Second Battle of Ypres

On The War Memorial Trail….. The WWI Letters of Lawrence Ivy Marshall – Part 3: In The Trenches

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20230530_100207 Laurie Marshall from Connie taken in 1916

Lawrence Ivy Marshall. (Photo courtesy of Connie Birt Paynter)

March 15, 2024. In Part 1 of the WWI letters of Lawrence Ivy MARSHALL, of Covehead, Prince Edward Island, which had been shared by his granddaughter, Connie Birt Paynter, Lawrence was among the first Canadians to volunteer for WWI in 1914.  After his initial training in Valcartier, Quebec, he informed his family that he was about to go overseas. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2024/03/02/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-wwi-letters-of-lawrence-ivy-marshall-part-1-valcartier-camp/)

In Part 2, Lawrence described his experiences aboard one of the first troop ships to England. (See https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/2024/03/08/on-the-war-memorial-trail-the-wwi-letters-of-lawrence-ivy-marshall-part-2-the-voyage-to-england/)

Now, in Part 3, Lawrence spent a cold and wet winter on the Salisbury Plain before being sent into battle in France and Belgium in the spring of 1915.

….A cold and wet winter on the Salisbury Plain….

After arriving in England in late October 1914, the first contingent of Canadian troops received basic training on the Salisbury Plain for the next months – during a cold and wet winter.  Much of the time the soldiers were mired in mud as England experienced one of its wettest winters in decades.

In the article ‘Evolution of Canada’s Shock Troops’, Tim Cook wrote that they “…marched, fired their Canadian-manufactured Ross rifles at targets, and practiced bayonet fighting against straw-filled dummies. And they did it during one of the most miserable winters in British history, when it rained 89 out of 120 days. The parade grounds were reduced to a muddy bog, but the Canadians kept up their spirits with beer, song, and camaraderie…”  (See www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/evolution-of-canadas-shock-troops)

…. “The Germans call us the ‘Women From Hell’…”….

The first Canadians went to France in February 1915, but Lawrence was still in England, waiting to be sent over.  In an April 27, 1915 letter to his father, he writes that “…things have taken a quick change around here in a few days.  They are sending us boys all off to the front in drafts now.  There were two lots went last night.  We are all on the next one.  That is all of the Island boys, but four or five.  We expect to leave any minute now.  We have all our ammunition ready, one hundred and fifty rounds per man. Jim is going on the same draft as I am and Parker Crockett too….”  Jim referred to James Lawrence MARSHALL.  Neither he nor Parker Hooper CROCKETT would return home.

“… We are all in great cheer at going away.  You would think we are all going on a picnic to hear us when we got word of it.  We are good and tired of hanging around here now…”

Screenshot 2024-02-28 at 16-21-40 Bailleul at DuckDuckGo

Lawrence joined the 15th Battery in Bailleul, France, just over the border with Belgium.  (Map source: Wikipedia)

A few days later, Lawrence arrived in France, assigned to No. 3 Canadian 15 Battery 3rd Brigade, First Canadian Expeditionary Force.  The Battery had just been moved near Bailleul, France after fighting in the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium.  (See https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/battle-of-ypres)

The War Diary for May 4, 1915 noted that at 6:30 pm the Battalion “…paraded in full marching order and went into billets near Bailleul….”  They experienced heavy rain over the next several days.

On May 15, 1915 the Battalion moved further south to Robecq, France.  Two days later, they moved even further south, this time into trenches near Richebourg, France, in preparation for battle.

Lawrence missed this as he succumbed to dysentery and ended up in a field hospital, as he explained in a May 23, 1915 letter to his father.

 “…I have been in the hospital for over a week now.  It was from the effects of drinking bad water.  The water is awful here….. I expect to go back out of here any day now.  I have had a great rest while I have been in here and have been fed well.  The sisters are awful good to us here too…. The Germans did not get me yet.  I am going back to have another crack at the beggars soon…”

After being discharged, Lawrence gave an update in a May 28, 1915 letter to his father.  “…Our Battery has been in action again since I left them, so I missed that.…” Lawrence missed a trench battle in Festubert, France. “…They will be about coming out of the trenches when I get back to them so I will be in with them the next time alright.  The Germans call us ‘The Women From Hell’ – some name ain’t it? …”

…. Lawrence was on the front line in the trenches….

