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 352
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[Page 352]
told the other two men to sit down with their backs to the parapet & keep as low as they possibly could.
Sure enough in about ten minutes the screech of a shell coming in the direction of the covering post made all three keep their heads down, the Shell burst forty or fifty yards beyond them sending pieces of the hard earth (being frozen) all round them & filling the air with the acrid fumes of the explosive
Keep low! here's another coming that one burst 40 or 50 yards short. Now 'said' the Sentry, with the burst of the next we will know our fate, or we wont know anything at all!! for the third ought by all the rules, just about get us!!!
Its screech indicated that it was coming pretty close, but luckily although it sent up plenty of dirt it went a few yards beyond
The battery continued firing in the direction of the covering post but each shell burst beyond. Then they opened right along the line & kept firing for quite a time but we were glad to learn without a single casualty.
On being relieved the three men had simply to make the best of things by sitting or lying in the shallow trench. No dug out or shelter was then available. The sentry was sitting on a lump of frozen mud trying to get to sleep till at last the shell bursts came so close that he was struck on the head with a lump of hard earth. This would have given him a nasty wound but the "tin hat" saved him. However the sound made one of the Machine gunners look over to see what was up & he suggested that the Sentry should come into their post till his turn to go on again arrived.
While the line was held for another two days the shelling continued but on this occasion nothing of interest occurred and the battalion moved back (without loss) to the Company Head Quarters. It is on occasions like these that one appreciates the work of the War Chest & YMCA. When moving back at night wet, weary, & worn out, dully trudging along feeling tired almost to death, many men dropping out for a rest, others to knock a hole in the Ice covering water in a shell hole, for a drink,