World War One Blog December 1916 Adobe
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Irish Voices from the First World War a blog based on PRONI sources Photograph from Mackie’s Magazine [3964/T/38]. -1- December 1916 Photograph from the papers of Lieutenant James MacDowell, Bangor, Co. Down, in Russia, [T3896] The Battle of the Somme finished in November, and the Battle of Verdun will come to an end on 18 December. In December, British politics comes to the fore culminating in the replacement of Herbert Henry Asquith with David Lloyd George as British Prime Minister. Edward Carson also returned to office on 10 December 1916 as First Lord of the Admiralty. On 12 December 1916, Germany offers a negotiated peace which was rejected. The bloody year of 1916 would culminate with the murder of Grigori Rasputin Petrograd, Russia. Document 1- Letter from Major Thomas Aloysious Whyte, Royal Garrison Artillery, from France, 7 December 1916 [D2918/7/E/16] '... I have been some time since last writing, because the battery has had another move and everything has been at sixes and sevens for the last fortnight. Neither are we by any means settled down in our new position yet. As an instance of how the staff mismanage -2- affairs our move deserves recognition. We had been transferred to another Corps, as to whose location everyone was very vague and after wandering about for three days eventually found ourselves taking over from a French battery and received information that the new Corps would not be in for a fortnight which meant we were absolutely cut off from our own people. No means of obtaining rations, water or medical attendance etc. Fortunately the French have played the game by us well and we are managing to keep alive, but it is no thanks to our own bright people. They have admitted we were not intended to move until headquarters and communications had been established, but through a misunderstanding with the Corps we have just left our orders got mixed up. It has been a most unpleasant time, particularly as we have been sent to a very unhealthy spot and are getting far too many casualties. I have only one sergeant left in the battery now. Three were killed the first day here and also I am sorry to say about 12 others have been done for in this place alone. What makes me so angry is that a Staff Officer miles behind the line looks at a map and says, "This is the position you will take up", never having seen it himself and utterly regardless as to how you get there or what happens when you arrive. As I say in my case I should have been in an extremely awkward position with all these wounded men on my hands and no medical assistance had it not been for the French. I was very sorry to leave our last place which we had been in for two months, after much labour and digging had converted [it] into as comfortable quarters as can be expected in these parts. It also possessed the merit of being comparatively immune from shell, only one casualty the whole two months we were there. Have not seen a paper for weeks but hear the worst about Roumania. It is very bad news and puts the end of the war still further out of sight. ...' Document 2 - Letter from John Dick Pinkerton, Russia, to his mother, Mrs [Eliza] Pinkerton, Ballaghmore, Co. Antrim, explaining that he can only send letters or telegrams through the British Consul, 21 December 1916 [D3754/2/13] 'I am hoping that this mob will take a run home in the summer. It is a lot to expect but we have had a lot to put up with in one way and another till a chap nearly goes "loopy", and there's a limit to man's endurance. A year with no home leave, half rations, few letters and a foreign country to boot is not a joy ride by any means although in the big -3- towns they make no end of a fuss of you especially the ladies. I reckon that if we'd a bob a day things might be different.' Document 3 - Mackie’s Magazine [3964/T/38]. Christmas 1916 edition of Mackie’s Magazine which includes a one page play entitled ‘As You Might Not Like It’, inspired by the works of Shakespeare. -4- Document 4 - Letter from Captain Stephen Gwynn, Irish Parliamentary Party MP serving with 6th Connaught Rangers to his cousin Amelia McCaughan of Windmill Hill, Carrickgfergus, Co. Antrim, 26 December 1916 [D1912/1/19] We are in trenches but not actually in front line and are better off than you would think possible, at ¼ of a mile from the Germans. A priest said mass here yesterday in the open to over 200 men. But that was taking a big risk - though nothing untoward happened and the men were greatly pleased. They are in fine heart and we are alongside the Ulster Division and making great friends with them - which is well...' Document 5 - Copy diary of Chief Petty Officer (later Sub-Lieutenant) James MacDowell [T3896/1/], 26 December 1916 This has been a sad Collar day for me & I shall forget Boxing Day 1916 as long as I live. I was roused out of bed about 4:00am & told to take a “Heavy” up to the firing line as a reserve in case the “Heavy” going into action got stuck in the mud. My orders were to get well up take cover & await orders by field telephone or cyclist. Needless to say I was so wicked as to hope that the first car would get stuck and sure enough in about ½ hour after I had taken cover, Lieut Smiles came back on a push bike & ordered me to go ahead, take up a position about ½ a mile past the Russian Front line trenches & shell the Village Roobla. When I got up to my position at about 7.15am it was too dark to fire, as the flash of the gun would have given my position away. At about 7.45am I could have opened fire but just then a heavy mist came on & therefore I delayed opening fire. This proved very fortunate for me as it gave me a scrap which if I had opened fire I might not have had. At 8am I sent 2 scouts up the road as I thought I heard voices, they returned at 8.15 & reported they had not seen anyone. About 5 minutes after one of the sentries gave the alarm, silent by as ordered, & after observing through my field glasses, I found to my astonishment a long line of Bulgar Infantry advancing & owing to the heavy mist actually within 150 yards of my guns. They were in extended order. The formal view was very bad for them, but very good for us, as parties of 5 & 6 were coming on together. Nothing could have been nicer for us. I gave the order to stand by the guns, gave the range at 150 yards & opened on them with Rifle, Machine Gun & High Explosives. This fairly astonished them, they wavered for a second or two & then came -5- on again. I then ordered the driver to retire another 50 yards & so the heavy gun was the only gun out of action during the retirement. I then ordered the gunmen to open fire again. It wasn’t fighting at all. It was simply murder, they couldn’t advance in face of fire at point blank range, so they turned. I kept up fire on them for another 250 yards from the position I was in, as I considered it very unsafe to follow them. Instead I carried out the staff order & opened up shell fire on Roobla village and the road leading out of it, at 2800 y[ar]ds. I put 4 boxes of 64 shells into it & then returned to the Russian front line trenches thro’ the barbed wire barricades and reported to the officer in charge what had happened. I then proceeded to the rear & had just got to the staff Headquarters when I was stopped by a Staff Officer who gave me orders to then go back to the firing line. I sent a cyclist back with orders to have 8 canons, 128 shells high explosives sent up to me at once, as a general attack was going on all along the line. Document 6 - Letter to Hugh de Fellenberg Montgomery, Fivelmiletown, Co. Tyrone, from Sir James Henry Strong, Tynan, Co. Armagh on 26 December 1916 [D627/429/86] Letter to Hugh de Fellenberg Montgomery, Fivemiletown, Co. Tyrone, from Sir Jame Henry Strong, Tynan, Co. Armagh. '... I must say that I am very uneasy about the Irish political situation. If you saw the Grand Orange Lodge address, you saw something of what I think about it. Archdale showed the address to Carson & he toned down a few expressions but made no material change. Moreover, he said practically the same thing when addressing the London Ulster Association and immediately after he had revised the address - so he must be all right but it is too clear that an intrigue is going on to put moral pressure on Ulster to accept Home Rule and to blame us (if we do not accept it) for any Irish troubles that may take place. The position is most odious. And the war makes it difficult for us to speak out. ...' -6- Document 7 - Address from the Grand Lodge to the Orangemen of Ireland, 29th December 1916 [D627/429/90] "Address from the Grand Orange Lodge to the Orangemen of Ireland.