NIGHT PATROL
This three page
article, headed “I remember” sets out
what it is like to go out on a night patrol into “No Man’s Land”. Johns talks about various tasks you may have
to carry out, all with a dry humour. “Another
little job that may come your way is to cut holes with blunt wire cutters
through the enemy’s wire – which may be anything up to forty feet wide. To make this as disagreeable as possible you
will find (if you haven’t done the job before) that German barbed wire has
things like pointed razor blades sticking out of it. On the wire, too, may hang little bells that
tinkle merrily the moment you touch it, and inform the bloke who is standing by
a trench mortar just where you are.
Occasionally a piece of wire will be found to be carrying a few thousand
volts of electricity, all of which gives the business a nice element of
anticipation every time you stretch out your hand”. “In such circumstances you’re apt to call
your patrol all sorts of things. But
certainly not dull”.