The War Stories of Private Thomas AtkinsMilne, James
History
The War Stories of Private Thomas Atkins
Milne, James
World War, 1914-1918 -- Anecdotes
Not Good Shots
You have read about their famous Uhlans. They are worth nothing. When
we have come close to them they have always turned round. We are just
wanting to get them to charge. They are very hard to tell from a
distance because they are very much like ourselves. I am just getting
settled down to it now. If the Germans were good shots I would not be
writing to you now, but I must say their artillery fire is very hot. It
is that which has found most of our fellows. The people here can’t do
enough for us. They simply go mad when they see us: _A Trooper of the
9th Lancers_.
Adam without an Eden
I got made prisoner along with Sergeant-Major H---- of ours. We did
not think we should ever see England again, as they made us strip
every mortal stitch off our bodies so that we could not escape. At the
time they were being hardly pressed by our troops. But in the middle
of the night we made a cut for it. We got away, and after wandering
about absolutely naked, not even a fig-leaf (a lifetime it seemed, but
really about a couple of hours), we fell in amongst a French division
of infantry, and they clothed and fed us in no time and put us on the
right way: _A Trooper of the Dragoon Guards_.
The Enviable “Terriers”
I read in one of the papers that some of the “Terriers” in England
have to put up with the inconvenience of sleeping three in one bed. I
feel sorry for them. Some of us would be glad to get a bundle of straw
sometimes. There is one thing, up to the present, we have been having
plenty of grub and a tot of rum nearly every night, which no doubt you
will guess we refuse. We get tobacco issued to us, but are very short
of fag-papers. A couple of packets would come in very handy: _Gunner
Richards, Royal Artillery_.
Pea-shooters
At one place we had a surprise attack. We were just getting ready for
some food, when all of a sudden shells started bursting around us. I
can tell you it was a case of being up and doing. Dixies and tea-cans
were flung on one side, our tea spilt, fires put out, and the order
given to stand to our guns and horses, everyone to prepare for action.
Still, we were not to be caught napping. Our boys only close one eye
when we get a chance of a sleep, so you can tell we were wide-awake by
the fact that it was a case of do or die. Our gallant boys, the Guards,
held them at bay until our death-dealing pea-shooters put them to
flight: _Driver Clark, Royal Artillery_.
Had “To Nip”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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