Poem ~ Somme Preparations - Monday, 26 June - 1916

Source: File: Soldiers and 18 Pounder Shells. National Army Museum. [online] See an original image at: <http://www.army.mod.uk/firstworldwarresources/somme-1916/soldiers-leaning-on-a-pile-of-18-pounder-shells-somme-1916> [Accessed: 24 June 2016]

With plans for a battle formed 1915, began by

French Commander-in-Chief Joffre,

Adjustments resulted due to French occupied

In Verdun - their allies of British force

Stepped into the breach; preparations took time.

Changes of dates from April to August finally

Settled for mid summer, at start of July -

A summer strike of large proportions needed

Careful preparations - the meticulous

Slow methods gave General Joffre frustrations.

After the Chantilly agreements led to decision

Over which western sector for their

Agreed strike - developments began which

Would take months; the total of logistics 
To be involved included transport and supplies.

Shelter, water, war materials and medical back

Up, all had to be planned - the sector of the

Somme river up to Arras was the chosen area -

The major needs of transport led all plans

To this quiet sector; here 400,000 men gathered.

Alongside required 100,000 horses, logistical

Reserves had to be called on for physical

Manpower - the railway was central to shift

From ports to the front - the third army needed

58 supply trains daily, while fourth army 70.

These tactics were a challenge, with only

Two lines then running into the town of Albert -

One of the closest frontline towns - the line

from Arras and Albert clearly was a no go run;

Across the Ancre Valley into German area.

While movements between communes,

Doullens, Acheux and Albert areas were fine,

Decision was finally made to build another

Light gauge rail - in total of 55 miles of tracks,

Their building was left in the infantry hands.

Between Acheux and Candas 17 new line

Miles would give 15 trains daily, while Contay

And Daours would add 10 track miles -

With a spur extension created the loop from

Dernancourt to Fricourt, to add depots.

Spur rails lines off Albert and Acheux gave

Links to Thiepval Wood, Martinsart, over

To Aveluy - such a massive operation made

Challenges to the road systems, within

A quiet area given to farmland of chalky earth.

Suited to small population of farm workers

And carts, roads for heavy machinery

Of military was another matter - any stones

To build roads had to be brought there,

And labour was too short to make dumps.

While stone dumps were rare other

Ammunition dumps were quickly formed

Close to rail lines, as at Gezaincourt,

Contay and Puchevillers - while all horse
transports used the timber roads.

One lesson learned from prior battles

Was the need of medical services -

Close to the frontline would be Casualty

Clearing Stations - near to rail lines

Ready to move all injured away to safety.

Six sites saw main C.C.S's at Puchevillers,

Vecquemont, Corbie, Contay, Doullens,

Heilly and Warlincourt - others at St Ouen

Amiens, Beauval, and Gezaincourt - but
An enemy walk-over they would be unused.

Interrelated cogs turned in a build up

For the day - all villages between Ameins

And the front, filled with tents to house

Gathering armies - every soldier provided

A grave sized space; 2 foot by 6 billet.

Even at that stage the presence of French

Civilians had remained, living close

To daily fight, holding onto villages - their

Mayors advised they had 48 daylight

Hours to leave - given only 10 days supplies.

Effectively civilians would be ensnared,

Being informed from Sunday 25 June

They could not move - shells would start

To fly over civilian heads, their homes

Would then be on wrong side of firing lines.

In a none silent method, the countdown

Began on Saturday 24 June 1916 -

A bombardment began artillery lines fed

By Blighty shells, spewing across

Farmland; a warning of something coming.

Over eight days the continual raking action

Of British gunnery would pulverise any

German defences - ready for gathered armies,

Waiting along the chalky land each slow

Minute, hour, day rang with thud, thud of shells.

by Jamie Mann.

Source: File:  The Great War 1914-1918. The Battle of the Somme, 1916. Online. Available at: <http://www.greatwar.co.uk/battles/somme-1916/> [Accessed 26 June 2016]

Source: File: The Long, Long trail. The British Army In The Great War of 1914-1918. Logistical preparations necessary before the Somme offensive, 1916. Online. Available at: <http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/the-battles-of-the-somme-1916/logistical-preparations-necessary-before-the-somme-offensive-1916/> [Accessed 26 June 2016]

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 26 June 2016). 

