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Remembered Today:

Gardening in the Trenches


Hedley Malloch

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I am a keen gardener and of course interested in all things First World War. Knowing of my passions, a friend has sent me a copy of an article titled ‘Fresh clean soil’ by Sue Stuart-Smith, from the Times Literary Supplement of 8 May – and what a fascinating piece it is. She writes about how many soldiers have always sought solace in gardening, and of how many gardens were created by soldiers, chaplains, doctors and nurses. The gardens came in all sorts of shapes and sizes, some decorative, some productive, but all helped by the rich soil and climate of France and Flanders. A particularly fine example was to be found at the 21st Casualty Clearing Station ‘by the River Somme’ (where?). It was a mixed garden made by Stanhope Walker, a hospital chaplain. In the busy summer of 1916, the sides of the hospital tents would be raised so the injured soldiers could gaze at it. Walker noted that more soldiers were interested in his garden than in his sermons. The Surgeon-General, Sir Anthony Bowlby appreciated the garden being ‘very much struck by the size of my flowers and says he will have me mentioned in despatches for the size of my peas and beans.’

 

I can understand gardens being created in areas behind the front line, but apparently the hobby could be found in the trenches and dugouts. One such gardener was Alexander Gillespie, an officer with the ASH who created a garden with violets and other flowers he found on the banks of an old flooded trench. He made flower-pots from shell-casings and as a morale-boosting measure, he would occasionally order his men to pot up. He planned his gardens, having seeds sent from England, and sourcing plants from the gardens of abandoned houses nearby. He wrote about ‘getting plants from a ruined village for our gardens – wallflowers, peonies and pansies and many others; rather cruel to transplant them perhaps, but there are plenty left’.

 

Gilllespie did not survive the war being killed, like so many other young Scottish officers, on 25 September 1915 at Loos. In a letter to his headmaster written shortly before he died, he proposed that when peace came no-man’s land should be planted with shade trees and fruit trees creating a pilgrimage walk from the Channel to Switzerland envisaging that it ‘might make the most beautiful walk in all the world’.

 

The passion for gardening was shared by German soldiers who also created gardens in the trenches. One was painted by Albert Heim, who was commissioned by Lieutenant-General Wundt of the Württtemberg Regiment, 51 Reserve Infantry Brigade, to create 62 watercolours of life in the German trenches when the regiment was in the Somme occupying the line between Ovillers and Beaumont Hamel. The painting is called ‘The Communication Trench to Beer Garden Dugout, between Ovillers and Beaumont Hamel. A copy is pasted below. The construction of the trench suggests that it was originally made by the French who were active in the area in 1914-15.

 

Albert Heim’s art encompassed many other facets or the war. He is featured in some earlier threads in GWF - feed his name into the search engine.

 

A really interesting piece. The article was an abridged extract from Ms Stuart-Smith’s forthcoming book, ‘The Well-Gardened Mind: Re-discovering nature in the modern world’, 2020, William Collins.

 Trench Garden.jpg

 

 

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On 16/05/2020 at 14:02, Hedley Malloch said:

21st Casualty Clearing Station ‘by the River Somme’ (where?).

Hedley, they were at Corbie from April 1916 until March 1917 and I think there was a post with photos somewhere on this forum.

 

My grandfather's brigade HQ was at a chateau in Corbie in 1918 and despite frequent shelling, the unit war diary writes about electric light from a waterwheel and the "garden has a magnificent collection of rosebushes now in bloom and our table is always decorated with roses of a quality rarely seen even in England.  Although enemy lands large shells in the near vicinity when searching for one of the numerous batteries surrounding us ... ".

 

My grandfather's account mentioned also the chateau and we traced his photo of it:

image.png

 

 

image.png.11f76bfb0250db2461d1a56a01c4df2f.png

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Great article! Thank you so much for starting this thread.

 

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A few examples:  On the Belgian coast, the RN Siege Guns successfully grew various kinds of vegetables in the sandy soil, but were unable to get potatoes to thrive.  Daily orders of one of the German regiments at Fromelles included the instruction: 'No-one, repeat no-one, is to start lifting the new potatoes until told to'.  And at Pervyse, Elsie Knocker grew a magnificent marrow on a midden and was heartbroken when a passing Belgian soldier pinched it.

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In his diary my grandfather gives an account of taking over front line trenches near Authuille from the French on 31 July 1915.

He reconnoitred the trenches with a French guide, and describes reaching the French support dug outs in Aveluy Wood (part of Authuille Wood) thus:

"Outside these dug outs under the trees were rustic seats and tables, with little pagodas near the dug outs - more like a tea gardens".

200 yards further on they reached the Battalion HQ, and he writes:

"What a surprise! The place looked just like a tea garden again, with two fine wooden huts made of logs built on the banks of the wood. Steps led up to a terrace in front of the huts and the French had laid out flower beds railed round with rustic railings. The whole effect was very beautiful – and all this, our new home, right in the middle of a huge wood."

