Poem ~ Two Privates Rescue Colonel - Friday, 31 October 1914

Speaking to the Birmingham Daily Mail,

Private G Jones, of the 1st Battalion

Coldstream Guards, returned home

From the military hospital at Chelsea,

Having received wounds at the Aisne.

On the 14 September forces began

To push forward from the river Aisne.

Late morning; the advance situation

Halted for the Coldstream Guards.

The 2^nd Brigade heavily being engaged,

The 1^st Brigade moved to help gain

Positions on the other company’s left,

At the top of the ridge the 1^st Cameron

Highlanders and 1^st Coldstream Guards

Caught by enemy artillery and machine

Gun fire, found themselves stalled there.

Forming an ad hoc company from

2^nd Brigade, the Coldstream’s,

Cameron Highlanders and Black

Watch, Colonel Ponsonby led them

Across the Chemin des Dames.

A Birmingham man, Private Jones

Was in the advance party, under orders

To move towards the German lines.

Through fog they made their way,

To the far end of the captured ridge

And the village of Cerny - taking

Themselves deep in German lines.

Coming to a halt on that spot,

For the remainder of that day.

In the cover of night  they made

Discovery, finding a German position

Of Maxim guns - to find they had been

Cut off from their own British side.

The fight over the Chemin des Dames

By the days end, had become stalemate.

The Germans could not be pushed off

The ridge and the British could not be

Pushed back across the Aisne.

Units that had advanced were pulled

Back - in torrents of rain and deep mud,

The first spadefuls of earth were thrown;

So began the birth of trench warfare.

In moving into the German position, 

Firing began - falling in front of them

Was their Colonel Ponsonby, who lay

Out in the open, under German guns.

Fearful that their Colonel might be

Dead, Private Vennicombe and friend,

Private Jones, decided to reach him.

The two of them, under hails of bullets,

Dashed across darkness to the Colonel.

Shot in the leg, the Colonel was alive

But unable to walk – With quick effort

They carried the officer back between

Them, safely reaching the other men.

Due to their lack of force, the decision

Was taken for them to retire – placed in

A difficult position, being cut off from

Their battalion, they were now a party

Of 40 - with 3 officers.  Making further

Difficulty was an inability to tell their

Exact position, within the battlefield.

Coming into their company came

Captain William Warde Aldham an

Officer of the Black Watch, appointed

Their leader. In the dark, with a compass

He led them to a wooded position,

That had been noted early that evening,

A place known to have a village nearby.

In cover  of trees they placed sentries

About the party in an attempt to rest.

Then in discovery, they realised the wood

Was between two German outposts, seeing

Enemy soldiers moving in the distance.

Shapes of a German convoy moved close

By -  but their lack of numbers meant their

Party could not make any successful attack.

Rain had, for some time, been falling

Hard - which while hiding them, turned

The ground to mud – any movement

Between the trees, was made difficult

With any noise likely to raise the alarm.

Moving at one mile every hour

Four men took turns to carry the Colonel.

The party made its slow, trudging way

Through the woods and by light,

Managed to rejoin their full company.

In the dark rain, they had passed

Through German outer lines, covering

Almost six miles in the night.

Colonel Ponsonby returned home to

Recuperate and in gratitude to the two

Birmingham men, gave Private Jones

A presentation, to put him forward for

Recommendation - Private Vennicombe

Since then went missing in action,

With the hope that he was taken prisoner.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. Battle Stories – Rescuing a Wounded Colonel. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 31 Oct. p.4. Col.4. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11186100/Daily-Telegraph-October-31-1914.html [Accessed: 31 October 2014].

Dickerson, B.J., 2009. Submitted by SteveMerc Globe at War - 1/Black Watch on the Aisne. [online] (Updated Saturday, 16 September 2014) Available at: < http://www.globeatwar.com/blog-entry/1black-watch-aisne> Accessed 31st October 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 31 October 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11186100/Daily-Telegraph-October-31-1914.html

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Poem ~ Pranks in the Trenches - Friday, 29 October 1914

With talk of entrenchment becoming more

Commonplace, comes humour to involve

French and German soldiers - who have

Already faced each other for many weeks;

Now in set trenches along the banks

Of the river Aisne -  In spite of discomfort

And daily horror, are shared amusements

And even a little pleasantry behaviour.

Sheltering in their concrete lined system

Of ditches, the Germans sent off a joke

Carried on four feet, in chasing a horse

Across to the French Lines – A placard

Had been hung about the horse’s neck

Attached with German newspapers.

The sign the horse carried, read

‘Good day to the Frenchman!

Do you know that Russia is beaten,

All along the line and that Antwerp

Is taken?’ It seems that on seeing

The joke, the French actually smiled.

Elsewhere, soldiers passed the time in

Devising humour – a French junior officer

Spoke of the fact, that the German trench

Is little more than forty yards apart, so when

The Germans began to sing; a competition

Began, as to who can sing the loudest.

The French officer explains how they have

Musicians such as an accordionist and flautist,

Who became accompanists to the songs.

Whenever each side was not shooting

Back at the other side these duets went on. 

