Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1918-10-04
CHAPTER IV-Continued.

In the communication trench vol
have to keep your distance from the
man ahead of you. This is done sc
that you will have plenty of room tc
ran down in, and because If q shell
should find the trench, there would be
FEWER casualties in an open formation
than in closed. The German artil.
lery is keen on communication
trenches, and whenever they SPOT one
they stay with it long time. Most
OF them are camOuflaged along the ton
and sides, so that enemy aviators can
not see anything but the earth or
bushes, when they throw an eye down
on our lines.
We took over our section of the
front line trenches from French line
regiment that had been on the lob for
"A days. That was the longest time
nave heard Of any troops remaining
on the firing line.
conditions at the front and ways Of
nghting are changing all the time, as
each side invents new methods of
butchering. so when try to describe
the Dixmude trenches. you must real
lie that 1t is probably just history by
now. II they are still using trenches
there they probably look entirely diff
ferent.
But when I was at Dixmude thew
were something like this:
Behind the series of front-,ino
trenches are the reserve trenches: in
TINS case five to seven miles away. and
still farther back are the billets. These
may be houses or barns or ruined
churches-any place that can possibly
De USED Tor quartering troops when
of duty.
troops were usually in the front.
nne trenches six to eight days, and
fourteen to sixteen days in the reserve
trenches. Then back to the billets for
six or eight days.
we were not allowed to change our
clothing In the front-line trenches
not even to remove socks. unless for
inspection. Nor would thew Let Won
as much as unbutton your shirt, unless
tnere was an inspection of identified.
ZION disks. We wore q disk at tho
wrist and another around the neck
You know the gag about the disks ne
course: If your arm is blown Off thev
can tell who you are by the neck disk .
II your head is blown off, thew do not
care who you are.
III the reserve trenches Won can
make yourself more comfortable hut
YOU cannot go to such extreme lengths
VI luxury as changing your clothes on
'ireiy. mat is for billets, where Won
spend most Of your time bathino
changing clothes, sleeping and eatin1
neiieVe me, billet is great stuff: il
IS IKE a sort Of temporary heaven.
:, VI course you know what the word
eooues means. Let us hone Won
VIII never know what the coolies
themselves mean. When Won got IN
or near the trenches, you take a course
IN the natural history Of bugs. lice
iats ana every kind Of pest that has
ever been invented.
1t is funny to see some of tho nou-
corners when they first discover
cootle on them. Some Of them crv
II they really knew what it was GOING
10 be like they would do worse thon
that, maybe.
lhen they start hunting all over each
other' Just like monkeys. Thev team
up Tor this purpose, and many times =
IS IN this way that couple of men rot
10 De trench partners and come 70 ho
pals for life-which may not be q limo
time at that.
In the fiont-line trenches if is moro
comfortable to fall asleep on the n,ro.
PEI hre-st'p than in the dugouts. he
cause the coolies are thicker down
peio"' ana they simply will not give
you MN ties rest. They certainly
are active little pests. We usad ~
make back scratchers out of Certain
weapons that had flexible handles hnt
never mad time to use them whom uo
needed them most.
we were given bottles Of ,io,,,d
~hcn smeiled like lysol and were SIM /
poseo 10 soak our clothes in it. # was
.nought that the coolies would object
20 th' smell and quit work Wal ,
eoot'A fSat could stand our clothes :
WITHOUT the don. on them would not ,
De Dotnsrad ny a little thing lilo thts
.,ns A'sc' our clothes got s., sour ,
""@1'b't smelling that the, hurt =