Our Despatches from the Front.
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Good Health With the Transport-180 Bullet Holes in an Ambulance—How the Bus Drivers Captured 17 Uhlans— Convoys Under Shell Fire.
These messages have been submitted to and censored by the Press Bureau, which does not object to their publication but takes no responsibility for the correctness of the statements contained therein.—ED.
Casualties Due to Narrow Roads and Mud. EMEMMIMEMMINME MN Supply Column, MN M.T. Co. A.S.C., British Expeditionary Force,
One of the worst cases which I personally observed was due to a three-tonner's skidding round whilst mounting a hill. At the side to which it skidded was a steep declivity leading down into a valley ; one back wheel went right over while the other remained about S ins, from the edge and the whole vehicle hung over at an angle of about 45 degrees. Fortunately the differential and gearbox buried themselves in the soft ground, and prevented any backward movement. It looked as if the frame had been very badly strained, but the van was successfully rescued, and is running as well as ever ; it may be of interest to note that it was a Commerear.
Australian Tinned Beef in German Trenches.
While travelling near old German bivouacs, I have noticed with surprise that the German troops are provided with canned beef (bully), exported from New South Wales. It seemed to me to be incongruous that the enemy should be feeding on provisions provided by a British possession. I suppose, however, that that is simply a question of commerce before the war. At any rate the Germans do not like " bully " and prefer what we have, at least so the prisoners say.
"What the W.D. Tells Us."
I think that after the war, THE COMMERCIAL MOTOR should approach the War Office for a "What Users Tell Us" interview. I am afraid that it would be an impossible task to get a comprehensive photo. of the machines, or rather all that is left of them.
Travelling In Too Close Order.
I have seen many vehicles damaged, owing to the drivers' keeping the machines too closely in touch in convoy. The front ones stop suddenly for some reason, and the rear ones run into them. In one case a Leyland ran into.a Commercar, smashing in its own radiator, and pushing the latter car into the back of another vehicle with the result that the Commercar radiator was also forced back slightly obstructing the fan. The Leyland is still running well with many of its radiator tubes plugged with wood ; it certainly now looks a very old crock, as both radiator side flanges were broken in the middle. One of our men effected a very neat repair on the former ; the radiator is held down by bolts passing through large fibre bushes ; these were split and the two halves of each placed at the inner sides of the side flange holes, thus holding the radiator forward about in., which was sufficient to allow it to clear the fan. Quite ingenious, eh?
Moroccan's Khaki Faces.
The native troops from Morocco and elsewhere, who are in service here with the French, present a very curious appearance ; they are garbed in long red c20
cloaks fitted with a kind of monk's cowl which comes to a point at the back of the head and baggy blue trousers. Most of them are horsemen, and I shall -always remember my first encounter with one of these gentlemen. It was just getting dark when suddenly a strange apparition loomed before my cycle, which luckily did not shy. It appeared to have a void in place of a face, but in the void I could just discern the glint of white eyeballs ; when quite close I could make out a laughing, black, or dark-brown, face, and the apparition said, " Bon soir, monsieur." Since then I have seen hundreds of them, and jolly fellows they are, besides being wonderful fighters. The German prisoners are very frightened of them. Our cavalry, who cannot look after prisoners, sometimes have to hand a few over to them to escort back to a depot, and their terror is obvious in face of the fierce looks and strange guttural threats showered upon them.
Again the "Skinner and Rook."
The Skinner and Rook Albion is now being made very comfortable as a dormitory. Nails and hooka have been put in all round its interior to receive coats and knapsacks, while a shelf placed across its inner end suffices for heavy kit-bags ; six men now use the vehicle at night, one or more sleeping on the front and the rest inside. Very often the van is loaded, but fortunately it usually carries sacks of oats which make fairly comfortable beds.
Good Health of the Transport. No Doctor.
We of the motor transport are not provided with a doctor ;.at first this was considered, but the average health of the men proved so good that the idea WILS dropped. Certainly we have had very few cases of illness, though I am afraid that, if this bad weather continues, there may be an increase. The only serious accident that I have heard of in our column occurred, strange to say, to a trooper who had been sent to look after some material we were carrying at the time ; he was run over by a horse van which one of our lorries was towing. I have not heard of him since, but believe he was in a serious condition.
Peaceful and Warlike Surroundings.
The scenery through which we run is sometimes beautiful beyond description ; this specially applies to roads which follow the winding of some river, where vineyards, etc., slope gently down to the banks. One can hardly imagine that the grim spectre of war is stalking within a few miles until one is awakened to its reality by the sight of a recent battlefield still strewn with dead horses and accoutrements. Fortunately the dead and wounded have in most cases been removed by the Sanitary Corps or the inhabitants, but this is not always completely so.
180 Bullet Holes in a British Ambulance.
Motor ambulances are doing a great deal of useful work in removing the wounded ; the French have a large number of them.
