One young man : $b The simple and true story of a clerk who enlisted in 1914, who fought on the western front for nearly two years, was severely wounded at the battle of the Somme, and is now on his way back to his desk.
History
One young man : $b The simple and true story of a clerk who enlisted in 1914, who fought on the western front for nearly two years, was severely wounded at the battle of the Somme, and is now on his way back to his desk.
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, British
"Shortly afterwards we were relieved by another regiment,
and in small parties of tens made our way back into Ypres.
This was done in daylight, and we were spotted and shelled
by the Boches. However, we were only too glad to get away
from that ghastly hell, and literally tore along the hedges
down past the reservoir into Ypres. At the hospital, at the
other end of the town, the remnants of the battalion were
collected, and it was there that Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien
spoke to us, congratulating our battalion on its stand the
night before. Worn out, we lined up and marched back along
the road to Vlamertinghe, fondly imagining we were going
back to our well-earned rest (as a matter of fact that was
the programme), but we had not been in these huts more than
half an hour when down the road from St. Julien there rushed
one long column of transports, riderless horses, and wounded
(mostly of the French Algerian regiments). And everywhere
was the cry, 'The Boches have broken through!'
"Orders were soon forthcoming, and we turned out, loaded
magazines, and marched off in the direction from which the
Boches were supposed to be coming. On our way up many
dispatch riders passed, and each one had the same comforting
message--'The Canadians are holding them.' We went no
further, but received orders to dig ourselves in across the
road, and that in the event of the Boches getting as far as
this we were to hold them until the last man. Fortunately
the splendid Canadians had not only held their ground, but
with terrible losses had pushed the enemy two or three miles
back; had, in fact, practically regained all the ground
lost.
"At nightfall we drew picks and shovels and made our way in
the direction of St. Julien. We got to the Yser Canal, and
in crossing the bridge met the batch of wounded coming back.
This was not heartening, but certainly gave all of us a
keener desire to get to grips. On the side of the banks of
the Yser we were formed into three waves and received
instructions that we were going over in extended order to
drive the Huns from the position. But the Canadians had done
so grandly that we were not needed until the following
morning, when, in broad daylight, the remnants of the once
whole battalion, in single file, made their way along the
hedges, taking advantage of every possible cover, up to the
village of St. Jean.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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