Adventure

26 August 1914

Battle of Le Cateau (1914)

CHAPTER TWELVE 173

August 1914 — Special Service Officer — le Cateau — Value of Cavalry in Early Stages — Battle of Guise — Two Narrow Escapes — Paris and General Gallieni

ADVENTURE

I arrived with the headquarters Staff at Le Cateau, the first headquarters of the British Army in France, early in August, 1914. With me were my servant Smith, my chauffeur Anthony, who had been chauffeur to Sir John French, and returned to him later when he .went Jo Ireland as Viceroy ; and my young thoroughbred “ Warrior,” destined to survive the whole war and win the Isle of Wight Point-to-Point on the anniversary of the Battle of Moreuil in 1922. The first man to bring news of the Belgian Army was the Belgian Chief-of-Staff, who had come through to Sir John French to apprise him of the situation. He gave me a vivid account of the capture of Liege, of the great losses which both sides had sustained, and of the irresistible drive of the German Army. He had no doubt that their wide encircling movement would compel retirement almost to the gates of Paris ; in fact, his prophecies, though gloomy, turned out to be surprisingly near the truth. Our outposts had so far seen only small bodies of German cavalry, but it was known that a portion of Von Kluck’s army was moving across our front. The actual move¬ ments of troops during the retreat which followed is a matter of history, but some of the things I saw, and the impressions I formed, may be worth recording.

ADVENTURE

for their own slower-moving infantry to extricate themselves, and to retire in some sort of order until the favourable moment comes for renewing the battle. In all this desperate business cyclists would have been of incalculable help to the cavalry. And yet we had 14 Territorial Cyclists Battalions, all of which were kept at home. All part of the fatal delusion that Auxiliary Forces are of no value in war until after a prolonged period of further training. Again and again during these fate¬ ful days of August our cavalry, supported by the horse artillery and often by the field artillery too, performed this service. General Sordet, with the French cavalry, first on our right and later on our left, fulfilled the same role. Taking the long view, it was the exhaustion of our cavalry which com¬ pelled Smith-Dorrien to turn and fight at Le Cateau. I took many messages to General Smith-Dorrien during this period, and I am sure, in my own mind, that Smith-Dorrien had no option but to stand and fight as he did. My duties took me daily to the ultimate rearguard, so I saw much of the fighting. The retreat was a nightmare, illuminated by acts of splendid courage. It is a sad thing in warfare that, from the nature of the case, many of the most heroic acts go unrecorded and un¬ rewarded. It is in the days of disaster that the higher courage is needed by those who hold on to the last, to stay the advance of a victorious host. If they stay to the very last, as our infantry, cavalry, and especially our gunners constantly did, they are killed, or wounded and captured and there are none left to tell the story.

ADVENTURE

The other letter I received was from Prince Antoine d’Orleans, whom I had not seen for some weeks. Antoine and his brother, Louis d’Orleans, had joined our army at Le Cateau in August, 1914. They were sons of the Comte d’Eu, a great friend and a kinsman of Queen Victoria. Being of the French Royal House, they were forbidden by law from serv¬ ing in the French Army. They had, accordingly, done their

1 July – 18 November 1916

Battle of the Somme

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“ Shell ” Craddock and Major Hasketh — A Drive to Agin- court — Battle of the Somme — General Haldane’s Attack — Demolition of Peronne — Lieutenant Harvey V.C.

ADVENTURE

now Brigadier-General Patterson, D.S.O., an officer of great competence and courage. The second in command was an interesting man, Colonel Stevenson, one of the chief forestry officials in Canada. If there was a better revolver shot I never met him. During moments of respite in the Somme battle he used to wade about in the shallow water of the Somme in trench boots and shoot pike with his revolver. I have seen him shoot three without missing one.

ADVENTURE

So the long drawn out battle of the Somme drew to its melancholy close. As will be seen from the foregoing narrative, one way and another, I had had a front seat all through. My men had never been heavily engaged, although, of course, we

ADVENTURE

The famous French Twentieth Corps were there. This re¬ markable corps, perhaps the most famous in the history of war, had a record of courage and endurance unparalleled, even in that bloody war . General Balfouner, who then commanded the corps, told me that the whole corps had been replaced five times already in September, 1916. Of course there were a good many fortunate men who had been through unwounded, but the casualties had been five times the original strength. There was a spirit of absolute devotion to duty, reckless courage, combined with real skill in warfare, which was the admiration of us all. I saw much of the Twentieth Corps. At the end of the Battle of the Somme they could say with truth, although they had been engaged in almost every battle on the western front, they had never been set to defend a place they had not held, they had never attacked a place they had not taken.

