The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1917-07-17

wv front lille trencneS In Belgium
We relieved the Twenty-sixth
Canadian battalion. Scouts from that
organization came back to the villages
of Dinkiebusch and RenninghelSt to
tell US how glad they were to see us
and to show us the way in. AS we
proceeded overland, before reaching
the communication trenches at the
front, these scouts paid us the hospita-
BILE attention due strangers-that Is,
one Of them. leading a platoon. would
say:
Next 200 yards in machine gun
range. Keep quiet, don't run and be
ready to drop quick if you are warned"
There was one scout to each platoon,
and we followed him single file. most
of the time along roads or well worn
paths. but sometimes through thickets
and ragged fields. Every now and then
the scout would yell at us to drop.
and down we'd go on our stomachs.
while away off in the distance we
could hear the ''put-put'' OF machine
guns. the first sound of hostile firing
that had ever reached our ears.
Its all right said the scout
''They haven't seen us Or got track OF
us. They're just firing on suspicion"
Nevertheless. when our various pla-
ICONS had all got into the front reserve
trenches, at about two hours after mid
night, we learned that the first blood
of our battalion had been spilled. Two
men had been wounded. though neither
fatally. Our own stretcher bearers
took our wounded back TO the field
hospital at Dinkiebusch. The men of
the Twenty-SiXth battalion spent the
rest of the night instructing us and
then left Us to hold the position We
were as nervous as a lot of cats, and
1t seemed to me that the Germans
must certainly know that they could
come over and walk right through us,
but outside of few casualties from
sniping, such as the one that befell
the Fourteenth platoon man, which i
have told about, nothing very alarming
happened the first day and night, and
by that time we had got steady on our
job. We held the position for twenty
six days, which is the longest period
that any Canadian or British organiza-
ton has ever remained In q front line
trench.
In none of the stories I've read have
] ever seen trench fighting as it was
carried on in Belgium adequately de,
scribed. You see. you can't get much
of an idea about thing like that max
ing a quick tour of the trenches under
official direction and escort as the
newspaper and magazine writers do
] couldn't undertake to tell anything
worth while about the big issues of the
war. but | can describe how soldiers
have to learn to fight in the trenches
and think a good many of our youns
fellows have that to learn now. "Ovel
there" they don't talk of peace OF
even of tomorrow. They sit back ant
take it,
We always held the fire trench al
lightly as possible. because it is
demonstrated fact that the front ditcl
cannot be successfully defended in
determined attack The, thing we dit
and the thing to do is to be ready t.
Jump on to the enemy as soon as n
has got into your front trench and i
fighting on ground that you know AM
be doesn't and knock so many kind
of tar ont of him that he'll have to pul
his load for spot that isn't so warm
That system worked first rate with us
During the day we bad only yer,
few men i'm the fire trench If an at
tack is coming i'm daylight there's al
ways plenty OF time to get ready 10
it. At night we kept prepared 10
trouble all the time. We had nigh
sentry on each firing step and a ma
sitting at his feet to watch him to sc
he wasn't secretly sniped. Then W
had sentry In each bay OF tn
trench TO take messages.
Orders didn't permit the man on tn
firing step or the man watching hir
20 leave post On "nv excuse whateve