For Love and Courage

by E. W. Hermon

  My love to you my darling & the dear little Chugs.

  1 News had just come in of the sinking of the Cunard liner the Lusitania on 7 May by a German U-boat off the southern coast of Ireland with the loss of 1,198 civilian lives.

  2 This small village is not to be confused with the major town of Le Quesnoy, which was further south, and behind enemy lines.

  3 Two officers known as ‘Mac’ served with the regiment. The first Mac referred to is Lieutenant (later Captain) Donald MacKinnon who was with the K.E.H Reserve. ‘Old Mac’ is Captain (later Major) J. N. MacDonald.

  4 Near Vimy Ridge.

  5 His (much younger) brother, Richard Outram Hermon, then aged seventeen.

  6 Tom Woolven, the gardener at Brook Hill.

  7 Ethel Hermon was three months pregnant at this time; they referred to the baby until its birth as ‘Benjamin’.

  8 Kitchener’s army.

  9 Hodgson, a neighbour in Sussex.

  10 Lieutenant H. M. H. Cooper of ‘B’ Squadron.

  11 The cutting was by The Times military correspondent, Colonel Repington. The historian Martin Gilbert states: ‘Repington was given detailed information about the shortage of high explosive by Sir John French himself, angered at the Army’s inability to maintain the attack on Aubers Ridge. These critical reports, together with the personal representations of two officers sent back by French to intercede with political leaders in London, finally led to the establishment of a Ministry of Munitions.’

  12 In Worthing.

  13 Son of Dr Juckes, the family doctor.

  14 General Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien had been dismissed by Sir John French, under the pretext of ill health, for recommending a strategic withdrawal at Ypres, and had no further important command. He served as Governor of Gibraltar from 1918 to 1923.

  15 Lieutenant Cooper’s wound would prove to be fatal.

  16 The Taube (‘dove’) was a German observation plane, the original stealth plane. There was little engine noise in flight, and, as the wings were covered in clear doped linen, it was almost invisible when flying above 12,000 feet/3,660 metres.

  17 Winston Churchill, as First Lord of the Admiralty, had been blamed for the failure of the campaign in the Dardanelles, and was sacked from the War Cabinet by Asquith. After six months he rejoined the army and commanded a battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers on the Western Front until May 1916. He returned to government as Minister for Munitions in 1917.

  18 General Sir Hubert Gough.

  19 The British nickname for a heavy German shell, named after the famous black heavyweight boxer, 1878–1946.

  20 Gustav Hamel, a German national educated at Winchester College, was one of the pioneer aviators in England. His mysterious disappearance over the Channel in March 1914 led to many wild rumours, including the suggestion that he had become a German fighter pilot.

  21 Between Béthune and Lens.

  22 The rumour was correct: the first Zeppelin raid on London had taken place on 31 May 1915. Seven people were killed and thirty-five injured.

  23 Julian Grenfell was the First World War soldier/poet whose most famous poem ‘Into Battle’ had been printed in The Times the day his death was announced in May 1915.

  24 Pike was employed by his parents as a chauffeur. Robert held strong views about all able-bodied men joining the forces as he believed it was only force of numbers that would overcome the German army.

  25 Lloyd George had stated that it was the absolute duty of every citizen to place his life and labour at the disposal of the state. When the Liberal government had split in May as a result of the ammunition crisis, he became the first Minister of Munitions in the coalition government and later the Secretary of State for War.

  26 In view of her pregnancy.

  27 His father, Sidney.

  THE BOMB SCHOOL

  ON 7 JUNE, ‘C’ Squadron moved to Champ des Courses, Hesdigneul, when the division proceeded south to take over a new portion of the line from the French. Bivouacking in a copse, each troop in succession spent forty-eight hours in the front-line trenches in the Maroc area to gain experience in trench warfare and night patrolling. The sector was relatively quiet at this time, but later these trenches were used to launch the Loos attack.

