A SOLDIER'S LETTER

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 219, 12 January 1917, Page 2

A SOLDIER'S LETTER

(Continued from yesterday.)

Britain is coming to the tore now as a military power, and as such I believe she is as strong as any of the t Allies. The Somme district just now ' is the most severely war-blasted area j in the world. Sines Ist July thousands j of guns, ranging in size from 3in to J ISin, have been belching forth thous- j ands of tons of shells. The old German front line is a mass of piled-up sandbags, and the earth has been shattered and torn by shells of all sizes. Woods have been seared and blasted and splintered to pieces; and what used to be villages are now nothing better than heaps of broken bricks. Acres of ground are pitted with shell holes and mine craters, and in many places it would be hard to find 10 square yards of solid ground in twenty acres of this war-stricken area. You can allow your imagination to run riot and conjure up a vision of the hundred worst nightmares merged into one, but your imagination could never be trained to picture the awful reality of things as they exist on the Somme. "This war will be'won by artillery," was the prediction of experts, and if the awful devastation goes on much longer the prediction must be fulfilled. For one hundred days at Verdun the Germans averaged two thousand tons of shells per day—2oo,000 tens of shells in 100 days—but the French troops withstood it all. it is estimated that the British guns on the Somme are barking in greater numbers and sending forth a much greater weight of metal than this. The guns are never silent, and the shells are simply poured into the German positions. Sometimes when a barrage has been lifted, the infantry go forth to find that the opposition has been completely overwhelmed by the bombardment, and no one is left to offer any resistance. B'y this aAvful process, mile after mile is slowly won. It is easy now to understand how it is that the attackers invariably sustain fewer casualties than the defenders. Only ! yesterday a British division was launched against a strong German position. Their total casualties were 450, while the Huns lost 1000 men in prisoners alone. It is only the awf" 1 effect of our artillery which is respons ible for so many prisoners. The Huns are so badly shaken and terrified that they surrender very easily; and they admit the superiority of our artillery. Since Ist July the French and British have taken about 86,000 prisoners, mostly because of their artillery. They have stolen a march oh the Gei*mans by accumulating guns and shells for many months, and then letting loose such a blast of devastating shell-fire as the Germans can never hope to equal. The workshops of the rest of the world are supplying the goods wherewith the enemy alliance is being shattered; which is a factor that must tell very effectively against the Huns.

Apparently the war seems likely to last for a while yet. It appears to me that the Germans are attaching so much importance to the Balkan campaign that that is where their chief interest lies. Allied control of the railway to Constantinople would probably end the war; but there would still be the difficulty of getting hold of Constantinople, which the Germans seem to believe is the chief bone of contention. I wonder if the darned Avar will last till Constantinople can be secured for Russia. If so, we will have to face many hardships yet. My wounds &ave not healed yet, and I still have to get. about on crutches. The bone seems to have set all right,. but I have very little control over the ankle and cannot straighten my knee. Though a cripple, I am enjoying myself, and I have a fortnight's leave and a free railway pass to come. It is the only time I have appreciated the bene fits of being a soldier; in fact I used to think there were no benefits attached thereto. The "wounded hero" stunt is not bad, but I do detest mid-dle-aged women who want to mother every wounded soldier they see. Fortunately you can nearly always divine their intentions beforehand, as the maternal woman beams upon you from afar off and gives you time to escape. They cast a very pronounced shadow before as a rule, but it often happens that one is caught unaware.

Then there is the obnoxious flapper, which species is a continual source of annoyance. They seek only the prestige of being seen in the company of the khaki clad.

Last, but not least, is the average girl, and they ar e not at all a cause for complaint. The general avera-e compares very favourably with the New Zealand average. In fact, the species is just the same. The -'sister-' ly affection" class is easily predominant, but not a few sum one up with the cold, calculating eye of fee matrimonially inclined. Some of "our chaps have been summed up so successfully that they have married English girls,

and the Australians are going off wholesale, with the well-to-do girl, who sets herself out to entertain the wcunded, and she is generally a good sp«_:t. I; is surprising how the social barrier has collapsed in England since the war started, and I believe this country will actually become democratic ere long. Soldiers are to be found housed in the homes of the wealthy, which are used as convalescent homes, and the people certainly go to a lot of trouble to give their guests a good time. Khaki has apparently rushed down the barriers, and I don't think they will ever be raised to the pre-war extent again. That anti-shouting act will be squashed when the army comes home again, as every man will have had his views widened considerably by his experience of the French system. The boys are greatly incensed by the molly-coddling policy of the anti-can teen humbugs, and are ready to kiex the wowsers hard the war. In France where French military law had its influence, we could get beer or wine frr Id per glass and English beer for 3d. Champagne was 3/4 per large bottle, and high quality wines 2d per glass The hours of sale were restricted to four daily, but hundreds of estaminets were open to soldiers and civilians (all day for civilians). No one could say anything about misconduct on the part of either soldiers or civilians, be-

cause it was practically non-existent. The French people are free and unfettered, and they drink as much as they like. Wine is given to mere babies, and the women drink both beer and wine; but I saw less of the alcoholic craving in France than in any place 1 have ever been in. Certainly, the beer is harmless stuff, but the wine i~ nippy enough for anyone. I wonder what the Prohibitionists would say if they saw wine being given to children and then observed that they didn't all grow up with a craving for alcohol. Please remember me to all Taihape friends and any other inquirers.. I am hoping to get back to Maoriland ere long—if my luck is in.