TALKS WITH THE WOUNDED.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 3, Issue 255, 11 December 1914, Page 4 (Supplement)

TALKS WITH THE WOUNDED.

VIVID PERSONAL TALKS

HAIHUKKAPrH EBUAPI&

Th« officers' ward was almost empty, as most ul ih«' occupants ot the Oeda wire upstair, 111 tm- readiitgwooui or 011 tlie terraces. One ol theiu, however, was there, very hungry, and somewhat anxious as to whether an operation tliat lie had to undergo would bv perlormcd m uine lor the ellcvts of Uio anaesthetic to work oil before the diniior, as, ol cou I'm;, he iiad nut been alio wtd to eat much boiorehaud. He liad an interesting little story ol his own which will give some idea ol what the campaign na,-> oeen liKe ifie t.j<eclal correspondent ot tho " Sjtanaaid " troni Paris 011 October 11.

tils lirst exp»nonces were at Moris, when 1 , alter marcuuig and countermarching lor a day and a lialf, his regiment was suppooed to attack a \iUag-'. " vVe started out at sunset, and wlien we got near we could about make out the outline of the village. \Ve set to work to dig a ux'nch with the set ol tools we had, and belore morumg had a bhallow shelter, but by then the en<my had opened lire upon us. It went «h all day, and we could only sit tight. Our particular trench was not much under nre, as most of uhe shells burst behind us alter ,screuinuig and ius.Miig over 011 r Heads. We Were lying pretty well by ourseivcs, and the uext liiomuig were told to fall back.

'Then began a nightmare walk tor nine days and nights, witu hardly a rest. 1 don't think w e ever had three hours together to eat or sloop. As tor eating, it. was seldom wo could boil water tor tea, and our meat had to be tnruivii away because we could not ur- ■ ang« to cook it. I'or several days together I. at leas', never had any meat, and walla dmy lx>ot/-> off 1 sometime* tell on my knees from cheer exhaustion, but after a little rest Ijegun the eternal tramp again. For the last two days 1 had practically, if not literally, nothing to eat and no sle<p. And then 1 taw a chunk of bread lying by the roadside. L rushed at it, and a rhau If cur in a motor car a littlo further on asked mo,

'Are you hungry, sir!'' I repued that 1 thought I was, and lie produced a pot (.1 apricot jam and threw it to mr. If you believe me, 1 actually died from iiunger, and the tears burst out as 1 devoured that blessed loaf and jam!

"How was I shot? Well, we were up against a still position, and wanttd to Mnd a gap. I was sent out with two men to reconnoitre and report. Tho shells and bullets were whistling all over us as we crept on, and 1 could tee that what seem d the bout placo for our intended attack was a more trap, and instead of going to the lelt tho only chance was by ixrariug to tho right. When I learnt what I wanted I started back, hilt Ik fore I<»ir one of their 'Black Marias 'dropped just Itehind me. 1 was lifted and shot about the length of this ward (about 40ft.), with a fractured thigh, simply pitched through tho lir! I could not get back, worse luck, >r I might have saved a few hundred lives. AN OVERCOAT AMBULANCE. "I crawled to a hollow under a young tree, against which 1 leaned, supporting myself on my good leg. But 1 had not lx'en there five minutes when another shell came along, cut through the tree within a foot of me, and exploded just beyond like a junior earthquake! This half buried ni<« alive, but I lay thero till thrne of our fallows came and found me. They had only a gro«t-con\ in which to carry me. which was not • cry comfortable, as my hurt leg dangled excruciatingly over the end but they got me in somehow. I suppose I have «»Ik)uI six weeks oil my back to look forward to, but all's well that ends well, and anybody who gets alive out of one of thoe 'scraps' need not grumble. 1 should have liked to sio a bit more lighting, but 1 ►hall never want any more retreating, thank you I" Here is anotiier story ol a very typical soldier of the beat sort: —" We. ,\«>io up sorn-.w here Belgium way, and mar nliig backwards aud forwards without seeing anybody, till one day we were bold to be ready to take a lull. It looked a nice sort of hill, quite innocent like, but when we came within, about a mik' ot it it began to rain eau and dogs, as you might say, caterwauling and barking .-liens, shrapne. and bullets all over us. 1 got one in the leg, out went on tor u. bit, but then we woie all called back They wanted to bend iuo to the real and back to England, Out 1 said no, and nipped on to u guuiruck, and was driven Ilk# a king tor u day or two. After about a week 1 was all right again, and we were pretty nearly always 'scraping.' "I got put out at Soissons in o bayonet chaige. Those ore Germans always have two tiring lines. One protends to advance and lues a bit. and we conies on, »ind then they either run away or hold up their hand>. aud whilst rt 'o go gaily on a second time probably a dozen quicktiivrs open on us. "that particular occasion w 0 had a bit of a hill to take with a lot of in- in entrenched below. »\«li, we got well on to theUi, but Lord! jusi as wo climbed near tUo top they cauio over like ue.s! What we did lor the rest of tne nine nobody knows, and if any man tells you Uiat he did tills, that, und the other when he is in such a lntuh' *.l we wore in he is a liar. \\e wen- jumping here and jumping there and slicking o.Je man 111 trout ami looking out ot the corners of our eyes lor another behind till we were fair mad. Our bayonets are hue, especially lor tho rings round the muzzles ol our rifles, which catch the Uunian bayonets and snap tliem like straws. Lord knows how many I stuck, wbother it was two or twenty! It was a grand scrimmage, and I was real sick w h< u a bullet ripped up my arm from elbow to thumb a.id -topped me. But we got that lull all tlie same!

