The Dermott news., 1918-10-03
CHAPTER lV-Continued.

In the communication trench you
have 10 keep your distance from the
man ahead OF you. This Is done SO
that you will have plenty of room to
fall down in. and because If shell
should find the trench. there would be
fewer casualties in nm open formation
than In n closed. The German artil-
lery Is keen on communication
trenches. and whenever they spot one
they stay with Il long time. Most
of them are camounaged along the top
and sides. so that enemy aviators can
not sec anything but the earth or
bushes. when they throw an eye down
on our lines.
We took over our section Of the
front line trenches from 4 French line
regiment that had been on the job :or
"a days. That WAS the longest time
have heard OF any troops remaining
on the firing line.
Conditions AZ the front and Why's Of
fighting are changing all the time, as
each side iuyeutS new methods OF
Nutcherinc. 50 when try to describe
the DiNmuic trenches. you must real
re tin; II Is probably lust history by
now II they are still using trenches
there they probably look entirely az
iereat
Bat when | was nj niXmude they
we're something Hike this:
Behind the series of front-lIne
trenches are the reserve trenches; in
this ease five To seven miles away. and
still farther back are the hlllets. These
may be houses or barns or ruined
churches-any place that can possibly
be used for Quarterlns troops when
of duty.
TROOPS were usually In tina front
line trenches six 10 eight days. and
fourteen to sixteen days In the reserve
trenches. Then back 10 the billets FOR
six or eight days.
We were not allowed to change our
clothing in the front-llre trencheS-
not even 10 remove socks. unless for
inspection. Nor would they let you
rs much as unhutton your shirt. unless
there was an inspection OF idcntiiic@
ton disks. We wore disk az the
wrist and another around the neck.
You know the gag about the disks. OF
course; II your arm is blown of they
cnn tel who you are by the neck disk ::
II your head IS blown off. they do not
care who you are
I'm the reserve trenches you can
make yourself more comfortable. tlt
YOU cannot go to such extreme lengths
OF luxury rs changing your clothes en-
iirclv. That Is for hil.ets. where YOU
spend most OF your time bathing,
changing clothes, sleeping and eating
EGlieVe me. billet Is great stun Il
IS like sort Of temporary heaven.
or course you know what the word
'cooties" means. Let us hope you
will never know what the coolies
or near the trenches, you take n course
IN the natural history of bugs. lice,
rats and every kind OF pest that has
ever been invented.
IL IS funny To see some OF the new
corners when they first discover n
contie on them. Some OF them cry.
II they really knew what II was going
10 be like they would do worse than
that maybe.
Then they start hunting all over each
other. just like monkeys. They team
up for this purpose. aud many times II
is in this way that couple OF men get
to be trench partners aud come TO be
pals for lifc-whIch may not be a long
time NJ that.
In TIE front-line trenches II is more
comfortable 10 fall asleep on the para
pet fire-step than in the duGouts. be-
cause the coolies are thicker down
below. and they simply Will not give
yuu minutes rest. They certainly
ore active little pests. We used to
make back scratchers ont OF certain
weapons that had flexible handles. but
never Ind time 10 use them when we
needed them most.
We were given bottles OF liquid
which smelled like lySol and were sup
posed 10 soak our clothes In II. II was
thought that the coolies would object
10 the smell and quit work. Well.
a cootle that could stand our clothes
without the dope on them would not
be bothered by little thing Ike this
stun. Also, our clothes got so sour
and horrible smelling that they hurt