Introduction - Background to this blog

Contents (click to jump to)

1. Early Years - 1894 - 1911
2. 1912 - Joining Up
3. 1912 - 1914 - Fort George
4. War - Fort George to France - August 4th 1914 to August 22 1914
5. First Action - August 22 1914 to August 29 1914
6. Christmas Truce - November 1914 to New Years Eve 1914
7. 1915 - Mud, Medals and Poison Gas
8. 1916 - Another medal and promotion to Officer
9. 1917 - 2nd Lt Minnery
10. The 2nd A&SH - Remainder of the War
11. WW2 - Tengeru Polish Refugee Camp
12. WW2 - The Family Rarogiewicz
13. Maps - Locations relevant to John Minnery's story
14. Pictures of John and Mary Minnery
15. Links & Contributors

Posts to come.......


1920 - Fighting in Africa
1920-1939 - Captain in KAR and Game Warden
1945-1971 - Farming, Malta, Car Crash

Very young, fresh faced Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders (not sure which Battalion) marching in Scotland

I started researching my family history in 2007 when I turned 40.

My Father's surname is Carroll and my Mother's surname is Minnery.  Overall I made good progress in both lines of the family, getting back as far as 1769 on my maternal line and 1840 on the paternal line.  The surname Carroll is not as rare as the name Minnery.  Tracing the Minnery line has proven easier due to that simple fact.

For the most part I managed to find only the basic facts for each ancestor.  Date and location of birth, parental details, marriage details death details are about as much as I got to know about deceased relatives.  There is one exception to this and it is John Minnery.  John was my Grandfather William's brother and I was vaguely aware of John's existence whilst growing up.  Mentions of a relative that lived in Africa, some black-and-white photographs.... and not much more.

I first saw John's name when compiling the list of the children of John and Mary Minnery, my Great Grandparents.  John, born in 1894, was one of ten children born to my Great Grandparents. When I later looked the family up in the 1901 Scottish Census I could not find John with the family. My Great Grandparents had already seen one of their ten children die (Elizabeth, 3 days old). I assumed they, sadly, had lost another and that John has died prior to the 1901 Census.  I looked for his death certificate but could not locate it.  By accident, some three months later, whilst looking at the 1901 Census entries for my Great Great Grandfather (the Gaffneys in Barrhead, Mary's parents) I found the 6 year old John Minnery's name beside theirs.  He had most likely been visiting his Grandparents on the day of the Census.  I can still recall the feeling of happiness I had that he had not died after all.

More snippets of genealogical information regarding John only served to further whet my appetite.  Especially facts about his involvement in World War One.  Over the last few years I've enjoyed putting his jigsaw together.  It may be the case that another relative has compiled a much more comprehensive and accurate story about John.  However, I have become addicted to the "game" of researching John.  It has become a fabulous vehicle for learning more and more about one of my favourite historical subjects, World War One.  An added bonus has been acquiring knowledge about a relative who played a proud and brave part in a time where many equally brave individuals viewed duty (whether to their country, their comrades or their community) as a key part of their being.

John's fortunes are inextricably linked with two regiments and two theatres of war : The 2nd Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders on the Western Front in World War One and with the 6th Battalion Kings African Rifles (Tanganyika) in Tanganyika and Somalia.  

He joined the army in 1912 aged 17 (though the army thought he was 18 the minimum age at that time).  

Landing in France in 1914, seven days after war was declared on August 4th, he experienced his first action at the battle of Le Cateau, France where he was wounded badly enough to be shipped home to Blightly for two months.  


On his return to France he remained in the ranks winning the DCM in 1915.  He was then posted to the Officer Cadet Training School in France in 1916 passing out as a 2nd Lieutenant before his promotion to Lieutenant, then a Captain, before becoming a Colonel by the end of his military career.   Following his promotion to an officer, he continued his battle experience on the Western Front and in 1916 won the Military Medal.

I have spent many hours reading the War Diary of the 2nd Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders.  This is a handwritten journal kept by the commanding officer of the Battalion from August 5th 1914 through until the end of the war.  Every day of that conflict has an entry recalling the activities of John's Battalion.  From receiving their Orders to "Mobilize". through arriving in France, their first actions against the Germans, the details of life in trenches, what went on during periods behind the lines, the Christmas Truce 1914, the first use of gas in 1915, endless casualties and deaths and, finally, the armistice the War Diary makes for fascinating, sorrowful and exciting reading.