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

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Somme 

Poem ~ Battle Plan:1916 - Tuesday, 23 May 1916 - Thursday, 25 May 1916

Source: File: Joseph Joffre, Commander in chief of French Army in 1914. [online] See an original image at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Joffre> [Accessed: 23 May 2016]

Source: File: Field Marshal Douglas Haig. [online] See an original an image at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Haig,_1st_Earl_Haig> [Accessed: 23 May 2016]

Source: File: General Foch. [online] See an original an image at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Foch> [Accessed: 23 May 2016]

After 11 months of a European struggle

Between allies and an offensive Germany,

Came the proposed need of clear strategy -

French Commander-in-Chief General Joffre

June 1915, set out ideal for the allies to unify

Their forces more effectively at Germany.

Between allied countries Britain, France,

Belgium, Russia, Serbia and Italy, formed

An Initial Inter-Allied Military Conference -

Arranged for 7 July 1915, held at Chantilly -

A need for regular meetings led to both

English and French leaders decisions.

17 November 1915, the two prime ministers

Met, to confirm requirement to organise armies

By a permanent committee - the documentation

By Joffre followed with the 'Plan Of Action' -

For coordinated forces of Russian, Italian,

British and French, due for date mid 1916.

At the military Conference 16 December

1915, Lieut-General Sir Archibald Murray

Presented a treatise on future of the war - but

Days later Robertson replaced Murray, while

Haig replaced French - as strategy confirmed

France and Flanders were centres of war.

Close cooperation would be on European

Ground - all efforts were to be for combined

Allied strength for offensive attacks around

Spring 1916. At December's end the Chantilly

Meeting Called by Joffre, formed a proposal

Before French President and ministers.

Following his appointment General Haig,

As commander of British Forces in France

And Flanders, came under French pressure

To combine their allied attack across a 60

Mile Front - the situation to be Somme -

Centred between Roye and Compiegne.

General Foch was ordered to prepare

French, from Somme River to Lassigny

In south - the idea for an offence on front

That saw stalemate over all other fronts,

And backed by British for success - Haig

Then agreed to take tenth Amy at Lens.

Modification of General Joffre’s proposal

Came by January 1916 - that by April's

End, five offences would be ready; three

South East, Oise, Champagne and Somme -

Haig would then create a seven-mile Front

North of the Somme to create damage.

This was to be in three months; 20 April.

Haig refused on three counts; to soften the

Enemy had no strategic purpose - also to be

Politically unsound - or likely seen as defeat

By their enemy; nor could forces be ready -

The proposal could only be bataille d’usure.

Along side French ideas, Haig asked

His Field Marshall's to devise parallel

Schemes - to consider available usage

Of 20 divisions over a 10 mile stretch -

And at which front to be most effective,

Alongside battle plans for frontlines.

They also had to consider Flanders;

About Houthulst, Lille area, Messines

And Wytschete Ridge, which was then

Discussed at first of what then became

Weekly Army Commanders Conference -

A finalised plan revealed 14 February.

Joffre amended his idea, to abandon

Of wearing out enemy before launch

Of a big offensive - the plan became

For minor British moves at La Bassee

And Ypres - while combined French

And British to be in area of Somme.

This major attack would be around

Date of 1 July 1916 - but then matters

Changed as German 5th Army launched

An attack of Région Fortifiée de Verdun -

Within five days Joffre knew Verdun

Would not be a short-lived conflict.

At the start of March General Haig

Was to carry on prepartions for north

Of the Somme - possibly earlier than

July - at the end of March a final plan

Was a fight at Lassigny and Hebuterne.

A change of importance was to drain

Germans away from Verdun - to alter

Initial start of 1 August to 1 July - Haig

Took over the planning of manoeuvres,

With support of General Rawlinson -

An 8 day bombardement would begin.

The plan was certain, with British army

Numbers increased by Earl Kitchener -

In August 1914 the five divisions grew

To 43 Divisions - 1 January 1916, saw

Around a million soldiers stand ground

Of France - munitions were yet to match.

At the end of January 1916 David Lloyd

George, Munitions Minster promised

By April, production would be increased -

Although no account was made of quality

Of gunnery and shells being produced -

Preparations stepped up a gear for July.

by Jamie Mann.

