On Tuesday morning at 2am,
The invaders appeared at
Denain.
The first Uhlans moved into
the town,
While citizens hurriedly
dressed -
Among them one man who gave
This account, on leaving his
house
Taking the road to Cambrai.
He joined others taking the
same route,
From the invasion of their
town.
Many of them had left in a
hurry,
So as to be still half dressed.
Only two miles from Denain,
When an Uhlan detachment
Reached them. At sword point
They were made to return to
town.
Their disregard was shown,
As a woman of 80 fell,
Under their rifle butts –
Another woman exhausted,
Fell to the ground was then
Kicked and made to stand.
With the Uhlans distracted,
Three people quickly hid
At the side of the road.
When the column moved
Out of sight, they
emerged
And ran the road to Cambrai.
They ran 25 miles, hardly
stopping
But did witness a chase in
the sky,
Of an enemy plane by a
French pilot.
From a considerable height,
The German craft was soon hit,
And crashed straight into
the ground.
They were yet to learn,
That another German plane
Had, in Cambrai, dropped
bombs
In the area of the railway,
To damage the station bridge
–
Grounded soldiers opened
fire,
And hit the craft, which
crashed
Near the public gardens.
A look out and the injured
pilot
Both officers were taken
prisoner.
by
Jamie Mann
Anon.,
1914. War In The Air - An Aeroplane Chase. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 28 Aug. p.9. Col.5. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11034878/Daily-Telegraph-August-28-1914.html
[Accessed: 28th August
2014].
Mann, J., 2014. 100
years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 28
August 2014).
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