World War, 1914-1918 -- Anecdotes; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, British
During the great German offensive in March 1918 our company was trying
to hold the enemy at Albert. My platoon was in an old trench in front
of Albert station, and was in rather a tight corner, the casualties
being pretty heavy. A runner managed to get through to us with a
message. He asked our sergeant to send a man to another platoon with
the message.
One of my pals, named Gordon, shouted, "Give it to me; I'll go."
He crept out of the trench and up a steep incline and over the other
side, and was apparently being peppered by machine-gun fire all the
way. We had little hope of him ever getting there. About a couple of
hours later another Cockney cried: "Blimey! He's coming back!"
We could see him now, crawling towards us. He got within a dozen yards
of our trench, and then a Jerry "coal-box" arrived. It knocked us into
the mud at the bottom of our trench and seemed to blow Gordon, together
with a ton or so of earth, twenty feet in the air, and he came down in
the trench.
"That's done the poor blighter in," said the other Cockney as we rushed
to him. To our surprise Gordon spoke:
"Well, he ain't done in--see!"
He had got the message to the other platoon, and was little the worse
for his experience of being blown skyward. I think that brave fellow's
deed was one of many that had to go unrewarded.--_H. Nachbaur (late 7th
Suffolks), 4 Burnham Road, St. Albans, Herts._
"Baby's Fell Aht er Bed!"
The day before our division (38th Welch) captured Mametz Wood on the
Somme, in July 1916, our platoon occupied a recently captured German
trench. We were examining in a very deep dug-out some of Jerry's
black bread when a heavy shell landed almost at the entrance with a
tremendous crash. Earth, filled sandbags, etc., came thundering down
the steps, and my thoughts were of being buried alive about forty feet
underground. But amid all the din, Sam (from Walworth) amused us with
his cry: "Muvver! Baby's fell aht er bed!"--_P. Carter (late 1st London
Welch), 6 Amhurst Terrace, Hackney, E.8._
Stamp Edging Wanted
During severe fighting in Cambrai in 1917 we were taking up position
in the front line when suddenly over came a "present" from Jerry,
scattering our men in all directions and causing a few casualties.
Among the unfortunate ones was a Cockney whose right hand was
completely blown off.
In a sitting position he calmly turned to the private next to him and
exclaimed "Blimey, they've blown me blinkin' German band (hand) off.
Got a bit of stamp edging, mate?"--_T. Evans, 24 Russell Road, Wood End
Green, Northolt, Greenford._
"Oo's 'It--You or Me?"
It was our fifth day in the front line in a sector of the Arras front.
In the afternoon, after a terrible barrage, Jerry came over the top on
our left, leaving our immediate front severely alone.
Our platoon Lewis gun was manned at that time by "Cooty," a Cockney, he
being "Number One" on the gun. We were blazing away at the advancing
tide when a shell exploded close to the gun.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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