THE FRONT AS IT IS

Levin Daily Chronicle, 31 January 1918, Page 1

THE FRONT AS IT IS

A VIVID STOKT Ol" WHAT OUR MEN ARE ENDURING IN THE FLANDERS MUD. FRANCE, Nov. 10, 1917.

A Palmcrston soldier, writing home says: This little flutter will chiefly deal with my experiences on the Ypres front, certainly not good reading, and it will be a poor attempt at the description of surroundings, as, believe me, one who never visited (?) this battle front has absolutely no idea that such conditions could prevail. I will commence from the time I returned to the column from leave. I detrained at Poppcringhe ,our lines being about a mile distant. It just about broke my heart the first sight, everywhere the mud was as thick as a Taranaki cowyard. Our "homes" were mere holes in the ground covered over with a sort of canvas, each '' bivvy'' hold about five men, and owing to the lowness one had to crawl in on all fours. These crude shows had evidently been in use for months and months judging by the musty evil smelling and vermin smoth-crcd-straw on the floor. Oh, it was beautiful! As I've said, round about the "bivvios" mud was boot-top deep, so can you imagine what it would be round about the horse lines? No, don't try! I made my debut on this battle front two days after my return. By the way wo were back fully 10 miles behind the lines so it meant a nice ride before commencing work. Well, this particular day I was on salvaging ammunition about 5 miles to the rear of the line we using pack sacks. It certainly was not a very strenuous sort of day. I got a rude awakening as I was on my way home. Coming through the devastated town of St. Jean there was a screech and an explosion not twenty yards away, a shell landed in some ruins.. Oh, I got a lovely shower of brick dust. It was a little too close to be comfortable. The following day I had to go up to the guns. Being so far back it meant us having to get up at three o 'clock. By the time we had breakfast and were ready to move off it was usually about 4.30, and by daylight we would be at our loading dump.

Will I ever forgot that day, No, such sights as I witnessed will remain in my memory a long while. Well, we left the dump, our mules carrying 4 shells each, it's a case of having to walk. Our way takes us down the St. Julian road (?) for about two miles, then wc cut in country for a few hundred yards or so. I've put a 1 mark alongside road, and well I might. Churned up with shells, and countless animals up and down continually, one can almost imagine how it would be. Here and there bundles of branches, trunks of trees in fact, all things imaginable have been thrown in to make a foot hold. You jump to what you think is a reasonably firm part and you fee] yourself sinking and sinking and wondering when you will strike terra firma. When you wake up you are well over your knees in nicely churned up slush. Now, this is the only road, and you cannot get off it, so it on?y wants some poor deluded devil to try to go along here with a waggon of any description and in no time he is hopelessly' stuek, then you see miles of pack animals held up probably for hours.

Looking down on us is an enemy b.alloon and why in the name of goodness he doesn't shell this road is a marvel to me. Of course I can't say he doesn't shell to a certain extent, the dozens of dead animals testify to that. One of our battery teams of ten horses were all wiped out in one shot, to get past I had to walk along their backs. Along the road one sees anything from a wheelbarrow to a tank, either knocked out or hopelessly stuck in the mud. Yes, and aeroplanes too. I saw fifteen tanks within a radius of a hundred yards, all done for. Well, I got to the battery alright .after a terible mud struggle. Unloading at the same time were the battery drivers, so I twigged them returning cross country, and I thought, well, if the road is too hot for you, it is for me too. My mules were pretty puffed so I continued to walk over the worst part the others rode so I lost ground and in no time was on my own. Like the road, the cross country route beggars description. Just imagine shell holes edging one another and you having to pick your way as best you can.

Now this part of the country had been won back for Belgium for fully a fortnight, yet the numbers of dead I came across that day was surprising, of course you can about guess in what state they -would be in. I had one experience I don't wish to repeat. I'd rather not tell it. God, I shudder even now. Everywhere were men's packs lying, some riffled open with shell splinters etc., disclosing home photos etc. Oh, it was all so sad. Those days we were making two trips. I didn't like the idea of tackling my second, but I clenched my teeth and in to it. One day two of us tossed up whether to go the road or cross country. The latter it was, and oh, how lucky we were. Fritz did pepper the road. Amid the flying mud wc could see the animals lifted bodily.

