36
The Ypres Times.
in two or three places his grand courage made him reply that it was better than being
broken in four or five.
The hardest nut came over Passchendaele. By every form of combinations and
permutations we tried to hold on to Passchendaele. We felt if we once brought in our fist
the Salient would be overrun and our beloved Ypres, the defence of which had been the
pride of the Second Army through all those years, would go. The prospect was too
tragic. We had lost our Messines Ridge. Was our immortal Ypres to go? Think of the
effect on the Germans with their eyes on the Channel Ports if they got Ypres.
I think now of a conference in my room. I think of the stout and gallant troops
holding on to Passchendaele at the risk of being cut off. Were ever troops in a more
precarious and dangerous position
The Army Commander was with me standing at my desk examining the map. I knew
what he was feeling about Passchendaele. We both knew that the limit had been reached.
We should have to come out. The risk was too great. No more help could come from
anywhere. Meteren was in flames. Hazebrouck was threatened. At last I summoned
up courage to say what I had feared for days. I think, sir, you will have to come out of
Passchendaele."
The effect was magic. My old Chief, always like a father to me, made one last bid.
He turned on me and showed the most wonderful example of his bulldog tenacity that
I have ever seen. I can hear it nowI won't." It was indeed a plucky effort. The
next moment I felt, and I have often felt it since, his hand on my shoulderYou are
right, issue the orders." He knew it all the time. He knew it was coming. We both
did. We did not talk about it. He went off to his room. We were both much relieved.
The spirit of surrender, however, to the enemy did not last long as far as I remember
something under five minutes.
The old bulldog spirit then came back. He wanted to make quite sure that, in our
orders to be issued for the evacuation of the Passchendaele Salient, we were going
to hang on to Ypres. The Boche could have Passchendaele, but Ypres never. As a
matter of fact our plans for evacuating were all complete in every detail and had been
for some time. He never left anything to chance in that respect and saw to it that we,
who were privileged to be on his staff, did not either. He then went off in his customary
way to see the subordinate Commanders who were going to carry out the difficult task of
evacuation. Such an operation is always nasty and liable to be upset. However, it
went off without a hitch and we slipped out without the enemy being aware of it. ^We
were much relieved to think that our men were out of that horrible place. Our line was
then close round Ypresin truth with our backs to the wall.
What was to be the next phase of this drama The enemy did not leave us long in
doubt. With Caestre, Fletre, Meteren, all in his hands it was soon obvious that Strazeele
and Hazebrouck were next on his list. We were getting nearer to the climax. If we had
lost Strazeele and Hazebrouck we should have been in a very serious position. I had
passed through both these places with the Advanced Guard of the Expeditionary Force,
formed by the 19th Infantry Brigade of the III Corps under Et.-General Pulteney in
1914, when we first went up North from the Aisnewhat a change of scene. The Germans
had cleared hurriedly in front of us and had never been seen in that neighbourhood since.
Now they were within a few miles. We had very extensive and valuable railway plant at
Strazeele Hazebrouck was the keynote of our railway communications. It was indeed
a race against time. Lord Haig had ordered the 1st Australian Division under Major-
General H. B. Walker, up from the South to our rescue. It was due to arrive at Haze
brouck, I think, at 2 p.m. How we counted the minutes and how disappointed we were
at hearing that all the trains were delayed. The trains had to come via Etaplesthe
only route left. The enemy knew this and made a determined bombing attack on the
bridge at Etaples, missing it only by inches. The trains were all delayed, but the whole
