What an Artillery Duel Means

Sunday 25^th July 1915: Trooper W T Hobkirk of A Squadron, Bedfordshire Yeomanry tells us: “Before leaving England I often read in the papers such a sentence as this: “There were several infantry attacks and an artillery duel near ---“. I cast the paper aside considering this no news. Now my opinion is changed for I have an idea of what actually happens in an artillery duel. Last week we were billeted in a wood, as we were on a trench-digging expedition. It was generally known by midday that the previous night the Germans had successfully driven out some of our men from the trenches. On returning to our billet, after witnessing a lot of aerial scouting and wondering why our airmen were taking such enormous risks, for they had been shelled heavily there was a bang, but no one took any notice as it is nothing to hear these explosions, for, as our men at the guns say “We must send them a souvenir now and then to let them know we are still here”. A shell had left the gun, silence and then a distant rumble told us the shell had found its mark. Bang again; still no notice was taken. Again the guns spoke, but there was to be no silence this time, no isolated shots now but one continuous roar, as that of a huge waterfall. Certainly none of us had witnessed anything like it before. In spite of all this tumult the western sky reddened and another day was about to close, and perhaps the lives of brave men fighting were coming to a close with it. But the day’s work was not finished, at least, not as far as the Allies’ guns were concerned. The darkness came, and most of us were keen to see what we could of this wonderful warfare. In the distance, from a mound in our wood, we saw enough to make us thank God we were fighting on the English side. The noise was now more British and more deafening. The enemy were replying to the best of their ability, and I am sure no orator, with the best of lungs, could have made himself heard a dozen yards from his listeners. The guns sent forth death messages with a goodly streak of light, but the exploding shells created much more light. Along the whole line of trenches the Star shells gracefully rose and flared up like a magnesium wire, spluttered out like a rocket and fell, reminding me of the fireworks at the Stadium, White City. At last roll-call came. The din lasted four hours: the shortest four hours I ever remember, and still they were at it; but it was time for us to retire, so we left the mound and slept peacefully. Next day several German prisoners were taken through; they had been captured when our men re-occupied the lost trenches. I spoke to some of our artillerymen and by all accounts on the previous night only twenty guns of ours had been in action, so I can imagine the din when 350 guns were on the go at Neuve Chapelle”.

Source: Bedfordshire Standard 6th August 1915