The 23rd (Service) Battalion Royal Fusiliers (First Sportsman's) Part 8

"The first objective was quickly taken, and then there was a pause before the advance to the second. A large number of prisoners came in, and were herded up near Battalion headquarters' trench. We then found that we were up against the Brandenburg Regiment, which had been specially sent up to hold the wood.

"A number of these prisoners next got into a sh.e.l.l-hole near Battalion headquarters, refusing to come farther, and one of the funniest sights was to see our R.S.M., Sergeant-Major Powney, who, as a rule, was most dignified, rush at them, and kick and cuff them out of it.

"I said to him: 'Sergeant-Major, that's not your job.' He replied: 'I know that, sir, but I couldn't help it.' Poor Powney was wounded later in the day, and died of his wounds.

"The advance to the second objective started promptly, but the Hun fought hard for a time, and held us up. Every bush seemed to contain a machine gun, and a redoubt on our left front caused us many casualties. This redoubt contained several machine guns, with overhead cover, and a first-aid post. As soon as the C.O. received news of this check he sent up two reserve Lewis guns. These worked round the redoubt, and, finding an opening, killed most of the garrison, and then rushed it. The survivors fled, but Sergeant Royston found one of their own guns was still in action, and finished them off with it.

"DEALING WITH COUNTER-ATTACKS.--The final objective was quickly reached and consolidated, and for a while our men had a pleasant time dealing with counter-attacks from the front. The field of fire was good, and they quickly dealt with all the attempts made to push us back. Our casualties, though, were very heavy, particularly amongst officers. At one time 'A' Company was commanded by Lance-Corporal Goodman, and another company by a C.S.M.

"Then the Hun artillery got busy on the wood, which was, of course, an ideal mark. For the rest of the day they simply poured heavy sh.e.l.ls in. It was pretty terrible. Trees were torn up by the dozens, and fell blazing. By the end of the day there was nothing but shattered stumps.

"The Medical Officer had a busy time, and owing to the barrage could not evacuate his wounded. The aid post was filled, and the overflow had to be put in sh.e.l.l-holes round about. The consequence was that many of them were killed as they lay there. Owing to the barrage, too, the sending of messages back to Brigade headquarters and the companies in front became almost impossible. Out of sixteen headquarter runners no fewer than fourteen became casualties before mid-day.

"One message was sent back by carrier pigeon, and a message received from the Brigadier read: 'Hold on. Reinforcements are being sent.' The reply of the C.O. was: 'Of course we shall hold on. We are being hammered, but our tails are still up.'

"As the day wore on many efforts were made to get round our flanks and turn us out. Bombing parties crept up, and had to be dealt with by our bombers. It was in one of these tussles that Jerry Delany (the famous boxer) was killed.

"At one time word came from our comrades on the right that the Hun had broken through. So we sent over a party to their a.s.sistance, and finally repelled the attackers. We spent the whole of the afternoon and evening in this way, but when our relief came up that night we handed over the wood intact.

"The scene at night was awful, the wood being ablaze in many places. I read messages and wrote out the relief orders by the light of a blazing tree, which had fallen across the sh.e.l.l-hole then being occupied by Battalion headquarters.

"During the night our Brigadier came up and held a conference in our sh.e.l.l-hole. One of our men, Corporal Walker, who was attached to the Brigade Machine-Gun Company, came to this conference, and when asked by the Brigadier what he wanted, replied: 'I have reason to believe, sir, I now command the Machine-Gun Company.' This was actually the case, and he brought the remnants out, being badly wounded in doing so.

"We were relieved by the 6th Brigade, and at dawn returned to our quarters at Bernefay--that is to say, those of us who were left. Our casualties were nearly 400, over 60 per cent, of those who went in.

Out of eighteen officers who went into the wood, thirteen became casualties, every company commander being included in this number, while the 1/60th suffered equally heavily.

