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
“For hours we waited there, until the Kaiser’s legions came upon us,
sweeping down Roslyn Hill to where we were still making a last stand.
Though the street lamps were unlit, we saw them advancing by the angry
glare of the fires of London, while we, too, were full in the light, and
a mark for them. They fired upon us, and we returned their fusillade. We
stood man to man, concealed behind the débris wherever we could get
shelter from the rain of lead they poured upon us. They advanced by
rushes, taking our position by storm. I was in the roadway, concealed
behind an overturned tramcar, into the woodwork of which bullets were
constantly imbedding themselves. The man next me fell backward--dead,
without a word. But I kept on, well knowing that in the end we must give
way. Those well-equipped hordes of the Kaiser I saw before me were, I
knew, the conquerors of London. Yet we fought on valiantly for King and
country--fought even when we came hand to hand. I shot a standard-bearer
dead, but in an instant another took his place. For a second the German
standard was trampled in the dust, but next moment it was aloft again,
amid the ringing cheers of the conquerors. Again I fired, again, and yet
again, as fast as I could reload, when of a sudden I knew that we were
defeated, for our fire had slackened, and the Germans ran in past me. I
turned, and as I did so I faced a big, burly fellow with a revolver. I
put my hand to my own, but ere I could get it out a light flashed full
in my face, and then I knew no more. When I recovered consciousness I
found myself in the North-West London Hospital, in Kentish Town Road,
with my head bandaged, and a nurse looking gravely into my face.
“And that is very briefly my story of how I fared during the terrible
siege of London. I could tell you of many and many horrible scenes, of
ruthless loss of life, and of women and children the innocent victims of
those bloody engagements. But why should I? The horrors of the war are
surely known to you, alas, only too well--far too well.”
* * * * *
Another narrative of great interest as showing the aspect of London
immediately following its occupation by the Germans was that of a
middle-aged linotype operator named James Jellicoe, employed on the
_Weekly Dispatch_, who made the following statement to a reporter of the
_Evening News_. It was published in the last edition of that journal
prior to the suppression of the entire London Press by Von Kronhelm. He
said:
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