silhouetted against the parados of the trench and it appeared like a
huge monster. You could hardly hear yourself think. When an order was
to be passed down the trench, you had to yell it, using your hands as
a funnel into the ear of the man sitting next to you on the fire step.
In about twenty minutes a generous rum issue was doled out. After
drinking the rum, which tasted like varnish and sent a shudder through
your frame, you wondered why they made you wait until the lifting of
the barrage before going over. At ten minutes to four, word was passed
down, "Ten minutes to go!" Ten minutes to live! We were shivering all
over. My legs felt as if they were asleep. Then word was passed down:
"First wave get on and near the scaling ladders."

These were small wooden ladders which we had placed against the
parapet to enable us to go over the top on the lifting of the barrage.
"Ladders of Death" we called them, and veritably they were.

Before a charge Tommy is the politest of men. There is never any
pushing or crowding to be first up these ladders. We crouched around
the base of the ladders waiting for the word to go over. I was sick
and faint, and was puffing away at an unlighted fag. Then came the
word, "Three minutes to go; upon the lifting of the barrage and on the
blast of the whistles, 'Over the Top with the Best o' Luck and Give
them Hell.'" The famous phrase of the Western Front. The Jonah phrase
of the Western Front. To Tommy it means if you are lucky enough to
come back, you will be minus an arm or a leg. Tommy hates to be wished
the best of luck; so, when peace is declared, if it ever is, and you
meet a Tommy on the street, just wish him the best of luck and duck
the brick that follows.

I glanced again at my wrist-watch. We all wore them and you could