The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1918-10-24
CHAPTER IV-continued.

IN the communication trench you
nave to keep your distance from the
man ahead Of you. This is done 80
that YOU will have plenty Of room to
<sr down in, and because IL a shell
should ind the trench, there would be
fewer casualties In an open formation
than in q closed. The German artil-
trenches. and whenever they spot one
they stay with it a long time. Most
# them are camou1aged along the top
s7d sides. SO that enemy aviators can.
Tot see anything but the earth or
pushes, when they throw an eye down
n our lines.
We took over our section Of the
front line trenches from a French line
regiment that had been on the job for
= days That was the longest time
! have heard Of any troops remaining
"a the firing line.
Conditions at the front and ways OF
eShting are changing all the time, as
zach side inventS new methods Of
.utchering, so when try to describe
re Dixmude trenches, you must real
re that 1t is probably just history by
low. IL they are still using trenches
2here they probably look entirely diff
terent.
But when I was at Dixmude they
we're something like this:
Behind the series Of front-ine
trenches are the reserve trenches; in
his case FIVE to seven miles away, and
sill farther back are the billetS. These
nay be houses or barns or ruined
-7.lurches-any place that can possibly
-e used for quartering troops when
II duty.
Troops were usually in the front
Inc trenches six to eight days, and
.aurteen to sixteen days in the reserve
trenches. Then back to the billetS for
SIX or eight days
We were not allowed to change our
clothing in the front-lire trenches
not even to remove socks. unless for
Inspection. Nor would they let you
rs much as unbutton your shirt, unless
there was an inspection Of identified
zion disks. We wore a disk at the
wrist and another around the neck.
You know the gag about the disks, Of
course: If your arm is blown or they
IAN tell who you are by the neck disk !;
4 your head Is blown OF, they do not
care who you are.
In the reserve trenches you can
make yourself more comfortable, but
you cannot go to such extreme lengths
Of luxury as changing your clothes en-
firely. That is for bfllets, where you
spend most Of your time bathing
changing clothes, sleeping and eating.
Believe me, q billet Is great stun: 1t
IS like a sort Of temporary heaven.
OF course you know what the word
coolies" means. Let US hope you
will never know what the coolies
or near the trenches, you take course
N the natural history OF bugs. lice,
rats and every kind OF pest that has
ever been invented.
1t is funny to see some Of the new
eomers when they first discover a
cootie on them. Some OF them cry.
1t they really knew what it was going
70 be like they would do worse than
that, maybe.
Then the y start hunting all over each
other, just like monkeys. They team
up for this purpose, and many times it
- In this way that a couple Of men get
70 be trench partners and come to be
pals for Hfe-which may not be long
time at that.
In the fIOnt-line trenches it Is more
comfortable to fall asleep on the para
Pet fire-sttp than In the dugOuts, be-
cause the coolies are thicker down
fellow. and they simply will not give
You a min ties rest. They certainly
are active little pests. We used to
make back scratchers out OF certain
weapons thut had flexible handles, but
never had time to use them when we
needed them most.
We were given bottles Of a liquid
which smelled like lysol and were sup
posed to soak our clothes in 1t. 1t was
thought that the coolies would object
20 the smell and quit work. Well;
co0tie that could stand our clothes
without the dope on them would not
De bot2z0esd b. q little thing like this
stun. Also eur clothes got % sour
ina hcNTtb;A smelling that they hurt