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 455
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[Page 455]
that almost "at once" they were roughly roused, & were informed "The Advance has gone"! Hastily rolling their oilsheets & fastening them to the belt at the back, they could see the whole line advancing, and both hurried forward into their places.
Silently the line went forward, The sentry having been "told off" to see that the third platoon kept in touch with the second, had every now & then to cast his eyes to the right & left to see that the "line" was kept also the proper interval. Still silently the line went forward & no sign of the enemy, nothing but a dark hedge like line away in the distance. The advance was being made down a gradual slope, through a large wheat field from which the grain had recently been mown & harvested. Luckily the ground underfoot was perfectly smooth not having been in any way torn up with shell fire.
Steadily the line went forward for about 200 yards each man walking as if on parade when all of a sudden one of the new officers on the right called out excitedly "Men follow me"!
At such an idiotic demonstration low execrations were uttered & the men wondered what was in that officers "water" bottle. He was talking to men the "newest" amongst them had had from 3 to 6 months experience of front line work & the bulk of them had experienced the fire of the worst catastrophe, the Australians had experienced, while he, the officer, was coming under fire for the first time. Follow "him" "be d[dash]" & such like expressions were muttered.
However as this exclamation had been shouted out quite loudly the immediate answer from "that dark distant line" was the rat, tat, tat, tat, tat, from the Machine Guns of the Huns. How the men cursed that foolish officer with his "follow me" in a silent attack! Naturally the men "knew" that he was feeling very "queer" & had to say something to steady his nerves. Still the line advanced