diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 4 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63614-0.txt | 4375 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63614-0.zip | bin | 106264 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63614-h.zip | bin | 307977 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63614-h/63614-h.htm | 4601 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63614-h/images/cover.jpg | bin | 113866 -> 0 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | old/63614-h/images/illus1.jpg | bin | 82657 -> 0 bytes |
9 files changed, 17 insertions, 8976 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ad7a998 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63614 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63614) diff --git a/old/63614-0.txt b/old/63614-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 71b4435..0000000 --- a/old/63614-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4375 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of With the Guns, by Cecil John Charles Street - -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 -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this ebook. - -Title: With the Guns - -Author: Cecil John Charles Street - -Release Date: November 03, 2020 [EBook #63614] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Tim Lindell Graeme Mackreth and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The Internet - Archive/Canadian Libraries) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WITH THE GUNS *** - - - - - -WITH THE GUNS - - - - - With the Guns - - BY - F.O.O. - - - _SECOND IMPRESSION_ - - - LONDON - EVELEIGH NASH COMPANY - LIMITED - - 1916 - - - - - TO - D.C. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - I ARTILLERY 9 - - II 'O.P.' 25 - - III OBSERVATION 42 - - IV THE FOUR DAYS 61 - - V THE DAY OF ASSAULT 77 - - VI STRAIGHTENING THE LINE 96 - - VII LOOS 117 - - VIII IN FRENCH TERRITORY 137 - - IX CHANGING POSITION 156 - - X TELEPHONES 171 - - XI BEHIND THE LINE 189 - - XII A WAR MESS 208 - - - - -WITH THE GUNS - - - - -I - -ARTILLERY - - -As these sketches of the changing phases of modern war are largely -concerned with the work of the artillery, as, indeed, they are written -from the standpoint of that branch of the Service, this would seem to -be a favourable place to explain shortly the significance of the arm. -My excuse, if any be needed, may be sought in the mind of the average -man who, terrified as ever of the contemplation of anything technical, -puzzled by the grandiloquence of the self-appointed "expert," regards -the art of the artilleryman as written in a book sealed to him for ever -by its own abstruseness. - -Yet the general principles that guide the employment of the man with -the gun, as distinguished from the man with the rifle, are very simple. -In the first place, whereas the latter is only concerned with the -incapacitating of _personnel_, the former has in addition the task of -the destruction of _matériel_. The old and still popular idea of a -battle, wherein each arm engages exclusively the similar arm of the -enemy, has, since the middle of the last century, entirely disappeared. -In a few words it may be said that the function of the artillery of the -attack is to prepare the way for the infantry assault by the demolition -of the enemy's defences, so far as that may be possible, and during -this actual assault to prevent the enemy's troops from leaving their -shelter and offering resistance. The artillery of the defence, on the -other hand, must endeavour to check the fire of the hostile guns, -either by overwhelming the batteries themselves by a fire so intense -that the detachments cannot work the guns, or by the destruction of -their observation posts. During the assault, their object must be to -cover the space over which the hostile infantry must advance with -so continuous a rain of shell that they are unable to reach their -objective. - -In order to perform these various duties with the greatest attainable -efficiency artillery must possess two essentials. In the first place, -it must be able to project the greatest possible weight of shell in -a given time, and in the second it must be capable of rapid movement -from one point to another so that it may be rapidly brought into use -whenever the need for it is greatest. Now, obviously, the heavier the -shell to be thrown, the greater must be the energy of the cartridge, -and the greater the energy of the cartridge, the greater the strength -(and consequently size and weight) of the gun necessary to withstand -the pressures produced upon its discharge. On the other hand, if a -gun is to be mobile, it must be as light as possible, both so that -it can be moved at the required speed, and also that it can be taken -over soft or difficult ground. Mobility and shell-power are therefore -naturally antagonistic, the two cannot be combined in the same gun. -The modern army, therefore, carries a range of guns, wherein maximum -mobility controls one end of the scale and maximum shell-power the -other. The former is represented by the mountain gun, firing a shell -weighing some ten pounds and capable of being moved with great rapidity -over practically any ground that a man can traverse laden, the latter -by pieces of ordnance throwing a shell whose weight approximates to -a ton, capable of very slow movement over good roads and requiring -elaborately prepared positions from which to fire. - -Suppose, however, that we were to take a six-inch gun, that is to say -a gun firing a shell six inches in diameter and weighing a hundred -pounds, with a range of say twenty thousand yards. This gun will -require a cartridge consisting of about twenty pounds of propellant, -to withstand the explosion of which the gun must be made of such -massiveness that it will weigh some seven tons. Now instead of -requiring so great a range, we determine to be satisfied with a range -of six or seven thousand yards. We now find that a charge of only some -two pounds of propellant will give us this range, and that the gun can -now be built very much shorter and less massive, so that its weight -is reduced to a ton and a half. We have retained the same weight of -shell, but have sacrificed range to increased mobility, and the fruit -of our labours is no longer a six-inch gun, but a six-inch howitzer. -But in the process of conversion from a gun, the howitzer has acquired -a new characteristic. Owing to its heavy charge of propellant, a gun -projectile leaves the bore with great velocity, and consequently the -gun requires relatively little elevation to hit a target at any given -range. A howitzer, owing to its small charge, requires a far greater -elevation. Now a projectile reaches its mark travelling at very much -the same angle with the horizontal as when it started on its journey. -At a range within the capacity of both, therefore, if fired say at a -house, the shell from the gun will tend to hit the front wall, whereas -the shell from the howitzer will tend to drop upon the roof. This -tendency, combined with their difference in mobility, determines the -choice of a gun or howitzer with which to attack a given target. It may -be added that by still further reducing the range to be attained, say -to a few hundred yards, a charge of only a few ounces need be employed, -and a weapon produced, capable of being carried by a couple of men, yet -still throwing a comparatively heavy shell. The German _Minenwerfers_ -and our own trench-mortars are the representatives of this class. - -All these various types and sizes of ordnance (the word "gun" is a -generic term that covers them all) employ two main types of projectile, -shrapnel and high explosive. Shrapnel may be considered as a sort of -shot gun fired from a rifled gun. It consists of a steel case filled -with round bullets except for a chamber in the base containing a small -quantity of powder. The head of the shell is fitted with a fuse which -can be set to act at any given time after the gun is fired. This fuse -ignites the powder in the base of the shell, which projects the bullets -from the case in the form of a cone whose axis is the direction in -which the shell is moving at the time. Shrapnel, therefore, depends -for its effect upon the destructive power of the flying bullets. -High-explosive projectiles consist of a very strong and heavy shell, -entirely filled with a high-explosive compound, and fitted with a -percussion fuse that acts when the shell strikes anything. The fuse -ignites a primer which detonates the high-explosive charge, and the -body of the shell splits up into pieces of various sizes which are -hurled in all directions with considerable velocity. This type of shell -has a double destructive power, that of the high explosive itself and -of the flying fragments. The Germans employ a compromise in addition, -known as "universal" shell, which may be described as a shrapnel with -a high-explosive charge, which can be used with either a time or -percussion fuse. They have also combined with the explosive charge of -some of their projectiles a substance which on combustion produces -an irritant gas with the property of attacking the eyes, and thereby -making a position untenable, and have also added phosphorus to produce -incendiary effects. It may be accepted as a general rule that howitzers -employ only high explosive, guns both shrapnel and high explosive. - -We are now in a position to consider how artillery can best engage the -various types of target that offer themselves. The gunner's dream, a -mass of infantry in the open, is now but seldom seen, and when it is -no battery within range can restrain itself from hurling anything it -possesses at such a heaven-sent objective. The most suitable method -of procedure is to overwhelm it with a cloud of light shrapnel, burst -well above and in front of it, so as to produce a hail of bullets -beneath which nothing can live. In the case of the attack of a trench, -the method usually employed is a preliminary bombardment by light and -medium howitzers, with the object of destroying it and its occupants, -or at all events rendering it untenable, by dropping high explosive -into it; as soon as the infantry commence the assault, the field guns -cover the face of the trench with shrapnel to prevent its defenders -manning the parapet with their rifles. It has been found that wire -entanglements can be most easily and efficiently destroyed by light -shrapnel burst just above or if possible amongst them, followed if -necessary by a few light high-explosive shells to uproot the standards -without forming deep craters that would impede the assaulting infantry. - -A hostile battery in position under cover is usually engaged with high -explosive from guns or howitzers. It is impossible to count upon a -direct hit destroying any of the guns composing it, although such lucky -shots have occurred. But the detachments may be forced to remain under -cover and the battery communications disorganized. Either result will -put the battery out of action so long as the fire continues. The real -difficulty of such a target is to discover its exact position. - -Fortified positions such as redoubts and buildings may be destroyed by -the high-explosive fire of heavy guns and howitzers; observation posts -by guns, as they are usually small, and, speaking generally, it is -easier to hit a small mark with a gun than with a howitzer, owing to -the former possessing greater accuracy. A somewhat peculiar feature of -modern warfare is retaliation, of which the general principle is that -if the enemy incommodes one by the use of his artillery, one or more -batteries are ordered to fire a given number of rounds into some place -where his troops are known to collect, such as a town or large village -behind his lines. Guns firing high explosive are most suitable for -this, as the point selected for retaliation is usually beyond the range -of howitzers. It is often desired, more usually at night, to prevent -the enemy from sending reinforcements to his front line. To effect -this end, a "barrage" is established, usually by means of howitzers, -which draw a curtain of high explosive between the massing-place of the -reinforcements and their goal. - -The first concern of any battery, once it is in position, is to be -capable of maintaining fire as long as it is called upon to do so, -and whenever necessary. To be able to do this presupposes immunity -from hostile fire, and, it having been found in practice impossible -to secure adequate protection from determined shelling, this involves -concealment, not alone from direct view from the enemy's positions, but -also from his aeroplanes and observation balloons. It is comparatively -easy to find some natural or artificial feature behind which to place -a battery, but it is almost a life study so to disguise that battery -that it will not be detected from above. Pits may have to be dug to -hold the gun and its detachment, spanned by iron rails carrying a load -of earth artistically planted with shrubs and flowers, the inside -of a hay-stack may be torn out so that a heavy howitzer can just be -manipulated in the space so formed, an innocent heap of beetroots may -conceal the long graceful contour of a sixty-pounder. Yet, however -careful the disguise, unless the detachments themselves hide under any -cover available and remain absolutely still when a hostile aeroplane -is overhead, or if by mischance the tell-tale flash of the gun betray -it, suddenly and without warning the heart-gripping whirr of heavy -shell will be heard, and before there is time for everybody to find -the dug-outs, the battery will be an inferno of unendurable explosions -and deadly flying splinters. Then, happy the battery commander whose -casualties are but slight! - -If the battery is so concealed from the enemy's positions that it -cannot be seen from them, it follows that neither can they be seen -from the battery. In order, therefore, to be able to bring fire to -bear upon any given point, the officer controlling the battery must -have recourse to one of three expedients. He must either go himself -to some point from which he can see his target, and from which he can -communicate with the battery, or he must plot the position of battery -and target on a map, and work on that, or he must have an observer -in an aeroplane who can see the target and can communicate with him. -The first of these methods is known as direct observation, and may be -described as one of the most important things that the war is teaching, -and the most absorbing phase of the artilleryman's life. The principles -underlying the second and third are self-evident, and the details of -their application too lengthy for description. - -Finally, let me try to convey an impression of the gunner's -performances from various points of view. The infantryman is the -gunner's keenest critic, and here let me say once and for all that the -infantryman is at the same time the hero and the decisive factor of -every war. Artillery but exists to smooth his path to victory, on him -falls every brunt and every hardship, the gunner is a mere accessory -to his accomplishments. No battle and no war can ever be won except -by infantry, superiority in any other arm is useless if the enemy's -infantry gain the upper hand by greater numbers or efficiency. He -therefore has a right to weigh us in the balance, and it is the Allies' -brightest star that their infantry, after endless weary months of -suffering under vastly superior gun-fire, know at last that behind them -are men and weapons that daily exhibit their newly-won preponderance. - -It is the prerogative of all good soldiers to grumble when they are -satisfied and contented, presumably as a reaction from the cheerful -and unmurmuring endurance of hardship. The infantryman of to-day, -although reposing every confidence in the artillery behind him, still -believes the gunner to be a man of bad habits and occasional lapses. -It is no use explaining to him that the round that fell so short as -to burst in his trench instead of the enemy's was merely an evidence -of senile decay on the part of the gun, and it would be mere waste of -time to attempt to convey to the clay-plastered working-party who are -busy shovelling up the parapet that it knocked down that accidents -will happen even in the best regulated batteries. I have heard higher -praise bestowed on our efforts than that of a group of senior officers, -who whilst walking down a communication trench at night, contrived so -firmly to entangle themselves in the telephone wire to my observing -station that it took a whole platoon armed with wire-cutters to unbind -them--they irresistibly reminded me of the Laocoon when I arrived upon -the scene. Further, it is easy to understand that men who wade along a -muddy ditch to the prospect of five long days and nights in a morass -are apt to speak slightingly of others sleeping the sleep of the just -in warm dry dug-outs a mile or so back. - -The gunner, on his part, admires the infantry with an admiration no -less deep because it is hidden. Of course, he lacks soul, thinks the -gunner, he has no imagination to see that yesterday's bombardment of -the enemy's trench, although it _did_ send a few splinters whizzing -into his own, must have a subtle and profound bearing upon the issue of -the war entirely outweighing any temporary inconvenience it may have -caused him. Besides, he is an incurable marauder, nothing that can be -made to burn in a bucket fire is safe for an unguarded moment. Lastly, -he _will_ clamour for vengeance upon an offending _Minenwerfer_ just as -the light is getting too bad for observation and one's servant appears -with tea. But--one can turn in and dream of home in the knowledge that -he is between oneself and the enemy. - -It is interesting to follow the variations of German military opinion -on the subject of the Allied artillery. Bernhardi, writing a year or -two before the war, gives it as his opinion that the Krupp gun is -slightly superior to all other weapons, as, at that time, before the -perfection of the French "_soixante-quinze_," it probably was. He -advocates the abandonment of shrapnel for "universal" shell, and throws -doubts upon the ability of a German commander to use efficiently all -the batteries at his disposal. The outbreak of war found the Allies, as -regards "field" artillery, that is to say mobile ordnance throwing a -shell of from fifteen to twenty pounds, in the possession of superior -weapons in slightly inferior numbers. As regards "heavy" artillery, -grouping under that heading all natures of ordnance heavier than a -field gun, to every twenty pieces brought into action by the enemy we -possibly had one. It will probably be the verdict of history that the -rapidity of the hostile advance up to the Marne, and the ability of -the enemy to establish himself, practically unmolested, upon a strong -defensive line, were due entirely to this fact. Documents captured -lately, however, have revealed that the higher German artillery -advisers consider that, weapon for weapon, our guns have a slight -superiority, and in numbers available upon the Western front a distinct -preponderance. They also impress upon battery commanders the need of -study of our method of concealment and observation, as being in many -ways preferable to their own. - -Of the gunner himself a few words will suffice. He is of a traditional -type, big, burly and equipped with a vocabulary that has been known to -fuse the delicate windings of an over-sensitive telephone. His gun, -for which his terms of endearment are expressed in profanity, is his -only care, in his spare time he will sit in its emplacement as in his -natural home. The "limber-gunner," an old soldier selected for each gun -to keep it groomed and immaculate, is jealous of his charge as he has -been for all time, since the day when Alfonso d'Este of Ferrara hurled -the brazen statue of Pope Julius II into the melting-pot wherewith -to cast more cannon. Hear him discoursing to a group of youngsters -on the regimental motto. "Ubique," he says, "ubique, that means, my -sons, that whenever there's a scrap on you an' me an' the bloomin' old -pop-gun's got to up an' trek an' earn our blessed rum ration doin' ten -days' work in one." And I think he speaks the truth. - - - - -II - -'O.P.' - - -The mystifying habit of speaking in abbreviations, the result of a -constant use of rapid means of communication, is one that is developed -to its maximum degree in the jargon of artillery. For instance, "L.X.C. -El. 25° 30´, 15´ M L ORD BYF 40´´" is a very common type of order, and -is the form in which that order would be transmitted. Consequently, -whether in writing or in speech, the Observation Post is invariably -referred to as the O.P. What more fitting than that these two letters -should stand at the head of a sketch that proposes to deal with some of -the aspects of these same observation posts? - -The modern battery is so concealed that the view from it is often -restricted to a few hundred yards in any direction. It therefore -follows that the officer who wishes to direct its fire must discover -some place from where he can see the target he proposes to engage, -and from whence he can establish communication, in practice almost -invariably by telephone, with his battery. He may be lucky enough to -find some point near at hand, such as a church tower, from which he can -obtain the necessary range of vision, and such points certainly have -the advantage that they usually afford an extended view. But far more -frequently, especially if his target is a hostile trench only a few -yards from our own lines, some point right up forward must be selected, -for preference just behind our own front line. This usually involves -the selection of alternative positions, both because the view from each -is usually restricted to a very small section of the hostile line, and -also in the not-uncommon event of the observation officer being shelled -out of his post, the battery is out of action until he has established -himself somewhere else. The forward observation officer (F.O.O.) is -the eye of the artillery, it is his business to observe not only the -shooting of his own battery, but also to keep a watch over the whole -of the enemy's territory visible from his post; to learn by constant -inspection every detail, to perceive the smallest alteration or -movement that may give a hint from which enemy plans or dispositions -may be deduced. Hence it is clear that the selection of a good -observation post is one that demands no small skill and experience. -Nor is this selection altogether devoid of humour. A battery arrives, -apparently from nowhere, its officers have a bundle of unfamiliar maps -thrust into their hands, and are told to go and find as many O.P.s -as they require to see a certain prescribed area. "So-and-so will go -with you, if you like, he knows all about this part of the world." -So-and-so is eventually, after a prolonged search, unearthed from the -one comfortable chair in his mess, it being, as he bitterly explains, -the only afternoon he has had off for a month. We start, preferably -along a road pitted with shell-holes that look disconcertingly recent. -Our guide informs us with melancholy pride that two telephonists of the -652nd Battery were killed there yesterday. "But it's usually pretty -healthy----" A small and particularly vicious shell whizzes apparently -just over our heads and bursts a hundred yards or so away. We change -the conversation. We come to a place where the road ends, and where it -seems as though some lover of beauty had cut a narrow winding course -for a merry little streamlet that murmurs contentedly between its -banks. Some yards away stands what was once a house, but the doors -have been wrenched off their hinges, the windows are blocked up--no -loss to internal illumination, for a dozen huge gaps in the wall amply -supply the deficiency--and the roof has collapsed, leaving only the -chimney-stacks standing. "That might do for you," says our guide, -"750th Battery used it for months." "How do we get there?"--for the -country looks suspiciously open and deserted beyond our present retreat -behind the hedge. "Oh, they don't often snipe here, we can walk across -one at a time, or there's the communication trench," pointing to the -streamlet. Heroes all, we elect a soldier's death rather than wet feet, -and the first of our party starts to walk across the open. Before he -reaches the shelter of the house, zip! comes a bullet with the ugly -sound that marks the rifle fired in one's own direction. He makes a -wild dive for shelter, from which he subsequently watches us as we -wade, cursing its maker, knee-deep along the communication trench, and -exhorts us to be careful to change our socks when we get home. After -much argument, we decide that the house will suit us, and we splash -homewards through our clay-coloured rivulet, by no means comforted -by the thought that this is the only safe means of access to our -new-found property, unless we propose to go there before daylight and -stay till after dark. Small things provoke humour where amusements are -few. I subsequently discovered that the depth of water in this trench -was about two inches less than the length of my gum-boots, and that, -therefore, by careful progression, I could navigate it safely. Whilst -doing this one day, a large dog, presumably frightened by a shell -bursting near him--although animals of all kinds get extraordinarily -accustomed to such things as a rule--plunged into the water within -a foot of me. The wave of his impact overflowed my boots--they have -never been really dry since--and the splash soaked me to the skin. As -I stood telling the world at large what I thought of war and dogs and -trenches, a gentle voice, near at hand but unseen, demanded of me, in -the catchword of the day, "Daddy, what did _you_ do in the great war?" -A sense of humour will make, even of war, the finest game in the world. - -Frequently the guide is young and enthusiastic, apt to let his -confidence outstrip his local knowledge. A representative of this type -volunteered to take one of us to a place from whence he declared we -could see a particular point that puzzled us. The two set out smiling, -and promptly entangled themselves in a maze of unfamiliar trenches. -The guide declared he knew every inch of them, and for many hours as -it seemed the two wandered in and out, like trippers in the maze at -Hampton Court. At last they reached the ruins of a farmhouse. "If you -climb up there you can see all right," said the guide. The unwary -pilgrim did so, and found himself, outlined against the evening sky, -gazing at the German trenches not thirty yards away. My friend is the -soul of discretion, he hurled himself rather than jumped into the -security of the trench, followed by a _rafale_ of machine-gun and rifle -fire. Nor was he mollified by the words of a choleric and indignant -infantry major, who came up and wanted to know what the devil he meant -by acting like an infernal clown and drawing fire on his trench--I -soften his epithets. There was a marked coolness between the three for -many days to come. - -More harrowing still is the whispered legend of two adventurous spirits -who, in the early days of the war, when the armies were not, as now, -divided by an unbroken line of trenches, set out to seek for some -commanding position from which to survey the surrounding country. At -dusk they found a piece of rising ground, that seemed to promise the -fulfilment of all their hopes. Seeing a group of men at work upon it, -they strolled up to them and enquired whether it were possible to -observe the Germans from there. "I know of but one place more suitable, -gentlemen, and that is Berlin," was the reply, and in a very short time -they were on their way thither. They had chanced upon the headquarters -of a German division! - -The observation post once found, the next step is to make it tenable. -It may be, if Fate is kindly disposed, the upper storey or garret of a -house, from whence through a hole in the roof or walls the necessary -view can be obtained. Happy the man who finds such available! The -alternative is a straw-stack, on the top of which one must lie, -covering oneself as much as possible with straw; a tree, amongst whose -branches one must perch like a disconsolate and clumsy bird for whom -there is no close time; or, worse than all, a spot in some particularly -exposed trench, over whose parapet one pops one's head at the longest -possible intervals for the shortest possible time, wondering the while -whether the man opposite will pull his trigger before one gets it down -again. Generally speaking, all these latter are to be avoided. Any sort -of ruin is preferable, and the more of a ruin it is, the less likely is -the enemy to sit up and take notice of it. It is as well to make it as -bullet-proof as possible, by judicious strengthening with timbers and -sandbags. Anything more ambitious is waste of time; if a shell of any -size hits it directly, it is coming down and oneself inside it, despite -the most elaborate fortifications, which in this case only serve to -bury one the deeper. All one can hope for is a little box wherein to -sit and observe, proof as far as possible from rain and bullets, and a -dug-out for one's telephonists, in which one may take shelter oneself -if shelled--that is, if one is lucky enough to get there in time. The -most important thing to remember is that the exact appearance of every -single object within view is known to the observers on the other side, -and that consequently it is a remarkably sure form of suicide to alter -the exterior view of anything that one proposes to occupy. A careful -man, however, can establish quite a home-like resort almost anywhere. -I have known observation posts within two or three hundred yards of -the German trenches whose occupants have lived in profound peace and -contentment for weeks at a time. - -A church tower, or even the remains of one, is an ideal place. It -is, certainly, sure to be shelled periodically, but the first round -is not going to hit it, and a rapid (and, for preference, carefully -rehearsed) descent into a cellar or dug-out at its foot usually averts -a _contretemps_. Of course, as happened once in my experience, a lucky -round may carry away the stairs or ladders inside the tower below the -observing officer, who then spends a _mauvis quart d'heure_ whilst the -enemy leisurely shells him. It is surprising, though, how many direct -hits from even heavy ordnance a tower will stand without falling. If no -church is available, the tallest house or ruin that can be found must -be adapted, by making a tiny slit in the wall or roof, invisible at a -distance of a hundred yards or so, and rigging up a platform inside -on which to sit whilst observing. A very ingenious method that I once -saw employed by a French battery was to make a wooden box the exact -shape and size of the chimney stack of a cottage, and painted brick -red. The box was hollow and had small peep-holes cut in it. One night -they skilfully removed the real stack and substituted the imitation -one, which served them admirably for many months. In another case all -that was left of what had been a fair-sized house was a wall facing -towards the enemy. A neighbouring ruined village was ransacked for a -dovecot and a long ladder. A band of amateur carpenters fitted the -dovecot to the inside of the wall, as high up as possible, cut a small -hole through the wall, and arranged the ladder as a means of access to -it. I can vouch from personal experience for the comfort and general -excellence of the completed work. - -Of the delights of a certain pear-tree, behind whose ample trunk was a -most rickety ladder, up whose rotten rungs one climbed fearfully--the -tree was about seventy yards behind our front trenches, and in full -view from the German line--I will not speak. As autumn pursued its -sorrowful course we watched the leaves of our tree fall off one by -one, until to the prejudiced eyes of the man who had to climb into it -there seemed hardly enough cover to hide a caterpillar. Finally, when -an enthusiastic sportsman dumped a trench-mortar--the surest thing in -the world to provoke a long-suffering enemy to fury--into a pit some -twenty yards away, we shook our heads sadly and left it to its fate. -It stands there still, waving its bare arms mockingly at us, but I, for -one, shall not tempt its embraces until May has seen fit to dress it -decently again. - -The enemy, on his side, is no less ingenious and probably more -painstaking. There was a certain water-tower that stood in a wood, -with its top just visible above the surrounding trees. Imperceptibly, -as the days went by, it seemed to grow out of the wood, until a month -or so after we first noticed it, about ten feet of it were visible. -The solution appears to have been that, to increase the field of view, -all the trees in front of it, and there must have been two or three -hundred of them, were very cautiously pruned every night, so as to show -no apparent alteration from day to day, but gradually to allow the -required observation. - -It sometimes happens that it is necessary for the observing officer -to remain night and day in the post, and under such circumstances -continual interest is necessary if life is not to become very dull. -Frequently the enemy are good enough to provide this interest, an -unexpected shell now and again either just over or just short is a -powerful antidote against ennui. More often our own headquarters, -with a laudable intention of preventing one's interest from flagging, -send one encouraging messages--"Can you see a hostile working party -at such-and-such a place? If so, kindly keep under observation and -report half-hourly," or "Infantry report flashes of hostile battery -in the direction of Hill 0, observe and locate if possible." One -observes till one's eyes ache as the light grows too bad to see, when -a second message comes, "Flashes reported by infantry ascertained to -be caused by summer lightning." At night one crawls into the dug-out -and endeavours to slumber with one ear glued to the telephone, -and, strangely enough, despite the presence of two loud-sleeping -telephonists, one usually does. - -Or perhaps it is only necessary for the observing officer to be at -his post during the hours of daylight, which involves a pleasant walk -an hour before sunrise and another an hour after sunset, both times -at which the approaches to the O.P. are being shelled, or swept by a -machine gun, or at all events are receiving some sort of attention from -the enemy, who appear to take a kindly interest in one's movements. -Still, this system secures one a night in bed, which is a luxury by no -means to be despised, and one is rewarded for one's early rising and -walk by the prospect from the observation post during what is often the -clearest part of the day, just before and after sunrise. There, right -in front, are the two lines of trenches, seemingly deserted, except -where a faint curl of blue smoke denotes preparation for breakfast. -Over the whole space of country before one there is no sign of life -or movement, unless perhaps at some point from a communication trench -a spade-full of earth rises regularly. In the middle distance over a -cross-roads a succession of white puffs shows the suspicious nature of -one of our field batteries, but further back still smoke rises from a -tall chimney as though the world knew of no war. The aeroplanes are -up, of course, each cruising about in the centre of a constellation -of greyish wisps of shrapnel, like flashes of cotton-wool against the -greenish blue of the sky. Rifles crack startlingly near at hand. The -drone of spent bullets rises and falls, the distant sound of guns -blends with the bursting of the shrapnel far overhead and the hum of -the aeroplanes. Surely all this noise is of another world, it cannot -have any relation to the peaceful scene before our eyes? The treachery -of the quicksand is the calm serenity of this Forbidden Land. - -Observation posts have each their own legend, which clings to them -through successive tenancies. We shared one once with a very youthful -officer whose nervousness was only excelled by his ignorance. I fancy -myself that he was only there to keep a claim on the place for his -battery, but it so happened one fatal afternoon that he had to observe -a series. The first round was fired, and the young man, suddenly -discovering that observation of fire is one of the most difficult -things in the world, and being utterly at sea as to where the shot had -fallen, hesitated in his report. The rest of the tale is best told by -the telephone. The battery commander is the first speaker. "Ask the -observing officer to report where that round fell." "Mr. Jones reports -that was a very good shot, sir." "Tell Mr. Jones I don't want criticism -of my shooting, I want to know where the rounds fall. No. 2 is just -firing." "Mr. Jones reports the last round fell about an inch from the -target." "Then I can assume that as a hit?" "Mr. Jones says he means an -inch on the map, not an inch on the ground." Threatenings and slaughter -_ad lib_! - -Of course, it is an unpardonable crime to do anything in or near an -O.P. which might draw the enemy's attention to it. A battery of my -acquaintance had for some weeks been installed in a pretty little villa -residence of which they were very proud, situated on the outskirts -of a mining village. They had certainly spared no pains to make it -comfortable or safe; indeed, the interior was a solid mass of sandbags -through which a sort of tunnel ran to the little observation chamber, -elaborately reached by a series of ladders and passages. One day the -battery commander was conducting a deliberate and deeply calculated -series, his mind too full of figures and angles to allow room for -any idea of possible molestation by the enemy. Suddenly, directly -behind the house, he heard a series of violent explosions. In rather -less than the proverbial twinkling of an eye he was down below in -the dug-out, nearly flayed by violent contact with ladders and other -unyielding substances, but still alive and safe. Still the explosions -continued, but no shell seemed to strike the house. At last one of his -telephonists, more daring than the rest, ventured to peer out, and -there, right in the sacred enclosure, was an armoured car in full and -noisy action. The scene that followed baffles description. Two heads, -one thrust through the hatchway of the car, one cautiously hidden -behind a projecting sandbag, discussed the question of unmentionable -idiots who wheeled their indescribable tin perambulators into other -people's preserves, until the hardy navigators in the car and the -stalwart gunners in the O.P. blushed to hear them. Finally, upon a -reiterated threat from the major to turn his own battery on to the car -if it did not move off, the nuisance was abated. But "Sans Souci," as -we called the place, was never its old self again, its restful charm -had departed. Some hostile battery had seen the flashes of the car's -gun, and afterwards, at uncertain intervals, presumably when things -were dull with it, would fire a few rounds in friendly greeting. - -The gunner's appreciation of these things is usually keener even than -one's own. One day when reconnoitring for an O.P. with a couple of -telephonists, I came upon a house that had once been used for the -purpose, but out of which its occupants had been driven by heavy -shell-fire. The interior of the place presented an indescribable -appearance. Its original owners had fled early in the war, leaving -everything as it stood, and a succession of inquisitive searchers -had been all through it to see if they could find anything of value. -Dresses, broken bottles, letters, rags of all descriptions, a sewing -machine, blended with the plaster from the walls and clay from the -burst sandbags. Very little of the roof was left, and heavy rain had -made of this mass a peculiarly evil-smelling mud, from which protruded -here and there lumps of bread, bully-beef and cheese, whose increasing -age was apparent. Some sort of cesspit had burst and flooded the -cellar, which had been used as a dug-out, and in the centre of the -savoury flood floated a mattress that looked as if it held the germs -of all the plagues of Egypt. Outside, shrapnel were bursting freely, -I fancy the enemy had seen us enter the place. I overheard one of -my telephonists apostrophizing it: "You're a nice 'ouse, you are," -he said. "Blowed if I don't advertise yer in the bloomin' papers, -'Charming bijou residence, quiet 'ealthy situation, perfect repair, -hevery convenience, pleasant garden.' I _don't_ think!" - - - - -III - -OBSERVATION - - -It has been said in a previous chapter that the fire of any given -battery is, in the majority of cases, directed by an officer in an -observation post from whence he can see the target and the ground -surrounding it. The general principles of this observation are as -follows. The position of the battery and target are ascertained upon -a map, and by means of it the range and direction of the target from -the battery are obtained. A calculation based upon this information is -made, and a certain elevation and direction given to the guns. A round -is then fired, and the position of the point where it falls relative -to the target noted by the observation officer, who gives a correction -based upon the error. This correction is transmitted to the battery -by methods depending on the distance between it and the observation -post, but almost invariably by telephone, and applied to the guns. -Another round is then fired, which is again observed and a fresh -correction made as before. This process continues until the rounds are -falling at or very close to the target. It sounds remarkably simple, -but is in practice extremely difficult. To hit an unknown target with -the expenditure of the minimum possible number of rounds requires -considerable experience in observation, for the puff of a bursting -shell lasts only for the fraction of a second, and is apt to look -very small at a distance of more than a few hundred yards. Further, -knowledge of the vagaries of each individual gun is required, and -also a keen appreciation of the nature of the country round about the -target. Observation of fire may be truly said to be an art, in that it -comes naturally to some people, whilst others may spend a lifetime in -its practice without ever becoming proficient. - -The second part of an observation officer's duty, that of keeping a -general watch on the ground spread out in front of him, is considerably -easier, as it only requires a keen eye and a good memory. After a -little practice, it is soon found that the apparent changeless calm of -a deserted land is in the highest degree deceptive. Although they are -utterly invisible, that land is thickly populated with hidden troops, -whose object it is perpetually to turn every feature of it, natural -and artificial, to the best possible use for attack or defence. The -ruins of a barn stand some little way back from the enemy's line, -roofless and abandoned. The telescope shows it to have some part of -its walls yet standing, and within them a ladder. Now ladders are -precious things in a strip of country where everything is made to -serve a useful purpose. Examine the place daily and perhaps at dawn -a single figure may be seen scurrying up the ladder, or perhaps its -position may have altered slightly. For weeks, perhaps, one has noticed -a dilapidated house, so broken down that through the shell-holes that -breach the front wall one can see the horizon beyond. Yet one morning -one of these shell-holes shows dark, or perhaps a new one has appeared -higher up, although no battery has been seen to fire at it. A flock -of starlings pours suddenly from the stump of what was once a church -tower, and for a long time the birds circle in clamorous flight about -it, seemingly afraid to re-enter their accustomed haunt. Hints, all of -these, indicating that some use is being made of these places, either -as observation stations or snipers' posts. - -Even the innocent-looking surface of a weed-grown field is not above -suspicion. The naked eye is suddenly drawn to it by what seems at first -almost inspiration, but one becomes conscious as one watches of an -indeterminable movement taking place on its surface. Mark the place -very carefully and bring the telescope to bear upon it. The sense of -movement resolves itself into the periodic sprinkling of brown earth -thrown up as by an industrious mole. These are spadefuls of earth, -showing that a trench is being dug. Natural features themselves have a -habit of changing their positions with the same disconcerting effect -as that phenomenon had upon Macbeth. Of course, one is never lucky -enough to catch them actually in motion, but a morning of surprises -will often reveal the disappearance of a well-known hedge, or the -sudden apparition of an orchard of full-grown trees in the middle of -a ploughed field, or even a stately plantation of elms on what was -formerly a _pavé_ road. The hedge was removed to provide something with -a field of fire, or to allow somebody to see a particular part of our -line; the game is now to discover the whereabouts and nature of that -something or somebody. The orchard and the elm trees were required as -cover, probably for guns; the surest plan is to shell them and await -developments. It may be possible to drive the detachments out into the -open, when every weapon that can be brought to bear will sing its own -particular song of triumph. - -A certain redoubt was located by our aeroplanes, and its position -indicated to us by the fact that it lay right in front of the seventh -from the northern end of a row of trees such as occur at intervals -along the side of most French _Routes Nationales_. For many days -we used this mark, until it suddenly struck one of our observation -officers that the trees looked somehow different to what they did when -first he noticed them. Suspicion being thus aroused, further aeroplane -reconnaissance was undertaken, when it was found that the third tree of -the row now marked the position of the redoubt. The enemy, seeing that -they had been "spotted" by the first aeroplane, had dug up the four -trees at the northern end of the row and replanted them at the southern -end, and must consequently have watched, with a delight not very -difficult to imagine, our shells raising a little inferno of their own -a couple of hundred yards away from them. - -All this is a part of the great game of war that it is most difficult -to learn in times of peace. "Pretending to look for something you -know isn't there," as I have heard it described, is an occupation -that palls upon the dullest mind. Well do I remember many years ago -forming one of a class of young officers under instruction in the use -of the "Observation of Fire Instrument," which consists of a telescope -fearfully and wonderfully mounted on a gigantic tripod--it is now, in -the language beloved of the text-books, "becoming obsolescent," may it -soon be relegated to the limbo of forgotten things! Our instructor, -a highly capable but choleric major (majors always were apt to be -petulant, I thought, in those days), had spent the best part of a -warm June morning explaining the use of the cumbrous toy, until the -whole class were sick at heart. At last he sent one of our number some -distance away with orders to observe and report upon some object in -the distance out to sea, the while he discoursed to the remainder. The -minutes slipped by, and no word came from the keeper of the lonely -vigil. "Go and see what that dam! fool is up to, sergeant-major," -said our instructor. Anon the sergeant-major returned, with a face as -impassive as the metal of the instrument itself. "Well?" rapped out the -major. "If you please, sir, Mr. Robinson is a-studying observation on -the ladies' bathing-place!" - -Observation, it may be repeated, is an art, but every art requires -considerable training, if only in technique, before the artist can -acquire perfect and instinctive expression. Where, as in the case of -the art of the gunner, art leans for its support upon the strong arm of -science, the probationary stage requires even more time and application -on the part of the tyro. It has been said that it takes three years -to teach an artillery officer the elements of his profession. It -will doubtless be claimed as a triumph of foresight for our military -administration that, although at the outbreak of war our heavy -artillery _matériel_ was, in equipment and numbers, such as would not -inspire pride in a Central American Republic, we had a large reserve of -highly-trained artillery officers and men languishing in the enforced -sloth of our coast fortresses all over the world. Well it is for us -that this was so, for this is a war of heavy artillery, and without -these men to train, command and leaven the newly formed batteries that -we were forced so hurriedly to raise, our artillery would never have -attained its present admitted dominance. Splendid indeed is the new -material; the artillery manage to secure officers of the higher and -better educated classes, and men, thanks to rigidly-enforced physical -standards, of the sturdier build; all ranks are full of the interest -of their new profession, enthusiastic, keen to learn, absorbing in the -sharp days of war knowledge that others required the leisurely weeks -of peace to acquire. Still, may the country, in its just pride in -the performances of these men, never forget the debt that it owes to -that little band whose pay it loved to curtail and whose ambitions to -discourage in the old forgotten years of peace! - -But this is a digression, typical of the observation officer, whose -thoughts stray into strange channels during the course of the long days -of watching. How keenly he longs sometimes for "something to happen," -especially during his first experiences of the work, before he realizes -that something is always happening under his eyes, if he can only -detect it. My own pet longing was to see my first real live Hun in -his natural surroundings, a longing conceived in much the same sort of -inquiring spirit that inspires the naturalist. I saw him at last, he -sprang from a trench in which a shell had just fallen, ran literally -as if his life depended on it, which, in grim earnest, it did, and -dived like a rabbit into a support trench a few yards away, followed -by cheers and bullets from our own lines. My observation post was at -that time not more than a hundred yards behind our front line, but, -owing to the intricate nature of the country, no signs of immediate -war could be seen except from the little slit in the wall from which I -observed. One day I was stretching my legs in the road outside, when a -staff officer, somewhat of a _rara avis_ in so advanced a spot, came -by, having evidently lost his way. Now a staff officer was once defined -to me by a very distinguished regimental officer as "a being whose -natural common sense was buried for ever beneath the vast mountain of -his own ignorance." This magnificent gentleman--he had probably been -a distinguished grocer, the pride of the local volunteers, before the -war--informed me that observation was impossible from where I then -was, and, indicating a ruin, the remains of whose roof could just be -seen above the hedges, expressed his intention of surveying the country -from its more favourable eminence. Bowing before his superior wisdom, -I saluted and we parted, he to pursue the even tenor of his way, I to -my seat behind the window to watch the fun, knowing that his objective -was about half a mile behind the German lines. With an unholy delight, -I saw him blunder into our trenches, exchange a hurried word with an -officer who came forward to meet him, and then beat a precipitate -retreat pursued by a most audible titter that ran swiftly along the -line. - -He took care to avoid on his return the Bath Club, as we called that -O.P., from the number of flooded cellars it contained. - -The study of nomenclature at the front is a very fascinating one, if -only for the light that it throws upon the psychology of nostalgia. -Every road, every communication trench is christened with some name -around which hang the memories of the men who gave it, so that the -native origins of these shrewd godfathers is never for a moment in -doubt. Who but a native-born Londoner would have evolved a Harrow -Road, off which, in an orgy of local geography, branch Edgware Road, -Finchley Road, Maida Vale and a dozen other familiar names? Who but -a young subaltern--his heart still unforgetful of the old _joie de -vivre_, having established an O.P. at the end of a muddy ditch already -known as Burlington Arcade, would have proudly labelled it "The -Bristol," or who, but his envious friends near Shaftesbury Avenue, -would have emulated him with "Maxime's" and "The Villa-villa"! Moray -Avenue, Prince's Street, Deansgate, Dale Street, College Green, all -tell their own story. And where association ends, description begins. -Stink Farm, is, I believe, now marked as such on the official maps. -Quality Street has already a place in history that may one day be -shared by Mud Cottage, Canadian Orchard, la Maison des Mitrailleurs, -Rue d'Enfer, and Le Tirebouchon. Sometimes the names of places have -been anglicized almost out of recognition. Wingles and Hinges are -pronounced as they appear to an English eye, Choques is Chokes, Gris -Pot is Grease Pot, Lozinghem is Lozenges, to quote a very few examples. -The same may be found on the German side. The Hohenzollern Redoubt -is familiar by name to everybody. Near it is Breslauer Chausée Loos -contained Unter den Linden, Friedrichstrasse, and, rather curiously, -Ringstrasse; Vendin le Vieil is Alt-Vendin, Lens, Lenze. But this is -yet another digression, the wandering thoughts of the idle observer; -let us suppose him suddenly recalled to the affairs of the moment by -the insistent voice of the telephone. - -"Message for you, sir--from headquarters," says the telephonist, -bearing a piece of pink paper in his hand. I take it, and read, "Fire -twenty rounds at intersection of communication trenches at----" Here -follow a combination of figures and letters that denote the position -on the map. "Very well, call up the battery and give 'action.' Tell -them to report when ready." Out comes the map, and the point mentioned -in the message found. A road runs east and west close by it, yes, I -know that road, have often noticed it. A communication trench runs -along it for some way, then turns off at right angles by a hedge, which -it follows for a couple of hundred yards till it meets its fellow, -which place of meeting I am ordered, in the parlance of the front, to -"strafe." Can I see that hedge, I wonder? Prolonged inspection through -the glasses assures me that I cannot. There is nothing for it but to -take a bearing. One hundred and seventeen degrees from my position, -five degrees left of the church tower. Compass and sextant agree, -giving me the line to the corner of a wood on the horizon, on which -line my target must somewhere be situated. Out come the glasses again. -There certainly is a mound right in line with my mark in the centre -of that meadow, but it might be anything. Yes, the telescope shows it -to be earth thrown up from some excavation or other, it must be the -trench junction. It looks hopelessly foreshortened, nothing like the -map, but then the map seems to look down on things with a calm judicial -air, whilst I can only peer at them from their own level. A very little -practice in observation soon shows one that the human eye is utterly -unreliable as a gauge of the length of anything that stretches away -from it. "Battery reports ready for action, sir," says the telephonist. -"Thank you. No. 1 gun ranging, elevation nineteen degrees, etc., etc." -Back comes the warning, "No. 1 reports ready to fire, sir." "Fire No. -1!" "No. 1 fired, sir!" and then an eternity of breathless anxiety, -during which all the fabled deadly sins of gunners long since condemned -to everlasting execration rush upon my memory. Suppose I have read -the map wrong, and that is not the place at all? An instant's piercing -scrutiny, which fails to reassure me in the least. Even if that is -the place, it is not very far from our own trenches. Did I give the -right elevation? Did I allow enough for wind? Were my orders perfectly -clear to the section commander? Did the layer lay correctly? Shall I -be "broke" if I slaughter a whole platoon in our own trenches, or only -shot?... Eternity comes to an end at last after a life of some ten -seconds, and I hear the whistle of the shell coming ever nearer--safely -over my head, anyhow, thank heaven! Yes, she must have passed the -trenches by now; where's she going to fall? The whistle ends abruptly, -but nowhere is there any sign of smoke, nor does the sound of the burst -reach me. A blind, I suppose, the shell must have fallen into something -soft, but I'd give ten years of my life to know _where_. Well, there is -nothing for it--"No. 1, repeat, fire!" "No. 1 fired, sir!" The whistle -again, then right in line with the target, and hiding it, a bright -flash, a spout of earth and a cloud of black smoke, followed by a -peculiar, sharp crash, and the hell of doubt gives way to the heaven of -satisfaction. Such are the delights of observation. - -And variously the excitement infects the blood of the observer. One -will sit far back from his window, lest prying eyes should detect him -through it, and give his orders slowly and methodically, weighing each -carefully and making elaborate calculations the while, and occasionally -exhorting the battery to care and deliberation. Another will thrust a -telescope through a chink between two sandbags so that it shines like -a heliograph in the morning sun and one wonders if some well-disposed -angel has smitten the enemy with blindness for that every battery -within range does not open fire on him. He, meanwhile, oblivious of -such minor dangers, roars contradictory orders as through a megaphone, -calling on the inhabitants of Tophet with strange formulæ because -his orders are not obeyed before he gives them. I have seen a French -Territorial battery in action for the first time in their lives, Mons. -le capitaine subdued, almost tearful, but resolved to die in his O.P. -as befits a soldier. His telephonists and assistants (he appeared to -have dozens) equally anxious to see the fray, festoon themselves all -over the building, hanging out of windows, clambering on to the roof, -expressing their delight at the top of their voices. Eventually he -restores some degree of order, and, rushing to the telephone, sweeps -aside the operators, and gives the word himself. "Tirez, tirez, pour -l'honneur de la belle France!" The shot falls apparently in a totally -different direction to where he anticipates. Again he rushes to the -instrument, more perhaps in sorrow than in anger, and demands the -presence of the section commander. "Mon lieutenant!" he says, "ce n'est -pas juste, c'est épouvantable! Je me sens brisé! Nom d'un nom, que vous -êtes maladroit! Dirigez la pièce encore vous même!" He finishes his -series at last, and as he turns to go, he salutes me gravely, saying, -"Au revoir, monsieur, j'aimerais bien travailler ici à coté de vous, -mais, hélas! c'est fort impossible. Dans cette observatoire il y en a -toujours de bruit!" It must not for a moment be supposed that I speak -disparagingly of the French gunners. They are, as a matter of fact, -far better artillerists than ourselves, and we have much to learn from -them. Possibly they lack something of our insular calm, as we certainly -lack the vivid power of imagination and discernment that contributes -very largely to their success. For this same calm the British gunner -is hard to beat. On one occasion a heavy shell hit an O.P. fair and -square, bringing it down in a heap of ruins. The observer, who by some -miracle was not hurt, extricated himself from the pile of rubbish -under which he found himself, and rushed down to the cellar, where he -expected to find the mangled remains of his telephonist. There was -the man, his hands full of fragments that had once been a telephone, -standing with a puzzled expression on his face. "I 'ardly know what to -do with this 'ere instrument, sir," was his greeting. "I don't see as -'ow I'm goin' to mend it without goin' back to the battery for some -spare parts." - -Observation by night is sometimes useful, as then the flashes of -hostile batteries can be seen most distinctly. It is, however, a -peculiarity of modern propellants that the actinic power of the flame -produced on their combustion is such as to attract attention in broad -daylight. I have had my eye caught by the flash of a ten-centimetre -gun about four miles away at four o'clock on a sunny afternoon in -September, and there is no doubt that this distance has frequently -been exceeded. Still, night of course is the best time, although then -it is very much easier to mistake the flash of a bursting shell for -that of a gun, and even if flashes are observed, nothing can be noted -except their direction, their surroundings being invisible. And a few -hours at night in an O.P. have their compensations. Over the trenches -rise continually the searching lights, throwing everything into sudden -contrast of light and shade, making of the familiar scene whose every -stone and blade of grass one thought to know by heart, a strange land -of white snow islands standing sheer out of yawning black gulfs. Every -now and then sharp tongues of flame dart out from the parapet, a sudden -lurid flash in the air shows a bursting shrapnel, or a brighter one -on the ground the more violent detonation of high explosive. Perhaps -a rocket signal of green and red goes up, followed by a quicker -succession of flashes of all kinds as a patrol between the trenches is -discovered. Perhaps one may be lucky enough to see a chance shell start -a huge fire, such as burnt once for three days and three nights in -Cité St. Pierre, producing a glow as of twilight two good miles away. -Whatever may be seen, night has its fascination in this strange world -of sleepless activity as much as in a land of quiet, but here its -fascination is a stirring into life of eager pulses, a whispering in -the ear of that ever-ready lust of battle that makes of war the finest -sport that man ever devised. Somehow at night all deeds seem possible. - - - - -IV - -THE FOUR DAYS - -(September 21-24, 1915) - - -Although many descriptions and maps of the country round about Loos -have been issued, it may not be out of place to attempt one more brief -outline, from which the general trend of the operations from September -25, 1915, onward can be followed. Descriptions of a country that one -does not know being invariably flat and unconvincing, it may suffice -to lay down the main features in a very few words. From the La Bassée -Canal southward to Souchez is a purely coal-mining district, one of -the most important in France, an undulating country devoid of natural -features, but abounding in artificial ones, such as chimney-stacks, -mine-shafts and dump-heaps. The miners' villages, locally termed -_corons_, group themselves about the pit-heads, and form two long -lines of almost continuous brick and mortar, separated by a shallow -valley, normally under cultivation, but now lying fallow and deserted, -varying in width from a few hundred yards to a couple of miles or so. -In the centre of this valley lies Loos, a village of some two thousand -inhabitants, conspicuous for miles round from the huge double shaft, -the famous Pylons, that rise nearly three hundred feet above the -surface of the plain. - -Of the two lines of villages, that surrounding the mines owned by -the Compagnie des Mines de Béthune, and consisting of Cambrin, -Vermelles, Philosophe, Mazingarbe, Les Brebis, Grenay, Maroc, and Aix -Noulette, was, about the middle of September, held by the Allies. The -eastern line, consisting of Auchy, Haisnes, Cité St. Elie, Hulluch, -Benifontaine, Vendin, Cité St. Auguste, Lens and its countless suburbs, -and Liévin, was, at the same period, held by the enemy. Along the -course of the valley, but well up the western slope of it, so that the -village of Loos lay a mile within them on the German side, ran the -two opposing lines, with their maze of support and reserve trenches, -their sinuous lines of communication trenches leading up the slopes -of the valley to the villages in rear. From our observation posts in -Maroc the whole of the southern sector of these parallel works could -be plainly seen, the line of each trench through the green overgrowth -of weeds being conspicuously marked by the white chalk thrown up in -excavating them. Behind these again, two long black arms stretched -out towards us, with a sinister look as though inviting us to leave -the comparative security of our trenches and rush to the attack of -the body from which they grew, the city of Lens. In reality nothing -but embankments formed by the continual deposition of refuse from the -mines, these two arms, the northern known as the Double Crassier, the -southern as the Puits XVI embankment, had been transformed by the enemy -into exceedingly strong positions, mined, entrenched, fortified by -every known means, the westernmost ramifications of the fortress into -which Lens had been converted. Opposite the extremity of the Puits XVI -embankment the Allied armies met, the right of the