The Doings of the Fifteenth Infantry Brigade | Page 9

standing with
Bols (commanding Dorsets) and a few of his officers by the estaminet
when a shrapnel burst with a tremendous crack close over our heads,
bringing down branches and leaves in showers. Yet not a man or a
horse was hit. The shrapnel bullets whizzed along the pavement in all

directions, right among our feet, like hail it seemed; yet the only result
was a lot of bad language from Saunders, who had got a nasty jar on
the heel from one of the bullets: but it did not even cut the leather.
It now became time to get the Dorset transport away, as things were
getting rather hot, and the crackling of rifles was getting distinctly
nearer. I thought of that horrible hill and I looked at my map.
Yes--there certainly was a way round back by the south-east, viâ the
road along which Weatherby and I had just come back from
interviewing Haking. So I directed the transport to move that
way--there was a road branching off to the right only 400 yards on and
quite safe, as I thought, for the firing was up north and north-east, and
this road lay south-southeast.
Roe covered the withdrawal with his company and was very anxious to
lay an ambush for the enemy. But they did not seem inclined to oblige
him, but kept heading off in a more southerly direction. There was no
sign from the 3rd Division who, I knew, were on our right; so, as my
scouts could not find them, I could only come to the conclusion that the
enemy had got in between us, and if we didn't clear out soon we should
be in a bad way.
Suddenly there was a crackle of rifles down the road along which the
Dorset transport had gone, and then nearly the whole of the transport
came galloping back, a dead horse being dragged along in the shafts of
one of the waggons. Margetts, the transport officer, rode past, revolver
in hand, and streaming with blood from the shoulder, and one or two of
the men and horses had obviously been hit. What had happened was
that a few Germans had penetrated on to the road where Weatherby and
I had passed in perfect safety only a short time before and ambushed
the transport.
Margetts had very gallantly ridden direct at the ambush with his
revolver, shot down one or two and bewildered the rest, and thus given
time for the transport to turn round on the (luckily) broad road and
gallop back. The Pioneer Sergeant of the Dorsets was killed, and so
was a Brigade Policeman who happened to be with the transport.
Otherwise almost the only loss was an ammunition-cart with two

horses killed, and some damage was done to a pole and wheel or two of
the other vehicles. Poor Nicholson (my servant), who should, strictly
speaking, have remained with the Brigade transport and not come up at
all, had attached himself to the Dorset transport without
orders--wishing, I suppose, to be handy in case he was required--and
had been shot down with the two or three others. I believe he was killed;
anyway, I never saw him again, poor fellow. Margetts was nearly
falling off his horse with pain, so he dismounted and was bandaged by
the Medical Officer. But by that time the transport vehicles had
disappeared, and as he was fainting and was not in a fit state to be
carried, he had to be left in the house of a Belgian doctor and was taken
prisoner shortly afterwards. We heard of him later, and I am glad to say
his gallant action gained him a D.S.O.
Bols strung out half a company to defend the place where we thought
the Germans would appear, but after waiting for ten minutes we found
we were practically "in the air," as large forces of the enemy were
reported coming round our right flank, and the firing on our left front
got more and more to the left, thus proving that the Bedfords had been
pushed back and were retiring viâ Wasmes--as they had been told to do
if overwhelmed. Weatherby, who had cantered off to get in touch with
them, confirmed this; and as it was getting extremely "hot" (shells)
where we were, I gave the order to withdraw--only just in time as it
turned out.
The Dorsets formed a proper rear-guard and held off the enemy, who
were by this time trickling in large numbers into the town; but by good
luck the Germans seemed to funk coming on in formation, and by the
time we had got back to the foot of the steep hill they didn't bother us
any more except by occasional shells. To my extreme annoyance (in
one way) we