Sir Douglas Haig Com 1st Army
See diary 5 th October 1915.
Frank accompanies Capt Parkes to meet Douglas Haig at Robecq, they
shake hands.
[Fragments of a letter sent by Frank to Ethel on 14th October 1915]
.........We had a very busy time yesterday, having over 300 wounded through our place and are now this Thursday morning still expecting convoys as they have poured in throughout the night.
As I told you in my letter of yesterday I went to see most of the Willenhall boys the previous day before they went up into trenches, which was the time I was there, as I saw them start to march up to them, I went to wish them good luck as I knew what they had got to do and so did all of them. I saw Captain Parkes ride by on his horse, that was 2 o’clock pm Tuesday and 25 hours after that being yesterday teatime he was brought into our place badly wounded through the abdomen. This past few days all our div knew the charge they were going up to make and knew the ground they had got to take, our hospital had everything clear in readiness. It took place at 2 o’clock yesterday afternoon, in which we used the gas on the Germans.
It must have been hell, our artillery bombarded their trenches then our boys charged over the parapets. It must have been a sight which should stand in history, for I hear as soon as the word was given, the boys of Staff had no hesitation, but fled over the parapet and fled after the Germans like mad wolves after meat. We suffered awful losses, must have been thousands, most of our wounded yet have been Lincolns and Leicesters, we had 5th and 6th and Black Watch. I don’t know how most of the Staffs boys got on, as I only saw one, Tom Hall, .... Head, he went to St Giles school and as soon as he came in in saw me and shouted ‘Frank’ so I saw who it was and went to him, gave him something to drink and immediately asked him, how many of the Staffs lads had been wounded, he did not know, as he was shot....
.......Now I have such a lot of sad news to tell you, most of Willenhall boys I know are wounded. As I said Captain Parkes and now Harold Baker and Lattie Wedge, both Tonks sons, Reg and Rol, one being Charlie’s and the other being Enoch’s son, Tom Spate of Love Lane, who goes with Parramp’s daughter who you have seen on tram car going back to Walsall on Sunday nights and I don’t know where Humfrey is. Harold Baker came in this afternoon, he has got a shrapnel wound in right arm and back, but he will be alright I know if he doesn’t worry, as I told him, he says he hopes they take him to Birmingham University, as his sister has got passed out as a nurse and been sent there. Lat Wedge has not come in to our hospital yet neither have Reg and Rol Tonks, but may do so yet, of course there is time yet, as most of the wounded lay out between the trenches 24 hours and up to 30 hours, as the stretcher bearers could not get up to them, as they started collecting last night when dark and Germans sent up a star shell and spotted them and so shelled them away, the poor men have suffered awful lying out there all night as it was bitter cold and they had awful wounds.
I believe most of the Staffs have been cut up, and not many left, as they had to rush into blazing shell and rifle fire, as it was such a well fortified position, but they did not fear death they took the position, but I think it was at too great a cost. I hope they can hold it, as the Germans are making a fearful counter attack, but I pray we shall not lose it. What is left of them are being relieved tonight and they come out, so I hope they come round here so that I can see who has not been wounded. We are by Grenadier Guards here and they say it is one of the finest charges there has been.
Did you know Batemans who used to live opposite us in next yard past Grapes. Well their son Alfred has just come out with some reinforcements to Staffs and when I saw the boys go up as I said on Wednesday afternoon he shouted to me and that is the first time I have seen him out here, he is about 17 or 18 years old, you know his mother sells papers, well I think this was his first time up trenches. Well he has been wounded, he has several shrapnel wounds, none of them being serious. I have not seen him, but some of our chaps have and he asked them to tell me, he was wounded between our trenches and theirs, but crawled back into ours, and he will now be alright. Would you mind telling Mother to tell his Mother and that she need not worry, he will be alright, and will you please tell them all the news you can out of my letter at your earliest opportunity, as I can’t write and tell them the news.
All available men out of our unit were sent up the line collecting at 1.30 in the early hours of the morning to help to fetch in the wounded who are lying out helpless. About 100 were sent and they have not returned yet. I hope they are alright as they have now done 20 hours. I have done 48 hours up to now without a break, but have now been relieved and so I am trying to scribble this letter. They would not allow any of my Section who are on permanent hospital duty for the present to go up the line collecting, or else I should only have rushed at the chance, if it was only to find out where some of the Willenhall boys are lying and help to bring them in, but I did not get the choice, my duty was marked out and I had to get full particulars of every man as he came in and up to now we have had about 500 and not many of us to work the place, every man has had to work extremely hard and not think of hours he is working.
We have had very little to eat, as the wounded have had to be fed on part of our rations, we have had to have those biscuits. I have been buying my own bread this past two days, mind you I don’t grumble, none of us do, the wounded deserve more that us, a glance at them makes one feel he would give up his last penny after such awful hardships they have endured, they endure more that any other regiments in the army, I am alluding to the men who fight in the trenches.
I feel extremely sorry for Joe Fletcher, as I guess you have heard he has received some very sad news, his wife lying seriously ill, he has received a telegram to that effect asking him to come to her immediately. He has applied for leave, but I don’t know if he will be allowed to come, he has got to see what Headquarters say, it has happened at a very funny time, the div being so active and all leave being stopped, he is worried to death.
