The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1917-08-15

r WAS taken from Pozieres to Albert
in Ford ambulance or, as the
Tommies would say, ''tin Lizzie"
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 matter of seven miles. and
/ was in fair condition when they lifted
me out and carried me to an operating
table in the field dressing station.
\ 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 II
chance he was about To pass out. but
| knew merely had Il lee pretty badly
smashed up. and while the chaplain
was praying | was wondering il they
would have to cut IL Off | figured, if
so, this would handicap my dancing.
The first formality in IA shrapnel case
Is the administration of an anti-tetanus
innoculation. and when it is done you
realize that they are sure trying to
save your life. The doctor uses a horse
syringe, and the injection leaves a
lump on your chest as big as Il base
ball, which stays with you for forty
eight hours. After the injection a
nurse fills out diagnosis blank with
a 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 he positively indicate
After all of that my wounds were CIV
en- their first real dressing.
Immediately after this was done I
was bundled into another ambulance
and driven to Contay, where the G. G.
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 imbedded In us. The
nurse had told me that | had about
twenty wounds. hfterward her count
proved conservative. More accurate
and later returns showed twenty-five
bullets and shell fragments were In
my leg They took these out aud pre-
n 1 a.
ing them away for souvenirs.
We were fairly comfortable In the
ambulance. and especially had great
relief from the fact that the nurse had
strapped my leg In sling attached to
the top of the vehicle We smoked
cigarettes and chattcd checrfully, ex-
changing congratulations on having
got "clcan oncs"-that Is. wounds not
probably fatal. The artillery officer
told me be had been supporting our
battalion that morning with one of the
Sacrifice batteries"
A sacrifice battery, | might explain.
Is one composed Of field pieces which
are cmplaced between the front and
support lines and which In ease OF an
attack or counterattack are fired M
point 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 10y AN entire divi
Sion OF artillery and that on our front
Of 400 yards the eighteen Founders
alone. in a curtain fire which lasted
thirty-two minutes. had discharged
$4,000 rounds of high explosive shells.
was impressed by his statement, OF
course. but told him that. while this
was an astonishing lot of ammunition.
II was even more surprising to have
noticed at close range, as l did. the
number Of Germans they missed. To
ward the end Of our trip to Contay We
were much exhausted and pretty badly