Volume 25 www.legionnl.com 31 Newfoundland Labrador Command continued ... continued ... The Germans now were not more than one hundred and fifty yards in front of us coming down across the field in mass formation, but when they saw us coming and yelling like mad things they came to a stop. Then they turned and fled with us hot after them. I became so excited trying to get one fellow who was just in front of me that when I came to see where I was, I was just about thirty yards in front of the others and in danger of being shot down with our own guns. We drove the Germans back to their own trenches from where they had come that morning and then we came to a halt. Captain Bartlett had been killed that morning in the advance. He had been hit in the head by a bullet from a lowflying German plane. Now we were just about cut off from outside help. We could get no food of any kind and with hard fighting yet ahead. We were in those trenches from Friday until about three o'clock a.m. Monday morning. On Sunday morning about nine o'clock, we got the order to 'stand to'! The Germans were coming over. Then they started to shell us. There being about seventeen men in the trench where I was, a shell came in among us. When the smoke and dust cleared away, there were four of us left. The rest were either killed or wounded. Now by this time we could see the Germans advancing towards us very clearly. They outnumbered us ten to one, all of them being Prussian Guards, Germany's best fighters. We had nothing to help us - most all our artillery was out of action and we had very few hand grenades. So we had to do the best we could with our bullets and bayonets. Our machine guns worked very well, so we kept up a steady fire. The Germans kept coming and falling. Hour after hour passed and night began to come on. Just before nightfall, the English on our left, known as the 'South Wales Borders', retired to another trench and the Germans took possession of their part of the trench. Now the Germans were in one end of the trench and we were in the other. Thus we kept them till night fell and things grew more quiet. In due time an officer came through the trench seeking for volunteers to grenade a part of the trench. It was not easy to get volunteers for this task among the few of us that were left. After swearing a good deal about it he came back with the Sergeant and Corporal and I was commanded to carry the grenades for them. We did not get very far before we came upon a group of Germans. After shooting down some of them and tossing them a few grenades, we had to go back without clearing much of the trench. Between us and the Germans a road crossed the trench that separated the two armies. I was then put on guard about thirty yards from the Germans and the same distance from my own Company. It was real dark and I had to watch over the top and then crouch down and peer through the dark trench to make sure that none of the Germans would get down to us. The hours were long and dreary. The only company I had were the groans of a wounded comrade lying a few yards distant. Often I fancy I can still hear those groans as they came amidst the darkness. My thoughts wandered back to the old homestead as I could hear him say. "Oh mother, if you only knew where I am tonight and what I am suffering. Oh, if you were only here it would be alright." These cries would almost cause the hardest heart to shudder and to wander back to the last time we saw our mother, but in such a place, I could not let my thoughts wander or dwell on that. I was there alone and life was sweet and my only chance was in keeping a good watch and to turn my thoughts in another direction. On the other hand the dying groans and the sight of our dead comrades often filled us with a kind of hatred toward the enemy and a desire to have revenge on them. After spending about three hours there straining my eyes, watching for the first sign of danger and my ears listening for the sound of anyone approaching, I eventually heard the sound of a step coming through the trench behind me. I grasped my rifle tighter and prepared for the worst even though I thought it might be someone coming to see how I was getting on. I thought if it is the enemy there is only one and I might have a chance. I was very relieved to hear the voice of my own officer as he enquired how things were. Then he promised to send someone up with me and I was very glad a few minutes later to see one of my pals, Goodyear, by my side. It did not seem so bad when there were two of us and we kept guard until one o'clock when we were relieved by an English Battalion. Then the two of us went back some two or three miles and lay down to get some rest in what was called the 'chaulk trench'. We were only there for about an hour when the English came back and we had to leave it. What we had held all night and day and beat off the enemy's attacks had now become too hot for them.
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