The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1918-06-05


for several days. l don't know what
we were waiting for, but when we
started out we had a convoy of war
ships. In our company we had Dan
ish lad whose father was q sea cap
tain. This Dane kid had been in ev-
cry port in the world. Just as soon
as he saw the port he says: we are
going into the port of -. That
didn't mean much to us, but he told
US it was in France
'Well. boy, l want to tell you it is
the prettiest place in the world. 1t
looks just like apicture. handpainted
picture. II is the prettiest town 1
ever want to see.
"We were at that camp fourteen
day and while we did quite a lot of
drilling, we got liberty to go back to
the town, and we began to learn their
lingo. They wouldn't let us spend
much money and at that time they
didn't know how much money we got,
so prices were cheap.
Into the Trenches.
"Well, we got the kinks out of our
selves during the two weeks we stayed
at that camp. | guess there must of
been more men coming over. because
one night we gets the word to be
ready to move on the next day. They
moved us in box cars. We were two
days and two nights on the road and
must have gone about 450 miles; it
was q swell trip. The country looked
great at that time of the year and we
We're loaded down with flowers all the
time.
save went into camp at -, which
is about four miles behind the front
line trenches. We we're billeted ~
barns and stables from Saturday until
Monday night when we took our first
trick in the trenches. Our division
was feeling fine and they all wanted to
get a chance at fighting right away.
"There were four regiments in our
crowd and one battalion from each reg
iment was sent up in the first relief.
My battalion was chosen from the reg
iment. We had about 5000 men going
up the first time. We took up front
about mile long.
'Well, there was some groaning
when we found what kind of trenches
they had handed us. They had mud
up to your shoetops and they were
lousief than cuckoo. We went in at
night and spent the first few hours
getting our dugouts fixed up.
"Ths first rip in the trenches was
only for ten days. But we We're glad
to get the rest, when it came time for
us TO be relieved. We wanted the
chance TO get bath.
"Our trenches were only 500 yards
away from the Fritzies and we could
see them fine. During our stay in there
we got a chance to try some shoot
ing, but there wasn't much doing ex-
cept the Smelling from the German
trenches. In our battalion in that
stay we lost sixteen men killed and
wounded. Two of them We're killed
by snipers' bullets and the other seven
by artillery fire.
Lose Their Curiosity.
III ) funny lnluS ABOUT tnat SMELL
ing. About the first day we We're duck
ing MI the time. Whenever we heard
a shell come over we all wanted TO
know where it struck. After about
the first day we got so used TO it that
we'd never even look around to see
Where 1t went. Most of the Smelling
was done early in the morning or late
in the evening. At first, the most of
us had the shakes somewhat. You
felt all quivery all over and you
couldn't stop, no matter what you
thought about.
"Our dugouts had little French
stoves in them. Them French stoves
amt no good. OF course, we used 'em
and sometimes they did pretty well.
The trouble was that the smokestack
has TO be run out the door of the dug
out. and when the wind blows that
way II blows the smoke right back I
into the trench.
1T was pretty wet and uncomfort-
able lot OF the time. but, boy, want
To tell Won I'd rather he I'm the trench 4