An unnamed Private and a
Sergeant Smith,
Both being of the Somerset
Light infantry,
On arrival, soon experienced
the fighting
Outside Mons - the men
bustled from train
Being sent charging into the
fray, before
Even before knowing where
they were.
Some hours later after a big
fight,
The Germans were moving
about,
To take ground between many
men
And their regiments.
Effectively cut off,
The private and Sergeant
hid,
Alongside many other
soldiers
Waiting silently until
darkness fell.
Then throwing rifles aside
They crawled Slowly on knees
And elbows, through German
pickets.
The Private and Sergeant
Smith
Finally got through and
looking
For others, found themselves
At the homes of simple
peasants.
Taking some brief respite,
They were given civilian
clothes.
Disguised in the hope to
return
And rejoin their fighting
force,
Quickly proved quite
Impossible,
As their regiment
Had retired too far back.
So together they made a
plan.
Making their way along the
coast,
In various incidents on
route.
Being stopped many times,
Not just by French soldiers,
But cyclists riding about,
On lookout for any German
spies.
On success in reaching
Boulogne
They saw the consul and
acquired
A pass to sail back to
England,
Where they re-joined their
depot -
Still in clothes given them,
By helpful French people.
They could only assume,
Other men that had stayed,
Had been taken prisoner.
While some other soldiers,
Escaping that situation,
Cut off from their regiment,
Did the same as them.
But unable to speak French
Soldiers may have been taken
As German spies and possibly
shot.
by
Jamie Mann
Anon.,
1914. Battle Stories - Cut Off At Mons - Rifles Thrown Away. The Daily
Telegraph, [online] 7 Sept. p.3. Col.1. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11073408/Daily-Telegraph-September-7-1914.html
[Accessed: 7th September 2014].
Mann, J., 2014. 100
years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 7
September 2014).
#WW1centenary
#GreatWar #WW1 #WW1poem #GreatWar #ww1centenary #worldwarone
#worldwaroneremembered #Mons
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