diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/65042-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/65042-0.txt | 11393 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 11393 deletions
diff --git a/old/65042-0.txt b/old/65042-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 15a3f0c..0000000 --- a/old/65042-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11393 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The British Campaign in France and Flanders -1914, by Arthur Conan Doyle - -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: The British Campaign in France and Flanders 1914 - -Author: Arthur Conan Doyle - -Release Date: April 09, 2021 [eBook #65042] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Al Haines - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BRITISH CAMPAIGN IN FRANCE AND -FLANDERS 1914 *** - - - - - THE BRITISH CAMPAIGN - - IN FRANCE AND FLANDERS - - 1914 - - - - BY - - ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE - - AUTHOR OF - "THE GREAT BOER WAR," ETC. - - - - SECOND EDITION - - - - HODDER AND STOUGHTON - LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO - MCMXVI - - - - - TO - GENERAL SIR WILLIAM ROBERTSON - THIS CHRONICLE OF THE GREAT WAR - IN WHICH HE RENDERED - SUCH INVALUABLE SERVICE TO HIS COUNTRY - IS - DEDICATED - - - - -{vii} - -PREFACE - -It is continually stated that it is impossible to bring out at the -present time any accurate history of the war. No doubt this is true -so far as some points of the larger strategy are concerned, for the -motives at the back of them have not yet been cleared up. It is true -also as regards many incidents which have exercised the minds of -statesmen and of many possibilities which have worried the soldiers. -But so far as the actual early events of our own campaign upon the -Continent are concerned there is no reason why the approximate truth -should not now be collected and set forth. I believe that the -narrative in this volume will in the main stand the test of time, and -that the changes of the future will consist of additions rather than -of alterations or subtractions. - -The present volume deals only with the events of 1914 in the British -fighting-line in France and Belgium. A second volume dealing with -1915 will be published within a few months. It is intended that a -third volume, covering the current year, shall carry on this -contemporary narrative of a tremendous episode. - -From the first days of the war I have devoted much of my time to the -accumulation of evidence {viii} from first-hand sources as to the -various happenings of these great days. I have built up my narrative -from letters, diaries, and interviews from the hand or lips of men -who have been soldiers in our armies, the deeds of which it was my -ambition to understand and to chronicle. In many cases I have been -privileged to submit my descriptions of the principal incidents to -prominent actors in them, and to receive their corrections or -endorsement. I can say with certainty, therefore, that a great deal -of this work is not only accurate, but that it is very precisely -correct in its detail. The necessary restrictions which forbade the -mention of numbered units have now been removed, a change made -possible by the very general rearrangements which have recently taken -place. I am able, therefore, to deal freely with my material. As -that material is not always equally full, it may have occasionally -led to a want of proportion, where the brigade occupies a line and -the battalion a paragraph. In extenuation of such faults, and of the -omissions which are unavoidable, I can only plead the difficulty of -the task and throw myself upon the reader's good nature. Some -compensation for such shortcoming may be found in the fact that a -narrative written at the time reflects the warm emotions which these -events aroused amongst us more clearly than the more measured story -of the future historian can do. - -It may seem that the political chapters are somewhat long for a -military work, but the reader will {ix} find that in subsequent -volumes there are no further politics, so that this survey of the -European conditions of 1914 is a lead up to the whole long narrative -of the actual contest. - -I would thank my innumerable correspondents (whom I may not name) for -their very great help. I would also admit the profit which I have -derived from reading Coleman's _Mons to Ypres_, and especially Lord -Ernest Hamilton's _The First Seven Divisions_. These books added -some new facts, and enabled me to check many old ones. Finally, I -desire to thank my friend Mr. P. L. Forbes for his kind and -intelligent assistance in arranging my material. - -ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE. - - WINDLESHAM, CROWBOROUGH, - _October_ 1916. - - - - -CONTENTS - - -CHAPTER I - -THE BREAKING OF THE PEACE - - -CHAPTER II - -THE OPENING OF THE WAR - - -CHAPTER III - -THE BATTLE OF MONS - -The landing of the British in France--The British leaders--The -advance to Mons--The defence of the bridges of Nimy--The holding of -the canal--The fateful telegram--The rearguard actions of Frameries, -Wasmes, and Dour--The charge of the Lancers--The fate of the -Cheshires--The 7th Brigade at Solesmes--The Guards in action--The -Germans' rude awakening--The Connaughts at Pont-sur-Sambre - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE BATTLE OF LE CATEAU - -The order of battle at Le Cateau--The stand of the 2nd -Suffolks--Major Yate's V.C.--The fight for the quarries--The splendid -work of the British guns--Difficult retirement of the Fourth -Division--The fate of the 1st Gordons--Results of the -battle--Exhaustion of the Army--The destruction of the 2nd -Munsters--A cavalry fight--The news in Great Britain--The views of -General Joffre--Battery L--The action of Villars-Cotteret--Reunion of -the Army - - -CHAPTER V - -THE BATTLE OF THE MARNE - -The general situation--"Die grosse Zeit"--The turn of the tide--The -Battle of the Ourcq--The British advance--Cavalry fighting--The 1st -Lincolns and the guns--6th Brigade's action at Hautvesnes--9th -Brigade's capture of Germans at Vinly--The problem of the Aisne--Why -the Marne is one of the great battles of all time - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE BATTLE OF THE AISNE - -The hazardous crossing of the Aisne--Wonderful work of the -sappers--The fight for the sugar factory--General advance of the -Army--The 4th (Guards) Brigade's difficult task--Cavalry as a mobile -reserve--The Sixth Division--Hardships of the Army--German breach of -faith--_Tâtez toujours_--The general position--Attack upon the West -Yorks--Counter-attack by Congreve's 18th Brigade--Rheims -Cathedral--Spies--The siege and fall of Antwerp - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE LA BASSÉE--ARMENTIÈRES OPERATIONS - -The great battle line--Advance of Second Corps--Death of General -Hamilton--The farthest point--Fate of the 2nd Royal Irish--The Third -Corps--Exhausted troops--First fight of Neuve Chapelle--The Indians -take over--The Lancers at Warneton--Pulteney's operations--Action of -Le Gheir - - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE FIRST BATTLE OF YPRES - -The Seventh Division--Its peculiar excellence--Its difficult -position--A deadly ordeal--Desperate attacks on Seventh -Division--Destruction of 2nd Wilts--Hard fight of 20th -Brigade--Arrival of First Corps--Advance of Haig's Corps--Fight of -Pilken Inn--Bravery of enemy--Advance of Second Division--Fight of -Kruiseik cross-roads--Fight of Zandvoorde--Fight of -Gheluvelt--Advance of Worcesters--German recoil--General result--A -great crisis - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE FIRST BATTLE OF YPRES (_continued_) - -Attack upon the cavalry--The struggle at Messines--The London Scots -in action--Rally to the north--Terrible losses--Action of -Zillebeke--Record of the Seventh Division--Situation at Ypres--Attack -of the Prussian Guard--Confused fighting--End of the first Battle of -Ypres--Death of Lord Roberts--The Eighth Division - - -CHAPTER X - -A RETROSPECT AND GENERAL SUMMARY - -Position of Italy--Fall of German colonies--Sea affairs--Our Allies - - -CHAPTER XI - -THE WINTER LULL OF 1914 - -Increase of the Army--Formation of the Fifth Corps--The visit of the -King--Third Division at Petit Bois--The fight at Givenchy--Heavy -losses of the Indians--Fine advance of Manchesters--Advance of the -First Division--Singular scenes at Christmas - - -INDEX - - - - -MAPS AND PLANS - -Map to illustrate the British Campaign in France and Flanders, 1914 - -Position of Second Army Corps at Mons, August 23 - -First Morning of Retreat of Second Army Corps, August 24 - -Sketch of Battle of Le Cateau, August 26 - -Line of Retreat from Mons - -L Battery Action, September 1, 1914 - -British Advance during the Battle of the Marne - -British Advance at the Aisne - -Diagram to illustrate Operations of Smith-Dorrien's Second Corps and -Pulteney's Third Corps from October 11 to October 19, 1914 - -Southern End of British Line - -General View of Seat of Operations - -Line of Seventh Division (Capper) and Third Cavalry Division (Byng) -from October 16 onwards - -General Scene of Operations - -Sketch of Battle of Gheluvelt, October 31 - - - -[Illustration: Map of north-east France and Belgium] - - - - -{1} - -CHAPTER I - -THE BREAKING OF THE PEACE - -In the frank, cynical, and powerful book of General Bernhardi which -has been so often quoted in connection with the war there is one -statement which is both true and important. It is, that no one in -Great Britain thought seriously of a war with Germany before the year -1902. As a German observer he has fixed this date, and a British -commentator who cast back through the history of the past would -surely endorse it. Here, then, is a point of common agreement from -which one can construct a scheme of thought. - -Why then should the British people in the year 1902 begin to -seriously contemplate the possibility of a war with Germany? It -might be argued by a German apologist that this date marks an -appreciation by Great Britain that Germany was a great trade rival -who might with advantage be crushed. But the facts would not sustain -such a conclusion. The growth of German trade and of German wealth -was a phenomenon with which the British were familiar. It had been -constant since the days when Bismarck changed the policy of his -country from free trade to protection, and it had competed for twenty -years without the idea of war having entered British {2} minds. On -the contrary, the prevailing economic philosophy in Great Britain -was, that trade reacts upon trade, and that the successful rival -becomes always the best customer. It is true that manufacturers -expressed occasional irritation at the methods of German commerce, -such as the imitation of British trade-marks and shoddy reproductions -of British products. The Fatherland can produce both the best and -the worst, and the latter either undersold us or forced down our own -standards. But apart from this natural annoyance, the growing trade -of Germany produced no hostility in Great Britain which could -conceivably have led to an armed conflict. Up to the year 1896 there -was a great deal of sympathy and of respect in Great Britain for the -German Empire. It was felt that of all Continental Powers she was -the one which was most nearly allied to Britain in blood, religion, -and character. The fact that in 1890 Lord Salisbury deliberately -handed over to Germany Heligoland--an island which blockaded her -chief commercial port and the harbour of her warships--must show once -for all how entirely Germany lay outside of any possible -world-struggle which could at that time be foreseen. France has -always had its warm partisans in this country, but none the less it -can most truthfully be said that during all the years that Britain -remained in political isolation she would, had she been forced to -take sides, have assuredly chosen to stand by the Triple Alliance. -It is hard now to recall those days of French pinpricks and of the -evil effects which they produced. Germany's foreign policy is her -own affair, and the German people are the judges of those who control -it, but to us it must appear absolutely {3} demented in taking a line -which has driven this great world-power away from her side--or, -putting it at its lowest, away from an absolute neutrality, and into -the ranks of her enemies. - -In 1896 there came the first serious chill in the relations between -the two countries. It arose from the famous telegram to Kruger at -the time of the Jameson Raid--a telegram which bore the name of the -Kaiser, but which is understood to have been drafted by Baron -Marschall von Bieberstein. Whoever was responsible for it did his -country a poor service, for British feelings were deeply hurt at such -an intrusion into a matter which bore no direct relation to Germany. -Britons had put themselves thoroughly in the wrong. Britain admitted -and deplored it. Public opinion was the more sensitive to outside -interference, and the telegram of congratulation from the Emperor to -Kruger was felt to be an uncalled-for impertinence. The matter -passed, however, and would have been forgiven and forgotten but for -the virulent agitation conducted against us in Germany during the -Boer War--an agitation which, it is only fair to say, appeared to -receive no support from the Kaiser himself, who twice visited England -during the course of the struggle. It could not be forgotten, -however, that Von Bülow, the Chancellor, assumed an offensive -attitude in some of his speeches, that the very idea of an -Anglo-German Alliance put forward by Chamberlain in 1900 was scouted -by the German Press, and that in the whole country there was hardly a -paper which did not join in a chorus of unreasoned hatred and calumny -against ourselves, our policy, and our arms. The incident was a -perfectly astounding revelation to the British, {4} who looked back -at the alliance between the two countries, and had imagined that the -traditions of such battles as Minden or Dettingen, where British -blood had been freely shed in Prussia's quarrel, really stood for -something in their present relations. Britons were absolutely -unconscious of anything which had occurred to alter the bonds which -history had formed. It was clear, once for all, that this was mere -self-deception, and as the British are a practical race, who are more -concerned with what is than why it is, they resigned themselves to -the situation and adjusted their thoughts to this new phase of their -relations. - -But soon a new phenomenon engaged their attention. They had already -realised that the Germans, for some motive which appeared to them to -be entirely inadequate, were filled with hatred, and would do the -British Empire an injury if they had the power. Hitherto, they had -never had the power. But now it was evident that they were forging a -weapon which might enable them to gratify their malevolence. In 1900 -was passed the famous German law regulating the increase of their -navy. The British, preoccupied by their South African War, took no -great notice of it at the time, but from 1902 onwards it engaged -their attention to an ever-increasing degree. The original law was -ambitious and far-reaching, but it was subjected to several -modifications, each of which made it more formidable. By a system as -inexorable as Fate, year after year added to the force which was -being prepared at Wilhelmshaven and at Kiel--a force entirely out of -proportion to the amount of German commerce to be defended or of -German coast-line to be protected. The greatest army in the world -was rapidly being supplemented by a fleet {5} which would be -dangerously near, both in numbers and quality, to our own. The -British Admiralty, more influenced by party politics than the German, -showed at times commendable activity, and at other periods -inexcusable indifference. On the whole, it was well ahead in its -building programmes, for a wide circle of the public had become -thoroughly awakened to the danger, and kept up a continual and most -justifiable agitation for a broader margin of safety. Fortunately, -the two final rulers of the Navy--McKenna and Churchill--rose to -their responsibilities, and, in spite of a clamour from a section of -their own party, insisted upon an adequate preponderance of naval -construction. A deep debt of gratitude is owed also to the action of -Lord Fisher, who saw the danger afar off and used all his remarkable -powers of organisation and initiative to ensure that his country -should be ready for the approaching struggle. - -Great Britain, being much exercised in mind by the menacing tone of -Germany, expressed not only in her great and rapid naval -preparations, but in an astonishing outburst of minatory speeches and -literature from professors, journalists, and other leaders of the -people, began from 1902 onwards to look round her for allies. Had -she continued to remain isolated, some turn of the political wheel -might have exposed her to a Continental coalition under the -leadership and inspiration of this bitter enemy. But for the threats -of Germany, Britain would in all probability have been able to keep -aloof from entanglements, but as it was, the enemies of her enemy -became of necessity her friends. In an attempt to preserve her -independence of action so far as was still possible, she refused to -form an alliance, and only committed {6} herself in a vague fashion -to an ill-defined _entente_. By settling several outstanding causes -of friction with France, an agreement was come to in the year 1903 -which was extended to Russia in 1907. The general purport of such an -arrangement was, that the sympathies of Great Britain were with the -Dual Alliance, and that these sympathies would be translated into -action if events seemed to warrant it. An aggressive policy on the -part of France or Russia would be absolutely discountenanced by -Britain, but if France were attacked Britain would pledge herself to -do her utmost to prevent her from being overwhelmed. It was -recognised that a victorious Germany would constitute a serious -menace to the British Empire--a fact which neither the Pan-German -fanatics nor the German national Press would ever permit us to -forget. In this policy of insuring against a German attack King -Edward VII. took a deep interest, and the policy is itself attributed -to him in Germany, but as a matter of fact it represented the only -sane course of action which was open to the nation. Germans are fond -of representing King Edward's action as the cause of subsequent -events, whereas a wider knowledge would show them that it was really -the effect of five years of German irritation and menace. This, -then, was the political situation up to the time of the actual -outbreak of war. Upon the one side were the German and Austrian -Empires in a solid alliance, while Italy was nominally allied, but -obviously moved upon an orbit of her own. On the other hand, Russia -and France were solidly allied, with Britain moving upon an -independent orbit which had more relation with that of her friends -than Italy's with that of Central Europe. It might clearly {7} have -been foreseen that Britain's fate would be that of France, while -Italy would break away under any severe test, for a number of open -questions divided her vitally from her secular enemy to the -north-east, The whole story of the campaign of Tripoli in 1911 showed -very clearly how independent, and even antagonistic, were the -interests and actions of Italy. - -Germany, in the meanwhile, viewed with considerable annoyance the -formation of the elastic but very real ties which united France and -Britain, while she did not cease to continue the course of action -which had encouraged them. It had been one of the axioms of -Wilhelmstrasse that whilst the British occupied Egypt, no friendship -was possible between them and the French. Even now they were -incredulous that such a thing could be, and they subjected it to a -succession of tests. They desired to see whether the friendship was -a reality, or whether it was only for fair-weather use and would fly -to pieces before the stress of storm. Twice they tried it, once in -1905 when they drove France into a conference at Algeciras, and again -in 1911, when in a time of profound peace they stirred up trouble by -sending a gunboat to Agadir in south-western Morocco, an event which -brought Europe to the very edge of war. In each case the _entente_ -remained so close and firm that it is difficult to imagine that they -were really surprised by our actions in 1914, when the enormous -provocation of the breach of the Belgian treaty was added to our -promise to stand by France in any trouble not of her own making. - -Allusion has been made to the campaign of threats and abuse which had -been going on for many years in Germany, but the matter is of such -importance in its {8} bearing upon the outbreak of war that it -requires some fuller discussion. For a long period before matters -became acute between the two countries, a number of writers, of whom -Nietzsche and Treitschke are the best known, had inoculated the -German spirit with a most mischievous philosophy, which grew the more -rapidly as it was dropped into the favourable soil of Prussian -militarism. Nietzsche's doctrines were a mere general defence of -might as against right, and of violent brutality against everything -which we associate with Christianity and Civilisation. The whooping -savage bulked larger in this perverted philosophy than the saint or -the martyr. His views, however, though congenial to a certain class -of the German people, had no special international significance. The -typical brute whom he exalted was blonde, but a brute of any other -tint would presumably suffice. It was different in the case of -Treitschke. He was a historian, not a philosopher, with nothing -indefinite or abstract about his teaching. He used his high position -as Professor in the Berlin University to preach the most ardent -Chauvinism, and above all to teach the rising generation of Germans -that their special task was to have a reckoning with England and to -destroy the British Empire, which for some reason he imagined to be -degenerate and corrupt. He has passed away before he could see the -ruin which he helped to bring about, for there is no doubt that his -deeds lived after him, and that he is one of half a dozen men who -were prominent in guiding their country along the path which has -ended in the abyss. Scores of other lesser writers repeated and -exaggerated his message. Prominent among these was General von -Bernhardi, a man of high standing and a very {9} great authority upon -theoretical warfare. In the volume on _Germany and the Next War_, -which has been already quoted, he declared in the year 1911 that -Germany should and would do exactly what it has done in 1914. Her -antagonists, her allies, and her general strategy are all set forth -with a precision which shows that German thinkers had entirely made -up their minds as to the course of events, and that the particular -pretext upon which war would be waged was a matter of secondary -importance. These and similar sentiments naturally increased the -uneasiness and resentment in Great Britain, where the taxation had -risen constantly in the endeavour to keep pace with German -preparations, until it was generally felt that such a state of things -could not continue without some crisis being reached. The cloud was -so heavy that it must either pass or burst. - -The situation had been aggravated by the fact that in order to win -popular assent to the various increases of the naval estimates in -Germany, constantly recurring anti-British agitations were -deliberately raised with alarms of an impending attack. As Britain -had never thought of attacking Germany during the long years when she -had been almost defenceless at sea, it was difficult to perceive why -she should do so now; but none the less the public and the -politicians were gulled again and again by this device, which, while -it achieved its purpose of obtaining the money, produced a -corresponding resentment in Great Britain. Sometimes these -manoeuvres to excite public opinion in favour of an increased navy -went to extreme lengths which might well have justified an official -remonstrance from England. A flagrant example was the arrest, trial, -and condemnation of Captain Stewart {10} for espionage upon the -evidence of a suborned and perjured criminal. It is a story which is -little to the credit of the Imperial Government, of the High Court at -Leipzig, or of the British authorities who failed to protect their -fellow-countryman from most outrageous treatment. - -So much for the causes which helped to produce an evil atmosphere -between the two countries. Looking at the matter from the German -point of view, there were some root-causes out of which this -monstrous growth had come, and it is only fair that these should be -acknowledged and recorded. These causes can all be traced to the -fact that Britain stood between Germany and that world-empire of -which she dreamed. This depended upon circumstances over which this -country had no control, and which she could not modify if she had -wished to do so. Britain, through her maritime power and through the -energy of her merchants, had become a great world-power when Germany -was still a collection of petty States. When Germany became a -powerful Empire with a rising population and an immense commerce, she -found that the choice places of the world, and those most fitted for -the spread of a transplanted European race, were already filled up. -It was not a matter which Britain could help, nor could she alter it, -since Canada, Australasia, and South Africa would not, even if she -had desired it, be transferred to German rule. And yet it formed a -national grievance, and if we can put ourselves in the place of the -Germans we may admit that it was galling that the surplus of their -manhood should go to build up the strength of an alien and possibly a -hostile State. To this point we could fully see that grievance--or -rather that misfortune, since {11} no one was in truth to blame in -the matter. It was forgotten by their people that the Colonial -Empire of the British and of the French had been built up by much -outlay of blood and treasure, extending over three centuries. -Germany had existed as a united State for less than half a century, -and already during that time had built up a very considerable oversea -dominion. It was unreasonable to suppose that she could at once -attain the same position as her fully grown rivals. - -Thus this German discontent was based upon fixed factors which could -no more be changed by Britain than the geographical position which -has laid her right across the German exit to the oceans of the world. -That this deeply rooted national sentiment, which for ever regarded -Britain as the Carthage to which they were destined to play the part -of Rome, would sooner or later have brought about war, is beyond all -doubt. There are a score of considerations which show that a -European war had long been planned, and that finally the very date, -determined by the completion of the broadened Kiel Canal, had been -approximately fixed. The importations of corn, the secret -preparations of giant guns, the formations of concrete gun-platforms, -the early distribution of mobilisation papers, the sending out of -guns for auxiliary cruisers, the arming of the German colonies, all -point to a predetermined rupture. If it could not be effected on one -pretext, it certainly would on another. As a matter of fact, an -occasion was furnished by means which have not yet been fully cleared -up. It was one which admirably suited the German book, since it -enabled her to make her ally the apparent protagonist and so secure -her fidelity to the {12} bond. At the same time, by making the cause -of quarrel one which affected only the Slavonic races, she hoped to -discourage and detach the more liberal Western Powers and so divide -the ranks of the Allies from the outset. It is possible, though not -certain, that she might have effected this in the case of Great -Britain, but for her own stupendous blunder in the infraction of -Belgian neutrality, which left us a united nation in our agreement as -to the necessity of war. - -The political balance of the Great Powers of Europe is so delicately -adjusted that any weakening of one means a general oscillation of -all. The losses of Russia in a sterile campaign in East Asia in 1904 -disturbed the whole peace of the world. Germany took advantage of it -at once to bully France over Morocco; and in 1908, judging correctly -that Russia was still unfit for war, Austria, with the connivance and -help of Germany, tore up the Treaty of Berlin without reference to -its other signatories, and annexed the provinces of Bosnia and -Herzegovina. Russia immediately issued a futile protest, as did -Great Britain, but the latter had no material interest at stake. It -was otherwise with Russia. She was the hereditary guardian of Slav -interests which were directly attacked by this incorporation of an -unwilling Slav population into the Austrian Empire. Unable for the -moment to prevent it, she waited in silent wrath for the chance of -the future, humiliated and exasperated by the knowledge that she had -been bullied at the moment of her temporary weakness. So great had -been the indignity that it was evident that were she to tolerate a -second one it would mean the complete abandonment of her leadership -of the race. - -On June 28, 1914, the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, {13} heir to the -throne of the Austrian Empire, made a state visit to Sarajevo in the -newly annexed provinces. Here he was assassinated, together with his -wife. The immediate criminals were two youths named Princip and -Cabrinovic, but what exact forces were at the back of them, or -whether they merely represented local discontent, have never yet been -clearly shown. Austria was, however, naturally incensed against -Serbia, which was looked upon as the centre of all aggressive -Slavonic action. Politics take fantastic shapes in this -south-eastern corner of Europe, and murder, abduction, forgery, and -perjury are weapons which in the past have been freely used by all -parties. The provocation in this instance was so immense and the -crime so monstrous that had it been established after trustworthy -examination that Serbia had indeed been directly connected with it, -there is no doubt that the whole of Europe, including Russia, would -have acquiesced in any reasonable punishment which could be -inflicted. Certainly the public opinion of Great Britain would have -been unanimous in keeping clear of any quarrel which seemed to uphold -the criminals. - -Austria seems to have instantly made up her mind to push the matter -to an extreme conclusion, as is shown by the fact that mobilisation -papers were received by Austrians abroad, bearing the date June 30, -so that they were issued within two days of the crime. An inquiry -was held in connection with the trial of the assassins, which was -reported to have implicated individual Serbians in the murder plot, -but no charge was made against the Serbian Government. Had Austria -now demanded the immediate trial and punishment of these accomplices, -she would {14} once again have had the sympathy of the civilised -world. Her actual action was far more drastic, and gave impartial -observers the conviction that she was endeavouring not to obtain -reparation but to ensure war. It is inconceivable that so important -a document as her ultimatum was launched without the approval of -Berlin, and we have already seen that Germany was in a mood for war. -The German newspapers, even before the Austrian demands were made, -had begun to insist that in view of the distracted domestic politics -of Great Britain, and of the declaration by M. Humbert in the French -Senate that the army was unprepared, the hour for definite -settlements had arrived. - -The Austrian ultimatum was such a demand as one nation has never yet -addressed to another. Indeed, it could hardly be said that Serbia -would remain a nation if she submitted to it. Some clauses, though -severe, were within the bounds of reason. That papers should not be -allowed to incite hatred, and that secret societies which were -supposed to be connected with the crime should be forcibly -suppressed, were not unfair demands. So, too, that all accessories -to the plot, some of whom are mentioned by name, should be tried, and -that certain measures to prevent a possible recurrence of such plots -should be adopted. All these demands might be justified, and each of -them was, as a matter of fact, accepted by Serbia. The impossible -conditions were that Austrian judges should sit in Serbia upon -political cases and that delegates of Austria should have partial -administrative control in the neighbouring kingdom. Even these -outrageous demands were not rejected absolutely by the Serbian -Government, though it {15} proclaimed itself to be unable to accept -them in the crude form in which they were presented. A humble and -conciliatory reply concluded with an expression of the desire to -submit any point still open to impartial arbitration. The Austrian -Government--or the forces behind it--appeared, however, to have no -desire at all to find a peaceful solution. So precipitate were they -in their action, that on the receipt of the Serbian reply, in less -than an hour the Austrian Minister had left Belgrade, and a -diplomatic rupture, the immediate prelude to war, had taken place -between the two countries. So far only two figures were on the -stage, but already vast shadows were looming in the wings, and all -the world was hushed at the presentiment of coming tragedy. - -It has been shown that Russia, the elder brother of the Slav races, -had once already been humiliated over Austrian policy and could not -be indifferent to this new attempt to coerce a Slavonic people. The -King of Serbia in his sore need appealed to the Czar and received a -sympathetic reply. A moderate castigation of Serbia might have been -condoned by Russia, but she could not contemplate unmoved a course of -action which would practically destroy a kindred State. The Austrian -army was already mobilising, so Russia also began to mobilise in the -south. Events crowded rapidly upon each other. On July 28 came the -declaration of war from Austria to Serbia. Three days later--days -which were employed by Great Britain in making every possible effort -to prevent the extension of the mischief--Germany as Austria's ally -declared war upon Russia. Two days later Germany declared war upon -France. The current ran swiftly as it drew nearer to Niagara. - -{16} - -The scope of this chronicle is more immediately concerned with the -doings of Great Britain in this sudden and frightful misfortune which -had fallen upon Europe. Her peaceful efforts were thrust aside, for -she was dealing with those who had predetermined that there should be -no peace. Even Austria, the prime mover in discord, had shown -herself inclined to treat at the last moment, but Germany had -hastened her onwards by a sudden ultimatum to Russia. From that -instant the die was cast. The attitude of France was never in doubt. -She was taken at a disadvantage, for her President was abroad when -the crisis broke out, but the most chivalrous of nations could be -relied upon to fulfil her obligations. She took her stand at once by -the side of her ally. The one all-important question upon which the -history of the world would depend, as so often before, was the action -of Great Britain. - -Sir Edward Grey had proposed a conference of ambassadors to deal with -the situation, a suggestion which was set aside by Germany. So long -as the matter was purely Balkan it was outside the sphere of special -British interests, but day by day it was becoming more clear that -France would be involved, and a large party in Great Britain held -that it would be impossible for us to stand by and witness any -further dismembering of our neighbour. Thus the shadow which had -settled so heavily upon the south-east of Europe was creeping across -from east to west until it was already darkening the future of -Britain. It was obviously the German game, whatever her ultimate -designs might be upon the British Empire, to endeavour to keep it -peaceful until she had disposed of her Continental opponents. For -this reason a {17} strong bid was made for British neutrality upon -July 29, through the Ambassador at Berlin, Sir Edward Goschen. In an -official conversation the German Chancellor, Bethmann-Hollweg, -declared that Germany was ready to pledge herself to take no -territory from France in case of victory. He would make no promise -as regards the French colonies, nor was anything said as to the -French Fleet, nor as to the gigantic indemnity which was already -discussed in some of the German papers. In a word, the proposition -was that Great Britain was to abandon her friend at the hour of her -need on condition that she should be robbed but not mutilated. -Subsequent experience of German promises may lead us to doubt, -however, whether they would really have insured France against the -worst that the victor could inflict. - -Sir Edward Grey answered with as much warmth as the iced language of -diplomacy will permit. His dispatch of July 30 begins as follows: - -"His Majesty's Government cannot for a moment entertain the -Chancellor's proposal that they should bind themselves to neutrality -on such terms. - -"What he asks us in effect is, to engage to stand by while French -colonies are taken and France is beaten so long as Germany does not -take French territory as distinct from the colonies. - -"From the material point of view such a proposal is unacceptable, for -France, without further territory in Europe being taken from her, -could be so crushed as to lose her position as a great Power, and -become subordinate to German policy. - -"Altogether apart from that, it would be a disgrace for us to make -this bargain with Germany {18} at the expense of France, a disgrace -from which the good name of this country would never recover." - -At a subsequent period the Premier, Mr. Asquith, voiced the sentiment -of the whole nation when he declared that the proposal was infamous. - -The immediate concern of the British Government was to ascertain the -views of the rival Powers upon the question of Belgian neutrality, -which had been solemnly guaranteed by France, Prussia, and ourselves. -How faithfully this guarantee had been observed by France in the past -is shown by the fact that even when an infraction of the frontier at -Sedan in 1870 would have saved the French Army from total -destruction, it had not been attempted. There were signs in advance, -however, that Germany proposed to turn the French defences by -marching through Belgium. The arrangement of the new German -strategic railways upon the frontier all pointed to such a plan. It -was evident that such an action must at once bring Britain into the -struggle, since it is difficult to see how she could ever hold up her -head again if, after promising protection to a smaller nation, she -broke her bond at the moment of danger. The French, too, who had -left their northern frontier comparatively unfortified in reliance -upon the integrity of Belgium, would have rightly felt that they had -been betrayed by Britain if they suffered now through their -confidence in the British guarantee. The Balkans were nothing to -Great Britain, but she had more than her interests, she had her -national honour at stake upon the Belgian frontier. - -On July 31 the British Government asked France and Germany whether -they were still prepared to stand by their pledge. France answered -promptly {19} that she was, and added that she had withdrawn her -armies ten kilometres from the frontier, so as to prove to the world -that her position was defensive only. From Germany there came an -ominous silence. Meanwhile, in Brussels the German representative, -Herr von Below-Saleske, was assuring the Belgian Government that -nothing was further from the intention of Germany than an infraction -of the frontier. These assurances were continued almost to the -moment of the arrival of German troops in Belgium, and give one more -instance of the absolute want of truth and honour which from the days -of Frederick the Great has been the outstanding characteristic of -German diplomacy. Just as the Seven Years' War was begun by an -attack upon an ally in times of peace, so her last two campaigns have -been opened, the one by the doctored telegram of Ems, and the other -by the perfidy to Belgium, which is none the less shameful because it -has been publicly admitted by the Chancellor. - -Another incident of these crowded days deserves some record, as it -has been quoted in Germany as an instance of Great Britain having -stood in the way of a localisation of the war. This impression is -produced by suppressing a telegram in which it is shown that the -whole episode arose from a mistake upon the part of Prince -Lichnowsky, the German Ambassador. On August 1 Sir Edward Grey, -still feeling round for some way in which the evil might be -minimised, suggested through the telephone to Prince Lichnowsky that -if both Germany and France could see their way to stand out, the -conflict would then be limited to Austria and Russia. This practical -and possible suggestion was transmitted to Berlin in {20} the absurd -form that Britain would hold France out of the war, while Russia -would be abandoned to Germany and Austria. The Kaiser lost no time -in assenting to so delightful a proposal. It was at once pointed out -to Prince Lichnowsky that he had made a mistake, and the Prince -telegraphed to Berlin a correction of his previous message. This -second telegram was suppressed by the German Government, while, some -weeks afterwards, they published the inaccurate dispatch in order to -give the world the impression that Britain had actually made a move -towards peace which had been withdrawn when it was found that it was -eagerly welcomed by Germany. The very idea that Britain could in any -way pledge the actions of France is grotesque upon the face of it. -Whilst making this false suggestion as to the action of Britain, the -German Government carefully concealed the fact that Sir Edward Grey -had actually gone the extreme length in the interests of peace, of -promising that we should detach ourselves from our Allies if a -conference were held and their unreasonable attitude was an obstacle -to an agreement. - -Whether, if Belgian neutrality had been honoured, Great Britain would -or would not have come into the war is an academic question which can -never be decided. Certainly she would never have come in as a united -nation, for public opinion was deeply divided upon the point, and the -Cabinet is understood to have been at variance. Only one thing could -have closed the ranks and sent the British Empire with absolute -unanimity into the fight. This was the one thing which Germany did. -However great her military power may be, it seems certain that her -diplomatic affairs were grievously mismanaged, and {21} that, in -spite of that cloud of spies who have been the precursors of her -Uhlans in each of her campaigns, she was singularly ill-informed as -to the sentiments of foreign nations. The columns of a single honest -British paper would have told her more of the true views and spirit -of the nation than all the eavesdroppers of her famous secret service. - -We now come to the critical instant as regards Britain, leading to a -succession of incidents in Berlin so admirably described in Sir -Edward Goschen's classical report that it seems a profanation to -condense it. Having received no reply to their request for a -definite assurance about Belgium, the British Government instructed -their Ambassador to ask for an immediate answer upon August 4. The -startling reply from Von Jagow, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, was -that the German troops had actually crossed the frontier. With a -cynical frankness the German statesman explained that it was a matter -of life or death to the Imperial Army to get their blow in quickly by -the undefended route. In answer to the shocked remonstrance of the -British Ambassador, he could only assert that it was now too late to -reconsider the matter. About seven in the evening Sir Edward Goschen -conveyed an ultimatum upon the subject to the German Government, -declaring war unless by midnight a more satisfactory answer could be -given. - -From Herr von Jagow the Ambassador passed to the Chancellor, whom he -found much agitated. He broke into a harangue in which he used the -phrase, now become historic, that he could not understand the British -Government making such a fuss about a mere scrap of paper, and -declared that a breach of {22} territorial neutrality was a matter of -no great consequence. A recollection of the history of his own -country would none the less have reminded him that it was precisely -on account of an infringement of their frontier by the troops of -Napoleon that Prussia had entered upon the ill-fated war of 1806. He -continued by saying that he held Great Britain responsible for all -the terrible events which might happen. Sir Edward pointed out that -it was a matter of necessity that Great Britain should keep her -engagements, and added with dignity that fear of the consequences -could hardly be accepted as a valid reason for breaking them. - -Such in brief was the momentous interview which determined the -question of peace or war between these two great Empires. Sir Edward -immediately forwarded a telegraphic summary of what had occurred to -London, but this telegram was never forwarded by the Berlin -authorities--one more of those actions for which the word "caddish" -is the most appropriate British adjective. Throughout all our German -experiences both before the war and during it, we have always found -our rivals to be formidable; they have usually proved themselves to -be both brave and energetic; but hardly ever have we recognised them -as gentlemen. Three centuries ago the leading nations of Europe had -attained something subtle and gracious which is still denied to the -Germans. - -The populace of Berlin hastened to show these same unamiable -characteristics. Whereas the retiring Ambassadors in London, Paris, -and also in Vienna, met with courteous treatment, the German mob -surrounded the British Embassy and hurled {23} vituperations, and -finally stones, at its occupants. Defenceless people were hustled, -assaulted, and arrested in the streets. A day or two previously the -Russian Embassy had been brutally insulted by the populace upon its -departure--a fact which produced some regrettable, but very natural, -reprisals in Petrograd, to use the new name for the Russian capital. -The French Ambassador and his suite had also been very badly treated -in their journey to the Dutch frontier. Thus it was shocking, but -not surprising, to find that the Berlin mob indulged in excesses -towards the British representatives, and that shameful scenes marked -the final hours of Sir Edward Goschen's official duties. Truly, as -Herr von Jagow admitted, such incidents leave an indelible stain upon -the reputation of Berlin. It is pleasant to be able to add that Von -Jagow himself behaved with propriety, and did what he could to -mitigate the violence of the populace. - -It is difficult for us to imagine how any German could possibly for -an instant have imagined that Great Britain would stand by in silent -acquiescence while the little country which she had sworn to protect -was overrun by German troops; but that such a delusion existed is -shown not only by the consternation of the Chancellor at Sir Edward's -message, but also by the extreme irritation of the Emperor. What -part Emperor William had played in the events which led up to the war -may possibly remain for ever the subject of debate. There are those -who argue that the Crown Prince and the military party had taken -advantage of his absence on one of his Norwegian tours, and had -hurried matters into such an impasse that he was unable to get them -back to more peaceful {24} lines. One would wish to think that this -were true, and there is evidence that on previous occasions his -influence has been exerted upon the side of peace to an extent which -was unwelcome to many of his own subjects. On the other hand, it is -very difficult to believe that such a situation, led up to by many -preparatory steps which included the _fons et origo mali_, the -provocative and impossible Austrian ultimatum, could have been -arranged without the assent of a man who has notoriously continually -interfered directly in all large, and many small, transactions of -state. However this may be, it is beyond dispute that the action of -Great Britain deprived him for the instant of his usual dignity and -courtesy, and he dispatched a verbal message by one of his -aides-de-camp in the following terms: - -"The Emperor has charged me to express to your Excellency his regret -for the occurrences of last night, but to tell you at the same time -that you will gather from those occurrences an idea of the feelings -of his people respecting the action of Great Britain in joining with -other nations against her old allies of Waterloo. His Majesty also -begs that you will tell the King that he has been proud of the titles -of British Field-Marshal and British Admiral, but that in consequence -of what has occurred he must now at once divest himself of those -titles." - -The Ambassador adds feelingly that this message lost nothing of its -acerbity by the manner of its delivery. Some artist of the future -will do justice to the scene where the benign and dignified old -diplomatist sat listening to the rasping utterances of the insolent -young Prussian soldier. The actual departure of the Embassy was -effected without {25} molestation, thanks once more to the good -offices of Herr von Jagow. On the same day, in the presence of a -large but silent crowd, the German Ambassador left London and -embarked for home in a vessel placed at his disposal by the British -Government. His voyage back, _via_ Flushing, was safely -accomplished, but it is worth recording that it was only the warning -from a British warship which prevented him and his staff from being -blown up by the mines which had already, within a few hours of the -outbreak of hostilities, been strewn thickly by his countrymen in the -path of neutral shipping across the highway of commerce in the North -Sea. Should our kinsmen of America ever find themselves in our -place, let them remember that it is "all in" from the beginning with -the Germans. - -Let America also remember our experience that no pupil can go to a -German school, no scholar to a German university, and no invalid to a -German health-resort, without the chance of some sudden turn of -politics leaving them as prisoners in the country. Even the elderly -heart patients at Nauheim were detained by the German authorities. -An old admiral among them, Admiral Neeld, made a direct appeal as -sailor to sailor to Prince Henry of Prussia, and was answered by the -proverb that "War is war." Our contention is that such actions are -_not_ war, and that their perpetration will never be forgotten or -forgiven by the nations of the world, who can have no security that -when their subjects pass the German frontier they will ever get clear -again. Such practices are, of course, entirely distinct from that of -interning reservists or males of fighting age, which was freely done -by the Allies. It is only fair to say that after {26} a long delay -there was a release of schoolgirls, and afterwards one of doctors, by -the Germans, but many harmless travellers, students, and others were -held for a long period of the war at a time when tens of thousands of -Germans were free in Great Britain. - -By a gross perversion of facts German publicists have endeavoured to -show that Great Britain was to blame for the final rupture. The -pretence is too absurd to deceive any one, and one can hardly think -that they believe it themselves. One has only to ask what had Great -Britain to do with the death of the Heir Apparent of Austria, with -the sending of the fatal ultimatum, with the declaration of war -against Russia and France, or, finally, with the infraction of the -Belgian frontier? She had nothing to do with any one of these -things, which all, save the first, emanated from Vienna or Berlin, -and were the obvious causes of the war. Britain was only involved -because she remained true to her solemn contract, a breach of which -would have left her dishonoured. It is mere effrontery to pretend -that she desired war, or that she left anything undone which could -have prevented it. We lay our record with confidence before foreign -nations and posterity. We have nothing to conceal and nothing to -regret. - -On the other hand, supposing that one were to grant the whole of the -German contention, suppose one were to admit that Germany did not -know of the terms of the Austrian ultimatum or foresee its effect -upon the other nations of Europe, that she took her stand by the side -of Austria purely out of motives of chivalrous loyalty to an ally, -and that she was forced, by so doing, to find herself at variance -with Russia and France--suppose so inconceivable a hypothesis {27} as -this, even then it cannot in any way condone the admitted wrong which -Germany did in invading Belgium, nor does it show any possible cause -why, because Germany was false to her word in this matter, Britain -should be so also. This point is so unanswerable that the only -defence, if it can be called a defence, which Germany has ever put -forward is, that if she had not infringed Belgian neutrality, -somebody else would have done so. Not one shadow of evidence has -ever been put forward to justify so monstrous an assertion, which is -certainly not endorsed by the Belgians themselves. - -In this connection one may allude to the so-called secret military -engagements which were found and published by the Germans at Brussels -and which were supposed to show that Great Britain herself -contemplated the infraction of Belgian neutrality. One can only -realise how bankrupt is Germany of all reason and argument when one -considers such a contention as this. For years the German threats -had been obvious to all the world. They had brought their strategic -railways to the frontier of Belgium, and erected their standing camps -there. Naturally Belgium was alarmed at such preparations and took -counsel with Great Britain how her pledge should be redeemed and how -her soil could be defended in case Germany proved perfidious. It was -a simple military precaution which involved not the breach of a -treaty but the fulfilment of one--not the invasion of Belgium but its -protection after it was invaded. Each successive so-called -"revelation" about the actions of Great Britain has only proved once -more that-- - - "Whatever record leaps to light - She never shall be shamed." - - -{28} - -These attempts to confuse the issue irresistibly recall the message -of Frederic to Podowils when he was about to seize Silesia even as -William seized Belgium. "The question of right," he said, "is the -affair of ministers. It is your affair. It is time to work at it in -secret, for the orders to the troops are given." March first and -find some justification later. - -Germany would have stood higher in the world's esteem and in the -estimate of history if, instead of playing in most grotesque fashion -the wolf to the lamb, and accusing her unprepared and distracted -neighbours of making a surprise attack upon her at the moment when -she was at the height of her preparations, she had boldly stated her -true position. Her dignity and frankness would have been undeniable -if she had said, "I am a great power. I believe I am the greatest. -I am willing to put it to the test of war. I am not satisfied with -my geographical position. I desire a greater seaboard. You must -give it to me or I shall take it. I justify my action by the fact -that the position of every state rests ultimately upon its strength -in war, and that I am willing to undergo that test." - -Such a contention would have commanded respect, however much we might -resent it. But these repeated declarations from the Emperor himself, -the Chancellor, and so many others that they were deliberately -attacked, coupled with appeals to the Almighty, make up the most -nauseous mixture of falsehood and blasphemy which the world has ever -known. The whole conception of religion became grotesque, and the -Almighty, instead of a universal Father of the human race, was -suddenly transformed into "our good {29} old God," a bloodthirsty -tribal deity worthy of those Prussian pagans who as late as the -fourteenth century offered human sacrifices to their idols in the -Eastern Mark. The phenomenon was part of that general national -madness to which, it is to be hoped, the German of the future will -look back with bewilderment and shame. - -One contention put forward by certain German apologists in connection -with the war would hardly be worth referring to, were it not for the -singular light which it casts upon the mental and moral position of a -large number of the German public. It was that some special culture -had been evolved by Germany which was of such value that it should be -imposed by force upon the rest of the world. Since culture must in -its nature be an international thing, the joint product of human -development, such a claim can only be regarded as a conspicuous sign -of its absence. In spiritual and intellectual matters it could not -be asserted that Germany since 1870 had shown any superiority over -France or England. In many matters she was conspicuously behind. It -might fairly be claimed that in chemistry, in music, and in some -forms of criticism, notably biblical exegesis, she was supreme. But -in how many fields was she inferior to Great Britain? What name had -she in poetry to put against Tennyson and Browning, in zoology to -compare with Darwin, in scientific surgery to excel that of Lister, -in travel to balance Stanley, or in the higher human qualities to -equal such a man as Gordon? The fruits of German culture do not bear -out the claim that it should forcibly supplant that of either of the -great Western nations. - -We have now seen how the great cloud which had {30} hung so long over -Europe burst at last, and the blast of war swept the land from end to -end. We have passed through the years of hopes and alarms, of the -_ententes_ of optimists and the _détentes_ of politicians, of -skirmishes between journals and wrestles of finance, until we reach -the end of it all--open primitive warfare between the two great -branches of the Germanic family. In a purple passage Professor Cramb -spoke of the days when the high gods of virility would smile as they -looked down upon the chosen children of Odin, the English and the -Germans, locked in the joy of battle. The hour had struck, and it is -a partial record of those crowded and heroic days which is here set -forth with such accuracy of detail as diligence may command and -circumstances allow. - - - - -{31} - -CHAPTER II - -THE OPENING OF THE WAR - -There can be no doubt that if Germany had confined her operations to -an attack upon France without any infraction of Belgian neutrality, -the situation in Great Britain would have been extraordinarily -difficult. The Government was the most democratic that has ever been -known in our political history, and it owed its power to an -electorate, many of whom were passionate advocates for peace at -almost any conceivable price. The preparations for naval war, -necessitated by the ever-growing German power, had been accompanied -and occasionally retarded by a constant murmur of remonstrance which -swelled periodically into a menacing expostulation. McKenna and -Churchill found their only opponents in the members of their own -party, who persistently refused to look obvious facts in the face, -and impatiently swept aside the figures of the German armaments while -they indulged in vague and amiable aspirations towards international -friendship. This large and energetic party would certainly have most -strenuously resisted British interference in a Continental war. The -statesmen who foresaw that the conquest of France would surely lead -to the conquest of Britain {32} might have carried the country with -them, but none the less they would have gone to war with such an -incubus upon them as the traitorous Charles James Fox and his party -had been in the days of Napoleon. A disunited British against a -united German Empire would have been a grievous disadvantage, be our -allies who they might, for, as Shakespeare sang, "If England to -herself be true," it is then only that she is formidable. - -This great misfortune, however, was obviated by the policy of -Germany. The most peace-loving Briton could not face the national -dishonour which would have been eternally branded upon him had his -country without an effort allowed its guarantee to be treated as -waste paper by a great military nation. The whole people were welded -into one, and save for a few freakish individuals who obeyed their -own perversity of mind or passion for notoriety, the country was -united as it has never been in history. A just war seemed to touch -the land with some magic wand, which healed all dissensions and -merged into one national whole those vivid controversies which are, -in fact, a sign rather of intense vitality than of degeneration. In -a moment the faddist forgot his fad, the capitalist his grievance -against taxation, the Labour man his feud against Capital, the Tory -his hatred of the Government, even the woman her craving for the -vote. A political millennium seemed to have dawned. Best and most -important of all was the evident sign that the work done of late -years to win the friendship of Ireland had not been in vain. If the -mere promise of domestic institutions has ranged all responsible -Irishmen upon one side on the day of battle, what may we not hope for -ourselves {33} and for the Empire when they have been fully -established and Time has alleviated the last lingering memories of an -evil past? It is true that at a later period of the war this fair -prospect was somewhat overcast by an insane rebellion, in which the -wrongs of Ireland, once formidable and now trivial, were allowed by a -colossal selfishness to outweigh the martyrdom of Belgium and the -mutilation of France. Still the fact remains (and it must sustain us -in our future efforts for conciliation) that never before have we had -the representative nationalists of Ireland as our allies in a great -struggle. - -The leaders of the Unionist party, Lord Lansdowne and Mr. Bonar Law, -had already, on August 2, signified to the Government that they -considered Britain to be honour-bound to France, and would support -without hesitation every practical step to give effect to the -alliance. Fortified by this assurance, the Government could go -strongly forward. But after the Belgian infraction, its position was -that of the executive of a united nation. Sir Edward Grey's analysis -in Parliament of the causes which had brought us to war convinced the -reason and claimed the sympathy of every political party, and even -the most fervent advocates of peace found themselves silenced in the -presence of the huge German aggression which could never admit of a -peace founded upon mutual respect and equality, but only of that -which comes from ascendancy on the one side and helplessness upon the -other. - -Should Britain ever be led into an unjust war, she will soon learn it -from the fearless voices of her children. The independent young -nations which are rising under the red-crossed flag will not be -dragged, {34} in the train of the Mother-Country, into any enterprise -of which their conscience does not approve. But - now their assent was whole-hearted. They were -vehement in their approval of the firm stand made for the pledged -word of the nation. From every quarter of the world deep answered -deep in its assurance that the sword should not be sheathed until the -wrong was righted and avenged. - -Strong, earnest Canada sent her 30,000 men, with her promise of more. -Fiery Australia and New Zealand prepared as many, Maori vying with -white man in his loyalty to the flag. South Africa, under the -splendid leadership of Botha, began to arm, to speak with the foe in -her own gates. India poured forth money and men with a lavish -generosity which can never be forgotten in this country. The throb -of loyalty to the old land passed through every smallest Dependency, -and then beyond the frontier to those further lands which had known -us as a just and kindly neighbour. Newfoundland voted a contingent. -Ceylon sent of her best. Little Fiji mustered her company of -fighting men, and even the mountains of Nepaul and the inaccessible -plateaux of Thibet were desirous of swelling that great host, -gathered from many races, but all under the one banner which meant to -each a just and liberal rule. - -On the very eve of the outbreak of hostilities one man was added to -the home establishment whose presence was worth many army corps. -This was Lord Kitchener, whose boat was actually lying with steam up -to bear him away upon a foreign mission, when, at the last instant, -either the universal public demand or the good sense of the -Government recalled him to take supreme charge of the war. It was a -{35} strange and a novel situation that a soldier who was no party -politician should assume the role of War Minister in a political -Cabinet, but the times called for decided measures, and this was -among them. From that day onwards until the dark hour which called -him from his uncompleted task the passer-by who looked up at the -massive front of the War Office was gladdened by the thought that -somewhere in the heart of it those stern, immutable eyes were looking -out at Britain's enemies, and that clear, calculating brain was -working for their downfall. Slow, safe, methodical, remorseless, -carefully preparing the means at every stage that led him to the -distant but preordained end, he had shown, both in the Soudan and -South Africa, that the race of great British generals was not yet -extinct. He knew and trusted his instrument even as it knew and -trusted him. - -That instrument was an army which was remarkably well prepared for -its work. It cannot be said that the Boer War had increased the -prestige of the British forces, though only those who have studied -the subject can realise how difficult was the task with which they -were then faced, or how considerable an achievement it was to bring -it to a success. But the campaign had left behind it a valuable -legacy, all the richer because so great a proportion of the land -forces had been drawn into the struggle. In 1914 a large proportion -of senior officers and a considerable number of non-commissioned -officers and reservists had passed through that ordeal, and learned -by experience what can be done, and, even more important, what cannot -be done, in face of modern rifles in skilful hands. - -The lesson had been well pressed home after the {36} war, and every -general, from Lord Roberts downwards, had laid emphasis upon the -importance of cover and of accuracy of fire. Apart from the sound -technical training of the soldiers, the administration of the Army -had, after an experimental period, fallen into the hands of Lord -Haldane, who has left his mark more deeply than any one since -Cardwell upon the formation of the land forces. A debt of gratitude -is owing to him for his clear thought and his masterful dispositions. -Had he been a prophet as well as organiser, he would no doubt have -held his hand before he made the smallest decrease of our regular -forces; but, on the other hand, by turning our haphazard, amateurish -volunteers into the workman-like Territorials, in forming the -invaluable Officers' Training Corps which tapped our public schools -for something better than athletic talent, and in rigidly defining -our expeditionary corps and providing the special reserves for its -reinforcements, he did work for which he can never adequately be -thanked. The weapon which he had fashioned was now thrust into the -strong right hand of the new Minister of War. - -It is well to survey this weapon before we show how it was used. The -total personnel of the Army with its reserves called up was about -370,000 men. Of this 160,000 were set aside as an expeditionary -force, but only a portion of this number could be counted as -immediately available on the outbreak of war, though the system of -mobilisation had been brought to a fine point. It was hoped that -three army corps numbering about 110,000 men, with two divisions of -cavalry, about 10,000 horsemen, would be immediately available, petty -numbers as compared with the millions of the Continent, but highly -trained {37} professional soldiers, capable, perhaps, of turning the -balance in the clash of equal hosts. The rest of the Regular Army -had to provide garrisons for India, Egypt, Gibraltar, and other -dependencies, but it was hoped that in time nearly all of it would be -available for service. - -Behind these first-line troops was the special reserve, something -under 100,000 in number, who were the immediate reinforcements to -fill the gaps of battle. Next in order came the Territorials, whose -full complement was 340,000 men. Unhappily at this time they were -nearly 100,000 under strength, and there are many who think that if -the National Service League in their earnest campaign, which was -inspired by a clear vision of the coming danger, had insisted upon a -great enlargement of this constitutional force, instead of agitating -for a complete change which presented practical and political -difficulties, their efforts would have been more fruitful. These -troops were raw, inexperienced, and only enlisted for home service, -but with a fine spirit they set to work at once to make themselves -efficient, and the great majority signified their readiness to go -anywhere at the country's call. Many brigades were sent abroad at -once to relieve the regulars in Egypt and India, while others were -ready to join the fighting line on the Continent after a few months, -where, as will be shown, they acquitted themselves remarkably well. -The enthusiasm for the war rapidly sent the numbers of the -Territorials up to nearly half a million. In addition to these -troops there was the promise of 70,000 highly trained men (one -quarter of whom were British regulars) from India. Canada, -Australia, and New Zealand came forward to offer some 60,000 {38} men -between them, with the promise of as many more as should be called -for. Brave and hardy, these were splendid raw material, though their -actual technical training was not, save in some special corps, more -advanced than that of the British Territorials. Altogether, the -British War Lord could see, at the very beginning of hostilities, -nearly 1,000,000 of men ready to his hand, though in very different -stages of efficiency. - -But already he had conceived the idea of a campaign of attrition, -and, looking forward into the years, he was convinced that these -forces were insufficient. Some entirely new cadres must be -organised, which should have no limitations, but be as reliable an -instrument as the regular forces of the Crown. With a prescience -which found no counterpart either among our friends or our foes he -fixed three years as a probable term for the war, and he made -preparation accordingly. Early in August he called for half a -million fresh volunteers for the war, and early in October he had got -them. Still unsatisfied, he called for yet another half-million, and -before Christmas his numbers were again complete. It was a wonderful -autumn and winter in Britain. Every common and green was loud with -the cries of the instructors, and bare with the tramp of the men. -Nothing has ever been seen in the world's history which can compare -in patriotic effort with that rally to the flag, for no bounty was -offered, and no compulsion used. The