The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1918-05-17
CHAPTER xvi.
Battery D 2ss.

Battery D 238.
The day after this received the
| glad tidings that l would occupy the
machine gunners' dugout right near
the advanced artillery observation
post. This dugout was roomy affair.
dry as finder, and real cots in IL.
These cots had been made by the
r. Els who had previously occupied
the dugout. / was the first to enter
and promptly made a signboard with
my name and number on 1t 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. +. A. men (Royal Field ar
tillery) from the nearby observation
post were allowed the privilege of
stopping in this dugout when of duty
One of these men. Bombardier VIII
son by name. who belonged to Bat
terry d 23S seemed to take liking
to me. and 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 stunt on Old Pepper, and
had gotten away with II.
will endeaver to give the story as
far as memory will permit in his own
words:
Il came out with the first expedi-
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, ! have eaten two Christmas din
ners In the trenches. and am liable to
eat two more, the way things are
pointing. That is, II Fritz don't drop
a 'whizz-bang' on me, and send me to
Blighty. Sometimes / wish / would
get hit. because it's no great picnic
out here. and twenty-five months Of It
makes you fed up.
IT'S fairly cushy now compared to
what it used to be. although I admit
this trench is a tribe 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
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
back. trench warfare started. Our
general grabbed map. drew pencil
across II, and said. Dig hare Then
he went back to his tea. and Tommy
armed himself with a pick and shovel
aud started digging. He's been dig
ying ever since.
"Of course we dug those trenches at
night. but 1t was hot work. what with
the rife and machlne-gun fire. The
;tretcher bearers worked harder than
he diggers.
Those trenches. bloomin' bitches,
all them. were nightmares. They were
'nly about five feet deep, and you used
@ get the backache from bending
lown. 1t wasn't exactly safe to stand Il
Ipright. either. because as soon as
our napper showed over the top a
ullet would bounce of II, or else come
o close II would make your hair stand.
I'VE used to I'LL sandbags and stick
hem on top of the parapet to make 1t
igher. but no use; they would be
here about an hour and then Fritz 1
Tould turn loose and blow them to
Its. MY neck used to be sore from !
ucking shells and bullets. ii
''Where my battery was stationed a
asty trench had been dug. which
he boys nicknamed Suicide ditch
nd. believe me. Yank. this was the
riginal Suicide ditch All the others I
re limitations. II
''When a fellow went into that
rench 1t was an even gamble that he
Iould come out on stretcher. At one
line a Scotch battalion held 1t. and
hen they heard the betting was even
honey that they'd come out ON !
tretchers. they grabbed all the bets
4 sight. Like a lot Of bal.y idiots. sew
raj OF the battery men fell for their !.
anne. and put up real money. The I,
locks suffered a lot Of casualties, and
he prospects looked bright for the
artery men 70 collect some easy /.
loney, SO when the battalion was re-
eyed the gamblers lined up. Several
locks got their money for emerging z
afely. Int the ones who clicked n