HLI Chronicle 1914 - The Royal Highland Fusiliers

140 HIGHLAND LIGHT INFANTRY CHRONICLE.when the shells and bullets came singingover. Since then we have retired steadily;hence the long days and short nights. Ourtroops were quite played out last night. Youwould not recognise the Battalion as it was14 days ago. The men are suffering fright.fully from sore feet. The backward movementis so depressing and so bad for morale.However, the spirits of everyone are extraordinarilygood. The French ha ve nowchipped in, and are attacking in front. Ihear the guns bombarding not more than 3miles in front.We are resting to-day, and I expect we shalladvance to-morrow. We have had some goodsuccesses lately-officially declared to-dayandeveryone is cheering wildly. One of thesaddest things about retiring is to see theFrench people all leaving their houses andfleeing-the poor women crying and carryingbabies.The 12th Lancers and Greys had a brilliantsuccess yesterday, and bagged a lot of Uhlans.Swettenham was killed, and Bulkeley Johnsonwounded, but not badly.We had an exciting day on the 27th. Wewere isolated with some transport. About8 a.m. I got a message from General Hakingby a mounted orderly-" There is now nothingbetween you and the Germans. Take thetransport via --, etc. If necessary youmust, of course, abandon the transport tosave the Regiment. " We started off, andfound a small Uhlan patrol in a town, andgot two of their horses. The town was bombardedhalf an hour after we left it, and inflames. In the end we marched 27 or 28miles, and joined the Brigade at 10 p.m.Haking was very much pleased, and said hewas sure the H.L.I. would do it. Everyonewas dog-tired, and we had to start againyesterday at 4 a.m. and march 18 miles here.n was the most distressing march I have everdone. Some of the men's feet were frightfullysore; but they stuck to it with splendidspirit.It seems a lifetime since we left Aldershot.Everyone says the same. It feels as if we hadbeen out here for months. , Not that anyoneis the least sick of it or depressed, but so manystirring events are crowded into the days.The Germans are behaving disgracefully.An officer dressed as a French officer went upto some Coldstream Guards and asked ifBulkeley, the machine-gun officer, was in thatBattalion. He then shot the officer he wastalking to. I believe it was young Windsor-Olive. Others dress up as British Staffofficers and drive about in motor cars, andwhen they meet transports or convoys' shoutat t,hem-" The Germans are advancing, atyou just ahead," which causes a stampede.That happened to us. A long column oftransport was ahead of us as we were retiring.All of a sudden a French officer came gallopingdown the road the reverse way, shouting"Les Allemands! Les Uhlans!" All t.hetransport was thrown into confusion. Someof the waggons came back at a gallop. Wewere just behind, and mercifully the roadwas broad. There was a little confusion atfirst, but they rallied splendidly when Ishouted at them, and we all advanced up theroad with fixed bayonets~to find absolutelynothing! We lined some of the men oneither side of the road, and they took a statueof the Virgin Mary over a hedge for Germans,and plastered her !We are all very well, and get excellentfood. I am afraid if we advance now therewon't be much beyond supplies, as the Germanswill have taken everything. The weather hasbeen lovely, but t.he sun is very hot sometimes.I suppose t,hey have published the" officialgratitude" of France for the "action of theBritish Army during the last few days, whichhas saved France." This has had a splendideffect ,on the morale of the troops, whichalways suffers somewhat in a retirement.The French did it in 1870-71, and were jeeredat by the villagers on their way back to Paris.H the French troops are now attackingthe Germans who were following us theyshould roll them up easily, as they (the Germans)must be just as played out as we are.Your soup squares you gave me are excellent.Shifter and I enjoyed them thatlong day we had no rations.I will write when I can, but it is impossiblewhen one is on the move all day and night.The firing is getting further away now. Ihope the French are driving the brutes back.The Connaughts got in rather a nasty placetwo days ago, and Abercrombie is missing.He was seen to be hit by a shell, and fell orran into a ditch, and no more has been heardof him. The Munster Fusiliers were also surprisedand cut up very badly.The Germans actually dress themselves upin Ollr men's greatcoats to disguise themselves,get close, and then shoot. It is toobarbarous, and against any civilised canonof warfare.