Page 33 - The Spirit of Christmas 1940

The Spirit of Christmas 1940

countyside with his fellow soldiers between the basic training. He
had enjoyed the training, finding it a lot of fun but being a keen
footballer from Smethwick in Staffordshire, he was naturally fit
and found the physical training fairly easy.

By the summer of 1915, they were getting impatient to get
across to France and do their bit. Of course, there was a bit of
apprehension but also so much excitement. They were going,
and that was that. But the reality of the trenches very quickly
took hold and morale, although covered by humour of the troops,
started to be affected.

William was one of the eldest members of his platoon even
though he was just 21 himself. Most were barely old enough
to be called adults. 17, 18, 19, just boys. William being in
his twenties was considered the one that the rest could turn to.
Although he would stay a Rifleman, he was respected as if he was
a Non- Commissioned Officer. He was ok with this, it was a good
distraction to be able to help his guys out even if it was just a
comforting chat.

The next year would prove a test for William as the 11th
Battalion went from battle to battle and the lads he came out with
got fewer and fewer. But still, he tried to be the one who could
be relied upon steady the nerves. That was his gift, the calm in
the storm. A gift that would be needed and strongly tested as the
Battle for the Somme raged.

In July 1916, the Battalion was in action on the run up to the
third attack on the Somme. They were situated at a piece of
woodland not far from Longueval called Delville Wood. During
mid-July, the South African forces had taken the wood in a
very costly battle and now held the position. However, there
had been numerous counter-offensives from the German war
machine to retake it. The lush forest of Beech and Hornbeam had
been reduced to a quagmire of mud after the constant artillery
bombardments and the beautiful French copre was no more. The
First World War took no prisoners of nature.

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