The Other Side of the Trench - G. S. Willmott

Скачать книгу

work out how to get him back, when another mate, Bluey, offered to help. They lifted him by the arms and legs and despite Paddy’s objection and screams made their way along the obstacle course until they reached the Station. The medic looked around and instructed Harry and his mate to place Paddy on a stretcher.

      Harry and Bluey left him in the hands of the medics and returned to their posts. The Medics told Harry that this gas was like no other; you did not feel the effects until hours after the attack. That’s why Paddy was fine when they got back to their trench.

      Paddy had received medium to severe mustard gas burns and as a result was transferred to The Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield, Middlesex, England. He received magnificent care from the medical staff but because of the nature of the burns, he was required to stay in hospital for five months. He was shipped back to Australia and took no part in the war again.

      The rain did not stop for days and days, making the trenches almost uninhabitable if indeed they ever were habitable in the first place. These disgusting conditions made it almost impossible to get any rest before the British Tommies and the ANZACs would go out again and try to regain the territory they gained the day before. Shell holes were always handy to jump into and take cover from the German machine guns but now they had turned into murky fetid pools with the odd corpse floating and the ubiquitous rats swimming at a frantic pace and devouring these unfortunate young soldiers. This is what the lad’s called ANZAC soup.

      Harry was woken by the young Lieutenant and told to get ready as they were going over the top again at 5am. Harry checked his 303 Enfield rifle, which had been his constant companion since he joined this awful conflict. He fixed his bayonet and made sure he had his full allocation of grenades and bullets. He was ready to face hell again.

      The five-minute whistle sounded, which alerted Harry and the rest of the troops that the time was near. It also alerted the Germans and they were well and truly ready for the attack. The Officer, Captain Blainey, looked at his watch and blew the whistle three times.

      Harry climbed up the ladder and started to run but got hopelessly bogged. He managed to make some headway by crawling through the slime. He saw sickening sights, limbless men screaming in pain, dead men on either side with atrocious injuries but Harry had no real feeling well, not of horror or fear, but a desire to get on with it and do the job. This horrible situation had become a natural sequence of events while fighting this war.

      You Never Know Who You Might Meet

       in No-Man’s Land

      Chapter 2

      It was Passchendaele where three significant events happened to Harry. He and his good cobber, Bluey Cooper, volunteered to creep into no-man’s land and try to retrieve the wounded. The Krauts were shelling their defences relentlessly and it was not going to be easy. They crawled out with shells raining down all around them; the smoke haze made it difficult to see but they persevered.

      Harry was crawling in the mud so thick that he crawled over a Digger without even seeing him until the soldier screamed when Harry put his knee into the young soldier’s chest. Harry was startled. He looked down only to see one of his cobbers from the platoon lying on his back with a severe chest wound.

      ‘No wonder he screamed.’ Bluey thought

      ‘Georgie, mate, are you OK?’

      ‘No I’m not, you bastard. You nearly finished me off.’ the young soldier whispered; his chest was making a strange gurgling sound.

      ‘I am sorry, mate, I just didn’t see you. Can you move at all?’

      ‘No I don’t think so.’

      ‘I am going to find a stretcher-bearer team, so don’t go any where alright?’

      George just looked at Harry through glazed eyes.

      Harry crawled off under constant shellfire. He cast his eyes around to see if he could see any medical teams but it was almost impossible through the dense smoke.

      He was lucky to stumble across stretcher-bearer team, which had just decided the Digger they were going to take was too far-gone and they would have to leave him. The priority was for casualties that could be saved.

      ‘I have a soldier who I think can be saved, fellas. Would you have a look at him for me? He’s a cobber. There was urgency in Harry’s voice.

      ‘Every one of them is somebody’s cobber, mate, but OK where is he?’ ‘Follow me’

      Harry crawled to where he left George, with the six-man team following in close pursuit.

      ‘Georgie, mate, I have got the boys here to load you up and take you back to the dressing station. They will fix you up. George can you hear me?’

      It was too late. George Arthur Phillips aged 22 from Ballarat, Victoria, had died and was left in no-man’s land to be collected later when the battle finished. Chances are he would never be found.

      Harry and Bluey rested in the trench for twenty minutes and then went out again. There were many more wounded to find and bring back.

      ‘Come on, mate, I can still hear the poor bastards moaning let’s try one more time’.

      As they crawled out they came across a digger who was hurt very badly. They needed both of them to get him back when they noticed a German soldier whom they assumed, was dead, until he lifted his rifle and aimed it at them. Harry reacted instantly and thrust his bayonet into the German’s chest. He died instantly the blade penetrated his heart. Harry pulled off his dog tag and stuffed it in his pocket to hand in to the Red Cross for identification. He also took his wallet. He had just killed someone’s son; surely his family deserved the dog tag and personal papers. They got the soldier back to their trench and the medics took him.

      Both Paddy and Harry were recommended for the Military Medal for bravery and gallantry in the field. They had rescued eight Diggers that day.

      Harry sat down in the trench, utterly exhausted; he pulled out the dog tag and the dead soldier’s identification papers contained in a battered leather wallet. He was shocked when he read the name “ “Helmut Iffinger.” That was his Grandfather’s family name; a very unusual German name from the village of Neckargemünd, near Heidelberg. He could have just killed a relative, one of his own kin. ‘ Oh My God!’

      The following day Harry and the whole 5th Battalion were ordered to attack the German defences again. They were all exhausted having been in battle for weeks contending with the constant rain, the mud, the rats and the shelling as well as the German bullets. Their officers told them that this was the last attack before the Canadians came to relieve them.

      Harry decided he should write a quick letter to Emma:

      My darling Emma,

       I am about to go out there again but this time I know it will be the last time for a while they are going to relieve us and give the Canadians a go.

       I am well and looking forward to some R&R especially a bath and wash my uniform. I don’t think you would like the look of me right now.

       I really hope this war ends soon and we can all come home. I cannot wait to see you and hold you close again my darling.

       I have to go they have given us the five-minute notice call.

       I love you with all my heart.

       Love

       Harry

      Harry, Bluey and the other Diggers heard the whistle and clambered over the top. It was hard going in the mud and the ground

Скачать книгу