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 73
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[Page 73]
not a single man ever treated anything said by this NCO in a serious way ever afterwards. It certainly utterly ruined his chances of promotion for a long time & afforded a basis or foundation for numberless blood thirsty blood curdling & most wonderful tales always most seriously told within easy earshot of the unfortunate NCO.
It was imagination running rampant for weeks together.
In one of the tests for officers to proceed with their Companies in absolute silence on a long route march at night time (an especially dark night always being selected) where a given objective had to be reached in a given time with not a man missing our O/C was highly complimented for when the objective was reached and the Company deployed in extended order as if in readiness to make an attack he was surprised by the lighting of a torch to discover that three members of the Staff were present to Check his work.
Prior to the start our O/C had given orders that every man in the Company had to have a piece of rope or string fastened to the back of his belt so that pratically speaking by the man at the rear holding this string, the whole Company was tied together which effectually prevented a single man straying, and saved unnecessary orders being issued.
Another incident that cannot be overlooked was the fact that while at the front line 28 Cases of Comfort funds were deposited in the Battalion H Quarters about two miles away but the share of this undoubted generous supply of good things, for each private in our Company was half a dozen boiled lollies. What a good time some people had?
Shortly after the return to Ferry Post on the canal, information was officially given out, that our Battalion was under orders to prepare to move off for transportation to France. The whole 5th Division were to be transported in the one Convoy. The news was received with great Cheering and the excitement