But the
tragedy deepened when it was heard that most of the lines to the east
had been cut, and that the only line remaining open to Dieppe would
probably be destroyed during the next few hours. A great wail of grief
arose from the crowds, and the misery of these people was pitiful.
Among them were groups of soldiers of many regiments. Many of them were
wounded and lay on stretchers on the floor among crying babies and
weary-eyed women. They had been beaten and were done for until the end
of the war. But, alone among the panic-stricken crowd--panic-stricken,
yet not noisy or hysterical, but very quiet and restrained for the most
part--the soldiers were cheerful, and even gay.
Among them were some British troops, and I had a talk with them. They
had been fighting for ten days without cessation, and their story is
typical of the way in which all our troops held themselves.
"We had been fighting night and day," said a Sergeant. "For the whole of
that time the only rest from fighting was when we were marching and
retiring." He spoke of the German Army as an avalanche of armed men.
"You can't mow that down," he said. "We kill them and kill them, and
still they come on. They seem to have an inexhaustible supply of fresh
troops.
Pages:
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217