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diff --git a/old/51285-0.txt b/old/51285-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index dbe37fc..0000000 --- a/old/51285-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8379 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of With Cavalry in 1915, by Frederic Coleman - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: With Cavalry in 1915 - The British Trooper in the Trench Line Through the Second - Battle of Ypres - -Author: Frederic Coleman - -Release Date: February 23, 2016 [EBook #51285] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WITH CAVALRY IN 1915 *** - - - - -Produced by Brian Coe, John Campbell and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was created from images of public domain material -made available by the University of Toronto Libraries -(http://link.library.utoronto.ca/booksonline/).) - - - - - - - - - - TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE - - Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. - - Bold text is denoted by =equal signs=. - - Text that is both underlined and italic is denoted - by ++double plus signs++. - - The right-pointing finger symbol is denoted by ==>. - The left-pointing finger symbol is denoted by <==. - - A superscript is denoted by ^{x}; for example, L^{TD}. - - Page references in the Illustration captions, eg "_face p. 8_", have - been removed. - - Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been - corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within - the text and consultation of external sources. - - More detail can be found at the end of the book. - - - - -WITH CAVALRY IN 1915 - -[Illustration: THE AUTHOR - - _Frontispiece_] - - - - - WITH CAVALRY - - IN 1915 - - THE BRITISH TROOPER - IN THE TRENCH LINE - - _Through the Second Battle of Ypres_ - - - BY - - FREDERIC COLEMAN, F.R.G.S. - - (_Author of "From Mons to Ypres with French"_) - - - _ILLUSTRATED_ - - - LONDON - SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & CO., LIMITED - 1916 - - - - - LONDON: - PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, - DUKE STREET, STAMFORD STREET, S.E., AND GREAT WINDMILL STREET, W. - - - - - Dedicated - TO - MY WIFE - - Whose bravery and self-sacrifice in the face of trying - circumstances made it possible for me so long - to continue to do the little that lay - in my power to help the - Cause we both - thought - JUST AND RIGHT. - - - - -AUTHOR'S PREFACE. - - -The more than kind reception that Press and Public accorded my first -book on the War, "From Mons to Ypres with French," has encouraged me -to put together a chronicle of further events. - -"With Cavalry in 1915" takes up the thread of its narrative where its -predecessor left it--with the closing days of 1914. - -If some notes of frank criticism have been included in this volume, -it has been with no unkindly feeling, or with any other object than -to try to give a fair picture of things at the Front as I saw them. - -My unbounded admiration for the splendid soldiers of the British -Army, gained in the darker days of the Great Retreat from Mons, has -never wavered in its allegiance to them. - -Never have I had occasion to change my opinion, formed in the first -few weeks of the War, that the British Tommy is worth five or six of -any German soldiers with whom he has yet come into contact. - -In the machinery and organisation of war, the small British Army was -at a disadvantage, particularly when faced with the necessity of -great and rapid expansion. That mistakes should have been made was -more than natural--it was inevitable. - -I would not be so presumptuous as to criticise so freely, but -that "the old order changeth": to write of the past is, I hope, -permissible, and likely to lead to no misconstruction. I mean no more -than that which the plain interpretation of my simple phraseology -will convey. I have no axes to grind. - -The right men are in the British Army, and the right men are at the -head of it. - -For its work to be crowned with complete and lasting victory, it has -but to have the undivided Empire behind it, and that, thank God, it -has. - -The man who cannot see that the Allies will win this war, and win -it conclusively, is indeed blind to what the future holds for -civilisation. - - FREDERIC COLEMAN. - - MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, - _June, 1916_. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER I. - - JANUARY. - - PAGES - - General De Lisle and the 1st Cavalry Division Staff--Resting--Wet - winter campaigning--Echoes of the Christmas truce--A would-be - Hun prisoner--A visit to Furnes--A Belgian Officer's - standpoint--Luncheon with Colonel Tom Bridges--The Belgian - Army--Nieuport-les-Bains--The trenches along the Yser Canal--The - ruined lighthouse in the sand dunes--Snow's 27th Division in the - line in Flanders--Bad feet--Wrecked Vermelles--The devastation - of "75" shells--"Le Sport"--General Robertson appointed Chief of - Staff 1-36 - - - CHAPTER II. - - FEBRUARY. - - Army Service Corps vagaries--Motor cars at the - Front--Poperinghe--French Chasseurs--The equipment of the French - foot-soldier--Belgian peasants--Flemish fatalism--The selection - of trench positions--A cavalry counter-attack--French Staff - work--British Staff officers--A run to Ypres--Scenes in the - old Flemish city--On duty in the Salient--The Menin Road--A - humble shop in the shell area--Ypres shelled--Belgian funerals - under fire--The trench-line--General De Lisle has a narrow - escape--The ruined Cloth Hall and Ypres Cathedral--Disappearing - mural paintings--An Irish giant-powder experience--Wonderful - marksmanship of the French "75's"--The way to the firing - line--Past "Cavan's House"--Under fire--Brigade Headquarters in - a dug-out 37-73 - - - CHAPTER III. - - MARCH. - - Through the mud to the trenches--French reserves in the - woods--Hidden batteries--Unwise photography--Shrapnel - too close for comfort--Chased by shell-fire--In Hooge - dug-outs--Reminiscences of the first Battle of Ypres--A tour - of the first-line trenches in the rain--Loopholes--Views by - periscope--Sharpshooting--A mouthful of glass--Photographs in - Zillebeke Churchyard--Calling down shrapnel fire--A scamper - out of Zillebeke--Hooge at night--A mine explosion--Mixed - plans--Storming the mine-crater--Amusing German prisoners--The - London "'bus" abroad--A timely evacuation of a house in - Ypres--General Haig's order before Neuve Chapelle--Heavy British - gunning--The taking of the town of Neuve Chapelle--The failure to - go on--The reasons--The blame--German attack on St. Eloi--Fine - work by the Rifle Brigade--Territorials--Ploegsteert and the - Ploegsteert Wood--A run from Kemmel to Dickebusch--A shell in - La Clytte 74-120 - - - CHAPTER IV. - - APRIL. - - Rumours--Lord Kitchener's visit--A horticultural joke--German - hate manufactured in Lille--Red Cross assistance--The peculiar - exploit of Mapplebeck of the Flying Corps--A joy-ride through - Ypres and up the Menin Road--The commencement of the fight for - Hill 60--The first coming of the German gas--The plight of - the French Reservists--The magnificent work of the Canadian - Division--In support of the French line--Tangled traffic on - the road to Ypres--Shelled in Elverdinghe--Deadly howitzer - shells--Poperinghe bombarded--Belgian refugees--The aviation - park evacuated--The want of traffic organisation--The 200 - Canadian heroes in St. Julian--Conflicting reports about the - capture of Lizerne--International failure to coincide as to the - results of battle--British infantry attacks to win back the lost - ground--Children at play near a battle-field--Artillery work in - modern warfare--An attack on Lizerne by British field guns and - French Zouaves--The ethics of gun-fire--Lizerne proves a hard - nut to crack--British counter-attacks along the salient line - abortive--17-inch Hun shells--A big shell lights in a château - garden--Shell plus chandelier--A car in a Belgian ditch--Billets - in Wormhoudt--Welcome rest 121-177 - - - CHAPTER V. - - MAY. - - The shortening of the Ypres Salient--More Hun gas--Strange - equipment for fighting the gas--The eve of Rawlinson's attack - along the Fromelles road--Great hopes of winning through to - Lille--The 1st Cavalry Division sent to Ypres--The French - attack at Arras--The British horseshoe around Ypres--Through - the ruined town of Potijze--Scenes of devastation--Under the - shells--Awful smells--Streams of wounded--Shell-splinters--The - G.H.Q. line--The St. Jean dug-outs--The hell of constant enemy - howitzer fire--Preponderance of numbers of German heavy guns - over British--The Auber ridge attack fails--Splendid examples - of heroism among the wounded--The French attack fails to - break through--Holding on at Ypres--Discovery of a dug-out at - Potijze--The solitary old woman in wrecked Ypres--Wonderful - pyrotechnic displays at night in the trenches--Blocked by - shell and conflagration in Ypres--Unable to get through--An - abandoned attempt at photography under bursting shells--A - scared collie--The last inhabitants to escape from the ruins - of Ypres--The "Princess Pat's"--A "Mother" gun and aeroplane - artillery observations--General De Lisle given command of - the eastern portion of the Salient--The remnants of the - Northumberland Brigade--To bed by the light of the fires in - Ypres--The composition of the Salient line on the night of - May 12th 178-222 - - - CHAPTER VI. - - MAY (_continued_). - - The great German attack on May 13th--Twelve hours of Hun - howitzer fire--Terrible and awe-inspiring spectacle--The niagara - of shell-sound--Around impassable Ypres to Potijze--Close - work by a coal-box--Through a black shell-cloud--The York - and Durham "Terriers"--Bombarded in a Potijze dug-out--The - shell-swept line--Colonel Budworth's wisdom and the German - General's lost opportunity--The super-human work of the - Queen's Bays saves the line--The Life Guards shelled from - their trenches--Bits of position lost wholesale--Good work by - an armoured car--Accurate and invaluable gunning by British - Artillery--German attacks dispersed--Heavy casualties among the - 18th Hussars--The splendid charge of the Blues, 10th Hussars and - Essex Yeomanry--David Campbell's 6th Brigade holds a line of - obliterated trenches--Reports of heavy losses--The remnants form - a new line--A talk with two of the Blues on the battle-field--A - plucky Essex Yeoman--Over 1,600 casualties in the two cavalry - divisions engaged--A lost despatch case--In the "huts" near - Vlamertinghe--An unnecessary run up the Menin Road at night--The - flotsam and jetsam of a divisional relief in the dark--A cellar - headquarters on the Menin Road--The position at Hooge--Cheery - K.R.R. cyclists--A gunner's curious story--The composition of - the Salient line on the morning of May 24th--In the thick of - a Hun gas attack--The 28th Division lose their line--The 18th - Hussars outflanked--A "Gas Diary"--The 9th Lancers hold the - trench-line--Fine work by the York and Durham Territorials--The - 15th Hussars win laurels--Gas everywhere--A shell demolishes an - ammunition limber--A brave Cheshire sergeant--A wounded Tommy - and his yarn--Huns refuse to take prisoners--A counter-attack by - the Royal Fusiliers--D.S.O.'s and Military Crosses--18th Hussars - casualties--Captain Grenfell and Captain Court of the 9th Lancers - buried at Vlamertinghe--General De Lisle given command of the - 29th Division and leaves France for the Dardanelles 223-296 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. - - - THE AUTHOR _Frontispiece_ - - FACING PAGE - - Members of the Staff outside the headquarters of the - 1st Cavalry Division 8 - - Between Philosophe and Vermelles; on the left, the - château wall 9 - - A bird's-eye view of shattered Vermelles, January, 1915 28 - - Major Desmond Fitzgerald of the Lancers and a gas-pipe - trench-mortar 29 - - A Winter Cavalry shelter in France 32 - - Construction of Cavalry shelter in France 33 - - The Rue de Menin in March 1915, looking west over the - Menin Bridge across the canal moat 54 - - Officers under the stone lion on the Menin Bridge at - Ypres 55 - - The Grande Place at Ypres and the Cloth Hall, March, - 1915 66 - - The Choir of the ruined Ypres Cathedral 67 - - Scenes of battle of olden time in colours on the shattered - walls of Ypres Cloth Hall 70 - - A communication trench leading to the front line position - in the Sanctuary Wood 71 - - Officers of Lancers in their dug-outs in the front line - trenches 86 - - A dug-out in front of Zillebeke 87 - - The Zillebeke Church, March 1915 92 - - German prisoners in Ypres, captured after the explosion - of a British mine near Hooge 93 - - Damage caused by a 17-inch shell in Poperinghe, April, - 1915 150 - - Red Cross ambulances on the coast 151 - - A French "75" in the mud of a Flanders beet-field 172 - - An ambulance which was struck by a shell while carrying - wounded from east of Ypres 172 - - View showing depth of 17-inch shell-hole in the garden of - a château between Poperinghe and Elverdinghe. 173 - - Staff Officers at lunch 176 - - Looking east over the Menin Bridge at the edge of Ypres 177 - - Dragoon Guards resting in the huts at Vlamertinghe 212 - - Graves of Capt. Annesley, Lieut. Drake, and Capt. Peto, - all of the 10th Hussars, in a graveyard on the Menin - Road 213 - - Officers of the Cavalry Corps 218 - - A typical farm in Flanders, in which British soldiers were - billeted 219 - - Hussars' cook-house, Vlamertinghe huts, Vlamertinghe. 248 - - Group of Cavalry Officers at the huts at Vlamertinghe. 249 - - View of the 13th century château at Esquelbecque 260 - - "Jeff" Phipps-Hornby and Frederic Coleman comparing - underpinning outside Ypres, May, 1915: the thinnest - and thickest "supports" in the 1st Cavalry Division 261 - - Map 296 - - - - -WITH CAVALRY IN 1915. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - -January 1st, 1915, found me in damp, sodden Flanders. I was one of -the dozen remaining members of the original Royal Automobile Club -Corps, which had joined the British Expeditionary Force in France -before Mons and the great retreat on Paris. - -I was attached, with my car, to the Headquarters Staff of the 1st -Cavalry Division, Major-General H. de B. de Lisle, C.B., D.S.O., -commanding. The Echelon A Divisional Staff Mess consisted of General -de Lisle; Colonel "Sally" Home, 11th Hussars, G.S.O. 1; Major Percy -Hambro, 15th Hussars, G.S.O. 2; Captain Cecil Howard, 16th Lancers, -G.S.O. 3; Major Wilfred Jelf, R.H.A., Divisional Artillery Commander; -Captain "Mouse" Tomkinson, "Royals," A.P.M.; Captain Hardress Lloyd, -4th Dragoon Guards, A.D.C.; Lieutenant "Pat" Armstrong, 10th Hussars, -A.D.C., and myself. - -We were housed in a château between Cassel and St. Omer. In the -latter town General French and General Headquarters (G.H.Q.) were -located. - -The 1st Cavalry Division contained the 1st and 2nd Cavalry Brigades. -The 1st Brigade, under Major-General Briggs, was composed of the -2nd Dragoons (Queen's Bays), 5th Dragoon Guards and 11th Hussars. -Brigadier-General Mullens commanded the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, in which -were the 4th Dragoon Guards, 9th Lancers and 18th Hussars. - -These troops were billeted in Flemish farms and villages north of the -road that led from Cassel to Bailleul. - -Sir John French's army in the field at that time was composed of -the 1st Army under General Sir Douglas Haig, and the 2nd Army -under General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien. The corps units were as -follows:--1st Corps, General C. C. Monro; 2nd Corps, General Sir -Charles Fergusson; 3rd Corps, General Pulteney; 4th Corps, General -Sir Henry Rawlinson; Cavalry Corps, General Allenby; Indian Corps, -General Sir James Willcocks; Indian Cavalry Corps, General Rimington; -and the Flying Corps under General Henderson. Of the new 5th Corps, -which was to be under the command of General Sir Herbert Plumer, only -the 27th Division was as yet "out," though the 28th Division was -ready to embark. - -Most of the news parcelled out to those who were "resting" in billets -back of the line came from the London newspapers. - -Typed sheets, dubbed "summaries of information," and issued by -G.H.Q., were distributed daily, but were never valuable and rarely -really informative. - -The G.H.Q. information sheet of January 1st, 1915, read: "The Germans -made an attack on the right of our line, south of Givenchy, yesterday -evening, and captured an observation post. This post was retaken by a -counter-attack early this morning, but later on was again captured by -the enemy. The line has now been reorganized." - -A friend in the 1st Army, which was covering the part of the line -thus attacked, showed me the 1st Army summary of 7 p.m., January -1st, which added the following to the news on the situation: "All -is quiet in front. Fighting on right of 1st Corps last night was -not as serious as at first reported. Casualties in Scots Guards -believed to be about five officers and fifty other ranks. Most of -these casualties occurred owing to the regiment pushing on beyond -the original trench, and attacking the enemy's position. This wet -weather is entailing great hardship on the men, who are fully engaged -repairing trenches, some of which have had to be abandoned owing to -water. The Germans are reported to be no better off." - -Such brief, dry, official summaries applied to most of the wet days -of January, 1915. Trench warfare in winter has a very stoggy sameness -about it. - -A 3rd Corps advance in front of the Ploegsteert Wood resulted in -several of our men being drowned while attacking, so deep was the -water in the submerged shell-holes in the flooded area. - -Discipline, the capacity to go forward in pursuance of an order, in -spite of the fact that doing so seems utterly futile, is possessed -by the British troops to a remarkable degree. Small operations, -comparatively unimportant in scope and result, served to demonstrate -daily the splendid spirit of the men under inconceivably trying -conditions. - -One trench at Givenchy was taken and retaken time after time, and the -men ordered to capture the trench were ever found ready to "go up" -in the same dashing way, though they knew to a man that the assault -meant inevitable loss, and would more than likely be followed by a -further enforced evacuation, by their own comrades, of the untenable -position. - -The Huns were well supplied with trench-mortars, bombs and -hand-grenades, and used them with great effect. Our men had -practically none of these indispensable attributes to trench warfare, -or at least had so few of them that their use produced comparatively -negligible results. - -The Christmas truce between British and German units confronting -each other in the trenches produced echoes for weeks. The order from -General French stating clearly that "the Commander-in-Chief views -with the greatest displeasure" such fraternizing with the enemy had -produced a partial effect, but instances still occurred where the -Huns took the initiative in the matter of peace overtures for short -periods. - -A visit to one part of our front line unearthed the following story: -The opposing trenches were separated by a highway, across which, one -morning, a German soldier shouted, "Let's have a truce for to-day. We -don't want to kill you fellows. Why should we kill each other? We are -to be relieved by the Prussians to-morrow night. You can kill them if -you like. We don't care. We are Saxons." - -The extraordinary proposal was taken in good part, and the truce kept -for thirty-six hours. No men of either army left their trenches, but -not a shot was fired from German or English trench at that point. - -A few miles from the scene of this incident the men of the opposing -armies became quite accustomed to calling across the intervening -ground to their enemies. Each side, one day, boasted of the -excellence of its food supply. A British Tommy declared his lunch -ration included an incomparable tin of sardines. A German soldier -shouted his disbelief that Tommy possessed any such delicacy. -Thereupon an empty sardine tin on the point of a bayonet was raised -above the British trench parapet in proof of Tommy's statement. - -"That's a sardine _tin_," yelled a Hun derisively, "but there is no -sardine in it, mein friend." - -A few minutes passed, then a tin of sardines, unopened and temptingly -whole and sound was thrown from the English trench towards the trench -of the enemy. It fell short. Over his parapet vaulted a big German, -who dashed at the tin with outstretched hand. As his fingers were -closing over it, it jumped from his grasp. Again he stooped and -reached for it. Again it leaped away. Tommy had attached a thin but -stout line to his sardine tin, willing to prove his assertion, but -with no idea of losing his luncheon. - -Two or three times the big Hun grabbed wildly at the elusive prize, -amid the shouts and laughter of the men of both armies, who cheered -in unison as Hans was at last convinced of the futility of further -effort and retired in confusion to his trench. - -In the early hours of the New Year a trench full of Westphalians -and a party from a section of our line held by the 4th Corps, -fraternised to such an extent that visits were paid by each -contingent to the "no-man's land" between the trenches. When the -British soldiers returned to their trench, they found a man curled up -in the bottom of it. Investigation showed him to be a German soldier. - -"'Ere, git out o' this," said Tommy indignantly. "You're bloomin' -well in the wrong 'ouse." - -"No," said the Hun decidedly, "me prisoner, prisoner!" - -"Not you," was the indignant reply. "Play the gime, you silly old -'Un, an' 'ook it." - -But such was not the intention of the Saxon lad. With hands in air -to indicate his abject surrender, he insisted he was a prisoner and -refused to budge. - -Nonplussed, the Tommies shouted over to the Germans: "'Ere's one o' -your chaps 'ere as won't go 'ome, the silly beggar. 'E's lorst 'is -way, poor chap, an' don't know where 'e are." - -"Send him back to us, please," was the prompt request from the -Deutschers. - -[Illustration: Members of the Staff outside the headquarters of the -1st Cavalry Division] - -[Illustration: Between Philosophe and Vermelles; on the left, the -château wall] - -But not a move would the Hun make, until at last half a dozen stout -Tommies hoisted him over the parapet with the butts of their rifles. -Still he tarried. With an oath a burly British corporal called two of -his comrades. They leaped out of the trench, grabbed the hesitating -Hun, and marched him at quick time to his own lines. There they -turned him over to his officer, presented arms in salute, wheeled and -marched gravely back to their own trench. - -"What did the German bloke say when you chucked the chap to him?" was -asked the corporal. - -"Thynks," laconically replied that worthy, "an' no more, except -to sye, 'We'll fix the rotter.' An' so they bloomin' well -should--desertin' durin' a bally troose that wye--the dirty dog." - -As the 1st Cavalry Division was "resting," visits to points of -interest were the order of the day. On Monday, January 4th, General -de Lisle, Captain Hardress Lloyd, and I ran, _viâ_ quaint old Bergues -and Dunkirk, to Furnes, where King Albert of the Belgians had his -Headquarters. - -Belgian sentries were plentiful after Dunkirk. They frequently -stopped us, but generally the word "Anglais" was a sufficient -passport. Now and again Lloyd produced a British pass, at which the -Belgians would invariably look blandly, if uncomprehendingly, then -salute and urbanely wave us on our way. Any sort of pass would have -served with ninety-nine out of a hundred such sentries. - -The coast district in Belgium was not interesting in itself. Roadways -ran between sluggish, morbid-looking canals and flat, dispirited -fields--a sad, soggy, flabby land, in very truth. - -Furnes was a picturesque relief. The architectural beauties of the -Hotel de Ville and one or two other buildings in its fine old square -were undeniable. Not long after our visit Furnes was viciously -shelled by the Huns. Later it was practically devastated by big -howitzer shells. Three or four days before our visit to the town a -Black Maria had landed in a busy spot near the square one noontide, -killing ten people and wounding a dozen others. - -Nieuport, not far away, was under a heavy bombardment when we arrived -in Furnes. Three days before sixty French soldiers had been killed -in one day in Nieuport, which had proved so great a death-trap that -all troops had been moved to dug-outs outside the town. - -I had a chat with one of King Albert's Staff whom I had previously -met in London. He was a very outspoken critic of the Belgian -officers, and of the policy that had resulted in the Belgian -evacuation of Antwerp before such a _débâcle_ was absolutely -necessary. - -We had lunch in Furnes with Colonel Tom Bridges. I had seen much of -Bridges during the first months of the War, when he was attached to -the 4th Dragoon Guards as a major. He led a charge at Tour de Paissy, -on the Aisne, which saved the British line. Promoted to the rank of -Colonel, he was given command of the 4th Hussars. A very few days -afterwards, while on a night march, he was sent for by General Sir -John French. Arriving at G.H.Q., Bridges, who had been the British -Military Attaché in Belgium prior to the War and knew the Belgian -Army well, was given certain instructions, placed in a Rolls-Royce -car, and at once started for Antwerp. He arrived late at night, after -a continuous run of over 600 kilometres, and saw King Albert, who at -once convened a Council of War. Bridges then jumped into the work at -hand without a moment's delay. - -Tom Bridges arrived in Antwerp on November 3rd. The city was -evacuated by the Belgians on November 8th. - -Having heard so much of the prominent part Bridges had played in -the affairs of the Belgians, I looked forward with all the more -anticipation to again meeting him. - -Major Prince Alexander of Teck, attached to Colonel Bridges' mission, -and Mrs. Bridges, who had recently been at work in the Duchess of -Sutherland's hospital at Dunkirk, were at luncheon. - -Colonel Bridges talked of King Albert. "The King gives to a stranger -the impression that he comes to a decision slowly. I have heard men, -who have met him, say they thought him extremely deliberate, but all -recognise his solid foundation of determination. But for that rock -on which the King's stern determination is set, there would be but -little Belgian Army left to-day. To King Albert personally much more -is due than is likely ever to be known." - -The more I saw of the Belgian Army along the Yser, the more I -appreciated what Bridges had said of the King. - -After luncheon, I drove General de Lisle, Colonel Bridges and -Hardress Lloyd to Nieuport-les-Bains, once a sea-coast summer resort -at the mouth of the Yser. The Allied trench line was roughly the line -of the canal. On the coast in the sandy dunes, the Allies' trenches -had been pushed a bit to the Ostend side, but Dixmude was still in -German hands. - -Not a single inhabitant of Nieuport-les-Bains was in the town--not -a man, woman or child. The French Tirailleurs d'Afrique, part of -a splendid division of French Colonials that had been sent by -Foch to "stiffen" that part of the line, occupied the ruins of -the summer resort that was. The typical French summer hotels in -Nieuport-les-Bains were, for the most part, shapeless piles of -_débris_. - -The Huns never succeeded in actually penetrating the town, though Von -Beseler's troops tried hard to take it. The Germans reached the river -bank which formed the town's boundary on the north. - -The main thoroughfare was blocked at frequent intervals by great -barricades made from bathing machines, hauled in a row and filled -with sand and paving stones. Asphalt tennis courts were scarred -with shell-holes. No open space had been spared during the weeks of -itinerant bombardment. - -As we approached the town French batteries of "75's" were firing hard -from positions in the dunes by the roadway. - -The French General Officer Commanding arrived as we alighted from our -car. But one house was standing in the northern edge of the town. -Into it we filed on the heels of the French General, up its stair -to the garret, and still up a rickety ladder to a point of vantage -under the very eaves. Through shell-holes in the tile roofing, French -observers directed the fire of the batteries below. Across the Yser, -in front of us, we would see the French and German trenches among the -low sand hills. For long spaces they ran but fifteen to twenty yards -apart and in one sector a German sap was but five yards from the -French escarpment. - -For a time we watched the shells from the "75's" bursting over the -German trenches. Descending, we crossed the Yser practically at -its mouth. A pontoon bridge, vaunting a placard showing it had been -christened the "Pont Gal Joffre," led between twin piers. The bridge -swayed and tossed like the deck of a channel steamer as we picked our -way gingerly across it. Some months later a Jack Johnson, luckily -placed by the enemy, entirely smashed that pontoon bridge. - -Gaining the northern bank we zig-zagged through deep trenches in -the sand, reinforced here and there with timbers and stone. An open -crater and a pile of _débris_ marked what had once been a lighthouse. -Dug-outs, shelters in miniature, lined the sides of the crater -nearest the Huns. The open bowl of sand was about forty feet in -diameter. Near its centre gaped a shell-hole in the soft sand made by -an unwelcome visitor which had come less than a half hour previously. -Digging for a few moments, I unearthed the still warm timing-fuse of -the 105-millimetre shell that had made the hole. - -The lighthouse position was, the sergeant of Tirailleurs said, a -_mauvais place_. From morning until night of the day before the Huns -had shelled it. Many shells had fallen in the hours just preceding -our arrival. General de Lisle and Colonel Bridges left Hardress Lloyd -and me there, "for safety," while they walked through the front line -positions, which were from a hundred to a hundred and sixty yards -further forward. - -I investigated the interiors of the tiny dug-outs during the -General's absence. No shell fell near, however, and soon we were all -retracing our steps to Nieuport-les-Bains. Once a sniper spied one of -the party, and a bullet from his rifle kicked up a spurt of sand a -few feet from my head. We acknowledged the attention by an additional -foot or so of "stoop" thenceforth. - -Over a cup of tea at Colonel Bridges' headquarters, I met an old -acquaintance in Lady Ross, who had that day handed to the Queen of -the Belgians a cheque for £1,000 for Belgian sufferers. Lady Ross -told me of an interesting conversation with King Albert at luncheon. -After discussing at length the general subject of the difficulty of -realisation of war's hardships and atrocities by those whose homes -have been far from the actual scenes of war, the conversation -drifted to the refugee question. King Albert agreed that all -able-bodied Belgians of military age should be with the Army, and -declared emphatically his intention to press for steps that would -lead to such a consummation. - -The result of my visit to Furnes and Nieuport-les-Bains was to -confirm my impression that the Germans had fortified their positions -along the coast, and so entrenched themselves that to take Ostend by -direct land attack was impossible, except at very great cost indeed. - -The assistance that could be given by the Admiralty to such a project -was greatly discounted by the fact that the ships available were out -of range when outside the sandbanks that lay near the coast, and -outclassed by the enemy's land batteries when inside the banks. - -Many folk visited the Belgian Army in the trenches during those -January days. Less than a week after we had visited Furnes, a couple -of us ran to Dunkirk on Sunday to buy some fresh fish, a delicacy as -rare as it was wholesome. While in Dunkirk I saw Lord Northcliffe -and my old friend Max Pemberton, who had come over for a "weekend at -the Front" with the Belgians. The next day eighteen German aeroplanes -flew over Dunkirk and dropped several bombs, doing some material -damage and killing one civilian. - -On Tuesday, January 12th, General de Lisle ran to Boeschoeppe, -south-west of the St. Eloi area, to see General T. O'D. Snow and his -27th Division. While waiting for the General I had good opportunity -to see and talk to some of the newly arrived men. They had been -marched about fourteen miles before being put into the trench-line, -then marched back to billets when relieved. Some had come back from -eight to eleven miles on foot. As they were not supplied with changes -of socks or any sort of patent solution for their feet, and as the -trenches were at places knee-deep in water, a general epidemic of -frost-bitten feet could but be expected. - -Limping along the frozen road, with socks wound about their poor -feet, I felt great sympathy for the Tommies. Before three days had -passed I heard that the 27th Division sick-list had been augmented -by over two thousand cases of "bad feet." One Brigade Major in the -Division told of over one thousand cases in his Brigade alone. A bad -business, entailing great suffering and more permanent disablement -than a little, all for want of proper foresight. - -Small engagements with the enemy all along the line were constantly -taking place. Official reports teemed with briefly and baldly told -stories such as the following:-- - - "The following are details of the capture of a German trench to - the north of La Bassée on the night of the 3rd-4th January. - - "Time--8 p.m. January 3rd, 1915. - - "Artillery--Nil. - - "Strength of attack--One officer, twenty-five men. - - "Distance between opposing trenches--150 to 200 yards. - - "Enemy's trench consisted of a short length of trench which had - been dug outwards from a saphead, and which was occupied by one - officer and twenty-five to thirty men. (Two sentries.) - - "Attack--The attack crept forward noiselessly to the trench A A, - two German sentries were awake and were bayoneted, the occupants - were asleep and were all bayoneted; the officer's head was broken - in with the butt end of a rifle--not a shot was fired--some men - set to work at once and cut the ground A B, thus flooding the - trench A A. - - [Illustration] - - "The attackers were only fifteen minutes in the German trench and - left the bayoneted Germans in the water, which was then running - in from the water ditch. A A was only a short length of trench - without wire. - - "British casualties--One wounded and two missing. The latter may - have since returned." - -Quiet days found many a British soldier hard at work over a -French-English "conversation-book." Some of these were hurriedly -prepared and of a character truly extraordinary. One such book, made -up for the benefit of an industrious young man, contained a question -that, translated, ran thus:-- - -"Q. Where is the cat of my mother's aunt?" - -"A. No, but the kittens are drowned." - -In Vermelles, on January 15th, I took a dozen photographs showing the -devastation that can be worked by French high explosive shells. - -Vermelles was an object lesson. Held by the Germans as strongly as -any town was held in front of the French position south of the La -Bassée canal, trenched and barricaded with wonderful skill, and well -supported by a mass of guns, its capture was only effected after -weeks of sapping and an artillery bombardment that had up to that -time been without parallel. Its ruins held texts for innumerable -sermons on the newer strategy of present-day warfare. - -A French officer of standing had told me that he considered the -taking of Vermelles from the Germans a most hopeful sign that the -French could take any and all German positions in like manner, if -they cared to pay the price in men and ammunition. - -Geographically, Vermelles was in what was bound to prove a "warm -corner." The German thrust westward from La Bassée, with Bethune as -an objective, had cost the British Expeditionary Force some of the -hardest fighting it had seen. - -In that area our Second Corps, then the Indian Corps, and lastly our -First Corps, with the French troops at times in action with us, had -withstood a battering that no other point in the long line from the -sea to the Vosges, save possibly the Ypres Salient, had been called -upon to stand. - -The German advance to the westward had reached Vermelles, and there -been held. Their farthermost line was in front of the western edge of -the town, and close to the main road that led through it. The enemy -was in possession of Vermelles for a couple of months. - -As no English troops had participated in the taking of Vermelles from -the Huns, except for the assistance rendered by some of our heavier -batteries, we knew little of what had happened in that theatre -save that six weeks of sapping, a mad rush after an unprecedented -bombardment, and terrific hand-to-hand bayonet fighting in the -streets, had resulted in the French occupation of the town on -December 7th. - -Our visit had been arranged for us by Captain Fresson, the French -liaison officer attached to 1st Cavalry Division Headquarters. -General de Lisle, Colonel Home, Major Hambro, Fresson and I were in -the party. - -Coming out of Bethune, on the Lens road, we passed through Beuvry, -then through Shilly-Labourse. - -In the fields by the roadside were trenches, increasing in frequency -along the road from Sailly to Noyelles-lez-Vermelles. - -When Noyelles was passed, and we could glance across the slightly -rolling fields that led eastwards to Vermelles, a mile distant, a -little world of trenches met the eye. Some giant, prehistoric mole, -crazed with pain and bent on expending his agony on the surface of -Mother Earth, might have so ripped the fields. - -Not rows of trenches, but curved and twisting galleries upon -galleries of them. For the first time I began to get an inkling of -what real trench warfare--the battles of the pick and shovel--meant. - -At the headquarters of the French General who was in command of that -section of the line a most elaborate _déjeuner_ had been prepared -for the party, with the result that it was well into the afternoon -before we left the hospitable Frenchman and, in tow of a member of -his staff, commenced our tour of sight-seeing. - -Most buildings thereabouts were shell-scarred; some were burned. No -inhabitants were to be seen. The boom of distant shells was ever -present, and now and then one burst in sight of us. Detachments of -French infantry marched past frequently. - -We ran to Noyelles, which was full of hard-as-nails-looking French -soldiers. - -There the party alighted, and guided by a young French infantry -officer, who had seen the fighting over that ground, walked across -the trench-scarred battle-field eastward to Vermelles. - -I followed sufficiently far to gain an idea of the lie of the land, -then returned to Noyelles and took my car to Vermelles by road, -arriving in advance of the others. This allowed me a long stroll of -inspection, to be augmented later by a second tour in the company of -the General, with a French Staff officer as escort. - -The German first line trenches to the west of the town were well -constructed. Though they had been considerably damaged by the rain -of shells that had been poured on them, they were not as badly -demolished as one might expect. Back of this first line of defence -was a second line, weaving in and out--here in front, now behind, now -through, the string of houses on the west of Vermelles' main street. - -In the southern portion of the town were the ruins of the Château -Watteble. The grounds of the once imposing château allowed a -sufficiently clear space for still another formidable trench-line. -Behind that the enemy had placed other lines, burrowing here and -there at points of vantage through the town. Adjacent to the château -were piles of bricks that once had been a fine farm, the Ferme Brion, -and in front of it, completely demolished, and bearing no semblance -of shape or form that would indicate its original outlines, was -a chapel, where a German gun had been placed. This gun, a French -officer told me, had been served gallantly until the French were but -fifty yards distant, when a battery of the famous "75's" found the -range and totally annihilated the gun, the chapel, and any of the -enemy who were so unfortunate as to be in its vicinity. - -The church, its square tower battered out of shape, was still the -most conspicuous landmark of the country round. Another sample -of devastation was the brewery, and attached to it an elaborate -dwelling, one portion of which was built over a metal frame. All -the covering had been torn from the iron girders, leaving the mere -skeleton of the framework practically intact, a weird sight. - -The German trenches and communications burrowed so consistently -everywhere from the western edge of the town, and on through to the -eastward, that every foot of ground afforded opportunity for study. -These lines of defence, all connected and fed by approach trenches, -cleverly constructed, with their traverses and reserve off-shoots, -led away for hundreds of yards to the rear of the front line. - -That, then, was the town the French had to face, defended by -machine-guns in splendid emplacements, every position well manned. -The first line commanded an open front of slightly rising ground, -clear of all obstacles and capable of being swept for 800 to 1,000 -yards. Military science in trench construction had been aided by -ingenuity of a high order, and hours of wandering over and through -the rabbit warrens made for men, as cleverly as ever rodent designed -his burrow, found one discovering new wonders at every step. - -The trenches proper were for the most part deep and narrow, stout of -wall, reinforced with every manner of material likely to strengthen -the defensive ramparts and bastions. Here the thickness of a piece of -house wall had been doubled by sandbags. There the face of a trench -had been reinforced by huge stones, interspersed with all sorts of -receptacles, such as water-buckets, cooking utensils, wheel-barrows, -and all manner of tins, filled with brick, small stones or cement. - -A woman's bodice neatly tied about a few pounds of stone, the wooden -cover of a household sewing-machine, loaded with brick, and even -a stout brown-paper cardboard box full of mortar, caught my eye -as I searched the stoutly-built wall curved round and back and -round again through what had once been a house-yard. Traverses that -demanded admiration from the most apathetic student of engineering, -loops of trenches that commanded every front, approach trenches that -wriggled like some great yellow-brown snake off toward the rear, were -perfect each one in its own way. - -Practically every point in the town could be reached by a German on -tour of inspection of its defences, without the necessity of his -leaving cover, save to cross the roadway of the main thoroughfare. -Beside all this under-the-surface protection, the shelter of the -buildings, all constructed of brick or stone and strongly built, was -by no means to be despised. - -Truly, when the French officer said no place could be made more -secure, there was some reason for his words. But strong as it was, -and in spite of its splendid artillery support, the position was -one that the French had to take, whether or no. Six long weeks of -constant work was represented by those torn and wounded fields that -stretched away westward to Noyelles. Sapping their way, entrenching -and consolidating every forward step, the little men in red and -blue crept up to a line varying by from one to two hundred yards, and -even nearer at one point, to the German front. - -[Illustration: A bird's-eye view of shattered Vermelles, January, 1915] - -[Illustration: Major Desmond Fitzgerald of the Lancers and a gas-pipe -trench-mortar] - -But sapping and mining, and entrenching and consolidating, so -valuable in themselves, responsible for the finely fortified position -of the Germans in Vermelles, and the splendid mole-advance against -them by the French, was not the chief factor that was to play the -decisive part in the war-game that culminated in the capture of the -town on December 7th. - -Gun-fire was the decisive element. To the beloved "soixante-quinze" -was to go the chief honour. Only a careful personal inspection of -the town could tell one the real story of Vermelles as I saw it on -January 15th. The camera might assist, and, in spite of the dull -weather, I obtained a few pictures with that end in view, but the -camera could give one the story only haltingly and in part. - -Not one building in all the town was unwrecked. The French "75's," -with some aid from the British howitzers, reduced Vermelles to ruins -in the most literal and complete sense. Every edifice, from the -piles of brick around the few tottering walls that was once a proud -château to the humblest barn or outbuilding, was in itself a study. -The evidence left by such shell-fire of its power for evil is of -fascinating interest owing to its infinite variety. One wall had -withstood half-a-dozen punctures of varying diameter, holes four or -five feet in width, some of them, while its fellow beside it had -crumbled into a formless mass of _débris_. Side by side were two -houses, one with front practically intact, its roof gone and its -interior and back portion blown to bits, the other minus front wall, -but still standing, its roof at a crazy angle, resting insecurely on -the remainder of the building, which, save for a scar here and there, -escaped comparatively untouched. - -It is this caprice of shell-fire that makes such a veritable hell of -it. - -Trenches with sides blown in; here a hole like a good-sized cellar; -there a traverse filled to the level of the ground around it; a -gap in the defence wall in front; iron-work twisted into grotesque -shapes; stone-work pulverised; _débris_ in piles; with clothing, -bedding, household implements, farm machinery and gear, child's -toys, religious emblems, personal effects, and bundles of every -description, all jumbled together in such an odd, unnatural way, that -a laugh and a catch in the throat often came together. - -Vermelles on that sodden day in January was full of French soldiers -in reserve--men of the 131st and 262nd Infantry Brigades, some from -16th and some from 18th Corps units. The firing line proper was from -three to four kilometres to the eastward. On the west side of the -town a French battery was firing regularly, the shells singing over -our heads. The German shells were falling frequently half a mile in -front of us. - -It was my good fortune to discover a French soldier who had seen the -actual final bayonet attack which won the position. His story was -graphic, but told in few words. The creeping up to the forward French -trenches, the fierce bombardment, the wild charge, the discovery -that in spite of the fact that the place had been literally blown to -bits, and German dead strewn everywhere, some defenders still held -on and manned the murderous machine-guns, until they felt the cold -steel--it all seemed so matter-of-fact, and such a matter-of-course -sort of story in such surroundings. - -In each of the yards of the better-class dwellings and farms, -including the grounds of the château and brewery, were graves of -German soldiers. Many of these were marked with rude crosses bearing -touching inscriptions. One such epitaph that caught my eye described -the dead soldier as a good comrade; another as a brave man who had -died for the Fatherland. Many of them bore a simple religious touch. -One grave covered a German officer, buried by the French after the -capture of the town. The French soldiers had marked his name and a -respectful word or two on the rude cross above it, in obvious keeping -with the inscriptions the Germans had written on adjacent crosses -raised while they were in occupation. - -In an effort to tell me how full the redoubts were of German dead, -when Vermelles was at last taken, my soldier guide found that words -failed him. They were everywhere, he said. - -[Illustration: A winter Cavalry shelter in France] - -[Illustration: Construction of Cavalry shelter in France] - -Many of the graves, particularly those of the French soldiers buried -thereabouts, were headed by black or white metal wreaths. - -"It cost dear," said my soldier, "and we paid. But a Boche who lived -through the last few days of the fighting here, and escaped from that -last charge, will be able to tell a story." - -The deep cellar of a ruined house--a mere brick arched cell of a -place without a ray of daylight--had been quite habitably fitted up -as a cave-dwelling by the Germans, who had saved a piano from one of -the wrecked rooms above and cosily stowed it away in a corner. - -One or two underground caves just back of the German front line of -trenches, bomb-proofs for the officers apparently, were ingeniously -secure. - -Though Vermelles at the time of our visit had been in French hands -for more than a month, one could find many such souvenirs as -shell-heads and timing-fuses without troubling to stir the piles of -wreckage. - -I could, I thought, sit in Vermelles and write reams of detail in -description of the terrible havoc of war, but I found that mere -generality as to the scenes of desolation wrought in the town soon -used up my vocabulary. The place was no less a graveyard of brave men -than of strenuous human effort, none the less to be admired because -it proved abortive. Over all brooded the horror of war and the more -specific and tangible horror of gun-fire. "Low trajectory and high -explosive are twin demons, and this is their devil's work," the -shattered town seemed to say. - -Knots of French soldiers or visiting British officers walked about -sombrely and spoke in low tones, as if in the actual presence of the -dead, in spite of the weeks that had flown by since Vermelles had -echoed to the crash of a bursting shell. - -The French soldiers were a tough-looking lot of customers. A bit -nondescript as to uniform, and universally campaign worn, unshaven, -and mud-plastered, they looked stout and fit for anything. A friendly -class of men, respectful to British officers to a degree, a fact that -spoke not only of good discipline, but of fine French traditions of -politeness. They impressed me as splendid war material, and more, as -men of fine character and indomitable determination. - -Sport behind the lines began to assume quite a healthy state in -January. Packs of beagles and hounds and pairs of greyhounds were -brought "out" by enthusiasts, and cross-country courses with rare -jumps were carefully mapped out. - -Alas! for "Le Sport." An order came along one day from G.H.Q. which -stated that "the Commander-in-Chief regrets that it is necessary to -prohibit any more hunting, coursing, shooting, or paper-chasing. This -order comes into effect at once." - -The 2nd Cavalry Brigade drew up a splendid steeplechase programme, -which the state of the ground would not have allowed, had no order -from G.H.Q. been promulgated. - -A card of "beagle-meets" was issued, and formed the following -somewhat pretentious propaganda:-- - - -"THE 2ND CAVALRY BRIGADE BEAGLES WILL MEET-- - - SUNDAY Jan. 3rd, C Squadron 4th Dragoon Guards. - TUESDAY Jan. 5th, St-Jans-Cappel, Berthen, Cross Roads. - THURSDAY Jan. 7th, Headquarters 9th Lancers. - SATURDAY Jan. 9th, Berthen. - MONDAY Jan. 11th, H Battery. - WEDNESDAY Jan. 13th, Headquarters 18th Hussars. - FRIDAY Jan. 15th, St-Jans-Cappel Church. - SUNDAY Jan. 17th, Headquarters 4th Dragoon Guards. - - Each day at One o'clock." - -The Prince of Wales ran more than once with that pack of beagles, and -ran well. - -Football matches were allowed, and were daily fought out between the -various regimental teams. - -General Robertson succeeded General Murray as Chief of the Staff -at G.H.Q., a change generally welcomed, as Robertson was held in -very high esteem throughout the Army. Many of us considered him the -greatest man the British Army had produced throughout the campaign. -That is certainly how I should describe him. