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THE ROMANCE OF THE RED TRIANGLE
[Illustration: Y.M.C.A. AND GERMAN OBSERVATION STATION IN THE TREES AT
ACHIET-LE-PETIT]
THE ROMANCE OF THE RED TRIANGLE
THE STORY OF THE COMING OF THE
RED TRIANGLE AND THE SERVICE
RENDERED BY THE Y.M.C.A. TO THE
SAILORS AND SOLDIERS OF THE
BRITISH EMPIRE
BY
SIR ARTHUR K. YAPP, K.B.E.
Illustrations by
W. P. STARMER, EDGAR WRIGHT
AND OTHER ARTISTS
HODDER AND STOUGHTON
LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO
_DEDICATION_
_THIS book is affectionately dedicated to Y.M.C.A.
leaders and workers at home and abroad in grateful
appreciation of their faithful and loyal service.
Much of this work has been done out of sight, and
endless difficulties have had to be surmounted.
Names have not been mentioned in the book, but
the writer would like to express his personal
gratitude and appreciation to every one._
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I PAGE
THE COMING OF THE RED TRIANGLE 1
CHAPTER II
BLAZING THE TRAIL WITH THE RED TRIANGLE 19
CHAPTER III
FLOTSAM AND JETSAM 33
CHAPTER IV
THE ROMANCE OF FINANCE 39
CHAPTER V
THE LADIES OF THE RED TRIANGLE 63
CHAPTER VI
'GUNGA DIN' OF THE RED TRIANGLE 71
CHAPTER VII
IN THE TRAIL OF THE HUN 80
CHAPTER VIII
THE BARRAGE AND AFTER 108
CHAPTER IX
'LES PARENTS DES BLESSÉES' 118
CHAPTER X
CELLARS AND DUG-OUTS ON THE WESTERN FRONT 126
CHAPTER XI
CAMEOS FROM FRANCE 133
CHAPTER XII
STORIES OF 'LE TRIANGLE ROUGE' 146
CHAPTER XIII
THE RED TRIANGLE IN THE EAST 162
CHAPTER XIV
SIDE LINES OF THE RED TRIANGLE 175
CHAPTER XV
THE RED TRIANGLE AND THE WHITE ENSIGN 191
CHAPTER XVI
THE RELIGION OF THE RED TRIANGLE 195
CHAPTER XVII
STORIES OF THE INVERTED TRIANGLE 211
CHAPTER XVIII
THE RED TRIANGLE IN THE RECONSTRUCTION 236
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Y.M.C.A. and German observation station in the
trees at Achiet-le-Petit _Frontispiece_
PAGE
Hut in the grounds of the ruins of the
Hôtel-de-Ville at Arras 16
One of many Y.M.C.A. huts built under shell-fire 17
The first Y.M.C.A. over the German trenches on
the Somme battlefield 32
The Y.M.C.A. in the orchard at Albert 33
A refuge for the refugees 48
Y.M.C.A. marquee in the shell-swept Somme area 49
Y.M.C.A. in a ruined parish hall in Flanders, June,
1916 64
Bapaume-Cambrai road, with trees all cut down by
the Germans 65
The Red Triangle in the support trenches 80
'George Williams House' in the front trenches 81
A half-way house to the trenches 81
The Y.M.C.A. in a ruined warehouse. Shell-hole in
floor of canteen 96
A Y.M.C.A. cellar at Ypres 97
Hut in wilderness of destruction. Cutting the
ice in shell-holes for water for tea--winter,
1916-17 112
Ruined house used by Y.M.C.A., propped up by timber 113
Canadian Y.M.C.A. dug-out in a mine crater on Vimy
Ridge, 1917 128
A Canadian Y.M.C.A. dug-out near Vimy Ridge 129
A great boon to British Tommy--a Y.M.C.A. well under
shell-fire 144
The Cambridge dug-out 144
A refuge for the walking wounded 145
Y.M.C.A. motor kitchen behind the lines 160
Indian troops at the sign of the Red Triangle 161
A shakedown in a London hut 176
Relatives of the dangerously wounded are looked
after by the Y.M.C.A. in France 176
Y.M.C.A. night motor transport 177
Y.M.C.A. in the front-line dug-outs on the
Palestine Front 192
Y.M.C.A. dug-out and canteen on Palestine Front 193
The Y.M.C.A. at Basra, Mesopotamia 208
The Central Y.M.C.A., Baghdad 209
The Red Triangle in Jerusalem 224
The Hexham Abbey hut, Scheveningen, Holland 224
Salonica: winter on the Doiran Front, showing
Y.M.C.A. tent 225
A welcome Y.M.C.A. in the trenches 225
Y.M.C.A. for interned prisoners of war, Leysin,
Switzerland 232
CHAPTER I
THE COMING OF THE RED TRIANGLE
His Majesty congratulates the Association on the
successful results of its war work, which has done
everything conducive to the comfort and well-being
of the armies, supplying the special and peculiar
needs of men drawn from countries so different and
distant. It has worked in a practical, economical
and unostentatious manner, with consummate
knowledge of those with whom it has to deal. At
the same time the Association, by its spirit of
discipline, has earned the respect and approbation
of the military authorities.--HIS MAJESTY THE
KING.
