The "Look-Out" Man, by Frederic Villiers (1851–1922). 1915. Source: Villiers 37.
In another sketch of life in the trenches, Villiers shows the discipline and tension of the soldiers in front-line trenches:
The trench sentry who had to watch with vigilant eye for a possible sortie from the German trench opposite was always made as comfortable as could be. He must not miss the slightest movement of the foe. And in the early days of the war, he was the one to notify the coming of the poison gas clouds. He was always placed under a rough canopy of timber and canvas to keep off the rain, and his feet were placed in a tub full of dry straw to keep them warm. Both men and officers, passing during this period of duty, hushed their voices as they approached him and passed in dead silence so that his observation of the enemy sector should not in the slightest degree be disturbed. [35]
The intense concentration of the look-out, the preparedness of the soldier nearby, the detail — the tub, with straw scattered round it — are all captured here. War exacts its wretched toll not only in the heat of battle but in the constant sense of danger and threat of action that precede it.
Scanned image and text by Jacqueline Banerjee. [You may use the image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned it, and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Bibliography
Villiers, Frederic. Days of Glory: the sketch book of a veteran correspondent at the front. New York: George H. Doran, 1920. Internet Archive, from a copy in the State Library of Pennsylvania. Web. 27 April 2025.
Created 28 April 2025