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The Sacrifice
â Å“We're not making a sacrifice. Jesus, you've seen this war. We are the sacrifice.â ?
-Sons of Ulster
A hundred years ago today, Lorne A. Higgs celebrated his 10th birthday. He did not know that eight years later, he would be caught in the greatest battle of the greatest war. He grew up on a small little farm just south of Quebec. His father, a successful cotton merchant, encouraged Higgs to study law. Higgs was not interested in anything, however. In school, he would slack off and day dream about fighting, guns, and bombs. Many of his dreams were of war and excitement, crossing enemy lines, blowing up trenches, invading hills. Higgs would soon realize that his perspective of war was wrong.
It was a sunny day on August 4, 1914 and Higgs was just walking around in Quebec when the town crier shouted â Å“Kaiser Wilhelm II declares war on Britain and its allies!â ? You can probably guess what Higgs did then. He ran straight to the enlistment office and wrote Lorne A. Higgs under â Å“No.3 Company, Infantryâ ? A few days later he found himself training and learning foot drills, shooting drills, and trench warfare. It was challenging at first, but Higgs never regretted his decision to enlist; he loved and treasured every moment of it. On October 3, 1914, he joined the largest force to ever cross the Atlantic, and entered Britain.
No. 3 Company was assigned Salisbury Plain. Higgs grew restless and muddy as he waited for what seemed like forever. Salisbury Plain seemed to be covered by rain everyday and mud was in abundance. Some of his friends left without permission, sometimes returning a month later. After many months of waiting, the First Canadian Division disembarked to France in the beginning of February, 1915. Higgs did not see much action, mainly just sitting in a trench. This was not the way he pictured war.
In the middle of April, he thought his dream had come true. He was situated with No.10th Company, No. 14th Company, and No. 3 Company in the north of St. Julien, near Ypres, after relieving the French. In the afternoon of April 22, Higgs heard a noise whiz by, followed by an explosion. Several more explosions followed and Corporal Wauchope shouted â Å“Artillery Barrage! Take Cover...â ? so he grabbed his rifle and held it above his head. Dirt, debris, shrapnel all flew at him. It did not hurt though, except for the shrapnel. Shrapnel dug into his left calf, a tearing sound emitted, and a stinging pain sliced through him. This was not what he had planned in his mind. He did not want to feel pain.
Suddenly, the barrage stopped. No more shells, no more dirt, no more sounds; just an eerie silence. Why had the Germans stopped? Why did the artillery stop firing? Were the Germans going to invade? These questions ringed in Higgs' head, bouncing around like a ball. He was covering the right flank and he heard a distant noise coming from the west. â Å“Gas! Gas!â ? He could not believe it, the Germans were using gas. (According to a previous Geneva Convention, gas was banned from military uses) He quickly ran for his gas mask and shouted the alarm to everyone. This was really getting out of hand.
A yellow cloud floated from the left of Higgs. Curses! Higgs had left his gas mask in the barracks. No time to get it, its located in the left flank. Higgs thought for a moment, looked at the cloud, looked at his rifle, and listened to the sounds. Coughs and choking sounds could be heard, muffled by foot steps. Classical, we are weak, so they invade. I've got to help them. He grabbed his rifle, and pulled his tunic over his mouth and ran straight towards the left flank. He was going to be a hero if he could save those men from total invasion. One German to the right, a sharp crack and he was down. Higgs caught him off guard with his Ross Rifle. Through the network of trenches he ran, coughing and choking. I can't help them, we lose. I've got to create a diversion, invade the weakened German trenches. With a slight push Higgs lifted himself over the slit trench and into no man's land. Rush, I must. He started a sprint towards the trenches; he could hear bullets flying by. For a moment he stopped in front of the barbed wire, than something hit him.
He could not hear anything anymore, he could only see. He saw in his eyes the fear of his comrades, the fear of the invaders, the nervousness of his attackers, the nervousness of his comrades, the sadness in his comrades, and the will to survive in their eyes. He then realized war was not fun and some had to pay the ultimate sacrifice; their lives. For an event caused not by them, these men had given something up that was rightfully theirs. Their supposed enemies had to pay the same price too, the enemies were like them. Their enemy was not Germany; it was the war itself. Everyone who fought was not trying to kill each other; they were just trying to survive. It is far too easy to forget our elders were once filled with dreams and determination to live a good life, only to be thrust wholly into an uncompromising situation. Higgs had now realized his perception of war was completely wrong; he thought war was fun. But it was too late, many only realize this when it is too late; when their time is about to end.
Yes, I wrote this. Also, this is not a stereotype of anyone! It's just my perspective on war a few years ago (of course that was when I was 9). Also, excuse me for any errors, historical or whatever, because I am only in Gr.7. Could you give me some feedback on the morals of this story (like if there could be a better moral, the moral is not true...etc) and also do you have any future plots? Thanks alot.
P.S. This is the story I worked hardest on.
A Band of Brothers
We've climbed our hills.
We've fallen down holes,
We've fought our battles,
Yet still we hold.
We are more than friends,
We are more than told,
We stick together,
Till we all turn old.
We've fought each other,
But we maintain our friendship,
Working together,
To get over hardships.
We're like a country,
We're like soldiers,
Protecting each other,
From kids that are older.
There's no more to say,
We are different from others,
Maybe like the 101st,
We are a Band of Brothers.
How's this one? Is it like how you guys view your comrades? I've always found it hard to comprehend what soilders feel, but I try my best.
