The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-02-03
-. n.x;d Wark Griffith.

Nv David Wark Gr'ff'tn.
4 very spiffy pair Of new boots upo'
the pedal extremeties of very dappe
vo,,nx English officer nearly cost M
NV life on the British west front II
TSAAders. -,
Civilians had never been permitted
"a - to the front. but through the IN
11pance OF a gentleman high in the
f@ratfsl1 government permit was IS
ened to me.
rfpon my arrival at the war front
Young officer was detailed 70 accom-
many me to the trenches. HIS en-
fhusiasm for the job could not be de-
scrfbed as very terrific. He had
brand new, pair of boots just brought
nver from London, and he didn't care
much about running them the first day,
anyhow.
He showed me around behind the
lines and in the reserve trenches. l
kept insisting upon going on ahead.
As long as I had come all the way
from America and through several
miles OF red tape in England ] was
determined to see the whole show.
The young Englishman at last reluc-
tantfy consented to take me into the
front line trenches.
Taken From Enemy.
You must understand that the Brit
ish front line trenches at that time
were old German trenches. rHaigs
1tne had swept over No Mans Land
and into miles Of the German trenches
Tho British in the sector in which
was sight seeing were living in an old
Hlndenburg trench very badly shot
up trench. may add.
We walked through what seemed tc
me miles of approach trenches. 1t
rot muddier and muddier. The muck
and filth were simply beyond descrip-
ton. The British soldiers were stand
ing patiently up to their knees in goo
sometimes almost up to their waists.
The anxiety OF my newly booted
young English lieutenant grew with
every step.
AZ last he stepped up out OF the
trench. I'm going to walk along here
On top he said coolly. And 80 he
started the promenade in full sight of
the German army.
"Ovsr the Top"
They were some distance away, to
be sure, but we were a poor life IN
surance risk as we walked along on
the top Of the earth works.
The young officer was carrying q
n.ap case, which must have caught the
sieam Of the sunshine.
At any rate we presently heard the
peculiar snarling whine of German
shell.
Look out!" yelled the British lieu
tenant
or course it was too late to look ont,
but ducked anyhow. The next sound
I heard was sickish squashy thnd,
followed by a shower of mud.
1T was a dud," explained the young
Officer coolIy rubbing the mud off his
new boots. A sdud' is shell that
fails to do its duty and does not ex-
plode. Had this one exploded | never
would have been here writing this ac-
count. The "dud" hit within ten feet
ol where we stood. We would have
! been blown to flinders.
Internationally l lodged away from
the 'dud.' But even as ! moved that
terrible whining howl came again
This time the shell was strictly on the
job. It exploded with terrific roar
and shower of mud. / don't know
just how close it came; II seemed very
close.
Into the Trench.
Come on" yelled the lieutenant
with that he jumped into the trenches
new boots and all.
Need say that followed? ] do not
know the name of the college athiet,
who holds the record for the running
broad jump. hut ! am sure that
shaved several feet off his mark in m,
haste to get into the trench.
It was a dreadful place-all mud ant
muck and outrageous smells. But w
entered It. Our movement was ae.
CELEBRATED just as we struck the tor
edge of the trench. A shell explode
about ten yards away, and the concus'
sion threw us into the bottom of tho
trench.
I don't know what became of tht
lieutenant | didn't wait for any for
imalities made my way as fast as
could into a sap, whore l found some
slight protection against big cement
pillar that had been part Of the ole
Hindenburg trench. You must under
stand that the trench had been muci
torn up and was very Jagged and un'
even. You had to find shelter wher.
ever you could.
Crouching down there in the mud,
was honored by the ardent attentions
of two or three German batteries
The kaiser wasted several thousand
dollars on me that afternoon.
Very Lively Work.
The British officers said afterwar'
that 1t was one fthe liNelicst bonn
bardments they had seen in that sec
n CnY IHN7rNYD IyVDAyrN