The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1918-08-02
CHAPTER lV-Continued.

In the communication trench 20
have to keep your distance from tn
man ahead of you. This is done s.
that you will have plenty of room t.
fall down in, and because if a shell
shoE2.d find the trench, there would b,
sever casualties in an open formation
than in a closed. The German artil
Iery is keen on communicates
trenches, and whenever they spot one
they stay with it long time. Mos
of them are camoufiaged along the tor
and sides, so that enemy aviators can
not see anything but the earth OF
bnshes, when they throw an eye down
Oh our lines.
We took over our section of the
fIunt line trenches from a French line
regiment that had been on the job for
"a days. That was the longest time
I have heard of any troops remaining
on the firing line.
Conditions at the front and ways of
fighting are changing all the time. as
each side invents new methods of
butchering, so when I try to describe
the Dixmude trenches, you must real
fze that it is probably just history by
now. If they are still using trenches
there they probably look entirely diff
ferent.
But when I was at Dixmude they
were something like this:
Behind the series of front-line
trenches are the reserve trenches; in
this 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
be used for quartering troops when
off duty.
Troops were usually In the front
line 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 they let you
as much as unbutton your shirt, unless
there was an inspection of identified |
ton disks. We wore a disk at the |
wrist and another around the neck. |
You know the gag about the disks, of |
course: If your arm is blown off they |
can tell who you are by the neck disk;
If your head is blown off, they do not
care who you are.
In the reserve trenches you can
make yourself more comfortable, but
you cannot go to such extreme lengths
If luxury as changing your clothes en-
-irely. That is for billets, where you
spend most of your time bathing,
clothes, sleeping and eating.
Believe me, billet is great stuff; it
S like sort OF temporary heaven.
OF course you know what the word
'cooties" means. Let US hope you
will never know what the coolies
themselves mean. When you get In
n near the trenches, you take course
q the natural history of bugs, lice,
ats and every kind Of pest that has
yer been invented.
1t Is funny to see some Of the new
omers when they first discover a
ootie on them. Some of them cry.
they really knew what it was going
} be like they would do worse than
nat, maybe.
Then they start hunting all over each
Their, Just like monkeys. They team
p for this purpose, and many times 1t
{ in this way that couple of men get
, be trench partners and come to be
ais for life-which may not be long
me at that.
In the front-line trenches 1t is more I
3mfortable to fall asleep on the para u
ct f1re-step than in the dugouts, be- "
ause the coolies are thicker down
Glow, and they simply will not give 81
1u minutes rest. They certainly II
e active little pests. We used to 81
axe back scratchers out Of certain a
eapons that had flexible handles, but tt
ever had time to use them when we In
,eded them most. ia
We were given bottles Of liquid 81
hich smelled like lysol and were sup tn
sod to soak our clothes In It. It was at
ought that the coolies would object
the smell and quit work. Well, bt
cootIe that could stand our clothes ST
thout the dope on them would not hi
bothered By little thing like this n
IL. Also, our clothes got so sour m
horrible smelling that they hurt NJ