TWO WAR BOOKS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2776, 20 May 1916, Page 9

TWO WAR BOOKS

"FROM MONS TO YPRES WITH FRENCH." Those who were to listen to Mr. Frederic Coleman's lectures on the war, recently delivered in this city, will doubtless remember ',the lecturer's remark that his expediences at the front might very ',u;ell' ,furnish material for a good half-dozen separato lectures, in,: none; ofwhich' need 'there be any . repetition.' Tlio truth, of the remark may be seen at once"by a peinisal of Mr. Coleman's book, "From ifous to Ypres with /French," ' a copy of which: I ■ have received. frohi-the publishers, .Messrs. ; Sampson "Low; Marstan and Co., London. It is safe to ■ say that if Mr. Coleman's lectures were .interesting, his book is: very much more so; indeed it. stands: in the . very front Ktnk.'of all the many,, works': in which tho splendid. achievements: of the British Army in:-the"earlier'par.t.'of the war have teen described; Mr.' Coleman's position as driver of General Beauvoir de Lisle's motor-car, his personal connection with Smith-Darrien, Allcnby, and other British commanders, and his ten.', months' participation generally in the'work of'tlio British Expeditionary Force in Franca and 'Flanders, afforded him special opportunities for. the display' of -what' ■ are cl.early:• exceptional powers of observation, : memory, and descriptive talent. The result'is a continuous, well [documented, and richly-detailed record or the British Army's work in France and Flanders,- a . book not'only of intense .'topical interest, but ;of "no small -historical value in the future. Not the, least interesting feature of the book' l is its strong personal iii> terest, upt only: the interest which. attaches to' the record |of the 1 authorV.owii experiences, but' that which ,11 possesses in its.many intimate studies and sketches ' of ' tho>actual ''dtiy-ito'- day .experiences of \the, officers end men.' I - have space., only to spare for:, a few extracts, sufficient', however, to give,my, readers an idea'of Mr/ Coleman's quality' as a writer. First, as to the courage and 'determiratioE of the enemy. Let tho Hun re-given his due credit. He . may-be . a barbarian, but-Ke is a brave barbarian.? A convoy of ambulances passes by, filled' with wounded troops of the Bays, and two of their officers.' Asked if'they had seen any.Germans, one of Mieiii replied:— "Loads of 'om;:: :Braver bgßffars jthat ; lot.; TJhree of ue were in a house facing the equaie: Close '.bahind.-us,, a .few yard? down the street, -was our bo rricrwk-.' W«' saw the Germans start another cliajge from .clear ucross the open,. We pumped a few'Toimds into,'em; and r os they'cams on we hooked it for the barricade. Whoii thoso chaps came round the corner where we conld get a pot at' .'em, how many do you think they was? .Just cighll It seem. :ed; a pity- to\'lrill. the,.' plucky mugs'. .Eight .of 'em! Just thinki-of tit. 'j.Charglng' 1 n'. 'as -if thcy -T.'-as whole;danift' army. -I wouldn't mihded takin" .'enr; but -w<i couldn't. ' It. wouldn't: 'a done;...: Besides,,' may be they *wouldn't. 'So'ive'wiped 'em off.".. , "But," he shook his' lie'ad sagely '• as.'iho, climbed aboard ;tho ambulance; ."they wu plucky begßars,-, if they was Gormans. I, don't want to fee: no. pluckier. Theyljro .been killed off like, pigs up. there, in tluit town, and. they, keep on cornin'.;. They, fl&ht stiff, that lot—they fight damni.stitf." Curiously enough, some-,.weeks , after-' -yards; Mr; .Coleman canio across .'a; letter, written by a German officer to a friend in Zurich, ' which paid a counter tribute .to, that trooper and.'his comrades. • After stating that -:the- ingenious emplacement of the English prevented the town (Messines) being carried by storm, the German officer continues:— • : ; We' then-brought-our' heavy artillery'to bear: on '.the:--village,. clearing' ,t.ho--.-path somewhat, and.-eQitblinff-iis tor.move >forward.,.with less, molestation:/from'-*, the enemy's doadly snipers;; Still,' after'ivon two hours''bombardment;' every house'jh'ad to he stormed' 'singly, and, it was well- into the evening before'-the-. place could, be deemed anything liltb : safe. If wo Germans were given to understand foiy . merly. that ■ the ; . English, .'soldiers were not to be, feared,.'.then that-idea inay, now be banished from" our minds, for the general ;opinion: of those who..have fought ogainst ,'thein in these distriots is that one. UngfißhraaH if* more dangerous than any two of the Allies. • Evidently, by'that time, the Germans had. discovered, that the .Kaiser's.,, jeering reference to French's "contemptible little.; army" was a grievous mistake,; As to the superb gallantry of-our' men; officers (Mid. rankers .. alike, almost every chapter contains some simply worded but truly eloquent, tribute,.. Mr. Coleman, for, instance; writing, of: the. struggle;, outside' Ypres;'in<OctOber ; (1914); : 2;,j. 'rThe fighting became mechanical. Men lost , their identity as men. Kank asuiped less importance.' Each atom 'fought, and : fought and fought, until to-fight became as. natural .to', tho : :.6avaged::ffTommy"-as .bi entiling. . No explanation will ever be forthcoming as to why the Germans did not ;win through'' "to* '.Ypres; Time ..after time they won a hole in the lino, blocked by .no reserves, because there were none. Companies faced Brigades of. the advancing enemy, and somehow held them off Never r.;had' so,much killing, .been done., The. dead: seemed,-to'.outnumber, the living ' at timos. Yet the line held, insorne way. It was beyond comprehension: - Here is a graphically written account of how the incomprehensible -thing got done after all. ~-It- was .'outside :Messines l in .the trenohes:-^^:, ]' v . Then thp shells carno.;,/nhe air wan one mass of recding ilasjies'. .-''Shock succeeded 'fibpek, and deadly?.misales fell, like hail-' ast .fl.nd .thick, no iivinn thinp- oould Jfemiiin ' long" untouched; ;bensath y the torrent ot metal that- sprayed over the trenches. Back, came the 9th, .-firing a-s they retreated. Shrapnel followed them every inch of the way. The enemy's gunners never' Ehowed .better marksmanship,: At the edge of Slossihes,' turned, and- with. some., of hi:i 'squadron started back down tho -approach: troncli. One trooper,..who went with him;- said ,to m« later, .',' l. didn't, knov,- where tho Oaptarn was. going, but he,..said, 'Come ou.' It looked; to me as- af- lie was starting off to take the -bally trenches back with a bio--nun pistol.'. Ore'ifell had riwtici-d, tbe enemy were not' advaucing at thi's'particular point, and-had lieard'the storm of fira flom the trench-.aheiid: He knew Eoineone had been left behind, and was still nglitinff hard, so back he went to-'get into the fight. *•' . ■

