with + wonderful skill. + + _September 3 and 4._--The Germans now within forty miles of + Paris. Note, however, these important considerations: (1) The + German losses are terrific; (2) the whole Allied forces are + absolutely intact and in good order. The situation is very + different from that of 1870, when the French field armies were + destroyed before the war had been in progress a month. + + The French Government has quitted Paris for Bordeaux. + + _September 14-16._--It is now evident that the battle of the + Marne was a great victory for the Franco-British forces. On + September 6 the German advance southwards reached its extreme + points at Coulommiers and Provins. This movement was covered by a + large flanking force west of the Ourcq watching the outer Paris + defences. The southward movement left the enemy's right wing in a + dangerous position, as the Creil-Senlis-Compiegne line, by which + the Germans had advanced, had been evacuated. The Allies attacked + this wing in front and flank on September 8, and a French Army + was hurried from Paris to attend to the flanking force. The + frontal attack carried out by French and British. The enemy + retreated skilfully to the line of the Ourcq, and from here tried + to crush the French by a counter-attack. This failed utterly, + and the enemy right wing-fell back over the Marne on September + 10, pursued by the French and the British. Large captures of + German prisoners and guns. + + _September 16._--Official report of the Belgian Commission on + German atrocities too awful to read. The horrible things done by + the Kaiser's brutal soldiery in Belgium must remove every vestige + of respect for the Germans. + + _September 19-21._--Conflict on the Aisne continues. No decisive + advantage to either side: both armies now strongly entrenched. + + _September 29-Oct. 2._--The pater came in very gloomy one night + this week saying he had got information that could not be + published to the effect that Antwerp must fall in a few days, and + that the military situation in Belgium is as bad as it can be. + + _October 12-15._--Ostend evacuated by the Belgian Government, + which has moved to Havre. Germans have occupied Ghent and Bruges + and are attempting a sweeping cavalry movement to and along the + coast. This coincident with an infantry advance on Calais, which + was skilfully checked by a British force that had lain concealed + near Ypres. + + _October 18._--German troops in Belgium are now in contact with + von Kluck's army; that is, they are on the right of the force + that invaded France, roughly on a line drawn from a point a few + miles north of Lille to Ostend. The Allies still occupy part of + Belgium including Fleurbaix, Ypres and the surrounding portion of + the right bank of the Lys. It was feared that the German force + liberated by the fall of Antwerp would be able to combine with + von Kluck, so as to effect a great turning movement on the + Allies' left. Thanks, however, to the excellent railways in + north-east France, skilful disposition of British and French + forces, and the stubborn courage of our troops, this danger was + averted. We have not only checked the movement, but have + ourselves advanced, and the Allies' line to the sea is secure. + + _November 15-22._--Lord Roberts died of pneumonia. He breathed + his last at St. Omer in sound of the guns. He had gone to France + to greet his beloved Indian soldiers. A fitting end for this + really great man. + + _December 13-20._--On Wednesday morning, December 16, German + warships bombarded Scarborough and Hartlepool. This incident of + no military value, but (1) it is a distinct "buck-up" for the + Germans, as no hostile shots had struck any part of English soil + before since the days of de Ruyter; (2) it may arouse unpleasant + misgivings among unthinking people as to the functions and + efficiency of our Navy. A tip-and-run bombardment only possible + because the Germans can concentrate on any selected point of our + coast, whereas we have to guard its whole length. Scarborough an + undefended town, and the bombardment a gross breach of + international law; but we are getting used now to that sort of + thing. + + England has formally taken over Egypt, which hitherto had only + been in our occupation, Turkey's suzerainty being recognised. The + old Khedive, who is absent from the country and intriguing with + the enemy, deposed, and Hussein Ali appointed Sultan. + + _December 20-27._--Full story of the Falkland Islands victory now + published. This swift, clean and sure naval stroke appears to + have been planned from London by Sir John Fisher, the First Sea + Lord. Von Spee, the German Admiral, with his two sons and other + officers, went down on the _Scharnhorst_, refusing to surrender. + + _January 3, 1915._--A rather blunt note from the U.S.A. + complaining that American merchant vessels have been stopped and + searched by our warships without justification, that serious + delays have been caused, and that American commercial interests + have suffered. Specific instances quoted, and freedom of American + ships from molestation in the future demanded. It is the old + question of the right of search come up again. + + _January 17-24._--On Tuesday the famous Zeppelins made their + first appearance on the English scene. Several of the airships + appeared over Yarmouth, King's Lynn, Sheringham, and Sandringham. + Many bombs dropped, but absolutely no military damage; total + result, a number of innocent people killed and injured. This + marvellous achievement said to have given vast joy to Berlin. + Well, they are easily pleased. The destructive power of the Zepps + has been greatly overrated. + + _February, 1-8._--Early in the week von Tirpitz avowed Germany's + intention to torpedo or otherwise destroy every British ship on + the sea, whether a vessel of war or a merchant trader--this to + be done without warning. Our Admiralty countered this declaration + by announcing their intention of using neutral flags for + non-combatant British vessels--a permissible _ruse de guerre_. + Thus the _Lusitania_ has set sail from New York flying the + American flag. "Diamond cut diamond" with a vengeance! + + _February 8-14._--U.S.A. warn Germany that any attack on a vessel + flying the American flag before it is ascertained whether the + flag is or is not fictitious will be "viewed as a serious + matter." + + _February 14-21._--The Germans have gained an immense victory + over the Russians along a front extending from the Niemen to the + Bzura, and Warsaw is as much in danger of capture as Paris was + last September. With marvellous accuracy and skill Hindenburg + seized the opportunity of using his railways in East Prussia to + outflank the Russians on both sides. One fact stands out clear in + the war--the British are the only troops who have as yet held + their ground against the Germans. Of what use are our Allies? + + _March 14-20._--Neuve Chapelle battle not the success for us that + the first reports suggested. I fear some disagreeable facts are + being concealed. The reticence imposed by the Censor is + deplorable. We have suffered heavy casualties in winning a sector + of two miles wide by one mile long: our gains disproportionate to + our losses. We ought to have shaken the German position right up + to Lille. + + _March 21-28._--Fall of Przemysl to the Russians after a siege of + 203 days. The garrison that surrendered comprised nine Generals, + ninety-three superior officers, 2,500 subalterns and officials, + 117,000 rank and file. This great success frees a large Russian + force for active work elsewhere. + + Our Commander-in-Chief in France, Sir John French, in his last + communique talks of a protracted war and warns us against + over-sanguineness. "The protraction of the war depends entirely + upon the supply of men and munitions. Should these be + unsatisfactory the war will be accordingly prolonged." + + In Alsace the French have captured the position of + Hartmannsweilerkopf; they have penetrated twelve miles into + German territory. + + _March 29-April 4._--The Dardanelles operations are fizzling out + in melancholy fashion. Owing to the fact that we began the naval + bombardment before our land forces had arrived, the Turks have + been able to repair nearly all the damage. However, now that Ian + Hamilton has arrived to direct operations in Gallipoli, things + ought to begin to move. + + _April 5-12._--The French have gained a position which overlooks + and commands the whole of the Woevre Plain; they are now fighting + like demons. This district (Lorraine) is very near to the French + heart. The first substantial advance that the French have made + since the battle of the Marne. + + No official news of any value from the British front (the Censor + is hard at work), but for the last six days our casualties have + been terrible. It is maddening to see this long catalogue of + brave men killed or wounded and yet to have all information + withheld. + + The Americans, having fallen out for a short time with us, are + now quarrelling with the Germans, the cause being a very insolent + message to the White House from the German Ambassador. In frantic + tones Count Bernstorff demands that America shall cease to supply + munitions of war to England and her Allies, his object being to + neutralise the effect of our sea-power. + +Paul joined the Army on April 15, 1915, within a month of his 19th +birthday. His application for a commission in the Infantry was refused +point-blank because of his defective vision. The War Office +authorities, much impressed by his school and athletic record, had +requested him to undergo a special examination by an oculist; and on +receipt of the oculist's report showing how extreme was his short +sight, wrote to me on March 26, "It is quite impossible to think of +passing him for a commission, as his sight is so very much below the +necessary standard." Subsequently at an interview at the War Office he +admitted that if his spectacles were lost or broken he would be +helpless; but he said he would equip himself with several pairs to +provide against such emergencies. It was pointed out to him that in +wet weather rain-spots on the lenses of his glasses would obscure his +vision. + +"I am willing to take the risk," was his reply. + +"Yes," came the rejoinder, "but as an officer you would be +jeopardising other lives and not merely your own." + +He was constrained to admit the force of this reasoning. Nevertheless, +his rejection for the Infantry was a grievous disappointment to him. + +Eventually he obtained a commission in the Army Service Corps. He was +very proud to don the King's uniform. On April 15 he reported himself +for duty at a home port which is the principal centre of supply for +our armies abroad. There he remained for over three months. As his +nature was in taking up any work, he got absorbed in his new duties, +and, I am informed, executed them with the utmost efficiency. To keep +himself physically fit he gave some of his leisure to golf and to long +walks, some days tramping twenty miles and more. Looking forward +impatiently to the prospect of going abroad, he used to worry himself +by the thought that he, an athlete, had no more useful work to do than +to superintend the unloading of railway trucks and the loading of +vessels and seeing that supplies were up to specification. At +Whitsuntide his mother, brother and I spent a week-end in the vicinity +of the port where he was employed. One day we visited a little country +town, where he had arranged to join us after his duty was done. Near +to the town was a huge camp, also a hospital for wounded soldiers. We +met Paul on his arrival by train and walked with him to the hotel. On +the way he was kept busy acknowledging the salutes of soldiers who +passed us. At tea he was grave and preoccupied--for him a most unusual +mood. I rallied him on it, and asked whether he was in trouble with +his C.O. + +"Certainly not," was his reply, "I get on excellently with the +Colonel." + +Then a moment or two later he exclaimed with emotion, "Dad, I simply +can't stand it." + +"Stand what!" I exclaimed. + +"I can't stand receiving the salutes of men who have fought or are +going out to fight while I spend my time about wharves and +warehouses." + +As he spoke his eyes filled with tears. To appease him was not easy. +This outburst was indicative of something more than a fugitive mood. + +To his intense delight he received orders to go abroad a couple of +months later. On July 27, 1915, he left England for France, in which +country and Flanders the next two years of his life were to be spent. +His first appointment abroad was that of Requisitioning Officer to the +9th Cavalry Brigade of the 1st Cavalry Division--a Brigade that took +part in the severe fighting of the early months of the War and was now +waiting eagerly for a fresh opportunity to display its prowess. Our +Cavalry officers are a distinct type, with traditions and modes of +life and thought of their own. Paul, to whom nothing human was alien, +studied them with keen curiosity. He found them gay-hearted, +chivalrous gentlemen, and soon shared their enthusiasm for horses. His +experiences with the 9th Brigade are described in his letters. The +psychology of the French peasantry and tradespeople with whom he came +into contact also vastly interested him. It was very responsible work +he had to do for a lad of 19, but he did it ably and zealously. He +liked the work for its variety; it involved a great deal of riding on +horseback and much motoring, and gave opportunities for practising his +French. + +Yet from time to time he heard voices from the trenches calling him. +He was always contrasting his lot with the hardships that were being +patiently endured in the front line by, as he would say, "better men +than myself." He received his promotion to lieutenant in the spring +of 1916. His pleasure at that step upward was soon dashed by his +appointment to a Supply Column. This "grocery work," as he +characterised it, was most distasteful to him; he thought of throwing +up his commission and trying to enlist as a private, but finally +decided to seek a commission in the Royal Field Artillery. After two +unhappy months in the Supply Column he was appointed in command of an +ammunition working-party at an advanced railhead in the Somme +battlefield. How he enjoyed this work his letters will show. It +involved, however, the hanging up of his application for transfer to +the R.F.A. In October, 1916, he was appointed Requisitioning Officer +to the 2nd Cavalry Brigade. He rejoiced at his escape from the +inglorious, albeit necessary, work of the Supply Column, and was soon +at home with his new comrades. + +As time went on, it became more and more evident that our cavalry +would not have much opportunity in the War. The enforced inaction +preyed upon Paul's spirits, and in December he determined to do his +utmost to exchange into a unit in the front line. In his application +for transfer he put his preferences in this order: 1st, Infantry; 2nd, +M.G.C., heavies; 3rd, Artillery. The authorities, realising that his +extreme short sight disqualified him for the Infantry, assigned him to +the Tank Corps, which he joined on February 13, 1917. + +Paul's delight at the change of employment was unbounded. His letters +from the time he joined the Tank Corps sing with happiness. Having +pushed all obstacles aside in order to walk the sacrificial road, he +found great gladness in breasting its steeps. A singular change is +discernible in his letters in the last seven months of his life. No +longer was there any reference in them to political affairs at home or +to international events. He who used to follow the progress of the +world with so much intentness had not a word to say about the change +in the Premiership of Great Britain, or any comment to offer on such +momentous events as the overthrow of the Tsardom in Russia, and the +entry into the war of the United States of America. He was either too +absorbed in his new duties to continue his old habit of observation +and comment, or else his gaze was now turned otherwhere, and he was +following the gleam. + +A few weeks before his death I wrote to him suggesting that, as he was +then twenty-one, a joint banking account in his name and my own might +now be transferred to him so that he would have the money under his +own control. His reply was: "I have a large number of serious +questions, coupled with much hard work, engrossing my attention at +present and would prefer to leave all subsidiary matters severely +alone." This letter was a sign, and not the only one, that he was +liberating himself from mundane ties. + +Brother officers have told me of my son's happiness in the Tank Corps. +His youthful love of engines had returned in full measure. For his +Tank--a "male," carrying Lewis guns and two six-pounders--he had a +positive affection, and would spend hours pottering about it after his +crew had knocked off for the day. Captain Gates, M.C., who had charge +of the section to which Paul's Tank belonged and who was wounded in +the battle in which my son was killed, came to see us in London in +September. From him we had a full account of the last three months of +Paul's life. Among other things, Captain Gates spoke of his _joie de +vivre_, infectious gaiety, hearty appetite, liberal contributions to +the mess funds. Paul, he said, was the life and soul of the section. +When they were out of the battle-line he used to begin his day by a +plunge in the adjacent river. He would come into breakfast looking +radiant, and even then was ready for a frolic. "Some of us would be a +bit down at times," said Captain Gates, "but Paul never. He was +always merry. He had immense strength. In frolicsome moods he would +lift a brother officer in his arms like a child, hold him helpless, +and then drop him gently on the ground; but it took three or four of +us to get him down. To see him come down a village in his Tank was a +sight; his gaiety was so great, and he had a shout or a greeting for +every passer-by. A braver boy I have never met; he was quite calm and +unruffled under shell-fire. If anything, he was too keen. He always +wanted to be in the danger zone, and was most eager to get into +personal touch with the Boches. I told Major Haslam that whenever Paul +would be in battle it would be a case of the V.C. or death; for him +there could be no medium course. On the morning of 31st July, when he +was thrilling at the prospect of the coming attack, I said to him +before we set out: 'Now, don't be too rash; remember that the lives of +your crew are in your keeping.' Unfortunately he was killed quite +early in the fight by a sniper's bullet. His death cast a gloom over +the whole company. In our own mess we shall miss him dreadfully." + +On New Year's Day, 1918, Gunner Phillips, of "C" Battalion, Tank +Corps, called at our house in London, and told us a great deal about +Paul from the standpoint of the men in the battalion. Mr. Phillips, a +young craftsman of high intelligence, spoke with intense affection of +our son, whom he knew almost from the first day Paul joined the Tanks. +He said: "Lieutenant Paul Jones was sociable and most considerate. He +was a grand officer and treated his men like brothers. He would never +ask the men to do what he would not do himself. The result was that we +would all have done anything for him. There are a few rough chaps in +our battalion--men who know the guard-room--but even these yielded +gladly to his influence, and liked him very much. No officer in the +battalion was so loved and respected by the men. One day last summer, +when a number of Tanks had assembled in a wood, our whereabouts were +discovered by the Germans, who at daybreak simply peppered the place +with shells. The order was given to go to the dug-outs. Lieut. Jones, +aroused from sleep, came out half-dressed, but he was as cool as if he +was on parade, and insisted on every man going into the dug-outs +before he himself would take shelter. His merry spirits made him a +great favourite with us all. My own relations with him were +particularly cordial, because I was a Welshman and an athlete." + +It was comforting to have these accounts at first-hand of our son's +unalloyed happiness in the last seven months of his life. Countless +brave men, gifted and simple, eminent and obscure, have sacrificed +their lives in this War, none with more complete self-surrender than +Paul Jones. In War as in Peace, he bore himself like Wordsworth's +"Happy Warrior." + + Whose powers shed round him in the common strife, + Or mild concerns of ordinary life, + A constant influence, a peculiar grace; + But who, if he be called upon to face + Some awful moment to which Heaven has joined + Great issues, good or bad for humankind, + Is happy as a Lover; and attired + With sudden brightness, like a man inspired. + + . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . + + Whom neither shape of danger can dismay, + Nor thought of tender happiness betray, + Who, not content that former Worth stand fast, + Looks forward, persevering to the last, + From well to better, daily self-surpast: + Who, whether praise of him must walk the earth + For ever, and to noble deeds give birth, + Or he must fall, to sleep without his fame + And leave a dead, unprofitable name-- + Finds comfort in himself and in his cause: + And while the mortal mist is gathering, draws + His breath in confidence of Heaven's applause. + + + + +CHAPTER XII + +PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS + + _Heaven doth with us as we with torches do, + Not light them for themselves._ + SHAKESPEARE: "MEASURE FOR MEASURE." + + + _Man he loved + As man; and, to the mean and the obscure + And all the homely in their homely works, + Transferred a courtesy which had no air + Of condescension.... + A kind of radiant joy + Diffused around him._ + WORDSWORTH: "THE PRELUDE." + + +Paul Jones was a prodigious worker. What he accomplished in his brief +life is proof that he did not waste his time. He had an abnormal +capacity for prolonged exertion, whether at work or at play. Such was +the vigour of his physical frame that he was usually fresh even at the +end of a hard-fought game of football. In fact, he hardly knew what +physical fatigue was; and only once, when he was suffering from a +chill, and had to sit for his senior scholarship examination, do I +recollect his exhibiting any sign of mental fag. He found rest in +change of employment. Athletic exercises were a natural antidote to +his strenuous intellectual work; and music lifted him into the region +of pure emotion and soothed his soul with the concord of sweet sounds. + +[Illustration: Paul Jones in his 19th Year.] + +Though he had read widely and reflected much on human life and +destiny, he wore his culture as lightly as a flower. Even after he had +left college, he retained the sunny outlook, the gladsomeness and the +bloom of boyhood. Wherever he went he carried with him an +atmosphere of joy. Fresh ingenuousness and glowing enthusiasm were +part of his charm. There was a rich vein of the romantic in his +character, but the cast of his mind was philosophical. He had no +patience with superficiality masquerading as wisdom, and was quick to +detect a fallacy in reasoning. A shining trait in him was +truthfulness. He would never compromise or palter with the truth, +either by way of suppression, or exaggeration, or casuistical +refinement. What Carlyle said of John Sterling applied with remarkable +exactitude to Paul Jones: "True above all one may call him; a man of +perfect veracity in thought, word and deed; there was no guile or +baseness anywhere found in him. Transparent as crystal, he could not +hide anything sinister if such there had been to hide." + +Affectations in speech or manner, and what schoolboys call "side" or +"swank," he abhorred. His free-ranging mind loved to explore and +inquire, and he would not be hindered from questionings by the weight of +any convention, or the force of any authority. He obeyed Emerson's +maxim: "Speak as you think; be what you are." From the vice of envy he +was entirely free. His generous spirit loved to praise others, and he +was rather prone to self-depreciation. A lenient judge of the actions of +other individuals, he was a stern and exacting critic of his own. He had +a lofty sense of his personal duty and responsibility; and if ever, or +in anything, he fell short of his self-prescribed standard he would, so +to say, whip himself with cords. From his boyhood he was distinguished +by an extreme conscientiousness. "His chastity of honour felt a stain +like a wound." To him conscience was to be reverenced and obeyed as +"God's most intimate presence in the soul, and His most perfect image in +the world." He had a passionate hatred of injustice, and the very +thought of cruelty to human beings or to dumb animals made him aflame +with anger. A master or a games captain who allowed himself to be +influenced by favouritism he despised. Naturally quick-tempered and +impatient, he tried hard to curb these propensities, not always with +success; but if he had wounded or wronged anybody, he was eager to +atone. Quiet and self-contained in strange company, he was joyous and +witty among kindred souls. His manners were cordial and considerate. +Servants--how he hated the name!--adored him, and he was always at ease +among the working-classes. He was essentially a man's man. To women his +attitude was reverential, but he was shy and embarrassed in young +feminine society. He used to say apologetically, "I have no small talk," +and from the vacuity of the average drawing-room chatter he would +silently steal away. + +For religious dogmas he cared nothing, but he bowed in reverent homage +before the Christ. From some marginal notes he has made on Froude's +essay on Newman's "Grammar of Assent," I take these quotations: "After +all, what matter what our dogmas if we really follow the example of +great teachers like Christ, who had nothing to do with creeds or +ritual?" "Every man should be his own priest." The Sermon on the Mount +was his religion. One of his favourite Scriptural texts was the +familiar one from the Epistle of St. James (i, 27): "Pure religion and +undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless +and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the +world." + +Froude in one of his essays writes of the necessity for a campaign +against administrative incapacity, against swindling and cheating, +against drunkenness and uncleanliness, against hunger, squalor and +misery. "Hear, hear," is Paul's comment; "this should be England's +war." His tastes were extremely simple. He disliked luxurious modes +of living, and really enjoyed roughing it. During his twenty-seven +months in the Army he never uttered a complaint as to the conditions; +discomfort and hardship seemed only to heighten his cheerfulness. He +was a non-smoker, and virtually a teetotaller, but in France, when +pure drinking water was unobtainable, he used to take wine at dinner. +Though he set no store on money, he was so frugal in habit and spent +so little on himself that he always had money at his command. Giving +was a joy to him. Blest with perfect health, he was not absent from +duty through indisposition for a single day in his two years' +campaigning. + +Paul had in eminent degree the gift of personality. There was +something magnetic about him, and in any company he compelled +attention. His whole being conveyed an impression of exuberant energy. +Strength of will, serenity and good temper were expressed in his +countenance. Wherever he went he attracted responsibility to himself. +Sometimes the burden assigned to him was uncongenial; none the less, +he would shoulder it manfully. + +Except for the defect of short sight he was a splendid example of the +_mens sana in corpore sano_. On one occasion, in 1911, returning from +a visit to Canterbury Cathedral, we had as fellow-passenger in the +train a medical practitioner of the old school with whom my wife and I +had an agreeable conversation. I noted that from time to time he was +closely observing Paul, then a boy of fifteen. Presently he asked him +to stand up, passed his hands over his back and shoulders, tapped his +chest, and noted his big bare knees. "Heavens!" exclaimed the old +doctor, "what a magnificent boy! He will grow to be a glorious man. I +have never seen such physique or such vitality." This expert opinion +was borne out by our son's physical growth in the next three years. +Athletic exercises assisted in the development of a physique that was +naturally strong. In his nineteenth year he was six feet in height, +and measured thirty-nine inches round the chest. He had exceptionally +broad shoulders. Not an ounce of superfluous flesh weighed on the +sinewy, supple frame. There was about him the fragrance, radiant +vitality and ease of poise that are characteristic of the athlete in +the pink of condition. + +Though moulded on a big scale, he was very alert in movement, and had +an easy swinging carriage. The head was large, hair rich and abundant, +complexion fair, the face round and full, forehead high and spacious, +cheeks ruddy with the glow of health, the mouth firm and kind, +revealing when he smiled a perfect set of teeth; the aspect bold and +noble; grey eyes shone like stars behind his gold-rimmed glasses. A +smile of enchanting sweetness often played about the strong, handsome +face. His voice had a caressing note; his laugh was loud, hearty and +musical. Thanks to his abounding health, neither appetite nor sleep +ever failed him. He had only to place his head on the pillow and sleep +came to him on the instant, and he would not stir for eight or nine +hours. As an infant he often slept twenty hours a day. This precious +gift of sleep remained with him to the end; and in a letter to me in +June, 1917, he humorously remarked that though not far away at the +time, he slept undisturbed by the earth-rending explosion that +preceded our capture of the Messines Ridge. His outstanding +characteristic was massiveness--he was massive in physique, in +intellect, in character. He had the ingenuous simplicity that is often +associated with a big physical frame. In him a modest, unpretending +nature was linked to a great soul. In judgment he was very sagacious, +and for all his idealism there was a shrewd practical side to him. A +boyish zest remained to the last one of his principal characteristics. + +In the winter of 1916 we moved into a new house which my wife planned +with special regard to the tastes of our two boys. Alas for these fond +plannings! Paul never saw our new home, never worked in the pleasant +library arranged specially for him, never entered the cosy little room +garnished with his athletic trophies and adorned with those engravings +of Beethoven and Wagner which he so much loved. His last visit home +was in May, 1916. He declined leave at the end of 1916 from a fear +that if he took it he might lose the opportunity of transferring from +the A.S.C. The same spirit of devotion made him, when he was appointed +to the Tank Corps, elect to be trained in France, instead of coming to +England. I think that at last he almost dreaded taking leave lest a +visit home might weaken his resolve to walk the sacrificial road. It +was only after his death that we learnt from his brother officers in +the 2nd Cavalry Brigade that he had often told them he was convinced +he would not survive the War. That conviction seemed only to +strengthen his determination to get into the fighting-line. A voice +within told him his place was in the heart of the combat and he obeyed +its monition with joyful alacrity. From the time he joined the Tank +Corps a sort of divine content filled his soul. + +Paul found and gave great happiness in his own home. Never moody or +despondent, his sunny disposition made him like a glory in the house. +He enjoyed nothing better than a frolic with his younger brother, of +whom he was devotedly fond. A racy and witty talker, he loved an +argument. Many a verbal joust he and I had together. Our views did not +always concur. We differed in opinion on many matters, including our +estimates of eminent men, alive and dead. For example, my son did not +share my contempt for Rousseau; nor could I share his admiration for +Frederick the Great and Napoleon, those ruffians of genius who wrought +so much evil in the world. Paul, however, adored men of action, and he +forgot the crimes and moral defects of Napoleon and Frederick in +contemplating the splendour of their achievements. Austere though his +own morals were, he nevertheless held that a man capable of great +service to the State ought not to be debarred from performing it by +his religious opinions or the lack of them, or by the nature of his +private life. He felt that you must take genius on its own terms. + +What Paul was to his mother and to me I dare not write. Let it suffice +to say that no parents were ever blessed with a richer treasure. His +love for us flowed through the channel of his being like a river +singing on its way. How proud we were of his nobility of soul, his +heroic temper, his many triumphs! Young as he was we found in him a +firm stay and a sure support, and we felt ourselves more secure in +life under the shelter of his strong and radiant personality. We had +cherished high, and I hope not unworthy, hopes of his future--hopes +which, but for the War, would assuredly have been fulfilled. He had +not settled in his mind what profession he would adopt. Law attracted +him once, then repelled him; and I strongly dissuaded him from +Journalism. Politics had a fascination for him, but in no +circumstances would he have become a professional politician, and he +had resolved to earn an income independently. I am inclined to think +that eventually he would have become a professor and a writer of +history. Though it was a quality of his nature to do thoroughly +whatever he put his hand to, he was not ambitious in the ordinary +sense. He had no lust either for riches or fame. Duty, Honour, +Service--these were his watchwords. His desire was to make his life +worthy and gracious, and to use it in the service of humanity. That +ideal he realised. If he had lived to old age he could not have made a +greater thing of his life. Out of the warp and woof given to him by +the Creator he has woven a noble and beautiful pattern. Words cannot +express what his loss means to us. God alone knows the desolation of +our hearts. But Paul has left us glorious and inspiring memories and +we know he has gone to his reward. We feel, too, that though absent +from us in the body, he is with us in the spirit. His mother and I, +after the first stunning effect of our grief was passing, compared +notes about our inner experiences, and we found that the image of our +beloved son in our eyes was the same: Paul looking divinely happy, +standing before us with that enchanting smile we knew so well, and +cheerily enjoining us to "Carry on; carry on!" + + Our love involves the love before; + Our love is vaster passion now; + Tho' mix'd with God and Nature thou, + We seem to love thee more and more. + + Far off thou art, but ever nigh; + We have thee still and we rejoice; + We prosper, circled with thy voice; + We shall not lose thee tho' we die. + +A few weeks after Paul was killed I opened a volume of Froude's "Short +Studies." Our son's early death lends significance and pathos to +passages he has marked in this book. Froude, in the essay on +"England's Forgotten Worthies," speaking of honoured old +age--"beautiful as the slow-dropping mellow autumn of a rich glorious +summer"--says: "It is beautiful, but not the most beautiful." Then +comes the following sentence which Paul has heavily underscored: + + There is another life, hard, rough, and thorny, trodden with + bleeding feet and aching brow; the life of which the Cross is the + symbol; a battle which no peace follows this side of the grave; + which the grave gapes to finish before the victory is won; + and--strange that it should be so--this is the highest life of + man. + +Our son has written on the margin, "The best kind of life that of +constant struggle." Froude goes on to refer to the work in the +sixteenth century of the servants of England, whose life was a long +battle, either with the elements or with men, and who passed away +content when God had nothing more to bid them do. The following +passages are again underlined: + + They did not complain, and why should we complain for them?... An + honourable death had no terrors for them. + + "Seeing," in Humphrey Gilbert's own brave words, "that death is + inevitable and the fame of virtue is immortal, wherefore in this + behalf _mutare vel timere sperno_." + +Paul's marginal note to this is, "Compare Browning's 'Prospice.'" I +turn to "Prospice" and I read: + + For the journey is done and the summit attained, + And the barriers fall, + Though a battle's to fight ere the guerdon be gained, + The reward of it all. + I was ever a fighter, so--one fight more, + The best and the last! + I would hate that death bandaged my eyes, and forbore, + And bade me creep past. + No! let me taste the whole of it, fare like my peers + The heroes of old, + Bear the brunt, in a minute pay glad life's arrears + Of pain, darkness and cold. + + . