Letters From the Trenches: A Soldier of the Great War

by Bill Lamin

  1–12 [May] Battalion in billets at ARZIGNANO from 1st to the 12th. During this period training in hill fighting was carried on assiduously. A large field opposite the H.Q. mess of the 9th York & Lancaster Regt. was leased. Col D S Rumbolt [Rumbold] of the 9th and Col Watford of the 8th York & Lancaster Regt defraying the expense. The companies were able to drill and exercise, and during their stay, a highly successful inter Battalion Sports Meeting was held. All the men were bathed and supplied with complete ‘changes’ [of uniform and clothing] at the Brigade Baths on two occasions. rifle ranges were constructed and all men practised in MUSKETRY. A special programme of work for scouts was drawn up including five nights for weak [sic] night operations. A Recreation Room was established, games, concerts provided.

  Still on the plains, the battalion was evidently short of space for training and so, amazingly, the CO and his opposite number from the 8th Battalion paid for the rent of a field. I find this strange. I had assumed that the Army would, with British good manners, have simply apologized to the local inhabitants for the inconvenience, and taken what was needed to fight the war.

  May 8th 1918

  32507/ 9th Batt Y & Lancs Reg., C Company,

  12 Platoon L.G.S., I.E.F.

  Dear Jack

  I have just received two letters and small packett I was very pleased with them. I hope you got my letters asking for a book or two, if so will you send them on as soon as possible. I have had a letter from Ilkeston they are all getting on as well as can be expected, which I was very pleased to hear. I think Connie and Willie will miss grandad but they will soon forget. We have had a lot of rain here lately, but when the sun does shine it is very hot, things in the gardens and fields are looking very well, you can see small bunches of grapes forming on some of the vines already and I have seen one or two lemons on the trees, it must be fine to have a summer out here and see all the fruit ripen. I was very pleased that Mr Leverton was at dad’s funeral it was very good of him. I think I will write a few lines to him.

  With best love to you both

  Harry

  Near the end of the first fortnight of May, the battalion made its way on foot back up the mountains to the Asiago Plateau, where once again it took its turn in the line.

  12th to 25th [May] Battalion in the line. New positions selected and constructed. Patrols – offensive and defensive – were sent out nightly; also reconnaissance patrols. and much valuable information was gained with regard to the enemy’s work and disposition. In spite of this continuous activity, the Battalion was fortunate enough to have NO casualties of any kind. About the middle of the month, a fever which had already attacked the 8th Battn, broke out and spread rapidly from Bn H.Q. to ‘B’ and ‘C’ Coys. then to ‘A’ Coy and finally to ‘D’ Coy. At no time dangerous, the illness was marked by sudden very high temperatures lasting from two to four days followed by a period of lassitude from six to ten days. Isolative camps were established and every hut and bivouac thoroughly disinfected and fumigated. By the end of the month the sick list was becoming normal. On the 15th of the month, the well which had been supplying washing and cooking water was reported to have run dry but the Commanding Officer immediately instituted extra sections of water-carrying mules and practically no inconvenience was felt.

  The war diary is clearly referring to an outbreak of influenza, for the ‘Spanish Flu’ epidemic was to be a horrible feature of the summer, and on through that year and the next. The strain that was afflicting Harry’s battalion sounds quite mild – most unpleasant, however, in a trench environment. In the end, the pandemic was to kill some twenty million people worldwide between 1918 and 1920. It was probably because the men of the battalion were by now extremely fit, and were not serving in the much harsher conditions of the Western Front, that they escaped relatively lightly, for flu was to kill tens of thousands of soldiers in all the combatant armies in the dying months of the war. Harry’s next letter, however, makes no mention of it.

