My Life

My Life - Oswald Mosleyposition on his left; he chose to stand, and the order came to hold our line as it was. Atthis point it appeared highly probable that we would be encircled, and thecommanding officer of our battery ordered me at once to make my way as best I couldback to our unit at Poperinghe. It was useless to add fortuitously a Flying Corpsofficer to the possible loss, and on return to my squadron I could give some accountof what had happened; the barrage by this time had rendered all communication verydifficult.I set out on foot, as no transport was available, and in any case it had no chance ofsurvival under a fire of that intensity. From a small rise in the ground in the first stageof my return journey I looked back to see what was happening. It was anunforgettable spectacle. As dusk descended there appeared to our left the blue-greymasses of the Germans advancing steadily behind their lifting curtain of fire, assteadily as if they had been on the parade ground at Potsdam. At that point it appearedthere was nothing to stop them. Some of these extraordinary troops were alreadylegendary to all on our side who could appreciate such values because theythemselves were members of an outstanding corps d'elite, the British regular army.We had heard the stories of the first battle of Ypres when the Prussian Guard cameout to attack, with the officers in front drawing on their white gloves as if they werewalking towards a routine inspection. One of my fellow-officers—an observer of theRoyal Flying Corps who had been in command of some British guns in that battle—described to me how some of them had exceeded their objective and came within afew hundred yards of his battery without support of any land. A small party of thempassed into a little declivity in the ground where they disappeared from view, but itwas clear they were completely isolated and in a hopeless situation. So he sent over afew men with a white flag to require their surrender. They were found lying down inthe small hollow. The young officer in charge said they could not surrender as thatwas against the principles of the Prussian Guard. They were exhausted, but when theyrecovered they would continue the advance; they were aware they had no chance.After a brief respite, they came out towards the guns, the young officer in front withhis sword at the carry and all of them doing the ceremonial goose-step for the lasttime; they were all killed.It was a performance utterly useless and incomprehensible to the layman, but thepurpose was clear to any practitioner of the science of war; troops of that spirit canand will do things which most troops cannot do, and they did. Capacity to appreciate agreat enemy is one of the characteristics of the true soldier, accounting quite simplyfor the mysterious fraternity of arms which some have regarded as blameworthy. Thisspirit was evinced when the airmen on each side sometimes dropped wreaths tomourn the death of a great opponent held in honour for his courage and chivalry. It isnot to be regarded with suspicion as a sinister emanation of the military mind, butrather welcomed as a spark of hope for Europe, when in some future a transcendentspirit of youth, courage and natural nobility will surmount this period of bitterpassions and dark revenges.It is sad that in recent years it has been left to Russian rather than to Western films toportray the great enemy with truth, as he was; it is also dangerous to the cause whichneglects it, because such art can influence in a high degree the minds and spirits ofmen. The communist state with all its detestation of Western values has often in its53 of 424