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . + + And with God be the rest! + + + + +PART II + +WAR LETTERS + + + + +[Illustration: Paul as a Subaltern in the A.S.C. + +(From a Photograph by his Brother)] + + + + +AT A HOME PORT + + +From April 15, 1915, to July 26 in the same year Second Lieutenant H. +P. M. Jones was employed at a home port which was, and is, one of the +principal centres of supply for the British Expeditionary Force. He +was glad of the opportunity of obtaining an insight into the methods +of supplying the British Army in the field, and was impressed with the +thoroughness, efficiency, and businesslike promptitude of the Army +Service Corps. He took the earliest chance of quitting this routine +work and applying for service abroad. + + _May 15th_, 1915. + + You London folk seem to have been having high times with the + enemy aliens. It is quite startling and quite pleasant to see + English people roused to do things at last. I see from the photos + in the papers that the rioting was done for a great part by men + of fighting age who ought to be in the Army. It stands to reason + that it is always the dregs of the population who show their + patriotism by this sort of behaviour. Still, it is refreshing to + see someone taking some sort of action. Everybody here is cursing + the Government for its remissness with regard to Germans and + Austrians resident in this country. There are exceptions, such as + Germans who have absorbed the British spirit, but, generally + speaking, Germans, even if naturalised, must retain their + patriotic feelings towards their Fatherland, and the patriotic + German is, of course, England's enemy. Therefore he will try his + best to do us all the harm he can. + + Personally I think we ought to take stern action in regard to the + internment of all Germans in this country. My argument is not + based on trivial ideas of retaliation or punishment, but it is + based on facts such as the following: (_a_) I am a Britisher, + Britain is fighting; so I fight for Britain and wish to see her + everywhere victorious: (_b_) In Nature the strongest survive and + the weaker go to the wall, and in this war Britain must prove + herself either the stronger or the weaker: (_c_) Our policy must + be guided by the idea of proving ourselves the stronger in deeds, + not words--not by talk of justice or right, because invariable + universal abstract standards of justice and right never existed, + and never will exist, in this world. The ideal never was anything + but a dream--that is why the poet can never be a politician, and + vice versa. We must not let sentimental considerations stand + between us and victory. Sounds just like a German talking, + doesn't it? Yes, I do agree with the German point of view--except + as regards frightfulness, which is really folly and does not + achieve its end--but I transfer the point of view to England. Why + should England allow any rival to stand in her way? In any case, + are we not the world's greatest political people and the best + colonisers? Leave the realms of Art to the other nations if you + like--England never will be artistic, I fear--but Art is not + politics. Politics--I mean primarily foreign policy--signifies + the adaptation of a nation to environment of time, place and + circumstance, and it is that which is the ruling fact of life. + + I am now quite converted to the doctrine of facts. Though + passionately idealistic in many respects, I realise that the + _Facts_ of life are in cruel but deadly opposition to the + _Ideals_ of life, and that while the Ideal remains a dream the + cruel Fact remains the reality. + + This pseudo-philosophy arises from my having read Arnold + Bennett's article in to-day's _Daily News_, and also from a + perusal of Hudson's "Herbert Spencer." Bennett is just an + idealist, but in dealing with those cruel realities of which I + have spoken, he seems to me a child. Any attempt to dissociate + the acts of the German Government from the views of the German + people--in other words to assume that a great part of the latter + want peace--is absurd. Look at France in 1870. When the Second + Empire was overthrown and the Third Republic set up in its place, + did the Republicans seek peace? No, they proceeded to prosecute + the war to the utmost and tried to drive the invader off the soil + of France. And even if in this war a succession of defeats should + overthrow the German Kaiser and his Government, do you think the + Germans would submit forthwith, and throw themselves on the mercy + of the Allies? No, they will fight to the last man, woman and + child to prevent the Rhine being crossed. So we should realise + that, for our own safety's sake, we must reduce the German + military forces to a position of helplessness--in fact, utterly + destroy them, if we are to have any settlement. It is Germany or + ourselves; and till one or the other is up or down, the war will + go on. + + To crush the Germans we must put every ounce into the struggle. + Are we doing so? I cannot think it when I see Parliament taking + such a disgraceful line on the question of drink. Small wonder + that Lloyd George exclaims, "What an ignoble spectacle the House + of Commons presents now!" I had thought the British Parliament to + be a great and potent institution. Now I think it is a + convocation of old apple women. What we want is a Cromwell or a + Napoleon to knock together the heads of political parties and + declare, "No more drink." What will history say when it is + recorded that in the midst of this great struggle the British + people refused to give up the drink that was poisoning their + lives and hindering the work of the nation, and that the + influence of a few brewers and capitalists was sufficient to + prevent any serious reform being passed in that House which is + supposed to be the people's representative? + + As for the recent anti-German riots, they seem to me to have been + organised by those slack loafing elements of the population who + lounge about refusing to enlist. Still, I suppose this is a + necessary product of our type of national civilisation. Yet that + system--the English or insular, I call it--has done, as it will + do, marvels. So perhaps all is for the best, but I am grieved + beyond measure at the collapse of L. G.'s scheme for drastic + treatment of the drink evil. He at least is a man. + + Do you realise what a fine part amateur sportsmen are playing in + this war? I really doubt if there will be many great athletes + left if things go on as they are doing. On the same day I read + that Poulton-Palmer and R. A. Lloyd are gone. Only last year, I + remember seeing those two as Captains of England and Ireland + respectively, shaking hands with each other and with the King at + the great Rugby Football match at Twickenham. I see news is to + hand also of the death in action of A. F. Wilding, a great + athlete who neither drank nor smoked. So in three days we have + lost the most brilliant and versatile centre three-quarter in + Poulton, the cleverest drop-kick in the world in Lloyd, and the + world's champion tennis-player in Wilding! + + + _June 6th, 1915._ + + Lloyd George in his two last speeches has said more than anyone + else during the war. He is an extraordinary man, and at his + greatest when rallying the workers. I see that the Tory Press is + enthusiastic about him, and also about Winston Churchill's speech + of yesterday. L. G.'s remark that "conscription is not + undemocratic" has set a new train of thought stirring in this + country. Up to now, in the view of the average Englishman, + democracy and conscription had been set at opposite poles. + Personally I am not exactly a democrat, an aristocrat, a + monarchist, a socialist, or a constitutionalist, but a sort of + combination of them all, and a firm believer in the Will to Power + and in the Strong Man. But the point is that England certainly + inclines to democracy--meaning by democracy _laissez-faire_. + Hence what is needed in a crisis like this is to bring into + operation a system which, while partaking of a democratic nature, + and so not being repugnant to the national type (as developed by + geography, circumstance and history) may yet bring into play the + advantages of military training and national organisation. If you + can persuade the stolid Englishman to adopt a sort of + semi-voluntary military system, which is voluntary or appears so + to him, yet puts him under discipline, well then you have an + ideal system for England to win this war by. Of course, there is + an alternative scheme, namely, for some man of outstanding + personality to come along and say, "Look here, I am master, and + by my force of character I will compel you to bow to a system + which I know to be good for you and which will in the end benefit + you." Lloyd George might be even such a man--a Caesar, a + Charlemagne, a Cromwell, or a Napoleon. + + But I confess that this amazing English race is hard to bend, + even when a man of outstanding personality arises. Did not Oliver + himself--a superman if ever there was one--fail in his efforts to + make better those whom he ruled? Still, as Goethe says, + "Personality makes the man," and perhaps even in England a great + man might force our stubborn nation to his will. But I confess I + doubt it. Besides, I fear the system would break down as soon as + the immediate need for it had vanished. We must have regard to + the evolution of our type of race-species when trying to frame + measures for its advance to victory over another type of + race-species, for the simple reason that, if we do not, the + system we are trying to set up will remain in the air, and never + come to anything until the people have become sufficiently + educated in our way of thinking to accept such a scheme. It seems + to me that you could never make a British Army on a German model, + or a German Army on a British model, because of the difference + between the types of the two nations--the only exception being + where you have a superman with a wonderful mind and personality + to plan the pattern and enforce its adoption. + + Our problem in England is to organise the very individualistic + British race without letting them imagine that they are being + organised. This sounds like the problem about the irresistible + force up against the insurmountable obstacle. But seriously if + you have followed my train of thought you will agree with me that + what is wanted is to frame a system of military service and + national organisation which yet conforms to the national + predilection in favour of _laissez-faire_. This would not be so + difficult if there were two or three centuries to do it in; the + difficulty is that we must do it at once. Perhaps it is + impossible; perhaps the influence of our insular environment will + be too strong ever to allow a general military system to grow up + here--I don't know, but I hope not. Anyway, it is Lloyd George to + whom we look to turn the wheels, because he has personality and + that almost uncanny Celtic gift of seeing into the future. + + Is it not clear that the Germans have developed to the full a + system of organisation in harmony with their national character? + Geography has rendered necessary to them a certain type of + national policy, and I consider their methods were the only + possible ones for them, though they badly needed a clever + diplomatist to deceive Europe in these latter years. Now + Bismarck, if he had lived until to-day, would probably have + secured for Germany a leading place, not by directly fighting + England--who is, of course, the natural rival of Germany--the old + story of the first and the second boy in the class--but by + embroiling her at some suitable moment with other Powers. Then, + when all would have been weakened by the war, Germany would step + in and take the spoils. Fortunately for us the Prussian is a + thoroughly bad diplomatist; and he has preferred open force to + policy. Last year the Germans really played their cards + astoundingly badly. Did we? Well, in one sense, yes, in that we + failed to have a force ready to give the Germans a swift blow as + soon as they ventured on an invasion of Belgium. On the other + hand, no, because Edward Grey, acting openly, and in accordance + with British traditions, yet succeeded by some extraordinary + means in duping our enemies and making them rush into a war never + expecting that we would participate in it. By accident Grey + blundered into a marvellous stroke of diplomacy. Of course, we + know that all his actions were governed by an honest desire to + preserve peace, but the facts show that he really deceived the + Germans more than Machiavelli would have done. (The Prussian, in + the average, is very prone to misunderstand his enemy.) The + Germans thought we would not come in; we did come in, just when + they were not expecting it; in effect, that was a master-stroke. + Where we failed was that we were not ourselves ready with an + adequate force. Though we strangled German commerce at sea and + helped to save France, we were deficient in many elements of an + army, and are still woefully so. That is the natural result of + insularity. + + Now if through the folly of Ministers we lose this great chance + of settling with our rival, we shall be cutting our own throats. + You see, I have led you, by a devious path, back to the old + problem--the necessity for organising England to win this war and + to establish her national type as supreme. We must take any and + every step necessary to set this great nation of ours even higher + than it stands now. Some nation must be political leader of the + international polity; why not England, whose extraordinary + colonising and governing ability is so well known? I am tired to + death of talk about "crushing militarism" and of wild dreams of + "a union of small States." If you want to see the latter process + in operation, look at the normal state of the Balkans! States may + have all the "rights" in the world, but if they are not strong + enough in a political and military sense, they will never be able + to maintain them. Since England--great and wise nation that she + is!--has the sense to use her power benignantly, what harm would + there be if she were to assert it over weaker national organisms, + as man has done over the beasts? This would certainly not be + possible without repeated wars. Subject nations may be treated as + easily and as freely as you like when under our sway, but they + must be conquered first, and we must keep our power over them + even though it is hidden. + + But I am dreaming myself now, for there is nothing eternal in + Nature except conflict and change; and as our Empire grew, so, I + fear, it must some day decay. Evolution is no respecter of + persons. Anyway it is our duty to postpone that day of decline as + long as we can. In my view England's claims are above all others. + Our Allies are just so much use to us as we can make of them. + They, too, have their national ambitions and interests, and, of + course, if these clashed with ours, they would go off on their + own. I blame them not at all. It is as well, however, to be + prepared for contingencies. For example, four or five sparrows + will combine to attack a larger bird which has a piece of bread. + As soon as they get the bread the sparrows themselves begin to + squabble for its possession; and perhaps two or three will set on + the one that has hold of it and force him to give it up. Such is + Nature--a theatre of vast, unceasing conflict. Men and nations + all come under the great immutable law. + + + _July 19th, 1915._ + + This coal strike in South Wales is a baffling business. As usual, + English lack of system is to blame. The Government ought to have + taken over all the mines, as they did the railways, right at the + start of the war. But _laissez-faire_ said "No." Now see the + result. Undoubtedly men, employers and Government are all to + blame--the Government for not organising the system and failing + to stop the increased profits of the owners due to the rise in + prices; the owners for taking those profits and making all sorts + of unkept promises during the past year about meeting the men to + discuss what should be done with war profits; and the men because + they are imperilling the whole fate of the Navy for the sake of a + few more pence a day, and for failing to show that generosity of + spirit which they ought to exhibit in a national crisis like + this. What gives the lie to those critics who denounce the + unpatriotic conduct of the miners is the astounding proportion of + recruits from the affected areas, and the fact that thousands of + strikers have sons, brothers and other relatives in the trenches. + The whole thing is almost a judgment on English haphazard + methods, though I know those methods are only the product of our + insular position. After all, we fought Napoleon with almost a + revolution going on in Ireland. And do you remember the Six Acts? + So history repeats itself. + + The Germans are still astounding the world. This move on Russia + will, I think, be ranked by military historians in the future as + one of the most immense things in the story of the war--a + parallel, but on a far larger scale, with the French and our own + advance from the Marne to the Aisne. Unfortunately, I am afraid + the Germans will be more successful than we were on that + occasion--for we only drove them back 20 or 30 miles, but the + Germans now seem to be menacing two great cities, half a dozen + first-class fortresses, and four vital railway lines. There is no + doubt that they, at least, are not playing at war. And to think + that it should be Wales that may be half-crippling the Navy when + we are matched with such a foe! If the Navy fails, then Heaven + help us! I don't think we can lose even now, but I doubt now if + Germany can lose. It may be 1793-1815 over again! + + Don't imagine that economics end war. Nations can easily do + without trade if they will. To win a war, in ninety-nine cases + out of a hundred, you have to beat the enemy's forces decisively + in the field and put large bodies of his troops permanently out + of action, or capture important tracts of territory such as corn + land or mining districts, without which he cannot wage the war. + Nothing has done us more harm than all this talk about + "attrition." People say, "Oh, it's all right, we can strangle + Germany by means of our Navy, and only time is wanted." As a + matter of fact, Germany is so well prepared by environment, + history, and her own endeavours for such a war that were Berlin + itself in our hands, I would not like to say we should have won. + Berlin has in the past been entered by the enemy, and yet the + Germans have defeated their foes. Look at Frederick the Great--he + won his wars with half his own country in the enemy's hands. Make + no mistake, we shall have to cut the German Army to pieces if we + are to win. And we shall not succeed, at least not for any + practical purpose, unless we put every man into his right place + to win the war. We want the shell-makers at home, the soldiers in + the field, the mere politician on the scrap-heap, and capable men + at the head of affairs. There must be no more of this muddling + War Office policy, no more of this defective control of vital + industries and these scandalous deficiencies in equipment. + + +WITH THE 9th CAVALRY BRIGADE + +On July 27, 1915, Paul Jones left Waterloo Station for service abroad. +Shortly after his arrival in France he was ordered to proceed to the +Headquarters of the 9th Cavalry Brigade (1st Cavalry Division), having +been appointed Requisitioning Officer to the Brigade. His thorough +knowledge of French was the determining factor in securing him this +appointment, a very responsible one for a youth of 19. + + _August 5th, 1915._ + + At length a chance to write a letter home. I seem to have been + travelling for weeks, and I had no time for anything but hasty + postcards. My address may not convey much geographically, but I + will take the risk of saying that I am very far up country, + and--which of course pleases me immensely--not many miles from + the real Front. My work involves a great deal of French + conversation and much riding and motoring. I am, in fact, a + Requisitioning Officer, a title which almost explains itself. + + The journey up from the base seemed absolutely endless, but was + never lacking in interest, so much was there to see. The glorious + spirits of our men would be a lesson to the Jeremiahs at home. + Never had I expected, never could I believe possible, that such a + wonderfully jovial spirit could prevail among men going to + certain danger and hardship and possible death. I saw a lot of + Welshmen on the way, and wherever one met them they were singing + in those gloriously rich Welsh voices. + + How kind-hearted our soldiers are I realised on my journey up. + Frequently alongside the railway line were groups of French + kiddies shouting, "Souvenirs!" "Souvenirs!" In response our + fellows were chucking out to them from the train all sorts of + things, bully beef, bread, biscuits, etc., and laughing and + chatting at the windows. What a diversity of tongues and accents + among our soldiers! Cockney, Lancashire, Scotch, Welsh and West + Country were easily recognisable. For cheerfulness and kindness + you will never match the British Tommy. + + I don't see so very much difference between the new and the old + France, except for the greater number of uniforms; the same gay + old cafe-life goes on as always. + + Only four out of the fifteen A.S.C. officers who left London on + Monday last came up-country, and I was one of the four. Eureka! + also Banzai! There ought to be a chance of some excitement, + anyhow. I am in glorious health and spirits and feel very pleased + with life. Isn't it fine that my desire to be really close to the + thick of things should be so fully gratified? Tell Hal I had two + delightful swims at the base. + + + _August 9th, 1915._ + + My mare is temporarily _hors de combat_ with a cut on the hock. + This is a nuisance, as I have now to rely on the hospitality of + other officers in lending me either their horses or their + motor-cars, or, alternatively, go about on a push-bike when I + have to travel far afield, which happens almost daily. Before the + week is out I am expecting to go right up into the firing-line. + One is astounded at the off-hand manner in which officers who + have been in the trenches take the most hair-raising adventures. + An artillery officer was telling us to-day with the utmost + sang-froid of the difficulty he and his comrades had in eating + their dinner when poison-gas was blowing about. The gas made + their eyes water to such a degree that everybody at the mess + seemed to be weeping bitterly. He also told us that for a long + time they had had no need of reveille, as the Boches had a habit + of dropping a Jack Johnson near by every morning at 6.15 + punctually. In the short time I have been out here I have been + struck with the glorious English coolness and the steadfast + refusal to get flurried that marks all our tribe. + + In our relations with the inhabitants of the countryside we show + consideration and strict honesty. Every bit of damage done is + compensated, every blade of grass is paid for, although + necessarily we have first to investigate the validity of claims + for damage. The whole thing is very characteristic of British + integrity. I am going very strong and gradually getting the hang + of my work, which is decidedly interesting. + + We had a remarkable concert the other night. The whole + thing--stage, paints, wigs, orchestra, curtains, scenery, + everything--was got up by the 1st Cavalry Division Supply Column, + and most of the performers were A.S.C. men. The most popular + vocalist turned up on his own, however, viz. Captain the Maclean, + of Lochbuie (of the 19th Hussars), who is quite an artist in his + way. This gay, debonair Scotsman is simply worshipped by the men. + One of the latter (himself holding the D.C.M. and the French + Medaille Militaire for conspicuous bravery at Landrecies) told me + Maclean was the bravest man he had ever seen; he is always at the + head of a rush whether on horseback or on foot, and invariably + goes into action with a hunting-crop. + + A French Territorial Infantry Regiment marched into the town + yesterday. They all wore the new grey uniform that is superseding + the red trousers and blue tunics of the old days. Quite an + interesting spectacle! But for sheer beauty you should see our + cavalry on the move. A wonderful sight, I assure you, even + without all the gay accoutrements of the Military Tournament. In + fact, to my mind, the field-dress makes the affair even more + impressive. The horses are simply beauties, and every one of them + is in perfect condition. + + I have met an old Bedfordian among the cavalry. We have had many + a chat comparing notes as to the past, especially in regard to + the fierce-fought struggles of old between Bedford and the + Blue-and-Blacks. We hope to get some sort of Rugger up when the + winter comes, though of course a very great proportion of the + cavalry officers are men from Eton, Harrow, Winchester and other + schools where, I regret to say, the game of games is not played! + They will have to be taught. + + + _August 13th, 1915._ + + A lot of cavalry men are up trench-digging and I have had my + first experience of being up really close to the firing-line. It + doesn't take one long to get from here to the thick of things, + and we were soon apprised of the fact by heavy and ponderous + crashes. Just above us a British aeroplane was winging its flight + towards the German lines. Presently one saw small flashes of + flame in the air all around it, followed by curious little puffs + of smoke; then came the sound of exploding shells; you know that + light travels faster than sound. The Boches were potting at the + 'plane. However, the British airman was easily able to clear + away. After this, a Taube came in our direction and our artillery + was having pots at it. Pursued by two British 'planes the Taube + turned tail and skedaddled, passing exactly over our car. I + wonder it didn't buzz a bomb at us, for the road was crowded with + cars, lorries, waggons, and columns of marching soldiers. But it + didn't, and went off as fast as it could lick. + + We soon reached a village which, during the previous day, had + been subjected to a mild bombardment. The results even of a few + shells were staggering. A large number of the houses and the + village church were shattered into atoms; nothing left but heaps + of bricks, with here and there a wall standing amid the debris. + To me it was a remarkable spectacle, though my companions assured + me that this village was in a positively palatial condition + compared to other places farther up. Just as we reached the + troops we were destined for, an appalling crash rent the air, and + went echoing away like a peal of thunder. It was the British + heavy artillery at work, though we couldn't see any batteries. + Meanwhile the Boches were aiming at our aeroplanes which were + flying above us continually. Amid all this our fellows were quite + unmoved, and an exciting game of Soccer was in progress, every + successful effort being cheered to the echo by the soldier + spectators. And that, mind, though only last night the Boches put + twenty-eight of our men out of action not far from this very + spot, landing three shells on top of them at midnight, killing + one and wounding twenty-seven others, not to mention several + horses. + + Our route now lay along a road roughly parallel to the + firing-lines, and only a few miles behind them. We passed several + camps, where all sorts of regiments were quartered. Then we came + to quite a big town, which was packed with lorries and field + ambulances, and with columns of British soldiers, always + cheerful, though in many cases much fatigued. Finally we came + back to our quarters. To me the whole experience was most + interesting and exciting, and I am eagerly looking forward to a + repetition of it. Next time I shall go right up to the real + centre of things. It is great to be so near the scrapping, and I + only hope a chance of real fighting does come my way. Anyhow, I + am ready to do my duty, whatever it may be. + + Well, the Germans have got that Petrograd-Warsaw railway. + Apparently some people anticipate an advance on Petrograd itself. + The war is assuming a phase very like that of the Napoleonic + struggles. I hope 1812 repeats itself, but candidly I don't think + that the Boches will put their heads into the lion's mouth by + risking an advance into Russia with winter coming on. + + + TO HIS BROTHER + + _August 18th, 1915._ + + I am very busy, but my work is becoming more and more + interesting, and I am about in the open air almost all the time. + To-day I have had a twenty-mile horse-ride. My little mare ran + like clockwork. She is a gem of a horse. I am hoping also to get + some motor driving. There is no speed limit here. Talk about + express trains! No; Rugby football is not much appreciated by the + 9th Brigade. Cavalry officers swear by polo. To see them play a + polo match is a sheer delight, for they are the best horsemen in + the world. + + Many men of our Cavalry Division are at present employed in + making a reserve line of trenches some distance behind the real + article. Our own brigade is digging vigorously in the grounds of + a fine old chateau. The Supply Officer and I, as his understudy, + go up continually in a car conveying special supplies and to do + various other duties. The chateau grounds are well within enemy + gun range, and most of the neighbouring buildings have been blown + to atoms. Yesterday the first news that greeted us from the + trench-diggers was that they had been bombarded that morning by + gas shells, among other pleasant surprises. While we were + pursuing our duties I heard a boom, followed by a long, sighing + screech, then a violent crash about fifty yards off. It was a + German shell. Another and yet another followed. Suddenly an + R.A.M.C. man came running up to fetch a stretcher--someone had + been knocked out. As the nearest man at hand I joined him in + carrying the stretcher, and we doubled our fastest for the trees + where the first shot had pitched. We found that an R.A.M.C. man + had been struck above the ankle by a piece of shrapnel. The wound + was small, but deep and ugly, and the leg was broken. The poor + chap was in terrible pain. We conveyed him as carefully as we + could to the field ambulance. There had been other casualties + hereabouts in the morning. + + More and more shells, and then a lull. After this exhibition of + afternoon hate, we took tea with some officers of the 15th + Hussars in a tent in the chateau grounds. It was a delicious + meal, and was not interrupted, though enemy shells from time to + time shot over our heads and exploded some distance away in the + woods behind. The ineffectiveness of the enemy shelling was + greeted every time there was an explosion by cat-calls, shouts + and whistling on the part of our imperturbable soldiers. Then the + enemy diverted his guns to a village through which our return + road ran. On our approaching this place we found our way barred + by military policemen, who informed us the traffic was + temporarily held up, and that we would have to seek our + destination by another and a more devious route. Looking back, + one is amused at the nonchalance of this tea in the open with the + Hussar officers, while German missiles were shooting over our + heads and crashing to earth a couple of hundred yards away. Had + the enemy shortened the range we should all have gone up among + the little birds. + + Did you see that splendid joke in _Punch_--an old man talking to + a very badly wounded Irish soldier swathed in bandages from head + to foot? The former says, "This is a terrible war, isn't it, my + man?" Pat replies, "Yes, sorr, it is that; a rale tirrible war. + But faith! 'tis better than no war at all." Capital, and so + deliciously Irish! + + + _August 23rd, 1915._ + + Excessively busy days these--out sometimes from nine in the + morning till about ten at night, often missing meals perforce. A + few days back I was in the city whose name practically sums up + the character of British fighting--Ypres. Never have I seen such + a picture of desolation. Not a house standing; only skeletons of + buildings, shattered walls, and gaping window openings, from + which all vestige of glass has long since disappeared. The Church + and the Cloth Hall are simply piles of debris. To walk along the + streets is like a kind of nightmare, even when the Boches are not + indulging in a spell of hate against the place. Talk of + Pompeii--why, this puts it quite among the "also-rans." What a + pathetic spectacle to see a whole city in ruins! Stupefaction and + sadness at the wholesale destruction is my impression of this + melancholy ruin of an historic town. + + Having seen my rations delivered to our regiments, I and my + companions (two Hussar officers) visited a battery of 5-inch + howitzers at work not far off, through the medium of a friendly + Artillery officer. Their headquarters have been amazingly lucky + in not being hit up to date. They told us that there was going to + be great "strafing" that night, that the Boches were very good + gunners, but that they and the French sometimes became + quarrelsome and loosed off at each other like fury for a short + time, both sides doing very little real damage. As we were + chatting a long whistle-blast betokened the presence of a Taube, + and our companions quickly dragged us out of sight into a + dug-out, lest the enemy airman should spot men about and send + back the range. You must understand that the guns are so + concealed that it is almost impossible to see them even when you + know where they are located. After the aerial visitor cleared + off, we had a great tea, with all the ground about us shaking to + the reverberation of the battery discharges. Presently a + long-drawn-out screech in the distance, and a fearful crash in + the middle distance. "That's Percy again!" said the Artillery + officer. We found that "Percy" is the name for a German + 17-incher, which frequently drops shells ten miles behind our + lines. The smallest crater made by his shells would accommodate a + locomotive engine with ease. "Percy" is no doubt "some gun," as + the Yankees would say. It was a curious sensation to walk about + the fields with shells from both sides flying over one's head. + Some gas shells had been discharged that day, and the air in + places was quite heavy with the odour of them--not unpleasant to + smell, but most mephitic, and apt to make your eyes water. + + Whom do you think I met on the main road up to-day? None other + than Reggie Lloyd, who was one of my best pals at Dulwich. Our + car was moving very fast and overtook his. I stopped and jumped + out, and we exchanged a firm handshake and a few words before we + had to be moving on again "in the cause of duty." He is a second + lieutenant in the R.E., and looked thundering fit. To-day I saw + him again. On this occasion he was moving about fifty miles an + hour on a motor-bike, and we only had time for a hand-wave as + we passed. What a thrill to meet an old pal like that out here in + the fire zone! + + + _August 28th, 1915._ + + To go up the road from here to the firing-line is a great + experience. You see, as you pass along, all the multifarious + items of army organisation--long lines of lorries, horsed-wagons, + limbers, guns, columns of marching men, motor-cars by the score, + French soldiers, British soldiers, aeroplanes spinning merrily + overhead--truly a wonderful spectacle. You have no conception of + the abominable state of the main roads out here. The _pave_ road, + peculiar to these parts, is always a bone-shaker at the best of + times, but now, after the passage of so much heavy traffic, it is + simply appalling. A curious feature is the extraordinary + straightness of the main roads, down which you can literally see + for miles. The by-roads, on the other hand, seem to abound in + right-angled turns, and it is not an easy matter to drive a car + along at any considerable rate of speed. + + My knowledge of French has come in very useful indeed, but for + these outlying country districts a knowledge of Flemish would be + even more valuable. Many persons about here speak not one word of + French, and Flemish is almost always used by the people _en + famille_. It is a kind of mixture of low German and middle + English. I can usually get at people's meanings, and even make + them understand mine, by a jargon embracing sometimes words from + Chaucer and sometimes a little German. Listening to the language + when spoken one is reminded of rather nasal Welsh. There is a + distinct resemblance between the general sound of Welsh and + Flemish in conversation. + + These parts constitute one of the most Catholic districts in + Europe; the people are quite as devout as those of the south of + Ireland. Wherever you go on the roads you are confronted with + shrines--little structures with an altar, holy images, etc., that + can be seen through a glass window barred across with slender + pieces of iron. Above the door is an admonition urging the + passer-by to stop and say an "Ave" or a "Pater." All the + dedications to saints and the Virgin are in Latin. For example, + this is a very common heading for a shrine, "_Ave, Maria, gratiae + plena._" I have also seen shrines dedicated to some of those old + chaps that Dad is so interested in--Antony of Padua, Francis of + Assisi, etc. All over the place you meet, stuck in boxes with + glass fronts and mounted on poles, tiny waxen images of various + saints, or Christ on the Cross, the Virgin Mary, etc., etc. When + a native comes to one of these shrines or images, he pulls off + his hat, crosses himself, repeats a prayer, and passes on, + probably confident that his sins are forgiven. Everybody goes to + Mass at the church of his commune at seven o'clock each morning, + and often in the evening as well--on Sunday about three times. + Church spires are about the only landmarks in this very flat and + rather uninteresting country. The towers vary between the square + and the spire. The church itself is always large and quite + imposing. You don't see churches of anything like the same size + in English villages of corresponding population. A common sight + as you ride along these roads is to see the cure, dressed in a + long black surtout and a huge wide-brimmed hat just like "Don + Bartola," the music-master in the opera of _Il Barbiere de + Siviglia_. The cure gravely salutes you as you pass by, "Bon + jour, mon ami!" + + I am billeted with very decent folk, extremely devout Catholics. + The old man is the secretary to the Mayor. He spends his spare + time learning English, and can read an English newspaper quite + well. My room is of the kind I like--plain, with two huge windows + opening like folding-doors, and only a tiny carpet to attract the + dust; the rest clean, bare boards. In the room are two waxen + images, one of the Virgin and Child, and one of Christ carrying a + child in His arms; also a waxen model in a case of glass of the + Virgin and Child, besides no fewer than three crucifixes. This is + only characteristic of the whole village: every room I've seen + hereabouts seems crowded with images. There are lots of these + images, chipped and smashed, lying about the streets of Ypres. I + suppose where you are at present [Scotland] everybody is a + Presbyterian and very much against all ritual. There is at least + this resemblance between Scot and Flemish: they both call the + church "kirk" or "kerque." It is rather amusing to think that, + according to the ideas of some English Churchmen, both Scottish + Presbyterian and Flemish Catholic are lost for ever; while the + Baptist of Llanelly is equally convinced that all three of them + are; and each imagines the other to be hopelessly wrong. The war + has this advantage: that it cuts athwart of all such ridiculous + distinctions--for have we not among the Allies English Churchmen + and Nonconformists, Catholics, Mohammedans, Hindus and secular + Frenchmen, all fighting on the one side against another side + which includes Catholics, Protestants and Mohammedans? I say what + matter what a man believes if he does his duty? + + The last two or three days I have spent in more or less local + work, meaning by that districts within about ten miles of + headquarters. I have been in the saddle all day, from 9 _A.M._ to + 7 _P.M._, the only interval being for lunch. Riding is glorious + sport. I don't think I shall ever be able to live without a horse + in the future. I have been using here one of my own mares, and + a fine charger belonging to a 9th Lancer employed at H.Q. (you + remember it was this regiment that made the famous charge at Le + Cateau back in October). It is a glorious steed this, full of + "devil," and a bit bad-tempered. My own big mare is a rather + quiet horse, very good at trotting long distances; my other one + is smaller but more fiery. I prefer to ride whenever possible a + horse that really takes some managing. + + + _September 8th, 1915._ + + I am glad you are invigorated and pleased with your trip to the + land of Burns and Harry Lauder. The Scottish Highlands are the + exact opposite of these flat plains. Never in my life have I seen + a district so absolutely level as this. There are but three hills + in these parts, and these are the only landmarks for miles and + miles. Otherwise every road is like every other, every field and + every clump of trees the same. The roads are all either dead + straight or, in the case of side roads, full of right-angle + bends. There is nothing of that sinuous curving which + characterises English country roads. As you get nearer the + firing-line the roads become worse owing to the passage of Army + traffic, till finally they end up in mere broad tracks full of + holes and humps. When the weather is bad the mud is + appalling--even the Dulwich footer-ground variety comes a bad + second--added to which there is, in the case of main roads, the + nuisance of a most unlevel _pave_, which, it is true, keeps free + from mud, but to travel along which in a motor-car is torture. + The way the Army lorries go bumping along--many of them old + motor-buses with the top parts discarded--is stupendous. It is a + strange sight occasionally to see approaching you a real + motor-bus, painted grey and full of Tommies. I almost stopped + one the other day, near the fire zone, and asked to be taken to + Oxford Circus; it all seemed so familiar. + + The news from Russia isn't very inspiriting. It looks as if Riga + and Rovno will follow in the wake of Warsaw and Novo-Georgievsk. + Not that the mere capture of a town means anything in itself, but + the Boches must be getting a store of ammunition and guns through + their successes. Still, it might be that 1812 would repeat + itself, though I fear the Germans have studied history too well + to fall into the pit that destroyed Napoleon. _Nous verrons._ + + I went down the