Daniel Desmond Sheehan

“ Whether it is that the donning of the khaki uniform creates a mental metamorphosis I do not know, but the fact undoubtedly is that our men at the front have established a reputation for a humour all their own, and for that quality of “no downheartedness” which carries them cheerily through innumerable “scraps” and “pushes” and through the very real tests and terrors of daily life in the trenches. It is just this capacity for seeing the brighter side of things that makes life in the trenches tolerable. ”

“ But what the men like most is their breakfast, when they have a good strong brew of tea (boiling hot) , sufficient bread and butter, and often an excellent and savoury rasher of bacon. A good thick slice of bread is frequently fried with the rasher, and very appetising and nourishing it is. After breakfast the trench boards are taken up and cleaned, the fire-steps, where the men have been resting, tidied up, and all waste put into rubbish bags to be buried at the back of the trenches by the sanitary squad when it gets dark. ”

“ Before dawn all officers and men are out and at their posts for “Stand to” in perfect readiness for Mister Hun in case he comes over. When the grey of dawn has merged into the full light of day the men stand down, with the exception of the sentries who calmly sit on the fire-steps and observe their front with the aid of periscopes. ”