"As I was making out our casualty return in our headquarters'

sh.e.l.l-hole by the light of the blazing trees, our Quartermaster appeared with the rations. He threw a newspaper down to me, with the remark: 'You'll find something interesting in that.' I opened the paper, and found a full column describing how the South Africans took Delville Wood!

"When we were moving back into support, I noticed a horrible smell, and found it was due to the fact that almost every man was smoking a Hun cigar, large quant.i.ties of which had been found in the trenches, together with large quant.i.ties of soda-water.

"One of the Hun officer prisoners remarked that our advance through the wood was the finest thing they ever saw, but that he objected to being captured by civilians."

SOME LIGHTER STORIES.--Another story of Delville Wood, introducing the M.O.

"During the Delville Wood show a captured Hun Red Cross man was lending a hand in the Battalion aid post. Suddenly a scuffle was heard on the steps of the dug-out, and the prisoner went to see what was the matter. 'What's happened?' asked Doc. Isaac, busily engaged in bandaging a wounded man.

"'Oh, it's only some of those b---- Bosches!' was the reply...."

There were many middle-aged men in the First Sportsman's. This introduces one of them.

"The Battalion was marching down the main street of Carnoy when a charming French girl of about eighteen dashed into the line of route, evidently with the idea of 'parleyvooing' with one of the young sports. She commenced in a breezy manner chatting with my father, a youngster of fifty, not noting, at first, his grey hair. Suddenly he turned his head toward her and smiled. 'Oh, papa!' she e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed, and fled...."

The Quartermaster is a noted personage in the Army. This is to introduce him.

"While the Battalion was at Aix Neulette the transport came under sh.e.l.l-fire one morning. The sh.e.l.ls came nearer and nearer, in a direct line with the water-carts, highly polished, the pride of the corporal in charge. The personnel eventually thought fit to take shelter in an adjacent sh.e.l.l-hole until the Hun had finished his unpleasant pranks.

"Over came the fifth sh.e.l.l with a whistle and a scream, and--bang!--up went the two carts in the air, while sh.e.l.l fragments flew all over the place. Hanging on a line were various articles of was.h.i.+ng, the clean clothes of the water-cart crew. These were in the line of fire, and as a consequence were well perforated.

"Now comes the sequel. They were taken to the Quartermaster on the following morning, and, so it is said, he refused to replace them _on the ground that the holes were not the result of fair wear and tear_!..."

Two gentlemen rankers are introduced here.

"After some months of hard roughing it, two of the Battalion cooks decided to apply, modestly, for commissions. So they duly appeared before the Colonel. But the summons to attend did not give them time in which to get out of their cooking rig, and the sergeant paraded them in their old overalls.

"'Hem. Where were you educated?' asked the Colonel of one man.

"'Rugby and Oxford,' was the reply.

"'And what were you in private life?' asked the Colonel, turning to the other.

"'A painter.'

"'A painter?' queried the Colonel.

"'Yes, sir. I have exhibited at the Royal Academy....'"

Many Germans left London when the war started, to fight against us.

This is one of them, turned up as a prisoner.

"We were up the line one day when a patrol brought in a Hun prisoner.

Of course we wanted information, for we were expecting an attack of some sort that very night. So we hauled our man up before the C.O. and started asking him questions. We tried him in German, and got no reply. We tried French with him, and it had no result. Then, seeing he was eyeing a water-bottle eagerly, I suddenly thought he might be thirsty.

"'Ask him if he would like a drink,' I suggested.

"'I should,' came the reply, in quite as good English as I could have spoken myself. Naturally I was surprised, and I asked him where he had learnt his English.

"'In London, sir,' was the rejoinder. 'I worked as a barber close to Holborn for years.'

"We gave him a little drink of whisky, and he told us there would be no attack that night. But we took no chances. A guard, with fixed bayonet, was placed over him, and he was told in English that he would be the first to get his medicine if he had played us false.

"He had not, however. No attack was made, and he was sent back behind the lines to the 'cage' next day...."

Another.

Overheard in the ranks on the march up the Cambrai Road in a snow-storm to take over at Bourlon Wood.