1915. fudbalski mec na nicijoj zemlji...

IZBORI: NAJFORUMAŠ I NAJFORUMAŠICA GODINE
AKCIJA: SVI UŽIČANI NA JEDNOM MESTU! Za užičke nekomercijalne organizacije i ustanove besplatno...

[fon Manštajn]

evo po senkinoj zelji, jos malo zanmljive a slabo poznate istorije...


Bertie Felstead

pricu je potvrdio jedan od ucesnika tog dogadja Bertie Felstead, clan Velskih Kraljevski Strelaca  "Royal Welch Fusiliers" ( Berti je poslednji prziveli uesnik tog dogadja, a preminuo je 2001. u 106 godini zivota) ovo je njegovo svedocenje... u zvanicnim dokumentima nikada nije zabelezeno nijedno jedino slovao o ovom dogadjaju...

1915. kada je rat vec usao u svoju rovovsku fazu, na Badnje vece britanski vojnici, na sevrnom delu fonta u francuskoj,  culi su bozicnu pesmu iz nemackih rovova, koji su bila na udaljenosti od oko 100m, odgovorili su im istom merom i zapevali svoje bozicne pesme... sledceg jutra, uz nekoliko prepucavanja i dozivanja sa Nemcima, Berti sa par kolega je izsao iz rova da pozdravi nemce koji su bili takodje u parznicnom raspolozenju, sve je teklo spontano i proglaseno je primirije, a od necega je napravljen fudbal i tako je sve pocelo a trajalo je nekih pola sta. Dogadaj je prekinuo britanski major koji je uralao iz rova i podsecao ih da nisu tu dosli da se druze sa "Hunima" nego da ih ubijaju, nedugo zatim britanska artiljerija je zvanicno prekinula to spontano primirije na Bozic 1915.

"... “It was not a game as such – more of a kick-around and a free-for-all. There could have been 50 on each side for all I know. I played because I really liked football. I don’t know how long it lasted, probably half-an-hour, and no-one was keeping score..."

[shadow]

Uuuuu, ja sam to cuo da je bilo mnogo vece! Da je trajalo cak 7 dana kolko se secam. A secam se jer sam cito to i posle gledo na hisotry kanalu. Znaci ja sam odusevljen ovom pricom. Pocelo je nekako ovako, ali posle su jedni prelazili kod drugih, razmenjivali pica, obroke. Cak su razmenjivali i slemove! I nikom se nije vise ratovalo nego su obe strane skontale da mogu tako da razvlace primirje. Cak je prvi dan primirje bilo zvanicno jer je bilo badnje vece! Znam onda da su neki likovi iz britanije bili cak odvedeni dublje iza nemackih neprijateljskih linija sa nekim oficirima, ono na napijanje i zaebanciju. Cak je ovom jednom reko neki nemac kad su ga vracali "posle nas dolazi smena iz bavarske, rasturite ih kolko god mozete!" I kad su generali videli sta se desava cak su uputili ljude da povrate ratnicki duh u rovove a kad su vojnici to culi, znam da su neki pretrcavali kod suseda samo da pozajme nazad svoj slem da ga imaju na smotri, pa da ga vrate! Kad je bas doslo dotle da moraju da pucaju, onda su pucali tako da promase i jedni i drugi a glavnokomandujuci jednostavno nisu vise znali kako da pokrenu rat ponovo. Onda je jednog dana neki britanac izasao iz svog rova i krenuo ka nemackom sa soljom caja i nesto keksa, zeleci da posluzi svoje "prijatelje" a nemacki snajperisti koji su bili dosta u pozadini i nisu bili u ovom duhu "pomirenja" su ga skinuli bas pred sam dolazak u nemacki rov. To je bio kraj.

[fon Manštajn]

vrlo moguce ali ne verujem da to ima veze sa ovo utakmicom, a malo ipak deluje preterano...

[fon Manštajn]

kada smo vec kod prvog svetskog rata, odvojite vremena i procitajte ova pisma... strasno...



Major Geoff McCrae, commanding 60th Battalion.

Today I lead my battalion in an assault on the German lines and I pray God I may come through alright and bring honour to our name. If not I will at least have laid down my life for you and my country which is the greatest privilege one can ask for.

He was killed at Fromelles, shot through the neck before reaching enemy lines.

Lieutenant Eric Chinner, bombing officer for the 32nd battalion.[/b]

I am not afraid, Of course I am a bit shakey but not very scared. I am writing this to you because you will then know something of what is doing should anything happen. I feel sure God will watch over me and pull me through. Cheerio Anyway.

