| Show 0 V KIE awa 0 o 01 v by an american arthur guy empey e machine gunner serving in france c copyright 1917 1017 ba aathar gay EMPEY AND HIS COMRADES REPULSE A FIERCE GAS ATTACK MADE BY THE GERMANS synopsis Synoptic I ired fired by the making of the thid with the los lots of american the ilves arthur guy impey an american living in jersey city rocq to El island and enlists as a priva tc in the array after a isfort exper experience lence am a recruiting officer la in london lie in sent to train ing quarter quarters in I 1 irnen ranle e where here be he first hears the bound sound of big pins guns and maam the acquaintance of cootie after a riet period of training Elti company ie Is ent sent into the front line tren chri where he takes him hi first turn on the fire tcp stop ahil the bullets whiz oie overhead ampey learns as a comrade coni raile falli falls that death lurks alays la in the trenches chaplain himself by rescuing wounded aea men under hot fire with pick and shovel empey empty has experience an a trench dieger digger in naj mans annd Fir citing experience on listening post detail vf citing work on observation post duty dark back in rest billets empey writes and stages a successful piny play once in to tie the front apoy gocs a aloer ocr he the top in a suc lafel adt costly attack ovi the lerman linen linex CHAPTER 1 A gas helmet ie Is mode of cloth treat e el d with ith chemical chemicals there an are two win dowa dows or glass eye eyes in it through which you can eee see inside there Is a rubber covered tube tulle which aleh goes in the mouth you breathe through your now the gaa passing through the tile cloth liell helmet net Is 14 neutralized by tile of the chemicals ahe foul air Is exhaled through the tube in the tile mouth this tabe being to 10 constructed hat flint it prevent prevents the Inh inhaling alint of the outride outside nir air or gas one helmet is good for five hours of the tile strongest trong eit gai ga kach fact tommy carries two of 0 thain lung slung around his ills al thou mulder liler in a mater waterproof proof canvas bag lie must wear tills bag at all times cren even whilo while sleeping bleeping to change a do IV etive you take out the new one hold our breath pull poll the tile old one off placing the new ono one over oter our head lend tut lillig 1 li tile loose under the collar of our tunic for a minute pandemonium rel tied in our commies tommies adjusting their helmute hel heir nute aLts bombers running here anil and here ther and men turning out of the tile dugouts wit fixed baro bayonita nets to man the ore step he enforcement were ere pouring out of the communication trenches 1 our gune guns crew were vvera busy moun mounting tino the machine gun ou on the tile parapet ana and up lit extra from aho dugo tit Q aman rm nn cox Is 1 heavier henfler than air and pool nils me fie the trenches and dug dugouts du coutu outs where it has ha been known knon to lurk for two or three day days until the air ll 11 purt fled by menus of 0 large pray spray erp we I id aid to work mark quickly ni as frit fritz generally follow follows the tile gae gas with an in attack A coir pany man on our right was i too low slow in ill setting getting nn on his helt helmet net be he ank sank to the ground clutching at hie his harout abd afier a few went bleat cst died it ws was hor horrible tible to aee see blur ille die but we e were to help hito him in the corner comer of a traverse tray erae a little muddy cur dog one on of tho the company pet pets was lying dead with ith till ills avs over ever his hl nose its it tl if e animals that suffer the tile most tile horses aults cattle dogs cat aind nd rats rot they having no helmets to save them tommy does not thise 1 with rata rats la to a gas attack at times gies has been known to atia kh dire result results role miles behind the 1 I 1 A gas ga or mot moti i helmet ni its it 1 la called at the bet beat Is 1 a vil melling long before one geta gets I 1 arout w henring it vi 01 ent t lada s lers ors ere buret burst our eighteen PAI 14 ina in no mans 1 lan in n an e effort it ort by a ilia artillery it 1 cry to t it despe I 1 th the e gae gas 1 e fire om step as 1 I land 11 ed e ith crouch f ing 11 byu 00 and bomba bombs near at a bond it to KIM ul tile th eppg ted at our artillery bail timal put a rate of curtin curtain lire 00 oo the aln ilaf e to try and nd break op UP beir attack juad nad keep back re ti a I 1 monod ti my iny machine n in on their kiench oil wall it its bullets were king the i vara pIt then over they come bayone my lit tenina in their respirators w lh have a large bout snout in front t they he 1 too 1001 rd ed like tome some horrible nightmare all alone along our trench rides and ma ina thine gains nn poke spoke oar our shrapnel wag wa alAbu over thear heads they went sova litt beark bot but view one toos too the lilaces lac ot of the tb mien tallies nothing auld tn top stor last niad mad rusts the germans reached our barbed wire which N h I 1 been demolished by freir he the then it was bomb bomb and tit lie leill 11 for all suddenly my head seemed to burst aroln a loud crack in my ear then uy zy u y head inan to sim at got dry and a heavy pressure on the lunga lungs warned arned ne me that my helmet was wa leaking turning by run gun over to ho no 2 1 I tha liged helmets the th trench started to wind tike like a snake end and sandbags app earet to b be in to the air the noise wai was horrible I 1 etani onto the ore step needle to u be b pricila pric prick kloe la tny my flesh then blac knem I 1 nan naia awakened ti br one of my rc norin ray toy nike smoke helmet how flow de tie Ille fous hat that cool fresh air felt la in my M A strong vand lad had arlson and dispersed the gas they told me that I 1 had been out for three how hours they thought I 1 win ad drad dead the attack had been repulsed otter after a R hard ight tm twice ice the germans had gained a foothold in nur trench but had been driven out by counteract tacks the trench was uns filled with their dead and ours through a periscope I 1 counted eighteen dead germans in oar our wire mire they were Nere a ghastly eight in flidr horrible looking respirators I 1 examined my first smoke helmet A built t bad had gone through eh it on the left eld side just graz litz roy my ear the clig had penetrated through the tile hole made in the cloth out of our crew of six ix we lost two