Towards the end of our packing we were only using one animal and making one trip. That wasn't so bad. Once I got horribly bogged having to cut the girth of the saddle so as to release everything. After a lot of struggling my old mule got clear. It meant finished packing for me that day. I lost this particular mule though in the end. The last day I was packing I got stuck again, homeward bound this time, the mule got down a bog hole and I got down and coaxed for all I was worth. Then I noticed blood coming from near the hoof, so digging down I discovered his leg beneath the corner of some roofing iron. I prized this up and dragged the foot from underneath ind after a terrible lot of struggling ho got clear, but oh, how badly ftc was cut. I got out on to the road alright and managed to catch one of our boys, so he brought him home for me. He was straight way sent to a Vet. hospital so that is the end of old "Dribble" so far as I am concerned. I was indeed sorry as I was very fond of him. In his place I have the sole survivor of some "Tommy" team, all his mates were killed. He is a real good worker, but judging by his peculiar ways he is slightly shell-shocked. Yes, I've still old "Darky," my first issue. He has been all through the big goes having come from Egypt. He is fairly old, but I have a lot of time for him.

Well, this day I had to walk- home. I thought, now, here is my chance to see Ypres as beforehand wc only got within a quarter of a mile. It has evidently been a very line town, but now not a building of any kind remains standing. The Cloth Hall and Catlied-

ral were before the war, really beautiful. The asylum, too, was an exceptionally fine building. But oil, you have no idea how really smashed to pieces it is. But for miles radius there is not a place that has not been smacked up, consequently one sees very few civilians about. As at Dieppe we wcro greatly troubled with hostile pianos at night time. To the rear of our lines was a fairly extensive motor lorrie park, and they got more than there share of bombs.

Bai Jaove, all the way through we wore a lucky crowd though, we having only two casualties, one killed, one wounded. Other D.A.C.'s suffered pretty heavily. The day before my return, volunteers were called for from every unit to go up the line on stretch-er-boa ring. About 50 from our column went. I believe they had a terrible time. 'Tis said, if they had been called out a day previous they could have saved hundreds. -They came, across scores of our boys dead with just slight wounds. They had gone under from sheer exhaustioii. But judging from some of the infantrymen's reports there appeared to be something "fishy" about that advance. Like the Messines business this lot will come out in time. Oh you people know absolutely nothing about this war. Just as well perhaps.

Well to go on witli my story. Word came out about October 23rd that in; four days time wo were to be relieved. About tlie 26th tlio engineers went out, followed next day by the field ambulance and some infantry, but the days went on, and still the artillery relief didn't put in an appearance. Then about the let of November a Canadian Division b'ew alongside us. Our spirits rose and sure enough they were our n\cn. Everything was handed over. It did hurt haying to say good-bye to our pack sacks (?) On the 3rd we pulled out and what joy. Oh, how happy we all were to get away from it. That day wo came about 10 miles south, passing through Poppcringho and Waton, anchoring for two or three days, a mile or so from the town of Steenvoorde. A party of us went in the first night and had a jolly good feed. On the 7th wc were on the move again, coming about another ten miles halting between the towns of St. Marie Cajjpell and Hondeghen. Our stomachs took us to the latter town the first night. Man, we did have a blow out. Mot quite a number of old pals that night and learnt with great sorrow quite a number of the old 13 th's had paid the big price, three being old AK pals. Pleased at meeting Cotter in this town two nights later. Needless to say wc had quite a lot to say to one another.

Nov. 16th. My mate crosses to-morrow so I will have p*. go hammer and tongs to finish to go on with my story. As you see we are! still resting. How much longer I cannot say. Humour hath it wo move into the line again on the 20th, remaining only holding the lino for about a month then come out again into our winter quarters goodness knows where. By my opening remarks you will thinlc we are about 20 miles from the nearest front line. Such is not the case. When on trek we are such a length that wo have to keep to the back country ziz zagging, so. a twenty mile trek may only mean perhaps five miles in a straight line "compree?" Anyhow at present we are well within sound of the guns and just lately the Germans have been counter-attacking a terrible lot and for days the artillery fire has been most marked. At the present moment I don't think I're over heard such drum fire just a continual rumble. Well wo are certainly having a rest. Every other day a half holiday, usually put in in football We have also been rigged out with winter, and other clothing some of the latter being badly wanted by some. When we came out of the line you have never seen a more delapidatcd crowd in all your life. Some hat (slouch) less, puttecless, no socks, ripped and mud covered tunics and trousers, and numbers had their uniforms laced together with string. One chap I noticed was running round with the scat of his pants laced together with a bootlace, otherwise he would have fallen right through. Bai Jove, some were a sight though. How I've laughed at some. Oh, we are slap up alongside a fairly big aerodrome, and man, we do see some trick flying and no mistake. By the way, you remember the Auckland people gave a' 'plane. It, is here. I saw it to-day badly smashed. It is a very unlucky machine, having been reconstructed four times, mostly landing accidents. Its number is llio and ha? ' Auckland' painted ,on the side. Well, all you good people, I'm on picket to-night, so that means next to no sleep. We have to snatch a little when we can, so I must go down to it.