Irish Voices from the First World War a blog based on PRONI sources

June 1916

The , which began in the afternoon of 31 May, ended on 1 June with both sides claiming victory. On the 5 June Earl Kitchener, the British Secretary of State for War, was drowned on his way to . There was heavy fighting in the Salient and around , were the Germans continued to push back the French army. On the Eastern Front the Russian under Brusilov began a major offensive which regained some territory from the Germans and Austrians.

Document 1: Account of the Battle of Jutland (D4168/F/1/1)

The following account of the Battle of Jutland was written by R D King-Harman who was First Lieutenant of the destroyer HMS Midge, part of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla.

About 3.00 pm on 31st (Wednesday) the Commander in Chief made a general signal for all ships to be prepared for immediate action. Our formation was then about 80 miles WNW of the nearest point of Denmark, steering SE by E in normal cruising order. The Battle Cruisers and 5th Battle Squadron, we had heard nothing of, as normal, but all other squadrons and flotillas of the were there. ...

The Fleet were barely in sight from us, but was not really more than four miles off, on our port quarter. At 4.30 pm I went up on the bridge to take over the watch from the Sub, after completing preparations for action. There was not much to do, just a few final stews such as clearing away guns and tubes, rails, etc, and rigging hoses, placing sand and water in each compartment and closing the deadlights.

We altered course to the southward, to SSE at 4.30 pm. At 5.15 pm heavy and continuous firing suddenly became audible on our starboard bow. I sent down for the captain, who came up and, after a short time, during which the firing got louder and louder, till the air simply shook with the sound, he ordered the hands to action stations.

I had this piped and went round to see everything correct, then returned to the bridge to see if there was any news.

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As I got there, gun flashes could be seen through the haze, more and more of them, and as I looked through my glasses up loomed a line of ships, all blazing away at an invisible enemy on their port hand. I counted six or eight of them, and more were coming out of the haze, when it struck me they were enemy ships. In another minute or two, they were quite distinct, German battleships of the Heligoland class, pouring out smoke, in line of battle, and barely 10,000 yards away. ...

The Hampshire, to whom Midge was attached, signalled to the Iron Duke that ‘Enemy battle fleet steering NE in single line’, and then began turning to port. As soon as her broadside bore, she let rip a salvo at the leading battleship, with a clattering crash that made us jump. The range was closing very rapidly on account of our converging courses, and I calculated about ten minutes would see both us and the Hampshire blown to bits, we trained both torpedo tubes to port, and stood about round the guns while the Hampshire continued to let loose broadside after broadside. I was at my gun by this time, the men were simply mad to get a whack in, they had chalked all our projectiles on deck with appropriate texts, such as ‘1st , HMS Lynx’ (they have never forgotten the Lynx being mined) and ‘A present for Fritz’ and ‘Two Years at Scapa Flow’.

At about the Hampshire’s sixth salvo, the leading enemy ship hit back, dropping a beautiful salvo of four 11” or 12” right between us and the Hampshire, about 200 yards from both, and sending up a splash some 300 feet high. That settled it and the Hampshire turned sharply round and made off to take up her station with the fleet. As we were turning after her there was a yak from the bridge, ‘Periscope!’, and the foremost gun opened fire. The splash of the shell was only a 100 yards or so away, and there was the beast right enough, shoving along with about 18” of his periscope showing. I got my gun on him in a second, and got off three rounds before the ship going too far as we turned to ram it.

We missed it by 20 yards, and then down he went, and we didn’t get another view of him. Why he didn’t put a torpedo into the Hampshire I don’t know, he had a splendid shot but was probably flummoxed by our shell dropping round him, and more keen on getting out of our way than anything else.

