TALES FROM THE FRONT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 189, 19 January 1915, Page 6

TALES FROM THE FRONT.

ON WARSHIP AND IX TRENCH. The most interesting sidelights on the groat win- arc to In: found in the letters sent homo by the men at the front, either in the trenches or on the warships ill the Xorth Sea. Here are some of them: Letter from Woodhoiiso, 'A Company of the London Scottish, to a friend in llolborn:—We have been in net-lon at hist, and under the worst condition-:. After beon the move for two days and the be'st part of the night we were led up to a, weak position, where the (.'crmaiis had orders to break through lit nil costs. We had to advance over a ridge under terrific shell lire of all kinds, besides a tremendous cross-fire from Maxims.

When we got up th.-.-e, we found the few trendies were full, so that most of us had to lie in the open after it was dark. Some were able to got into ditches, but Hies all'orded little shelter. After dark we began to dig trenches, but before we had done, the Germans started a night attack, and they broke through tlie '—-s, who were in front of lis on the left, and also through the s, who were on our right. There was a great fight at elose quarters, and we were' gradually forced back, as the Germans had been reinforced, and we wore outnumbered something like ten to one. We managed to hold them back during the night until we, too, were reinforced. I had many narrow escapes. I had to lie in the open for several hours, as there was no room in a ditch.

I was carrying a shovel, which 1 put in front of my head, and it was badly dented by a bit of shrapnel. That shovel was knocked against my head with such force that I was almost silly for some time.

Another piece of shrapnel just missed my head and went through the top of my pack, and after going through some th'iigs, it was stopped by that woollen belt you knitted me. We understand that by holding on as we did wo were able to save the British guns. A GENERAL'S CKiAIiETTES. Letter from Trooper Bowler, sth Troop, Royal Engineers, sth Cavalry Brigade, to his sister in London:— 1 think the General (Sir Philip Clietwode) is a marvellous man. I have watched him calmly smoking a cigarette when shells have been dropping all over the place. He is everlastingly smoking a cigarette, and lights one from the other. .

If all the Gorman army was firing at him, he would be smoking a cigarette and giving orders as if he wore in his club ordering a drink. I have seen Sir Philip Chotwode calmly walking down to the trenches in the morning smoking a cigarette as if ho were strolling in Hyde Park, and it makes a lot of difference to the men. Thev would follow' him anywhere.

BARBAROUS GERMANS. Prom a Pronc.li soldier's letter to "Ma cherie petite ," who is on service at East Sheen:— You must have gone over the country the day after the batle in order to realise the horrors of war. I remember one evening during the retreat from Belgium. 1 was with some comrades in the rearguard. We wore very tired, and were walking along slowly when suddenly some shells fell amongst us. 1 fell on my face, and when all was quiet again, I got to my feet, I found myself the only one uninjured.

Our consolation is that those who eud'er are suffering for their country. But the heart bloods when one moots a mother weeping for her child which the barbarous (lermans have slain.

ANTWERP EXPERI EXI ES. Letter from a member of the Naval Force at Antwerp, who is now interned in Holland, to a friend:— My shoulder is all right now. I will tell you how it, happened. We had boon digging trenches, and haij just knocked off for breakfast (one biscuit and a farthing's worth of corned beef), when a shell burst a few yards away Horn us. (t kill d the colonel and throe men, and the -plinters wounded live others.

Of course, I ••clinked.'' It felt as if someone had given me a terrific punch. I didn't take much notice of it, and then, about half an hour afterwards, I put mv hand up and found it all over blood.'

"An 'aero" came over and dropped smoke balls over us, which gave the Germans the range. It is monotonous here, but We have football matches. Not allowed out in the town by ourselves. We have beds and a blanket to sleep on. A WORD FOR THE NAVY. Letter from a member of the crew of If.M.S. King George V. to his uncle in Brixton:- ' We have been having some bad times at sea fust lately. Every!hing had to be lashed down, and we had to have our food up to our knees in water. Thoiv has been practically no sleep, but that makes no difference to us.

We would go to sea up to our brows if there was any hope of meeting a dermal]. They are "Al" with their mines, and that is about all. ~

T saw in one paper that the public wanted to know what the navy was doing. They don't think. 1 suppose. that when they sit down to dinner, lea or supper, that they are kept alive !,v the navy. What would England be n„»if she didn't have her fleet? A jolly sight worse than Belgium, 1 expect.

