First Battle of Ypres

Photograph taken September 2008, In Flanders Fields Museum, Ypres, Belgium.
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Map - Commonwealth War Graves Commission Website

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“On Oct 21, 1914 the Germans, who were on the high ground along the Flemish Ridge, including Passchendaele, launched their attack on Ypres and the First Battle of Ypres began. At Langemark, hardened professionals from the British 1st Division faced massed ranks of German reserves and volunteers, mostly army cadets and university students with only six weeks of military training. At least 3,000 died. A large number lie in Studentenfriedhof, the German cemetery at Langmark.

Despite their losses, the German pushed back the Allies relentlessly. By 31 October, they had taken Geluveld and almost broken through the British line on the Menin Road. The next day they took the Mesen Ridge and Wijtschate while British troops recaptured Geluveld. The fate of Ieper (Flemish spelling of Ypres) hung in the balance. On 11 and 12 November, the Germans took Sint Elooi (St. Eloi). By now, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was virtually destroyed as a professional army and cooks, batmen, signallers, and other non-combatants were ordered into action, with and without firearms.

As the German attacks began to slacken, both sides subsided into exhaustion. It was the end of the First Battle of Ieper (Ypres) and the beginning of trench warfare and winter. To prevent the Allies from using the city as winter quarters, Germans shelled it constantly and on 22 November set the Cloth Hall ablaze, together with the rest of the city center. By now, the Salient was less than half its original size and already some 100,000 thousand men had lost their lives there. Another 400,000 would die there in the following three years.”

In Flanders Field Museum, Ypres, Belgium

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Further reading

World War One Battlefields 

First Battle of Ypres

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BAGPIPES GO TO THE FRONT

Published October 19, 1914
Aylmer Express Newspaper

The British War Office Has Permitted Them.

The Scotch regiment won’t give up their kilts. They have reluctantly permitted the War Department to take away from them their plaids and their brightly colored banners and to substitute khaki for Highland hues, but they’ve got to be khaki kilts, not khaki trousers.

In these days of high-powered guns and scientific warfare when all the old-fangled fashions in fighting have been thrown away and not even a band or a fife and drum corps can get onto a battlefield, the Scotch regiments still hang to their bagpipers, or at least their bagpipers hang to them. No English regiments will fight to music in the war, but the English War Office didn’t count the bagpipe as a musical instrument, much to the delight of the Scotch-fighting men.

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PARIS IS SCARED

Published Oct 19, 1914
Aylmer Express Newspaper

Two Visits of German Bomb-Droppers in 24 Hours Causes Panic.

PARIS, Oct 13.- Paris was attacked again yesterday by a German bomb-dropping aeroplane, the second aerial raid over the city within twenty-four hours, and as a result of the flight the population is in terror and is demanding that the French aerial blockade be strengthened.

The ease with which the German aviator penetrated to a point over Paris and dropped two bombs on the Northern Railroad station, so soon after Saturday’s raid by two machines which scattered twenty bombs, killing three and wounding fourteen persons, has roused the people to a realization that their overhead danger is constant and unprevented by the French Aviation Corps.

Following Sunday morning’s raid by two German aeroplanes, when the Cathedral of Notre Dame was struck by one of the falling bombs, all of the aerial craft defending Paris was made ready for instant action. Despite these preparations a German aeroplane swooped over Paris at 9.15 yesterday morning and dropped two bombs between two crowded railroad trains which were leaving the Northern Railroad station.

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WHAT MUST BE DONE

Published Oct 15, 1914
Aylmer Express Newspaper

An American Newspaper’s Opinion of the Situation.

It is inconceivable that Great Britain and France should allow Germany to win. To do this would be national suicide. It is absolutely a life-and-death fight for both of them.

Great Britain has 45,000,000 people in the British Islands. If she sends into the field one-eight of her population, she should put at the front over 5,000,000 soldiers. In addition to this there are 15,000,000 people in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the other colonies. Altogether Great Britain should be able to put into the field 6,000,000 soldiers. She has the money to clothe and arm this number and the command of the sea to feed them.

