Oxford eagle., 1918-04-18

~ 4HHef serving " FFoHce III
- asus. ~ Arthur Guy nnpess
DHAPTER xi.
DIVER the Top.
y oecond trip TO the trenches
~w Vas making his rounds Of
-. and we received the cheer
- thaf AZ four IN the morning
- - 20 over the top and take
- front-line trench My heart
lead Then the ofncer car
nth his Instruction. To the
memory I recall them as
~ eleven q wiring party Will
= nOnt and cut lanes through
ood wire for the passage Of
. - he morning. At two O'Clock
1rt11lsEy win open up with an In
bouAnrdment. which win last un-
-. UDon the lifting Of the hsr-
- ~ OF the three waves will
'sver. zen he left. Some OF the
|zmies. GlDf getting permission from
sergeant went into the machine
0erf dugout and wrote letters
=. saying is,ai r lie,
Il Goirz Owe ihe =. ait =: 81 thai
effers reaeAs,' ,iieir destination
mean that the writer had been
1@ffers Were turned over to
min with Instructions TO mail
- y the event Of the writer's being
- Some Of the men made out
w. wills In their pay books. under
Dt1en. "wiil and Last TsGta-
>~-ze-racking wait com
very now and tnen 1 woulA
- the dial Of my wrist watch
= Urrrised to see how fast the
Dossed by. About Eve minutes
! cot nervous waiting for our
~ open up. could not take uss
mum my watch crouched
- the parspet and strained my
- IN a deathlike grip upon my
~ the hands on my watch
- TWO O'Clock binding red fare
- up the sky In our rear, then
=. infermixed with q sharp, whis-
uound In the air over our heads.
Dedls from our guns were speed
- fheir way toward the German
With one accord the men
! up on the IRE step and looked
j ne top In the direction Of the
- trenches A line Of bursting
- lighted up No Mans Land. The
was terrific and the ground trem-
4 Then. high above our heads we
= hear a signing moan. Our big
, behind the line had opened ND
o3o and 15-inch shells commenced
~ INTO the German lines. Ths
j & he guns behind the lines. the
= = the shells through the air,
- ARE Of them. bursting. was q
[0Go that put Pains greatest dis
Gn<o the shade. The constant
\ - of German machine guns and
@c0Monal rattle Of rife firing gave
- Impression Of huge audience
ing the work Of the batteries.
- 4 13pounders were destroying the
1m barbed wire. while the heavier
- demolishing their trenches
ing In dugouts or funk holes.
n FRITZ got busy.
- shells went screaming over
0lmed In the direction Of the
- 1rom our batteries Trench NOR
= Glnrted dropping 'Minnies" In
Scnf line. We clicked several cas-
- Then they suddenly ceased.
oE0llery had taped or silenced
- the bombardment you could
- lad a newspaper In our trench.
Is In the fare OF a shell-burst
-o body would be silhoustted
M The parndos Of the trench and
I'D like q huge monster. You
ordly hear yourself think. When
u was TO be passed down the
you had to ven II. using ySur
y q funnel into the ear Of the
ing next TO You on the fire step.
. twenty minutes q generous
= was doled out. After drink
rum. which tasted like varnish
q q shudder through your
Ou wondered wig they made
j until the lifting Of the bar
ore going over. At ten min
Tour word was passed down,
nutes to gol" Ten minutes
We were shivering all over.
felt as II they were asleep.
ord was passed down: First
= on and near the scaling lad
were small wooden ladders
ve had placed against the para
nable us TO 60 over the top on
ng OF the barrage. Ladders Of
~e called them, and vsritably
re.
charge Tommy is the po-
men There is never any push
crowding TO be first mp these
We crouched around the base
ladders waiting for the word
yer. i was sick and faint. and
ing away at an unlighted flag.
nme the word. Three minutes
upon the lifting Of the barrsge
the blast Of the whistles. over
with the best o. luck and give