The War Diary of the 2nd A&SH records John Minnery's name in a couple of places, but more importantly it allows a picture to be painted of what he and his regimental "brothers" were going through, good and bad.

Wounded a further two times in World War One, John transferred to the Kings African Rifles in 1917.  General Hoskins ordered an expansion of the forces in East Africa and one of the Officers transferred there to create new Battalions was John Minnery.   In Africa he was awarded the Military Cross during the 1920 Campaign in British Somaliland (now Somalia) against the Dervishes led by Mohammed Abdullah Hassan, the "Mad Mullah" (though he was neither a Mullah nor mad).  The brave deeds that saw him awarded the MC are recorded in the regimental history and I will detail them in the blog.

During World War Two, recalled to active service, he was the Camp Commandant of Tengeru Polish Refugees Camp.  

In his almost 50 years in Africa he was listed as a Game Warden, a Snake & Reptile collector, a Farmer and as working for the Colonial Office.

During the Mau Mau troubles of 1960's Kenya John appears again.

I have woven John's World War One service into the events recorded in the 2nd A&SH War Diary. The mud, fighting, casualties, hardships, bravery, towns, battles the battalion fought were witnessed and participated in by John (unless he was recovering from wounds). 

In addition, newspaper articles about his military service have been used to flesh out his story - they are included in the posts where appropriate.

If there are inaccuracies in the story they are accidental.  I have been careful not to allow poetic licence to creep into the story.  Where John's presence can be confirmed I have confirmed it.  Elsewhere, I have explained what the Battalion were doing and I leave it up to you to imagine John being involved.  In addition I have added useful related snippets of information that help explain the environment John and thousands of other brave young men found themselves in.

I hope you enjoy the postings.  Comments are welcome - as are any corrections you would like to offer.

John's Military History - Summary

John's Military Service Records - original and my transcribed version

If you have any further pictures of or facts about John I would love to hear from you.  Email me at gerrypcarroll@gmail.com 

Cheers

Gerry

1894 to 1911 - Early Years

Birth and Family

Registration of John's birth in 1894

John Minnery was born on December 20^th 1894 at 4.10am at 14 Cloth Street in Barrhead.   He was the sixth child of John and Mary Minnery (nee Gaffney).  His siblings at the time of his birth were Jessie (aged 8), Robert (aged 6), Annie (aged 5), Mary (4) and Winifred (aged 1).  

In the years after John four further children were born to John and Mary.  Margaret was born  in 1897.  Elizabeth followed a year later in 1898 but, tragically, she died 2 days after being born. Another daughter was born in 1900 and she was baptised as Elizabeth in memory of her late sister.  A tenth child, their third son, William was born in 1901.  William is my maternal Grandfather.

The 1901 Census - Where is John?

In official records John doesn’t appear again until the census of 1901.  During that census John is not found at home with his parents but across the town with his maternal Grandparents, the Gaffneys.

Census taken at John's house in 1901 - but John is not present

..because he is visiting his maternal Grandparents

The 1911 Census

The subsequent census in 1911 shows the entire family together at 16 Cloth Street Barrhead. 

1911 Census - John & Mary Minnery's Family.

With the family now being 10 years older since the last Census it is interesting to see what jobs they are occupied in.   The children's father,John, aged 49, is a Printfield Labourer.  Their mother, Mary, aged 48, is listed as a "Wife".  Jessie, now 24 years old, is a School Teacher in a "Roman Catholic School". Robert, aged 22, is a Barman in a "Wine Merchants".  Mary, aged 20, is a Cloth Folder in "Calico Printing",   Now aged 19 Annie is a Yarn Beam Linker in a Yarn Bleaching works. As a 17 year old Winifred is Laundry Worker in a family Laundry.  John, 16, is working at the same job as his father as a Printfield Labourer at a Calico Printing works.  The 14 year old Margaret is, like her sister Annie, a Yarn Beam Linker in a Yarn Bleaching works.  Elizabeth, 11, and William, 8, are both still at school.   On the day of the Census the Minnerys have a visitor - an Annie Brown, aged 48.

