Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-04


6RH1s letter is written from notes
taken day before yesterday in the
vicinity of Bethune after wit
q Messing a desperate attempt by
the Germans to break the British line.
Yesterday / returned to our base camp
here, filthy and fatigued from a week Of
supply work in and about the trenches.
A bath, a change Of clothing. a couple of
square meals and a good nights sleep
have repaired the ravages of those seven
days and nights of incessant labor and
nerve strain. and today 1 can look back
on the experiences Of the past seven days
with something like true perspective.
The dawn of day before yesterday found
me asleep in dugout beside Yorkshire
battalion cook. who even snored in dia-
lect. Our party Of A. 8. c. men had, as
usual, come down to the trenches in the
dead Of night with motor truck loads of
supplies. 1 had volunteered to assist the
cooks and quartermaster's detail in UNI
loading and storing away in the dugouts
the cases Of ammunition and rations,
We were awakened in the gray dim
hour before sunrise by the crash OF an
exploding shell. 1t was a sort Of general
alarm clock of German manufacture. The
though still in almost total darkness. be-
came alive with the stir and humble OF
many men resentfully shaking of the
numbness of profound sleep.
NV friend and cook sat up In his blank
cts, yawned generously, struck a match
and lighted a cigarette, and between puffs
stretched his arms and groaned.
Dang 'em. the bluedy fules! Wot d.
they want ia begin sa airly fer? Dang
'em, says OF. Spilin' a bloke's sleep like
that"
Throughout the cavern and its con-
Meeting lines of bitches matches hickered
and candles siowed feebly. Curses and
imprecations rumbled through the gloom.
Several voices raised the cry. ANY tea
ready?' Others could be heard peevtshly
inouiring II any "blankety-blank blank"
had seen their "blankety-blank toonic" or
cap or boots.
phized some one as an arr -witted Ger
man spy for having stepped "on me
bleedin' feet
Came then another healthy crash, not
more than a hundred yards away. fol-
lowed by the dull boom of the gun itself.
miles Off. behind the German lines.
That means we're in for it. the bleed
ers," growled voice. It'll come 'ot an
'eavy in a minuit"
"W'ere's the tea? Amt We goin' ter
ave no tea?" complained another.
Tea up" sang some one from a near
by communicating ditch, whereat arose
chorus of repressed EXPLANATIONS OF
satisfaction and the rattle Of many mess
tins.
Out in the communicating trenches
the cooks dished out the strong black
tea from their big "dickseys." as the
men came UP in single file. The men
were still being served when the third
shell exploded a few dozen yards down
the line, to be followed almost instant
ly by three or four in quick succession,
great jarring conclusions that shook
the earth all about us as a terrier
shakes a rat and hlled the air with a
sulphurous gas and a thick dust cloud
that clogged the nostrils.
Dang en-" said my friend the cook,
as the quivering of the ground caused
him to slop over the tea he was dish
ing. They be a-gettin' TRANCE, they
be. Dang EN-"
He was right. They were getting the
range with q vengeance. Shell after
shell Jared earth and air with their
terrific blows. 1t became necessary to
put bits of cotton wool in ones ears to
prevent injury to the ear-drums from
the pounding rush Of the air beating
upon them with each explosion. Great
columns Of earth and rock rose high
in the air on every side as the big
shells drove themselves against the
ground and burst into a million frag-
ments. 1t was no shrapnel lombard
ment. but tho customary prodtgal ex-
penditure of high-explosive shells
= uybi oh a T.
tempt to prepare the way for their
infantry charges.
In our trench all seemed hopeless
confusion for 4 little while: Men
and communicating bitches. Non -coms
and officers ran up and down the lanes,
believing orders and explanations.
Then out of the confusion came a
semblance Of order. The men appear
ed all armed and equipped, bayonets
in place. They stationed themselves
in every conceivable nook and Granny
Of shelter. each little group in COM
mand of a corporal or sergeant. with
1t being obvious that no one spot
was safer than another under that
tremendous cannonade. 1 pushed on
through the dugout to the firing trench
itself. Here I found a solid line OF
bomb proof shelters. Out beyond the
trench, like prairie dogs peering up
out of their burrows. knew were
stationed the observers. each at the
end Of the little tunnel connecting
with the ditch where waited his bat
TALON. {
l squeezed in beside a couple Of in
fantrymen who were trying to talk to
each other through the din. ! could
only catch word or two. though each
was shouting At top of his lungs. for
nv this time the British batteries bacx
Of US had opened q heavy hre in an ef-
fort to silence some Of the enemys
guns as we'll As to spray the German
trenches with q hot IRE of shrapnel by
way of making the Germans keep ia
their lairs and not try . dash in the
open.
The two infantry men were Of MID.
dlesex regiment. i wanted to hea,
what they thought of this affair, but