spirit of the men was -extraordinarily high. Regiments were filled with gentlemen who gave -up every amenity of life in order to face an arduous and dangerous -campaign, while even greater patriotism was shown by the countless -thousands of {39} miners, artisans, and other well-paid workmen who -sacrificed high wages and a home life in order to serve for an -indefinite time upon the humble pay of the soldier, leaving, very -often, a wife and children in straitened circumstances behind them. -It is at such times that a democratic country reaps the rich fruits -of its democracy, for if you make the land such that it is good to -live in, so also does it become good to die for. These forces could -not be ready, even with the best of wills, and the most intensive -culture, before the summer of 1915, but at that date, including her -sea forces, Great Britain had not less than 2,000,000 volunteers -under arms and ready for immediate use, a number which had risen to -4,000,000 by the end of that year, and 5,000,000 by the spring of -1916. - -So much for the wise provisions of Lord Kitchener, which would have -been useless had they not been supported by a stern and -self-sacrificing national spirit. The crisis was met with a cold -determination which gave some superficial observers the impression -that the nation was listless, when it was, in truth, far too earnest -for mere shoutings or flag-waving. "Wakened at last!" cried some -foreign cartoon when a German outrage aroused the country for an -instant to some visible gleam of wrath. A deeper observer might have -known that a country which finds 5,000,000 volunteer fighters, and -which, instead of putting the expenses of the war upon future -generations, as was done by Germany, elects to meet a considerable -proportion of them by present taxation, is in grim earnest from the -start. The income tax was doubled without a remonstrance by a -unanimous vote of the Commons, thus finding an extra £40,000,000 a -year for the prosecution of the war. Other taxes {40} were levied by -which the working classes bore their fair share of the burden, and -they also elicited no complaints. Before Christmas no less than -£450,000,000 had been raised by a loan, a gigantic financial effort -which was easily borne at a charge of 4 per cent. - -But if Britain was able to face the future with confidence, both in -finance and in her military preparation, it was entirely to her -silent, invisible, but most efficient Navy that she owed it. By wise -foresight the Grand Fleet, numbering some 400 vessels, had been -assembled for Royal inspection before the storm broke and when it was -but a rising cloud-bank upon the horizon. This all-important move -has been attributed to Prince Louis of Battenberg, First Sea Lord of -the Admiralty, but it could not have been done without the hearty -concurrence and cooperation of Mr. Winston Churchill, who should -share the honour, even as he would have shared the blame had we been -caught unawares. The so-called inspection had hardly been completed -at Spithead before war was upon us, and the Fleet, ready manned, -provisioned, and armed, moved straight away to take up its war -stations. The main fighting squadrons vanished into a strategic mist -from which they did not emerge for very many months, but it was -understood that they were assembled at centres like Scapa Flow and -Cromarty Firth which were outside the radius of the German -torpedo-boats and smaller submarines, while they were near enough to -the enemy's ports to be able to bring him to action should he emerge. - -Numerous patrols of small vessels were let loose in the North Sea to -keep in touch with our opponents, {41} who were well known to be both -daring and active. It is said that no less than 3000 ships, large -and small, were flying the white ensign of St. George. A portion of -these were told off for the protection of the great commercial -sea-routes, and for the hunting down of some score of German cruisers -which were known to be at sea. Some of these gave a very good -account of themselves and others were innocuous; but the net result -in loss, which had been discounted in advance as 5 per cent of the -merchant fleet at sea, worked out at less than half that figure, and, -by the new year, the marauders had been practically exterminated. - -Now as always--but now more than ever in the past--it was absolutely -vital to hold the seas. Who wins the sea wins Britain. Of every -five loaves in the country four come to us from abroad, and our -position in meat is no better. It is victory or starvation when we -fight upon the sea. It is ill to play for such stakes, however safe -the game--worse still when it is a game where the value of some of -the cards is unknown. We have little to fear from a raid, nothing -from invasion, everything from interference with our commerce. It is -one of the points in which our party politics, which blind so many -people to reason, might well have brought absolute ruin upon the -country. The cultivation of British food supplies should never have -been a question of free trade or protection, but rather of vital -national insurance. - -Had the war come ten years later we might have been in deadly danger, -owing to the rapidly growing power of the submarine. These engines -turned upon our food-carriers might well have starved us out, -especially if we had continued our national folly in {42} being -scared by bogeys from building a Channel tunnel. But by a merciful -Providence the struggle came at a moment when the submarine was half -developed, and had not yet reached either the speed or the range of -action which would make it the determining factor in a war. As it -was, the fruits of submarine warfare, in spite of a wise and timely -warning on the eve of hostilities by Admiral Sir Percy Scott, -astonished the public, but the mischief done was a very small thing -compared to the possibilities which have to be most carefully guarded -against in the future. - -In their present stage of development, the submarine could only -annoy. With the great fleet in existence and with the shipbuilding -facilities of Great Britain, nothing could vitally harm her save the -loss of a pitched battle. The British superiority was rather in her -small craft than in her large ones, but in capital ships she was able -to place in line at the beginning of the war enough to give a -sufficient margin of insurance. There was never any tendency to -under-rate the excellence of the hostile ships, nor the courage and -efficiency of the men. It was well understood that when they came -out they would give a good account of themselves, and also that they -would not come out until the circumstances seemed propitious. They -were under a disadvantage in that the Russian fleet, though small, -was not negligible, and therefore some portion of the German force on -sea as well as on land had always to face eastwards. Also the -British had the French for their allies, and, though the great ships -of the latter were nearly all in the Mediterranean, a swarm of small -craft was ready to buzz out of her western ports should the war come -down-channel. - -{43} - -Yet another advantage lay with the British in that their geographical -position put a six-hundred-mile-long breakwater right across the -entrance to Germany, leaving only two sally-ports north and south by -which commerce could enter or raiders escape. The result was the -immediate utter annihilation of Germany's sea-borne commerce. -Altogether it must be admitted that Germany was grievously -handicapped at sea, and that she deserves the more credit for -whatever she accomplished, save when, as on land, she transgressed -and degraded the recognised laws of civilised warfare. It is time -now to turn to those military events upon the Continent which were -the precursors of that British campaign which is the subject of this -volume. - -Want of space and accurate material make it impossible to do justice -here to the deeds of our Allies, but an attempt must be made to -indicate briefly the main phases of the struggle abroad, since its -course reacted continually upon the British operations. It may be -shortly stated, then, that so far as the western theatre of war was -concerned, hostilities commenced by two movements, one an attack by -the French upon the occupants of those lost provinces for which they -had mourned during forty-four years, and the other the advance of the -Germans over the Belgian frontier. - -The former was a matter of no great importance. It took two distinct -lines, the one from the Belfort region into Alsace, and the other -from Nancy as a centre into Lorraine. The Alsatian venture gained -some ground which was never wholly lost, and was adorned by one small -victory near Mulhausen before it was checked by the German defence. -The Lorraine {44} advance had also some initial success, but was -finally thrown back on August 20 in a severe action in which the -French were defeated. Luneville, across the French frontier, was -occupied by the Germans, but they made no headway, and their -subsequent attempts upon Nancy were repulsed by the army of General -Castelnau. General Pau, a fiery, one-armed septuagenarian, was the -French leader in the Alsatian invasion, but it was soon realised by -General Joffre that he and the bulk of his men would be more useful -at the vital point upon the northern frontier, to which early in -September they were transferred. - -The main drama, however, quickly unfolded upon the Belgian frontier. -Speed and secrecy were vital to the German plans. On July 31, before -any declaration of war, and while the German representative at -Brussels was perjuring his soul in his country's service by -representing that no infringement was possible, three German army -corps, the seventh, ninth, and tenth, fully mobilised and highly -equipped, were moving up from their quarters so as to be ready for a -treacherous pounce upon their little neighbour whom they were pledged -to defend. Von Emmich was in command. On the night of Saturday, -August 1, the vanguard of the German armies, using motor traffic -followed by trains, burst through the neutral Duchy of Luxemburg, and -on August 3 they were over the Belgian line at Verviers. The -long-meditated crime had been done, and, with loud appeals to God, -Germany began her fatal campaign by deliberate perjury and arrogant -disdain for treaties. God accepted the appeal, and swiftly showed -how the weakest State with absolute right upon its side may bring to -naught all the crafty plottings of the strong. - -{45} - -For time was the essence of the situation. For this the innumerable -motors, for this the light equipment and the lack of transport. It -was on, on, at top speed, that there be no hindrance in the path of -the great hosts that soon would be closing up behind. But time was -life and death for the French also, with their slower mobilisation, -their backward preparation, and their expectations from Great -Britain. Time was the precious gift which little Belgium gave to the -Allies. She gave them days and days, and every day worth an army -corps. The Germans had crossed the Meuse, had taken Vise, and then -had rushed at Liége, even as the Japanese had rushed at Port Arthur. -With all their military lore, they had not learned the lesson which -was taught so clearly in 1904--that a fortress is taken by skill and -not by violence alone. - -Leman, a great soldier, defended the forts built by Brialmont. Both -defender and designer were justified of their work. On August 5 the -seventh German Corps attempted to rush the gaps between the forts. -These gaps were three miles wide, but were filled with entrenched -infantry. The attack was boldly pressed home, but it completely -failed. The German loss was considerable. Two other corps were -called up, and again on August 7 the attack was renewed, but with no -better result. The defenders fought as befitted the descendants of -those Belgae whom Caesar pronounced to be the bravest of the Gauls, -or of that Walloon Guard which had so great a mediaeval reputation. -There were 25,000 in the town and 120,000 outside, but they were -still outside at the end of the assault. - -Liége, however, had one fatal weakness. Its {46} garrison was far -too small to cover the ground. With twelve forts three miles apart -it is clear that there were intervals of, roughly, thirty-six miles -to be covered, and that a garrison of 25,000 men, when you had -deducted the gunners for the forts, hardly left the thinnest skirmish -line to cover the ground. So long as the Germans attacked upon a -narrow front they could be held. The instant that they spread out -there were bound to be places where they could march almost unopposed -into the town. This was what occurred. The town was penetrated, but -the forts were intact. General Leman, meanwhile, seeing that the -town itself was indefensible, had sent the garrison out before the -place was surrounded. Many a Belgian soldier fought upon the Yser -and helped to turn the tide of that crowning conflict who would have -been a prisoner in Germany had it not been for the foresight and the -decision of General Leman. - -The Germans were in the town upon the 8th, but the forts still held -out and the general advance was grievously impeded. Day followed -day, and each beyond price to the Allies. Germany had secretly -prepared certain monstrous engines of war--one more proof, if proof -were needed, that the conflict had been prearranged and deliberately -provoked. These were huge cannon of a dimension never before -cast--42 centimetres in bore. More mobile and hardly less effective -were some smaller howitzers of 28-centimetre calibre said to have -come from the Austrian foundries at Skoda. Brialmont, when he -erected his concrete and iron cupolas, had not foreseen the Thor's -hammer which would be brought to crush them. One after another they -were smashed like {47} eggs. The heroic Leman was dug out from under -the debris of the last fort and lived to tell of his miraculous -escape. Liége was at last in the hands of the invaders. But already -the second week of August was at an end--the British were crowding -into France, the French line was thickening along the frontier--all -was well with the Allies. Little David had left a grievous mark upon -Goliath. - -The German mobilisation was now complete, and the whole vast host, -over a million strong, poured over the frontier. Never was seen such -an army, so accurate and scientific in its general conception, so -perfect in its detail. Nothing had been omitted from its equipment -which the most thorough of nations, after years of careful -preparation, could devise. In motor transport, artillery, machine -guns, and all the technique of war they were unrivalled. The men -themselves were of high heart and grand physique. By some twisted -process of reasoning founded upon false information they had been -persuaded that this most aggressive and unnecessary of wars was in -some way a war of self-defence, for it was put to them that unless -they attacked their neighbours now, their neighbours would certainly -some day or other attack them. Hence, they were filled with -patriotic ardour and a real conviction that they were protecting -their beloved Fatherland. One could not but admire their -self-sacrificing devotion, though in the dry light of truth and -reason they stood forth as the tools of tyranny, the champions of -barbarous political reaction and the bullies of Europe. It was an -ominous fact that the troops were provided in advance with incendiary -discs for the firing of dwellings, which shows that the orgy of -destruction {48} and cruelty which disgraced the name of the German -Army in Belgium and in the north of France was prearranged by some -central force, whose responsibility in this matter can only be -described as terrific. They brought the world of Christ back to the -days of Odin, and changed a civilised campaign to an inroad of pagan -Danes. This wicked central force could only be the Chief Staff of -the Army, and in the last instance the Emperor himself. Had Napoleon -conducted his campaigns with as little scruple as William II., it can -safely be said that Europe as we know it would hardly exist to-day, -and the monuments of antiquity and learning would have been wiped -from the face of the globe. It is an evil precedent to be expunged -from the records for ever--all the more evil because it was practised -by a strong nation on a weak one and on a defenceless people by one -which had pledged themselves to defend them. That it was in no wise -caused by any actions upon the part of the Belgians is clearly proved -by the fact that similar atrocities were committed by the German Army -the moment they crossed the frontiers both of France and of Poland. - -The Allies had more than they expected from Liége. They had less -from Namur. The grey-green tide of German invasion had swept the -Belgian resistance before it, had flooded into Brussels, and had been -dammed for only a very few days by the great frontier fortress, -though it was counted as stronger than Liége. The fact was that the -Germans had now learned their lesson. Never again would they imagine -that the _Furor Teutonicus_ alone could carry a walled city. The -fatal guns were brought up again and the forts were crushed with -mechanical precision, while the defenders between the forts, after -{49} enduring for ten hours a severe shelling, withdrew from their -trenches. On August 22 the fortress surrendered, some of General -Michel's garrison being taken, but a considerable proportion -effecting its retreat with the French Army which had come up to -support the town. By the third week of August the remains of the -Belgian forces had taken refuge in Antwerp, and the Germans, having -made a wide sweep with their right wing through Brussels, were -descending in a two-hundred-mile line upon Northern France. - -The French plans had in truth been somewhat disarranged by the -Belgian resistance, for the chivalrous spirit of the nation would not -permit that their gallant friends be unsupported. Fresh dispositions -had been made, but the sudden fall of Namur brought them to naught. -Before that untoward event the French had won a small but indubitable -victory at Dinant, and had advanced their line from Namur on the -right to Charleroi on the left. With the fall of Namur their long -wall had lost its corner bastion, and they were at once vigorously -attacked by all the German armies, who forced the Sambre on August -22, carried Charleroi, and pushed the French back with considerable -loss of guns and prisoners along the whole line. There was defeat, -but there was nothing in the nature of a rout or of an envelopment. -The line fell back fighting tooth and nail, but none the less -Northern France was thrown open to the invaders. In this general -movement the British forces were involved, and we now turn to a more -particular and detailed account of what befell them during these most -momentous days. - - - - -{50} - -CHAPTER III - -THE BATTLE OF MONS - -The landing of the British in France--The British leaders--The -advance to Mons--The defence of the bridges of Nimy--The holding of -the canal--The fateful telegram--The rearguard actions of Frameries, -Wasmes, and Dour--The charge of the Lancers--The fate of the -Cheshires--The 7th Brigade at Solesmes--The Guards in action--The -Germans' rude awakening--The Connaughts at Pont-sur-Sambre. - - -[Sidenote: The landing of the British in France] - -The bulk of the British Expeditionary Force passed over to France -under cover of darkness on the nights of August 12 and 13, 1914. The -movement, which included four infantry divisions and a cavalry -division, necessitated the transportation of approximately 90,000 -men, 15,000 horses, and 400 guns. It is doubtful if so large a host -has ever been moved by water in so short a time in all the annals of -military history. There was drama in the secrecy and celerity of the -affair. Two canvas walls converging into a funnel screened the -approaches to Southampton Dock. All beyond was darkness and mystery. -Down this fatal funnel passed the flower of the youth of Britain, and -their folk saw them no more. They had embarked upon the great -adventure of the German War. The crowds in the streets saw the last -serried files vanish into the darkness of the docks, heard the -measured tramp upon the stone quays dying farther {51} away in the -silence of the night, until at last all was still and the great -steamers were pushing out into the darkness. - -No finer force for technical efficiency, and no body of men more -hot-hearted in their keen desire to serve their country, have ever -left the shores of Britain. It is a conservative estimate to say -that within four months a half of their number were either dead or in -the hospitals. They were destined for great glory, and for that -great loss which is the measure of their glory. - -Belated pedestrians upon the beach of the southern towns have -recorded their impression of that amazing spectacle. In the clear -summer night the wall of transports seemed to stretch from horizon to -horizon. Guardian warships flanked the mighty column, while swift -shadows shooting across the surface of the sea showed where the -torpedo-boats and scouts were nosing and ferreting for any possible -enemy. But far away, hundreds of miles to the north, lay the real -protection of the flotilla, where the smooth waters of the Heligoland -Bight were broken by the sudden rise and dip of the blockading -periscopes. - -It is well to state, once for all, the composition of this force, so -that in the succeeding pages, when a brigade or division is under -discussion, the diligent reader may ascertain its composition. This, -then, is the First Army which set forth to France. Others will be -chronicled as they appeared upon the scene of action. It may be -remarked that the formation of units was greatly altered with the -progress of the campaign, so that it has been possible without -indiscretion to raise the veil of secrecy which was once so essential. - -{52} - - THE FIRST ARMY CORPS--GENERAL HAIG - - DIVISION I. - - General LOMAX. - - 1_st Infantry Brigade--General Maxse_. - 1st Coldstream Guards. - 1st Scots Guards. - 1st Black Watch. - 2nd Munster Fusiliers. - - 2_nd Infantry Brigade--General Bulfin_. - 2nd Sussex. - 1st N. Lancs. - 1st Northampton. - 2nd K.R. Rifles. - - 3_rd Infantry Brigade--General Landon_. - 1st West Surrey (Queen's). - 1st S. Wales Borderers. - 1st Gloucester. - 2nd Welsh. - - _Artillery--Colonel Findlay_. - 25th Brig. R.F.A. 113, 114, 115. - 26th Brig. R.F.A. 116, 117, 118. - 39th Brig. R.F.A. 46, 51, 54. - 43rd (How.) Brig. R.F.A. 30, 40, 57. - - _Engineers--Colonel Schreiber_. - 23 F. Co. - 26 F. Co. - 1 Signal Co. - - - DIVISION II. - - General Munro. - - 4_th Infantry Brigade--General Scott-Kerr_. - 2nd Grenadier Guards. - 2nd Coldstream Guards. - 3rd Coldstream Guards. - 1st Irish. - - 5_th Infantry Brigade--General Haking_. - 2nd Worcester. - 2nd Ox. and Bucks L.I. - 2nd Highland L.I. - 2nd Connaught Rangers. - - 6_th Infantry Brigade--General Davies_. - 1st Liverpool (King's). - 2nd S. Stafford. - 1st Berks. - 1st K.R. Rifles. - - _Artillery--General Perceval_. - 34th Brig. R.F.A. 22, 50, 70. - 36th Brig. R.F.A. 15, 48, 71. - 41st Brig. R.F.A. 9, 16, 17. - How. Brig. R.F.A. 47, 56, 60. - 35th Batt. R.G.A. - R.E. 5, 11, Field Cos. - - - - THE SECOND ARMY CORPS--GENERAL SMITH-DORRIEN - - DIVISION III. - - General HAMILTON. - - 7_th Infantry Brigade--General McCracken_. - 3rd Worcester. - 2nd S. Lancs. - 1st Wilts. - 2nd Irish Rifles. - - 8_th Infantry Brigade--General B. Doran_. - 2nd Royal Scots. - 2nd Royal Irish. - 4th Middlesex. - 1st Gordon Highlanders. - - 9_th Infantry Brigade--General Shaw_. - 1st North. Fusiliers. - 4th Royal Fusiliers. - 1st Lincoln. - 1st Scots Fusiliers. - - _Artillery--General Wing_. - 23rd Brigade 107, 108, 109. - 30th Brigade (How.) 128, 129, 130. - 40th Brigade 6, 23, 49. - 42nd Brigade 29, 41, 45. - 48th Batt. R.G.A. - - _R.E.--Colonel Wilson_. - 56, 57 F. Corps. - 3 Signal Co. - - - DIVISION V. - - General FERGUSON. - - 13_th Infantry Brigade--General Cuthbert_. - 2nd K.O. Scot. Bord. - 2nd West Riding. - 1st West Kent. - 2nd Yorks. Light Infantry. - - 14_th Infantry Brigade--General Holt_. - 2nd Suffolk. - 1st East Surrey. - 1st D. of Cornwall's L.T. - 2nd Manchester. - - 15_th Infantry Brigade--General Gleichen_. - 1st Norfolk. - 1st Bedford. - 1st Cheshire. - 1st Dorset. - - _Artillery--General Headlam_. - 15th Brig. R.F.A. 11, 52, 80 - 27th Brig. R.F.A. 119, 120, 121 - 28th Brig. R.F.A. 122, 123, 124 - 8 How. Brig. 37, 61, 65. - Heavy G.A. 108 Battery, - - _R.E.--Colonel Tulloch_. - 17th and 59th Field Cos. - 5 Signal Co. - - -The Cavalry consisted of four Brigades forming the first cavalry -division, and one extra Brigade. They were made up thus: - -1st Cavalry Brigade (Briggs).--2nd and 5th Dragoon Guards; 11th -Hussars. - -2nd Cavalry Brigade (De Lisle).--4th Dragoon Guards; 9th Lancers; -18th Hussars - -3rd Cavalry Brigade (Gough).--4th Hussars; 5th Lancers; 16th Lancers. - -4th Cavalry Brigade (Bingham).--3rd Hussars; 6th Dragoon Guards; -Comp. Guards Re. - -5th Cavalry Brigade (Chetwode).--Scots Greys; 12th Lancers; 20th -Hussars. - -D, E, I, J, and L batteries of Horse Artillery were attached to these -Brigades. - - -{53} - -Such was the Army which first set forth to measure itself against the -soldiers of Germany. Prussian bravery, capacity, and organising -power had a high reputation among us, and yet we awaited the result -with every confidence, if the odds of numbers were not overwhelming. -It was generally known that during the period since the last war the -training of the troops had greatly progressed, and many of the men, -with nearly all the senior officers, had had experience in the -arduous campaign of South Africa. They could also claim those -advantages which volunteer troops may hope to have over conscripts. -At the same time there was no tendency to underrate the earnest -patriotism of our opponents, and we were well aware that even the -numerous Socialists who filled their ranks were persuaded, incredible -as it may seem, that the Fatherland was really attacked, and were -whole-hearted in its defence. - -The crossing was safely effected. It has always been the traditional -privilege of the British public to grumble at their public servants -and to speak of "muddling through" to victory. No doubt the -criticism has often been deserved. But on this occasion the -supervising General in command, the British War Office, and the Naval -Transport Department all rose to a supreme degree of excellence in -their arrangements. So too did the Railway Companies concerned. The -details were meticulously correct. Without the loss of man, horse, -or gun, the soldiers who had seen the sun set in Hampshire saw it -rise in Picardy or in Normandy. Boulogne and Havre were the chief -ports of disembarkation, but many, including the cavalry, went up the -Seine and came ashore at Rouen. The soldiers everywhere received a -rapturous {54} welcome from the populace, which they returned by a -cheerful sobriety of behaviour. The admirable precepts as to wine -and women set forth in Lord Kitchener's parting orders to the Army -seem to have been most scrupulously observed. It is no slight upon -the gallantry of France--the very home of gallantry--if it be said -that she profited greatly at this strained, over-anxious time by the -arrival of these boisterous over-sea Allies. The tradition of -British solemnity has been for ever killed by these jovial invaders. -It is probable that the beautiful tune, and even the paltry words of -"Tipperary," will pass into history as the marching song, and often -the death-dirge, of that gallant host. The dusty, poplar-lined roads -resounded with their choruses, and the quiet Picardy villages -re-echoed their thunderous and superfluous assurances as to the state -of their hearts. All France broke into a smile at the sight of them, -and it was at a moment when a smile meant much to France. - -[Sidenote: The British leaders.] - -Whilst the various brigades were with some deliberation preparing for -an advance up-country, there arrived at the Gare du Nord in Paris a -single traveller who may be said to have been the most welcome -British visitor who ever set foot in the city. He was a short, thick -man, tanned by an outdoor life, a solid, impassive personality with a -strong, good-humoured face, the forehead of a thinker above it, and -the jaw of an obstinate fighter below. Overhung brows shaded a pair -of keen grey eyes, while the strong, set mouth was partly concealed -by a grizzled moustache. Such was John French, leader of cavalry in -Africa and now Field-Marshal commanding the Expeditionary Forces of -Britain. His defence of Colesberg at {55} a critical period when he -bluffed the superior Boer forces, his dashing relief of Kimberley, -and especially the gallant way in which he had thrown his exhausted -cavalry across the path of Cronje's army in order to hold it while -Roberts pinned it down at Paardeberg, were all exploits which were -fresh in the public mind, and gave the soldiers confidence in their -leader. - -French might well appreciate the qualities of his immediate -subordinates. Both of his army corps and his cavalry division were -in good hands. Haig, like his leader, was a cavalry man by -education, though now entrusted with the command of the First Army -Corps, and destined for an ever-increasing European reputation. -Fifty-four years of age, he still preserved all his natural energies, -whilst he had behind him long years of varied military experience, -including both the Soudanese and the South African campaigns, in both -of which he had gained high distinction. He had the advantage of -thoroughly understanding the mind of his commander, as he had worked -under him as Chief of the Staff in his remarkable operations round -Colesberg in those gloomy days which opened the Boer War. - -The Second Army Corps sustained a severe loss before ever it reached -the field of action, for its commander, General Grierson, died -suddenly of heart failure in the train between Havre and Rouen upon -August 18. Grierson had been for many years Military Attaché in -Berlin, and one can well imagine how often he had longed to measure -British soldiers against the self-sufficient critics around him. At -the very last moment the ambition of his lifetime was denied him. -His place, however, was worthily filled by General Smith-Dorrien, -another South African {56} veteran whose brigade in that difficult -campaign had been recognised as one of the very best. Smith-Dorrien -was a typical Imperial soldier in the world-wide character of his -service, for he had followed the flag, and occasionally preceded it, -in Zululand, Egypt, the Soudan, Chitral, and the Tirah before the -campaign against the Boers. A sportsman as well as a soldier, he had -very particularly won the affections of the Aldershot division by his -system of trusting to their honour rather than to compulsion in -matters of discipline. It was seldom indeed that his confidence was -abused. - -Haig and Smith-Dorrien were the two generals upon whom the immediate -operations were to devolve, for the Third Army Corps was late, -through no fault of its own, in coming into line. There remained the -Cavalry Division commanded by General Allenby, who was a column -leader in that great class for mounted tactics held in South Africa a -dozen years before. It is remarkable that of the four leaders in the -initial operations of the German War--French, Smith-Dorrien, Haig, -and Allenby--three belonged to the cavalry, an arm which has usually -been regarded as active and ornamental rather than intellectual. -Pulteney, the commander of the Third Army Corps, was a product of the -Guards, a veteran of much service and a well-known heavy-game shot. -Thus, neither of the more learned corps were represented among the -higher commanders upon the actual field of battle, but brooding over -the whole operations was the steadfast, untiring brain of Joffre, -whilst across the water the silent Kitchener, remorseless as Destiny, -moved the forces of the Empire to the front. The last word in each -case lay with the sappers. - -{57} - -The general plan of campaign was naturally in the hands of General -Joffre, since he was in command of far the greater portion of the -Allied Force. It has been admitted in France that the original -dispositions might be open to criticism, since a number of the French -troops had engaged themselves in Alsace and Lorraine, to the -weakening of the line of battle in the north, where the fate of Paris -was to be decided. It is small profit to a nation to injure its -rival ever so grievously in the toe when it is itself in imminent -danger of being stabbed to the heart. A further change in plan had -been caused by the intense sympathy felt both by the French and the -British for the gallant Belgians, who had done so much and gained so -many valuable days for the Allies. It was felt that it would be -unchivalrous not to advance and do what was possible to relieve the -intolerable pressure which was crushing them. It was resolved, -therefore, to abandon the plan which had been formed, by which the -Germans should be led as far as possible from their base, and to -attack them at once. For this purpose the French Army changed its -whole dispositions, which had been formed on the idea of an attack -from the east, and advanced over the Belgian frontier, getting into -touch with the enemy at Namur and Charleroi, so as to secure the -passages of the Sambre. It was in fulfilling its part as the left of -the Allied line that on August 18 and 19 the British troops began to -move northwards into Belgium. The First Army Corps advanced through -Le Nouvion, St. Remy, and Maubeuge to Rouveroy, which is a village -upon the Mons-Chimay road. There it linked on to the right of the -Second Corps, which had moved up to the line of {58} the Condé-Mons -Canal. On the morning of Sunday, August 23, all these troops were in -position. The 5th Brigade of Cavalry (Chetwode's) lay out upon the -right front at Binche, but the remainder of the cavalry was brought -to a point about five miles behind the centre of the line, so as to -be able to reinforce either flank. The first blood of the land -campaign had been drawn upon August 22 outside Soignies, when a -reconnoitring squadron of the 4th Dragoon Guards under Captain Hornby -charged and overthrew a body of the 4th German Cuirassiers, bringing -back some prisoners. The 20th Hussars had enjoyed a similar -experience. It was a small but happy omen. - -[Sidenote: The advance to Mons.] - -The forces which now awaited the German attack numbered about 86,000 -men, who may be roughly divided into 76,000 infantry, 10,000 cavalry, -and 312 guns. The general alignment was as follows: The First Army -Corps held the space between Mons and Binche, which was soon -contracted to Bray as the eastward limit. Close to Mons, where the -attack was expected to break, since the town is a point of -considerable strategic importance, there was a thickening of the line -of defence. From that point the Third Division and the Fifth, in the -order named, carried on the British formation down the length of the -Mons-Condé Canal. The front of the Army covered nearly twenty miles, -an excessive strain upon so small a force in the presence of a -compact enemy. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{59} - -[Illustration: POSITION OF 2nd ARMY CORPS AT MONS. AUG. 23rd] - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -If one looks at the general dispositions, it becomes clear that Sir -John French was preparing for an attack upon his right flank. From -all his information the enemy was to the north and to the east of -him, so that if they set about turning his position it must be from -the Charleroi direction. Hence, his right {60} wing was laid back at -an angle to the rest of his line, and the only cavalry which he kept -in advance was thrown out to Binche in front of this flank. The rest -of the cavalry was on the day of battle drawn in behind the centre of -the Army, but as danger began to develop upon the left flank it was -sent across in that direction, so that on the morning of the 24th it -was at Thulin, at the westward end of the line. - -The line of the canal was a most tempting position to defend from -Condé to Mons, for it ran as straight as a Roman road across the path -of an invader. But it was very different at Mons itself. Here it -formed a most awkward loop. A glance at the diagram will show this -formation. It was impossible to leave it undefended, and yet troops -who held it were evidently subjected to a flanking artillery fire -from each side. The canal here was also crossed by at least three -substantial road bridges and one railway bridge. This section of the -defence was under the immediate direction of General Smith-Dorrien, -who at once took steps to prepare a second line of defence, thrown -back to the right rear of the town, so that if the canal were forced -the British array would remain unbroken. The immediate care of this -weak point in the position was committed to General Beauchamp Doran's -8th Brigade, consisting of the 2nd Royal Scots, 2nd Royal Irish, 4th -Middlesex, and 1st Gordon Highlanders. On their left, occupying the -village of Nimy and the western side of the peninsula, as well as the -immediate front of Mons itself, was the 9th Brigade (Shaw's), -containing the 4th Royal Fusiliers, the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers, -and the 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers, together with the 1st Lincolns. -To the left of this brigade, occupying the eastern end of {61} the -Mons-Condé line of canal, was Cuthbert's 13th Brigade, containing the -2nd Scottish Borderers, 2nd West Ridings, 1st West Kents, and 2nd -Yorkshire Light Infantry. It was on these three brigades, and -especially on the 8th and 9th, that the impact of the German army was -destined to fall. Beyond them, scattered somewhat thinly along the -line of the Mons-Condé Canal from the railway bridge west of St. -Ghislain, were the two remaining brigades of the Fifth Division, the -14th (Rolt's) and the 15th (Gleichen's), the latter being in -divisional reserve. Still farther to the west the head of the newly -arrived 19th Brigade just touched the canal, and was itself in touch -with French cavalry at Condé. Sundry units of artillery and field -hospitals had not yet come up, but otherwise the two corps were -complete. - -Having reached their ground, the troops, with no realisation of -immediate danger, proceeded to make shallow trenches. Their bands -had not been brought to the front, but the universal singing from one -end of the line to the other showed that the men were in excellent -spirits. Cheering news had come in from the cavalry, detachments of -which, as already stated, had ridden out as far as Soignies, meeting -advance patrols of the enemy and coming back with prisoners and -trophies. The guns were drawn up in concealed positions within half -a mile of the line of battle. All was now ready, and officers could -be seen on every elevation peering northwards through their glasses -for the first sign of the enemy. It was a broken country, with large -patches of woodland and green spaces between. There were numerous -slag-heaps from old mines, with here and there a factory and here and -there a private dwelling, but the sappers {62} had endeavoured in the -short time to clear a field of fire for the infantry. In order to -get this field of fire in so closely built a neighbourhood, several -of the regiments, such as the West Kents of the 13th and the -Cornwalls of the 14th Brigades, had to take their positions across -the canal with bridges in their rear. Thrilling with anticipation, -the men waited for their own first entrance upon the stupendous -drama. They were already weary and footsore, for they had all done -at least two days of forced marching, and the burden of the pack, the -rifle, and the hundred and fifty rounds per man was no light one. -They lay snugly in their trenches under the warm August sun and -waited. It was a Sunday, and more than one have recorded in their -letters how in that hour of tension their thoughts turned to the old -home church and the mellow call of the village bells. - -A hovering aeroplane had just slid down with the news that the roads -from the north were alive with the advancing Germans, but the -estimate of the aviator placed them at two corps and a division of -cavalry. This coincided roughly with the accounts brought in by the -scouts and, what was more important, with the forecast of General -Joffre. Secure in the belief that he was flanked upon one side by -the 5th French Army, and on the other by a screen of French cavalry, -whilst his front was approached by a force not appreciably larger -than his own, General French had no cause for uneasiness. Had his -airmen taken a wider sweep to the north and west,[1] or had the -French commander among his many pressing {63} preoccupations been -able to give an earlier warning to his British colleague, the -trenches would, no doubt, have been abandoned before a grey coat had -appeared, and the whole Army brought swiftly to a position of -strategical safety. Even now, as they waited expectantly for the -enemy, a vast steel trap was closing up for their destruction. - - -[1] An American correspondent, Mr. Harding Davis, actually saw a -shattered British aeroplane upon the ground in this region. Its -destruction may have been of great strategic importance. This -aviator was probably the first British soldier to fall in the -Continental War. - - -Let us take a glance at what was going on over that northern horizon. -The American Powell had seen something of the mighty right swing -which was to end the combat. Invited to a conference with a German -general who was pursuing the national policy of soothing the United -States until her own turn should come round, Mr. Powell left Brussels -and chanced to meet Von Kluck's legions upon their western and -southerly trek. He describes with great force the effect upon his -mind of those endless grey columns, all flowing in the same -direction, double files of infantry on either side of the road, and -endless guns, motor-cars, cavalry, and transport between. The men, -as he describes them, were all in the prime of life, and equipped -with everything which years of forethought could devise. He was -dazed and awed by the tremendous procession, its majesty and its -self-evident efficiency. It is no wonder, for he was looking at the -chosen legions of the most wonderful army that the world had ever -seen--an army which represented the last possible word on the -material and mechanical side of war. High in the van a Taube -aeroplane, like an embodiment of that black eagle which is the -fitting emblem of a warlike and rapacious race, pointed the path for -the German hordes. - -A day or two before, two American correspondents, {64} Mr. Irvin Cobb -and Mr. Harding Davis, had seen the same great army as it streamed -westwards through Louvain and Brussels. They graphically describe -how for three consecutive days and the greater part of three nights -they poured past, giving the impression of unconquerable energy and -efficiency, young, enthusiastic, wonderfully equipped. "Either we -shall go forward or we die. We do not expect to fall back ever. If -the generals would let them, the men would run to Paris instead of -walking there." So spoke one of the leaders of that huge invading -host, the main part of which was now heading straight for the British -line. A second part, unseen and unsuspected, were working round by -Tournai to the west, hurrying hard to strike in upon the British -flank and rear. The German is a great marcher as well as a great -fighter, and the average rate of progress was little less than thirty -miles a day. - -It was after ten o'clock when scouting cavalry were observed falling -back. Then the distant sound of a gun was heard, and a few seconds -later a shell burst some hundreds of yards behind the British lines. -The British guns one by one roared into action. A cloud of smoke -rose along the line of the woods in front from the bursting shrapnel, -but nothing could be seen of the German gunners. The defending guns -were also well concealed. Here and there, from observation points -upon buildings and slag-heaps, the controllers of the batteries were -able to indicate targets and register hits unseen by the gunners -themselves. The fire grew warmer and warmer as fresh batteries -dashed up and unlimbered on either side. The noise was horrible, but -no enemy had been seen by the infantry, and little damage done. - -{65} - -But now an ill-omened bird flew over the British lines. Far aloft -across the deep blue sky skimmed the dark Taube, curved, turned, and -sailed northwards again. It had marked the shells bursting beyond -the trenches. In an instant, by some devilish cantrip of signal or -wireless, it had set the range right. A rain of shells roared and -crashed along the lines of the shallow trenches. The injuries were -not yet numerous, but they were inexpressibly ghastly. Men who had -hardly seen worse than a cut finger in their lives gazed with horror -at the gross mutilations around them. "One dared not look sideways," -said one of them. Stretcher-bearers bent and heaved while wet, limp -forms were hoisted upwards by their comrades. Officers gave short, -sharp words of encouragement or advice. The minutes seemed very -long, and still the shells came raining down. The men shoved the -five-fold clips down into their magazines and waited with weary -patience. A senior officer peering over the end of a trench leaned -tensely forward and rested his glasses upon the grassy edge. -"They're coming!" he whispered to his neighbour. It ran from lip to -lip along the line of crouching men. Heads were poked up here and -there above the line of broken earth. Soon, in spite of the crashing -shells overhead, there was a fringe of peering faces. And there at -last in front of them was the German enemy. After all the centuries, -Briton and Teuton faced each other at last for the test of battle. - -A stylist among letter-writers has described that oncoming swarm as -grey clouds drifting over green fields. They had deployed under -cover whilst the batteries were preparing their path, and now over an -extended front to the north-west of Mons they {66} were breaking out -from the woods and coming rapidly onwards. The men fidgeted with -their triggers, but no order came to fire. The officers were gazing -with professional interest and surprise at the German formations. -Were these the tactics of the army which had claimed to be the most -scientific in Europe? British observers had seen it in peace-time -and had conjectured that it was a screen for some elaborate tactics -held up for the day of battle. Yet here they were, advancing in what -in old Soudan days used to be described as the twenty-acre formation, -against the best riflemen in Europe. It was not even a shoulder to -shoulder column, but a mere crowd, shredding out in the front and -dense to the rear. There was nothing of the swiftly weaving lines, -the rushes of alternate companies, the twinkle and flicker of a -modern attack. It was mediaeval, and yet it was impressive also in -its immediate display of numbers and the ponderous insistence of its -onward flow. It was not many weeks before the stern lesson of war -taught very different formations to those of the grand Kaiser -manoeuvres. - -The men, still fingering their triggers, gazed expectantly at their -officers, who measured intently the distance of the approaching -swarms. The Germans had already begun to fire in a desultory -fashion. Shrapnel was bursting thickly along the head of their -columns but they were coming steadily onwards. Suddenly a rolling -wave of independent firing broke out from the British position. At -some portions of the line the enemy were at eight hundred, at others -at one thousand yards. The men, happy in having something definite -to do, snuggled down earnestly to their work and fired swiftly but -deliberately into {67} the approaching mass. Rifles, machine-guns, -and field-pieces were all roaring together, while the incessant crash -of the shells overhead added to the infernal uproar. Men lost all -sense of time as they thrust clip after clip into their rifles. The -German swarms staggered on bravely under that leaden sleet. Then -they halted, vacillated, and finally thinned, shredded out, and -drifted backwards like a grey fog torn by a gale. The woods absorbed -them once again, whilst the rain of shells upon the British trenches -became thicker and more deadly. - -There was a lull in the infantry attack, and the British, peering -from their shelters, surveyed with a grim satisfaction the patches -and smudges of grey which showed the effect of their fire. But the -rest was not a long one. With fine courage the German battalions -re-formed under the shelter of the trees, while fresh troops from the -rear pushed forward to stiffen the shaken lines. "Hold your fire!" -was the order that ran down the ranks. With the confidence bred of -experience, the men waited and still waited, till the very features -of the Germans could be distinguished. Then once more the deadly -fire rippled down the line, the masses shredded and dissolved, and -the fugitives hurried to the woods. Then came the pause under shell -fire, and then once again the emergence of the infantry, the attack, -the check, and the recoil. Such were the general characteristics of -the action at Mons over a large portion of the British line--that -portion which extended along the actual course of the canal. - -It is not to be supposed, however, that there was a monotony of -attack and defence over the whole of the British position. A large -part of the force, {68} including the whole of the First Army Corps, -was threatened rather than seriously engaged, while the opposite end -of the line was also out of the main track of the storm. It beat -most dangerously, as had been foreseen, upon the troops to the -immediate west and north of Mons, and especially upon those which -defended the impossible peninsula formed by the loop of the canal. - -[Sidenote: The defence of the bridges of Nimy.] - -There is a road which runs from Mons due north through the village of -Nimy to Jurbise. The defences to the west of this road were in the -hands of the 9th Brigade. The 4th Royal Fusiliers, with the Scots -Fusiliers, were the particular battalions which held the trenches -skirting this part of the peninsula, while half the Northumberland -Fusiliers were on the straight canal to the westward. To the east of -Nimy are three road bridges--those of Nimy itself, Lock No. 5, and -Aubourg Station. All these three bridges were defended by the 4th -Middlesex, who had made shallow trenches which commanded them. The -Gordons were on their immediate right. The field of fire was much -interfered with by the mines and buildings which faced them, so that -at this point the Germans could get up unobserved to the very front. -It has also been already explained that the German artillery could -enfilade the peninsula from each side, making the defence most -difficult. A rush of German troops came between eleven and twelve -o'clock across the Aubourg Station Bridge. It was so screened up to -the moment of the advance that neither the rifles nor the -machine-guns of the Middlesex could stop it. It is an undoubted fact -that this rush was preceded by a great crowd of women and children, -through which the leading files of the {69} Germans could hardly be -seen. At the same time, or very shortly afterwards, the other two -bridges were forced in a similar manner, but the Germans in all three -cases as they reached the farther side were unable to make any rapid -headway against the British fire, though they made the position -untenable for the troops in trenches between the bridges. The whole -of the 8th Brigade, supported by the 2nd Irish Rifles from -McCracken's 7th Brigade, which had been held in reserve at Ciply, -were now fully engaged, covering the retirement of the Middlesex and -Gordons. At some points the firing between the two lines of infantry -was across the breadth of a road. Two batteries of the 40th -Artillery Brigade, which were facing the German attack at this point, -were badly mauled, one of them, the 23rd R.F.A., losing its gun -teams. Major Ingham succeeded in reconstituting his equipment and -getting his guns away. - -It is well to accentuate the fact that though this was the point of -the most severe pressure there was never any disorderly retirement, -and strong reserves were available had they been needed. The 8th -Brigade, at the time of the general strategical withdrawal of the -Army, made its arrangements in a methodical fashion, and General -Doran kept his hold until after nightfall upon Bois la Haut, which -was an elevation to the east of Mons from which the German artillery -might have harassed the British retreat, since it commanded all the -country to the south. The losses of the brigade had, however, been -considerable, amounting to not less than three hundred and fifty in -the case of the 4th Middlesex, many being killed or wounded in the -defence, and some cut off in the trenches between the various -bridge-heads. Majors {70} Davey and Abell of the Middlesex were -respectively wounded and killed, with thirteen other officers. - -It has already been said that the line of the 4th Royal Fusiliers -extended along the western perimeter up to Nimy Road Bridge, where -Colonel MacMahon's section ended and that of Colonel Hull, of the -Middlesex Regiment, began. To the west of this point was the Nimy -Railway Bridge, defended also by Captain Ashburner's company of the -4th Royal Fusiliers. This was assaulted early, and was held for -nearly five hours against an attack of several German battalions. -The British artillery was unable to help much in the defence, as the -town of Mons behind offered no positions for guns, but the 107th -Battery in the immediate rear did good work. The defence was -continued until the Germans who had already crossed to the east were -advancing on the flank. Lieutenant Maurice Dease, five times wounded -before he was killed, worked his machine-gun to the end, and every -man of his detachment was hit. Lieutenant Dease and Private Godley -both received the Victoria Cross. The occupants of one trench, -including Lieutenant Smith, who was wounded, were cut off by the -rush. Captain Carey commanded the covering company and the -retirement was conducted in good order, though Captain Bowden Smith, -Lieutenant Mead, and a number of men fell in the movement. -Altogether, the Royal Fusiliers lost five officers and about two -hundred men in the defence of the bridge, Lieutenant Tower having -seven survivors in his platoon of sixty. Captain Byng's company at -the Glin Bridge farther east had severe losses and was driven in in -the same way. As the infantry retired a small party of engineers -under Captain Theodore {71} Wright endeavoured to destroy this and -other bridges. Lieutenant Day was twice wounded in his attempt upon -the main Nimy Bridge. Corporal Jarvis received the V.C. for his -exertions in preparing the Jemappes bridge for destruction to the -west of Nimy. Captain Wright, with Sergeant Smith, made an heroic -endeavour under terrific fire to detonate the charge, but was wounded -and fell into the canal. Lieutenant Holt, a brave young officer of -reserve engineers, also lost his life in these operations. - -[Sidenote: The holding of the canal.] - -Having held on as long as was possible, the front line of the 9th -Brigade fell back upon the prepared position on high ground between -Mons and Frameries, where the 107th R.F.A. was entrenched. The 4th -Royal Fusiliers passed through Mons and reached the new line in good -order and without further loss. The 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers, -however, falling back to the same point on a different route through -Flenu, came under heavy machine-gun fire from a high soil heap, -losing Captain Rose and a hundred men. - -The falling back of the 8th and 9th Brigades from the Nimy Peninsula -had an immediate effect upon Cuthbert's 13th Brigade, which was on -their left holding the line up to the railway bridge just east of St. -Ghislain. Of this brigade two battalions, the 1st West Kent on the -right and the 2nd Scottish Borderers on the left, were in the -trenches while the 2nd West Riding and the 2nd Yorkshire Light -Infantry were in support, having their centre at Boussu. The day -began by some losses to the West Kent Regiment, who were probably, -apart from cavalry patrols, the first troops to suffer in the great -war. A company of the regiment under Captain Lister was sent across -the canal early as a support to some advancing {72} cavalry, and was -driven in about eleven o'clock with a loss of two officers and about -a hundred men. - -From this time onwards the German attacks were easily held, though -the German guns were within twelve hundred yards. The situation was -changed when it was learned later in the day that the Germans were -across to the right and had got as far as Flenu on the flank of the -brigade. In view of this advance, General Smith-Dorrien, having no -immediate supports, dashed off on a motor to Sir Douglas Haig's -headquarters some four miles distant, and got his permission to use -Haking's 5th Brigade, which pushed up in time to re-establish the -line. - -It has been shown that the order of the regiments closely engaged in -the front line was, counting from the east, the 1st Gordons, the 4th -Middlesex, the 4th Royal Fusiliers, the 1st Scots Fusiliers, half the -1st Northumberland Fusiliers, the 1st West Kents, and the 2nd -Scottish Borderers, the other regiments of these brigades being in -reserve. The last-named battalion, being opposite a bridge, was -heavily engaged all day, losing many men, but holding its position -intact against repeated advances. On the left hand or western side -of the Scottish Borderers, continuing the line along the canal, one -would come upon the front of the 14th Brigade (Rolfs), which was -formed by the 1st Surrey on the right and the 1st Duke of Cornwall's -on the left. The German attack upon this portion of the line began -about 1 P.M., and by 3 P.M. had become so warm that the reserve -companies were drawn into the firing line. Thanks to their good -work, both with rifles and with machine-guns, the regiments held -their own until about six o'clock in the evening, when the retirement -of the troops on {73} their right enabled the Germans to enfilade the -right section of the East Surreys at close range. They were ordered -to retire, but lost touch with the left section, which remained to -the north of the canal where their trench was situated. Captain -Benson of this section had been killed and Captain Campbell severely -wounded, but the party of one hundred and ten men under Lieutenant -Morritt held on most gallantly and made a very fine defence. Being -finally surrounded, they endeavoured to cut their way out with cold -steel, Lieutenant Ward being killed and Morritt four times wounded in -the attempt. Many of the men were killed and wounded, and the -survivors were taken. Altogether the loss of the regiment was five -officers and one hundred and thirty-four men. - -On the left of the East Surreys, as already stated, lay the 1st Duke -of Cornwall's of the same brigade. About four o'clock in the -afternoon the presence of the German outflanking corps first made -itself felt. At that hour the Cornwalls were aware of an advance -upon their left as well as their front. The Cornwalls drew in across -the canal in consequence, and the Germans did not follow them over -that evening. - -The chief point defended by the 14th Brigade upon this day had been -the bridge and main road which crosses the canal between Pommeroeul -and Thulin, some eight or nine miles west of Mons. In the evening, -when the final order for retreat was given, this bridge was blown up, -and the brigade fell back after nightfall as far as Dour, where it -slept. - -[Sidenote: The fateful telegram.] - -By the late afternoon the general position was grave, but not -critical. The enemy had lost very heavily, while the men in the -trenches were, in comparison, unscathed. Here and there, as we have -{74} seen, the Germans had obtained a lodgment in the British -position, especially at the salient which had always appeared to be -impossible to hold, but, on the other hand, the greater part of the -Army, including the whole First Corps, had not yet been seriously -engaged, and there were reserve troops in the immediate rear of the -fighting line who could be trusted to make good any gap in the ranks -before them. The German artillery fire was heavy and well-directed, -but the British batteries had held their own. Such was the position -when, about 5 P.M., a telegram from General Joffre was put into Sir -John French's hand, which must have brought a pang to his heart. -From it he learned that all his work had been in vain, and that far -from contending for victory, he would be fortunate if he saved -himself from utter defeat. - -There were two pieces of information in this fatal message, and each -was disastrous. The first announced that instead of the two German -corps whom he had reason to think were in front of him, there were -four--the Third, Fourth, Seventh, and Fourth Reserve Corps--forming, -with the second and fourth cavalry divisions, a force of nearly -200,000 men, while the Second Corps were bringing another 40,000 -round his left flank from the direction of Tournai. The second item -was even more serious. Instead of being buttressed up with French -troops on either side of him, he learned that the Germans had burst -the line of the Sambre, and that the French armies on his right were -already in full retreat, while nothing substantial lay upon his left. -It was a most perilous position. The British force lay exposed and -unsupported amid converging foes who far outnumbered it in men and -guns. What was the profit of one {75} day of successful defence if -the morrow would dawn upon a British Sedan? There was only one -course of action, and Sir John decided upon it in the instant, bitter -as the decision must have been. The Army must be extricated from the -battle and fall back until it resumed touch with its Allies. - -But it is no easy matter to disengage so large an army which is -actually in action and hard-pressed by a numerous and enterprising -enemy. The front was extensive and the lines of retreat were -limited. That the operation was carried out in an orderly fashion is -a testimony to the skill of the General, the talents of the -commanders, and the discipline of the units. If it had been done at -once and simultaneously it would certainly have been the signal for a -vigorous German advance and a possible disaster. The positions were -therefore held, though no efforts were made to retake those points -where the enemy had effected a lodgment. There was no possible use -in wasting troops in regaining positions which would in no case be -held. As dusk fell, a dusk which was lightened by the glare of -burning villages, some of the regiments began slowly to draw off to -the rear. In the early morning of the 24th the definite order to -retire was conveyed to the corps commanders, whilst immediate -measures were taken to withdraw the impedimenta and to clear the -roads. - -Such, in its bare outlines, was the action of Mons upon August 23, -interesting for its own sake, but more so as being the first clash -between the British and German armies. One or two questions call for -discussion before the narrative passes on. The most obvious of these -is the question of the bridges. Why were they not blown up in the -dangerous peninsula? {76} Without having any special information -upon the point, one might put forward the speculation that the reason -why they were not at once blown up was that the whole of Joffre's -advance was an aggressive movement for the relief of Namur, and that -the bridges were not destroyed because they would be used in a -subsequent advance. It will always be a subject for speculation as -to what would have occurred had the battle been fought to a finish. -Considering the comparative merits of British and German infantry as -shown in many a subsequent encounter, and allowing for the advantage -that the defence has over the attack, it is probable that the odds -might not have been too great and that Sir John French might have -remained master of the field. That, however, is a matter of opinion. -What is not a matter of opinion is that the other German armies to -the east would have advanced on the heels of the retiring French, -that they would have cut the British off from their Allies, and that -they would have been hard put to it to reach the coast. Therefore, -win or lose, the Army had no possible course open but to retire. The -actual losses of the British were not more than three or four -thousand, the greater part from the 8th, 9th, and 13th Brigades. -There are no means as yet by which the German losses can be taken out -from the general returns, but when one considers the repeated -advances over the open and the constant breaking of the dense -attacking formations, it is impossible that they should have been -fewer than from seven to ten thousand men. Each army had for the -first time an opportunity of forming a critical estimate of the -other. German officers have admitted with soldierly frankness that -the efficiency of the British came to them as a revelation, which is -{77} not surprising after the assurances that had been made to them. -On the other hand, the British bore away a very clear conviction of -the excellence of the German artillery and of the plodding bravery of -the German infantry, together with a great reassurance as to their -own capacity to hold their own at any reasonable odds. - -[Sidenote: The rearguard actions of Frameries, Wasmes, and Dour.] - -After a night of flames and of uproar the day dawned, a day of great -anxiety to the British commanders and of considerable pressure upon a -portion of the troops. Sir John French had given instructions that -the First Corps, which had been only slightly engaged the day before, -should pretend to assume the offensive upon the extreme right wing in -the direction of Binche, whilst the Second Corps began its -retirement. The enemy was following up rapidly, however, along the -whole length of the British line, both flanks of which were exposed. -Shortly after dawn the evacuated positions had been occupied, and -Mons itself was in the hands of the advancing Germans. The Second -Corps began its retreat, helped by the feint which was carried out by -General Haig upon the right, and by the bulk of the batteries of both -corps, but the pursuit was vigorous and the shell-fire incessant. A -shell from the rear is more intimidating than twenty in the front. -Hamilton's Third Division, including the 8th and 9th Brigades, who -had done such hard work the day before, sustained the most severe -losses, especially at Frameries, four miles south of Mons. The 2nd -Royal Scots of the 8th Brigade about midnight had been attacked by a -heavy German column which got so near that the swish of their feet -through the long grass put the regiment on the alert. The attack was -{78} blown back by a volley at close quarters. The 9th Brigade -(Shaw's), which covered the retreat, was closely pressed from dawn by -the pursuing Germans, and was subjected to a very heavy shell-fire. -A barricade, erected in the village and manned by Captain Sandilands, -of the Northumberlands, with his company, held up the German advance, -and they were never permitted to reach the line nor to hustle the -retirement. Butler's 23rd Artillery Brigade helped with its fire. -The chief losses in this skilful covering action fell upon the 1st -Lincolns and upon the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers, each of which -lost about 150 men, including Captain Rose, Lieutenants Bulbe, -Welchman, and others. There was a stational ambulance in the village -of Frameries, and a foreign nurse in its employ has left a vivid -picture of the wounded British rushing in grimy and breathless to -have their slighter wounds dressed and then running out, rifle in -hand, to find their place in the firing line. - -The remaining brigade of the Third Division, McCracken's 7th Brigade, -had detached one regiment, the 2nd Irish Rifles, upon the day before -to reinforce the 8th Brigade, and this regiment had, as already -mentioned, some severe fighting, holding back the German advance -after the retirement from the Nimy Peninsula of the Middlesex and the -Gordons. It did not find its way back to its brigade until the -evening of the 24th. The brigade itself, during the first day of the -retreat, held a position near Ciply, to the south of Mons, where it -was heavily attacked in the early morning, and in some danger as its -flank was exposed. At ten o'clock it was ordered to retire _via_ -Genly towards Bavai, and it carried out this difficult movement in -the face of a pushful enemy in {79} perfect order, covered by the -divisional artillery. The principal losses fell upon the 2nd South -Lancashire Regiment, which came under heavy fire from German -machine-guns posted upon slag-heaps. This regiment was very hard -hit, losing several hundred men. The brigade faced round near Bavai -and held off the pursuit. - -Cuthbert's 13th Brigade, keeping in line with their comrades on the -right, halted at Wasmes, some four miles from the canal, where they -prepared some hasty entrenchments. Here, at the dawn of day, they -were furiously attacked by the German vanguard at the same time that -the 9th Brigade was hustled in Frameries, but for two hours the -assailants were beaten back with heavy losses. The brunt of the -fighting fell upon the 2nd West Riding Regiment, who lost heavily, -were at one time nearly surrounded, and finally, with dour Yorkshire -pertinacity, shook themselves clear. Their losses included their -commander, Colonel Gibbs, their adjutant, 300 men, and all their -officers save five. The 1st West Kents also lost about 100 men and -several officers, including Major Pack-Beresford. For the remainder -of the day and for the whole of the 25th the brigade, with the rest -of the Fifth Division, fell back with little fighting _via_ Bavai to -the Le Cateau line. - -On the evening of the 23rd the 14th Brigade, still farther to the -west, had fallen back to Dour, blowing up the bridge and road over -the canal. After dark the Germans followed them, and Gleichen's 15th -Brigade, which had not yet been engaged, found itself in the position -of rearguard and immediately exposed to the pressure of the German -flanking movement. This was now threatening to envelop the {80} -whole of Ferguson's Fifth Division. The situation was particularly -difficult, since this General had to make a flank movement in the -face of the enemy in order to close up with his comrades of the Third -Division. He was soon compelled to call for assistance, and Allenby, -with his cavalry division, was advanced to help him. It was -evidently the intention of the enemy to strike in upon the western -side of the division and pin it to its ground until it could be -surrounded. