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 107
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[Page 107]
Very few appeared anxious to join the sentries on the "Step". It would be quite enough when their own turn of two hours came round, & after having turned in they found it anything but pleasant having to "turn out" without scarcely having closed an eyelid, so it seemed.
On relieving the sentry & receiving any orders he may have, or instructions & directions he may wish to give, on mounting the step, the first thing that strikes one is, how close to the top of the parapet the head is, & how very close to the top of the head the bullets seem to be. A rifle or Machine Gun bullet, which are identical, seems when fired at your trench to make a cracking noise just immediately over head, too close to be pleasant, especially when they are just "ripping" the top row of sandbags. After waiting for some few minutes you pluck up courage to put your eye, only one, to the loop hole & after getting a sight of "their" firing line, you "duck" your head at once, you think a bullet may just "get you" in the head.
The approach to the front line is always made apparent by the very large number of flares, – a kind of Sky rocket with a slowly falling light which while in the air brilliantly illuminates "No mans land" – thrown up by the Huns.
It is not always wise if looking through the loop hole when a "flare" goes up to make any movement at all – at first one never attempts to "view" when a "flare" is up, but later on, you "observe" when the flare is up & "bob down" as soon as it has fallen.
After two or three observations first with one eye & then with the other, you pluck up more courage to have a "fairly long look", & then you really commence to make things out, perhaps, with considerable excitement you may see a Hun moving about, then you watch & make sure. When satisfied that your view is correct, & a Hun is really there & offers a target, you