Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-03-10
TOMMY ATKINS
PH|LOSOP
IN TRENCH LIFE
Frederick Palmer Tells How
Correspondents Find British
Soldiers CheerfuIIy Facing
Death on Firing Line,
Frederick Palmer, who Is az the
front In France for the Associated
Press, sends the following:

IfIt w wv lli" stNAthiul
Press, sends the following:
British Headquarters IN France (vi
London, March g. sos o. m ---'Ther
YOU are ana Keep your head down
It is fair target at that distance,
said tho officer who had come Ou
Of the shelter 90 meet the newspape
who We're being pei
nlitted to visit the trenches
The correspondents were IN the do
lenses at the edge Of hardwood
grove called the PloegHteet woods
The British had fought ficreely j
order 90 get possession Of this grove
for II meant cover for them Occa
Vionally bullets whlFtled overhead an
The swish of German shells. whic
We're being fired al something IN tn
rear passed higher mp while a hid
den British battery was sending N
shells i'm the opposite direction.
Waiting for "Gcrboys."
AZ intervals in the detenses, tn
men were waiting with rifles laid T.
plug any moving thing that locke,
like "Gcrbov'
M Gerboy helmet appears cal
YOU put a hole through it?' was askol
Of one of the riflemcn,
at looks so. They don't put then
up very often, sir, WAS the answer
Two hundred and fifty yards ava
was wan Of sand bags. The bar
fields between the two lines was a
lifelcss rs a desert and for all on
could see. The German breastworl
was not occupied by single humol
being. But there. as on the Britisl
side, sharpshooters were waiting am
officers were watching through the re
fractng mirrors Of the periscopes.
Same for Three Months.
For three months the trenches hav
remained In the same position, ant
never IN all that time. here az else
where along the line, but some on,
is on the lookout and the reserves ar,
ready for an attack
"llore we will be until the big pusl
comes" say the men, by the IBIS
push they refer to the movemen
when the British army gets out O
the trenches.
At night German patrols creep on
TO see IL the British are up TO any
thing new. and the British do like
wise to ascertain if the Germans are
And sometimes some of the men ar'
killed.
Planting PrimrOses.
Those who are not on watch arr
lounRing on beds of straw under tn
timber roofs. To the rear there ar,
many more shelters where officer
and men are quartered One OH
South African veteran was plantin,
primroses on the earth roof Of BIZ
house. 1T is getting primrose tim,
mt home in England he said
Except for the thresh of shells ant
the bang of the guns, the scene i
most peaceful. When the German
nut loose with some thrills of Tn,
rapid fire guns or begin Smelling, th'
men take 20 their shelters until IN,
storm IL over. They are always II
danger from snlpng and are likely
10 be called at any minute to suffer
heavy losses in repelling m attack
rhey are veterans who cease to thinh
IF possibilities.
No Use 10 Worry.
"lf YOU are killed why you ere
billed" says Tommy Atkins, "anc
what's the use Of worrying about ~
Fhe more You worry the better n
,leases the Germans
From Mons to Ypres, the British
'egulars gained familiarity with death
Very proud are the men who have
stuck II through from the time Of
he British landing until now Wher
me Of them was asked about IT h,
aid:
Just luck, that's all Maybe IN get
I from a sniper when this winter Is
,ver"
Al night all the work In the neigh
,orhood of the trenches is done
Neross the fire zone. behind the
renches, food ana timbers and every
hing needed in the trenches is car
lied up by hand in q sallow of mud
Yet one hears no growing or swear
ug when It would mean that human
irritation must have an escape valve
Profanity Too Costly.
Profanity comes too high. said i
,oldier THE GerboYs may hear YOU
md then turn loose And il may not
luly cost YOU your life but your pals.
70 one who has been much with The
British army ON campaign, has heard
he same remark many times ana
lpoSen in the same language. II has
peculiar appeal.
with darkness falling over the fla
COUNTRY and the buildings become
,hadowy, the correspondents walked
away from the cover of q village WIFI
he commanding officer of that see
ion OF the front. with the rattle of a
Machine gun growing louder, toward
he trench Whenever any one goes
lcur the front he is hound 20 heat
he machine gun, even in this quiet
pot of the British front
Keep Machine Guns Going.
"rhey can't he firing at any defi-
lite object in the dark queried a
correspondent
Perhaps perhaps not the Of
ieer replied THE gun is laid for
he top of their trench We don't
told down the fire too much MS we
want the Germans to know We are
IN deck
Are we In bullet range yet?' was
sked,
Rather, five hundred yards, That's
Why We don't walk up in the day
ime The flares you see are going
~ from the German trenches" re-
llied the officer,
These flares, like Fouth of July
ockets, threw glare over the sod
len fields and revealed the faces OF
he correspondents and the officer
md outlined their figures.
Germans Keep Watch.
I'm that way they keep watch 10
see that we are not creeping up for
IN attack, the officer added
Another 500 Yards of plunging in
mud ana the correspondents descend
ID into the wet earth behind tiers OF
sandhags and were walking ON a
boardwalk at the bottom Of a great
ditch step off that and one sank
over his ankles. The commanding Of
Iicer pulled aside curtain and lieu
tenant came ont OF his cellar, looking
neat enough for a parade. Neatness
under any conditions Is a point with
L