Over The Top
Twenty minutes into your nap, Lieutenant Jarvis steps inside your dugout and informs you that you are scheduled to be on sentry duty as of 20:00 (or 8pm) with your buddy George.
Sentry duty! The tedious, nerve-wracking experience of sitting in the freezing cold or pouring rain for hours, straining to see, to hear, anything coming from No Man’s Land. Where the snapping of a branch or the howl of the wind could mean a surprise attack by a German patrol or nothing at all. Sentry duty could play havoc with your imagination and set you on edge for weeks. For the most part, however, sentry duty simply entailed countless hours of mind-crushing boredom. Luckily, George would be on hand to keep you company on such a lonely vigil.
Shortly after sunset, you are informed that a group of ten men will be raiding the enemy’s trenches shortly after 23:00 (11pm). You are given a password, “Calgary”, to help identify these men upon their return. Then, a few minutes before 8 o’clock, you and George trudge along to your post and settle yourselves in for the evening.
The darkness overwhelms you as you sit along the firestep, listening for any sounds coming from No Man’s Land. All is quiet, with the exception of a few isolated rifle shots which ring out in the distance. The cold is biting and you stamp your feet to keep warm.
– “Could be worse,” exclaims George, with his hands tucked under his arms, “Could be snowing!”
– “Could be worse,” you reply sarcastically, “Could be shelling!”
The tension of sentry duty is interrupted only by Lieutenant Jarvis, who comes by every now and then to see how the two of you are doing.
– “All quiet, lads?” he asks.
– “Nothing to report, sir!” is the usual reply.
To break the monotony, George occasionally peers over the parapet to inspect the desolate landscape.
– “It’s so black out there, I can’t make out anything!” he says.
– “Keep your head down,” you warn, “Any higher and a German sniper’ll get your number!”
– “Terry!” George suddenly exclaims in a muffled shout, “There’s something out there!”
– “What is it?” you ask.
– “I don’t know. I just saw something moving. In front and slightly to the right.”
You bring you helmet down over your eyes and slowly peek over the parapet. Suddenly, you catch a faint glimmer from the corner of your eye which disappears before you can focus on it. What was it? The reflection of a helmet? A belt buckle? A rifle barrel? What if it was the raiding party returning from its mission? No, that can’t be. It’s not even 11 o’clock yet. What if it was the reflection from an enemy raiding party? Reflection? There’s no moon out, yet you did see something move out there. George looks at you intently.