Rats in the trenches

First World War Audio Archive

Rats in the trenches

Transcript

Well that’s where I first got lousy, when I joined a battalion.

Hill 62 Memorial Belgium.

I woke up the next morning. You see, you’d go from house to house See there’s rows of houses and they’ve got to give one room. Every house had to give one room, because we were staying in a place the size of Moose Jaw, the size of Moose Jaw used to be, you know, like. We figured this little town was about the size of

Courtrai Memorial Belgium.

Moose Jaw... Bruay. And I woke up the next morning, you know.

Le Quesnel Memorial Belgium.

There was, I think there was three fellows and the rest of us was in with them. I woke up and I says, “Gee whiz, I got the itch.” I said, “I sure itch.” Fellow says to me, he says, “You’re not

Gueudecourt Memorial France.

that, you’re lousy.” I said, “I’m not lousy.” “Well,” he said, “you sure as hell are now when you sleep with them three guys.” And from then on we were lousy. There is no fooling. You know

Dury Memorial France.

what I mean. You couldn’t get it out of your clothes. Even the identification disks you had on, you know, with string, even the

Monchy Memorial France.

threads of the string, well, you’d get eggs in that damn thing there. We used to change underwear and you’d get just as lousy when you’d get fresh underwear as you did when you... Same at Bruay there. We’d go up to the coal mines and used the showers,

Passchendaele Memorial Belgium.

you know. The miners were at work, we’d use the showers. And they’d give you clean underwear. Just as lousy pretty near as the ones you took off after it’s all been washed. Well, everybody

Masnières memorial France.

had it. Civilians, they were all... but you could try to do the best you could yourself. I’ve seen us put creolin in our clothes, in our sheets, you know, put creolin. They’d leave you

Bourion Wood Memorial France.

tonight and go to the other guy but maybe he’d put some on and they’d all come back. No, but that’s true, that’s no fooling.

Courcelette Memorial France.

You go in the trenches, you know, and you’re in there for seven days. Then you go back about a mile or so on rest and the other half of the battalion goes up for seven days. And you’d do the

Beaumont-Hamel Memorial France.

same thing again, you’d go back again. Seven days, and you’re up at the line for a whole month and you don’t have your clothes off And the rats too, the rats was running over your feet. Boy you could, you’d have your bayonet on, you know, and you just

St. Julien Memorial Belgium.

think you’re going to stab that son of a gun, but no sir, they’re so doggone quick. You get within about that far from them but you’d never get them. That’s no fooling, that’s true.

Canadian National Vimy Memorial France.

Rats in the trenches.

Description

Mr. Featherstone describes a couple of pests which plagued the soldiers in France; lice and rats.

John Stephen “Jack” Featherstone

John Stephen “Jack” Featherstone was born in Oxridge, England, on September 29, 1898. His mother was unable to care for him, so he emigrated to Wolsley, Saskatchewan, at the age of twelve. He was a farm labourer and enlisted March 1, 1916, but being committed to care for the local preacher’s farm, couldn’t report until fall. Mr. Featherstone arrived at Bramshott camp in England, where he was selected for the shooting team. He won a marksmanship competition at Aldershot in June, 1917, and joined the 46th Battalion in November 1917, following Passchendaele. Mr. Featherstone describes action at Vimy and Amiens. Following the war, he returned to farming until 1922, when he joined the Canadian Pacific Railway as a fireman. Forty years later, Mr. Featherstone retired as an engineer and resided in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

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