The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1918-04-25
often away with it.

had gotten away with it.
I will endeaver to give the story as
far as memory will permit In his own
words:
IT came out with the first expedi-
tionary force, and. like all the rest,
thought we would have the enemy
licked in jig time, and be able to eat
Christmas dinner at home. Well, so
far, I have eaten two Christmas din
ners in the trenches, and am liable to
eat two more, the way things are
pointing. That is, if Fritz don't drop
q 'whizz-bang' on me, and send me to
Blighty. Sometimes I wish I would
get hit, because it's no great picnic
out here. and twenty-five months Of it
makes you fed up.
"It's fairly cushy now compared to
what it used to be, although admit
this trench is a trifle rough. Now,
we send over five shells to their one.
We are getting our own back. but in
the early days it was different. Then
you had to take everything without
reply. In fact, we would get twenty
shells in return for every one we sent
over. Fritz seemed to enjoy it, but
we British didn't; we were the suf-
ferers. Just one casualty after an
other. Sometimes whole platoons
would disappear, especially when a
Jack Johnson plunked into their
middle. 1t got so bad that a fellow,
when writing home, wouldn't ask for
any cigarettes to be sent out, because
he was afraid he wouldn't be- there to
receive them.
"After the drive to Paris was turned
back, trcnch warfare started. Our
general grabbed a map, drew a pencil
across it, and said. Dig here Then
he went back to his tea, and Tommy
armed himself with pick and shovel
and started digging. He's been dig
ging ever since.
"Of course we dug those trenches at
night, but it was hot work, what with
the rifle and machine-gun fire. The
stretcher bearers worked harder than
the diggers.
''Those trenches, bloomin' bitches,
call them, were nightmares. They were
only about five feet deep, and you used
to get the backache from bending
down. It wasn't exactly safe to stand
upright, either, because as soon as
your napper showed over the top
bullet would bounce off it, or else come
so close it would make your hair stand.
1--WE used to fill sandbags and stick
them on top Of the parapet to make 1t
higher, but no use; theW would be
there about an hour and then Fritz
would turn loose and blow them to
bits. My neck used to be sore from
ducking shells and bullets.
"Where my battery was stationed a
hasty trench had been dug, which
the boys nicknaped Suicide ditch
and, believe me, Yank, this was the
original Suicide ditch All the others
are limitations.
"When a fellow went into that
trench it was an even gamble that he
would come out on stretcher. At one
time a Scotch battalion held it, and
when they heard the betting was even
money that they'd come out on
stretchers, they grabbed all the bets
in sight. Like lot Of bally idiots, sew
eral of the battery men fell for their
game, and put up real money. The
'Jocks' suffered lot Of casualties, and
the prospects looked bright for the
battery men to collect some easy
money. So when the battalion was re-
lieved the gamblers lined up. Several
Jocks got their money for emerging
safely, but the ones who clicked 1t
weren't there to pay. The artillery
men had never thought it out that
way. Those Scotties we're bound to
be sure winners, no matter how the
wind blew. So take tip from me,
never bet with Scottie, cause you'll
lose money.
AT one part Of our trench where
communication trench Joined the
front line a Tommy had stuck up a
wooden signpost with three hands or
arms on it. One Of the hands, point
ing to the German lines, read, TO Ber-
lin;' the one pointing down the COM
munication, trench read, TO Blighty,'
while the other said, Suicide Ditch,
Change Here for Stretchers.'
"Farther down from this guide post
the trench ran through an old orchard.
On the edge Of this orchard our bat
terry had constructed an advanced OBJ
servation post. The trees screened 1t
from the enemy airmen and the roof
was turfed. It wasn't cushy like ours,
no timber or concrete re-enforcements.
just walls Of sandbags. From 1t a
splendid view of the German lines
could be obtained. This post wasn't
exactly safe. It was a hot corner,
shells plunking all around, and the
bullets cutting leaves off the trees.
Many a time when relieving the sig
naler at the phone, had to crawl on