Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1917-12-07


or dugouts. The communication
trenches We're all blown in. and every
thing had to come to us overland, with
the result that we never were quite
sure when we would get ammunition,
rations or relief forces. The most
awful thing was that the soil all about
us was filed with freshly buried men.
If we undertook to cut a trench or
enlarge q funk hole our spades struck
into human flesh and the explosion of
big shell along our line sent decom-
posed and dismembered and sickeping
mementos of an earlier fight shower
ing among us. We lived in the muck
and stencil of glorious" war, those of
us who lived.
The German Dugout--aad What They
Found.
Here and there along this line were
mans, and we made what use of them
we could. but that was little. l had
orders one day to locate q dugout and
prepare it for use as battalion head
quarters. When l led q squad in to
clean 1t up the odor was so overpow-
ering that we had to put on our gas
masks. On entering we first saw two
dead nurses with eur CHASTITY fash
lights, one standing with her arm
around q post just as she had stood
when gas or conclusion killed her.
Seated at table in the middle of the
place was the body of an old general
of the German medical corps, his head
fallen between his hands. The task
of cleaning up was too dreadful for
us. We just tossed in four or five
fumite bombs and beat it out NJ there.
A few hours later we went into the
scared and empty cavern, made the
roof safe with new timbers aud noti-
fed battalion headquarters that the
place could be occupied.
During this time witnessed 4 scene
which, with some others, shall never
forget. An old chaplain of the Cana
dian forces came to our trench section
seeking the grave of his son, which
had been marked for him on a rude
map by an officer who had seen the
young mans burial. I'VE managed to
find the spot, and at the old chaplsin's
request we exhumed the body. Some
of us suggested to him that he give us
the Identification marks and retire cut
of range of the shells which were
bursting all around us. We argued
that it was unwise for him to remain
in danger, but what we really intended
was that he should be saved the horror
of seeing the pitiful thing which our
spades were about to uncover.
II shall remain" was all he said.
He was my boy"
1t proved that we had found the
right body. One of our men tried to
clear the features with his handker.
chief, but ended by spreading thu
over the face. The old
chaplain stood beside the body and
his trench helmet, barring his
gray head to q drizzle of rain that was
falling. Ther while we stood by silent
" his voice rose amid the noise of
bursting shells, repeating the burial
service of the Church of England.
have never been so impressed by any.
thing in my life as by that scene.
The dead man was young captain.
He had been married to lady of Bal
timore just before the outbreak of the
war.
The philosophy of the British Tom
MES and the Canadians and the Aus
-ralians on the Somme was remark
lble reflection of their fine courage
through all that hell. They went about
heir work paying no attention to the
lying death about them.
IF Fritz has a shell with your name
md number on it." said British Tom
ny to rae one day, you're going to
get it, whether you're in the front line