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.Nulli Secundus -
'Second to None'
by Terence Cardwell
Chapter
Thirty Four - Fighting retreat
The Guards’ retreat from the front was unhindered by the
Germans, who were expecting them to attack on all
fronts. They were stunned to find the British forces had
retreated.
It was late morning, and the Second Battalion, as part
of the Fourth Guards Brigade, was enfilading for the
fourth time, moving back section by section to ensure
the rest of the First Corps was well to the rear and
clear of the enemy.
Jack peered through sore, tired eyes at the grey masses
appearing in the distance. He knew it would not be long
before they were again in combat with an enemy of
overwhelming numbers that would be impossible to contain
in a mass attack.
Shells were landing around them and increasing in
intensity, landing closer and closer. Suddenly the wall
he was behind exploded in a deafening eruption twenty
feet away, blowing three Coldstreamers high in the air
and killing them instantly.
‘It’s getting too damn close for my liking— we need a
better position than this,’ the sergeant alongside him
said, and called out for them to retreat again.
They received orders to move back to Bavai. The long
march was in exhausting heat, with the sun beating down
unmercifully. It required every ounce of their training,
stamina and fortitude to continue. The one thing that
kept them moving was the thought of rest in Bavai.
But there was little chance of rest as they entered the
town, late in the afternoon. The inhabitants had left
and the main Second Division had moved on to Landrecies,
crossing the Sambre River at Pont Sur Sambre.
The Coldstreamers eased back through Bavai and were
almost clear of the town when a mass of grey uniforms
charged towards them, running down the cobblestone
streets in a mass attack, shouting and yelling, bent on
beating the British soldiers. Jack and his fellow
Coldstreamers turned to face them, and in true British
style the front row dropped to their knees allowing the
second row to continue firing at the Germans.
Jack, Bob, George and Jim were in the forward row,
firing like men possessed. They were no longer tired.
Adrenaline pumped through their veins, bringing them
wide awake. Their fire was deadly, undistracted by the
bullets flying past them, though some of their
companions fell with bullet wounds.
The Germans, too, fell, piling up on the streets. They
quickly realised that these soldiers were not to be
taken lightly and retreated towards the town, preparing
to entrench themselves and resist any attack. But the
British had little interest in an attack, and stalled
the Germans for a time before quietly retiring.
Before them was the Forest of Mormal, a vast woodland of
dense tall trees six miles long and four miles wide. If
the troops were forced to fight in these woods they
could get lost and there would be havoc, men unable to
discern friend from foe. They had to move around it and
pass down the eastern side, heading south to Landrecies.
Slowly they moved backwards, taking turns to retreat
whilst the other battalion dug in behind them, watching
and waiting for the inevitable attack.
For the Germans knew where they were, and how many there
they were, and were approaching them from the north-east
and north-west: a full army corps moving down to attack
the British First Army Corps, whose retreat was
protected only by General Horne’s Fourth Guards Brigade,
who had to resist and repel any attacks by the Germans
at all costs. The very survival of the British
Expeditionary Force, and in particular the First Corps,
was dependent on them.
The Coldstreamers had been told how important it was
that they delay the Germans, and they were prepared to
die to fulfil their responsibilities. The major part of
the Second Division had arrived at Landrecies and
Mariolles to reorganise and recoup, and get the
desperately needed rest. The Second Battalion Coldstream
Guards and First Battalion Irish Guards were entrenched,
watching for any movement as the last of their own
Fourth Guards Brigade passed through, walking like
robots.
They lay in just one more of the inadequate, hastily-dug
trenches, watching the brigade pass through, wishing
they could join them.
‘I don’t know if I’ve got the balls for this,’ Jim
whispered to Jack.
‘What makes you say that? You’re here with us, aren’t
you?’
‘Yes. But I’m shit scared. You guys are cool as
cucumbers.’
‘Boy, have you got it wrong. Every one of us is scared
of dying. If you weren’t you’d be mad. But we have a
duty and we’ll all see it through to the end.’
‘Whatever that is,’ Jim replied.
‘Jim— a brave man is not someone who goes into battle
unafraid and uncaring. He’s just a fool. A brave man is
one who is afraid and faces that fear when everything
tells him to run. When you’re afraid you’re more careful
and don’t take unnecessary risks. Don’t worry,— you’ve
got the balls, mate,’ Jack said softly. ‘We all have, or
we wouldn’t be here.’