We closed in on the Fleet, which was deploying into line to port, the cruisers and destroyers taking up their battle stations and everybody going all out. The unseen ships

- 3 - at which the enemy fleet was firing now showed up ... The Lion was on fire forward, and Princess Royal was smoking from various places, but so far as fighting went they were all right. As we looked at them, a fine sight, there was the most appalling explosion, a great sheet of flame, a cloud of smoke and spray, and the Invincible literally disappeared, blotted out in the twinkling of an eye, whether by torpedo or a lucky broadside I don’t know at the time of writing. The 5th Battle Squadron gradually broke off and formed up with the rear of the line. It was now about 6.40 (GMT) and the growing dusk and haze, together with smoke etc, were making it very difficult to see. From where we were the rear ships of the line were invisible altogether. The 2nd Battle Squadron were leading, The King George V being head of the line, and came into action about this time. The enemy were still very busy with our battle cruisers, and made a very slow and inadequate reply to them. A few shots were falling among the destroyers clustered ahead of the fleet, and it was then I think the Acasta was put out of action, receiving a big shell in her engine room. (She was eventually picked up next Day by one of the 12th Flotilla and towed into Aberdeen.)

As the fleet drew out into line, more and more of them came into action, till about 7 pm, when practically the whole line was engaged, an extraordinary and wonderful sight, the flames of their broadsides were staggering, and the general scene was like a regular picture battle. The enemy apparently didn’t like the look of the fleet, for as soon as the fleet opened fire, they had turned away to starboard, and were now only visible as black smudges against the dark sky. ...

We pegged it to the westward at full speed, the darkness occasionally lit by isolated guns, while about 10.30 a large ship (German we think) could be seen burning furiously a long way off. About 11.30 several searchlight beams switched on on our beam, between two and three miles off, or perhaps more.

I had fallen out one watch for supper at 9.00 pm, and went below myself about half an hour later to get some tea and biscuits. All hands were closed up again about 9.45 pm As the searchlights switched on, an unseen line of ships let loose a perfect tempest of fire. Lit up in the glare of the lights was the Tipperary, heeling over, flames bursting from her top she seemed red hot. In less than 15 seconds she was foundering, still being plastered with hits. Almost simultaneously the Ardent and Fortune were lit up, and

- 4 - literally blown into the air in less time than it takes to write it, most terrible to see. Another destroyer we could see twisting and turning, going full bore, and disappeared, the searchlights switched off and the whole thing was over. Achates and Ambuscade were the only ones who escaped out of this effort. It appears that Tipperary saw some ships which for some reason or other, she thought were the 11th Flotilla, making a signal to that effect to the four destroyers astern of her. Then on went the searchlights, Tipperary, Ardent and Fortune were blown to bits, Ambuscade and Achates both fired torpedoes, Ambuscade killing a cruiser, and crashed off untouched, though pursued by a torrent of shells. The range they say was barely 400 yards, if that, which shows the darkness of the night. We made at full speed towards the place where this happened, Owl signalling ‘I am going to attack with torpedoes’. We couldn’t see a view of anything, and after some time altered course again. Times and courses I have no idea of. It was not long after, say about 12.30 am that we suddenly seemed to be surrounded by ships.

Two German destroyers, plainly recognisable by their silhouette, slid by us a couple of hundred yards off, exchanging shots with us as they went. Immediately the place seemed full of guns, all going off. Shots were dropping and exploding all over and round us, the red flashes stabbed out all over the place. Owl fired a torpedo ditto Hardy, we didn’t, couldn’t see anything to aim at.

We zigzagged about, turned round in circles, crashing about, passed a British destroyer and then lost everything again, not a sound and nothing to be seen.

Later still there was an intense firing some miles off, and glares on the horizon as if ships were burning. Early daylight, about 2.45 am we ran into the same cruiser squadron we had left the evening before, and were ordered to take up screening station. I believe at the time our formation was about 60 miles north of Borkum Island, and we now turned north. I fell out one watch, and went below for a couple of hours sleep before my morning watch....

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Document 2: Letters of Bert Stitt (D2402)

Sergeant Robert (Bert) Stitt, from Standtown in Belfast, was serving with 107th Trench Mortar Battery, part of the 36th (Ulster) Division.

