1st Bedfords on the March

Saturday 3rd October 1914: Our contact with the 1st Battalion tells us that they have left the Jury area, their home for the last three weeks. They have marched sixteen miles or so south-east. Our contact tells us: “It was a most beautiful night with a slight frost and perfect for marching. We finished up at Corcy behind the French lines about eighteen kilometres south of Soissons”.

“The officer’s mess is in a large château where we all live. Monteith, Pope[1] and myself being in a most luxurious room at the top of the house. Five French sapper officers are also in the house engaged on making trenches for the first line defence of Paris”.

“The house, which belonged so some French countess, is otherwise deserted except for the housekeeper who we heard is in an awful state in her room as she has just heard today of her husband’s death in action and is very ill in bed and not expected to live. We have to creep about like mice in consequence and have sent her our condolences through the French sappers. The men are in a large farm about a mile away on a hill”.

It would seem as if efforts, by 5th Division at least, to break through the German lines on the Aisne have been frustrated and the attempt has been given up. This is a great disappointment after such high hopes that the Germans were in retreat but at least the British Expeditionary Force has helped our French allies to save Paris from the clutches of the Kaiser and we can hope that this major success will ensure a shorter war.

Sources: X550/2/5; X550/2/7

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[1] Lieutenant-Colonel J C Monteith, as he would become, died commanding 2nd Battalion at the Battle of Loos on 1st October 1915, aged 39, he was from Dumfries. Lieutenant Pope would be captured on 2nd November 1914 but survive the war.

A Letter from the 1st Bedfords at the Front

Tuesday 29th September 1914: We have received a letter from Lieutenant Charles Claude Stafford, a 23 year old from Bedford serving with the 1st Bedfords in France near the River Aisne. He says: “We are right at the front now, and sleep in the trenches. We are 250 yards away from the German trenches. They cannot do much damage to us, as our position is very strong. I am in perfect health and get plenty to eat. I should love a bath or a good wash. Please send me some chocolate or cigarettes as we cannot get either. I have met several officers I knew before I came out. Hopkins was a master at Elstow School and is one of the best. All our letters are censored so that I can’t give you any news but shall have plenty to tell you when I get back. I hope to be home for a Christmas dinner”.

“We get plenty of excitement here. I think our people have just shelled the enemy out of some of their trenches. I sleep like a top through all the noise. I made my part of the trench lovely and warm with straw last night. It is very hot by day and cold at night. We got hold of sometime rabbits and some fowls which we bought”.

“The German artillery is very good but their Infantry is not so good. In fact it is bad. Of course we don’t mind that. I feel sorry for the inhabitants of the villages round us; they have had their houses blown to pieces. The airmen are very brave. They go over the German trenches and are shelled at hard, but manage not to get hit. We can see shrapnel bursting all round them. I have got quite used to shells and bullets flying about. We are all wondering where the Russians are. I have been over a good part of France, but, of course, not nearly so much as the rest of the Battalion. I shall be glad when we land in Berlin. We are all very unshaven but manage to get quite a lot of enjoyment out of everything. W. A. B. Walker, who used to be in the same form with me, is in the Regiment. It is no use sending the men clothing, as when we advance they will have to throw it away. We all carry as little as possible”.[1]

Source: Bedfordshire Times 9th October 1914

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[1] Lieutenant Stafford was killed less than a month later – on 13th October when his unit was pushed back 300 yards by German artillery and infantry at Givenchy-lès-la-Bassée. 7 officers and 140 other ranks in all became casualties. Sadly Lieutenant Stafford has no known grave and is commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial. Second Lieutenant Walter Arthur Beaumont Walker died on 30th October 1914 and is buried at Bethune Town Cemetery.

1st Bedfords Back in the Front Line

Thursday 24th September 1914: Our source with the 1st Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment in France tells us that the battalion has gone back into the front line: “We heard that we were to cross the Aisne and relieve the troops holding the sector which we had left. In the afternoon the Company Commanders were sent off in advance to take over and see their respective sectors. The Battalion moved off at 6.15 pm”.

“We crossed the river in the dark by the same bridge and marched to the same old farm house we had been in at Sainte-Marguerite about 9 pm. D Company were allotted the forward trenches in the wood and I met a guide from the Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry who led us all wrong to relieve a Company of the DCLI in trenches which were only forty yards from the Germans”.

“We careered all over the wood with German searchlights playing on us which put the wind up us from time to time and eventually discovered the DCLI and carried out the relief. Number 13 Platoon was put into the most forward trench which was in easy hearing distance of the enemy, the other platoons being along a sort of natural ditch which ran at right angles to their position. We arrived about 11 pm and settled down to a rather uncomfortable night but quite peaceful one although we were expecting an attack all the time. All night the old German searchlight played on and all round us and we were sure that he spotted us”.

Sources: X550/2/7

HMS Carmania Sinks a German Ship and the Bedfords Cross the Aisne

RMS Carmania

Monday 14th September 1914: We have received a report of a victory at sea from Able Seaman Cheshire of Clifton Road, Shefford. He is a member of the crew of HMS Carmania. She is an ocean liner which has been fitted with eight naval guns of 4.7 inch calibre to help protect herself and other merchant ships against German commerce raiders. AB Cheshire has told me that today Carmania engaged and sunk a German armed merchantman, looking, I am told, suspiciously like Carmania herself, off the Brazilian island of Trinidade.

