The Delta of the Triple Elevens

by William Elmer Bachman

It was at 10 a. m. when the regiment arrived at the British Rest Camp at Cherbourg. Halt was made on a large parade ground in front of a Y. M. C. A. hut. The boys stretched themselves on the ground while search was instituted for the area the outfit was to occupy at its second rest camp.

Rest had just been commanded a few minutes when the command to "fall-in" was sounded. Everybody hustled to their feet, shouldered the heavy pack and awaited the next order.

"About-Face" was ordered. And the regiment obeyed. "Rest" was next. This was the first time in the history of the battery that it was necessary to shoulder packs to execute an about-face.

The camp consisted of dome-shaped, sheet-iron barracks and tented areas. After an hour's wait Battery D was assigned to the 13th row of Section C of the tented area. Tents were pyramid in shape. Fourteen men were crowded into each tent that was originally intended for eight.

By laying in wheel formation, with fourteen pairs of feet meeting at the center pole, the boys rested themselves on the board floors of the tents that night. There was no room for packcarriers and other paraphanelia in the tents. Most of the soldiers deposited their excess luggage on the outside. About midnight it started to rain. There was a scurry to get the equipment in out of the rain, which also disturbed the sweet slumbers as water trickled in under the canvass or else came through leaks in the roof.

Reveille sounded at 5:30 the next morning. Orders were given for packs to be rolled preparatory to moving. A move was made from Section C to row 19 of D Section of the same tented area. The remainder of the morning was set apart for Battery D to take a bath. The soldiers' bath had been a negligible quantity since leaving Camp Meade, with the exception of some few who attempted to work up a lather with salt water on the Morvada. To the boys, therefore, the prospect of a good bath was hailed with delight.

No dressing room was attached to the bathhouse that was situated at one end of the Cherbourg rest camp. Therefore the boys had to make ready for the bath in their tents. With slickers and shoes on the battery lined up and marched to the bathhouse, while the rain came down and the wind was wont to play with the flaps of the raincoats, as a battery of bare-legs was exposed to the elements.

Arrived at the bathhouse, it was discovered that the showers would accommodate eight at one time. The first squad in line went into the water sanctum, while everybody else waited their turn on the outside.

The showers consisted of three half-inch pipes suspended from the ceiling. There were three lengths of pipe, each length being perforated at two places to emit the shower of water. The perforations comprised about four holes, each hole about one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter.

The first eight who entered the bathhouse were eager to get under the showers and consequently did not glance about to inspect the equipment of the room. The eight soldiers braced themselves under the showers and yelled for the man in charge to turn on the water. Instead of being washed away by the force of the current, as the firmly braced attitude of each gave evidence that such was to be the case, the opening wide of the flood-gates let four needle-like streams of water descend upon each figure.