IN THE HUN'S WAKE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 64, 10 December 1918, Page 3

IN THE HUN'S WAKE

WELLINGTON SOLDIER'S OBSERVATIONS. Writing to his father in ' Wellington on October 10 a New Zealand foldier given an idea of (he work of (lie New Zealand Division and the condition of the country in wliich it was working over <i month before the armistice was signed, fie says:—"We are now occupied with what may bo termed semi-open warfare. As you can quite realiso that machineguns in prepared positions do not altogether allow for open slaughter as in other times, and also as an army now is practically so many rows of men and guns stretched over a certain distance, when an advance is made it moro resembles the action of a swarm of footgaugjes (locusts in the pro-flying stage) than anything else I can think of. This occupation, in which tho troops delight, is far more satisfactory than other I stunts, as one gets into new surronndi inga every day, and can sen for himself what sort of life the enemy usually leads. The greatest feature noticeablo is the tremendous efforts he has made to render his billets bomb-proof, and signs are abundant of tho terror ho has of our 'planes at night. All his earthworks ore mode with paper bags. Tho stuff resembles that of our sandbags in shapo and size, but when ono unravels it the paper becomes -manifest... His puttees are often made of paper, in fact, paper seems to bo his chief substitute I for everything flexible. From what I | could see, scarcity of food (of a sort) was I certainly not one of his, troubles, as it was fairly plentiful "wherever we went, though one would have to be very hun-, gry ti> tacklo it. His bread kof a dirty, streaky, smelly black and grey substance, whilst his stews look as "though they are made of horseflesh, mixed with turnip and potato-tops, and a conglomeration of other vegetable matter, not a bit oppetising. Coffee was fairly ple'nti- , ful, but had the taste of charred wheat or maize. /Hiscigarettes are- —(I tried to smoke one!) his cigars would come in very handy if the bailiff called and forgot to bring his gas-helmet with him. Nevertheless, to give credit where it is due, he certainly has some jolly good blinks in his biv'vies, and one can have a good sleep whenever time offers. "With regard to the burying of the dead, Fritz certainly does take a lot of trouble. Ho has erected a lot of fine crosses to unknown British soldiers, and the majority of the graveyards are seemingly well kept. As I-write the boys are past Cambrai, and now there are many signs of civilian habitation, such as pianos, pictures, sewing-machines, etc., whilst the people on our flank have reported finding several refugees in a couple of villages they have entered." '