Vimy Ridge -1914- Soldier Stories - Pegs in the Moonlight

Search for stories and then the name of the battlefield. For Vimy, a Canadian-German battlefield in France, here is one of the sites: http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/story.html?id=e54d3263-a6a3-4af7-a8bf-96bb41b6fb45%20%20

1. The Canadian National Post published an article 1/18/07 entitled, "Soldiers, Snipers and Comedians," a narrative by soldier Jack McLaren about his serious and lighter work in 1914.

Snipers: Stake pounding. McLaren was one to go out of his side of the trenches at night, and pound in as many painted stakes toward the German side as he could, even in front of their trenches. The idea was that, if a German soldier passed in front of the stake, the Canadian sniper would notice the blackout of the stake's reflection, and shoot.

McLaren had a theatrical background, and participated in what sounds like R&R follies - monologues, and vaudeville complete with crossdressing actors n wigs made of ox hair from cottage furniture, and stunts including fake high dives. "Where there's a will, there's a wig," he wrote.

Read more about battle tactics, the course of a fighting day. Men were organized into cadres of 50 - gunners, snipers, stretcher-bearers, machine-gunners, bombers and scouts.

2. There is also a story about the women ambulance drivers at that same site, and the initial obstacles in the way of women participating at all. Then the reliance on them. See "Grace Came To Drive An Ambulance," about Grace MacPherson of Canada, age 19.

3. Slang in WWI - how they talked, see ://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-slang/ww1.htm/ Slang from the trenches.

4. The Third Man Dead. The first to light a cigarette alerted the sniper, when he passed the light to the next man, the sniper could aim, the third man to get the light for his cigarette was hit. See http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-slang/ww1.htm, #264 in the list.