The Benson signal., 1918-05-04


the ground seemed to float to the rear
as If 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 had passed our barbed wire
and gotten into No Mans Land
Tommy about fifteen feet to my right
front turned around and looking in nv
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
of me. I could hear sharp cracks in
the air about me. These were caused
by passing rifle bullets. Frequently,
to my right and left, little spurts OF
dirt would rise into the air and a rico
chet bullet would whine on it's way.
Ii Tommy should see one of these
little spurts in front Of him, he would
tell the nurse about it later. The
crossing of No Mans Land remains
blank to me.
Men on my right and left would
stumble and fall. Some would try to
get up, while others remained huddled
and motionless. Then smashed-up
barbed wire came into view and
seemed carried on a tide to the rear.
Suddenly, in front of me loomed
bashed-in trench about four feet wide.
Queer-looking forms like mud turtles
were scrambling up it's wall. One of
these forms seemed to slip and then
rolled to the bottom Of the trench.
leaped across this intervening space.
The man to my left seemed to pause in
midair, then pitched head down into
the German trench. I laughed out loud
in my delirium. Upon alighting on the
other side Of the trench I came to with
sudden jolt. Right in front Of me
loomed giant form with a rifle which
looked about ten feet long, on the end
of which seemed seven bayonets. These
flashed in the air in front of me. Then
through my mind flashed the admoni-
tion of our bayonet instructor back in
Blighty. He had said, whenever you
get in charge and run your bayonet
up to the hilt into d German the Fritz
will fall. Perhaps your rifle will be
wrenched from your grasp. Do not
waste time, if the bayonet is fouled
in his equipment, by putting your foot
on his stomach and tugging at the rifle
to extricate the bayonet. Simply
press the trigger and the bullet will
free it," In my present situation this
was the logic, but for the life of me
I could not remember how he had told
me to get my bayonet into the Ger
man. To me this was the paramount
issue. I closed my eyes and lunged
forward. My rifle was torn from my
hands. I must have gotten the Ger
man because he had disappeared.
About twenty feet to my left front
was huge Prussian nearly six feet
four inches in height, fine specimep
of physical manhood. The bayonet
from his rifle was missing, but he
clutched the barrel in both hands and
was swinging the butt around his head.
I could almost hear the swish Of the
butt passing through the air. Three
little Tommies were engaged with him.
They looked like pigmies alongside of
the Prussian. The Tommy on the left
was gradually circling to the rear Of
his opponent. 1t was funny sight to
see them duck the swinging butt and
frsxy tn 10 h hi Of hn
Tommy nearest me received the butt
Of the Germans rifle in a smashing
blow below the right temple. It
smashed his head like an eggshell. He
pitched forward on his side and a con-
vulsive shudder ran through his body.
Meanwhile the other Tommy had
gained the rear of the Prussian. Sud-
denly about four inches Of bayonet
prOtruded from the throat Of the Prus-
sian soldier, who staggered forward
and fell. I will never forget the look
Of blank astonishment that came over
his face.
Then something hit me in the left
shoulder and my left side went numb.
It felt as if hot poker was being
driven through me. 7 felt no pain
just a sort Of nervous shock. A bay
onet had pierced me from the rear. I
fell backward on the ground, but was
not unconscious, because I could see
dim objects moving around me. Then
a flash of light in front Of my eyes and
Inconsistencies. Something had hit
me on the head. have never found
out what it was.
dreamed I was being tossed about
in an open boat on heaving sea and
opened my eyes. The moon was shin
ing. I was on stretcher being car
ried down one of our communication
trenches. At the advanced first-aid
post my wounds were dressed, and
then was put into an ambulance and
sent to one Of the base hospitals. The
wO11ndC in NV ShOu1dpr and head unrn