Source: File: Siegfried
Sassoon. See an original image at: <https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/siegfried-sassoon>
[Accessed 15 July 2016]
The
initial Big Push had begun slowly
Yet
still effective in some parts across
The
Somme - one being Mametz village;
Taken
on day one, yet the wood close
By
remained occupied - in a 'clear out'
The
wood fell to the 38th Welsh Div.
These
Welshman consisted of those
Volunteers
of 1914 and 1915, whose
Battle
virgin status and limited training,
Faced
well-trained elite Germans force.
The
wood of Mametz was dense -
A
great wall of trees that contained
A
defensive force - when on day 7
Time
came for the Welsh to move in -
A morning
retake of day one, except
This
day opened wet and cold.
No
optimism of a fine summers day -
Trench
Mortars and machine guns
Held
the wood, while the artillery set
To
blast a path over sodden ground.
Prior to the 38th,
the 7th division
Had acted on word
of a captured
German - that the
Boche troops had
Fallen back - a Welsh
patrol moved
Into the wood,
disabling two field
Guns as they killed
a German patrol.
The initial
attack of 7th division made
On 4th and 5th
day, began but failed,
From eager German
gunnery and wall
Of uncut wires, that prevented any real
Progression into
the occupied wood.
Day 7 saw
divisions in place - with
The Royal Welch lying
in reserve -
The 17th
Division's approach came
West - at the
east from Caterpillar
Wood were the
38th - while 16th
Crossed the whole
of Hammer Head.
Air rustled the
wood of Mametz,
As light at 5.30
a.m. began a rain
Of gas shells
fired by French - wind
Lifted to disturb the
screen of smoke,
Intended to
hide the troops advance.
Dispersed ahead
along the woods
Edge, machine
guns eyed 400 yards
Of open ground -
dull, momentary
Silence drowned by rattles at sight
Of the Welsh,
raking at thigh level.
French eyes saw
the bravery rush
Forth of Welsh
men, in admiration
Of endurance and
courage - youth
Faced an avalanche
of falling fire.
One officer of
France watched
The young run,
like veterans of war,
Under the burning
intensity of fire -
Fire seemed to
fall on shoulders
As a mockery of carnival
confetti;
The men lay momentary
on earth.
Keenness had led
them too far
Ahead for support's
readiness -
Like a paused
machine rewound,
Forward troops waited
for signs.
Then the living
lifted again upon
Feet, striding
out - bullets swept
Seemingly to pass
harmless
Through the ranks
- in descent
Upon the parapets
their senses
Fixed, without
register of noise.
ii
Amid their vast, anonymous
Presence of the Welch,
fought
Figures - Robert
Graves, poet
Friend to
Lieutenant Sassoon.
Despite rain
delay of objectives
All pushed on as
at Quadrangle
Trench - with
little wire before
This hole, a Lieutenant
Sassoon
Took a step down, into the left
Edge of an enemy
strongpoint.
Strategy's had
become slightly
Confused - orders
had been
For Sassoon to
turn about - all
This went against
his ambitions.
Finding three
glum faced fellow
Officers on a
fire step, Sassoon
Took stock - news
of two others
Had returned wounded,
though
Communications
still remained
With Northumberland
Fusiliers.
The Lieutenant
considered that
More to be done
by some type
Of venture within,
Sassoon set
Out to explore, to
discover more.
'Young Fernby,'
unlike the glum
Threesome, wore some
exultation
On his expression
- to tell no news
From their right,
while the Royal
Irish were
believed to have failed -
The two of them moved
outward.
Evidence suggested
that they had
Interrupted the Germans
attempt
To dig in - their
equipment along
With packs, lay
all about the edges.
Among these
belongings some
Welsh were
ferreting - while others
Shot wildly into
the trees - there
Sassoon paused,
as twilight smoke
Drifted about the
scenery, he felt
Oddly excited
amid total disorder.
Without NCOS
about to take any
Orders back officer Sassoon likely
Felt on equal
level of those about
Him - yet this was
not quite enough.
