Many thanks to Ewan Black for providing details of his Grandfathers service with the Royal Marine Brigade in 1914 and beyond: I was asked to post some comments about my Grandfather, Major Charles James Black (Pvt at the beginning of the Great War, Major at the end of the 2nd.) As much as possible I will use his words as he documented for his family and friends. He enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry on Sept 11, 1913. He says “the age given and accepted as 19”. He was actually just shy of 16 (family legend has it he initially gave his proper age and was told he was too young then went back and asked “how old are you now” and he said “19” and was accepted - who knows if this is true, but it makes for a good story at family gatherings) His Reg. No. Was PO17226. (Portsmouth Battalion RMLI) The document I am quoting from is some 30 pages in length and so I will only share a few key aspects. He mentions that they landed “at Ostend on August 26, 1914” but then “re-embarked on the night of August 31 and then to Dunkirk”. It must have been a slow journey, I suspect they went back to England as he later says “disembarked at Dunkirk on September 21, 1914 and by train and bus (London buses whose drivers has been recruited into the Marines as few weeks before) proceeded to Antwerp which was being attached by large German forces.” He then comments on the battalion being asked move to Zwyndrecht to cover the withdrawal of some French detachments. He stayed in and around Antwerp for several weeks. One part of the record always affects me the same way no matter how many times I read it. He says: “Here of the road to Zwyndrecht was a scene not indeed unparalleled in the annals of modern savergery but never surpassed in the pity it inspired. It seemed as if the whole population of Antwerp, women and children, priests and nuns, the sick, the aged and the infirm had fled from their homes, and yet momentarily indifferent to the consequences they must halt ever and again to look back at the burning ruins of their hopes. To the other sorrows of exile was added the threat of an armed and hostile pursuit. Mixed up in the procession of fugitives where men driving cattle, and mules and peasant carts, fleeing in an interminable procession along the same road and each man in his haste impeding the progress of the others.” I was just in Antwerp a week ago an a pilgrimage of sorts with my father , a brother and nephew and drove along this route which is now a motorway into Antwerp and with these words in my mind I could see the scene and tried to comprehend how he, and those he observed, must have felt. His battalion was ordered to retreat to the coast and fighting and defending the retreat to the coast between the 8th and 10th of October 1914. First by train, which was attacked and derailed and then by road to Selzaete. They then re-embarked again from Ostend on the 10th and 11th of October. I will jump forward to the Gallipoli campaign. Despite being a Royal Marine of the Portsmouth Battalion he was also a member of the signal section and was assigned, along with some of his comrades, to the ANZACs and landed with them at ANZAC cove. So he landed at 3:30am on April 25th, 1915 at ANZAC cove. He says “visual signals flag and lamp were the only methods available.” It does not sound as if this was very effective given the distances involved and the constant actions of snipers (apparently using lamps at night made one a target...who would have thought??). He talks a lot of the conditions and bravery of the ANZACs and his fellow Marines. He says “there is no room for doubt that in general great resolution and a high degree of gallantry distinguished the defence of these posts by the Marines during these days when the first V.C. was won by Lance Corporal Parker of the Portsmouth Battalion on the night of April 30/May 1st” I understand from other sources that this is Lance Corporal Walter Richard Parker who was awarded this for his actions as a volunteer stretcher bearer at Gaba Tepe. My Grandfather goes on to say “Portsmouth Battalion lost all its officers except one this was a severe blow to the Marine Brigade as all were experienced regular officers.” My Grandfather was wounded in battle on July 13 and evacuated to a hospital ship, only to return to the front line a month later. I will jump forward a few postings to Passhendaele and Ypres. On our recent trip my father, brother and nephew spent some time with a personal guide who had been given the full detail of my grandfather’s notes and he took us as close as possible with the descriptions provided to the sites he spoke of. Given the modern visage of the fields it was hard to reconcile the current state with that described by him and so many others who fought there. I had heard stories of the Ypres salient and places like Pilkem Ridge on my grandfather’s lap as a young boy. I don’t know if any of you reading this have been to the region, but it is hard to find any “ridge” anywhere. The difference between the high ground and low ground is hardly discernible to the naked eye, but obviously made all the difference to those who fought over them. As a radio operator he was in the forward lines (he was hoping for an H.Q post) and actually set up an observation radio post under a wrecked tank on Pilkem Ridge. He says “we had a spotter, a Scot, a member for Lord Lovats Scouts, and ex ghilley who identified the aircraft for us and we worked out the co-ordinates and sent the information to H.Q.” He also became very good at not just operating the radio, but building and designing them (eventually working for GE/BBC between the wars). He says “the requirement was for a Tank to be fitted with a efficient radio system and I was selected to help develop this.” Apparently it worked quite well. At different times they also built radios into 18 lb shell cases and buried them near the German trenches to pick up conversations in the opposing trenches. I can’t imagine the skill required to build this in the trenches from scrap and then the bravery to go though no-man’s-land to place them where they could do any good. Anyway, I could go on but I have taken up a lot of your time, which I appreciate. He served in several other battles but these are some of the main ones most people would be familiar with. He was eventually demobilised in Feb, 1919. He also served in WWII, but that is a story for another day, however, because of it he moved with his family to Australia (Adelaide and Woomera) where he would march with other Old Contemptibles every ANZAC day until there were virtually none left and the banner under which they marched was retired to Saint Peter’s Cathedral in Adelaide. Obviously I am very proud to be his grandson and appreciate the opportunity to honour his and his comrades’ memory and service.
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 07:54:39 +0000