France has 39,000,000 people, and if she should put 2 ½ percent of her population into camp, she would have nearly 5,000,000 soldiers. Furthermore, owing to the French military system of universal service and retirement in the reserves, a great portion of these must have more or less military education and discipline, and be ready to impart it to others.

Next comes the question of how long Germany can stand this awful strain. To put a vast army into the field Germany has had to paralyze her industry, halt agriculture and bring to a standstill much if not most of the ordinary operations of life. This immense army must be fed, supplied with ammunition and its communications maintained. How long can she stand this? If the French and English show anything like the spirit of the Belgians, the Germans cannot possibly escape a ruinous defeat.

Advert - October 8, 1914

Published October 8, 1914
Aylmer Express Newspaper

The Rexall Stores of Canada Contribute to the Patriotic Fund.

400 of the leading stores in Canada have unanimously agreed to contribute to the Canadian Patriotic Fund.

FIVE PER CENT of their total purchases of all Rexall Toilet Goods, Rexall Remedies, and other merchandise.

Long Way to Tipperary

Published October 8, 1914
NOTES AND COMMENTS
Aylmer Express Newspaper

“It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” has become the marching song of the British army, and as it is not widely known in this country, we print the words below:

Up to mighty London came an Irish-
man one day,
As the streets were paved with gold,
sure everyone was gay,
Singing songs of Piccadilly, Strand and
Leicester Square.
Till Paddy got excited, then he shouted to them there:

Chorus –
It’s a long way to Tipperary,
It’s a long way to go.
It’s a long way to Tipperary.
To the sweetest girl I know.
Goodbye Piccadilly, farewell Leicester
Square,
But my heart’s right there.

Paddy wrote a letter to his Irish Molly
-O
Saying, “Should you not receive it,
write and let me know,
If I make mistakes in spelling, Molly
dear,” said he,
“Remember it’s the pen that’s bad,
don’t lay the blame on me.”

Molly wrote a neat reply to Irish paddy
-O,
Saying, “Mike Maloney wants to marry
me, and so,
Leave the Stand and Piccadilly, or
you’ll be to blame,
For love has fairly drove me silly,
and hoping you’re the same.

http://www.firstworldwar.com/audio/itsalongwaytotipperary.htm

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Tipperary, Ireland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipperary

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Two Springfield men were assessed $16 each for engaging in a pugilistic encounter. Magistrate Hunt told them that if they wanted to fight they should enlist and go to the front.

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The 30th Battery Busy Drilling

Published October 8, 1914
Aylmer Express Newspaper

The 30th Battery Canadian Field Artillery has been drilling two nights a week for nearly a month and has apparently made excellent progress. There is still room for a number of recruits. There seems to be a misunderstanding about enlistment. Let it be understood once and for all that the 30th Battery is a home defence unit, and no member of the Battery can be sent overseas unless he volunteers for his special service. The Battery with all other Militia units is for the defence of Canada only. The age limits are 18 to 60; but a few boys will be accepted to act as signallers, rangetakers, trumpeters, etc. The term of enlistment is for three years unless discharged or resignation is accepted before the term expires.

The Battery has been taught the elements of infantry drills and are now learning dismounted artillery drills without arms. As soon as rifles are issued rifle drill and shooting will be taught. Field artillerymen are expected to know foot drill, mounted drill, rifle shooting and gunnery and certain forms of field engineering. It is hoped that arrangements may be made so lectures, rifle shooting and physical drill and exercise may be undertaken during the winter months in a suitable building.

The Battery needs 28 drivers who will bring at least two horses each. The horses will be needed only for annual training or for field days. The pay for drivers is about $1 a day and for the horses $1.25 each with everything for men and horses found. This means that each driver will receive about $56 for himself and team for the sixteen days camp once a year. Most battery driers consider this ‘money found’ as the camps are held during the seasons when work is slack on the farms.. Most batteries have more men and horses offering than they can take to camp. The drivers who enlist now will be given the first chance. Mr William Warnock has the Service Roll and is authorized to take enrolments.