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - -Broken car springs on February 1st took me to Poperinghe, where a -Belgian carriage-maker made a villainous repair for a considerable -charge. - -Motor car repairs were fearfully and wonderfully executed at the -front in the earlier stages of the war. The G.H.Q. shops were not -bad, and once in a while I found clever, conscientious young chaps -in charge of a road-side repair shop attached to a division, an -ammunition supply column, or some such unit, who had managed to -organise a very creditable "first-aid and emergency hospital" for the -ills a car was heir to. - -All too often some A.S.C. officer in charge, however, knew as little -of the mechanism of an automobile and how to put it in order as one -could well imagine. I remember one youth, possessed of a wonderful -opinion of his own efficiency, whose mechanical experience had been -gained in a railway workshop. He ordered repairs to be done in -weird fashion at times. As soon as he had delivered his dictum and -departed, his chief non-commissioned officer would put the men right, -generally by a complete reversal of the youngster's orders, and all -would go happily until he might again put in an appearance, when -the work would suffer proportionately to the time he spent in its -vicinity. - -Stories of the excellence of the performance of individual cars were -often marvellous. One big limousine, which had been "out since the -first of the show," was ever the boast of the Major to whom it was -assigned and of his faithful chauffeur. At tea one day it transpired -that the car, which the Major was always ready to declare had run -_sans repaire et sans reproche_ during the whole campaign, was -in the repair park for its "initial derangement." Calling at the -repair lorry early next morning, I was astounded to hear the A.S.C. -sergeant-major in charge say to the major's chauffeur: "So you have -done in the old girl again, have you? Let's see, that's the third -time this month, ain't it? Why the Major hasn't sent the bally old -wreck in months ago to get her put in decent shape, I don't know. -Not a bit of use tinkering at her all the time. She's given us more -bother than any car in the division." - -How we did chip the Major! Motorists' yarns bear some odd -relationship to fishermen's stories, so I have heard. - -Taken generally, the British cars at the Front ran most creditably. -The conditions could not have been more trying, and the Daimlers and -Rolls-Royces lived up to their reputations in fine style. Cars of -half a score of makes were attached to the 1st Cavalry Division while -I was with it, and I studied their performances with close attention. -For reliability and lack of trouble a large Daimler easily bore away -the honours. - -Cold forges and a disinclination on the part of the smith to light -them on an afternoon necessitated my spending a night in Poperinghe. -The town was crowded with Belgian inhabitants and refugees, and -with French troops of the 16th Corps, which was at that time being -relieved from the trench work by British soldiers, and was mobilising -in Poperinghe to be sent south and east, detachment after detachment, -to its own dear France. - -A winter in Flanders, particularly in Flemish trenches, is not a -happy experience. The French were therefore openly delighted at the -prospect of departure to more pleasant and congenial climes. - -I should have had to sleep in my car but for the kindly offices of a -French Staff officer, who procured for me a clean, soft bed in the -Hotel La Bourse. - -An evening among French soldiers, though they might be tired, -trench-stained and campaign worn, was sure to be a pleasurable -one. Songs from _chansons d'amour_ to grand opera, from poor Harry -Fragson's "Marguerita," to swinging marching airs of older wars, were -sung with a vim. - -The French troopers possessed a suspicion of the grand air when -drinking a toast, carolling a love-ditty, or roaring out a rousing -chorus. One or two veterans I met in Poperinghe might have stepped -from a volume of Dumas. An elder one was a bachelor of arts and -science, a man of studious and thoughtful mien. His comrade was a -true Gascon, and a third of the group was blessed with powers of -mimicry that made us laugh long and loud before the night was over. - -Every man of them was proud and fond of his British allies. - -French soldiers did not pay the same attention to cleanliness of -uniform and kit that was given to such details by the British Tommy. -An English battalion, relieved from muddy trenches, at once smartened -its external appearance to a degree that had to be seen to be -believed. Tommy worked wonders in a day. - -The long-tailed blue coats of the French infantry were difficult to -clean, once they became mud-caked. - -The amount of equipment, and its variety, that the average French -foot-soldier strapped upon his back, was wonderful. I saw one -black-bearded "poilu," with a typical load, start off with his -company for a long, long march, with literally as much as he could -pack about him, fastened securely by ingenious means. Over either -shoulder was a strap supporting two good-sized canvas haversacks, one -on each hip, both bulging with food. To his belt were attached two -ample cartridge-pouches, one in front and one behind. A water-bottle -dangled against a haversack. His principal pack, hung at the -shoulder, was, he told me, full of spare clothing. A blanket, rolled -in a sheepskin jacket, surmounted this and towered above his cap. A -cooking-pot adorned the back of his pack, while to one side of it -was strapped a tin cup of ample dimensions, and to the other a loaf -of bread, already become soggy in the steady drizzle. A bundle of -firewood at his side, and a roll of clothing, holding an extra shirt -or two, at the other, flanked him. - -My examination of his equipment concluded, he said he must be off, -and picked up his rifle with a cheery smile. A comrade rushed up and -handed him a sort of leather portmanteau. He grabbed it without a -word, threw the strap over his head, settled his various pieces of -baggage into place with a strenuous shake, and stamped away sturdily, -with a firm step and head held high. - -He left me wondering that this sort of soldier should make marching -records of which any army in the world might be proud, yet such was -undeniably the case. - -In billets, the British cavalry were having a thorough course of -instruction in the work of the foot soldier. Dismounted attack, -trench digging, musketry instruction, bomb-throwing classes, and all -manner of miscellaneous tutelage progressed steadily. - -I had a look at Ypres one morning. It was again peopled with a -sufficient number of civilians to give me a sense of forgetfulness as -to its proximity to the German gun positions. - -Of all the attributes of the Belgian people, their persistence in -making back to their homes in a shelled area, as soon as the shells -ceased falling, was the most prominent. - -Many of the peasants pursued their daily round of labour under -shell-fire. Many others left the bombarded fields or villages, albeit -reluctantly, only to return as soon as the shell splinters had ceased -to spatter about. - -What feeling actuated them was a psychological study. They were -phlegmatic as a people. I have seen Russian soldiers perform feats -that were described by different observers of the same episode as -bravery or stupidity, according to the reading of the onlooker. Was -the Belgian who drifted back to his own or some other man's home in -shell-ruined Ypres brave or thick-headed? I left one opinion for -another, only to abandon it in turn. A study of various types in -Flanders helped me but little. - -Hard-worked toilers, whose lives have been one continual round of -labour, are, more often than not, fatalists. Such lives produce -men and women who accept conditions blindly and uncomplainingly. A -peculiar love of the soil which they have tilled, and from which they -have sprung, seemed to take the place in many Flemish peasants of the -more definite and definable Anglo-Saxon or Gallic spirit of intense -patriotism. Many poor folk seemed possessed of a blind instinct -that "home" was safest, and once "home" was lost, nothing worthy -of preservation remained. Their attitude toward death bordered on -indifference. - -Motor-buses were bringing the 28th Division to the Ypres Salient as I -passed on my homeward journey. - -Rumours of an attack on the German line flew from lip to lip. That -night I read from an eminent French military authority that "to -attack, unless with a definite object in view, with a very reasonable -chance of success, and with the surety that you can hold what you -gain if the attack succeeds, is a crime." - -In the second week in February, at a dinner in St. Omer, a member of -the French Mission at British Headquarters told me that eighty-seven -French general officers had been "relieved of their command" since -the commencement of the war. These generals were "sent down" for -incompetency, evidenced in various ways, to command the troops under -them. The extremely small number of British generals who had been -"replaced" stood out in very sharp contrast to this total, with which -fact should be remembered the complete difference as to policy with -reference to such replacements between the French and British War -Office methods. - -Early in February, the 1st Cavalry Division staff was blessed with -the arrival of Major Desmond Fitzgerald (11th Hussars), who took -Major Hambro's place as G.S.O. 2. - -The total tally of British casualties was announced during the first -week in the month as 104,000, having exceeded, in less than six -months of warfare, the numerical strength of the original British -Expeditionary Force. - -A day "in front," with the engineers, mapping out new trenches and -reserve positions, showed to how great an extent modern gun-fire had -changed military theory. - -Before the War, a trench line was sought in a position that commanded -a good "field of fire," _i.e._, that had in front of it as much open -ground as possible. - -This war had taught that the most important item in the selection of -a trench position was the extent to which the line could be hidden -from the enemy gunners. The space commanded by the occupants of the -trench and the nature of the terrain were secondary to the cardinal -point of keeping the trenches well out of sight of enemy observers. - -Thus engineers might, years ago, select a hilltop as a trench -position, the line commanding the receding slope to the valley -below. After the experience of the greatest of all wars, they would -preferably place it fifty yards behind the summit. More than fifty -yards of "field of fire" was desirable, but not absolutely necessary. -A fifty-yard space could be so covered with wire entanglements as -sufficiently to delay an attacking enemy. Deep, narrow trenches with -traverses to restrict the area of damage from shells bursting in -the actual trench, and to protect from enfilade fire, were demanded -by the newer conditions, but great care had to be taken that they -should not be constructed in ground of so soft a nature that howitzer -fire could too easily cave in the trench sides. - -We found it possible to select a trench line that could be well -concealed, which, if taken by the enemy, would be under perfect -observation from our own gunners and by them easily rendered -untenable for the Huns. - -That the British were clever in this work of placing trenches -in invisible positions was proven by the following report of an -interview in Courtrai with a wounded German officer, whose regiment -had been badly handled when attacking an English position in the -Ypres Salient:-- - - "Our artillery cannonaded incessantly the enemy trench which our - company was to storm--we could see it in the distance. Towards - evening we were ordered to advance. We marched forward without - taking cover, confident enough, because not a shot came from the - British trench. We thought it had been abandoned after the terrible - bombardment to which it had been subjected all day long. To make - things quite safe, when we were 200 metres from the trench our - mitrailleuses were brought into action and we gave the silent enemy - another good peppering. Still there is no reply. The place must - certainly be empty. Shouting 'Hurrah,' we rush forward to seize it, - but we have not gone more than 100 metres before our whole front rank - is stricken down by a volley from a point much nearer than the trench - we had been shelling, and in addition to this terrible infantry fire - the British quick-firing guns are brought into play, and simply - mow our men down. Six times we reform to continue our assault; six - times we are knocked to pieces before we can get going. At last such - officers as are left realise that there is nothing to be done, and we - retreat to our original position. - - "This is how the English work it. The entrenchment, visible from - afar, which we had bombarded, was not the spot where their troops - were to be found. They were stationed in small subsidiary trenches - in front of the principal trench, with which they were connected by - means of narrow passages. The little advance trenches were concealed - to perfection, and the troops sheltered beneath sheets of metal - on which our German bullets ricocheted. So we had been shelling an - unoccupied trench and had done no damage to the place where the enemy - actually was hidden. Hence it is not surprising that our 'assault' - should have proved to be--for us--a veritable massacre." - -Careful study of German methods of counter-attack were productive of -many an idea. - -The Hun counter-attacks were delivered immediately after the loss of -a position--as successful counter-attacks must be. - -A trench which was thought a good defensive one by its occupants was -sometimes attacked by the Germans, taken, and immediately transformed -into a good defensive trench from the other point of view. The way in -which the German first line of attack was followed by a second line, -bearing shovels, barbed wire, bombs, and grenades, and the manner -in which this second line was put to work, showed that the brain -conducting operations was close at hand, if not actually on the spot. - -The planning and carrying out of some of these small attacks were -worthy of great praise. Our troops soon caught the idea and put it -into practice with increasingly beneficial results. - -On Sunday, February 21st, the 2nd Cavalry Division were in the -trenches in the Ypres Salient. The Huns exploded a mine in front -of Zillebeke and took sixty yards of trenches that were occupied -by the 16th Lancers. A counter-attack, delayed a bit, was launched -unsuccessfully, and cost the cavalry four officers killed, one -died of wounds, one missing (thought sure to be killed), and four -wounded--ten officers in all, and about fifty per cent. of the men -engaged. - -The Canadian Division arrived in France in mid-February--a splendid -lot of men. - -Trench-mortars and bombs of various sorts put in an appearance -and classes were held daily to accustom the men to the new types -of trench weapons. A 3·7 affair of gas-pipe, throwing a 4½-pound -projectile, was the most prevalent mortar. Prematures and accidents -of all kinds accompanied its introduction, and more than one good man -was killed before the troops learned the intricacies of the bombs. - -General Foch was at Cassel with his Headquarters. Dinner in Cassel -was always productive of a talk on instructive and entertaining -subjects. The average French Staff officer was wonderfully "keen on -his job." - -The French system of espionage was by no means to be despised. The -reports from their "agents" were astonishingly accurate. - -That Staff work should be the subject of many an after-dinner chat -was but natural. The French view of the difference between French and -British Staff work, compiled from many a conversation with officers -of all ranks, I understood to be generally as follows:-- - -British Staff work could not fairly be compared to French Staff work, -because of the lack of opportunity accorded the British Army, before -the War, to handle large bodies of troops. Furthermore, the English -Army contained many officers who entered the Army as something in -the nature of a pastime rather than a serious profession. Some of -these officers even went through the Staff School, though lacking -that devoted concentration on their profession as a life-work, which -characterised their French prototypes. Very few officers entered the -French Army and qualified for staff positions who did not look upon -a military career in a very serious light. French Staff officers -gained their steps by force of sheer merit and close application to -their work. - -Nothing else counted, they said. Not a big staff, but one that was -efficient beyond all question, was the French aim. - -The British soldier, I found, was in most instances frankly conceded -to be the best war material in the field--friend or foe. That the -British leaders often bungled was openly alleged, but by no means -always proven in argument, at least, to my satisfaction. - -A failure to arrange support, a badly planned attack, bad Staff work -here and there, were quoted in more than one instance. - -"It is the soldier who suffers," said one of the most brilliant -Frenchmen with whom I met. "He suffers in silence. Perhaps he what -you call 'grouses,' but he stands it. The French soldier would _not_ -do so in anything like the same spirit. The waste of men and the bad -handling of them that once or twice I have seen on the British front, -would ruin a French commander for ever." - -Universally the French officers praised General Sir Douglas Haig. He -had completely won their admiration at Ypres. - -"But the best of the British Staff work," said another French -officer, "is that it is improving. The English are not afraid to -admit they don't know, and are quick to absorb new ideas. Give them -time." - -I have quoted the more trenchant criticisms that came to my ears, -for they fell from the lips of the keenest and most brilliant French -Staff officers, invariably those who held the British Tommy in the -highest possible esteem. - -These officers were from the class of man one would choose to put -in charge of a dry dock, a line of railway, a huge business or a -gigantic manufactory. They impressed me as good "business men." More -than a few British Staff officers I met, particularly in the Cavalry -arm of the Service, were equally clever, and every whit as keen on -their work, but no one who wished to be impartial could fail to -note the inclusion now and then, on the Staff, of men to whom one -would never dream of entrusting the management of a large commercial -organisation or the conduct of an important factory plant. - -The 3rd and 2nd Cavalry Divisions having each done ten days of -trench occupation in the Ypres Salient, on February 23rd, the 1st -Cavalry Division moved to Ypres to take its ten days of duty in the -firing line. - -The run to Ypres, _viâ_ Steenvoorde and Poperinghe, was a trying one. -The road surface was inconceivably damaged and very slippery. All -manner of French and British transport and general traffic filled the -highway. - -[Illustration: The Rue de Menin in March, 1915, looking west over the -Menin Bridge across the canal moat] - -[Illustration: Officers under the stone lion on the Menin Bridge at -Ypres] - -In the western edge of Ypres, in front of the first cluster -of houses--buildings shell-marked and war-scarred from long -bombardment--three grimy mites were playing in the dirt at the -street-side. Further on, a trio of little girls in soiled black -frocklets were enjoying a game of tag. Across the street they darted, -under the wheels of cars and lorries, missing the hoofs of the -passing horses by inches. One bright-eyed little girl, out of breath -from dodging a fast-drawn artillery limber, took momentary refuge -in a ragged gap in a shell-shattered dwelling. As we approached the -Grand Place more children were to be seen, then a number of adult -townsfolk. Round the gaping ruins of the once beautiful Cloth Hall, -in the main square, the number of people in evidence might well -have led one to believe that the bombardment of Ypres was past and -done with. Ruins, the work of shells and conflagrations, were on all -sides, but no one noticed them. French and English soldiers and their -officers, with a liberal smattering of civilian Belgians, filled -the pavements. Down the Rue de Menin, at the approach of the Menin -Bridge, we found the headquarters of General Hubert Gough, of the 2nd -Cavalry Division, located in a brewery standing in the shadow of the -high moat wall. The trenches lay, roughly, three miles beyond the -city walls to the eastward. The junction of the British left with the -French right was south of the Menin Road, in front of Zillebeke. The -trenches we were to occupy ran east and west and faced south. - -Detachments of sturdy French infantry marched past, their uniforms -faded to a pale blue. With swinging step, each individual marched to -his own time. I admired their fit and willing appearance. They were -campaign-worn as to kit and clothing, but campaign-hardened, rather -than worn, as to themselves. - -A constant stream of people came and went. How long would the -civilian population of Ypres remain to pay its toll of dead whenever -the Germans decided further to shell the town? - -Three women passed, two of them bearing month-old babies in their -arms. Noting my interested glance they smiled and waved as they -trudged on. What a place for a baby! - -An old bent crone, crowned with a richly beaded bonnet of ancient -type, in odd incongruity to the ragged condition and mean original -state of the remainder of her apparel, hobbled along, pausing now and -again to pick up and store safely in her apron small pieces of coal -that had been dropped from a passing wagon. - -More French soldiers passed. Then a couple of British officers rode -by in the picturesque uniform of some Scotch regiment of the line. -A transport wagon rumbled by, and behind it came a young girl, with -a bucket of water on her head, smilingly exchanging banter with a -soldier of the British military police, at the corner of the street. - -It was a quiet Spring afternoon, a bit overcast. Hardly to be called -lowering, and yet of a stillness that seemed ominous. A day to fit -all the mixture of folk going stolidly, carelessly, gaily, or how -they would, about their daily tasks. - -No one seemed to realise that they were in Ypres--the Ypres which -had so often been shattered by shell that the poor old town could -hardly be surprised by any sort of new shell-caprice. No one saw the -rent walls and gaping holes in every other building. I wondered if -they could hear the guns! I could do so. They were hard at it every -moment, all the time, from two to three miles distant. It was the old -story of familiarity breeding contempt; or perhaps they were true -philosophers, these Ypres folk. - -General de Lisle ran to Potijze, to the headquarters of General -Lefebvre, who commanded the French 18th Division. It seemed ages -since I had been in Potijze. Our headquarters were not far beyond it -in November, 1914, during the great first battle of Ypres. - -On the way from Ypres along the Zonnebeke road we passed bunches of -odd little French horse transport wagons. The road was very bad. We -progressed in crawfish fashion, most of the way. The _pavé_ was torn -terribly by shell-fire, and there was sufficient mud and slime on it -to make it extremely slippery. French soldiers were billeted in the -dwellings along the road. At the edge of Potijze a dozen young boys -and girls stood outside a house. - -Returning to General Gough's headquarters we "took them over," as -that night we were to relieve the 2nd Cavalry Division troopers in -the trench line. - -General de Lisle and Colonel Home ran up the Menin Road a kilometre -or so, and, leaving the car, walked across the fields past the ruins -that will always bear the name of "Cavan's House." - -The General told me to put the car in the shelter of a house on the -south side of the road, as shell-fire and the Menin Road were never -strangers for long. I settled down to wait until the General had -concluded his rounds of the prospective positions. - -The Ypres-Menin Road will be remembered oh! so long, and oh! so well. -It saw rough times. - -Field guns near by started to work, and now and then German shells -dropped in a field beyond. - -The house behind which I was sheltered, in case of a stray shell, -was a one-storey affair of modest mien. - -Those of its windows which were not shattered were shuttered. Half -of the roof had been shorn of its tiles. A shell had wrecked the -interior of one end of the building. A glance out of a rear door-way -showed a whole collection of shell-holes in the yard a few feet -distant. - -A door that still remained in position bore four lines of legend: - - "Vin a vingt - Sous la Bouteille. - Confiture, allumettes. - Bougies, chocolate." - -Glancing through one of the remaining panes of a window by the -door, I saw a glass jar containing a couple of sticks of chocolate, -beside it three jars of jelly, a box of French matches, a blue paper -packet of half a dozen candles, a score of small oranges in one -box, and in another, alongside it, seven or eight very dry-looking -kippers. Peering through the partly-obscured glass one could see a -stolid-looking, red-faced, albino-haired woman. - -"Business as usual," with a vengeance! Such an odd curiosity shop -as this was not to be passed without examination, so I entered and -talked to the woman. - -Her whole stock-in-trade was what I had seen through the window. She -was cheerful enough, though she huddled for warmth over a fire by -which sat a despondent-looking brother. She chatted laconically about -the situation, and told me she had been there continuously throughout -the fighting. The shell that hit the building was a shrapnel and came -a month before. Shells still came near, now and again, but that fact -seemed to be accepted by her as inevitable and not to be worried -about. These people had no means of existence except the sale of -their pitiable bits of provisions. They were in daily danger of their -lives. Yet they stayed on--odd folk. Typical Belgians. - -The gun-fire dropped, then began again spasmodically. I could hear -the snipers at work. In the gathering twilight the rattle of rifle -fire and the storm of the rapid-fire guns sounded clearly on the -left. A fusillade on the right reminded me that the Ypres position -was a salient. Directly in front, down that Menin Road, which had -seen the taking of so many tens of thousands of lives during the -past months, a roll of rifle fire made waves of sound. - -Night fell, cold and damp. The making of a light was not permitted; -so I waited in the dark, watching the night lights rise and fall over -the trenches, until the General and Colonel Home returned, when we -ran back to Ypres for dinner. - -My first four days in Ypres were uneventful. On the fifth, I went up -into the trenches, and saw more of actual trench conditions than I -had seen for some time. - -Our daily round led me out on the Menin Road, well towards Hooge, -or to Potijze on the Zonnebeke Road, several times each day. Shells -went over us now and again. Rarely did a day pass when the Huns did -not bombard the railway station in Ypres. As we were quartered in the -eastern edge of the town the shells aimed at the station bothered us -but little. Sometimes a Black Maria lit on the moat wall, where we -walked at times, but we timed our exercise so that our promenade and -the arrival of the big shells never coincided. Once or twice bits of -shell fell over the Headquarters buildings, or rattled down on our -paved courtyard, but rarely. - -Every morning saw Ypres wrapped in a snow mantle, which was turned -before noontide, to a coverlet of black mud. No fires were allowed, -except small wood blazes in the open, as smoke from a chimney would -have invited a shell. - -One day I was searching for a shop where bolts could, once upon a -time, be purchased. As I was going down the Rue de Lille, half a -dozen shells fell near. One demolished a house but fifty yards ahead. -I took shelter in a doorway, and as I did so a Belgian of woebegone -appearance, his most characteristic feature a pair of sad, drooping, -yellow moustachios, ambled past me down the roadway, pushing a -wheelbarrow. On it were three tiny tots, all under four years old. -They cuddled together for warmth. One, round-eyed, at the crash of -the howitzer shells, was hard at work with a nursing bottle. I warned -the Belgian of impending danger, but he stolidly trudged on. Luckily, -no more shells came for a time. - -The Menin Road proper was never healthy. I spent as little time on -it as consistent with the proper performance of my work. I never sat -for an hour in its vicinity, waiting for the General, that some shell -did not fall near it. - -One afternoon shrapnel fell for an hour near a fork on the Menin -Road, which all sensible men gave a wide berth to when convenient. -Fifteen minutes after the bombardment died down, a procession filed -by the fork, headed for a graveyard in the direction of Hooge. A -white-robed boy, with red-tasselled black cap, led the way, bearing a -cross. Behind him came a robed priest, then an ancient, dilapidated, -one-horse hearse containing a rude, black coffin. A score of -mourners, one or two of them men, the rest women and children, -dressed in their poor best, brought up the rear. - -I wondered that they ventured down that shell-swept highway. Yet many -such pathetic little processions passed along that road in those days. - -I saw one _cortège_ wait for a cessation of the shelling, then -proceed slowly over the ground that had but a few minutes before been -peppered with bits of shell. It was an odd sight. A tiny lad trotted -in front under a large wooden cross painted purple. A quartette of -little boys behind him bore a rude unpainted sort of stretcher, -apparently improvised from the nearest bits of shattered timber to -hand. The coffin, resting upon this frame, was covered with a dingy -white sheet. A mother, bowed and feeble, followed the coffin. A few -youths and a handful of little girls formed the straggling _cortège_, -tramping over the snow-covered cobbles, their eyes downcast and red. - -Death was no stranger in Ypres in those days, but still the Belgians -stayed on. - -The wall of a ruined building, across the road from the Cloth Hall, -fell one morning with a loud crash. A column of dust arose. That many -were not injured was surprising. One woman was killed and a couple of -passing French soldiers hurt, but post-card vendors were exhibiting -their wares under an adjacent wall, equally dangerous, an hour later. - -General de Lisle went personally over the whole of the line held by -his Division. The 1st Cavalry Brigade was in the front trenches for -the first five days, the 2nd Brigade in reserve. Then the 2nd Brigade -took over the trenches and the 1st Brigade came back, for the second -five days, to the dug-outs. - -At points in the line the trenches were knee-deep and sometimes even -waist-deep with cold mud and water. The amount of manual labour -required to get them into better shape was enormous. New trenches had -to be dug, the old parapets strengthened, the trenches drained, and -all the while certain mining work must be pushed on at a rapid rate. -In some parts of the line the parapets of sandbags had become so thin -that a Mauser bullet could plough through them easily. The German -snipers were at one place only thirty yards distant. - -The drainage of the worst bits of trench, and the laying of a sort of -corduroy road from point to point, soon made the trenches much more -habitable. - -De Lisle was most thorough. Only a couple of casualties occurred -when the 1st Brigade "took over," in spite of the constant sniping. -Careful preparations of foot baths and relays of dry socks saved the -Division from the epidemic of "foot-casualties," from which some -other divisions had suffered heavily. A dozen casualties per day -were inevitable from shells and snipers. Those who had to "go up" -with food and ammunition had to cross a dangerous zone, a certain -toll being taken day and night, in some localities. - -Inspecting the trench-line, when the Division had occupied it but the -night before, was a precarious business. De Lisle and General Briggs -were going over the ground when a German sniper but fifteen to twenty -yards distant opened fire. Lieutenant Bell-Irving, General Briggs' -A.D.C., received a nasty wound in the hip. He fell in the deep mud. -Colonel "Tommy" Pitman, of the 11th Hussars, jumped out into the -centre of the trench, and strove to lift Bell-Irving clear, and get -him behind the protection of a transept. The bullets flew about the -Colonel, two cutting clean through his clothing, one on either side -of his body, but he escaped unhurt, and pulled Bell-Irving into -safety. - -[Illustration: The Grande Place at Ypres and the Cloth Hall, March, -1915] - -[Illustration: The choir of the ruined Ypres Cathedral] - -But the trouble was by no means over. A sharp fire was kept up by -the Hun snipers, which prevented the removal of Bell-Irving to -the dressing station. Captain Moriarty of the R.A.M.C. came up at -considerable risk, and advised that the wounded officer be brought -back at the earliest possible moment. - -There were no means of doing this save to construct a traverse of -sandbags, behind which Bell-Irving could be carried. The work must be -done under the heavy sniping fire. The troopers of the 11th Hussars -at once set about the work with a will, and soon accomplished it, but -not before a private had been killed and a sergeant wounded by the -German marksmen. - -That night a bombing party "cleared out" the district near that -transept, and made the snipers' point of vantage untenable. - -Each night a splendid pyrotechnic display showed the curved outlines -of the Salient. The German trench lights were far superior to ours. -Each night, too, Ypres was full of French or British lines of -soldiers marching on in the dark to relieve some of their fellows in -the trenches outside the town. - -The ruins of the Cloth Hall, and of the St. Martin Cathedral by it, -formed interesting studies for my camera. The fine mural paintings -on the walls of the roofless Grand Gallery in the Cloth Hall were -crumbling to bits. My photographs were the last records made of -them, for they fell piece by piece not long afterward. - -I watched operations at a French Divisional Headquarters one evening. -It was not more than a mile back of the line. Wagons were loading, -preparatory to being taken trenchwards at dusk. Timber, thousands on -thousands of empty bags, rolls of barbed wire, odd shaped completed -wire entanglements, metal shields varying from curved sheet-steel -bastions a dozen feet in length to small V-shaped iron castings, -all manner of wooden troughs, boxes, stands, supports, periscopes, -braziers, rolls of fine wire, boxes of trench bombs and grenades, -shovels, picks, and many peculiar tools were among the collection of -material that was to find its way to the firing line. I learnt much -of the business side of trench warfare that night. - -The supply of ammunition and food and its distribution are most -methodically managed by the French. - -Taking up giant powder for mining operation was an item of the day's -work. A story was told by one of our sappers, of a couple of Irish -troopers who had started across the fields in front of Zillebeke as -night was falling, with a good sized load of powder in a box. Shortly -after they left Cavan's House shells fell in profusion over the route -that they had chosen. Another group started trenchward, carrying -various types of grenades. Howitzer shells were falling, front and -rear, and shrapnel bursting a few hundred yards away. - -A flash and a crash came from in front. - -"Them fellers with the joynt powder was like to be in that shindy," -said a member of the second party. "Close to 'em, it was, sure." - -A moment later they came upon a strange sight. There in the field, -just visible in the gathering darkness, sat the box. Behind it -reclined the two troopers, snuggling close for cover. - -"What are you doin' in this 'ere peaceful spot, Dan?" questioned one -of the second party as they reached the box. - -"Takin' cover the whiles we do a bit of a rest-like," was the reply. -"The divils sent wan so clost, it shure jarred the wind out av us, it -did." - -And they snuggled closer to the giant powder as he spoke. - -Hour by hour I watched the "75's." Their marksmanship was wonderful. -The rapidity with which the guns were served was an eye-opener. The -French gunners burst shrapnel practically over the heads of our men -in the front trenches, to cover the area twenty-five yards beyond -them. One trooper swore a French shell, aimed to worry sapping -operations by the Huns a short distance in front of our trenches, -came so close that it knocked the top sandbag off our parapet. -Certain it was that the word was frequently passed to "lie low while -the '75's' fire just above us." - -My day to go up to the trenches came at last. My guide was Captain -Bretherton, the Staff Captain of the 1st Cavalry Brigade. - -[Illustration: Scenes of battle of olden time in colours on the -shattered walls of Ypres Cloth Hall] - -[Illustration: A communication trench leading to the front-line -position in the Sanctuary Wood] - -Leaving my car at the "Halte," a point where the railway crosses the -Menin Road, and the Zillebeke Road branches off to the south, we -were soon slipping, sliding and ploughing along through the muddy -fields. We followed no particular pathway, avoiding where possible -fields where enemy shells were falling. The rotting mangel-wurzels -dotted the ground all about us. Shell-holes in thousands, positions -where French or British batteries had made a stand, trenches in -lines and circles, and barbed wire entanglements, caught my attention -at every step. Sprinkled everywhere were all manner of pieces of -projectile--from complete 6-inch German shells, unexploded, to blue -shrapnel cartridges, bright-nosed timing fuses, and jagged bits of -all shapes and sizes. - -Cavan's House was but a wall, a pile of shapeless bricks and mortar -beside it. Cavan's Dug-out, a series of holes in the road bank, -roofed with sandbags, held a signal party. Every day a storm of shell -visited the spot, and Hun snipers made one wary thereabouts. - -We walked on, up the roadway, our objective the Sanctuary Wood. The -bullets sang over us, and shells burst in front with a continuous -din. A path led through the scrub. Entering the wood, we passed -innumerable little individual funk holes. The trees were in splinters -and tatters. Here I saw an abandoned shirt, there a khaki cap. My -foot hit against a regulation mess tin, and as it turned I saw a -rifle-hole drilled in its bottom. Now we were ankle, now knee, deep -in sticky mud. Bullets became more plentiful overhead. - -A turn down a muddy path led us through a last piece of woods, -across sloughs of slime, over a creek, up a slight slope, and there -we were at General Briggs's Brigade Headquarters. These were a line -of dug-outs in the hillside, a corduroy road winding from entrance -to entrance. A deep approach trench, looking like a drain, led one -hundred and fifty yards further to the front trenches. - -Shells fell all the afternoon on our right and behind us, and the -song of the Mauser bullets never ceased. At dusk, I was "safe" back -in Ypres. - -On my way back through the woods, shell-smashed, that covered the -gentle hills through which the front line trenches ran, I saw a -burial party. - -I stopped a moment, and watched the laying to rest of all that was -mortal of three troopers who had paid the great price. - -Their comrades placed them reverently in the shallow graves in the -soft earth of the hillside, marking each grave with a white wooden -cross bearing each hero's name, his rank, and regiment. - -Oh, those rows of rude wooden crosses! What thoughts their memory -brings to mind! Gone now, many of them, ploughed under by long -months of shell-fire, or trampled under foot by the ebb and flow of -battle, as the lines have swept back and forth with the tide of war. -Gone, perhaps, from the scarred and mangled hill-sides of Flanders; -but never to go altogether from the hearts of those who knew them, -and who realised their worth. