Trinity war book

THE RUNNER'S STORY 19

THE story of the 2nd Battle of Ypres is already so well known that I won't attempt to give my version of it. To those of us who were captured there, it naturally appeared to be a gigantic fizzle, and as we were only concerned with our own immediate fates (not knowing until later the whole glorious story of the battle), we felt pretty sore at the ones whom we wrongly blamed for having gotten us into such a mess. However, we were out of the fun, and had to make the best of a very bad job.

THE PRICE.

We, however, gained our objective, did what we set out to do, and according to some English papers, which I saw later, we saved the Road to Calais, but at what a cost ! We went into action that day one thousand strong, but when the battalion came out we were just over two hundred. We lost our com- manding officer, Col. Birchell, one of the bravest men who ever walked, also our adjutant, Capt. Jack Glover, another man loved by the 4th Battalion, and also Major Kelly, Lieut. Maguire, and Lieut. Brant, our popular Indian officer. Many brave deeds were done that day which were never recorded. There were many other battles, but the Second Battle of Ypres was a battle fought under greatest difficulties. The war is over, and all seem to be doing their best to forget it. Maybe it is best, but one cannot help thinking of one's comrades who are gone, the many who are cripples, and many a healthy-looking man one meets who has something wrong with him, which can never be cured.

BETTER THAN A VICTORIA CROSS 71

"This is the third anniversary of the first battle of Ypres — especially the recapture of Gheluvelt by the immortal 2nd Wor- cesters, when Calais was saved. Really it was wonderful what they did in those terrible days (October, 1914), while the people scarcely realized it, owing to the strict censorship."

SNAPSHOTS OF WAR 103

The third battle of Ypres, June, 1916, was my first. The German attack seemed to come as a complete surprise. True, those "birds of ill-omen," the "brass hats," had been along the line, but apparently they did not look for what happened so early. It was about eight o'clock in the morning, June 3rd. General Mercer, Divisional Commander, and General Williams, of Brigade, had just passed through our section with a genial "Good morning" to all, when the crash came. Guns three lines deep poured shells in from three sides, and in half an hour the general configuration of Sanctuary Wood was so changed

THE RUNNER'S STORY 19

THE story of the 2nd Battle of Ypres is already so well known that I won't attempt to give my version of it. To those of us who were captured there, it naturally appeared to be a gigantic fizzle, and as we were only concerned with our own immediate fates (not knowing until later the whole glorious story of the battle), we felt pretty sore at the ones whom we wrongly blamed for having gotten us into such a mess. However, we were out of the fun, and had to make the best of a very bad job.

THE PRICE.

We, however, gained our objective, did what we set out to do, and according to some English papers, which I saw later, we saved the Road to Calais, but at what a cost ! We went into action that day one thousand strong, but when the battalion came out we were just over two hundred. We lost our com- manding officer, Col. Birchell, one of the bravest men who ever walked, also our adjutant, Capt. Jack Glover, another man loved by the 4th Battalion, and also Major Kelly, Lieut. Maguire, and Lieut. Brant, our popular Indian officer. Many brave deeds were done that day which were never recorded. There were many other battles, but the Second Battle of Ypres was a battle fought under greatest difficulties. The war is over, and all seem to be doing their best to forget it. Maybe it is best, but one cannot help thinking of one's comrades who are gone, the many who are cripples, and many a healthy-looking man one meets who has something wrong with him, which can never be cured.

BETTER THAN A VICTORIA CROSS 71

"This is the third anniversary of the first battle of Ypres — especially the recapture of Gheluvelt by the immortal 2nd Wor- cesters, when Calais was saved. Really it was wonderful what they did in those terrible days (October, 1914), while the people scarcely realized it, owing to the strict censorship."

SNAPSHOTS OF WAR 103

The third battle of Ypres, June, 1916, was my first. The German attack seemed to come as a complete surprise. True, those "birds of ill-omen," the "brass hats," had been along the line, but apparently they did not look for what happened so early. It was about eight o'clock in the morning, June 3rd. General Mercer, Divisional Commander, and General Williams, of Brigade, had just passed through our section with a genial "Good morning" to all, when the crash came. Guns three lines deep poured shells in from three sides, and in half an hour the general configuration of Sanctuary Wood was so changed

THE LAST CRUSADE 257

The Palestine campaign may be conveniently divided into five great phases — the crossing of the Sinai Desert, the taking of the Gaza-Beersheba line, the drive on Jerusalem and Jaffa, the thrust through the hills north of Jerusalem and the taking of Jericho, and the final drive which encircled the Turkish army, followed by a cavalry sweep clear to Aleppo.

