The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1915-11-04

came to the ear the faint, thin whls-
tie of an approaching shell. The
whistle rose to rush and roar that
cut off abruptly in the thunderous
bang. The shell pitched harmlessly
on the open ground between the for
ward and support trenches.
Again came that faint SIAM this
time repeated by four, and the 'bou-
ouet' of four shells crumped down al
most on top of the support line. The
four crashes might have been a sig
nal to the British guns. About a
dozen reports thudded out quickly
and separately, and then in one ter
rife blast of sound the whole line
broke out in heavy fire. The infant
rv(in the trenches could distinguish
the uuick-following bangs of the
guns directly in line behind them'
could separate the vicious swish and
rush of. the shells passing imme-
diately over their heads. Apart from
these the reports blended in one long
throbbing pulse of noise, an lnde'
scribable medley of moaning, shrleks
and whistling in the air rent by the
passing shells.
The Trenches Astir.
"Along the line of front marked
for the main assault the guns sud-
denly lifted their fire and commence
ed to pour it down further back, al
though a number of the lighter guns
continued to sweep the front parapet
with gusts of shrapnel. And then
suddenly it could be seen that the
front British trenches were alive and
astir. The infantry, who had been
crouched and prone in the shelter
of their trenches, rose suddenly and
began to Chamber over the parapets
into the open and make their way
out through the maze OF their own
entanglements. Instantly the para
pet opposite began to crackle WITH
rife fire and to beat out steady
tattoo from the hammering machine
guns. The bullets Kissed and spat
across the open and hailed upon the
opposite parapet. Scores hundreds
of men fell before they could clear
the entanglements to form up in the
open, dropped as they climbed the
parapet, or even as they stood up
and raised head above it. But the
mass poured out, shook itself roughly
into line, and began to run across the
open. They ran for the most part
with shoulders hunched and heads
stopped, as men would run through
heavy rainstorm to near shelter.
And as they ran they stumbled and
fell and picked themselves up and
ran again-or crumpled up and lay
still or squirming feebly.
-"As the line swept on doggedly it
thinned and shredded into broken
groups. The men dropped under the
rifle bullets singly or in twos and
threes; the bursting shells tore great
gaps in the line, snatching a dozen
men at a mouthful; here and there
where it ran into the effective sweep
of a Maxim, the line simply withered
and dropped and stayed still in a
string of huddled heaps among and
on which the bullets continued toI
drum and thud. The open ground
was dotted thick with men, men ly-
ing prone and still, men crawling on
hands and knees, men dragging
themselves slowly and painfully with
trailing, useless legs, men limplng,
aobbling, staggering, in a desperate
endeavor to get back to their parapet
and escape the bullets and shrapnel
hat still stormed down upon them.
"The British gunners dropped their
.anges again, and deluge' of shells
md shrapnel burst crushing and
upon the enemy's front
,arapet. The rifle fire slackened and
almost died and the last survivors OF
he charge had such chance as was
eft by the enemy's shells to reach the
shelter of their trench. Groups OF
,tretcher-bearers leaped out over the
oarapet and ran to pick up the
wounded, and hard on their heels
another line of infantry swarmed out
and formed up for another attack.
AS they went forward at a run the
.oar of rifles and machine guns swell
I'd again. and the hail of bullets be-
gan to sweep across to meet them.
Into the forward trench they had
vacated the stream of another bat
:alion poured and had commenced to
climb out in their turn before the
advancing lines was much more than
halfway across. This time the cas-
1alties. although appallingly heavy, |