[26] The Belgian detachments which co-operated with us in the defence of
Dixmude showed themselves no whit inferior to those of the Lower and the
Middle Yser, and if we were writing a general account of the operations,
and not a chapter in the history of the Naval Brigade, the most
elementary justice would require us to give these troops their due for
the part they took in the defence. This was so admirable, that the
Generalissimo commissioned General Foch to present General Meiser, whose
brigade had specially distinguished itself at Dixmude, with the cravat
of Commander of the Legion of Honour, while two of the colours of this
brigade, the 11th and the 12th, were decorated by the King and
authorised to inscribe the glorious name of the town on their folds. The
few hundred Senegalese who reinforced the Fusiliers towards the end also
gave us very active and brilliant support, on which, for similar
reasons, we have not insisted in our narrative.
[27] It was General de Mitry's corps which guarded the Yser towards Loo.
With magnificent audacity, General d'Urbal had thrown it upon the forest
of Houthulst before he had all his forces in hand. Here it was to
dislodge the Germans, and then march upon Thourout and Roulers while Sir
Henry Rawlinson marched upon Menin.
[28] "He's a model king: I saw him visiting the trenches; he's a man, if
you like." (Letter of a sailor, A. C., October 30.)
[29] Cf. Sir John French's report. As is well known, this movement,
which began on October 21, was stopped on the line
Zonnebeke-Saint-Julien-Langermack-Bixschoote.
[30] Commander de Kerros had made an offensive reconnaissance in this
direction the day before.
[31] Under Colonel du Jonchay. Abd-el-Kader's grandson was with them.
[32] The woods in question were the Praetbosch.
[33] Under the pseudonym of D'Avesnes, the Comte de Blois has published
some notes of travel, various stories, and a naval novel, _La Vocation_,
remarkable for their delicate sentiment and subtlety of analysis. It is
bare justice to record here the gallantry of Quartermaster Echivant, who
carried his wounded officer off to the rear under a heavy fire.
[34] "We were able to get away by creeping through the ditches, but
picked marksmen concealed in the trees decimated us. Suddenly my left
arm began to hurt me horribly. A bullet had torn the muscles from elbow
to wrist. A second bullet, aimed at my heart, went through a note-block
and a war manual, and was stopped by my pocket-book. I fell. My men
carried me off under fire. The last thing I remember seeing was a
captive balloon which was hovering over the woods directing the fire of
the enemy's battery." (R. Kimley, _op. cit._) M. Hebert is the famous
inventor of the system of naval athletics which bears his name.
[35] "Monday, October 19, bayonet attack on Beerst. Several officers
killed and wounded." (Note-book of Second-Lieutenant X.) "We have been
fighting for five days," wrote Second-Lieutenant Gautier on October 22.
"The day before yesterday we resumed the offensive. It was a bit stiff.
Don't be too much upset by the casualty lists. I should not have said
anything about them, but as you will see them in the papers, I would
rather tell you of them myself. Le Douget, who was in the training
companies at Lorient, was killed at Ghent; De Maussion was killed the
day before yesterday; Hebert, Pertus, and De Mons are wounded." In his
note-book, under date of the 18th, Gautier adds the names of
Second-Lieutenants de Blois and de Roussille as among the wounded. He
gives some interesting details of the affair itself. A little incident
reported by the Abbe Le H. bears witness to the heroism and
self-sacrifice of the men. "It was at Beerst. A quartermaster had his
leg broken by a bullet in the temporary trench he was occupying with his
company. He went on fighting. His comrades were obliged to fall back
under a tremendous fire. He refused to be carried away, and crawled into
a ditch, where he killed three Germans who came creeping up to take him
prisoner. Fortunately, a young Marine, who had been trained by him at
Lorient, could not make up his mind to abandon the quartermaster. By
dint of extraordinary efforts, he managed to reach him and succeeded in
dragging him some three hundred yards to a house, where he left him
under shelter. As he left this house he himself was wounded in the arm
by a bullet. Night was falling. He came to the dressing-station to have
his wound attended to. I was there. He told me his story with such
infectious emotion that I proposed he should act as guide to two
stretcher-bearers and myself for the purpose of bringing in the
quartermaster. Without a moment's hesitation, he set out in front of us,
heedless of the very real danger. After a difficult pilgrimage over open
ground swept by the German machine-guns, we were lucky enough to find
the quartermaster and to bring him back into our lines. I notified the
conduct of these two brave fellows to the commanding officer that same
evening, and I hope they received the reward they deserved."