Christmas in the Trenches (4 page)

My first impression of Port Said was that it was unfinished. With the exception of one street which is quite a good one, the houses seem unfinished or very dilapidated. The streets of the town itself are quite wide and the shops are excellent and as everyone can speak almost any language and will accept any kind of money we had no difficulty getting on. We visited the original Arab village which is very squalid and smells most unpleasantly. It is not safe to be anywhere except in the main streets after dark unless you are well armed.

In the evening those of us who were not on duty had a Christmas dinner at the Eastern Exchange Hotel and they did us splendidly. We had among other things the usual turkey, plum pudding and mince pies.

A few days later the SS
Saturnia
was heading down the Suez Canal and out into the Red Sea on its way to Bombay. Mackie commented on the scale of defences along the canal, the vital link between Britain and the resources of her Empire and Dominions.

The entry of Turkey into the war on the side of the Central Powers, on 29 October 1914, spread the war into the Middle East and opened up a new front against Russia in the Caucasus. Although Turkey would only become a significant combatant in 1915, the Entente’s first move against the Ottoman Empire occurred on 6 November 1914, when Indian forces landed at Fao to secure the oil refineries there and at Abadan. These were of vital importance to the British given the Royal Navy’s recent switch from coal-fired to oil-fuelled ships. The defences spotted by Capt Mackie along the Suez Canal were also a consequence of the Turkish entry into the war. Taking no chances, the British garrison in Egypt was swelled by the arrival of troops from Great Britain and India. With the 1/6th Lancashire Fusiliers at Abbas Hilma Barracks near Cairo was Pte Harold Henfrey:

I have spent a good Xmas and hope you have too. We had handkerchiefs and cigs sent from Todmorden and we all got 1 packet of Woodbines and 1 handkerchief, all Tod boys. I will now tell you what Bob Barker, Capt, gave us. We had to have our Xmas days food on Xmas Eve because our Company had to go on guard at Xmas Day and we had our dinner at 7 o’clock at night. First course pork with tatoes (potatoes!) and vegetables, 2nd course Potato Pie and vegetables, 3rd course Turkey and vegetables with cakes and as much beer, minerals, cigs, and twist as we wanted, and biscuits, then we all got a cig case and 5 piastres from Lord Rochdale, that was 1/d in English money. 5 piastres and we had a jolly, but it was rotten to be on guard at Xmas Day, but your Xmas cards and Nelly’s card and all your cards cheered me up and made me think of the old old home while tears came in my eyes thinking of you at Tod with a Xmas dinner to sit down to. Mother I daresay you know we have gone in fresh barracks at Citadel at Cairo. It is a fort and I am on guard every other night so do not think anything about me if you do not get a letter every week for we have hardly time to write a letter, but we are settled down now and shall be able to write again every week now. Mother, am sending you a few postcards of round our barracks, a few of which we guard. Keep them and I will tell you all about them when I land back and I shall have lots to tell you about Egypt when I get back. The guards we have to do here are very dangerous and we have to keep our eyes open and be on the alert. We have 20 rounds in our rifle and if they do not halt on a challenge we have to shoot them down, and if we are found asleep on duty we are liable to be shot but I like to be on the watch and if any spies come knocking about I say shoot them. If a lad is soft on guard he will soon be game, for they are some of the strictest guards in the Army and we guard one place, the magazine, and there is 25 thousand million rounds of ammunition stored there so that lot would blow all Egypt up.
¹⁷

By contrast, British military life in India was going on pretty much as it had done before the declaration of war on 4 August 1914. True, Indian and British units had left the country for foreign service, but for those remaining in the subcontinent the war seemed very distant. Capt Herbert Winn (2/5th Gurkhas), writing to his family on 29 December, provides an impression of the daily routine of a British officer in the Indian Army:

Gym 8–9am, drill 10–12, musketry 2–4. I generally go down to gym at 8 and do not return to my bungalow till about 5.30pm (I get my meals at the regimental mess). I then dress for dinner and have an hours read or so and then cycle down for dinner to the mess. Dinner is a very long and slow affair so that it is generally 9.30 before dinner is finished. I then cycle home to my bungalow and retire for the night.

