Vandaag precies een eeuw geleden barstte de Derde Slag bij Ieper los. Een slachtpartij zonder weerga als gevolg van barslechte weersomstandigheden, cruciale strategische inschattingsfouten en halstarrig volharden in de boosheid. Op mijn blog zal ik de volgende dagen en weken geregeld terugkomen op deze gebeurtenissen. Vandaag begin ik alvast met drie citaten van Britten die op 31 augustus '17 van de partij waren geweest:

'I should think the guns could have been easily heard in Engeland. The noise on the Somme was terrific, but the noise during today and all trough last night was still more stupendous. Ik should like some of the munitions workers to come over and see the results of their efforts at home. I have just been thinking of the millions of people who have been working day and night for months for a victory like this.' (Captain Arthur Gibbs, 1e Bn. Welsh Guards)

' A flooded Amazon of steel flowed roaring, immensely fast over our heads and the machine gun bullets made a pattern of sharper purpose and maniac language against tha diluvian rush. Flaring lights, small cones, great ones, flew up and were spinning sideways in the cloud of night, one's eyes seemed not quick enough, one heard nothing from one's shouting neighbour and only by the quality of the noise and flame did I know that the German shells crashing among the tree stumps were big ones and practicallt on top of us.' (Lieutenant Edmund Blunden, 11 Bn. Royal Sussex Regiment)

'As the barrage opened it was terrific. One person broke down, he started screeching like a pig. You've heard a pig screeching, well he screeched like a stuck pig. He was sent back. It was no fault of his; it wasn't cowardice. We knew the fellow, he wasn't the type of boy who played football or roughed it up a bit. He was temperamental, a briljant pianist and in fact he shouldn't have been in the army at all. His nerves just went.' (Private Ivor Watkins, 15 Bn. Welsh Regiment)