THE CROSSING OF SINAI.

Picture to yourself an arid sweep of about one hundred and forty miles to be crossed on foot and no roads to walk on, no water to be found on the way and no water at the journey's end, unless and until the enemy's formidable strongholds should fall. We have all read with more or less excitement of the trials of a small party crossing the desert, in fiction or history, and we all in our imagination have felt their relief at the finding of an oasis in the desert. Imagine then the prospect of thousands of troops (two infantry and one mounted division) and thousands of animals to be supplied with water; troops who must carry heavy kits and march on foot, and who must fight as they go; horses which must drag the heavy guns and wagons, and no roads to ease the pull. It was not only in the crossing that the water and food and ammunition must never fail, but it must not fail for one day while investing the enemy's formidable line — and who could say how long? The Turkish positions on the way were well chosen in the sand-dunes, complete with trenches, wire, sandbag redoubts and machine gun nests. As the British would advance, the whole wide desert would lie open for the Turkish cavalry to get in the rear and stop the sup- plies. But, in spite of all these obstacles, the desert was crossed, several bitter fights were won, and Gaza was captured at the other end. As the troops advanced, a railroad followed them, so water trains went forward. Portable canvas reservoirs erected at rail head took the supply to the front line, in metal fantasis holding fifteen gallons each, two fantasis to a camel. Portable canvas troughs for the animals were erected beside the canvas reservoirs and the troughs filled by hose and centri- fugal hand-pump. Following the advance, a pipe line was laid from Kantara on the Suez Canal to El Arish, about ninety-six

THE LAST CRUSADE 259

The above brief outline will show that the crossing of the Sinai and the capture of Gaza was a brilliant undertaking. It is true that the British could not hold Gaza, not having sufficient men and materials, and had to withdraw to and make their base at Belah, about ten miles from Gaza. But that is no dis- grace to General Murray, then in Supreme Command. Britain, throughout history, has commenced operations by supplying its generals with one man for a four-man job. It takes adversity to produce the other three. The early phases of the war in the East is but one more example. Also, General Murray could not even be with his troops in the Sinai, for he had the Egyptian western front where the Senussi tribes were, and the Salonika forces in Greece to look after, as well as the Sinai front. Because of the fact that the British had to withdraw from Gaza, and were unsuccessful in a second attempt to take it, little is heard of the crossing of Sinai, but it deserves and history will give it recognition as a very brilliant undertaking.

THE TAKING OF GA?A AND BEERSHSBA.

General Allenby, on taking over the supreme command of the E.E.F. in June, 1917, promptly remedied the adverse situation. He got men and materials — the force being increased to three mounted and seven infantry divisions — but a great task lay before him nevertheless. The Turkish strength was about one mounted and nine infantry divisions. Gaza on the

BREAKING THE HINDENBURG LINE 7

the ruined railway station, across the bridge over the railway cutting, to the road that led to Cambrai.

BREAKING THE HINDENBURG LINE 7

It was five o'clock, and at seven the battalion was moving slowly along the Cambrai road, strung out in double file with fifty yard intervals between platoons. Whiz ! Bang ! a shell landed twenty yards to the right. We were at a crossroad and lost no time in getting past. The map showed a wood on the right, but not a single tree trunk marked the place where it had been. Crossing the old front line from which our fellows had jumped off that morning, we turned off the main road at what had once been Monchy Chapel, and passing one of our battery positions, whose guns were sending over a never-ending stream of shells, we came to a halt at H-34, D-4, 8, the map location

DEBT AND REPAYMENT 113

I'm sorry I cannot go on to describe the great advance through Amiens, Arras, Bourlon Wood, Cambrai, Valenciennes, and on up to Mons, or to tell of Armistice Day in Monsville, two kilometres from Mons, the march through that city and on to Brussels. The wonderful French and Belgian women who had

SAVING THE TUNNEL, BUT, OH! THE COST 145

WAR has its amusing episodes as well as its tragedies, and there are perhaps one or two that just occur to me at the present moment, which might prove amusing at least. After the battle of Cambrai, 1918, the Canadian corps advanced with wonderful rapidity ; indeed the advance was so rapid that, in some cases, it was with difficulty that the transport and auxiliary services kept in touch with the front line troops. French villages and towns were falling into our hands and being liberated, daily. It is in connection with the liberating of one of these that my story has to do.