The American motor ambulances are doing splendid work all over the country, but even they are being fired upon. One of our British motor ambulances in 'one battle received 180 holes from bullets, shrapnel, and pieces of shell, and the weight of metal inside it was weighed and found to turn the scale at 300 lb. In spite of this
nothing vital was injured and the vehicle was able to return.
Last night the Germans tried a bayonet charge on our trenches, and were repulsed with terrible slaughter. I was told that 4000 dead were buried this morning by our troops, and, strange to say, practically none of our men was injured. The Germans could not get near enough before our artillery and rifles mowed them down.
MEM Supply Column, In Co. M.T., A.S.C. British Expeditionary Force,
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Just now the working of our column has settled down to an almost steady routine. We work in conjunction with another column in supplying the same troops, and it is simply a question of being at the railhead for loading on one day and of delivering provisions on the next. This is much better than when the railhead was far back, as then the runs were very arduous. If we move forward very rapidly again, the same conditions as previously, or worse, may occur, unless the railhead can be shifted in time. However, we are all taking the utmost advantage of the 'present comparatively slack period in order to rest for what may come. During the retiring movement, the lorries were sometimes in imminent danger of capture, but at present, apart from a few instances when they are running the gauntlet of the enemy's fire they are almost safe.
Great Pot-holes Made by Shells.
Some of the roads 'over which a number of convoys run regularly every day are getting in a very bad condition, especially in wet weather. Pot-holes are developing rapidly, and these are accentuated in many places by the presence of large holes made by shells. The latter set the vehicles bouncing and cause a series of pot-holes at each side. Of course, the shell holes are filled up wherever possible, but the material used is generally softer than the road. Squads of French soldiers have been detailed off to dig away the deep accumulations of mud both on and at the sides of the road, and they are now slightly better in wet weather, but the rough surface is very trying to the tempers of both men and springs. It is interesting to note that no steam rollers seem to be used in road construction here in France, at least I have seen none, but I have noticed a number of horsed rollers lying by the sides of the roads. The Government should send out some of those Barford and Perkins.
Present Wheels Cannot be Bettered.
It would be interesting, if there were time, to make experiments with large and small-diameter wheels, although I am quite convinced that the wheels at present in use could hardly be bettered. The strains and vibration that they are called upon to stand are ten times more severe than when under ordinary working conditions. Some df the roads are very badly rutted, and I am afraid that wheels of much larger diameter would be unduly weakened, especially as it is vastly important that the weight should not be increased to any great extent. Our present vehicles will climb anything and go anywhere that the tires will bite, and I do not think that more than that can be expected ; they are often driven over roads damaged by the blowing up of bridges, etc., and yet where horses go they can go.
Looking Out for the B-tvprs.
I have been on the watch for the familiar London General Omnibus Co.'s buses, but up to the present have not seen one. There are a few "B "-type lorries, but nothing like the number which I expected. Shortly after our landing, we all thought that, we should see hundreds of double-deck buses c22 filled with troops and others used as ambulances but our ,expectations have not been fulfilled and everyone is asking "Where are the buses?"
A Captured Convoy and a Plucky Driver.
Some time .ago an exciting incident occurred to one of our divisional convoys. Late one night the convoy passed through a village and then into a field through which the road ran. In this field the convoy was aniazed to find another convoy consisting of the following vehicles, three Dennis lorries two Daimlers, a private car and two motorcycles. 'Some a these still had their engines running. In the centre of the field was a burning haystack mums mommini The officer in charge of the convoy gave the order "For God's sake don't speak men, and turn round as quickly and as quietly as possible." This the men were not loth to do, as at the far end of the field they could perceive a number of Uhlans. Luckily all escaped by returning through the same village, though one broke down a little distance away with a broken throttle rod, which the driver -pluckily stopped to repair, though urged by some of his comrades to leave with them. The convoy on this occasion turned round in a ploughed field. If it had been a soaking night, it would certainly have got bogged and captured. It is interesting to note that most of the other convoy was recaptured next morning, while the men, who had been taken prisoners by the Germans, also escaped.
Tactful Training for A.S.C. Recruits.
I would like to draw particular attention to the officers in my particular column ; others I cannot speak for except from hearsay, although I believe the case is the same Throughout they have treated the men with the greatest consideration, with the result that they would now follow them anywhere. The difficulties which have had to be surmounted were great. The London bus drivers, as a class, are a very independent set of men, and it was wonderfully amusing, while we were still in England, to hear one of them go up to his captain and say, "I say, boss, what about my dinner?" It took quite a long time to tame some of them down, but both the officers and the non-corns. went about it with the 'greatest tact, though they might, of course, if they had wished, used vigorous methods. The results have been most heartening.
Over a Road That Was Badly Shelled.