On that occasion he shared a dug out with the MO at the Aid Post and says they had a "nice flower garden" outside ttheir dug out.

He has pasted a French postcard into his diary, showing a French soldier with a dog outside a hut, steps, and the "rustic railings", entitled "Albert (environs) - Un escalier rustique construit par nos poilus en un bois". My grandfather has written "Aveluy Wood 1915" on this postcard, so it presumably shows the Battalion HQ described by him.

 

 

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On the therapy side of things;


The cure for this ill is not to sit still, 
Or frowst with a book by the fire;
But to take a large hoe and a shovel also,  And dig till you gently perspire.

 

Extract from Kipling, used as a mantra at Seale-Hayne shell shock hospital.

 

I have seen records of vegetables grown at CCSs that made it into the rations.

 

Extract of plan from 36 CCS showing 'Railway Gardens'. MAY 1916.garden.jpg.eb0cf9f2fb31e4808ffebc9cad86b530.jpg

TEW

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It wasnt just gardens; when I was researching the Galashiels men killed in the Kaiserschlacht I came across a Divsional diary (didn't take a note - sorry) and they were noting that some fields in divisional area were to be sown with grass seed (they had previously been used for cultivating beet) to provide fodder for horses.  Unfortunately for the erstwhile farmers that land was lost in the German offensive

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An interesting thread indeed. While researching a man called Wilf Toman who was mortally wounded in the breastworks sector at Bois Grenier near Armentieres I came up on the original of the opening photo in Michael's first link, of the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders doing a fabulous horticultural job in the spring of 1915; it's on the IWM website - https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205306498.

 

Such a superb job is only possible because of the six foot of earth and sandbag breastworks between the garden and the enemy's six feet of earth and sandbags 200 yards away, although I wonder if this may be the second line given how relaxed the men with his heads poking above the sandbags are. Bois Grenier was a quiet sector for most of the war but this seems nonchalant in the extreme.

 

Pete.

Edited by Fattyowls
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"Near the ruins of Hamel there is a little dwarf evergreen which somehow hasn't been destroyed. A soldier has put a notice on it: 'Kew Gardens. Please do not touch'."

 

John Masefield. Letters to Margaret Bridges (1915-1919) / edited by Donald Stanford. Manchester: Carcanet, 1984.

 

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British ace Albert Ball had a garden at his airfield.

 

In early 1917 the Russian army was so short of food the Tsar was advised to get his men to start growing their own food behind the lines. The Tsar was forced out before this could happen.

 

Pre WW II a number of US Army units had gardens during peace to supplement their rations.

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Not quite in the trenches, maybe 2 km behind, in Belgium, but soon to receive concentrated artillery fire.

 

Looks like they have a nice little rose and flower garden.

 

Anyone any idea where it is?  The angle may give a clue. The main structure was destroyed during the 1917 attacks, but the ruins can still be found.

 

Peter

lock.jpg

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Fritz Limbach, a German soldier, writes home on 19th April 1915:

 

Quote

 

"Here in Auchy [-les-Mines these days]  we moved from our cellar to a house. We now even have real beds (We’re not allowed to undress though, because we can get an alarm at any time), a nice stove with cooking utensils, porcelain plates and cups, and even silver cutlery. As you can see : we lack for nothing.

Furthermore there is a beautiful garden at the back of the house, where I’m now sitting writing this letter.  The cherry trees are about to flower. The flowers I send you today are also from this garden.

I’ve never seen primroses flower so beautifully and abundantly like here; likewise the violas. They’re the last of the season though.

What does the garden back home look like now? Please write to me about it extensively please.  Even here I’m interested in it."

 

 

And just by miracle all/some of his dried flowers he sent home have survived to this day:

flowers1.jpg

flowers2.jpg

flowers3.jpg

 

 

In another letter he writes "I'm up to my ears in bluebells when I write this letter. You should see the sight: from top to bottom: Blue sky, bright green trees, and then an ocean of bluebells"

In yet another letter he asks about how the Lohengrin iris is doing back home.....

 

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Stumbled across this thread today and it reminded me of many entries my grandfather made in his diary on flowers and plants on the front line, hospitals and home.

 

"Went up to see Captain Hacker MO in trenches and had long talk. He has lent me a book - "Germany in defect" by Souse. Funny thing - my eagle eye suddenly discovered growing out of a sandbag just by the dugout the beautiful little Blue Pimpernel which I had never seen before. It has a tiny little peacock blue flower which is in great contrast with its sister the Scarlet Pimpernel."

 

When I saw JWK's entry here it reminded me of  the Fritz Limbach letters and his  love of flowers and gardening along with Reginald Hannay Fothergills (grandfather) love of the same, both at the front on the 25th Sept 1915. Reg's battalion at La Touquet showing aggression to stop movement of enemy troops to the Loo's area and if the opportunity arose to take the Touguet salient. The local bombardment did not do enough damage to the enemy wire or make them give up their trenches so it was decided not to attack as nothing would be gained.