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{81} - -[Illustration: 1st MORNING OF RETREAT OF 2nd ARMY CORPS AUG 24th.] - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Sidenote: The charge of the Lancers.] - -The first menacing advance in the morning of the 24th was directed -against the flank of the British infantry who were streaming down the -Elouges-Dour high road. The situation was critical, and a portion of -De Lisle's 2nd Cavalry Brigade was ordered to charge near Andregnies, -the hostile infantry being at that time about a thousand yards -distant, with several batteries in support. The attack of the -cavalry was vigorously supported by L Battery of Horse Artillery. -The charge was carried out by three squadrons of the 9th Lancers, -Colonel Campbell at their head. The 4th Dragoon Guards under Colonel -Mullens was in support. The cavalry rode forward amidst a heavy but -not particularly deadly fire until they were within a few hundred -yards of the enemy, when, being faced by a wire fence, they swung to -the right and rallied under the cover of some slag-heaps and of a -railway embankment. Their menace and rifle fire, or the fine work of -Major Sclater-Booth's battery, had the effect of holding up the -German advance for some time, and though the cavalry were much -scattered and disorganised they were able to reunite without any -excessive loss, the total casualties being a little over two hundred. -Some {82} hours later the enemy's pressure again became heavy upon -Ferguson's flank, and the 1st Cheshires and 1st Norfolks, of -Gleichen's 15th Brigade, which formed the infantry flank-guard, -incurred heavy losses. It was in this defensive action that the -119th R.F.A., under Major Alexander, fought itself to a standstill -with only three unwounded gunners by the guns. The battery had -silenced one German unit and was engaged with three others. Only -Major Alexander and Lieutenant Pollard with a few men were left. As -the horses had been destroyed the pieces had to be man-handled out of -action. Captain the Hon. F. Grenfell, of the 9th Lancers, bleeding -from two wounds, with several officers, Sergeants Davids and Turner, -and some fifty men of the regiment, saved these guns under a terrible -fire, the German infantry being within close range. During the whole -long, weary day the batteries and horsemen were working hard to cover -the retreat, while the surgeons exposed themselves with great -fearlessness, lingering behind the retiring lines in order to give -first aid to the men who had been hit by the incessant shell-fire. -It was in this noble task--the noblest surely within the whole range -of warfare--that Captain Malcolm Leckie, and other brave medical -officers, met with a glorious end, upholding to the full the -traditions of their famous corps. - -[Sidenote: The fate of the Cheshires.] - -It has been stated that the 1st Cheshires, in endeavouring to screen -the west flank of the Second Corps from the German pursuit, were very -badly punished. This regiment, together with the Norfolks, occupied -a low ridge to the north-east side of the village of Elouges, which -they endeavoured to hold against the onflowing tide of Germans. -About three in the afternoon it was seen {83} that there was danger -of this small flank-guard being entirely cut off. As a matter of -fact an order had actually been sent for a retreat, but had not -reached them. Colonel Boger of the Cheshires sent several -messengers, representing the growing danger, but no answer came back. -Finally, in desperation, Colonel Boger went himself and found that -the enemy held the position previously occupied by the rest of -Gleichen's Brigade, which had retired. The Cheshires had by this -time endured dreadful losses, and were practically surrounded. A -bayonet charge eased the pressure for a short time, but the enemy -again closed in and the bulk of the survivors, isolated amidst a -hostile army corps, were compelled to surrender. Some escaped in -small groups and made their way through to their retreating comrades. -When roll was next called, there remained 5 officers and 193 men out -of 27 officers and 1007 of all ranks who had gone into action. It -speaks volumes for the discipline of the regiment that this remnant, -under Captain Shore, continued to act as a useful unit. These -various episodes, including the severe losses of Gleichen's 15th -Brigade, the attack of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade, and the artillery -action in which the 119th Battery was so severely handled, group -themselves into a separate little action occurring the day after Mons -and associated either with the villages of Elouges or of Dour. The -Second German Corps continued to act upon the western side of the -Second British Corps, whilst the rest of General von Kluck's army -followed it behind. With three corps close behind him, and one -snapping at his flank, General Smith-Dorrien made his way southwards, -his gunners and cavalry labouring hard to relieve the ever-increasing -{84} pressure, while his rear brigades were continually sprayed by -the German shrapnel. - -It is to be noted that Sir John French includes the Ninth German -Corps in Von Kluck's army in his first dispatch, and puts it in Von -Bülow's second army in his second dispatch. The French authorities -are of opinion that Von Kluck's army consisted of the Second, Third, -Fourth, Seventh, and Fourth Reserve Corps, with two divisions of -cavalry. If this be correct, then part of Von Bulow's army was -pursuing Haig, while the whole of Von Kluck's was concentrated upon -Smith-Dorrien. This would make the British performance even more -remarkable than it has hitherto appeared, since it would mean that -during the pursuit, and at the subsequent battle, ten German -divisions were pressing upon three British ones. - -It is not to be supposed that so huge a force was all moving abreast, -or available simultaneously at any one point. None the less a -General can use his advance corps very much more freely when he knows -that every gap can be speedily filled. - -A tiny reinforcement had joined the Army on the morning after the -battle of Mons. This was the 19th Brigade under General Drummond, -which consisted of the 1st Middlesex, 1st Scots Rifles, 2nd Welsh -Fusiliers, and 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. This detached -brigade acted, and continued to act during a large part of the war, -as an independent unit. It detrained at Valenciennes on August 23, -and two regiments, the Middlesex and the Cameronians, may be said to -have taken part in the battle of Mons, since they formed up at the -east of Condé, on the extreme left of the British position, {85} and -received, together with the Queen's Bays, who were scouting in front -of them, the first impact of the German flanking corps. They fell -back with the Army upon the 24th and 25th, keeping the line -Jenlain--Solesmes, finally reaching Le Cateau, where they eventually -took up their position on the right rear of the British Army. - -As the Army fell back, the border fortress of Maubeuge with its heavy -guns offered a tempting haven of rest for the weary and overmatched -troops, but not in vain had France lost her army in Metz. Sir John -French would have no such protection, however violently the Germans -might push him towards it. "The British Army invested in Maubeuge" -was not destined to furnish the head-line of a Berlin special -edition. The fortress was left to the eastward, and the tired troops -snatched a few hours of rest near Bavai, still pursued by the guns -and the searchlights of their persistent foemen. At an early hour of -the 25th the columns were again on the march for the south, and for -safety. - -It may be remarked that in all this movement what made the operation -most difficult and complicated was, that in the retirement the Army -was not moving direct to the rear, but diagonally away to the west, -thus making the west flank more difficult to cover as well as -complicating the movements of transport. It was this oblique -movement which caused the Third Division to change places with the -Fifth, so that from now onwards it was to the west of the Army. - -The greater part of the Fourth Division of the Third Army Corps, -coming up from the lines of communication, brought upon this day a -welcome {86} reinforcement to the Army and did yeoman work in -covering the retirement. The total composition of this division was -as follows:-- - - THIRD ARMY CORPS - - GENERAL PULTENEY. - - DIVISION IV.--General SNOW. - - 10_th Infantry Brigade--General Haldane_. - 1st Warwicks. - 2nd Seaforths. - 1st Irish Fusiliers. - 2nd Dublin Fusiliers. - - 11_th Infantry Brigade--General Hunter-Weston_. - 1st Somerset L. Infantry. - 1st East Lancashires. - 1st Hants. - 1st Rifle Brigade. - - 12_th Infantry Brigade--General Wilson_. - 1st Royal Lancaster Regiment. - 2nd Lancs. Fusiliers. - 2nd Innis. Fusiliers. - 2nd Essex. - - _Artillery--General Milne_. - XIV. Brig. R.F.A. 39, 68, 88. - XXIX. Brig. R.F.A. 125, 126, 127. - XXXII. Brig. R.F.A. 27, 134, 135. - XXXVII. Brig. (How.) 31, 35, 55. - Heavy R.G.A. 31 Battery. - R.E. 7, 9 Field Cos. - - -These troops, which had been quartered in the Ligny and Montigny -area, received urgent orders at one in the morning of the 25th that -they should advance northwards. They marched that night to Briastre, -where they covered the retreat of the Army, the Third Division -passing through their lines. The Fourth Division then retired south -again, having great difficulty in getting along, as the roads were -choked with transport and artillery, and fringed with exhausted men. -The 12th Brigade (Wilson's) was acting as rearguard, and began to -experience pressure from the pursuers, the Essex men being {87} -shelled out of the village of Bethencourt, which they held until it -was nearly surrounded by the German cavalry. The line followed by -the division was Briastre-Viesly-Bethencourt-Caudry-Ligny and -Haucourt, the latter village marking the general position which they -were to take up on the left of the Army at the line of Le Cateau. -Such reinforcements were mere handfuls when compared with the -pursuing hosts, but their advent heartened up the British troops and -relieved them of some of the pressure. It has been remarked by -officers of the Fourth Division that they and their men were -considerably taken aback by the worn appearance of the weary -regiments from Mons which passed through their ranks. Their -confidence was revived, however, by the undisturbed demeanour of the -General Headquarters Staff, who came through them in the late -afternoon of the 25th. "General French himself struck me as being -extremely composed, and the staff officers looked very cheerful." -These are the imponderabilia which count for much in a campaign. - -Tuesday, August 25, was a day of scattered rearguard actions. The -weary Army had rested upon the evening of the 24th upon the general -line Maubeuge-Bavai-Wargnies. Orders were issued for the retirement -to continue next day to a position already partly prepared, in front -of the centre of which stood the town of Le Cateau. All rearguards -were to be clear of the above-mentioned line by 5.30 A.M. The -general conception was that the inner flanks of the two corps should -be directed upon Le Cateau. - -The intention of the Commander-in-Chief was that the Army should -fight in that position next day, {88} the First Corps occupying the -right and the Second Corps the left of the position. The night of -the 25th found the Second Corps in the position named, whilst their -comrades were still at Landrecies, eight miles to the north-east, -with a cavalry brigade endeavouring to bridge the gap between. It is -very certain, in the case of so ardent a leader as Haig, that it was -no fault upon his part which kept him from Smith-Dorrien's side upon -the day of battle. It can only be said that the inevitable delays -upon the road experienced by the First Corps, including the rearguard -actions which it fought, prevented the ensuing battle from being one -in which the British Army as a whole might have stemmed the rush of -Von Kluck's invading host. - -[Sidenote: The 7th Brigade at Solesmes.] - -Whilst the whole Army had been falling back upon the position which -had been selected for a stand, it was hoped that substantial French -reinforcements were coming up from the south. The roads were much -blocked during the 25th, for two divisions of French territorials -were retiring along them, as well as the British Army. As a -consequence progress was slow, and the German pressure from the rear -became ever more severe. Allenby's cavalry and horse-guns covered -the retreat, continually turning round and holding off the pursuers. -Finally, near Solesmes, on the evening of the 25th, the cavalry were -at last driven in, and the Germans came up against McCracken's 7th -Brigade, who held them most skilfully until nightfall with the -assistance of the 42nd Brigade R.F.A. and the 30th Howitzer Brigade. -Most of the fighting fell upon the 1st Wiltshires and 2nd South -Lancashires, both of which had substantial losses. The Germans could -make no further progress, {89} and time was given for the roads to -clear and for the artillery to get away. The 7th Brigade then -followed, marching, so far as possible, across country and taking up -its position, which it did not reach until after midnight, in the -village of Caudry, on the line of the Le Cateau-Courtrai road. As it -faced north once more it found Snow's Fourth Division upon its left, -while on its immediate right were the 8th and the 9th Brigades, with -the Fifth Division on the farther side of them. One unit of the 7th -Brigade, the 2nd Irish Rifles, together with the 41st R.F.A., swerved -off in the darkness and confusion and went away with the cavalry. -The rest were in the battle line. Here we may leave them in position -while we return to trace the fortunes of the First Army Corps. - -Sir Douglas Haig's corps, after the feint of August 24, in which the -Second Division appeared to be attacking with the First in support, -was cleverly disengaged from the enemy and fell back by alternate -divisions. It was not an easy operation, and it was conducted under -a very heavy shell-fire, which fell especially upon the covering guns -of Colonel Sandilands' 34th Artillery Brigade. These guns were -exposed to a concentration of fire from the enemy, which was so -intense that a thick haze of smoke and dust blotted out the view for -long periods at a time. It was only with difficulty and great -gallantry that they were got away. An officer of the 6th Brigade, -immediately behind them, writes: "Both going in and coming back the -limbers passed my trench at a tearing gallop, the drivers lying low -on the horses' necks and screaming at them to go faster, while on the -return the guns bounded about on the stubble {90} field like so many -tin cans behind a runaway dog." The guns having been drawn in, the -corps retired by roads parallel to the Second Corps, and were able to -reach the line Bavai-Maubeuge by about 7 P.M. upon that evening, -being on the immediate eastern flank of Smith-Dorrien's men. It is a -striking example of the historical continuity of the British Army -that as they marched that day many of the regiments, such as the -Guards and the 1st King's Liverpool, passed over the graves of their -predecessors who had died under the same colours at Malplaquet in -1709, two hundred and six years before. - -[Sidenote: The Guards in action.] - -On August 25 General Haig continued his retreat. During the day he -fell back to the west of Maubeuge by Feignies to Vavesnes and -Landrecies. The considerable forest of Mormal intervened between the -two sections of the British Army. On the forenoon of this day the -vanguard of the German infantry, using motor transport, overtook -Davies' 6th Brigade, which was acting as rearguard to the corps. -They pushed in to within five hundred yards, but were driven back by -rifle-fire. Other German forces were coming rapidly up and -enveloping the wings of the British rearguard, but the brigade, -through swift and skilful handling, disengaged itself from what was -rapidly becoming a dangerous situation. The weather was exceedingly -hot during the day, and with their heavy packs the men were much -exhausted, many of them being barely able to stagger. In the -evening, footsore and weary, they reached the line of Landrecies, -Maroilles, and Pont-sur-Sambre. The 4th Brigade of Guards, -consisting of Grenadiers, Coldstream, and Irish, under General -Scott-Kerr, occupied the town of Landrecies. During {91} the day -they had seen little of the enemy, and they had no reason to believe -that the forest, which extended up to the outskirts of the town, was -full of German infantry pressing eagerly to cut them off. The -possession of vast numbers of motor lorries for infantry transport -introduces a new element into strategy, especially the strategy of a -pursuit, which was one of those disagreeable first experiences of -up-to-date warfare which the British Army had to undergo. It ensures -that the weary retreating rearguard shall ever have a perfectly fresh -pursuing vanguard at its heels. - -The Guards at Landrecies were put into the empty cavalry barracks for -a much-needed rest, but they had hardly settled down before there was -an alarm that the Germans were coming into the town. It was just -after dusk that a column of infantry debouched from the shadow of the -trees and advanced briskly towards the town. A company of the 3rd -Coldstream under Captain Monck gave the alarm, and the whole regiment -stood to arms, while the rest of the brigade, who could not operate -in so confined a space, defended the other entrances of the town. -The van of the approaching Germans shouted out that they were French, -and seemed to have actually got near enough to attack the officer of -the picket and seize a machine-gun before the Guardsmen began to -fire. There is a single approach to the village, and no means of -turning it, so that the attack was forced to come directly down the -road. - -[Sidenote: The Germans' rude awakening.] - -Possibly the Germans had the impression that they were dealing with -demoralised fugitives, but if so they got a rude awakening. The -advance party, who were endeavouring to drag away the {92} -machine-gun, were all shot down, and their comrades who stormed up to -the houses were met with a steady and murderous fire which drove them -back into the shadows of the wood. A gun was brought up by them, and -fired at a range of five hundred yards with shrapnel, but the -Coldstream, reinforced by a second company, lay low or flattened -themselves into the doorways for protection, while the 9th British -Battery replied from a position behind the town. Presently, -believing that the way had been cleared for them, there was a fresh -surge of dark masses out of the wood, and they poured into the throat -of the street. The Guards had brought out two machine-guns, and -their fire, together with a succession of volleys from the rifles, -decimated the stormers. Some of them got near enough to throw hand -bombs among the British, but none effected a lodgment among the -buildings. - -From time to time there were fresh advances during the night, -designed apparently rather to tire out the troops than to gain the -village. Once fire was set to the house at the end of the street, -but the flames were extinguished by a party led by Corporal Wyatt, of -the 3rd Coldstream. The Irish Guards after midnight relieved the -Coldstream of their vigil, and in the early morning the tired but -victorious brigade went forward unmolested upon their way. They had -lost 170 of their number, nearly all from the two Coldstream -companies. Lord Hawarden and the Hon. Windsor Clive of the -Coldstream and Lieut. Vereker of the Grenadiers were killed, four -other officers were wounded. The Germans in their close attacking -formation had suffered very much more heavily. Their enterprise {93} -was a daring one, for they had pushed far forward to get command of -the Landrecies Bridge, but their audacity became foolhardy when faced -by steady, unshaken infantry. History has shown many times before -that a retreating British Army still retains a sting in its tail. - -At the same time as the Guards' Brigade was attacked at Landrecies -there was an advance from the forest against Maroilles, which is four -miles to the eastward. A troop of the 15th Hussars guarding a bridge -over the Sambre near that point was driven in by the enemy, and two -attempts on the part of the 1st Berkshires, of Davies' 6th Brigade, -to retake it were repulsed, owing to the fact that the only approach -was by a narrow causeway with marshland on either side, where it was -not possible for infantry to deploy. The 1st Rifles were ordered to -support the Berkshires, but darkness had fallen and nothing could be -done. The casualties in this skirmish amounted to 124 killed, -wounded, or missing. The Landrecies and Maroilles wounded were left -behind with some of the medical staff. At this period of the war the -British had not yet understood the qualities of the enemy, and -several times made the mistake of trusting surgeons and orderlies to -their mercy, with the result that they were inhumanly treated, both -by the authorities at the front and by the populace in Germany, -whither they were conveyed as starving prisoners of war. Five of -them, Captains Edmunds and Hamilton, Lieut. Danks (all of the Army -Medical Corps), with Dr. Austin and Dr. Elliott, who were exchanged -in January 1915, deposed that they were left absolutely without food -for long periods. It is only fair to state that at a later date, -with a few {94} scandalous exceptions, such as that of Wittenberg, -the German treatment of prisoners, though often harsh, was no longer -barbarous. For the first six months, however, it was brutal in the -extreme, and frequently accompanied by torture as well as neglect. A -Spanish prisoner, incarcerated by mistake, has given very clear -neutral evidence of the abominable punishments of the prison camps. -His account reads more like the doings of Iroquois than of a -Christian nation. - -[Sidenote: The Connnaughts at Pont-sur-Sambre.] - -A small mishap--small on the scale of such a war, though serious -enough in itself--befell a unit of the First Army Corps on the -morning after the Landrecies engagement. The portion of the German -army who pursued General Haig had up to now been able to effect -little, and that little at considerable cost to themselves. Early on -August 26, however, a brisk action was fought near Pont-sur-Sambre, -in which the 2nd Connaughts, of Haking's Fifth Brigade, lost six -officers, including Colonel Abercrombie, who was taken prisoner, and -280 men. The regiment was cut off by a rapidly advancing enemy in a -country which was so thickly enclosed that there was great difficulty -in keeping touch between the various companies or in conveying their -danger to the rest of the brigade. By steadiness and judgment the -battalion was extricated from a most difficult position, but it was -at the heavy cost already quoted. In this case again the use by the -enemy of great numbers of motor lorries in their pursuit accounts for -the suddenness and severity of the attacks which now and afterwards -fell upon the British rearguards. - -Dawn broke upon August 26, a day upon which the exhausted troops were -destined to be tried to the {95} limit of human endurance. It was -the date of Von Kluck's exultant telegram in which he declared that -he held them surrounded, a telegram which set Berlin fluttering with -flags. On this day the First Army Corps was unmolested in its march, -reaching the Venerolles line that night. There was woody country -upon the west of it, and from beyond this curtain of trees they heard -the distant roar of a terrific cannonade, and knew that a great -battle was in progress to the westward. It was on Smith-Dorrien's -Second Corps and upon the single division of the Third Corps that the -full storm of the German attack had broken. In a word, a corps and a -half of British troops, with 225 guns, were assailed by certainly -four and probably five German corps, with 600 guns. It is no wonder -that the premature tidings of a great German triumph were forwarded -that morning to make one more item in that flood of good news which -from August 21 to the end of the month was pouring in upon the German -people. A glittering mirage lay before them. The French lines had -been hurled back from the frontier, the British were in full retreat, -and now were faced with absolute disaster. Behind these breaking -lines lay the precious capital, the brain and heart of France. But -God is not always with the big battalions, and the end was not yet. - - - - -{96} - -CHAPTER IV - -THE BATTLE OF LE CATEAU - -The order of battle at Le Cateau--The stand of the 2nd -Suffolks--Major Yate's V.C.--The fight for the quarries--The splendid -work of the British guns--Difficult retirement of the Fourth -Division--The fate of the 1st Gordons--Results of the -battle--Exhaustion of the Army--The destruction of the 2nd -Munsters--A cavalry fight--The news in Great Britain--The views of -General Joffre--Battery L--The action of Villars-Cotteret--Reunion of -the Army. - - -Reference has already been made to the retirement of Smith-Dorrien's -Second Corps, covered by Allenby's cavalry, throughout the 25th. The -heads of the columns arrived at the Le Cateau position at about 3 -P.M., but the rearguards were fighting into the night, and came in -eventually in an exhausted condition. The Fourth Division, which was -still quite fresh, did good and indeed vital service by allowing the -tired units to pass through its ranks and acting as a pivot upon -which the cavalry could fall back. - -Sir John French had reconsidered the idea of making a stand at Le -Cateau, feeling, no doubt, that if his whole Army could not be -consolidated there the affair would be too desperate. He had moved -with his staff during the evening of the 25th to St. Quentin, leaving -word that the retirement should be continued early next morning. -Smith-Dorrien spent the afternoon and evening going round the -position, but it was {97} not until 2 A.M. upon the morning of the -26th that he was able to ascertain the whereabouts of all his -scattered and weary units. About that time General Allenby reported -that his cavalry had been widely separated, two and a half brigades -being at Chatillon, six miles east of Le Cateau, the other one and a -half brigades being near Ligny, four miles west of the same town. -General Smith-Dorrien was in the position that his troops were -scattered, weary, and in danger of losing their morale through -continued retreat in the presence of an ever-pressing enemy. Even -with the best soldiers such an experience too long continued may turn -an army into a rabble. He therefore made urgent representations by -telephone to the Commander-in-Chief, pointing out that the only hope -of checking the dangerous German pursuit was to stagger them by a -severe counter. "The only thing for the men to do when they can't -stand is to lie down and fight," said he. Sir John assented to the -view, with the proviso that the retirement should be continued as -soon as possible. Smith-Dorrien, taking under his orders the -cavalry, the Fourth Division, and the 19th Brigade, as well as his -own corps, issued instructions for the battle which he knew must -begin within a few hours. - -Owing to the gap of eight miles between the nearest points of the two -corps, both flanks of the position were in the air. Smith-Dorrien -therefore requested the cavalry brigades from Chatillon to move in -and guard the east flank, while the rest of the cavalry watched the -west. He was less anxious about the latter, as he knew that Sordet's -French cavalry was in that direction. - -[Sidenote: The order of battle at Le Coteau.] - -The exhausted infantry, who had now been {98} marching for about a -week, and fighting for three days and the greater part of three -nights, flung themselves down where best they could, some to the -north-east of Le Cateau, some in the town, and some along the line of -very inadequate trenches hastily prepared by civilian labour. In the -early dawn they took up their position, the Fifth Division being to -the right near the town. Of this division, the 14th Brigade (Rolt's) -was on the extreme right, the 13th (Cuthbert's) to the left of it, -and the 15th (Gleichen's) to the left again. To the west of the -Fifth Division lay the Third, their trenches covering the villages of -Troisville (9th Brigade), Audencourt (8th Brigade), and Caudry (7th -Brigade). Behind Caudry one and a half brigades of cavalry were in -reserve to strengthen the left wing. From Caudry the line was thrown -back to meet a flanking movement and extended to Haucourt. This -portion was held by Snow's Fourth Division. Sordet's cavalry had -passed across the rear of the British position the day before, and -lay now to the left flank and rear of the Army. There were rumours -of approaching French forces from the south, which put heart into the -weary men, but, as a matter of fact, they had only their own brave -spirits upon which to depend. Their numbers, putting every unit at -its full complement, were about 70,000 men. Their opponents were -four army corps at the least, with two divisions of cavalry--say, -170,000 men with an overpowering artillery. Subsequent reports -showed that the guns of all five army corps had been concentrated for -the battle. - -It has been said that Rolt's 14th Brigade was at the extreme right of -the line. This statement needs some expansion. The 14th Brigade -consisted of the {99} 1st East Surrey, 2nd Suffolk, 2nd Manchester, -and 1st Cornwalls. Of these four regiments, half of the East Surrey -had been detached on escort duty and the other half, under Colonel -Longley, with the whole of the Cornwalls, bivouacked in the northern -suburbs of Le Cateau on the night of the 25th. In the early morning -of the 26th the enemy's advanced guard got into the town, and this -detachment of British troops were cut off from their comrades and -fired upon as they assembled in the streets of the town. They made -their way out, however, in orderly fashion and took up a position to -the south-east of the town, where they fought an action on their own -account for some hours, quite apart from the rest of the Army, which -they could hear but not see. Eventually the division of cavalry fell -back from Chatillon to join the Army and picked up these troops _en -route_, so that the united body was able to make its way safely back -to their comrades. These troops were out of the main battle, but did -good work in covering the retreat. The whole signal section of the -14th Brigade was with them, which greatly hampered the brigade during -the battle. Two companies of the 1st East Surreys under Major Tew -had become separated from their comrades after Mons, but they -rejoined the British line at Troisville, and on the morning of August -26 were able to fall in on the rear of the 14th Brigade, where, as -will be seen later, they did good service. - -The 19th Brigade had also bivouacked in Le Cateau and was nearly cut -off, as the two regiments of the 14th Brigade had been, by the sudden -intrusion of the enemy. It had been able to make its way out of the -town, however, without being separated from the rest of the Army, and -it took up its position on {100} the right rear of the infantry line, -whence it sent help where needed and played the part of a reserve -until towards the close of the action its presence became very vital -to the Fifth Division. At the outset the 2nd Argyll and Sutherlands -were in the front line of this brigade and the 1st Middlesex -supporting them, while the other two battalions, the 2nd Welsh -Fusiliers and 1st Scots Rifles, with a battery of artillery had been -taken as a reserve by the force commander. No trenches had been -prepared at this point, and the losses of the two front battalions -from shell-fire were, from the beginning, very heavy. The other two -battalions spent a day of marching rather than fighting, being sent -right across to reinforce the Fourth Division and then being brought -back to the right flank once more. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{101} - -[Illustration: Sketch of the Battle of Le Cateau, Aug. 26th] - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Sidenote: The stand of the 2nd Suffolks.] - -It was the Fifth Division, on the right of the line, who first -experienced the full effect of the heavy shelling which about seven -o'clock became general along the whole position, but was always most -severe upon the right. There was a dangerous salient in the trenches -at the cross-roads one mile west of Le Cateau which was a source of -very great weakness. Every effort was made to strengthen the -trenches, the 15th Brigade and 59th Company R.E. working especially -hard in the Troisville section. The Germans were moving round upon -this right wing, and the murderous hail of missiles came from the -flank as well as from the front, being supplemented by rifle and -machine-gun fire. The 2nd Suffolks and 2nd Manchesters, the -remaining half of Rolfs 14th Brigade, being on the extreme right of -the line, suffered the most. The guns immediately supporting them, -of the 28th Artillery Brigade, were quite overmatched and were {102} -overwhelmed by the devastating rain of shells, many of them being put -out of action. A heavy battery, the 108th, some little distance -behind the line, kept up a steady and effective fire which long held -back the German advance. The pressure, however, was extreme, and -growing steadily from hour to hour until it became well-nigh -intolerable. Especially it fell upon the 2nd Suffolks, who held -their shallow trenches with splendid tenacity. Their colonel, Brett, -was killed, Major Doughty was wounded in three places, Captains -Orford and Cutbill, with eight lieutenants, were on the ground. -Finally, when the position of the brigade became untenable and it was -ordered to retreat, the gallant Suffolks held on to their line with -the desire of saving the disabled guns, and were eventually all -killed, wounded, or taken, save for about 250 men, while their -neighbours, the 2nd Manchesters, lost 14 officers and 350 of their -men. In this way the extreme right of the British line was -practically destroyed. - -The 19th Brigade, in the rear of the 14th, were able to observe the -fate of their comrades, and about mid-day the 2nd Argyll and -Sutherland Highlanders, who had already lost a good many men from -shell-fire, advanced in the chivalrous hope of relieving the -pressure. The battalion went forward as if on parade, though the -casualties were numerous. They eventually gained the shelter of some -trenches near the remains of the 14th Brigade, but their gallant -effort, instead of averting the threatened destruction, ended by -partially involving them in the same fate. They could do nothing -against the concentrated and well-directed artillery fire of the -enemy. When eventually they fell back, part of two companies were -cut {103} off in their trench and taken. The rest of the regiment, -together with the 1st Middlesex and two companies of the Royal Scots -Fusiliers from the 9th Brigade, formed a covering line on a ridge in -the rear and held back the German advance for a long time. This line -did not retire until 5 P.M., when it was nearly enveloped. General -Drummond, commanding the 19th Brigade, had met with an injury in the -course of the action, and it was commanded during the latter part by -Colonel Ward, of the Middlesex. - -[Sidenote: Major Yate's V.C.] - -The retirement or destruction of the 14th Brigade exposed the flank -of the 13th (Cuthbert's) to a murderous enfilade fire, which fell -chiefly upon the 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry. This brigade had -defended itself successfully for six hours against various frontal -attacks, but now the flank-fire raked it from end to end and -practically destroyed the Yorkshiremen, who were the most exposed to -it. On them and on the 2nd Scottish Borderers fell the great bulk of -the losses, for the West Rents and the survivors of the West Ridings -were in reserve. Of the two companies of the Yorkshire Light -Infantry who held the foremost trenches, that on the right had only -fifteen men left, with whom Major Yate attempted a final charge, -finding his Victoria Cross in the effort, while the next company, -under Major Trevor, had only forty-one survivors, the whole losses of -the battalion being 600 men, with 20 officers. Both the Yorkshire -and the Scottish Border battalions lost their colonels in the action. -Their losses were shared by the two companies of the 1st East Surreys -under Major Tew, who had been placed between the 14th and 13th -Brigades, and {104} who fought very steadily in shallow trenches, -holding on to the last possible moment. - -Whilst the battle was going badly on the right, the Third Division in -the centre and the Fourth Division on the left had held their own -against a succession of attacks. The 8th and 9th Brigades drove off -the German infantry with their crushing rifle-fire, and endured as -best they might the shelling, which was formidable and yet very much -less severe than that to which the Fifth Division had been exposed. -In the case of the 7th Brigade (McCracken's) the village of Caudry, -which it defended, formed a salient, since the Fourth Division on the -left was thrown back. The attack upon this brigade from daylight -onwards was very severe, but the assailants could neither drive in -the line nor capture the village of Caudry. They attacked on both -flanks at short rifle range, inflicting and also enduring heavy -losses. In this part of the field the British guns held their own -easily against the German, the proportion of numbers being more equal -than on the right of the line. - -Whilst the right flank was crumbling before the terrific -concentration of German guns, and while the centre was stoutly -holding its own, farther to the west, in the Haucourt-Ligny -direction, the Second German Army Corps was beating hard against -Snow's Fourth Division, which was thrown back to protect the left -flank of the Army, and to cover the Cambrai-Esnes road. -Hunter-Weston's 11th Brigade was on the right, south of Fontaine, -with Wilson's 12th upon its left, and Haldane's 10th in reserve at -Haucourt. As the German attack came from the left, or western flank, -the 12th Brigade received the {105} first impact. The artillery of -the division had not yet come up, and the 1st Royal Lancasters, -stretched in a turnip patch, endured for some time a severe fire -which cost them many casualties, including their Colonel Dykes, and -to which little reply could be made. There were no cavalry scouts in -front of the infantry, so that working parties and advanced posts -were cut up by sudden machine-gun fire. Some of the covering parties -both of the Lancasters and of the 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers were never -seen again. At about seven the British guns came up, the 14th -Brigade R.F.A. on the left, the 29th in the centre, and the 32nd on -the right, with the howitzers of the 37th behind the right centre on -the high ground near Selvigny. From this time onward they supported -the infantry in the most self-sacrificing way. The German infantry -advance began shortly afterwards, and was carried out by wave after -wave of men. A company of the 2nd Essex Regiment, under Captain -Vandeleur, upon the British left, having good cover and a clear field -of fire, inflicted very heavy losses on the Germans, though they were -finally overwhelmed, their leader having been killed. The 2nd -Lancashire Fusiliers in the front line were also heavily attacked, -and held their own for several hours. About ten o'clock the pressure -was so great that the defence was driven in, and two battalions lost -their machine-guns, but a new line was formed in the Haucourt-Esnes -road, the retirement being skilfully covered by Colonel Anley, of the -Essex, and Colonel Griffin, of the Lancashire Fusiliers. There the -2nd Inniskilling Fusiliers, the 1st Royal Lancasters, the 2nd -Lancashire Fusiliers, and the 2nd Essex held firmly on until the -afternoon under very heavy and {106} incessant fire, while the 11th -Brigade upon their right were equally involved in the fight. Two -battalions of the 10th Brigade (Haldane's), the 1st Irish Fusiliers -and 2nd Seaforths, had dug themselves in on the high ground just -north of Selvigny and repulsed every attack, but two others, the 2nd -Dublins and 1st Warwicks, had got involved with the 12th Brigade and -could not be retrieved. The Signal Corps had not yet arrived, and -the result was that General Snow had the greatest difficulty in -ensuring his connections with his brigadiers, the orders being -carried by his staff officers. At two o'clock, as there was a lull -in the German advance, Wilson of the 12th Brigade made a spirited -counter-attack, recovering many of the wounded, but being finally -driven back to the old position by intense artillery and machine-gun -fire. - -It is worth recording that during this advance the Essex men found -among the German dead many Jaeger with the same Gibraltar badge upon -their caps which they bore themselves. It was a Hanoverian battalion -who had been comrades with the old 56th in the defence of the -fortress one hundred and fifty years before. - -[Sidenote: The fight for the quarries.] - -The 11th Brigade (Hunter-Weston), on the right of the 12th, had -meanwhile played a very vital part in the fight. This brigade was -defending a position called Les Carrières, or the quarry pits, which -was east of Fontaine and to the north of the village of Ligny. It -was a desperate business, for the British were four times driven out -of it and four times came back to their bitter work amid a sleet of -shells and bullets. Parties of the 1st Somersets and of the 1st East -Lancashires held the quarries with the 1st {107} Hants and 1st Rifle -Brigade in immediate support, all being eventually drawn into the -fight. Major Bickman, of the latter regiment, distinguished himself -greatly in the defence, but was seriously wounded and left behind in -the final retirement. Besides incessant gun-fire, the defenders were -under infantry fire of a very murderous description from both flanks. -In spite of this, the place was held for six hours until the -retirement of the line in the afternoon caused it to be untenable, as -the enemy was able to get behind it. The brigade then fell back upon -Ligny under heavy shrapnel-fire, moving steadily and in good order. -The Germans at once attacked the village from the east and -north-east. Could they have taken it, they would have been upon the -flank of the British line of retirement. They were twice driven -back, however, by the fire of the infantry, losing very heavily upon -both occasions. About four o'clock, the Army being in full retreat, -the brigade received orders to abandon Ligny and march upon -Malincourt. The effect of a heavy shrapnel-fire was minimised by -this movement being carried out in small columns of fours. A loss of -30 officers and 1115 men in a single day's fighting showed how severe -had been the work of Hunter-Weston's brigade. The 12th Brigade had -also lost about a thousand men. Many of the guns had run short of -shells. A spectator has described how he saw the British gunners -under a heavy fire, sitting in gloomy groups round the guns which -they had neither the shells to work, nor the heart to abandon. - -Such was the general fortune of the British left. At the extreme -edge of it, in the gap between the left of the Fourth Division and -the town of Cambrai, {108} Sordet's French cavalry had been fighting -to prevent the British wing from being turned. There was some -misconception upon this point at the time, but in justice to our Ally -it should be known that General Smith-Dorrien himself galloped to -this flank in the course of the afternoon and was a witness of the -efforts of the French troopers, who had actually marched 40 miles in -order to be present at the battle. The narrative has now taken the -movements of the left wing up to the point of its retirement, in -order to preserve the continuity of events in that portion of the -field, but the actual abandonment of their position by Snow's Fourth -Division was due to circumstances over which they had no control, and -which had occurred at a considerable distance. Both the centre and -the left of the Army could have held its own, though it must be -admitted that the attack to which they were exposed was a very -violent one gallantly pushed home. - -All might have gone well had the Germans not been able to mass such -an overpowering artillery attack upon the right of the line. It was -shortly after mid-day that this part of the position began to weaken, -and observers from the centre saw stragglers retiring over the low -hill in the Le Cateau direction. At that hour the artillery upon the -right of the British line was mostly silenced, and large masses of -the German infantry were observed moving round the right flank. The -salient of the Suffolks was in the possession of the enemy, and from -it they could enfilade the line. It was no longer possible to bring -up ammunition or horses to the few remaining guns. The greater part -of the troops held on none the less most doggedly to their positions. -A steady downpour {109} of rain was a help rather than a discomfort, -as it enabled the men to moisten their parched lips. But the -situation of the Fifth Division was growing desperate. It was plain -that to remain where they were could only mean destruction. And yet -to ask the exhausted men to retire under such a rain of shells would -be a dangerous operation. Even the best troops may reach their -snapping point. Most of them had by the afternoon been under -constant shrapnel-fire for eight hours on end. Some were visibly -weakening. Anxious officers looked eagerly over their shoulders for -any sign of reinforcement, but an impassable gap separated them from -their comrades of the First Army Corps, who were listening with -sinking hearts to the rumble of the distant cannonade. There was -nothing for it but to chance the retirement. About three o'clock -commanders called to officers and officers to men for a last great -effort. It was the moment when a leader reaps in war the love and -confidence which he has sown in peace. Smith-Dorrien had sent his -meagre reserve, which consisted of one battery and two battalions, to -take up a rearguard position astride the Le Cateau-St. Quentin road. -Every available detail, that could pull a trigger, down to -Hildebrand's signallers of the Headquarters Staff, who had already -done wonderful work in their own particular line, were thrust into -the covering line. One by one the dishevelled brigades were drawn -off towards the south. One section of the heavy guns of the 108th -Heavy Battery was ordered back to act with two battalions of the 19th -Brigade in covering the Reumont-Maritz road, while the 1st Norfolks -were put in echelon behind the right flank for the same purpose. - -{110} - -[Sidenote: The splendid work of the British guns.] - -The Fifth Division, with the 15th Brigade as rearguard, considerably -disorganised by its long hammering, retreated along the straight -Roman road via Maritz and Estrees. The Third Division fell back -through Berthy and Clary to Beaurevoir, the 9th Brigade forming a -rearguard. The cavalry, greatly helped by Sordet's French cavalry -upon the west, flung itself in front of the pursuit, while the guns -sacrificed themselves to save the retiring infantry. Every British -battery was an inferno of bursting shells, and yet every one fought -on while breech-block would shut or gunner could stand. Many -batteries were in the state of the 61st R.F.A., which fired away all -its own shells and then borrowed from the limbers of other -neighbouring batteries, the guns of which had been put out of action. -Had the artillery gone the Army would have gone. Had the Army gone -the Germans had a clear run into Paris. It has been said that on the -covering batteries of Wing, Milne, and Headlam may, on that wet -August afternoon, have hung the future history of Europe. - -Wing's command included the 23rd, 30th, 40th, and 42nd Brigades, with -the 48th Heavy Battery; Headlam's were the 15th, 27th, 28th, and 8th, -with the 108th Heavy; Milne's, the 14th, 29th, 32nd, and 37th, with -the 31st Heavy. These numbers deserve to be recorded, for every gun -of them did great service, though many were left in ruins on the -field. Some, like those of the 37th R.F.A., were plucked from under -the very noses of the Germans, who were within a hundred yards of -them when they were withdrawn, a deed of valour for which Captain -Reynolds of that battery received the Cross. One by one those -batteries which could move were drawn off, the cavalry covering {111} -the manoeuvre by their rifle-fire, and sometimes man-handling the gun -from the field. Serving one day as charging cavaliers, another as -mounted infantry in covering a retreat, again as sappers in making or -holding a trench, or when occasion called for it as gun-teams to pull -on the trace of a derelict gun, the cavalry have been the general -utility men of the Army. The days of pure cavalry may have passed, -but there will never be a time when a brave and handy fighting man -who is mobile will not be invaluable to his comrades. - -[Sidenote: Difficult retirement of the Fourth Division.] - -It was about four o'clock that the Fourth Division, on the left -flank, who had been maintaining the successful defensive already -described, were ordered to begin their retirement. The 12th Brigade -was able to withdraw with no great difficulty along the line -Walincourt-Villiers-Vendhuile, reaching the latter village about -nine-thirty. The doings of the 11th Brigade have been already -described. There was considerable disintegration but no loss of -spirit. One of the regiments of the 12th, the 2nd Royal Lancasters, -together with about three hundred Warwicks, from the 10th Brigade, -and some detachments of other regiments, were by some mischance, -isolated in the village of Haucourt with no definite orders, and held -on until ten o'clock at night, when the place was nearly surrounded. -They fought their way out, however, in a most surprising fashion, and -eventually made good their retreat. One party, under Major Poole of -the Warwicks, rejoined the Army next day. Captain Clutterbuck, with -a small party of Royal Lancasters, wandered into Haumont after it was -occupied by the Germans. Summoned to surrender the gallant officer -refused, and was shot {112} dead, but his men charged with the -bayonet and fought their way clear to a post which was held by Major -Parker of the same regiment, to the immediate south of the village. -This officer, finding that he was the last rearguard, withdrew in the -face of heavy German forces. Being joined by Major Christie of the -Warwicks with 200 men, they followed the Army, and, finally, by a -mixture of good luck and good leadership, picked their way through -the German advance guards, and on the third day rejoined the colours -at Noyon. - -Haldane's 10th Brigade had got split up during the confused fighting -of the day, half of it, the 1st Warwicks and 2nd Dublins, getting -involved with the 12th Brigade in the fighting on the Haucourt Ridge. -The other two battalions, the 2nd Seaforths and 1st Royal Irish -Fusiliers, kept guard as a reserve over the left flank of the -division. Towards evening General Haldane, finding it hopeless to -recover control of his lost regiments, collected the rest of his -brigade, and endeavoured to follow the general line of retreat. He -lost touch with the remainder of the Army, and might well have been -cut off, but after a most exhausting experience he succeeded in -safely rejoining the division at Roisel upon the 27th. It may be -said generally that the reassembling of the Fourth Division after the -disintegration they had experienced was a remarkable example of -individualism and determination. - -It is impossible to doubt that the Germans, in spite of their -preponderating numbers, were staggered by the resistance which they -had encountered. In no other way can one explain the fact that their -pursuit, which for three days had been incessant, {113} should now, -at the most critical instant, have eased off. The cavalry and guns -staved off the final blow, and the stricken infantry staggered from -the field. The strain upon the infantry of the Fifth Division may be -gathered from the fact that up to this point they had lost, roughly, -143 officers, while the Third Division had lost 92 and the Fourth 70. -For the time they were disorganised as bodies, even while they -preserved their moral as individuals. - -When extended formations are drawn rapidly in under the conditions of -a heavy action, it is often impossible to convey the orders to men in -outlying positions. Staying in their trenches and unconscious of the -departure of their comrades, they are sometimes gathered up by the -advancing enemy, but more frequently fall into the ranks of some -other corps, and remain for days or weeks away from their own -battalion, turning up long after they have helped to swell some list -of casualties. Regiments get intermingled and pour along the roads -in a confusion which might suggest a rout, whilst each single soldier -is actually doing his best to recover his corps. It is -disorganisation--but not demoralisation. - -[Sidenote: The fate of the 1st Gordons.] - -It has been remarked above that in the widespread formations of -modern battles it is difficult to be sure of the transmission of -orders. An illustration of such a danger occurred upon this -occasion, which gave rise to an aftermath of battle nearly as -disastrous as the battle itself. This was the episode which -culminated in the loss of a body of troops, including a large portion -of the 1st Gordon Highlanders. This distinguished corps had been -engaged with the rest of Beauchamp Doran's 8th Brigade at Mons and -again upon the following day, after which they {114} retreated with -the rest of their division. On the evening of the 25th they -bivouacked in the village of Audencourt, just south of the Cambrai-Le -Cateau highway, and on the morning of the 26th they found themselves -defending a line of trenches in front of this village. From nine -o'clock the Gordons held their ground against a persistent German -attack. About 3.30 an order was given for the battalion to retire. -This message only reached one company, which acted upon it, but the -messenger was wounded _en route_, and failed to reach battalion -headquarters. Consequently the remainder of the battalion did not -retire with the Army, but continued to hold its trenches, greatly -helped by the flank (D) Company of Royal Scots, until long after -nightfall, when the enemy in great force had worked round both of its -flanks. It should be understood that the withdrawal of the Royal -Scots was under direct order emanating from brigade headquarters, but -an officer of the Gordons, not knowing that such an order had been -issued, and perceiving that their flank would be exposed if D Company -left their trench, said a few words to them which had such an effect -upon their fiery souls that they rushed back to stand by the -Highlanders, their Captain being shot dead as he waved his men back -into their trench. From that time onwards this company of Royal -Scots, finely led by two young lieutenants, Graves and Graham Watson, -shared all the dangers and the ultimate fate of the Gordons, as did a -handful of Royal Irish upon the other flank. When it was dusk it -became clear to Colonel Gordon, who was now in command of the mixed -detachment, that he and his men were separated from the Army and -surrounded {115} on every side by the advancing Germans. At that -time the men, after supreme exertion for several days, had been in -action for twelve hours on end. He therefore decided, as against -annihilation in the morning, that retreat was the only course open. -The wounded were left in the trenches. The transport, machine-guns, -and horses had already been destroyed by the incessant shelling. The -detachment made a move towards the south, the operation being a most -difficult one in pitch darkness with the enemy within a few hundred -yards. The success attained in this initial stage was largely due to -the way in which the Master of Saltoun conveyed the orders which drew -in the flanks to the centre. Having made good the Audencourt-Caudry -road at 1 A.M. on August 27, the troops managed to traverse some -miles of road, with blazing villages all about them, and had a fair -chance of reaching safety when unfortunately at Montigny they took a -wrong turn, which brought them into Bertry which was held by the -Germans. Some confusion was caused by the latter challenging in -French. A confused fight followed in the darkness, in the course of -which many individual acts of great bravery and devotion were -performed. The enemy were now all round the Highlanders, and though -the struggle continued for fifty minutes, and there was no official -surrender, the little body of men was embedded in Von Kluck's army, -and no escape could be found. The utmost discipline and gallantry -were shown by all ranks. It must be some consolation to the -survivors to know that it is freely admitted that their resistance in -the trenches for so long a period undoubtedly facilitated the safe -withdrawal of the Third, and to some extent of the Fourth Divisions. -{116} Major Leslie Butler, Brigade-Major of the 8th Brigade, who had -made a gallant effort to ride to the Gordons and warn them of their -danger, was entangled among the Germans, and only succeeded six days -later in regaining the British lines. - -[Sidenote: Results of the battle.] - -So ended the perilous, costly, and almost disastrous action of Le -Cateau. The loss to the British Army, so far as it can be extracted -from complex figures and separated from the other losses of the -retreat, amounted to between seven and eight thousand killed, -wounded, and missing, while at the time of the action, or in the -immediate retreat, a considerable quantity of transport and -thirty-six field-pieces, mostly in splinters, were abandoned to the -enemy. It was an action which could hardly have been avoided, and -from which the troops were extricated on better terms than might have -been expected. It will always remain an interesting academic -question what would have occurred had it been possible for the First -Corps to line up with the rest of the Army. The enemy's -preponderance of artillery would probably have prevented a British -victory, and the strategic position would in any case have made it a -barren one, but at least the Germans would have been hard hit and the -subsequent retreat more leisurely. As it stood, it was an engagement -upon which the weaker side can look back without shame or dishonour. -One result of it was to give both the Army and the country increased -confidence in themselves and their leaders. Sir John French has -testified to the splendid qualities shown by the troops, while his -whole-hearted tribute to Smith-Dorrien, in which he said, "The saving -of the left wing of the Army could never have been accomplished -unless a commander of rare and unusual {117} coolness, intrepidity, -and determination had been present to personally conduct the -operation," will surely be endorsed by history. - -It is difficult to exaggerate the strain which had been thrown upon -this commander. On him had fallen the immediate direction of the -action at Mons; on him also had been the incessant responsibility of -the retreat. He had, as has been shown in the narrative, been hard -at work all night upon the eve of the battle; he superintended that -trying engagement, he extricated his forces, and finally motored to -St. Quentin in the evening, went on to Noyon, reached it after -midnight, and was back with his Army in the morning, encouraging -every one by the magnetism of his presence. It was a very remarkable -feat of endurance. - -[Sidenote: Exhaustion of the Army] - -Exhausted as the troops were, there could be no halt or rest until -they had extricated themselves from the immediate danger. At the -last point of human endurance they still staggered on through the -evening and the night time, amid roaring thunder and flashing -lightning, down the St. Quentin road. Many fell from fatigue, and -having fallen, continued to sleep in ditches by the roadside, -oblivious of the racket around them. A number never woke until they -found themselves in the hands of the Uhlan patrols. Others slumbered -until their corps had disappeared, and then, regaining their senses, -joined with other straggling units so as to form bands, which -wandered over the country, and eventually reached the railway line -about Amiens with wondrous Bill Adams tales of personal adventures -which in time reached England, and gave the impression of complete -disaster. But the main body were, as a matter of fact, holding well -{118} together, though the units of infantry had become considerably -mixed and so reduced that at least four brigades, after less than a -week of war, had lost 50 per cent of their personnel. Many of the -men threw away the heavier contents of their packs, and others -abandoned the packs themselves, so that the pursuing Germans had -every evidence of a rout before their eyes. It was deplorable that -equipment should be discarded, but often it was the only possible -thing to do, for either the man had to be sacrificed or the pack. -Advantage was taken of a forked road to station an officer there who -called out, "Third Division right, Fifth Division left," which -greatly helped the reorganisation. The troops snatched a few hours -of rest at St. Quentin, and then in the breaking dawn pushed upon -their weary road once more, country carts being in many cases -commandeered to carry the lame and often bootless infantry. The -paved _chaussées_, with their uneven stones, knocked the feet to -pieces, and caused much distress to the tired men, which was -increased by the extreme heat of the weather. - -In the case of some of the men the collapse was so complete that it -was almost impossible to get them on. Major Tom Bridges, of the 4th -Royal Irish Dragoons, being sent to round up and hurry forward 250 -stragglers at St. Quentin, found them nearly comatose with fatigue. -With quick wit he bought a toy drum, and, accompanied by a man with a -penny whistle, he fell them in and marched them, laughing in all -their misery, down the high road towards Ham. When he stopped he -found that his strange following stopped also, so he was compelled to -march and play the whole way to Roupy. Thus by one man's compelling -{119} personality 250 men were saved for the Army. But such complete -collapse was rare. The men kept their _moral_. "Beneath the dirt -and grime and weariness I saw clear eyes and grim jaws even when the -men could hardly walk." So spoke Coleman, the gallant American -volunteer. - -Up to now nothing had been seen of the French infantry, and the -exposed British force had been hustled and harried by Von Kluck's -great army without receiving any substantial support. This was -through no want of loyalty, but our gallant Allies were themselves -hard pressed. Sir John French had sent urgent representations, -especially to General Sordet, the leader of the cavalry operating -upon the western side, and he had, as already shown, done what he -could to screen Smith-Dorrien's flank. Now at last the retiring Army -was coming in touch with those supports which were so badly needed. -But before they were reached, on the morning of the 27th, the Germans -had again driven in the rearguard of the First Corps. - -[Sidenote: The destruction of the 2nd Munsters.] - -Some delay in starting had been caused that morning by the fact that -only one road was available for the whole of the transport, which had -to be sent on in advance. Hence the rearguard was exposed to -increased pressure. This rearguard consisted of the 1st Brigade. -The 2nd Munsters were the right battalion. Then came the 1st -Coldstream, the 1st Scots Guards, and the 1st Black Watch in reserve. -The front of the Munsters, as it faced round to hold back the too -pushful Germans, was from the north of Fesmy to Chapeau Rouge, but -Major Charrier, who was in command, finding no French at Bergues, as -he had been led to expect, sent B and D {120} Companies of Munsters -with one troop of the 15th Hussars to hold the cross-roads near that -place. - -At about 12.30 a message reached Major Charrier to the effect that -when ordered to retire he should fall back on a certain line and act -as flank-guard to the brigade. He was not to withdraw his two -companies from Chapeau Rouge until ordered. The Germans were already -in force right on the top of the Irishmen, the country being a broken -one with high hedges which restricted the field of fire. A section -of guns of the 118th R.F.A. were served from the road about fifty -yards behind the line of the infantry. A desperate struggle ensued, -in the course of which the Munsters, suffering heavily, overlapped on -each flank, and utterly outnumbered, held on bravely in the hope of -help from the rest of the brigade. They did not know that a message -had already been dispatched to them to the effect that they should -come on, and that the other regiments had already done so. Still -waiting for the orders which never came, they fell back slowly -through Fesmy before the attack, until held up at a small village -called Etreux, where the Germans cut off their retreat. Meanwhile -the Brigadier, hearing that the Munsters were in trouble, gave orders -that the Coldstream should reinforce them. It was too late, however. -At Oisy Bridge the Guards picked up sixty men, survivors of C -Company. It was here at Oisy Bridge that the missing order was -delivered at 3 P.M., the cycle orderly having been held up on his -way. As there was no longer any sound of firing, the Coldstream and -remnant of Munsters retired, being joined some miles back by an -officer and some seventy men. Together with the transport guard this -brought the {121} total survivors of that fine regiment to 5 officers -and 206 men. All the rest had fought to the end and were killed, -wounded, or captured, after a most desperate resistance, in which -they were shot down at close quarters, making repeated efforts to -pierce the strong German force at Etreux. To their fine work and -that of the two lost guns and of a party of the 15th Hussars, under -Lieutenant Nicholson, who covered the retreat it may have been due -that the pursuit of the First Corps by the Germans from this moment -sensibly relaxed. Nine gallant Irish officers were buried that night -in a common grave. Major Charrier was twice wounded, but continued -to lead his men until a third bullet struck him dead, and deprived -the Army of a soldier whose career promised to be a brilliant one. -Among others who fell was Lieutenant Chute, whose masterly handling -of a machine-gun stemmed again and again the tide of the German -attack. One of the most vivid recollections of the survivors was of -this officer lying on his face in six inches of water--for the action -was partly fought in tropical rain--and declaring that he was having -"the time of his life." The moral both of this disaster and that of -the Gordons must be the importance of sending a message in duplicate, -or even in triplicate, where the withdrawal of a regiment is -concerned. This, no doubt, is a counsel of perfection under -practical conditions, but the ideal still remains. - -[Sidenote: A cavalry fight.] - -During the retreat of the First Corps its rear and right flank had -been covered by the 5th Cavalry Brigade (Chetwode). On August 28 the -corps was continuing its march towards La Fère and the cavalry found -itself near Cerizy. At this point the pursuing German horsemen came -into touch with it. At about {122} five in the afternoon three -squadrons of the enemy advanced upon one squadron of the Scots Greys, -which had the support of J Battery. Being fired at, the Germans -dismounted and attempted to advance upon foot, but the fire was so -heavy that they could make no progress and their led horses -stampeded. They retired, still on foot, followed up by a squadron of -the 12th Lancers on their flank. The remainder of the 12th Lancers, -supported by the Greys, rode into the dismounted dragoons with sword -and lance, killing or wounding nearly all of them. A section of guns -had fired over the heads of the British cavalry during the advance -into a supporting body of German cavalry, who retired, leaving many -dead behind them. The whole hostile force retreated northwards, -while the British cavalry continued to conform to the movements of -the First Corps. In this spirited little action the German regiment -engaged was, by the irony of fate, the 1st Guard Dragoons, Queen -Victoria's Own. The British lost 43 killed and wounded. Among the -dead were Major Swetenham and Captain Michell of the 12th Lancers. -Colonel Wormald of the same regiment was wounded. The excited -troopers rode back triumphantly between the guns of J Battery, the -cavalrymen exchanging cheers with the horse-gunners as they passed, -and brandishing their blood-stained weapons. - -On the evening before this brisk skirmish, the flank-guards of the -British saw a considerable body of troops in dark clothing upon their -left, and shortly afterwards perceived the shell-bursts of a rapid -and effective fire over the pursuing German batteries. It was the -first contact with the advancing French. These men consisted of the -Sixty-first and Sixty-second {123} French Reserve Divisions, and were -the van of a considerable army under General D'Amade. From that -moment the British forces were at last enabled, after a week of -constant marching, covering sometimes a good thirty miles a day, and -four days of continual fighting against extreme odds, to feel that -they had reached a zone of comparative quiet. - -[Sidenote: The news in Great Britain.] - -The German cavalry still followed the Army upon its southerly march, -but there was no longer any fear of a disaster, for the main body of -the Army was unbroken, and the soldiers were rather exasperated than -depressed by their experience. On the Friday and Saturday, however, -August 28 and 29, considerable crowds of stragglers and fugitives, -weary and often weaponless, appeared upon the lines of communication, -causing the utmost consternation by their stories and their -appearance. Few who endured the mental anxiety caused in Great -Britain by the messages of Sunday, August 30, are likely to forget -it. The reports gave an enormous stimulus to recruiting, and it is -worthy of record and remembrance that, in the dark week which -followed before the true situation was clearly discerned, every -successive day brought as many recruits to the standards as are -usually gained in a year. Such was the rush of men that the -authorities, with their many preoccupations, found it very difficult -to deal with them. A considerable amount of hardship and discomfort -was the result, which was endured with good humour until it could be -remedied. It is to be noted in this connection that it was want of -arms which held back the new armies. He who compares the empty -arsenals of Britain with the huge extensions of Krupp's, undertaken -during the years before the war, will {124} find the final proof as -to which Power deliberately planned it. - -To return to the fortunes of the men retreating from Le Cateau, the -colonels and brigadiers had managed to make order out of what was -approaching to chaos on the day that the troops left St. Quentin. -The feet of many were so cut and bleeding that they could no longer -limp along, so some were packed into a few trains available and -others were hoisted on to limbers, guns, wagons, or anything with -wheels, some carts being lightened of ammunition or stores to make -room for helpless men. In many cases the whole kits of the officers -were deliberately sacrificed. Many men were delirious from -exhaustion and incapable of understanding an order. By the evening -of the 27th the main body of the troops were already fifteen miles -south of the Somme river and canal, on the line Nesle-Ham-Flavy. All -day there was distant shelling from the pursuers, who sent their -artillery freely forward with their cavalry. