The Grenadier Guards in the Great War of 1914-1918, Vol. 1 of 3Ponsonby, Frederick
History
The Grenadier Guards in the Great War of 1914-1918, Vol. 1 of 3
Ponsonby, Frederick
Great Britain. Army. Grenadier Guards; World War, 1914-1918 -- Regimental histories -- Great Britain
The terrible tragedies that went on daily between the two firing lines
gave some idea of the barbarous cruelty of the Germans. Men who were
wounded in any attack or raid were forced to lie out between the lines,
often in great agony, but whenever any of our stretcher-bearers
attempted to reach them they were promptly fired at by the Germans. To
show the vitality possessed by some human beings, cases occurred of men
being left out wounded and without food or drink four or five days,
conscious all the time that if they moved the Germans would shoot or
throw bombs at them. At night German raiding parties would be sent out
to bayonet any of the wounded still living, and would feel these
unfortunate men's hands to see if they were stiff and cold. If any doubt
existed, the bayonet settled the question. In spite of this, men often
managed to crawl back just alive, and were quickly resuscitated by their
comrades.
[Sidenote: April.]
On April 1 Major B. H. Barrington-Kennett, and on April 2 Second
Lieutenant Hon. G. S. Bailey and Second Lieutenant P. K. Stephenson,
joined the Battalion.
While digging a communication trench, in what had once been the Curé's
garden, some men of the Battalion unearthed some silver, and also some
presumably valuable papers. It seemed to the men that this was
treasure-trove, but Lieut.-Colonel Smith, on hearing of the find,
insisted that it should all be carefully packed up, papers, silver, and
all, and sent to the French authorities for safe keeping. The owner,
some weeks later, wrote a letter of profound gratitude, and enclosed a
plan showing where some more of his treasures were buried. Another
search was made, and these were all recovered, with the exception of one
box which had been blown to bits by a shell.
All throughout April the Battalion remained in the same trenches, and
was relieved every forty-eight hours by the Irish Guards, when it went
into billets at Preol. A new trench howitzer was produced by the
artillery with a range of 520 yards, which put us more on an equality
with the enemy, and gave the men confidence. The mining had now become a
regular practice, and every one was always listening for any sound that
might denote mining operations. The shelling continued regularly, and at
times a battalion coming up to take its turn in the trenches would be
subjected to an unpleasant shelling.
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