British line resting -upon the Tenth French Army, the first of that great chain of armies -that spreads, with one short gap, to the faraway Swiss mountains. - -All through August and September the roads behind the Allied front -had been covered by infantry and artillery, and even towards the end -by cavalry, all moving eastwards through the all-pervading chalk dust. -Rumour, as ever, was busy with conjecture. This was merely a feint, -maintained the pessimists, the real advance is to lie with the French -in Champagne. Nonsense, replied the optimists, this is at last the -long-looked-for general advance, the death-blow of trench warfare, the -dawning of the millennium when the Battle of Position shall give way to -the Battle of Movement, the beginning of the final struggle that will -end only with the death-throes of the enemy on the Rhine! Whatever were -one's individual opinions, the scent of battle, the glorious prospect -of a "scrap," was in the air, and spirits rose accordingly. - -Slowly, from the august sources wherein the strategy of armies has -its birth, the true intentions of the Allies percolated. Looking back -now, it seems that too much was allowed to be known from the first. -Documents containing detailed programmes of the proposed operations -were circulated in some cases as much as a fortnight before the -selected day, and in the field it is impossible to prevent the contents -of such documents becoming common knowledge within an incredibly -short time, which is practically equivalent to sending the originals -across to the enemy with one's compliments. It was subsequently -established by the examination of prisoners that the German General -Staff had full knowledge of our plans many days before the attack -took place, and had, indeed, made dispositions to meet it. It is -undoubtedly essential to circulate beforehand exact instructions as -to the part that each unit is to perform in contemplated operations, -but it is extremely doubtful if it is expedient to do so until the -last possible moment. Apart from the danger of leakage to the enemy, -it is always found, as indeed in this case, that the interval that -elapses between the receipt of instructions and their execution is -filled with a storm of amplifications, contradictions and amendments, -poured out by intermediate commanders, until the unfortunate commander -of a unit is faced, when called upon to act, by an accumulation of -mutually incompatible orders. If a strong man, he throws them all -indiscriminately into the fire, and, acting by the light of his own -commonsense and initiative, stands a fair chance of succeeding; if -a weak man, he endeavours to act upon them all, and, with deadly -certainty, fails. - -The ultimate intention of the General Staff will not be revealed until -long after the end of the war, if even then, nor need we concern -ourselves with anything but the general instructions issued to the -Fourth Corps, the southernmost portion of the First British Army, -the army that held the line from the canal southward to the junction -with the French. Briefly, these were to seize Loos, Hill 70, which is -merely the eastern slope of the valley behind Loos, and to establish -themselves on this slope in such a position as to command Lens from the -north. It was understood that the French were to make a simultaneous -attack from the direction of Souchez, occupy the Vimy ridge, and -similarly threaten Lens from the south. - -In order to attain these objects, a four days' bombardment of the -enemy's position was to be undertaken, to be immediately followed by -an assault upon the fifth day. Of the actual details of the targets to -be engaged by each battery it is unnecessary to speak in a sketch of -this nature. Our own battery, in common with the rest, was allotted -targets to be engaged at different periods of each of the four days, -these days being not specified, but described as days V, W, X, and Y. -Throughout a breathless week we elaborated our plans, each day bringing -as a rule some modification of our original instructions. We spent our -daylight hours peering out of our observation slits, and our evenings -measuring ever new angles and ranges on our maps, until each one of -us knew every stone in the country that lay in front of us by some -pet name, and our maps developed strange diagrams in every possible -combination of coloured chalks, for all the world like the diagram of -the London Tubes. Thus we possessed our souls in a greater or less -degree of impatience, till at last the message came: "To-morrow is -day V," and on the night of September 20 I at least sought the genial -warmth of my valise feeling that the curtain was about to rise upon the -finest spectacle that the world had ever seen. - -That night was the lull before the storm. All along our line the -restless field guns woke but fitfully, as a watch-dog to bark at the -moon, and then fell off to sleep again. Even the incomparable French -_soixante-quinzes_ on our right, whose voices are hushed neither by -day nor night, seemed restless, impatient, restrained, keeping long -silences, until in sheer desperation they burst into uncontrollable -passion, ceasing again as suddenly as they began, as though appalled -by their own act. Only the vivid lights soared brilliantly as ever -above the trenches, failing, however, to evoke the usual salutation -from their unsleeping wardens. So the morning dawned, unheralded by the -noisy "morning hate" with which the opposing armies invariably greeted -one another, the still air seeming to cower silently, awaiting the -shocks that were to come. - -The spirit of expectancy had penetrated into the battery itself. The -gun detachments stood to their guns, polishing and oiling for the -twentieth time each smallest detail. The men off duty stood about in -groups, talking in hushed voices, broken suddenly now and then by a -loud laugh quickly checked, as men will when something is expected to -happen. In the telephone dug-out sat the officers, silent save for -spasmodic efforts at general conversation, starting nervously at each -note of the buzzer. At last a sudden stiffening of the telephonist on -duty, "Yes, I'm battery, yes--battery action, sir!" and the tension -ceased. Instantly the battery leapt into life. "Right section, -lyddite, full charge, load! Switch angle four degrees right----" -Strings of order pour from the section commanders, echoed by the -"numbers one" in the gun-pits, dying away to silence again. Then -the voice of the senior subaltern, "Report battery ready to fire!" -a breathless minute, seemingly interminable; at last a faint buzz -from the telephone, the sharp cry "Fire No. 1 gun!" and before the -last sound of the order dies away the flash and roar of the howitzer -proclaim that for us, at least, the Battle of Loos has begun. - -So as the day passes on we fall into our usual routine. The battery is -seemingly uninhabited but for the strident section commanders standing -between their hidden guns, except when reliefs descend into the pits -as into Avernus, out of which presently appear a knot of men dusty, -grimy and incredibly thirsty. Sometimes an officer comes up to the -section commander, stands reading his notebook over his shoulder for -a few seconds, nods as he receives a terse word or so as to rate of -fire, takes over the notebook, pencil and megaphone and carries on the -ceaseless clamour. All the time, at regular intervals, the guns fire -and the orders pass. Sometimes a keener note is heard, "Left section, -cease loading! Fresh target----" and a new string of orders, soon -followed by a resumption of the periodic roaring, as of a thunderstorm -controlled by an angel with a stop-watch. Or perhaps "Fire No. 3 gun!" -and no instant report. "What's the matter, No. 3?" "Missfire, sir!" -"All right, look sharp!" "All ready, sir!" "Fire No. 3, then!" and the -rhythm commences again. After a time it all has a strangely soothing -effect on the senses. First one loses the din of the surrounding -batteries, then fails to notice the report of one's own guns a few feet -away, giving orders mechanically notwithstanding. Perhaps a stifled -yawn and a glance at the watch--is that infernal fellow never coming -to relieve me? Then the warning voice of the telephonist, "Fresh -target coming through, sir!" and the wandering attention leaps into -watchfulness again. - -Up at the observation post things are very different. There the -observing officer sits, watching the black and yellow smoke clouds -of the bursting high explosive, or the cotton-wool-like puffs of the -shrapnel. "No. 1 fired, sir!" The words of the telephonists seem to -come as from some other world. Here she comes, far away behind, -the whistle of the shell shrieking louder as she passes right -overhead--splendid! in the very trench itself; see the black smoke -spread out and rise slowly from a long section of trench, whilst the -green vegetation grows white with the falling chalk. No correction can -be made to that, "No. 1, repeat!" "No. 2 fired, sir!" Here she comes, -ah, a little to the right--"No. 2, ten minutes more left, fire!" So -it goes on, until this particular section of trench has practically -disappeared, leaving only a white scar. Then a change of target and -a repetition of the destruction. A fascinating business this on so -fine an autumn day, so fascinating that all sense of time is lost, -all conjecture as to whether the enemy will take it into his head to -select our observation post as a target is forgotten. The only thing -in the world is the measured fall of the shell and the swift framing -of the consequent order, the only pleasure the deep satisfaction of -a well-placed round, the only despair the haunting memory of a shot -wasted that might have been saved by a different procedure. - -During those four days of ceaseless bombardment, the enemy made very -little reply except at certain points; we subsequently discovered why. -He made no attempt to distribute his fire along our front line, nor -did he make a systematic search for our observation posts, the vital -organ of every battery and its most vulnerable one. Certain spots he -selected, and with magnificent gunnery rendered them utterly untenable. -Shell after shell fell with mathematical accuracy into Vermelles, Le -Rutoire, Quality Street, but when once we had learnt these favoured -spots, our casualties were very few, being avoided by the simple -expedient of removing to places that appeared to be more suitable in -the capacity of health-resorts, or, where that was impossible, taking -to the cellars and remaining there. - -Through four long days, from early in the morning until it became -too dark to observe the fall of the rounds, the pitiless shelling -continued, nor was the enemy allowed any respite at night. In the -batteries we were then busy replenishing ammunition and overhauling -every detail of the equipment, but still one gun per battery at least -fired steadily throughout the hours of darkness, not now on the enemy's -positions, but on his billets and on certain places through which -his reinforcements must pass on their way to the firing line. A few -rounds per hour only, sufficient to keep men crouching huddled in -cellars wherein was no possibility of sleep, or to shake the _morale_ -of working parties faced with the necessity of running the gauntlet -of that steady rain. The moral effect upon troops already shaken by -bombardment is enormous, as we ourselves have had bitter cause to know -in the earlier months of the war. The effect of these days and nights -upon the enemy is vividly shown in the diary of a private in the Second -Reserve Infantry Regiment (Prussian) which fell into our hands later. A -few extracts will suffice. On the 21st he writes: "Towards mid-day the -trenches had already fallen in in many places. Dug-outs were completely -overwhelmed ... most of them fled, leaving rifles and ammunition behind -... the air was becoming heated from so many explosions." On the 22nd: -"Shells and shrapnel (_granatschuss_) are bursting all round ... in -places where the trench had disappeared I crawled on my hands and knees -amid a hail of bullets." On the 23rd: "Our look-out post was completely -destroyed, and my comrades killed in it ... even the strongest man may -lose his brain and nerves in a time like this." On the 24th: "The -fourth day of this terrible bombardment.... I am sorry to say that -there is no reply from our artillery." - -Other prisoners, on being interrogated, testified to the awful effects -of our fire. Upon one in particular, an artillery officer, was found an -order that revealed the secret of the ineffectiveness of the enemy's -reply. After briefly setting out the measures to be taken in case of a -British offensive, it goes on as follows: "Owing to the fact that the -preponderance of hostile artillery in this sector is probably more than -two to one, and owing to the vital necessity of economy in ammunition, -battery commanders will confine their fire to targets whose importance -is known to them, and upon which they can count on producing a good -effect. They will under no circumstances allow themselves to be drawn -into anything approaching to an artillery duel." It was also stated -by many captured officers that during the night September 23-24 a -deserter from our line had conveyed to the German Staff the time and -date of the coming assault, and that to this fact they owed much of the -effectiveness of the measures taken to resist it. Yet another captured -document was of somewhat disconcerting interest to us gunners, namely, -a map upon which was very accurately shown the position of every allied -battery, with only two exceptions, in the whole of our sector. It seems -fairly certain that this was due to the most efficient espionage, and -not to aerial observation. - -The material effect of such a bombardment is harder to judge, for it -must be remembered that, despite the high science of modern gunnery, -the percentage of direct hits upon a given objective is still -comparatively small. When, however, a heavy shell detonates under -favourable conditions, its destructive power is enormous. For instance, -on the third day I saw a direct hit by one of our largest howitzers -upon the boiler-house of Puits XVI. The shell penetrated the roof -and burst inside the building, sending up an enormous cloud of black -smoke tinged with the pink of pulverized brick, that hung for several -minutes. When it cleared, nothing but a gaunt and twisted framework of -steel girders remained, a heap of rubbish alone showing where the walls -had stood. A smaller howitzer was ordered to fell a brick wall, some -thirty feet high and many courses thick. The shell burst in regular -sequence at its foot, at roughly ten yards interval, each round -bringing down an equivalent section of the wall, until nothing remained -but a long pile of smoking rubble. And, more impressive, perhaps, -than all is the sight of a medium lyddite shell bursting in a narrow -trench. Out of the centre of a vivid flash fly heavy timbers, sandbags, -revetments, all that once formed the trench, sometimes the mangled -fragments of its occupants, whilst to right and left rolls the choking -smoke, driving its way into the deepest dug-outs, overcoming men many -yards away from the point of impact, spreading death in every form. Is -it to be wondered at that when our infantry reached these trenches they -found a few survivors, living indeed still, but struggling and raving -as the inmates of some ghastly Bedlam? - - - - -V - -THE DAY OF ASSAULT - -(September 25, 1915) - - -During the night of September 24-25, infantry patrols left the trenches -to explore the condition of the enemy's wire entanglements, upon the -destruction of which our field batteries had been engaged during the -previous day. Artillery fire was therefore reduced as much as could be -done with safety, and was chiefly directed upon reserves and billets, -in order to make the chance of rounds falling short injuring the -patrols as small as possible. During the evening the batteries opposed -to us had shown far greater liveliness than they had hitherto. Possibly -the enemy had got information as to where the decisive attack was -to be made, as it seems to be the fact that owing to the four days' -bombardment having taken place along the whole of the British front, -they had hitherto hesitated to reinforce any particular sector, but -had kept their reserves in a state of immediate readiness at their -various railway centres. If this was the case, it is very probable -that during the 23rd and 24th fresh batteries were placed in position -between Vendin-le-Vieil and Lens, and that these came into action on -the afternoon and evening of the 24th. This supposition is borne out -by the fact of the enemy's ability to bring a terrific fire to bear on -Loos as soon as we entered it. - -Until the light failed, we had been busily engaged dropping shell -along the Double Crassier, upon whose grim black crest the enemy were -suspected of having mounted a number of machine guns. I had been in -the observation post nearly the whole day--it is, by the way, worthy -of remark as showing the immunity from retaliation that we had enjoyed -in our sector, that we used to walk to and from our O.P. at all hours -of the day through country literally covered with batteries, none -of whom up till now had suffered any casualties--but at about seven -o'clock duty recalled me to the battery. So absorbed had I been in the -difficult business of observing in the failing light, that although -I was conscious that shells were bursting all round, I had no idea -that anything out of the ordinary was taking place until one of our -telephonists, who had been out repairing the line, returned somewhat -shaken, having been blown off his feet and thrown some distance by a -high-explosive detonating close to him. His only complaint, I may say, -was that he had lost a pair of wire-cutters in the adventure! - -However, as soon as I started my walk homewards along the "Harrow -Road," I found things still fairly lively. Several houses had been -destroyed since the morning, and some very fine examples of shell-holes -in the middle of the road added to the joys of the transport drivers, -whose wagons of all descriptions were now beginning to pour along it. -At one point a medium shell burst about twenty yards away from me--I -had heard it coming and found friendly refuge in the ditch--and before -the smoke had fairly cleared an armoured car and a motor cyclist -orderly drove simultaneously into it from opposite directions. Nobody -was hurt, but the road was most effectively obstructed, and the effect -produced was exactly like that of a block in Piccadilly, including the -language. I reached the battery safely, to find that the shelling -had not reached so far back, but that another form of excitement had -supervened. We had received orders to be ready to move at the shortest -possible notice, in case a general advance upon the morrow should -render a change in our position necessary. Of course, we had been -prepared for this for days, but even so this official pronouncement of -our hopes sent a thrill through every one of us. This was, then, the -decisive struggle, the Waterloo of the campaign at last! - -Moving a battery of heavy guns is, however, no small matter, and one -that involves a vast amount of labour, not to be lightly undertaken. -A story is told of a certain major, distinguished alike for his -capability and his piety, who, knowing from bitter experience the -difficulties that attended a change of position of his battery, added -on this night to his usual formula of prayer these heart-felt words, "O -Lord, grant us victory in the coming struggle--_but not in my sector_!" - -I think that despite the fact that the guns were silent for the first -time since the beginning of the bombardment, very few of us slept much -that night. Our schemes were perfect, certainly, every detail of our -actions of the morrow had been long worked out, each phase starting a -definite time after an empiric zero, which we now learnt was fixed for -5.50 a.m. But--would the enemy consent to fall in with those schemes? -Suppose they anticipated our offensive by an attack of their own? The -wire in front of their trenches was already destroyed, even now our -infantry were busy cutting wide passages through our own. How strong -were they in reality? Was their passive endurance of our fire only a -blind to lull us into security? These and a thousand other conjectures -troubled our minds all night, and it was with a deep feeling of relief -that we stood in the battery, no untoward incident having marred our -plans, at 5.30 a.m. on the 25th--the eagerly awaited Day Z! - -Then were the scenes at the opening of the bombardment repeated. Along -our line all was again quiet, only from our right came the distant -echoes of the fighting round Souchez and the Labyrinth, a deep roar -that had now been continuous for over a week. Again we sit in the -telephone dug-out, tense and expectant. "Official time coming, sir!" -Watches are taken out in readiness. "Five thirty-five--now!" Quarter -of an hour to go! One by one we creep out to see for the last time that -all is ready. One minute more--"Hook your lanyards!" slowly the hand -ticks round--time zero--"Fire!" This was no deliberate bombardment, -every gun must in the short interval allowed it work to its utmost -capacity, every man sweating in the dust-laden pits must toil as he -never toiled before to feed it; into the luckless trenches in front -of us must pour such a blasting hurricane of fire that the resistance -prepared for our attack shall wither away in its deadly breath. But -soon our own troops will be pouring out of their trenches, charging -over the dividing ground to hurl themselves upon the trenches into -which our wrath is now being poured, and then our fire must be lifted -lest we do more harm than good. All is arranged for in the time-table. -At forty minutes past zero, or 6.30 a.m., every battery lifts its fire -from the front line to the second line, and still the furious fire -continues. But now we know that the blow is being struck--what would -we all not give to be in action in the open as in old days so that we -could see the assault, watch the joining of the battle? Unprofitable -thoughts! let us rather devote every fibre of our beings to the only -task by which we can help, the task of pouring an ever-increasing -weight of shell upon the defenders. That morning dawned grey and dull. -From the observing post it was hardly possible to see further than -the front line trenches at half-past five, and until the moment of -the assault visibility did not greatly increase. However, this was to -be the battlefield, we knew, at all events in the first stages of the -struggle. The expectancy of viewing the greatest battle in history was -to our little party in the O.P. strangely _banal_; I, for one, could -not grasp the reality of it; I felt as though I were in a box waiting -for the actors to come upon a stage before which the curtain had risen -prematurely. There was no sign of battle, no movement that the eye -could detect over the whole of the wide prospect before us. And then -suddenly came time zero, bringing with it a scene that could never -be forgotten. From the whole length of our front trench, as far as -the eye could reach, rose, vertically at first, a grey cloud of smoke -and gas, that, impelled by a gentle wind, spread slowly towards the -enemy's trenches, very soon enveloping the whole of our range of vision -in its opaque veil. This was our view of the assault, this dismal -vapour the aura that was to surround a thousand sacrifices, the cloak -that was to hide a thousand gallant deeds, the winding-sheet that was -to enwrap so many a hero. Modern war holds no dramatic spectacles to -enchant the brush of a Meisonnier, no drama is wrought upon a lime-lit -stage to arrest the pulses of the watching nations. Yet none the less -is its fascination omnipotent; its magnetic attraction, that draws -into its vortex every man that owns a soul to plague him, is none the -less irresistible; its influence still has the power to weld a chain -of heroes out of a dirty, blasphemous, footsore crowd of sinners. War -tends to the uplifting of the race, not to its debasement, let him who -has faced it deny it if he can! - -At 6.30 a.m. the infantry left their trenches and, so far as we were -concerned, vanished into the smoke. All we could see were the columns -scaling the ladders and starting to double across the open. Some seemed -to trip as they ran, and fell in various attitudes from which they did -not trouble to rise. At first we thought that our wire had not been -thoroughly cut, and that these men had fallen over some unseen strands. -But the red pools that slowly surrounded each soon undeceived us, the -while that the roar of rifle-fire from the enemy's side grew ever more -menacing. We could not see what success attended those who went on, but -we heard subsequently that practically no resistance was encountered -on the enemy's first and second line, but that the third line was very -strongly held and considerably delayed, in some sectors permanently -arrested, our advance. - -The battery and the O.P. were equally desirable as far as vision went, -the battery being blind by nature and the O.P. by science. It has, -incidentally, yet to be proved that the hindrance to the enemy caused -by the use of smoke is not more than counterbalanced by the paralysing -of the initiative of one's own artillery, who are entirely dependent, -when this method of warfare is employed, upon time-tables and such -messages as the advancing infantry may be able to send back. However, -that is not a question meet for discussion except in works devoted -to the abstruse study of strategy and tactics. Let us return to the -passage of events in the battery. - -Here hopes and fears fought for the mastery throughout the morning, -in accordance with the portents of the day. An order to lift fire on -to a more distant point seemed to mean that our attack was developing -against it, and the men in the pits paused to cheer in the midst of -their unceasing labour. Then suddenly fire would be swept back on to -a point that we had determined in our own minds to have been captured -long ago, and our spirits fell, the detachments setting their teeth -and straining at the heated guns to force by sheer weight of metal the -taking of the disputed point. Or, saddest sight of all, down the road -flowed an ever-widening stream of casualties, ambulances laden with -stretchers upon which twisted forms lay very still, others with the -less severely wounded, and a motley crowd on foot with minor injuries, -supporting one another as one imagines the scriptural halt, maimed and -blind to have done. I think that none of us realized till we saw the -magnitude of this stream, how fierce a fight was raging in front of us. -If this sight hardened our determination, the next procession went far -to cheer us. A few hundred prisoners were marched past us on the way to -the rear, fine upstanding men enough, looking perfectly fit and in the -prime of life, disposing effectually, in my mind at least, of the fable -born of our national love for self-deceit that the enemy were hard put -to it to find men fit for service. - -The German batteries were now devoting their attention to our advancing -infantry, endeavouring at the same time to create a barrage behind -them on our main arteries of communication. The Harrow Road suffered -to a certain extent, but the greatest slaughter took place on the -Lens-Béthune and Vermelles-Hulluch roads. On the former the whole of -a divisional train was overwhelmed by shrapnel, blocking the road for -a quarter of a mile with shattered wagons and dead horses (a picture -of which debris subsequently went the round of the illustrated Press -under the heading "Captured German Battery at Loos"). Two of our -field batteries that endeavoured to come into action in the open -between Quality Street and La Chapelle de Notre Dame de Consolation -suffered very heavily and were silenced. Of the losses of the infantry, -nobody who did not see the procession of casualties and, worse -still, the burial parties of the next few days, can form an adequate -picture. "British Offensive in the West," we read, "Gain of five -miles of trench." Each foot of that five miles cost us a life and a -sum of human agony such as this world has never known. Watch that -communication trench marked "Stretchers to rear only." Here they come, -two stretcher-bearers, one limping painfully, the sleeve of the other -growing ever darker with a purple stain that spreads slowly over it. -Between them they carry a poor wretch with both legs broken, whose low -moan of agony rises to a sharp wail at each jolting step. Supporting -themselves on the shoulders of the stretcher-bearers are two more, -one with his breath gurgling through a throat choked with blood, one -with a shattered shoulder and side. Through the treacherous clay that -covers the bottom of the trench they make their way of agony, reeling -from side to side as their feet fail to find a foothold, cursing their -Maker for the horror of their torture. See, the first stretcher-bearer -slips--his wounded foot will bear him no longer--and down falls the -whole party in one screaming, writhing mass. Two miles more: is there -no end to human suffering? is heaven so pitiless? There is the answer, -a sharp whistle, a low report, a puff of smoke just over the trench, -and all is quiet, save for one form that crawls very slowly on hands -and knees through the yellow clay that grows dark crimson in his -track. In these terms must we reckon the price of victory. - -This is not the place, nor is it within my ability, to give an -historical study of the varying phases of the battle. Suffice it to -say that by noon the 15th Division had swept through the northern end -of Loos, and were engaged upon that part of the eastern slope of the -valley known as Hill 70. There had been considerable street-fighting -in the village, but the enemy had evidently realized that this was not -the place to make a determined stand. Their strategy appears to have -been to concentrate their forces on the edge of the valley, leaving -within it only detachments of such strengths that the loss occasioned -by their sacrifice would be altogether outweighed by the gain in time -that they secured to the main defence. And nobly these detachments -performed the task allotted to them. One battery took up a position -along the Loos-Benifontaine road, and remained in action under a fire -whose intensity it is impossible to describe until our troops were -almost upon it, when its fire ceased, not from lack of courage to -continue, but because no single man was left alive to serve the guns. -Let us give the enemy his due, we are not fighting a nation of cowards -and assassins, as we are so fond of trying to believe, but of brave and -determined men, whom to defeat will call from us our utmost energies. - -As soon as we had taken Loos, the enemy opened a steady artillery -fire upon the village, in order to prevent its use by us as a _point -d'appui_ for further attack, and to hinder observation from the -various landmarks it contained. There is so little natural cover that -this must have been a serious disadvantage to us, as by this time the -communication trenches leading from the German front line trenches that -we now held up the slopes of the valley were choked with dead, and -reinforcements had to run the gauntlet of a well-directed fire in order -to reach our line of attack. This may have something to do with that -fatal delay that left the attacking divisions unsupported and checked -an advance that might well have resulted in the capture of Lens, which -would probably in turn have sealed the fate of Lille. We have learnt -from prisoners that the enemy anticipated the worst in the early hours -of the morning, and that the feebleness of the final blow amazed them. -Had fresh divisions poured down the Lens road through Cité St. Auguste -and Cité St. Laurent, rolling the enemy back upon the French who -were advancing towards Vimy, who knows what might not have happened? -Conjecture is useless, regret of a lost opportunity must take its place. - -The facts so far as known--and no two accounts, even of those who -took part in the struggle, quite agree--are as follows: The 47th -Division, London Territorials all of them, the heroes of the day, but -of whose performances, because less showy, little has been heard, had -by 9.30 a.m. surmounted a series of obstacles, the storming of any -one of which would have earned them lasting fame. Like a tide they -poured over the western end of the dreaded Double Crassier, utterly -regardless of withering machine-gun fire, and swept to the attack of -the walled cemetery that stands to the south-west of Loos. From here, -after a titanic struggle, they dislodged the strong party of its -defenders, and, gaining fresh impetus from the check, irresistibly -fought their way through the outskirts of the village, in which every -point of vantage was held against them, right up to its heart, the -mine buildings that cluster at the foot of the Pylons. This fortress -they stormed and won, and the rush of their assault carried them on -its crest over the Loos Crassier--another high embankment of refuse -and slag--over the exposed surface of the plain, into the copse that -stretches westward from Loos Chalk Pit. Here at last for a while they -rested, and here for the present we may leave them. May the great -city be for ever proud of the achievements of her sons this day, the -thousand forgotten deeds of heroism of which her ears will never hear! - -Meanwhile the 15th Division, having captured the Lens Road Redoubt -that straddled the Lens-Béthune road, were engaged in clearing the -northern portion of the village of Loos. The 1st Division, the left -wing of the Fourth Corps, had met with varying fortune. The 1st Brigade -had penetrated to the enemy's reserve trenches in front of Cité St. -Elie and Hulluch, roughly upon the line of the Lens-La Bassée road. -The 2nd Brigade, impeded by a mass of concealed wire that our fire had -failed to destroy, were held up in the direction of Lone Tree and Bois -Carrée. This necessitated the bringing up of the divisional reserve, -who managed to advance between the left flank of the 15th Division and -the Loos Road Redoubt, a strong point in the German line on the track -leading from Loos to Vermelles. This relieved the pressure on the -2nd Brigade, and the Loos Road Redoubt, attacked from the front and -both flanks, fell into our hands, compelling some six or seven hundred -of the enemy to surrender. But the delay had enabled the Germans to -reinforce Hulluch and the Crassier of Puits XIII bis to such an extent -that the attack was diverted to the right, in which direction it -advanced as far as the Bois Hugo and Puits XIV bis, both being situated -on the eastern slope of the valley to the north of Hill 70. Of the -events of the afternoon it is impossible to speak with any degree of -certainty. It seems most probable that the paths of the three divisions -having brought them all on to the rising ground to the eastward and -north-eastward of Loos, an attack was made upon the redoubt that -existed on Hill 70 at the point where a track from Loos to Cité St. -Auguste crosses the Lens-La Bassée road. It also seems probable that -after many vicissitudes this redoubt was captured and subsequently -held, though by a force utterly inadequate for the purpose. About 8 -p.m. a messenger reached one of our batteries, having lost his way in -the dark, bearing a message addressed to the headquarters of one of the -Brigades forming the 15th Division, to the effect that the sender was -holding Hill 70 with a mixed handful of men, numbering a thousand in -all, and urgently requesting the immediate supply of sandbags and other -material for defence. - -In the battery we were, of course, ignorant of all these things at -the time, and the progress of events could only be conjectured by -the position of the spots upon which we were ordered to fire and the -reports of wounded passing by us on their way to the rear. We knew of -the fall of Loos by the forlorn procession of refugees who had been -living in the village all through the German occupation, but who were -sent back immediately upon the capture of the place by our troops. Be -it noted in parenthesis that much consternation was caused in a certain -office by the arrival of a telephone message to this effect: "The loose -women are expected shortly, please arrange for their accommodation!" -From the observation post came the news of the taking of the Double -Crassier and the Cemetery, but beyond that, and the information that -no attack had been launched towards the Puits XVI ridge, the observing -officer had nothing further to tell us. But I think that in the ominous -absence of any further reference to our projected advance, we all felt -something of the chill breath of disappointment, that whispered that -our high hopes had somehow failed of their realization. - - - - -VI - -STRAIGHTENING THE LINE - - -Straightening out the line is an expression frequently found in -official dispatches, and it may usually be understood to cover the -operations that take place after a definite attack. In the case of -the Battle of Loos, these operations extended into the third week -of October, and as a corollary to an account of this great event, -and as a study of what was in effect a series of minor battles, the -following sketch is intended. There were many events during these days -that are not yet fully understood, the time has not yet come when a -dispassionate history may be written. Controversy is yet busy with the -names of many disputed positions. I make no attempt at contribution to -any opinion expressed, but merely endeavour to convey some faint idea -of such portions of the drama as were played before the eyes of the -artillery observers. - -During the night of September 25-26, the general position was -something as follows. The enemy, from a point not far south of Fosse -8 to the Double Crassier, had been driven out of his front line to a -greater or less distance in rear. Here, many months before this time, -he had already constructed a second line of defence in anticipation of -such a possibility. We, finding ourselves confronted by this line, were -obliged to make some sort of cover for our advanced infantry, using -the abandoned German front line and communication trenches as far as -they could be adapted for our reserves and supports. Along the whole -of this front of advance, therefore, both sides were busily engaged -upon strengthening their respective positions, covering meanwhile their -working parties with rifle fire. The artillery could not render much -direct assistance, the light had failed before the final positions of -the infantry on either side were determined, and the risk of injuring -friends as much as foes was too great. The function of the guns was -to keep a steady fire directed upon the possible lines of approach of -hostile reinforcements, which were pouring up on both sides during the -whole of the night. The front of advance was something as follows: From -the south of the canal we remained in our old trenches to a point just -north of the quarries, and from here the position we held ran through -the front line of the Hohenzollern Redoubt, of which we held the front -and the enemy the rear, thence somewhat to the west of the Lens-La -Bassée road in front of Cité St. Elie and Hulluch, through Chalk Pit -Wood and Puits XIV his, somewhere over the western slopes of Hill 70, -then abruptly back to the Double Crassier, where it joined our old line -again. - -Up till midnight both sides worked comparatively undisturbed, except on -Hill 70, where attacks and counter-attacks followed one another without -intermission. But at about 12.30 a.m., the enemy, having apparently -succeeded in bringing up sufficient troops for the purpose, made a -series of local attacks, the fiercest of which seems to have been on -our line from the Bois Hugo to Hill 70. This attack was repulsed, as -were the remainder of the series made at the same time. The weather -now became even more misty than before, and the cold drizzle that had -been falling all the evening increased in intensity. Shortly after -dawn, at 5.30 a.m., the enemy made a more determined attack from much -the same part of his line, in which he scored some initial successes, -afterwards retrieved, and by 6.30 a.m. the position was the same as it -had been all night. Observation was extremely bad on the morning of -the 26th, so much so that it was fully 8 a.m. before artillery could -be effectively used. But at this hour we again assumed the offensive, -and opened a furious bombardment upon the redoubt on the summit of Hill -70, a work already of extreme strength, and now doubly so after the -feverish energies of large working parties during the night. At nine -o'clock the bombardment ceased, and the infantry rushed to the assault, -but were unable to penetrate the hostile defences. They were re-formed -and the attempt was repeated, again unsuccessfully. - -Towards mid-day the local offensive passed into the hands of the enemy, -who made a determined attack from the Bois Hugo and succeeded in -driving our line back a considerable distance and recapturing Puits XIV -bis. This was a distinct advantage to him, for it gave him a point of -vantage from which he could direct machine-gun fire upon the flank of -troops moving to the assault of Hill 70. No further determined attacks -were made by either side on the afternoon of the 26th or the night -26th-27th, although desultory fighting continued, and various reliefs -and reinforcements were made amongst our own troops. The 3rd Cavalry -Division, who up till now had been waiting for the chance that would -have been theirs had we succeeded in piercing the German line, were -dismounted and relieved the troops holding Loos, where they remained -for a couple of days, some of them taking part in the final assault -upon Hill 70 on the 27th. - -On the afternoon of the 27th every gun that could possibly be brought -to bear opened a furious fire upon the Hill 70 Redoubt. For two hours -the bombardment continued in a light that nearly broke the observers' -hearts, so early did the evening close in, and so persistently hung the -mist. Then, with one earth-shaking salvo from the massed batteries, -it ceased, and the Guards Division rushed to the assault. What they -achieved will probably never be accurately known, undoubtedly they -penetrated the first line of the redoubt, but the enemy, continually -reinforced from his fortress of Cité St. Auguste, contrived to expel -them, and slowly they were swept back, in the gathering darkness of -night, to the positions from which they had sprung. The attack had -failed, Hill 70, the key of Lens, was still in the enemy's hands. - -The strength of this position lay perhaps not so much in its natural -advantages, as in the artificial means which had been employed to -render it capable of effective defence. Its position upon one of -the main arteries leading from the fortress of Lens made it easy to -reinforce from Cité St. Auguste, one of the outliers of that fortress. -The western slopes of the hill, up which the attack must come, formed -a sort of glacis to the redoubt, on to which observers in the redoubt -itself or in the woods around La Ferme des Mines de Lens could direct -fire from their batteries at Pont-a-Vendin, Cité St. Emile and Cité St. -Laurent. The work itself was of considerable extent and exceptionally -formidable, and was probably impregnable by frontal attack when fully -manned. Further, all possible approaches to it were enfiladed from the -northward by machine-gun fire from Puits XIV bis and some ruined houses -at the edge of a small wood, and from the southward by the strong works -at the edge of Cité St. Auguste, namely Puits XI and a building known -as the Dynamitière. Our failure to capture this important strategical -point was therefore regrettable, but not incomprehensible. - -A couple of days after the failure of our last attack upon Hill 70, a -redistribution of the front took place between the Allied Armies. The -Tenth French Army took over the new line up to a point near the Chalk -Pit Wood, the boundary of their territory, which included the village -of Loos, being now roughly a line drawn from this point through Quality -Street, and thence along the Lens-Béthune Road. From this time Hill 70 -ceased to be a British objective, and the whole of the line in front of -Lens came under one command, instead of being divided right in front of -the fortress, a change of considerable administrative advantage. - -During these days, from the 25th to the end of the month, there had -been spasmodic fighting along the rest of the front of advance, -especially about the quarries and the Hohenzollern Redoubt. This latter -work, in which we had gained a footing on the 25th, was repeatedly -reported lost and re-captured, but eventually it was found to be -untenable under the enemy's fire from Auchy and Fosse 8, and to a -lesser degree from Cité St. Elie and Hulloch. The actual new line as -now consolidated was therefore the same as on the evening of the 25th, -except that it ran to the westward of the Hohenzollern and at the foot -of the slopes of Hill 70. - -During the succeeding week no events of outstanding importance took -place, the infantry were busy in the improvement of their new trenches, -and the artillery in keeping the hostile batteries quiet while they -did so. But on October 8, "the lid suddenly came off Hell," as Gunner -Wolverhampton aptly expressed it. During the early part of the morning -the enemy had been unusually quiet, but about ten o'clock he opened a -bombardment upon the whole of the new line, more especially upon that -part of it in front of Loos, upon the village itself, and upon the -trenches between Hill 70 and the Double Crassier. This bombardment -grew in intensity, and towards noon we were ordered to retaliate -upon certain parts of his line. A few minutes later, the wind being -in his favour, he let loose a dense cloud of smoke and gas, and at -the same time lifted his fire on to our batteries and observation -stations, employing a large percentage of lachrymatory gas shell. Very -shortly after this, his counter-attack was launched. As on the 25th, -very little was visible from our observation stations, owing to the -obscurity caused by the smoke. It appears, however, that he developed -two separate attacks, one issuing from the Bois Hugo and the other -from the directions of the Dynamentière and Puits XI. These attacking -columns were composed of waves of men in close order, each wave, -according to the French observers, who were more suitably placed as far -as noting details went than our own, as the smoke did not blow in their -direction, being composed of a mass of men six abreast and twenty-five -deep. The French field batteries were at that time massed close -together, and their commander held their fire until the attackers were -well clear of the cover from which they issued. As soon as this was -the case, every battery was ordered to open fire at its maximum rate, -which they did with results that were nothing short of appalling. Our -battery happened to be just in front of them, and anything like their -fire cannot be imagined. For fully an hour the continuous roar was -such that telephones were useless, orders shouted through a megaphone -into the recipient's ear absolutely inaudible. The effect of such a -cannonade upon a slow moving mass of men in the open may be imagined. -It is said that the loss of one of the attacking columns in dead alone -was upwards of six thousand, and this estimate was subsequently largely -increased. The hopeless position of these unfortunates, was, curiously -enough, enhanced by an accident. One French battery had suffered -severely a few days before, having been badly shelled, whereby it had -lost all its officers and had had to change its position. Being at this -time still somewhat disorganized, it was late in opening fire, and when -it did so, opened at the same range as the other batteries had done -some minutes before, thereby directing its fire upon a point that the -attackers had already passed over, so placing a curtain of fire behind -them. Caught thus between two hail-storms of shell, the massed columns -had no escape, and were mown down where they stood. - -The conditions in the battery during this affair were curious and -extremely interesting. Each gun was firing as fast as the shell could -be loaded and the round laid, orders being passed by gesticulation -as best they could. Behind us the roar of the French batteries grew -until it was only by watching for the flashes that we could tell when -our own guns had fired. All round the hostile shells were bursting, -filling the air with a sweet ether-like vapour that sent a sharp pain -shooting through one's eyes until it seemed as if complete blindness -must shortly supervene. The tears coursing down the men's faces made -strange white tracks through the grime of battle, till the detachments -became fierce, ghost-like and terrible, the reeking demons of the -pit, striving and sweating that they might slay ever more and more, -that the bitter screams of their mutilated victims might swell ever -louder into the livid heavens. And the endless succession of ammunition -wagons, their drivers clad in gas-helmets till they resembled the -Inquisitors of old, lashing their horses into a yet more frantic gallop -as they neared their goal, seemed as the shell burst all about them -like monstrous chariots of hell. And all the time the French reserves -were massing behind us, passing in turn down the _boyaux_ into the -threatened trenches, each party as they passed cheering the roaring -guns, and winning from the detachments a hoarse shout in return, as for -a moment they rested from their ceaseless labour. - -Slowly the inferno of sound died away, and with its first ebb came -the voice of rumour. We had lost the Double Crassier, and the enemy -had gained a footing on the slag-heap of Fosse 5, he was close to us, -and we should have to save the guns as best we could! The French had -repelled the attack, and, following up their advantage, had swept into -Lens! The truth of the affair we did not discover till later, when it -appeared that a portion of our new line from the middle of the Double -Crassier northwards had been captured, re-occupied and captured again, -that the enemy had been finally driven out, but that the trench was -now so full of dead as to afford no cover to the living. But for this -minor success, if success it was, the furious counter-attack had failed -with great loss to the enemy. If our total losses during the operations -of September and October were between eighty and ninety thousand, -it is believed that the enemy lost about ten thousand upon this one -day alone. During the night of the 8th-9th the Germans contrived to -establish themselves in the disputed length of trench, but otherwise -the position remained for the next two days the same as before the -counter-attack. - -On the 11th the French developed a fresh attack in this sector, with -the primary object of retaking the lost trench, and the secondary -object of pushing such successes they might achieve right up past the -end of the Double Crassier and Puits XI until they should rest upon -the mineral railway running past Puits XI and Cité St. Pierre as far -as Cité St. Elisabeth, thus forming an offensive line from which to -threaten the Dynamitière and the enemy's approaches to Hill 70. We were -called upon to assist in this enterprise, and at 2 p.m. commenced to -drop shell along the Lens-La Bassée and Lens-Béthune roads, from their -junction in Lens up to Cité St. Auguste and Cité St. Laurent. We also -kept the church in the latter place under fire to prevent its use as -an observation station. About 3 p.m. the French launched their troops -to the assault, and succeeded in recapturing the lost trench, but -owing to intense machine-gun fire from Puits XI and XII and from Cité -St. Pierre, they failed to advance any further along the line of the -Double Crassier towards the mineral railway. - -The primary object of the operations so far had been the capture of -Lens. The importance of the place can hardly be over-estimated. If -we imagine England with Lancashire and the West Riding in hostile -occupation, we shall have a parallel to the case of France deprived of -the Department du Nord and part of Pas de Calais, except that in our -own case we should still have left to us many manufacturing districts, -and France has but few. The importance to the economic life of France -of the three towns of Lille, Roubaix and Tourcoing is comparable to the -importance of Manchester to us, and the coal-mining districts lying -round Lens, which include such fields as those of Courrières, Drocourt -and Dourges occupy relatively a far more important position than -those of the West Riding. Lens itself is the key to this productive -area, whose energies are at least as valuable to the enemy as to its -rightful owners, and Lens has in skilful hands become a fortress in the -modern sense, far more difficult of capture than older works at one -time deemed impregnable. It is comparatively easy to concentrate fire -upon guns whose position is known, as they must be when permanently -mounted in the fortifications of the text-books, and once a sufficient -concentration of fire has been obtained, guns so sited, being incapable -of removal, must sooner or later be put out of action, but it is -impossible so utterly to destroy a city and its suburbs that its ruins -are no longer sufficient to afford cover to mobile ordnance and machine -guns. It has been found that a building that in itself is merely a -screen from direct observation, becomes, when destroyed by artillery -fire, a heap of ruins amongst which may be concealed artillery and -machine guns, and which by its very mass is an excellent protection -against hostile fire. Bombard this type of fortress as you will, its -defenders are not tied by their gun-mountings to any one position, -but can move their batteries from place to place, knowing full well -that the attackers, with each round they fire, are preparing fresh -situations wherein they may be concealed. It will surely be found that -this war has sounded the knell of permanently fixed guns except for -purposes of coast defence, where alone the immobile gun has triumphed -in the face of many years' accumulation of scornful criticism. - -The last phase of the operations was due to a desire on our part to -strengthen as much as possible our position from the quarries to the -new point of junction with the French. On October 13 our battery was -ordered to open a bombardment upon the German trenches that lay along -the Lens-La Bassée road to the west of Hulluch. This bombardment -continued for an hour or so, and at two o'clock the infantry advanced -to the assault, we at the same time lifting our fire on to the village -of Hulluch itself, starting at the western end and slowly increasing -the range so as gradually to drive through the whole place. But at -half-past three our hopes of a capture of Hulluch similar to that -of Loos were dashed to the ground by an order from headquarters to -come back on to the western edge of the village. This we did until -darkness supervened, and we were ordered to cease firing. As far as -we were concerned, this was the most exacting day we had yet known, -our expenditure of ammunition during the five or six hours that we -were in action being greater than that of any previous day. So rapidly -were the guns worked that the continual concussion broke the platform -of one of the guns, so that in the middle of the action it had to be -hauled out of its pit on to a hard road close by, and fired without -concealment of any kind, regardless of the risk of observation from -hostile captive balloons or aeroplanes. It may be added that next day -the detachment found some rafters in a ruined building and from these -constructed a new platform for themselves without any form of skilled -assistance. - -It was not until the next day that we learnt the history of the attack. -The intention had been to capture the Hohenzollern Redoubt, and from -that as a _point d'appui_ to extend our line along the Lens-La Bassée -road as far as Chalk Pit Wood, with the possibility of capturing Cité -St. Elie and Hulluch as advance posts. The attempt only partially -succeeded. We contrived to advance our line in front of Hulluch almost -on to the road, but failed to occupy permanently any of the German -trenches. The Hohenzollern was apparently taken, but could not be held, -as upon September 25, under concentrated fire from Fosse 8. Between -Cité St. Elie and Hulluch, also, history repeated itself. Concealed -wire, so placed that the artillery observers could find no place from -which satisfactorily to observe the effect of their fire, held up the -infantry assault. An attempt had been made to destroy this wire by -map shooting combined with the use of high-explosive shell, but the -destruction was not complete, and the attack failed. It was said that -a handful of men actually penetrated into Hulluch but were never seen -again, and that for a short time our infantry held the German trenches -in front of the village. But with the enemy established in houses -overlooking them, and occupying a strong commanding line along the -crassier of Puits XIII bis, these trenches were untenable and had to be -evacuated. The net gain of ground during the day was a depth of some -two hundred yards on a front of rather less than a mile. At the same -time the French, who had been supporting our attack upon the right, -reported that the northern suburbs of Lens, Cités St. Auguste, St. -Laurent and St. Pierre, had been so carefully prepared and were held -in such strength that for the moment a frontal attack upon them was -inadvisable. - -Here, then, the offensive operations that began with the Four Days' -bombardment, may be said to have ended. Although the gain of ground -seemed insignificant, consisting as it did of one ruined village -and a few square miles of fallowland, and although Lens still stood -triumphant and untaken, there is still much to be reckoned in the -Allies' favour. Victory it was not, and no amount of advertisement -will ever make it so. But it was an exhibition of strength on the -part of the Allies, and a stern reminder to the enemy that their -power of offensive on the Western Front had permanently passed into -our hands. The resources in men, money and munitions of the Central -Powers are decreasing, those of the Allies increasing; equal losses -on either side, therefore, is a condition favourable to the latter. -It is maintained that our losses were too great in proportion to the -results achieved. Yes, perhaps they were, but, had they been only -slightly greater, had more men been flung into the struggle at the -critical time, it is impossible to forecast what the issue of the -fighting might have been. The enemy knew this, and was prepared for a -substantial retirement. Conjecture is unprofitable, but let us as a -nation learn the lesson that men and men alone will terminate this -war. Other factors may check it temporarily; it may be to the advantage -of the enemy to agree to an apparently disastrous peace in order to -gain a respite for fresh preparation. But a certain page of history -should harden our resolution, should make us convinced of the bitter -fact that there is no peace for the world except in the disappearance -of the German Empire or our own. _Delenda est Carthago_--let us preach -the lessons of the Punic wars in season and out of season till every -soul in these islands realizes their significance at the present day. -The world is no larger than it was then, there is still no room in -it for two rival World Powers, one must sink into obscurity before -the might of its rival. And, accepting this incontrovertible fact as -an axiom, let us face our position, let us remember how the power of -Rome trembled in the balance as she strained every nerve in her system -during Hannibal's Italian campaign, and let us realize at last that -the destruction of our rival will demand of us sacrifices compared to -which the efforts that we have yet made are nothing, are as the puny -efforts of a feeble infant contrasted with the struggle of a strong -man wrestling for his life. And if the operations that have been named -the Battle of Loos have any share in bringing these things home to us, -their effects will be far more beneficial than those of a spectacular -victory. - - - - -VII - -LOOS - - -One of our officers was fortunate enough, very shortly after the events -of September 25, to have the opportunity of reconnoitring the village -of Loos, with a double purpose in view, namely to verify some landmarks -that were doubtful from our observation posts, and to discover if any -points existed suitable for permanent occupation as O.P.s. There were -two ways open to him of reaching the village from his battery position, -of which the first was to proceed to North Maroc and thence take the -road to Les Cabarets and from there the track that runs into Loos at -its south-western corner, and the second was to walk to Quality Street, -thence along the Lens-Béthune road to the old German front-line, and -so through their communication trenches into any required part of the -village. Time being of importance, he chose the former method, and -set out one morning at about 8 a.m. The narrative of his adventures -in Loos, as throwing light upon the conditions obtaining in a place -that had been heavily shelled by us until our capture of it, and has -ever since been equally heavily shelled by the enemy, may be of some -interest. - -Once clear of the houses that screened his movements from the hostile -lines, the road seemed very lonely and deserted. So far as the eye -could see he was the only living person in the whole of the wide -valley, and the sense of being under the observation of many pairs of -eyes that were to him invisible produced in him a strangely nervous -reaction, as though he were the principal actor in some horrible -nightmare. It seemed as though every footstep rang upon the hard road -with a note audible for miles, as though he were a gigantic black -figure upon an unbroken background of white, as though the watching -eyes bent such burning rays upon him that he could feel them pierce him -as he moved. I have walked that road myself many times since, more than -once when it has been under fire, and know now that it is as safe or -safer than many others whose dangers never concern the most nervous, -yet an echo of these first sensations of his has invariably struck me -when I have done so, and I can understand his feelings. It can only be -attributed to the fact that being alone in the middle of the valley one -imagines that one is a conspicuous target for any one who will to spend -a round upon. - -The road crosses first our own old front line, then the German, over -both of which substantial bridges had been built directly after the -advance. It was not until he had crossed our own line that the cost -of the battle became evident to him. Then he began to understand. -Between the lines a burial party was at work, busy with the task of -identifying and interring our own dead. Behind the German line the -operation of clearing the battlefield had scarcely begun. Here the -dead lay thick, our own and the enemy's in inextricable confusion. -Here was a group of three or four, showing where a well-timed shrapnel -had burst, there four or five in a line, stricken down as they charged -by rifle fire from some fiercely-held support trench. And everywhere, -mingling with the dead, were all the many insignia of war, rifles, -ammunition, tins of beef, biscuits, cases of bombs, some unopened, -some with their contents scattered round them, everything that is -carried forward in a modern battle. At Les Cabarets itself, which is -in reality the junction of the Lens-Béthune and Grenay-Hulluch roads, -and which lies a few hundred yards south-east of the Lens Road Redoubt, -the struggle seemed to have been fiercer. It is probable that the -ruins of the houses that once stood at the cross-road had been held by -a detachment of the enemy, for lying round them were a heap of dead -Germans, their rifles in many cases still in their hands, and about -these in a narrow circle the bodies of our attacking troops, some lying -as they had fired, their legs spread out, their rifles fallen from -their shoulders and their heads resting on them, as though an angel -of sleep had touched them even as they pulled the trigger. Close by, -two horses bearing the brand of the broad arrow were quietly grazing -on the rank grass that covered the fallow land, their broken harness -still hanging on their backs, evidently the team of a shell-shattered -wagon that lay near by. My friend was tempted to pause and investigate -further, but a dozen bullets whizzing by quickly convinced him that -the locality was not healthy, and he made haste upon his way. Nor was -he more lucky with the track that led from here towards Loos. Some -persevering sniper evidently regarded him as fair game, and after -this enthusiast had displayed his marksmanship by narrowly missing him -twice in quick succession, my friend abandoned the field to him and -took to a communication trench that ran in the required direction. He -says that he hopes never to take a