H.A.C.'S EXCITING TIMES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 50, 27 February 1915, Page 6

H.A.C.'S EXCITING TIMES.

A fiHASTLY TRENCH. A private in the Honourable Artillery Companj-. writing to his father under date December -J. 3. says that the regiment had again gone into the trenches, and adds: — About forty of us went up to relipve some chaps -who were in a ghastly trench. We got there quite safely, and ■eon found out vrhy the others were *ick <jf-it. The thing -wae originally a and was well over 10ft wide, and

i the mud all over was knee-deep. There ■ was just a little bit under the parapet J which was a little firmer, and on which Iwe could sit down. The parapet was very low, and when 1 stood up my head ami shoulders were right above the top. :In the night I dug a little place under the parapet, so that 1 could be under shelter it it rained, and also if they shelled us- which, by the way, they did. My little dug-out did very well until tie next evening, when 1 was lying in it halt asleep. Suddenly I felt a weight on my arm. and before I could move out the whole roof and the parapet fell in on top of mc. Fortunately my head was a little bit oIT the ground, so 1 had enough air to he going on with, until t. and another chap managed to pull mc out. It was quite unpleasant while it lasted. In the day time the Germans got a beastly little trench mortar to work on US. The wretched thing was lobbing- up fairly large shells at a range of only 200 or 300 yards. Fortunately their own trench was less than 100 yards from us, so in their anxiety not to get their own men the gunners rather overdid it. uthl most of the shells pitched behind us. However, one came right on the parapet at the end of our line, another pitched right in the trench—fortunately at a place where it was too wet to be' used— and at least half a dozen came within five yards of our rear parapet. These things don't give any warning like ordinary shells; there is just a swish and then the explosion. Still. I wouldn't have changed places with the Germans for anything, for three times during the day they had to undergo a really devilish bombardment. For about a quarter of an hour each time all our batteries were tiring as hard as they could go at the trenches just in front of us. There was a continual screech just above our heads as the shells whizI zed over and burst less than 100 yards iv ! front. We had to keep up a steady rifle firo all the time in case the Germans should try to escape from the shells by rushing our trenches.