By July 1915, Lawrence was in Belgium, with the Battalion settled in a temporary camp called Camp Aldershot.  On July 13, 1915 Lawrence wrote to his mother that he was on guard duty.  “…Here I am in the second line of trenches and having a good time too.  Nothing to do but four hours guard out of twelve.  We were in the firing line four days and in here four days more so I think we are going out today for a while.  Everything is pretty quiet, only for a few shells and bullets that the Germans send over once in a while, but they don’t land very handy to us, and I am glad that they don’t either….”

Lawrence gave a lighthearted account of what was happening for his mother’s peace of mind. “… We had a very good time in the front line of trenches.  We could not see the German trenches because there was a field of rye and clover between us but they were only two hundred yards away. We used to send an odd rifle shot over at them for fun to let them know we were there. They used to send a few over at us too but did not hit any of us. …”

July 22, 1915 letter from Lawrence to his mother, written from France:  “…We just came out of the trenches last night.  We were in sixteen days.  This time we had quite a spell of it too.  We did not lose many men this time. We were pretty lucky.  We had it pretty wet and muddy for awhile.  ….  I was out one night putting up barbed wire in front of the firing line.  It rained all of the time we were out.  I had my overcoat on.  You could not tell what it was in the morning, an overcoat or mud …”

…. Lawrence was injured playing football….

While with his unit in Messines, France, Lawrence was admitted to a field hospital in Etaples, France on August 24, 1915, with a dislocated elbow received while playing football.  On August 31, 1915, he was admitted to No. 3 General Hospital in Camiers, France, where it was decided to send him to England for further treatment.  On September 6, 1915, he was admitted to North Evington War Hospital in Leicester. 

North Evington War Hospital

North Evington War Hospital in Leicester, England. (Photo source: leicestermercury.co.uk)

Lawrence believed he was sent to England thanks to a nurse from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, as he explained in a September 7, 1915 letter to his father.  “…I am in the hospital in England and am doing well.  I can’t straighten my arm yet, but I hope to soon now.  It is pretty painful at times.  I dislocated and fractured the bone of my left elbow.  I never expected to get over to England with it, but I guess it was Miss McLeod the nurse who was in the hospital I was in, in France. She must have put a good word in for me…. She belongs to Charlottetown…”

…. Lawrence had a ‘close shave’ at the front….

In his letter, Lawrence briefly wrote about his experiences at the front, since his letters were not censored while in England. “…The letters don’t have to be censored over here so I suppose you would like to hear a little of what I have seen of this war….Them Germans are sure good shots and about them having no ammunition, that is all lies.  They certainly have lots of it…You should see them send over their big shells when they start. You should see some of the holes that they make when they explode. Some of the holes are forty feet across and ten feet deep….”

He acknowledged his luck up to this point. “…  I have lived a charmed life through it so far but I have had some close shaves….  I remember one day …. some of us got out of the trenches to get some platforms for the trenches.  We were no sooner out than … they sent their shells over.  I was just in the act of putting one of the platforms on my back when six shells burst right over my head. The knocked me and the old platform down ….  I was just in the act of crawling away when I heard one of the boys shout God’s sake lay flat and keep still.  He had no sooner said it when the bugger opened their machine guns on us …  We laid there for half an hour with them going about six inches over our heads, some of them hitting the ground alongside of us.… The six of us that went out all managed to get back again.…”

…. Lawrence was grateful to be out of the trenches….

In a September 10, 1915 letter to his mother, written while still in hospital, Lawrence shared more observations.  “…It is a treat to get away from the trenches and France.  I have seen all I want to of France. The trenches are getting pretty bad now. The last time we went in the water was above my knees.  When you get wet you have to stay wet until you dry and that is a good while….”

Lawrence’s letter continued. “…  We don’t get all we want to eat either of course, when we are there we can’t write anything but that we get plenty to eat or they would not let the letters go home…..The officers don’t care how you do as long as they have plenty for themselves to eat…” 

Like many soldiers, Lawrence felt that officers were not concerned about the safety of the men they were responsible for.  “…We are like a lot of prisoners more than soldiers.  It ain’t like a real war, it is more like murder.  Our officers will put us right into danger instead of keeping out of it. I remember one night our officers lined up fifty of us to take an orchard with about five hundred Germans in it.  We started across on the run with bayonets fixed but never got there.  The Germans turned their machine guns on us.  There was only twenty got back alive.  I thought my time had come but I got back alive.  The air was full of bullets…”

Lawrence was safe in England, but faced a long recovery period before returning back to the front line.  In Part 4, Lawrence’s story continues as he found himself again on the front line and is wounded.

Thank you to Connie Paynter for providing photos and sharing letters written by her grandfather. Do you have photos or information to share? Email Pieter at memorialtrail@gmail.com, comment on the blog, or tweet to @researchmemori1.