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - -On March 1st Captain "Babe" Nicholson, of the 15th Hussars, who had -joined General de Lisle's staff in place of Captain Cecil Howard, -16th Lancers, promoted to General Allenby's staff at Cavalry Corps -Headquarters, had to make a careful map of our trench position. - -Captain Bennie Wheeler, 15th Hussars, in temporary charge of -Divisional Signals, also had duties that took him to the trench line. - -As neither Captain Nicholson nor Captain Wheeler had made the -two-mile tramp across the fields and through the woods, I was -instructed to act as guide. To skirt one edge of a field was safety -of a comparative sort. To walk along its opposite edge meant dodging -snipers' bullets in plenty. To turn from the road to a path through -the scrub kept one out of sight of the Huns, while to proceed a dozen -yards beyond the turning would expose one to a fair chance of being -shot, at good range, by crack German marksmen. - -Leaving our car at the Halte on the Menin Road, we essayed the route -past Cavan's House that I had travelled a couple of days before with -Bretherton. - -Bang! bang! bang! bang! went a quartette of shrapnel just ahead. - -"I don't think much of your route," said Nicholson. - -"I'll change it with alacrity," said I. "Which way shall we go?" - -"I know an old route that we followed in the days of the fighting -last autumn," Wheeler volunteered. "If we push down the Menin Road to -a point near Hooge, and then turn off, we can't get _far_ wrong." - -"Lot of French were hit in Hooge yesterday," I reminded him. "The -Huns shell it two or three times every day, so best not go too close -to it." - -We tramped down to the foot of the hill that led up to the ruins of -what was once Hooge, then passed through a demolished farm. For a -hundred yards, at every step, we sank knee-deep in the foul, slimy -mud. - -Then we wound over trenches which were nearly inundated, and through -barbed wire entanglements that seemed to become more impassable -as they lost their original form, until at last, covered in -perspiration, we reached a dense wood. - -A tiny creek ran deep through a sharp cutting, in the sheer banks -of which the French gunners had burrowed like rabbits. Battery on -battery of "75's" were hidden in the forest. Each gun was surrounded -by a little hut of mud and leaves, an aperture left for each slim, -blue-grey muzzle. We passed the first of these batteries without -seeing it. Close behind us it opened fire, causing me to jump as -if I had been shot. Before we left the wood, three other batteries -went into action about us. The din was terrific, but the sound of -the shells racing overhead was most fascinating. Each gun crew had -cleared a neat line of fire in the tree-tops in front of its position. - -Over further fields and through another wood we came upon a most -picturesque cantonment. A French Infantry Brigade in reserve had -built hundreds of mud huts and dug-outs with charming ingenuity. -Dozens of veteran architects, past masters of rude shelter -construction, vied with each other in improving on previous designs. -As I took a snapshot in the dull light under the trees, the French -soldiers crowded forward in twos and threes, and smilingly invited me -to photograph their _maisons de luxe_. - -Cavan's House, our landmark, we left well on our right, edging from -it the more as we saw it a very storm centre of fours and eights of -shrapnel that morning. - -Snipers' bullets sang merrily above as we reached the reserve line -and Brigade Headquarters. My work as guide finished, I started back -with General de Lisle, who, having come up early in the morning, had -left his horse in the wood which sheltered the French reserves. - -Mounting, the General pointed out a new route for my return, shorter -than the one by which I had come. - -"Keep that rise of ground between you and the line of high ground -beyond," said de Lisle. "If you don't, the Germans will see you and -pot at you." - -Crossing my first field, I seemed to be well in the line of -spent bullets, as several kicked up the dirt in the front of me -sufficiently close to make me imagine myself the target. I lost -little time for the first few hundred yards. - -A maze of reserve trenches and wire pulled me up short. The only path -through was a quagmire. Safe beyond at last, I started collecting -German timing fuses, which lay thick on the surface of the muddy -field. - -Not far on my left was a ruined farm. The sun came out amid the -swiftly-moving clouds. "A splendid example of what shells can do to a -group of buildings," I thought. "I must get a picture of the piles of -_débris_." - -I circled the smashed houses, took my picture, replaced my camera in -its case, and turned to look sunward, as the clouds had cast a dull -shadow all about me. An open bit of blue was racing toward the spot -where the sun was hidden. Should I wait for it and essay a further -snapshot? - -As my eyes sought the sun, a bright flash in front of me, in my very -line of sight, almost blinded me. A deafening explosion and the whirr -of scores of shrapnel bullets was followed by another flash. Crash! -The second shell seemed nearer than the first. - -The pluck! pluck! pluck! flop! of bits of projectile striking in -the soft mud all about me came from every side. Little spurts of mud -and water were thrown up close around me. I imagined I could feel -the breath of passing shrapnel bullets. A bit of stick hit me in the -face, and a gob of black mud landed squarely over my mouth. - -So many mud-spurts threw up in front of me, on my right, and on my -left, it seemed to me impossible I had escaped being hit. - -I must have been in the very vortex of the shell's storm-centre. - -Turning, thanking God I had so miraculously escaped when death had -seemed so near, I dashed off as fast as I could run, heading blindly -for the general direction of the Menin Road. - -Fear lent wings to my feet as I realised I had, in my interest in -my photography, advanced into plain sight of the line of heights of -which General de Lisle had warned me. - -I had not run a dozen steps when I thought of my heavy load, in -pockets and hands, of shell heads. I tossed them away as I leaped on, -tempted for a moment to hurl my camera after them. - -Bang! Crash! Behind me came a second pair of shells, whose coming I -had dreaded every second. To my delight, but one or two bullets came -my way. - -"I am gaining," I thought. - -Bang! bang! another two burst overhead, throwing their deadly -contents beyond me in the direction in which I was running. - -I ducked to the right and ran diagonally to the Hun line of fire. -Panting, I struck a deep bog. In I went before I realised it lay in -my path. In a twinkling I was in a pretty mess. My feet sank deep in -the slime and ooze. It took great effort to raise them. Well over my -knees in mud, I felt trapped, but struggled on. - -At last I trod on firmer bottom, and soon was racing away at much -better speed. - -Crash! Bang! I could see over my shoulder that the last two arrivals -had burst over the muck through which I had just floundered, throwing -spurts of liquid mud high in the air. - -The Hun gunners were gradually increasing their range, though I was -well out of sight of them. - -My breath came in great sobs, but I dared not slacken. - -Bang! Bang! Two fell behind me again, but not so near. That -encouraged my flagging footsteps, and I jog-trotted on, until at -last the Menin Road was before me. Reaching it, I laid down, utterly -exhausted. The shells continued to burst nearer and nearer the road, -and came in fours after the first half-dozen couples, twenty-four -shrapnel having been fired in all. - -Two British gunners, attached to a siege battery near by, hurried -past me as I lay recuperating. - -"Bad place to be, this," said one of them. "They shell this bit -of road every day about this time. Those two holes were made -yesterday"--pointing to two cavities not ten feet from me. - -So I pulled myself to my feet and pushed on for "home," arriving -safely enough, though completely tired out and literally plastered -with mud. - -As I was resting at Headquarters, one of the Staff told me I had -"missed some fun" while "out front." Six Black Marias had landed -on the earthen wall of the moat, not many yards from our brewery -quarters, "shaking things up a bit," but fortunately hitting no one. - -Examining my camera, I discovered, to my great chagrin, that the -shutter had been inadvertently set at "time" when I took the snapshot -of the ruined farm, away from which I retired in such a hurry. So -I missed getting the picture which cost me such a strenuous race -against the shells. As a solace, my photographs of the French -reserves in the wood, and of our Brigade Headquarters, came out quite -satisfactorily. - -Shells fell not far from our Divisional Headquarters next day. More -than once the signals-men brought in pieces of shrapnel, quite hot, -that fell in the courtyard, which from that time began to lose its -popularity as a lounging-place for waiting orderlies. - -A run to Hooge, and a wait there in a dug-out while the Huns threw -a dozen shells about it, was made memorable to me by Nicholson's -reconstruction of a bit of the fighting over that ground in November, -1914. - -Nicholson had been with the 1st Infantry Division--a Division that -had Haig for a leader. At the beginning of the War it had come out -14,000 odd strong. In six months its total list of casualties had -reached 34,000. - -In the first battle of Ypres its battalions had suffered cruelly. The -1st Coldstreams had been annihilated. The Queen's (West Surreys) came -out of the line with but fifteen men and no officers, the Black Watch -with but sixty men and one officer, and the Loyal North Lancashires -with but 150 men and two officers. When the Division came back to -billets, it was commanded by a brigadier-general. Every colonel -in the division had been killed or wounded, and the brigades were -commanded by officers of all ranks. A captain was in command of one -brigade. - -It was in front of Hooge, between that town and Gheluvelt, that most -of the heaviest losses of the 1st Division were suffered. - -Nicholson had seen some of it. One night the Prussian Guard broke -through the line on the Menin Road. Nicholson's squadron of the 15th -Hussars, acting as Divisional Cavalry, were sent to stop the gap. -Forty troopers and forty cyclists, eighty rifles all told, went up. -They had no trenches, as the Prussians held our original position. -So they lay in a sunken road near the Herenthage Château. The Germans -occupied a wood sixty yards away, though neither force knew of the -whereabouts of the other until dawn. - -Nicholson sought out General Fitzclarence, commanding the 1st -Brigade, in the dark. Most of Fitzclarence's Brigade had been -killed. Efforts to clear up the situation had borne little result. -Every messenger he had sent out for information had been killed. -Fitzclarence said five brigades were to be sent to him, with which -he was to counter-attack. The five brigades came, and were found -to total 1,000 men all told. Yet with the remnants of his force -Fitzclarence counter-attacked at dawn. Though he himself was killed, -his wonderful men won through. The position was recaptured, and Ypres -saved. - -A glorious page in the annals of the British Army, though it cost -England men who were indeed hard to replace. - -Our 1st Cavalry Division had come into the line that night, and -supplied the reinforcements without which the exhausted troops could -not have held on much longer. - -Consequently the ground over which those heroic battles had been -fought was of fascinating interest to those of us who had seen the -most strenuous struggle of the War. - -"As to the losses of the enemy," Nicholson told me, "I once scouted -the wood in front of us. It was a terrible sight. In many places -among the trees I could not set my foot without stepping on a dead -German." - -But the work of Haig and his super-men had been crowned with success. -We had held the Ypres Salient, and were still holding it--a glorious -record. - -On the morning of March 3rd Nicholson found it necessary to go once -more over the line of our front trenches to verify his map. I was to -go with him. - -Rain fell all morning, and we splashed over the cross-country route -to Brigade Headquarters and the reserve line without incident, bar -snipers and itinerant shells, most of which sang over our heads on -their way toward Ypres. - -One portion of the approach trench leading to the firing-line was -so narrow that "Jeff" Hornby, of the 9th Lancers, A.D.C. to General -Mullens, waded through it at my heels, "to see the President (my -sobriquet) get stuck fast" - -In spite of the rain, I procured a sufficient number of photographs -to show trench life as no written description could picture it. - -The top of the hill was cut and seamed with trenches at all angles, -some narrow, some wide. The trench walls had been in a few places -reinforced with tree trunks, though, for the most part, from two to -half a dozen rows of sandbags served as protection. The line was -rarely straight for more than a few yards. - -The troopers in the front trenches were either standing about, near -machine-gun or rifle, engaged in cleaning kit or accoutrement, or -sleeping in one of the tiny shelters that lined the trench sides at -the rear. - -The fact that there was no uniformity to the trenches as to height, -width, or direction made caution necessary as we wound along them. -Expediency was the law that governed their original construction, and -experience the guide as to their alteration and development. - -[Illustration: Officers of Lancers in their dug-outs in the -front-line trenches] - -[Illustration: A dug-out in front of Zillebeke] - -Loop-holes covered with bits of sacking were marked by pieces of -paper pinned above, warning occupants not to tarry in the line of -German fire. - -By periscope we could see the Hun trenches, not many yards distant, -and dozens of dead Germans lying between the two lines. The smoke -from the enemy's cooking fires rose slowly in the damp atmosphere. -At corners, cautions to "keep down" were posted. Snipers' bullets, -heralded by a sharp bark and twanging musically, kept me down without -much warning. - -A German sniper's position was pointed out to me, and I had some good -rifle practice endeavouring to dislodge him, but with questionable -success. The Hun riflemen had learned to lie very low in front of our -troopers. - -We passed one of the 4th Dragoon Guards' marksmen, his eye along the -barrel of his rifle as it lay in a loop-hole. As we came up he fired. - -"Got him?" asked Nicholson. - -"No," laconically answered the sharpshooter. "Got one this morning, -though, sir. And I hope we are not shifted out of this for a day or -so, as there are a couple more of the beggars I'll get if I'm given a -bit of time." - -Seeing a trooper of the 9th Lancers whom I had known since the Great -Retreat, I asked him how much longer his squadron was booked to be in -the front trench. - -"Only twenty-four hours or so," was the reply. "But we could stick -this sort of thing for a week and not kick. They're behavin' -themselves much better as they go on," and he grinned as he nodded -his head at the German trench. "They're learnin'." - -Now and then an enemy marksman sent a bullet through a loophole in -front of us or behind us as we proceeded down the line, until we -learned to pass these danger spots without loitering. - -Once we found it necessary to double back along a shallow trench a -few yards behind the main parapet. The ditch we traversed was deep -with cold water, which ran over the tops of my high boots. - -The damage to the trees was so extensive that shells might be said to -have literally cleared away the forest in some localities. - -In spite of water in the trenches, the men were cheerily comfortable, -many of them gathering around glowing brasiers or cuddling close to -the wall of a cosy dug-out. - -An enforced detour nearly landed us in an impasse. We had taken the -wrong turning. The trench parapet became lower, the trench narrower, -and the cold water deeper. Pressed for time, we pushed on. At last -Nicholson, who was leading, saw an angle of front line trench ahead, -and ran for it. I followed. Bullets sang overhead as the Huns got a -glimpse of us, but we ducked low and splashed through for dear life -in record time. - -Nicholson became so interested in a view through a periscope that -I took a picture of him while thus engaged. A genial acquaintance -in the line offered to get a similar photograph of me. So I took -the periscope, waving it slightly back and forth, and carefully -inspecting the German trench forty yards distant. I detected a -movement on the enemy side of the line. Steadying my periscope, I -focussed my attention on the moving object. - -As I did so, "Ping! smash!" came a bullet right through the top of my -periscope. - -"A clean bull," said Nicholson, beside me. "Are you hit?" - -I had been about to call his attention, when the sniper scored, with -the result that a shower of broken glass fell into my open mouth. - -I was in great fear of swallowing some of it. Nicholson, seeing me -dance about and spying a fleck of blood on my lip, thought I had been -hit in the mouth by a glancing bullet. - -He proffered help, I prancing about, gesticulating that I was all -right, spitting out glass, but afraid to speak until I had cleared -the last piece of broken mirror. The Captain entirely misunderstood -my dumb show, and we caused some merriment among the troopers near by -until I managed to eject the final bit and could explain that I was -not in the least hurt. - -When I learned that one officer had suffered a badly cut eyeball, -threatening the loss of his sight, and another had been seriously -wounded in the jaw and neck by just such an incident as the one I had -experienced, I was thankful to have escaped injury. - -The "trench stoop" was astonishingly fatiguing. Covered from head -to foot with yellow sticky mud, and very tired, we started to walk -to the Menin Road. The snipers were more alert than usual, and more -than one close call kept me from thinking of my weariness. Before we -reached our car the German batteries shelled madly at the very point -we were to pass, but considerately stopped firing by the time we -approached the spot where the shells were falling. - -One morning "Mouse" Tomkinson and Hardress Lloyd had walked down -to Zillebeke, where folk rarely went in the daytime, to inspect -some of the graves in the Zillebeke churchyard. Hardress Lloyd's -brother-in-law, Colonel Wilson, of the Blues, was buried there. - -I promised Captain Lloyd that if I could get off to do so, I would go -down to Zillebeke and take a photograph of Colonel Wilson's grave. - -Hearing of my projected trip, Lord Loch, who was at that time -G.S.O. 1, on the staff of General Bulfin, commanding 28th Division, -asked "Babe" Nicholson to obtain for him, if possible, a picture of -the grave of Lieutenant Gordon-Lennox, which is also in Zillebeke. - -Hardress Lloyd and Tomkinson told us they had been seen in the -churchyard by the German artillery observers, who had commenced -shelling. I was warned, therefore, that any photography I wished to -do in that locality must needs be done quickly. - -On March 4th Nicholson and I set out to obtain the desired -pictures. I stopped on the way, at a cemetery on the Menin Road, -and took a photograph of the graves of three officers of the 10th -Hussars--Captain Annesley, Lieutenant Drake, and Captain Peto--who -had fallen in the first battle of Ypres. - -Zillebeke was lonely. On one edge of it a couple of signal corps -men were laying a wire. Otherwise the town, which was in ruins, was -deserted. - -We kept under cover of the houses as much as possible. I obtained a -good snapshot of the damaged church, and then took some pictures in -the graveyard, which was torn with great shell-holes. - -"Remember what Hardress said about the Huns being able to see us -here," I said to Nicholson. "Let's get out of it." - -We started. No sooner were we under cover of the first cluster of -smashed houses than four shrapnel shells burst right over the _pavé_ -roadway, not fifty yards ahead of us. - -[Illustration: The Zillebeke Church, March, 1915] - -[Illustration: German prisoners in Ypres, captured after the -explosion of a British mine near Hooge] - -I dodged into a house, the walls of which, minus roof, were still -standing at drunken angles. Doorless and windowless, the house seemed -to offer little protection. - -"I don't like going up that road over the hill," said I. "We will be -in sight of the Huns for some distance. I wonder if this house boasts -a cellar?" - -Examination showed a cellar existed, but it was nearly full of water. - -"I guess the cellar steps provide the best roosting-place," was my -conclusion. "Me for the lowest one for a bit. Won't you share it with -me?" - -"I don't like it," replied Nicholson. "We will be much better out of -it. Let's go." - -We argued the various possibilities, but Nicholson was so strongly in -favour of departure that I acquiesced, and we started away. - -We had gone about one hundred feet when a series of crashes close -behind us quickened my pace. Nicholson turned and looked. I called to -him, and he again came on. - -As he came up he said: "Did you see where that lot landed?" "No," I -answered. "Too close to suit me, but just where I didn't notice." - -"It interested me," said he, as we pushed on, "because all four of -those shells exploded in that rickety old house in which you were so -keen on taking cover. But little would be left of us by now had we -stayed, for the poor building collapsed like a house of cards." - -The Germans shelled the road vigorously as we kept on, but luckily -the shrapnel fell behind us, and we were soon back in Ypres. - -That day saw the German gunners increase their shelling all along the -Ypres front. The trenches occupied by our division were vigorously -bombarded, and several casualties reported. Ypres itself came in for -a heavy share of the Hun "hate." The windows rattled and our house -shivered as the howitzer shells smashed into all quarters of the town. - -De Lisle visited the trench line, and both there and on his way back -across the fields the shells fell very close to him. As he entered -the headquarters house on his return, he said: "From what I can see, -most of the big ones are falling at least four or five hundred yards -from us thus far, but they may shell us out of this at any time." - -The General suggested I should take a stroll with him along the -moat wall and watch the trend of the bombardment. As we walked along -the ramparts, the projectiles screamed overhead in dozens, seemingly -coming continually closer. The rumph! r-r-r-rumph! as they exploded -shook the high wall and made the whole city rock with the concussion. -The Rue de Lille was rendered impassable that day. - -General Plumer called, and after his departure I again started for a -stroll on the ramparts. The shells searching for our batteries just -across the moat were a fascinating sight. As I ran up the steep path, -however, a crash came just ahead, and bits of metal showered about, -striking sharply against the trees beside the path. My curiosity -evaporated instantly, and I came down faster than I had gone up. - -As dusk came, I took Major Fitzgerald to Hooge, from whence he went -through a wood to the trenches to make the final arrangements for the -explosion of a mine--the construction of which had been worked upon -feverishly for some days--that all might be completed and the mine -fired on that night, our last one in the trenches. The French, who -were to relieve us, had also constructed a mine on our left, and the -two were to be discharged at an interval of five minutes. - -First the French mine was to be fired at 7·45 p.m., and 7·50 to the -tick of the watch was to be the time for the explosion of our mine, -less than a hundred yards away from the French one. - -I was seldom in Hooge when it was not shelled, and that evening was -no exception. The French had built safe dug-outs under the buildings -still left standing. The château was completely ruined, as were most -of the houses in the village. - -As I was being entertained by a French officer, who produced a glass -of splendid red wine, some thirty shells burst over us, most of them -of the 210-millimetre type. One of them knocked off a corner of the -building behind which I had sheltered my car. - -Never was a locality more offensive to one's olfactory nerves than -Hooge. It fairly reeked with all manner of various noxious smells. -The English language contains words of too mild a character to allow -a description of that feature of Hooge. - -The front line was less than a kilometre distant. Rifle fire swelled -and died away in long, rattling breaths. I became so accustomed to -the punctuation of my conversation with shell-smashes and periods -of heightened din from small arms and machine-guns that, when all -would die down suddenly for an instant, the stillness felt ominously -oppressive. The next spasm of sound came as a relief to the uncanny -moments of twilight silence. - -A French engineer officer joined us. He told us General Lefebvre, the -French General in command of that section of the Salient, had issued -most elaborate written instructions for the joint explosion of the -two mines. The French mine, he said, had been ready for two or three -days, its charge lying at the end of a tunnel but two metres from the -German trench. - -The hour for the discharge of the French mine came, but no sound or -shock of explosion came with it. The hands of the Allied watches, -carefully synchronised, crept round to 7·50, then to 7·55. - -Just before eight o'clock a huge bang was heard by the British sapper -who was waiting in his tunnel, ready to fire his mine. - -"At last," he murmured. "Now I must count off the five minutes to the -second." - -A squadron of the Queen's Bays was ready to rush into the enemy's -trench. Ten of them, the forward storming party, were waiting in a -saphead. - -One, two, three, four, and at last, _five_. - -Boom! - -The whole earth seemed thrown skyward. The shock was terrific. Nearly -one thousand pounds of blasting powder had tossed fifty yards of -German trench, not two hundred feet in front of our line, high in air. - -The great smash came as a complete surprise to the Huns, but, alas! -an equal surprise to French and British. - -The explosion which the British sapper, in his tunnel dug-out, had -mistaken for the discharge of the French mine, had been a huge German -_minenwerfer_, or trench-bomb, thrown by a trench-howitzer. - -The French mine, inexplicably delayed, had not been fired. - -For a moment confusion reigned. Three men of the half-score Queen's -Bays in the storming party were hurt. One suffered a broken arm, and -the others, hurled aside by the unexpected explosion of our own mine, -were badly bruised and strained. - -In an instant, however, every man in the line realised what had -occurred, and the Bays went forward with a yell, occupying about -fifty yards of German first-line trench and the gaping crater left by -the mine. - -Fortifying the captured position and installing therein a couple of -machine-guns, they met the enemy's counter-attacks staunchly. - -For three hours and a half they kept the ground won, but at last were -bombed out. The Huns threw hundreds of grenades among them, while our -poor supply of trench-bombs ran out in but a few minutes. - -I chatted with the remnants of the storming party when they came -back. Many gruesome tales they told. One German soldier was blown -high in the air, over a fringe of trees, and found some distance back -of our front line, quite 150 yards from his own trench. - -A trooper noticed a movement near a pile of timber, earth, and -sandbags. Peering through the dim light, he saw a hand waving about -aimlessly. Grasping it, he pulled with a will. A comrade assisted, -and soon they unearthed a buried German. - -The prisoner was a funny little fellow--a stocky Wurtemburger in -green corduroys and a knitted helmet. When rescued, he lapsed into -unconsciousness for an hour. He had been through the first battle of -Ypres, he said later, in which he was the only one of his regiment -to escape death or a wound. Blown high in air, very, very high, it -seemed to him, he felt a great mass of _débris_ fall upon him. - -He told us, in a spirit of resignation to his fate, that to have -lived through the October and November fighting on the Menin Road, -and be thrown skyward by a mine, then buried, and still live, -entitled him, he thought, to spend the rest of the War, without -disgrace, in an enemy prison. - -The French exploded their mine at one o'clock in the morning, and by -daybreak the 1st Cavalry Division had "turned over" to them, and was -on its way back from Ypres to billets in a more quiet locality. - -Motor 'buses moved the men back, as they had brought the dismounted -troopers up. The long lines of London 'buses, with khaki-painted -windows, rendering their interior lighting barely visible, looked odd -in the black Ypres streets. No outside lights were permitted. - -To hear one bell, see the dark shape of the clumsy vehicle slow down, -then hear the two bells that signalled departure, next the grinding -crunch of gears, and finally, to see the ghostly 'bus slide forward -in the night, brought strange parodies of London memories. - -General de Lisle had planned to leave Ypres at twelve noon on March -5th. We left half an hour earlier, by chance. Next day we learned -that ten minutes after our departure a Black Maria struck the very -building we had occupied during our ten days' stay in Ypres, blowing -the back of it through its front, and generally demolishing the -premises. - -One day, subsequently, I visited the house to learn if so strange -a coincidence of timely evacuation was true, and found that the -story was correct in every detail. The interior of the place was one -mass of smashed walls and partitions, the _débris_ bulging from the -doors and windows of the front of the building, which still remained -practically intact. - -The handling of the Division during its occupation of the Ypres -trenches reflected great credit on General de Lisle. - -We left our trenches in much better shape than that in which we had -found them. Some casualties were inevitable, but the total number of -men killed was only eleven during the ten days, a low percentage when -the strength of the Division, not far short of 2,500 rifles in the -line, was considered. - -At daybreak on the morning of March 10th the British attack was -launched which was to become known to history as the battle of Neuve -Chapelle. - -For several days the weather had been cold, raw and damp. On some -days it rained and blustered, while at night snow fell, and the wind -howled unceasingly. The morning of the 9th dawned clear and cold, the -stormy weather having been driven away by a hard frost. The Tommies -in the trench line were treated to every vagary of the treacherous -climate of Flanders in March. - -My car indulged in periodical attacks of the dumps and finally -became a nuisance. Accordingly I ran to Sailly, where the Canadian -Divisional Headquarters were located, and sought the Divisional -Repair Park, which proved to be at Merville. On the 8th I left the -car in the hands of the Canadian boys for a few days' repair. On the -Canadian front I learned from an acquaintance of a projected attack -of considerable magnitude, spurring me on toward getting my car in -runnable shape at the earliest possible moment. - -On March 9th, in Merville, I saw Sir Douglas Haig's Special Order to -the First Army, issued that day, which read as follows:-- - - "We are about to engage the enemy under very favourable - conditions. Until now in the present campaign, the British Army - has, by its pluck and determination, gained victories against - an enemy greatly superior both in men and guns. Reinforcements - have made us stronger than the enemy in our front. Our guns are - now both more numerous than the enemy's are and also larger than - any hitherto used by any army in the field. Our Flying Corps has - driven the Germans from the air. - - "On the Eastern Front, and to the South of us, our Allies have - made marked progress and caused enormous losses to the Germans, - who are, moreover, harassed by internal troubles and shortage - of supplies, so that there is little prospect at present of big - reinforcements being sent against us here. - - "In front of us we have only one German Corps, spread out on a - front as large as that occupied by the whole of our Army (the - First). - - "We are now about to attack with about forty-eight battalions - a locality in that front which is held by some three German - battalions. It seems probable, also, that for the first day - of the operations the Germans will not have more than four - battalions available as reinforcements for the counter-attack. - Quickness of movement is therefore of first importance to enable - us to forestall the enemy and thereby gain success without severe - loss. - - "At no time in this war has there been a more favourable moment - for us, and I feel confident of success. The extent of that - success must depend on the rapidity and determination with which - we advance. - - "Although fighting in France, let us remember that we are - fighting to preserve the British Empire and to protect our homes - against the organised savagery of the Germany Army. To ensure - success, each one of us must play his part, and fight like men - for the honour of Old England." - -In the evening when I returned to 1st Cavalry Division Headquarters -I found the servants packing. My servant said on my arrival, "Your -kit is ready, sir. We are to shift out of this at six o'clock in the -morning. A big push is on." - -The Cavalry was to "stand by," in case the infantry attack succeeded -and a hole was made in the German line. - -The guns began before daylight, and hundreds of them, with an -amplitude of ammunition, made a pandemonium. - -I begged a ride in a G.H.Q. car and found myself during the forenoon -near the headquarters of General Davies of the 8th Division. - -Not many days before, General de Lisle had called at Estaires, and -we had been hospitably given lunch by General Davies, when we had -learned something of the general topography of the line on the 8th -Division front. The ground in that sector was so water-logged and -soft that it did not admit of the construction of a trench line such -as we had held in the Ypres Salient. Each small point of vantage to -the east of Laventie--a house here, or a rise of ground there--had -been made into miniature forts by the British or the Germans. A -trench line proper existed, but consisted, from the nature of the -terrain, of trench-works and parapets of sandbags, all above ground. -These were less impregnable than a trench line in solid ground, and -could much more easily be demolished by shell-fire. - -The road from Estaires to La Bassée, on the morning of March 10th, -was full of advancing troops and returning wounded. General Davies' -headquarters were said to be at Rouge Croix, not far west of the town -of Neuve Chapelle. - -I did not go as far as the cross roads at Rouge Croix, as that point -was under heavy German shell-fire. - -Little could I see except the enemy's shells, and still less could I -learn. That the 8th Division had taken the front line German trenches -was common rumour. - -Finally a wounded subaltern, a mere boy, came back, hysterically -cheerful in spite of a nasty wound in his arm. He belonged to the -25th Brigade--Lincolns, Dorsets, Rifle Brigade and Wiltshires. - -"We took Neuve Chapelle," he said. "Many casualties? Yes, plenty. You -see, we had orders to take the bally town at all costs, and we did -it!" - -He was sure his fellows had the ridge that commanded Aubers, and had -heard that our men on the right had reached a point a couple of miles -beyond La Bassée. Cheerful lad, that. Neither the Auber Ridge nor -La Bassée was to be ours, but it was not for lack of his sort. He -and his kind, with the men behind them that fought that day at Neuve -Chapelle, could have taken Aubers and Lille beyond it had someone not -blundered that 10th of March. - -Weeks passed before the occurrences of that fateful day were -made clear to me. Every sort of rumour was afloat. On the 10th -and the 11th I was between Merville (where General Haig had his -headquarters), Estaires and Laventie, but no one seemed to know in -those days as to just why things had gone so badly when the promise -of success had been so great. - -Later I knew. - -General Haig had been quite reasonably correct in his estimate of the -enemy's strength. Our chance to break through the German line was the -finest opportunity of the whole war. - -That, with such odds in our favour, with a preponderance of guns and -shells as well, we should have so signally failed, and lost over -18,000 men into the bargain, required some explanation. - -The tragedy of Neuve Chapelle was a failure to take advantage of an -initial success. The 25th Brigade, with the 23rd Brigade on its left, -nobly did the work assigned to it. It took Neuve Chapelle itself, and -reached the position it had hoped to reach. The 24th Brigade was to -come up, through the 23rd and 25th Brigades, and as it advanced, the -20th Brigade, on its left, was to move forward. Still to the left of -the 20th Brigade the 21st Brigade was in readiness, and on its left -the Northamptonshire Yeomanry, which had been put into the trenches -previously occupied by the 20th Brigade, to free that command for the -attack. - -Thus, once the preliminary ground-clearing was done by the 23rd and -25th Brigades on the right, and the town of Neuve Chapelle was taken, -the 24th Brigade was to come on and form the right of a line composed -of itself, the 20th and 21st Brigades, which were to pivot on the -Northamptonshire Yeomanry and sweep over the Auber Ridge. - -On the left of the Yeomanry waited the 22nd Brigade, ready to jump -forward the moment this swinging movement had developed. - -The initial success won, the whole line waited, eyes on the right, -for the signal to go on. Before nine o'clock in the morning all was -ready, and the road cleared. - -All day the watchers waited in vain. - -It was after four o'clock in the afternoon before the word came. - -It was then too late. - -The great opportunity had been lost, and lost for ever. - -The Germans had rallied, filled farms with machine-guns, and mowed -down the gallant 23rd and 25th Brigades men who had so dearly won -such splendidly advanced positions. - -The 24th Brigade had come on part way, then concentrated, and was -sadly cut up. That the line on the right had "dug-in," instead of -moving forward, had resulted in a defeat when a great victory was -within grasp. - -And who was to blame? - -A Brigade commander and the General in command of the artillery of -a certain division were promptly "Stellenbosched." A divisional -commander was reported sent home; his case reopened when he declared -the fault was not his, as could be proven by certain hitherto -unproduced papers from corps headquarters. A further inquiry resulted -in his being reinstated. His corps commander went to England. -"Sent home," said many. Shortly afterwards, back he came, to the -discomfiture of the prophets, and took up his old command. - -Who was to blame? - -It is too early to tell. Let the writers of the future dig the story -out of the tangled orders of the day, as between corps and division, -division and brigade. - -No battle of such magnitude could be won without fine Staff work, and -the work of more than one staff on that 10th of March left much to be -desired. - -One thing cannot be gainsaid. The men in the ranks fought like -heroes. Nothing that men could do was left undone by them. - -One officer who saw as much of Neuve Chapelle, and knew as much -of the tragedy as any one man said to me: "The word 'concentrate' -caused all the trouble. The troops that might so easily have come on -had orders to concentrate along a certain road. That was the root -of the mix-up. They concentrated, dug-in, and waited for orders, in -accordance with their instructions. Those instructions did not come -until half past four in the afternoon. The whole day had been wasted. -The time had flown, and the great opportunity with it." - -The cavalry would have had a fine part to play had all gone well. - -The 2nd Cavalry Division was drawn up back of Estaires, the 3rd -Cavalry Division in the Forest of Nieppe, and the 1st Cavalry -Division was ready at its billets. A hole in the German line meant a -strong push through by the three cavalry divisions. - -On the right of the 7th and 8th Divisions the Indian Corps had hard -fighting, the day of the Battle of Neuve Chapelle. The Gurkhas, one -of their officers told me, took a wood, lost it, took it a second -time, lost it again, and a third time took it, only to be driven out -at last owing to the fact that no support was available. - -On a visit to Bethune one day I heard dozens of stories of the fierce -fighting on March 10th, on the 2nd Division front, where one Brigade -lost twenty-five officers and seven hundred men in an abortive attack. - -But the interest centred around the 8th Division fighting, that -began so well, then hung fire until the Germans recovered from the -demoralization of the smashing blow. - -How utter was that demoralization we learned later from "agents" -near Lille and Tournai. The Germans were actually "on the run" that -morning, and pressing forward would have indubitably borne results -that would have loomed large in the trend of events. - -On March 15th, the 1st Cavalry Division was called out at dawn, and -placed in support of the 27th Division at St. Eloi. Just before six -o'clock on the evening of the 14th, the Huns had fired a mine at -St. Eloi, and then poured a rain of high explosive shells over our -trenches for half an hour. The howitzer shells exploded so rapidly, -that one continuous roar ensued, the separate detonations being with -difficulty distinguished. - -The moment the German guns stopped their fusilade, the German -infantry rushed forward, the attack developing all along the 5th -Corps front. St. Eloi itself, the southern re-entrant of the Ypres -Salient, was soon in enemy hands. - -By two o'clock on the morning of the 15th, a British counter-attack -was launched. By daybreak each force held some part of St. Eloi, and -the fighting grew fierce and fiercer. By night all the town was in -British hands save one point, a mound which had been transformed into -a kind of fort by the enemy. - -During that fighting, the 4th Battalion Rifle Brigade was sent up -to take a section of trench out of which one of the other 27th -Division Battalions had been shelled. Once before, within the hour, -another battalion had essayed to recapture the lost position, and had -"retired" in considerable confusion. - -The Rifle Brigade set its teeth and started for the hottest part of -the fray. - -"You must cross that road," its commander was told, "though Heaven -only knows how anyone can get across it alive." - -Sixteen Hun machine-guns were playing on the open space over which -the battalion must pass. - -Over it they went. In less than sixty seconds eleven officers and two -hundred and fifty men were down, but the rest pushed on. - -They reached the trench, some of them, cleared out the Huns with the -cold steel, and consolidated the position--a splendid performance. - -The 5th Corps made good the ground the Germans had won without -calling on the 1st Cavalry Division troops for assistance, and thus -ended the last chance of our Division for active fighting during the -month of March. - -Inspections in the Flemish mud, bright sunshine and spring zephyrs -one day, and snow the next, and more than once snow and sunshine -alternating throughout the span of a day, marked the passing of the -month. - -Paris, Calais, St. Omer, Estaires, Lillers, Merville and Hazebrouck -were visited by enemy airmen as the days went by, and bombs dropped, -but without much damage to lives or property. - -"The Huns don't care whether or not they hit anything," said one sage -"sub." "They only want to show Sir Douglas Haig they have a copy of -that March 10th Order of his wherein he said 'Our Flying Corps has -driven the Germans from the air.'" - -On March 25th I spent the morning in Bailleul at 2nd Corps and 3rd -Corps Headquarters. - -The Staffordshire Brigade of the North Midland Territorial Division -marched past to the music of their fine brass band, drawn up in the -square--the first band I had seen or heard since leaving England -seven months before. Crowds of soldiers and officers flocked to hear -it and see the sturdy Terriers march by with swinging step. They -created a splendid impression. - -The next day my work was to take General Lowe and General Lumley -over the path of the early fighting in Flanders--from Meteren through -Bailleul to Armentières, thence to the line on the Ploegsteert Hill -and through the Ploegsteert Wood. - -We stopped in the town of Ploegsteert, where, in the churchyard, -General Lumley's son, a gallant young officer in the 11th Hussars, -was buried. - -The boy had been killed on October 17th, when our Division was trying -to force a way across the River Lys. At Le Touquet Lieutenant Lumley -was reconnoitring a position preparatory to an advance when a German -sniper's bullet struck him. - -As the General visited his son's grave I learned from townsfolk how -things had fared with them. - -Months before the 1st Cavalry Division had been the first British -contingent to enter Ploegsteert. The people told me of the severe -shelling the town had suffered, though the shattered church and a -black hole where the principal _estaminet_ once stood were surrounded -by many other evidences of the damage of the Hun gun-fire. - -"We have been here through it all," said an old lady whose French had -a heavy Flemish accent. "We go into the cellars when the bombardment -begins, and when it ends we come out and go about our work. What else -could we do?" - -Some townsfolk had been hit, but none killed, they said. The merry -baker, whose brown bread had been so greatly enjoyed by our mess, had -been hit by shrapnel bullet a few weeks before and killed. His wife -was running the bakery still, though in but a small way, she said, -sadly. - -The Bois de Ploegsteert and the line in its vicinity was much the -same as when our Division had left it months before. The wood was -perhaps a little more smashed, the château a bit more flattened. - -Our batteries fired regularly as we walked about, their shells -whirring over our heads without eliciting a single reply shot from -the Huns. - -Down the corduroy roads through the Ploegsteert Wood and to its -trench-line, where the men were far from uncomfortable, the path -seemed sufficiently familiar to have been there for years instead of -months. - -Next day, the 27th, my work took me still further afield. General de -Lisle, with General Briggs and General Mullens and one or two members -of their staffs, were to walk over the reserve line of trenches from -in front of Kemmel to Dickebusch. One of General Smith-Dorrien's -Staff officers was to accompany them. - -Dismounting from the cars at the Station Inn, on the Neuve -Eglise-Kemmel Road, the party headed for the reserve trenches. I was -instructed to convoy the other cars in the party to a spot on the -Ypres side of Dickebusch. - -"Don't stop at the cross-roads," said Captain Walker of the 2nd Army -Staff. "The Germans shell the cross-roads two or three times every -day. It's best to run up the Vlamertinghe Road a couple of hundred -yards and wait there. You are not so likely to be hit." - -Past Dranoutre and Locre, and thence through La Clytte and Dickebusch -my route led. Familiar ground of months past, every inch of it. Here -and there fields had been ploughed well by shell-fire, and many once -familiar buildings along the way had been shattered or destroyed. It -was uncanny to find that more than one spot which I had in former -days selected as a daily stand for the car had become a great gaping -hole dug by a huge howitzer shell. - -Huts beside the road teemed with Tommies. - -As I entered La Clytte I well remembered my last day there, in -November, 1914. Major Steele, of the R.A.M.C., and Captain Baron Le -Jeune, a French liaison officer, both of them popular members of the -1st Cavalry Division Headquarters Staff, had been killed in La Clytte -by the same shell. Another shell had that day gone close over General -de Lisle and me as we were leaving the town. - -Picking my way past a clumsy farm wagon, I thought of those days of -"close calls." I was thankful no shells had fallen near me _that_ -morning. - -As I drew past the cross-road in La Clytte, however, a scream sounded -over my head, and a shell burst in the field not one hundred feet -beyond me. - -I was off like a flash, abandoning all thought of saving my car from -the rough bumping over the broken _pavé_. It seemed weird, that lone -shell, so close to me in La Clytte. No more came, or at least, if -they did so, I did not hear them, and I soon passed Dickebusch. - -A two hours' wait in snow and sun and snow again saw the arrival of -General de Lisle, and we were promptly off for "home." - -Such days were fair samples of my work until March winds had ceased -to blow, and April, with its promise of an early spring, had come. