Our Despatches from the Front.
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Rescuing a Repair Wagon—Indians on the Buses Transport Columns Under Fire—The Fate oi the Five Ammunition Lorries.
These messages have been submitted to and censored by the Press Bureau, which does not object to their publication but lakes no responsibility for the correctness of the statements contained therein.—ED, MEM Col. INEM Co., A.S.C., M.T.
27th October, 1914.
Incidents en Route: Shells and Cavalry.
On the jth inst. the column started for a run to 11111111111111111111 in Belgium. 1 was left behind at the railhead to wait for a motorcycle which required some slight repairs. I then rejoined the column, a lorry being lett at a predetermined point with a note as to where it was to be found, this lorry, of course, coming on with me.
We always run to a point somewhere ia the neigh bourhood of the bivouacs, and wait there until it is known for certain where the troops will spend the night, or at least the first part of the latter ; sometimes the wait may be one of several hours, at other times only one, Driving Under the Guns.
On my arrival I handed over the cycle to its owner, and, my motorcycle being still in dock, I rode on the front of a Daimler ; this vehicle was separated from the others in order to deliver its load. On the way we passed within a few yards of a battery of our large garrison-artillery guns, which had to stop firing while we went by, as the shells were gassing just over the tops of the hedges and would no doubt have created an untavourable impression on our vehicle if they had hit it.
On our return, along a somewhat narrow road, we were unfortunate enough to encounter a detachment of British cavalry proceeding in the same direction ; this occupied both sides of the road and most of the middle, making progress a matter of great difficulty, as the horses seemed quite to enjoy impeding us by swinging out across the road.
A Run With All Lights Out.
On the Inith inst. we again ran into Belgium, and I was sent to accompany a convoy of some 10 vehicles. This run was one of the best tests for the men that we have yet had. All lights were extinguished, but the way was partly lighted by two conflagrations in the town which we were approaching ; apart from the glare of the flames the sky was quivering with the flashes of our guns, and starred here and there by bursting shells. The town had been. shelled all day by the enemy, and during the morning things became so warm that our troops were forced to vacate it, only, however, to return in the afternoon.
Delivering to the Trenches.
Our trenches were situated only a few hundred yards-from the town, and several of our cars had to deliver directly to them, a performance which is, I believe, without precedent in this or any other war. Meanwhile the other vehicles delivered in the town, in momentary expectation of being shelled. While we were there, a sudden burst of rifle fire occurred, accomnanied a little later by the spasmodic ripple of a Maxim ; the firing lasted for about 10 mins., gradually lulling into silence. I heard later that this excitement was caused by the approach of a German patrol.
On the return I took the lead on my motorcycle, which was once more in service, and we arrived back at the railhead about midnight. can1
Passing Masses of Moving Troops.
The following morning, just as we were preparing breakfast, the order Caine to start up at once and to proceed to another raalnead some 14 miles away. So sadly but rapidly we packed up our cooking utensils and forthwitn "proceeded." iVtore trouble was, how ever,Gearless"
ever in store for us ; on our way we met dozens of " .M.E.T." and " omnibuses, laden with Indian troops. After these came raassas of marching infantry, some of the Bengal Lancers, artillery and transport. At one part the road was very soft at the sides and rather too much cambered, and in passing the troops nearly all our lorries crawled along crabwise, the last one, which happened to be a tiavelling workshop and naturally very heavy, unfortunately slid a little further than the others and remained mudlogged.
Rescuing a Repair Wagon.
Twenty or so of the Indians, in response to weird commands from an officer, attempted to push the vehicle out, but all their efforts proved futile and they retired in disorder. Finally, the offender was extracted by using two vans to tow it from the front, while another ran by the side and kept it from slipping sideways, a chain being attached to the backs of the two for that purpose. That 14 miles took us something like seven hours, and we were not sorry when we reached our destination,
"Fares, Please."
It was certainly very amusing to see the buses full of dusky warriors • they would have created great excitement in London. Of course, most of the drivers had friends among our men, and many and varied were the remarks passed between them the one which caught my fancy the most was "Have you collected the fares yet mate? " All the buses were Daimlers, but they were followed by three "B-types." On the U inst. the column started at 9 a.m. for a run from our new railhead. I was left behind to bring on two vehicles which were transferring loads, and after this was finished we started. On our way we found a dozen vehicles which had lost sight of the main column owing to one of their number getting into a ditch : these we brought on also and soon caught up with the column.
A Short Cut Ending in a Bog.