more hideous walk. The trench was -literally paved with dead Germans--it must have been used as a line of -defence against the advance of the 47th Division--some lying on their -backs with their eyes staring heavenwards, others horribly buried in -the thick clay that lay in the lower stretches of the trench, so that -his attention was only called to their presence by a sudden dreadful -yielding beneath his feet. They lay too thick for it to be possible -to avoid treading upon them, and though more than once he deserted -the trench for the clean earth of the plains, his friend the sniper -was bent on each occasion upon showing him that he was still a happy -memory to him, and he was forced to descend again. However, it was over -at last, and with the greatest relief that he had ever experienced he -found himself in the shelter of the outlying houses of Loos. - -Here for a few minutes he stood and studied a plan with which he had -been provided. His objective was the Pylons, easy enough to see, -certainly, but unfortunately on the far side of an open square or -market-place by the church, upon which the German gunners were making -very pretty practice with field guns and light howitzers. There was -nothing for it but to find a way round, along the streets choked with -rubbish and torn by great craters, taking short cuts through gardens -converted into cemeteries, in which the dead lying on the surface were -more numerous than those below, across courtyards wherein the horses -who had been stabled there lay where the flying bullets had found -them. Strange work, this threading of the city of the dead, the sense -of isolation growing as one advanced until one seemed a visitant to -a world struck by a celestial bombardment that had left none alive -to tell the tale. Troops there were in plenty, but they remained in -the wonderful excavations that had been made; none, save rarely a -messenger, crouching behind a wall as the whizz and roar of the shell -echoed amongst the torn buildings, racing across an open space in a -brief interval of quiet, ventured forth, unless before dawn to relieve -his companions who were stationed in the hastily-dug trenches in front -of the village. But during the course of this expedition my friend -discovered a very valuable fact, namely, that the principal fire of -the enemy was directed only upon certain spots, and was not being -distributed indiscriminately over the village. Avoid these spots, -and except for a few casual "universal" bursting overhead, one was -perfectly safe, _voilà tout_! But that same casual universal is a very -jumpy toy. You hear it coming, certainly, but far too quickly for you -to do anything, and before you know where you are it has burst just -over you with an ear-splitting crack, and small fragments hit the -ground all round you with a most unpleasant thud. "Woolly bears," the -men call them, for they leave a curious cotton-wool-like wreath of -smoke in the air for some seconds, much larger and more lasting than -the puff of a shrapnel. - -Very shortly after this first discovery, my friend made another, which -somewhat counterbalanced his relief in the first, which was that one of -the points most distinctly to be avoided was the very place he wished -to reach, the Pylons themselves. Round about their base a howitzer -battery was methodically placing high-explosive shell, and amongst -the upper works a field battery was making very accurate practice -with those most undesirable "woolly bears." There was nothing for -it, however, and the longer one stopped and looked at it the worse -it seemed, so, with feelings utterly unlike those that are popularly -supposed to steel the heart of the hero who boldly faces death for -his country's sake, he made his way under cover of such houses as -still remained, to the mine buildings at the foot of the great steel -structure. Here was destruction such as he had never seen. The -buildings, strongly as they had been built to withstand the weight of -the machinery within them, were completely shattered, their contents -strewing the floors like scrap iron in a merchant's yard. Great iron -girders were cut as by a knife, the bridge leading from the Pylons -to the loading stages on the end of the Crassier, a riveted steel -structure, was broken in half, the ends torn and frayed as though made -of paper. The towers themselves are so massive and their weight is so -distributed among many uprights, that, although many of these latter -were bent or broken, the edifice they supported still stood gaunt and -menacing, dominating the country-side. But their foot was no place to -sit in idle conjecture that morning, as a shell that nearly blocked -up the entrance to the shelter into which he had made his way abruptly -reminded him. Waiting until its last fragments had fallen--a process -that takes a surprisingly long time--he made a bolt over the ruins, -climbing and scrambling up a refuse-covered slope, until he reached -the foot of the winding stairs that rose up the centre of one of the -towers. Fortunately for him, this stairway was partly enclosed by -sheets of boiler-plate, for the next shell burst uncomfortably close -and the fragments hit the boiler-plate with a sound that left no doubt -in his mind of what his fate would have been had this shield not been -there. Up the spiral stairway then--was ever such an interminable -flight? Surely, notwithstanding the friendly morning mist, the whole -German army must see him as he climbed ever higher! Those friendly -steel sheets had been hit direct more than once at various times, -leaving several turns of the stairway open, plain to everybody's view. -However, nothing alarming happened, and the goal was reached--not the -top of the tower where the winding pulleys hung, but a gallery that -had formed the upper limit of travel of the cage, where the trolleys -were unloaded and pushed across the bridge to the loading sheds. This -gallery or platform stood perhaps a hundred and fifty feet above the -ground, and had once been glazed, but long ago every pane of glass -had been shattered and the steel floor was thickly carpeted with the -fragments. Once in the gallery one was fairly safe, for the floor and -roof were of steel and so was the circular wall up to the level of the -glazing. Nothing but pieces of shell coming through the windows--and -the place was full of fragments showing where this had happened--or -a direct hit from a heavy shell could do much damage. But it was not -the place for a rest-cure, the moral effect of "woolly bears" bursting -amongst the girder-work close to one, although one knew that by the -time one heard the report the danger was over, was most disturbing. -Once, too, a fairly heavy shell hit the tower itself, causing it to -rock like a sapling in a gale, as my friend expressed it afterwards. -His first thought was of the delights of his situation had it carried -away part of the staircase, when he would be faced by the prospect of -staying where he was till dusk or of swarming down the steelwork in -full view of the German trenches, but fortunately this contingency did -not arise. - -But the view that he obtained amply compensated for everything. From -the grim black mass of Fosse 8, past the tower of Cité St. Elie, the -cupola of Douvrin, the trees, magnificent in their thick verdure, that -clothe the banks of a little stream that flows past Hulluch, to the -strange medley of chimneys and elevators that gives to the works of the -Société Métallurgique de Pont-à-Vendin the appearance of a fore-and-aft -rigged vessel under sail, the whole country lay spread as on a map. -Further south still, Lens and its thickly-built suburbs could be seen, -and towards the west, the well-known country that we held, the high -land of the Vimy Ridge, with Souchez at its feet, the tall slag-heaps -of Noeux-les-Mines and Auchel, the dark mass of the Bois des Dames, the -square tower of Béthune. What an observation post! No wonder that the -enemy, whose use of the place for that very purpose was apparent by -the presence of German newspapers and a broken table with some scraps -of paper upon it, were determined to make it untenable by constant -shelling. - -For utterly impossible as a permanent observation post it undoubtedly -was, and my friend, having verified his geography, left it with a -feeling of deep thankfulness at having escaped unhurt. But his -adventures were by no means at an end, he had still to find a situation -of comparative safety from which he could observe when required under -more restful conditions. The first place he selected was a house in -the Enclosure, as the buildings near the foot of the Pylons have been -termed. This also had been used by the enemy for the same purpose, -for the walls were sandbagged, the lower floors were shored up with -pit-props, and the basement had evidently been occupied by a fairly -large party. Curiously enough, the house was in quite good repair, the -walls and half the roof were standing, in contrast to the wreckage -that lay around it. Here the explorer received what he describes as -"the shock of his life," for on opening the door of one of the upper -rooms he found, sprawling over a table as though just fallen asleep, -the body of a German officer, still holding a pencil with which he -had been addressing a post-card to a girl in Magdeburg. So lifelike -was the attitude that it was impossible to realize at first that he -was dead, notwithstanding the jagged hole above the temple where the -fragment had entered and the blood that stained his right side. From -this room a good view of the desired stretch of country could be -obtained, there was a plentiful supply of sandbags ready filled in the -house, and it seemed in every way desirable. But, just as my friend -had determined upon converting it to his own uses, a (fortunately) -small shell, evidently intended for the Pylons, but a little "over," -entered the ground floor and burst there, wrecking the staircase, -bringing down ceilings and tiles all over the house and smashing what -was probably the last pane of glass in Loos. If this place was going -to play long-stop for all the byes that passed the Pylons, it was -distinctly unhealthy. He clambered down the wreckage of the stairs and -looked round for a more likely spot, settling upon a tall house some -little distance away. But here again he was doomed to disappointment. -As he walked towards it a light howitzer shell sang over his head -and burst a hundred yards beyond his goal. Instinct told him that -this was the first round of a series of which his projected O.P. was -the target. Even as he realized that he was standing about the same -distance short of the place as the first round had fallen over, and in -a direct line, the second shell passed so close to him that he swears -he felt the wind of it, and burst in a manure-heap not ten yards away. -Thanking heaven that it had found a soft billet that muffled the force -of its explosion, he turned and bolted, having no further interest in -observing that particular series, the components of the manure-heap -dropping in a shower about him. - -The next place he came to was a biggish building in a part of the town -that seemed to be immune from shelling. He walked boldly into it and -climbed up to an attic in the roof. Here were more signs of German -occupation, a window that faced towards our old line being heavily -sandbagged, whilst behind it was a neatly constructed platform and -rest. Hundreds of empty cartridge-cases scattered over the floor and -a few loaded clips still lying on the platform showed that the sniper -whose lair it had been had known good sport there. But even here my -friend was not destined to rest undisturbed. Hardly had his eye taken -in these details than a sound of hurried whispers below burst upon his -ears, and a peremptory voice bade him "Descendez, vite!" "Qu'est-ce -qu'il-y-a?" he replied. "Descendez, vite, vite, ou nous allons tirer!" -Discretion was by far the better part of valour, so down he came, to be -surrounded at once by a number of French soldiers armed with rifles -and fixed bayonets. To his enquiries as to what they wanted, the only -reply was, "Vous pouvez dire ce que vous voulez à M. le Commandant." -The latter gentleman was very comfortably installed in a roomy cellar, -and my friend was ushered into his presence with the significant words, -"C'est un espion que nous avons attrapé en haut, mon Commandant, -regardez ces machines-là qu'il porte!" The latter presumably in -reference to the sextant, compass and other strange-looking impedimenta -that he carried. It was an uncomfortable moment, but he managed to -establish his identity, and mutual explanations followed, to the -satisfaction of all parties, and my friend was told that he might make -himself free of the place whenever he liked--"Mais, monsieur, je crains -que vous avez trouvé en Loos que les français sont plus dangereux que -les allemands. Mais, peste, vous êtes vraiment monté dans les Pylons! -J'ose bien dire, comme disent les Anglais, que c'etait un endroit 'not -sanitary'!" As a variant upon the hackneyed phrase "not healthy," I -think that this is hard to beat. - -The next question was the best way of getting home. The friendly mist -had by now disappeared, and it was hardly advisable to face the open -road again, even if this had not involved the ghastly walk along the -death-strewn communication trench. My friend finally decided to find -the end of a communication trench that, starting from a point in the -north-western corner of the village, led into the old German front -line between the Lens Road and the Loos Road Redoubts. To reach this -the greater part of Loos had to be traversed, but the streets in this -direction were fairly safe. They were, however, even more encumbered -with the dead bodies of men and horses than those in the other half -of the town. It seems that a large number of men had been driven to -the dug-outs and bombed there, and that when these same dug-outs were -required for Allied occupation, their former tenants were evicted into -the road, for the burial parties to deal with when time permitted. -Wonderful structures were these dug-outs, examples of the enemy's -thoroughness. Not content with the protection afforded by a cellar, -in many places they had excavated large chambers below the cellars -themselves, whose floors they had paved with bricks and whose walls -they had lined with boards. Once in them the garrison was perfectly -safe from the most furious bombardment. - -A further example of method was to be seen in the treatment of shells -that had fallen blind. When these were of medium size, they had been -collected in small heaps and surrounded with barbed wire to prevent -inquisitive fingers experimenting with them. In the back yard of -a cottage lay the enormous bulk of a fifteen-inch shell, that had -judiciously been left where it fell, and had been honoured by a -complicated stockade of its own. All this seemed to contrast with the -present state of the town, which was everywhere littered with military -stores of every conceivable kind. Some attempt had been made to collect -them into heaps, but even this attempt had been very half-hearted. War -is, anyhow, an expensive amusement, and it seems a pity to make it more -so by sheer lack of method. For not only Loos itself, but the whole of -the country over which the advance was made was littered with arms, -ammunition, equipment, bombs, in prodigious numbers. My friend, having -occasion to go into Loos again some weeks later, found these heaps -still untouched, and was foolish enough to report their existence and -their exact position. As a reward for this unwarranted officiousness, -he was requested to escort a wagon to Loos and indicate the localities -where these various stores lay, on an evening when the battery was at -its busiest, an invitation that he firmly declined. - -The way home, although much longer, proved to be cleaner and more -secure, besides having the interest of leading through the old German -front line. This was then in the occupation of our reserves, and had -consequently been considerably tidied up, but large parts of it were -still completely broken down, showing the effect of our bombardment. -The shooting had been distinctly good, very few shell-craters were -far from the trenches, and a large proportion of the projectiles had -either fallen into them or blown in the parapet. But here again the -dug-outs must have afforded very excellent protection. Wide shafts, -driven straight down from the front wall of the trench at an angle of -forty-five degrees with the horizontal, led into hollowed-out chambers -twenty feet below the surface that would easily accommodate a couple -of dozen men. Each dug-out had more than one shaft, to reduce the -chances of men being buried by an explosion filling in the only means -of exit. The trenches were everywhere revetted with timber or hurdles, -and had a false bottom of wooden gratings to keep the men's feet as dry -as possible. If only from the point of view of comfort they contrasted -very favourably with our own, through which the homeward track next lay. - -Loos, City of the Dead! If in years to come you are ever rebuilt, a -task that to the observer of your utter destruction and desolation -seems impossible, what strange and gruesome relics will your workmen -find! Surely the Spirit of Carnage will for ever haunt those narrow -streets and open widespread fields, surely your inhabitants of the -future will wake in terror in the September nights to hear ghostly -echoes of the then-forgotten struggle, the unceasing whistle and -roar of the shells, the rushing footsteps of the charging men, the -despairing cries of the bombed wretches in the cellars! And if timid -eyes dare lift the curtain to peep fearfully through the windows, will -they not see a blood-red moon shining upon streets through which pour -the serried columns of the victors, and scent the night air tainted -with a faint sickening odour of slaughter? But not alone shall Loos -bear its burden of horror, for in how many towns and villages must -these scenes be repeated before Peace comes again! - - - - -VIII - -IN FRENCH TERRITORY - - -At the beginning of October our battery, owing to reasons of -strategy and convenience, changed its position by a matter of about -a mile-and-a-half, and by so doing entered an area where the right -of the British line joined the left of the French line. The actual -point of junction of the lines varies from time to time, as much owing -to the two armies' requirements in the matter of billets as for any -other reason, and, as it happened, on the very day we moved into our -new position, this point was in process of being moved a mile or so -northwards. We saw, therefore, the familiar khaki give place to the -looped-up blue greatcoat, and when, the desperate struggle to get the -battery in order in the minimum time being over, we had time to look -round and take note of our surroundings, we found ourselves in French -Territory. - -I think that the weeks we spent there were the happiest we have ever -known, although the life of a gunner is a rough paradise for a man with -health and strength--plenty of work, plenty of sport, and complete -freedom from the cares of an artificial existence, there being nothing -artificial about war. Our position was amongst ruined _corons_, not -so badly damaged but that they could with very little trouble be made -into very comfortable billets, and owing to the fact that it was in -French territory, was immune from the visits of predatory "brass -hats." Further, in our group commander we had a strong buckler against -interference and aggression, and one in whom we all placed implicit -confidence. His kindness to us all will be amongst the most precious -memories of those happy days. - -We found the change of tenants in the villages round us extremely -advantageous in many ways, not the least of which was the amount of -loot we acquired. It seems curious that the British Army, equipped as -it is with a more copious transport than has ever before been imagined, -should invariably leave in its wake enormous quantities of perfectly -serviceable stores. On this particular occasion we found abandoned -more than enough overcoats and waterproof capes to fit out the whole -battery, and collected from the billets into which we moved over a -hundred thousand rounds of small-arm ammunition alone. Although these -matters were reported, no steps were ever taken to remove the stores, -and subsequent discoveries of hundreds of boxes of unused bombs met -with the same indifference. What wonder that the thrifty French regard -it as the best fortune that can befall them to take over any part of -our line, or that French officers to whom I have spoken are inclined -to base their opinions of our conduct of the war upon such indications -of our national habits. "No army before has ever wasted as you waste," -said one to me; "the food you reject would feed half the French Forces, -the rifles you failed to collect after Loos would equip many battalions -of your New Army. What is your proverb--'Straws show which way the wind -blows'--is it not?" Nor did the British troops leave only stores behind -in their evacuation. Two days after the exchange, an officer arrived in -the battery with a strange tale of woe. He was in command of a picquet -in a certain village, from where he had watched his own people depart -and the French arrive, expecting every moment to be relieved. Since -that time he had received neither orders nor rations, and he and his -men had lived upon the charity of a French regiment. We fed him and -sent him back to his lonely vigil with an armful of provisions and -a promise to report his troubles through our headquarters. I heard -subsequently that his patrol had been forgotten and never missed, so -presumably he might have been there now but for his own action. - -The first and greatest Commandment when on active service is this, -"Thou shalt covet thy neighbour's goods, and if he doesn't keep his eye -on them, thou shalt possess them." Nationality seems to have no effect -upon the speed with which the soldier assimilates this doctrine. The -French _piou-piou_ is as great a follower of it as the British Tommy, -but his native politeness lends to the act a more distinguished air. Of -course, British troops with their wasteful ways are to him lawful game, -and the first couple of days in his company taught our people habits -of carefulness that were never learnt before. Our most experienced -marauders returned empty-handed from raids into the French lines, and -this bred a respect for our Allies that rapidly blossomed into genuine -friendship. And undoubtedly the French soldier, taking him all round, -is a most charming person and an almost perfect fighting man. He takes -life very seriously, and is frequently scandalized by our behaviour, -not quite understanding that a mask of frivolity may be only the result -of a desire to make light of difficulties and to hearten others, hiding -in reality an immovable determination to do one's duty. "Pour vous, -la guerre n'est pas sérieuse," said a big Breton to me once, and I, -knowing the melancholy tendencies of his race, knew not what to reply. -But next day a party of which he formed one, doubled past the battery. -"Que faites-vous?" I called as he passed. With a face wreathed in -smiles he replied, "Nous allons donner aux Bosches un petit coup de -fusil, ça sera très amusant, hein?" - -Of the picturesque appearance of these French troops a few words may -be said. There is an entry in my diary about this time, "Walked down -to headquarters this morning. Saw two Frenchmen dressed alike." And to -the eyes of those accustomed to unvarying khaki, the extraordinary -kaleidoscopic effect of steel helmet, képi, coats of all conceivable -colours, breeches and trousers likewise, putties that shame the -rainbow, and an increasing note of khaki with a dash of colour on the -collar or sleeve, strikes very strangely. Even the men of the same -regiment do not seem to wear the same kit. One will be met in steel -helmet, dark blue coat and red trousers, the next in képi, light blue -coat and breeches, and grass-green putties. The authorities knew better -than to waste the stocks of clothing that they already had on hand. - -It would be impertinent to discuss the fighting qualities of these -superb troops. The English Tommy, invariably a keen and usually a -perspicacious critic of everything that comes into his range of vision, -is apt to comment unfavourably upon what appears to his eye as an -undisciplined mob strolling along the roads. But his eyes are gradually -opened as first of all he discovers that these men, laden with a far -greater weight than he is ever called upon to carry, are travelling -quite as fast as he cares to, and then, at the end of the day, he finds -that they have made themselves thoroughly comfortable and are enjoying -a good meal long before he has thought of anything but the contents of -his water-bottle. After that the revelation of their fighting qualities -does not come as such a shock to him. Who that has seen them at work, -for instance round Souchez or in their magnificent attack on the Double -Crassier on October 11, can refrain from blessing our historic national -luck for the Allies it has brought us? - -And throughout his nature runs the Frenchman's traditional love for the -turning of an honest penny. No sooner were we settled in our position -than a bearded French soldier, probably a newsvendor in civil life, -saw his golden opportunity. In his hours off duty he used to walk back -many miles from the position, and return with an armful of English -newspapers of the day before. How he procured them was a mystery we -never solved, for he always arrived with them hours before we could -obtain them anywhere ourselves. "Délé peppers!" he would cry, and the -whole battery turned out as one man to greet him and buy his wares, -which, by the way, he sold cheaper than their price in the neighbouring -towns. How much English he understood I never knew; he would talk it -freely with the men, but never with the officers--"Non compris" and -a shake of the head was his invariable reply to our advances in this -direction. But he always knew the contents of the papers he sold, -especially the _Daily Mail_. Certainly his ideas occasionally got a -little mixed. I am convinced, for instance, that he was under the -impression that Lord Northcliffe was either Dictator of England or had -changed places with Lord Kitchener. "Monsieur Lor' Notcliffe il va bien -ce matin!" he would say with great satisfaction, "il va finir la guerre -sur-le-champ." His politics swayed him to the extent that he always -refused to bring us French dailies. "Mais non, je vous dis, monsieur. -Vous aimez les journaux français? Bien, demain je vous apporterai -peut-être _La Vie Parisienne_, _Le Rire_, ce que vous voulez. Mais _Le -Temps_, _Le Matin_? Ceux sont les organes honteuses des capitalistes. -_L'Homme Enchaîné_, si vous voulez----" - -He or one of his assistants (for it always seemed to me that half the -French Army helped to carry his papers round for him) it was that -first introduced us to the fascinations of the ring-making industry. -It appears that an industrious Frenchman, one supposes a jeweller -by trade, early in the war hit upon the idea of collecting the fuses -of hostile shells that fell near him, melting down the aluminium of -which they are largely made, and casting it into rings, which he -ornamented by letting in pieces of brass or copper, also components -of the fuse. The practice spread like wildfire through the French -troops, it gave a congenial occupation to their busy fingers, and -brought them a gratifying increase of income. Our men were at first -ready customers--there was little enough for them to spend money upon, -the inhabitants had been cleared out of the surrounding villages, and -no civilian population means no _estaminets_. But some of the more -commercially-minded among us--the whole story is as a microcosm of -our commercial supremacy as a nation--loath to see this profitable -trade passing them by, determined to enter into competition. The first -experiments were dramatic enough. A band of telephonists collected a -large store of wood torn from ruined houses, and of coal, fetched at no -small risk from a mine that was usually under fire, in the observation -post, which happened then to be a fairly large house well back from -the hostile lines, so that a fire was allowed in the telephonists' -room. Here one evening they collected, like a band of alchemists for -the fusion of the Philosopher's Stone, and here I chanced upon them, -the room lit only by the glare of a huge fire, around which they all -crouched, their eyes fixed upon a saucepan that held in its depths -one small fuse, which the Master of the Black Arts periodically poked -enquiringly with the point of his bayonet. I believe that attempt ended -in the necessity for a sudden and disastrous quenching, brought about -by the fact that the house itself showed ominous signs of catching -fire. After many vicissitudes the art became centred in the battery -cooks, who, having the unfair advantage that in the natural course of -events they worked by a fire all day, formed a sort of Guild of Ring -Makers, and some very creditable work was produced. Their first step -was to undersell the French, and they succeeded to such an extent -that the cook-house became a miniature Birmingham, and orders had to -be placed early to secure delivery. Souvenirs these rings became in a -land where everybody seems to ask everybody else for a "souvenir," a -term that has become so wide that it covers everything portable. One -day I was standing in a doorway when surely the youngest soldier in -the French army--he could not have been more than fourteen; I suppose -he was a drummer boy, but how he reached so close to the firing line -has always puzzled me--passed me and saluted gravely. My smile must -have reassured him, for he stopped and after some hesitation looked at -me and saluted again. "Souvenir, monsieur!" he blurted out at last. -"Souvenir?" said I, "Quelle espèce de souvenir désirez-vous?" With a -grin that threatened to sever the top of his head from the rest of his -body, he replied, "Souvenir de bully-beef, monsieur!" He got it. - -The flies that marred the soothing ointment of this position were -certain mysterious bullets that flew about at strange hours of the -night and day. Nobody was ever actually hit, but people strolling -about between the guns heard a whirr overhead that made then duck -involuntarily, and heated officers would dash into the mess swearing -that they had seen bullets flatten themselves against brick walls -within an inch of their noses. Scepticism, or even a suggestion -that they were spent bullets from the firing line, was treated as -insubordination. A sniper it must be, a snark who crept into our -lines, shot his bolt, then softly and silently vanished away. One -evening the combined patience of the battery could bear it no longer--I -think somebody had staggered into the mess in a condition of collapse, -and upon being revived with a rum ration, proceeded to explain how -his cigarette had been shot out of his mouth by a bullet that passed -between his teeth. At all events, it was decided to inform the French -and request them to take steps to abate the nuisance. They, in the -expressive jargon of the day, were all over it. Parties of men from -their lines and our own crept out in the dusk to hunt the sniper--what -a glorious opportunity of winning fame by returning with his scalp, -or one of his ears, or whatever part of a sniper one does bring back -as a trophy! Dozens of parties, each more subtle than the other in -their proposed methods of action, crept out in the rapidly-falling -dusk, and with them the greater number of our officers, armed with -looted rifles and more subtlety than all the rest of the parties put -together. Then night fell dark and moonless, and the fun began. Each -party, busily engaged in its own game of blind-man's-buff, caught sight -of some other party, and opened a hot and furious fire upon them. -The remaining parties, seeing the flashes, emptied their magazines in -their direction. By an hour or so after dark, the battle was in full -swing. At ten o'clock such of the battery as were not engaged in the -chase were cowering in their dug-outs and there was not a whole pane of -glass for miles around. At half-past ten, a telephonist going to the -O.P. to relieve his comrade was forced to take shelter in a disused -communication trench, and to remain there all night, any attempt on -his part to climb out being met by rapid fire from every direction -at once. At eleven, a mitrailleuse was dragged up by an excited knot -of men, and opened fire in the direction from which there seemed to -come most noise. At half-past, fire had become general all along -the line, everybody, supposing that his neighbour knew what he was -aiming at, firing in the same direction as he did. At midnight the -Germans, thinking it a shame to be left so long out of the picture, -and possibly tired of being kept awake, opened with a field battery, -an inconsiderate action that effectually damped the proceedings. By -one o'clock all was quiet again, and, much to my astonishment, every -one returned whole, each man having seen the sniper and had at least -a dozen shots at him, every one of which by his own account must have -been fatal. Subsequent inquiries revealed the amazing fact that the -French also had suffered no casualties. Yet alas! no more, apparently, -had the sniper, for the bullets continued to whizz and valuable -officers to have hair-breadth escapes until the time came for us to -leave the place. - -On the next night we were shelled, probably by way of retaliation -for the disturbance of the previous night. The enemy seemed to know -our approximate position, and "searched and swept" all round us with -heavy shell, but never contrived to burst one within twenty yards of -the guns. It happened to be my business to walk about the battery, -exhorting men to keep under cover. In the middle of it all a party -of French soldiers walked nonchalantly through our lines. "Prenez -garde," I shouted, "Il y a des obus qui tombe par ici, descendez dans -les abris!" They thanked me and ran into the dug-outs. The next shell -burst pretty close, covering everything with fragments. Out dashed my -Frenchmen, and in answer to my expostulations, "Nous en voulons un -souvenir," they replied, and forthwith began to hunt for the fuse. - -Magnificent as are the French infantry, their artillery far surpass -them. To those who have any knowledge of artillery work, the French -appear as performers of miracles. Their equipment, their incomparable -_soixante-quinze_, is a frail-looking cheaply constructed affair, -giving the impression of weakness and inefficiency. Their _personnel_ -seems utterly inadequate, both in men and officers, their methods of -ammunition supply are rudimentary. But a French battery will come into -action in an inconceivably short time, and will continue in action -night and day at a rate of fire that is unbelievable to one who has -not heard it. Minor technical details, such as sights, are far in -advance of our own, even in the case of some old heavy pieces, whose -mirror sight utterly shames by its convenience and simplicity our -extraordinary device for the same purpose. And the officers, how keen -they were! Scarcely a day passed but some two or three came into the -battery and courteously enquired if they might examine _les pièces_. -Of course they could, we were only too happy to exhibit them, and -then what explanations and comparisons between theirs and ours! "Ce -frein-ci n'est pas mal, mais pourquoi les ressorts sont-ils d'une telle -longueur?" or "Mon dieu, que cet appareil de portage est compliqué!" -Keen men and keen critics, equally eager to show us their weapons and -to hear our criticisms upon them. Their colonel included us in his -command at such times as we supported the French batteries, which -was fairly frequently. A spare figure in a close-fitting jacket, a -bullet-shaped head set with a pair of piercing eyes that discovered -everything without the assistance of the tongue, he was the ideal of -an artillery officer. He had the scientific mind that absorbs every -detail and stores it away in a pigeon-hole ready for immediate use. -Never once after the first time that I was introduced to him, did he -fail, wherever we met, to stop, shake hands and address me by name. In -a hurried quarter of an hour I once recited to him all the technical -details of the howitzer with which we were armed. Weeks afterwards I -heard him repeat faultlessly all the details, with others which he had -noticed for himself. If he be a type of the senior artillery officer, -happy are our Allies in the possession of such men. - -Another incident that occurred to us will show the unvarying -promptitude and courtesy with which the French treated us. It happened -that close to the battery and in the middle of the French infantry -billets was a ruined church tower, of which a certain portion still -stood, enough, we discovered, to make it worth our while to build a -series of ladders within it, and to use the bell-beam as an emergency -observation post. But Monsieur le Poilu thought that this was a capital -spot into which to climb, and from thence to wave his képi to his -friends and generally to behave in such a manner as to attract the -attention of hostile observers, with the not unnatural result that one -fine evening the enemy fired a few rounds at it, narrowly missing our -senior subaltern, and, which was a matter for far deeper concern, the -ration lorry. Complaint being made to the colonel, he, after several -complimentary remarks as to our skill in using so unfavourable a place, -promised that there should be no repetition of the offence. Ever -afterwards an armed guard was posted at the base of the tower, with -orders to admit no one but ourselves. - -Those French soldiers, what children they were, as their behaviour -in the tower showed! Whenever we were in action, a crowd of them -would gather behind the guns to watch the shell in its flight, as is -perfectly easy with any low-velocity howitzer. "Venez voir l'obus!" -they would cry, and, as the gun fired, "Le voila, voyez, voyez! ah, il -tombe----" and a shriek of delight would almost drown one's subsequent -orders. What children and what men! Perfect fighters, eager to rush -to the attack, yet patient under the iron discipline of the trenches, -easily moved to a wild display of nervous energy, possessing creative -imagination, yet stoical under agony to a surpassing degree. And not -the men only, but every class--peasants, doctors, priests, each in -his own sphere, are imbued with the highest spirit of which man can -boast, the spirit of self-sacrifice. I hold no brief for any form of -doctrine, being one of those who hold that all religions are nothing -but quibbles round a central truth that no sane man denies, but the -devotion of the French priest strikes me with the deepest admiration. -I have seen a battery heavily shelled and suffer many casualties, so -that the detachments were forced to take to their dug-outs. The doctor -galloped up on horseback, but the priest on foot, running with his -soutane tucked up round his waist, was there first, out in the open -administering extreme unction to the mortally wounded, helping others -to a place of safety. "Greater love hath no man than this----" - - - - -IX - -CHANGING POSITION - - -The preparation of a battery position is a business that requires much -labour and considerable time, if anything more elaborate than mere -screening from view is attempted. Deep pits must be dug for the guns, -and slopes cut into these pits by which the said guns may be hauled -in and out. These pits must be floored with an elaborate platform, -their sides must be revetted, that is to say that boards, corrugated -iron or some similar substance must be fixed against them to prevent -their falling in, and, most difficult feat of all, they must be roofed -over with as much earth as such roof beams as can be procured can be -made to bear. When the pits are completed, deep caverns must be dug -and prepared to serve as refuges for the detachments in case of the -battery being shelled. Other shelters must be provided as magazines -for ammunition, as a room for the telephone and its operators, as -a refuge for the section commanders. Billets must be found for the -men and officers, if no billets are available dug-outs must be made. -Places must be found for cook-houses, washing-places, work-shops, -stores. A battery position prepared for lengthy occupation is a most -elaborate work, and one does not light-heartedly desert it for an open -plain where everything remains to be done. But sooner or later the -dread message comes: "The battery will be prepared to move at 6 p.m. -to-morrow. An officer will proceed forthwith to such-and-such a place -where he will be shown the new position selected." Off goes the officer -in the car, he meets some deputy from headquarters, and the two trudge -off together through the ever-present mud. "Here you are," says the -deputy cheerfully; "how does this suit you? Splendid place. Look at -that orchard; you could hide the guns under the trees." The battery -officer stares glumly at a dozen apple trees, each of which is of a -size to flourish contentedly in a fair-sized flower-pot, and makes some -dubious reply. "I never knew such difficult fellows to please as you -siege battery fellows are in my life! Well, come and look over here. -There's a natural pit, ready dug for you; it'll hold all the battery -easily." With this the guide indicates with no little pride a gully, at -the bottom of which stagnates rather than flows a greenish liquid with -an odour of the most clinging type. "Yes, it might be a bit difficult -to get the guns in and out, certainly. What about concealment behind -that hedge?" But the hedge proves to be separated from the only road -by an impassable morass. At last the orchard is selected as the least -impossible under the circumstances, and the officer returns to his -battery thoroughly convinced that he has selected the worst possible -position on the whole front, and wondering what on earth will be said -to him when he exhibits it to the rest of the battery. - -Or else the proposed site is in the middle of a village, a place with -a reputation for being shelled that is notorious from Ypres to Loos. A -fabulous arc of fire is demanded from the battery, and weary hours are -spent looking for a more or less concealed spot that will allow of the -trajectory clearing houses and trees in all the required directions. -At last it is found, the necessary measurements made and found -satisfactory, when an officer strolls up. "Good-afternoon. You're -not going to stop here long, are you? Going to put a battery here! I -wouldn't be you for something, then. I've been about here for weeks, -and they always strafe the schoolhouse there every day about this time. -Look out, here she comes----" and a "woolly bear" or a "whizz-bang" -or some other fiendish and aptly named projectile bursts neatly over -the building that one had appropriated in one's mind's eye for a mess. -Wearily the search begins again--this might do, perhaps--but by now -the "evening hate" is in full swing, and a heavy shell settles with a -self-satisfied "crrrump!" in the middle of one's oasis, digging one's -gun-pits before one's eyes, as it were. - -On one occasion the position chosen for us was the really beautiful -garden of a medium-sized château. The front was a well-planned mass of -shrubbery, intersected with paths and flower-beds, the back a walled -vegetable garden, most scrupulously maintained, planted with every -sort of vegetable and fruit and provided with a good range of glass. -The owner of the place lived in the château, and his gardener worked -on the premises. The dismay of these good people when they were told -that the place was to be turned into a battery and the men billeted -in the château can better be imagined than described. The owner was -a philosopher, and took matters calmly. "Enfin, c'est la guerre, que -voulez-vous?" he said sadly as we expressed our horror at the necessity -of ruining this little paradise. The gardener was no philosopher, and -when I look back upon the mutilated shrubberies, the trodden-down grass -plots, the hotbeds with their boarding torn up for revetment, the old -wall breached in many places for easy access, the broken panes in the -greenhouses and, worst of all, four yawning chasms where once the -asparagus, the strawberries and the artichokes dwelt together in amity, -I do not wonder at the hostile spirit he displayed. I can see him -now dancing round the sergeant-major, an imperturbable person of few -words in his own tongue, and of none in French, whom he found cutting -a few cabbages for the sergeants' dinner. "Sacré nom d'un cochon, -regardez-là le voleur qui arrache mes petits choux! Ah, les anglais -sont incroyables!" "No compree," says the sergeant-major, and goes on -with his garnering. The gardener got something of his own back that -night, however, for the garden had a very complete system of hydrants -all over it, which same hydrants our friend stealthily visited with -the turn-key, which he then disposed of and departed. It was pitch -dark and we were all busy working, so that it was some time before we -noticed the gathering floods, and the whole place was inches deep in -mud and water by the time that we had discovered how to turn it off -again. We never brought the crime home to the criminal, but a certain -hidden gleam of triumph in that gardener's wholly disapproving eye has -always convinced me of his guilt. - -We had much to contend with in occupying that position. Several times -we were held up in our work, first by somebody who said the situation -was too exposed and that it was sheer suicide to occupy a house that -was conspicuous for miles round; then by the urgent representations -of a French officer who commanded a battery near by, and who declared -that we should draw down fire upon the devoted heads of his people; -and finally by a conference who debated for some time whether we were -really required in that sector at all. However, we got all these -matters satisfactorily settled at last, and set to work in earnest. And -digging pits by night in the light of a few hurricane lamps is work -indeed, especially if it rains persistently, as it almost invariably -does. Unskilful wielders of the pick are apt to drive their lethal -weapons into everything but the ground they mean to excavate, their -favourite targets being such parts of their neighbours as get in -their way. This leads to acrimonious wrangling and consequent delay. -Better this, however, than the adventure of one lusty champion, who -with a mighty effort drove his pick clean through the cast-iron main -that supplied the delinquent hydrants, whereby he converted, in an -incredibly short space of time, that half-completed pit into a sea of -mud and water some four feet deep. To any one who expresses a fondness -for bathing I recommend the plugging of a four-inch main, with a good -pressure behind it, lying at the bottom of four feet of a cream-like -mixture of chalk, clay and water at three o'clock on an autumn morning. - -Geology, we are told, is the science that deals with the constitutents -of the earth. A new chapter should be written to the text-books, a new -branch of the science has been rendered necessary by the war, the study -of the properties of mud. Mud is now elevated to the dignity of a -fifth element, but surpasses the other four by its perpetual presence, -equalled only by that of the ether which pervades everything we know. -Mud shares its motto with the Royal Regiment of Artillery, one lives -in it, sleeps in it, and not infrequently eats it--indeed, competent -experts with carefully trained palates are said to be able to tell -from the flavour of the bacon at breakfast the exact part of the line -in which it has been rolled before issue. Surely in all the ancient -mythologies some student may find for mud some presiding deity that we -may suitably propitiate? - -Nor were such more or less natural phenomena our only hindrances. -No sooner were the pits completed, than somebody more perspicacious -than his fellows discovered that we had been ordered to lay them out -in the wrong direction, and they had to be cut out still further to -allow the platforms to be slewed round through the required angle. -This order reached us one evening just as we were promising ourselves -a night in bed after our strenuous labours, and the despair of all -ranks spread like a mephitic vapour over the country-side in a mist of -strange profanity. The men, however, whose spirits are proof against -continued despondency under the most depressing circumstances, set to -work with a will, and the tedious digging was finished at last. Then -came the far more interesting business of revetting and roofing. Now, -obviously revetting and roofing require planks, beams, iron sheets, -and material of that nature, and equally obviously the department that -professes to provide stores of this description, and whose imagination -rarely soars above the level of sandbags, is utterly unable to supply -such things. The only course left is to find them for oneself, and -fortunately a row of houses whose inhabitants had been evicted stood -on this occasion near at hand, and these we gutted. Doors, shutters, -floor-boards, rafters, everything but the bricks themselves, we -contrived to utilize, until we had everything we could desire except -girders for our roofs, which were to be of earth. Now a fifteen-foot -span of earth two feet in thickness requires a good deal of supporting, -and after several experiments with rafters, experiments that sometimes -had unpleasant results for those who conducted them, we decided that -something stronger was required. Here, again, almost in the manner of -the Swiss Family Robinson, we found what we required at our very door, -but not before one adventurous spirit had invited an early death (from -which may he long be spared!) by driving a particularly noisy lorry -into a coal mine overlooking the German lines in search of pit-props. -Our discovery was due to an eagle eye that discovered a notice-board -bearing the words "Défense de circuler sur la voie," whose owner, -realizing that there could be no temptation to circulate on the line -if there was no line upon which to circulate, investigated further and -found a grass-grown colliery siding. Here were our long-sought girders, -and with their discovery our troubles were practically over. Certainly -the guns had yet to be lowered into the pits, and hauling heavy guns -over soft garden mould on a dark night is an undertaking to try the -most angelic patience, but on this occasion, for the first and last -time, the Mud-god smiled upon us, and that midnight we knew the true -happiness that comes of the successful completion of strenuous labour. - -Here we remained for some weeks, until again disturbed by the order to -change position. Again everything has to be done by night, the guns -hauled out of the pits, the thousand and one small stores necessary to -the interior economy of the battery packed each in its proper place, -the heavy platforms raised and loaded into the lorries. The ease with -which any particular article can be mislaid under those circumstances -is incredible. Relative weight or importance seems to have no bearing -on the matter at all, one is just as likely, upon arriving at dawn -in some unknown land, to discover that one has left behind a spare -wheel or a handcart or even a battery quartermaster-sergeant, as -one is to find a small screwdriver missing. After a while the whole -business becomes a nightmare in which one is condemned eternally to -spend one's time counting handspikes and lorries and men, and to make -the total utterly different every time. And then the line of march! -A procession of heavy lorries, some drawing the guns, the rest laden -with men, stores and ammunition, looking for all the world like some -huge travelling circus, sets off upon a dark foggy night, carrying of -course no lights, over roads already laden to their utmost capacity -with troops and supply columns, and plentifully besprinkled with shell -holes. At the head of the procession rides a group of officers in a -car, one of whom has possibly been over the road once by daylight, -and about the length of the convoy are scattered here and there men -wrestling with recalcitrant motor-bicycles, which they vainly try to -restrict to the speed of the column, perhaps four or five miles an -hour. Much can happen under these circumstances. Perhaps the rearmost -lorry has to stop for adjustment, and by the time the word has passed -along the line the car at the head is far away, and the column strung -out over a mile or so of road. Or the foremost lorry commences to -boil frantically and slows down, whereupon the remainder tread upon -one another's heels, until it stops altogether, when the column forms -a compact mass that nothing can attempt to pass. Or the geographical -instinct of the leader of the expedition fails at a cross-roads, and -recourse has to be had to the sentry who stands there. One of two -things then happens. Either the man does not know the way and says so, -or he does not know the way and with the utmost positiveness declares -the route to be by the first road that strikes his fancy. Those to -whom the former of these certainties happens are by far the most -fortunate, for the attempt to turn a column of lorries on a narrow -road, especially if it consists, as it usually does, of a central -strip of pavé bordered by fathomless mud, is certain to be fraught with -disaster. A fully-loaded ammunition lorry stuck in a ditch is a most -heartbreaking sight, particularly (if the bull may be forgiven) if the -night is so dark that one cannot see it. It must be unloaded, dragged -out by the help of another lorry, which sometimes slides into the -ditch itself in the process, and then loaded up again, usually to the -accompaniment of uncomplimentary observations from the traffic that it -is holding up. - -Certainly the accidents that may happen to mechanical transport are -many and various, but there are some to which it is not liable. One -of the first messages that we received upon our arrival in a certain -new position ran as follows, "Report at once all cases of glanders -occurring amongst your transport." One has trouble enough without -infectious disease to contend with. A motor lorry is a capital thing -on a road, even if that road is in a very bad state, but, once take it -on to soft or slippery ground, and its imperfections become manifest. -First of all its wheels start to slip, and chains are fixed round the -felloes to give them a grip. This answers for a while, but suddenly -the wheels begin to revolve at a terrific speed, and the chains fly -hurtling through the air to the obvious disadvantage of any one who -gets in their way. A few men with lamps are sent to look for these, -whilst the rest endeavour to give the lorry a start by pushing behind. -Start she does, with a sudden leap, and, before she can be stopped, -finds the softest part of the whole field and sinks gently but firmly -into it until supported on her axles. By this time the search party, -having taken all the lanterns with them, is far away, and you feel the -lorry sinking without a possibility of doing anything by the light of -the one match that the battery possesses. The only thing left to do is -to dig her out, support her wheels on planks, and haul her on to the -road again with ropes. - -But the march ends at last, usually at about two o'clock in the -morning, and one arrives tired, cold and very sleepy, in the unknown -land. This village is the place we were told to stop at, and the men's -billets are said to be somewhere over there. Glad of a walk, I set -out to find them, and find in succession a row of tents knee-deep in -mud, apparently completely surrounded by barbed wire entanglements, -a barn without a roof, and a shed tenanted by two inquisitive and -particularly skittish cows. I return to the lorries and find the men -drawn up at the side of the road. Having explained the situation, I -call for volunteers to spend the night with the cows. The country-bred -members of the battery fall out and are marched off to deal with -the fierce beasts as best they can. The remainder are carefully -shepherded into the roofless barn and the bottomless tents. Judging -by the language that arises, this latter party are foiled in their -first attack by the wire. But the gunner is an adaptable person, and -all contrive to settle themselves as comfortably as possible in a -wonderfully short time, leaving me free to find the officer's billet, -which turns out to be the drawing-room of a small miller's house. The -only corner left is under the grand piano, and there I lay out my -valise and am soon fast asleep. Let the troubles of the morning care -for themselves! - - - - -X - -TELEPHONES - - -The Field Telephone system, that is to say a series of portable -telephone instruments connected by a wire laid as required, forms the -nervous system of every battery, without which it is useless, or at all -events so heavily handicapped that it might as well be out of action. -The observing officer depends upon it to transmit his orders to the -guns, the group or brigade commander transmits his instructions to -his battery commander by its means, and in the battery itself it is -used for intercommunication between the control station, the section -commanders, billets and other points. All these various lines must be -laid as soon as the battery comes into position, and once laid they -must be kept under constant supervision. The test of the efficiency -of any battery is first the accuracy of its shooting, and second its -ability to bring fire to bear upon any point in its area immediately -it is ordered to do so. And experience shows that failure in either -of these respects can be traced in nearly every case to some factor -connected with the telephone system, an instrument or line being -out of order at the critical moment, or an inattentive or careless -telephonist. It is easy to realize, therefore, the importance of the -part played by this instrument in modern artillery practice, and some -account of its habits may not be out of place as throwing light upon a -particularly interesting phase of life in the zone of war. - -The line between the battery and the observation post is the most -important of the whole system, for, without it, properly directed fire -is impossible. It is also, from the fact that the observation post -is usually close to the front line, the most exposed, and therefore -most liable to accident. To lay a wire between two given points may -seem to be the simplest thing in the world, as indeed it is, but so -to lay that wire that it will not constantly be cut is a fine art. -There are two ways of laying it, overhead amongst trees and other -supports, or underground, digging a narrow trench in which to bury -it. The first method is the quickest, and if a line is required for -use immediately, the best plan is to lay it overhead, and bury it -subsequently if required. But many perils lie in wait for an overhead -line. Lay it by any route you will, some wandering shrapnel will burst -near by, and one of the bullets, singling out the wire as though it -were its especial target, will cut it neatly through, for preference -at its most inaccessible point. But the enemy is by no means its -greatest danger. There are roads to cross, along which come heavy -lorries laden high with stores of all kinds. Put the line up as high -as you think absolutely safe, and sooner or later an extra tall load -brings it down. Or natural support, such as trees or houses, fails, -and at considerable pains you plant a row of light posts. The next -party of wire layers that comes along, finding these convenient to -their purpose, lay their own line on them in addition. So the process -continues, until the light posts, that you designed to carry one wire -only, collapse under the strain, and down comes the whole tangle. Worst -of all are the unpardonable crimes of some miscreants, who, running -short of wire, cut off as much from your line as they require, leaving -the cable with a yawning gulf in the middle, or, as a variation, tap -their own instruments on to the wire, when the unfortunate observation -officer is left to play a maddening game of cross questions and crooked -answers with some strange unknown battery. If, on the other hand, the -wire is laid underground, a high-explosive shell is sure to find it -and make a neat crater in the middle of it, or else the infantry dig a -communication trench across it, or its insulation breaks down late one -evening and the ensuing night is spent digging it up and looking for -the fault. - -The best method of ensuring unbroken communication between two points -is, of course, to lay more than one line, but wire is usually scarce, -and this course is not always possible. Even if this is done, there -must be places where the lines run close together, and these are -just the places where the shells are sure to drop. During the Four -Days' bombardment we had three lines between the battery and our -observation post, and on two separate occasions all three were cut at -the same time by shell-fire. The quiet deeds of heroism performed by -artillery telephonists that are never heard of would fill a volume by -themselves. There is very little of the excitement and emulation that -makes many a man in the midst of his comrades the hero of a glorious -moment, none of the intoxication of battle that banishes all thought -of personal safety, in the experiences of a man who goes out to repair -a wire under fire. He has plenty of time to think of the dangers he is -running, to anticipate the fall of every shell without being able to -get out of its way, to wonder what it feels like to lie in agony on the -ground, torn by a splinter. Slowly and alone he must follow the track -of the wire until he finds the break, and having found it he must set -to work to repair it where it lies, a proceeding that may often take a -very considerable time. And it is more than probable that nobody but -himself and his chum ever knows anything about it. Yet there is never -the least hesitation on his part to go out; on one of the occasions -mentioned when our lines were cut, the linesman picked up his tools and -started along the line as a matter of course, although the determined -nature of the hostile shelling was plainly visible, and some of the -projectiles were charged with gas. He finished his job and came back -to us full of his adventures, which seemed to afford him immense -amusement; indeed, I think he was one of those who have learnt that the -surest safeguard against fear is a sense of humour, and that danger, if -treated as a huge joke, ceases to have any terrors. - -And quite apart from actual danger, the linesman's life is a troubled -one. As one never knows when the lines may not be required in a hurry, -telephonists and linesmen relieve one another day and night. Every -few minutes the stations ring one another up, and if no reply can be -obtained, the linesman at the calling station starts along the line -to find the fault and repair it. It may be that the wire has been -cut by shell-fire, or by accidents inherent to its nature, or by the -sinful practices of others. Or again, it may sometimes happen that -the linesman proceeds on his way, testing as he goes, and finding all -correct, until at last he reaches the other station, to discover that -the operator there has for some reason disconnected his instrument -and forgotten to connect it up again, in which case a lurid and fiery -scene takes place, consisting of picturesque recrimination on the part -of the outraged linesman, and no less picturesque expostulation on -the part of the telephonist, to the effect that it was somebody else's -fault. The acrimony displayed varies directly as the temper of the -disputants and the distance between the two stations. - -It is extremely difficult to train men to use a telephone -intelligently, far more so than to teach them the mere technical -details of its construction. Because the thing appears to talk, very -few people can resist the impulse to treat it as a sentient being, -intentionally perverse for the express purpose of annoyance. Ring up -your best friend in peace time on a slightly defective instrument -and observe how he or she treats the irresponsive toy. If a man, he -will grow purple in the face and swear, he may even end by casting -the offending thing on the ground and trampling upon it in his fury, -if a woman she will grow tearful and excessively petulant, and will -certainly pour the vials of her wrath upon you, as being the proximate -cause of the trouble. Even so in time of war it is the tendency of -the trained telephonist to use harsh words and report the instrument -out of action instead of sitting down quietly and finding the cause -of the trouble, which he knows perfectly well how to do. Even the -best of them can never refrain from shaking the receiver viciously by -way of punctuating every sentence, they having been rashly taught by -their instructor that a gentle tap on the speaking end of the concern -is often useful if speech is faint. And even when this tendency to -violence, apparently a component of human nature, is eradicated, there -comes the surpassing difficulty of inducing men to speak clearly and -distinctly. Of course men of clear speech must be selected in the first -place, the uncouth dialects of certain parts of the United Kingdom -being not susceptible to the gentlest treatment. For instance, two -telephonists, one hailing from Glasgow and the other from the wilds of -Glamorgan, will utterly fail to make themselves intelligible to one -another. On one occasion a certain dour Scotch subaltern was told to -select from his section the six men with the clearest voice and purest -accent for training as telephonists. He did so, and they were duly -tested--they all spoke a strange tongue which proved upon investigation -to be the broadest Scotch! To this day that subaltern cannot understand -why they were rejected and he himself loaded with opprobrious epithets. - -At one time we were in a position where the French wireless bulletin -was transmitted to us in the original over the telephone. The state -in which it reached us frequently defied translation, as may well -be imagined. I once overheard a reference to the Hartmansweilerkopf -coming through. "Are man's wily coughs _wot_? 