Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1918-07-19
CHAPTER xxll-continued.

! This punishment is awarded where
there is doubt as to the wlllful guilt
Of man who has committed an of
fence punishable by death.
Then comes the famous field pun
lshment No /. Tommy has nicknamed
It "crucihxlon." 1t means that IA man
Is spread.engled on timber wheel.
two hours a day for twenty-one days.
During this time he only gets water,
bully beef and biscuits for his chow.
You get "crucifed" for repeated minor
offenses.
Next in order is field punishment
No. o
This is confinement in the "cllnk,"
without blankets, getting water, bully
beef and biscuits for rations and doing
all the dirty work that can be found.
This may be for twenty-four hours or
twenty days, according to the gravity
Of the ofrense.
Then comes pack drill or default
ers' parade. This consists Of drilling,
mostly at the double. for two hours
with full equipment. Tommy hates
this, because II Is hard work. Some
times he fills his pack with straw to
lighttl it, and sometimes he gets
caught II he gets caught, he grouses
at everything in general for twenty
one days, from the vantage point of n
timber wheel.
Next comes &C. b." meaning "con-
fined TO barracks This consists OF
staying In billets or barracks for TWEEN
ty-four hours 10 seven days. You also
get an occasional defaulterS parade
and dirty Jobs around the quarters.
The sergeant major keeps what +;
known as the crime sheet. When a
nan commits an ofTense, he is
'crimed." that is, his name, number
md offense is entered on the crime
sheet. Next day at 0 a. IN. he goes &c
he orderly room" before the captain
who either Furnishes him with &c. b.
or sends him before the o. c. (officel
commanding battalion). The captain
IF the company can only award &c. b.
Tommy many time has thanket
he king for making that provision il
ais regulations.
To gain the title OF "smart soldier,
Tommy has to keep clear Of the crime
sheet, and you have to be darned smar
to do II.
have been on ii few times, most
ly for yankee impudence."
During our stay Of two weeks II
rest billets our captain put US through
a course of machne-Cun drills, tryin!
out new stunts and theories.
After parades were over, our guns
crews got together and also tried on
some theories Of their own in reference
to handling guns. These courses ha,
nothing to do with the advancement o
the war, consisted mostly of causini
tricky jams in the gun and then III,
rest OF the crew would endeavor to 10
! cate as quickly as possible the caust
l of the stoppage. This amused then
for few days and then things came I,
a standStill.
One of the boys on my gun elaine,
that he could play tune while tn
gun was actually firing, and demon
strated this fact one day on the large
I range. We were very enthusiastic an
decided to become musicians.
: After constant practice | becam
quite expert in the tune entitled "a
Conductors Have Big Feet"
When had mastered this tune, Ou
, two weeks rest came to an end, an
once again we went up the line an
took over the sector in front Of c.
wood.
At this point the German trenche
ran around the base of a hill, on tn
top Of which was dense wood TIL
wood was infested with machine gun
which used to traverse our lines {
a will, and sweep the streets of lit
). village, where we were bllleted viii
: In reserve.
There was one gun In particulf
9 which used to get our goats, it had II
exact range of our elephant" dugol
q entrance, and every morning, about Il
\ time rations were being brought up, /
l. bullets would knock up the dust on Il
o road; more than one Tommy wei
/. West or to Blighty by running in
% them.
{ This gun got our nerves on edg
. and Fritz seemed to know 1t, becau
- he never gave us an hours rest. o,
r reputation as machine gunners was
ID stake; we tried various ruses to loca
y and put this gun out of action, b
" zach one proved TO be a failure, al