The War Stories of Private Thomas AtkinsMilne, James
History
The War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins
Milne, James
World War, 1914-1918 -- Anecdotes
We were kept on the go for a week, day and night, with hardly a wink of
sleep. What we did get was just lying down and dozing off, sometimes
in the road, and sometimes in a ditch. We raided a convoy. Bacon,
biscuits, sugar, and jam all came to us. The wagons were simply packed
up. I think we had about 150 lb. of bacon between four of us. We
marched all that night, and in the morning we collected a few sticks
and started to make tea and fry a few rashers, when they opened fire on
us, and 15 lb. of scrap iron interrupted our meal: _Gunner J. Talboys,
Royal Field Artillery_.
Not Swept Away Yet
The other day we were off in pursuit of a body of infantry, and when we
overtook them they simply flung themselves down on the ground and let
us ride over them. Then, when we came back, they surrendered. Some of
them were so dead beat that they could not run away, not even if they
had wanted to, and that seems to be true of their men everywhere. Some
of them have had their fill of fighting and marching by this time, and
I do not blame them, for they got it hot in the fighting with us since
the third week of August, when they came along to sweep us into the
sea: _A Trooper of the 3rd Hussars_.
From the Hip
The Germans have a funny way in fighting. Their infantry when advancing
fire from the hip and come on in masses, splendid targets for our guns.
As soon as one lot gets mowed down the gaps are filled up with fresh
men. They are in terrible numbers--about ten to one in some places.
Nearly all the men’s wounds are shrapnel, and heal wonderfully. Men
almost cripples a day or two ago are going on splendidly since being
treated here. My worst wound is on the right arm, a piece of flesh torn
away, but with good dressing it should heal up well: _Bombardier A. E.
Smith_.
A Cupboard Skeleton
Two Royal Irish Fusiliers picked me up and took me to a farm, where
there were other three wounded. That night we heard somebody prowling
round the farm, and thinking they might be the enemy, the Irish
Fusiliers hid in a large cupboard, where they would be able to make
a good attack. We hadn’t long to wait, and a small party of German
infantry came in--on a looting expedition, likely. The men in the
cupboard accounted for three, and the others yelled and ran. The farmer
and his wife got scared, and they disappeared: _Pte. Cunningham, 8th
Northumberland Fusiliers_.
Food for Powder
The impression we got was that the Germans have so many men available
at the point where they deliver an attack that, as soon as one body
gets tired out or shows signs of losing its nerve under fire, it is
recalled to the rear and replaced by fresh men, who are brought up in
motors and all sorts of vehicles. The used-up men are then taken away,
and very likely they come on again after a rest. That’s an altogether
new way of fighting, but I fancy the Germans go on the principle that
“enough’s as good as a feast” in what they get from our rifle fire: _A
Private of the Manchester Regiment_.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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