Plough & Scatter

[clive_hughes]

On 2 November 1918, a young artillery signaller at Bouchain (between Cambrai and Valenciennes) was attracted into the war-scarred local church by the sound of a comrade playing the Harvest hymn "We plough the fields and scatter" on the organ. He decided that it was a most appropriately-titled hymn for an artilleryman, and now it has been used as the title for his newly-published account of the War:

Plough & Scatter. The Diary-Journal of a First World War Gunner. by J.Ivor Hanson and Alan Wakefield, published October 2009 by Haynes Publishing, Sparkford, Yeovil and available via Amazon and elsewhere. Hardbound, 352 pages incl. maps, plus plates.

Alan Wakefield, a member of this Forum, needs little introduction to those who have seen his Salonikan history Under the Devil's Eye ; Christmas in the Trenches; or From Basra to Baghdad: The British Campaign in Mesopotamia 1914-1918. He is a curator at the Department of Photographs in the Imperial War Museum. Alan has sensitively edited Hanson's account, adding footnotes and (for the less-well informed) a summary of the events of each War year as the journal unfolds.

J.Ivor Hanson was born in Port Talbot, Glamorgan in 1898. This account is unusual because it commences in diary form in July 1914, when he was a 15-year-old junior clerk at the local steelworks. From before the start, the war is therefore viewed through the eyes of a boy, absorbing the news coverage and describing family and local responses to the conflict. Though "badged" as an essential worker, he begins feeling pressure to enlist as a 16-year old in 1915: something unnecessary in his case, as he longs to join in and envies the wounded soldiers back from the Front.

As a railway employee in 1916 he even pays for private dental work so as to ensure that he will not fail the eventual medical on that score. Finally attesting in November 1916, he volunteers to go 8 months sooner than call-up and joins the RFA at Bettisfield Camp on the Flintshire-Shropshire border in January 1917.

Owing to his age he was kept here for about 10 months, and the diary/journal presents an unusually complete and detailled picture of life and military progress at such a training camp (100 pages worth). He learns to ride and shoot, and volunteers to be a signaller. Here as elsewhere in this account, he displays a touching naievety about matters such as sex, coupled with a good descriptive prose. The book abounds with the entertainments seen, books read, and similar small details.

Hanson finally reaches France in December 1917, being posted to "B" Battery 311th Army Brigade RFA under Fifth Army at Vadencourt on the Somme. Very soon, he learns that his best friend from Port Talbot has been killed, and the disillusionment begins (though implied, this is never overindulged in the text, which always retains its freshness and detail). He is frequently on OP work and the enemy's offensive is known to be coming. The bursting of the storm on 21 March is described well (his unit suffered losses in guns and men), with the chaos and uncertainty of the ensuing retreat relieved by occasional scenes of action.

In April 1918 the Brigade moves to the Arras front, remaining at various locations there for the duration. He describes mending phone wires in a pitch-dark night; sketching landscapes from an OP post; taking a carrier pigeon course; and finally training for the last great advance. This commences on 12 October, ending on Armistice Day near Mons. Here he sees the body of perhaps the last Canadian casualty laid out, and the subsequent funeral.

Home leave for Christmas is quickly followed by a job offer back at the steelworks, and by 12 February 1919 he has been (gladly) demobbed. The account ends that March. Hanson went on to write for the local newspaper, published several books, and continued to keep a diary until he died in 1993.

It is clear from comments in the text that he subsequently worked on the text of his diaries, but he does not seem to have unduly wielded a censor's scissors and the end result as presented by Alan Wakefield is a most interesting, varied and detailled picture of an individual's war, from excited youth to experienced but glad-to-be-out-of-it warrior.

LST_164

[awakefield]

Thanks for the review.

I certainly enjoyed working on this diary.

ALAN

[Roger H]

Now, that for me is really interesting. My Grandfather was in B Battery of 311th Brigade RFA - see my signature. I shall make enquiries with regard to the book!

(Alan - have PM'd you)

Roger

[Roger H]

It is clear from comments in the text that he subsequently worked on the text of his diaries, but he does not seem to have unduly wielded a censor's scissors and the end result as presented by Alan Wakefield is a most interesting, varied and detailled picture of an individual's war, from excited youth to experienced but glad-to-be-out-of-it warrior.

LST_164

I agree with these comments entirely. It was a great read, made even more interesting for me with many mentions of my Grandfather (see my signature) (although some biographical details about him in a footnote in the book are incorrect which Alan Wakefield accepts).

Roger

[squirrel]

Cracker of a book - read it twice now -excellent.

[awakefield]

Thanks for the positive replies. I'll pass them on to Ivor Hanson's son, Leighton, who initially put the diary forward for publication.

Roger: I have not forgotten my promise to forward copies of all the papers from the A Hollingworth file at TNA - I've found I only took copies of some of these first time round, from the rest I took notes. Hope to be getting down to Kew soonish for work and will fit in photographing the missing few pages. Just my luck that the file contained a mix of two men's records, both of whom were commissioned into the RFA. I agonised for ages when drafting the biographical note re your Grandfather due to the confusing state of the records. Thanks for providing me with the corrections, which I will make sure go into any reprint of the book.

ALAN

[Roger H]

Roger: I have not forgotten my promise to forward copies of all the papers from the A Hollingworth file at TNA - I've found I only took copies of some of these first time round, from the rest I took notes. Hope to be getting down to Kew soonish for work and will fit in photographing the missing few pages. Just my luck that the file contained a mix of two men's records, both of whom were commissioned into the RFA. I agonised for ages when drafting the biographical note re your Grandfather due to the confusing state of the records. Thanks for providing me with the corrections, which I will make sure go into any reprint of the book.

ALAN

Alan

No problem at all about the copies of the records - do not put yourself out. I woudn't beat yourself up about the **** up with the records either - it doesn't detract in anyway from a great read. (And by the way, you should have sold a few more copies by now, courtesy of my relatives! )

Roger