The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1918-04-18

gunners' dugout and wrote letters
home. saying that in the morning they
were going over the top, and also that
If the letters reached their destination
1t would mean that the writer had been
killed.
These letters were turned over to
the captain with instructions to mail
same in the event Of the writer's being
Killed. Some of the men made out
their wills in their pay books, under
the caption, "Will and Last Testa-
mcnt"
Ihcn the nervc-racking wait COM
menccd. Every now and then would
glance at the dial of my wrist watch
ana was surprised to see how fast the
minutes passed by About five minutes
to two l got nervous waiting for our
guns to open up. I could not take my
eyes from my watch crouched
against the parapct and strained my
muscles In dcathlike grip upon my
rifle. AS the hands on my watch
showed two O'Clock binding red flare
lighted up the sky in our rear, then
thunder, intermiXed with sharp, whis.
ting sound in the air over our heads.
The shells from our guns were speed
Ing on their way toward the German
lines. With one accord the men
Sprang up on the fire step and looked
over the top in the direction Of the
German trenches. a line of bursting
shells lighted up No Mans Land. The
din was terrific and the ground trem-
bled. Then, high above our heads we
could hear signing moan. Our big
boys behind the line had opened up
and 9.2's and 15-inch shells commenced
/ dropping into the German lines. The
flash of the guns behind the lines, the
scream of the shells through the air,
and the flare of them, bursting, was a
/ spectacle that put Pains greatest dis
I play into the shade. The constant
| pup, pup, Of German machine guns and
an occasional rattle Of rifle firing gave
me the impression Of huge audience
applauding the work Of the batteries.
Our 1Spounders were destroying the
German barbcd wire, while the heavier
stuff was dcmolishing their trenches
and bashing in dugouts or funk holes.
Then Fritz got busy.
Their shells went screaming over
head, aimed in the direction Of the
flares from our batteries. Trench NOR
tars started dropping "Minnies" In
our front line. We clicked several cas-
,laltics. Then they suddenly ceased.
our artillery had tapcd or slenced
them.
During the bOmbardmcnt you could
almost read Il newspaper in our trench.
Sometimes in the flare Of shcll-burst
mans body would be slhouettcd
against the parados Of the trench and
1t appeared Ike huge monster. You
could hardly hear yourself think. When
an order was to be passed down tho
trench you had to yell 1t, using your
hands rs q funnel into the ear of the
man sitting next to you on the fire step.
In about twenty minutes a generous
rum issue was dOlcd out After drink
ing the rum, which tasted like varnish
and sent a shuddcr through your
frame, you wondered why they made
YOU wait until the lifting Of the bar
rage before going over. AT ten min
utcs to four word was passed down,
"rcn minutes to gO!" Ten minutes
to live! We were shlvcrng all over.
Then word wns passed down: "First
wave get on and near the scaling lad
dcrs."
Before a charge Tommy Is the po-
litest OF men. There Is never any push
ing or crowding to be first up these
| ladders. We crOuchcd around the base
of the ladders waiting for the word
to go over. I was sick and faint, and
| was putting away ut an unlighted fag.
| Then came the word, "Three minutes
to go; upon the lifting Of the bnrrage
and on the blast Of the whistles, Over
the top with the best o. luck and give
| them HE'LL" The famous phrase OF
the western front. The Jonah phrase
Of the western front. To Tommy 1t
means IL you are lucky enough to come
back you will be minus an arm or a
leg.
I glanced again Mt my wrist watch.
We all wore them and you could hardly
call us "slssles" for doing so. 1t was
minute to four. could see the hand
move to the twelve, then dead 81
lence. 1t hurt. Everyone looked up
to see what had happened, but not Tor
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 machine gun would rip
! and tear the top of the sandbag para.
e pet How I got up that ladder will
n npyor Lnnw Tho fret TON fonf nYt In