The Unknown Warrior

The ground shook him off his feet, his ears ached, his head was in chaos, he felt like an ant being stamped on by a herd of children.

Boom, Boom, Boom

He could barely think, the only words which circled through his head were ‘the great war’ and ‘over by Christmas’ –fat chance. Officer ran up and down the trenches in a flurry, coordinating watches, checking whistles, endlessly cleaning pistols. Pointless. As soon as you cleaned your rifle the barrage would blow you off your feet, more often than not the rifle would be just as dirty as before, too much mud. Not a sign of life other than a flurry of soldiers, ticks and rats mauling the dead at your feet. A rat and tick paradise. Another barrage.

Boom, Boom, Boom

“Raise the ladders” orders were shouted up and down trenches. Soldiers clambering around trying to hold the ladders against the edge of the trench. Others writing fast notes to a wife, a child or friend. Others were laughing and joking trying to disconnect their own realities from the horrors of war. Many of the Officers were given the orders to walk across, discard rifles and carry other objects such as footballs. Only the wise knew of such errors. Another barrage.

Boom, Boom, Boom

*silence*

“Get ready” barked the orders. “Wait for the whistle” shouted others. The adrenaline hit, his heart pumped faster and faster, the blood pounded the inside of his head. A faint murmur of a voice unrecognisable entered his eardrum, German? It couldn’t be, they had been told numerous times the barrage would clear all Germans and barbed wire. ‘A walk in the park’.

*silence*

The adrenaline kept flowing relentlessly, many questioning what they were waiting for. The faint unrecognisable murmur became clearer. Orders were being shouted tens of feet away. It couldn’t be.

“30 seconds… Quick March”

Bloody orders. He looked at the sky, so clear, so beautiful- wondering if he’d ever see it again. A rapid noise of rifles and machine guns being prepared on both sides, this was crazy.

“15 seconds”

He looked into the eyes of a young man, about 20 years old next to a ladder. He saw nothing but fear. No patriotism, no ‘great war’, just fear.
“A whistle broke the silence”

Everyone in the trench clambered towards the ladders. He saw several men refusing to go, being threatened with death on the spot, sheepishly facing their own fears. He clambered the ladder and saw flashes all over the distance, it was the Germans and plenty of them. He heard bullets whizzing past, his comrades dropping like flies.
He forgot orders and charged, past one, past two, past three fallen comrades. The first roar of the charging soldiers ever so slowly dropped in tone. A searing pain ripped into his chest, like a burning hot poker from the Devil himself. He fell and slowly sank in the mud and water, watching other soldiers fall around him. He knew this was the end. With his last gasp of air he managed to manoeuvre himself facing upwards.

How beautiful and peaceful the sky looked, probably the only beautiful thing of God’s created..

The End.

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[edit on 29-7-2006 by Knights]

hello Knights.

a nice peice of work regarding a terrible tradgedy.

My great grandfather survived the somm, so i like to read anything to do with the 'Great war'.

it was once said that our brave soldiers were ' Lions led by donkeys'.

I can recommend an excellent book for you to read if you would like one of the most graphic and moving accounts i have ever read of ww1.

'Bird song' by sebastian Faulks.

Thanks for sharing.

wow... moving... problem i found though was that is was not that descripive. maybe you could be do a second version to kinda illistrate some ideas??

*iam not being igonorent, just thought you'd like some ideas...* lol