He says: “We met here off the coast of South America. The scrap started soon after 12 o’clock midday, and in one hour forty minutes  we put her down; a glorious victory as she looked a far superior ship to ours. Our gunnery was splendid, without any boast. I can tell you it was hot stuff whilst it lasted. Of course we did not get off scot free – we had a few shot holes. The worst part of the whole affair was that we caught fire but we got it out with a little hard work. We had nine killed and between twenty and thirty injured, which was a very small casualty list compared with the Germans[1]. We gave her a good rousing British cheer as she disappeared to the bottom. Our captain was splendid – as cool as a cucumber, smoking a cigarette”.

In France the adjutant of the 1st Bedfords writes: “We crossed the River Aisne by pontoon and raft and attacked Missy. We were heavily shelled and had about forty casualties”. Our contact with the battalion, as usual, adds some more revealing information:  “The battalion moved forward and began to cross the river at 2 am … The battalion crossed over in two rafts, being pulled from side to side by ropes and got over about 3.30 am”. The battalion made its attack: “The Norfolks had a pretty bad time on the ridge in front as they had advanced with our battalion and we had succeeded in practically clearing the crest when the British guns mistook them for the enemy and started shelling them. The Germans in the meanwhile put down a barrage behind them. In the confusion the Norfolks lost direction and charged their other half battalion with fixed bayonets in the woods. We all had to clear out of the woods and lost a good many men through it”

“Private Smith had been hit in the stomach on the way down and Drummer Chequer[2] and I looked after him. Poor devil, he was in agony and we had to take turns sitting on him to keep him from throwing himself about; we could do little for him but eventually managed to get him taken across the river and put in a cart and taken to hospital where he died the next day[3]. McCloughin was also hit that day and died in a house in Missy after the most awful agony”.[4]

Source: Bedfordshire Times 9th October 1914; X5502/5; X550/2/7

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[1] In fact between 16 and 51 Germans are mentioned by various sources as having been killed. The rest, some 250, were rescued by smaller German vessels.
[2] Drummer Chequer would be killed on 28th September 1914.
[3] As can be seen from the Roll of Honour Private Smith is officially recorded as dying of wounds the same day.
[4] He died on 18th September.

The 1st Bedfords at the River Aisne

A pom-pom on an anti-aircraft mounting

Sunday 13th September 1914: The adjutant of the 1st Battalion tells us that the Germans are holding the line of the River Aisne in force and that all day an artillery duel between the two sides has been going on. Some heavy shells fell near the battalion which was forced to move back somewhat. This evening it is anticipated that the 15th Brigade may try to cross the river at Jury. The battalion lost one man to shellfire during the day.

Our contact with the battalion is feeling better and praises the work of our gunners both the field batteries manning guns of smaller calibre and the heavy batteries. He has a curiosity to report: “A Pom Pom arrived and placed itself quite close to us and prepared for action. Some of us went off to look at it and discovered a lonely looking Gunner Subaltern in charge.  He told us that it was a Pom Pom mounted and fitted for Anti-Aircraft defence. He said that it was the first of its kind out of England and that when he arrived in France no one knew anything or seemed to care anything about him!”[1]

He went on: “We made up for the disinterest taken in him and thoroughly examined his weapon and asked him how he knew which aeroplane was Allied and which German. He told us that he had a Flying Corps specialist with him who knew the various makes and could distinguish between them. Suddenly an aeroplane sailed over head flying pretty high and his expert shouted in his excitement that it was a German. The gun team got very excited and the gun opened fire and loosed off about 150 rounds at it while we watched with our glasses. We soon saw that it had the French mark on it and the “expert” had to agree that it was French so the gun stopped firing! The gunner was quite disappointed but said that he had observed some bursts through its wings!”

Sources: X550/2/5; X550/2/7

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[1] A pom-pom was a piece of ordinance named after the noise it made. The early pom poms were, more correctly, 37mm Nordenfelt-Maxim Guns or QF 1 pounder (QF for quick firing and one pound being the weight of the projectile)

Another Wet Day in France

Saturday 12th September 1914: It has been another wet day in France. The adjutant of the 1st Bedfords tells us: “Advanced. Weather again very bad. Roads a sea of mud”. 

Sadly our contact with the battalion is feeling unwell. He told us: “I woke up feeling very seedy indeed and was violently sick several times and could hardly move. I could not eat any breakfast at all and somehow managed to fall in and move off with the Battalion when we moved off at 5 am”. The act of throwing away his overcoat during the retreat has obviously resulted in a chill after being soaked in yesterday’s rain. He went on: “We marched through several small villages and I felt as if I were going to die all the time and had to several times fall out at the side of the road and be frightfully sick! After about five miles of this and after a long halt I gave up and did the next four hours in the mess cart and managed to sleep most of the time”.

The battalion has had a number of German prisoners with it which they have now surrendered to the authorities. Our source notes: "These prisoners were a most tame lot altogether and were very sorry to leave us and we were sorry to part with them as they had been most useful during our fatigue work. They could practically all speak English and one of them knew one of our men well and had actually worked with him in the Old Kent Road!”

Two companies of the battalion are billeted tonight on the River Aisne.

Sources: X550/2/5; X550/2/7