Fergus County Democrat., 1914-11-19

of his birthday:
Up at 4:S0; breakfast at 4:45. Gun
line at Sis. In my hole. 1t is now
$3.50 and cold morning. My pipe
won't draw and only one pipeful OF
baccy left. Occasional rounds Of
shrapnel bursting near and BLACK
Maria" whistling her shell about.
Sleep for bit. Clothes getting smell
ly, not having had them off for Is
days.
8:00-Fired our first rounds.
9:3O-Bread and jam Zone piece)
1:30-Lit a fire in hole. Raining
and still lots of noise.
12:30-Bread and jam and two cups
of tea and a birthday cigarette.
2:45-Still raining; two green ap
pies to eat.
4:3O-Tea.
6:30-Dinner.
S:30-Bed in my hole
An officer in the British expedi-
tionary forces writes: "This trench
life is weird work; we snipe away at
Germans at 1900 yards and they
snipe us: then the guns on either
side have a set-to; then their guns
give us a doing in the trenches; then
bit of high bird shooting at aero
planes, usually done by us officers.
1t Is very dangerous to our friends;
our air gun only shoots projectile
that bursts on Craze, so we cannot see
where our shells go, hut the Deutsch-
ers fire their field guns; 1t is extra
ordinarily pretty to see the white
| bursting and puffs high up against
the blue sky. Our mess is in a stone
quarry that accommodates also some
400 men; weird and fantastic sight
at night, few candles stuck about
| and dim shapes Of men, and on an
| alarm they emerge slowly like ants
from the earth and out to their ap-
pointed places. We've dug everywhere
into this hill-trenches for this, tren-
ches for that, caves on the hillside
every man grovels his place of safety
into Mother Earth, and into it he
delves when the shells arrive I'm
afraid there is little humor to be got,
but we are happy, chattering. laugh
ing family In our quarry, and life,
though the same every day, goes fair
ly quick, what with getting your let
ters, papers, new kind of food, some
rumor and sleep-blessed sleep-we
make up for what we lost, and save
the daylight-bed at up at 4 a. m,
sleep 2 p. ma p. m. dinner, $3.50.
i The Earl of Kingston says:
1--WE had a bad night last night in
the trenches, as we are only 800 yards
from the Germans, and both sides are
as jumpy as fleas, loosing off at any
moment and the guns are keeping up
q terrific fire on us, but doing little
damage. We had two killed and two
| wounded Yesterday.
"They have a large gun here that
was meant for the siege of Paris. 1t
throws shell 80 inches long and
makes hole big enough to bury 18
men in. This battle has been on for
10 days, and we hope for the best.
"There is beautiful chateau here
now, used as a hospital The rock
and water garden is beautiful, but
now all trodden down by the troops,
and looks SO sad. We have a farm
here that has been taken and retaken,
but we have it again at present
ut is lovely at night, with hundreds
of shells bursting all round and if il
were not for the death they bring they
might be fireworks on a large scale.
!. have lost my servant and all my kit
Please send me out some cigarettes,
tobacco and matches"
Another officer notes:
II have just seen Colonel -,
who tells me that the old howitzer
accounted for 60 Germans killed and
13 wounded. He had sent an officers
patrol out last night, and they count
ed them and brought in the wound
ed. You were asking what
the men want most for Christmas. ]
had asked them, and they all say
matches, cigarettes, soap, chocolate
writing paper and pencils"
Prof. Marwedel, German, says:
"They are excellent soldiers, the
French and British. We never believ
ed they could make us retire. Our
officers were killed like rabbits, and
only six of our company were alive
when l was wounded.
"The fire of the Maxims was SC
terrible that our men even hesitated
to advance when the order to storm
had been given"
A man who was suffering from lung
disease, said that near scissors he
had been in the trenches for six days
while the corpses of his dead com
rades poisoned the air. The surviv
ors could not look for another shell
ter, as the British shot every one who
dared to emerge from the trenches.
A lieutenant in regiment of guards
writes on September "a: what extra
ordinary sounds one does hear! One
of the big guns sent shell just now
high up, intended for the big guns
miles away; something got loose, and
as it went along it made noise like a
putting engine. The Germans have
a dodge for keeping us awake at
night. They turn cattle and horses to
Craze in the danger zone, which are a
great source of alarm to jump sen.
tries. Yesterday we managed to en-
tice three large bullocks through our
line, so today fresh roast beef was
very good. This has been a red letter
day. had my shirt washed and dried
for the first time since l left Eng
land"
f011 INIT s.l,