WAR NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 152, 3 December 1914, Page 6

WAR NOTES.

TOMMY KISSED ON BOTH CHEEKS. Driver Jack of the Army Service Corps, who lias been on right through the war, writes to the Liverpool Daily' Post:—"l sinv a (batch of 120 Germans give themselves up the other day, and they seemed to be glad of the opportunity of doing so. They seemed to be dispirited and half starved. By the way, we cannot complain about the food we are getting. There is plenty of it, and of good quality. It was a pitiful sight to se people, fleeing from their homes carrying afl {.hey could save-. I saw one young woman trying to reach some fruit from a tree which was a good way out of her reach, and, not thinking, I wvnt over a'ld gave her some pears which I had given me. She ate them hurriedly, but before doing so, she gave me a kiss on both cheek's, which was rather enjoyed by the rest of the troops standing by."

CHEAP MILK AND MEAT. A German soldier left his trencli to fetch some milk from the 'neighboring village behind the lines. When lie came back, he lost his way and made towards the' French trendies. It was dark, and as he stumbled 011 the way, he called out, "Are you there, Fritz?" A French soldier with a knowledge of German, shouted back "Here," and the German walked right into tin; French trenches. ■ He was surprised when the French soldiers seized and helped themselves to his milk. They were good-hearted, however, and filled the German's tin cup for him. Then taking away bis arms, they told him to lay down in the trenchos_ and keep quiet. "To-morrow," they said, "you will have a nice journey to the south 'of France."

A party of German soldiers who left their trenches to fetch back a number of sheep which had strayed, wore less fortunate, for they were all shot, and the sheep, frightened by the sound of the firing, ran straight to the French trenches, whence a few hours later the most appetising odour of mutton stew was being wafted by the breeze to the hungry Germans a couple of hundred yard:) awav.

Some daring French officers have found it quite easy to cross the German lines, and even pass their sentries, .at night, withoift being discovered, when they are challenged, they reply in German in a brutal t,one of voice with at: order for the sentry to keep quiet. Tile brutality of the answer at once convinces the German sentry that it is one of his officers, and the "frenchman passes on his way, GERMAN (itlOuLS TO DIE. A court martial in Paris passed soufence upon four German soldiers who were taken prisoners at Chantilly and fSenlis while robbing the. dead and wounded. Two were sentenced to death, one to penal servitude for life, and the fourth to ten years' imprisonment. ENGLISH NEVER SURRENDER. Corporal Arthur Blewitt, of the Royal Scotts, 1 who has been invalided home 'as Grimsby, said he was ciu oil' from -his regiment, with about fifty other men, at Landrecies, where some desperate street fighting took place. ''We joined up with tlie Grenadier Guards," he added. "They were splendid, German of- , fleers came up and shouted 'surrender,' but our officer said, ''English never surrender; fix bayonets and charge.' Next morning the streets were piled with German dead. A GENERAL IN,CHAINS. The special correspondent of the Daily News, writing from Halle, Germany, states that the Russian General Martos is being taken to Berlin in chains, it being alleged against him that he gave orders to burn east Prussian villages and shot many inhabitants. He is to be court-inartialled, and if the allegation is l proved, "shot for violating the Law of Nations." Many German papers agree with these measures,' Stating that such actions are infamous, and must be dealt with in a manner quick, severe, and sure. The Taegliche Rundschau is among the papers heartily agreeing. Evidently the Germans demand one international law for themselves and another for their enemies. A DOG SOLDIER. A remarkable story of the sagacity exhibited by- _ a regimental dog under fire was told in a letter to his family by a French soldier recently. He was wounded at "the battle of the Marne by a piece of shell in the arm, by a bullet in the jaw, and a sword cut on the head, and lay on the battlefield half covered by the bodies of his dead comrades. Suddenly he felt caresses on his face. It was the regimental dog who had been trained to carry back to the encampment the kepis of wounded men. In this case the dog hesitated. "Go and inform my mates," urged the soldier. The dog understood and trotted oil, bringing back two ambulance-bearers who picked up the wounded man. The dog, it is related, is an old hand at his work. He 'goes regularly into the firing line, and when the fire is intense he digs a hoje and buries himself.