'Ere, is this a patent -medicine advertisement, or wot? Hullo, hullo! Goin' to spell it, are -yer? Yes, haitch for 'energy, eye for what? Oh, eye for hass, r for -rum, toc, emma, eye for hass, n for Nellie, esses, w for water--'ere, -hullo, hullo! What the 'ell are yer gettin' at?" After that they took -to sending it by Morse code on the buzzer, and things went along more -smoothly, but even then it was a mutilated word that eventually reached -me. From which it may be inferred that telephone messages do not always -find the recipient in the same form in which they started, especially -if they have to be repeated more than once during transmission. The -story of the Loos refugees is a case in point. - -In addition to the complexities introduced by human failings, the -telephone in the field suffers from aberrations of technical origin. -Owing to the fact that the earth is used as the path for the return -current in nearly every case, an instrument, if sufficiently sensitive, -will pick up scraps of conversation between two stations speaking to -one another, if the line joining them crosses or approaches to the line -joining its own stations. In the case of the territory occupied by a -modern army, wherein the chief means of communication is the telephone, -extraordinary results are sometimes obtained. I have frequently -slept with the receiver of a telephone close to my ear, and in the -silence of the night have heard it whispering all sorts of fragmentary -messages--"Hullo, hullo, brigade, are you brigade? brigade!--yes, and -the old man was awfully fed up about it--brigade, brigade, hullo, can -you hear me?--lengthen a hundred, fuse forty-two and a half!" and so -on, _pianissimo_, throughout the night. Both sides have frequently -obtained valuable information by putting specially sensitive telephones -as near as possible to the opposing trenches and listening to the -messages they picked up. It is believed that the apparently miraculous -knowledge that the Germans at some parts of the line possessed as to -the regiments opposed to them--they would often call out, "Hullo, -Rutlandshires, are you in yet?" when a totally fresh battalion took -over a section of trenches--was obtained by this method. Nor is this -earth leakage the only way in which conversations are overheard. If -two or more lines run together for any considerable distance, as in -practice they often must, owing to an electrical phenomenon known as -induction, a conversation taking place along one line is audible in the -receivers attached to the remainder. Further, it frequently happens -that owing to a shell burst or to carelessness on the part of some line -layer, a pole or other support to which a large number of lines are -fixed is brought down, and in its fall all the lines are broken. It -may often be very difficult to discover, amongst all the ends, which -belongs to which, and an inexperienced man, actuated by a sincere and -laudable desire to put matters right, is very apt to connect them up by -the light of nature. The consequent confusion that arises must provoke -to demoniac laughter the denizens of hell. One observation officer -finds himself in direct and clear communication with the officer in -charge of supplies and transport, another with an advanced dressing -station. Infantry headquarters hold long and heated converse with -the wagon line of a field battery, the G.$1.$2. Divisional Artillery -threatens to place the quartermaster of a territorial battalion under -arrest because he steadfastly refuses to open fire immediately on -target Z. And a considerable time elapses before all these various -people are again connected to the proper quarter. - -The very form of the telephonic message lends itself to -misinterpretation and misunderstanding. There is a story of an officer -named Close, who as forward observation officer for his battery laid -out a line to an observation post of his own choosing, and whose -linesmen by some accident contrived to get their wire touching one -belonging to a different system. His major, wishing to speak to him, -called him up, and hearing a "Hullo!" in reply, began "Are you Close?" -To his astonishment and delight a strange voice replied, "No, you dam! -fool, I'm five thousand yards away!" This same crossing of wires is -another common cause of mixed conversations, they chafe one another -until the insulation is worn away and a good connection established, -when the two sets of instruments respond to one another's calls. This -very trouble was the cause of my once being awakened from sleep by -the urgent summons of the buzzer. I jumped for the instrument--"Yes, -hullo?" And then distinctly came the amazing query "Are you St. -Paul?" I think the terms of my reply, in which I convinced my -unknown questioner of my utter inability to follow that gentleman's -advice about suffering fools gladly, satisfied him that I was not. I -found out afterwards that a neighbouring battery had two observing -stations, which they had christened Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's -respectively. An error in transcription, whereby the singular became -substituted for the plural, was probably the cause of my receiving a -written message, warning me that certain experiments were to be tried -that evening, and beginning in the emphatic terms, "At 6 p.m. some -rocket will be fired." - -Of the whole complex system of lines, that between headquarters (which -in our case is the group commander, batteries being usually organized -in groups under a senior officer) and the battery commander is by far -the most fertile in trouble. It is not so much the line itself that is -to blame, as a sort of nervous feeling that it connects one with one's -superior officer, a feeling that in a wholly indefinable way pervades -everybody who comes in contact with it. If, as frequently occurs, -wire is saved by leading the various battery lines to an exchange, -whence a single line runs back to headquarters, the possibility of -complication is enormously increased. The process of getting a message -through is then a nerve-racking one. I was once assisting the battery -commander in the observation post, observing a series that was of -some considerable importance--it was during the fighting round Hill -70. In the middle of the transmission of orders to the battery, an -interruption comes through from them. "Headquarters want to speak to -the major, sir!" "Never mind headquarters, you take my message." Three -minutes elapse, during which we get off a few more rounds. Then the -battery calls through again, "Headquarters say it's urgent, sir!" "All -right, stop firing, switch them through." A long pause, during which -the receiver echoes, "Hullo, hullo, exchange! Hullo, can you hear -me? I want headquarters. Hullo! Speaking to another battery are they? -Hullo, is that headquarters? I'm 320th Siege--here you are, sir." Then -a still small voice, "Am I speaking to the major?" "I'm taking the -message for him; go on." "Message from G.O.C. Corps Artillery, begins. -Please report by noon on 30th instant number of Army Forms XY 9999 in -your possession, ends. For your information and compliance please." -Fortunately Job was a hasty and impetuous individual compared with the -major, or his remarks on having wasted a quarter of an hour of rapidly -failing light to receive such a message might have been unthinkable. - -I remember also on that same line another regrettable incident. We had -to render a certain report daily at a certain hour, and one day the -headquarters line suddenly went out of action a few minutes before this -time. The report was sent off by hand, and the linesman started on his -weary journey of investigation. He reached the exchange eventually, -testing every inch as he went, and found at last that the wire was not -properly connected to the switchboard in the exchange itself. Now all -this took some considerable time, and it was not till some hours later -that a scared-looking telephonist found me in the battery and asked -me to come to the telephone, as there was somebody at headquarters -"a-carrying-on something hawful." So I went and found an infuriated -and temporary officer demanding that I should immediately put all the -telephonists under arrest and myself into the bargain--I think all the -officers were included. Explaining that there might be difficulties in -working the battery if those instructions were faithfully carried out, -I asked what our crime had been. It then appeared that our messenger -had arrived five minutes late with the report. I explained how this -happened, pointed out that his own people at the exchange were to -blame, and offered, should he consider mere arrest to be too trivial -a punishment for men who had delayed the receipt of a purely routine -report--it consisted of one word, nil!--by five minutes, to send him -down a firing party at once. We never had any further trouble on that -particular score. - -As an alternative to the telephone, it is sometimes possible to arrange -relays of signallers with visual means of communication, such as lamps -or signalling discs, a method very much more freely employed by the -Germans than by ourselves. - -We established a chain of this nature along a line of a total length -of about a mile and a half, as an emergency measure in case the wires -should be cut, and on the occasion of a very critical moment when this -disaster actually occurred, we found the system to work admirably. For -general use, however, it is too slow and requires too many trained -signallers. The telephone, in spite of all its peculiar idiosyncrasies, -is the only method in practice it is possible to employ. - -It will be gathered from the above that a battery requires a very -large number of instruments and apparatus of all descriptions, and the -strain upon the manufacturers to supply them fast enough to equip new -formations was at one time very great. In our own case, some of these -stores only reached us on the quay of the port of embarkation an hour -before the transport sailed. We had been toiling since early morning on -one of the hottest days of the year, with no possible opportunity for -refreshment. A car dashed up and unloaded a box of instruments, which -we proceeded to unpack for the purpose of checking. The first thing to -be produced was a large aneroid barometer, of which the hand pointed -significantly to the words "Very dry." A sagacious instrument was that. - - - - -XI - -BEHIND THE LINE - - -"Upon the Western Front there is nothing to report." So runs the -official news from day to day; it is a period of comparative quiet in -which neither army finds it expedient to make a move, but each lies -watching and waiting for the next sign of activity on the part of the -other. It is not inactivity, the perpetual crack of rifles and the -occasional bursts of artillery fire that rise suddenly by day and night -are the surest guarantees of that, but merely the temporary abandonment -of offensive tactics on either side. Modern trench warfare has -strengthened the defence at the expense of the offence to so great an -extent that such periods must be the natural state of things. There is -no such thing as a flank attack, for the flanks of the opposing forces -rest upon positions that cannot be turned, in one case the sea, in the -other a neutral country. Many years ago, long before such an extended -double defensive was contemplated, an extremely clever parody upon the -art of war as laid down in the text-books was produced, in which the -author sets forth three possible means of collision, first when two -armies meet, both of which are in motion, second when two armies meet, -one of which is in motion and the other is stationary, and third when -two armies meet both of which are stationary. The latter situation, -ridiculous as it appears and as the author intended it to appear, is -the best definition of the state of things which actually occurs daily -along all the gigantic fronts. "Nothing doing," says the gunner; "we -fired a few rounds yesterday at a place where somebody said the Bosches -had a battery, but that's all." "Haven't seen a bullet or a shell for -days," says the infantryman. "Believe there's nobody but the caretaker -and his wife opposite." In the battery we have meals at regular hours, -we discuss the war instead of our own infinitesimal contribution to it, -the more enterprising amongst us hint at the glorious possibilities -of having a hot bath. Life, in short, begins to slip into a groove of -routine. - -Yet we are in a state of constant readiness, and the appearance of -inactivity is wholly misleading. Eyes are perpetually on the watch -in the observation station, a telephonist sits with the head receiver -of the instrument fixed on his head, the detachments on duty sit in -the gun-pits or in the dug-outs close at hand, busy upon some work, -improving the head cover, polishing the fittings of the gun, or else -writing letters to their friends that tell strange tales of battle, -murder and sudden death. In the control room by the telephone dug-out -sits an officer, studying the map, recording the results of a previous -day's fire, or entering particulars of targets and ranges in his -notebook. Perhaps the wind is blowing towards the firing line, carrying -away from the battery all sounds of war, so that nothing can be heard -but the strains of an amateur band (of mouth-organs, concertinas and -a triangle) from one of the gun-pits, and the monotonous call of -the crier in that strange game of "House" that pervades the British -Army--"nineteen, forty-one, number three, sixty-four," and a sudden -excited voice "'ouse!" - -But suddenly the buzzer in the telephone room wakes into life. Dash dot -dot dash, dash dot dot, dash dash dot--X D G, it calls imperiously. -That is our call, and the telephonist throws away the novel he was -reading and seizes pencil and paper. "320th Siege! Yes, go on, -yes--fire six rounds at once on Puits thirty-seven. R.D." The message -reaches the officer in the control room, who dashes out of the door -with a megaphone through which he roars one word, "Action!" Instantly -the detachments vanish into the pits, from which a sound of urgent -preparation rises, the band stops abruptly upon an excruciating chord, -the players of "House" scatter to their respective stations. Then comes -the regular sequence of orders, and in something less than a minute -from the receipt of the message the first gun roars into pulsing life -again. - -Sudden calls such as these are only incidents that disturb the quiet -of the daily life of the battery, which pursues the even tenor of -its way as soon as the number of rounds ordered has been fired. And -even when the word "Action!" sounds, it only affects the officers -and men actually on duty. The remainder are free to follow their own -vocations until it is their turn to be ready to answer the summons. -There is usually plenty of work for officers off duty to do, in the -battery itself, but still several opportunities occur for exploration -of the neighbouring country, of which the most interesting form is -reconnaissance of the ground from the front line trenches in one's own -neighbourhood. I have had many most interesting excursions to places -from whence a different view of the country could be obtained from that -presented from our own observation stations, and a different angle -of view often clears up many doubtful points. It is a most difficult -matter to recognize every feature on the ground by the aid of a map -from one point alone, but if angles can be taken to a doubtful object -from two or more points, its position can be fixed and identified upon -the map with comparative ease. And the interest of an expedition taken -with this primary object in view lies in the unexpected discoveries -that one often makes, of objects and incidents that would otherwise -be unknown to one. In the southern sector the village of Loos was a -favourite object for a walk. The enemy kept the place continuously -under fire after his repulse from it, to such an extent that the -establishment there of a permanent observation station was sternly -discouraged by the higher artillery command. It is useless to risk the -lives of telephonists and linesmen in a place that is under fire night -and day, and where, even if one's observation station is spared, one's -lines are certain to be repeatedly cut, unless the objects to be gained -by so doing are of counterbalancing importance. We were lucky enough -to possess other and safer observation posts, so that we only used the -village in cases of necessity. And we were by no means sorry, for, to -use the deathless expression of Monsieur le Commandant, the place was -"not sanitary," not only from the effects of the enemy's fire, but from -the fact that for many weeks after the operations of September 25 the -streets were still encumbered with dead horses and other odoriferous -objects. Even as late as the third week in October the dead lay thickly -strewn outside the cover afforded by the houses, and on a still day the -stench in the particular building that we used as a watch-tower was -utterly insupportable unless one smoked without intermission. It used -to be said that it was possible to find one's way about the place in -the dark purely by the use of one's nose alone. - -During another of these journeys of exploration, one of our officers -was in the front line trenches, which had recently been slightly -pushed forward, engaged in marking them in on his map. The trenches -were newly dug and not yet finished, and the enemy, knowing this, -kept up a slow but fairly steady rain of shrapnel upon them. As my -friend was making his way along the trench, he saw a brigadier and -his entourage advancing in the opposite direction towards him. Having -an instinctive mistrust of "brass-hats" and of the inane questions -that they are so fond of asking, he stopped where he was, hoping that -they would pass by without noticing him. But the fates were against -him. When not more than twenty yards separated him from the splendid -company, a shell burst fairly in the trench not a couple of yards -from the brigadier himself, damaging neither him nor his staff, but -unfortunately killing one of the defenders. Almost at the same moment -one of the lynx-eyed suite discovered my friend's presence and also -the fact that he was an artillery officer. "Just the man we want! -Order your battery to open fire at once on the gun that fired that -shot." To the average staff officer politeness is a sign of weakness, -nothing but a peremptory order is possible from one of such high mental -attainments. My friend explained with some asperity that he was not in -communication with his battery, being merely on a reconnaissance for -the purpose of discovering information that the Staff had neglected to -render, information that was of vital importance, namely the position -of our own trenches. But that if he would be good enough to inform him -of the exact position of the offending battery, he would walk back -and open fire upon it. Then all the members of the entourage--the -brigadier himself maintained an amused silence throughout--pointed in -different directions, each swearing that they had seen the flash of -the gun in the place he indicated, some of them displaying a happy -ignorance by selecting places well within our own lines. My friend -was to take a compass bearing of the direction, he was to stand where -the shell fell and wait for the next flash (not a bad idea that), -they themselves would get into touch with the artillery group through -their own telephone system. Finally they drifted on, still, like the -heathen, furiously raging together. My friend forgot all about them in -the course of investigating more important matters, until he arrived -that evening at the office of his group commander to report upon his -observations. He was greeted with the words, "Hullo, what have you been -up to?" "Nothing particularly heinous, I hope, sir." "What did you -tell that parcel of lunatics to ring me up and request me to open fire -on nothing for?" "I didn't, sir," and then the whole story came out, -much to the amusement of the group commander. Nor did this close the -incident by any means. Somebody having decided that the battery that -had the presumption to fire upon a brigadier and his staff was probably -situated in a certain wood, on the morrow of the affair at a given -hour every battery within range was ordered to fire a certain number -of rounds into the said wood. The result must have saved the enemy the -trouble of cutting firewood for the rest of the winter. - -When not engaged upon reconnaissance, there is always plenty of -interest in the battery itself, of which a large proportion is provided -by the aeroplanes of both sides. However carefully the battery itself -may be concealed, this precaution is useless unless the _personnel_ -keep out of sight when hostile aeroplanes are about. Men do not -stand about in groups for the fun of the thing, there must be some -military reason for it, or, everything else failing, it is probably -an indication of a billeting area. At all events, it is worth trying -a few rounds at for luck, or so the German gunners seem to think. -An aeroplane sentry armed with a pair of glasses and a whistle is -consequently perpetually on duty, and the blast of his whistle is the -signal for everybody to get under cover at once. It becomes very trying -to get into the habit of leaving whatever one is doing and take shelter -under the nearest tree several times in the hour, and if, for instance, -one is digging gun-pits against time the annoyance is maddening. But -neglect of this precaution is sure sooner or later to have fatal -results. On one occasion the men of a French battery in a field close -to us treated a reconnoitring Taube with the most profound contempt, -they were building shelters and refused to stop work for so trivial a -cause. We, more cautious, bolted for cover and stayed there while the -hostile aeroplane, having evidently noticed something, circled round -once or twice, and then, when directly over the French battery, dropped -some tinsel substance that sparkled in the sun, as an indication to -the artillery of the whereabouts of its quarry. And sure enough next -morning we were treated to a really magnificent display of accurate -shooting. A German battery opened fire without warning, leaving just -sufficient time for the men to rush into their dug-outs before the -second shell burst fairly in the centre of the battery. They fired -very few rounds, but a lucky shell burst in a hay-stack behind which -were hidden the battery ammunition wagons, setting it on fire. The -result was very interesting. For an hour or more the air was thick with -cartridge cases and fragments of shell, as the ammunition in the wagons -slowly caught fire. There was no sudden explosion, and beyond the utter -destruction of the wagons very little damage was done, but regarded as -a pyrotechnic display the scene in that field was very hard to beat. - -But the reconnoitring aeroplane is by no means allowed to have things -all its own way. Anti-aircraft guns fill the space about it with -bursting shrapnel, other aeroplanes rise to attack it, machine guns -spit bullets at it. If no damage is done, the unfortunate observer -is kept far too busy to worry about what is going on down below him. -On one occasion we were conducting a series by the help of aerial -observation. It was a beautifully clear day, and to our astonishment -our first three rounds were signalled "Not observed." Then came a -message, "Observation impossible, am coming home," and in about a -minute we saw our aeroplane "coming home" at top speed, closely pursued -by three hostile machines. Sometimes one is fortunate enough to witness -an air duel, which is one of the most magnificent sights imaginable. -The anti-aircraft guns are silent, the risk of hitting their friends -is too great, and high up above the ground the machines wheel and -turn and dive at angles that seem incredible to the watchers below. -Very faintly comes the roar of the engines and the staccato rattle -of machine guns and automatic pistols. At last one of the machines, -finding itself overpowered, dives suddenly, and then, straightening its -course, makes a long vol plané to the safety of its own lines, followed -by its antagonists till the anti-aircraft fire becomes too hot for -them. Or there is a sudden silence, a curious fluttering as of a winged -bird, and, quite slowly as it seems, a torn mass of metal and canvas -dives headlong to earth. Or perhaps one morning a dull drone attracts -one's attention, and, looking up, one sees against the deep blue of -the sky an aerial squadron, their wings almost pure white in the sun, -a flight of sinister wild geese, carrying bombs to the destruction of -some important railway centre. Flanders is much to be recommended as a -suitable spot in which to undergo the cure of ennui. - -The men off duty seem also to find plenty of occupation. For one thing -there is always something to grumble at--either it rains, and the -billets leak water through their broken-down roofs, or the mail does -not arrive one day, or something of the kind happens--for the gunner is -an inveterate "grouser" at trifles, although such incidents as being -shelled only seem to amuse him. And then he can go to the nearest spot -in which the inhabitants have still been allowed to remain, where he -finds every cottage converted into an _estaminet_. There he may sit -with a group of his friends drinking that strange beer that is about -as intoxicating as tea and not quite so harmful, and he can grumble -at that. Gunner Wolverhampton, the sheen upon whose nose indicates -that he is probably something of a connoisseur in the matter of beer, -says that it tastes like the water that mother washes the onions in, -and I daresay it does. Here, sitting in these cottage parlours, you -find him holding long conversations with their owners and perhaps a -handful of French soldiers, in the curious language that is rapidly -growing up. If there should be a girl in the place (her age or looks -are quite immaterial) he cannot refrain from chaff. "You compree -promnade?" he says. "Si, si," she replies. "Well, you come promnade -with moi down the route, savvy?" She shakes her head. "You no bon," -he says gravely. "Mais oui, moi j'suis bonne, mais vous méchant." "No -bon, my dear, but portez two beers, twoppence, compree?" The way the -two nations understand one another is amazing. "The old girl at the -farm was telling me last night all about the time when the Bosches -was here," said Gunner Wolverhampton to me one day. "How on earth did -you manage to understand her?" I asked. "Oh, we got along famous," he -replied, and very soon showed me that she had made him understand her -remarks thoroughly. On one occasion, finding a party of French linesmen -stranded for a length of wire, one of our telephonists gave them a -piece, and ever afterwards the two batteries were on terms of the -greatest intimacy. The men used to go and sit in one another's billets, -frequently, after the manner of their kind, exchanging headgear as they -did so, with the most curious effects, as when a burly gunner clad in -a brown sweater and a French steel helmet, and carrying a long French -rifle, strolled across the road. The startling resemblance he bore to a -Cromwellian soldier made us all turn out to see him. - -Gunner Wolverhampton, as the archetype of his fellows, deserves more -than passing notice. He had served twelve years in the regiment, had -taken his discharge, and was in civilian employment when the war broke -out. As soon as recruiting regulations allowed, that is about the third -week of the war, he re-enlisted. These re-enlisted men were allotted -regimental numbers from one upwards in the order in which they offered -themselves, and Gunner Wolverhampton is justly proud of his single -figure number. In appearance he is about forty-five, with a grave face, -a well-built figure, and a slow and weighty method of speech. His -peculiarity lies in his nose, which is a rich crimson--it must have -been a most expensive acquisition. When asked his civilian trade, he -gives it as sign-painter, a statement that once surprised one of his -comrades into remarking _sotto voce_, "Gawd love us, chum, I thought -you was a whisky-taster!" An old soldier of the finest type, knowing -all the ropes and imbued with that highest form of self-respect that -only the traditions of the service can propagate, he is perfectly -invaluable by the mere force of his example in these days when soldiers -are turned out by the million in a few months. A certain proportion -of the battery _matériel_ and stores were entirely in his hands, and -he has never throughout the campaign been found deficient by so much -as a pick-handle, nor has his gun ever failed to be spotlessly clean -and in perfect order. Without the inclination or necessary educational -qualifications for promotion, he is useful and contented as a gunner, -and in times of emergency the whole of his section, including the -non-commissioned officers themselves, instinctively turn to him for -guidance. He it is that when the detachments are worn out after a long -period of digging or of working the gun, keeps them hard at it by his -example and by caustic criticism of their relative feebleness; he it -was that walked calmly down to where a neighbouring battery was being -shelled and led a party out, as though he were taking some friends to -get a drink, to where the shells were falling viciously round two or -three wounded men, bringing them in with utter unconcern for his own -danger. Ah, Gunner Wolverhampton, if this war makes of all who serve in -it men such as you, then the cost of it in blood and treasure will be -as nothing when set by the side of the freshly won strength of a nation -rejuvenated! - -Happy hours are those spent just behind the line between the strenuous -days of strife, when one feels merely a spectator of the pageantry -of war, when one can study men at their best, for the strain of war -brings out the good qualities of human nature and atrophies the bad. -Hours they are of leisure, when one may drive into a town of perhaps -some considerable local importance, where, even under the strange forms -that war has cast upon it, the old peace-time life of the community -yet lives. Not all the jostling crowd of khaki, the long trains of -supply columns that block the narrow mediæval streets of Béthune, have -essentially altered the character of the place as the market-town of -the neighbouring district; the old square tower, the graceful belfry, -still look down upon a crowd of _gamins_, of hatless women and girls, -of old men standing in the market-place. Only the young men are -wanting, and their place is taken by this surging crowd of the young -men of another nation. Commercially, all such towns must be reaping a -golden harvest. See how every pastry-cook's window bears the legend -"Tea Rooms," extending below it a tempting array of _pâtisserie_ that -would shame the best of those dreadful "tea-shops" of our native land. -And, when sufficiently allured, elbow your way in amongst the hungry -rabble that speak a curious tongue they believe to be French--it does -not matter, the proprietress and her daughter learnt English long ago, -and have now almost acquired this same curious tongue--and try to get a -seat. So it is with all the shops, and the Frenchman, with his instinct -to provide what is required, has contrived that the most exacting of -these English officers with their innumerable and most peculiar wants, -shall rarely go away unsatisfied. In such towns as these will be found -the representatives of those peculiar units that are raised (or do -they raise themselves?) apparently for the sole purpose of encumbering -the roads. But perhaps in the villages is seen the more amusing side -of international commerce. In the towns everybody seems to know by -instinct what the soldier wants--I have heard a gunner ask for fried -fish and chips in the vernacular of Newcastle, and get it--but in the -villages considerable parleying is sometimes necessary. There is a -story of a man who rode to a farmhouse where eggs were to be obtained, -and demanded "oofs." But madame was unresponsive. "Non compris, -monsieur, peut-être il veut du lait, de la beurre----?" Desperate, -the man dismounted, and, picking up his horse's foot, tapped it -significantly. "No, ma'am, not lay or burr, oofs, oofs, can't you see?" - - - - -XII - -A WAR MESS - - -More amusement is usually to be derived from the Battery Mess than -from any other side of the not uninteresting life of the campaign. -Let half-a-dozen officers of varying ages, temperaments and ideas be -collected at random from half the civilized globe, and set them down in -a situation where their only relaxation must be found in one another's -company, and watch the result. It can readily be imagined that there -are endless piquant possibilities, a vast field of quiet entertainment -for the student of the lighter side of existence. - -As a rule, for the care of its material side, some heavenborn genius -arises from amongst the ruck of his fellows, whose well-ordered brain -revels in the details of cooks, and ration beef and the most convenient -hour for dinner. Happy is the mess in its possession of him, how -willingly its members forego any say in the matters pertaining to -sustenance, in how docile a spirit do they submit to his autocratic -ruling that marmalade is to be kept for breakfast alone, that lunch -shall consist of bully-beef and cheese! Our own battery was blessed -beyond its fellows in a tyrant of dazzling capabilities, who coaxed -mysterious dishes, of course with the collusion of the mess-cook, from -the most unpromising materials, who fed us bountifully from secret -stores of his own such time as we wandered forlorn over the face of -the land, who allowed no comment upon the quality of the bacon or -the resilience of the bread. We all looked blindly to him for our -daily needs, much as the Children of Israel looked to Moses in the -wilderness, and we were never disappointed. May his memory be for ever -associated with these precious words--he fed us well! - -Mess premises may be divided into two classes, the first being found in -cases where the battery position is in a locality where the inhabitants -are still in occupation of their houses, and consisting of some room -in an _estaminet_ or farmhouse, the second being improvised in a ruin -or dug-out. Both are capable of providing both trouble and comfort, -in both a stern resolution to take things cheerfully as they come -results wonderfully quickly in the discovery that one is getting on -very well considering. I have a vivid picture in my memory of a mess -of the first type, once the public room of an _estaminet_, now given -over for our use. A few chairs and a table furnished it, its doors -opened upon a courtyard of extraordinary capabilities in the way of -mud, wherein stood the battery car, a horse or two, and several fowls, -one or more of which items one invariably fell over in the dark. Next -to the mess-room was the kitchen, of whose stove we had the use, and -wherein perpetually _madame_ and the two mess servants bickered for -space for their culinary operations. And yet perhaps we were even -more comfortable in a home that we made for ourselves in an abandoned -miner's cottage. We glazed the windows, repaired the shell-holes in -the roof, stole doors and a stove, and made the place thoroughly -weatherproof and comfortable. And then, the furnishing and decoration! -No newly-engaged couple, who, if we may believe the posters, spend -their hours of bliss in arguing whether they shall confide their -savings to Messrs. Deal & Glue or to the Houndsditch Furnishing Co., -ever furnished with such a zest as did we. Abandoned villages lay -all around us, ours was the freedom to loot as we would. The only -trouble was that we were by no means the first comers--"our wants -had all been felt, our errors made before"--and it required diligent -search to find anything of any use. Our wheeler mended a broken table, -two triumphant servants struggled in with a gigantic sideboard, the -roofless and abandoned church was raided for cane-seated chairs, -we descended like vultures upon a rival mess when the battery that -owned it, being ordered to another position, abandoned it. Growing -ambitious, we refused to be contented with mere use, our cultivated -taste demanded ornament, decoration of the bare walls, and our craving -was gratified. Out of every house we took the marvellous examples of -the photographer's art that we found there, wonderful enlargements -of the owner, his wife, his children, in their Sunday best, and hung -them indiscriminately, the more prepossessing "on the line," the rest -grouped with artistic abandon. Should their exiled owners ever return -to them, what delight will be theirs to find those two old enemies -Monsieur Malbranque and Madame Rietz hanging lovingly side by side, -or that stern old maid, Mademoiselle Dalbine, surrounded by a group -of miscellaneous children! What litigation may not ensue when Madame -Apelghem finds her mahogany chest-of-drawers in Madame Puchon's cellar, -or Monsieur Verlane his brand-new cooking-stove firmly cemented into -the bedroom of that doubtful lady Ma'm'selle Frisson! With what regret -did we leave this home-like mess to take the road once more, and with -what true instinct did the senior subaltern insist upon the loading -into the last lorry of the best loved of the portraits, so that it -might follow the battery in all its wanderings as a perpetual memory -of happy days! It was a truly fearsome enlargement of a terribly -ugly little girl, her face, with the mouth hanging open, bearing an -expression of acute agony, her hands crossed over the region where the -pain might be expected to be, her toes turned in despondently. "The -Flatulent Child" we christened her, yet perhaps none of us, gazing into -those inexpressive eyes, can fail to remember days whose happiness will -always be a precious memory to us all. - -The food question practically solves itself; rations of surpassing -quality are provided in quantities that tax the keenest appetite -to consume, all that remains is to cook them and to provide such -delicate extras as may be desired. And in that same provision of extras -there lies many a snare. France is not a desert and savage land, as, -judging by the preparations that a conscientious mess secretary makes -before he embarks, one might expect to find it, and nearly everything -that one wants can be obtained in the towns behind the line at very -reasonable prices. We had arranged with a large firm in England to -send us fortnightly supplies, and there our troubles began. The firm -played their part nobly, and beginning with the day we set out upon -our adventures, sent regularly the fortnightly consignments. But heavy -artillery owes no allegiance to division or army corps, but wanders -like some distended bumblebee about the line, sipping honey in the -shape of rations now from this point, now from that, until the Military -Forwarding Officers, the Railway Transport Officers, and all the -host of curiously termed people whose business it is to play trains -in this distracted land, lose all count of the whereabouts of any -particular battery. The result of this to us was that for six weeks -after our arrival in France we heard nothing of our long-expected -delicacies, despite frantic journeys to railhead after railhead, and -piteous applications to supply officers all over the country. By -this time we had learnt that we could get what we wanted close at -hand, and had ceased to worry about them, when one day we received a -message that some stores were awaiting us at a certain station forty -miles away. Seizing a favourable opportunity, we dashed over there in -the battery car and secured the first consignment, and being by that -time fairly well settled, we left instructions for the forwarding of -any subsequent lots that might turn up. Then the accumulation of the -fruitless weeks began to pour in upon us. At every tactical crisis the -ration-lorry would dash up to the battery, amidst a tempest of shot -and shell, and unload numberless cases of things of which we already -had a superfluity. Box after box was dumped upon us, packed tight with -tins of cold and sodden fruit, of strange cereal foods, of desiccated -and strange-tasting soups. Who, in a country where food is treated as -a fine art, would wish to live upon such things? Yet our stern tyrant, -his mind rebelling at the mere thought of waste, ordained that it must -be so, and so it was. Alas, for the flesh-pots of France, the omelettes -and coffee of _Madame_! How tragic that you must vanish to appear no -more! - -Of sleeping quarters much might be written. What in theory could be -more delightful than to sleep in one's valise in the open air--the -thing is supposed to be waterproof--to wake up fresh in the early -morning and roll on the dewy grass by way of a bath? What indeed? The -romance of the proceeding appeals to the man allured by the specious -prospect of campaigning, and he invariably attempts it for a few -nights, until he grows strangely silent towards bed-time and furtively -steals away to some billet he has found. After that he fluctuates -between spreading his valise in a chicken-run (it was night when we -spread out our valises, and the major's language on discovering in -the morning that he had been trying to hatch out a likely-looking -brood of chickens was, to put it respectfully, bracing) and crawling -luxuriously, in the full glory of pyjamas, between real sheets. The -valise itself is all right, there is nothing more comfortable, the -only trouble is that it is bed and portmanteau combined, so that one's -night's rest is shared by all one's belongings, including one's spare -pair of boots. And I never met a pair of boots in such circumstances -that had not the power of being in several places at once, till one's -valise, whichever way one turned, did not seem to be as closely packed -with boots as a cobbler's shop. I repeat, the valise is all right, -that is if one's servant knows how to fold the blankets in it, and -how to dispose the softer of its contents under one's head. But the -occasional luxury of a real bed is very welcome, only--treat the casual -mattress with caution until you know it thoroughly. If etymology means -in Flanders the study of the language of the trenches, entomology is -likewise the study of a doubtful mattress, and both sciences are often -more extensive than it would appear. Better in most billets is the -bare floor with a valise upon it than the most tempting bed. Usually, -however, one has to use both. For many nights two of us occupied a -room exactly six feet by eight, more than half of which was occupied -by the bed. Our process of turning-in was interesting and extremely -scientific. We had tossed up for the bed, and my friend had won it, so -he retired to rest first. When he was safely in bed, I came in, put -all the remaining furniture outside the door, shut it, laid down my -valise, and crawled into it, my head jammed against the door, and my -feet up the stove pipe, like Alice in the house of the White Rabbit. -He slept with his feet out of the window, until early one morning a -passing horse, of inquisitive temperament, seeing the blanket, gave it -a sharp tug. My friend woke up convinced the Huns were upon us. - -My most comfortable nights were spent in a coal cellar, which two of -us had cleared out and adapted to our uses. My stable companion, being -something of a sybarite, looted an iron bedstead on which to spread his -valise--it was a new and improved type, and when extended in all its -glory had a curious canopy of its own, the effect of the whole being -like nothing so much as Noah's Ark. Into this, with much difficulty and -objurgation he would crawl, when the mysterious concern would promptly -convert itself into a portable washingstand or some other fitment of -extreme utility, whence it had to be coaxed into the Ark-like form -again. I, less ambitious, supported a shutter on some bricks, and laid -my very ordinary valise on that. It was far less ostentatious, and I -had fewer adventurous nights. It was cold in that cellar, so we raided -a stove that we lit every evening, finding plenty of broken rafters -in the ruined houses round us to serve for fuel. We shall neither of -us know again such nights as those, lulled to sleep as we were by the -sleepless batteries around us, although in profound peace we might rest -in the most sumptuous bed that Tottenham Court Road ever produced. - -In this ideal spot we had a bathroom with a huge stove in it, on which -to boil many gallons of water in petrol cans, and no luxury could equal -the luxury of those hot baths. There was a tragedy connected with it, -though. One young officer was wallowing in a glorious sea of foaming -lather, when a shell burst a few yards from the door. Not being sure -where and when to expect the next, he dashed as he was through the -battery to his dug-out, the soap-suds flying from him as foam from the -limbs of some swift-footed sea-god. Nor was the major more fortunate. -Condemned to spend many weary days and nights in his O.P., and missing -the bathroom, he constructed one on the same plan, but less the stove, -in the house he used for the purpose. But unfortunately there was -only a wooden partition between him and the enemy, and one day stray -bullets began to come through this with alarming frequency. He, too, -was compelled to beat a hurried retreat. - -Strange, too, are the messes that two or three officers, alone together -on detachment, establish for their own convenience. I know of one in -the dark low hall of an old farmhouse, that is in itself mess-room, -kitchen and sleeping apartment for the servants of the two officers who -lived in the little room opening off it. Life there was very much as we -imagine it in mediæval times, the officers had their meals with their -servants standing behind their chairs--not from a desire for wanton -display, but because there was nowhere else to go--by the light of -two candles and the red glow of the stove in the background. Upon the -oaken beams of the ceiling hung strange shapes that were the implements -of war, looted German rifles and bayonets, haversacks, water-bottles, -binoculars, sextants and other lethal weapons. A dripping oilskin dried -by the fire, the faint smell of warm wet gum-boots mingled with that -of the boiling cabbage. Perhaps the telephone that buzzed incessantly -introduced a modern element, but everything else, seen in the gloom of -the shaded candles, looked ghostly, unreal, a scene from some forgotten -haunt of a robber baron. And the rats ran fearlessly across the floor, -or sat very still in the corners, their fierce eyes shining as the -light caught them. Tea was the meal of the day in that mess, for then -one of the two came in from his observation post at Suicide Corner, -for which he had set out at half-past five in the morning, tired and -hungry, and tea when the light has failed and the rising mist of late -autumn foretells a white frost is a worthy meal. Suicide Corner was -a bleak spot, too, and eight hours in such a place with nothing but -bully-beef sandwiches for lunch gives one an amazing appetite. And if -one's companion is Scotch with an apparently limitless acquaintance who -send him shortbread and oat-cake, then one's cup of delight is full -indeed. - -Suicide Corner is not the name of that cross-roads where the -observation post stands, but, as it stands there still, or part of -it does at all events, its real name is best left unsaid. A feeble -imitator of the immortal "Ruthless Rhymes" in his intervals of -observation produced the following-- - - To a cross-roads that I know - Careful Colonels rarely go. - 'Tis a pity; if the sniper - Potted men whose years were riper, - Our artillery promotion - Would be quicker, I've a notion! - -and was wounded in that very spot on the next morning, which possibly -he richly deserved. Yet close by was the Hidden Garden, a little -plot of a few square feet hidden from prying eyes by a thick hedge, -wherein grew chrysanthemums that were a never-failing delight to a -pair of eyes tired of the ugliness of war's destruction, and a bush -of rosemary that smelt of our own West Country. What loving hand had -planted it, and will the owner of that hand return some day to find -all the familiar houses in heaps of blackened ruins, the well-known -trees cut down or mutilated by shell-fire, the peaceful fields furrowed -with long trenches and strewn with fragments of shell? If so, perhaps -the little garden will still show signs of the unknown who, in return -for the beauty with which it gladdened his heart, tore up the weeds -that bid fair to choke it and tended the flowers as best he could. And -perhaps the very hand that planted the flowers will, on a more peaceful -November 1, lay a bunch of them on each of the nameless graves that -lie near by. And perhaps Suicide Corner will again become the centre -of a wayside village, and the troubled air will forget the ceaseless -song of the sniper's bullet and the sharp crack of rifle and roar of -bursting shell. Only the thickly strewn graves will remain, witnesses -that over this quiet spot was once the hunting-ground of Death. - - - Printed in Great Britain by Richard Clay & Sons, Limited, - brunswick st., stamford st., s.e., and bungay, suffolk. - - - - -WHAT I SAW IN BERLIN - -AND OTHER EUROPEAN CAPITALS DURING WAR TIME - -By "PIERMARINI" - - Crown 8vo. Price 5/-net - - -This arresting volume contains the impressions produced on the mind -of "a neutral" who at considerable risk has visited Berlin (twice), -Vienna, Constantinople, Pesth, Amsterdam, Brussels, Antwerp, and Paris -on different occasions, after several months of war. It is full of -first-hand information regarding the state of affairs in the capitals -of our foes. - - _Globe_:--"A thoroughly enjoyable book of enormous interest in these - stirring times." - - _Truth_:--"Vivid and interesting." - - _Sunday Times_:--"Piermarini's vivacity of style is as unexceptional - as his daring in action." - - -_AT ALL BOOKSHOPS, BOOKSTALLS AND LIBRARIES_ - - -EVELEIGH NASH COMPANY, LTD. - -36 King Street, Covent Garden, London, W.C. - - - - -THE DIARY OF AN ENGLISH RESIDENT IN FRANCE - -DURING TWENTY-TWO WEEKS OF WAR TIME - -By ROWLAND STRONG - - Crown 8vo. Price 6/-net - - -Mr. Strong is well known as a keen and judicial critic of current -events. Owing to his long residence in France he understands our Ally -thoroughly, and his instructive volume reveals the true soul of the -people in arms. At the same time he criticises freely her failings and -idiosyncrasies. - - _Evening Standard_:--"Many interesting side-lights on the war are cast - by this wayfarer in France." - - _Yorkshire Post_:--"Can be cordially recommended." - - -_AT ALL BOOKSHOPS, BOOKSTALLS AND LIBRARIES_ - - -EVELEIGH NASH COMPANY, LTD. - -36 King Street, Covent Garden, London, W.C. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WITH THE GUNS *** - -***** This file should be named 63614-0.txt or 63614-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/6/1/63614/ - -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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - 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 will have to check the laws of the country where - you are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - diff --git a/old/63614-0.zip b/old/63614-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ec79405..0000000 --- a/old/63614-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63614-h.zip b/old/63614-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 2444e6b..0000000 --- a/old/63614-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63614-h/63614-h.htm b/old/63614-h/63614-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 1c6adad..0000000 --- a/old/63614-h/63614-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4601 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" - "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> - <head> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" /> - <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> - <title> - With the Guns, by F.O.O.—A Project Gutenberg eBook - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css"> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 {font-weight: normal; - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -.p2 {margin-top: 2em;} -.p4 {margin-top: 4em;} -.p6 {margin-top: 6em;} - -.ph1, .ph2, .ph3, .ph4 { text-align: center; text-indent: 0em; } -.ph1 { font-size: xx-large; margin: .67em auto; } -.ph2 { font-size: x-large; margin: .75em auto; } -.ph3 { font-size: large; margin: .83em auto; } -.ph4 { font-size: medium; margin: 1.12em auto; } -.ph5 { font-size: small; margin: 1.12em auto;text-align: center; } -.ph6 { font-size: x-small; margin: 1.12em auto;text-align: center; } - - - - - - - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.tb {width: 45%; margin-left: 27.5%; margin-right: 27.5%;} -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} -hr.full {width: 95%; margin-left: 2.5%; margin-right: 2.5%;} - -hr.r5 {width: 5%; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 47.5%; margin-right: 47.5%;} -hr.r65 {width: 65%; margin-top: 3em; margin-bottom: 3em; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} - -div.chapter {page-break-before: always;} -h2.nobreak {page-break-before: avoid;} - - - -table { - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; -} -table.autotable { border-collapse: collapse; } -table.autotable td, -table.autotable th { padding: 4px; } - -.tdl {text-align: left;} -.tdr {text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;} -.tdc {text-align: center;} - -.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ - /* visibility: hidden; */ - position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: smaller; - text-align: right; - font-style: normal; - font-weight: normal; - font-variant: normal; -} /* page numbers */ - - - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - - -.bb {border-bottom: 2px solid;} - -.bl {border-left: 2px solid;} - -.bt {border-top: 2px solid;} - -.br {border-right: 2px solid;} - -.bbox {border: 2px solid;} - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - -.allsmcap {font-variant: small-caps; text-transform: lowercase;} - -.u {text-decoration: underline;} - - - - - - - - - - - -/* Footnotes */ -.footnotes {border: 1px dashed;} - -.footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} - -.footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;} - -.fnanchor { - vertical-align: super; - font-size: .8em; - text-decoration: - none; -} - - - -/* Transcriber's notes */ -.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA; - color: black; - font-size:smaller; - padding:0.5em; - margin-bottom:5em; - font-family:sans-serif, serif; } - - </style> - </head> -<body> -<pre style='margin-bottom:6em;'>The Project Gutenberg EBook of With the Guns, by Cecil John Charles Street - -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 -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this ebook. - -Title: With the Guns - -Author: Cecil John Charles Street - -Release Date: November 03, 2020 [EBook #63614] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Tim Lindell Graeme Mackreth and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The Internet - Archive/Canadian Libraries) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WITH THE GUNS *** -</pre> - - - - -<p class="ph1">WITH THE GUNS</p> - - - - - - - -<p class="ph5" style="margin-top: 5em;">BY</p> -<p class="ph4">F.O.O.</p> - -<p class="ph5" style="margin-top: 10em;"><i>SECOND IMPRESSION</i></p> - -<p class="ph5" style="margin-top: 10em;">LONDON</p> -<p class="ph4">EVELEIGH NASH COMPANY</p> -<p class="ph5">LIMITED</p> - -<p class="ph6">1916</p> - - - - - - -<p class="ph5" style="margin-top: 5em;">TO</p> -<p class="ph4">D.C.</p> - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" >CONTENTS</h2> -</div> - - - - - - -<table summary="toc" width="65%"> -<tr><td colspan="3" align ="right"><span class="allsmcap">PAGE</span></td></tr> - -<tr><td align ="right">I</td> <td><a href="#I"><span class="allsmcap">ARTILLERY</span></a></td> <td align ="right"><a href="#Page_9">9</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align ="right">II</td> <td><a href="#II"><span class="allsmcap">'O.P.'</span></a></td> <td align ="right"><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align ="right">III</td> <td><a href="#III"><span class="allsmcap">OBSERVATION</span></a> </td> <td align ="right"><a href="#Page_42">42</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align ="right">IV</td><td><a href="#IV"> <span class="allsmcap">THE FOUR DAYS</span></a></td> <td align ="right"><a href="#Page_61">61</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align ="right">V</td> <td><a href="#V"><span class="allsmcap">THE DAY OF ASSAULT</span></a></td> <td align ="right"><a href="#Page_77">77</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align ="right">VI</td> <td><a href="#VI"><span class="allsmcap">STRAIGHTENING THE LINE</span></a></td> <td align ="right"><a href="#Page_96">96</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align ="right">VII</td> <td><a href="#VII"><span class="allsmcap">LOOS</span></a></td> <td align ="right"><a href="#Page_117">117</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align ="right">VIII</td> <td><a href="#VIII"><span class="allsmcap">IN FRENCH TERRITORY</span></a></td> <td align ="right"><a href="#Page_137">137</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align ="right">IX</td> <td><a href="#IX"><span class="allsmcap">CHANGING POSITION</span></a></td> <td align ="right"><a href="#Page_156">156</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align ="right">X</td> <td><a href="#X"><span class="allsmcap">TELEPHONES</span></a></td> <td align ="right"><a href="#Page_171">171</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align ="right">XI</td> <td><a href="#XI"><span class="allsmcap">BEHIND THE LINE</span></a></td> <td align ="right"><a href="#Page_189">189</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align ="right">XII</td> <td><a href="#XII"><span class="allsmcap">A WAR MESS</span></a></td> <td align ="right"><a href="#Page_208">208</a></td></tr> -</table> - - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_9"></a>[Pg 9]</span></p> - - - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="I">I</h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">ARTILLERY</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">As</span> these sketches of the changing phases of modern war are largely -concerned with the work of the artillery, as, indeed, they are written -from the standpoint of that branch of the Service, this would seem to -be a favourable place to explain shortly the significance of the arm. -My excuse, if any be needed, may be sought in the mind of the average -man who, terrified as ever of the contemplation of anything technical, -puzzled by the grandiloquence of the self-appointed "expert," regards -the art of the artilleryman as written in a book sealed to him for ever -by its own abstruseness.</p> - -<p>Yet the general principles that guide the employment of the man with -the gun, as distinguished from the man with the rifle, are very simple. -In the first place, whereas the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_10"></a>[Pg 10]</span> latter is only concerned with the -incapacitating of <i>personnel</i>, the former has in addition the task of -the destruction of <i>matériel</i>. The old and still popular idea of a -battle, wherein each arm engages exclusively the similar arm of the -enemy, has, since the middle of the last century, entirely disappeared. -In a few words it may be said that the function of the artillery of the -attack is to prepare the way for the infantry assault by the demolition -of the enemy's defences, so far as that may be possible, and during -this actual assault to prevent the enemy's troops from leaving their -shelter and offering resistance. The artillery of the defence, on the -other hand, must endeavour to check the fire of the hostile guns, -either by overwhelming the batteries themselves by a fire so intense -that the detachments cannot work the guns, or by the destruction of -their observation posts. During the assault, their object must be to -cover the space over which the hostile infantry must advance with -so continuous a rain of shell that they are unable to reach their -objective.</p> - -<p>In order to perform these various duties with the greatest attainable -efficiency artillery must possess two essentials. In the first place, -it must be able to project the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_11"></a>[Pg 11]</span> greatest possible weight of shell in -a given time, and in the second it must be capable of rapid movement -from one point to another so that it may be rapidly brought into use -whenever the need for it is greatest. Now, obviously, the heavier the -shell to be thrown, the greater must be the energy of the cartridge, -and the greater the energy of the cartridge, the greater the strength -(and consequently size and weight) of the gun necessary to withstand -the pressures produced upon its discharge. On the other hand, if a -gun is to be mobile, it must be as light as possible, both so that -it can be moved at the required speed, and also that it can be taken -over soft or difficult ground. Mobility and shell-power are therefore -naturally antagonistic, the two cannot be combined in the same gun. -The modern army, therefore, carries a range of guns, wherein maximum -mobility controls one end of the scale and maximum shell-power the -other. The former is represented by the mountain gun, firing a shell -weighing some ten pounds and capable of being moved with great rapidity -over practically any ground that a man can traverse laden, the latter -by pieces of ordnance throwing a shell whose weight approximates to -a ton,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_12"></a>[Pg 12]</span> capable of very slow movement over good roads and requiring -elaborately prepared positions from which to fire.</p> - -<p>Suppose, however, that we were to take a six-inch gun, that is to say -a gun firing a shell six inches in diameter and weighing a hundred -pounds, with a range of say twenty thousand yards. This gun will -require a cartridge consisting of about twenty pounds of propellant, -to withstand the explosion of which the gun must be made of such -massiveness that it will weigh some seven tons. Now instead of -requiring so great a range, we determine to be satisfied with a range -of six or seven thousand yards. We now find that a charge of only some -two pounds of propellant will give us this range, and that the gun can -now be built very much shorter and less massive, so that its weight -is reduced to a ton and a half. We have retained the same weight of -shell, but have sacrificed range to increased mobility, and the fruit -of our labours is no longer a six-inch gun, but a six-inch howitzer. -But in the process of conversion from a gun, the howitzer has acquired -a new characteristic. Owing to its heavy charge of propellant, a gun -projectile leaves the bore with great velocity, and consequently the -gun requires relatively<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_13"></a>[Pg 13]</span> little elevation to hit a target at any given -range. A howitzer, owing to its small charge, requires a far greater -elevation. Now a projectile reaches its mark travelling at very much -the same angle with the horizontal as when it started on its journey. -At a range within the capacity of both, therefore, if fired say at a -house, the shell from the gun will tend to hit the front wall, whereas -the shell from the howitzer will tend to drop upon the roof. This -tendency, combined with their difference in mobility, determines the -choice of a gun or howitzer with which to attack a given target. It may -be added that by still further reducing the range to be attained, say -to a few hundred yards, a charge of only a few ounces need be employed, -and a weapon produced, capable of being carried by a couple of men, yet -still throwing a comparatively heavy shell. The German <i>Minenwerfers</i> -and our own trench-mortars are the representatives of this class.