The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1918-07-11
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| After I had been hit remember feel
ing relieved that I hadn't been hurt
enough to keep me from going on with
the men. I'm not trying to make my
self out hero. I'm just trying TO tell
you how an ordinary mans mind
works under the stress OF fighting and
the danger OF sudden death. There
are some queer things In the psychol-
ogy OF battle. For instance. when we
had got into the German trench and
were holding II against the most
vigorous counterattacks the thought
which was perslstently uppermost In
my mind was that I had lost the ad-
dress OF a girl In London along with
some papers which had thrown away
| lust before we started over and which
should certainly never be able to find
again.
Hold Regina Trench at Last.
The Regina trench had been taken
and lost three times by the British.
We took II that day and held II. We
went into action with 1900 men of all
ranks and came out with 600.
have said that because we were on
the extreme right Of the line we had
the hottest little spot in France to
hold for awhile. You see. we had to
institute double defensive. as We
had the Germans on our front and on
our flank. the whole length of the
trench 10 the right Of us being still
held by the Germans. There we had
to form "block," massing our bomb
ers behind barricade which was only
fifteen yards from the barricade be-
hind which the Germans were fighting.
In contact as fiery as that of two live
wire ends. And meanwhile the Fritzes
tried 10 rush us on our front with nine
separate counterattacks. Only one OF
them got up close to US, and we went
out and stopped that with the bayonet.
Behind our block barricade there was
the nearest approach to an actual fight
ing hell that had seen.
And yet a man who was in the midst
of II from beginning to end came out
without a scratch. He was tall chap
named Hunter. For twenty-four hours,
without interruption. he threw German
"eggshell' bombs from a position at
the center OF our barricade. He never
stopped except to light cigarette or
yell for some one to bring him more
bombs from Frtz's captured store
house. He projected regular curtain
OF fire OF his own. I've no doubt the
Germans reported he was a couple OF
platoons. working In alternate reliefs.
He was awarded the ID. G. n. for his
services In that fight. and, though, as
I said. he was unwounded, half the
men around him were killed. and his
nerves finished In such condition that
he had to be sent back to England.
The Big Blunder and What II Cost.
One Of the great tragedies OF the war
resulted from bit Of carelessness
when a couple Of days later the effort
was made TO extend our grip beyond
the spot which we took In that first
fight. Plans had been made for the
Forty-fourth battalion OF the Tenth
Canadian brigade TO take by assault
the trench section extending TO the
right from the point where we had es-
tablished the "block" on our flank. The
hour for the attack had been fixed
Then headquarters sent out counter.
handing order. Something wasn't
quite ready.
|, The orders were sent by runners, as
all confidential orders must be. Tele-
phones are OF no avail any more, as
both our people and the Germans have
an apparatus which needs only 20 be
attached to metal spike In the ground
to pick up" every telephone message
within a radius Of three miles. wher
telephones are used for anything i'm
portant messages are sent In code
But for any vitality important commu
nication which might cost serious
losses. II misunderstood. old style run
ners are used. Just as they were in the
days when the field telephone was un
heard Of. II is the rule to dispatch two
90 three runners by different routes 50
that one at least will be certain to ar
rive. In the case of the countermand
Ing OF the order for the Forty fourth
battalion TO assault the German posi-
ton on our flank some officer at head
quarters thought that one messenger
10 the lieutenant colonel commanding
the Forty-fourth would be sufficient
The messenger was killed by a chance
shot, and his message was undelivered
The Forty-fourth. In ignorance OF the
change OF plan. "went over" There
was no barrage fire TO protect them
and their valiant effort was simply I
Wholesale suicide. Six hundred out Of
! 800 men were on the ground In two
and half minutes. The battalion wal
simply wiped out. Several ofiiceri
were court martialed as a result OF
this terrible blunder.
! We had gone into the German
} trenches at little after noon on Sat
urday. On Sunday night at about II
; o'clock we were relieved. The reliei
force had to come In overland. ant
, they had q good many casualties eI
, route. They found us as comfortable,
as bugs In q rug except Tor the infer