Poem ~ The Ladies And The Soldiers - Monday, 10 July 1916

Source: File: Still from film WWI, Prostitute Seduces Young Soldier. See original footage: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UbDLq3kxoU/> [Accessed 10 July 2016]

Source: File: WWI, Prostitute Seduces Young Soldier, 1910s UK Archive Footage  [online] : <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UbDLq3kxoU> [Accessed: 10 July 2016]

Perhaps knowing how a soldier might

Behave, having been there himself,

Lord Kitchener penned an order -

This was to be put in every soldier's

Paybook, regarding their new venture.

'In this new experience you may find

Temptations both in wine and women.

You must entirely resist both' -

Away from home in another country,

Men faced pressures and likely death.

Man's 'Duty cannot be done unless health

Is sound,' was the rule; 'treat all women

In perfect courtesy avoiding intimacy' -

An account of one Lieutenant R.Dixon

Stated, 'as fighting soldiers we were fit.'

Men were, 'tough with abundant energy' -

Dixon openly said that purchased love

Was better than nothing and it aptly

'Worked off steam' - acting as a stress

Buster, sex helped men to face dangers.

Warnings went unheeded - younger men

Alongside experienced men would likely

Be egged on - in the midst of life, they

Wanted life - such men were not monks;

To encounter unrestrained French ways.

French brothels established in the middle

Of a previous century had been licensed -

In a twentieth century war, the oldest

Of all trades flourished; away from home

Men had excess money for leisure pursuits.

With more than the kings shilling rattling

In pockets, men sought relief - knowing

What might come - a bullet with their

Name on it, or other cruel ending; young

Men’s principles were not to die as virgins.

Though not shouted about, this was a time

When sex abstinence was 'unhealthy'

For a man - in spite of army warnings,

Places existed where all ranks could gain

Relief - but even brothels had a class basis.

With messages tucked in all pay books,

The officers and other ranks quietly

Followed the game's rules - a blue

Lamp in a window attracted officers,

While red lights glowed for other ranks.

Tommy's patiently waited to polish their

Barrels - two days prior battle of Loos

Saw formations of a neat queue for

A brothel - young corporal Chaney was

Told, as he looked to file; 'its not for lads.'

These men’s reasoning was how brothels

Were for those married men who were

Missing their wives - an unwritten law

Applied to married soldiers, having all

Rights to visit prostitutes, over single men.

Yet such mass surges before campaigns

Had consequences - as brothel house

Visits spread venereal disease - yet

Sent to a hospital bed was away to avoid

Death; such treatments could last a month.

Any man who concealed facts of the clap

Was by military British law, a crime.

Though he could not avoid some

Punishment with costs of treatment

Subject to his pay, by hospital stoppages.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. 1916. Venereal Diseases - Government Scheme. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 10 July 1916. P.10. Col.7. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12211875/Daily-Telegraph-July-10-1916.html>[Accessed: 10 July 2016].

Source: File: WW1 brothels: Why troops ignored calls to resist 'temptation.' Available at: <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25762151> [Accessed 10 July 2016]

Source: File: World War I Centenary: The British Army’s fight against Venereal Disease in the ‘Heroic Age of Prostitution.' Available at: <http://ww1centenary.oucs.ox.ac.uk/body-and-mind/the-british-army’s-fight-against-venereal-disease-in-the-‘heroic-age-of-prostitution’/> [Accessed 10 July 2016]

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 10 July 2016). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12211875/Daily-Telegraph-July-10-1916.html

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

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Poem ~ England Expects - Wednesday, 12 April 1916 - Monday, 17 April 1916

Impression of Forward to victory! The last recruitment poster issued in 1916 before conscription was introduced - by Jamie. From an original image that can be seen at: <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2569145/Why-arent-khaki-Fascinating-archive-posters-urging-men-enlist-WWI-encouraging-wives-send-set-sell-20-000.html> [Accessed: 12 April 2016]

i

Over weekend days April 8 and April 9

1916, poster proclamations had been

Posted across the metropolis - to state

In stark black and white, this was

The last call for single men.

A last call was for all single men, both

Attested and unattested - these

Unmarried men of age 18 were

Required to bring themselves

Forward, to start training.

Young men would begin training for

Home service, until gaining the age

Of 19 - under Military Service Act,

And the number one class

Group of Derby Scheme.

