With the Allies (1918) by Richard Harding Davis
After death the body is mercifully robbed of its human aspect. You are spared the thought that what is lying in the trenches among the shattered trees and in the wheat-fields staring up at the sky was once a man. It appears to be only a bundle of clothes, a scarecrow that has tumbled among the grain it once protected. But it gives a terrible meaning to the word "missing." When you read in the reports from the War Office that five thousand are "missing," you like to think of them safely cared for in a hospital or dragging out the period of the war as prisoners. But the real missing are the unidentified dead. In time some peasant will bury them, but he will not understand the purpose of the medal each wears around his neck. And so, with the dead man will be buried his name and the number of his regiment. No one will know where he fell or where he lies. Some one will always hope that he will return. For, among the dead his name did not appear. He was reported "missing."
The utter wastefulness of war was seldom more clearly shown. Carcasses of horses lined the road. Some few of these had been killed by shell-fire. Others, worn out and emaciated, and bearing the brand of the German army, had been mercifully destroyed. . . .
Less pitiful, but still evidencing the wastefulness of war, were the motor-trucks and automobiles that in the flight had been abandoned. For twenty miles these automobiles were scattered along the road. There were so many one stopped counting them. . . .
All the fields through which the army passed had become waste land. Shells had reploughed them. Horses and men had camped in them. The haystacks, gathered by the sweat of the brow and patiently set in trim rows, were trampled in the mud and scattered to the winds. All the smaller villages through which I passed were empty of people, and since the day before, when the Germans occupied them, none of the inhabitants had returned. [pp. 107-110]
Excerpts from “Tommy's Dictionary of the Trenches” (1918) by Arthur Guy Empey
“Tommy Atkins.” The name England gives to an English soldier, even if his name is Willie Jones.
“Fritz.” Tommy’s name for a German. He loves a German like poison.
Allemand. A French term meaning “German.” Tommy uses it because he thinks it is a swear word.
Trench. A ditch full of water, rats, and soldiers. During his visit to France, Tommy uses these ditches as residences. Now and again he sticks his head "over the top" to take a look at the surrounding scenery. If he is lucky he lives to tell his mates what he saw.
Rats. The main inhabitants of the trenches and dugouts. Very useful for chewing up leather equipment and running over your face when asleep. A British rat resembles a bulldog, while a German one, through a course of Kultur, resembles a dachshund.
Mud. A brownish, sticky substance found in the trenches after the frequent rains. A true friend to Tommy, which sticks to him like glue, even though at times Tommy resents this affection and roundly curses said mud.
"Somewhere in France." A certain spot in France where Tommy has to live in mud, hunt for “cooties,” and duck shells and bullets. Tommy's official address.
Cooties. Unwelcome inhabitants of Tommy’s shirt.
V. C. Victoria Cross or "Very careless" as Tommy calls it. It is a bronze medal won by Tommy for being very careless with his life.
Zeppelin. A bag full of gas invented by a count full of gas. It is a dirigible airship used by the Germans for killing babies and dropping bombs in open fields. You never see them over the trenches, it is safer to bombard civilians in cities. The use Iron Crosses for ballast.
“Over the Top.” A famous phrase of the trenches. It is generally the order for the men to charge the German lines. Nearly always it is accompanied by the Jonah wish, “With the best o’ luck and given them hell.”
Gas. Poisonous fumes which the Germans send over to our trenches. When the wind is favorable this gas is discharged into the air from huge cylinders. The wind carries it over toward our lines. It appears like a huge yellowish-green cloud rolling along the ground. The alarm is sounded and Tommy promptly puts on his gas helmet and laughs at the Boches.
Barbed Wire. A lot of prickly wire entwined around stakes driven in front of the trenches. This obstruction is supposed to prevent the Germans from taking lodgings in your dugouts. It also affords the enemy artillery rare sport trying to blow it up.
Bayonet. A sort of knife-like contrivance which fits on the end of your rifle. The Government issues it to stab Germans with. Tommy uses it to toast bread.
No Man’s Land. The space between the hostile trenches called “No Man’s Land” because no one owns it and no one wants to. In France you could not give it away.