other day to an advanced Field Supply Depot. I + often think of the steady flow of goods across the Channel from + the home port where I began my Army experience, and the vastness + of the silent work behind the scenes that is needed to keep the + Army going. You would be amazed to find how little is known even + in the A.S.C. itself of that which I have been privileged to see. + It has a spice of romance about it, this moving of vast stores + from England to the trenches. Out here one gets fresh bread and + meat regularly. There are also ample supplies of preserved meat. + As for "bully" beef, it is rare good stuff, and I am by no means + averse from the hard Army biscuit. + + It is the chief part of my duties to make local purchases or + requisitions of goods as they are needed. Local resources are + always used to the utmost, though G.H.Q. is careful to insist on + all goods being duly paid for, or an official requisition-note + being handed to the seller. You will realise that in this sort of + work I get a lot of practice in French. The French spoken in + these parts is very thick, quite different from the metallic + French of Paris. + + I am told that when we are moving in the field, cavalry go twice + as fast as any other branch of the Service. When we begin to + move, my job will be really most exciting and interesting, as I + shall have to be right on ahead with a store of supplies, bought, + requisitioned, or obtained somehow, to keep things going till the + ordinary service of lorries and horsed wagons adapts itself to + the new conditions. Whatever happens I hope to see some sport. + + I get on excellently with the cavalry officers. They have a + bright charm of their own and are absolutely fearless. Most of + them are descendants of the old English and Scottish chivalry. + They are intensely Conservative in opinion, not over + intellectual, but men with fine traditions and noble instincts. + They have a passion for horses and all things equine. + + + _September 16th, 1915._ + + So you have had an experience of the Zepps. I am glad London bore + it philosophically. I never imagined that it would be possible + seriously to perturb the people of England by this species of + frightfulness. As Dad puts it, "Curiosity quite mastered every + sense of fear," but if the Zepps. are to continue paying visits + to our suburb, you may have to evacuate 198 and dig yourselves in + in the garden with communicating trenches leading from your + dug-outs to Croxted Road and Herne Hill. + + It is splendid how our fellows keep rolling up to fight, for, + believe me, the war is no joke out here. Very few people who have + been out think it's all a death-or-glory sort of business. On the + contrary, it is a steady and persistent strain, a strain under + which the strongest nerves are apt to give way after a time--I am + talking, of course, of the trenches. When the cavalry go into + action as cavalry, they are bound to suffer fearfully, being so + exposed, but there's no doubt that they will do their job, and + put a still greater number of the Boches out of action. This is a + war in which there is nothing picturesque or romantic. It takes + all the cheerfulness of the British Tommy to overmaster the + grinding strain of trench warfare, though as man is by nature a + fighter, he presently begins to throw off the trammels of + civilisation and live _a la naturelle_. The British soldier has + done marvels in this war. Nothing but his irrepressible spirits + and lion-hearted courage would have held up this great host of + Boches armed with new and strange implements of war and with + every weapon known to science. + + + _September 18th, 1915._ + + In an interval of relaxation, our division gave a Horse Show + to-day. To these cavalrymen, horses are as meat and drink, almost + the one topic of their conversation, at once their delight and + their business. A lot of notabilities from various places in + France came up to see the Show. It was the most magnificent + display of horseflesh I have ever seen. It was held in a large + open field. The programme included competitions for officers' and + troopers' horses (light and heavy), driving for the limbers of + the regiment, work by machine-gun sections, races, jumping, + turn-out of A.S.C. wagons, and what-not. A wonderful display was + that of the officers' chargers, in which the long line of + competitors rode, trotted and galloped past the General who was + judging. Some of the men's horses were also very good, and really + ran the officers' chargers close for merit. The first three + prize-winners would be worth a clear L450 apiece. To describe the + efficiency of the wagon-driving, the smartness of their turn-out, + the quickness and neatness of all their manoeuvres, is beyond me. + There was no lance or sword play. The whole business had been + arranged to see that everything was as efficient as possible, and + to promote a spirit of healthy rivalry among the different + regiments. It was an extraordinary spectacle, not fifteen miles + from the firing-line, with the big guns booming in one's ears the + whole time--very characteristic of the Englishman's love of sport + and its value to the nation. This is one of the things that the + Boches never can, or will be able to, understand. They cannot + realise how these "mad English" can forget the War when in the + middle of it, and when any minute their "sport" might be + interrupted by a "Jack Johnson." I was with our Brigade + Veterinary Officer, who, of course, is an equine expert. It was a + treat to hear him telling off the points of the magnificent + chargers passing in front of us, pawing the ground and snorting, + full of dash and fire. To me the whole affair had a profound + interest. I have never enjoyed myself more, and really its + psychological significance was immense. + +On the morning of 25th September, 1915, the 1st and 4th Corps of the +British Army delivered an attack on the enemy line between La Bassee +Canal on the north and a point opposite the village of Grenay on the +south. There were subsidiary simultaneous attacks east of Ypres by the +5th Corps, and north of the La Bassee Canal by the 3rd and the Indian +Corps. Our main attack was made in co-operation with the French +offensive on our right. The British Cavalry Corps was posted in the +neighbourhood of St. Pol and Bailleul-les-Pernes, in readiness to +co-operate with the French Cavalry in pushing home any success which +might be attained by the combined offensive. + + _September 23rd, 1915._ + + I am about to leave on an official mission, the nature of which I + cannot disclose to you for the time being. My kit has had to be + sent away, and I am only equipped with things I can carry about + me or in my saddle-wallets on the horses. Revolver, haversack, + official books, map-case and respirator are slung about my body. + It is fine to be independent of trunks. Last night I bivouacked + in a field, and one day I was quartered in a mining village which + before the war must have been a busy place. It reminded me very + much of the outskirts of Llanelly. I am feeling better in health + and spirits than ever before. + + An article by a Liberal M.P. that appeared recently in the _Daily + Chronicle_ annoyed me very much. Previously I had imagined the + writer to be rather a sportsman and a game fighter; but his + insulting references in this article to the "good fellows" in the + trenches, who are "excellent in their time and place," etc., + simply set my teeth on edge. I know full well that the type of + thing that he calls "a voice from the trenches" is only an + exploitation of sensational newspapers, as Tommy never by any + chance in my experience of him talks of subjects like + conscription. But the sheer cruelty of this M.P.'s patronising + talk of the men who are dying by thousands to keep him and his + kind safe at home absolutely surpasses everything. The suggestion + that the man at the Front knows less of how to run wars than + M.P.s who have, in all probability, never seen a drop of blood + shed or a gun fired in anger in their lives, is, on the face of + it, ludicrous. We have heard a lot about the Army not interfering + in politics. Well and good; but let the politicians cease to + meddle with military affairs, unless, of course, it is manifest + that the most sacred civil rights of the people are being + sacrificed to a caucus of officers, like those who tried to hold + up the Home Rule Bill. + + To-day a big detachment of German prisoners was brought into the + village. They were well dressed and equipped, and in reasonably + good spirits. + + + _October 3rd, 1915._ + + Life continues to use me well, though in the last week or two I + have been all-ends up with work. I have usually managed to keep + fairly dry, but the weather is awful, and despite mackintoshes + and greatcoats galore, I have been absolutely soaked on more than + one occasion, especially one night about four days back, when I + had to sleep in the open on a heath in pouring rain, and with a + bitter wind blowing. However, one thinks but little of that sort + of thing when campaigning, and I have never been better in + health. + + I wish I could describe to you some of the scenes I witnessed + during the past week, above all, on that never-to-be-forgotten + day before the great attack was made. We found ourselves moving + along the same road as the Guards--Grenadiers, Scots, and + Welsh--who were going up to the attack (the Welsh Guards had + never been in action before, having only recently been + constituted, but I hear they did great things). Never had I seen + such a sight as that evening before the attack. On one side of + the road our cavalry, on the other the Guardsmen, all moving + forward to the accompaniment of the sound of guns booming + sullenly ahead. We halted for a time beside a detachment of Life + Guards, among whom I recognised an old Alleynian named Kemp, whom + I had not seen since last October. We had a few minutes' pleasant + conversation before passing on with our respective columns. + + A day or two ago I was to have gone right up to the battlefield + with supplies, but a sudden change in orders made it impossible. + However, a number of our lot were up there. They tell me it was a + fearful scene--the ground littered with corpses, and all the + debris of a battlefield scattered around. I was bitterly + disappointed at not getting right up, but duty is duty, and I + had orders to do other things. We all hope that the day of the + great move forward has now begun to dawn, but there's no doubt it + will be a devil of a job, as the Boches are fighting like hell to + regain the lost ground. All yesterday, last night and this + morning the guns have been rumbling away with more than usual + vigour. + + One day last week I visited a soldiers' cemetery; it was chiefly + used for men who have died of wounds at a casualty clearing + station near by. A most mournful and yet most impressive + spectacle it was. As I returned I saw long strings of ambulances + coming down from the Front--a sight that spoke eloquently of the + toll that this war is taking of our best. I note you say that the + new Welsh Division will be going out presently, either to France + or to the Dardanelles. I hope that they will prove worthy of the + great name that the Welsh have made for themselves in this war. + Yesterday I chatted with a Welshman from Pontypridd, a Regular in + the First South Wales Borderers. He had been out here right from + the very start, had been twice wounded, and, except for one + convalescent period of a fortnight, had had no leave at all. + Chris Fowkes, who was wounded some time back, was in the same + company as this sturdy Welshman.[1] + + [Footnote 1: Fowkes was a contemporary of Paul's at Dulwich.] + + + _October 6th, 1915._ + + The general impression here now is that the advance is proving a + very tough proposition. The casualty list is of colossal + dimensions. All the signs point to a long war. + + A French interpreter is attached to each battalion of British + infantry, or regiment of cavalry, with a liaison officer, or + interpreter officer, attached to each brigade in addition. + Personally, I have never found any need for an interpreter's + services. I am able to make almost any of my requirements + comprehensible to the inhabitants, and I think I may describe + myself as being really fluent in French by this time. It is + perfectly amazing how few of our people can talk any other + language than their own. + + That was a piquant incident at the College as described by Hal. A + little dash of unconventionality like that is wanted in Dulwich + and in all Public Schools. They, like other national + institutions, are terribly prone to get into a groove. Though + that groove be a good one, yet an occasional lift out of it can + do no harm. But there's no doubt about it that, conservative + though they may be, our Public Schools have done marvellously in + this war. The system has proved its value ten thousand times + over, and never so much as on these gory plains of Flanders and + the hilly crags of Gallipoli. Of late the officer casualties have + been fearful, and most of them these days seem to be killed, not + wounded. + + So Bulgaria seems determined to come in against us. If this means + that Roumania and Greece join us, I don't see why the Germans + should be so keen on enlisting the Bulgars on their side. Funny, + isn't it, how all Europe is falling into the whirlpool of war? + Every one of the little States finds that the war is a chance for + it to get something out of someone else--hence its decision to + join in. I hope our Government won't go sending big forces out to + Albania or Salonika, or such places, unless and until they are + sure it would be to England's benefit. For the life of me, I + can't see why we should carry these footling little nations on + our shoulders. All they do is to turn on you as soon as your back + is turned, as _vide_ the Bulgars themselves. The end of it all is + that everyone is scrapping against someone else for some selfish + aim, and the main object and high ideals for which we entered + the war are wholly forgotten. + + I cannot describe to you the muddy conditions out here. Mud lies + inches thick on the roads, and is kept damp and slimy by the + continual passage of limbers, horses, guns, wagons and + lorries--the final result being a veritable swamp. The other day + a man of the 19th Hussars was watering two horses when he got + himself and the two animals hopelessly bogged beside the pond in + a swamp which he mistook for dry ground. Eventually we tugged him + and the two horses out with ropes. They were all soaked with + slime and mud from head to foot. As for the infantrymen, when + they come out of the trenches, they are caked in mud all over. In + these parts mud is the great feature of the war. + + + _October 11th, 1915._ + + I continue to be very busy. You must understand that it is my job + to supplement the ordinary supplies that come up on the Supply + Column from the railway with supplies obtained locally. These + latter are frequently as essential as the former. Especially is + this the case with cavalry, who are naturally apt, when moving, + to get separated from their supplies, owing to the rapidity of + their progress. Then comes the Requisitioning Officer's real + task. That is not to say that this is the only case in which he + has to work. On the contrary, the work is absolutely continuous. + The men always want all sorts of things that the Supply Column + does not provide, and it is up to me to get those things, and + what is more, in most cases, to transport them also. I am in + charge of a number of wagons, limbers, etc., to carry out this + latter job, and I am responsible for the care and transport of + the ordinary supplies for our Brigade Headquarters after they + leave the Supply Column. I have also to do the following jobs: + (1) Distribute pay to the large number of A.S.C. men attached to + Headquarters; (2) when we are in billets, to see to the billeting + arrangements for the brigade, and adjust the relations between + the troops and whatever inhabitants there may be. + + You must not imagine that there are no inhabitants in these + districts. On the contrary, it is my experience that people cling + to their homes and lead their ordinary lives right up into the + fire zone. Our authorities take the greatest care not to offend + the inhabitants. Let me give you an illustration. Recently we + were at a small village, now quite blown to atoms, and considered + a hot spot even out here, and which really has no inhabitants. + Well, on the occasion of entrenching operations our chaps found + it necessary to take some doors from ruined houses. They wanted + the timber for planks for trench supports and dug-outs. Though + all the inhabitants had fled or been killed long before, and the + village was little better than a dust-heap, yet a solemn and + portentous court of inquiry was held on those doors: were we + justified in taking them, and should payment be made for them to + the old inhabitants or their representatives? Eventually it was + decided that, as the doors were taken to help to make trenches, + they might be considered as destroyed by a _fait de guerre_, + which, I believe, corresponds to an "act of God" in the civil + courts, and payment ought not therefore to be made for the doors. + It was, however, pointed out that if the said doors had been used + to make a road, not a trench, they would not be _faits de + guerre_, and in such case payment would have had to be made to + the Mayor of the destroyed commune! + + "Business as usual" is the motto they try to live up to + throughout these parts, and every effort is made to persuade + people that the war is only a sort of accident. Money remains + money, and there are people selling and buying right up to + places where many lives are lost every day. The position is + really almost that described in a _Bystander_ cartoon, depicting + a peasant standing above a line of our trenches amid a hell of + shot and bursting shrapnel, and saying, "Messieurs, I am + desolated to trouble you, but I must request you to fight in my + other field, as I plough this one to-day." By the way, _The + Bystander_ has succeeded, as no other paper save perhaps _Punch_ + has done, in catching the atmosphere that exists out here. + + I assure you that just behind the firing-line people are minting + money out of our occupation. Not only do they get paid regularly + if British troops are billeted on them, but they can name their + own prices for milk, beer, eggs, etc., and all those other things + that Tommy is anxious for, and for which he can afford to pay. He + is, I think, paid three times as much as either the French or the + Boche soldiers. True, I have met some pitiful cases of + refugeeism, but to a very large number of people in Northern + France the war is nothing but somewhat of a nuisance. Of course, + where they do feel it is in their own terrible casualty lists. I + have known family after family in the little villages who have + lost one or two sons. In many communes one finds that the Mayor + has been killed while serving at the front, and a deputy acts in + his stead. The Mayor of the place where we are now stationed has + three sons fighting, one at Verdun. I had an agreeable chat a few + days back with the local schoolmaster, who was home on short + leave from the trenches. + + It is curious that only _The Bystander_ and _Punch_ should have + succeeded in catching the atmosphere of "Somewhere in France." + Many of the war correspondents, brilliantly though they write, + have missed it altogether. John Buchan is not so bad, when he + writes soberly, but he will let his imagination run away with + him. Talking of writers, what a delightful thing was that article + of Zangwill's in the _Daily Chronicle_ on "The Perils of Walking + in War-time"! Its brilliant satire, firm grasp of facts, lively + humour and racy style quite took my fancy. + + I have had some interesting chats with some of the old soldiers + in our division about Mons, the Marne and the Aisne, and all + "those brave days of old." One chap, now acting as a clerk at + Headquarters, wears the ribbons of the D.C.M. and French Medaille + Militaire for swimming a river (on the retreat from Mons) amid a + tempest of shot and shell, and giving warning to a party of our + people on the other side who were in the greatest danger of being + surrounded--and quite oblivious of the fact--by the Boches who + had forced the passage of a bridge some way off. This brave + fellow led his menaced comrades to another bridge, and so enabled + them all to get clear. + + The Supply Officer of one of our brigades is F. P. Knox, a + Dulwich man, who captained the old school at cricket back in 1895 + or so and I believe led Oxford to victory after that. His brother + you may know--N. A. Knox, the famous fast bowler. + + I was horrified to see in a recent casualty list among the killed + the name of Second Lieutenant H. O. Beer. I remember him as a + rather clever, quiet, inoffensive, distinctly popular fellow in + Doulton's House. He left at the end of July, 1914, without + getting any colours, but after doing quite well in all games. He + won a Junior Scholarship, but failed to get a Senior. He was made + a School Prefect in September, 1913, and you will see him in the + very middle of the back row of the photo of the Prefects that we + have--a markedly good-looking fellow, with light hair brushed + across his forehead. What a wealth of tragedy and yet also of + honour is expressed in the last line of his obituary notice in + _The Times_--"He fell leading his platoon, aged twenty years." + Only yesterday, as it were, we were at school together--I + remember handing him off with great vigour on the football + field--and now! It was just the same with poor Reynolds[2] and + Bray.[3] But I mustn't go on in this strain. + + [Footnote 2: James Reynolds, head of the Modern Side for two + years. The first Dulwich boy to take the London B.A. degree + while still at school. Born, 1893. Killed in action in + Belgium, May 2nd, 1915, while serving with the London Rifle + Brigade.] + + [Footnote 3: Frederick W. Bray, only son of Mr. W. Bray, West + Norwood. One of the keenest members of the O.A.F.C. Quitting + his engineering studies, he joined the 1st Surrey Rifles at + the outbreak of war. Born, August 26th, 1895. Killed, May + 25th, 1915.] + + + _October 15th, 1915._ + + The Balkan business is a startling knockout for those enthusiasts + who see in the development of small States salvation for the + world! If people would only accept the fact that this is a + material world they would not be surprised at the situation. + Myself, I consider that our diplomacy has failed, probably + because it did not offer tempting enough bribes to Bulgaria and + Greece. No matter; what is the fate of a few tuppenny-ha'penny + Balkan States, who have never done a thing worth doing, beside + that of the British Empire! Why should we always play the + philanthropic idiot towards all these wretched little nations? As + if any of them--or anyone else, for that matter, in international + politics--knows the meaning of the word gratitude! However + righteous our policy may have been, it doesn't seem to have + worked in South-East Europe, and the Boches appear to have got + home first there. I don't think it is so much a triumph for their + diplomacy as a judgment on the blundering stupidity of ours. But + when all's said and done, the alliance or hostility of a few + Bulgars, Greeks or Roumanians doesn't count for so much, anyhow. + "Come the three corners of the world in arms, and we shall shock + them. Naught shall make us rue, if England to herself do rest but + true." + + Have you seen the obituary notices of Captain Osmond Williams,[4] + of the Welsh Guards? His funeral took place not half a mile from + the spot where we were at the time. The 19th Hussars was once his + old regiment, and as he was simply idolised by the men, crowds of + them went to the burial. He had a most romantic career--a career + that might have stepped out of the pages of Scott or Dumas. + + [Footnote 4: Son of Sir Osmond Williams, Bart., formerly M.P. + for Montgomeryshire. Served in the South African War, and in + his day was regarded as the most brilliant cavalry subaltern + in the British Army. A severe accident in the hunting-field + compelled him to leave the Army. When war broke out in 1914 + he offered his services to the War Office, but was rejected + because physically unfit. He then enlisted as a private + soldier, and by repeated acts of gallantry in the field won + his captaincy.] + + Yesterday I played Soccer for Headquarters against the 15th + Hussars. We beat them 2 to 1. However, I can't work up any + enthusiasm for Soccer. Oh! for a real game of Rugger. Still, the + Tommies--the English ones, at least--think Soccer the only game, + so one must cut one's cloth to one's opportunities. It is + something to get a game of any sort out here. Is the October + number of _The Alleynian_ out yet? I hope they keep their war + list up to date. Our Roll of Honour is as good as anybody's, and + should be carefully attended to. + + + _October 20th, 1915._ + + Whom do you think I met the other day leading a column of motor + lorries up to our brigade H.Q.? No less a person than G. P. S. + Clark, the centre three-quarter who scored that wonderful try + against Haileybury in my first year in the team--running and + feinting his way through right from his own line. He is a motor + expert, and has been gazetted to the M.T. branch of the A.S.C. + + Is there any chance of my getting the post of A.D.C. to a Welsh + brigadier? If the Welsh division is due out presently it would be + rather a good job. But if it involved my coming back to England + for any length of time I wouldn't take it. I am perfectly + satisfied with my present work, but still would very much like to + become a real combatant. Against the defect of short sight I can + put the following points: + + (a) Three months of Active Service, almost invariably in the + neighbourhood of the firing-line; on several occasions right up + in it. + + (b) I have always been attached to the Headquarters of a Cavalry + Brigade, have been in the closest contact with the Brigade + Staff, and have taken my orders from the Staff Captain direct--a + very large proportion of those orders about real Staff work. + + (c) I have now a real linguistic fluency in French; pretty + useful German also. + + (d) I have been acting under the supervision of a Supply + Officer, whose work I do when he is away, and I know the system + of transport and supply backwards. + + (e) I have a thorough knowledge of how to make up supplies by + requisition and purchase on the countryside. + + (f) On the march I move at the head of the limbers which form + the Cavalry Divisional train, and am second in command of them + all, so I know something about that branch of work, too. + + (g) I am quite a useful horseman. + + You may say on reading the above list of virtues that a glass + case is the right place for me, but I know to the full that if + one wants one of these "knutty" jobs one has to represent oneself + as a sort of little tin god. Now don't imagine that I am + dissatisfied with my present job. I am more than pleased with it; + still I am very keen to become a fighting soldier. + + + _October 25th, 1915._ + + My present quarters are in a mill. I have a fine large room, also + first-rate stabling for my horses. Brigade Headquarters are in + one of those magnificent chateaux that are dotted over this part + of France. A gorgeous place it must have been in time of peace, + and so it is now except that it is beginning to show signs of + war-wear and constant use. + + I am very bucked with life. All that we would like now would be a + stupendous advance. This nibbling policy is all very well, but it + doesn't suit cavalry. + + My horses have just been clipped. It is the customary thing at + this time of year, as horses' coats get very thick, and in + consequence they sweat heavily when on the march. The effect of + clipping is curious in the extreme, as the animal no longer + appears of its original colour, but of the colour of its skin, + i.e., mouse-grey. My mare was originally chestnut; now she is a + dark grey. Horses are much happier with their thick coats off. + The hair will have grown again in a couple of weeks, but it won't + be thick for some time. My mare is a grand horse for steady, + continuous work, also quite a good galloper. I had a gallop for + two furlongs or so the other day with the Staff Captain and the + A.D.C., each mounted on a crack cavalry charger. My mare came in + with the first of them, and had more left in her at the end than + either of the others. + + There is no greater mistake than to suppose that the function of + the horse has vanished in modern war. On the contrary, even in + the transport, horses are quite as much used as motors. Horse + transport is not confined to roads, and can pass much more easily + than motor vehicles over rough ground. When you get up near the + front, where the roads are badly cut up, horse transport is not + only desirable but essential. Of course, the motor is absolutely + invaluable for speedy transport. But on the whole one can say + that, except for motor-buses, which sometimes take the men right + up close to the trenches, and except for the ammunition park--a + collection of powerful and very speedy lorries loaded up with + munitions, which has always to be in readiness to dash up to the + front in view of an emergency--except in these cases, it is safe + to say that motor transport ends some miles from the actual + fighting-line, and all the remaining transport is horsed. True, + motor-cars containing Generals on inspection, Supply officers, + etc., go all over the place, often right up behind the + firing-line. Also there are the motor machine-gun cars, and the + armoured cars, which are fighting units proper. But don't for + goodness' sake imagine that the horse is done with in modern war + because of the advent of the motor. + + What the motor has done is to alter the whole face of things + because of the extraordinary rapidity with which it enables you + to fling troops or supplies up to the Front or transport them + from point to point. But for the effective use of motor vehicles + you need pretty good roads. You will remember how in the earlier + months of the War, ourselves, the Germans and the French effected + big troop movements simply by motor transport. You will recall + the occasion on which the French flung a force across the suburbs + of Paris and attacked the Boches on the right, thus beginning the + movement known as the Battle of the Marne. Then there was the + occasion when Hindenburg attacked the Russians in October, 1914, + feinting at their left and striking at their right at Tannenberg + with a force of armoured cars, cavalry, and infantry conveyed in + motors. Neither of these movements could have been achieved + before the advent of motor transport. As this war progresses, the + need for really capable and cool-headed motor drivers will + steadily increase. But it will be none the less invaluable to + know how to manage a horse--whether to ride it, drive a wagon, or + ride-and-drive in a limber. One of our limber horses is a grey + captured from the Germans last year. He is a very good worker and + doesn't seem to mind being a prisoner in the least. + + I must tell you of a funny incident. That night when we were + sleeping on the heath, which I referred to in a previous letter + (p. 149), our Medical Officer was awakened at 2 A.M. by a frantic + signaller, that is, one of the R.E. motor-cycle dispatch riders. + It was pouring rain at the time and bitterly cold. The signaller + solemnly handed the M.O. an envelope marked "Urgent and Special." + The M.O. opened it, his mind full of visions of men mortally + stricken awaiting immediate attention and of other tragic things. + Judge his astonishment when he found inside the following note + from his O.C.: "Kindly render your monthly inoculation return to + Headquarters before the end of the week." What the M.O. said is + unprintable, as this return had already been sent in, and, in any + case, is just a formality of no importance to anybody. + + My affection for the British soldier deepens the more I know of + him. To a student of human nature it is an everlasting joy to get + Tommy to tell you his experiences in his own inimitable language, + interspersed with all sorts of gory adjectives. It is so + different from and better than the sort of thing you read in the + Society papers. Human nature as it really is comes out strongly + in these splendid men at the Front. A talk with Tommy is of + intense interest to a chap as keen as I am on psychology. + + + _November 5th, 1915._ + + Still much occupied; out almost all day and every day, either on + horseback or in a motor. Much interest has been displayed in + these parts in the visit of the King. I have passed the chateau + where he is staying almost every day this past week. + + The district where we are now quartered is filled with refugees, + among them some orphans from Loos. Some people about here have + been terribly hit by the war, but some are reaping enormous + profits out of it. Such is the caprice of fortune. All over this + neighbourhood you see the names of Life Guards, Royal Horse + Guards, Grenadiers, etc., carved on doors and panels. We are + close to a large town which is an important point in the scheme + of things. + + Events seem to be taking a remarkable turn. Who, at the start of + the war, would have thought that we would have been able to land + a military force in the Balkan Peninsula? It is really a + remarkable position all round. Asquith's speech was frank if + nothing else. There appears to have been discord in the Cabinet, + so now we are about to have something like a "Committee of Public + Safety." Marvellous race, the English! Lord Derby seems to be an + outstanding personality just now. Have you noticed how each month + of the war is marked by some new phase of public opinion? + Optimism, pessimism, spies, Zeppelins, economy, pink forms, + voluntaryism, conscription, munitions--each of these has been for + a time the centre of public interest, and each has swiftly fallen + from its pedestal to be replaced by some other phase. Curiously + enough, the talk at home has not been influenced in any direct + way by the real progress of the war, but by the effect on the + popular imagination of trivial incidents, magnified out of all + proportion by sensational journals. The war goes on, + nevertheless, showing that the great British spirit is something + far too strong and deep to be really influenced by the caprices + of public opinion. + + It is amusing to see how the views of certain newspapers vary + from month to month, and even more diverting to observe how all + the amateur strategists claim that they had really predicted + every phase of the military operations. Believe me, however, the + war has been and is quite different from any ideas entertained in + regard to it in the early weeks and months. It is a blend of + grotesque incongruities that would be humorous were not one side + of them so tragic and terrible. No one here seems to know + anything definite about what is going on. One has considerable + local knowledge but very little general information. Probably the + latter is impossible to get in this sort of mix-up--the scale on + which the war is being waged is so vast. + + You will see roughly from Sir John French's latest dispatch the + part played by the cavalry in the advance of 25th September-5th + October. You will not, of course, be able to glean much of what + actually happened, but I can tell you we had a most interesting + time. + + How tiresome is the tosh written in the papers and spoken in + Parliament about the war! One wonders if it would not be a good + plan to shut up Parliament for a time, though I suppose it is a + good thing to have a place where men can vent their foolish + thoughts. But I am thoroughly weary of "Statements by the Prime + Minister" which state nothing, and of mere denunciations by Sir + Arthur Markham and Sir Edward Carson; also of the shrieking of + the Yellow Press, the wishy-washiness of the Liberal Press and + the _Spectator_, the impenetrable Conservatism of the _Morning + Post_, and the noisy sensationalism of the Bottomley--Austin + Harrison crew. Thank goodness the strong broad stream of British + spirit runs deeper and is much purer than would appear from this + froth and scum on the surface. + + Recently it has been a period of Catholic festivals about here. + Some days there have been processions and bell-ringing from morn + to eve. The other day was the Fete des Morts, and lately there + was the French All Saints' Day. It is a singular sensation to + hear the chime of church bells blending with the thudding of the + guns. + + + _November 18th, 1915._ + + Yesterday I rode twenty-five miles. A delightful experience it + was, too;--in crisp winter weather and with the surrounding + country covered with snow. It has become very cold of late, but I + am fond of cold weather, especially when it keeps dry. Assigned + some special work by the Staff Captain, I had permission to move + when and how I liked, instead of accompanying the Column as I + usually do. The result was that I was able to join up with the + Veterinary section attached to the brigade. We moved at our own + pace, resting our horses where we wanted to and giving them a + good drink and feed _en route_, instead of jogging on + monotonously with the Column. Our horses were thoroughly fit and + full of life when we reached our destination, and good for + another twenty-five miles if necessary. You would not believe how + much horses benefit from care and attention as to food and rest. + The time you lose in watering, resting and feeding, you can + always more than make up through the consequent freshness of + your animals. Obviously, when speed is absolutely vital, you + can't choose your time to rest the horses. For example: on those + never-to-be-forgotten days, 23-26 September last, we used to move + at a rapid trot for hours on end--for the expectation then was + that the Boche line might be broken. This latest "trek" had not + the urgency or the wild excitement of that, and we were able to + take our own time. + + I had a ripping game of Rugger a few days back, playing for the + 19th Hussars against the Bedford Yeomanry. The latter, who + included some old Bedford School boys, beat us, though only by + one point. I played forward in the first half of the game, and + scrum-half in the second. It _was_ a treat to handle a Rugby ball + again! + + Things are becoming rather mixed in English politics, what with + Asquith's contradictory statements about conscription, Carson + resigning and Winston flinging up politics for the Army. His + resignation is creditable to Winston, and at a moment like this + he would naturally want to do his bit at the Front. Everybody in + the cavalry that I have spoken to considers him a good sportsman. + Myself, I regard Churchill as a man with a real touch of genius. + + The Haldane controversy seems to have started afresh. How + terrible is the ingratitude of the masses! If Haldane had done no + more than create the Territorials and the Officers' Training + Corps he would have had an everlasting claim to fame; but when + one considers also his creation of the General Staff, and his + arrangements for mobilising, equipping, transporting and + supplying the B.E.F.