Poem ~ A Dummy Trap - Saturday, 20 March 1915

Source: File: dummy heads.jpg, 2015. Not just a German Trick, Papier-mache dummy heads were used by the French and British to trick snipers in the trenches. 20 March 1915. [online] Available at: <http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1805449/posts/> [Accessed: 20 March 2015].

As a trooper in the Duke of Cornwall’s

Light Infantry, Private Albert Moore

Aged 39, offered himself as a volunteer.

The battalion had found themselves

Deep within the fight, about Neuve

Chapelle, late into night of 13 March.

A reconnaissance of a German trench

Was needed  - their officer stated risks

And would not order any man to go.

They were in the area of Armentieres,

As they crawled out to the barbed wire

On the German side, to see a sentry.

Trooper Moore said to the officer to stay

Still, or the sentry would raise the alarm -

Advising to lay quiet; to work way forwards.

As some minutes passed, they believed

They could take the sentry prisoner -

At eighty yards from the enemy trench,

The trooper said how he would crawl

Nearer, to stalk him from the rear -

As the Officer kept his total attention.

With a stomach crawl, Albert Moore got

To within ten yards of the very still sentry,

Slowly pulling himself up to the figure.

He signalled the officer's approach, to state

It was a dummy - to show they had no fear

The Officer said that he should push it over.

Trooper Moore put a hand to the shoulder,

A push resulted in sound like a clock's turn.

As it might explode was advice of 'head down.'

The trooper gave second shove and the figure

Exploded - both dummy and man flew up

Into the air - Moore came down in flames.

In the dummy’s body had been a substance,

Like sticky treacle, providing victim a lingering

Agony - Private Moore hit the ground in pain.

Unaware if his officer was still there, Moore

Pushed himself to a ditch of water and fell in.

In dazed awareness he jolted with a touch.

The Officer was there - as Moore said farewell

Believing that he would not live for very long -

But the Officer picked him up, to carry him.

At six yards they tumbled, Moore wracked

In pain - again the officer held him stand
And somehow walked him to an open road.

They quickly came a cross a listening patrol  -

Once in safety, Trooper Moore collapsed

Then heard officer's words, stating his bravery.

Unaware of wounds severity, had likely allowed

Moore to walk each step to safety - then blinded 

Beyond recovery, with many mutilated wounds.

Yet with his mind sound, Moore recounted

The story, on his arrival at Norwich Hospital -

To lie amid wounded, a victim of a booby trap.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Explosive Dummy - Victims Graphic Story. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 20 Mar. P.10. Col.4. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11480917/Daily-Telegraph-March-20-1915.html [Accessed: 20 March 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 20 March 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11480917/Daily-Telegraph-March-20-1915.html

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

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Poem ~ Friends Reunited at Front - Thursday, 4 March 1915

Source: File: Prince.jpg, 2015. Dogged determination. World War One Great war Stories, Luton's Great War, told by its people today Submitted by Deejaya on 14 August 2014. 2 March 1915. [online] Available at: <http://www.worldwar1luton.com/blog-entry/dogged-determination> [Accessed: 4 March 2015].

i

Since the earliest months of conflict

And movements of enemy and allied

Forces that weaved through Belgium

And France, people fled their homes

In villages and towns often destroyed

Burnt to the ground –

Through such deserted places as these

English soldiers found other abandoned

Refugees – dogs of those gone or dead

Who then attached themselves to these

English troopers.

With displacement of animal's homes,

A refuge was created near Boulogne -

On the road to Wimereaux - whereby

Pets, dogs or other animals, found by

Soldiers would be looked after - until

They reclaimed by the human owners -

Their missing friends.

ii

One such story of dog and human friend

Could be recalled from the earliest days

Of an opening war starting August 1914.

A dedication and affection between man

And his closest friend to be recounted

In the month of March 1915.

In that late summer month James Brown

From his home in Hammersmith, London

Said goodbye to both his wife and Prince -

Their Irish Terrier. Private Brown called

To serve With the King's army in France

A horseman in the 1^st North Staffordshire's

Some time passed and Prince pined for

James’ Company – when on September

27^th his wife then noticed Prince had

Gone missing, she looked about - sadly

Unable to find him anywhere, she became

Afraid to write to her husband to explain.

iii

Two more months passed when a letter

Came for Mrs Brown from Mr Brown both

Solving and creating a mystery. Previously

Confessing that Prince was missing, a reply

Of her husband said he was sorry Prince

Not being found there, but that their terrier

Was now with him, stationed at the front line.

The story of Prince being found, had began

At Armentieres - Private Brown had returned

From a patrol and on that day as he rode

Back with other riders, amid the men was one

Standing with a dog, who walked toward him,

At first thinking the dog was very like his own

Irish Terrier, James Brown saw the man grin

To say, ‘I believe that this chap may be yours.’

In dismount James could still not believe his

Eyes until he knelt to say his name, ‘Prince?’

Who then greatly made a fuss of him.

With man and dog united as the fellow gave

Explanation how the Irish Terrier had travelled

Over to France, journeying with other troops.

Mr Brown's words to Mrs Brown explained his

Wonder; ‘Just fancy His coming and finding me.'

