UC-NRLF
*C 237 335
LETTERS
WRITTEN FROM THE ENGLISH FRONT IN FRANCE
BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 19 14 AND MARCH 19 15
BY
Captain SIR EDWARD HAMILTON WESTROW HULSE, bt.
2nd Battn. Scots Guards
Privately printed
1 916
The nature of these letters is clear at the first glance. They are simply
a record of the earlier months of the war from the point of view of a
young officer of the English Expeditionary Force. But they possess
both interest and importance apart from the fact that in these months
the first swift onrush of the Germans towards Paris was repulsed, and,
perhaps, the issue of the whole war decided. They are written with
accuracy because Edward Hulse, who was in the heart of the retreat from
Mons, the turn and triumph of the Marne, and the beginning of the
long station at the Aisne, rarely turns aside from the story of his own
experiences ; they are written with ease because, without exception, they
were written to his mother without a thought of publication. The life
of an officer at one or other of our varied fronts from the first disembarka-
tion to the struggle at Neuve Chapelle, whether in billets, in hospital,
at the base, or in the trenches, is here touched in with a convincing because
unconscious hand, and with a fullness of detail that is invaluable.
The writer of these letters had a sense both of perspective and of
humour, — without which all records are but as the dry bones of the events
they chronicle. For example, the rapid and careless pen-sketches that
describe the work of a night raid, the reception of a prisoner, the excite-
ment of a sniping party, the confusion at Havre, and a dozen other
incidents of that crowded half-year are every one of them admirable.
But there is something else in these letters which is of even greater
interest. Without hesitation it may be said that in the fourteen pages
under the date December 28 th we have the most keenly noted, vigorous
and dramatic description that ever has or ever will be written of what
from a psychological point of view has been the most extraordinary event
M182857
VI
of the war, — the Christmas Truce of 19 14. In its mere literary aspect
it is as perfect as anything written from the front : and as a human
document it is of even greater value.
No reader of this short autobiography, — for it is nothing less, — will
fail to recognise the difference that distinguishes these Christmas letters
from that first keen report of current gossip and opinion in London
written from the Bachelors' Club on the eve of the war. The develop-
ment that has taken place in the writer under the stress of a new and
hard life of direct responsibility is clear in every line of them, and though,
no doubt, it is typical of a similar growth in most of the junior officers
at the front, there are probably few other cases in which this self-
development has been recorded as continuously and as fully, and fewer
still in which such a story has been unfolded in a series of letters to one
recipient, almost every word of which could be and is here reproduced.
Essentially, the man remains the same throughout. The letters begin
with the free criticisms and soldier-like impatience of a young officer:
they end on the same note with as clearly expressed an opinion of the
unpatriotic influences at work in England. But the tale of work done
between the writing of the two has not only given him the better right
to speak, but has added weight to the form in which his protest is
moulded. He writes the first letter as any Guardsman full of the spirit
of his corps might have written it. In his last long letter his estimate
of the fighting value of the as yet untried and roughly disciplined
Canadians shows how far he had gone in the power of summing up a
man's essentials at a glance.
But there will be many who will read these pages with an eye to the
development neither of the soldier nor of the writer ; many to whom
the value of truthful observation and an unfailing record of it will be
of less interest and account than the self-revelation of the personal
character of Edward Hulse himself. Of this it is almost unnecessary
to write here. Those who in the first instance will read this small volume
will have known him personally. Those into whose hands it will come
in later years will be dull if they need more to be told them of Edward
Vll
Hulse than is suggested in the letters in this book. He was a man of
much charm and of many friends. In the hour of trial he developed
into a resourceful and capable officer to whom his men were devoted.
Having done his work steadily up to the last minute, he was killed at
Neuve Chapelle. His commanding officer fell severely wounded, and
Edward Hulse, after making his way across to him in the open and doing
what he could to help him, was killed in rejoining his men.
These letters, though they contain not a line of the introspection
which so often characterises messages from the front, are his real memorial.
Perhaps, in years to come, after the dust and turmoil of the war has died
down, of those who lay this little volume down there will be the greater
number who will do it with the thought in their minds that a man who
is indeed a judge of men once expressed. He read but one of these
letters, packed with incident and picturesque detail, redolent of the
very clay and tense life of the trenches, and full of exact and valuable
information : but his only comment was, " I should like to have known
that man."
Perceval Landon.
S/r Edward Hamilton Westrow Hulse, Bt., was the only child of
Sir Edward Henry Hulse, Bt., of Breamore House, Hants, and the Hon.
Lady Hulse, only daughter of the first Lord Burnham. He was born
at 26 Upper Brook St., Westminster, on August 3is£, 1889, and was
christened at Breamore. He succeeded his father in 1903. As a child he
attended Mr. Marcon's school at Beaconsfleld, and afterwards went to Mr.
A. Max-Wilkinson's at Warren Hill, Eastbourne, Sussex. In 1903 he entered
Mr. R. S. Kindersley's house at Eton, and afterwards matriculated at Balliol
College, Oxford, in 1907, taking his degree in 1912.
After a period of training with the Coldstream Guards, he was given a
commission in the 1st Battn. Scots Guards on March 8th, 1913, and went to the
front at Mons with it in August 1914. In November he was transferred
to the 2nd Battn., and remained in it until his death.
Captain Sir Edward Hulse was killed at Neuve Chapelle on March 1.2th,
1915, and a tablet recording the manner of his death was put up to his memory
in the Cathedral by the citizens of Salisbury. This tablet was dedicated by
the Bishop of Salisbury on March 11th, 1916.
Bachelors' Club, Piccadilly,
Sunday, {Aug. 2 : 19 14).
My Dearest Mother,
Just got up for few hours. Lunched and went to Tower
afterwards, where I found them all very busy, and mobilization machinery
complete and ready to be set in motion at moment's notice.
Find general opinion is as follows : — Asquith, George and
Churchill are in favour of intervention and whole-hearted support
of France. Haldane and all the rest are against it, and are ready
to work hard (with the power of Labour and Syndicalism and threat
of national strikes, etc.) to get Asquith to climb down. Overwhelm-
ing opinion amongst the " man in the street," that we must help
France. It is not a question of national honour any longer, but of
national welfare and actual life in the future. If we climb down (which
is thought almost impossible, as it is completely unthinkable) then we
must be done. Canada might join U.S.A., Australia set up on its own,
anything, in short, might be the outcome of such a degrading performance.
As you will see, abroad all socialists and syndicalists have regretted
mobilization, but state that, as it is an accomplished fact, it is the duty of
every man, etc. — in fact, patriotism. If we can't do the same, we had
better go to bed !
Italy is a very big thing for France and for us, if only we get a move
on. France can move the large number of troops held in S.E. on the
Italian frontier to her Eastern German frontier, and thereby strengthen
her lines. Mediterranean becomes virtually a British Sea, and Adriatic is
easily bottled up. We are left free, as far as fleet is concerned, to look
after our own and France's interests in home waters. I believe that we
now extend from Cromarty in the North to Dover, and are only waiting
for the German ships to show their noses. If they do, we then ask them
their business and where they are going, to which they probably would
not reply, and then comes the fight. I doubt their leaving their harbours
for some time, as they say they are not ready yet. If only we let our
fleet carry on, we are all right, though the man-in-the-street in France, of
course expects us to go the whole hog ! As far as the French authorities
are concerned, they want our fleet, and would like a force also ; they
don't want numbers ; ten boy Scouts and British flag is all that is
wanted. The whole thing lies in the moral support and the fact of
the British flag assisting on French soil. As a matter of fact, 1 20,000
or 160,000 troops from us at Maubeuge would mean a very real
help to France, although people talk about our army as a drop in the
ocean. At present, granted that Germany will violate the neutrality
of Belgium, France must prolong and therefore weaken her lines to
a certain extent.
There are only two ways of a flanking movement for Germany : —
I. By Sea;
II. By Belgium.
The first we ought to be able to settle, the second we should be able to
assist France very materially in preventing by the above mentioned force.
For every man we send over there (apart from the moral support which
it means) Germany must tell off so many more to face us. France would
be able to contract her lines by that amount, and therefore strengthen
them. That, taken into consideration with the large forces set free in
the south of France by Italy, means a big thing for France and a very
heavy blow for Germany.
Churchill has leaped up by bounds in popularity, and as his action
and the war-like spirit is compatible with his popularity and personal
advancement, I imagine he is to be trusted to do the right thing absolutely.
There are fears of his resigning to-morrow, if things go wrong in the
Cabinet and in the House.
As you know, they say that Grey has been playing the double game,
threatening Germany with all our forces thrown against her, and holding
out to France, at the same time no hopes of help. He must decide
soon, and is at present for climbing down. Prevalent opinion is that
the Stock Exchange closed three days too late, and that we have done
everything three days too late. Why the devil we can't get our
mobilization orders out, instead of talk, talk, talk and nothing done,
goodness only knows. No one can any longer say that it is an
aggressive action as everyone else has done it, and it would merely be
precautionary ; we have not got the practice in handling big things that
France and Germany have, and the sooner we get a move on, the better
prepared we shall be for being in the right place at the right time, if
events demand it, instead of putting in an appearance a fortnight late, as
we probably should do.
Woolwich mobilized to-day, but we still remain on the old marshes.
The mosquitoes have assembled in myriads, and are peculiarly poisonous,
and very painful. Everything going well and in shipshape order there,
and the Adjutant rather pleased with himself!
Carson and Bonar Law just dined here, next to me. The former
determined and very serious, the latter rather flustered to look at. They
say there will be a big scene in the House to-morrow, as war and peace-
parties about equal. It makes one hot all over to think of the peace-at-
any-price party being so strong at this juncture.
Probably things will have happened to modify or alter the gist of
this letter by to-morrow.
Very best love, no time for more.
Ever your loving
Ted.
P.S. — Large crowd just passed down Piccadilly cheering a French
Tricolour !
Ramillies Barracks, Aldershot,
12. 8. 14.
My Dearest Mother,
We start to-night, about midnight, but do not know desti-
nation or anything yet.
The whole of the 2nd Division has gone, and the 4th Guards'
Brigade went from London this morning. We only heard yesterday
that ten or fifteen thousand troops are already over the Channel.
Troops have been leaving here throughout the last two nights.
I have delivered myself of three 'eavy lectures to my platoon, on
everything from the general situation, no quarter and discipline down
to French money, etc. The Colonel's instructions as to behaviour for
the battalion are " Towards all inhabitants kindness and a helping hand,
towards all womankind, courtesy, but no intimacy."
Any message which you see fit to convey to Breamore, as a whole,
please construct yourself, and tell them that I look to them to set an
example in the matter of duty to their King and Country, whether at
home or abroad.
Very best love and same to O. M. Tell her that the General is
grand. Don't expect too frequent letters.
Ever your loving
Ted.
Left Aldershot, 4 a.m., August 1.2th, 1914.1
Farnborough,
Southampton, ) . . .
\ 10 hours. Arrived midnight.
Havre, )
Rest Camp on heights above Harfleur. Aug. 13th. Left at 9 p.m.
1 The notes here printed in italics are taken from a rough diary made by Capt. Sir Edward
Hulse during his convalescence at Havre, to replace a diary lost by him during the retreat from
Mons. They are printed, obvious slips excepted, as he wrote them.
5
Aug. 14th. Marched down to station and entrained at 3 a.m. ; arrived
at Rouen, 8 a.m. Then Amiens.
Aug. 15th. Albert, Arras, Cambrai. Tremendous reception. Embrace
particularly good-looking girls, who load us with sweets, smokes, coffee,
and souvenirs. Army arrives at detraining point without any badges, all
given as souvenirs.
Aug. 15th. Detrain at Le Nouvion (through Le Cateau). 48 trains
up to time, only one late. Marched to Boue. Billeting and practised route
marches in great heat for four days. Lived in extreme luxury, and people
did everything in their power for us.
Aug. 2.0th ? Marched by Bergues, Barzy to Cartignies. Billeted and
moved on by Dompierre, Dourlers to Eclaibes. From Eclaibes struck big
Paris-Maubeuge road, and marching through Maubeuge at 10.30 p.m.,
struck half -right (N.E.) to Grand Reng (Belgium), and billeted after very
long and tiring 22 mile march.
O.A. Service,
20.8.14.
My Dearest Mother,
All well and flourishing, pretty hot and grand sweat every-
day. Nothing definite allowed in this letter at all, but will write as
soon as we are allowed to send news.
We can do with all the news you can give us and have received
a post already.
We are going to celebrate Bill's coming of age to the best of our
ability, especially as it coincides with another officer's birthday as well.
Very best love to all.
Ever your loving
Ted.
Aug. 24th. First heard sound of guns this morning and were hurried
out at 4 a.m. to position between, and just south of line, Mons-Binche.
Dug good trenches and heard second Division being hammered on left near
Mons, and the French being hammered on our right ; these were the two
French Territorial Divisions which fell back in disorder and completely
uncovered our right flank. {The Generals were cashiered subsequently by
Joffre, I believe.) Orders arrived to retire and we only realised afterwards
that we had been in a tight place, and if the Germans had known our
small numbers, they could have got at us. This was the Northernmost point
which we reached.
Aug. 2$th. We retired {yesterday) round Maubeuge by N. and W. sides, and
billeted in La Longueville. Marched to Dompierre to billet, through St. Remy.
No room for S.G. so we went to Taisnieres. Billeted in dark with my 4 C.Q.M.S.
when two Frenchmen reported 50 German cavalry in village of Noyelles and
nothing between us. Part of our transport came in at that moment ; luckily had
field ready for them ; got them in, and together with drivers, etc., got together
15 men ; had all cigarettes, etc., put out, and took up position on either side
of road with 200 yds. field of fire and awaited battalion ; Germans never came
on, as we found out from refugees that they were far too busy with the liquor
in Noyelles.
Aug. 26th. On to Grand Fayt, Grand Debout and Erruart, billeting in
Fesmy.
Aug. 2jth. Went out and took up rearguard position along W assigny-Oisy
road ; no fighting, and fell back on Etreux, where my Coy. was rearguard of
whole Division. We had to block all roads till 42nd had fallen back through
us, and information came to us that a German cavalry Bde. had got round and
were in Forest of Nouvion on our flank. As soon as our retiring column got
on to heights above Etreux, after leaving latter and blowing up bridge, the enemy
shelled the road Etreux- J erusalem from about Dorengt, and their dismounted
cavalry came up through corn and maize to within 600 yds. and fired on us.
Only two men of 42nd and two of ours wounded. {My rearguard, first blood,
Munsters, 170 turned up only.) Line of retirement then followed.
7
Aug. 28th. By Guise cross-country to Nouvion Ic Comte, Danizy.
Aug. 29th. La Fere, Frcssancourt, Missancourt, St. Gobain.
(St. Gobain) 29.8.14.
My Dearest Mother,
In very best of health and great form, as also is Bill. Have
had our baptism of shrapnel and rifle fire. Unfortunately we are allowed
to say no more.
Please ask F. L. Smith, 12 Burlington Gardens (Albany Cigarette
people) to send me twice a week a box of 25 of the cigarettes which they
supply me with generally. The address you know : —
On Active Service,
c/o G.P.O.
Have had no letter from anyone yet, have you received three
from me ?
Very best love to all at Breamore.
Ever your loving
Ted.
Aug. 30th. St. Gobain, Septvaux, Coucy, {Alternant. Aug. 31st.) Soissons,
Vauxbuin.
{Sep. 1.) Left for Viller s-C otter ets, La Ferte Milon and dug ourselves in
just south of latter for night, but moved on at 1.30 a.m. {Sep. 2) to Neuf-
chelles and Chambry. Heard we were going on to Meaux and Fontainebleau,
but {Sep. 3) struck off S.E. by forest of Meaux to La Ferte and fouarre.
Peckham bought jug for company. Billeted whole battalion in Benedictine
Monastery which had been dismantled completely two months before owing
to threat of State taking over. Room for 2,500 men in building. {Sep. 4.)
8
Marched to Coulommiers, where we did ourselves proud for 12 hours, but had
alarm at midnight, when Uhlans rode full pelt into outposts. They lost
their heads and fired all over the place, and therefore only took few prisoners
(4 and killed 3) when by lying quiet and letting them come on they might have
bagged a lot.
(Coulommiers) 4.9.14.
My Dearest Mother,
Just arrived for 24 hours' rest. We have fairly been moving,
and great heat and tired feet are the chief inconveniences. However,
have never been fitter and feel first rate. All the officers of the
Battalion are in the best of health. Our men have fought d — d well
under trying circumstances and the discipline in the battalion has been
outstanding.
The general opinion is that we have done a difficult and very big
thing and the French are (rightly) grateful beyond all power of
expression. More I may not say.
Very best love to all.
Ever your loving
Ted.
{Sep. 5.) By Pezarches and Ormeaux to Nesles ; (outposts). (Sep. 6.) At
Nesles the turning point was reached and we took the offensive. Went by
Voinsles. At Plessis (Sep. 7) the Coldstream got hammered a bit, as they
went forward before our guns were in position. We were well shelled, and
one burst on road close to B. Coy. officers lunching. Peck was hard at
it with vin rouge, and did not even remove bottle from his mouth. First
saw German infantry in motor lorries at distance of about three miles. We
shelled them, also shelled farm with howitzers ; first shell landed in farm and
9
about 50 German cyclists came rushing out and started pedalling down
road for all they were worth. Saw this through my glasses plainly.
Meantime we had left trenches which we had dug under shell-fire, when
Coldstream had to fall back, and continued our advance, by Pressbucy,
point 135, Chevru, Choisy, (Sep. 8th, La Frenois) and La Ferte Gaucher to
Bellot. (Sep. gth, Basseville) In the advance we started with the French
$th Army on our right, then our 1st Army, 2nd, then French 6th and yth
Armies on our left, near Compiegne and Amiens.
About this time, owing to defective French cavalry scouting, we got
shelled descending through a village in column of route. Coldstream had a
man badly hit, and he was taken back 400 yds. and attended to on stretcher
in middle of road. (D — d silly thing to do.) After a minute or two,
another shell came and landed plumb on this unfortunate devil ; killed
him, blew stretcher to bits, killed two stretcher-bearers and wounded two more
and the Coldstream M.O. badly. This happened within 15 yds. of seven of us
officers sitting by the road ; luckily it was faulty burst.
We now began to see real signs of retreat. Dead horses and men (German,
French and English) and abandoned limbers. All villages looted, and most
noticeable thing was enormous quantity of broken bottles. Went by Sablonnieres
to Hondevilliers. Saw composite regiment (Household cavalry, etc.) for first
time. They retired in evening through my platoon on outpost.
(Sep. 10.) From Hondevilliers across Marne at Nogent VArtaud and
by Charly to Bouresches, Belleau and Latilly. (Sep. 11.) When we got to
Latilly the French 5th Army passed across our front from right to left, and our
complete Army moved right-handed (eastwards) to tap the right of a German
Army which had been heavily hammered by the French at Chalons. But they
fell back too quickly for us, and their line being reconstructed and no flank
open to attack, we turned North again to the Aisne and pursued their forces
retiring on to the Aisne.
Heard of big German reverse at Chalons and whole Army moved hurriedly
eastwards. French $th Army crossed our front by night. Moved by La Croix,
Nanteuil, Bruyeres (Sep. 12) to Fere en Tardenois, eastwards, when move-
ment northwards was resumed.