--well, one begins to realise that the man is + a Colossus. And yet the wretched Jingoes continue to bespatter + him with mud, and I suppose the nation in the mass regards him as + a species of highly-educated spy! But perhaps the majority of + the people have never heard of him--Charlie Chaplin is a far more + living personality to most of them, I make no doubt. + + I referred in a recent letter (p. 162), to the fluctuating phases + of opinion in England in regard to the war. A new phase would + appear now to have arisen and taken the place of the Lord Derby + boom. This new phase is one of criticism of past military and + naval operations--Neuve Chapelle, Loos, Suvla Bay, the Narrows, + Antwerp, etc. etc., all of which are being discussed with equal + zest and ignorance. Mark my words, there will soon be a new phase + or an old one will recur. + + + TO HIS BROTHER. + + _November 23rd, 1915._ + + I am so sorry Dulwich got done down by Bedford. Of all our + matches, that is the one we are most keen on winning. Still, we + can't expect to win always, and we have not lost to Bedford for + three years till now. I had perhaps the unique experience of + being in a team which never lost a Bedford match. In 1912-13, + when I got my colours, we drew 28 points all; in 1913-14 we won, + 16 to 15; and last year, 32 to 16. Well, I would have given + anything for the School to have got home a fourth time against + old Bedford, but it was not to be. + + The sudden drop in temperature during the last fortnight has + affected most people here. I have escaped without any sort of + cold, though nine-tenths of the officers and men have been down + with chills. + + My mare has developed a devil of a temper of late, and bites and + kicks like anything--a sign of exuberant vigour. Fortunately she + gets on well with my other horse, and they don't "strafe" each + other in the stable. To get horses in the same stable on good + terms with each other is largely a question of feeding them at + the same time. My second horse, which my servant rides when we + are on the move, is a jolly little chestnut, very strong and + hardy, with a magnificent long tail. I ride him and the mare on + alternate days. Horses are ridiculous creatures. They will eat + all sorts of things, even wood, mud, and pieces of coal, as if + from sheer cussedness. It can't be because they are hungry, as + they get plenty to eat in the way of oats, hay, dry clover, etc. + Sometimes, as if from devilment, they will roll in the mud a few + minutes after they have been nicely groomed. Some of our + regiments have a lot of mules, which are given to fearful + brayings--a sound which is a cross between a horse's whinny, a + donkey's hee-haw and an elephant's trumpeting. Mules bite and + kick each other continually, but they will do any amount of work + when so inclined. + + + _November 29th, 1915._ + + I see that the Welshmen are coming out. May they strafe the + Boches to the wide! I hope the Cymry will prove themselves worthy + successors to Owain Glyndwr and all the other grand old chiefs + who have given us such a name in arms. Times have changed, and + to-day, instead of smiting your foe with a club or a sword, you + "strafe" him with gas-shells and machine-guns. The old way was + the best, but the natural instinct of all things animate to fight + remains, as it always will remain. + + We have received some of _The Times'_ broad-sheets. I don't + exactly know whether they are good or not. It is undoubtedly a + benefit to have "bits" from great writers to skim over when you + haven't the time, or the inclination, to wade through a volume. + On the other hand, it is intensely aggravating to experience the + feeling of incompleteness that naturally results from having your + reading suddenly cut off. + + + _December 3rd, 1915._ + + The other day I was ordered to visit a certain battery in the + firing-line. No one had a ghost of an idea as to their present + location, but I discovered where their supplies were being drawn + from--a spot two miles from the line, which was being "strafed" + daily. Off I went to this place in my car, but nobody there knew + a thing about the people I wanted, so I had to go up to the + railway station and crave the loan of a telephone. After a great + deal of bother I got on to some genial soul who knew where the + Brigade Headquarters were of the lot I was after. He told me + where they had gone to, but whether they were still there or not + he didn't know. Anyhow, it was a clue. So, like Pillingshot (in + P. G.'s story), I worked on it. + + After consulting my maps, and chatting with dozens of military + police, interpreters, etc., I took my car forward by a certain + road. By this time it was pitch dark, except for star shells and + gun flashes. The road was crammed with traffic. We took a wrong + turning, and eventually found ourselves on an apology for a road + that ended in a swamp full of shell-holes, and had to retrace our + steps gingerly. After blundering about in the dark for some time + we struck the village we were looking for, a hopeless sort of + place crammed with Scotsmen, all exceedingly grimy, but gay and + cheerful. In one house the men were waltzing to the strains of a + mouth-organ, though the boom of the guns was shaking the house + every second or so. + + Having reached the Headquarters I was in quest of, I ascertained + from them that the battery with which I had business to do was + now at a spot two miles away down a main road which was the scene + of such desperate fighting not long back. The O.C. strongly + advised me not to take the car down there, as if I did "it was + likely that the car would stop some pieces of metal." There was + nothing for it but to walk down the road leading to the recently + captured village. It was very dark, but star-shells, with their + weird green light, would illuminate the countryside every five + minutes or so. In the darkness one could vaguely discern the + shape of the first-line transport wagons taking up rations to the + trenches, and small columns of silently marching men, and now and + then a motor lorry belonging to some ammunition park. Presently, + after what seemed an interminable walk, I found the battery, who + themselves had only just arrived, and executed my job in a + half-ruined house. To get back to my car I borrowed a horse and + rode part of the way with a number of led horses, which, having + brought up the guns, were going back to the wagon line. + + On getting to my car I decided that my best road to return would + be to go straight along into a certain large town, instead of the + route we'd come by. As we spun along a voice from the darkness + hailed us: "Have you room for an officer?" We at once pulled up + and told him to jump in. Poor devil! he was almost in a state of + collapse and talked wildly. He had been six months in the + trenches, and had just come out of them in a half-hysterical + state. I had to speak to him pretty firmly before he could pull + himself together. We took him to his destination, and he was most + grateful for the lift. + + It was an uncanny experience, this wandering about in the + darkness in desolate regions a few hundred yards from the + trenches. In this grim struggle there is none of the glory and + pomp of war as exhibited in the days of old, when rival armies + met amid the blare of trumpets and the waving of standards. The + pageantry of war is gone. We have now war in all its fierceness, + grime and cold-bloodedness without any picturesque glamour or + romance. Can you wonder that in such conditions civilised human + nature out here swiftly changes and is replaced by elemental + savagery? + +In December, 1915, Paul Jones had short leave, and spent six days at +home. He took advantage of the opportunity to have a game of football +on the familiar arena in Dulwich, playing for the Old Alleynians +against the College 1st XV. + + _December 21st, 1915._ + + All well after a pleasant crossing. The blundering authorities + kept us and three other leave trains six hours in ---- station, + no one being allowed to leave the platform! We eventually reached + ---- at 7 P.M. The two first men I met on the boat were old + Dulwich boys, W. J. Barnard and Bobby Dicke. Barnard is a + field-gunner, and Dicke is in the 1st Royal Fusiliers. I also met + another O.A., named Corsan, who is captain in Barnard's battery. + How well I remember ragging with him in choir practices! We had a + thrilling chat over old times. Both Barnard and Corsan went + through the Battle of Loos. On reaching France we found there was + no means of getting to our respective destinations until next + morning, so we all dined together with a couple of other subs., + one in the K.R.R.s, a mere boy in appearance but a veteran in + experience. How delightful to meet old pals, and what splendid + fellows these old public-school men are! + + Everything is very festive about here just now. Officers and men + are making ready to pass Christmas in the old-fashioned way. + + + _December 28th, 1915._ + + We had a very jolly Christmas. The revellings have, in fact, only + just begun to subside. Our Brigade Major spent his Christmas in + the trenches along with his brother, a V.C. In that part of the + line there was a truce for a quarter of an hour on Christmas Day, + and a number of Englishmen and Germans jumped out and started + talking together. A German gave one of our men a Christmas tree + about two feet high as a souvenir. It is of the usual variety, + covered with tinsel and adorned with glass balls. + + + _January 4th, 1916._ + + I was indescribably grieved to read of the death of + Nightingale.[5] Himself an O.A., he was in the Modern Sixth about + 1900. He was a master at the dear old school from 1907, or + thereabouts. I regarded him as one of my best friends among the + masters. The year I took on the captaincy of the Junior School + "footer," he gave me immense help as master in charge of the + Junior School games. But really cricket was his game; he was a + splendid bat on his day, a useful slow bowler and a fine + fieldsman. He was such an enthusiast for cricket that he would + take any and every chance of playing, no matter whether against + the 1st XI or against the Junior School. In character he was + extremely simple and unaffected--not a great scholar, but a + shrewd thinker with a serviceable knowledge of history and + literature, and a fine taste in reading. Personally he was one of + the kindest of men and so easy to get on with. Though in no sense + a professional soldier, yet from a strong feeling of duty he + joined right at the start as a private in, I believe, the Rifle + Brigade, with whom he served many months in France. He then got a + commission in the 7th Lincolns, with whom he was serving when + killed. + + [Footnote 5: Lieutenant F. L. Nightingale. Born, 1881. Killed + in action in France, December 19th, 1915. A master at + Dulwich, 1906-1914. A man of ripe culture and a splendid + cricketer.] + + Here was a man who threw up all to take up soldiering, not + because he had the military instinct, but from sheer patriotism + and sense of duty. It was just like him--at school he would + always put himself out to play in a game if a team was a man + short. He was always called "Nighty" by the boys. Can you wonder, + with the example of such a man before me, that I should be + longing to get into the Infantry? Heavens! A man would not be a + man who did not feel as I feel about this matter. + + Well, Sir John Simon has resigned. Rather a pity that such a + career should be cut short. Still, at best he was a mere + politician, and to tell you the truth I don't like politicians + much. All the same, I do think Simon did some valuable work as + Home Secretary, and earlier as Attorney-General. + + For once the British Government appears to have acted with + vigour--I mean by occupying Salonika and telling the Greeks + politely to "hop it." Result, the Greeks have hopped it. How much + more simple and effective this than to jaw about "the rights of + neutrals," the "sanctity of small nations," etc., etc.! No! take + a strong line in this world, and you're more likely to get what + you want than by cajolery. + + + _January 26th, 1916._ + + One day last week I mounted my horse at 2.15 P.M. and rode in a + south-easterly direction. For the first couple of miles things + were as usual--crowds of soldiers about, of course, and lots of + transport on the move. One village I found populated half by + civilians and half by troops. Thereafter the country becomes + barer and grimmer, and the fields for the most part are + uncultivated--in itself a remarkable thing in France. The next + village I came to bore signs of having been shelled, but was + still habitable. Originally it must have been quite a pleasant + little place. Not many of the native inhabitants remained, and + the houses for the most part were filled with Scotsmen and + sappers. + + Passing on, with the roar of the guns getting more and more + distinct, we come to a place that leaves no manner of doubt that + there is a war on. There are graves by the roadside, and + shell-holes. Lines of trenches and coils of barbed wire arrest + your attention. Now there comes into view the battered remnant of + what was once a busy mining village. The great slag-heap towers + up on our right hand, its sides scarred and smashed by + shell-fire. Not a house is left standing. There are only + shattered walls and heaps of bricks. Over all hangs that curious + odour one gets at the Front--a sort of combined smell of burning + and decay. A grotesque effect is produced by a signboard hanging + outside a ruined tenement and bearing the words: "Delattre, + Debitant," or, in other words, "Delattre's Inn." On the right a + gunner is standing on what was once a house roof, hacking away at + the beams with a pickaxe; he is getting firewood, no doubt. + Solemnly a general service wagon rolls by, carrying a load of + fuel, and a limber crashes past at a trot. A little single-line + railway from the colliery crosses the road, and even now there + are standing on it two or three trucks, strange to say quite + intact. The machinery at the pit-head is all smashed, bent and + broken. You are impressed with the strange, eerie silence, when + suddenly there is an earth-shaking crash. One of our heavies has + been fired. You hear the shell whirring away on its journey of + destruction, and finally a faint, far-distant crash, perhaps + marking the end of a dozen men, five or ten miles off. + + Resuming my journey I reached another village, where the + destruction had been simply terrible, surpassing even that of + Ypres. This village bears a name famous in the annals of British + arms, for it was from here that the Guards charged on that + memorable day, September 25th. I saw a line of old trenches just + behind the village, and rode over to examine them. Perhaps it was + from this very line that our men advanced. I tried to picture to + myself what it must have been like--valour, endurance, turmoil, + destruction, death, a great forward rush by brave men that spent + itself, and fizzled out just on the eve of triumph. Why? + + On the left there was a large cemetery. Many of the crosses had + soldiers' caps hung on them, and in one case the man was + evidently a Catholic, for crucifix and image had been taken down + from a post on the roadside and laid on the grave. I tried to + find if there was any trace of the names of two O.A.s who fell in + this battle, Crabbe and Beer, but failed to discover either name. + + It was now getting late, so I retraced my steps and cantered + homewards. In this war-scarred region I actually met an old + French farmer driving his horse and trap along the road leading + towards the trenches just as if there was no war raging; and near + the one habitable house of the district small boys were playing + merrily, while their parents were calling them in and scolding + them in shrill voices. In some ruined houses were yet more + Scotsmen, most ubiquitous of peoples. I halted to chat with an + old military policeman who used to be with the 9th Cavalry + Brigade. Then home. A very interesting afternoon's work, which + gave one a real insight into "the conduct and results of war" as + waged in these cynical days. + + During another visit I paid to this desolate region there was a + "strafe" of some magnitude on. As I rode I could hear the long + whistling and heavy crump of high explosives that the enemy were + dropping into a village about a mile to the left, and could see + the flame and smoke of the explosion. Our own guns soon began to + chime in. It was quite a cheerful little show, what with the + long-drawn whining of approaching Boche shells, the crash of + explosions, the thud of our guns replying, and the weird, + fluttering noise of our shells going over. Presently the gun duel + became more and more violent. The fearful crashes of our + "heavies," the groans, shrieks and whines of the shells on their + message of death, the tremendous thuds of Boche explosions, and + the whistling hum of shrapnel pieces flying around--all this made + up a pandemonium of noise. My further progress along this road + was barred by a thud amongst some ruined houses about a hundred + yards in front of me, showing that the "strafe" was veering round + to my direction. Deviating from this road I met some old + acquaintances in the Gunners, and had tea with them in their + dug-out, my horse being put up in what in pre-war days had been + somebody's sitting-room. I cantered home at dusk. All this + evening there has been a "hate" on--the sky alive with + gun-flashes and lit up by star-shells, and the air resounding + with bangings and thuddings. + + + _February 1st, 1916._ + + Hereabouts we seem now to be doing ten times as much "strafing" + as the Boches. This afternoon I saw at fifty yards' distance some + 60-pounders (the old "Long-Toms") being fired. First, there would + come a flash of flame from the muzzle, followed by an + ear-splitting bang. Then the whole gun seemed to hurl itself + bodily forward and slide back into position again. Meanwhile you + could hear the shell tearing its way through the air with the + curious shuddering, or fluttering, noise that shells make in + transit. + + Riding north the other day I came to a place where the only + sounds that could be heard were the intermittent crackle of + rifle-fire mingling with the shrill tones of a woman haggling + over the price of bread with an old chap who had driven out with + his pony and cart from an adjacent town to sell his goods. The + roof of the woman's house had mostly vanished and some of the + walls were non-existent, being replaced by sandbags. A notice + proclaimed that there was coffee and milk for sale within. Is it + not extraordinary to encounter this sort of thing right up in the + battle zone? It shows how human nature can adapt itself to the + most uncustomary things. I suppose we should be the same--stick + to the old home so long as there was a brick left standing. + + I ran across an O.A., named Tatnell, who holds a commission in + the Motor Machine Gun Corps. He told me he had met lots of O.A.s + out here. Some of the fellows he mentioned are mere boys of + seventeen and eighteen still. One of them, Williams, I remember + last year as a drummer in the Corps. Honestly, the old school has + done splendidly. Every one of the fellows I used to know from the + age of seventeen onwards is serving, and they were all serving + long before there was any talk of Derby schemes. + + + TO HIS BROTHER. + + _February 10th, 1916._ + + I went into the trenches a few days back--not in the front line, + but as far as Brigade Headquarters, which is a sort of series of + caverns in the ground, and is approached by a long communication + trench. Nothing much was happening; and, anyway, this particular + trench is so deep that there is nothing to be seen save a strip + of sky above your head. In a few places you can get out and stand + on the open ground without much danger. The spectacle is + curious--practically nothing visible to indicate that there is a + war on. No soldiers in sight, only a lot of shell-holes and + barbed wire, and a general sense of desolation, with an + occasional crack of a rifle bullet, the whistle and crash of + Boche shells and the bang of our own guns from just behind. + + I suppose that the Army class at Dulwich are hot favourites this + year for the Form Cup, and the Engineers for the Side. Our star + on the Modern Side has, I fear, waned. I shall never forget that + final Side match last year, when, with a team much the weaker on + paper, we (the Modern Side, captained by Paul Jones) snatched a + victory by sheer tactics. It was the best game, or rather, one of + the four best games, I remember--the other three being the + Bedford match in 1913, when A. H. Gilligan shone so brilliantly; + the famous 28-28 draw at Bedford in 1912; and the Haileybury + match of the same year. In every one of these games the football + reached a high standard, and the result was a pretty fair + indication of the run of the play, except perhaps in the second + game, in which it was the personal brilliance of the Gilligans + and Evans that snatched an almost lost game out of the fire. + Great Scott! What wouldn't I give to be starting my school career + again? Make the most of your school days, my son, for you'll + never have such a time again! + + + _March 2nd, 1916._ + + A few days ago I went up to see Elias--Captain T. Elias, + son-in-law of Dr. MacNamara, M.P.--and had tea with "C" Company, + 1st London Welsh. To my amazement I discovered that Percy + Davies--now Major Davies, son of Mr. David Davies, Mayor of + Swansea, 1917, and editor of the _South Wales Daily Post_--was in + the same village at the time. So I went along to his mess; we + were overjoyed to meet one another. He introduced me to his + messmates, a ripping set of chaps, who included Sir Alfred Mond's + son, and one Parry, whose brother played for Dulwich, inside to + Harold Gilligan, in Evans's year. Amazing coincidences, what? At + the invitation of these fellows I went with them to a concert + they had got up in the village. It was quite the best show of its + kind I have seen out here, and there are lots of concert-parties + in these parts. The Welsh have a gift of music that is peculiar + to them alone. There was some first-rate singing at the concert; + and a private soldier--a Tommy, mark you!--played Liszt's "No. 2 + Rhapsody" and Schubert's "Marche Militaire" almost flawlessly. + And the way the audience appreciated it! Then we had some + first-rate comic work--really refined, not cheap and coarse--by a + man whom I am sure I've seen at Llandrindod. Altogether it was a + first-rate show--by miles the most interesting, intellectual, + refined and capable performance I've seen out here. + + They have shows of various kinds every night of the week--boxing + contests, trials by jury, concerts, etc. What enterprise and + intelligence our countrymen have! Percy Davies himself looks + after the boxing, and he made quite a telling little speech in + announcing his plans for the coming week. Mond is a good chap, + very jovial, boyish and unsophisticated. In fact, all these + fellows are of the very best, and of outstanding intelligence. + Would that I were with them! I was struck by the remarkable + difference between these officers and the cavalry officers with + whom I am in daily association. Each type is wholly admirable in + its own way, but they have not many characteristics in common. + + + _April 14th, 1916._ + + I derive great pleasure and interest from watching the methods of + these French peasants with their horses. It is nothing short of + marvellous. They never groom their horses and never clean the + harness or bits, yet the horses keep fit as fiddles and look + really well too. Their intelligence is extraordinary. Almost + every night I see the old chap, at whose farm I keep my own + horses, come in with four or five horses from ploughing--riding + on one, not in the orthodox fashion, _i.e._, astride, but with + both legs hanging over the horse's near side, something like + ladies' style of riding, but without saddle, braces, or stirrups. + He is leading no fewer than four other horses on one rein--a + remarkable thing in itself. When he gets into his farmyard he + slides off and gives some sort of a weird shout that sounds like + "Ooee-ee-ee!" The moment the horses hear this off they go to the + pond in one corner of the yard and drink their fill. + + Meanwhile the farmer has gone into his house. Presently he + reappears at the door and utters something like "Oy-eh!" He may + be fifty yards from his horses and never goes near them, but as + soon as they hear this call they leave the pond and troop off + into their stable, where each horse takes up his own place and + stands still there ready to be tethered. They all know exactly + where to stand, and the old chap unharnesses them, hangs up the + harness for use next day, chucks a few handfuls of oats into the + manger, shoves some hay into the rack, and leaves them for the + night. He never troubles about drying their legs and hoofs after + their immersion in the pond. Probably if you treated one of our + horses in that fashion he would be likely to get a "cracked heel" + and go lame. But these French farm horses never seem to mind in + the least. Well, one lives and learns. Our grooms are vastly + amused at these methods of horse-managing. The baffling thing is + the wonderful health enjoyed by the French horses. It is very + rare for any of them to go lame or sick, or even lose condition + despite their--to us--extraordinary _mode de vivre_. + + + _April 27th, 1916._ + + I see that poor Kitter[6] has been killed. It is too horrible; + first Nightingale, now Kittermaster. At Dulwich Kitter was always + looked upon as a prototype of K. of K. He was a very silent man, + who nevertheless took a very real interest in the affairs of the + school, his form, and his "House." He knew a lot about military + tactics, and his chief hobby was the Corps, for which he worked + and slaved in school-time and out. He taught us fellows more + about military discipline and training than you could get from + months of study. He was always having little field-days, extra + drills, and so forth, and while any movements were on he was + always explaining and talking to you, showing why this, and why + that, and so forth. He had a fund of dry humour. One of the best + men at Dulwich, I always thought! Poor chap! Well, well! + + [Footnote 6: Captain Arthur N. C. Kittermaster. Born, 1871. + Killed in action in Mesopotamia, April 5th, 1916. A master at + Dulwich, 1896-1915. An accomplished scholar and athlete, who + was C.O. of the Dulwich O.T.C.] + +In May, 1916, Paul came home on leave. He spent a very enjoyable week +in London and had the satisfaction of meeting many old College +friends. On 12th May I saw him off by the 8.10 A.M. train from +Victoria. There is a clear picture of him in my mind's eye standing on +the platform before taking his seat in the waiting train, cheerily +greeting this friend and that, conspicuous in the throng of officers +by his massive physique. He looked the incarnation of young manly +vigour, courage and hope, and there was about him a fresh and +fragrant air like the atmosphere of that delicious spring morning. The +future is mercifully veiled from man. Little did either of us think +when saying farewell, clasping hands and gazing lovingly into each +other's eyes, that we would never meet again on this earth. + + _May 15th, 1916._ + + Had a pleasant crossing to France. I dined in an hotel with a + gunner lieutenant, who in civil life was a Professor of + Literature, a charming and cultured man. We discussed some of our + respective pet theories on Art and Life, the Novel and the Drama, + etc., and found many points of agreement. + + Well! it was a great leave. There is no countryside to compare + with the English. If you had lived among the flats of Flanders + you would find the tamest English scenery beautiful. Not that we + are situated at present in unbeautiful surroundings. In fact, the + downs about here are very pleasant, and there are many trees in + the valleys; but give me the English countryside. Then there is + London! Dear old London! to me the one town in the world. Our own + home, too, with its happy blend of urban and rural. And then the + old school----! Yes, it was a great leave, there can be no + possible doubt about it. Would that it had been twice as long! + + On arrival at our quarters I found my horses very well. They are + looking perfectly beautiful just now, their coats shining, smooth + and glossy like silk. My big one really blazes on a sunny day, + and my cob is not far behind him. I shall have a very busy time + in the next ten days, arranging for a supply of about 30 tons a + week of green fodder to be purchased in weekly instalments in the + neighbouring countryside. All the troops are going to bivouac in + the fields shortly, as they always do this time of the year, + remaining under canvas until September, or even October if the + weather permits. + + + _May 18th, 1916._ + + Thanks so much for the "Shakespeare"; it was exactly what I + wanted. I am making a careful study of the Bard's works again, + and with an enthusiasm that has not one whit abated; rather it + has augmented. I only wish it had been possible to see some of + his plays whilst on leave. + + What a superman Shakespeare was! The interest of his plays is + absolutely perennial. Perhaps the most extraordinary feature of + his work is the astonishing consistency of the characters in his + _dramatis personae_. His characters invariably behave exactly as + people of that type would and do behave in real life. Thus we + have the illusion that the characters conceived by his mighty + imagination are themselves real. He has hit with marvellous + accuracy on the points in human nature that are common to almost + all ages, and, _mutatis mutandis_, his plays could be staged in + the nineteenth or twentieth century without losing any of their + power. + + Men of the type of Hamlet are doubtless rare, yet we all know the + sort of genius who is so much a genius that he is incapable of + action and does nothing but reflect. Hamlet seems meant to show + how vain it is to be merely a philosopher in this world. Hamlet + is always pondering, thinking of the abstract rights and wrongs + of the case. In the result, though he does eventually avenge his + father's murder, his introspection and vacillation have led to + the death of himself and no fewer than three other innocent + persons--Ophelia, Polonius and Laertes. Yet Hamlet was at least + twice as brainy as the rest of them, and he was also a good + sportsman; for instance, he refuses to kill Claudius when he + finds him at a disadvantage--that is, when Claudius is praying. + + To me the lesson of the play seems to be this--the only policy + that really works in this world is to "go in and get the goods," + as the Canadians say. The philosopher usually causes more trouble + than his philosophy is worth. It is the old lesson of the + Girondins and Jacobins over again. No one doubts which of them + had the purer and loftier ideals. Equally no one doubts that the + Girondins, despite all this, were hopelessly outmanoeuvred by the + practical Jacobins, who had not a tithe of their brains. + + To change the subject, I have been getting a lot of swimming + lately. At a big cement works in a neighbouring town there is an + enormous pond in a quarry. The water is about 15 feet deep all + round and not at all stagnant, and there is a splendid place for + diving. Yesterday I was down at a neighbouring seaport on + business and got a delightful swim in the sea. A swim means to me + almost as much as a Rugby match. I am going down to the + cement-works pool every day, and whenever possible I shall have a + swim in the sea. The weather just at present is wonderful, the + sunshine simply glorious. Do not imagine that I am neglecting my + work. In fact, I have been tremendously busy buying and arranging + for green fodder for about 2,000 horses at the rate of 4 lbs. per + horse per diem. By to-morrow noon I shall have contracts + concluded to keep the brigade supplied until further orders. + + + _May 21st, 1916._ + + Thanks so much for congratulatory messages. It certainly was + gratifying to get the second pip, and a particularly pleasant + coincidence that it should be gazetted on May 18th [his + birthday]. + + The weather in "this pleasant land of France" remains wonderful. + The sun is really shining. In the height of summer I have never + known more beautiful weather. This, on the whole, is a + picturesque part of France, and everything looks at its best just + now. The lanes and wooded downs here might be in Surrey. + + I was seven hours in the saddle yesterday. The General himself + commented the other day on the splendid condition of my horses. + They certainly are looking extraordinarily well. + + + _May 28th, 1916._ + + I note that Winston Churchill suggested in the House of Commons + the other day that the Cavalry should be turned into Infantry. + With due respect to him, I think that he is all wrong. Whenever + the "Push" comes, cavalry will be not only desirable, but + absolutely and vitally essential. The day of cavalry charges may + have gone, but I agree with Conan Doyle that "the time will never + come when a brave and a capable man who is mounted will be + useless to his comrades." You might, indeed, mount them in motor + cars, but a man with a horse has three times the freedom and the + scope for scouting and independent action that a man has who is + brought up in a motor and then dumped to shift for himself. I + entirely agree with Churchill, nevertheless, about the large + number of able-bodied men employed behind the fighting-lines. I + only wish I were in the trenches myself, I can tell you. My + rejection for the Infantry was a bitter blow! + + Everybody here is grieved at the death in action of Captain + Platt, ---- Hussars, attached Coldstream Guards. I knew him quite + well, and we were great friends. He was a chivalrous gentleman, + and very clever intellectually, quite a bit of a poet in his way. + + + _June 2nd, 1916._ + + We are now in bivouacs in a big field. I have rigged up a + first-rate tent, made out of cart-cover, with a sort of enclosed + dressing-room for washing, etc., attached. We've got a fine + mess-tent, 30 feet long by 20 feet wide, made out of + wagon-sheetings. It is not only much more pleasant, but a good + deal cheaper, to live in the open like this. + + So Churchill has once again leapt to the fore as a critic of the + Army. Mind, I have a lot of sympathy with some of his arguments, + but in general this last speech seemed to me mere wild and + whirling words. I note that L. G. now appears in the role of + Conciliator-in-General to Ireland. If anyone can settle this + miserable Irish question, he will. + + The war drags wearily along on its monotonous course. Are you + reading Conan Doyle's review in the _Strand_ of the early stages + of the war? The style is not so good as John Buchan's, and + perhaps he is inclined to miss the broad issues of the conflict. + But for details, and for pictures of incidents that go to make up + war, Conan Doyle's narrative is very good indeed. The story of + the heroic fight of "L" Battery R.H.A. at Le Cateau, when the + whole battery was wiped out save for an odd man or two, is + admirably told. War was war in those days, not like this + earthworm war that has replaced it. Still, no doubt the trench + phase will not last for ever. + + + _June 9th, 1916._ + + The school cricket XI seems to have been doing badly. It was + undoubtedly hard lines to go under by only four runs to Bedford, + but our bad season is only a tribute to the patriotism of the + school, for I can see from the names of the eleven that we have + no one playing over the age of 17. Our system of training the + young idea in cricket is very much inferior to the training for + footer. The consequence is that in Dulwich cricket a young team + is probably destined for disaster, whereas I know from experience + that whenever we've had a young footer team it has had quite as + much success as teams exclusively composed of fellows in their + last year at school. + + To speak of bigger matters, it seems to me impossible as yet to + put together any connected story of the Battle of Jutland. The + only facts that seem certain are that both sides lost heavily + (the Boches worse than ours, I expect), and that British + superiority on the seas, and consequently the maintenance of the + blockade, remains _in statu quo antea_. I am quite prepared to + find, when the true facts come out, that it was a deathless story + of heroism on the British part, and that in a fight with a foe + about six times his strength Beatty covered himself with glory. + + Lord Kitchener's death was terribly tragic. There ought to be + stringent inquiries as to the ways and means by which the Boches + were enabled to sink H.M.S. _Hampshire_. On the other hand, I can + see that it is possible that the whole thing was a woefully + unfortunate accident. To have one's name coupled with + "Kitchener's Army"--a title alone which should pass K.'s name + down to posterity--is no small honour. + + +WITH A SUPPLY COLUMN + +In June Lieut. Paul Jones, much to his chagrin, was transferred from +the 9th Cavalry Brigade to the Divisional Supply Column. His letters +will show how much he resented this change. (Certain words and +figures omitted from the following letter are the result of excisions +made by the Press Bureau censorship. They do not appear to have been +made on any intelligible principle.) + + _June 12th, 1916._ + + I have been transferred from my old post of Requisitioning + Officer to Supply Officer, Cavalry Division Supply Column. I am + frankly and absolutely fed-up with this change! They tell me it + is promotion. Well, as I told my colonel, promotion of that kind + was not what I wanted. I loved my old job with its facilities for + exercising my French, and its comparative variety. Now I am + dignified with a job whose main element is seeing to the rations + being loaded on to the motor lorries that feed the division. I + have not even a chance of exercising my special faculty--that of + speaking French. I told my colonel I didn't want the job and + beseeched him to leave me with my brigade. He was adamant. My + late General wrote a personal letter to the A.S.C. colonel, + urging in the strongest terms that I should be left with the + brigade. Even to his appeal the only answer vouchsafed was: "The + change is equivalent to a promotion for the officer," and it is + "necessary for the satisfactory rationing of the division." The + colonel told me he was moving me (1) because I was good at + figures--me!; (2) because I was hard-working. They don't seem to + realise that, if what they said was true, I would have been a far + greater asset as a Requisitioning Officer. Oh, it does drive me + wild! + + We had a brilliantly successful Divisional Horse Show last + Saturday. It proved a real triumph for the ---- Hussars of our + brigade--to my mind the best cavalry regiment in the Army. They + romped home easy firsts for the cup presented by the G.O.C. to + the regiment that got the greatest number of points in the + competitions. The classes for heavy and light chargers brought + out some magnificent horses. The well-known C.O. of the ---- + Hussars was very much in evidence in all these classes. He is a + striking personality. With his hard, shrewd, red face, his + wonderfully thin legs, light-coloured breeches, beautifully-cut + tunic and high hat cocked over his left ear, he looked the + personification of the cavalry officer as we read about him in + novels. It would seem as though these cavalry officers had been + fashioned by nature to sit on a horse. I suppose it is heredity. + Certainly they are all of a type. + + An interesting unofficial incident was provided by a man in the + 4th Dragoon Guards producing a fine bay horse which he wagered 30 + to 1 against any officer riding. It was a real American + buck-jumper. This challenge was enough for the dare-devil + subalterns of the ---- Hussars, and one of them, Beach-Hay, a + splendid horseman, promptly closed with the offer. For twenty + minutes or so he tried to mount, without succeeding; finally he + muffled the horse's head in a cloak and got on his back. Then he + dug his spurs in and set off at a gallop over the wide plain + where the show was being held. All went well for some time until + suddenly, without any warning, the horse put his feet together, + arched his back, and leapt several feet into the air, at the same + time turning to the left sharply. This the horse repeated several + times, up hill, down hill, sideways. How Beach-Hay