The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1917-12-13
When Word Comes Men Behind
Lines Work With Desperate
Speed.
may MEAN Defeat
Road Builders Who Follow FIGHTING
Ranks Taxed to the. Utmost-Mo.
tor Lorries Play an Important
Part in the Work.
BY r, w, WARD.

London.-To render an advance pos.
sible and to insure that everything
shall be kept up to date behind the line
is no small order. There is no time for
sitting down and thinking things v
If anything has to be done it has to be
done at once. A few hours delay
might be very convenient to the organ
izer, but such delay would probably
vitiate any plans he might make. That
is why, when anything has to be done
in the matter of repairs and rearrange-
ments behind the line it has to be done
at top speed. There are no hours in
the army. If a job has to be rushed,
then everybody buckles to the task and
keeps OF slogging until the job is fin
ished. Tommy may grouse-he wouldn't
be much good if he didn't-but he
gets away with the job when he knows
it is important.
Once a job had to be done at a spot
where the Huns had been Smelling for
three solid days. 1t was just the re-
moval of stores, and all the spare r. A.
M. G. and A. s. G. men had been
pressed into the service on this par
ticular occasion. It was carried through
at night, naturally, and there were no
lights to be shown. The party would
have been blown out of the earth II
there had been any indication of their
presence.
1t wasn't an easy job. In fact, it
was real hard work, the loading up Of
%lorries, wagons, anything that scould
be got in the way of wheeled transport.
snow, then, you chaps" said the Off
Ger in charge, II don't know who you
are or where you come from. But
we've got to get this job done in about
three hours. If we don't we shall be
shelled to h at daylight" There
was some cheerful growing, but the
job was done well under the time, and
a dixie of tea at the finish put every
n in a thoroughly good humor.
Motor Lorries Used.
This was only a small job, "some.
where in France" but it was typical
of an infinite number. AS things are
now, there are plenty of stores and
materi:l to do practically any job, but
of Necessity they are not as a rule on
the spot, where they are actually re.
CURED. Rail heads and engineer
dumps cannot be carried forward on
the very heels of the advance. That
can be easily understood. But when
something has to be done in a hurry,
these materials can be brought up by
means of motor %lorries, with an A. s.
@. driver at the wheel and an engineer
officer in charge.
Ammunition dumps, with their mil
lions Of shells, have to be built so as
to be within easy reach of the trans.
port. But other roads have to be
made, leading through the dump from
the main route. This is necessary in
order that a lorry may be brought in
and loaded or unloaded from either
side. These roads are of the corduroy
variety, a floor of pit props being laid
and made secure, for the time being.
But when it does rain in France-well,
you know all about it. 1t isn't long
before the logs begin to sag, as the
water gets into the ground beneath,
and the first thing you know is that a
lorry dips down at an awkward angle,
n Of the wheels disappears up to the
axle, and the logs splay out in all
directions.
That's where the rush begins. A
strong pun and a long pull gets the
lorry out of the way, up come the
loose logs, the ground beneath is made