The family are mostly employed in mill related jobs.  There were two mills in Barrhead, the Levern Mill and the Dovecothall Mill.  Above is a picture of the Levern Mill in Barrhead.  The Levern Mill provided employment for up to 1,000 people. The two mills acted as the catalyst for a boom in Barrhead's population, drawing people as far as Inverness and Ireland to work in burgeoning textile industry.  However in the early days, much of the workforce was made up of children that had been recruited from the local poorhouses. In the early nineteenth century laws were passed to protect child workers and it was decided that children had to attend school part time. The mill owners set aside a building in the complex for the teaching of the 'half timers' and the first mill school in Barrhead was born.  'Half Timers' would typically work from 6am until 2pm and then attend school in the afternoon!

Eventually the mill would close after World War Two where it would be used for storage for some years before becoming a ruin.

1912 - Joining Up

On January 29th, 1912 John joined the Territorial Army, namely the 6th Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders - The Renfrewshire Battalion.  He signed on for 4 years committing to a maximum of 15 days training per year.  The paperwork shows John's age clearly as 17yrs and 1 month (line 4. in the paperwork below)

However, just 25 days later John was discharged from the Territorials. And on his paperwork, the reason given is "Discharged in consequence of Joining Regular Army"

John had applied to joint the 2nd Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders :

It is worth noting in line 13 of his paperwork that John has recorded the fact that he applied to the R.A.M.C. but had been rejected as "not suitable". 

Of more importance though, note that in only 25 days John had aged one full calendar year and is now listed as 18yrs and 2 months.  

The famous 2^nd Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders (the “Thin Red Line” of Balaclava) was his chosen Regiment.  At that time the regiment had two Regular Battalions (1st and 2nd), two Militia Battalions (3rd and 4th) and five Territorial Battalions (5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th each of which split into 1st, 2nd and 3rd-line battalions).

Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders Recruitment Card

2nd Battalion A&SH battle honours

He was allocated a Regimental Number of 905. Prior to 1920 each Regiment allocated their own service numbers – it was therefore possible for two soldiers in different regiments to have identical service numbers. ( Unique service numbers across the British Army did not come in until mid 1920).  In 1908 the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders “reset” their numbering system and regimental history shows the allocation of numbers from then until the outbreak of World War One as follows:

Regimental Number	Date that Regimental Number is allocated
2	16-Jun-1908
254	15-Feb-1909
613	30-Aug-1910
826	28-Sep-1911
962	08-May-1912
1116	02-Jan-1913
1311	08-Jan-1914
1727	12-Aug-1914

John, on February 19th 1912 was now a Private in the 2nd Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders aged 17yrs and 2 months old.

You have to admire his enthusiasm and drive to join up.  

John Minnery circa 1914 (perhaps earlier) 2nd A&SH

The 2nd ASH were, at this point based in Maryhill Barracks. 

1912 to 1914 - Fort George

Fort George from the north.

On April 24th 1912 the 2nd Battalion Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders arrived at their new barracks in Fort George some 8 miles to the east of Inverness.    Fort George was built between 1748 and 1757 in the years following on from the Third Jacobite Uprising of 1745.   It became a base for Highland Regiments and, to this day, it is a functioning Barracks and it is possible to visit as it is also a historic building under the management of Historic Scotland.

Fort George Parade grounds

The Battalion would spend the next two years at Fort George up until the start of World War One.

As an aside, the Bandmaster of the 2nd Battalion A&SH was Kenneth J Alford.  Just before the start of World War One he wrote the famous "Colonel Bogey March" at Fort George (if you dont recognise it then recall the "Bridge On The River Kwai" and listen to the Colonel Bogey March.  According to his widow it was composed whilst playing a round of golf at Fortrose Golf Course (officers were granted membership of Fortrose Golf Course and had to cross the short channel of water by boat).   

During this time John progressed through the ranks from Private, to Lance Corporal and ultimately Corporal. 

In 1913 John took 3rd place in the Scottish Army Rifle Meeting in the "Young Soldiers" section of the "Judging Distance Competition" where "four objects indicated at distances up to 1600yards". He obviously has an aptitude for marksmanship which was probably fundamental to why he was, in 1917, to spend time in Snipers School in France.

War - Fort George to Boulogne to battle - August 4th 1914 to August 22 1914

Read all about it...

On August 4th 1914 Britain declared war on Germany in response to that country's violation of Belgian neutrality which Britain had guaranteed.

