With our Fighting Men The story of their faith, courage, endurance in the Great War   By: William Edward Sellers (1859-)

Transcriber's Note: Inconsistent hyphenation in the original document has been preserved. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. For a complete list, please see the end of this document.

WITH OUR FIGHTING MEN

[Illustration: "WE BESEECH THEE TO HEAR US GOOD LORD." See page 57. ]

With Our Fighting Men

THE STORY OF THEIR FAITH, COURAGE, ENDURANCE IN THE GREAT WAR

BY

WILLIAM E. SELLERS

Author of "From Aldershot to Pretoria"

WITH COLOURED AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS FROM DRAWINGS AND FROM PHOTOGRAPHS

LONDON THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY 4 Bouverie Street & 65 St. Paul's Churchyard

PREFACE

[Illustration]

In sending forth this book I wish to acknowledge the kindness and co operation of many friends, new and old, who have made my task easy and my story, so far as possible, complete.

In the first place, I express my hearty thanks to the Rt. Rev. Bishop Taylor Smith, D.D. (the Chaplain General); Revs. E.G.F. Macpherson, M.A., and F.G. Tuckey (senior Church of England chaplains at the front); Rev. J.A. M'Clymont, D.D., V.D. (Convener of the Church of Scotland General Assembly's Committee on Army and Navy chaplains); Rev. J.H. Bateson (Secretary of the Wesleyan Methodist Army and Navy Board); Rev. J.H. Shakespeare, M.A. (Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Ireland, and of the Free Church Army and Navy Board); Rev. E.L. Watson (senior Free Church chaplain at the front); General Booth and Brigadier Carpenter (of the Salvation Army); Mr. A.K. Yapp (General Secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association); and several others.

In the second place, I acknowledge with gratitude the help I have received from reports in the Methodist Recorder , Methodist Times , United Free Church of Scotland Record , Church Pennant , Baptist Times and Freeman , Guardian , Guy's Hospital Gazette , War Cry , and many other papers, to the respective editors of which I tender my thanks.

I also wish to express my cordial thanks to my colleague, the Rev. E.G. Loosley, B.D., for the painstaking care with which he has revised the proofs of my book.

I hope and pray that the story recorded in these pages may quicken interest in Christian work among soldiers and sailors, and so help to extend the kingdom of Christ.

W.E.S. ROCHDALE, April 1915 .

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

PREFACE iii

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS vii

INTRODUCTION ix

I. AT THE HOME BASE 1

II. EARLY DAYS AT THE FRONT 26

III. AT THE FIGHTING BASE 44

IV. THE MARNE, THE AISNE, YPRES 63

V. THOMAS ATKINS IN THE TRENCHES 79

VI. CHRISTMAS AT THE FRONT 100

VII. CHRISTIAN HEROISM 116

VIII. AT THE SIGN OF THE RED CROSS 135

IX. WITH THE GRAND FLEET 153

X. CHAPLAINS DESCRIBE THEIR WORK 171