I have made a great effort, as I cannot draw, to produce a Christmas
card for you; it is the house (?) that the Colonel and I live in! Very
old, and much knocked about by a shell in part of the roof, and bullet
holes through it and both the windows, as I have endeavoured to show.
In times of peace it is a very small public house, 3 rooms and a
garret in which I live. The Colonel is very well, and seems to enjoy
plodding knee-deep through the mud in the trenches. The Germans roused
us this morning by dropping pieces of shell on our little house. We
have just lunched off a most excellent turkey which you sent; it was
splendid.
I hope men do not get mud fever like horses; if so, we ought to do
so!
I trust that the war will have come to an honourable end before many
months, and that we may all meet again.
With very best wishes for 1915.
Yours very sincerely,
W. CLINTON BAKER.
IN TRENCHES.
_December 20th, 1914._
I heard that our people of the 2nd Battalion were driven out of the
trenches by bombs from the Germans, with a loss of 8 officers and 200
men, but that may be one of the many yarns always spread about this
sort of show. We have just this moment received a report that an
attack is expected on us towards 4 p.m. It is now after 3 o'clock, and
we have had to hurry indeed to get things ready. This morning, after
our standing to arms, which always takes place at five o'clock, the
Germans opened on us with heavy and moderate guns. The first shell
sent the fuse through my roof, the next knocked a brick in at the side
of the wall, and then I jumped out and started putting the men into
covered ditches. We had between 50 and 100 shells thrown at us within
three-quarters of an hour, but fortunately no one was hit. All the
time, of course, rifle fire went on as usual. Such was our Advent
Sunday's amusement, and the shelling continued intermittently during
the whole of the morning. Our trenches are a perfect bog; I shall find
some difficulty in getting round them to-night even if we are not
driven out of them. As to the shelling of the East Coast, you should
see what these places look like after the enemy gets through with
them, for their guns (howitzers) fire nearly as large shells as
warships do from their guns. The man who brought the message to me was
blown off his bicycle as he came along by four shells bursting and
knocking down two or three houses beside him, two miles to the rear of
us. Life is too awful for description out here now, and the men feel
desperate at times. Whether the Germans are equally badly off I do not
know, but there is little doubt that they must be; still, they are
such a disciplined nation that it is difficult to see where the first
break will come, excepting that as Germany consists in reality of
several nations put together, the smaller ones may think it worth
while to break off from the Empire and to make terms for themselves.
My opinion is that Hungary will shortly do this. By the way, what we
thought was another plum pudding turned out to be your turkey, and it
was voted the best one we ever tasted! Many thanks for it and the
pheasants, which also arrived this morning....
IN TRENCHES.
_December 21st, 1914._
Your letter of December 15th, in which you said that you had got back to
Carlton, arrived last night. I wish I could run across and see you, but
it will be hard for me to get a fortnight just now like your cousin
Massereene. You see, he is Cavalry, and attached to the Staff
Headquarters of the Division; so also is Percy Laurie. Major S.
McClintock got leave, so I hope mine will come in due course, but even
then I am not sure I can leave my men. I think I told you in my letter
last night that we received a frantic message from our Brigadier-General
to expect an attack at 4 p.m. As a matter of fact, there was less
fighting than usual, and I lost fewer men. My night's experiences were
almost humdrum! Leaving my ruin at 9.15 p.m., accompanied by my bugler
and clad in my old waterproof, I sallied out and ran the gauntlet of
some snipers from the German lines, then dived into my ditch, floundered
up it in mud for about a quarter of a mile, perhaps more, secured some
Engineers I have at last got hold of to improve the place, went on, saw
Major Wright and Capt. Tee, both as deaf as possible from cold, etc. The
water was steadily rising in their trenches, and had already flooded
their dug-out; another one had fallen in, whilst their third was leaking
badly; so, on the whole, they were not in a good way. Then I struggled
on through the mud round the trenches, seeing that men were awake, that
necessary digging was being carried out, that lights were not showing,
that sentries were posted at proper points, and that officers visited
them regularly; for all have to keep to their particular business in
this horrible time. I got back to my ruins about 12.30 a.m., having sent
a message to the gunners that some of their shells were pleasantly going
into my trenches in the darkness, and not into the enemy's. By twenty
minutes to 1 o'clock I had dry boots and garments on, and, wrapping
myself in blankets, was fast asleep, despite artillery fire and infantry
fighting on my right. I awoke at 3 o'clock, went round again, saw
everything was right, then to sleep once more until 5.15 a.m., when I
was up for good. It is a hard life. To-night we take two companies back
to just outside rifle fire, the first time for ten days, though well
within shell fire. We have only been out of that for three days since we
came into trenches on November 15th. I have had various family letters
which I hope to answer in time. Heard, or rather Major B---- did, from
Lord Grenfell. I had sent him some message. He says that he thinks the
Turks will not invade Egypt; but the great question in Russia which
alone prevents this nation from crushing the German Army at once is the
single line of railway that brings up their ammunition. Very
unfortunate; for it will take us a little longer to beat these people.