Our work at present is far from cheerful for as when one sees their chums all wounded, of course you feel it more when you know them, than if they were strangers to you, but when a young man receives such news on top of it all, I don't know if he can come and see her, it is enough to send him mad, he said to me hours ago ‘Frank, I don't know how I worked last night through’, as he too was on duty all night.......
France
October 17, 1915
My own Darling and True Sweetheart Ethel
I was extremely pleased and thankful to receive your letter of Monday last October 11th and parcel of Tuesday 12th which I received quite safely and in good condition, and for same I wish you to accept my wholehearted thanks, as it was quite a surprise and I can assure you I have fully enjoyed all the contents.
I have now received your letter of Thursday last 14th, and for writing paper enclosed in the above letters. I wish to thank you, also lovely pc.
Well Love, I hope my short letter will find you and all at home in the best of health, as it leaves me so, except for a slight cold. Remember me to all. I sent you a Field Card immediately on receiving parcel which I trust you have received, as I was too busy to send you a letter, which you deserved and a good one too. O that I could give you a good love, for you are such a thoughtful Dear.
We had over 800 wounded through our hospital from that one charge. I am sorry Rol Tonks died from his wounds, Enoch’s son. I was speaking to him the day before the charge, when he was quite well, also Humfrey Fox, I hear he is missing, as they can’t account for him, unless his people have received news of him, I should say he was killed. We had awfully busy times and I have seen the results of this awful war more this past week than ever, men coming in smothered with dirt and mud and arms or legs blown off, cases too numerous to mention. They have suffered awful agony, and to see such sights it makes me thankful to One Above for life and good health.
The weather has been rather misty the past few days and does not seem to get clear, it is very cold too. I am now on night duty starting from tonight, from 6pm o’clock to 6am the following morning, 12 hours, I shall now have to sleep in daytime, I don’t mind as we shall have to take it in turns doing night and day duty. I am now working in a ward with 40 patients in, which are now sleeping as it is 12pm o’clock and I am working this letter in between, there is a clerk to each ward at present.
I was extremely sorry to hear of the death of Mrs Fletcher, as it will break Joe’s heart, and to think he has got to come out here and face this again, with that on his mind. I feel very sorry for him, it would not have been so bad if he had been able to spend the last few moments of her life by her side. O it is awful. A young man in our Corps has had his only child die, but they would not allow him any leave, he applied for it, but was told he could not do anything if he went. I know if it had been me I could not bring the child back to life but one thing I should try to do and that being, relieve my wife’s mind of part of her sorrow. It is Sunday today and the first time for a long time that I have been able to go to Holy Communion, which I went to at 8 o’clock this morning and my....
[Here the fragment ends; another follows.]
.......as I have before explained, David was fetched out of bed last night at 12.30 to fetch in two serious cases just then wounded, he was asleep of course, he did not get back until 4 o’clock this Saturday morning, they fetch us all out in our turn I can tell you, but I shall never grumble at being fetched out of bed no matter what hour of the night it may be, as I am in good health, and to go out and bring in a wounded man, and relieve him of part of his agony, and in many cases be the means of saving his life by getting him to a hospital in good time for a speedy operation, is just the work I have come out to do, humanity compels you to do and give all in our power to save and relieve the fallen heroes we daily see.
I brought out with me the largest part of a pot of that ointment you sent me, and we had got a man in one of our hospitals suffering from my complaint and much worse than I had ever suffered, and they were treating him with medicines, and he was not making much progress, so I gave him my ointment, as he was suffering, and I was assured of this that my Darling would never think wrong of me for giving away something she had bought to do me good, when I was passing your kindness to me onto others at a time of urgent need.
We have some heartbreaking cases to deal with at times I can tell you, for instance the following. We brought in a case the other night, it was a shell wound of the leg, he was suffering very much from pain and shock, and from the trenches to our hospital, the roads are very bad, owing to holes from shell fire and too dangerous for repair, and so our wagons do not travel so smooth, this poor man said to me ‘O do stop the waggon’; of course it was no use, I could not, as we were in a danger zone and our building in sight, so I said ‘We are nearly there now, and I will soon put you right’, but he said ‘I know that but I am in awful pain, do stop’. I knew he was dying and the jarring of the waggon was causing him agony, and the above was the last words he said, as he was dead before he got to our hospital. I could not sleep that night for thinking of how he died, and the loved ones he may have left behind.
Now Lovie, do not say a word to anyone of what I have just said as we are not supposed to say a word in our letters about same, so I trust my secret to you dearest Darling. I should just like to clear up a few words you said in reference to what I said about playing a game at football, I should not do any such thing and rob you of a letter, and most times when I have played, as I said in my letter, is after I have been out collecting, it is a great strain on our nerves I can assure you, and our minds are not always in a fit condition for writing letters. We must indulge in a little game of some sort to clear our minds of the awful surroundings of which we are in the midst, so loving Ethel I think those few words will clear that little matter. I am very sorry to hear Fred Lockley ......
