Chapter Thirteen
That evening orders arrived for the Battalion and we were gathered together and told that we would be relieving a Welsh Battalion and taking over their section of trenches tomorrow while they went into reserve. We breakfasted in the morning and then started our steady march up to the front line as we got closer we could hear the crump thump of shells and trench-mortars and we also fancied that we could hear the rattle of machine gun fire. We filed into a communications trench and began to make our way down it as we walked along it was just about wide enough to accommodate a man with a pack on. As we filed along I looked up and saw that the trench wall was about seven feet high so all you could see was a patch of sky and the mans pack in front of you. It had been raining persistently again and there were no duckboards in these communication trenches and the chalky soil held the water which we now waded through. We now had to wait in the reserve trenches and we spent the rest of the day trying to get some shut eye or smoking and talking quietly. Then in the evening a guide led us forward but every few seconds we would halt and it was not until we got up to where the guide was that we saw why. There was an open road that ran through here and the reserve trenches finished only to restart on the opposite side so the guide was sending squads of men across this open section to the opposite side. We heard a machine gun start up and the guide said to us. “Hurry now get across the road the Hun has a machine gun fixed on it.” We ran across and dived into the trench on the other side as the machine gun chattered into life and sent a few bursts our way we all made it safely though. We walked along other communications trenches and then we heard firing very close by and a flare arced up into the sky bursting and bathing everything in its bright white light. Then we heard Captain Melstone say. “Right you men fall out in this part of the trench and listed to what the men here have to say because it just might save your lives”, this was it then we had reached the front line.
Frank and I ended up sharing a bay with a small bright eyed cockney bloke who had dark hair and a gravy dipper moustache. Frank asked him. “How are things on this part of the front line?” The man replied. “Non to bad it could be a lot worse but mark what I am saying to you watch out for their snipers dead keen in this sector they are.” Frank and I looked at each other as he continued. “Apart from the morning and evening hate we tend to let each other alone live and let live as you might say. But every now and again some brainless Staff Walla comes up with a bright idea and all hell breaks loose of course their not bothered because they aren’t here.” I asked him. “What’s a cockney doing with a Welsh Battalion I thought you would be with one of the London mobs?” He looked a little confused for a moment as he said. “Oh I see what you mean well it is like this the trouble and strife is Welsh that’s the wife to you and we live in Wales so when this lot started I enlisted and got put in this mob.” I looked at him and asked. “Isn’t it strange being with strangers it would be for me I couldn’t imagine not being with my pals?” He laughed as he replied. “These aren’t strangers half of the lads are related to my missus and my four brothers in law are here twenty of us from the same village joined up together.” He looked at us and then continued saying. “I would not be with another mob for all the tea in China and when they sing it makes your heart swell with pride.” He looked down the trench and then bent double he got up from his position he said. “Come on then I had better show you the observation post and what not but keep your noggins down because these German snipers never miss so be warned.
We reached the observation post and we could see that a slit had been left in the sandbags only it was covered over at the moment. The Welshman who was on duty was observing the ground to his front through a trench periscope which he would turn to scan the landscape. Jack Lewis the small cockney who was guiding us said. “Always look through the periscope never be tempted to look through the observation slit.” He spoke to the sentry who had his eye glued to the periscope saying. “Isn’t that right Owen we had one silly sod a few days ago who had a nosey through the slit and they shot him through the head.” Owen looked down on us from the fire step and I could see that he must have been a miner because he carried the blue scars of his trade like tattoos on his skin he said. “Bloody silly yon man was they hit him dead centre of the forehead blood and brains all over the place poor sod never knew what hit him boyo.” Jack Lewis continued. “That’s right so if you want a quick trip to the potter’s field just show your face at that slit.” I noticed that further down a Vickers machine gun had been sited in its own nest of sandbags and armour plating. The Welshman called Owen looked down again and said to me. “Would you like to take a look out at No Man’s Land through the periscope?” I stepped up and looked through the eyepieces on the scope I could make out the German wire and trenches in the distance and the shell holes and humps that covered the distance between us. Just the a very light was fired into the air and the vista in front of me was bathed in bright light and shadows I stepped down and let Frank have a look. Then Jack Lewis showed us the latrine this was dug into the trench wall and was just a hole dug in the floor with a plank placed across it. It smelled something awful and someone had tried to kill it by putting down chloride of lime unfortunately this hadn’t worked and the smell permeated the area for some distance.