Source: File: Battle of the Somme - Spartacus Educational. Online. Available at: <http://spartacus-educational.com/FWWsomme.htm> Accessed 23 May 2016

Source: File: The Long, Long Trail: British tactical planning for the start of the Somme offensive, 1916. Online. Available at: <http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/battles/battles-of-the-western-front-in-france-and-flanders/the-battles-of-the-somme-1916/british-tactical-planning-for-the-start-of-the-somme-offensive-1916/> Accessed 23 May 2016

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal

communication, 23 May 2016). 

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

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Somme

Poem ~ Rupert Brooke in Egypt - Sunday, 4 April 1915

Impression Sketch of an ill Rupert Brooke, meeting General Hamilton - By Jamie Mann

I

The Straits of the Dardanelles, hangs like a by-word

For an unknown outcome, as still the fight went on -

As water of a Black sea that flows to Mediterranean -

A vital artery for the allied power held by Turkey.

The Straits of the Dardanelles, whose control could

Possibly persuade Bulgaria, Romania or Greece,

To turn from neutrality to allied armies - with action

Acting as persuasion to turn Turkey from Germany.

What ways to turn leaders of men from Ottoman

Empire, other than a Constantinople coup d’état.

So bore an idea of Lord of the Admiralty - Churchill -

To go against Joffre's advice to wait ground troops.

Long in planning through the winter month's moves

March's battleships sailing directly into the straits.

Water against land, boat against fort - Turks held

On - yet thinning ammunitions, leading to ally delays.

Then might come the time to turn to northern side

Of Straits - to a peninsula called Gallipoli - eagerly

Churchill made plans on paper, adding up numbers

Of men that might make that break into the straits;

British Territorial’s, New Zealanders and Australians.

So Egyptian training troops of Oceania Australasia

Seemed the perfect addition to all the solutions -

ANZAC men and Zealand Army Corps from Lemnos,

Might break back door landings, by Gulf of Saros.

II

Amid all this build to organized chaos came one

Such figure, from February civil days of planning -

Rupert Brooke who heard news of 40 ships sent

To bomb the Dardanelles on the twentieth day.

As an officer Brooke joined assembly, to be told

They would sail for the Mediterranean within a week,

To be back within 6 weeks - a link between Russian

Forces to cut Constantinople would prove the break.

A poet's preparations may involve kit inspection,

Along with a good preparation of Greek - as myth

Entices eagerness of a poet’s optimism - antiquity

So close - as a warrior needs to return to a woman.

War can cancel out all conflict gone before to make

Peace with old loves - With king and Churchill eyes

Sets sail, like a living poem of the Iliad - in breakfast's

End with solid friends departs Brooke's Hood Battalion.

Cutting a heroic figure in violet eyes, a last lunch sets

Eddie's goodbye - Brooke by order of short hair sighed

Under a too small sun helmet, the poet beats the path

To Avonmouth - as a knight boards the Grantully Castle.

Armed with ladies amulet, by delivery of a man friend -

A potent charm for safe return - as mundane occupation

Ttakes on loading mules and men - tiredness and a final

Note for Ka, states personal path to gain Constantinople.

From Chantilly Castle to shore acts out more goodbyes

Brooke was never so happy, or tired - as Oc and Violet

Finally stood ashore, to watch the gangway rise upon

The castle, that finally carried their shining knight away.

III

Days for a hero at sea are not always easy, as Brooke

Felt queasy - only to gain sea legs by the bay of Biscay;

Beyond Gibraltar Straits curving by a Spanish Coast,

By 4 March came clouds of warm air and promises.

So how might it all pan out for a poet, as he sailed,

To fight, charging ashore at Dardanelles cutting down

Turkey enemies? How might the rush of men about him,

Of New Zealanders and wild Australians succeed?

Dreams of Constantinople's crown upon his head sail

On - about an African coast, to call on the port of Malta.

Under Violet's declarations of love, Rupert Brooke

Might have felt oddly full, along with works occupations.

While a hurried poet's words of impetuous letters let out

Confessions - perhaps as a man's  warning knowing no

Return - confessing how good she was for him, yet his

Selfishness and hatred of people would do her no good.

While a poet knight might imagine personal survival -

To wear a Turkish crown, balanced by taste of foreign

Dust, is prepared by instructions for a posthumous life -

Line - for friends Eddie and Dudley might clear up his life.

With Brooke's orders for destruction of specific letters

To hide perhaps unwanted secrets or open up other parts

Of his life unknown - describes a watcher's movements

Under a grim African dawn and sprawled sleeping stokers.

