Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-03-02
Private Peat in Augusta
1.-TWO Years in He'll and
Back with a Smile" Story

line RfS1t6SI experience III eiiS SNN
dier's. life is the first night in the
trenches. 1t stands out alone, and al
ter it is all over, months afterwards
the humor of it comes to him. When
new contingent Of soldiers arrive they
are placed in the trenches with the SOL
djers who have had experience. First
is placed a new soldier and an old one.
They are sandwiched in. 1t would not
be policy 10 place an entirely new force
into the trenches, because the meth
DDS Of warfare change SO that new
force would not know how to fight.
The captain of the First Canadians was
a real American. Just before the en-
trance of the Canadians into the
trenches, The ca. Sain made speech.
Captains are PEE nitted to say anything
and do nothing; lieutenants do every
thing but say nothing and majors
neither do nor say anything. The cap
tain said, I'VE don't know the first
thing about war 1t was fact, for in
Canada they had been drilled by Off
GERS who knew no more than did the
soldiers, which was nothing; in Eng
land it ralned all the time and they
forgot what they had learned; they
arrived in France on one day and on
the next day they entered the trenches.
He said. Haven't made good so far in
England and it is up to US to redeem
ourselves You've got TO show the Eng
lish fellows by acting and making them
believe. make them come to you, stick
your chest out say Hello guys and
start to shoot" The entrance into the
first line trenches is not done with a
band. The soldiers go in single file and
for once Jones doesn't have to be told
to follow Smith. MISTAKENLY he follows
and you never see one fellow push
ahead of the other to get the full
charge Of the typewriter. The Ameri-
cans would have been proud of their
Canadian cousins if they could have
seen them the first night in the trench
es. The old timer crawlS down into the
trench and keeps hidden behind the
sand bag, peeking up now and then
but not so with the newly arrived
Canadians They stood up and with
their bodies exposed down to their
waists peered and peeked, for the night
was dark. Pretty soon bullet came
whizz. bang, and hit a tin can behind
them. That was close shave" they
said. as they ducked. but they didn't
duck until after the bullet had hit the
tin can. Peat said he saw more Ger
mans that first night than on any 9th
er night Just like a frightened woman
back home can see things. He said he
was not frightened but just stiff with
; fear and he wanted another Job Just
about that time an English officer
went through asking for someone to
, Peat said, Here's your boy" not
knowing anything about what he was
to do, thinking it might be a chance
to go back to the city and buy bread
for the soldiers. SO he started to go
,out of the trench. s~
He was commanded TO come back
and he said, Aren't we going out"
Yes" was the reply, but not that
way and the English officer proceed
ed to climb up and over the top. Peat
followed. Have you got your bayonet
fixcd?" Are we going to make a
CHARGE NO. going to the German
trenches" The German trenches ,"
repeated Peat. But it takes Private
Peats own particular style to tell of
ms experience, which must have been
horrible. but which he cells in such
manner as to make it sidcspltting. He
told about the officer and he tourney
ing into No Mans Land and up to
The German first line trenches and his
great fear and his certainty that he
could run back the quickest to tell the
boys that the Germans were coming.
You don't see it the same way as
we do hut you will. The worst oavs
of the war are over The war might
last hVe Years or more, but the WRIST
is over and we will fight until every
one is gone, rather than be licked bv
a damnable yellow Hun. They couldn't
lick us in the first days of the war and
they can't do it now At the Marine
they couldn't lick us. You say. Ger
many is the size of Texas. and they
cant fight effectively. That's Just why
they can fight, because they are the
size of Texas, Their shipping facili-
ties are easy and their means of com
munlcatlon are quicker. 1t is easy
enough to stay at home and shout off
| your yap. 1t is good thing that the
] N''>" 80 ''''hiN h1lOW Oh some OF
the German methods of warfare. One
is the pill box. as the Tommy has
nlcknamed it, like he does everything
! else. 1T is concrete ball IS inches
| thick, and can hold two men. The
means OF entrance is by underground
tunnel. Ii can also hold two machine
guns. 1t is hard to hit even with the
DIE guns as it is round and q hard
target. the shot bounces off. Stiffen
your lip. Please kill the man on the
street who criticizes Pershing. Over
there is the united people. One thing
which wastes them is to Worrying
over YOU folks at home When there
was one thin line from Switzerland
10 the sea then the Germans could
nave swept on, but they stopped to
build trenches at Marine and that was
what won the war for us. The Ger
mans with all their learning and skill
/ punt their trenches on the high places
land the low. swampy places were left
to us. The boys suffered in mud. Mud
/ up to the waists Many soldier has
| been taken out of the trenches on a
| stretcher with trench feet or gangrene.
ana the tears streaming down his
cheeks. crying because the other fell
lows would think he was a shirker and
IL 49,