Escaping under the barbed wire.

Heroes Remember

Escaping under the barbed wire.

Transcript

We were to go and fix a portion of the front line fence that the shelling had blotted out. Anyway, we usually went in a single file. They issued you a pick and shovel, or whichever. Some got a pick, some got a shovel. And you marched through in single file, as quiet as you can. You were supposed to be… went right through the apron fences in the line. We cut and we went in through the gap, you see, where the gap was to go through. And as soon as we got through the gap, about, well, the last one wasn’t through. He didn’t know what was going on. And Jerry opened up with (German phrase), and he saw all these men walking around me and then he opened up on us with this machine gun. Of course, it’s every man for himself. So I hit towards the fence, you see. Several of the boys stuck with me and I led the way. I went and I said, “Now look, you follow me, I’m going to lay here.” That was right in the front line with the bottom fence about that high. I said, “I’m going to let you all through here, I’m going to wait.” I went up there, I laid on my back - this was in between the machine gun when it stops, you know, and the (German phrase) - and then I said, “Now you get get through.” I think I let about six guys through there before… that was in that group. And so I followed right through and each time I come to that bottom wire, I held it there. I had some experience with wire because I’d been, you know, sort of used to this farm type of thing. So we got within about four or five feet of the trench. I knew we were there because the mound is built up, the firing round in front and I dropped into the trench thinking they’re all coming behind me and they didn’t come. So I crawled back out into “No Man’s Land” again and located this guy. The bullets, two bullets was through his wrist here and he’d been crawling like this, you see, and they went through there. I said, “Well, come on,” and he followed me and I kinda waited with him and got him down in the trench and that’s the last I’d heard of him. I was ok. I had a letter from this guy from Scotland thanking me for helping him out in there and that’s the last I heard of it.

Description

Mr. Savage describes his barbed wire repair crew coming under machine gun attack, and his efforts to get his crew back to the safety of their trench.

Septimus Savage

Septimus Savage was born in East Hartley, England on October 8, 1898. He was the youngest of seven sons. Mr. Savage left school at age fifteen. All of his brothers had enlisted and he felt pressured to do the same. Being too young for active service, he attempted to join his local army canteen committee in 1914, at the age of sixteen. Eventually, he joined the Young Soldiers Battalion in Staffordshire, England. Once old enough, he joined the 10th Yorkshire Battalion, with whom he served in Europe. Mr. Savage fought in the battle at the Somme and was later wounded at Albert. After the war, he immigrated to Canada, first working as a railroad section man and then as a dairy farmer near Edmonton. When the Second World War began, he mobilized with the 19th Alberta Dragoons as a recruit trainer at Camrose, Alberta. He held the highest non-commissioned rank of Regimental Sergeant Major, and later received his Captain’s commission. Mr. Savage married Edith Stanton in England on January 24th, 1920 and had one daughter. At the time of his interview, Mr. Savage was living in Sardis, British Columbia. He died June 17th, 2001.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 2:40
Person Interviewed:: Septimus Savage
War, Conflict or Mission:: First World War
Location/Theatre:: Europe
Battle/Campaign:: Somme
Branch:: Army
Units/Ship:: 10th Yorkshire Regiment
Occupation:: Infantryman

Language selection

Escaping under the barbed wire.

Heroes Remember