‘Is that David?’ asked Bertram anxiously. ‘He’s just gone over the parapet and is on his way towards the enemy trenches. David come back you fool, what the hell are you doing!’ Bertram called out.
David had grabbed his bayonet and begun his one man mission. There was no light, apart from the flashes of the German machine gun. David was now only a hundred yards away from the machine gunner’s post. He moved from crater to crater, foot by foot until he was sidelong of the German machine gunner, who illuminated himself every time he pulled the trigger.
‘I hope to God, he comes back alive,’ Bertram said as he stared out across No Man’s Land.
Archie stood beside Bertram, troubled by his brother-in-law’s actions. Very soon they heard a noise, a squeal, a similar sound to the one they had heard from the wood back in England, when David had dispatched Shirley the pig. The machine gun firing stopped. Five minutes later, a figure emerged out of the darkness. David and Archie both held their rifles tightly, just in case.
‘Is that you David?’ Bertram called out.
‘Yes, it’s me.’
Sergeant Johnson arrived to see what all the commotion was about and stood watching the approaching figure.
‘What’s that he’s got? Bloody hell I don’t believe it, he’s only brought back the prize, he’s brought back the bloody Hun’s machine gun!’ Archie exclaimed.
Archie, Bertram and the men were happy to see David back in the safety of the trench. Most men congratulated him for his successful attack against the machine gunner, apart from the Platoon Sergeant.
‘I’ll be having words with you tomorrow morning Private Manning,’ the Sergeant advised him sharply.
‘Come on Sergeant, men have done less and got a medal for it,’ protested Archie.
‘What for, stupidity? We’ll see what the Platoon Commander has to say in the morning. Now get your heads down or get back to your posts’.
Later, after the Sergeant had left them alone, David told his story to his friends.
‘I just wandered over, guided by the sound of the machine gun. Halfway across a flare lit everything up, so down I went and waited until it had fizzled out. I proceeded slowly, crawling with my head down, body and legs flat on the ground, like a snake. I crawled under their weak defenses. I could just make out a dark figure, I was inches away from him but he didn’t see me. I just lay in the dark watching, waiting for the right moment. The gunner, a young chap, was busy firing his gun while his number two slept about three yards behind him. I crept closer to his number two, waited until there was a blast from the gun and then took my chance. He was easy, I sliced his neck wide open, he never made a sound. It was the gunner’s turn next. He’d stopped firing. I just sat behind him, we both sat in silence, then he lit a cigarette. He called out to his number two, ‘Mehr munition Carl’ he called his name again ‘Carl mehr munition’ it was then when he realised something wasn’t right and sensed someone was behind him. Just at that moment a vary flare went up. He turned and saw me. ‘Gott in Himmel!’ he shouted but it was too late, he squealed like a pig when I skewered him. I could see into his beautiful blue eyes. I watched the life drain away from him as I pushed my bayonet deeper. That last gunshot was his kiss good night. He was a goner and I was bloody glad of it.’
‘Shit David, are you ok?’ Archie asked.
‘Of course I am. I’m fine. Is there a brew going?’
‘David, will you promise me something, never do anything like that again. I’d hate to be the one to explain to your family what you did if anything ever happened to you,’ said Archie hugely relieved that his brother-in- law had returned safely.
‘I promise. The constant noise was getting on my nerves and I just wanted to meet the devil full on that’s all… unless you lot had put something in my fucking tea? Must be the Flanders mud… it sends you mad.’
‘Just remind me when this awful war is over never to live next door to you,’ Bertram said.
It had been a great day, but they all knew there would be another machine gun to take the place of the one David had taken. Within hours there was, this time there were at least three more machine guns rattling away. It was as though the German’s wanted to prove to the British that whatever they did they weren’t going to win. That night they certainly let the British have it. The persistent cracking of bullets flying over the trenches was deafening, it even drowned out the noise of the artillery.
‘You see what you’ve gone and done now David,’ Archie said.
‘Never share a trench with someone braver than yourself,’ Bertram chipped in.
Most soldiers thought nothing bad would happen to them, it was always the bloke in the next trench who copped it. They hid their fear, only expressing it in diaries and letters home or sharing it with their closest friends.
The next day, David was called to report to the Company Commander. He expected to be punished for his previous night’s solo excursion, but to his surprise, he was congratulated. Furthermore, he was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal and acting section commander.
‘We could do with more men like you Manning, that was an outstanding act of bravery,’ acknowledged the Company Commander. ‘But from now on no more of those shenanigans. You now have the responsibility of looking after the men under you, is that clear?’
Dear Diary,
We all thought we were safe today as we marched from the lines until a shell struck, killing two men instantly and injuring five others. Their injuries weren’t serious though, but bad enough to earn them some time back in Blighty and temporary salvation from the threats of the front. The threat of wounding and death is ever present. Thinking about it, why worry about getting killed or injured when the reward is a ticket out of this hell hole.
Chapter 10
On the 30th October the Battalion was relieved from their post and for ten days they were housed in huts, close to Ouderdom, before being moved to Ypres ramparts to take up their posts as reserve Battalion to the 51st Brigade, who held part of the line until the 6th January. Between reliefs the Battalion got the chance to head back to the camp at Ouderdom, where they could have a badly needed wash and a change of clothes at the baths. On one occasion an eighteen inch shell dropped near the Cloth Hall and everyone scattered in all directions. It didn’t matter where you were, you were always in the range of enemy artillery.
The next few weeks were relatively quiet on the front, with few casualties incurred. The only notable event was a gas attack on the Ypres ramparts on the 19th December. The men of the 10th Battalion, Sherwood Foresters, rested at Ouderdom Camp and moved back to the ramparts. Despite the gas which spread through the town and the constant enemy bombardment, the section occupied by the Sherwood Foresters was fairly quiet. That evening they were moved back to Ouderdom Camp.
Dear Diary,
Heavily shelled again today and more headaches. We were moving through town heading for the Ypres ramparts. The town was soon full of gas. Once we arrived at the front line, however, it was all quiet for a change.
The biggest enemy now is the mud. The mud in the trenches is getting deeper and deeper, we seem to be paddling everywhere in our gum boots and woolly jackets.
It’s impossible to convey the mood of the troops at the moment while in these damn trenches, it is so depressing. The weather over the last few days has been atrocious, and I’ve never seen so many rats, millions of them. And the lice that torment us on a daily basis make our situation even more unbearable.