Ten Years Ago Today, item 14

• December 15, 2016 13:21:19 Jake Warren

  7

  and other oddments of equipment which was

  necessary to do the job.

                  Our route lay over shell pitted barren

  land that had long ago lost all resemblance to

  the pleasant agricultural district it was before

  1914. We could almost see our front line as

  the ground gradually sloped up to the German lines.

  In fact the spot I was anxious to reach had

  been up to that morning in German lines.

  Our own guns had by this time ceased, the first barrage

  was over. but now the German guns, freed for a time

  from heavy shells were beginning to get going.

  It was at first a desultory barrage, due no doubt to

  the lack of information after the first assault. This

  lack of information in the early hours of an attack

  constituted one of the biggest obstacles to the leaders of

  both sides. Until a line was consolidated & reports

  received from all quarters no one quite knew what was

  happening. On ones own little bit of front things might

  be going well objectives might be reached & trenches manned

  exactly according to plan, but what of the people a mile

  to each flank or even a few hundred yards. Had they

  reached the point marked out for them, or were they

  being held by wire or machine guns. no one knows.

  All we can do is to carry out our own little bit

  of the war & wait for further orders, and until

  all engaged in the struggle lane sent their report

  the whole army is in the air. And so the German

  counter-barrage was at  first spasmodic. Shells were

  dropping over the whole of our support lines in erratic

• December 9, 2016 23:14:13 Sue Bryant

  7

  and other oddments of equipment which was

  necessary to do the job.

                  Our route lay over shell pitted barren

  land that had long ago lost all resemblance to

  the pleasant agricultural district it was before

  1914. We could almost see our front line as

  the ground gradually sloped up to the German lines.

  In fact the spot I was anxious to reach had

  been up to that morning in German lines.

  Our own guns had by this time ceased, the first barrage

  was over. but now the German guns, freed for a time

  from heavy shells were beginning to get going.

  It was at first a desultory barrage, due no doubt to

  the lack of information after the first assault. This

  lack of information in the early hours of an attack

  constituted one of the biggest obstacles to the leaders of

  both sides. Until a line was consolidated & reports

  received from all quarters no one quite knew what was

  happening. On ones own little bit of front things might

  be going well objectives might be reached & trenches manned

  exactly according to plan, but what of the people a mile

  to each flank or even a few hundred yards. Had they

  reached the point marked out for them, or were they

  being held by wire or machine guns. no one knows.

  All we can do is to carry out our own little bit

  of the war & wait for further orders, and until

  all engaged in the struggle lane sent their report

  the whole army is in the air. And so the German

  counter-barrage was at  first spasmodic. Shells were

  dropping over the whole of our support lines in erratic

  
  

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