True Stories of the Great War, Volume 6 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
History
True Stories of the Great War, Volume 6 (of 6): Tales of Adventure--Heroic Deeds--Exploits Told by the Soldiers, Officers, Nurses, Diplomats, Eye Witnesses
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
It had been arranged that on this day the Bishop should visit some of
the London Regiments that have recently gone to the front. Naturally
he always looked forward with special eagerness to an opportunity of
meeting, in these fresh surroundings, London men, to so many of whom he
has spoken and preached in his diocese. Fortunately he was able in the
course of the week to visit nearly all these regiments, although some
of the men who were in the trenches could not, of course, be present
at his services. To us, coming out from London, it was a great source
of satisfaction and pride to hear of the high esteem in which these
Territorial regiments are held by the leaders of our Army.
It was not a very long time, as the motors slipped along the quiet
country roads, before we began to hear the distant sound of guns, and
as long as we were within a short distance of the firing-line there was
seldom an hour in which guns could not be distinctly heard.
Here and there, too, could be seen a battery hidden beneath a belt of
trees, or sheltered under the hedge by the side of the road. We were
curious to see how the countryside would look after its long occupation
by the British Army. We had expected, perhaps, to see more signs of
war, although we had not known what to anticipate.
Beyond the fact that there were many bodies of troops moving on the
roads, and that many farms and other large houses had notices fixed
up outside to show they were the Headquarters of some unit, there
was nothing, as a rule, except in the areas which have been actually
shelled, to give any indication of the terrible nature of the struggle
which is being waged so close at hand. Indeed, if the road took us to
the top of one of the few hills in that country, and we looked out over
the landscape, just beginning to show the first touches of spring,
it was almost impossible to realize that between us and the horizon
stretched that long valley of trenches which divides the two great
armies.
When we drove along the roads at some distance from the actual front,
it was often hard to believe that this was the real seat of war; but a
passing transport wagon or a patrol of cavalry riding by soon reminded
us of stern realities. The recent absence of rain, and the warm sun,
had caused the roads to dry up considerably, and many officers seemed
to be quite disappointed not to be able to show us many samples of
the mud to which they had become so accustomed, and of which we had
heard so much. We wondered, also, very much how the men would look
after their hard and trying winter. Certainly I was surprised to notice
how very clean and tidy they invariably appeared to be; although, of
course, uniforms must show signs of wear and tear. In every case,
except where the men were actually fresh from the trenches, the
Battalions presented a smart appearance.
II--SOLDIERS SINGING: "JESUS LOVER OF MY SOUL"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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