© Daria Valkenburg

….Want to follow our research?….

If you are reading this posting, but aren’t following our research, you are welcome to do so.  Our blog address: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/

Front cover OnTheWarMememorialTrailinEurope4 countries, 6 weeks, 7,000 km – an unforgettable war memorial journey in Europe…. Daria’s book ‘No Soldier Buried Overseas Should Ever Be Forgotten‘ is available in print and e-book formats.  Net proceeds of book sales help support research costs and the cost of maintaining this blog. For more information see https://nosoldierforgotten.com/ 

You are also invited to subscribe to our YouTube Channel: On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter Valkenburg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ591TyjSheOR-Cb_Gs_5Kw. 

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On The War Memorial Trail…We Visit Passchendaele and Surrounding Area

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November 2, 2017.  After hearing so much about Passchendaele and the terrible 100 days of fighting over a mere 8 km of territory in 1917, we had to go and see the area for ourselves.  245,000 allied soldiers alone were casualties, not to mention Belgian citizens and German soldiers. We kept thinking, “How could it be worth such a heavy sacrifice?”

We followed two routes in this area, the Ypres Salient Route, and No Man’s Land Route (Niemandsland Route in Flemish).

CIMG8738 Sep 9 2017 sign saying Ypres Salient Route

Signs along the road marked the routes you could follow on the war memorial trail in Belgium. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

One soldier on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion, Vincent CARR, died on October 30, 1917 during the Battle of Passchendaele.  His story was told earlier in this blog.  (See links to The Cenotaph Research Project Begins and The WWI Names On The Cenotaph).  He’s buried at Cement House Cemetery in Langemark, and our first stop on the war memorial trail in the Passchendaele area was there.

CIMG8723 Sep 9 2017 Pieter at Cement House Cemetery with flags

Pieter at the entrance to Cement House Cemetery. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Cement House was the military name given to a fortified farm building on the Langemark-Boesinghe (now called Boezinghe) road.  There are 3,952 WWI Commonwealth graves, 2,225 of them unidentified.  There are an additional 22 WWII graves, 5 of which are unidentified.

After placing the flags on Carr’s grave, we saw that the graves on either side of him were Canadians from the same Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade unit as Carr, and that they died on the same day.  It seemed only right to take a photo of all three graves and pay tribute to R. BELLAS, our Vincent CARR, and J. B. WILLSON.

IMG_20170909_131617502 Graves of Bellas Carr Willson in Cement House Cemetery

The graves of R. Bellas, V. Carr, and J. B. Willson in Cement House Cemetery. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

After leaving Cement House Cemetery, we stopped at the St. Julien Memorial (Sint Juliaan in Flemish), a Canadian War Memorial commemorating the Canadian First Division’s participation in the Second Battle of Ypres in World War I.  This was a nasty battle where the troops faced the first poison gas attacks along the Western Front on April 22, 1915.  The memorial is commonly known as the Brooding Soldier, the name given to the statue sculpted by Frederick Chapman Clemesha, an architect from Regina who was also a WWI veteran.

Unfortunately, the heavens opened as we arrived in the parking lot.  We waited a few minutes in the hope that the rain would stop, but no luck.  There was a big tour bus beside us and no one got out of it either.  After ten minutes the bus left (guess they had to stay on schedule).  At that point Pieter said, rain or not, he was going to the memorial.  Only his cousin François was willing to join him!  Mieke and I stayed in the car.

cimg8733-sep-9-2017-pieter-by-brooding-soldier-monument-st-juliaan-memorial-in-langemark.jpg

St. Julien Memorial in Langemark. (Photo credit: François Breugelmans)

The sculpture is a stone tower, topped by the head and shoulders of a soldier, whose head is bowed.  The soldier is in the pose of a serviceman standing with ‘reversed arms’ – resting his hands on the rifle butt and the rifle pointing with its barrel to the ground. This pose is a gesture of mourning and respect for the fallen.

The memorial is inscribed as follows: THIS COLUMN MARKS THE BATTLEFIELD WHERE 18,000 CANADIANS ON THE BRITISH LEFT WITHSTOOD THE FIRST GERMAN GAS ATTACKS THE 22ND-24TH OF APRIL 1915. 2,000 FELL AND HERE LIE BURIED.

The location of the statue is where the Canadian position was when they were attacked by gas.  None of the troops had gas masks.  They tried to protect themselves as best they good, and some pressed handkerchiefs soaked with urine around their mouths.  As we now know, this did little good.

