Soldiers' stories, 1914-1917 - Page 10

[Page 10]

boat, starts pulling us towards the land. We are now able to grasp the situation. On a green patch up the side of a hill we can observe our boys charging the enemy with fixed bayonets. One droops, then another, I think the first one is dead, he does not move, but the line never wavers, on they go to death & glory, The pinnace now cast off her line, so we put the oars & start pulling for the shore which we ground on, a few moments later. It is quite evident that the fight on the beach was short, sharp, & decisive. One of our boys is lying dead on the beach the water is lapping over his legs & up to his waist, his features have a very pleasant expression, another boy is lying quite close to him, both of the evidently have been pulled out of the water.
Now, I have never done grevious bodily harm to anyone, but when I see my mates lying dead, I make up my mind to kill the Turk who killed them, and if I cannot get him, I shall shot dead the first of the enemy I get sight of. I consider the first few moment spent on the beach the worst during my lifetime, because in that short space of time I transformed from an ordinary human being into a murderer.