Owing to a mechanical breakdown, the two last vehicles were left behind at a town on the way, and I was sent back to find them. After reaching the town I thought that I would take a short (l) cut, which
according to my map would take use back to the column. People I consulted told me that the road was absolutely direct; it may have been that, but after I had proceeded down it for some miles, and was within a mile or so of the column, it developed into an impassable bog some 6 ms. deep. At this point I found three women, praying by the light of a lantern, in front of a large crucifix. I hardly. liked to disturb their devotions, which I suppose were for loved ones at the war, but the exigencies of the occasion demanded it, so I had to. They .directed me to a by-road which took me about six miles out of my way, and in addition was very rough and greasy ; however, 1 eventually reached the column, vowing that I would never take short (I ) cuts again, in spite of what people recommended.
On this run some of the vehicles again delivered to the trenches and drew a few stray shots, which fortunately did no damage. I was told that a bullet glanced off one of the cars, but I cannot vouch for the accuracy of the statement.
Some Things That Don't Happen.
Great amusement is caused out here by the descriptions of truly marvellous and impossible exploits supposed to have been performed by some of our men. I enclose a cutting from "The Newcastle Weekly Chronicle," which truly deserves to receive the " John Bull" biscuit. It describes how five motor lorries, carrying ammunition, were cut off by the Germans ; the men, "after blowing up the ammunition," escaped; one, however, hid in a wood, and the -enemy, finding the ammunition destroyed, departed. The remaining driver then came forth and " seeing that the wheels of the lorries were intact, managed to get one of the engines going. He hitched the ether four behind, and slowly brought the convoy into the British camp." [We ridiculed this report, to which wide publicity was given, in our issue for the 22nd October.—En.]
What the Driver might Have Done.
I am still wondering how he managed to steer the four behind. Perhaps he removed his leather bootlaces and used them as reins ; it is certainly quite as feasible as. the rest of the story. There is also the question as to whether the brave drivers unloaded the ammunition before blowing it up. If not, the rescuer was quite wise to examine the wheels before starting up ; it would have been a pity to have left them by the roadside--a good job requires a good finish. I also regret:to .note that the writer omitted to state that a large number of the enemy, who were rendered unc,on,selous'By the explosion, were lifted into the lorries and taken away as prisoners.
28t1. October, 1914.
Last night I had to wait with another man for a -convoy, and as it began to pour in torrents we wandered into a little Belgian cafe for a game of darts. At first I played with the proprietor, who was an expert at dart throwing from a distance of about six -feet, ibut when I took him on at 12 he failed dismally.
How the Germans Retired.
• One old chap in the café gave me a graphic description of how the enemy was ejected from the place. The Germans had stolen almost everything he hadi including a pair of boots and a shirt, but he seemed quite cheerful, though rather anxious to • knind, whether there was ,any likelihood of them." returning: Re said that the first he knew of the British attack was when a, crowd of Germans ran down the street in great confusion; he peeped round the door of his house and saw .horses and men falling everywhere, particularly When one of our Maxims opened fire ; in order to escape the bullets, which were flying -everywhere, he then lay down flat on the floor and did not rise until the shooting had ceased. Another, man told-me that, after stealing most of his pos"SessionEn the Auns.thode him run down the street while they fired athim ; bullets hummed past his head and body, but he escaped unhurt.
The Comfortable Austin.
The convoy of 10 or so vehicles turned up at 11 p.m. The roads were in a filthy state, so I placed my motorcycle on a lorry and rode on the driving -seat of the foremost vehicle. which happened to be an Austin. Though the night was rather cold 1 kept thoroughly warm there, owing to the radiator being inside the dashboard ; side curtains also prevented the warmth from being dissipated too rapidly.
A Driver Who Went to Sleep.
The distance we had to travel home was about 25 miles ; we ha,d done about three-quarters of this when we were stopped at a level-crossing; restarting, we proceeded slowly until we saw what we thought was all the rest of the convoy following us-; we then proceeded at a fair pace to our destination. On our arrival we found that a part of the convoy was still sonic little way off, and when it came up we noticed that one vehicle was missing. The explanation was, however, soon forthcoming. At the crossing one of the drivers had gone to sleep and the two cars behind him remained in blissful ignorance of the departure of the front vehicles. A little later, however, the gates being open, the others began to think something was the matter, and quickly discovered the culprit.; he, rudely awakened, darted off before any directions could be given, and., of couise, missed the right turn-. ing . it was no good following him, so the others proceeded in the correct direction, arriving at I a.m. this morning, thelost sheep straying back to the fold some hours later.
Whetting Their Appetites.
On our way home last night we passed a column consisting of 40 "B-type" London buses.; these are the first 1 have seen on the Continent; Some of them still bore their advertisement plates, some of which seemed extremely sarcastic, to wit, Dewar's Whisky, Johnnie Walker, etc.