Lewis war diary, August 1917-March 1919 / James Ray Lewis - Page 76
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[Page 76]
position for the gun.
Morlancourt soon proved a warm corner for us, the first night was quiet enough. It was found that there was an open space, with no trench of about 100 yards between us and the other company so we had to go out at night and dig it. It was about 150 yards from his line, and every little while Fritz would throw up a flare and spray machine gun bullets across it, just to keep us from being lonely. Every time you saw a flare going up, it was get down on your stomach before it burst or stand stock still and as it fell slowly down through the air, the machine gun bullets would come whit, whit, whit, all around. As soon as the flare fell, it was get up and work like mad; for the deeper you get the safer you are.
The flares are shot up out of a pistol for the purpose until they reach a height of 200 feet or so when they burn, showing a white light of more or less brilliance for over ½ a mile of radius, and slowly return to earth.
On account of the light floating downwards the shadows keep moving and consequently objects at about 200 yards