Some Extracts from an Area Commandant's
Diary.
Ten Months in the Ypres Salient.
122
The Ypres Times.
By BRIGADIER-GENERAL W. R. LUDLOW, C.B.
During ten months in the Ypres Salientfrom May 1917 to March 1918
Commandant of an area 1,000 to 1500 yards wide behind the front line and about 7,000
yards deep, I had a wonderful opportunity of seeing not only the terrible effects of war
but also of observing first hand how well the average Tommy did his job. For six months,
by the way, I did not have a day's leave.
An area Commandant, naturally, was brought into close contact with many of the
most distinguished Infantry Divisions, both Regular and Territorialnearly all the British
Cavalry Regiments came into my area for two breaks through which never came off,
and like the Duke of York's men they marched into the area and out again.
It was impossible to be in constant touch with two or three Chinese labour compounds,
an immense rail head, R.E. depót with engineering shops, stores and sheds for the
repair of light locomotives and rolling stock, a cycle repair factory, a motor lorry park,
to say nothing of prisoners of war cages, army balloons, mechanical shops with travelling
wagons, two or three mobile camps for sick horses, salvage stores, shot and shell dumps,
police camps, coal supply stores, etc., without seeing far more than the younger men
who were nearer the Bosche. I shall always look back with pride and pleasure on that
period during which we had 180 days shelling from Fritz's heavies, bombing from his
planes, trains blown up, ammunition dumps sent sky high, and almost every house or
building destroyed cr wrecked.
I made a point of writing down impressions each day and, during the course of this
article, these notes will be made use of.
The man who could fail to be impressed with the cheerfulness of all ranks would be
difficult to find. On my third day at Divisional H.Q. I wrote"Everyone here is so
cheery and there is no lack of food of any kind. The men are simply marvellous, whistling
and singing, that it does one's heart good to hear them."
Most of my time was spent in the saddle, and as I went from place to place I saw
some weird and wonderful sights.
On June 7th, 1917, is the following entryThe Bosche have a trick of getting
one of our planes which has come down into their lines, putting a pilot and an observer
in and coming over behind our trenches, and it is a very difficult thing to cope with.
Yesterday one came quite close to our camp not 500 feet up or more than a quarter of
a mile away. In this instance it did not get away as its presence was detected and it
was shot down together with the occupants."
June 8th. This place reeks with spies. We have a huge ammunition dump down
the road, sufficient to blow up half the place and in the middle of it, is, or was, a deserted
farm-house. The farmer was turned out and, it is said, in revenge for our doing so he
came and set fire to it the night before last and nothing but the walls remain. He was
caught and ought to be shot, but the evidence is not sufficient against him, and he will
be let off. Had the dump caught fire the consequences would have been most serious."
Then came the Battle of Messines. Volumes have been written about this stupendous
engagement, and volumes more will be written. After a tour of the ground I wrote
The scene represents pretty accurately Dante's Inferno. A black pall of a thunder cloud
hangs over us, peals of the loudest thunder, heavy rain drops as big as a penny, and all
the time the crash of our guns and the whistle overhead of our projectiles. On the way
