For Private Circulation only.
JS'
Jo 62.
With the Compliments of the Author.
PNE
MOLE RAMPANT.,
BY
II
W. G.
m!w4^A
J.^ Y'r.^y//
@ H.G., whose character, judgment
and courage have e\'er been a source
of inspiration.
ONE MOLE RAMPANT. v
PREFACE
As the Preface is usually skipped by readers, this
only contains what might well be so treated :
What a queer title !
Well, all soldiers were moles, more or less, in
this war, burrowing in the ground. Some more
than others.
But why " Rampant "?
Well, wouldn't it make you ramp too?
RICHARDS 6 KEENS LTD.^-
Printers,
1 Leadenhall St., London, E.C.3 -
-i( â– â– y'jzt:
ONE MOLE RAMPANT.
Vll
CONTENTS
CHAPTER
PAGET
I.— Joining Up ....
1
II. — In Camp
13
III.— Off To ?
19
IV. — France
22
V. — The Advance Base
27
VI. — The Early Months of the Wak
47
VII. — Flanders .....
58
VIII. — Kemmel ......
86
IX. — Christmas, 1914 . . . . .
95
X.— 1915
101
XI. — In the Sappers . . . . .
118
XII. — Further Progress of the War
125
XIII. — Mining in the Ypres Salient .
132
XIV. — Diary Entries
151
XV.— Mentioned in Dispatches
230
MAPS
Sketch Map of Ypres Sector
Sketch of Mining Operations
124
229
O'NE MOLE RAMPANT. ix
INTRODUCTION
This represents an attempt to reconstruct a more
or less coherent account ot* one man's experiences
on Active Service. The Mole's period of service
at the front was just short of a year, when he was
recalled to England to take up other duties in
connection with the war. His experiences are,
therefore, limited in comparison with those of inany
others, but as they include quite an early part of
the war and some features of it familiar only to
comparatively few, it may nevertheless form a
record of some interest.
For a description of training in England read
Ian Hay's classic, " The First Hundred Thou-
sand," and for general atmosphere at the front
readers cannot do better than turn to " Between
the Lines " and '' Action i^'ront," by Boyd Cable,
"Men, Women and Guns" and ''No Man's
Land," by Sapper, and for realism to " Under
Fire," the translation from the French " Le
Feu," by M. Henri Barbusse.
In letters home the darker side of ,war was
always minimised, partly on account of the Censor
and partly because one did not want to add to the
X ONE MOLE RAMPANT.
inevitable worry of the people at home. But let
there be no mistake about it. War is a horrible
thing, and the suffering is terrible, not only directly
as the result of wounds, but even worse, because
much more inevitable and continuous, from the
discomforts, amounting at times to agony. Many
a man has longed for a ''Blighty" wound that
would disable him sufficiently to take him out of
the drear round of cold, wet and exposure. For-
tunately the hmiian mind and body is elastic, and
€ven in billets, where the comfort consists chiefly
of a roof over one's head within sound of gunfire,
men can absorb themselves in some trifling recrea-
tion, as a game of cards, a newly-arrived news-
paper, an impromptu sing-song, and forget (liter-
ally) that '• there is a war on."
Speaking at the City Temple some time ago,
John Oxenham — who described the '* Cities of
Death " that he had seen in Flanders and Northern
France — said that the reticence of our soldiers in
regard to the horrors they experienced was the
most loving conspiracy of silence the world had
ever known.
This is only partially correct ; it is true that
few men are willing (or able) to describe in
unvarnished language the most offensive sights or
incidents witnessed. For one thing, the soldier
knows that no mere words will ever convey any-
thing like a correct impression of his experiences
to one who has never undergone anything similar ;
ONE MOLE RAMPANT. xi
and, besides that, most men cannot bring them-
selves to attempt it, from some queer sort ot*
English feeling that "it isn't done.'' French
writers are not hampered in this way.
On top of this, the characteristic defect of the
average Tommy, who is, in fact, the average
Briton, is in some directions a lack of imagination
— a trait which at the same time is his great virtue,
enabling him to ignore anything but the immediate
present.
Finally, the vocabulary of our "Tommy" is
strictly limited, and in most cases he will merely
describe his experiences as "b y awful."
