MUTINY AT ETAPLES

Hokitika Guardian, 30 April 1930, Page 7

MUTINY AT ETAPLES

AN INCIDENT OF 1917

SOLDIEHS AND RED CATS

LONDON, March 21

Late on an afternoon in September. 1917 (si.v.s a writer in the “Manchester Giirm7, : ;vn”), a New Zealander was MroTnrr o.er the railway bridge toward Estnples w : th liis arm around the waist f a Wane. His hohav our irritated a military policeman stationed on th * 1 ridge to examine the leave-passes of soldiers wishing to visit the town. An altercation arose, as the r s’dt of which the New Zealander, having offended red rapped antlicity, was arrested and marched off to the prison just inside ■the camp. Tin 1 d’s’vt'i had been followed from ‘he start hv tin* usual group of soldiers bangin'’' about 'ii the outskirts nf the cam"' w'Ui noth inn; to do and lrnwhoi'e +n o-->. a i ij r t;n nmn, eensider’”" that th >

loatlmd Fed Can was ill-treating a r f’o’r>;n\ . ,'rv'" "c| l.o)- .f] in ;) rrowd 11001' Ihe hut, jeering at the policeman s'"'' •'urging the prisoner 'o co«cpe. .As the nnroar inm’pnse'l the New Zealand-*" +hn shouts of file crowd W'"h o rlcAi fo.- )-!>•.,u v niu | dived into n groan ni Highlanders. The pohT'’iu:in. oe'O'')•../! "nd oyciind. drew hi", ’■r-nlvp'- ffivd at the fugitive. miss "A ’ ini—and h*l*cf] a Jock sergeant! So 1 ’• C t vo ”hie hcnrnli. Tt 1)’ 110011 ed th" 1 41 N coi*r»oont ”"'s a roiiular and much ,iveteran, the »-pi*v ornoslte 4’ >r , ly lmvorH of the militarv ,vi>o apparently remained Li p" r n+’- of f'-r> 'coivin P’'d huUied t’m ’ soldier on his way hack to the trenches. *

THE, H \T7D RED CARS

This killing of a fighting soldier sndcl'>nlv set loose all the long accumulated hatred for the Red C aps. AVith a rear of rage the crowd rushed at the policeman, who fled from the camp, past the Officers’ Club, down the steep embankment of the railway, and along the cutting toward the river, and escaped. Armed guards were quickly posted across the lino to prevent further pursuit. The crowd, baulked of its rmenge, returned to the police but and wrecked it. Meanwhile, as the hews inched the infantry base depot of the Scottish regiments the Jocks poured out. vowing vengeance, and the Red Cars disappeared from the railway bridge. Dusk- allowed the men freedom to break out of camp and search the town for their enemies. That evening we were at dinner in mess discussing the events, of the afternoon when an order came that all junior officers were to turn out and clear Etaples of soldiers. AA'e found the riotous crowd in a street near the bridge trying to break into a house where softie military police were believed to be sheltering. A plucky Scotch colonel forced his way to the doorway and.spoke to the men, promising that the guilty policeman should be punished and urging the men to return to their depots without annoying civilians. As the men continued to shout and argue we linked arms across the street and began to push them back toward the railway bridge. Against us

junior officers, fighting soldiers like

themselves, the men admitted they had no grievance, so merely grumbling at authority and cursing al Red Caps, they allowed the small group of officers to herd them back to their lints. Next morning there were the usual

dreary processions to the “Thill Ring,” where veteran solders were classed with raw conscripts for instruction in those arts of trench warfare they had already been studying during their two or three years in the front lino. In the afternoon there was again nothing to do, for all leave had been stopped. To us officers this wintered less, as the Officers’ Chi 1 ' was a pleasant place. For the men there was nothing. Many of them lr ug ahyiit the bridge, chaffing the gain'd of unarmed New Zealanders Hiut those hr authority had considered least likely to irritate the discontented S'ddiors. No other stors had been t'R-en beyond an order to officers to talk to the men against misbehaviour an order l’ttlo to the 'Jibing of some o~v-....s " r the C/'ott-ish depot: - To'—ird idghtfnll the group of men hv the Iv'd'O' became larger and

I" a>>v attempt being made to (li,siy"wo them or keep them on the move. At last as we watched from the ehih b”+ heard the shouting increase ami presently we saw the mass of men hurl themselves tipoft the powerless wi-. 1 *"!. and ' orst o’-or the bridge. The-" as if salisffi'd with flu’s display of tlleiv. "new fo break through, most of them ~i,.,,.0r0d ' ,ae 1 -. la ugh Li <r loudly, and re-t--'”'oA t n camp. But camp discipline was nffentpfl. and under cover of dark neo.q snnv> of the mmi wnirh'red as Ilmv a rri, Etaples till they were fisaf! nvl name llfipfc to slcPp. ARMED GUARDS RUSHED ASIDE.

