The Meeker herald., 1918-11-16

at all our tunnels were shot fun OF
holes and Sieve was watertlght com
pared to them.
Naturally w were not just taking
all this punlshment without any come
back. Our guns were at II fast and
from the way the IRE slackened in
certain places we knew ws were max
ing II effective. Ny guns did for two
enemy pieces that know Of. and Per.
haps several others.
The Preach garbies were . good
deal more excited in action than
thought they would he. They were
lodging around below decks. trying
to miss the shrapnel that came
aboard. shouting. swearing. singins-
but fighting hard. at that They stood
the gun Just as well % any other
garbies would, only In their own
sweet wny-which 10 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 . nervous
man nor one who likes his comfort.
There 10 an awful lot Of heat and
noise and smell and work. all the
time IN = lighting gun turret. But
during an engagement I would rather
be In . gun turFet every time than
between decks. At that, u anything
does happen In . turret-it y good
night sure for ali, and NO rain checks
needed.
One Of our Junior lieutenants was
struck By . fragment Of shell % no
was ut his station behind the wheel
house and . piece Of his skull was
driven into his brain. He was car.
Red Into my gun turret, but he
would not let them take him to sick
bay to have his wound dressed. There
he nat. asking every now and thse
how the light was going and thea sort
Of DOING OF for Q while.
After half an hour Of action we put
about and started away. still firing.
Az q parting slap On the back the
Turks tore Of one 81 our big-sun tur-
rets. and then away We went. back to
Brest with casualty list Of only Is.
We did not have much trouble guess
Ing that It was dry dock for NJ again.
We got back to Brest after a quiet
voyage. patching ourselves up where
wGeould on the way. and again there
was the rush work, day and night.
to get into shape and do It over again.
They turned us out In II daya. and
back We went to the Turks and their
Hun assistants.
We were lucky getting inshore, only
receiving . nasty smash astern. when
the Turks rot our range and landed
nearly tore our rudder OF getting
away. But we had to come back right
away, because we had carried quite
q number of heavy guns from Brcst
d.were given the job Of running
them Ashore. Il was day and night
work and a great Job for fun. because.
while you never knew when You
would get II, you had good reason to
feel you would get damned BY cute
little shell or q dainty bit Of shrap-
mel before the Job was over.
Aboard ship II was deck work, Of
course, and It was not much better
there than ashore with tho guns, be-
cause the enemy trenches were near
the shore and they amused them
Relves tryins-to pick MS of whenever
we showed ON deck. guess we were
regular shooting gallery for them,
and some Of our men thought they
did not need NIL the practice they
were getting. for quite few of us
acted as bulls eyes.
But we did not mind the bullets 80
much. They make q clean wound or
put you away entirely: shrnpnel
tears you ny and eau play all kinds
Of tricxs with Various parts Of your
body without Killing you. As for
shells-well. minecmeat is the word.
The Narrows were thick with mines
and there had been great deal Of
damage done there. so after a while
the British detailed their Yarmouth
trawlers to 60 in and sweep up. They
had to 90 up unprotected, Of course,
and they started OF one night all
serene.
Everything went wen until they
turned at the Narrows and started
back. Then. before you could tell 1t,
Avs or ok searchlights were playing
on one Of the trawlers and shells
were splashing tho water all over her.
Both banks were simply banging awny
point blank at them and I 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 Limeya They viii get back from
anywhere while there Il one man
alive.
A chap aboard one Of the trawlers
said shell went through the wheel
house between the quartermaster and