The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1917-08-14

After had been hit remember feel
ing relieved that hadn't been hurt
enough to keep ME from going on will
the men. I'm not trying to make my
self out a hero. I'm just trying to tel
you how an ordinary mans mind
works under the stress of fighting and
the danger of sudden death There
are some queer things in the psycholo-
gy OF battle. For instance, when. we
had got into the German trench and
were holding it against the most
vigorous cOunterattacks the thought
which was persistently uppermOst In
my mind was that 1 had lost the adj
dress OF a girl 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 it that day and held 1t. We
went into action with 1900 men Of all
ranks and came out with 600.
l 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 a double defensive, as We
had the Germans on our front and on
our flank, the whole length Of the
trench to the right of us being still
held by the Germans. There we had
to form "block," massing our bomb
ers behind barricade which was only
fifteen yards from the barricade be-
hind which the Germans were fighting
Our flank and the German flank were
in contact as fiery as that Of two live
wire ends. And meanwhile the Fritzes
tried to rush us on our front with nine
separate counterattacks. Only one 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 to an actual fight
ing hell that had seen.
And yet q man who was in the midst
Of it from beginning to end came out
without scratch. He was tall chap
named Hunter. For twenty-four hours.
without interruption, he threw German
"eggshell" bombs from position at
the center OF our barricade. He never
stopped except to light cigarette OF
yell for some one to bring him more
bombs from FritZ's captured store
house He projected a regular curtain
Of fire of his own. I've no doubt the
Germans reported he was couple OF
platoons. working In alternate reliefs.
He was awarded the D. G. NJ. for his
services in that fight, and, though, as
| said. he was unwounded, half the
men around him were killed, and his
nerves finished In such condition that
he had to be sent back to England.
The Big Blunder and What It Cost.
One of the great tragedies Of the war
resulted from bit Of carelessness
when couple Of days later the effort
was made to extend our grip beyond
he spot which we took in that first
lght. Plans had been made for the
Forty -fourth battalion of the Tenth
Canadian brigade to take by assault
he trench section extending to the
light from the point where we had es-
.ablished the ''block" on our flank. The
lour for the attack had been fixed.
Then headquarters sent out counter
order. Something wasn't
quite ready.
Ill confidential orders must be. Tele-
,hones are OF no avail any more, as
10Th our people and the Germans have
IN apparatus which needs only to be
attached to metal spike in the ground
o ''pick up" every telephone message
within a radius of three miles When
are used for anything I'M
,Ortant messages are sent In code.
But for any vitality important commu
icatlon which might cost serious
osses, If misunderstood, old style run
ers are used, just as they were In the
avs when the field telephone was I'M
card of. 1t is the rule to dispatch two
+ three runners by different routes so
hat one at least will be certain to ar
i've In the case Of the countermand-
lg Of the order for the Fourty-fourth
attalion to assault the German posi-
on on our flank some officer at head
uarterS thought that one messenger |
, the lieutenant colonel commanding |
lie Forty-fourth would be sufficient |
he messenger was killed by a chance
not, and his message was undelivered
he Forty-fourth, in ignorance of the
lange of plan. went over There
as no barrage fire to protect them.
nd their valiant effort was simply a
holesale suicide. Six hundred out of
No men were on the ground In two
I'd a half minutes. The battalion was
IMPLY wiped out. Several officers
ere court martialed as result OF
lis terrible blunder.
We had gone into the German
enches at a little after noon on Sat
day. On Sunday night at about 10
clock we were relieved. The relief
rec had TO come in overland. and J