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"Harry's War"
"Experiences
In The' Suicide Club' In World War One "
By Harry Stinton, Edited by Virginia Mayo
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This
book is based upon the recollections of Private Harry Stinton of the 1 / 7th
London Regiment during the First World War. The 1 / 7th Londons were a
Territorial Battalion which formed part of the 47th London Division. Harry was a
sawyer by trade living in Bethnall Green and volunteered for service in May
1915. He kept notes of his wartime experiences until
his being wounded at Messines-Ridgein June-1917 and his eventual discharge.
These were then turned into a continuous narrative illustrated with around 40
water colours. The
work was never intended for publication but was recently found by his family and
sent to Virginia Mayo also a member of Harry's family for publication.
The
water colours are primitive and almost childlike in their composition however
they are full of detail providing snapshots of the events Harry remembered from
his recent experiences. The book itself is an excellent insight into the life of
an infantry soldier on the Western Front.
Shortly
after joining the battalion during the closing phases of the Battle of Loos
Harry volunteered to join the Bombing Platoon (hence the title of the book) and
was frequently used as part of a protective screen to cover working parties in
'no mans land'. Much of the book describes the hardship of routine in the
trenches and the contrasting enjoyment of life in billets outside the front
line. Excellent descriptions are given of the villages behind the lines and the
often strained relationship between the soldiers and those civilians who stayed
on to keep their properties or to provide facilities for the army.
Harry
was involved in four major actions.
The
first was at Arras on 21 May 1916 when the 47th Division was on the receiving
end of a 24 hour assault commencing with a gas and artillery attack and then
followed up by a partially successful German Infantry attack.
Later that year he took part in the Battles of Flers Courcellette on 15th September and the assault on the Butte de Warlencourt on 7th October .At Flers Courcellette Harry witnessed at first hand the progress the army had made since the first day of the Somme. He watches tanks being brought to the front for their first ever battle. Perhaps more importantly he sees artillery being used effectively as part of a well organised all arms battle. He describes the short but furious bombardment of the enemy lines prior to the assault followed by a creeping barrage that worked.
Afterwards
he watches aircraft communicating adjustments to artillery batteries beneath
them a sure sign of things to come. The 1/ 7th Londons took all three lines of
enemy trenches as their objective and more generally the 10 assaulting divisions
moved forward by around 2 miles.
By
contrast Harry's next action on the Somme in October was a disaster. A daylight
attack without any planning or preparation in support of an attack which had
already failed against well prepared positions on the Butte de Warlencourt
resulted in carnage. Lessons may have been learned after the opening days of the
Somme offensive but this battle was a harsh reminder that things could still go
very badly wrong.
Harry's
final battle was at Messines Ridge in June 1917. Again he was witness to a well
prepared and successful attack in this instance following the widespread use on
mines to destroy much of the German defences. Harry was wounded in the shoulder
and evacuated to England for treatment and his discharge.
I
enjoyed much of this book. There is nothing particularly unique about this
narrative that makes it stand out over and above the many other eye witness
accounts of the Great War, however Harry has a keen eye and writes well.I was
however rather disappointed with the lack of overview given by the editor.
Eyewitness accounts are just that and need to be put in the context of the
events taking place. Between 15 September and 7 October 1916 Harry's battalion
suffered over 630 casualties. Harry only describes what he sees himself we know
things are bad but have no concept of the wider picture without guidance from
the editor unfortunately we are not told. The plans used were poorly described
and in some cases misleading showing events unrelated to Harry's narrative.
There is no plan at all of the battle of21 May 1916 nor indeed does the editor
actually tell us the battle took place on that day (Harry rarely uses dates in
the narrative to described events).
It
was an excellent read but could have been so much better with some more detailed
editorial input and the more careful use of plans.
Published by
Brasseys at £20.00 Hardback 223pp
Andrew
Chapman
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