</p> - -<p>All these various types and sizes of ordnance (the word "gun" is a -generic term that covers them all) employ two main types of projectile, -shrapnel and high explosive. Shrapnel may be considered as a sort of -shot gun fired from a rifled gun. It consists of a steel case filled -with round bullets<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_14"></a>[Pg 14]</span> except for a chamber in the base containing a small -quantity of powder. The head of the shell is fitted with a fuse which -can be set to act at any given time after the gun is fired. This fuse -ignites the powder in the base of the shell, which projects the bullets -from the case in the form of a cone whose axis is the direction in -which the shell is moving at the time. Shrapnel, therefore, depends -for its effect upon the destructive power of the flying bullets. -High-explosive projectiles consist of a very strong and heavy shell, -entirely filled with a high-explosive compound, and fitted with a -percussion fuse that acts when the shell strikes anything. The fuse -ignites a primer which detonates the high-explosive charge, and the -body of the shell splits up into pieces of various sizes which are -hurled in all directions with considerable velocity. This type of shell -has a double destructive power, that of the high explosive itself and -of the flying fragments. The Germans employ a compromise in addition, -known as "universal" shell, which may be described as a shrapnel with -a high-explosive charge, which can be used with either a time or -percussion fuse. They have also combined with the explosive charge of -some of their projectiles a sub<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_15"></a>[Pg 15]</span>stance which on combustion produces -an irritant gas with the property of attacking the eyes, and thereby -making a position untenable, and have also added phosphorus to produce -incendiary effects. It may be accepted as a general rule that howitzers -employ only high explosive, guns both shrapnel and high explosive.</p> - -<p>We are now in a position to consider how artillery can best engage the -various types of target that offer themselves. The gunner's dream, a -mass of infantry in the open, is now but seldom seen, and when it is -no battery within range can restrain itself from hurling anything it -possesses at such a heaven-sent objective. The most suitable method -of procedure is to overwhelm it with a cloud of light shrapnel, burst -well above and in front of it, so as to produce a hail of bullets -beneath which nothing can live. In the case of the attack of a trench, -the method usually employed is a preliminary bombardment by light and -medium howitzers, with the object of destroying it and its occupants, -or at all events rendering it untenable, by dropping high explosive -into it; as soon as the infantry commence the assault, the field guns -cover the face of the trench with shrapnel to prevent its defenders -manning<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_16"></a>[Pg 16]</span> the parapet with their rifles. It has been found that wire -entanglements can be most easily and efficiently destroyed by light -shrapnel burst just above or if possible amongst them, followed if -necessary by a few light high-explosive shells to uproot the standards -without forming deep craters that would impede the assaulting infantry.</p> - -<p>A hostile battery in position under cover is usually engaged with high -explosive from guns or howitzers. It is impossible to count upon a -direct hit destroying any of the guns composing it, although such lucky -shots have occurred. But the detachments may be forced to remain under -cover and the battery communications disorganized. Either result will -put the battery out of action so long as the fire continues. The real -difficulty of such a target is to discover its exact position.</p> - -<p>Fortified positions such as redoubts and buildings may be destroyed by -the high-explosive fire of heavy guns and howitzers; observation posts -by guns, as they are usually small, and, speaking generally, it is -easier to hit a small mark with a gun than with a howitzer, owing to -the former possessing greater accuracy. A somewhat peculiar feature of -modern warfare is retaliation, of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_17"></a>[Pg 17]</span> which the general principle is that -if the enemy incommodes one by the use of his artillery, one or more -batteries are ordered to fire a given number of rounds into some place -where his troops are known to collect, such as a town or large village -behind his lines. Guns firing high explosive are most suitable for -this, as the point selected for retaliation is usually beyond the range -of howitzers. It is often desired, more usually at night, to prevent -the enemy from sending reinforcements to his front line. To effect -this end, a "barrage" is established, usually by means of howitzers, -which draw a curtain of high explosive between the massing-place of the -reinforcements and their goal.</p> - -<p>The first concern of any battery, once it is in position, is to be -capable of maintaining fire as long as it is called upon to do so, -and whenever necessary. To be able to do this presupposes immunity -from hostile fire, and, it having been found in practice impossible -to secure adequate protection from determined shelling, this involves -concealment, not alone from direct view from the enemy's positions, but -also from his aeroplanes and observation balloons. It is comparatively -easy to find some natural or artificial feature behind which to place -a battery, but it is<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_18"></a>[Pg 18]</span> almost a life study so to disguise that battery -that it will not be detected from above. Pits may have to be dug to -hold the gun and its detachment, spanned by iron rails carrying a load -of earth artistically planted with shrubs and flowers, the inside -of a hay-stack may be torn out so that a heavy howitzer can just be -manipulated in the space so formed, an innocent heap of beetroots may -conceal the long graceful contour of a sixty-pounder. Yet, however -careful the disguise, unless the detachments themselves hide under any -cover available and remain absolutely still when a hostile aeroplane -is overhead, or if by mischance the tell-tale flash of the gun betray -it, suddenly and without warning the heart-gripping whirr of heavy -shell will be heard, and before there is time for everybody to find -the dug-outs, the battery will be an inferno of unendurable explosions -and deadly flying splinters. Then, happy the battery commander whose -casualties are but slight!</p> - -<p>If the battery is so concealed from the enemy's positions that it -cannot be seen from them, it follows that neither can they be seen -from the battery. In order, therefore, to be able to bring fire to -bear upon any given point, the officer controlling the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_19"></a>[Pg 19]</span> battery must -have recourse to one of three expedients. He must either go himself -to some point from which he can see his target, and from which he can -communicate with the battery, or he must plot the position of battery -and target on a map, and work on that, or he must have an observer -in an aeroplane who can see the target and can communicate with him. -The first of these methods is known as direct observation, and may be -described as one of the most important things that the war is teaching, -and the most absorbing phase of the artilleryman's life. The principles -underlying the second and third are self-evident, and the details of -their application too lengthy for description.</p> - -<p>Finally, let me try to convey an impression of the gunner's -performances from various points of view. The infantryman is the -gunner's keenest critic, and here let me say once and for all that the -infantryman is at the same time the hero and the decisive factor of -every war. Artillery but exists to smooth his path to victory, on him -falls every brunt and every hardship, the gunner is a mere accessory -to his accomplishments. No battle and no war can ever be won except -by infantry, superiority in any other arm is<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_20"></a>[Pg 20]</span> useless if the enemy's -infantry gain the upper hand by greater numbers or efficiency. He -therefore has a right to weigh us in the balance, and it is the Allies' -brightest star that their infantry, after endless weary months of -suffering under vastly superior gun-fire, know at last that behind them -are men and weapons that daily exhibit their newly-won preponderance.</p> - -<p>It is the prerogative of all good soldiers to grumble when they are -satisfied and contented, presumably as a reaction from the cheerful -and unmurmuring endurance of hardship. The infantryman of to-day, -although reposing every confidence in the artillery behind him, still -believes the gunner to be a man of bad habits and occasional lapses. -It is no use explaining to him that the round that fell so short as -to burst in his trench instead of the enemy's was merely an evidence -of senile decay on the part of the gun, and it would be mere waste of -time to attempt to convey to the clay-plastered working-party who are -busy shovelling up the parapet that it knocked down that accidents -will happen even in the best regulated batteries. I have heard higher -praise bestowed on our efforts than that of a group of senior officers, -who whilst walking down<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_21"></a>[Pg 21]</span> a communication trench at night, contrived so -firmly to entangle themselves in the telephone wire to my observing -station that it took a whole platoon armed with wire-cutters to unbind -them—they irresistibly reminded me of the Laocoon when I arrived upon -the scene. Further, it is easy to understand that men who wade along a -muddy ditch to the prospect of five long days and nights in a morass -are apt to speak slightingly of others sleeping the sleep of the just -in warm dry dug-outs a mile or so back.</p> - -<p>The gunner, on his part, admires the infantry with an admiration no -less deep because it is hidden. Of course, he lacks soul, thinks the -gunner, he has no imagination to see that yesterday's bombardment of -the enemy's trench, although it <i>did</i> send a few splinters whizzing -into his own, must have a subtle and profound bearing upon the issue of -the war entirely outweighing any temporary inconvenience it may have -caused him. Besides, he is an incurable marauder, nothing that can be -made to burn in a bucket fire is safe for an unguarded moment. Lastly, -he <i>will</i> clamour for vengeance upon an offending <i>Minenwerfer</i> just as -the light is getting too bad for observation and one's servant appears -with tea. But—<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_22"></a>[Pg 22]</span>one can turn in and dream of home in the knowledge that -he is between oneself and the enemy.</p> - -<p>It is interesting to follow the variations of German military opinion -on the subject of the Allied artillery. Bernhardi, writing a year or -two before the war, gives it as his opinion that the Krupp gun is -slightly superior to all other weapons, as, at that time, before the -perfection of the French "<i>soixante-quinze</i>," it probably was. He -advocates the abandonment of shrapnel for "universal" shell, and throws -doubts upon the ability of a German commander to use efficiently all -the batteries at his disposal. The outbreak of war found the Allies, as -regards "field" artillery, that is to say mobile ordnance throwing a -shell of from fifteen to twenty pounds, in the possession of superior -weapons in slightly inferior numbers. As regards "heavy" artillery, -grouping under that heading all natures of ordnance heavier than a -field gun, to every twenty pieces brought into action by the enemy we -possibly had one. It will probably be the verdict of history that the -rapidity of the hostile advance up to the Marne, and the ability of -the enemy to establish himself, practically unmolested,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_23"></a>[Pg 23]</span> upon a strong -defensive line, were due entirely to this fact. Documents captured -lately, however, have revealed that the higher German artillery -advisers consider that, weapon for weapon, our guns have a slight -superiority, and in numbers available upon the Western front a distinct -preponderance. They also impress upon battery commanders the need of -study of our method of concealment and observation, as being in many -ways preferable to their own.</p> - -<p>Of the gunner himself a few words will suffice. He is of a traditional -type, big, burly and equipped with a vocabulary that has been known to -fuse the delicate windings of an over-sensitive telephone. His gun, -for which his terms of endearment are expressed in profanity, is his -only care, in his spare time he will sit in its emplacement as in his -natural home. The "limber-gunner," an old soldier selected for each gun -to keep it groomed and immaculate, is jealous of his charge as he has -been for all time, since the day when Alfonso d'Este of Ferrara hurled -the brazen statue of Pope Julius II into the melting-pot wherewith -to cast more cannon. Hear him discoursing to a group of youngsters -on the regimental motto. "Ubique," he says, "ubique, that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_24"></a>[Pg 24]</span> means, my -sons, that whenever there's a scrap on you an' me an' the bloomin' old -pop-gun's got to up an' trek an' earn our blessed rum ration doin' ten -days' work in one." And I think he speaks the truth.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_25"></a>[Pg 25]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="II">II</h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">'O.P.'</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> mystifying habit of speaking in abbreviations, the result of a -constant use of rapid means of communication, is one that is developed -to its maximum degree in the jargon of artillery. For instance, "L.X.C. -El. 25° 30´, 15´ M L ORD BYF 40´´" is a very common type of order, and -is the form in which that order would be transmitted. Consequently, -whether in writing or in speech, the Observation Post is invariably -referred to as the O.P. What more fitting than that these two letters -should stand at the head of a sketch that proposes to deal with some of -the aspects of these same observation posts?</p> - -<p>The modern battery is so concealed that the view from it is often -restricted to a few hundred yards in any direction. It therefore -follows that the officer who wishes to direct its fire must discover -some place from where he can see the target he proposes to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_26"></a>[Pg 26]</span> engage, -and from whence he can establish communication, in practice almost -invariably by telephone, with his battery. He may be lucky enough to -find some point near at hand, such as a church tower, from which he can -obtain the necessary range of vision, and such points certainly have -the advantage that they usually afford an extended view. But far more -frequently, especially if his target is a hostile trench only a few -yards from our own lines, some point right up forward must be selected, -for preference just behind our own front line. This usually involves -the selection of alternative positions, both because the view from each -is usually restricted to a very small section of the hostile line, and -also in the not-uncommon event of the observation officer being shelled -out of his post, the battery is out of action until he has established -himself somewhere else. The forward observation officer (F.O.O.) is -the eye of the artillery, it is his business to observe not only the -shooting of his own battery, but also to keep a watch over the whole -of the enemy's territory visible from his post; to learn by constant -inspection every detail, to perceive the smallest alteration or -movement that may give a hint from which enemy plans or dispositions<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_27"></a>[Pg 27]</span> -may be deduced. Hence it is clear that the selection of a good -observation post is one that demands no small skill and experience. -Nor is this selection altogether devoid of humour. A battery arrives, -apparently from nowhere, its officers have a bundle of unfamiliar maps -thrust into their hands, and are told to go and find as many O.P.s -as they require to see a certain prescribed area. "So-and-so will go -with you, if you like, he knows all about this part of the world." -So-and-so is eventually, after a prolonged search, unearthed from the -one comfortable chair in his mess, it being, as he bitterly explains, -the only afternoon he has had off for a month. We start, preferably -along a road pitted with shell-holes that look disconcertingly recent. -Our guide informs us with melancholy pride that two telephonists of the -652nd Battery were killed there yesterday. "But it's usually pretty -healthy——" A small and particularly vicious shell whizzes apparently -just over our heads and bursts a hundred yards or so away. We change -the conversation. We come to a place where the road ends, and where it -seems as though some lover of beauty had cut a narrow winding course -for a merry little streamlet that murmurs con<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_28"></a>[Pg 28]</span>tentedly between its -banks. Some yards away stands what was once a house, but the doors -have been wrenched off their hinges, the windows are blocked up—no -loss to internal illumination, for a dozen huge gaps in the wall amply -supply the deficiency—and the roof has collapsed, leaving only the -chimney-stacks standing. "That might do for you," says our guide, -"750th Battery used it for months." "How do we get there?"—for the -country looks suspiciously open and deserted beyond our present retreat -behind the hedge. "Oh, they don't often snipe here, we can walk across -one at a time, or there's the communication trench," pointing to the -streamlet. Heroes all, we elect a soldier's death rather than wet feet, -and the first of our party starts to walk across the open. Before he -reaches the shelter of the house, zip! comes a bullet with the ugly -sound that marks the rifle fired in one's own direction. He makes a -wild dive for shelter, from which he subsequently watches us as we -wade, cursing its maker, knee-deep along the communication trench, and -exhorts us to be careful to change our socks when we get home. After -much argument, we decide that the house will suit us, and we splash -homewards through our clay-coloured rivulet,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_29"></a>[Pg 29]</span> by no means comforted -by the thought that this is the only safe means of access to our -new-found property, unless we propose to go there before daylight and -stay till after dark. Small things provoke humour where amusements are -few. I subsequently discovered that the depth of water in this trench -was about two inches less than the length of my gum-boots, and that, -therefore, by careful progression, I could navigate it safely. Whilst -doing this one day, a large dog, presumably frightened by a shell -bursting near him—although animals of all kinds get extraordinarily -accustomed to such things as a rule—plunged into the water within -a foot of me. The wave of his impact overflowed my boots—they have -never been really dry since—and the splash soaked me to the skin. As -I stood telling the world at large what I thought of war and dogs and -trenches, a gentle voice, near at hand but unseen, demanded of me, in -the catchword of the day, "Daddy, what did <i>you</i> do in the great war?" -A sense of humour will make, even of war, the finest game in the world.</p> - -<p>Frequently the guide is young and enthusiastic, apt to let his -confidence outstrip his local knowledge. A representative of this type -volunteered to take one of us to a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_30"></a>[Pg 30]</span> place from whence he declared we -could see a particular point that puzzled us. The two set out smiling, -and promptly entangled themselves in a maze of unfamiliar trenches. -The guide declared he knew every inch of them, and for many hours as -it seemed the two wandered in and out, like trippers in the maze at -Hampton Court. At last they reached the ruins of a farmhouse. "If you -climb up there you can see all right," said the guide. The unwary -pilgrim did so, and found himself, outlined against the evening sky, -gazing at the German trenches not thirty yards away. My friend is the -soul of discretion, he hurled himself rather than jumped into the -security of the trench, followed by a <i>rafale</i> of machine-gun and rifle -fire. Nor was he mollified by the words of a choleric and indignant -infantry major, who came up and wanted to know what the devil he meant -by acting like an infernal clown and drawing fire on his trench—I -soften his epithets. There was a marked coolness between the three for -many days to come.</p> - -<p>More harrowing still is the whispered legend of two adventurous spirits -who, in the early days of the war, when the armies were not, as now, -divided by an unbroken<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_31"></a>[Pg 31]</span> line of trenches, set out to seek for some -commanding position from which to survey the surrounding country. At -dusk they found a piece of rising ground, that seemed to promise the -fulfilment of all their hopes. Seeing a group of men at work upon it, -they strolled up to them and enquired whether it were possible to -observe the Germans from there. "I know of but one place more suitable, -gentlemen, and that is Berlin," was the reply, and in a very short time -they were on their way thither. They had chanced upon the headquarters -of a German division!</p> - -<p>The observation post once found, the next step is to make it tenable. -It may be, if Fate is kindly disposed, the upper storey or garret of a -house, from whence through a hole in the roof or walls the necessary -view can be obtained. Happy the man who finds such available! The -alternative is a straw-stack, on the top of which one must lie, -covering oneself as much as possible with straw; a tree, amongst whose -branches one must perch like a disconsolate and clumsy bird for whom -there is no close time; or, worse than all, a spot in some particularly -exposed trench, over whose parapet one pops one's head at the longest -possible intervals for the shortest possible time, wondering the while<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_32"></a>[Pg 32]</span> -whether the man opposite will pull his trigger before one gets it down -again. Generally speaking, all these latter are to be avoided. Any sort -of ruin is preferable, and the more of a ruin it is, the less likely is -the enemy to sit up and take notice of it. It is as well to make it as -bullet-proof as possible, by judicious strengthening with timbers and -sandbags. Anything more ambitious is waste of time; if a shell of any -size hits it directly, it is coming down and oneself inside it, despite -the most elaborate fortifications, which in this case only serve to -bury one the deeper. All one can hope for is a little box wherein to -sit and observe, proof as far as possible from rain and bullets, and a -dug-out for one's telephonists, in which one may take shelter oneself -if shelled—that is, if one is lucky enough to get there in time. The -most important thing to remember is that the exact appearance of every -single object within view is known to the observers on the other side, -and that consequently it is a remarkably sure form of suicide to alter -the exterior view of anything that one proposes to occupy. A careful -man, however, can establish quite a home-like resort almost anywhere. -I have known observation posts within two or three hundred yards of -the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_33"></a>[Pg 33]</span> German trenches whose occupants have lived in profound peace and -contentment for weeks at a time.</p> - -<p>A church tower, or even the remains of one, is an ideal place. It -is, certainly, sure to be shelled periodically, but the first round -is not going to hit it, and a rapid (and, for preference, carefully -rehearsed) descent into a cellar or dug-out at its foot usually averts -a <i>contretemps</i>. Of course, as happened once in my experience, a lucky -round may carry away the stairs or ladders inside the tower below the -observing officer, who then spends a <i>mauvis quart d'heure</i> whilst the -enemy leisurely shells him. It is surprising, though, how many direct -hits from even heavy ordnance a tower will stand without falling. If no -church is available, the tallest house or ruin that can be found must -be adapted, by making a tiny slit in the wall or roof, invisible at a -distance of a hundred yards or so, and rigging up a platform inside -on which to sit whilst observing. A very ingenious method that I once -saw employed by a French battery was to make a wooden box the exact -shape and size of the chimney stack of a cottage, and painted brick -red. The box was hollow and had small peep-holes cut in it. One night -they skilfully<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_34"></a>[Pg 34]</span> removed the real stack and substituted the imitation -one, which served them admirably for many months. In another case all -that was left of what had been a fair-sized house was a wall facing -towards the enemy. A neighbouring ruined village was ransacked for a -dovecot and a long ladder. A band of amateur carpenters fitted the -dovecot to the inside of the wall, as high up as possible, cut a small -hole through the wall, and arranged the ladder as a means of access to -it. I can vouch from personal experience for the comfort and general -excellence of the completed work.</p> - -<p>Of the delights of a certain pear-tree, behind whose ample trunk was a -most rickety ladder, up whose rotten rungs one climbed fearfully—the -tree was about seventy yards behind our front trenches, and in full -view from the German line—I will not speak. As autumn pursued its -sorrowful course we watched the leaves of our tree fall off one by -one, until to the prejudiced eyes of the man who had to climb into it -there seemed hardly enough cover to hide a caterpillar. Finally, when -an enthusiastic sportsman dumped a trench-mortar—the surest thing in -the world to provoke a long-suffering enemy to fury—into a pit some -twenty<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_35"></a>[Pg 35]</span> yards away, we shook our heads sadly and left it to its fate. -It stands there still, waving its bare arms mockingly at us, but I, for -one, shall not tempt its embraces until May has seen fit to dress it -decently again.</p> - -<p>The enemy, on his side, is no less ingenious and probably more -painstaking. There was a certain water-tower that stood in a wood, -with its top just visible above the surrounding trees. Imperceptibly, -as the days went by, it seemed to grow out of the wood, until a month -or so after we first noticed it, about ten feet of it were visible. -The solution appears to have been that, to increase the field of view, -all the trees in front of it, and there must have been two or three -hundred of them, were very cautiously pruned every night, so as to show -no apparent alteration from day to day, but gradually to allow the -required observation.</p> - -<p>It sometimes happens that it is necessary for the observing officer -to remain night and day in the post, and under such circumstances -continual interest is necessary if life is not to become very dull. -Frequently the enemy are good enough to provide this interest, an -unexpected shell now and again either just over or just short is a -powerful antidote against ennui. More often our<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_36"></a>[Pg 36]</span> own headquarters, -with a laudable intention of preventing one's interest from flagging, -send one encouraging messages—"Can you see a hostile working party -at such-and-such a place? If so, kindly keep under observation and -report half-hourly," or "Infantry report flashes of hostile battery -in the direction of Hill 0, observe and locate if possible." One -observes till one's eyes ache as the light grows too bad to see, when -a second message comes, "Flashes reported by infantry ascertained to -be caused by summer lightning." At night one crawls into the dug-out -and endeavours to slumber with one ear glued to the telephone, -and, strangely enough, despite the presence of two loud-sleeping -telephonists, one usually does.</p> - -<p>Or perhaps it is only necessary for the observing officer to be at -his post during the hours of daylight, which involves a pleasant walk -an hour before sunrise and another an hour after sunset, both times -at which the approaches to the O.P. are being shelled, or swept by a -machine gun, or at all events are receiving some sort of attention from -the enemy, who appear to take a kindly interest in one's movements. -Still, this system secures one a night in bed, which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_37"></a>[Pg 37]</span> is a luxury by no -means to be despised, and one is rewarded for one's early rising and -walk by the prospect from the observation post during what is often the -clearest part of the day, just before and after sunrise. There, right -in front, are the two lines of trenches, seemingly deserted, except -where a faint curl of blue smoke denotes preparation for breakfast. -Over the whole space of country before one there is no sign of life -or movement, unless perhaps at some point from a communication trench -a spade-full of earth rises regularly. In the middle distance over a -cross-roads a succession of white puffs shows the suspicious nature of -one of our field batteries, but further back still smoke rises from a -tall chimney as though the world knew of no war. The aeroplanes are -up, of course, each cruising about in the centre of a constellation -of greyish wisps of shrapnel, like flashes of cotton-wool against the -greenish blue of the sky. Rifles crack startlingly near at hand. The -drone of spent bullets rises and falls, the distant sound of guns -blends with the bursting of the shrapnel far overhead and the hum of -the aeroplanes. Surely all this noise is of another world, it cannot -have any relation to the peaceful scene before our eyes? The treachery -of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_38"></a>[Pg 38]</span> quicksand is the calm serenity of this Forbidden Land.</p> - -<p>Observation posts have each their own legend, which clings to them -through successive tenancies. We shared one once with a very youthful -officer whose nervousness was only excelled by his ignorance. I fancy -myself that he was only there to keep a claim on the place for his -battery, but it so happened one fatal afternoon that he had to observe -a series. The first round was fired, and the young man, suddenly -discovering that observation of fire is one of the most difficult -things in the world, and being utterly at sea as to where the shot had -fallen, hesitated in his report. The rest of the tale is best told by -the telephone. The battery commander is the first speaker. "Ask the -observing officer to report where that round fell." "Mr. Jones reports -that was a very good shot, sir." "Tell Mr. Jones I don't want criticism -of my shooting, I want to know where the rounds fall. No. 2 is just -firing." "Mr. Jones reports the last round fell about an inch from the -target." "Then I can assume that as a hit?" "Mr. Jones says he means an -inch on the map, not an inch on the ground." Threatenings and slaughter -<i>ad lib</i>!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_39"></a>[Pg 39]</span></p> - -<p>Of course, it is an unpardonable crime to do anything in or near an -O.P. which might draw the enemy's attention to it. A battery of my -acquaintance had for some weeks been installed in a pretty little villa -residence of which they were very proud, situated on the outskirts -of a mining village. They had certainly spared no pains to make it -comfortable or safe; indeed, the interior was a solid mass of sandbags -through which a sort of tunnel ran to the little observation chamber, -elaborately reached by a series of ladders and passages. One day the -battery commander was conducting a deliberate and deeply calculated -series, his mind too full of figures and angles to allow room for -any idea of possible molestation by the enemy. Suddenly, directly -behind the house, he heard a series of violent explosions. In rather -less than the proverbial twinkling of an eye he was down below in -the dug-out, nearly flayed by violent contact with ladders and other -unyielding substances, but still alive and safe. Still the explosions -continued, but no shell seemed to strike the house. At last one of his -telephonists, more daring than the rest, ventured to peer out, and -there, right in the sacred enclosure, was an armoured car in full and -noisy action. The scene that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_40"></a>[Pg 40]</span> followed baffles description. Two heads, -one thrust through the hatchway of the car, one cautiously hidden -behind a projecting sandbag, discussed the question of unmentionable -idiots who wheeled their indescribable tin perambulators into other -people's preserves, until the hardy navigators in the car and the -stalwart gunners in the O.P. blushed to hear them. Finally, upon a -reiterated threat from the major to turn his own battery on to the car -if it did not move off, the nuisance was abated. But "Sans Souci," as -we called the place, was never its old self again, its restful charm -had departed. Some hostile battery had seen the flashes of the car's -gun, and afterwards, at uncertain intervals, presumably when things -were dull with it, would fire a few rounds in friendly greeting.</p> - -<p>The gunner's appreciation of these things is usually keener even than -one's own. One day when reconnoitring for an O.P. with a couple of -telephonists, I came upon a house that had once been used for the -purpose, but out of which its occupants had been driven by heavy -shell-fire. The interior of the place presented an indescribable -appearance. Its original owners had fled early in the war, leaving -everything as it stood, and a suc<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_41"></a>[Pg 41]</span>cession of inquisitive searchers -had been all through it to see if they could find anything of value. -Dresses, broken bottles, letters, rags of all descriptions, a sewing -machine, blended with the plaster from the walls and clay from the -burst sandbags. Very little of the roof was left, and heavy rain had -made of this mass a peculiarly evil-smelling mud, from which protruded -here and there lumps of bread, bully-beef and cheese, whose increasing -age was apparent. Some sort of cesspit had burst and flooded the -cellar, which had been used as a dug-out, and in the centre of the -savoury flood floated a mattress that looked as if it held the germs -of all the plagues of Egypt. Outside, shrapnel were bursting freely, -I fancy the enemy had seen us enter the place. I overheard one of -my telephonists apostrophizing it: "You're a nice 'ouse, you are," -he said. "Blowed if I don't advertise yer in the bloomin' papers, -'Charming bijou residence, quiet 'ealthy situation, perfect repair, -hevery convenience, pleasant garden.' I <i>don't</i> think!"</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_42"></a>[Pg 42]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="III">III</h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">OBSERVATION</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">It</span> has been said in a previous chapter that the fire of any given -battery is, in the majority of cases, directed by an officer in an -observation post from whence he can see the target and the ground -surrounding it. The general principles of this observation are as -follows. The position of the battery and target are ascertained upon -a map, and by means of it the range and direction of the target from -the battery are obtained. A calculation based upon this information is -made, and a certain elevation and direction given to the guns. A round -is then fired, and the position of the point where it falls relative -to the target noted by the observation officer, who gives a correction -based upon the error. This correction is transmitted to the battery -by methods depending on the distance between it and the observation -post, but almost invariably by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_43"></a>[Pg 43]</span> telephone, and applied to the guns. -Another round is then fired, which is again observed and a fresh -correction made as before. This process continues until the rounds are -falling at or very close to the target. It sounds remarkably simple, -but is in practice extremely difficult. To hit an unknown target with -the expenditure of the minimum possible number of rounds requires -considerable experience in observation, for the puff of a bursting -shell lasts only for the fraction of a second, and is apt to look -very small at a distance of more than a few hundred yards. Further, -knowledge of the vagaries of each individual gun is required, and -also a keen appreciation of the nature of the country round about the -target. Observation of fire may be truly said to be an art, in that it -comes naturally to some people, whilst others may spend a lifetime in -its practice without ever becoming proficient.</p> - -<p>The second part of an observation officer's duty, that of keeping a -general watch on the ground spread out in front of him, is considerably -easier, as it only requires a keen eye and a good memory. After a -little practice, it is soon found that the apparent changeless calm of -a deserted land is in the highest degree deceptive. Although they<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_44"></a>[Pg 44]</span> are -utterly invisible, that land is thickly populated with hidden troops, -whose object it is perpetually to turn every feature of it, natural -and artificial, to the best possible use for attack or defence. The -ruins of a barn stand some little way back from the enemy's line, -roofless and abandoned. The telescope shows it to have some part of -its walls yet standing, and within them a ladder. Now ladders are -precious things in a strip of country where everything is made to -serve a useful purpose. Examine the place daily and perhaps at dawn -a single figure may be seen scurrying up the ladder, or perhaps its -position may have altered slightly. For weeks, perhaps, one has noticed -a dilapidated house, so broken down that through the shell-holes that -breach the front wall one can see the horizon beyond. Yet one morning -one of these shell-holes shows dark, or perhaps a new one has appeared -higher up, although no battery has been seen to fire at it. A flock -of starlings pours suddenly from the stump of what was once a church -tower, and for a long time the birds circle in clamorous flight about -it, seemingly afraid to re-enter their accustomed haunt. Hints, all of -these, indicating that some use is being made of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_45"></a>[Pg 45]</span> these places, either -as observation stations or snipers' posts.</p> - -<p>Even the innocent-looking surface of a weed-grown field is not above -suspicion. The naked eye is suddenly drawn to it by what seems at first -almost inspiration, but one becomes conscious as one watches of an -indeterminable movement taking place on its surface. Mark the place -very carefully and bring the telescope to bear upon it. The sense of -movement resolves itself into the periodic sprinkling of brown earth -thrown up as by an industrious mole. These are spadefuls of earth, -showing that a trench is being dug. Natural features themselves have a -habit of changing their positions with the same disconcerting effect -as that phenomenon had upon Macbeth. Of course, one is never lucky -enough to catch them actually in motion, but a morning of surprises -will often reveal the disappearance of a well-known hedge, or the -sudden apparition of an orchard of full-grown trees in the middle of -a ploughed field, or even a stately plantation of elms on what was -formerly a <i>pavé</i> road. The hedge was removed to provide something with -a field of fire, or to allow somebody to see a particular part of our -line; the game is now to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_46"></a>[Pg 46]</span> discover the whereabouts and nature of that -something or somebody. The orchard and the elm trees were required as -cover, probably for guns; the surest plan is to shell them and await -developments. It may be possible to drive the detachments out into the -open, when every weapon that can be brought to bear will sing its own -particular song of triumph.</p> - -<p>A certain redoubt was located by our aeroplanes, and its position -indicated to us by the fact that it lay right in front of the seventh -from the northern end of a row of trees such as occur at intervals -along the side of most French <i>Routes Nationales</i>. For many days -we used this mark, until it suddenly struck one of our observation -officers that the trees looked somehow different to what they did when -first he noticed them. Suspicion being thus aroused, further aeroplane -reconnaissance was undertaken, when it was found that the third tree of -the row now marked the position of the redoubt. The enemy, seeing that -they had been "spotted" by the first aeroplane, had dug up the four -trees at the northern end of the row and replanted them at the southern -end, and must consequently have watched, with a delight not very -difficult<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_47"></a>[Pg 47]</span> to imagine, our shells raising a little inferno of their own -a couple of hundred yards away from them.</p> - -<p>All this is a part of the great game of war that it is most difficult -to learn in times of peace. "Pretending to look for something you -know isn't there," as I have heard it described, is an occupation -that palls upon the dullest mind. Well do I remember many years ago -forming one of a class of young officers under instruction in the use -of the "Observation of Fire Instrument," which consists of a telescope -fearfully and wonderfully mounted on a gigantic tripod—it is now, in -the language beloved of the text-books, "becoming obsolescent," may it -soon be relegated to the limbo of forgotten things! Our instructor, -a highly capable but choleric major (majors always were apt to be -petulant, I thought, in those days), had spent the best part of a -warm June morning explaining the use of the cumbrous toy, until the -whole class were sick at heart. At last he sent one of our number some -distance away with orders to observe and report upon some object in -the distance out to sea, the while he discoursed to the remainder. The -minutes slipped by, and no word came from the keeper of the lonely -vigil. "Go and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_48"></a>[Pg 48]</span> see what that dam! fool is up to, sergeant-major," -said our instructor. Anon the sergeant-major returned, with a face as -impassive as the metal of the instrument itself. "Well?" rapped out the -major. "If you please, sir, Mr. Robinson is a-studying observation on -the ladies' bathing-place!"</p> - -<p>Observation, it may be repeated, is an art, but every art requires -considerable training, if only in technique, before the artist can -acquire perfect and instinctive expression. Where, as in the case of -the art of the gunner, art leans for its support upon the strong arm of -science, the probationary stage requires even more time and application -on the part of the tyro. It has been said that it takes three years -to teach an artillery officer the elements of his profession. It -will doubtless be claimed as a triumph of foresight for our military -administration that, although at the outbreak of war our heavy -artillery <i>matériel</i> was, in equipment and numbers, such as would not -inspire pride in a Central American Republic, we had a large reserve of -highly-trained artillery officers and men languishing in the enforced -sloth of our coast fortresses all over the world. Well it is for us -that this was so, for this is a war of heavy<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_49"></a>[Pg 49]</span> artillery, and without -these men to train, command and leaven the newly formed batteries that -we were forced so hurriedly to raise, our artillery would never have -attained its present admitted dominance. Splendid indeed is the new -material; the artillery manage to secure officers of the higher and -better educated classes, and men, thanks to rigidly-enforced physical -standards, of the sturdier build; all ranks are full of the interest -of their new profession, enthusiastic, keen to learn, absorbing in the -sharp days of war knowledge that others required the leisurely weeks -of peace to acquire. Still, may the country, in its just pride in -the performances of these men, never forget the debt that it owes to -that little band whose pay it loved to curtail and whose ambitions to -discourage in the old forgotten years of peace!</p> - -<p>But this is a digression, typical of the observation officer, whose -thoughts stray into strange channels during the course of the long days -of watching. How keenly he longs sometimes for "something to happen," -especially during his first experiences of the work, before he realizes -that something is always happening under his eyes, if he can only -detect it. My own pet<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_50"></a>[Pg 50]</span> longing was to see my first real live Hun in -his natural surroundings, a longing conceived in much the same sort of -inquiring spirit that inspires the naturalist. I saw him at last, he -sprang from a trench in which a shell had just fallen, ran literally -as if his life depended on it, which, in grim earnest, it did, and -dived like a rabbit into a support trench a few yards away, followed -by cheers and bullets from our own lines. My observation post was at -that time not more than a hundred yards behind our front line, but, -owing to the intricate nature of the country, no signs of immediate -war could be seen except from the little slit in the wall from which I -observed. One day I was stretching my legs in the road outside, when a -staff officer, somewhat of a <i>rara avis</i> in so advanced a spot, came -by, having evidently lost his way. Now a staff officer was once defined -to me by a very distinguished regimental officer as "a being whose -natural common sense was buried for ever beneath the vast mountain of -his own ignorance." This magnificent gentleman—he had probably been -a distinguished grocer, the pride of the local volunteers, before the -war—informed me that observation was impossible from where I then -was,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_51"></a>[Pg 51]</span> and, indicating a ruin, the remains of whose roof could just be -seen above the hedges, expressed his intention of surveying the country -from its more favourable eminence. Bowing before his superior wisdom, -I saluted and we parted, he to pursue the even tenor of his way, I to -my seat behind the window to watch the fun, knowing that his objective -was about half a mile behind the German lines. With an unholy delight, -I saw him blunder into our trenches, exchange a hurried word with an -officer who came forward to meet him, and then beat a precipitate -retreat pursued by a most audible titter that ran swiftly along the -line.</p> - -<p>He took care to avoid on his return the Bath Club, as we called that -O.P., from the number of flooded cellars it contained.</p> - -<p>The study of nomenclature at the front is a very fascinating one, if -only for the light that it throws upon the psychology of nostalgia. -Every road, every communication trench is christened with some name -around which hang the memories of the men who gave it, so that the -native origins of these shrewd godfathers is never for a moment in -doubt. Who but a native-born Londoner would have evolved a Harrow -Road, off which, in an orgy of local geo<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_52"></a>[Pg 52]</span>graphy, branch Edgware Road, -Finchley Road, Maida Vale and a dozen other familiar names? Who but -a young subaltern—his heart still unforgetful of the old <i>joie de -vivre</i>, having established an O.P. at the end of a muddy ditch already -known as Burlington Arcade, would have proudly labelled it "The -Bristol," or who, but his envious friends near Shaftesbury Avenue, -would have emulated him with "Maxime's" and "The Villa-villa"! Moray -Avenue, Prince's Street, Deansgate, Dale Street, College Green, all -tell their own story. And where association ends, description begins. -Stink Farm, is, I believe, now marked as such on the official maps. -Quality Street has already a place in history that may one day be -shared by Mud Cottage, Canadian Orchard, la Maison des Mitrailleurs, -Rue d'Enfer, and Le Tirebouchon. Sometimes the names of places have -been anglicized almost out of recognition. Wingles and Hinges are -pronounced as they appear to an English eye, Choques is Chokes, Gris -Pot is Grease Pot, Lozinghem is Lozenges, to quote a very few examples. -The same may be found on the German side. The Hohenzollern Redoubt -is familiar by name to everybody. Near it is Breslauer Chausée<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_53"></a>[Pg 53]</span> Loos -contained Unter den Linden, Friedrichstrasse, and, rather curiously, -Ringstrasse; Vendin le Vieil is Alt-Vendin, Lens, Lenze. But this is -yet another digression, the wandering thoughts of the idle observer; -let us suppose him suddenly recalled to the affairs of the moment by -the insistent voice of the telephone.</p> - -<p>"Message for you, sir—from headquarters," says the telephonist, -bearing a piece of pink paper in his hand. I take it, and read, "Fire -twenty rounds at intersection of communication trenches at——" Here -follow a combination of figures and letters that denote the position -on the map. "Very well, call up the battery and give 'action.' Tell -them to report when ready." Out comes the map, and the point mentioned -in the message found. A road runs east and west close by it, yes, I -know that road, have often noticed it. A communication trench runs -along it for some way, then turns off at right angles by a hedge, which -it follows for a couple of hundred yards till it meets its fellow, -which place of meeting I am ordered, in the parlance of the front, to -"strafe." Can I see that hedge, I wonder? Prolonged inspection through -the glasses assures me that I cannot. There is nothing for it but<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_54"></a>[Pg 54]</span> to -take a bearing. One hundred and seventeen degrees from my position, -five degrees left of the church tower. Compass and sextant agree, -giving me the line to the corner of a wood on the horizon, on which -line my target must somewhere be situated. Out come the glasses again. -There certainly is a mound right in line with my mark in the centre -of that meadow, but it might be anything. Yes, the telescope shows it -to be earth thrown up from some excavation or other, it must be the -trench junction. It looks hopelessly foreshortened, nothing like the -map, but then the map seems to look down on things with a calm judicial -air, whilst I can only peer at them from their own level. A very little -practice in observation soon shows one that the human eye is utterly -unreliable as a gauge of the length of anything that stretches away -from it. "Battery reports ready for action, sir," says the telephonist. -"Thank you. No. 1 gun ranging, elevation nineteen degrees, etc., etc." -Back comes the warning, "No. 1 reports ready to fire, sir." "Fire No. -1!" "No. 1 fired, sir!" and then an eternity of breathless anxiety, -during which all the fabled deadly sins of gunners long since condemned -to everlasting execration rush upon<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_55"></a>[Pg 55]</span> my memory. Suppose I have read -the map wrong, and that is not the place at all? An instant's piercing -scrutiny, which fails to reassure me in the least. Even if that is -the place, it is not very far from our own trenches. Did I give the -right elevation? Did I allow enough for wind? Were my orders perfectly -clear to the section commander? Did the layer lay correctly? Shall I -be "broke" if I slaughter a whole platoon in our own trenches, or only -shot?... Eternity comes to an end at last after a life of some ten -seconds, and I hear the whistle of the shell coming ever nearer—safely -over my head, anyhow, thank heaven! Yes, she must have passed the -trenches by now; where's she going to fall? The whistle ends abruptly, -but nowhere is there any sign of smoke, nor does the sound of the burst -reach me. A blind, I suppose, the shell must have fallen into something -soft, but I'd give ten years of my life to know <i>where</i>. Well, there is -nothing for it—"No. 1, repeat, fire!" "No. 1 fired, sir!" The whistle -again, then right in line with the target, and hiding it, a bright -flash, a spout of earth and a cloud of black smoke, followed by a -peculiar, sharp crash, and the hell of doubt gives way to the heaven of -satis<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_56"></a>[Pg 56]</span>faction. Such are the delights of observation.</p> - -<p>And variously the excitement infects the blood of the observer. One -will sit far back from his window, lest prying eyes should detect him -through it, and give his orders slowly and methodically, weighing each -carefully and making elaborate calculations the while, and occasionally -exhorting the battery to care and deliberation. Another will thrust a -telescope through a chink between two sandbags so that it shines like -a heliograph in the morning sun and one wonders if some well-disposed -angel has smitten the enemy with blindness for that every battery -within range does not open fire on him. He, meanwhile, oblivious of -such minor dangers, roars contradictory orders as through a megaphone, -calling on the inhabitants of Tophet with strange formulæ because -his orders are not obeyed before he gives them. I have seen a French -Territorial battery in action for the first time in their lives, Mons. -le capitaine subdued, almost tearful, but resolved to die in his O.P. -as befits a soldier. His telephonists and assistants (he appeared to -have dozens) equally anxious to see the fray, festoon themselves all -over the building, hanging out of windows, clambering on<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_57"></a>[Pg 57]</span> to the roof, -expressing their delight at the top of their voices. Eventually he -restores some degree of order, and, rushing to the telephone, sweeps -aside the operators, and gives the word himself. "Tirez, tirez, pour -l'honneur de la belle France!" The shot falls apparently in a totally -different direction to where he anticipates. Again he rushes to the -instrument, more perhaps in sorrow than in anger, and demands the -presence of the section commander. "Mon lieutenant!" he says, "ce n'est -pas juste, c'est épouvantable! Je me sens brisé! Nom d'un nom, que vous -êtes maladroit! Dirigez la pièce encore vous même!" He finishes his -series at last, and as he turns to go, he salutes me gravely, saying, -"Au revoir, monsieur, j'aimerais bien travailler ici à coté de vous, -mais, hélas! c'est fort impossible. Dans cette observatoire il y en a -toujours de bruit!" It must not for a moment be supposed that I speak -disparagingly of the French gunners. They are, as a matter of fact, -far better artillerists than ourselves, and we have much to learn from -them. Possibly they lack something of our insular calm, as we certainly -lack the vivid power of imagination and discernment that contributes -very largely<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_58"></a>[Pg 58]</span> to their success. For this same calm the British gunner -is hard to beat. On one occasion a heavy shell hit an O.P. fair and -square, bringing it down in a heap of ruins. The observer, who by some -miracle was not hurt, extricated himself from the pile of rubbish -under which he found himself, and rushed down to the cellar, where he -expected to find the mangled remains of his telephonist. There was -the man, his hands full of fragments that had once been a telephone, -standing with a puzzled expression on his face. "I 'ardly know what to -do with this 'ere instrument, sir," was his greeting. "I don't see as -'ow I'm goin' to mend it without goin' back to the battery for some -spare parts."</p> - -<p>Observation by night is sometimes useful, as then the flashes of -hostile batteries can be seen most distinctly. It is, however, a -peculiarity of modern propellants that the actinic power of the flame -produced on their combustion is such as to attract attention in broad -daylight. I have had my eye caught by the flash of a ten-centimetre -gun about four miles away at four o'clock on a sunny afternoon in -September, and there is no doubt that this distance has frequently -been exceeded. Still, night of course is the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_59"></a>[Pg 59]</span> best time, although then -it is very much easier to mistake the flash of a bursting shell for -that of a gun, and even if flashes are observed, nothing can be noted -except their direction, their surroundings being invisible. And a few -hours at night in an O.P. have their compensations. Over the trenches -rise continually the searching lights, throwing everything into sudden -contrast of light and shade, making of the familiar scene whose every -stone and blade of grass one thought to know by heart, a strange land -of white snow islands standing sheer out of yawning black gulfs. Every -now and then sharp tongues of flame dart out from the parapet, a sudden -lurid flash in the air shows a bursting shrapnel, or a brighter one -on the ground the more violent detonation of high explosive. Perhaps -a rocket signal of green and red goes up, followed by a quicker -succession of flashes of all kinds as a patrol between the trenches is -discovered. Perhaps one may be lucky enough to see a chance shell start -a huge fire, such as burnt once for three days and three nights in -Cité St. Pierre, producing a glow as of twilight two good miles away. -Whatever may be seen, night has its fascination in this strange world -of sleepless activity as<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_60"></a>[Pg 60]</span> much as in a land of quiet, but here its -fascination is a stirring into life of eager pulses, a whispering in -the ear of that ever-ready lust of battle that makes of war the finest -sport that man ever devised. Somehow at night all deeds seem possible.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_61"></a>[Pg 61]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="IV">IV</h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">THE FOUR DAYS</p> - -<p class="center">(September 21-24, 1915)</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Although</span> many descriptions and maps of the country round about Loos -have been issued, it may not be out of place to attempt one more brief -outline, from which the general trend of the operations from September -25, 1915, onward can be followed. Descriptions of a country that one -does not know being invariably flat and unconvincing, it may suffice -to lay down the main features in a very few words. From the La Bassée -Canal southward to Souchez is a purely coal-mining district, one of -the most important in France, an undulating country devoid of natural -features, but abounding in artificial ones, such as chimney-stacks, -mine-shafts and dump-heaps. The miners' villages, locally termed -<i>corons</i>, group themselves about the pit-heads, and form two long -lines of almost continuous<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_62"></a>[Pg 62]</span> brick and mortar, separated by a shallow -valley, normally under cultivation, but now lying fallow and deserted, -varying in width from a few hundred yards to a couple of miles or so. -In the centre of this valley lies Loos, a village of some two thousand -inhabitants, conspicuous for miles round from the huge double shaft, -the famous Pylons, that rise nearly three hundred feet above the -surface of the plain.</p> - -<p>Of the two lines of villages, that surrounding the mines owned by -the Compagnie des Mines de Béthune, and consisting of Cambrin, -Vermelles, Philosophe, Mazingarbe, Les Brebis, Grenay, Maroc, and Aix -Noulette, was, about the middle of September, held by the Allies. The -eastern line, consisting of Auchy, Haisnes, Cité St. Elie, Hulluch, -Benifontaine, Vendin, Cité St. Auguste, Lens and its countless suburbs, -and Liévin, was, at the same period, held by the enemy. Along the -course of the valley, but well up the western slope of it, so that the -village of Loos lay a mile within them on the German side, ran the -two opposing lines, with their maze of support and reserve trenches, -their sinuous lines of communication trenches leading up the slopes -of the valley to the villages in rear.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_63"></a>[Pg 63]</span> From our observation posts in -Maroc the whole of the southern sector of these parallel works could -be plainly seen, the line of each trench through the green overgrowth -of weeds being conspicuously marked by the white chalk thrown up in -excavating them. Behind these again, two long black arms stretched -out towards us, with a sinister look as though inviting us to leave -the comparative security of our trenches and rush to the attack of -the body from which they grew, the city of Lens. In reality nothing -but embankments formed by the continual deposition of refuse from the -mines, these two arms, the northern known as the Double Crassier, the -southern as the Puits XVI embankment, had been transformed by the enemy -into exceedingly strong positions, mined, entrenched, fortified by -every known means, the westernmost ramifications of the fortress into -which Lens had been converted. Opposite the extremity of the Puits XVI -embankment the Allied armies met, the right of the British line resting -upon the Tenth French Army, the first of that great chain of armies -that spreads, with one short gap, to the faraway Swiss mountains.</p> - -<p>All through August and September the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_64"></a>[Pg 64]</span> roads behind the Allied front -had been covered by infantry and artillery, and even towards the end -by cavalry, all moving eastwards through the all-pervading chalk dust. -Rumour, as ever, was busy with conjecture. This was merely a feint, -maintained the pessimists, the real advance is to lie with the French -in Champagne. Nonsense, replied the optimists, this is at last the -long-looked-for general advance, the death-blow of trench warfare, the -dawning of the millennium when the Battle of Position shall give way to -the Battle of Movement, the beginning of the final struggle that will -end only with the death-throes of the enemy on the Rhine! Whatever were -one's individual opinions, the scent of battle, the glorious prospect -of a "scrap," was in the air, and spirits rose accordingly.</p> - -<p>Slowly, from the august sources wherein the strategy of armies has -its birth, the true intentions of the Allies percolated. Looking back -now, it seems that too much was allowed to be known from the first. -Documents containing detailed programmes of the proposed operations -were circulated in some cases as much as a fortnight before the -selected day, and in the field it is impossible to prevent the contents -of such<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_65"></a>[Pg 65]</span> documents becoming common knowledge within an incredibly -short time, which is practically equivalent to sending the originals -across to the enemy with one's compliments. It was subsequently -established by the examination of prisoners that the German General -Staff had full knowledge of our plans many days before the attack -took place, and had, indeed, made dispositions to meet it. It is -undoubtedly essential to circulate beforehand exact instructions as -to the part that each unit is to perform in contemplated operations, -but it is extremely doubtful if it is expedient to do so until the -last possible moment. Apart from the danger of leakage to the enemy, -it is always found, as indeed in this case, that the interval that -elapses between the receipt of instructions and their execution is -filled with a storm of amplifications, contradictions and amendments, -poured out by intermediate commanders, until the unfortunate commander -of a unit is faced, when called upon to act, by an accumulation of -mutually incompatible orders. If a strong man, he throws them all -indiscriminately into the fire, and, acting by the light of his own -commonsense and initiative, stands a fair chance of succeeding; if -a weak man,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_66"></a>[Pg 66]</span> he endeavours to act upon them all, and, with deadly -certainty, fails.