Adventures of a Despatch Rider 1 CHAPTER I. CHAPTER II. CHAPTER III. CHAPTER IV. CHAPTER V. CHAPTER VI. CHAPTER VII. CHAPTER VIII. CHAPTER IX. CHAPTER X. CHAPTER XI. CHAPTER XII. Adventures of a Despatch Rider Project Gutenberg's Adventures of a Despatch Rider, by W. H. L. Watson This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online Adventures of a Despatch Rider 2 at www.gutenberg.net Title: Adventures of a Despatch Rider Author: W. H. L. Watson Release Date: October 14, 2005 [EBook #16868] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ADVENTURES OF A DESPATCH RIDER *** Produced by Suzanne Lybarger, Emmy and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries [Illustration: _Route taken by Fifth Division_] Adventures of a Despatch Rider Adventures of A Despatch Rider BY CAPTAIN W.H.L. WATSON WITH MAPS William Blackwood and Sons Edinburgh and London Adventures of a Despatch Rider 3 1915 TO _THE PERFECT MOTHER,_ _MY OWN._ A LETTER BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION. To 2nd Lieut. R.B. WHYTE, 1st Black Watch, B.E.F. MY DEAR ROBERT,-- Do you remember how in the old days we used to talk about my first book? Of course it was to be an Oxford novel full of clever little character-sketches--witty but not unkind: of subtle and pleasurable hints at our own adventures, for no one had enjoyed Balliol and the city of Oxford so hugely: of catch-words that repeated would bring back the thrills and the laughter--_Psych. Anal._ and _Steady, Steady!_ of names crammed with delectable memories--the Paviers', Cloda's Lane, and the notorious Square and famous Wynd: of acid phrases, beautifully put, that would show up once and for all those dear abuses and shams that go to make Oxford. It was to surpass all Oxford Novels and bring us all eternal fame. You remember, too, the room? It was stuffy and dingy and the pictures were of doubtful taste, but there were things to drink and smoke. The imperturbable Ikla would be sitting in his chair pulling at one of his impossibly luxurious pipes. You would be snorting in another--and I would be holding forth ... but I am starting an Oxford novelette already and there is no need. For two slightly senior contemporaries of ours have already achieved fame. The hydrangeas have blossomed. "The Home" has been destroyed by a Balliol tongue. The flower-girl has died her death. The Balliol novels have been written--and my first book is this. We have not even had time to talk it over properly. I saw you on my week's leave in December, but then I had not thought of making a book. Finally, after three months in the trenches you came home in August. I was in Adventures of a Despatch Rider 4 Ireland and you in Scotland, so we met at Warrington just after midnight and proceeded to staggering adventures. Shall we ever forget that six hours' talk, the mad ride and madder breakfast with old Peter M'Ginn, the solitary hotel at Manchester and the rare dash to London? But I didn't tell you much about my book. It is made up principally of letters to my mother and to you. My mother showed these letters to Mr Townsend Warner, my old tutor at Harrow, and he, who was always my godfather in letters, passed them on until they have appeared in the pages of 'Maga.' I have filled in the gaps these letters leave with narrative, worked the whole into some sort of connected account, and added maps and an index. This book is not a history, a military treatise, an essay, or a scrap of autobiography. It has no more accuracy or literary merit than letters usually possess. So I hope you will not judge it too harshly. My only object is to try and show as truthfully as I can the part played in this monstrous war by a despatch rider during the months from August 1914 to February 1915. If that object is gained I am content. Because it is composed of letters, this book has many faults. Firstly, I have written a great deal about myself. That is inevitable in letters. My mother wanted to hear about me and not about those whom she had never met. So do not think my adventures are unique. I assure you that if any of the other despatch riders were to publish their letters you would find mine by comparison mild indeed. If