Ten Years Ago Today, item 13

• December 15, 2016 11:09:46 Jake Warren

  6

  Forty-eight hours of alternate observing and poker is

  more than enough for any man. but c’est la guerre.

                  So, this morning I was to follow the infantry over

  the top in an attack upon the great fortifications of the

  Hinderberg line near Épehy. For some days there had

  been a lull in the fighting and now had come the

  day. Sept. 18 1918 when the first of the great attacks

  on the hitherto impregnable lines of trenches was to be

  launched. The beginning of the series of battles which

  finally got the Germans on the run and ended at 11 am

  on the 11th November 1918 – the end of all our striving

  the end of anxiety for our women-folk. the defeat

  of a nation which over four years with

  incredible bravery, super-human organisation and

  dogged perseverance had kept the World at Bay.

  and not only that but came very near on several

  occasions to victory. Victory for the exaltation of

  arms and militarism.

                  My orders were to remain at the guns (about

  a mile from the front line) until the attack was

  fairly launched and then to proceed with four signallers

  to a point marked on the map in the German front line

  from whence I should be able to observe the progress

  of the battle and to direct the fire of our guns on

  to any dangerous area in the event of a counter

  attack. We loaded ourselves with rations for 24 hours

  and I strapped upon me all the paraphernalia necessary

  for the job, glasses, compass, aps, protractor revolver etc etc.

• December 9, 2016 22:53:12 Sue Bryant

  6

  Forty-eight hours of alternate observing and poker is

  more than enough for any man. but c’est la guerre.

                  So, this morning I was to follow the infantry over

  the top in an attack upon the great fortifications of the

  Hinderberg line near Épehy. For some days there had

  been a lull in the fighting and now had come the

  day. Sept. 18 1918 when the first of the great attacks

  on the hitherto impregnable lines of trenches was to be

  launched. The beginning of the series of battles which

  finally got the Germans on the run and ended at 11 am

  as the 11th November 1918 – the end of all our striving

  the end of anxiety for our women-folk. the defeat

  of a nation which over four years with

  incredible bravery, super-human organisation and

  dogged perseverance had kept the World at Bay.

  and not only that but came very near on several

  occasions to victory. Victory for the exaltation of

  arms and militarism.

                  My orders were to remain at the guns (about

  a mile from the front line) until the attack was

  fairly launched and then to proceed with four signallers

  to a point marked on the map in the German front line

  from whence I should be able to observe the progress

  of the battle and to direct the fire of our guns on

  to any dangerous area in the event of a counter

  attack. We loaded ourselves with rations for 24 hours

  and I strapped upon me all the paraphernalia necessary

  for the job, glasses, compass, aps, protractor revolver etc etc.

  
  

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