Memories of the following morning are misty, hilt probably there were the usual parados. After midday our infantry base depot, being specially well behaved, lnd to provide armed guards, not for the railway bridge hut •for the two bridges over the river on the other side of Etaples. The men picked for this duty grumbled quietly ns we distributed ball ammunition, for there was much sympathy with the mutineers, though these now consisted of the riffraff of the camp rather than of juistlv idignnnt fighting soldiers The guard for the bridge that carried the main road to Le Touquet over thriver ""is put under the command of a, maw. The other guard, a small cue, for the railway bridge over the river was put under the orders of a young officer of the Border Regiment. AVith bayonet fixed the two guards wore marched off, and most of the men in the camp turned to kill time in such ways as opportunity offered. In Etaples itself there had been no redcapped military police since the first outbreak, though we noticed a group of tall, well-drilled men ill .the town, obviously military police in plain caps. The bridge over the railway was unguarded so Etaples was open to those who ignored the order that all leave wfffi stopped, and a number of men had left the camp and gathered in the town. When this crowd df rioters, for they were really roiters now. had pushed unhindered through Etaples they reached the main-road bridge in impetuous mood and swept along toward the guard. The major ordered I

his men into two ranks, with the front rank kneeling with rifles Loaded and bayonets at the ready, and then

walked out to remonstrate witli the mob. The. ringleaders pressed on, arguing with him and pushing him back till his men had to put up their bayonets to avoid wounding him. The rioters pushed aside the rifles, went, through the guard, and continued towards Le Touquet. Meanwhile a smaller mob came to the railway bridge over the river. The young officer in charge ordered the mutineers to go hack or he fired upon Some hesitated, hut the ringleader took no notice of the command and approached the youngster with a threat cbout the river being handy for drowni>’g siHi puppies. As he came close, up went the officer’s first and the man was laid out. While lie was being bound his comrades retreated hastily, giving no more trouble

After dark armed pickets, from our unfortunate base depot, were sent through Etaples and arrested a certain number of men, .most of whom “happened” to escape in the darkness, ■'therwise all was quiet. Of course, rumours were plentiful. One rumour ran that the mob on reaching Le Touquet had attacked the house of the Assistant Provost Marshal, Another was that Horatio Bottomley, “ the defender of the Tommy,” was at headquarters and had been giving control of the situation! The most popular was that the. hated Bull Ring was to he abolished. In reality the mutiny had nlaved itself out, and the following day was free (from trouble. Then the authorities at last made a decided move and sent a regiment of the Seventh Division just out of the lino for a rest, to guard the river bridges in force. At this point the present writer, who had managed to avoid the Bull Ring and the other unpleasant duties and bad explored instead the attractive country behind and beyond the great camp, was ordered to proceed to his regiment, so missed hearing what happened to the few men arrested.

THE RIOTERS’ MOVE.

Except on the first evening there had been very little bad feeling shown and no man in camp refused openly to obey an order. As jurior officers we. bad considered only two dangers possible either that roiters might break into the canteen stores of drink and so become difficult to manage, or else that some of them, as discipline was weakened might invade the AVaac huts beyond the railway bridge. Unofficially we kept a casual watch over both places and officers turned back a few men who tried to approach the women’s Tints. Probably there was never any risk of serious trouble, though hatred of the Bull Ring and of police authorities was fairly general; in fact, an officer was put under arrest in the club for beginning to make a speech of svmpthy with the so-called muntineers. The whole protest was against the alternately dull an harassing life of the huge, Unwieldy camp at Etaples rather than against the war itself; against those believed to be shirkers at the base rather than against service in the line.

The last flicker of the mutiny was seen on the way out to the front with a draft of men suspected of rioting; and liuried off* to their units. At some large station, name forgotten, they caught sight of a couple of Red Caps. Tn a moment they had swarmed out of the train and had fallen upon the amazed policemen, who were chased 'iff o the town, as their fellows had been on the first day of the trouble. With the last Red Cans in full flight the inert returned full of laughter to the train, and we all went on to take our part hi the terrible fighting on Passchcndael Ridge.