Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1918-05-30


had the tears running down their
cheeks. II was bitter disappointment
TO all.
How we blinded at the engineer OF
that train; II was all his fault ESQ we
reasoned) why hadn't he speeded up a
little or been on time, then we would
have gotten of before the order ar
rived? Now II was no Blighty for us.
That return journey was misery to
us; Just can't describe 1t.
When we got back TO rest blllets. we
found that our brigade was In the
trenches (another agreeable surprise)
and that an attack was contemplated.
Seventeen Of the forty-one will never
get another chance to go on leave;
they were killed In the attack. Just
think If that train had been on time.
those seventeen would still be alive.
hate to tell you how was kidded
by the boys when got back. but 1t was
good and plenty.
Our machine gun company took over
their part of the line at seven o'clock,
the night after | returned from my
near leave.
At 3 80 the following morning three
waves went over and captured the first
and second German trenches. The
machine gunners went over with the
fourth wave to consolidate the cap
tured line or dig In" as Tommy calls
II.
Crossing No Mans Land without |
clicking any casualties. we came to
the German trench and mounted our
guns on the paradOs of same.
/ never saw such a mess In my life
punches of twisted barbed wire lying
about, shell holes everywhere, trench
all dashed In, parapets gone, and dead
bodies, why, that ditch was full of
them, theirs and ours. 1t was a regu-
lar mOrgue. Some were mangled h0r-
ribly from our shell fire, while others
were wholly or partly buried In the
mud, the result of shell explosions cav
Ing In the walls of the trench. One
dead German was lying on his back,
with rifle sticking straight up In the
air, the bayOnet of which was buried
to the hllt In his chest Across his feet
lay dead English soldier with bull
let hole In his forehead. This Tommy
must have been killed just as he ran
his bayonet through the German.
Rifles and equipment were scattered {
about, and occasionally steel helmet
could be seen sticking out of the mud.
At one point, just in the entrance to
/ communication trench, was a stretch
sr. On this stretcher German was
ylng with white bandage around his
knee. near to him lay one Of the h
the red cross on his d
lrm covered with mud and his helmet n
HE'D with blood and brains. Close by, 7
lifting up against the wall of the =
rench. with head resting on his chest, !,
vas the other stretcher-bearer. He :,
eemed to be alive, the posture was so =
Iatural and easy; but when l got
loser | could see large, jagged hole n
q his temple. The three must have IL
cen killed by the same shell-burst. ST
The dugouts were all smashed In and 10
nocked about, big square-cut timbers ~
plintered into bits, walls caved in and !,
ntrances choked. -
Tommy, after taking trench, learns
} his sorrow that the hardest part of ie
le work is to hold it. OF
In our case this proved to be so. CO
The German artillery and machine Di
nns had us tapped (ranged) for fair; so
was worth your life to expose your
If an instant.
Don't think for minute that the
ermans were the only sufferers; we ~
ere clicking casualties so fast that ~
)u needed an adding machine to keep :
ack of them. b.
Did you ever see one of the steam
lovels at work on the Panama canal? III
'ell, 1t would look like hen scratch
e alongside of Tommy digging in"
lille under fire. You couldn't see day
ght through the clouds of dirt from
IS shovel. M.
After losing three out of six men of sci
If crew we managed to set up our to
achine gun. One of the legs of the sci
ipod was resting on the chest of a a.
llf-buried body. When the gun was q,
ring, 1t gave the impression that the
ldy was breathing. This was caused 81
7 the excessive vibration. "
Three or four feet down the trench, un
bout three feet from the ground, ed
rot was protruding from the earth. sal
Ie knew 1t was German by the black
ather boot. One of our crew used
lat foot to hang extra bandollers of
on. This man always was
handy fellow; made use of little pa
Oints that the ordinary person would les
verlook. va
The Germans made three counter oh
ttacks, which we repulsed, but not rel
ithout heavy loss on our side. They -,
sO suffered severely from our shell W.
nd machine-gun fire. The ground was
lotted with their dead and dying.
The next day things were somewhat
lieter but not quiet enough to bury
ne dead. p
We lived, ate and slept in that trench
18th the unburipd dpad for sly DAVIS