George now could be persuaded ...! Secondly, I have dwelt at length upon little personal matters. It may not interest you to know when I had a pork-chop--though, as you now realise, on active service a pork-chop is extremely important--but it interested my mother. She liked to know whether I was having good and sufficient food, and warm things on my chest and feet, because, after all, there was a time when I wanted nothing else. Adventures of a Despatch Rider 5 Thirdly, all letters are censored. This book contains nothing but the truth, but not the whole truth. When I described things that were actually happening round me, I had to be exceedingly careful--and when, as in the first two or three chapters, my letters were written several weeks after the events, something was sure to crop up in the meantime that unconsciously but definitely altered the memory of experiences.... We have known together two of the people I have mentioned in this book--Alec and Gibson. They have both advanced so far that we have lost touch with them. I had thought that it would be a great joy to publish a first book, but this book is ugly with sorrow. I shall never be able to write "Alec and I" again--and he was the sweetest and kindest of my friends, a friend of all the world. Never did he meet a man or woman that did not love him. The Germans have killed Alec. Perhaps among the multitudinous Germans killed there are one or two German Alecs. Yet I am still meeting people who think that war is a fine bracing thing for the nation, a sort of national week-end at Brighton. Then there was Gibson, who proved for all time that nobody made a better soldier than the young don--and those whose names do not come into this book.... Robert, you and I know what to think of this Brighton theory. We are only just down from Oxford, and perhaps things strike us a little more passionately than they should. You have seen the agony of war. You have seen those miserable people that wander about behind the line like pariah dogs in the streets. You know what is behind "Tommy's invincible gaiety." Let us pray together for a time when the publishing of a book like this will be regarded with fierce shame. So long and good luck! Ever yours, WILLIAM. PIRBRIGHT HUTS, 1/10/15. Adventures of a Despatch Rider 6 * * * * * The day after I had written this letter the news came to me that Robert Whyte had been killed. The letter must stand--I have not the heart to write another. W.H.L.W. PIRBRIGHT HUTS. CONTENTS. CHAP. PAGE I. ENLISTING 1 II. THE JOURNEY TO THE FRONT 12 III. THE BATTLE OF MONS 26 IV. THE BATTLE OF LE CATEAU 40 V. THE GREAT RETREAT 51 VI. OVER THE MARNE TO THE AISNE 76 VII. THE BATTLE OF THE AISNE 105 VIII. THE MOVE TO THE NORTH 140 IX. ROUND LA BASSÉE 167 X. THE BEGINNING OF WINTER 197 XI. ST JANS CAPPEL 230 XII. BEHIND THE LINES 253 CHAPTER I. 7 LIST OF MAPS. PAGE ROUTE TAKEN BY FIFTH DIVISION At beginning ROUND MONS 25 THE MARNE (LAGNY TO CHÂTEAU-THIERRY) 87 THE AISNE (SOISSONS TO VAILLY) 104 ROUND LA BASSÉE 166 YPRES TO LA BASSÉE 197 LINE OF RETREAT AND ADVANCE At end Adventures of A Despatch Rider. CHAPTER I. ENLISTING At 6.45 P.M. on Saturday, July 25, 1914, Alec and I determined to take part in the Austro-Servian War. I remember the exact minute, because we were standing on the "down" platform of Earl's Court Station, waiting for the 6.55 through train to South Harrow, and Alec had just remarked that we had ten minutes to wait. We had travelled up to London, intending to work in the British Museum for our "vivas" at Oxford, but in the morning it had been so hot that we had strolled round Bloomsbury, smoking our pipes. By lunch-time we had gained such an appetite that we did not feel like work in the afternoon. We went to see Elsie Janis. The evening papers were full of grave prognostications. War between Servia and Austria seemed inevitable. Earl's Court Station inspired us with the spirit of adventure. We determined to take part, and debated whether we should go out as war correspondents or as orderlies in a Servian hospital. CHAPTER I. 8 At home we could talk of nothing else during dinner. Ikla, that wisest of all Egyptians, mildly encouraged us, while the family smiled.