When I was hit I lay for hours on the ground, and got chummy with a
German chap, who had got a nasty sabre cut in the head, as well as a
bayonet stab in the kidneys, and was “booked through.” He knew his
number was up, but he was as cheery as though he were at a wedding
instead of a funeral.... Almost the last words he said were, “You’ll
win this time, and you deserve to win your victory, but we’ll never
forget or forgive, and some day a new Germany will avenge us”: _A Welsh
Private_.
Disturbed!
We were having letters and parcels and our breakfast bacon issued out
in the trenches when the Germans charged us and captured them. When
we took the position again I found my parcel had been opened and the
letters had been strewn all over the place. It was an awful slaughter
of the Germans, for they were within 20 yards of us and we poured
volleys into them. You ought to have heard them yell; it was like a
wild-beast show let loose. They came through a thick wood, and that
was the reason they got so close: _Pte. Westfield, Worcestershire
Regiment_.
“Annie Laurie”
We were unable to sleep for the pouring rain, and sat at a big camp
fire with hot tea and rum. The boys asked me to sing “Annie Laurie,”
and I was never in better voice. When I finished there were officers,
and even staff officers attracted from their billets, who had come
over the field in the rain to join in. I need hardly add that they
were nearly all Scotch, and “Annie Laurie” after all is to a Scot what
the “Marseillaise” is to a Frenchman: _A Bombardier of the Royal Field
Artillery_.
“Few! Few!”
We jumped out of our trenches at the command “Fix bayonets, charge!”
Only a few of them stood and faced our bayonets, and Lord have mercy
on that few! They were actually torn or cut to pieces. Those that ran
away halted when they got to the sky-line, and there put up their hands
and the white flag. We followed them up, and brought back six machine
quick-firers and 324 prisoners. Those we captured had plenty of money,
but no food of any kind: _Pte. W. McGillicuddy, Irish Guards_.
“Hard Neck”
There were forty-nine of us out as an advance guard for the regiment,
and we were fired on. Of course, we wanted a shot at them, and we
advanced, thinking it was a patrol, but we were not long in finding
out that it was a whole German brigade we were into. We had to make a
fight and check them, and we fairly peppered them for a while. Then
we retired with the Germans at our heels. We got down 700 yards off
them, and gave them some more; but we had to retire as the bullets
were falling like rain. Fancy 25,000--it was only our “hard neck” that
got us out of it: _Pte. A. Kenaway, 2nd Batt. Argyll and Sutherland
Highlanders_.
Thank Goodness!
Just as we were entering the place a shot rang out and our leading man
went down, shot through the heart, so all we could do was to turn round
and gallop for it, which we did. I can tell you there were bullets
flying in all directions. We had another man hit through the thigh,
and four horses--two shot dead and two wounded. One of them had four
bullets in him and still galloped. We had to thank our lucky stars the
Germans are such bad shots, or they would have got the lot of us; and
we have had the same luck with their shell fire: _Corpl. T. Askew, 3rd
King’s Own Hussars_.