Brewster 'A Glimpse of War through a Private's Eyes', a retrospective account of experiences in World War I, 1915-1917 / John James Brewster - Page 493
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[Page 493]
to fall in earnest, so thick did it come down that firing of all kinds ceased on both sides. The whole landscape was simply obliterated from view, in fact, although mid day nothing could be seen more than 5 or 6 yards away
Under these conditions extra precautions were taken in the bays, in case of a counter attack every man was on Sentry duty, & each afforded the others quite a lot of fun on account of the quaint appearance worked by the snow. Each Sentry was simply a moving mass of snow with a broad grin in the middle of the small nob on top, with a snow stick carried at the side (his rifle)
Just at this time the Sentries were startled by the appearance, all of a sudden, of an apparition from out of the white mist, waving his arms & calling for A Coy.
The man had taken a big risk but his calling out saved him. He was a Sergt Major sent round to collect all A Coy men who were to go at once to support the men holding the wood. He was told to go & see the Capt in charge, he replied he had come from him. This was unlikely, but the men did not stop to consider so long as he delivered the message as from Capt of B Coy, the man was the Sergt Major of B Coy.
Away the A Coy men hurried, the six were joined by 9 others & with the platoon Sergt were sent to the front of the wood to hold a post.
On the journey through the wood they could picture the whole position
Evidently a very rich man owned the whole countryside. His beautiful Chateau was surrounded by a very fine wood, the village, Louverval, adjoining the wood evidently belonged to him also as did the farmed wheat lands as far as the eye could see.
The village and Chateau had been reduced to ruins, complete ruins of the most reduced kind. The whole of the very fine trees forming the wood had been sawn down about 3 feet from the ground Some of the trunks were 4 to 5 ft in diameter