Although Britain’s ‘jewel in the crown’ remained seemingly unmoved by war, conflict quickly spread to other overseas possessions in the colonial empires of the opposing nations. In the Far East, the entry of Japan into the war against Germany on 23 August led to the quick occupation of the latter’s Pacific island colonies, and troops from Australia and New Zealand took control of German New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and Samoa during October. Only the German colony of Tsingtao in China provided any real resistance, holding out to a predominantly Japanese force until 7 November. Similarly in Africa, the German colony of Togoland quickly surrendered on 27 August. But in German South West Africa the initial capture of wireless transmitting stations on 10 August was not followed by a campaign to take the colony, as South African forces were tied down defeating a pro-German rebellion in their own country.

In East Africa, where troops of Indian Expeditionary Force ‘B’ attempted to capture the German coastal town of Tanga (2–5 November 1914), things were also quiet by December. The defeat of the 8,000-man force by 1,000 German Askaris of Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck’s Schutztruppe came as a great shock to the British, who thought they would have to do little more than turn up to secure the town’s surrender. A complete lack of surprise, lack of intelligence information, failure to make a preliminary reconnaissance, lack of cooperation between the Army and Royal Navy, the questionable ability of many of the infantry units involved and even a swarm of angry bees doomed the operation to failure. Maj Gen Arthur Aitken, commander of Expeditionary Force ‘B’, was ordered home and the forces in British East Africa were reorganised, with overall command going to Brig Gen Sir Richard Wapshare, who had commanded the 27th (Bangalore) Infantry Brigade at Tanga. For now the British remained on the defensive with little chance of receiving reinforcements in the short term. Of their new commander one of his staff officers is reported to have said: ‘Wapshare is a kindly old gentleman, nervous, physically unfit and devoid of military knowledge; he is much too fond of physical comforts. He is known throughout Kenya as “Wappy”. He is a heavy man fond of his food and dislikes exercise.’

This perhaps goes some way to explain the manner in which he spent Christmas in 1914:

Xmas Day. As we had the cook with us, O’Grady had arranged for dinners at the Norfolk Hotel. I went to office in the morning. In the afternoon they all went out shooting. I lent my rifle to Shepperd. He got a Grant and O’Grady a zebra. I stayed behind and sat for some time . . . and did some reading. Got a very gracious wire from the King, which I replied to. Also one from Lord K saying it was impossible to send more troops at present. Stewart again asked to be allowed to go. I’ve agreed and shall wire tomorrow. Had a nice quiet dinner with Shepperd, O’Grady, Dobbs, Hautrey, Powell and myself. Got back at eleven. We drank the health of our absent ones . . . I went to Church and Sacrament.

Sunday 27th Dec. O’Grady and I started yesterday . . . in a special carriage attached to a goods train. We got to [illegible] Station at 7pm . . . In the morning I started off at 6am on a trolley with the Permanent Way Inspector. I shot 1 zebra, 1 gnu, 1 Grant’s Gazelle, 1 [illegible] and 1 Tommy [Thomson’s gazelle]. O’Grady went off walking, he got 2 Impala and nearly lost himself. He got back just in time for the train.

By contrast, in the German colony of Cameroon a far more warlike situation existed that first Christmas of the war. Here British columns made up of troops from the Nigerian and Gold Coast Regiments were moving against key German settlements and trading posts. This followed the capture of Duala, the main town, trading centre and wireless station on 28 September 1914. The country offered little in the way of roads and in parts was mountainous and heavily wooded, making it very suitable for defence. All supplies were carried by the troops and an army of African bearers. In a memorandum regarding an attack on Cameroon it was stated that German rule was very unpopular and that an invasion of the colony by British forces would be generally welcomed by the local population.
¹⁸
This however was not the experience of 2/Lt A.C.L.D. Lees (2nd Nigeria Regiment) when his troops first came into contact with local tribesmen whom he refers to as ‘Pagans’:

21 December 1914
: Nothing in morning. Heard rumour highest peak had been abandoned, went all evening to try and find path up, attacked by Pagans. Pte Kuisa hit on head by stone. Retired, don’t fancy Pagans in the dark.