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{125} - -[Illustration: Line of Retreat from Mons] - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -On the 28th the Army continued its retreat to the line of the Oise -near Noyon. Already the troops were re-forming, and had largely -recovered their spirits, being much reassured by the declarations of -the officers that the retreat was strategic to get them in line with -the French, and that they would soon turn their faces northwards once -more. As an instance of reorganisation it was observed that the -survivors of a brigade of artillery which had left its horses and -guns at Le Cateau still marched together as a single disciplined unit -among the infantry. All day the enemy's horse artillery, cavalry, -and motor-infantry hung on the skirts of the British, but were unable -to make much impression. The work of the Staff was excellent, for -{126} it is on record that many of them had not averaged two hours' -sleep in the twenty-four for over a week, and still they remained the -clear and efficient brain of the Army. - -On the next day, the 29th, the remainder of the Army got across the -Oise, but the enemy's advance was so close that the British cavalry -was continually engaged. Gough's 3rd Cavalry Brigade made several -charges in the neighbourhood of Plessis, losing a number of men but -stalling off the pursuit and dispersing the famous Uhlans of the -Guard. On this day General Pulteney and his staff arrived to take -command of the Third Army Corps, which still consisted only of the -Fourth Division (Snow) with the semi-independent 19th Infantry -Brigade, now commanded by Colonel Ward, of the 1st Middlesex. It was -nearly three weeks later before the Third Corps was made complete. - -[Sidenote: The views of General Joffre.] - -There had been, as already mentioned, a French advance of four corps -in the St. Quentin direction, which fought a brave covering action, -and so helped to relieve the pressure upon the British. It cannot be -denied that there was a feeling among the latter that they had been -unduly exposed, being placed in so advanced a position and having -their flank stripped suddenly bare in the presence of the main German -army. General Joffre must have recognised that this feeling existed -and that it was not unreasonable, for he came to a meeting on this -day at the old Napoleonic Palace at Compiégne, at which Sir John -French, with Generals Haig, Smith-Dorrien, and Allenby, was present. -It was an assemblage of weary, overwrought men, and yet of men who -had strength enough of mind and sufficient sense of justice to -realise that whatever {127} weight had been thrown upon them, there -was even more upon the great French engineer whose spirit hovered -over the whole line from Verdun to Amiens. Each man left the room -more confident of the immediate future. Shortly afterwards Joffre -issued his kindly recognition of the work done by his Allies, -admitting in the most handsome fashion that the flank of the long -French line of armies had been saved by the hard fighting and -self-sacrifice of the British Army. - -On August 30, the whole Army having crossed the Oise, the bridges -over that river were destroyed, an operation which was performed -under a heavy shell-fire, and cost the lives of several sapper -officers and men. No words can exaggerate what the Army owed to -Wilson's sappers of the 56th and 57th Field Companies and 3rd Signal -Company, as also to Tulloch's, of the 17th and 59th Companies and 5th -Signal Company, whose work was incessant, fearless, and splendid. - -The Army continued to fall back on the line of the Aisne, the general -direction being almost east and west through Crépy-en-Valois. The -aeroplanes, which had conducted a fine service during the whole of -the operations, reported that the enemy was still coming rapidly on, -and streaming southwards in the Compiégne direction. That they were -in touch was shown in dramatic fashion upon the early morning of -September 1. The epic in question deserves to be told somewhat -fully, as being one of those incidents which are mere details in the -history of a campaign, and yet may live as permanent inspirations in -the life of an army. - -[Sidenote: Battery L.] - -The 1st Cavalry Brigade, greatly exhausted after screening the -retreat so long, was encamped near Nery, {128} to the south of -Compiégne, the bivouac being a somewhat extended one. Two units were -close to each other and to the brigade headquarters of General -Briggs. These were the hard-worked 2nd Dragoon Guards (the Bays) and -L Battery of Horse Artillery. _Réveillé_ was at four o'clock, and -shortly after that hour both troopers and gunners were busy in -leading their horses to water. It was a misty morning, and, peering -through the haze, an officer perceived that from the top of a low -hill about seven hundred yards away three mounted men were looking -down upon them. They were the observation officers of three four-gun -German batteries. Before the British could realise the situation the -guns dashed up and came into action with shrapnel at point-blank -range. The whole twelve poured their fire into the disordered -bivouac before them. The slaughter and confusion were horrible. -Numbers of the horses and men were killed or wounded, and three of -the guns were dismounted. It was a most complete surprise, and -promised to be an absolute disaster. A body of German cavalry had -escorted the guns, and their rifles added to the volume of fire. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{129} - -[Illustration: "L" Battery Action, Sept. 1st, 1914] - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -It is at such moments that the grand power of disciplined valour -comes to bring order out of chaos. Everything combined to make -defence difficult--the chilling hour of the morning, the suddenness -of the attack, its appalling severity, and the immediate loss of guns -and men. A sunken road ran behind the British position, and from the -edge of this the dismounted cavalrymen brought their rifles and their -machine-gun into action. They suffered heavily from the pelting -gusts of shrapnel. Young Captain de Crespigny, the gallant cadet of -a gallant family, {130} and many other good men were beaten down by -it. The sole hope lay in the guns. Three were utterly disabled. -There was a rush of officers and men to bring the other three into -action. Sclater-Booth, the major of the battery, and one lieutenant -were already down. Captain Bradbury took command and cheered on the -men. Two of the guns were at once put out of action, so all united -to work the one that remained. What followed was Homeric. -Lieutenant Giffard in rushing forward was hit in four places. -Bradbury's leg was shattered, but he lay beside the trail encouraging -the others and giving his directions. Lieutenant Mundy, standing -wide as observation officer, was mortally wounded. The limber could -not be got alongside and the shell had to be man-handled. In -bringing it up Lieutenant Campbell was shot. Immediately afterwards -another shell burst over the gun, killed the heroic Bradbury, and -wounded Sergeant Dorell, Driver Osborne, and Gunners Nelson and -Derbyshire, the only remaining men. But the fight went on. The -bleeding men served the gun so long as they could move, Osborne and -Derbyshire crawling over with the shells while Nelson loaded and -Dorell laid. Osborne and Derbyshire fainted from loss of blood and -lay between limber and gun. But the fight went on. Dorell and -Nelson, wounded and exhausted, crouched behind the shield of the -thirteen-pounder and kept up an incessant fire. Now it was that the -amazing fact became visible that all this devotion had not been in -vain. The cluster of Bays on the edge of the sunken road burst out -into a cheer, which was taken up by the staff, who, with General -Briggs himself, had come into the firing-line. Several of the German -pieces had gone out of action. {131} The dying gun had wrought good -work, as had the Maxim of the Bays in the hands of Lieutenant Lamb. -Some at least of its opponents had been silenced before the two brave -gunners could do no more, for their strength had gone with their -blood. Not only had the situation been saved, but victory had been -assured. - -About eight in the morning news of the perilous situation had reached -the 19th Brigade. The 1st Middlesex, under Colonel Rowley, was -hurried forward, followed by the 1st Scottish Rifles. Marching -rapidly upon the firing, after the good old maxim, the Middlesex -found themselves in a position to command the German batteries. -After two minutes of rapid fire it was seen that the enemy had left -their guns. Eight guns were captured, two of them still loaded. -About a dozen German gunners lay dead or wounded round them. -Twenty-five of the escort were captured, as was an ambulance with -some further prisoners a mile in the rear. The cavalry, notably the -11th Hussars, endeavoured to follow up the success, but soon found -themselves in the presence of superior forces. New wheels and new -wheelers were found for the injured guns, and Battery L came intact -out of action--intact save for the brave acolytes who should serve -her no more. Bradbury, Nelson, and Dorell had the Victoria Cross, -and never was it better earned. The battery itself was recalled to -England to refit and the guns were changed for new ones. It is safe -to say that for many a long year these shrapnel-dinted -thirteen-pounders will serve as a monument of one of those deeds -which, by their self-sacrifice and nobility, do something to mitigate -the squalors and horrors of war. - -The success was gained at the cost of many valuable {132} lives. Not -only had the personnel of the battery been destroyed, but the Bays -lost heavily, and there were some casualties among the rest of the -brigade who had come up in support. The 5th Dragoon Guards had 50 or -60 casualties, and lost its admirable commander, Colonel Ansell, who -was shot down in a flanking movement which he had initiated. Major -Cawley, of the staff, also fell. The total British loss was not far -short of 500 killed and wounded, but the Germans lost heavily also, -and were compelled to abandon their guns.[1] - - -[1] The German cavalry were the Fourth Cavalry Division, including -the 2nd Cuirassiers, 9th Uhlans, 17th and 18th Dragoons. They -published in their losses for the "Combat of Néry" 643 casualties. -This is not the complete loss, as the artillery does not seem to have -been included. - - -[Sidenote: The action of Villars-Cotteret.] - -The German advance guards were particularly active upon this day, -September 1, the anniversary of Sedan. Although the Soissons Bridge -had been destroyed they had possession of another at Vic, and over -this they poured in pursuit of the First Corps, overtaking about 8 -A.M. near Villars-Cotteret the rearguard, consisting of the Irish -Guards and the 2nd Coldstream. The whole of the 4th Guards Brigade -was drawn into the fight, which resolved itself into a huge rifle -duel amid thick woods, Scott-Kerr, their Brigadier, riding up and -down the firing line. The Guards retired slowly upon the 6th -Infantry Brigade (Davies), which was aided by Lushington's 41st -Brigade of Artillery, just south of Pisseleux. The Germans had -brought up many guns, but could make no further progress, and the -British position was held until 6 P.M., when the rearguard closed up -with the rest of the Army. Lushington's guns had fought with no -infantry in front of them, and it was a matter of great difficulty in -the end to get them off, but it was {133} accomplished by some very -brilliant work under an infernal fire. After this sharp action, in -which Colonel Morris of the Irish Guards lost his life, the retreat -of the First Army Corps was not seriously interfered with. The -losses at that date in this corps amounted to 81 officers and 2180 of -all ranks. - -So much attention is naturally drawn to the Second Army Corps, which -both at Mons and at Le Cateau had endured most of the actual -fighting, that there is some danger of the remarkable retreat -effected by the First Corps having less than its fair share of -appreciation. The actual fighting was the least of the difficulties. -The danger of one or both flanks being exposed, the great mobility of -the enemy, the indifferent and limited roads, the want of rest, the -difficulty of getting food cooked, the consequent absolute exhaustion -of the men, and the mental depression combined to make it an -operation of a most trying character, throwing an enormous strain -upon the judgment and energy of General Haig, who so successfully -brought his men intact and fit for service into a zone of safety. - -[Sidenote: Reunion of the Army.] - -On the night of September 1, the First and Second Army Corps were in -touch once more at Betz, and were on the move again by 2 A.M. upon -the 2nd. On this morning the German advance was curiously -interlocked with the British rear, and four German guns were picked -up by the cavalry near Ermenonville. They are supposed to have been -the remaining guns of the force which attacked Battery L at Nery. -The movements of the troops during the day were much impeded by the -French refugees, who thronged every road in their flight before the -German terror. In spite of these obstructions, the rearward services -{134} of the Army--supply columns, ammunition columns, and medical -transport--were well conducted, and the admiration of all independent -observers. The work of all these departments had been greatly -complicated by the fact that, as the Channel ports were now -practically undefended and German troops, making towards the coast, -had cut the main Calais-Boulogne line at Amiens, the base had been -moved farther south from Havre to St. Nazaire, which meant shifting -seventy thousand tons of stores and changing all arrangements. In -spite of this the supplies were admirable. It may safely be said -that if there is one officer more than another for whom the whole -British Army felt a glow of gratitude, it was for Sir William -Robertson, the Chief of the Commissariat, who saw that the fighting -man was never without his rations. Greatly also did they appreciate -the work of his subordinates, who, wet or fine, through rainfall or -shell-fall, passed the food forward to the weary men at the front. - -A difficult movement lay in front of the Army which had to cross the -Marne, involving a flank march in the face of the enemy. A -retirement was still part of the general French scheme of defence, -and the British Army had to conform to it, though it was exultantly -whispered from officer to sergeant and from sergeant to private that -the turn of the tide was nearly due. On this day it was first -observed that the Germans, instead of pushing forward, were swinging -across to the east in the direction of Chateau-Thierry. This made -the task of the British a more easy one, and before evening they were -south of the Marne and had blown up the bridges. The movement of the -Germans brought them down to the river, {135} but at a point some ten -miles east of the British position. They were reported to be -crossing the river at La Ferté, and Sir John French continued to fall -back towards the Seine, moving after sundown, as the heat had been -for some days very exhausting. The troops halted in the -neighbourhood of Presles, and were cheered by the arrival of some -small drafts, numbering about 2000, a first instalment towards -refilling the great gaps in the ranks, which at this date could not -have been less than from 12,000 to 15,000 officers and men. Here for -a moment this narrative may be broken, since it has taken the Army to -the farthest point of its retreat and reached that moment of advance -for which every officer and man, from Sir John French to the -drummer-boys, was eagerly waiting. With their left flank resting -upon the extreme outer forts of Paris, the British troops had finally -ended a retreat which will surely live in military history as a -remarkable example of an army retaining its cohesion and courage in -the presence of an overpowering adversary, who could never either cut -them off or break in their rearguard. The British Army was a small -force when compared with the giants of the Continent, but when tried -by this supreme test it is not mere national complacency for us to -claim that it lived up to its own highest traditions. "It was not to -forts of steel and concrete that the Allies owed their strength," -said a German historian, writing of this phase of the war, "but to -the magnificent qualities of the British Army." We desire no -compliments at the expense of our brothers-in-arms, nor would they be -just, but at least so generous a sentence as this may be taken as an -advance from that contemptuous view of the British Army with which -the campaign had begun. - -{136} - -Before finally leaving the consideration of this historical retreat, -where a small army successfully shook itself clear from the long and -close pursuit of a remarkably gallant, mobile, and numerous enemy, it -may be helpful to give a chronology of the events, that the reader -may see their relation to each other. - - - HAIG'S FIRST CORPS. SMITH-DORRIEN'S SECOND CORPS. - - _August_ 22. - - Get into position to the Get into position to the - east of Mons, covering the west of Mons, covering the - line Mons-Bray. line Mons-Condé. - - _August_ 23. - - Artillery engagement, but Strongly attacked by Von - no severe attack. Ordered Kluck's army. Ordered to - to retreat in conformity with abandon position and fall - Second Corps. back. - - _August_ 24. - - Retreat with no serious Retreat followed up by the - molestation upon Bavai. Germans. Severe rearguard - Here the two Corps diverged actions at Dour, Wasmes, - and did not meet again till Frameries. Corps shook - they reached Betz upon itself clear and fell back on - September 1. Bavai. - - _August_ 25. - - Marching all day. Overtaken Marching all day. Reinforced - in evening at Landrecies by Fourth Division. - and Maroilles by the German Continual rearguard action - pursuit. Sharp fighting. becoming more serious towards - evening, when Cambrai-Le Cateau - line was reached. - - _August_ 26. - - Rearguard actions in morning. Battle of Le Cateau. German - Marching south all day, pursuit stalled off at - halting at the Venerolles heavy cost of men and guns. - line. Retreat on St. Quentin. - -{137} - - _August_ 27. - - Rearguard action in which Marching south. Reach - Munsters lost heavily. the line Nesle-Ham-Flavy. - Marching south all day. - - _August_ 28. - - Cavalry actions to stop Marching south, making - German pursuit. Marching for the line of the Oise near - south on La Fere. Noyon. Light rearguard - skirmishes. - - _August_ 29, 30, and 31. - - Marching on the line of the Crossed Oise. Cavalry - Aisne, almost east and west. continually engaged. General - direction through - Crépy-en-Valois. - - _September_ 1. - - Sharp action at Nery with Retreat upon Paris continued. - German vanguard. Later in Late this night the - the day considerable infantry two Corps unite once more at - action at Villars-Cotteret. Betz. - Unite at Betz. - - _September_ 2. - - Crossed the Marne and began Crossed the Marne and began - to fall back on the Seine. to fall back on the Seine. - Halted near Presles. - - - - -{138} - -CHAPTER V - -THE BATTLE OF THE MARNE - -The general situation--"Die grosse Zeit"--The turn of the tide--The -Battle of the Ourcq--The British advance--Cavalry fighting--The 1st -Lincolns and the guns--6th Brigade's action at Hautvesnes--9th -Brigade's capture of Germans at Vinly--The problem of the Aisne--Why -the Marne is one of the great battles of all time. - - -[Sidenote: The general situation.] - -There are several problems connected with the strategical opening of -the great war which will furnish food for debate among military -critics for many years to come. One of these, already alluded to, is -the French offensive taken in Alsace and Lorraine. It ended in check -in both cases, and yet its ultimate effects in confusing the German -plans and deflecting German armies which might have been better used -elsewhere may be held to justify the French in their strategy. - -Another remarkable and questionable move now obtrudes itself, this -time upon the part of the Germans. Very shortly after the outbreak -of war, the Russians had pushed their covering armies over the -frontier of East Prussia, and had defeated a German force at -Gumbinnen, with a loss of prisoners and guns. A few days later the -left wing of the widespread, and as yet only partially mobilised, -Russian army struck {139} heavily at the Austrians in the south near -Lemberg, where after a week of fighting they gained a great victory, -with prisoners, which amounted to over 70,000 men and a large booty -of guns and supplies. Before this blow had befallen their cause, and -influenced only by the fact that the Russian right wing was -encroaching upon the sacred soil of the Fatherland, a considerable -force was detached from the invading armies in France and dispatched -to the Eastern front. These men were largely drawn from the Third -(Saxon) Army of Von Haussen. Such a withdrawal at such a time could -only mean that the German general staff considered that the situation -in France was assured, and that they had still sufficient means to -carry on a victorious invasion. Events were to show that they were -utterly mistaken in their calculation. It is true that, aided by -these reinforcements, Von Hindenburg succeeded on August 31 in -inflicting a severe defeat upon the Russians at the battle of -Tannenberg, but subsequent events proved that such a victory could -have no decisive result, while the weakening of the armies in France -may have had a permanent effect upon the whole course of the war. At -the very moment that the Germans were withdrawing troops from their -Western front the British and French were doing all they could to -thicken their own line of resistance, especially by the transference -of armies from Alsace and the south. Thus the net result was that, -whereas the Germans had up to August 25 a very marked superiority in -numbers, by the beginning of September the forces were more equal. -From that moment the chance of their taking Paris became steadily -more and more remote. - -The first month of the war represented a very {140} remarkable -military achievement upon the part of Germany. In her high state of -preparation as compared with the Allies, it was to be expected that -the beginning of hostilities would be all in her favour, but the -reality exceeded what could have been foreseen. Her great armies -were ready to the last button. Up to the eve of war the soldiers did -not themselves know what their field uniform was like. At the last -moment two millions of men filed into the depots and emerged in half -an hour clad in grey, with new boots, equipment, and every possible -need for the campaign. On her artillery surprises she set special -store, and they were upon a vast scale. The machine-gun had been -developed to an extent unknown by other armies, and of these deadly -little weapons it is certain that very many thousands were available. -From the tiny quick-firer, carried easily by two men upon a -stretcher, to the vast cannon with a diameter of sixteen and a half -inches at the mouth, taking three railway trucks for its majestic -portage, every possible variety of man-killing engine was ready in -vast profusion. So, too, was the flying service, from the little -Taube to the huge six-hundred-foot Zeppelin. From these latter -devices great results were expected which were not destined to -materialise, for, apart from reconnaissances, they proved themselves -to be machines rather for the murder of non-combatants than for -honest warfare. - -[Sidenote: "Die grosse Zeit."] - -Making every allowance for the huge advantage which the nation that -knows war is coming must always enjoy over those which merely fear -that it may come, it would be foolish to deny the vast military -achievement of Germany in the month of August. It reflects great -credit upon the bravery {141} and energy of her troops, as well as -upon the foresight of her organisers and the capacity of her leaders. -Though we are her enemies, our admiration would have been -whole-hearted were it not for the brutalities which marked her -advance both in Poland, in Belgium, and in France. Consider that -wonderful panorama of victory which was known all over the Fatherland -as "Die grosse Zeit." On August 10 fell the great fortress of Liége, -on the 22nd the great fortress of Namur, early in September that of -Maubeuge, while the smaller strongholds went down as if they were -open cities. On August 10 was a considerable victory at Mülhausen, -on the 20th the Belgians were defeated at Tirlemont, on the same day -Brussels was occupied. On the 22nd the French central army of ten -corps was defeated in a great battle near Charleroi, losing, -according to the Germans, some 20,000 prisoners and 200 guns. On the -left flank the Crown Prince's army won the battle of Longwy, taking -10,000 prisoners and many more guns. On August 23 the Duke of -Würtemberg won a battle in the Ardennes. Upon the same date the -British were driven from their position at Mons. Upon the 26th they -were defeated at Le Cateau. Most of Belgium and the North of France -were overrun. Scattered parties of Uhlans made their way to the -shores of the Atlantic spreading terror along the Channel coast. The -British bases were in such danger that they had to be moved. - -Finally, upon the last day of the month, a great battle took place at -Tannenberg in East Prussia, in which the Russian invading army was -almost completely destroyed. I do not know where in history such a -succession of victories is to be found, and our {142} horror of the -atrocities of Louvain, Aerschot, Dinard, and so many other places -must not blind us to the superb military achievement. - -It was not, it is true, an unbroken series of successes even in the -West. The French in the early days won a victory at Dornach in -Alsace, and another smaller one at Dinant in the Ardennes. They held -the enemy in the neighbourhood of Nancy, fought a fairly equal battle -at St. Quentin in taking the pressure off the British at the end of -August, and had a success at Guise. These, however, were small -matters as compared with the sweeping tide of German victory. But -gradually the impetus of the rush was being stayed. Neither the -French nor the British lines were broken. They grew stronger from -compression, whilst the invaders grew weaker from diffusion. Even as -they hoped to reach the climax of their success, and the huge -winning-post of the Eiffel Tower loomed up before their racing -armies, the dramatic moment arrived, and the dauntless, high-hearted -Allies had the reward of their constant, much-enduring valour. - -[Sidenote: The turn of the tide.] - -September 6 was a day of great elation in the armies of the Allies, -for it marked the end of the retreat and the beginning of their -victorious return. It is clear that they could in no case have gone -farther south without exposing Paris to the danger of an attack. The -French Government had already been transferred to Bordeaux and the -city put into a state which promised a long and stubborn defence, but -after the surprising rapidity of the capture of Namur there was a -general distrust of fortresses, and it was evident that if only one -or two of the outer ring of forts should be overwhelmed by the German -fire, {143} the enemy would be in a position to do terrible damage to -the city, even if they failed to occupy it. The constant dropping of -bombs from German aeroplanes, one of which had already injured the -Cathedral of Notre Dame, gave a sinister forecast of the respect -which the enemy was likely to show to the monuments of antiquity. - -Fortunately, the problem of investing Paris while the main French -armies remained unbeaten in the field proved to be an insuperable -one. The first German task, in accordance with the prophet -Clausewitz, was to break the French resistance. Everything would -follow after that, and nothing could precede it. Von Kluck, with his -army, comprising originally something over 200,000 men, had lost -considerably in their conflicts with the British, and were much -exhausted by rapid marching, but they were still in good heart, as -the roads over which they passed seemed to offer ample evidence that -their enemy was in full flight before them. Knowing that they had -hit the British hard, they hoped that, for a time at least, they -might disregard them, and, accordingly, they ventured to close in, by -a flank march, on to the other German armies to the east of them, in -order to combine against the main line of French resistance and to -make up the gaps of those corps which had been ordered to East -Prussia. But the bulldog, though weary and somewhat wounded, was -still watching with bloodshot eyes. He now sprang suddenly upon the -exposed flank of his enemy and got a grip which held firm for many a -day to come. - -Without going into complicated details of French strategy, which -would be outside the scope of this work, it may be generally stated -that the whole {144} French line, which had stretched on August 22 -from Namur along the line of the Sambre to Charleroi and had retired -with considerable loss before the German advance, was now extended in -seven separate armies from Verdun to the west of Paris. - -General Joffre had assembled Maunoury's Sixth Army, which consisted -of the Seventh Regular Corps, one reserve corps, and three -territorial divisions, with Sordet's cavalry, in the neighbourhood of -Amiens, and at the end of the month they lay with their right upon -Roye. Thus, when Von Kluck swerved to his left, this army was on the -flank of the whole great German line which extended to Verdun. Next -to this Sixth Army and more to the south-east were the British, now -no longer unsupported, but with solid French comrades upon either -side of them. Next to the British, counting from the left or -westward end of the defensive line, was the Fifth French Army under -General d'Esperey, of four corps, with Conneau's cavalry forming the -link between. These three great bodies, the French Sixth, the -British, and the French Fifth, were in touch during the subsequent -operations, and moved forward in close co-operation upon September 6. -Their operations were directed against the First (Von Kluck's) and -Second (Von Bülow's) Armies. On the right of the Fifth French Army -came another extra, produced suddenly by the prolific Joffre and -thrust into the centre of the line. This was General Foch's Seventh, -three corps strong, which joined to the eastward General Langlé de -Cary's Fourth Army. Opposed to them were the remains of Von -Haussen's Third Saxon Army and the Prince of Würtemberg's Fourth -Army. Eastward of this, on the farther side of the great plain of -{145} Chalons, a place of evil omen for the Huns, were the Third -(Sarrail), Second (Castelnau), and First (Dubail) French Armies, -which faced the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh German, commanded -respectively by the Crown Prince of Prussia, the Crown Prince of -Bavaria, and General von Heeringen. Such were the mighty lines which -were destined to swing and sway for an eventful week in the strain of -a close-locked fight. - -[Sidenote: The Battle of the Ourcq.] - -The eastern portion of this great battle is outside the scope of this -account, but it may briefly be stated that after murderous fighting -neither the French nor the German lines made any marked advance in -the extreme east, but that the Crown Prince's army was driven back by -Dubail, Sarrail, and Castelnau from all its advanced positions, and -held off from Nancy and Verdun, which were his objectives. It was at -the western end of the Allied line that the strategical position was -most advantageous and the result most marked. In all other parts of -that huge line the parallel battle prevailed. Only in the west were -the Germans outflanked, and the shock of the impact of the Sixth -French Army passed down from Meaux to Verdun as the blow of the -engine's buffer sends the successive crashes along a line of trucks. -This French army was, as already stated, upon the extreme outside -right of Von Kluck's army, divided from it only by the River Ourcq. -This was the deciding factor in the subsequent operations. - -By mid-day upon September 6, according to the dispatch of Sir John -French, the Germans had realised their dangerous position. The -British Army, consisting of five divisions and five cavalry brigades, -with its depleted ranks filled up with reinforcements and some of its -lost guns replaced, was advancing {146} from the south through the -forest of Crécy, men who had limped south with bleeding feet at two -miles an hour changing their gait to three or four now that they were -bound northward. The general movement of the Army cannot, however, -be said to have been rapid. Von Kluck had placed nothing more -substantial than a cavalry screen of two divisions in front of them, -while he had detached a strong force of infantry and artillery to -fight a rearguard action against the Sixth French Army and prevent it -from crossing the Ourcq. - -The desperate struggle of September 6, 7, 8, and 9 between Von Kluck -and Maunoury may be looked upon as the first turning-point of the -war. Von Kluck had originally faced Maunoury with his Fourth Reserve -Corps on the defensive. Recognising how critical it was that -Maunoury should be crushed, he passed back two more army corps--the -Seventh and Second--across the Ourcq, and fell upon the French with -such violence that for two days it was impossible to say which side -would win. Maunoury and his men fought magnificently, and the -Germans showed equal valour. At one time the situation seemed -desperate, but 20,000 men, odds and ends of every kind--Republican -Guards, gendarmes, and others--were rushed out from Paris in a -five-mile line of automobiles, and the action was restored. Only on -the morning of the 10th did the Germans withdraw in despair, held in -their front by the brave Maunoury, and in danger of being cut off by -the British to the east of them. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{147} - -[Illustration: British Advance during the Battle of the Marne] - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Sidenote: The British advance.] - -The advance of the British upon September 6 was made in unison with -that of the Fifth French Army (D'Esperey's) upon the right, and was -much facilitated {148} by the fact that Von Kluck had to detach the -strong force already mentioned to deal with Maunoury upon the left. -The British advanced with the Fourth Division upon the left, the -Second Corps in the centre and the First Corps upon the right. The -high banks of the Grand Morin were occupied without serious fighting, -and the whole line pushed forward for a considerable distance, -halting on the Coulommiers-Maisoncelles front. The brunt of the -fighting during the day was borne by the French on either wing, the -Third and Fourth German Corps being thrown back by D'Esperey's men, -among whom the Senegal regiments particularly distinguished -themselves. The fighting in this section of the field continued far -into the night. - -On September 7 the British and the Fifth French were still moving -northwards, while the Sixth French were continuing their bitter -struggle upon the Ourcq. The British infantry losses were not heavy, -though a hidden battery cost the South Lancashires of the 7th Brigade -forty-one casualties. Most of the fighting depended upon the -constant touch between the British cavalry and the German. It was -again the French armies upon each flank who did the hard work during -this eventful day, the first of the German retreat. The Sixth Army -were all day at close grips with Von Kluck, while the Fifth drove the -enemy back to the line of the Petit Morin River, carrying -Vieux-Maisons at the point of the bayonet. Foch's army, still -farther to the east, was holding its own in a desperate defensive -battle. - -[Sidenote: Cavalry fighting.] - -Of the cavalry skirmishes upon this day one deserves some special -record. The 2nd Cavalry Brigade (De Lisle) was acting at the time as -flank {149} guard with the 9th Lancers in front. Coming into contact -with some German dragoons near the village of Moncel, there followed -a face-to-face charge between two squadrons, each riding through the -other. The American, Coleman, who saw the encounter, reckons the -odds in numbers to have been two to one against the Lancers. The -British Colonel Campbell was wounded, and the adjutant, Captain -Reynolds, transfixed through the shoulder by a lance. While drawing -the weapon out Captain Allfrey was killed. The other casualties were -slight, and those of the German dragoons were considerably greater. -This example of shock tactics was almost instantly followed by an -exhibition of those mounted rifleman tactics which have been -cultivated of late years. A squadron of the 18th Hussars, having -dismounted, was immediately charged by a German squadron in close -order. About 70 Germans charged, and 32 were picked up in front of -the dismounted Hussars, while the few who passed through the firing -line were destroyed by the horse-holders. It may fairly be argued -that had the two squadrons met with shock tactics, no such crushing -effect could possibly have been attained. It is interesting that in -one morning two incidents should have occurred which bore so directly -upon the perennial dispute between the partisans of the _arme -blanche_ and those of the rifle. - -On the 8th the orders were to advance towards Chateau-Thierry and to -endeavour to reach the Marne. The Germans were retreating fast, but -rather on account of their generally faulty strategical position than -from tactical compulsion, and they covered themselves with continual -rearguard actions, especially along the line of the Petit Morin. It -is one of {150} the noticeable results, however, of the use of -aircraft that the bluff of a rearguard has disappeared and that it is -no longer possible to make such a retreat as Massena from Torres -Vedras, where the pursuer never knew if he were striking at a -substance or a shadow. Gough's Second Cavalry Division, which -consisted of the 3rd and 5th Brigades, swept along, and the infantry -followed hard at the heels of the horses, Doran's 8th Brigade -suffering the loss of about 100 men when held up at the crossing of -the Petit Morin River near Orly, which they traversed eventually -under an effective covering fire from J Battery, R.H.A. - -The First Army Corps upon this day forced the Petit Morin at two -places, both near La Trétoire, north of Rebaix. The First Division -secured the passage at Sablonnières, where the Black Watch seized the -heights, causing the German rearguard some losses and taking 60 -prisoners. The Second Division met with considerable resistance, but -the 2nd Worcesters got over at Le Gravier and the 2nd Grenadier -Guards at La Forge. The enemy was then driven from the river bank -into the woods, where they were practically surrounded and had -eventually to surrender. Eight machine-guns and 350 prisoners, many -of them from the Guards' Jaeger Battalion, were captured. Six of -these machine-guns fell to the Irish Guards. - -The Second Army Corps passed the Petit Morin near St. Cyr and St. -Ouen, the 13th Brigade attacking the former and the 14th the latter, -both being villages on the farther side of the river. Such fighting -as there was in this quarter came largely to the 1st East Surrey and -1st Cornwalls, of the 14th Brigade, {151} but the resistance was not -great, and was broken by the artillery fire. To the soldiers engaged -the whole action was more like a route march with occasional -deployments than a battle. - -On the 9th the Army was up to the Marne and was faced with the -problem of crossing it. The operations extending over many miles -were unimportant in detail, though of some consequence in the mass. -The real hard fighting was falling upon the Sixth French Army north -of Ligny, which was still in desperate conflict with the German -right, and upon Foch's army, which was fighting magnificently at -Fère-Champenoise. The advance of the British, and their own -exertions, caused the Germans to retire and cleared the passage over -the Ourcq for our Allies. The chief losses during the day upon the -British side fell upon the Guards' Brigade, the 1st Lincolns, and the -1st Cornwalls, most of which were inflicted by invisible quick-firing -batteries shrouded by the woods which flank the river. The latter -regiment lost Colonel Turner, Major Cornish-Bowden, and a number of -other killed or wounded in a brilliant piece of woodland fighting, -where they drove in a strong German rearguard. The 1st East Surrey, -who were very forward in the movement, were also hard hit, having 6 -officers and about 120 men out of action. - -[Sidenote: The 1st Lincolns and the guns.] - -The British infantry was able on this day to show that woods may -serve for other purposes besides hiding batteries. The 1st Lincolns, -being held up a rapid and accurate fire from invisible guns, -dispatched two companies, C and D, to make in single file a detour -under the shelter of the trees. Coming behind the battery, which -appears to have had no immediate support, they poured in a rapid fire -at {152} two hundred and fifty yards, which laid every man of the -German gunners upon the ground. The whole battery was captured. The -casualties of the Lincolns in this dashing exploit, which included -Captains Hoskyns and Ellison, with Lieutenant Thruston, were -unavoidably caused by British shrapnel, our gunners knowing nothing -of the movement. - -On this date (September 9) both the First and the Second Army Corps -were across the Marne, and advanced some miles to the north of it, -killing, wounding, or capturing many hundreds of the enemy. The -Sixth French Army was, as stated, fighting hard upon the Ourcq, but -the Fifth had won a brilliant success near Montmirail and driven the -enemy completely over the river. - -Pulteney's Third Corps, still a division short, had been held up by -the destruction of the bridges at La Ferté, but on September 10 they -were across and the whole Army sweeping northwards. The cavalry -overrode all resistance and rounded up a number of prisoners, over -2000 in all. It was a strange reversal of fortune, for here within a -fortnight were the same two armies playing the converse parts, the -British eagerly pushing on with a flushed consciousness of victory, -while the Germans, tired and dispirited, scattered in groups among -the woods or were gathered up from the roadsides. It was a day of -mist and rain, with muddy, sodden roads, but all weather is fine -weather to the army that is gaining ground. An impression of -complete German demoralisation became more widespread as transport, -shells, and even guns were found littering the high-roads, and yet -there was really even less cause for it than when the same delusion -was held by the Germans. The {153} enemy were actually making a -hurried but orderly retreat, and these signs of disaster were only -the evidence of a broken rearguard resistance. German armies do not -readily dissolve. There is no more cohesive force in the world. But -they were undoubtedly hard pressed. - -[Sidenote: 6th Brigade's action at Hautvesnes.] - -About eight o'clock upon the morning of the 10th the 6th Brigade -(Davies') observed a column of the enemy's infantry on a parallel -road near the village of Hautvesnes. Artillery fire was at once -opened upon them, and a vigorous infantry attack, the 1st Rifles -advancing direct with the 1st Berkshires on their right, whilst the -1st King's Liverpool worked round each flank in Boer fashion. The -2nd Staffords were in support. The Germans had taken refuge in a -sunken road, but they were mercilessly lashed by shrapnel, and 400 of -them ran forward with their hands up. The sunken road was filled -with their dead and wounded. Some hundreds streamed away across -country, but these were mostly gathered up by the Third Division on -the left. - -In this brisk little action the 50th R.F.A., and later the whole of -the 34th Brigade R.F.A., put in some fine work, the shrapnel-fire -being most deadly and accurate. The British had pushed their guns -freely forward with their cavalry and did much execution with them, -though they had the misfortune on this same date, the 10th, to lose, -by the answering shell-fire of the enemy, General Findlay, artillery -commander of the First Division. In this second action, in which the -German rearguard, infantry as well as artillery, was engaged, the 2nd -Sussex Regiment, which was leading the First Division, sustained -considerable losses near Courchamps or {154} Priez, as did the 1st -Northamptons and the 1st North Lancashires. Some 300 of Bulfin's 2nd -Brigade were hit altogether, among whom was Colonel Knight, of the -North Lancashires. The enemy came under heavy fire, both from the -infantry and from the guns, so that their losses were considerable, -and several hundred of them were captured. The country was very -hilly, and the roads so bad that in the exhausted state of men and -horses the pursuit could not be sufficiently pressed. Thirty large -motor cars were seen at Priez in front of the 2nd Brigade, carrying -the enemy's rearguard. - -[Sidenote: 9th Brigade's capture of Germans at Vinly.] - -On this same date the 9th Brigade captured 600 German infantry, the -survivors of a battalion, at the village of Vinly. This seems to -have been an incident of the same character as the loss of the -Cheshires or of the Munsters in the British retreat, where a body of -troops fighting a covering action was left too long, or failed to -receive the orders for its withdrawal. The defence was by no means a -desperate one, and few of the attacking infantry were killed or -wounded. On this date the Fifth and Sixth French Armies were hardly -engaged at all, and the whole Allied Force, including General Foch's -Seventh French Army on the right of the Fifth, were all sweeping -along together in a single rolling steel-crested wave, composed of at -least twelve army corps, whilst nine German corps (five of Von Kluck -and four of Bülow) retired swiftly before them, hurrying towards the -chance of re-forming and refitting which the Aisne position would -afford them. - -On September 11 the British were still advancing upon a somewhat -narrowed front. There was no opposition and again the day bore a -considerable {155} crop of prisoners and other trophies. The weather -had become so foggy that the aircraft were useless, and it is only -when these wonderful scouters are precluded from rising that a -general realises how indispensable they have become to him. As a wit -expressed it, they have turned war from a game of cards into a game -of chess. It was still very wet, and the Army was exposed to -considerable privation, most of the officers and men having neither -change of clothing, overcoats, nor waterproof sheets, while the -blowing up of bridges on the lines of communication had made it -impossible to supply the wants. The undefeatable commissariat, -however, was still working well, which means that the Army was doing -the same. On the 12th the pursuit was continued as far as the River -Aisne. Allenby's cavalry occupied Braine in the early morning, the -Queen's Bays being particularly active, but there was so much -resistance that the Third Division was needed to make the ground -good. Gough's Cavalry Division also ran into the enemy near -Chassemy, killing or capturing several hundred of the German -infantry. In these operations Captain Stewart, whose experience as -an alleged spy has been mentioned, met with a soldier's death. On -this day the Sixth French Army was fighting a considerable action -upon the British left in the vicinity of Soissons, the Germans making -a stand in order to give time for their impedimenta to get over the -river. In this they succeeded, so that when the Allied Forces -reached the Aisne, which is an unfordable stream some sixty yards -from bank to bank, the retiring army had got across it, had destroyed -most of the bridges, and showed every sign of being prepared to -dispute the crossing. - -{156} - -[Sidenote: The problem of the Aisne.] - -Missy Bridge, facing the Fifth Division, appeared at first to be -intact, but a daring reconnaissance by Lieutenant Pennecuick, of the -Engineers, showed that it was really badly damaged. Condé Bridge was -intact, but was so covered by a high horse-shoe formation of hills -upon the farther side that it could not be used, and remained -throughout under control of the enemy. Bourg Bridge, however, in -front of the First Army Corps, had for some unexplained reason been -left undamaged, and this was seized in the early morning of September -13 by De Lisle's cavalry, followed rapidly by Bulfin's 2nd Brigade. -It was on the face of it a somewhat desperate enterprise which lay -immediately in front of the British general. If the enemy were still -retreating he could not afford to slacken his pursuit, while, on the -other hand, if the enemy were merely making a feint of resistance, -then, at all hazards, the stream must be forced and the rearguard -driven in. The German infantry could be seen streaming up the roads -on the farther bank of the river, but there were no signs of what -their next disposition might be. Air reconnaissance was still -precluded, and it was impossible to say for certain which alternative -might prove to be correct, but Sir John French's cavalry training -must incline him always to the braver course. The officer who rode -through the Boers to Kimberley and threw himself with his weary men -across the path of the formidable Kronje was not likely to stand -hesitating upon the banks of the Aisne. His personal opinion was -that the enemy meant to stand and fight, but none the less the order -was given to cross. - -September 13 was spent in arranging this dashing {157} and dangerous -movement. The British got across eventually in several places and by -various devices. Bulfin's men, followed by the rest of the First -Division of Haig's Army Corps, passed the canal bridge of Bourg with -no loss or difficulty. The 11th Brigade of Pulteney's Third Corps -got across by a partially demolished bridge and ferry at Venizel. -They were followed by the 12th Brigade, who established themselves -near Bucy. The 13th Brigade was held up at Missy, but the 14th got -across and lined up with the men of the Third Corps in the -neighbourhood of Ste. Marguerite, meeting with a considerable -resistance from the Germans. Later, Count Gleichen's 15th Brigade -also got across. On the right Hamilton got over with two brigades of -the Third Division, the 8th Brigade crossing on a single plank at -Vailly and the 9th using the railway bridge, while the whole of -Haig's First Corps had before evening got a footing upon the farther -bank. So eager was the advance and so inadequate the means that -Haking's 5th Brigade, led by the Connaught Rangers, was obliged to -get over the broad and dangerous river, walking in single file along -the sloping girder of a ruined bridge, under a heavy, though distant, -shell-fire. The night of September 13 saw the main body of the Army -across the river, already conscious of a strong rearguard action, but -not yet aware that the whole German Army had halted and was turning -at bay. On the right De Lisle's cavalrymen had pushed up the slope -from Bourg Bridge and reached as far as Vendresse, where they were -pulled up by the German lines. - -It has been mentioned above that the 11th and 12th Brigades of the -Fourth Division had passed the {158} river at Venizel. These troops -were across in the early afternoon, and they at once advanced, and -proved that in that portion of the field the enemy were undoubtedly -standing fast. The 11th Brigade, which was more to the north, had -only a constant shell-fall to endure, but the 12th, pushing forward -through Bucy-le-long, found itself in front of a line of woods from -which there swept a heavy machine-gun- and rifle-fire. The advance -was headed by the 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers, supported by the 2nd -Inniskilling Fusiliers. It was across open ground and under heavy -fire, but it was admirably carried out. In places where the -machine-guns had got the exact range the stricken Fusiliers lay dead -or wounded with accurate intervals, like a firing-line on a -field-day. The losses were heavy, especially in the Lancashire -Fusiliers. Colonel Griffin was wounded, and 5 of his officers with -250 men were among the casualties. It should be recorded that fresh -supplies of ammunition were brought up at personal risk by Colonel -Seely, late Minister of War, in his motor-car. The contest continued -until dusk, when the troops waited for the battle of next day under -such cover as they could find. - -The crossing of the stream may be said, upon the one side, to mark -the end of the battle and pursuit of the Marne, while, on the other, -it commenced that interminable Battle of the Aisne which was destined -to fulfil Bloch's prophecies and to set the type of all great modern -engagements. The prolonged struggles of the Manchurian War had -prepared men's minds for such a development, but only here did it -first assume its full proportions and warn us that the battle of the -future was to be the siege of the past. {159} Men remembered with a -smile Bernhardi's confident assertion that a German battle would be -decided in one day, and that his countrymen would never be -constrained to fight in defensive trenches. - -The moral effect of the Battle of the Marne was greater than its -material gains. The latter, so far as the British were concerned, -did not exceed 5000 prisoners, 20 guns, and a quantity of transport. -The total losses, however, were very heavy. The Germans had -perfected a method of burning their dead with the aid of petrol. -These numerous holocausts over the country-side were found afterwards -by the peasants to have left mounds of charred animal matter which -were scattered by their industrious hands on the fields which they -might help to fertilise. The heat of cremation had dissolved the -bones, but the teeth in most cases remained intact, so that over an -area of France it was no uncommon thing to see them gleaming in the -clods on either side of the new-cut furrow. Had the ring of -high-born German criminals who planned the war seen in some -apocalyptic vision the detailed results of their own villainy, it is -hard to doubt that even their hearts and consciences would have -shrunk from the deed. - -Apart from the losses, the mere fact that a great German army had -been hustled across thirty miles of country, had been driven from -river to river, and had finally to take refuge in trenches in order -to hold their ground, was a great encouragement to the Allies. From -that time they felt assured that with anything like equal numbers -they had an ascendancy over their opponents. Save in the matter of -heavy guns and machine-guns, there was not a single arm {160} in -which they did not feel that they were the equals or the superiors. -Nor could they forget that this foe, whom they were driving in the -open and holding in the trenches, was one who had rushed into the war -with men and material all carefully prepared for this day of battle, -while their own strength lay in the future. If the present was -bright, it would surely be incomparably brighter when the reserves of -France and the vast resources of the British Empire were finally -brought into line. There had never from the beginning been a doubt -of final victory, but from this time on it became less an opinion and -more a demonstrable and mathematical certainty. - -[Sidenote: Why the Marne is one of the great battles of all time.] - -The battle must also be regarded as a fixed point in military -history, since it was the first time since the days of the great -Napoleon that a Prussian army had been turned and driven. In three -successive wars--against the Danes, the Austrians, and the -French--they had lived always in the warm sunshine of success. Now, -at last, came the first chill of disaster. Partly from their -excellent military qualities, but even more on account of their -elaborate and methodical preparations, joined with a want of scruple -which allowed them to force a war at the moment when they could take -their adversary at a disadvantage, they had established a legend of -invincibility. This they left behind them with their cannon and -their prisoners between the Marne and the Aisne. It had been feared -that free men, trained in liberal and humane methods, could never -equal in military efficiency those who had passed through the savage -discipline which is the heritage of the methods that first made -Prussia great at the expense {161} of her neighbours. This shadow -was henceforth for ever lifted from men's minds, and it was shown -that the kindly comradeship which exists in the Western armies -between officers and men was not incompatible with the finest -fighting qualities of which any soldiers are capable. - - - - -{162} - -CHAPTER VI - -THE BATTLE OF THE AISNE - -The hazardous crossing of the Aisne--Wonderful work of the -sappers--The fight for the sugar factory--General advance of the -Army--The 4th (Guards) Brigade's difficult task--Cavalry as a mobile -reserve--The Sixth Division--Hardships of the Army--German breach of -faith--_Tâtez toujours_--The general position--Attack upon the West -Yorks--Counter-attack by Congreve's 18th Brigade--Rheims -Cathedral--Spies--The siege and fall of Antwerp. - - -[Sidenote: The hazardous crossing of the Aisne.] - -The stretch of river which confronted the British Army when they set -about the hazardous crossing of the Aisne was about fifteen miles in -length. It lay as nearly as possible east and west, so that the -advance was from south to north. As the British faced the river the -First Army Corps was on the right of their line, together with half -the cavalry. In the centre was the Second Corps, on the left the -Third Corps, which was still without one of its divisions (the -Sixth), but retained, on the other hand, the 19th Brigade, which did -not belong to it. Each of these British corps covered a front of, -roughly, five miles. Across the broad and swift river a considerable -German army with a powerful artillery was waiting to dispute the -passage. On the right of the British were the French Fifth and -Seventh Armies, and on their left, forming the extremity of the -Allied line, was the French Sixth Army, acting in such close -co-operation {163} with the British Third Corps in the Soissons -region that their guns were often turned upon the same point. This -Sixth French Army, with the British Army, may be looked upon as the -left wing of the huge Allied line which stretched away with many a -curve and bend to the Swiss frontier. During all this hurried -retreat from the Marne, it is to be remembered that the Eastern -German armies had hardly moved at all. It was their four armies of -the right which had swung back like a closing door, the Crown -Prince's Fifth Army being the hinge upon which it turned. Now the -door had ceased to swing, and one solid barrier presented itself to -the Allies. It is probable that the German preponderance of numbers -was, for the moment, much lessened or even had ceased to exist, for -the losses in battle, the detachments for Russia, and the operations -in Belgium had all combined to deplete the German ranks. - -The Belgian Army had retired into Antwerp before the fall of -Brussels, but they were by no means a force to be disregarded, being -fired by that sense of intolerable wrong which is the most formidable -stimulant to a virile nation. From the shelter of the Antwerp -entrenchments they continually buzzed out against the German lines of -communication, and although they were usually beaten back, and were -finally pent in, they still added to the great debt of gratitude -which the Allies already owed them by holding up a considerable body, -two army corps at least, of good troops. On the other hand, the -fortress of Maubeuge, on the northern French frontier, which had been -invested within a few days of the battle of Mons, had now fallen -before the heavy German guns, with the result that at least a corps -of troops under {164} Von Zwehl and these same masterful guns were -now released for service on the Aisne. - -[Sidenote: Wonderful work of the sappers.] - -The more one considers the operation of the crossing of the Aisne -with the battle which followed it, the more one is impressed by the -extraordinary difficulty of the task, the swift debonair way in which -it was tackled, and the pushful audacity of the various commanders in -gaining a foothold upon the farther side. Consider that upon the -12th the Army was faced by a deep, broad, unfordable river with only -one practicable bridge in the fifteen miles opposite them. They had -a formidable enemy armed with powerful artillery standing on the -defensive upon a line of uplands commanding every crossing and -approach, whilst the valley was so broad that ordinary guns upon the -corresponding uplands could have no effect, and good positions lower -down were hard to find. There was the problem. And yet upon the -14th the bulk of the Army was across and had established itself in -positions from which it could never afterwards be driven. All arms -must have worked well to bring about such a result, but what can be -said of the Royal Engineers, who built under heavy fire in that brief -space nine bridges, some of them capable of taking heavy traffic, -while they restored five of the bridges which the enemy had -destroyed! September 13, 1914, should be recorded in their annals as -a marvellous example of personal self-sacrifice and technical -proficiency. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{165} - -[Illustration: British Advance at the Aisne] - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -Sir John French, acting with great swiftness and decision, did not -lose an hour after he had established himself in force upon the -northern bank of the river in pushing his men ahead and finding out -what was in front of him. The weather was still very wet, {166} and -heavy mists drew a veil over the German dispositions, but the advance -went forward. The British right wing, consisting of the First -Division of the First Corps, had established itself most securely, as -was natural, since it was the one corps which had found an unbroken -bridge in front of it. The First Division had pushed forward as far -as Moulins and Vendresse, which lie about two miles north of the -river. Now, in the early hours of the 14th, the whole of the Second -Division got over. The immediate narrative, therefore, is concerned -with the doings of the two divisions of the First Corps, upon which -fell the first and chief strain of the very important and dangerous -advance upon that date. - -On the top of the line of chalk hills which faced the British was an -ancient and famous highway, the Chemin-des-dames, which, like all -ancient highways, had been carried along the crest of the ridge. -This was in the German possession, and it became the objective of the -British attack. The 2nd Infantry Brigade (Bulfin's) led the way, -working upwards in the early morning from Moulins and Vendresse -through the hamlet of Troyon towards the great road. This brigade, -consisting of the 2nd Sussex, 1st Northamptons, 1st North Lancashire, -and 2nd Rifles, drawn mostly from solid shire regiments, was second -to none in the Army. Just north of Troyon was a considerable -deserted sugar factory, which formed a feature in the landscape. It -lay within a few hundred yards of the Chemin-des-dames, while another -winding road, cut in the side of the hill, lay an equal distance to -the south of it, and was crossed by the British in their advance. -This road, which was somewhat sunken in the chalk, and thus offered -some cover {167} to a crouching man, played an important part in the -operations. - -[Sidenote: The fight for the sugar factory.] - -Lieutenant Balfour and a picket of the 2nd Rifles, having crept up -and reconnoitred the factory, returned with the information that it -was held by the Germans, and that twelve guns were in position three -hundred yards to the east of it. General Bulfin then--it was about -3.30 in the morning of a wet, misty day--sent the 2nd Rifles, the 2nd -Sussex Regiment, and the 1st Northamptons forward, with the factory -and an adjoining whitewashed farmhouse as their objective. The 1st -North Lancashires remained in reserve at Vendresse. The attacking -force was under the immediate command of Colonel Serocold of the -Rifles. The three advanced regiments drove in the pickets of the -Germans, and after a severe fight turned the enemy out of his front -trench, A Company of the Sussex capturing several hundred prisoners. -A number of men, however, including Colonel Montresor and Major -Cookson, were shot while rounding up these Germans and sending them -to the rear. The advanced line had suffered severely, so the North -Lancashires were called up and launched at the sugar factory, which -they carried with a magnificent bayonet attack in spite of a fierce -German resistance. Their losses were very heavy, including Major -Lloyd, their commander, but their victory was a glorious one. The -two batteries of the enemy were now commanded by machine-guns, -brought up to the factory by Lieutenant Dashwood of the Sussex. The -enemy made a brave attempt to get these guns away, but the teams and -men were shot down, and it was a German Colenso. The British, -however, unlike the Boers, were unable to get away the prizes of -their victory. The factory {168} was abandoned as it was exposed to -heavy fire, and the four regiments formed a firing-line, taking such -cover as they could find, but a German shell fire developed which was -so deadly that they were unable to get forward. - -A small party of Rifles, under Cathcart and Foljambe, clung hard to -the captured guns, sending repeated messages: "For God's sake bring -horses and fetch away these pieces!" No horses were, however, -available, and eventually both the guns and the buildings were -regained by the Germans, the former being disabled before they were -abandoned by their captors, and the factory being smashed by the -shells. Major Green and a company of the Sussex, with some of the -Coldstream under Major Grant, had got as far forward as the -Chemin-des-dames, but fell back steadily when their flank was finally -exposed. Two companies of the 1st Coldstream, under Colonel -Ponsonby, had also pushed on to the road, and now came back. Nothing -could exceed the desperate gallantry of officers and men. Major -Jelf, severely wounded, cheered on his riflemen until evening. Major -Warre of the same regiment and Major Phillips rallied the -hard-pressed line again and again. Lieutenant Spread, of the -Lancashires, worked his machine-gun until it was smashed, and then, -wounded as he was, brought up a second gun and continued the fight. -Major Burrows rallied the Lancashires when their leader, Major Lloyd, -was hit. Brigade-Major Watson, of the Queen's, was everywhere in the -thick of the firing. No men could have been better led, nor could -any leaders have better men. A large number of wounded, both British -and Germans, lay under the {169} shelter of some haystacks between -the lines, and crawled slowly round them for shelter, as the fire -came from one side or the other--a fitting subject surely for a -Verestschagin! - -[Sidenote: General advance of the Army.] - -Meanwhile, it is necessary to follow what had been going on at the -immediate left of Bulfin's Brigade. Maxse's 1st Brigade had moved up -in the face of a considerable fire until it came to be nearly as far -north as the factory, but to the west of it. The 1st Coldstream had -been sent across to help the dismounted cavalry to cover Bulfin's -right, since the main German strength seemed to be in that quarter. -The 1st Scots Guards was held in reserve, but the other regiments of -the 1st Brigade, the 1st Black Watch and the 1st Camerons, a -battalion which had taken the place of the brave but unfortunate -Munsters, lined up on the left of the factory and found themselves -swept by the same devastating fire which had checked the advance. -This fire came from the fringe of the woods and from a line of -trenches lying north-east of the factory on the edge of the -Chemin-des-dames. Up to this time the British had no artillery -support on account of the mist, but now Geddes' 25th Brigade R.F.A., -comprising the 113th, 114th, and 115th Batteries, was brought to its -assistance. It could do little good in such a dim light, and one -battery, the 115th, under Major Johnstone, which pushed up within -eight hundred yards of the enemy's position, was itself nearly -destroyed. The 116th R.F.A., under Captain Oliver, also did great -work, working its way up till it was almost in the infantry line, and -at one time in advance of it. The whole infantry line, including a -mixture of units, men of the Rifles, Sussex, and {170} North -Lancashires, with a sprinkling of Guardsmen and Black Watch from the -1st Brigade, came slowly down the hill--"sweating blood to hold their -own." as one of them described it--until they reached the sunken road -which has been already mentioned. There General Bulfin had stationed -himself with the reserve, and the line steadied itself, re-formed, -and, with the support of the guns, made head once more against the -advancing Germans, who were unable to make any progress against the -fire which was poured into them. With such spades and picks as could -be got, a line of shallow trenches was thrown up, and these were held -against all attacks for the rest of the day.