Author's book: World War 1 - From Notes and Well Remember Incidences
Sir John French:
The
Aisne Valley runs generally East and West, and consists of a flat-bottomed
depression of width varying from half a mile to two miles. The river follows a
winding course near the southern slopes of the valley.
The
high ground on both the north and south sides of the river is approximately 400
feet above the valley bottom. It is very similar in character on both slopes of
the valley, which are broken into numerous rounded spurs and re-entrants. The
most prominent of the former are the Chivre spur on the right bank and Sermoise
spur on the left. [i]
The
plateau on the south is divided by a subsidiary valley of much the same
character is found on the small River Vesle, which flows into the main stream
near Sermoise.
The
slopes of the plateau overlooking the Aisne on the north and south are of
varying steepness, and are covered with numerous patches of wood, which stretch
upwards and over the edge on to the top of the high ground.
There
are several villages and small towns dotted about in the valley itself and
along its sides, the chief of which is the town of Soissons.
The
Aisne is a sluggish stream of some 170 feet in breadth and measures15 feet deep
in the centre; it is unfordable. Between Soissons on the west, and Villages on
the east (the part of the river attacked and secured by the British Forces)
there are eleven road bridges across it.
On
the north bank a narrow-gauge railway runs from Soissons to Vailly, where it
crosses the river and continues eastward along the south bank.
From Soissons to Sermoise a double line of
railway runs along the south bank, turning at the latter place up the Vesle
Valley towards Bazoches.
The
position held by the enemy is a very strong one, either for a delaying action
or for a defensive battle. One of its chief military characteristics is from
the height of our plateau only small stretches of the enemy’s plateau can be
seen. This is chiefly due to the woods on the edges of the slopes. Another
important point is that all the bridges are under either direct or high angle
artillery fire.[ii]
Fred’s journal entries:
Sept 13th (Battle of the Aisne)
[We] marched at dawn [in
the] pouring rain, no food, or time to get any.
Took up position near
PAISSY, from there [we marched] to CHIVY VALLEY to meet a German counter
attack. [iii]
Our infantry suffered
heavily, many wounded being near me.
The battery dropped into
action, and we found an observing point on a high hill, directly in front.
In running our wire, old
George and I were very lucky to escape the bullets, for we were in full view of
the enemy – they all but got us once, a bullet coming between our noses as we
were deciding the best way to run our wire. We laid down, for they were
shelling very heavy all around. This was in the afternoon and the sun was very
warm. I couldn’t move, I must have been tired for I actually went to sleep,
[until] a Staff-Officer later was talking near by [sic] he must have thought I
got bowled over.
We made our observing
station under the shelter of a small rock, which undoubtedly saved us from
getting completely wiped out of existence.
We fired heavy all day, and
in the night the Battery moved a little to the right.
I remained on the hill on
guard, and posted double sentries with order to shoot anybody, who approached
without giving prompt reply to challenge. Towards dawn I lost two sentries and
had very uncomfortable time searching for them, for the enemy was again very
active.
Sept 14th
[There was] heavy fighting
all day. Our little rock proved a haven of refuge, all day we were heavily
shelled by ‘ coal-boxes’ .
Major Johnson was killed
near by [sic] and Major Madocks slightly wounded.
Some chaps dodged under our
rock for shelter and gave us some tobacco; we were smokeless and foodless, my
feast being that day a half biscuit, left from emergency ration. [iv]
Sept 15th
[Today was the] same as
yesterday. The 113th and 46th Batteries on our left were
heavily shelled [and had] many casualties, we were more fortunate.
[There was] very hard
fighting all day – was by this time [I] quite used to the thunder like clap of
the coal-boxes, and other a sundry missiles the Germans were flinging about
wholesale.
Their artillery was
superior, we had no heavy guns to compare to them, nor anything like their
number – and we suffered greatly, for sometimes it was like Hell let loose.
Sept 16th
Heavy scrapping [all day].
In the afternoon we took up
another position on top of MOUNT GOURTONNE, which commanded a good view of the
enemies [sic] lines.
I galloped hard from our
little rock and was sickened to see the dead horses lying around.
As soon as the guns left
the old position the enemy peppered it with shell[s], for we had been spotted
by aeroplane.
We took up position at
night, [it] was raining hard [and I] was wet through, but had got used to that
now. [I] slept under a gun limber [and] would have given anything for something
hot to drink, and a good fire.
