In this continuation of a letter to his family in Thurso David Barrogill Keith describes his first taste of action. He relates – remarkably in a letter to his mother – shooting a German soldier, burying the bodies of British soldiers who had been killed on the first day of the Battle of Loos (back on 25th September) and driving away an enemy night attack with “bombs”, which was the word for grenades in the First World War.
A constant theme is the lack of sleep. This was not only down to the constant noise. In his autobiography DB Keith explains that the soldiers who his company relieved had told them that a German had slipped into their trench one night and slit the throats of several sleeping men (a detail he evidently decided not to relate to his family back home).
The letter concludes by saying that he has now been made adjutant of the Battalion, a position that should expose him to less danger in future.
Dated: 4 November 1915, 10th Cameronians, B.E.F.
Here we resided in a gorgeous dugout once the pride of a German officer, a spring mattress, tables, chairs, wooden walls, everything excellent & at the side a door to another compartment with a cupola in it of 1½” steel with snipers’ windows which could be opened & shut. The Bosch does nothing by halves. Later I found another dugout where he had electric light. Really the conveniences of war sometimes are nice. But the awfulness of never taking clothes off, always on the alert, never sleeping or sleeping but little makes one soon tired. After a day or two again I moved forward still further till I was only 20 yards from the Genial Bosch in his trench. Here, as you may imagine I did not sleep, nor was there any hole in the wall into which I could creep did I so desire. It rained all day & all night & I waited there for the dawn right thro’ the night, watching the parapet of the Bosch. Dawn at last, & with it I scour the trench opposite with my glasses & in the dim light observe a too venturesome German who I send away I think in an ambulance. He was not far away. He was still. He offered a good target. I am a passing shot. I took my time & he disappeared.
Daytime it was not bad at all especially getting dry. Night again & again anxiety – & an attack. About midnight or 1 a.m. the Bosch & his bombers crept up & we blazed like billy oh & he didn’t reach our trench! After that quietness, but eternal watching.
Then I went back to 100 yards from the Bosch & had a decent sleep & rest, what time he expended many shells which we received with fatalistic contempt.
Some days later we were relieved & toddled thro’ mud & mud & mud, thro’ narrow trenches, over hanging wire, & watery roads to the musical accompaniment of shells shells shells.
Our turn in the trenches was exciting. With the Bosch only 30 yards away we often indulged not indeed in chucking stones or mud but in pushing some bombs over – a job at which I have now had actual experience tho’ not I fear to the material damage of our enemy however much to his mental discomfort. One afternoon I went & threw a few at him & he threw more back so we shut up.
At another part of our line we have heaped sand bags. The Bosch 15 yards away along the same trench has done ditto. Both sides have loopholes & each looks with interest thro’ these iron holes to see how the other is behaving. The Bosch indeed asked us over to tea on more occasions than one – an invitation neither accepted nor reciprocated.
With it all, all the hardships & all the danger of which latter curiously enough one feels little except when one is lonely, it is a great & strenuous & topping life. Really it is great. Everything is against you; it is man & ingenuity against nature & climate with a dash of venomous Bosch. I was out burying some people too & thought nothing of it. My first day in the trenches I was watching the enemy over the dead body of an ESSEX man lying on our parapet. Later when close to the Germans the trenches smelt horribly in places of dead Bosch. Yet one does not mind, tho’ after a bit one looks forward for the day when one gets back to dry land & billets. The rain is very bad.
We return to the trenches to relieve I think George & his brigade one day quite soon. Perhaps I may have time to write again.
I have got lots of parcels from you which were excellently opportune. I got one from Tiny. It’s awfully jolly getting these things & makes life somewhat better than eternal salt bully beef.
You will be pleased to hear I am now Adjutant of this Battalion. It means extra pay & possibly more comfort & less danger with enough to obtain my share of honour. I go of course to the firing line as usual but no patrols or visiting sentries etc. while things are humming. I only sit at the phone & talk talk talk. I believe the gazette will come out sometime this year if War Office take their usual efficient celerity. It means however a stop to my promotion but it’s better to take it & chance getting something out of it. At present till the gazette comes out I am of course only acting Adjutant.
I hear about father going to see Sir A [Sir Archibald Sinclair]. I hope everyone is very well & that Ed is good & going to be a soldier!
It may surprise you but there are indications to my opinion that the war will be over within about 3 months.
Hoping everyone is quite well, with love to all
From
DB Keith
[Caithness Archive Centre reference P38/10/11; the next letter from DB Keith will be published tomorrow, 6 November]
