In the West.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVII, Issue 51, 30 June 1915, Page 6

In the West.

THOSE DARK DAYS. STARTLING STORY OF MDNS. In the early part of the war Germany was determined to strike France and England a swift decisive blow, combined with such crippling force, that she would then be able to turn and deliver a similar blow to the Russian army. The man in the street kifpws all about this action, but he will not admit that the Germans very, nearly succeeded, and that the position of the Allies was very critical. J'he . following authentic statements clearly show the actual state of affairs wliich at the critical moment were bo a degree of safety turned by the war genius—Kitchener. The partfcrilars below are mentioned by Dr. j A, Martin, who served in the field wrtli' distinction right from the beginning. One does not want to be pessimistic, but the truth is always desirable. BRITAIN’S LITTLE ARMY. | “To start from the very beginning,” , began -the doctor, “Britain's little army of ti.f.iluO men all told leit Southampton and the eastern ports in transports protected' by torpedo boats, and lauded in France. These boats immediately cariio back to fetch wha* were ,bailed the first reinforcements, with which I travelled. We landed at Rayrk, with the idea of joining General French's army, but immediately ■we 'arrived at the port’we learned that the British had been thrown back on Mens. Those English troops had only been four hours out of the train when they were placed in 'ac-j tion. They write hurled rapidly back, and the reinforcement contingent of JLB.OOO men found itself ;n position | of mot being able to link up with the main body because it did not know whither the retreat would lead.

AT HARFLEUR. “The next rumour we heard was that a German raiding column of 15,000, travelling on motor supply wagons, lorries,' and transports of all kinds, with full equipment of guns Sfottnted on motor lorries, was coming to-sack Havre. Here I nnlst explain that Havre was our big base, and was therefore the objective of the rumoured German advice. The reinforcements, with 15,000 French tr'.-ops, were sent to Harfleur, and we found ourselves on the identical battlefield on which Henry Y. fought the French. We got into trenches there, and, the French advanced with our cavalry to the German raiding column, and seeing the troops in front of them, but not know-mg-their strength, retreated. KITCHENER SPEAKS.

“And now I come to an incident that has not been made public, and U 3 rfar as I know lias not been mentioned in any newspaper. At that critical moment Lord Kitchener arrived in Havre and promptly ordeml that the town should : he bvdbtiated. Tins was an almost unprecfeUbrttbd course in military history, for one of the maxims’of Napoleon was that mice an army was in the field the base could not be changed. However, Kitchener said it had to be changed, .and the whole of our base supplies, stoves, guns, ammunition,' aeroplanes, hospital supplies and ambulances were tailed to Saint Naizare, in the Bay of Biscay. 'For four days we.travelled by 'sqa, and the whole ,of the British troops at Havre, including the men in the trenches at Harfleur, went to Saint Naizare, and it was the new British base. From there we went by train to Le Mans, the advanced British base.- The day 1 joined the j Army, in the last three days of the retreat from Mens, wdt fell back at . Coulmires, to the east of Paris. The I Army was then in perfect order, though a little bit down in the mouth. The men were tired with marching, and the weather was terribly hot. < WHEN TOMMIES START S INGING J

“We halted one day thinking that we had to retire further south. What was our surprise when, at 2 o’clock in the morning’ the whole army was a wakened and we went at a quick march to discover that we were progressing in a north-easterly direction. Rumour spread rapidly through the Army that we were advancing against the Germans. Then the excitement was "terrific. Every man pulled his shoulders hack and held his head erect, and the Ai'm.f started singing, which they had not been doing for many days. There was a tremendous change in the spirit of the Army, because it knew that it was attacking. We marched all day, and in the afternoon met the Germans on the Ourcq. DROVE GERMAN'S BACK.

“We fought that day and the next, and drove the Germans hack in terrible disorder over the Marne. Our division crossed the river at Saecy. For the next few days we marched rapidly across country, covering twenty-three miles on the first day, eighteen on the second and four on the third day, when the Germans were holding us up. On the fifth day we only progressed two miles, and were then stuck up on the Aisne, where the German batteries met us. General Smith-Dorrien was with ns throughout the march, and we constantly saw both him aiid General French.