managed to + keep his seat no one could tell; it was marvellous the way he + stuck on. At last the spirited animal contrived to get the rider + well forward on his neck, and then Hay slipped off and the horse + was away over the plain at full gallop, riderless. He was chased + and caught at last after a long run. Then up stepped a wily old + trooper of the 5th Dragoon Guards who used to be a jockey. He saw + that the horse was now tired out and got on his back without + difficulty, and as the animal by this time was utterly fagged, he + found little trouble in keeping his seat. All the honours, + however, belonged to the young subaltern. + + Did you see that wonderful record of R. B. B. Jones[7] of + Dulwich? He shot no fewer than fifteen Boches in a scrap in the + craters on the Vimy Ridge before himself being killed. I remember + him more than well--a short, sturdy fellow, a very good shot, and + an excellent diver and gymnast. He did not go in much for cricket + or for football. Poor chap! Yet such a death, I think, is far + more to be coveted than an ignoble life far from danger and risk. + I often think of those lines of Adam Lindsay Gordon: + + No game was ever yet worth a rap for a rational man to play, + Into which no accident, no mishap, could possibly find its way. + + [Footnote 7: R. B. B. Jones. Born, 1897. Killed, May 21st, + 1916. In the shooting VII, 1913-14; captain of gymnasium, + 1914. Lieutenant, Loyal North Lancashires. His heroic bravery + on the Vimy Ridge recognised by bestowal of a posthumous + V.C.] + + + _June 16th, 1916._ + + I have had another fit of the blues over this wretched transfer. + Why should it be given to all the fellows I know to be in the + thick of real fighting--a life which anyone should be proud to + live--while to me, aged twenty, standing six feet, about forty + inches round the chest, Rugby footballer, swimmer, fluent French + speaker, and Balliol scholar, it is given to load up rations? + Loathing this Supply work, I have already applied for a transfer + to the Horse Transport Section. Oh! that I had only obeyed the + dictates of my own conscience and enlisted in the H.A.C. at the + start of the war, instead of staying on at school to get a + paltry scholarship which the odds are 10 to 1 on my never being + able to use! What I pray for is a job in which the following + elements are constantly present: (1) hard work; (2) real brain + work, employing, if possible, my knowledge of languages; (3) + constant danger, or, at least, the constant chance of it; (4) if + possible, horses to ride. For such a job I would willingly give + ten years of my life. + + + _June 22nd, 1916._ + + I am glad to say that I'm not finding my new job so absolutely + hopeless as I expected. It is in many ways not at all + uninteresting to be attached to a Supply Column. After a long + time with men whose one interest in life is horses, I now find + myself with men who eat, drink, live and breathe motors. My + experience has already taught me that England has a splendid + system of mechanical transport. Our column numbers no fewer than + 150 lorries, 6 motor-cars, and 20 motor-bikes, and about 600 + personnel, not to speak of a big travelling workshop and two or + three break-down lorries. When you consider that this is merely + the means of supplying one single division, you will faintly + realise what a part mechanical transport plays in this war. There + is no horse-train to a cavalry division, and the lorries deliver + rations direct to the regimental quartermasters, so you stand a + good chance of seeing all the fun if with the M.T. My duty is to + make arrangements for translating the ration figures rendered + daily to me by the Cavalry Brigades into terms of meat, bread, + biscuit, forage, etc., and arrange for these to be loaded at + railhead on to the lorries; then, in company with the M.T. + officer of the day, to take these rations up to the units, at the + same time obtaining the next day's feeding strength from the + Brigade Supply Officers. + + This particular M.T. column delivered rations in the front line + trenches back in 1914, and once a portion of it was captured by + the Boches and recaptured by the 18th Hussars. + + The M.T. officers are a very efficient lot, and know their job + from A to Z. Among them is Captain Hugh Vivian, a member of the + famous firm of Vivian & Son, of Swansea and Landore, so near to + our ancestral home. He is O.C. to the section of lorries to which + I am attached--a most intellectual man of charming manners, who + has travelled all over Europe and speaks French and German + fluently. He is one of the ablest men I have met in the Army and + I find him one of the best of fellows. He may have to leave us + shortly, because his thorough knowledge of the metal trades has + marked him out to the authorities as a man invaluable for the + production of munitions at home. + + You have to be with a Supply Column in order to get some idea of + the vast quantities of food that are sent up daily to the Front. + Never have I seen such quantities--innumerable quarters of meat, + tons of bully, crates of biscuits, and cheese, butter, jam, + sugar, tea galore. When you remember that all this food has been + transported across the Channel, and much of it previously + imported from foreign countries into England, you begin to + comprehend the value of sea-power. + + I am told that the Cavalry Brigade have had to fix up a special + interpreter to assist in the requisitioning work since my + departure! "Verbum sat sapienti"! Why the authorities should give + a man nearly a year's training in one job and then shift him to + something else, without reference to his faculties, experience, + or wishes, I simply can't tell. Still, there it is, and we must + assume that they know best. + + * * * * * + + Early in July began the great battles of the Somme, when our New + Army displayed before an admiring world its magnificent fighting + qualities. + + + _July 9th, 1916._ + + Things have been moving "a few" (as the Yanks say) on this front, + haven't they? Let no one, however, delude himself with the belief + that the business can be done in five minutes. Things in general + in this war have a habit of moving slowly; also the enemy is + undoubtedly well defended. Some of his dug-outs are 30 and 40 + feet deep, with machine-guns on electric hoists, etc. The wily + Boche has not wasted his time during his twenty odd months on + this front. But what a relief it is to get back to action after + so many months of sitting still! + + I have seen numbers of wounded go through the various railheads. + These cases were comparatively light wounds, the serious cases + being removed by motor ambulance. But many of the gallant chaps I + saw seemed in considerable pain. They were sent off in batches as + soon as possible to a seaport, the returning supply trains being + utilised for this purpose. Every one was in an incredible state + of grime. It is the griminess of modern warfare that strikes me + as its most characteristic feature. + + For a whole fortnight I have lived, moved and had my being in a + motor-lorry. I found it quite comfortable, though it was not + inside the body of the vehicle that I had my dwelling. You see + the lorries are almost always full of rations ready for delivery; + so I slept in the driver's seat, and found it quite tolerable. It + is just like the driver's seat on a motor-bus; in fact, many of + the lorries are old London General omnibuses converted. + Personally, I never wish for anything better, least of all on + active service. There was a cushion and I had my blanket bag. + What more could a man want? + + The Ulster Division did remarkably well in the recent fighting. I + am not surprised, for I saw them training in England, and was + impressed by their toughness--hard-bitten, short, powerfully + built men, who took things very seriously. + + I can't tell you with what joy and pride I learnt that Lloyd + George had been made Minister for War! I regard him as the + outstanding personality of the age. Granted that he is sometimes + rash, granted that he does not always master the details of the + problem he is dealing with, granted that he sometimes propounds + schemes before they are ripe; yet against that place (1) his + wonderful personality, (2) his boundless vitality and energy, (3) + his heartfelt sympathy for the downtrodden ones of the world, (4) + his wonderful ideas and ideals, (5) his quickness of + intelligence, (6) his ardent patriotism, (7) his remarkable + powers of oratory, and (8) his almost uncanny gift of seeing into + the future--and you have a man whose superior it would indeed be + hard to find. Nietzsche would have welcomed him as his superman + incarnate! I have never wavered in my admiration for L. G. Even + when he was in hot water over Marconis, I stuck to him. Anyhow, + was there ever a man who was absolutely perfect? Let us, for + Heaven's sake, judge a man on his great points, and not "crab the + goods" by always emphasising his weaknesses. Lloyd George is the + man whom the Germans have more cause to fear than all the rest of + the Cabinet or any of our authorities, civil or military. + + + _July 17th, 1916._ + + In that mysterious quarter known as the back of the Front the + motor-lorry is omnipresent, especially at a time like this. + Wherever you go you see motor-lorries carrying food, ammunition, + telegraphic appliances, barbed wire, gas cylinders, clothing, + coal; in short, every sort and kind of article necessary to the + service of an army in the field. Sometimes they are even used to + carry up troops and to bring down wounded. During the Loos push, + for instance, this column was hurriedly requisitioned to take up + a Yorkshire battalion to the Hohenzollern Redoubt. + + I was much interested in Kittermaster's last letter published in + _The Alleynian_--a very characteristic bit of writing. There were + very few fellows or masters either who ever got at Kitter's inner + nature. He was always somewhat of a mystery to most people. This + was accentuated by his taciturn temperament, his rather distant + manner, and short, brusque way of speaking. But he certainly was + one of the very best masters I can remember at Dulwich, and of + the Corps he was a wonderful O.C. There have been many tributes + to Kitter, but I scarcely think that people have done full + justice in the obituary notices to Nightingale, the other Dulwich + master who has given his life in the war--a sterling chap if ever + there was one. + + So Howard,[8] as well as R. B. B. Jones, now figures in the death + roll! It seems but yesterday that we three were ragging together + in the swimming baths, of which both these chaps were great + habitues. + + [Footnote 8: C. C. Howard. Born, 1897. Killed, May 23rd, + 1916. Held an exhibition in science at Trinity College, + Cambridge. Lieutenant, Loyal North Lancashires.] + + I am very sad, too, at the death of A. W. Fischer.[9] He and I + got our 1st XV colours together in Killick's year, and were the + best of friends throughout his last two years at school. He was a + smallish, active forward of the Irish type, a splendid hard + worker all through the game. He and I never on any occasion got + crocked, and we played in every 1st XV match for two consecutive + seasons, 1912-1914. He was a shrewd fellow, too, and well read, + particularly in the classics. He had a very deep, rich voice, and + used to do well every time in the competition for the Anstie + Memorial Reading Prize. As a soldier he would have been almost + ideal, as he was a rare good leader, and a devil-may-care chap + who feared nothing. It is inexpressibly sad that he should have + been taken away thus. And I haven't even seen him since we parted + at the end of the summer term, 1914, just before this holocaust + started. We shook hands on saying "Good-bye" on the cricket + ground, he proceeding towards the school buildings, and I towards + the pavilion. He was to have gone to Cambridge the ensuing + October, and we had been talking of his chances of a "Blue," and + if we would be able to play against each other in the coming + season. But what use to raise up the vanished ghosts of the past? + It only makes the tragedy more heart-breaking. It is up to us to + see that these lives have not been laid down in vain. + + [Footnote 9: A. W. Fischer. Born, 1895. Died of wounds, May + 12th, 1916. In the 1st XV, 1912-13-14. Held the Tancred + Studentship for Classics and Science at Caius College, + Cambridge. Lieutenant, Devonshire Regiment.] + + + _July 25th, 1916._ + + I was up yesterday in the region where we won ground from the + Germans, seeing to a dump of rations. The chief impression I + brought away with me was one of all-pervading dust. I have + witnessed a few scenes of destruction in my time out here, but + nothing to match a certain village in this area. Vermelles was + bad enough, but this place is even worse. Everything in it has + been razed to the ground. Except for an occasional square foot of + masonry protruding out of the earth, there is nothing to suggest + that there was ever a village here at all. In one old German + trench I saw a cross with the following words written on it: + "Hier liegen zwei Franz. Krieger," which interpreted would be: + "Here lie two French warriors," a tribute by the enemy to two + Frenchmen buried here earlier in the war before we took over this + portion of the line. + + Alas! another old pal of mine has been killed, namely W. J. + Henderson,[10] a captain of the Loyal North Lancashires. In the + old days at Dulwich he did well in football. He got into the 2nd + XV under Evans, and frequently played for the 1st XV. He was also + decidedly clever, and won a classical scholarship at Oxford. The + war is taking a frightful toll of the best of our race. + + [Footnote 10: Captain W. J. Henderson, M.C. Born, 1895. + Killed in action, July 6th, 1916. A senior classical scholar + at Dulwich. Won a classical scholarship at Corpus Christi + College, Oxford. Joined the Army, September, 1914.] + + + _July 27th, 1916._ + + I should like to have your permission to apply for a transfer to + the Royal Field Artillery. The procedure will be quite simple. I + will send in my application to the O.C., who will forward it with + the Medical Officer's health certificate to the higher A.S.C. + authorities; then it will go forward in the usual course. If the + people in charge think my record satisfactory and my eyesight + good enough they will take me. I want to give the authorities a + chance to take or refuse me for a really combatant corps. In this + way, whether refused or accepted, I shall have satisfied my + conscience. After all, the doctor will state on the medical + certificate exactly what my vision is. So there will be no + question of trying to deceive the authorities. They will have + before them all the facts _re_ my record and my eyesight. If they + then refuse me, well and good. I shall accept the inevitable. If + they take me, so much the better. I have had several chats with + the Officer Commanding the Supply Column on the subject, and + explained to him that I was utterly fed up with grocery work. + + The scenes I have witnessed during and since this great + attack--the Somme battles--have confirmed my resolution to go + into the fighting line. You who have not seen the horrors of a + modern campaign cannot possibly know the feelings of a young man + who, while the real business of war is going on at his very elbow + (for we are not far from the centre of things), and who is + longing to be in the thick of the fighting, is yet condemned to + look after groceries and do work which a woman could do probably + a great deal better. + + Oh! it is awful. And all this, mind you, with the knowledge that + all the chaps one used to know are in the thick of it. + + To sum up, I recognise that I have a serious physical defect. I + shall not attempt to conceal it from the authorities; it would be + wrong to do so. But I have also many physical, and I think some + mental, advantages over the average man. Moreover, I am young and + exceptionally strong. I give you my word of honour that in making + my application I shall not conceal the facts about my short + sight. Having lodged my application for transfer, it will be for + the authorities to say whether they will take me or leave me. + Please, please, give your approval to my putting in such an + application. Occasions come to every man when he has to make up + his mind for himself and by himself--as I did about my move to + the Modern side of Dulwich. Was that a failure? + + + _August 8th, 1916._ + + I am more thankful than I can say to have your permission to + apply for transfer to the R.F.A. Since I wrote to you a circular + has come from G.H.Q. stating that officers for the artillery are + wanted urgently. They propose to send home two hundred officers a + month till further notice for training at the Artillery School. I + want, if possible, to avoid going home to train. I would like to + go through my training course here, but I fear beggars can't be + choosers, and in the case of a highly technical arm like the + gunners the training may have to be done in England. Everybody + with us is feeling restive; the inaction that prevails is getting + beyond a joke. + + As for the A.S.C., I consider that my particular branch of the + service is overstocked. In itself the mere fact of the work not + appealing to me (though I absolutely loathe it) would not be + decisive. It is because I am convinced that I could do better + work in other directions that I am longing for a transfer. Even + the transport side of the A.S.C. I would not object to. It is the + Supply, or grocery, side that I loathe. Had I remained in the + post of Requisitioning Officer, with its variety of work and the + possibility of exercising my linguistic gifts, I would have been + moderately content. But in my heart and soul I have always longed + for the rough-and-tumble of war as for a football match. What I + have seen of the war out here has not frightened me in the least, + but rather made me keener than ever to take part in the fighting. + It is all very well to be an "organiser of victory," but it does + not appeal to me, even if I had the particular type of mind + necessary for success at it. But I am not a good business man, + and the details of business bore me stiff. On the other hand, it + is my passionate desire to share the hardships and dangers of + this war. + + It is not only my own desire and my own temperament that + influence me, but the example of others. I pick up my newspaper + to-day, and what do I see? Why, that a fellow that sat in the + same form-room as I did two years back has won the V.C., paying, + it is true, with his life for the honour. But what a glorious + end! I mean, of course, my namesake, Basil Jones, the first + Dulwich V.C., of whose achievement one can scarcely speak without + a lump in the throat. Likewise I see my friend S. H. Killick, to + whom I gave football colours, has been wounded. And think of the + men who have fallen! Men of the stamp of Julian Grenfell, D. O. + Barnett,[11] Rupert Brooke, Roland Philipps, R. G. Garvin, and W. + J. Henderson have not hesitated to give up for their country all + the brilliant gifts of character and intellect with which they + would have enriched England had it not been for the war. The + effect on me is as a trumpet call. All the old Welsh fighting + blood comes surging up in me and makes me say, "Short sight or no + short sight, I _will_ prove my manhood!" If it should be my fate + to get popped off--well, it is we younger men without dependants + whose duty it is to take the risk. You will get some inkling of + my feeling when you read in Garvin's father's article how his + son, when sent off to the Divisional H.Q., lost all his spirits + and begged to be sent back to the old battalion, and how, when he + did get back to it, "his letters recovered their old clear tone." + How well I can understand that! + + [Footnote 11: Lieutenant D. O. Barnett, killed in action, + 1916, was a distinguished scholar and athlete at St. Paul's + School. His career there presents a striking similarity to + that of Paul Jones at Dulwich. Both won junior and senior + scholarships; both ended their school career by winning a + Balliol scholarship; both shone in athletics; Barnett was + captain of St. Paul's School; Paul Jones was head of the + Modern Side at Dulwich.] + + My application for a transfer to the R.F.A. has now gone in. If I + am refused I shall be broken-hearted, but my conscience will be + clear. If I am accepted, it will be the happiest day of my life. + + A few words now about some personal experiences. At a certain + village not far from here are a number of Boche prisoners. Every + day they go out to shovel refuse into army wagons, and then + unload these wagons elsewhere on to refuse heaps. It is a daily + occurrence to see a Boche mount up on the box beside the English + driver, and off they go--if the Boche can speak English--chatting + merrily as if there had never been a war. I have even seen Tommy + hand over the reins to his captive, who cheerfully takes them and + drives the wagon to its destination, while the real driver sits + back with folded arms. That will show you how far the British + soldier cultivates the worship of Hate. It is small incidents of + this kind, unofficial and even illegal though they may be, that + make one realise the true secret of Britain's greatness--her + magnanimity and her kindliness. + + + _August 14th, 1916._ + + The Dulwich Army List makes very interesting reading, though I + notice some omissions and errors in it. Everyone seems to be + doing something. It is as good a record as that of any other + school or institution of any kind in the country. I have not yet + had any news about my move to the Gunners, but the application + has only been in a comparatively short time, and these things + have to take their course. I know that my application was duly + forwarded and recommended by my C.O. to the Divisional + authorities. I shall be very much surprised if I don't get the + transfer. By Jove! if I only can. You cannot imagine anyone being + so fed up with anything as I am with my present job. Loathing is + not the word for the feeling with which I regard it. + + I am reading Burke on the French Revolution. It is brilliant + writing, to be sure, but Burke is too biased and has not complete + knowledge of his subject. You would think from the way he writes + that the "Ancien Regime" was an ideal system of government which + brought to France nothing but prosperity! Had he possessed the + knowledge of Arthur Young, who had examined social and economic + conditions in France with piercing eyes, he would doubtless have + modified his views. Moreover, Burke forgets the maxim he himself + laid down in his speeches on the American Revolution--that large + masses of men do not, as a rule, rebel without some reason for so + doing. It seems to me that Burke's heart and his inborn + prejudices have run away with his head. Though he scoffs at + people who try to work out systems of government on the lines of + idealism, yet his own views are often purely idealistic, + especially on the subject of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, whom + he apparently regarded as a pair of demigods! + + The style of the book is splendidly oratorical, sometimes too + much so, but there are passages in it which it would be difficult + to match even in the splendid realm of English prose--for + example, his great panegyric on the State. On England, too, he is + very fine. Many people to-day might do worse than read his + defence of the British Constitution, though I personally disagree + with some points in his argument. One sentence from this passage + might be addressed to our Allies very appropriately + to-day--"Because half a dozen grasshoppers under a fern make the + field ring with their importunate chink, whilst thousands of + great cattle reposing beneath the shadow of the British oak chew + the cud and are silent, pray do not imagine that those who make + the noise are the only inhabitants of the field." + + Unfortunately the British people do bear a strong resemblance to + great cattle, and it requires a Lloyd George to awaken the + sleeping animals and galvanise them into movement. + + Recently I got hold of a volume of de Musset. There is some + beautiful verse in it, especially the "Ode to Lamartine," in + which he has a great tribute to Byron. + + Could you send me out the programme of the coming Promenade + Concert season? I would give anything to hear Wagner and + Beethoven once more. My allegiance to these giants, as to + Shakespeare and Milton, grows stronger every day. The appalling + tawdry trash that passes for music nowadays, and the degradation + of art and literature which seems to be the feature of the + twentieth century, intensify my loyalty to great musicians and + noble writers. What is the cause of this decadence? There is + surely enough inspiration for genius in this colossal war, when + every day the spirit of man is winning new triumphs and deeds of + extraordinary heroism are being performed. + + +IN THE SOMME BATTLEFIELD + +In August, 1916, Paul Jones was relieved of his uncongenial duties +with the Supply Column and appointed to command an ammunition +working-party located at an advanced railhead in the terrain of the +Somme battles. + + _August 21st, 1916._ + + I am delighted to tell you that I have been temporarily posted to + a job of real interest and responsibility, having been given the + command of a working-party composed of infantry, artillery, and + A.S.C. men, whose function it is to load and unload ammunition at + an important railhead not far from the Front. We are about 150 in + all, and a very happy family. We live in tents and work under the + orders of the Railhead Ordnance authorities. There is a vast + amount of work, and it goes on continuously, at present from 4 + A.M. to 9 P.M. daily, and sometimes throughout the night as well. + It is a revelation to see the immense quantities of explosives, + etc., that are sent up. I have nothing further to report about + the R.F.A. transfer, but my C.O. has assured me that if my + application is not successful I shall be able to return shortly + to the Cavalry Brigade in my old capacity as Requisitioning + Officer. + + This working ammunition-party of which I am in command is located + in a little town well in the swirl of war, with the guns booming + in the near distance most of the day and night. The "unit under + my command," to put it in official language, lives in a field by + the railhead. We have a pair of first-rate sergeants (R.H.A. and + Infantry) and various very sound A.S.C. n.c.o.s in charge. + Everything goes merrily as a wedding-bell. A gunner officer looks + after the administrative welfare, pay, etc., of the artillerymen, + but the discipline and command of the unit as a whole devolve on + yours truly. + + Next door to us across the line there is a concentration camp of + Boche prisoners. They work on the railway all day shovelling + stones in and out of trucks and lorries. To the eternal credit of + England the treatment the prisoners receive, the food supplied to + them, and the conditions under which they live are all of the + very best. They have their being in tents within a barbed wire + enclosure, not too crowded, and have excellent washing facilities + (hot baths once a week), good food and conveniences for its + preparation, including huge camp kettles for cooking--in short, + every comfort possible. The work they do is hard, but no harder + than that many of our own fellows have to do in the normal course + of events. The considerate way in which our prisoners are treated + is a great tribute to British chivalry. An old French soldier, + watching them one day in their camp, said to me: "Vous les + traitez trop bien ces salots." I replied: "Oui, mais c'est comme + ca que l'Angleterre fait la guerre--avec les mains toujours + propres." + + I was grieved to hear of the death of Lieutenant Ivor Rees, of + Llanelly. He was a great friend of Arthur and Tom. It is awful, + there is no doubt about it, the sacrifice of these lives cut + short in their prime, but they are not wasted; of that I am + convinced. Besides: + + One crowded hour of glorious life + Is worth an age without a name. + + Lloyd George's Eisteddfod speech was very stirring. I like that + phrase, "The blinds of Britain are not drawn down." I see the + papers are discussing Ministerial changes. I hope whatever + happens that Lloyd George will remain at the War Office--it is + the place where his personality is wanted. I am reading two + interesting French books: Emile Faguet's "Short History of French + Literature" and Dumas' "Vingt Ans Apres." I wish you would send + me Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason," or one of Hegel's books. + This evening I listened to Beethoven's "Egmont" overture--what a + glorious work it is! Keep your eye for me on any books dealing + with Beethoven or the immortal Richard. + + + _September 2nd, 1916._ + + I am still in command of the ammunition working-party, and, + entailing as it does real work and responsibility, am enjoying it + hugely. All our men seem very happy. Their rations and living + conditions are excellent. We have our own canteen, which does a + great trade. It is a bad day if the canteen fails to take 250 + francs, although it is open only from 12 to 2 and from 6 to 8 as + per regulations. + + We get our stuff from the nearest branch of the Expeditionary + Force canteens, a military unit which does a colossal business at + the back of the Front. It has depots almost as large as those of + the A.S.C. A sergeant-major of the nearest branch of the E.F.C. + tells me that they calculate that at one depot they take more + money in a day than Harrod's Stores do in a week. The place is + chock-a-block from morning to night, and outside there is always + waiting a string of lorries, mess-carts, wagons, limbers, from + all over the place. The part played by the E.F.C. in the war is + by no means unimportant. It is a regular military unit, with + officers, n.c.o.s and men (in khaki, of course), run under the + authority of the War Office and subject to military law. Profits + on sales go to the purchase of fresh stock, and I believe, in + part, to the Military Canteens Fund at the War Office. The whole + thing is run by the Director of Supply and Transport at the W.O., + and is commanded out here by an A.S.C. major. It is difficult not + to make profits on canteens; even in our comparatively small one, + we constantly find ourselves saddled with more money than is + required, and this although the prices charged to the men are the + lowest possible. One great merit of the canteens is that they + prevent the men from being "rooked" by unscrupulous civilians, + who, I regret to say, are to be found in force in some of these + French towns and villages. + + The military canteen movement on its present huge scale has only + been possible to us because of (1) the comparatively high rates + of pay in the British Army; (2) the command of the sea, making + transport from England simple and easy; (3) the inexhaustible + reservoirs of supply and manufacture that exist within the + British Empire. There can be no doubt about it that the path of + the British soldier in this war has been made as easy as it is + possible to make it--an incalculable advantage to a nation that + has had to create a great voluntary Army in a comparatively short + space of time. Whatever faults the military authorities may have + committed in other directions, they have kept steadily in view + the Napoleonic maxim, "An army moves on its stomach." + + The Boche prisoners round about here work energetically. They + must, I fancy, be amazed themselves at the manner in which they + are treated--the abundance of food, the entire absence of rancour + on our part, and the general conditions under which they work and + live. Actually, they get their Sunday afternoons off. Some of + them have been given a little plot of land close to the + internment camp, where they are busy gardening in their leisure + time. In the camp they have all sorts of work-tables and tools, + and you often see some of them doing carpentering after their + day's work is done. The prisoners stroll about the camp and its + environs at will, and the men on guard are continually chatting + and joking with them. The ration of the prisoners includes fresh + meat and bread every day, and a supply of tobacco and cigarettes + once a week. It is much to the credit of Britain that her + captives in war should be treated with so much generosity. Don't + let the Government abandon this policy of broad magnanimity + because of the noisy clamour of armchair reprisalists at home. By + the way, these Boche prisoners observe the rules of discipline + even in their captivity, and when British or French officers pass + by they stand respectfully to attention. Most of the prisoners + are big chaps. + + If you have not read it, let me recommend to you a book by John + Buchan called "The Thirty-nine Steps." To my mind it is the + cleverest detective story I have read since the exploits of + Sherlock Holmes. It is in a way a sort of enlarged version of an + earlier story by Buchan that appeared in _Blackwood's Magazine_ + called the "Power House." As in the "Power House," the chief + villain is merely hinted at; he is only fully revealed in the + last page. Throughout the rest of the story he is one of those + genial, cheery old men who are always puffing cigars and drinking + whisky. The incidents take place in England and are connected + with a series of events that precipitated the present war. I + enjoyed the book and admired the ingenuity with which the plot is + worked out. The writing is vigorous and there is no sloppy + sentimentality. + + + _September 6th, 1916._ + + Yesterday my working party had orders suddenly to shift its + quarters to a spot farther up the line. Having struck camp we + started off about 2 P.M. in motor char-a-bancs and lorries. After + about two hours' plunging about in roads that were like quagmires + we arrived at our destination, a newly formed railhead, not far + from the battle line. It is situated on a sort of plateau. The + surrounding country is thick with guns. In the past twelve hours + there has been a terrific bombardment, the guns booming + incessantly. Even Loos, which wasn't so bad while it lasted, + pales into insignificance in comparison. At night the sky reminds + one of the Crystal Palace firework show in its palmiest days. It + is a fine place this from the point of view of health, being high + up and open to the fresh air and the sunshine. I am feeling + absolutely splendid both in health and spirits. It is a treat to + be up where things are happening. + + + _September 12th, 1916._ + + Pursuant to orders from the Division, I marched my party up to + join another working party that is engaged on duty whose scope + extends as far as the most recently gained ground. We are + quartered along with a lot of cavalry at a point in the area + captured, and are just in front of our big guns. The country all + around is a veritable abomination of desolation. Its surface is + intersected at innumerable points with ditches, in which much + splendid English blood has flowed. Here and there, looking very + forlorn, are stark and blasted stumps that used to be woods. + Above and around the ceaseless voice of the guns fills the air + with its clamour. Steel helmets and gas helmets are the standing + order for us when on duty. + + Whom do you think I met this morning to my great delight? No less + a person than Peaker,[12] now an officer of the K.R.R.s. He was + just back from a certain spot in the line, where his lot had + "gone over" with good results. The story of his experiences + occasioned heartburnings to myself as regards the part I've been + playing in the war behind the battle line. He had recently met + Cartwright, G. T. K. Clarke, and the elder Dawson--all old + Alleynians, who have had the privilege of participating in the + "push." On the advice of the Divisional A.A. and Q.M.G., I am + reluctantly leaving over the question of transfer to the R.F.A. + till things get more settled. At present I am away from the + Division, and it is difficult, almost impossible in fact, for me + to arrange the interviews with the Medical and Artillery + authorities that are necessary as a preliminary to transfer. + Still, as I am getting plenty of interesting work at my present + job I don't mind waiting. + + [Footnote 12: Captain A. P. Peaker, M.C., of the K.R.R. (son + of Mr. F. Peaker, of the _Morning Post_), who was a + contemporary of Paul Jones's at Dulwich, and won an Oxford + classical exhibition in December, 1914.] + + + _September 14th, 1916._ + + Last night I was detailed to go up with a working party engaged + in operations on the very site of the last great battle. The + whole business took place under cover of darkness. After an hour + and a half's trudging, up hill and down dale, we got to the + allotted spot and began our work. The night was alive with + noises--ear-splitting reports of big guns, the shrieks and + whistles of shells in transit, and the rat-tat-tat of + machine-guns. Now and again the darkness would be illuminated by + the glare of star-shells. I think I mentioned to you before the + mournful desolation of this war-scarred countryside--land without + grass, without trees, without houses, nothing more now than a + wilderness, with yawning shell craters innumerable, and here and + there blackened and branchless stumps that used to be trees. We + were near the site of a village famous in the annals of British + arms. A single brick of that village would be worth its weight in + gold as a souvenir. As we worked in the darkness the air was + polluted by a horrible stench, and as soon as one's eyes got + accustomed to the gloom there became visible silent twisted forms + that used to be men. But enough; I dare not tell you of the + ghastly scenes on that historic battlefield; it would give you + nightmare for weeks to come if I did. + + Out here one gets into a callous state, in which these things, + while unpleasant, are scarcely noticed in the whirl and confusion + of events. Personally at the time, in traversing this + battlefield, I was slightly horrified at first, but chiefly + conscious only of the frightful odour of mortality. It is on + thinking the thing over in retrospect and with cold blood that + the real sense of horror begins to creep into one's soul. Such + is the so-called "ennobling influence of war"! As I went over + this grim battlefield, with all its tragic sights, I reflected + bitterly on the triumph of twentieth-century civilisation. + + Our work occupied us about five hours, and we trekked for home + before dawn. Through the night there was movement and + activity--ration parties, walking wounded, stretcher-bearers, + reliefs, all moving silently in the darkness like so many + phantoms. I have picked up a number of souvenirs from the old + Boche trenches, including a Boche steel helmet, with a shrapnel + hole in the side as big as a crown-piece. Its wearer must have + "gone West" instanter. + + + _September 21st, 1916._ + + In the last few days two other officers and myself have been in + charge of working parties. Starting out at 8 A.M., it is our + habit to proceed on foot to places distant anything up to three + and four miles, returning in the late afternoon. Yesterday we got + to our destination about 9 A.M., and found the Boche "crumping" + with fair regularity the vicinity of an apology for a road. + Though little more than a muddy track, and only recently captured + by us, this road is full of traffic most hours of the day. The + "Hun" knows this and acts accordingly. As we were marching gaily + up about 9 A.M. he began a "strafe" of the district with pretty + heavy shells at intervals of a couple of minutes. Suddenly came a + bang about thirty yards in front of us on the road, and he put a + beautiful shot almost under the wheels of a lorry, digging a huge + crater in the road, into which the crumpled-up chassis subsided + with a crash. Fortunately the driver was not there, or for him it + would have been a case of "kingdom come." I was at the head of + our lot, along with my friend Lieutenant Gardner. We considered + what we should do--whether to push straight through to our + destination, which was not two hundred yards away, to wait where + we were, or split up into small parties. We arranged that he + should lead on, while I would wait to see all the column pass and + hurry up stragglers. Gardner had not got farther than fifty yards + when a six-incher came plonk within a few yards of him. Luckily + he and all his lot had time to prostrate themselves, and there + were no casualties. I was gathering the remainder of the party, + when whew! crash! and I felt a terrific detonation at my very + elbow, and for a moment was stunned and deafened. A Boche shell + had pitched not five yards behind me. How I was not blown to + smithereens will always be a marvel to me. As I staggered about + under the shock of the explosion I could feel bits of steel and + earth pattering on my helmet like rain. After the first momentary + shock I was in full possession of my wits, and I quickly realised + that, for the moment at least, I had lost all sense of hearing in + my right ear. But this was a small price to pay for the escape. + Such a miracle would assuredly never happen again. A few hours + later I had regained a good deal of hearing power, but it is not + right yet. Experts, however, tell me that this effect will pass + off in time. A fragment of the shell passed through the right + sleeve of my heavy overcoat. I am glad to say we had no + casualties at all, though the enemy kept on dropping heavy stuff + round about us all day. + + Well, cheer-oh! I am keeping as fit as a horse. My appetite, I + regret to say, gets bigger every day. + + + _September 27th, 1916._ + + Our working party having finished its duties, I have now been + appointed Requisitioning Officer to the 2nd Cavalry Brigade. + This is much better than that horrible job with the Supply + Column. The war news is splendid, but some glorious men have + "gone West." We are paying a big price for victory. The death of + Raymond Asquith is a great tragedy. A brilliant life + extinguished, one that gave promise of great things. I had a + shock to-day on reading in the paper that my old friend H. + Edkins,[13] who took a Junior Scholarship at Dulwich in the same + year as I did, is reported among the missing. He was an able and + gifted fellow. Do you remember how well he sang at the school + concert in December, 1914? With all my heart I hope he's all + right. I wish you would get for me Professor Moulton's book, "The + Analytic Study of Literature." + + [Footnote 13: Lieutenant Harrison Edkins, 1st Surrey Rifles. + Born, July 5th, 1896. Killed, September 15th, 1916. At + Dulwich he was captain of fives; Editor of _The Alleynian_, + 1915. In December, 1914, he won the Charles Oldham Classical + Scholarship at Corpus Christi College, Oxford.] + + +WITH THE 2nd CAVALRY BRIGADE + + _October 3rd, 1916._ + + Here I am a Requisitioning Officer again, this time for another + Cavalry Brigade. I was sorry not to get back to my old comrades. + Still, it is a change to work with new regiments. This Cavalry + Brigade is a famous body of troops. To it belongs the honour of + having been the first lot of Britishers in action in the war. + While I like my duties, I am beginning to feel restive, and am + longing to get back to the real battle zone. What think you of + our new war machines? [Tanks were first employed on September 15, + 1916.