The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1919-05-23
Whole Number 1880

swept from the opposite hill. He sent
his runner down first, as he wasn't
disabled and could drag himself down
making use of the little cover which
the trench afforded. But Jimmy had
to run for it, and he did. He was
travelling right smart down the zig
gag trench amid the snap of bullets
and almost stepped on his runner as
he leaped over them and into a shell
hole just beyond. The ferries think
ing possibly that they had got him,
ceased their firing. Then Jimmy dis
covered that his runner was taking
papers and maps from the other
figure, which was the officer that
was missed early in the morning He
had met the runner just as he had
turned into the shallow trench and
needless of his warning had started
to ask questions as to location of the
platoon when a machine gun bullet
had gone through his helmet and
head. He died instantly.
The next mile was one continual
ducking party. Shells and minnen-
werfers (trench mortar bombs) near
ly burying him twice; and once when
he had just climbed out of a trench
to cut across to another, a shell ex-
plosion threw him back into the
trench,-dropping him seven feet,
landing him squarely on his broken
shoulder;-a piece whining by, just
grazing his nose enough to draw
blood. By this time Jimmy was be-
ginning to realize the situation that
the battalion was in that he had left.
And that the one thing for him to do
was to report to regimental head
quarters and give the colonel the To-
cation of this battalion and a realizi-
zation that they needed help. But
he had gone far out of his way in
order to get through so he still had
three miles to travel over shell swept
roads to headquarters. He had the
idea that if he stopped at any of the
dressing stations along the way, they
might not allow him to go on. And
his wound had long since stopped
bleeding or troubling him. But he
seemed so weak. BY seven o'clock he
was at the dugout where the colonel
and his staff were. He managed to
get down the forty odd feet of stairs
and make his report. Immediately
the wires began to hum; Australian
reserves, another regiment of his
own division were sent in. AS the
location of the battalion was known,
the artillery could get busy again.
But it was well along the next day
before they were relieved of their
precarious position.
From then on Jimmy hasn't much
recollection of what went on. Just
glimpse now and then. He remem-
bers a slight feeling of regret as they
slashed his only 0. ID. shirt to get it
off of him. And the next thing was
wild jouncing ride in Ford am
bulance over a shell torn road. Once
during the night he came to, to the
realization that he was very cold and
that he was with other wounded in
an open narrow guage railroad car;
and that the engine had left the
tracks. Another time he is in a line
and it is drizzling cold rain; soldiers
are feeding him hot cocoa. The line
doesn't seem to move. He sees
little light as a door is opened to ad-
nit another war torn Jimmy. "Ah,
another cup of cocoa. so hot it burns
all the way down. Gee, isn't that a
cold wind? Listen-ain't that Jer-
ry plane overhead? Put out that
butt, you d fool" At last he
enters the warming shelter of the
room, but only for a minute. He
bares his good arm and gets a gen.
erous shot of anti-tetanus serum
and then out into the cold again.
Nine weeks later, when he meets
the first familiar face he is told that
he has been cited for good work; and
two weeks later when he returned to
his company; or what was left of it;
he was handed papers which told him
that under authority given him, Gen
eral Rawlinson was proud to award
him the Military Medals. But a
month later came the biggest day of
Jimmie's life. Here, on large
heather plain, before their whole di-
vision, Jimmy and the other Jimmies
who were also fortunate in circum-
stances; had the mark of distin-
guished service conferred on them by
General Pershing. He pinned on the
crosses with his own great massive
hands and spoke to each Jimmy as he
shook hands with him. Then they
stood at attention. beside the Gener-
al, hardly Pickering an eyelash while
the entire division passed in review
before them. It was in January and
a bitter cold wind was blowing. As
one said with scarce a movement of
lip; "Ain't it hell to be hero?"
Some time later the same perfor-
nance was repeated and the British
decoration pinned on Jimmy.
There all you "just friends" and
1--WE know of him" folks, is why he
got them.
ga 1innnnyv