“Thousands and Thousands of Men Climbed the Parapets of the Trenches to Face Death”
“The flower of our manhood were mown down like corn before the scythe” South Wales Argus — 1914
Some while ago I was given the slightly battered album which once belonged to my paternal grandmother — Margaret Hughes (nee Lewis). It’s been in my possession for a decade or more and has been left unopened for most of that time. I believe that, before it became mine, it was left untouched possibly for a hundred years.
What could be the link between the headline in the South Wales Argus newspaper of 5th August 1914 and the extract from my grandmother’s album shown in my photograph?
The answer is that they were both written by Reverend C. L. Perry.
Who was Rev. C. L. Perry and why does he appear in each of these written records?
In my grandmother’s album, the photo of the reverend appears alongside some handwritten text apparently penned by Perry himself.
It is divided into six four-line stanzas and credited at the end with ‘C. L. PERRY’ — it does not appear to be signed, despite the main body of the text being hand-written. It is dated 1912.
The words in my headline are also those of Perry but written in 1914 when he’d been given leave from his tour of duty in the war trenches of Flanders in France.
The South Wales Argus reported on Captain Perry’s account of his experiences in the Flanders trenches given from his pulpit to his congregation, possibly including my grandparents, in The Great Central Hall, Newport just a matter of 36 hours after having left France!
Some of what he says seems to be rather controversial even this one hundred and ten years later!
He relates the story of his burial of a fallen comrade and his need to dive into the unfilled grave to avoid an enemy shell, fired from the other side of the battlefield.
…And then there was the story given in my heading to this piece, and the comment by his experienced commanding officer “Perry, I shall never be quite the same man again. I shall tread softly.”
There are some considerably more difficult to explain — even understand — comments;
“I am glad of this war for one reason. It is going to elevate and mould our national life as nothing else could have done. Before the war we, as a nation, were much too selfish, too luxurious. There are many at home who have not realised what sacrifices are being made. All they think is how much they can get out of life, not what they could give.”
This came as a surprise to me, spoken — as it was — by a man of the Christian religion. He went on;
“I question whether some at home are worth the sacrifices made on their behalf. Too many people lived only for what enjoyment they could get out of life.”
You will need to read the full newspaper report to get the full impression of what Perry seems to be trying to convey — and it is ambiguous. (there is a link below).
He is not openly decrying the futility of such a wretched loss of young lives during the butchery of trench warfare, possibly because the war was, at the time, far from concluded and there was the spectre of failing public morale. But it is not what one might expect from a man of the cloth!
Coming back to Perry’s entry in my grandmother’s album. He writes;
Strong Son of God, immortal Love
Whom we, that have not seen thy face
By faith and faith alone, embrace
Believing where we cannot prove
Thine are these orbs of light and shade
thou modest Life in man and brute
thou modest Death; and lo, thy fool
Is on the skull which thou hast made
Thou will not leave us in the dust;
Thou madest man, he knows not why;
He thinks he was not made to die;
and thou has made him thou art just
Thou seemest human and divine,
the highest, holiest manhood, thou;
our wills are ours, we know not how
our wills are ours, to make them thine
Our little systems have their day
They have their day and cease to be
they are but broken lights of thee
and thou O Lord art more than they
We have but faith, we cannot know;
Our knowledge is of things we see;
and yet we trust it comes from thee
a beam in darkness; let it grow
1912This was written some two years before the Argus’ report of Perry’s sermon to the congregation in Newport’s Great Central Hall on his return from the war in France. I wonder how the two accounts can be attributed to the same man, but suspect that Capt. Perry would be under pressure not to undermine the war effort in any way.
I did know my paternal grandmother, though she died when I was very young, I remember her being something of a matriarch and in complete control of the family. Elsewhere in her album, I found this;
A True mother's aim is to make in the home
Her one Object should be "discipline"
I do wonder how much my grandmother took this to heart and employed it! She most definitely did ‘rule the roost’!
My grandfather I remember as a gentleman and a gentle man. He was an amateur artist with some skill and talent. Among the pages of his wife’s album I found this sketch;
It is dated 1911. I would like to think I might have inherited some of Grampa Bert’s artistic ability.
There are a few more B. T. Hughes sketches and also some further quotations. For example there are four handwritten selected stanzas from John Bunyan’s poem ‘Of Heaven’, dated 1912 and signed by A. C. Jones (I believe a family friend) as well as other poems whose origins I cannot find, each signed by a different hand.
Although this sketch appears to be signed -H.H.S.- I believe this is also one of my grandfather’s drawings, though I am unaware of the location.
The last page of the album has another sketch, signed B. C. Hughes — my father — and it is abundantly clear that he didn’t inherit any of his father’s artistic skills!
I hope I have enough time and resources to be able to further research the entries into what was a most personal journal for my paternal grandparents. I can’t now talk with them, or indeed my own parents, about their memories of these events. Sadly, none of them are here now for me to talk to.
