Primary tabs
Transcription
[Page 145]
It was the only time in my life I regretted enlisting, bit late though. In my right cheek was a tiny hole where the bullet had gone in, my face began to swell rapidly, and my tongue swelled up too, I threw my broken false teeth away I tried to drink some water from my bottle, but it only ran out of the wounds. I was bleeding like a stuck pig and my bottom jaw had slipped down over my top one. All of a sudden the white mist rose from my eyes like a veil lifting, and I gave my bandage to a 19th man to tie on, which he did. I may as well die walking as standing, I thought and commenced to walk along the trench going out. I had to hold my head down or the blood would choke me, it seemed like mucilage, and ran out of my nose after a while, it tastes like salt and water I had great difficulty to breathe on account of my nose and throat being nearly choked with blood, and the air came through the holes in my face. I had difficulty in keeping from choking. The trench ran out on a sunken road, when I reached this there was a fritz stretcher bearer wandering about there. He said "Here boy" and came to me and put another bandage on me. I got out of the sunken road, and toiled painfully on it seemed miles. Other men were going out with "blighties", I passed one of my mates being carried by four fritzs, he had a wound in the leg. "Hello Lou", he said, what's up been hit. I was blood from head to foot. I must have looked a sorry sight as I turned and tried to say I'm done for Willie", but my tongue was swelled and filled my mouth, and a mouth and nose full of blood and a smashed up face, aren't conducive to speech so I struggled on. On a road at last I saw the dressing station, but it was crowded so I struggled on .
Mont St Quentin 31st August 1918