"SLIGHT ARTILLERY ACTIVITY NEAR."

Taihape Daily Times, 16 November 1917, Page 2

"SLIGHT ARTILLERY ACTIVITY NEAR."

PERSISTENT ENEMY ATTENTIONS. * i THE RED TRIANGLE UNDER FIRE The deadly peril which the Y.M.C.A. I workers clcse up to the trenches have j ito face is made clear in a descrip- ; tive article recently published in "The j Red Triangle." "The wood being j heavily shelled," says the writer, "a large calibre shell dropped just out- ' side the superintendent's dug-out to do no further damage than fill the place with evil-smelling smoke and to throw more clods of, earth on top of the dugout. But the small ,hut where cocoa was provided did not escape so lightly. A 'whizz-bang' penetrated the wall of sandbags, and in exploding blew out the front wall The men j who were seated round the boiler-fire I miraculously escaped being hit, and I shortly afterwards they were grinding j out tunes on the gramophone in the ■ next dug-out to the accompaniment of shells exploding farther off in the wood. One Sunday evening the "Y.M. Man," returning a little later than usual, found a sad change at the dugout. The men who served there were not standing behind the little door-way-counter with a smile of greeting or a tale of exhausted supplies. The "Queen Mary" dug-out, immune so long had been hit at last. The four men were all injured, and the doctor and chaplain were attending to their injuries. Two were badly crushed, but as they lay on the stretchers on the trolley, they smiled at the prospect of getting to "Blighty." The > N.C.O. in charge was badly hurt. But, sad to relate, it was to be the last journey "down the line " for one of the men, for he died at the dressing station that night. The stock had to be cleared out. The R.S.M., who provided a few men to help, piomised to find a new home for a box of fine kittens found among the stores. The goods were put in the superintendent's dug-out, and two days later a Y.M.C.A. was opened there with the aid of new men. It Is worthy of note that the O.C. put a large party of men,to work on the new place to make it proof, by means of sandbags and concrete against ; heavy shell. The wrecked "Queen Mary" dug-out is now used as a centre for distributing free cocoa at night—the chimney of the boiler being stuck through the shell-hole. As many as 750 cups have been given away there on a single night. The setting up of the canteen in thj new position necessitated the removal of the superintendent's billet to .the neighbouring Here two houses are kept open day and night for officers and men. But even this was not to escape attention from the enemy. A week later activity began. For two nights the land and roads around were heavily shelled. The third night- the shells were falling rather close, so the men went down to the cellar. A few minutes after there was a deafening explosion, followed by darkness, stifling dust and smoke, and the groans of one of the men. The shell had burst in the rooms above and pieces had come through the sandbagging above and caught poor W., who' was sitting on the steps of the cellar. As soon as a light could be got he received attention and was taken to the dressing station near at hand_ But all in vain; he would never serve again in the Y.M.C.A., where for the last fortnight at this place, and for three months at a neighbouring Y.M.C.A., he had performed such willing service Om that night, only "the old soldier" went back to stay at the Y.M.C.A. He refused to leave, though the place could be locked wftn comparative safety. These are seme of the results of the recent "slight artillery activity." Luckily, two of our dug-cuts have not been touched. One is 300 yards from the German lines and it has been of great service during the winter months in providing hot cocoa for working parties going back to camp several miles away."