Military Service Act and Derby

Scheme of the metropolis

Posters, applied to those

Under 19 - for men born

Prior to August 1897.

ii

Traditions of the British Army

Had seen recruitment of forces

On basis of voluntary men -

This small force of 400,000

Had 200,000 acting in roles

Abroad as British Empire Garrison.

These soldiers’ numbers were

Smaller than those on Europe’s

Soil in France and Germany.

By hostile outbreaks, the call

Came for British men to join

The colours in protection of Belgium.

The first British army had need

Of a second army - in the needs

Of oranisation to boost boots

On the ground - a hero of Sudan

And South African campaigns,

Saw appointment of Lord Kitchener.

Despite a whimper of a start, late

August into early September 1914,

Saw a surge not seen before,

Prompted by Parliamentary

Recruitment Committee - helped

By floods of posters, leaflets and rallies.

Pressure of images by leading

Design artists made appeal to duty -

To risk those others ignoring

The call, as cowards or shirkers;

Parallel powers were given

To the committees of municipal officials.

iii

Looking to the country's Northern

Counties, was an Idea by General

Rawlinson, who made appeal

To sense of standing to fight

Alongside close-knit friends -

In order to appeal to men to enlist.

A request by the General was

To the London Stockbrokers, to be

Leading example - workers from

City of London, which numbered

1600 by August's end - to form

The Stockbrokers Battalion of Fusiliers.

Then the Earl of Derby, within short

Days, called to Liverpool for men -

His words being for a battalion

Of pals - friends, to fight shoulder

To shoulder - within days three

Battalions were raised of Liverpudlians.

Taking on from this Kitchener

Promoted the idea nationwide -

In the actions of a runaway train,

British towns began to listen

To reactions of business and

Industries, as men en-mass walked.

With shared destinations, such

Numbers cued at all recruitment

Stations - one particular town

In the borough of Lancashire

Saw the Mayor of Accrington,

Prompted by Lord Kitchener's call.

Captain John Harwood, Lord

Mayor had made an offer to raise

A local half battalion - within

Six days, a full contingent was

Formed into Accrington Pals -

With a Lancashire snowball effect.

Chorley, Blackburn and Burnley

Also formed their company of Pals;

The men of Accrington first saw

Action, 1916 at Suez Canal, where

The ship just missed a torpedo

Hit; there to fight the Ottoman Empire.

The process that began small

Had by September days of 1914, seen

Fifty towns make formations

Of Pals Battalions - within the

Rallying shouts, relatives, sons

And fathers, brothers, cousins joined.

Colleagues and friends became

Uniformed in khaki drill - elsewhere in

The world of sports, saw famous

Names enlist - A sportsman’s unit

Of East Grinstead, added a boxing

Champion, along with two cricketers.

iV

Two football Battalions with official

Names of 17th Service Battalion,

 Middlesex Regiment joined up -

Alongside pals of Bradford, Leeds,

Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh

Manchester, Newcastle and Salford men.

Sheffield, Tyneside, Swansea - Pals

Of Carmarthen and Cardiff to include

The Lonsdales, the Durhams and

The Scottish contingents - unofficial

Names as 'Boozy First' or 'Glasgow

Featherbeds'; after a storm hit their tents.

Not confined to those of work, were

Still another Middlesex regiment to form

Public Schools Battalion - youth eager

To join as privates with their mates -

Yet the unit was used as a resource for

For officer shortage, to become depleted.

While an eager overdrive to answer

Cry, for British second army, after six

Months of war, matters altered -

With wearing thin of patriotism -

April 1915, saw new tactics, to give

Monetary rewards for soldiers to recruit.

The unique pals battalion formed,

All was set to train men in camps across

The country - within the first months,

The power of voluntary men's steps

Waned; by the spring of 1915, with

No wars end in sight, more were needed.

Following that winter surge, 100,000

A month, men were still enlisting - now

To include those aged 38 to 40 years -

Volunteers had their day; July 1915

Came in National Act of Registration

To record men 15 to 65 working in trades.

V

With this census those in age range

Given, had to register all their details,

To include work - out of five million 1.6

Were in protected work, With Lord

Derby appointed a recruiting Director

General; in 5 days came Derby Scheme.

The Group Scheme began a path

Leading transition from voluntary

To establish compulsory enlistment -

As is governments methods, this

Was to be done gradually over time,

For a public to adapt to unpopular ways.

These men 18 to 40 were advised

They could still volunteer, or attest

Their taken details - to oblige them

To join army on a future date as Class

A - to wear an armband as a volunteer

Sealed by a days army pay, as reserves.

