General Heath, Colonel Ryley and a sub called to see me yesterday morning. Heath, still greatly preoccupied with the question of civilian behaviour in an invasion, showed me a proclamation which he was having printed about sniping etc. He also showed me a draft proclamation to coastal population about bombardment. It was clumsy. I offered, with proper diffidence, to re-draft it. He consented. I think that is what he came for. I posted him the new draft last night.Two naval officers Lieut. Hogg and Assistant Paymaster Simmons on motor bikes for tea. Hogg told me a tale of a soldier (cavalry) wounded in a charge, who lay on the field with the spear of a lance sticking in him. Another English soldier came along and was asked to remove the spear. Just as he started to do so he was shot through the brain. Then a group of Gemans came along and began to loot bodies. Without troubling as to the spear, they took the wristwatch off the cavalryman's wrist, but just then a shell burst among them killing or disabling all of them, but leaving the cavalryman untouched. He was ultimately saved. I think Hogg believed this to be a true account. Simmons, I thought, seemed older and wiser. There must be so many of these sorts of stories doing the rounds. I fully expect somebody else to tell me the same thing (with a twist here and there) before too long.
Today I heard firing at sea which seemed to be like a battle, and not like firing practice. The first time I have had this impression since the war began, though we have heard firing scores of times.
No comments:
Post a Comment