The early months of 1915 were
quiet ones for the 1st Battalion, still in Ploegsteert Wood, the sector remaining
peaceful after the dramatic events of December 1914 and January 1915 (see previous
posts)
The Battalion, did, however, play
host to a number of significant visitors. In February The Prince of Wales, the
future Edward VIII visited the Ploegsteert sector as part of his tour of the
Western Front, he inspected the defences, including the Moated Farm, pictured
below a little later in 1915 - this was very close to the German Position of
the Birdcage and matches the comments in the Telegraph article here that
mentions how worried his people were about the risks he was taking. Shortly after his visit the Somersets popular Medical Officer - Lt Waddy MC ,was killed by a stray bullet in this location
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| Map showing the Ploegsteert area and the Moated Farm |
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| The Moated Farm later in 1915 - IWM Collection |
The same day the Prince of Wales
visited some more significant visitors arrived, the 8th Battalion CEF (Canadian
Expeditionary Force). The aim of their visit for them to familiarise themselves
with trench life before they took over their own sector, to this end they were
involved in working parties, spent nights in the line and took part in trench
raids. Their time was recorded by Frank Iriam, whose memoirs were published in
2012. He left us with a vivid picture of life at that time with the Somersets
and in Ploegsteert, which he describes thus:
"Ploegsteert Wood in winter
time is a swamp. Standing in pools of water with a thick growth of good-sized
hardwood timber, oak, elm, beech, willow and several other kinds of hardwoods.
A glimpse here and there was all we got of the German trench owing to the
density of the timber at that time."
He also tells the following story
of his night spent with a member of the 1st Battalion during a listening
patrol:
"As soon as dusk thickened
towards dark in the swamp we crept over the parapet and along a footpath
crossing pools on a plank laid in the mud. You took a ground sheet with you to
lie on. The listening post turned out to be a semi-circle of filled sand bags
laid down to make a spot high enough to be just above water level. Here the two
of you spread your ground sheets and lay quietly to listen and watch for two
hours. There is a sort of cuckoo bird in that swamp that keeps up an incessant
and never varying monotone Co-o, Co-o, and another swamp bird with a one-note
whistle of a dreary mournful kind."
The night ends in an unpleasant
fashion for his Somerset companion:
"A few yards to the right
front I could see two dead Scottish Kilties lying on their faces in the swamp.
I got chilly after a bit and not being where I could have a smoke I took a chew
of MacDonald Plug as a substitute. My mate requested a chew and bit off a
generous hunk. In a few minutes he started to roll around groaning and grunting
appearing to be in pain or feeling very sick. I asked what was the trouble
"Mon" he says, "that is an awful twist ye have." I gathered
that twist meant tobacco and apparently he had swallowed some of it. He was a
sick Somerset.”
He describes the defences the
Somersets had constructed and the Battalion in glowing terms:
"a fine body of men they were.
They used us first rate, doing all they could to help us out and show us
around. We had two days and nights in the line with them. Their breastworks and
dugout shelters were in good repair, and their communication lines also, and
every thing else was as clean as a new pin. There seemed to be a community
feeling in that outfit and no wrangling among the rank and file with no excess
show of authority and abuse of same by their officers."
During their time with the
Somersets one of their men, Private Walsh is injured while trying to rescue
L/Cpl Jenkins. He had been sent out under cover of fog to cut the German wire
but was spotted by a sniper and shot. In a letter to his local paper Frank
Iriam describes the event (middle column). L/Cpl Jenkins was from Peasedown St
John, near Bath and I am working with the local paper to find out more about
him.
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| The War Diary of the 8th Bn CEF showing Pt Walsh injured on 26 Feb during the attempt to rescue L/Cpl Jenkins |
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| Letter from Frank Iriam CEF published in Kenora Miner & News |
After their time with the
Somersets the CEF men spend time with the London Rifle Brigade, they do not
compare well with the Somerset Light Infantry:
"After two nights here we
were sent in again with some of the London Rifle Brigade. Here was a contrast.
Their breastworks were poorly built, there were no board walks in the bottom of
their trench, and they slopped along through the water and stood ankle deep in it.
Their shelters from the weather were very poor, leaky and wet. The men stood
humped up shivering with wool scarf’s wound around their necks on sentry,
snapping and snarling like husky dogs. The officers and sergeants prowled up
and down steadily, every time they passed you could hear some poor private
being browbeaten, lectured savagely always ending up with the old refrain.
“Take that mans name sergeant, and the poor devil was put on the crime list
ending up in the orderly room next morning for more browbeating or worse. They
sure did love one another in that outfit. Holy Mackerel! It was all discipline
and no brains there, with a vengeance."
Much of the information here has
been gained with help from members of the CEF Forum, especially Marika Pirie - link here:
The memoirs of Frank Iriam can be bought here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/In-Trenches-1914-Glenn-Iriam/dp/1466900482
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