In the morning after the hate and before the Welsh mob we were relieving left they started to clean up the trenches and we gave them a hand. Picking up old cigarette packets and other litter as well as any debris that had fallen into the trench we also shored up any part that needed it. We were told by Jack Lewis that this happened most mornings the Armies way of keeping you busy and that the Officers usually inspected about nine o’ clock. Jack and his brother in law Owen had got a brew going and were coking bacon on a old can lid they asked us if we would like to join them and we answered that we would be pleased to do so. The smell of the bacon cooking was heavenly and the cleaning and shoring work had given us an appetite and this would fill the hole. I said to Jack. “This trench seems to be well built I must say?” He looked at me with an appraising eye and replied. “A lot better than some in this sector the firing steps have been raised a bit and the parapets well earthed. We have shored it up better and used more sandbags out front we have erected more wire and have put more duckboards down on the trench floor”, he passed us our teas and continued. “Every mob that takes over tries to improve on it as best they can but with everything else that is going on and the time you have to do things it is hard work.” Owen handed us our bacon on the end of a bayonet saying. “Get that down you boyos it will set you up for a bit.”
During the night we had talked on and off to Jack and Owen and I told them a bit about Gallipoli which seemed to impress them and after this they treated us as old sweats. They showed us our firing and stand to positions and a couple of dugouts we could take shelter in to sleep if the weather was bad. They were really good blokes the pair of them and they gave us hundreds more little pieces of advice that would make life easier in the trenches here. They told us to hack the bottom off our greatcoats to stop them getting caked in mud and making them hard to move in. Eventually though they picked up their kit and shook hands with us Jack said. “Remember what I told you about the Hun snipers keep your noggins down and don’t volunteer for anything the bloody Staff will volunteer you enough as it is.” Then Owen came up to us saying. “Take it easy boyos and keep the faith remember when the old Hun is quite leave him that way it’s for the best.” They waved goodbye and formed up with their Company they moved off down the trench and the last I saw of them was Jack’s sad watery eyes looking at us and him raising his hand in a final salute. During the day when the Welsh had gone there was lots to do around the trenches stacking ammunition and flares, rations and the there was sentry duty and observation duty as well as dozens of other things. That night Captain Thornley and I had been designated to pick up the rum ration for our section of trench we found our way to the supply point fairly easily and picked up the large stone bottle of rum and then made our way back. The journey back was pretty uneventful apart from a bit of fire that flew overhead from a German fixed machine gun there was nothing else and we arrived safely back at our lines with the precious rum. The lads were glad to get this ration as it was one of the main things that lifted their spirits in the trenches and most people looked forward to their rum ration with great anticipation.
The next night Captain Thornley had a patrol briefing on so it was left to me to show our new Lieutenant Mr Jennings who had just been posted in where to pick it up from as he would be taking over the duty from the Captain. We collected our ration from the supply point without any incidents and now we were ready to return back to our lines and I for one would be glad of it. The rum came in large two gallon stone jars that were heavy and awkward to carry but before I could pick them up a bombshell comes my way. Lieutenant Jennings said. “I will lead the way back from here Pte Lamb just follow me.” I wasn’t sure about this at all as this was the first time he had travelled the rout and it was dark another thing was he wasn’t any Captain Thornley. For a start he looked even younger than me and with his fair hair blue eyes and long eye lashes he looked a bit effeminate to say the least. But he was an Officer and had given me an order so who was I to argue but I thought bloody hell he is still wet behind the ears and I didn’t like what was happening one bit. We had been moving for some time and I knew that something was wrong we hit wire and he had led us in the wrong direction because it was the German wire. We had crossed No Man’s Land like taking a stroll in the park and then the inevitable happened our luck ran out and Mr Jennings ran into a tin can alarm system hung on the wire. The noise rattled out across the landscape and then the whole front opened up with flares arcing into the sky and firing coming from all directions at once or so it seemed to me. I ditched the rum ration in order to survive and found shelter from the whizzing bullets in a shell hole. As I crouched there I remembered the time I had been caught on the Turkish wire on Gallipoli and I shuddered at the memory and tried to dig myself further down into the hole. I swore under my breath calling the young Lieutenant every swear word I could think of and then some in fact as the fire coming towards me intensified the more I cursed him. He was typical of his class of Officer thought they knew everything and knew sod all just because they had a pip on their jackets wouldn’t listen to anything the kind that got men killed with their stupidity. I lay there and thought the best thing to do was to wait and then when things quietened down make a dash back for our lines before the Germans sent a patrol out to investigate.
