This is War [ONC 2021] // Honourable Mention

Chapter Eleven - Daniel

Daniel jogged at a light pace, looking out into the mist that covered the entire grounds that morning. He could hear the heavy breathing of the men behind him and even the occasional sound of someone vomiting by the side of the track. The Captain jogged just in front of him, but Daniel could hardly see him against the mist and instead had to judge their distance from one another by the sound of his footsteps on the track.

They had been woken that morning, earlier than usual, instructed to dress in full uniform and ordered to go on a run before the fog had lifted. Although they had gone on early morning runs every day since they arrived, they had never been this early and it had started to take its toll on some of the other men in the Battalion. Daniel, having spent his entire life on a farm, had always enjoyed the morning starts and relished in the run they went on, no matter how early it may have been.

The Captain led them around the training area and then down to the main assembly point where they would do their drills. Daniel slowed down a stop and rested his hands on the small of his back to catch his breath, sweat dripping down the side of his face. Someone jogged up beside him before quickly having to bend over and empty the bile from his stomach onto the grass.

"Fall in!" the Captain yelled. He gave a short, sharp blow on his whistle. The men scrambled into position, but Daniel didn't move; he didn't need to. "Right! We ordered you on this drill to see how you would cope in low visibility and you did appallingly! Many of you become lost or stopped because you couldn't see the man in front of you. On the battlefield, that would be a death sentence! The only one who managed to stay on course the entire time was Private Morris! All of you will be repeating this drill tonight! Is that understood?"

"Yes, Sir!" the men called out.

"Good! I expect you all to be prepared!" He blew his whistle again. "Fallout!"

"For someone who didn't want to be here, you're showing the rest of us up," George said, catching up to Daniel. The two of them parted from the group and peeled off towards their tent to clean up and have a quick wash before breakfast.

"I like the discipline, it reminds me of being back home."

"Unlike some." George nodded his head behind them to Joseph who was being yelled at for vomiting by the side of the track and on the training area. Many of those who came from wealthier backgrounds struggled with the discipline and hard work of the army.

They walked back to the tent where they spent a few minutes cleaning up their bunks before the group headed towards the wash block for a quick wash. Throughout their morning, Daniel couldn't shake George's comment about how well he had been doing for someone who had never wanted to sign up. Although he struggled at first, particularly when it came to using a bayonet or even shooting a gun straight, he excelled at the more physical aspects of training and, over time, had become used to using a gun or bayonet.

He didn't like to think he had become accustomed to the idea of killing someone because he still didn't think he would be able to do it. Still, he had noticed a distinct difference in his behaviour and overall attitude since training had started and that came from the routine and discipline of army life. Many of the farm boys found themselves excelling in the physical aspect of training along with the regime and discipline element that those who came from wealthier families struggled with.

Even if he didn't like the idea of killing someone, Daniel couldn't help but feel slightly glad that his father had pushed him into signing up. In two months, he felt as though he had become a completely different person from the one he had left behind on the farm. He walked taller, felt stronger and had that feeling of pride that all the other men had talked about wanting when they signed up. Daniel couldn't wait for his first leave so he could return home and be a man his father could be proud of.

"Did you hear?" Tommy asked, running over from another group of men to George and Daniel.

"Hear what?"

"The Belgium and English pulled out of Antwerp yesterday. They've dug in on the Yser river, but about thirty-thousand were captured."

"I thought we had the Huns running scared after Marne and Aisne," George said.

"Apparently not. I overheard the Captain talking to the Lieutenant, most of the army is dug in in Belgium. No one's going anywhere."

"What do you think that means for us?" Daniel asked.

Tommy shrugged. "We might be getting sent out sooner than we thought. If they want this to be over by Christmas, they'll need all the help they can get."

"Home by Christmas, eh? How's that working out?" Daniel asked.

He flung his towel over his shoulder and made his way over to the wash block whilst the others broke out into conversation about where they might end up. They had been told they would have a minimum of three months of training before being sent out to Europe. Daniel expected to be in the training area for another month at least, but with the defeat in Antwerp, they might be shipping out sooner than he wanted.

All everyone had talked about during training was the war being over by Christmas and whilst the initial battles may have swung in their favour, Daniel had a feeling that that was all about to change. Wars were rarely won in a few months and Daniel didn't like their odds with the loss at Antwerp. Daniel felt like he needed the extra month to ensure he would be able to make it onto the battlefield and do the task that was expected of him and not chicken out.

After all that work, he didn't want to be the man to let the Battalion down. 

~~~

First Published - February 22nd, 2021