.lie found the lost trenoh jnomcntarily rewon. -A corporal,in charge of one of .the 9th machme-gun.s had placed a low bush Hboip-it. to hide its position. Wlieu the regiment was ordered, to .retire by Colonel Campbell, the corporal hml stayed in 'the trench with his gun. Waiting until .the flermans were almost upon- him-until some, indeed, _wero- climbing t.ho parapet lot for on his left, and piling into tho trench—he .lpos.ed off his deadly quickfirer. He poured a thousand rounds into the enemy at-such close the execution - was be.yond realisation. Men were mowed down like, grass. The eurpriso of the . manoeuvre . added to its .effective, ness. Leaping back out of the deathtrap. the Germans rushed rearward iii a closo crowd for cover. the machine-gun in the. corporal's deft hands playing on tlioin as they ran.

Hy the time Grenfell reached the trench the had .peppered the corporal and his bit-of'ordnance until tho-gun wao pierced with..'a dozen -Mauser bullets, six or eight of which had punctured its water-jacket and rendered it useless. Not afterwards the corporal pased mo outside ilessiiies. He Was carrying tho tripod of his abandoned gun,-and almost wept as s;e spoke of having had'to leavo it Ufielose. behind him and in the hands of the adjectivcd Germans, who had again come od'in force to the trenob. not to bnJ™ Jy the few of the 9th who: wero leit to face theip. Tin* corporal- was gubsequently awarded a weii•deserved: V.O:

There;: are. scores*of- similar- thrilling stories in this book of Mr.' Coleman's, which I trust may have a large sale in tnis country. A .specially welcoM6>nd at- - tractive'feature of the book"; is its' wealth ot illustrations from photographs taken by tho author.

LEAVES FROM A FIELD NOTE BOOK. So many excellent books - 'on different phases ot the war have appeared lately that it. is impossible for a Harassed reviewer to tip justice.to all of them. A column or more might very well,-for instance, be devoted to. Mr. J. H. Morgan's "Leaves From a Field Note Book" (Maomillim and Co.). The author was for,many months a Home Commissioner with the British Expeditionary Force, his official- duties involving daily visits' io ! 'the headquarters of almost every corps, division, or bri-

gade iu the field, and taking him • moro than, once to the batteri-es and into the trenches. The. sketohes and stories—for many of his - experiences the author has embodied in what' the French call the conte form—of which' this book is composed appeared for. the most part in ' the "Nineteenth Century," "Blackwood," and tho "Westminster Gazette," inhere they, attracted widespread attention, alike by tho freshness and excellence of thoir literary style as by the' interesting cha'racter of the subjects dealt with, Mr. •Morgan is evidently a keen observer and a student of tho psychological side of war. Both of British and French soldiers, as .well as' of tho much harassed French municipal and other civilian officials, he gives us character sketches as sharp and clear as a good dry point etching. A special feature of the book is its insist-' ence upon the difficult and yet most important work done behind the .battlefront, The ; working .of the munitions transport, of the sick and; wounded, the Bed Cross men and their methods ■on the field, the commissariat difficulties, and many other features of war often ignored J)y the war correspondents proper, are dealt with here in a way which'brings home:to the render the multifarious ramifications of the great v,-ar machine.' Mr. Morgan , has. a special gift for character sketching.' Whetner,he be describing how the'--Indians'regard and discuss. the, war, how a French inaire' cleverly outwits the hated Prussians, what happens on a troop train, or the conversation at a-Base medical headquarters, ho always conveys the idea , that those whose talk lie'reproduces / are, : real people, and . not fictional creations,;', There are some ■ grim and terible things in this b»k—for sheer horror tho account of how some of the Wiltshires revenged a horribly maltreated iS'enoh peasant girl could not be cut-done —but there - is also a welcome relief of humour. (N. 7,. price, Cs.) ' : .