The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1918-05-03

home, saying that In the morning they
we're going over the top, and also that
IL the letters reached their destination
Il would mean that the writer had been
killed,
THESE letters were turned over 70
the captain with instructions 20 mail
same IN the event Of the writer's being
killed. Some Of the men made out
their wills IN their pay hooks, under
the caption, sWlll and Last Testa-
ment."
Then the nervc.rncking walt come
meaced. Every now and then | would
glance az the dial of my wrist watch
and was surprised 20 see how fast the
minutes passed by. About 1--WE minutes
10 two | got nervous waiting for our
guns 20 open up. | could not take my
eyes from my watch. ! crouched
ngnlnst the parapet and stralned my
muscles In deathilke grip upon my
rifle, As the hands ON my watch
showed two O'Clock q binding red flare
lighted up the sky IN our rear, then
thunder intermixed with a sharp, Wills
Ting sound Ia the air over our heads.
The shells from our guns were speed
Ing on their way townrd the German
lines With one accord the men
sprang M on the fire step and looked
over the top 10 the direction OF the
German trenches. A line OF bursting
shells lighted up No Mans Land The
din was terrific aud the ground trem-
BLEED. Then. high above our heads we
could hear n signing moan. Our big
boys behind the line had opened up
and 0,2s and 15slnch shells commenced
dropping into the German lines. The
fash 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
nm occasional rattle of rifle firing gave
me the impression ~ huge audience
applaudlng the work Of the batteries.
our is-pouuders were destroying the
German bnrbcd wire, while the heavier
stun was demollshng their trenches
and bnshlng In dugouts or funk holes.
Then Fritz got buSy.
Their shells went screaming over
head. aimed Ia the direction OF the
flares from our batteries. Trench NOR.
tars started dropping "Mianiss" Ia
our front line. We clicked several cas-.
{, ualtlea Then they suddenly ceased,
cur artillery had taped or sileneed
them.
DuYing the honbardmcnt you could
almost read u newspaper In our trench,
sometimes Ia the Hare " a shell-bursi
u mans body would be silhOUettcd
against the parados OF The trench and
II appeared like huge monster, You
could hardly hear yourself think, When
an order was 60 be passed down The
/ trench you had 10 yCll it, using your
hands as u funnel Into the ear Of ths
man sitting next 20 you on the iire step
Ia about twenty minutes a generous
ram issue was doled out. After drink
. lng the rum, which tasted like yarnlsl
and sent shudder through youl
frnme, you wondered why they made
\ son walt until the lifting of the bar
I rage heforc going over, AZ ten min
utcs 60 four word was passed down
'eren minutes 90 gpl" Ten minutes
to ,lyeI We were shiyerlng an over
|, Ms legs felt as II they were asleep
!, Then word wus passed down: "FlrS
wave get on and near the scaling lad
: ders.n
/, Before charge Tommy Is the no
I. lttrst o. men. There Is never any push
I Ing or cFowdlpg 10 be first up thes'
4 ladders. We crnnChed around the basr
Y og the ladders waiting for the wor,
$ 10 10 over. | war sick and faint. nn,
: was pufling AMY at an unllghtcd Gas
y Then came the word. ''rhrve minute
10 20. upon the lifting of the barrag
and on the blast of the whistles, 'oye
the top with the best o. luck aud xiv
them hell" The famous phrase O
the western trout The Jonah phras
= ~ the western 'front.' To Tommy
n means II you are lucky enough to com
=. back you will be minus an arm or
= leg.
10 / glanced again az my wrist watcl
n We all wore them and you could haril
=. call US 'sissias" for doing SO, IL wns
NJ minute 10 four. could see the han
a. move % the twelve. then dead 5
III lence. Ii hurt Everyone looked u
N 10 see what he'd happened. but not Il
az long. sharp whistle blasts rang OF
IN along the trench, and with cheer Il
In men scrambled up the ladders. m
~ bullets were cracking overhead. an
n. occasionally machine gun would u
-lil and tear the top OF the sandhag par
ne pet. How / get up that ladder l vi
ON never know. The first ten feet out
Inc front was agony. Then We PASS