IN BILLETS.
_December 22nd, 1914._
Your cake duly arrived. As, however, Major Baker also received one, we
decided to eat his first, so mine is safely in its box, having escaped
manifold dangers! Really one does have a complicated life of it at the
front! To-day all my work was before me ready to do, when we received
a frightened order to fall in at once, and did so. We were three hours
at that game, and have not left the billets since. Various sorts of
rumours reached us, the two most probable ones being that there were
6,000 Germans drawn up about two miles behind their lines, and the
other that there was a fierce fight proceeding to the right of us.
What those fights result in is the loss of anything up to 350 men and
14 or 15 officers, and we probably inflict twice that damage on the
enemy. Well, this afternoon we have been covered with six-inch shells.
Fortunately none have hit the house; but it is a constant strain.
Yesterday we left our ruin and went back to these billets in the dark.
We had to form up at certain cross roads, as a fight was raging, and I
was afraid of spent bullets; I moved my men, who were waiting, under a
house. No doubt they thought me rather a "funk," but appreciated my
forethought when a few moments later two companies of another regiment
were caught in the fire; one man had his head grazed, and another was
hit through the back, narrowly missing his heart. Luckily, my doctor
was with me, so that I was able to look after both of them at once. I
saw in _The Times_ that Austria had already been sounding Russia as to
peace terms, but that she considered the terms proposed by Russia too
hard. Of course she must make her choice, but she forgets that Hungary
has nothing to lose by Russia's proposals and everything to gain, not
only Peace. Russia's suggestion that Austria should make all her
states, including Bohemia, into Federal States--viz., give them Home
Rule--is exactly what Hungary wants, for she will then be head state
of the Empire; not number two, as she is at present. Nothing would
please her more than to see Austria broken up into a number of little
States and Hungary ruling the roost. Well, these are my political
remarks! It is a great blessing getting out of rifle fire, even for a
minute. The constant strike of the bullets whirling round, or its
scream as it ricochets over one's head, is very trying. I suppose
there never has been a war in which one has required such staying
power, excepting perhaps the Crimean expedition. It is late, so I must
wish you good-bye.
Please send me more envelopes and writing paper.
IN TRENCHES.
_Christmas Eve, 1914._
I did not write to you yesterday, being extra busy. In the morning I
had gone over on regimental business to see the Divisional Staff, and
then on to inspect my transport, some miles back, out of shell fire.
The unfortunate men are not so lucky as the horses, you see! Well,
then I returned to luncheon with my General. Major B---- was with me,
and we met there some officers of the Naval Brigade who defended
Antwerp--or, rather, did not arrive in time to do so. Afterwards I
hurried to my billet and hastily packed up all my kit, and marched the
regiment down to the trenches. We had a new place to go to, somewhere
nearer to the danger point of the line, I fancy. Well, one or two
bullets came a bit too close as we were marching, and I was very
thankful to get under cover. I am now in the ruins of a house. A shell
had penetrated through it, but we stuffed up the hole with a bag of
straw. The shattered windows are covered with boards in front; then we
piled up bricks and nailed other boards behind. Between us and the
enemy is a burnt-out house, which rings with the smack of the enemy's
bullets as they hurtle against the wall or against the tiles. Opposite
that, again, are our trenches, 400 yards away, and practically 400
yards from us also is the enemy's trench, as the line takes a bend
there. I lie at nights ready armed, for one never knows what a minute
may bring forth! I have told my people not to fire on Christmas Day if
the enemy does not do so, but to trust him--_not at all!_ So here I am
spending Christmas Eve in the trenches--like my father did exactly 60
years ago in the Crimea.[9] Only I think I am a good bit more
comfortable than he was at that time. I used to be up at cockcrow
when a small child on Christmas Day, to see what Santa Claus had
brought me, and I shall be up early enough to-morrow in all conscience
too, but for a different reason--standing to arms--so that I shall not
get my throat cut. The news of troubles in Berlin looks encouraging.
However, one must not build too much on that, but I have great hopes
of Hungary and Austria coming out of the war. To-day I have been round
my new trenches; only half of them are new, though, and, as usual, are
swimming in liquid mud. One of the men there had to be carried away
with his eye knocked out by a bullet which had come through the
parapet. Again my casualties for killed and wounded you can find by
multiplying the number of your uncle's house in Dublin by three, and
then subtracting ten from the total. [This number would be 98.] I
suppose our sick are more than twice that amount. Best of love to you
for Christmas. Whilst you are in church I shall be in the trenches,
but both doing our rightful duty, I trust.
Yours ever,
G.B.L.
As to school for Hal, you have done quite rightly. Mrs. Napier has a
pet school for boys, kept by a cousin of hers, I fancy, that ought to
be a fairly useful one.