Jim patted his shoulder. ‘Thanks, mate. You know how to
say the right things.’ He moved along the trench where
there was more room.
A loud whistling was followed by an explosion, then more
whistling. Shells burst around them, some hitting the
quickly dug trenches, scattering the soldiers in
various directions.
‘Looks like we’re in for it this time, fellas.’ George
grimaced as he flinched from a close explosion.
‘It’s been great knowing you, George,’ replied Jack,
burying himself as close as he could into the ground.
‘Tell Emily I love her, Jack. I’ll see you in the next
world,’ Bob shouted over the sound of the shell fire,
trying to smile.
‘Yes, me too— tell Elizabeth I love her if you get out
of this,’ Jack called through a cupped hand.
‘Kurumph!’ Another explosion; and the Coldstreamers
watched in horror as a shell exploded beside Jim,
blowing him high in the air along with three other
Coldstreamers. They stared for a moment. One moment Jim
was their close friend, the next moment a limp doll.
They looked at each other in disbelief.
The shelling stopped suddenly and they peered over the
parapet of the trench to see a mass of grey uniforms
three hundred yards away, racing towards them.
‘Open Fire! Open Fire!’ They heard the sergeant’s shout,
and with their years of training they became automatons.
Load. Aim. Fire. Load. Aim. Fire. Load. Aim. Fire. And
so it repeated. The desperation for sleep disappeared as
they fought for their existence.
Once again the rapid fire of the Lee Enfield rifles,
proved their worth. Jack thought he might panic, or
weaken and run— a fear they had all discussed. It was
not until they were placed under pressure that they
would find whether they had courage. ‘It’s strange,’
Jack thought. ‘I don’t feel panic inside. Just
resignation. Maybe I’m mad. Well, if I get it, I get it,
and there’s nothing I can do about it.’
The Germans were now only one hundred yards away and
still running, a huge grey mass. Behind them grey shapes
lay thick on the ground.
They stopped. Fired. Ran. Stopped. Fired. Ran. Some
fired as they ran, not caring where the bullets went.
The fire of the Lee Enfields was murderous. The Germans
continued to fall, mounting up on each other as they got
closer.
‘Damn bastards!’ Jack heard someone shout in pain. He
glanced quickly to see George had been shot in the left
arm, his coat sleeve reddening.
Jack couldn’t speak, only keep firing. The Germans were
now only fifty yards away and shouting like banshees.
But this made the soldiers even more determined, and
they sent a murderous fire at them. The Germans started
to falter. The soldiers in the front rows began to turn
around and retreat, and were stopped by the troops
behind charging up against them. Then they too turned
and ran for their lives.
‘Would you look at that!’ Bob said in amazement. ‘There,
behind the troops— there’s some German officers shooting
their own men because they’re retreating!’
‘Those mongrel bastards,’ Jack cursed. ‘Let’s see if we
can get them.’
Jack took careful aim before firing, and saw one of the
officers grab his side and fall.
‘Take that you, kraut bastard,’ he said lining up
another officer.
‘I just got one for George,’ Bob called out.
The Germans were now in full retreat, and the
Coldstreamers relaxed a little as they looked around .
Smoke hung over the trenches from the shelling, and the
strong smell of cordite caught in the throat of the
soldiers.
Scattered along the trenches were soldiers with parts of
their bodies missing, blood running from their broken or
missing limbs. In places, craters had been blown where
the shells had hit, with bodies scattered around them.
Bob, Jack and George searched for Jim’s body. They found
him not far from the shell burst, lying with his mouth
open as if shouting, staring at the sky. His arms and
legs lay at odd angles and his uniform was red. Around
him three other Coldstreamers lay dead. They closed
Jim’s eyes and straightened his arms and legs, laying
him as if he was asleep.
‘He’ll always be with us till we join him,’ George said
quietly.
‘Rest in peace, old mate,’ Jack murmured. ‘We’ll miss
you.’
‘I thought I was a gonner as well, that time,’ Bob said,
shaking his head.