Jokes

NOTES AND COMMENTS

The Right Answer

The three young Borden children were visiting their Grandma Borden, and the occasion was one of great merriment for them.

After a while it proved a trifle too noisy for grandma and she said reprovingly: “Good gracious, children, why are you so noisy today? Can’t you try and be a little more quiet. You are making my head ache.”

“Now, grandma,” said little six year-old Dorothy, “you mustn’t scold us. You see if it wasn’t for us you wouldn’t be a grandma at all.”

Climbing

“You folks are being taken up by society, aren’t you?”
“Well, we don’t believe in bragging but we know three ladies who smoke cigarettes.”

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Published Oct 8, 1914

Aylmer Express Newspaper

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11,250 TONS OF FOOD

Published Oct 8, 1914
Aylmer Express Newspaper

WHAT THE GREAT EUROPEAN ARMIES EAT

The Problem of Feeding Soldiers Grows Harder With Every Day.

…It is figured that the average for each man is 2 ¼ pounds of food a day. It has been stated that there are from 8,000,000 to 16,000,000 now on the battle lines. Just what the real figures are it is impossible to determine, but 10,000,000 is probably nearly correct.

A box car on an American railroad will carry about twenty tons. This means that to transport the food of one day for 10,000,000 men 560 of these cars would be needed. If these 560 cars were divided into trains of forty cars each it would mean fourteen trains drawn by the largest engines in the country.

Each nation has its own system of feeding its men, and now it is realized everywhere that to enable the men to fight at their best they must be fed properly. England, like the United States, feeds its army from behind. That is, it send food trains to follow each division and these trains, equipped with the different foods, deal out to each regiment provision, which are served to men or are cooked and served from the kitchens….

In all countries bread forms the most important part of the ratio. The British allow their men 21 ounces, the French 32 ounces, and the German 26 ½ ounces to each man. This bread is baked in the army ovens. The German ovens are drawn by motors and they arrive with the troops as soon as the battle is over. For each division there are twelve ovens and these can turn out 30,000 loaves of bread a day. The dough is mixed in the usual way. Sometimes this bread is turned out in biscuit form. Each man receives two rations, which he carries in his havershack. Each one of these ovens can turn out 2,500 bread rations a day.

The British also have these field ovens. But they also have portable kitchens which are drawn by horses or by motors and follow the army. About four men are necessary to manage one of these kitchens and these men cook the meals for the soldiers, which is served out to them night and morning as long as it is possible for them to do so.

The kitchen makes stews for the men, cook bacon, make tea or coffee, and with the British army jams and sweets from a large part of their food. It has been said that the British soldier in the field lives well and often has what might be termed luxuries. He gets his meat, 12 ounces being allowed each man. Then he has 16 ounces of potatoes, 8 ounces of fresh vegetables when they can be procured, 3 ½ ounces of milk, an ounce and a half of sugar, and quarter of an ounce each of tea, coffee and salt….

More Notes & Comments - Oct 8, 1914

The European war will engage at least ten millions of men. A great number of these will be young men, who otherwise would marry and rear families. After the war these young men will be considerably older and many of them would never marry. A vast host of lives will be destroyed by shot and shell, by sickness and disease, by exposure and famine. Thousands will lay down their lives or else be broken wrecks for the remainder of their lives.

With women already in numerical preponderance what will this signify to them? It is seen at a glance that the surplusage of females will be such as to cause them to be drafted more largely than ever into industry and into forms of enterprise from which they have as yet been exempt. These women, deprived of the opportunity of marriage and bringing up families and forced to enter forms of toil that will cause the stamina of the sex greatly to deteriorate, will constitute one of the tremendous calamities of the war.

