With Our Fighting Men: The story of their faith, courage, endurance in the Great WarSellers, William E.
History
With Our Fighting Men: The story of their faith, courage, endurance in the Great War
Sellers, William E.
Great Britain. Army -- Military life; World War, 1914-1918 -- Religious aspects
After one such little service as these a corporal said to his lads
before they lay down to sleep: "If any of you want to lead a Christian
life, do so; I will see that no one interferes with you." Next day
that corporal was killed.
And now was the opportunity of the chaplains. In the trenches they
could only set an example of patient courage to the men and cheer them
with words of faith and hope and love. But now they could get among
them, hold services for them, and this they did incessantly. Chaplains
of all denominations were thus engaged. We read of many united
services,--a Church of England chaplain reading the prayers, the
colonel of the regiment the lessons, and the Wesleyan chaplain giving
the address, or vice versa. As the Rev. E.L. Watson (Baptist chaplain)
says: "In the rush of work a chaplain has little time to inquire _re_
denomination; he gives his help where most needed; he comes as a
brother man and affords God's own consolation." The Psalmist said, "I
will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." To him all life was
sacred, every place the House of the Lord. It is the same at the front
to-day, every place sacred--trenches, farmyards, cellars, aye, even
pig-sties--the House of the Lord.
Lieutenant Grenfell, R.A.M.C, describes one such service where Mr.
Watkins preached his sermon from the door of a pig-sty, while a number
of young porkers slept within. The men illuminated the scene with the
light from an acetylene operating lamp, and so were able to have a
good sing. Those were tender moments. The pigs were forgotten,
everything was forgotten but the presence of God, and, wearied but
not discouraged, they were able to say, "Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house
of the Lord for ever."
Here, too, was the opportunity of showing kindness to one's enemy,
which Tommy is always ready to show. Many a trembling German fallen
into the hands of the British, terrified because of the frightful
stories he has been told of British cruelty to prisoners, has been
cheered by the kindly words and acts of British soldiers.
A young officer writing to the _Times_ says: "We are out to kill, and
kill we do at any and every opportunity. But when all is done and the
battle over, the splendid universal soldier spirit comes over all the
men.... Just to give you some idea of what I mean, the other night
four German snipers were shot on our wire. The next night our men went
out and brought one in who was near and get-at-able, and buried him.
They did it with just the same reverence and sadness as they do to our
own dear fellows. I went to look at the grave the next morning, and
one of the most uncouth-looking men in my company had placed a cross
on the head of the grave, and had written on it:
Here lies a German,
We don't know his name;
He died bravely fighting
For his fatherland.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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