Connecticut western news. [volume] (Salisbury, Litchfield Co., Conn.) 1871-1970, 1918-06-27
TIL TOP
AN ANLERICAN SOLDIER
WHO WENT " *
ARI11Ul GNTfIpEY
MACHINE GUNNER SERVING N FRANCE
SYNOPSIS.


goes to England where he enlists in the
British army s~.+rS 81.
CHAPTER fI-After period of train
ing, Empey volunteers for Immediate serv-
kpe and soon finds himself in rest billets
somewhere in France" where he first
makes the acquaintance of the ever-pres-
emit 'scooties." -~
CHAPTER III-Empey attends his first
church services at the front while Ger
imam Fokker circles over the congregation
CHAPTER Iv-Empey's command goes
into the front-line trenches and 10 under
IRE for the first time.
CHAPTER v-Empey learns to adopt
ahe motto of the British Tommy, 'If you
pre- going to get it. you'll get it. so never
CHAPTER vI-Back in rest billets, En-
psy gets his first experience as a mess
CHAPTER vII-Empey learns how the
British soldiers are fed. ..., .-.---. ~..
CHAPTER vIII-Back in the front-line
trenches ego west" III. L .
CHAPTER Ix-Rmpey makes his first
visit to a dugout in Suicide Ditch"
CHAPTER X-Empey learns what con-
stItutes a days work" in the front-ine
trench.
CHAPTER I-Empey goes "over the
top for the first tine in charge on the
German trenches and is wounded by q
bayonet thrust. t|-
CHAPTER xII-Empey joins the sui
eide club as the bombing squad Is called
official bath.
CHAPTER xIv-Empey helps dig an
advanced trench under German hre.
CHAPTER XV-On listening post" in
No Mans Land.
CHAPTER xVI-Two artillerymen "put
one over on Old Pepper, their regimental
commander.
CHAPTER xvII-Empey has narrow es-
cape while on patrol duty In No Mans
Land.
CHAPTER xvIII-Back in rest billets
Empey writes and stages a farce comedy.
CHAPTER xIX-Soldiers have many
ways to amuse themselves while ION their
own s.
CHAPTER xX-Empey volunteers for
machine gun service and goes back into
the front-lire trenches
AT four In the afternoon they were
again hustled into cattle cars. This
time the journey lasted two days.
They disembarked at the town of Ere
vent and could hear a distant dull
booming. With knees shaking, Lloyd
asked the sergeant what the noise was,
and nearly dropped when the sergeant
replied in somewhat bored tone:
'Oh, them's the guns up the line
Wen be up there in couple o. days
or so. Don't worry, my laddie, you'll
see more of 'em than you want before
you get 'ome to Blighty again, that Is,
If you're lucky enough to get back.
Now lend hand there unloadin' them
cars, and quit that everlastin' shakin'.
! believe yer scared The last with a
contemptuous sheer.
They marched ten kilos, full pack,
to little dilapidated village, and the
sound of the guns grew louder, con-
,stantly louder. ,,
The village was full of soldiers who
: turned out to inspect the new draft,
the men who were shortly to be their
mates in the trenches, for they were
going sup the line" on the morrow, to
stake over" their certain sector of
ttrenches.
The draft was paraded in front Of
battalion headquarters and the men
were assigned to companies.
Lloyd was the only man assigned to
d company. Perhaps the officer In
charge of the draft had something to
do with it, for he called Lloyd aside
and said:
"Lloyd, you are going to new COM
pany. No one knows you. Your bed
will be as you make it, so for Gods
sake brace up and be man. think
3 you have the stuff in you, my boy, so
good-by and the best of luck to YOU"
The next day the battalion took over
their part of the trenches. 1t happened
to be a very quiet day. The artillery
behind the lines was STILL, except for
an occasional shell sent over to let the
Germans know the gunners were not
asleep.
In the darkness, in single file, the
company slowly wendell their way
down the communication trench to the
front line. No one noticed Lloyd's
white and drawn face. aJ.'@
After they had relieved the company
in the trenches, Lloyd, with two of the
told company men, was put on guard 10
one of the traverses. Not shot was
fired from the German lines, and nc
one paid any attention to him
icrouched on the firing step.
On the first time in, new recruit Ii
not required to stand with his hea6
"over the top" He only 'sits 1t out,
while the older men keep watch.
At about ten o'clock, all of a sudden
he thought hell had broken loose, ant
crouched and shivered up against thu
parapet. Shells started bursting, as h'
imagined, right in their trench, when II
fact they, were landing about hun
dred yards In rear of them, in the sec
ond lines.
One of the older men on guard, turn
ing to his mate, said:
Fr..s4 - "A
trench mortars again. It's about tim
our artillery tapped them, and sen
ever a few. Well, I'll be d
where's that blighter Of q draft ma
sone to? There's his rifle leanin
against the parapet. He must hav