The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1918-08-16
CHAPTER lv--Continued.

CHAPTER W--Continued.
s.
In the communication trench you
have to 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 a shell
should find the trench, there would be
fewer casualties In an open formation
than IN q closed. The German artil-
iery Is keen on communication
trenches, and whenever they spot one
they stay with II long time. Most
Of them are camoufaged along the top
and sides, SO that enemy aviators cam
not see anything but the earth or
bushes, when they throw an eye down
pn our lines.
We took over our section Of the
front line trenches from 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
nghting are changing all the time, as
each side invents new methods of
butchering. so when I try to describe
the Dixmdde trenches you must real
ire that II Is probably just history by
now. II 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
khis case Eve 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
Do used for Quartering troops when
or 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
stx or eight days.
We were not allowed to change our
clothing In the front-lina 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
don disks. We wore disk at the
wrist and another around the neck.
You know the gag about the disks. OF
course: II your arm Is blown or they
can tell who you are by the neck disk
4 your head is blown or. they do not
care who you are.
In the reserve trenches you can
make yourself more comfortable, but
you cannot 60 to such extreme lengths
II luxury as changing your clothes en-
nrely. That IL for billets. where you
spend most Of your time bathing,
changing clothes, sleeping and eating.
Believe me. q billet is great STUFF; It
- like q sort Of temporary heaven.
OF course you know what the word
scooties" means. Let us hope you
will never know what the cooties
themselves mean. When you get In
or near the trenches, you take course
n the natural history Of bugs, lice,
rats and every kind Ut pest that has
ever been invented.
II is funny to see some Of the new
c0mers when they nrst discover q
cootie on them. Some Of them cry.
Il they really knew what 1t was going
- be like they would do worse than
that, maybe.
Then they start hunting all over each
other, Just like monkeys. They team
np for this purpose. and many times 1t
= In this way that a couple Of men get
% be trench partners and come to be
pals for life (which may not be q long
time at that.
In the front-line trenches It IL more
.omfortable to fall asleep on the para
pet nre-step than In the dugouts. be-
Ause the O0oties are thicker down
below. and they simply will not give
you . minutes rest. They certainly
are active little pests. We used to
make back scratchers out Of certain
weapons that had nexible handles, but
never hAd time to use them when we
Dooded them most.
We were given bottles Of liquid
which omelled hke lysol and were SUD
Dooed - Soak 0ur clothes a Il. Il was
booGht thot Tie Goodies would object
- ~ Snnell and omit work. Well.
\ coc(1o that could stand our clothes
ol0oUt tho 6ope "a them would not
- bc<18eod ~ ! xit1toI thing IKE thfs
2uT S.etnce eot e sour