Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-03-18
Battery D 23a,

Battery D asa
The day after this received the
glad tidings that I would occupy the
machine gunners' dugout right near
| the advanced artillery observation
post. This dugout was roomy affair.
dry az finder, and real cots In it.
These cots had been made by the
'R. Els who had previously occupied
lthe dugout. I was the first to enter
land promptly made a signboard with
my name and number on it and sus-,
pended 1t from the foot Of the most
comfortable cot therein.
In the trenches it is always first
come, first served" and this is lived,
up to by all.
Two r. F. A. men (Royal Field ar
tillery) 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 23S, seemed to take liking
TO me, and I returned this feeling.
In two days time we were pretty
chummy, and he told me how his bait
terry in the early days Of the war had
put over stunt on Old Pepper, and
had gotten away with it.
will endeaver to give the story a.
far as memory WIN permit In his own
words:
II came out with the first e1pedi-
tonary 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 din1
ners in the trenches, and am liable to
eat two more, the way things are
pointing. That IS, II Fritz don't drop
withholding on me, and send me to
Blighty. Sometimes I wish I would
get hit, because It's no great picnic
but here, and twenty-five months Of It
makes you fed up.
TITS fairly cushy now compared to
what it used to be, although admit
this trench is a trife rough. Now,
we send over five shells to their one.
We are getting our own back, but in
the early days 1t was different, Then
you had to take everything without
reply. In fact, we would get twenty
shells in return for every one we sent
pver. Fritz seemed to enjoy 1t, but
We British didn't; we were the suf-
erers. Just one casualty after an
|ther. Sometimes whole platoons
vould disappear, especially when
TACK Johnson plunked into their
hiddle. 1t got 30 bad that fellow,
when writing home, wouldn't ask for
my cigarettes to be sent out, because
was afraid he wouldn't be there to
eceive them.
AFTER the drive to Paris was turned
back, trench warfare started. Our
General grabbed map, drew pencil
cross it, and said. Dig here Then
10 went back to his tea, and Tommy
Irmed himself with pick and shovel
nd started digging. He's been dig
ing ever since.
"Of course we dug those trenches at
light, but it was hot work, what with
be rifle and machine-gun fire. The
fletcher bearers worked harder than
be diggers.
.Those trenches, bloomin' bitches, !
all them, were nightmares. They were
My about five feet deep, and you used
get the backache from bending
pwn. It wasn't exactly safe to stand
bright, either. because as soon as
bur NAPIER showed over the top a
Lllet would bounce off 1t, or else come
close 1t would make your hair stand.
I'VE used to I'll sandbags and stick
EN- on top Of the parapet to make it
her, but no use; they would be
Ire about IN hour and then Fritz
uld turn loose and blow them to
8. My neck used to be sore from
cking shells and bullets.
Where my battery was stationed a
sty trench had been dug, which
boys nicknamed Suicide ditch
j, believe me, Yank, this was the
ginal Suicide ditch All the others
limitations.
When fellow went into that
pch 1t was an even gamble that he
aid come out on stretcher. AT one
10 q Scotch battalion held 1t, and
en they heard the betting was even
hey that they'd come out on
ktchers, they grabbed all the bets
light. Like lot of bally idiots. sew
Of the battery men fell for their
lie. and put up real money. The
ks suffered lot Of casualties, and
prospects looked bright for the
cry men to collect some easy
ey. So when the battalion was re-
ID the gamblers lined up. Several
ks' got their money for emerging
y, but the ones who clicked 1t
mt there to pay. The artillery
had never thought it out that
Those seotties were bound to
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