IO
From here we found ground foul, doorsteps and even inside of houses fouled
on purpose by Germans. By Mareuil, Chery, Mont Notre Dame and Bazoches
skirting Fismes to Courcelles. All this time battle of Aisne was preparing,
but we did not know whether Germans were only preparing rearguard action,
in order to save their supplies at Soissons (it had been their advanced base and
contained heavy siege-guns for Paris), or whether it was a big position.
Sept. 13th. Turned N.E. to Villers-en-Prayeres and crossed the Aisne
at Bourg to Giuilly, over an aqueduct, with two shell holes in it (the bridge had
been very effectually destroyed by French in their original retreat). So little
did our senior officers suspect what was in front that we had orders to march
to a place behind the present German position, which we have not yet got to !
(Oct. 5th.)
We advanced over the high ground among Turcos and Spahis above (Euilly
in artillery formation about 6 p.m. under shrapnel fire.
Houldsworth killed, and fack Corbett had his pack torn clean from his
back. Later in the evening famie Balfour and several machine gunners wounded.
Billeted after retiring | mile, in Paissy (just to north of (Euilly) .
Sept. 14th. Advanced with same orders, namely to march to place several
miles ahead, in heavy mist. Had only gone i\ miles when we found we were
in a big fight. Deployed and the big fight of the Aisne began. In the mist
the Germans allowed us to take the apparently strong line of hills above Vendresse.
We advanced over them into the valley beyond, and found ourselves up against
the position from which they have not moved since. As the mist cleared off,
we retired on to the line of heights above Vendresse, from 2 m. E. of Beaulne
to 2 m. E. of Vendresse, where we hung on till the 19th, when relieved by 6th
Division.
18. 9. 14.
My Dearest Mother,
Have not been able to send a letter for 9 days. Am now
writing in an old cave (stone quarry) and it is the fifth day of this battle
— continuous. I cannot say where or anything about casualties, except that
II
Carpenter-Garnier, young " Bones " and Thornhill are killed. Bill and
self well as can be. The very hot weather during our retreat from
Belgium, has given place to cold, wind and sheets of rain, but thank
goodness we have got fairly dry to-day.
Thanks ever so much for your wire on 31st, received by me on 14th,
and for foot-grease, pipes, tobacco and cigarettes. They arrived when
we had absolutely nothing left, and only one box of matches amongst our
officers and men, B Coy. (about 200 of us). We split open cartridges
and use the cordite as matches now.
I cannot understand your not having received a letter. I have sent
five, but heard that 400 bags of our mails had to be burnt, which may
account for it. George and John Manners are in the 2nd Division and
quite separate from us, so probably had facilities which we had not.
You evidently did not get my letter telling you of our baptism or
rifle and shrapnel fire ; we got it first on and have had it inter-
mittently ever since up to the 14th ; on that day the genuine battle began
for us, and we have been shelled all day and every day, and some of the
nights ever since. We are entrenched within about a 1000 yards of each
other and get in with the rifle now and then at small parties. I can't
say anything definite, as otherwise you will not get this letter, owing to
censorship. Our men are grand, and the Germans are more uncomfort-
able with us in front than with anyone else.
During our strategical retirement we did ten days' big marching, and
the Battalion stuck it better than anyone else we saw, owing, I think, to
discipline. The Colonel is slightly wounded, as also several officers.
The most unpleasant work I have had so far is being escort to our
guns, which of course draw all fire, including that of the German heavy
siege gun, which was meant for the siege of Paris, which they were so
certain of reaching !
I have acted throughout as officers' cook and messman for my com-
pany, and on the few occasions when we have been able to get both eggs
and milk the result of my cooking has been praised to the skies ! I
have also (owing to knowledge of French, as the Colonel told me) acted
12
as billeting-officer since the fourth day after our arrival. It entails going
on ahead of the Brigade and seeing to the lodging or bivouacking of the
Battalion, and commandeering all eggs, butter, milk, etc., possible. It is no
easy matter, and when one arrives about 1 1 p.m. dead tired and pitch dark,
with rain, it requires an inordinate control of the temper !
The most welcome presents are cigarettes and chocolate, none of
which exist any longer in N.E. of France.
Please send me out another pair of regulation puttees (from Cater,
Pall Mall), mine are in shreds now. We all look very sweet sights and
have not seen water, except to drink, for 7 days, but the rain has done a
good deal ; no clothes off for the last 10 days, and of course no billeting,
and no sleeping-bags, etc.
The German atrocities cannot be exaggerated, there is nothing they
will not descend to.
Give my very best love to all.
Ever your loving
Ted.
Rain began on 10th Sept. and practically ceaseless up to 20th. Trenches
one to seven or eight inches deep in mud and water ; very cold at night.
Practically ceaseless bombardment from 13th onwards, with frequent day
and night attacks, especially latter. Germans wasted hundreds of men in these
attacks. Prisoners very thin and haggard, and complained of hunger and
fatigue.
Brasserie de Cidre et de Boisson,
Victor Bredel,
45 Rue de la Republique 45 {Havre).
The second day of the battle of the Aisne (Sept. 14th) was far the hotter as
regards shell fire, as trenches were in many places not yet perfected and they got
several of their big howitzer shells amongst us as well as shrapnel.
THE TRENCHES OF THE AISNE
(From drawings by Sir Edward Hulse)
Wo\
&a£t
^-^
<yiiYVA *ir *W
The slope in which were situated the quarries, was about 30 feet high, and partially wooded, with small
trees and bushes. In places it was almost sheer. This slope is marked A in the accompanying section
(see next page) of the whole hill and valley. Our trenches were hastily dug out, and men, by squatting,
as shown on this sectional sketch, were absolutely safe from shrapnel, however close it burst. At times it
burst so close that one could feel the heat. Many bad bursts and faulty timing of fuses were noticed.
While in these trenches they did not attack us while their shrapnel had got the exact range. The
men, when standing up, could fire with ease to the front, though the field of fire in some places was not
more than 60 yds. !
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13
But -provided that they did not actually strike the line of trenches we were
all right. A few men in the trenches were hit by stray bits from shells bursting
between points A and B {see sketch No. 2), especially by bursts on slope
B — D, which easily reached us in trenches at A, tho' most of it was either mud
or stones displaced by the burst.
In one place the hill from trenches down into the valley was so steep, that
all first line transport was practically safe from the big shells, and the damage
done to a few horses {Black Watch cookers) was entirely due to their being too
far out away from the foot of the hill.
Brigade headquarters were in a cave {stone quarry) half way down slope C
{see sketch No. 2).
All roads and paths were 6 in.-g in. deep in mud, and in places over 1 ft.
deep.
First two days no great coats and few oilsheets. Incessant rain and very
muddy trenches, in some places several inches of mud and water in trenches
themselves. Men did most sleeping by day, and night attacks were frequent.
Enemy did not take on a day attack with infantry.
21. 9. 14.
My Dearest Mother,
Have received all your letters in two batches and all parcels,
for which ever so many thanks. The great thing in sending welcome
little parcels is that they should be small and frequent rather than
large at long intervals, as we have all we can carry as regards
weight on our backs. Please send one thick vest and one pair short
drawers (thick, and only down to above the knee) at once ; also the
same a fortnight afterwards.
And now for any little news I can give you.
After six days' fighting on the same spot night and day, we have
been relieved and are billeted in a village just in rear for 48 hours'
rest. We have had brisk time in foul weather, and are well and fit
after it. No wounded officers of ours are bad, and the Colonel will
rejoin very shortly (slight wound in hand, chest (scratch) and foot). I
am conscious of having left out the date of our baptism of fire in my
last letter, it was the 28th of August, and since then we have pretty well
been at it all along. However, the fight of the last six days has cut
out anything we have seen before, and French, who motored through
here to-day, called on the Brigadier, and told him specially to com-
pliment our Brigade on having done a big thing under trying
circumstances, and in the most advanced position of the allied front.
Posts (except actually during a fight when transport must neces-
sarily be well in rear) are frequent now that we are advancing, and
letters are appreciated more than anything, and waited for with feverish
anxiety. Write as many as you like.
I am very sorry indeed about George, and only hope that he will
turn up all right, which he ought to, provided the wound is slight.
People think the German atrocities are exaggerated, I believe. I
will now give you an absolutely authentic instance of what they do.
This is a true story of 's death. He was wounded, and together
with some of our men and the Black Watch, and, I believe, a few
Coldstream, had crawled into a pit to avoid further fire. The Germans
came up and fired on this party of our men (35-40 in all) and all
wounded. and a Black Watch officer put up a handkerchief as
a signal to them, upon which the Germans walked in and shot the
lot point blank. Two men escaped, — and one of them was ours, —
by feinting to be dead and crawling back by night to the lines ; they
had two wounds each. The rest, as I say, were butchered, although
already incapacitated completely. Again, a Medical Officer, wounded,
lay on the ground, and when Germans came up, he handed them his
revolver, upon which they took it and shot him through both hands,
and left him. He is now in England. Hundreds of other things 1
could tell you of the same incredible nature, so don't let anyone think
that the stories one hears are mere exaggerations.
By-the-by, two Jaeger cholera-belts would be most acceptable.
Quite right of you to stop Gun at Home and Abroad, all luxurious
expenses must cease at once.
Your story of Nicklen most amusing. Will you please send two
sheets and two envelopes of foreign paper in every letter you send me,
as no envelopes available.
Very best love.
Ever your loving
Ted.
P.S. — I am only writing to you at present, as no time for other
letters. Much better to give you frequent news, and you can pass
it on. E. H.
Back to CEuilly, nominally for three days' rest, but only had thirty hours,
broken by alarms, when we went out to Verneuil to relieve 6th Brigade, 2nd
Division. I was carted out of our funk-holes there on the night of the 22nd.
(Nantes) 27.9.14.
My Dearest Mother,1
Here I am at an overflow Base Hospital, living in great
comfort, though not in too great luxury.
We are at Nantes, but may be moved at any time, and the fellows
here with wounds in the arms or legs (that have healed) may be
sent home for a bit, or may remain here. No one seems certain, and
I believe it is all a question of clearing the Hospitals at the Base, on
the sea ; one has to be gradually shifted down, as there is room.
All hospitals from Base to Firing-line are chock-a-block, and we have
700 cases here in French hospitals.
1 Found at home on my return from France. — E. M. H.
i6
I had bad dysentery for two days in the trenches (in which we
were for nine days, with one day's respite) in pouring rain and cold ;
added to that my old right leg, in which you will remember I had
rheumatism years ago, went quite stiff, a week ago (Monday night).
I could not move at all, and was just a helpless lump, so was carried
down from the trenches under cover of darkness to a village in
rear. I don't remember much about it, but have hazy recollections
of a medical officer, a horse ambulance, German wounded beside me,
then a motor ambulance and a bed in a clearing Hospital, a short
sojourn there, and we were put into a train (well fitted up as a
hospital), and at an incredibly slow pace, and taking three days and
a bit, we arrived here. On the train I made the most astoundingly
quick progress (far quicker than any other similar cases), and though
weak as a kitten, and with no legs at all, the pains, and head, etc.,
went off almost entirely. The warmth of blankets, etc., fetched out
the rheumatism, but that is no longer painful now. I can get about the
room now, and am to be allowed out of bed to-morrow. I have been put
on ordinary light diet (no longer milk) and have an appetite like an ox.
Several of the ist Brigade down here, and luckily one Edwardes,
Captain in the Coldstream, in the next bed. He is almost all right
(shot through the arm), and goes out and forages for me very kindly
for papers, etc. The M.O. gave me some cigarettes to-day, so you
can see that I am well on my way back to the d — d barbarian host.
It is absolutely inconceivable what they do, and not worth men-
tioning what they don't do ! I see the Commission on Atrocities is
doing grand work. It is a great pity and absolutely wrong, if people
get it into their heads that the reports are exaggerated in any way.
Interesting points about our fighting I am afraid I cannot mention.
Everything was cold, sodden and running inches deep in water and
mud. Constant attacks and counter attacks and very heavy shell fire.
The German big high explosive has done us little damage, though
moral effect is very great. Our men have been wonderful, and little
sickness has occurred so far, considering the very rigorous conditions
i7
when large forces have been stationary for ten days and more in soaking
trenches. The Germans have got enteric in their trenches, and, according
to two wounded officers (absolute swine and ill-conditioned brutes) who
came down with me, are suffering severely from it. All German
privates, captured or wounded, ask at once whether they are going to
England, and if answered in the affirmative, are relieved beyond all
words. Wherever taken they seemed to be hungry and very thin,
showing signs of wear badly. They favour the night attack (at least
have with us) and they drive their men forward in very large numbers.
But our rifle-fire is out and away too much for them, and they have
not got in our part of the line at all. They fairly hate the cold steel.
I have done none of that yet. In one place two German officers were
found dead thirty or forty yards in front of their trenches, and all the
men themselves dead in the trenches, showing that they will not follow
their officers. They fairly hate the sight of them, and have to be
driven, not commanded and led.
Please stop sending anything to me at the former address, until I
tell you. At present my address is,
Officers' Hospital, No. 2 Base,
Expeditionary Force.
At present please send only letters.
I suppose all that rumour about the Russians in England was
wrong ? I expect a lot of stories like that have been going about.
Let me know all the news from home as soon as possible.
My very best love.
Ever your loving
Ted.
NOTE BY LADY HULSE.
On September 28th, 1914, / received a telegram from the War Office telling
me that my son was in Hospital at Nantes. On enquiry, I was told he was
suffering from dysentery and rheumatism. So, being most anxious he should
make a good recovery, as I knew how miserable he would be if invalided home,
I settled to go to Nantes.
I had got my passport ready in case of necessity. I left Southampton
at 4 p.m. on September 30th and arrived at Nantes at 1.30 a.m. on October
2nd.
I found that the English Officers' Hospital was in the Rue de la Bastille,
and I arrived there about 9.30 a.m. The kind and courteous C.M.O. took
me at once to the ward where my son was, with three other officers. He was
sitting up for the first time, and on seeing me, exclaimed : " By Gad, I didn't
know you could get here ! " I replied, " you can't," recalling the struggle of my
seventeen hours' journey from St. Malo to Nantes, instead of what should have
been about five or six hours. My son looked extremely thin and pulled down,
and was very weak, but told me he felt " on the mend," and had improved even
on the train journey from the rail-head, Braisne, to Nantes. He had been lifted
out of the Aisne trenches, partly unconscious and in high fever, the night of
September 22nd, as I learned subsequently from his soldier servant, and helped
back to a village behind our line of trenches. He remembered a little of one
night in a cellar, and one in a Church, — then to the rail-head by motor, and
a two days' journey in a train full of wounded and sick ; but during those
two days the dysentery abated, his temperature came down, and the warm blankets
did wonders for his rheumatism.
J9
The C.M.O. of the Hospital, grasping the fact that I had come, not to try
and get my son home, but to try and get him thoroughly fit for duty again, allowed
him to join me at the Hotel the afternoon of October 2nd, and in two or three
days he improved wonderfully , eating plenty of healthy and nourishing food.
We took motor drives, and saw all the wonders of the great thriving French
town transformed into the English Army Base, with W. and G. Taxis, and
Hampton's, and Waring's vans whirling about the streets. After the first
two days he constantly called at Head-quarters to know when he would be able
to get back to duty, and after being passed medically fit for light duty, he started
for St. Nazaire early on October yth — looking forward with the keenest pleasure
and interest to rejoining his battalion before very long. As we parted he said,
" If you roll up in the firing line I shan't turn a hair," and I returned to
England via St. Malo and Southampton.
EDITH M. HULSB.
Havre,
i 1. 10. 14.
My Dearest Mother,
Complete chaos and shifting about have prevented my getting
a letter through to you. I took a quiet five and a half hours getting to
St. Nazaire that day, and after reporting at the Base Commandant's was
told to join a select little party of nondescript officers and a party of the
roughest and most ill-clad men of all regiments of the army, numbering
320, who were classed as " B," meaning convalescent, and fit for light
base duty. Our Head-quarters were the Casino, where I spent a hard
and very cold night with one blanket only on a stone floor. Next day
we were put into a train for Havre, and here we are after two days
in the train, very few rations, but we (4 officers) looked after ourselves
all right.
On arriving we found that we had to go to a camp two miles out,
above the town. We are doing nothing at present except trying to
get fresh kit, etc., from England, and the difficulties in the way of any
officer trying to get back to the front are incalculable. However, I have
written to our CO. to apply for me. At present officers returning from
here to the front have to go via St. Nazaire ; it seems inconceivable.
They tried to put us all in camp at first. Of course we had no
blankets, nothing to sleep in or on, so I boldly tackled Head-quarters
and explained that half our men were rheumatic, etc., had no kit, and
that three out of the four officers were under doctor's orders not to sleep
out yet. I managed to get leave for billeting, and have ensconced
myself and the other officers at a grocer's close to the camp, and have
21
worked an Officers' Mess at a little " Buvette " close by. They do us
well and very cheap. If we had not been very firm we should have been
put down in the camp on very short rations, and without a blanket
or anything.
Why they sent us here goodness only knows, as they have only just
begun to reconstruct a base here, and all the brains and working-
machinery remain at Nantes. Result, complete chaos here, especially as
most available buildings are full of French wounded, and the schools are
reopening, which does away with the most valuable type of building for
military purposes. They have, so far, given us no work of any sort,
and as soon as I can refit properly, I shall probably step lightly into a
train for Rouen and Amiens, and work my own way to the Regiment.
I saw our 3rd, 4th and 5th reinforcements at St. Nazaire, with
Archie Douglas-Dick, Romer, and Jack Wickham, and had a good talk
with them. They are bored to tears stuck down there, and no talk of
being wanted at the front yet.
Am rather hurried now, but will write again shortly.
Please put the ordinary address (Scots Guards, Expeditionary Force).
You can put on your next letter : No. 1 Base, Details, Le Havre.
Write by return as I must be here for another week, and the posts,
I believe, only take two and a half to three days.
Very best love to all, and my sketches must wait a bit.
Ever your loving
Ted.
22
16.10.14,
Scots Guards,
No. i Base, Details,
Le Havre.
Please put this address until further notice.
My Dearest Mother,
No news here, and we can get nothing definite about move-
ments at the front. A change is going on, but the 3rd echelon still
being at Nantes, we cannot find out where even our own army corps is.
The Belgian Government arrived here amidst great acclamations and was
heavily fed at the Hotel de Ville.
I have had nothing from Cater yet ; please telephone and ask
him if he has sent cap and waterproof sheet yet. Also please ask
Thompson (St. James' Street) to make me a pair of thick khaki
knickerbockers, the old fashioned shooting kind, to fold over well at
the knee, to fasten with a plain buckle, ona| inch strap ; same stuff as
my last pair of service breeches (thick), to be sent to above address and
dispatched if possible on the 23rd.
The M.O. will not let me go up before the end of the month. Do
send some D.Ts. We get your posts now in three days.
Very best love to you and Olive and all at B.H.
Ever your loving
Ted.
No. 1 Base, Details,
Havre,
18. 10.14.
My Dearest Mother,
I have now become a sort of Quartermaster. A party of fifty
motor-cyclists, Reserve Signal Coy., arrived yesterday in a hurry from
23
Aldershot, with absolutely nothing except motor bikes and revolvers.
