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 507
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Transcription
[Page 507]
about a dozen yards away, close alongside the butt of a tree, the top of which had been sawn off, for the danger of a counter attack looked very great, and only by standing up clear of the trench could a proper view be obtained in the bad light. As the night wore on there was not one man who did not pray that one of the many shells would come close enough to knock him out, for good or otherwise.
This was one of the most miserably trying nights, so far spent in France not being able to move, lie, down, or stretch & not being able to sleep if they left the trench to do so, & yet feeling weary & tired enough to sleep in a pond.
Standing upright in mud & muddy water leaning against mud, & resting the arms on mud with every now & then a fall of snow or rain to keep them wet or to trickle down the back of the neck whenever the neck was bent.
In expectation of a strong & fierce counter attack at any time during the night the men did not wear their "Balaclava caps" or Cap comforters, they wanted nothing that was likely to inconvenience them if heavy fighting was to take place
The shell fire had been gradually creeping nearer & nearer, but concerning which the men had really become so callous that it did not worry them, so that when the sentries were going on to the post or on being relieved they just walked in & out quite calmly not caring, if they were going to be hit well they would be hit & that would end it.
At four oclock in the morning the Sentry & his partner had just come "off post" & one of the relief men had taken his position at the tree trunk, the other was stretching himself after stepping out of the trench cursing his luck at having to go through such a wearysome experience. The Sentry had stepped into the trench & was resting his head on his arms on the mud
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