6th September 1914 (Sunday)

Magical change amongst troops.  Leave TOURNAN at 5am and travel back for about 8 miles over the road we came.  We had several halts in the forest of CRECY.  The blackberries were very large and ripe here and we had plenty of time to pick them.  A skirmish took place at DAMMARTIN. Halted in a field at 6pm for one and a half hours and then moved on till 9pm. Bivouac on cut cornfield and slept well.  The stars shine brilliantly these last few nights and there is bright moonlight.  A General passing our camp told us the 6h German Army Corps are on the run.  Everybody is much more cheerful being tired of the retirement.  Move off again at 7.45 until 9.30.  Germans buried here.

5th September 1914

Arrive at TOURNAN en BRIE at 9 am, bivouac in large plain. Large numbers of sick and wounded are treated, some return to their regiments, the remainder were sent to the base in the evening.

END OF RETIREMENT

4th September 1914

The Germans are on to us has been the cry since we left Dour in Belgium on Monday 24th August and the troops have been very severely tried in this retiring movement, no doubt, as reported, having a most important bearing on the war, and we have been constantly in touch with the unflinching, unceasing, not-to-be-impeded body of stolid Germans, whom nothing seems to stop, who go on over the thousands of their slain with an invincible purpose, but the question is, Where are we leading them? Perhaps the answer to this will also become history, who can tell! How little we know of what is really going on. What we know is that since our retirement from Dour we are never at rest, but that we must be ready to move off again at a moment's notice and we move our camps at all sorts of hours. Regarding the fighting, the German losses were enormous. We seem, though retiring and leading on the German hosts, to get the best regarding casualties and wounded. The Germans were probably aware of our numbers wounded. It has been remarked that it was a thousand to one against any of us escaping from Dour had the Germans known how small out number, which I understand was in the proportion. of 1 to 40 against us engaged at the battle of Mons and Dour.

6 pm still at Coulommiers in a field. German biplane passed overhead and fired at. Leave COULOMMIERS at 11 pm and march all night until 9 am. Passed through CRECY 1.20 am, and FAVIERES. A considerable part of our route lay through forests. A very dreary, tiring march, we suffered much from want of sleep. The moon shining very brightly through the trees produced a very weird effect. Beautiful and well kept forests, the moon shining very brightly the whole journey.

3rd September 1914

3.9.14  Leave CUISY at 7 am. Very hot day, beautiful country. Pass a point 38 kilometres from Paris. Bridges behind us being blown up. We are apparently passing the east flank of Paris. Biplanes have been seen daily. Crossed the MARNE 11.40 am. Passed ESBLY, ST. GERMAIN, COULOMMIERS. Firing on German aeroplane almost overhead and brought down.

One road we passed over this day was exceptionally beautiful. The ground on either side sloped gently down and as we passed under the thick avenue of trees, fine stretches of wood and dale, golden cornfields and fruitful orchards were passed with the spires of churches and nestling farmhouses. The rise on which the road lay giving a long distance view most enchanting.

The farmers' wagons formed like huge boxes smaller at the bottom than at the top, loaded with hay, grain, straw etc, with a crowd of people sitting on the top and drawn by the glossy coated farm horses, added a fine touch to the scene, alas too soon to be clouded by the inevitable column of Artillery, Cavalry or motor train rushing to pass our column, with the clouds of suffocating dust to blind the eye and parch the throat and with the boom of artillery on the flanks once more to bring one back from this brief picture of peace to the terrible reality of war.

2nd September 1914 

Reveille at 2 am and leave camp about 3.20 am, dead tired and half, asleep during this dreary march, more like a nightmare than actual experience. At 8 am we had a halt at the most pleasant bivouac so far. At what proved to be CUISY, in a large field, square in formation. To the rear an old high stone wall with the heads of fruit trees overtopping, on the right side an old farmhouse stands with a vegetable garden and an old well where we drew water, then on the higher part of this side a fine view over a long stretch of country of cornfields with a winding road over undulating country, at the front a wood and on the left a grand orchard of apples, pears, peachs, greengages etc. The lady of the farm brought us some fruit. The pears were delicious. I had a delightful tub down in the orchard in the warm sunshine and it was inexpressibly refreshing. We had large numbers of sick this day, 60 or 70 new cases, we sent 45 away to base with Capt. Darling in 4 motor lorries.

Extract from Daily Express 24.8.14, "The French nation has taken Tommee to its heart. The Entante Cordiale was the work of Statesmen, but the British soldiers in France have created between the two peoples an intimate and affectionate friendship which will remain long after this generation has passed away, and when this great war is only a memory. France has been amazed by the cool, businesslike courage of our soldiers, by their unemotional persistence in battle, by their good humour when the fight is over. It has learned to admire their cleanliness, their courtesy, their affection for little children and old women."

1st September 1914

CREPY, leave camp at 9 am put into field at 11 am. Watch skirmishers and the gunners ready to move off again at 12.45 pm.

An amusing incident not to the credit of No.13 happened here. A few bullets whizzed high overhead and the men underneath ducked their heads. A move then commenced, but promptly checked, to go under cover of the wagons. Royal Engineers blew up CREPY railway station, a supply train full of supplies and injured biplane. Shell hit German motor car with several officers along road. Fighting along the road and numbers of wounded thought in. Germans captured mail.

31st August 1914

Leave at 8am and have a severe march (one of the worst) in very hot Sun (104 in shade) over steep, long hilly roads, the men being told off to push the wagons up the steeper places. We marched with our coats of most of the way which was a considerable relief. We passed a fine building like a fairy palace with its crowd of turrets and pinnacles nestling in a valleyed wood. Terribly hot again on the march with long weary halts, so did not go far. Arrive at CREPY a fine old town and put up in a meadow at 7 pm. Keep to the Right, along we trudge in the burning heat. 

Keep to the Right, and once more we move a little to our right flank as a tearing, rattling motor despatch rider, the car of a General, Staff or Supply officer snakes by. Keep to the Right, and our wearied minds and bodies again awakened by the sharp incisive cry realise we are still tramping on the steady retirement. Keep to the Right, goes down the endless column with endless insistence. Sometimes the road is blocked by column passing column, but out comes the cry, Why don't you Keep to the Right. A wagon is drawn up here, another, is pulled into the ditch there and once more the stream continues, Keeping to the Right ever to the Right.