World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, Canadian
Imagine the amazement of Lieutenant F. when the Junior Sub and the
N.C.O. climbed out of the front line trench into No Man's Land. Our
"hero" whispered these words: "Where are you going? I thought you were
going for a walk?" "So we are," replied the Junior Sub. "We are going
to take a walk to Fritz's barbed-wire entanglements. Are you afraid
to come?" The reply was, "No, but I am just a little disappointed.
I thought when you asked me to take a walk that you were going back
towards the support line. However, I am not afraid."
He then immediately climbed out, and in his hurry fell into a shell
hole just outside of our barbed-wire entanglements. As he fell, he
shouted, and with the shout up went some German flares that illuminated
their sector of No Man's Land. Before the flares died out, the machine
guns of Fritz began to search out the spot. Our hero had sense enough
to keep in a shell hole and, after the lights had died down, he heard
the voice of the N.C.O. who had crawled on his stomach to the lip of
the shell hole, asking him if he had lost anything. He afterwards told
me that if he had answered truthfully he would have said "Yes," as his
nerve had played him false.
However, he replied, "No, I have not lost anything, but I have found
something."
He had by then regained his courage, so he moved like a veteran towards
the German wire entanglements. Having accomplished their mission, they
returned to our trenches, the Junior Sub and the N.C.O. leading. As
they disappeared into the trench, our hero had just got to the shell
hole where he had fallen in previously. In his haste to reach the
trench, he was caught on the entanglements by one leg, with the result
that he was thrown to the ground.
Again he shouted, but this brought a quick reply from the Huns. The
flares were sent up and then began a fusilade of machine-gun fire at
our luckless hero, with the result that the baggy part of his breeches
was riddled with bullets. But, strange to say, he himself did not
receive a scratch.
Eventually he reached the dugout just as a drink was being served to
the Junior Sub. Lieutenant F. was asked if he would like a drink, and
his reply was, "Certainly I will have one, thank you." As the drink was
handed over to him we noticed that he was perspiring very freely. And
as he reached over to take it, we all saw that his hand was shaking
like a man with the palsy. One of the officers asked him if he was
scared. He replied, "You are damned right I'm scared. See what Fritz
has done to my breeches!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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