Still words flowed in letters with thanks for handkerchiefs,

That might bind the stumps of his bloodied legs in battle.

As officer of the watch, he watched on 8 March as woken

Stokers nosily moved ashore, for a rowdy day's leave.

With bookish tales of comforts that Brooke might act

Out childhood dreams, as a crusader of Malta - only to

Be left behind, playing to French allies the Marseillaise

Over waters, as they headed out for the Greek Lemnos.

Lemnos, the destination assembly point for future

Assault - start of March saw anchorage at Mudros Bay,

Along with assembled battleships of Queen Elizabeth,

Nelson and Agamemnon and the Russian boat Askold.

IV

A week unfolded of assembled allies, across from isles

Of Greece which could only furnish more big thoughts,

Of the ancients alongside the modern - with powerful

Glasses mount Olympus gave the misty sights of gods.

Rupert’s eager eyes fell on the land of Attica - to make

Him feel 'he could die' - as a poet somberly mourns own

Potential endings, wishing others may have children.

With 4 a.m. reveille, 18 March saw buckled readiness.

Armed with provisions and revolvers and large errors

Of a breakfast - made for a days ill feelings, as erroneous

Events began Churchill’s naval assault on Straits forts,

Fails, as chain of mines sinks French and British ships.

Ominous warnings in the loss of surprises went past

Unheeded - as the campaign then, should have ended

Went on, as Turk and German reinforced their forts

Defenses, while allies merely withdrew to regroup.

Another week of Lemnos was followed as the Hood

Battalion sailed, to land at Egypt for 2 March - landing

With tents pitched out on the dirty sands of Port Said -

Relief for Brooke and others came with passes for Cairo.

In a whirl of war tourism, officers posed beside camels

And pyramids - while Brooke, in Hawkers Bazaar, bought

Trinkets of some kind - then, with 48-hour leave to expire

They returned to camp, as Brooke began to fell queasy.

In routine of army training, prompting a route march over

Desert sands, provided Brooke with sunstroke symptoms -

As headache, diarrhoea and nausea came, a close friend

Set him safely up in hotel Casino Place - yet duty called.

The next day was platoon training of practice shooting;

Another man fell ill - seen as the usual 'touch of the sun,'

That frequently afflicted Brits in the tropics - so Brooke

Spent a sick night in a tent, hoping for fresh, desert air.

By 2 April Rupert Brooke was under awning of his tent -

Laying asleep under a peak cap and sunglasses, with his

Mouth open - as caught in a photograph of Denis Brown,

While his Division was reviewed by General Hamilton.

Brooke lay half musing, under a flapping green canopy,

With desert air and blankets warming him - growing fame

And some London friend's of Churchill and Asquith had

Prompted Hamilton's request to preserve this young man.

With his military review complete Hamilton sat by Brooke;

Still the desert winds of sand, blew about the poet's cot,

While Hamilton offered the Brooke a job on the Queen

Elizabeth as part of his personal staff, asking his reply.

Calmly behind his dark glasses, Brooke stirred to say

'No thanks'. Hamilton looked down at the extraordinarily

Handsome ill young man - whose lips in consideration,

Wished to see this adventure through with his men.

While quite aware of his refusal to pass up the privileges

Offered to him, Brooke felt bound to go on and through

With the landings of Dardanelles, shoulder to shoulder -

Then, with his survival, he would then take up the offer.

As a poet, whose type had been crowned by a King -

Rupert Brooke looked wanly vulnerable to the General,

Who remarked how an eye might then be kept on this

Very distinguished Georgian - he then stood and left him.

by Jamie Mann.

Jones, N.,1999. Rupert Brooke – Life, Death & Mythology. London. Richard Cohen Books. Ch 26-27. 

Source: File: Dardanelles. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dardanelles> [Accessed: 4 April 2015].

Source: File: Naval operations in the Dardanelles Campaign. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_operations_in_the_Dardanelles_Campaign> [Accessed: 4 April 2015].

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

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

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered  #WW1RupertBrooke

Poem ~ A Hard Lesson: Neuve Chapelle - Sunday, 14 March 1915

Christ figure and soldiers, sketch by Jamie.  taken from original images of Neueve Chapelle at

http://pippopluto2.altervista.org/lettguerra/owen.htm

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/08/the-cross-at-neuve-chapelle/373454/

By close of first day's

Fight, success and failure

Came at Neuve Chapelle -

Success made by objectives

Gained - as communication

Failures made advanced delays.

