The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1918-04-04

and started dsseing- Hes been dig
Gtng ever since
VI course We dug tho<e trenches nj
might. but II was hot work. what with
Sne ride mud machiue-gun fire. The
nfretcher bearers worked harder than
the diggers. s,ll.
Ihose trenches. rbIoomin. difchess. l
call them. were Nightmares. They were
only about five feet deep. and you used
/ TO Eet The backache from bending
town. II wasn't exactly safe 10 stand
spright. either. because a. soon ~
-FOUR napper showed over the top q
outlet would bounce on II. or else come
so close 1t would make your hair stand.
I'VE used 10 MI sandbars and stick
them on top of tile parnpet TO make IL
higher. but no use: they would be
there about an hour and then Fritz
would ftirn loose and biow them to
bits. My neck used TO be sore from
iuckIpg shells and bullets. <.
B2 my battery was stntidned a
has treDcii had been ding. which
thes boys nicknamed Suicide ditch
and. believe me. Yank. this was the
original Suicide ditch All the others
are limitations
when fellow went into that
trench 1t wns an even gamble that he
would come out on stretcher. At one
time n Scotch battalion held Il. and
when they heard the betting was even
money that they'd come out on
stretchers. they grabbed all the bets
In sight Like a lot Of bally idiots. sew
erni OF the battery men fell for their
game. and put mp real money. The
Jocks suffered lot Of casualties, and
Die prospects looked bright for the
battery men to collect some easy
money. So r<hs, the battalion was re-
tieveti the gamblers lined up. Several
jocks got their money for emergins
safely. but the ones who clicked 81
weren't there TO pay. The artillery.
men had never thought II out thai
way. Those Scotties were bound te
se sure winners. no matter how tn.
wind blew SO TAKE a TIP from 7nfe
never bet with a scottic. cause your
lose money.
AT one part Of our trench where
y communication trench Joined the
front line n Tommy had stuck up s
wooden rignpost with three hands o.
arms on II. One Of the hands. point
ting to the German lines. read. To Ber
fin; the one pointing ds~a the com
mnnicstiou trench read. To BliFhty.
while the other said. Suicide Ditch
Change Here for Stretcherr.'
Further down from this guide nos.
the trench ran through an old orchard
On the edge of this orchard our bat
fery had constructed mn advanced Oh
servnti6n post The frccs screened a.
from the cn-fny aIrmcn and the ROOF
wns turfed- II wasn't cushy like ours
rso timber or concrete re-enforecments
Just wniiE of nndbsrs. From n q
splendid view OF the German iiues
could be ohftfned. This posi- wpsni
~mctiy safe. II was q hot corner
sheiis piuakinz NIL around. and the
bullets cutting leaves of the trees
Many time when relieving the sig
mailer nt the phone. had 20 crawl on
my belly like \ worm TO keep from
as<inr hif.
.fr WAS nm observation post sur.
enough That's all the use it was Just
oseervc NIL day. but never a mexsnge
back for our battery 10 open up. You
zee. st this point OF the line there
were strict orders not TO fre n shell.
unicas specially ordered to do 90 from
brigade headquarters. BiImc me. II
anyone disobcyed that command. our
rcnerui-ye~. II Was Old Pepper
would have court-mnrfinicd the whole
~xpesiifiouRry force. Nobody went out
of their way TO dlsobey old Pepper In
those days. because he couldn't be
called a parson: he was more like
pirate. II at any time the devil should
feel lonely and sigh for = proper mate.
Old Pepper would get the flrst call.
Facing the Germans wasn't half bad
compared with an interview with that
old nrebrand.
TT a company or battalion should
give way . few yards against n su-
psrior force OF Boches. Old Pepper
would send for the commanding on
Ger. In about half an hour the ofllcer
would come hack with his face the
color Of a brick. and In a few hours
what was left of his command would
be holding their ogiginal position.
II have seen an oescer who wouldn't
say d---n for thousand Quid spend
avs minutes with the old b<sy mnd |
when he returned the How Of language
from HIS lips would make q navy
blush for shame.
"What am going TO tell you Ia how
two Of us put Il over on the old scamp.
and got away with II. II was risky
thing. too. because Old Pepper wouldn't
have been exactly mild with us II be
had got next 20 the game.
, sMe and my mnte. n lad named Hnrs
~ CaEscil, n hombarsiicr In ID 23S bat