Humour in the Trenches?

[Retrac]

An entry in the 10th R Fus Diary for June 1916. In the trenches near Berles au Bois

Frequent reports are received that elderly Germans in dark blue uniforms and wearing caps with shiny peaks have been seen opposite leading to the assumption that our opponents in this sector are principally men of middle age. If this is so then they indulge in bursts of rejuvenation not usually prevelant among the aged as the activity of their working parties and artillery retaliation bear witness. Of course it may have occurred to the enemy that a front line trench is an excellent place to exploit an elementary law of nature dealing with the preservation of the young and fit at the expense of the old and worn out.

There are a number of whimsical reflections in the diary which indicate the mood of the author, usually Lt Col White who set up the Battalion.

David