Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-12
THE INSPIRE
By Lieutenant Leon Archibald
British Royal Engineers

placements Suddenly, and away behind
where lay the batteries of field pieces and
howitzers. the sky was painted a livid pink
as each battery delivered its salvo in volley
at the prearranged target and so finely had
the timing been calculated that the shells,
with roar, arrived at their destination
colncident with an angry red flash in the
German ENHANCEMENT. At the same time a
faint trail of sparks through the air above
the heads of the raiders, having origin in our
trench, indicated the passage of the STAR
Shell which was to guide the men through.
Right here Fate took her cue, and then
ensued a spectacle that completely beggars
description. The star-shell failed to explode;
ir was "dud." Three men and the officer
OF the leading party actually found the
opening in the darkness and managed to get
through and into the enemy trench, where
1t is certain they eXacted heavy toll in
exchange for their gallant lives; but
OF the remainder of the foremost party
and of the ether two the most and best that
can be said is simply chaos One party mis-
look another for an enemy patrol and let
fly its bombs with deadly effect while the
third. and naturally enough, made the same
error with like effect with regard to the
party which had so hastily delivered its
bombs. and then followed Immediately
furious battle out in the blackness of the
1o0-yard strip between the two lines. All
senses Of direction became obscured, and as
consequence our own parapet was mis-
taken for the boches'. with the result that in
. few seconds after the hideous combat
started the fighters We're messing up their
own trenches after a very successful fashion
One bomb rebounded from the parados and
landed In the machine-gun emplacement oc-
cupied by the o. c., to be Immediately and
heroically set upon and kicked out into the
trench, but not before it had exploded and
wounded seriously, but not fatally. the three
occupants.
As HAS been stated, our trench was al
%
saved the raiding party from complete ami
hilation, for here they were fighting one
another. unable to penetrate the trenchs
wire defenses and at the mercy of its occu-
pants For fully ten minutes the horrible
fray ragged, when finally some enemy star
shells brought the raiding party to its senses.
1t may be explained that. with no knowledge
of the true state of affairs out in front of
them, sentries had observed strictly
their original instructions and had refraned
from sending up any lights
7NHE action had commenced at 9 a. m., but
i 1t was not until the first rosy tints Of
dawn were beginning to show In the east
that the last traces of it had been removed
from the ground whereon the awful tragedy
had taken place. OF the original forty-odd
which had constituted the party only eight
came out of the mess unwounded, and so
completely We're they at fault in their bear
ings that they traversed over a quarter mile
of the front before making up their minds
| to come in. and even then it was the coming
| Of daylight and the flip of coin that
eventually fixed their course for them or
| the remainder over 30 per cent were either
| killed or missing, while the rest were more
| or less seriously wounded, And let it be said
| to the everlasting honor of their comrades
who mad remained behind that not one
| wounded man Saw the sunrise OF that day
| from his desperately situated position out
| in No Mans Land. The succoring patrols
| worked indefatgably until the last man was
gathered in and right In the teeth CT raging
| tornado of fire from the opposing trenches.
May those who make munitions be careful |!