ONE MOLE RAMPANT. i
CHAPTER I
JOINING UP
Although the actual outbreak of hostilities seems
to have come as a " bolt from the blue " to many
people, who in numerous cases had just started for
the Continent on their holidays, others saw with
gloomy disquiet, particularly during the week
preceding the August Bank Holiday (August 3rd,
1914), what seemed to be inevitably coming. That
was a week of sinister apprehension which brooded
over all one's thoughts and actions. The fateful
threat of war was like a gradually approaching
thunder-cloud which nothing could stave off. To
the Mole, at least, it was almost a relief from
a tension which was growing intolerable when
England finally declared war, though he did not
share the common misapprehension that it was
going to be a matter of months and an easy
victory for the Allies. But no man at that time
had any conception of what efforts would be called
for.
Kitchener's appeal to join " for three years or
for the duration of the war ' ' was met by a flood
of men with which the recruiting offices were
unable to cope. Men waited for hours in queues,
sometimes day after day, trying to enlist. The
age limit was fixed at 30. Under the circum-
2 ONE MOLE RAMPANT.
stances the Mole, who had no wish to serve unless
it was absolutely necessary, and who was already
over the age linut, sought other outlets for useful
activities. He was able to be of some assistance
driving a private car for the military authorities,
and was attached for a week or so in that capacity
to the newly-formed Naval Division at Deal.
Amongst other people he piloted round was
Lambert, the Civil Lord of the Admiralty. The
Naval Division was the child of Winston Churchill's
brain, the idea apparently being to utilise super-
fluous naval forces, such as the Naval Volunteers
and the Fleet Reserve, as a military body, a
decision which roused much dissent and also caused
considerable resentment amongst the officers and
men involved. Two brigades were formed, under
Henderson and Backhouse respectively, who held
the rank of Commodore, equivalent to Brigadier-
general. Besides the Mole, a Mr. M. had also
come with his car to act in a like capacity.
" Winston " himself ran down from London one
day in his Rolls-Royce. Mr. M. and the Mole were
introduced by the Brigade Commanders, who were
good enough to express their appreciation of the
useful services performed.
After the Mole had joined up, as he heard in
1917, M. received a commission as Captain and
continued acting as driver. He went with the
Naval Division on the ill-starred Antwerp expedi-
tion, only narrowly escaping internment in Hoi-
ONE MOLE RAMPANT. 3
land, as actually happened to Henderson and a
large body of men under his command. M. also
accompanied the Naval Division to Egypt, and
eventually to Gallipoli, finally relinquishing his
commission on account of ill-health.
In the meantime the Press kept reporting suc-
cessful engagements of the enemy by the Belgians
and French. So August drew to a close. Then
towards the end of the month came the famous issue
of The Times with the first intimation of the
Retreat from Mons (Battle of Mons started August
23rd). Things looked very black. The age limit was
raised to 35, and the Mole decided that the time had
come when the country required everj^ able-bodied
man for the fighting units. There seemed to be
little prospect of obtaining a commission w^ithout
O.T.C. experience; only about 2,000 were then
being granted, and the Military Authorities had
issued a statement that those joining up in the ranks
would not prejudice their chance of obtaining a
commission by doing so ; on the contrary, they
would receive special consideration. This, by the
way, like many other official announcements,
proved to be false. The Mole, therefore, made up
his mind to join as a "Tommy." He had no
illusions as to military glory and knew from pre-
vious experiences roughing it what hardships might
be expected. His only motive was the feehng that
every able-bodied man left in London should be
asked to produce his reasons in writing.
4 ONE MOLE RAMPANT.
Now came the choice of regiment. The Mole
said that he did not mind taking his chance of being
potted, but did not hke the idea of bunking in with
the " Great Unwashed." He, therefore, en-
deavoured to get into the H.A.C.