killed und and two wounded flint night we burled buried nil all of the dead excepting those la in no mans land in death there Is got mot much distinction friend and tile are I 1 rented alaka after the wind mind had dispersed the gas the it A ar M a 0 cot got busy with their chemical sp prayers sprayers spraying out the dugouts and low parts of the trenches to dissipate any fumes of the german can gas which may hare have been lurking in to tamo maine two day days after the lie gm attack I 1 aa as sent tent to division licad quarters in n an liwer to an orde requesting rc that cap bains of units should detail a roan man whom horn they thought capable of passing an all examination for or the divisional annl in department before leaving tot or this assignment I 1 went along the front line teach say ing good by to my tastes and lording it over then them telling them that I 1 had A A gas He helett lanot clicked a cushy job behind the lines line and how sorry I 1 felt that they ther bad had to stay I 1 11 i the front line bed and argue out the war with frit fritz thel were envious but still good natured catu red and as I 1 left the trench to go to lie the rear they shouted after me good luck rank tank old boy dont forget to send up a few fags tags to your old matea I 1 prot alsed to do this and left I 1 reported at with six IE teen others and phased the required ex amin atlon out of the sixteen applicants four our were acre selet selected ted I 1 was highly elated because I 1 was I 1 thought in for a cushy job back at t the base me the next mort morning ilat the tour reported t division diTl slon headquarters for In instruct if ns s two of the men were sent to I 1 e towns in the rear of the line lines h an easy aay job I 1 beu hen it came come our rn that tb officer told til us we were good rd mad had passed lvery SL aery creditable fc ilna ilou my ity tia tin hat began to get too small for ve and I 1 anted n ted that the other rain man atal by nam war was sticking his cheet out nore than usual officer cont ivied I 1 1 4 I think I 1 can use you two men to gnat mintage age in the front tine line here are re your c orden rod end instructions niro also the pass which gives you full authority as pedal special it 11 11 I 1 de detailed 01 intel gence work deport port at the front line according to your instructions it Is to rl ky ilk and I 1 wish alu both the best of luck lack lly bicart dropped to zero and at well wells a face wo was a study it saluted ind left that whang us the abt br of luck oundell oun deil tory very ominous in our ears if it lie bail 14 1 I wish yoa ton both a swift sah 1 and anu painless death it would have beeb more to the tile point when we hod hatt read our instructions me ft knew we me were in for or it good and ad plenty 1 what list at atwell oil eald said Is not it lit for or pub fica tiou but I 1 strongly seconded ills opinion ct c the war army and divisional headquarters la to general after a bit our out platts roee rose we wet full fledged spy catchers because our instructions and orders said so 0 o we immediately reported to the nearest french estaminet and had sev cial glasses of muddy water which they callad beer after drinking our beer we left the estaminet and hailed an empty ambulance after showing the driver our passes we got in the driver was going to the patt of the line where we me hd had to redon how the wounded ere eye survived a ride la in that ambulance vie vets Inex blo ble to me it was worse thun riding on a it cun cull carriage ove a rock road the driver of the ambulance was a corporal of the it A at C Q and he had find the wind up that Is he had an ae aversion to fiang under fire I 1 was as riding on the seat with him while atwell was sitting in the abbu lance with his less legs hanging out of the buck back As we passed through a shell le de strayed tillage village it mounted military policeman diceman stopped us arid informed the th driver to be very careful when we got out on the open road ablit was very donge dangerous reus because the germans lately had acquired the habit of shelling it 11 ifie he corporal asked the trooper if there thare as any other way around and wa was informed thai that there was not upon this he got very nervous and wanted anted to turn back but we insisted that lie proceed and explained to him that in lie would get into serious trouble with tie commanding omber tt if he h returned without orders wf we wanted to ride not walk alk from his ills conver salon we learned habbo had recently come from bug eng land with a draft and had never been under fire hence his ills nervousness we convinced him that there was not much danger and he appeared greatly relieved when we at last turned into the open road we were not so confident on each side there had been a tine line of trees but now nil all that was left of them were torn and battered stumps the fields on each side aide of the road rond were dotted with recent hill shell holes hole and wo me passed several in the road itself we had gone about halt half a mile when hen a shell caroe came whistling hist ling through the air and still burdt in a field about three hundred yards to our right another soon followed this one and burst on the edge of the road about four nun bull dred ards IA front of us I 1 told the driver to throw in his hi speed clutch as we must be in sight might of the germans lL I 1 knew the signs that lattery battery was ranging for us and the quicker we vt r t out of its zone of fire the better the driver was tillus ike like a leaf and every minute I 1 exec i A him to allo us up in the ditch I 1 preferred the gertrula Gert rila fire in the back atwell atvell was holding onto the straps fut f jt dear life and wei was slog ing log ut the top of if his voice ve we bet beat you at the th marna IN e bat boat ro you i at the th al alair sno X we xiv ave you hell 11 kt at no neuv a T Cili apelle and br bete are asato just then we hit tilt a small shell boll hole and nearly capsized upon P loud yell from the rear I 1 looked behind and there was atwell sitting la in the middle of the road shaking his fist at us ills equipment which he bad bid taken oft upon getting into the ambulance was strung out on the ground and his rie was in tl e ditch empey Is called ailed upon to do duty as a member of a it firing squad his description ef of the Is zin glin in the th next installment TO BE coa CONTINUED |