A few minutes after the Pieter and François came back into the car and we pulled away from the parking lot, it stopped raining and the sun came out.  It was like a message had been received!

Although it was after 2 pm, and three of us were hungry and tired, we had a few more stops before Pieter would allow us to have a rest and lunch!  We grumbled that he had forgotten we were volunteers on this journey, not military recruits!  Our war memorial route continues in the next blog entry.

As yet, we have not been able to find any information on Vincent Carr’s wife, Bessie Carr, who came from Summerside, and died in 1918, a year after her husband.  Can you help?  If you are related to R. Bellas or J. B. Willson, we’d like to hear from you as well.  Comments or stories?  You can share them by emailing us at memorialtrail@gmail.com or by commenting on this blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

….Want to follow our research?….

If you are reading this posting, but aren’t following our research, you are welcome to do so.  Our blog address: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/

Front cover OnTheWarMememorialTrailinEurope4 countries, 6 weeks, 7,000 km – an unforgettable war memorial journey in Europe…. Daria’s book ‘No Soldier Buried Overseas Should Ever Be Forgotten‘ is available in print and e-book formats.  Net proceeds of book sales help support research costs and the cost of maintaining this blog. For more information see https://nosoldierforgotten.com/ 

You are also invited to subscribe to our YouTube Channel: On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter Valkenburg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ591TyjSheOR-Cb_Gs_5Kw. 

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On The War Memorial Trail….Visiting Lt. John McCrae’s Field Hospital Bunker Outside Ypres

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October 29, 2017. Lt. John McCrae (November 30, 1872 – January 28, 1918) is famous as the author of the poem we recite every Remembrance Day, “In Flanders Fields”.  So it was an honour to visit the place where he wrote the poem and have a look at the horrendous conditions in which, as a military surgeon, he had to work in his field hospital bunker (dressing station).

The Canadian government has a memorial to John McCrae that features “In Flanders Fields” at the site of this field hospital bunker located beside the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Essex Farm Cemetery. The Belgian government calls this site the “John McCrae Memorial Site”.

IMG_20170909_123444276 Sep 9 2017 John McCrae Memorial

John McCrae Memorial with the poem “In Flanders Fields” in his handwriting at the far right. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

During the Second Battle of Ypres, fought from 22 April – 25 May 1915 for control of Ypres, Dr McCrae treated the wounded from a hastily dug, 8 foot by 8 foot bunker dug in the back of the dyke along the Yser Canal in Boezinge, about 2 miles north of Ypres.

CIMG8720 Sep 9 2017 John McCrae Memorial Site Pieter outside field hosptial bunker

Pieter at the entrance to the field bunker hospital where Lt. John McCrae worked as a military surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres. Note that it was built into the dyke. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

After his friend, Lt. Alexis Helmer, was killed in the battle, legend has it that McCrae wrote the poem, ‘In Flanders Fields’, on May 3, 1915 as he sat upon the back of a medical field ambulance near this bunker at Essex Farm.

IMG_20170909_123455044 Sep 9 2017 John McCrae poem In Flanders Fields

The poem “In Flanders Fields” in his handwriting on the John McCrae Memorial. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

In June 1915, McCrae was sent to set up No. 3 Canadian General Hospital at Dannes-Camiers near Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France.  It was there that he died of pneumonia on January 28, 1918.  We wonder if he was aware that over a hundred years after he wrote the poem, the poppy and his poem remain a symbol of remembrance to the fallen.

We were deeply touched by the visit to the field hospital bunker, and weren’t surprised in the least when it started to rain.  It seemed as though rain was part of the memorial.  No one from the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion was buried at Essex Farm Cemetery, so we went on to Cement House Cemetery, which will feature in the next blog entry.

Have you been to the John McCrae Memorial Site?  Comments or stories?  You can share them by emailing us at memorialtrail@gmail.com or by commenting on this blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

….Want to follow our research?….

If you are reading this posting, but aren’t following our research, you are welcome to do so.  Our blog address: https://onthewarmemorialtrail.com/

Front cover OnTheWarMememorialTrailinEurope4 countries, 6 weeks, 7,000 km – an unforgettable war memorial journey in Europe…. Daria’s book ‘No Soldier Buried Overseas Should Ever Be Forgotten‘ is available in print and e-book formats.  Net proceeds of book sales help support research costs and the cost of maintaining this blog. For more information see https://nosoldierforgotten.com/ 

You are also invited to subscribe to our YouTube Channel: On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter Valkenburg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ591TyjSheOR-Cb_Gs_5Kw. 

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