With our Fighting Men Part 4

"We reached Brussels last Tuesday week. The first impression was of a town _en fete_. The streets, even the poorest, were gay with bunting and flags; on every side black, orange, and red caught one's eye.

"In trying to get an extra man officer for our party we were still in Brussels on Thursday, and by twelve o'clock found ourselves German prisoners. Every house in the better part of the town was closed and the windows shuttered. The empty streets at twelve o'clock gave one a horrid chill, but by four o'clock dense ma.s.ses of people watched the German Army pa.s.s. Old men, young men, bare-headed women, women with hobble skirts, but one and all holding tiny dogs in their arms!

Behind, the cafes were in full swing.

"Hour after hour the 4th German army corps rolled along the cobble streets, a solid grey line of burly men and magnificent horses. I turned from watching and saw a boy in the act of throwing a heavily-weighted belt dragged away by two policemen. In the cafes men were drinking the inevitable beer and playing cards. I turned again.

Still on they came, cavalry, artillery, and infantry--a man to my right in French said, 'One of these men told me they knew they were going to their death.' Just then a cavalry man, catching sight of my uniform, very courteously and gravely saluted me, saying, 'Heils Armee' (Salvation Army).

"The next day--still the army pa.s.sing through,--a gunner, bending down, said, 'Heils Armee--Hallelujah!' Wild rumours throughout the town; atmosphere electric, a single act of violence, and one felt the Germans would have opened fire. Notices were posted all over the town imploring the people to be calm; every day, often all day, we tried for a way to get out, but without a ray of hope; day after day refugees arrived with tales of misery and horror.

"My diary runs: 'All cafes to be closed early. Germans send for quicklime to cover their dead. 7000 wounded arrive--all Germans.

Germans posted notices to-day: "English badly beaten; French retreated." Threatened to sack Brussels. No milk, no bread, no eggs, no b.u.t.ter. We were mobbed to-day, as the rumour had spread that Brussels had been betrayed by the English. Notice out not to touch water, as German dead were lying in great numbers unburied near Mallien.'"

From Brussels Brigadier Murray made her way to Le Havre. The scenes she witnessed among the flying Belgians were terrible. One picture will ever live in her memory--and ours.

"A woman who had to fly at night from her village had to do so with three tiny children; the baby she put into her ap.r.o.n with some clothing, the other two she carried. Through the darkness she had to walk to the junction, where ensued a wild scramble for seats. When the train had started the distracted woman discovered that the baby had dropped from her ap.r.o.n, when and where no one could discover."

Later Brigadier Murray has had charge of the first ambulance sent out by the Salvation Army.

The bravery of these women Salvation Army officers is past description.

During the battle of Mons Adjutant L. Renaud, a French-Swiss officer, was in charge of the Salvation Army corps at Quaregnon, near Mons. She tells us her experiences during those fearful days.

"Here in Quaregnon it has been terrible--beyond all expression. More than 300 houses have been destroyed, and many civilians killed, not only men and women, but also children, _but none of our Salvation Army comrades has been touched_. We have been protected in a marvellous manner. We can say with David, 'The Angel of the Lord encampeth around those that fear Him and plucks them out of danger'

(French translation). G.o.d has done that for us. The battle continued from Sunday morning at eleven o'clock to Monday evening. The bombardment did not cease a moment; while it was on we had thirty of our comrades with their little children in our large cellar."

We understand that the officers got possession of this house with the large cellar last year. The hall is on the ground floor. In their former house there was no cellar. The adjutant proceeds:

"I am so glad that I remained at my post, to aid and encourage not only my Salvation Army comrades, but also the population. The people were completely panic-stricken. I do not know how it has happened, but the Lord has enabled me to rest in a great calm and without any fear.

Lieutenant and I have been enabled to go amongst the people, comforting them and taking help to them even when the b.a.l.l.s have whistled by our ears. Oh, how G.o.d has protected us! That night of August 23 will never be forgotten by me.

"The day after the battle--what horrible sights! Dead bodies in the streets, the wounded, and from all sides poor maddened people flying to save themselves with their little children--all the people weeping.

I could never describe what I have seen. How is it possible that such things could take place in this age of education? And now the misery is here for the poor workers. It is already seven weeks since the men (colliers) could work. The food has been seized and more often than not wasted by the German troops. The future is very dark for these poor people.

"When the English soldiers came here the Lieutenant and I prepared tea for them while they dug trenches. After the battle, when the Germans came, we lodged many of them in our hall and did what we could for them. Then I thought of all our dear Salvationists who are in the different armies--English, German, French, Austrian, Russian, Belgian.

Oh, how glad I am that I remained at my post to help my comrades! On the Sunday during the bombardment the cry went forth, 'Let all those save themselves who can do so!' I went outside to see if there was any serious danger. Then I said to the people, 'Come with us in the hall; I will take care of you as much as I can.' They came, and were content to be with their officers. They said, 'If it be necessary for us to die, well, we will be with our officers; it will be better for us to be with them.' Thus they remained with us, and G.o.d has protected all.

Blessed be His Holy Name!"

Adjutant Renaud and her Lieutenant, however, were not the only women Salvation Army officers who stuck to their posts. They all did so, nerving themselves with the strength of Christ, and daring all things in His name. And to-day many of them are still working in Belgian and French towns overrun by German troops doing their best for Christ and the Kingdom.

It is time, however, that we rejoined the British troops who by this time are retreating from Mons. There had been terrible fighting around Mons for four days, but the opposing forces were overwhelming, and they had no option but to retire fighting a rear-guard action all the way. The retreat began on or about August 24, 1914, not three weeks after the declaration of war. It was a pitiful experience for our soldiers who are not accustomed to turn their backs to the foe.