[1] It was the haphazard -line of these hurriedly dug shelters which determined the position -retained in the weeks to come. As this was the apex of the British -advance and all the corps upon the left were in turn brought to a -standstill and driven to make trenches, the whole line of the First -Corps formed a long diagonal slash across the hillside, with its -right close to the Chemin-des-dames and its left upon the river in -the neighbourhood of Chavonne. The result was that now and always -the trenches of the 2nd Brigade were in an extremely exposed -position, for they were open not only to the direct fire of the -Germans, which was not very severe, but to an enfilading fire from -more distant guns upon each flank. Their immediate neighbours upon -the right were the 1st Queen's Surrey, acting as {171} flank-guard, -and a Moroccan corps from the Fifth French Army, which had not -reached so advanced a position, but was in echelon upon their right -rear. - - -[1] Until an accurate German military history of the war shall -appear, it is difficult to compute the exact rival forces in any -engagement, but in this attack of the 2nd Brigade, where six British -regiments may be said to have been involved, there are some data. A -German officer, describing the same engagement, says that, apart from -the original German force, the reinforcements amounted to fourteen -battalions, from the Guards' Jaeger, the 4th Jaeger Battalion, 65th, -13th Reserve, and 13th and 16th Landwehr Regiments. - - -It has already been shown how the 1st Brigade was divided up, the 1st -Coldstream being on the right of the 2nd Brigade. The rest of the -1st Brigade had carried out an advance parallel to that described, -and many of the Black Watch, who were the right-hand regiment, got -mixed with Bulfin's men when they were driven back to what proved to -be the permanent British line. This advance of the 1st Brigade -intercepted a strong force of the enemy which was creeping round the -left flank of the 2nd Brigade. The counter-stroke brought the flank -attack to a standstill. The leading regiments of the 1st Brigade -suffered very severely, however, especially the Cameron Highlanders, -whose gallantry carried them far to the front. This regiment lost -Lieutenant-Colonel MacLachlan, 2 majors, Maitland and Nicholson, 3 -captains, 11 lieutenants, and about 300 rank and file in the action. -Some of these fell into the hands of the enemy, but the great -majority were killed or wounded. The 1st Scots Guards upon the left -of the brigade had also heavy casualties, while the Black Watch lost -their Colonel, Grant Duff, their Adjutant, Rowan Hamilton, and many -men. When the line on their right fell back, they conformed to the -movement until they received support from two companies of the 1st -Gloucesters from the 3rd Brigade upon their left rear. - -[Sidenote: The 4th (Guards) Brigade's difficult task.] - -The 4th (Guards) Brigade, forming the left of the Second Division, -was across the river in battle array by ten o'clock in the morning -and moving northwards towards the village of Ostel. {172} Its task -was a supremely difficult one. Dense woods faced it, fringed with -the hostile riflemen, while a heavy shell-fire tore through the -extended ranks. It is safe to say that such an advance could not -have been carried out in the heavy-handed German fashion without -annihilating losses. As it was, the casualties were heavy, but not -sufficient to prevent a continuance of the attack, which at one -o'clock carried the farm and trenches which were its objective. The -steep slopes and the thick woods made artillery support impossible, -though one section of a battery did contrive to keep up with the -infantry. The 3rd Coldstream being held up in their advance on the -Soupir front, the 1st Irish were moved up on their right flank, but -the line could do little more than hold its own. Captain Berners, -Lord Guernsey, Lord Arthur Hay, and others were killed at this point. -The German infantry advanced several times to counter-attack, but -were swept back by the fire of the Guards. - -At one period it was found that the general German advance, which had -followed the holding of the British attack, was threatening to flow -in between the two divisions of the First Army Corps. The 3rd -Brigade (Landon's) was therefore deployed rapidly from the point -about a mile south of Vernesse where it had been stationed. Two -regiments of the brigade, the 2nd Welsh and the 1st South Wales -Borderers, were flung against the heavy German column advancing down -the Beaulne ridge and threatening to cut Haig's corps in two. The -Welshmen, worthy successors of their ancestors who left such a name -on the battlefields of France, succeeded in heading it off and -driving it back so that they were {173} able to extend and get in -touch with the right of the Second Division. This consisted of the -5th Brigade (Haking's) with the 6th (Davies') upon its left. Both of -these brigades had to bear the brunt of continual German -counter-attacks, involving considerable losses, both from shell and -rifle fire. In spite of this they won their way for a mile or more -up the slopes, where they were brought to a standstill and dug -themselves into temporary shelter, continuing the irregular diagonal -line of trenches which had been started by the brigades upon the -right. - -[Sidenote: Cavalry as a mobile reserve.] - -It is impossible not to admire the way in which the German general in -command observed and attempted to profit by any gap in the British -line. It has already been shown how he tried to push his column -between the two divisions of the First Corps and was only stopped by -the deployment of the 3rd Brigade. Later, an even fairer chance -presented itself, and he was quick to take advantage of it. The -advance of the Guards Brigade to the Ostel ridge had caused a -considerable gap between them and the nearest unit of the Second -Corps, and also between the First Corps and the river. A German -attack came swarming down upon the weak spot. From Troyon to Ostel, -over five miles of ground, Haig's corps was engaged to the last man -and pinned down in their positions. It was not possible to fill the -gap. Not to fill it might have meant disaster--disaster under heavy -shell-fire with an unfordable river in the rear. Here was a supreme -example of the grand work that was done when our cavalry were made -efficient as dismounted riflemen. Their mobility brought them -quickly to the danger spot. Their training turned them in an instant -from {174} horsemen to infantry. The 15th Hussars, the Irish Horse, -the whole of Briggs' 1st Cavalry Brigade, and finally the whole of De -Lisle's 2nd Cavalry Brigade, were thrown into the gap. The German -advance was stayed and the danger passed. From now onwards the -echelon formed by the units of the First Corps ended with these -cavalry brigades near Chavonne to the immediate north of the river. - -The Third Division of the Second Corps, being on the immediate left -of the operations which have been already described, moved forward -upon Aizy, which is on about the same level as Ostel, the objective -of the Guards. The 8th (Doran's) Brigade moved north by a tributary -stream which runs down to the Aisne, while the 9th (Shaw's) tried to -advance in line with it on the plateau to the right. Both brigades -found it impossible to get any farther, and established themselves in -entrenchments about a mile north of Vailly, so as to cover the -important bridge at that place, where the 7th Brigade was in reserve. -The three Fusilier regiments of the 9th Brigade all lost heavily, and -the Lincolns had at one time to recross the river, but recovered -their position. - -The attack made by the Fifth Division near Missy was held up by a -very strong German position among the woods on the Chivres heights -which was fronted by wire entanglements. The regiments chiefly -engaged were the Norfolks and Bedfords of the 15th Brigade, with the -Cornwalls and East Surreys of the 14th Brigade, the remains of the -Cheshires being in close support. They crossed the wire and made -good progress at first, but were eventually brought to a stand by -heavy fire at close range from a trench upon their right front. It -was already dusk, so the {175} troops ended by maintaining the -position at Missy and Ste. Marguerite, where there were bridges to be -guarded. - -The Fourth Division of Pulteney's Third Corps had no better success, -and was only able to maintain its ground. It may be remarked, as an -example of valiant individual effort, that this division was largely -indebted for its ammunition supply to the efforts of Captain Johnston -of the Sappers, who, upon a crazy raft of his own construction, aided -by Lieutenant Flint, spent twelve hours under fire ferrying over the -precious boxes. The familiar tale of stalemate was to be told of the -Sixth French Army in the Soissons section of the river. Along the -whole Allied line the position was the same, the greatest success and -probably the hardest fighting having fallen to the lot of the -Eighteenth French Corps, which had taken, lost, and finally retaken -Craonne, thus establishing itself upon the lip of that formidable -plateau which had been the objective of all the attacks. - -In the Vailly region the 5th Cavalry Brigade found itself in a -difficult position, for it had crossed the stream as a mounted unit -in expectation of a pursuit, and now found itself under heavy fire in -the village of Vailly with no possibility of getting forward. The -only alternative was to recross the river by the single narrow -bridge, which was done at a later date under very heavy fire, the -troopers leading their horses over in single file. This difficult -operation was superintended by Captain Wright of the Engineers, the -same brave officer who had endeavoured to blow up the bridge at Mons. -Unhappily, he was mortally wounded on this occasion. On the -afternoon of the 14th--it being found that the British artillery was -{176} shelling our own advanced trenches--Staff-Captain Harter of the -9th Brigade galloped across the bridge and informed the gunners as to -the true position. - -Towards evening, in spite of the fact that there were no reserves and -that all the troops had endured heavy losses and great fatigue, a -general advance was ordered in the hope of gaining the high ground of -the Chemin-des-dames before night. It was nearly sunset when the -orders were given, and the troops responded gallantly to the call, -though many of them had been in action since daybreak. The fire, -however, was very heavy, and no great progress could be made. The -First Division gained some ground, but was brought to a standstill. -The only brigade which made good headway was Haking's 5th, which -reached the crest of the hill in the neighbourhood of -Tilleul-de-Courtecon. General Haking sent out scouts, and finding -German outposts upon both his flanks, he withdrew under cover of -darkness. - -Thus ended the sharp and indecisive action of September 14, the -Germans holding their ground, but being in turn unable to drive back -the Allies, who maintained their position and opposed an impassable -obstacle to the renewed advance upon Paris. The battle was marked by -the common features of advance, arrest, and entrenchment, which -occurred not only in the British front, but in that of the French -armies upon either flank. When the action ceased, the 1st -Northamptons and the 1st Queen's, sent to guard the pressure point at -the extreme right of the line, had actually reached the -Chemin-des-dames, the British objective, and had dug themselves in -upon the edge of it. From this very advanced spot the British line -extended diagonally across the hillside for many {177} miles until it -reached the river. Several hundred prisoners and some guns were -taken in the course of the fighting. When one considers the -predominant position of the Germans, and that their artillery was -able to give them constant assistance, whereas that of the British -and French was only brought up with the utmost difficulty, we can -only marvel that the infantry were able to win and to hold the ground. - -The next day, September 15, was spent for the most part in making -good the position gained and deepening the trenches to get some -protection from the ever-growing artillery fire, which was the more -intense as the great siege guns from Maubeuge were upon this day, for -the first time, brought into action. At first the terrific -explosions of these shells, the largest by far which had ever been -brought into an actual line of battle, were exceedingly alarming, but -after a time it became realised that, however omnipotent they might -be against iron or concrete, they were comparatively harmless in soft -soil, where their enormous excavations were soon used as convenient -ready-made rifle-pits by the soldiers. This heavy fire led to a -deepening of the trenches, which necessitated a general levy of picks -and shovels from the country round, for a large portion of such -equipment had been lost in the first week of the campaign. - -[Sidenote: The Sixth Division.] - -Only two active movements were made in the course of the day, one -being that Hamilton's Third Division advanced once more towards Aizy -and established itself a mile or more to the north in a better -tactical position. The 7th Brigade suffered considerable casualties -in this change, including Colonel Hasted, of the 1st Wilts. The -other was that Ferguson's Fifth Division fell back from Chivres, -{178} where it was exposed to a cross fire, and made its lines along -the river bank, whence the Germans were never able to drive it, -although they were only four hundred yards away in a position which -was high above it. For the rest, it was a day of navvy's toil, -though the men worked alternately with rifle and with pick, for there -were continual German advances which withered away before the volleys -which greeted them. By the 16th the position was fairly secure, and -on the same day a welcome reinforcement arrived in the shape of the -Sixth Division, forming the missing half of Pulteney's Third Corps. - -Its composition is here appended: - - DIVISION VI.--General KEIR. - - _16th Infantry Brigade--General Ing. Williams._ - 1st East Kent. - 1st Leicester. - 1st Shropshire Light Infantry. - 2nd York and Lancaster. - - _17th Infantry Brigade--General Walter Doran._ - 1st Royal Fusiliers. - 1st N. Stafford. - 2nd Leinsters. - 3rd Rifle Brigade. - - _18th Infantry Brigade--General Congreve, V.C._ - 1st W. York. - 1st E. York. - 2nd Notts and Derby (Sherwood Foresters). - 2nd Durham Light Infantry. - - _Artillery._ - 2nd Brig. 21, 42, 53. - 12th Brig. 43, 86, 87. - 24th Brig. 110, 111, 112. - 38th Brig. 24, 34, 72. - R.G.A. 24. - -[Sidenote: Hardships of the Army.] - -This division was kept in reserve upon the south side of the river. -The French Commander-in-Chief had intimated that he intended to throw -in reinforcements upon the left of the Sixth French Army, and {179} -so, as he hoped, to turn the German right. It was determined, -therefore, that there should be no attempt at a British advance, but -that the Allies should be content with holding the enemy to his -positions. The two armies lay facing each other, therefore, at an -average distance of about five hundred yards. The pressure was still -most severe upon the 2nd Brigade on the extreme right. Bulfin's -orders were to hold on at all costs, as he was the pivot of the whole -line. He and his men responded nobly to the responsibility, although -both they and their neighbours of Maxse's 1st Brigade had sustained a -loss of over 1000 men each upon the 14th--25 per cent of their -number. The shell-fire was incessant and from several converging -directions. German infantry attacks were constant by night and by -day, and the undrained trenches were deep in water. The men lay -without overcoats and drenched to the skin, for the rain was -incessant. Yet the sixth day found them on the exact ground upon -which they had thrown their weary bodies after their attack. Nations -desire from time to time to be reassured as to their own virility. -Neither in endurance nor in courage have the British departed from -the traditions of their ancestors. The unending strain of the -trenches reached the limits of human resistance. But the line was -always held. - -On September 16 occurred an incident which may be taken as typical of -the difference in the spirit with which the British and the Germans -make war. Close to the lines of the Guards a barn which contained -fifty wounded Germans was ignited by the enemy's shells. Under a -terrific fire a rescue party rushed forward and got the unfortunate -men to a place of safety. {180} Several of the British lost their -lives in this exploit, including Dr. Huggan, the Scottish -International footballer. The Germans mock at our respect for sport, -and yet this is the type of man that sport breeds, and it is the want -of them in their own ranks which will stand for ever between us. - -September 17 was a day of incessant attacks upon the right of the -line, continually repulsed and yet continually renewed. One can well -sympathise with the feelings of the German commanders who, looking -down from their heights, saw the British line in a most dangerous -strategical position, overmatched by their artillery, with a deep -river in their rear, and yet were unable to take advantage of it -because of their failure to carry the one shallow line of -extemporised trenches. Naturally, they came again and again, by -night and by day, with admirable perseverance and daring to the -attack, but were always forced to admit that nothing can be done -against the magazine rifle in hands which know how to use it. They -tried here and they tried there, these constant sudden outpourings of -cheering, hurrying, grey-clad men. They were natural tactics, but -expensive ones, for every new attack left a fresh fringe of stricken -men in front of the British lines. - -[Sidenote: German breach of faith.] - -One incident upon the 17th stands out amid the somewhat monotonous -record of trench attacks. On the extreme right of the British line a -company of the 1st Northamptons occupied a most exposed position on -the edge of the Chemin-des-dames. The men in a German trench which -was some hundreds of yards in front hoisted a white flag and then -advanced upon the British lines. It is well to be charitable in all -these white flag incidents, since it is always possible {181} on -either side that unauthorised men may hoist it and the officer in -command very properly refuse to recognise it; but in this case the -deception appears to have been a deliberate one. These are the -facts. On seeing the flag, Captain Savage, of B Company -Northamptons, got out of the trench and with Lieutenant Dimmer, of -the Rifles, advanced to the Germans. He threw down his sword and -revolver to show that he was unarmed. He found a difficulty in -getting a direct answer from the Germans, so he saluted their -officer, who returned his salute, and turned back to walk to his own -trench. Dimmer, looking back, saw the Germans level their rifles, so -he threw himself down, crying out, "For God's sake get down." -Captain Savage stood erect and was riddled with bullets. Many of the -Northamptons, including Lieutenant Gordon, were shot down by the same -volley. The Germans then attempted an advance, which was stopped by -the machine-guns of the 1st Queen's. Such deplorable actions must -always destroy all the amenities of civilised warfare. - -On the afternoon of the same day, September 17, a more serious attack -was made upon the right flank of the advanced British position, the -enemy reoccupying a line of trenches from which they had previously -been driven. It was a dismal day of wind, rain, and mist, but the -latter was not wholly an evil, as it enabled that hard-worked -regiment, the 1st Northamptons, under their Colonel, Osborne Smith, -to move swiftly forward and, with the help of the 1st Queen's, carry -the place at the bayonet point. Half the Germans in the trench were -put out of action, thirty-eight taken, and the rest fled. Pushing on -after their success, they found the ridge beyond held {182} by a -considerable force of German infantry. The 2nd Rifles had come into -the fight, and a dismounted squadron of the composite cavalry -regiment put in some good work upon the flank. The action was -continued briskly until dark, when both sides retained their ground -with the exception of the captured line of trenches, which remained -with the British. Seven officers and about 200 men were killed or -wounded in this little affair. - -[Sidenote: _Tâtez toujours._] - -The 18th found the enemy still acting upon the Napoleonic advice of -_Tâtez toujours_. All day they were feeling for that weak place -which could never be found. The constant attempts were carried on -into the night with the same monotonous record of advance leading to -repulse. At one time it was the line of the 1st Queen's--and no line -in the Army would be less likely to give results. Then it was the -left flank of the First Division, and then the front of the Second. - -Now and again there were swift counters from the British, in one of -which an enemy's trench was taken by the 1st Gloucesters with the two -machine-guns therein. But there was no inducement for any general -British advance. "We have nothing to lose by staying here," said a -General, "whereas every day is of importance to the Germans, so the -longer we can detain them here the better." So it seemed from the -point of view of the Allies. There is a German point of view also, -however, which is worthy of consideration. They were aware, and -others were not, that great reserves of men were left in the -Fatherland, even as there were in France and in Britain, but that, -unlike France and Britain, they actually had the arms and equipment -for them, so that a second host could rapidly be called into the -field. If these legions were {183} in Belgium, they could ensure the -fall of Antwerp, overrun the country, and seize the seaboard. All -this could be effected while the Allies were held at the Aisne. -Later, with these vast reinforcements, the German armies might burst -the barrier which held them and make a second descent upon Paris, -which was still only fifty miles away. So the Germans may have -argued, and the history of the future was to show that there were -some grounds for such a calculation. It was in truth a second war in -which once again the Germans had the men and material ready, while -the Allies had not. - -[Sidenote: The general position.] - -This date, September 18, may be taken as the conclusion of the actual -Battle of the Aisne, since from that time the operations defined -themselves definitely as a mutual siege and gigantic artillery duel. -The casualties of the British at the Aisne amounted, up to that date, -to 10,000 officers and men, the great majority of which were suffered -by Haig's First Army Corps. The action had lasted from the 13th, and -its outstanding features, so far as our forces were concerned, may be -said to have been the remarkable feat of crossing the river and the -fine leadership of General Haig in the dangerous position in which he -found himself. It has been suggested that the single unbroken bridge -by which he crossed may have been a trap purposely laid by the -Germans, whose plans miscarried owing to the simultaneous forcing of -the river at many other points. As it was, the position of the First -Corps was a very difficult one, and a reverse might have become an -absolute disaster. It was impossible for General French to avoid -this risk, for since the weather precluded all air reconnaissance, it -was only by pushing his Army {184} across that he could be sure of -the enemy's dispositions. The net result was one more demonstration -upon both sides that the defensive force has so great an advantage -under modern conditions that if there be moderate equality of -numbers, and if the flanks of each be guarded, a condition of -stalemate will invariably ensue, until the campaign is decided by -economic causes or by military movements in some other part of the -field of operations. - -There is ample evidence that for the time the German Army, though -able with no great effort to hold the extraordinarily strong position -which had been prepared for it, was actually in very bad condition. -Large new drafts had been brought out, which had not yet been -assimilated by the army. The resistance of Maubeuge had blocked one -of their supply railroads, and for some time the commissariat had -partially broken down. Above all, they were mentally depressed by -meeting such resistance where they had been led to expect an easy -victory, by their forced retreat when almost within sight of Paris, -and by their losses, which had been enormous. In spite of their own -great superiority in heavy guns, the French light field-pieces had -controlled the battlefields. There is ample evidence in the letters -which have been intercepted, apart from the statements and appearance -of the prisoners, to show the want and depression which prevailed. -This period, however, may be said to mark the nadir of the German -fortunes in this year. The fall of Maubeuge improved their supplies -of every sort, their reserves and Landwehr got broken in by the war -of the trenches, and the eventual fall of Antwerp and invasion of -Western Belgium gave them that moral stimulus which they badly needed. - -{185} - -Some wit amongst the officers has described the war as "months of -boredom broken by moments of agony." It is the duty of the -chronicler to record, even if he attempts to alleviate, the former, -for the most monotonous procession of events form integral parts of -the great whole. The perusal of a great number of diaries and -experiences leaves a vague and disconnected recollection behind it of -personal escapes, of the terror of high explosives, of the excellence -of the rear services of the Army, of futile shellings--with an -occasional tragic mishap, where some group of men far from the front -were suddenly, by some freak of fate, blown to destruction,--of the -discomforts of wet trenches, and the joys of an occasional relief in -the villages at the rear. Here and there, however, in the monotony -of what had now become a mutual siege, there stand out some episodes -or developments of a more vital character, which will be recorded in -their sequence. - -It may be conjectured that, up to the period of the definite -entrenchment of the two armies, the losses of the enemy were not -greater than our own. It is in the attack that losses are incurred, -and the attack had, for the most part, been with us. The heavier -guns of the Germans had also been a factor in their favour. From the -18th onwards, however, the weekly losses of the enemy must have been -very much greater than ours, since continually, night and day, they -made onslaughts, which attained some partial and temporary success -upon the 20th, but which on every other occasion were blown back by -the rifle-fire with which they were met. So mechanical and -half-hearted did they at last become that they gave the impression -that those who made them had no hope of {186} success, and that they -were only done at the bidding of some imperious or imperial voice -from the distance. In these attacks, though any one of them may have -only furnished a few hundred casualties, the total effect spread over -several weeks must have equalled that of a very great battle, and -amounted, since no progress was ever made, to a considerable defeat. - -Thus on September 19 there was a succession of attacks, made with -considerable vivacity and proportional loss. About 4 P.M. one -developed in front of the 4th and 6th Brigades of the First Corps, -but was speedily stopped. An hour later another one burst forth upon -the 7th and 9th Brigades of the Second Corps, with the same result. -The artillery fire was very severe all day and the broad valley was -arched from dawn to dusk by the flying shell. The weather was still -detestable, and a good many were reported ill from the effects of -constant wet and cold. - -The 20th was the date of two separate attacks, one of which involved -some hard fighting and considerable loss. The first, at eight in the -morning, was upon Shaw's 9th Brigade and was driven off without great -difficulty. The second was the more serious and demands some fuller -detail. - -[Sidenote: Attack upon the West Yorks.] - -On the arrival of the Sixth Division upon the 18th, Sir John French -had determined to hold them in reserve and to use them to relieve, in -turn, each of the brigades which had been so hard-worked during the -previous week. Of these, there was none which needed and deserved a -rest more than Bulfin's 2nd Brigade, which, after their attack upon -the Chemin-des-dames upon the 14th, had made and held the trenches -which formed both the extreme right and the advanced point of the -British line. For nearly a {187} week these men of iron had lain -where the battle had left them. With the object of relieving them, -the 18th Brigade (Congreve's) of the Sixth Division was ordered to -take their places. The transfer was successfully effected at night, -but the newcomers, who had only arrived two days before from England, -found themselves engaged at once in a very serious action. It may -have been coincidence, or it may have been that with their remarkable -system of espionage the Germans learned that new troops had taken the -place of those whose mettle they had tested so often; but however -this may be, they made a vigorous advance upon the afternoon of -September 20, coming on so rapidly and in such numbers that they -drove out the occupants both of the front British trenches--which -were manned by three companies of the 1st West Yorkshires--and the -adjoining French trench upon the right, which was held by the Turcos. -The West Yorkshires were overwhelmed and enfiladed with machine-guns, -a number were shot down, and others were taken prisoners. - -[Sidenote: Counter-attack by Congreve's 18th Brigade.] - -Fortunately, the rest of the brigade were in immediate support, and -orders were given by General Congreve to advance and to regain the -ground that had been lost. The rush up the hill was carried out by -the 2nd Notts and Derby Regiment (Sherwood Foresters) in the centre, -with the remainder of the West Yorks upon their right, and the 2nd -Durham Light Infantry upon their left. They were supported by the -1st East Yorks and by the 2nd Sussex, who had just been called out of -the line for a rest. The 4th Irish Dragoon Guards at a gallop at -first, and then dismounting with rifle and bayonet, were in the -forefront of the fray. The advance was {188} over half a mile of -ground, most of which was clear of any sort of cover, but it was -magnificently carried out and irresistible in its impetus. All the -regiments lost heavily, but all reached their goal. Officers were -hit again and again, but staggered on with their men. Captain -Popham, of the Sherwood Foresters, is said to have carried six wounds -with him up the slope. Fifteen officers and 250 men were shot down, -but the lost trench was carried at the point of the bayonet and the -whole position re-established. The total casualties were 1364, more -than half of which fell upon the West Yorkshires, while the majority -of the others were Sherwood Foresters, East Yorkshires, and Durhams. -Major Robb, of the latter regiment, was among those who fell. The -Germans did not hold the trenches for an hour, and yet the engagement -may be counted as a success for them, since our losses were certainly -heavier than theirs. There was no gain, however, in ground. The -action was more than a mere local attack, and the British line was in -danger of being broken had it not been for the determined -counter-attack of the 18th Brigade and of the Irish dragoons. To the -north of this main attack there was another subsidiary movement on -the Beaulne ridge, in which the 5th and 6th Brigades were sharply -engaged. The 1st King's, the 2nd H.L.I., and the 2nd Worcesters all -sustained some losses. - -About this period both the British and the French armies began to -strengthen themselves with those heavy guns in which they had been so -completely overweighted by their enemy. On the 20th the French in -the neighbourhood of our lines received twelve long-range cannon, -firing a 35 lb. shell a distance of twelve kilometres. Three days -later the {189} British opened fire with four new batteries of -six-inch howitzers. From this time onwards there was no such great -disparity in the heavy artillery, and the wounded from the monster -shells of the enemy had at least the slight solace that their fate -was not unavenged. The expenditure of shells, however, was still at -the rate of ten German to one of the Allies. If the war was not won -it was no fault of Krupp and the men of Essen. In two weeks the -British lost nearly 3000 men from shell-fire. - -[Sidenote: Rheims Cathedral.] - -It was at this time, September 20, that the Germans put a climax upon -the long series of outrages and vandalisms of which their troops had -been guilty by the bombardment of Rheims Cathedral, the Westminster -Abbey of France. The act seems to have sprung from deliberate -malice, for though it was asserted afterwards that the tower had been -used as an artillery observation point, this is in the highest degree -improbable, since the summit of the ridge upon the French side is -available for such a purpose. The cathedral was occupied at the time -by a number of German wounded, who were the sufferers by the -barbarity of their fellow-countrymen. The incident will always -remain as a permanent record of the value of that Kultur over which -we have heard such frantic boasts. The records of the French, -Belgian, and British Commissions upon the German atrocities, -reinforced by the recollection of the burned University of Louvain -and the shattered Cathedral of Rheims, will leave a stain upon the -German armies which can never be erased. Their conduct is the more -remarkable, since the invasion of 1870 was conducted with a stern but -rigid discipline, which won the acknowledgment of the world. In -{190} spite of all the material progress and the superficial show of -refinement, little more than a generation seems to have separated -civilisation from primitive barbarity, which attained such a pitch -that no arrangement could be made by which the wounded between the -lines could be brought in. Such was the code of a nominally -Christian nation in the year 1914. - -Up to now the heavier end of the fighting had been borne by Haig's -First Corps, but from the 20th onwards the Second and Third sustained -the impact. The action just described, in which the West Yorkshires -suffered so severely, was fought mainly by the 18th Brigade of -Pulteney's Third Corps. On the 21st it was the turn of the Second -Corps. During the night the 1st Wiltshire battalion of McCracken's -7th Brigade was attacked, and making a strong counter-attack in the -morning they cleared a wood with the bayonet, and advanced the -British line at that point. A subsequent attack upon the same -brigade was repulsed. How heavy the losses had been in the wear and -tear of six days' continual trench work is shown by the fact that -when on this date the 9th Brigade (Shaw's) was taken back for a rest -it had lost 30 officers and 860 men since crossing the Aisne. - -The German heavy guns upon the 21st set fire to the village of Missy, -but failed to dislodge the 1st East Surreys who held it. This -battalion, in common with the rest of Ferguson's Division, were -dominated night and day by a plunging fire from above. It is worth -recording that in spite of the strain, the hardship, and the wet -trenches, the percentage of serious sickness among the troops was -lower than the normal rate of a garrison town. A few cases of {191} -enteric appeared about this time, of which six were in one company of -the Coldstream Guards. It is instructive to note that in each case -the man belonged to the uninoculated minority. - -[Sidenote: Spies.] - -A plague of spies infested the British and French lines at this -period, and their elaborate telephone installations, leading from -haystacks or from cellars, showed the foresight of the enemy. Some -of these were German officers, who bravely took their lives in their -hands from the patriotic motive of helping their country. Others, -alas, were residents who had sold their souls for German gold. One -such--a farmer--was found with a telephone within his house and no -less a sum than a thousand pounds in specie. Many a battery -concealed in a hollow, and many a convoy in a hidden road, were -amazed by the accuracy of a fire which was really directed, not from -the distant guns, but from some wayside hiding-place. Fifteen of -these men were shot and the trouble abated. - -The attacks upon the British trenches, which had died down for -several days, were renewed with considerable vigour upon September -26. The first, directed against the 1st Queen's, was carried out by -a force of about 1000 men, who advanced in close order, and, coming -under machine-gun fire, were rapidly broken up. The second was made -by a German battalion debouching from the woods in front of the 1st -South Wales Borderers. This attack penetrated the line at one point, -the left company of the regiment suffering severely, with all its -officers down. The reserve company, with the help of the 2nd Welsh -Regiment, retook the trenches after a hot fight, which ended by the -wood being cleared. {192} The Germans lost heavily in this struggle, -80 of them being picked up on the very edge of the trench. The -Borderers also had numerous casualties, which totalled up to 7 -officers and 182 men, half of whom were actually killed. - -The Army was now in a very strong position, for the trenches were so -well constructed that unless a shell by some miracle went right in, -no harm would result. The weather had become fine once more, and the -flying service relieved the anxieties of the commanders as to a -massed attack. The heavy artillery of the Allies was also improving -from day to day, especially the heavy British howitzers, aided by -aeroplane observers with a wireless installation. On the other hand, -the guns were frequently hit by the enemy's fire. The 22nd R.F.A. -lost a gun, the 50th three guns, and other batteries had similar -losses. Concealment had not yet been reduced to a science. - -At this period the enemy seems to have realised that his attacks, -whether against the British line or against the French armies which -flanked it, and had fought throughout with equal tenacity, were a -mere waste of life. The assaults died away or became mere -demonstrations. Early in October the total losses of the Army upon -the Aisne had been 561 officers and 12,980 men, a proportion which -speaks well for the coolness and accuracy of the enemy's -sharp-shooters, while it exhibits our own forgetfulness of the -lessons of the African War, where we learned that the officer should -be clad and armed so like the men as to be indistinguishable even at -short ranges. Of this large total the Second Corps lost 136 officers -and 3095 men, and the First Corps 348 officers and {193} 6073 men, -the remaining 77 officers and 3812 men being from the Third Corps and -the cavalry. - -[Sidenote: The siege and fall of Antwerp.] - -It was at this period that a great change came over both the object -and the locality of the operations. This change depended upon two -events which had occurred far to the north, and reacted upon the -great armies locked in the long grapple of the Aisne. The first of -these controlling circumstances was that, by the movement of the old -troops and the addition of new ones, each army had sought to turn the -flank of the other in the north, until the whole centre of gravity of -the war was transferred to that region. A new French army under -General Castelnau, whose fine defence of Nancy had put him in the -front of French leaders, had appeared on the extreme left wing of the -Allies, only to be countered by fresh bodies of Germans, until the -ever-extending line lengthened out to the manufacturing districts of -Lens and Lille, where amid pit-shafts and slag-heaps the cavalry of -the French and the Germans tried desperately to get round each -other's flank. The other factor was the fall of Antwerp, which had -released very large bodies of Germans, who were flooding over Western -Belgium, and, with the help of great new levies from Germany, -carrying the war to the sand-dunes of the coast. The operations -which brought about this great change open up a new chapter in the -history of the war. The actual events which culminated in the fall -of Antwerp may be very briefly handled, since, important as they -were, they were not primarily part of the British task, and hence -hardly come within the scope of this narrative. - -The Belgians, after the evacuation of Brussels in August, had -withdrawn their army into the widespread {194} fortress of Antwerp, -from which they made frequent sallies upon the Germans who were -garrisoning their country. Great activity was shown and several -small successes were gained, which had the useful effect of detaining -two corps which might have been employed upon the Aisne. Eventually, -towards the end of September, the Germans turned their attention -seriously to the reduction of the city, with a well-founded -confidence that no modern forts could resist the impact of their -enormous artillery. They drove the garrison within the lines, and -early in October opened a bombardment upon the outer forts with such -results that it was evidently only a matter of days before they would -fall and the fine old city be faced with the alternative of surrender -or destruction. The Spanish fury of Parma's pikemen would be a small -thing compared to the _furor Teutonicus_ working its evil deliberate -will upon town-hall or cathedral, with the aid of fire-disc, -petrol-spray, or other products of culture. The main problem before -the Allies, if the town could not be saved, was to ensure that the -Belgian army should be extricated and that nothing of military value -which could be destroyed should be left to the invaders. No troops -were available for a rescue, for the French and British old -formations were already engaged, while the new ones were not yet -ready for action. In these circumstances, a resolution was come to -by the British leaders which was bold to the verge of rashness and so -chivalrous as to be almost quixotic. It was determined to send out -at the shortest notice a naval division, one brigade of which -consisted of marines, troops who are second to none in the country's -service, while the other two brigades were young {195} amateur sailor -volunteers, most of whom had only been under arms for a few weeks. -It was an extraordinary experiment, as testing how far the average -sport-loving, healthy-minded young Briton needs only his equipment to -turn him into a soldier who, in spite of all rawness and -inefficiency, can still affect the course of a campaign. This -strange force, one-third veterans and two-thirds practically -civilians, was hurried across to do what it could for the failing -town, and to demonstrate to Belgium how real was the sympathy which -prompted us to send all that we had. A reinforcement of a very -different quality was dispatched a few days later in the shape of the -Seventh Division of the Regular Army, with the Third Division of -Cavalry. These fine troops were too late, however, to save the city, -and soon found themselves in a position where it needed all their -hardihood to save themselves. - -The Marine Brigade of the Naval Division under General Paris was -dispatched from England in the early morning and reached Antwerp -during the night of October 3. They were about 2000 in number. -Early next morning they were out in the trenches, relieving some -weary Belgians. The Germans were already within the outer enceinte -and drawing close to the inner. For forty-eight hours they held the -line in the face of heavy shelling. The cover was good and the -losses were not heavy. At the end of that time the Belgian troops, -who had been a good deal worn by their heroic exertions, were unable -to sustain the German pressure, and evacuated the trenches on the -flank of the British line. The brigade then fell back to a reserve -position in front of the town. - -{196} - -On the night of the 5th the two other brigades of the division, -numbering some 5000 amateur sailors, arrived in Antwerp, and the -whole force assembled on the new line of defence. Mr. Winston -Churchill showed his gallantry as a man, and his indiscretion as a -high official, whose life was of great value to his country by -accompanying the force from England. The bombardment was now very -heavy, and the town was on fire in several places. The equipment of -the British left much to be desired, and their trenches were as -indifferent as their training. None the less they played the man and -lived up to the traditions of that great service upon whose threshold -they stood. For three days these men, who a few weeks before had -been anything from schoolmasters to tram-conductors, held their -perilous post. They were very raw, but they possessed a great asset -in their officers, who were usually men of long service. But neither -the lads of the naval brigades nor the war-worn and much-enduring -Belgians could stop the mouths of those inexorable guns. On the 8th -it was clear that the forts could no longer be held. The British -task had been to maintain the trenches which connected the forts with -each other, but if the forts went it was clear that the trenches must -be outflanked and untenable. The situation, therefore, was hopeless, -and all that remained was to save the garrison and leave as little as -possible for the victors. Some thirty or forty German merchant ships -in the harbour were sunk and the great petrol tanks were set on fire. -By the light of the flames the Belgian and British forces made their -way successfully out of the town, and the good service rendered later -by our Allies upon the Yser and elsewhere is the best justification -of the {197} policy which made us strain every nerve in order to do -everything which could have a moral or material effect upon them in -their darkest hour. Had the British been able to get away unscathed, -the whole operation might have been reviewed with equanimity if not -with satisfaction, but, unhappily, a grave misfortune, arising rather -from bad luck than from the opposition of the enemy, came upon the -retreating brigades, so that very many of our young sailors after -their one week of crowded life came to the end of their active -service for the war. - -On leaving Antwerp it had been necessary to strike to the north in -order to avoid a large detachment of the enemy who were said to be -upon the line of the retreat. The boundary between Holland and -Belgium is at this point very intricate, with no clear line of -demarcation, and a long column of British somnambulists, staggering -along in the dark after so many days in which they had for the most -part never enjoyed two consecutive hours of sleep, wandered over the -fatal line and found themselves in firm but kindly Dutch custody for -the rest of the war. Some fell into the hands of the enemy, but the -great majority were interned. These men belonged chiefly to three -battalions of the 1st Brigade. The 2nd Brigade, with one battalion -of the 1st, and the greater part of the Marines, made their way to -the trains at St. Gilles-Waes, and were able to reach Ostend in -safety. The remaining battalion of Marines, with a number of -stragglers of the other brigades, were cut off at Morbede by the -Germans, and about half of them were taken, while the rest fought -their way through in the darkness and joined their comrades. The -total losses of the British in the whole {198} misadventure from -first to last were about 2500 men--a high price, and yet not too high -when weighed against the results of their presence at Antwerp. On -October 10 the Germans under General Von Beseler occupied the city. -Mr. Powell, who was present, testifies that 60,000 marched into the -town, and that they were all troops of the active army. - -It has already been described how the northern ends of the two -contending armies were endeavouring to outflank each other, and there -seemed every possibility that this process would be carried out until -each arrived at the coast. Early in October Sir John French -represented to General Joffre that it would be well that the British -Army should be withdrawn from the Aisne and take its position to the -left of the French forces, a move which would shorten its line of -communications very materially, and at the same time give it the task -of defending the Channel coast. General Joffre agreed to the -proposition, and the necessary steps were at once taken to put it -into force. The Belgians had in the meanwhile made their way behind -the line of the Yser, where a formidable position had been prepared. -There, with hardly a day of rest, they were ready to renew the -struggle with the ferocious ravagers of their country. The Belgian -Government had been moved to France, and their splendid King, who -will live in history as the most heroic and chivalrous figure of the -war, continued by his brave words and noble example to animate the -spirits of his countrymen. - -From this time Germany was in temporary occupation of all Belgium, -save only the one little corner, the defence of which will be -recorded for ever. Little did she profit by her crime or by the -excuses and {199} forged documents by which she attempted to justify -her action. She entered the land in dishonour and dishonoured will -quit it. William, Germany, and Belgium are an association of words -which will raise in the minds of posterity all that Parma, Spain, and -the Lowlands have meant to us--an episode of oppression, cruelty, and -rapacity, which fresh generations may atone for but can never efface. - - - - -{200} - -CHAPTER VII - -THE LA BASSÉE--ARMENTIÈRES OPERATIONS - -(From October 11 to October 31, 1914) - -The great battle line--Advance of Second Corps--Death of General -Hamilton--The farthest point--Fate of the 2nd Royal Irish--The Third -Corps--Exhausted troops--First fight of Neuve Chapelle--The Indians -take over--The Lancers at Warneton--Pulteney's operations--Action of -Le Gheir. - - -In accordance with the new plans, the great transference began upon -October 3. It was an exceedingly difficult problem, since an army of -more than 100,000 men had to be gradually extricated by night from -trenches which were often not more than a hundred yards from the -enemy, while a second army of equal numbers had to be substituted in -its place. The line of retreat was down an open slope, across -exposed bridges, and up the slope upon the southern bank. Any alarm -to the Germans might have been fatal, since a vigorous night attack -in the middle of the operation would have been difficult to resist, -and even an artillery bombardment must have caused great loss of -life. The work of the Staff in this campaign has been worthy of the -regimental officers and of the men. Everything went without a hitch. -The Second Cavalry Division (Gough's) went first, followed {201} -immediately by the First (De Lisle's). Then the infantry was -withdrawn, the Second Corps being the vanguard; the Third Corps -followed, and the First was the last to leave. The Second Corps -began to clear from its trenches on October 3-4, and were ready for -action on the Aire-Bethune line upon October 11. The Third Corps was -very little behind it, and the First had reached the new -battle-ground upon the 19th. Cavalry went by road; infantry marched -part of the way, trained part of the way, and did the last lap very -often in motor-buses. One way or another the men were got across, -the Aisne trenches were left for ever, and a new phase of the war had -begun. From the chalky uplands and the wooded slopes there was a -sudden change to immense plains of clay, with slow, meandering, -ditch-like streams, and all the hideous features of a great -coal-field added to the drab monotony of Nature. No scenes could be -more different, but the same great issue of history and the same old -problem of trench and rifle were finding their slow solution upon -each. The stalemate of the Aisne was for the moment set aside, and -once again we had reverted to the old position where the ardent -Germans declared, "This way we shall come," and the Allies, "Not a -mile, save over our bodies." - -[Sidenote: The great battle line.] - -The narrator is here faced with a considerable difficulty in his -attempt to adhere closely to truth and yet to make his narrative -intelligible to the lay reader. We stand upon the edge of a great -battle. If all the operations which centred at Ypres, but which -extend to the Yser Canal upon the north and to La Bassée at the -south, be grouped into one episode, it becomes the greatest clash of -arms ever seen up {202} to that hour upon the globe, involving a -casualty list--Belgian, French, British, and German--which could by -no means be computed as under 250,000, and probably over 300,000 men. -It was fought, however, over an irregular line, which is roughly -forty miles from north to south, while it lasted, in its active form, -from October 12 to November 20 before it settled down to the -inevitable siege stage. Thus both in time and in space it presents -difficulties which make a concentrated, connected, and intelligible -narrative no easy task. In order to attempt this, it is necessary -first to give a general idea of what the British Army, in conjunction -with its Allies, was endeavouring to do, and, secondly, to show how -the operations affected each corps in its turn. - -During the operations of the Aisne the French had extended the Allied -line far to the north in the hope of outflanking the Germans. The -new Tenth French Army, under General Foch, formed the extreme left of -this vast manoeuvre, and it was supported on its left by the French -cavalry. The German right had lengthened out, however, to meet every -fresh extension of the French, and their cavalry had been -sufficiently numerous and alert to prevent the French cavalry from -getting round. Numerous skirmishes had ended in no definite result. -It was at this period that it occurred, as already stated, to Sir -John French that to bring the whole British Army round to the north -of the line would both shorten very materially his communications and -would prolong the line to an extent which might enable him to turn -the German flank and make their whole position impossible. General -Joffre having endorsed these views, Sir John took the steps which we -have already seen. {203} The British movement was, therefore, at the -outset an aggressive one. How it became defensive as new factors -intruded themselves, and as a result of the fall of Antwerp, will be -shown at a later stage of this account. - -As the Second Corps arrived first upon the scene it will be proper to -begin with some account of its doings from October 12, when it went -into action, until the end of the month, when it found itself brought -to a standstill by superior forces and placed upon the defensive. -The doings of the Third Corps during the same period will be -interwoven with those of the Second, since they were in close -co-operation; and, finally, the fortunes of the First Corps will be -followed and the relation shown between its doings and those of the -newly arrived Seventh Division, which had fallen back from the -vicinity of Antwerp and turned at bay near Ypres upon the pursuing -Germans. Coming from different directions, all these various bodies -were destined to be formed into one line, cemented together by their -own dismounted cavalry and by French reinforcements, so as to lay an -unbroken breakwater before the great German flood. - -The task of the Second Corps was to get into touch with the left -flank of the Tenth French Army in the vicinity of La Bassée, and then -to wheel round its own left so as to turn the position of those -Germans who were facing our Allies. The line of the Bethune-Lille -road was to be the hinge, connecting the two armies and marking the -turning-point for the British. On the 11th Gough's Second Cavalry -Division was clearing the woods in front of the Aire-Bethune Canal, -which marked the line of the Second Corps. By {204} evening Gough -had connected up the Third Division of the Second Corps with the -Sixth Division of the Third Corps, which was already at Hazebrouck. -On the 12th the Third Division crossed the canal, followed by the -Fifth Division, with the exception of the 13th Brigade, which -remained to the south of it. Both divisions advanced more or less -north before swinging round to almost due east in their outflanking -movement. The rough diagram gives an idea of the point from which -they started and the positions reached at various dates before they -came to an equilibrium. There were many weary stages, however, -between the outset and the fulfilment, and the final results were -destined to be barren as compared with the exertions and the losses -involved. None the less it was, as it proved, an essential part of -that great operation by which the British--with the help of their -good allies--checked the German advance upon Calais in October and -November, even as they had helped to head them off from Paris in -August and September. During these four months the little British -Army, far from being negligible, as some critics had foretold would -be the case in a Continental war, was absolutely vital in holding the -Allied line and taking the edge off the hacking German sword. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{205} - -[Illustration: Diagram to illustrate operations of Smith-Dorrien's -2nd. Corps & Pulteney's 3rd Corps from Oct. 11 to Oct 19, 1914.] - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -The Third Corps, which had detrained at St. Omer and moved to -Hazebrouck, was intended to move in touch with the Second, prolonging -its line to the north. The First and Second British Cavalry -Divisions, now under the command of De Lisle and of Gough, with -Allenby as chief, had a role of their own to play, and the space -between the Second and Third Corps was now filled up by a French -Cavalry Division under Conneau, a whole-hearted soldier always ready -{206} to respond to any call. There was no strong opposition yet in -front of the Third Corps, but General Pulteney moved rapidly -forwards, brushed aside all resistance, and seized the town of -Bailleul. A German position in front of the town, held by cavalry -and infantry without guns, was rushed by a rapid advance of Haldane's -10th Infantry Brigade, the 2nd Seaforths particularly distinguishing -themselves, though the 1st Warwicks and 1st Irish Fusiliers had also -a good many losses, the Irishmen clearing the trenches to the cry of -"Faugh-a-Ballagh!" which has sounded so often upon battlefields of -old. The 10th Brigade was on the left of the corps, and in touch -with the Second Cavalry Division to the north. The whole action, -with its swift advance and moderate losses, was a fine vindication of -British infantry tactics. On the evening of October 15 the Third -Corps had crossed the Lys, and on the 18th they extended from -Warneton in the north to almost within touch of the position of the -Second Corps at Aubers upon the same date. - -[Sidenote: Advance of Second Corps.] - -The country to the south in which the Second Corps was advancing upon -October 12 was an extraordinarily difficult one, which offered many -advantages to the defence over the attack. It was so flat that it -was impossible to find places for artillery observation, and it was -intersected with canals, high hedgerows, and dykes, which formed -ready-made trenches. The Germans were at first not in strength, and -consisted for the most part of dismounted cavalry drawn from four -divisions, but from this time onwards there was a constant fresh -accession of infantry and guns. They disputed with great skill and -energy every position which could be defended, and the {207} British -advance during the day, though steady, was necessarily slow. Every -hamlet, hedgerow, and stream meant a separate skirmish. The troops -continually closed ranks, advanced, extended, and attacked from -morning to night, sleeping where they had last fought. There was -nothing that could be called a serious engagement, and yet the -losses--almost entirely from the Third Division--amounted to 300 for -the day, the heaviest sufferers being the 2nd Royal Scots. - -On the next day, the 13th, the corps swung round its left so as to -develop the turning movement already described. Its front of advance -was about eight miles, and it met resistance which made all progress -difficult. Again the 8th Brigade, especially the Royal Scots and 4th -Middlesex, lost heavily. So desperate was the fighting that the -Royal Scots had 400 casualties including 9 officers, and the -Middlesex fared little better. The principal fighting, however, fell -late in the evening upon the 15th Brigade (Gleichen's), who were on -the right of the line and in touch with the Bethune Canal. The -enemy, whose line of resistance had been considerably thickened by -the addition of several battalions of Jaeger and part of the -Fourteenth Corps, made a spirited counter-attack on this portion of -the advance. The 1st Bedfords were roughly handled and driven back, -with the result that the 1st Dorsets, who were stationed at a bridge -over the canal near Givenchy, found their flanks exposed and -sustained heavy losses, amounting to 400 men, including Major Roper. -Colonel Bols, of the same regiment, enjoyed one crowded hour of -glorious life, for he was wounded, captured, and escaped all on the -same evening. It was in this {208} action also that Major Vandeleur -was wounded and captured.[1] A section of guns which was involved in -the same dilemma as the Dorsets had to be abandoned after every -gunner had fallen. The 15th Brigade was compelled to fall back for -half a mile and entrench itself for the night. On the left the 7th -Brigade (McCracken's) had some eighty casualties in crossing the Lys, -and a detachment of Northumberland Fusiliers, who covered their left -flank, came under machine-gun fire, which struck down their adjutant, -Captain Herbert, and a number of men. Altogether the losses on this -day amounted to about twelve hundred men. - - -[1] Major Vandeleur was the officer who afterwards escaped from -Crefeld and brought back with him a shocking account of the German -treatment of our prisoners. Though a wounded man, the Major was -kicked by the direct command of one German officer, and his overcoat -was taken from him in bitter weather by another. - - -[Sidenote: Death of General Hamilton.] - -On the 14th the Second Corps continued its slow advance in the same -direction. Upon this day the Third Division sustained a grievous -loss in the shape of its commander, General Sir Hubert Hamilton, who -was standing conversing with the quiet nonchalance which was -characteristic of him, when a shell burst above him and a shrapnel -bullet struck him on the temple, killing him at once. He was a grand -commander, beloved by his men, and destined for the highest had he -lived. He was buried that night after dark in a village churchyard. -There was an artillery attack by the Germans during the service, and -the group of silent officers, weary from the fighting line, who stood -with bowed heads round the grave, could hardly hear the words of the -chaplain for the whiz and crash of the shells. It was a proper -ending for a soldier. - -{209} - -His division was temporarily taken over by General Colin Mackenzie. -On this date the 13th Brigade, on the south of the canal, was -relieved by French troops, so that henceforward all the British were -to the north. For the three preceding days this brigade had done -heavy work, the pressure of the enemy falling particularly upon the -2nd Scottish Borderers, who lost Major Allen and a number of other -officers and men. - -The 15th was a day of spirited advance, the Third Division offering -sacrifice in the old warrior fashion to the shade of its dead leader. -Guns were brought up into the infantry line and the enemy was smashed -out of entrenched positions and loopholed villages in spite of a most -manful resistance. The soldiers carried long planks with them and -threw them over the dykes on their advance. Mile after mile the -Germans were pushed back, until they were driven off the high road -which connects Estaires with La Bassée. The 1st Northumberland and -4th Royal Fusiliers of the 9th Brigade, and the 2nd Royal Scots and -4th Middlesex of the 8th, particularly distinguished themselves in -this day of hard fighting. By the night of the 15th the corps had -lost 90 officers and 2500 men in the four days, the disproportionate -number of officers being due to the broken nature of the fighting, -which necessitated the constant leading of small detachments. The -German resistance continued to be admirable. - -On the 16th the slow wheeling movement of the Second Corps went -steadily though slowly forward, meeting always the same stubborn -resistance. The British were losing heavily by the incessant -fighting, but so were the Germans, and it was becoming a {210} -question which could stand punishment longest. In the evening the -Third Division was brought to a stand by the village of Aubers, which -was found to be strongly held. The Fifth Division was instructed to -mark time upon the right, so as to form the pivot upon which all the -rest of the corps could swing round in their advance on La Bassée. -At this date the Third Corps was no great distance to the north, and -the First Corps was detraining from the Aisne. As the Seventh -Division with Byng's Third Cavalry Division were reported to be in -touch with the other forces in the north, the concentration of the -British Army was approaching a successful issue. The weather up to -now during all the operations which have been described was wet and -misty, limiting the use of artillery and entirely preventing that of -aircraft. - -[Sidenote: The farthest point.] - -On the 17th the advance was resumed and was destined to reach the -extreme point which it attained for many a long laborious month. -This was the village of Herlies, north-east of La Bassée, which was -attacked in the evening by Shaw's 9th Brigade, and was carried in the -dusk at the point of the bayonet by the 1st Lincolns and the 4th -Royal Fusiliers. About the same time the Scots Fusiliers and -Northumberlands had stormed Aubers. The 7th Brigade was less -fortunate at the adjoining village of Illies, where they failed to -make a lodgment, but the French cavalry on the extreme left, with the -help of the 2nd Royal Irish, captured Fromelles. The Fifth Division -also came forward a little, the right flank still on the canal, but -the left bending round so as to get to the north of La Bassée. The -1st Devons, who had taken the place of the Dorsets, {211} pushed -forward with such fire that they were half a mile ahead of the Army -and in great danger of being cut off, but by individual coolness and -resource they managed to get back to safety. - -On the 18th, Sir Charles Ferguson, who had done good work with the -Army from the first gunshot of the war, was promoted to a higher rank -and the command of the Fifth Division passed over to General Morland. -Thus both divisions of the Second Corps changed their commanders -within a week. On this date the infantry of the 14th Brigade, with -some of the 13th Brigade, were within eight hundred yards of La -Bassée, but found it so strongly held that it could not be entered, -the Scottish Borderers losing heavily in a very gallant advance. The -village of Illies also remained impregnable, being strongly -entrenched and loopholed. Shaw's 9th Brigade took some of the -trenches, but found their left flank exposed, so had to withdraw -nearly half a mile and to entrench. In this little action the 1st -Royal Scots Fusiliers bore the brunt of the fighting and the losses. -Eight officers and nearly 200 men of this regiment were killed or -wounded. A fresh German division came into action this day and their -artillery was stronger, so that the prospects of future advance were -not particularly encouraging. The British artillery was worked very -hard, being overmatched and yet undefeatable. The strain both upon -the men and the officers was constant, and the observation officers -showed great daring and tenacity. - -[Sidenote: Fate of the 2nd Royal Irish.] - -On the 19th neither the Third nor the Fifth Divisions made any -appreciable progress, but one battalion was heavily engaged and added -a fresh record to its ancient roll of valour. This was the {212} 2nd -Royal Irish under Major Daniell, who attacked the village of Le Pilly -rather forward from the British left in co-operation with the French -cavalry. The Irish infantry charged over eight hundred yards of -clear ground, carried the village by storm, and entrenched themselves -within it. This advance and charge, which was carried out with the -precision of an Aldershot field day, although 130 men fell during the -movement, is said by experienced spectators to have been a great feat -of arms. The 20th saw a strong counter-attack of the Germans, and by -the evening their two flanks had lapped round Le Pilly, pushing off -on the one side the French cavalry of Conneau, and on the other a too -small detachment of the Royal Fusiliers who were flanking the -Irishmen. All day the defenders of Le Pilly were subjected to a -terrific shell-fire, and all attempts to get messages to them were -unavailing. In the evening they were surrounded, and only two or -three men of the battalion were ever seen again. The gallant Daniell -fell, and it is on record that his last audible words were a command -to fix bayonets and fight to the end, the cartridges of the battalion -being at that time exhausted. A German officer engaged in this -attack and subsequently taken prisoner has deposed that three German -battalions attacked the Royal Irish, one in front and one on each -flank, after they had been heavily bombarded in enfilade. Several -hundred Irish dead and wounded were taken out of the main trench. