The Washington herald., 1919-03-30
THE DARKEST DAYS OF ALL

over the bridges at St Christ and
Brie, which had not been blown up in
time. And as Gen. Cough
had said: "If we lose the line OF
the Somme the situation will be Sc
rious."
The way was open
"stiH to Amiens and the only
Sticking 1t: force that barred the
CAeery-O." was was a miscellane-
Gus crowd of strag-
grers collected under a brigadier
named Carey, from all those divi-
sions which had lost most of their
men in a fighting retreat. supple
mented by clerks. orderlies and sig
nallers from headquarters and a
gallant section of Canadian armored
cars. 1t was "Carey's force" which
saved Amiens in the days of great
est peril until the Australians came
down from Flanders to strengthen
our line and the French rushed up
to defend its southern approaches.
] saw many scenes OF the retreat
from st. Quentin to Amiens and
from Bapaume to Albert and the
Ancre and was in the midst of it's
turmoil and tragedy. They were
terrible days when all that we had
gained seemed lost. But even then
the courage of our men and the
heroic sacrifice Of the rear guards
who fought to the death so that the
Germans onslaught should be
checked made one feel that England
could not be defeated whatever hap
pened. 1t would be absurd to pre-
tend that our men retreated always
in good order. and that none of
them were panicky when there were
gaps in our line and Germans on
each side of them. Panic there was
here and there among certain bodies
of men who fell back too soon from
positions they might have held for
longer time. Contradictory orders
were issued. mistakes were made by
generals and staff officers. the cross
ings of the Somme were lost too
easily-though God knows many
men died to hold them-and IL there
had been more forethought in dig
ging trench systems and switch
lines behind our battle positions the
Germans with all their weight of
men might never have driven us
back so far. The British army was
a human machine and as such had
its weaknesses. But these English,
the most part with high. grim cour-
age. often in isolated groups stand
ing amidst their dead and dying and
selling their own lives dearly unless
surrounded and captured. My men
are glorious" said general of
Yorkshire, but so tired that being
attacked is the only thing that
keeps them awake" The Germans
themselves paid a tribute to the
Scottish troops of the Fifty-frst Di-
vision. In a message sent over in a
small balloon they wrote: Good old
Fifty-first! Still sticking it. CHEEKY
o." All our troops kept sticking
it," with few exceptions. and for
many days and nights fell back
fighting against overwhelming num-
bers. weary, dazed, spent. for lack
of sleep or rest
Many of them were in the same di-
visions which went to Flanders hor-
ribly weakened by all their losses,
and encountered the northern often
sive under Prince Rupprecht of Ba-
varia, which broke through the Portu-
guese at Neuve Chapelle and drove
through to Merville while other forces
swarmed back across the ridges round
fpres. Sir Douglas Haig had no re-
serves TO fall back on. Those poor
divisions OF ours had to fight day af-
ter day until almost exterminated.
and 1t was but a thin. weak line
which barred the way to the coast
until Marshal Foch in the very nick
of time sent up masses of men to
make a blue line behind our brown.
and at the same time. with a song of
Thanksgiving in our hearts we saw
American troops pouring into France
and knew that if we could hold on
a few months all would be well.
During those eight
Lloyd Georges weeks of the Ger
3O0, 900 Boys man offensive against
Fill Caps. the British lines the
losses OF the British
armies were more than so per cent
of their fighting strength. But those
great gaps torn in their ranks were
filled by drafts of 10000 boys whom
Lloyd George had held up his
sleeve" as we say, as England's last
reserves. They were but lads, mostly
unframed. but mixed with the older
men, they showed wonderful spirit.
and 1t was they who in a great de-
gree. only a few months later, fight
ing alongside Canadians and Aus
tralians who had been spared the SUI
ferings Of the retreat, while American
troops were fighting and winning the
desperate struggle in the Argonne,
helped to infiict the last hammer
blows which broke the body and spirit
OF the German army