World War 1 - An Unkept Promise By it for Christmas or Purchase "The Great Promise" on Amazon
Dec. 13th
Marched to PONT DE
NEIPPE and billeted in a farm just outside the village. [We] could hear the old
familiar sounds in the distance, the rockets from the trenches.
Dec 14th
Marched through
PLOEGSTRESTTE, [sic] and took up position beside the 35th Btty,
behind a ruined chateau, on the grounds of which had once been a beautiful
garden.
We ran our line
beyond the chateau to some ruined houses, from where we had a good view of the
German trenches and MESSINES beyond.
On my way back, I
went into a partly wrecked house and was surprised to find a young woman and
her brother, and her five little children. The baby I took from its bed, for it
reminded me of my own, she gave me some hot milk. As well as I could I tried to
induce her to go away to a safe place, but she would not. She told me her
husband a soldier, had been killed. I was rather upset I think over the poor
little kiddies – I gave them my peppermints and odd money and came away. I
never had time to go that way again, but I thought of the kiddies very often.
Dec. 18th to 20th
Remained in position for a bombardment
of MESSINES. Did little firing until 20th, when the bombardment took
place – it was horrific, but we had nothing much at the guns in return. The
wagon line was shelled out in the morning, but fortunately only one man was
wounded. We left position at 5 o’clock and marched back to our rest billet.
Dec. 21st
to 23rd
Remained in rest
billet until morning of 23rd, then marched to BETHUNE and billeted
in a school house.
George and I
having no blankets, resolved to find a bed somewhere, and while asking a
Frenchman in our best French, his daughter came along and invited us to their
house, which was only a little way down the street. They were very poor, but
treated us handsomely.
The
mother, an elderly woman, doted on us, [and] gave us as much as we could
possibly eat and drink. [She] made us up a bed on the floor, she called us at
3:15 am and had coffee ready for us. On leaving [she] was indignant when we
went to make payment.
We marched at 4:30 am towards LA BASSEE
to take up position. It was Christmas Eve – a very grim Christmas Eve, and my
thoughts were far away.
Dec. 24th
We took up
position at CAMBRIN, CUINCHY and GIVENCHY were just on our left; all were in a
state of ruin, for heavy scrapping had been recently taking place.
George and I took over the wires of the 47th
Btty, and were very busy firing up our communications. We had a grand observing
station – a ruined brewery – It was beautifully furnished – but everything was
ruined, lovely carved furniture and ornaments –
in pieces – a piano, and large gramophone, everything had been left as
it stood. I secured plates, cups and an assortment of cooking utensils and took
[them] back to the guns.
Late that night I
had orders, to get into communication with 2nd Infantry Brigade. It
was uncomfortable laying the line on account of rifle bullets, but did the job
without mishap and got back to my dugout.
The thoughts of
the previous Christmas Eve were with me, and I felt anything but happy.
Dec. 25th
I forgot it was
Christmas Day for I was busy firing up communications all day. All was very
quiet – it was a mutual truce.
I had a piece of bacon for dinner – one of the
chaps secured a chicken and some vegetables, and at night we had a feast.
George came down from the observing station, and with couple more, we went to a
large house nearby and collared a piano, and brought it to the guns.
We had a concert,
it was not a great success – but we made the best of it. There were many poor
devils much more worse off than us.
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