I saw Lieutenant Jennings off to one side with his hands on his head and his arse stuck up in the air like a bloody ostrich. I shouted at him and he managed to make his way to my hole and cover and this time he listened to what I had to say and we waited till the front settled down before making the dash back to our lines. We managed to get back safely I don’t know exactly what was said to him but I believe he got a right bollocking but I will give him his due he never tried to lay the blame at my feet. However he was never sent for the rum ration again neither were me or him very popular that night when the lads found out that their rum ration had been lost. The thing was he only lasted another couple of days in the line once again he ignored advice this time about the snipers and that was the last time he did because they nailed him he had paid the ultimate price for his arrogance. Two days later it was our turn to leave the front and we handed over to a Scottish Territorial Battalion we gave them the same information and help that we had been given by the Welsh. We marched out tired but relieved that we had been through our first time in these positions without incurring serious injury or death well apart from the Lieutenant but his stupidity didn’t count. We retired to the reserve trenches for a few days just in case the Hun’s launched a surprise attack at the take over but nothing happened and we left to return to our farm settlement and village. Just because we were out of the line didn’t mean that you got a rest oh no that would be too simple. There were always fatigues and work parties that had to be done and you prayed for a rest but you didn’t get one and you were mentally and physically tired and worn out.
Sometimes it was hell taking supplies to the front the first mile or so was alright because either the wagons or mule trains did all the hard work it was when you got close then everything had to be carried by hand food water equipment had to be shifted to the reserve trenches directly behind the front line trenches. You carried all sorts of stuff ammunition, from rifle to trench-mortar had to be moved through the communication trenches and it was really awkward. We had to carry the lot all the wood to be used props, timbers, duckboards, and then there were the sandbags and the Bain of my life the coils of barbed wire. It was terrible stuff to carry and got caught all over the place you carried it in coils that weighed about a hundred weight this was slung on a pole carried between two blokes. Apart from getting stuck everywhere it also ripped your hands to pieces and by the time you reached the supply points your lower legs and hands had been ripped to pieces and you looked like you had been dragged through a bramble patch. We moved up through the communication and reserve trenches a lot of which were in a poor state of repair with cave ins, flooded floors, parts blown in and some and some flooded to near enough the top. Mind you sometimes this was an advantage as the Germans seemed to concentrate on the nicer sections of trench leaving these others alone when they were shelling. It was hard moving along some of them as they were little more than wet ditches that you stumbled along with irregular floors and right angle turns every so far.
We staggered up a communications trench and George cursed saying. “What the hell these ammunition boxes are bloody murder to carry”, as he took another chunk of skin from his leg. Bert replied to this as he said. “Shut up George you want to try carrying this barbed wire like me and Billy Boy then you would have something to flap your gums about.” Frank joined in at this point saying. “Yes or try carrying the trench-mortar ammunition like me and Nobby that’s not easy either”, and we staggered along the trench cursing as we went. We passed through the next right angle bend and came to a halt as a party that had dropped their loads were coming back down the trench there was more swearing and cursing as we all met up. The only way to relieve the situation was that the men who had dropped their loads had to climb out of the trench onto the top while we made our way along and past this was the only way to keep the supplies flowing through the trenches. As we got closer all talking ceased as any noise at all would be greeted by the Germans opening up with everything they had. We arrived at the front supply points and dropped our stuff off for the boys that needed it and then we started on the long journey back as we moved along we met up with another lot coming up with supplies. George was being his usual stroppy self saying. “Why should we get out on top of the trench just for these?” Frank replied. “So help me George if you don’t get out of this fucking trench and let these lads by I will punch you on the bloody nose.” Bert added his twopenneth to this saying. “Get up on top you idiot you know e always give way to anyone carrying supplies when we are returning and keep your fucking noise down as well before you get one of us killed. George wasn’t happy with this but he shut up which I was glad of because I was sick of his constant whining and complaining which was getting on my nerves. Anyway we got out and laid on top while the other lot went past and then we dropped back down into the trench without incident and carried on until we got back to the road. Then we had a further two miles to walk back to our Battalion lines which took some time and when we arrived there we were absolutely shattered.
