The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1918-09-20
rye Matthew Adams Service


volunteers for trench duty. I was MOI
very keen about going, because hat
been in trenches at Dixmude, and
knew how pleasant they were-not
but volunteered, and so did Murray
We went ashore in our boats under q
heavy fire. There were - men killed
in the lifeboat in which l was. I es-
capped without scratch.
We were mustered up on shore and
volunteers were called for, for sentry
duty. Murray volunteered. If he had
only gone on with the rest of us he
might have come through. After a
short wait we were given the order to
advance. The firing became heavier
about this time, so we went at the
double. We had not got very far be-
fore we had fine little surprise party
handed us.
The front line was running over
what appeared to be good, solid
ground, when they broke through and
fell into trenches 80 to 40 feet deep.
These trenches had been dug, covered
over with A-inch boards and then
|
| Sharp stakes were sticking out of the
parapet and parados, and at the bot
tom were more stakes and rocks and
barbed wire.
| We were advancing with bayonets
fixed and arms at the carry, so when
the first line fell, and some) of the
second, the boys of the third line came
running up and in the scramble that
| followed many of the chaps in the
first few lines were bayoneted by their
comrades. / was in the third line, but
l was lucky enough to pull up in time
and did not fall in. You could not look
down into that trench after you had
seen it once, it was too sickening.
Our casualties We're sent back to the
ship. One boat was sunk by a shell
and all the men lost.
We remained where we We're,
scratching out shallow trenches for
ourselves, finding what natural cover
there was and otherwise getting ready
for the night, which was near. 1t
began to rain and we could hardly
keep any fires going, because we had
to shelter them from the shore side, so
the enemy could not spot us, and the
wind was from the Sea. 1t was certain
ly miserable that night.
Every once in a while we would
stand by to repel an attack, whether it
was real one or not, and we were
under fire all the time. 1t seemed as
if morning would never come. The
sand was full of fleas-great big boys
and they were as bad as any
coolies 1 had ever had at Dixmude.
The morning came at last, and 1
was detailed with a fatigue party
to the beach where we had landed
stores. When we got down to the
docks I missed Murray and asked
where he was. They said he had been |
missing from his post not more than |
an hour from the time we left.
I left my fatigue party, without |
orders, and Joined in the hunt for |
Murray. There were men searching |
to each side. Finally 1 saw bunch
of men collect around a storehouse
at the farther end of the docks on the
shore side. I ran up to them.
There was poor old Murray. They
were just taking him down. He had
been crucified against the wall of the
There was a bayonet
through each arm, one through each
foot and one through his stomach.
One of the garbies tainted when he
had to pull one of the bayonets out.
They had hacked off his right hand
at the wrist and taken his identified
ton disc. 1 lay this to the German
officers more than the Turks.
do not know just what did after
this. But it changed me all around
and was not like my usual self dur
ng the rest of the time.
1t was still raining when we started
On our way to the front line. Along
he road were numbers of troops
soothing and among them Indian troops
IN sentry duty. They looked like a
punch of frozen turnips, cool and UNI
We were close enough to
make the roar of the cannOnading
,eem intolerably loud and could see
he bursting shells, particularly those
ron the British ships.
Then we came across some Turkish
prisoners who were sheltering in an
Id barn, I guess 1t was, and we
topped for shelter and rest. They
old us that their troops were very
ired from long fighting, but that they
ad plenty Of men. They said couple
f shells had dropped about a hun
red yards. from the barn just before
We came, so we knew the batteries
we're trying to get our range and we
i'd not stay any longer, but went
way from there and on our road.
About 500 yards farther on we came
0 ruins, and when we went inside
7e found so or go of our boys cooking (
nd sleeping and not giving a thought
. the shells or shrapnel. The mules t
Inside were banging away at the hay, c
s though there never had been q war v
/ the world. There was no shell made c
hat could bulge them away from Il
lat hay unless 1t hit them.
Thon along cano cart making a