Feature Letter of July 13th, 2025
Sudbury, John P.
I have had "some" times since I first saw France and Belgium but my experiences a few nights ago sends all else flying into insignificance for horror. Listen!!
Eight of us set out with rations and water to take to our comrades who were at an advanced post beyond our front line in what of course is known as "No Mans land". The night was dark, few flares were going up and all for us was "jake", until we were half way between our front line and our destination and then we "copped it". Our own artillery opened up full force on the enemy's front line. Up went his flares making it worse than broad daylight, up went his signals for his artillery to reply and down we had to roll into the nearest ditch, which was our only hope. The smoke was sickening, the din was ear splitting, and the flying shrapnel everywhere was murder to anything two inches above ground. We huddled together in the mud of that loving ditch as tight as we could. As the din increased so the bursting shells came nearer to us and how one never managed to land right among us is a miracle. One came horribly close but mercifully failed to explode for had it done so none of us would have heard it and we should still be soaring. Oh! What a nightmare, the thought of it is even now and I therefore do not wish to dwell on it long. At last the storm subsided and then we found to our horror that our sergeant had been instantaneously killed and two others slightly wounded, but the marvel is that we weren't all knocked out - "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of". We of course got the rations up afterwards and returned feeling more or less shaky.
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