Letters From the Front

Dated: May 15, 1917

The promised letter at last. A few words about the attack. We had been put into the section of the line where we attacked some time ago and had had ample time to study the ground before going over. We knew everything there was to know about it, and when the show came off everything went as if it had been rehearsed. We went into the line one night and got all prepared. As soon as the appointed time arrived, we moved into battle positions and waited for the zero hour. You would be surprised at the high spirits of the men just before going over. Everybody was laughing and joking and enjoying the situation immensely. It is a great feeling knowing that you are going to get a smash at Fritz and pay him back for some of what he has done.

A few minutes before the hour I issued rum to the men and then we waited. Right on the dot, pandemonium broke out. Our artillery opened up as one gun. The noise was deafening, The shrieking of shells mingled with their explosions and machine-gun fire, trench mortars, etc., was something indescribable. On our flank great drums of burning oil were projected on enemy strong-points. When our time came, we climbed on the parapet and started over. Looking to either side one could see thousands of men walking slowly but none the less certainly into the German lines. Ahead of us our artillery cleared the way. When we reached the German lines we hardly recognized them. What had once been trenches were only mere sunken lines. There was not a point in them that had not been touched. The ground between the trenches was so pitted with shell-holes that it resembled a gigantic honeycomb. Dug-out entrances were mere holes about a foot square. The only works left standing were massive concrete machine-gun emplacements. I had to take up a position in a wood. The wood, when I found it, consisted of a piece of ground covered. with stumps about a foot high. There we stopped and commenced digging in. It was while running about superintending operations that I 'got mine.' A machine-gun opened up on us, and as I was trying to get away from it I stumbled on a bayonet and got a nasty cut in the foot. One cannot consider his hurts when he is being shelled and going back over the late 'No Man's

Land.' I had to run, sore foot and all, as the ground was being shelled. On reaching our old trenches, I was rather surprised to find that I had a following; Germans seemed to spring out of the ground. I counted up and found I had six to guide, so I started them off down the trench and directed them from behind. Reaching a certain place I turned the guns over, and carried on to the dressing station where I had my foot dressed and was sent on down here.

Expect to be in hospital for a few weeks and then go to convalescent camp, so shall have a little rest before carrying on.