No equipment for the front, no blankets, waterproof sheets, or rations —
and very hungry. Being a Detachment and coming under our camp of
various details, I was put in charge of them, and endless indenting and
requisitioning began. I am running them on my own, and they are a
curious lot, chiefly University men, etc., who have enlisted : two fellows
who were up at Oxford with me, one a brother of Geoffrey Loyd.
They are all Corporals, except three, who are Sergeants. Several seemed
very pleased to see me this morning, in fact more so than was quite
compatible with discipline. However, they have already shaken down,
and salute instead of wishing me a very good morning now !
After endless work and worrying Head-quarters and the Ordnance
yesterday, I managed to get them a hundred blankets, four dixies and
rations, and pay, which they had not had for a fortnight, and am going
to work them in, in future, for rations with our own camp, as motor or
horse-transport from the quays up to this camp is scarce.
Last night the jumpy captain, who has been in command of our
rough lot, got another go of his fever, so that I and a young subaltern
in the Seaforths, Villiers Price by name, are running the whole show
now. To-day we have 680 men under us, belonging to 84 different
regiments, and enough work to keep us going for a month. It is no
easy matter, as non-commissioned officers are scarce, and our Sergeant-
Major is a gunner, and therefore not nearly as good at the job as an
infantry S.M.
Last night at 6 p.m. a party of no arrived without any warning
from anyone. We settled them down and got 220 blankets for them.
We had just finished, got their rations arranged and everything, and had
sat down to dinner at 7.30 p.m., when a French interpreter came in and
announced the extremely unwelcome news that he had just brought up
a party of 1 8 1 men of all sorts of regiments, without an officer, who had
arrived convalescent from the hospital at Rouen !
Not a word had we from Head-quarters as to their arrival, and
it transpired that Head-quarters had only heard half-an-hour before.
24
There is obviously something wrong somewhere, as 181 men cannot
get into any train without someone knowing, and that someone ought to
acquaint Head-quarters at the place of destination long before their
arrival.
Well, by great luck, we had pitched thirty extra tents yesterday, in
case of fresh arrivals, and they just took the 290 men of the two parties
comfortably. It was 11 p.m. before we could get the blankets, 362
more, up, and any rations, for these unfortunate devils who were only
just dismissed from hospital, and felt the cold. We are on a big hill
two miles above the docks, and one doesn't get supplies up in ten
minutes, as you may imagine. The only way we got anything was
by talking to Head-quarters like fathers, extremely short and to the
point !
The main base being still at Nantes, the brains, machinery and
supplies not having yet arrived here, we have the greatest difficulty in
getting anything at all out of the Ordnance. In fact they say that all
troops coming from England are fully equipped. The detachments in
turn who arrive without anything, have been told, "when sent from
Aldershot, " Oh, you'll find everything to fit out with at the base." As
I said before, this is really not the base yet, although they feed the
whole army from here now, and all mails pass through here. Until
the Ordnance moves from Nantes to this place, it is likely to remain
complete chaos. I cannot even get a man's web-equipment and pack to
fit myself out with for rejoining. However, it is all very good practice
for me, and it's far more interesting when one is running a show oneself,
even if the show consists of the motley crowd of which mine does !
I have got myself so well known at Head-quarters now, that merely
on my appearance the Staff Captains and Majors suddenly find them-
selves awfully busy, writing away like fun, as they know I have come
down with some new problem, which ought to have been settled by
them, or at any rate warning given to me by them, when actually nothing
has been done. Some of them find that Havre is much further from
Tipperary than they at first thought !
25
The place is already crowded out with French wounded, and Belgian
refugees, and although the schools have reopened, I expect they will
have to shut when our base moves here, as we require a great deal of
accommodation.
I enclose a Railway warrant, which I failed to hand in at St. Nazaire
on arrival, as I thought it might be a good souvenir ! Please keep it !
The French have been very keen to get us on to the extreme left
wing, as our lines of communication from St. Nazaire and Nantes by
Le Mans and so to firing-line crossed some of theirs. This new move
has given us the opportunity of changing, and I imagine that we shall
now stay on the left, with our bases at Havre, Boulogne, etc., according
to circumstances. I believe the Cavalry are now being fed from
Boulogne, and the whole of our army from here. Incidentally, we again
came in for the brunt of the fighting.
Wasn't that a bad move, sending Marines to Antwerp ? Of course,
we do not know all facts, but it seems so.
Have had no cigarettes since I saw you last. Please give this
address, No. i, Base Details, Havre, to F. L. Smith, Albany Cigarettes.
I will let you know change of address directly it occurs, and will you
please let Cater, Smith, and Thompson, the tailor, know.
A message has just come that 40 more men are coming up ; D — n.
Our command is now 720 men. I shall shortly call myself Colonel, if
they don't watch it.
Very best love to all.
Ever your loving
Ted.
Havre,
25.10.14.
My Dearest Mother,
Only a short letter, from the orderly-room, or rather tent,
which I have got going properly now, with a good sergeant, as clerk to
26
myself. I was to have moved to-day to St. Nazaire, but I believe our
reinforcements are moving here now, so I have apparently to wait for
their arrival. Troops are coming in at all hours of day and night, and I
am kept well at it until about 7.30 or 8 p.m. each evening. I am
sleeping under canvas now, since I was passed fit. Amusing and very
green details of different regiments and signalling services continue to pass
through my hands. I have had a lot of military police lately, but have
sent most of them off on lines of communication, and some up to Head-
quarters. All the details arrive without a thing from Aldershot, and have
to be completely equipped ; they generally only stay a night or two, when
I get a telegram or 'phone from the Base Commandant's, and pack them
off at short notice to all sorts of imaginable places.
The only real difficulty is that one gets no notice at all of their arrival,
until one finds them looking for tents. Many of them hardly know how
to take care of themselves, and in drawing rations at the camp cook-house
get well done down by some of our B. details, convalescent, all of whom
are old stagers, and only too apt to take other men's shares as well as
their own.
I heard from Uncle Baa yesterday, who seems to be very busy with
refugees in B — mouth. I have had three lots of D.T.s from the Office, all
in one go, but they included no less than three copies of the D.T. of
Wednesday 21st.
I cannot get anything from Cater ; please ask him to send things at
once, if he has not, also Thompson (breeches). Address No 1 Base,
Details, Havre, as even if I moved, they will be forwarded, and have
instructions of any alteration of my address at the P.O. here. I will let you
know at once on moving, probably by wire. Two slabs of chocolate
would be very gratifying from time to time, after I go up to the front.
Also, after I start, wherever you write, please enclose two sheets of foreign
paper and an envelope, for me to answer with.
Yesterday, I saw an old grey haired and grey moustached man in
Head-quarters whom I recognized. I talked to him, and found that he
had just come out of the Remount Depot, with the rank of Captain. I
27
can't get the name, but he hunts with the Wilton, and gave me the latest
news of what sounded like very comic and inefficient cubbing !
I will keep an eye open for Guy Crichton, as I go to Head-quarters
every day and look up the arrival book, in which all names have to be
entered, so I shall probably find him.
The Camp Commandant has just this minute put his head in and given
me a new command. It consists of about 500 men (A. class, namely
passed from B. convalescent, into fit for the front again). I have now
got to get the camp pitched and start a new staff going. I shall strike
shortly for increased wages !
Very best love to all, and will let you know the minute I move off.
Ever your loving
Ted.
Havre,
2.1 1. 14.
My Dearest Mother,
Just off to No. 3 Camp, where the reinforcements are ; ours
have not yet come from St. Nazaire, but ought to be here very shortly.
Please continue same address until further notice. Please ask Cater to
send cap and oil-sheet immediately. I do not know what he has done
with them. I am sending three amusing papers.
In the Lectures pour Tous there is a good sketch of German trenches,
except that on the Aisne they are more elaborate still.
Very best love.
Ever your loving
Ted.
28
Havre,
4.1-1,14.
My Dearest Mother,
I have written to Uncle Mi in spite of your letter saying best
not, as he must feel Bill's death frightfully, and was always so proud of
the way in which he was following his own footsteps in the regiment. It
seems a certainty, although I have seen no casualty list in which he is
mentioned. There was no young subaltern, I think, more popular in the
regiment (both battalions included). It is awful for Marge and Olivia,
especially the latter.
My reinforcement does not arrive from St. Nazaire for several days
yet, so please keep on with the same address. Territorials of all sorts are
pouring in here, and I saw the Leicestershire Yeomanry (talked to Bertie
Hanbury and Major Ricardo) to-day.
It is hopeless messing about down here, and I wish to goodness I
could get up and have a slap at them. Things seem to be going well,
but I should think that they will have another big go at us before retiring.
Am very busy with every conceivable regiment in the British Army still !
Will write shortly. I am too sorry for words about Bill, he was what
Uncle Mi himself would call " a real good boy."
Very best love.
Ever your loving
Ted.
Havre,
9.11.14.
My Dearest Mother,
Just received your last three letters. I am too sorry for words
about Teddy B., the loss will be dreadful for poor Aunt May. I had
not heard, but will write to-day.
It is a terrible thing about our 2nd Battalion, but apparently the rest
of that Brigade had just as hot. On top of that comes the news
29
that our ist Battalion has suffered very heavily, especially my company.
Peckham, Jack Balfour, Ogilvy and Hamilton killed, and worse than all,
Stephen the Adjutant, who, in the Colonel's absence, absolutely ran
the Battalion. His will be the worst loss of all to us.
I am here with Romer (late Adjutant) and 300 men, expecting
to move at any moment. Fourteen officers have arrived, or arrive
to-day, seven for each Battalion, including Tom Coke, Dumps, Nipper
Poynter, Lisburne, Dick Coke and others.
There must be a ghastly casualty list coming out, as we have got
none of the ist Bn. losses here yet. A Captain from Army Head-
quarters told me yesterday that French and Joffre are eminently satisfied,
and extremely optimistic with regard to the situation in general. They
incline to an early termination of the war ; I can't see it myself.
Territorials and reinforcements pouring in here in a ceaseless stream
night and day.
In very great haste, writing shortly. Please send nothing in the way
of " comforts " (socks, etc.) until I ask for them, but start on chocolate
directly you get wire that I have started. Cigarettes continue as usual.
Very best love to all, and deepest sympathy with Aunt May.
Ever your loving
Ted.
2nd Battalion Scots Guards,
7th Division,
On Active Service,
12. 1 1. 14.
My Dearest Mother,
Romer and I were joined at Havre by Dick Coke, Barry and
Massey, and we had 300 men as reinforcements for the 1st Battalion.
Seven officers and 250 men left the day before us for the 2nd Battalion.
We then got an order to leave with the 7th Division reinforcements
3°
in a hurry, and here we are with the 2nd Battalion for good, as far
as I can make out.
Romer and I were annoyed beyond words, as we had been looking
forward to seeing the Colonel (Lowther) again, and finding ourselves
under one of the ablest and best C.O.s in the army. Instead, we
have arrived here at behind the firing-line, about six miles, where
the 2nd Battalion are reconstructing, and we are hard at it mixing up the
" remains " with the two new reinforcements in due proportion, and
finding N.C.O.s, etc. We are pretty short of the latter, and they are
different from the fine lot I had under me before ! However, physically
they are just as fine a lot, and I have just got my platoon together,
and told them how I intend to run things, and they seem a really
good bunch, and mad keen. Of course there is none of the fatigue,
or " Tired Willie " about them yet, and discipline is being worked
perfectly.
George Paynter in command and has been doing very well indeed,
I believe. Alby Cator, who was Brigade Major, is now Brigadier — vice
Ruggles, who was wounded. General Putty came to see us last night in
this cafe, where we are working a mess (the Battalion all in billets).
He was in tremendous form ; brought along Castlereagh and Pembroke
with him.
By sending us to complete this Battalion (we have orders to move
at any moment), I imagine that they mean to take the remains of the
ist Division, or anyhow ist Brigade, out of the firing-line, to recoup in
the rear, as there are now no reinforcements to come up for the ist
Battalion. They have had it very hot indeed, and the whole of my old
company has disappeared. Peck, Jack B., Ogilvy killed and Campbell
missing. Stirling Stewart was wounded on the Aisne and myself here,
so that there are none of the original lot left.
All officers and men in great form and spirits here, — it is the best
way to carry on.
Pouring rain and pretty cold, so thank goodness we have some
respite in billets. Everyone eminently satisfied with the way things are
3i
going, and troops being lumped in everywhere. The Alpine regiments
came up with us, and were pushed in from here by London Motor Bus
yesterday !
Our ist Battalion are near, as the 7th and 1st Divisions have been
working together, pending the arrival of the 8th Division : — the 7th and
8th will then make up one Army Corps (the 4th) under General
Rawlinson. I believe Ruthven is coming to command this Battalion.
I am as fat as a pig, having laid in a good store during my sojourn
at Havre in view of light feeding in the near future ! At present we
are doing ourselves proud, on eggs at 3d. apiece.
My company consists of "Bubbles" (Bagot Chester) Captain, Pip
Warner, myself and Ottley, and a sergeant, as platoon commanders.
I am full of underclothing, etc., at present, but please let F. L. Smith
know of change of address at once, 2nd Battalion, 7th Division. Give
my very best love to Olive and all at H.B.
Ever your loving
Ted.
P.S. — Colonel, Jack and others apparently were, as you say, buried
and stunned by Jack Johnsons, and dug out by Germans.
2/Bn. Scots Guards,
7th Division,
19. 1 1. 14.
My Dearest Mother,
Just a very hasty note to let you know that I am going strong,
in exceptionally cold and unpleasant circumstances. We have been in
the trenches five days, with frost at night, and snow and sleet by day,
and have changed nothing, not even boots or socks. We take turns
in going back to head-quarters of the Battalion by night, — a very wet
and muddy walk of about f mile. I could not get a letter off before, and
32
am sending this in haste as a post is going out which I have only just
heard of. A long letter is following immediately.
Very best love to you and O.
Ever your loving
Ted.
2nd Battalion Scots Gds.,
7th Division,
20.11. 14.
My Dearest Mother,
Apologies for last hasty note which I wrote, but it was the
first opportunity I had to write.
We moved into these trenches from where the Battalion
re-formed and fitted after the hot time they had near Ypres. We
are further south now and relieved a battalion which had been in these
trenches for three and a half weeks. I hope to goodness our sojourn
will be shorter. It is damp, very cold and unpleasant sitting still and
not being able to put one's head above the parapet without a little
conversation from the " Bosches " in front of us. It is low-lying, wet
arable land, and we are only 150 yards from the enemy's trenches.
Just on my left Pip Warner's platoon is only 80 or 90 yards from
the Germans, as the latter have sapped towards us, and have well-
placed snipers, who have killed three of our men and wounded three
others. However, we have been doing our bit, and just to my left
are seven German bodies, the result of inquisitiveness on their part
two nights ago. They are only fifty yards off, and no one can bury
them as they are just between the lines. We creep out at night, and
get water and rations, and the food supply has been working admirably,
luckily, as in this cold the men must have plenty to eat.
Our guns have been doing some good work and have blown two
33
haystacks and a farm to bits which the Germans were using as artillery
observation-posts.
I have not yet seen a German aeroplane, but ours appear every
day, and are shot at by some German gun to our front. They fired
51 shots at one of ours yesterday, and were never near him, though
he persisted in flying round and round over their positions. They
have a strongish position some hundreds of yards to our front,
and only occupy the near fire-trenches in the day-time to keep us
quiet !
It has been snowing hard, after two nights' sharp frost, and it
is lying about two inches deep, except in the foot of the trenches,
where by the continual passage of men up and down, it has become
a freezing cold slush of mud, and chills one's boots right through.
We have not changed our boots or socks even, and far and away the
worst part is the cold in one's feet at night, which makes sleep
impossible for more than half an hour or so at a time. Otherwise
we are keeping pretty warm in our dug-outs, and are gradually
getting a bit of straw into them, where it keeps dry and is warm to
lie on. We get a certain amount of charcoal served out, but not
much, and with old mess tins, with holes punched in all over them,
get the charcoal going, spread two or three oil-sheets over the trench,
and with three or four men sitting round, they can get quite a degree
of warmth out of it. I believe blankets are coming up, but we must
get them into the trenches dry, or they will be no good at all ; even
so, they can only come in by driblets, as so few men are allowed to
leave the trenches at a time, and of course only by night.
The three-quarters of a mile or so of slush, across churned-up
ploughed fields with deep ditches and well sprinkled with dead cattle,
etc., is a trying journey, and none too easy on a dark night. The
first night the ration parties and watering parties on their way back
got lost, were sniped at by the enemy and promptly "panicoed."
Instead of crouching and keeping stock still, they dropped the rations
and doubled about the place like lost sheep, and finally arrived in
34
helter-skelter, by twos and threes, into the trenches without any food or
water ; and the result was we went hungry for the next twenty hours.
I cursed them to heaps, and had all N.C.O.s up and explained every-
thing all over again and took them out and back the next night myself.
At last they cooled down, and are working properly each night, and
with less hubbub and pandemonium and talk than at first.
You have no idea how difficult it is to work things well under
trying circumstances, when one has hardly any good N.C.O.s ! How-
ever, a week or so of this will teach them a great deal, and it is just
as well that they can learn now when we are sitting still and not
fighting hard. The enemy, for some unknown reason, have at present
only one gun in front of us, so that we have practically only had
rifle-fire to deal with. But they will see to that deficiency pretty soon,
I expect. At present it is very gratifying to see and hear our shells
bursting just in front of us, on their positions, and to have none in
return, but, as I say, it will not last long, unless they are short of them,
or have moved them all up to the big fight going on just north
of us.
Bubbles is going sick to-night, — not serious, — so that Pip and I
will be running the company with Swinton as ensign. Tom Coke
has been sent off with appendicitis, so that we have only George
Paynter as CO. and Dick Coke the only Captain. Romer had to go
sick at once and ought really never to have come up.
As I write this, a mail has just come in with papers, etc., of the
1 6th (astonishingly quick). I see Jack Harrison appears as wounded,
I do hope not serious ; let me have first possible definite news which
you get of him. Also Frank Crossley as missing. It is very sad
about the "grand old man," Bobs. He passed through when
we were there the other day, and the whole of the troops shouted
themselves silly and hoarse ! But it is a great thing that he not
only saw the war, against which he had warned us so long and so
ardently, but also died within sound of the guns of one of the most
fiercely contested fights which there have yet been. He was a grand
35
old man, and Pembroke told me he saw him walking past the troops
like a two-year-old, erect and full of vigour. The great thing is that
he died as he would have wished, near British troops in battle and
successful against repeated attacks and heavy odds.
The First Division was decimated again, when the big attack of
the Prussian Guard struck them. The Guard had definite orders to
achieve what the rest of the German army had been unable to do,
namely, to sweep over our trenches. That was the actual wording of
their orders. They did it, and swept right over the lines of the First
Division, but were bayoneted back again by our reserves. They found
700 of the Prussian Guard dead behind our lines and over 6000 dead
and wounded in front. So much for the Guard ! But our losses
were, of course, in proportion, and they say that there is only one
officer and thirty men left of the 1st Battalion. It is a stern business,
and I don't know what Meat Lowther will find to command.
