Rockingham post-dispatch. [volume] (Rockingham, N.C.) 1917-1965, 1918-05-23

In the trenches 1t is always first
come, first served" and this is lived
up to by all.
Two R. F. A. men (RoyA Field ar
tfllery) from the nearby observation
post were allowed the privilege Of
stopping in this dugout when off duty.
One Of these men, Bombardier Will
son by name, who belonged to Bat
terry D 238, seemed to take a liking
to me, and I returned this feeling.
In two days time we were pretty
chummy, and he told me how his bat
terry in the early days Of the war had
put over a stunt on Old Pepper, and
had gotten away with 1t.
I will endeaver to give the story as
far as memory will permit in his own
w%ds: 49,.
tionary force, and, like all the rest,
thought we would have the enemy
licked in Jig time, and be able to eat
Christmas dinner at home. Well, so
far, I have eaten two Christmas din
ners in the trenches, and am liable to
eat two more, the way things are
pointing. That is, If Fritz don't drop
a 'whizz-bang' on me, and send me to
Blighty. Sometimes I wish I would
get hit, because it's no great picnic
out here, and twenty-five months Of 1t
makes you fed up.
'It's fairly cushy now compared to
what 1t used to be, although I admit
this trench is trifle rough. Now,
we send over FIVE shells to their one.
We are getting our own back, but in
the early days it was different. Then
you had to take everything without
reply. In fact, we would get twenty
shells in return for every one we sent
over. Fritz seemed to enjoy it, but
we British didn't; we were the suf-
ferers. Just one casualty after an
other. Sometimes whole platoons
would disappear, especially when a
Jack Johnson plunked into their
middle. 1t got so bad that fellow,
when writing home, wouldn't ask for
any cigarettes to be sent out, because
he was afraid he wouldn't be there to
receive them.
"After the drive to Paris was turned
hack, trench warfare started. Our
general grabbed map, drew a pencil
across 1t. and said, Dig here Then
he went back to his tea, and Tommy
armed himself with q pick and shovel
and started digging. He's been dig
ging ever since.
"Of course we dug those trenches at
night, but 1t was hot work. what with
the rife and machine-gun fire. The
stretcher bearers worked harder than
the diggers.
'Those trenches, bloomiR bitches, ]
call them, were nightmares. They were
only about FIVE feet deep, and you used
to get the backache from bending
down. 1t wasn't exactly safe to stand
upright either, because as soon as
your napper showed over the top a
bullet would bounce Off it, or else come
so close 1t would make your hair stand.
Eve used to fill sandbags and stick
them on top Of the parapet to make it
higher, but no use; they would be
there about an hour and then Fritz
would turn loose and. blow them to
bits My neck used to be- sore from
ducking shells and bulletSF
.Where my Battery was stationed a
hasty trench had been dug, which
the boys nicknanSedN Suicide ditch,
and. believe noe, Yank. this was the
original 'SuicideNditch AL the others
are limitations.
"Wnen q, felleY went intD that
trench It was an even gamble that he
would S6hns gut on stretcheE At one
time aSScotch battallon held #. and
when they heard the betting was even
money fhat they'd come cut on
stretcherg they grRbf=ed all tle bets
In sight. Like a lofof bally idi4tS sew
eral Qf the battery men fell fQF their
game and put up real money. The
Jocks suffered lot Of casualties, and
the prospects looked bright for the
battery men 10 collect scdne easy
money. So when the battalion was re-
lieved the gamblers lined up Several
Jocks got their money for emerging
safely. but the ones who Clicked It
weren't there 30 pay. The artillery
men had never thought it out that
way. Those Scotties were bound to
be sure winners, no matter how the
wind blew. 50 take a tip from me.
never bet with Scotttea cause you'll
lose money
Eat one part Of our trench where
a communication trench Joined the
front line q Tommy had stuck up q
wooden signpost with three hands OF
arms on It. One Of the hands, point
ing TO the German lines, read, ITO Ber-
lin; the one pointing down the com,
munication trench read, TO Bllghty,
while the other said, Suicide Ditch,
Change Here for Stretchers.'
"Farther down from this guide posi-
the trench ran through an old orchard
On the edge Of this orchard our bat.
terry had constructed an advanced OBJ.
servation post. The trees screened II
from the enemy airmen and the root