Newsletter No1 - August 2007 - The Royal Highland Fusiliers

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After leaving Lysenhook we then moved into the town of Poperinge, a town that was used by troops duringrest periods from the trenches. Our briefing notes were headed “Poperinge – Haven and Hell” It washere that we visited two main areas – one was Talbot House and the other the cells that soldiers who weresentenced to Be Shot at Dawn would be held, thus the statement Haven and Hell.Talbot House: was an all ranks home for soldiers to stay whilst they visitedthe town and it was nicknamed “Toc H” by the soldiers, this nickname originatedfrom the phonic alphabet used by the army at the time, we know “T” as“Tango” but in those days “T” was known as “Toc” and “H” had no phonicname in those days so the name Toc H came about. The house was ran originallyby a minister called “Toby Clayton” and the house was named byToby after a Lt Talbot who had been killed, Lt Talbot’s war grave cross ismounted on the wall of the small chapel in the attic of the building. Thischapel was always full of soldiers getting communion and making their peacewith whichever religion they followed, even to-day many relatives and theoccasional veteran still return to remember the peace and tranquil time theyor their relatives spent in this house, you can feel the vibes from the houseeven to this day. Many of the items that were used during Toby Clayton’sservices are still there and used to day.The gentleman by the name of “Jack” gave us the briefing about Toc H wasan amazing person who really loved the job he does.Jack held us all captive with his stories and his fond memoriesof meetings he has had with many an old soldier whovisited the house during the war and with the relatives ofthose who came to see the place where these soldiers couldfind sanction away from the trenches and fighting. Jack saidthe only rules at the time was that there could be no rankused in the house and no one was to be sad whilst in thehouse. Many soldiers took communion in this house givingthem a chance to make peace with their God before returningto the trenches. The name Toc H is used by many soldier’shouses throughout the world even to day.SHOT AT DAWNA visit to the cells that would have housed the soldiers whowere to be shot a dawn was a chilling visit after TalbotHouse, many of these soldiers who were sentenced were veteransof the fighting of the time, it appeared that some sufferedshell shock and others who felt that the chances of themsurviving another assault over the top was reducing each time,those who refused were charged and some were sentenced tobe shot.The prisoner would be placed in the death cell to await sentencehe would lie on a wooden bed covered in straw ready forhis execution the following morning. The firing party normallyconsisted of 4 – 8 men from the prisoners own unit, their rifles would be drawn from them andloaded by members of the Military Police and the prisoner would be walked out, tied to the firing post anda hood placed over his head, then an aiming mark pinned to his chest prior to the sentence being carriedout, after the execution he would be pronounced dead by a doctor and his body removed for burial.
After our visit it was off again to visit Essex Farm which was an aid station as well as being a holding areafor troops just before they started their journey off to the front line, the troops would arrive in the area normallyby buses and debus await, orders, collect final stores like water then head off. This was also the locationof a main dressing station where Lt Col John McCrae penned the famous poem “In FlandersFields”. John McCrae was concerned that troops were arriving back at the hospitals having received onlybasic aid resulting in many unnecessary deaths and he and asmall team set up an aid post to enable emergency operations tobe carried out to sustain the soldiers until they arrived back to amain hospital, his original intention was to stay for a short whilebut this time was extended due to the flow of casualties comingthrough this location. His friend who was assisting him left thesmall dark cramped operating room inside a bunker to get somefresh air followed shortly by John McCrae, just in time to see hisfriend being killed by artillery fire, this led him going back intoa small restroom where he penned the words of his poem, after ashort while he crushed the poem up and threw it into the cornerwhere a steward recovered it and it was later published to be oneof the best known poems from the time.When casualties arrived at this aid post they were left out in the open next to the operating bunkers ready tobe taken in, all the while they area was still being subjected to enemy artillery, if they survived that theythen had to survive the operation, this was carried out often without anaesthetics just the stewards holdingthe patient down, once out of the operating room the casualty would be put back outside on a stretcher subjectedagain to artillery fire, do doubt many of these casualties ended back in the operating theatre.As this area was a main concentration area for troops departing for the front line the enemy artillery firedinto it constantly and the new arrivals often never saw the front line becoming a victim of the enemy artillery,there are a group of headstones in the cemetery in a line all nearly touching each other of a whole sectionwaiting to go to the front who were killed. Another grave is a young soldier Pte Strudwick who wasonly fifteen when he was killed, although he is not the youngest soldier killed during this war, the youngestwas only thirteen and ten months, he had lied about his age when he enlisted. He is buried at another cemeterynearbyPte Barrett VC is also buried in this cemetery and his story shows most of the corevalues that were discussed, he and his section were out in no man’s land as a listeningpost lying in a shell crater, at the end of their tour they were making their way out ofthe crater when they were subjected to sniper fire, no matter which exit they tried outof the crater the sniper engaged them, so Barrett decided that he would go alone andtake out the sniper, half an hour passed then a single shot rang out and Barrett cameback and said the job was done, but when the team went to leave the crater they againcame under fire from another sniper, again Barrett crawled out of the crater and againa short time past again a single shot and Barrett returned. Enemy patrols in the areawere alerted and were on their way to investigate the situation, Barrett then told themen to quickly make their way out of the crater and back to their own lines and hewill cover their movements, this he did and once all the men were safely back in their own trench, Barrettthen broke cover and rejoined his section in the trench, all hugging each other thankfully that they were allsafe, but as they made their way along the trench a single artillery round landed killing only Pte Barrett.It was at Essex Farm that we heard the lines of McCrae’s Poem “In Flanders Fields” and we then had ashort time to remember and visit those who lie in this cemetery.The mere thoughts that must have gone through these soldiers minds, thinking that they had survived thefront line, brought back and operated on so they could be sent back to hospital for further treatment only tobe subjected to enemy artillery fire again. Also to the new arrivals who died before they saw any action.
Page 1 and 2: GLASGOW HIGHLANDERSASSOCIATIONNEWSL
Page 3 and 4: GLASGOW HIGHLANDERSNemo Me Impune L
Page 5 and 6: After leaving the Cloth Building we
Page 7: All movement to the forward trenche
Page 11 and 12: Moving on we arrived at Hooge Chape
Page 13 and 14: A WEE HOOSE IN MARYHILL CALLEDTHE H
Page 15 and 16: I hope that you have enjoyed readin

Newsletter No1 - August 2007 - The Royal Highland Fusiliers

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