A Lucid Account of a Frightening Experience

Monday 7th February 1916: A member of the Bedfordshire Yeomanry, a Territorial Cavalry unit, be it remembered, has told us of his experiences and those of his comrades as infantry in the trenches: “I was put in charge of six men and was given a sap which turned out to be a real stunner. We took on at 6 am. The day was quiet enough except for the usual things dropping all around us. There was a fierce bombardment which was uncomfortably near. Shells were dropping a hundred yards off. However, we weathered that OK – I mean my bombers did. Towards the afternoon of our first day in I was officially informed that we should have to do 48 hours right off the reel. It was nasty news; however we took it as well as we could. There was nothing much doing during the night, and towards 6.45 am we were congratulating ourselves on having got through one solemn day. I was sitting down on the fire-step at the time when all of a sudden I went sprawling full length in the trench. I was on my feet in a jiffy. A sandbag landed clean on my head and doubled me. Something hit by back, my stomach, my shoulder and my leg. I looked up: there was a hissing horrible rumbling noise, the sky (I should have said earth) was covered with hearth, stones, beams, sandbags and everything imaginable. Everything was falling and crumbling around me. As soon as I was on my feet I yelled “Come on boys, bombs, quick” and ran up the sap. The boys were there, nothing happened; a mine had gone off! I waited a minute and was suddenly overcome with joy at finding myself OK. I believe I laughed; not hearing or seeing the German bombers! I ran to the end of the sap, where I rolled over one of our men. He was all right, but shaken, so I left him and with the help of one of my men I dug out three of the 18th Hussars who were buried in their dug-out. I don’t know the weight of a full sand-bag. While unearthing these men they seemed to weigh half an ounce and no more. I never worked harder in all my life. It is a long story in writing, but the whole bag of tricks from the start until I commenced to help to rescue the others was over in sixty seconds, but it seemed ages”.

“When I had finished clearing up it was broad daylight. Our sap before the mine went up looked into the crater of a mine which went off about Christmas; the second mine was in the same crater, and it did make a crater out of it too. Being anxious to get my bearings I got over the parapet and looked into the crater. I had a good look round and went over to the side nearest to the Germans, where I cocked my head over to have a look. I expected to find the German trench about thirty yards off. By Jove, I looked clean into their trench! It was the biggest shock I had had. Their trench was not more than ten to fifteen yards off. I didn’t half come back in a hurry. Later on I went to have another look. Luck was in my way, I knew it at the time. The remainder of the time in was horrid! The mine that went off was not the mine that was expected. That was to come! Luckily it never went off while we were in. We were relieved after fifty-two hours in the sap and I was dead beat. However, I am all right now. A couple of days’ rest and some good food have made me feel like my old self again”.

Source: Bedfordshire Times 25th February 1916