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - -On April 1st, I heard at G.H.Q. that within a few days the French 9th -and 16th Corps, which were in the Ypres area, were to be moved south. -The British were to take over the line from the Belgian left near -Bixschoote, and make a continuous British line from that point to the -left of the main French front near the La Bassée Canal. Events were -to happen which prevented the completion of this plan--events due to -a German initiative. - -The days grew warmer, though rain fell with sufficient frequency to -keep the fields deep with mud. - -Rumours of a "push" could be heard everywhere. It was timed by most -prophets for April 24th or 25th, though some declared it would -develop by the 20th. - -Many there were who scoffed at the idea of an advance. One story -current at G.H.Q. told of a subaltern of an infantry battalion, which -had long occupied the Ploegsteert trenches, who paid a visit to a -brother officer in another division, which had been marooned in the -Kemmel trenches for what had seemed an interminable period. - -"You will notice," said the Kemmel man, "my men are planting -daffodils on the parapets to hide 'em. We hope to have the line quite -invisible in the course of time." - -"Humph," replied he of Ploegsteert, "you _are_ a lot of blooming -optimists. _My_ men have planted acorns in front of _our_ ditch." - -On April 3rd, Lord Kitchener came to Boulogne by torpedo-boat. On -the next morning, Sunday, he landed, came through St. Omer, where -he was joined by General French, and proceeded to Chantilly, where -a conference with General Joffre was held. On the following day, -Lord Kitchener and General French met General Foch at Amiens. A dash -to St. Omer, where Sir John remained, then a rush to Boulogne, and -England's War Minister was again aboard his torpedo-boat and speeding -back toward Whitehall. - -As news of this visit spread over the Army, rumour piled on rumour of -the new "push" that was to accomplish such great results. - -True, sinister minds attributed Kitchener's visits to the large loss -in men and the small gain in ground of Neuve Chapelle, but they were -greatly in the minority. - -We obtained a copy of the _Lille War Gazette_, a newspaper published -by the German Army in Lille, which contained many items of -interest. Chief among them was an article by a Hun named Kaden, a -lieutenant-colonel of a line regiment. The following is a translation -of this article, which caused much comment:-- - - - FIRE. - - BY LIEUTENANT-COLONEL KADEN. - - As children, many of us have played with it; some of us have seen - an outbreak of fire. First a small tongue-like flame appears; it - grows into a devastating fury of heat. We out here in the field - have seen more than enough of it. - - But there is also the fire of joy--of sacred enthusiasm. It arose - from sacrificial altars, from mountain heights of Germany, and - lit up the heavens at the time of solstice and whenever the home - countries were in danger. This year fires of joy shall flare - from the Bismarck columns throughout the length and breadth - of Germany, for on April 1st, just one hundred years ago, our - country's greatest son was born. Let us celebrate this event in a - manner deep, far-reaching, and mighty! - - Blood and Iron! - - Let every German, man or woman, young or old, find in his heart - a Bismarck column, a pillar of fire, now in these days of storm - and stress. Let this fire, enkindled in every German breast, be - a fire of joy, of holiest enthusiasm. But let it be terrible, - unfettered; let it carry horror and destruction! Call it hate! - Let no one come to you with "Love thine enemy!" We all have but - one enemy--ENGLAND! - - How long have we wooed her almost to the point of our own - self-abasement? She would none of us, so leave to her the - apostles of peace, the "No War" disciples. The time has passed - when we would do homage to everything English--our cousins that - were! - - "God punish England!"--"May He punish her!" This is the greeting - that now passes when Germans meet. The fire of this righteous - hate is all aglow! - - You men of Germany from East and West, forced to shed your blood - in the defence of your homeland, through England's infamous envy - and hatred of Germany's progress, feed the flame that burns in - your souls. We have but one War Cry: "God punish England!" Hiss - this one to another in the trenches, in the charge; hiss as it - were the sound of licking flames. Behold in every dead comrade a - sacrifice forced from you by this accursed people. Take tenfold - vengeance for each hero's death! - - You German people at home, feed this fire of hate! - - You mothers, engrave this in the heart of the babe at your breast! - - You thousands of teachers to whom millions of German children - look up with eyes and hearts, teach Hate, unquenchable Hate! You - homes of German learning, pile up the fuel on this fire. - - Tell the nation that this hate is not un-German, that it is not - poison for our people. Write in letters of fire the name of our - bitterest enemy. You guardians of the truth, feed this sacred - hate! - - You German fathers, lead your children up to the high hills - of our homeland, at the feet of our dear country bathed in - sunshine. Your women and children shall starve: bestial, devilish - conception. England wills it! Surely all that is in you rises - against such infamy! - - Listen to the ceaseless song of the German forest, behold the - fruitful fields like rolling seas, then will your love for this - wondrous land find the right words, "Hate, unquenchable Hate! - Germany, Germany above all!" - - Let it be inculcated in your children, and it will grow like a - landslide, irresistible, from generation to generation. - - You fathers, proclaim it aloud over the billowing fields, that - the toiling peasant below may hear you, that the birds of the - forest may fly away with the message: into the land that echoes - from German cliffs send it reverberating like the clanging of - bells from tower to tower throughout the country side: - - "Hate, Hate, the accursed English, Hate!" - - You masters, carry the flame to your workshops. Axe and hammer - will fall the heavier when arms are nerved by this Hate. - - You peasants, guard this flame, fan it anew in the hearts of your - toilers that the hand may rest heavy on the plough that throws up - the soil of our homeland. - - What CARTHAGE was to ROME, ENGLAND is to GERMANY. - - For ROME as for us it is a question of "to be or not to be." - - May our people find a faithful mentor like Cato. - - HIS CETERUM CENSEO, CARTHAGINEM ESSE DELENDAM for us means - - "GOD PUNISH ENGLAND." - -Some people laud the "thoroughness" of the German Army. - -I wonder if they laud the "thoroughness" of its hate. - -The Army under Sir John French was assuming considerable proportions -early in April. In addition to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, -7th, and 8th Divisions, the 27th and 28th, the Canadian Division -and the Divisions of the Indian Corps, as well as the 1st, 2nd and -3rd Cavalry Divisions and the Indian Cavalry Division, were well -seasoned. The North Midland, 2nd London and South Midland Territorial -Divisions were "out," and fast gaining experience and a good -reputation with it, while the Northumberland Territorial Division was -on the way. - -G.H.Q. information summaries in the early days of April said -laconically, "Nothing to report on the British front," and were -generally fairly correct. - -On the 8th and 9th the roads leading from the Ypres district were -filled with French troops moving southward. The veterans of the 9th -Corps limped past, frost-bite having visited most of them during -their long sojourn in the trenches of the Salient. - -Lines of French guns ambled by, "75's," with their graceful light -grey lines, were eminently business-like, their gunners clad in dark -blue cape-overcoats that looked warm and comfortable. - -The 1st Cavalry Division was given a new brigade, the 9th, which -consisted of the 15th Hussars, 19th Lancers and the Warwickshire -Territorial Battery. - -Bumping over the bad roads at good speed meant frequent car trouble. -I was fortunate to find Harold Smith, the Royal Automobile Club -Engineer, one day at Boulogne, where he was superintending the -installation of a first-class motor repair plant for the Red Cross -Ambulances. Mieville, of the Red Cross, in whose hands were all -matters pertaining to Red Cross motor vehicles, proved a good -Samaritan. Between Mieville and Smith my decrepit car was given a new -lease of life. - -The Army Service Corps would have done well to have "co-opted" Smith -and one or two more like him. His repair shop at Boulogne, when -completed, was so far ahead of any repair park possessed by the Army -in France that comparison made the Army shops look very bad indeed. -Yet Smith's work was done in three weeks or less and a building of -quite a temporary character utilised. - -While I was in Boulogne an Army Service Corps captain came to -Harold Smith and said: "I have been told to lay down a foundry, and -unfortunately know nothing whatever about the bally thing. Do you -happen to know anything about a foundry?" - -"Well," replied Smith, "have a fairly good idea of what you will -need. Suppose I draw up a specification of a foundry installation -to-night and let you have it to-morrow?" - -"Delighted," said the captain. "It would be good of you." - -So Smith set to work, duly completed the specification, and turned it -over to the A.S.C. man, who went away, quite happy, at once to put -in the specification as it was handed to him. He admittedly had no -knowledge as to its correctness and was quite satisfied to seek none. - -I met Moore-Brabazon, of the Flying Corps, on the quay. With a few -days' leave in his pocket, he was as happy as a sandboy. - -"We had a chap rejoin us a day or so ago," said "Brab," "who had a -remarkable story to tell. His name is Mapplebeck. He is an officer in -the Liverpool Regiment, attached to the R.F.C. - -"Not long ago, Mapplebeck was up alone on a scout near Lille, when -his engine went wrong, and he had to make a descent. He knew he was -well inside the German lines, but was shocked to see a couple of -Huns, apparently doing sentry duty, not far from where he had planned -to land. - -"The two Germans ran toward the machine as it came down, each -grabbing hold of the left wing. The biplane tossed and rolled and -pitched about as it came to rest. Mapplebeck tumbled out on the right -side, dived head first through a thick hedge a few feet distant, and -ran hot-foot down a deep ditch that led to a cross-hedge not far away. - -"He lost no time in dodging through the further hedge, and was off -like a hare down another ditch. The Huns must have taken the wrong -turning when pursuing him, as he got clear away and hid in a dwelling -till night. - -"Obtaining some peasant clothing, Mapplebeck made his way into -Lille. Though the town was full of Germans, his disguise was so good -he was not bothered in any way. Finding a loyal French business -man, Mapplebeck cashed a London cheque, for which he received -French notes bearing a German stamp. With these he bought a suit of -clothing, and started to tramp the road to Belgium. - -"He reached Belgium safely, kept on, and eventually crossed the Dutch -border. Obtaining passage to London, he at once went to Farnborough -and reported. There he was given a new machine which was ready to -come to France. He lost no time in bringing it across the channel and -reporting for duty, just as though nothing unusual had happened. - -"One by one we obtained from him the details of his experiences. He -was mightily modest about it all, and laughed at the idea that he had -done anything that was the least bit out of the ordinary." - -On April 17th the 2nd Cavalry Division held a horse show at Vieux -Berquin. The horses and the riding were worthy of the best that -Dublin or Olympia could produce. - -Sunday, the 18th, I had set aside for a joy-ride. Running to St. -Omer, I picked up Major St. Leger, of the Irish Guards, Assistant -Camp Commandant, and then called at a farm near Meteren, where the -9th Lancers' Headquarters were billeted. - -Beale-Browne, "Bimbo" Reynolds, Rex Benson and Alex Graham, were out -enjoying the perfect morning, but we luckily found Captain "Algy" -Court, of the 9th, who had been in the hospital when the Brigade was -at Ypres, and thus missed seeing the Salient. This made him the more -keen to have a look at the famous Menin Road. Calling at General -Mullens's headquarters at Godawaersvelde, in the hope of annexing -"Rattle" Barrett, "Jeff" Hornby or Romer Williams, but finding the -Brigade Staff absent to a man, we pushed on to Poperinghe, where we -procured a very passable luncheon in a crowded hotel. - -Finally we reached Ypres, ran through it, and out on the Menin -Road toward Hooge. Court was very anxious to run on to Hooge, but -I had been told a car could be seen by the Huns as it approached -that delectable spot, and I therefore counselled discretion. "Algy" -pressed hard for a visit to Hooge itself, saying he was most eager to -inspect the "trenches to the south of the road." St. Leger wavered, -but finally agreed with me that to "run into one" when joy-riding -would look bad, so we satisfied ourselves with watching the bursting -shells from a safe distance. - -Only a few weeks later, "Algy" Court was killed in those very -trenches to the south of the Menin Road at Hooge, when the 9th -Lancers, badly gassed and heavily attacked on front and left -flank--all but outflanked, in fact--held on gallantly during a day of -the fiercest of fighting, and saved the line. - -While we were on Menin Road little groups of wounded Tommies came -past. A Canadian Staff officer told us the K.O.S.B.'s, and the West -Kents had rushed a German position on a hill in front of Zillebeke, -after our engineers had exploded a mine under it. About 200 yards of -enemy trench had been taken, and fifteen prisoners, including two -officers, captured. From them it was learned that at least 150 Huns, -most of whom must have been killed, were in the destroyed trench. - -"The K.O.S.B.'s and the West Kents," said the Canadian, "are hanging -on to the captured area, in spite of continual heavy counter-attacks -by the Germans. We had just had a message from our chaps asking for -help to hold on." - -As he spoke a roar burst forth on the line not far away, seeming -to me to come from a point just south of Cavan's House. For fifteen -minutes Hun howitzer shells fell in scores on the luckless area of -the successful advance. The air reverberated with the crashes of the -huge shells, which fell in such rapid succession one could not count -them. - -After we left Ypres, we heard still another fierce deluge of -shell-fire fall on that spot late in the afternoon. - -Such was the commencement of the fight for Hill 60, near Verbranden -Molen, which was to be contested bitterly for many a day, costing -thousands of casualties to friend and foe. The next day, the 19th, -the Germans tried to win back the position at the point of the -bayonet, and succeeded in gaining a foot-hold on the southern -slope of the hill, only to lose it after a hand to hand fight that -afternoon. - -The Huns also gave Ypres and the Menin Road a heavy shelling for an -hour on the 19th, just twenty-four hours too late to catch our "joy -party." The day of our visit was the last one that found the Menin -Road a safe place, for daily thereafter the 17-inch shells were busy -with the terrible work that was to end in the utter devastation of -Ypres--work which was to continue for the rest of April, through May, -and well into June, with but little respite. - -A couple of days later the West Surreys had a fight for Hill 60 that -nearly swept away the battalion. The Germans brought up some field -guns and hammered away at our parapets at close range. When the -West Surreys came out, after gallantly holding the position until -relieved, a subaltern was the senior officer left in command. The -"Princess Pat's," too, were to leave the majority of their officers -there. Hill 60 took toll of all but a remnant of that regiment. - -We dropped "Algy" Court at his billets, then hastened to St. Omer, -where a good dinner was awaiting us. St. Leger's mess was always -a cheery one, having among its members Surgeon-General O'Donnell, -Colonel Cummings, of the R.A.M.C., Colonel Warren, of the Army Post -Office, and Colonel Thresher, the Camp Commandant. That night Colonel -Father Keating and Captain Father Rawlinson were fellow-guests, two -greatly beloved "Padres," in either of whom was sufficient subtle -merriment and quiet humour to cheer up a whole corps of pessimists. - -A captured German order gave rather gruesome details of a liquid-fire -thrower of sorts, intended, so the order said, for fighting in -streets and houses. - -The German official report accused the British at Hill 60 of using -shells containing poisonous fumes. - -Odd forerunners, these, in the light of subsequent events, for on -Friday, April 23rd, came the first German gas attack. - -The 23rd dawned bright and clear, a perfect spring morning. Soon -after daybreak word came that the Germans had broken the French line -between Bixschoote and Langemarck. The 1st Cavalry Division was -ordered to concentrate between Ecke and Godawaersvelde, preparatory -to being sent up in support. - -The Germans had sprung their first gas attack in the grey of dawn, -launching the asphyxiating fumes at a portion of the allied line held -by the 78th French Reservist Division. - -The success of the new manœuvre had been extraordinary. That it far -exceeded the most sanguine hopes of the Germans was clear from the -fact that very few troops were available to take advantage of so -great a hole in the allied line. No German cavalry was sufficiently -near at hand to be utilised. That this point was brought well home to -the Huns was made clear to us within very few hours afterward, for -before the second gas attack the Germans had moved up a couple of -corps of cavalry to a point within call. - -But the opportunity had passed. Gas, when its use was unexpected, -its effect multiplied by ignorance as to what it really was, and -vague conjecture as to what it might be, and gas when our troops were -expecting it and had been warned as to its objects and dangers, were -very different propositions. - -That the German gas attacks were for some time most demoralising, -and often locally successful, was not to be denied; but some part -of the line invariably held, and made the local enemy gain of less -importance. Respirators assisted men to stay in their trenches -in spite of the coming of the noxious fumes. Of far more value -was the gradual realisation on the part of the men that gas could -be withstood, and might or might not envelope them in sufficient -quantity to produce a deadly effect. - -Those French reservists who first were wrapped in the strange -greenish-yellow mist that left them gasping for air and dying of -strangulation, were not to be too greatly condemned for the general -scamper that ensued. Under the circumstances, the indefinable and -inexplicable horror would very likely have torn the line from the -grasp of the most seasoned troops of either the French or British -armies. Later I saw battalions of English veterans in utter -demoralization by the coming of the gas, and it was many a day before -the sight of a gas cloud failed to bring great terror to many a -soldier who had to face it. - -By ten o'clock on the morning of the 23rd the situation seemed most -serious. Back from the Bixschoote-Langemarck line the French had come -to the line of the canal that leads south from Steenstraate to Ypres. -At a point not far from Boesinghe the Huns had actually crossed to -the west bank of the canal, were at the very doors of Boesinghe, and -had taken Het-Sas and Lizerne to the north. Lizerne was well to the -west of the canal, and on the main Dixmude-Ypres road. - -Messages that reached the 1st Cavalry Division, explaining the -situation, were addressed to the Cavalry Corps, Indian Cavalry, 2nd -Army, and the new Northumbrian Territorial Division. All these units -were to be engaged on that front before many days had passed. - -General De Lisle ran to 5th Corps Headquarters in Poperinghe before -eleven o'clock. We passed battalion after battalion of the North -Country Terriers along the road, trudging sturdily Ypreswards, or -lying in the fields for a breather. - -Ambulances were continually arriving in Poperinghe, full of wounded -and gassed Tommies. - -I met Major Moore, of the Canadian Division, who told me the -Canadians had been "at it hard." Another Canadian acquaintance, a -wounded officer, came past, and told me something of the situation. - -The Canadians had won laurels that morning by an action which showed -clearly the great military value of individual initiative in the -private soldier. That is the quality that made British generals -think the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who were lost at the -Dardanelles the finest men that had yet been produced in the great -world-war. - -In dug-outs in front of Wieltje and west of St. Julien, some of the -Canadians were unaware of the gas attack until the Germans had driven -the French well back and come on after them to such close quarters -that the grey lines were clearly visible to the surprised Canadian -eyes. - -Grabbing rifles and ammunition pouches, with no time for company or -battalion formation, officers and men rushed toward the advancing -lines of Huns, and seeking such cover as could be found, opened a -fierce fire at short range. The natural, inborn individual fighting -spirit of men raised in the open--men to whose hands a rifle was no -stranger--met the situation with such instinctive cohesion of action -that the Huns were driven back and the line saved. - -A 5th Corps Staff officer told us the Canadians had actually saved -the day and had established, during the early hours of the morning, -a crescent-shaped line from the Canal south-east of Boesinghe to a -point just north of St. Julien, the crescent bending southward as -the line crossed the Ypres-Langemarck road. From this line they were -gradually being forced south by heavy German attacks. - -From one to two o'clock our Divisional Headquarters waited by the -roadside in the western edge of Poperinghe while our three brigades -came up, preparatory to a move toward the scene of battle. - -That hour of inaction was crammed with scenes that told of the heavy -fighting ahead of us. Lyne-Stephens, convoying a couple of dozen of -the splendid Du Cros ambulances, full to overflowing with shattered -men, hurried past _en route_ for Hazebrouck. As a hospital train of -twelve coaches, every available corner containing a wounded Tommy, -steamed west, scores of motor omnibuses hurried eastward toward the -sound of the guns, every khaki-coloured 'bus with its complement of -the Lancashire and Yorkshire Terriers of the North Midland Division. -Refugees laden with cardboard boxes, pushing loaded bicycles or -pulling-carts groaning under tall piles of household effects, added -to the road's congestion. Detachments of infantry marching on, -guns rattling up, ammunition trains urging their claims to special -facilities for a clear road, added to the _mêlée_. - -Over this highway, jammed with two lines of traffic bound in each -direction, the 1st Cavalry Division and its transport pushed its -way, through Poperinghe, where railway trains were debouching long -lines of blue-clad French regulars, and then on along the road toward -Elverdinghe, to the eastward. - -General de Lisle went first to Woesten, which we found full of French -territorial troops. Shells had fallen in the village during the -morning, but none were bursting near when we arrived. - -We started down the road toward Elverdinghe but had not gone far when -Bang! bang! just in front, then the whirr of shrapnel bullets, the -sharp crack as they struck the _pavé_ a few yards ahead, and spurts -of dirt and dust, told us that the roadway was receiving attention at -the hands of the Boche gunners. - -I pulled the car up sharply, and as I did so two more shrapnel -burst a few feet above the road in front of us, the missiles from -the exploding shells singing past and striking all about with nasty -smacks, as if in boasting evidence of a creditable amount of velocity -and precision. - -One regiment of our Division was assigned duty as a reserve for the -Belgian left, which was not far north of us. Another regiment was to -act as reserve for the French in front of us. The remainder of the -Division was a sort of general reserve, to be utilised wherever and -whenever necessity arose. - -A run to Elverdinghe showed that it had been heavily shelled, the -church being riddled with great holes. Our line was pushed to -the east of the town. An ambulance driver who had been left in -Elverdinghe told me he was sure "someone will get it in this hole -soon," and he proved to be no bad prophet. - -As dark closed we learned that the Canadians' line had been forced -back, but the support line had held firm as a rock, and our men were -counter-attacking most gallantly as the day ended. The rumph! rumph! -of the howitzer shells increased in frequency, the cannonade swelling -in volume as the night came. - -A good sized château between Poperinghe and Elverdinghe housed our -Headquarters Staff for the night. - -A run to Cassel at daybreak was a maddening experience, the road from -Steenvoorde to Poperinghe being packed and jammed with all manner -of horse and motor transport. A big five-ton lorry belonging to -the Canadians had broken down as it was being turned in the narrow -roadway. Result, an immovable barrier across the _pavé_. - -If ever in my life I longed to tamper with a job that was "none of -my business," I did so on that 24th of April. Organisation of the -traffic on that congested road could have been so easily done with a -dozen assistants, and hours saved to all users of the road. - -Thousands of light French _camions_ were waiting at Cassel for -train-load after train-load of French troops from Arras. The 9th -Corps, which had so few days previously left Ypres, after a sojourn -of there of many months, was being hurried back as fast as steam and -petrol could bring it. - -That morning I was given a message for General de Lisle from the -French Corps Commander, to the effect that the British Cavalry was -required in the front line. - -Temporary divisional headquarters had been established at the fourth -kilometre stone on the Elverdinghe road, to allow messages from -regiments or brigades easily to find it. - -When I arrived with the message I transmitted it to Major Fitzgerald, -then set off to seek de Lisle, who, "Fitz" said, was making a tour of -the line, and could be found either in Woesten or Elverdinghe. - -I chose the latter objective. The way was lined by great black French -Spahis, clad in variegated garb and wondrous head gear, for the first -couple of kilometres. As we approached Elverdinghe, all signs of life -vanished. An odd stillness brooded over the immediate vicinity, a -sort of local lull in the maelstrom of sound the shell-bursts were -making and had made throughout the night, a couple of miles to the -eastward. - -A half instinctive pause in the edge of the village, and a moment -spent in tense listening, gave me an uncanny feeling of solitude. As -I stood, undecided whether to push on into the town or circle back -for Woesten, the silence was mashed to reverberating atoms by an -8-in. howitzer shell, which fell not far from the town. - -Bang! rumph! r-r-r-rumph! Bang! Shrapnel and high explosive seemed to -come together. - -Another and another shell followed, then a blinding crash as I -was turning my car and a shell burst in the square not far away, -showering bits of shell and _débris_ over me. - -The pieces slap-slapped resoundingly against the metal panels of the -car, and one good-sized stone was hurled against my back. - -As I raced away to safety towards Poperinghe, the shells still came -into the village and around it, and followed the road at my back, -urging me on. - -Shortly afterwards I saw Captain Bertram Neame, the Adjutant of the -18th Hussars, who had been wounded in the right hand and arm by one -of the shells. - -"An aeroplane marked with red, white and blue rings, but evidently a -German flying false colours, circled round over the battery near us," -said Neame, "and half a dozen German shrapnel fell there at once. -Then the 'plane circled over the farm containing 18th Headquarters, -and another farm which was sheltering most of A Squadron. Immediately -afterwards shells poured into the two farms, and several of the men -were hit." - -Months after I read the diary of Captain T. O. Thompson, of the -R.A.M.C., who was attached to the 18th Hussars. - - His graphic account of the shelling in Elverdinghe that morning read - as follows: "A Squadron were in the next farm, and all their men - sleeping peacefully in the sunshine against the wall of a barn, when, - without warning, a 'coalbox' arrived and landed full on one man. They - found only an arm and a leg and his head. The next arrived later and - wounded two men. The inhabitants of the farm cleared at a run, and - some French territorials, who had been in that farm for seven months, - went like greased lightning. - - "The Colonel (Burnett), and Adjutant (Neame), and Captain H. - (Holdsworth), walked about thirty yards up the road, when a shell - arrived and wounded the Adjutant in the hand and H. in the back. It - hit the Colonel on the back, fortunately on the belt, and slightly - wounded him in the thigh. It bruised the Major, who was twenty yards - away, on the shin. - - "The Germans kept on putting shells along the road, and then started - on the village. They were the beastly 8·2 high explosives, and were - going just over us on to the Poperinghe road. Six horses were going - up this road when a shell landed about fifteen yards short of it. - One of the grooms was badly wounded, one killed, being lifted into - and left hanging in one of the trees by the roadside. - - "Then the 4th Dragoon Guards came down the road on foot and passed - into the village, but came out again as a shell greeted them in the - square. They came off the road, and came along a hollow near the - stream toward us. The rear squadron was marching along a ditch behind - a hedge-row in two-deep formation when a beastly shell landed right - in the ditch and hurled four of them sixty feet into the air. Two - others were killed as well. Brown, a 4th D.G. Lieutenant, was one - of the four; his hand was found in the stream one hundred and fifty - yards away." - -All things considered, I was lucky to get out of Elverdinghe unhurt -that morning. - -I found General de Lisle as he was returning from Woesten with -Captain Nicholson; I then ran to Woesten with a message for General -Briggs. - -General de Lisle was faced with the fact that he was acting as -reserve to the British left, and therefore suggested to the French -commander that the French reserves should first be used, and the -British cavalry only called upon to occupy the front French line when -no further French reserves were available, a suggestion of which the -French General at once saw the wisdom. - -Returning from Woesten, Nicholson and I found we must make a -_détour_, as the narrow country road was completely blocked by French -horse transport. - -Dashing into Poperinghe at high speed we were surprised to see the -townsfolk running hither and thither in great fright and confusion. -Six great shells had been thrown the long distance from the enemy -line and landed in the town. They had come but a couple of minutes -before, a scared Belgian told us. - -I lost no time, swinging through the square and out on the -Elverdinghe road at high speed. No sooner were we clear of the centre -of the town than Hun shells screamed wickedly over us on their -way toward the railway station, exploding not far behind us with -tremendous concussion. Guns of large calibre were being used by the -Germans. - -[Illustration: Damage caused by a 17-inch shell in Poperinghe, April, -1915] - -[Illustration: Red Cross ambulances on the coast] - -First Cavalry Division Headquarters was moved from the kilometre -stone to an _estaminet_ near by, as the inhabitants had brought up -two great wagons and decamped therein with bag and baggage. - -Tales of Canadian prowess and fine work by the 13th Infantry Brigade, -which was sent to their support, were mingled with conflicting -reports of the number of guns captured by the Germans. First, the -loss of a couple of dozen was admitted by the French. Before a week -had passed we knew the number actually taken by the Germans was much -greater. - -Ypres, we heard, had been so heavily shelled the day before that the -entire town had been evacuated. - -All the morning I watched ambulances full of wounded French soldiers -_en route_ for Poperinghe, file past war-worn batteries of "75's," -pushing toward the front. The begrimed French gunners, with their -cheery faces, seemed to know the esteem in which we held them and -their splendid guns, and to be keen to get into action and stem the -advance of the Germans, which was slowly but steadily surging towards -us though our men were fighting hard every inch of the way. - -The Belgian refugees poured back, forced off the road by the -lorries, ambulances and guns. Slight mothers with numerous progeny, -one, or sometimes two, of the lesser units in arms, toiled by. -Each person, young or old, capable of carrying a load, bore heavy -burdens. Bicycles with huge bundles balanced on the saddle, were -pushed westward haltingly, as road-space permitted. One lad passed on -crutches, flanked by two grand-dames carrying blue buckets crammed -tight with portions of the family wardrobe. - -Most of the faces of the refugees bore a stolid, matter-of-fact -expression. Some were quite cheerful. Many seemed stoically numbed -to all feeling. The strong wind tossed their unwieldy bundles, -and they stumbled awkwardly out of the path of hurrying traffic, -their feet bruised against the loose stones that edged the _pavé_. -Tired, dirty, buffeted by the gale, with strained and aching muscles -and broken feet, fleeing from death or worse, and in their flight -abandoning their worldly all, I wondered there were not more signs of -heart-sickness and despair on their thin faces. - -Shells screamed over us and ploughed great holes in the British -aviation park east of Poperinghe. After the first half dozen of such -visitors, the Flying Corps packed up and took its departure for safer -quarters. - -A wounded Canadian said the 2nd and 3rd Canadian Brigades in front of -us were wiped out as a fighting force. Their trenches, he told us had -been literally blown to bits. A counter-attack by the Canadians, the -13th Brigade and the French 45th Division on their left, had started -well, but failed to achieve much. German batteries and machine guns -greatly outnumbered ours and were taking heavy toll as the battle -surged backwards and forwards. - -Before the day was over the French reported that they had recaptured -Lizerne. - -Night closed with an increasing din from the arms of all sorts and -calibres on our front, never to cease for the whole night through. - -I was sent after dark to G.H.Q. at St. Omer, a journey that meant -many a long hour of tedious waiting in the midst of the tangled skein -of traffic along the way. - -Returning at daybreak on Sunday, the 25th, I planned a round-about -route from Steenvoorde to Poperinghe, circling well north of the -main road. I had travelled but a few kilometres when I found the -narrow, muddy road in front of me completely blocked by a train of -French lorries, laden with troops. Some of the vehicles were mired, -and the block bid fair to be immovable for hours. By sheer luck I -stopped opposite a farmyard, in which I turned the car, and not -far back gained a cross-road. A mile beyond the route was rendered -absolutely impassable by two detachments of British transport, which -had met face to face on a road barely wide enough for one. - -"We have been here a divil of a toime," said a cheery Irish driver at -the rear of the column, "and from the look of it beyant there, we'll -be slapin' here in the mud this night." - -Nothing daunted, I turned, pushed by willing hands when deep mud -made assistance necessary, and headed the other way. But fate was -unkind. Again I found the road barricaded, this time by two signal -lorries that had, like me, tried a _détour_. One had skidded sideways -and stuck fast. The other was trying to pull his fellow back on to -the roadway. Disheartened, I soon tired of what threatened to be a -long wait, and returned toward Steenvoorde. A new convoy of French -troop-lorries closed this avenue of escape, but after an hour of -floundering through almost impassable lanes, I reached Abele, on the -main road, and was soon thereafter in Poperinghe. - -Truly an ounce of prevention in the way of road organisation and -route selection by some competent authority would have been worth -many pounds of the condemnation poured forth with volubility by all -road users in those days of tiresome traffic tangles. - -Our headquarters moved to an _estaminet_ just outside Woesten. - -I learned, on arrival, that at midnight word had come from the French -Commander, General Putz, whose headquarters were but a few hundred -yards distant, to the effect that a mistake had been made in a -previous report, and Lizerne was still in the hands of the enemy. - -The roads were filled with French troops moving up, and relieved -reservists coming back, while battery on battery of grey "75's" -wheeled past. - -"I don't know where they are going to put any _more_ guns," said -Budworth, our Divisional C.R.A., "the whole country round is stiff -with 'em now." - -Fresson, the French liaison officer attached to the 1st Cavalry -Division, sought at French headquarters an explanation of the -situation on the extreme French left, where the Belgian right joined -it. - -"Lizerne was attacked by French and Belgians, and Pilkem by French -only," said Fresson, on his return. "The mix-up in the report was -due to the Belgians. The story of Lizerne is indefinite, except -that the Germans were not driven out, as reported. As to the Pilkem -attack, this failed utterly, due to wire, machine-guns, and general -concentration by the enemy of the position they had captured. - -"A further attack," continued Fresson, "is to be made this morning at -10.30., when the Pilkem ridge is to be again stormed." - -The Pilkem ridge was east of our part of the front, not far distant -from the canal itself. The sounds of battle from the line facing it -were continually in our ears. - -General Smith-Dorrien drove by. One of his Staff told me that at ten -o'clock on the night before (Saturday night) 200 Canadians were -still in St. Julien, though the line had been pressed back, leaving -the little band cut off and surrounded by Germans. All night they had -fought on, and were still fighting. - -Some of our men had gotten up sufficiently close to hear the -Huns call out to the gallant Canadians in a lull in the firing: -"Surrender, Canadians! We are around you! You have no chance!" - -"See you damned first! Come and get us," was the answer sent back in -the night by a clear young Canadian voice, and Bedlam was again let -loose. - -That was the spirit of the men that Canada sent to France to fight -for the Empire. - -On the Sunday morning, said the Staff officer, a determined effort -was being made to relieve what remained of the gallant 200. - -All our attacks that day and those of the French as well failed. -Lizerne remained in enemy hands, and the last of the heroic two -hundred Canadians had evidently fallen in St. Julien before night, -for all sounds of firing from that direction ceased. Strive as they -would, our troops had been unable to reach and succour them, though -costly efforts were not wanting. Weeks and months afterwards anxious -ones waited for word from some of that noble little band in St. -Julien, but no word ever came from German hospital or prison camp. -They had fought on to the last man, to the bitter end! - -At night the Germans attacked Broodseinde, east of Zonnebeke, with -great ferocity, but were driven back by our 5th Corps troops. - -What was left of the Canadian 2nd Brigade was holding Gravenstafel, -just north of Zonnebeke, and not far to the south-west of -Passchendaele. The Huns poured mass on mass against the depleted -ranks of the Canadians, who were compelled to fall back, evacuating -Gravenstafel, but stubbornly disputing every foot of ground lost. - -The night of Sunday, the 25th, closed in, with little in the -situation to cheer us, except the knowledge that the entire vicinity -of the Ypres Salient and the line to the north of it was crowded with -fresh French and British troops and battery on battery of guns. - -By Monday night the London Sunday papers had reached us. - -What was our surprise to see that the London press was greatly -cheered by the meagre French and British official reports, and -united in condemning the German official