... I wonder if I’ll get this letter finished, for as soon as I got that wee short one I wrote the other day, we immediately moved up to the trench and since we have been there it has done nothing but rain. We were glad to get back to the trenches for we were just itching to get another box at Fritzy. Lately he has been getting very cheeky, so I hope we’ll soon knock that out of him. Wasn’t that rotten news about our great leader Lord Kitchener. There’ll never be another man like him for the job he held. I wonder when the war will be over now. Well Mammy dear I received your letter yesterday there was one thing in it that made me very angry. Who told you that the job I had now was a dangerous one? It is no more dangerous than any of the other ones, whoever has told you so had a hanged cheek, I wonder how they’d have liked if I had told their Mother that they had a dangerous job. I think you have enough to worry you without them spinning you a tale like that. I just wish I had them at the present moment.

I was really very sorry to hear about poor Walter Redmond. Sydenham is indeed giving a lot of her prayers in this war, but still there are a lot hanging around yet especially S.D. Flora was telling me in her letter that Ernie Percy has got knocked out also. Well Mother darling you can tell ‘Old Lexer’ and To To that if I don’t get home until July that they won’t be out of pocket coming up to see me, for I’ll be able to pay their fare back again. The worst of it is the passes have been cut short, I think it only lets one have about three days at home anyway it won’t hinder me from having a good time.

Well Mammy darling I’m very sorry that I wasn’t home for the anniversary services, but one of my Officers was on pass, so I had to stay and give the other one a hand. You see I’m the only Sergeant in the Battery and by Jove I have plenty to do and now my other Officer was taken away to hospital the other night with appendicitis, so I can hardly say when I’ll get home. Of course I expect to get home sometime, you seemed pretty confident in your last letter but one, that you would have me for the Anniversary Services. Tell Flora that if we had the Ulster Hall organ out here, we wouldn’t need Brennan to play it, I think we could manipulate it our selves without his help. Lydia was saying in one of her letters that Frank Mac D. was in the midst of this Division. I know

- 6 - where the Irish Horse is lying, but I wasn’t quite sure whether Frank was with that certain lot or not, but I must try and get a race to where he is lying I’d like to see him. ... (10 June 1916)

Soldiers from 12th Royal Irish Rifles, 1916 (D2966/121/12)

Document 3: Papers of Oliver Nugent [D3835/E/12/4]

Major General Oliver Nugent, of Farren Connell, Co Cavan, commanded the 36th (Ulster) Division from until . His letters to his wife Kitty and children provide a vivid insight into the problems of command on the Western Front.

/We had a successful raid last night carried out by the 12th Royal Irish Rifles of this Division. We got into the German trenches and found the Germans had retired all except three men who bolted into a tunnel. They were followed up some way, but the tunnel went on down into the earth towards our lines and I suppose the party who were going down it did not like the idea of being buried in the earth if the Boches suddenly came back, so they went no further and the tunnel was blown in.

The party then blew up all the dugouts they could find, including an officer's. I inquired how they knew it was an officer's and the answer was because it was hung with highly improper photographs. No doubt it must have been a German officer's residence.

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The party had gone out well supplied with high explosives because I suspected that the trenches might be found deserted, as a raid of another Division nearby two or three days before had found the Germans all gone and I determined to do all the harm I could if I couldn't get any Boches. I am sorry they did not explore the shaft further as I have suspected mining towards my trenches, but the mining expert said there was no mining going on, but events have shown he was wrong. (6 June 1916)

/ The situation at Verdun is supposed to be very critical. The French are weakening and we may have to move very soon to help them. Meanwhile Russia seems to be doing well and to be making quite a good bag of Austrians, but Austrians are not the same as Germans. Still one does hope they are losing pretty heavily too. I am afraid they have inflicted pretty heavy losses on us at Ypres. I wonder what that attack was done for. Possibly to see if we had moved a lot of men away from Ypres to other parts of the line, or to make us think they were going to make their big effort there.

They are wily people and don't as a rule do things without an object ...

I have just been to a lecture this afternoon by an officer of Rycroft's Division who had the extraordinary luck to be staying on the St Vincent and was in the naval battle. The fleet sailed a quarter of an hour after he got on board. He did not see a great deal as the haze was very thick, but he saw the Defence blown up and saw the Marlborough hit by a German torpedo and he saw two German battleships being knocked to pieces, one of which he saw sink but not the second.

My trenches were raided last night by the Germans on a part of my line. They levelled them flat and then attacked with infantry. We beat them off. Five men reached the front line but never actually got in. We had 65 casualties however, including three officers two of whom were killed and the third is dying I am afraid ...