"Pa" Heyworth has arrived here to take this Brigade (the 20th),
and arrived spotlessly clean and dapper, but won't remain so for long.
To-night he is dining at our Battalion Head-quarters, which are in a
cellar of a farm (one mile to our rear), which has been blown to pieces
and burnt. George has cleared out the cellar, found some chairs and
a lot of straw, and is doing himself proud there. However, to get
to it, you have to go through mud in places a foot deep, so Pa's
beautifully cut and polished field boots will suffer !
I have a week's beard and look very sweet !
{Continued 24 hours later.)
Perfect day, bright sun, but hardly thawing at all, and still freezing
in shade. We have been hard at it improving bomb-proofs and
digging kitchens, smoking-room and young Ritz Hotels.
General Pa had lunch in my dug-out yesterday on his tour of
inspection down the trenches, and was in great form.
I believe we are to be relieved to-night for three days' rest and
cleaning up, and then back again to these same trenches.
3«
I will write to-morrow if possible, or at latest the day after.
With best love to all.
Ever your loving
Ted.
21. i 1. 14.
P.S. — I have a German's diary, which I will send you when
possible. E. H.
Remember to enclose paper and envelopes whenever you write.
Send nothing except cigarettes and chocolate at present.
A small plum pudding in a tin would be most acceptable, as
supplied by Fortnum and Mason, Piccadilly. E. H.
23. 11. 14.
My Dearest Mother,
Nothing from you for a fortnight, but that is to be expected,
as everything will have gone to the remains of the poor old 1st Battalion,
and will then have been returned to the base.
We were relieved the night before last from the trenches, and are now
in a farm doing ourselves bang up. I have just had a wash in half a
beer barrel and change of underthings and feel several years younger !
It is still freezing hard, though the temperature has gone up a bit and
it looks like more snow. We have had 12 or 16 degrees of frost every
night for the last five days, and the country is under snow, from one to
three inches deep. The roads in places are very bad for transport and
movement of guns, and one has to watch it marching at night or one
takes a very 'eavy fall.
We are in Divisional Reserve while resting here, and go back to the
same trenches to-morrow night. We have been refitting, resting, reorgan-
izing and generally shaking down, and eating enormously ! The people
in this farm, which has not been damaged, are doing all they can for us,
37
and we pay for everything, so that they are quite content and only too
pleased to have us here instead of les Huns, who billeted here for eight
days.
Every single farm and homestead near our trenches, four miles from
here, is knocked to atoms and blown to pieces, and a few poor old cows are
wandering about with nothing to eat, ground frozen and no shed to go
to at night. We shot one, and have portioned her out among the Battalion,
and also a stray pig found wandering down a hedge. We are west of
Lille, about seven miles. Posts are quite regular to the trenches, although
irregular from them.
My very best love to you all at H. B.
Ever your loving
Ted.
27. ii. 14.
My Dearest Mother,
Back in same trenches three nights ago, and stay here till
relieved again for a rest. Thaw and rain and damp has followed the
hard weather and makes the trenches extremely unpleasant, but we are
at it all day, improving and cleaning them up, and have very strict
sanitation, which is needed, every bit of it.
Last night I had an exciting bit of work, detailed account of which will
follow when I have more time.
There was some doubt as to what was going on in the German trenches,
and the Brigadier ordered a small raiding party of one officer, one N.C.O.
and eight men to go out, and try to creep up to the enemies' trenches, and
shoot a few. The CO. detailed R.F. Coy. (mine) to do it, and T got
nine volunteers.
We started at 1.30 a.m., pitch dark and raining, and found, instead of
the thinly held line, as hitherto, that there were as many Germans in their
trenches as we have men in ours ; also that they were very much awake,
which they have not been lately. We managed to do the business, polished
38
off four or five, and then ran like hares. They opened on us with
rifle and machine-gun fire, and I think we had a marked degree of luck
in getting back. I lost two men, unfortunately, but as there was no sign
of them to-day, I think they must have overshot the mark in the dark,
and fallen into the German trenches. We were plastered all round, but
none of the rest of us hit.
I enclose two copies circulated to-day through the companies of the
Battalion. I have just got to go off to Head-quarters, but will write
at length at first opportunity.
Very best love to all.
Ever your loving
Ted.
P.S. — Just received your letter dated 19th.
We are 7th Div., 20th Bde.,
4th Army Corps, under General
Rawlinson.
Yes, Pa is Brigadier,
Capper, Div.-Commder.,
Alby Cator, Brigade Major.
George Paynter sick, temperature and chill, I think, so Dick Coke
is CO.
Several officers have gone sick.
29/^ November, 19 14.
My Dearest Mother,
I enclose my duplicate copy of report I sent in to Head-quarters ;
you must make allowances for moderate editing as written at 5 a.m. by
candle-light in a funk-hole and also in a hurry. You will notice that our
barbed wire was very easily passed. This has since been remedied,
although unfortunately the Captain of the R.E. was killed by a stray shot
in doing it, and two of his men wounded in bringing him in.
The enemies' trenches in front of us had been extraordinarily quiet
for several days, especially at night, and we had ascertained that they were
39
only occupied by snipers and digging parties by day, and they retired at
night into their second line of trenches (main position), leaving just a few
sentries and snipers. It was thought desirable that something should be
done to find out, and they detailed a raiding party of i officer, I N.C.O.
and eight men to carry this out. I got an N.C.O. and eight men to
volunteer with great ease ; we were to have started at 1 1 p.m., but there
was a bright moon, and we stood over till 1.30 a.m., when it was pitch
dark and raining. The CO. and Adjutant came down to see us off, and
give us instructions, namely, to get right up to the trenches, peep over if
not spotted, select our marks, fire two rounds rapid, and kill all we could,
and then each man for himself. On an ordinary night we could probably
have done this, as their trenches were lightly held and sentries apt to be
sleepy ; but when we had got half way some firing opened away on the
right, I think by the Border Regiment. This put the enemy on the alert,
and by then I had satisfied myself that there were just as many of the enemy
in their trenches, as of us in our trenches, an unpleasant conclusion to arrive
at, when we were supposed to be raiding a lightly held trench ! A little
further on I made certain of this, as I saw five fires, or rather the reflections
of them (as they were in dug-outs and bomb-proofs and one could just
see the reflection on bits of smoke which penetrated through) within a
space of 50 or 60 yards ! These were charcoal fires with a bit of wood
burning probably. The fire I was making for was a proper wood fire,
shewing a lot of smoke, and it was there that I hoped to be able to peep
over and find a little group of men to polish off. Progress was very slow
indeed, as it was all crawling on hands and knees over turnips, and only
four or five yards at a time, and then " lie doggo " and listen. Their
sentries to our front were firing every now and then at our trenches, but
all bullets passed over us, and we could locate them by the flash of the rifle.
All went well up to about 1 5 yards, when I extended from single file,
to the right towards this fire. We did another 5 yards and I had given
instructions that directly I loosed off my rifle, we should double forward,
select marks, do all damage possible, and make off. I had seen where the
sentry in front of me was, and told the scout to fire at the top of the
4°
parapet, in case he had his head over, and that I would fire at the place
where the flash of the rifle appeared. We could only just make out the
line of the top of the parapet at ten yards' distance.
We were just advancing again when the swine called out in King's
English, quite well pronounced, " Halt, who goes there," and fired straight
between the scout and myself ; he immediately fired where I had told him,
and I fired at the point of the flash of the rifle, and there was a high-pitched
groan ; at the same time we all doubled up to the foot of the parapet,
saw dim figures down in the trenches, bustling about, standing to arms,
and my N.C.O. fired the trench bomb right into the little party by the
fire. The other fellows all loosed off" their two rounds rapid ; there were
various groans audible in the general hubbub, and we then ran like hares.
The minute the alarm was given they threw something on the fire which
made it flare up, and the machine gun, which we knew nothing about,
opened just to my left. I had time to see that it was in a little shelter,
with a light inside, visible through the slit (for traversing) and they had
evidently just lighted up to set the gun going. They had already stood
to arms by the time we had turned tail, and they and the machine gun
opened a very hot fire on us. I ran about 30 yards, and then took a
" heavy " into the mud and slush of the ploughed field and lay still for
a minute to find out where the machine-gun bullets were going. They
were just over me and to the right, so when I got up again and turned half
left instead of half right, as I had been going originally, and did another
30 yards or so. I found that the bullets were all round me, so fell flat
and waited another half minute or so, until they seemed to alter the
direction of their fire a bit. Then another run, and a heavy fall bang into
our barbed wire, which was quite invisible, and which I thought was
further off. These short sprints were no easy matter, as one carried
about an acre of wet clay and mud on each foot. I had to lie flat and
disentangle myself, and at that moment their machine gun swerved round
and plastered away directly over my head not more than 2 or 3 feet. I
waited again till it changed, and then ran like the devil for our trenches.
I had lost direction a bit, and came on them sooner than I expected, and
4i
took a flying leap right over the parapet down about 9 or 10 feet into the
trench. We had gone out on our extreme right, up the above-mentioned
ditch, and I found that I came in about 50 yards to the right into the
Borderers' trenches (they had relieved the Grenadiers).
Barring my rifle hitting me a good thump on the head as I fell into
our trenches, and a bullet hole through the skirt of my coat, I was sound
and whole, although extremely out of breath, and with a completely dry
and salt taste in my mouth (the latter chiefly attributable to the intense
anxiety to avoid the machine-gun fire). I had appointed a place of
meeting for my men, and unfortunately only six turned up with the N.C.O.
They had come in at every conceivable point ; one who lost his direction
had come in 400 yards down the line ; I am sure that the two missing
had tripped up over the foot of the enemy's parapet, and fallen into their
trenches, having misjudged the distance ; I myself very nearly did it, and
was just able to stop only. From what I could see in the pitch darkness
the trench curved out towards us on the right, and whereas I had to run
8 yards or so, the men on the right had only four or five yards to do ;
hence their probable error of judgment, and probable headlong fall into
the trench in front. The men behaved admirably, and although we all
had coughs and colds, there was never a cough or noise of any sort, and
our method of advance was, of course, a very trying one ; men will always
charge all right, but quietly crawling along in single file, taking half an
hour to do ninety yards, is a great test of the men, and they did it per-
fectly. It was very good for them, and they were pleased beyond words
when a list of their names was asked for afterwards, and "Pa" compli-
mented them.
The great thing was that we found that the enemy had brought up
machine guns, tripled their numbers in the trenches, and were very much
awake and could stand to arms at a moment's notice ; all of which was
very different from reports about them from our scouts on previous
nights. The CO. and Adjutant frankly told me that they did not
expect many to get back, and it was by lying flat that we avoided more
casualties. A great many bullets hit our parapet, directly in the line on
42
which we doubled back, and it was just as well that we did not try to
double straight in without a stop.
One more incident ; when in single file before we extended, the
order was as follows — Two scouts, self, N.C.O. (with patent bomb stuck
in the barrel of his rifle), then the six men. Twice when I touched the
scout in front (which was the signal to stop, lie flat and listen), the
N.C.O. behind me, not seeing in the darkness that I had stopped, ran
the ghastly grenade into my back. It was all ready fitted into the rifle,
with its special cartridge in the breech, and although the safety catch was
back, it frightened me far more than the enemy in front. At 20 yards
from their trenches I stopped to extend, and incidentally to pull a little
pin out of the neck of the grenade, which started it off ready to be fired.
The N.C.O. and I both hated the infernal machine, and thought it would
go off* at any moment. Of course we had never seen one before, and
did not know how it would behave. However, he got it off all right at
the crucial moment ; there was a very bright flash down in the trench,
but we had no time to estimate the damage that it did.
I went out quietly alone to within 25 yards of the trenches at a
different point last night, and heard talking, saw fires, and established
that the other part of the line is more strongly held also than hitherto.
They have an absolute network of trenches and communication — ditto to
the rear.
Everything pretty quiet to-day ; usual sniping by both sides.
The dirty brutes will not bury their dead, and leave them just in
front of their trenches ; opposite me there are 5 or 6 which have been
lying there for ten days, and are only about 10 or 12 yards in front of
their trenches. Need I mention that the prevailing wind is towards us ?
So glad John Dyer and Jack are doing well — best love to all — send
me all news possible.
Ever your loving
Ted.
P.S. — I love the mothers' meeting remark.
43
2jth November, 1914.
From Lt. Sir E. Hulse
To O.C. 2nd Battn. Scots Guards.
Sir,
I have the honour to report that at 1.30 a.m. this morning, in accord-
ance with instructions received, I went out to the German trenches with an N.C.O.
and eight men who had volunteered. Starting from the right of the Coy. lines,
I followed a ditch running from right to left across our front for a distance of
80 yards. I then crossed from the left side to the right, passing through our
wire (2 strands, very easily passed) . The party was in single file, and I did
not extend until within 25 yards of the enemy. Progress was very slow owing
to the nature of the ground consisting of roots chiefly.
When extending to the right towards one of several fires which we saw burning,
a brisk fire was opened away on our right by the Borderers, and the enemy was
put on the alert. I heard a good deal of talking and could now see the reflection
of five fires.
I advanced on the nearest of these, and when within about ten yards, a sentry
challenged in English, " Halt ! who goes there ? " He fired, the bullet passed
between the leading scout and myself, and we doubled forward to the parapet.
Two rounds rapid were fired by us at each of the groups by the two fires in front
of us, during which time the enemy stood to arms and opened a heavy fire on us
as we retired.
My N.C.O. fired the bomb served out to us, right into the trench ; there
was not a loud explosion, but a bright light.
It was very dark indeed, and figures could only be made out with difficulty,
in the trenches.
I had ordered each man to shift for himself after firing. The enemy opened
on us retiring with a machine-gun; most of the shots, however, passed to our
right. I am practically certain that this m.-g., of which we knew nothing, is
situated in a small shelter by a solitary willow-tree, to the right of the ditch
up which we advanced. It was about ten yards to my left when it opened.
44
/ saw a light inside some form of shelter, standing out from the general
line of the parapet.
The enemies' trenches were more strongly manned than hitherto, and I
place the number at the point of our raid as equal to that in our own trenches.
I believe that fresh troops and m.-gs. have been brought up during the last two
days.
I found no wire in front of their trenches. The enemy was far more alert
than usual.
It is impossible to state the number of the enemy hit by our fire, but the
leading scout and I can account for one from our own rifle-fire, and I take
it that not less than four of the enemy were hit by the rifle-fire of the rest of the
party.
This is exclusive of the damage done by the grenade, which was directed
at a group dimly visible in the smoke of a fire, and which burst right inside
the trench.
I regret to report two men missing ; scouts were sent out later, but could
find no trace.
I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your obedient Servant,
(Signed) EDWARD H. W. HULSE,
Lt. R.F. Coy.,
2/Btt. Scots Guards.
5.15 a.m.
27/11/14.
2. 12. 14.
My Dearest Mother,
Back in billets again for three days, after seven in the trenches.
Dick Coke was shot in the shoulder the day before yesterday, while
digging in rear of the firing-line, at our Head-quarters. I think a stray
bullet, of which there were a good many at the time. He is getting on
all right, I believe. That leaves us without a Captain at all, and Giles
45
Loder, a subaltern, is doing CO. George Paynter, Alby Cator and
C. Fox have got D.S.O. I hope George will be well enough to come
back soon. They have started giving officers a few days' leave, and
Fitzwygram went off to England for three or four days, the day before
yesterday. If I get any I will let you know probable date, but as we are
so short now I cannot see that they will give any more leave. If they do,
it takes Pip Warner next. He and I have been having a rare time with
Right Flank Coy. The N.C.O.s are improving; we have been promoting
men from the ranks, and corporals to sergeants, to replace the absolute
stumers that came out with the drafts, which made the Battalion up when
I joined it at Bailleul.
As usual, the long and short of it is, that whether it is a serious matter,
or only digging latrines, or cleaning up, the whole thing devolves upon
the officer, and one has to stand there and see it done oneself, and even
show the N.C.O.s how to do the simplest things oneself.
The other night, after two hours' sleep, I woke up and thought I had
better go down the trenches to see that everything was all right. Of
course I found one whole platoon in the most hectic state ever seen.
Not a sentry on the alert, the N.C.O. on duty sitting down instead of
patrolling his lines, and ioo other things. Any enterprising 20 or 30
Huns could have simply walked right in ; unless one is at it day and
night, nothing is done.
There are individuals, scouts, etc., volunteers and picked men, who
are priceless, and worth a whole platoon in themselves, but, by Jove, one
has to work at the rest. The unfortunate part was having every single
one of our serving N.C.O.s knocked out when the Battalion took the
knock originally. As half of them don't seem to understand English,
or any other language for that matter, I have kept myself busy in
spare moments writing " standing orders " for the trenches. They were
circulated to all N.C.O.s in the trenches, and I got much better results,
and could drop on a fellow more heavily if they were not complied with.
I have broken three this morning, and replaced them with three jolly
good men from the ranks, and " things is movin' now " !
46
Our first day in billets is always a rare old field-day of getting straight
after the week in the trenches. This last week was infinitely more com-
fortable than the one before, as they over-fed us, if anything ; and we
were warmer, what with higher temperature and extra "comforts" sent up.
Also, we had improved dug-outs and bomb-proofs, and our Ritz Hotel
is a grand success. Swinton and I sleep in it, and Pip comes along to
feed. We have dug a big kitchen just in rear for the servants and
cooking, and altogether we do ourselves proud. They have served out goat
skins in the shape of waistcoats, for the trenches ; these remain in the
trenches, and are handed over to relieving battalions. They have the fur
outside, and are like short hairy motoring coats. They are used chiefly
for sentries at night, and we look thoroughly comic in them.
At present 1 am doing a sort of Adjutant, though I have to do my
company work as well. Whether I shall do proper Adjutant when we go
back to trenches the day after to-morrow, I don't know. Giles is doing
CO. and Adjutant together at present. The King was here last night.
The Border Regiment (which subsequently relieved us two hours late)
supplied " Guard of Honour," and I believe that he is not far off to-day.
Please thank O. very much indeed for socks, which came at a most
welcome moment, and have benefited Pip as well as myself. They will
last me at least a month. Please ask Winter, Conduit Street, to send me
out a pair of stocking-puttees ; they are a special make and far more
serviceable than the ordinary brand. The chocolate enclosed with socks
was much appreciated.
I have got your letter of 25th. So glad shoot is working well ; I
expect they had all they could do to hit them at the Limekiln and Miz-
Maze. I have seen an account of Jeanie's wedding in a paper. I was
much amused at your description of Peter's behaviour : priceless !
As a comment on your allusion to stoves in the trenches : — Pip had
one sent out, and it has just arrived minus its inside and all oil. This had
been carefully removed on the way !
Delighted to hear Hobson getting on well, tell him I hope to see him
here in the 2nd Battalion, when he comes out again; and tell him to
47
mention the fact that I have asked for him to rejoin me here (in case
they want to send him to the ist Battalion). He must not hurry out
though, as he must have had a good doing, and is lucky to have got through
it. In case he or his people want cash, his pay was 10/- a week from
Aug. nth to Sept. 2 ist, when I left the trenches. This, of course, is
what I pay him, regardless of his Army pay. If he wants it, please pay him
and keep note against me.
I have just got your chocolate from A. and N. Stores, and warm, woolly
cap, for which many thanks. The cap is excellent, as hitherto I had only
the ordinary men's stocking-cap, service pattern.