On August 5th the 2nd Battalion A&SH received Mobilization Orders.  It was the responsibility of the Commanding Officer to maintain an official regimental War Diary from the declaration of war until the end of war. The 2nd A&SH War Diary starts simply with an entry on August 5th 1914.  It says "5.30pm Received the Order 'MOBILIZE'".  From now until the end of the war a daily log of actions and activities would be kept in this diary.  This diary has proven to be invaluable in locating the 2nd A&SH throughout the war.  Corporal John Minnery's name appears now and again and I will include those entries throughout this blog. 

2nd A&SH War Diary - first entries

It's interesting to note on the 6th August that the Battalion take charge of 91 Prisoners of War from a fishing fleet sunk in the North Sea.  The prisoners are confined to the moat during the day then the Fort's casements at night.

Captain Henry Hyslop of the 2nd  A&SH recorded in his diary the arrival of reservists...

At 2.30pm on the 7th August the Battalion receives Orders to "embark Expeditionary Force, taking 9th August as 1st day of Movement".

On the 8th at 1pm they are given orders to move the Battalion to Southampton on the following day.

Four parties proceeded to Fort George train station on Sunday the 9th August in half hour intervals starting at 6.10pm.   

Their trains departed heading for Southampton Docks where they would embark for France and War.

Fort George to Southampton..to Boulogne, France

The trains headed south via Inverness and then through Perth.  Captain Henry Hyslop of B Company, in his diary recorded the following:

Early in 1915 John mentions that he is in "A" Company.   "A" company departed at 6.40pm and the following afternoon embarked on the SS Seahound from Southampton heading to the french port of Boulogne.

Arriving in France

The following day the boats arrived at Boulogne

The Battalion were billeted in old local barracks. For the next two weeks the soldiers were assisting with the unloading and loading of materials.

Of Britain's 120,000 Regular and Reservists available, some 80,000 had headed to France as the British Expeditionary Force.

On the 22nd August the Battalion headed off by train to Valenciennes.  The A&SH were attached to the 19^th Infantry Brigade of the BEF.  This Brigade  also consisted of the Royal Welch Fusiliers (the poet and author Robert Graves' regiment), 1^st Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) and the 1^st Middlesex.   At that point the Germans were sweeping through Belgium with a vastly superior force - the German Army in its entirety numbered 2 million men.   

The British forces were now heading north to the first large scale battles of World War One, Mons and then Le Cateau.  And the 2nd A&SH were to be heavily involved in the action at Le Cateau.

First Action - August 22 1914 to August 29 1914

German troops marching through Belgium 1914

As the 2nd A&SH headed to Valenciennes by train the Allies were fighting the Germans in and around the town of Mons in Belgium.  On the 24th the British were in full retreat from Mons heading south west back towards France.  On the same day the 2nd A&SH were fighting skirmishes with German infantry in the St Homme area to the north east of Valenciennes. At 12.30pm on the 25th August John's Battalion marched south-east to Haussy, approx 40 miles from Valenciennes.  They were fed a hot meal and at 2pm they headed off to Solesmes and finally on to Le Cateau.  The initial plan of the British had been to retreat further into France, but with their men increasingly exhausted General Smith-Dorrien recognised that this could become a bloodbath unless the men stood their ground and delivered a stopping blow to the Germans.  On the evening of the 25th August General Smith-Dorrien ordered the BEF halt and face the advancing Germans.  On the following day all hell was to break loose as the mass of the German Army descended upon Le Cateau.

Wednesday August 26th, 1914

The battle of Le Cateau, 26th August 1914.  
The 2nd A&SH are on the extreme right flank of the formation

A more detailed map of the battle - 2nd A&SH's position marked in yellow

At 4am on the morning on 26^th the soldiers of the  19^th Brigade were issued with Tea and Bully Beef and a “meagre breakfast cooked”.   The 2^nd A&SH were given the honour of being at the head of the Brigade as they marched into the town square of Le Cateau.  “A” Company were detached from the formation and ordered to fix bayonets as there were reports that German Cavalry (Uhlans) had breached the perimeter of the town.   The entire brigade vacated the town at 5.30am in the direction of Estrees arriving there around 615am.  At 9am that morning the A&SH were witnessing a heavy artillery dual between the Birtish and German gunners and at 11am they were ordered to take the position shown in the above map, just south of the Cambrais to Le Cateau main road.   By 12pm they were under artillery fire and rifle fire.  The War Diary notes that "B" Company were suffering from enfillade and reverse rifle fire meaning, as the diagram shows, the Germans had not only taken their right flank but were also gaining territory behind behind them.  Unlike later in the First World War where the soldiers fought from the trenches, this battle saw the soldiers in open fields, albeit they may have created slit trenches to afford some cover. 