Opposing forces are so close, voices carried

Well, so the French clearly heard commands

Given in the German trenches.

The officer admits that tricks and jokes

Are all part of their daily fighting routine.

On that very morning the French officer

Said there was another German prank

Played out – when they sent across

A goat, with a card about its neck saying;

‘And you messieurs les,

Francais How are you?’

The goat was seen as being obstinate

And troublesome - although they called

To the goat to approach, the goat did

Not like the barbed wire and would

Not come nearer for some time - Finally

He arrived on the French side and once

There would not go back to the Germans,

Despite their shouts of ‘Komm! Komm!’ 

It was decided that he was a French goat.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. Jokers in the Trenches  - Four-footed Messengers. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 29 Oct. p.13. Col.4. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11186080/Daily-Telegraph-October-29-1914.html [Accessed: 29 October 2014].

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

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11186080/Daily-Telegraph-October-29-1914.html

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Poem ~ Stalemate and German Trick - Wednesday, 28 October 1914

Near Troyon, during the Battle of the Aisne,

Various incidents involved a detachment,

Of a Northamptonshire regiment, showing

Cool bravery and dogged determination.

160 men, two subalterns, three officers,

And a captain - being some way ahead,

Of the main body, set to make entrenchments

By a roadside. Opposite  them up to 500

Germans were also entrenched - between,

Lay a turnip field - some 250 yards wide.

Finding their trench fed by waters rolling

Off the road, the British quickly found

Themselves knee deep in water logged mud.

a lack of greatcoats, lost in their retreat from

Mons only added to make rest problematic,

Along with the need to observe the enemy.

General discomfort further caused by shelling

From the German guns, set behind the enemy

Entrenchments – the British finding at their rear

Shelter and a haystack, where seventy German

Wounded remained - left by their own forces.

This basic 'hospital' where the deserted, injured

Germans lay, lucky to still receive treatment,

Could only be accessed by a man crawling

On all fours – bundles of hay were gathered,

Utilised in trying to dry the ground of the trench -

Again and again the water percolated through.

To gain water and bully beef men had to crawl

At night to the rear - Equally the German side

Dared not lift above ground for fear of British

Shots. During the five days a British Captain

Lifted his head to the skyline, to be shot dead.

Later a subaltern being severely hit, also died.

The result as a single subaltern with less than

A year’s service, was forced to take charge.

The haystack sheltering German wounded

Was finally hit by a shell and set ablaze.

Under heavy fire men in the British trench

Could not move to assist them – they heard

The yells and horrendous cries of wounded

Men unable to escape from the fierce fire.

As each day passed in the Northamptonshire

Trench – the  appalling conditions made ague.

While increased wounds reduced the effective

Fighters  - among the company a man, a crack

Shot, took action on successive nights -

Camouflaged with a wool knitted hat, disguised

With turnip leaves, crawled into the turnip crop.

The Northamptonshire sniper waited, patient,

Until any German movement was made - then

A trigger pulled, a pained cry and one foe less -

After more days came the end of the stalemate.

The Germans, believing in the British strength,

Raised arms and rifles in surrender - in scattered

Formation, marching to them across the field.

Cautiously the subaltern left the English trench

To meet the enemy – A German private moved

To him, but the subaltern made the insistent order

That an officer should approach – the private retired.

Then another private came forward - Again a yelled

Command was made for an officer – then came

Forward a captain, a sergeant and a private.

The English subaltern waited and addressed them;

‘You are my prisoner.’ The German captain snapped

‘No, you are my prisoner!’ – while the original idea

Was to surrender, their intentions changed when

the Captain glanced into the English trench to see 

A greatly depleted force,  The German Captain

Made a signal to his men, about the field to move.

They edged towards the subaltern - under the threat

Of the Captain's intent, the subaltern fired and shot

Him dead - he turned and killed the sergeant.

The private leapt at the subaltern and they fought

Falling on the ground - as German shots rang about.

The subaltern fell down unconscious – two shots

Had passed into the top of his cap a third hit his

Regimental cap badge to stun him - a fourth bullet

Wounded him in the shoulder. At the very outset

Of the event, some Northamptonshire soldiers 

Had also left their trench as a number of Germans

Handed over their rifles to shake hands with them.

Other Germans edged towards the trench, then

At the parapet, opened fire at point blank range.

A skirmish ensued, as a machine gun opened fire

On the Germans, to cut them down, while others

Fell to the bayonet – 300 out of 500 being killed.

At a short distance, a machine gun detachment

Of the Queen’s regiment, had observed and made

Assistance - in the force of Coldstream Guards

The final 100 German infantry surrendered.

Over the five days of the Northamptonshire

Trench of the soldiers left, from the original 166

Were eight and four wounded men still fighting fit.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. Thrilling Story of Fight Against Heavy Odds – Subaltern’s Adventure. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 28 Oct. p.12. Col.7. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11186051/Daily-Telegraph-October-28-1914.html [Accessed: 28 October 2014].

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

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11186051/Daily-Telegraph-October-28-1914.html

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Poem ~ The Thrill of Battle - Friday, 23 October 1914

Lieutenant H. Shields of the Royal Medical

Corps - mentioned in despatches and who

Back in 1910 was of the Light Blue ‘eight,’

Writes to his father, describing an incident

In the battle of the Aisne - when he looked

For a man on the battlefield hit by a sniper.

