ONE YOUNG MAN'S LEAVE
He again writes:
"We had done two days out of our six in the trenches a
little south of Albert. They were in such a state that it
was impossible to walk from one post to another. The mud was
over our knees and all communication was cut off by day. At
night we fetched our rations, water, and rum by going over
the top--a little sought-after job, for Fritz was most
active and cover scarce. I had just finished my two hours at
the listening-post, and had crawled into my dug-out for a
four-hour stretch. It was bitterly cold, and although I had
piles of sandbags over me I couldn't get warm, and, like
Bairnsfather's 'fed-up one,' had to get out and rest a bit.
Two hours of my four had passed when word came down that I
was wanted by the Sergeant-Major. Hallo, thinks I, what am I
wanted for? Ah, letters! I was a source of continued
annoyance to the Captain because of my many letters.
"However, he that expecteth nothing shall receive his seven
days' leave, for that's what it proved to be. I stood with
unbelieving ears whilst the Serjeant-Major rattled off
something to the effect that I was on the next party for
leave, and was to go down H.Q. the following night. I
crawled back to my dug-out, wondering if I was really awake.
Eventually reaching our post, I cried, 'John, my boy, this
child's on a Blightly trip.' No profuse congratulations
emanated from that quarter, but a voice from a dug-out
cried, 'Good! you can take that clip of German cartridges
home for me.' This was our souvenir hunter; he'd barter his
last biscuit for a nose cap of a Hun shell, and was a
frequenter of the artillery dug-outs. My next two hours'
guard was carried out in a very dreamy sort of way. I had
already planned what I should do and how I would surprise
them all. Next day I was busy scraping off the mud from my
tunic and overcoat. I spent hours on the job, but they
seemed very little different when I had finished.
"That night I covered the three miles of mud and shell-holes
to H.Q. in record time. There I met the other lucky ones and
received orders to turn in and parade at 9 a.m. for baths
and underclothing. There were no trousers, puttees, or
overcoats in the stores, and so we had to come over as we
were, a picture that had no fitting background other than
the trenches. At dusk we boarded the motor-bus which
conveyed us to the rail-head. That old bus had never had
such a cargo of light hearts when plying between Shepherd's
Bush and Liverpool Street. At the rail-head we transferred
to the waiting train, and it was not long before we were on
our way. Bully beef and biscuits were on the seats, our
day's rations. Never mind--we shall soon be having something
a good deal more appetising. We did wish we had something
warmer than the water in our bottles, and at our next stop
we found our old benefactors. This was another platform
canteen, and we were able to refresh ourselves for the
remainder of the journey, which was all too slow.
"Two R.F.A. and one A.S.C. man shared the carriage with me
up to London. We did not speak at all, we were far too much
occupied with our thoughts and visions of our welcome. It
was Sunday, and there were very few people about when we got
in. I clambered out of the carriage prepared to rush to the
Bakerloo, when a voice at my elbow asked, 'Is there anything
I can do for you? Are you a Londoner?' and a host of
questions bearing on my future actions. It was a Y.M.
official. He took me to the little box where my francs were
converted into English coin, then to Bakerloo Tube Station,
got my ticket, and with a handclasp dashed off to help
another. Had I been bound for the North he would have taken
me and given me a dinner, and put me into the right train at
the right time. I tell you these Y.M. chaps do their job
uncommonly well."
One Young Man Again in the Trenches