The Robesonian., 1918-07-15

on the ground to the point where we
were to commence work. This in or
der that we would not get lost in the 5
darkness. The proposed trench was l
also laid out with tape.
The covering party went out first.
After short wait two scouts came
back with information that the work
ing party was to follow and carry on"
with their work. Il
In extended order, two yards apart,
we noiselessly crept across No Mans
Land. 1t was nervous work; every
minute we expected a machine gun to
open fire on US. Stray bullets Cracked"
around US, or a ricochet sang over
head.
Arriving at the taped diagram of
the trench, rifles slung around our
shoulders, we lost no time in getting
to work. We dug as quietly as pos
sible but every now and then the noise
of pick or shovel striking stone
would send the cold shivers down our
backs. Under our breaths we heartily
cursed the offending Tommy.
, At intervals a star shell would 60 up
from the German lines and we would
remain motionless until the glare Of its
white light died out.
When the trench had reached
depth of two feet we felt safer, be-
cause il would afford US cover in case
we were discovered and fired on.
The digging had been in progress
about two hours, when suddenly hell
seemed to break loose in the form Of
machine-gun and rife fire. 4.
We dropped down on our bellies in.
the shallow trench, bullets knocking,
up the ground and swapping In the atr.
Then shrapnel butted in. The music
was hot apd Tommy danced. |
The covering party was having a.
rough time Of it; they had no cover;
just had to take their medicine.
Word was passed down the line to
beat it for our trenches. We needed no
urging; grabbing our tools and stoop-
ing low, we legged it across No Mans
Land. The covering party got away
to poor start but beat us in. They
must have had wings because we low
cred the record.
Painting and out Of breath, we tum-
bled into our front-line trench. I tore
my hands getting through our wire,
but, at the time, didn't notice it; my
journey was too urgent.
When the roll was called we found
that we had gotten it in the nose fol
63 casualties.
; Our artillery put barrage on Fritz
front-line and communication trenches
and their machine-gun and rifle fire
, suddenly ceased.
, Upon the cessation of this fire
; stretcher bearers went out to look fol
q killed and wounded. Next day W.
i learned that 21 of our men had beer
killed and 81 wounded. Five men wer
y missing; lost in the darkness, the.
: must have wandered over into the Ger
D man lines, where they were eithe
i killed or captured.
d Speaking of stretcher bearers an
wounded, it is very hard for the aver
+ age civilian to comprehend the enor
y nous cost of taking care of wounde
n and the war in general. He or she get
SO accustomed to seeing billions Of do
O lars in print that the significance o
o the amount is passed over withou
n thought.
4 From an official statement publishe
8 in one of the London papers, it
7 stated that it costs between six an
. saven thousand pounds ($30,OOO to $35
OOO) to kill or wound a soldier. Thi
# result was attained by taking the cos
70 of the war to date and dividing it b
n the killed and wounded.
!. It may sound heartless and inhumal
% but it is fact, nevertheless, that frol
a military standpoint it is better for
T. man to be killed than wounded.
If a man is killed he is buried, an
- the responsibility Of the governme1
i. ceases, excepting for the fact that b
N people receive pension. But If ma
is wounded it takes three men fro
n the firing line, the wounded man ar
- two men to carry him to the rear
=. the advanced first-aid post. Here he
attended by a doctor, perhaps assis
oo ed by two r. A. M. G. men. Then he
~ ~ put into a motor ambulance, name
- by crew Of two or three. At the fie
10, 10 hospital, where he generally goes u
- der an anesthetic, either to haye b
. wounds cleaned or to be operated o
oa he requires the services of about thr
- to five persons. From this point a
- other ambulance ride impresses mo
e' men in his service, and then at the al
, bulance train, another corps of dc
lei tors, r. A. M. c. men, Red Cross nurs
IL and the trains crew. From the ira
Isl he enters the base hospital or casual
" clearing station, where a good-siz
Is corps Of doctors, nurses, ETC., are ke
Id Id, busy. Another ambulance journey
cn c next in order-this time to the hospfi
eo ship. He crosses the channel, arriv
nu in Blighty-more ambulances and p'
7e' haps a ride for five hours on an Er
lish Red Cross train with it's crew
an Red Cross workers, and at last