Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1917-08-17


KY OF battle. For instance. when W,
had got Into the German trench ent
were holding II against the mos
vigorous couIterettacks the thought
which was perslsfentiy uppermost II
my mind was that / had lost the adj
dress OF giri IN London along with
some papers which had thrown away
Just before We started over and which
| should certainly never be able TO find
again
Hold Regina Trench at Last.
The Regina trench had been taken
and Lost three times by the British.
We took II that day and held II. We
went into action with 1900 men OF all
ranks and came out with GOO.
have said that because we were on
the extreme right OF the line we had
the hottest little spot In France to
hold for awhile. You see. we had to
institute double defensive. as we
had the Germans on our front and on
our flank. the whole length OF the
trench 10 the right OF us being stlll
held by the Germans There we had
70 form block" massing our bomb
ers behind barricade which was only
ffteen yards from the barricade be-
hind which the Germans were lighting
Our flank and the German flank were
In contact as fiery as that OF two live
wire ends And meanwhile the Fritzes
tried 10 rush us on our front with nine
"a. oh nnIu of
them got up close to us. and we went
out and stopped that with the bayonet.
Behind our block barricade there was
the nearest approach 20 an actual gght-
Ing hell that | had seen.
Aud yet man who was IN the midst
OF II from beginning 10 end came out
without scratch. lie was a tall chap
named Hunter. For twenty-four hours.
without interruption. he threw German
'eggsbcli" bombs from a position at
the center OF our barricade. He never
stoppsd except Go Hight n cigarette or
yell for some one TO bring him more
bombs from Iritx's captured store
house. He projected a regular curtain
OF IRE OF his own. I've no doubt the
Germans reported he was couple OF
piatoons. working In alternate reliefs.
lie was awarded the ID. c. NJ. for his
services In that fight. and. though, as
/ said, he was unwounded, half the
men around him we're Killed. and his
nerves finished In such condition that
be had 10 be sent back TO England.
The Big Blunder and What II Cost.
one OF the great tragedies OF the war
resulted from bit OF acarelessness
when a couple OF days later the effort
was made 10 extend our grip beyond
the spot which we took In that FIRST
fight. rians had been made for the
Forty fourth battalion of the Tenth
Canadian brigade to take by assault
the trench section extending 60 the
right from the point where we had es-
tablished the block" ON our flank. The
hour for the attack had been fixed
Then headquarters sent out counter.
handing order. Something wasn't
quite ready.
The orders were sent by runners. as
All confidential orders must be. Tele-
phones are OF no avail any more. as
both our people aud the Germans have
an apparatus which needs only 10 be
attached 10 a metal spike In the ground
10 "plck up" every telephone message
within a radius Of three miles. When
telephones are used for anything Inn
portant messages are sent In code
But for any vitality Important commI
which might cost serious
losses. N misunderstood. old style run
uers afe used. Just as they were IN the
DAYS when the neld telephone was I'M
heard 81. II Is the rule 60 dispatch two
or three ruigers by different routes so
that enc az least WIN bc certain 90 ar.
rive. IN the case OF the countermand-
Ing of the order for the Fourty -fourth
battalion 20 assault tho German post
tion on our gank some officer at head
quarters Thought that one messenger
10 the lieutenant colonel commanding
the Forty fourth would be sufficient
The messenger was Killed by chance
shot. and his message was undellyerrd
The Fortyfourth. m Ignorance of the
change OF plan. went over" There
was 40 harrage fire to protect them.
and their valiant effort was simply a
wholesale suicide. Six hundred out Of
800 men were on the ground tn two
aud half minutes. The battalion was
simply wiped out. Several officers
were court martialed as result OF
this terrible bluuder
We had gone into the German
trenches az little after noon ON sat
ariar. on sunday night az about 10
..-cLncA ~. AAnrn rcllexad The relief