Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-09-04


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 a "block," massing our bomb
ers behind a 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 I had seen.
And yet a 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 q position at
the center Of our barricade. He never
stopped except to light cigarette or
yell for some one to bring him more
bombs from Fritz's captured store
house. He projected regular curtain
Of fire Of his own. I've no doubt the
Germans reported he was couple Of
platoons, working in alternate rehefs.
He was awarded the D. c. 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 a bit Of carelessness
when a couple of days later the effort
was made to extend our grip beyond
the spot which we took in that first
fight Plans had been made for the
Forty-fourth battalion Of the Tenth
Canadian brigade to take by assault
the trench section extending to the
right from the point where we had es-
tablished the "block" on our flank. The
hour for the attack had been fixed.
Then headquarters sent out counter
manding order. Something wasn't
quite ready.
The orders were sent by runners, as
all cor rtidential orders must be. Tele-
phones are of no avail any more, as
| both our people and the Germans have
an apparatus which needs only to be
attached to Il metal spike In the ground
| TO 'pick up every telephone message
within radius Of three miles. When
telephones are used for anything i'm
portant messages are sent in code.
But for any vitally important commu.
nication which might cost serious
losses, If misunderstood, old style run
ners are used, just as they were in the
days when the field telephone was un-
heard Of. 1t is the rule to dispatch two
or three runners by different routes so
that one at least will be certain to ar
rive In the case Of the cOuntermand-
| ing Of the order for the Fourtyfourth
battalion to assault the German posi-
ton Oh our flank some officer at head
quarters thought that one messenger
| to the lieutenant colonel commanding
| the Forty-fourth would be sufficient.
| The messenger was killed by chance
shot, and his message was undelivered.
| The Forty-fourth, in ignorance Of the
change Of plan, went over" There
was no barrage fire to protect them,
and their valiant effort was simply a
| wholesale suicide. Six hundred out OF
800 men were on the ground In two
and half minutes. The battalion was
simply wiped out. Several officers
were court martialed as result OF
this terrible blunder.
We had gone into the German
trenches at little after noon on Sat
urday. On Sunday night at about 10
o'clock we were relieved. The relief
force had to come in overland, and
they nau a good many casualties en-
route. They found us as comfortable
as bugs In a rug except for the infer
nal and continuous bombing at our
flank barricade. The Germans had
| concluded that it was useless to try to
| drive us out. About One-fourth OF the
600 of us who were still on their feet
were holding the sentry posts, and the
remainder Of the 600 were having
banquets in the German dugouts, which
were stocked up like delicatessen shops
with sausages, fine canned foods, cham
payne and beer. If we had only had
a few ladies with us We could have
had a real party.
I got so happily interested in the
spread In our particular dugout that
forgot about my wound until some one
reminded me that orders reQui ed me
to hunt up a dressing station and get
an anti-tetanus injection. The Tom
mics like to take German trench. be
cause If the Fritzes have to move
quickly, as they usually do, we always
find sausage, beer and champagne,
welcome change from bully beef.
could never learn to Like their bread
however.
After this fight was sent, with
other slightly wounded men, for
weeks rest at the casualty station al
Contay. / rejoined my battalion al
the end of the week. From Oct. 21 t.
Nov. 1S we were In and out of the
front trenches several times for duty
tours Of forty-eight hours each, bu
were in no important action. At ell
ON the morning Of Nov. 1S, a bit
ter cold day, we went over" to tak'
the Desire and also the Desire suppor
trenches. These were the names giveI
these trenches. We started from th'
left Of our old position, and our ad
vance was between Thiepval ant
Pozieres, opposite Grandecourt
There was the usual artillery prep
aration and careful organization TO
the attack. was again In charge o
the "mopping up" wave, numbering
200 men and consisting mostly o
bombers. It may seem strange to yo'
that a noncommissioned officer shoul'
have so important an assignment, bu
sometimes In this war pxiyates qev