The Ekalaka eagle. [volume] (Ekalaka, Mont.) 1909-1920, 1915-12-17
Canadian Soldier Tells of His
Varied Experiences While Fight
ing In the Allies Trenches.
Ration Parties Which Are Fair
Game For the Enemy.
- OVAL D. TRACY, born in Din
digul, Madura district, India,

~ OVAL D. TRACY, born in Din
digul, Madura district, India,
thirty-hve years ago of Eng
lish parents, landed in New
York city a few days ago after 1926
days in the trenches and with several
fragments of German shrapnel dis
tributed throughout his anatomy. MIR.
Tracy Is recuperating and debating
whether, after getting rid Of a few
more shell splinters, he will take adj
vantage Of a recommendation from his
colonel for a commission in the Brit
1sh army and go back to the firing line
or remain In America. He will at
least stay over the Christmas holidays.
"I've done my Bit" said Mr.. Tracy,
"and l suppose 1 ought to be satisfied,
but there's something about the sound
Of a zip-bang that is wonderfully fas-
chatting, and when a chap has been
as lucky as l have and come through
with as little damage he feels the call
that is hard to resist.
what Is a zip-bang? Oh, that is
one Of the shells from the small trench
mortars. They sing over your head
every few minutes, and when they
don't hurst in your vicinity Tor you
can duck them when they don't ex-
plode) they are very amusing indeed.
you see, it's all a matter Of tenn
permanent. Some men can't resist the
lure. When l was invaded l thought
l would want to mix up with it
again, but now hat l am feeling quite
ut once more, l have a hankering to
be out there again with my pals.
had some good pals too. The trenches
are where you get to know men,"
The Happy Fifth.
When the Fifth battalion, Canadian
known in Flanders as the Happy
Fifth-sa1led for England early in No
Vember, 1914, Private Tracy had train
ed about seven weeks. He had enlist
ed at Valcartier. The Happy Fifth
arrived at Salisbury plains, and Pri
waite Tracy began drawing pay equiv.
a1ent to $1.1o a day. He had some
thing like $50 when his regiment
boarded a transport for France on
Feb. i.
I'VE landed at st. Lazare," said
Tracy, (which is the French naval
base, and were soon on the way to
Strazelle. We got a taste of the game
there and then formed a part of a fly
ing column ordered to Armentieres
where we served in the trenches Will
a M1ddlesex regiment until we wer,
sent off to Sully and thence to Fleur
baix. At Fleurbaix we held the TRENCHES
for eight weeks, and it was there tina
things happened to me.
Troops are taken into the trenche
at 8 p. m. in platoons Of sixty-fou
men each. These platoons are distrih
uted along the line at short intervals
and then the captains of companie
and l1eutenants Of platoons lay out tn
details to bring in rations. The worI
OF the ration parties is to go bacl
about a mile and a half to the suppl
wagons and bring In the food to las
tWenty-fOur hOurs-fresh beef, fine ba
con, pea soup in tubes in concentrate,
form.
Making Dugouts Bombproof.
"After the ration parties get back t,
the trenches. if things are quiet. the,
are allowed three hours sleep. Mean
time sentries are set and the rest O
the men are put to work improving tn,
trenches-flling sand bags, buildin:
up the sides of the trenches which ma,
have caved in, strengthening the side:
Of the traverses or digging new ones