I gather that if our battle fleet had been an hour earlier on the scene, it might have got the whole German fleet. We have no luck, but the Germans did not wait and small blame to them ...

The lecturer, a Major Wallace, today said that when the whole of the 12 inch guns of the St Vincent were fired together as they do, it was like nothing that could be described.

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The whole of your inside rubs up against each other, it knocks men down and absolutely flattens you out. The wind of the concussion is like a hurricane.

I have taken to a steel helmet now for my journeys in the trenches as the shelling is getting so persistent. Formerly one could generally count on the Germans doing nothing out of their ordinary practice but lately they have taken to shelling at all hours. (10 June 1916)

I hoped to be back from the trenches in time to write a longer letter to you than yesterday, but I got caught up in a regular water spout while I was out. I never saw such a downpour. In three minutes I was absolutely drenched to the boxes. The rain beat the mud off the top of the trenches so that it came over us in a shower of mud and water. You never saw such a sight as we were. It was pretty weird, because there was a thunderstorm at the same time and it turned very dark, a regular tornado of wind blew at the same time stripping leaves and branches off the trees in the wood and between the wind and the darkness and the thunder and the bursting of our shells and German shells and the noise of the guns on both sides, it was about as stirring an afternoon as I have had, a fitting prelude.

The men of the Ulster Division are as fit and as keen as men can be. There will be no hanging back on their part I'm very sure when the hour strikes ... (23 June 1916)

... I was so pleased to read in one of your letters to Mummy that you had been doing really good work at cricket.

It was really a good performance to make runs in two innings and take five wickets as well. Tip top! You will be a cricketer yet. I have not flown again as there has been no need for it, but we made two very successful raids on the German lines, one last night and one that we did about a fortnight ago. That was very thorough though we unfortunately got no prisoners. A rather over-zealous Engineer officer went out on that raid with a large amount of high explosive done up in tins and though there were Germans in all the dugouts the party raided, he gave the wretched Boche no time to come out but blew them into small pieces and brought their dugouts down on top of them and buried their remains. One Boche was seen in a dug-out in which there was a candle, which the Boche had apparently forgotten to blowout. An officer went up to the window and shot him through it and then the Engineer man threw in a bomb so he was

- 9 - buried too. It was however important in one respect as we found a mine shaft leading under our lines, or at any rate in the direction of them with high power electric wires leading into it. The party could not explore its whole length as it was too long, but we have suspected mining for some time. Now we're pretty sure of it. We expect the Germans to touch it off any day. However we have taken precautions to minimise the results.

Last night's raid was very good. We got in and found the Germans sheltering from our bombardment in their dugouts. The men had been taught the German for 'Hands up, come out and you will be well treated' and at each dug-out they shouted this down. As a result several Germans came out and surrendered, those who didn't were bombed in the dugouts and fearful screams rent the air. We captured an officer, a Sergeant-major and eleven privates and brought them in. We lost six men killed and seven wounded, but they were all dead and wounded brought into our lines.

This afternoon I pressed the button and let off a 15 inch howitzer which coughs in my area. It is a most appalling roar, but nothing to the effect of the shell when that bursts. It weighs 1460 lbs and demolishes half a village at a time.

I have a crow's nest sixty odd feet up in a tree from which I can see the German lines well back behind their front line and it is there I shall be sitting one day very soon, I expect, watching through my glasses the Ulster Division in advance to the assault. (27 June 1916)

Document 4: Diary of James MacDowell (T3896)

Chief Petty Officer James MacDowell, from Bangor, Co Down, served with the Armoured Car Service. In late 1915 the unit was sent to Russia. After spending several months on the arctic coast they finally moved south in June 1916.

