Daily Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1918-191?, 1918-03-16
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pet 70 enable us TO go over the top on
the lifting OF the barrage. Ladders Of |
death" we called them, and veritably |
they were.
Before a charge Tommy Is the po- |
1ltcst OF men. There Is never any push |
ing or crowdIng TO be first up these
ladders. We crouched around the base
Of the ladders waiting for the word
to 20 over. l was sick and faint. and
was putting away at an unlighted flag.
Then cnme the word. Three minutes
to 20; upon the lifting Of the barrnge
and on the blast OF the whistles. over
the top with the best o. luck and give
them hell" The famous phrase OF
the western front. The Jonah phrase
Of the western front. To Tommy II
means n you are lucky enough TO come
back you win be minus an arm or
leg. Tommy hates 90 be wished the
best OF luck: so. when peace Is de-
clared. II II ever Is, and you meet a
Tommy on the street. Just wish him the
best OF luck and duck the brick that
follows.
gianced again at my wrist watch
We all wore them and you could hardly
call us "sissles" for doing so. II was n
minute 20 four. could see the hand
move to the twelve. then a dead 81
lpnce. II hurt. Everyone looked up
~ see what had happened. but not for
long. Sharp whistle blasts rang out
along the trench. and with cheer the
men scrambled up the ladders. The
bullets were cracking overhead, and
occasionally a machine gun would rip
\ and tear the top Of the sandbag parn-
pet. How got up that ladder will
never know. The first ten feet out In
trent was agony. Then we passed
through lanes In our barbed wire.
knew I was running but could feel no
motion below the waist. Patches on
the ground seemed to float 70 the rear
as II ! were on a treadmill aud 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 a
Tommy about fifteen feet 10 my right
front turned around and looking In my
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 60 float 60 the rear
Of me. could hear sharp cracks In
the air about me. These were caused
by passing rifle bullets. Frequently.
70 my right and left. little spurts Of
dirt would rise into the air and a rico
Chef bullet would whine on its way.
II Tommy should see one OF these
little spurts In front OF him, he would
tell the nurse about II later. The
crossing Of No Mans Land remains a
blank 90 me.
Men on my right and left would
, stumble and fall. Some would try "a
: get up, while others remained huddled
and motionless. Then smashed-uI
. barbed wire came into view and
seemed carried on a tide TO the rear
. Suddenly. In front Of me doomed q
e bashed-ln trench about four feet wide
/. Overlooking forms like mud turtle,
, were s>.ambling up Its wall. One Of
, these forms seemed 20 slip and ther
/ rolled 10 the bottom OF the trench.
/ leaped across this intervening space
The man 20 my left seemed 20 pause n
4 midair, then pitched head down int,
|. the German trench. laughed out louS
4 In my dellrium. Upon alighting on IN,
A other side OF the trench came 20 will
d sudden Jolt Right In front OF M
u doomed n giant form with n rife whicl
n looked about ten feet long. on the enc
. OF which seemed seven bayonets. Thes,
? flashed In the air In front OF me. TheI
. through my mind flashed the admonl
!. ton OF our bayOnet instructor back Il
! Blighty. He had said. whenever 20,
|. get In a charge and run your bayone
\ up 20 the hllt intosa German the Frit
win fall. Perhaps your rife VIII b.
. wrenched from your grasp. Do no
!, waste time. II the bayonet Ia foule'
!, In his equipment. by putting your foo
|. on his stomach and tugging ut the rifi
: 20 extricate the bayonet Simpl,
!. press the trigger and the bullet VIII
J. free H." In my present situation thi
I was the logic. but for the life Of M
|. could not remember how hs had toll
me 90 get my bayonet into tho Ger
a man. To me this was tho paramount
!. issue. closed my eyes and lunse'