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{213} - -[Illustration: Southern End of British Line] - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -There was now ample evidence that the Germans had received large -reinforcements, and that their line was too strong to be forced. The -whole object and character of the operations assumed, therefore, a -{214} new aspect. The Second and Third Corps had swung round, -describing an angle of ninety degrees, with its pivot upon the right -at the La Bassée Canal, and by this movement it had succeeded in -placing itself upon the flank of the German force which faced the -Tenth French Army. But there was now no longer any flank, for the -German reinforcements had enabled them to prolong their line and so -to turn the action into a frontal attack by the British. Such an -attack in modern warfare can only hope for success when carried out -by greatly superior numbers, whereas the Germans were now stronger -than their assailants, having been joined by one division of the -Seventh Corps, a brigade of the Third Corps, and the whole of the -Fourteenth Corps, part of which had already been engaged. - -[Sidenote: The Third Corps.] - -The increased pressure was being felt by the Third Corps on the Lys, -as well as by the Second to the south of them; indeed, as only a few -miles intervened between the two, they may be regarded as one for -these operations. We have seen that, having taken the town of -Bailleul, Pulteney's Corps had established itself across the Lys, and -occupied a line from Warneton to Radinghem upon October 18. The -latter village had been taken on that day by the 16th Brigade in an -action in which the 1st Buffs and 2nd York and Lancasters lost -heavily, the latter being ambushed as it pursued the enemy and losing -11 officers and 400 men. Colonel Cobbold fell back upon the village -and held it successfully. Pulteney was now strongly attacked, and -there was a movement of the Germans on October 20 as if to turn his -right and slip in between the two British corps. The action was -carried on into the 21st, the enemy still {215} showing considerable -energy and strength. The chief German advance during the day was -north of La Bassée. It came upon the village of Lorgies, which was -the point where the South Lancashires, of McCracken's 7th Brigade, -forming the extreme right of the Third Division, were in touch with -the East Surreys and Duke of Cornwall's of the 14th Brigade, forming -the extreme left of the Fifth Division. It is necessary to join -one's flats carefully in the presence of the Germans, for they are -sharp critics of such matters. In this instance a sudden attack near -Illies drove in a portion of the 2nd South Lancashires. This attack -also destroyed the greater part of a company of the 1st Cornwalls in -support. An ugly gap was left in the line, but the remainder of the -Cornwalls, with the help of a company of the 1st West Kents and the -ever-constant artillery, filled it up during the rest of the day, and -the 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry took it over the same night, the -Cornishmen retiring with heavy losses but a great deal of -compensating glory. The temporary gap in the line exposed the right -flank of the 3rd Worcesters, who were next to the South Lancashires. -They lost heavily in killed and wounded, their colonel, Stuart, being -among the latter, though his injury did not prevent him from -remaining in the battle line. Apart from this action at Lorgies, the -19th Brigade (Gordon's), upon the flank of Pulteney's Corps, -sustained a very heavy attack, being driven back for some distance. -It had been ordered to occupy Fromelles, and so close the gap which -existed at that time between the left of the Second and the right of -the Third Corps, situated respectively at Aubers and Radinghem. The -chief fighting occurred {216} at the village of Le Maisnil, close to -Fromelles. This village was occupied by the 2nd Argylls and half the -1st Middlesex, but they were driven out by a severe shell-fire -followed by an infantry advance. The brigade fell back in good -order, the regiments engaged having lost about 300 men. They took up -a position on the right of the 16th Infantry Brigade at La -Boutillerie, and there they remained until November 17, one severe -attack falling upon them on October 29, which is described under that -date. - -On the morning of October 22 the Germans, still very numerous and -full of fight, made a determined attack upon the Fifth Division, -occupying the village of Violaines, close to La Bassée. The village -was held by the 1st Cheshires, who, for the second time in this -campaign, found themselves in a terribly difficult position. It is -typical of the insolent high spirits of the men, in spite of all that -they had endured, that upon the Germans charging forward with a -war-cry which resembled, "Yip, Yip, Yip!" the British infantry joined -in with "I-addy-ti-ay!" the whole forming the chorus of a once -popular Gaiety song. The Cheshires inflicted heavy losses upon the -stormers with rifle-fire, but were at last driven out, involving in -their retirement the 1st Dorsets, who had left their own trenches in -order to help them. Both regiments, but especially the Cheshires, -had grievous losses, in casualties and prisoners. On advancing in -pursuit the Germans were strongly counter-attacked by the 2nd -Manchesters and the 1st Cornwalls, supported by the 3rd Worcesters, -who, by their steady fire, brought them to a standstill, but were -unable to recover the ground that had been lost, though the -Cornwalls, who had {217} been fighting with hardly a pause for -forty-eight hours, succeeded in capturing one of their machine-guns. -In the night the British withdrew their line in accordance with the -general rearrangement to be described. Some rearguard stragglers at -break of day had the amusing experience of seeing the Germans making -a valiant and very noisy attack upon the abandoned and empty trenches. - -On this date, October 22, not only had Smith-Dorrien experienced this -hold-up upon his right flank, but his left flank had become more -vulnerable, because the French had been heavily attacked at -Fromelles, and had been driven out of that village. An equilibrium -had been established between attack and defence, and the position of -the Aisne was beginning to appear once again upon the edge of -Flanders. General Smith-Dorrien, feeling that any substantial -advance was no longer to be hoped for under the existing conditions, -marked down and occupied a strong defensive position, from Givenchy -on the south to Fauquissart on the north. This involved a retirement -of the whole corps during the night for a distance of from one to two -miles, but it gave a connected position with a clear field of fire. -At the same time the general situation was greatly strengthened by -the arrival at the front of the Lahore Division of the Indian Army -under General Watkis. These fine troops were placed in reserve -behind the Second Corps in the neighbourhood of Locon. - -[Sidenote: Exhausted troops.] - -It is well to remember at this point what Smith-Dorrien's troops had -already endured during the two months that the campaign had lasted. -Taking the strength of the corps at 37,000 men, they had lost, -roughly, 10,000 men in August, 10,000 in {218} September, and 5000 up -to date in these actions of October. It is certain that far less -than 50 per cent of the original officers and men were still with the -Colours, and drafts can never fully restore the unity and spirit of a -homogeneous regiment, where every man knows his company leaders and -his platoon. In addition to this they had now fought night and day -for nearly a fortnight, with broken and insufficient sleep, laying -down their rifles to pick up their spades, and then once again -exchanging spade for rifle, while soaked to the skin with incessant -fogs and rain, and exposed to that most harassing form of fighting, -where every clump and hedgerow covers an enemy. They were so -exhausted that they could hardly be woken up to fight. To say that -they were now nearing the end of their strength and badly in need of -a rest is but to say that they were mortal men and had reached the -physical limits that mortality must impose. - -The French cavalry divisions acting as links between Pulteney and -Smith-Dorrien were now relieved by the 8th (Jullundur) Indian -Infantry Brigade, containing the 1st Manchesters, 59th (Scinde) -Rifles, 15th and 47th Sikhs. It may be remarked that each Indian -brigade is made up of three Indian and one British battalion. This -change was effected upon October 24, a date which was marked by no -particular military event save that the Third Division lost for a -time the services of General Beauchamp Doran, who returned to -England. General Doran had done great service in leading what was -perhaps the most hard-worked brigade in a hard-worked division. -General Bowes took over the command of the 8th Infantry Brigade. - -{219} - -On the night of October 24 determined attacks were made upon the -trenches of the Second Corps at the Bois de Biez, near Neuve -Chapelle, but were beaten off with heavy loss to the enemy, who had -massed together twelve battalions in order to rush a particular part -of the position. The main attack fell upon the 1st Wiltshires and -the 2nd Royal Irish Rifles, belonging to McCracken's 7th Brigade, and -also upon the 15th Sikhs, who seem to have been the first Indians to -be seriously engaged, having nearly two hundred casualties. The 8th -Brigade were also involved in the fight. The Germans had some -temporary success in the centre of the trenches of the Third -Division, where, in the darkness, they pushed back the 1st Gordon -Highlanders, who lost very heavily. As the Highlanders fell back, -the 2nd Royal Scots, upon their right, swung back its flank -companies, covered the retirement, and then, straightening their -ranks again, flung the Germans, at the point of their bayonets, out -of the trenches. It was one of several remarkable feats which this -fine battalion has performed in the war. Next morning the captured -trenches were handed over to the care of the 4th Middlesex. - -[Sidenote: First fight of Neuve Chapelle.] - -The pressure upon the exhausted troops was extreme upon this day, for -a very severe attack was made also upon the Fifth Division, holding -the right of the line. The soldiers, as already shown, were in no -condition for great exertions, and yet, after their wont, they rose -grandly to the occasion. The important village of Givenchy, destined -for many a long month to form the advanced post upon the right of the -Army, was held by the 1st Norfolks and 1st Devons, who defied all -efforts of the enemy to dislodge them. {220} Nevertheless, the -situation was critical and difficult for both divisions, and the only -available support, the 1st Manchesters from the Lahore Division, were -pushed up into the fighting line and found themselves instantly -engaged in the neighbourhood of Givenchy. It was dreadful weather, -the trenches a quagmire, and the rifle-bolts often clogged with the -mud. On the 26th Sir John French, realising how great was the task -with which the weary corps was faced, sent up two batteries of 4.7 -guns, which soon lessened the volume of the German artillery attack. -At the same time General Maistre, of the Twenty-first French Corps, -sent two of his batteries and two of his battalions. Thus -strengthened, there was no further immediate anxiety as to the line -being broken, especially as upon the 26th Marshal French, carefully -playing card after card from his not over-strong hand, placed the -Second Cavalry Division and three more Indian battalions in reserve -to Smith-Dorrien's corps. The German advance had by no means spent -itself, as on this day they came to close grips with the 2nd Irish -Rifles and established themselves firmly in the village of Neuve -Chapelle, near the centre of the British line, inflicting heavy loss -upon the Royal Fusiliers, who tried to restore the position. A -number of attacks were made to regain this village next day, in which -as strange a medley of troops were employed as could ever before have -found themselves as comrades in so minor an operation. There were -South Lancashires, Royal Fusiliers, 9th Bhopal Infantry, 47th Sikhs, -Chasseurs Alpins, and other units. In spite of--or possibly on -account of--this international competition the village remained with -the Germans, who were strongly reinforced, and {221} managed by their -shell-fire to clear some of the nearest trenches and gain some -additional ground, hitting the 1st Wiltshires and 2nd Irish Rifles -hard and making a number of prisoners, two or three hundred in all. -Again the times had become critical, the more so as the 8th Indian -Brigade to the north had also been attacked and roughly handled. The -indomitable Smith-Dorrien was determined to have his village, -however, and in the neighbouring French cavalry commander, General -Conneau, he found a worthy colleague who was ready to throw his last -man into the venture. The Second Cavalry, now under General Mullens, -was also ready, as our cavalry has always been, to spring in as a -makeweight when the balance trembled. The German losses were known -to have been tremendous, and it was hoped that the force of their -attack was spent. On the 28th the assault was renewed, prefaced by a -strong artillery preparation, but again it was brought to a -standstill. The 47th Sikhs fought magnificently from loopholed house -to house, as did the Indian sappers and miners, while the cavalry -showed themselves to be admirable infantry at a pinch, but the -defence was still too strong and the losses too severe, though at one -time Colonel McMahon, with his Fusiliers, had seized the whole north -end of the village. - -Some 60 officers and 1500 men had fallen in the day's venture, -including 70 of the cavalry. The night fell with Neuve Chapelle -still in the hands of the enemy, and the British troops to the north, -east, and west of it in a semicircle. The 14th Brigade, coming up -after dark, found the 1st West Kent Regiment reduced to 2 officers -and 150 men, and the 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry at about the same -strength, still holding on {222} to positions which had been -committed to them three days before. The conduct of these two grand -regiments upon that and the previous days excited the admiration of -every one, for, isolated from their comrades, they had beaten off a -long succession of infantry attacks and had been enfiladed by a most -severe shell-fire. Second-Lieutenant White, with a still younger -officer named Russell, formed the whole staff of officers of the West -Kents. Major Buckle, Captain Legard, and many others having been -killed or wounded, Penny and Crossley, the two sergeant-majors, did -great work, and the men were splendid. These shire regiments, raised -from the very soil of England, reflect most nearly her national -qualities, and in their stolid invincibility form a fitting framework -of a great national army. Speaking to the West Kents of this -episode, General Smith-Dorrien said: "There is one part of the line -which has never been retaken, because it was never lost. It was the -particular trenches which your battalion held so grimly during those -terrific ten days." - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{223} - -[Illustration: General View of Seat of Operations.] - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -These determined efforts were not spent in vain, for the Germans -would not bide the other brunt. Early on the 29th the British -patrols found that Neuve Chapelle had been evacuated by the enemy, -who must have lost several thousand men in its capture and fine -subsequent defence. In this village fighting the British were much -handicapped at this time by the want of high explosive shells to -destroy the houses. The enemy's artillery made it impossible for the -British to occupy it, and some time later it reverted to the Germans -once more, being occupied by the Seventh Westphalian Corps. It was -made an exceedingly strong advance position by the Germans, {224} but -it was reoccupied by the British Fourth Corps (Rawlinson's) and the -Indian Corps (Willcocks') upon March 10 in an assault which lasted -three days, and involved a loss of 12,000 men to the attackers and at -least as many to the defenders. This battle will be described among -the operations of the spring of 1915, but it is mentioned now to show -how immutable were the lines between these dates. - -The southern or La Bassée end of the line had also been attacked upon -the 28th and 29th, and the 2nd Manchesters driven from their -trenches, which they instantly regained, killing seventy of the enemy -and taking a number of prisoners. It was in this action that -Lieutenant Leach and Sergeant Hogan earned the V.C., capturing a -trench at the head of ten volunteers and disposing of some fifty -Germans. Morland's Fifth Division had several other skirmishes -during these days, in which the Duke of Cornwall's, Manchesters, and -1st Devons, who had taken the place of the Suffolks in the 14th -Brigade, were chiefly engaged. The Devons had come late, but they -had been constantly engaged and their losses were already as great as -the others. For sixteen days they had held on with desperate -resolution, their Colonel Gloster and a considerable proportion of -the officers and men being hit. When they were at last relieved they -received the applause of the Army. On the whole, the general line -was held, though the price was often severe. At this period General -Wing took command of the Third Division instead of General -Mackenzie--invalided home--the third divisional change within a -fortnight. - -[Sidenote: The Indians take over.] - -The arduous month of October was now drawing to a close, and so it -was hoped were the labours of the {225} weary Second Corps. Already, -on the top of all their previous casualties, they had lost 360 -officers and 8200 men since on October 12 they had crossed the La -Bassée Canal. The spirit of the men was unimpaired for the most -part--indeed, it seemed often to rise with the emergency--but the -thinning of the ranks, the incessant labour, and the want of sleep -had produced extreme physical exhaustion. Upon October 29 it was -determined to take them out of the front line and give them the rest -which they so badly needed. With this end in view, Sir James -Willcocks' Indian Corps was moved to the front, and it was gradually -substituted for the attenuated regiments of the Second Corps in the -first row of trenches. The greater part of the corps was drawn out -of the line, leaving two brigades and most of the artillery behind to -support the Indians. That the latter would have some hard work was -speedily apparent, as upon this very day the 8th Gurkhas were driven -out of their trenches. With the support of a British battalion, -however, and of Vaughan's Indian Rifles they were soon recovered, -though Colonel Venner of the latter corps fell in the attack. This -warfare of unseen enemies and enormous explosions was new to the -gallant Indians, but they soon accommodated themselves to it, and -moderated the imprudent gallantry which exposed them at first to -unnecessary loss. - -Here, at the end of October, we may leave the Second Corps. It was -speedily apparent that their services were too essential to be -spared, and that their rest would be a very nominal one. The Third -Corps will be treated presently. They did admirably all that came to -them to do, but they were so placed that both flanks were covered by -British troops, and they {226} were less exposed to pressure than the -others. The month closed with this corps and the Indians holding a -line which extended north and south for about twenty miles from -Givenchy and Festubert in the south to Warneton in the north. We -will return to the operations in this region, but must turn back a -fortnight or so in order to follow the very critical and important -events which had been proceeding in the north. Before doing so it -would be well to see what had befallen the cavalry, which, when last -mentioned, had, upon October 11, cleared the woods in front of the -Second Corps and connected it up with the right wing of the Third -Corps. This was carried out by Gough's Second Cavalry Division, -which was joined next day by De Lisle's First Division, the whole -under General Allenby. This considerable force moved north upon -October 12 and 13, pushing back a light fringe of the enemy and -having one brisk skirmish at Mont des Cats, a small hill, crowned by -a monastery, where the body of a Prince of Hesse was picked up after -the action. Still fighting its way, the cavalry moved north to -Berthen and then turned eastwards towards the Lys to explore the -strength of the enemy and the passages of the river in that -direction. Late at night upon the 14th General de Lisle, scouting -northwards upon a motor-car, met Prince Alexander of Teck coming -southwards, the first contact with the isolated Seventh Division. - -[Sidenote: The Lancers at Warneton.] - -On the night of the 16th an attempt was made upon Warneton, where the -Germans had a bridge over the river, but the village was too strongly -held. The 3rd Cavalry Brigade was engaged in the enterprise, and the -16th Lancers was the particular regiment upon whom it fell. The main -street of the village was {227} traversed by a barricade and the -houses loopholed. The Germans were driven by the dismounted -troopers, led by Major Campbell, from the first barricade, but took -refuge behind a second one, where they were strongly reinforced. The -village had been set on fire, and the fighting went on by the glare -of the flames. When the order for retirement was at last given it -was found that several wounded Lancers had been left close to the -German barricade. The fire having died down, three of the -Lancers--Sergeant Glasgow, Corporal Boyton, and Corporal -Chapman--stole down the dark side of the street in their stockinged -feet and carried some of their comrades off under the very noses of -the Germans. Many, however, had to be left behind. It is impossible -for cavalry to be pushful and efficient without taking constant risks -which must occasionally materialise. The general effect of the -cavalry operations was to reconnoitre thoroughly all the west side of -the river and to show that the enemy were in firm possession of the -eastern bank. - -From this time onwards until the end of the month the cavalry were -engaged in carrying on the north and south line of defensive -trenches, which, beginning with the right of the Second Corps (now -replaced by Indians) at Givenchy, was prolonged by the Third Corps as -far as Frelingham. There the cavalry took it up and carried it -through Comines to Wervicq, following the bend of the river. These -lines were at once strongly attacked, but the dismounted troopers -held their positions. On October 22 the 12th Lancers were heavily -assaulted, but with the aid of an enfilading fire from the 5th -Lancers drove off the enemy. That evening saw four more attacks, all -of them {228} repulsed, but so serious that Indian troops were -brought up to support the cavalry. Every day brought its attack -until they culminated in the great and critical fight from October 30 -to November 2, which will be described later. The line was held, -though with some loss of ground and occasional setbacks, until -November 2, when considerable French reinforcements arrived upon the -scene. It is a fact that for all these weeks the position which was -held in the face of incessant attack by two weak cavalry divisions -should have been, and eventually was, held by two army corps. - -[Sidenote: Pulteney's operations.] - -It is necessary now to briefly sketch the movements of the Third -Corps (Pulteney's). Its presence upon the left flank of the Second -Corps, and the fact that it held every attack that came against it, -made it a vital factor in the operations. It is true that, having -staunch British forces upon each flank, its position was always less -precarious than either of the two corps which held the southern and -northern extremities of the line, for without any disparagement to -our Allies, who have shown themselves to be the bravest of the brave, -it is evident that we can depend more upon troops who are under the -same command, and whose movements can be certainly co-ordinated. At -the same time, if the Third Corps had less to do, it can at least say -that whatever did come to it was excellently well done, and that it -preserved its line throughout. Its units were extended over some -twelve miles of country, and it was partly astride of the River Lys, -so that here as elsewhere there was constant demand upon the -vigilance and staunchness of officers and men. On October 20 a very -severe attack fell upon the 2nd Sherwood Foresters, who held {229} -the most advanced trenches of Congreve's 18th Brigade. They were -nearly overwhelmed by the violence of the German artillery fire, and -were enfiladed on each side by infantry and machine-guns. The 2nd -Durhams came up in reinforcement, but the Foresters had already -sustained grievous losses in casualties and prisoners, the battalion -being reduced from 900 to 250 in a single day. The Durhams also lost -heavily. On this same day, the 20th, the 2nd Leinsters, of the 17th -Brigade, were also driven from their trenches and suffered severely. - -[Sidenote: Action of La Gheir.] - -On October 21 the Germans crossed the River Lys in considerable -force, and upon the morning of the 22nd they succeeded in occupying -the village of Le Gheir upon the western side, thus threatening to -outflank the positions of the Second Cavalry Division to the north. -In their advance in the early morning of the 22nd they stormed the -trenches held by the 2nd Inniskilling Fusiliers, this regiment -enduring considerable losses. The trenches on the right were held by -the 1st Royal Lancasters and 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers. These two -regiments were at once ordered by General Anley, of the 12th Brigade, -to initiate a counter-attack under the lead of Colonel Butler. Anley -himself, who is a hard-bitten soldier of much Egyptian fighting, -moved forward his men, while General Hunter-Weston, the indefatigable -blower-up of railway lines in South Africa, supported the -counter-attack with the Somerset Light Infantry and the 1st East -Lancashires. The latter regiment, under Colonel Lawrence, passed -through a wood and reached such a position that they were able to -enfilade the Germans in the open, causing them very heavy losses. -The action was a brilliant success. The positions lost {230} were -reoccupied and the enemy severely punished, over a thousand Germans -being killed or wounded, while 300 were taken prisoners. These -belonged to the 104th and 179th Saxon regiments. It was a strange -turn of fate which, after fifteen hundred years, brought tribesmen -who had wandered up the course of the Elbe face to face in deadly -strife with fellow-tribesmen who had passed over the sea to Britain. -It is worth remarking and remembering that they are the one section -of the German race who in this war have shown that bravery is not -necessarily accompanied by coarseness and brutality. - -On October 25 the attacks became most severe upon the line of -Williams' 16th Brigade, and on that night the trenches of the 1st -Leicesters were raked by so heavy a gunfire that they were found to -be untenable, the regiment losing 350 men. The line both of the 16th -and of the 18th Brigades was drawn back for some little distance. -There was a lull after this, broken upon the 29th, when Gordon's 19th -Brigade was attacked with great violence by six fresh -battalions--heavy odds against the four weak battalions which -composed the British Brigade. The 1st Middlesex Regiment was driven -from part of its trenches, but came back with a rush, helped by their -comrades of the 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. The Germans -were thrown out of the captured trenches, 40 were made prisoners, and -200 were slain. This attack was made by the 223rd and 224th -Regiments of the XXIV. German Reserve Corps. It was not repeated. - -On the 30th another sharp action occurred near St. Yves, when -Hunter-Weston's 11th Brigade was momentarily pierced after dusk by a -German rush, {231} which broke through a gap in the Hampshires. The -Somerset Light Infantry, under Major Prowse, came back upon them and -the trenches were regained. In all such actions it is to be -remembered that where a mass of men can suddenly be directed against -scattered trenches which will only hold a few, it is no difficult -matter to carry them, but at once the conditions reverse themselves -and the defenders mass their supports, who can usually turn the -intruders out once more. - -This brings the general record of the doings of the Third Corps down -to the end of October, the date on which we cease the account of the -operations at the southern end of the British line. We turn from -this diffuse and difficult story, with its ever-varying positions and -units, to the great epic of the north, which will be inseparably -united for ever with the name of Ypres. - - - - -{232} - -CHAPTER VIII - -THE FIRST BATTLE OF YPRES - -(Up to the Action of Gheluvelt, October 31) - -The Seventh Division--Its peculiar excellence--Its difficult -position--A deadly ordeal--Desperate attacks on Seventh -Division--Destruction of 2nd Wilts--Hard fight of 20th -Brigade--Arrival of First Corps--Advance of Haig's Corps--Fight of -Pilken Inn--Bravery of enemy--Advance of Second Division--Fight of -Kruiseik cross-roads--Fight of Zandvoorde--Fight of -Gheluvelt--Advance of Worcesters--German recoil--General result--A -great crisis. - - -It has already been seen that the Seventh Division (Capper's), being -the first half of Rawlinson's Fourth first Army Corps, had retired -south and west after the unsuccessful attempt to relieve Antwerp. It -was made up as follows:-- - -[Sidenote: The Seventh Division] - - DIVISION VII.--General CAPPER. - - 20_th Infantry Brigade--General Ruggles-Brise_. - 1st Grenadier Guards. - 2nd Scots Guards. - 2nd Border Regiment. - 2nd Gordon Highlanders. - - 2l_st Infantry Brigade--General Walls_. - 2nd Bedfords. - 2nd Yorks. - 2nd Wilts. - 2nd Scots Fusiliers. - -{233} - - 22_nd Infantry Brigade--General Lawford_. - 1st South Staffords. - 2nd Warwicks. - 2nd Queen's West Surrey. - 1st Welsh Fusiliers. - - _Artillery._ - 22nd Brigade R.F.A. - 35th Brigade R.F.A. - 3rd R.G.A. - 111th R.G.A. - 112th R.G.A. - 14th Brigade R.H.A. C.F. - - _Engineers._ - 54, 55, F. Co. - 7 Signal Co. - Divisional Cavalry. - Northumberland Yeomanry. - - -[Sidenote: Its peculiar excellence.] - -It is not too much to say that in an army where every division had -done so well no single one was composed of such fine material as the -Seventh. The reason was that the regiments composing it had all been -drawn from foreign garrison duty, and consisted largely of soldiers -of from three to seven years' standing, with a minimum of reservists. -In less than a month from the day when this grand division of 18,000 -men went into action its infantry had been nearly annihilated, but -the details of its glorious destruction furnish one more vivid page -of British military achievement. We lost a noble division and gained -a glorious record. - -The Third Cavalry Division under General Byng was attached to the -Seventh Division, and joined up with it at Roulers upon October 13. -It consisted of-- - - 6_th Cavalry Brigade--General Makings_. - 3rd Dragoon Guards. - 10th Hussars. - 1st Royals. - - 7_th Cavalry Brigade--General Kavanagh_. - 1st Life Guards. - 2nd Life Guards. - 1st Horse Guards. - 1st Horse Guards. - K Battery, R.H.A. - -{234} - -The First Army Corps not having yet come up from the Aisne, these -troops were used to cover the British position from the north, the -infantry lying from Zandvoorde through Gheluvelt to Zonnebeke, and -the cavalry on their left from Zonnebeke to Langemarck from October -16 onwards. It was decided by Sir John French that it was necessary -to get possession of the town of Menin, some distance to the east of -the general British line, but very important because the chief -bridge, by means of which the Germans were receiving their -ever-growing reinforcements, was there. The Seventh Division was -ordered accordingly to advance upon this town, its left flank being -covered by the Third Cavalry Division. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{235} - -[Illustration: LINE OF 7th DIVISION (CAPPER) & 3rd CAVALRY DIVISION -(BYNG) FROM OCT 17th. ONWARDS] - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -[Sidenote: Its difficult position.] - -The position was a dangerous one. It has already been stated that -the pause on the Aisne may not have been unwelcome to the Germans, as -they were preparing reserve formations which might be suddenly thrown -against some chosen spot in the Allied line. They had the equipment -and arms for at least another 250,000 men, and that number of drilled -men were immediately available, some being Landwehr who had passed -through the ranks, and others young formations which had been -preparing when war broke out. Together they formed no less than five -new army corps, available for the extreme western front, more -numerous than the whole British and Belgian armies combined. This -considerable force, secretly assembled and moving rapidly across -Belgium, was now striking the north of the Allied line, debouching -not only over the river at Menin, but also through Courtrai, Iseghem, -and Roulers. It consisted of the 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 26th, and 27th -reserve corps. Of these the 22nd, and later the 24th, followed the -{236} Belgians to the line of the Yser, but the other corps were all -available for an attack upon the flank of that British line which was -faced by formidable opponents--a line which extended over thirty -miles and had already been forced into a defensive attitude. That -was the situation when the Seventh Division faced round near Ypres. -Sir John French was doing all that he could to support it, and Sir -Douglas Haig was speeding up his army corps from the Aisne to take -his place to the north of Ypres, but there were some days during -which Rawlinson's men were in the face of a force six or seven times -larger than themselves. - -Upon October 16th and 17th the division had advanced from Ypres and -occupied the line already mentioned, the right centre of which rested -about the ninth kilometre on the Ypres-Menin road, the order of the -brigades from the north being 22nd, 21st, and 20th. On October 18 -the division wheeled its left forward. As the infantry advanced, the -covering cavalry soon became aware of grave menace from Roulers and -Courtrai in the north. A large German force was evidently striking -down on to the left flank of the advance. The division was engaged -all along the line, for the 20th Brigade upon the right had a brisk -skirmish, while the 21st Brigade in the centre was also under fire, -which came especially heavily upon the 2nd Bedfords, who had numerous -casualties. About ten o'clock on the morning of the 19th the -pressure from the north increased, and the 7th Cavalry Brigade was -driven in, though it held its own with great resolution for some -time, helped by the fine work of K Battery, R.H.A. The 6th Cavalry -Brigade was held up in front, while the danger on the {237} flank -grew more apparent as the hours passed. In these circumstances -General Rawlinson, fortified in his opinion by the precise reports of -his airmen as to the strength of the enemy upon his left, came to the -conclusion that a further advance would place him in a difficult -position. He therefore dropped back to his original line. There can -be little doubt that, if he had persevered in the original plan, his -force would have been in extreme danger. As it was, before he could -get it back the 1st Welsh Fusiliers were hard hit, this famous -regiment losing a major, 5 captains, 3 lieutenants, and about 200 -men. The order to retire had failed to reach it, and but for the -able handling of Colonel Cadogan it might well have been destroyed. - -On October 20, the situation being still obscure, the 20th Brigade -carried out a reconnaissance towards Menin. The 2nd Wilts and 2nd -Scots Fusiliers, of the 21st Brigade, covered their left flank. The -enemy, however, made a vigorous attack upon the 22nd Brigade to the -north, especially upon the Welsh Fusiliers, so the reconnaissance had -to fall back again, the 1st Grenadier Guards sustaining some losses. -The two covering regiments were also hard pressed, especially the -Wiltshires, who were again attacked during the night, but repulsed -their assailants. - -[Sidenote: A deadly ordeal.] - -From this time onwards the Seventh Division was to feel ever more and -more the increasing pressure as the German army corps from day to day -brought their weight to bear upon a thin extended line of positions -held by a single division. It will be shown that they were speedily -reinforced by the First Corps, but even after its advent the Germans -were still able {238} to greatly outnumber the British force. The -story from this time onwards is one of incessant and desperate -attacks by day and often by night. At first the division was holding -the position alone, with the help of their attendant cavalry, and -their instructions were to hold on to the last man until help could -reach them. In the case of some units these instructions were -literally fulfilled. One great advantage lay with the British. They -were first-class trained soldiers, the flower of the Army, while -their opponents, however numerous, were of the newly raised reserve -corps, which showed no lack of bravery, but contained a large -proportion of youths and elderly men in the ranks. Letters from the -combatants have described the surprise and even pity which filled the -minds of the British when they saw the stormers hesitate upon the -edge of the trenches which they had so bravely approached, and stare -down into them uncertain what they should do. But though the -ascendancy of the British infantry was so great that they could -afford to disregard the inequality of numbers, it was very different -with the artillery. The German gunners were as good as ever, and -their guns as powerful as they were numerous. The British had no -howitzer batteries at all with this division, while the Germans had -many. It was the batteries which caused the terrific losses. It may -be that the Seventh Division, having had no previous experience in -the campaign, had sited their trenches with less cunning than would -have been shown by troops who had already faced the problem of how -best to avoid high explosives. Either by sight or by aeroplane -report the Germans got the absolute range of some portions of the -British position, pitching their heavy shells exactly into the {239} -trenches, and either blowing the inmates to pieces or else burying -them alive, so that in a little time the straight line of the trench -was entirely lost, and became a series of ragged pits and mounds. -The head-cover for shrapnel was useless before such missiles, and -there was nothing for it but either to evacuate the line or to hang -on and suffer. The Seventh Division hung on and suffered, but no -soldiers can ever have been exposed to a more deadly ordeal. When -they were at last relieved by the arrival of reinforcements and the -consequent contraction of the line, they were at the last pitch of -exhaustion, indomitable in spirit, but so reduced by their losses and -by the terrific nervous strain that they could hardly have held out -much longer. - -A short account has been given of what occurred to the division up to -October 20. It will now be carried on for a few days, after which -the narrative must turn to the First Corps, and show why and how they -came into action to the north of the hard-pressed division. It is -impossible to tell the two stories simultaneously, and so it may now -be merely mentioned that from October 21 Haig's Corps was on the -left, and that those operations which will shortly be described -covered the left wing of the division, and took over a portion of -that huge German attack which would undoubtedly have overwhelmed the -smaller unit had it not been for this addition of strength. It is -necessary to get a true view of the operations, for it is safe to say -that they are destined for immortality, and will be recounted so long -as British history is handed down from one generation to another. - -On the 21st the enemy got a true conception of {240} the salient in -front of the Seventh Division, and opened a vigorous attack, which -lasted all day and assumed several different phases at different -points. The feature of the morning of the 21st was the severe and, -indeed, disastrous artillery fire upon Lawford's 22nd Brigade. The -exact range of the British position seems to have been discovered -with deadly results. Men, trenches, and machine-guns were all blown -to pieces together. The 2nd Warwicks and the 1st Welsh Fusiliers -were the two battalions upon which the storm beat hardest, and each -of them had some hundreds of casualties. In three days the Welsh -Fusiliers, who were on the exposed left flank, lost three-quarters of -their effectives, including twenty-three of their officers, and yet -preserved their military spirit. It became clearer as experience -accumulated that the best trenches, if they are once fairly located, -can be made untenable or turned into the graves of their occupants by -the use of high explosives. The German fire was so severe that it -was reckoned that one hundred and twenty shells an hour into or round -a trench was a not uncommon rate of fall. The 2nd Queen's also lost -seven officers and many men in this day's fighting. In spite of the -heavy losses from gun-fire the German infantry could make no -progress, being held up by a flanking fire of the South Staffords. - -[Sidenote: Desperate attacks on Seventh Division.] - -In the afternoon of October 21 a strong attack was made upon the 21st -Brigade in the centre of the line. The brigade was holding a front -of two and a half miles, and, although the attack was generally -beaten back, a certain number of stormers got through between the -trenches and into the woods beyond. Here they lurked for a couple of -days, during which time the 2nd Yorkshire Regiment, behind whose -{241} line they were lying, were often compelled to have each -alternate man facing a different way to keep down the fire. The -battalion sent itself reinforcements by hurrying its right company -over to help to clear its left. This movement was successful, but -was attended with heavy losses, including several officers. Some of -the Royal Scots Fusiliers had been forced out of their trenches on -the right, and made, under Major Ian Forbes, a gallant attempt to -re-establish them, in which Captain Fairlie and many men were lost. -The Wiltshires also endured a very severe attack, which they repulsed -with great loss to the enemy. On this same eventful day, the 21st, -the Second Cavalry Division had been pushed back at Holbeke, and the -Germans got round the right flank of the hard-pressed infantry. It -was then that General Rawlinson brought his Third Cavalry Division -round and established it upon his right instead of his left flank. -From this time until October 30 this cavalry division was holding -Zandvoorde Ridge, sharing day by day in all the perils and the -glories of their comrades of the Seventh Division. There was no more -dangerous point than that which was held by the cavalry, and their -losses, especially those of the 10th Hussars, were in proportion to -the danger. In the course of a few days the Hussars lost Colonel -Barnes, Majors Mitford and Crichton and many officers and men. - -On October 22 the Second Division of Haig's First Corps, which had -been fully occupied to the north with operations which will presently -be described, moved down to cover the ground vacated by the Third -Cavalry Division and to relieve the pressure upon the infantry of the -Seventh Division. The 4th Guards Brigade took its position upon -their {242} immediate left. It was time. For four days they had -covered the enormous front of eight miles against at least four times -their own number, with more than six times their weight of artillery. -It was touch and go. They were nearly submerged. It was indeed a -vision of joy when the worn and desperate men, looking over their -shoulders down the Ypres-Menin road, saw the head of a British column -coming swiftly to the rescue. It was the 2nd Highland Light Infantry -and the 2nd Worcesters, dispatched from the 5th Brigade, and never -was reinforcement more needed. Shortly afterwards further help in -the shape of a detachment of the Munster Fusiliers, two troops of the -ever-helpful Irish Horse, and one section of artillery appeared upon -the scene. - -[Sidenote: Destruction of 2nd Wilts.] - -Upon this date (October 22) the 22nd Infantry Brigade of the Seventh -Division had fallen back to the railway crossings near Zonnebeke. -Thus the salient which the Germans had been attacking was -straightened out. Unhappily, the change caused another smaller -salient farther south, at the point which was held by the 2nd -Wiltshires. On the 22nd and 23rd there was a tremendous shelling of -this sector, which was followed on the 24th by an infantry advance, -in which the Wiltshires, who had been previously much reduced, were -utterly overwhelmed and practically destroyed. The disastrous attack -broke upon the British line just after daybreak. The enemy pushed -through behind each flank of the Wiltshires, elbowing off the Scots -Fusiliers on one side and the Scots Guards on the other. The Germans -got in force into the Polygon Woods behind. There were no reserves -available save the Northumberland Hussars, a corps which has the -honour of being the {243} first British territorial corps to fight -for its country. With the aid of some divisional cyclists, this -handful of men held back the Germans until the 2nd Warwicks from the -north were brought to stem the advance. The Warwicks charged through -the wood, their gallant Colonel Loring riding his horse beside them -without boot or legging, having been wounded some days before. -"Where my men go I go as well," was his answer to medical -remonstrance. He was killed by a bullet, but he died at a moment of -victory, for his last earthly vision was that of his infantry driving -the last Germans out of the wood. Besides their colonel, the -regiment lost many officers and men in this fine advance, which was -most vigorously supported by the 2nd Worcesters, the only -reinforcement within reach. The Worcesters lost 6 officers and 160 -men, but did much execution and took a number of prisoners. - -[Sidenote: Hard fight of 20th Brigade.] - -At this time the 20th Brigade, being the extreme right of the Seventh -Division, held an extended line from Kruiseik cross-roads, about a -mile east of Gheluvelt village, to near Zandvoorde, with a salient at -the village of Kruiseik. On the night of the 25th the Germans -planned a furious attack upon the whole salient. The assailants, who -were mostly Saxons, broke through the 2nd Scots Guards just north of -Kruiseik and got behind the line, which was pushed back for some -distance, though Captain Paynter, with the right-hand company, held -his position. A counter-attack by the Guards retook the line, -together with 200 prisoners, including 7 officers. On the morning of -the 26th the Germans were back on them, however, and began by blowing -in the trenches of the Border Regiment south of Kruiseik. The German -{244} guns had found the exact range of the trenches, and the -defenders had the same terrible and intolerable experience which had -befallen some of their comrades two days before. It was simply -impossible to stand up against the incessant shower of shattering -shells. So great was the concussion and the nervous strain that many -of the men exposed to it got completely dazed or even became -delirious. Grenadiers, Scots Guards, and South Staffords, of the -20th Brigade, held the line until the front trenches were carried by -the Germans and many of the occupants made prisoners. It was pitch -dark, and it was impossible to tell friend from foe. Major Fraser of -the Scots Guards, going forward to reconnoitre, was shot dead and his -party was destroyed. A house in a field taken by the Guards yielded -no fewer than 200 prisoners, but in the confused fighting in the -darkness our losses were greater than our gains. It was in this -night-fighting that Lord Dalrymple, Colonel Bolton, and other -officers, with some hundreds of men, fell into the hands of the enemy -after a most heroic resistance to overpowering numbers and to a -weight of artillery which was crushing in its effect. The King's -Company of the 1st Grenadiers was isolated and in great danger, but -managed to link up with the British line. The 1st South Staffords -also lost some hundreds of men, and was only saved by fine handling -on the part of Colonel Ovens. Kruiseik was abandoned, and a new line -taken up half a mile farther back. It was a critical night, during -which the energy and firmness of General Capper were splendidly -employed in reforming and stiffening his sorely tried division. On -the 26th the 20th Brigade, which had been so heavily {245} hit the -day before, was drawn out of the line for a rest, and the two other -brigades closed up to cover a shorter line. The work of the 20th at -Kruiseik had been magnificent, but their losses were appalling, -including their Brigadier, Ruggles-Brise, who was wounded. Here, for -the instant, we shall leave the Seventh Division, though their ordeal -was by no means done, and we shall turn to those other forces which -had been forming in the northern or Ypres section of the long battle -line. - -[Sidenote: Arrival of First Corps.] - -The reader will remember, if he casts his mind back, that the whole -British line, as it extended from the south about October 18, -consisted of the Second Corps and the advance guard of the Indians -near La Bassée; then, in succession, the Third Corps in the -Armentières district, the First Cavalry and Second Cavalry near -Messines and Wytschaete, the Seventh Division near Gheluvelt, and -finally the Third Cavalry on their left, joining up with the French, -who carried the line to where the Belgians were reforming on the -Yser. The First Corps had detrained from the Aisne, and was -concentrated between St. Omer and Hazebrouck upon October 18 and 19. -They represented a last British reserve of about thirty-five thousand -men to set against the large new armies who were advancing from the -north. The urgent question to be decided was where they should be -placed, since there were so many points which needed reinforcement. - -Sir John French has explained in his dispatch the reasons which -swayed him in deciding this question. "I knew," he said, "that the -enemy were by this time in greatly superior strength upon the Lys and -that the Second and Third Cavalry and Fourth Corps {246} (Seventh -Division) were holding a much wider front than their strength and -numbers warranted. Taking these facts alone into consideration, it -would have appeared wise to throw the First Corps in to strengthen -the line, but this would have left the country north and east of -Ypres and the Ypres Canal open to a wide turning movement by the -Third Reserve Corps and at least one Landwehr Division which I knew -to be operating in that region. I was also aware that the enemy was -bringing large reinforcements up from the east, which could only be -opposed for several days by two or three French cavalry divisions, -some French Territorials, and the Belgian Army." - -He proceeds to state his opinion that the Belgian Army was in no -condition to withstand unsupported such an attack, and that if it -were allowed to sweep past us it was very likely to wash away all -opposition before it, and get into the Channel ports in our rear. -With this consideration in his mind, Sir John French took the bold -and dangerous, but absolutely necessary, step of leaving the long, -thin, thirty-mile line to do the best it could, and prolonging it by -another ten or twelve miles by forming up the First Corps on the same -alignment, so as to present as long a British breakwater as possible -to the oncoming flood. There was nothing else to be done, and the -stronger the flood the more need there was to do it, but it is safe -to say that seldom in history has so frail a barrier stood in the -direct track of so terrible a storm. - -In accordance with this resolution, Haig's First Corps moved, on -October 20, through Poperinghe and Ypres and took their place upon -the north or left side of the Seventh Division. On their own left in -this position was the French cavalry corps of {247} General de Mitry, -while the Third Division of British cavalry was on their right. As -the movement commenced Sir John French had a personal interview with -General Haig, in which he held out hopes that the greater part of the -new German levies had been deflected to hold our southern advance, -and that he would only find the Third Reserve Corps and some Landwehr -in front of him to the north of Ypres. His object was to advance -upon the line of Bruges and drive the enemy towards Ghent. Meanwhile -the gallant little Belgian army, which was proving itself a glutton -at fighting, was entrenched along the line of the Ypres Canal and the -Yser River, where they held their own manfully in spite of all that -they had endured. - -[Sidenote: Advance of Haig's Corps.] - -The first large landmark in the direction of Bruges was Thorout, and -towards this the First Corps, with the Third Cavalry Division upon -its right, took its first steps, little thinking that it was butting -forward against an approaching army of at least double its own -strength. It was very quickly made to realise its position, however, -and any dreams of a victorious entry into Bruges were speedily -dispelled. Only too fortunate would it be if it could hold its own -line without retreat and disaster. Upon the 21st Haig's men attacked -Poel-Chapelle and Passchendaale, French cavalry and Territorials (the -Eighty-seventh and Eighty-ninth Divisions) under General Bidon -advancing on their left, while the Seventh Division, as already -described, kept pace upon its right. There was strong opposition -from the first, but the corps advanced in spite of it until the -pressure from the north became too severe for the French, whose flank -was exposed to the full force of it. - -{248} - -The British attack upon the morning in question was planned as -follows. The Second Division was to advance upon Passchendaale. The -First had orders to take Poel-Chapelle. The latter movement was -headed by the 3rd Brigade, who were directed by General Landon to go -forward about nine o'clock, the 1st Queen's having the station for -their objective while the 1st South Wales Borderers attacked the -village. The 1st Gloucesters were in reserve. The enemy met the -attack with shell-fire, which it was difficult to locate, as the -country was flat and enclosed. The progress of the movement, -however, was steady though slow. About ten o'clock there were signs -of a considerable hostile infantry advance from the north. The -attack, however, made good progress up to midday, when there was a -general retirement of the French Territorials, followed later by the -French cavalry upon the British left. They moved back towards -Bixschote. The Gloucester Regiment, who had been thrown out to -reinforce that flank, were also driven back, and were in turn -reinforced by the Coldstream Guards. This battalion executed a -bayonet charge in clearing the small village of Koekuit, but later on -had to retire, finding their flank exposed. It should be mentioned -that one French corps, the Seventh Cavalry Division, kept its -position upon the British left, and it is also only fair to point out -that as the German advance was mainly from the north, it was upon the -left flank, covered by the French, that it would fall. The 1st -Camerons were now dispatched to the flank to stiffen the French -resistance, taking up their position near the inn which is midway -upon the road between Steenstraate and Langemarck, north of the -village {249} of Pilken--an inn with which they were destined to have -stirring associations. With the support of the 46th Battery, the -Highlanders held up a German brigade which was thrusting through -behind our main line; but farther west, in the Steenstraate -direction, the defence against a northern advance was miserably thin, -consisting only of one company of the Sussex Regiment and the 116th -Battery. In the circumstances the more success Haig's troops -attained in front, and the more they advanced, the more dangerous was -their position upon the flank. - -About 2.30 the German advance from the north became more formidable, -and the 1st South Welsh Borderers, between Langemarck and -Poel-Chapelle, were heavily counter-attacked and suffered -considerable loss, between two and three hundred in all. Two -companies of the 2nd Welsh were pushed up to their help. It was -clear, however, that the advance could not be continued. The 1st -Brigade was therefore ordered to hold the line between Steenstraate -and Langemarck, with their centre at the inn north of Pilken, so as -to face the German advance from the north. Then from Langemarck the -British line turned southwards, being carried on for two miles by the -3rd Brigade to hold the enemy who were coming from the east. The 2nd -Brigade was in reserve at Boesinghe. During this long and difficult -day the Second Division, operating upon the right of the First, was -not subjected to the same anxiety about its flank. It advanced upon -its objective in the face of severe opposition, ending more than once -in a brief bayonet encounter. Several counter-attacks were made by -the Germans, but they were all beaten back with loss. About two -o'clock, however, {250} the Second Division learned of the flank -pressure which was holding up the First Division, and also of the -extreme need for help experienced by the 22nd Brigade of the Seventh -Division on their right. In these circumstances it was necessary to -abandon the idea of further advance and to send south those -reinforcements, the opportune arrival of which has been already -described. - -As a net result of the two days' operations General Haig was not able -to attain the line of Passchendaale-Poel-Chapelle, as originally -planned, but he gained sufficient ground to establish himself from -Langemarck to Zonnebeke, more than half-way to his objective. The -whole character of the operations during these days was more of the -familiar British type, being conducted upon the surface of the earth -rather than under it, and cavalry making its last appearance for many -a long day. Many fine deeds of valour were done. In one of these -Captain Rising, of the Gloucester Regiment, with ninety men, defended -some point with such heroic tenacity that when, some days afterwards, -the Brigadier attempted to get the names of the survivors for -commendation not one could be found. Quaintly valorous also is the -picture of Major Powell, of the North Lancashires, leading his wing -with a badly-sprained ankle, and using a cottage chair for a crutch, -upon which he sat down between rushes. It is hopeless, however, and -even invidious to pick instances where the same spirit animated all. -The result was definite. It had been clearly shown that the enemy -were in considerably greater strength than had been imagined, and -instead of a rearguard action from weak forces the British found -themselves in the presence of a strong German {251} advance. All day -large forces of the enemy were advancing from Roulers and were -impinging upon different points of the Franco-British line. These -troops were composed of partially-trained men, volunteers and -reservists, but they attacked with the utmost determination, and -endured heavy losses with great bravery. It is a remarkable proof of -the elaborate preparations for war made by Germany that, behind all -their original gigantic array, they still had ready within the -country sufficient arms and uniforms to fit out these five new army -corps. He who plans finds it easy to prepare, and whoever will -compare this profusion of munitions in Germany with the absolute lack -of them in the Allied countries will have no further doubt as to -which Government conspired against the peace of the world. - -On October 21, Sir John French began to feel that there were new -factors in his front. In the evening, at a meeting with Haig and -Rawlinson, he discussed the unexpected strength of the German -reinforcements and admitted that the scheme of an advance upon Bruges -would become impossible in the face of such numbers. Intelligence -reports indicated that there was already a German army corps in front -of each British division. General Joffre had promised considerable -French reinforcements upon October 24, and all that could be done was -for the British troops to hold their ground to the last man and to -resist every pressure until the equality of the forces could be -restored. Could they hold the line till then? That was the -all-important question. - -October 22 was the first day of that long ordeal of incessant attacks -which the First Corps was called {252} upon to endure, until by -constant attrition it had become almost as worn as the Seventh -Division to the south. On this day the German attack, which had not -yet attained the full volume of later days, spent itself here and -there along the extended lines. Only at one point did the enemy have -some success, which, however, was the prelude to disaster. - -[Sidenote: Fight of Pilken Inn.] - -The line from Steenstraate to Langemarck, defending the British left -flank, was held by the 1st Brigade, the Scots Guards upon the extreme -left, then the Cameron Highlanders, and the Black Watch in reserve. -In the middle of the line north of Pilken was a solitary inn, already -mentioned, round which trenches had been cut in horse-shoe fashion, -the concavity of the shoe pointing southwards. This point marked the -junction between the Camerons and the Scots Guards. About 3 P.M. -this position was driven in and captured by a sudden and determined -advance of the enemy. The German charge was a fine feat of arms, for -it was carried out largely by _Einjahrige_, who may be roughly -compared to the Officers' Training Corps of our British system. -These high-spirited lads advanced singing patriotic songs, and -succeeded in carrying the trenches in the face of soldiers who are -second to none in the British Army--soldiers, too, who had seen, much -service, while the German cadets were new to the work. The -performance was much appreciated by British officers and men. - -The Black Watch endeavoured without success to restore the line, and -the 1st Northamptons were called upon from divisional reserve, while -from all parts troops converged towards the gap. On the arrival of -the Northamptons they pushed up towards {253} the interval which now -existed between the Scots Guards and the remains of the Camerons, but -found the gap broader than had been thought, and strongly occupied. -It was then evening, and it was thought best to delay the -counter-attack until morning and so have time to bring up -reinforcements. The 1st North Lancashires and the 2nd South -Staffords were accordingly ordered up, together with the 1st Queen's -Surrey and the 2nd Rifles, the whole operation being under the -immediate command of General Bulfin. The advance began at six in the -morning, over very difficult ground which had been barb-wired during -the night. The progress was slow but steady, and at eleven o'clock -an assault upon the inn was ordered. The position was critical, -since the enemy was now firmly lodged in the very centre of the flank -of the British position, and was able to enfilade all the trenches of -the First Division. The Queen's Surrey, the 2nd King's Royal Rifles, -and the 1st North Lancashires charged home with splendid energy, -capturing the trenches round the inn, besides releasing sixty -Camerons and taking over five hundred prisoners. The trenches were -carried by the North Lancashires, led by Major Carter. It was the -second time within six weeks that this battalion had made a decisive -bayonet charge. The price paid was six officers and 150 men. The -inn itself was rushed by Captain Creek's company of the Queen's, -while Major Watson, of the same regiment, organised the final -advance. The fighting at this point was not finished for the day. -In the late evening the enemy, with fine tenacity of purpose, -attacked the inn once more and drove the Queen's out of a salient. -The line was then straightened on each side {254} of the inn and -remained firm. Both the attack on the inn and the defence of the -line were splendidly supported by the field artillery. - -Whilst the 1st Brigade had in this fashion got into and out of a -dangerous position, there had been a severe attack upon two regiments -of Landon's 3rd Brigade stationed at Langemarck. The defending units -were the 2nd Welsh Regiment and the 1st Gloucesters. Aided by a -strong artillery backing, they beat off these attacks and inflicted a -very heavy loss upon the enemy. The Allied line to the north was -solid and unbroken. - -[Sidenote: Bravery of enemy.] - -The British losses during these operations of the First Corps -amounted to 1500 men, while those of the Germans were exceedingly -heavy. These inexperienced troops advanced with an indiscriminating -enthusiasm which exposed them to severe retaliation. It is doubtful -if at any time in the campaign the British fire found so easy a mark. -One thousand five hundred dead were counted in the vicinity of -Langemarck, and the total loss (including over six hundred prisoners) -could not have been less than 10,000 men. Correspondence afterwards -captured showed that the Twenty-third Reserve Corps sustained such -losses that for a time at least it was out of action. The -Twenty-seventh Reserve Corps was also hard hit. A letter from a -soldier in the 246th Regiment mentions that only eighty men were left -of his battalion after the action of the 24th. - -On October 24 and 25 the arrival of French reinforcements allowed the -British to shorten up their defensive line, which had been unduly -extended. The Seventeenth Division of the Ninth French Army Corps -took over the line of the Second Division, which {255} was drawn back -to St. Jean, and in turn took over part of the front of the Seventh -Division. French territorial troops, under General de Mitry, -relieved the First British Division on the line -Hannebeke-Langemarck-Steenstraate. The First Division was drawn back -to Zillebeke. - -[Sidenote: Advance of Second Division.] - -Meantime the Second Division, having the French Ninth Corps upon its -left and the Seventh Division upon its right, made an attack towards -Bacelaer, taking two guns and some prisoners. This advance was -renewed upon the 26th, this being the day upon which, as already -described, the Germans pushed back the 20th Brigade of the Seventh -Division at the Kruiseik salient, creating a situation which brought -the Second Division to a standstill. - -In this movement forward of the Second Division from October 24 to -26, the Guards' 4th Brigade were on the right, the 6th Brigade on the -left, with the French to the left of them. The 5th Brigade were in -reserve. Two small villages were taken by storm, the Germans being -driven out of loopholed houses, though at a considerable cost of -officers and men. It was in this operation that Colonel Bannatyne, -the gallant leader of the 1st King's Liverpool, was killed. Ten -other officers and several hundred men of this corps were killed or -wounded. The 1st Berkshires, fighting to the left of the King's, -shared in its losses and in its success. The Irish Guards were held -up before Reutel and separated from the rest of the force, but -managed to extricate themselves after some anxious hours. - -On October 27, Sir John French came in person to Hooge, at the rear -of the fighting line, and inquired into the state of the hard-pressed -troops. He found {256} the Seventh to be now such a skeleton -division that it was thought best to join it with Haig's First Corps, -forming one single command. - -The attendant Third Cavalry Division was also attached to the First -Corps. These readjustments took place upon October 27. They were, -of course, of a temporary character until the eagerly awaited Eighth -Division should arrive and so give General Rawlinson a complete -Fourth Corps. At present there was a very immediate prospect that -half of it might be annihilated before the second half appeared. The -general arrangement of this section of the battlefield was now as -depicted, the Seventh Division being entirely south of the -Ypres-Menin roadway. