Looking for the water wagon

First World War Audio Archive

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Looking for the water wagon

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Transcript

The first day we arrived from (inaudible) up onto the Pimple at

Three Servicemen riding their bicycles.

Souchez, we were billeted in these Nissen huts. And one of the

Cemetary inside a military camp.

chaps – there’s some pictures in there – Gordon Hoskin was in my

Two soldiers sitting inside a trench line.

platoon and he wanted a drink of water. So, he went out and

Bare trees and craters from shelling.

another chap and I were sitting talking and we were chatting

Soldiers making notes inside a trench.

around there for about an hour and Gordon didn’t come back.

Two soldiers laying on the ground, sharing a cigarette.

So, we thought we’d better go and look for him. So we went down

More craters filled with water.

the road and he’d been looking for the water wagon that is

Flooded trench line.

usually attached to a unit of some kind. When there are a number of men around it, there is always a field kitchen and water tanks

Soldiers wearing their rain coats.

and so on, but there was no sign of any field kitchen or water tank in our neighbourhood at that time. And there was...

Soldiers carrying equipment through thick mud.

we walked down the road about, oh, I suppose half a mile and

Walking along a wet trail.

there was Gordon laying on his stomach beside a shell hole,

Soldier laying against a mound.

just sick as a dog. And I said, “Gordon what happened?”

Photograph of filled in craters and bare trees from battle.

He says, “I took a drink out of this shell hole. I was just dying with thirst.” He says, “Look!” There was a German boot

Lone soldier standing among wet muddy terrain.

with a foot still in it, with a leg still in it, and it made him sick in the stomach. It gives you an idea

Four dead men at the bottom of a big crater.

of some of the rotten things that happened.

Description

Mr. Ellis describes the general shortage of water at the front, and the consequences of drinking water contaminated by dead bodies.

Wilfred Dancy Ellis

Wilfred Dancy “Dick” Ellis was born in Surrey, England, on September 10,1895. Mr. Ellis emigrated to Canada in 1912, joining his parents who had left him in England to finish school. He became active in the local boys club and Home Guard, and finally enlisted in the 4th Division, Canadian Bicycle Battalion, because, in his words, he wanted to preserve his British heritage. This group, nicknamed the “Gas Pipe Cavalry”, was a highly mobile support battalion which could quickly move into reinforcing positions. The events described by Mr. Ellis took place at Vimy. In addition, he was wounded at Lieven on the Lens Front. After the war, Mr. Ellis wrote a Battalion history entitled, Saga of the Cyclists in the Great War, 1914-1918. He was employed with the Bank of Commerce for 48 years and involved with the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires. Mr. Ellis died, aged 100, on August 14, 1996, leaving behind his wife of 75 years, Gladys (nee Loram), and two children.

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