East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1918-03-27

The Big 6iunder and What It Cost
One OF the great tragedies of the wal
resulted from 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 confidential 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 metal spike in the ground
to pick up" every telephone message
within a radius of three miles. When
telephones are used for anything i'm
pOrtant messages are sent In code.
But for any vitally important commu-
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 win be certain to ar
rive. In the case of the cOuntermnnd-
ing of the order for the Forty-fourth
battalion to assault the German posi-
tion on 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 a result OF
this terrible blunder.
We had gone into the German
trenches at a 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 had a good many casualties en-
route. They found us as comfortable
as bugs in 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-fourtE 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
pagne and beer. If we had only had
few ladies with us we could have
had a real party.
got so happily interested in the
spread in our particular dugout that
forgot about my wound until some one
reminded me that orders required me
to hunt up a dressing station and get
an antitetanus injection. The Tom
mics like to take German trench, be-
cause if the Fritzes have to move
find sausage, beer and champagne,
welcome change from bully beef.
could never learn to like their bread
however.
After this fight I was sent with
other slightly wounded men, for a
weeks rest at the casualty station at
Contay. I reioined my battalion at
the end of the week. From Oct. 21 to
Nov. IS we were in and out of the
front trenches several times for duty
tours of forty-eight hours each, but
were in no important action. At 6:10
on the morning of Nov. 19, a Bit
ter cold day, we "went over" TO take
the Desire and also the Desire support /
trenches. These were the names given .
these trenches. We started from the /
left of our old position, and our ad-
vance was between Thiepval and .
Pozieres, opposite Grandecourt.
There was the usual artillery prep
aration and careful organization for
the attack. I was again in charge of
the "mopping up" wave, numbering
200 men and consisting mostly of
bombers. It may seem strange to you
hat a noncommissioned officer should
have so important an assignment, but
in this war privates have
been in charge of companies number
ng $50 men, and know of a case
where a lance corporal was tempOrari-
y in command OF an entire battalion.
It happened on this day that, while l
was in charge of the second wave, l
lid not go over with them. At the last
l was given a special duty by
Major John Lewis, formerly manag-
ng editor of the Montreal Star and
lne of the bravest soldiers / ever
Knew, as well as the best beloved man
n our battalion.
The Troublesome Machine Gun.
''McClihtock," said he, 81 don't wish
o send yOu.to any special hazard, and,
20 far as that goes, we're all going to
get more or less Of dusting, but /
want to put that machine gun which
ins been giving as so much trouble
,ut of action"