The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1916-07-20
Somewhere in Belgium,


June Z, 1916.
Ny Dear Mother:---Why 1 am able
to write today l do not know unless luck
and goodwill prevailed, for l never
expected to get out of our last do.
No doubt you saw by the papers of
the fight we had on June End, 3rd
and 4th, in fact it is not over yet;
but my experiences are on a par with
any of those who came out of it.
On the morning of the End we were
in the supports and about p. M. the
Germans began to register shots ON the
buildings around. l was in an old
building so moved out just as shell
came through and brought one of tne
walls down. In about an hour they
started to lombard the front line. sup.
ports and the road. There was nothing
but a mass of fire and smoke, then the
gas shells came, but not enough to
bother us. That lasted four hours; then
we could see the Germans up over the
top Of the hill and we knew we were
in for it. We had orders to 60 to the
front and started to file out under the
worst shell fire imaginable. The sights
we passed going up were simply hOr-
rible, headless bodies, arms, legs, and
men cut up something fierce.
| They opened up again three times
during the night, and they were bonn
bardments. / was buried twice during
the night. We were in twos, spread
out and I had to have my man with
me replaced four times. Three of them
got it and we were shoulder to Shout
| der every time.
Next morning at $500 we had orders
| to get ready to charge over a piece OF
uphill ground, $50 yards to the Ger.
mans, so / thought sure it was my last
few minutes on this earth. took a
good look around, the whistle blew and
every man up with a good old British
Canadian yell and over the top.
1t was perfect heri and the machine
! gun fire turned on IS was as bad rs
could be put on. About ten yards from
the trench after going over the top
a shell landed right on the lad next mo
and went up in the air and landed
ON the side of the trench and rolled
back in. l was knocked out for some
time, then an officer and private
came along but went back.
A sergeant and five men Of another
battalion came up and started over the
top, but they were all killed but one
before they were rightly over.
The officer and private came back
and the trench was all blown in so we
could not get back to what was left
30 we went up the other way and the
officer left us there and said we better
wait until relief came or night came on
1t was then about 1915 a. IN. and il
is not dark until $3.50, so we had tt
wait there with hardly any cover. The
Germans saw us going there and start
ed to shell US so we had to move over
the open again until we found a place
where they had stored bombs.
We went in there but the first shei
about buried us and we stayed there
under bombardment until 1890 thai
night and kept digging away so W.
would not be buried alive. During these
thirty-six hours I had nothing to eat
smoke or drink, and l would have
given Ill 1 possessed for drink OF
water
We .tlrt"1 r. 20 ! ask aftcr dark Az
there was no trench III, only wouE IL:
AMI dead men and fallen trees. Re-
Cross men were going as fast as they
could to help the wounded. They sure
ly deserve credit for their part.
The Germans got into one dressing
station and bayoneted the wounded and