WAR IN ALL ASPECTS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 222, 7 June 1915, Page 8

WAR IN ALL ASPECTS.

iBJED CROSS. QN_ BATTLEFIELD. -DANGERS AND HARDSHIPS. ! ..FIVE DAYS .UNDER FIRE. . • of-tJie experience of the i. men of the Royal Army Medical Corps i is given in a letter written by an offi- > cer -AYho was present, at Neuve Chai pel Ip, He writes: ■ “It ..lias been quite impossible to ; write. lately, as there has been a tre- | aiendqnfc’. battle going on, the earlier i pact ofvwhich.was a. great success, but the Germans have brought up immense reserves .and have cheeked further ad- , vance so far, as they have concentrated i heavy, artillery fire here. Life has been ■ absolute,’Hell; there is no other word | for .it. yM-y dates may Abe shaky, as 1 1 lost •• count ,of ev.erjrgiing', but on j the .night :of the 9th I was sent to an ; advanced-dressing-post half a mile be- | hind the; trenches, to be ready for the ; attack next day. At 7 a.nu on the 10th I our guns.--opened fire straight over our heads, and Tor an .hour you could not , hear a word spoken. The German reply was feeble, as they had' been surprised. | ‘•’At 8 a.nvthe attack started, and {what few Germans - were- left alive 'quickly surrendered, a.ra. casualties began to pout' in, but at 12 T had urgent ■ orders to go to the second Battalion Rifle -Brigade in Neuve Chapelle. From that time onwards it is almost impossible to describe'things. Ivhave had a wonderful experience -of a-modefn battle—seen Germans trying" ttu rush the trench we were in, and falling back by hundreds; seen them giving "themselves up -as -prisoners and being hauled into -one trench; ‘have dressed German wounds' —and 'been offered money for it afterwards. They are in an appalling state of terror -when they arrive. I have seen our men, -alas! trying-,to rush across, an open space and failing by dozens’ under maxim fire, and have ;had the most appalling shower of shells over our heads for three days, bursting quite Close at in the trench and killing men at onels„.elbow. There has been wonderful heroism everywhere, and almost everybody deserves the V.C., I think. “Getting the wounded away was the worst. I had ■only four stretcher-bear-ers out of 16, and only two stretchers; and the shell-fire was so great that it was impossible to carry them to the ambulance a mile and a half away, so we bad to manage as best we could in Neuve Chapelle, for nearly 36 'hours, where there is literally not a root left At last things quieted down a bit, but many wounded had to be brought in between the firing -lines—dangerous work, as both sides are liable to fire 'it they see. you. “We are in old German trenches, very ]■ insanitary; washing is almost impossi- | ble For two days I could not wash . my hands. Wo have now been under 'fireaim! shell for five days. I am writing -i.his in a sft cellar—all that renhaius of a house lately German headquhne/;S I should think."