reports, which were flatly -characterised as lying inventions. - -The German official reports were, as a matter of fact, in that -particular instance, more correct than either the French or British -official reports. - -The French report declared Lizerne and Het-Sas to have been taken -from the Huns. The Huns had never been driven out of either town. - -The British report was vaguely optimistic, evidently bent on -minimising the German gains. It was so worded that 999 men out of -1,000 would understand from it that most of the ground lost on the -23rd and the days immediately following had been won back from the -enemy. Certain it was that no one would gain the idea from the -British official report that the Huns had been steadily forcing our -line back, that our counter-attacks had failed, and that the Ypres -Salient was then so threatened that no one but a madman would deny -that further reconstruction of our line around Ypres, involving the -giving up of a large section of our front line had become a military -necessity, to be performed at the earliest moment such a manœuvre -could be carried out. Indeed, the section of our line to be abandoned -must needs be far greater than that the enemy had won by his surprise -gas attack against the French. - -I do not wish to give the impression from the foregoing that the -German reports were, as a rule, more correct than French or British -official _pronunciamientos_. I think they were by no means so to be -described. In matters of fact, as to captures of men or guns, or -details as to bits of line lost or won, the Hun official reports -were less often incorrect than some might think. Now and then, when -dealing with some matter of conjecture, such as an estimate of our -casualties, they were absurdly wide of the mark. The average French -official report might err slightly as regarded detail, but was -in the main most dependable. Our chief quarrel with the official -reports as issued by the War Office to the British Press was that -they were at times subject to more than one interpretation. Escaping -actual inaccuracy, they did not always convey the impression at Home -warranted by the facts at the Front. - -On the morning of the 26th I ran toward Wieltje, and obtained details -of the exact position of the lines. - -The French left touched the Belgian right along the Yser-Ypres Canal -north of Lizerne, where the German line was pushed to its further -western point. The French line ran close to Het-Sas and crossed to -the east of the canal a few hundred yards south of Boesinghe. - -At a point a couple of thousand yards east of the canal the British -left joined the extreme French right. - -From that junction our line ran eastward through Fortuin, a village -half a mile south of St. Julien, then north-east toward Gravenstafel, -then south-east to Broodseinde. - -At two o'clock that afternoon a grand attack was planned, all along -that east-and-west line. - -The 13th Brigade was on the left; two companies of the Rifle Brigade -and the East Kents came next; five battalions of the 10th Brigade -and a battalion in reserve were near Fortuin; on their right was -the 11th Brigade; east of them were the York and Durham Territorial -Brigades. The Northumbrian Territorial Division was in the Wieltje -area in reserve, and the Lahore Division was coming up to the north -of Verlorenhoek, on the right of the Northumberland Terriers. - -Our forces, to be sent forward in attack, numbered over two score -battalions, say, 40,000 men. - -The Canadians had been withdrawn from the Salient to take stock of -their battered remnants and fill their ranks with reserves from -England. They had been tried in the fire and could be proud of having -gained the name of one of the most brilliant fighting contingents -that had been seen on the British front since the commencement of the -War. - -The French were again to attack the Pilkem ridge at two o'clock, -when the British line, between four and five miles long, was to push -vigorously northward in a desperate attempt to drive the Huns from -the ground gained by gas attack three days before. - -Our share in the show was small. The following order was issued to -the brigades: - -"At two p.m. to-day the French will attack Lizerne and Het-Sas. The -1st Cavalry Division are ordered to support the left flank of the -French, acting in reserve. The Division will be saddled up by two -p.m. and the horses of the 1st Cavalry Brigade collected in the area -south-west of Woesten. By two p.m. the 1st Cavalry Brigade will -assemble, dismounted, north of the Woesten-Oostoleteren road, about -the nineteenth kilometre stone, ready to support in the direction -of Pypegaale, if required. The 2nd and 9th Brigades will remain in -their present positions, ready to support the 1st Cavalry Brigade -dismounted." - -This gave vague promise of a bit of fun, as Pypegaale was only a mile -from the coveted Lizerne, to which the Huns were holding so doggedly. - -But our participation in the mill was only to take place in the -event of the French attack ending in disaster or resulting in such -extraordinary success that the Germans would be put to absolute rout. - -The shells fell all about in those days, and rarely did I visit the -support positions--which I did scores of times each day--when the -air was not full of the droning shells of our own and the French -batteries, pounding the enemy's positions on the canal. - -Shell-fire; aeroplanes, British, French and German; anti-aircraft -shells, both ours and those of the enemy, and passing troops and -batteries became such common sights as the hours went by that one -hardly bestowed on them a passing glance. - -A Belgian woman was caught, near a battery position, flashing signals -with a piece of bright tin to a Hun airman high overhead. The French -took her away, one stout soldier to each arm, to summary execution. - -Children were at play at the roadside. A dozen boys were engaged in -a mock bombardment. A bottle served as the hostile town. Stones made -good shells. All waited for the order, "Fire!" and then rained shots -at the target with a will. Now and then one of the children would -say, "Rumph! rumph!" mockingly, as a Black Maria fell near enough -to jar them, but for the most part they paid scant attention to the -fierce cannonade in progress all about. - -In a field by the road a man was ploughing stolidly. A woman was -hanging her washing on the line, singing as she worked. A 13-pounder -anti-aircraft shell buried itself a few yards away, but she evinced -no interest in it, and did not even allow its coming to interrupt her -song. - -Artillery work in modern warfare is carefully organised. It was -difficult to realise in the midst of such an inferno of shell-fire -that every gunner, who was so hard at work in those April days, had -some definite objective when launching shells enemy-ward. - -Major Budworth was directed to conduct the artillery attack on -Lizerne. In other words, the guns of H and I Batteries of the Royal -Horse Artillery were to pave the way for the French infantry attack. - -General Putz was anxious to retake Lizerne and Steenstraate as -well. The latter town was on the canal, a few hundred yards east of -Lizerne, and astride the Dixmude-Ypres highway, along which German -reserves, to meet the attack on Lizerne, must be brought. - -Budworth placed the batteries near Woesten, about 3,000 yards from -Lizerne, which was surrounded by country so flat and so dotted with -groups of trees that artillery observation was difficult. - -A couple of gunners were sent into the French front trenches at -11.30 a.m. to observe the range-finding shots. - -The Lizerne attack had been timed for 2.30 p.m. All watches had been -most carefully synchronized. At 12.15 p.m., to the very second, H -Battery fired three shots, then, after an interval, three shots more. -Five minutes after the second trio had been sent Hun-ward, I Battery -also fired six shots in groups of three. The observation officers on -reconnaissance 'phoned back to the batteries from the French line, -and gave minute details as to errors in range of the dozen shells, -adding such information as would allow a more correct setting of the -timing-fuses. - -Errors in direction at such range--3,000 to 4,000 yards make an ideal -range for the British 13-pounder and 18-pounder field-guns--were -rare, in view of the fact that our gunners were provided with -accurate large scale maps from which the range could be splendidly -laid. - -To get the guns closer to the enemy than 3,000 yards made it possible -that the gunners might be subjected to hostile rifle fire, if the -line should be forced back slightly. At such close range as 2,000 -yards so low a trajectory was necessary that cover was rarely -possible. Further, the supplying of ammunition to the guns was, -under such circumstances, a most difficult problem. If an artillery -commander could place his field-guns within 3,000 yards of the enemy -position he considered himself fortunate. - -Budworth was compelled to use shrapnel, as the 13-pounders at the -Front at that time had not been provided with high explosive shell, -although it had been repeatedly promised. Had high explosive shell -been available, one battery would have sent it hurtling against the -walls and houses in the little village of Lizerne and the Germans -hiding behind them. The other battery would have simultaneously swept -the streets and open spaces with shrapnel. With no high explosive, -the only alternative was to use long fuses in the shrapnel, which -then burst on percussion against the buildings behind which the Huns -were sheltering. - -The observation from the front line was chiefly valuable as a guide -to the timing of the shrapnel that was to be used to scatter the -hundreds of bullets over the open spaces. A 13-pounder shrapnel -contained about 285 bullets, an 18-pounder, 365. The timing fuses -burst none too accurately, at best. Atmospheric conditions frequently -affected the burning of the fuses, and even the heating of the gun as -it went into action sometimes did so. - -H and I Batteries, having obtained the desired information from their -observers as to the range and timing of their twelve shells, waited -patiently until half past two o'clock. - -At that hour, 400 shells were fired into Lizerne. For the first -five minutes each battery fired four rounds per minute, then came -a two-minute interval. For the next five minutes every one of the -twelve guns in the two batteries fired five shots per minute. A -second lull of two minutes was followed by still more rapid fire for -another five minutes, six rounds per sixty seconds blazing forth -from each of the dozen field-pieces, seventy-two shells per minute -falling in the village. Thus they continued, the spasm of firing and -the brief interval of stillness alternating, until the 400 shells had -been fired. - -That the work of the Horse Artillery was well done was apparent from -the result. Its efficiency was confirmed later by captured Germans -wounded in Lizerne, who termed the place "Hell itself" while the -initial bombardment was in progress. - -But the work of the guns was by no means ended. The salvo died down -at the appointed time. The French Colonial Zouaves rushed forward, -bayonets in hand, with wild cries, and then the gunners were set to -their task. - -They fired another 400 rounds at the road from Steenstraate to -Lizerne, a second road leading to Lizerne from the south-east, and -a third road connecting the two. These three roads were the avenues -most likely to be utilized by the Huns for bringing up reinforcements -to meet the attack. "Searching" the roads and a couple of special -points, one just back of a rise of ground, where it seemed possible -reinforcements might be gathered, kept the gunners hard at work. - -Shrapnel rained over such spots, bursting from twenty to thirty feet -above ground, and spreading death all about. - -Watching the two batteries in action gave me a high opinion of their -abilities. Nothing in modern warfare was so fascinating a study as -that of guns in action. - -France, with her faith pinned to low trajectory and high muzzle -velocity as exemplified in her wonderful "75's," and Germany's -gun-religion, centring on weight of shell, made a formidable contrast. - -The making of a field-piece was ever a compromise between those two -schools--a gun firing a light shell straight and fast, or a gun -in which speed and direct line were sacrificed to gain weight of -projectile. - -A 35-pound howitzer shell and an 18-pounder shrapnel, such as that -fired by the British field artillery, were sent on their mission of -death from guns of practically the same weight. Thus greatly did -an increase in muzzle velocity mean a corresponding increase in -avoirdupois. - -Thirty-eight hundredweight was generally agreed by gun-experts the -world over to be the weight permissible for field pieces; this limit -being imposed by questions of mobility and transport. - -It was to gain those assets so great to the French military mind, -low trajectory and high muzzle velocity, that the weight of the "75" -shell was dropped to 15 pounds. - -Howitzer against field-gun, with high explosive shell for both, was -German practice against French practice. As one who became very -tired of the continuous rain of big German howitzer shells, I must -confess a wholesome respect for Hun theory in relation to questions -of modern artillery. But no German gun, light or heavy, could, to my -mind, compare with the wonderful "75." - -A return to General Putz's headquarters found the French staff -in possession of a report from the Front, to the effect that the -Algerian Brigade had taken Lizerne, held all the trenches on the west -side of the canal, and were preparing to cross the canal at Lizerne -and Het-Sas. - -Later developments showed the French officers in the fighting line -had again been optimistic to a point of inaccuracy in reporting -Lizerne captured. The next day it was discovered that the Germans -still held two houses on the western edge of canal, and had "dug -themselves in" in an entrenched bridge-head on the canal bank. -The French troops were in a semicircle, 300 yards distant, and -were bringing up, under cover of the night, "75's" on either side -of the miniature German fort, and preparing to batter it down by -high-explosive shells fired at point-blank range. - -The 1st Cavalry Division left the reserve line before Lizerne was -finally wholly clear of Germans. - -All day the din of battle on the long front had been maddening. -Ear-drums became tuned to it for a time. But periods of acute -sensitiveness would recur, in which the sound seemed to beat against -one's brain with a dull ache, punctuated with sharp pain from the -constant concussion. - -An evening message from 5th Corps Headquarters told of the -failure of the great attack at 2 p.m., owing to gas fumes from -the German trenches. A later attack had been organised, in which -the Northumbrian Territorial Division had won from the enemy some -trenches south-west of St. Julien, and then pushed on and captured -St. Julien itself. The Manchesters, too, had taken some German -trenches east of St. Julien. - -But the good work was to be undone. That night the Huns won back St. -Julien, and by daybreak on the 27th the line was practically where it -had been twenty-four hours earlier, in spite of sad losses. - -[Illustration: A French "75" in the mud of a Flanders beet-field] - -[Illustration: An ambulance which was struck by a shell while -carrying wounded from east of Ypres] - -[Illustration: View showing depth of 17-inch shell-hole in the garden -of a château between Poperinghe and Elverdinghe] - -April 27th saw another strenuous effort by our gallant troops on that -front. The southern edge of a wood, situated less than a mile west -of St. Julien, was penetrated, but later the men returned to our -original line. - -The German official report said that the Huns fairly mowed down -British troops when they advanced near St. Julien, and their -artillery caught our men as they were retiring and inflicted -frightful losses. Unfortunately, there was no exaggeration in that -report. - -Arriving at our headquarters château, east of Poperinghe, we found -that half an hour earlier a dozen or more 17-inch shells had fallen -in and about the town. - -Poperinghe was being shelled daily, eleven townsfolk having been -killed on the afternoon before. Most of the population had sought a -more salubrious locality. - -Of great interest to us was a huge shell-hole that had just been made -in the château garden, fifty yards from our sleeping quarters. It was -over thirty feet in diameter and ten or twelve feet deep. - -The big shell had shattered every window in that district, and the -concussion had ruined most of the tiled roofs within sight. Great -shell splinters, weighing from five to thirty pounds, still warm, -were lying about. - -That night, after eleven o'clock, when all were asleep, four more -17-inch visitors arrived in that edge of Poperinghe. All four shook -the château to its foundations, one falling within 100 yards of -it and smashing three dwelling houses into one mass of splinters, -plaster and _débris_. - -General de Lisle was sleeping on the floor of the château dining -room. The first of the mammoth quartette so shook the building that a -lustre chandelier, housed in a dust-covering and therefore unnoticed, -became detached and fell to the polished floor below. Its myriad tiny -pieces of glass jangled musically as they showered over the General, -who was sleeping peacefully beneath. Fortunately, de Lisle was not -hit by any of the heavier portions of the costly ornament, but his -emotions on being awakened from deep slumber by the resounding smash -of the shell, followed by the crash of the falling chandelier and -the attendant rain of tuneful prisms, can better be imagined than -described. - -For the rest of the night, the headquarters staff--with the exception -of de Lisle himself--repaired to the cellar in search of less -interrupted repose. The General, having ascertained that no other -lustre chandelier was suspended from the ceiling, stuck to his -original pitch. - -The next morning at daybreak, 1st Cavalry Division Headquarters moved -from that château, in spite of its many desirable attributes as a -habitation. - -On the 27th, General de Lisle sent me to the headquarters of Major -Pilkington, of the 15th Hussars, on an errand. The reserve Belgian -line was hard by. In backing my car, to turn it in the narrow lane, -a bank of a reserve trench or ditch caved, and the poor car stood on -its tail, at an uncomfortable and astonishing angle. Colonel Burnett -and one of his 18th Hussar officers passed, and with their help and -that of a dozen obliging 15th Hussar troopers, we attempted to move -the brute. It resisted our combined efforts. Then the Belgians near -by saw what had transpired and came at a run. In a jiffy the car -was out, but having been lifted with more zeal than discretion was -strained in so many places that it ran more like a crawfish than a -car, until a week later, when time and opportunity allowed me to -substitute an ample and expensive list of new parts. - -Plodding through Poperinghe late that afternoon, the first of seven -or eight 17-inch Boche "big 'uns" fell close behind me. I felt, -rather than heard, a crash, the wave of sound deafening me. Missiles -rained down sharply on roofs, walls and paved roadway. Lame duck -though it was, the car lifted itself and sped at a touch of the -accelerator pedal. I heard some of the other shells explode, but was -well out of harm's way by the time they arrived. - -On the 28th of April the Division was moved back to a bivouac in the -woods that lined the Poperinghe--Proven road, the main highway to -Dunkirk. - -Late in the afternoon, after a splendid day of lying in the sun, -which was greatly appreciated by the whole Division, billets to the -westward were assigned to us, and we trekked off without delay. - -[Illustration: Staff officers at lunch] - -[Illustration: Looking east over the Menin Bridge at the edge of Ypres] - -Wormhoudt, a French-Flemish town on the main road from Dunkirk to -Cassel, was selected for headquarters, and there we rested for four -days before returning to our old home, the La Nieppe château, on -the road from Cassel to St. Omer. - -_En route_ to Wormhoudt we passed the Indian Cavalry, coming up -to relieve us as reserve. The Poona Horse, Sind Lancers, and -Inniskilling Dragoons presented a fine appearance as they rode by. - -Rest was welcome to the Division. The troops had not been in the -actual firing-line, but had been in continual occupation of reserve -trenches for days, frequently under heavy shell-fire, and rarely with -an opportunity for taking off their boots or sleeping elsewhere than -in the open. - -The villages and farms around Wormhoudt provided excellent billets -for the troopers. Barns filled with straw and flax were warm and -comfortable resting-places after the days and nights in cold, damp -trenches. - -So April ended peacefully for us, the Germans holding what they had -won on the 23rd and closing the month with a vigorous bombardment of -Dunkirk, a few miles north of us, which served no useful military -purpose, but gave the Huns the satisfaction of killing a fair number -of civilians, including a good bag of women and children. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - -The first days of May found me with but little work to do. - -I spent some of my time running up into the Salient and hearing talk -of preparations for a withdrawal of our line to a smaller horseshoe -around Ypres. This was to be done as soon as all was ready for the -move, and the utmost secrecy enveloped the operations. - -I saw Rex Benson, of the 9th Lancers, who was acting temporarily -as liaison officer with the French troops along the canal north of -Ypres. Rex said the French had made but little progress towards the -Pilkem ridge and General Putz had apparently decided to concentrate -his position and give up open assault for the present. - -The Hun howitzer fire was so fierce along the roads when I skirted -Ypres on May 1st that I decided to desist visiting the Salient. In -short, I got "cold feet" about the Ypres roads, and decided to do my -joy-riding in other directions. - -Romer Williams, of the 4th D.G.'s, and I went to St. Omer on the 2nd -and brought out a couple of Romer's Red Cross friends, one a San -Franciscan, named Sherman, at whose billet we had found marvellous -cocktails. We all dined at General Mullens' headquarters, a gay party. - -As we were feasting, the Huns in front of Ypres were up to more -devilment. They let loose a heavy gas attack on the evening of the -2nd and made the British trenches south of St. Julien untenable. -Our men retired, but the gas hung stationary for a few moments, and -prevented an immediate German advance. This fortunate pause gave time -for a concentration of all our guns on the spot. When the gas had -dispersed sufficiently to allow an advance by the enemy, our gunners -threw a _barrage de feu_ across the German front as it emerged from -St. Julien and the little wood to the west of it, and effectually -stopped the way. Meantime, our men had regained their trenches. - -The 2nd Cavalry Division, dismounted, was called up as support during -this attack. To reach the trenches into which they were ordered they -found it necessary to advance across an enemy _barrage de feu_. The -4th Hussars and 5th Lancers were the regiments engaged. For a time it -seemed they would be badly cut up, but luckily they got through the -curtain of shells with only forty killed. - -So _some_ cavalry units had been thrown into the actual line, after -all. - -On the 3rd the 1st Cavalry Division moved back to its previous winter -billets, the Headquarters Staff again repairing to the La Nieppe -château. - -The Huns attacked our Ypres line all day on the 4th, but with no -success. That night the evacuation of the extreme eastern section of -the Salient was carried out without serious casualty. - -The enemy patrols that poked through the Polygon Wood at daybreak -on the 4th, and discovered the British retirement to a line further -west, must indeed have been surprised. - -The fighting of the previous ten days had cost the Allies over -thirty square miles of ground and more than 20,000 casualties, but -the British Army had undoubtedly gained in morale, nevertheless. -Colonials and Territorials, as well as old line regiments filled -with new reserve men, had fought shoulder to shoulder with the -veterans of Le Cateau and the Aisne, every unit gaining strength -unconsciously as each contingent rose in the other's estimation. -Mutual admiration and mutual confidence had welded the Army all the -more closely together. - -On a call at 5th Corps Headquarters at Abele, west of Poperinghe, -I saw a couple of what appeared to be divers' helmets. These were -loaded into a car, with a good-sized roll of rubber tubing and a -homely pair of bellows attached to each of the grotesque pieces of -headgear. - -Curious, I asked a "Q" officer, standing near by, just how this -paraphernalia was to be used. - -"People get strange ideas about fighting gas," he said. "These -outfits were designed and forwarded to us to be sent up front, so up -front I am sending them. They are provided to allow some of our men, -say about 3 in every 10,000, so far as present supply goes, to stay -in the gas-filled trenches while some pals with the bellows pump good -air to them through a few hundred feet of hose. - -"If the gas area should be of considerable extent the chap with the -bellows would soon be pumping chlorine into his fellow-Tommy, and die -pumping at that, or else take to the woods and let the diver himself -get what air he could find. - -"Many accidents might befall the tube. A Hun might sit on it. I hate -to think of myself, squatting in a trench with one of those things -over my head, praying for air, with the bellows man pumping his heart -out trying to get ozone through a rubber tube on top of which some -fat Boche had plumped, while he potted away at one or the other of us. - -"A shell, too, would have an interesting time with such a tube. -Imagine the chap in the helmet hollering, 'Pump away, you lazy -beggar, I'm not getting enough air to keep a flea alive,' and all -the good old oxygen pouring out of a jagged hole in the bally pipe, -hundreds of feet from him. - -"Then, suppose a man, coming up before daylight, got his foot caught -in that length of tube," he continued enthusiastically--but I -realised I had started something I couldn't stop, and fled. - -On May 5th I found E. F. Lumsden, of the A.S.C., an old friend with -a passion for car repair of all sorts, who had charge of the lorries -and motor workshops attached to the 7th Brigade Royal Garrison -Artillery Ammunition Park. His lot were in Estaires. I turned my -car over to them for rejuvenation while I hied myself to London to -purchase an alarmingly large collection of parts with which to assist -the somewhat extensive rebuilding Lumsden had gleefully planned. - -I was back with a heavy load of hardware and empty purse by the night -of May 7th, and by midnight on the 8th left Estaires with my chariot, -which was in a greatly chastened mood. - -While I was on leave in England the troopers of the 1st Cavalry -Division had spent their nights in the Ypres Salient digging reserve -line trenches and making barbed wire entanglements. Ypres on fire, -the trench line alight with flares and the flash of constant -shell-bursts, made this work more spectacular than pleasant. Once or -twice a shell fell sufficiently near the troopers to wound one or -two. One Black Maria unfortunately dropped among a squadron of the -18th Hussars, killing two of them and wounding a couple of dozen more. - -Lunching on the 8th with a gunners' mess on the Laventie front, I -learned of a big "push" ordered at dawn on the 9th. The Auber ridge -was to be attacked from the south-west by two Indian Divisions, and -from the north-west by the 8th Division and the 7th Division, with -the Northumbrian Territorial Division and the newly arrived West -Riding Territorial Division somewhere about. Something like 120,000 -men were thus to be engaged. The Canadian Division was in reserve, in -addition, and the 9th Division, the first of the "K" troops to reach -the Front, was expected by rail that night. - -The 6th Division, in the Bois Grenier area, was ready and eager to -push forward toward Lille if the Auber ridge attack proved successful. - -Instructions had been given, in anticipation of any misunderstandings -which might tend to lead to another fiasco like the battle of Neuve -Chapelle. Orders were issued that troops in certain areas were to -push on and not delay, because telephonic communication had not -been established. The order of the day asked the troops to "break a -hole in the enemy's line," and assured the attacking Divisions that -the whole Army was behind, ready to deal sledge-hammer blows on the -broken German front. - -My gunner friends confidently expected to sleep in Lille on the night -of the 9th, and proceeded jocosely to mark on a map of that city the -houses each one chose as his billet. Roads to Lille had been selected -for the ammunition columns, and orders given which would ensure a -supply of shells that far forward, in case the attack "got through." - -All was excitement when I left that front in the small hours of the -morning of the 9th, and greatly would I have loved to stay and see -the Auber Ridge attack at daybreak. But at early morning light on -Sunday, May 9th, the 1st Cavalry Division, placed under the orders of -General Plumer, who had taken General Smith-Dorrien's place as the -General Officer commanding the 2nd Army, was once more to be sent to -Ypres. - -Things had not gone well in the Salient on the 8th. The 5th Corps, -then under General Allenby, who had been promoted from Cavalry -Corps, was composed of the 4th, 27th and 28th Divisions. These troops -had been driven from their first-line trenches by a strenuous German -attack, and had fallen back to the next line with heavy casualties. - -The 2nd Cavalry Brigade had been rushed early on the 9th into the -reserve trenches east of Ypres, and were in readiness from Potijze -south to the Menin Road. The 1st Cavalry Brigade and the 9th Cavalry -Brigade were near Vlamertinghe, west of Ypres, waiting orders. - -The Huns had begun a ferocious onslaught on that perfect Sunday -morning, and the roar of battle around Ypres drowned, in our ears, -the noise of the 1st Army attack towards Aubers. - -That 9th of May was to see bitter fighting on many fronts. The enemy -attack on the Ypres Salient, and our "push" against the Auber ridge, -were pregnant with bloody work, but away to the south, in front of -Arras, the French Army was commencing the second day of the biggest -attack it had yet planned since the winter mud had limited the -fighting to trench warfare. - -Five hundred thousand men and 2,000 guns were hammering at the German -front, in an effort to break through to Douai, and though it was too -early to expect a detailed report of the onslaught, word had come -that the soldiers of France had won through in three places. - -On the Russian front the German arms were crowned with success on -that day, in a gigantic conflict, and the day before saw the sinking -of the Lusitania and the sacrifice of its load of women and children. - -One seemed to live many hours in a few minutes in those May days. -All-engrossed with the work in hand, we were none the less anxious to -hear of the great movements about us, in which our interests were not -less keen than in the fighting in our own immediate area. - -The new British line around Ypres ran from the French right, 2,000 -yards east of the Yser-Ypres Canal, and about the same distance north -of St. Jean, east for a mile or so to a homestead dubbed the Canadian -Farm, then south-east across the Ypres-St. Julien road, and across -another road that previously had served as a secondary route to -Passchendaele. - -From that point the trenches led south, passing to the west of -Verlorenhoek, a town on the Ypres-Zonnebeke road. South again, and -a little east, they crossed the Ypres-Roulers railway, skirted the -western and the southern shores of the Bellewaarde Lake, took in the -grounds of the ruined Hooge château and the eastern fringe of the -woods that surrounded it, passed east of Hooge, and thus reached the -famous Ypres-Menin road. - -On went the line, winding snakelike through the eastern edge of the -Sanctuary Wood, south of the Menin Road. Here the Salient reached its -furthermost eastern extremity. - -Then began a south-westerly trend, less than a mile in front of -Zillebeke, reaching Zaartsteen before crossing the Ypres-Comines -railway and later the Ypres-Comines canal. - -From the canal the trenches ran more west than south to St. Eloi, -then still on to the westward, until they circled south, away from -Ypres, in front of Vierstraat, Kemmel and Wolverghem successively. -There they faced, then passed Messines, reached the Ploegsteert -Wood, crossed the River Lys and bent round Armentières, on their way -through the Auber and Neuve Chapelle area, to the Festubert and La -Bassée fronts. - -Early morning on that eventful Sunday found me driving General de -Lisle and Hardress Lloyd to Ypres, straight through the devastated -old city, out of the Menin gate, over the Menin bridge and on up the -Zonnebeke Road as far as Potijze. - -From the railway crossing at the western edge of Ypres, past the -smashed cathedral of St. Martin, round the ruins of the Cloth Hall, -through the Grande Place, and down the Rue de Menin, dead horses and -men lined the way. - -Ypres, which I had seen shelled so heavily time after time without -its semblance of a city being destroyed, was at last indescribably -in ruins. The slender pinnacles at the ends of the Cloth Hall still -stood, and the tower itself had not fallen, though it had been so -riddled it seemed in imminent danger of collapse. The tall torn tower -of St. Martin's, near by, was also standing. - -I found great difficulty in picking my way through the square, past -shell-holes, piles of paving blocks, and heaps of dead horses. At -one end of the Grande Place a howitzer shell had burst directly on -an artillery limber, the horses and men being piled indiscriminately -together, every one instantly killed. They lay in a heap on the -broken stones of the square. - -Our previous brewery headquarters was levelled to the ground, and the -house where we had slept when last in Ypres was smashed out of all -recognition. - -Shells were falling in Ypres as we went through it. Across the Menin -bridge the road, once a broad highway, had been narrowed to a mere -path by pile on pile of shell-strewn bricks and stones. The houses -were one by one completely disappearing, as though the space they -occupied was required for other purposes, and the demolition of each -one of them was a preconceived part of a plan of extinction of all -signs of habitation. - -Dead horses in dozens along the way lay close to the wheel track. We -passed an ambulance, its front portion torn away by a shell, and then -the remnants of a supply wagon, smashed to matchwood. - -As we sped on, as fast as the continual obstructions and deep -shell-holes would allow, shells fell behind us, screeching overhead -every few seconds with strange, weird, discordant notes, culminating -in a reverberating bang! that seemed thrown back at us by the high -walls across the moat. - -The dozens of dead horses became scores as we pushed on. Some fields -by the road were literally covered with them. - -A signals corps man told me that at one point his orders for dark -night journeys across those fields were as follows: "Go down the -hedge till you reach the ditch, turn right, and go toward the big -pile of dead horses until you come to the gap in the next hedge." -Those instructions could be easily followed on the blackest night, if -one's olfactory nerves were in working order. - -Every breath of air seemed to our unaccustomed nostrils to be charged -with noisome smells. - -As we approached Potijze the infantry fire grew less in volume. The -Hun onslaught, the first of five distinct attacks to be pushed home -by the Germans that day, had failed, and the breathing space was the -more heavily punctuated by the howitzer shells for half an hour, as -if in a special spleen of disappointment. - -Most of the British guns had been withdrawn from the Salient and -to the west of the canal. Two batteries of 18-pounders left near -Potijze were firing with the valour of one hundred as we came up. -But field-guns of light calibre, firing shrapnel, have less voice -in an argument than the heavy howitzers with their 6-inch, 8-inch, -or 14-inch high explosive shells. The Huns' howitzers on that Ypres -front must have outnumbered our heavy ordnance by at least twenty to -one that Sunday morning. - -Long straggling strings of wounded soldiers trickled past on the -Potijze road, making their way painfully around Ypres to the -north-west, for to linger long on the Menin road, over which we had -come, was to court sure death. - -General de Lisle stopped the car not far from the Potijze château, -and he and Hardress Lloyd walked through a field to the dug-out -in which General Mullens had established 2nd Cavalry Brigade -Headquarters. - -I turned the car and backed it between two walls of what once were -dwelling-houses. Sitting close to the bottom of the wall, beside -the car, I counted shell intervals while waiting. From two to three -shells burst near the Potijze cross-roads every minute, but by far -the greater number of Hun projectiles went on, over my head, to the -Menin bridge and Ypres. - -A good-sized bough from a tree above dropped on my head, and a piece -of shell casing, quite hot, struck my foot as it fell, spent, beside -me. - -For ten minutes splinters swept the roadway continuously, and the -stream of wounded ceased to pour by until the fury of the sudden -bombardment had spent itself. The constant shock of concussion was -nerve-racking. - -After a quarter of an hour the shells fell less frequently, though -odd ones struck the road at intervals. - -Behind the Verlorenhoek-Hooge line was a smaller Salient, called the -G.H.Q. line. It served as a support position, and between it and the -canal were whole colonies of dug-outs. - -Much of the G.H.Q. line was so situated that a parapet of sandbags, -in full sight of the German observers, made it a frequent target. -On some days during the fighting that followed the casualties -in the G.H.Q. line rivalled those in the front trenches. It was -never a popular resting place, and was often the subject of much -vituperation. - -General de Lisle and Lloyd returned to the car, and nearer Ypres made -another halt to visit the reserve dug-outs in the fields toward the -St. Jean road. - -"Take good cover, President," said the General, as he started across -a shell-torn meadow. - -Easier said than done, I thought. - -The lee of a house wall sheltered an empty biscuit-tin, on which I -perched, under a lean-to of rough boards. The sky showed a fairy -blue through hundreds of holes in the sheet-iron roof of the -rudely constructed shed, evidence that a bursting shell above had -"scattered" splendidly. - -In spite of shell interludes I had one or two interesting chats with -passers-by. A hospital corps sergeant told me the Huns shelled the -Zonnebeke road, beside which we were chatting, every time they saw a -transport on it. - -"They give it hell when something moves over it," he said -impressively. "Just let us bring an ambulance up here in the daytime, -and see them get busy, the devils." - -"That's nice," said I. "Do you think they could see my car when it -went up to Potijze?" - -"Sure," he replied with conviction. "Sure. If they haven't shelled -you yet they _will_, all right, don't _you_ worry." - -He left me cogitating, as he strode off whistling, evidently unaware -he had put anything but comforting ideas in my head. - -All those who came from "up there" agreed as to one thing--the storm -of howitzer-shells made one's chance of living through a "turn in the -trenches" extremely slim. Many men were undeniably demoralised by it. - -"The few of my poor chaps that are left," a 28th Division subaltern -told me, "seem to have the idea their number is up. They keep saying -that if they don't get it to-day they'll sure get it to-morrow. -Hardly any of them have much hope of getting out alive. I keep trying -to hearten 'em, but it's rotten work. Every time I rip out something -intended to be cheerful along comes a Jack Johnson and blows up a -whole bally section of trench, burying alive those it don't kill. -Then the poor beggars alongside just nod at each other and say: 'You -and me next, Bill,' and what in hell _can_ I tell 'em? - -"Why in the deuce we don't have more guns up here _I'd_ like to know. -It does get sickening to be shelled, and shelled, and shelled, day -and night, and hear so little of the same sort of stuff going over -_their_ way. Damn the German guns, anyway." - -I sympathised with him, and told him so. - -"I would like to see what de Lisle would do if _he_ was running the -guns," I told him. "He would send some hell of his own making over to -those Huns if _he_ was doing it, from what I have heard him say." - -Odd prophetic fragment of comfort, that. Three days thereafter de -Lisle was given command of the whole Verlorenhoek-Hooge front and all -the artillery east of the canal, a territory which he soon had "stiff -with guns." In spite of the preponderance of the Germans in heavy -ordnance our gunners gave the enemy good packages of the medicine -with which our hammered troops had been dosed for so many weary days. - -The run back over the Menin Bridge and through Ypres safely -accomplished, we visited the headquarters of General Snow, -commanding 28th Division. While waiting there a Hun howitzer shell -ambled lazily over my head and exploded a couple of hundred yards -beyond, throwing up a great cloud of black smoke. - -"Enemy airmen spotted this little lot," said a passing "red-hat." -"Warm time coming for Snow." - -His anxiety was unnecessary, however, for the next shell went much -further over us, and another two further still, as if searching for -moving troops far behind the line. - -The 3rd Cavalry Division troopers, loaded in motor-buses, went -Ypres-ward during the afternoon. General Sir Julian Byng had taken -Allenby's place at Cavalry Corps, and General Briggs had been given -command of the 3rd Cavalry Division in Byng's place. The British Army -contained no finer soldier than Briggs. This left the 1st Cavalry -Brigade without a G.O.C., as General Meakin, who had been appointed -to that command, was in England on sick leave. Consequently Colonel -"Tommy" Pitman, of the 11th Hussars, was placed in temporary command -of the 1st Brigade. Pitman, like Briggs, was a born leader of men--a -tower of strength in himself. - -Once during the afternoon my work took me to Ypres, but not beyond -it. A fresh attack was on, and the Boches were sweeping the Menin -Bridge and the road beyond with shrapnel. - -Even Macfarlane's intrepid motor-cyclists could no longer go over it -with their signal corps messages; but were compelled to dismount, -leave their motor-bikes in Ypres, and proceed on foot to Potijze by a -roundabout route through the fields. Those cyclists generally used a -road long after it had been given up as impassable by everyone else, -and when they at last abandoned it as too dangerous for use it was -indeed time, in their parlance, "to give it a miss." - -Our 2nd Brigade troops were under intermittent shell-fire all that -day, but came through with unusual good fortune. One shell lit in a -group of 18th Hussars, killed five and wounded eight, but the other -units escaped with extraordinarily few casualties. - -At the headquarters of General Bulfin, Commanding 28th Division, Lord -Loch, who was G.S.O. 1, on General Bulfin's Staff, gave us a very -welcome tea. - -From one of the 28th Division Staff I learned that the 4th, 27th and -28th Divisions had been through a more terrible time in the Salient -than we had known. Snow's Division, the 27th, were terribly depleted -in numbers. "Not many men left, and very few officers indeed," was -the sober way Snow had spoken of his lot that day. - -The five heavy attacks of the 9th, in spite of the battered condition -of the heroic men who faced them, resulted in no real gains and the -Germans suffered severe losses. - -We sought eagerly for news of the British attack along the Auber -ridge. Early in the morning word had come that the 8th Division had -made a splendid beginning by taking the German first line trenches in -front of them. In the afternoon we heard that the 4th Corps "got on" -well, but the Indian Corps and 1st Corps were held up by machine-gun -fire and had made no progress. A further attack was to be made at -4 p.m. on the 10th. On the 11th, the G.H.Q. information summary -remarked, laconically, that there was "nothing to report from the -1st Army Front." So the big attack, of which my gunner friends along -the Fromelle Road had such hopes, had fizzled out. - -Weeks afterwards I heard the full story from the lips of men who -were in the front of the fighting, but our task in Ypres was growing -hourly sufficiently absorbing, so that the whys and wherefores of -Rawlinson's failure to break through were of less interest than the -question of repelling the German attack on the Salient. - -As dusk drew on the conflagrations in Ypres lit up the eastern -sky. Our night headquarters were in a château not far west of the -unfortunate town. - -Wounded still straggled back in small groups, and ambulances arrived -every few minutes at a dressing station hard by the gates of our -château. - -Watching those ambulances unload made me proud to be an Anglo-Saxon. -The men were magnificent in their