If a 'registee' agreed to join then

And there, to be classified as Class B -

Additional divisions were based on

Age, and further depended if they

Were married or single - the census

Had shown that 5 million of military age.

The unpopular belief of conscription,

Prompted both single and unmarried men

Not in starred areas - those avoiding

Call up, only acted to quicken pace

To complete conscription - January

1916, found groups 2 to 5 called to report.

The following month of February

Called on groups 6 to 13 - in order

To appear fair, a parallel scheme

Of tribunals were set up by councils,

To consider exemption applications

Against conscription, as issued in papers.

Vi

A black and white poster campaign

Was reported across the media,

For Last Single Men aged 18 -

To make selves available

For training, as under

Military Service Act.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1916. Last Single Men. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 10 April 1916. P.9. Col.5. Available at: <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12208618/Daily-Telegraph-April-10-1916.html>  [Accessed: 12 April 2016].

Source: File: Voluntary recruiting in Britain, 1914-1915 by Peter Simkins. Online. Available at: <http://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/articles/voluntary-recruiting> Accessed 12 April 2016

Source: File: The Long, Long Trail: The Group Scheme. Online. Available at: <http://www.1914-1918.net/derbyscheme.html> Accessed 12 April 2016

Source: File: Military Service Tribunals, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Online. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Service_Tribunals> Accessed 12 April 2016

Source: File: Recruitment to the British Army during the First World War, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Online. Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recruitment_to_the_British_Army_during_the_First_World_War> Accessed 12 April 2016

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 12 April 2016). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12208618/Daily-Telegraph-April-10-1916.html

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

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Poem ~ Gallipoli: Calculated Withdrawal - Tuesday, 21 December 1915

Impression sketch of Gallipoli evacuation.

Without hint to any kind of disastrous campaign,

Came Press announcement of troops situated

At Gallipoli, in retirement from Anzac and Suvla

Bay - released 8.25 p.m. from War Office source.

A given strategy stated the to need to move away

From Peninsula of Gallipoli, to other operational

Spheres - the scheme possibly already decided by

Kitchener as he landed North Beach, 13 November.

With arrival by boat at 1.40 p.m. the Field Marshall

And commander in Chief of the British Army had

Travelled, to see for himself the Gallipoli Peninsula;

There to assess the theatre of war against Turkish.

The distinguished figure stood, his recognisable

face, topped in the wearing of a red cap - walked

Along the pier amid Generals - soldiers in every

Direction ran to see him, in a soldier's welcome.

When two hours passed Kitchener in company,

Moved amid the Australian trenches to survey

Turkish lines - from a decision with commanders

Of seniority, deciding on evacuation of Gallipoli.

Factors he had seen and heard discussed,

Were to be difficulties during winter storms

To supply the peninsula - furthermore would

Be little gained against the Turks strongholds.

Even with more artillery and more reinforcements,

Attacks had been locked into impossible situations.

In the decision was the problem of the evacuation;

A plan taken on by Lt. Col Charles Brudenell White.

The first phase began while awaiting London

Word, approving Kitchener's plan - in order not

To alert the Turks were set hoax and deceptions -

With late Novembers' silent stunts of Anzac lines.

Without snipers or artillery fire they hoped Turks

Believed preparations were underway for winter -

That silence was not a withdrawal - to continue

The irregularity of fire the Turkish would expect.

Next the intermediate phase; soldiers On Anzac

Would be reduced, but still to hold off a chance

Of a full week Turkish attack - reduce to 26000

From 41000 in 2 days, in fact just left 20277.

While the withdrawal would be from Anzac Cove,

Many soldiers departed from the piers at North

Beach - under darkness endless movements

Of Maltese, Egyptians and British Labour corps.

Beside the flickering flares, that lit Walkers Ridge

And Williams' Pier, ammo carried on Indian gharies,

With loads carried in carriages down small railways;

Between hill 60 and Walkers Ridge moved a line.

The Indian Mule Cart Corps large loads, pulled

By the mules, in union moved silently even passed

Close to coast of Snipers Nest - if anywhere, there

The Turks might hear - but mules in silence moved.

As eyewitness said no sound made of hoof or foot,

Only the odd clink of a chain, as the long black

Serpent line passed close at 1000 metres - to fool

That Turkish presence of their evacuation chain.

As November ebbed into December, secrecy

Of the evacuation plan was so well concealed,

Reality was only apparent by mid month - ordinary

Soldiers finally realised the undergoing process.

