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
It was on the 14th that our battalion, accompanied by others, moved
up to relieve the tired-out Scotties, who were tattered and torn.
They came straggling back, but not in the same strength as when they
went into the conflict. They had a great number killed, wounded and
missing. As our battalion moved up the road leading to the trenches,
under heavy shell fire, we lost two hundred men, killed and wounded.
As we moved along, we could see our chums falling. That made us more
eager to get at the Hun. On arriving in the front line, late that
evening I was detailed off as a battalion runner, and, of course, it
was very interesting work. I was to report at battalion headquarters
which was about three-quarters of a mile behind the line. After great
difficulty I found myself at that point, and reported myself to the
sergeant-major. A short time after I was ordered to take a battalion
into the trenches at Hooge, and after great difficulty, going over the
shell-torn ground, I landed the regiment safe at their port.
On the following morning at 9 A.M. I received another order to take a
dispatch to every boy in my battalion. Of course there is always two
men who go with the dispatch. The idea of that is in case one man gets
wounded, the other can look after his wounds, and carry on with his
orders. My partner and I started out from battalion headquarters, and
going up the communication trench, found it all blown to pieces, so
we decided to take to the open. On arriving at a company we delivered
the dispatch and went on to the next company. It was very uneventful
but it took us from 9 A.M. one day until 4 A.M. the following morning
to get back. On our way back we arrived at a company in time to get
a little party out to headquarters, but at the same time "Fritzie"
started shelling us very heavily, so we took different routes. About
fifty yards from the front line my pal got a bullet in the back, which
brought him down. I dressed his wound, then carried him for a distance
of about fifty or sixty yards. I then laid him down, so I could get a
rest and straighten myself up, but when I picked him up again he was
dead. I continued the rest of my journey alone, but before long I got
hit myself in both legs. I dressed them and crawled to headquarters,
delivered the dispatch, then fell into a fainting spell. When I came to
I found myself in a hospital in Boulogne.
Canada's casualties in the war up to eleven days before the capture of
Mons on the final morning of the conflict totalled 211,358 men.
These classified as follows:
Killed in action 34,877
Died of wounds 15,457
Wounded and presumed dead 52,779
Missing in action and known
prisoners of war 8,245
Canada's losses have been very great and she has fought very bravely
for a just cause, the freedom of the world and everlasting peace.
WITH THE AMMUNITION TRAIN
BY FREDERICK GERALD MC AVITY, GUNNER NO. 91805, 8TH BATTERY, CANADIAN
FIELD ARTILLERY
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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