[The fragment ends here. Fred Lockley was killed on 13th October 1915 during the failed attack on the Hohenzollern Redoubt. He was 17 years old.]
First aid in the trenches
Local Staffs newspaper dated 30th October 1915 "BRAVO ! TERRITORIALS".See diary 9th to 18th October.
October 1915
Left Reningelst by old London Buses. Journeyed 6 hours 35 miles, arrived at Gonnehem, billeted in barns. Attached to First Army Corps.
[The entries for 3rd and 4th October seem to belong to 25th and 26th September. He mentions turning over the wrong page]
3 Sunday
Rather quiet day. Germans counter bombard our trenches, went collecting at night to Blue Point Farm under rifle fire.
4 Monday
On duty at Signal Office: good news published - French take 18,000 prisoners in last 3 days & 51 field guns official. Still advancing, good work La Bassée.
5 Tues
Rather quiet day. Went to Robecq to see 6th South Staffs. I saw Sir Douglas Haig & Capt Parkes. Shake hands with him - Com. 1st Army.
[Presumably Frank must have known Capt Parkes before, who in turn introduced him to Haig, at this time he was indeed as Frank noted, Commander 1st Army; in December 1915 Haig was appointed Commander in Chief of Forces in France, replacing the sacked Sir John French. Captain Parkes may have been from the Parkes family, who ran a lock making firm in Willenhall.]
6 Wednesday
Left Gonnehem 10.30am, marched behind Div to village by Béthune, 10 miles. Billeted in a fine building, went into Béthune at night, large place, like W’hampton.
7 Thursday
English & French troops sent to Greece.
Fouquières village. Visited Béthune in the morning & in afternoon helped to arrange hospital.
8 Friday
Fouquières.
Put on Clerk’s duty in hospital, hours 2pm til 8pm daily, plenty of work to do. My section put in bell tents to make room for patients, accommodate 500.
9 Saturday
Clerk’s duty. Terrific bombardment takes place in the region of La Bassée & brick fields, of which we can hear all. 1st and 2nd Staffords Regulars billeted in Béthune.
Birthdays: Ethels October 2nd
10 Sunday
On Clerk’s duty. Heavy bombardment taking place lasting in some cases 24 hours & up to 50 hours.
Church Parade by Canon Hunt.11 Monday
Fouquières. Pass out from 9am to 1 o’clock pm. On duty in afternoon ‘til eight; Grenadier Guards take 2 lines of trenches up here. Heavy artillery duels.
12 Tuesday
On Clerk’s duty as usual, went to see Staffords go into trenches. Saw Humfrey Fox, Harold Baker & Alfred Bateman.
13 Wednesday - 15 Friday
Gas used by us & a charge by our Div at 2pm o’clock, in which we took 4 lines of trenches & village. We suffered heavy losses. Capt Parkes wounded in abdomen, and John Hall. Every Stafford Officer wounded, over 300 wounded admitted into our hospital, fine work done. I was on duty day & night. Wounded: Alfred Bateman, Harold Baker, 2 Tonks’ sons, Lat Wedge and others. Figures in our books 1000. Brigade come out of trenches. Humfrey Fox is missing, no news of him.
16 Saturday
Fouquières.
Joe Fletcher’s wife died, and he goes on leave. Rol Tonks died of wounds from the charge. I am on duty all day admitting patients suffering from gas poisoning. Casualties of charges which Staffs Division made estimated at 3,500. Staffs are reinforced. Cock Ford comes up. Béthune shelled.
17 Sunday
Fouquieres.
Clerk of Ward no 3, night duty. Heavy bombardment prevails. Hours of duty 7pm to 7am the following day.
18 Monday
Staffs reinforced.
Clerk. Night duty.
Heavy bombardment. Met Harold Ford.
19 Tuesday
Vermelles name of place of Staffs charge.20 Wednesday
Left Fouquières 9.30am.
Marched 10 miles, arrived at Allouagne, billeted in lovely school.
21 Thursday
Allouagne
1st, 2nd, 3rd Field Ambulances.
Marched 10 miles & was inspected by the General & he spoke words of praise and thanks for the recent good work we’d done in the charge.
22 Friday
Allouagne.
Humfrey Fox wounded - news from home.
Rest.
Billeted in Schools.
23 Saturday
Allouagne.
Rest.
Memo:
Miss Southall
154 Portland Street
Walsall.
24 Sunday
Allouagne.
Church Parade & celebration of Holy Communion in Barn.
25 Monday
Allouagne.
Wet; rained for 24 hours.
Digging transport trenches.
26 Tuesday
Allouagne.
Getting ambulance waggons ready to move.
27 Wednesday
My Birthday.
Left Allouagne marched 10 miles in rain & returned to hospital at Fouquières, billeted in upstairs room.
28 Thursday
Fouquières.
King inspects troops here, only 10 of unit attend. His horse shies owing to cheering & throws him off, but he is only bruised.
Wet day.
29 Friday
Room orderly.
30 Saturday
Fouquières.
Rest.
Memo: Chris Wallater
38 Riley Street
Willenhall.
31 Sunday
Fouquières.
No Church Parade owing to rain which has continued some days.
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