It is not our purpose to tell the story of that awful retreat--other books will do that. Nor is it possible as yet to tell in full the story of the Christian work attempted during the hurried marching of those fearful times. In the first place commissioned chaplains are not permitted as yet to publish reports, and in the second place all work attempted was necessarily unorganised and fragmentary. It could be nothing more than caring for the wounded and whenever possible burying the dead.

The horrors of the retreat can only be known by those who experienced them, and there was little light amid the darkness of apparent failure. It must be remembered that our men were fighting all the time, sometimes it seemed to them succeeding, but really only succeeding in allowing the main body to retreat to the rear. For twelve days the retreat continued and did not terminate until Sat.u.r.day, September 5.

Here and there we get a little light in the darkness. The _War Cry_ of September 19 contains a story from the pen of a motor driver in the R.F.A., who was also a Salvation Army bandsman, which has to do with the battle more than the retreat, but which may as well be told here, leaving a description of some incidents in the retreat itself to follow later.

"We got everything ready for the enemy, the trenches dug and the guns fixed, and then came the worst job of all--waiting. For thirty-six hours we lay there watching and listening for the first sign of the Germans. Then for five hours the battle lasted without cessation.

"Having brought my transport wagons up to the firing lines with my motor, I had to help load the guns. Sh.e.l.ls were flying and bursting all round us. I was wounded by a splinter from one of the sh.e.l.ls, but as it was only a flesh wound I bound it up and went on with my work.

"Now, the enemy seemed to be beating us, then again they retreated.

All the time my comrades were falling around me, and the Germans were falling in hundreds too. So thick were the enemy's dead that when the advance was given we simply had to force the motor up and over heaps of bodies--there was nothing else for it.

"At last the battle, so far as the batteries in our neighbourhood were concerned, went in our favour, and we were ordered to follow the retreating Germans. In doing this six of us got lost, and for four days we were tramping about without a mouthful of food or drink!

"By day we lay concealed in the corn or gra.s.s fields, and by night we crept along, without any guide, only hoping and praying--I've prayed many times in the past, but never so much as on these nights--that all would come right.

"On the first day we were fairly well, on the second we were _very_ hungry, on the third our tongues were hanging out, and two of my comrades went mad.

"On the fourth night we fell in with a British ambulance section and were taken into camp. As I was pa.s.sing an ambulance tent I heard some one singing:

'I'm a child of a King, I'm a child of a King, With Jesus my Saviour, I'm a child of a King.'

I asked who it was, and was told it was a Salvationist.

"In the stillness of another night from one of the tents I heard--

'Then we'll roll the old chariot along, And we won't drag on behind.'

"I tell you it was thrilling; it made me dance for joy. Two or three Salvationists were having a Free and Easy; after the chorus had been sung once or twice I heard it taken up by other Salvationists in other tents, and presently from many parts of the camp could be heard the old Salvation Army song. It was splendid!

"My, didn't the old verse go with a swing--

'If the Devil's in the way We'll roll it over him!'

By this time the whole camp had joined in. Some of the non-Salvationists would sing it with a slight change.

"Another favourite with us Salvationists was the last verse of 'I'm a child of a King'--

'A tent or a cottage what need I fear, He's building a palace for me over there.'

"I was unable to get to chat with any of the Salvationists, because if you want to go from one battery to another you have to get permission.

But one night I did go and listen outside one of the tents to their singing. It cheered me only to know I was near some of my comrades. I learned that the Salvationists in camp came from various parts of England, some were bandsmen, some local officers, and others soldiers.

I didn't hear that any had been wounded beyond myself, although the comrade I heard singing in the ambulance tent was in all probability injured!"

But now for the retreat itself! The pa.s.sage I quote is from the pen of the Rev. Owen Spencer Watkins, as printed in the _Methodist Recorder_.

Mr. Watkins had already seen much war service. He was in Crete. He accompanied the British Army to Khartoum and was present at the battle of Omdurman. He went through the South African war and was shut up in Ladysmith during the siege. He knows what campaigning is, and he knows how to describe what he sees. When this war broke out he was attached to the 14th Field Ambulance, in command of which was Lieut.-Colonel G.S. Crawford. The personnel of the ambulance consisted of nine medical officers, one quartermaster, two chaplains--Rev. D.P.

Winnifrith (Church of England) and himself (Wesleyan)--and 240 non-commissioned officers and men. His full description of the retreat is as fine a piece of writing as I remember to have seen in connexion with this war.

"On we tramped through Maretz, our destination being, we were told, Estrees. Never a halt or a pause, though horses dropped between the shafts, and men sat down exhausted by the roadside. A heavy gun overturned in a ditch, but it was impossible to stay to get it out, so it was rendered useless, and the disconsolate gunners trekked on.

When horses could draw their loads no longer, the loads were cast by the roadside; there could be no delay, for the spent and weary infantry were fighting in our rear, and every moment's delay had to be paid for in human lives.

"Darkness fell and still we marched--I dozed in the saddle to waken with a start, but still nothing but the creak and rumble of waggons and guns, and the tramp, tramp, tramp of men. I cannot give a connected account of that night--it lives in my memory like an awful but confused nightmare--the overpowering desire for sleep, the weariness and ache of every fibre of one's body, and the thirst. I had forgotten to be hungry, had got past food; but I thirsted as I had only thirsted once before, and that was in the desert near Khartoum.

"About midnight we reached Estrees, and I asked a staff officer where the 14th Field Ambulance was camped. 'Camped!' he exclaimed. 'Camped!

n.o.body camps here. Orders are changed and there must be no halt.'