The Germans stood up and turned their machine-guns on our men.

Then the officer next in command went over to see what had happened, and, finding my son dead, gave the order to advance.
Suffering heavy casualties, the men charged with determination and took the trench, completely routing the enemy.

When the battalion was relieved the dead had to be left unburied, but several men volunteered to go and get my son's body.

This I would not hear of, for the fighting was still severe, and I did not believe in living men risking their lives to bring out the dead.

I looked far over into the murky distance, where I saw long ridges of brown land, now wet with a drizzling rain, and thought how gloriously consecrated was that soil, and how worthy to be the last resting place of those who had died for their country.