In Their Words

Cpl. Tom Carroll

“Cold and clear. Airplanes active. French observation balloon up this afternoon. Stand to at 5:45. Warmer and starting to rain. Leave at 6 P.M., a four mile hike to our position, packs very heavy. We are slogging thru the mud. Busby and I assigned to a listening post in a clump of bushes in no man’s land, dark as pitch. Queer shadows and sounds. Have box of grenades. We are both scared. At 10 P.M. three Frenchmen show up. One talks English. We are in the wrong place and they take over; we report to company Hdqrs. where the fourth platoon is in support, in a big dugout. All bunks are occupied. Busby and I sit on packs, backs to the wall and try to sleep. About 2:30 A.M. a hellish bombardment starts. John Fondron, outside guard comes in covered with mud caused by bursting shells. Wasn’t hurt. Barrage lasts fifty minutes. As soon as it lifts, Schussler, company bugler comes in, tells the platoon to report to Co. Hdqrs. Lots of excitement at Hdqrs. Lt. McLaughlin in a daze. Lt. Erickson comes in with hand bandaged. Hand burned when he lit a flare, calling for French artillery support. Co. Commander orders the fourth platoon to take over the front from the first. I arrive at front line position with Corporal Killen. Homer Given is leaning against post, bleeding from very small wounds, right side of neck to waist. Start helping him to rear. He’s a big man. Very heavy to drag thru mud filled trenches. Meet four guys with a stretcher and they take him. Go back to front line, and find Gresham lying dead on the fire step. His feet are in the trench. He is shot in the face and neck. Still warm and limber when Killen and I pick him up. I have him under the arms, Killen has his feet. He is too heavy for us to carry in that position, so I put one of his arms around my neck and around my shoulder. Killen still has his feet and legs. Very foggy morning, so we take him up on top of trench. The fog hides us from the Boche. We go a short way and meet two other men with a stretcher, so we put him on it and the four of us carry him back to Co. Hdqrs.”

Entry of November 2nd, 1917 from the diary of
Cpl. Tom Carroll, 16th Inf., Co. F

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