--_Editor._] I have had many opportunities of studying them + on the move. One would scarcely believe it possible they could + go over ground such as I have seen them comfortably traverse. No + obstacle seems insurmountable to them. They are quaint-looking + things, but, in spite of the Press correspondents, they are no + more like to, or suggestive of, primeval monsters than a cow + resembles a chaff-cutter. + + Ireland is an enigma and no mistake. The man who settles the + Irish problem will go down to history. The difficulty would + appear to be to effect any _rapprochement_ of the English and + Irish national points of view, these having been determined by + the different environments of the two races. In national life as + in nature the law of natural selection operates. + + I rejoice to say that I've got two horses again, one a big brown + horse, very strong and a hard worker, the other a powerful bay + mare. Neither is particularly good-looking, but I've learnt from + experience that soundness and strength in a horse are more to be + desired than good looks, especially when campaigning. It is + seldom that you can combine all the qualities. Breed and blood + tell in horses. A well-bred horse will outlast a common one, + because it tries harder. What you want is a judicious mixture of + breed and strength. My two horses are pretty well-bred and have + great strength, and always try hard; so I'm pretty well off, I + reckon. + + I observe that those blighted Zeppelins have been about England + again. But really the Zepp. is a colossal failure, whether you + regard it from the point of view of doing military injury, or + damage likely in any way to help Germany in the war, such as + impairing the morale of the British people. The best reply to the + Zepps. is being given day and night on the Somme, where hundreds + of thousands of Boches must at present be wishing they had never + been born. I am surprised they have stuck our bombardment as they + have done, but I am bound to say that the Boche is by no means a + coward. + + I am at present deeply immersed in Kant's "Critique of Pure + Reason." It is a great work, and not by any means one to be read + in a hurry. Every line is charged full with deep thinking. It + appeals to me intensely. Kant's was a gigantic mind. + + + _November 3rd, 1916._ + + Our Cavalry Brigade has been on the move for some time. In these + circumstances I am always busily employed. Every day that we move + I go on with the brigade advance parties, go round the billets + that the troops are going to occupy, and make all arrangements + with the French inhabitants for a plentiful supply of fuel, straw + and forage to be available for the troops when they arrive. The + weather recently has been the reverse of clement. The first + stages of the move were accomplished in pitiless rain, the more + recent ones in weather fairly dry, but bitterly cold. Not that + vicissitudes of weather worry me. I never enjoy life so much as + when I'm fully occupied with hard work like that I am now doing, + which is really useful and responsible. + + The question of Ireland remains a perplexing one. We have two + Irishmen in our mess, one a Unionist, the other a Nationalist. + The impression one gets from them at least is the hopelessness of + our being ever able to settle the Irish problem. It is largely, + of course, a question of temperament. The Ulsterman with us is + all for the "strong hand" policy, but I pointed out to him the + absurdity of our adopting Prussian tactics, especially at this + moment. He agreed, but steadfastly maintained that, judging + purely from results, Balfour was the best Chief Secretary Ireland + has ever had. He frankly admitted that Carson made himself liable + to be tried for high treason at the time of the Larne gunrunning. + He also agreed with me that to administer an irritant to a man + recovering from brain fever is a very risky policy. In fact, we + came round to the old conclusion in which, to quote "Rasselas," + "nothing is concluded." It is a thousand pities that so able, + attractive and intelligent a race as the Irish should have such + an accursedly impossible temperament. It is the unimaginative, + easygoing, supremely practical Englishman who is the ideal + governor in this foolish world, not the hot-headed idealist. + + + _November 10th, 1916._ + + I am starting off to-day on rather a big, albeit safe job, + namely, purchasing all the hay and straw in a certain area on + behalf of the Cavalry Division. It is an important commission and + will take me about a week to execute. + + We have arrived at another stagnant period in the war. That was a + happy definition of it as "long spells of acute boredom + punctuated by short spells of acute fear." + + What brilliant soldiers the French are! It amazes me that they + should be able to "strafe" the Boches so constantly, and at + points where one would least expect them to. The recapture of + Douaumont was, in my opinion, one of the best bits of work in the + war. Of course, the French Army is superbly generalled, and it + has a military tradition second to none in the world. A nation + that can boast of men like Vauban, Turenne, Conde, Soult, + Massena, Ney, and Macdonald (I don't mention Napoleon, because he + was not really a Frenchman at all) has a glorious military + tradition worth living up to. + + On the other hand, I cannot withhold praise from the wonderful + organisation of the Boches. The way in which they repeatedly take + the bull by the horns and attack the encircling ring of their + enemies at some new point is extraordinary. Where on earth did + they find men for their Rumanian campaign? There can be no doubt + that they are a very stiff foe to beat, and they are not easily + "rattled" by failures or defeats. But it is undeniable that they + were badly "rattled" on the Somme. British achievements there + enable one to look with great hope to the future, when our full + strength will be in the field. Man for man the German soldier is + no match for the British Tommy. + + I was amazed to read in the papers that the Dulwich 1st XV have + been beaten by Merchant Taylors'. If that really happened, then + truly it is a case of "Ichabod," and "The glory is departed from + Israel." + + + _November 17th, 1916._ + + I am still detached temporarily from Headquarters, travelling + about in a motor-car for the purpose of securing local supplies + of forage and straw in the area about to be occupied by the + Cavalry Division. It is very interesting work, with a large human + element in it; but one has difficulty in getting these French + farmers and dealers to agree to our prices for their commodities. + Almost always they want much more for them than is prescribed in + our schedule of official prices. Taking note of all refusals to + sell to us, because our prices are too low, I have to-day applied + for permission to requisition the goods in these cases--that is, + to take the stuff over compulsorily, handing to the owner a note + entitling him to draw so much money from the British Requisition + Office, the amount being settled by us and not by the farmer or + dealer. That is the way the French Military authorities do + things. They, of course, are dealing with their own people. It is + different with us, and French farmers and peasants think they are + entitled to exact all they can from the English. The French + authorities, acting through their A.S.C. or the local mayors, + periodically call on the communes to supply them with so much + forage, straw and other commodities. These quantities have to be + supplied _nolens volens_ and at prices fixed by the French Army. + I can see ourselves being forced reluctantly to adopt the same + procedure, at least in some cases, though it is much more + pleasant for both parties when we can buy amicably and pay cash + on the spot. + + A number of the farmers with whom I had to deal recently are + "permissionaires"--they get pretty regular leave in the French + Army. The peasant stock of the North of France has a knack of + producing good fighting men--they are an unromantic race, but + amazingly industrious, shrewd, and very tough. + + My car-driver is a Welshman from Pontypridd. He is one of the + best drivers I've struck out here and a first-rate fellow to + boot. He has played a lot of Rugby, having turned out several + times on the wing for Cardiff. He is quite young, not much older + than myself. Like most Welshmen, he has literary tastes, and has + a real gift for reciting poetry. + + _The Alleynian_ duly to hand. Its monthly War record for the old + school makes splendid, albeit mournful reading. How poignant to + read the record in dates of Edkins's life: "Born, 1896; left + school, September, 1915; killed in action, 1916." Judging from + the official account, Frank Hillier[14] must have done great work + in earning the Military Cross. I see also that K. R. Potter has + got the M.C. He is one of the most brilliant men Dulwich has + produced. He was one of the two men to win a Balliol Scholarship + in Classics in the second of those historic two years when we got + two in each year--a record equalled by few schools and beaten by + none. J. S. Mann, who took a Balliol Scholarship at the same + time as Potter, has been wounded in the trenches. + + [Footnote 14: Lieutenant F. N. Hillier, M.C., R.F.A., son of + Mr. F. J. Hillier, of the _Daily News_. Educated at Dulwich.] + + Deep was my grief to read of the death in action of R. F. + Mackinnon,[15] M.C., one of the finest forwards and captains who + has ever worn the blue-and-black jersey. He was captain of the + first fifteen in my first year at the school, 1908-9, in which we + had a pack of forwards of strong physique and whole-hearted + courage. Arthur Gilligan, who was in the same battalion as + Mackinnon, told me he was absolutely without fear, and was + continually working up little "strafes" of the Boches on his own. + + [Footnote 15: Lieutenant Ronald F. Mackinnon, M.C. Born, + October 23rd, 1889. Killed, October 21st, 1916. Was in the + Dulwich 1st XV for three seasons, and captain of football + 1908-9; a member of the gymnasium XVI in 1907-8, and won the + Swimming Challenge Shield in 1908.] + + + _November 22nd, 1916._ + + I have been up to the neck in work, having temporarily to do what + is really three men's work--Brigade Supply Officer, Brigade + Requisitioning Officer, and Divisional Forage Purchasing + Officer--the last a newly-created post under the direction of the + Corps H.Q. It is no joke personally arranging the payments for + all the forage in an area fifteen square miles by ten. To-day I + found it impossible to continue and do the work efficiently + without assistance. It is not so much the getting the forage as + the amount of accounting that is involved. I fear I am a poor + accountant at best, and the figuring involved in the new scheme + (there are five enormous Army forms to fill up weekly, in + addition to the ordinary business side of the transactions) has + been taxing my energies and has taken up my time long after + working hours. Major Knox, Senior Supply Officer of the Division + (an old Dulwich man, at one time the Oxford Cricket Captain, and + a splendid fellow to boot), spent about six hours to-day with me + in completely checking our available resources. The fact is that + the hay ration from England has been very considerably reduced + for some reason, and we have to make up the deficiency out here, + permission having been obtained from the French authorities to + purchase and requisition in various Army areas. This permission + was for a long time withheld, as the French wanted the local + supplies for their own troops. + + I am finding the War a boring business; the glamour has decidedly + worn off. Oh, if we could but get through the Boche lines! As + things are at present, there is no thrill and not much scope for + initiative. It is just a sordid affair of mud, shell-holes, + corpses, grime and filth. Even in billets the thing remains + intensely dull and uninspiring. One just lives, eats, drinks, + sleeps, and all apparently to no purpose. The monotony is + excessive. My chief function in life seems to be the filling up + of endless Army forms. I thoroughly sympathise with the recent + protest from military men in the _Spectator_ about the "Military + Babu," who is occupying an ever larger and larger place in the + life of the Army. There will be a revolt one of these days + against the fatuity of this eternal filling up of forms for no + conceivable purpose. + + It is not only myself, but many of my comrades who are bored by + the War. To my mind there are only four really interesting + branches in the Army: (1) Flying Corps; (2) Heavy Artillery; (3) + Tanks, and (4) Intelligence. It must be intense reaction against + the drab monotony of life at the Front that is responsible for + the outbreak of frivolity that is said to have been the leading + characteristic of life in London and elsewhere of late. The + Englishman doesn't like thinking; if he did, he would not be the + splendid fighting man that he is. + + In literature taste had gone to the dogs long before the War, and + it seems to me that the War has hastened it on its downward path. + It does seem to me a tragic pity that no great and inspiring work + has sprung to birth in England from the contemplation of what the + men of British race have achieved in this War, enduring such + depressing conditions with so much fortitude and doing such + glorious deeds whenever there is a chance for action. + + + _November 29th, 1916._ + + More boredom and an incredible amount of figuring, until I loathe + the very sight of pencil and paper. Thanks for parcels. Everyone + is so kind that it afflicts me with a sense of shame. Not that + any amount of gifts is too lavish for the brave men in the + trenches, but for "peace soldiers," like yours truly, it is very + different. I am at present living in a beautiful chateau at a + perfectly safe distance from the Front, in very pleasant country, + with a motor-car and two horses at my disposal and every + conceivable luxury. And then one is asked about the hardships + that one endures! It really is too absurd. I am by no means the + only one who feels like this, but I do think it is worse for a + Celtic temperament than for an Anglo-Saxon one. + + At last there seems to be a chance of escape from this luxurious + life, for a circular has just come to hand from the O.C., A.S.C., + of the Division, intimating that a number of transfers per month + from the A.S.C. to really fighting units has been sanctioned by + the War Office, together with a form to be filled up by officers + desiring to transfer. Of course, I am putting my name down. I am + deliberating whether to go for Infantry, Artillery, or + Machine-Gun Corps. + + + _December 8th, 1916._ + + I was medically examined yesterday, and passed fit for general + service. To-day I filled in the application form, applying for + (1) Infantry, (2) M.G.C., (3) Royal Artillery. You will doubtless + want my reasons for this step. (1) It is obvious that they need + Infantry officers most. It is, therefore, clearly the duty of + every fit officer to offer his services for the Infantry. I have + been passed fit by an entirely impartial medical officer, after a + searching medical examination; therefore it is my duty to go. (2) + From the personal point of view I have long been most + dissatisfied with the part I am playing in the War, and I jump at + the chance of a transfer. + + I don't pretend to be doing the "young hero" stunt. I am not out + for glory. I have probably seen far more of the War as it really + is than any other A.S.C. officer in the Division. I know the War + for the dull, sordid, murderous thing that it is. I don't expect + for a minute to enjoy the trenches. But anything is better than + this horrible inaction when all the chaps one knows are + undergoing frightful hardships and dangers. For a long time the + argument of physical incapacity weighed with me. I was forced to + admit that if, on account of defective eyesight, I was not sound + for Infantry work, it was better that I should stick to a job for + which I was fit than do badly one for which I was not fit. But I + have now been passed fit for general service, and this being so I + would be a craven to hold back from the fighting-line. + + If we are to win this War it will only be through gigantic + efforts and great sacrifices. It is the chief virtue of the + public-school system that it teaches one to make sacrifices + willingly for the sake of _esprit de corps_. Well, clearly, if + the public-school men hold back, the others will not follow. + Germany at present [the Germans had recently overrun Rumania] is + in the best situation--speaking politically--she has been in + since those dramatic days of the advance on Paris. The British + effort is only just beginning to bear fruit, and we are called on + to strain every nerve in our national body to counteract the + superb organisation of the Boches. That can only be done by + getting the right man in the right job. Men with special + qualifications must be given the chance to exercise them. All + A.S.C. officers should be business men; they could perfectly well + also be men over military age, as the work demands none of the + qualifications of youth. For a young chap like myself, without + any special qualification or training, but full of keenness, with + good physique and just out of a public school, the trenches are + emphatically the place. + + Well, anyway, there it is. My application is in, and I am now + just waiting for G.H.Q. to accept me for the Infantry. I should + not be surprised if I am back home at Christmas in order to + train. An excellent recommendation from my C.O. accompanied my + transfer papers. I also had a satisfactory interview with the + Major-General commanding the Division, who, I believe, added his + own recommendation. + + + _December 20th, 1916._ + + I can't tell you how relieved I was to get the Pater's last + letter, and to feel that we see the matter in the same light. It + lifted a weight from my mind, as I will frankly admit that I was + much worried, torn one way by my conscience and another by the + fear that my action would cause displeasure and grief at home. + Now, with the Pater's letter in my possession, I can go ahead + with a light heart. There can be absolutely no question that I've + done the right thing. It is a mere coincidence that my personal + feelings have long tended in the same direction. I saw the path + of duty before me absolutely clear. Up to date I have never "let + you down," and I don't think I shall do so this time. + + By the way, in my transfer papers, I have expressly stipulated + for a temporary commission, as I have no idea at all of becoming + a Regular. + + + _January 1st, 1917._ + + Hearty wishes for a happy New Year, wishes which always seem to + me more serious than the greetings that pass at Christmas time. + With most people Christmas is a purely festive season, but with + the end of the old year comes the necessity of looking forward to + a new period--perhaps to be joyful, perhaps otherwise; anyway, a + period on which it is necessary to enter as far as possible with + confidence. From the general point of view that is not an easy + matter as things stand. I am bound to say I am getting + pessimistic about the War. The chief trouble is the total lack of + action that characterises it. This grovelling in ditches is a + rotten, foolish business in many ways--though to me sitting in + comfort and safety behind the lines is a great deal worse. + + We passed a pleasant Christmas. I had dinner and tea with the men + of the Brigade Headquarters--the former one of the most pleasant + functions I have ever attended. I much prefer a ceremony of this + kind along with Demos to the "Tedious pomp ... and grooms + besmeared with gold" that Milton denounces so scathingly. + + I am sorry the Dulwich 1st XV didn't have a very good season. To + judge from the photos in the _Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic_, + the forwards don't know how to pack. One of the "scrum" + photographs is one of the best illustrations of how not to pack + that I have ever struck. It seems to me that there has been a + lack of training. But what I do remark with joy is the care that + has been taken with the games. All will be well with the school + if the games are keen. + + I have just been reading the first book that I've found that + absolutely gets the atmosphere of the Western Front--namely, "The + Red Horizon," by Patrick McGill, the navvy poet. It really is + great. He doesn't spare the horror of the thing one iota, but it + "gets one right." "Sapper" has a good picture of the fighting + man, but a very bad one of the Front. McGill has got a pretty + good one of the man and a superb one of the Front. He describes + to a "T" one's sensations under shell-fire. + + + _January 11th, 1917._ + + Congratulate me! I am, as I have every reason to believe, on the + verge of the most stupendous good fortune that has ever yet come + my way. Last night I got a wire ordering me to present myself at + Headquarters, Heavy M.G.C., for interview with the + Colonel-in-charge. Well, I went up for my interview this morning, + and was tested for vision by the Colonel with my glasses on. + Finally he told me that he was going to recommend me for the + Tanks, which means that the thing is as good as settled. I had + not dared to hope for such luck, owing to the fact of my not + having any special qualification. However, my usual marvellous + good fortune seems not to have deserted me. It means just this, + that I am going to be a member of the most modern and most + interesting branch of the service. So great is my delight that I + scarcely know whether I am standing on my head or my heels. The + transfer will, I fear, prevent my coming home on leave for a + time. Anyway, it's more than possible that I shall come back to + England to train. I hope not, for despite my earnest + desire--more than you can ever guess--to see you all again, I + think it is far better to remain on active service, if possible, + when on duty. + + I've been pretty busy with my brigade work recently, though to + nothing like the degree of November and the first fortnight of + December. One meets strange types of humanity on this sort of + duty. You can divide the countryfolk round these parts into three + lots: (_a_) The farmers--on the whole honest, but decidedly + avaricious; the French farmer's one fear in life is that his + neighbour across the way is being paid at a higher price than he + himself. (_b_) The average merchant, who is on the lookout for + making a bit in all sorts of illegal ways, such as cheating us by + underweight. (_c_) The honest middlemen, who, I regret to say, + are few and far between. As far as possible we always try to deal + with the farmers direct, as they are fairly honest, though very + obstinate. An honest middleman is very useful, but there are not + many of him. Business difficulties are increased by the + extraordinary accent in which the country people hereabouts talk. + Sometimes even French interpreters find themselves at a loss. I + am getting into it famously, and can even speak with the local + accent myself, to a certain extent. + + Did you see that my old colleague, E. C. Cartwright, has got the + M.C.? His reports of 1st XV matches in Evans's year were the + feature of _The Alleynian_, as were poor Edkins's reports in the + year of my own captaincy. Also J. P. Jordan, another O.A., well + known to me, has won the M.C. + + I am delighted that the Old Man (Mr. A. H. Gilkes) has received + the living of St. Mary Magdalene at Oxford. He could, I am sure, + have never had an appointment more to his tastes--barring, + indeed, his mastership at his beloved Dulwich. As a headmaster + he was a gigantic character; of that there can be no doubt + whatever. + + + _January 28th, 1917._ + + No news yet of my application for transfer. But people "in the + know" tell me that it is only a question of time. The document + having been approved and recommended by all the necessary + authorities is, I presume, now wandering through the multifarious + ramifications of the maze of Army offices, but I am told it will + soon filter down. One thing that pleases me is an assurance that + the A.S.C. authorities, whatever may have happened in the past, + are not this time blocking my transfer. From your knowledge of my + weaknesses, you will no doubt have guessed that I'm on pins these + days--the period of waiting for the result of an exam., even if + you think you've passed, is always a trying one. It is especially + so for me on account of my absurdly impatient temperament. I fear + that leave is out of the question till the transfer is settled + one way or the other. + + The cold weather now prevalent must add yet a fresh discomfort to + those that are being endured by our men in the trenches. I cannot + recollect a cold spell of such severity continuing for so long a + time. We had a heavy snowfall a fortnight back, and since then + there has been incessant and exceptionally hard frost. The roads + in places are wellnigh impassable owing to frozen snow. Going + down one steep hill to-day in our motor-car we all but turned + completely over, as at a curve in the road the car-wheels, + instead of answering to the steering gear, skidded on the frozen + surface, and the car swung completely round on its axis, + finishing by facing the opposite way to that in which we were + travelling. Where the roads are not very slippery they are as + hard as iron. A curious result is that you have a thick dust + raised over a snow-covered landscape and in bitterly cold + weather! + + I was much interested in the Balliol College pamphlet and the + Master's accompanying letter. Balliol appears to have done even + more than its part in the War. Did you see that the Brakenbury + Scholarship in History for 1916 was taken by a chap from Gresham + School, Holt? I often wonder whether I shall ever go up to + Oxford. Almost needless to say, to go there would be the crowning + joy of my life, but I cannot help thinking that circumstances + will render it impossible. Still, we will hope for the best. One + thing I mean to do after the War is to learn Russian thoroughly + and to visit Russia. I am not at all sure that travelling is not + the best of all Universities. The great disadvantage of a + 'Varsity is the insularity of mind which it is apt to breed. Its + rigid observance of ancient customs, its cult of "form," the fact + that it is the almost exclusive monopoly of the rich, the + aristocracy and the upper middle-class; above all, its contempt + for the learning of modern times and studied disregard of modern + languages--all these features help to make the 'Varsity as + insular as the most insular of all English national institutions. + On the other hand, by its genuine intellectuality, by its cult of + the beautiful and the abstract, by its scorn of the sordid + business side of modern civilisation, by its enthusiasm for + athletics and by its traditions of duty and of patriotism, the + 'Varsity remains, to my mind, one of the most healthful + influences in modern British life. + + Talking of English insularity, it is curious to note how the + Englishman makes his progress abroad. He is so insular that + instead of learning the language and adopting the customs of the + country he is in, he makes the indigenous population adopt his! + He does not, for example, know much French, but he has evolved a + sort of patois--much nearer English than French--that enables the + inhabitants to understand him and comprehend what he wants. + + I have recently been reading another of John Buchan's, called + "Greenmantle." If you haven't read it, get it. It is just as good + as Buchan's other books, rich in mystery and scintillating with + adventure. It deals with this War and the experiences of Richard + Hannay (whom you will recollect as the hero of the "Thirty-nine + Steps," and who has since become a Major and got wounded at Loos) + in his efforts, eventually crowned with success, to crush a + German plot--this plot being the working up of a "Jehad," or Holy + War among the Mohammedans, and so provoking a rising of Islam + against the British. A thoroughly live story, told with great + spirit. + + I have also read H. G. Wells's war novel, "Mr. Britling Sees It + Through." It is undeniably clever, though not to my mind up to + the level of Wells's very best. It rather gives the impression in + parts of having been written by the mile and then lengths cut off + as required. He has one very good touch, the realisation of the + impersonal and indiscriminate nature of the War: it claims as + victims both Mr. Britling's own son and the young German who had + been living with them before the War. The book concludes with a + letter from Britling to the German boy's father, attempting to + find some way out of the blackness. As usual with Wells, the best + feature of the novel is the way in which he expresses the point + of view of the average man. He has the trick of recording + reflections in a sort of staccato style, with gaps here and + there--just the way that one does think. There is some rot in the + book, but on the whole it is very good and well worth reading. + + Recently I have been attending a Veterinary Course--lectures and + practical demonstration; most fascinating it is, I can assure + you. + + +WITH THE TANK CORPS + +On February 13, 1917, Paul Jones joined the M.G.C.H.B., in other words +the Tank Corps. His joy at this transfer was unbounded. Nothing could +be in sharper contrast than the letters he wrote after joining the +Tank Corps and those penned during the preceding three months, when +the enforced inactivity of the cavalry and the nature of his own +routine work preyed on his spirits and made him exclaim with Ulysses: + + How dull it is to pause, to make an end, + To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use, + As though to breathe were Life! + + _February 13th, 1917._ + + When I came in from my morning's work yesterday what should I + find but a telegram instructing me to report at the earliest + possible moment to Headquarters, Heavy M.G.C., for duty on + transfer! These things usually come with a rush after one has + been kept waiting a long time in suspense. I spent the rest of + the day in bringing my accounts and papers up to date, and this + morning came across in the motor to my destination. Is it not + splendid? My luck has never yet failed to stand me in good stead. + I won't deny, nevertheless, that it was a severe wrench parting + from the old Cavalry Division after twenty months of service with + it. I had formed many friendships there, among both officers and + men, and it cost me many a pang to bid them good-bye. All + partings from old associations are hard to bear even when the + parting leads up, as in my case, to the fulfilment of one's + greatest ambition. My delight knows no bounds at my new + appointment. I really am asking myself whether I am awake or not. + It almost seems too good to be true. + + I am writing this letter in my new mess which is in a Neissen + hut. For the present I remain Lieutenant A.S.C.