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 483
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[Page 483]
dash to get through & into the trench to meet the Hellish Huns all the strain of physical exhaustion, dissappears almost miraculously, for after running down the trench the dash across the last 150 yards to the village, was just like the start of another race.
During the time of waiting on the parapet for the Hun shell fire to commence, opportunity was taken to look at and endeavour to talk to a few of the Hun wounded lying about, but although these men appeared to understand they would disclose nothing of military importance & pretended not to know what was said, so after seeing that their Rifles & ammunition had been removed and their pockets ransacked for anything at all whether of military importance or not, (generally a Hun prisoner will "offer" anything of value presumably to propitiate the Captor) they were left till the Stretcher bearers could give them attention.
When eventually the Stretcher bearers & AMC came along they started to dress the wounds of the first Hun prior to placing him on the Stretcher, when very much to their surprise he said in the plainest English, "I do not want a British bandage placed on me!".
The Stretcher bearer party at once stopped & told him if not politely You can bally well go to H[dash] the most natural place for you You [dash]!
By twelve O'clock that day, little piles of snow represented the wounded Huns who were all still by that time, the cold had "settled" them, all except the scowling wretch who had declined the dressing, & he was seen to be dragging himself across the snow covered field in the direction where the Hun line lay.
Of course he was watched, the men would not let him get out of sight. Some wanted to shoot him at once under the plea of trying to escape, in order to put him out of his misery, but the others strongly