The Invasion of 1910, with a full account of the siege of LondonLe Queux, William
Science
The Invasion of 1910, with a full account of the siege of London
Le Queux, William
Great Britain -- Defenses; Imaginary wars and battles
THE ABOVE PROCLAMATION WAS POSTED ALL OVER THE
METROPOLIS ON THE DAY PRIOR TO THE BOMBARDMENT.
is more excitin’ sport than Kempton Park, ain’t it--eh?’
“That man was right, for a few hours later, when Von Kronhelm appeared
upon Hampstead Heath and launched his infantry upon London, our
barricade became a perfect hell. I was on the roof of a house close by,
lying full length behind a sheltering chimney-stack, and firing upon the
advancing troops for all I was worth. From every window in the vicinity
we poured forth a veritable rain of death upon the Germans, while our
Maxim spat fire incessantly, and the men at the barricade kept up a
splendid fusillade. Ere long Haverstock Hill became a perfect inferno.
Perched up where I was, I commanded a wide view of all that was in
progress. Again and again the Germans were launched to the assault, but
such a withering fire did we keep up that we held them constantly in
check. Our Maxim served us admirably, for ever and anon it cut a lane in
the great wall of advancing troops, until the whole roadway was covered
with dead and maimed Germans. To my own gun many fell, as to those of my
valiant comrades, for every one of us had sworn that the enemy should
never enter London if we could prevent it.
“I saw a woman with her hair dishevelled deliberately mount to the top
of the barricade and wave a small Union Jack; but next instant she paid
for her folly with her life, and fell back dead upon the roadway below.
If the enemy lost heavily, we did not altogether escape. At the
barricade and in the houses in the immediate vicinity there were a
number of dead and a quantity of wounded, the latter being carried away
and tended to by a number of devoted ladies from Fitzjohn’s Avenue, and
the more select thoroughfares in the neighbourhood. Local surgeons were
also there, working unceasingly. For fully an hour the frightful
conflict continued. The Germans were dogged in their perseverance, while
we were equally active in our desperate resistance. The conflict was
awful. The scenes in the streets below me now were beyond description.
In High Street, Hampstead, a number of shops had been set on fire and
were burning; while above the din, the shouts and the crackle of the
rifles, there was now and then heard the deep boom of field guns away in
the distance.
“We had received information that Von Kronhelm himself was quite near
us, up at Jack Straw’s Castle, and more than one of us only wished he
would show himself in Haverstock Hill, and thus allow us a chance of
taking a pot-shot at him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account