South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-12-28
TELLS Of RELIEF
WORK IN FIELD
Carrying Water to Front
Trenches is No Pleasant
PaStime, Says GraySOn.

LONDON, Dec. Correspond
ence) water to the
thirsty fighting men i'm the front
line trenches through a double bar
rage of bursting shells from both
British and German guns. while
the multi-colored flares from the
German trenches cast a weird light
over a shell-riven battlefield puts to
test the nerve and courage Of the
bravest Yet the work must be
done while the battle Is in progress
Stumbling over the bodies OF dead
comrades or falling exhausted
among them, fouudering throuEh
the mud or into shell craters. the
water-carrier yet must struggle on
till he reaches the first line. unless
death relieves him of the task A
vivid story Of one such journey is
told by Victor Grayson, formerly a
member OF the British parliament.
now serving as a private i'm the
British army
II found myself one OF "A party
detailed 70 carry up rations 20 the
front line trenches THROUGH a dual
barrage," he writes. We an knew
that the boys up the line we're 20
hop over at daybreak the following
morning. but we were not aware
until our sergeant-majOr told us,
that they had been without rations
for II hours
''As much as the mud would per
nit, our pace was speeded up, and
we were soon in line upon the
duck boards (board-waIks laid in
mud. myself and my immediate
companions each laden with two
petrol tins OF water.
Line Two Miles Away.
THE front line was about two
miles away. For the first part Of
the journey a bright moon made
the travelling comparatively easy.
But suddenly the dUck-boards end
ed. the moon completely disappear
ed. and the resulting darkness act
ed like a signal TO the opposing bat
teTies. The air was torn with the
howls and shrieks OF shells.
1T became a matter of infinite
care and considerable skill TO pick
our way between the deep shell
holes which were sometimes so
close tOgether as TO be divided only
by a slopins ridge of less than a
foot in width The enemy was fir
ing wild and shells were exploding
on all sides with "a prOpinQuity that
made us involuntarily duck our
heads and wait for the inevitable
shower Of dirt and mud. or worse.
Every now and then a man would
lose his footing and he and his
cans would roll with a splash into
a gaping shell hole.
1T seems inconceivable. even
irreverent. that one should laugh
in the midst of such horrors But
when / saw my pal in front dart
away from a menacing shell-burst
ou the right. straight into the
arms, so 10 speak, of a muddy
sheIl-hole on the left. 1 laughed till
a stitch came into my side.
Stop 20 Rest.
When we reached the support
trenches, a halt was called-not a
moment too soon-for rest. Ny
water cans had become amazingly
heavy, and all of us were painting
as we crouched beside our com
rades who We're waiting in the sup
port trench. in reserve 7 had re-
Gently suffered from a cold and 7
heartily wished that my Journey
might soon end. After five minutes
we started out again. and the
serseaut-major set a pace that I
knew / could not sustain. Grad
Tally 7 felt myself falling behind.
and every fresh effort 20 catch up
With my party only served 20 in
crease my exhaustion and limit my
breath. At last. with a feeling of
utter desolauon. / fell beside my
cans. The flares revealed TO me
that / should soon lose contact with
ms hurrying comrades. and the mad
music of the Aurtlng shells slim
ulated me 20 a fresh effort
For a couple of hundred yards I
struggled forward, but, weak and
bereft of wind. I went down once
more and watched, with a sort of
guilty desperation. the rear file of
my party disappear over a ridge be
tween two lonely sheil-stricken
trees. 1t was terrible TO feel alone
on that tortured field yet I was not
altogether alone The htluI glares
lighted up for me the unmistakabIe
faces and forms OF the dead. COM
rades who had fallen on their way
10 the front line.
"A great WEAKNESS seized me.