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The British troops are sadly in need of blankets, and patriotic housewives in the motherland began stripping their own beds as soon as the need became public. In all, 1,500,000 pairs of blankets must be had, as an outbreak of pneumonia is feared, if the unseasoned soldiers who have gone to the front, are to be protected while sleeping on concrete floors of draughty gymnasiums, warehouses and stables, also in tents and frequently in the open air. Here is another chance for Canadians to support a share of an absolute necessity.

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Published Oct. 8, 1914

Aylmer Express Newspaper

Notes & Comments - Oct. 8, 1914

General Von Moltke, chief of the German army has been dismissed, which means that the Kaiser is not satisfied with the way the war is going. We have always understood that it was bad policy to swap horses while crossing a stream.

Published Oct. 8, 1914
Aylmer Express Newspaper, Notes and Comments

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Belgium’s protest against the bombardment of Antwerp by a Zeppelin will excite sympathy every where, since Belgium was one of the powers which signed The Hague conference declaration of Oct 18, 1907, prohibiting the discharge of projectiles and explosives from airships. Such methods of attack flagrantly increase the horrors of warfare and undo to a large extent the progress made in the last century toward a humaner consideration of the right of noncombatants.

Neither Germany nor France signed the declaration of 1907 regarding aerial warfare and neither of these countries holds itself bound by it. Belgium may not be able, therefore, to make out a direct case of treaty violation against Germany. The only international compact which holds Germany is article 27 of the rules of land warfare adopted by The Hague conference on Oct 18, 1907. This says: “In sieges and bombardments all necessary steps must be taken to spare, as far as possible, buildings dedicated to religion, art, science, or charitable purposes, historic documents, hospitals and places where sick and wounded are collected, provided they are not being used at the time for military purposes.”

It is evident that an airship operating at night at considerable distance above a city cannot discern the marks which should give protection to such buildings. It is also evident that in a hurried night flight over a city “all necessary precautions” cannot be taken to spare the buildings which ought to be spared.

Published Oct. 8, 1914
Aylmer Express Newspaper, Notes and Comments

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Aylmer Ladies Do Good Work for Comfort of Soldiers

Published Oct. 1, 1914
Aylmer Express Newspaper, Article

The East Elgin Ladies’ Institute members, the members of the Aylmer Travel Club, and the Mapleton, Luton, and Lyons Institutes members a week ago sent a large shipment of article for the use of the volunteers, who were then at Valcartier, and the Red Cross Society at Toronto. The ladies worked hard for the two weeks previous, and did their work in a systematic and business like manner. They are to be congratulated on the success of their untiring efforts.

The following articles were shipped to the Red Cross Society at Toronto: 80 pillows, 204 pillow cases, 12 nightshirts, 31 sheets, 6 comforters, 200 handkerchiefs and 6 towels; and the following were shipped to the camp at Valcartier, 112 hand knitted cholera bands, each 9 inches in width and two yards long, 12 red flannel bands, 6 comforters, 33 flannel shirts with a handkerchief enclosed in each, 154 pairs of hand knit socks, 3 rolls of bandages, a number of wristlets and two cases of condensed milk.

Miss Cutton, of Yarmouth, and Mrs. Lamb, of Orwell, each very kindly contributed a large feather bed, which was used in making the pillows…. It was impossible to ascertain the names of the ladies residing outside of Aylmer who worked so hard and contributed so generously but each has the personal satisfaction that she has done her duty….All articles were stamped “From the Women of East Elgin.”

Mrs. Mahlon Griffin generously threw open her home for the workers and the hum of three sewing machines made it a hive of industry. some twelve or fifteen (reminded me of four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie) ladies gathered there for work for two days, making flannel shirts, while others stamped and sorted articles sent in from outside makers.

All the cholera bands were finished by Miss Lewis who made firm on edges, stamped and placed two safety pins in each. Mrs. M, Kidd, Mrs. Chas Strong, Mrs. Elfin Clarke, and others each gave cash to purchase material. Miss V Benner donated nine flannel cholera bands and three dozen large handkerchiefs that were placed in the pockets of the shirts. Five hundred safety pins were used in the bands and shirts.