Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-03-08


b.nd. aimed In the direction or the
IIar,s from our batteries. Trench NOR
,,rs started dropping "MinnirS III
nIr front line. We checked several cas-
u.,ltirs Then they suddenly ceased.
cur artillery had tapped or SILENCE"
them.
purinr ih, hoinbardmcnt you '"uii
almost read u newspaper III ""r
TRENCH Sometimes IN the Hare ni i
sh,ll.h .hIlrSt 4 mans body WOulh h'
siIhuuttrd against the lar;Id"S al Inc
trench and II appeared lik" u huS'
munster. You could hardly hear your
S,,Ir think When IN order MaS I" h'
rusSrd down the trench you lId ln
veil II, using your hands aS i runner
INTO the ear uf the MAN Sit!lilS hcNI
Ia Nuu on the lire step. III h'""'
twenty minutes generous rum iSHhc
w,,S .dulcd out. Ntrr drinhlhS lhc
rum, which tasted like \trhlSh anu
srut 4 shuddcr through your irLn"'
>,u wondered why they m;tie You
wlit until the lifting oi the bhrf&Sr
I,,.r,,r,, ruinr over. At ten minutes
Ia four word w:IS PASSED down. Ten
minutes Ia pu.' Ten minutes I"
live We were ShivcrInS all over. MY
logs felt aS If they were asleep lh'h
word MAS PASSED down: "tlrSt NaN'
get OH and near the scaling addrLS'
rh,S,. were small wooden ladders
which We had placed against the i3'rI-
urt L. enable us I" 20 over the Top on
ih, lifting uf the bIrrasc. Ladders -
death" W" called them. and NrrI'lh'H
they were.
Erfurr 4 charge Tommy is the r"-
htrst ,r men. There iS never ANY ptiSh-
,nr ar ,ruwdiug tu hr first ~ thSN"
ladders We ,rouchCd around Tn" hl%r
or the ladders waiting for IN N"ri
to Gu over. | waS sick and itint. an"
WAS IuItlnc away at IN unliSht'u ''S'
.rh,n came. the, word. Three minutes
iu 10: upon the lifting ui the h'tf'@r
and ON the blast of the whistles. N"c'
the top with the best q luck ':hu IVY
Them hell" The famous lhrLS" 81
The western front. The Jonah phrase
of the Western front. To Tommy "
means If YOU are lucky enough l"
com, back Nuu Will hr minus IN arm
ar / leg Tumuy hates To br wiSh'd
the best u luck. 81. when peace u u'-
Clarrd IT II ever ~. and You meet
Tummy On the street. just wish nun
The, best a. luck and duck the hrtck
that follows.
| glanced H.::un NJ my wrist watch
We all wore them and You could n;lfu-
Iy call uS ''SiSSlrS' for dong 81. III WaS
= minute tu four. | could See the hahu
move tr the twelve. then dead 81
lrncr |, hurt Everyone looked up
10 see What had happened. but not Tor
long SHARP whistle blasts rang Out
alunc the trench. and with cheer the
men scrambled up the ladders me
hulIrtS we're cracking overhead. ana
occasionally 4 machine gun would rlP
and tear the top ut the SlndbaS para
pet How rut up that ladder VIII
never know. The iirst ten feet OUT IN
lnn a.
through lanes III our harhcd wirr. l
knew MAS running. hut could feel n"
motion 'Clow the waist. Patches on
thu, around seemed IL iloat to the rear
as ii | were un Il treadmill anu seem
cry MAS rushing past me. Thc Ger.
mans had put 4 barraISe OF Shrapnci
across No Mans Land. and YOU coulo
hear the pieces slap the ground about
YOU.
After | had passed our hIrbed wire
and gotten into M Mans Land u
Tommy about fifteen feet TO my right
front turned around and looking IN my
direction. put his hand to his mouth
and NCllrd something which | could
not make out ON account OF the NOISE
from the bursting shells. Then he
cuushrd. stumbled. pitched forward
and lay still. His body seemed I" hoat
tr the rear Of me. | could hear sharp
cracks III Inc AIT Ippul
were caused hy passing rifle bullets.
Frequently, TO my right and left. little
spur,s OF dirt would rise into the air
and 4 ricochet bullet would whine on
it's WAY Ii Tommy should see one
Of these little spurtS in front OF him.
he would tell the nurse about II later.
The crossing OF No Mans Land re-
mains Il blank IL me.
Men on my right and left would
stumble and fall. Some would try In
get up. while others remained huddled
and mutioulcSS. Then Smashed-up
harhrd wire came into Hirw ana
seemed carried on tide 10 the rear.
suddenly. in front Of me loomed a
bashcd-i in trench about four feet wide.
Queer looking forms like mud turtles
were Scrambling up its wall. One OF
these forms seemed to slip and then
rolled to the bottom OF the trench. !
leaped across this intervening space.