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 469
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[Page 469]
My G[dash] What can be the matter! What does it mean! Running Back!! & No one following!
Some of them "guessed" immediately the reason. The place must be mined!
Doinez as seen by the watching men appeared a village of some considerable size, peacefully resting every house intact amidst the wide expanse of far stretching wheat fields. Two very large buildings of some architectural pretensions could be seen towering above the remaining tile covered houses.
While intently watching the 55th retirement to about 200 or 300 yards back from the village, the nearest, of the two large buildings, estimated to be a Sugar refinery, was seen to suddenly collapse, just like a house of Cards & fall to the ground a mere mass of loose bricks! Mined! was the instant ejaculation from many lips.
Immediately afterwards the second large building presumably the Town Hall collapsed in just such a similar manner. As the dust & debris from both these buildings could be clearly seen, one of the watching men became a bit scared when he saw a whitish looking cloud ascend & he immediately gave the Gas Alarm!
It was with the greatest difficulty that those round him could be convinced that the white clouds arose from the explosion of the two mines, & that "Gas Alarm" was likely to endanger our own men at the bottom end of the trench when the Hun batteries opened on them in Gas masks. Only by walking up to & standing near them unharmed without a mask could they be induced to take the masks off.
As soon as the two principal buildings in Doinez "fell", the Hun batteries opened in earnest & the watching men plainly saw every house in the village "Smashed to Smithereens" before their eyes by means of "traversing" high explosive Shells. Starting at the nearest end methodical shell fire reduced a beautiful peaceful looking to a chaotic series of brick heaps in the course of a very few moments.