Impression sketch
of Hooge Crater - by Jamie. See the original at: http://www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/flanders/hooge.html
East of Ypres sat
Hooge,
On a ridge called
Bellwaerde -
Here was the home
of a house
Chateau de Hooge,
destined
To be in midst of
a war.
From the Flemish
quiet,
Of days where the
chateau
Stood, erased in
sad erosion -
To crumble down
to dust,
Never to be
rebuilt.
A decisive attack
decided
To take place,
about this area
In order to
improve allied lines -
Construction of a
mine, made
To be detonated
at 7 p.m.
A Middlesex
regiment lay
Opposite 126th
Wurtemburge
Regiment - backed
by 66th Artillery
Of German Forces
– tensely
Waiting officer's
signal.
Once the massive
charge
Exploded, the
infantry would
Rush ahead to
gain occupation
Of the crater -
at a distance
Platoons awaited
action.
A Middlesex
battalion, set
With bayonet
fixed - reserve
Troops were
readied in support -
The ground
between them
And enemy, lay
debris.
The hour
shattered in
Sudden force as
the earth
Flew - to throw
men off their feet;
Melting German
trenches
To dust, as
spoilage fell.
A gaping space
opened
Enemy’s neat
breastwork
Out - smoke and
dust emanated -
Wounded, with
mainly dead
Germans lay all about.
In seconds,
whistles
Blew and the
Middlesex
Lifted into a
smoldering inferno,
To meet stunned
survivors;
With little
resistance.
Bombers came
after
The assault line, setting out
To progress -
turned the crater
Into to allied
defences, while
Bombers split
into three.
Storming down
three
Each trench path to drive
Back Germans that
might still
Shelter; followed by soldiers,
Armed by fixed
bayonets.
A gift of bombs
aimed
In every dugout, only when
A traverse is
made, is lobbed
Another -
explosions are
Followed by
bayonets.
Such action needs
A flow of bomb
supplies,
As the vulnerable
bomber man,
Runs the risk of
being hit,
Before he gets a
target.
In an orchestra
of this
Action-run-lob-halt-bayonet,
Agility is needed
for progress,
Down any narrow
spaces,
Of blocks and
wounded.
Those bombers
under
Lead of
Lieutenant Erskine,
Who, taking part
in operation
Came to defended
dugout;
He used a pick to
enter.
Hacking the roof
in order
To throw a bomb,
Lieutenant
Erskine had
almost achived this
When a shot hit
him down;
A fatal wound to
his chest.
As daylight
failed, action
Of bombing began
to halt -
In retaliation,
the minenwerfers
Woke, to toss high
explosives
Into the occupied
crater.
The minenwerfers named
Variously as
ariel torpedoes
Gained more
friendlier names;
As sausages and
Rum-Jars,
In likeness to
rum rations.
A night's
bombardment
Continued to
fade, with day
Counterattacks
proving to be
Inadequate - with
German
Reluctance to
return.
With empathetic
limits
To know the
effects of loss
Of mates by a
man's side - still
It seemed how the
Tommy
Calmly kept to
his duty.
An officer
stopped, spoke
To one man at
danger point
Asking how
matters were going -
A reply of few aimed at them;
Unaware of any
that did hit.
As replacements
came,
To take over
those exhausted
Troops - German
shell batteries
Continued -
parapets reversed,
And broken wire
repositioned.
Hooge’s crater
gave small
Extension to the
allied front -
A stalemate was
still held, as spits
Of counter attack
against
Other counter
attacks.
As activity
settled back
Into routine,
another salient,
South of Hooge,
was hit by a mine
Knocked enemy’s
hold - whose
Counter mine made no effect.
by Jamie Mann.
Anon.,1915. Attack
at Hooge Position - Enemy Trench Mined - Daring Bomb Throwers. The Daily
Telegraph, [online] 26 July. P.10.
Col.6. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11742053/Daily-Telegraph-July-26-1915.html
[Accessed: 28 July 2015].
Mann, J., 2015. 100
years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 28 July
2015).
#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone
#worldwaroneremembered #WW1Hooge
No comments:
Post a Comment