  May 21th [sic] 1918

  32507/ 9th Batt York & Lancs., C Company,

  12 Platoon L.G.S., I.E.F.

  Dear Jack

  I have received your letter and books alright. The small book is very handy as it does not take up much room. I thank you very much for sending them. I have just had a letter from Kate and she is getting on alright. We are still in the same place only it is a bit warmer this time up, and not so quiet, but I am going on alright. You will see that we have a Y.M. up here but it is only a very small one. If you dont get a letter from me every week, keep writing as it is very hard at times to get letters away. I did not see any processions at Easter as we were in an out of the way place but there would be plenty no doubt. They go to church at all times here. I have seen them going at five in the morning and bells ringing at three. Every body here seems to go to church regular. we see some strange sights out here, but the scenery is very pretty. I guess Willie would fancy himself when writing to you. I will write again as soon as possible. I am please that you are both getting on alright and keeping well.

  With best love

  Harry

  Harry’s reference to ‘a Y.M.’ means, of course, the YMCA, which during that war provided canteen and other facilities – including writing paper – for troops at the front. I have been unable to discover whether the book Harry received from Jack was about the Lewis gun, or about military procedure. It is clear from his letter, too, that, unlike in Flanders, civilian life in Italy, even close to the front line, seems to go on around the troops.

  The first days of June were spent in quite intensive training before the battalion moved into the line once more.

  11th [June] The Battalion relieved the 8th battalion, K.O.Y.L.I. in the left sector, Right Brigade front: relief was complete at 8 am. Very heavy rainfall during the day and night. By night, the outpost line was held by patrols [positions in advance of the front line, manned in order to provide warning of enemy activity, especially an attack].

  12th The front line trenches and support positions were improved.

  Already under strength, the battalion was also weakened by the influenza attacks. The enemy, however, with extra divisions available from the Eastern Front following Russia’s withdrawal from the war in March 1918, recognized that a decisive offensive in Italy had every chance of proving successful. The plan was to attack on both the Asiago Plateau and the Piave front at the same time. Harry’s battalion found itself in the line at Asiago as the activity increased, duly recorded by the war diary:

  13th Considerable improvement in weather conditions. At night, our defensive patrol was engaged by hostile rifle fire, bombs and mortars from the vicinity of S. AVE, one casualty being sustained.

  14th Increase in reciprocal artillery fire [i.e. shelling by both sides] throughout the day. By night the outpost line was held by patrols.

  A really helpful sketch map is included in the war diary of the 11th Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment), another of the battalions in 70 Brigade, giving an excellent view of dispositions as the Austro-Hungarians attacked on the morning of 15 June (see here). The 9th York and Lancasters hold the positions to the left. According to the battalion’s own war diary, some effort had been made to improve the defensive positions.

  As the artillery activity increased, the defenders would be aware that an attack was certainly imminent. The action started before dawn on the 15th with a bombardment, including gas shells. The battalion’s forward patrol, as reported in the war diary entry below, seems to have been overrun by the advancing Austro-Hungarian troops as the attack developed.

  15th 3am Enemy opened bombardment on our front system, lachrymatory [tear] gas being used. Our patrol of one officer and twenty other ranks was surprised by the enemy, only two men escaping to our lines.

  5.30am to 7.30 am Enemy advanced to the attack, but only succeeded in getting within 100 yards of our wire, where he was disorganised and checked, enemy bombardment was continued.

  8.30am Enemy in artillery for
mation [i.e. advancing in small groups rather than extended line to minimize casulties from shellfire] advanced between S.W.of ASIAGO and EDELWEISS SPUR forming up in line on reverse slope [the side of a hill away from the enemy] of GUARDINALTI ridge. M.G’s [machine guns] were pushed well forward and opened rapid fire at intervals.

  10.30am Situation became normal. Reciprocal artillery fire was maintained. Enemy casualties were apparently heavy, stretcher bearers carrying back their wounded during the day.

  The sketch map of the action on the Asiago Plateau, 15 June 1918, from the war diary of the 11th Battalion, the Sherwood Foresters, and showing Harry’s battalion on the left flank.

  The morning dawned damp and foggy, and the tear gas would have added to the defenders’ problems. The attack was, with some difficulty, beaten off; the near total loss of the battalion’s forward patrol would have been a blow (as they were ‘surprised’ by the enemy, with luck most of them were captured). The war diary states that machine guns were pushed well forward. The sketch map (above) indicates that these were probably Vickers machine guns rather than the lighter battalion Lewis guns. The diary entry is somewhat ambiguous, however, as there are other references to the Austro-Hungarian forces pushing machine guns forward of the main assault.

