Great Britain. Army. Royal Tank Corps; Tanks (Military science)
to extinguish the fumes. I saw numbers of the enemy approaching
from all round. The first arrival came for me with a rifle and
bayonet. I got hold of this, and the point of the bayonet entered
my right forearm. The second man struck at my head with the butt
end of his rifle, hit my shoulder and neck, and knocked me down.
When I came to, there were dozens all round me, and any one who
could reach me did so and I was well kicked. They were furious.
Ribbans and I were taken away and stood by ourselves about
twenty yards clear of the crowd. An argument ensued, and we were
eventually marched to a dug-out where paper bandages were put on
our hands. Our faces were left as they were. We were then marched
down the road to the main railway. There we joined a party of about
eight enemy, and marched past a field kitchen, where I made signs
for food. We had had nothing since 8.30 p.m. on the night previous
to the action, and it was 3.30 p.m. when we were set on fire. We
went on to a village where, on my intelligence map, a Divisional
Headquarters had been marked. An elderly stout officer interrogated
me, asking if I was an officer. I said ‘Yes.’ He then asked various
other questions, to which I replied, ‘I do not know.’ He said, ‘Do
you mean you do not know or you will not tell me?’ I said, ‘You can
take it whichever way you wish.’ He then struck me in the face,
and went away. We went on to Chaulone to a canvas hospital, on the
right side of the railway, where I was injected with anti-tetanus.
Later I was again interrogated, with the same result as above,
except that instead of being struck, I received five days’ solitary
confinement in a room with no window, and only a small piece of
bread and a bowl of soup each day. On the fifth day I was again
interrogated, and said the same as before. I said that he had no
right to give me solitary confinement, and that unless I were
released, I should, at first opportunity, report him to the highest
possible authority. The next day I was sent away, and eventually
reached the camp at Freiburg, when I found my brother, Captain
A. E. Arnold, M.C., Tank Corps. The conduct of Gunner Ribbans and
Driver Carney was beyond all praise throughout. Driver Carney drove
from Villers-Bretonneux onwards.
“(_Signed_) C. B. ARNOLD, Lieut.,
“6th Tank Battalion.
“_January 1, 1919._”
The Tank was found close to the small railway on the eastern side of
the Harbonnières-Rosières Road.
VI
The final stage of the day’s battle had been reached by early afternoon.
The armoured cars, moving rapidly east along the main roads, did much
to complete the demoralisation of the enemy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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