Poem ~ Fighting Above The Mud, Monday 6 August 1917 - Wednesday 8 August 1917

Source: File: German Aerodrome. See an original image at: <http://www.earlyaeroplanes.com/archive/image5/GermanAerodromes.jpg> [Accessed 06 August 2017]

Winter in August enshrouded

In dankness; an army dug in as well

As they could into a swampland.

Vile Flemish weather created

Glutinous mud; shell holes as ponds.

As insects in a ploughed field

Walking wounded made their way as

Best they could, trying to avoid

Shelling arriving at clearing

Stations, as weary figures of mud. 

The foulest of weather was not

Confined to ground, where in the air

The forces of aircraft did not

Hesitate to take part over

Enemy territory to create havoc.

31 July saw keen embarkation

Of eager airmen to add their part,

Swooping low over marching

Heads of enemy to scatter

Them, or taking bombs to camps.

These airmen often flying low

At tree height - as one air pilot did

Till coming to an aerodrome.

He targeted the hangers - those

On ground initially saw him as own.

Then a bomb hit the first hanger

Causing panic, whilst he swooped

To the open doors firing inside -

Lifting, soaring to the second

Shed to provide a gift of a bomb.

A third hanger took another

Bomb; a delay in the handle's action

Sent fourth bomb onto ground

Near to a railway siding, close

To a train - the Germans took aim.

They fired at the English

Plane but the pilot undeterred led

Straight into them in return

Of fire, to scatter them about -

At 20ft to target the sheds again.

Firing last of his bullets the pilot

Lifted away to a cloud. With renewed

Ammunition this aerodrome

Saw the return of the flyer so

Low to skim the ground again,

Firing into hangers on mechanics.

Having left that aerodrome

In disarray, the English pilot came

Across two German officers

On horseback, to dive low

Over their heads; the horses bolted.

Further along from a height

the pilot swooped to a marching

German column, letting loose

Fire In their midst, they scattered

To seek safety in ditch and hedge.

Having used all ammunition

The pilot retreated to fix a third

Drum - he emerged from

Cloud to discover German

Craft in pursuit in ariel battle.

In evasive action and

Reaction the three fought briefly,

Until in pursuit a German

Crashed to ground to see

A German crowd gather round.

Without hesitation he turned

Again and targeted the crowd.

The British pilot left them

To encounter a civil train

Finishing bullets returned to base.

by Jamie Mann.

Gibb.P,1917. Heroic Airman In The Battle Of Flanders -Amazing Exploits. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 03 August 1917. P.5. Col.5-6. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214748/Daily-Telegraph-August-3-1917.html [Accessed: 06 August 2017].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 06 August 2017). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214748/Daily-Telegraph-August-3-1917.html

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

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Poem ~ Battle's Deluge, Friday 3 August 1917 - Sunday 5 August 1917

Source: File: Impression Sketch of Mud: Gilbert Rogers. See an original image at: <https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/mud-6619/search/actor:rogers-gilbert-18811956/page/1/view_as/grid> 
[Accessed 03 August 2017]

Rain, not just any old rain but heavy rain -

Wednesday 1 August 1917 - deceitfully

Mirrored an English Summer's day across

Flanders plains. Whilst hurried umbrellas

Populated English streets, the Tommy

And Poilu faced storm clouds; a job was

Underway for the third battle for Ypres.

A telegram penned by Sir Douglas Haig,

Written midday of the first August day,

Told of endless rainfall for 24 hours.

Through the darkness of sodden night,

An English line lay south of the Canal

Between Ypres-Comines - northwards

The enemy counter attacks opened up.

The heavy German counter attacks

Were actively repulsed, but by what

Cost? Ground held by allied artillery

In darkness, held onto the railway

Line between Ypres-Roulers - against

All odds night raids proved a success.

Raids include Bois Grenier - another

Telegram followed ten hours later  -

Haig told of further fierce counter

Attacks formed in strength northeast

Of Ypres, between the ground

St Julien and Westhoek - the allies

Held on against the enemy forces.

They clung to higher grounds taken

Tuesday - despite stubborn exchanges

Those advanced troops were forced

From St Julien - while Westhoek

Village experienced determined

Enemy; western outskirts were held.

Another operation had success.

A battle front line was redrawn,

Over Zillebeke- Zandvoorde road.

Fighting, as Haig wrote, continued

From afternoon at Reulers-Ypres

Railways lines, while Yser canal

Ground was gained on east side -

But do not envision a clean picture.

Rain, rain, rain over 24 hours - such

A consistent downpour like a grey

Steel blur - a salient in 360 degrees

Found the air awash. July had been

Fine, but delays for French readiness

Coincided with unrepentant rain -

Soaking, filthy and endlessly pouring.

In contrast rain elsewhere funnelled

By solid homes, where civil people

Emerged from doors to hurry along.

Young children might leap to slam

Feet hard into puddles, their mothers

Reprimand such childish behaviour;

A boot slides in Passchendaele mud.

