An Onlooker in France 1917-1919 | Page 6

their mouths and lit them. After a few minutes four
men walked in with two stretchers, put the two breakfasters on the
stretchers, and walked out with them--not a word was spoken.
[Illustration: VI. No Man's Land.]
I found out afterwards that the Pilot had been hit in the wrist over the
lines early that morning and missed the direction back to his aerodrome.
Getting very weak, he landed, not very well, outside Amiens. He got
his wrist bound up and had asked someone to telephone to the
aerodrome to tell them that they were going to the "Rhin" for breakfast,
and would they send for them there?
After I had been in Amiens for about a fortnight, going out to the
Somme battlefields early in the morning and coming back when it got

dark, I received a message one evening from the Press "Major" to go to
his château and ring up the "Colonel" at Rollencourt, which I did. The
following was the conversation as far as I remember:--
"Is that Orpen?"
"Yes, sir."
"What do you mean by behaving this way?"
"What way, please, sir?"
"By not reporting to me."
"I'm sorry, sir, but I do not understand." (p. 022)
"Don't you know you must report to me, and show me what work you
have been doing?"
"I've practically done nothing yet, sir."
"What have you been doing?"
"Looking round, sir."
"Are you aware you are being paid for your services?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, report to me and show me your work regularly.--Tell the Major
to speak to me."
The Major spoke, and I clearly heard him say my behaviour was
damnable.
This wonderful Colonel expected me to work all day, and apparently,
in the evening, to take what I had done and show it to him--the distance
by motor to him and back was something like 110 miles!

I saw there was nothing for it, if I wanted to do my work, but to fight,
so I decided to lay my views of people and things before those who
were above the Colonel. This I did, and had comparative peace, but the
seed of hostility was sown in the Colonel's Intelligence (F) Section,
G.H.Q., as I think it was then called, and they made me suffer as much
as was in their power.
* * * * *
"BEAUMONT-HAMEL" (p. 023)
A MEMORY OF THE SOMME (SPRING 1917)
A fair spring morning--not a living soul is near, Far, far away there is
the faint grumble of the guns; The battle has passed long since-- All is
Peace. At times there is the faint drone of aeroplanes as They pass
overhead, amber specks, high up in the blue; Occasionally there is the
movement of a rat in the Old battered trench on which I sit, still in the
Confusion in which it was hurriedly left. The sun is baking hot. Strange
odours come from the door of a dug-out With its endless steps running
down into blackness. The land is white--dazzling. The distance is all
shimmering in heat. A few little spring flowers have forced their way
Through the chalk.
He lies a few yards in front of the trench. We are quite alone. He makes
me feel very awed, very small, very ashamed. He has been there a long,
long time-- Hundreds of eyes have seen him, Hundreds of bodies have
felt faint and sick Because of him. Then this place was Hell, But now
all is Peace. And the sun has made him Holy and Pure-- He and his
garments are bleached white and clean. A daffodil is by his head, and
his curly, golden (p. 024) Hair is moving in the slight breeze. He, the
man who died in "No Man's Land," doing Some great act of bravery for
his comrades and Country-- Here he lies, Pure and Holy, his face
upward turned; No earth between him and his Maker. I have no right to
be so near.
[Illustration: VII. Three Weeks in France. Shell shock.]

CHAPTER III
(p. 025)
AT BRIGADE HEADQUARTERS AND ST. POL (MAY-JUNE
1917)
About this time Freddie Fane (Major Fane, A.P.M.) sent me up to his
old division, which was then fighting in front of Péronne. We arrived
on a lovely afternoon at Divisional H.Q., which were in a pretty
fir-wood, and consisted of beautifully camouflaged little huts. The guns
were booming a few miles off, but everything was very peaceful there,
and the dinner was excellent; but, just as we finished, the first shell
shrieked overhead, and this I was told afterwards went on all night.
Personally I had another large whisky-and-soda, and slept like a log.
The next morning the General's A.D.C. motored me to a village about
four kilometres off and handed me over to a 2nd Lieutenant, who
walked