Chapter 8

July 10, 1918
 
We roll packs and leave Terdinghen at 8 a. m. marching toward Belgium. We are on the march nearly all day, reaching Proven, Belgium, late in the afternoon. We pitch tents in a small field near the road and lay down for a seat while supper is being prepared. After supper a heavy downpour of rain hits our camp, but in spite of this rain we get paid off, and before midnight the estaminents and other Belgian shops hold a large sum of this pay. About 11:30 p. m. another heavy downpour of rain hits our camp, and this time several tents are blown down, leaving the occupants unprotected. Some of the fellows go to a nearby barn for shelter against the rain.
 
July 11, 1918
 
All night long the rain comes down in heavy torrents and nearly all of the tents are either blown down or soaked with water. It was a miserable night and when day came we were all glad. During the night my partner and I had rolled our equipment in a bundle and sit on it the remainder of the night to keep out of the water. In spite of the mud and water we roll packs and 9 a. m. finds us on the move, with rain coming down in fourth platoons hike to a place a kilometer below Poperinghe and billet in tin huts formerly used by the British. The first and second platoons are stationed three kilometers from where we are. The rain that came down so heavy during the night and during this recent hike cause us to call Belgium "Rainy Belgium." Most of us had to make a bed for the night. We are at last beginning to break into real warfare. About 10 p. m. Fritz reminds us that he still has a few big guns left by sending over some big shells, which fell pretty close to our billets.
 
July 12, 1918
 
Early in the morning we (the fourth platoon) march to an old shell-wrecked building and, under the instruction of an English instructor, start the task of building a pill box. Later in the day part of the platoon is taken away to other similar jobs. The platoon stops work at 1 p. m. and returns to the billets. It rains all day, but that does not interfere with our working.
 
July 13, 1918
 
Though we are stationed near the front, our lieutenant instructs the platoon sergeant to hold revellie as usual, 5:30 a. m. Six a. m. finds us headed for our work. We are given from 10:30 to 11 a. m. as a rest period. Two K.P.s bring us a sack of hard-tacks and a bucket of cold coffee at this rest period and it is soon disposed of. We stop work at 1 p. m., and return to camp, excused from work the rest of the day. Two of our officers and a sergeant, who left us at Camp Sevier, rejoin the company in the afternoon. They have been to engineer schools, to learn the latest about building pontoon bridges and digging and repairing trenches. Fritz shells the observation balloons sent up by the English and forces some of them to come down. Two men in another company are hit by small pieces of falling shrapnel but not seriously injured.
 
July 14, 1918
 
The day is declared a holiday, in order that we may celebrate "France's Day." To us it is a day of rest more than celebration. Late in the afternoon the British artillery opens fire on the German lines, and for an hour give them an heavy pounding. While the British are putting over their barrage a German plane dives from the clouds and sends an observation balloon to the ground in flames. The observer jumps from the balloon in his parachute, but whether he landed safely we could not tell, as he fell behind some small trees several hundred yards away.
 
July 15, 1918
 
Around 4 o'clock in the morning Fritz suddenly starts a small barrage on the area we are in and makes things pretty hot. Several of the fellows leave the billets and go in search of dug-outs. It is a curious feeling that comes over a fellow when the shells burst close. The firing ceases in a short while and the fellows that were in search of dug-outs return to the billets. Having been appointed platoon runner I take the morning report to company headquarters, leaving the platoon headquarters at 5 a. m. and reaching company headquarters at 6:05 a. m. I return to where the platoon is working on pill boxes and work until 1 p. m. We have nothing to do in the afternoon.
 
July 16, 1918
 
I carry the morning report to company headquarters and bring back a note for the platoon lieutenant from the C. O. of the company. I work the rest of the morning on a pill box. In the afternoon the lieutenant inspects our rifles and bayonets and they were in a clean shape according to the lieutenant. Two fellows that were absent at this formation are given three days extra duty. Platoon sergeants and corporals check up the clothing that each man in the third and fourth platoons are short.
 
July 17, 1918
 
Carry the morning report to company headquarters as usual. The lieutenant keeps me busy until 1 p. m. carrying notes to the different jobs. We stop work at 1 p. m. and return to our billets and are excused from all duties the rest of the day. I spend the afternoon writing letters to the homefolks, telling them of the latest happenings, but not mentioning where we are and that we are near the front.
 
July 18, 1918
 
After completing our morning's work on the pill box, we are hiked five kilometers to get a bath, which we all badly needed, getting back to our billets in time for supper. At night German planes bomb the area we are in and they make the place unhealthy for awhile. The humming of the motors of the German planes doesn't sound good. They make a fellow feel uneasy.
 
July 19, 1918
 
The platoon works as usual on the pill boxes until 1 p. m. The building where the platoon started its first pill box was hit by a bomb during the night raid, but the pill box was not damaged at all. The platoon sergeant makes a check of "iron rations" (emergency rations, a can of beef in a small sack of hard-tacks) in the afternoon and finds me without any. On the hike from Proven I had thrown mine away as they were unhandy, but of course the sergeant didn't know it or else I would have gotten confined to quarters for more than seven days.
 
July 20, 1918
 
I help make mortar all the morning for one of the pill box details, with the exception of the regular 30 minutes rest period. I wash my dirty clothes in the afternoon, so when the company takes another bath I'll have clean ones to put on. It rains a while in the afternoon, but we are in billets now and do not fear having our homes blown down as they were at Proven. I write three long letters to the homefolks and tell them that I am near the front, sending the letter through the base censor, hoping that he would overlook it so the people back home would know where I was.
 
July 21, 1918
 
The platoons are excused from all formations for the day. After dinner, just for curiosity, I walk toward Poperinghe, but I do not go into the town as the Germans are shelling it. I come back by the way I went up, on the railroad tracks, and I notice where several "duds" (unexploded shells) have hit in and near the track. I then stroll about some nearby trenches, noticing how they are made and other little important things about them.
 
July 22, 1918
 
We continue our work on the pill boxes. Our English instructors say we are making good progress, but they can't tell when the jobs will be completed. The platoon lieutenant states in the afternoon that all men of the fourth platoon must wash their dirty clothes and get ready for an equipment inspection to be held at an early date. The washboards are crowded in the afternoon with clothes washers. One time during the afternoon Fritz began shelling British observation balloons and we beat it to our billets until after the shelling is over.
 
July 23, 1918
 
It rains all day, but we work on the pill boxes just the same. The fourth platoon puts a guard on at 4:30 p. m. We have a few buildings to walk around and see that all lights are kept out and that there is no fire. Fritz sends over shells pretty often during the night and guard duty is no fun. I am glad when I get relieved at 10 p. m. for it seems that Fritz is just beginning to warm up.