I have included here a clip from You Tube of Dan Snow explaining the Battle Of Le Cateau far better than I ever possibly could.

John Minnery records that they were told they would be relieved by noon of that day.  However, by 3.30 no relief had arrived and they were forced to retreat.  It was whilst retreating that John was wounded.  He later told his story to a Glasgow Herald reporter whilst recovering at home in Barrhead.

John's story as told to the Glasgow Herald

As the story relates, John finally made it back to a "place of safety". From there he was shipped off to Netley Miltary Hospital near Southampton, England.  His presence there is confirmed in this newspaper article detailing all the A&SH casualties arriving there August 29th

John is listed (bottom right) at Royal Victoria Hospital, Netley on August 29th,
three days after  being wounded at the battle of Le Cateau 

As the Glasgow Herald reporter records, John was then shipped back to Barrhead to recuperate with his family.  

Royal Victoria Military Hospital, Netley

Official records give the casualties from the Battle of Le Cateau as 7892 killed, wounded or captured.  In recent years this has been contested to have been lower at 5000.   Whilst technically the Germans can be viewed to have "won" this battle it is widely recognised that the British Regiments involved managed to slow the German's down enough to allow a disciplined retreat to take place. In addition the Germans realised that the British Expeditionary Force were not the weak force they had assumed - they were now in no doubt that the BEF were well trained, disciplined professionals with excellent knowledge of battlefield tactics.  

Men of the Yorkshire Light Infantry Fighting at Le Cateau

The battlefield of Le Cateau now

Christmas Truce - November 1914 to New Years Eve 1914

The exact date John Minnery returned from his convalescence in Barrhead is unclear  but it was some time in November (according to an article in the Barrhead News in 1915).  What is clear is that he was definitely back with his friends and "brothers" in the 2nd A&SH by Christmas Eve, 1914. And when he returned to the Battalion he was promoted from Corporal to Sergeant.  Records exist showing John taking part in the 1914 Christmas Truce - in this post I will describe the period running up to that event and the life the 2nd A&SH were experiencing in and around the trenches.   

Trench Warfare for the 2nd A&SH

The Western Front (thick black line). Houplines (to the east of Armentieres)

By the end of November 1914 the combatants were at a standstill, the Allies and the Germans facing each other from their respective trenches across "No Man's Land".  The 2nd A&SH began moving into the trenches at the little French town of Houplines (some 3km to the east of Armentiere) at 5.30pm on the evening of November 17th, 1914. Two hours later the Battalion were fully in position.

Men of the 1st Battalion Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in Houplines trenches, December 1914

Soldiers in trenches at Houplines - I cant confirm which regiment, but they are kilted and wearing Glengarrys

Soldiers in Houplines cleaning their gumboots

According to the War Diary the Battalion were in the Pont Ballot section of the Houplines trenches.  Pont Ballot is in fact a small country lane 400 metres to the east of the town of Houplines.   To understand the topography better I have included the modern map of the Pont Ballot area of Houplines alongside the Trench Map of the Pont Ballot area.   The area has changed little since - compare the roads marked in the trench map against the current map.

Pont Ballot, as it is today, looking towards where the German lines would have been

Modern Map of Pont Ballot, Houplines

Trench Map of Pont Ballot, Houplines. British trenches in blue, German in red

Over the late November and into December period, the war diary records the men digging further trenches around Pont Ballot and coming under both sniper fire and shellfire.  The weather had turned colder with snow showers and hard frosts.   Any remaining farms around the trenches were deliberately being targeted by each side's artillery to prevent them from being used as cover for snipers. Surprisingly, civilians were still living in the nearby area. The diary records the death of eight civilians in a house shelled by German Artillery.  

Two Australian soldiers of the 3rd Division viewing a
shell-wrecked home in the village of Houplines

To give the men some respite only three of the four companies of the 2nd A&SH would be in the trenches at any given time, the fourth remaining Company were left back in the billets behind the trenches to allow them a two day break. 

At Billets in Armentieres

At 9pm on December, 11th the whole Battalion was relieved by another regiment.  The 2nd A&SH marched off to Armentieres to be billeted.   Ironically, the billets were in the Armentieres Asylum. 

