THE "SECOND LUTE"

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 12, 9 October 1917, Page 6

THE "SECOND LUTE"

, ' —' —* ' HIS " LITTLE BIT "IN THE WAR LEADERS v "OVER THE TOP' (By T. Elias.) (Circulated by the Koyal Colonial Insti tuto, by authority of the AVar Office.) They are called "second lutes" or "om star merchants," or some such chaffim name, but itis they who bear the brum of the ivork in the firing line. There an several thousands of them doing •.theii duty day by day and month by inontl in tho obscurity of the trenches. Thoj are tho officers who actually lead tho attacks. Upon their resolute example th( success or failure of all operations, large or small, hangs. However brilliant ; contemplated attack (and they aro all brilliant on paper), whatever prepare* tions havo been made to ensure success, however terriblo tho preliminary havoc of the guns, it is the second lieutenanl with his platoon, who, by the vigour oi his leadership, clinches the victory; or ; if he fails, can wreck the whole plan. Too little is known of tho sterling stuff of the second lieutenant. It is peculiar],! English to direct the eyes of the world t.n the downy fluff struggling for existence on liis upper lip, to his resplendenl wardrobe, and his lova of a "good time' when ho is home on leave, and yet t< keep a kind of sacred silence about hit soldierly spirit in battle, his unselfishness and freedom from alarm under an artillery bombardment, his tenacity through trying operations, and his readiness foi self-sacrifice. Nor can youi get a glimpst of him as he is at work from his own manner and speech. It is true that h< glows with enthusiasm for his present mission of "strafing the Bochc." Bui even parental intimacy cannot break down tho barrier of his silence if tin conversation turns to the routine of trench warfare and the events of battle. And should he speak ho prefers to speak of himself in tho stylo and metaphor of the sporting journalist. Brother officers alone can explain tho psychology of this boy turned soldier. They know, as he knows of them, that his one great dosim is to snatch a good innings out of his game of hunting down the Hun, whether fate shall "bring him the fame of a Victoria Cross as his reward, or the wooden cross of the battlefield. To-live a day of the life of a second lieutenant in tho front line would numb the senses of his elders and on occasions make their blood ran cold. Every 24 hours ho a6ks himself a hundred questions: Aro all my rifles clean and at their proper place on the firo step? Is all my ammunition clean? Do the men know where the reserve ammunition is? Aro all the gas helmets fit for use? Havo the men got them ready? Are the Lewis and machine-guns clean and properly manned? Do tho men know their targets? Have „ they a plentiful supply of ammunition?' Are all the bombs (ready, oiled and cleaned? Is tho trench clean and sanitary? Are the drains running easily? What action do I take if I am raided? Do my men know? How am 1 going to counter-attack? Do my men know? How do I communicate with-my Battalion Headquarters? How do I communicate with the guns? Are p'.y men properly fed? Havo they had proper rest? Have their socks been changed and their feet rubbed and oiled? Are the sentries at their posts? These are but a few. His notebook contains the rest, and woo to him if ho is found forgetting' any. But this is only a part of his day's routine. Every 24 hours' he supervises work on new trenches and improve-" ments, and takeg his turn as officer of the watch in his company. At night he takes some of his men over the parapet into No Man's -Land to inspect and strengthen his wire entanglements, and frequently leads a fighting patrol into the darkness to track down enemy patrols. In the morning he is met along his trench, heavy-eyed through lack of sleep in a cramped dug-out, but alert and lively for all that. No hardship or privation woidd damp his 'ardour. Ho is first and foremost an example to bis men. He is full of enterprise in a fight. There are many tales to show that. Here is • one of them: —ln one of the battles of the Sommo tho Germans -drove in a British advance post protecting a wood, and in the evening captured tho whole wood. A second lieutenant was quick to appreciate-tho situation, mustered some men and a Lewis gun, end immediately counter-attacked. Thero was no target except the thick foliago which concealed the enemy. But right had come, and ho knew how to make the most of night. The din amid the trees Df one Lewis gun and a dozen rifles sounded in the ears of the defenders like the advance df a battalion. They broke and fled, and tho subaltern with his' little band captured 80 prisoners and several machine-guns. ■' When he gave his colonel an account of this exploit he said (and this was all): "I knew it would be a soft job. It needs some nerve to hold a wood ; n the [lark. Half a platoon can put tho viiid ap up a battalion." That is so, unless tho defenders have the spirit of a second lieutenant of British infantry.