On Monday, August 31st, he called on Mr. D.,
a late member of the H.A.C, and obtained a letter
of introduction to the Council and presented it at
Armoury House, Finsbury. Here also it was no
easy matter to be accepted for enlistment, and
some men were several days about it. A man had
to be introduced by a member of the H.A.C, or
vouched for by two householders, and a subscription
of two guineas was required. In reply to questions
the Mole stated that he was willing to volunteer for
service abroad (enlistment in a Territorial unit
being otherwise for home service) and was willing
to be a pioneer, the only vacancy left in the 1st
Battalion ; this without having the foggiest notion
of what the duties of a pioneer were — a good many
others were equally unenlightened — but it sounded
something akin to engineering, with which he was
familiar. He was then medically examined in a
perfunctory sort of way, the doctor mosth' taking
his w^ord for it that he was fit. Then a lunch in a
nearby restaurant ; and, later, accepted, ne paid the
subscription and was attested. The swearing-in
was done by a short-sighted " dug-out," who, in
his attempt to read off the oath to the new recruit,
actually read the portion certifying that he, a magi-
OlJE MOLE RAMPANT. 5
strate or other duly authorised officer, had attested
Blank this Blank day, all of which the Mole
solemnly repeated, realising what was happening
but letting it go at that. The error was only dis-
covered when the signature was to be appended,
but as the Mole then said he considered himself as
having taken the oath of allegiance, the officer was
satisfied. Finally he signed the " Buff Form," the
cause of much objurgation amongst the men in later
days, by which he volunteered for service abroad,
no matter where. It was the object of much specu-
lation as to where the battalion would be ordered to.
General opinion was that they would have at least
several months' training in England and then go
to relieve garrison troops in Malta or Egypt.
The Mole was now a fully fledged member of
the Honourable Artillery Company — Private No.
1711, No. 4 Company, 1st Infantry Battalion. He
reported to his Company Commander, Captain C,
about five that afternoon, learned that he should
provide himself with certain articles, such as knife,
fork, spoon, etc., and obtained a day's leave to
attend to these and other matters.
Tuesday, September 1st, was a day of scurry
and bustle, hasty shopping, arranging kit, winding
up affairs, etc., and on Wednesday morning began
the tremendous uncertainty as to future movements
w^hich always reigns in the Army. The Mole left
home to report at Finsbury, not knowing when he
w^ould return there. On arrival at Armoury Hou^e
6 ONE MOLE RAMPANT.
he was placed under Pioneer Sergt. P. with nine
others, forming the pioneer section. No one from
the CO. and Adjutant down had any definite idea
for months what pioneers were supposed to do
except to use them as generally handy men.
Apparentl}' the section, with the exception of the
sergeant, had never existed in peace times in the
H.A.C. While at Finsbury their chief activities
were on the lines of housemaids' work, keeping the
parade ground and rooms clean, etc., in which they
were assisted by much disgusted professional bands-
men, who protested their job was to p\aij not to
work, and sundry other men on fatigue duty.
The Mole himself, though without any military
experience, took charge of a small party of these
men once or twice.
It appears that in the ordinary course of events
pioneers are trained soldiers who are selected as
having some skill as artisans. The3" are not required
to drill and are exempt from fatigues. This
tradition persisted, but, as the section soon foimd
that the work of the pioneers might all be regarded
as fatigues, there did not seem to be much in it.
Sergt. P. was an amiable, middle-aged gentle-
man, an architect by profession and a member of
the H.A.C. for years. His hobby was musketry,
and he was a first-class shot. As an N.C.O., though
well-meaning and hard-w^orking, he had a difficult
task. His lot was not made any easier by the fact
that he was always being worried by Captain D.,.
OlsIE MOLE RAMPANT. 7
the Adjutant. D. turned out to be quite a good
soldier when at the Front after relinquishing his
duties as Adjutant, but while occupying that posi-
tion he was, although regarded with considerable
awe, nevertheless the object of a good deal of
derision, his personal peculiarities — a lanky figure
and thin, reedy voice — lending themselves to bur-
lesque. One of the songs of the day was from a
popular Palace Revue and ran : "I'm Gilbert the
Filbert, the Colonel of the Nuts " (sung by the late
Basil Hallam, R.F.C.). This was parodied to
'' I'm Duggy the Adjy, the Beau of Finsburree.'
The O.C. Battalion was Lieut. -Colonel T., com-
monly known as Taffy.
The H.A.C. comprises infantry and artillery.
Of the latter the Mole saw nothing as the batteries
had already been sent elsewhere for training.
Subsequently they went to Egypt. The infantry
battalion at the outbreak of war had a strength of
probably 400 to 500. Recruiting soon brought this
up to full strength, about 1,000, all of whom had
volunteered for foreign service, while those who did
not so volunteer, and surplus new^ recruits, formed
a 2nd Battalion. The original members were fairly
well trained men, having gone through the usual
Territorial drills and camps. They were immedi-
ately mobilised and mostly used for guard duties,
sentries on the railway, detachments at Bermond-
sey, etc. (always referred to with the accent on the
middle). They carried out these guards for several
8 ONE MOLE RAMPANT.
weeks, and in some eases it got on the men's nerves
to such an extent that they would get up out of
their sleep and turn out for duty though they were
not called at all. A number of the original mem-
bers were also made N.C.O.'s and granted com-
missions in the H.A.C. to deal with the greatly
enlarged numbers, it being a tradition of the
Regiment that all officers are selected from its
own ranks.