</p> - -<p>The ultimate intention of the General Staff will not be revealed until -long after the end of the war, if even then, nor need we concern -ourselves with anything but the general instructions issued to the -Fourth Corps, the southernmost portion of the First British Army, -the army that held the line from the canal southward to the junction -with the French. Briefly, these were to seize Loos, Hill 70, which is -merely the eastern slope of the valley behind Loos, and to establish -themselves on this slope in such a position as to command Lens from the -north. It was understood that the French were to make a simultaneous -attack from the direction of Souchez, occupy the Vimy ridge, and -similarly threaten Lens from the south.</p> - -<p>In order to attain these objects, a four days' bombardment of the -enemy's position was to be undertaken, to be immediately followed by -an assault upon the fifth day. Of the actual details of the targets to -be engaged by each battery it is unnecessary to speak in a sketch of -this nature. Our own battery, in common with the rest, was allotted -targets to be engaged at different<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_67"></a>[Pg 67]</span> periods of each of the four days, -these days being not specified, but described as days V, W, X, and Y. -Throughout a breathless week we elaborated our plans, each day bringing -as a rule some modification of our original instructions. We spent our -daylight hours peering out of our observation slits, and our evenings -measuring ever new angles and ranges on our maps, until each one of -us knew every stone in the country that lay in front of us by some -pet name, and our maps developed strange diagrams in every possible -combination of coloured chalks, for all the world like the diagram of -the London Tubes. Thus we possessed our souls in a greater or less -degree of impatience, till at last the message came: "To-morrow is -day V," and on the night of September 20 I at least sought the genial -warmth of my valise feeling that the curtain was about to rise upon the -finest spectacle that the world had ever seen.</p> - -<p>That night was the lull before the storm. All along our line the -restless field guns woke but fitfully, as a watch-dog to bark at the -moon, and then fell off to sleep again. Even the incomparable French -<i>soixante-quinzes</i> on our right, whose voices are hushed neither by -day nor night, seemed restless, im<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_68"></a>[Pg 68]</span>patient, restrained, keeping long -silences, until in sheer desperation they burst into uncontrollable -passion, ceasing again as suddenly as they began, as though appalled -by their own act. Only the vivid lights soared brilliantly as ever -above the trenches, failing, however, to evoke the usual salutation -from their unsleeping wardens. So the morning dawned, unheralded by the -noisy "morning hate" with which the opposing armies invariably greeted -one another, the still air seeming to cower silently, awaiting the -shocks that were to come.</p> - -<p>The spirit of expectancy had penetrated into the battery itself. The -gun detachments stood to their guns, polishing and oiling for the -twentieth time each smallest detail. The men off duty stood about in -groups, talking in hushed voices, broken suddenly now and then by a -loud laugh quickly checked, as men will when something is expected to -happen. In the telephone dug-out sat the officers, silent save for -spasmodic efforts at general conversation, starting nervously at each -note of the buzzer. At last a sudden stiffening of the telephonist on -duty, "Yes, I'm battery, yes—battery action, sir!" and the tension -ceased. Instantly the battery leapt into life. "Right<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_69"></a>[Pg 69]</span> section, -lyddite, full charge, load! Switch angle four degrees right——" -Strings of order pour from the section commanders, echoed by the -"numbers one" in the gun-pits, dying away to silence again. Then -the voice of the senior subaltern, "Report battery ready to fire!" -a breathless minute, seemingly interminable; at last a faint buzz -from the telephone, the sharp cry "Fire No. 1 gun!" and before the -last sound of the order dies away the flash and roar of the howitzer -proclaim that for us, at least, the Battle of Loos has begun.</p> - -<p>So as the day passes on we fall into our usual routine. The battery is -seemingly uninhabited but for the strident section commanders standing -between their hidden guns, except when reliefs descend into the pits -as into Avernus, out of which presently appear a knot of men dusty, -grimy and incredibly thirsty. Sometimes an officer comes up to the -section commander, stands reading his notebook over his shoulder for -a few seconds, nods as he receives a terse word or so as to rate of -fire, takes over the notebook, pencil and megaphone and carries on the -ceaseless clamour. All the time, at regular intervals, the guns fire -and the orders pass. Sometimes a keener note<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_70"></a>[Pg 70]</span> is heard, "Left section, -cease loading! Fresh target——" and a new string of orders, soon -followed by a resumption of the periodic roaring, as of a thunderstorm -controlled by an angel with a stop-watch. Or perhaps "Fire No. 3 gun!" -and no instant report. "What's the matter, No. 3?" "Missfire, sir!" -"All right, look sharp!" "All ready, sir!" "Fire No. 3, then!" and the -rhythm commences again. After a time it all has a strangely soothing -effect on the senses. First one loses the din of the surrounding -batteries, then fails to notice the report of one's own guns a few feet -away, giving orders mechanically notwithstanding. Perhaps a stifled -yawn and a glance at the watch—is that infernal fellow never coming -to relieve me? Then the warning voice of the telephonist, "Fresh -target coming through, sir!" and the wandering attention leaps into -watchfulness again.</p> - -<p>Up at the observation post things are very different. There the -observing officer sits, watching the black and yellow smoke clouds -of the bursting high explosive, or the cotton-wool-like puffs of the -shrapnel. "No. 1 fired, sir!" The words of the telephonists seem to -come as from some other world. Here she comes, far away behind,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_71"></a>[Pg 71]</span> -the whistle of the shell shrieking louder as she passes right -overhead—splendid! in the very trench itself; see the black smoke -spread out and rise slowly from a long section of trench, whilst the -green vegetation grows white with the falling chalk. No correction can -be made to that, "No. 1, repeat!" "No. 2 fired, sir!" Here she comes, -ah, a little to the right—"No. 2, ten minutes more left, fire!" So -it goes on, until this particular section of trench has practically -disappeared, leaving only a white scar. Then a change of target and -a repetition of the destruction. A fascinating business this on so -fine an autumn day, so fascinating that all sense of time is lost, -all conjecture as to whether the enemy will take it into his head to -select our observation post as a target is forgotten. The only thing -in the world is the measured fall of the shell and the swift framing -of the consequent order, the only pleasure the deep satisfaction of -a well-placed round, the only despair the haunting memory of a shot -wasted that might have been saved by a different procedure.</p> - -<p>During those four days of ceaseless bombardment, the enemy made very -little reply except at certain points; we subsequently<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_72"></a>[Pg 72]</span> discovered why. -He made no attempt to distribute his fire along our front line, nor -did he make a systematic search for our observation posts, the vital -organ of every battery and its most vulnerable one. Certain spots he -selected, and with magnificent gunnery rendered them utterly untenable. -Shell after shell fell with mathematical accuracy into Vermelles, Le -Rutoire, Quality Street, but when once we had learnt these favoured -spots, our casualties were very few, being avoided by the simple -expedient of removing to places that appeared to be more suitable in -the capacity of health-resorts, or, where that was impossible, taking -to the cellars and remaining there.</p> - -<p>Through four long days, from early in the morning until it became -too dark to observe the fall of the rounds, the pitiless shelling -continued, nor was the enemy allowed any respite at night. In the -batteries we were then busy replenishing ammunition and overhauling -every detail of the equipment, but still one gun per battery at least -fired steadily throughout the hours of darkness, not now on the enemy's -positions, but on his billets and on certain places through which -his reinforcements must pass on their way to the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_73"></a>[Pg 73]</span> firing line. A few -rounds per hour only, sufficient to keep men crouching huddled in -cellars wherein was no possibility of sleep, or to shake the <i>morale</i> -of working parties faced with the necessity of running the gauntlet -of that steady rain. The moral effect upon troops already shaken by -bombardment is enormous, as we ourselves have had bitter cause to know -in the earlier months of the war. The effect of these days and nights -upon the enemy is vividly shown in the diary of a private in the Second -Reserve Infantry Regiment (Prussian) which fell into our hands later. A -few extracts will suffice. On the 21st he writes: "Towards mid-day the -trenches had already fallen in in many places. Dug-outs were completely -overwhelmed ... most of them fled, leaving rifles and ammunition behind -... the air was becoming heated from so many explosions." On the 22nd: -"Shells and shrapnel (<i>granatschuss</i>) are bursting all round ... in -places where the trench had disappeared I crawled on my hands and knees -amid a hail of bullets." On the 23rd: "Our look-out post was completely -destroyed, and my comrades killed in it ... even the strongest man may -lose his brain and nerves in a time like this." On the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_74"></a>[Pg 74]</span> 24th: "The -fourth day of this terrible bombardment.... I am sorry to say that -there is no reply from our artillery."</p> - -<p>Other prisoners, on being interrogated, testified to the awful effects -of our fire. Upon one in particular, an artillery officer, was found an -order that revealed the secret of the ineffectiveness of the enemy's -reply. After briefly setting out the measures to be taken in case of a -British offensive, it goes on as follows: "Owing to the fact that the -preponderance of hostile artillery in this sector is probably more than -two to one, and owing to the vital necessity of economy in ammunition, -battery commanders will confine their fire to targets whose importance -is known to them, and upon which they can count on producing a good -effect. They will under no circumstances allow themselves to be drawn -into anything approaching to an artillery duel." It was also stated -by many captured officers that during the night September 23-24 a -deserter from our line had conveyed to the German Staff the time and -date of the coming assault, and that to this fact they owed much of the -effectiveness of the measures taken to resist it. Yet another captured -document was of somewhat disconcerting interest to us gunners,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_75"></a>[Pg 75]</span> namely, -a map upon which was very accurately shown the position of every allied -battery, with only two exceptions, in the whole of our sector. It seems -fairly certain that this was due to the most efficient espionage, and -not to aerial observation.</p> - -<p>The material effect of such a bombardment is harder to judge, for it -must be remembered that, despite the high science of modern gunnery, -the percentage of direct hits upon a given objective is still -comparatively small. When, however, a heavy shell detonates under -favourable conditions, its destructive power is enormous. For instance, -on the third day I saw a direct hit by one of our largest howitzers -upon the boiler-house of Puits XVI. The shell penetrated the roof -and burst inside the building, sending up an enormous cloud of black -smoke tinged with the pink of pulverized brick, that hung for several -minutes. When it cleared, nothing but a gaunt and twisted framework of -steel girders remained, a heap of rubbish alone showing where the walls -had stood. A smaller howitzer was ordered to fell a brick wall, some -thirty feet high and many courses thick. The shell burst in regular -sequence at its foot, at roughly ten yards interval, each round<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_76"></a>[Pg 76]</span> -bringing down an equivalent section of the wall, until nothing remained -but a long pile of smoking rubble. And, more impressive, perhaps, -than all is the sight of a medium lyddite shell bursting in a narrow -trench. Out of the centre of a vivid flash fly heavy timbers, sandbags, -revetments, all that once formed the trench, sometimes the mangled -fragments of its occupants, whilst to right and left rolls the choking -smoke, driving its way into the deepest dug-outs, overcoming men many -yards away from the point of impact, spreading death in every form. Is -it to be wondered at that when our infantry reached these trenches they -found a few survivors, living indeed still, but struggling and raving -as the inmates of some ghastly Bedlam?</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_77"></a>[Pg 77]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="V">V</h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">THE DAY OF ASSAULT</p> - -<p class="center">(September 25, 1915)</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">During</span> the night of September 24-25, infantry patrols left the trenches -to explore the condition of the enemy's wire entanglements, upon the -destruction of which our field batteries had been engaged during the -previous day. Artillery fire was therefore reduced as much as could be -done with safety, and was chiefly directed upon reserves and billets, -in order to make the chance of rounds falling short injuring the -patrols as small as possible. During the evening the batteries opposed -to us had shown far greater liveliness than they had hitherto. Possibly -the enemy had got information as to where the decisive attack was -to be made, as it seems to be the fact that owing to the four days' -bombardment having taken place along the whole of the British front, -they had hitherto hesitated<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_78"></a>[Pg 78]</span> to reinforce any particular sector, but -had kept their reserves in a state of immediate readiness at their -various railway centres. If this was the case, it is very probable -that during the 23rd and 24th fresh batteries were placed in position -between Vendin-le-Vieil and Lens, and that these came into action on -the afternoon and evening of the 24th. This supposition is borne out -by the fact of the enemy's ability to bring a terrific fire to bear on -Loos as soon as we entered it.</p> - -<p>Until the light failed, we had been busily engaged dropping shell -along the Double Crassier, upon whose grim black crest the enemy were -suspected of having mounted a number of machine guns. I had been in -the observation post nearly the whole day—it is, by the way, worthy -of remark as showing the immunity from retaliation that we had enjoyed -in our sector, that we used to walk to and from our O.P. at all hours -of the day through country literally covered with batteries, none -of whom up till now had suffered any casualties—but at about seven -o'clock duty recalled me to the battery. So absorbed had I been in the -difficult business of observing in the failing light, that although -I was conscious that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_79"></a>[Pg 79]</span> shells were bursting all round, I had no idea -that anything out of the ordinary was taking place until one of our -telephonists, who had been out repairing the line, returned somewhat -shaken, having been blown off his feet and thrown some distance by a -high-explosive detonating close to him. His only complaint, I may say, -was that he had lost a pair of wire-cutters in the adventure!</p> - -<p>However, as soon as I started my walk homewards along the "Harrow -Road," I found things still fairly lively. Several houses had been -destroyed since the morning, and some very fine examples of shell-holes -in the middle of the road added to the joys of the transport drivers, -whose wagons of all descriptions were now beginning to pour along it. -At one point a medium shell burst about twenty yards away from me—I -had heard it coming and found friendly refuge in the ditch—and before -the smoke had fairly cleared an armoured car and a motor cyclist -orderly drove simultaneously into it from opposite directions. Nobody -was hurt, but the road was most effectively obstructed, and the effect -produced was exactly like that of a block in Piccadilly, including the -language. I reached the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_80"></a>[Pg 80]</span> battery safely, to find that the shelling -had not reached so far back, but that another form of excitement had -supervened. We had received orders to be ready to move at the shortest -possible notice, in case a general advance upon the morrow should -render a change in our position necessary. Of course, we had been -prepared for this for days, but even so this official pronouncement of -our hopes sent a thrill through every one of us. This was, then, the -decisive struggle, the Waterloo of the campaign at last!</p> - -<p>Moving a battery of heavy guns is, however, no small matter, and one -that involves a vast amount of labour, not to be lightly undertaken. -A story is told of a certain major, distinguished alike for his -capability and his piety, who, knowing from bitter experience the -difficulties that attended a change of position of his battery, added -on this night to his usual formula of prayer these heart-felt words, "O -Lord, grant us victory in the coming struggle—<i>but not in my sector</i>!"</p> - -<p>I think that despite the fact that the guns were silent for the first -time since the beginning of the bombardment, very few of us slept much -that night. Our schemes<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_81"></a>[Pg 81]</span> were perfect, certainly, every detail of our -actions of the morrow had been long worked out, each phase starting a -definite time after an empiric zero, which we now learnt was fixed for -5.50 a.m. But—would the enemy consent to fall in with those schemes? -Suppose they anticipated our offensive by an attack of their own? The -wire in front of their trenches was already destroyed, even now our -infantry were busy cutting wide passages through our own. How strong -were they in reality? Was their passive endurance of our fire only a -blind to lull us into security? These and a thousand other conjectures -troubled our minds all night, and it was with a deep feeling of relief -that we stood in the battery, no untoward incident having marred our -plans, at 5.30 a.m. on the 25th—the eagerly awaited Day Z!</p> - -<p>Then were the scenes at the opening of the bombardment repeated. Along -our line all was again quiet, only from our right came the distant -echoes of the fighting round Souchez and the Labyrinth, a deep roar -that had now been continuous for over a week. Again we sit in the -telephone dug-out, tense and expectant. "Official time coming, sir!" -Watches are taken out in readiness.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_82"></a>[Pg 82]</span> "Five thirty-five—now!" Quarter -of an hour to go! One by one we creep out to see for the last time that -all is ready. One minute more—"Hook your lanyards!" slowly the hand -ticks round—time zero—"Fire!" This was no deliberate bombardment, -every gun must in the short interval allowed it work to its utmost -capacity, every man sweating in the dust-laden pits must toil as he -never toiled before to feed it; into the luckless trenches in front -of us must pour such a blasting hurricane of fire that the resistance -prepared for our attack shall wither away in its deadly breath. But -soon our own troops will be pouring out of their trenches, charging -over the dividing ground to hurl themselves upon the trenches into -which our wrath is now being poured, and then our fire must be lifted -lest we do more harm than good. All is arranged for in the time-table. -At forty minutes past zero, or 6.30 a.m., every battery lifts its fire -from the front line to the second line, and still the furious fire -continues. But now we know that the blow is being struck—what would -we all not give to be in action in the open as in old days so that we -could see the assault, watch the joining of the battle? Unprofitable -thoughts! let us<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_83"></a>[Pg 83]</span> rather devote every fibre of our beings to the only -task by which we can help, the task of pouring an ever-increasing -weight of shell upon the defenders. That morning dawned grey and dull. -From the observing post it was hardly possible to see further than -the front line trenches at half-past five, and until the moment of -the assault visibility did not greatly increase. However, this was to -be the battlefield, we knew, at all events in the first stages of the -struggle. The expectancy of viewing the greatest battle in history was -to our little party in the O.P. strangely <i>banal</i>; I, for one, could -not grasp the reality of it; I felt as though I were in a box waiting -for the actors to come upon a stage before which the curtain had risen -prematurely. There was no sign of battle, no movement that the eye -could detect over the whole of the wide prospect before us. And then -suddenly came time zero, bringing with it a scene that could never -be forgotten. From the whole length of our front trench, as far as -the eye could reach, rose, vertically at first, a grey cloud of smoke -and gas, that, impelled by a gentle wind, spread slowly towards the -enemy's trenches, very soon enveloping the whole of our range of vision -in its opaque veil. This was our view of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_84"></a>[Pg 84]</span> assault, this dismal -vapour the aura that was to surround a thousand sacrifices, the cloak -that was to hide a thousand gallant deeds, the winding-sheet that was -to enwrap so many a hero. Modern war holds no dramatic spectacles to -enchant the brush of a Meisonnier, no drama is wrought upon a lime-lit -stage to arrest the pulses of the watching nations. Yet none the less -is its fascination omnipotent; its magnetic attraction, that draws -into its vortex every man that owns a soul to plague him, is none the -less irresistible; its influence still has the power to weld a chain -of heroes out of a dirty, blasphemous, footsore crowd of sinners. War -tends to the uplifting of the race, not to its debasement, let him who -has faced it deny it if he can!</p> - -<p>At 6.30 a.m. the infantry left their trenches and, so far as we were -concerned, vanished into the smoke. All we could see were the columns -scaling the ladders and starting to double across the open. Some seemed -to trip as they ran, and fell in various attitudes from which they did -not trouble to rise. At first we thought that our wire had not been -thoroughly cut, and that these men had fallen over some unseen strands. -But the red pools that slowly surrounded each soon<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_85"></a>[Pg 85]</span> undeceived us, the -while that the roar of rifle-fire from the enemy's side grew ever more -menacing. We could not see what success attended those who went on, but -we heard subsequently that practically no resistance was encountered -on the enemy's first and second line, but that the third line was very -strongly held and considerably delayed, in some sectors permanently -arrested, our advance.</p> - -<p>The battery and the O.P. were equally desirable as far as vision went, -the battery being blind by nature and the O.P. by science. It has, -incidentally, yet to be proved that the hindrance to the enemy caused -by the use of smoke is not more than counterbalanced by the paralysing -of the initiative of one's own artillery, who are entirely dependent, -when this method of warfare is employed, upon time-tables and such -messages as the advancing infantry may be able to send back. However, -that is not a question meet for discussion except in works devoted -to the abstruse study of strategy and tactics. Let us return to the -passage of events in the battery.</p> - -<p>Here hopes and fears fought for the mastery throughout the morning, -in accordance with the portents of the day. An order to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_86"></a>[Pg 86]</span> lift fire on -to a more distant point seemed to mean that our attack was developing -against it, and the men in the pits paused to cheer in the midst of -their unceasing labour. Then suddenly fire would be swept back on to -a point that we had determined in our own minds to have been captured -long ago, and our spirits fell, the detachments setting their teeth -and straining at the heated guns to force by sheer weight of metal the -taking of the disputed point. Or, saddest sight of all, down the road -flowed an ever-widening stream of casualties, ambulances laden with -stretchers upon which twisted forms lay very still, others with the -less severely wounded, and a motley crowd on foot with minor injuries, -supporting one another as one imagines the scriptural halt, maimed and -blind to have done. I think that none of us realized till we saw the -magnitude of this stream, how fierce a fight was raging in front of us. -If this sight hardened our determination, the next procession went far -to cheer us. A few hundred prisoners were marched past us on the way to -the rear, fine upstanding men enough, looking perfectly fit and in the -prime of life, disposing effectually, in my mind at least, of the fable -born of our national love for self-deceit that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_87"></a>[Pg 87]</span> the enemy were hard put -to it to find men fit for service.</p> - -<p>The German batteries were now devoting their attention to our advancing -infantry, endeavouring at the same time to create a barrage behind -them on our main arteries of communication. The Harrow Road suffered -to a certain extent, but the greatest slaughter took place on the -Lens-Béthune and Vermelles-Hulluch roads. On the former the whole of -a divisional train was overwhelmed by shrapnel, blocking the road for -a quarter of a mile with shattered wagons and dead horses (a picture -of which debris subsequently went the round of the illustrated Press -under the heading "Captured German Battery at Loos"). Two of our -field batteries that endeavoured to come into action in the open -between Quality Street and La Chapelle de Notre Dame de Consolation -suffered very heavily and were silenced. Of the losses of the infantry, -nobody who did not see the procession of casualties and, worse -still, the burial parties of the next few days, can form an adequate -picture. "British Offensive in the West," we read, "Gain of five -miles of trench." Each foot of that five miles cost us a life and a -sum of human agony such as this world has never<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_88"></a>[Pg 88]</span> known. Watch that -communication trench marked "Stretchers to rear only." Here they come, -two stretcher-bearers, one limping painfully, the sleeve of the other -growing ever darker with a purple stain that spreads slowly over it. -Between them they carry a poor wretch with both legs broken, whose low -moan of agony rises to a sharp wail at each jolting step. Supporting -themselves on the shoulders of the stretcher-bearers are two more, -one with his breath gurgling through a throat choked with blood, one -with a shattered shoulder and side. Through the treacherous clay that -covers the bottom of the trench they make their way of agony, reeling -from side to side as their feet fail to find a foothold, cursing their -Maker for the horror of their torture. See, the first stretcher-bearer -slips—his wounded foot will bear him no longer—and down falls the -whole party in one screaming, writhing mass. Two miles more: is there -no end to human suffering? is heaven so pitiless? There is the answer, -a sharp whistle, a low report, a puff of smoke just over the trench, -and all is quiet, save for one form that crawls very slowly on hands -and knees through the yellow clay that grows dark crimson in his -track.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_89"></a>[Pg 89]</span> In these terms must we reckon the price of victory.</p> - -<p>This is not the place, nor is it within my ability, to give an -historical study of the varying phases of the battle. Suffice it to -say that by noon the 15th Division had swept through the northern end -of Loos, and were engaged upon that part of the eastern slope of the -valley known as Hill 70. There had been considerable street-fighting -in the village, but the enemy had evidently realized that this was not -the place to make a determined stand. Their strategy appears to have -been to concentrate their forces on the edge of the valley, leaving -within it only detachments of such strengths that the loss occasioned -by their sacrifice would be altogether outweighed by the gain in time -that they secured to the main defence. And nobly these detachments -performed the task allotted to them. One battery took up a position -along the Loos-Benifontaine road, and remained in action under a fire -whose intensity it is impossible to describe until our troops were -almost upon it, when its fire ceased, not from lack of courage to -continue, but because no single man was left alive to serve the guns. -Let us give the enemy his due, we are not fighting a nation<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_90"></a>[Pg 90]</span> of cowards -and assassins, as we are so fond of trying to believe, but of brave and -determined men, whom to defeat will call from us our utmost energies.</p> - -<p>As soon as we had taken Loos, the enemy opened a steady artillery -fire upon the village, in order to prevent its use by us as a <i>point -d'appui</i> for further attack, and to hinder observation from the -various landmarks it contained. There is so little natural cover that -this must have been a serious disadvantage to us, as by this time the -communication trenches leading from the German front line trenches that -we now held up the slopes of the valley were choked with dead, and -reinforcements had to run the gauntlet of a well-directed fire in order -to reach our line of attack. This may have something to do with that -fatal delay that left the attacking divisions unsupported and checked -an advance that might well have resulted in the capture of Lens, which -would probably in turn have sealed the fate of Lille. We have learnt -from prisoners that the enemy anticipated the worst in the early hours -of the morning, and that the feebleness of the final blow amazed them. -Had fresh divisions poured down the Lens road through Cité St. Auguste -and Cité St. Laurent, roll<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_91"></a>[Pg 91]</span>ing the enemy back upon the French who -were advancing towards Vimy, who knows what might not have happened? -Conjecture is useless, regret of a lost opportunity must take its place.</p> - -<p>The facts so far as known—and no two accounts, even of those who -took part in the struggle, quite agree—are as follows: The 47th -Division, London Territorials all of them, the heroes of the day, but -of whose performances, because less showy, little has been heard, had -by 9.30 a.m. surmounted a series of obstacles, the storming of any -one of which would have earned them lasting fame. Like a tide they -poured over the western end of the dreaded Double Crassier, utterly -regardless of withering machine-gun fire, and swept to the attack of -the walled cemetery that stands to the south-west of Loos. From here, -after a titanic struggle, they dislodged the strong party of its -defenders, and, gaining fresh impetus from the check, irresistibly -fought their way through the outskirts of the village, in which every -point of vantage was held against them, right up to its heart, the -mine buildings that cluster at the foot of the Pylons. This fortress -they stormed and won, and the rush of their assault carried them on -its crest<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_92"></a>[Pg 92]</span> over the Loos Crassier—another high embankment of refuse -and slag—over the exposed surface of the plain, into the copse that -stretches westward from Loos Chalk Pit. Here at last for a while they -rested, and here for the present we may leave them. May the great -city be for ever proud of the achievements of her sons this day, the -thousand forgotten deeds of heroism of which her ears will never hear!</p> - -<p>Meanwhile the 15th Division, having captured the Lens Road Redoubt -that straddled the Lens-Béthune road, were engaged in clearing the -northern portion of the village of Loos. The 1st Division, the left -wing of the Fourth Corps, had met with varying fortune. The 1st Brigade -had penetrated to the enemy's reserve trenches in front of Cité St. -Elie and Hulluch, roughly upon the line of the Lens-La Bassée road. -The 2nd Brigade, impeded by a mass of concealed wire that our fire had -failed to destroy, were held up in the direction of Lone Tree and Bois -Carrée. This necessitated the bringing up of the divisional reserve, -who managed to advance between the left flank of the 15th Division and -the Loos Road Redoubt, a strong point in the German line on the track -leading from Loos to Vermelles. This<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_93"></a>[Pg 93]</span> relieved the pressure on the -2nd Brigade, and the Loos Road Redoubt, attacked from the front and -both flanks, fell into our hands, compelling some six or seven hundred -of the enemy to surrender. But the delay had enabled the Germans to -reinforce Hulluch and the Crassier of Puits XIII bis to such an extent -that the attack was diverted to the right, in which direction it -advanced as far as the Bois Hugo and Puits XIV bis, both being situated -on the eastern slope of the valley to the north of Hill 70. Of the -events of the afternoon it is impossible to speak with any degree of -certainty. It seems most probable that the paths of the three divisions -having brought them all on to the rising ground to the eastward and -north-eastward of Loos, an attack was made upon the redoubt that -existed on Hill 70 at the point where a track from Loos to Cité St. -Auguste crosses the Lens-La Bassée road. It also seems probable that -after many vicissitudes this redoubt was captured and subsequently -held, though by a force utterly inadequate for the purpose. About 8 -p.m. a messenger reached one of our batteries, having lost his way in -the dark, bearing a message addressed to the headquarters of one of the -Brigades forming the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_94"></a>[Pg 94]</span> 15th Division, to the effect that the sender was -holding Hill 70 with a mixed handful of men, numbering a thousand in -all, and urgently requesting the immediate supply of sandbags and other -material for defence.</p> - -<p>In the battery we were, of course, ignorant of all these things at -the time, and the progress of events could only be conjectured by -the position of the spots upon which we were ordered to fire and the -reports of wounded passing by us on their way to the rear. We knew of -the fall of Loos by the forlorn procession of refugees who had been -living in the village all through the German occupation, but who were -sent back immediately upon the capture of the place by our troops. Be -it noted in parenthesis that much consternation was caused in a certain -office by the arrival of a telephone message to this effect: "The loose -women are expected shortly, please arrange for their accommodation!" -From the observation post came the news of the taking of the Double -Crassier and the Cemetery, but beyond that, and the information that -no attack had been launched towards the Puits XVI ridge, the observing -officer had nothing further to tell us. But I think that in the ominous -absence<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_95"></a>[Pg 95]</span> of any further reference to our projected advance, we all felt -something of the chill breath of disappointment, that whispered that -our high hopes had somehow failed of their realization.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_96"></a>[Pg 96]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="VI">VI</h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">STRAIGHTENING THE LINE</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">Straightening</span> out the line is an expression frequently found in -official dispatches, and it may usually be understood to cover the -operations that take place after a definite attack. In the case of -the Battle of Loos, these operations extended into the third week -of October, and as a corollary to an account of this great event, -and as a study of what was in effect a series of minor battles, the -following sketch is intended. There were many events during these days -that are not yet fully understood, the time has not yet come when a -dispassionate history may be written. Controversy is yet busy with the -names of many disputed positions. I make no attempt at contribution to -any opinion expressed, but merely endeavour to convey some faint idea -of such portions of the drama as were played before the eyes of the -artillery observers.</p> - -<p>During the night of September 25-26,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_97"></a>[Pg 97]</span> the general position was -something as follows. The enemy, from a point not far south of Fosse -8 to the Double Crassier, had been driven out of his front line to a -greater or less distance in rear. Here, many months before this time, -he had already constructed a second line of defence in anticipation of -such a possibility. We, finding ourselves confronted by this line, were -obliged to make some sort of cover for our advanced infantry, using -the abandoned German front line and communication trenches as far as -they could be adapted for our reserves and supports. Along the whole -of this front of advance, therefore, both sides were busily engaged -upon strengthening their respective positions, covering meanwhile their -working parties with rifle fire. The artillery could not render much -direct assistance, the light had failed before the final positions of -the infantry on either side were determined, and the risk of injuring -friends as much as foes was too great. The function of the guns was -to keep a steady fire directed upon the possible lines of approach of -hostile reinforcements, which were pouring up on both sides during the -whole of the night. The front of advance was something as follows: From -the south of the canal we remained in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_98"></a>[Pg 98]</span> our old trenches to a point just -north of the quarries, and from here the position we held ran through -the front line of the Hohenzollern Redoubt, of which we held the front -and the enemy the rear, thence somewhat to the west of the Lens-La -Bassée road in front of Cité St. Elie and Hulluch, through Chalk Pit -Wood and Puits XIV his, somewhere over the western slopes of Hill 70, -then abruptly back to the Double Crassier, where it joined our old line -again.</p> - -<p>Up till midnight both sides worked comparatively undisturbed, except on -Hill 70, where attacks and counter-attacks followed one another without -intermission. But at about 12.30 a.m., the enemy, having apparently -succeeded in bringing up sufficient troops for the purpose, made a -series of local attacks, the fiercest of which seems to have been on -our line from the Bois Hugo to Hill 70. This attack was repulsed, as -were the remainder of the series made at the same time. The weather -now became even more misty than before, and the cold drizzle that had -been falling all the evening increased in intensity. Shortly after -dawn, at 5.30 a.m., the enemy made a more determined attack from much -the same part of his line,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_99"></a>[Pg 99]</span> in which he scored some initial successes, -afterwards retrieved, and by 6.30 a.m. the position was the same as it -had been all night. Observation was extremely bad on the morning of -the 26th, so much so that it was fully 8 a.m. before artillery could -be effectively used. But at this hour we again assumed the offensive, -and opened a furious bombardment upon the redoubt on the summit of Hill -70, a work already of extreme strength, and now doubly so after the -feverish energies of large working parties during the night. At nine -o'clock the bombardment ceased, and the infantry rushed to the assault, -but were unable to penetrate the hostile defences. They were re-formed -and the attempt was repeated, again unsuccessfully.</p> - -<p>Towards mid-day the local offensive passed into the hands of the enemy, -who made a determined attack from the Bois Hugo and succeeded in -driving our line back a considerable distance and recapturing Puits XIV -bis. This was a distinct advantage to him, for it gave him a point of -vantage from which he could direct machine-gun fire upon the flank of -troops moving to the assault of Hill 70. No further determined attacks -were made by either side on the afternoon<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_100"></a>[Pg 100]</span> of the 26th or the night -26th-27th, although desultory fighting continued, and various reliefs -and reinforcements were made amongst our own troops. The 3rd Cavalry -Division, who up till now had been waiting for the chance that would -have been theirs had we succeeded in piercing the German line, were -dismounted and relieved the troops holding Loos, where they remained -for a couple of days, some of them taking part in the final assault -upon Hill 70 on the 27th.</p> - -<p>On the afternoon of the 27th every gun that could possibly be brought -to bear opened a furious fire upon the Hill 70 Redoubt. For two hours -the bombardment continued in a light that nearly broke the observers' -hearts, so early did the evening close in, and so persistently hung the -mist. Then, with one earth-shaking salvo from the massed batteries, -it ceased, and the Guards Division rushed to the assault. What they -achieved will probably never be accurately known, undoubtedly they -penetrated the first line of the redoubt, but the enemy, continually -reinforced from his fortress of Cité St. Auguste, contrived to expel -them, and slowly they were swept back, in the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_101"></a>[Pg 101]</span> gathering darkness of -night, to the positions from which they had sprung. The attack had -failed, Hill 70, the key of Lens, was still in the enemy's hands.</p> - -<p>The strength of this position lay perhaps not so much in its natural -advantages, as in the artificial means which had been employed to -render it capable of effective defence. Its position upon one of -the main arteries leading from the fortress of Lens made it easy to -reinforce from Cité St. Auguste, one of the outliers of that fortress. -The western slopes of the hill, up which the attack must come, formed -a sort of glacis to the redoubt, on to which observers in the redoubt -itself or in the woods around La Ferme des Mines de Lens could direct -fire from their batteries at Pont-a-Vendin, Cité St. Emile and Cité St. -Laurent. The work itself was of considerable extent and exceptionally -formidable, and was probably impregnable by frontal attack when fully -manned. Further, all possible approaches to it were enfiladed from the -northward by machine-gun fire from Puits XIV bis and some ruined houses -at the edge of a small wood, and from the southward by the strong works -at the edge of Cité St. Auguste,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_102"></a>[Pg 102]</span> namely Puits XI and a building known -as the Dynamitière. Our failure to capture this important strategical -point was therefore regrettable, but not incomprehensible.</p> - -<p>A couple of days after the failure of our last attack upon Hill 70, a -redistribution of the front took place between the Allied Armies. The -Tenth French Army took over the new line up to a point near the Chalk -Pit Wood, the boundary of their territory, which included the village -of Loos, being now roughly a line drawn from this point through Quality -Street, and thence along the Lens-Béthune Road. From this time Hill 70 -ceased to be a British objective, and the whole of the line in front of -Lens came under one command, instead of being divided right in front of -the fortress, a change of considerable administrative advantage.</p> - -<p>During these days, from the 25th to the end of the month, there had -been spasmodic fighting along the rest of the front of advance, -especially about the quarries and the Hohenzollern Redoubt. This latter -work, in which we had gained a footing on the 25th, was repeatedly -reported lost and re-captured, but eventually it was found to be -untenable<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_103"></a>[Pg 103]</span> under the enemy's fire from Auchy and Fosse 8, and to a -lesser degree from Cité St. Elie and Hulloch. The actual new line as -now consolidated was therefore the same as on the evening of the 25th, -except that it ran to the westward of the Hohenzollern and at the foot -of the slopes of Hill 70.</p> - -<p>During the succeeding week no events of outstanding importance took -place, the infantry were busy in the improvement of their new trenches, -and the artillery in keeping the hostile batteries quiet while they -did so. But on October 8, "the lid suddenly came off Hell," as Gunner -Wolverhampton aptly expressed it. During the early part of the morning -the enemy had been unusually quiet, but about ten o'clock he opened a -bombardment upon the whole of the new line, more especially upon that -part of it in front of Loos, upon the village itself, and upon the -trenches between Hill 70 and the Double Crassier. This bombardment -grew in intensity, and towards noon we were ordered to retaliate -upon certain parts of his line. A few minutes later, the wind being -in his favour, he let loose a dense cloud of smoke and gas, and at -the same time lifted his fire on to our batteries and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_104"></a>[Pg 104]</span> observation -stations, employing a large percentage of lachrymatory gas shell. Very -shortly after this, his counter-attack was launched. As on the 25th, -very little was visible from our observation stations, owing to the -obscurity caused by the smoke. It appears, however, that he developed -two separate attacks, one issuing from the Bois Hugo and the other -from the directions of the Dynamentière and Puits XI. These attacking -columns were composed of waves of men in close order, each wave, -according to the French observers, who were more suitably placed as far -as noting details went than our own, as the smoke did not blow in their -direction, being composed of a mass of men six abreast and twenty-five -deep. The French field batteries were at that time massed close -together, and their commander held their fire until the attackers were -well clear of the cover from which they issued. As soon as this was -the case, every battery was ordered to open fire at its maximum rate, -which they did with results that were nothing short of appalling. Our -battery happened to be just in front of them, and anything like their -fire cannot be imagined. For fully an hour the continu<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_105"></a>[Pg 105]</span>ous roar was -such that telephones were useless, orders shouted through a megaphone -into the recipient's ear absolutely inaudible. The effect of such a -cannonade upon a slow moving mass of men in the open may be imagined. -It is said that the loss of one of the attacking columns in dead alone -was upwards of six thousand, and this estimate was subsequently largely -increased. The hopeless position of these unfortunates, was, curiously -enough, enhanced by an accident. One French battery had suffered -severely a few days before, having been badly shelled, whereby it had -lost all its officers and had had to change its position. Being at this -time still somewhat disorganized, it was late in opening fire, and when -it did so, opened at the same range as the other batteries had done -some minutes before, thereby directing its fire upon a point that the -attackers had already passed over, so placing a curtain of fire behind -them. Caught thus between two hail-storms of shell, the massed columns -had no escape, and were mown down where they stood.</p> - -<p>The conditions in the battery during this affair were curious and -extremely interesting. Each gun was firing as fast as the shell<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_106"></a>[Pg 106]</span> could -be loaded and the round laid, orders being passed by gesticulation -as best they could. Behind us the roar of the French batteries grew -until it was only by watching for the flashes that we could tell when -our own guns had fired. All round the hostile shells were bursting, -filling the air with a sweet ether-like vapour that sent a sharp pain -shooting through one's eyes until it seemed as if complete blindness -must shortly supervene. The tears coursing down the men's faces made -strange white tracks through the grime of battle, till the detachments -became fierce, ghost-like and terrible, the reeking demons of the -pit, striving and sweating that they might slay ever more and more, -that the bitter screams of their mutilated victims might swell ever -louder into the livid heavens. And the endless succession of ammunition -wagons, their drivers clad in gas-helmets till they resembled the -Inquisitors of old, lashing their horses into a yet more frantic gallop -as they neared their goal, seemed as the shell burst all about them -like monstrous chariots of hell. And all the time the French reserves -were massing behind us, passing in turn down the <i>boyaux</i> into the -threatened trenches, each<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_107"></a>[Pg 107]</span> party as they passed cheering the roaring -guns, and winning from the detachments a hoarse shout in return, as for -a moment they rested from their ceaseless labour.</p> - -<p>Slowly the inferno of sound died away, and with its first ebb came -the voice of rumour. We had lost the Double Crassier, and the enemy -had gained a footing on the slag-heap of Fosse 5, he was close to us, -and we should have to save the guns as best we could! The French had -repelled the attack, and, following up their advantage, had swept into -Lens! The truth of the affair we did not discover till later, when it -appeared that a portion of our new line from the middle of the Double -Crassier northwards had been captured, re-occupied and captured again, -that the enemy had been finally driven out, but that the trench was -now so full of dead as to afford no cover to the living. But for this -minor success, if success it was, the furious counter-attack had failed -with great loss to the enemy. If our total losses during the operations -of September and October were between eighty and ninety thousand, -it is believed that the enemy lost about ten thousand upon this one -day alone. During the night of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_108"></a>[Pg 108]</span> 8th-9th the Germans contrived to -establish themselves in the disputed length of trench, but otherwise -the position remained for the next two days the same as before the -counter-attack.</p> - -<p>On the 11th the French developed a fresh attack in this sector, with -the primary object of retaking the lost trench, and the secondary -object of pushing such successes they might achieve right up past the -end of the Double Crassier and Puits XI until they should rest upon -the mineral railway running past Puits XI and Cité St. Pierre as far -as Cité St. Elisabeth, thus forming an offensive line from which to -threaten the Dynamitière and the enemy's approaches to Hill 70. We were -called upon to assist in this enterprise, and at 2 p.m. commenced to -drop shell along the Lens-La Bassée and Lens-Béthune roads, from their -junction in Lens up to Cité St. Auguste and Cité St. Laurent. We also -kept the church in the latter place under fire to prevent its use as -an observation station. About 3 p.m. the French launched their troops -to the assault, and succeeded in recapturing the lost trench, but -owing to intense machine-gun fire from Puits XI and XII and from Cité -St. Pierre,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_109"></a>[Pg 109]</span> they failed to advance any further along the line of the -Double Crassier towards the mineral railway.</p> - -<p>The primary object of the operations so far had been the capture of -Lens. The importance of the place can hardly be over-estimated. If -we imagine England with Lancashire and the West Riding in hostile -occupation, we shall have a parallel to the case of France deprived of -the Department du Nord and part of Pas de Calais, except that in our -own case we should still have left to us many manufacturing districts, -and France has but few. The importance to the economic life of France -of the three towns of Lille, Roubaix and Tourcoing is comparable to the -importance of Manchester to us, and the coal-mining districts lying -round Lens, which include such fields as those of Courrières, Drocourt -and Dourges occupy relatively a far more important position than -those of the West Riding. Lens itself is the key to this productive -area, whose energies are at least as valuable to the enemy as to its -rightful owners, and Lens has in skilful hands become a fortress in the -modern sense, far more difficult of capture than older works at one -time deemed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_110"></a>[Pg 110]</span> impregnable. It is comparatively easy to concentrate fire -upon guns whose position is known, as they must be when permanently -mounted in the fortifications of the text-books, and once a sufficient -concentration of fire has been obtained, guns so sited, being incapable -of removal, must sooner or later be put out of action, but it is -impossible so utterly to destroy a city and its suburbs that its ruins -are no longer sufficient to afford cover to mobile ordnance and machine -guns. It has been found that a building that in itself is merely a -screen from direct observation, becomes, when destroyed by artillery -fire, a heap of ruins amongst which may be concealed artillery and -machine guns, and which by its very mass is an excellent protection -against hostile fire. Bombard this type of fortress as you will, its -defenders are not tied by their gun-mountings to any one position, -but can move their batteries from place to place, knowing full well -that the attackers, with each round they fire, are preparing fresh -situations wherein they may be concealed. It will surely be found that -this war has sounded the knell of permanently fixed guns except for -purposes of coast defence, where alone the immobile<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_111"></a>[Pg 111]</span> gun has triumphed -in the face of many years' accumulation of scornful criticism.</p> - -<p>The last phase of the operations was due to a desire on our part to -strengthen as much as possible our position from the quarries to the -new point of junction with the French. On October 13 our battery was -ordered to open a bombardment upon the German trenches that lay along -the Lens-La Bassée road to the west of Hulluch. This bombardment -continued for an hour or so, and at two o'clock the infantry advanced -to the assault, we at the same time lifting our fire on to the village -of Hulluch itself, starting at the western end and slowly increasing -the range so as gradually to drive through the whole place. But at -half-past three our hopes of a capture of Hulluch similar to that -of Loos were dashed to the ground by an order from headquarters to -come back on to the western edge of the village. This we did until -darkness supervened, and we were ordered to cease firing. As far as -we were concerned, this was the most exacting day we had yet known, -our expenditure of ammunition during the five or six hours that we -were in action being greater than that of any previous day. So rapidly -were<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_112"></a>[Pg 112]</span> the guns worked that the continual concussion broke the platform -of one of the guns, so that in the middle of the action it had to be -hauled out of its pit on to a hard road close by, and fired without -concealment of any kind, regardless of the risk of observation from -hostile captive balloons or aeroplanes. It may be added that next day -the detachment found some rafters in a ruined building and from these -constructed a new platform for themselves without any form of skilled -assistance.</p> - -<p>It was not until the next day that we learnt the history of the attack. -The intention had been to capture the Hohenzollern Redoubt, and from -that as a <i>point d'appui</i> to extend our line along the Lens-La Bassée -road as far as Chalk Pit Wood, with the possibility of capturing Cité -St. Elie and Hulluch as advance posts. The attempt only partially -succeeded. We contrived to advance our line in front of Hulluch almost -on to the road, but failed to occupy permanently any of the German -trenches. The Hohenzollern was apparently taken, but could not be held, -as upon September 25, under concentrated fire from Fosse 8. Between -Cité St. Elie and Hulluch, also, history re<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_113"></a>[Pg 113]</span>peated itself. Concealed -wire, so placed that the artillery observers could find no place from -which satisfactorily to observe the effect of their fire, held up the -infantry assault. An attempt had been made to destroy this wire by -map shooting combined with the use of high-explosive shell, but the -destruction was not complete, and the attack failed. It was said that -a handful of men actually penetrated into Hulluch but were never seen -again, and that for a short time our infantry held the German trenches -in front of the village. But with the enemy established in houses -overlooking them, and occupying a strong commanding line along the -crassier of Puits XIII bis, these trenches were untenable and had to be -evacuated. The net gain of ground during the day was a depth of some -two hundred yards on a front of rather less than a mile. At the same -time the French, who had been supporting our attack upon the right, -reported that the northern suburbs of Lens, Cités St. Auguste, St. -Laurent and St. Pierre, had been so carefully prepared and were held -in such strength that for the moment a frontal attack upon them was -inadvisable.</p> - -<p>Here, then, the offensive operations that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_114"></a>[Pg 114]</span> began with the Four Days' -bombardment, may be said to have ended. Although the gain of ground -seemed insignificant, consisting as it did of one ruined village -and a few square miles of fallowland, and although Lens still stood -triumphant and untaken, there is still much to be reckoned in the -Allies' favour. Victory it was not, and no amount of advertisement -will ever make it so. But it was an exhibition of strength on the -part of the Allies, and a stern reminder to the enemy that their -power of offensive on the Western Front had permanently passed into -our hands. The resources in men, money and munitions of the Central -Powers are decreasing, those of the Allies increasing; equal losses -on either side, therefore, is a condition favourable to the latter. -It is maintained that our losses were too great in proportion to the -results achieved. Yes, perhaps they were, but, had they been only -slightly greater, had more men been flung into the struggle at the -critical time, it is impossible to forecast what the issue of the -fighting might have been. The enemy knew this, and was prepared for a -substantial retirement. Conjecture is unprofitable, but let us as a -nation learn the lesson<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_115"></a>[Pg 115]</span> that men and men alone will terminate this -war. Other factors may check it temporarily; it may be to the advantage -of the enemy to agree to an apparently disastrous peace in order to -gain a respite for fresh preparation. But a certain page of history -should harden our resolution, should make us convinced of the bitter -fact that there is no peace for the world except in the disappearance -of the German Empire or our own. <i>Delenda est Carthago</i>—let us preach -the lessons of the Punic wars in season and out of season till every -soul in these islands realizes their significance at the present day. -The world is no larger than it was then, there is still no room in -it for two rival World Powers, one must sink into obscurity before -the might of its rival. And, accepting this incontrovertible fact as -an axiom, let us face our position, let us remember how the power of -Rome trembled in the balance as she strained every nerve in her system -during Hannibal's Italian campaign, and let us realize at last that -the destruction of our rival will demand of us sacrifices compared to -which the efforts that we have yet made are nothing, are as the puny -efforts of a feeble infant contrasted with the struggle of a strong -man<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_116"></a>[Pg 116]</span> wrestling for his life. And if the operations that have been named -the Battle of Loos have any share in bringing these things home to us, -their effects will be far more beneficial than those of a spectacular -victory.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_117"></a>[Pg 117]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="VII">VII</h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">LOOS</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">One</span> of our officers was fortunate enough, very shortly after the events -of September 25, to have the opportunity of reconnoitring the village -of Loos, with a double purpose in view, namely to verify some landmarks -that were doubtful from our observation posts, and to discover if any -points existed suitable for permanent occupation as O.Ps. There were -two ways open to him of reaching the village from his battery position, -of which the first was to proceed to North Maroc and thence take the -road to Les Cabarets and from there the track that runs into Loos at -its south-western corner, and the second was to walk to Quality Street, -thence along the Lens-Béthune road to the old German front-line, and -so through their communication trenches into any required part of the -village. Time being of importance, he chose the former method, and -set out one morning<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_118"></a>[Pg 118]</span> at about 8 a.m. The narrative of his adventures -in Loos, as throwing light upon the conditions obtaining in a place -that had been heavily shelled by us until our capture of it, and has -ever since been equally heavily shelled by the enemy, may be of some -interest.</p> - -<p>Once clear of the houses that screened his movements from the hostile -lines, the road seemed very lonely and deserted. So far as the eye -could see he was the only living person in the whole of the wide -valley, and the sense of being under the observation of many pairs of -eyes that were to him invisible produced in him a strangely nervous -reaction, as though he were the principal actor in some horrible -nightmare. It seemed as though every footstep rang upon the hard road -with a note audible for miles, as though he were a gigantic black -figure upon an unbroken background of white, as though the watching -eyes bent such burning rays upon him that he could feel them pierce him -as he moved. I have walked that road myself many times since, more than -once when it has been under fire, and know now that it is as safe or -safer than many others whose dangers never concern the most nervous, -yet an echo of these first sensations of his has invariably struck<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_119"></a>[Pg 119]</span> me -when I have done so, and I can understand his feelings. It can only be -attributed to the fact that being alone in the middle of the valley one -imagines that one is a conspicuous target for any one who will to spend -a round upon.