’Cross the ford o’ Kabul river in the dark.
Rudyard Kipling’s “Ford o’ Kabul River.”
We had a good time before we started fighting. The French people gave us everything they had—cigarettes, chocolate, grapes, everything imaginable. But it is a different France now the German pigs have burnt all the houses. It does seem a shame: Pte. A. Wilson, Bedfordshire Regiment.
“NO-o-o!”
We passed a wounded “Joey,” whose face was deathly white from suffering. He opened his eyes as we reached him, smiled, and called out in a faint voice, “Are we downhearted?” We called back a hearty “No!” that must have drowned the noise of the cannon, and then we gave three hearty cheers, just to liven things up: Pte. T. Ball, Royal Marine Light Infantry.
A Bold Front
Our colonel was a perfect gentleman, and under his gallant lead the Rangers set a bold front. In the midst of the bursting of the German projectiles his clear, stentorian voice rang out, “Rangers of Connaught, all eyes are upon you to-night. While you have fists and a heart within you charge them. If you don’t, never face me in this world nor in the next”: Pte. W. McConville, 2d Batt. Connaught Rangers.
“Shifting” Them
I tell you we were like a lot of schoolboys at a treat when we got the order to fix bayonets, for we knew we should shift them then. We had about 200 yards to cover before we got near them, and then we let them have it in the neck. It put you in mind of tossing hay, only we had human bodies: Pte. G. Bridgeman, 4th Royal Fusiliers.