When we started our operations, his tunnels in many places were right underneath us, and these he would work intermittently, firing some and holding others to fire later when he thought he could take us by surprise and do the most damage. It was always a great relief when he finally exploded these delayed mines, and after investigating matters we would immediately hike along to a near-by dugout and celebrate. This state of affairs continued for about three weeks, at the end of which time we had pretty well figured out, by listening carefully everywhere, just where his tunnels were.
We had been welcomed with open arms by the British infantry. The poor fellows were having a bad time, especially in the advanced posts. The old Fifty-first (Highland) Division were then holding the trenches there. Very few of these gallant Scotchmen, or "Jocks," as they are called, are alive to-day, for after leaving us they went into the Somme offensive, and there lost at least half their number, and the other half fought in later battles with the same percentage of casualties. But this is only too common. These Scotchmen were great fighters, and liked nothing better than meeting the Hun on anything like equal terms, and would positively revel in any attempt of the enemy to raid our lines. The latter would only occasionally try this, however, and never outstayed their welcome. All these Jocks were veterans and very handy with the universal Mills hand-bomb. Thousands of these bombs were furnished, and could be found in haversacks placed in bomb-boxes and located everywhere around the front lines (see illustration). In the trenches these bombs are always carried with detonators in them, and the only operation necessary is to withdraw a cotter-pin which holds the spring-release down. Directly the pin is taken out, the spring is released unless the bomb is held correctly, that is, with your fingers around it. The bomb explodes five seconds after the spring is released, so this little precaution of holding down the spring-release with your fingers must be observed. It sometimes happens that men forget to pull out these cotter-pins. One night one of our husky Jocks, in the excitement incident to a small raid on the enemy, forgot to extract the pin, though I was told he threw the bomb with such force, and good aim, that it completely split the skull of the poor Boche it was aimed at.
It was a different matter, however, when it came to mines. They would fight anything they could see, but were admittedly not pleased with the prospect of mines going up under their feet every night. The poor fellows who had to hold the most advanced posts, mostly bombing sentries and Lewis gunners, did not at all relish the alarming regularity with which the Germans blew their big mines. No wonder they were glad to see us. The poor infantryman gets enough hell on the surface and from the air without adding troubles from below. Ask any troops who have held trenches where mining was going on. Nothing will induce them to go below in our mines. As one lad said to me once: "Blime, I'd rather go over the top any day—why a V.C. wouldn't tempt me to go down that blooming 'ole."
CHAPTER VI
CHALK CAVERNS AND TRENCH MORTARS
Both the Germans and ourselves used huge mine-charges in the chalk and the effect of the explosion of many big mines is spread over a large area. We always felt the shakes in the ground even back in our dugouts at Aux Rietz, over a mile away; while in the forward trenches we had all the excitement of a regular earthquake. All dugouts would shake badly, timbers would be loosened and many men buried in other dugouts and shelters, while sleeping. The firing of mines at night or just about dawn was a favorite practice. Just about the time you have turned in on the floor of your dugout to get an hour's badly needed rest, the earth is shaken by a heavy mine explosion. Pleasant dreams of your home in California's land of sunshine and flowers are rudely interrupted. You grab your tin hat, gas-helmet, electric torch, and hurry up the steps to the dark, ghostly trench. Often it is raining hard and none of the sentries on duty in the trench above know exactly where the mine has gone up. Sloshing through the muddy trenches and dodging the trench-mortar and machine-gun fire which always form a part of the programme in a Boche "blow," you reach the scene of the explosion as fast as you can, fearing the worst, but often relieved to find that your boys are all right and that only minor damage has been done to your galleries. After visiting your own mines, you come up again to be met with a report that several bombing sentries have been buried in their trench as a result of the mine shake. Rescue-parties are hastily organized, and endeavors are made to reach them under a perfect hail of bullets, all working frantically to dig them out from the thick mud and slimy sand-bags. Sometimes we are successful. Many times I have heard the poor fellows call for help, but despite all our efforts, we could not always reach them to dig them out before they were fatally injured or completely buried. I have experienced the sensation of being buried and partly buried by shell explosions as well as mine explosions at different times. The first few minutes before you are dug out are not pleasant ones.
The opposing trenches here were very close in places. Where craters had been blown, the Boche would often occupy one rim and our fellows the other. Some of the smaller craters were only about fifteen to twenty yards wide. Curiously enough, the fighting at these points was not as fierce as might be inferred. It seemed to be a case of waiting for the other fellow to start something.
Explosion of a mine.
Both the Germans and ourselves used huge mine-charges … and the effect of the explosion of many big mines is spread over a large area.
Most of the craters, big and small, were more or less consolidated by building narrow, winding trenches out to them from the front lines, and then cutting trenches in the rims. Sentries would be posted at good observation-posts overlooking these craters, and it was an unhealthy practice to take your evening stroll there. In the course of my duties it has been my misfortune to be reconnoitring these craters on some occasions when bombs or T.M.'s have burst in them, and the sensation is not pleasant, although one is not so likely to be buried as when shells or mortars burst near in a trench. There is no cover of any kind to be had. Those craters near our lines would be very useful to us as they would serve as receptacles into which we could dump our spoil. A number of the trenches here, as elsewhere, ran right across No Man's Land from the Hun lines to ours, and these would be blocked on both sides in some way or other, either with barbed wire or breastworks of sand-bags, etc.