Clarity came, that
the waist high
Trench needed to
be deeper -
A few hours of
darkness would
Give way to light
- prompted
Sassoon saw two
privates argue
Over of a pair of
field glasses.
In a swift move
he turned to aim
His pistol at them - to stop fooling
And start digging
- the dipping
Earth was in
places a foot deep.
Much work of
sniping had been
Success; wounded
and dead lay
About as daylight
etched at the
Dark - then German
forms started
To emerge
impassive and equal
In the events of
a catastrophe.
iii
Sassoon stepped
over bodies
And by some
impulse stooped,
Lifting one male
form upright -
To prop him
against the bank.
His tunic was
knotted about his
Shoulders, as in
some casual
Civil way - he
had been killed
Digging - striking
looks, blond
Hair and
untouched fair features,
Only slightly
marked by mud.
In his stillness,
Sassoon wiped
The dirt from his
eyes and face
With his sleeve -
judging him 18
The German youth
lay awkward.
Sassoon lifted
him again to more
'Comfortable'
position for a live
Person - this was
the first time
He had touched
any enemy -
Within him some
consideration
Struck him at
that 'gentle face.'
Moments passed as
in eternity;
The German
handsome youth
Became
representative of futility -
Fresh in death, went against what
Expectation of
battle should be.
The spell of
eroding grief ended
As he was joined
by a fellow -
They, on hands
and knees, edged
Down until they
met a bombing
Post - another
three Welsh told
That no one had
gone further.
With Kendle's company
Sassoon
Acquired a bag of
mills bombs -
In mutual desire
to explore they
Crawled on some
70 yards - until
The depth was
barely a groove.
While carnage lay
at their backs
They looked towards
a shallow
Valley - down to
a light railway
Line, out of
which popped shots
Of rifle fire and
head movements;
Both felt on an
elated adventure.
Kendle excited by their position,
Decided he would
take a shot
And edged out of
their cover,
Onto broken ground to make aim.
Onto broken ground to make aim.
Lewis gunners
joined them as
Kendle half knelt
and pushed
Up his tin
hat to get better aim -
Squeezing the
trigger he fired,
Smiled and fell
sideways dead;
A bullet hit him above his eyes.
Almost as some
ricocheted action,
Or crazy duel
that downed Kendle,
Sassoon instinct
took him on a lone
Mission, with the
bag of mills bomb.
With these
hanging about him,
Along Wood trench
he shuffled,
Down to where Germans
held
Ground - a short
way ahead
Was the sight of
some ditch -
Sassoon weighed
his first bomb.
The hole was
still occupied - with
A pelt Sassoon
advanced and
One after another, yelled his four
Bombs over arm,
at the enemy.
With surprise at
success each
In turn exploded -
so with smoke
At their heels, some sixty scared
Germans made
abandon of their
Hole - to run for
hell into Mametz;
Witnesses to the
Mad Jack event.
By Jamie Mann.
Source: File: The
Guardian: Inside an enemy trench, by Siegfried Sassoon 10 November 2008.
Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/10/first-world-war-siegfried-sassoon>
[Accessed 18 July 2016]
Source: File:
Mametz Wood and the 38th: The Welsh at the Somme
By
Lieutenant-General Jonathon Riley Military historian. 6 July 2016 . Available
at: <www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-36667730> [Accessed 18 July 2016]
Source: File: The
Long Long Trail. The capture of Mametz, 1 – 5 July 1916. Available at:
<http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/the-battles-of-the-somme-1916/the-capture-of-mametz-1-5-july-1916/>
[Accessed 18 July 2016]
Source: File:
Battle of Mametz Wood 5th - 12th July 1916. Available at:
<http://www.130thstjohnfieldambulance.co.uk/index.php/ct-menu-item-13/ct-menu-item-25>
[Accessed 18 July 2016]
Source: File:
Welsh History Month: Mametz Wood 9 Apr 2012, Dr Robin Barlow. Available at:
<http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/welsh-history-month-mametz-wood-2047333>
[Accessed 18 July 2016]
Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal
communication, 18 July 2016).
#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary
#worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Mametz
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