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 117
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[Page 117]
Up till this time our Company had existed on the biscuits & bully beef each man had brought along in his haversack, water being obtained from shell holes just at the back of the duck board walk but as the Medical Officers had examined & condemned this water as unfit for drinking purposes, fatigue parties were organized to go back to the dump a matter of about 2 miles for rations & on our left about half a mile thence back along a duck board walk, for water.
The water fatigue left early in the afternoon & found the water hole in what was evidently a cleared allotment belonging originally to a farm. After leaving the duck boards hidden amongst a growth of high reeds one allotment had to be passed then a row of poplar trees which separated it from the allotment containing the water hole. As the dixies were being filled it was agreed that the men would wait till the last man was ready & all proceed back together.
Two or three of those ready started to march back so as to wait on the duck boards but as they passed across the second allotment two or three Machine Gun bullets "whizzed" so close to their heads (one bullet striking a tree not a foot away) that these men ran for the duck board walk, as fast as their legs & their load would allow. As they started running the others, waiting, started to violently abuse them & shouted "We thought every one was to wait till all were ready?"
In a very bad humour, two or three of these started to walk, growling & grumbling at those who had ran, but as soon as they reached the second allotment they stopped growling & just "hiked it for their natural" & upon arriving were smilingly greeted by the first lot of men, "What was the need to hurry so fast?" A broad grin was the answer & they turned to enjoy the "circus" performed by the remainder. After all had safely run the gauntlet the later comers could not help saying, "No wonder you fellows "Shifted"! Those bullets