1914 (British Ace) (10 page)

We were awoken before dawn by an enemy barrage.  We would not have a leisurely ride back to
Field Marshal Sir John French.  The whole of Von Kluck’s Corps was advancing towards Paris and we were in the way. It was fortunate that we had had much practice in taking down tents in a hurry. Once again we were chosen to be the scouts.  We now had a nickname: the Forlorn Hope.  As the only troop to have suffered casualties we took it as a badge of honour.

We reached
Néry
on the 31
st
of August.  We were exhausted and our mounts needed serious rest.  We were running short of ammunition as well as other vital supplies. We were close enough to the General Headquarters at Dammartin, to be able to see the staff officers as they hurried in and out like so many busy, red hatted, worker ants. There did not seem to be a lot of order about their movements. To me they looked like ants when their nest is disturbed.

We had not even had the chance to begin to erect the tents when we heard the fire of small arms.  We had no idea where the enemy were but we assumed it was to the north of us.  Colonel Mackenzie had had enough of retreating and he ordered the whole brigade north. Suddenly we saw a German Cavalry division; they were hurtling after the
retreating British infantry who were trying to avoid the lances and sabres of the grey clad Germans.  The General staff emerged from their building as though it was on fire.  They leapt for their cars as the colonel ordered the charge against the Germans. 

It was not good country for cavalry but we had no choice, we had to fight where we could.  I saw the colonel and many of the officers with their swords out. I turned to my men. “Use your guns! I think these Germans may be better swordsmen than we are.”

Doddy and I took out our Lugers and checked they were ready to fire.  I know that the rest of my men were all looking for the chance to get a pistol too.  They had seen the effect they had.

It was not the meeting of two might
y beasts but rather a chance encounter.  We met the enemy piece meal. I slowed my men down as we approached the Germans.  They were too busy trying to sabre the helpless, retreating foot sloggers. I aimed my rifle and began to fire at every grey uniform I could see. I was not as accurate as I would have been if stationary but my men and I caused enough disruption for the infantry to escape.  When the Huns saw us they changed direction.  My rifle empty, I took out the Luger and shot the first two surprised Germans who thought to make a pin cushion out of me. 

A rider approached from my left. As his sword swung down I leaned to my right and fired.  The bullet smashed his hand and he fell screaming to the ground. My Luger was now empty and I had to, reluctantly, take my sword out. It was sharp and that was about it.  I was not confident about its use. I glanced to my left and saw that George and the rest of the troop were also reduced to the use of a blade.

The first German I fought obliged me by coming from my right.  I knew I was not skilful but I was strong and I swung the sword overhand with all my might. The smaller German tried to parry but my blow was so hard that he fell backwards from his horse. The second German came at me from my left. I yanked on Caesar’s reins.  I must have done so too hard for he reared a little and his hooves flailed the air before him. I am a good rider and I managed to shift my weight forward and keep my seat.  The Hun was not so lucky.  His horse tried to jerk out of the way and, as Caesar landed I slashed down with my blade and caught the German across the back. The blade was sharp and I saw blood on the edge as the rider fled the field.

I heard recall and sighed with relief.  This had been my first action in a real battle. As I looked down the line I saw that, although there were many dead Germans there were troopers lying dead and dying amongst them.
The Germans had retreated and so we went amongst the dead and dying to offer assistance. Doddy and I took the opportunity of filching more ammunition whilst Tiny, Robbie and Jack manage to acquire guns of their own.

Our troop had only suffered wounds but, as we continued south, towards the Marne we discovered that the rest of the regiment had lost fifteen men.  I rode next to George. “Are all cavalry battles like that?”

He shrugged, “That was my first one. In the Boer War we fought as mounted infantry.  The South Africans preferred to hit and run.  That is the first time I have had to use my sword.”

“Me too and I didn’t enjoy it.” A thought suddenly struck me, “Where was the lieutenant in all this?”

“Did you not see?  His sling miraculously appeared and he stayed with the bugler just behind us.”

The lieutenant had shed his sling some days earlier. I am not saying he was a coward but he didn’t like to risk his own life.
I think that the war games he had played at University had given him a slightly distorted view of what battle would be like.  For the ordinary lads, like me, we had no expectation; all we had was the belief that we were fighting for King and Country and that we would do our duty.

We reached the Marne and finally stopped running. Doddy joked that any further south and we would be in Paris. For us Paris was exotic and filled with ladies who would promise much; it was every soldier’s dream to have leave in Paris. It did not materialise and our camp on the Marne was as close as we got. We did use the four day respite from battle well. We were able to feed, water and groom our mounts and restore them to some semblance of fitness.  The Quartermaster acquired more ammunition for us.  My scouts were already well stocked with German ammunition. We had learned that you could never have too many magazines nor too much ammunition. Doddy also managed to get us some bayonets.  I didn’t ask where he got them but he and his brother were masters at scrounging. If the Germans were going to charge us with lances then I wanted something to poke them back with.

On the 5
th
of September the colonel came back from his briefing at headquarters.  For the first time in a month he actually looked happy. He saw me and waved me over; I wondered what I had done wrong.  “Just thought I’d tell you Harsker, I mentioned you and the two Brown lads in despatches for your action the other day.  I also singled you out as a potential candidate for officer training.”

“Thank you sir.”

“You deserve it.”

When I told George he just nodded.  “It’s a shame we only have the Victoria Cross.  You should have had a medal for what you did.  Still, a mention in despatches isn’t too bad.”

We waited expectantly for the Squadron Sergeant to emerge from his meeting with the colonel.  Something was definitely in the air. We waited in the mess tent talking of inconsequential matters.  The troopers had all been complaining that they had had no letters from home yet.

