Letter from W.P. Andrew
W.P. Andrew
12488 King L’Pool Reg later 142172 Machine Gun Corps
c/o Mr. A. J. Tibbitts,
Fruit Ridge Farm,
Farmington,
Michigan USA
Having heard that information regarding what occurred in March 1918 on the battlefront occupied by the 5th army was acceptable I beg to forward what happened in the St. Quentin sector, being a member of the 30th Machine Gun Battalion, 30th Division, taken prisoner March 21st 1918.
Half of the 30th Bn M.G. Batt, 32 guns occupied the line immediately opposite St. Quentin Cathefral a village calledDalls, 400 yards behind the front line held by the 90th Brigade. The date of taking over was the 7th of March 1918, so we were exactly 14 days in this position before the German attack.
The canal ran between us and the enemy but was drained by him near the town and was practically a dry bed and there were also a network of trenches dug long before by the French troops extending on both sides to the canal and barricaded near to the German lines. I am stating this as they advanced up these communication trenches that morning.
Speaking for the 90th brigade it was under strength to that extent that the frontline force was skeleton consisting of isolated Lewis Gun posts to say nothing of any experienced personnel, however gallant they were.
On Wednesday evening the 20th of March the enemy sent over a number of both scout and battle planes about 6 o/c and by drawing fire from our gun positions had them spotted. I wish to mention here that not more than three or four of our Vickers Guns were in concrete positions or shelters the remainder being only camouflaged by branches & c. The section that I belong to commanded by 2nd Lieut Morrison had one gun in concrete emplacement on a 40 foot bluff above the village, Dallas, and the other gun of course was in the open on top, covered as well as possible. We had a tunnel to The concrete position that sheltered the section, 12 men, All would never have got into action.
That night the heavy batteries 6 & 8 shelled St. Quentin and exploded a huge amount of shelves that were massed there even in the open showing what preparations the enemy had been making. It is also worth mentioning that the Huns did not reply to our fire or even send one shell for the whole 14 days and that grass a foot high was growing in shell holes made two or three years previously or possibly the first year of the war.
When the Boche planes came over the previous evening a small squadron of our aviators went over to engage them, Not sure of the number but not over six (6). It was a forlorn hope for none came back, the German planes rising from the city and engaging 2&3 to one in an almost desperate move to stop them at all costs.
The German barrage opened as nearly as I can place it at 5.am. 21st March on Thursday & included an enormous amount of gas shells and every calibre they possessed, making of course a creeping barrage in a Crescent shaped attack all wires being destroyed. Mr Morrison sent a message to headquarters but the runner was killed in 30 yards. The next thing we heard the fighting in the front line and went into action in the open that we had been firing from the end of the tunnel at 800-1000 yards.
Bye good luck the other gun was intact and we started in with a full crew accept one casualty, the Gunners 2 men on each gun, the remainder using rifles, range 400 yards in clear view, but some of the enemy had to cross the canal and made pontoons or used scows. The others crossed the dry canal bed and came up the deep trenches. While sighting on the scows I noticed that many of the attackers wore the spiked helmet (Pickelhunter) as in 1914 & seemed to be picked troops from their actions. A group of them boarded a scow were all killed or wounded and new men took their place.
I can safely say that Mr Morrison's section held up the Hun advanced on this sector and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. They sent strong bombing party to our rear and being occupied with firing to the front the first Hun bomber got within 20 yards of me before I turned. However we wiped out the bombing party but had five more casualties and one Vickers put out of action. Mr Morrison emptied his revolver and we used the Mills grenades only half of which exploded, by the way. Morrison swung the gun around and we used our last two belts in a circle (500 rounds), the smoke being so thick that we could not distinguish the enemy but knew he was all around us. Ben stripped the gun through the lock away.
Morrison ordered me to take care of our wounded man, and try to get him out. He took three men in a dash for the rear position to get into action there. I had one man named O’Conner to assist me with the wounded man, leg shattered by bomb. I carried this man on my shoulders with the other man assisting me for perhaps 200 yards down the board tracks, hoping to get through the barrage (our own), leave the wounded man safe and push through to the rear to join up. As we crossed the common trench I slid the man off my back to rest on rising ground and as I turned a German officer had me covered. The man with me, O’Connor was killed at the same time by our own M. Gun fire from the rear of course unavoidably. This Hun officer had been held up in this trench with his platoon by our barrage created by our heavies for the R.F.A. were among the first to be captured, how I cannot say.
This officer could speak excellent English, ask me a lot of questions and of course learned nothing but it showed that he and his men had only arrived the night before and did not know whether they were near Amiens or any other city. As a matter of fact this was 25K from Ham, Royon, Nesle and those points. One of his NCO’s wanted to shoot me for a machine gunner and showed they had lost heavily from our section but I was sent back under the escort to the German rear which was in an awful state of confusion.
The casualties had been heavy, they had no medical core working in an efficient way. The food stations were very poor but between carrying a few wounded and waiting for an escort it was 3 o/c in the afternoon before I reached the city and found Morrison and three men there making five prisoners in our M.G. Section and 7 casualties. I heard on good authority but the German officers had distinct orders to take all unwounded men possible and they killed the wound did on the ground. The following morning in St. Quentin there were approximately 1800 NCO’s and men and 250 officers of the Fifth army.
A German officer acting interpreter asked if anyone of our rank care to give details of Russians issued to our men in the field and if they objected it was quite all right. Our NCO, rank of Sergeant, told them ¾ of meat and all the usual stuff. They compared notes and were visibly impressed. The previous night, about 12 o/c the German commander in St. Quentin had granted the request of a Lt-Colonel of the 90th Brigade for some kind of rations for the men and was only able to issue canned beef and water but apologising for the shortage in various ways, as the officer who made the request informed everybody by proxy.
Yes the German army at its best then was poorly equipped as to transport horses, stretchers, Field Ambulances and food in any form.
This account is probably related and possibly ancient history but it is true.
Yours truly M. P. Andrew 142172, 30 Bn M. Gun Corps late 12488 Kings Liverpool Reg.
Intended for historical purpose. Anny communication to enclose address will be received. Yours sincerely M.P.C. Andrew
