Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-03-05

strctrhrr and carried ii TO the nearest
iirSt-aid post where the doctor took
: :,n official record of Pcte's name. num-
; her. rank and regiment from his iden-
| tity disk. this to he used i'm the cas-
/ ual!ty lists and notification To his
| family.
We left Pete there but ii broke our
| hearts To do so. The doctor informed
| us that We could bury him the next
! morning. That afternoon five of the
, boys OF our section, myself included.
| went To tn" little ruined village in the
rear ana from tn" deserted gardens oi
the French ChateauX gathered grass
and flowers. From these we made Il
| wreath.
While the boys were making this
apple tree and carved out the follow
ing verses on little wooden shield
which we nailed on Pete's cross.
! True to his God true to Britain.
| Doing his duty TO the last.
Just one more name to be written
, On the Roll of Honor of heroes passed
| Passed 10 their God. enshrncd in glory
Entering life OF eternal rest.
| One NOR" chapter in Enrland's story
OF her sons doing their hest.
Rest. YOU soldier. mate so true.
Never forgotten by us below:
knaw that we are thinking OF you,
Er. to our rest we are hidden To 20.
Next morning the whole section
went over to say goodbye tn Pete. ana
laid HIM away 10 rest.
After each one had Il look ut the
face of the dead. a corporal of the t..
A. NJ. &. sewcd up the remains IN Il
blanket. Then placing two heavy
rupes across the stretchcr Ito he used
in lowering the body into the gravel.
we lifted Pete onto the Stretcher ana
rrycrently covered him with Il large
union Jack. the flag he had died Tor.
The chaplain led the way. then came
the officers of the section. followed by
two of the men carrying wreath. I'M
mediatcly after came poor Pete on the
flag -drapped Stretchcr carried by four
soldiers | was one Of the four. BE-
hind the strctchcr. in column Of fours.
came the remainder of the section.
To get to the cemetery, we had To
bass through the little shcll-destroyed
Village, where troops were hurryins
tu and fro.
Us the funeral procession passed
and sInartly Salutcd the dead.
ruur Pete was receiving the onlS
salute Il private is entitled to some
where in France
Now and again shell from the
German lines would go whistling over
III" village to burst in our artillery
lines in the rear.
When we reached the cemetery we
halted in front of an open grave, anu
laid the strctcher beside it. Forming
a hollow square around the opening OIL
the grave. the chaplain read the burlal
service.
German machinc-gun bullets were
cracking" in the air above us. but
Pete didn't mind. and neither did VIC.
When the body was lowered into the
grave the flag having been removed:
we clicked our heels together ana
came to the salute.
left before the grave was filled IN.
could not bear TO see the dirt thrown
on the blanket-covered face OF m!
Comrade. On the western front there
are no coffins. and you are lucky 10
get blanket TO protect you from the
wet and worms. Several Of the sec
ton stayed and decorated the grave
with white stones.
That night, in the light Of lonely
candle in the machine gunner's dugout
Of the front line trench / wrote two
letters one 10 Pete's mother, the
other to his sweetheart While doing
this | cursed the Prussian war goa
with all my heart, and / think that ~
Peter noted same.
The machine gunners in the dugout
were laughing and joking. To them
Pete was unknown. Pretty soon, III
the warmth of their merriment, my
blues disappeared. One soon forgets
on the western front.