The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-11-11
''Well, Don't
Want to Be the
Last Man Killed

LONDON, Nov. 11.-(By United
Press. Probably 100000 or 49,
O0O,0 men said that on the western
front a year ago today, after the
magic telegram, "Hosc:ities cease at
II 100 a. M" had been flashed from
innumerable army, corps, divisional,
brigade and battalion headquarters.
Of course, there were the men who
wanted to "fre the last shot," and
those new arrivals wao felt they had
not had long enough run for their
money, Il met one American officer,
who after all his training at home,
had one months war, doze OF influ-
enza, and then the armsGticc. He
thought it was a put?up job to keep
him cut of it.) Then, too, there were
many injured men brooding over be-
reavements and planning vengeance
which required many more killings,
but the vast majority of the fighting
forces were glad to cry content"
when the last shot was fired. Four
and a quarter years of war. however,
easily satisfied the British, French and
German armies.
While troop movements ard prep
arations went on as usual right up
to the last moment, there was no.
ticeable desire to dodge the last 13lls
that screamed over the opposing lines.
Especially was this marked among
those who got into the war good and
early. Men whose courage was above
suspicion, wearers of many a famous
medal, looked at one another duflng
the last hours, and said, "Fancy be,
ing knocked out by the last shell
and perhaps the last shot of the last
war" eyes, we had optimists who
thought it might be the end Of inter-
national strife.) Men who used to
laugh amid the crash of an attack
ing barrage, ducked like the veriest
novice or "nery" soldier as stray
"pip-squeak," and in the front line
there was a general cesire to keep
inside dug-outs unless there was
something to be done outside during
the last hours.
My own part of the line intended
making bi gattack on the night Of
oyember II if the armistice negotia'
tions had broken down. and my bat,
terry went up into action at a little
place called Pecq, just north of Lille
One section--two guns--took up po
sitions on the night of the 10th, some
six hundred yards from the front line
and the remaining four were coming
up the following evening, just in tht
old sweet way. We knew nothing
definite then, but we did know tina
the war might end any minute, ant
the main battery condoled with thu
"foreward section" at their bad lucl
in having to run the extra risk. An'
that was a bunch of gunners who hat
forgotten nerves in two solid year
of such movements from one end o
the line to the other.
Never did such an ordinary move
; ment for section Of guns seem sucl
tricky business. Our battery com
: mander. who declared war" with tn
original British "Old Contemptibles
= in August, 1914, personally visite
the position and as soon as every
: thing was shipshape he gave very def
= mite orders "every man under cove
5 until he is needed. There's no nee
: for you to be the last one shot"
The next day when the "hostilitie
cease" order came round he cam
back and repeated this even NOR
forcibly. "Only the guard to b
abov ground, and if catch any o
YOU d----d fools gettintg killed be
| fore II o'clock, I'll court-martial you.
/ Of course, there were shells fire
. after II o'clock, (there was practica
ly no rife fire), but nobody seemed t
think they were fired with intent.
f Laughing souvenir hunters regar
= them as something pretty in the fire
work line.
' It was good to know that hostil
ties had ceased.
Q