The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-06-11
HIDES IN SHELL !
HOLE I weeks
British Soldier Survives Most
& Thrilling War Experience.
IS DECORATED FOR vALoR
Subsists on Tins OF Bully Beef Collect.
ed at Night From Dead Bodice
iFeiens Death to Avoid Capture
When Huns Visit Shell Hole and
Finally Succeeds in Crawling Back
:. 20 His Own Lines.


y, II you have been thinking that "dis-
tinguished service on the battlefield
means one grand dash and then quiet
room. an attentive nurse and pleasant
recuperation, consider the case Of Pri-
yate J. Taylor, whose valor is briefly
..recited In late issue Of the OFFICIAL
supplement to the London Gazette.
This official list of soldiers cited for
decorations always carries short de.
:.scription of the act, Of valor for
which the citation is made.
These two paragraphs accompany
announcement of the award Of the dis.
stinguished conduct medal to Private
Taylor.
Having been cut off with his COM
,pany, he received bullet in the thigh,
causing a compound fracture. To
avoid capture he crawled into = shell
hole, where he remained for period
of over seven weeks, during the
whole of which time the surrounding
district was subjected to severe bonn.
bardment by our artillery. He subsist-
ed on tins of bully beef collected at
night from dead bodies, and water
which he obtained in waterproof cap.
= "After some weeks three Of. the en-.
envy visited his shell hole, but by feign'
ing death he avoided capture and even.
,tually succeeded in crawling back to
our lines-a distance Of some 900
yards" ii
In a hospital near London, where he
IL recuperating, Taylor diffidently am.
plified the story of his terrible expert.
ences.
Robbed Dead for Food. --
1T was during one Of our attacks
upon the Hindenburg line" he said.
1--WE had gone over the top, two com.
panies of us. We were met by ter.
rife enemy fire and the fellows were
dropping like ninepins. I was knocked
out. It must have been q couple OF
days before recovered capsciousness
I found myself in a shell hole with
another man who was wounded but
could move freely. During the days
and part of the nights the lombard
,ment kept up. Shells fell all around
but none happened to drop in our
shell hole. At night Peters crept out
and foraged among the dead Tor scraps
Of beef, line rations and their water
bottles. After two or three days IL
.rained. We collected water in our
caps.
"That sort of existence lasted for
over five weeks. was getting weaker
and weaker. One night Peters crawled
out. and did not come back. That left
me without aid.
i. I. Plays 'Possum; Fools Huns. /
"Next day party Of Germans came
Into my shell hole. One lifted my
i1eg-luckily not the broken one or I'd
have. yelled-but they thought I was
dead. was covered with mud and
looked like the other bodies covering
the ground. During the next fortnight
/ managed to live on the reserve beet
Peters had collected. Then, feeling
that nothing worse could happen, ]
resolved to try TO get into our lines,
1t was IN inky night. First crawled
by mistake right into German line,
They didn't hear me, SO I turned back
and inched along for an hour. Then
i got into some barbed wire. ! was
4 mass Of cuts, blood and rags before
I got through. Just then Verey
light shot up. | saw man peerinq
over a trench. He was about to shoot
when shouted. Three Of them came
out: and dragged me into our own
trenches.
Before the war Taylor was a factory
hand. He is recovering rapidly and
looking forward to his return to the
trenches.