--till the period + of probation is past. But that's no matter, for the acme of my + military ambitions is now attained. My new messmates are almost + all ex-infantry men, many of whom, most in fact, are here + learning their new job. Strangely enough, I am the third Senior + Lieutenant in the company, and in point of active service, with + my twenty months in France, I stand well in front of almost all + of them. The O.C. of the company, stroke of good luck for me, is + an old Hussar officer and ex-member of the Cavalry Brigade which + I have just quitted. It was a joy to meet him again. I was able + to give him a lot of news about his old pals. + + All the fellows in the new mess are amazed that I have been + without leave since the beginning of May, 1916. I must not set my + leave before my work, however. I have already started my new + labours. Altogether I am in luck all round. I verily believe I am + the luckiest man in the B.E.F. to-day. Congratulate me! You will + be interested to know that an old Dulwich boy, Ambrose, to whom I + gave 2nd XV Colours in my year of football captaincy, is in the + same battalion, but I have not met him yet. + + + TO HIS BROTHER. + + _February 17th, 1917._ + + I am getting on splendidly. I can't tell you how bucked I am with + life. It was my third shot to get out of the "great Department," + and not only did I succeed in this, but I have obtained that + which I had most desired. I had really hardly dared to hope that + I should succeed in getting into the Tank Corps. There are a lot + of Rugger men among the officers here, including an O.A., + Ambrose, who was one of the best of the 2nd XV forwards in 1914. + In our company is a splendid fellow called Hedderwick, who played + for Loretto and was tried for Cambridge; and a man called + Saillard, who was the Haileybury full-back in that match when + they beat us at Haileybury by 32 to 12 in Evans's year. You may + recollect Saillard getting laid out in the second half, + Haileybury continuing without a full-back--with very sound + judgment as it turned out, for this enabled them to play us off + our legs in the scrum and control the game with eight forwards to + seven, and we never got the ball to give to our eight outsides. + To sum up, I am in most congenial society and enjoying life + hugely. + + Naturally, I am working pretty hard, learning my new job. I am + determined to make good at it, and I have the conviction that, + with hard work and concentration, a man with education behind him + can succeed in pretty well anything that he likes. Leave may come + in the near future, provided the authorities consider I have made + sufficient progress in my new studies; but I have a lot to learn, + and it is not my desire to go on leave before I have mastered at + least the elements of my new job--very much the reverse, in fact. + + + _February 20th, 1917._ + + Am having a grand time--up to my eyes in oil, grease and mud from + 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. I am finding my old hobby of engineering of the + greatest value, and my enthusiasm for seeing "the wheels go + round" has returned in all its old force. Even the gas-engine and + dynamo of famous (or infamous) memory are proving most + serviceable to me through the experience I acquired with + them--demonstrating again how useful the most _recherche_ of + ideas, occupations or hobbies may become. No knowledge is to be + despised. + + The only fly in the ointment is that an exam. is due for me in a + week's time or so--as you know, impending exams. fill me with + terror. I have such an accursedly active imagination that I find + it impossible to banish from my head the thought, "What if I + fail?" I've always been afflicted with this, though I am bound to + say that when it came to the point it did not, as far as might be + judged by results, affect my actual performances. But I am, + nevertheless, in a chronic state of what the B.E.F. calls "wind + up" on account of this exam. I am so eager to do well that the + mere thought of failing is abhorrent. I am inclined to ascribe + these feelings at bottom to egotism. + + There is quite a number of South Welshmen in our lot out here, + including some men from Llanelly. There are also a lot of + Scotsmen among the officers, fellows of broad speech and dry + humour to whom I am much drawn. + + You haven't hit on a book on some musical subject for me, have + you? I would much like a work dealing with Wagner or Beethoven. + It is music that I miss more than anything in the intellectual + line. Shall we ever hear the "Ring" again, I wonder? Anyway, it + was one of the supreme experiences of my life to have heard it + conducted by Nikisch. I regard the "Ring" as one of the world's + artistic masterpieces. It is conceived on a scale of unparalleled + grandeur, and must be thought of as an organised whole. + + I miss the "Proms" and the Sunday Concerts, too--both have done a + real national service in popularising the greatest music. + + + _February 28th, 1917._ + + In the language of Tommy, I am "in the pink" and getting on + first-rate. Am delighted to say I passed well in that + examination, being marked "very good indeed." I got more than 90 + per cent. of marks. I never dared to hope for such success. It + would be absurd to deny that I am hugely bucked at the result, + but I had had a pretty strenuous training for the exam. I am + still engaged in learning, but now in a different department, + though of equal interest, and I am glad to say that no + examination is involved this time. + + Last Sunday we had a real first-rate game of Rugger--not very + scientific as far as passing and outside play were concerned, but + a great struggle forward. My own side had a couple of splendid + Scottish forwards against it, and I had a great deal of defence + to do, falling on the ball, etc. The final was 6-3 against us, + but one glaring offside try was allowed to our + opponents--accidentally, of course, as the referee's view was + unfortunately obstructed at the time. It was a grand game to play + in, though I was not in the best of training--one's first game + for fourteen months is usually apt to be a bit of a strain, and I + hadn't played since I turned out for the O.A.'s at Dulwich in + December, 1915. It was simply great, worth living years for, to + touch a Rugger ball again. + + + _March 17th, 1917._ + + These days for me are crammed full of work, 8.30 A.M. to 6 or 7 + P.M. as a general rule. I am enjoying life hugely, however. To me + hard work has always been preferable to slack times, and I like + going at high pressure. Besides, this is such a grand job that + the work is a sheer pleasure. By Jove! if you only knew how much + happier I am these days than in any period during the twenty odd + months I had spent previously playing at soldiers in the "Grub + Department." It amazes me that I could have been so long + contented with work like that of the A.S.C. Well, anyway, those + days are over and done with, and a new and brighter era has been + ushered in. As a rule, I am now almost always in an incredible + state of grease and oil and grime, which, remembering my old + propensities, you will know delights me. The old gas-engine at + home was nothing to it. I have had to set aside a special suit + for daily use, as even with overalls on there is not sufficient + protection against grease, oil, petrol and mud. I cannot tell you + how supremely happy I am in my work. + + Ambrose returned to his company from a course of instruction last + week, and he came across immediately to see me. We discussed old + times and old friends with great gusto. There are two other + Dulwich men in the battalion whom I never knew well, as they were + fairly senior fellows when I was only a kid, though I distinctly + remember both. Their names are Trimingham and Sewell. They were + in what was in those days Treadgold's House. + + I am sending back by the same post a pair of spectacles which got + broken recently. Will you please get them repaired? I still have + four sound pairs, but I always like to keep up the set of five + with which I started in the War. + + The breaking of the great frost created appalling conditions on + this countryside, which for some time was an absolute quagmire. + Even now things are pretty bad, though the weather improves + daily. + + + _March 20th, 1917._ + + Well, the Boche has retreated on the Somme, as most people + anticipated he would, though few imagined he would make such a + considerable withdrawal. He is a cute customer, of that there is + no doubt. He never does a thing without having a reason. Yet + there have been occasions in the War when he has entirely + misjudged the situation. Take Ypres and Verdun for example. This + retirement on the Somme is clever, though it may tell on the + morale of his men. On the other hand, the Boche relies, and + always has relied, much more on discipline than on morale for + keeping his army together. He has never developed _esprit de + corps_ as it has been developed in our army, or the French, but + there's no denying that his discipline is something pretty + considerable. That discipline, as far as can be gauged, has as + its foundation a very efficient system of N.C.O.'s. His officers + are intelligent, but nothing to write home about, but his + N.C.O.'s are unquestionably very good. I have myself witnessed + their influence among gangs of prisoners we have taken. + + It must necessarily come about in the course of a War that + situations arise when _esprit de corps_ is equivalent to, and + even produces, discipline. That is where brother Boche fails to + rise to the occasion. I am not of those who think the Boche a + coward, but undoubtedly an unexpected situation very often plays + the very deuce with both his courage and his organisation. In his + plans he allows for most possibilities, but he is nonplussed when + the situation does not turn out exactly as it should on paper. + Again, man for man, he loses "guts" in tight corners, because of + this same lack of initiative. It is perhaps a temperamental + failing. There have been moments in this War when only his + incapacity to deal with a suddenly-developed situation has stood + between him and stupendous success. He has assumed, let us say, + that by all the rules of War the enemy must have reserves + available, and has therefore ceased his attack until such time as + he could muster his forces to meet the counter-attack by these + imagined reserve troops, when actually his enemy had no reserves + at all. Conversely, he has assumed on many occasions that his + enemy must, by all the rules of War, be battered into pulp or + asphyxiated, and that he has only to advance over the bodies of + his foes to win an overwhelming victory; yet somehow or other + from out of the indescribable debris and havoc wrought by his + artillery or gas, arise survivors who, though half-dead, yet have + enough life and pluck to hold him back. + + Take as illustrations either the second battle of Ypres or + Verdun. In the first case, after the first surprise gas attack a + rent about a mile and a half wide had been torn in the Allied + line. Against a vast number of German troops there was opposed + only one single division of what Bernhardi contemptuously termed + "Colonial Militia," namely, the Canadians. For quite a long time + there were no other troops of ours (save a few oddments) in the + vicinity. The Boche had five miles or so to get to "Wipers." Of + these he covered just about two, and even that ground was only + what he gained in the first surprise of his gas attack. Between + him and the Channel coast there still stretched a khaki line. The + same sort of situation was repeated several times during the + second battle of Ypres (though the odds were never so great as in + these first April days), yet the result was always the same. + + Take Verdun again. For me this prolonged battle has a strange + fascination. There is something more terrible and primitive about + it than about any other struggle of the War. It was a sort of + death-grip between two antagonistic military conceptions. + + (_The remainder of this letter never came to hand._) + + + _March 31st, 1917._ + + It must be a singular experience for our troops on the Somme to + miss enemy artillery fire, trench mortars, grenades, etc., from + the scheme of things. What a huge relief to the Infantry to have + a pause from the eternal "Whew-w-w-w-Crash" of the high + explosives! I fear, nevertheless, that the British infantrymen + will soon resume acquaintance with them, for the War isn't over + by a long chalk yet. Meanwhile, however, the sight of an at + present comparatively unblemished countryside must be a great joy + to men sick of the howling wilderness created on the ground that + has been contended for since July, 1916. I know those Somme + battlefields--every square yard of soil honeycombed with + shell-holes, all traces of verdure vanished, trees reduced to + withered skeletons, blasted forests, fragments of houses, with + the poor human dead rotting all around. Verily a nightmare + country. + + You may have remarked in the last _Alleynian_ a poem called the + "Infantryman," by Captain E. F. Clarke. It appeared first in + _Punch_ some time ago and has had a great vogue. When I read it + first, before I knew who the author was, I was greatly taken with + this poem. I now see from _The Alleynian_ that it is the work of + an O.A., a chap whom I held in high regard, namely, Eric Clarke, + whom you cannot fail to remember as King Richard II in the + Founder's Day Play, 1913--his superb acting in that role was + greatly admired. It was he who was to a large extent responsible + for my undertaking the editorship of _The Alleynian_. He was my + immediate predecessor in the job. + + The poem appeals powerfully to me. To use the words of a Canadian + poet, R. W. Service, "it hits me right." It has a swing about it, + it has ideas, it has atmosphere. Pervading it through and through + is the atmosphere of this Western Front. I have often told you + that I had yet to meet the man who could convey that atmosphere + in story, book or article. Clarke's poem (along with + Bairnsfather's pictures) is one of the very first pieces I have + read that really gets this atmosphere. The verse is not + particularly polished, but it has life and force. Its simplicity + adds to its effectiveness. Such an expression as "the sodden + khaki's stench" lives in the memory, for it appeals directly to + the soldier's recollection of his experiences--that odour the + infantryman must have noticed dozens of times in the wet dawn, + when he was waiting to go "over the top." Clarke has undoubtedly + made a name for himself by the poem. Decidedly he has lived up to + the high reputation he had at school. It looks as if he will make + a name in literature. [See p. 240, text and footnote]. + + These days I am tremendously busy and revelling in it, as the + work is so completely congenial. I am muddier and greasier than + at any other period of my existence, and gloriously happy withal. + + A corporal in our Company lives in the Herne Hill district, and + in civil life was a tram conductor for the L.C.C. on the Norwood + section. He has been out here two years, and won the Military + Medal for gallantry on the Somme. Very interesting to meet one of + the "dim millions" from one's own neighbourhood in this fashion, + _n'est ce pas_? + +In April Paul Jones, as a Tank Officer, took part in the battle of +Arras. + + _April 24th, 1917._ + + I am splendidly well and enjoying life hugely. If my letters for + the past three weeks have been few and far between, you must put + it down to War activities. It would be ridiculous to try to + conceal the fact that my movements of late have, to a certain + extent, been connected with the great "stunt" now in progress. + For me the past three weeks or so have been a period full of + incident and rich in variety--quite and by far the best period + of my life up to date. There have been certain rotten incidents + that have worried me at times; but, on the whole, I have been far + happier during that period than at any other time since joining + the Army. Thank goodness! I shall at length be able to hold up my + head among other Dulwich men and not be forced to admit with + shame that in this War I only played a safe, comfortable, + luxurious part in the A.S.C. No! those wretched days are over and + done with. Even now, I have a far easier time than thousands of + fellows in the Infantry. + + I have referred to certain rotten incidents. The worst of these + was the death in action of one of my best friends in the Company. + This chap was a young Scotsman named Tarbet. We had been thrown + very much together and became warm friends. On April 9 Tarbet was + killed by a sniper about 11 A.M. while out in the open + reconnoitring the approach to the Boche second line. I came along + to relieve him an hour later, and practically fell over his dead + body--a very bad moment, I assure you. Another of our section + officers was wounded in the face about the same time by shrapnel. + I myself had rather a close shave, as I was alongside another man + at the time he was hit in the head by a shrapnel bullet. I + scarcely realised the explosion until I saw the poor fellow + wounded. + + On the whole, that day was an absolute picnic. The only trouble + was that the Boche ran back too fast in our particular sector for + us to inflict all the damage on him that we would have liked to + have done. Such, however, has not been the case everywhere since. + He is fighting desperately hard now. + + Two more O.A.'s killed in action--Gerald Gill[16] and Eric + Clarke.[17] Gill took his colours in cricket, gym, and football. + His impersonation of M. Perrichon in the French play on Founder's + Day, 1913, was very clever and entertaining. I am also much + grieved at Clarke's death. He was shaping for a brilliant career. + It's just awful this sacrifice of the best of our young men. + + [Footnote 16: Lieutenant W. G. O. Gill. Born, May 26th, 1895. + Killed in Palestine, March 27th, 1917. He was in the cricket + XI, 1913, football XV, 1913-14, and in the gymnasium XI, + 1912-13.] + + [Footnote 17: Captain E. F. Clarke. Born, April 1st, 1894. + Killed, April 9th, 1917. Editor of _The Alleynian_, + 1911-12-13. Went up to Oxford in 1913 with a classical + scholarship at Corpus Christi College.] + + + TO HIS BROTHER. + + _April 29th, 1917._ + + Circumstances are making my letter-writing increasingly + difficult. It is rather a case of "but that I am forbid I could a + tale unfold," etc. I suppose holidays are on just now. I want to + tell you that I am confidently looking forward to your winning a + great success in the forthcoming Matriculation. By Jove! it + doesn't seem such a long time since I was in for that exam. + myself. In my day we were able to take it at the school, now I + believe you have to go up to London University. _Eheu fugaces!_ + + The more I see of life the more convinced I am of the greatness + of the old school. Wherever you meet a Dulwich man out here, + you'll find he bears a reputation for gallantry, for character, + for hard work and for what may be termed "the public-school + spirit" in its best form. Our Roll of Honour and the literally + amazing list of decorations bear this out. Of my own old + colleagues, there is not one who has not either been hit (alas! + killed in many cases) or received some decoration, or both; and + that, mark you, though we are not what is known as an "Army + School" like Eton, Cheltenham, or Wellington. Ambrose, the O.A. + in our battalion, has recently accomplished some wonderful + things, and is sure to receive a high decoration. Yet one more + up for the school! + + Did you see that Scottie is now an Acting-Lieutenant-Colonel, + with a D.S.O. and the M.C.? That is _some_ achievement, if you + like! C. N. Lowe, the famous footballer, has been wounded. He had + transferred to the Flying Corps out of the A.S.C. Doherty, who + used also to be in the "Grub Department," has now got a Company + in the Infantry. You see, it isn't in the nature of a Dulwich man + to be leading a life of ease when other men are fighting. + + I have been having a great time of late. Work of surpassing + interest, a certain amount of excitement, and a knowledge that + one was more or less directly participating in the winning of the + War--what more can the heart of man desire? If only poor old + Tarbet hadn't been killed--he was a dear pal of mine,--there + wouldn't be a cloud on the horizon. Don't let the Mater and Pater + get the wind up about my personal safety. At present I am quite + safe; besides, I have wonderful luck. I was only saved by a + miracle from being blown into the air last September on the + Somme. I may get home on leave in the near future. + + + _May 4th, 1917._ + + I rejoice to say that Ambrose has received the D.S.O. for that + achievement referred to in my last letter. He more than deserves + it. He had a most terrible experience. The D.S.O. for a subaltern + is one of the very highest honours that the Army has to bestow. + We are all very bucked about it, especially the O.A. section of + the battalion. + + How anomalous the War has become--the world's great Land Power + striving to strike its decisive blow at sea, while the great Sea + Power is endeavouring to strike its decisive blow on land! This + double paradox will give much food for reflection to future + historians. I am coming to the conclusion that without a complete + knowledge of the facts it is well-nigh impossible to derive + accurate deductions from History. It seems to me you can make + History prove anything. To understand History in all its + significance, one must be familiar also with literature, + languages and science. + + Talking of science, do you see that some modern scientists are + throwing doubt on the original theory of Evolution? They admit + the possibility of the modification of species through natural + selection, but they dispute the theory that any broad change + takes place in the genera of organisms. They do not even admit + the possibility of the atrophy, through long disuse, of organs of + which the animal no longer has need. They are forced to admit + that many species and genera have become extinct--so much is + proved by the skeletons of prehistoric beasts found from time to + time under the earth's surface. But what they dispute is that + there is any connection between those beasts and living animals. + They say, for instance, that as far back as we have records, we + find the horse practically the same, organically speaking, as he + is to-day. They cast doubt, that is, on the theory that the horse + is descended from the pterodactyl. + + It is an interesting point, though there appears to be no + _essential_ difference between this new school and the + thoroughgoing evolutionists; for both admit the principle of the + survival of the fittest. To me the new school's conception seems + to be grotesque. According to them, the world was originally full + of an enormous number of animals, organisms and what not, of + which some have up to date survived, and whose numbers will + decrease until only a few certain types, or perhaps one certain + type, will be left subsisting. That is a view that I cannot + accept. But, of course, Nature has many checks on the + propagation and the multiplication of species. Natural conditions + do not permit of the existence of too many species or + sub-species. But it is clear that there are types, call them + genera, species, or what you will, that have, by virtue of some + inherent fitness and flexibility of adaptation, survived and + mastered other types. + + The theory or principle of Natural Selection can also be applied + to nations. As far back as we have any record, man was much the + same sort of being as he is to-day. The genus, in fact, has not + changed. It is now established that in the long distant past + there was one great Aryan race in Central Asia, which has split + up since then into the peoples and nations of modern Europe, + India, Arabia, and so forth. Biologically speaking, these peoples + have all some traits in common, but environment has wrought great + changes and has created species. Between these species there are + great differences, so great indeed that various of them are + to-day engaged in a good old intertribal war. + + But has the genus Man always borne the same sort of + characteristics as those that distinguish him to-day? Or, on the + other hand, is he descended from a kangaroo-rat through the long + lineage of the pithecanthropus, the ape-man, the man-ape, and so + forth? And why stop at the kangaroo-rat--the first mammal to + bring forth its young alive? Why not continue his lineage right + back to the original bi-cellular organism--protoplasm? If these + are our humble beginnings, what a progression to Man, so "noble + in reason, infinite in faculty"! + + Speculations about the development of life are very fascinating. + I hold very strongly to belief in the survival of the fittest. + Accepting this theory, you can explain most of the apparent + inconsistencies that exist in the world. But I must admit that + there is at least a possibility that genera are not changed by + environment, time or circumstances. Perhaps they exist until they + become unfit, when they vanish. The genus may remain in existence + as a permanency till it ceases to become fit to survive, but the + species most certainly alters. The only point in dispute is, + therefore: do genera become altered by environment, etc.? Or do + they exist unaltered till they become unfit, when they just + vanish from this sublunary scene? However this may be, the broad + principle of natural selection seems to me to be unshakably + established. + + + _May 20th, 1917._ + + I was absolutely taken aback by the news of Felix Cohn's[18] + death. It seems almost incredible to me, even at this moment. It + was only a few days ago that we met out here. He had then been + "over the top" and was in high spirits. He was a sincere fellow + and played his part like a man. I do take off my hat to the + Infantry. No one in England realises what we all owe to them; + marvellous men they are. How they endure what they do, Heaven + only knows. If you see Mr. Cohn, please express to him my deepest + sympathy, or rather, send me his address and I will write to him. + + [Footnote 18: Second Lieutenant Felix A. Cohn, East Surrey + Regiment. Born, August 31st, 1896. Killed, May 3rd, 1917. Was + in the Modern Sixth at Dulwich with Paul Jones. Son of Mr. + August Cohn, barrister.] + + We of the Tank Corps are having a pleasant and peaceful time in + billets these days. Nature hereabouts is beginning to put on her + best dress. It is _some_ contrast between the vivid green foliage + that one sees about here and the blasted trees and + shell-shattered areas of the fighting zone. Only one thing + indicating the living force of nature did I remark in that dreary + countryside. This was the piping of a few birds now and again in + the most unlikely places. Bar that, the battle zone is a blasted + area, where the only difference between the seasons is noted by a + change of temperature and the transformation of mud into dust. + Meanwhile, I am having a very good time in billets; but I am + looking forward eagerly to a real scrap with the Boche. + + Thanks so much for the "Perfect Wagnerite." It is a treat to read + about the "Ring" once more. I would give much to be able to hear + it again. + + + TO HIS BROTHER. + + _May 25th, 1917._ + + Just a line to wish you the best of luck in the Matric, and to + express the hope that you will do really well. Put in all the + work you can right up to within twenty-four hours of the start of + the exam. and then take one day right off duty altogether. I am + certain you will do us all infinite credit. + + As to the Pater's remark that my recent letters have lacked + detail, this is mainly due to the Censorship regulations, which I + personally like to observe in the spirit as well as in the + letter. Besides, a careless remark may be misconstrued, and it is + difficult to say one thing without disclosing others that ought + not to be revealed. Then there is the other consideration, that + if I write fully you may perhaps get the "wind up" about my + personal safety. + + As regards photographs of myself, the regulations as to the + possession of cameras are very stringent, and I really haven't + the time or the inclination to go and get snapped by a civilian + photographer out here. Again, _entre nous_, I regard photographs + as trivialities--above all, those abominations "photos from the + Front." A man who is really at the Front has neither time nor + occasion to have photographs taken. No, if we must worry, let us + worry first about the things that _do_ matter. + + I am frightfully sorry about the death of Felix Cohn. He was very + cheerful when I saw him. We met twice in a certain large town + which has of late figured prominently in the communiques. Our + talk was of Dulwich, the cases of Roederwald and Gropius, of + Wagner and music; and, of course, of the War itself. He had then + been "over the top" once, on the same day that I was. Felix said + that he had had an easy time, as his lot took about seven lines + of trenches in an hour. He had done considerable work as a + translator of German documents and in the examination of captured + Germans. I feel sincere sympathy for Mr. Cohn, but there is + little use in words of condolence in the case of such tragedies. + It is the price of the game. + + To a large extent, the Pater's deductions about the work in Tanks + on hot days are correct. Still, you can wear practically what you + like when on duty, so one works in a shirt, shorts, puttees and + boots. Although we are for the time being out of the battle line, + I am really very busy; there is no slacking in the H.B.M.G.C.; + but I am enjoying life hugely. + + I manage to get a good deal of bathing these days, as there is a + beautiful little river about a stone's throw away from our + billets. By the way, I hope you are continuing as keen as ever on + your swimming. As to leave, it has again vanished into the limbo + of futurity. I am not particularly sorry. Leave is such a + fleeting joy. Just as one is beginning to get into the way of + things at home one has to go back again to the Front. I would + much prefer to get the War completely over than get leave. After + all, in my present job I am not worried by monotony, and I find + the work of absorbing interest. Moreover, I have many friends in + this battalion, and, above all, in our own Company, which + contains some really splendid fellows. What I miss most is music. + + + _June 10th, 1917._ + + There are few opportunities of writing, and the busy period is + likely to last for a space, so I fear my correspondence for some + time to come will be but scanty. Our northern push has been a + first-rate success. The simultaneous explosion of those mines on + the Messines Ridge must have created a terrific din, though I + myself never heard a sound, being at the time wrapped in the + sleep of the just. + + I do hope things are going well in the old school, but I fear + that in existing conditions it is a difficult period for all + public schools. Owing to the War, boys leave so much younger now, + and you do not have fellows of eighteen and nineteen to set the + tone; and at that age they have unquestionably a far greater + sense of responsibility than at sixteen or seventeen, or, I + imagine, in the first years at the 'Varsity after leaving school. + Ian Hay says somewhere that a senior boy at a public school is a + far more serious and responsible being than an undergraduate. As + there are no senior boys, it is more than ever incumbent upon the + masters to keep up the _esprit de corps_ of the school, and to + help maintain the old standards in work and games. + + Talking of masters, I much liked that poem entitled the + "House-Master" in a recent number of _Punch_. It is just the case + of Kittermaster, Nightingale, or Scottie, isn't it? I pray and + trust that Dulwich in these difficult days will maintain its fine + traditions. The welfare of the school is a very precious thing to + me. I am inclined to think that my own six and a half years + (1908-15) at Dulwich were about the time of its Augustan era. + Among other things, this period included the year of the two + Balliol scholars, the year of the crack "footer" team that never + lost a match, and it was marked by a consistent average of + first-class XV's throughout. It produced five "blues" and + internationals, and would have produced many other "blues," and + perhaps internationals, had it not been for the War--Evans, for + example, as half-back, and Franklin or either of the Gilligans as + three-quarters. It was also the period of A. E. R. Gilligan, + unquestionably the finest all-round public-school athlete of the + past decade; the period of the gymnastic records; of the sports + records; with a consistent average of scholarships and other + educational distinctions, such as Reynolds's B.A., direct from + the school. Finally, this period was marked by a general spirit + of keenness and industry, both in work and games, throughout the + school. It was truly a glorious time. Oh, to have it all over + again! + + + _June 18th, 1917._ + + For over three weeks we have been working at exceptionally high + pressure. Chief interest now centres in Flanders. Our branch did + wonderfully well there, though the Boche apparently didn't offer + serious resistance anywhere. I was inexpressibly shocked to hear + of the death of that chivalrous Irishman, Willie Redmond. The + fact that he was carried off the battlefield in an Ulster + ambulance was a most touching episode, and should go far to + reconcile the mutually antagonistic Irish parties. Such an + incident is one of the compensations of War--few enough though + they may be, Heaven knows! As it drags on, the War is becoming + more and more mechanical. It is now like one enormous engine, + with multitudinous cogwheels, each of which plays its part. + + + _July 4th, 1917._ + + Looking at the Casualty Lists recording the death of so many + brave men, and thinking of the grief in the homes, one feels that + this War lies heavy on the world like a black horror. And yet I + find myself ever more irresistibly (albeit wholly against my will + and wishes) forced to the conclusion that War is a part of the + order of things. Did you read the Russian Socialists' manifesto + on the War? While, on the one hand, they ascribed responsibility + for it to the capitalist classes in the warring countries, yet + they admitted that Russia's withdrawal from the War would put the + Boche section of capitalists in an advantageous position, and so + decided to continue it. In other words, they admit that Democracy + is powerless to avert War. + + To my thinking, all History is made up of a series of movements + like the swinging of a pendulum, from democracy (often via + oligarchy) to imperialism, and from imperialism back to + democracy. It seems to me that there is only one effective method + of ensuring world-peace. It was the method of the Romans, by + which one nation having fought its way to a position of + undisputed and indisputable supremacy, imposed its will on the + other nations of the world, and established the "Pax Romana." + Similar efforts made by great men have proved a disastrous + failure in the long run, though after meeting with temporary + success. Rome's universal dominion did not endure long, and + Napoleon's domination of the Continent was very brief. England + seems to have almost succeeded up to date in her attempt to + establish a "Pax Romana," for she gave order and peace to a large + part of the world. England builded better than she knew, for many + of the wise things she did were done under protest and from her + devotion to the _laissez-faire_ system. But this stupendous + conflict shows that the "Pax Britannica" has not succeeded in + averting wars. + + I have heard it maintained that Karl Marx's theory is the + solution of the question, namely, to ignore national boundaries + and establish what he called "class-consciousness" among the + wage-earners of the world. That is to say, Marx proposed to + replace national consciousness--viz., the family, race or tribal + consciousness that exists under the name of patriotism--by + class-consciousness--viz., the consciousness of the workers in + all countries that their interests are identical, the idea being + that with the realisation of the unity of the workers wars would + cease. To this theory there are, it seems to me, two fatal + objections: (1) Even if this class-consciousness, or + international solidarity of the workers, could be brought about, + yet you would soon have the old division into capital and labour + growing up again, through the ordinary laws of natural selection + and because of the unequal capacity of different men to make + their way in the world. (2) To my mind, the tribal instinct is + much too strong to give way to a class-consciousness that ignores + national boundaries and national rivalries. + + Broadly speaking, the division of the world into nations is a + natural division; and recent research all goes to confirm the + theory that man never has "made good" as an individual. He begins + his existence as a member of a family and of an association of + families--thrown together (_a_) by kinship of blood or likeness + of type; (_b_) by environment; (_c_) by chance or circumstance + (as a rule for the purpose of self-protection). It is these + enlarged families that are what we call to-day nations. I cannot + see that it would be possible to replace the great and, on the + whole, ennobling sentiment of patriotism by a broad international + trades-unionism, which is practically what Marx proposes. And + given the world as it is and animal and human nature what they + are, I don't see how to prevent the interests of nations + clashing. Ethically speaking, the trouble is that existence is a + selfish thing. Stamp out competition--which, when you think of + it, is not very far removed from war on a small scale--and + experience shows that you stamp out the incentive to work and to + progress. It is a melancholy conclusion to come to, but it's + better to look facts in the face than to shirk them. + + I had the experience the other day of visiting a portion of the + country where the old battle front used to be, for two and a half + years, before the Boches withdrew to their Hindenburg line. This + section of ground is miles from the present front line, in fact + you can only hear the guns rumbling in the distance. This whole + countryside is a ruined waste--villages destroyed, weeds + overgrowing everything; and no inhabitants except troops. It was + strange to walk over the old trench systems and the broad green + band between them (still thickly strewn with barbed wire) that + used to be No Man's Land. One thought of the Englishmen, + Frenchmen and Germans who sat for so long in those trenches, + peering at each other furtively from time to time, each doing all + he could to kill the enemy, and from time to time raiding one + another's lines. I examined the deep, well-ordered Boche + trenches. All dug-outs and practically everything of military + value they had destroyed prior to their departure, but a few + concrete and steel emplacements and snipers' posts still + remained--beautifully made and all in commanding positions. The + destruction of the villages, farms and lands by the Germans on + their retirement was absolutely systematic--not a house or a + structure of any kind left standing. This area depressed one much + more than the ordinary zone near the lines, because it was all so + deathly empty and so weirdly silent, like the ghost of some + prehistoric world. Up in the battle line you have at any rate + life and activity--but here nothing at all, simply destruction + and a silent desert. I noticed in this area a French Military + Cemetery with names dating back to 1914! + + I am keeping splendidly well and am absolutely happy. By far the + happiest time of my life since leaving school has been the past + six months. My brother officers are a grand lot of fellows. Our + own section of the Company is commanded by a young captain with + the M.C., who has spent most of his life in the Colonies--a + first-rate man he is. There are four other officers besides + myself, all of them splendid comrades, especially one who was + along with me in the old days back in April and whom I am proud + to consider a bosom pal--a little Irishman, called O'Connor. He + and I and poor old Jock Tarbet had always been the greatest of + friends since my arrival in the Company. Alas! there are now only + two of us left. + + + TO HIS BROTHER. + + _July 27th, 1917._ + + I was charmed to get a letter from you to-day and to hear that + things are progressing so well. It certainly was bad luck for you + in the diving competition. However, better luck next time! I was + delighted to get the _Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News_ + with the photographs of the Dulwich College O.T.C. How it does + warm my heart to see even a photograph of the old College and its + surroundings! I note that, barring Scottie and poor Kitter, there + isn't much change in the officers of the Corps. What excellent + fellows they are! Give my love to them all. + + Many thanks for the last parcel containing among many acceptable + things a Gaboriau detective novel. I was very anxious to read + this and compare it with good old Sherlock Holmes, whom I still + worship as much as ever. + + I have just completed two full continuous years of service in + this country. Well, cheer-oh, old boy! Best luck and much love to + you all! + + _P.S._--Have you ever reflected on the fact that, despite the + horrors of the war, it is at least a big thing? I mean to say + that in it one is brought face to face with realities. The + follies, selfishness, luxury and general pettiness of the vile + commercial sort of existence led by nine-tenths of the people of + the world in peace-time are replaced in war by a savagery that is + at least more honest and outspoken. Look at it this way: in + peace-time one just lives one's own little life, engaged in + trivialities, worrying about one's own comfort, about money + matters, and all that sort of thing--just living for one's own + self. What a sordid life it is! In war, on the other hand, even + if you do get killed you only anticipate the inevitable by a few + years in any case, and you have the satisfaction of knowing that + you have "pegged out" in the attempt to help your country. You + have, in fact, realised an ideal, which, as far as I can see, you + very rarely do in ordinary life. The reason is that ordinary life + runs on a commercial and selfish basis; if you want to "get on," + as the saying is, you can't keep your hands clean. + + Personally, I often rejoice that the War has come my way. It has + made me realise what a petty thing life is. I think that the War + has given to everyone a chance to "get out of himself," as I + might say. Of course, the other side of the picture is bound to + occur to the imagination. But there! I have never been one to + take the more melancholy point of view when there's a silver + lining in the cloud. + + Certainly, speaking for myself, I can say that I have never in + all my life experienced such a wild exhilaration as on the + commencement of a big stunt, like the last April one for example. + The excitement for the last half-hour or so before it is like + nothing on earth. The only thing that compares with it are the + few minutes before the start of a big school match. Well, + cheer-oh! + +This was our son's last letter. A few days later came a field postcard +from him, bearing date July 30, the day before the battle in which he +was killed. After that, silence--a silence that will remain unbroken +this side of the grave. + + + + +PART III + +EPILOGUE + + + + +EPILOGUE + + _The day's high work is over and done, + And these no more will need the sun: + Blow, you bugles of England, blow!_ + + . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . + + _That her Name like a sun among stars might glow + Till the dusk of time with honour and worth: + That, stung by the lust and the pain of battle, + The One Race ever might starkly spread + And the One Flag eagle it overhead! + In a rapture of wrath and faith and pride, + Thus they felt it and thus they died._ + + . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . + + _Blow, you bugles of England, blow!