A "Temporary Gentleman" in FranceDawson, A. J. (Alec John)
History
A "Temporary Gentleman" in France
Dawson, A. J. (Alec John)
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, British
Those little shows of ours in Cut-Throat Alley were practically all
bombing, you know; but we did rather well in the matter of prisoners
taken in the craters, and of Boches otherwise accounted for. Our own
casualties for the four days were two killed--both in my Platoon,
and both men with wives at home, I grieve to say; thundering good
chaps--and six wounded; two only slightly. We reckon to have got twenty
or thirty Boches wounded, and at least ten killed; and there is no sort
of reckoning needed about the eleven prisoners we certainly did take in
the craters and sent blindfolded down to Headquarters. I believe this
beats the record of the Company we relieved, which, of course, knew the
place better; and our C.O. is pleased with us. I have to go now and
tell off a small carrying party. Though feeling a bit shaky yesterday,
I'm as right as right can be again now, so mind, you have no earthly
reason to worry about your
"_Temporary Gentleman_."
P.S.--"The Peacemaker" has just got word from Battalion Headquarters
itself that it's perfectly correct about the new front-line trench to
be cut; and it is believed "A" Company is to have something to do with
it. So that's real news; and we feel sure it means a push to come.
Everybody very cock-a-hoop.
THE NEW FRONT LINE
A turn out, a turn in, and now we're out again, and barring three Field
Service post cards, I believe all that time has gone without my writing
to you. You must try to forgive me. I can assure you things have been
happening. There hasn't been much idle time. When I last wrote we
had only begun to talk about the new front trench, hadn't we? Things
certainly have hummed since then.
The first move was a tour of inspection and survey of the proposed
new line, by the O.C. of our Field Coy. of R.E., with some other
officers. Somewhat to my surprise--I suppose he really ought not to
expose himself to that extent--our C.O. accompanied this party. The
next night, when the pegs were driven in, definitely marking the whole
new line, the O.C.R.E. allowed me to go with him. The new line, as we
marked it out, was 760 yards long; from down near The Gut right across
to what used to be our centre, cutting off the whole big re-entrant and
equalising the whole sector's distance from the Boche.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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