British (Scottish) soldier inspecting fallen German machine-gunners near Méteren in Flanders, July 20, 1918.
The following is the diary entry of 21-year-old Danish-German machine-gunner I.J.I Bergholt reporting on a charge across a bridge on
This morning at 1 a.m. a bombardment started on this front which lasted for about 5 hours. Our boys hopped over the top at 5 a.m. and with the assistance of our barrage gave Fritz a lively time.
Two of my pals saw over 1000 German prisoners come in. That was up at 11 o'clock. They were very ready to be taken prisoners.
They seemed to be sick and tired of the war, and our artillery is a nightmare to them. We gained all our objectives.
And still they come and go: and this is all I know... That from the gloom I watch an endless picture-show, Where wild or listless faces flicker on their way, With glad or grievous hearts I'll never understand Because Time spins so fast, and they've no time to stay Beyond the moment's gesture of a lifted hand.
And still, between the shadow and the blinding flame, The brave despair of men flings onward, ever the same As in those doom-lit years that wait them, and have been... And life is just the picture dancing on a screen."So, just as we were coming up to Minty's Farm, the shells started falling all around.
We got a slashing there all right. As we were struggling up to it one of the boys got hit with a huge shell fragment. It sliced him straight in two. He dropped his rifle and bayonet and threw his arms up in the air, and the top part of his torso fell back on to the ground.
The unbelievable thing was that the legs and the kilt went on running, just like a chicken with its head chopped off!
One of my boys - I think it was his special pal - went rushing after him... I shouted him back and he was wild with me because he wanted to help his pal. He couldn't realise that he was beyond hope.
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