Soldiers' Stories.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 20, 10 September 1914, Page 5

Soldiers' Stories.

THE GERMANS.

"TUMBLED TO THE CAME."

London, September 9

A private in the Royal Irish, regiment says:—"A fair number of our men were captured, owing to the trick the Germans had of continually sounding our bugle calls. Iu one of the worst fights the Germans sounded the retreat. Four of our advanced battalions were tlit'ii attacked in murderous fashion as they deployed across the open. This threw the whole line into confusion, but we soon recovered, and drove off the Germans at the point of the bayonet.' Bugle calls were then abolished, but the Germans 'tumbled to the, name,' and commenced,.picking off dispatch riders carrying orders. In consequence, some of our troops did not know whether to advance or retreat, and got cut off here and there."

Wounded Russians report that Germans are in the habit of raising the white flag at the moment of a final Russian charge, thus disconcerting tho attackers, upon whom they pour a volley when at short range. GERMANS HOTLY PURSUED FOR i NINETEEN MILES.

THE LACK OF AMMUNITION.

(Received 9.0 a.m.) London, September 3

A French sergeant who was wounded at Meaux, says:—"We pursxied a force for nineteen miles. There were two German regiments, which were supported by cavalry and artillery. During the hurried retreat, the Germans did not fire a shot, whereas the French maintained a violent decimating fire and succeeded in isolating part of this Gorman column. We captured' seven guns, two machine guns, and many prisoners. One of these was an infantry sergeant who admitted that the men had nearly exhausted their ammunition and wore ordered to spare it. 700 DEAD GERMANS IN ONE TRENCH. A French, infantry officer who was fflso wounded at Meaux, declared tha'; German troops who were repulsed in that district after two days of heavy lighting comprised two army corps who; sustained terrible losses.'' He counted 700 bodies in one trench. He eorrobdrated the ing the lack of Gfcrman ammiinit'en. jTJie Germans .seemed very tired.

IRISH pUARDSf IN THE THICK

.'pF| A FIERCE ATTACK.

A wounded Guardsman, the seven hours' fight at Compiegne, said: "As soon as the German guns and infantry rushed into position or. the hill on the British right, ihe German cavalry l advanced in a huge mass, hoping to ride down the.lrish Guards, who were nearest to "hem. When ; .th©'sJioclv.jCainc it seemed terrific, ,\ The irishmen did not steco ; l }j but filing themselves ; across the Germans'- path. 1 *We4aij' : German horses impaled on* the bayonets of tin* Guardsmen's front rank, their' The whole force of infantry and'eavalrv became 'aj"knifed;"and, confused liea'p. Shells froln both armies dropped near the tangled mass." , ; r'Y ■ % (Received 9:30 a.m.) •'*' ' 'N" :

The-wounded Guardsman continued: "The German horsemen got clear and fled. Some were horseless and were bayoneted where they stood. Then the Guards continued their advance, the Coldstreamers now leading, with the Scots in reserve, and the Irish in support. Meanwhile, taking advantage of a fight between the cavalry and infantry, the German artillery was placed in a new position and maintained' a deadly fire from twelve gnus. Our infantry and cavalry advanced simultaneously against the new position, carrying it in the face of a galling fire, and captured ten guns. The German infantry and cavalry supporting did not await our 'onslaught, but bolted. We pursued and decimated them by heavy infantry and artillery fire. When our men secured the guns there was hardly a German left alive or not wounded."

At one point Germans, he stated, wearing Red Cross badges drove up in what seemed an ambulance van, but it contained a machine gun, with which they moved down the Britishers like grass. COLDSTREAMS USE THE BAYONET.

One of the Coldstream Guards describes tlio Gorman soldiers as being "like a crowd afc a cup-iie. I was wed ontrenched. My rifle was so overbeated that T could hardly hold it. Our bullets ploughed through the Germans, but they still rolled up. Then we got to bayonet work, and drove thorn nearly iive hundred yards, cutting up evory man who did not run away." FOOD, AMMUNITION AND FRENCH CIGARETTES. London, September 9. Corporal Bailey writes:—"We are better fed than the Germans, who have more ammunition than is good for them. . They fire ton rounds for our one. but very few could score a bull's-eye hi a hundred shots. It is a fine* sight to see us march, singing all the old tunes. As we pass through the villages the people cheer us and give us fruit, Rowers and smokes. Soma of the cigarettes are rotten, but we save them for German prisoners, who will smoke anything." *