Poem ~ Night Fighting on the Aisne - Tuesday, 29 September 1914

From a Battalion of the Royal Irish Fusiliers,

A Lance-corporal recounts a night attack

On the Aisne. After a hard day in the trenches

The men were tired and wet to the skin.

So in order to dry out tunics they lit fires.

All at once came flashing firing along the line,

And like ‘mad-men’ Germans rushed

Forward, from out of the darkness.

The Fusiliers fought back in shirtsleeves.

Close proximity made hand-to-hand combat,

Very hard work, in employment of bayonets.

In darkness the enemy, supported by cavalry

Who charged in force to run them down.

The Fusiliers held them off, until support

Of infantry and allied cavalry arrived,

And succeeded in driving them away.

During the fight a competition occurred,

Between Lancer regiment and Battalion,

As to who could get at the Germans first.

Despite the Irish Battalion lack of horses,

They won in the end - running at German

Hordes with trained shouting and bayonets.

Then the Lancers followed and the Germans,

Were cleared away from their front line.

Worse was still to follow for the French.

The Germans, back in strength, had massed,

Across a front position, where they faced

A mass of French infantry, who now advanced.

In the night, at the double, made for the enemy,

But suddenly German batteries opened up,

From the shelter of woods - letting loose

With shrapnel showers and machine guns.

The long French line wavered and contracted.

This corporal saw the worst sight with sounds,

Of shells slicing through the close packed

French ranks - Men went down like grass,

Under a scythe - a hundred fell and more

Until the mass opened up in extended order.

The French still rushed at the enemy guns,

Despite at each step under heavy attack,

By relentless German cavalry and infantry

Until finally the French silenced the guns.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. Battle Stories - Fight with Bayonets - Silencing the Guns. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 29 September. p.5. Col.4. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11124060/Daily-Telegraph-September-29-1914.html [Accessed: 29th September 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 29th September 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11124060/Daily-Telegraph-September-29-1914.html

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Poem ~ Zeppelins Shot and Spotted - Sunday, 27 September 1914

Into the renamed city of Russian Petrograd,

Two railway trucks conveyed remains

Of a Zeppelin airship - shot down, as reported,

From a great height by Russian artillery.

The largest part of the inflated body destroyed,

By the exploding gas  - the underbelly

Of an engine car, with four propellers, survived,

The fittings intact and in good repair.

This Eastern front has reported the destruction,

So far, of two German Zeppelins.

But if this was one of them, it was not clarified.

Perhaps this was an additional craft,

Lost to the aerial fleet that Germany intended

To play a big part in the war.

This Zeppelin, if shot down in dead of night,

Will be the third airship,

Of the same type, the Russians have gained.

As other two captures,

Were reported as happening in broad daylight.

On the coast of Belgium, at Ostend, Saturday,

Occurred a Zeppelin raid setting out to destroy

Ammunition trains, which the enemy believed

To be halted at the station. In fact the trains

Had been there, but had left on a previous day.

The belief is that the enemy had gained

Information of ammunition trains from spies.

From Copenhagen, on Friday, North East

Of Kattegat, at Thunoe - a Zeppelin flight,

Had been seen moving slowly south east,

To vanish towards the strait of the Little Belt.

Reports from Bordeaux, on Friday evening,

Are received in a dispatch, that Switzerland

At Basle, bore witness of a dark, moving

Zeppelin - in a trial flight, it had proceeded

Above Lake Constance - the suggestion is

That this test flight was not very successful.

As to how or why, the paper gives no clue...

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. War on Zeppelins - Another Capture Reported. The Daily Telegraph - Special War Edition, [online] 27 Sept. p.2. Col.1. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11121585/Daily-Telegraph-September-27-1914.html [Accessed: 27th September 2014].

Anon.,1914. Airship at Ostend - Object of the Attack. The Daily Telegraph - Special War Edition, [online] 27 Sept. p.2. Col.1. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11121585/Daily-Telegraph-September-27-1914.html [Accessed: 27th September 2014].