incomparable morale. Many a smiling -face hid teeth set hard in pain. Many a Tommy knows not only the -inestimable value of keeping a stout heart to help himself through, -but the immeasurably greater treasure of an ample store of cheery -words and light-hearted jokes wherewith to lift a comrade from -pain-racked despondency. - -Broken bodies, broken limbs, and many a broken head were there in -plenty, but one looked far to find a broken spirit. - -Before we went to sleep, good news came from the French. All the way -from Loos south to Lens, it said, and on through Thelus to Arras, the -German first-line trenches had been captured, save in two places. On -the 10th, the French reported having taken 2,000 prisoners and ten -guns. In spite of all, the succeeding days' reports whittled down -the final result to a tactical success, not a strategical one. The -break in the German line was made good by the enemy in short order, -and soon Gaul and Teuton were facing each other much as they had -done, previously, and the inch-by-inch battles of the Labyrinth were -soaking the ground of France's black country with French and German -blood. - -The big French attack and the British "push" had equally failed to -smash the German line. - -On our front British soldiers were to continue to show that their -line could hold as solidly as the Hun line had held to the south, in -spite of the hell of howitzer-fire that was daily to be let loose in -the Salient. - -Rocked to sleep by the earth-tremble of bursting tons of high -explosive, day-dawn on May 10th seemed to come the next moment after -my head had hit the floor which served me as a pillow. - -Before seven o'clock in the morning I was again in the Salient and -once more under shell-fire. - -Taking Colonel Home through Ypres and over the Menin bridge, we were -not long in reaching Potijze. - -The weather was perfect, hundreds of small birds hopping about the -roadways and twittering excitedly, as if protesting to each other -against the continual coming of the shells. - -Behind a ruined house near the Potijze crossroads, I made a lucky -discovery. Someone had built a comfy little dug-out, six feet by -four and nearly three feet deep, into which I at once repaired. -Its earthen walls were reinforced by heavy planks, and a roof of -earth-covered timbers was edged with barrels and sacks of bricks and -mortar. Ponchos lined the inside of the walls, and the floor was deep -with straw. On a shelf stood the remains of a ham bone and a tin half -full of marmalade. - -With thirty to forty jarring explosions in the vicinity every minute, -this habitation was little short of ideal, save for the smell, which -was fierce in its intensity and persistence. - -The earth of the open spaces near by was thrown into yellow and brown -heaps by the hundreds of howitzer shells that had rained on them for -days. Dozens of dead horses, scattered about, offended the eye and -polluted the air. - -A detachment of troopers, bent on rendering the trenches of the -near by G.H.Q. line a more safe shelter, had been spied by the Hun -gunners, who for hours sent a continual shower of shells over them. - -I had not waited long before I found I was not the only occupant -of my shelter. My companions bit me surreptitiously, leaving red -blotches which burned irritatingly. - -I sat in the open air for a few moments, deciding there was not -sufficient room in the dug-out for my small but persistent comrades -and myself, but a big shell landed near and sent such a spattering -horde of splinters all around that I ducked back underground and took -my chance with the less serious wounds of the busy little dug-out -folk, who seemed half starved, in spite of the ham bone and marmalade -that had been left to them. - -A couple of worried, hungry mongrel dogs came nosing about fearfully, -heads cocked inquisitively when they caught sight of me. I gave them -the bone and was thanked by a series of tailwags from each. - -A Hun shell set fire to a building not far distant, and soon immense -clouds of black and saffron smoke were rolling heavenwards. - -Many shells came close to where I was tucked away, one throwing a -cart load of _débris_ over my car, but none of them in the least -disturbing the tranquillity of my snug quarters. - -Returning through Ypres, we found the Menin Road and bridge had been -further hammered since we had come over it. At one or two points it -was almost impassable for a car. The carcass of a dead horse had been -blown right across the path, so that I was compelled to pass over -part of it. - -Houses were smoking on all sides, and red flames rose skyward in -several quarters of the town. - -A solitary old woman in black was picking her way tortuously past -the dead and over the tumbled piles of brick and stone. She was, we -thought, the last survivor of the civil population. - -General Adeney, of the 12th Brigade, called at 1st Cavalry Division -Headquarters and told me of the heavy shelling on the front that his -brigade had held. The signal wire from his headquarters to that of -his Division was cut by shell-fire fifty-five times in one day. His -men had gone through a terrible time, but had stood it magnificently. -General Adeney had wide experience with the Hun gas, and assured us -its effects could be greatly nullified if care was taken to follow -out the instructions as to the use of the respirators and face-masks, -which had been issued to each man whose duty took him into the -Salient. - -The 2nd Cavalry Brigade went from the G.H.Q. line to the front -position during the evening, but were relieved by the 1st Cavalry -Brigade before the next morning. The 1st Brigade spent the day in -dug-outs in a little wood near the Ypres-Roulers Railway, close to -the trenches. Shell-fire had cost the 2nd Brigade thirteen killed and -fifty-four wounded during its occupancy of the G.H.Q. line. - -The 9th Cavalry Brigade reported itself "quite comfortable" in -splendid dug-outs near Wieltje, but the shells wounded four of its -officers and eighteen of its men, nevertheless. - -From the windows of our headquarters château the fires of Ypres -could be seen burning brightly all night, a red splash on the -inky black of the horizon. Bursting shells and the flash of our -guns never ceased. Bright stars dotted the dark canopy overhead, -and brilliant trench-flares rose and fell in graceful arcs. The -wonderful, ever-changing sight and the continual diapason of the -heavy explosives was awe-inspiring. - -Early morning usually came with a lull in the gun-fire on both sides, -unless an attack was in progress. We hurried through breakfast on the -11th, and lost no time in getting away for Potijze. - -General de Lisle, Major "Bertie" Fisher, of the 17th Lancers, who had -joined de Lisle's Staff as G.S.O. 2 (in place of Major Fitzgerald, -promoted to G.S.O. 1 of the 2nd Cavalry Division), and Captain -Hardress Lloyd were my passengers. - -The rumph! r-r-rumph! of itinerant Black Marias told us that German -hate still held against shattered Ypres. As we approached the town -one or two heavy explosions were followed by a cloud of dust and -smoke where the shells had fallen on a building already a heap of -_débris_ and scattered its remains high in the air. - -At the railway crossing west of Ypres several newly made shell-chasms -made me pick my path warily. All the way to the Grande Place -shell-holes and gathering piles of rubbish and timbers made progress -difficult. - -The space in front of the cathedral was knee-deep in loose paving -blocks and stones. - -As we turned the corner of the Cloth Hall, and could see the battered -square, our sight was arrested by brilliant sheets of scarlet flame -edged black, that shot across the Rue de Menin ahead of us. - -The bright morning sun and blue, cloudless sky above, the grey and -white ruins on every hand, and the blood-red, leaping, straining, -struggling patch of angry flame that roared in our faces as we drew -near to it, made a picture that would have delighted the heart of an -artist. - -I stopped the car. - -The General at first counselled rushing through the fire, but I -dreaded the result. Even should we have dashed past unscathed, the -thought of the petrol in the car made me hesitate. - -Then, beyond the conflagration, we saw that a house at the western -approach to the Menin bridge had been knocked over by a shell, and so -fallen that it completely blocked the road. Half a hundred men must -work for hours before the Menin bridge would once more be open for -traffic, though fortunately the bridge itself was undamaged. - -Reversing the car and regaining the Grande Place, I threaded my way -past deep holes in the _pavé_, and cautiously clambered over piles of -_débris_ as we sought another route eastward. Along a street where -desolation reigned supreme we went, until we reached the eastern moat -wall. Turning north, we sought an outlet on the St. Jean road. - -Pushing over great fallen timbers, nail-studded and threatening a -puncture at every revolution of the wheels, over, by and into holes -in the paved road, it seemed impossible the car could surmount and -pass the mounds of wreckage and paving-blocks that filled the way. - -Over the railway we crawled, and to the very northern edge of -Ypres. Just as we were congratulating ourselves on having won -through, in spite of apparently insurmountable difficulties, a -monster shell-cavity, thirty feet in diameter, and so deep as to be -absolutely impassable for the car, opened in front of us. - -The road was wide, but the shell had fallen in its centre, heaping -the earth and stone at the edges of the gaping crater until it -blocked the street from side to side. - -General de Lisle and his two companions dismounted and proceeded on -foot, instructing me to "be careful and get home safely." - -Heading the way I had come was a task of some magnitude. Pneumatic -tyres were not made to traverse shell-torn roads covered with glass, -nails, and sharp bits of iron and stone, but my trusty Dunlops did -not fail me. - -In the square I stopped to get a photograph of a fire that was -enveloping the houses at the back of the cathedral. Every building in -the district was burning, some smouldering and smoking threateningly, -while the flames raged fiercely from top to bottom of others standing -near. - -As I pulled up, a fearful crash came from the Menin bridge not far -behind me, the shock of the concussion almost throwing me down. -Giving up all idea of procuring pictures under such circumstances, I -ignominiously fled as fast as it was safe to go. - -Passing the cathedral, I saw a fine collie dog, his tail between his -legs, slinking along furtively. I called him, dismounting from the -car and trying to induce him to come to me, but he was scared so -badly he only ran the faster at my approach. - -In the western edge of Ypres a worn, drawn-faced Belgian, with -a hunted look in his eyes, was slowly and carefully shoving a -wheelbarrow, on which was a rude pallet. Stretched upon it lay the -wasted form of a frail woman, close-swathed in as much bedding as the -method of conveyance would allow. Her skin was wax-white, her wide -eyes large and lustrous. She had not sufficient strength to prevent -her feet from trailing the ground. An aged crone shuffled beside the -sick woman, on her face a picture of agonised fear painful to see. - -Big Hun guns were searching for little British ones not far away, and -at every detonation the poor old woman jumped nervously. - -An offer of assistance met with no response, as if they were past all -capability of communication. The horrors they must have gone through -for weeks in some cellar in that stricken town baffle imagination. - -They were undoubtedly the last of the residents of Ypres to leave the -town alive. If others remained, it was but to be buried under the -falling walls of their hiding places, or to meet a worse fate in the -flames that were raging from one end of the city to the other. - -Vlamertinghe received a sharp shelling that forenoon, and a few -minutes afterward I took General de Lisle through the town to the -headquarters of General Wilson of the 4th Division. As we ran through -Vlamertinghe, Tommies were busy sweeping the roadway clear of -_débris_ thrown about by the shells five minutes before. - -When at General Bulfin's Headquarters _estaminet_ a quarter of an -hour later, I saw Hun shrapnel again begin bursting in twos over -Vlamertinghe, which was gradually becoming an unhealthy locality. - -The clear air brought out dozens of aeroplanes, which kept the -anti-aircraft guns busy. The Germans sent up a couple of weird -"sausages"--anchored observation balloons of peculiar shape. - -The amount of ammunition used in the continuous shelling of the -trench line was stupendous. - -[Illustration: Dragoon Guards resting in the huts near Vlamertinghe] - -[Illustration: Graves of Captain Annesley, Lieutenant Drake and -Captain Peto, all of the 10th Hussars, in a graveyard on the Menin -Road] - -On one run toward Ypres I passed the "Princess Pat's" (Princess -Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry), fresh from the 27th Division -trenches, and on their way to a rest in billets. They were indeed a -sturdy lot. All forenoon the Huns shelled our front line from the -Menin Road to the north as it passed the Hooge Château and circled -the Bellewaarde Lake. Wounded men poured back through Ypres from the -Front, marvelling that they had escaped death in the trenches, and -wondering still more that they had not been blown to atoms as they -trudged back along the deadly Menin Road. - -A wounded trooper of the 11th Hussars reported his regiment -unpleasantly situated in bad dug-outs in a wood, between the -Ypres-Roulers Railway and the Bellewaarde Lake. The dug-outs were not -of sufficient size to accommodate the whole of the 11th, and when -a detachment of Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders claimed shelter -therein as well, the congestion became dangerous. The Hun shells -burst immediately over the dug-outs, and some casualties had occurred -before morning dawned. So little accommodation seemed available that -one squadron of the 11th had been sent back to the G.H.Q. line, where -it had been badly hammered by howitzer fire for hour after hour as -the morning passed. - -Romer Williams and I walked from our château to a "Mother" gun, -concealed under a screen of dry branches in a near-by farmyard. The -big 9·2 howitzer was throwing its 290-pound projectiles, filled with -lyddite, into the Hun trenches in front of Hooge, nearly 9,000 yards -distant. The five-mile journey was accomplished by each shell in -35 seconds, a rate of more than 500 miles per hour. Dodging a shell -which was coming at such speed would be something of a feat. - -Yet, standing directly behind the breech, we could distinctly see the -9·2 shell as it left the muzzle and started on its sinister errand. - -For so huge an engine of war its paraphernalia was simple. The -howitzer stood on a platform built into the farmyard. Rows of shells, -each a load for four men, lay in a ditch behind it. On a log, under -a tall tree, sat the captain gunner, by his side a non-com. busy -figuring out mathematical equations, and another poring over a -large-scale map. With his back to the tree crouched a Royal Flying -Corps man, his receiver to his ear, and an elaborate box of wireless -telegraphic tricks beside him. Across the road a slender pole, a -score of feet in height, completed his wireless installation. - -"Fire!" said the captain, sharply. - -Flash! bang! "Mother" recoiled with a shock and returned leisurely. -Not a big noise or a very trying one on the ears of those near by, -unless in front of the "business end." The crew stood close at hand -as each round was fired. - -Before an unsophisticated onlooker would imagine the great shell had -reached its destination, the wireless man, listening attentively to -the message from an aeroplane observer high over the Huns, and out of -our sight, sang out "150 yards over." - -A cabalistic sequence of numbers was shouted in staccato tones by one -of the non-coms, repeated by a man at the breech, and flash! bang! -went "Mother" again. - -"Well placed. Right into them," said the wireless operator, as the -approving message was ticked from his fellow in the 'plane. - -Flash! bang! the work went on, comforting the battered men in our own -trenches, and harrying the Germans in theirs. - -"Had nine direct hits on their trenches yesterday," said the captain -gunner, "and have got the range pretty well to-day. Managed to get a -couple into one of the German batteries this morning, too." And he -grinned. - -If the men who made the shells could have known how much heart every -9·2 projectile put into the brave boys that faced the Hun trenches, -weary to distraction of everlasting German shelling, and little -return thereto, they would have been justly proud of their handiwork. - -A "Mother" shell was a fine tonic for those who were behind it, "when -it popped." - -On the night of the 11th the 1st and 9th Brigades "took over" the -parts of the line held by the 27th Division and most of that held by -the 28th. Up to that time the troopers had been only in reserve or -support, yet so heavy was the Hun gun-fire in the Salient that our -Division had lost one officer killed and seventeen wounded, and the -casualty list among the men was but few short of one hundred. - -De Lisle was given command of a stretch of line reaching from near -the Bellewaarde Lake to the Wieltje-St. Julien road, and 2,500 28th -Division men and all the guns east of the Yser-Ypres Canal were -placed under him. He at once planned to throw several additional -batteries into the Salient, and gave orders which would result in a -shell-surprise for the Huns. Every time the German gunners started -to shell our trenches, the German trenches were to be deluged with a -half an hour of concentrated shell-fire from all de Lisle's field -batteries, his 6-inch howitzer battery, and the single 60-pounder gun -that had been allotted to him. - -The day closed with the repulse of the last of three sanguine enemy -attacks that had been launched since morning, two of which had gained -a foothold in the British line, only to have it, in each case, torn -from their grasp by costly counter-attacks. - -The Ypres-Poperinghe road was filled with troops marching westward. -"To what lot do these men belong?" I asked General Mullens, as we -stood watching the passing columns. - -"They are of the Northumberland Brigade," said Mullens. "I am told -that but 900 of them are left out of more than 5,000. Another Brigade -went into the Salient 5,500 strong a fortnight ago, and has come out -to-day numbering but 950." - -I went to bed by the bright light of burning Ypres, which made every -tree cast flickering shadows to try the nerves of the men who tramped -up in the cold darkness to share the morrow's battle, or trudged back -to billets to sink into the torpor of extreme exhaustion, until in -their turn they should again face the shattering shell blasts. - -May 12th was comparatively a quiet day. The wind had changed, and Hun -gas attacks were impossible until it again swung round to the east. - -I told Captain Francis Grenfell, of the 9th Lancers, about the -"Mother" gun not far away, and we strolled down where it was -quartered just in time to watch it fire a score of rounds at a German -battery which was in action at the bend of the Ypres-Comines Canal -near Hollebeke. - -A second 9·2 gun had arrived in the night and taken up quarters in -an adjoining farm. It had been doing good work near Brielen, but was -"spotted" by a German air-scout and "found" by the enemy's guns. One -man killed and several wounded by a German shell decided the gunner -in command to "make a get-away" from the discovered position. - -The 3rd Cavalry Division troops were put under de Lisle's command in -addition to those of his own Division and the odd brigades of the -28th Division. - -[Illustration: Officers of the Cavalry Corps] - -[Illustration: A typical farm in Flanders, in which British soldiers -were billeted] - -A slice of trench taken by the Huns on the 11th, and retaken by -a British counter-attack that night, was rushed by the enemy on -the morning of the 12th and captured, only to have another British -counter-attack prepared for the evening. Thus the line of battle -surged forward and backward day after day, each section of trench -being fought over time and again with heavy losses to both sides. - -Slowly the German circle was drawing closer to the stricken town. The -second battle of Ypres was in full swing. - -At lunch time General Allenby and his Chief of Staff were guests of -our mess. It was a source of great satisfaction that the cavalry, -on the threshold of one of the hardest struggles it had been called -upon to face, should be under a Corps Commander who had so long been -at its head as the G.O.C. of the Cavalry Corps. No man that I saw in -the months I was with the British Expeditionary Force inspired more -confidence in his leadership than Allenby. - -General Meakin arrived from England, but decided that the command -of the 1st Cavalry Brigade, to which he had been assigned, had best -be left in the hands of "Tommy" Pitman until its turn in the front -trenches was done. Pitman knew the ground and had a wonderful grasp -of the situation, and to no other one man was due more of the credit -for the holding of the line during the ensuing forty-eight hours. - -On the night of the 12th, the tired infantry of the 28th Division -was given relief from the firing-line, and before dawn the two and a -half miles of front trenches, from the Canadian Farm, north of the -Ypres-St. Julien Road, south to the western shore of the Bellewaard -Lake, a few yards from the Ypres-Menin Road at Hooge, was manned by -the dismounted troopers of the 1st and 3rd Cavalry Divisions. - -The 2nd Cavalry Brigade held the extreme left of this stretch of -cavalry line. The 18th Hussars were furthest north, the 4th Dragoon -Guards in the centre, and the 9th Lancers on right. South of them -were the three regiments of the 1st Cavalry Brigade--5th Dragoon -Guards, 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays), and 11th Hussars. The 5th -Dragoon Guards were on the left of the Queen's Bays, whose right -rested on the Ypres-Zonnebeke Road near Verlorenhoek, a thousand -yards from Potijze, where de Lisle so often took me each day. The -11th Hussars were in some trenches near the grounds of the Potijze -Château, The 9th Cavalry Brigade was in dug-outs near Wieltje. - -South of the Ypres-Zonnebeke Road came the 3rd Cavalry Division -front; the 7th Brigade first, then the 6th Brigade, the 8th Brigade -being in reserve. - -Of the 7th Brigade, the 1st Life Guards formed the left, their -trenches leading south from the Zonnebeke Road. One of their -squadrons was in a reserve trench at the back of the line. Next on -the right came the 2nd Life Guards, then the Leicestershire Yeomanry, -whose right rested on the Ypres-Roulers Railway. - -The 6th Brigade held the line from the railway to the Bellewarde -Lake, the 3rd Dragoons on the left, the North Somerset Yeomanry on -the right, and the 1st Royal Dragoons (Royals) in reserve a bit to -the rear, and but a few yards north of the Menin road. - -The 8th Brigade, in reserve, was composed of the Royal Horse Guards -(Blues), the 10th Hussars, and the Essex Yeomanry. - -Each cavalry regiment had a fighting strength of about 300 men. -The 1st Division numbered some 2,400 rifles, and the 3rd Division -roughly 2,700, say, just over 5,000 men for the two Divisions. An -extra number of machine-guns made up for their comparatively small -numerical strength. - -The trench-line into which the troopers were thrown that night was -in poor condition for defence. A foot of mud was the average bottom, -and further attempts at digging only resulted in more water and mud. -Parapets of sandbags and wire entanglements were sadly needed all -along the line, and, at that, sandbag parapets were all too easily -demolished by Hun shell-fire, which made short work of them. - -A careful reconnaissance of the 3rd Cavalry Division trenches failed -to reveal a stretch of 100 yards where more sandbags and more wire -were not urgently required. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - -Dawn on the 13th of May was the signal for a howitzer bombardment -of the cavalry front which surpassed in intensity and duration any -previous gun-fire during the whole War. - -From four o'clock in the morning until five o'clock in the afternoon -it drifted from one section to another, without respite. During the -entire forenoon the trench line north and south of the Zonnebeke -Road, viewed from Potijze, a thousand yards to the rear, was -covered continuously with a heavy pall of smoke, as if a well-fed -conflagration was raging beneath. The flashes of bursting shells in -that smoke-cloud were so numerous that no human eye could follow or -count them, even in a most restricted range of vision. - -The sound was one grand, incessant roar. All the thunderstorms -of time, crashing in splendid unison, would not have made a more -magnificent din. The ear could not intelligibly record so tempestuous -a maelstrom of sound-waves, and the brains of those in the midst of -its wildest fury became numb and indifferent to the saturnalia of -explosion, save for one here and there which lost its mental balance, -perhaps never to be regained. - -Early in the morning General de Lisle sent me to Potijze with Captain -Hardress Lloyd. General Meakin rode up with us on his first visit to -the Salient since his return from sick leave. - -Ypres was impassable. We took a round-about course to the north, now -dashing down a muddy lane, now over a turnip field where constantly -passing traffic had worn a sort of path, over an improvised bridge -across the canal, at last reaching the Ypres-St. Jean Road that led -away to Wieltje and St. Julien. By a cross road of sorts we found our -way to Potijze, thankful to have arrived safely. - -Before we had traversed much of the way from our headquarters, west -of Ypres, we were in a bad shell-zone. On the narrow road, ammunition -limbers went up at a trot and returned at full gallop. The route was -lined with red-bandaged wounded struggling rearward as best they -could, and ambulances were always in evidence. As we turned a corner -a Black Maria exploded with a fearful bang fifty yards ahead, right -beside the roadway. A small piece of the shell hit General Meakin in -the head, but luckily was so spent it did not cause a wound. - -As we neared the canal blue ruin was spread everywhere. Battery on -battery of our artillery, firing like mad, barked and roared from the -fields at our sides, while Hun shells fell close and fast around them. - -A car dashed towards us, the chauffeur holding up his hand to stop -us. It was "Babe" Nicholson's car, empty except for the driver, -whom Nicholson had told to "look out for himself," while "Babe" was -showing the way trenchwards to a depleted battalion of York and -Durham Territorials sent forward as reserve. Only 380 of their 1,000 -remained from the fortnight's fighting and sixteen of their officers -had been killed or wounded, but they trudged up as if arriving fresh -from home. - -"Stop, sir," said the scared chauffeur. "They are shelling the road -beyond so heavily no one can get through." - -"Did you just come through?" asked Hardress Lloyd. - -"Yes," replied the boy; "but a couple almost lit on me. One of them -blew the car into the hedge." - -"Go ahead, President," said Lloyd grimly. "We have got to get there -somehow." - -We got there, somehow. - -Once we ran through the ill-smelling shell-cloud of a coal-box that -burst a few yards in front of us, and twigs from the trees fell -over the car as the shells screamed above, but we dodged on, past -shell-holes and around barricades, untouched. - -Pulling up, I saw Nicholson's car behind us, the driver grinning. - -"I thought if it was good enough for you it was good enough for me," -he said. "But I'm hanged if I thought _anyone_ could get over that -road and not be hit. It's the first time I've been up here." - -I introduced him to my tiny Potijze dug-out, which he thought -"smelled horrid." He was inclined to a preference for the open air -until a great howitzer-shell lit fifty feet away, pieces from it -knocking over some of the wall of the ruined house behind which the -dug-out had been made. As he joined me in the cramped space below -ground another Black Maria burst across the road from us, making the -earth tremble and showering splinters on the roof of our shelter. - -Fortunately for those whose work took them over the roads that -morning the sky was leaden and rain fell at intervals, rendering -German aeroplane observation impossible. Had a Hun airman caught -sight of the traffic-filled road over which we had come the enemy -gunners might have effectually closed it to traffic. - -As we waited at Potijze the shells from the British guns behind us -seemed to fill the air. Gradually the fire of the German howitzers -concentrated on the trench-line in front of us, and the Boche gunners -burst shrapnel all about the fields, searching erratically for the -English batteries. - -Budworth, of the artillery, was very much upset that morning by the -target selected by one of the British howitzers. - -Our divisional batteries H, I, and the Warwickshire Territorial -Battery, were doing fine work and splendid execution. - -Budworth's observers sent back word that some of our heavy guns were -shelling a farm that he had instructed should not be shelled by his -batteries. - -Instantly he sent to the howitzer commander and asked him to "Please -get off that farm." - -"What's wrong with it?" asked the howitzer man. "It's in German -hands, right enough." - -"Of course it is," said Budworth. "But I've figured out that the Hun -Artillery Commander would have his headquarters about there; very -probably in that very farm. The old chap is peppering my batteries -with shrapnel, which don't bother us, for we just get in our -funk-holes and wait until it's all over, then run out and bang away. -For that matter we don't even go in for it, if we are busy. If the -old Boche chap who is running their guns should be killed by one of -your big shells, and another German beggar, who decided to use high -explosives on us, should take his place, we couldn't stay here long. -Whatever you do, don't bother the old German gunner-chap. He is quite -all right, from our standpoint, where he is at present." - -Budworth's theory was proven sound by the fact that out of his three -batteries of field guns he only lost eleven men and ten horses in a -fortnight of fighting. - -Standing in the Zonnebeke Road and looking toward Verlorenhoek, the -shell-swept front line was plainly visible, a little more than half -a mile away. - -To reconstruct a fight on a two-and-a-half mile front such as the -battle of May 13th, with official regimental reports to which to -refer, would be sufficiently difficult. To piece it out while it was -actually in progress was increasingly so. - -I ran back and forth from our headquarters west of Ypres to the town -of Potijze many times that day. By evening, when I left the Salient -for the night, I had met with scores who had terrible tales to tell. -The wounded made an unending stream westwards, and numbered many a -familiar face. - -Officers and men all declared the shell-fire was the heaviest they -had seen. At no point in the line was the German shelling more fierce -than on either side the Zonnebeke Road, near Verlorenhoek. The -Queen's Bays were to the north of it, the 5th D.G.'s on their left. -On the south of the road were the 1st Life Guards, and on their right -the 2nd Life Guards, then the Leicestershire Yeomanry. - -The Bays, under Lieutenant-Colonel "Algy" Lawson, formerly of the -Greys, held on like grim death in spite of the storm of shell that -burst over them at four o'clock in the morning and continued hour -after hour throughout the day. - -The Life Guards were driven back from their trenches with heavy -losses, and the Leicestershire Yeomanry had to fall back as well. - -This exposed the right flank of the Bays, but still they stuck to -their position. - -At about half past ten o'clock the commanding officer of the 5th -D.G.'s ordered the retirement of his regiment, the men trickling back -in two thin lines, one at either end of their section of front. - -This resulted in the left of the Bays being uncovered as well as -their right, but they put their teeth in and held on. The 11th -Hussars came up magnificently on the left shortly after, and shared -the glory, with the Bays, of saving the line. - -Twice during the day the Huns formed for an infantry attack in -front of the Bays, and each time our splendid guns were told of -the concentration, and poured shell into the massing Germans with -terrible execution, scattering the enemy detachments like chaff -before the wind, and thus nipping the attack in the bud. - -A strong enemy detachment came down the Zonnebeke Road and deployed -to the north of it, immediately in front of the Bays. The Boches were -lying in the open, but were protected from our rifle and machine-gun -fire by a swell of ground. - -A fat German observation officer obtained a place of vantage in a -shattered farmhouse just south of the road. No amount of sniping -could dislodge him, though the bullets chipped off bits of brick from -the slender stack behind which he was sheltered. Up came a Naval -Division armoured Rolls-Royce. Opposite the end of the Bays' trenches -it stopped and opened fire. - -The Hun officer in the farm noted the approach of the car, and fled -up the road as fast as he could run. - -"I had to laugh so much at the funny figure the little fat chap cut, -with the tails of his long grey coat flapping straight out behind him -as he ran," said one of the Bays to me that night. "I swear it did in -any chance I had of hitting him. He got back to his own lot safe, I -think, but he did made a holy show of himself doing it." - -A large number of the enemy were seen concentrating in a wood in -front of the Bays toward evening, and again word to our gunners was -followed by a bombardment of the group of trees that made immediate -evacuation of it the only alternative to sure death. - -On the extreme left of the cavalry line, the 18th Hussars suffered -more heavily than the other regiments of the 2nd Brigade, though the -9th Lancers had many casualties. - -The trenches occupied by the 18th Hussars were blown to bits. Some of -the regiment retired to the left into the adjacent trenches of the -East Lancashire, and some went back over the open ground in search of -the reserve trenches. Failing to find them, the troopers advanced to -the ruins of their own line and dug themselves in as best they could, -only to be blown out of some parts of the trenches a second time. - -The Hospital Corps men could not reach the 18th wounded, as the Huns -had a machine-gun trained on the only approach to the trenches. -Consequently many men, unable to be moved to a place of safety, were -killed as they lay wounded in trench or dug-out. - -The right of the cavalry line, from the Ypres-Roulers Railway toward -the Menin Road, was in very soft ground. - -The 3rd Dragoon Guards, North Somerset Yeomanry, and Royals, of -General David Campbell's 6th Brigade, were literally picked up and -thrown back by the howitzer shells, while the line was simply blotted -out of existence. - -The Royals, in reserve, made a charge at 7.30 in the morning that -took them to the place where the original trenches had been, but all -that remained of them, even at that early hour, were great tumbled -piles of earth and mud without semblance of form. - -Cecil Howard, Campbell's Brigade Major, was the only officer on the -6th Brigade Staff who was not hit, Campbell himself being slightly -wounded. - -The most spectacular manœuvre of the day fell to the lot of Bulkeley -Johnson's 8th Brigade, who were taken from reserve to counter-attack -at 2.30 p.m. and win back the part of the line out of which Kennedy's -7th Brigade, the 1st and 2nd Life Guards, and the Leicestershire -Yeomanry had been shelled. - -The area to be won back reached from the Ypres-Zonnebeke Road to the -Ypres-Roulers Railway. On the left of it the gallant Bays had stuck -to their trenches. On the right of it, David Campbell's men were -holding on, though frightfully decimated; their left, resting on the -railway, bent back slightly by the retirement of the 7th Brigade. - -The British artillery opened the 2.30 attack in splendid style. Then -up went the 8th Brigade, Blues, 10th Hussars, and Essex Yeomanry. - -It made the pulses beat high to hear the story of that charge from -the Bays, who had reserved seats for the show. - -The lines swept forward with a cheer that was drowned in the crashing -of the shells. The Blues reached the line of shell-holes that marked -the position of the Life Guards' trenches. No cover was to be found. -So on they went, a few of them actually penetrating the German -trenches 400 yards beyond, but soon realizing that their numbers were -insufficient to maintain their position, and slowly coming back with -what was left of their regiment. The 10th Hussars went up invincibly, -men dropping at every step. One big trooper was seen advancing some -distance ahead of his comrades, those who had been in line with him -at the start all down. He stalked along coolly, without waiting for -the others. The big trooper made a gallant showing, standing for -a moment and firing steadily, then tramping on, to stop and fire -again. No one dreamed he would reach the Hun trenches alive, but he -did so, and was the first of the 10th Hussars to disappear over the -enemy's parapet. - -Had the Germans stuck to their trenches the few of the 10th to reach -them might easily have been wiped out. But the Teuton soldiers fled -before that stern advance. - -Like the Blues, the 10th Hussars were too few to be able to -consolidate the small portion of enemy trench which they had won, so -nothing remained but a retirement. - -Back they came, the Hun supports quickly taking advantage of their -withdrawal. Two armoured cars pushed beyond the Bays' trench, up the -Zonnebeke Road, and poured a heavy machine-gun fire across the rear -of the retreating 10th Hussars' line. Few of that regiment would have -returned had this covering fire not protected their retirement. - -Once a group of troopers took a few dozen German prisoners, but the -captured Huns were nearly all killed by German shell-fire before they -could be taken to a place of safety. No trenches existed in that -area into which to put them, and English and German, captors and -prisoners alike, were mowed down by Hun shrapnel as they crossed the -fields towards Potijze. - -Months after that memorable battle, I had sent to me by a friend, a -distinguished officer in the 11th Hussars, some leaves from his War -diary. His account of the operations of his regiment that day read as -follows:-- - - "Thursday, May 13th.--At about four a.m. a terrific bombardment - began against our front line trenches. The fire was most intense, - and heavier even than at Messines. At 7.30 a.m. Brigade Headquarters - received a message from the 5th D.G.'s, saying that a great deal - of their trenches had been blown in, and that their position was - critical. The troops of C Squadron, 11th Hussars, under Norrie, were - ordered up to support them. There was no communication trench to the - front line, but by clever use of the ground they reached the 5th - D.G.'s with very few casualties. The bombardment still increased. - The Bays were holding on as well, but asked for more ammunition. - A party from Renton's troop succeeded in getting some up, but had - several killed in doing so. About 12 o'clock a regiment of the 3rd - Cavalry Division, on the right of the Bays, were shelled out of - their trenches, and the Germans succeeded in getting a footing in - them. General Briggs ordered a counter-attack, which was launched - at 2.30 p.m. Renton, who had been twice up to the front line to get - information for the Brigadier, volunteered to lead the 10th Hussars - up to the Bays' right, where they were to commence their attack. The - whole affair was carried out like an Aldershot parade movement. The - men screamed at the top of their voices, the officers making hunting - noises, as they all charged across the open. It was a glorious sight. - The Germans ran as if the devil himself was after them, our guns - pouring shrapnel into them. The trenches were retaken, but in the - excitement the attackers rushed on another half a mile. - - "The Germans then turned on all their artillery, killing their own - men as well as ours. Confusion followed, and the attacking line, - being broken up, withdrew about half a mile. It was a pity they ever - went beyond their original line, as the casualties were heavy. - - "To return to our own section of the line. The 5th D.G.'s reported - that they had put Norrie's troop into their front line, keeping the - other troop (Sergeant Lemon) in a support trench. Their casualties - had been heavy, and the situation extremely critical. During the - afternoon information came in that the whole of the 5th D.G.'s had - been shelled out of their trenches, and were retiring. Shortly after - this Lance-Corporal Watts came back from the front line with a - message from Norrie, explaining the situation. He had held on with - his troop when the 5th D.G.'s retired, and besides his own men had - a troop of the 5th and one of their machine-guns, and was covering - the left flank of the Bays--a grand piece of work. The line had to - be held at all cost, so the 11th Hussars were ordered to advance and - retake the lost trenches. Lawson's Squadron (A) was sent in advance, - with instructions to work up behind the Bays, and push in on their - left. Later, another message came in to say that a squadron of the - 19th Hussars, under Tremayne, had pushed up to Norrie and had been - put on his left; however, there still existed a considerable gap of - unoccupied trench. Divine Providence must have come to our aid, as - the shelling practically stopped as the regiment advanced. Soon after - 6 p.m. Brigade Headquarters heard that Lawson had successfully got - his squadron up to the front line. B Squadron, Stewart Richardson, - followed on, and by dusk the line was re-established. - - "Our casualties for the day were about fifty, the Bays had the same, - and the 5th D.G.'s had over one hundred, a large number of which, - however, occurred during the retirement. As the sun was setting the - battle died down. It had been a nerve-straining day, full of gallant - episodes." - -Wires cut, messengers killed, and the inevitable and exaggerated and -mistaken reports of the wounded, made the long day of fighting an -anxious one at de Lisle's headquarters. - -The day's casualties in the 1st and 3rd Cavalry Divisions were -thought, until well into the following day, to exceed fifty per cent. -of the men engaged. - -Early in the forenoon came word that "Hardly any of the 3rd D.G.'s -and the North Somerset Yeomanry are left." At midday Colonel Burnett -and Major Corbett, of the 18th Hussars, were reported killed, but two -or three hours later we learned the news, while unfortunately true -as to Major Corbett, was incorrect as to Burnett, who was sound and -well. - -At 4 p.m. General de Lisle sent me to Colonel Browne, the Chief -Medical Officer of the 1st Cavalry Division, to ascertain what was -actually known as to officer casualties in the Division. - -Colonel Browne said: "We cannot get the ambulances up yet to evacuate -the wounded, the shell-fire so covers the roads. Thus far but eight -of our wounded officers have been brought back." - -Among the eight was Major Sewell, of the 4th D.G.'s. The 9th Lancers, -Sewell thought, had suffered from the shell-fire even more heavily -than the 18th Hussars. - -As I was about to leave Potijze, at seven o'clock that night, a staff -officer reported that General Kennedy had just told him but ninety -men were left to him out of his fine 7th Brigade, and he greatly -feared that a large proportion, if not all, of the missing were -killed or wounded. - -General Briggs, at Potijze, received report after report of heavy -losses from the various 3rd Cavalry Division units, as dark drew -on, until it seemed that the Division had been practically wiped -out. But 200 men were reported to be left to Campbell of the 6th -Brigade. Kennedy's 7th Brigade mustered 120 at the close of the day, -and Bulkeley Johnson's 8th Brigade was so shattered that to obtain an -estimate of its numbers was most difficult. - -In spite of the fact that the 6th, 7th, and 8th Brigades had, -according to all military theory, ceased to exist as fighting forces, -their remnants were gathered together as best the darkness of the -night allowed, and put hard at work "digging themselves in," in -preparation for the fight that the morning light would be sure to -bring them. - -The Northumberland Territorial Brigade, its numbers raised to 1,200, -was sent up to help the tired troopers dig. Their General, Fielding, -an old Aisne acquaintance, lunched with us that day. He had just -taken over their command, as their former Brigadier had been killed -a fortnight before in the Salient. The transformation of that lot of -Terriers from raw, untried troops to veterans of shell-warfare had -not taken many days. - -Captain Johnson, a French liaison officer who had been attached -to General Briggs' staff since Mons, and who had won the respect -and deep affection of all with whom he came into contact, was -shot through the head and instantly killed that night as he was -accompanying General Briggs on a tour of the trenches in front of -Potijze. - -Wilson's 4th Division, on the left of the 1st Cavalry Division, which -had also suffered heavily on the 13th, had sent a message asking the -cavalry to take over