Another letter shortly.
Very best love to you and O.
Ever your loving
Ted.
ii. 12. 14.
My Dearest Mother,
Just been relieved by Grenadiers, King's Coy., and we and
they are now always going to relieve each other, which will simplify
matters a good deal in the matter of taking over trenches. Every
time we took over from the or they were about two hours
late relieving us, and never carried on the work we had been doing
properly ; result — a good deal of unpleasant bickering, which is very
undesirable between battalions.
I have got all your letters and parcels now. They came in a
rush, and everything is coming regularly now. I have got O.'s socks,
your Balaclava helmet, three lots of chocolate, a plum-pudding, Lady
Hall's things, etc. Please thank her a thousand times, and say that I
did not know who the kind benefactress was.
I regret more than I can say not being able to talk German, as
time and again I have heard conversations in their trenches which I
should like to have been able to report, and every word of which I
could hear, but could not understand.
Ottley (one of our five months' Sandhurst lot) is a cousin of
Bruce. He talks German well, and crawled out the night before last
with two scouts. He heard two officers talking about their dug-out,
and saying that our machine gun had killed three of their men the
night before while they were digging the dug-out for these two
officers. We dig our own ! He also found out that they have got
good discipline in front of us, as just as he got near to their trenches,
there were several Germans talking aloud in the trenches, and an
officer told them to shut up, and they boxed up complete ! (That's
more than some of our bright little lot do ; some of these old hairies
who served in South Africa are the devil to deal with.)
Pip has been on leave and said he would try and see you, so I
have been in command of R.F. Co. A perfectly hectic time taking
over the Grenadiers' trenches, as we did five days ago. Every night
pouring rain, and more and more of the trenches fell in, landslides
everywhere, and as fast as one dug, one fell, and had revetted it, or
shored it up properly, another bit of trench would come down with a
run. My Company Sergeant Major went on leave with Pip, so that
I had only an acting C.S.M., totally incompetent, and Swinton the
only other officer. You will readily understand that that meant very
little sleep night or day ! I found the accommodation in the trenches
very bad and anything but rain-proof. Having no time to dig myself,
I got two defaulters on to a new Ritz-Carlton, and the servants on to
a kitchen and bug-hutch for themselves, the whole connected by a neat
little trench, and after two days' hard work the new Coy. Head-quarters
were completed ; and having a little more time to myself, Swinton
and I did the skilled labour, namely fitting up the inside and roofing —
the latter we did quite extraordinarily well, and in the most scientific
manner. It is quite rain-proof and proof from shrapnel, and luxurious
beyond words. Little recesses, cut in the walls, hold a young library,
food, plum puddings, and all the more valuable comestibles and drinks,
49
which we do not trust in the servants' cook-house dug-out. The
inside, well lined with straw, is warm and well lit by a small oil
lamp, supplemented by candles, for which we have cut little recesses.
In short, the interior looks exactly like a shrine in a crypt ! All
this is all very well, but the trenches are inches deep in mud and
water, and far worse than the ones we occupied before. The men's
bug-hutches are far worse than before, where we had made proper
section dug-outs, but we are beginning all over again, and these fellows
dig pretty well when it is for their own comfort.
We are now varying between 350 yards — 500 yards from the
enemy ; I mean the trenches we have just left are. You will remember
that our old trenches were only 100 yards from the enemy in places ;
but they make pretty good practice at us, and I had one man killed
the first day in our new trenches, and two wounded. They had all
three shown themselves, contrary to my orders, thinking that, as they
were further off, they could put not only their heads but most of
themselves outside the cover of the trenches.
I have accounted for two Germans myself, one on the night of
the raid, whom I share with the scout who was next me. We both
fired at once. The other I bagged two days ago, a fair shot at
400 yards ; he was carrying wood along his parapet, and he threw
up both arms and went by the board properly.
Am delighted that you got the various messages about the raiding
party, though it seems to have attained larger proportions than
it deserves. What annoyed me most was that owing to the enemy
having been reinforced, we could not bag a prisoner, or even bring in
" fresh meat," or a cap or badge, which was what the General really
wanted. If it had come off two nights earlier, I believe we might
have done a big thing.
Please thank O. for her letter of congratulations and say I shall
write on first opportunity. Uncle Baa has also written. Please thank
Gramps for the cigarettes, and give him my best love. He will
understand that writing is difficult, except when in billets, as now and
5°
then even we are just as busy, and I leave it to you to pass on any
news to relatives from my letters. I love Gramps' remark on my
exploit ! It rather tallies with a letter which I have just got from
Charlie Stanford, but puts it in a much more terse and business-like
way ! Charlie spends a whole page on congratulations, and another
whole page on advice not to do it again ! Priceless !
I had a very nice letter from Aunt May in reply to a hasty letter
I sent her ; the loss must be tremendous to her.
I was most amused at what you said about Breamore village con-
necting my raid with the Daily Mail heading as to finish of fight in
Flanders ! By-the-by we have been in extreme N.E. France, not
Belgium, for four weeks ; we are just off the border, near Lille.
Yes, please continue chocolate, plum puddings, etc., but send no
clothing of any sort until I ask for it, as I have some over still.
Very best love to you and O., and another letter at first
opportunity.
Ever your loving
Ted.
P.S. — Awful hurry. Have just heard that I have got to change
billets in pouring rain !
20.12.14.
My Dearest Mother,
All best wishes to you and any of the family you may see for
Christmas. I have not had a minute to write, so as to time this letter for
the 25th. The following is the reason. Three days ago we were to have
been relieved, and to have come to these billets (where as you know, the
best facilities for writing are afforded). That day Kit Cator was wounded,
and I was given " G Coy." in his place, and removed from R.F. Coy., to
which Pip had just returned from leave. There was some move in the
air, we knew, also as I was to have started for a week's leave on the 14th,
51
and had got my things ready, when at the last moment all leave for officers
and N.C.O.s was cancelled. I had had mine granted, as I said, and leave
being cancelled at such short notice, meant that there was something on
foot !
That something came the night before last. George summoned Coy.
Commanders to a pow-wow, and told us, (at noon) that we were to attack
the German trenches at 6 p.m. I cannot put down details fully as I should
like to, but we attacked with two Coys, and the Borderers on our left, and
two Coys., including mine, were in reserve in our fire-trenches. Directly
the attack was launched, we began digging communication trenches under
fire, (a dirty task) towards the line of German trenches which our other
two Coys, had taken. We held part of their trenches for varying from
6 to 1 1 hrs., but gradually had to fall back to our own again, as the troops
on our left never reached the German trenches, and the enemy had a strong
second line, which made it untenable for us, except in far larger numbers
than we had.
I will relate amusing details later, when we can put more in writing.
Five of our fellows literally lynched a German officer, and finally, when
ordered to return to our trenches, came back with three candles, two boxes
of sweets, three boxes of cigars, lots of papers belonging to him, two rings
off" his fingers, an iron cross, another medal, some very low and vulgar
postcards and a photo of himself. He was a fat and very bourgeois
vulgarian, and wore a 'eavy beard. They state that they caught him
polishing off one of our officers (who was already wounded) with his
revolver. They had completely gone through his " dug-out " and found
it extremely " well appointed " !
At one time I was sent to get more of our reserves out of communica-
tion trenches, with more tools for digging, and had a narrow escape from a
" Minen-Werfer " (or whatever they call their trench bombs). It plastered
me with mud, etc., but no fragment hit me ; I think it must have been a
faulty burst, as it was so close and did no damage.
Ottley, who had to take one of my platoons to carry a portion of the
German trenches which our first line had failed to do, was badly wounded
5*
in the neck. I have heard all about him from a corporal who got him
back under heavy fire, and whose name I am sending up to be u men-
tioned " for " good work under heavy fire." Although severely wounded
Ottley got up and tried to get his men on and actually reached the German
parapet, when he fell again and was carried back by the corporal I men-
tioned above. The doctor says he will get all right, but the nerves in his
neck and shoulder are affected. He is a d — d plucky fellow, and did very
well indeed. Owing to losses in officers and men, we have hardly a minute
now, and are kept at it reconstructing, reorganizing and refitting, and we
have lost some of the few good N.C.O.s as well as officers. We know
nothing of Hugh Taylor, or Dick Nugent or Hanbury-Tracy. Saumarez
is severely wounded, and may lose his hand. He was pluckier than any-
thing I have yet seen, as he also had a bullet in his side, apart from half
his hand (right) blown off, and persisted in saying that it was so damnable
that he would not be able to play polo again !
Fitzwygram had a graze on the side of the head ; it knocked him out,
but he walked all right afterwards. I don't think it has affected the skull.
It was a dirty business being in reserve and having to do spade work
during all the excitement ; however there was not much time for thinking.
Nearly all our casualties were due to fire from a second line of trenches ;
the enemy in the first line of trenches which we attacked did not fire much,
and kept their heads well down ! We took a young fellow prisoner whom
two of our men found crouching, well out of the way, in a dug-out ! He
was a " Jaeger."
We killed and wounded a good number of the enemy, and I believe
our shrapnel did a big thing amongst the reserves which they were hurry-
ing up.
We probably lost more than the enemy, as we were the attackers.
The enemy kept on passing down orders " Scots Guards, retire," etc.,
all in good English, but we had foreseen and forewarned ! I have not
a minute to write anyone else at all. Please thank Gramps ever so much
for his letter of congratulations and cigarettes, and tell him that at present
I want nothing sent out, as we are full of food and comforts. Also thank O.
53
a thousand times for her parcel with caramels, etc., and warm waistcoat,
also one pair stocking puttees. Buzzard cake has arrived, and I have just
got your letter of Dec. 15th. I am receiving a large number of parcels
addressed O.C. G. Coy. for distribution amongst my men, and in half
the cases do not know how to acknowledge receipt of them or whom to
thank. Delighted to hear about Uncle Mi ; am sure his fellows will do
tip-top.
The (Territorial) have not quite shaken down yet, in fact the
other day, when occupying the trenches next to us, they had given up the
ghost complete ; it had been pouring, and mud lay deep in the trenches ;
they were caked from head to foot, and I have never seen anything like
their rifles ! Not one would work, and they were just lying about in the
trenches getting stiff and cold. One fellow had got both his feet jammed
in the clay, and when told to get up by an officer, had to get on all fours ;
he then got his hands stuck in too, and was caught like a fly on a fly-paper ;
all he could do was to look round and say to his pals, "For Gawd's sake,
shoot me ! " I laughed till I cried. But they will shake down soon,
directly they learn that the harder one works in the trenches, the drier
and more comfortable one can keep them and oneself.
We shall be in the trenches on Christmas Day, but we are going to
do things as proud as we can for the men nevertheless ; and the whole
Battalion will have plum-puddings, which are being escorted out here from
England. All of us have been making reserve-sacks of food and warm
things, which officers have found superfluous owing to our diminishing
numbers, and parcels of stuff arriving for wounded or sick officers, and
we are going to issue it all out to our Coys, on the 25th.
Please give every sort of message and greetings to all Breamore friends ;
I have not even time to write to Grandma, as I had hoped, I may be able
to to-morrow.
Very best love to you and O. and all at H.B., and best wishes.
Ever your loving
Ted.
54
22.12.14.
My Dearest Mother,
No sooner in billets and trying to get a well deserved rest,
than I had to take my company out at short notice last night to dig.
Four miles back to the dirty trenches — dig till midnight, and then
relieved by another company, and four miles back in pouring rain and
sleet. Our trenches are rapidly becoming young rivers, and one can do
practically nothing to stop the water rising. I am hard at it again to-day,
refitting and reorganizing. I have one amusing thing to tell you.
Yesterday, when censoring letters, I came across one in which a
man, referring to our attack, said " I thought every minute was my
next."
Owing to a few little hitches and difficulties with the and
we got a lot of extra work, and our rest in billets this time has been no
rest at all. We return to the trenches to-morrow, and shall be in them
on Christmas Day. Germans or no Germans, water and mud or no
water and mud, we are going to have an 'ell of a bust, including plum
puddings for the whole Battalion. I have got a select little party
together, who, led by my stentorian voice, are going to take up a
position in our trenches where we are closest to the enemy, about 80
yards, and from 10 p.m. onwards we are going to give the enemy every
conceivable form of song in harmony, from Carols to Tipperary.
Variation is always acceptable, even to the Huns ! My fellows are most
amused with the idea, and will make a rare noise when we get at it !
Our object will be to drown the now far too familiar strains of
" Deutschland iiber Alles " and the " Wacht am Rhein " we hear from
their trenches every evening.
The morning after our attack, there was almost a tacit understanding
as to no firing, and about 6.15 a.m. I saw eight or nine German heads
and shoulders appear, and then three of them crawled out a few feet in
front of their parapet and began dragging in some of our fellows who
were either dead or unconscious close to their parapet. I do not know
55
what they intended to do with them, but I passed down the order that
none of my men were to fire, and this seems to have been done all down
the line. I helped one of our men in myself, and was not fired at, at all.
I sincerely hope that their intentions were all that could be desired with
regard to our wounded whom they fetched in.
I also saw some of them, two cases, where the two Germans evidently
were not quite sure about showing themselves, and pushed their rifles
out to two of our wounded and got them to catch hold, and pulled them
on to their parapet, and so into their trenches.
Far the most ghastly part of this business is that the wounded have
so little chance of being brought in, and if heavy fire is kept up, cannot
even be sent for. There were many conspicuous acts of gallantry that
night, in getting in the wounded under fire, but many had to be left
out. One notices that sort of thing so much more when the two lines
of trenches are very close, and the morning light reveals not only the
bag, but also the pick-up ! to put it plainly.
We shall all think of you at home on the 25th, and hope you will
be a bit drier than we shall.
Give my very best wishes to all. I have written a hasty note to
Charlie at Breamore.
Very best love and wishes to you.
Ever your loving
Ted.
P.S. — Trench-waders have arrived, and are excellent, please convey
thousand thanks. E. H.
P.P.S. — Have sent you a small box of superfluous things to keep,
including Cater's 2nd oil-sheet and cap, which have only just arrived.
Also a German diary.
5«
28/l2/l4.
My Dearest Mother,
Just returned to billets again, after the most extraordinary
Christmas in the trenches you could possibly imagine. Words fail me
completely, in trying to describe it, but here goes !
On the 23rd we took over the trenches in the ordinary manner,
relieving the Grenadiers, and during the 24th the usual firing took place,
and sniping was pretty brisk. We stood to arms as usual at 6.30 a.m.
on the 25th, and I noticed that there was not much shooting ; this
gradually died down, and by 8 a.m. there was no shooting at all, except
for a few shots on our left (Border Regt.). At 8.30 a.m. I was looking
out, and saw four Germans leave their trenches and come towards us ;
I told two of my men to go and meet them, unarmed (as the Germans
were unarmed), and to see that they did not pass the halfway line. We
were 350-400 yards apart at this point. My fellows were not very
keen, not knowing what was up, so I went out alone, and met Barry,
one of our ensigns, also coming out from another part of the line. By
the time we got to them, they were f of the way over, and much
too near our barbed wire, so I moved them back. They were three
private soldiers and a stretcher-bearer, and their spokesman started off
by saying that he thought it only right to come over and wish us a
happy Christmas, and trusted us implicitly to keep the truce. He came
from Suffolk, where he had left his best girl and a 3! h.p. motor-bike!
He told me that he could not get a letter to the girl, and wanted to send
one through me. I made him write out a postcard in front of me,
in English, and I sent it off that night. I told him that she probably
would not be a bit keen to see him again. We then entered on a long
discussion on every sort of thing. I was dressed in an old stocking-cap
and a man's overcoat, and they took me for a corporal, a thing which
I did not discourage, as I had an eye to going as near their lines as
possible ! They praised our aeroplanes up to the skies, and said that
they hated them and could not get away from them. They would not
57
say much about our artillery, but I gathered that it does good damage,
and they don't care for it. The little fellow I was talking to, was
an undersized, pasty-faced student type, talked four languages well, and
had a business in England, so I mistrusted him at once. I asked them
what orders they had from their officers as to coming over to us, and
they said none ; that they had just come over out of goodwill.
They protested that they had no feeling of enmity at all towards us,
but that everything lay with their authorities, and that being soldiers
they had to obey. I believe that they were speaking the truth when they
said this, and that they never wished to fire a shot again. They said
that unless directly ordered, they were not going to shoot again until
we did. They were mostly 158th Regiment and Jaegers, and were the
ones we attacked on the night of the 18th. Hence the feeling of
temporary friendship, I suppose. We talked about the ghastly wounds
made by rifle bullets, and we both agreed that neither of us used
dum-dum bullets, and that the wounds are solely inflicted by the
high-velocity bullet with the sharp nose, at short range. We both
agreed that it would be far better if we used the old South African
round-nosed bullet, which makes a clean hole.
They howled with laughter at a D.T. of the 10th which they had seen
the day before, and told me that we are being absolutely misguided by
our papers, that France is done, Russia has received a series of very big
blows, and will climb down shortly, and that the only thing which is
keeping the war going at all is England ! They firmly believe all this,
I am sure. They think that our press is to blame in working up feeling
against them by publishing false " atrocity reports." I told them of
various sweet little cases which I have seen for myself, and they told me
of English prisoners whom they have seen with soft-nosed bullets, and
lead bullets with notches cut in the nose ; we had a heated, and at the
same time, good-natured argument, and ended by hinting to each other
that the other was lying !
I kept it up for half an hour, and then escorted them back as far
as their barbed wire, having a jolly good look round all the time, and
58
picking up various little bits of information which I had not had an
opportunity of doing under fire ! I left instructions with them that
if any of them came out later they must not come over the half-way
line, and appointed a ditch as the meeting place. We parted, after an
exchange of Albany cigarettes and German cigars, and I went straight
to H.-qrs. to report.
On my return at 10 a.m. I was surprised to hear a hell of a din
going on, and not a single man left in my trenches ; they were completely
denuded (against my orders), and nothing lived ! I heard strains of
" Tipperary " floating down the breeze, swiftly followed by a tremendous
burst of " Deutschland iiber Alles," and as I got to my own Coy. H.-qrs.
dug-out, I saw, to my amazement, not only a crowd of about 150 British
and Germans at the half-way house which I had appointed opposite my
lines, but six or seven such crowds, all the way down our lines, extending
towards the 8th Division on our right. I bustled out and asked if there
were any German officers in my crowd, and the noise died down (as this
time I was myself in my own cap and badges of rank).
I found two, but had to talk to them through an interpreter, as they
could neither talk English nor French. They were podgy, fat bourgeois,
looking very red and full of sausage and beer and wine, and were not
over friendly. I explained to them that strict orders must be maintained
as to meeting half-way, and everyone unarmed ; and we both agreed not
to fire until the other did, thereby creating a complete deadlock and
armistice (if strictly observed). These two fat swine would vouchsafe
no information, and, beyond giving me a very nasty cigar, did nothing,
and returned to their trenches.
Meanwhile Scots and Huns were fraternizing in the most genuine
possible manner. Every sort of souvenir was exchanged, addresses given
and received, photos of families shown, etc. One of our fellows offered
a German a cigarette : the German said, " Virginian ? " Our fellow
said, " Aye, straight-cut " : the German said, " No thanks, I only
smoke Turkish" ! (Sort of 10/- a 100 me !) It gave us all a good
laugh.