  The French army continued to make advances north of Arras and captured trenches around Souchez in the middle of June, whilst the British made small advances at Hooge in the Ypres Salient, but failed to hold the front-line trench they gained east of Festubert on the 15th. The Russians pushed forward on the Eastern Front with heavy German losses but later were forced into retreat in Galicia.

  On 18 June, Robert became Commandant and Chief Instructor of the first Divisional Bomb School. This was something of a poisoned chalice because, as it says in the regimental history, ‘the bombs of June 1915 were kittle cattle’. Accidents were frequent, but Robert was determined to do what he could to prevent these unnecessary casualties.

  8th June 1915 – bivouac at Champ des Courses, Hesdigneul

  Darling Mine,

  I had a very successful day today with my old gentlemen at the Bomb School & finish them off tomorrow.

  Tell Nell1 I am sorry I can’t keep answering her constant flow of letters, I have had no less than two in the last three months – Ditto Mimi!!2 The old Governor has been very good & written me some top-hole ones so you might tell him that I mentioned the fact to you & then he will realize that I do appreciate them very much.

  Best love my own Lassie.

  9th June 1915 – bivouac at Champ des Courses, Hesdigneul

  I am at present in a house which consists of three sheep hurdles, with my mackintosh sheet as a roof and my oily coat & large bath towel as a fourth wall, door & window combined. The total area of my house is 6 ft by four & the ceiling at its highest point is about 3 ft 9 inches.

  The 9th [Lancers] seem to have done grandly at Hooge, but the others I think you will find did all about the same & a yeomanry squadron supporting the 9th did real well too. I shall be only too glad of the Ammonia tablets as everything helps. I have got a good mask sewn in my coat in a mackintosh bag & shall have a helmet as well in a few days & always both on me. We have instructions not to retire with the gas as then one never gets shot of it. We don’t really expect to meet the gas much as we are too far behind the line.

  Will you thank old ‘Mairky’ for her letter & Bob too. I got the dog’s hairs and liked them very much & have them in my pocket now with their photos which I was also very pleased with.

  We arrived here Monday night & slept more or less in the open & yesterday we had a real heavy thunderstorm & got pretty wet. When I went to bed my feet were in about half a gallon of water which had got inside my blankets!!

  I haven’t seen a paper today so I don’t know what has been going on. I hear rumours of one or possibly two Zeppelins having been destroyed by our airmen. Hope it’s true. The heat the last two days has been almost unbearable.

  11th June 1915 – bivouac at Champ des Courses, Hesdigneul

  Thank you so much for your nice birthday letter3 which arrived to the tick of the clock. I only hope I shall be at home for the next one but the chances are remote in the extreme. My telescope is on the boat with my other things & I should like it too please.

  I don’t think you would have enjoyed being with us these last few days as it has rained & thundered like Hades ever since we have been here. However, my hurdle house kept me dry last night alright tho’ it rained very hard all night. Today we have built a mess room which is most capacious. Walls of brushwood hurdles and a roof out of a railway truck tarpaulin. Very fine – I suppose tomorrow we shall move!

  Béthune has been shelled so much lately that all the shops are closing down & one can get few things there now. The gooseberries were what you sent & were much appreciated. I didn’t see Winston’s speech at Dundee, but I thought his Lancaster one very good.

  I loved the Chugs’ letters for my birthday & their dear little presents. Betsy’s lighter is splend
id & most useful & I have used nothing else since it came. It is so small & handy. I got the pouch & Meg’s bullseyes,4 but old Bob’s pipe hasn’t rolled up, but don’t tell him so as I am writing to thank him for it. I must stop now dearie as it is 11.15 p.m. & I have had a hard day today, wielding an axe since 8.30 a.m. as all our poles for our mess had to be cut from a wood & I want to write to the kids.

  Best love my own darling. I long for you so dearie mine & it will be such a terrible long time before we meet again I fear.