“They are all a bit upset
, George.”

“I can see that Bill but as we have been flitting around like a may fly it’s a bit hard to see how they could have
found us let alone deliver the letters.” I knew he was right but for all of us this was the first time we had been away from home and it was hard.

When Sergeant Ritchie entered he too was happy.  He rubbed his hands together. “Well gentlemen, at last we get a chance to do what we have been trained for.  We hit the enemy!” Everyone cheered.
“We are acting as a detached brigade and we will be operating to the west of the French Sixth Army and the Cavalry Division.  Our job is to probe for weaknesses.  We are going to turn the German flank.  There will be seventy thousand British soldiers in the attack and a lot more French soldiers.  There will be no more retreat. We are going to drive them back to Germany.”

Some wag shouted, “Next stop Berlin!”

Everyone laughed and the Squadron Sergeant wagged his finger, “Just one step at a time Jimmy eh?” He unrolled a map and placed it on the blackboard.  Using his swagger stick as an improvised pointer he took us through our roles.  Each troop was given a sector and we were told to push forward until we met opposition and then send a message to Headquarters.  The colonel would have a mobile headquarters and runners would then direct the troops to the weak points.

As George and I checked the routes on the map I ventured. “The problem with this plan is finding where the colonel is.”

“I know.  We could be left with our arses in the air if we can’t find him. Still we have managed so far and, for a change, it won’t be just us who are at the sharp end.”

It would be another early start and I briefed my men about what to expect.
They were not the rookies they had been a month ago. As I told them I saw them mentally checking off what they would need. We now knew that we needed as many weapons as we could conceivably manage. I even saw Doddy wearing an artilleryman’s leather vest below his tunic. When he saw me looking he grinned. “The fit of the uniform is bad so I can get away with it.  The Germans are a bit handy with their swords for my liking. Let’s see them get through this!”

I suppose the regulations would have frown
ed upon it but I wanted these men to survive the battle and, as far as I was concerned, they could use every means possible to do so. I checked Caesar before I turned in. He had recovered from the shrapnel and seemed not to have suffered unduly.  I just hoped that we could avoid the artillery and machine guns. They cared nought for fine animals and heroic intentions.

It was dark as we headed west.  The lieutenant was happier than he had been on the previous patrols.  He even rode ahead of us, which was a first. The rest of us were relying on those skills we had acquired since arriving in France. I knew that Caesar would alert me to anything out of the ordinary. His ears would come up and he would slow down.  I, too, had learned to trust senses I had barely used in England.

It was still dark as we headed to our allotted patrol. We were not going to use a road, because of our skills, we were going across country. I knew that it would be harder in the dark but, this way, we could close with the enemy under cover of night. The Germans, it seems, were trying to roll up our lines. The colonel had been ordered to strike at their vulnerable flank.  It was what the cavalry were designed for.  The French cavalry would be joining us and speed would be our best weapon. There would be no artillery barrage, at least not on the left flank of the advance.  As we rode along I waited for the crackle of gunfire which would mark the start of the action.

An hour into the patrol and, as dawn was breaking, Lieutenant Ramsden waved me forward and I led my ten men into the first of the fields we would cross. There were cows in this one and they moved out of our way as we silently trotted towards the other side. Suddenly I could smell smoke. I held up my hand and the rest of the men stopped too. I dismounted and led Caesar towards the wall. It was an old wall and a high one.  We were hidden from view.  I removed my hat and scrambled up the rough stones. I could now hear, in the distance, men’s voices. I could
also smell coffee and food.  As I peered over the top of the wall I saw, in the next field, a German camp.  It looked to be infantry.

I slipped back down and led Caesar back to the others. “Jimmy, ride to the lieutenant and tell him we have found a German camp. The colonel will want to know about this one.”

As Jimmy rode away I looked for a gate in the field.  There was one at the bottom.  I mounted Caesar and waved my men forward. I slipped my rifle from its boot. If the Germans were any good then they would have sentries close to the edge of the field. When we reached the gap I tied Caesar to the gate which opened into the field. I waved the men forward and we sheltered beneath the wall of the field where the Hun was camped. They had no tents close to the wall and I assumed that was because there was an entrance on the other side.  There were hedges rising above the wall and I used them to hide as I peered through. I could see that they were oblivious to our presence and were busy cooking their breakfast; that was the smell I had noticed earlier. I signalled for Doddy and Tiny to remain on watch and took the rest back to our horses.

The lieutenant and Sergeant Armstrong were there and we held a whispered meeting. “Sir, there is at least a regiment of Germans in the next field.  They have a camp there and they are eating breakfast.”

I could see, in the half light of dawn, that he had a dilemma. George gave him the advice that his face sought, “We just need to watch sir, until the colonel gets here.” He looked at me, “I sent Jimmy to find the colonel.”

“Right sergeant, get some horse holders and then you and Sergeant Harsker take the men and form
a skirmish line next to the wall. I’ll wait with the horses and brief the colonel when he arrives.”

Once again it would be us who would be in the firing line and our leader would have a safe way out. We had no time to deliberate and speculate; until the rest of the regiment arrived we would have to hold the Germans. We spread the men out along the wall. It was roughly made and we used the stones at the bottom as an improvised firing step. We leaned our rifles on the top of the wall and used the hedges for cover.  The nearest Germans were over a hundred yards away.

It seemed an age as we waited.  The sun was now warming the air and the Germans were finishing their breakfast. Jimmy arrived and he whispered to me, “Captain Ashcroft is here.  He is talking to the lieutenant but I think the rest of the regiment are going around the far side of the field to attack.”

“Thanks Jimmy.