Thursday 1 June

Left Archangel 7 pm. Had a great send off by the Russian people. Russian Admiral addressed us, bands and played National Anthems. The travelling accommodation is not bad. The senior officers First class, junior officers Second, the warrant officers, bosun

- 10 - and myself in a new Third class compartment with sleeping bunks and the men in Forth class. Not so bad at all seeing that the Russian people travel in trucks. The state of progress is very slow, not exceeding an average of 15 miles per hour. Expect to arrive Moscow about Sunday night. Our train is a very heavy one with two engines on account of our having so much ammunition with us. I just heard today that we were going on down to operate somewhere south of the Caucasus Mountains with the Grand Duke’s Army and that we were getting pith helmets and short trousers sent out. The county through which we have travelling up to the present is one huge forest principally of silver birch and Benson tells me that it is just similar to the Canadian forests.

Friday 2 June

Travelling all day. At all of the stations we stopped at no one allowed out except those on duty such as water parties. There was one station everyone detrained for the purpose of doing justice to a repast the Russians provided us with. The weather is getting better every day.

Saturday 3 June

Stopped at Vologda about 10.00 am. There entertained by Russians with very nice vegetable soup, fresh meat (I don’t know what kind, seemed like a very large mutton) and very good coffee. Today has been sweltering hot but it appears, so the Russians say, it is as nothing compared to what it will be, when we get further south. Have started auction today. Made 4/6, not bad for a start. Expect to reach Moscow sometime tomorrow.

Sunday 4 June

Had to turn out this morning at 5.30 to partake of a repast prepared for us at town named Rostov. These Russian repasts are rotten, the men don’t like them but they are glad to get out and generally to buy rolls and cakes. If it wasn’t for what they get along the line they would be in a bad way for grub. Military etiquette is very strict in Russia and no one except officers and people of high rank are allowed in the First class hotels and restaurants. I have eaten nothing but bread, butter and jam, tea and coffee for the past four days and there with the exception of the teas and coffee I had to buy along the

- 11 - line. We expect to arrive in Moscow tonight between 11 and 12 where we shall probably stop for three days before proceeding to the Caucuses.

Monday 5 June

Arrived in Moscow at 2 am. There was a band and a squadron of the Russian armoured cars drawn up to meet us. The reception was very imposing. I am sure there were nearly 10,000 people present. Just imagine this at 2.00 am. Got leave at 10.30 am. There were a lot of interpreters ready to show us round principally English. I was lucky to get an English man and his wife to show me round. He seemed to have any amount of money and spent it pretty freely on me. In fact all the English residents could not have shown us more kindness. Needless to say we were the lions of the hour.

Tuesday 6 June

Another beautiful day. Heat intense. My friend came to station for me with his wife at 7.30 am to take me for breakfast. Had a great day. Moscow a beautiful City and the people spend a lot of time on pleasure. There are several very pretty tea gardens in the City and the suburbs and as it was intensely hot we spent a lot of time in them.

Wednesday 7 June

Very nice morning later on extremely hot. This was the day of days with us. The order came out that we were to parade in service order with rifles at 9.30 pm march to the English church through the City. The whole City was practically en fête for the occasion as this was our last appearance in Moscow. When we got to the station we found there a Russian military band ready to play us to the church. Our fellows looked very well indeed and marched like guardsmen. The uproar through the city was terrible with the people cheering. I did not get into the church to hear the sermon as I had to furnish a guard out of No 1 squadron and stay in charge of the rifles outside. I was not sorry as lots of English people came up and spoke to me and I with the guard posed for the cinematograph films which were sent straight to . The march back was wonderful, the people seemed awfully excited and several of them got badly lashed by the mounted gendarmes who were mounted on beautiful Arab horses, and the Cossacks. The people in the street and houses threw flowers over us all the way, both going and coming. Truly not one of us will ever forget this day. We left the station at 4.30 pm and

- 12 - went right round Moscow, getting into a station of the south side of the City about 9.30 pm which we left at 11 pm. Got my photo taken and sent one to Ruby and one to Mother. The march to the church and back was, I should not forget to say, a feat in its way for the men considering the distance there and back was 10 miles, the day sweltering hot, around 80 in the shade, the men carrying rifles and in service uniform. Five of them fainted and had to be brought back in the ambulance.

Men of the Royal Navy Armoured Car Squadron in Russia (T3896)

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Please note all the documents used in this blog have been edited for clarity and, in some cases abridged. For more information on the documents and PRONI’s sources relating to the First World War see our Guide to First World War Sources.

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