News From The Trenches

Horowhenua Chronicle, 26 July 1916, Page 3

News From The Trenches

A VIN So i. i) i e.ii, ij LEI J.ju^R. .Private J„ x. Butcher (ol The LLorowhenua Daily Chronicle's mociuuiicul staff) who now is on uouvu service m I'rance, sends us the following interesting description oi life at, the lront:-— "Just, a lew lines to let you know that lam well and in good spirits. At present we are quartered in the north of Erauce, and to-day, as 1 write, we have been subjected to a pretty severe bombardment from the German big guns, high explosives, shrapnel, trenon mortal's (which by the way give one very little wanning as they soar over the trench—they are mostly called 'whizz-bangs' by the soldiers). 11 the weather at present is called fine in this country, well, I dread the winter in those trenches. The days are moderately fine and the nights cold. We have had very few casualties so fai. Where we are billeted, what has once been a line city, is now deserted and almost ruined. There are still a few thousand French citizcns and a lot of Belgian refugees here, and they are doing good business in curios find the like while the troops are here. This is our second term in the trenches, and I have not seen a Bosehe yet, but I have plenty of evidence of his nearabouts in the shape of pieces of shrapnel and 'nose-caps of shells, etc. We were not sorry to leave Egypt, as the heat and flies were becoming unbearable. It was well worth a visit, to Egypt to see Cairo. It is a wonderful city, people T think of every nationality under the sun. The native is invariably dirty and a born knave. Heliopolis is a fine modern city in parts with substantial stone buildings and wide streets and is also served by the Oairo-Heliopolis-Oases Electric Railway —one of the world's best electric systems. The Pyramids are a most impressive sight, but what struck me most was the obnoxious smells and "everlasting dirt amd filth. All the Levin boys were well when T saw them last—A V Gray, Tim Close, Sid Smith. Bob Pringle and R. Horn. 1 would be very glad to receive a Chronicle occasionally. as it is very monotonous in the trenches without reading matter. Our guns were turned on the German trenches this evening, nnd. 1 say, it was a good sight to see the parapets of their front-line trenches going up in the air. I didn't notice any Bosches in the debris as my view was limited.