BRITAIN’S LITTLE ARMY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1644, 30 November 1916, Page 4

BRITAIN’S LITTLE ARMY.

NO CONTEMPT FOR TT NOW. GERMAN RESPECT FOR OUR TROOPS. (By Percival Phillips, Daily Express Special Correspondent). WITH THE BRITISH ARM'Y IN THE FIELD. September 12. Another quiet day along the British front —quiet, that is, in contrast with previous days of steady bombardment and constant infantry lighting. Our guns pounded certain enemy positions with regularity, and occasionally German guns blindly searched the valleys behind the British linos, but the exchange of high explosive did not herald fresh attacks. Ini crest shifted for the moment to our right, where the French were lashing the common enemy with another cannonade of incredible intensity. From time to time good news Hashed along the British front from the advancing lines of our -lilies. It was impossible to sec anything of their success, hut the valley of the Somme shook with the thunder of their massed guns. Hand-to-hand fighting in this sinister Held of craters, the result of an abortive counter-attack, resulted in many more Bochc casualties yesterday. Prisoners were taken as well, while north of Ginchy the further clearance of dug-outs and cutting oil’ of isolated parlies of Bavarians resulted in a furl her hag of 101 men and two officers.

All the officers who have surrendered in the Ginchy lighting admit the terrible accuracy of the British gunners. One of them said to a stall' officer who examined him: “You don't know what shell lire is until you sit in one of <mr dug-outs in the front line.’* Letters found on prisoners give further proof find Urn “contemptible little army’’ of oilier days is now regarded with respect, often with terror.

A man of the sth Guards Field Artillery, 3rd Guards Division, wrote on July 7th: — “On July Ist I was still in Valenciennes, and 1 lion on the 2nd the business started, and we went si might into a had position, for the Englishman is a damnable enemy. At any rate, the Frenchman and Russians are not so eunning as these .... Down with England!”

There are frequent references in captured correspondenee to the heavy losses of the enemy. A private of the B(ith Reserve Regiment, ISlh Reserve Division, wrote on August, 3.7 th: —

“We have been out of the mud for four days, and are resting at Veu-degies-au-Bois. Our company lost all its officers and 150 men, hut that is the same with every company and regiment on the Somme. Unfortunately I could not gel the much-desired wound to send me home.”

Letters from relatives of prisoners are written in the same strain. From Ran, near Eltusliorn {Holstein) a soldier on (lie Somme front received this comforting epistle;

“If yo\i could come out of it with sound hones you will he very lucky, tor here the lulk is that the I (13rd Regiment (!hh Reserve Corps, engaged on the British front on the Somme) Ims been utmost wholly wiped out. It is sold tlmt only a few came out nil right. But, us I said, we don't get the truth here. When pence comes we shell learn the truth." A letter from Olfenhuch says;— “By now Olfenhuch ulreudy lots 5000 widows, und besides tlmt there ure the unmarried men who huve fallen."

TRAGIC APPEALS. A report from the Ist Company BS(h Infantry Regiment, s(ith Division, to the Ist Battalion, 851 li Infantry Regiment, dated (i p.m., September 3rd, contains this urgent appeal:— “Ist Company 88rh now consists of only ;tl most 20 men. Tin' enemy Ims been thrown out of <mr trench. A fresh attack cannot ho resisted wit bout reinforcements. Please send •them as quickly as possible." A private of the 203rd Reserve Regiment, 22nd Corps, writes mysteriously from Galicia on Angus! 24th. “One dares no move to think when this war will end. And yet. since we have beep here with the Austrians 1 cannot get .uvy.ay from )he hope of an early peace, 'fids remark may seem to you somewhat enigmatical; hut unfortunately I cannot express myself more clearly.” Other letters describe the distress in certain imrts of Germany. Here are extracts from some, all written during the middle of August:— “Milligeu. —On August 1 clothes tickets came in. Now if one wants a jjgw pair of trousers one must first j ajq> I he old pair to the burgomaster’s office,' Bjjit this is only for

the v.',',r!;ing classes; it you want a, suit costing more than 80s then you don’t want a ticket. They are only tor the little man.’

“Hamburg. —Here in Hamburg things are being stolen wickedly. A week ago a package of butter, and a fortnight ago a cheese was grabbed from us, nnd that in the Gr. Reichenstrasse. The choose cost, us 2fis fid, and the package of butter (17s. Business is so slack, and then one has such expenses. That is almost £5 which we have thrown into the gutter. “Uassol. —-To-day the shilling goes as far as 2ld did. We are living in a very dismal time —hunger, and again hunger. For us in Cassel it was a stroke of luck that the munition factory came here. Through that we get employment. Otherwise things would have been very had here. “Elherfeld. —The outlook here is now gloomy, for everybody gets less meat every week. We get only a quarter of a pound of meal weekly. . . . How can we he merry and keep up our spirits.’

“Marne. —I had almost forgotten to tell yon that (here has been a frightful rmv in Hamburg. The wives of soldiers and some hoys broke all the windows in (Ik l Hamhurgerstrasse and in various oilier purls. They said they were going to the Town Hall to-day. The soldiers did not interfere, it is said. “Faeliingenf.— Prince Christ iau is again on three weeks’ leave from Russia. He has more luck than

sense.

“Steglitz. —Yon a sic how far tin? peace movement has advanced, ll is not ])ossiblo lo say anything definite. Bnl wc Socialists arc.going to present lo Iho Imperial Chancellor a great peace memorial, containing' the signatures of those citizens who want a speedy peace, without annexations and without violence to other nations. Cod grant that these names will he put down in millions; then the Government will see that the great mass of the people want an early peace. Our friends and comrades in England are also working vigorously for an early peace. In England the matter is in progress. . . With us distress gets greater from day to da\, and already many poor people are suffering from underfeeding.” Whatever the true condition of the Cerman people may he, the soldiers on the Western front, still appear to he fairly well fed. Those taken in (he last lighting are well nourished, anil they declared that there has been no marked shortage of food, although it was less varied than in the past.