Over the top

And when that orderly sergeant, or orderly corporal came into our work party, the first names you’d hear was Evans, Freeman, Galloway, Gleason. And we told him he should put it to music - make a song out of it. He repeated it so darned often he should know who we were anyhow. Well that Evans, Freeman, Galloway, Gleason had a rather a scaring effect on me the morning of the 12th of April when we went over the top to attack the Pimple, as it was called. That was the fourth day of the Vimy battle. It was snowing that morning. We went up in single file. And there is several single files, of course, short distance, one from the other. We hadn’t gone very far until the three of us stepped over Evans. He was killed. A little farther on, Freeman got his. We went on another, quite a little distance then and I stepped over Galloway. Well, I said there’s the bunch gone now; Evans, Freeman, Galloway, Gleason will be next. Well, I was next but I didn’t get it like they did. I got a bullet through the right thigh, just above the knee. And I managed to get back to the dressing station. Well, I had a rather harrowing experience first, because I just started on my way back when there was a... one of these big high explosive shells you could hear coming before they got there, and I heard it. I took a dive into what I thought was a shell hole. But it was filled with water and I damn near got drowned in that thing. Anyhow, I managed to get out of it, soaking wet, cold. Started out again and I met a fellow by the name of Stuart. He had gone over with the 196th too, and he said, “Where you going, pal? ” I said, “I am going back to the dressing station.” He said, “Well, you’re heading right to the front line now.” And I said, “You’re hit too!” And he said, “Yeah, I’m hit.” So I turned around and followed him back to the dressing station.