We returned to our barn but some other mob had been using it whilst we were at the front and had left their lice to breed with ours and as we settled down for what was left of the night they started to feed with a vengeance. Bert shouted “Bloody hell I’m being eaten alive in here the more I kill the more come to their bloody funerals for the wake.” Nobby Clark said. “I wouldn’t mind all they do is snack on me like a bloody picnic they don’t have a proper meal.” I replied. “Just leave them to it we cant kill all of them there must be a thousand of the buggers in here and more of their relatives arriving by the minute. It was really bad and everyone in the Battalion was in the same boat we cleaned the old straw out of the barns and replaced it with new stuff burning the old straw and killing our tormentors at the same time. Then we were packed off in sections to the delousing centre farther back behind the lines where we had quite a pleasant time. First of all we were given a good bath in disinfected water our old uniforms underclothes and socks were taken away and burned. After the first bath we were transferred to a second bath that had been filled with a chemical that finally killed off the lice then we were handed clean uniforms and underclothes and socks. We went through this treatment quite a few times but it made no difference within a few days the lice were back and once again we were lousy. So you would sit with a candle running it along the seams of your trousers shirts or uniform jackets were the little buggers liked to lay their eggs or you would use your thumb for the same purpose. However nothing seemed to work for long and in the end it was just something that you had to put up with.
Christmas had arrived and the first lot of leave men were allowed to go home George as a Corporal had gone along with CSM Domby and Captain Melstone. Bert Frank and I along with Captain Thornley and RSM Greaves had stayed behind and were due to go with the second lot. So we had given our letters and postcards along with small presents to our friends to pass on to our loved ones. So most of the first leave batch had set off in good heart singing as they went and cheering us I didn’t really mind as I had received a letter from Helen saying that she was working over Christmas so she wouldn’t have been back home anyway. She had returned to Manchester after Rosie had recovered to carry on with her nursing and must have been allocated duty over the Christmas period. A few days after the lads had gone we moved back into the front line though this time obviously in a smaller section of trench than we had been in last time. It was not as well maintained as our last section had been the drainage was bad and the dugouts were a bit on the small side and did not look that well constructed. The morning hate had been fierce earlier with trench-mortars and artillery firing both ways just to welcome us back to the front. We had repaired what damage we could to the trench but tonight we would have to go out on a wiring party to repair the damage done to our entanglements. At the moment though me and Bert were sat on the firing step having a chin wag and a fag when he suddenly said. “I had a letter from Mabel the other day and as far as I can tell things seem to be in a bit of a mess back home.” I asked. “In what way Bert did Mabel say?” He replied. “It seems to be Rosie from what I can gather she is not well again something to do with the munitions factory or maybe it’s something else Mabel thought you could have a word when you go home?” I looked at him and said. “She didn’t mention anything in her letters things seemed to be alright.” Bert flicked his fag end away saying. “Maybe she didn’t want to worry you anyway Mabel seems to think you’re the only one who can sort it out”, and his voice trailed off. We both sat on the step not talking anymore and I thought Rosie old girl just what are you doing to yourself. Bert spoke again saying. “Anyway I just thought that you would want to know how things are.” I told him that I was grateful to him foe letting me know but I was very confused and concerned although I didn’t tell him this.
