THE YPRES TIMES
Our men had marched 39 miles in 46 hours, which was no mean performance
for the Army Bearer Corps, especially as they had only been served out with boots
the day we entrained. Of course, they were footsore, and the good Belgian
housewives ran out with water to wash their poor feet, and started to do so; but
we insisted that the men were not accustomed to these ministrations from European
women, and set them to perform the office for themselves, though none the less
grateful for the kind thought which prompted our hostesses.
The day's work was not done, for there were casualties to collect, and, after a
couple of hours' rest and refreshment, three of our waggons and bearers to match
went out to get into touch with the regimental aid-posts, while the rest of us tried
to adapt the farm house to hospital conditions. This was not easy, as there was no
accommodation available except three large barns. The house was crammed with
refugees, and five of us had to sleep on the floor of the parlour. However, the
barns were water-tight, and there was no lack of straw, so, at least, we could make
our patients more comfortable than they were before, and could give them the best
of good milk. Our Indian regiments were interspersed among the Cavalry Corps,
who were at this time in the trenches, and were spread over a three-mile front.
Our own position was ideal for a hospital, being central and out of range of the
enemy's guns. To protect ourselves from hostile aircraft, and incidentally house
some of our personnel, we erected a few tents with giant red crosses sewn on them.
Presently the first batch of wounded came innot more than a dozenand
more cheerful sufferers I have never seen, what with the honour of being the first
to shed their blood on European soil for the Sirkar," and the prospect of an heroic
convalescence in Wiliyat," they were full of joy, but at the same time they felt
they had hardly had their money's worth, and professed a keen desire to come
back again.
And so each day for a week a handful of wounded and a few sick were collected
by us from the regiments, and in turn sent back by us after twenty-four hours, more
or less, to clearing hospital by empty supply motor lorries, for at this date we had
not a regular service of red cross motor ambulances working with us.
On the 29th we heard the most terrific fusilade going on all day and far into
the night round Ypres, every variety of cannon, and musketry which sounded like a
glorified feu-de-joie and on the following day the German attack developed
itself on our front.
Just previous to this, the half of our brigade marched to join the division
further south, taking its medical complement, and leaving us with two sections of
the Field Ambulance and three officers, including the C.O.
During the 30th and 31st the fighting was fast and furious, culminating in street
and house-to-house fighting in Messines and Hollebeke. It afterwards transpired
that a whole Bavarian Army Corps had thrown itself at our thin line of British
cavalry and Indian infantry, and that they had an enormous artillery superiority; but
the barbarous methods of bomb and sap had not yet been evolved, and our gallant
men rendered more than a good account of themselves before being overwhelmed
by superior numbers and eventually forced to withdraw.
The afternoon and night of the 30th brought us 82 casualties, including the
first Indian V.C. (Mir Dost), and another fine Afridi who was wounded three
times before he would stop fighting, and was straining to get back at them while I
was dressing him. (I am glad to think that the King has also honoured him on
the first of January.) On the 31st the Germans had sufficiently advanced their guns
to endanger our hospital, and we received urgent orders to move back. Our
waggons were out collecting more, and we had 80 wounded to evacuate, and no
visible means of doing soHowever, simultaneously with sending orders to us, a
message was also sent to the Clearing Hospital and a fleet of red cross motors
