HLI Chronicle 1915 - The Royal Highland Fusiliers

70 HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY CHRONICLE.
Germans came out of the wood with the white
flag, holding up their hands 'and running
hard-probably between 70 and 100 of thema.
most amusing sight. The Gurkhas got
wildly excited, rushed forward with drawn
kukries, and led the Germans away-waving
to us to come on from the trench behind,
the Gurkhas having gone on to the previously
unoccupied trench. The place was a regular
shambles, strewn with German casualties,
rifles, bayonets, and everything else. After
a. fresh artillery bombardment, we started
off at one o'clock. I sent over two platoons
in the front line, and so did Knight from
the second line. They went on to the Gurkha
trench, losing a good few men, Parr being hit
through the nose and eye almost before
starting. As they did not seem to get on any"
further, I brought on the next half-company
and joined them, and got them on into'the
previously unoccupied trench, now held by
the Gurkhas, who had gone on to take back
the Germans. I lost one of my subalterns
here, and a good many men. I think the
Germans got a cross-fire on them. They
put a number of iron loopholes sideways,
.80 that they get a cross-fire, and for the people
opposite it is difficult to get a direct hit. I
then got a message (which long afterwards I
found had never been sent to me, but was
passed down through the regiment on the
left) that the H.L.I. must go on; so I called
on the men and got over the parapet. There
is great difficulty in getting out of a trench,
especially for small men laden with pack,
rifle, 150 rounds in the pouch, and a bandolier
of 50 rounds hung round them, and perhaps
4 feet of slippery clay perpendicular wall,
with sandbags on the top. I got about three
men hit actually on the top of the parapet.
I made a dl;\sh at the parapet, and fell back.
The Jocks then heaved me np, and I jumped
into a ditc4-an old trench filled with liquid
mud--which took me some time to get out
of. We got on for about 15 yards over a small
stream, and lay down in a slight depression
of the ground, such as it was, the country
being really quite flat. I lay there for 3t
hours, having dug myself into the ground
about ten inches, so that I was well under
cover, excepting my legs, but as this move
was not followed up I decided to make a dash
back about 6 p.m., which I did successfully,
the fire having quietened a good deal. The
others with me did the same. I counted up
the company and found it 61 strong, but I
am afraid that there were a lot who never got
further than the first line, and I had lost 3
platoon sergeants in the first rush. I must
have started 140 strong. We stayed there
all that night (the 12th). It was a wretched
place, as we had neither water nor stretchers,
and had to carry the wounded away by hand.
Next day (the 13th) the Germans turned on
artillery-more especially " Black Marias"­
on to the village, which is completely ruined.
The smell of the" Black Marias " is beastly,
and even 150 yards off they shake the ground
violently. The Germans seem to burst their
shrapnel in batches of three or four at a time.
There were a number of wounded out all this
day; in fact the areas between the trenches
were regular shambles, as counter attacks by
the Ger:tnans had been repulsed there the day
before. Knight repeatedly reported that the
trench over the little stream was unoccupied,
but nothing happened until some Getmans
crept into the trench. So we were all, Germans
and ourselves, occupying the same trench,
with the stream and about 40 yards or so
between us. Knight, Knox, and myself were.
the only officers in front .. Inglis had been
shot through the chest, and Campbell had got
a shrapnel through the heart. Walker (through
the head) and'all his subalterns were casualties.
We carried out reliefs that night, "C" and
" D " relieving" B " and" A," and I pushed
my way along trenches filled with Gurkhas,
J..Iemsters, and 4th King's Regiment-terribly
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