Just two sensitive men never wanting to be there. Not forgetting of course Alexander Gillespie.

 

Edited by RegHannay
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Couldn't stop from reading through the diaries again. Two more entries on the flowers and fauna at the front. ADS . 

 

Wednesday 26th July.

Walked out among fields and found myself among a perfect garden of wild flowers and found a delightful Orchid. Also the grass of Parnassus which I never before realised as being so beautiful with its pure white petals streaked with green lines like a snowdrop. There were also two or three unknown flowers."

 

Saturday 5th august 1916.

"Glorious day. Walked along a quiet sluggish stream or rather canal. Not a soul in sight. A riot of wild flowers, grasses and reeds and the water itself full of pure white water Lillies and lovely green grasses. Curious to be able to sit so peacefully thus and yet so near Festubert."

 

*Compare this with two days later, the 7th. Bethune, bombardment of the main square. A nerve wracking day for the doctor, amongst the flying glass and brick dust, horses and carts bolting, people flying hither and thither. Picking up small boys covered in dust and cut, women fleeing from the shelled houses with naked babies, a Tommy with his leg blown off at the thigh and trying to stem a spurting artery with his forceps. So thankful to here the sound of screaming injured horses being shot. A man with his arms terribly mangled. And in the afternoon to top it off a visit to the trenches under heavy shelling to render aid to wounded men with his sergeant.*

 

"I feel a bit jumpy this evening. I am not moved at the sight of men being cut up, but it is distressing to see women, little children and dumb animals being knocked about. Give me trench warfare or even crater warfare but spare me this wholesale massacre of civilians in a town."

 

 

 

 

Edited by RegHannay
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Could  not resist adding this find in the diary....(I promise to make it the last)

No9 hospital Rouen..convalescing and working.. Monday 29th May 1916.

 

 "This afternoon I took my waterproof and walked out some miles and rambled among most delightful meadows and woods, up hill and down dale , never a road did I touch and never a soul did I see. I found three more flowers absolutely new to me. My word! What a collection one might make here. A good collection of wild flowers would indeed be a glorious thing to bring home after the war. *I think the war office ought to offer a prize for the best collection of flowers, a special medal should be given for a man who has collected specimens under fire or in front of the trenches." 

*A tongue in cheek from Reg*

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9 minutes ago, RegHannay said:

(I promise to make it the last)

 

Feel free to break your promise Reg. We won't mind.

 

Pete.

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1 hour ago, Fattyowls said:

 

Feel free to break your promise Reg. We won't mind.

 

Pete.

Thanks Pete, I take it you have found the entries I have been putting on GWF blog ("Only With Honour"). It never crossed my mind that there would be interest in the more sensitive side of the doctors writings.

Hedley's thread I hope will encourage more members to dig out (no pun intended) the writings and the softer/sensitive thoughts of the average Tommy of which there must be many.

Dave AKA Reg

 

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3 minutes ago, RegHannay said:

I take it you have found the entries I have been putting on GWF blog ("Only With Honour")

 

Dave, No I hadn't, but I will. And I like the pun.....

 

Pete.

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Trawling diaries today and spotted this entry in WO95/1750/1, 28 FA.

 

8/12/1916. Harbarcq [Chateau].

Gardeners & fatigue parties on roads and grounds inside chateau compound, appearance greatly improved.

 

TEW

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1 hour ago, TEW said:

Trawling diaries today and spotted this entry in WO95/1750/1, 28 FA.

 

8/12/1916. Harbarcq [Chateau].

Gardeners & fatigue parties on roads and grounds inside chateau compound, appearance greatly improved.

 

TEW

Better than painting coal!

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On 12/06/2020 at 12:00, RegHannay said:

It never crossed my mind that there would be interest in the more sensitive side of the doctors writings.

I am relatively new to this forum, having only joined a month ago, so can’t speak for others, but I for one find the sensitive side of Reggie interesting, especially side by side with the horrors he had to experience as in #18. My grandad was not so knowledgeable about the identity of the flowers that he saw as Reggie was, but he often records in his diary his appreciation of growing things when he was lucky enough to come across them, more normally a little away from the front, though just occasionally right at the front, especially earlier on, as in the passage from the summer of 1915 quoted at #7. This appreciation – as other posts in this thread confirm - must have been shared by many soldiers at the front as they struggled to preserve their sanity, many more, doubtless, than actually wrote about it.

Here is my grandad convalescing from a bout of trench fever at No 74 General Hospital in Trouville on 3rd June 1918:

In the evening when it was cooler had a walk through Tourgeville and Touques, along glorious country lanes and woods, simply covered with wild flowers, and the orchards were fine, so peaceful, and one quite forgot the war. So that I not only got a physical rest but also a mental rest.

 

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