FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117  
118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   >>   >|  
along." We proceeded by way of "King Street" to "Lanwick Street," and several times we had to fall flat in the trench bottom to escape being hit by shells. They seemed at times to burst almost overhead. The "whizz-bangs" which Fritz puts over are rather little beggars; you have no time to dodge them. They come with a "phut" and a bang that for sheer speed knocks spots off a flash of lightning. One only thinks to duck when the beastly thing has gone off. "Lanwick Street" was the usual sort of trench. At one end was an artillery observation officer, correcting the range of his guns. "Go easy, won't you?" he said to me. "Bosche has an idea we use this corner for something rather important. If he sees your camera we shall certainly receive his attention. For Heaven's sake, keep your head down." "Right-o!" I said. "Lend me your periscope; I will have a look at the ground first through that." I looked on the village, or rather the late site of it. It was absolutely flattened out, with the exception of a few remaining stumps of trees, which used to be a beautiful wood, near which the village nestled. "That's been done by our guns in five days; some mess, eh?" "My word, yes. Now about this afternoon's bombardment; they are working on the left-hand corner." I chose a spot for working and fixing up my tripod, and waited until 4.30 p.m. In the meantime, with the aid of a stick, I gradually pushed away several sandbags which interfered with my view on the parapet. To do this it was necessary to raise myself head and shoulders above the top and, with one arm pushed forward, I worked the bags clear. I felt much better when that job was done. "You're lucky," said the A.O. "I had one of my periscopes hit clean by a bullet this morning. Fritz must be having a nap, or he would have had you for a cert." "Anyway," I replied, "it gives me a comparatively clear view now." Time was drawing near. I prepared my camera by clothing it in an old piece of sacking, and gently raising it on to the tripod I screwed it tight. Then gradually raising my head to the view-finder, I covered the section which was going to be "strafed," and wrapping my hand in a khaki handkerchief, waited. Our guns were simply pouring shells on the Bosche. The first of the 15-inch came over and exploded with a deafening roar. The sight was stupefying. I began to expose my film, swinging the camera first on one side then the other. Shell after
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117  
118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

camera

 

Street

 

raising

 
corner
 
Lanwick
 

village

 
working
 

trench

 

waited

 

shells


Bosche
 

pushed

 

gradually

 

tripod

 

forward

 
worked
 

sandbags

 

meantime

 

fixing

 
shoulders

interfered

 
parapet
 

simply

 

pouring

 

handkerchief

 

section

 

strafed

 
wrapping
 

exploded

 

deafening


swinging

 

stupefying

 

expose

 

covered

 

finder

 

replied

 

Anyway

 

morning

 

periscopes

 

bullet


bombardment

 

comparatively

 

gently

 

sacking

 

screwed

 

drawing

 
prepared
 

clothing

 

thinks

 

beastly