In the Line of Battle: Soldiers' Stories of the War
History
In the Line of Battle: Soldiers' Stories of the War
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
I shall never forget that Saturday morning at Achi Baba. I had my sight
then, and could watch all that was going on. We were on the ledge of
our trench, waiting to spring over and rush at the Turks.
Our officer was standing by us, looking at the watch on his wrist--and
a terrible strain it must have been.
“Two minutes to go!” he said. And we waited.
“One minute to go!” said the officer next time he spoke.
Then, at ten o’clock, “Over!” he shouted. That’s all I remember of
what he said. He may have said more, but I can’t tell. “Over!” was the
order, and over we went.
We all cheered, and then we went helter-skelter for the Turks with the
bayonet.
They were said to be two hundred and fifty yards away, but it was a
lot more than that--at any rate it seemed so. And the ground we had to
rush over was terrible--rough and with a lot of vines about that twined
round your feet and tripped you up. Some of our chaps were knocked flat
in this way, some fell of exhaustion, and lots were killed or wounded.
The best part of our lot were knocked out before we ever got near the
Turks.
But when we reached the trench that we were going for we found that
there were not many of the Turks left. Our gunners had settled them, so
that the trench was full of dead Turks, some of them with their heads
blown completely off.
Our task was simple enough. We had to go for one particular trench that
was straight in front of us.
I can’t give any special particulars about what happened, because it
was all a sort of blur, but I remember a few things clearly, and it’s
these that I am telling of.
The trench was up a hillside, and when I got to it I saw that part
of it had been blown up. I rushed at the opening, and fell into the
trench. I was alone. I don’t know whether I was the first man in
the trench or not; but I do know that there were none of our chaps
there--only myself and dead bodies.
I scrambled to my feet, and the first thing I noticed near me was a
Turkish officer, wounded and unarmed.
There we were, the two of us, the Turk looking at me and me looking
at him. I had my bayonet, and I could have settled him or taken him
prisoner; but British soldiers don’t touch unarmed men, and I was too
busy to take him--and a man who is by himself doesn’t as a rule make
prisoners.
I was looking to see which way to go to get to our other chaps, and the
Turkish officer, noticing this, motioned down the trench to the left to
show me where they had gone.
I began to clear off to them, but in my eagerness and excitement
I did not notice a wire which ran across the top of the parapet.
Before I knew what was happening my rifle got fast in the wire at the
bayonet-standard--that is, where the bayonet fixes on to the muzzle.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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