Lewis Gun by Balcer on Wikipedia
Friday 16th November 1917
Salvage is
important. That has been the word from British Expeditionary Force General
Headquarters. Salvage means retrieving such items as weapons, ammunition and
steel helmets from battlefields so that they can be re-used. This puts less
stress on the factories at home and round the Empire which are running at full
steam to produce enough of these items to feed a front which seems to have an
inexhaustible appetite for the material of war, just as it does for the men
that use it.
The adjutant
of the 6th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regiment, tells us that the battalion is in
the front line near Hollebeke. Today A Company was shelled by our own heavy
guns though, fortunately, no casualties have been reported. The adjutant
reports that a great deal of salvage work has been done by the reserve company
at Corner House. After so great a battle as the Third Battle of Ypres has been
there will, sadly, be many former soldiers in need of burial and equipment in
need of salvaging.
Men I have
spoken to at the front, not unnaturally, express a preference for salvage duty
over burial duty. A number of them have cheerfully requested that this organ of
news make known their theory that salvage would be greatly increased by the
payment of a bounty - perhaps sixpence for every dozen rifles retrieved, or a
shilling for a usable machine-gun.
No comments:
Post a Comment