The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1918-09-20
PAGE THREE

The time card might read somethingl
like this: First wave, zero, advanced
rapid walk, barrage % in 10 seconds,
take drst trench, 0:20; second wave.
same as the first, pass first trench.
0 %; take second trench, OBS. Thel
third wave is ordered to take the third
trench, and so on, for as many linesl
as the enemy Is entrenched. The other
waves might be instructed to occupy
Hill Z. 12:08, or dig in behind rock
12:45. Here, zero is understood, the
first figures standing for minutes and
the others for seconds. It might take
several hours to carry out the prof.
gram, but everything is laid out to
an exact schedule.
was in the sixth line Of the third
wave Of attack and zero was 4:30I
q. m. Whistles were to be the signal
for zero and we were to walk to the
first line Turkish trench. AS we came
out our barrage fire would be burst
ing 90 yards ahead Of US and would
lift % yards every 10 seconds. Our
stunt was to take advantage Of II
without walking into 1t.
No one man can see all Of an attack,
which may extend over miles Of
ground, but during the three weeks
/ was in the trenches on the Gallipoli
peninsula we made four grand attacks
and many minor ones, so know in
general way what they are like. Each
wave is organized like the others.
First come three lines of what you
might call grenadlers, though they are
not picked for size as the old kings
grenadiers used to be. They are de-
ployed in skirmish formation, which
means that every man Is three yards
from the next. They were armed only
with grenades, but, you can take 1t
from me, that is enough! Behind them
come two lines, also in skirmish for
nation, and armed with machine guns
and grenade rifles. The first men on
the left carry machine guns, then come
three rifle grenadiers, and then anoth-
or machine gun and so on down the
length of the line. After these come
two lines of riaemen with fixed bay
onets.
Then come the trench cleaners, or
moppers-up, as we call them. They
were some gang, believe me. Imagine
a team Of rugby players spread out In
two lines-only with hundreds of men
on the team instead of eleven, and
each man husky, capable Of han
ding baby grand piano single
handed. These fellows were armed
with everything you could think OF,
and a whole lot more that you could
not dream about In nightmare. 1t
used to remind me Of trial saw
in New York once, where the police
had raided yeggmen's flop and had
all their weapons in the courtroom as
exhibits.
The moppers-up were heeled with
sticks, clubs, shillelahs, black-jacks,
two-handed cleavers, axes, trench
knives, poniards, up-to-date toma-
hawks, brass knuckles, slung shots
anything that was ever invented for
crashing man with, guess, except
firearms. These knock-down, drag-out
artists follow the riflemen very closely.
Their job was to take care of all the1
Turks who could not escape and would
not surrender.
There are lots Of men In any army
who will not surrender, but / think |
probably there were more Turks Of
that gameness than men in most other
armies. have heard that IT is part
OF their religion that man, If he
dies fighting, goes to very specially
fancy heaven, with plenty to eat and
smoke. And / suppose If he surren-
ders they believe he will be put in
the black gang, stocking for eternity
down below. 1t was awfully hot at the
Dardanelles and 1 guess the Turks
did not want it any hotter, for very
few of them ever surrendered, and the
trench cleaners had lot to do. Their
job is really important, for it is danger
Gus to have groups of the enemy alive
and kicking around in their trenches
after you have passed. Almost every
prisoner we took was wounded.
The one thing do not like to have
people ask me is, ''How does 1t feel to
kill MANI" and think the other
boys feel the same way about it. 1t
is not thing you like to talk about
or think about either. But this time,
at "v" beach, when we got past the
first and second Turk trenches and
were at work on the third, do not
mind saying that was glad whenever