some of its line, but that night it found it -possible to occupy a few hundred yards of the line held by the 18th -Hussars. This proved a most welcome assistance. The right of the 3rd -Cavalry Division front, from the Ypres-Roulers Railway to the Menin -Road, was given into the hands of the Irish Fusiliers, of the 27th -Division. - -The line, thus shortened slightly, was the scene of feverish work all -night long, that the importance of the small German gain might be -minimised, and a further Hun advance blocked. - -The actual ground gained by the Germans on May 13th was but 300 to -400 yards on a front of 1,000 yards. Our new line from the Zonnebeke -Road across the Ypres-Roulers railway was in better terrain than the -old position, and offered superior natural advantages for defence to -the deplorable original line. - -So we were far from disheartened when day broke on May 14th. - -The German heavy guns had seemed at times during the 13th to number -scores on scores. Though fire came from every direction into the -badly placed and rottenly made British trenches, blowing our thin -line sky-high all along the front, the net result of advantage to the -enemy was extremely small. - -On the morning of the 14th de Lisle said to me: "Bad as our losses -have been, I have the situation in hand. The men have held the line, -and will continue to do so. Every hour sees things get better." - -The shattered, depleted, almost anihilated regiments of the day -before were found by the grey light of that cold, rainy May morning -to be fighting forces still, their moral undamaged, and their spirits -undimmed. - -By half past six o'clock I was off for Potijze with de Lisle, a heavy -rain during the night having covered the road with slimy mud and made -it terribly slippery. We found Hun gunners so docile that I could -with impunity run the general to the G.H.Q. line on the Potijze road. - -As I waited in the roadway two of the Blues came past. Mud-covered -and battle-stained, they slouched along as if completely tired out. - -"Good morning," I called out, cheerily. - -"Good morning, sir," they answered, straightening, instinctively, as -they spoke. Fine chaps they were, and soldierly from head to foot, in -spite of the mantle of dirt in which they were wrapped. - -Nerves and muscles relaxed, almost at the limit of endurance, steeped -in physical fatigue, like a flash they could pull up, eyes clear, -heads erect, voices firm, the look on their faces showing that they -were just as good fighting men at that moment as they were thirty-six -hours previously. - -Over the smoke of welcome cigarettes we chatted of the charge of -the day before. The rushing of the German trenches, the capture of -a section of them, and then being overpowered and turned out by -overwhelming numbers of Huns, was gone over, spiritedly, by the -troopers. - -"Only seventy of the Blues are left, though," said one of them. -"That's the hard part of it." - -"You are sure to find more when things get straightened out," I -replied. "Casualty lists always grow smaller when the returns are -all in." - -They trudged on soberly, "Hoping so." Splendid men. - -I was sent to search the houses in Potijze, or what was left of them, -for a couple of wounded officers who were reported to be waiting to -be evacuated by an ambulance that had not yet arrived. - -An Essex Yeomanry trooper limped slowly passed as I started, and I -gave him a "lift" for a few hundred yards. He had badly sprained his -knee during the charge the day before. By morning it had become so -swollen and painful he could only hobble along with great difficulty. -No thought of coming back to have it attended to, after the charge, -had entered his mind. - -"We were told to hang on till dark," he explained, "and it took all -of us that were left to hang on. I couldn't have come back very well, -could I?" - -Before the day was over some of the official casualty lists of the -brigades were compiled, and we were greatly cheered to find the -losses were less heavy than had at first been reported. - -The 1st Cavalry Division casualties for May 13th numbered 523. In -the 1st Cavalry Brigade two officers were killed and five wounded, -and 164 troopers killed or wounded. The 2nd Cavalry Brigade had a -casualty list of 249. Three officers in the brigade were killed and -eleven wounded. Among the killed was Lieutenant Lunan, a very brave -medical officer attached to the 9th Lancers. The 18th Hussars lost -160, the 9th Lancers 140, and the 4th D.G.'s thirty-five. - -The 3rd Cavalry Division suffered more heavily. David Campbell's -6th Brigade had eleven officers killed and twenty-two -wounded--thirty-three out of a total of forty-nine. In the ranks, the -Royals lost 117, the North Somerset Yeomanry 105, and the 3rd Dragoon -Guards sixty-nine. The total for the brigade was 330 casualties. The -7th Brigade lost over 450 officers and men. Seven Leicestershire -Yeomanry officers were killed and five were wounded. In the ranks, -the Leicestershires had 180 casualties, making a total of over 190, -all told, out of a strength of 300. The 8th Brigade's list of over -300 brought the total of killed and wounded for the 3rd Division to -more than 1,100. - -A patrol of 15th Hussars, under Lieutenant Kenneth Maclane, -while the regiment was holding a part of the line to the north of -Verlorenhoek, went up to the German first line trenches during the -afternoon and found a section of them deserted, which showed the Huns -were little better satisfied with the strategical location of their -line than we had been with parts of ours. - -Visits to Potijze from time to time meant coming close to big -shell-bursts, but the fury of the 13th had made the itinerant -shell-fire of the 14th so insignificant in contrast that we paid -little attention to even the biggest of the Black Marias. - -That night the 2nd Cavalry Division, General Kavanaugh commanding, -relieved the 1st and 3rd Divisions on a narrowed front, the infantry -closing in on the sides. Before morning of the 15th our tired men -were on their way back to billets for a well-earned rest. - -_En route_ from Potijze to our headquarters at dusk on the 14th, -my despatch case fell from the car. I went over the road carefully -at daylight the following morning, and only desisted in my futile -search when the "morning hate" made it foolish to tarry longer in the -vicinity. - -Great was my delight during the afternoon to learn that a wire had -been received at Divisional headquarters, saying that, "amongst the -_débris_ on the battlefield had been found a despatch case belonging -to Frederic Coleman." A gunner of H Battery, R.H.A., had spied it in -a roadside ditch in the Salient, and thoughtfully taken it to Major -Skinner, commanding the battery, who had at once advised us of its -recovery. - -On the night of May 15th and morning of May 16th, General Hubert -Gough's 7th Infantry Division made a splendid "push" to La Quinque -Rue, in front of Festubert, the report of which made cheery reading. - -The men of the 1st Cavalry Division were housed in "huts" near -Vlamertinghe. On the 16th General de Lisle addressed the contingents, -one after another. He asked me to verify one or two details that had -been reported, and this work gave me a most pleasant couple of hours -chatting about the battle of May 13th with men of half a dozen of the -different regiments that took part in it. - -The evening of the 17th found the 1st Cavalry Division, after -seventy-two hours' rest, again marching through Ypres to take a -further turn in the trenches. - -[Illustration: Hussars' cook-house, Vlamertinghe huts, Vlamertinghe] - -[Illustration: Group of Cavalry officers at the huts at Vlamertinghe] - -The Salient had been comparatively quiet since the last German -onslaught on the 13th, but howitzer shells were daily falling over -the lines with tiresome regularity. - -I was sent by General de Lisle to a house near Ypres, where we had -planned to have a "basket dinner" before leaving for night quarters -on the Menin Road. A very young staff-officer, instructed to guide -me, misunderstood that such duty was required of him, and went off -about some business of his own before I had been able to learn the -location of the house. - -Meeting "Rattle" Barrett, I asked him if he could give me the desired -information. - -"I don't know about the dinner part of it," said "Rattle"; but your -headquarters for the night are well east of Ypres, on the Menin Road. -Go to the house nearest the château that stands by the Halte, where -the railway crosses the road, and you can't miss it if you try. - -The General had disappeared on foot, the juvenile staff-officer was -nowhere to be found, so off I went, in accordance with Barrett's -instructions. - -Darkness was coming on. I passed along lines of 2nd Cavalry Brigade -troopers, marching toward Ypres and through it. - -No lights were allowed, though my car was secure from liability -of offence in that particular, for the electric installation had -gone wrong, a not infrequent occurrence, and no one but a master -electrician could coax a glimmer out of the headlamps. - -Bump! Bump! I jolted from hole to hole in the smashed roadway. The -streets were crowded with the machinery of the divisional relief -in full swing. Ypres seemed more smashed, if possible, than when -we had last passed through six days before. From the Grande Place -down the Rue de Menin, to the bridge and Menin Road beyond, and -well out past the fork, where the roads branched to Zonnebeke and -Menin respectively, the path was narrow and tortuous. Piled high on -either hand were heaps of _débris_, alternated with chasms, some -sufficiently deep so that a fall to the bottom would put a car -promptly _hors de combat_. - -An unpleasant smell of burning flesh came from the smouldering mounds -lining the way. - -Star-shells and trench lights from the firing line made it possible -to see the road. Save for their assistance I could not have made the -journey without accident. - -The house where we were to spend the next few days was easily found. -The officers of the 80th Infantry Brigade were busy in it arranging -reliefs when I arrived. - -A house of stout brick, badly scarred and knocked about, covered a -cellar, low roofed and filled with foul air, but reasonably safe from -shell-fire. - -In this underground sanctuary the flickering light of a dozen candles -fell on crowded tables for signallers, around which the men not busy -with 'phone or ticker were asleep, heads resting on their crossed -arms. Officers pored over maps spread on other tables, or were -engaged in close attention to the receipt or despatch of innumerable -orders. Against one wall were three or four bedsteads, covered with -mattresses that had borne the wearied forms of a long succession of -British fighting men, from general officers to privates, and bore -ample evidences of having done so. - -A battery of British guns were firing from a position near by, and -German shells were bursting close enough to cause an interruption of -a conversation by their constant crashes. - -No news could I find of General de Lisle until Captain Webb, of the -Signal Corps, arrived. - -"The General?" he said in reply to my query. "I think the General is -in a house on the right of the road as you leave Ypres on the west." - -I lost no time in getting under way. The return journey was like a -bad dream. Shells fell in the vicinity of the road, but not so near -as to damage the steadily flowing river of troops, ammunition and -food transport, horse and mechanical; ambulances, motor-cycles, and -once, another car. - -A fatiguing house-to-house search landed me at the spot where -dinner had been. Orders left for me instructed me to bring various -impedimenta to the Menin Road; so, for the third time, I ploughed -through Ypres and toward the Halte, where at last I found de Lisle. -Nor was that by any means the last trip over that route that I was to -make that night. But enough of motoring troubles. - -On the 18th it rained with dour persistency. - -The 1st Cavalry Division line ran south from the Ypres-Roulers -railway, past the west shore of the Bellewaarde Lake. It dipped -south-east around the ruins of the Hooge Château and to the east of -where Hooge once stood. Crossing the Menin Road, the front threaded -the Sanctuary Wood, on the eastern edge of which the enemy were -entrenched. - -The position in the Sanctuary Wood was the extreme easterly -promontory of the Ypres Salient, and not many yards west of the line -which the 1st Cavalry Division held in February and March. - -General de Lisle's cellar headquarters were less than 2,000 yards -from the nearest front-line trench, and Hooge itself was not much -further distant. - -In an adjacent farm, which had been abandoned for many days, dead -cattle and chickens lay about the yard. The table in the living room -showed the family had decamped at meal time, evidently hurried by a -shell which shaved a corner off the house. They left without waiting -to gather up any of their simple belongings. - -The lonely cows ambled inquisitively toward me, and were evidently -greatly appreciative of a thorough milking, though few cared to drink -milk from cows pastured in that poisoned zone, where every inch of -ground was septic. - -On a dash through Ypres at daybreak I again saw the poor hunted -collie. Many mongrels thereabouts were frankly glad of a kind word -and a pat on the head, but the high-bred, beautiful collie, his -splendid coat matted and bedraggled, was so thoroughly frightened -that all my efforts to get close to him were fruitless. It was wicked -to leave him to death by a chance shell, and more than one of us -risked carrying away a shell-souvenir in a vain attempt to save him. - -At an early hour de Lisle said: "Find a shelter of some sort for your -car, President. Don't forget that the Germans turn their shells down -this road a bit at times." - -A search resulted in the discovery of a maltster's, where some -push-cyclists attached to a battalion of King's Royal Rifles -cordially offered to make room for my battered conveyance. A passing -ammunition train the night before had ripped off a front mud-guard, -and a horse ambulance had crumpled one of the rear guards, while a -transport mule had endeavoured to climb into the tonneau, to the sad -detriment of my folded cape hood. - -I never met a more cheery lot than those K.R.R. cyclists, who -generously insisted on my sharing a tin of steaming hot tea and -warming myself at their comfortable fire. They showed me a pump in -the ruins of a house adjoining, enabling me to get a rare wash, and -a still rarer shave, giving me a quite respectable appearance in -comparison with my comrades of the 1st Cavalry Division Staff. - -During the morning the General sent me to a riddled château not -far distant, where General Mullens had placed 2nd Cavalry Brigade -headquarters. An attempt to use the remains of the drawing-room as a -more comfortable habitation than the cellar, was abandoned during the -day, as coal-boxes fell with annoying regularity in the château yard. - -A call at the headquarters of General Arbuthnot, C.R.A. of the 28th -Division, in a house west of Ypres, found my lost despatch case had -been sent there by Skinner of H Battery, to whom General Arbuthnot -had kindly wired offering to keep it until I could call and reclaim -it. - -At Arbuthnot's headquarters I met a captain of his staff, who had -been a military attaché in China before the Boxer troubles in 1900, -and who knew many of the acquaintances I had made when campaigning -with General Gaselee in the war with China. - -In the course of conversation, I mentioned the prevailing belief -in many quarters that unwritten truces existed between British and -German gunners with regard to shelling certain areas. I instanced -Dickebusch, a continual home of one of our divisional headquarters, -which had been unshelled until our guns hammered a town in the German -lines where Hun headquarters were thought to have been located, and -thereafter was inundated with a steady rain of shell-fire for many -days. - - "Some peculiar things of that sort have happened," said the Captain. - "The Divisional headquarters to which I was recently attached, - occupied, near the line, a château which for months had not been - visited by a German shell. I became possessed with the idea, without - any real evidence to which to attribute it, that so long as our lot - did not shell the Hollebeke Château, our house would be free from - a Hun shelling. The Hollebeke Château was in the German lines, and - while I did not, of course, know positively, I felt sure it contained - some German brigade or divisional headquarters. Many a time our - batteries fired at enemy batteries on all sides of the Hollebeke - Château, but not once was it made a target by our gunners. - - "For week after week this condition of affairs continued, and was - often the subject of comment among us. Naturally, in the absence of - communication of any sort between the opposing forces, all this may - have been mere coincidence. - - "One day, returning from a walk, I entered the drive to our château - just as Hun shells began to rain upon us. The shrapnel came thick - and fast for several minutes, and the Divisional Commander and some - of his staff officers had very narrow escapes. One shrapnel bullet - passed through a wall only ten or twelve inches from the General's - head. - - "None of our divisional guns had been firing for some hours, but - another battery in the vicinity had been doing quite a bit of - shelling that morning. Curious, I asked the aeroplane observer who - had been directing the fire of that battery what target he had given - them. - - "'I went up to direct their fire on some German guns reported to be - near the Hollebeke Château,' the observer told me. 'I couldn't locate - the described spot, so directed our battery to throw a few shells - into the château itself. Our gunners at once registered one lyddite - through the roof and four shells right through the face of the - building. I'll bet we made it hot for any Boches that were inside.' - - "Comparing times," continued the Captain, "I learned that the - Hollebeke Château received its shelling exactly ten minutes before - our headquarters château was shelled by the Huns. What made the - incident more curious was the fact that for weeks our batteries did - no more damage to the Hollebeke Château and never again, at least - until I left it, did our château have a German shell near it." - -The rain softened the earth about the dug-outs in front of Ypres, and -soon an epidemic of caved-in sides and roofs was raging all along -the line, assisted by Black Marias, which shook the moist ground -until dug-out supports fell and walls collapsed wholesale. A captain -of the 18th Hussars was in a dug-out roofed by an iron bedstead. A -small landslide brought down the beams above and the bedstead fell, -so striking the Hussar officer that his neck was broken and he was -instantly killed. - -The 19th, 20th, and 21st of May passed quickly, the three brigades of -the Division changing from front line to support dug-outs and back -again in relays as the days succeeded each other. - -On the 21st the sun came out, bright and strong, and justified a few -minutes' delay _en route_ through Ypres to obtain some photographs. -The town was sadly depressing. Earthquake and conflagration might -produce as much ruin, but could hardly arrange it so fantastically. - -In Ypres Madame Caprice came hand in hand with Devastation and Death. -In diabolical mood she flung the shattered buildings of the staid old -town hither and thither with an eye to the spectacular. The grotesque -met one's glance on every side. Only a James Pryde could have done -justice on canvas to such a scene. - -After a thunderstorm of almost tropical intensity on the night of the -21st, the 1st Cavalry Division troopers were relieved, and soon after -daylight were sleeping soundly in the huts and the adjacent farms -near Vlamertinghe. The 22nd and 23rd of May they spent in resting, -and on the evening of the 23rd again went back into the trench line. - -General de Lisle returned for his rest to new quarters at Esquelbecq, -in a thirteenth century château which boasted the honour of having -once been stormed by Marlborough. - -The 14th Division of the "K" Army was billeted near Esquelbecq, -and had been placed in the newly formed 6th Corps. Allenby's 5th -Corps then consisted of the 28th Division, 9th Division (the first -of the "K" Divisions to arrive in France), and the Northumberland -Territorial Division. The 6th Corps, containing the 4th Division, the -27th Division, and the new 14th Division was placed under the command -of General Keir. - -On the evening of May 23rd, while the troopers of the 1st, 2nd and -9th Cavalry Brigades tramped through Ypres once more, and took over -part of the sodden trench-line of the Salient, General de Lisle -again took up headquarters in the big château not far west of the -demolished town. - -The Salient front trenches led over the line that was taken up after -the reconstruction following the hard fighting on May 13th. Wilson's -4th Division reached from the French right, near the Ypres-Yser Canal -on the north, to the Canadian Farm, then past the Ypres-Passchendaele -Road to the Ypres-Zonnebeke Road near Verlorenhoek. - -[Illustration: View of the 13th century château at Esquelbecque] - -[Illustration: "Jeff" Phipps-Hornby and Frederic Coleman comparing -underpinning outside Ypres, May, 1915; the thinnest and thickest -"supports" in the 1st Cavalry Division] - -From the Zonnebeke Road south, across the Ypres-Roulers Railway, as -far as the Bellewaarde Lake, troops of the 28th Division composed the -firing line. - -They joined the left flank of the 18th Hussars, who occupied a -position on the south side of the Bellewaarde Lake and in front of -the Hooge Château, the trenches at that point being about thirty -yards to the east of the château ruins. The right of the 18th Hussars -rested on the Menin Road, and close behind them in reserve were three -score odd York and Durham Tommies who had been sent up to dig. - -South of the Menin Road, in the Sanctuary Wood, came the 9th Lancers, -11th Hussars, Queen's Bays, and 5th Dragoon Guards, respectively. - -The 4th Dragoon Guards, 15th Hussars, and 19th Hussars were in -reserve in the G.H.Q. line. - -The night was less disturbed by gun-fire than usual, and even the -rifle fire and itinerant sniping were of less volume than for weeks -past. - -General de Lisle, noticing the strong westerly breeze die away, and -the wind shift to the east during the course of the afternoon, sent -a warning to the troops in the trenches to be on the look out for a -German gas attack next morning. - -At earliest light on Whit Monday, the 24th of May, the Hun gas came. - -Before three o'clock in the morning, the yellow-green haze was -drifting slowly on the light breezes that heralded the coming of the -dawn. - -Over the eastern front of the Salient the smoke-cloud came from near -Wieltje to the Zonnebeke road, and on to the south over the Menin -Road. - -The 28th Division troops, from the Ypres-Roulers railway to the -Bellewaarde Lake, were in the thick of it, and were driven back _en -masse_. - -The trenches of the 18th Hussars and 9th Lancers were also in the -path of the noxious fumes; but the 1st Cavalry Brigade troops further -south escaped them. - -For an hour the gas rolled westward, accompanied by a cyclone of -shell-fire, and followed by a determined infantry attack. - -No part of the cavalry line felt the gas more than the left of the -18th Hussars, which was held by a squadron under command of Captain -MacLachlan, who arrived at Vlamertinghe from England at seven o'clock -the night before. MacLachlan, with some of the half dozen other -officers and 130 men sent out to replace the casualties suffered by -the 18th Hussars on May 13th, was tramping through Ypres within half -an hour after he joined the regiment. New to Flanders and the Ypres -Salient, his experience of a gas attack before he had been in the -firing line twelve hours was a trying one. - -MacLachlan was impressed by the warning to be on the watch for gas, -and was in his forward trenches, awake and alert. His respirator was -ready, and he repeatedly told his troopers to see that theirs were -ready also. - -The gas was actually upon the men before they could distinguish the -poison-clouds from the early morning haze that frequently hung over -the lake. - -The first thick mantle of gas scattered the 18th Hussars somewhat, -but enough of them remained in the trenches to hold on until a -German machine-gun opened on them from their left rear. Seizing the -advantage offered by the retirement of the 28th Division troops, the -Huns came on as swiftly as the dispersing gas would allow, and soon -were well behind the 18th line. - -MacLachlan, later in the day, tried to write a diary of what -happened to him during the early morning hours, but it contained -little detail. To piece together a coherent story of such events was -difficult. - -"3.15 a.m., gassed out. 3.30, in again. 4.30, some York and Durham -Light Infantry officers showed up. 5.15, twelve men left out of my -sixty-one. 5.30, six men left. 6.30, 15th Hussars coming up." So ran -the diary. - -The Germans poured around the Bellewaarde Lake on either side of -it, and drove the few remaining 18th Hussars out of the trenches by -an outflanking movement with sheer weight of numbers. The troopers -retired across the Menin Road and trailed over the shell-swept fields -toward Zillebeke, and then on to the southern edge of Ypres. - -While the trenches on the lakeside and around the Hooge Château were -being torn from the grasp of the 18th Hussars, the 9th Lancers on the -right, across the Menin Road, were fighting like mad. - -The gas so filled their trenches that at some points the troopers -leaped on the parapets into the clearer air above, in full view of -the advancing Huns, and poured a fire into the German ranks that -dropped dozens of the enemy like shot rabbits. - -Captain Rex Benson, howling like a dervish to make his instructions -audible above the din of battle, mounted a high bastion and so -directed the stream of fire of his squadron that the oncoming rush in -front of that trench was stemmed. - -A rifle-bullet smashed through Benson's arm and badly shattered the -bone, but he held on in spite of his wounds until the first fierce -Hun attack was repulsed. - -Major Beale-Browne, commanding the 9th Lancers, at once realised the -danger to his left flank as the German bullets began to pour into -it across the Menin Road. Down the south bank of the highway ran -a communication trench, which Beale-Browne at once ordered to be -transformed into a defence against a Hun attack from the position -that had been won by the enemy from the 18th Hussars. - -A small infantry counter-attack to recover the lost ground at Hooge -failed, though two companies of the Buffs got a foothold in some -trenches north of the Menin Road, and not far from Hooge Château. - -Beale-Browne's headquarters were in the Louave Wood, behind the -Sanctuary Wood, and not far distant from the Menin Road. He and -Captain "Bimbo" Reynolds, the Adjutant of the 9th, who had been twice -wounded that morning, constituted the bulk of the garrison of the -Louave Wood, when they saw three or four hundred Germans advancing -from the north towards the Menin Road, preparatory to attacking the -wood, and thus gaining the rear of the 9th Lancers' trenches. - -At that moment some York and Lancaster Territorials, who had -been sent up from reserve in a wood south of the 9th, arrived. -Beale-Browne at once sent to the Infantry Brigade for more of them. -Lining the northern edge of the little wood with the Terriers he -waited until the Huns began to stream across the roadway, then swept -them back with volley after volley at close range. - -This move and the gallant stand made by the 9th Lancers in their -front line trenches, ably aided by the York and Lancaster lads, saved -the day. A couple of squadrons of the 15th Hussars also played a -gallant part in saving our important position south of the Menin -Road. - -The cost to the 9th Lancers was heavy, Captain Francis Grenfell, -Captain "Algy" Court, and Captain Noel Edwards were killed, the -latter dying from the effects of gas poisoning after he had been -taken to the hospital at Bailleul. - -Four other officers of the 9th were wounded, several men were killed -by the gas, and forty-eight hours later the number of casualties, -including those gassed and missing, was still over 100. - -While the strenuous struggle was proceeding in the front line -trenches, little was known of the actual results of the German -attack. Every man attached to Beale-Browne's headquarters, except -"Bimbo" Reynolds, was out of commission, save the telegraphists, who -hung on in the poisoned air of the signals dug-out until all the -wires were swept away by the German shells, and all communication -with the rear rendered impossible. - -General Meakin took over the field command of the Division, and -Colonel "Tommy" Pitman again took the 1st Cavalry Brigade. - -The 4th D.G.'s, 15th Hussars, and 19th Hussars in reserve in the -G.H.Q. line, were as badly gassed as though they had been in the -front trenches. - -In spite of this, they pushed their depleted ranks forward in support -over ground where shells were bursting in scores and hundreds, and -formed a new line along a road that ran north from and at right -angles to the Menin Road, about 1,000 yards west of Hooge. - -Here they held the enemy from making further inroads into our -territory, fighting fiercely every hour of the long day. - -The 15th Hussars and 19th Hussars suffered heavy casualties, and the -9th Cavalry Brigade lost one of its most popular officers in Captain -Griffiths, its Brigade Major, who was killed by a shell. - -The 4th Division front line held well, in spite of the gas. The only -4th Division trenches lost were along a front of 800 yards from the -Canadian Farm to the Ypres-Passchendaele Road. The East Lancashires -south of that road hung on with a bull-dog grip until help came and -counter-attacks could be formed and launched to retake the ground -that had been lost. - -My friend in the 11th Hussars, from whose diary I quoted a few -paragraphs with reference to the part the gallant 11th played in the -battle of May 13th, kept a most vivid series of notes as to what -happened in front of the 1st Cavalry Brigade on that memorable 24th -of May. - -While the 11th Hussars were on the right of the 9th Lancers, and -therefore on the fringe of the attack, a perusal of the following -will give an idea of what it meant to be in the front line of the -Ypres Salient on a bank holiday in 1915:-- - - "3 a.m.--Heavy firing, guns, rifles, Maxims, on our left; faint - smell of gas; just as dawn breaks. - - 3.15.--All quiet on our immediate front, heavy shelling going - on all round. Every wire cut between Brigade headquarters and - ourselves, and with the artillery. - - 3.45.--Still no touch with Brigade headquarters, so messenger - despatched. The headquarters of the 11th, Bays, and 5th D.G.'s - are all close together in a wood behind the trench line. The Bays - and 5th Dragoon Guards each have one squadron in hand; there - are also three companies of the 4th East Yorks Territorials in - brigade reserve in the same wood. - - 4.--The Bays send an officers' patrol to the left. - - 4.20.--Heavy firing still continues on our left. Telephone - message sent to O.C. A Squadron: "Try and get information of - situation on your left." - - 4.35.--Answer received: "Adjutant 9th Lancers just passed here. - Reports their centre and left gassed. No attack so far." - - 4.45.--Lieutenant Milne's patrol of the Bays returned. Report 9th - Lancers have been badly gassed, and retired from their trenches - in places, leaving big gaps. Reinforcements have gone up, and - line has, he thinks, been re-established. - - 5.--Captain Osborne, Brigade-Major, arrives from Brigade - headquarters. They have all suffered severely from gas; the - regiments in G.H.Q. line have caught it very badly. The - shelling has been very heavy, great number of casualties, men - streaming back from all parts of the line. When he left Brigade - headquarters they were in ignorance of the situation in any part - of the line. The only thing which kept their hopes up was that - not a single man of the 1st Brigade had returned. - - 6.30.--Lieutenant Milne reports that he went to Officer - Commanding 9th Lancers, who told him that his line was complete - to fifty yards north of the Menin Road. He has had many men - gassed, and has used up all his supports to fill up gaps in the - front line. He is pushing reconnaissance to his left. Heard - that the Officer Commanding York and Lancaster Regiment had his - battalion in a wood about 600 yards east of us, so went over and - saw him. He has 1,000 men, and is reserve to the section of the - line from our right to Hill 60. Got him to send two companies to - the Officer Commanding 9th Lancers. - - 7.30.--Lieutenant Hartman, 11th Hussars, returned with his - patrol. He had worked up to the Menin Road, where he had found - Captain F. O. Grenfell, 9th Lancers, holding on with a very - few men, and asking urgently for reinforcements of 200 men to - strengthen his line. As Lieutenant Hartman was leaving, three - platoons of infantry arrived. - - 9.--Heavy attack on Hooge. All our glasses are fixed on that - point. The village (now only a few ruined houses) is on a piece - of rising ground which commands, at close range, the rear of our - position. Withdrew one of the 11th Hussars' Maxims and laid it - on the village. Can see our troops falling back. If Hooge goes, - we are in the soup. 9th Lancers headquarters are in Louave Wood. - Beale-Browne is in command. He has still got one company in hand. - - 10.--Still holding on at Hooge. Can see more of our infantry - moving up from Louave Wood. - - 11.--Patrol reports "enemy have broken through 18th Hussars' line - north of Menin Road, and are working down on the road in rear - of Hooge." Hear heavy firing in that direction. Send Osborne to - officer commanding Y. and L. to get him to send three companies - to hold northern edge of Louave Wood, with machine-gun and - detachment at farm west of it. - - 12 noon.--Message sent by runner to Brigade Headquarters: "Still - holding on to Hooge, but Germans are astride the Menin Road. - Could you push up counter-attack in that direction? My line of - retreat is covered by German machine-guns in that direction. - Several orderlies have been wounded going backwards and forwards." - - 12 noon.--First messenger returned from Brigade headquarters. - Counter-attack is being organised. Messenger states that on - his way up he saw about 100 infantry straggling back from the - lines on our right, stating that their "'ole battalion had been - coot oop." If there is any truth in their statement, we are in - a nasty position, so send off at once an officer's patrol in - that direction to clear up the situation, and a squadron of the - 5th D.G.'s to support the patrol and form a flank protection in - direction of Maple Copse. No firing has been heard at all on our - right. - - 12.5 p.m.--Learn that there is a company of Royal Engineers - in the wood near the York and Lancaster headquarters, so send - them following order: "Proceed with Y. and L. guide to O.C. 9th - Lancers in Louave Wood, and ask him if he can find work for your - fifty men in consolidating the position on northern edge of wood." - - 12.15.--Germans attacking right of 9th Lancers' line and left of - A Squadron, 11th Hussars, with bombs. They are reported to have - broken the 9th Lancers' line at one point, but been driven out - again. - - 12.30.--Captain Lawson reports that section of trench held by - Territorials between his left and 9th Lancers has been captured - by Germans. They are working down his trench with bombs. The - captured section slopes up from the stream, and looks down on the - A Squadron trench. - - 12.35.--Interview the officer commanding 4th Yorks, explain the - situation, and tell him to take another company up, and with the - one already in the second line form a barrier behind the captured - portion, getting touch with the 9th Lancers on his left and the - 11th Hussars on his right. - - 1.--Message sent to officer commanding 9th Lancers: "Have pushed - up a support to form a barrier behind the captured trench. - Endeavour to get touch with them from the switch trench. A - counter attack is now taking place from Potitjze towards Hooge." - - 1.30.--The pressure on the Menin Road seems to be relieved. The - Germans are still bombing down Lawson's trench, but A Squadron - are putting up a good fight with bombs. Lieut. Gunter has been - killed. - - 2.25.--Message sent by runner to Brigade headquarters. "At about - 12.15 Germans captured portion of 9th Lancers' trench close to - 11th Hussars' left. Company of East Yorks sent up to form barrier - behind broken line. Switch on 9th Lancers' right is now held - instead of advanced trench. Western edge of Hooge still held - by mixed force of men. Send me information of counter attack, - for if Germans establish themselves on Menin Road during the - night, position of brigade becomes untenable. If it is proposed - to retire from here it would have to be done at night. Please - inform Officer Commanding 83rd Brigade that I have had to call - on all the York and Lancasters except 250 men. Following is - disposition of line at present as known to me:--1st Brigade line - as taken over last night. 2nd Brigade--9th Lancers, weakened by - losses, with left on Menin Road; right broken but being secured. - Remainder of 9th Lancers, with York and Lancasters, have formed a - line right along north edge of wood facing north. They have two - machine-guns on their outer flank and patrols to the Menin Road." - - 2.45.--Message sent to Brigade headquarters: "Please arrange - to send up to-night two dozen hand grenades per regiment, and - detonators, most important; also two dozen rifle grenades per - regiment and two dozen extra detonators per regiment, as the - bombs here are without detonators; also as many gas-sprayers as - possible. Ask 1st Cavalry Division to send up trench mortars with - Royal Horse Artillerymen or Royal Engineers to man them, as our - men don't understand them. They are urgently required." - - 3 p.m.--No further developments. Situation well in hand, but - hope that counter-attack is developing on north side Menin Road. - Lawson is holding on to the line of stream, but position is - untenable unless 2nd Brigade can re-establish original line on - their right. Make dispositions for holding new line from left - of B Squadron down communication trench to the support trench; - thence along to where it joins up with front line. The situation - on the right down as far as Hill 60 reported all right. The - trenches near Hill 60 visited by our patrol did not even know - that there was a fight going on. They thought all the firing was - a long way to their left. - - 4 p.m.--Situation unchanged. Have got majority of A Squadron - back into communicating trench, moved up squadron of the Bays to - complete the line and join up with 9th Lancers. Send following - message to Lawson, who is still holding on at the stream:-- - - "Most of your squadron are now back in communicating trench. - Squadron of the Bays and infantry are holding the second line. I - cannot send you up any more support; doubt your doing any good - by holding on to present line. If you cannot get away now, wait - until dark." - - 4.--Message sent to Officer Commanding 9th Lancers:--"Portion of - front line marked with crosses on accompanying sketch, has gone; - suggest your falling back and holding line marked with red dots." - Operations carried on without any further alarms till dusk. We - saw the right flank of the counter-attack coming up towards - Hooge. The Y. and L. co-operated in this movement. - - 5.--Following received from Officer Commanding York and - Lancasters:-- - - "Our attack on the Menin Road has been successful. All the enemy - have been driven back off the road as far as our left flank - rests. The companies have withdrawn to Louave Wood after leaving - a post on Menin Road, facing north. Patrols have been pushed on - to the north to try and get touch with the counter-attack, but - these patrols will now be withdrawn, and the Oxford Hussars will - be asked to send similar patrols. Some of the enemy have been - killed. Have collected their papers and identity discs, and will - send them to Brigade headquarters." - - Soon after dark we received orders that the Brigade would be - relieved to-night, but it was not till past midnight that the - relieving regiments arrived. During the hours between dusk and - midnight the enemy attacked vigorously with bombs both B Squadron - and A Squadron trenches. At midnight the 16th Lancers arrived to - take over. It was obvious that it was going to be a tight fit to - defeat daylight. Not a moment was lost, but it was nearly two - o'clock before the last squadron was relieved. The squadrons - moved off independently, keeping as far as possible on the low - ground. A violent fusilade commenced on both flanks of the - Salient, and "Spares" were fairly flying about over our heads. - The Germans were making another gas attack, and C Squadron, which - took a more northerly route, caught it slightly. Our casualties - were slight during the withdrawal, and it was quite light by the - time we reached Ypres. We raced on through the town, as shells - were falling about in a most unpleasant manner. We got back to - Vlamertinghe at 4.30 a.m., the men absolutely dead beat, having - walked seven miles across country at top speed. We dossed down - to sleep, most of the men preferring the open to the wooden - huts. Forty-eight hours without a check has been a bit more than - tiring. The casualties for the 24th of May were two officers - killed, twelve men killed, twelve wounded, and four died of - wounds. Lieutenant Poole, who was only slightly wounded on the - way back to Ypres, unfortunately succumbed to tetanus a few days - later at Boulogne. - -After sweeping over the firing-line and drifting past the G.H.Q. -reserve line, on that Whit Monday morning, the gas still moved -westward. - -H and I Battery men, caught in their dug-outs, had a liberal share, -and still more of the poisonous fumes gathered in ruined Ypres, or -floated on to our divisional headquarters further to the west. Some -of the gas was carried as far back as Vlamertinghe, between four and -five miles from the German trenches. - -"Willie" Du Cros, running with his ambulance convoy from Vlamertinghe -to a dressing station well west of Ypres, was sufficiently overcome -by gas to be for some hours dangerously ill. - -Hardly a member of the 1st Cavalry Division Staff, including General -de Lisle himself, escaped the gas fumes. Red and watery eyes, a pale -bluish tinge to the complexion, violent headaches, and continual -coughing were universal for the greater part of the forenoon. - -Gas shells continually burst over Ypres and the roads near it. More -than once I ran through pockets of gas, apparently caused by these -gas shells. Every one of us wore respirators or masks when near -Ypres, though "Babe" Nicholson inhaled sufficient gas through his -respirator to render him unconscious for five minutes after a "dash -up front." - -General Mullens, of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, and Captain Paget, -his Brigade Major, were brought in a dangerous condition to our -headquarters. By night they were able to walk about, but for a time -it seemed quite possible neither would recover. - -That evening I asked General Mullens, who was looking very ill, if he -thought he was free from the effects of the poisoning. "Somewhat," -he answered. "No one could imagine what the experience is like. The -helplessness and mental suffering of it are beyond description." - -Ypres came in for another terrific bombardment that day. The Menin -Bridge and the Menin Road proved such death-traps that they were -"closed to traffic" before the day was over. - -Romer Williams, of General Mullens's staff, came through Ypres with a -message just as I was going up. - -"You have a fine bruise on your forehead," said I, pointing to a raw -bump the size of a goose-egg. "How did you get it?" - -"I haven't an idea," he answered; "unless a shell bounced off it. -Some of 'em have come close enough, so I thought they _might_ have -done so. As I was coming back down the Menin Road, an ammunition -limber passed me, the horses at full gallop. I watched them cross -the railway metals at the halt. The limber jumped up into the air -when it hit the crossing and the horses seemed to be skimming the -ground, they were going at such a pace. Just as the limber bumped up, -a flash came, right over it, and when the smoke rolled away the road -led clean on eastward, absolutely empty. Not a sign of horse, man or -limber remained. A big howitzer shell must have hit it squarely on -the outfit, and swept it into the ditch like the wind would sweep -away a leaf. It was a terrible thing to see." - -Colonel Browne of the R.A.M.C. and his staff worked like Trojans. -Browne had not slept since 7 o'clock on the previous morning, and -had a bad touch of gas, like everyone else near headquarters. - -At break of day the roads were full of panting, coughing stragglers -from the front. Scores on scores staggered into the big front gates -of the château, and sank exhausted and suffering on the deep grass -that lined the drive-way. The medical officers hastily gave such -relief as they could and packed the ambulances full of the wounded -and the worst of the gas cases. - -By 9 o'clock in the morning 600 gassed men and 160 wounded had passed -through Colonel Browne's hands, more than four-fifths of them members -of the 28th or 4th Division units. - -The number of men who were wounded by shell fire when coming back -toward Ypres from the gas-filled trenches was legion. - -Five signal-corps men, attached to the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, were -badly poisoned, but managed to get back as far as the big square at -Ypres. They were in such a sorry state that a passing officer advised -them to lie down on the broken cobbles of the Grande Place until an -ambulance could be sent for them. They stretched out in a pathetic -row, and had not lain there long when a Black Maria lit at their -feet, shoving them half a dozen yards over the stones still in line, -every man of the five dead, killed before he knew of the coming of -the shell. - -All day shattered men were brought to the divisional dressing station -near the château gates. The wounds from the shells were terrible. - -A wounded sergeant of the Cheshires refused a ride from east of Ypres -in an ambulance, cheerily saying that those who _could_ walk should -do so, and not occupy space required for those more severely hurt. He -carried back his full kit, tramping sturdily along with a grim smile -on his fine face. At the dressing station a nasty bullet hole in his -shoulder was disclosed, which would have laid many a man flat on his -back. - -"Good man, of the old school. New ones can't touch 'em," commented a -grizzled hospital orderly, as the Cheshire sergeant passed out of the -room. - -A Tommy, with bright eyes peeping from a purple bit of face all but -hidden by a mass of white bandages, insisted on telling his story to -anyone who would listen. - -"He has told his bally yarn half a dozen times, sir," complained a -hospital orderly to the doctor. "I told him he was not to talk, but -he just can't keep his bloomin' mouth shut, he says." - -"Nasty wound, too," remarked the doctor, as we watched the talkative -individual. "Bullet went clean through his face, in one cheek and out -the other, and carried away every one of his upper teeth." - -But his injury had apparently increased his volubility. We could hear -his tale as he poured it into the ear of a gunner, wounded in both -legs and unable to escape. - -"You see the ol' gas stuff got us bad, some on us," he explained. -"But I got this 'ere bloomin' smash in the jawr, and that took up -so much o' me bally time I didn't pay no attention to no gas, you -believe _me_! I warsn't the only bloke lyin' there. They was a fair -lot o' our chaps near me. - -"The snipin' was cruel. Some o' the poor blokes that was bloomin' -well shot already got 'it agin. I was jest thinkin' mine was comin' -when wot oh! 