He added Prince, 'is quite settled Down with me.’

Then how her husband had found some old

Great coats, which he had used to make Prince

A coat to keep warm and how his faithful terrier

Was then adopted by the regiment as their pet.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. The Soldiers Dog. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 4 Mar. p.8. Col.7. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11447670/Daily-Telegraph-March-4-1915.html [Accessed: 4 March  2015].

Source.,1915. The Dogged Determination Great War Stories. Submitted by Deejaya on 14 August 2014, [online] Available at: http://www.worldwar1luton.com/blog-entry/dogged-determination [Accessed: 4 March  2015].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 4 March  2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11447670/Daily-Telegraph-March-4-1915.html

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

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Poem ~ Fighting for Brickyards - Saturday, 13 February 1915

Source: File: British soldiers in the trenches in the La Bassee Canal Sector.jpg, 2015. 12:22, 31 July 2014 By Dailyrecord.co.uk. [online] Available at:<http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/world-war-one-anniversary-use-3941810> [Accessed: 13 February 2015].

''Destroyed bridge at La Bassee, France, during World War I. The canal runs diagonally across the photograph with remnants of the bridge still attached on the left bank. Three men stand on this side and look down into the canal surveying the ruins. The man-made skin of the canal and the debris can be clearly seen.''

Source: File: Canal at La Bassee, showing destroyed bridge.jpg, 2015.  First World War 'Official Photographs'  British Western Front  (16) V.25. [online] Available at:<http://digital.nls.uk/first-world-war-official-photographs/pageturner.cfm?id=74545918> [Accessed: 13 February 2015].

Grounds lost on 25 January - on right

Of the British - came to be regained,

In a General Headquarters account

For French and British movements.

Attacks

Friday 5 February the day was fine,

As English Howitzers began their work,

Setting alight enemy observations -

While aircraft of both sides occupied

Blue skies - Allies making chase

Of enemy craft, high above the Lille

Neighborhoods - In close quarters

They rattled at each other, to bring

The other down - With puncture

Wounds to both, the German craft

Made a hurried descent - two miles

Short of their own aerodrome.

Below in the brickfields, situated

South Of La Bassée Canal - in close

Proximity to Cuinchy - began

A night attack on 5th - to gain

Success on German sap-heads.

Then on the 6th, this new advantage

Made for advance  - from 2 p.m.

As French and British Artillery honed

Fire on the brick stacks, of close

German defences - and beyond.

The heaviest of allied Howitzers

Rained down upon the railway's

Triangle - From 20 miles distant 

The boom and shatter of shells,

Were heard - while beneath

The speed of shells, was both

Fearful and impressive - as debris

And smoke blurred the foul air.

After that barrage of 15 minutes

The British, from three sides,

Emerged to storm forth between

Stacks of bricks, upon the strong

Enemy defence - keeping under

Cover of choking dust, to capture

With little loss, taking prisoners

By greatest surprise -

While trenches between -

Slightly north - were also taken.

Gains

With these enemy points,

Take under possession - those

Forward fighters on the canal,

Kept a continual line southwards

And reformed their positions,

Before the brickfields.

British losses seemed less

Than Germans  - who had left

Seventy dead - while a mortar

And machine gun were taken,

With unwounded prisoners -

To number nineteen, along

With other, less wounded men.

Within the early hours of the 7th,

Germans would not be seen

To accept this situation, as they

Made a strategy along the bank

Of the canal - to shout out

'Don’t shoot we are engineers.'

This novelty being old - 

These false sappers soon came

Under held fire, faced a machine

Gun to fall back - to leave thirty

Of their dead before the line.

An afternoon attempt also

Suffered failure, to get to

Close quarters  - the artillery

Kept that enemy well at bay.

The artillery’s accuracy,

Was given heavy praise,

As one heavy German Battery

Was hit, to explode - and how

At only forty yards away,

The guns blew the Germans

From their ill-sited trenches.

Afterwards

As on February 6th, most casualties

Of the enemy were due to shellfire.

The grounds about, after 15 days

Of varied fights, had left enemy

Corpses littering the area -

Before crumbling of three brick stacks,

Constructions of barbed wire

Entanglements were easily made

In daylight, without being fired upon.

Little occurred over two further days,

While it was seen how the enemy

Relied on incendiary shelling,

To create damage to besieged towns -

As on Armentieres - in creations

Of candle packed projectiles

In celluloid wax, and phosphorus -

So flammable as to ignite in the sun.

To conclude, how amid all this,

Was made an act of humanity,

During fighting of Givenchy.

Partially buried by a fallen parapet,

Lay a British Officer, found by

A German Officer, who came to aid

Him - despite bullets about, stopped

And dug him out - passing him

His flask of brandy - and was then

Killed by a straying bullet.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Terrible Effects of British Howitzers -Storming a Brickfield - Gallant Charges by British Infantry -Heavy German Losses. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 13 Feb. P.9. Col.6. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11406417/Daily-Telegraph-February-13-1915.html [Accessed: 13 February 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 13 February 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11406417/Daily-Telegraph-February-13-1915.html

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

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