Armentieres Asylum Main Entrance- other buildings made up the asylum complex

On the morning of the 12th men were sent to Erquinghem, a village some 3km to the southeast of Armentieres to baths.  The baths here were run by the army to give the soldiers a long-needed wash as well as launder their clothes.  In Denis Winter's book "Death's Men: Soldiers Of The Great War" describes how a typical military bath house processed 1000 men daily 

"In a typical bath house the men would soak in a combination of bleaching vats and half beer barrels. Parties of fifty would be marched in in alphabetical order. They would leave outside their underclothes to be soaked for four hours in creosol, and their uniforms wrapped in their identity discs and handled by nubile young refugee girls from Belgium...A cold hosepipe would serve the dual purpose of driving out the men and washing off the suds ready for the fresh uniforms, theoretically deloused." [p. 146]

For the next few days the men paraded and relaxed.

What did Armentieres have to offer soldiers between those periods on the front line?   The Darwin Times in 1920 published the letters of a local soldier, "Digger", and his memories of Armentieres :

"Armentieres was a pretty old town.   There was a fine and very old Tower on the Town Hall, and in the early days of 1914 it was hit, the clock registering the hit by stopping at half past eleven, and so the square in which it stood, called by the inhabitants "Le Grand Place," became known to the soldiers as Half-past Eleven Square. There were many fine old buildings, the massive Gothic Tower of Notre Dame Church, the top of which had  been knocked off by a shell, and many other steeples of churches and chapels....There were still some good shops in Armentieres in those days. At the Lady from Lillee's shop in the Rue Nationale, could be purchased lace and hand-sewn linen, beautiful picture post- cards, while at the Expeditionary Force Canteen all kinds of luxuries could be obtained, at low rates, from a packet of Woodbines to a case of good   whiskey. It was, however, difficult for a mere digger to get the whiskey. An officers signature (it was only meant for them) had to be obtained on a proper form. However this was over- come by finding a friendly officer or doing a little harmless forgery, and then picking out a guileless looking Digger to represent a batman to present it with 60 francs (about £2 5s), which purchased a dozen bottles of the best. There were shops well-stocked with all officer's clothing—Foxes' puttees, beautiful brown boots, gorgeous shaped breeches and swagger looking officer's caps, khaki shirts and ties, etc., all at very high prices, but the Digger wanted some of these things to wear on "leave" and he often bought, tho' it soon became known that the best place to buy tailor made uniforms, etc., was in London. All these shops and estaminets were within about 3 miles of the line.  Looking back on those long years (they seemed long then) there are pleasant memories—the good comrades one knew, the Estaminets with their Madamoiselles and Bock beer and vin blanc. Memories of glorious feeds on "eggs and chips," which, if it were still near pay day, might mean as many as six eggs each, more especially if it was after a sparsely fed time in the trenches. After the feed perhaps some beer in a secluded farm- house or other haunt where nice com- pany might be found, or a game of two-up or a gamble on the Crown and Anchor board. Some of the merry nights in the estaminets of Armentieres will be hard to forget and so will be some of the madamoiselles. There were good singers amongst the diggers and when the wine got going some rollicking chorus would break out, perhaps one of Aussie's own make up, and the noise from the trenches would be drowned and we were as happy as ever we could be, before or after. Who has not heard of "Madamoiselle from Armentieres." It was a favorite refrain and had many editions and variations. Two girls were at different times pointed out to me as the original Madamoisielle about which the song was composed, but I was never satisfied as to which, if either, was the original."

At 6pm on the 14th December bales of presents from HM Queen Alexandria arrived for the men - the festive season had arrived.  Noone, however, had told the German Artillery it was the season of goodwill. On the evening of the 14th December, at 9pm, the men in billets found themselves under fire again.  Overnight 700 shells were recorded in the diary as having gone over or landed on the Asylum...the officer completing the diary noted that half the shells failed to burst.  By good fortune not one casualty was recorded.

Part of Armentieres Asylum by the end of the War

I like the image of the rank and file in Armentieres Estaminets singing "Madamoiselle From Armentieres".  Listen to a version of the song recorded in 1915 by clicking here  Or watch a scene from "Oh What A Lovely War!" by clicking here

Mademoiselle from Armentieres

Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Mademoiselle from Armentieres,
She hasn't been kissed in forty years,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.

Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
She had the form like the back of a hack,
When she cried the tears ran down her back,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.

Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
She never could hold the love of man
'Cause she took her baths in a talcum can,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.

Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
She had four chins, her knees would knock,
And her face would stop a cuckoo clock,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.

Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
She could beg a franc, a drink, a meal,
But it wasn't because of sex appeal,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.

Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
She could guzzle a barrel of sour wine,
And eat a hog without peeling the rind,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.

The MPS think they won the war, Parley-voo.
The MPS think they won the war, Parley-voo.
The MPS think they won the war,
Standing guard at the café door,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.

The officers get the pie and cake, Parley-voo.
The officers get the pie and cake, Parley-voo.
The officers get the pie and cake,
And all we get is the bellyache,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.

The sergeant ought to take a bath, Parley-voo.
The sergeant ought to take a bath, Parley-voo.
If he changes his underwear
The frogs will give him the Croix-de-Guerre,
Hinky-dinky, parley-voo.

You might forget the gas and shells, Parley-voo.
You might forget the gas and shells, Parley-voo.
You might forget the groans and yells
But you'll never forget the mademoiselles,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.

Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Just blow your nose, and dry your tears,
We'll all be back in a few short years,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.

Going back to the Front for Christmas

At 8am on December 19th orders were received to return to the trenches and relieve the 1st Middlesex Regiment.

The following day, December 20th, at 4.15 pm the Battalion were on the march back to the trenches at Houplines arriving there at 5pm.   The Battalion had orders now for "increased activity" and at 8am on 21st December the men started sniping at the Germans.  

On the 24th the men worked on a communication trench and hosted a visit from Brigadier General Walter Congreve to the trenches.

Captain John Aidan Liddell of the 2nd A&SH kept a diary for 1914-15 and recorded that on the evening of December 24th they could hear the Germans having a concert.  He recorded that "Sgt Minnery went out in response to an invitation from the German lines and had a chat with a soldier who knew Glasgow well.  Beautiful night".

A separate account comes from Dr Frederick George Chandler. Chandler was a doctor with the RAMC but on Christmas Eve he was attached to the 2nd A&SH as Acting Medical Officer.  Whilst in the trenches at Houplines,  Chandler, in a letter home to his sister Alethea on December 25 1914, wrote :

"Last night was Christmas Eve. It was a bright starry moonlit night and it froze hard. Opposite our trenches was perfect quiet and soon we began to hear the shouts of our men to the Germans and their replies. Then various musical instruments began, and song and ribald mirth. One of our sergeants got out of the trench and met one of the Germans halfway. He lived in Scotland and spoke English with a Scotch accent! They shook hands and exchanged hats, the German declaring they had no wish to be fighting the English."

Whilst Dr Chandler does not explicitly name John Minnery it is perhaps too much of a coincidence that two Sergeants of the A&SH in the trenches at Houplines went out into no-mans land after hearing music from the Germans and conversed with a German soldier who knew Glasgow well.

The last witness to this is, of course, Sgt John Minnery himself.  Not long after Christmas Truce, John sent home a letter and a box to friends in Barrhead.  Prior to the Truce mail home was uncensored - numerous accounts of the Truce made it back to Britain. John's story of his part in the Christmas Truce was told in the local newspaper, The Barrhead News, on 15th Jan 1915  

"In a letter to his friends in Barrhead Serg. Minnery of the 2nd Argyll and Sutherland highlanders, gives an interesting account of the unofficial truce fixed up between Soldiers and the Germans on Christmas day. 'On Christmas Eve' he says 'the Germans were shouting and singing in their trenches, which were only about 50 Yards or 60 yards from ours, Our Chaps sung and shouted back to them, and about midnight one of the Germans called out “Will one of yours come and meet me?” “Yes” we replied, “If there is no shooting.”There is to be no shooting” he answered, and I went out to meet him after our sentries got orders not to fire. We kept shouting to one another in the dark, till we got close together and then I got a scare when I saw that there was two of them. I asked if it was all right. “On my word of honour it is all right,” One of them said, and then we shook hands and he wished me “a merry Christmas” in good English. The other said something in German, which I understood to be a Christmas greeting. The one who spoke English said he had been in Glasgow for two years, and knew Barrhead. We chatted for about 15 minutes and he exchanged his cap for my woollen helmet. The other gave me a box of chocolate and I gave them both my photo. At which they seemed very pleased, and he said it was a great pity we had to fight each other. Next day the Germans exposed them self over their trench and some of ours did the same, and then it was a rush to meet each other between the trenches. There was no firing that day, and we arranged a football match for the following day, but that night orders came from headquarters to “Resume the war at once” so that finished the truce'. 
Along with this letter Sergeant Minnery sends a box containing a number of interesting war souvenirs including the cap given to him by one of the Germans and the box of Chocolate by the other. This latter had evidently just been received by the German Soldier form friends at home for it was still in a pasteboard box with post-marks, and with the names (Enna Schneider) and particulars of his company and brigade."

