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 362
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[Page 362]
The first work undertaken was the remodelling & rebuilding a trench specially made to protect the entrances to the large dug out having originally been too wide, also "putting in" numbers of new machine gun positions, all carried out under the idea of a "big" Hun counter attack in the Spring. This necessitated about 60 men working in the open for a couple of weeks, during which the work would be continually interfered with on account of the Shell & Machine Gun fire which would visit the line at least twice during the day & the same at night but never at any particular time.
The Shell fire might been seen away on the right or left or back on the support line when suddenly the "Screech" of a shell would quickly indicate that "your turn was coming" when every man would have to quickly jump down into the trench from both parapet & parados till "things got" a bit quieter".
Then for a while work would be transferred to the Large "Aid Post" Dug out in the sunken road about 400 yards in the rear near Battalion Head quarters, not supposed to be in the line, although the Shelling & Machine Gun fire, was here at times pretty warm indeed, so much so that many of the men did not like taking their turn in carrying the dirt "over the top" whether by night or day.
It was here also that one saw the ration parties "coming in" each night, muddied up to the middle & in some cases up to the shoulders, & while waiting to have a drink of hot tea or soup, provided by the Cooks in the line, one could hear them pitying the lot of the men working there, & yet those same men were, at the same time, saying to one another, How would you like to be one of those poor wretches?
In the eyes of one lot of men the "others" looked "the poor devils" For while one lot of men in their big wading boots would be all covered in mud, the men working the on dug outs would be stripped to the