59
A German N.C.O. with the Iron Cross, — gained, he told me, for
conspicuous skill in sniping, — started his fellows off on some marching
tune. When they had done I set the note for " The Boys of Bonnie
Scotland, where the heather and the bluebells grow," and so we went on,
singing everything from " Good King Wenceslaus " down to the ordinary
Tommies' song, and ended up with " Auld Lang Syne," which we all,
English, Scots, Irish, Prussian, Wurtembergers, etc., joined in. It was
absolutely astounding, and if I had seen it on a cinematograph film
I should have sworn that it was faked !
I talked to a lot more Huns and found many very young fellows, but
a good, strong, and pretty healthy lot. Probably only the best of them
had been allowed to leave their trenches ; they included the Jaegers, 158th,
37th and 15th regiments.
From foul rain and wet, the weather had cleared up the night before,
to a sharp frost, and it was a perfect day, everything white, and the
silence seemed extraordinary, after the usual din. From all sides birds
seemed to arrive, and we hardly ever see a bird generally. Later in the
day I fed about 50 sparrows outside my dug-out, which shows how com-
plete the silence and quiet was.
I must say that I was very much impressed with the whole scene, and
also, as everyone else, astoundingly relieved by the quiet, and by being able
to walk about freely. It is the first time, day or night, that we have heard
no guns, or rifle-firing, since I left Havre and convalescence !
Just after we had finished " Auld Lang Syne " an old hare started up,
and seeing so many of us about in an unwonted spot, did not know
which way to go. I gave one loud " View Holloa," and one and all,
British and Germans, rushed about giving chase, slipping up on the frozen
plough, falling about, and after a hot two minutes we killed in the open,
a German and one of our fellows falling together heavily upon the com-
pletely baffled hare. Shortly afterwards we saw four more hares, and
killed one again ; both were good heavy weight and had evidently
been out between the two rows of trenches for the last two months, well-
fed on the cabbage patches, etc., many of which are untouched on the
6o
" no-man's land." The enemy kept one and we kept the other. It was
now 1 1.30 a.m. and at this moment George Paynter arrived on the scene,
with a hearty " Well, my lads, a Merry Christmas to you ! This is d — d
comic, isn't it ? " They were much amused with him, especially when he
said it was d — d cold ; their spokesman immediately said, " Oh you feel
the cold, do you ? Of course, we don't, as we are used to harder winters
in Germany than you are in England." George told them that he
thought it only right that we should show that we could desist from hos-
tilities on a day which was so important in both countries ; and he then
said, " Well, my boys, I've brought you over something to celebrate this
funny show with," and he produced from his pocket a large bottle of rum
(not ration rum, but the proper stuff). One large shout went up, and
the above-mentioned nasty little spokesman uncorked it, and in a heavy,
ceremonious manner, drank our healths, in the name of his " camaraden " ;
the bottle was then passed on and polished off before you could say knife.
We then retired to our respective trenches for dinners and plum-
pudding, one of which had been issued to each man in the Battalion that
morning, also Christmas cards from King and Queen, Princess Mary's
card and present of pipe and tobacco, and a card from Lady Rawlinson,
for 4th Army Corps. We all had a grand meal, and as we have only one
officer per Coy. now, I had my meal in my dug-out with the Coy. cook
and my servant and an Artillery Officer, who has a dug-out quite close
to mine, as an artillery observation post.
We had steak, mashed potatoes, plum-pudding, ginger biscuits, choco-
late (hot), whisky and water, and finished up by drinking your health
and all at home in best Russian Kiimmel !
During the afternoon the same extraordinary scene was enacted between
the lines, and one of the enemy told me that he was longing to get back
to London : I assured him that " So was I." He said that he was sick
of the war, and I told him that when the truce was ended, any of his
friends would be welcome in our trenches, and would be well-received,
fed, and given a free passage to the Isle of Man ! Another coursing
meeting took place, with no result, and at 4.30 p.m. we agreed to keep
6i
in our respective trenches, and told them that the truce was ended.
They persisted, however, in saying that they were not going to fire, and
as George had told us not to, unless they did, we prepared for a quiet night,
but warned all sentries to be doubly on the alert.
During the day both sides had taken the opportunity of bringing up
piles of wood, straw, etc., which is generally only brought up with difficulty
under fire. We improved our dug-outs, roofed in new ones, and got a
lot of very useful work done towards increasing our comfort. Directly
it was dark, I got the whole of my Coy. on to improving and remaking
our barbed-wire entanglements, all along my front, and had my scouts
out in front of the working parties, to prevent any surprise ; but not a
shot was fired, and we finished off a real good obstacle unmolested.
On my left was the bit of ground over which we attacked on the
1 8 th, and here the lines are only from 85 to 100 yards apart.
The Border Regiment were occupying this section on Christmas
Day, and Giles Loder, our Adjutant, went down there with a party
that morning on hearing of the friendly demonstrations in front of
my Coy., to see if he could come to an agreement about our dead,
who were still lying out between the trenches. The trenches are so
close at this point, that of course each side had to be far stricter.
Well, he found an extremely pleasant and superior stamp of German
officer, who arranged to bring all our dead to the half-way line. We
took them over there, and buried 29 exactly half way between the
two lines. Giles collected all personal effects, pay-books and identity
discs, but was stopped by the Germans when he told some men to
bring in the rifles ; all rifles lying on their side of the half-way
line they kept carefully ! They found poor Hugh Taylor close up
against the enemy's parapet (as most of our fellows were) ; he had
been shot through the chest. They took him back to Head-quarters
and buried him close by in a cemetery which we had made there.
The officer, who could only talk French, told Giles that he had done
everything he could for Hanbury-Tracy, but that he had died two
days afterwards. He also told us that Dick Nugent was killed.
62
They apparently treated our prisoners well, and did all they could
for our wounded. This officer kept on pointing to our dead and
saying, " Les Braves, c'est bien dommage."
This episode was the sadder side of Xmas Day, but it was a
great thing being able to collect them, as their relations, to whom of
course they had been reported missing, will be put out of suspense
and hoping that they are prisoners.
When George heard of it he went down to that section and
talked to the nice officer and gave him a scarf. That same evening
a German orderly came to the half-way line, and brought a pair of
warm, woolly gloves as a present in return for George.
The same night the Borderers and we were engaged in putting
up big trestle obstacles, with barbed wire all over them, and connecting
them, and at this same point (namely, where we were only 85 yards
apart) the Germans came out and sat on their parapet, and watched us
doing it, although we had informed them that the truce was ended.
(I shall have a further comment to make on that later on.) Well,
all was quiet, as I said, that night, and next morning, while I was
having breakfast, one of my N.C.O.s came and reported that the
enemy were again coming over to talk. 1 had given full instructions,
and none of my men were allowed out of the trenches to talk to the
enemy. I had also told the N.C.O. of an advanced post which 1 have
up a ditch, to go out with two men, unarmed', if any of the enemy
came over, to see that they did not cross the half-way line, and to
engage them in pleasant conversation. So I went out, and found the
same lot as the day before ; they told me again that they had no
intention of firing, and wished the truce to continue. I had instruc-
tions not to fire till the enemy did ; I told them ; and so the same
comic form of temporary truce continued on the 26th, and again
at 4.30 p.m. I informed them that the truce was at an end. We
had sent them over some plum- puddings, and they thanked us
heartily for them and retired again, the only difference being that
instead of all my men being out in the " no man's zone," one
63
N.C.O. and two men only were allowed out, and the enemy there-
fore sent fewer.
Again both sides had been improving their comfort during the
day, and again at night I continued on my barbed wire and finished
it right off". We retired for the night all quiet, and were rudely
awakened at 1 1 p.m. A H.-qr. orderly burst into my dug-out,
and handed me a message. It stated that a deserter had come into
the 8th Division lines, and stated that the whole German line was
going to attack at 12.15 midnight, and that we were to stand to arms
immediately, and that reinforcements were being hurried up from
billets in rear. I thought, at the time, that it was a d — d good joke
on the part of the German deserter to deprive us of our sleep, and
so it turned out to be. I stood my Coy. to arms, made a few extra
dispositions, gave out all instructions, and at 11.20 p.m. George
arrived. On these occasions Bn. H.-qrs. move into the trenches, and
Brigade H.-qrs. move up to what was Bn. H.-qrs., so as to be on
the spot. Some of the 6th Gordons were moved up as reserve in a
communication trench to my rear, and we waited for some fun.
Suddenly our guns all along the line opened a heavy fire, and all
the enemy did was to reply with 9 shell (heavy howitzers), not one
of which exploded, just on my left. Never a rifle shot was fired by
either side (except right away down in the 8th Division), and at
2.30 p.m. we turned in half the men to sleep, and kept half awake
on sentry.
Apparently this deserter had also reported that strong German re-
inforcements had been brought up, and named a place just in rear
of their lines, where, he said, two regiments were in billets, that had
just been brought up. Our guns were informed, and plastered the
place well when they opened fire (as I mentioned). The long and
short of it was that absolutely nixt happened, and after a sleepless
night I turned in at 4.30 a.m., and was woken again at 6.30, when
we always stand to arms before daylight. I was just going to have
another sleep at 8 a.m. when I found that the enemy were again
64
coming over to talk to us (Dec. 27th). I watched my N.C.O. and
two men go out from the advanced post to meet, and hearing shouts
of laughter from the little party when they met, I again went out
myself.
They asked me what we were up to during the night, and told
me that they had stood to arms all night and thought we were going
to attack them when they heard our heavy shelling ; also that our
guns had done a lot of damage and knocked out a lot of their men
in billets. I told them a deserter of theirs had come over to us,
and that they had only him to thank for any damage done, and
that we, after a sleepless night, were not best pleased with him
either ! They assured me that they had heard nothing of an attack,
and I fully believed them, as it is inconceivable that they would
have allowed us to put up the formidable obstacles (which we had
on the two previous nights) if they had contemplated an offensive
movement.
Anyhow, if it had ever existed, the plan had miscarried, as no
attack was developed on any part of our line, and here were these
fellows still protesting that there was a truce, although I told them
that it had ceased the evening before. So I kept to same arrange-
ment, namely, that my N.C.O. and two men should meet them half
way, and strict orders were given that no other man was to leave the
lines.
I admit that the whole thing beat me absolutely, and I shall
endeavour in my next letter to tell you how I think the "land lies."
I am finishing this letter off, as it is a long one, and I want to get
it off, but shall write the other this evening as a continuation, and
you may get both by same post.
Well, again no shot was fired all day, and in the evening we
were relieved by the Grenadiers, quite openly (not crawling about
on all fours, as usual), and we handed on our instructions to the
Grenadiers in case the enemy still wished to pay visits !
I enclose German Field-Postcard, which a Sergeant with the Iron
65
Cross gave me. Also am sending King and Queen's Christmas
cards, and Lady Rawlinson's, which I want kept.
Let me know if you receive the box with cap, oil-sheet and German
diary. Many thanks for your letters of 21st and 23rd, which amused
me greatly with the various anecdotes. Please wish Gramps very many
happy returns of to-day, and tell him that I have instructed you to hand
this letter to him, as Birthday Wishes, as I have not a minute to write
any others. Very Best Wishes for the New Year to you and O., and
all at home.
Ever your loving
Ted.
28/12/14.
Continuation of first letter of same date.
My Dearest Mother,
Have got a quiet evening and will now continue letter which
I wrote early this afternoon, and which has gone to post.
So pleased that Hobson is getting well ; don't let him hurry,
although medical authorities will not let him over-stay his legitimate
period of convalescence !
Send me Grandma's address, as I have not got it.
How right the Belgian officer was ! It made me laugh long and
loudly.
I fully agree with Mrs. X. One heavy Howitzer shell, on the
cross-roads in Beaconsfield, would do a world of good ; we are all very
sorry for the unfortunate women and children, victims of the Scar-
borough incident, but we are all delighted to hear that any German ships
have got out, as the more they get out, the more are we likely to sink,
and it is ridiculous for people in England to think that the only duty
of our Navy is to guard our shores from being shelled. Their duty is
to guard us from invasion, and to protect commerce, and their whole
66
strategy must lie in letting German ships out, if we wish to mop them
up ; and after all, sinking them is the only way that we can assure our-
selves from invasion and protect commerce adequately. People in
England seem to think that the duty of the Navy is to sit outside our
shores and see that no one pumps a shell on to our island. That is an
extremely narrow and selfish way of looking at it, but those are our
chief characteristics.
It is quite right, however, that the State should make good damage
out of the War Fund. Lloyd George always did talk rot, and it is just
like him to have held us up, as making big sacrifices for other people.
We should be looking d — d silly by now, if we had remained neutral.
Tell Green from me that he will find my Mauser pistol in the gun-case,
and will do well to put himself, as an advanced post (or rather elevated
post), on the roof, as a necessary precaution against hostile aircraft.
Your 20-bore might do too !
I think that the only thing that we have to fear in England is the
submarine.
Now to continue former letter.
I forgot to say that we gave the Germans, on each day, all the latest
English newspapers, but higher authorities would not allow us to give
them Belloc's articles in Land and Water. (I wanted to give them the
cuttings with his statement as to their casualties.) I asked several of them
general questions about the war, and they one and all answered that
our papers were grossly misleading us ; that really, if only we knew,
France is absolutely done, and Russia has taken a series of very big
knocks, and will climb down, and that we English are the only ones
who are really keeping the war going. They all think that the war
will be over in three weeks' time, except one well-educated fellow I
talked to, who said that he thought it would go on 'for a long time ; I
told him to improve his dug-out well, and we hoped to find extreme
comfort when we take their trenches, as we have heard such a lot about
their skill in trench digging !
The whole business of the past three days has been extraordinary
67
and not easy to explain. Yesterday, shooting began again, down in the
8th Division, but although we explained to the enemy that the truce
was at an end, never a shot was fired.
Although I do not trust them a yard, I am convinced that all they
want is to see us making ourselves thoroughly comfortable and (as you
will gather from what 1 said about them watching us put up obstacles
and entanglements) to assure themselves that we are not going to attack ;
so much so, that I honestly believe that if we had called on them for
fatigue-parties that night, to help us put up our barbed wire, they would
have come over and done so.
They are, I am sure, pretty sick of fighting, and found the truce a
very welcome respite, and were therefore quite ready to prolong it ; in
fact made us prolong it by continually coming to talk. They watched us
bring up masses of timber for dug-outs, wire for entanglements, shovels
and picks and rakes (for dragging a small stream, which has become
choked up, and is flooding us in places) ; we had parties working on
drainage, and relieving the pressure of water from our trenches, in fact
every sort of thing, which, with sniping, is only carried out at great risk
and inconvenience. Also, they were the troops whom we had attacked,
and some of them expressed admiration for us, etc., and they had also
suffered a good deal by it, and, one way and another, they were quite
ready to have a respite and to improve their own comforts and trenches
like us. In fact, they had said to me that they could not be answerable
for the conduct of any troops who relieved them, but that at anyrate
they themselves would not start hostilities again unless we did. Now
for a deeper and also fairly obvious reason : —
They must know quite well that what they achieved hitherto, they
have achieved with tremendous losses, and that it can't go on for ever like
that. They hold pretty well all Belgium and a bit of France, and in case
of peace, have, on this side, got a nice bit to barter and bargain with.
The main issue lies at present in Poland, and there, also, I take it, they
have reached their zenith, and have lately a fair measure of success.
Their object, as we all know, is to deal as big a blow as possible to Russia,
68
and probably to try and get her to make a separate peace, giving her a
nice slice (probably all Poland).
To do this they have had to denude the Western battle line, and any
attacks they have made on this line lately have only been bluff, in order
to make us believe that they are still trying to advance here. If they can
deal with Russia, then well and good ; they can then transfer all their
troops again to this front and make again for Calais and Paris. I am sure
that they are trying to make Russia sick of the war and to get her to
climb down. The Kaiser must realize that he cannot win by prolonging
matters, and that he can't lose the numbers he has, so far, many times
more. This, I think, explains why they appear not to mind how com-
fortable we make ourselves here, so long as what we do tends to making
them believe that we are going to sit quiet. I think it is pretty obvious.
Also this would explain the following interesting facts : —
For the past two months their artillery has got slacker and slacker,
and opposite us they either have none, and if they have, they have
orders not to fire, and to save their ammunition. This may be due
to genuine shortage, or to the fact that all available ammunition is sent
to the big issue in Poland. Anyhow, the little they do fire is nearly all
" blind " or " bad," as it hardly ever explodes. They have not fired
shrapnel at us for three weeks or more. I generally take the reports in
our papers, about shortages in Germany, with a grain of salt, but I must
say that it looks as though they were having some difficulty with heavy
ammunition. They have plenty of small arm ammunition still, at any
rate opposite us.
However, it is all very curious.
Christmas Day and Boxing Day were perfect, — sharp frost, about 15°,
but it has since turned to rain, and to-day has poured without a stop.
For the first time in his life, as he says, George is praying for a frost,
as we all are. It is everything for the men's healths, and for general com-
fort in the trenches. One can always keep warm when dry, however sharp
the frost, but the wet goes right through and buttons at the back, and
knocks a lot of the men's feet up. We are reduced to George and Giles
CAPT. SIR EDWARD HULSE AND CAPT. E.WARNER
(in the Trenches. Christmas Day. JO'-fJ
69
(CO. and Adj.), Pip Warner, Barry, Swinton and myself as Coy. Com-
manders. Barry and Swinton are only ensigns, and the latter joined us
straight from Sandhurst two months ago.
We are all very sorry indeed to hear of Ottley's death ; he was also a
five months' Sandhurst cadet, and joined with Swinton. He was hard-
working and capable, and mad keen, and led the platoon of my company
which attacked on the 1 8th. We all thought that he would get over his
wound, and were too sorry for words when we got the news yesterday.
Try and find out for me how Freddy Fitzwygram and Saumarez are
getting on ; the latter, I believe, is very bad, and I should like to hear of
them. Freddy ought to be getting on well. We hope to get both
officers and men shortly, and need them badly ; I am at present far
more fortunate in my N.C.O.s, in G. Coy., and have one very good one
who was with the ist Bn. in the retreat with me, but one officer per Coy.
is not enough, and means very little sleep when in the trenches !
I am as fat as a pig and have been over-feeding systematically for a
week nevertheless. We do ourselves proud !
There will be no chance of leave until we get more officers.
I am sending you Princess Mary's Xmas Box which I want kept. I
may get it taken to London and posted there by one of our " padres " who
is going home for leave on Thursday next. I hope to be able to send
you shortly some small photos of self, Pip, servants, etc., in billets, and
also, if they come out, a photo of us and the Germans together on Xmas
Day. Swinton took them with a little pocket-camera, and the M padre " is
taking the films home to get them developed. If the latter negative
comes out, it will be a unique incident well recorded.