Night fell and we got ready for the wiring party then after the briefing we got up onto the top of the parapet and led down from this position it wasn’t hard to see where the apron wire had been damaged by the shell fire this morning and we could see that there was a fair bit to do. Each man in the wiring party had a job to do and we had rehearsed these till we knew our roles backwards. Bert and Frank were carrying pickets and I was carrying angle irons and Pat Stiles and Nobby Clark had the wire in charge was S/Sgt Cocker stroking his moustache with his finger. Bert and Frank set up a row of pickets and I put my angle irons on them then Pat and Nobby strung a fence of four strands right along the length. Then they zig zagged the wire twelve feet in front and twelve feet behind to ground level using more angle irons the hammers we used and the tops of the pickets were muffled with rags to stop any noise. It was frightening being out in front of the trench and we were shitting our pants so scared were we every so often we would stop and listen for German activity. S/Sgt Cocker had his rifle with him and kept a lookout for German patrols and snipers but a massive artillery duel that happened before we arrived yesterday must have cleared them out for the time being. Pat and Nobby were still running strands of wire along the angled wire at the front and back this wire was sited at an angle narrowing down. It was taking time and we were all praying that we would be kept from harm when we finally saw that they were finished I think you could hear the sigh of relief from our mouths back in England. The spare wire we had left we placed in between the two sets of wire and we made sure that the gap we had to leave could not be seen from the German positions. With this done and much to everyone’s relief we made to get back to the trench and drop in. All of a sudden a noise stopped us in our tracks it had not come from our side but from the enemies. S/Sgt Cocker backed up to us and facing forward whispered. “Sounds like a German patrol and it could be out to snatch one of us as a prisoner.” We strained our eyes as we looked out into the dark and shadows of No Man’s Land for this is the direction in which they would come. The cold sweat of fear ran down our backs and faces and our stomachs tensed in anticipation of the first bullet that would penetrate and rip its way inside. S/ Sgt Cocker again whispered. “Okay you blokes carrying bombs when I give the order chuck them as far foreword as you can I will give them a few shots and we will drop back in the trench like magicians rabbits”, and he smoothed his moustache with his finger.
Frank and I had been issued with a couple of Mills bombs apiece so we got them ready to throw when ordered while the rest of the lads crawled back to the trench and dropped into it. We waited tense and nervous cocking our ears listening for any little sound and then we could hear then out in front of us. I watched S/Sgt Cocker who was like a statue and just as cold and unfeeling until he shouted. “Give I to them lads”, and we heaved our bombs forward while he rattled off a few shots. Then we crawled like hell back to the trench and all hell broke loose behind us as a machine gun started up I threw myself forward and was hanging over the parapet as hands grabbed me and pulled me into the trench. I landed in a heap on the bottom of the trench and then someone landed on top of me knocking the wind out of my lungs. Frank said. “Sorry Billy Boy but safety first eh?” I was so winded that I couldn’t even swear at him so I made do with a glare. Both sides were now going at it hammer and tongue and this continued for some time with very lights soaring in to the sky machine guns rattling away and trench-mortars throwing their shells over. Eventually though things quietened down as they always did after a while soon we would be able to relax and get some rest or at least I hoped we would. Captain Thornley came over with RSM Greaves and S/Sgt Cocker saluted and made his report saying. “We spotted one of their patrols Sir probably trying to capture a prisoner from our wiring party anyway we couldn’t be having that could we Sir so we did them before they did us.” Captain Thornley replied. “Quite right as well S/Sgt Cocker I just hoe that you managed to get the wire fixed before you were interrupted?” S/Sgt Cocker smiled and stroked his moustache with his finger saying. “Certainly Sir we did a good job and it’s as good as new the Hun won’t get past that section of wire should they come calling.” Captain Thornley said to us. “Well done all of you now get yourself off and get some rest”, we saluted and he walked off. RSM Greaves stayed a moment more so he could say to us. “Make sure you return that equipment before you do anything else”, and then he to walked off no doubt to make someone else’s life a misery.