Anzac men felt at odds in sorrow to leave dead

Comrades - friends to lay in Anzac cemeteries -

Many mates of the dead spent last moments there

To ensure their graves were left well tended.

Time came and last departed to HMS Grafton;

Day of 19 December, under continual activity

With p.m. distractions of Helles attack - as dusk

Fell, rear guards fell back from 10,000 soldiers.

1500 left; but by 4 a.m. 20 December a handful

Of men waited on North Beach, there by 4.10 a.m.

Colonel Paton ended the wait for any stragglers;

In complete silence the evacuation was concluded.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Retirement From Suvla and Anzac - Troops removed - Insignificant Losses - 'Another sphere of Operations'. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 21 December. P.9. Col.4. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12056748/Daily-Telegraph-December-21-1915.html [Accessed: 21 December 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 21 December 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12056748/Daily-Telegraph-December-21-1915.html

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

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Poem ~ March To Conscription - Monday, 25 October 1915

Source: File: Edward George Villiers Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby, by Sir William Orpen.jpeg [online] see original image at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Stanley,_17th_Earl_of_Derby> [24 October 2015].

With war's necessity in maintenance

Of an army's strength, to gain conclusion

Of a successful end - army recruitment

Once again, was in forefront discussion.

19 October 1915; a Mansion House

Conference heard the speech by Earl

Of Derby, in his role Director General

Of recruitment set out new intentions.

Organised by Chairman of the Urban

District Councils, to include Parliament

Agents of the metropolitan area; a Lord

Mayor of Mayors hosted the speech.

Without any hint of a Christmas end,

The Earl began, to speak of importance

To give Earl Kitchener what he wanted,

For months ahead - by soldier supplies.

Fights conclusion would arrive - yet

Only if all and every man, realised the

Empire's duty lay on his shoulders -

An open secret was for easy numbers.

For this would be forty-six groups

Of men - those first twenty-three

To be unmarried men - these to be

Then set out, according to ages.

The other groups of twenty-three

Would consist of married males

To be called on - only when those

groups of unmarried men depleted.

Thus some were more expendable

Than others - when needed the

Groups would be given two weeks

Notice; with date for each man to join.

Those men deemed to be of special

Classes might appeal - only likely

As a delay  - they would be expected

To join a class later than their own.

An additional rule for men on leave,

Should receive no military pay - only

To be given chance for voluntary

Military drill; such was their fortune.

On the one hand, a chance to request

To join whatever service unit desired

Will be considered - while in reality they

Would be placed where most needed.

In optimism gaining many more numbers

Joining, than the military could train -

Such men were to be allowed home

On 3s per diem and put on 24 hours call.

All groups of men would then be taken

On for General service, with limited men

For non-frontline infantry - oddly,

Requests would be rightly respected.

Powers of discretion would be charged

To recruiting officers on non-starred

Men, in indispensible employment;

Exempt trade lists would be prepared.

The Earl stated intention of an elastic

Scheme, without red tape, in finalist

Preference to married men for service

And medical corps for married men;

An obvious tact then, was for classes

Of men with value and those without

Value - reduced to lists and numbers. 

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Lord Derby on his new Scheme - Classifying Recruits - Forty Six Groups - Unmarried Men First. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 20 October. P.9. Col.7. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11928898/Daily-Telegraph-October-20-1915.html [Accessed: 20 October 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 25 October 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11928898/Daily-Telegraph-October-20-1915.html

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

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Poem ~ Smoking:Order of War Office - Tuesday, 10 November 1914

Among the important supplies

For the War Office, providing troops,

Is the need of better tobacco -

Thus creating important discussions

Between Lord Kitchener

And Imperial Institute

To resolve this vital issue.

British Colonies over recent years,

Have produced premium

Tobacco over in the Americas -

Also to be included are -

Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

Most recently Canadian tobacco

Leaves have built a market within

Britain - But quality has been absent.

Lord Kitchener keenly negotiated

Specifications of the W.O. department,

For good quality tobacco,

From both Protectorates and Colonies.

So soldiers will be assured - they will

Be able to breathe more easily,

Knowing that quality cigarettes

Will now have their name on the packet.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1914. British Tobacco for Troops. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 10 Nov. p.13. Col.1. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11208761/Daily-Telegraph-November-10-1914.htm  [Accessed: 10 November 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 10 November 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11208761/Daily-Telegraph-November-10-1914.htm

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

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