Rev. W. Benton 219 



exciting. I badly wanted to find our guns and get the O.C. 

 to allow me to relieve the gun-layee (being an old hand with a 

 first-class gunnery instruction certificate) for a little, and help 

 to get some of our own back, but the other chaps had not been 

 under gunfire before and so we retired as rapidly as possible. 

 I heard a J.J. coming over during our retirement and went down 

 flat on my tummy in some soft mud and got very dirty. I 

 presented rather an undignified appearance for a parson. 



" However, here we are safely back and retiring some twenty 

 miles to-morrow. I would not have gone had any of us known 

 the danger, but now that it is over I would not have missed the 

 experience for anything. 



" I am dog-tired. . . . My CO. is here ordering me to bed." 



Finding he was not allowed in the front trenches with the 

 men, Mr. Benton asked to be allowed to take a combatant 

 commission so that he could fight and carry on his work as 

 Padre at the same time and be with the men in their most 

 anxious and strenuous moments. Writing to his people at this 

 time he says, " There are plenty of chaplains but a great 

 dearth of experienced officers," and he thought he could be more 

 useful as a soldier, having had previous experience. He then 

 continues, " I have seen the Archbishop of Canterbury, and 

 though he does not approve, he does not condemn my action." 



With the permission of the Ecclesiastical authorities, Benton 

 received his commission as a lieutenant in the Manchester 

 Regiment in April, 1915, and was at once made Brigade Sniping 

 Officer. In six weeks he was promoted to Captain, and was 

 exceedingly popular with both officers and men. In September 

 he was wounded, and the following letter will show how he 

 broke the news to his wife so as to give her no shock. 



" Just a line to let you know I'm quite all right. ... I got 

 a bullet in my left forearm yesterday, but it did no damage. 

 I went into a main station and had it taken out. They had to 

 cut about one and a half inches deep. However, I am back to 

 my work all right. The General came round and saw me this 

 morning. I am just going to have a good dose of morphia and 

 go to sleep for a bit. I think I got the fellow who hit me. I 

 could not reach him with my rifle, so got the artillery officer to 

 bring in five rounds of high-explosive shell — and he went up ! 