Not knowing quite where the soldier was,

Lieutenant Shields had to dash all around

The field – taking a short run, then lying

Down – found himself in the view of that

Same sniper - He was subjected to over

Ten shots - the bullets often struck close.

As he dropped, one threw bits of earth

Over him - on finding the man too late  -

He was dead. In describing sensations

Of being under fire, the Lieutenant set

To explain that he had never felt fear,

Even though he had been under types

Of rifle and shellfire, missed by inches.

Instead of scare he found the situations

Like an exciting stimulant. Admitting

That he would rather stay in safe shelter,

Than emerge to face a hail of bullets,

From a crack marksman at 400 yards,

The Lieutenant finds fear outweighed,

By a surging thrill of total excitement.

He makes it a habit to ignore gunfire

When he is seeing to a wounded man,

In taking precautions - he takes none,

Other than the instinctive method,

Of not exposing himself unnecessarily.

Lieutenant Shield admits he is a fatalist –

He feels it cannot be helped if one's self

Is killed doing one’s duty which, he sees,

Is the best way reaching an end to life.

This tract he mentally repeats over and

Over to himself, when he is ‘plugged at.’

The belief for Lieutenant Shield, is that

God does not yet mean to get him killed –

Yet before he arrived, he had the common

Conviction, that he would not return alive;

Perhaps expressed by the fact in attending

To the wounded.  The Lieutenant did get

Captured, yet escaped in a German retreat.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. Battle Stories – ‘Old Blue’ A Fatalist – Officers feelings Under Fire. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 23 Oct. p.4. Col.6. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11180918/Daily-Telegraph-October-23-1914.html [Accessed: 23 October 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 23 October 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11180918/Daily-Telegraph-October-23-1914.html

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Poem ~ Story of Three VC’s - Wednesday, 21 October 1914

Returning from the front to Woolwich,

Are survivors of L Battery, Royal Horse

Artillery, taking a respite, with their guns

To repaired and refitted by the Arsenal –

Their depleted numbers are being made

Up – among their loss is a story of heroes.

In a retreat from Compiegne L battery

Were placed to support a Cavalry Brigade,

Working for three weeks their rear guard

Action – with only short times given to rest,

It became a habit of them to fall asleep,

In the saddle, rudely awoken in falling

From horses. Continual action allowed

Forces to retreat without much molestation.

On the eve of making a great advance

And the last day of the general retreat,

The battery bore heroes against all odds.

L battery, emplaced near Compiegne,

Was 600 yards from some French Cavalry,

Who occupied a ridge as the retreat

Moved behind them – by 4 a.m. L Battery

Had to be prepared and be ready to move.

First, they were to expect further orders

For some reason communications were cut,

So that the order never came – a dense

Mist surrounded them, hiding all sights

Of the Cavalry’s retreat - Expecting orders

L Battery formed and limbered up ready

To move – when the mist cleared after 5am

They faced an ‘enfilade’ from the ridge –

Realising only then the French had gone.

After the cavalry’s retreat in early hours –

Ten field guns and 2 maxims advanced

In the mist to gain that position with mist

Lifting 12 guns fired on them at 600 yards

Almost all the gun team horses were killed

In the first volley preventing the movement

Of the gunnery- under Captain Bradbury 

The men with speed unlimbered the guns.

Those not initially killed, manned the only

3 guns that were in the correct positions.

The skill of British gunnery led to German

Guns being put out of action, one by one.

Yet being out-numbered by the enemy.

They faced equally effective German guns.

Until finally. two British guns were stopped.

Now only one gun remained in defence.

Within a short time a few men of L Battery

Were left standing, but still they worked.

The single gun managed to silence further

Enemy guns - the depletion of L Battery

Gunners, left three non-commissioned

Officers working the gun - despite each man

Wounded they fired, sheltering behind

A shield, until both sides had a single gun.

The stalemate went on until at virtually

The same time, the enemy and British

Ceased fire and the three men remained,

Sheltered at by the guns shield. Aid came

To the three, with the infantry and force

Of cavalry – their rescue being marked by

Recommendations for the Victoria Cross.

The relief force found the German position 

Devoid of survivors who left their guns.

Of 300 men who had made up the L Battery

And ammunition column only 125 returned.

Under 40 of these survivors were attached

To the battery - the others had belonged

To the ammunition column which had

Been luckier in escaping the full attack.

Of those that had taken part, to keep guns

Firing, until the last shell fired, were officers,

Lieutenant Giffard and Lieutenant Mundy,

Who were wounded, while the two other

Officers. Lieutenant Campbell and Captain

Bradbury killed; were both in despatches;

Lieutenant Giffard given Legion of Honour. 

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. Glorious Deed of British Gunners – The Dauntless Three – Recommended for the VC. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 21 Oct. p.9. Col.2. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11166570/Daily-Telegraph-October-21-1914.html [Accessed: 21 October 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 21 October 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11166570/Daily-Telegraph-October-21-1914.html

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