9 April – 16 May 1917

Battle of Arras (1917)

ADVENTURE

near Arras, and surmised we should take part in it.

CHAPTER XVII

On the evening of the 14th April I returned from a reconnaisance of the line we had taken over in time for dinner in the cellar of the ruined house, which was my head¬ quarters. Some kind friend had brought us a couple of bottles of champagne. We were the merriest party imaginable. Hardly had we begun when Geoffrey Brooke asked me to come into the next cellar. He told me that my Frank had been killed leading his company in the Battle of Arras. I started off there and then with a faint glimmer of hope that he might only be dangerously wounded. Next morning I wandered about the battlefield of Arras, not caring where I went so long as I could find some trace of my boy. At last I found his Company Commander of the First Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment. They were holding on by their eyelids to an advanced trench on a forward slope. He said kind things about my son; his courage and the love his men bore to him. It was all the con¬ solation he could give me, but it was the best. He lies buried at Haute Avesnes between a South African and an Irish soldier.

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The Queen came to see us. I was well enough to be carried downstairs. She talked to each of us, and told me she had seen my children, calling them by their names. Then she said some touching words about my son Frank, who had been killed at the Battle of Arras. I mention all this because it was indeed a wonderful thing that in the case of every man to whom the Queen spoke, in my hearing, she had something to say, as in my own case, showing that she knew and cared about each one of us individually. It is impossible for me to exaggerate the effect for good which the Queen’s visit had on all the patients at Wimereux, and one knows that it was just the same in a hundred other hospitals at the Front and at home.

20 November – 7 December 1917

Battle of Cambrai (1917)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Death of Frank^ Seely — Fisher’s Crater — Tatlow and Antoine d’pfleanj-^-Wounded — Wimereux and England — Second Marriage — Conditions at Paschendaele — First Battle of Cambrai — A Cancelled Attack

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Prince Ruprecht of Bavaria — Second Battle of Cambrai — “ Remember Agincourt ” — A Quaint Episode and a Unique Cure — Continued Value of Cavalry — A “ Model Raid ” — Munnings and Orpen — March 1918 — The Moreuil Ridge — Lieutenant Flowerdew V.C. — Capture of Rifle Wood — Gassed and Ordered Home — Tributes to the Canadians

ADVENTURE

In the following year' all the Indian infantry were sent to the Eastern theatre of war. The Indian cavalry remained, and it was my privilege to find myself, from time to time, in com¬ mand of some of their gallant brigades. In the second, and disastrous battle of Cambrai, had it not been for the desperate valour of the Indian cavalry, the Canadian cavalry — which I commanded — might well have been destroyed.

ADVENTURE

One interesting episode occurred to Antoine and myself in view of what happened and what was said when we were together in the desperate second battle of Cambrai, of Novem¬ ber 30th of the following year. One day I said to Antoine: “We have an afternoon to spare. You must take me to the battlefield of Agincourt, so that I may see the place where my great-great-great-grandfather in a leather jerkin got the better of your great-great-grandpapa in his coat of mail.” Antoine agreed, and off we started for Azincourt, as it is now called locally. As we passed through Saint Valerie-sur-Somme and were going along the river side, the car suddenly stopped for no apparent reason. I asked what was the matter, and Antoine said he would get out and look. He was very learned about motor cars, but did not seem to be doing anything very effective inside the bonnet. However, I waited and looked about me. On my right was an old building with a large plaque on the wall 5 in¬ scribed on it in large letters in French was: “ From this point in the year 1066 William the Conqueror started with four hundred sail for the conquest of England, which he completely achieved.” I looked down and saw Antoine watching me with a smile. He said: “ The car is all right now,” then jumped in and drove off. I replied: “ Well, when we get to Agincourt we can call it all square.” When we arrived, Antoine, who had got a First in History at the Paris University, explained the battle to me in most interesting fashion and great detail. At one place he said: “ This is perhaps the saddest spot on French soil except the Cathedral Square at Rouen.” I said: “Well, Rouen, of course, is where we wickedly burnt the Maid of Orleans.” He answered: “ Yes, and this is where your Black Prince killed the prisoners. I daresay there was nothing else for him to do. But, as I say, this is a sad place.” Little did I dream that twenty months later he would recall those words