Poem ~ French Offence at the Dardanelles - Monday, 31 May 1915

An official report from the Dardanelles,

Covered events of 25 April to 4 May -

After talking of the British aspect,

To state French involvement in Asiatic.

With British moved to their assigned

Landings, French, Marine and Senegalese

Took to their small boats, led by torpedo

Boats and trawlers to the Meander.

Their task, to touch ground and take

A foothold - on a place was a few square

Yards below the Kum Kale fortress,

That bristled with machine and rifle guns.

Placed upon a windmill, sat a mitrailleuse 

Prepared and ready to take fire. Enemy 

Preparations were waiting, to repel

A single invader onto Ottoman ground.

Yet they did not account for determination

Of French. Below a sheath of hurtling fire,

The first boats made way to the ledge,

When a shell directly hit one of the boats.

As a leading captain leapt over to wade

Ashore, the Sengegal moved to the ledge

With the Captain taking a shot to the arm

He still moved on to scale fortress walls.

The windmill gun joined in, as the first

Shots clicked, a warship made a direct

Aim destroying the spitting windmill gun;

The Senegalese drove into the fortress

They drive enemy back into their village

As other detachments joined them -

Reforming a new line the Turks also

Gained renewed forces to join fighting.

Pushing through the day into night,

The Turks formed into four waves

Of attack - and four times breaking

Into a wall of Senegalese bayonets.

Morning light broke across hundreds

Of dead bodies, across 400 metres -

The 26^th saw calmness as the enemy

Sat demoralised by night's attempts.

The Turkish line then rested back

Between Kum Kale and Yenishehr

To find themselves under fire from

Fire of battle ships and French 75's.

The effect was said to cause disarray

Amid the Turkish with them splitting

Moving back under French Shrapnel

As 500 waved white flags in surrender.

With Turkish resistance apparently broken

The French In completing their mission

Were under General Commander-in-Chief

Orders given out for re-embarkation

With Kum Kale engaged on the Asiatic

Coast British set to opposite coastline

To win a line of hills of the peninsula –

With British French Took to Cape Helles

As they came to the line a confrontation

Of Turkish counter attacks attempted

To push them back to the sea - 1 May

To 4 May regiments of Turks appeared.

Day and night mowed they charged

As other Turks came to face same

Fate - as the French kept their feet

On the peninsula with fortifications

While positions were reinforced

Preparations set to overthrow inland

Defence so the allied fleet might pass

Easily through the straits to success.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. French Army at the Dardanelles -The Kum Kale Feint - Official description. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 31 May. p.7. Col.2. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11633912/Daily-Telegraph-May-31.html  [Accessed: 31 May 2015].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 31 June 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11633912/Daily-Telegraph-May-31.html

 

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

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Poem ~ Fight for Steinbach - Wednesday, 6 January 1915

Source: File: Steinbach.jpg, 2015. An Alsace town captured by the French: Steinbach - The church and Cure's House, used as a French Field Hospital. From the archives of the Illustrated London News. Places That Have Made History: "Plug Street, " and Other Centres . 4 January 1915. [online] (updated 1 January 2015) Available at:< http://www.illustratedfirstworldwar.com/item/places-that-have-made-history-plug-street-and-other-centres-iln0-1915-0403-0015-001/>[Accessed: 5 January 2015].

In Haut-Rhin Region of French Alsace,

Stand the Palatine forest and the low

Ranges of the Vosges Mountains -

Of a northerly border, to form the line

Boundary of France and Germany.

From the Vosges Mountains flows

The river Thur, through towns of Cernay

And Thann - with its history of sorcery.

And in that commune lay Steinbach

Whose capture is accounted in Matin.

At Thann, on night of 29 December,

A French force crossed the river Thur.

With dawn breaking, this next day

Saw a duel ensued between artillery

Of French and German guns -

Situated on heights of Wattweiler -

Concealed within a forest of fir, came

Returned fire of posted enemy gunnery.

Flying reconnaissance was proved

Impossible by the forests density -

The French patrols alternatively,

Beat their way into the woods - ready

For enemy ambush, chasseurs infantry

Pushed on through – by close of day,

Three fourths of enemy guns lay

Out of action - the rest had retreated.

By the opening day of 31 December,

The French had taken the crests lying

Above Steinbach – for over 48 hours

The battle had ensued about the village

Of Steinbach – the outpost of Cernay.

A message of parle was taken – a reply

Within one hour of a Commander's word,

Said German forces did not consider

They were surrounded – the Sennheim

Road was open for a possible retreat -

That while the troops might be killed,

An Emperors army would not surrender.

By making escape a hostage had said,

In previous evening had been executed

Thirty Landsturm soldiers, who were

Not Steadfast – having been openly shot,

Out on the village square of Steinbach.

The village would have to be taken back,

House by house – the trees that had

Given German cover from the 75’s would

Allow Infantry cover to reach Steinbach.