There is a lovely scene in the 2006 film "Joyeux Noel" that shows the Royal Scots Fusiliers in trenches on Christmas Eve singing "I'm Dreaming Of Home" that, perhaps,  captures the spirit of the moment. Click here to watch

Christmas Day

On Christmas Day 1914 the war diary records
"Very quiet day. Germans came out of their trenches unarmed in afternoon and were seen to belong to the 133rd and 134th Regiments. The position was reconnoitered by Lieut ANDERSON.  The Germans asked for leave to bury 10 dead.  This was granted"

The German 133rd and 134th Regiments were the 9th and 10th Royal Saxon Regiments respectively.  Their Germans also recorded the fraternisation that occurred on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. 

Saxon Infantry Regiment Nr 134 in front of Frelinghien on Christmas Eve 1914. Frelinghien is 3km north from Pont Ballot, Houplines

British Troops in line, Houplines, Christmas 1914

This extract is from a letter written by Leutnant Johannes Niemann of the 133rd Royal Saxon Regiment who were positioned from Houplines to Frelinghien.  Whilst this is a section slightly north of the 2nd A&SH's position at Houplines it describes in detail what was going on all along the line in this section of the Western Front.
He says:
"We came up to take over the trenches on the front between Frelinghien and Houplines, where our Regiment and the Scottish Seaforth Highlanders were face to face.  It was a cold, starry night and the Scots were a hundred or so metres in front of us in their trenches where, as we discovered, like us they were up to their knees in mud. My Company Commander and I, savouring the unaccustomed calm, sat with our orderlies round a Christmas tree we had put up in our dugout.

Suddenly, for no apparent reason, our enemies began to fire on our lines.  Our soldiers had hung little Christmas trees covered with candles above the trenches and our enemies, seeing the lights, thought we were about to launch a surprise attack.  But, by midnight it was calm once more.

Next morning the mist was slow to clear and suddenly my orderly threw himself into my dugout to say that both the German and Scottish soldiers had come out of their trenches and were fraternising along the front. I grabbed my binoculars and looking cautiously over the parapet saw the incredible sight of our soldiers exchanging cigarettes, schnapps and chocolate with the enemy.  Later a Scottish soldier appeared with a football which seemed to come from nowhere and a few minutes later a real football match got underway.  The Scots marked their goal mouth with their strange caps and we did the same with ours.  It was far from easy to play on the frozen ground, but we continued, keeping rigorously to the rules, despite the fact that it only lasted an hour and that we had no referee.  A great many of the passes went wide, but all the amateur footballers, although they must have been very tired, played with huge enthusiasm. 

Us Germans really roared when a gust of wind revealed that the Scots wore no drawers under their kilts - and hooted and whistled every time they caught an impudent glimpse of one posterior belonging to  one of "yesterday's enemies." But after an hour's play, when our Commanding Officer heard about it, he sent an order that we must put a stop to it. A little later we drifted back to our trenches and the fraternisation ended.


The game finished with a score of three goals to two in favour of Fritz against Tommy."

Various pictures of British and German troops together on Christmas Day 1914

Back to Billets
On December 26th the Battalion returned to their Armentieres billets at 8.35pm. For the next three days they exercised by carrying out route marches.  

On New Year's Eve 1914 a hand grenade throwing class was given to the men.  By way of a contrast, at 5.30pm that evening a concert for the troops was held in the gymnasium.  

New Year's Day 1915 was celebrated in billets with the men "given new year's dinners from gifts sent out by various friends of the regiment".   At 5pm that evening orders were received that the Battalion were to relieve the Kings Shropshire Light Infantry.  This time the trenches were not in Houplines but Bois Grenier.  A New Year, a new trench.