The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1917-08-24
r WAS taken from Pozieres to'Slbert

r WAS taken from Pozieres to- eSipert
in Ford ambulance or, as me
Tommies would say, a "tin LizzieS'
The man who drove this vehicle would
make good chauffeur for an adding
machine Apparently he was counting
the bumps in the road. for he didn't
miss one of them. However, the trip
was only a matter of seven miles, and
l was in fair condition when they lifted
me out and carried me to an operating
table in the field dressing station
a chaplain came along and murmur-
ed little prayer in my ear. imagine
that would have made man feel very
solemn if he had thought there was a
chance he was about to pass out, but
knew merely had LEG pretty badly
smashed up, and while the chaplain
was praying | was wondering II they
would have to cut it off. figured. If
so, this would handicap my dancing.
The first formality in a shrapnel case
is the administration of an anti-tetanus
innoculation, and when 1t is done you
realize that they are sure trying to
save your life. The doctor uses horse
syringe. and the injection leaves a
lump on your chest as big as a base
ball, which stays with you for forty
eight hours. After the injection
nurse fills out diagnosis blank with
description of your wounds and a
record of your name, age, regiment,
regimental number, religion, parentage
and previous history as far as she can
discover it without asking questions
which would be positively indelicate
After all Of that my wounds'were civ.
en- their first real dressing
Immediately after this was done
was bundled into another ambulance
and driven to Contay. where the c. O.
S. Casualty clearing station and rail
head were located. In the ambulance
with me were three other soldiers, an
artillery officer and two privates of In
fantry We were all ticketed off as
shrapnel cases and probable recoveries,
which latter detail is remarkable, since
the most slightly injured of the four
had twelve wounds, and there were
! sixty odd shell fragments or shrapnel
balls collectively Undecided in us. The
nurse had told me that ] had about
twenty wounds Afterward her count
proved conservative More accurate
and later feturns showed TWENTY-FIVE
bnllets and shell fragments were In
my leg They took these out aud pre-
ssnled them 10 lie have been CIV
ihsahein awily f6r souvenirs
We were fairly comfortable IN the
ambnlaDfe and / especially had great
relle from lie fret that the nurse had
strapped my leg IN sling attached to
the top Of the vehicle We smoked
cigarettes and chatted clieerfully ex-
changing congratulations on having
got clean ones that is, wounds not
probable Natal The artillery officer
told me he I hAa been SUPPORTING our
Z :laj--.r On that morning with one OF the
sacrifice batteries
a sacrifice battery, might explain,
is one composed of field pieces which
are emplaced between the front ana
support lines and which in case OF an
attack or commentaries are fred at
Doint blank range. They call them
sacrifice batteries because some Of
them are wiped out every day This
officer said our battalion that morning
had been supported by an entire dlvi
sion of artillery and that on orr frobl
of 400 yards the eighteen FOUNDERS
alone. In crrtain Gre which LASTED
thirty-two minutes. had discharge.
$4,000 rounds Of high explosive shells
was impressed by his statement, Q
course but told him that While I'M
was an astonishing lot of Ammunition
II was even more surprising to nav
noticed at close range, as dld, IN
number Of Germans they missed To
ward the end Of our trip TO Coniay v
wrrc much exhausted and pretty baei