'ere comes three big Prooshuns, tall as 'ouses. -Good-day, Bill, says I to meself. You next! It'll be the butt for -_your_ nut from these 'ere lobsters. - -"But not a bit. They ups with me and carts me over to a 'ouse. -Leastwys it _wor_ a 'ouse, wonct. An' wot do _you_ think! Them -Prooshuns give me a bloomin' fill o' cold coffee, like Christians! - -"'Bout this time the Buffs was comin' on an' my Prooshuns had to skin -out, rapid. They didn't do nothin' to me only say, 'Ta-ta!' in Dutch. -The fire got so 'ot I crawled off down a crick-thing full of the -stinkinest stuff that ever got called water. I rounded around, after -a while, an' come up back o' them Buffs a little. They saw me and -bloomin' near shot my 'ead off, so I lay still. - -"Then I crawled more. I 'ad got in front of some more o' our chaps -by then. Big 'uns was goin' orf right there, an' 'eads was down, -you bet. I was gettin' closer, when a fat-'ead sees me an' starts -shootin'. I 'ollered, an' the more I 'ollered the more 'e let off 'is -silly gun. 'E 'it my pore ol' cap, 'e did. Then some cuss shuts 'im -orf, an' they come out and gets me. - -"'Who are you?' says a orficer chap. 'I'm damned if I know,' says I. -'I've been shot at by everybody I've seen all mornin', except three -big 'Uns.' - -"'Mad,' says a cove, short-like. 'Send 'im in.' - -"'An' 'ere I am, with no jawr much left.' - -"'Humph,' commented the doctor as he walked away. 'Guess he could -stand the loss of some more jaw and not kill him. He seems to have -plenty left.'" - -A more sinister story was told by a trooper shot through the thigh. -He said the Germans got into one of our trenches, in which they found -him and nine of his comrades. Five of the ten had been hit. The Huns -told the wounded to crawl away to as safe a place as they could find, -and they straightway wriggled off down the trench, as directed. - -With a scowl on his face a big German said to the five unwounded men, -"We don't want _you_. Go!" He pointed his finger to the shell-swept -field that led toward the British reserve line. The five started on -a run, but had not gone far when the rat-tat-tat of a machine-gun -behind them commenced. In an instant the air was full of bullets. -Four of the five men fell dead. The fifth was the man who told the -story. He fell, he said, at the first sound of the quick-firer, and -thus escaped with a bullet through his leg. - -Counter-attack followed counter-attack as the day wore on. We -launched a small one at 2.30 p.m., a larger one an hour later, and -a still larger one was planned for 6 o'clock. This last was to win -back the lost trenches around the Hooge Château, past the Bellewaarde -Lake, and on to the north. - -The British guns cleared the way splendidly for the 6 o'clock -attack. "Mother" shells fell into a line of ruined houses near -Hooge. The Germans had placed several machine-guns there, and as the -9·2 projectiles knocked the bricks about their ears they scampered -out like chickens. A machine-gun not far away in the 9th Lancers' -trenches poured a hail of bullets into the Huns as they left cover, -and numbers were seen to fall. - -The Royal Fusiliers were attacking, but when their line "got up," -the advantage was lost, other enemy machine-guns had been brought -into the German trenches, and the attack "fizzled out," no real gain -having been made. - -So night closed in. By 2 o'clock in the morning of the next day the -fresh 2nd Cavalry Division troopers had relieved the tired men of -the 1st Cavalry Division, who were once more brought back to the -Vlamertinghe huts. - -The Cavalry had lost heavily, and was still to lose before the second -battle of Ypres was finished, though the ground won by the Huns on -the 24th of May marked their furthermost westerly advance. - -The part played by the infantry in the second Ypres struggle was -greater, numerically, than that of the cavalry, but the work done by -the troopers was of inestimable value. Their resistance broke the -back of the enemy's onslaught at its most tense moments. - -The work of the Queen's Bays on May 13th, and the 9th Lancers and -15th Hussars on May 24th, will long live in the annals of the British -Army. - -The following officers were awarded the Distinguished Service -Order, the task of selection for the awards from so great a number -of instances of gallant conduct during these May days being a most -difficult one:-- - -Major George Harold Abseil Ing, 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays). At -Ypres on May 13th, 1915, when the line was broken beyond the right -flank of his regiment, he came out of his trench in the front line, -stood on the road in the open under heavy shell-fire, stopped the -retirement of forty men of another unit, and turned them into his -section of the defence. The good results of his gallant action were -far-reaching. - -Major Charles William Henry Crichton, 10th (Prince of Wales Own -Royal) Hussars. Near Ypres, on May 13th, 1915, showed conspicuous -gallantry and ability in collecting and rallying men who were -retiring under heavy shell-fire through the 10th Hussars' position. -In our counter-attack he continued to direct operations, giving -great encouragement to his men whilst he lay in the open under heavy -shell-fire with his leg shattered. - -Captain John Grey Porter, 9th (Queen's Royal) Lancers. On May 10th, -1915, when a very heavy attack was made on the front line near Hooge, -Captain Porter went up to the infantry line there and brought back -very valuable information regarding the situation. On May 13th he -rendered the greatest possible assistance in taking messages under -terrific shell-fire to various parts of the line, and reporting on -various local situations. He set an example of coolness and total -disregard of danger that was beyond all praise. He has been twice -wounded previously in this campaign. - -The following eight cavalry officers were awarded the Military Cross -for their work in the Salient:-- - -Captain Stewart Graham Menzies, D.S.O., 2nd Life Guards. Near Ypres, -on May 13th, 1915, after his Commanding Officer had been wounded, -displayed conspicuous ability, coolness and resource in controlling -the action of his regiment and rallying the men. - -Captain Edward Archibald Ruggles-Brise, Essex Yeomanry, T.F. For -conspicuous gallantry and ability, near Ypres, on May 13th, 1915, -when he held a position gained in a counter-attack, although entirely -isolated, until ordered to withdraw at night. He had only fifty men -under his command. - -Captain Guy Franklin Reynolds, 9th (Queen's Royal) Lancers. For -splendid work on May 24th, 1915, near Hooge. When the headquarters of -the 9th Lancers were gassed, he constantly brought reports from the -trenches under very heavy fire, and helped to reorganise the defence -of the left section. Also when the enemy attempted to enter Louave -Wood, he was invaluable in helping to reorganise the defence. He -set the finest possible example of calmness, coolness, and courage -although suffering from gas and twice slightly wounded. - -Captain Charles Joseph Leicester Stanhope, 15th (The King's) Hussars. -For gallant and skillful handling of his squadron, near Hooge, on May -24th, 1915, with most valuable results. His squadron, having been -badly gassed, he took forward the remnants, together with stragglers -he collected, and on his own initiative, under very heavy shell-fire, -reinforced the front line. He remained in action all day, and when -the line on his left gave way he doubled back his flank with great -skill, and continued with the utmost gallantry to hold the position. - -Lieutenant Kenneth Douglas Lorne Maclaine of Lochbuie, 15th (The -King's) Hussars (S.R.). Near Ypres, for good work in command of his -squadron under trying circumstances, on May 13th, 1915. For gallant -and skilful leading of a patrol on May 14th, by which he gained -information of great value. He volunteered to lead this patrol, and -pushed forward by day, a mile in front of our line, and returned -with a good report as to the actual line then held by the enemy. -For coolness, determination and skill in handling his squadron -under difficult circumstances near Hooge on May 24th, 1915. He had -been ordered up with his squadron to reinforce the left of another -cavalry regiment, when the line north of the Menin Road gave way, -and the situation became critical. Lieutenant Maclaine showed great -skill in taking up a new position, facing north and west to meet -the new situation, and maintained his position under most critical -circumstances until relieved at 2.15 the next morning. His action -contributed greatly towards maintaining intact the line south of the -road. - -Lieutenant William Spurrett Fielding Johnson, Leicestershire -Yeomanry, T.F. For conspicuous gallantry near Ypres on May 13th, -1915. Was with Major Martin, and continued the action until the -squadron was reduced to thirteen men. Afterwards displayed great -coolness in withdrawing to a flank and joining a cavalry brigade. - -Lieutenant James Archibald Garton, North Somerset Yeomanry, T.F. Near -Ypres on May 13th, 1915, showed great coolness and daring. Held his -position throughout the day, notwithstanding that the trenches had -been blown in, and inspired all ranks by his behaviour. After all -senior officers were killed or wounded, he assumed command of the -regiment, displaying great judgment and initiative throughout. - -Lieutenant Nigel Kennedy Worthington, 3rd Dragoon Guards (S.R.). Near -Ypres on May 12th, 1915, showed great coolness and daring. He took -over a new line of trenches just before dark, and to get round the -line in daylight, he had to cross several open and fire-swept zones. -On May 13th, at great risk, he came back several times to report. - -From the foregoing list of honours it would be unfair to omit the -Distinguished Service Order given for magnificent work a week after -the fight on May 24th, to Major Philip Granville Mason, of the 3rd -(Prince of Wales') Dragoon Guards. "Whilst in command of Hooge Fort -and the adjoining trenches," the official report read, "he showed -conspicuous gallantry and ability in holding the village and defence -line allotted to him, notwithstanding a terrific bombardment for -several hours every day from May 30th to June 2nd, 1915, in which -practically all his trenches and dug-outs were blown in." - -On the 25th the regiments took stock of their losses and began the -work of refitting. I called at the headquarters of Colonel Burnett -of the 18th Hussars, hearing he was in a dangerous condition from gas -poisoning. No one was allowed to see him, and fears for his recovery -were expressed by those who attended him. Burnett was soon afterwards -sent home, where he was compelled to spend many long months of -convalescence before he was able to rejoin his regiment. - -Acting Adjutant Hill, of the 18th Hussars, had not been able to make -out any accurate list of casualties. Two officers of the regiment -were known to have been killed by gas, and five others were wounded. -The killed, wounded and missing totalled nearly 190 out of less than -300. Many of the missing, it was hoped, would prove to have been -gassed but slightly, and be able soon to resume their duties. - -As the sun went down that evening their comrades of the 9th Lancers -buried the bodies of Francis Grenfell and "Algy" Court. - -Court's face wore a smile, as though he was quietly sleeping. -Grenfell, shot through the heart at the height of the battle, bore, -too, a look of deep peace, as if at last he had cheerfully gone to a -better country, to join his beloved brother "Rivy," from the shock of -whose death, on the Aisne, Francis had never recovered. - -Staunch friends and fine men, both Grenfell and Court. - -Whatever Peace may bring us, it can never replace the ones War has -taken. - -But they have left behind them their example, and the memory of the -clean, young manhood that England gave, without stint, to fight for -the right. With that memory enshrined in the hearts of those they -have left behind, victory lies not with the grave, for such lives are -deathless. - -At an early hour on the 26th of May, General de Lisle was apprised of -his appointment to the command of the 29th Division, which had won -splendid laurels under General Hunter Weston in the Dardanelles. - -My long and pleasant association with de Lisle bade fair to close, -much to my regret. - -In the course of conversation I told the General how sorry I was that -I was not to accompany him. - -"I much wish that you were," said he. "I doubt if I can take you -to the Dardanelles; but if you care to come with me to London and -the War Office, I will do what I can to have you attached to my new -Division." - -After a morning of racing back and forth between the front and St. -Omer, we sped to Boulogne, arriving in time to catch the afternoon -boat. - -No one could have been kinder than General Long, the Director of -Supplies and Transport at the War Office. In his office, next -morning, I met General de Lisle; but General Long could only tell us -that "it will very likely be a long, long time before motor cars will -be required in the Dardanelles; and, as you know, Americans are not -eligible for commissions in the British Army, even should you apply -for one." - -So back I went to General Headquarters in France, deeply sorry to -say "Good-bye" to General de Lisle and his magnificent 1st Cavalry -Division. - -[Illustration: COPYRIGHT "GEOGRAPHIA" L^{TD}. _55 FLEET STREET LONDON -E C_] - - - - -INDEX. - - - Abele, 155, 181 - - Adeney, Gen., 205 - - Albert, King of the Belgians, 9, 11-12, 16-17 - - Alexander of Teck, Major Prince, 12 - - Algerian Brigade, 171 - - Allenby, Gen., 3, 185, 197, 219 - - Amiens, 122 - - Annesley, Capt. (10th Hussars), 92 - - Antwerp, 11 - - Arbuthnot, Gen. (C.R.A.), 255 - - Armentières, 188 - - Armstrong, Lieut. "Pat" (10th Hussars), 2 - - Arras, 186, 201 - - Auber Ridge, 184, 186, 199 - - Aubers, 107 - - - Bailleul, 115 - - Barrett, "Rattle," 133, 249 - - Beale-Browne, Major (9th Lancers), 133, 265-6-7 - - Bellewaarde Lake, 188 - - Bell-Irving, Lieut., 66 - - Benson, Rex, 133, 178, 265 - - Bethune, 22 - - Bixschoote, 121, 137, 139 - - Black Watch, 83 - - Boeschoeppe, 18 - - Boesinghe, 139 - - Boulogne, 122 - - Bretherton, Capt. (Staff), 70 - - Bridges, Col. "Tom" (4th Hussars), 11, 12, 13, 16 - - Bridges, Mrs., 12 - - Brielen, 218 - - Briggs, Gen., 2, 66, 118, 149, 197, 237, 240-1 - - Broodseinde, 158 - - Brown, Lieut. (4th D.G.), 149 - - Browne, Col. (R.A.M.C.), 240, 281-2 - - Budworth, --, (R.A.), 155, 165, 167, 227-8 - - Buffs, The, 265 - - Bulfin, Gen., 91, 198 - - Burnett, Col. (18th Hussars), 148, 175, 239, 293-4 - - Byng, Gen. Sir Julian, 197 - - - Calais, 115 - - Campbell, Gen. David, 233-4, 240 - - "Canadian Farm," The, 187, 220 - - Canadians, 50, 128, 140-1, 144, 151, 153, 156-7-8, 184 - - Cassel, 144 - - "Cavan's House," 58, 71, 77, 134 - - Chantilly, 122 - - Cheshires, 283 - - Coldstream Guards, 1st Bn., 83 - - Corbett, Major (18th Hussars), 239 - - Court, Capt. "Algy," (9th Lancers), 133-4, 136, 267, 294 - - Court, "Rivy," 294 - - Crichton, Major C. W. H. (10th Hussars), 289 - - Cummings, Col. (R.A.M.C.), 136 - - - Davies, Gen., 105-6 - - De Lisle, Major-Gen. H. de B., 1, 9, 13, 16, 18 _et passim_ - - Dickebush, 118, 256 - - Dixmude, 13 - - Dorsets, 107 - - Douai, 187 - - Dragoons, 1st Royal, 221 - - Dragoons, Inniskilling, 177 - - Dragoons, 3rd, 221 - - Dragoon Guards, 2nd (Queen's Bays), 2, 98, 220, 229, 230, - 233-4 _et seq._, 269 _et seq._, 288 - - Dragoon Guards, 3rd, 233, 246 - - Dragoon Guards, 4th, 2, 35, 149, 220, 261, 267 - - Dragoon Guards, 5th, 2, 220, 229, 230, 236 _et seq._, 261, - 269 _et seq._ - - Drake, Lieut. (10th Hussars), 92 - - Dranoutre, 118 - - Du Cros, "Willie," 279 - - Dunkirk, 9, 17, 177 - - - East Kents, 161 - - Ecke, 137 - - Edwards, Capt. Noel (9th Lancers), 267 - - Elverdinghe, 143-4, 146 - - Esquelbecq, 259 - - Estaires, 106, 115 - - - Fergusson, Gen. Sir Chas., 2 - - Festubert, 189, 248 - - Fielding, Gen., 241 - - Fisher, Major "Bertie" (17th Lancers), 206 - - Fitzclarence, Gen., 84 - - Fitzgerald, Major Desmond (11th Hussars), 45, 95, 146, 207 - - Flying Corps, Royal, 214 - - Foch, Gen., 50, 122 - - French, Gen. Sir John, 2, 5, 11, 122, 128 - - Fresson, Capt., 23, 156 - - Fromelle-road, 200 - - Furnes, 10, 11 - - Fusiliers, Irish, 242 - - Fusiliers, Royal, 287 - - - Garton, Lieut. J. A. (North Somerset Yeomanry), 292 - - Gaselee, Gen., 256 - - Gheluvelt, 83 - - Givenchy, 5 - - Godawaersvelde, 137 - - Gordon-Lennox, Lieut., 91 - - Gough, Gen. Hubert, 248 - - Graham, Alex., 133 - - Gravenstafel, 158 - - Grenfell, Capt. Francis (9th Lancers), 218, 267, 271, 294 - - Griffiths, Capt. (Brigade Major), 268 - - Gunter, Lieut., 274 - - - Haig, General Sir Douglas, 2, 53, 85, 103, 108 - - Halte, The, 249, 252 - - Hambro, Major Percy (15th Hussars), 1, 23, 45 - - Hartman, Lieut. (11th Hussars), 271 - - Hazebrouck, 115, 142 - - Henderson, Gen., 3 - - Het-Sas, 139, 159, 162, 171 - - Highlanders, Argyll and Sutherland, 213 - - Hill, Actg. Adjt. (18th Hussars), 294 - - "Hill 60," 135-6-7, 276 - - Holdsworth, Capt. (18th Hussars), 148 - - Hollebeke Château, 256 - - Home, Col. "Sally" (11th Hussars), 1, 23, 58, 202 - - Hooge, 61, 75, 83, 95-6, 133, 271-2, 287 - - Hooge Château, 253, 264, 287 - - Hornby, "Jeff" (9th Lancers), 85, 133 - - Howard, Capt. Cecil (16th Lancers), 1, 74, 233 - - Hussars, 4th, 180 - - Hussars, 10th, 221, 234-5 - - Hussars, 11th, 2, 67, 213, 220, 230, 236, 238, 261, 269 _et seq._ - - Hussars, 15th, 129, 246, 261, 266-7-8, 288 - - Hussars, 18th, 2, 35, 184, 198, 220, 232, 240, 246, 258, 261 _et seq._ - - Hussars, 19th, 238, 261, 267-8 - - Hussars, Oxford, 277 - - - Indian Cavalry, 128-140 - - Indian Corps, 128 - - Ing, Major H. A. (Bays), 288 - - - Jelf, Major Wilfred (R.H.A.), 1 - - Joffre, Gen., 122 - - Johnson, Bulkeley, 233, 241 - - Johnson, Capt., 241 - - Johnson, Lieut. W. F. (Leicestershire Yeomanry), 292 - - - Kaden, Lieut.-Col. (Hun), 123 - - Kavanagh, Gen., 247 - - Keating, Col. Father, 136 - - Keir, Gen., 260 - - Kemmel, 118, 122 - - Kennedy, Gen., 233, 240-1 - - Kitchener, Lord, 122-3 - - K.O.S.B.'s, 134 - - K.R.R. Cyclists, 254 - - - La Bassée, 106-7, 121 - - Labyrinth, The, 201 - - La Clytte, 118-9 - - Lancashires, East, 232, 268 - - Lancashires, Loyal North, 83 - - Lancers, 5th, 180 - - Lancers, 9th, 2, 35, 134, 220, 232, 240, 246, 261-2, 264, 266-7, - 269 _et seq._, 287-8 - - Lancers, 16th, 50, 278 - - Lancers, 19th, 129 - - Lancers, Sind, 177 - - Langemarck, 137, 139 - - La Quinque Rue, 248 - - Laventie, 106 - - Lawson, Col. "Algy" (Bays), 229 - - Lawson, Capt. (11th Hussars), 238, 273, 276 - - Lefebvre, Gen., 57, 97 - - Le Jeune, Capt. Baron, 119 - - Lemon, Sergt. (5th D.G.), 238 - - Lens, 201 - - Le Touquet, 116 - - Life Guards, 1st, 221, 229, 230, 233 - - Life Guards, 2nd, 221, 229, 230, 233 - - Lille, 107, 184-5 - - Lillers, 115 - - Lincolns, 107 - - Lizerne, 139, 153, 155-6-7, 159, 162, 168, 171 - - Lloyd, Capt. Hardress (4th D.G.), 1, 9, 10, 13, 16, 91, 189, 192, 194, - 207, 224-5-6 - - Loch, Lord (Staff), 91, 198 - - Locre, 118, 198 - - Long, Gen. (W.O.), 296 - - Loos, 201 - - Louave Wood, 266, 272 - - Lowe, Gen., 116 - - Lumley, Gen., 116 - - Lumley, Lieut. (11th Hussars), 116 - - Lumsden, G. F. (A.S.C.), 183 - - Lunan, Lieut., 246 - - Lyne-Stephens, 142 - - Lys, River, 116, 188 - - - Macfarlane, 198 - - MacLachlan, Capt. (18th Hussars), 263-4 - - Maclaine, Lieut. Kenneth (15th Hussars), 247, 291-2 - - Manchesters, The, 172 - - Mapplebeck, -- (R.F.C.), 130-1-2 - - Martin, Major, 292 - - Mason, Major P. G. (3rd D.G.), 293 - - Meakin, Gen., 197, 219, 224, 267 - - Menin Road and Bridge, The, 55, 58, _et passim_ - - Menzies, Capt. S. G. (2nd Life Guards), 290 - - Merville, 103, 115 - - Messines, 188 - - Meteren, 132 - - Mieville, -- (R.C.A.), 129 - - Milne, Lieut. (Bays), 270 - - Monro, Gen. C. C., 2 - - Moore, Major (Canadians), 140 - - Moore-Brabazon, -- (R.F.C.), 130 - - Moriarty, Capt. (R.A.M.C.), 66 - - Mullens, Brig.-Gen., 2, 85, 118, 179, 192, 217, 255, 280 - - Murray, Gen., 36 - - - Neame, Capt. Bertram (18th Hussars), 147-8 - - Neuve Chapelle, 102, 107-8, _et seq._, 123, 184 - - Nicholson, Capt. "Babe" (15th Hussars), 74, 82-3-4-5, 83, _et seq._, - 87, 89, 91-2-3, 149, 150, 225, 280 - - Nieppe, Forest of, 112 - - Nieuport-les-Bains, 10, 11, 13 - - Norrie, Capt. (5th D.G.), 236 - - Northcliffe, Lord, 18 - - Noyelles, 23, 24 - - - O'Donnell, Surg.-Gen., 136 - - Osborne, Capt. (Brigade Major), 270 - - - Paget, Capt. (Brigade Major), 280 - - Paris, 115 - - Passchendaele, 187 - - Pemberton, Max, 18 - - Peto, Capt. (10th Hussars), 92 - - Pilkem, 156, 162 - - Pilkington, Major (15th Hussars), 175 - - Pitman, Col. "Tommy" (11th Hussars), 66, 197, 219, 220, 267 - - Ploegsteert, 116, 122 - - Ploegsteert, Bois de, 117 - - Plumer, Gen. Sir Herbert, 3, 95, 185 - - Polygon Wood, 180 - - Pont Gal Joffre, 15 - - Poperinghe, 37, 133, 140, 143-4, 150-1, 173 - - Poole, Lieut., 279 - - Poona Horse, The, 177 - - Porter, Capt. J. G. (9th Lancers), 289 - - Potijze, 57, 189, 191-2, 202, 206, 227 - - "Princess Pat's," The, 136, 212 - - Pulteney, Gen., 2 - - Putz, Gen. (French Commander), 155, 178 - - Pypegaale, 163 - - - R.A.M.C., 232 - - Rawlinson, Capt. Father, 136 - - Rawlinson, Gen. Sir Henry, 3, 200 - - Renton, -- (10th Hussars), 237 - - Reynolds, Capt. "Bimbo" (9th Lancers), 133, 266-7 - - Reynolds, Capt. G. F. (9th Lancers), 290 - - R.H.A. (H and I batteries), 165, 168 - - Richardson, Stewart, 239 - - Rifle Brigade, 107, 113, 114, 161 - - Rimington, Gen., 3 - - Royal Horse Guards (Blues), 221, 234-5, 244 - - Royals, 233, 246 - - Robertson, Gen., 36 - - Ross, Lady, 16 - - Rouge Croix, 107 - - Roulers, 188 - - Royal Engineers, 273 - - Ruggles-Brise, Capt. E. (Essex Yeomanry), 290 - - - Sailly, 102 - - St. Eloi, 113 - - St. Julien, 141, 157, 172, 179 - - St. Leger, Major (Irish Guards) 132-3 - - St. Omer, 115, 122 - - Sanctuary Wood, 71, 188 _et passim_ - - Scots Guards, 4 - - Sewell, Major (4th D.G.), 240 - - Sherman, --, 179, 240 - - Skinner, Major (R.H.A.), 248, 255 - - Smith-Dorrien, Gen. Sir Horace, 2, 156, 185 - - Smith, Harold (R.A.C.), 129, 130 - - Snow, Gen. T. O'D., 18, 197, 199 - - Staffordshire Brigade, 115 - - Stanhope, Capt. C. J. L. (15th Hussars), 291 - - Steele, Major (R.A.M.C.), 119 - - Steenstraate, 139 - - Steenvoorde, 54, 144, 153 - - - Territorials, Durham, 161 - - Territorials, London, 128 - - Territorials, Midlands, 128 - - Territorials, Northumberland, 128, 140, 161, 172, 184, 217, 241 - - Territorials, Warwickshire, 129, 227 - - Territorials, West Riding, 184 - - Territorials, East Yorkshire, 269 - - Territorials, York and Durham, 225 - - Territorials, York and Lancaster, 142, 266, 271 - - Territorials, York, 161 - - Thelus, 201 - - Thompson, Capt. T. O. (R.A.M.C.), 147 - - Thresher, Col., 136 - - Tirailleurs d'Afrique, 13 - - Tomkinson, Capt. "Mouse" ("Royals"), 1, 91 - - Tremayne, -- (19th Hussars), 238 - - - Verbranden Molen, 135 - - Verlorenhoek, 188 - - Vermelles, 21-22, 29, 31, _et seq._ - - Vieux Berquin, 132 - - Vlamertinghe, 118, 211 - - - Wales, Prince of, 36 - - Walker, Capt. (Staff), 118 - - Warren, Col. (A.P.O.), 136 - - Watts, Lce-Corporal, 238 - - Webb, Capt. (Signal Corps), 252 - - West Kents, 134 - - Weston, Gen. Hunter, 295 - - West Surreys, 83, 136 - - Wheeler, Capt. Bennie (15th Hussars), 74 - - Wieltje, 141 - - Willcocks, Gen. Sir Jas., 3 - - Williams, Romer, 133, 179, 213, 281 - - Wilson, Col. ("Blues"), 91 - - Wilson, Gen., 211 - - Wiltshires, 107 - - Woesten, 143, 146, 150 - - Wormhoudt, 176-7 - - Worthington, Lieut. N. K. (3rd D.G.), 293 - - - Yeomanry, Essex, 221, 234, 245 - - Yeomanry, Leicestershire, 229, 230, 233, 246 - - Yeomanry, Northamptonshire, 108 - - Yeomanry, North Somerset, 233, 239, 246 - - Ypres, 43, 61, 189 _et passim_ - - Ypres Salient, 50, 133, 188 _et passim_ - - - Zillebeke, 50, 69, 92, 134 - - Zonnebeke, 61 - - Zouaves, French Colonial, 169 - - -LONDON: PRINTED BY WM. CLOWES AND SONS, LTD., DUKE ST., STAMFORD ST., -S.E. - - - - -++With Generals French, Smith-Dorrien, and De Lisle in the Firing -Line.++ - -"From Mons to Ypres with French." - -By FREDERIC COLEMAN, - -A Member of the R.A.C. Contingent at the Front. - - _50 Illustrations taken there. Sixth Large Printing now selling._ - _Crown 8vo., cloth, gilt, =6=/- net._ - -Mr. Coleman gives his actual experiences in the thick of the fighting -during the first four months of the War. - - -_A FEW SELECTED PRESS OPINIONS._ - - =The Times=:--"There have been many books written about the war, - but not one has told of actual fighting a tithe of what Frederic - Coleman tells us in 'From Mons to Ypres with French.' ... It is a - book which will surely live, and ought to be read." - - =Daily Telegraph= (First Notice):--"Mr. Coleman's Book, intensely - interesting from cover to cover, is much more than the vivid - diary of a shrewd observer. It is a detailed history of the - military operations which governed the earlier and opening phases - of the great War in the West. The volume might well be the work - of a General Headquarters Staff Officer, permitted by some - revolutionised War Office to speak his mind." - - =Punch=:--"Driving as he did a motor-car for the British - Headquarters, and in particular General de Lisle, he saw as much - fighting as any man need wish for. Even those who have overloaded - their shelves with books about the war must find a place for - 'From Mons to Ypres with French.'" - - =The Sphere=:--"A most absorbing narrative of war experiences. - Again and again Mr. Coleman pours out his admiration for the - British Army and expresses his pride at being able to serve - with them.... The book is a perfectly unpretentious record of - the author's personal services and adventures, and contains - much careful description of military events and at times sound - criticism." - - =Dally Chronicle=:--"The book is so full of detail, so careful - in explaining military events, that while it will be read with - interest now, it should not be overlooked when the time comes - for writing an authoritative history of the British campaign in - Flanders and France." - - =Morning Post=:--"'From Mons to Ypres' is written throughout - in language without literary frills of any kind, and is the - liveliest chronicle which has yet been published of our glorious - soldiers.... The book is full of authentic humour and high - spirits, and everybody should read it." - -==> _Write for full Detailed Prospectus._ <== - -London: SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & CO., Ltd. - - [P.T.O. - - -Messrs. SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & Co.'s contribution to Literature on -the War includes, amongst others:-- - - -_A volume of topical, military and pictorial interest._ - -A SOLDIER'S SKETCHES UNDER FIRE. - - By HAROLD HARVEY, of the Royal Fusiliers. Fully illustrated. - =3/6= net. - - -_Revelations of German cruelty that will startle the Country._ - -SIXTEEN MONTHS IN FOUR GERMAN PRISONS. - - By H. C. MAHONEY. Fully illustrated. =6=/- net. - - -_By a well-known critic and novelist._ - -WOMEN IN WAR. - - By FRANCIS GRIBBLE. Author of "The Comedy of Catherine the - Great." =7/6= net. - - -_Sanctioned by the Admiralty._ - -ALL THE WORLD'S FIGHTING SHIPS. - - By FRED T. JANE. Published annually. Fully illustrated with - photographs, plans and silhouettes. Detailed Prospectus gratis. - =21=/- net. - - -_Officially adopted throughout the two Hemispheres._ - -ALL THE WORLD'S AIRCRAFT. - - By FRED T. JANE and C. G. GREY. The only recognised Aerial - Annual published. Issued Annually. Fully illustrated. Detailed - Prospectus gratis. =21=/- net. - - -_Every Patriotic Britisher should read this book._ - -CONTINGENT DITTIES and other Soldier Songs of the Great War. - - By the late FRANK S. BROWN, of Princess Pat's Own. Oblong cloth, - =1=/- net. Presentation editions, =2/6= net to =4/6= net. - Detailed Prospectus gratis. - - -LONDON: 100, SOUTHWARK STREET, S.E. - - - - -++With Generals French, Smith-Dorrien, and De Lisle in the Firing -Line.++ - -"From Mons to Ypres with French." - -By FREDERIC COLEMAN, - -A Member of the R.A.C. Contingent at the Front. - - _50 Illustrations taken there. Sixth Large Printing in hand._ - _Crown 8vo., cloth, gilt, =6=/- net._ - -Mr. Coleman gives his actual experiences in the thick of the fighting -during the first four months of the War. - - -A REVIEW BY LORD CROMER. - -_Reprinted with permission from "The Spectator," May 20th, 1916._ - -English politicians and journalists deserve some credit for the -manner in which they have dealt with the attitude assumed by the -United States of America during the present war. The policy pursued -by President Wilson has unquestionably caused some surprise and -disappointment on this side of the Atlantic. But the discussion has -always been characterized by great restraint. Language calculated to -wound the national susceptibilities of Americans has been studiously -avoided. By far the most severe of President Wilson's critics -have been his own countrymen. Several causes have contributed to -bring about this result. Of these, the most important has been the -fact that the genuine friendship entertained by most Englishmen -for their Transatlantic kinsmen has made them very reluctant to -criticize. Then, again, incipient criticism has been checked by -a feeling that we owe some atonement for the harsh judgment most -unfortunately passed by some sections of English society on American -policy during the great struggle of half-a-century ago; by a just -appreciation of the fact that, whatever we might think, Americans -are not only the sole, but also the best judges of the conduct of -their own Government; and by the reflection that the difficulties -which beset President Wilson cannot be fully realized on this side -of the Atlantic. But, in addition to these causes, there has been -another which has largely contributed to prevent any estrangement -between the two great branches of the Anglo-Saxon race. Englishmen, -although they have been somewhat astonished at the equanimity with -which the frequent German outrages against American life and property -have been endured, have never resented the neutral attitude adopted -by the United States Government; but they have felt that President -Wilson failed to rise to the situation, that he did not adequately -appreciate the extent to which the greatest democracy of the world -was interested in the struggle against absolutism, and that, without -any departure from an attitude of strict neutrality, a greater amount -of sympathy might have been displayed for those who are the champions -of progress and civilization against retrogression and an abhorrent -State morality. At the same time, they felt that the attitude of -official America did not accurately represent the real feelings and -sentiments of the American public, or at all events of that portion -of the public whose views were most entitled to respect. Hence, it -has resulted that the opinions expressed by individual Americans, -who were untrammelled by official responsibilities, have served as -a healthy antidote to the acts and language of their Government. -Amongst this class Mr. Frederic Coleman is entitled to occupy a -distinguished place. In the very spirited and graphic account -which he has written of his personal experiences with the British -Expeditionary Force in France, he speaks with no uncertain voice. -"Friends and readers," he says, "do not forget that most Americans -feel much the same as I feel about the war. An overwhelming majority -of those of my countrymen who know the truth would do what lies in -their power to further the success of the Allies and their righteous -cause." Moreover, he arraigns the criminal monarch who has been -instrumental in bringing about the greatest catastrophe the world has -ever witnessed before the bar of human and Divine justice. Speaking -of the gallant Grenfell twin brothers, both of whom were sacrificed -on the altar of German ambition, he uses words which should find a -responsive echo in many a sorely-stricken French and English home. -"Fine men of noble character, the Grenfells. Surely the monarch -responsible for a war that mows down the flower of the world's -manhood in the fulness of its youth must one day answer for his -crime, in this world or the next." - -Mr. Coleman was not, as is usually the case with civilians who -are attached to an army in the field, constrained to keep out of -the fighting line. On the contrary, it is clear from his stirring -personal narrative that most of his time was passed within the -region in which a hail of "Black Marias," shrapnell shells, and -Mauser bullets has been asserting Germany's right to occupy "a place -in the sun" by slaughtering the youth of England, by devastating -the fair homesteads of France, and by reducing to ruins the sacred -buildings and historic monuments of which French soil is so prolific. -Mr. Coleman does not profess to write a history of the operations -of which he was a witness. He frequently dwells on a point which -is too often forgotten by those who read the accounts given by the -actors in the great struggle. It is that each individual can only -bear testimony to what passes before his own eyes. Very few are in -possession of information which would enable them to judge of the -relative importance of events. "No one," Mr. Coleman says, "would -imagine how little regimental officers, or Brigade commanders for -that matter, know of the broad plan of operations." But Mr. Coleman -provides us with a very vivid picture of what he himself saw, and -thus enables us to realize the general character which the war must -have assumed elsewhere. - -Mr. Coleman joined the Expeditionary Force in August, 1914, about -the time when the retirement from Mons and its neighbourhood began. -His account of this operation is deeply interesting. It would be -altogether premature to discuss, and still more to criticize, the -strategy of which this movement was the outcome. Moreover, the -British commanders were in no way responsible for the early strategy -of the campaign. They merely had to make their military dispositions -conform to the requirements of the plan which had been already -elaborated and partially executed by the French General Staff, and -that plan necessitated a withdrawal from the advanced position -originally occupied by the British troops in Flanders. A retreat -does not necessarily connote permanent defeat or irretrievable -disaster. When the Duke of Wellington withdrew within the lines of -Torres Vedras, he did so deliberately in order to prepare for the -advance which eventually drove the invaders from Spanish territory. -It is greatly to be hoped that the history of Torres Vedras will -be repeated at Salonika. Nevertheless, retreat generally involves -at least a temporary check. It disheartens the rank-and-file of an -army, more especially if it is the sequel of some local success in -one portion of the field of operations. Describing the situation at -St. Quentin on August 27th, 1914, Mr. Coleman says: "An orderly, -well-disciplined army had been through a great fight. Its infantry, -unbeaten by the infantry that opposed it, had been ordered to retire. -'Gawd knows why,' hundreds of Tommies were saying.... Everything -tended to discouragement." Retreat, in the presence of an advancing -enemy, flushed with the full confidence of victory, is one of the -most delicate and difficult of military operations, and one also that -affords a crucial test of the discipline and morale of the retreating -force. To such an extent has this been recognized that the successful -retreats recorded in history have shed a very special degree of -lustre on those in command and on the troops whom they conducted. -After a lapse of twenty-three centuries, the account of the retreat -of the famous Ten Thousand after the battle of Cunaxa is still read -with undiminished interest and admiration. The operations of Jovian -after the crushing defeat inflicted on the Emperor Julian in Persia -are still cited as an instance of what can be accomplished by a -highly trained and well-disciplined army. Sir John Moore's retreat -to Corunna is another case in point, and the heroic action of Ney's -rearguard during the retreat from Moscow, although it could not avert -disaster, nobly redeemed the honour of the French Army. The retreat -of the British force from Mons should find an honoured place side by -side with these celebrated episodes. - -Good leadership was not wanting. Smith-Dorrien, Haig, and others -deserved well of their country. But the honours of the day lay mainly -with the regimental officers and men. "The very air," Mr. Coleman -says, "was full of unostentatious heroism." He was told to "cheer -the men up" as they straggled, ragged, muddy, and footsore, past -him. He soon found that "many of us had been labouring under a great -delusion. It was not that some one was needed to cheer up the Tommy; -it was that most of us needed the Tommies to cheer _us_ up." An -Irishman came by with a hole drilled through the lobe of his ear by -a Mauser bullet. "Close that, I'm thinkin'," said the proud owner of -the damaged member, "and I niver knew how close me ear was to me head -till that thing come along." The following story also illustrates -the spirit of the men, and shows what a capable officer with an -innate genius for leadership can do in very difficult circumstances. -Major Bridges, of the 4th Dragoon Guards, found a couple of hundred -men of various detachments seated on the pavement in the square at -St. Quentin in a state of complete exhaustion. They had been for -thirty-six hours without food or sleep. He at once recognized that -"no peremptory order, no gentle request, no clever cajolery would -suffice." He therefore went into a toy-shop and bought a toy drum -and a penny whistle. Then he asked the trumpeter whether he could -play "The British Grenadiers." "Sure, Sir," was the reply. So the -trumpeter whistled, and the gallant Major drummed vigorously. "The -spark caught! Some with tears in their eyes, some with a roar of -laughter, jumped to their feet and fell in. The weary feet, sore -and bruised, tramped the hard cobbles unconscious of their pain. -Stiffened limbs answered to the call of newly awakened wills.... 'Go -on, Colonel! we'll follow you to hell,' sings out a brawny Irishman -behind, who can just hobble along on his torn feet." - -Instances of this sort, showing "the indomitable will and the -unconquerable power of the Anglo-Saxon," abound in Mr. Coleman's -pages. A wounded officer with a shot through his shoulder murmurs -"'Only a scratch,' with an attempt at a smile as he passes on." Major -Budworth, of the Royal Horse Artillery, visits his wounded men. -"'Promise, Sir, that I can come back to H Battery when I am right,' -was the one thing they had to ask, the one desire of their hearts." -"The General [Lawford]," a young officer said, "plugged on ahead -of all of us, waving a big white stick over his head and shouting -like a banshee. There was no stopping him. He fairly walked into the -Germans, and we after him on the run.... How Lawford escaped being -hit is more than any one can tell. I can see him now, his big stick -waving in the air, and he shouting and yelling away like mad, though -you couldn't hear a word of what he said above the sinful noise. My -Sam, he did yell at us! Wonder what he said?" Lord Cavan, Mr. Coleman -tells us, "was almost a demi-god in the eyes of his devoted men." -He also speaks of the bravery of young Chance, of the 4th Dragoon -Guards, and adds: "Truly an army containing a multitude of youths of -that mould may well be termed invincible." "Ah!" said one "grizzled -Brigadier," with the tears rolling down his cheeks, "they may be able -to _kill_ such men, but they will never be able to _beat_ them." - -Experience has proved that in time of war, to whatever height -passions may be aroused amongst non-combatants, national animosity -amongst the actual combatants is to some extent tempered by the -admiration and respect which all brave men feel for foemen worthy of -their steel. Mr. Coleman quotes a letter written by a German officer -to a friend in Zürich, in which he said: "If we Germans were given to -understand formerly that the English soldiers were not to be feared, -then that idea may now be banished from our minds, for the general -opinion of those who have fought against them in these districts is -that one Englishman is more dangerous than any two of the Allies." -On the other hand, an English trooper, speaking to Mr. Coleman of -the fight at Messines, said: "They was plucky beggars, if they _was_ -Germans. _I_ don't want to see no pluckier. They've been killed off -like pigs up there, in that town, and they keep on comin'. They fight -stiff, that lot--they fight damn stiff!" - -When the day of peace returns, and we again relapse into the state -when possibly "God will be forgotten and the soldier slighted," let -us endeavour to remember that, if the world is not dominated by the -mail-fisted Kaiser, who has converted the half of Europe into a -shambles, the delivery is due to the French _poilus_, to the British -"Tommies," and to their officers, whose countless graves studded -over the bloodstained fields of Flanders bear ample testimony to -their heroism. And let it also be remembered that the hordes of poor -German peasants and artisans who were driven to the slaughter by the -politicians of Berlin also possessed some virtues. They fought in a -bad cause, which was not that of progressive civilization and which -was never truly explained to them, but they fought "damn stiff." - - -LONDON - -SAMPSON LOW, MARSTON & CO., LIMITED - -OVERY HOUSE. 100, SOUTHWARK STREET - - - - - TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE - - Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. - - Bold text is denoted by =equal signs=. - - Text that is both underlined and italic is denoted - by ++double plus signs++. - - The right-pointing finger symbol is denoted by ==>. - The left-pointing finger symbol is denoted by <==. - - A superscript is denoted by ^{x}; for example, L^{TD}. - - Page references in the Illustration captions, eg "_face p. 8_", have - been removed. - - Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been - corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within - the text and consultation of external sources. - - Except for those changes noted below, all misspellings in the text, - and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained. For example, - crossroad, cross-road, cross road; battlefield, battle-field; - debouching; enkindled. - - Pg 272, 'Beale-Brown is in' replaced by 'Beale-Browne is in'. - Index: 'Menin-road and Bridge' replaced by 'Menin Road and Bridge'. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's With Cavalry in 1915, by Frederic Coleman - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WITH CAVALRY IN 1915 *** - -***** This file should be named 51285-0.txt or 51285-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/2/8/51285/ - -Produced by Brian Coe, John Campbell and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was created from images of public domain material -made available by the University of Toronto Libraries -(http://link.library.utoronto.ca/booksonline/).) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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