IN THE FIRING LINE.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2307, 14 November 1914, Page 9

IN THE FIRING LINE.

EXTRACTS FROM OFFICERS' LETTERS "WE HAVE BEEN MAKING HISTORY." Tho following extracts from letters written by officers at the front will be read with interest:— ; A Brigadier writes:—"ln addition to a good deal of fighting of rather a_ desultory'character, we Uave had a little affair which with any troops but the Brigade might not have ended as it did. A night scare, inhabitants. rushing through in panic. I reinforced the exposed half-company with half a battalion. Soon after a crowd of French soldiers and civilians came up to our post calling our 'Vive l'Angleterre,' singing French songs, etc. .Getting close to our men, they made a rush and I tried to seize their rifles. They were closely followed by' a column of the enemy. We realised tho game, bayonetted the first line, then got to work on the column which opened fire with two guns at 100 yards, as well as rifle fire. I brought up a howitzer to shoot 50 yards. The officer commanding the 2nd Battalion Coldstreams (Colonel Geoffrey Feilding), too splendid for worcje. He walked out in front to see where the shell fell, and directed their firing, the most wonderful piece of •bravery I have ever heard of, considering it was under a hot fire of gunß and rifles at under ~100 yards. Eight hundred dead Germans, Guards collectednext day."

Pleased with Tommy Atkins, A Colonel writes: —"I am very well indeed. We have been making history. The regiment was right in the thickest of two big battles i calinot tell you where, but perhaps tho papers have it by this time. 1 was awfully pleased With tile men. We never gave way a

yard till we got definite orders to retire. In the first tight wo were under awful shell tire for, two hours. I reckoned we had 6000 big shells into us, but we had Borne cover, and only lost 258 men. The heat was the worst, thing. After ive came away I had a heat atroko, and remember nothing for two hours. When it was cooler I got quite Well again. , "To'days later-wo had another battle, but did not suffer much. I was ordered by Sir C. Fergusson to take the regiment forward and relieve a brigade that had been broken to bits. We had to go forward through hundreds of wounded. It-was a severe test. I thought

it was all over with the lot of us, but by the grace of God the shelling stopped just as we went forward. We had a dozen shells and lost a, dozen ..men, and Came away in perfect order. Unfortunately after that wo had two'awful marches; the irien dropped down and fell asleep, so we lost some stragglers, but now at last we have got one day's rest, and are pulling ourselves togetheragain. We have no idea what will happen now, -but I hav.o seen a lot of the big people and they seem well content with the situation. Sir J. French came and shook hands with mo and congratulated me-on the achievement. There are guns in the distance now, but hope we shall not be moved, for . the men need'rest."

Weary of Prophesying. The officer commanding a division, in a letter written towards the end of August, says:— ' . "We have had very hard marching and fighting this, week, the 'hardest of. all kinds of i.e., .delaying the; ireniy and withdrawing" We have had

Sj to 1, against us, and they are very energetic in trying to "Sedan" us. So far we have given as good as we have got, but we shan't be happy till we begin to 'move forward. My division had a very rough time on Monday and Wednesday, especially Wednesday, September 2. We had orders to march just as I had written so far-and-1 have had no time since. We began by advancing for/two or .three days to the line of a canal just out of Mons. Then we had a day of pretty hard fighting ; riot very, sefioils, and foil back a few miles at evening to Doue. Next - day we had 'a hard morning's fighting, no difficulties except that we Were ordered to withdraw while we were in the hottost of it, holding on till every one else -had gone, and then getting away ourselves. A. German division struck at our left (outer) flank as we were going back, but we just succeeded in _ avoiding being ripped and got out of it very well. Marched all next day to a position near Le Cateau,.and next morning were told to stand and fight, and very glad we were. The Germans outnumbered us enormously, especially in artillery,'and it was a terriblo shell fire. Hie men stuck it out splendidly, and we could have held on all right, hiid it not been that our guns were knocked out, some of them wiped Out all together. As this made the situation for the infantry hopeless we had to re-; tire; which was done in very good order on the whole. Our losses were very heavy ,as you will know by now. We marched practically all iJiat night, and through next day, nearly 30 miles on end; and since then we have inarched daily about 12 to 15 miles, which means Tvith a division 16 miles long, very hard and long days, and the weather so hot. Desultory fighting most days, and yesterday a bigger one against a lot of cavalry,' who gave us much'anxiety, but got a bad dressing themselves, and we shook them off in the evening. The men are very tired and we are very short of sleep, but the spirit is excellent, and all we want is. a better rest, re-equipping, and our faces turned the right way. We expect a big fight in a day or two, but I am weary of prophesying, and don't-profess to understand it all. I only know that the strain of organising retiromeits every day is very trying. Wo are all very fit and well, if sleepy. I don't think I havo had more than two or three hours' sleep a. day for the last ten days, and aften none at all.. Horses aire feeling it worst ofall, and my poor old mare is worn to a shadow. Must stop. I don't believe they send our letters on, but hope forthe best; ,