The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1919-01-10
aCeDyEsht. lott. by Tho Mcclure Newspaper
SyndicatAl

Curly" wallace was called curly
because he had the cutest little Dell
Fox, or spit curl, as the gum-chewer
call 1t, you ever saw. Wallace wa
proud of that curl, and gave 1t tn
best of attention and care. He wa
Scotch.
Happy" Houghton earned his mich
name By his constant smile and happ,
disposition. He was English, Lon
doner.
Hungry" Foxcroft really earned hi
title. He took special pains that on
rations would not become widowed b.
dying around too long in the dampnes
of our dugout. He was English; alst
from London.
''Ikey" Honey, dubbed 'Tkey" be
cause In one of our theatrical at
eempts he took the part Of "Ikey Co
henstein," and made quite hit. Eng
ush, via London.
Dick" Turpin, called "Dick" In
memory of the notorious highwayman
He used to help the quartermaster ser
geant. so the name was very appropri
ate. He was Irish, from Dublin.
was the sixth. The boys put the
prefix "Yank" to my name, because
was american and hailed from the
big Town" behind the statue of lib
erty.
The six of US composed the crew of
gun No. 2 of the til brigade ma
chine company. We were machine
gunners and our gun was the Vickers,
light, 303, water-cooled.
1t was a rainy afternoon in June,
and we were sitting IN our dugout in
the front-line trench, about 300 yards
from the German lines.
If you should ask Tommy Atkins
What is dugoutT' he would look at
you In establishment, and, plying you
for your apparent lack of education,
would answer, whats a dugout?
Why dugout is a-well, a dugout's
augout." Only being a Tommy pro
tem-pro tenn in my case meaning "for
duration of war; will try to de-
scribe to the best of my ability this
particular dugout.
A dugout is a hole In the ground.
Gets its name because it is dug out
by the Royal Engineers, or r. Els as
we call them. 1t Is used to shelter the
snen In the trenches from shell fire,
They also sleep in il, or try to. From
OUT point of view, Its main use is to
drain the trenches Of muddy water
and give US rheumatism. 1t also
makes good hotel for rats. These
guests look upon US as intruders and
complain that we overcrowd the place.
Occasionally we give In to them, and
take turn in the trench to rest our
selves.
Our dugout was about twenty feet |
deep, or, at least, there were twenty
wooden steps leading down to 1t. The |
ceiling and walls were braced by |
heavy, square-cut timbers. Over the |
timbers in the ceiling sheets Of cor
rugated iron were spread to keep the |
wet earth from falling in on us. The
entrance was heavily sandbagged and
very narrow; there was only room for
one person TO leave or enter at time.
The ceiling was six feet high and the
floor space was ten feet by six feet.
the ceiling a six-inch square
tirshaft was cut. We used to take
srns sleeping under this in wet
The timbers bracing the walls were
lriven full of nails TO hang our equip
nent on. After our ammunition, belt
Hing machine, equipment, rifles, etc.,
lad been stored away, there was not
much space for six men to live, not
orgetting the rats.
1T was very dark In the dugout, and
S we were only issued candle and
Ialf every twenty-four hours we had
o economize on light Woe betide the
asst man who left the candle burning
In this hotel Of ours we would sit
round the lonely candle and through !.
thick haze OF tobacco smoke would
ecount our different experiences at
arious points Of the line where we
ad been, or spin yarns about home.
ometfmes we would write letter,
hen we were fortunate enough to be 9
ear the candle. At other times we'd {
It for an hour without saying word,
py's front trench playing cornet. Q
", how that Boche could play! Just 6
, make us hate the war he'd play "Su- b
'anee River" tHome, Sweet Home"
: "Over the Waves The latter was t
y favorite. During his recital our
'enches were strangely quiet. Never n
shot from either side.
sometimes, when he had finished,
icy Honey would go into the trench t
n play on his harmonica. As soon G
J we'd see that harnonica come out h
was case Of duck down low" for a
le Germans would be sure, when the
st strains reached them, to send over
I've rounds rapid" We hated that n
More than once we n
wicked one over the top. but he'd sit Q
s~u. write 1stter. and In about ten q