‘Prepare to withdraw!’ they heard an officer call. They
leapt to the trench tops to ensure there were no
Germans, but the area before them displayed only the
horrors of war. Dying soldiers were crawling, crying out
in agony or simply crying, knowing they were about to
die. Grey mounds of German soldiers lay scattered across
no man’s land, slowly turning red from the bleeding.
Again the terrible sound of men in agony, moaning and
screaming, echoed across the land.
The Coldstreamers were eager to leave such a horrifying
area. They climbed over the walls of the trenches,
collected the wounded and dead, carrying them between
them and moved back towards the east side of the Mormal
Forest. After forming into columns they continued their
march. The adrenaline was wearing off and the tiredness
returned as they continued marching south towards
Landrecies, that seemed to be a thousand miles away.
On their immediate right was the Mormal forest and on
their left open fields, with stone walls separating them
into squares. An occasional copse of woods was scattered
among them. In the fields cattle and sheep grazed as if
nothing had changed and the horrors of the last few days
were figments of the soldiers’ imaginations.
They marched on, trying not to fall asleep. Some tried
singing, but few joined in and the singing faded away to
the sound of boots crunching on the gravel road.
Jack, Bob and George marched together, all sharing the
same thought, the loss of their good friend.
‘At least he went quickly, he didn’t suffer any,’ Bob
said.
‘Better than dying from a gut-ache,’ George grunted,
referring to a bayonet wound.
‘How’re you feeling, George, the arm hurt much?’ Jack
asked.
‘It hurts like hell, but it won’t stop me from shooting
at those mongrels,’ George growled.
‘Well, as soon as we get to Landrecies they’ll fix it
up.’ Bob tried to sound encouraging. ‘And if you’re
lucky it might be a Blighty wound.’ That was a wound
they all hoped to get: one that was not too serious but
enough to get them sent home.
‘Hey, yea, never thought of that,’ George replied,
brightening up. ‘Good on ya, Bob, hope you’re right,
I’ve had enough of this war already.’
‘Yea, me too,’ Jack answered, and the soldiers around
them voiced agreement.
They marched into the evening, stopping only for short
rests, and at dusk, with the light fading from the sky,
they entrenched again, preparing once more to delay the
Germans. They utilised the walls of the fields, with
some hidden in a large copse on their right and others
in the forest, staying near its edge lest they get lost.
Jack, Bob and George were with those in the forest,
waiting patiently for the Germans to appear.
They did not have long to wait.
The Germans had made a second attack on their previous
position. Expecting a savage response, they were stunned
to find the trenches empty once again. They had
reorganised and continued in rapid march, believing the
British had been beaten and were retreating in panic.
They were about to find out how wrong they were.
The Germans caught up to the retreating British as the
sun was setting, and found them once again entrenched
and waiting for them.
For the waiting soldiers the most difficult part was not
to fall asleep, which played havoc on their nerves.
They saw it before they heard it.
In the distance were a number of bright flashes followed
by the now familiar howling, and shells exploded to
their right, landing in the fields and blowing huge
clouds of dirt in the air. As the shelling increased
they saw a number of cows disappear after being hit by
shells.
‘So much for country meadows,’ Jack said to no one in
particular, observing the carnage from his position on
the edge of the forest.
Shortly after the shelling stopped, the dark shadows of
Germans rushed towards the entrenched troops. Others
headed for the forest with the intention of surrounding
the troops in the fields, unaware that General Horne had
anticipated that possibility and had a nasty surprise
waiting for them.
The Germans shelled the stone walls that provided cover,
and although they were hitting a number of the British
soldiers, the rifle fire from them never seemed to
lessen. The Germans on the left entered the forest and
moved quietly through it.
‘Stand by lads,’ the sergeant whispered. ‘When I give
the word.’
Jack, Bob and the other Coldstreamers waited, leaning
around the trees, trying to see the Germans in the
half-light. Dark shapes appeared, moving from tree to
tree, the rustle of boots on dry leaves giving their
location away. The Germans thought they were alone as
they moved forward, making little effort to protect
themselves.
‘Now! Open fire!’ the sergeant shouted.
The Coldstreamers gave it all they had, firing at
anything that moved. The Germans were taken by surprise
and after a large number had fallen they tried rushing
the Coldstreamers. But they could not see them except
for the flash of the rifles, and pushed forward only to
be shot.
‘Stand by to charge!’ the sergeant shouted.
