To gain a vivid impression of just
what life on the other side of the
ocean must have been during the big
struggle one has but to enter into
conversation with the overseas men
who are now convalescing in the hos
pital.
They have all been there and have
all been wounded during various ac
tions on the many fronts but the hard
est thing by far is to induce
these men to relate any of their varied
experiences. In approaching one man
he says wait a minute I’ll get some
one who will talk to you and when
this ’someone” appears he knows
nothing exceptional but will get an
other of the boys who is a good talk
er and so it goes. Take a tip and in
looking for a good story don’t ask for
it but begin with the weather, or the
dinner or the new uniform rules and
work around to the life on the other
side. For once started adroit ques
tioning brings to light stories of war
fare seldom dreamed of.
“Yes, it was pretty tough,” one of
the boys grudgingly admitted, “but
we’d do it all over again for Uncle
Sam and we are ready if he wants us
to, when they let us out of here.” And
that seemed to be the opinion of
them all for a nod of assent here and
a “You said it” from another and so
it went on around the crowd.
“In our engagements the latter part
of September and early in October we
were brought up to the Hindenburg
line between Cambrai and St. Quen
tin, on our right was a Scotch di
vision, ‘The Black Watch,’ noble
fighters indeed and worthy comrades,
on the left of our division (the 30th
from Dixie) was the 27th from New
York, real men and scrappers every
one of them.
“It was the last week of September
that I will never forget, we had gone
forward and relieved another division
in the foremost trenches and the
machine gun squads were still com
ing up. We were expectant of some
sort of action and the machine gun
laddies were advancing in squads of
eight at 50-foot intervals when a
big’un came whizzing over and lit
right amongst them, wiping out one
fentire squad right before my eyes.
Fine fellows, too, I knew them all
well, one of them came from this city,
I believe. All this changing was done
at night of course,” he confided.
“The next morning found us eager
for action and hoping for the word to
advance when Jerry began shelling
us. At first I thought they were
‘duds’ for so they sounded but two of
the boys at a lower point of the trench
started sneezing and I grabbed for my
mask, realizing that it was the dread
ed sneezing gas. Following this came
other shells with the poison stuff,
chlorine and phosgene gases. Those
two poor chaps were caught and I
was forced to see them writhe and
shriek in agony, unable to help them,
and they unable to don their masks
because of the sneezing the first infer
nal mixture caused.” In reply to a ques
tion the narrator added, “No, Jerry
hasn’t used but little cloud gas since
the latter part of 1916, if we are to
take the Tommy’s word for it.”
Soofi after this tragic incident as
our watches slipped around to the
awaited hour and as the hand brush
ed the minute, the long line of brown
clad figures leaped forward from the
hidden (issues of the ground. Shrapnel
got me in the first few yards, so here
I am. See! It was nothing to tell of.”
he added half apoloegtically.
One of the others who had remain
ed in the line until the 12th of the
next month told of the advances over
ruined towns and others in a good
state of preservation captured by the
Germans in their first advance in
1914. After these had passed into the
allies’ hands the Huns would send big
ibombing planes over at night and
destroy just as much 'of the place as
was possible.
He told of the remarkable dug-outs
that were discovered, some twenty
and thirty steps below the ground and
capable of holding a full company of
men. One story was related of a
dug-out captured in a hurried advance
and how the usual grenades thrown
in brought out nine prisoners and the
advance continued some days later; ar
ticles began to disappear from the
garbage dump near the cooks’ quar
ters and one day, a cook was found
dead with a German bayonet through
his breast. Careful investigation fol
lowed and the apparently deserted dug-
out was found to contain twelve hun
ger crazed Germans who had remain
ed hidden since the first advance
across the spot.
THE FIRST THOUGHT
THE CRUEL REACTION
When he notes that the country has gone dry.