Page 72 - KBHA Bulletin 11

69

“IN A DUNGEON OF SMOKE”

Private Johann Otto, in a letter to his mother (Mrs. Otto, St.
James), writes:-
Though we were for a week in a continual dungeon of
smoke, our boys behaved splendidly; they worked and fought
until weariness quite overpowered them. Some of our boys
were so tired that they stood sound asleep with their rifles at
the shoulder. The enemy made many fierce rushes, and at one
time we were shooting them at a range of ten to fifteen yards.
Their casualties must have been enormous, and, though ours
were about half theirs, I dread to think what the shock will be
when Cape Town gets the news. ---- and I are the only two
left out of our section, the others are either killed or wounded,
as they did not answer to their names at roll-call. How I got
through everything untouched will always be a miracle to me.
Half-dazed by shell-fire and enraged at seeing your
pals lying motionless round you, you simply carry on with
murder in your heart, and I now realise the truth about men
going half mad when in the thick of the fight. I think this
fight is likely to take its place in history. The papers here
can’t speak enough of the South Africans and the way they
behaved.

BURIED THREE TIMES

Maxim Gunner O. Struck of Kalk Bay, who was a
member of the Cape Peninsula Rifles, and was in the Delville
Wood fight, writes to his mother (Mrs. Coldrey, of Kalk
Bay):-
“It’s not much ‘cop’ being a maxim gunner in this
Big Push, because they are always picked out by the enemy.”
He goes on to say that the shells are falling round
them day and night, and one shell killed four of the men at
his gun. “Fortunately, I was buried, but had to scratch myself
out, being the only one left after the explosion. My gun being
blown 30 feet into the air, I had to report to another. But just
as I arrived it also was sent ‘on leave.’ I then had to go back
and report myself to the officer in charge. He being a decent
sort gave us a tot of rum and some cigarette to buck us up, as
we had had no sleep for a few days. The only injuries I
received were a sprained wrist and some hits of shrapnel in
my shoulder. After that we had our turn at the Huns, bombing