Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-03-22
CHAPTER mi.
About Turn.

returned 10 rest billcts. Cpon arriving
nt these. hiII"ts We were given twenty
toiIr hours in which to clean up. ! had
Just finished getting the mud from my
uniform when the orderly sergeant IN
formed me that my name was in or
dcrs TO leave. and that | was 10 report
To the orderly room in III" morning Tor
orders, transportation and rationS.
| nearly had a lit. hustled about
backing up. filling my pack with SOU
ycnIrs such ~ Sh, II heads. aud BOMBS
nose caps, shrapncl balls, and irus-
sian gIiardSman's helmet. In TACT. DE
fore turned In that night had every
thing ready L. report At the ordcrIS
room at nine the next morning.
[ was the envy OF In" Who'll" section.
swanking around telling oi IN" goo"
time ! was going to have. IN" places
wouId visit, and tn" real. old English
beer I intended to guHzl". Sort "i
rubbed it into them. h"CaIIS" th"H all
do il, and now that II was my turn. !
took pains 10 got my own back.
At nine reported To ia" captain. re-
cciving my travel order and pass. Tie
asked me how much money ! whnt""
10 draw. glibly answered. "Thr""
hundred francs. sir" IA" Ih:'t aS SlihiA
handed me one hundred.
Urporting at brigad" headquarters.
with my pack weighing Il ton, waite"
with forty others. for the adJutant l"
inspect us. After an hours wall, ne
came out: must have been s"r" i"'-
cause Ia. wasn't going with us.
The uuartcrmaStrr sergeant ISSUED
us two days rationS. in Il little whit"
canvas ration bag. which "" tied To
our belts.
Then two motor lorrics came along
and We piled in. laughing. joking and
i'm the hest of spirits. We even loved
the. Germans. We were feeling so hap.
pN. Our Journey to seven days bliss
I'm Blighty had commenced.
The ride in the lorry lasted about
two hours; by this time We were COW
cred with fine, white dust from TN"
road. but didn't mind. even il We were
nearly choking.
At the railroad station at - Ne
reported ,o an officer. who had whit"
band around his arm. which read IL.
r.. o." Utoyal transportation oiliccr).
TO us this officer was Santa Claus.
N cnSryr sIrow-ru ttr,r77T
our orders: he glanced through them
and said. MAKE yourselves Comfort
able on the platform and don't leave:
the train Is liable to be along in ilv"
minutcs--or five hours"
II came in five hours. Il string "i
eleven match boxes ON hiE. hi@h
wheels. drawn by i dinky little "nSIn"
with the "con." These match boxes
were cattle cans. ON the sides ot which
waS painted the old familiar sign.
"lIommcS 10. ChcvauN s.
The Il. T.. -. stuck us all into one
car. We didn't care; it WAS good
rs Pullman to us.
Two days we spent on that train.
humping. stopping. jerking ahead. and
sometimes sliding back. At three sta
tiunS We stopped long enough TO make
some tea, but were unable I" wash. so
when we arrived ut b.. where we
were to embark for l}liShty, we were
as black aS TurcoS and. with our un-
shuvcn faces. We looked like Il lot OF
trtmpS. Though tired out. we we're
happy.
We had packed up, preparatory TO
dctraining. when u II. II. .. held up
his hand for us 10 stop where we were
and came over. This is what he Stid:
"Hoys. I'm sorry. hut orders have just
been received canccllinr all leave. Ii
You had been three hours earlier you
would have gotten away. Just stay III
that tram, as IL is going back. RationS
will hc ISSUED tu YOU for your return
Journey To your respective stations.
Rcas,ly rotten | know" Then he left.
\ dead silence resulted. Then men
started To curse. threw their rifles on
the iluur of the car; others said moth
ing. seemed to be stupciied. while some
had the tears running down their
cheeks. II was Il bitter disappoint-
mcut To all.
How We hlincd at the engineer ot
that train: 1t was all his fault tso we
rcasoncdI: why hadn't ne speeded up
4 little ur been on time, when We
would have gotten uir before tie order
arrived: Now it was no Blighty for
US.
That return journey WAS misery tn
us: just can't describe it.
When we got back To rest hillStS we
found that our brigade was In the
trenches januthcr agreeable surpriSe)
and that an attack was contemplated.
Seventeen Of the forty will new
er get another chance To 40 un leave:
they were killed i'll the attack. Just
think il that train had been on time
thos,. seventeen would still be alive.
hate Ia tell YOU how was kidded
by the boys when | got back. but II
was good and plenty.
cur machine gun company TOOK
over their part of the line at seven
O'Clock. the night after returned
from my near leave.
At 3: 30 the following morning three
waves went over and captured the hrs'
and second German trenches. The
machine gunners went over with the
fourth wave to consolidate the cap
tured line or dig in" rs 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 Il mess in my life
lunches Of twisted barbed wire ly-
ing about. shell holes everywhere,
trench all dashed in. parapets gone
and dead bodies, why. the ditch was
full Of them, theirs and ours. 1t was
n regular morgue. Some were mangied