Page:Breaking the Hindenburg Line.djvu/80

64 They then carried on towards the A.D.S., but came across a tank which had been knocked out and from which they drew a wounded officer and two wounded men, whose wounds they dressed, and then made prisoners carry them also.

Near the St. Quentin Canal, the party had to take cover for some time owing to the intense shelling, and during this time three more of the prisoners were wounded. When again able to go forward, another party of twenty Germans was requisitioned and made to take their turn at carrying the patients.

On arrival at the Bellenglise Tunnel, Private Mosley then round four of our own wounded men and six wounded Germans. He therefore foraged around and discovered a party of thirty more German prisoners, dressed the wounded, improvised stretchers in the same manner as before and once more resumed the road to the dressing-station, which was reached without incident and without further addition to the convoy. This now consisted of twenty stretcher cases and seventy-five unwounded prisoners; quite a large enough command for two full privates of the British Army, and one which proved a source of some embarrassment to the British Field Ambulance attached to the Americans, to whom the command was handed over. A rolling stone may not gather moss, but on this occasion the wandering R.A.M.C. private acted rather on the principle of the snowball rolling downhill through fresh snow, and managed to collect as many prisoners as are normally captured as the result of a successful action of some size. The fact that no attempt at escape was made is a significant comment on the moral of the German prisoners generally, who in all cases showed a marked desire to reach the British cages.

Meanwhile Divisional Headquarters were anxiously