" One of our chaps has been clean mad over since—went oft his head in the fighting, and still as .silly as over! Tho Germans can't shoot for nuts when tlie.v aro up against anything. As long us they are lying Ming a mile off thoy aren'j. l«id, but as soon as they !>ogin to feel themselves under observation they are no good. And they don't want to fight a bit. Olio tiiu>- wo chatrged a lino of them. and as soon as wo got close instead of standing up thin- nil throw themselves down flat and clmrked their rules at us. One place wo coined d a whole ambulance corps and oiio or two companies of artillery, and they nave themselves up without a whinipo r.

"The licml doctor attende<l nil to tho wounded, and performed (imputations on several of his own men and when lio had done he iust np with liis knife and cut bis own throat.

"I'll tell >on aJiothe.r inciclo.n,t. Twt»h> cvf our cyclistt a out out and ported

themselves Along & road som« ray from 1 each utii r. A uomp«uij w two ot mans c«iii*> singing along, when thpy ' P IK <J hie, rigut down tile load. lW ifuichies thought they were into a regiment, and hoisted handkerchiefs. Our " un t<J ki them u> inarch past by lours arid tlirow away their rides. .Mont ct| Uivin did this Oeloie tliey louiiii outj tii« irun. iiio twenty or «o, hoirH ® vw , began cursing and hnng and kill J ixl hv« ol our*, but I'm eUm hbvoo, brought in nearly tire hundrad jv-wonJ era!' r ]

Heie ia « mero boy ot tho 24th South, » a He, Hordervrti wuti a fractured thigh! amusing hinwtli studying French. Ilia stoiy ol how In l was hit and carried out of the fiiv is worth a Victoria Uioa». "It, was near iSouwons. My company officer was standing up witti an orderly near n tree, and twelve ol us were lying noting in a licld under a r »ai uig cannonade. Suddenly 1 saw a shell coming, and shouted to look out just as it burst over and a little behind t/ie tree. .Ncituer of tho t*»o standing wu« touched, but eiglit of us got it. I teli as it something had come up through tho ground and jolted my Ipk, on J 1 lound 1 eould only use one loot. "1 asked if 1 could b>;> moved, and my lance-corporal took ine on his back and walked straight ncrosa about lit yards of ground that, beside tli* shells, w'a, enfiladed with n storm of rifle fire. How lie got across 1 don't know. When we were sale on tha other aide ho cut (.11 my trouscr leg, gav a me a firit umssing, and put a waterpsoof sheet ondor nie, and there 1 lay for about tilteen hours, undix tlie rain most ol the time. If ever I find that man again I shall know how to thank him."