Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1918-08-30

/ over the grip. This guard Is studded
with steel projections. Al night In .
trench which IL only about three to
| four feet wide, II makes n very handy
weapon one punch In the face gen.
orally skaters mans jaw and you
can got him with the knife Ms he goes
| down,
Then we had what We called our
"comealongS." These are strands Of
harhci wire about three feet long,
made into n moose al one end; at the
other end. the burhs Are cut of ind
Tommy slips his wrist through Il loop
to get u good grip on the wire II the
prisoner wants to argue the point, why
inst place the large loop around his
neck and no matter II Tommy wishes
10 return 10 his trenches at the walk,
trot or gallop, Fritz 4. perfectly agree
able 70 maintain Tommys rate OF
speed
We were ordered 70 black our faces
and hands. For this reason, Al night,
The English and GernnnS use what
they call star shells, sort Of rocket
affair they are fired from n large
pistol about twenty inches long, which
j. held over the SHndNag pArupei OF the
trench and discharged into the air.
These star shells attain height OF
about sixty feet. and range OF from
nifty 10 Seyenty.hye yards. When they
hit The ground they explode throwing
out strong calcium lisllt which lights
up the ground IN circle of a radius Of
between ten 10 fifteen yards. They
also have 4 parachute star shell which.
after reaching Il height Of about sixty
feet, eXplodrS. A parachute unf0lds
and slowly loutS 10 he ground light.
Ing mp large circle In No Mans Land.
The official name " the star shell 10
a Ncry.light." Vrryights are used
10 prevent night surprise attacks on
the trenches. II n star shell fails In
front ~ YOU, or between you and the
German lines, you are Safe from detec.
tlon, rs the enemy cannot see you
through the bright curtain Of light.
But II II falls behind YOU and. rs Tom
my says, you get In the star shell
zone, then the fun begins; you have
to lie Nat on your stomach and remain
absolutely motinnleSS until the light OF
the she'll dies ont This takes am.
whore from forty To seventy seconts.
II you haven't time to full to the
ground yon must remain absolutely
>tlll IN whatever position you were In
when the light exploded; I; is advis.
able not 10 breathe as Fritz has an
eye like 40 eagle When he thinks you
are knocking al his door When star
she'll is burning il Tommy's rear he
can hold BIZ, breath for week.
You hiackrn yuur face and hands so
that thr light from The star shells will
not reflect on your pale face. In a
trench raid there is quite sufficient
reason for Your fnce TO be pale. II you
don't believe mo try It just once.
Then another reason for blackening
Your face and hands is that, after you
have entered The German trench at
night white face" means Germans,
black face" English. Coming around
a traverse sou sec white face 10 .
front uf You. With a prayer and wish
ing Fritz ME best q luck" you intro
duce him p your "persuader" OF
knueklo knife
A little later We arrived at the com.
trench named Whisky
street which I'D to the fire trench nj
the point We we're to 20 over the top
and ont in front.
In our rrar were four strctcher bear
arS and q coTors of the X. A. VI. G,
pouch containing medicines
ami tr>'aii appliances. Kind of
grim reminder to Us that our expedj.
ton VAS not going to be exactly a pic
ME The order Of things was reversed
In civilian lie the doctors generally
come first with the undertakers tag.
siug n the rear md then the insur-
ancr man, hut in our case, the under.
taker, We're leading, with the doctors
trailing behind. minus the insurance
adju>tor
tTo BE CoNTINUEDJ