Anon.,1914. Flight near the Baltic. The Daily Telegraph - Special War Edition, [online] 27 Sept. p.2. Col.1. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11121585/Daily-Telegraph-September-27-1914.html [Accessed: 27th September 2014].

Anon.,1914. A New Zeppelin. The Daily Telegraph - Special War Edition, [online] 27 Sept. p.2. Col.1. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11121585/Daily-Telegraph-September-27-1914.html [Accessed: 27th September 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 27 September 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11121585/Daily-Telegraph-September-27-1914.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

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Poem ~ Dublin Recruitment Speeches – Saturday, 26 September 1914

The Prime Minster Mr Asquith, in a visit to Ireland,

Spoke from the Dublin Mansion House on Friday night

With Irish leader Mr Redmond, addressing a recruiting

Meeting. While crowds remained outside devoid of tickets,

3000 people filled the round room to hear the speakers.

Having declined a public welcome in Kingstown,

The Prime Minister, accompanied by Mrs Asquith

And Miss Violet Asquith, Was still greeted keenly,

By a large gathered crowd on the pier – The party

Were then driven to the Viceregal Lodge,

To be the guests of the Earl of Aberdeen.

Crowds had waited all day about the Mansion House-

As inside an audience gave a standing ovation,

For several minutes, to Mr Asquith and Mr Redmond.

In the Lord Mayor’s opening statement was declared,

That the Irish people were practically unanimous,

In support of the government - The audience cheered.

Their cheers being for war and on side of the Minister.

He spoke out in making a prompt for weak nations,

To stand up against a strong enemy’s violence -

Whose practice of intrusion is their religion of force.

Asquith gave marked pauses throughout his speech,

At how Germany had been readily equipping for war –

And how their youth is taught the belief of German,

Supreme power - The speaker formed a picture,

In his plea against militarism of a ruthless Germany -

Creating wastage of war and dislocation.

His call was for a ‘place in the sun’ for small nations,

And for their equality in rights - the speech built

Towards the purpose of his appeal for recruitment.

Making his Premier call from Dublin,

Mr Asquith indicates how mustering convoys

Are forming in all parts of British Dominions.

Alluding to two aspects of current recruitment,

The first being of troops landing at Marseilles.

Today in France of the First Indian Contingent,

While at home more than 500,000 recruits

Have joined the colours - Leading to the point

Of his trip to Ireland asking them to take part -

While adding he does not need to ask –

He makes a request to National Volunteers

And others, to be prompt and enthusiastic,

In joining a worthy and large contingent,

For the growth of second army - Ideally

There would be a formation of Irish Brigade,

Or even an Irish Army Corps - would be welcomed.

In acknowledging great pride in Irish recruits,

Asquith says more men were wanted from Ireland

Ireland was called ‘The loyal daughter of the Empire’ -

Subjects were noted as unthinkable - of how one section

Of Irishmen were prepared to fight other Irishmen -

And how Britain was to be in a place to fight either….

At which point loud cheers filled the air.

Recruits were now wanted at once, to be ready in time,

For what might, and could be the final, decisive battle,

For ‘the greatest struggle in the history of the world.’

The speaker adds with force ‘old animosities are dead

And we are a united nation.’  A culmination of cheers

Seems to be the conviction of Ireland‘s readiness,

To give recruits as the, ‘free offering of a free people.’

Following a speech by Earl of Meath, Mr Redmond

Roused eager sympathy of Ireland with Belgium,

Making references to the Louvain atrocities -

Ireland was in full empathy with the wars objectives.

The Irish Leader noting while this was not an Irish war,

Everything was at stake - for which they had striving

For in over forty years was now caught in this struggle –

Mr Redmond calls on the Great British people, having

Faith with Ireland -Now Ireland will return that faith.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. Premier’s call to Ireland – Plea for Army Corps – A united Empire – First Indian Contingent – Arrival at Marseilles. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 26 Sept. p.7. Col.7. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11121578/Daily-Telegraph-September-26-1914.html [Accessed: 26 September 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 26 September 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11121578/Daily-Telegraph-September-26-1914.html

http://worldwaroneblogger.blogspot.co.uk/

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