The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1915-01-28
FRENCH FINISH
al DAY FIGHT
IN TRENCHES
Soldiers Welcome Brief Rest ard
First Chance 10 Change
Clothes.
JOKE OVER THEIR PLIGHT
BVoeestso infsn;ryrnsn Tell of Their
Life al Fron:-oniy II Left Of go
IN Original Company - XIII
Germans 70 Get Clothes.
ey oAeRIEL DELAoARDE


Correspondents ~ tiis chlraeo Daily SsNs
AmienE, France have just parsed
two days IN a tiny hamlet near the
front between ArraE and Albert. sleep
Ing on straw and living on bread ard
Eardines French batteries a few hun
dred yards away Numbered lntsrmit
tently. Gy companions we're 100
Treneh infantrymen. who we're guar.
tered there for four days 10 rest after
~ consecutive days IN the trenches.
By this time they must have resumed
their old positions on the firiry line.
The first man with whom ! talked
when the grim. dirty columns broke
ranks and scattered about the thirty
odd farms which composed the hamlet.
said:
yes, monsieur We have been a.
days Ia the trenches without once re
moving our clothes or even our shoes.
Except for two old peasants We passed
back along the road, you are the FIRST
civilian he have seen IN all this time.
i'''. yen see. We do rot look too mlser-
able. We even stood II very well, be
cause we are Bretons. who are a tough
and stubborn race But We are rather
dirty. are We nOt?"
Joke over Life In Trenches.
replied frankly that ! had never
seen dirt,er men In all my life. Their
clothes were torn and covered with
layers of yellow clay and their shoes
looked like Jumps Of mud which had
hardened around their feet Yet the
men we're laughing and Joking happily
enough We entered the village inn.
a picturesque tavern blackened with
smoke. with strings of onions hanging
from the rafters while In the corner
the aged grandfather was weaving on
a hand loom. over their coffee and
brandy the soldiers renewed their
Jokes at the expense of the "boches
fGermansl. their own dirtlness and va
rious features of life IN the trenches.
To the accompaniment OF a distant
cannonsde they told the history Of
their company since the beginning OF
the war. They had participated In
many battles and tho company had
been entirely reorRanized three times
OF the original contingent OF $50 men
only one officer and ten men were
left.
DUO Holes With Their Hands.
when they first took position at the
place they Btlll hold. they had TO fight
IN an open field. for neither side had
time to prepare trenches. The men
Fought TO protect themselves the best
they could. Those without plckaNes
dug In the earth with their hands. try
ing to make holes big enough TO lie
in.
Gradually however, trenches were
completed and subterranean village
organized Before the trenches barbed
wire was strung on which bells we're
hung which would ring when the wire
was disturbed Their monotonoul
life was interrupted only by shells that
burst too near and occasional surprise
attacks.
Ordinarily the men sleep IN the day
time In restrooms, the straw IN which
is changed every two weeks Littl,
by little the soul and body becam,
hardened until now they can look OF
the rain OF deadly shells with indlifer
ence
XIII Germans 10 Get Clothes.
Protection against the cold was no
difHcult Wooden garments had beer
distributed literally and In case thes'
were lacking one could always find |
shance 70 "snIpe' some German. gtea