The Light and Shade of War.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 4, 5 February 1915, Page 3

The Light and Shade of War.

PLUCKY BELGIAN BOY. A young Belgian Boy Scout named Raymond Bourgeons, who I although only fourteen and a half years old, has had some thrilling experiences in the war. He is now a refugee in Doncaster. He speaks French and Flemish fluently, and is of the greatest use as an interpreter. When the Germans entered Brussels this lad was delivering telegrams. A officer demanded them from him, and to save his life he handed them over, regaining them later by shooting the German. He was inprisoned in Germany, but crawled through a window, escaped, and walked to the Dutch frontier. WOUNDED GERMAN’S TREACHERY. From the letter of a private of the North Lancashire Regiment : “ We occupied the trenches all night without anything happening, and early next morning saw one of the Germans in front. This man was waging the white flag, and when brought in he said there were scores of their wounded in front vvho wanted to come to the British lines. “They looked the most pitiful objects anyone could possibly see. We were bringing them in all day. One of our officers was bringing one of them in and got in front of him, when the Ger man, drawing a revolver, shot him in the hip. “ One of our privates, who was doing epcort duty, seeing the action, promptly drove his bayonet through him. The treachery of some of the Germans is indescribable. “ SCOTLAND FOR EVER!”

A wounded member of the London Scottish gives a vivid account of the now famous charge of that crack Territorial Regiment. “We were now clear enough to see the fierce glare in the eyes of the enemy as they waited for us. We gave them one great volley, and then bayonets were fixed, and in a long line we charged down on their trenches. “ The madness of that charge I shall never lorget. There was no time to think of fear or danger. We were mad drunk with the excitement. The blood was coursing in our veins at express speed, and our only thought was to close in the death grip with the foe. Some of our boys yelled out ‘Scotland for ever!”; others were as silent as the grave. “ Their lines ware strengthened at every point, and they made a groat stand against us, but we were fresh, and we slashed right and left with a will. “They weakened after the first shock - and gradually fell back, fighting inch by inch, but each step we forced them back their pace became quicker, and then they broke into a mad race for life. “ Our chaps were well satisfied with their first day’s hand-to-hand fight with the Germans and were eager for another when I started for home.” THE GERMAN OEEIOER. The arrogance of the German officer towards mere pisdlians is thus described in the “'<sutlook” : One very painful but not uncharacteristic episode will serve

to illustrate at once the relations between soldier and civilian and

the singular ‘code of honour’ prescribed for officers. Certain tables in a popular ‘kneipe’—i.e., tavern —were by custom reserved for the use of students, one being assigned to the members of each corps, and it was a matter of unwritten law that no other customer, military or civilian, should occupy these favoured places. One evening, a young lieutenant, unfortunately just sufficiently the worse for drink to care nothing for custom and less for courtesy, strutted into the room, and, seeing a vacant table, which, having been stationed a year or to in the town, he well knew to belong to the “ white caps,” flung himself into one of the empty chairs, calling for beer. A buzz of expectation went round the room when the rest of the company realised this breach of etiquette, and this was followed by a more significant hush when three students rose from an adjoining table and politely requested him to be so good as to sit elsewhere.

At first the young fellow took no notice of them. Then, when one of the trio laid a hand on his shoulder, he sprang up, kicked away his chair, and half drew his sword. The denouncement was rapid, for the three unarmed youths threw themselves on him, one slapping his face, while a second held him, and the third broke his sword. Then they released him, and white as death he picked up the dishonoured weapon and leit the hall. That night he was found in his quarters with a revolver in one hand and a hole through his forehead, the sequel, it was said at the time, to a short and sharp interview with his colonel,' who pointed out that death was the one salve lor the disgrace of being disarmed by civilians.

‘‘.MARCHING ON TO PARIS' - Here is another amusing incident described by the Paris corresjjondent of the London Telegraph : Presently another procession emerged upon the scene. It, too, was composed of youngsters, but they were all as solemn as professional mutes. Theii it was seen that they also were engaged i i a military traveity, and that the instinct of exaggeration, so dear to the juvenile heart, was being indulged to the full. With dignified step they advanced. Then, at a sharp ward of command from their pompous chief, they halted on the open space by the Palais de Justice, and commenced to execute a highlyamusing travesty of the famous “goose” step. For a quarter of an hour they went on in this way without budging an inch forward. The onlookers laughed incontinently. But it was evidently more than German officialdom was' prepared to stand. An officer advanced, and demanded to know what the youngsters were doing there. The reply of the leader of the band might he historical. “We are marchiug to Paris.” said the precocious juvenile ; “ and in marching to Paris one ought to march without advancing—is it not so ? ” The officer paled with fagn, and made a gesture as if to draw his revolver, but there were 2,000 people looking on, and he Simply raised his shoulders in sheer disgust whilst the crowd applauded the gamins. GAME TO THE LAST.' Mr. Donald Thompson, the special photographer of the New York World, ” described in the Daily Mail ” the execution of a British soldier accused- of being a spy. The scene was a village near Nieuport. Mr. Thompson describes the man as a big blonde fellow in civilian’s clothes, but unmjstakably a British soldier. He was not allowed to attend the trial, which lasted an hour. Then they brought him out, just four men with loaded rifles and an officer. He was not bound, but walked quite' free between his guards, very straight and calm and quite nnmoved. At the sight of that Englishman going to his death with eyes shining, head up, and shoulders squared, the tears fairly came into my . eyes. I forgot all about beirg a neutral, all about being an American, and all about the Germans, and just felt I couldn't bear to see what was going to come. As he passed me I said aloud—l felt I had to speak—“ Goodbye, old chap, and good luck. He just turned his head and looked at me and smiled a little smile, as if to thank me and to say he did not mind. They stood him up in the middle of the road. Away in the distance the shells were falling, and farther down the road a German resident was coming along with noisy drums and fifes. As the firing squad—just the four guards —stood back to take up their position the Englishman drew himself up at attention with a click of the heels, braced his shoulders, and threw up his head, game and brave to the last. It was all over in a second.