There are two extraordinary little kids here, about three or four
years old respectively, who at the present moment are vastly interested in
my signet-ring ; I have got one on my lap and the other is pulling at the
strings of my stocking-puttees, and writing is not easy ; they smell a bit,
but are little toppers, covered with smiles, and I talk French "dog-
language " to them and seem to have a great success : — " viens, petit coco,"
brings them running along, and they nearly burst with merriment when
7°
I give them ginger biscuits. They are brother and sister, and belong to
a family of eight ; the father is fighting, and the mother and her niece run
this farm, and are helped by the eldest sons (14 and 15 yrs. old). They
go in for scientific farming, and their milk and butter is the best you ever
tasted. I got six eggs from them this morning (at 6 sous each) — a rare
luxury — and scrambled them extremely well myself. Milk, butter and
eggs are not often to be had all together, and we fairly gloated over the
result ! Swinton and I (L.F. Coy. and G. Coy., respectively) are in billets
together here and wolfed the lot !
Please thank Lady Hall ever so much for her nice letter, and say that
I am much looking forward to the " scouts' diary." Swinton and I are
getting up a concert to-morrow night in the biggest barn, for our two
Companies ; as we have to spend Hogmanay in the trenches, just as we
had to be in them on Christmas Day. I don't know what the devil I am
going to oblige with, but must think something comic out !
We do a variety of things, and about a fortnight ago, when in billets
on a Sunday, and about two miles from Head-quarters, I got the order
to parade my Coy. and conduct a Service, there being no chaplain near.
I conducted a 15 minutes' service, including two hymns, which I had to
set the note for. It is no child's play setting a note ; but it turned out
all right, and the key suited the men's raucous voices. I never thought
that I should conduct a Church Service, at any rate not at my present
rank of Lieutenant.
We have got a " padre " in this district, and are going to have a
Christmas Service to-morrow, here, in this barn.
Very best love to all, and again the best and heartiest of New Year
wishes to all at Breamore.
Ever your loving,
Ted.
7i
Billets,
5.1.15.
My Dearest Mother,
Back again in billets, but this time in Brigade Reserve,
instead of Division Reserve, which means only a short way from the
firing line, and that we have to go up every other night and dig.
I have got your letters of 30th and the 1st, and all parcels have
arrived safely, for which very many thanks. The second pair of
puttees arrived all right after all, and my servant had put them at
the bottom of my pack, hence my overlooking them. I have had
letters from Uncle Baa and Uncle Harry, and various useful little
things from Aunt Estelle, including chocolate, foot powder, pencil,
cigarette lighter, etc., all " tout ce qu'il y a de plus pratique."
One officer and forty men are all that they have sent us, as the draft
intended for us, including Major Romilly, otherwise Romeo, were
sent up to the 1st Battalion, who have lately had further losses.
We are rapidly becoming skilled drainage experts, and nearly all
the work in the trenches now consists of draining, pumping, diverting
channels, etc., and in one of our communication trenches which is
deeper than most, n ft. 6 in., the water has now attained the
astounding and almost comic depth of nine feet !
Many communication trenches have been given up, and we have
been working hard draining all water possible in one big one, and
passing it on to the enemy. They are doing the same, and the result
is that, apart from miles of barbed wire, there are some very formidable
lakes and streams in between the trenches, and a man has to be both
an expert athlete and swimmer combined to cross from one line to
the other by night.
Three days ago I climbed up a tree, with my glasses, and found
out where the German officer's dug-out is just opposite me. I saw
him plainly, and recognized him as the fat, heavy-jowled brute to
whom I had talked on the 25th. I have had a look every morning
72
since, and every morning he has had four men scooping the water out
from just round his dug-out, and, judging by the amount of pumping
which they do, I should say that they are worse off than we are.
During the last fortnight I have had great luck, as my company
has held the driest section of the Battalion's line ; though that is not
saying much, as everyone has to work like fun in order to keep the
trenches and dug-outs tenable at all.
We had another comic episode on New Year's Eve. Punctually
at 1 1 p.m. (German war time is an hour ahead of ours), the whole of
the German trenches were illuminated at intervals of 15 or 20
yards. They all shouted, and then began singing their New Year and
Patriotic Songs. We watched them quietly, and they lit a few bonfires
as well. Just as they were settling down for the night again, our
own midnight hour approached, and I had warned my company as to
how I intended to receive the New Year. At midnight I fired a star-
shell, which was the signal, and the whole line fired a volley and then
another star-shell and three hearty cheers, yet another star-shell, and
the whole of us, led by myself and the Platoon Sergeant nearest to
me, broke into " Auld Lang Syne." We sang it three times, and
were materially assisted by the enemy, who also joined in. At the
end, three more hearty cheers and then dead silence. It was extra-
ordinary hearing " Auld Lang Syne " gradually dying away right down
the line into the 8th Division. I fired three more star-shells in
different directions, to see that none of the enemy were crawling about
near our wire, and finding all clear, I retired to my leaking bug-hutch.
I had warned all sentries as usual, and had succeeded in getting
about $ of an hour's sleep, when the Platoon Sergeant of No. 12
(my Platoon number from 9-12) burst in and informed me, most
laconically, " German to see you, Sir ! "
I struck a light, tumbled out, and heard a voice outside saying,
" Offizier ? Hauptmann ? " and found a little fellow, fairly clean and
fairly superior to the average German private, being well hustled and
pushed between two fixed bayonets. The minute he saw me he came
73
up, saluted, covered in smiles, and awfully pleased with himself, said,
" Nach London, Nach London ? " I replied, " No, my lad, Nach
the Isle of Man," on which the escort burst in loud guffaws ! He
could not talk a word of English, except " Happy New Year," which
he kept on wishing us. He was a genuine deserter, and had come
in absolutely unarmed. I went rapidly through his pockets, which
were bulging on every side, and found no papers or anything of any
value, but an incredible amount of every kind of food and comestibles.
He had come in fully provided for the journey, and was annoyingly
pleased with himself.
I ordered him to be marched up to Battalion Head-quarters under
escort, and telephoned up to George and had him woken to tell him
that I was sending him a New Year's present. I enclose receipt for
prisoner, which is rather interesting, as it is the first bit of work, or
writing, which 19 15 brought me, and was considered by the ultra-
superstitious private soldier, of which there are many, as of good
augury.
It may have been the result of my telling them on the 25th that
any of them who wished to report themselves at my barbed wire after
dark would be fed and given a free passage to England ! From
what I could make out about a lot of talk from him, about " three
camaraden," I gathered that three of his pals were going to come in
and give themselves up at 3 a.m., but they disappointed us and did
not show up. He told me that he had a wife and two children, and
never wished to see a rifle again — at least, that is what I gathered
from a few words which I could understand.
I am sending you a photo of myself and four of the raiding party,
which was taken by an elderly artist-rifleman, who accompanies our
Quarter-Master and takes photos for a Battalion book which our
Quarter-Master is mad about. Unfortunately the others were not
available, but it includes the Corporal who fired the rifle-bomb, and a
grand, great fellow, Dolley, the big one on the left, who, I am sorry
to say, was killed about a fortnight later. Our cleanliness is due to
74
this photo having been taken when we were in billets. I wish you
could see us when we emerge from the trenches !
Please write and thank old Tucker for her letter, and explain that
I have hardly any time at all for letter writing, and send you all the
news. It is very good of her to have written. I enclose address.
Please keep me a Potsdam Diary, as I may get home for a week
soon. Leave has begun again, and, although we are so short, one
officer at a time is going to be allowed away, I believe ; Giles Loder
probably goes this week, and I am next after him. With luck, I
may roll up about the 12th, but will let you know.
Giggles, Armine's brother, has arrived, and each company has two
officers except mine. Poor old self has to carry on alone still, but
I am lucky in some of my N.C.O.s, which means a very great deal
of work and anxiety taken off one's shoulders. By-the-by, I am
not a captain in rank, as you seem to think in one of your letters,
although commanding a company. It is absolutely astounding, but
the 158th German regiment have not yet tired a shot since Christmas,
and I believe are genuinely sick of the whole thing. Artillery duels
go on the same as ever.
So glad you get the old healthy bump every morning, though the
weather is awful ; it hardly stops raining at all here, and I have got
to take my company up to the trenches to dig to-night for six hours,
d — n and blast !
Very best love to you and O.
Ever your loving
Ted.
1.I.15.
O.C. 2JBattalion Scots Guards, yth Army Corps.
Herewith a German, i^Sth Regiment, who came right into our trenches on
my right, No. 12 Platoon. The Sentry saw him close to our barbed wire, and
covered him and challenged. He continued to walk straight in, unarmed,
75
and jumped into our trenches. Sergeant Macdonald {Platoon Sergt., No. 12
Platoon) brought him to me under escort.
E. HULSE, Lt.
1. 10 a.m. Com. G. Coy.
I have taken nothing off the prisoner ; his papers and effects are exactly
as when he entered my trenches. E. H.
Received from Sir E. Hulse one prisoner at 1.32 a.m.
J AS. MONCUR, Serg.-Major,
2JBn. Scots Guards.
Billets,
28. 1. 15.
My Dearest Mother,
Strange to say we have had six days without rain, and the change
has been very welcome, and has enabled us to make ourselves a good deal
more comfortable in the trenches. We have even reclaimed several bits
which had been abandoned, and have got to work with the pumps again.
Keen frost and little snow at night is all we have had, and as a result the
men are cheery beyond words, and years younger. They marched out
of the trenches last night with mouth organs, penny whistles, etc., playing
"Highland Laddie," as if they had only just landed in the country.
We have had one or two alarms during the last few days, but
nothing came of it. The Kaiser's birthday was not celebrated by the
enemy in any way beyond a little singing.
I and my C.S.M. have made some pretty practice, working together
with rifle and glasses, turn and turn about. We have accounted for three
Germans for certain, and probably two others during the last four days,
but it is no easy matter, as they will not show up now, and three hours
hard work may result in a complete blank !
76
Our army has had 2 1 2 cases of typhoid since the beginning of the
war (very small number). Of these, only eleven cases had been
inoculated, and all recovered. Of the remaining 201, twenty-two died,
and some are in a serious condition. So much for the anti-inoculationists !
A heavy bombardment is going on, on our right to the North, but
we have not yet heard what it is.
The poor old 1st Battalion took it in the neck again the other day.
The enemy attacked five times, and R.F. and L.F. Coys., which were in
the trenches at the time, had heavy casualties : more, I cannot say,
except that we are all aghast and making large goggle-peeps at the
official account, which appeared in the D.T. of 28th, or possibly 27th,
under heading " La Bassee." I shall never accuse the German papers
of talking again. I may be able to write more later on about it.
The younger Monckton, Gerald Crutchley and Morrison-Bell are
reported missing, and anyhow, whether killed or wounded, are in
German hands. I believe they are prisoners, and may be unwounded.
I have had a letter from Mrs. de Mello, and am waiting for arrival
of parcels of smokes before writing to her.
Your three pairs of socks arrived at a most opportune moment,
when we were short, and three men wanted them badly. Please thank
Mrs. Meston.
There is very little news at present. I am enclosing two little items,
one of which you have seen. Please send both on to Uncle Mi, who
will appreciate the printed one, signed Little Tich Beerbohm. It is made
out in regular form, like the information which is circulated from time
to time. It really is a good joke, and I believe was composed by one of
the " Artist Rifles " themselves. Ask him to return both papers to you.
Very best love to you and O.
Ever your loving
Ted.
P.S. — The Potsdam Diary is having a tremendous success.
77
VERSES BY A SUBALTERN OF " C " COY., 2/R.D.F.
A is our Army, which with impunity,
Bill said he'd smash at his first opportunity.
B is the Base, which is called St. Nazaire,
No longer the home of the gallant and fair.
C is the Charge of the Scottish of London —
From the papers you'd argue they only had done one.
D is De Wet, who thought it was wiser
To break his allegiance and follow the Kaiser.
E is the End of this horrible war —
It will probably last for a century more.
F are the Flares which never seem lacking,
Sent up by the Germans to see who's attacking.
G are the Germans, a race much maligned.
A more peace-loving people you hardly can find.
H are the Huns, their nearest of kin,
A pastoral people they are said to have been.
I am the writer, a perfect nonentity —
That is the reason I hide my identity.
J is the foy on the faces of men,
When they're told they must go down for rations at ten.
K is the Kaiser, who's said to be balmy. —
We always feel safe when he's leading his army.
L is the Lake that protects us from fire,
They call it a trench, when the weather is drier.
M stands for Mud, to describe which foul stuff
Violent blasphemy's hardly enough.
78
N is the Noise which we generally hear
On the night when the Germans are issued with beer.
0 is the Order — obeyed with a yawn —
Of " Stand to your arms — it's an hour till dawn ! "
P is the Post, which generally brings
Parcels of perfectly valueless things.
Q is the Question we all do abhor,
Concerning the probable end of the war.
R stands for Rum, and also for Russians,
Our two greatest allies when fighting the Prussians.
S as you know always stands for Supplies,
Whose excellent qualities no one denies.
T is Tobacco, that beautiful stuff,
And thanks be to heaven we've now got enough.
U stands for Uhlan, who's gained notoriety,
Both through his kindness and wonderful piety.
V is the Voice of the turtle, which bird
Has been turned into stew, so it's no longer heard.
W stands for Wine, Women, and War,
We'll see to the first when the latter is o'er.
X is a perfectly horrible letter —
I'll leave it alone, and I couldn't do better.
Y stands for Ypres, which the Germans desire,
They shelled it as soon as they had to retire.
Z stands for Zeppelins, who long to raid
A Circus, a Square and a certain Arcade.
79
Billets,
6/2/. 5.
My Dearest Mother,
Back in Brigade Reserve again, and expecting to be called out
any moment to dig.
By-the-by, Fortnum and Mason parcel has arrived safely, and Ludo's
cake ; also 7 pr. of mittens from Grandma, for which please thank her,
and tell her that they are very much appreciated by the men. Please
tell Aunty Gar also, that Grand Duke Michael's gloves and mittens
arrived a long time ago and practically all the men got them.
I have just had a letter from Mrs. Leo ; after infinite pains I made
out the gist of it, and she and Mr. Leo seem to have been delighted
with Breamore. I would have given anything to hear Mr. Leo and
Charlie talking farm stock. I know Mr. Leo will be milking cows
before long ! Please thank Mrs. Leo very much for the letter, and tell
her that I will write when a little spare time comes my way.
The Government are absolutely raving mad, and we want some
strong unscrupulous fellow with an iron hand to run things. How
much better things would be run if we could put the whole country
under martial law, Government included.
I don't believe a word our " eminent financiers " say as to Germany
not being able to carry on owing to shortage of money. If a country
has its back against the wall, and is under the sway of a desperate
military caucus (shortly, I hope, carcase), she will fight on, money or no
money.
A very interesting thing happened the day before yesterday : we had
a trench-mortar working in my trenches, and it made a very nasty mess
of the enemy's trenches and dug-outs as far as we could see. It made
very little noise going off, and an appalling explosion when it arrived
chez les Bosches. They replied with shrapnel, and we picked some
up where they had burst weakly and were more than surprised to find
that they contained marbles, rather larger than the lead shrapnel bullet
8o
which I gave you, but lighter in weight by far than an ordinary marble,
and made of some very light stone. It could not possibly hurt anyone,
unless it actually struck one on the head, and even then I doubt whether
it could penetrate.
On the other hand, they have been firing more than usual, and most
of their shells explode now. They have been showing a certain amount
of activity, but have wasted a good deal of energy, and I hope will go
on doing so. My reference to our astounding newspaper statements
still holds good ; we all held ourselves in readiness to go to the
assistance of the ist Division, but they did good work with their second
counter-attacks ; the first failed. The second pushed the Germans back,
and they got fair hell from our guns and the French combined, but the
announcement that we retook all trenches was not quite compatible
with facts !
I am afraid M. Bell is killed, and the other two probably.
The other night the enemy tried an attack on us ; the night before
we had " feinted " an attack : that means that our guns opened a rapid
fire on their trenches, followed by heavy rifle-fire ; the enemy, we hoped,
would hurry up reinforcements, and our guns then opened again on
their rear trenches and roads in rear, hoping to catch them. We believe
that good work was done.
Well, on the night after, the enemy did the same ; we were ready
for them, and they opened heavy fire of all kinds ; we thought it was a
u feint " too, but on sending up star-shells, we saw men (probably
officers) apparently urging their men on, and a good deal of shouting, etc.
I am sure that they meant an attack, and that under the very heavy and
prompt fire which we and our guns developed, they wouldn't take it on.
An attack on the Middlesex never came off", and they show signs of nerves
frequently, and whenever there is no moon, they keep on sending up star-
shells to see if we are crawling forward against them.
There are also many proofs that the British troops are the only ones
which are employed, time after time, on dirty work. The French, if they
have a rough time, are immediately taken out in rear to rest, and the
8i
enemy do the same. I really believe that our fellows are the only ones
who will take it on three or four times.
During the last few days in the trenches I have had grand sport with
a telescopic sight on my rifle. It is giving the enemy a bit of their own,
as a telescopic sight is a " Zeiss," made in Germany. We know that
they use them a lot, and lately I have been worried with a swine who
makes infernally good practice ; he hits anything one puts up, and missed
my C.S.M. by not more than 2 inches.
We put up several marks for him in the place that we generally snipe
from, and which he had driven us out of, and watched carefully, and
noticed that the bullets were coming at an angle ; this meant that his
position was right away to the flank, and that he was not opposite us,
where we were looking for him. We found a convenient little spot which
faced in the required direction, and was shielded from the front, and at
once spotted him and two other swine, right away to the right at about
550 yards (the trenches are not more than about 350 yards apart at
opposite points).
My C.S.M. and I had stocking-caps on so as to draw less attention,
and to assimilate easily with the background of the trench behind us. We
had a man at the old place, about 20 yards to our right, and we knew
that the German had spotted us there, so we made the man hold up a big
turnip, with a stocking-cap on it, just above the loop-hole. I must
explain that these rifles with telescopic sights cannot be used through
loop-holes, owing to the size of the fitting and rifle together. Well,
sure enough, bullet after bullet plastered into and around the old turnip,
and the German was so keen that he leaned well on to the parapet to make
better practice. I could see his two pals with their caps just showing,
but he showed half way down his chest, and I could make out his
telescopic sight clearly on his rifle. The moment had arrived, and,
with my C.S.M. watching carefully with my glasses, I pulled ! With
these telescopic sights you can see everything, every little detail, and it was
an extremely pretty moment for me — his arms went up and his head went
back, his cap fell off and he disappeared backwards, heavily into the trench.
82
He had let go his rifle, and one of his pals leant over quickly to get it,
and I put another shot in, and just missed by the left. I was really pleased
at getting the brute, as he had given us endless trouble. They have
not got many crack shots, and what there are very rarely show themselves
and nearly always use loop-holes, and it is a mere chance if one gets one
through a loop-hole. Also the fact that he had a rifle with telescopic
sight shows that he was a picked shot. I saw his two pals appear at loop-
holes just after, and they fairly plastered our old position (where I had had
the turnip dressed in the Balaclava helmet), and I made them both move
up and down to various loop-holes, until they gave it up. The second
I saw a rifle being shoved through a loop-hole I let drive, and could see
the earth fly up just below, or just at the side.
It was a pleasant reward for three hours' hard work, and they daren't
show their little fingers by day, now.
To put it shortly, " 'e come down proper, 'e did." It is a novel and
a pleasant sensation to see the fellow you hit fall. Generally, firing with
the naked eye even at 250 yards, if a head or head and shoulders is your
only mark, you don't see much of what happens. Unfortunately, we
have only this one telescopic sight in the Battalion, and next time in the
trenches another Company has got to have it.