Germans gained their aims

For the night into 11 March -

Working on their second lines

Of defences - hours worked

During night, completed strong

Points and connecting them

With the trench lines.

Their delayed second aim

Was for rear troops readied 

For counter attack - but they

Remained too far back - to leave

20 battalions to hold their line.

By 7 p.m. on the 10th, Haig

Sent out operational orders,

For 6.45 a.m. on the 11th -

A bombardment on Germans,

To allow IV corps and Indian

Attacking fronts - but morning

Mists hindered observations,

So shells missed trenches

Only to hit their strongpoints.

An onslaught was needed

To hit the German defences,

Sufficient enough to break

Them, yet the Corps divisions

Being bogged in the mud,

The Meerut Indian Division,

Awaited the 8th to move - but

Unable to the Indian forces

Did not move - despite other

Attempts through the day.

German firing had succeed

To cut the telephone wires

Of batteries and observers -

The day moved to evening

When General Haig, in an

Appearance, ordered that

They would only resume

The next day at 10.30 a.m.

So allowing the German

Presence, to prepare for

Their dawn counter attack.

4.30 a.m. a ready German

Artillery, ahead of game, started.

But shells fell far to the back,

To hit on the reserves troops.

A 'four pronged' German move

At 5 a.m. launched into mists

But for most part, driven back

At Moated Grange - then north

Of Neuve Chapelle and south

Where Garhwal Brigade were

Warned - ready and waiting.

The case was very similar

About Port Arthur, in holding

Back the German attacks

Yet the mist was not clearing

Sufficiently for the British

Plan - delaying their barrage  

To midday - by 12.30 p.m.

The attack would finally start.

Events then went disastrously

Wrong, with enemy guns near

Layes Bridge wired and built

Defences lay untouched by

Artillery. With machine gun

Cross fire, holding back Indian

Troops, only slow, confused

Information returned to HQ.

Misled by rumours of success

Haig gave orders for Indians

To push through, regardless.

Haig went to the Indian HQ

To learn truth - now the Indian

Force was to turn right to Boiz

Du Biez - but the plan could

Not be worked to organise this.

So by 21.00 hours the General

Gave orders went out that

All attack attempts were to stop.

Another part of front remained

In confusion - as information

And orders could not get back

Or forth - with darkness falling 

By 18.15 hours, when divisional

Officers had all been gathered,

No reconnaissance could be

Made - so commanders of 8th

Division went to gather the men.

The men's exhaustive state

Meant that they were prone

To falling asleep, only woken

By force - a great many dead

Were lying about, so time

Was lost in officers trying

To wake up the dead men.

Despite various problems

All the leading battalions

Were mustered and ready

To hit back - at 21.30 hours

They waited north of village

Of Neuve Chapelle -

As time moved to zero hour

Of 23.30, Haig at 22.40

Made communications

With Indian and Corps HQ,

To be informed that no further

Positions had been made,

So cancelled his instruction

To attempt to break through -

Across from Neuve Chapelle

Would bring no advantages.

Now the allies were to hold

Neuve Chapelle ,a defensive

Line to be secured and held.

With no further advances

To be attempted on the next

Day, the fight was ended.

Both sides claimed success.

For the British, ground had

With three objectives been

Taken, despite higher losses

Than the enemy and the fact

Of failure to breakthrough

To Lille; it could only be a bitter

Victory - The French though

Now held a higher regard

Of British army, to see how

The enemy could be breached.

Neuve Chapelle, for Germany

Was a victory, in their ability

To man second defence lines,

After their enemy's break-in.

Their policy of losing frontline

Was not serious, proving their

Theory right - any loss of control

Helped by the British slowness.

Neuve Chapelle ended in

Something a balance act -

Tipping a little in either favour -

Something of an experiment,

Yet the allied made neglect

Of results - in their ignoring

The use of surprise, after brief

Bombardment - in preference

For shell fire after shell fire.

by Jamie Mann.

BAYNES, J. Lieutenant-Colonel  (1966) Neuve Chapelle. Purnells History of the First World War. Volume 2  (Part/Month unknown). P. 741-743

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 14 March 2015). 

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

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered  #WW1NeuveChapelle