The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1918-06-28

80 WlltH tne OTupT came through from
headquarters calling for draft of
80 re-enforcements for France, vol
unteered.
Then we went before the NJ. O..
tmedical oflicer) for another physical
examination. This was very brief. He
asked our names and numbers and
said "Flt," and we went out to fight.
We were put into troop trains and
sent to Southampton, where we de-
trained, and had our trench rifles is
sued to us. Then In columns of twOs
we went up the gangplanlS of little
steamer lying alongside the dock.
At the head Of the gangplank there
was an old sergeant, who directed that
we line ourselves along both rails Of
the ship. Then he ordered us to take
life belts from the racks overhead and
Pat them on. have crossed the ocean
several times and knew ! was not sea-
sick, but when I buckled on that life
belt had a sensation OF sickness.
After we got out into the stream all
| could think Of was that there were a
million German submarines with a tor
pedO on each, across the warhead Of
which was inscribed my name and ad-
dress.
After five hours we came alongside
pier and disembarked. I had at
tanned another one of my ambitions
I was somewhere in France" We
slept in the open that night on the side
Of the road. About six the next morn
ing we were ordered to entrain. |
looked around for the passenger
ing were cattle cars. We climbed into
these. On the side of each car was
a sign reading "HOmmes 40, Cheveaux
g." When we got inside of the cars,
we thought that perhaps tho sign
painter had reversed the order Of
things. After 4S hours in these trucks
we detrained Mt Rouen. At this place
we went through an intensive training
for ten days.
The training consisted of the rud-
ments of trench warfare Trenches
had been dug, with barbed wire en-
bombing saps, dugOuts.
observation posts and machine gun en-
We were given a smat-
tering of trench cooking, sanitation,
bomb throwing, accommodating, listen
ing posts, constructing and repairing
barbed wire, carrying In" parties,
methods used in attack and defense,
wiring parties, mass formation, and |
the procedure for poison-gas attacks. !
On the tenth day we again met our
friends "Hommes 40, Cheveaux g."
Thirty-six hours more of misery, and |
we arrived at the town of r.
After unloading our rations and |
equipment, we lined up on the road in
of fours waiting for the order
10 march.
A dull rumbllng could be heard. The
sun was shining turned to the man
IN my left and asked, "What's the
noise, Bill?" He did not know, but his
ace was of pea-green color jim,
IN my right, also did not know, but
that l "awsk" the sergeant.
Coming towards us was an old grlz-
lied sergeant, properly fed up with
he war, so l "awsked" him.
Think it's going to rain, sergeant"
He looked at me in contempt, and
COWS it a-goin' ter rain with
he bloomin' sun a-shinin'?" l looked
.uilty.
"Them's the guns up the line, me
ld, and you'll get enough of 'em be-
ore you gets back to Bllghty."
My knees seemed to wilt, and
queaked out weak "Ohw
Then we started our march up to the
ne in ten-kilo tricks. After the first
ay's march we arrived at our rest
illets. In France they call them rest
illets, because while in them Tommy
yOrks seven days week and on the
ighth day Of the week he is given
hours ION his own"
Our billet was a spacious affair,
lrge barn on the left side of the road.
'hich had one hundred entrances,
inety-nine for shells, rats, wind and =,
ain, and the hundredth one for Tom
~. 1 was tired out, and using my
helmet (shrapnel proof
ntil a piece of shrapnel hits it), or
n hat, for pillow, lay down in the
raw, and was soon fast asleep. | S
ust have slept about two hours, when S
awoke with Il prickling sensation all D
yer me. AS thought, the straw had n
orked through my uniform. I woke a
, the fellow lying on my left, who had q
zen up the line before, and asked s
M: II
Does the straw bother you, mate? D
S worked through my uniform and | 8
mt sleep" II
In q sleepy voice he answered, W
That amt straw, thems cooties."
From that time on my friends the tt
ooties" were constantly with me. Il
"Cooties," or body lice, are the bane II
Tommy'S existence. IL
The aristocracy of the trenches very W
ldom call them "cooties," they speak ol
them as fleaS.
To an American flea means a small
sect armed with q bayonet, who is
mt to jab it into you and then hop Il
Ip and jump to the next place to be al
tackled. There is an advantage in tC
wing fleas on you instead of "cooties" m
that in one of his extended iurnns "'