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{257} - -[Illustration: General Scene of Operations] - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -This date, the 27th, was memorable only for an advance of the 6th -Brigade. These continual advances against odds were wonderful -examples of the aggressive spirit of the British soldiers. In this -instance ground was gained, but at the cost of some casualties, -especially to the 1st Rifles, who lost Prince Maurice of Battenberg -and a number of officers and men. - -[Sidenote: Fight of Kruiseik cross-roads.] - -And now the great epic of the first Battle of Ypres was rising to its -climax, and the three days of supreme trial for the British Army were -to begin. Early upon October 29, a very heavy attack developed upon -the line of the Ypres-Menin road. There is a village named -Gheluvelt, which is roughly half-way upon this tragic highway. It -lay now immediately behind the centre of the British line. About -half a mile in front of it the position ran through the important -cross-roads which lead to the village of Kruiseik, still in the -British possession. The line through the {258} Kruiseik cross-roads -was that which was furiously assailed upon this morning, and the -attack marked the beginning of a great movement to drive in the front -continuing throughout the 30th and culminating in the terrible ordeal -of the 31st, the crisis of the Ypres battle and possibly of the -Western campaign. - -FitzClarence's 1st Brigade lay to the north of the road, and the -battered, much-enduring 20th Brigade upon the south. They were -destined together to give such an example of military tenacity during -that day as has seldom been equalled and never exceeded, so that the -fight for the Kruiseik crossroads may well live in history amongst -those actions, like Albuera and Inkermann, which have put the powers -of British infantry to an extreme test. The line was held by about -five thousand men, but no finer units were to be found in the whole -Army. The attack was conducted by an army corps with the eyes of -their Emperor and an overpowering artillery encouraging them from the -rear. Many of the defending regiments, especially those of the 20th -Brigade, had already been terribly wasted. It was a line of weary -and desperate men who faced the German onslaught. - -The attack began in the mists of the early morning. The opening was -adverse to the British, for the enemy, pushing very boldly forward -upon a narrow front and taking full advantage of the fog, broke a way -down the Menin road and actually got past the defending line before -the situation was understood. The result was that the two regiments -which flanked the road, the 1st Black Watch and the 1st Grenadiers, -were fired into from behind and endured terrible {259} losses. Among -the Grenadiers Colonel Earle, Majors Forrester and Stucley, Lord -Richard Wellesley, and a number of other officers fell, while out of -650 privates only 150 were eventually left standing, the 2nd Gordons, -upon the right of the Grenadiers, suffered nearly as heavily, while -the 1st Coldstream, upon the left of the Black Watch, was perhaps the -hardest hit of all, for at the end of that dreadful day it had not a -single officer fit for duty. The right company of the 1st Scots -Guards shared the fate of the Coldstream. The line was pushed back -for a quarter of a mile and Kruiseik was evacuated, but the dead and -wounded who remained in the trenches far exceeded in numbers those -who were able to withdraw. - -Two small bodies who were cut off by the German advance did not fall -back with their comrades, and each of them made a splendid and -successful resistance. The one near Kruiseik was a mixed party under -Major Bottomley of the 2nd Queen's West Surrey. The other was C -Company of the 2nd Gordons under Captain B. G. R. Gordon and -Lieutenant Laurence Carr. These small islands of khaki, in the midst -of a broad stream of grey, lay so tight and fired so straight that -they inflicted very great damage upon the enemy, and were able to -hold their own, in ever-diminishing numbers, until under the -protection of darkness the survivors regained the British line. - -In the meantime, a number of small dashing counter-attacks by the -indomitable infantry was bringing the British line forward again. -South of the road the Gordons, under Colonel Uniacke, dashed -themselves again and again against the huge host which faced them, -driving them back, and then in their turn recoiling before the -ponderous advance of {260} the army corps. They were maddened by the -sound of the rolling fire ahead of them, which showed that their own -C Company was dying hard. In one of these counter-attacks Captain -Brooke brought every straggler into the fray, and died while trying -to cut his way through to his comrades. To the north of the road -Captain Stephen, with the remains of the 1st Scots Guards, threw -themselves upon the German flank and staggered it by their fire. The -Germans, who had almost reached Gheluvelt, were now worried in this -way on either flank, while the 2nd Border battalion and the Welsh -Borderers with the rallied remains of the broken regiments were still -facing them in front. The enemy was held, was stricken front and -flank with a murderous fire, and recoiled back down the Menin road. -Imperial eyes and overmastering guns were equally powerless to drive -them through that iron defence. Five thousand British soldiers had -driven back an army corps, but had left more than half their number -upon the scene of victory. - -The Second Division, to the north of the road in the direction of -Reutel, had been ordered to counter-attack, and the other brigades of -the Seventh Division to the south did the same. While Haig had a man -standing he was ready to hit back. Between these two flanking forces -there was a movement in the centre to follow the Germans back and to -recover some of the lost ground. Landon's Third Brigade, less the -Gloucester Regiment, was pushed forward. These troops moved past -Gheluvelt and advanced along the line of the road, the 1st Queen's, -their right-hand unit, linking up by a happy chance with their own -2nd Battalion, who were now on the left of the 22nd Brigade of the -Seventh Division. Left {261} of the Queen's were the 2nd Welsh to -the immediate south of the main road, while to their left again lay -the 1st South Wales Borderers, in front of the village of Gheluvelt. -By evening these troops had recovered some of the ground, but the -village of Kruiseik, which had always constituted a salient, was now -abandoned. The cross-roads also remained in the hands of the enemy. -Landon's Brigade continued to bar the further German advance -preparing in stern resignation for the renewed and heavier blow which -all knew to be in readiness, and which was destined two days later to -bring them a glorious annihilation. - -It was clear upon the evening of the 29th that serious mischief was -afoot, for there were great signs of movement on the German side, and -all night the continual rattle of wheels was heard to the eastward. -These menacing sounds were actually caused by a very strong -reinforcement, the Fifteenth German Corps (Strasburg) of the regular -army, which, followed by the Thirteenth Corps and the Second Bavarian -Corps, were coming into the battle line with the declared intention -of smashing their way through to Ypres. Correspondence, afterwards -captured, showed that the German Emperor had issued a special appeal -to these troops, declaring that the movement was one which would be -of decisive importance to the war. It was, of course, not the -venerable town of Ypres which had assumed such a place in the mind -both of the Emperor and his people, but it was Calais and the Channel -coast to which it was the door. Once in the possession of these -points, it seemed to their perfervid minds that they would be in a -position to constrain Great Britain to an ignominious peace, a course -which {262} would surely have ruined the cause of the Allies and -placed the whole world under the German heel. No less was the issue -at stake. The British Army from Langemarck in the north to La Bassée -in the south were resolutely determined that the road was barred, -while to left and to right they had stout-hearted comrades of Belgium -and of France. - -[Sidenote: Fight of Zandvoorde.] - -At half-past six upon October 30 a very heavy attack developed, which -involved the whole line of the First Corps and also the French Ninth -Corps upon its left. This attack upon the left was carried out by -the Reserve Corps 26 and 27, with whom we had had previous dealings, -and it was repulsed with considerable loss by the French and the 6th -British Brigade. To the south, however, the British were very -violently engaged down the whole line of trenches from the position -of the Seventh Division near the Ypres-Menin road, through -Zandvoorde, where the Third Cavalry Division was holding on under -great difficulties, and on southward still, past the position of the -Second Cavalry down to Messines, where the First Cavalry Division was -also heavily engaged. The front of battle was not less than twelve -miles in length, with one continuous long-drawn rattle of small arms -and roar of guns from end to end. - -The British may have anticipated that the chief blow would fall at -the same spot as had been attacked the day before. As a matter of -fact, it was directed farther south, at Zandvoorde, on the immediate -right of the Seventh Division. - -The first sign of success for the strenuous German efforts upon -October 30 was the driving in of Kavanagh's 7th Guards' Cavalry -Brigade from their trenches at the Zandvoorde Ridge. On this ridge, -{263} which is not more than a hundred and twenty feet high, the -Germans concentrated so tremendous and accurate a fire that the -trenches were in many places demolished and became entirely -untenable. The survivors of the Life Guards and Blues who made up -this brigade withdrew steadily through the reserve trenches, which -were held by the 6th cavalry Brigade, and reformed at Klein Zillebeke -in the rear. Two squadrons, however, and Lord Worsley's machine-gun -section were killed or taken by the assailants. The unoccupied -trenches were seized by the Sixth Bavarian Reserve Division, who -advanced rapidly in order to improve their advantage, while their -artillery began to pound the reserves. The cavalry had been -strengthened, however, by the Greys and 3rd Hussars upon the left, -while the 4th Hussars lined up on the right, and C, I, and K Horse -Artillery batteries vigorously supported. In spite of great -pressure, the position was held. Farther south the First Cavalry -Division was also at very close grips with the Twenty-sixth Division -of the Thirteenth German Army Corps, and was hard put to it to hold -its own. Along the whole cavalry position there was extreme strain. -A squadron of the 1st Royals were forced to evacuate the chateau of -Holebeke, and the line in this quarter was pushed back as far as St. -Eloi, thus flattening a considerable salient. - -The danger of a position which consists of so long a line with few -reserves is that any retirement at any point immediately exposes the -flanks of the neighbouring units to right and left. Thus the -evacuation of Zandvoorde threw open the right flank of the Seventh -Division, even as its left had been in the air upon the day before. -On getting through, the Germans were {264} on the right rear of the -1st Welsh Fusiliers and enfiladed them badly, destroying all the -officers and a considerable proportion of the regiment, which had -already been greatly reduced. Colonel Cadogan was among those who -fell. The 22nd Brigade was forced to fall back, and the 2nd -Yorkshires and 2nd Scots Fusiliers, of the 21st Brigade, being left -in a salient, suffered heavily, especially the latter battalion, the -conduct of which from first to last was remarkable even among such -men as fought beside them. These two regiments held on with the -greatest determination until orders to retire reached them, which -were somewhat belated, as several orderlies were killed in bringing -them. The 2nd Bedfords, who had themselves sustained very severe -losses from the German artillery fire, covered the retirement of the -remains of these two gallant units. The Seventh Division then -covered the line from the canal through Klein Zillebeke and along the -front of the woods to near Gheluvelt. - -The position was now most critical. The Germans were in possession -of Zandvoorde Ridge on the British right flank, a most important -position whence guns could command a considerable area. Ypres was -only four miles distant. There was nothing but a line of weary and -partially broken infantry to protect the flank from being entirely -pierced. The whole of a German active army corps was attacking upon -this line. The order was given to hold the new positions at all -costs, but on the evening of the 30th the situation was full of -menace for the morrow. The German flood was still thundering against -the barrier, and the barrier seemed to be giving. At about 2 P.M. on -October 30 the 1st Irish Guards and the 2nd Grenadiers, who were in -reserve to two battalions of the Coldstream {265} in trenches in the -Polygon Wood, near Reutel Village, were ordered to help the Seventh -Division. General Capper subsequently directed them to take the -place of the cavalry on the right of his division. The Irish Guards -were accordingly on the right of the Seventh Division from now -onwards, and the Grenadiers were on their right, extending down to -the canal in front of Klein Zillebeke. The commander of the Ninth -French Corps also, with that fine loyalty which his comrades have -shown again and again during the war, easing many a difficult and -perhaps saving some impossible situations, put three battalions and -some cavalry at the disposal of the British. Two regiments of -Bulfin's 2nd Brigade were also brought across and thrust into the -gap. But the outlook that evening was not cheering. The troops had -been fighting hard for two days without a break. The losses had been -heavy. The line had been driven back and was greatly strained. It -was known that the Germans were in great strength and that the attack -would be renewed on the morrow. The troops and their leaders faced -the immediate future in a spirit of sombre determination. - -[Sidenote: Fight of Gheluvelt.] - -During the 30th Landon's Brigade had strengthened their position near -Gheluvelt, and General Haig, realising that this was the key of his -line, moved up the 2nd King's Royal Rifles and the 1st North -Lancashires to form a reserve under the orders of General Landon. -These regiments took a position south-west of Gheluvelt and connected -up more closely between the Seventh Division and the 3rd Brigade of -the First Division. It was well that a closely-knitted line had been -formed, for at the dawn of day upon the 31st a most terrific attack -was made, {266} which was pushed with unexampled fierceness during -the whole day, falling chiefly upon the centre and left of the -Seventh Division and upon the 1st Queen's and 2nd Welsh of the Third -Brigade. - -A weak point developed, unfortunately, in the front line, for the -Seventh Division in its enfeebled condition was further weakened by -forming somewhat of a salient in the Kruiseik direction. They -behaved with all their usual magnificent gallantry, but they were not -numerous enough to hold the ground. The line was broken and the -remains of the 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers, after being exposed to -heavy fire from 5.30 A.M., were outflanked and surrounded in the -early afternoon. The bulk of the survivors of this battalion had -been sent to reinforce the line elsewhere, but the remainder, some -sixty in number, were killed, wounded, or taken, including their -gallant colonel, Baird Smith, who had been hit the day before. The -Picton tradition which disregards wounds unless they are absolutely -crippling was continually observed by these stern soldiers. On the -left of the Scots Fusiliers the 2nd Bedfords were also involved in -the catastrophe, but drew off with heavy losses. - -The left wing of the Seventh Division began to retire, and the 1st -Queen's upon the right of the 3rd Brigade had both their flanks -turned and were reduced to a handful under Major Watson and -Lieutenant Boyd, who still held together as a unit. It was a great -morning in the history of this regiment, as the two battalions had -fought side by side, and their colonels, Pell and Coles, had both -fallen in the action. - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -{267} - -[Illustration: SKETCH OF BATTLE OF GHELUVELT OCT 31st.] - -------------------------------------------------------------------- - -The line of the 3rd Brigade had been drawn up across the Menin road -some four hundred yards to the east of the village. The road itself -was held by {268} the 2nd Welsh Regiment, supported by the 54th -Battery (Major Peel), which was immediately behind the village. Both -the battalion and the battery fought desperately in a most exposed -situation. The Welsh Regiment were driven out of their trenches by a -terrific shell-fire followed by an infantry attack. They lost during -the day nearly six hundred men, with sixteen officers, killed, -wounded, or missing. Colonel Morland was killed and Major Prichard -badly wounded. Finally, after being pushed back, holding every -possible point, they formed up under Captain Rees across the open in -a thin skirmishing line to cover the battery, which was doing great -work by holding back the German advance. One German gun was in -action upon the Menin road. Lieutenant Blewitt took a British gun -out on to the bare road to face it, and a duel ensued at five hundred -yards, which ended by the German gun being knocked out at the third -shot by a direct hit. - -When the First Division at the centre of the British line were driven -in, as already described, and the Seventh Division were pushed back -into the woods, the situation became most critical, for there was a -general retirement, with a victorious enemy pressing swiftly on upon -the British centre. The men behaved splendidly, and the officers -kept their heads, taking every opportunity to form up a new line. -The 2nd Rifles and 1st North Lancashires in immediate support of the -centre did all that men could to hold it firm. The German artillery -lengthened their range as the British fell back, and the infantry, -with their murderous quick-firers scattered thickly in the front -line, came rapidly on. Communications were difficult, and everything -for a time was chaos {269} and confusion. It looked for an hour or -two as if Von Deimling, the German leader, might really carry out his -War Lord's command and break his road to the sea. It was one of the -decisive moments of the world's history, for if the Germans at that -period had seized the Channel ports, it is difficult to say how -disastrous the result might have been both to France and to the -British Empire. At that moment of darkness and doubt a fresh -misfortune, which might well have proved overwhelming, came upon the -hard-pressed forces. About 1.30 a shell exploded in the headquarters -at the chateau of Hooge, and both General Lomax, of the First -Division, and General Munro, of the Second, were put out of action, -the first being wounded and the second rendered unconscious by the -shock. It was a brain injury to the Army, and a desperately serious -one, for besides the two divisional commanders the single shell had -killed or wounded Colonels Kerr and Perceval, Major Paley, Captains -Ommany and Trench, and Lieutenant Giffard. General Landon, of the -3rd Brigade, took the command of the First Division at a moment's -notice, and the battle went forward. A line was hurriedly formed, -men digging as for their lives, whilst broken units threw themselves -down to hold off the rolling grey wave that thundered behind. The -new position was three-quarters of a mile back and about four hundred -yards in advance of Veldhoek, which is the next village down the -Ypres road. The Seventh Division had also been rolled back, but the -fiery Capper, their divisional chief, who has been described as a -British Samurai, was everywhere among his regiments, reforming and -bracing them. The British soldiers, with their incomparable {270} -regimental officers, rose to the crisis, whilst General Haig was -behind the line at Hooge, directing and controlling, like a great -engineer who seeks to hold a dam which carries an overpowering head -of water. By three o'clock the new line was firmly held. - -[Sidenote: Advance of Worcesters.] - -Now General Haig, seeking round for some means of making a -counter-attack, perceived that on his left flank he had some reserve -troops who had been somewhat clear of the storm and might be -employed. The 2nd Worcesters were ordered to advance upon Gheluvelt, -the initiative in this vital movement coming from General -Fitz-Clarence of the 1st Brigade. On that flank the troops had not -joined in the retirement, and, including the South Wales Borderers of -the 3rd Brigade, were still in their original trenches, being just -north of the swathe that had been cut in the British line, and just -south of where the Second Division, extended to cracking point, with -one man often for every eight or nine feet, and no supports, were -defending the left flank of the Army. - -When the village of Gheluvelt and the trenches to the north of it had -been captured by the enemy, a gap had been left of about five hundred -yards between the northern edge of the village and these South Wales -Borderers. This gap the 2nd Worcesters were ordered to fill. They -were in reserve at the time in the south-west corner of the Polygon -Wood, but on being called upon they made a brilliant advance under -Major Hankey. One company (A) was detached to guard the right flank -of the advance. The other three companies came on for a thousand -yards. At one point they had to cross two hundred and twenty yards -of open under heavy shrapnel-fire. One hundred men fell, but the -momentum of the charge {271} was never diminished. Their rapid and -accurate fire drove back the German infantry, while their open order -formation diminished their own losses. Finally they dashed into the -trenches and connected up the village with the line of the Welsh -Borderers. Their right platoons, under Captain Williams, held the -village until nearly midnight. Altogether the advance cost the -battalion 187 casualties, including 3 officers, out of 550 who were -in the ranks that day. Up to dusk the Worcesters were exposed to -heavy shrapnel-fire, and small detached parties of the enemy came -round their right flank, but their position was strengthened and -strongly held until the final readjustment of the line. It was a -fine advance at a critical moment, and did much to save the -situation. The whole movement was strongly supported by the guns of -the 42nd Battery, and by some of the 1st Scots Guards upon the left -of the Welsh Borderers. - -It has been stated that a line had been formed near Veldhoek, but -this difficult operation was not performed in an instant, and was -rather the final equilibrium established after a succession of -oscillations. The British were worn to a shadow. The 2nd Queen's -had 2 officers and 60 men left that night, the 2nd Welsh had 3 -officers and 93 men. Little groups, who might have been fitted into -a large-sized drawing-room, were settling a contention upon which the -fate of the world might depend. But the Germans also had spent all -their force. The rattle of musketry behind their advance was enough -to tell them that the British were still in their trenches, and the -guns were for ever playing on them with deadly effect. Gradually -they began to dissolve away among the thick woods which flank the -road. They were {272} learning that to penetrate the line of a -resolute adversary is not necessarily the prelude to victory. It may -mean that the farther you advance the more your flanks are exposed. -So it was now, when the infantry to the north on one side and the -Third Cavalry Division on the other were closing in on them. That -long tentacle which was pushing its way towards Ypres had to be -swiftly withdrawn once more, and withdrawn under a heavy fire from -the 29th, 41st, and 45th field batteries. - -[Sidenote: German recoil.] - -The scattered German infantry who had taken refuge in the woods of -Hooge, which lie to the south of the road, were followed up by -mounted and dismounted men of the Royals, 10th Hussars, and 3rd -Dragoon Guards, aided by some French cavalry. These troops advanced -through the woods, killing or taking a number of the enemy. By -nightfall the Germans had fallen back along the whole debated line; -the various British units, though much disorganised, were in close -touch with each other, and the original trenches had in the main been -occupied, the Berkshire Regiment helping to close the gap in the -centre. The flood had slowly ebbed away, and the shaken barrier was -steady once more, thanks to the master-hands which had so skilfully -held it firm. The village of Gheluvelt remained in the hands of the -Germans, but the British trenches were formed to the west of it, and -the road to the sea was barred as effectually as ever. These are the -main facts of the action of Gheluvelt, which may well be given a name -of its own, though it was only one supremely important episode in -that huge contention which will be known as the First Battle of Ypres. - -In the southern portion of the Ypres area at {273} Klein Zillebeke a -very sharp engagement was going on, which swung and swayed with as -much violence and change as the main battle on the Menin road. The -German attack here was hardly inferior in intensity to that in the -north. Having pushed back Lawford's weak brigade (22nd) it struck -full upon part of Bulfin's 2nd Brigade, which had been detached from -the First Division and sent to cover the right of the Seventh -Division. Its own flank was now exposed, and its situation for a -time was critical. The German advance was sudden and impetuous, -coming through a wood which brought the dense mass of the enemy's -leading formation almost unseen right up to the British line. The -position of the 2nd Brigade was pierced, and the two regiments -present, the 2nd Sussex and the 1st Northamptons, were driven back -with loss. Their brigadier rallied them some hundreds of yards to -the rear, where they formed up into a skirmish line in the open, and, -though unable to advance, kept back the Germans with their -rifle-fire. The losses still continued, however, and the enemy came -on again and again with numbers which seemed inexhaustible. Suddenly -there was a charging yell from behind a low slope covering the rear, -and over the brow there appeared some three hundred survivors of the -2nd Gordons, rushing at full speed with fixed bayonets. At the same -moment the dismounted troopers of the 6th Cavalry Brigade and a -company of sappers ran forward to join in the charge. The whole -British force was not one to three of its opponents, but as the -reinforcing line swept on, cheering with all its might, the survivors -of the hard-pressed brigade sprang up with a shout and the united -wave burst over the Germans. Next moment they had {274} broken and -were flying for their lives through the Zwartelen Wood. The pursuit -lasted for some distance, and a great number of the enemy were -bayoneted, while several hundreds were taken prisoners. - -[Sidenote: General result.] - -There have been few more critical occasions in the British operations -than this action upon October 31, when the Germans so nearly forced -their way to Ypres. It is the peculiarity of modern warfare that, -although vast armies are locked in a close struggle, the number of -men who can come into actual contact at any one point is usually far -more limited than in the old days, when each host could view the -other from wing to wing. Thus the losses in such an action are small -as compared with the terrific death-roll of a Napoleonic battle. On -the other hand, when the operations are viewed broadly and one groups -a series of actions into one prolonged battle, like the Aisne or -Ypres, then the resulting losses become enormous. The old battle was -a local conflagration, short and violent. The new one is a -widespread smoulder, breaking here and there into flame. In this -affair of Gheluvelt the casualties of the British did not exceed 2000 -or 3000, while those of the Germans, who were more numerous and who -incurred the extra loss which falls upon the attack, could not have -been less than twice that figure. One thousand five hundred dead -were actually picked up and six hundred prisoners were taken. Some -hundreds of prisoners were also taken by the enemy. The British -artillery, which worked desperately hard all day, had many losses -both upon the 30th and the 31st. The 12th Battery had all its guns -silenced but one, and many others were equally hard hit. - -On the night of the 31st considerable French {275} reinforcements -began to arrive, and it was high time that they did so, for the First -Corps, including the Seventh Division, were likely to bleed to death -upon the ground that they were holding. It had stood the successive -attacks of four German corps, and it had held its line against each -of them. But its own ranks had been grievously thinned and the men -were weary to death. The strain, it should be added, was equally -great upon the Ninth French Corps to the north, which had its own set -of assailants to contend with. Now that the line of the Yser, so -splendidly guarded by the Belgians, had proved to be impregnable, and -that the French from Dixmude in the north had repulsed all attacks, -the whole German advance upon Calais, for which Berlin was screaming, -was centred upon the Ypres lines. It was time, then, that some -relief should come to the hard-pressed troops. For several days the -French on the right and the left took the weight of the attack upon -themselves, and although the front was never free from fighting, -there was a short period of comparative rest for Haig's tired men. -In successive days they had lost Kruiseik, Zandvoorde, and Gheluvelt, -but so long as they held the semicircle of higher ground which covers -Ypres these small German gains availed them nothing. - -[Sidenote: A great crisis.] - -Looking back at the three actions of the 29th, 30th, and especially -of the 31st of October, one can clearly perceive that it was the -closest thing to a really serious defeat which the Army had had since -Le Cateau. If the Germans had been able to push home their attack -once again, it is probable that they would have taken Ypres, and that -the results would have been most serious. Sir John French is -reported {276} as having said that there was no time in the Mons -retreat when he did not see his way, great as were his difficulties, -but that there was a moment upon October 31 when he seemed to be at -the end of his resources. To Sir John at Ypres converged all the -cries for succour, and from him radiated the words of hope and -encouragement which stiffened the breaking lines. To him and to his -untiring lieutenant, Douglas Haig, the Empire owed more that day than -has ever been generally realised. The latter was up to the firing -line again and again rallying the troops. The sudden removal of the -two divisional commanders of the First Corps was a dreadful blow at -such a moment, and the manner in which General Landon, of the 3rd -Brigade, took over the command of the First Division at a moment's -notice was a most noteworthy performance. The fact that three -divisions of infantry with brigades which resembled battalions, and -battalions which were anything from companies to platoons, destitute -of reserves save for a few dismounted cavalry, barred the path to a -powerful German army, is one of the greatest feats of military -history. It was a very near thing. There was a time, it is said, -when the breech-blocks had actually been taken from the heavy guns in -order to disable them, and some of the artillery had been passed back -through Ypres. But the line held against all odds, as it has done so -often in the past. The struggle was not over. For a fortnight still -to come it was close and desperate. But never again would it be -quite so perilous as on that immortal last day of October, when over -the green Flemish meadows, beside the sluggish water-courses, on the -fringes of the old-world villages, and in the heart of {277} the -autumn-tinted woods, two great Empires fought for the mastery. - -Such was the British epic. There was another to the north which was -no less wonderful, and which will be celebrated by the poets and -historians of the lands to which the victors belong. It will tell of -the glorious stand during this critical ten days of the Belgians, so -weary, so battered, and yet so indomitable. It will tell how they -made head against the hosts of the Duke of Würtemberg, and how in the -end they flooded their own best land with the salt water which would -sterilise it in order to cover their front. It will tell also of the -splendid Frenchmen who fought at Dixmude, of Ronarch with his -invincible marines, and of Grossetti, the fat and debonair, seated in -an armchair in the village street and pointing the road to victory -with his cane. Not least, perhaps, in that epic will be the tale of -the British monitors who, with the deadly submarines upon one side of -them and the heavy German batteries upon the other, ran into the -Flemish coast and poured their fire upon the right flank of the -attacking Germans. Ten days the great battle swung and swayed, and -then here as at Ypres the wave of the invaders ebbed, or reached its -definite flood. It would be an ungenerous foe who would not admit -that they had fought bravely and well. Not all our hatred of their -national ideals nor our contempt for their crafty misleaders can -prevent us from saluting those German officers and soldiers who -poured out their blood like water in the attempt to do that which was -impossible. - - - - -{278} - -CHAPTER IX - -THE FIRST BATTLE OF YPRES (_continued_) - -(From the Action of Gheluvelt to the Winter Lull) - -Attack upon the cavalry--The struggle at Messines--The London Scots -in action--Rally to the north--Terrible losses--Action of -Zillebeke--Record of the Seventh Division--Situation at Ypres--Attack -of the Prussian Guard--Confused fighting--End of the First Battle of -Ypres--Death of Lord Roberts--The Eighth Division. - - -[Sidenote: Attack upon the cavalry.] - -Whilst this severe fighting had been going on to the north of the -British position, the centre, where the dismounted cavalry were -holding the line of trenches, was so terribly pressed that it is an -extraordinary thing that they were able to hold their own. The -Second Corps, which at that time had just been withdrawn for a rest -from the La Bassée lines, were the only available reinforcements. -When news was flashed south as to the serious state of affairs, two -regiments, the 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry and the 2nd Scottish -Borderers from the 13th Infantry Brigade, were sent up in motor-buses -by road to the relief. Strange indeed was the sight of these -vehicles flying along the Flemish roads, plastered outside with the -homely names of London suburbs and crammed with the grimy, -much-enduring infantry. The lines at Messines were in trouble, and -so also were those at Wytschaete farther to the north. To this -latter place {279} went two battalions of Shaw's 9th Brigade, the 1st -Northumberland Fusiliers and the 1st Lincolns. Hard work awaited the -infantry at Messines and at Wytschaete, for in both places Allenby's -troopers were nearly rushed off their feet. - -It has already been shown that on October 30 a severe assault was -made upon the Third Cavalry Division, when the 7th Brigade -(Kavanagh's) was forced out of Zandvoorde by the Fifteenth German -Army Corps. Upon this same date a most strenuous attack, made in -great force and supported by a terrific shell-fire, was directed -along the whole line of the cavalry from Wytschaete to Messines. No -British troops have been exposed to a more severe ordeal than these -brave troopers, for they were enormously outnumbered at every point, -and their line was so thin that it was absolutely impossible for them -to prevent it from being pierced by the masses of infantry, from the -Twenty-fourth Corps and Second Bavarian Corps, which were hurled -against them. From the extreme left of the Second Cavalry Division -near Wytschaete to the right of the First Cavalry Division south of -Messines the same reports came in to the anxious General, of trenches -overwhelmed or enfiladed, and of little isolated groups of men -struggling most desperately to keep a footing against an ever-surging -grey tide which was beating up against them and flowing through every -gap. In the north Gough's men were nearly overwhelmed, the 5th Irish -Lancers were shelled out of a farmhouse position, and the 16th -Lancers, shelled from in front and decimated by rifles and -machine-guns from the flank, were driven back for half a mile until -three French battalions helped the line to reform. The pressure, -however, {280} was still extreme, the Germans fighting with admirable -energy and coming forward in never-ending numbers. An Indian -regiment of the 7th (Ferozepore) Brigade, the 129th Baluchis, had -been helping the cavalry in this region since October 23, but their -ranks were now much decimated, and they were fought almost to a -standstill. Two more British regiments from the Second Corps, the -1st Lincolns and the 1st Northumberland Fusiliers of the 9th Brigade, -together with their Brigadier, Shaw, who was a reinforcement in -himself, were, as already stated, hurried off from the south in -motor-buses to strengthen Gough's line. Advancing into what was to -them an entirely strange position these two veteran regiments -sustained very heavy losses, which they bore with extreme fortitude. -They were surprised by the Germans on the road between Kemmel and -Wytschaete on the night of October 31, the same night upon which the -London Scottish to the south of them were so heavily engaged. -Colonel Smith succeeded in extricating the Lincolns from what was a -most perilous position, but only after a loss of 16 officers and 400 -men. The Fusiliers were almost as hard hit. For forty-eight hours -the battle swung backwards and forwards in front of Wytschaete, and -in the end the village itself was lost, but the defensive lines to -the west of it were firmly established. By November the second -strong French reinforcements had appeared, and it was clear that this -desperate attempt to break through the very centre of the British -position had definitely failed. - -[Sidenote: The struggle at Messines.] - -The struggle at Messines, some five miles to the south, had been even -more severe and sanguinary than at Wytschaete. In the early morning -of the 31st the Bays and the 5th Dragoon Guards upon the left of the -{281} Messines position, after a heavy shell-fire, were driven out of -their trenches by a sudden furious advance of the German infantry. -The front of the village of Messines was held by Wild's 57th Rifles, -who were driven in by the same attack, every officer engaged being -killed or wounded. A reserve company of Wild's Rifles and a squadron -of the 5th Dragoon Guards endeavoured to restore the fight, but could -not hold the torrent. The 9th Lancers, also in front of the village -and to the right of the Indians, held on for a long time, repulsing -the infantry attacks, until they were driven back by the deadly -shell-fire. At one time they were enfiladed on both sides and heard -the Germans roaring their war-songs in the dark all round them; but -they were able, owing to the coolness of Colonel Campbell and the -discipline of his veteran troopers, to fall back and to reform upon -the western side of the village. Lance-Corporal Seaton distinguished -himself by covering the retreat of his whole squadron, remaining -single-handed in his trench until his maxim was destroyed, after he -had poured a thousand shots into the close ranks of his assailants. - -The situation was so serious after dawn upon the 31st that General De -Lisle had to call for help from Wilson's Fourth Infantry Division, -holding the line upon his right. The Inniskilling Fusiliers were -extended so as to relieve his right flank. The struggle within -Messines was still going forward with fighting from house to house, -but the Germans, who were coming on with overpowering numbers and -great valour, were gradually winning their way forward. The -Oxfordshire Hussars, fresh from the base, were thrown into the -combat. A second line of defence {282} had been arranged a mile or -so to the west, near Wulverghem, but if Messines must go the victors -should at least pay the price down to the last drop of blood which -could be wrung from them. Reinforcements were within sight, both -French and British, but they were scanty in quantity though superb in -quality. It was a most critical position, and one cannot but marvel -at the load of responsibility which Sir John French had to bear upon -this day, for from the left of Haig's First Corps in the north down -to Neuve Chapelle in the south, a stretch of twenty-five miles, there -was hardly a point which was not strained to the verge of cracking. -Cool and alert, he controlled the situation from his central post and -threw in such reinforcements as he could find, though, indeed, they -could only be got by taking them from places where they were wanted -and hurrying them to places where they were needed even more -urgently. He was strengthened always by the knowledge that General -Joffre behind him was doing all that a loyal colleague could to find -fresh columns of his splendid infantrymen to buttress up the -hard-pressed line. - -For the moment, however, none of these were available, and Messines -was still partly in British, partly in German hands. Briggs's 1st -Brigade--Bays, 5th Dragoon Guards, and 11th Hussars--with the -Oxfords, held on to the western edge of the town. To their left, -linking up with Gough's men in the Wytschaete sector, was the 4th -Dragoon Guards. Late in the afternoon the 2nd Scots Borderers and -the 2nd Yorkshire Light Infantry, the joint detachment under Major -Coke, arrived from the south, and were at once advanced upon Messines -to stiffen the defence. {283} Under heavy fire they established -themselves in the village. Evening fell with desperate street -fighting and the relative position unchanged. Twice the Bavarians -stormed into the central square, and twice they fell back after -littering it with their bodies. It seemed hopeless to hold the -village against the ever-growing pressure of the Germans, and yet the -loss of the village entailed the loss of the ridge, which would leave -a commanding position in the hands of the enemy. Village and ridge -were mutually dependent, for if either were lost the other could not -be held. - -As it proved, it was the ridge and not the village which could no -longer sustain the pressure. On the night of October 31 Mullen's 2nd -Cavalry Brigade--9th Lancers, 4th Dragoon Guards, and 11th -Hussars--took over the defence from Briggs. Of these, the 4th -Dragoon Guards were to the left of the village upon the ridge. The -London Scottish had been brought up, and they were placed upon the -left of the 4th Dragoon Guards, forming a link of the defence which -connected up the Second Cavalry Division with the First. The -right-hand regiment of the latter, the 6th Carbineers, of Bingham's -4th Brigade, were upon the left of the London Scottish. These two -regiments held the centre of the ridge. The London Scottish had -already suffered considerable losses. Hurried up from the lines of -communication to St. Eloi, they were pushed forward at once into -action, and were exposed for hours to all the nerve-racking horrors -of a heavy shell-fire endured in most insufficient trenches. A more -severe ordeal was in store for them, however, during the grim night -which lay before them. The admirable behaviour of Colonel Malcolm's -men excited the more attention as they {284} were the first -Territorial infantry to come into action, and they set a standard -which has been grandly sustained by the quarter-million of their -comrades who have from first to last come into the line. - -[Sidenote: The London Scots in action.] - -On the early morning of November 1 there had been a strong attempt -within the village to improve the British position, and some ground -was actually gained by the cavalrymen, the Yorkshire Light Infantry, -and the Scots Borderers. What occurred, however, on the ridge to the -north made all further effort a useless waste of life. The Bavarian -infantry had come with an irresistible rush against the thin British -line. The order to hold their ground at all costs was given, and the -London Scots answered it in a way which gained the highest praise -from the many soldiers who saw it. It is not claimed that they did -better than their Regular comrades. That would be impossible. The -most that can be said is that they proved themselves worthy to fight -in line with them. After being exposed for several hours to heavy -shellfire, it was no light task for any troops to be called upon to -resist a direct assault. From nine in the evening of October 31 to -two in the morning, under the red glare of burning houses, Colonel -Malcolm's Scottish and Colonel Annesley's Carbineers held back the -Bavarian advance, an advance which would have meant the piercing of -the British line. At two o'clock the Bavarians in greatly -predominant force were all round the Scots, and even the reserve -companies found work for their bayonets, preventing the enemy from -encircling their companions. The losses were very heavy--400 men and -9 officers, including their gallant doctor, M'Nab, who was -villainously stabbed as he bandaged a patient. In spite of the great -pressure, {285} the ground was held all night, and it was not till -dawn, when the regiment found that it was outflanked on both sides -and nearly surrounded, that, under cover of the fire of E Battery -R.H.A., it fell back. The Carbineers and the Scots were close -together, and the Germans, with their usual quick ingenuity, -approached the former with a cry of "We are the London Scots." A -disaster might have occurred in the darkness but for the quickness -and bravery of a young officer, Lieutenant Hope Hawkins, who rushed -forward, discovered the identity of the Germans, and fell, riddled -with bullets, even while he gave warning to his comrades. - -The Germans had won the ridge, but the British line was still intact -and growing stronger every hour. The village was held by the Scots -Borderers and Yorkshiremen until nearly ten o'clock, when they were -ordered to fall back and help to man the new line. The shock had -been a rude one, but the danger-hour was past here as in the north. - -The fateful November 1 had come and gone. The villages of Messines -and Wytschaete were, it is true, in German hands, but French -reinforcements of the Sixteenth Corps were streaming up from the -south, the line, though torn and broken, still held firm, and the -road to Calais was for ever blocked. There was still pressure, and -on November 2 the 11th Hussars were badly cut up by shell-fire, but -the line was impregnable. Sir John French summed up in a few terse -words the true meaning of the operations just described, when he said -afterwards, in addressing the 9th Lancers, "Particularly I would -refer to the period, October 31, when for forty-eight hours the -Cavalry Corps held at bay two German army corps. {286} During this -period you were supported by only three or four battalions, shattered -and worn by previous fighting, and in so doing you rendered -inestimable service." There have been few episodes in the war which -have been at the same time so splendid and so absolutely vital. The -First Cavalry Division lost 50 per cent of its numbers between -October 30 and November 2, and the Second Division was hardly in -better case, but never did men give their lives to better purpose. -Their heroism saved the Army. - -[Sidenote: Rally to the north.] - -Meanwhile the current of operations was evidently running strongly -towards the northern end of the British line, where help was badly -needed, as Haig's men had been fought almost to exhaustion. There -was no British reinforcement available save only the weary Second -Corps, the remains of which from this date began to be drafted -northwards. It was already known that the German Emperor had -appeared in person in that region, and that a great concentration of -his troops was taking place. At the same time the French were making -splendid exertions in order to stiffen their own line and help us in -those parts, like Messines, Wytschaete, and Ploegsteert, where the -attack was most formidable. It was a great gathering towards the -north, and clearly some hard blows were to be struck. Northwards -then went General Morland, of the Fifth Division, taking with him -four more weak battalions. The whole line had moved upwards towards -the danger spot, and these troops now found themselves east of -Bailleul, close to the village of Neuve Eglise. For the moment -General Smith-Dorrien was without an army, for half his men were now -supporting General Willcocks in the south {287} and half General -Allenby or General Haig in the north. The British leaders all along -the line were, as usual, desperately endeavouring to make one man do -the work of three, but they were buoyed up by the knowledge that good -Father Joffre, like some beneficent earthly Providence, was watching -over them from the distance, and that fresh trainfuls of his brave -little men were ever steaming into the danger zone. Day by day the -line was thickening and the task of the Kaiser becoming more -difficult. It was hoped that the crisis was past. If our troops -were exhausted so also, it was thought, were those of the enemy. We -could feel elated by the knowledge that we had held our ground, while -they could hardly fail to be depressed by the reflection that they -had made little progress in spite of so many heroic efforts, and that -Calais was as far from them as ever. - -The narrative must now return to the defenders of the Ypres -approaches, who were left in a state of extreme exhaustion by the -critical action of October 31. On November 1 the First Corps was not -in a condition to do more than to hold its line. This line was now -near to Veldhoek, to the west of Gheluvelt village, and to that -extent the Germans had profited by their desperate fighting, but this -was a detail of small consequence so long as an unbroken British Army -covered the town that was still the objective of the enemy. The -Ninth French Corps to the north of the British had lost heavily, but -to the south of the canal lay the Sixteenth French Corps, which was -in comparatively good condition. This corps now made an advance to -take some of the pressure off the British line, while Moussy's -regiments to the north of the canal were to co-operate with Bulfin's -men upon their {288} left. Upon the left of Bulfin's 2nd Brigade -were two battalions of the 4th Brigade of Guards. - -One of these battalions had a terrible experience upon this morning. -For some reason the trenches of the Irish Guards were exposed to an -enfilading fire from the high explosives of the Germans, which -wrought even more than their customary damage. For hours the -Guardsmen lay under a terrific fire, to which they could make no -reply, and from which they could obtain no protection. When at last, -in the afternoon, they were compelled to fall back, their losses had -been great, including their colonel, Lord Ardee, 7 other officers, -and over 300 men. It is the hard fate of the side which is weaker in -artillery to endure such buffetings with no possibility of return. - -The French attack of the Sixteenth Corps had been brought to a speedy -standstill, and a severe counter-attack, preceded by a heavy -shell-fire, had fallen upon General Moussy's men and upon the half of -the 2nd Brigade. Help was urgently needed, so the remains of the 7th -Brigade from the Third Cavalry Division were hurried forward. The -Germans were now surging up against the whole right and right-centre -of the line. It seems to have been their system to attack upon -alternate days on the right and on the centre, for it will be -remembered that it was on October 29 that they gained the Gheluvelt -cross-roads, and on October 31 Gheluvelt village, both in the centre, -while on October 30 they captured the Zandvoorde ridge upon the -British right, and now, on November 1, were pressing hard upon the -right once more. - -That morning the Army sustained a loss in the person of General -Bulfin, who was wounded in the {289} head by shrapnel. Fortunately -his recovery was not a lengthy one, and he was able to return in -January as commander of the Twenty-eighth Division. Upon his fall, -Lord Cavan, of the 4th Brigade, took over the command upon the -hard-pressed right wing. At half-past one the hundred survivors of -the 2nd Gordons, on the right of the Seventh Division, and the 2nd -Oxford and Bucks, were desperately hard pressed by a strong German -infantry advance, and so were the remains of the Sussex and -Northamptons. The only available help lay in the 23rd Field Company -of Royal Engineers. Our sappers proved, as they have so often done -before, that their hearts are as sound as their heads. They pushed -off the enemy, but incurred heavy losses. The situation was still -critical when at the summons of Lord Cavan the 2nd Grenadiers -advanced and cleared the Germans from the woods in the front and -flank, while the 10th Hussars supported their advance. A gap had -been left in the trenches from which the Irish Guards had been -pushed, but this was now filled up by cavalry, who connected up with -the French on their right and with the Guards upon their left. The -general effect of the whole day's fighting was to drive the British -line farther westward, but to contract it, so that it required a -smaller force. Two battalions--the Gordons and the Sussex--could be -taken out and brought into reserve. The centre of the line had a -day's rest and dug itself into its new positions, but the units were -greatly mixed and confused. - -November 2 brought no surcease from the constant fighting, though the -disturbance of these days, severe as it was, may be looked upon as a -mere ground swell after the terrific storm of the last days of -October. {290} On the morning of the 2nd the Ninth French Corps upon -the British left, under General Vidal, sent eight battalions forward -to the south and east in the direction of Gheluvelt. Part of this -village was actually occupied by them. The Germans meanwhile, with -their usual courage and energy, were driving a fresh attack down that -Menin road which had so often been reddened by their blood. It was -the day for a centre attack on their stereotyped system of alternate -pushes, and it came duly to hand. An initial success awaited them -as, getting round a trench occupied by the Rifles, they succeeded in -cutting off a number of them. The 3rd Brigade was hurried up by -General Landon to the point of danger, and a French Zouave regiment -helped to restore the situation. A spirited bayonet charge, in which -the Gloucesters led, was beaten back by the enemy's fire. After a -day of confused and desultory fighting the situation in the evening -was very much as it had been in the morning. Both that night and the -next day there was a series of local and sporadic attacks, first on -the front of the Second Division and then of the Seventh, all of -which were driven back. The Germans began to show their despair of -ever gaining possession of Ypres by elevating their guns and dropping -shells upon the old Cloth Hall of that historic city, a senseless act -of spiteful vandalism which exactly corresponds with their action -when the Allied Army held them in front of Rheims. - -November 4 was a day of menaces rather than of attacks. On this day, -units which had become greatly mixed during the incessant and -confused fighting of the last fortnight were rearranged and counted. -The losses were terrible. The actual {291} strength of the infantry -of the First Division upon that date was: 1st Brigade, 22 officers, -1206 men; 2nd Brigade, 43 officers, 1315 men: 3rd Brigade, 27 -officers, 970 men; which make the losses of the whole division about -75 per cent. Those of the Second Division were very little lighter. -And now for the 25 per cent remainder of this gallant corps there was -not a moment of breathing space or rest, but yet another fortnight of -unremitting work, during which their thin ranks were destined to hold -the German army, and even the Emperor's own Guard, from passing the -few short miles which separated them from their objective. Great was -the "will to conquer" of the Kaiser's troops, but greater still the -iron resolve not to be conquered which hardened the war-worn lines of -the soldiers of the King. - -[Sidenote: Terrible losses.] - -November 5 was a day of incessant shell-fire, from which the Seventh -Division, the 4th and the 6th Brigades were the chief sufferers. On -this day the Seventh Division, which had now been reduced from 12,000 -infantry to 2333, was withdrawn from the line. In their place were -substituted those reinforcements from the south which have already -been mentioned. These consisted of eleven battalions of the Second -Corps under General McCracken; this corps, however, was greatly worn, -and the eleven battalions only represented 3500 rifles. The Seventh -Division was withdrawn to Bailleul in the south, but Lawford's 22nd -Brigade was retained in corps reserve, and was destined to have one -more trial before it could be spared for rest. The day was memorable -also for a vigorous advance of the Gloucester Regiment, which was -pushed with such hardihood that they {292} sustained losses of nearly -half their numbers before admitting that they could not gain their -objective. A description has been given here of the events of the -north of the line and of the cavalry positions, but it is not to be -supposed that peace reigned on the south of this point. On the -contrary, during the whole period under discussion, while the great -fight raged at Ypres, there had been constant shelling and occasional -advances against the Third Corps in the Armentières section, and also -against the Indians and the Second Corps down to the La Bassée Canal. - -The most serious of these occurred upon November 9. Upon this date -the Germans, who had knocked so loudly at Messines and at Wytschaete -without finding that any opening through our lines was open to them, -thought that they might find better luck at Ploegsteert, which is a -village on the same line as the other two. Wytschaete is to the -north, Messines in the middle, and Ploegsteert in the south, each on -the main road from Ypres to Armentières, with about four miles -interval between each. The German attack was a very strong one, but -the hundredfold drama was played once more. On the 3rd Worcesters -fell the brunt, and no more solid fighters have been found in the -Army than those Midland men from the very heart of England. A -temporary set-back was retrieved and the line restored. Major -Milward, of the Worcesters, a very gallant officer, was grievously -wounded in this affair. The counter-attack which restored the -situation was carried out mainly by the 1st East Lancashires, who -lost Major Lambert and a number of men in the venture. - -[Sidenote: Action of Zillebeke.] - -Upon November 6, about 2 P.M., a strong German advance drove in those -French troops who were on {293} the right of Lord Cavan's -Brigade--4th--which occupied the extreme right of Haig's position. -point was between Klein Zillebeke and the canal, where a German -lodgment would have been most serious. The retirement of the French -exposed the right flank of the 1st Irish Guards. This flank was -strongly attacked, and for the second time in a week this brave -regiment endured very heavy losses. No. 2 company was driven back to -the support trenches, and No. 1 company, being isolated, was -destroyed. Their neighbours on the left, the 2nd Grenadiers stood -fast, but a great and dangerous alley-way was left for the Germans -round the British right wing. The situation was splendidly saved by -Kavanagh's 7th Cavalry Brigade, who galloped furiously down the road -to the place where they were so badly needed. This hard-worked -_corps d'élite_, consisting of the 1st and 2nd Life Guards supported -by the Blues, now dismounted and flung themselves into the gap, a -grimy line of weather-stained infantry with nothing left save their -giant physique and their spurs to recall the men who are the pride of -our London streets. The retiring French rallied at the sight of the -sons of Anak. An instant later the Germans were into them, and there -was a terrific _mêlée_ of British, French, and Prussians, which swung -and swayed over the marshland and across the road. Men drove their -bayonets through each other or fired point-blank into each other's -bodies in a most desperate fight, the Germans slowly but surely -recoiling, until at last they broke. It was this prompt and vigorous -stroke by Kavanagh's Brigade which saved a delicate situation. Of -the three cavalry regiments engaged, two lost their colonels--Wilson -of the Blues and Dawnay {294} of the 2nd Life Guards. Sixteen -officers fell in half an hour. The losses in rank and file were also -heavy, but the results were great and indeed vital. The whole -performance was an extraordinarily fine one. - -[Sidenote: Record of the Seventh Division.] - -Early on the morning of November 7 Lawford's 22nd Brigade, which was -now reduced to 1100 men, with 7 officers, was called upon to retake a -line of trenches which the enemy had wrested from a neighbouring -unit. Unbroken in nerve or spirit by their own terrific losses, they -rushed forward, led by Lawford himself, a cudgel in his hand, carried -the trench, captured three machine-guns, held the trench till -evening, and then retired for a time from the line. Captains -Vallentin and Alleyne, who led the two regiments into which the -skeleton brigade had been divided, both fell in this feat of arms. -After this action there remained standing the brigadier, 3 officers, -and 700 men. The losses of the brigade work out at 97 per cent of -the officers and 80 per cent of the men, figures which can seldom -have been matched in the warfare of any age, and yet were little in -excess of the other brigades, as is shown by the fact that the whole -division on November 7 numbered 44 officers and 2336 men. It is true -that many British regiments found themselves in this campaign with -not one single officer or man left who had started from England, but -these were usually the effects of months of campaigning. In the case -of the Seventh Division, all these deadly losses had been sustained -in less than three weeks. Britain's soldiers have indeed been -faithful to the death. Their record is the last word in endurance -and military virtue. - -The division was now finally withdrawn from the fighting line. It -has already been stated that there {295} were reasons which made its -units exceptionally fine ones. In General Capper they possessed a -leader of enormous energy and fire, whilst his three -brigadiers--Watts, Lawford, and Ruggles-Brise--could not be surpassed -by any in the Army. Yet with every advantage of officers and men -there will always be wonder as well as admiration for what they -accomplished. For three days, before the First Corps had come -thoroughly into line, they held up the whole German advance, leaving -the impression upon the enemy that they were faced by two army corps. -Then for twelve more days they held the ground in the very -storm-centre of the attack upon Ypres. When at last the survivors -staggered from the line, they had made a name which will never die. - -[Sidenote: Situation at Ypres.] - -The bulk of Smith-Dorrien's Corps had now been brought north, so that -from this date (November 7) onwards the story of the First and Second -Corps is intimately connected. When we last saw this corps it will -be remembered that it had been withdrawn from the front, having lost -some twelve thousand men in three weeks of La Bassée operations, and -that the Indian Corps had taken over their line of trenches. Such -fighting men could not, however, be spared in the midst of such a -fight. The hospital was the only rest that any British soldier could -be afforded. Whilst they had still strength to stand they must line -up to the German flood or be content to see it thunder past them to -the coast. They were brought north, save only Bowes' 8th Brigade and -Maude's 14th, which remained with the Indians in the south. Although -the Seventh Division had been drawn out of the line, its attendant -cavalry division still remained to give its very efficient help to -General Haig. {296} The British position, though by no means secure, -was getting stronger day by day, for General d'Urbal of the Eighth -French Army to the north, and General Maud'huy to the south, had both -been strongly reinforced, and with their usual good comradeship did -all they could to strengthen the flanks and shorten the front of the -British line. - -The men of the Second Corps who had come north from the La Bassée -district were not left long unmolested in their new sphere of -operations. On the afternoon of November 7 there was a hot German -attack upon that portion of the line which had just been vacated by -the Seventh Division. The trenches were now held by the Fifth -Division (Morland's). - -The enemy may have hoped for some advantage from a change which they -may well have observed, but they found that, though the units might -be different, the same old breed still barred their path. On this -occasion, after the early rush had spent itself upon the 1st -Lincolns, it was the 2nd West Ridings who led the counter-charge. -The line, however, was never fully re-established. A number of -smaller attacks broke upon the front of the Second Division on the -same day, leaving a few score of prisoners behind them as they ebbed. -On the same day, November 7, the enemy got into the trenches of the -2nd Highland Light Infantry and remained in them, for all of them -were bayoneted or taken. Upon this day the London Scottish were -brought up into the Ypres line--a sign, if one were needed, that -after the action described they were accepted as the peers of their -comrades of the Regular Army, for no empty compliments are passed -when the breaking of a unit may mean the enfilading of a line. - -{297} - -November 8 was a quiet day, but it was well known from every report -of spy, scout, and aeroplane to be the lull before the storm. One -German brigade came down the Menin road, and went up it again leaving -a hundred dead on or beside the causeway. This attack inflicted some -loss upon the 1st North Lancashires and on the 1st Scots Guards. The -1st Bedfords captured a trench that night. The 9th and the 10th were -uneventful, and the tired troops rested on their arms, though never -free for an hour from the endless pelting of shells. To the north -and east the Eagles were known to be gathering. There were the -Emperor, the Emperor's Guard, and a great fresh battle of the Germans -ready for one grand final dash for Calais, with every rifle in the -firing line and every cannon to support it. Grave messages came from -headquarters, warning words were passed to anxious brigadiers, who -took counsel with their colonels as to fire-fields and supports. -Batteries were redistributed, depleted limbers refilled, and -observation posts pushed to the front, while the untiring sappers -gave the last touches to traverse and to trench. All was ready for -the fray. So close were the lines that at many points the -conversations of the enemy could be heard. - -[Sidenote: Attack of the Prussian Guard.] - -The Germans had already concentrated a large number of troops against -this part of the British line, and they were now secretly reinforced -by a division of the Prussian Guard. Documents found afterwards upon -the dead show that the Guard had had special orders from the Emperor -to break the line at all costs. The brigades which attacked were -made up of the 1st and 2nd Foot Guards, the Kaiser Franz Grenadiers -No. 2, the Königin Augusta Grenadiers No. 4, and {298} the battalion -of Garde Jäger--13,000 men in all. It was to be victory or death -with the _corps d'élite_ of the German army, but it was no less -victory or death with the men who opposed them. After an artillery -preparation of appalling intensity for three hours along the line of -both the First and Second Divisions, the infantry advance began about -9.30 on the morning of November 11 amid a storm of wind and rain. -They are gregarious fighters, the Germans, finding comfort and -strength in the rush of serried ranks. Even now the advance was made -in a close formation, but it was carried out with magnificent dash, -amazing valour, and a pedantic precision which caused, for example, -the leading officers to hold their swords at the carry. The Prussian -Guardsmen seemed to have lost nothing, and also to have learned -nothing, since their famous predecessors lay dead in their ranks -before St. Privat, forty-four years before. The attack was directed -against the front of the two divisions of the First British Army -Corps, but especially on the 1st Brigade, so that Guardsman faced -Guardsman, as at Fontenoy. There were none of the chivalrous -greetings of 1745, however, and a stern hatred hardened the hearts of -either side. The German Guard charged on the north of the Menin -road, while a second advance by troops of the line was made upon the -south, which withered away before the British fire. Nothing could -stop the Guards, however. With trenches blazing and crackling upon -their flank, for the advance was somewhat diagonal, they poured over -the British position and penetrated it at three different points -where the heavy shells had overwhelmed the trenches and buried the -occupants, who, in some cases, were {299} bayoneted as they struggled -out from under the earth. It was a terrific moment. The yells of -the stormers and the shrill whistles of their officers rose above the -crash of the musketry-fire and roar of the guns. The British fought -in their customary earnest silence, save for the short, sharp -directions of their leaders. "They did not seem angry--only -business-like," said a hostile observer. The troops to the immediate -north of the Menin road, who had been shelled out of their trenches -by the bombardment, were forced back and brushed aside into the woods -to the north, while the Germans poured through the gap. The 4th -Royal Fusiliers of the 9th Brigade, upon the right of the point where -the enemy had penetrated, were enfiladed and lost their gallant -colonel, MacMahon, a soldier who had done great service from the day -of Mons, and had just been appointed to a brigade. The regiment, -which has worked as hard and endured as great losses as any in the -campaign, was reduced to 2 officers and 100 men. - -The German Guard poured on into the woods which lay in the immediate -rear of the British position, but their formation was broken and the -individualism of the Briton began to tell. Next to MacMahon's -regiment lay the 1st Scots Fusiliers, sister battalion to that which -had been destroyed upon October 31. With fierce joy they poured -volleys into the flank of the Guard as the grey figures rushed past -them into the woods. Four hundred dead Germans were afterwards -picked out from the underwood at this point. The Scots Fusiliers -were also hard hit by the German fire. - -At this period the Germans who had come through the line had skirted -the south of a large wood of {300} half-grown trees, called the -Polygon Wood, and had advanced into the farther one, named -Nonnebusch. At this point they were close to the British artillery, -which they threatened to overwhelm. The 41st Brigade R.F.A., and -especially the 16th Field Battery, were in the immediate line of -their advance, and the gunners looking up saw the grey uniforms -advancing amid the trees. Colonel Lushington, who commanded the -artillery brigade, hurriedly formed up a firing line under his -adjutant, composed partly of his own spare gunners and partly of a -number of Engineers, reinforced by cooks, officers' servants, and -other odd hands who are to be found in the rear of the army, but -seldom expect to find themselves in the van of the fight. It was a -somewhat grotesque array, but it filled the gap and brought the -advance to a halt, though the leading Germans were picked up -afterwards within seventy yards of the guns. Whilst the position was -critical at this point of the front, it was no less so upon the -extreme right, where the French detachment, who still formed a link -between the canal on the south and the British right flank, were -shelled out of their trenches and driven back. Lord Cavan's 4th -Brigade, their nearest neighbours, were too hard pressed to be able -to help them. To the north of the Menin road a number of British -units were intact, and these held up the German flood in that region. -There are two considerable woods--the Polygon to the north and the -Nonnebusch to the south-west of the Polygon--the edges of which have -defined the British position, while their depths have harboured their -artillery. Now the 1st King's Liverpool Regiment held firm to the -south of the Polygon Wood, while north of them were {301} the 2nd -Highland Light Infantry, with a field company of Engineers. Farther -to the south-west were the 1st Connaught Rangers, while on the other -side of the Nonnebusch road was the 7th Cavalry Brigade. In the -afternoon of this day the enemy, skirting the south of the Polygon -Wood, had actually entered the Nonnebusch Wood, in which it faced the -artillery as already described. In the Polygon Wood, when they -penetrated the trenches of the 1st Brigade, they had the King's -Liverpool Regiment on their right, which refused to move, so that for -a long time the Prussian Guard and the King's lay side by side with a -traverse between them. "Our right is supported by the Prussian -Guard," said the humorous adjutant of the famous Lancashire regiment. -While the main body of the Guard passed on, some remained all day in -this trench. - -The German Guardsmen had been prevented from submerging the 41st -Brigade of Artillery, and also the 35th Heavy Battery, by the -resistance of an improvised firing line. But a more substantial -defence was at hand. The 2nd Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry, which -had been in divisional reserve near Ypres, had been brought forward -and found itself at Westhoek, near the threatened guns. This -regiment is the old 52nd, of the Peninsular Light Division, a famous -corps which threw itself upon the flank of Napoleon's Guard at -Waterloo and broke it in the crisis of the battle. Once again within -a century an Imperial Guard was to recoil before its disciplined -rush. Under Colonel Davies the regiment swept through the wood from -north-west to south-east, driving the Germans, who had already been -badly shaken by the artillery fire, in a headlong rout. {302} Many -threw down their arms. The loss to the Oxfords was surprisingly -small, well under fifty in all. As they emerged from the wood they -were joined by some of the 1st Northamptons from the 2nd Brigade upon -the right, while on the left there was a rush of Connaughts and -Highland Light Infantry from their own (Haking's) brigade and of -Engineers of the 25th Field Company, who showed extraordinary -initiative and gallantry, pushing on rapidly, and losing all their -officers save one and a number of their men without flinching for an -instant. A party of the Gloucesters, too, charged with the -Northamptons upon the right, for by this time units were badly mixed -up, as will always happen in woodland fighting. "It was all a -confused nightmare," said one who tried to control it. The line of -infantry dashed forward, a company of the Oxfords under Captain H. M. -Dillon in the lead, and the khaki wave broke over a line of trenches -which the Germans had taken, submerging all the occupants. There was -another line in front, but as the victorious infantry pushed forward -to this it was struck in the flank by a fire from French batteries, -which had been unable to believe that so much progress could have -been made in so short a time. - -It was now nearly dark, and the troops were in the last stage of -exhaustion. Of the 1st Brigade something less than 400 with 4 -officers could be collected. It was impossible to do more than hold -the line as it then existed. Two brave attempts were made in the -darkness to win back the original front trenches, but it could not be -done, for there were no men to do it. Save for one small corner of -the Polygon Wood, the Germans had been completely {303} cleared out -from the main position. At twelve and at four, during the night, the -British made a forward movement to regain the advanced trenches, but -in each case the advance could make no progress. At the very -beginning of the second attempt General FitzClarence, commanding the -1st Brigade, was killed, and the movement fizzled out. Besides -General FitzClarence, the Army sustained a severe loss in General -Shaw of the 9th Brigade, who was struck by a shell splinter, though -happily the wound was not mortal. The German losses were exceedingly -severe: 700 of their dead were picked up within a single section of -the British line, but the main loss was probably sustained in the -advance before they reached the trenches. Killed, wounded, and -prisoners, their casualties cannot have been less than 10,000 men.