</p> - -<p>The road crosses first our own old front line, then the German, over -both of which substantial bridges had been built directly after the -advance. It was not until he had crossed our own line that the cost -of the battle became evident to him. Then he began to understand. -Between the lines a burial party was at work, busy with the task of -identifying and interring our own dead. Behind the German line the -operation of clearing the battlefield had scarcely begun. Here the -dead lay thick, our own and the enemy's in inextricable confusion. -Here was a group of three or four, showing where a well-timed shrapnel -had burst, there four or five in a line, stricken down as they charged -by rifle fire from some fiercely-held support trench. And everywhere, -mingling with the dead, were all the many insignia of war, rifles, -ammunition, tins of beef, biscuits, cases of bombs, some unopened, -some with their contents scattered round them, everything that is -carried forward in a modern<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_120"></a>[Pg 120]</span> battle. At Les Cabarets itself, which is -in reality the junction of the Lens-Béthune and Grenay-Hulluch roads, -and which lies a few hundred yards south-east of the Lens Road Redoubt, -the struggle seemed to have been fiercer. It is probable that the -ruins of the houses that once stood at the cross-road had been held by -a detachment of the enemy, for lying round them were a heap of dead -Germans, their rifles in many cases still in their hands, and about -these in a narrow circle the bodies of our attacking troops, some lying -as they had fired, their legs spread out, their rifles fallen from -their shoulders and their heads resting on them, as though an angel -of sleep had touched them even as they pulled the trigger. Close by, -two horses bearing the brand of the broad arrow were quietly grazing -on the rank grass that covered the fallow land, their broken harness -still hanging on their backs, evidently the team of a shell-shattered -wagon that lay near by. My friend was tempted to pause and investigate -further, but a dozen bullets whizzing by quickly convinced him that -the locality was not healthy, and he made haste upon his way. Nor was -he more lucky with the track that led from here towards Loos. Some -persevering sniper<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_121"></a>[Pg 121]</span> evidently regarded him as fair game, and after -this enthusiast had displayed his marksmanship by narrowly missing him -twice in quick succession, my friend abandoned the field to him and -took to a communication trench that ran in the required direction. He -says that he hopes never to take a more hideous walk. The trench was -literally paved with dead Germans—it must have been used as a line of -defence against the advance of the 47th Division—some lying on their -backs with their eyes staring heavenwards, others horribly buried in -the thick clay that lay in the lower stretches of the trench, so that -his attention was only called to their presence by a sudden dreadful -yielding beneath his feet. They lay too thick for it to be possible -to avoid treading upon them, and though more than once he deserted -the trench for the clean earth of the plains, his friend the sniper -was bent on each occasion upon showing him that he was still a happy -memory to him, and he was forced to descend again. However, it was over -at last, and with the greatest relief that he had ever experienced he -found himself in the shelter of the outlying houses of Loos.</p> - -<p>Here for a few minutes he stood and studied a plan with which he had -been provided.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_122"></a>[Pg 122]</span> His objective was the Pylons, easy enough to see, -certainly, but unfortunately on the far side of an open square or -market-place by the church, upon which the German gunners were making -very pretty practice with field guns and light howitzers. There was -nothing for it but to find a way round, along the streets choked with -rubbish and torn by great craters, taking short cuts through gardens -converted into cemeteries, in which the dead lying on the surface were -more numerous than those below, across courtyards wherein the horses -who had been stabled there lay where the flying bullets had found -them. Strange work, this threading of the city of the dead, the sense -of isolation growing as one advanced until one seemed a visitant to -a world struck by a celestial bombardment that had left none alive -to tell the tale. Troops there were in plenty, but they remained in -the wonderful excavations that had been made; none, save rarely a -messenger, crouching behind a wall as the whizz and roar of the shell -echoed amongst the torn buildings, racing across an open space in a -brief interval of quiet, ventured forth, unless before dawn to relieve -his companions who were stationed in the hastily-dug trenches in front -of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_123"></a>[Pg 123]</span> village. But during the course of this expedition my friend -discovered a very valuable fact, namely, that the principal fire of -the enemy was directed only upon certain spots, and was not being -distributed indiscriminately over the village. Avoid these spots, -and except for a few casual "universal" bursting overhead, one was -perfectly safe, <i>voilà tout</i>! But that same casual universal is a very -jumpy toy. You hear it coming, certainly, but far too quickly for you -to do anything, and before you know where you are it has burst just -over you with an ear-splitting crack, and small fragments hit the -ground all round you with a most unpleasant thud. "Woolly bears," the -men call them, for they leave a curious cotton-wool-like wreath of -smoke in the air for some seconds, much larger and more lasting than -the puff of a shrapnel.</p> - -<p>Very shortly after this first discovery, my friend made another, which -somewhat counterbalanced his relief in the first, which was that one of -the points most distinctly to be avoided was the very place he wished -to reach, the Pylons themselves. Round about their base a howitzer -battery was methodically placing high-explosive shell, and amongst -the upper works a field battery<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_124"></a>[Pg 124]</span> was making very accurate practice -with those most undesirable "woolly bears." There was nothing for -it, however, and the longer one stopped and looked at it the worse -it seemed, so, with feelings utterly unlike those that are popularly -supposed to steel the heart of the hero who boldly faces death for -his country's sake, he made his way under cover of such houses as -still remained, to the mine buildings at the foot of the great steel -structure. Here was destruction such as he had never seen. The -buildings, strongly as they had been built to withstand the weight of -the machinery within them, were completely shattered, their contents -strewing the floors like scrap iron in a merchant's yard. Great iron -girders were cut as by a knife, the bridge leading from the Pylons -to the loading stages on the end of the Crassier, a riveted steel -structure, was broken in half, the ends torn and frayed as though made -of paper. The towers themselves are so massive and their weight is so -distributed among many uprights, that, although many of these latter -were bent or broken, the edifice they supported still stood gaunt and -menacing, dominating the country-side. But their foot was no place to -sit in idle conjecture that morning, as a shell that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_125"></a>[Pg 125]</span> nearly blocked -up the entrance to the shelter into which he had made his way abruptly -reminded him. Waiting until its last fragments had fallen—a process -that takes a surprisingly long time—he made a bolt over the ruins, -climbing and scrambling up a refuse-covered slope, until he reached -the foot of the winding stairs that rose up the centre of one of the -towers. Fortunately for him, this stairway was partly enclosed by -sheets of boiler-plate, for the next shell burst uncomfortably close -and the fragments hit the boiler-plate with a sound that left no doubt -in his mind of what his fate would have been had this shield not been -there. Up the spiral stairway then—was ever such an interminable -flight? Surely, notwithstanding the friendly morning mist, the whole -German army must see him as he climbed ever higher! Those friendly -steel sheets had been hit direct more than once at various times, -leaving several turns of the stairway open, plain to everybody's view. -However, nothing alarming happened, and the goal was reached—not the -top of the tower where the winding pulleys hung, but a gallery that -had formed the upper limit of travel of the cage, where the trolleys -were unloaded and pushed across the bridge to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_126"></a>[Pg 126]</span> the loading sheds. This -gallery or platform stood perhaps a hundred and fifty feet above the -ground, and had once been glazed, but long ago every pane of glass -had been shattered and the steel floor was thickly carpeted with the -fragments. Once in the gallery one was fairly safe, for the floor and -roof were of steel and so was the circular wall up to the level of the -glazing. Nothing but pieces of shell coming through the windows—and -the place was full of fragments showing where this had happened—or -a direct hit from a heavy shell could do much damage. But it was not -the place for a rest-cure, the moral effect of "woolly bears" bursting -amongst the girder-work close to one, although one knew that by the -time one heard the report the danger was over, was most disturbing. -Once, too, a fairly heavy shell hit the tower itself, causing it to -rock like a sapling in a gale, as my friend expressed it afterwards. -His first thought was of the delights of his situation had it carried -away part of the staircase, when he would be faced by the prospect of -staying where he was till dusk or of swarming down the steelwork in -full view of the German trenches, but fortunately this contingency did -not arise.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_127"></a>[Pg 127]</span></p> - -<p>But the view that he obtained amply compensated for everything. From -the grim black mass of Fosse 8, past the tower of Cité St. Elie, the -cupola of Douvrin, the trees, magnificent in their thick verdure, that -clothe the banks of a little stream that flows past Hulluch, to the -strange medley of chimneys and elevators that gives to the works of the -Société Métallurgique de Pont-à-Vendin the appearance of a fore-and-aft -rigged vessel under sail, the whole country lay spread as on a map. -Further south still, Lens and its thickly-built suburbs could be seen, -and towards the west, the well-known country that we held, the high -land of the Vimy Ridge, with Souchez at its feet, the tall slag-heaps -of Noeux-les-Mines and Auchel, the dark mass of the Bois des Dames, the -square tower of Béthune. What an observation post! No wonder that the -enemy, whose use of the place for that very purpose was apparent by -the presence of German newspapers and a broken table with some scraps -of paper upon it, were determined to make it untenable by constant -shelling.</p> - -<p>For utterly impossible as a permanent observation post it undoubtedly -was, and my friend, having verified his geography, left it with a -feeling of deep thankfulness<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_128"></a>[Pg 128]</span> at having escaped unhurt. But his -adventures were by no means at an end, he had still to find a situation -of comparative safety from which he could observe when required under -more restful conditions. The first place he selected was a house in -the Enclosure, as the buildings near the foot of the Pylons have been -termed. This also had been used by the enemy for the same purpose, -for the walls were sandbagged, the lower floors were shored up with -pit-props, and the basement had evidently been occupied by a fairly -large party. Curiously enough, the house was in quite good repair, the -walls and half the roof were standing, in contrast to the wreckage -that lay around it. Here the explorer received what he describes as -"the shock of his life," for on opening the door of one of the upper -rooms he found, sprawling over a table as though just fallen asleep, -the body of a German officer, still holding a pencil with which he -had been addressing a post-card to a girl in Magdeburg. So lifelike -was the attitude that it was impossible to realize at first that he -was dead, notwithstanding the jagged hole above the temple where the -fragment had entered and the blood that stained his right side. From -this room a good view of the desired<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_129"></a>[Pg 129]</span> stretch of country could be -obtained, there was a plentiful supply of sandbags ready filled in the -house, and it seemed in every way desirable. But, just as my friend -had determined upon converting it to his own uses, a (fortunately) -small shell, evidently intended for the Pylons, but a little "over," -entered the ground floor and burst there, wrecking the staircase, -bringing down ceilings and tiles all over the house and smashing what -was probably the last pane of glass in Loos. If this place was going -to play long-stop for all the byes that passed the Pylons, it was -distinctly unhealthy. He clambered down the wreckage of the stairs and -looked round for a more likely spot, settling upon a tall house some -little distance away. But here again he was doomed to disappointment. -As he walked towards it a light howitzer shell sang over his head -and burst a hundred yards beyond his goal. Instinct told him that -this was the first round of a series of which his projected O.P. was -the target. Even as he realized that he was standing about the same -distance short of the place as the first round had fallen over, and in -a direct line, the second shell passed so close to him that he swears -he felt the wind of it, and burst in a manure-heap not ten yards<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_130"></a>[Pg 130]</span> away. -Thanking heaven that it had found a soft billet that muffled the force -of its explosion, he turned and bolted, having no further interest in -observing that particular series, the components of the manure-heap -dropping in a shower about him.</p> - -<p>The next place he came to was a biggish building in a part of the town -that seemed to be immune from shelling. He walked boldly into it and -climbed up to an attic in the roof. Here were more signs of German -occupation, a window that faced towards our old line being heavily -sandbagged, whilst behind it was a neatly constructed platform and -rest. Hundreds of empty cartridge-cases scattered over the floor and -a few loaded clips still lying on the platform showed that the sniper -whose lair it had been had known good sport there. But even here my -friend was not destined to rest undisturbed. Hardly had his eye taken -in these details than a sound of hurried whispers below burst upon his -ears, and a peremptory voice bade him "Descendez, vite!" "Qu'est-ce -qu'il-y-a?" he replied. "Descendez, vite, vite, ou nous allons tirer!" -Discretion was by far the better part of valour, so down he came, to be -surrounded<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_131"></a>[Pg 131]</span> at once by a number of French soldiers armed with rifles -and fixed bayonets. To his enquiries as to what they wanted, the only -reply was, "Vous pouvez dire ce que vous voulez à M. le Commandant." -The latter gentleman was very comfortably installed in a roomy cellar, -and my friend was ushered into his presence with the significant words, -"C'est un espion que nous avons attrapé en haut, mon Commandant, -regardez ces machines-là qu'il porte!" The latter presumably in -reference to the sextant, compass and other strange-looking impedimenta -that he carried. It was an uncomfortable moment, but he managed to -establish his identity, and mutual explanations followed, to the -satisfaction of all parties, and my friend was told that he might make -himself free of the place whenever he liked—"Mais, monsieur, je crains -que vous avez trouvé en Loos que les français sont plus dangereux que -les allemands. Mais, peste, vous êtes vraiment monté dans les Pylons! -J'ose bien dire, comme disent les Anglais, que c'etait un endroit 'not -sanitary'!" As a variant upon the hackneyed phrase "not healthy," I -think that this is hard to beat.</p> - -<p>The next question was the best way of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_132"></a>[Pg 132]</span> getting home. The friendly mist -had by now disappeared, and it was hardly advisable to face the open -road again, even if this had not involved the ghastly walk along the -death-strewn communication trench. My friend finally decided to find -the end of a communication trench that, starting from a point in the -north-western corner of the village, led into the old German front -line between the Lens Road and the Loos Road Redoubts. To reach this -the greater part of Loos had to be traversed, but the streets in this -direction were fairly safe. They were, however, even more encumbered -with the dead bodies of men and horses than those in the other half -of the town. It seems that a large number of men had been driven to -the dug-outs and bombed there, and that when these same dug-outs were -required for Allied occupation, their former tenants were evicted into -the road, for the burial parties to deal with when time permitted. -Wonderful structures were these dug-outs, examples of the enemy's -thoroughness. Not content with the protection afforded by a cellar, -in many places they had excavated large chambers below the cellars -themselves, whose floors they had paved with bricks and whose<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_133"></a>[Pg 133]</span> walls -they had lined with boards. Once in them the garrison was perfectly -safe from the most furious bombardment.</p> - -<p>A further example of method was to be seen in the treatment of shells -that had fallen blind. When these were of medium size, they had been -collected in small heaps and surrounded with barbed wire to prevent -inquisitive fingers experimenting with them. In the back yard of -a cottage lay the enormous bulk of a fifteen-inch shell, that had -judiciously been left where it fell, and had been honoured by a -complicated stockade of its own. All this seemed to contrast with the -present state of the town, which was everywhere littered with military -stores of every conceivable kind. Some attempt had been made to collect -them into heaps, but even this attempt had been very half-hearted. War -is, anyhow, an expensive amusement, and it seems a pity to make it more -so by sheer lack of method. For not only Loos itself, but the whole of -the country over which the advance was made was littered with arms, -ammunition, equipment, bombs, in prodigious numbers. My friend, having -occasion to go into Loos again some weeks later, found these heaps -still untouched, and was foolish<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_134"></a>[Pg 134]</span> enough to report their existence and -their exact position. As a reward for this unwarranted officiousness, -he was requested to escort a wagon to Loos and indicate the localities -where these various stores lay, on an evening when the battery was at -its busiest, an invitation that he firmly declined.</p> - -<p>The way home, although much longer, proved to be cleaner and more -secure, besides having the interest of leading through the old German -front line. This was then in the occupation of our reserves, and had -consequently been considerably tidied up, but large parts of it were -still completely broken down, showing the effect of our bombardment. -The shooting had been distinctly good, very few shell-craters were -far from the trenches, and a large proportion of the projectiles had -either fallen into them or blown in the parapet. But here again the -dug-outs must have afforded very excellent protection. Wide shafts, -driven straight down from the front wall of the trench at an angle of -forty-five degrees with the horizontal, led into hollowed-out chambers -twenty feet below the surface that would easily accommodate a couple -of dozen men. Each dug-out had more than one shaft, to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_135"></a>[Pg 135]</span> reduce the -chances of men being buried by an explosion filling in the only means -of exit. The trenches were everywhere revetted with timber or hurdles, -and had a false bottom of wooden gratings to keep the men's feet as dry -as possible. If only from the point of view of comfort they contrasted -very favourably with our own, through which the homeward track next lay.</p> - -<p>Loos, City of the Dead! If in years to come you are ever rebuilt, a -task that to the observer of your utter destruction and desolation -seems impossible, what strange and gruesome relics will your workmen -find! Surely the Spirit of Carnage will for ever haunt those narrow -streets and open widespread fields, surely your inhabitants of the -future will wake in terror in the September nights to hear ghostly -echoes of the then-forgotten struggle, the unceasing whistle and -roar of the shells, the rushing footsteps of the charging men, the -despairing cries of the bombed wretches in the cellars! And if timid -eyes dare lift the curtain to peep fearfully through the windows, will -they not see a blood-red moon shining upon streets through which pour -the serried columns of the victors, and scent the night air tainted<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_136"></a>[Pg 136]</span> -with a faint sickening odour of slaughter? But not alone shall Loos -bear its burden of horror, for in how many towns and villages must -these scenes be repeated before Peace comes again!</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_137"></a>[Pg 137]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="VIII">VIII</h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">IN FRENCH TERRITORY</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">At</span> the beginning of October our battery, owing to reasons of -strategy and convenience, changed its position by a matter of about -a mile-and-a-half, and by so doing entered an area where the right -of the British line joined the left of the French line. The actual -point of junction of the lines varies from time to time, as much owing -to the two armies' requirements in the matter of billets as for any -other reason, and, as it happened, on the very day we moved into our -new position, this point was in process of being moved a mile or so -northwards. We saw, therefore, the familiar khaki give place to the -looped-up blue greatcoat, and when, the desperate struggle to get the -battery in order in the minimum time being over, we had time to look -round and take note of our surroundings, we found ourselves in French -Territory.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_138"></a>[Pg 138]</span></p> - -<p>I think that the weeks we spent there were the happiest we have ever -known, although the life of a gunner is a rough paradise for a man with -health and strength—plenty of work, plenty of sport, and complete -freedom from the cares of an artificial existence, there being nothing -artificial about war. Our position was amongst ruined <i>corons</i>, not -so badly damaged but that they could with very little trouble be made -into very comfortable billets, and owing to the fact that it was in -French territory, was immune from the visits of predatory "brass -hats." Further, in our group commander we had a strong buckler against -interference and aggression, and one in whom we all placed implicit -confidence. His kindness to us all will be amongst the most precious -memories of those happy days.</p> - -<p>We found the change of tenants in the villages round us extremely -advantageous in many ways, not the least of which was the amount of -loot we acquired. It seems curious that the British Army, equipped as -it is with a more copious transport than has ever before been imagined, -should invariably leave in its wake enormous quantities of perfectly -serviceable stores.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_139"></a>[Pg 139]</span> On this particular occasion we found abandoned -more than enough overcoats and waterproof capes to fit out the whole -battery, and collected from the billets into which we moved over a -hundred thousand rounds of small-arm ammunition alone. Although these -matters were reported, no steps were ever taken to remove the stores, -and subsequent discoveries of hundreds of boxes of unused bombs met -with the same indifference. What wonder that the thrifty French regard -it as the best fortune that can befall them to take over any part of -our line, or that French officers to whom I have spoken are inclined -to base their opinions of our conduct of the war upon such indications -of our national habits. "No army before has ever wasted as you waste," -said one to me; "the food you reject would feed half the French Forces, -the rifles you failed to collect after Loos would equip many battalions -of your New Army. What is your proverb—'Straws show which way the wind -blows'—is it not?" Nor did the British troops leave only stores behind -in their evacuation. Two days after the exchange, an officer arrived in -the battery with a strange tale of woe. He was in command of a picquet<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_140"></a>[Pg 140]</span> -in a certain village, from where he had watched his own people depart -and the French arrive, expecting every moment to be relieved. Since -that time he had received neither orders nor rations, and he and his -men had lived upon the charity of a French regiment. We fed him and -sent him back to his lonely vigil with an armful of provisions and -a promise to report his troubles through our headquarters. I heard -subsequently that his patrol had been forgotten and never missed, so -presumably he might have been there now but for his own action.</p> - -<p>The first and greatest Commandment when on active service is this, -"Thou shalt covet thy neighbour's goods, and if he doesn't keep his eye -on them, thou shalt possess them." Nationality seems to have no effect -upon the speed with which the soldier assimilates this doctrine. The -French <i>piou-piou</i> is as great a follower of it as the British Tommy, -but his native politeness lends to the act a more distinguished air. Of -course, British troops with their wasteful ways are to him lawful game, -and the first couple of days in his company taught our people habits -of carefulness that were never learnt before. Our most experienced<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_141"></a>[Pg 141]</span> -marauders returned empty-handed from raids into the French lines, and -this bred a respect for our Allies that rapidly blossomed into genuine -friendship. And undoubtedly the French soldier, taking him all round, -is a most charming person and an almost perfect fighting man. He takes -life very seriously, and is frequently scandalized by our behaviour, -not quite understanding that a mask of frivolity may be only the result -of a desire to make light of difficulties and to hearten others, hiding -in reality an immovable determination to do one's duty. "Pour vous, -la guerre n'est pas sérieuse," said a big Breton to me once, and I, -knowing the melancholy tendencies of his race, knew not what to reply. -But next day a party of which he formed one, doubled past the battery. -"Que faites-vous?" I called as he passed. With a face wreathed in -smiles he replied, "Nous allons donner aux Bosches un petit coup de -fusil, ça sera très amusant, hein?"</p> - -<p>Of the picturesque appearance of these French troops a few words may -be said. There is an entry in my diary about this time, "Walked down -to headquarters this morning. Saw two Frenchmen dressed alike." And to -the eyes of those accus<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_142"></a>[Pg 142]</span>tomed to unvarying khaki, the extraordinary -kaleidoscopic effect of steel helmet, képi, coats of all conceivable -colours, breeches and trousers likewise, putties that shame the -rainbow, and an increasing note of khaki with a dash of colour on the -collar or sleeve, strikes very strangely. Even the men of the same -regiment do not seem to wear the same kit. One will be met in steel -helmet, dark blue coat and red trousers, the next in képi, light blue -coat and breeches, and grass-green putties. The authorities knew better -than to waste the stocks of clothing that they already had on hand.</p> - -<p>It would be impertinent to discuss the fighting qualities of these -superb troops. The English Tommy, invariably a keen and usually a -perspicacious critic of everything that comes into his range of vision, -is apt to comment unfavourably upon what appears to his eye as an -undisciplined mob strolling along the roads. But his eyes are gradually -opened as first of all he discovers that these men, laden with a far -greater weight than he is ever called upon to carry, are travelling -quite as fast as he cares to, and then, at the end of the day, he finds -that they have made them<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_143"></a>[Pg 143]</span>selves thoroughly comfortable and are enjoying -a good meal long before he has thought of anything but the contents of -his water-bottle. After that the revelation of their fighting qualities -does not come as such a shock to him. Who that has seen them at work, -for instance round Souchez or in their magnificent attack on the Double -Crassier on October 11, can refrain from blessing our historic national -luck for the Allies it has brought us?</p> - -<p>And throughout his nature runs the Frenchman's traditional love for the -turning of an honest penny. No sooner were we settled in our position -than a bearded French soldier, probably a newsvendor in civil life, -saw his golden opportunity. In his hours off duty he used to walk back -many miles from the position, and return with an armful of English -newspapers of the day before. How he procured them was a mystery we -never solved, for he always arrived with them hours before we could -obtain them anywhere ourselves. "Délé peppers!" he would cry, and the -whole battery turned out as one man to greet him and buy his wares, -which, by the way, he sold cheaper than their price in the neighbouring -towns. How much English he understood I never<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_144"></a>[Pg 144]</span> knew; he would talk it -freely with the men, but never with the officers—"Non compris" and -a shake of the head was his invariable reply to our advances in this -direction. But he always knew the contents of the papers he sold, -especially the <i>Daily Mail</i>. Certainly his ideas occasionally got a -little mixed. I am convinced, for instance, that he was under the -impression that Lord Northcliffe was either Dictator of England or had -changed places with Lord Kitchener. "Monsieur Lor' Notcliffe il va bien -ce matin!" he would say with great satisfaction, "il va finir la guerre -sur-le-champ." His politics swayed him to the extent that he always -refused to bring us French dailies. "Mais non, je vous dis, monsieur. -Vous aimez les journaux français? Bien, demain je vous apporterai -peut-être <i>La Vie Parisienne</i>, <i>Le Rire</i>, ce que vous voulez. Mais <i>Le -Temps</i>, <i>Le Matin</i>? Ceux sont les organes honteuses des capitalistes. -<i>L'Homme Enchaîné</i>, si vous voulez——"</p> - -<p>He or one of his assistants (for it always seemed to me that half the -French Army helped to carry his papers round for him) it was that -first introduced us to the fascinations of the ring-making industry. -It appears that an industrious Frenchman,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_145"></a>[Pg 145]</span> one supposes a jeweller -by trade, early in the war hit upon the idea of collecting the fuses -of hostile shells that fell near him, melting down the aluminium of -which they are largely made, and casting it into rings, which he -ornamented by letting in pieces of brass or copper, also components -of the fuse. The practice spread like wildfire through the French -troops, it gave a congenial occupation to their busy fingers, and -brought them a gratifying increase of income. Our men were at first -ready customers—there was little enough for them to spend money upon, -the inhabitants had been cleared out of the surrounding villages, and -no civilian population means no <i>estaminets</i>. But some of the more -commercially-minded among us—the whole story is as a microcosm of -our commercial supremacy as a nation—loath to see this profitable -trade passing them by, determined to enter into competition. The first -experiments were dramatic enough. A band of telephonists collected a -large store of wood torn from ruined houses, and of coal, fetched at no -small risk from a mine that was usually under fire, in the observation -post, which happened then to be a fairly large house well back from -the hostile lines, so that a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_146"></a>[Pg 146]</span> fire was allowed in the telephonists' -room. Here one evening they collected, like a band of alchemists for -the fusion of the Philosopher's Stone, and here I chanced upon them, -the room lit only by the glare of a huge fire, around which they all -crouched, their eyes fixed upon a saucepan that held in its depths -one small fuse, which the Master of the Black Arts periodically poked -enquiringly with the point of his bayonet. I believe that attempt ended -in the necessity for a sudden and disastrous quenching, brought about -by the fact that the house itself showed ominous signs of catching -fire. After many vicissitudes the art became centred in the battery -cooks, who, having the unfair advantage that in the natural course of -events they worked by a fire all day, formed a sort of Guild of Ring -Makers, and some very creditable work was produced. Their first step -was to undersell the French, and they succeeded to such an extent -that the cook-house became a miniature Birmingham, and orders had to -be placed early to secure delivery. Souvenirs these rings became in a -land where everybody seems to ask everybody else for a "souvenir," a -term that has become so wide that it covers everything portable. One -day I was stand<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_147"></a>[Pg 147]</span>ing in a doorway when surely the youngest soldier in -the French army—he could not have been more than fourteen; I suppose -he was a drummer boy, but how he reached so close to the firing line -has always puzzled me—passed me and saluted gravely. My smile must -have reassured him, for he stopped and after some hesitation looked at -me and saluted again. "Souvenir, monsieur!" he blurted out at last. -"Souvenir?" said I, "Quelle espèce de souvenir désirez-vous?" With a -grin that threatened to sever the top of his head from the rest of his -body, he replied, "Souvenir de bully-beef, monsieur!" He got it.</p> - -<p>The flies that marred the soothing ointment of this position were -certain mysterious bullets that flew about at strange hours of the -night and day. Nobody was ever actually hit, but people strolling -about between the guns heard a whirr overhead that made then duck -involuntarily, and heated officers would dash into the mess swearing -that they had seen bullets flatten themselves against brick walls -within an inch of their noses. Scepticism, or even a suggestion -that they were spent bullets from the firing line, was treated as -insubordination. A sniper it must be, a snark<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_148"></a>[Pg 148]</span> who crept into our -lines, shot his bolt, then softly and silently vanished away. One -evening the combined patience of the battery could bear it no longer—I -think somebody had staggered into the mess in a condition of collapse, -and upon being revived with a rum ration, proceeded to explain how -his cigarette had been shot out of his mouth by a bullet that passed -between his teeth. At all events, it was decided to inform the French -and request them to take steps to abate the nuisance. They, in the -expressive jargon of the day, were all over it. Parties of men from -their lines and our own crept out in the dusk to hunt the sniper—what -a glorious opportunity of winning fame by returning with his scalp, -or one of his ears, or whatever part of a sniper one does bring back -as a trophy! Dozens of parties, each more subtle than the other in -their proposed methods of action, crept out in the rapidly-falling -dusk, and with them the greater number of our officers, armed with -looted rifles and more subtlety than all the rest of the parties put -together. Then night fell dark and moonless, and the fun began. Each -party, busily engaged in its own game of blind-man's-buff, caught sight -of some other party, and opened a hot and furious<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_149"></a>[Pg 149]</span> fire upon them. -The remaining parties, seeing the flashes, emptied their magazines in -their direction. By an hour or so after dark, the battle was in full -swing. At ten o'clock such of the battery as were not engaged in the -chase were cowering in their dug-outs and there was not a whole pane of -glass for miles around. At half-past ten, a telephonist going to the -O.P. to relieve his comrade was forced to take shelter in a disused -communication trench, and to remain there all night, any attempt on -his part to climb out being met by rapid fire from every direction -at once. At eleven, a mitrailleuse was dragged up by an excited knot -of men, and opened fire in the direction from which there seemed to -come most noise. At half-past, fire had become general all along -the line, everybody, supposing that his neighbour knew what he was -aiming at, firing in the same direction as he did. At midnight the -Germans, thinking it a shame to be left so long out of the picture, -and possibly tired of being kept awake, opened with a field battery, -an inconsiderate action that effectually damped the proceedings. By -one o'clock all was quiet again, and, much to my astonishment, every -one returned whole, each man having seen the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_150"></a>[Pg 150]</span> sniper and had at least -a dozen shots at him, every one of which by his own account must have -been fatal. Subsequent inquiries revealed the amazing fact that the -French also had suffered no casualties. Yet alas! no more, apparently, -had the sniper, for the bullets continued to whizz and valuable -officers to have hair-breadth escapes until the time came for us to -leave the place.</p> - -<p>On the next night we were shelled, probably by way of retaliation -for the disturbance of the previous night. The enemy seemed to know -our approximate position, and "searched and swept" all round us with -heavy shell, but never contrived to burst one within twenty yards of -the guns. It happened to be my business to walk about the battery, -exhorting men to keep under cover. In the middle of it all a party -of French soldiers walked nonchalantly through our lines. "Prenez -garde," I shouted, "Il y a des obus qui tombe par ici, descendez dans -les abris!" They thanked me and ran into the dug-outs. The next shell -burst pretty close, covering everything with fragments. Out dashed my -Frenchmen, and in answer to my expostulations, "Nous en voulons un -souvenir,"<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_151"></a>[Pg 151]</span> they replied, and forthwith began to hunt for the fuse.</p> - -<p>Magnificent as are the French infantry, their artillery far surpass -them. To those who have any knowledge of artillery work, the French -appear as performers of miracles. Their equipment, their incomparable -<i>soixante-quinze</i>, is a frail-looking cheaply constructed affair, -giving the impression of weakness and inefficiency. Their <i>personnel</i> -seems utterly inadequate, both in men and officers, their methods of -ammunition supply are rudimentary. But a French battery will come into -action in an inconceivably short time, and will continue in action -night and day at a rate of fire that is unbelievable to one who has -not heard it. Minor technical details, such as sights, are far in -advance of our own, even in the case of some old heavy pieces, whose -mirror sight utterly shames by its convenience and simplicity our -extraordinary device for the same purpose. And the officers, how keen -they were! Scarcely a day passed but some two or three came into the -battery and courteously enquired if they might examine <i>les pièces</i>. -Of course they could, we were only too happy to exhibit them, and -then what explanations and comparisons between<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_152"></a>[Pg 152]</span> theirs and ours! "Ce -frein-ci n'est pas mal, mais pourquoi les ressorts sont-ils d'une telle -longueur?" or "Mon dieu, que cet appareil de portage est compliqué!" -Keen men and keen critics, equally eager to show us their weapons and -to hear our criticisms upon them. Their colonel included us in his -command at such times as we supported the French batteries, which -was fairly frequently. A spare figure in a close-fitting jacket, a -bullet-shaped head set with a pair of piercing eyes that discovered -everything without the assistance of the tongue, he was the ideal of -an artillery officer. He had the scientific mind that absorbs every -detail and stores it away in a pigeon-hole ready for immediate use. -Never once after the first time that I was introduced to him, did he -fail, wherever we met, to stop, shake hands and address me by name. In -a hurried quarter of an hour I once recited to him all the technical -details of the howitzer with which we were armed. Weeks afterwards I -heard him repeat faultlessly all the details, with others which he had -noticed for himself. If he be a type of the senior artillery officer, -happy are our Allies in the possession of such men.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_153"></a>[Pg 153]</span></p> - -<p>Another incident that occurred to us will show the unvarying -promptitude and courtesy with which the French treated us. It happened -that close to the battery and in the middle of the French infantry -billets was a ruined church tower, of which a certain portion still -stood, enough, we discovered, to make it worth our while to build a -series of ladders within it, and to use the bell-beam as an emergency -observation post. But Monsieur le Poilu thought that this was a capital -spot into which to climb, and from thence to wave his képi to his -friends and generally to behave in such a manner as to attract the -attention of hostile observers, with the not unnatural result that one -fine evening the enemy fired a few rounds at it, narrowly missing our -senior subaltern, and, which was a matter for far deeper concern, the -ration lorry. Complaint being made to the colonel, he, after several -complimentary remarks as to our skill in using so unfavourable a place, -promised that there should be no repetition of the offence. Ever -afterwards an armed guard was posted at the base of the tower, with -orders to admit no one but ourselves.</p> - -<p>Those French soldiers, what children they were, as their behaviour -in the tower showed!<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_154"></a>[Pg 154]</span> Whenever we were in action, a crowd of them -would gather behind the guns to watch the shell in its flight, as is -perfectly easy with any low-velocity howitzer. "Venez voir l'obus!" -they would cry, and, as the gun fired, "Le voila, voyez, voyez! ah, il -tombe——" and a shriek of delight would almost drown one's subsequent -orders. What children and what men! Perfect fighters, eager to rush -to the attack, yet patient under the iron discipline of the trenches, -easily moved to a wild display of nervous energy, possessing creative -imagination, yet stoical under agony to a surpassing degree. And not -the men only, but every class—peasants, doctors, priests, each in -his own sphere, are imbued with the highest spirit of which man can -boast, the spirit of self-sacrifice. I hold no brief for any form of -doctrine, being one of those who hold that all religions are nothing -but quibbles round a central truth that no sane man denies, but the -devotion of the French priest strikes me with the deepest admiration. -I have seen a battery heavily shelled and suffer many casualties, so -that the detachments were forced to take to their dug-outs. The doctor -galloped up on horseback, but the priest on foot, running with his -soutane<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_155"></a>[Pg 155]</span> tucked up round his waist, was there first, out in the open -administering extreme unction to the mortally wounded, helping others -to a place of safety. "Greater love hath no man than this——"</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_156"></a>[Pg 156]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="IX">IX</h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">CHANGING POSITION</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> preparation of a battery position is a business that requires much -labour and considerable time, if anything more elaborate than mere -screening from view is attempted. Deep pits must be dug for the guns, -and slopes cut into these pits by which the said guns may be hauled -in and out. These pits must be floored with an elaborate platform, -their sides must be revetted, that is to say that boards, corrugated -iron or some similar substance must be fixed against them to prevent -their falling in, and, most difficult feat of all, they must be roofed -over with as much earth as such roof beams as can be procured can be -made to bear. When the pits are completed, deep caverns must be dug -and prepared to serve as refuges for the detachments in case of the -battery being shelled. Other shelters must be provided as magazines -for ammunition, as<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_157"></a>[Pg 157]</span> a room for the telephone and its operators, as -a refuge for the section commanders. Billets must be found for the -men and officers, if no billets are available dug-outs must be made. -Places must be found for cook-houses, washing-places, work-shops, -stores. A battery position prepared for lengthy occupation is a most -elaborate work, and one does not light-heartedly desert it for an open -plain where everything remains to be done. But sooner or later the -dread message comes: "The battery will be prepared to move at 6 p.m. -to-morrow. An officer will proceed forthwith to such-and-such a place -where he will be shown the new position selected." Off goes the officer -in the car, he meets some deputy from headquarters, and the two trudge -off together through the ever-present mud. "Here you are," says the -deputy cheerfully; "how does this suit you? Splendid place. Look at -that orchard; you could hide the guns under the trees." The battery -officer stares glumly at a dozen apple trees, each of which is of a -size to flourish contentedly in a fair-sized flower-pot, and makes some -dubious reply. "I never knew such difficult fellows to please as you -siege battery fellows are in my life! Well, come and look over<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_158"></a>[Pg 158]</span> here. -There's a natural pit, ready dug for you; it'll hold all the battery -easily." With this the guide indicates with no little pride a gully, at -the bottom of which stagnates rather than flows a greenish liquid with -an odour of the most clinging type. "Yes, it might be a bit difficult -to get the guns in and out, certainly. What about concealment behind -that hedge?" But the hedge proves to be separated from the only road -by an impassable morass. At last the orchard is selected as the least -impossible under the circumstances, and the officer returns to his -battery thoroughly convinced that he has selected the worst possible -position on the whole front, and wondering what on earth will be said -to him when he exhibits it to the rest of the battery.</p> - -<p>Or else the proposed site is in the middle of a village, a place with -a reputation for being shelled that is notorious from Ypres to Loos. A -fabulous arc of fire is demanded from the battery, and weary hours are -spent looking for a more or less concealed spot that will allow of the -trajectory clearing houses and trees in all the required directions. -At last it is found, the necessary measurements made and found -satisfactory, when an officer strolls up. "Good-afternoon. You're<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_159"></a>[Pg 159]</span> -not going to stop here long, are you? Going to put a battery here! I -wouldn't be you for something, then. I've been about here for weeks, -and they always strafe the schoolhouse there every day about this time. -Look out, here she comes——" and a "woolly bear" or a "whizz-bang" -or some other fiendish and aptly named projectile bursts neatly over -the building that one had appropriated in one's mind's eye for a mess. -Wearily the search begins again—this might do, perhaps—but by now -the "evening hate" is in full swing, and a heavy shell settles with a -self-satisfied "crrrump!" in the middle of one's oasis, digging one's -gun-pits before one's eyes, as it were.</p> - -<p>On one occasion the position chosen for us was the really beautiful -garden of a medium-sized château. The front was a well-planned mass of -shrubbery, intersected with paths and flower-beds, the back a walled -vegetable garden, most scrupulously maintained, planted with every -sort of vegetable and fruit and provided with a good range of glass. -The owner of the place lived in the château, and his gardener worked -on the premises. The dismay of these good people when they were told -that the place was to be turned into a battery<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_160"></a>[Pg 160]</span> and the men billeted -in the château can better be imagined than described. The owner was -a philosopher, and took matters calmly. "Enfin, c'est la guerre, que -voulez-vous?" he said sadly as we expressed our horror at the necessity -of ruining this little paradise. The gardener was no philosopher, and -when I look back upon the mutilated shrubberies, the trodden-down grass -plots, the hotbeds with their boarding torn up for revetment, the old -wall breached in many places for easy access, the broken panes in the -greenhouses and, worst of all, four yawning chasms where once the -asparagus, the strawberries and the artichokes dwelt together in amity, -I do not wonder at the hostile spirit he displayed. I can see him -now dancing round the sergeant-major, an imperturbable person of few -words in his own tongue, and of none in French, whom he found cutting -a few cabbages for the sergeants' dinner. "Sacré nom d'un cochon, -regardez-là le voleur qui arrache mes petits choux! Ah, les anglais -sont incroyables!" "No compree," says the sergeant-major, and goes on -with his garnering. The gardener got something of his own back that -night, however, for the garden had a very complete system of hydrants -all<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_161"></a>[Pg 161]</span> over it, which same hydrants our friend stealthily visited with -the turn-key, which he then disposed of and departed. It was pitch -dark and we were all busy working, so that it was some time before we -noticed the gathering floods, and the whole place was inches deep in -mud and water by the time that we had discovered how to turn it off -again. We never brought the crime home to the criminal, but a certain -hidden gleam of triumph in that gardener's wholly disapproving eye has -always convinced me of his guilt.</p> - -<p>We had much to contend with in occupying that position. Several times -we were held up in our work, first by somebody who said the situation -was too exposed and that it was sheer suicide to occupy a house that -was conspicuous for miles round; then by the urgent representations -of a French officer who commanded a battery near by, and who declared -that we should draw down fire upon the devoted heads of his people; -and finally by a conference who debated for some time whether we were -really required in that sector at all. However, we got all these -matters satisfactorily settled at last, and set to work in earnest. And -digging pits by night in the light of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_162"></a>[Pg 162]</span> a few hurricane lamps is work -indeed, especially if it rains persistently, as it almost invariably -does. Unskilful wielders of the pick are apt to drive their lethal -weapons into everything but the ground they mean to excavate, their -favourite targets being such parts of their neighbours as get in -their way. This leads to acrimonious wrangling and consequent delay. -Better this, however, than the adventure of one lusty champion, who -with a mighty effort drove his pick clean through the cast-iron main -that supplied the delinquent hydrants, whereby he converted, in an -incredibly short space of time, that half-completed pit into a sea of -mud and water some four feet deep. To any one who expresses a fondness -for bathing I recommend the plugging of a four-inch main, with a good -pressure behind it, lying at the bottom of four feet of a cream-like -mixture of chalk, clay and water at three o'clock on an autumn morning.</p> - -<p>Geology, we are told, is the science that deals with the constitutents -of the earth. A new chapter should be written to the text-books, a new -branch of the science has been rendered necessary by the war, the study -of the properties of mud. Mud is now<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_163"></a>[Pg 163]</span> elevated to the dignity of a -fifth element, but surpasses the other four by its perpetual presence, -equalled only by that of the ether which pervades everything we know. -Mud shares its motto with the Royal Regiment of Artillery, one lives -in it, sleeps in it, and not infrequently eats it—indeed, competent -experts with carefully trained palates are said to be able to tell -from the flavour of the bacon at breakfast the exact part of the line -in which it has been rolled before issue. Surely in all the ancient -mythologies some student may find for mud some presiding deity that we -may suitably propitiate?</p> - -<p>Nor were such more or less natural phenomena our only hindrances. -No sooner were the pits completed, than somebody more perspicacious -than his fellows discovered that we had been ordered to lay them out -in the wrong direction, and they had to be cut out still further to -allow the platforms to be slewed round through the required angle. -This order reached us one evening just as we were promising ourselves -a night in bed after our strenuous labours, and the despair of all -ranks spread like a mephitic vapour over the country-side in a mist of -strange profanity. The men, however, whose spirits are proof against -continued<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_164"></a>[Pg 164]</span> despondency under the most depressing circumstances, set to -work with a will, and the tedious digging was finished at last. Then -came the far more interesting business of revetting and roofing. Now, -obviously revetting and roofing require planks, beams, iron sheets, -and material of that nature, and equally obviously the department that -professes to provide stores of this description, and whose imagination -rarely soars above the level of sandbags, is utterly unable to supply -such things. The only course left is to find them for oneself, and -fortunately a row of houses whose inhabitants had been evicted stood -on this occasion near at hand, and these we gutted. Doors, shutters, -floor-boards, rafters, everything but the bricks themselves, we -contrived to utilize, until we had everything we could desire except -girders for our roofs, which were to be of earth. Now a fifteen-foot -span of earth two feet in thickness requires a good deal of supporting, -and after several experiments with rafters, experiments that sometimes -had unpleasant results for those who conducted them, we decided that -something stronger was required. Here, again, almost in the manner of -the Swiss Family Robinson, we found what we re<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_165"></a>[Pg 165]</span>quired at our very door, -but not before one adventurous spirit had invited an early death (from -which may he long be spared!) by driving a particularly noisy lorry -into a coal mine overlooking the German lines in search of pit-props. -Our discovery was due to an eagle eye that discovered a notice-board -bearing the words "Défense de circuler sur la voie," whose owner, -realizing that there could be no temptation to circulate on the line -if there was no line upon which to circulate, investigated further and -found a grass-grown colliery siding. Here were our long-sought girders, -and with their discovery our troubles were practically over. Certainly -the guns had yet to be lowered into the pits, and hauling heavy guns -over soft garden mould on a dark night is an undertaking to try the -most angelic patience, but on this occasion, for the first and last -time, the Mud-god smiled upon us, and that midnight we knew the true -happiness that comes of the successful completion of strenuous labour.</p> - -<p>Here we remained for some weeks, until again disturbed by the order to -change position. Again everything has to be done by night, the guns -hauled out of the pits, the thousand and one small stores necessary<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_166"></a>[Pg 166]</span> to -the interior economy of the battery packed each in its proper place, -the heavy platforms raised and loaded into the lorries. The ease with -which any particular article can be mislaid under those circumstances -is incredible. Relative weight or importance seems to have no bearing -on the matter at all, one is just as likely, upon arriving at dawn -in some unknown land, to discover that one has left behind a spare -wheel or a handcart or even a battery quartermaster-sergeant, as -one is to find a small screwdriver missing. After a while the whole -business becomes a nightmare in which one is condemned eternally to -spend one's time counting handspikes and lorries and men, and to make -the total utterly different every time. And then the line of march! -A procession of heavy lorries, some drawing the guns, the rest laden -with men, stores and ammunition, looking for all the world like some -huge travelling circus, sets off upon a dark foggy night, carrying of -course no lights, over roads already laden to their utmost capacity -with troops and supply columns, and plentifully besprinkled with shell -holes. At the head of the procession rides a group of officers in a -car, one of whom has possibly been over the road once by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_167"></a>[Pg 167]</span> daylight, -and about the length of the convoy are scattered here and there men -wrestling with recalcitrant motor-bicycles, which they vainly try to -restrict to the speed of the column, perhaps four or five miles an -hour. Much can happen under these circumstances. Perhaps the rearmost -lorry has to stop for adjustment, and by the time the word has passed -along the line the car at the head is far away, and the column strung -out over a mile or so of road. Or the foremost lorry commences to -boil frantically and slows down, whereupon the remainder tread upon -one another's heels, until it stops altogether, when the column forms -a compact mass that nothing can attempt to pass. Or the geographical -instinct of the leader of the expedition fails at a cross-roads, and -recourse has to be had to the sentry who stands there. One of two -things then happens. Either the man does not know the way and says so, -or he does not know the way and with the utmost positiveness declares -the route to be by the first road that strikes his fancy. Those to -whom the former of these certainties happens are by far the most -fortunate, for the attempt to turn a column of lorries on a narrow -road, especially if it consists, as it usually does,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_168"></a>[Pg 168]</span> of a central -strip of pavé bordered by fathomless mud, is certain to be fraught with -disaster. A fully-loaded ammunition lorry stuck in a ditch is a most -heartbreaking sight, particularly (if the bull may be forgiven) if the -night is so dark that one cannot see it. It must be unloaded, dragged -out by the help of another lorry, which sometimes slides into the -ditch itself in the process, and then loaded up again, usually to the -accompaniment of uncomplimentary observations from the traffic that it -is holding up.</p> - -<p>Certainly the accidents that may happen to mechanical transport are -many and various, but there are some to which it is not liable. One -of the first messages that we received upon our arrival in a certain -new position ran as follows, "Report at once all cases of glanders -occurring amongst your transport." One has trouble enough without -infectious disease to contend with. A motor lorry is a capital thing -on a road, even if that road is in a very bad state, but, once take it -on to soft or slippery ground, and its imperfections become manifest. -First of all its wheels start to slip, and chains are fixed round the -felloes to give them a grip. This answers for a while, but suddenly -the wheels begin to revolve<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_169"></a>[Pg 169]</span> at a terrific speed, and the chains fly -hurtling through the air to the obvious disadvantage of any one who -gets in their way. A few men with lamps are sent to look for these, -whilst the rest endeavour to give the lorry a start by pushing behind. -Start she does, with a sudden leap, and, before she can be stopped, -finds the softest part of the whole field and sinks gently but firmly -into it until supported on her axles. By this time the search party, -having taken all the lanterns with them, is far away, and you feel the -lorry sinking without a possibility of doing anything by the light of -the one match that the battery possesses. The only thing left to do is -to dig her out, support her wheels on planks, and haul her on to the -road again with ropes.</p> - -<p>But the march ends at last, usually at about two o'clock in the -morning, and one arrives tired, cold and very sleepy, in the unknown -land. This village is the place we were told to stop at, and the men's -billets are said to be somewhere over there. Glad of a walk, I set -out to find them, and find in succession a row of tents knee-deep in -mud, apparently completely surrounded by barbed wire entanglements, -a barn without a roof, and a shed tenanted by two<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_170"></a>[Pg 170]</span> inquisitive and -particularly skittish cows. I return to the lorries and find the men -drawn up at the side of the road. Having explained the situation, I -call for volunteers to spend the night with the cows. The country-bred -members of the battery fall out and are marched off to deal with -the fierce beasts as best they can. The remainder are carefully -shepherded into the roofless barn and the bottomless tents. Judging -by the language that arises, this latter party are foiled in their -first attack by the wire. But the gunner is an adaptable person, and -all contrive to settle themselves as comfortably as possible in a -wonderfully short time, leaving me free to find the officer's billet, -which turns out to be the drawing-room of a small miller's house. The -only corner left is under the grand piano, and there I lay out my -valise and am soon fast asleep. Let the troubles of the morning care -for themselves!</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_171"></a>[Pg 171]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="X">X</h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">TELEPHONES</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">The</span> Field Telephone system, that is to say a series of portable -telephone instruments connected by a wire laid as required, forms the -nervous system of every battery, without which it is useless, or at all -events so heavily handicapped that it might as well be out of action. -The observing officer depends upon it to transmit his orders to the -guns, the group or brigade commander transmits his instructions to -his battery commander by its means, and in the battery itself it is -used for intercommunication between the control station, the section -commanders, billets and other points. All these various lines must be -laid as soon as the battery comes into position, and once laid they -must be kept under constant supervision. The test of the efficiency -of any battery is first the accuracy of its shooting, and second its -ability to bring fire to bear<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_172"></a>[Pg 172]</span> upon any point in its area immediately -it is ordered to do so. And experience shows that failure in either -of these respects can be traced in nearly every case to some factor -connected with the telephone system, an instrument or line being -out of order at the critical moment, or an inattentive or careless -telephonist. It is easy to realize, therefore, the importance of the -part played by this instrument in modern artillery practice, and some -account of its habits may not be out of place as throwing light upon a -particularly interesting phase of life in the zone of war.