1914 (British Ace) by Griff Hosker Read Free Book Online Page A

during the Yeomanry training sessions. I was hungry and it filled a hole.
    Before we stood Sergeant Armstrong tapped out his pipe and said, “Today you ride at the front.  Choose the best three men to be with you.  Leave the lieutenant to me. I want you to assume there is a German behind every bush.  There won’t be but we will be safer that way.”
    “Yes sarge.”
    As reveille sounded we finished our food and we rode back to our tents. “Wakey, wakey rise and shine.  Come on you lovely boys, the sun is cracking the flags!”
    I smiled at the sergeant’s words. Already a thin drizzle was in the air and it felt chilly despite the fact that it was August. The men dragged themselves out of their beds. I had had the luxury of time but they would have to rush to be ready for the patrol. They would have to shave quickly and then wolf down their food.  I rode Caesar over to the stables.  I needed to be there when my troop prepared their horses. It would need to be my eagle eye which spotted what they might forget.
    The bleary eyed troopers did need me.  Between me and the sergeant we made sure that our troop was equipped and ready to ride.
    Lieutenant Ramsden was all polished leather and clean cut cheeks.  His servant, Carson, must have been up all night. “Well done chaps, good turn out.” As he turned to face the same way as us he said quietly, to the sergeant, “I think we’ll have to have a word about their appearance.”
    Sergeant Armstrong turned around.  We had checked that everything was as it should be.  “Why sir, what’s wrong?”
    “Some of them haven’t shaved very well this morning. We have to impress the locals.”
    Sergeant Armstrong rolled his eyes, “Right sir, I’ll have a word with the lads.” He proffered two maps, one to me and one to the lieutenant. “I got these from the headquarters.  I thought the corporal here could scout out the land ahead of us.” I wondered if the lieutenant would argue but Sergeant Armstrong went on, “it will make it easier on us sir.  Besides the major thinks the corporal is good at this sort of thing.”
    “Very well sergeant, but, Corporal Harsker, I want you to report to us the minute you spot anything.”
    “Yes sir.” I turned to the troopers behind me, McGlashan, Brown and Brown, with me.”
    I opened the map as I rode along. The sergeant had shown it to me earlier and I knew where we were going.  He had wanted the lieutenant to think he was in charge! We had decided to head for Ypres.  It was the largest place to the east of us.  It was about twenty seven miles away.  Even if we could not reach it the patrol would give Sergeant Armstrong and myself a better idea of how far we could travel in a day.  We knew that from England but there we knew the roads.  Here, everything was new.
    I put the map away once I had confirmed that we were heading in the right direction.  I turned to the three troopers behind me. “Keep your eyes peeled. We are looking for signs of Germans.”
    The early drizzle had stopped and the skies began to clear from the west. Within an hour we were feeling the effects of the sun. Caesar snorted and neighed.  That was his nose telling him that water was close at hand. I waved the men to the north and we found a stream heading towards the sea. As the horses drank I checked the map. I now knew exactly where we were.
    “Doddy, ride back to the lieutenant and tell him where the stream is.  Their horses will be as tired and thirsty as ours.  Then follow along the road until you catch up with us.”
    He grinned, “Right Corp.”
    I knew why he was happy; like me he enjoyed riding and he enjoyed speed.  He would gallop his horse back. We continued along the road.  This was an easy duty.  The sun was shining, the roads were flat and there were no Germans around. The rest of the day proved as uneventful.  We halted at Poperinge for we could see Ypres in the distance.
    When the rest of the patrol arrived I could see