Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1919-01-03

them.
zone night we would send over a
trench-raiding party and the next night
over would come Fritz
''There was certain part of our
trench nicknamed Death alley, and the
company which held it was sure to
click 1t hard In casualties. In five
nights in clicked for three recon-
noitering patrols.
"JOhn French-he was a lance cor
poral then-was in charge of our sec
ton. This was before / went to ma
chine gunners' school and transferred
to this outfit. This French certainly
was an artist when 1t came to scout
ing In No Mans land. He knew every
inch of the ground out in front, and
was like a cat-he could see in the
dark.
"On the night that he won his d. c.
NJ. he had been out IN front with a pa
troll for two hours, and had just re-
turned to the fire trench. A sentry
down on the right of Death alley re-
ported a suspicious noise out in front.
and our captain gave orders for an
other patrol to go out and investi-
gate.
Corporal Hawkins was next on the
list for the job, but. blime me, he sure
had the wind up, and was shaking and
trembling like dish Of jelly.
"a new leftenant, Newall by name
had just come out from Blighty and
pretty fine officer. too. Now, don't you
chaps think because this chap was
killed that say he was good Off
Ger, because, dead or alive, you would
have to go a bloomin' long way to get
another man like Newall. But this
young leftenant was all eagerness to
get out in front. You see, it was his
first time over the top. He noticed
that Hawkins was shaky, and so did
French. French went up to the Off
Ger and said:
"'Sir, Corporal Hawkins has been
feeling queer for rhe last couple of
days, and I would deem it a favor if I
could go in his place.
"Now, don't think that Hawkins was
a coward, because he was not, for the
best of us are liable 10 get the shakes
at times. You know, Hawkins was
killed at La Bassee 4 couple of months
ago-killed while going over the top.
"There were seven in this patrol
Leftenant Newall, Corporal French, my /.
self and four more from b company.
about sixty yards from Fritz's /
trench an old ditch-must have been /
the bed of a creek, but at that time /
was dry-ran parallel with the Ger I
man barbed wire. Lining the edge of /
this ditch was scrubby sort of hedge /
which made a fine hiding place for /
a patrol. Why Fritz had not sent out |
a working party and done away with |
this screen was a mystery to US.
"Ftench leading, followed by Leften-
ant Newall, myself third, and the rest
trailing behind. we crawled through a
sap under our barbed wire leading out
TO a listening post in No Mans land.
We each had three bombs. Newall
carried a revolyer-one of those
Yankee COlts-and his cane. Blime me,
1 believe that officer slept with that
cane. He never went without II. The
rest OF us were armed with bombs and
rifles, bayonets fixed. We had pre-
yIOusly blackened our bayOnets so they
would not shine IN the glare OF a star
shell.
"Reaching the listening post French
told us 10 walt about five minutes I'M
M he returned from a little scouting
trip Of his own. When he left, we,
with every nerve tense. listened for his
coming back. We could almost hear
'ach others hearts pumping, but not "A
sound around the listening post Sud
y a voice. about six feet on my right
AN right the way Is clear;
'0ll0w me and carry on
my blood froze IN my veins. II
vas uncanny the way French mp
lf0nched us without being heard.
"lhen, Win backs bending low, out
n fhe listening post We went, IN The
Erection ~ ihe difch IN front N the
lefman barbod wire. We roncbed the
efubby hedge nnd 10y down, about SIX
eei aDaff. 20 listen. French ana The
nleef were on fbe dRht ~ our line,
About twenty minutes bad elapsed
.hen suddenly, directly Ia front ~ the I
iefi11n wire Ne could see dark, shad'