World War, 1914-1918 -- Anecdotes; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, British
A certain section of the line, just in front of Levantie, being a
comparatively peaceful and quiet spot, was held by a series of posts at
intervals of anything up to three hundred yards, which made the task of
bringing up rations an unhappy one, especially as the trenches in this
sector always contained about four feet of water.
One November night a miserable ration party was wading through the thin
slimy mud. The sentry at the top of the communication trench, hearing
the grousing, splashing, and clanking of tins, and knowing full well
who was approaching, issued the usual challenge, as per Army Orders:
"'Alt! 'Oo goes there?"
Out of the darkness came the reply, in a weary voice: "Admiral Jellicoe
an' 'is blinkin' fleet."--_W. L. de Groot (late Lieut., 5th West Yorks
Regt.), 17 Wentworth Road, Golders Green, N.W.11._
The Necessary Stimulant
On the St. Quentin front in 1917 we were relieved by the French
Artillery. We watched with rather critical eyes their guns going in,
and, best of all, their observation balloon going up.
The ascent of this balloon was, to say the least, spasmodic. First it
went up about a hundred feet, then came down, then a little higher and
down again.
This was repeated several times, until at last the car was brought
to the ground and the observer got out. He was handed a packet, then
hastily returned, and up the balloon went for good. Then I heard a
Cockney voice beside me in explanatory tones: "There! I noo wot it was
all the time. 'E'd forgotten his vin blong!"--_Ernest E. Homewood (late
1st London Heavy Battery), 13 Park Avenue, Willesden Green, N.W.2._
A Traffic Problem
A dark cloudy night in front of Lens, two patrols of the 19th London
Regt., one led by Lieut. R----, the other by Corporal B----, were
crawling along the barbed wire entanglements in No Man's Land, towards
each other.
Two tin hats met with a clang, which at once drew the attention of
Fritz.
Lieut. R---- sat back in the mud, while snipers' and machine-gun
bullets whistled past, and in a cool voice said, "Why don't you
ring your perishing bell?"--_L. C. Pryke (late 19th London Regt.),
"Broughdale," Rochford Avenue, Rochford, Essex._
Scots, Read This!
On the afternoon of Christmas Day, 1915, three pipers, of whom I was
one, went into the trenches at Loos, and after playing at our Battalion
H.Q., proceeded to the front line, where we played some selections
for the benefit of the Germans, whose trenches were very close at
this point. Probably thinking that an attack was imminent, they sent
up innumerable Verey lights, but, deciding later that we had no such
intention, they responded by singing and playing on mouth-organs.
Having finished our performance, my friends and I proceeded on our way
back, and presently, passing some men of another regiment, were asked
by one of them: "Was that you playin' them bloomin' toobs?" We admitted
it.
"'Ear that, Joe?" he remarked to his pal. "These blokes 'ave bin givin'
the 'Uns a toon."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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