Salt Lake Herald-Republican | 1918-04-07 | Page 54 | Woman in Trench Tells Story of Battle

I IN TRENCH T TELLS STORY OF i BATTLE Dons ens Khaki and Accompanies Accompanies anies Soldiers to Front i Sees Shell Kill Man l C By py B Y Idah Id ah McGlone Gibson I LL was determined to get set to the ht an and of or course tho the French warr varI war var r I office had refused me a pass Chen Tjien I met a young oun friend from Crom Boston ton I had known his mother w well I. I said I-said said Harry Ham I 1 want to get ct to tho tiro front tr t lIe Ho looked me over ocr rather super super- cIl and said You haven haven't tho the guts i 1 I thought how horrified his Bos- Bos HoSton ton se mother would be If she could speaking In this a her her boy I I g it ga manner I I I am nm not sure suro whether I have or Ii 1 not Harry but I 1 want ant to try I 1 I said 11 What at are lre your our wearing under that skirt 1 ho asked r 1 breeches I answered II do do was his comment What do you you mean 1 I asked ii s You Feu must have sense enough to toI k know ow that no skirt could go so to the front when It was in action henrj ho he I I answered but if it you ou really mean mea what wh you ou say meet us down the toad road about three-quarters three of or a mile mila to tonight tonight to- to night and md Ill I'll see that you ou get set there 1 And Ana he got Tip lip and left a n khaki overcoat overcoat over over- coat t and a a. tin Un hat on a chair TRENCH COMPANIES CHANGE I That night a most figure In khaki wended its wa way down the pitch dark road and finally came me to toa toa toa a place lace where a a. French soup kitchen w waS s on its way to the communicating tr The figure ure bowed silently and acknowledged ed an introduction to two French officers and fell in behind the soup kitchen From the conversation i it was learned that on this night the ex exchange exchange ex- ex change of companies in the tho trenches was to be made and when the tho soup kitchen arrived at tho the communicating trench the men were Just coming comins out Since I 1 have been home a n mother has shown me the picture of or her son Ron Just after he ho had como come out of the trenches at the English front and she said sal with tears in her eyes He Ho looks fifteen years older I was glad slad to be able to t tell ll her that this ago would wear oC off in a afew afew few days after aCter the men leave leavo the trenches but as the French stumbles out covered with mud and caked with grime ho certainly certain does not look human There is nothing more beautiful Inthe Inthe in inthe the way of ot fireworks than the French front at night night- Tho The star shells shells shells-shells shells No NoMans No NoMans NoMan's 0 sent up on both sides to light up I constantly in the Mans Man's Land Land are arc I air Then there arc shells of or different different different dif dif- dif dif- ferent colors which tell that gas Is coming or to give ho tho the artillery com com- mands There the belching guns and here and there an nn airplane with dropping bombs makes one wonder I if tho the nether r regions will not be much like this in its terrible s. s TERRIFIC NOISE And then the nol noise There Is no word In the English Eng language to de describe do- do o- o scribe the nol noise of the battle front No wonder men become wrecks from shell shock The old story of not being able to hear yourself think Is perfectly illustrated hero Your brain refuses to respond to anything except the horror and fright occasioned b by bythe bytho the tho noise of or guns and shells and here and there a sharp cry CI as a man is struck iNot i t Not often though do you ou hear these cries as very ver few Cew m men n know that they the have been hit Immediately after the they have 6 been wounded On the tho night of which I 1 am writing I Ia a shell burst in a nearby trench and I round the corner stumbled a man Tho The figure in khaki held out with trembling hand a bowl bawl of ot soup and then discovered dIsco the whole side of the face faco of tho the man coming toward him him was blown awa away and blood bloo was spurting I The man however er did not know he had been shot and as s he lie hel held out his hand for the soup the blood spurted over over it and he remarked In surprise surprise- It It is bloo blood He Ho had hard hardly gotten the wor words s sout out of or his mouth when he crumpled at the feet teet of ot tho the trembling horrified bo boys boy in the khaki overcoat and the tin hat who was el evidently almost Ina Inn in ina a n state of collapse THREAT RESTORES NERVE Harr Harry tho young oun American n stepped steppe up quickly and hissed in his ear car Buck up buck up or Ill I'll knock your fool head off ott It was exactly what was needed to bolster up tho the por poise c of the tIlo bo boy but when another man came stumbling mumbling past and deliriously said It is the little hands s of or m my son on as he took look I the bowl of ot soup from the boys hands bands Barr Harry thought it was a good i place to g get t out of ot a bad scrape and he said to the young oung Frenchman in charge of ot an ambulance You had better belter let this b boy fio go back with this Frenchie He Ho is delirious and Insists that it Is his son son Tho The wounded Frenchman wa pushed Into an ambulance and tho the trembling figure of tho boy In khaki clung to the tall steps while the wounded soldier soldier sol sol sol- dl dier r clasped his leis hand Colder and colder grew this hand and when the tho ambulance arrived at the field hospital hospi hospi- tal the man was dead Out into the darkness darkness stumbled the quaking horrified boy boy bo and after Jit It seemed endless miles along the ro road road d fin reached h d she shelter finally rea er The next day any after aner riding a few hours on the train I I. I was taken to toa toa toa a hospital at General Pershing's headquarters headquarters head head- quarters overcome with cold and nervousness I was there ten dasI days das I understand now why the French war office will wUl not give a pass to even the newspaper woman that will take her to tho the front when the sector sector sector sec sec- tor is in action