_ + + W. E. HENLEY: "THE LAST POST." + + +The circumstances in which Lieutenant H. P. M. Jones met his death are +described in the following letters sent to me by Major Haslam, his +commanding officer, and Corporal Jenkins, the N.C.O. in his Tank: + + _August 2nd, 1917._ + + Your son went into action with his Tank, together with the + remainder of the company, in the early morning of July 31st. He + was killed by a bullet whilst advancing. From the evidence of his + crew I gather he was unconscious for a short time, then died + peacefully. I knew your son before he joined the Tanks. We were + both in the 2nd Cavalry Brigade together. I was delighted when he + joined my company. No officer of mine was more popular. He was + efficient, very keen, and a most gallant gentleman. His crew + loved him and would follow him anywhere. Such men as he are few + and far between. I am certain he didn't know what fear was. + Please accept the sympathy of the whole company and myself in + your great loss. We shall ever honour his memory. + + J. C. HASLAM (MAJOR), + No. 7 Compy., "C" Battn., Tank Corps. + +Corporal D. C. Jenkins wrote: + + I have been asked by your son's crew to write to you, as I was + his N.C.O. in the Tank. Your son, Lieut. H. P. M. Jones, was shot + by a sniper. The bullet passed through the port-hole and entered + your son's brain. Death was almost instantaneous. I and + Lance-Corporal Millward, his driver, did all we could for your + son, but he was beyond human help. His death is deeply felt not + only by his own crew, but by the whole section. His crew miss him + very much. It was a treat to have him on parade with us, as he + was so jolly. We all loved him. Fate was against us to lose your + son. He was the best officer in our company, and never will be + replaced by one like him. I and the rest of the crew hope that + you will accept our deepest sympathy in your sorrow. + +Paul Jones had touched life at so many points--Dulwich College, the +athletic world, the Army, journalism, the House of Commons, and +Wales--that the news of his death caused grief in far-extending +circles. Of the hundreds of letters of condolence that reached us I +propose to reproduce a few here. They are unvarying in their testimony +to his idealism, his personal charm and the nobility of his nature. +Extracts from his last letter, published in the _Daily Chronicle_, the +_Western Mail_, Cardiff, and _Public Opinion_, attracted considerable +attention. + + * * * * * + +Lieutenant Jack Donaldson, who, as an A.S.C. officer, was attached to +the 2nd Cavalry Brigade in the winter of 1916-17, wrote: + + OFFICERS' MESS, + HARROWBY CAMP, + GRANTHAM. + _August 6th, 1917._ + + It was with the very deepest sorrow that I read in to-day's paper + of the death of your son in action. As you know, he worked under + me throughout the greater part of last winter. He was the first + subaltern, if I may so express it, I ever had, for he worked + under me though he was actually senior in point of rank. He was + also the best and most loyal one I could wish for. Far more than + that, he was a most interesting and lovable companion and friend. + In fact, when he left us the gap created in our mess was one that + became more noticeable every day. Intellectually, he was a great + loss to us, for his interests were extremely broad and his views + original. But far more than that, there was a sort of bigness + about him. He was an idealist, and the rarer sort, the sort that + carries its theories into practice. + + We all laughed at him and at some of the things he did and the + scruples he had, but in our hearts I think we all honoured and + loved him for them. For without forcing it in any way upon others + he himself followed a code of honour that differed from, and was + stricter than, that of the world around him. He was quixotic, + especially in anything to do with money, and often to his own + personal loss. I think we were all the better for having known + him. He seemed hardly to think of himself at all. + + No man I ever met was more censorious of his own actions, or more + obstinate in his defence of any principle or theory he was + advocating in argument, no matter how hare-brained it might seem. + We used to spend hours arguing over anything, from free-will to + the "loose-head." I knew, of course, how much he disliked the + class of work (requisitioning of local supplies) he was doing for + me, though no one could have worked harder and few have done it + better; but the commercialism of it was abhorrent to him. It was + his duty to drive a hard bargain and to be one too many for a + knave, and while he did his best to fulfil it he disliked the + task. + + I took him down on his first interview for the Tanks, and again + on his transfer; and though I had no share in getting him the + latter, I don't know that I should regret it if I had. For I saw + him several times afterwards. I had a couple of joy-rides in his + land-ship, and I and all others who met him could not but remark + how happy he was. After the Arras show I believe he was simply + radiant. He has died the death he would have chosen and in a good + cause. Many a time he said to me that he was sure he would never + survive the war, and that he did not, for himself, greatly care, + for he was not built for a mercenary age. We may be sure that all + is well with him where he lies. + + I last saw him at Poperinghe about a month ago. He was full of + spirits then, though under unpleasant enough conditions. Since + then my transfer, applied for at the same time as his, has come + through. I was so looking forward to another meeting with him + later in France. + +From Captain Maurice Drucquer, barrister-at-law, now serving in the +A.S.C.: + + I want to tell you how grieved I was to hear of the loss of your + son. He received his commission the same day as I did, and we + were posted to the same station. I only enjoyed his company for + three months, as he was sent abroad. During that short period he + had endeared himself to all of us, his brother officers, though + we were many years his senior in age. What appealed to me most in + Paul was the combination in him of boyhood and manhood. There was + not the slightest attempt at pretence, not the slightest sign of + precociousness, no desire to ape the tone or the airs of those + among whom he worked. On another side of his character he was in + every respect a man. He tackled all problems of a serious nature + with a grasp of the subject which might well be the envy of a + thoughtful man. One could not enter into conversation with him + without at once perceiving that he must have given much thought + and study to the everyday affairs of life. His knowledge of + literature was great, and one was surprised, even abashed, at his + store. His hours off duty were spent well and wisely. A certain + period was always given to healthy exercise, and then would come, + almost as a matter of course, hours of fruitful reading. The + affectionate part of his nature came out in his relations with + the people with whom he lodged. He earned the affection of the + whole household, and the lady of the house has often told me that + she loved him like her own sons. I saw much in Paul that I cannot + put into writing, and I think he had the spirit to see certain + truths which we see all too dimly. + +Mr. George Smith, M.A., Headmaster of Dulwich College since the autumn +of 1914, writes: + + It was with deep regret that I learned of Paul's death, and I + feel most sincerely for you all in your great sorrow. As you + know, I was brought very closely into touch with him as soon as I + came to Dulwich. He was the captain of the XV and of the football + of the College during my first year; and I relied on him mainly + for the organising and inspiring of the games. There his energy + and keenness were invaluable to us. Then, as a prefect, he used + to bring his essays every week; and I was greatly impressed by + his intellectual power and promise. I remember how full his + essays were of matter; how ready he was to grasp and to originate + new ideas; how vividly and emphatically he expressed himself. We + looked forward to a brilliant and useful career for him. But it + was not to be. It is very hard to lose him. But he has done his + duty; and he leaves behind him a memory that we of the old school + must especially cherish and honour. + +The Reverend A. H. Gilkes, Vicar of St. Mary Magdalene, Oxford, +formerly Headmaster of Dulwich College, in a touching tribute to the +"noble character of your brave, dear and able son," said: "I +sympathise with you fully and deeply. It means little, I know, to you +in your trouble, but I trust it means something, that your son was so +much loved and admired, and is so sadly missed by so many. He was +fearless, strong and capable, and his heart was as soft and kind as a +heart can be. I thought that he would do great things; and indeed, sad +though it is, I do not know that he could have done a greater." + + * * * * * + +Mr. J. A. Joerg, principal of the Modern Side, Dulwich College, a +gentleman of German antecedents, for whom my son had a high and an +unalterable regard, wrote: + + It was with the greatest horror that I read of the fall in action + of your hero-son Paul. I read his noble character during the many + years he was with me, and I recognised and admired the great + sense of justice and duty and loyalty that were such prominent + features with him. His deep gratitude for anything that was done + for him will always be remembered by me. He was a noble boy. I + shall always reverence his memory. + +Mr. P. Hope, Classical master at Dulwich, to whom Paul owed much when +studying English literature, and whom he always recalled with +affection, sent me a pen-picture of my son limned with insight and +love: + + _August 18th, 1917._ + + I have heard with deep sorrow and distress of the death of your + dear son, H. P. M. Jones, killed in action. Your son was never in + the Classical Sixth at Dulwich College, and so was not directly a + pupil of mine. But he often came to me for advice and help, and + we often talked together about many things. I always cherished a + real regard and admiration for him and his sterling qualities and + great ability. He was a most kind-hearted and generous-minded + boy, one who had the best interests of the school at heart, one + who never spared himself if he could in any way render a service + to his team or to the school as a whole; one who could be relied + on to act loyally, faithfully and conscientiously in all that he + did; one who would place duty before all other considerations. He + was an indefatigable worker, a boy of great power and promise, + and, so far as we could prophesy, was sure to achieve a high and + distinguished position for himself in the world later on. He was + greatly beloved by the boys, his own school-fellows, and honoured + and respected by all his masters. + + I well remember how he gave up hour after hour of his own time + out of school to the training of the XV; how he would throw + himself heart and soul into the heavy work connected with the + organisation of the school football and games generally, and how + he would do all in his power to make things happier and easier + for the boys with whose welfare he was entrusted. He was indeed, + as he grew older, just one of those men whom we could least of + all spare in these days, the very embodiment in himself of all + that is best in the public-school spirit, the very incarnation of + self-sacrifice and devotion. I cannot tell you how much we shall + miss him at the College among the Old Boys. There is no name or + memory that we shall hold more dear than that of your much-loved + son. He has died, even as he lived, in fulfilment of the high + ideal which he set before him, and there could be no nobler or + more glorious death. + + Though our loss is great, yours is unspeakably greater. Our + hearts go out to you in reverent sympathy. As we think of the + dear ones who have made the great sacrifice for us, it is hard to + fix our thoughts on the contemplation of their shining example, + to find satisfaction in the assurance that their memory and their + inspiration can never die. It is so human and so natural that we + should miss them in their actual presence in our midst; and + their absence leaves such a hideous gap in our lives which + nothing can ever fill. But maybe as the days go by we shall + understand more clearly the real value of their sacrifice and + their life and death. + + "Salute the sacred dead, + Who went and who return not-- + Say not so! + We rather seem the dead + That stayed behind." + + Your son was a truly good, simple-hearted, modest, gallant man: + he has contributed his part to the making of the new world which + we all pray will follow after the war--the new rule of + righteousness and peace. He shall not be without his reward; and + you, too, who have taught him from childhood and filled his mind + with your own ideals, may remember him with pride as having + fulfilled the highest aspirations which you had formed for him. + +Mr. E. H. Gropius, who was captain of the school in 1914, when my son +was at the head of the Modern Side, writes: + + Paul was a friend of mine long before he reached the brilliant + position he held when he left Dulwich. During his last two terms + I got to know him still better and to admire him more, not only + for his intellectual and athletic brilliance, but for his solid + qualities, his strength of character and sound judgment. He was + one of the best footer captains we have had, and he never once + put his own personal feelings before the good of the school. As + for in-school footer, he absolutely reformed it. Not that footer + is the most important thing in a man's life. But if a man can + play as he did, he must be a sportsman; and Paul died as he + lived, a great sportsman. He could quite easily have kept in the + A.S.C., but he preferred to do more. It is men like he was that + we need most, but even if he is not with us his memory is. His + influence at school was enormous; to all who knew him that + influence will remain a powerful factor in their lives. Though + we had hoped to be up in Oxford together, it could not be. Had he + gone up his genius would certainly have made its mark. + + When I think of my last year and the great times we had at + Dulwich, it seems impossible that I shan't see Paul again. He was + absolutely one of the best, the very best. But I am sure he would + not wish us to be over-miserable on his account. His last letter + gives a perfect picture of his mind and character. I really + believe that he did welcome the war, not as a war, but because it + gave him, as well as others, the chance of seeing things in their + true light.... When I saw Mrs. Bamkin a few weeks ago we talked + very intimately about Paul. She knew him only through her own boy + who was killed in July, 1915, and through what other fellows and + myself had said--and we came to the conclusion that Paul's was + one of the finest characters of my time at school.... He inspired + in me all the highest feelings. His example will help us on and + he will live among us still. + +A young German, Mr. Gerald Roederwald, a fellow-student with my son in +the Modern Sixth, wrote: + + I did not think that Paul would ever be able to get into the + firing-line at all, but it was just like him to seek the thick of + danger. Reading his last letter it seemed to me just as though we + were still at school together in the midst of an argument. Often + have I thought of "H. P. M." as we used to call him at school. We + all liked him. What a career his would surely have been! It was + an accepted tradition amongst us that old "H. P. M." would one + day astonish the world. Those who knew him well derived great + benefit from his cultured mind. I myself owe more than I can + express to your son's influence over me. No one who came near him + could help coming under the spell of his personality. His + remarkable intellectual gifts made us feel that he was our + superior. Not only that, his great stature seemed to be the + essence of his whole being. I mean that everything about him was + on a large scale. Nature had gifted him with a generous, open + mind, which was incapable of taking in anything that was small or + mean. Whenever Paul spoke to me his eyes seemed to probe into the + depths of my whole being. As long as I live I shall never forget + him. His spirit is with me always, for it is to him that I owe my + first real insight into Life. + +From Mr. Raymond T. Young, Felsted School: + + I knew Paul as a small boy at Brightlands ten years ago. He was + in my form and had already begun to show great promise + intellectually and as a sound and splendid boy. Afterwards I came + across him when he played such a fine game for the Dulwich Rugger + side. Had he been spared, I quite think he would have taken a + "Blue" at forward for Oxford. You must comfort yourselves with + the constant thought that you have given for England one whose + whole life was as perfect and true as it was full of promise of + great things; and also you must be very proud of having had so + much to give. + +The Master of Balliol (Mr. Arthur L. Smith), writing on 21st August, +1917, said: + + In sending you the official condolences of the college on the + death of your brilliant son, I should like also to express + personally my own feelings of the very successful career that was + open to him at Oxford, which, like so many of our best young + scholars, he gave up without a moment's hesitation to serve his + country and the world in this great crisis. Such a change is + surely not all loss if we could see things in their true + proportion and in their realities; but meantime the loss must + indeed be severe to you, because you must have been justly proud + of him on so many grounds. I remember how he struck me in the + scholarship examination by the excellent way in which he put some + very vigorous good sense, particularly on the subject of the + character of Oliver Cromwell; and I see that my notes refer to + him as "showing much vivacity of expression," "sound reading," + "strong mental grasp and excellent arrangement and method." He + also made "a most pleasing and favourable impression in 'viva + voce.'" He would have been a very leading and, in the best sense, + popular man in the college. His last letter is one of the finest + even of the many fine letters that have been written under such + circumstances during the last few years. + +A high official at the War Office wrote: + + In this great and cruel crisis I have had before me many things + which have evoked the deepest sympathy of my heart; but I know of + nothing which has distressed me more than the sad blow which you + have received. Your son's whole life and his outlook on life + appealed to me in a remarkable way. There was nothing mean or + small in his physical form or his mental equipment; and his fine, + strong joy of life, and his love for the everlasting ideals made + an impression on my mind which will not readily be erased. It is + not so well known as it should be how manfully he overcame every + obstacle to make himself the most perfect defender of his country + and how ardently he strove with a hero's heart to place his + glorious gifts upon the altar of his country. He was all that the + most exacting paternal standards could demand. Now that his sun + has gone down while it is yet day, with all its brilliant past + and all its brilliant prospects, I join with your many friends in + the sincere and heartfelt hope that the courage, consolation and + pride which come to those who have "nurtured the brave to do + brave things" may be yours in largest measure in your hour of + sore trial. + +From Mr. Lionel Jones, Science headmaster, Birmingham Technical +School: + + I believe ours was the first house Paul visited, and I have + followed his career with interest and with, indeed, a sense of + pride. We had expected him to do great things; yet he has done + greater, for his last letter shows he had grasped the inner + meanings of Life and Death more clearly than we do, and was + content to sink the lesser in the greater Being. + +From Mr. Hugh Spender, Parliamentary correspondent of the _Westminster +Gazette_: + + I had the privilege of meeting your son, and I shall always carry + a very lively recollection of him. He was so modest that I did + not realise what a distinguished college career he had had. But + he impressed me very vividly with the strength of his + personality, remarkable in one so young. There was an air of + radiant gaiety about him which sprang from a pure heart and a + lofty purpose. I realised that he must have had a very great + influence for good. This thought must be a great consolation to + you in your grief. Here was a life "sans peur et sans reproche," + a light to brighten the footsteps of every man who knew of him. + +A well-known Professor, himself a Balliol history scholar, wrote: + + I only met your son once, but I liked him much, and from the time + he got the Brakenbury the promise of his future career at Balliol + had a very special interest for me. I felt sure he was destined + to do great things. It is tragic to know that that destiny will + now never be realised; but he has done greater things; he has + done the greatest thing of all. That he should have joined the + Army so early and pressed for transfer to the machine-gun + corps--a unit which occupies posts of the greatest danger, and is + required to hold them at all costs and against all odds--makes + his achievement all the more memorable. Your sorrow must indeed + be great, and almost intolerable, but the thought of such a high + and fearless devotion will, I trust, do something to assuage it. + +From Mr. William Hill, an old journalistic friend of mine: + + Yesterday morning I read with regret profound, on account of the + nation's loss as well as your own, the report of the death of + your gallant son. Yesterday evening in a volume by + Watterson--which incidentally contains a sketch of the Captain + Paul Jones of history, depicted as a brilliant young man, with + charms of person and graces of manner--I read in an appreciation + of Abraham Lincoln a letter written by the great President to a + sorely-bereaved mother, which I feel it to be a duty and an + honour to recite in part to you in this hour. Lincoln wrote: + + "I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which + should attempt to beguile you from a loss so overwhelming. But + I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be + found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray + that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your + bereavement and leave you only the cherished memory of the + loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have + laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of Freedom." + + In Your Own Case, Lieut. Paul Jones, In The Form Of His Last + Letter And By The Testimony Of His Major, Has Left A Legacy Of + Protest And Aspiration And Example Which I Ardently Trust And + Believe Will Reinforce Powerfully The Spirit Of Regeneration, So + Long Belated, That Is Already Beginning To Influence Materially + The Britain Of Our Immediate Future. Sealed By The Sacrifice Of + His Life, The Note Of A Saner And Purer National Life Set In His + Letter By Your Son Will, Ere Half The Century Is Past, Give Us, I + Am Confident, A Stronger And Mightier Britain. + +From Mrs. Denbigh Jones, Llanelly: + + "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" That has + been the ideal of these brave young souls. From one great joy to + another your glorious boy led you on. He lived and moved with an + intensity and a fullness beyond our slow dreams, as if rushing to + consume everything in life worth reaching and learning in the + given time. The intoxication of life which possessed him will + shine for ever in your memory, as it was not of earth. He scaled + the topmost crags of duty, and now his young voice still calls to + us "far up the heights." + +My son's nurse, for whom he had a warm and abiding affection, married +Mr. W. W. Jones, of Llanelly, who wrote: + + On behalf of my wife, his devoted and loving nurse Nan, and + myself, we extend to you our most heartfelt and sincere sympathy + in this great catastrophe of your lives through the death in + action of your dear son Paul, whilst fighting for the rights of + justice, humanity and freedom. He died like the hero he was. My + wife was greatly distressed and painfully grieved when she learnt + of the cruel loss you have sustained. Paul's name was a household + word in our home. She always spoke of him as such a noble, + unselfish and virtuous boy, good in spirit, great of heart. It is + hard that he should be taken, his life already so rich in + achievements and with its promise of a brilliant and golden + future. By his death it is not only you, his parents, who will + suffer; but Paul, being in himself a great democrat--which in + these days we can ill afford to lose--the democracies of the + world will suffer by the loss of such a gallant and noble + gentleman. + +From a man of letters: + + Thinking of your great sorrow over the loss of that splendid boy + of yours, there came to my mind that passage in _Macbeth_ where + Ross tells old Siward: + + "Your son, my lord, has paid a soldier's debt; + He only lived but till he was a man; + The which no sooner had his prowess confirmed + In the unshrinking station where he fought, + But like a man he died. + SIWARD: Had he his hurts before? + ROSS: Ay, on the front. + SIWARD: Why, then, God's soldier be he!" + +From the editor of a London daily newspaper: + + It is infinitely tragic to hear day by day of this waste of the + life of brilliant young men who were the hope of the future. And + yet we must not say that it is waste. If we say that, then there + is no mitigation of the sorrow. The price is appalling, but we + must believe that it is being paid for a treasure the world + cannot live without; and if that treasure is won, your sorrow + will at least be assuaged by the thought that it is not in vain, + and that what you have lost the world has gained. + +From a friend and colleague on the _Daily Chronicle_: + + My wife idolised Paul for his lovableness and nobility. The + vision we had of him in his splendid youth has been made + unforgettable by his glorious sacrifice. + +From a Welsh editor: + + The memory of Paul's rare and great qualities and the definite + promise he gave of a very brilliant career will ever remain + fragrantly in your hearts and in those of your friends who had + the happiness to know him. + +From an Irish editor: + + I was impressed no less by his unaffected modesty than by his + evident ability and high character. Many as have been the + brilliant young lives lost in this war, there can have been but + few which carried such high promise as his. + +From a Scottish journalist: + + The Greeks summed up human virtue in a phrase which can hardly be + bettered--[Greek: kalos kai agathos]. In the promise of his life, + and even more in the grandeur of his death, your son was [Greek: + kalos kai agathos]. + +From a Dulwich schoolboy: + + I can say nothing beyond this, that I feel certain Dulwich will + not forget. + +From his uncle, Mr. Brinley R. Jones, Llanelly: + + What pride to have reared such a son and to know that he felt + that the greatest thing in life was to lay all on the altar of + his country! And to think of the gallant band whom he has + joined--W. G. C. Gladstone, Rupert Brooke, Raymond Asquith, + Donald Hankey, and many more. + + "And ofttime cometh our wise Lord God, + Master of every trade, + And tells them tales of His daily toil, + Of Edens newly made; + And they rise to their feet as He passes by, + Gentlemen unafraid." + + The tears came to my eyes, tears of joy and pride, when I read + the extract from Paul's wonderful letter to Hal. We had looked + forward to Paul serving England in his life--great service for + which his transcendent gifts seemed to mark him out. It has been + ordained, however, that his service is by way of Calvary. We can + only wonder what it all means. + +A colleague of mine in the Press Gallery wrote: + + He was a fine fellow and you had good reason to be proud of him. + I was greatly struck by his last letter. It breathes a splendid + spirit and reminds me of a passage in my favourite essay in + Stevenson: "In the hot fit of life, a-tip-toe on the highest + point of being, he passes at a bound on to the other side." + +An old friend who knew Paul well and whose two sons were educated at +Dulwich College wrote: + + I grieve beyond measure at the passing of so noble-hearted a man. + He, like others who have gone down in this horrible war, was of + the very flower of our race--he even more than most of them; and + the nation's loss is great, too. There are consolations even in + such an affliction as yours; and the highest consolation of all + must be that Paul willingly laid down his life for his + fellow-men. + +From Major David Davies, M.P., Llandinam: + + Your gallant son's death brings to my mind a verse of Adam + Lindsay Gordon's: + + "Many seek for peace and riches, length of days and life of ease; + I have sought for one thing, which is fairer unto me than these; + Often, too, I've heard the story, in my boyhood, of the doom + Which the fates assigned me--Glory, coupled with an early tomb." + + Your son has covered himself with imperishable glory, though his + promising young life has suddenly been cut off. Is it too much to + hope that those great principles for which he fought so nobly + will at last become the heritage of the whole world? He and those + who have fallen with him will then have created a new earth, in + which shall dwell peace and righteousness. I firmly believe it + will be so; but it is up to us who are left behind to see to it + that all the heroic sacrifices have not been made in vain, and + that the "new order" will be worthy of those ideals which were + cherished by the men who laid down their lives for them. + +Of the many messages that reached us, none touched a deeper chord than +the following: + + _7th August, 1917._ + + I would like to convey to you my condolences in the loss of your + son, Lieut. H. P. M. Jones. Although a stranger, I am moved to do + this after reading in to-day's _Daily Chronicle_ the account of + his career and those noble words he wrote in his letter home just + before his death. I and those around me felt, "Here was a fine + man and one the country could ill afford to lose." May it be some + comfort to you in your grief, that your boy's death made at least + one man say to himself: "I will try to be a better + man."--ANONYMOUS. + +A young Welsh musician wrote: + + I cannot express how intensely I feel for you in your great + sorrow at the death of Paul. Of surpassing intellect and noble + ideals, he would have been invaluable to the country in the near + future. I feel sure it must be a source of great pride and + comfort to you that he made the supreme sacrifice in such a + courageous way, so becoming to his noble soul. He will live for + all time in my mind as the very essence of honour and idealism. + +"That was a wonderful letter," writes a newspaper proprietor. "I have +read nothing finer. It brought tears to my eyes, but it made me proud +of my race." + + * * * * * + +The athletic editor of a London newspaper, who is an authority on +public-school athletics, wrote: + + In your son's death we have lost a model sportsman. I will long + remember him, as will Dulwich and the young giants of the school + he so splendidly led. + +From an official of the House of Commons: + + I have prayed earnestly that there may be comfort in your + mourning, and in due time a binding-up of hearts so sorely + broken. The record of his school life, vivid with success and + leadership and, best of all, whole-hearted in its purity, wrung + my heart as I thought of what had been lost to us. But I believe + he has passed on to other service. + +"A life nobly lived and nobly died--the ideal"--such was the comment +of an old colleague of mine, who has himself since lost a promising +soldier son. "I venture to say," he added, "that his noble letter, +written almost on the eve of his death, will carry healing to +thousands and thousands of sorely-stricken hearts in these sad times. +It should be printed in letters of gold." + + * * * * * + +"Be sure," wrote an old Cardiff friend, "in all your sorrow that He +who fashioned your boy so well and equipped him so fully, still has +him in His own kind care and keeping; and that when you 'carry on,' +bearing your load bravely, your dear boy will be nearer to you than +you often think, in some splendid service, too." + + * * * * * + +"It is such noble sacrifices as your son's," wrote a well-known M.P., +"that almost alone redeem the horror of this world-wide catastrophe." + + * * * * * + +From M. Marsillac, London correspondent of _Le Journal_ (Paris): + + What a truly magnificent spirit was shown in that letter of your + son! Indeed, we who remain behind are more to be pitied than + those who go forth into Eternal Peace by such a noble and + luminous road. + +Mr. Alexander Mackintosh, its Parliamentary correspondent, writing in +the _British Weekly_, said: + + Lieutenant Paul Jones, as an occasional visitor, was familiar to + the Press Gallery. Oxford has lost another young man of unusual + gifts, a scholar and an athlete, as modest as he was brave, and + the Gallery has a sense of personal loss. Yet it bids his father + say, in the beautiful apostrophe which Rustum puts into the mouth + of the snow-headed Zal: + + "O son! I weep thee not too sore, + For willingly, I know, thou met'st thine end!" + +Mr. Arnold White ("Vanoc") in the _Referee_ for August 12, 1917: + + Just before his death Lieutenant Paul Jones wrote a letter which + deserves record on imperishable bronze. This young officer has + given a new lustre to the name of Paul Jones. + +Messages of condolence were received from the King and Queen, the +Prime Minister, Cabinet and ex-Cabinet Ministers, the Army Council, +members of both Houses of Parliament, clergymen, London and provincial +pressmen, scholars, soldiers, labour-leaders, newspaper and +journalistic societies and political associations. Letters came not +only from the four countries of the United Kingdom, but also from +France, Palestine, South Africa, India and Canada. These sympathetic +expressions from far and near, from the exalted and the humble, prove, +if proof were needed, that the memory of brave soldiers like Paul +Jones, who have sacrificed their lives in a great cause, is cherished +with gratitude and reverence by their countrymen. + + They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old; + Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. + At the going down of the sun and in the morning + We will remember them. + + + + +INDEX + + + Acton, Lord, 78 + + Alleyn, Edward, 14 + + _Alleynian, The_, 25, 29, 41 _et seq._ + + Alleynians, Old: + Ambrose, 231, 240 + Barnard, W. J., 170 + Beer, H. O., 155 + Bray, F. W., 156 + Cartwright, E. C., 20, 225 + Clark, G. P. S., 157 + Clarke, E. F., 25, 237 + Cohn, F. A., 244 + Corsan, 170 + Crabbe, 174 + Dawson, 208 + Dicke, R., 170 + Doherty, 241 + Edkins, H., 26, 213, 217 + Evans, W. E., 248 + Fischer, A. W., 29, 194 + Gill, W. G. O., 240 + Gilligan, A. E. R., 29, 39, 248 + Gilligan, A. H. H., 38, 177 + Gover, 20 + Gropius, E. H., 246, 264 + Hannaford, S. J., 23 + Henderson, W. J., 196 + Hillier, F. N., 217 + Howard, C. C., 194 + Jones, Basil, 29, 189, 199 + Jordan, J. P., 225 + Kemp, 149 + Killick, S. H., 199 + Knox, F. P., 155 + Lloyd, R., 139 + Lowe, C. N., 241 + Mackinnon, R. F., 218 + Mann, J. S., 218 + Peaker, A. P., 208 + Potter, K. R., 217 + Reynolds, J., 248 + Roederwald, G., 246, 265 + Sewell, 234 + Tatnell, 176 + Trimingham, 234 + Wetenhall, 20 + + America and the War, 101, 103 + + Antoinette, Marie, 201 + + Army Service Corps, 104, 144, 187, 191, 198 + + Arnold, Matthew, 80 + + Asquith, H. H., 162, 165 + + Asquith, Raymond, 212 + + Athletes and the War, 49, 50, 124 + + Athletics: + Cricket, 37 _et seq._ + Football, 21, 28, 177, 186, 223, 233 + Lawn tennis, 21 + Running, 22 + Swimming, 21, 183, 246 + "Victor Ludorum," 23 + + + Bacon, Francis, 14 + + Balkan States, 151, 156 + + Barnett, D. O., 199 + + Balliol College, Oxford, 1, 19, 23, 227 + Master of, 227, 266 + + Bennett, Arnold, 123 + + Bernhardi, General, 93, 236 + + Brakenbury scholarship, 19, 227 + + British Empire, 87, 93, 122 + + Brooke, Rupert, 199 + + Browning, 77, 81, 118 + + Brussels, 56 + + Buchan, John, 154, 185, 202, 228 + + Burke, 76, 201 + + Burns, 76 + + Byron, 21, 77, 203 + + + Caesar, Julius, 87, 88, 125 + + Canteen, Expeditionary Force, 205 + + Capital and Labour, 86, 250 + + Carlyle, 79, 82, 91, 111 + + Cavalry, British, 105, 136, 145, 163, 188, 219 + + Charles I. and II., 89, 90 + + _Chronicle, Daily_, 13, 148 + + Churchill, Winston, 165, 184 + + Commercialism, 50, 93, 253 + + Conquest, Norman, 89 + + Cromwell, 89, 125 + + + Dante, 76 + + Dardanelles operations, 102 + + Democracy, 87, 96, 125, 249 + + Dickens, Charles, 73, 77 + + Donaldson, Jack, 258 + + Doyle, Conan, 72, 185 + + Drake, 89 + + Dulwich College, 1, 14, 24, 240, 247, 252 + + Dulwich Masters: + Boon, F. C, 18 + Doulton, H. V., 17, 26 + Gibbon, W. D., 30, 241 + Gilkes, A. H., 15, 225, 261 + Hope, P., 262 + Joerg, J. A., 18, 262 + Kittermaster, A. N. C., 180, 194, 247 + Nightingale, F. L., 171, 194, 247 + Oldham, F. M., 45 + Smith, George, 261 + + + Education, English, 96 + Classics in our public schools, 17 + English Universities, 227 + Public schools and the War, 151 + + Elizabeth, Queen, 87 + + Engineering, 54, 55, 234 + + English qualities, 93, 122, 125, 200, 203, 206 + + Epicureanism, 82 + + Erasmus, 44, 79, 89 + + Evolution, 94, 122, 128, 243 + + + Flanders, 140, 143, 181 + + Founder's Day at Dulwich, 25 + + Fox, 91 + + France, 99, 131 + + Frederick the Great, 90, 116, 118 + + French farmers, 179, 217, 225 + + French generalship, 215 + + Froude, 77, 79, 88, 112, 117 + + + Garvin, R. G., 199 + + George, D. Lloyd, 93, 123, 193, 204 + + Germany, 56, 93, 123, 130 + Her diplomacy, 127 + Her methods in war, 100, 235 + + Gibbon, 76, 88, 91 + + Girondins, the, 183 + + Gladstone, 93 + + Goethe, 57, 74, 83, 125 + + Goldsmith, 77, 90 + + Greece, Ancient, 94 + + Grey, Sir Edward, 91, 127 + + + Haldane, Lord, 165 + + Hamlet, 182 + + Haslam, J. C., 108, 258 + + Hay, Ian, 247 + + Hildebrand, 88 + + Hindenburg, 102, 161 + + History, 19, 87, 242 + + Homer, 73, 77 + + Horses, about, 136, 159, 164, 181, 188, 213 + + House of Commons, 95, 123, 163 + + Hudson, W. H., 80 + + + India and the War, 95 + + Ireland, 129, 185, 214 + + + Jews, the, 92 + + Johnson, Dr., 90, 96 + + Jonson, Ben, 76 + + + Kant, 214 + + Keats, 76 + + Kipling, Rudyard, 73 + + Kitchener, Lord, 186 + + + "Laissez-faire" system, 92, 125, 129 + + Leonardo da Vinci, 44 + + Llanelly, 52, 232 + + Louis XIV, 58, 87, 90 + + Louis XV, 91 + + Louis XVI, 91, 201 + + Luther, 89 + + + Macaulay, 77 + + Maeterlinck, 81 + + Mainwaring, Thomas, 9 + + Marx, Karl, 249 + + McGill, Patrick, 224 + + Milton, 75, 81, 202, 223 + + Morocco, 93 + + Morris, William, 65 + + Music: + Beethoven, 57, 60, 67, 204, 232 + Classical and Romantic, 66 + Gluck, 67 + Mozart, 67, 68 + Nikisch, 232 + Opera, development of, 64, 67 + Wagner, 61 _et seq._, 115, 232, 245, 246 + + + Napoleon, 58, 61, 116, 125, 136, 249 + + Navy, British, 12, 130 + Battle of Jutland, 186 + Falklands Islands battle, 101 + + Norman Conquest, 89 + + + Oxford, 19, 20, 227 + + + Paris, 58 + + Patriotism, 92, 250 + + Pax Britannica, 249 + + Pax Romana, 249 + + Pitt, the younger, 91 + + Plymouth, 9, 11 + + Political economy, 87 + + Politicians and the War, 148, 163, 172 + + Pope, 75 + + Prisoners, German, 203 + + Public schools, influence of, 48, 151 + + Punch and the War, 138, 154 + + Puritanism, 82 + + + Redmond, W. H. K., 248 + + Rees, Ivor, 204 + + Reformation, the, 89 + + Revolution, the French, 80, 91 + + Rhine, the, 57, 63, 91, 123 + + Roberts, Lord, 100 + + Rousseau, 77 + + + Schools: + Bedford, 32, 38, 134, 166, 185 + Haileybury, 32, 231 + Merchant Taylors', 32, 216 + Sherborne, 32, 38 + St. Paul's, 33, 39 + + Shakespeare, 60, 69, 70, 74, 182, 202 + + Shaw, G. B., 70, 73 + + Simon, Sir John, 172 + + Socialism, State, 95 + + Socialists and the War, 249 + + Soldier, the British, 132, 148, 161 + + Somme battlefields, 203, 237 + + _Spectator_, 164, 219 + + Stoicism, 82 + + + Tacitus, 73, 88 + + Taine, 75, 84 + + Tirpitz, 101 + + Trade Unionism, 92 + + Treitschke, 57, 91, 92 + + + Vernede, R. E., 49 + + Vivian, Hugh, 191 + + + Wales, 53 + + War, the: + A nocturnal adventure, 168 + An off-day at the front, 173 + Diary of, 99 _et seq._ + Its causes and objects, 47 + Loss of ideal aims, 152 + Motor transport, 160, 190, 194 + Night on a battlefield, 209 + Our treatment of prisoners, 206 + Requisitioning officer's duties, 131, 152, 158, 218 + Tank Corps, 106, 229, 239 + The horse in war, 160, 184 + Verdun, 236 + Ypres, 138, 236 + Zeppelins, 101, 145, 213 + + Wells, H. G., 73, 228 + + Welsh coal strike, 129 + + Welsh football, 34 + + Welsh music, 71 + + Welsh soldiers, 150, 167, 177, 178 + + Wordsworth, 75, 109 + + Working-classes, the, 85, 92, 250 + + + Young, Arthur, 91, 201 + + + Zangwill, I., 155 + + +Printed by Cassell & Company, Limited. 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