Mud beneath my Boots

[Moonraker]

This book, published by HarperCollins in 2005, contains the Great War memoirs of Len Coley, who enlisted as Leonard Collins 21936 in the New Zealand army. He was only 17 at the time, and civilian doctors recommended that he be discharged during his training after they had diagnosed rheumatic fever; he tore up their letters to the arm and became a Lewis gunner with the 2nd Wellington.

Len's memoirs, edited by his nephew, are simply written in shortish sentences but are very frank. He admits shooting a German trying to surrender and also a colleague who asked him to give him a wound that would get him out of the Front Line. One doesn't get any idea of the bigger picture, but then no private would have this.

There are a number of tantalising references, including one to a Scottish VC winner being killed in a riot at Etaples (which I've queried elsewhere in the Forum). Len and his comrades distrusted one of their COs, whose rank is not given but was possibly a major and whose name is given as Rauch. (The original memoir concealed some soldiers' identities, but Marriott has reinstated the correct names "where appropriate".) Rauch was "thought to be a German" who had seemed to misdirect his men during attacks and was moved from the front line to Etaples base camp.

Len and his friends were shocked when he discovered two 12inch naval guns concealed under tents marked with the Red Cross at a British depot at Dickebusch; this they saw as a deceit they did not think the Allies would stoop to. They mistrusted their Portuguese allies, who were too ready with their knives, and were horrified when they saw a frozen British soldier undergoing Field Punishment No 1 in sleet; an Australian cut him down, leading to a confrontation between the New Zealand soldiers (supported by their officers) and the British.

One episode describes Chinese labourers (known to the New Zealanders as "Pats") throwing Mills bombs among some German PoWs; but the Chinese didn't understand about firing pins, the Germans did - and threw the bombs back, killing 50 or so Chinese.

Len describes the usual encounters with Egyptian rogues and prostitutes, though he doesn't succumb to the latter, nor to two English prostitutes driving around in a car at Luxor. When he arrives at Vicotria Station, he finds it crowded with "young women" eager to meet soldiers.

He finishes the war as a cook at Codford Camp, Wiltshire, where he and his colleagues are too busy celebrating to prepare food, leading to a riot, in which the camp colonel, adjutant and MPs are handcuffed and jailed in the place of seven prisoners,"none there for any serious offence". Wisely, no action was taken after the colonel's party was released.

All in all, a very good read, and one that turned up surprisingly (considering it was published in Australia) in a local branch library close to my home. The bonus was that that I had details of unrest in 1918-19 at most major Wiltshire camps, but not, until now, Codford.

Moonraker