During the last last few months of the Bloody Conflict of the First World War, strange tales began to Emerge from the Soldiers in the Trenches. But these were different from the stories such has the Angel of Mons and the huge Black hounds the Germans had Bred to Kill Allied Soldiers. These New Stories told of troops from both sides who lived in No Mans Land and survived on the Dead. Tales were told of Soldiers dressed in tattered Uniforms searching for food on Dead Bodies and removing the Dead's unforms to keep out the cold, in some cases it was reported that these Wild men also resorted to Cannibalism.
But who were these men and how did the stories about them come about? After almost four years of the Endless Slaughter many Soldiers from both sides were affected by a New Mental Illness called Shell Shock, which at the time of the War was not fully understood by the Medical Profession. Soldiers with this condition would simply walk away from their position refusing to fight and when caught were Shot For Desertion. Seeing friends die, being mown down by enemy Machine Gun Fire and Death on an almost Daily Basis, is it any wonder ordinary men would succumb, to what later became known as Shell Shock? A Soldier knew that if he left his post he couldn't go back through his own lines as he would be shot, so all that was left was for him to go out into No Mans Land and Live and Survive there. These Soldiers according to accounts lived in old Bombed out Trenches no longer in use or sort refuge in Wooded areas or ruined buildings.
So how did these tales come about? Soldiers on Guard Duty at Night would hear all kinds of Strange Weird Sounds, the cries and moans of a wounded Soldier entangled on the Barb wire, then the sound of a Shot and the cries cut off. That according to the Guards were the Wild men hunting for their next meal. There were groups on both sides known as Night Raiders who's job it was, to creep up on and Enemy Trench and after a skirmish of hand to hand Combat, the Raiders would capture a couple of Enemy Troopers and take them back to their own lines to interrogate them regarding the Strength of the Enemy facing them. Another Story of how the Wild men came about, was that of a British Infantry Soldier who while assaulting a German position was wounded in the leg unable to retreat with his comrades he bound his leg in a makeshift splint and hid in some undergrowth where he went out at night foraging for food and drinking rainwater from shell holes. He did this for a month before he was found by a British Patrol and returned to the British lines. His C.O was shocked when the Soldier reported to him, as he had been posted as Missing In Action Presumed Dead.
Finally what Happened to the Wild Men of No Mans Land? There was to be No Happy Ending, they were after all classed as Deserters, and under secret orders Groups of Soldiers would go out and Hunt down the Wild Men and Kill them with Poisonous Gas Bombs. Were the Wild Men Real or just Imagined Stories told by Soldiers? That is for You to Decide.
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It’s a dull update, really. No surprises, and we could all guess Jack Hinchy was going out on loan. It doesn’t make sense to include him in the squad if he’s not involved on match days.
The club already seems to be planning ahead for January. They're freeing up registration spots and sending players out on loan, which suggests movement is expected. With Gagliardi leaving, it all lines up. I wonder if Paterson had a hand in this, especially after asking for reinforcements and not seeing much happen. Maybe Gagliardi was slow in parts of his role, and things boiled over, leading to his exit.
With Scott Robertson making such a strong return, I do wonder if the club might rethink how packed we are in midfield. It could be a chance to free up space for another striker or maybe a centre back to give us more cover. The squad looks much stronger now, and it’s great to see the loanees stepping up and showing what they can do.