IT was in the summer of 1901, in the old volunteer days, that the
Y.M.C.A. for the first time had its recreation tents at Conway in North
Wales. The Lancashire Fusiliers were in camp, and the men had thronged
the marquee all day, turning up in great force for the service that
Sunday evening. It seemed as if they would never tire of singing the old
familiar hymns, and when the time came for the address the attention of
every man was riveted from start to finish. At length the tent cleared,
and the men retired for the night. Now and then the chorus of a hymn
could be heard coming from a bell tent, but soon the 'Last Post'
sounded, and a few minutes later the plaintive notes of the bugle gave
the signal for 'Lights Out.' Thereupon two of the Y.M.C.A. leaders,
leaving the camp behind, walked up and down the sands of Morfa. It was a
perfect night; not a sound was to be heard except the gentle ripple of
the waves, three or four hundred yards away. The moon was near the full;
everything seemed almost as light as day, and the bold outline of the
Conway Mountain stood in clear relief against the sky. 'I wonder what
all this means,' said one of the two, referring to the impressive
service of the evening and to the crowds that had thronged the tents all
day. 'I have been wondering,' said he, 'if there is a great European
war looming in the distance, and if God is preparing the Y.M.C.A. for
some great work it is destined to perform then.' How often have those
words come back since the beginning of the war! God was indeed preparing
the Association for a work infinitely bigger than any of its leaders
knew or even dared to hope. In those days H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught
became Patron of our Military Camp Department, and he has ever since
been a warm friend.
* * * * *
How far distant now seem those early days of August 1914. For weeks
there had been rumours of war, but all arrangements had been completed
for the work of the Y.M.C.A. in the Territorial camps to proceed as
usual during the August holidays. Then came the order for mobilisation,
and on August the 4th a council of war was held at Headquarters,
attended by Association leaders from all parts of the country. Many of
the districts were in financial difficulties, owing to the sudden break
up of the summer camps, and the only possible policy was the one agreed
upon at the meeting--a common programme and a common purse. No one knew
where the men, or the money, were to come from, but it was decided to go
right ahead, and from that resolve there could be no turning back. It is
still true that 'He that saveth his life shall lose it, and he that
loseth his life shall find it.' In that great crisis, had the leaders of
the Y.M.C.A. stopped to consider first the immediate or future interests
of the Association, then the Association would have gone under, and
deservedly so. Britain was in danger, and her interests had to be
considered first.
What stirring days those were! We think of one tiny village to the
south-west of Salisbury Plain, with a normal population of two or three
hundred. Within a few days of the opening of hostilities, thirty-four
thousand men were dumped down in the immediate vicinity. They had no
tents, no uniforms, no rifles, nowhere to go, and nothing to do, for the
simple reason that England did not desire war and had not prepared for
it. The General in command had known the Y.M.C.A. in India, and came to
London to ask our help, which was gladly given. Huge recreation tents
were opened there, and all over the country. North, South, East, and
West, Britain was suddenly transformed into one armed camp, and the
Y.M.C.A. was never more needed than it was in those early days. Some of
the centres were very small, others very large. At the Y.M.C.A. in the
White City, for instance, it was no uncommon thing to see four or five
thousand men gathered together in the great hall. At the Crystal Palace,
too, and in many of the camps, the work was carried out on a very large
scale, whilst in other centres a farm building, a private house, or a
tiny tent met the need.
Thanks to the loyal co-operation and energy of Association leaders and
workers, two hundred and fifty of these centres were established within
ten days. They were dotted down all over the country, and every week
that passed by showed an increase in strength and in the number of
centres, until the sign of the Red Triangle was to be found in more than
two thousand centres in all parts of the United Kingdom, in every part
of the Empire, on every battle-front, and in some places where the
Allied flags do not yet fly. The hands of the Military in those days
were so full up with other things that they had little time to devote to
the recreation of the troops, and our help was warmly welcomed. We have
acted throughout in close co-operation with the Military, and we should
like to add our tribute of praise to the efficiency of the Military
machine, as we have come in touch with it. Much has been said during the
war as to the marvels of German organisation, and possibly not too much.
