What the "Boys" Did Over There: By "Themselves" — John Shaqi
What the "Boys" Did Over There: By "Themselves"
History
What the "Boys" Did Over There: By "Themselves"
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
After exploding the mine we explored the German trenches and found most
wonderful underground living quarters for the troops fitted with every
modern convenience.
We remained here three and a half months and then were moved to Kemmel
to the C-4 trenches, where we spent the winter. Here I was taken sick
and sent to the hospital at Bailleu, and returned to duty again at
Cambrai, and thence went to St. Quentin.
Remained at St. Quentin until September 17th, when I had a piece of
shrapnel lodge in my arm and was burned by a shell while trying to dig
out a comrade in a similar predicament, except that he died before we
got him out. I was buried, but conscious, for four hours and twenty
minutes, and I thought of every event of my life in that time. When
finally rescued, the fresh air and reaction were too much for me, and
I lost consciousness, which I did not regain until I was in England in
the Duchess of Connaught's Hospital. I had been sent there by way of
Le Havre and remained six months in bed in a plaster cast. I was then
returned to a hospital ship and taken to St. John, New Brunswick,
where I received electrical and massage treatment. From St. John I went
to the convalescent hospital at Fredericton, N. B., and was discharged
on August 19, 1918.
A NIGHT ADVENTURE
AS TOLD BY PRIVATE ALBERT FRANKLIN EDWARDS, NO. 6857, 1ST BATTALION,
1ST BRIGADE, 1ST DIVISION, CANADIAN INFANTRY
ONE night in October, 1915, while on patrol, I found an officer, and a
private, of the Prussian Guard, fooling around our wire entanglements.
They had evidently been under our fire as the officer was suffering
from three abdominal wounds and died as I was trying to drag him into
our lines.
The private was a big fellow about six feet three inches tall and was
furious at being captured. As I had him at my bayonet's point he gave
me no trouble, but when we arrived at our lines he took it out on the
sentry by spitting at him and slapping him in the face.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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