BEHIND THE LINES

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2881, 20 September 1916, Page 6

BEHIND THE LINES

NEWS FROM GENERAL RUSSELL

WHAT OUR MEN ARE DOING Tho Defence Minister has received a letter from General Godley conveying a littlo news of our troops, chiefly in a- report (enclosed) from Major-General Russell. ■ General Godley tells of thb visit of tho New Zealand Parliamentarians. These visitors, ho writes, appeared to enjoy themselves. Some of them wont forward into the trenches, and wero actually shot over a, littlo. General Russell states that when the division went to Franco, the infantry, as part of ilie'ir training, wore put through a gas cloud with helmets on, in order that they might bo accustomed to gas attacks. They were also given experience of the effect of tear-produc-ing sholls. "By day," ho writes, "our artillery is constantly active, shelling movements observed on roads in rear of enemy lines, suspected enemy headquarters, communication trenches, and other tender spots, also in retaliating upon enemy trenches for any shelling of our own. By night our artillery activity continues. By night our infantry are engaged in constantly patrolling 'No Man's Land,' between our trenches and tho enemy's lines, tho extent of which varies from 200 or 300 yards to 50 or 60 yards in one or two places." The Ambulance Corps have had manyduties. Besides their purely ambulance work they have had to do all manner of sanitary duties. General Russell says they have worked as inspectors, road sweepers,- destructor hands', and at the divisional baths and laundry. They have greatly assisted the civil population, evacuating the civilian sick and wounded of the town to • the hospitals in rear as directed by the French authorities. The Sanitary Section has taken over all the sanitary municipal services—water supply, drainage, street cleaning, destruction of refuse, evacuation of cases of infectious disease, inspection of dairies and food shops, disinfection of promises and clothing, the provision of hot baths. The section also supervises tho washing of all underclothing for the division. At tho divisional baths the number of bathers for tho month of June was 36,483, an 1 average of 1300 per day. The number of garments washed was 229,191. Tho strength of tho Sanitary Section is one officer and 71 men. The division has had good, liealth, but an epidemic of German measles and mumps has reduced the number of effectives. All the diseases of the Mediterranean are now practically non-existent among the men. Tlie casualties for May and Juno wore: —Killed: Officers, 8; other ranks, 113. Wounded: Officers, 31; other ranks, 703. Missing:!.