The Arvada enterprise., 1918-11-14

using shrapnel on u and In no time
at all our tunnels were shot full Of
holes and sieve was watertight com.
pared to them.
Naturally We were not Just taking
all this punishment without any come
back. Our guns were at 1t fast and
from the way the IRE slacksnsd in
certain places We knew We were max
Ing It effective. Ny guns did for two
enemy pieces that know Of, and pse.
haps several others.
The French garbies were q good
deal more excited In action than I
thought they would be. They were
dodging around below decks. trying
to miss the shrapnel that came
aboard. shouting. swearing. singing
but fighting hard. at that. They stood
the gan Just as we'll as any other
garbies would, only in their own
sweet way-which is noisy enough,
believe me.
One Of our seamen was hit $50
times BY fragments Of shrapnel, 20
you can see what they were up
against In the lodging line. A gun
turret In action 10 not exactly the
best place on earth for q nervous
man nor one who likes his comfort.
Thsrs 10 an awful lot Of heat and
noise and smell and work. al the
time In q fighting gun turrst. But
during an engagement I would rather
be In q gun turrst every time than
between decks. AZ that, II anything
does happen In Q turrst-it u good
night sure for all, and no rain checks
needed.
One Of our Junior lieutenants was
struck By Q fragment Of shell - he
was at his station behind the wheel
house and . piece of his skull was
driven Into his brain. Hs was car
ried into my gun turret, but he
would not let them take him to sick
bay to have his wound dressed. There
he sat. asking every now and then
how the fight was going and then sort
Of dosing of for q while.
After half an hour Of action We put
about and started away. still firing.
Az . parting slap on the back the
Turks tore OF one Of our blg.gun tur-
rets, and then away we went. back to
Brest with 4 casualty list Of only is.
We did not have much trouble guess
ing that 1t was dry dock for ~ again.
We got back to Brest after . quiet
voyage. patching ourselves up where
We could on the way. and again there
was the rush work, day and night,
to get into shape and DO 1t over again.
They turned ~ out In II days and
back ws went to the Turks and their
Hun assistants.
We wsse lucky getting lnshors. only
receiving q nasty smash astsrn. when
the Turks got our range and landed
two peaches before We got out. We
nearly tore our ruddsr OF getting
away. But We had to come back right
away. because We had carried quite
4 number Of heavy guns from Brest
and were given the Job Of running
them ashore. It was day and night
work and great job for fun. because,
while you never knew when you
would get 1t. you had good reason to
feel you would get damned by a cute
little shell or q dainty bit of shrap-
mel before the Job was over.
Aboard ship 1t was deck work. Of
course, and 1t was not much better
there than ashore with the guns, be-
cause the enemy trenches were near
the shore and they amused them
selves trying to pick us of whenever
we showed on deck. guess we were
regular shooting gallery for them,
and some of our men thought they
did not need all the practice they
were getting. for quite few Of US
acted us bulls eyes.
But we did not mind the bullets so
much. They make clean wound or
put you away entirely; shrapnel
tears you up and Gun plny all kinds
OF tricks with various parts Of your
body without killing you. As for
shclls-wcil. minccmcnt IL the word.
The Nnrrows were thick with mines
and there Ind been a great deal Of
damage done there. so after n while
tho British detailed their Yarmouth
trawlcrs TO go In and sweep up. They
hnd to go up unprotected, OF course,
md they started OF one night all
scrcne.
Everything went well until they
turned ut the Nnrrows ind started
back. Then. before you could tell It,
Ave or six scnrchlghts were playing
on one OF tho trnwlcrs and shells
were spiashing the water nil over her.
Both banks were simply banging away
point blank ut them and never
thought they would get back.
They did get back. though. but
some OF them had hardly enough men
left to work ship. But that IL like
the Limcys. They will get bnck from
anywhere while thcrc II one man
| alive.
A chap aboard ono Of the trnwlcrs
said n shell went through the wheel.
house between the Qunrtcrmastcr and
himself and all tho .. N. said was,
"Gaw bllmcy. that ticklcd."
"But know their shooting was