Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1917-08-10

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wv front line trenches In Belgium
We relieved the Twenty sixth
Canadian battalion. Scouts from that
organization came back to the villages
of Dinkiebusch and Renninghelst to
tell us how glad they were to see us
and to show us the way In. AS we
proceeded overland, before reaching
the communication trenches at the
front, these scouts paid us the hospita.
bile attention due strangers-that is,
one of them. leading platoon, would
say:
Next 200 yards in machine gun
range. Keep quiet, don't run and be
ready to drop quick if you are warned
There was one scout to each platoon,
and we followed him single file, most
Of the time along roads or we'll worn
paths, but sometimes through thickets
and ragged fields. Every now and then
the scout would yell at us to drop,
and down we'd go on our stomachs,
while away off in the distance we
could hear the output" of machine
guns, the first sound OF hostile firing
that had ever reached our ears.
tits all right" said the scout
"They haven't seen us or got track OF
us. They're just firing on suspicion"
Nevertheless, when our various pla.
toons had oil got into the front reserve
trenches, at about two hours after mid.
night, we learned that the first blood
of our battalion had been spilled. Two
men had been wounded, though neither
fatally. Our own stretcher bearers
took our wounded bacll to the field
hospital ut Dinkiebusch The men OF
; the Twenty-sixth battalion spent the
rest of the night instructing us and
then left us to hold the position. We
Were rs nervous as lot of cats, an6
1T seemed to me that the Germans
must certainly know that they could
come over and walk right through us
but outside of few casualties from
sniping, such us the one TINT befer
the Fourteenth platoon man, which J
have told about, nothing very alarming
happened the first day and night, an6
by that time we had got steady OH oui
job. We held the position for twenty
six days. which Is the longest period
that any Canadian or British organiza
ton has ever remained in front line
trench.
In none of the stories I've read have
ever seen trench fighting as it was
carried on in Belgium adequately de
scribed. You see, you can't get much
of an idea about thing like that max
ing quick tour of the trenches under
official direction and escort as thu
newspaper and magazine writers do
I couldn't undertake to tell anything
worth while about the big issues Of the
war, but can describe how soldiers
have to learn to fight in the trenches
and think good many of our young
fellows have that to learn now. "Ovei
there" they don't talk of peace O,
even OF tomorrow. They sit back and
take 1t.
We always held the fire trench Of
lightly as possible, because it is 6
demonstrated fact that the front ditch
cannot be successfully defended in
determined attack. The thing we die
and the thing to do is to be ready t.
jump on to the enemy as soon as hi
has got into your front trench and Il
fighting on ground that you know ant
he doesn't and knock so many kinds
OF tar out of him that he'll have to pull
his load for spot that isn't so warm
That system worked first rate with us
During the day we had only very
few men In the fire trench If nm Mt
tack is coming in daylight there's al
ways plenty Of time to get ready fol
1T. At night we kept prepared fol
trouble all the time We had a nigh
sentry on each firing step and maj
Sitting at his feet to watch him to SCI
he wasn't secretly sniped. Then WE
had sentry In each ebay" of tn,
trench to take messages.
Orders didn't permit the man on thu
firing step or the man watching hin
to leave post on any excuse whatever
during their two hour "spelp' of duty.
Hanging on string, at the elbow Of
each sentry on the fire step was
siren whistle or an empty shell case
and bit Of iron with which to ham,
mer on 1t. This, whichever 1t might
be, was for the purpose of spreading
the alarm In case of a gas attack.
Also we had sentries in listening
posts" ut various points from twenty
to fifty yards out in mo Mans Land"
These men blackened their faces be-
fore they went cover tho top" and then
lay in shell holes or natural hollows.
There was always two of them, bay
Qnet man and O bomber. From the