At the same time there is quite as much to be said in praise of British
organisation. Germany wanted a war whilst we did not. Germany prepared
for war, tirelessly, ceaselessly; with her eye on the goal--world-wide
dominion--she brought all her organising ability to bear on the
preparation for the war she was determined to force on humanity.
Britain, on the other hand, has had to improvise her war organisation
since war has been actually forced on her. A run round the great base
camps in France will show how wonderfully complete is that
organisation--transport, supply, commissariat. Of course there have been
mistakes, but singularly few under the circumstances. Many people are
very critical of the War Office, but those who know most of the
difficulties that have been overcome and the successes achieved, will be
the least inclined to join hands with the critics.
It is like a nightmare to think of that first winter of the war, with
its gales, rain and mud, and it was when the weather was at its worst
that the men of the first Canadian Contingent were encamped on Salisbury
Plain. It is difficult to conceive what they would have done, but for
the timely help of the Red Triangle. The roads were almost impassable,
and the mud in the vicinity of the camps appalling, but the Canadians
stuck it, and so did our leaders and workers. The tents were crowded to
their utmost capacity, but it was soon found that no tent could weather
the gales of Salisbury Plain in winter. That discovery led to the
evolution of the Y.M.C.A. hut. Wooden frames covered with canvas were
tried first of all, but they, too, were incapable of withstanding the
fury of the gales, and something much stronger had to be provided.
It meant a great deal to the country during that first winter of the war
that the men were happy and contented, because they had their leisure
hours pleasantly occupied, and because the most popular place in camp
was almost without exception the one that bore the sign of the Red
Triangle. And what did they find at the sign of the Red Triangle? They
found there an open house, a warm welcome, a place of recreation and
enjoyment, where they could meet their friends on terms thoroughly
cordial and unofficial. Coffee and buns were always a great attraction,
and as for music--the piano was hardly ever silent. Tommy Atkins loves a
good tune and loves a crowd; the quiet place does not so much appeal to
him. At the Y.M.C.A. he found diversion for his hours of leisure;
opportunity for study if he cared for it; libraries, classes, and
lectures. There, too, he found an expression of religious life that
appealed to him, the inspiration that comes from religion without the
controversy and sectarian bitterness which, alas! too often accompany
it, a religion to work by and a religion that can do things. Before the
war nobody had heard of our mystic sign, but within a few weeks letters
bearing it had found their way into hundreds of thousands of homes,
bringing joy and consolation wherever they went. That, in brief, is the
story of the coming of the Red Triangle. And what is its significance?
As the emblem of the war work of the Y.M.C.A. it has not been chosen by
chance, but because it exactly typifies the movement it represents. The
threefold needs of men are its concern, and its programme is adapted to
meet the needs of body, mind, and spirit, whilst its colour symbolises
sacrifice. In an old book of signs and wonders called _Mysterium
Magnum_ the inverted triangle appears as a symbol of the divine spirit,
and in the third year of the war a famous Belgian painter asked
'Qu'est-ce-que c'est--cet Y.M.C.A.?' and without waiting for an answer
went on to say that the Red Triangle meant emblematically--'Spirit
informing and penetrating matter,' which was, he supposed, the function
of the Y.M.C.A. 'The Y.M.C.A. is attempting the impossible,' said one of
its critics; 'it is building on the apex of the triangle.' Thank God it
is. Yes! and thank God it has achieved the impossible. If any one had
dared to foretell four years ago, a tithe of what has already been
accomplished, no one would have believed it. The secret of the inverted
triangle is that it is upheld by invisible hands, and it is the full
programme of the Red Triangle that appeals so irresistibly to the men.
If we were merely out to run a canteen, others could perhaps have done
the canteen work as well, or nearly as well, as the Y.M.C.A. Others
could run lectures for the troops, and others cater for their spiritual
needs, but it has been left to the Y.M.C.A. to formulate the appeal to
the whole man--Body, Mind, and Spirit--and the appeal to every man,
irrespective of creed or party. Every man is equally welcome in the
Y.M.C.A.--Protestant, Romanist, Anglican, Free-churchman, Jew,
Mohammedan, Buddhist, Hindoo, or Brahmin--the men of every religion and
no religion, and yet the religious note is ever dominant, though no
man's religion will ever be attacked from a Y.M.C.A. platform.