Jack waited, firing a few more rounds.
‘Coldstream Guards… Charge, advance at the ready!’
Jack, Bob at his side, ran with the rest of the troops
for the dark shadows hiding behind the trees. The first
row reached the Germans, who felt the thrust of a
bayonet in their bodies. Their screams were enough to
weaken the others, and they turned and ran, with the
Coldstreamers behind them. The Guards chased them,
thrusting at stragglers, until they reached the edge of
the forest.
The German commanders realised their ruse to surround
the troops had not worked, and after observing the
slaughter against their soldiers they ordered a
withdrawal.
‘Bloody hell, Jack, we must lead a charmed life,’ Bob
said in a relieved tone. ‘They certainly high-tailed it
that time.’
Jack gave him a sour look. ‘I wish you wouldn’t talk
like that Bob, you make me damn nervous. We won’t be so
lucky next time; they know we’re here now.’
General Horne ordered a continued retreat and the
rearguard made the final move to Landrecies, at the
bottom edge of the Mormal Forest. As they moved to the
edge of the forest and dug in they were attacked from
behind, catching them by surprise with little
protection. The Germans had moved quickly through the
forest, down their left side, to try to surround them.
The shelling began again, on their right in the open
fields and gradually moving towards them. The fields
were fountains of exploding dirt and cordite smoke, and
the noise was deafening. In the distance they could see
a mass of dark objects coming towards them with the
twilight behind them.
Suddenly the shells started entering the forest,
exploding and knocking over full-grown trees. The
Coldstreamers dived into their shallow trenches,
desperately trying to avoid flying shrapnel as shells
came towards them. The scream of the shells and the boom
of the explosions played havoc on their tired nerves,
taking all their courage not to turn and run.
‘This is it, Jack,’ Bob shouted. ‘See you up top.’
‘God Bless, Bob,’ Jack could only shout as he forced
himself flat against the side of the trench, listening
to the shells get closer and closer with nowhere to run
or hide. One shell seemed to scream louder than the
others. ‘The one you stand under. Bosch,’ flashed in
Jack’s mind. He felt his body picked up and thrown into
the air. He felt almost nothing, as if he was in a
dream, rising in slow motion and falling down to earth.
He felt nothing, no pain; just a numbness all over and
unable to move anything.
Nothing would respond. There was no sound, no sound at
all. His body was numb and would not respond to his
brain. He was totally immobile. He lay in a void of
silence, his body unmoving, staring at the treetops
through a hazy cloud, unable to speak or cry out.
‘So this is what it’s like to die. It’s not so bad,’
Jack thought. ‘Looks like this is my time.’
Bob was still holding his ground, lucky not to have been
blown up with Jack. He saw his closest friend fly, and
saw him thud back on the ground, saw him unmoving. He
tried to get close to him but was driven back by the
advancing Germans.
Jack lay still as battle raged around him. The Germans
were attacking again and had entered the woods. This
time they were prepared and came in huge numbers,
unperturbed by the number of their soldiers being
killed. They charged and charged again, until they
forced the Coldstreamers back with terrible losses for
their resistance.
Before he was forced back, Bob saw Jack move his right
arm, lifting it to rest on his chest.
‘At least he’s alive— but for how long?’ he thought. He
shouted as loud as he could to Jack but didn’t know if
he heard him: ‘Don’t give up Jack! I love you like a
brother. I’ll send your love to Elizabeth.’
As Jack lay on the ground he thought of his friends and
Elizabeth. ‘I promised I would come home to you my love,
but I’ve let you down. I’ll never see your beautiful
face again until you join me in heaven.’
He thought he could hear Bob’s voice calling, but could
not understand what he was saying.
‘Something about loving me like a brother?’
‘Goodbye Bob, me old mate, it looks like you were right.
Try to stay alive,’ Jack murmured.
After a time Jack’s hearing improved and he could hear
shooting, and the rustle of boots on leaves. He heard
someone talking in German and a dark tall object
appeared above him.
Something kicked him hard in the side, making him grunt
from the pain. The shadow raised something in the air
and then down. A fire seared through his side and his
arm seemed to catch fire as something slammed into it.
‘Elizabeth,’ Jack murmured. ‘I’m sorry. I love you so
much.’
Peace slowly rolled over him and he drifted into
darkness.
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