Weighed down soldiers; a barrage of

Speeding shells slicing through rain

Slam into soft ground - a dank earth

Skewered by rain pellets and machine

Shells - both collide to explode forth

Spews of liquid mud clouds - amid

All this frail, determined men fought.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1917. Allied Advance In Flanders - Fierce Counter-Attacks - Over 5,000 Prisoners. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 01 August 1917. P.5. Col.4. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214749/Daily-Telegraph-August-2-1917.html [Accessed: 01 August 2017].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 01 August 2017). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214749/Daily-Telegraph-August-2-1917.html

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

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Poem ~ A Battle Opens - Wednesday, 1 August 1917

Source: File: German prisoners and British wounded crossing a duck board bridge over the Yser Canal. Near Boesinghe, 31 July 1917. See an original image at: <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Battle_of_Passchendaele,_July-november_1917_Q5726.jpg> [Accessed 01 August 2017]

One day had started - 'the day of battle

The world had waited for began.'

Such were words of war correspondent

Philip Gibbs - formed in acts of battle

Tactics; did that world include Germany?

Over land between Boesinghe to River

Lys, shoulder-to-shoulder French

And allied troopers began the fight - after

Intensity of bombardment and offence

Opened to soften the German side.

Along a 15-mile front French made their

Approaches over allied left shoulder.

Despite poor weather, the sector of Ypres

Neighbour villages fell from German

Hands - Steenstraete soon succumbed.

The Poilu had made great advances

In protection of the allied left flank -

Taking objectives within first few hours,

Two miles into enemy occupation

Another objective formed, Bixschoote.

In south easterly directions the mass

Of Poilu's advanced into Kortekeer,

Cabaret village - with other communes

Soon to follow - short hours later

German counter attacks were halted. 

From their centralised push the British

Made gain of two miles - objectives

Of Steebeek river crossings were taken.

With formation of two assurgent

Systems, assaults opened on targets.

St Julien, Frezenberg, Pikem along

With Verlorenhoek - strongholds

Of woods and farms reformed under

Hands of British - on the south

Flank first objectives were also gained.

Sanctuary Wood and Hooge village -

while Westhoek village witnessed

A vicious struggle - a mile reportedly

Taken. All about counter attacks

Were faced and held on: stalemate.

Success upon success - all within

Initial hours of fight to suggest

Great gains. Reports promised battle

Wins the world had awaited -

This might just be the breakthrough.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1917. Great Battle Of Flanders. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 01 August 1917. P.5. Col.4. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214747/Daily-Telegraph-August-1-1917.html [Accessed: 01 August 2017].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 01 August 2017). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214747/Daily-Telegraph-August-1-1917.html

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

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Poem ~ Third Year, 51 Weeks Of War - Monday, 30 July 1917

Source: File: Over German aerodrome. 
See an original image at: <http://www.earlyaeroplanes.com/archive3.htm> [Accessed 30 July 2017]

Along the battle front, into the Belgium sector

On the 4th day, 51st week in the 3rd year of war,

Artillery raged - reports verified by Douglas

Haig, described enemy artillery close

To Armentieres and coastal area North of Ypres.

Yet allied activity was equal in the air above,

On the 4th day, 51st week in the 3rd year of war.

Attacks carried out by the Royal Flying Corps

Led bombing attacks across German

Aerodromes, to number 4 to make destruction.

Downed aircraft of the enemy numbered 16;

On the 4th day, 51st week in the 3rd year of war.

The attack force flew 40 miles into territory

Of the enemy - the report for Friday,

Told that three allied craft remained missing.

While raids were made through high clouds,

On the 5th day, 51st week in the 3rd year of war,

Also saw night trench raids by British Tommy’s

At Fontaine-lez-Croisilles, Havrincourt

Fleurbix, Epehy and Rouex, in Ypres proximity.

Machine gun, trench mortar and 77 prisoners,

On the 5th day, 51st week in the 3rd year of war

Proved a prize - yet air battles also continued -

A great wave of high activity would have

Seen 14 downed enemy craft and 16 destroyed.

Not without cost, as 13 allied plane were lost,

On the 5th day, 51st week in the 3rd year of war.

Further bombing raids over 2 aerodromes

Whilst enemy railway stations suffered;

Flyers took out 2 German observation balloons.

Claims from a Berlin perspective entered news,

On the 5th day, 51st week in the 3rd year of war.

Their own pilots taking down 35 allied craft -

How one squadron shot downed 6 pilots,

While ground saw intensity of highest artillery.

French efforts proved successful defence, on

4th and 5th days, 51st week in the 3rd year of war,

Having repulsed German attacks over Chemin

De Dames - as were those in Champagne

And Meuse between Hill 304 and Avocourt Wood.

At La Bovelle to Hurtebise French took ground over

On 4th and 5th days, 51st week in the 3rd year of war.

by Jamie Mann.

Anon.,1917. The War - French Success - Activity In Flanders. The Daily Telegraph, [online] 30 July 1917. P.5. Col.1. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214740/Daily-Telegraph-July-30-1917.html [Accessed: 30 July 2017].

Mann, J., 2016. 100 years Ago - Poems by Jamie Mann. [letter] (Personal communication, 30 July 2017). 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ww1-archive/12214740/Daily-Telegraph-July-30-1917.html

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

#WW1 #WW1centenary #GreatWar #WW1poem #GreatWar #WW1centenary #worldwarone #worldwaroneremembered #WW1Belgium