Empey, Arthur Guy, 1883-1963 / 2008-11-19 00:00:00
We Tommies were lucky, we had no books, so had both
eyes on the aeroplane.
After church parade we were marched back to our billets, and played
football all afternoon.
CHAPTER IV
"INTO THE TRENCH"
The next morning the draft was inspected by our General, and we were
assigned to different companies. The boys in the Brigade had nicknamed
this general Old Pepper, and he certainly earned the sobriquet. I was
assigned to B Company with another American named Stewart.
For the next ten days we "rested," repairing roads for the Frenchies,
drilling, and digging bombing trenches.
One morning we were informed that we were going up the line, and our
march began.
It took us three days to reach reserve billets--each day's march
bringing the sound of the guns nearer and nearer. At night, way off in
the distance we could see their flashes, which lighted up the sky with
a red glare.
Against the horizon we could see numerous observation balloons or
"sausages" as they are called.
On the afternoon of the third day's march I witnessed my first
aeroplane being shelled. A thrill ran through me and I gazed in awe.
The aeroplane was making wide circles in the air, while little puffs
of white smoke were bursting all around it. These puffs appeared like
tiny balls of cotton while after each burst could be heard a dull
"plop." The Sergeant of my platoon informed us that it was a German
aeroplane and I wondered how he could tell from such a distance
because the plane deemed like a little black speck in the sky.
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