Private Whitaker of the Coldstream Guards, writing to his fiancée,
describes the fighting at Compiègne in the following words, cables a
London correspondent:
“You could not miss the Germans. Our bullets plowed into them, but still
they came for us. I was well intrenched and my rifle got so hot I could
hardly hold it. I was wondering if I should have enough cartridges, when
a pal shouted, ‘Up, Guards, and at ’em!’ The next second he was rolled
over with a nasty knock on the shoulder. He jumped up and roared, ‘Let
me get at ’em!’
“They still came on and when we really did get the order to get at them
we made no mistakes. They cringed at the bayonet, but those on our left
tried to get around us.
“We yelled like demons, and after racing as hard as we could for quite
500 yards we cut up nearly every German who had not run away. Then we
took up a new position.
“Here our cover was not so good. At our left were the cavalry. The
enemy’s guns were blazing away and they got to us nicely, but not for
long. You have read of the charge of the Light Brigade. It was nothing
to our charge.”