The Best 500 Cockney War Stories
Published in London in 1921, The Best 500 Cockney War Stories comprised, in the words of its newspaper publisher (The London Evening News) "a remembering and retelling of those war days when laughter sometimes saved men's reason".
Mine that was His
Just before our big push in August 1918 we were resting in "Tank Wood".
The place was dotted with shell holes, one of which was filled with rather clean water, evidently from a nearby spring. A board at the edge of the hole bore the word "MINE", so we gave it a wide berth.
Imagine our surprise when later we saw "Tich", a lad from the Old Kent Road, bathing in the water.
One of our men yelled, "Hi, Tich, can't yer read?"
"Yus," replied "Tich", "don't yer fink a bloke can 'is own writing?"
Walter F. Brooke (late R.W. Kent Regt.)
141 Cavendish Road, Highams Park, E.4
Thanks to B. Tookey for this contribution
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