The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-12-13
In No Mans Land.

In No Mans Land.
"The sooner one gets across No Mans
land, the better, for it is in going across
that most of the danger lies, but, on
account of the rough ground, she'll holes,
barbed wire. etc, and what an infantry
man carries, there is no such thing as
charging on the run and shouting. You
read that kind OF stuff in books, but 1t
very seldom happens nowadays in ac-
tual battle. You beat your way across
the best you can, not getting ahead OF
your comrades and keeping up with
them, taking advantage of all cover you
can. Meanwhile, your own artillery Is
pounding the enemy's front trench as
hard as it can, and when you get TO the
enemy's front line, your artillery then
shells the enemy's second line trench. 1t
il more or less of complicated game
and things don't happen twice alike.
During a charge. it's every man Tor
himself, for you could not hear any com
mand given and there is no need OF com
mand, for all British soldiers know Just
what to do and when to do it. Believe
me. when you get near enough to an
enemy to see the white of his eye, your
veneer of civilization is worn down
pretty thin. You don't need anyone to
tell YOU what to do.
81 belong to bomb throwing section,
which is supposed to be more or less OF
a suicide club, This last time we went
into action | started out with "a bombs
two and a half pounds each, besides the
regulation infantry equipment, with
rifles and $50 rounds of ammunition. we
took the first trench and several prison
ers without great deal of trouble. We
were lust within reaching distance OF
the second line when | got wounded. |
was down on all tours, ready to rush
forward. when our barrage raised, shell
dropped behind and to one side OF me
and | was completely buried. The first
thing I noticed was that everything was
perfectly dark and still. | tried to
move and then | realized | had been
buried. / struggled to my feet and stood
nm and found myself both blind ana
deaf could feel the wind blowing on
NV face and knew that the sun was
shining. but before | had time to feel
sorry for myself, it started to get light
AGAIN and in a few seconds | could see as
we'll as ever, and the first thing | saw
was a mans hand and wrist sticking
ont of the ground and waving like a
schoolgirl waving good bye to ehum' l
started digging with my hands TIL got
the mans head out OF the ground so ne
could breathe Then ! went all IN, l
didn't know | was hurt till then and l
realized it was up to me TO get TO the
rear.
Caring for the Wounded.
"The system for taking care OF the
wounded is something wonderful. lhere
is always a dressing station as near the
front line as it is possible to get 1t, some
times within 500 yards. OF course, 1t Is
in a dugout, as near she'll proof as pos
sible. The medical corps has made
great name for itself in this war and 1t
is all coming to them. The wounded
are kent on the move toward the base
hospital The seriously wounded come to
England; the slightly wounded stay IN
France.
81 was in bed in England within 36
hours after getting hurt and had med
zeal attendance all the way and every
thing possible done for ones comtort-no
crowding and no rushing and no impa-
thence: everything going just as smooth
a. possible. | have paid good stiff bills
once OF twice in my life, but | never got
50 good care for it as we get here. IL
seems as though they believe they can
not do enough for one. 1t is something
I will always remember, the way Eng
land uses its wounded.
"Tbe Canadians have hospitals here
and in France, but ] happened TO get
mixed up with the British some way
and everyone was a stranger 10 me, but
not for very long. The Canadian hos
pitfalls may be just as good, but they
can't be better. After this l viii feel