  While the Austro-Hungarian Army succeeded in breaking through the front line in several places, the 9th Battalion beat them off in their sector of the line. On their right, the 11th Sherwood Foresters temporarily lost the forward line of trenches but counter-attacked and recovered them during the day. The defensive tactics at this stage of the war had evolved to produce successive lines of (relatively) lightly defended trenches rather than a single substantial front-line trench. If the first line of trenches was successfully attacked, then the second became the new front line, and so on.

  It was still light in the early evening when the enemy attacked again. The war diary records what happened in understated terms:

  6pm Enemy, numbering more than one thousand, advanced in artillery formation between RODIGHIERI and OBA, forming up under cover between ASIAGO and SILVEGNAR.

  9pm Approximately 200 enemy retired in scattered parties from GUARDINALTI ridge.

  10pm Up to this hour, forty of the enemy were brought in to our lines. Desultory artillery fire throughout the night.

  For the battalion, it had been a nerve-racking, but successful, evening with some enemy prisoners to show for it. The attack was important to the Austro-Hungarian forces, making it almost inevitable that the first day’s lack of success should be followed by a second attempt to break through on 16 May. The day began quietly enough, however:

  16th 6am Two hostile light field guns were brought in to our lines from the vicinity of GUARDINALTI. Later four machine guns, three flammenwerfer, one case of gas shells, ammunition etc, were brought in by our small reconnoitring parties. Situation quiet throughout the day.

  This time the main attack came in the evening.

  9.45pm Enemy S.O.S. [signal flare, in this case indicating the start of the assault] followed by artillery barrage on our lines. At the same time, hostile M.G.’s in advanced positions opened fire on our lines.

  10pm Small parties of the enemy getting within 100 yards of our wire in centre of Battalion front fired rifle grenades and Very lights in large numbers, into our trenches. Cheering was heard from ‘no man’s land’. [A rifle grenade was equipped with a metal rod to fit inside a rifle barrel; fired using a blank cartridge, they travelled further than hand-thrown grenades. Very lights were signal flares fired from a flare pistol, which burned with intense heat and light and were difficult to extinguish.]

  10.15pm Battalion on our left fired S.O.S. [to call for artillery support] artillery barrage opening on line POSLEN – GUARDINALTI – VLA DAL BRUN.

  11.30pm Situation became quieter; hostile Very lights in large numbers, showed enemy parties retiring between MORAR and AVE.

  It must have been something of a relief to the defenders as it became clear that the attack had failed. The large numbers of flares put up were probably to provide illumination for enemy troops trying to find their way back to their lines from no man’s land.

  17th Prisoners, wounded and otherwise, were brought in during the day, making a total of three officers and ninety-one other ranks. Relieved by the 10th Battalion Duke of Wellington Regiment. Relief was completed by 5pm. Battalion marched to hutments in GRANEZZA.

  A couple of days later, safely out of the front line, Harry sends Jack quite a striking account of the attack.

  June 19/1918

  32507/ 9th Batt., York & Lancs Regt.,

  C Coy 12 platoon, L.G.S., I.E.F.

  Dear Jack

  I hope you are getting on alright. I have received the book and was very pleased with it. I have not received a letter for a long time. things have been a bit rough out here just lately something unusual after beening so quiet. Our Coy was in close support about 200 yards behind front line we were not wanted in the front line so we did not have to fire. I can tell you support line is worst than the front. The fight started about 3 oclock in the morning and Johnny Austrian started to come over about 7 o clock. Well he did get a reception I can tell you, them in the front line simply mowed them down and he got no farther than the wire. I went in the front line during the day to have a look when things had quietened down. The prisoners are the poorest lot I have seen and told us they thought that they were going to meet the Italians and where surprised to see our lads in the trenches. it was a big attack and he meant breaking through if he could. The prisoners had plenty of money, all notes and was pleased to be made prisoners, well the biggest part of them. They were a mixed lot Austrians, Hungarians and a large number of Rumanians. there objective was to get on to the plain but I can tell you he got a good beating especially on our divisional front. I shall be glad to see you all again and I hope you are both keeping in good health. I shall be able to tell you more when I see you. I hope this year sees the finish of the war, but I think that the enemy is more fed up than what we are. I have had a letter from home and pleased to say they are keeping well. Write as often as you can.