Two days ago I was sent out to accompany a, convoy of some ten vehicles loaded with rations. The day previous to this I had been saying that things were almost monotonously quiet, but on this journey I got excitements with a vengeance. The first part of the journey was over a road which had been severely shelled, with the result that it was almost riddled with huge holes five feet across and about a foot deep. At each side of the road, where the ground was wet, the holes were much deeper and earth had been flung right over the road itself. We had previously been informed that we were liable to be shelled at any moment, but along this road nothing special happened, except that the vehicles almost broke their springs in the holes, and I, on my motorcycle, wondered several times where I should land when I came off.
Further on, the main road passed over an iron bridge which had been smashed by shells from one of the huge siege guns possessed by the enemy. They had had many tries at it, for within a radius of 100 yards the shells had made holes 6 ft. or more across and 4 ft. to 5 ft. deep. We found lumps of shell 8 ins. long, 5 ins, wide, and over 1 in. thick: Of course, we could not cross this bridge, so had to make our way through another town ; just as we were Passing through this a shell exploded 50 yards above the front vehicle, behind which I was cycling. We expected more, but luckily none came.
Noise of Shells Like Rending Calico.
A mile or so further on we crossed an exposed, wood bridge, and then half a. mile of open road. Just as we reached shelter in a village a few shells were dropped near the bridge. I was only waiting for some papers before returning by the same route to the captain, and on receipt of these I set off on my motorcycle. When I was about 300 yards from the bridge, four shells exploded almost simultaneously a few yards above it. I stopped for a few seconds to consider matters, but as no more came, I made a rush across and, though I had to come through the thick, evil-smelling smoke, arrived safely m the village close by. During most of the rest of the journey I was in front of our own guns ; they were firing over my head and, though the shells passed high above me, I could distinctly feel the puff of air as they went by. At a distance the noise made by them is a peculiar whistling moan, but close to it resembles the noise made in rending calico.
A Fall Into a Shell Hole.
Oq the way I stopped and inquired from an officer as to whether I was on the right road. He said "Yes, but go like hell, where it is open." I obeyed his instructions, with the result that I received a. jolt which shook every bone in my body, and made me think, when I had recovered my wits, that my motorcycle must be smashed. I had fallen down and bumped out of a large shell-hole, but fortunately, owing to the stout construction of my Douglas, no damage was done to it. No further episodes beyond a few lesser jars occurred and I arrived " home " safely.
Carrying 6000 Emergency Rations.
Yesterday, which should really have been a. rest day, I was despatched with a lorry to deliver some 6000 emergency rations, in quantities which, in some cases, were below 50; this meant a tremendous amount of searching for troops in outlying villages, while the mere counting of the tins took considerable time. Luckily, I was well provided with maps, and, by arranging the "ports of call" beforehand., I was able to do the whole work without traversing the same ground twice.
First "C.M." Arrives at the Front.
The first complete • copy of the " C.M." arrived quite safely, and was handed over by the postcorporal to the accompaniment of cheers ; it is now being eagerly sought after by both officers and men, all of whom are personally interested, in my previous letters which you published. One officer said that he was particularly pleased, as he had forgotten many of the incidents, and had kept no diary. In the future he would be able to purchase copies of " C.M." and thus keep a permanent record of interesting occurrences.
Special Reservists Capture Uhlans.
I enclose a photograph of some of our M.T. men who captured a party of 17 German Uhlans. As the incident will probably prove of interest to many " C.M." readers I will describe it in detail.
One night, some weeks ago, at about 11.30, a Frenchman, in a wildly excited state, accosted an M.T. sergeant and informed him that a party of Uhlans had billeted themselves at his farm house. The sergeant, being of an adventurous disposition, determined to capture them, and waking up some of the "four-pounders," as the special reserves are called, asked them if they had pluck enough to assist him. They promptly assented, and the party was guided by the farmer to his house. On arrival, the men were fortunate enough to surprise the enemy, and one who could speak German informed the Uhlans that a large British force was waiting outside. The Germans said that if they were to be prisoners of the English they would gladly surrender ; MIME 11•111111111111111111111111111•111•••••••••11111111111111111111
On the assurance that the English would hold them, they gave up their arms. One of the prisoners had a nasty wound in the thigh from a shrapnel bullet, and another was wounded elsewhere, so a cart was commandeered to convey them to the column, which was reached in safety. The sergeant can be seen in the back row of the photograph, while the man who spoke to the Uhlans in their native tongue is the first one at the left of the front row.
Column Headquarters Now Fully Organized.
Each column now has its own " headquarters " ; this consists of a number of spare lorries and a staff of smiths, fitters and electricians. " Headquarters " proper remains at the railhead, and is an entirely separate unit, usually situated at some little distance from the column. Any lorries which require repairs are sent there and returned to the column as soon as possible, a spare vehicle being utilized meanwhile. Lorries which would previously have had to be abandoned are now, wherever possible, repaired, but spares are not yet forthcoming in any considerable quantities, and bolts and nuts are at a premium ! When motorcycles fail, two are usually combined together to produce a complete one in good order, i.e., one may have a seized engine and another a badlybuckled frame. In this ease the good engine on the latter machine is put into the frame of the former.