The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1918-05-02
CHAPTER XIV-Continued.

10
Tf man is killed he is buried, and
+he responsibility of the government
ceases, excepting for the fact that his
neoDle receive pension. But If man
is wounded it takes three men from
+he firing line, the wounded man and
two men to carry him to the rear to
the advanced frst-aid post. Here he is
attended by a doctor, perhaps assist
cd nv two r. A. M. G. men. Then he is
mt into a motor ambulance, manned
nv crew Of two or three. At the field
hospital, where he generally goes I'M
der an anesthetic, either to have his
wounds cleaned or to be operated on,
he requires the services of about three
TO five persons. From this point an
other ambulance ride impresses more
men in his service, and then at the am
bulance train, another corps of doc
tors. R, A. NJ. c. men, Red Cross nurses
and the trains crew. From the train
he enters the base hospital or casualty
clearing station, where a goOd-s1zed
corps of doctors, nurses, etc., are kept
busy. Another ambulance journey is
next in order-this time to the hospital
ship, He crosses the channel. arrives
in Blighty-more ambulances and per-
baps O ride for five hours on an Eng
fish Red Cross train with its crew of
Red Cross workers, and at last he
reaches the hospital. Generally he
stays fr,m two to six months, or long
er, in this hospital. From here he is
b. homo
weeks.
If b. wounds he is untitled for fur
Their service, he is discharged, given
pension, or committed to a soldiers
home for the rest of his life-and still
the expense piles up. When you real
ize that all the ambulances, trains and
ships not to mention the man power,
used IN transporting wounded man,
could be used for supplies, ammunition
and re-enforcements for the troops at
the .ront, it will not appear strange
that from a strictly military stand
point, a dead man is sometimes better
than a live one (if wOunded).
Mt long after the first digging party,
our general decided, after careful
tour Of inspection Of the communion
ton trenches, upon IAN ideal spot" as
he termed it, for a machine-gun en-
placement; took his map, made dot
on it, and as he was wont, wrote "dig
here" and the next night we dug.
There we're twenty in the party, my
self included. Armed with picks,
shovels and empty sandbags we ar
rived at the ideal spot" and started
digging. The moon was very bright,
but we did not care as we were well
out of sight of the German lines.
We had gotten about three feet
down, when the fellow next to me, aft
er mighty stroke with his pick, let go
of the handle, ind pinched his nose
with his thumb and forefnger, at the
same time letting out the explosion,
Scott strafe me pink, I'm bloody we'll
gaSsed, not 'alf I amt" I quickly
turne.1 in his direction with an inQuir-
Ing }~aok, at the same instant reaching
for my gas bag. I soon found out what
was ailing him. One Whit was enough
and lost no time in also pinching my
nose. The stencil was awful. The rest
of the digging petty dropped their
picks and shovels and beat it for the
weather side Of that solitary pick. The
officer came over and inquired why the
work had suddenly ceased, holding our
noses, we simply pointed in the d1rec-
ton Of the smell. He went over to the
pick, Immediately clapped his hand
over his nose, made an "about turn
and came back. Just then our cap
tain came along and investigated, but
after about a minute said we had bet
ter carry on with the digging, that ne
uld not see why we should nave
stopped as the Odor was very falnt'
out Is necessary he would allow us our
gas helmets while digging. He would
stay and sec the thing through, but ne
uad to report back to. brigade heao.
quarters Immediately. We wished tha'
we were captains and also had date
at brigade headquarters. With our gas
helmets on we again attacked that mole
ana uncovered the decomposed body OF
German; the pick was sticking In mis-
chest. One of the men tainted. was
-lat one. Upon this our LIEUTENANT
ualted proceedings and sent word DacH
10 headquarters and word came DacE
,llat after we filed in the hole we coulO
Anock off for the night. This was wei
cone tfdings to us, because
Next day the general changed the
uot on his map and another emplace
ment was completed the following
light