186
The Ypres Times.
but my brain refused to take it in. I heard Lieut. McAfee shoutWe're going to
charge when I whistle." He whistled loudly and, laughing at us, ran forward yelling,
Come oncome on youWe ran forward with the bayonetfiringdropping
firing and dropping again. There was a mighty roar that made the ground tremble, a
burst of flame, a hail of earth, tree stumps, iron, explosives and, with thumping heart,
I saw McAfee topple over. I don't know what hit him. I think a machine gun got him.
Lieut. Grenfell, (son of Lord Desborough) of D Company threw his revolver away,
and with his glasses hanging half off, started toward the enemy's lines with his bare fists
clenched. He never reached the barbed wire. 2/Lt. Sidney Woodroffe was away on the
right with a bombing crew. He went under winning the Victoria Cross.
We retreated. Reaching the Signal dugout I heard Lieut.-Colonel MacLochlan clearly
give the order: "The last line will now go forward." I was standing outside the dugout,
when a bullet found my left shoulder. I was sent back and finally reached the Asylum,
where the wounded were in awful shape. On the way from the front line we were stopped
by an Artillery officer, who gave us all hot tea, and ordered the less seriously wounded
to stand by the guns as the general rumour was that the Germans had taken all trenches
and were advancing. This was truebut only so far as two trenches were concerned,
and the loss of about 100,000 men on both sides. Those gunners treated us like princes.
I had as much gun-fire as I wanted.
Three years ago, on the occasion of my leaving Virginia to come to the Gulf States,
six friends of mine gave me a supper. They were all Americans. Two had been captains
of Engineers, one a colonel on the staff of the 2nd American Arm}', one a medical officer
and the remaining two infantry officers. Quite a deal of good-natured chaff flew round
about who won the war, and as we all were fairly well under the influence of some strong
moonshine from the Kentucky mountaineers, we all seven decided it was a shame for
America to claim that she had to show us how to fight, or that she won the war. I
eulogised on the combined effort of all arms, stating that nothing but the unified control
could possibly have won the war, and that, while granting the Americans fought valiantly
in the Argonne, I would like them all to remember that we British had fought for nearly
four long years before the Americans saw any real fighting. One wag waltzed around
to my chair and said "I shay, old chap, we 'Mericans did not win the war, nor did you
British I know who won the war the Salvation Army won th' war. I thought it
was a neat way out. The chief host showed me some war poems one was by Lieut.
G. Dawson, of the American Army, and all I can remember is this
Did you ever spend a fortnight in an alleged restin' camp.
And listen to a thousand tales or more
About the Marne and Vimy Ridge, the Sontme and other scraps,
And rvonder why in Hell you came to war
Did you ever ride a rattler 011 the old Chemin-de-Fer
In a car marked eight chevaux or forty hommes,
And finally hit the trenches with your guts up in your mouth,
When you heard the Maxims barkin' and the bombs
Oh, this army life's the candy for the bloke what wants it soft,
And the uniforms are free, and so's the Eats."
Just sign your name right here, please, we'll take you round the earth,
For the wise ones it's the life that can't be beat.
