South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-08-11
How it Feels to Make
A Dash From Trenches

LONDON. Aug. lit used she
iaid that trench warfare had a to n
iency to destroy a soldiers KEEN
less in attack Nobody who "a G<s
Nth the wounded can think IL n s
his erect on the new army or o.
,ers and men an speak with excite o.
nent and delight OF going Overt"
That is the universal phrase.
one officer put IT, Going owe r
means 20 us the dash into omen az r
and freedom after the tedious Camp b.
ng life of the trenches We hail
1een shut up behind the bars Of oui
rench all these months. and now
xe were free. There was no need
% urge the men on when they were
climbing on and up. They were wild
10 get out and this was the vieWt
II a man from Bedford who was fun
n enthusiasm for the great push
1T was as though the war hads
become sleepy" he said, "and il wast
line something was done 10 10. Thee
Commandment was wicked We.
fred 20 times 20 their once Bu1
he noise was cruel We felt IT, II
.an tell you. And as for the Ger.
mans. when we took them il seem :
ID as II the sound Of the guns haC ?
got into their heads. They wer, 2
iazed. more like children than men =.
Whenever YOU got near them the, Z
oegan crying. Mercy Kamorade.
But when the bombardmer 3
,eased and we left the trenches W .
we're like schoolboys / had bee n
waiting for this for a year sha q
never forget IT, We had bee o
lfraid we were never going 10 e 4
Z the Germans. and there we wer 4
70 among their trenches. Didn't W =
ct them have a bomb or two"
IN the same strain an officer froI n
Kent spoke Of the fascination q
-aiding. these little raids are r. ,
garded as "a sort OF picnic amid IN =
.edium Of trench life. and a fairl )
heap picnic too. He had taken 3
men out OF one of these expedition $
near Armentieres. and had brough 4
hem all back a gain. one man wit b
4 bullet in the Leg and himself wit h
a bullet in the shoulder The ex =
,itvment becomes a kind Of passion :
ne explained, and there is tremen 60
jOus keenness among the men 70 r
he job Some soldiers want TO E
always at il. The fun of the Who'll 2
hing is the look on the faces of tn 2
Germans when you get TO thei :
renches. He thought these raidinl
.actics one Of the happiest inspira
ions OF the war. They had broker
ne monotony Of trench life. ant
Kept the Germans IN perpetual sus e
)ense.
People used to wonder how IN,
Jerks and factory workers Of Ian q
.ashire would stand military life an, I
what kind OF soldiers they woul, /
make. There can be no doubt q (
he answer after the wonderful ]
ighting OF the Manchesters. WA 5
alking 20 a wounded man Of IL. >
-egiment. one of 10 men employe a
II "A weaving mill before the waa- .
HE battalion was 10 start at $50 tCl
AXE a village another battaliun'
starting at 7,3O TO take the trenche, -
The 7.3O men were TO put bridge 5
across the trenches when they ha, I
AIKEN them. and the $50 men were.
20 follow on and sweep over the
trenches into the village
The first rush was "a immediate
success. and before the $50 men.
itarted German prisoners were com
ne i'm i'm great numbers. IL was e.
curious spectacle. for the German
prisoners were so relieved 10 md
themselves out Of the lombard
nent that they were laughing and
i0king and the Manchesters began
% think that perhaps the Germans
holding the village would be just as
happy 70 be made prisoners. OG
hey started. and they ran straight
nto a storm of machine gun fire.
But they went on. in little groups OF
i've or six. with cigarets between
heir lips and Lancashire jokes III
heir mouths. OF course. they haC
casualties-my friends among them
but not a man faltered
An officer in the Lancashire regi-
nent gave an amusing description
II a scene in a trench abandoned by
he Germans. The officers were dc
scribed as looking as if they were
dressed for parade, with their uni
forms quite clean.
The trench and duE-Outs were