Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1918-06-18
CHAPTER XVI.
Battery D 230,

Battery D 2sa.
The day after this I received the
glad tidings that I would occupy the
machine gunners' dugout right near
the advanced artillery observation
post. This dugout was roomy affiir,
dry as tinder, and real cots in 1t.
These cots had been made by the
R. Els who had previously occupied
the dugout. I was the first to enter
and promptly made signboard with
my name and number on 1t and sus-
pended It from the foot Of the most
comfortable cot therein.
In the trenches 1t Is always first
come. first served" and this Is lived
up to by all.
Two R. F. A. men (Royal Field ar
tillery) from the nearby observation
post were allowed the privilege OF
stopping in this dugout when of duty.
One Of these men. Bombardier Will
son by name, who belonged to Bat
terry D 238, seemed to take liking
to me, and I returned this feeling.
In two days time we were pretty
chummy. and he told me how his bat
terry in the early days Of the war had
put over a stunt on Old Pepper, and
had gotten away with II.
will endeaver to give the story as
far as memory will permit In his own
words:
1T came out with the first e1pedi-
tionary force, and, like all the rest,
thought we would have the enemy
licked in Jig time, and be able to eat
Christmas dinner at home. Well, so
far, have eaten two Christmas din
ners In the trenches, and am liable to
eat two more, the way things are
pointing. That is, If Fritz don't drop
'whlzz.bang' on me, and send me to
Blighty. Sometimes wish I would
get hit, because it's no great picnic
out here, and twenty-five months Of 1t
makes you fed up.
"It's fairly cushy now compared to
what 1t used to be, although admit
this trench is a triae rough. Now,
we send over five shells to their one.
We are getting our own back, but In
the early days It was different. Then
you had to take everything without
reply. In fact, we would get twenty
shells in return for every one we sent
over. Fritz seemed to enjoy It, but
we British didn't; we were the sui.
ferers. Just one casualty after an
other. Sometimes whole platoons
would disappear. especially when a
Jack Johnson plunked into their
middle. 1t got so bad that a fellow,
when writing home, wouldn't ask for
any cigarettes to be sent out, because
he was afraid he wouldn't be there to
receive them.
"After the drive to Paris was turned
back, trench warfare started. Our
general grabbed map, drew pencil
across 1t, and said, Dig here. Then
he went back to his tea, and Tommy
armed himself with pick and shovel
and started digging. He's been dig.
ging ever since.
"Of course we dug those trenches at
night, but 1t was hot work, what with
the rifle and machine-gun fire. The
stretcher bearers worked harder than
the diggers.
"Those trenches, bloomin' bitches, I
call them, were nightmares. They were
only about five feet deep. and you used
! to get the backache from bending
down. 1t wasn't exactly safe to stand
upright, either, because as soon as
your napper showed over the top
bullet would bounce of 1t, or else come
so close It would make your hair stand.
1--WE used to I'll sandbags and stick.
them on top of the parapet to make 1t
higher, but no use; they would be
there about an hour and then Fritz
would turn loose and blow them 10
bits. My neck used. to be sore from
ducking shells and bullets
sWhere my battery was stationed q
hasty trench had been dug, which
the boys nicknamed Suicide ditch,
and. believe ine, Yank, this was the
original Suicide ditch. All the others
are limitations. 4 .
'When a fellow went into that
trench Il was an even gamble that he
would come out on stretcher. At one
time Scotch battalion held 1t. and
when they heard the betting was even
money that they'd come out on
s,retchers, they. grabbed all the bets
| In sight. Like q lot Of bally idiots. sew
| eral Of the battery men fell for their
| game, and put up real money. The
sJocks, suffered q lot Of casualties, and
the prospects looked bright for the
\ battery men to collect some easy
money. So when the battalion was re-
llieved the gamblers lined up. Several
Jocks got their money for emerging
safely. but the ones who clicked II
/ weren't there to pay. The artillery
linen had never thought It ont that
.|way. Those Seotties were bound 10
| be sure winners, no matter how the
4 wind blew. So take q tip from me,
never bet with, a scotte cause youn
lose money. "a lsaG lsofs 1! aszsf AL
/ sAt one part of our trench where
Ia communication trench Joined thu
front line q Tommy had stuck up z
! wooden hsnpost With three hands Q!
| arms on It. One Of the hands point
ine - the 0egpan lines, read, 10 Ber
| I'm 4 ne one pointing down the eom
munieation trench hcrsad, 80 iBlish@,
i while TIE otAer ~ Suicide iDitch