â Å“We're not making a sacrifice. Jesus, you've seen this war. We are the sacrifice.â ?
-Sons of Ulster
A hundred years ago today, Lorne A. Higgs celebrated his 10th birthday. He did not know that eight years later, he would be caught in the greatest battle of the greatest war. He grew up on a small little farm just south of Quebec. His father, a successful cotton merchant, encouraged Higgs to study law. Higgs was not interested in anything, however. In school, he would slack off and day dream about fighting, guns, and bombs. Many of his dreams were of war and excitement, crossing enemy lines, blowing up trenches, invading hills. Higgs would soon realize that his perspective of war was wrong.
It was a sunny day on August 4, 1914 and Higgs was just walking around in Quebec when the town crier shouted â Å“Kaiser Wilhelm II declares war on Britain and its allies!â ? You can probably guess what Higgs did then. He ran straight to the enlistment office and wrote Lorne A. Higgs under â Å“No.3 Company, Infantryâ ? A few days later he found himself training and learning foot drills, shooting drills, and trench warfare. It was challenging at first, but Higgs never regretted his decision to enlist; he loved and treasured every moment of it. On October 3, 1914, he joined the largest force to ever cross the Atlantic, and entered Britain.
No. 3 Company was assigned Salisbury Plain. Higgs grew restless and muddy as he waited for what seemed like forever. Salisbury Plain seemed to be covered by rain everyday and mud was in abundance. Some of his friends left without permission, sometimes returning a month later. After many months of waiting, the First Canadian Division disembarked to France in the beginning of February, 1915. Higgs did not see much action, mainly just sitting in a trench. This was not the way he pictured war.
In the middle of April, he thought his dream had come true. He was situated with No.10th Company, No. 14th Company, and No. 3 Company in the north of St. Julien, near Ypres, after relieving the French. In the afternoon of April 22, Higgs heard a noise whiz by, followed by an explosion. Several more explosions followed and Corporal Wauchope shouted â Å“Artillery Barrage! Take Cover...â ? so he grabbed his rifle and held it above his head. Dirt, debris, shrapnel all flew at him. It did not hurt though, except for the shrapnel. Shrapnel dug into his left calf, a tearing sound emitted, and a stinging pain sliced through him. This was not what he had planned in his mind. He did not want to feel pain.
Suddenly, the barrage stopped. No more shells, no more dirt, no more sounds; just an eerie silence. Why had the Germans stopped? Why did the artillery stop firing? Were the Germans going to invade? These questions ringed in Higgs' head, bouncing around like a ball. He was covering the right flank and he heard a distant noise coming from the west. â Å“Gas! Gas!â ? He could not believe it, the Germans were using gas. (According to a previous Geneva Convention, gas was banned from military uses) He quickly ran for his gas mask and shouted the alarm to everyone. This was really getting out of hand.
A yellow cloud floated from the left of Higgs. Curses! Higgs had left his gas mask in the barracks. No time to get it, its located in the left flank. Higgs thought for a moment, looked at the cloud, looked at his rifle, and listened to the sounds. Coughs and choking sounds could be heard, muffled by foot steps. Classical, we are weak, so they invade. I've got to help them. He grabbed his rifle, and pulled his tunic over his mouth and ran straight towards the left flank. He was going to be a hero if he could save those men from total invasion. One German to the right, a sharp crack and he was down. Higgs caught him off guard with his Ross Rifle. Through the network of trenches he ran, coughing and choking. I can't help them, we lose. I've got to create a diversion, invade the weakened German trenches. With a slight push Higgs lifted himself over the slit trench and into no man's land. Rush, I must. He started a sprint towards the trenches; he could hear bullets flying by. For a moment he stopped in front of the barbed wire, than something hit him.
He could not hear anything anymore, he could only see. He saw in his eyes the fear of his comrades, the fear of the invaders, the nervousness of his attackers, the nervousness of his comrades, the sadness in his comrades, and the will to survive in their eyes. He then realized war was not fun and some had to pay the ultimate sacrifice; their lives. For an event caused not by them, these men had given something up that was rightfully theirs. Their supposed enemies had to pay the same price too, the enemies were like them. Their enemy was not Germany; it was the war itself. Everyone who fought was not trying to kill each other; they were just trying to survive. It is far too easy to forget our elders were once filled with dreams and determination to live a good life, only to be thrust wholly into an uncompromising situation. Higgs had now realized his perception of war was completely wrong; he thought war was fun. But it was too late, many only realize this when it is too late; when their time is about to end.
Yes, I wrote this. Also, this is not a stereotype of anyone! It's just my perspective on war a few years ago (of course that was when I was 9). Also, excuse me for any errors, historical or whatever, because I am only in Gr.7. Could you give me some feedback on the morals of this story (like if there could be a better moral, the moral is not true...etc) and also do you have any future plots? Thanks alot.
P.S. This is the story I worked hardest on.
A Band of Brothers
We've climbed our hills.
We've fallen down holes,
We've fought our battles,
Yet still we hold.
We are more than friends,
We are more than told,
We stick together,
Till we all turn old.
We've fought each other,
But we maintain our friendship,
Working together,
To get over hardships.
We're like a country,
We're like soldiers,
Protecting each other,
From kids that are older.
There's no more to say,
We are different from others,
Maybe like the 101st,
We are a Band of Brothers.
How's this one? Is it like how you guys view your comrades? I've always found it hard to comprehend what soilders feel, but I try my best.
