The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1918-04-26

guns to open up. could not take my
eyes from my watch crouched
against the parapef and strained my
muscles in deathlike grip npon my
rifle. As the hands on my watch
showed two o'clock binding red flare
lighted up the sky in our rear. then
thunder. intermixed with sharp, whis-
Ting sound in the air over our heads.
The shells from our guns were speed
lines. With one accord the men
sprang up on the fire step and looked
over the top in the direction Of the
German trenches. A line Of bursting
shells lighted up No Mans Land. The
| din was terrific and the ground trem-
bled. Then, high above our heads we
could hear signing moan. Our big
boys behind the line had opened M
and eos and 15inch shells commenced
dropping into the German lines. The
flash Of the guns behind the lines. the
scream OF the shells through the mir
and the flare of them. bursting. was a
| spectacle that put Pains greatest dis
| play into tho shade. The constant
pup, pup, of German machine guns and
an occasional rattle OF rifle firing gave
me the impression OF huge audience
| applauding the work of the batteries.
| Our 1S-pounders were destroying the
German barbed wire, while the heavier
stuff was demolishing their trenches
and bashing in dugouts or funk holes
Then Fritz got busy.
Their shells went screaming over
head. aimed In the direction OF the
flares from our batteries. Trench NOR
tars started dropping "Minnles' in
our front line We clicked several cas-
ualties. Then they suddenly ceased.
Our artillery had tapped or sllenced
| them.
| During the bombardment you could
almost read a newspaper in our trench.
Sometimes in the flare OF a shell-burst
a mans body would be silhouetted
against the parados Of the trench and
It appeared like huge monster. You
could hardly hear yourself think. When
an order was to be passed down the
trench you had to yell 1t. using your
hands as funnel into the ear OF the
man sitting next to you on the fire step.
In about twenty minutes a generous
rum issue was dolcd nvt. After drink
ing the rum, which trsted like varnish
and sent a shlfdir through your
frame, you woHlrrcd why they made
you wait until the lifting Of the bar
rage before going over. At ten min
utes to four word was passed down,
'sTen minutes to gow Ten minutes
TO liveI We were shJvering all over.
Ny legs felt as II they were asleep.
Then word was passed down: First
wave get on and near the scaling lad
| ders."
These were small wooden ladders
which we had placed against the para
| pet to enable us to go over the top on
the lifting Of the barrage. Ladders OF
death" we called them, and veritably
they were.
Before charge Tommy Is the po-
litest Of men. There is never any push
Ing or crowdlng to be first up these
ladders. We crouched around the base
Of the ladders waiting for the word
| to 60 over. was sick and faint. and
was putting away at an unlighted fag.
Then came the word, ''Three minutes
to go; upon the lifting Of the barrage
i and on the blast Of the whistles. over
| the top with the best o. luck and give
| them hell" The famous phrase Of
j the western front. The Jonah phrase
Of the western front. To Tommy 1t
means II you are lucky enough to come
back you viii be minus an arm or n
leg. Tommy hates to be wished the
| best Of luck; so, when peace Is de-
clared. II 1t ever is. and you meet a
Tommy on the street. just wish him the
best Of luck and duck the brick that
follows
! glanced again at my wrist watch
| We all wore them and you could hardly
call us "sissies" for doing so. II was n
minute to four. / could see the hand
move to the twelve, then a dead ST.
lence. 1t hurt Everyone looked Up
to see what had happened. but not for
long. Sharp whistle blasts rang out
along the trench. and with a cheer the
men scrambled up the ladders. The
bullets were cracking overhead. and
occasionally machine gun would rip
and tear the top OF the sandbag para
pet. How / got up that ladder | will
never know. The first ten feet out In
front was agony. Then we passed
through lanes in our barbed wire. ]
knew was running, but could feel no
motion below the waist. Patches on
the ground seemed to float to the rear
as II l were on treadmill and seen
cry was rushing past me. The Ger
mans had put. a barrage Of shrapnel
across No Mans Land, and you could
hear the pieces slap the ground about
you.
After l had passed our barbed wire
and gotten into No Mans Land a
Tommy about fifteen feet to my right
front turned around and looking In my
direction, put his hand to his mouth
and yelled something which could not
make out on account of the noise from
the bursting shells. Then he coughed,
stumbled, pitched forward and lay still.
His body seemed to float to the rear