A VOICE FROM THE TRENCHES.
[To THE ED/TOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.")
DEAR SIR,—Will you permitt me, to write you these Lines. One night last week, i overheard a remark between two Ex Soldiers, who were aurging the point, in one of the main streets in Man- chester, one was saying to the other, Soldering, you don't know what Soldering is man, i wasnt driveing Transports, to keep my feet from getting wet in the Trenches, i was quite ammused at this remark, but at the same time, it recalls one to back memeries of the Trenches and Trench life, during the great war. Well now Sir, i am not boasting, but i wish to add a few remarks of my own, i have had allmoet four years of Trench Warfare myself during the war, and i can honistly say, that there were more fitter men driveing Transports, and in cushy jobs down the Line, than the men who were holding the Line, and if you want proof of my words Sir, i am willing to stripy, before any who wish it, i will say again that i am not boasting, my Legs are Deformed, but allthough they are de- formed, they have carried me with full Pack umteen Miles, back and forward from the Line, yes and i was not the only one, there were plenty of men like myself, but still we had to hold the Line, Now Sir, let me add here, that when England was supposed, to be pushed for fit Men in 1916, and 1917, we was the class of men who were holding the Line, while big strong strapping young fellows shirked out of it, by driveing Transports and in cushy jobs down the Line.
Now Sir, if suppose, i was a Commander of Forces in the field, and i was short of Men, this is what i should do, i should vissit as many units as i could spare time to vissit, and if i saw any big strapping young fellow, on Transports, i should have him put on to trench work, when those units go up into the Line, and if i saw a young man whom i thought was rather bad looking on his pinns, meaning his legs, i would put him in the other mans place, as this is one of the blunders they made during the War, C3 Men, held the Line, while Al Men. scrambled for the Transports, when they gott to know we were luseing Men, and the Line was weakening, small wonder two. Anyway, i have the sattaisfaction of saying that allthough i didn't look well in kakai uniform, allthough i am Deformed, that i got my seccond Blighty one over the top.
E X-SOLDIER, SALFORD.
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