The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1918-12-19

the road were numbers Of troops
scofing and among them Indian troops
on sentry duty. They looked like q
bunch OF frozen turnips. cool and un-
comfortable. We were close enough to /
make the roar of the cannonading /
seem intolerably loud and could see
the bursting shells, particularly those
from the British ships.
Then we came across some Turkish |
prisoners who were sheltering In an
old barn, guess it was, and we
stopped. for shelter and rest. They
told us that their troops were very
tired from long fighting, but that they
had plenty Of men. They said couple
of shells had dropped about a hum
dred yards from the barn just before
we came, so we knew the batteries
were trying to get our range and we
did not stay any longer, but went
away from there and on our road.
About 500 yards farther on we came
to ruins, and when we went inside
we found SO or 60 Of our boys cooking
and sleeping and not giving thought
to the shells or shrapnel. The mules
outside were banging away at the hay,
as though there never had been war
in the world. There was no shell made
that could bulge them away from
that hay unless 1t hit them.
Then along came a cart making q
lot of racket. One of the fellows In 1t
had half Of his face shot away and
was oil bandaged up, but he was try
ing to sing and laugh just the same
as the rest were doing. They were
Anzacs, and were pretty badly shot up.
The'word "Anzac," as you probably
! know, is made from the initials Of the
Australian and New Zealand army
corps. They had regular town, called
Anzac, on the peninsula. At Suvla
bay and around Gaba Tepe the Anzacs
got further into the Turkish lines than
any other unit In the allied armies.
They were wonderful fighters.
/ By this time the Turks were making
an attack, and all you could see to
the front was one long line of smoke
and spouting earth. Then our guns
started and the noise was deafening.
It was worse than in the turrets
aboard ship during an engagement.
My head rang for days after we left
the Dardanelles.
The Turks were getting better idea
of our range now and the shells were
falling pretty close to us, but finally
we tore in with the 14linch navals
and ripped up three Of their batteries.
In the lull that followed we made good
time and reached our front line posi-
lions ut Sedd-el-Bahr during the after
noon.
The next morning we made our first
attack. had had q bad night of it,
thinking about Murray, and when the
time came there never was chap
more glad to charge and get q chance
ut the enemy with the bayonet than
was.
We attacked according to q program.
Time cards were issued to the officer
of each section, SO that we would work
exactly with the barrage. To be ahead
of, or behind the time card, would
mean walking into our own barrage.
The time of attack Is called zero
that Is, the minute when you leave
the trench. Some of the Anzacs said II
meant when your feet got the coolest
but do not think they suffered very
much with trouble in the feet-not
when they were advancing. anyway
The time card might read something
like this: First wave, zero, advance
rapid walk, barrage % in 10 seconds
take first trench, 0:20; second wave
same as the first, pass first trench
O:23; take second trench, OBS. TIL,
third wave is ordered to take the thirt
trench, and so on, for as maAy line,
. as the enemy ia entrenohel. The othe
: waves might be instructed tn aceup.
] Hill Z, laos, or dig in behind rock
: 12;45, Here, zero Ia understood. tn,
! first figures standing for minutes an,
. the others for seconds. It might taxi
3 several hours to carry out the pro
gram, but everything ID laid out t
;, an exact schedule.
4 was in the sixth line of the thir,
: wave of attack and zero was 4 3
a. 10, Whistles were to be the sigma
, for zerQ and We were to walk to tn
first line Turkish trench. As we cam
l out our barraSe fire would be burst
| ing 20 yards ahead Of us and woul
| lift % yards every 10 seconds. Gu
| stunt was to take advantage Of
without walking into 1t.
IL No one man can see alisof m attach
which may extend over miles Q
ground, but during the three week
was in the trenches on tile GallipO
peninsula we made four grand attack
and many minor ones, SO know In
general way what they are like. Fac
wave is organized like the other
First come three lines Of what 70
might call grenadieFs, though they al
not picked for size as the old king
grenadiers used to be, They are ID
ployed in skirmish formation, while
means that every man ID three yard
from the next, They were armed onl
with grenades, but, you can take
from me. that Is enough! Behind the
come two lines, also In skirmish TO
nation, and armed with machine guI
and grenade rifles. The first men q
the left carry machine guns, then con
5. three rife srenadiers, and then an0t
er machine gun and so on down II
length of the line. After these con
two lines Of rilemen with t1xed ba
al onets.
r. Then come the trench c,eaners,
.,,,,,v,or.. ~, a NO wa coil them The