AMBULANCE WORK IN THE VOSGES.
Page 19
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
(From Our Correspondent with the French Army.)
(Continued from page L'44.)
Again our night's rest was disturbed by both artilleries, but about 5 a.m. we were allowed to get to sleep.
The quiet continued until well on into the afternoon' but just as we
returned from a trip to the base
hoapital the enemy sent more 5.9's over. Luckily we had decidedto
tarn the vehicle at the opening where we habitually left it, instead of following our usual practice and running up to Piccadilly Circus, as it was called.
As it was the first shell came over too close to Piccadilly Circus to be
good for Us had we continued up
the road to turn, and we lost no time in making a dash for our dug out. .Numbers two and three ar rived while we were en route, but we are old hands at this game, and flung ourselves flat in time to escape the bits that whiazad overhead. Safely in our dug-out, we waited for the strafe to cease, and as one of our 'planes got over the Boche gun position it procured for us a respite. Gunners are so retiring in their habits that an enemy 'plane too near them soon stops their fire.
We took the opportunity to make a dive for the road as our mess was: some 500 yds. away in a comparatively sale corner of the forest, and after a sprint of 100 yds. uphill, ac celerated by the arrival of two more Shells, we felt fairly safe and strolled off to.dinner. Dinner was a hasty meal as news of a direct hit by the Boches on a 75 ram. gun ar rived, and we expected to be busy, also bits from the Boche " Archies ' started to rain down as they fired at our observing 'planes, cruising with indifference over the lines.
We hastened hack, and had only just left the road as three high explosives landed full on it and three more fell in the trees at the side.
Again we took to our "abri " arid listened to the explosions outside ; the concussion was very bad, especially when a shell pitched on rather hard ground. A. lull leading us to imagine it was over, two or three of us crept out, when suddenly the shrill scream of one corning very near sent us headlong for safety.
Although not under cover when the explosion occurred, we escaped unhurt, the concussion knocked us over and bits of shell and stones flew about our ears. Two or three more only followed, and then cautiously we appeared in tills open.; the French poilu takes it all jai, as light-heartedly as our own Tommy, and our escape merely provided amusement.
In a few minutes we set out to bring in some wounded, and as we crawled -along in the twilight we found the roads a mass of earth and debris. A fallen tree nearly decapitated us but luckily we saw it in the nick of time and escaped with a bad bump as it caught the body of the car. All night we were busy, and it was finally 5.30 a.m. before we were back in our dug-out. Even then there was no sleep for us as the 5.9's Started again.
The morning I spent telephoning for petrol and supplies ; most of the telephone wires seemed to have been cut by the bombardment, and the staff ware doing their best to monopolize . what few lineal remained. However, by a roundabout circuit I got through -to H.Q., and the much-needed_ petrol was promised.• After lunch orders arrived from the divisional H.Q. for my ambulance to be stationed a kiltmetre or two farther back and lower down the mountain, so at la F we got a. quiet night and slept the. clock round.'
The fifth day found us called Up the mountain' in the afternoon, but, a comparative. quiet _reigned.' the batteries merely sending isolated shots across just to inform each other of their continued presence.