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 ~ Peronne Occupation – Monday, 28 September 1914

The Parisian publication, Liberté, outlines

The German invasion of the town, Peronne.

Overlooking Peronne in the woods of Racogne,

Were situated German guns and from the East;

Artillery positioned on the Somme’s left bank.

From here they began to shell the town,

Which greatly suffered – 5pm and Germans,

Just outside the town, were fought fiercely

By Alpine regiments and French Dragoons –

But by force the troops had to retreat.

With Germans entering the town at 5.30pm

The enemy soldiers behaved wildly, shouting

And shooting at windows, to terrorise people.

On reaching the Town Hall, they summoned

The authorities – none came, so setting fire

To the Sub-prefecture building and houses.

Pouring petrol about and throwing grenades-

Meant the main square was quickly in danger,

Of being totally destroyed - when a priest

Canon Caron, Stepped forth to talk to officers.

He gained a promise - all German movements,

Through their town, should not be marked

In destruction of the ancient town of Peronne.

Three citizens were then selected to administer

The town, while four hostages were taken -

After three days they were safely released.

From the date 27 August to 14 September,

The occupation lasted, with the Germans

Behaving wilfully, in their taking provisions,

Searching and looting all shops and houses.

They filled their trains with stolen furniture,

Which was then sent onto Germany.

On 5 September the head German Doctor,

Gave orders for transportation of all French

Wounded to go to Amiens  - The Red Cross

Sent 20 automobiles with Doctors and nurses.

At the point of their leaving for Amien,

They were forcibly detained in Peronne

By the town governor, Colonel Von Kosser.

Released from barracks after two days,

They were forced to walk to Amiens, as all

The automobiles were commandeered.

In a hurry the enemy left the town,

On 14 September - leaving ambulances

Wounded and the medical staff consisting

Of 25 Doctors, 70 women, 150 assistants,

A Protestant and a Franciscan Chaplain,

And some sisters’ - the nuns being armed.

Nuns with heavy revolvers gave a reason;

For their self-protection. By the morning,

A French cavalry division made occupation.

While The Geneva Convention was violated,

The ambulance personnel were treated well

The ambulances were then soon organised

And loaded onto trains, sent to Switzerland

Meanwhile the nuns with guns were disarmed.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. Germans in Peronne – Loot sent to Germany- armed Nuns. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 28 Sept. p.11. Col.3. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11124057/Daily-Telegraph-September-28-1914.html [Accessed: 28th September 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 28 September 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11124057/Daily-Telegraph-September-28-1914.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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