Later as we sat on the fire step we could hear shouting from No Man’s Land Frank asked what’s going on out there then I thought everything had gone quite?” Eli Stone who was on sentry duty and looking through the trench periscope replied. “It’s a couple of them Huns that you had the barney with tonight.” I was a bit confused and asked. “If its part of the Hun patrol how come we haven’t heard them before now?” Eli said. “Because they were probably still unconscious before from your bombs but the have certainly woken up now.” We all listened and we could hear one of the men saying. Hilfe, Hilfe , Ernst wir Sind du.” Then from over on the right we heard the second one shouting. Muti, muti, hilfe bitte, muti hilfe Ernst”, it was heart rending to listen to and it just went on. Bert asked. “What’s yon bloke rabbiting on about?” A voice from behind us said. “One of them the one on the left is asking for help from his friend and his chum on the right is asking for his mother to help him.” We turned and saw RSM Greaves who was listening to what was happening and had answered Bert’s question he stood there for quite a while as all the old regulars did like a statue and then he walked on down the trench without another word. The crying and screaming went on all night and was fraying our nerves a couple of our blokes went out to try to fetch them in but every time a Hun machine gun would open up so they had to come back empty handed. In the end it was that bad one of the trench mortars lobbed a couple of shells in their direction after this there was blessed silence although the Germans retaliated for quite a while after.
Life in the trenches went on as always but it was a dirty foul smelling lousy place to be, death and destruction were all around and the ‘Grim Reaper’ was ready to shake your hand at any time. One minute you were scrambling around for dear life without time to know whether you were on your arse or your elbow the next minute it was boring beyond belief. The one thing that seemed to make life bearable was that we all wanted to be at the front coming to grips with the Hun. The main thing however was your mates because nobody wanted to let their pals down so even though you may have been frightened to death or tired beyond belief you carried on because of them. The longer you had been in the front line the more you could recognise the munitions that were flying about and could even judge near enough where it would explode. This allowed us to awe some of the new replacements when they ducked down and we would stand there nonchalant knowing very well the shells would land in the reserve trenches or far behind the lines. Nobody who had been in the trenches could ever or would ever forget the smell of them this was made up of stale sweat, damp uniforms, shit, bacon, chloride of lime, decomposition and cigarette smoke with the smell of cordite drifting around just to add a new ambience.
Again our time in the line was finished and we headed back home to our lines at the farmstead were more fatigues and working parties waited for us just as an extra treat. Even over Christmas there was no let up the truce of 1914 was long gone what the Staff on both sides wanted now was more aggression. The equipment and troops kept piling into the area I received a letter from Helen saying that she would be off for a few days at the same time I would and that I should go to Manchester to see her and work out which days we had off that were the same. Her letters really kept me going and lifted me when I was down but recently there was something else in them that I couldn’t put my finger on. Don’t get me wrong they were still as loving as ever full of endearments and promises but to me something dark had seemed to creep into them. Though it may just have been my imagination because we were so tired and bone weary now that we were on our chinstraps. We got used to falling asleep anywhere and at anytime when you were not in the trenches although even there we could fall asleep standing up leaning against the trench wall if it came down to it I could sleep on a clothes line. The day came when the first leave party came back and the lads were telling us what good times they had at home but they were a bit more quite now as it sunk in that they were back at the front. They asked us what had been going on while they had been away and so we told them quite nonchalant that we had been back into the line. Hearing this they clamoured for information so we told them about the wiring party and how we had attacked the Hun patrol with bombs and bullets. Then we told them about the two injured Germans in No Man’s Land and how they had screamed and cried all night long until the trench-mortar had silenced them this left them a bit more sober still.
We could tell they were impressed and quite agog with what we had told them they said how lucky we had been to be back in the line gaining experience but we didn’t see it that way. We asked George what had been happening at home and he swore saying. “Everyone keeps asking about the ‘Big Push’ you get sick of the questions when’s the ‘Big Push’ going to take place and then where’s it going to take place it really is sickening not to mention annoying.” Things started to break up now so that the second leave detachment could pack their kit ready to catch the transport that would take them to the train for home. It was as I was packing that George pulled me to one side and said. “Listen Billy Boy Rosie is really ill now she is in bed and cannot leave it Doctor Durkin has seen her and its something to do with her lungs consumption or something. Anyway Helen is there looking after her now.” My heart skipped a beat at this news my Helen was with Rosie I managed to stutter. “When did He