The Huttig news., 1918-04-27

"It's fairly cushy now compared to what It used to be, although I admit this trench is a trifie 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. Tn fact, we would get twenty shells in return for every one We sent over. Fritz seemed to enjoy it, hut we British didn't; We were the suf- ferers. Just one casualty after an other. Sometimes whole platnons would disappear, especially when Jack Johnson plunked into their middle. Ii got so bad that fellow, when writing home, wouldn't ask for my 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 a map, drew pencil across 1t, and said, Dig here Then ne went back to his tea, and Tommy nrm 4d himself with pick and shovel and started digging. He's been dig ging ever since.
 "0f course we dug those trenches at night but it was hot work, what with the rife and machine gun fire. The stretcher bearers worked harder than the diggers.
 Those trenches, bloomin' ditches, call them, were nightmares They were only about five feet deep, and you used tc get the backache from bending down. It wasn't exactly safe to stand upright, either. because as soon as your napper showed over the top bullet would bounce off it, or else come so close it would make your hair stand.
 "We used to fill sandbags and stick them on top of the parapet to make il higher, but no use; they would be there about an hour and then Fritz would turn loose and blow them to bits, My neck used to be sore from ducklng shells and bullets.
 "Where my battery was stationed q nasty trench had been dug, which the boys nicknamed Suicide ditch.' and, believe me, Tank, this was the original Suicide ditch All the others are limitations.
 "When a fellow went into that trench 1t was an even gamble that he would come out on stretcher At one time Scotch battalion held it, and when they heard the betting was evep money that they'd come out on stretehers, they grabbed all the bets in sight. Like q lot of hally idiots. sev- eral of the battery men fell for their game, and put up real money. The Jocks suffered lot of casualties, and the prospects, looked bright for the battery men to collect some easy money. So when the battalion was re- lieved 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 men had never thought 1t out that way. Those Scotties were bound to be sure winners, no matter how the wind blew. So take tip from me, never bet wfthsa Seottie, cause you'll lose money
 At one part of our trench where communication trench joined the front line a Tommy had stuck up wooden signpost with three hands or arms oa 1T. One of the hands, point ing to the German lines, read 'ro Ber- lin:' the one pointing down the com, munication trench read, 'To Blighty,' while the other said, Suicide Ditch, Change Here for Stretchers.'
 Farther down from this guide post the trench ran through an old orchard On the edge of this orchard our bat tery had constructed an advanced oh- servation post. The trees screened 1t from the enemy airmen and the roof was turfed. It wasn't cushy like ours no timber or concrete re-enforcements