A WAR DIARY.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 16, 26 February 1915, Page 2 (Supplement)

A WAR DIARY.

LONDON SCOT'S EXPERIENCES

Tlie following excerpts from the diary of a London Scottish soldietr, the ton of an Edinburgh gentleman, should prov e interesting:— sth August—Mobilised, loth September—Left Watford for Southampton. 16th—Arrived Havre. Spent day unloading and hanging about. Left about nine o'clock evening for Villeneuve, St. George, 15 hours' railway journey. Passed outskirts of Paris. Were most enthusiastically received and generously treated. 6th Octobeir.—lnoculated. 29th.—Left St Ofersi for Ypres by motor bus.

30t]i. —Left Ypres en route for the trenches. Returned to Ypres at night, not having yet encountered the enemy. During this afternoon we shed on© blanket each. Left Ypres for St Eloi. 31st.—Hallowe'en. Reveille at 3 a.m.. after having been lulled to sleep by heavy gun fire. Left St. Eloi for "the land of I dunno where" before daybreak. Rumoured that Kaiser commands Ypres to lie taken at all costs. Reconnoitred up towards Wytschaete, the idea being that we should form supports to the Regulars entrenched there. We had four guns entrenched just outside the village, Jrnd las we \ passed behind the guns a German aeroplan© sailed overhead, and in a few minutes wo wer e simply bombarded with "Jack Johnsons." We advanced up to a point between Wytschaete and Messages on the top of a liiJ'T. Here we' wei'e again sighted by aeroplanes, although they caused us no uneasiness. We found things .so hot that we thought it wise to drop into a trench. Without our rifles we werj in a fix, however. I was soon able to borrow, and was able to join in a fusillade which I thought more than a little hot. This lasted till daybreak. One sniper was particularly attentive to me with soft-no v od bullets, but providentially none found their mark. Prior to the night attack tho German bands played, as is usual on such occasions, and they came into action singing hymns. lam told the Germans aire afraid to firo at night in caso they disclose portion of their guns. THE ENEMY'S RUSES.

At dawn the German infantry made a genera] advance in their thousands, in good extended order. When the.l got within 1(X) yards of our trenches an officer gave us the tip to run for our lives, and it was not a minute too soon. AYe were being enfiladed on our left, and from tho rear were being assisted to hasten to cover by the attentions of a machine gun and a heavy ir : fle fire. Tho bullets whizzed pa«t our ears and threw up the earth about our feet, but thanks to the wretchedness of the enemy's fire comparatively few of our fellows fell. Our doctor fell to a sniper, and was continuing dressing ono of out, wounded when he wars run down with tho bayonet from behind. Tho enemy ■tried all torts of ruses to get near our trenches at night. They set fire to several buildings including a monastery at Wytschaote, the idea bo : ng, I suppose, to cover their advance. They blew whistles, tried to induce us to cease fire both by whistle and command, but wo wore not to b e caught that way and sent down many. Bth November.—Moved into reserve, trenches at Ypres. The trenches veto really not so awful as one might think. 9th.—We were troubled little this day with shrapnel. Snipers were the worst we had to contend with. There are also a devil of a number of spies in civilian garb floating about-, and you never know when one of these fellows will bring you down.

10th.—AVo had a rather unusual experience this afternoon of being shelled by our own guns'. 13th.— Corporal H. Young; was asked by Mr. Grant, our officer, to offfir up a prayer at the burial of W. CVeichton, one of our follows who was shot the previous day by a sniper, and himself was shot through the thigh. 13th. —With God's guidance, goodlie s. and mercy, I hope to git out of this hell to-night. Slaughter 'by machinery, not war, was the way one of our wounded officers deserilnxl the most unenviable experh nee.