By the time the Mole enlisted most of the new
recruits had received a fair amount of instruction
in rudimentary drill, though both oflicers and men
were far from being highly trained. On one occa-
sion a company on a route march got mixed up
with the Changing of the Guard at the Pdace and
got into the most awful confusion.
Both the pioneers and the rest of the men were
occupied for only a few hours in the morning and
afternoon, and there was a lot of hanging about
with nothing much to do. Men amused them-
selves as best they could, at the canteen, playing
the piano and singing, etc. The pioneers had
intervals when they could watch the others drill-
ing, and so the Mole picked up a few ideas of the
various commands. Nearly all were dismissed
about five, and the Mole found that he could
return home.
On Thursday morning the Mole again left the
house, not knowing what developments the day
would bring forth. The first event of the morning
ONE MOLE RAMPANT. g
was roll-call on the parade ground. This was con-
ducted with a good deal of ceremony, the H.A.C.
always modelling themselves on the Guards, with
whom they were accustomed to be brigaded in
previous wars. The men fell in and dressed their
lines with much, apparently, quite unnecessary
jostling up and down, now to the left, now to the
right, and repeat for a period of several minutes to
a roll of drums, finally becoming petrified at the
sharp word of command. This was the subject of
a very amusing burlesque later on in billets. After
parade they broke up into squads for drill and in-
struction, the pioneers carrying out much the same
duties as before.
The parade ground at Finsbury is quite large.
At one end were the horse-lines, used and attended
to by the regimental transport, then came some
twenty tents, finally the large open space remain-
ing between these and Armoury House. The tents
were used by a comparatively small number of
men sleeping there at night. The transport con-
sisted of a motley collection of vehicles hastily
withdrawn from civil uses, including a sort of dog-
cart boldly labelled " Gorringe, Buckingham
Palace Road," all of which they retained for some
time after reaching France on active service, the
Gorringe cart being used as officers' mess-cart.
Most of these were eventually replaced by G.S.
(General Service) limbers before leaving the ad-
vanced base, but " Gorringe " persisted long after
10 0}^E MOLE RAMPANT.
that even, and it was not until well into 1915 that
the battalion was supplied with travelling cookers.
Up to that time all cooking was done in '* Dixies,'*
oblong iron pots used tor cooking stew, making
tea, etc., and usually resulting in each particular
brew tasting somewhat of the previous effort, such
as tea a I'onion. This, however, is anticipating
events.
It was on this day, Thursday, that the Mole
got into uniform, hitherto being in his own
" civvies." There was a great scarcity of uniforms,
and only foreign service men could hope to get one
at all. Even afterwards in the field there was con-
siderable difficulty in getting supplies, partly
caused by the fact that the requirements of the
H.A.C. ran to appreciably larger sizes in tunics
than those of the average soldier. At this time the
home service men, in order to avoid waiting for
weeks, mostly bought their own uniforms pri^•ately.
The Mole went to interview the quartermaster-
sergeant, and was duly "issued with" (Army
language) a tunic, trousers, cap and shoulder-
badges, but no cap-badge or puttees were to be
had. He also received a flimsy canvas kit-bag, but
not liking it much, bought from the Q.M.S. one
of a more substantial waterproofed variety, which
,was, as a matter of fact, afterwards issued to all
men proceeding overseas. He changed into
uniform and stowed his effects, which he had
brought with him in a suit-case the previous day,
ONE MOLE RAMPANT. n
into the kit-bag, packing the mufti into the suit-
case.
At noon there was another general parade for
dinner. No one was ever quite certain where the
pioneers should take up their position. Eventually
it was decided that they should fall in with
N.C.O.'s behind the drawn up ranks as "super-
numeraries." The men would be then numbered off
for their different tables in the mess-room. The
dinner was excellent food though roughly served.
In the middle of the meal came a command,
*'T'shun, Orderly Officer," and the officer enter-
ing would ask if there were any complaints. The
day closed as before.
