Trench Journal - Interview

Letter From: Captain Noel Chavasse

"In a field we met the Regiment we had come to relieve [Glasgow Highlanders]. They had been 48 hours in the trenches without casualty. It came later, because an officer who went a little apart to drink, was hit by a stray bullet in the lung. He was hurried off in a motor looking as if he bled inside, very faint and white but terribly alive… I suddenly heard a horrid hum and whiz close to my ear. I am sorry to say I ducked, and felt considerably startled. As I went on there were more hums, from bullets possibly overhead. I ducked every time. … My stretcher-bearers were more shaken than I was, even, and did not sleep a bit, but sat round a room in silence hating the whole thing. We are all new to it, and I felt very sorry for them…. At first the zip, zip of bullets hitting the sandbags close to one's head was rather disconcerting, then it became just part of the general environment. At one point we had to get past a gate where a sniper lay in wait. I went by doing the 100 well within 10 sec…. We had to rest 5 times while crossing a ploughed field as the Captain was very heavy on the improvised stretcher (2 poles and a greatcoat). On the way I saw a group of 10 dead Frenchmen. Next evening, the men came out of the trenches. The young men were haggard, white, and stooped like old men, but they had done gallantly…. 2 men have lost their nerve…. Two days ago the King inspected us from a motor car, and now we are to go back to the trenches, tomorrow night. We all hate the war worse than we thought we could." 5.12.14
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/worldwarone/soldier/letter04.shtml

Interview:

If I was interviewing Captain Noel Chavasse, I would ask the following questions.
1. Which side were you on, French, German or British?
2. Do you consider yourself a patriot for serving in the war?
3. What was your job details?
4. Will you ever get used to the sound of war?
5. Your letter was beautifully written very detailed, were you an author or a writer before you joined the war?