Account by Arthur James Rouget 1915-1919 - Part 2

21
10 days before we had
enough of bricks, when
we had, we went back
to our camp and got to
work laying, there happened
to be one tradesman among
our lot so he was foreman
we got on very well and
it did not take us long
to lay enough to accommodate
130 horses the funny part
was we were just finished
when we had to pack up
and go down on the
Somme again arriving
at our destination after
marching for 7 days. 

22
A small party of us were
sent straight out to be

attached to the 4 Division

to carry dispatches to

the various Bdges we were

at this for 14 weeks not

the best job in the world

as the roads were very

bad for the horses and

we were very poorly fed

4 of us messing together

and it was costing nearly

10/- a week for food that

we could buy from canteens

we were eventually

releived and given an

easy job a long way

23

back from the line

for a few weeks but

we were soon back up

again this time going

to a place called Bazentin 

doing traffic duty we stayed 

at this place until they

had an idea that the 

Germans were going to

retreat we were all called 

in and stood by ready

to move out very quick

which eventually came

on 17 Mar we got to the

front line but it was

too hot to send Mtd

troops over so we retired 

24

a mile and camped for

the night sending a 

patrol over at 3.am

they got through could 

only find a German 

here and ^there so they sent

the rest of us then the 

way we covered the 

ground I thought we 

were going straight to

Berlin but after we got

out a bit we meet a

M.G. here and there

so had to steady up

so the officers said they

were the only ones that

did, it was necessary 

25

for some of the men

to hold 5xL horses and

jerry very soon found

out where we had them

and came over attacking

with M.G in aeroplane

and one officer getting

under a log and shouting

out give it to him boys

as some of the boys were

shooting at him with rifles

this was the first inkling

that we got as regards

the sort of officers we 

had over us the result

was that the men would

hardly take any notice 

26

of them we were relieved 

by the 21^st Battln just

about sundown and

went a little way back

to where the wagons

had come up to in the

meantime / with food

for us and our poor horses

who had not had a bite

since daylight that

morning and some of

them had to do a lot of

galloping especially those

on patrol the cook made

tea for us and I enjoyed

as I have never enjoyed

as well before we were

27

not left much to ourselves

as we were turned out

at 1 a.m  x ^ we were in the 

road of the Artillery firing

so had to pack up and

go further back getting

nicely into bed in our new

camp after putting down

horse lines we were immediately

turned out again as there

was a patrol wanted and

other duties as well another

chap and myself being

sent to the 6^th Bdge

to carry despatches for

them to their Battln

a job that was more 

28

interesting at some times 

than others we were kept

pretty busy we heard an 

awful explosion one night

followed by a lot of bricks

falling you would think

that all the bricks that

was ever made were all

coming down at once

of course we had to see 

what had happened 

and found that the

Town Hall of Bapaume

had been blown up

with some of our own 

men in it the first

l mine of its kind to

29

explode on the Western

Front my mate and I

thought we were close

enough as we were about

100 yds from it but were

quite sure about it the

next day when one went

up 20 yds away and left

our horses standing just

on the edge of the crater

luckily for us most of 

the explosion went on the 

opposite side to us unlike

the town hall this one only 

got 2 victims the other

getting somewhere about

30 we were relieved a few 

30

days after this and went

back to our old camp for

10 days rest at the end of 

that time coming up again

but we were of no use for

patrols as by this time

both sides were well dug

in and strongly supported

with Artillery we were not

kept in the forward area

long except a few staying

to do a bit of despatch riding

the rest of us going back

to our old camp we stayed

here a few weeks then

shifting up north again

and camping just out

31

side of Hazebrouck it

was at this time that

the Germans surprised

everyone by shelling the

latter town throwing the

shell a little over 30 mls

and putting his first in the

town at 7 oclock in the

evening of about the 15^th Aug

we stayed in this until the

first week in Sept then

shifted to Ryvelt and from

here detachments were sent

out the various Divisions

to be in readiness for the 

20^th of Sept the M.G'S

going into supports on  

32

air defenses the remainder

were detailed as D.B's

and a few small parties

were to patrol fortunately

the patrol that we were 

with never reached the

front line as the officer

got lost and it would

have been too late for us

to get over when he had

found the ways we returned

to camp and were sent

to carry despatches for the 

2^nd Div and remained

at that till the infantry

done the next stunt on

Oct 4^th as our horses

33

were getting poor with the

extra work we were relieved

and sent back to our Camp

as it was now getting well 

on in the winter of 1917

we had to shift into stables

at the place called Locre we 

were fairly comfortable here

as there was a coal dump

not far away and we

used to buy potatoes from

the farmers and cook them 

we also celebrated our 3^rd

Xmas away from home

and it was very good indeed

and a credit to those who 

34

bought the stuff and prepared

the dinner we had a very 

good time indeed. We were

not allowed to remain 

in this place very long,

in the month of Jan we

were sent to a Cavalry school

on the Somme at a place

20ml from Amiens called

Longpre-Les-Corps-Saints

as were were the first Aus

that were in this village

we were treated very well.

They told us that we were 

not trained enough

35

and had to be brought

up to the same standard

as the British soldiers were

in the standing army both

in foot and mounted drill

so we were given what they

called intensive training

personally I did not care

too much about it after

been at it for 3 yrs we were

kept at the school for

4 weeks and then went

back to our camp a Locre

it was at this time

that the Germans were

expected to attack so

it was our job to learn 
34
every inch of the country
on / our sector so as to 
be able to fight a rearguard
the enemy at this time
doing a good deal of long
shooting mainly on Bailuel
the attack came eventually
but on the Somme so we
were rushed away down
there to support the Battln
if opportunity came, only

a small party of one of the 
Squadrons getting a chance
to do anything the remainder
were riding over the country
doing road reconasence 
 

37

and learning the lay of

the country as it was

thought that the Germans

would try to capture Amiens

we also had the M Guns

mounted every night as 

Fritz was pretty active

with his planes, on the 8^th

Aug a lot of our men were

sent to the Battlin H.2

to carry despatches to the 

companys in the line

the first time to my knowledge 

horses going into the front 

line while the infantry 

were attacking. On the 

20 of Aug a party of us 

38

were attached to the Saison

Force but they did not do

a stunt, on the 18 of Aug

a composite squadron

done a charge the first

on only time a big bunch

of our Regt went over

fortunately the only opposition

was field Artillery and 

they got off with few

casualties from the 8 of Aug

on till Oct 4^th we were

given plenty to do as each

Div required a certain 

number of mounted

men and our Regt was

the only one they could

39

get them from ½ a a

squadron of us were sent

to the 5^th Divn when they

were following the yanks

in smashing the Hindenburg
line the latter was

not too good for a while

as the yanks went forward

too quick and left a lot

of Germans M Gunners 

behind who gave us a bit

of trouble for the first day

on one sector they could 

not advance at all so we

^ were getting infalating fire 

from the Artillery for a 

few days after the 

40

3^rd day of it was

not so bad for us

except Fritz paid us

a good deal of attention

at night we were

using his own tracer

bullets on him so he 

used to get rid of

his load and get

back shortly after this

we went back for

a spell to Longpre-

Les-Amiens after resting 

about 4 weeks we

received marching

orders again by this

time the line had