The Elbert County tribune., 1918-11-08
YOUNG AMERICAN FIGHTS AT
VIMY RIDGE-COMES OUT
WITH DOZEN WOUNDS
Experiences of Harry Boston of
Ebert
COPIED from the Daily Capital
Journal, Salem, Oregon)

al
his head. with his left jaw held to-
gcther by silver wire. with half
dozen scars and deep holes in his left
arm and bullet wound in his left
knee, besides scar from a bullet
that entered the left cheek bone
and came out on the left side of his
neck, H. l.. Boston. of the Canadian
army, is visiting his mother. Mrs r.
NJ. Cook. for a few days at the Capt
tai hotel.
1t was in the summer of 1916 that
Mr.. Boston enlisted in the Canadian
army at San Francisco and was sent
to Victoria. Within few months he
was In the trenches in France as "A
Lewis machine gun man.
Now machine gun man rather
lines up as member of the suicide
club as he is ready in advance of
the infantry in all action and in
every kind of fighting on the front
line. The gun used by the Cana
dinns weighs about IS pounds and
can be shot from the hip or from
any support besides the ever ready
tripod
1t was at the famous Vimy Ridge
can flag on the brcastworks OF
German trench. While passing
through London, an American wom-
an presented him with a small silk
American flag. He kept 1t until one
night in raid across the German
trenches at Vimy Ridge, he stuck the
u. S. flag in sight ON the trench
after the raiding party had been
ordered back to their lines. This was
about five months before the United
States went into the war. but even
then the sight of the U. S. flag so
poeved the Germans that the British
trench opposite where the flag was
placed was severely bombed.
Mr.. Boston said that when the Ca
nadians went out on a bombing and
raiding expedition at night, that they
blacked their faces, crept through
the German wires and at the sound
of whistle given by their officer
in command. jumped into the Ger
man trench. giving them the bayonet.
At the sound of the whistle, the
raiders would then beat It for their
own trenches and 1t was in one of
these raids that he left the American
flag that the Germans tore down
and 1t was five months before VIC
entered the war.
II was at Vimy Ridge in the cap
turc of a German pill box that Mr.
Boston got the first real touch of
war. AS his party were getting close
to a German pill box, German Off
GER shot him in the knee at the same
time a German private lunged at him
with bayonet. Mr.. Boston lodged
the bayonct, shot the private through
the heart while his pal put the
finishing touches on the German Of
ficer. first smashing him on the the
head with rifle and then to make
sure of his job, applying the bay
onet. They got the pill box.
AS a real instrument of war, Mr..
Boston says the hard bomb does the
business. 1t is made of iron and the
size of an extra large lemon and
about the shape. 1t is filled with an
explosive much more powerful than
dynamite. In throwing the bomD at
a safe distance of 50 to 40 yards.
Mr.. Boston says, the safety pin is
first removed and the fingers placed
on lever, which is released as the
bomb leaves the hand. In four and
a half seconds it explodes and if
there is good luck, ten or a dozen
Germans get what is coming to
them That is, the bomb is good for
that many who happen to be in the
neighborhood as it explodes.
After being in the service on the
front and at the great battles of
Vimy Ridge, Mr.. Boston got in a mix
up with German "whiz-bang' that
put him out OF business. With his
Lewis gun company he was cleaning
up q German trench when one of the
big shells exploded directly over his
company. Now a German "whiz-
bang" contains about 200 small bull
let's and they scatter pretty we'll
when it explodcs.
Just as the German trench had
been cleaned up. the shell came along
and killed every one of Mr.. Boston's
machine gun company. One shot
struck him over the left eye. another
on the left cheek, half dozen on
the left side and on the arm. After
the first shock he attempted to walk
back to his lines but got no further
than shell hole when he dropped