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 380
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[Page 380]
at the same time every now & then looking to see the effect on the men.
Every time this was done remarks would be passed loud enough for the officer to hear (without apparent intention) My Word! Isn't that officer a brave man? What a wonderfully brave man he is? & so on. As none of the men would smile they certainly thought he took it for gospel.
On account of the officer being so keen on the men working like absolute niggers, the men had to find some way of getting back on him. So every time the men wanted to take at least half an hours rest, the men on top would pass the word below for the officer
Well! What is it! he would gruffly call out from below,.
In a sort of scared voice one of the men would say, "Fritz is getting pretty nasty Sir!"
Is the Shelling very Close?
Yes Sir!
Oh! Well! You had better come into the shaft!
There would then be "Smoke Oh" for as long as the men liked but as a rule they would only take half an hour.
The night shift men soon got into the way of simply doing what they liked and much to the annoyance of the men sleeping in the dug out, they would give fictitious gas alarms, till at last the men down below had to expostulate, for as they would not, after the first false alarm, put on their gas masks & would not disturb those already sleeping, so if a genuine gas alarm was given most of the men would be gassed before knowing much about it.
However it was said the officer would always put on his gas mask (or helmet) & sit with it on till some one in pity would send word that the gas attack was over. The men really enjoyed that part of it. However it was not continued on account of the risk the men would run.
On this front one of the Allied Airmen was observed to be having a most exciting time. Every day