The Mankato free press., 1919-01-31
l. E. SMITH

[. &. SMITH
where we rested for awhile and were
re- equipped. On December 10 we
relieved the First Canadian division
on Vimy Ridge. In January, 1917,
took part in a trench raid. AS | was
q gunner had not been in the trench
raids, and this was my first exper-
ience of that kind. But they asked
for volunteer who understood Ger
man machine guns and l went over
with Il scout officer during the raid.
We were to get certain machine
gun that our men had tried to get
before but they had not understood
how to get the gun off the pivot up
on which it was fastened. We found
the gun in the front line trench in
| its concrete emplacement and it
was deserted. But the Germans had
chained the gun to the tripod. We
pulled the pin, put Mills bombs
underneath ard beat it, When we
returned there was no pill box left,
as the bombs had done their work
well, and there was no gun there to
capture. 1t was blown to pieces.
There was big gas attack on
March 2. Our division put over gas on
the Germans, but unfortunately the
wind shifted, and the gas drifted back
on our own men. The Canadians lost
about $500 men owing to the shift
| ing of the wind. There was some
very heavy fighting. but we did not
reach the Germans at that time.
Opened on Twenty Mile Front
! "On April 9. 1917, at 4:10 a. m,
our artillery opened fire on a twenty
mile front continuing until five o'clock
the rapid fire descending on the Ger
man first and second lines. At five
o'clock the barrage lifted and the in
fantry went over the top. We had
advanced one and a half miles by
three p. m. At three o'clock a bunch
Of German snipers succeeded in get
ting their fire to our trenches.
was detailed with crew to take a
position back OF our front line trench
about 200 yards, and keep a steady
fire on the group of shell holes where
the snipers were working. We kept
firing or them for about an hour
when my assistant, No. 2, gave the
gas warning. The Germans were
sending gas over to put our gun out
of action. l put on my gas mask.
but sometime during. the day it had
become badly torn. and there was a
! big hole in ore side of it. In about
ar Eour | was SO dizzy from gas that
l could not stand. told No. to take
the gun and report to our officer that
| was gassed which he did AS l
laid there the advance went on NOV
ing steadily forward. That night a
shell struck rear me plowing up the
dirt and burying me about to the
| knees. ay%J ar
Found BY Red Cross Man
| Next morning a Red Cross mar
found me gave me drink and dug
me out, and promised to send a street
cher for me. But l did not wait for
the stretcher. l started crawling
back to the dressing station, and had
crawled about 400 yards when l came
upon some of our artillery men, who
picked me up and took me back to
the first dressing station. I woke up
four days later in a hospital at Boug-
lone, where l was cared for until
May, 1917, and then sent to hospi-
tai in Scotland. After four months
there | was sent to a hospital in Eng
land, where l stayed until July 1918.
On. July 6, 1918, / was medically
| boarded for Canada and sent to a
clearing hospital at Liverpool, Eng
land, where l remained until Novem-
ber 10, eight days after the armisticc
was signed. l left Liverpool on Nov
ember 10, on the Scandinavia, which
being returned as urfit for service.
We landed at st. Johns, New
Brunswick, or December 1, and were
sent by train to Regina, Saskatche-
wan, arriving there December 5. Ire. =.
mained at Regina until l received
my honorable discharge being must
cred out of service or January 15."
Photo Spoiled by Gas
A remarkable result of the pois-
oned gas which caused Gunner
Smiths long illness is shown by a
photograph of his mother and broth
ers. which he carried in his pocket
! during the war. The gas impregnat-
ed his clothing and it's action on the
photograph shows in many copper
! colored spots which spoiled the pho
tograph.
"A queer thing about the war was
the fact that some of the men who
went in at the first came through un-
harmed" remarked Mr.. Smith. They
| would put new meE in our division
to fill it up ard in an engagement it
would be the new fellows who were
shot killed, or wounded, although
they fought side by side with the
veterans. Those who had fought
through a number of hard engage
ments ard came through all right
seemed to have acquired sort OF
immunity, or else they were not
born to die that way"