  13th June 1915 – bivouac at Champ des Courses, Hesdigneul

  Yesterday I went down to reconnoitre our advanced lines again & had a very interesting time. We, i.e. Henry & I, rode down through Noeux-les-Mines, & then got on the railway and rode along until we came to Grenay where we left our horses and walked on foot to the railway bridge about a mile S.E. of the town where we sat down & watched things. Of course the great disappointment of the war is that one never sees anything. We sat there with our own shells going over our heads from behind & the German coming the other way, but ‘divil’ a German or English soldier to be seen. The shells of both sides come out of the earth, screech through the air, fall with a bang & send up clouds of dust & that is all one sees.

  We were close to the Notre Dame de Lorette spur & exactly end on to the French trenches & could have been very useful to the Germans in telling them how to correct the range of their guns as it was only 3500 yards from us to the spur and the shells were bursting all along this line & we could see which was short & which was over. We left our horses in a farm where there were some French guns shooting & just after we left to walk up the Germans sent one along that fell into the orchard against the farmyard. Even right up where we were there were still women & children living in the houses only 1200 yds from our front-line trench, just taking pot luck whether they were hit or not! As I walked home past a row of workmen’s cottages, there was a gun in action in the garden of one firing away & two doors off a woman sweeping her garden path, taking no more notice of what was going on than if a man had ridden by on a bicycle! There is no doubt that one gets used to casual shelling. I know myself that I don’t notice it now like I did at first, tho’ of course an intense bombardment previous to an attack is quite another pair of shoes.

  I got two men from 3rd County of London Yeomanry attached to me. I wanted men as I have 8 away sick & they asked to come to me. Censoring their letters tonight Barber tells me they said to their friends that ‘the Regt was thought a lot of out here’, which in other words means the Squadron as the others are too far off to be known in these parts.

  15th June 1915 – bivouac at Champ des Courses, Hesdigneul

  Yes, we have moved West all the time, & are extending our line gradually as we get more troops out I suppose.

  So far I haven’t heard of any leave for us & I certainly haven’t earned it as we have lived the easiest of lives & our trouble is to know how to kill time. Really it is a farce our being here at all! But I suppose we shall have a go sooner or later. I heard something the other day about leave for anyone who had been three months out but I didn’t take much interest as I didn’t intend to come back unless I was seedy or the show finished.

  I am enclosing a picture of the Italian gun – it is exactly the same as the French 75 only a few minor modifications & improvements which are so minor that the French did not consider it worthwhile to re-arm with. The principal feature is the divided trail which closes when hooked to the limber. The great desiderata being the rigidity of the framework, enabling a very rapid rate of fire without re-laying the gun. I thought it might interest you & old Percy.

  My love to you old dear.

  16th June 1915 – bivouac at Champ des Courses, Hesdigneul

  There is a big attack in progress & last night near Festubert our troops did real well to start with but I have had no news this morning so far, so whether or not they got driven back again I do not know. There has been a lot of ammunition blazed away by the guns and I hope the results will be commensurate with it. I rather doubt the Germans’ ability to free half a million men from Galicia. The old Russians are never beaten & they have crowds of men.

  There are three Aeroplanes just going over in a covey, they have been very busy these last few days & now two more have come along. We had seven here last night all at once & nine a few days ago. Sopwith seems to be doing a tremendous lot of work. I shall go to midday stables now & will continue this when I get your letter at lunch time.

  The attack, I hear, has failed, we took a lot of trenches in the assault & then got bombed out of them again. It is a pity. Neither side appears to be strong enough to drive the other back, each side being strong enough to defend its line & there is a limit to the number of men you can put on a given piece of ground as they all have to be in the trenches before the attack begins.

  I am sorry to say my cyclist officer, who runs the bombing school, had a bad accident today, a bomb exploded in a man’s hand & killed the man & the one next to him and wounded Leman & his Sgt badly. They are beastly dangerous things, I hate them. However, it is part of the trade, only I wish they would give us a rather safer bomb to handle. No doubt it was the man’s fault but we shall never know owing to the fact that the two men actually throwing are dead & Leman and his Sgt are both evacuated to England. Post just off.