He was killed in German trenches trying to smother a bomb had dropped whilst wounded.

Lieutenant Jaques d’Alpuget, former Rugby Union International.

We are preparing for something big. The biggest move any Australians have done in France. Long before this letter reaches you you will know the result, which I fell certain will be a credit of Australia, if I happen to be one of the unlucky ones you know I have done my best and lead a straight life right up to the finish.

He was killed two days later.

Lieutenant R.M Berry, 25 Battalion.

All my pals I came over with are gone, but 7 our of 150 remain, it’s simply scientific murder, not war at all. As for seeing Germans it’s all lies, you never get close enough to do that, unless in a charge. I keep smiling, but to tell you it takes some doing. The premonition I had when leaving Sydney that I would never see home again still hangs about me. One would be unnatural to go through uninjured, if I get out of it with a leg and arm off I’ll be perfectly satisfied, so you will understand what it is like. So don’t get married until after the war.

He was killed in action on the 7/2/17 aged 29.

Queensland officer at the Etaples base informed his wife.

Tomorrow morning I leave here to join my Battalion and be in the thick of it. I wouldn’t care a rap for my own sake. I’m not afraid of death because I have always led a good and clean life. It’s you I’m thinking about and if it should not be my good fortune to return the I’m sure you will be consoled. By knowing that my life has been a happy one and that I have at least attempted to do my duty.


He was killed a week after going in to the line.


Dearest Beat and Bill,

Just a line you must be prepared for the worst to happen any day. It is no use trying to hide things. I am in terrible agony. Had I bee brought in at once I had a hope. But now gas gangrene has set in and it is so bad that the doctor could not save it by taking it off as it had gone too far and the only hope is that the salts they have put on may drain the gangrene out otherwise there is no hope. The pain is much worse today so the doctor gave me some morphia, which has eased me a little but still is awful. Tomorrow I shall know the worst as the dressing was to be left on for three days and tomorrow is the third day. It smells rotten. I was hit running out to see the other officer ho was with me but badly wounded. I ran to far as I was in a hurry and he had passed the word down to return, it kept coming down and there was nothing I could do but go up and see what he meant, I got two machine gun bullets in the thigh and other glanced off by my water bottle and another my the periscope I had in my pocket, you will see that they send my things home. It was during the operations around Mouquet Farm, about 20 days I was in the thick of the attack on Pozieres as I had just about done my duty. Even if I get over it I will never go back to the war as the have taken pounds of flesh out of my buttock, my word they look after us well here. I am in the officer’s ward and can get anything I want to eat or drink but I just drink all day changing the drinks as I take a fancy. The stretcher Bearers could not get the wounded out any way than over the top and across the open. They had to carry me four miles with a man waving a Red Cross flag in front and the Germans did not open fire on us. Well dearest I have had a rest, the pain is getting worse and worse. I am very sorry dear, but you will be well provided for I am east on the score. So cheer up dear I could write on a lot but I am nearly unconscious. Give my love to Dear Bill and yourself. Do take care of yourself and him.

Your loving husband

Bert.

A letter from lieutenant H.W Crowle, 10th battalion. He died a few hours later aged 32.

Walking across parts of the ground near Pozieres Windmill is like trying to walk the wax of a honeycomb. There is barely enough room between the huge shell holes for a man to tread. There are three bit of building left in the village. The solitary fragments of a wall. The rest is eaten in to the ground as if someone had poured acid all over the surface of it.

Charles Bean in a letter to his parents, October 1916

[shadow]

Ma to je to sa utakmicom, znam ja.

[fon Manštajn]

danas sam odgledao emisiju o tom primirju koje je spontano sklopljeno i trajalo je nekoliko dana nakon Bozica. Ovaj deo sa utakmicom je samo jedan od niza dogdjaja tokom tog primirja, jer se ono sirilo spontano duz celog zapdnog fronta na delu linija koje su drzali Britanci. Vrhovna komnda je na kraju saznala za to ali nisu imali pravi odgovor, dok visoki engleski oficir je smenjen ubrzo nakon prekida primirja. Inace navodno primirije je zvanicno prekinuto sledceg dan nakon Bozica od strane oficira na terenu, a ne zvanicno nakon pogibije engleskog narednika koji je ubijen hitcem iz nemackog snajpera, dok se vracao iz nemackog rova...