Sept 17th –
October 13th
We have effectively formed
our battle line known as the AISNE RIVER. [v]
This long period of
fighting all day and almost every night, seems to come to one as a second
nature.
We fire an average of 250
rounds per day – it is really siege warfare.
Night attacks take place
almost nightly [and] I have dug a hole at the back of a limber, as my home.
All days seem to be alike
[except that] some days the fighting is more severe than others. They shell us
occasionally and it is never safe to move from one dugout or the shelter of the
guns.
Our wagon line are in the
great caves, which are a wonderful work
of nature, but even there we have had quite a few men wounded, and several
horses killed.
At times when they shell us
severely, we have had to desert the guns and take refuge in an adjacent cave,
which undoubtedly has been the means of saving some lives.
I slept in this cave one
night, and on going to the guns before dawn next morning [I] lost my way and
wandered towards the enemy’s lines. When it became light, I was lost and in a
valley between us and the Germans. I was confused, and hardly knew what to do.
I could hear rifle bullets
whipping uncomfortably near. The ground was full of great holes caused by the
German heavy artillery. I knew that when it became light, [I] would be [in] a
veritable death trap.
I was hopelessly lost and
worse, unarmed, so I decided to take refuge in a shell hole and await
throughout the day. [I would wait] until nightfall and try to make my way back.
After a while, I decided I would chance it and rather get to our own lines or
meet whatever came my way.
After a deal of wandering
and exciting moments, I met an officer who was forward observing, and he
directed me to where he thought our guns were. [vi]
I reached them without
further mishap, and my off man and the others thought I had got swallowed, for
nobody saw me go. Strangely the path I took from the cave, took me within 10
yds of the guns, by which I could see now daylight had well advanced – well! I
laughed.
On
the 20th
I
managed to get a bit drop of water to wash my face, for it had not seen water
for 8 days and I had not shaved for over a fortnight. I looked at myself in
somebody’s little pocket mirror – and thought what a picture I was.
October 9th
Was [going to] be [a] well
remembered day of this period.
During the morning things
were a little more quiet than usual, we were sitting around the guns. I left my
telephone, which was beneath [a] gun limber. We were having a feast of Bully
Beef [1]and
potatoes - (potatoes did not come our way often), [when] a battery of German
artillery found us with shrapnel. The first round burst directly over our No 3
gun, which was just by me, we [all] scattered.
Poor old Bramwell, who was by my side, ducked,
and got it in the head.
I dived under the limber to
phone my chum Collins, [while] two more gunners dragged Bramwell to the limber,
for what shelter it gave. [Then] the two gunners were hit. Collins and I did
what we could to poor Bramwell, but it was useless.
The [shell] bullets[2]
simply hailed on the limber, and we expected to be hit every second, but it
saved us. [vii]
After the shower stopped,
we removed poor Bramwell, it was an unpleasant sight to see a chums brains by
ones [sic] side.
A shell case was stuck in
the ground 2 yards from where I lay – lucky it didn’t splinter for Collins and
I. would have been bowled over.
Everything seemed to bear
marks of that lively hour excepting we two. We dug a hole that night and many
times while there the hole saved us, for when it was most quiet, inevitably
they would switch over on to us.
Several were wounded at
different times when it was least expected, and about this time, night attacks
were very frequent and severe, often 3 attacks during the night.
My wire often got broken by
shell fire, through a wood of the observation point, in spite of a double line
and was unhealthy at times to repair.
On the morning of the 8th
October a ‘ coal-box’ dropped by No 5
gun – killing one gunner and wounding four. We were shelled in the afternoon
[and] they flung no fewer than 40 ‘ Dud’ shell [sic] over us in an hour. It was amusing
to feel the thud when they struck the earth, and no explosion ensuing.
We lost several horses and
a couple wounded in Wagon Line.
A party was sent out to
prepare a new position, but [they] were shelled out. The Major asked us at
night would we prefer to move as the position was warm, but we decided at once
to stop, for our place was as good as another.
October 12th,
was the anniversary of my wedding and the thoughts of my dear wife and child,
were more to me than the scrap that day. [I] had a long chat that night, with
Lieut Marshall on the duration of the war – we thought ‘ about Xmas’ . [viii]
[2] Shell
Bullets: When a shrapnel shell explodes it splinters and releases round
balls called bullets
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