On Friday there was nothing new till the after-
noon, when the pioneers were suddenly ordered to
hold themselves in readiness to leave early the next
morning. They were to proceed to Purfleet,
Essex, and were ordered to sleep in the tents that
night, being granted leave out until 10 p.m. The
Mole dashed off to buy some puttees, and dis-
patched his suit-case home. He was puzzled after
boarding a bus that the conductor seemed to
studiously ignore the tendered fare, but suddenly
remembered that men in uniform could ride gratis.
He was also several times amused and somewhat
embarrassed at the cordial way fellow passengers
would turn to him as an undoubted authority on
all military matters and the prospects of the war.
When turning in that night the Mole undressed,
12 ONE MOLE RAMPANT.
but although blankets were provided and the
weather was warm and dry, it felt pretty chilly,
and the ground was hard, so it took some time to
get to sleep. He had just dropped off when, as it
seemed, in the middle of the night, really about ]1,
he was told to report up at the house at once.
Pulling on tunic and trousers over pyjamas, and
slipping into unlaced boots, he and the others of
the section scrambled there as quickly as possible
to find that the adjutant was waiting to see them
fitted with greatcoats. These were the grey coats
similar to those of the Guards, and at that time
with a detachable little cape. It was some time
before Duggy's critical eye was satisfied with the
length and fit of the coats, and several had to be
tried on each man before he would pass him. Then,
taking the number of the coat allotted to him, each
man drew equipment, rifle and bayonet, all bearing
the same number. About 1 a.m. the section were
allowed to return to their broken rest. It may
here be noted that the greatcoat and cape were
carried in a sort of shng, not the present pack, and
had to be most cunningly folded in just one par-
ticular way to make a satisfactory square appear-
ance. As not one of the pioneers had ever seen
it done, let alone be expert at it, they were e\ entu-
ally allowed to withdraw, leaving a sputtering
Q.M.S. surveying with wrathful eye a litter of
coats and equipment scattered about the floor.
"And so to bed."
O'NE MOLE RAMPANT. 13
CHAPTER II
IN CAMP
On Saturday, September 5th, the pioneers were
routed out bright and early, dressed and packed
their kit-bags. These were about 2 ft. 6 in. long
and rather over a foot in diameter, tied with a cord
at the top. By bulging them out a surprisingly
large amount of stuff can be squeezed into this
small space, but the Mole found it none too large
for his belongings, and by the time it was full it
was pretty hefty. These bags were turned over
to two transport men who were to be attached
temporarily to the section, and drove a wagon down
with the bags, two tents, blankets, a couple of
dixies, etc. Then to a hurried breakfast, which
.was very good. Directly after hasty instruction
.was given in packing the greatcoats, and the
pioneers clumsily struggled into their equipment
for the first time. They fell in under the baleful
eye of the adjutant. Now it is one of the jealously
prized privileges of the H.A.C. to march through
the City with bayonets fixed, and no opportunity
of exercising is allowed to pass without the regi-
ment or party availing themselves of it. So the
section " fixed bayonets " with a deplorable lack
of smartness, not surprising as none of them had
ever done it before in their lives, and, finally, fairly
shooed away by Duggy in disgust, got out through
14 ONE MOLE RAMPANT.
the gate in the best miHtary formation they could
muster, and set off to march to Fenchurch Street
Station. The time was short (they had to catch an
early train), the pace was quick, the sun was hot,
and as none were accustomed to the weight of the
pack they arrived sweating profusely just in time
to unfix bayonets and tumble into the train.
Sergt. P., who had been shivering under the un-
spoken criticisms of Duggy, heaved a profound
sigh of relief.
The party later detrained and marched to
Belhous Park, which seemed to be part of a private
estate. The transport wagon arrived later. The
tents were then erected, and the section made their
first attempt at cooking. The result, as might be
expected, was not altogether a brilliant success.
For a long time the Army went on the principle
that if you told a man he was cook, he xvas one.
It did not always work out, but by experience and
trial {sic) one managed to get enough to eat, even
if not of the most palatable dishes. As one result
of the lack of culinary skill, the meals mostly took
the form of stew, which even a novice could man-
age. On a later occasion the Mole acted as cook
for forty men for a day. They survived it.
The pioneers were to prepare the camp for the
arrival of the remainder later on. They soon found
out what every soldier learned early in his service,
that the soldier's best friend is his spade, not his
rifle. They were very busy and really did credit-
ONE MOLE RAMPANT. 15