The story of the Red Triangle is, indeed, one of the great romances of
the war. Its work has never been regarded as an end in itself, but
rather as auxiliary to that of other organisations. It is auxiliary to
the Church, and its doors have been thrown wide open to the Padres of
all denominations. Protestants, Catholics, Jews--even Mohammedans--have
worshipped God in their own way within the hospitable walls of the
Association. It has been auxiliary to the official medical services of
the Army, the R.A.M.C., and the Red Cross--in hospitals and convalescent
camps, and with the walking wounded at the clearing stations at the
Front. It has arranged concerts and entertainments by the thousand for
patients and nurses; has looked after the friends of dangerously wounded
men, and has often handed over its huts to be used as emergency
hospitals; while in hosts of other ways which can never be recorded, it
has been able to render vitally important service. It has been auxiliary
to the Military machine at every turn of the war. In the midst of the
camp though not of it, its secretaries and workers conform to military
rules and are subject to discipline, although they are themselves
civilians. In this way the Association has provided the human touch, and
officers and men alike have appreciated the fact that there is one place
in camp where discipline through being temporarily relaxed, has been
permanently strengthened.
The Romance of the Red Triangle, like the story of the first crusade,
has been the romance of the pioneer. The Y.M.C.A. was first in the
field, though now there are many other organised societies and private
individuals doing similar work on the lines which it thought out and
proved to be practicable. Indeed, the whole story of the Y.M.C.A. has
been full of adventurous episodes of romance, not merely during the war,
but long before it, commencing seventy years ago, when George Williams
came as a boy from Somerset to London, and as one of a band of twelve
intrepid young men, founded the first branch of a movement destined to
spread to all corners of the world. It is only during these years of war
that the Society has fully come into its own, and received universal
recognition, but we do not forget that to those pioneers of the early
Victorian days and to the Y.M.C.A. leaders, who during the years before
the war hammered out a policy for work amongst soldiers in the Volunteer
and Territorial camps, the widespread movement of to-day is largely due.
To know what the Army thinks of the Y.M.C.A., one need only note, on the
one hand, the facilities given to the Association by officers in high
command; and on the other, how the N.C.O.'s and men--officers and
officer-cadets too--make use of the huts.
[Illustration: HUT IN THE GROUNDS OF THE RUINS OF THE HÔTEL-DE-VILLE AT
ARRAS]
Prior to one of our great advances in 1917, the district to be attacked
was reconstructed behind the line in a large map carefully worked out
on the ground, every road and path being clearly marked. Every trench,
redoubt, and dug-out; every hedge and ditch was recorded, and every gun
emplacement shown. 'Reserved for the Y.M.C.A.' was written over a vacant
plot near the centre of the map.
In France 'Le Triangle Rouge' is often called 'Les Ygrecs' (The Y's),
and the Red Triangle will pass the Association worker almost anywhere.
It sounds odd in the reserve trenches, amidst the roar of guns and the
scream of shells, to hear the sentry's challenge as we have heard it,
'Halt! who goes there?' 'Y.M.C.A.' 'Pass, Y.M., all's well!'
[Illustration: ONE OF MANY Y.M.C.A. HUTS BUILT UNDER SHELL-FIRE]
One of our workers in the valley of the Somme in 1917 was left behind,
as the troops advanced to follow up the line of the great German
retreat. For weeks he shared his Y.M.C.A. shanty with the rats, and
late one evening went for a two miles walk. A sentry challenged him, and
evidently regarded him with suspicion. After he had convinced the guard
of his identity, it was explained to him that three German prisoners
were at large, and one of them was known to be wearing a Y.M.C.A.
uniform. When he awoke that night in his rat-infested shanty it seemed
to him that if the three Huns chanced to know of his whereabouts, it
would not be a difficult thing for them to possess themselves of yet
another Y.M.C.A. uniform!
In the early days of the war it was agreed that no request for the help
of the Association, which on investigation proved a definite need to
exist, should be refused, and God honoured the faith of those who dared
to make the resolve. The way the movement has grown and is growing still
is nothing short of a romance, and the following pages tell the story of
service rendered under the sign of the Red Triangle to the men of His
Majesty's Forces, irrespective of class, creed, or party, in England and
north of the Border, in Wales and Ireland, on every battle-front and in
every base; amongst men of every colour and creed who are serving under
our great Flag--the Flag that stands for Freedom.
Possibly the greatest romance of all will be that dealing with the work
of the Red Triangle after the war. Who knows?