  With Love to you both

  Harry

  (P.S.) I am putting an Austrian note in I hope you get it.

  The successful defence of the Asiago Plateau must have been a great boost to the defenders’ morale. A couple of sentences in Harry’s letter show how positive he must have felt: ‘The prisoners are the poorest lot I have seen and told us they thought that they were going to meet the Italians and where [sic] surprised to see our lads in the trenches.’ ‘I think that the enemy is more fed up than what we are,’ he adds, reflecting on a possible end to the war. (The Austro-Hungarian banknote, sent in a separate envelope with the letter, survived in excellent condition.)

  The Austro-Hungarian banknote that Harry sent home.

  Astonishingly, he went into the front line after the action ‘to have a look’. By now, of course, he was a veteran infantryman, confident of his battalion’s ability to beat off any attacks. In Flanders, a non-essential visit to the front-line trench simply wouldn’t have been considered. It was not a place for sightseeing.

  Between the war diary and Harry’s letter we get a good picture of the two days’ fighting. The offensive was a disaster for the Austro-Hungarian forces, which suffered heavy casualties and made no progress. Even at the start of the battles the attacking troops were ill-equipped and in poor condition after a winter in the mountains (as is confirmed by Harry’s account).

  On the plains, along the Piave front, the enemy met with a similar lack of success. There was, initially, some progress at the eastern, seaward, end of the river and to the north, but the rain in the mountains earlier in the month made the river a formidable obstacle for men and supplies and an effective block to any retreat. Consequently, the Austro-Hungarian losses were severe. In addition, the attackers found that the Italian Army was no longer the demoralized and poorly led force of nine months earlier. To compound their problems, the
defensive lines were stiffened with tough, experienced British and French divisions, drawn from the Western Front. By the middle of June, after failure on both Italian fronts, it was quite clear that the Austro-Hungarian Army was disintegrating.

  The battalion’s part in throwing back the enemy offensive on the Asiago Plateau was recognized later in the month, as the war diary records:

  Routine orders dated 25-6-1918 and 28-6-1918 contained the following awards for gallantry and distinguished conduct in the field during the operations of the 15-6-1918:-

  MILITARY CROSS

  Captain J.P. Shaw R.A.M.C. [Royal Army Medical Corps] attached York & Lancaster Regiment

  Captain L. Lester; 2/Lieut. A. Hirst; 2/Lieut. J Ferguson

  DISTINGUISHED CONDUCT MEDAL

  12/1246 C.S.M. J.A. Willoughby

  241359 L/Cpl. E. Naylor M.M.

  BAR TO MILITARY MEDAL

  240660 L/Cpl E. Brock M.M.

  MILITARY MEDAL

  17068 L/Cpl West J.; 34879 L/Cpl Stead H.

  34582 Pte Dalenay; 235466 Pte. (A/Cpl) Boon J.R.

  Sickness During the month of June, admissions to hospital were normal, the general health of the Battalion being good. Prevailing diseases were IMPETAGO [sic] and BOILS.

  The beginning of July found the battalion out of the line, and Harry was able to write home again, this time to Kate as well as Jack.

  July 2th [sic]/1918

  32507/ 9th Batt Y & L.,

  C Coy 12 Platoon, L.G.S., I.E.F.

  Dear Kate

  I have received your letter and the papers with the writing pad. I was very pleased with it. I have had a letter from Ethel and she says they are getting on alright at home. The weather here is very unsettled and we get plenty of rain. You were right when you say we have been busy out here just lately but I am pleased to say I am going on alright and in good health and I hope to keep so. I am pleased to here that Jack is getting on alright I had a letter from him last week. I hope Annie does not leave home and go to work, well I think she would be better at home. I think she might be able to find a bit of work to suit her in time. Write as often as you can and let me know how they are all getting on.