Forming columns the French moved on

Edging their way towards the village.

Then the German 77’s fired, the ground

Being against them - German advanced

Posts were in houses  - at the village

Edge to where the Senegalais Tirailleurs

Reached within 200 yards – a mitrailleuse

Volley gun, emplaced in the church tower,

Then fired out, at the edge of the wood.

In a crossroads stood a small farm,

Where defence was held, and placed

A line of civilian hostages – one woman,

Could be seen, her hands tied behind

Her back – the French soldiers in fury

Of this, stormed forward with rifle

And bayonet - despite the enemy fire -

With losses they enemy were taken,

The farm door was reached at 1 p.m.

As the Farm was taken by French hands,

This proved a link to Steinbach's centre -

With row of barns where a machine gun

Was prepared - with granary ventilation

Holes in walls gave good views of enemy

Trenches - Both surveyed the main street,

Where the enemy were then situated.

A sharp shooter of the company,

Concealed himself in a close by shed.

In the village square guns were situated,

Firing to the road where reserves

And reinforcements started to arrive -

One by one the crack shot aimed,

Taking out the gunners one by one -

Providing time for the French advance.

While the Germans lost valuable time,  

To replace their fallen gunners.

Fighting moved into evening - each side

Locked by frustration, to gain advances -

Cottages become fortresses – the lanes

About, become places of ambush walls -

And doors that are taken became targets,

For sudden hand to hand fighting.

The battle stopped with night’s arrival -

Under this cover a volunteer succeeded

In setting fire to a stable, where German

Forces sheltered - the enemy fled by light

Of flames as mitrailleuses opened fire.

Within an hour the Germans attempted

To return the gesture, with incendiary

Bombs thrown on French possessed barn-

Yet with a wind from the west,

Flames were thrown back on the enemy.

A reverse of their attack forced them

To abandon their first trench line -

The fire then fiercely spread, to reach

An ammunition reserve to explode -

Onward the fighting skirmishes continued.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1915. Fierce Battle of Steinbach – Three days’ Fighting – Village Stormed. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 1 Jan. P.9. Col.2. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11323632/Daily-Telegraph-January-6-1915.html [Accessed: 6 January 2015].

Mann, J., 2015. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 6 January 2015). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11323632/Daily-Telegraph-January-6-1915.html

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

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Poem ~ Senegalese Fight in France - Saturday, 3 October 1914

Oddly, perhaps, despite cultural suppression,

Of black expressions and the proliferation

Of British Institutions, many British colonies

Gave staunch support to the outbreak

Of war. In spite of hardships these people

Gave donations - thousands of pounds -

But more notably gave themselves to fight.

Comes the curious article from the time,

On human fraternity between the British

Troops and the ‘blacks from Senegal.’

Together they were to fight side by side.

A reporter witnesses how on French soil

How they and Tommy Atkins become friends.

The reporter tells how Tommy is surprised

When a black man attempts to speak French.

Their conversation is made by gestures -

A picturesque sight is made in a village,

Whenever Tommy and a black man meet.

Using fingers, hands and arms, until

A Senegal speaks English words to say

‘Me fight with France, you fight with France too.’

The basic English words from the black man,

That this reporter believes, must be gained

From some African port. Fraternity is made

Stronger from the broken talk - Tommy laughs,

As the black man takes a glass to tell him;

‘Black man drink no beer, black man drink wine.’

Other fresh arrivals of black soldiers join them,

Who are yet to raise their rifles at the enemy.

The men are eager to prove what they can do,

Through an interpreter ask, 'where is the enemy?'

The ‘tall stalwart Negros’ then gave their word,

Not to cut up the dead - It is enough to kill

The enemy, then leave them to kill another.

More laughter and beer is made again in offer.

But taking it they ask for better tasting water.

Again the newcomers ask where is the fight -

Until the order comes to start their march.

They are told the Germans are only ten miles

Away - they stride as if distance was nothing,

Smiling - soon signs of shells are seen nearing

Their progress. During a halt, some of them climb

A tree, looking to see the enemy shells bursting.

Black men, with impatient swinging of arms,

Act as if they are ready to catch the shells.

They're assured by Tommy Atkins not to worry.

Before the day is ended Tommy promises,

The fresh soldiers will see many more shells.

by Jamie Mann.

Beaumont, A., 1914. Brothers in Black. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 3 Oct. p.10. Col.3. Available online at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11137066/Daily-Telegraph-October-3-1914.html [Accessed: 3rd October 2014].

Howe, G. D.,2013. A White Man's War? World War One and the West Indies

Brothers in Black. BBC [online]  (Last updated 2011-03-10). Available at: <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwone/west_indies_01.shtml> Accessed 3rd October 2014].

Mann, J., 2014. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 3rd October 2014). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/11137066/Daily-Telegraph-October-3-1914.html

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

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