Skegness Magazine

First Skegness Territorial Goes Into War Action

Hat and Shovel Semaphore
How a Skegness Territorial Signalled a “Bull”

In a letter to his parents, Private James (Jim) Giles, Machine Gun Section, 5th Lincolns, who is “doing his bit” “Somewhere in France” says:-

“I am the first Skegness Territorial to go into action. The Company to which I belong went in last night. We had then done our 21 hours. We are out now for 21 hours, and going back at 7.30 for another 21.

The Germans gave us a warm reception when we mounted our gun yesterday (Palm Sunday). A German put a bullet through a periscope I had in my hand. I signalled him a bull’s eye with my hat on a shovel, and he waved a shovel back. They are splendid shots with a rifle.
“It is very cold at night. We had a fire in a bucket and flames went up over the trench top, and they (the Germans) let go all night at them.
We are only a hundred yards from their trench and can hear them talking and coughing at night when things are still. We watch them shell our aeroplanes in daytime. They waste a tremendous amount of ammunition over them. I cannot think that they are short of ammunition. They fire many more shots out of the trenches than we do.

“We are having lovely weather in daytime drying things up nicely, which is needed very much. Our section have India rubber boots for the trenches.”

Source: Skegness, Mablethorpe and Alford News 1915