  17th June 1915 – bivouac at Champ des Courses, Hesdigneul

  Your 53, written in the train, rolled up alright today & cheered as usual.

  There is a devil of a contest going on near Festubert & the guns are going real hard, the whole sky is lit up with the flashes & the star shells and Verey lights make quite a Crystal Palace display. The French on our right have gone ahead well these last few days & are now well S.E. of Souchez, but somehow we don’t seem to make any great advance. They say that it is lack of guns and ammunition. The French seem to have no end of it as they fairly loose off and if you keep it up long enough no troops in the world can stand it, the moral strain even in the best of trenches & dugouts of four or five days’ incessant gunning day & night simply demoralizes the other side.

  Dearie mine, I am more than grateful to you for your trouble & trek to London about the clothes & things. Your son seems quite a bright lad tho’ of course he has a strong dash of his father in him!

  I have taken over the ‘School of Instruction in Bomb-throwing’ & was in——all afternoon seeing them made right from the molten metal. In my opinion under Leman it was very badly run & the amount of instruction derived was very sketchy indeed so I hope to re-organize things & make a really good show if I can and also to, as far as possible, eliminate accidents.

  I can’t help thinking that Leman’s accident was due to faulty instruction in the first place, & not to a bad fuse which they attributed it to. It is becoming now almost as important if not more so, than shooting. It is absolutely necessary in taking trenches to have good bomb throwers & an absolutely unlimited supply of bombs. The factory, tho’ only a small civilian foundry, turns out 6000 a day & can’t meet the demand in its own area. There is a Birmingham man who has invented a really good bomb & I hope the Govt will have it manufactured in large quantities as it is safe to handle & certain in action.

  My love to you old dear. Please thank Bob & Mary for their letters.

  Undated, postmarked 18th June 1915 – Champ des Courses, Hesdigneul

  I had my first day today as chief instructor of the 47th Div. Bomb School & was much gratified when the class begged to be allowed to remain two more days as they had learnt more today than they had in the four days they had been there. I had rather a stiff job to face, as the only time they had seen a bomb thrown, the previous Instructor was badly hurt & so was his assistant, & two men engaged in throwing the bomb were both killed. So one’s first job was to smooth the ruffled waters & try to instil a little confidence. However it is coming back alright I think.

  To revert to the war you will find in the big red book Hamley’s Operations of War that to gain one’s end it is
not sufficient to take towns or territory. The one objective is the destruction of the enemy’s forces. This is the only thing that can bring peace & accomplish one’s object. The German forces are far from being destroyed and were a peace to be considered now & entered into, from what she has learnt she could in a few years still build up an army & in my opinion one which would then be invincible. We have only just caught her in time & it is still going to be a very long job.

  Must go now dearie, love to you all.

  I want two Lacrosse bats please, soon as possible. To catch German bombs in & throw them out of the trench before they explode!!

  19th June 1915 – bivouac, Champ des Courses, Hesdigneul

  I simply loved your ‘rendering of account of your Stewardship’. This financial crisis seems to differ from our biennial crises in that there is still a bank balance. I am only sorry dearie, that I bothered you with it for a minute & that you took so much trouble because it wasn’t really wanted. However there is no doubt that for the next few years we shall have to be careful & there will be very little cash I fear for holiday jaunts, & as for a new stable, that will be out of the question.

  Since writing the above we have had supper, & now the French on the Lorette appear to be attacking or else the Germans are making a counter-attack. You never saw such a show, the whole sky is bright as day with gun flashes & the noise incessant. They must be firing hundreds of shells a minute. The ammunition question doesn’t bother the French. They fire all day & all night & yet can have bursts like they are doing now ad lib.

  Best love to you dear lassie & the Chugs.

  Undated, postmarked 20th June 1915 – bivouac, Champ des Courses, Hesdigneul

  I got a top-hole letter from you again today old dear (56), and after a long day out it was very pleasant to find it waiting in my palace when I got back.