Chapter 23
Living with the Rats of Vimy Ridge
The
Somme front looked different when I got back to the firing line. Many times I had shelled
such places as Guillemont, Ginchy, Morval and Combles. Now I was walking through such
places, taken from the Germans.
I was
shocked to learn of the loss of life in my 24th Division, including Brigadier-General
Philpots and Brigade-Major Crippen, two men I admired for their courage and bravery by
coming to the front-line to gather first-hand intelligence and to inform and encourage us.
To my mind they were first class soldiers who always tried to consider the soldier and his
needs as a priority, rather than political or personality factors and this was rare in my
short experience. I had always been selected as their guide to the dangerous observation
posts. Their loss somehow brought home the pointlessness of what nations were doing to
their young in the cause that we all called civilization.
Near
the end of 1916 we were relieved from forward positions and rested four days in a safe
rear area, then we made our way to Amiens. Outside this great railway centre General
Capper addressed a large assembly of artillerymen. He said it was imperative that all
batteries should have six guns, two guns to be mobile to move at a moment's notice to
hard-pressed key points. We all sighed as units were split up and familiar friends who had
worked so well in teams were parted. I was very pleased with our new unit for we were to
be under a reputedly good man, Major Hobday. The overall man was to be a Colonel Bourne,
DSO.
Things
moved too rapidly, especially for the artillery drivers who had stubborn mules supplied to
make up for losses to their teams of six horses to each limber. Under the cover of
darkness we moved by way of Doullens, Frevent and Aubigny to Acq, near Mont St Eloy.
Things went smoothly, map reading was so easy as land marks were prominent. It almost
seemed like a quiet exercise on Salisbury Plain. Without a hitch we dug in on Vimy Ridge.
Then
the surprise - not shells, not lice, not hunger, but rats. The loathsome rodents were
everywhere. We lit and stuffed cordite into one hole, clayed up a dozen or more holes to
leave only two escape routes. The cordite fumes forced the rats out of the two holes and
we killed scores. It made no difference and as the heavy winter snow came on, the rats
moved into our dugouts and gun pits. They bred well as there was a plentiful food supply,
dead or even badly wounded human and horse flesh! Infantrymen spoke about the screams from
no man s land as the badly wounded were eaten and gnawed by swarms of rats and we saw the
results on the corpses of erstwhile friend and foe.
The
guns went into action for an infantry raid on the German lines. It was easy to spot where
our shots landed as brown holes showed in the snow before being drifted or covered over.
Unfortunately the Huns had the same advantage. Our raiders were clothed in white smocks
and the prisoners that were taken told us that they were also plagued with rats and had
found no cure.
Canadian
soldiers moved up the line. We sensed that something was going to happen and within hours
we were at our guns keeping up a sustained creeping barrage in front of the steadily
advancing Canadians. As I sat at the gun the rats were running over my feet and the feet
of other gunners and trying to chew at anything and everything.
For
days and nights we had raids followed by counter infantry attacks by the enemy, but the
Canadian repulsed every one. On one dead German staff officer the troops found valuable
documents, including some which indicated impending pincer attacks by the enemy on Vimy
Ridge.
Two
guns were moved to a support trench ranged at eight hundred yards from the front line. I
was put in charge of one and our orders were to use ammunition only in an emergency. To
our delight we had no rats.
Christmas
Day, 1916 was quiet along the whole of our sector. In our secure dugout we were served a
surprise meal of cold roast pork, cold roast potatoes, cold goose, salad, cold plum
pudding and cold drinks, plus a gift of chocolate. We learned later from prisoners that
the Germans had lots of wine to wash down their normal rations of sausage and hard
biscuits, for the Canadian raids had destroyed their Christmas meals.
Two
days after Christmas we were withdrawn to a quiet spot called Ecquedecques for ten days'
rest. I had home leave and managed a delightful holiday at home, returning just in time
for a move to a spot called Bully Grenay. It was the quietest position we ever had.
Guns
were located in gardens which were well protected in every way. The civilians were in
their homes and we were billeted with them in spare rooms. Shells were few and far
between, being usually aimed at crossroads, sunken roads, railway lines and ammunition
dumps. We used our unexpected spare time to make dummy runs with limbers and guns. Each
time I was careful to leave markers for future aiming points and note these and other
possible gun locations.
Most
days I was up at Observation Posts in the front-line and so to me our troop build-up was
plain. The Canadians were ready to go over the top for the Battle of Arras and Vimy Ridge.
Very
quietly we moved from our sheltered gun pits taking huge supplies of shells with us. One
hour after our arrival, hundreds of our guns opened fire simultaneously in support of the
Canadian attack. Our new orders were 'Switching fire, with creeping barrage.' The enemy
was surprised, an advance was made and many prisoners were taken.