[1] -It was a fine attack, bravely delivered by fresh troops against weary -men, but it showed the German leaders once for all that it was -impossible to force a passage through the lines. The Emperor's -Guard, driven on by the Emperor's own personal impetus, had recoiled -broken, even as the Guard of a greater Emperor had done a century -before from the indomitable resistance of the British infantry. The -constant fighting had reduced British brigades to the strength of -battalions, battalions to companies, and companies to weak platoons, -but the position was still held. They had, it is true, lost about -five hundred yards of ground in the battle, but a shorter line was at -once dug, organised, and manned. The barrier to Ypres was as strong -as ever. - - -[1] The German returns for the Guard alone at this battle are -reported at 1170 dead, 3991 wounded, 1719 missing. - - -The strain upon the men, however, had been terrific. "Bearded, -unwashed, sometimes plagued {304} with vermin, the few who remained -in the front line were a terrible crew," says the American, Coleman. -"They were like fierce, wild beasts," says another observer. They -had given their all, almost to their humanity, to save Britain. May -the day never come when Britain will refuse to save them. - -[Sidenote: Confused fighting.] - -Glancing for a moment down the line to the south, there had been -continuous confused contention during this time, but no great attack -such as distinguished the operations in the north. Upon November 7 -two brisk assaults were made by the Germans in the Armentières area, -one upon the Fourth Division of the Third Corps and the other upon -the Seaforth Highlanders, who were brigaded with the Indians. In -each case the first German rush carried some trenches, and in each -the swift return of the British regained them. There were moderate -losses upon both sides. On the same date the 13th Infantry Brigade -lost the services of Colonel Martyn of the 1st West Kents, who was -seriously wounded the very day after he had been appointed to a -brigade. - -This attack upon November 11 represents the absolute high-water mark -of the German efforts in this battle, and the ebb was a rapid one. -Upon November 12 and the remainder of the week, half-hearted attempts -were made upon the British front, which were repulsed without -difficulty. To the north of the line, where the French had held -their positions with much the same fluctuations which had been -experienced by their Allies, the German assault was more violent and -met with occasional success, though it was finally repelled with very -great loss. The 14th was to the French what the 11th had been to the -British--the culmination of {305} violence and the prelude of rest. -The weather throughout this period was cold and tempestuous, which -much increased the strain upon the weary troops. Along the whole -line from Ypres to Bethune there were desultory shellings with an -occasional dash by one side or the other, which usually ended in the -capture of a trench and its recapture by the supports in the rear. -It was in one of these sporadic German attacks in the Klein Zillebeke -section that the 2nd King's Royal Rifles held their trench against -heavy odds, and their machine-gun officer, Lieutenant Dimmer, thrice -wounded and still fighting, won the coveted Cross by his valour. -Each gallant advance and capture of the Germans was countered by an -equally gallant counter-attack and recapture by the British. The -long line sagged and swayed, but never bent or broke. The era of -battles had passed, but for thirty miles the skirmishes were -incessant. So mixed and incessant had been the fighting that it was -a very difficult task during these days to tidy up the line and get -each scattered group of men back to its own platoon, company, and -battalion. - -On Tuesday, November 17, the fighting suddenly assumed a more -important character. The attack was again in the Ypres section and -fell chiefly upon the battalions of the Second Corps, if so dignified -a name as "battalion" can be given to bodies of men which consisted -very often of less than a normal company, commanded, perhaps, by two -junior officers. The 4th Brigade of Guards was also heavily engaged -this day, and so were the cavalry of the Third Division. The general -locale of the action was the same as that which had been so often -fought over before, the Second Corps being to the south of the -Ypres-Menin {306} road, with Lord Cavan's Guardsmen upon their right -and the cavalry upon the right of the Guards. After a severe -shelling there was a serious infantry advance, about one o'clock, -which took some trenches, but was finally driven back and chased for -a quarter of a mile. McCracken's 7th Brigade bore a chief part in -this fighting, and the 1st Wiltshires particularly distinguished -themselves by a fine charge led by Captain Cary-Barnard. The 2nd -Grenadiers did great work during the day. - -An even heavier advance was made in the afternoon to the south of -that which was broken in the morning. This involved an oblique -advance across the British front, which was stopped and destroyed -before it reached the trenches by the deadly fire of rifles and -machine-guns. Over a thousand dead were left as a proof of the -energy of the attack and the solidity of the resistance. Farther to -the south a similar attack was beaten back by the cavalry after a -preliminary shelling in which the 3rd Dragoon Guards suffered -severely. This attack was repelled by the Third Cavalry Division, to -which the Leicestershire and North Somerset Yeomanry were now -attached. The latter did fine service in this action. Altogether, -November 17 was a good day for the British arms and a most expensive -one for the Germans. - -[Sidenote: End of the first Battle of Ypres.] - -We have now reached the end of the Battle of Ypres, which attained -its maximum fury, so far as the British line was concerned, from -October 29 to November 11. This great contest raged from the sand -dunes of the north, where the Belgians fought so well, through the -French Marine Brigade at Dixmude, and the Ninth French Corps, to -General Haig's Corps, which was buttressed on the right towards {307} -the latter part of the battle by the Sixteenth French Corps. Farther -south yet another French corps supported and eventually took the -place of the British cavalry opposite the lost villages of Wytschaete -and Messines. From there ran the unbroken lines of the imperturbable -Third Corps, which ended to the south in the trenches originally held -by the Second British Corps, and later by the Indians. Across the La -Bassée Canal the French once again took up the defence. - -It is not an action, therefore, which can be set down to the -exclusive credit of any one nation. Our Allies fought gloriously, -and if their deeds are not set down here, it is from want of space -and of precise information, not from want of appreciation. But, -turning to the merely British aspect of the fight--and beyond all -doubt the heavier share fell upon the British, who bore the brunt -from the start to the end,--it may be said that the battle lasted a -clear month, from October 12, when Smith-Dorrien crossed the La -Bassée Canal, to November 11, when the German Guard reeled out of the -Nonnebusch Wood. We are so near these great events that it is hard -to get their true proportion, but it is abundantly clear that the -battle, in its duration, the space covered, the numbers engaged, and -the losses endured, was far the greatest ever fought up to that time -by a British Army. At Waterloo the losses were under 10,000. In -this great fight they were little short of 50,000. The fact that the -enemy did not recoil and that there was no sensational capture of -prisoners and guns has obscured the completeness of the victory. In -these days of nations in arms a beaten army is buttressed up or -reabsorbed by the huge forces of {308} which it is part. One judges -victory or defeat by the question whether an army has or has not -reached its objective. In this particular case, taking a broad view -of the whole action, a German force of at least 600,000 men set forth -to reach the coast, and was opposed by a force of less than half its -numbers who barred its way. The Germans did not advance five miles -in a month of fighting, and they lost not less than 150,000 men -without any military advantage whatever, for the possession of such -villages as Gheluvelt, Wytschaete, or Messines availed them not at -all. If this is not a great victory, I do not know what military -achievement would deserve the term. Ypres was a Plevna--but a Plevna -which remained for ever untaken. - -[Sidenote: Death of Lord Roberts.] - -On November 15 Lord Roberts died whilst visiting the Army, having -such an end as he would have chosen, within earshot of the guns and -within the lines of those Indian soldiers whom he loved and had so -often led. The last words of his greatest speech to his -fellow-countrymen before the outbreak of that war which he had -foreseen, and for which he had incessantly tried to prepare, were -that they should quit themselves like men. He lived to see them do -so, and though he was not spared to see the final outcome, his spirit -must at least have been at rest as to the general trend of the -campaign. The tradition of his fascinating character, with its -knightly qualities of gentleness, bravery, and devotion to duty, will -remain as a national possession. - -[Sidenote: The Eighth Division.] - -About this time, though too late for the severe fighting, there -arrived the Eighth Division, which would enable Sir Henry Rawlinson -to complete his Fourth Corps. - -{309} - -The Eighth Division was composed as follows:-- - - DIVISIONAL GENERAL--General DAVIES. - - 23_rd Infantry Brigade--General Penny._ - 2nd Scots Rifles. - 2nd Middlesex. - 2nd West Yorkshires. - 2nd Devons. - - 24_th Infantry Brigade--General Carter._ - 1st Worcesters. - 2nd East Lancashires. - 1st Notts and Derby. - 2nd Northamptons. - - 25_th Infantry Brigade--General Lowry Cole._ - 2nd Lincolns. - 2nd Berkshires. - 1st Irish Rifles. - 2nd Rifle Brigade. - 13th London (Kensingtons). - - _Artillery._ - 5th Brigade R.H.A., G.O.Z. - 45th Brigade R.F.A. - 33rd Brigade R.F.A. - Heavy Batteries 118, 119. - 2, 5, F. Cos. R.E. - 8 Signal Co. - Divisional Cavalry. - Northampton Yeomanry. - 8th Cyclists. - - -We have now arrived at what may be called the great winter lull, when -the continuation of active operations was made impossible by the -weather conditions, which were of the most atrocious description. It -was the season which in a more classic age of warfare was spent in -comfortable winter quarters. There was no such surcease of hardship -for the contending lines, who were left in their trenches face to -face, often not more than fifty yards apart, and each always keenly -alert for any devilry upon the part of the other. The ashes of war -were always redly smouldering, and sometimes, as will be seen, burst -up into sudden furious flame. It was a period of rain-storms and of -frost-bites, of trench mortars and of {310} hand grenades, of weary, -muddy, goat-skinned men shivering in narrow trenches, and of depleted -brigades resting and recruiting in the rearward towns. Such was the -position at the Front. But hundreds of miles to the westward the -real future of the war was being fought out in the rifle factories of -Birmingham, the great gun works of Woolwich, Coventry, Newcastle, and -Sheffield, the cloth looms of Yorkshire, and the boot centres of -Northampton. In these and many other places oversea the tools for -victory were forged night and day through one of the blackest and -most strenuous winters that Britain has ever known. And always on -green and waste and common, from Cromarty to Brighton, wherever -soldiers could find billets or a village of log huts could be put -together, the soldier citizens who were to take up the burden of the -war, the men of the Territorials and the men of the new armies, -endured every hardship and discomfort without a murmur, whilst they -prepared themselves for that great and glorious task which the future -would bring. Even those who were too old or too young for service -formed themselves into volunteer bands, who armed and clothed -themselves at their own expense. This movement, which sprang first -from the small Sussex village of Crowborough, was co-ordinated and -controlled by a central body of which Lord Desborough was the head. -In spite of discouragement, or at the best cold neutrality from -Government, it increased and prospered until no fewer than a quarter -of a million of men were mustered and ready entirely at their own -expense and by private enterprise--one of the most remarkable -phenomena of the war. - - - - -{311} - -CHAPTER X - -A RETROSPECT AND GENERAL SUMMARY - -Position of Italy--Fall of German colonies--Sea affairs--Our Allies. - - -There has been no opportunity during this somewhat breathless -narrative of the great events which will ever be associated with the -names of Mons, the Marne, the Aisne, and Ypres to indicate those -factors which were influencing the course of the war in other -regions. They do not come properly within the scope of this -narrative, nor does the author profess to have any special -information concerning them, but they cannot be absolutely omitted -without interfering with a correct view of the general situation. -They will therefore be briefly summarised in retrospect before the -reader is carried on into a more particular account of the trench -warfare of the early winter of 1914. - -[Sidenote: Position of Italy.] - -The most important European event at the outbreak of the war, outside -the movement of the combatants, was the secession of Italy from the -Central Powers on the grounds that her treaty applied only to wars of -defence whilst this was manifestly one of aggression. Italian -statesmen could speak with the more decision upon the point since the -plot had been unfolded before their eyes. A year previously they had -been asked to join in an unprovoked {312} attack upon Serbia, and in -refusing had given clear warning to their allies how such an outrage -would be viewed. The Central Powers, however, puffed up by their -vainglory and by the knowledge of their own secret preparations, were -persuaded that they had ample strength to carry out their intentions -without aid from their southern ally. Italy, having denounced the -treaty, remained a neutral, but it was always clear that she would -sooner or later throw in her strength with those who were at war with -Austria, her secular enemy. It was not, however, until May 1915 that -she was in a position to take a definite step. It should be -remembered to her eternal honour that the time at which she did -eventually come in was one which was very overcast for the Allies, -and that far from fulfilling the cynical German prophecy that she -would "hasten to the assistance of the conqueror," she took grave -risks in ranging herself upon the side of her Latin sister. - -[Sidenote: Fall of German colonies.] - -Upon August 24 Japan also declared war, and by November 7 had -completed her share of the common task, for Tsingtau, the only German -colony in Eastern Asia, was captured by a Japanese expeditionary -force aided by a British contingent. Already the vast Colonial -erection of Germany, those numerous places in the sun which she had -annexed all over the globe, were beginning to crumble. The little -Togoland colony fell upon August 26. New Zealand took over German -Samoa upon August 31. The Australians occupied the Bismarck -Archipelago upon September 7, and New Guinea upon the 25th. These -smaller twigs were easily lopped, but the main boughs were made of -tougher stuff. A premature attack upon German East Africa by an -expeditionary force from India {313} met with a severe check -immediately after landing. In South Africa the Germans succeeded in -blowing into a small flame the smouldering ashes of the old Boer War. -De Wet and others broke their oaths and took up arms, but the -majority remained splendidly loyal, and by the beginning of December -Botha had brought the insurrection to an end, and was able henceforth -to devote his grand powers of leadership and organisation to the -extinction of the enemy's south-western colony. - -[Sidenote: Sea affairs.] - -A word, too, about sea affairs before we turn to the further detailed -account of the British winter upon the Continent. In good time the -Fleet had been ordered to her war-stations at the north and east of -Scotland, with the result that German ocean commerce was brought to -an immediate and absolute stop. The German ships _Goeben_ and -_Breslau_, which were cut off at the outbreak of the war in the -Mediterranean, succeeded in a very clever fashion in reaching the -Dardanelles and safety. Having taken refuge at Constantinople, these -ships played a prominent part in determining Turkey to take action -against the Allies on October 31, a most disastrous decision both for -Turkey, which met her ruin, and for the Allies, who found their task -greatly increased through the excellent fighting power of the Turkish -forces. - -A brisk action was fought upon August 28 in the Heligoland Bight, -when Admiral Beatty with his cruiser-squadron and a number of light -craft visited the enemy in his own waters, sinking three German -warships and sustaining no losses himself. Among the prisoners was -the son of Chief Admiral Von Tirpitz. Numerous minor actions led to -no {314} noteworthy result, but the power of the submarine, already -prophesied before the war, speedily made itself manifest. Several -small British cruisers were destroyed by these craft, and finally a -considerable disaster occurred through the sinking of the three -cruisers, _Hogue_, _Aboukir_, and _Cressy_, upon September 22. This -dashing and cool-headed exploit was brought off by a young lieutenant -named Weddigen. Much as we suffered from his action, it was -recognised in Britain as having been a remarkable deed of arms upon a -very different plane to those execrable murders of civilians with -which the German submarine service was afterwards associated. Some -months later Weddigen's submarine rose amongst the Grand Fleet whilst -it was in motion, and was rammed and destroyed by the _Dreadnought_. - -The outbreak of war had seen a considerable number of German cruisers -at large, and these would undoubtedly have been strongly reinforced -had it not been for the speed with which the British Fleet took up -its war-stations. As it was, the amount of damage to commerce was -not serious, and by the New Year all the wanderers had been rounded -up. The most successful raider was the _Emden_, under Captain -Müller, which captured and destroyed numerous British merchant-ships, -bombarded the Madras gas-works, and sank by a surprise attack a small -Russian cruiser and a French destroyer before it was finally cornered -and sunk by the Australian cruiser _Sydney_ off Cocos Island upon -November 10. Captain Muller, though forced by circumstances to adopt -certain measures not recognised in honourable naval warfare, behaved -on the whole in the manner which one associates with the term naval -officer. The {315} _Karlsruhe_ had also considerable success as a -naval raider, but met her end through an unexplained explosion some -little time after her consort the _Emden_. On the whole, the damage -inflicted by German commerce destroyers was very much less summary. -than had been anticipated. - -On November 1, Admiral Craddock's squadron, consisting of the -_Monmouth_, the _Good Hope_, and two small vessels, was engaged by a -superior squadron under Admiral von Spee at Coronel off the coast of -Chili. The result was a British defeat, the two cruisers being sunk -by gun-fire with all hands. This disaster was dramatically revenged, -as within six weeks, upon December 8, a special cruiser-squadron -dispatched from England under Admiral Sturdee entirely destroyed the -fleet of Von Spee in the Battle of the Falkland Islands. The British -Fleet was considerably stronger, and little credit can be claimed -save for the admirable strategy which enabled Sturdee to find the -enemy in that vast waste of waters as promptly and directly as if the -meeting had been by appointment. - -There were no other outstanding naval events in 1914 save a raid upon -Cuxhaven by aeroplanes, escorted by light cruisers, which probably -did little harm as the weather was misty. This occurred upon -Christmas Day 1914. It had been preceded by an attack by German -cruisers on December 16 upon West Hartlepool, Scarborough, and -Whitby. As the two latter towns were open watering-places, and as -numerous civilians were the victims of the raid, it was recognised -from this time onwards that the German Navy was as little trammelled -by international law or by the feelings of humanity as the German -{316} Army had shown itself to be in France, Belgium, and Russia. - -[Sidenote: Our Allies.] - -The general movement of the French armies has been touched upon in -recording the experiences of the British, for after their glorious -victory at the Marne and the hold-up at the Aisne, it was at Ypres -that the real fighting was done, the rest of the long line down to -the Swiss frontier playing a subsidiary part. The Russians, however, -had experienced both extremities of fortune, for their victory at -Lemberg over the Austrians upon September 2 was of a very glorious -character, while their defeat by the Germans at Tannenberg in East -Prussia was no less decisive. All the events of the outset of the -war were inglorious for Austria, who received rapidly the punishment -which she deserved for her wanton disturbance of the world's peace. -Apart from the blows which she received from Russia, she was severely -defeated by the Serbians on August 17, and her invading army was -driven out of the country which she had wronged. At the end of the -year she had lost the whole of Galicia to the Russians, who in turn -had been pushed out of East Prussia by the German armies under Von -Hindenburg. An invasion of Poland by the Germans was held up after -very severe fighting, failing to reach Warsaw, which was its -objective. - -These were the main incidents of the world's war during the months -which have been under review. As those months passed the terrific -nature of the task which they had undertaken became more and more -clear to the British, but further reflection had confirmed them in -their opinion that the alternative course of abandoning their friends -and breaking their pledge to Belgium was an absolutely unthinkable -{317} one, so that however great the trials and sacrifices in blood -and treasure, they were not further embittered by the reflection that -they could possibly have been avoided. Very greatly were they -cheered in that dark hour by the splendid, whole-hearted help from -India, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, help which was even more -valuable from a moral than from a material standpoint. With this -brief synopsis we will now return to those operations which are the -proper subject of this volume. - - - - -{318} - -CHAPTER XI - -THE WINTER LULL OF 1914 - -Increase of the Array--Formation of the Fifth Corps--The visit of the -King--Third Division at Petit Bois--The fight at Givenchy--Heavy -losses of the Indians--Fine advance of 1st Manchesters--Advance of -the First Division--Singular scenes at Christmas. - - -The winter lull may be said to have extended from the great combats -at Ypres of the middle of November 1914 to the opening of the spring -campaign in March 1915; but we will only follow it here up to the end -of the year. It was a period of alternate rest and discomfort for -the troops with an ever-present salt of danger. For days they found -themselves billeted with some approach to comfort in the farmhouses -and villages of Flanders, but such brief intervals of peace were -broken by the routine of the trenches, when, in mud or water with a -clay cutting before their faces and another at their backs, they -waited through the long hours, listening to the crack of the sniper's -rifle, or the crash of the bursting shell, with an indifference which -bordered upon thankfulness for anything that would break the drab -monotony of their task. It was a scene of warfare which was new to -military experience. The vast plain of battle lay in front of the -observer as a flat and lonely wilderness, dotted with ruined houses -from which no homely wreath of smoke {319} rose into the wintry air. -Here and there was an untidy litter of wire; here and there also a -clump of bleak and tattered woodland; but nowhere was there any sign -of man. And yet from the elevation of an aeroplane it might be seen -that the population of a large city was lurking upon that motionless -waste. Everywhere the airman would have distinguished the thin brown -slits of the advance trenches, the broader ditches of the supports -and the long zigzags of the communications, and he would have -detected that they were stuffed with men--grey men and khaki, in -every weird garment that ingenuity could suggest for dryness and for -warmth--all cowering within their shelters with the ever-present -double design of screening themselves and of attacking their enemy. -As the German pressure became less, and as more regiments of the -Territorials began to arrive, taking some of the work from their -comrades of the Regulars, it was possible to mitigate something of -the discomforts of warfare, to ensure that no regiments should be -left for too long a period in the trenches, and even to arrange for -week-end visits to England for a certain number of officers and men. -The streets of London got a glimpse of rugged, war-hardened faces, -and of uniforms caked with the brown mud of Flanders, or supplemented -by strange Robinson Crusoe goatskins from the trenches, which brought -home to the least imaginative the nature and the nearness of the -struggle. - -[Sidenote: Increase of the Army.] - -Before noting those occasional spasms of activity--epileptic, -sometimes, in their sudden intensity--which broke out from the German -trenches, it may be well to take some note of the general development -of those preparations which meant so much for the {320} future. The -Army was growing steadily in strength. Not only were the old -regiments reinforced by fresh drafts, but two new divisions of -Regulars were brought over before the end of January. These formed -the Twenty-seventh and Twenty-eighth Divisions under Generals Snow -and Bulfin, two officers who had won a name in the first phase of the -war. - -[Sidenote: Formation of the Fifth Corps.] - -The two Divisions together formed the Fifth Army Corps under General -Plumer, the officer who had worked so hard for the relief of Mafeking -in 1900. The Divisions, composed of splendid troops who needed some -hardening after tropical service, were constituted as follows, the -list including territorial battalions attached, but excluding the -artillery as well as the four original regular units in each brigade: - - FIFTH ARMY CORPS - - GENERAL PLUMER. - - TWENTY-SEVENTH DIVISION.--General SNOW. - - 80_th Brigade--General Fortescue._ - Princess Pat. Canadians. - 4th Rifle Brigade. - 3rd King's Royal Rifles. - 4th King's Royal Rifles. - 2nd Shrop. Light Infantry. - - 81_st Brigade--General MacFarlane._ - 9th Royal Scots (T.F.). - 2nd Cameron Highlanders. - 1st Argyll and Sutherlands. - 1st Royal Scots. - 2nd Gloucesters. - 9th Argyll and Sutherlands (T.F.). - - 82_nd Brigade--General Longley._ - 1st Leinsters. - 2nd Royal Irish Fusiliers. - 2nd Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. - 1st Royal Irish. - 1st Cambridge (T.F.). - Army Troops, 6th Cheshires. - -{321} - - TWENTY-EIGHTH DIVISION.--General BULFIN. - - 83_rd Brigade--General Boyle._ - 2nd E. Yorkshire. - 1st King's Own York. Light Infantry. - 1st Yorks. and Lancasters. - 2nd Royal Lancasters. - 3rd Monmouths (T.F.). - 5th Royal Lancasters (T.F.). - - 84_th Brigade--General Winter._ - 2nd Northumberland Fusiliers. - 1st Suffolks. - 1st Welsh. - 2nd Cheshires. - 12th London Rangers (T.F.). - 1st Monmouths (T.F.). - - 85_th Brigade--General Chapman._ - 2nd East Kent. - 2nd East Surrey. - 3rd Middlesex. - 3rd Royal Fusiliers. - 8th Middlesex (T.F.). - -Besides this new Fifth Army Corps, there had been a constant dribble -of other territorial units to the front, where they were incorporated -with various regular brigades. The London Scottish, which had done -so well, was honoured by admission to the 1st Brigade of Guards. The -Artists' Rifles, 28th London, had the unique distinction of being set -aside as an officers' training corps, from which officers were -actually drawn at the rate of a hundred a month. The Honourable -Artillery Company, brigaded with the 7th Brigade, was among the first -to arrive. Conspicuous among the newcomers were the London Rifle -Brigade, the 4th Suffolk, the Liverpool Scottish, the 5th and 6th -Cheshires, the 1st Herts, the 2nd Monmouthshires, Queen Victoria -Rifles, and Queen's Westminsters. These were among the earlier -arrivals, though it seems invidious to mention names where the spirit -of all was equally good. Among the {322} yeomanry, many had already -seen considerable service--notably the North and South Irish Horse, -who had served from the beginning, the Northumberland Hussars, the -North Somersets, the Oxford Hussars, and the Essex Yeomanry. Most of -the troops named above shared the discomfort of the winter campaign -before the great arrival of the new armies from England in the -spring. There can be no better earned bar upon a medal than that -which stands for this great effort of endurance against nature and -man combined. - -To take events in their order: beyond numerous gallant affairs of -outposts, there was no incident of importance until the evening of -November 23, when the Germans, who had seemed stunned for a week or -so, showed signs of returning animation. On this day, some eight -hundred yards of trench held by Indian troops in the neighbourhood of -Armentières were made untenable by the German artillery, especially -by the _minen-werfer_--small mortars which threw enormous bombs by an -ingenious arrangement whereby the actual shell never entered the bore -but was on the end of a rod outside the muzzle. Some of these -terrible missiles, which came through the air as slowly as a punted -football, were 200 lbs. in weight and shattering in their effects. -There was an advance of the 112th Regiment of the Fourteenth German -Corps, and the empty trenches were strongly occupied by them--so -strongly that the first attempt to retake them was unsuccessful in -the face of the rifle and machine-gun fire of the defenders. A -second more powerful counter-attack was organised by General Anderson -of the Meerut Division, and this time the Germans were swept out of -their position and the line {323} re-established. The fighting -lasted all night, and the Ghurkas with their formidable knives proved -to be invaluable for such close work, while a party of Engineers with -hand-bombs did great execution--a strange combination of the Asiatic -with the most primitive of weapons and the scientific European with -the most recent. It was a substantial victory as such affairs go, -for the British were left with a hundred prisoners, including three -officers, three machine-guns, and two mortars. - -[Sidenote: The visit of the King.] - -The first week of December was rendered memorable by a visit of the -King to the Army. King George reviewed a great number of his devoted -soldiers, who showed by their fervent enthusiasm that one need not be -an autocratic War-lord in order to command the fierce loyalty of the -legions. After this pleasant interlude there followed a succession -of those smaller exploits which seem so slight in any chronicle, and -yet collectively do so much to sustain the spirit of the Army. Now -this dashing officer, now that, attempted some deed upon the German -line, and never failed to find men to follow him to death. On -November 24 it was Lieutenant Impey, with a handful of 2nd Lincolns; -on November 25, Lieutenants Ford and Morris with a few Welsh -Fusiliers and sappers; on November 26, Sir Edward Hulse with some -Scots Guards; on the same day, Lieutenant Durham with men of the 2nd -Rifle Brigade--in each case trenches were temporarily won, the enemy -was damaged, and a spirit of adventure encouraged in the trenches. -Sometimes such a venture ended in the death of the leader, as in the -case of Captain the Honourable H. L. Bruce of the Royal Scots. Such -men died as the old knights did who rode out betwixt the {324} lines -of marshalled armies, loved by their friends and admired by their -foes. - -December 9 was the date of two small actions. In the first the 1st -Lincolns of the 9th Brigade, which had been commanded by Douglas -Smith since the wounding of General Shaw, made an attack upon the -wood at Wytschaete which is called Le Petit Bois. The advance was -not successful, the three officers who led it being all wounded, and -forty-four men being hit. The attempt was renewed upon a larger -scale five days later. The other action was an attack by the enemy -upon some of the trenches of the Third Corps. This Corps, though it -had not come in for the more dramatic scenes of the campaign, had -done splendid and essential work in covering a line of fourteen miles -or so against incessant attacks of the Germans, who never were able -to gain any solid advantage. On this occasion the impact fell upon -Gordon's 19th Brigade, especially upon the 2nd Argyll and Sutherland -Highlanders and the 1st Middlesex. It was driven back with heavy -loss. - -[Sidenote: Third Division at Petit Bois.] - -On December 14 the second and more sustained effort was made to get -possession of the Petit Bois at Wytschaete, which had been attacked -by the Lincolns upon the 9th. D'Urbal's Eighth French Army was -co-operating upon the left. The British attack was conducted by -Haldane's Third Division, and the actual advance was carried out, -after a considerable artillery preparation from the batteries of two -Corps, by Bowes' 8th Brigade, with the 2nd Royal Scots and the 1st -Gordons in the lead. At 7.45 the guns were turned upon the big wood -beyond Petit Bois, through which the supports might be advancing, and -at the same hour the two regiments named swarmed forward, {325} the -Lowlanders on the left and the Highlanders on the right. The Royal -Scots, under Major Duncan, carried Petit Bois with a rush, taking -fifty prisoners and two machine-guns, while the Germans fled out at -the other end of the wood. The Scots at once entrenched themselves -and got their own machine-guns into position. The Gordons, under -Major Baird, advanced with splendid dash and gained some ground, but -found the position such that they could not entrench upon it, so they -were forced to fall back eventually to their original position. Both -they and the 4th Middlesex, who supported them, lost considerably in -the affair. The total casualties in the Petit Bois action came to -over four hundred, with seventeen officers, figures which were -considerably swollen by the losses of the Suffolks and Irish Rifles, -who continued to hold the captured position in the face of continued -bombing. The French in the north had no particular success and lost -600 men. The importance of such operations is not to be measured, -however, by the amount of ground won, but by the necessity of beating -up the enemies' quarters, keeping them pinned to their positions, and -preventing them from feeling that they could at their own sweet wills -detach any reinforcements they chose to thicken their line upon the -Eastern frontier, where our Russian Allies were so insistently -pressing. - -On the morning of December 19 an attack was made upon the German -lines in the Festubert region by Willcocks' Indian Corps, the Meerut -Division, under General Anderson, attacking upon the left, and the -Lahore, under General Watkis, upon the right. The object of the -movement was to co-operate with the French in an advance which they -had {326} planned. The Meerut attack was successful at first, but -was driven back by a counter-attack, and some hundreds of Indian -infantry were killed, wounded, or taken. In the case of the Lahore -attack the storming party consisted of the 1st Highland Light -Infantry and the 4th Ghurkas. Both of these units belong to the -Sirhind Brigade, but they were joined in the enterprise by the 59th -Scinde Rifles of the Jullundur Brigade. These latter troops had a -long night march before reaching the scene of the operations, when -they found themselves upon the right of the attack and within two -hundred and fifty yards of the German trenches. Judging the -operations from the standard reached at a later date, the whole -arrangement seems to have been extraordinarily primitive. The -artillery preparation for a frontal attack upon a strong German line -of trenches lasted exactly four minutes, being rather a call to arms -than a bombardment. The troops rushed most gallantly forward into -the dark of a cold wet winter morning, with no guide save the -rippling flashes of the rifles and machine-guns in front of them. -Many were so sore-footed and weary that they could not break into the -double. Some of the Indians were overtaken from behind by a line of -British supports, which caused considerable confusion. An officer of -Indians has left it on record that twice running he had a revolver -clapped to his head by a British officer. All of the battalions -advanced with a frontage of two companies in columns of platoons. -Both the Ghurkas and Highlanders reached the trench in the face of a -murderous fire. The left of the 59th, consisting of Punjabi -Mahomedans, also reached the trench. The right, who were Sikhs, made -an {327} equally gallant advance, but were knee-deep in a wet -beetroot field and under terrific machine-gun fire. Their gallant -leader, Captain Scale, was struck down, as was every Indian officer, -but a handful of the survivors, under a Sikh Jemadar, got into a -German sap, which they held for twenty-four hours, taking a number of -prisoners. - -Day had dawned, and though the British and Indians were in the enemy -trenches, it was absolutely impossible to send them up reinforcements -across the bullet-swept plain. The 59th discovered a sap running -from their left to the German line, and along this they pushed. They -could not get through, however, to where their comrades were being -terribly bombed on either flank by the counter-attack. It was an -heroic resistance. Colonel Ronaldson, who led the party, held on all -day, but was very lucky in being able to withdraw most of the -survivors after nightfall. Of the hundred Punjabis who held one -flank, only three returned, while thirteen wounded were reported -later from Germany. The others all refused to surrender, declaring -that those were the last orders of their British officers, and so -they met their honoured end. It had been a long and weary day with a -barren ending, for all that had been won was abandoned. The losses -were over a thousand, and were especially heavy in the case of -officers. - -[Sidenote: The fight at Givenchy.] - -The Germans, elated by the failure of the attack, were in the mood -for a return visit. In the early dawn of the next day, December 20, -they began a heavy bombardment of the Indian trenches, followed by an -infantry attack extending over a line of six miles from south of the -Bethune Canal to Festubert in the north. The attack began by the -explosion of {328} a succession of mines which inflicted very heavy -losses upon the survivors of the Ghurkas and Highland Light Infantry. -The weight of the attack at the village of Givenchy fell upon the -exhausted Sirhind Brigade, who were driven back, and the greater part -of Givenchy was occupied by the enemy. General Brunker fell back -with his Brigade, but his line was stiffened by the arrival of the -47th Sikhs of the 8th Jullundur Brigade, who were in divisional -reserve. These troops prevented any further advance of the Germans, -while preparations were made for an effective counter-stroke. - -[Sidenote: Heavy losses of the Indians.] - -Little help could be given from the north, where the line was already -engaged, but to the south there were considerable bodies of troops -available. The situation was serious, and a great effort was called -for, since it was impossible to abandon into the hands of the enemy a -village which was an essential bastion upon the line of defence. The -German attack had flooded down south of Givenchy to the Bethune -Canal, and a subsidiary attack had come along the south of the Canal -with the object of holding the troops in their places and preventing -the reinforcement of the defenders of Givenchy. But these advances -south of the village made no progress, being held up by the 9th -Bhopals and Wilde's 57th Rifles of the 7th Ferozepore Brigade between -Givenchy and the Canal, while the 1st Connaught Rangers of the same -brigade stopped it on the southern side of the Canal. Matters were -for a moment in equilibrium. To the south of the Canal energetic -measures were taken to get together a force which could come across -it by the Pont Fixe or road bridge, and re-establish matters in the -north. - -{329} - -[Sidenote: Fine advance of Manchesters.] - -The struggle had broken out close to the point of junction between -the British forces and those of General Foch of the Tenth French -Army, so that our Allies were able to co-operate with us in the -counter-attack. It was directed by General Carnegy, and the assault -was made by the 1st Manchesters, the 4th Suffolk Territorials, and -some French territorials. The Manchesters, under the leadership of -Colonel Strickland, made a most notable attack, aided by two -companies of the Suffolks, the other companies remaining in reserve -on the north bank of the Canal. So critical was the position that -the 3rd Indian Sappers and Miners were set the dangerous task, under -very heavy shell-fire, of mining the bridge over the Canal. The -situation was saved, however, by Colonel Strickland's fine advance. -His infantry, with very inadequate artillery support, pushed its way -into Givenchy and cleared the village from end to end. Three hundred -of the Manchesters fell in this deed of arms. Not only did they win -the village, but they also regained some of the lost trenches to the -north-east of Givenchy. This was the real turning-point of the -action. There was at the time only the one very wet, very weary, and -rather cut-up Jullundur Brigade between the Germans and Bethune--with -all that Bethune stood for strategically. To the east the 9th -Bhopals and 57th Rifles still held on to their position. It was only -to the north that the enemy retained his lodgment. - -But the fight to the north had been a bitter one all day, and had -gone none too well for the British forces. The Indians were fighting -at an enormous disadvantage. As well turn a tiger loose upon an -ice-floe and expect that he will show all his wonted {330} fierceness -and activity. There are inexorable axioms of Nature which no human -valour nor constancy can change. The bravest of the brave, our -Indian troops were none the less the children of the sun, dependent -upon warmth for their vitality and numbed by the cold wet life of the -trenches. That they still in the main maintained a brave, -uncomplaining, soldierly demeanour, and that they made head against -the fierce German assaults, is a wonderful proof of their -adaptability. - -About ten o'clock on the morning of the 20th the German attack, -driving back the Sirhind Brigade from Givenchy, who were the left -advanced flank of the Lahore Division, came with a rush against the -Dehra-Dun Brigade, who were the extreme right of the Meerut Division. -This Brigade had the 1st Seaforth Highlanders upon its flank, with -the 2nd Ghurkas upon its left. The Ghurkas were forced to retire, -and the almost simultaneous retirement of the defenders of Givenchy -left the Highlanders in a desperate position with both flanks in the -air. Fortunately the next Brigade of the Meerut Division, the -Garhwal Brigade, stood fast and kept in touch with the 6th Jats, who -formed the left of the Dehra-Dun Brigade, and so prevented the -pressure upon that side from becoming intolerable. The 9th Ghurkas -came up to support the 2nd Ghurkas, who had not gone far from their -abandoned trenches, and the 58th Indian Rifles also came to the -front. These battalions upon the left rear of the Highlanders gave -them some support. None the less the position of the battalion was -dangerous and its losses heavy, but it faced the Germans with -splendid firmness, and nothing could budge it. Machine-guns are -stronger {331} than flesh and blood, but the human spirit can be -stronger than either. You might kill the Highlanders, but you could -not shift them. The 2nd Black Watch, who had been in reserve, -established touch towards nightfall with the right of the Seaforths, -and also with the left of the Sirhind Brigade, so that a continuous -line was assured. - -In the meantime a small force had assembled under General MacBean -with the intention of making a counter-attack and recovering the -ground which had been lost on the north side of Givenchy. With the -8th Ghurkas and the 47th Sikhs, together with the 7th British Dragoon -Guards, an attack was made in the early hours of the 21st. Colonel -Lempriere of the Dragoon Guards was killed, and the attack failed. -It was renewed in the early hours of the morning, but it again failed -to dislodge the Germans from the captured trenches. - -[Sidenote: Advance of the First Division.] - -December 21 dawned upon a situation which was not particularly rosy -from a British point of view. It is true that Givenchy had been -recovered, but a considerable stretch of trenches were still in the -hands of the Germans, their artillery was exceedingly masterful, and -the British line was weakened by heavy losses and indented in several -places. The one bright spot was the advance of the First Division of -Haig's Corps, who had come up in the night-time. The three brigades -of this Division were at once thrown into the fight, the first being -sent to Givenchy, the second given as a support to the Meerut -Division, and the third directed upon the trenches which had been -evacuated the day before by the Sirhind Brigade. All of these -brigades won their way forward, and by the morning of the 22nd much -of the ground which {332} had been taken by the Germans was -reoccupied by the British. The 1st Brigade, led by the Cameron -Highlanders, had made good all the ground between Givenchy and the -Canal. Meanwhile the 3rd Brigade had re-established the Festubert -position, where the 2nd Welsh and 1st South Wales Borderers had won -their way into the lost trenches of the Ghurkas. - -This was not done without very stark fighting, in which of all the -regiments engaged none suffered so heavily as the 2nd Munsters (now -attached to the 3rd Brigade). This regiment, only just built up -again after its practical extermination at Etreux in August, made a -grand advance and fought without cessation for nearly forty-eight -hours. Their losses were dreadful, including their gallant Colonel -Bent, both Majors Day and Thomson, five other officers, and several -hundreds of the rank and file. So far forward did they get that it -was with great difficulty that the survivors, through the exertions -of Major Ryan, were got back into a place of safety. It was the -second of three occasions upon which this gallant Celtic battalion -gave itself for King and Country. Let this soften the asperity of -politics if unhappily we must come back to them after the war. - -Meanwhile the lines upon the flank of the Seaforths which had been -lost by the Dehra-Dun Brigade were carried by the 2nd Brigade -(Westmacott), the 1st North Lancashire and 1st Northamptons leading -the attack with the 2nd Rifles in support. Though driven back by a -violent counter-attack in which both leading regiments, and -especially the Lancashire men, lost heavily, the Brigade came again, -and ended by making good the gap in the line. Thus the situation on -the morning of the 22nd looked very {333} much better than upon the -day before. On this morning, as so many of the 1st Corps were in the -advanced line, Sir Douglas Haig took over the command from Sir James -Willcocks. The line had been to some extent re-established and the -firing died away, but there were some trenches which were not retaken -till a later date. - -Such was the scrambling and unsatisfactory fight of Givenchy, a -violent interlude in the drab records of trench warfare. It began -with a considerable inroad of Germans into our territory and heavy -losses of our Indian Contingent. It ended by a general return of the -Germans to their former lines, and the resumption by the veteran -troops of the First Division of the main positions which we had lost. -Neither side had gained any ground of material value, but the balance -of profit in captures was upon the side of the Germans, who may -fairly claim that the action was a minor success for their arms, -since they assert that they captured some hundreds of prisoners and -several machine-guns. The Anglo-Indian Corps had 2600 casualties, -and the First Corps 1400, or 4000 in all. The Indian troops were now -withdrawn for a rest, which they had well earned by their long and -difficult service in the trenches. To stand day after day up to his -knees in ice-cold water is no light ordeal for a European, but it is -difficult to imagine all that it must have been to a Southern -Asiatic. The First Corps took over the La Bassée lines. - -[Sidenote: Singular scenes at Christmas.] - -About the same date as the Battle of Givenchy there was some fighting -farther north at Rouge Banc, where the Fourth Corps was engaged and -some German trenches were taken. The chief losses in this affair -{334} fell upon those war-worn units, the 2nd Scots Guards and 2nd -Borderers of the 20th Brigade. Henceforward peace reigned along the -lines for several weeks--indeed Christmas brought about something -like fraternisation between British and Germans, who found a sudden -and extraordinary link in that ancient tree worship, long anterior to -Christianity, which Saxon tribes had practised in the depths of -Germanic forests and still commemorated by their candle-lit firs. -For a single day the opposing forces mingled in friendly conversation -and even in games. It was an amazing spectacle, and must arouse -bitter thoughts concerning those high-born conspirators against the -peace of the world, who in their mad ambition had hounded such men on -to take each other by the throat rather than by the hand. For a day -there was comradeship. But the case had been referred to the God of -Battles, and the doom had not yet been spoken. It must go to the -end. On the morning of the 26th dark figures vanished reluctantly -into the earth, and the rifles cracked once more. It remains one -human episode amid all the atrocities which have stained the memory -of the war. - -So ended 1914, the year of resistance. During it the Western Allies -had been grievously oppressed by their well-prepared enemy. They had -been over-weighted by numbers and even more so by munitions. For a -space it had seemed as if the odds were too much for them. Then with -a splendid rally they had pushed the enemy back. But his reserves -had come up and had proved to be as superior as his first line had -been. But even so he had reached his limit. He could get no -further. The danger hour was past. There was now coming the long, -anxious year of {335} equilibrium, the narrative of which will be -given in the succeeding volume of 1915. Finally will come the year -of restoration which will at least begin, though it will not finish, -the victory of the champions of freedom. - - - - -{337} - -INDEX - - -Abell, Major, 70 - -Abercrombie, Colonel, 94 - -Agadir, 7 - -Aisne, battle of the, 162-199 - -Alexander, Major, 82 - -Algeciras, 7 - -Allen, Major, 209 - -Allenby, General, 56, 80, 88, 96, 97, 126, 155, 204, 226, 279, 287 - -Alleyne, Captain, 294 - -Allfrey, Captain, 149 - -Alsace, 43, 57 - -Anderson, General, 322, 325 - -Anley, Colonel, 105 - -Anley, General, 229 - -Annesley, Colonel, 284 - -Ansell, Colonel, 132 - -Antwerp, fall of, 193; Naval Division at siege of, 195 - -Ardee, Lord, 288 - -Army, the Russian, 138; at battle of Gumbinnen, 138; at battle of -Lemberg, 139; at battle of Tannenberg, 139 - -Ashburner, Captain, 70 - -Asquith, Right Hon. H. H., 18 - -Austin, Dr., 93 - -Australia, offer of service, 34, 37; Bismarck Archipelago captured -by, 312; German colony of New Guinea captured by, 312; 317 - -Austria, Archduke Francis Ferdinand of, assassinated at Sarajevo, 12 - -Austria-Hungary, annexes Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1908, 2; presents -ultimatum to Serbia, 14; declares war against Serbia, 15 - - - -Baird, Major, 325 - -Balfour, Lieutenant, 167 - -Bannatyne, Colonel, 255 - -Barnes, Colonel, 241 - -Battenberg, Prince Louis of, 40 - -Battenberg, Prince Maurice of, 256 - -Bavaria, Crown Prince of, 145 - -Beatty, Admiral Sir David, 313 - -Belgians, King of the, 198 - -Belgium, infraction of neutrality, 12 - -Below-Saleske, von, 19 - -Benson, Captain, 73 - -Bent, Colonel, 332 - -Berners, Captain, 172 - -Bernhardi, General von, 1, 8, 159 - -Bethmann-Hollweg, von, 17, 21, 23, 28 - -Bidon, General, 247 - -Bingham, General, 283 - -Bismarck Archipelago, German colony, captured by Australian forces, -312 - -Blewitt, Lieutenant, 268 - -Boger, Colonel, 83 - -Bols, Colonel, 207 - -Bolton, Colonel, 244 - -Botha, Right Hon. Louis, 34, 313 - -Bottomley, Major, 259 - -Bowes, General, 218, 295, 324 - -Boyd, Lieutenant, 266 - -Bradbury, Captain, V.C., 130, 131 - -Brett, Colonel, 102 - -Bridges, Major Tom, 118 - -Briggs, General, 128, 130, 174, 282, 283 - -British Expeditionary Force: departure from England, 50; its -composition, 52, 86; its arrival in France, 53; its reception by the -French people, 54; advance into Belgium, 57 - -Brooke, Captain, 260 - -Bruce, Captain the Hon. H. L., 323 - -Brunker, General, 328 - -Buckle, Major, 222 - -Bulbe, Lieutenant, 78 - -Bulfin, General, 154, 156, 166, 167, 169, 170, 171, 179, 186, 265, -273, 287, 288, 320 - -Bülow, General von, 84, 144, 154 - -Bülow, Prince von, 3 - -Burrows, Major, 168 - -Butler, Colonel, 229 - -Butler, Major Leslie, 116 - -Byng, Captain, 70 - -Byng, General, 210, 233 - - - -Cadogan, Colonel, 237, 264 - -Campbell, Captain, 73 - -Campbell, Colonel (5th Dragoon Guards), 281 - -Campbell, Colonel (9th Lancers), 80, 149 - -Campbell, Lieutenant, 130 - -Campbell, Major, 227 - -Canada, offer of service, 34, 37; 317 - -Canneau, General, 144, 204, 212, 221 - -Capper, General, 232, 244, 265, 269, 295 - -Carey, Captain, 70 - -Carnegy, General, 329 - -Carr, Lieutenant Laurence, 259 - -Carter, Major, 253 - -Cary, General Langlé de, 144 - -Cary-Bernard, Captain, 306 - -Castelnau, General, 44, 145, 193 - -Cathcart, Captain, 168 - -Cavan, Lord, 289, 293, 300, 306 - -Cawley, Major, 132 - -Ceylon, offer of service, 34 - -Chapman, Corporal, 227 - -Charleroi, battle of, 141 - -Charrier, Major, 119, 120, 121 - -Chetwode, General, 58, 121 - -Christie, Major, 112 - -Churchill, Right Hon. Winston S., 5, 31, 40, 196 - -Chute, Lieutenant, 121 - -Clive, Hon. Windsor, 92 - -Clutterbuck, Captain, 111 - -Cobb, Irvin, American correspondent with German Army, 64 - -Cobbold, Colonel, 214 - -Coke, Major, 282 - -Coleman, American volunteer, quoted, 119, 149, 303 - -Coles, Colonel, 266 - -Congreve, General, V.C., 187, 229 - -Cookson, Colonel, 167 - -Cornish-Bowden, Major, 151 - -Coronel, naval battle off, 315 - -Craddock, Admiral, 315 - -Cramb, Professor, 30 - -Creek, Captain, 253 - -Crichton, Major, 241 - -Crossley, Sergeant-Major, 222 - -Cutbill, Captain, 102 - -Cuthbert, General, 71, 79, 98 - - - -Dalrymple, Lord, 244 - -D'Amade, General, 123 - -Daniell, Major, 212 - -Danks, Lieutenant, 93 - -Dashwood, Lieutenant, 167 - -Davey, Major, 70 - -Davies, Colonel, 301 - -Davies, General, 90, 93, 132, 153, 173 - -Davis, Harding, American correspondent with German Army, 62, 64 - -Dawnay, Colonel, 293 - -Day, Major, 332 - -Dease, Lieutenant Maurice, V.C., 70 - -De Crespigny, Captain, 128 - -Deimling, General von, 269 - -De Lisle, General, 80, 148, 156, 157, 174, 204, 226, 281 - -De Mitry, General, 247, 255 - -Denham, Lieutenant, 323 - -Derbyshhe, Gunner, 130 - -D'Esperey, General, 144, 146 - -Dillon, Captain H. M., 302 - -Dimmer, Lieutenant, V.C., 181, 305 - -Doran, General Beauchamp, 60, 69, 113, 150, 174, 218 - -Dorell, Sergeant, V.C., 130, 131 - -Doughty, Major, 102 - -Dour, action at, 79 - -Drummond, General. 84, 103 - -Dubail, General, 145 - -Duff, Colonel Grant, 171 - -D'Urbal, General, 296, 324 - -Dykes, Colonel, 105 - - - -Earle, Colonel, 259 - -East Africa, German colony of, attack on, fails, 312 - -East Coast, raid on, by German cruisers, 315 - -Edmunds, Captain, 93 - -Edward VII., 6 - -Elliott, Dr., 93 - -Ellison, Captain, 152 - -_Emden_, exploits of the, 314 - -Emmich, General von, 44 - - - -Fairlie, Captain, 241 - -Falkland Islands, naval battle off, 315 - -Ferguson, General, 80, 177, 190, 211 - -Findlay, General, 153 - -Fisher, Lord, 5 - -FitzClarence, General, 258, 270, 303 - -Flint, Lieutenant, 175 - -Foch, General, 144, 148, 150, 154, 202, 329 - -Foljambe, Captain, 168 - -Forbes, Major Ian, 241 - -Ford, Lieutenant, 323 - -Forrester, Major, 259 - -Frameries, action at, 77 - -Fraser, Major, 244 - -French, General Sir John, 54, 58, 62, 74, 75, 76, 77, 84, 87, 96, 97, -116, 119, 126, 135, 145, 156, 164, 183, 186, 198, 202, 220, 234, 236, -245, 246, 247, 251, 275, 276, 282, 285 - - - -Geddes, Lieutenant-Colonel, 169 - -George V. visits the Army in France, 323 - -Germany, Heligoland ceded to, 2; agitation in, against Great Britain -during Boer War, 3; navy bill of 1900, 4; anti-British agitations in, -9; root causes of hatred of Great Britain in, 10; and world-power, -10; preparations for war by, 11; declares war against Russia, 15; -against France, 15; proposes that Great Britain should remain -neutral, 17; and Belgian neutrality, 19; character of her diplomacy, -19, 20; invades Belgium, 21; Great Britain declares war on, 21; -treatment of the departing Embassies, 22; the claim for culture in, 29 - -_Germany and the Next War_, 9 - -Gheluvelt, battle of, 265 - -Gibbs, Colonel, 79 - -Giffard, Lieutenant, 269 - -Gifford, Lieutenant, 130 - -Givenchy, fight at, 327 - -Glasgow, Sergeant, 227 - -Gleichen, General Count, 61, 79, 82, 83, 98, 157, 207 - -Gloster, Colonel, 224 - -Godley, Private, V.C., 70 - -Gordon, Captain B. G. R., 259 - -Gordon, Colonel, 114 - -Gordon, General, 215, 230, 324 - -Gordon, Lieutenant, 181 - -Goschen, Sir Edward, ambassador at Berlin, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24 - -Gough, General, 126, 150, 155, 203, 204, 226, 279, 280, 282 - -Grant, Major, 168 - -Graves, Lieutenant, 114 - -Great Britain, cedes Heligoland to Germany, 2; sympathy and respect -for German Empire in, 2; agreement with France, 1903, 6; agreement -with Russia, 1907, 6; maritime power of, 10; efforts for peace by, -16; reply to German proposal of neutrality, 17; declares war against -Germany, 21; preparations for possible naval war in, 31; effect of -German war policy in, 32 - -Green, Major, 168 - -Grenfell, Captain the Hon. F., 82 - -Grey, Sir Edward (now Viscount), proposes a conference of -Ambassadors, 16; replies to German proposal of neutrality, 17; -suggests limitation of the conflict, 19; 20, 33 - -Grierson, General, 55 - -Griffin, Colonel, 105, 158 - -Guernsey, Lord, 172 - - - -Haig, General Sir Douglas, 55, 56, 72, 77, 84, 88, 89, 90, 126, 133, -157, 173, 183, 190, 236, 239, 241, 246, 247, 249, 250, 251, 256, 260, -265, 270, 275, 276, 282, 286, 287, 295, 306, 331, 333 - -Haking, General, 72, 94, 157, 173, 176, 302 - -Haldane, General, 104, 106, 112, 206, 324 - -Haldane, Lord, 36 - -Hamilton, Adjutant Rowan, 171 - -Hamilton, Captain, 93 - -Hamilton, General Sir Hubert, 77, 157, 177, 208 - -Hankey, Major, 270 - -Harter, Staff-Captain, 176 - -Hasted, Colonel, 177 - -Haussen, General von, 139, 144 - -Hautvesnes, action at, 153 - -Hawarden, Lord, 92 - -Hawkins, Lieutenant Hope, 285 - -Hay, Lord Arthur, 172 - -Headlam, General, 110 - -Heeringen, General von, 145 - -Heligoland Bight, battle in, 313 - -Heligoland ceded to Germany, 1890, 2 - -Herbert, Captain, 208 - -Hindenburg, General von, 139, 316 - -Hogan, Sergeant, V.C., 224 - -Holt, Lieutenant, 71 - -Hoskyns, Captain, 152 - -Huggan, Dr., 180 - -Hull, Colonel, 70 - -Hulse, Sir Edward, 323 - -Hunter-Weston, General, 104, 106, 107, 229, 230 - - - -Impey, Lieutenant, 323 - -India, offer of service, 34; 317 - -Ingham, Major, 69 - -Italy secedes from the Central Powers, 311 - - - -Jagow, von, Secretary for Foreign Affairs at Berlin, 21, 23, 25 - -Japan declares war, 312; captures the German colony of Tsingtau, 312 - -Jarvis, Corporal, V.C., 71 - -Jelf, Major, 168 - -Joffre, General, 44, 57, 62, 74, 76, 126, 127, 144, 178, 198, 202, -251, 255, 282, 287 - -Johnston, Captain, 175 - -Johnstone, Major, 169 - - - -Kavanagh, General, 262, 279, 293 - -Kerr, Colonel, 269 - -Kitchener, Lord, becomes Secretary of State for War, 34; his estimate -of duration of war, 38; appeals for volunteers, 38; 54, 56 - -Kluck, General von, 83, 84, 88, 95, 143, 144, 145, 146, 148, 154 - -Knight, Colonel, 154 - -Kruseik cross-roads, fight for, 256 - - - -Lamb, Lieutenant, 131 - -Lambert, Major, 292 - -Landon, General, 172, 248, 254, 260, 265, 269, 276, 290 - -Landrecies, engagement at, 90 - -Lansdowne, Lord, 33 - -Law, Right Hon. A. Bonar, 33 - -Lawford, General, 273, 291, 294, 295 - -Lawrence, Colonel, 229 - -Leach, Lieutenant, V.C., 224 - -Le Cateau, battle of, 96-137, 141 - -Leckie, Captain Malcolm, 82 - -Legard, Captain, 222 - -Le Gheir, action of 229 - -Leman, General, 45, 46, 47 - -Lemberg, battle of, 139, 316 - -Lempriere, Colonel, 331 - -Lichnowsky, Prince, German ambassador to Great Britain, 19, 20, 25 - -Liége, 45, 46, 47, 141 - -Lister, Captain, 71 - -Lloyd, Major, 167, 168 - -Lomax, General, 269 - -Longley, Colonel, 99 - -Longwy, battle of, 141 - -Loring, Colonel, 243 - -Lorraine, 43, 57 - -Lushington, Lieutenant-Colonel, 132 - -Luxemburg, duchy of, 44 - - - -MacBean, General, 331 - -McCracken, General, 69, 78, 88, 104, 190, 208, 215, 219, 291, 306 - -McKenna, Right Hon. Reginald, 5, 31 - -Mackenzie, General Colin, 209 - -MacLachlan, Lieutenant-Colonel, 171 - -MacMahon, Colonel, 70, 221, 299 - -M'Nab, Captain, 284 - -Maistre, General, 220 - -Maitland, Major, 171 - -Malcolm, Colonel, 283, 284 - -Manoury, General, 144, 146, 148 - -Marne, battle of the, 138-161 - -Martyn, Colonel, 304 - -Maubeuge, fortress of, 85, 141, 163, 184 - -Maude, General, 295 - -Maud'huy, General, 296 - -Maxse, General, 169, 179 - -Messines, fight at, 280 - -Michel, General, 49 - -Michell, Captain, 122 - -Milne, General, 110 - -Milward, Major, 292 - -Mitford, Major, 241 - -Monck, Captain, 91 - -Mons, battle of, 50-95, 141 - -Mons, retreat from, chronology of events, 136-137 - -Montresor, Colonel, 167 - -Morland, Colonel, 268 - -Morland, General, 211, 224, 286, 296 - -Morris, Colonel, 133 - -Morris, Lieutenant, 323 - -Morritt, Lieutenant, 73 - -Moussy, General, 288 - -Mülhausen, battle of, 141 - -Mullens, General, 80, 221, 283 - -Mundy, Lieutenant, 130 - -Munro, General, 269 - - - -Namur, 48, 49, 76, 141 - -Navy, the, mobilisation of, 40 - -Neeld, Admiral, 25 - -Nelson, Gunner, V.C., 130, 131 - -Nery, combat of, 127 - -Neuve Chapelle, first fight of, 219 - -Newfoundland, offer of service, 34 - -New Guinea, German colony of, captured by Australian forces, 312 - -New Zealand, offer of service, 34, 37; captures German colony of -Samoa, 312; 317 - -Nicholson, Lieutenant, 121 - -Nicholson, Major, 171 - -Nietzsche, 8 - -Nimy, defence of the bridges of, 68 - - - -Oliver, Captain, 169 - -Ommany, Captain, 269 - -Orford, Captain, 102 - -Osborne, Driver, 130 - -Ourcq, battle of the, 145 - -Ovens, Colonel, 244 - - - -Pack-Beresford, Major, 79 - -Paley, Major, 269 - -Paris, General, 195 - -Parker, Major, 112 - -Pau, General, 44 - -Paynter, Captain, 243 - -Peel, Major, 268 - -Pell, Colonel, 266 - -Pennecuick, Lieutenant, 156 - -Penny, Sergeant-Major, 222 - -Perceval, Colonel, 269 - -Petit Bois, fight at, 324 - -Phillips, Major, 168 - -Pilken Inn, fight of, 252 - -Plumer, General, 320 - -Pollard, Lieutenant, 82 - -Ponsonby, Colonel, 168 - -Pont-sur-Sambre, action near, 94 - -Poole, Major, 111 - -Popham, Captain, 188 - -Powell, American journalist, quoted, 63, 198 - -Powell, Major, 250 - -Prichard, Major, 268 - -Prowse, Major, 231 - -Prussia, Crown Prince of, 145, 163 - -Prussia, Prince Henry of, 25 - -Prussian Guards, attack of, at Ypres, 297; Kaiser's order to, 297 - -Pulteney, General, 56, 126, 152, 157, 175, 178, 190, 206, 214, 215, -218, 227 - - - -Rawlinson, General Sir Henry, 224, 232, 236, 237, 241, 251, 256, 308 - -Rees, Captain, 268 - -Regiments: - -_Artillery--_ - -Royal Field Artillery, 69, 70, 71, 78, 82, 88, 89, 92, 100, 105, 110, -120, 153, 169, 192, 249, 268, 271, 272, 273, 300, 301 - -Royal Horse Artillery, 263; E Battery, 285; J Battery, 122, 150; K -Battery, 236; L Battery, 80, 128, 130, 131, 133 - -Heavy, 109, 110, 301 - -Howitzer, 88, 105 - -Honourable Artillery Company, 321 - -_Cavalry--_ - -1st Life Guards, 263, 293 - -2nd Life Guards, 263, 293 - -Royal Horse Guards (Blues), 263, 293 - -2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays), 85, 128, 131, 132, 155, 280, 282 - -3rd Dragoon Guards, 272, 306 - -4th (Royal Irish) Dragoon Guards, 58, 80, 118, 187, 188, 282, 283 - -5th Dragoon Guards, 280, 281, 282 - -6th Dragoon Guards (Carabineers), 283, 284, 285 - -7th Dragoon Guards, 331 - -1st Dragoons (Royals), 263, 272 - -2nd Dragoons (Scots Greys), 122, 263 - -3rd Hussars, 263 - -4th Hussars, 263 - -10th Hussars, 241, 272 - -11th Hussars, 131, 282, 283, 285 - -15th Hussars, 93, 120, 121 - -18th Hussars, 149 - -20th Hussars, 58 - -5th (Royal Irish) Lancers, 227, 279 - -9th Lancers, 80, 82, 149, 281, 283, 285 - -12th Lancers, 122, 227 - -16th Lancers, 226, 279 - -Essex Yeomanry, 322 - -Irish Horse, 242, 322 - -Leicestershire Yeomanry, 306 - -North Somerset Yeomanry, 306, 322 - -Northumberland Hussars, 242, 322 - -Oxfordshire Hussars, 281, 282, 322 - -_Guards--_ - -Coldstream, 90, 91, 92, 119, 120, 132, 168, 169, 171, 172, 191, 248, -259, 265 - -Grenadier, 90, 92, 150, 237, 244, 258, 259, 265, 289, 293, 306 - -Irish, 90, 92, 132, 150, 172, 255, 265, 288, 289, 293 - -Scots, 119, 169, 171, 242, 243, 244, 252, 253, 259, 260, 271, 297, -323, 334 - -_Infantry--_ - -Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 84, 100, 102, 216, 230, 324 - -Artists' Rifles (28th London), 321 - -Bedford, 174, 207, 236, 264, 266, 297 - -Berkshire, 93, 153, 255, 272 - -Black Watch, 119, 150, 169, 170, 171, 252, 258, 259, 331 - -Border, 243, 260 - -Buffs (East Kent), 214 - -Cameron Highlanders, 169, 171, 248, 252, 253, 332 - -Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), 84, 100, 131 - -Cheshire, 82, 83, 154, 174, 216, 321 - -Connaught Rangers, 94, 157, 301, 302, 328 - -Devon, 210, 219, 224 - -Dorset, 207, 208, 210, 216 - -Dublin Fusiliers, 106, 112 - -Duke of Cornwall's, 62, 72, 73, 99, 150, 151, 174, 215, 216, 224 - -Durham Light Infantry, 187, 188, 229 - -East Lancashire, 106, 229, 292 - -East Surrey, 72, 73, 99, 103, 150, 151, 174, 190, 215 - -East Yorkshire, 187, 188 - -Essex, 105, 106 - -Gloucester, 171, 182, 248, 250, 254, 260, 290, 291, 302 - -Gordon Highlanders, 60, 69, 72, 78, 113, 114, 219, 259, 273, 289, -324, 325 - -Hampshire, 106, 231 - -Herts, 321 - -Highland Light Infantry, 188, 242, 296, 301, 302, 326 - -Inniskilling Fusiliers, 105, 158, 229, 281 - -Irish Fusiliers, 106, 206 - -King's Liverpool, 90, 153, 255, 300, 301 - -King's Own Scottish Borderers, 61, 71, 72, 103, 209, 211, 278, 282, -284, 285, 334 - -King's Royal Rifles, 93, 153, 166, 167, 168, 169, 182, 188, 253, 256, -265, 268, 290, 305, 332 - -Lancashire Fusiliers, 105, 158, 229 - -Leinster, 229, 230 - -Lincoln, 60, 151, 174, 210, 279, 280, 296, 324 - -Liverpool Scottish, 321 - -London Rifle Brigade, 321 - -London Scottish, 280, 283, 284, 285, 296, 321 - -Manchester, 99, 100, 102, 216, 218, 220, 224, 329 - -Middlesex, 60, 68, 69, 70, 72, 78, 84, 100, 103, 131, 207, 209, 216, -219, 230, 324, 325 - -Monmouthshire, 321 - -Munster Fusiliers, 119, 120, 154, 169, 242, 331 - -Norfolk, 82, 109, 174, 219, 323 - -Northampton, 154, 166, 167, 176, 180, 181, 252, 273, 289, 302, 332 - -North Lancashire, 154, 166, 167, 168, 170, 250, 253, 265, 268, 297, -332 - -Northumberland Fusiliers, 68, 72, 78, 208, 209, 210, 279, 280 - -Oxford and Bucks, 289, 301, 302 - -Queen Victoria Rifles, 321 - -Queen's Westminsters, 321 - -Queen's (West Surrey), 168, 170, 176, 181, 182, 191, 240, 248, 253, -259, 260, 261, 266, 271 - -Rifle Brigade, 106, 323 - -Royal Fusiliers, 60, 68, 70, 71, 72, 209, 210, 212, 220, 221, 299 - -Royal Irish, 60, 210, 212 - -Royal Irish Fusiliers, 112 - -Royal Irish Rifles, 69, 78, 89, 219, 220, 221, 235 - -Royal Lancaster, 105, 111, 229 - -Royal Scots, 60, 77, 114, 207, 209, 219, 323, 324, 325 - -Royal Scots Fusiliers, 60, 68, 71, 72, 103, 210, 211, 237, 241, 242, -264, 266, 299 - -Seaforth Highlanders, 106, 112, 206, 304, 330, 332 - -Sherwood Foresters, 187, 188, 227, 228, 229 - -Somerset Light Infantry, 106, 229, 231 - -South Lancashire, 79, 88, 148, 215, 220 - -South Staffordshire, 153, 240, 244, 253 - -South Wales Borderers, 172, 191, 192, 248, 249, 261, 270, 332 - -Suffolk, 99, 100, 102, 108, 224, 321, 325, 329 - -Sussex, 153, 166, 167, 169, 187, 249, 273, 289 - -Warwick, 106, 111, 112, 206, 240, 243 - -Welsh, 172, 191, 254, 261, 266, 268, 332 - -Welsh Borderers, 260, 271 - -Welsh Fusiliers, 84, 100, 237, 240, 264, 323 - -West Kent, 61, 62, 71, 72, 79, 103, 215, 221, 222, 304 - -West Riding, 61, 71, 79, 103, 296 - -West Yorkshire, 187, 188, 190 - -Wiltshire, 88, 177, 190, 219, 221, 237, 241, 242, 306 - -Worcester, 150, 188, 215, 216, 242, 243, 270, 271, 292 - -York and Lancaster, 214 - -Yorkshire, 240, 264 - -Yorkshire Light Infantry, 61, 71, 103, 215, 221, 278, 282, 284, 285 - - -Royal Engineers, 70, 100, 127, 164, 175, 289, 300, 301, 302, 323 - - -_Indian Army--_ - -129th Baluchis, 279 - -9th Bhopal Infantry, 220, 328, 329 - -2nd Gurkhas, 330 - -4th Gurkhas, 326, 328 - -8th Gurkhas, 225, 331 - -9th Gurkhas, 330 - -58th Indian Rifles, 330 - -3rd Indian Sappers and Miners, 329 - -6th Jats, 330 - -59th (Scinde) Rifles, 218, 326, 327 - -15th Sikhs, 218, 219 - -47th Sikhs, 218, 220, 221, 328, 331 - -Vaughan's Indian Rifles, 225 - -Wilde's 57th Rifles, 281, 328, 329 - -Reynolds, Captain (R.F.A.), V.C., 110 - -Reynolds, Captain (9th Lancers), 149 - -Rheims Cathedral, bombarded by Germans, 189 - -Rickman, Major, 106 - -Rising, Captain, 250 - -Robb, Major, 188 - -Roberts, Lord, death of, while visiting the Army in France, 308 - -Robertson, Sir William, 134 - -Rolt, General, 61, 72, 98, 100 - -Ronaldson, Colonel, 327 - -Roper, Major, 207 - -Rose, Captain (Northumberland Fusiliers), 78 - -Rose, Captain (Royal Scots Fusiliers), 71 - -Ruggles-Brise, General, 245, 295 - -Russell, Second Lieutenant, 222 - -Ryan, Major, 332 - - - -Salisbury, late Lord, 2 - -Saltoun, Master of, 115 - -Samoa, German colony, captured by New Zealand, 312 - -Sandilands, Captain, 78 - -Sandilands, Colonel, 89 - -Sarajevo, 13 - -Sarrail, General, 145 - -Savage, Captain, 181 - -Scale, Captain, 327 - -Sclater-Booth, Major, 80, 130 - -Scott, Admiral Sir Percy, 42 - -Scott-Kerr, General, 90, 132 - -Seaton, Lance-Corporal, 281 - -Seely, Colonel, 158 - -Serbia, reply to Austrian ultimatum, 15; King of, appeals to the -Czar, 15 - -Serocold, Colonel, 167 - -Shaw, General, 60, 78, 174, 186, 190, 210, 211, 279, 280, 303, 324 - -Shore, Captain, 83 - -Smith, Captain Bowden, 70 - -Smith, Colonel (Lincoln), 280 - -Smith, Colonel Baird (R.S.F.), 266 - -Smith, Colonel Osborne (Northampton), 181 - -Smith, General Douglas, 324 - -Smith, Lieutenant, 70 - -Smith-Dorrien, General Sir Horace, 55, 56, 60, 72, 83, 84, 88, 95, -96, 97, 108, 109, 116, 119, 217, 218, 220, 221, 222, 286, 295, 307 - -Snow, General, 89, 104, 106, 108, 126, 320 - -Solesmes, action at, 88 - -South Africa, offer of service, 34; insurrection in, 313 - -Spee, Admiral von, 315 - -Spread, Lieutenant, 168 - -Stephen, Captain, 260 - -Stewart, Captain, 9, 155 - -Strickland, Colonel, 329 - -Stucley, Major, 259 - -Sturdee, Admiral, 315 - -Swettenham, Major, 122 - - - -Tannenberg, battle of, 139, 141, 316 - -Teck, Prince Alexander of, 226 - -Tew, Major, 99, 103 - -Thomson, Major, 332 - -Thruston, Lieutenant, 152 - -Togoland, German colony, captured by British forces, 312 - -Tower, Lieutenant, 70 - -Treitschke, 8 - -Trench, Captain, 269 - -Trevor, Major, 103 - -Triple Alliance and Triple Entente, 6 - -Tsingtau, German colony, captured by Japanese, 312 - -Tulloch, Colonel, 127 - -Turner, Colonel, 151 - - - -Uniacke, Colonel, 259 - - - -Vallentin, Captain, 294 - -Vandeleur, Captain, 102 - -Vandeleur, Major, 208 - -Venner, Colonel, 225 - -Vereker, Lieutenant, 92 - -Vidal, General, 290 - -Villars-Cotteret, action of, 132 - - - -Ward, Colonel, 103, 126 - -Ward, Lieutenant, 73 - -War Loan, success of the, 40 - -Warre, Major, 168 - -Wasme, action at, 79 - -Watkis, General, 217, 325 - -Watson, Lieutenant Graham, 114 - -Watson, Major, 168, 253, 266 - -Watts, General, 295 - -Welchmann, Lieutenant, 78 - -Wellesley, Lord Richard, 259 - -Westmacott, General, 332 - -White, Second Lieutenant, 222 - -Willcocks, General Sir James, 224, 225, 286, 325, 333 - -William II., Emperor of Germany, telegram to Kruger, 3; visits -England, 3; 20; his message to Sir Edward Goschen, 24; 28, 48; -special appeal to his troops at Ypres, 261 - -Williams, Captain, 271 - -Williams, General, 230 - -Wilson, Colonel (Blues), 293 - -Wilson, Colonel (R.E.), 127 - -Wilson, General, 86, 104, 106, 281 - -Wing, General, 110, 224 - -Wormald, Colonel, 122 - -Worsley, Lord, 263 - -Wright, Captain Theodore, 70, 175 - -Würtemberg, Duke of, 141, 144 - -Wyatt, Corporal, 92 - - - -Yate, Major, V.C., 103 - -Ypres, first battle of, 232-310 - - - -Zandvoorde, fight of, 262 - -Zillebeke, action of, 292 - - - -_Printed in Great Britain by_ R. & R. CLARK, LIMITED, _Edinburgh._ - - - - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BRITISH CAMPAIGN IN FRANCE AND -FLANDERS 1914 *** - -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 an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks 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 other than 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 website -(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 the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager 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 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 website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without -widespread 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 website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website 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. |