Lees’ diary records that both British and German troops were attacked in this manner when they came too close to some tribal villages. Apart from this he states that until Christmas the main activity was shooting at German sentries or anyone else who showed themselves. Then on Christmas Eve:

Had truce in afternoon to enable Christmas box to be sent to Sgt Taylor. Carriers forgot blankets, had to send them in evening. Saw Sgt Findley, Vincent and Evans at Posts A & B and gave box myself.

According to Lees’ diary the truce held all the following day. Interestingly enough, war diaries for the various British columns and Nigerian infantry and artillery units do not mention any kind of truce. They simply state that the columns advanced on 25 December but met no opposition.
¹⁹

On 30 December, all thoughts of Christmas receded as the 2nd Nigeria Regiment was given a rather distasteful duty:

Had orders to punish Pagans who had attacked me and wounded Kuisa. I do hate this sort of thing it is too much like murder. Ordered 7 men to attack at dawn. They started too soon about 2am (no-one here has a watch). Pagans offered stout resistance when men got back 3 had been hit by stones and they said 20 Pagans were killed. (
2/Lt Lees
)

At the same time two British columns were advancing on the important German trading post and fort at Dschang. From 21 December the troops marched over difficult terrain against an unseen enemy whose position was only given away when he opened fire. Typical of the fighting is that recorded on Boxing Day in a report by Lt Col Haywood, commanding the flanking column during the advance:

Small parties of the enemy with one or two Europeans were met and brushed aside at intervals until 2pm. Soon after crossing the R
NKAM
the road commenced to ascend a valley in the mountains. Scouting became more difficult owing to the dense bush encountered and the advance guard had to be reinforced to allow of picqueting the numerous hills. At 2pm when the main body was one mile from
SANSCHU
, I heard a terrific fusillade and machine gun fire in front.

A report reached me from Capt GIBB OC Advance Guard, that he was heavily attacked from the N and NW. I sent half the reserve to turn the E flank of the position and brought up the guns.

A body of the enemy on the NW who were annoying the column considerably were driven off after a few rounds of shrapnel.

It was difficult all this time to locate the machine gun and to find a position for my second gun to engage the enemy to the North. In the meanwhile our advance was checked. The turning movement took some time to develop and as a matter of fact, was not completed before dark.

About 5pm the machine gun was located and its harassing fire stopped by a few well directed rounds of shrapnel from Capt St Clair.

Next morning the turning movement being completed the column advanced and found the enemy had retired.
²⁰

Casualties in such clashes were light, this time being Colour Sgt J.J. Winter, who was killed along with two Nigerian soldiers. Seven soldiers and two bearers were wounded, the Germans losing four African soldiers killed and three wounded.

The Dschang expedition ended in success with the surrender of the fort and settlement on 2 January 1915 after a brief artillery bombardment. Col E.H. Gorges, commanding the Dschang column, summed up the effort his troops had undertaken:

The conduct and bearing of the native troops under fire has not escaped my notice. The men led by their British officers and NCOs have never hesitated to scout and advance through country the nature of which forced me to adopt a combination of bush and mountain warfare. The men are footsore and tired after three months continuous marching and fighting and the ranks have been depleted by casualties and sickness, but their spirit remains unbroken . . . In giving praise to the troops I must also mention the carriers with whom I have much sympathy; toiling with their burdens over mountain roads, through swamps and rivers and across unending sun-burnt plains, often suffering fatigue and exhaustion, yet patient, uncomplaining, cheerful and grateful even for an extra half ration. Without the African carrier our operations could not be undertaken.
²¹

Christmas 1915

Another Christmas finds all the resources of the Empire still engaged in war, and I desire to convey on my own behalf and on behalf of the Queen a heartfelt Christmas greeting and our good wishes for the New Year to all who, on land and sea are upholding the honour of the British name. In the officers and men of My Navy, on which the security of the Empire depends, I repose in common with my subjects a trust that is absolute. On the officers and men of My armies whether now in France, in the East or in other fields, I rely with faith, confident that their valour and self-sacrifice will, under God’s guidance, lead to victory and honourable peace. There are many of their comrades, alas, in hospital, and to these brave men also I desire with the Queen to express our deep gratitude and our earnest prayers for their recovery. Officers and men of the Navy and of the Army another year is drawing to a close as it began in toil and bloodshed and suffering, but I rejoice to know that the goal to which you are striving draws nearer to sight. May God bless you and all your undertakings.