I broke into song at a concert we had when last in billets, in a rash
moment, and shall probably always have to " oblige " in future. I have
made up a little song since (in the trenches), a skit about our Hd.-qr.
Staff", including most of them, from George downwards, and, pending his
consent, shall fire it off at the next concert.
By-the-by, please send me at once the Anthology of Humorous Verse,
by Theodore A. Cook (Price 3s. 6d. net), you can get it at Bumpus', or
anywhere. I have discovered untold talent in my Coy., including a really
good tenor, who is the brother of a Scotch tenor who had something to
do with Bunty pulls the Strings. He sang two Scotch folk songs quite
remarkably well.
I am afraid the Crefeld lot are having a thin time ; they are unspeakable
brutes, and why the our rotten Govt, can't make reprisals instead
83
of talking humanity and rot, I cannot understand. The prisoners
in England ought to be made to do useful work for us (not for
themselves) night and day ! They are swine and will always be
swine !
Very best love to you and O.
Ever your loving
Ted.
Billets,
17.2. 15.
My Dearest Mother,
We have had a very busy time indeed in Divisional Reserve,
and I have not had a minute to write ; — hence my terse little Field Post
Card of yesterday. We have had to make up books, lists and all
company matters, and get everything ship-shape, as we are expecting a
draft, but I shall not believe it until I see the men actually before me.
We have heard of so many drafts, and none have arrived yet. In
addition to that, we have been pow-wowing night and day, and sub-
mitting schemes for the best method of attack, both by night and by
day, and yesterday had to carry out an attack on an old line of trenches
f mile behind the firing-line. If only a German aeroplane could have
seen us, I wonder what it would have reported ! Two different
methods of attack were practised. The Right Half-Battalion under Pip,
and the Left Half under me. He attacked in open order, and I
attacked in columns of Platoons. The whole thing was made as genuine
as possible, in order to practise all ranks in the many and varied tasks
allotted to them in the attack.
The Brigadier and staff watched, and I had to take it on first ;
we had an easy bit of barbed wire to get through, and everything
went well until the inevitable happened. (This is not to be published.)
To make matters thoroughly realistic, the Brigade bomb-throwers with
live bombs, portioned up, so many to each of our columns, took part.
84
They were 6th Gordons, and of course just as we got to the barbed
wire and were breaking through, when it was their business to bomb
the enemies trenches, one of the damnable machines went off before
it was thrown and blew one man's thigh half away and broke his leg
and wounded another. Of course we stopped the business and had all
bombs removed, and carried out the attack again without the infernal
inventions.
I have not yet heard what lessons the Brigadier learnt from our
efforts, but I have formed several very well defined views on bombs
and shortage of wire cutters.
Apart from these little items, I spent the day before yesterday from
10 a.m. till 5.30 p.m. without a break at all, sitting on a Court Martial,
or rather on a series of them.
Vivian B.-J. (Rifle Brigade) and Ned Coke came over to see me
yesterday, and we had a long talk on the affairs of the world in general,
without any of us knowing anything !
You will remember that before Christmas we changed our trenches,
in order to take over and improve trenches on our right. Well, we
have improved them 50% and my men have worked like fun at the wire,
etc., and have done wonders, and also, of course, have made themselves
pretty comfortable. To-day we go back to the trenches, and have just
heard that we have all got to move to the left, and take over the
trenches, which are in a filthy condition from neglect ; no work can be
got out of them, and the higher authorities consider the line unsafe in
consequence ; so the result is that as soon as we have got comfortable
by sheer hard work, we have got to go and begin all over again, and do
a great deal of strengthening and wiring to the front, all of which is
ticklish work. It is hard on the men, but of course a great compliment.
However, the men don't see that at all.
Filthy weather, rain and high wind. We have had two false alarms
lately, but they are always good practice for turning the men out.
(Please ask F. L. Smith to send me two boxes of a hundred cigarettes,
over and above his ordinary consignments at once.)
85
I love your story of Queen Mary and " Little Mary," and also of
the dear old Belgians. Telescopic sights, being made in Germany, are
almost impossible to get, and cost from £12 to £15, and want specially
sighting on rifles, etc. Do not trouble about that ; we must trust to
what we get sent out. Not another minute to spare. Hope to have
time to write from the trenches, but doubtful.
Very best love to you and O.
Ever your loving
Ted.
P.S. — Many thanks for Humorous Verse.
Billets,
22/2/15.
My Dearest Mother,
Many thanks for your wire ; needless to say I was extremely-
pleased, although " rushed " hardly expresses the filthy, slow crawling
which we did. You are quite right — the " machine gun did it ! "
George Abercromby paid us a visit the other day, and I hardly
recognized him ; quite a fat face and a " glengarry " cocked on the side
of his face or, rather, head.
Photo can appear in Journal ; I hope Lady Leucha succeeds in
removing me from her film, but as I take a prominent place in it she will
probably have some difficulty !
It is the last thing and "the limit" that it should be possible for
Mrs. X. to roll up at 4th Army Corps Hd.-qrs. Much better if some
of the rotten Govt, had done so, as we might have got them into the
bullet zone.
I saw General Rawly the other day ; he shook me heavily by the
hand and we had a few words together.
We have just spent an uneventful and rather wet four days, but by
the direct intervention of Providence and a few forcibly put remarks
86
by myself, I did not have to take over the new bit of the line from
the and . Pip had to do it, and has had a hard four days and
nights, including two men killed. There was absolutely no cover at all,
and the above-mentioned Regiments must have simply sat still for two
months and watched their parapets and defences fall in without doing
one stitch of work. Instead of moving the whole Battalion down from
right to left, which would have placed me in the new and neglected
bit (as I was on the left of the line), they quite rightly took Pip's Coy.
out from the right and bumped it on the left, thereby necessitating the
movement of one Coy. only, instead of four. It was hard on Pip, but
I agreed to do all the a wiring " I could in front of him, and kept
my part of the bargain, — during the last four nights I have put up
entanglements, including 43 coils of wire (£ mile long each) and 870
posts and pegs ! One night the enemy sent up a star-shell, which
dropped plum in the middle of my wiring party. The minute a star-
shell is sent up by either side, if one is out in front of one's trenches,
one has to lie absolutely flat and still. We did so, and although the flare
dropped right in amongst us, they never spotted us.
The Brigadier was very nervous about the left of my Coy., which
rests on a road, and especially about the gap which existed between
me and the and , just on the left of that. Seeing that the
latter could be got to do nothing at all, he turned me on to wire not
only my left but also in front of the gap and in front of four forts
of the . It is always a ticklish job wiring in front, with occasional
sniping, but I have got some good N.C.O.s who are absolutely expert on
the job, and don't panic when shots come near in the middle of the
night, as many do !
We have been at it for eight days now (our last two spells in
the trenches) and completed it just before we came out ; we have
worked from 7 p.m. to 1 and 2 a.m. every night, and have perpetrated
such an entanglement as you never saw ; it far exceeded General Pa's
expectations, and he was awfully pleased, and talked for ten minutes on
end about it. He asked me to compliment the wiring party, which
87
I did, and also incidentally gave them all a tot of neat whisky each on the
quiet. It is highly skilled labour and a test on the nerves, so I thought
a little whisky (a thing which they never get at all) would not come amiss !
All ranks of my Coy. are working awfully well, and by dint of
constant organizing and drill when in billets, and heavy discipline, the
whole machine is working really well now. It is a very different thing
from two months ago, and makes it far easier, of course, for me.
We have just had a draft of 2 officers and 200 men, so that we now
have 11 officers (1 on leave), and over 600 for the trenches. We are
hard at it this afternoon settling the draft into their places ; I come in for
34 of them only, but I get one of the officers, Jarvis, an ensign, and
shall have a good deal of the smaller and more irksome items of work
taken off me, such as taking parties of my Coy. up to the trenches from
Brigade Reserve to dig at night, etc. It will make a big difference in the
trenches, too, as we shall take it in turns to visit sentries by night, etc.,
all of which has been pretty hard, with no one but myself, hitherto.
I shall introduce myself to them on parade to-morrow in a few " well
chosens " and, I hope, to the point ! including a few gentle hints on that
highly scientific and necessary part of soldiering, the Art of Sanitation.
What I don't know about latrine-digging and " chloride of lime " is not
worth the shovel which is so necessary an implement !
However, enough of this, or the picture may become too vivid.
Germany is really getting a bit worried now about the food question,
and I hope we really do put the screw on to the best of our ability. We
cannot hear anything definite or reliable about the Russian reverse, or
about a rumoured counter-success by the Russians.
A good deal of mist and occasional frost now, and very damp, but
with the water in the trenches well in hand, we are pretty comfortable.
More work ; — am just off to dig this filthy country up.
With best love to you and O., and all.
Ever your loving
Ted.
Billets,
4-3-I5-
My Dearest Mother,
Many thanks congrats. Am now covered with " stars," and
feel quite heavy about the shoulders from sheer weight of metal. I have
been unable to write during last two days, as we have moved. I am writ-
ing a lengthy letter this evening, and it may catch the same post as this,
but am writing this in case it misses. I enclose Board of Trade letter ;
I can't have signed receipt myself, but I got an intimation from Cox, to say
that it had been paid into my account, and I have seen it in my Pass book.
Very best love.
Ever your loving
Ted.
P.S. — The bald pate becomes the rank of Captain better than that of
Lieut, anyhow !
P.P.S. — Please tell Kathleen Crichton I have not yet received an
answer from the ist Battalion as to the man she was enquiring after, and
that I will write.
E. H.
Billets,
4-3-I5-
My Dearest Mother,
I think this will probably catch the same post as my other (short)
letter dated to-day. The temporary rank has to appear as such, but is as
good as the full rank, and it is only a matter of red tape and two more
notices in the Gazette to get the full promotion. They may antedate me
next time, and then after that confirm me in my rank, though that will prob-
ably not appear for a good long time. George, who has always dreaded
being promoted "Major," has now got to it; he says it makes him feel a
89
hundred, and that it's a dirty old man's rank ! Of course, he ought to
have been promoted temp. Lt.-Colonel, drawing Colonel's pay, as he has
absolutely run the Battalion ever since Ypres, and pulled it together through
very dirty and trying times. I have had the Coy. for three months now,
and hope to be antedated some time, but one can never tell, as the way the
Army List, Gazettes and promotions are being worked is beyond the ken
of even the most astute and learned red-tapist that ever trod. Prisoners,
interned officers, ensigns who have not been out, have done no duty at
all at home, and every sort of person has been promoted ; however, we do
feel out here that we have deserved ours and worked a bit for it !
Before I forget, please tell Uncle Mi that George and I think very
little of him for not answering our respective letters of about a month ago.
(As a matter of fact, George's way of putting it was considerably stronger
and more laconic.) Now for news, confidential ; we have been relieved
by the Canadians.
We have moved to billets a bit further South and about ten miles
behind the firing-line ; great comfort, nice people, an excellent family in
this farm who have eight kids, all of whom parade up and down, all day
long, with pitch-forks, saws, hoes and axes, shouting "Allemands ! Pooff ! "
and accompany the above remarks with a fierce lunge ; how they have not
had a sad accident with the improvised weapons, I do not know, as the
two axes are considerably larger than the young French patriots who carry
them !
We cannot say for certain what they are going to do with us, but I
should think probably a few days' rest, perhaps a long one, even, and keep
us in readiness to move to any threatened point. On the other hand, we
may be going to take over trenches again, further down, and at a more
important point ; our last place was neither strategical nor tactical, and
the Huns would never make a big offensive there.
After I had been relieved and had got my Coy. together (now close
on 200 men) I was held up for ten minutes by such a crowd as you never
saw ; they came down the road, officers and men cursing alike, some in
threes, some in pairs, and others in single file ; one officer as he passed me
9°
and I cautioned him to tell his men to keep their mouths shut, if he didn't
want to get shelled, said " Say, this is the most Gawd d — d locality I
ever did see!" Another bright man as he passed said "Glory be to
Gawd, this is no d — d picnic." In fact, I have seen many school-treats
infinitely better managed and disciplined. However, be it said on the
other side, that the Canadian Highlanders are a very fine lot and well set
up. But you cannot get away from the fact that discipline cannot be
grafted on to men who have been brought up to regard no one but
themselves as master, and that every man is as good as another. They
will fight like demons, no doubt, hand to hand, and in the excitement of
a charge ; but given the filthy conditions without any of the glamour, or
excitement, it is very questionable whether the machine, without iron dis-
cipline, will not go to pieces. But they are keen, excellent at scouting,
nothing they don't know about taking care of themselves, and practical
common sense, and have a large percentage, I believe, of country-bred
men, which means a great deal out here. They can shoot, and one and
all mean business. May the Good Lord so order the councils of our
higher commanders that the Canadians get on to German soil, well in the
front line, and I think we shall be able to show the Huns what Louvain,
Rheims and Malines really mean !
We have had yet another draft (2 officers and 50 men) which means
an addition during the last ten days of 4 officers, and 370 men. We
have now got quite a smart Battalion, and 14 officers, counting Doctor
and Quartermaster. Jarvis, the ensign whom I have got, is in Joe
Whitburn's business, age 24, and was at Warren Hill with me. He is
a very good fellow, I think, and promises well ; I am getting a little
discipline into him, which is all he wants, as he is full of common-sense —
a very necessary item out here. They have sent us one very moderate
young fellow, who is quite incapable, but luckily Pip has got the arduous
task of training him, and not I !
I believe the two new arrivals are both good, and I hope to get one
of them. They only arrived to-day. We are hard at work cleaning up,
drilling and lecturing, etc. We had a concert before we left the old
9i
place, and found some perfectly astounding talent in the new drafts.
R.F. Coy. has most of it, but I have the best of the whole lot, one
Jamieson, a private, who has joined for the war. He is the nearest
thing to a gentleman possible, and has one of the best tenor voices
I have ever heard, and plays the piano the very best ! The general
tone and level of our concerts rises, as we get more fresh men,
recruited from higher circles, and the mixture of the better class song,
with a few efforts of the very small minority of old serving-soldiers and
rough and tough nuts, whom we have left, is very curious.
We were really quite sorry to leave the old trenches ; they had
become much as a home, and after all the work put into them, they had
changed rapidly from a position of extreme and acute discomfort, into a
very passably comfortable and clean line.
The Dardanelles business is capital, and the old Turks, from what I
know of them, I should think must be panicoing well and will shortly
have internal strife.
Do you think we mean to carry the business through properly with
land forces co-operating with the Navy on the northern shores of the
Straits ? We might even find Sir John Maxwell leading his army along
the Hellespont ! Mr. Leo is grand, and the January Nat. priceless.
Why the do we let Von Bissing go, just after we have, with extreme
difficulty, and 6 months too late, gingered ourselves up into arresting
him ? For sheer folly and short-sighted bungling, we do win it ! If I
have the good fortune to see this business through, there are quite a
large number of people who will never " criss my throshold " if I know
it. It is a very sweet notion, our gay proletariat striking for |d. extra
at this juncture, and endangering the department with which we have
most difficulty, namely, supplies in general, and clothing and equipment
in particular ; the military ought to have stepped in at the beginning,
but our Government has always consulted the feelings of trades unions,
and such like dirty organizations, to such an extent, that it will be
difficult for them to deal with the matter shortly and sharply, as they
should.
92
Please give my very best love to all the family, and thank Giggles
Douglas Gordon for his wire of congrats.
Ever your loving
Ted.
4-3-I5-
P.S. — Enclosed is a curious item ; the enemy 7 nights ago put up
5 little posts with dirty bits of rag, as flags, on top half-way between
their trenches and mine.
We investigated the matter the night after, having noticed them by
day ; we did so extremely carefully and gingerly, as I thought a wire
might be attached, or explosive. However, we found each had a little
bag tied on the post with the enclosed inside.1 I take it that the enemy
were opposite the Indians, some of whom they captured, and they
wanted to show up the result. Perhaps you can get enclosed translated.
E. H.
Billets,
8.3.15.
My Dearest Mother,
Very short and hasty letter, as busy beyond words ; we have
moved again. Owing to possible hasty moves, do not expect regular
correspondence ; in fact, Field Service Postcard is the form it will
probably take, and posts may be very irregular from here. Please thank
Aunt May and Bina for kind letters of congrats. ; also Uncle Baa, and
say that I will write when possible.
1 Facsimiles of the enclosed slips of paper appear on the opposite leaf. They were German
proclamations to our Indian troops, written in Hindustani, Urdu, and a Punjabi dialect, and have
been thus translated by the kindness of Mr. W. Barclay Squire of the British Museum : —
" Do not believe that the Germans are your enemies. On the contrary they are your friends.
Those Sepoys who will be captured will be sent back to India and will not be put in gaol. Those
who say that the Germans are your enemies are liars."
f\ W . \ n <v ^s % /
^Vj <^ ^ a. Q\
M*A H i TjTRl TTTHT <3ETJTT JTTJpr ^TT^i TT ^IJ
*
GERMAN MESSAGES TO OUR INDIAN TROOPS
hS- *■
* « •* %»/
(^r^r* ^ tv" ^ 3^> * -***1 *^T^ «?r^r? tT^^
93
Lady Hall, too, sent me a most useful little measure in centimetres,
up to a metre ; please convey best thanks, and say that letter will follow
on first opportunity.
After foul rain it cleared up this morning early and looked like being
a perfect day, though very cold. But it was too much to ask of it,
and at the present moment (2 p.m.) it is snowing, with a young gale
behind it.
Very best love to you and O.
Ever your loving
Ted.
P.S. — Have just heard of big Russian success, so big that I cannot
believe it, but hope that it will mature.
E. H.
March i$th, 1915.
Monday.
Dear Lady Hulse,
I am taking upon myself the sad duty of writing you a few lines
to ex-press my deepest sympathy for the great loss you have suffered in the death
of your son. I will try and give you an outline of the occurrence as far as
I have been able to obtain it from men who saw it.
We were attacking a position held by the enemy and had to cross some open
plough to get into some support trenches, and while doing so the Commanding
Officer, Major Paynter, who was directing the operations, was badly wounded
and lay in the open. Slightly before he was struck, your son had gained cover
behind a shallow trench, and upon learning that the Commanding Officer was
hit, without hesitation went to see if he could render him any assistance, and
in so doing was killed. He died instantly and suffered no pain whatever.
Of course under the circumstances I feel it my duty to write to you, owing
to the Commanding Officer being wounded ; otherwise you would have heard
from him personally.
Yours very sincerely,
ARCHIBALD JARVIS,
2nd Lieut.
No. 7 Stationary Hospital,
Boulogne,
Wednesday.
Dear Lady Hulse,
He was a grand fellow that son of yours, and I can realize a bit
by my own feelings how awful his loss must be to you. He was with me trying
to help me when he was hit. There was no finer soldier in the battalion, and
his men would do anything for him.
Forgive this scrawl. Wish could write more.
Yours sincerely,
GEORGE PA YNTER.
MAP TO ILLUSTRATE THE RETREAT OK THE 2ND BaTTN. OF THE ScOTS GUARDS FROM
MONS TO RoZOY AND THEIR ADVANCE TO THE BaTTLE OF THE AlSNE
{From Route drawn by Sir Edward Hulse, Oct. 1914)
10 5 O
Miles i h H N H t-T
30
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