</p> - -<p>The line between the battery and the observation post is the most -important of the whole system, for, without it, properly directed fire -is impossible. It is also, from the fact that the observation post -is usually close to the front line, the most exposed, and therefore -most liable to accident. To lay a wire between two given points may -seem to be the simplest thing in the world, as indeed it is, but so -to lay that wire that it will not constantly be cut is a fine art. -There are two ways of laying it, overhead amongst trees and other -supports, or underground, digging a narrow trench in which<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_173"></a>[Pg 173]</span> to bury -it. The first method is the quickest, and if a line is required for -use immediately, the best plan is to lay it overhead, and bury it -subsequently if required. But many perils lie in wait for an overhead -line. Lay it by any route you will, some wandering shrapnel will burst -near by, and one of the bullets, singling out the wire as though it -were its especial target, will cut it neatly through, for preference -at its most inaccessible point. But the enemy is by no means its -greatest danger. There are roads to cross, along which come heavy -lorries laden high with stores of all kinds. Put the line up as high -as you think absolutely safe, and sooner or later an extra tall load -brings it down. Or natural support, such as trees or houses, fails, -and at considerable pains you plant a row of light posts. The next -party of wire layers that comes along, finding these convenient to -their purpose, lay their own line on them in addition. So the process -continues, until the light posts, that you designed to carry one wire -only, collapse under the strain, and down comes the whole tangle. Worst -of all are the unpardonable crimes of some miscreants, who, running -short of wire, cut off as much from your line as they<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_174"></a>[Pg 174]</span> require, leaving -the cable with a yawning gulf in the middle, or, as a variation, tap -their own instruments on to the wire, when the unfortunate observation -officer is left to play a maddening game of cross questions and crooked -answers with some strange unknown battery. If, on the other hand, the -wire is laid underground, a high-explosive shell is sure to find it -and make a neat crater in the middle of it, or else the infantry dig a -communication trench across it, or its insulation breaks down late one -evening and the ensuing night is spent digging it up and looking for -the fault.</p> - -<p>The best method of ensuring unbroken communication between two points -is, of course, to lay more than one line, but wire is usually scarce, -and this course is not always possible. Even if this is done, there -must be places where the lines run close together, and these are -just the places where the shells are sure to drop. During the Four -Days' bombardment we had three lines between the battery and our -observation post, and on two separate occasions all three were cut at -the same time by shell-fire. The quiet deeds of heroism performed by -artillery telephonists that are never heard of would<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_175"></a>[Pg 175]</span> fill a volume by -themselves. There is very little of the excitement and emulation that -makes many a man in the midst of his comrades the hero of a glorious -moment, none of the intoxication of battle that banishes all thought -of personal safety, in the experiences of a man who goes out to repair -a wire under fire. He has plenty of time to think of the dangers he is -running, to anticipate the fall of every shell without being able to -get out of its way, to wonder what it feels like to lie in agony on the -ground, torn by a splinter. Slowly and alone he must follow the track -of the wire until he finds the break, and having found it he must set -to work to repair it where it lies, a proceeding that may often take a -very considerable time. And it is more than probable that nobody but -himself and his chum ever knows anything about it. Yet there is never -the least hesitation on his part to go out; on one of the occasions -mentioned when our lines were cut, the linesman picked up his tools and -started along the line as a matter of course, although the determined -nature of the hostile shelling was plainly visible, and some of the -projectiles were charged with gas. He finished his job and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_176"></a>[Pg 176]</span> came back -to us full of his adventures, which seemed to afford him immense -amusement; indeed, I think he was one of those who have learnt that the -surest safeguard against fear is a sense of humour, and that danger, if -treated as a huge joke, ceases to have any terrors.</p> - -<p>And quite apart from actual danger, the linesman's life is a troubled -one. As one never knows when the lines may not be required in a hurry, -telephonists and linesmen relieve one another day and night. Every -few minutes the stations ring one another up, and if no reply can be -obtained, the linesman at the calling station starts along the line -to find the fault and repair it. It may be that the wire has been -cut by shell-fire, or by accidents inherent to its nature, or by the -sinful practices of others. Or again, it may sometimes happen that -the linesman proceeds on his way, testing as he goes, and finding all -correct, until at last he reaches the other station, to discover that -the operator there has for some reason disconnected his instrument -and forgotten to connect it up again, in which case a lurid and fiery -scene takes place, consisting of picturesque recrimination on the part -of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_177"></a>[Pg 177]</span> outraged linesman, and no less picturesque expostulation on -the part of the telephonist, to the effect that it was somebody else's -fault. The acrimony displayed varies directly as the temper of the -disputants and the distance between the two stations.</p> - -<p>It is extremely difficult to train men to use a telephone -intelligently, far more so than to teach them the mere technical -details of its construction. Because the thing appears to talk, very -few people can resist the impulse to treat it as a sentient being, -intentionally perverse for the express purpose of annoyance. Ring up -your best friend in peace time on a slightly defective instrument -and observe how he or she treats the irresponsive toy. If a man, he -will grow purple in the face and swear, he may even end by casting -the offending thing on the ground and trampling upon it in his fury, -if a woman she will grow tearful and excessively petulant, and will -certainly pour the vials of her wrath upon you, as being the proximate -cause of the trouble. Even so in time of war it is the tendency of -the trained telephonist to use harsh words and report the instrument -out of action instead of sitting down quietly and finding the cause<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_178"></a>[Pg 178]</span> -of the trouble, which he knows perfectly well how to do. Even the -best of them can never refrain from shaking the receiver viciously by -way of punctuating every sentence, they having been rashly taught by -their instructor that a gentle tap on the speaking end of the concern -is often useful if speech is faint. And even when this tendency to -violence, apparently a component of human nature, is eradicated, there -comes the surpassing difficulty of inducing men to speak clearly and -distinctly. Of course men of clear speech must be selected in the first -place, the uncouth dialects of certain parts of the United Kingdom -being not susceptible to the gentlest treatment. For instance, two -telephonists, one hailing from Glasgow and the other from the wilds of -Glamorgan, will utterly fail to make themselves intelligible to one -another. On one occasion a certain dour Scotch subaltern was told to -select from his section the six men with the clearest voice and purest -accent for training as telephonists. He did so, and they were duly -tested—they all spoke a strange tongue which proved upon investigation -to be the broadest Scotch! To this day that subaltern cannot understand -why they were rejected<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_179"></a>[Pg 179]</span> and he himself loaded with opprobrious epithets.</p> - -<p>At one time we were in a position where the French wireless bulletin -was transmitted to us in the original over the telephone. The state -in which it reached us frequently defied translation, as may well -be imagined. I once overheard a reference to the Hartmansweilerkopf -coming through. "Are man's wily coughs <i>wot</i>? 'Ere, is this a patent -medicine advertisement, or wot? Hullo, hullo! Goin' to spell it, are -yer? Yes, haitch for 'energy, eye for what? Oh, eye for hass, r for -rum, toc, emma, eye for hass, n for Nellie, esses, w for water—'ere, -hullo, hullo! What the 'ell are yer gettin' at?" After that they took -to sending it by Morse code on the buzzer, and things went along more -smoothly, but even then it was a mutilated word that eventually reached -me. From which it may be inferred that telephone messages do not always -find the recipient in the same form in which they started, especially -if they have to be repeated more than once during transmission. The -story of the Loos refugees is a case in point.</p> - -<p>In addition to the complexities intro<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_180"></a>[Pg 180]</span>duced by human failings, the -telephone in the field suffers from aberrations of technical origin. -Owing to the fact that the earth is used as the path for the return -current in nearly every case, an instrument, if sufficiently sensitive, -will pick up scraps of conversation between two stations speaking to -one another, if the line joining them crosses or approaches to the line -joining its own stations. In the case of the territory occupied by a -modern army, wherein the chief means of communication is the telephone, -extraordinary results are sometimes obtained. I have frequently -slept with the receiver of a telephone close to my ear, and in the -silence of the night have heard it whispering all sorts of fragmentary -messages—"Hullo, hullo, brigade, are you brigade? brigade!—yes, and -the old man was awfully fed up about it—brigade, brigade, hullo, can -you hear me?—lengthen a hundred, fuse forty-two and a half!" and so -on, <i>pianissimo</i>, throughout the night. Both sides have frequently -obtained valuable information by putting specially sensitive telephones -as near as possible to the opposing trenches and listening to the -messages they picked up. It is believed that the apparently miraculous<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_181"></a>[Pg 181]</span> -knowledge that the Germans at some parts of the line possessed as to -the regiments opposed to them—they would often call out, "Hullo, -Rutlandshires, are you in yet?" when a totally fresh battalion took -over a section of trenches—was obtained by this method. Nor is this -earth leakage the only way in which conversations are overheard. If -two or more lines run together for any considerable distance, as in -practice they often must, owing to an electrical phenomenon known as -induction, a conversation taking place along one line is audible in the -receivers attached to the remainder. Further, it frequently happens -that owing to a shell burst or to carelessness on the part of some line -layer, a pole or other support to which a large number of lines are -fixed is brought down, and in its fall all the lines are broken. It -may often be very difficult to discover, amongst all the ends, which -belongs to which, and an inexperienced man, actuated by a sincere and -laudable desire to put matters right, is very apt to connect them up by -the light of nature. The consequent confusion that arises must provoke -to demoniac laughter the denizens of hell. One observation officer -finds himself in direct and clear<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_182"></a>[Pg 182]</span> communication with the officer in -charge of supplies and transport, another with an advanced dressing -station. Infantry headquarters hold long and heated converse with -the wagon line of a field battery, the G.$1.$2. Divisional Artillery -threatens to place the quartermaster of a territorial battalion under -arrest because he steadfastly refuses to open fire immediately on -target Z. And a considerable time elapses before all these various -people are again connected to the proper quarter.</p> - -<p>The very form of the telephonic message lends itself to -misinterpretation and misunderstanding. There is a story of an officer -named Close, who as forward observation officer for his battery laid -out a line to an observation post of his own choosing, and whose -linesmen by some accident contrived to get their wire touching one -belonging to a different system. His major, wishing to speak to him, -called him up, and hearing a "Hullo!" in reply, began "Are you Close?" -To his astonishment and delight a strange voice replied, "No, you dam! -fool, I'm five thousand yards away!" This same crossing of wires is -another common cause of mixed conversations, they chafe one another<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_183"></a>[Pg 183]</span> -until the insulation is worn away and a good connection established, -when the two sets of instruments respond to one another's calls. This -very trouble was the cause of my once being awakened from sleep by -the urgent summons of the buzzer. I jumped for the instrument—"Yes, -hullo?" And then distinctly came the amazing query "Are you St. -Paul?" I think the terms of my reply, in which I convinced my -unknown questioner of my utter inability to follow that gentleman's -advice about suffering fools gladly, satisfied him that I was not. I -found out afterwards that a neighbouring battery had two observing -stations, which they had christened Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's -respectively. An error in transcription, whereby the singular became -substituted for the plural, was probably the cause of my receiving a -written message, warning me that certain experiments were to be tried -that evening, and beginning in the emphatic terms, "At 6 p.m. some -rocket will be fired."</p> - -<p>Of the whole complex system of lines, that between headquarters (which -in our case is the group commander, batteries being usually organized -in groups under a senior<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_184"></a>[Pg 184]</span> officer) and the battery commander is by far -the most fertile in trouble. It is not so much the line itself that is -to blame, as a sort of nervous feeling that it connects one with one's -superior officer, a feeling that in a wholly indefinable way pervades -everybody who comes in contact with it. If, as frequently occurs, -wire is saved by leading the various battery lines to an exchange, -whence a single line runs back to headquarters, the possibility of -complication is enormously increased. The process of getting a message -through is then a nerve-racking one. I was once assisting the battery -commander in the observation post, observing a series that was of -some considerable importance—it was during the fighting round Hill -70. In the middle of the transmission of orders to the battery, an -interruption comes through from them. "Headquarters want to speak to -the major, sir!" "Never mind headquarters, you take my message." Three -minutes elapse, during which we get off a few more rounds. Then the -battery calls through again, "Headquarters say it's urgent, sir!" "All -right, stop firing, switch them through." A long pause, during which -the receiver echoes, "Hullo,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_185"></a>[Pg 185]</span> hullo, exchange! Hullo, can you hear -me? I want headquarters. Hullo! Speaking to another battery are they? -Hullo, is that headquarters? I'm 320th Siege—here you are, sir." Then -a still small voice, "Am I speaking to the major?" "I'm taking the -message for him; go on." "Message from G.O.C. Corps Artillery, begins. -Please report by noon on 30th instant number of Army Forms XY 9999 in -your possession, ends. For your information and compliance please." -Fortunately Job was a hasty and impetuous individual compared with the -major, or his remarks on having wasted a quarter of an hour of rapidly -failing light to receive such a message might have been unthinkable.</p> - -<p>I remember also on that same line another regrettable incident. We had -to render a certain report daily at a certain hour, and one day the -headquarters line suddenly went out of action a few minutes before this -time. The report was sent off by hand, and the linesman started on his -weary journey of investigation. He reached the exchange eventually, -testing every inch as he went, and found at last that the wire was not -properly connected to the switchboard in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_186"></a>[Pg 186]</span> the exchange itself. Now all -this took some considerable time, and it was not till some hours later -that a scared-looking telephonist found me in the battery and asked -me to come to the telephone, as there was somebody at headquarters -"a-carrying-on something hawful." So I went and found an infuriated -and temporary officer demanding that I should immediately put all the -telephonists under arrest and myself into the bargain—I think all the -officers were included. Explaining that there might be difficulties in -working the battery if those instructions were faithfully carried out, -I asked what our crime had been. It then appeared that our messenger -had arrived five minutes late with the report. I explained how this -happened, pointed out that his own people at the exchange were to -blame, and offered, should he consider mere arrest to be too trivial -a punishment for men who had delayed the receipt of a purely routine -report—it consisted of one word, nil!—by five minutes, to send him -down a firing party at once. We never had any further trouble on that -particular score.</p> - -<p>As an alternative to the telephone, it is sometimes possible to arrange -relays of sig<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_187"></a>[Pg 187]</span>nallers with visual means of communication, such as lamps -or signalling discs, a method very much more freely employed by the -Germans than by ourselves.</p> - -<p>We established a chain of this nature along a line of a total length -of about a mile and a half, as an emergency measure in case the wires -should be cut, and on the occasion of a very critical moment when this -disaster actually occurred, we found the system to work admirably. For -general use, however, it is too slow and requires too many trained -signallers. The telephone, in spite of all its peculiar idiosyncrasies, -is the only method in practice it is possible to employ.</p> - -<p>It will be gathered from the above that a battery requires a very -large number of instruments and apparatus of all descriptions, and the -strain upon the manufacturers to supply them fast enough to equip new -formations was at one time very great. In our own case, some of these -stores only reached us on the quay of the port of embarkation an hour -before the transport sailed. We had been toiling since early morning on -one of the hottest days of the year, with no possible opportunity for -refreshment. A car dashed up and unloaded a box of in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_188"></a>[Pg 188]</span>struments, which -we proceeded to unpack for the purpose of checking. The first thing to -be produced was a large aneroid barometer, of which the hand pointed -significantly to the words "Very dry." A sagacious instrument was that.</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_189"></a>[Pg 189]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="XI">XI</h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">BEHIND THE LINE</p> - - -<p>"<span class="smcap">Upon</span> the Western Front there is nothing to report." So runs the -official news from day to day; it is a period of comparative quiet in -which neither army finds it expedient to make a move, but each lies -watching and waiting for the next sign of activity on the part of the -other. It is not inactivity, the perpetual crack of rifles and the -occasional bursts of artillery fire that rise suddenly by day and night -are the surest guarantees of that, but merely the temporary abandonment -of offensive tactics on either side. Modern trench warfare has -strengthened the defence at the expense of the offence to so great an -extent that such periods must be the natural state of things. There is -no such thing as a flank attack, for the flanks of the opposing forces -rest upon positions that cannot be turned, in one case the sea, in the -other a neutral country. Many years ago, long before<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_190"></a>[Pg 190]</span> such an extended -double defensive was contemplated, an extremely clever parody upon the -art of war as laid down in the text-books was produced, in which the -author sets forth three possible means of collision, first when two -armies meet, both of which are in motion, second when two armies meet, -one of which is in motion and the other is stationary, and third when -two armies meet both of which are stationary. The latter situation, -ridiculous as it appears and as the author intended it to appear, is -the best definition of the state of things which actually occurs daily -along all the gigantic fronts. "Nothing doing," says the gunner; "we -fired a few rounds yesterday at a place where somebody said the Bosches -had a battery, but that's all." "Haven't seen a bullet or a shell for -days," says the infantryman. "Believe there's nobody but the caretaker -and his wife opposite." In the battery we have meals at regular hours, -we discuss the war instead of our own infinitesimal contribution to it, -the more enterprising amongst us hint at the glorious possibilities -of having a hot bath. Life, in short, begins to slip into a groove of -routine.</p> - -<p>Yet we are in a state of constant readiness, and the appearance of -inactivity is wholly<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_191"></a>[Pg 191]</span> misleading. Eyes are perpetually on the watch -in the observation station, a telephonist sits with the head receiver -of the instrument fixed on his head, the detachments on duty sit in -the gun-pits or in the dug-outs close at hand, busy upon some work, -improving the head cover, polishing the fittings of the gun, or else -writing letters to their friends that tell strange tales of battle, -murder and sudden death. In the control room by the telephone dug-out -sits an officer, studying the map, recording the results of a previous -day's fire, or entering particulars of targets and ranges in his -notebook. Perhaps the wind is blowing towards the firing line, carrying -away from the battery all sounds of war, so that nothing can be heard -but the strains of an amateur band (of mouth-organs, concertinas and -a triangle) from one of the gun-pits, and the monotonous call of -the crier in that strange game of "House" that pervades the British -Army—"nineteen, forty-one, number three, sixty-four," and a sudden -excited voice "'ouse!"</p> - -<p>But suddenly the buzzer in the telephone room wakes into life. Dash dot -dot dash, dash dot dot, dash dash dot—X D G, it calls imperiously. -That is our call, and the telephonist throws away the novel he was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_192"></a>[Pg 192]</span> -reading and seizes pencil and paper. "320th Siege! Yes, go on, -yes—fire six rounds at once on Puits thirty-seven. R.D." The message -reaches the officer in the control room, who dashes out of the door -with a megaphone through which he roars one word, "Action!" Instantly -the detachments vanish into the pits, from which a sound of urgent -preparation rises, the band stops abruptly upon an excruciating chord, -the players of "House" scatter to their respective stations. Then comes -the regular sequence of orders, and in something less than a minute -from the receipt of the message the first gun roars into pulsing life -again.</p> - -<p>Sudden calls such as these are only incidents that disturb the quiet -of the daily life of the battery, which pursues the even tenor of -its way as soon as the number of rounds ordered has been fired. And -even when the word "Action!" sounds, it only affects the officers -and men actually on duty. The remainder are free to follow their own -vocations until it is their turn to be ready to answer the summons. -There is usually plenty of work for officers off duty to do, in the -battery itself, but still several opportunities occur for exploration -of the neighbouring country, of which the most<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_193"></a>[Pg 193]</span> interesting form is -reconnaissance of the ground from the front line trenches in one's own -neighbourhood. I have had many most interesting excursions to places -from whence a different view of the country could be obtained from that -presented from our own observation stations, and a different angle -of view often clears up many doubtful points. It is a most difficult -matter to recognize every feature on the ground by the aid of a map -from one point alone, but if angles can be taken to a doubtful object -from two or more points, its position can be fixed and identified upon -the map with comparative ease. And the interest of an expedition taken -with this primary object in view lies in the unexpected discoveries -that one often makes, of objects and incidents that would otherwise -be unknown to one. In the southern sector the village of Loos was a -favourite object for a walk. The enemy kept the place continuously -under fire after his repulse from it, to such an extent that the -establishment there of a permanent observation station was sternly -discouraged by the higher artillery command. It is useless to risk the -lives of telephonists and linesmen in a place that is under fire night -and day, and where, even if one's<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_194"></a>[Pg 194]</span> observation station is spared, one's -lines are certain to be repeatedly cut, unless the objects to be gained -by so doing are of counterbalancing importance. We were lucky enough -to possess other and safer observation posts, so that we only used the -village in cases of necessity. And we were by no means sorry, for, to -use the deathless expression of Monsieur le Commandant, the place was -"not sanitary," not only from the effects of the enemy's fire, but from -the fact that for many weeks after the operations of September 25 the -streets were still encumbered with dead horses and other odoriferous -objects. Even as late as the third week in October the dead lay thickly -strewn outside the cover afforded by the houses, and on a still day the -stench in the particular building that we used as a watch-tower was -utterly insupportable unless one smoked without intermission. It used -to be said that it was possible to find one's way about the place in -the dark purely by the use of one's nose alone.</p> - -<p>During another of these journeys of exploration, one of our officers -was in the front line trenches, which had recently been slightly -pushed forward, engaged in marking them in on his map. The trenches -were newly<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_195"></a>[Pg 195]</span> dug and not yet finished, and the enemy, knowing this, -kept up a slow but fairly steady rain of shrapnel upon them. As my -friend was making his way along the trench, he saw a brigadier and -his entourage advancing in the opposite direction towards him. Having -an instinctive mistrust of "brass-hats" and of the inane questions -that they are so fond of asking, he stopped where he was, hoping that -they would pass by without noticing him. But the fates were against -him. When not more than twenty yards separated him from the splendid -company, a shell burst fairly in the trench not a couple of yards -from the brigadier himself, damaging neither him nor his staff, but -unfortunately killing one of the defenders. Almost at the same moment -one of the lynx-eyed suite discovered my friend's presence and also -the fact that he was an artillery officer. "Just the man we want! -Order your battery to open fire at once on the gun that fired that -shot." To the average staff officer politeness is a sign of weakness, -nothing but a peremptory order is possible from one of such high mental -attainments. My friend explained with some asperity that he was not in -communication with his battery, being merely on a recon<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_196"></a>[Pg 196]</span>naissance for -the purpose of discovering information that the Staff had neglected to -render, information that was of vital importance, namely the position -of our own trenches. But that if he would be good enough to inform him -of the exact position of the offending battery, he would walk back -and open fire upon it. Then all the members of the entourage—the -brigadier himself maintained an amused silence throughout—pointed in -different directions, each swearing that they had seen the flash of -the gun in the place he indicated, some of them displaying a happy -ignorance by selecting places well within our own lines. My friend -was to take a compass bearing of the direction, he was to stand where -the shell fell and wait for the next flash (not a bad idea that), -they themselves would get into touch with the artillery group through -their own telephone system. Finally they drifted on, still, like the -heathen, furiously raging together. My friend forgot all about them in -the course of investigating more important matters, until he arrived -that evening at the office of his group commander to report upon his -observations. He was greeted with the words, "Hullo, what have you been -up to?" "Nothing<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_197"></a>[Pg 197]</span> particularly heinous, I hope, sir." "What did you -tell that parcel of lunatics to ring me up and request me to open fire -on nothing for?" "I didn't, sir," and then the whole story came out, -much to the amusement of the group commander. Nor did this close the -incident by any means. Somebody having decided that the battery that -had the presumption to fire upon a brigadier and his staff was probably -situated in a certain wood, on the morrow of the affair at a given -hour every battery within range was ordered to fire a certain number -of rounds into the said wood. The result must have saved the enemy the -trouble of cutting firewood for the rest of the winter.</p> - -<p>When not engaged upon reconnaissance, there is always plenty of -interest in the battery itself, of which a large proportion is provided -by the aeroplanes of both sides. However carefully the battery itself -may be concealed, this precaution is useless unless the <i>personnel</i> -keep out of sight when hostile aeroplanes are about. Men do not -stand about in groups for the fun of the thing, there must be some -military reason for it, or, everything else failing, it is probably -an indication of a billeting area. At all events,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_198"></a>[Pg 198]</span> it is worth trying -a few rounds at for luck, or so the German gunners seem to think. -An aeroplane sentry armed with a pair of glasses and a whistle is -consequently perpetually on duty, and the blast of his whistle is the -signal for everybody to get under cover at once. It becomes very trying -to get into the habit of leaving whatever one is doing and take shelter -under the nearest tree several times in the hour, and if, for instance, -one is digging gun-pits against time the annoyance is maddening. But -neglect of this precaution is sure sooner or later to have fatal -results. On one occasion the men of a French battery in a field close -to us treated a reconnoitring Taube with the most profound contempt, -they were building shelters and refused to stop work for so trivial a -cause. We, more cautious, bolted for cover and stayed there while the -hostile aeroplane, having evidently noticed something, circled round -once or twice, and then, when directly over the French battery, dropped -some tinsel substance that sparkled in the sun, as an indication to -the artillery of the whereabouts of its quarry. And sure enough next -morning we were treated to a really magnificent display of accurate -shooting. A German<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_199"></a>[Pg 199]</span> battery opened fire without warning, leaving just -sufficient time for the men to rush into their dug-outs before the -second shell burst fairly in the centre of the battery. They fired -very few rounds, but a lucky shell burst in a hay-stack behind which -were hidden the battery ammunition wagons, setting it on fire. The -result was very interesting. For an hour or more the air was thick with -cartridge cases and fragments of shell, as the ammunition in the wagons -slowly caught fire. There was no sudden explosion, and beyond the utter -destruction of the wagons very little damage was done, but regarded as -a pyrotechnic display the scene in that field was very hard to beat.</p> - -<p>But the reconnoitring aeroplane is by no means allowed to have things -all its own way. Anti-aircraft guns fill the space about it with -bursting shrapnel, other aeroplanes rise to attack it, machine guns -spit bullets at it. If no damage is done, the unfortunate observer -is kept far too busy to worry about what is going on down below him. -On one occasion we were conducting a series by the help of aerial -observation. It was a beautifully clear day, and to our astonishment -our first three rounds were signalled "Not observed." Then came a -message, "Observa<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_200"></a>[Pg 200]</span>tion impossible, am coming home," and in about a -minute we saw our aeroplane "coming home" at top speed, closely pursued -by three hostile machines. Sometimes one is fortunate enough to witness -an air duel, which is one of the most magnificent sights imaginable. -The anti-aircraft guns are silent, the risk of hitting their friends -is too great, and high up above the ground the machines wheel and -turn and dive at angles that seem incredible to the watchers below. -Very faintly comes the roar of the engines and the staccato rattle -of machine guns and automatic pistols. At last one of the machines, -finding itself overpowered, dives suddenly, and then, straightening its -course, makes a long vol plané to the safety of its own lines, followed -by its antagonists till the anti-aircraft fire becomes too hot for -them. Or there is a sudden silence, a curious fluttering as of a winged -bird, and, quite slowly as it seems, a torn mass of metal and canvas -dives headlong to earth. Or perhaps one morning a dull drone attracts -one's attention, and, looking up, one sees against the deep blue of -the sky an aerial squadron, their wings almost pure white in the sun, -a flight of sinister wild geese, carrying bombs to the destruction of -some important railway centre. Flanders<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_201"></a>[Pg 201]</span> is much to be recommended as a -suitable spot in which to undergo the cure of ennui.</p> - -<p>The men off duty seem also to find plenty of occupation. For one thing -there is always something to grumble at—either it rains, and the -billets leak water through their broken-down roofs, or the mail does -not arrive one day, or something of the kind happens—for the gunner is -an inveterate "grouser" at trifles, although such incidents as being -shelled only seem to amuse him. And then he can go to the nearest spot -in which the inhabitants have still been allowed to remain, where he -finds every cottage converted into an <i>estaminet</i>. There he may sit -with a group of his friends drinking that strange beer that is about -as intoxicating as tea and not quite so harmful, and he can grumble -at that. Gunner Wolverhampton, the sheen upon whose nose indicates -that he is probably something of a connoisseur in the matter of beer, -says that it tastes like the water that mother washes the onions in, -and I daresay it does. Here, sitting in these cottage parlours, you -find him holding long conversations with their owners and perhaps a -handful of French soldiers, in the curious language that is rapidly -growing up. If there should be a girl in the place (her<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_202"></a>[Pg 202]</span> age or looks -are quite immaterial) he cannot refrain from chaff. "You compree -promnade?" he says. "Si, si," she replies. "Well, you come promnade -with moi down the route, savvy?" She shakes her head. "You no bon," -he says gravely. "Mais oui, moi j'suis bonne, mais vous méchant." "No -bon, my dear, but portez two beers, twoppence, compree?" The way the -two nations understand one another is amazing. "The old girl at the -farm was telling me last night all about the time when the Bosches -was here," said Gunner Wolverhampton to me one day. "How on earth did -you manage to understand her?" I asked. "Oh, we got along famous," he -replied, and very soon showed me that she had made him understand her -remarks thoroughly. On one occasion, finding a party of French linesmen -stranded for a length of wire, one of our telephonists gave them a -piece, and ever afterwards the two batteries were on terms of the -greatest intimacy. The men used to go and sit in one another's billets, -frequently, after the manner of their kind, exchanging headgear as they -did so, with the most curious effects, as when a burly gunner clad in -a brown sweater and a French steel helmet, and carrying a long French<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_203"></a>[Pg 203]</span> -rifle, strolled across the road. The startling resemblance he bore to a -Cromwellian soldier made us all turn out to see him.</p> - -<p>Gunner Wolverhampton, as the archetype of his fellows, deserves more -than passing notice. He had served twelve years in the regiment, had -taken his discharge, and was in civilian employment when the war broke -out. As soon as recruiting regulations allowed, that is about the third -week of the war, he re-enlisted. These re-enlisted men were allotted -regimental numbers from one upwards in the order in which they offered -themselves, and Gunner Wolverhampton is justly proud of his single -figure number. In appearance he is about forty-five, with a grave face, -a well-built figure, and a slow and weighty method of speech. His -peculiarity lies in his nose, which is a rich crimson—it must have -been a most expensive acquisition. When asked his civilian trade, he -gives it as sign-painter, a statement that once surprised one of his -comrades into remarking <i>sotto voce</i>, "Gawd love us, chum, I thought -you was a whisky-taster!" An old soldier of the finest type, knowing -all the ropes and imbued with that highest form of self-respect that -only the traditions of the service can propagate, he is perfectly<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_204"></a>[Pg 204]</span> -invaluable by the mere force of his example in these days when soldiers -are turned out by the million in a few months. A certain proportion -of the battery <i>matériel</i> and stores were entirely in his hands, and -he has never throughout the campaign been found deficient by so much -as a pick-handle, nor has his gun ever failed to be spotlessly clean -and in perfect order. Without the inclination or necessary educational -qualifications for promotion, he is useful and contented as a gunner, -and in times of emergency the whole of his section, including the -non-commissioned officers themselves, instinctively turn to him for -guidance. He it is that when the detachments are worn out after a long -period of digging or of working the gun, keeps them hard at it by his -example and by caustic criticism of their relative feebleness; he it -was that walked calmly down to where a neighbouring battery was being -shelled and led a party out, as though he were taking some friends to -get a drink, to where the shells were falling viciously round two or -three wounded men, bringing them in with utter unconcern for his own -danger. Ah, Gunner Wolverhampton, if this war makes of all who serve in -it men such as you, then the cost of it in blood and treasure will<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_205"></a>[Pg 205]</span> be -as nothing when set by the side of the freshly won strength of a nation -rejuvenated!</p> - -<p>Happy hours are those spent just behind the line between the strenuous -days of strife, when one feels merely a spectator of the pageantry -of war, when one can study men at their best, for the strain of war -brings out the good qualities of human nature and atrophies the bad. -Hours they are of leisure, when one may drive into a town of perhaps -some considerable local importance, where, even under the strange forms -that war has cast upon it, the old peace-time life of the community -yet lives. Not all the jostling crowd of khaki, the long trains of -supply columns that block the narrow mediæval streets of Béthune, have -essentially altered the character of the place as the market-town of -the neighbouring district; the old square tower, the graceful belfry, -still look down upon a crowd of <i>gamins</i>, of hatless women and girls, -of old men standing in the market-place. Only the young men are -wanting, and their place is taken by this surging crowd of the young -men of another nation. Commercially, all such towns must be reaping a -golden harvest. See how every pastry-cook's window bears the legend -"Tea Rooms," extending below it a tempting<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_206"></a>[Pg 206]</span> array of <i>pâtisserie</i> that -would shame the best of those dreadful "tea-shops" of our native land. -And, when sufficiently allured, elbow your way in amongst the hungry -rabble that speak a curious tongue they believe to be French—it does -not matter, the proprietress and her daughter learnt English long ago, -and have now almost acquired this same curious tongue—and try to get a -seat. So it is with all the shops, and the Frenchman, with his instinct -to provide what is required, has contrived that the most exacting of -these English officers with their innumerable and most peculiar wants, -shall rarely go away unsatisfied. In such towns as these will be found -the representatives of those peculiar units that are raised (or do -they raise themselves?) apparently for the sole purpose of encumbering -the roads. But perhaps in the villages is seen the more amusing side -of international commerce. In the towns everybody seems to know by -instinct what the soldier wants—I have heard a gunner ask for fried -fish and chips in the vernacular of Newcastle, and get it—but in the -villages considerable parleying is sometimes necessary. There is a -story of a man who rode to a farmhouse where eggs were to be obtained, -and de<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_207"></a>[Pg 207]</span>manded "oofs." But madame was unresponsive. "Non compris, -monsieur, peut-être il veut du lait, de la beurre——?" Desperate, -the man dismounted, and, picking up his horse's foot, tapped it -significantly. "No, ma'am, not lay or burr, oofs, oofs, can't you see?"</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_208"></a>[Pg 208]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="XII">XII</h2> -</div> - -<p class="center">A WAR MESS</p> - - -<p><span class="smcap">More</span> amusement is usually to be derived from the Battery Mess than -from any other side of the not uninteresting life of the campaign. -Let half-a-dozen officers of varying ages, temperaments and ideas be -collected at random from half the civilized globe, and set them down in -a situation where their only relaxation must be found in one another's -company, and watch the result. It can readily be imagined that there -are endless piquant possibilities, a vast field of quiet entertainment -for the student of the lighter side of existence.</p> - -<p>As a rule, for the care of its material side, some heavenborn genius -arises from amongst the ruck of his fellows, whose well-ordered brain -revels in the details of cooks, and ration beef and the most convenient -hour for dinner. Happy is the mess in its possession of him, how -willingly its members<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_209"></a>[Pg 209]</span> forego any say in the matters pertaining to -sustenance, in how docile a spirit do they submit to his autocratic -ruling that marmalade is to be kept for breakfast alone, that lunch -shall consist of bully-beef and cheese! Our own battery was blessed -beyond its fellows in a tyrant of dazzling capabilities, who coaxed -mysterious dishes, of course with the collusion of the mess-cook, from -the most unpromising materials, who fed us bountifully from secret -stores of his own such time as we wandered forlorn over the face of -the land, who allowed no comment upon the quality of the bacon or -the resilience of the bread. We all looked blindly to him for our -daily needs, much as the Children of Israel looked to Moses in the -wilderness, and we were never disappointed. May his memory be for ever -associated with these precious words—he fed us well!</p> - -<p>Mess premises may be divided into two classes, the first being found in -cases where the battery position is in a locality where the inhabitants -are still in occupation of their houses, and consisting of some room -in an <i>estaminet</i> or farmhouse, the second being improvised in a ruin -or dug-out. Both are capable of providing both trouble and comfort, -in both a stern resolution to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_210"></a>[Pg 210]</span> take things cheerfully as they come -results wonderfully quickly in the discovery that one is getting on -very well considering. I have a vivid picture in my memory of a mess -of the first type, once the public room of an <i>estaminet</i>, now given -over for our use. A few chairs and a table furnished it, its doors -opened upon a courtyard of extraordinary capabilities in the way of -mud, wherein stood the battery car, a horse or two, and several fowls, -one or more of which items one invariably fell over in the dark. Next -to the mess-room was the kitchen, of whose stove we had the use, and -wherein perpetually <i>madame</i> and the two mess servants bickered for -space for their culinary operations. And yet perhaps we were even -more comfortable in a home that we made for ourselves in an abandoned -miner's cottage. We glazed the windows, repaired the shell-holes in -the roof, stole doors and a stove, and made the place thoroughly -weatherproof and comfortable. And then, the furnishing and decoration! -No newly-engaged couple, who, if we may believe the posters, spend -their hours of bliss in arguing whether they shall confide their -savings to Messrs. Deal & Glue or to the Houndsditch Furnishing Co., -ever furnished with such<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_211"></a>[Pg 211]</span> a zest as did we. Abandoned villages lay -all around us, ours was the freedom to loot as we would. The only -trouble was that we were by no means the first comers—"our wants -had all been felt, our errors made before"—and it required diligent -search to find anything of any use. Our wheeler mended a broken table, -two triumphant servants struggled in with a gigantic sideboard, the -roofless and abandoned church was raided for cane-seated chairs, -we descended like vultures upon a rival mess when the battery that -owned it, being ordered to another position, abandoned it. Growing -ambitious, we refused to be contented with mere use, our cultivated -taste demanded ornament, decoration of the bare walls, and our craving -was gratified. Out of every house we took the marvellous examples of -the photographer's art that we found there, wonderful enlargements -of the owner, his wife, his children, in their Sunday best, and hung -them indiscriminately, the more prepossessing "on the line," the rest -grouped with artistic abandon. Should their exiled owners ever return -to them, what delight will be theirs to find those two old enemies -Monsieur Malbranque and Madame Rietz hanging lovingly side by<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_212"></a>[Pg 212]</span> side, -or that stern old maid, Mademoiselle Dalbine, surrounded by a group -of miscellaneous children! What litigation may not ensue when Madame -Apelghem finds her mahogany chest-of-drawers in Madame Puchon's cellar, -or Monsieur Verlane his brand-new cooking-stove firmly cemented into -the bedroom of that doubtful lady Ma'm'selle Frisson! With what regret -did we leave this home-like mess to take the road once more, and with -what true instinct did the senior subaltern insist upon the loading -into the last lorry of the best loved of the portraits, so that it -might follow the battery in all its wanderings as a perpetual memory -of happy days! It was a truly fearsome enlargement of a terribly -ugly little girl, her face, with the mouth hanging open, bearing an -expression of acute agony, her hands crossed over the region where the -pain might be expected to be, her toes turned in despondently. "The -Flatulent Child" we christened her, yet perhaps none of us, gazing into -those inexpressive eyes, can fail to remember days whose happiness will -always be a precious memory to us all.</p> - -<p>The food question practically solves itself; rations of surpassing -quality are provided in quantities that tax the keenest appetite<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_213"></a>[Pg 213]</span> -to consume, all that remains is to cook them and to provide such -delicate extras as may be desired. And in that same provision of extras -there lies many a snare. France is not a desert and savage land, as, -judging by the preparations that a conscientious mess secretary makes -before he embarks, one might expect to find it, and nearly everything -that one wants can be obtained in the towns behind the line at very -reasonable prices. We had arranged with a large firm in England to -send us fortnightly supplies, and there our troubles began. The firm -played their part nobly, and beginning with the day we set out upon -our adventures, sent regularly the fortnightly consignments. But heavy -artillery owes no allegiance to division or army corps, but wanders -like some distended bumblebee about the line, sipping honey in the -shape of rations now from this point, now from that, until the Military -Forwarding Officers, the Railway Transport Officers, and all the -host of curiously termed people whose business it is to play trains -in this distracted land, lose all count of the whereabouts of any -particular battery. The result of this to us was that for six weeks -after our arrival in France we heard nothing of our<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_214"></a>[Pg 214]</span> long-expected -delicacies, despite frantic journeys to railhead after railhead, and -piteous applications to supply officers all over the country. By -this time we had learnt that we could get what we wanted close at -hand, and had ceased to worry about them, when one day we received a -message that some stores were awaiting us at a certain station forty -miles away. Seizing a favourable opportunity, we dashed over there in -the battery car and secured the first consignment, and being by that -time fairly well settled, we left instructions for the forwarding of -any subsequent lots that might turn up. Then the accumulation of the -fruitless weeks began to pour in upon us. At every tactical crisis the -ration-lorry would dash up to the battery, amidst a tempest of shot -and shell, and unload numberless cases of things of which we already -had a superfluity. Box after box was dumped upon us, packed tight with -tins of cold and sodden fruit, of strange cereal foods, of desiccated -and strange-tasting soups. Who, in a country where food is treated as -a fine art, would wish to live upon such things? Yet our stern tyrant, -his mind rebelling at the mere thought of waste, ordained that it must<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_215"></a>[Pg 215]</span> -be so, and so it was. Alas, for the flesh-pots of France, the omelettes -and coffee of <i>Madame</i>! How tragic that you must vanish to appear no -more!</p> - -<p>Of sleeping quarters much might be written. What in theory could be -more delightful than to sleep in one's valise in the open air—the -thing is supposed to be waterproof—to wake up fresh in the early -morning and roll on the dewy grass by way of a bath? What indeed? The -romance of the proceeding appeals to the man allured by the specious -prospect of campaigning, and he invariably attempts it for a few -nights, until he grows strangely silent towards bed-time and furtively -steals away to some billet he has found. After that he fluctuates -between spreading his valise in a chicken-run (it was night when we -spread out our valises, and the major's language on discovering in -the morning that he had been trying to hatch out a likely-looking -brood of chickens was, to put it respectfully, bracing) and crawling -luxuriously, in the full glory of pyjamas, between real sheets. The -valise itself is all right, there is nothing more comfortable, the -only trouble is that it is bed and portmanteau combined, so that one's -night's rest is shared by all one's<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_216"></a>[Pg 216]</span> belongings, including one's spare -pair of boots. And I never met a pair of boots in such circumstances -that had not the power of being in several places at once, till one's -valise, whichever way one turned, did not seem to be as closely packed -with boots as a cobbler's shop. I repeat, the valise is all right, -that is if one's servant knows how to fold the blankets in it, and -how to dispose the softer of its contents under one's head. But the -occasional luxury of a real bed is very welcome, only—treat the casual -mattress with caution until you know it thoroughly. If etymology means -in Flanders the study of the language of the trenches, entomology is -likewise the study of a doubtful mattress, and both sciences are often -more extensive than it would appear. Better in most billets is the -bare floor with a valise upon it than the most tempting bed. Usually, -however, one has to use both. For many nights two of us occupied a -room exactly six feet by eight, more than half of which was occupied -by the bed. Our process of turning-in was interesting and extremely -scientific. We had tossed up for the bed, and my friend had won it, so -he retired to rest first. When he was safely in bed, I came in, put -all the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_217"></a>[Pg 217]</span> remaining furniture outside the door, shut it, laid down my -valise, and crawled into it, my head jammed against the door, and my -feet up the stove pipe, like Alice in the house of the White Rabbit. -He slept with his feet out of the window, until early one morning a -passing horse, of inquisitive temperament, seeing the blanket, gave it -a sharp tug. My friend woke up convinced the Huns were upon us.</p> - -<p>My most comfortable nights were spent in a coal cellar, which two of -us had cleared out and adapted to our uses. My stable companion, being -something of a sybarite, looted an iron bedstead on which to spread his -valise—it was a new and improved type, and when extended in all its -glory had a curious canopy of its own, the effect of the whole being -like nothing so much as Noah's Ark. Into this, with much difficulty and -objurgation he would crawl, when the mysterious concern would promptly -convert itself into a portable washingstand or some other fitment of -extreme utility, whence it had to be coaxed into the Ark-like form -again. I, less ambitious, supported a shutter on some bricks, and laid -my very ordinary valise on that. It was far less ostentatious, and I -had fewer adventurous<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_218"></a>[Pg 218]</span> nights. It was cold in that cellar, so we raided -a stove that we lit every evening, finding plenty of broken rafters -in the ruined houses round us to serve for fuel. We shall neither of -us know again such nights as those, lulled to sleep as we were by the -sleepless batteries around us, although in profound peace we might rest -in the most sumptuous bed that Tottenham Court Road ever produced.</p> - -<p>In this ideal spot we had a bathroom with a huge stove in it, on which -to boil many gallons of water in petrol cans, and no luxury could equal -the luxury of those hot baths. There was a tragedy connected with it, -though. One young officer was wallowing in a glorious sea of foaming -lather, when a shell burst a few yards from the door. Not being sure -where and when to expect the next, he dashed as he was through the -battery to his dug-out, the soap-suds flying from him as foam from the -limbs of some swift-footed sea-god. Nor was the major more fortunate. -Condemned to spend many weary days and nights in his O.P., and missing -the bathroom, he constructed one on the same plan, but less the stove, -in the house he used for the purpose. But unfortunately there was -only<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_219"></a>[Pg 219]</span> a wooden partition between him and the enemy, and one day stray -bullets began to come through this with alarming frequency. He, too, -was compelled to beat a hurried retreat.</p> - -<p>Strange, too, are the messes that two or three officers, alone together -on detachment, establish for their own convenience. I know of one in -the dark low hall of an old farmhouse, that is in itself mess-room, -kitchen and sleeping apartment for the servants of the two officers who -lived in the little room opening off it. Life there was very much as we -imagine it in mediæval times, the officers had their meals with their -servants standing behind their chairs—not from a desire for wanton -display, but because there was nowhere else to go—by the light of -two candles and the red glow of the stove in the background. Upon the -oaken beams of the ceiling hung strange shapes that were the implements -of war, looted German rifles and bayonets, haversacks, water-bottles, -binoculars, sextants and other lethal weapons. A dripping oilskin dried -by the fire, the faint smell of warm wet gum-boots mingled with that -of the boiling cabbage. Perhaps the telephone that buzzed incessantly -introduced a modern<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_220"></a>[Pg 220]</span> element, but everything else, seen in the gloom of -the shaded candles, looked ghostly, unreal, a scene from some forgotten -haunt of a robber baron. And the rats ran fearlessly across the floor, -or sat very still in the corners, their fierce eyes shining as the -light caught them. Tea was the meal of the day in that mess, for then -one of the two came in from his observation post at Suicide Corner, -for which he had set out at half-past five in the morning, tired and -hungry, and tea when the light has failed and the rising mist of late -autumn foretells a white frost is a worthy meal. Suicide Corner was -a bleak spot, too, and eight hours in such a place with nothing but -bully-beef sandwiches for lunch gives one an amazing appetite. And if -one's companion is Scotch with an apparently limitless acquaintance who -send him shortbread and oat-cake, then one's cup of delight is full -indeed.</p> - -<p>Suicide Corner is not the name of that cross-roads where the -observation post stands, but, as it stands there still, or part of -it does at all events, its real name is best left unsaid. A feeble -imitator of the immortal "Ruthless Rhymes" in his intervals of -observation produced the following—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_221"></a>[Pg 221]</span></p> - -<p style="margin-left: 25%;"> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">To a cross-roads that I know</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Careful Colonels rarely go.</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">'Tis a pity; if the sniper</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Potted men whose years were riper,</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Our artillery promotion</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Would be quicker, I've a notion!</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>and was wounded in that very spot on the next morning, which possibly -he richly deserved. Yet close by was the Hidden Garden, a little -plot of a few square feet hidden from prying eyes by a thick hedge, -wherein grew chrysanthemums that were a never-failing delight to a -pair of eyes tired of the ugliness of war's destruction, and a bush -of rosemary that smelt of our own West Country. What loving hand had -planted it, and will the owner of that hand return some day to find -all the familiar houses in heaps of blackened ruins, the well-known -trees cut down or mutilated by shell-fire, the peaceful fields furrowed -with long trenches and strewn with fragments of shell? If so, perhaps -the little garden will still show signs of the unknown who, in return -for the beauty with which it gladdened his heart, tore up the weeds -that bid fair to choke it and tended the flowers as best he could. And -perhaps the very hand that planted the flowers will, on a more peaceful -November 1, lay a bunch<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_222"></a>[Pg 222]</span> of them on each of the nameless graves that -lie near by. And perhaps Suicide Corner will again become the centre -of a wayside village, and the troubled air will forget the ceaseless -song of the sniper's bullet and the sharp crack of rifle and roar of -bursting shell. Only the thickly strewn graves will remain, witnesses -that over this quiet spot was once the hunting-ground of Death.</p> - - - - -<p class="center"> -<img src="images/illus1.jpg" alt="pic" /> -</p> - -<p style="margin-top: 5em" class="center"> -<small><span class="smcap">Printed in Great Britain by Richard Clay & Sons, Limited,<br /> -brunswick st., stamford st., s.e., and bungay, suffolk.</span><br /></small> -</p> -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" >WHAT I SAW IN BERLIN</h2> -</div> - -<p>AND OTHER EUROPEAN CAPITALS DURING WAR TIME</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">By</span> "PIERMARINI"</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Crown 8vo. Price 5/-net</span><br /> -</p> - - -<p>This arresting volume contains the impressions produced on the mind -of "a neutral" who at considerable risk has visited Berlin (twice), -Vienna, Constantinople, Pesth, Amsterdam, Brussels, Antwerp, and Paris -on different occasions, after several months of war. It is full of -first-hand information regarding the state of affairs in the capitals -of our foes.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><i>Globe</i>:—"A thoroughly enjoyable book of enormous interest in these -stirring times."</p> - -<p><i>Truth</i>:—"Vivid and interesting."</p> - -<p><i>Sunday Times</i>:—"Piermarini's vivacity of style is as unexceptional -as his daring in action."</p></div> - - -<p><i>AT ALL BOOKSHOPS, BOOKSTALLS AND LIBRARIES</i></p> - - -<p>EVELEIGH NASH COMPANY, LTD.</p> - -<p>36 King Street, Covent Garden, London, W.C.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" >THE DIARY OF AN ENGLISH RESIDENT IN FRANCE</h2> -</div> - -<p>DURING TWENTY-TWO WEEKS OF WAR TIME</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">By</span> ROWLAND STRONG</p> - -<p> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Crown 8vo. Price 6/-net</span><br /> -</p> - - -<p>Mr. Strong is well known as a keen and judicial critic of current -events. Owing to his long residence in France he understands our Ally -thoroughly, and his instructive volume reveals the true soul of the -people in arms. At the same time he criticises freely her failings and -idiosyncrasies.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p><i>Evening Standard</i>:—"Many interesting side-lights on the war are cast -by this wayfarer in France."</p> - -<p><i>Yorkshire Post</i>:—"Can be cordially recommended."</p></div> - - -<p><i>AT ALL BOOKSHOPS, BOOKSTALLS AND LIBRARIES</i></p> - - -<p>EVELEIGH NASH COMPANY, LTD.</p> - -<p>36 King Street, Covent Garden, London, W.C.</p> - -<pre style='margin-top:6em'> -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WITH THE GUNS *** - -This file should be named 63614-h.htm or 63614-h.zip - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/6/1/63614/ - -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. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - 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 will have to check the laws of the country where - you are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - -</pre> -</body> -</html> diff --git a/old/63614-h/images/cover.jpg b/old/63614-h/images/cover.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 0c552d2..0000000 --- a/old/63614-h/images/cover.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/63614-h/images/illus1.jpg b/old/63614-h/images/illus1.jpg Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 932ced6..0000000 --- a/old/63614-h/images/illus1.jpg +++ /dev/null |
