Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1915-10-22
HIS FIRST CHARGE
Britisher's Experience of the
Realities of War.
Hesitated In Thick of Battle at Firs'
Opportunity to Take Human Life
-"Saw Red" When His Com
rade Was Shot Down.


young British soldier who had been Q
London broker a few months ago, told
the story of his first bayonet charge
1t will be his last, too, for he will
never be we'll enough again to be sent
back to the front.
1--WE had gone into the trenches
round Ypres only a few days BEFORE
he said, land my first experience OF
the realities of war was to lie patiently
suffering an awful inactivity while the
artillery on both sides belched de
struction on the men facing each
other in the trenches.
"As dawn broke l felt an uncon
trollable desire to climb out of the
trench into the open, but l knew il
was counting death, as l saw the next
moment. The man nearest me raised
his head above the parapet, and in ar
instant was bagged by a sniper. He
rolled over with stified murmur, an6
lay quite still with his face buried in
the soft red earth. turned him over
and spoke to him, but he was dead
with hole in his forehead.
"The day passed fairly quiet until
dusk, when we received the order tina,
in an hours time we were to storm
one of the enemy's advanced positions
The next hour seemed lifetime. The
noise Of the bombardment swelle6
louder and louder, but l hardly no
ticed it. The men around me showed
their emotions in their faces. Some
were excited and showed an almost
exaggerated enthusiasm for the WORK
in hand. The majority were strangely
silent. l can honestly say l felt nc
actual fear, but l could not help re
membering that in a short time oul
numbers would probably be reduced
by half, and was prepared for the
worst.
"In five minutes the order would be
given and the thought Of what was
coming made my blood boil. l, too
became impatient to get out into that
stretch of open ground which separated
us from our goal 1t was dark now
and the enemy's searchlight began te
sweep our positions. Two more min
utes and we should leap from oul
trenches.
THE bombardment reached its
height, and with a wild, vicious fina
roar which seemed to open the
heavens 1t ceased. The moment haG
arrived. The order was given, and
scrambling over the parapet, We
emerged into the shell-swept zone. The
enemy's guns began to spit fire among
our ranks, but no one wavered. If We
had felt any fear it had now left us
Men fell on all hands, but with vel
we rushed forward with barred stee
towards the raised ground.
Our artillery had done its worl
we'll, for we found the wire defenses
almost completely blown away. We
reached the enemys front trenches
and l raised my bayonet as a big Ba
varian made to fire at me.
Then something within me made
me hesitate, and a comrade laid the
man out just in time. In the thick o.
the fight it had just dawned on me
that was about to take human life
for the first time, and / had felt Z
momentary repugnance.
"The next instant, however, one o.
our men next to me fell in a heap ant
a bullet whizzed past my face. Ther
| knew what it was to see red' Witt
yell l bayoneted the German whit
had shot the man, and had soon &C
counted for three more. The place wa.
| like a shambles. The German from
line trenches were filled with a heal
Of torn and bloody corpses and W,
were now attacking the rear trenches
Then suddenly l felt a pain in my
shoulder, but rushed on. l tried tt
raise my rife, but found l could not
and the next moment was hit stimuli
taneously in the arm and the jaw. TIL,
pain was terrible. but as l lay on tn,
ground l tried to shout for joy. wa.
infected with the fever of our success
for knew that the position was won
Then lost consciousness and l WOKE
up in the field hospital"