Lee Enfield Monologue
So, for one last time…I remember.
It was just after noon, the dark and murky sky stared down upon us. The Germans had bombarded our position, nearly wiping out our right flank and centre machine gun nests. Defenceless from our sides since the focus was on our front line; the shortest part of No Man's Land. I felt the cold steel of my gun next to the worn out custom birch wood frame I had made for my own Lee Enfield back in England. I heard a whistle from the Germans as I dug into the blood-stained trench. The shattering impact of a nearby bomb echoed in my head, accompanied by cracks of gunfire as bullets whistled through the sky. Brave men that had stood by my side now lay lifeless on the ground around me. Fellow soldiers began to huddle …show more content…
Through tiny gaps, I managed to make out a squadron of German tanks advancing into the battlefield. The sight came crashing down on me from towering heights. We were beleaguered. They had us pinned down. The words of prayer echoed around the trenches, “Our Father, Who art in heaven Hallowed be Thy Name…” We cowered. Did our worn torn faces foreshadow our defeat?
I did not want to die amongst the screams of my comrades.
If I was to die, it would be in the honour of my country, the honour of my family. There was only one choice - break ranks or close ranks. Fumbling through the thick cloud of smoke, I found my belt and weapons; this would be the last time I would see the world. The others simply stared. I ignored them just as I had ignored the pleads of my family. My left foot slipped off the third rung of the ladder into No Man’s Land. I steadied myself only to hear the sounds of men regrouping, war ready, with weapons held high above their chests. Retreat we would not. I clutched my Lee-Enfield to my chest and felt the spare magazines in my ammunition pouches. With the image of my loved ones faces encouraging me, I leapt from the trenches into the relentless gunfire.
So, for one last time…I
It was just after noon, the dark and murky sky stared down upon us. The Germans had bombarded our position, nearly wiping out our right flank and centre machine gun nests. Defenceless from our sides since the focus was on our front line; the shortest part of No Man's Land. I felt the cold steel of my gun next to the worn out custom birch wood frame I had made for my own Lee Enfield back in England. I heard a whistle from the Germans as I dug into the blood-stained trench. The shattering impact of a nearby bomb echoed in my head, accompanied by cracks of gunfire as bullets whistled through the sky. Brave men that had stood by my side now lay lifeless on the ground around me. Fellow soldiers began to huddle …show more content…
Through tiny gaps, I managed to make out a squadron of German tanks advancing into the battlefield. The sight came crashing down on me from towering heights. We were beleaguered. They had us pinned down. The words of prayer echoed around the trenches, “Our Father, Who art in heaven Hallowed be Thy Name…” We cowered. Did our worn torn faces foreshadow our defeat?
I did not want to die amongst the screams of my comrades.
If I was to die, it would be in the honour of my country, the honour of my family. There was only one choice - break ranks or close ranks. Fumbling through the thick cloud of smoke, I found my belt and weapons; this would be the last time I would see the world. The others simply stared. I ignored them just as I had ignored the pleads of my family. My left foot slipped off the third rung of the ladder into No Man’s Land. I steadied myself only to hear the sounds of men regrouping, war ready, with weapons held high above their chests. Retreat we would not. I clutched my Lee-Enfield to my chest and felt the spare magazines in my ammunition pouches. With the image of my loved ones faces encouraging me, I leapt from the trenches into the relentless gunfire.
So, for one last time…I