Rockingham post-dispatch. [volume] (Rockingham, N.C.) 1917-1965, 1918-05-09
5nAPTER XL
ovar the Ton


our officer was making his rounds Of
inspection, and we received the cheer
full news that at four in the morning
we were to go over the top and take
the German front-line trench. My heart
turned to lead. Then the officer car
ried On with his instructions. To the
best Of MY memory ! recall them as
follows: "At eleven a wiring party will
go out In front and cut lanes through
nnr barbed wire for the passage of
troops in the morning. At two O'Clock
a@ artiLary will open up with Gil in.
home, saying that in the morning they
were going over the top, and also that
If the letters reached their destination
1t would mean that the writer had been
killed.
These letters were turned over to
the captain with instructions to mail
same in the event Of the writer's being
killed. Some Of the men made out
their wills in their pay books, under
the caption, "Win and Last Testa-
ment."
Then the nerve-racldng wait COM
menced. Every now and then would
glance at the dial of my wrist watch
and was surprised to see how fast the
minutes passed by. About five minutes
to two I got nervous waiting for our
guns to open up. could not take my
eyes from my watch. I crouched
against the parapet and strained my
muscles in deathlike grip upon my
rife. AS the hands ON my watch
showed two o'clock a binding red fare
lighted up the sky in our rear, then
thunder, intermixed with a sharp, whis-
Ting sound in the air over our heads.
The shells from our guns were speed
ing on their way toward the German
lines. With one accord the men
sprang up on the fire step and looked
over the top in the direction Of the
German trenches. A line Of bursting
shells lighted up No Mans Land. The
din was terrific and the ground trem-
bled. Then, high above our heads we
could hear signing moan. Our big
boys behind the line had opened up
and CPS and 15-inch shells commenced
dropping into the German lines. The
flash Of the guns behind the lines, the
scream Of the shells through the air,
and the flare Of them, bursting, was a
spectacle that put Pains greatest dis
play into the shade. The constant
pup. pup, of German machine guns and
an occasional rattle Of rife firing gave
me the impression of huge audience
applauding the work Of the batteries.
Our B-pounders were destroying the
German barbed wire, while the heavier
stuff was demoiishing their trenchas
and bashing in dugouts or funk holes.
Then Fritz got busy.
Their shells went screaming over.
head, aimed In the direction Of the
flares from our batteries Trench NOR
tars started dropping "Minnies" in
our front line. We clicked several cas-
ualties. Then they suddenly ceased.
Our artillery had taped or silenced
them.
During the bombardment you could
almost read newspaper in oar trench.
Sometimes'in the flare Of shell-burst
a mans body would be silhouetted
against the parados Of the trench and
1t appeared like huge monster. You
could hardly hear yourself think. When
an order was to be passed down the
trench you had to yell 1t, using your
hands as q funnel into the ear Of the
man sitting next to you on the fire step.
In about twenty minutes generous
rum issue was doled out After drink
ing the rum, which tasted like varnish
and sent shudder through your
frame, you wondered why they made
YOU wait until the lifting Of the bar
rage before going over. At ten min
utes to four word was passed down.
'"Ten minutes to gor Ten minutes
10 Nvel We were shlvering all over.
My legs felt as II they were asleep.
Then word was passed down: "Flrst
wave get on and near the scaling lad
ders."
These were small wooden ladders
which we had placed against the para.
pet to enable us to go over the top on
the lifting Of the batrage. ladders OF
death" we called them. and veritably
they were.
Before a charge Tommy is the 20
iftest Of men. There is never any push.
Ing or crpwding 10 be first up these
ladders. We crOuched around the base
Of the ladders waiting for the word
to go over. I was SICK and faint, and
was putting away at an unlighted fag
Then came the word, '-Three minutes
TO go; upon the lifting Of the barrage
and on the blast Of the whistles Over
the top with the best O. luck and give
them hell" The famous phrase Of
the western front Tie Jonah phrase
Of the western front 10 Tommy II
means II you are lucky enough to come
back you win be minus an arm or q
leg. Tommy hates to be wished the
best of luck: SO, when peace Is de-
clared, II 1t ever is, and you meet q
%R1n 1yHct xxrfc1, him fhk