East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1918-04-01

Carried to the Rear
1t was trip which was not without
incident. Every now and then we
would hear the shrek of an approach
ing Coal box. and then my prisoner
sretcher bearers ana would tumble in
one indiscriminate group into the near
est shell hole. If we did that once we
dld it a half dozen times. After each
dive the four would patiently reorgan-
ize and arrange the improrised stretch
cr again, ana we would proceed. Fol
lowing every tumble, however, | would
have to tighten my tourniquets, and.
+ despite all T could do. the hemorrhage
from my wound continued TO flow so
/ profuSely that l was beginning to feel
( very dizzy and weak. On the way in
I / sighted our regimental dressing sta
( ton and signed to my four bearers 10
carry me toward it. / couldn't talk
German. The stution was in an old
German dugout. Major Gilday was at
the door. He laughed when he saw
me with my own special ambulance
detail.
''Well, what do you want?" he asked
"Most of ALL" l said, Il think want
a drink of rum"
He produced it for me instantly.
"Now," said he, my advice to you Is
to keep on travelling. You've got fine
special detail there to look after you.
Make 'em carry you to Pozieres. It's
only five miles, and you'll make it all
right. I've got this place loaded up
full, no stretcher bearers, no assistants,
fn Of oO1
medicines and lot of very bad cases.
If you want TO get out of here in 4
week just keep right on going now"
AS we continued toward the rear we
were the targets for a number of hu
mOrOus remarks from men coming up
to go into the fight.
"Give my regards to Blighty, you
lucky beggar," was the most frequent
saying.
"Bli' me-" said one cockney Tommy,
there goes one o tn Canadians with
an escort from the kaiser"
Another man stopped and asked
about my wound.
"Good work." he said. "Td like to
SELF
l noticed one of the prisoners grin
ming at some remark and asked him if
he understood English. He hadn't
spoken to me, though he had shown the
greatest readiness to help me.
Certainly 1 understand English" he
replied, speaking the language perfect
ly. II used to be a waiter at the
KnickerbOcker hotel in New York.
That sounded like a voice from home,
and I wanted to hug him. l didn't
However, can say for him he must
have been a good waiter. He gave me
good service.
OF the last stages of my trip to Po-
zieres I cannot tell anything for l ar
rived unconscious from loss of blood .
The last 1 remember was that the for
mer waiter, evidently seeing that !
was going out, asked me to direct him
how to reach the field hospital station
at Pozieres and whom to ask for when
he got there l came back to con.
sciousness in q clean hospital cot the
next morning.
realized as lay on that cot was
out Of the modern hell for "A timc, and
my mind drifted back over the days
just passed. Wounded men, grim re.
minders, were all about me, many Of
them worse OF than was. had seen
all kindS nf bravery-British officers
climbing calmly over the top with
monocles In their eyes and canes IN
their hands into almost certain death
like man getting into a tub Of waite.
where he knew lie would get wet.
"Come on; LET'S go!" they woul0
drawl. My respects to them.
And also to the enemy. The German
officers fight to the last. Few surren-
der. My hat off to them. And the
dead brave Major Lewis and pool
Mcfarland, my close comrades. And
only the other day l read Lance Cor
pOral Glass, the man l carried In after
our first bOmbing raid in Belgium, had
been killed in action in France. 1 saw
1t in Montreal paper.
They vaccinated me for everything
while with the army-everythlng ex
cept against being shot. If a man
could invent an antitoxin for that
well, he would be hero.