MURPHY GOT HIS MAX. Private G. Smith, of the 3rd (.•oldstream Guards, narates how Private Murpliy, of the South Staffs, kept hivow to discover a sniper who had wounded him in the arm, am! had heen picking off our men. He writes: Despite the remonstrances ~f hi* officer, he kept on for his man. Two nights later, Murpliy was missing from his post, hut the ■snipinjr liad ped. Later, on search beine; made for him, he was found lyiiii; af tli,- fool, of a hi- tree, sniper, who va< pinned to the urouml with Murphy's bayonet. Murphy told tlm officer that when he located tli,. "blighter," he was hiah up in the tree. (Jetting beneath, he threat- | ened to shoot, when the German drooped | his rifle and scrambled down. "Then I ' gave him a good basting with my lists ' and finished him otr by pimiiii'_< him I down." " j THE GERMAN RAID ON YARMOUTH. ' 'etter from Signalman Uoldimr. of H.M.S. Halcyon to his sister in London- I j I -i.:.i!.: it is an act of Cod that an ■ j 1 of - hi >hip'.s company are alive to tell , the I ale. It happened like this. We! e; ' -nclioied in Yarmouth Roads for j th night, and at .six next morning - g< 1/ up anchor and proceeded to ■ - uircction. About seven o'clock, we spotted eight German ships, and challenged them with,

our searchlights. They did not aißwoi so we challenged them three more, an then they replied with three shots. The, just missed us, so we turned round am they started firing broadsides at us It was a marvel we were not sun! in about a couple of minutes. Shells were falling all around us, and they shot our yardarm away and damaged the wireless. 'They shot a couple of holes in the bridge, one of them cutting the compass clean in halves and seriously" wounding the man at the helm, lie has since died. It cut a hole through the funnel Wo fired seven shots from our 4.7 in. gun just to show them they hadn't killed us, but they went miles, short, as their guns hopelessly outranged ours. We buried that chap who was killed to-day, and it was splendid. All Lowestoft turned out to see it.

NIGHT ATTACKS. Letter from Trooper Field, of the Ist Life Guards, to his sweetheart in Stoke N'ewington: We have just come out of the trenches. We have been in them for six days and nights, so you can see that we have had a rough time just lately. We have had rather a lot of losses, about three ollicers killed and five wounded, and forty-one men killed and wounded; that is in the Household Cavalry. The (iermans got round on our left dank, and played the with us, but thank (lod we were British soldiers and stuck it. Lord .lohn Cavendish was one of the killed, but you see they haven't hit mo just yet, and 1 don't want them to. The (iermans won't come out and fight in tk; daytime; tliey waited until dark, and then start, but last night we gave them what they asked for. We fought side by side' with the Indian troops, and properly swiped thein. I see by the papers that the Spurs are doing very badly as well as Chelsea. I wonder if we shall be able lo see a match this season.

A -MONTH I'NDEII FIRE. Letter from Private Sharkey, 2nd Durhains, now in hospital:— It was nothing but shot and shell the whole of the day, and. mind you, it is not very nice having them bursting all over you for a month. We were advancing on the village, and there were shots out of the windows, doors, and all sorts of places. We began retiring under heavy lire, and I and another Tommy were hit. Oil, uii.it a sensation! They were only a few yards away, and we had just heard that day that they were shooting the prisoners, so you can guess our feelings. We managed to crawl behind cover, and the place was full of water. So there wo lay for hours afraid to stir. But later our men got us away, and we wen- sent to the hospital. It took us a week to get there. We went under X-rays last night, and the doctor found twenty-one pieces of shrapnel in my right leg and one piece in the other.

•■CRCISEUS'' ON MAIN ROADS. Letter dated October 25, from Lieut. •T. 11. Watson. 2nd Worcestershire Regiment, attached to loth Hussars:— This is going to ho a very parti-colored war. We have English, fair; French, dark; Turcos, cafe-au-lait; Indians, brownish; Arabs, blackish; and some other oddments as black as ink. I am learmng Flemish. (Apparently, many of the words are like broad Scotch. 1 have just seen an armored motor with a 12-pounder gun on it, and about twenty sailors looking very selfconscious in military service dress hats.

They go along the road at about 50 miles an hour, with captain on the bridge, alternately hitching his slacks and looking out to "sea" with a telescope.

These beastly Germans burn houses, desecrate churches, fire on hospitals, abuse th« white flag, ill-treat women, wear our uniforms, and then have the impertinence to say, "We are the cultured race. God has directed us to wipe out the (iodless English" Arc you surprised that We turn on them sometimes? TO MEET IX BERLIN. Letter from - Ponnock of the Army Service Corps, (o his brother, Whipps. Cross X.E.: There wore 2.10 of us left Aldershot, but there's only of us left. How die others have been cut up! lam attached to the Supply Co. and we have to supply food to the troips in the firing line.

, What we give the Germans is not half | enough, and I would like to know what j the Kaiser thinks of our "contmptible little army" now. I have seen General I .Toffre, but not General French yet, but ; if I don't see him here I will in Berlin. | If you heard the yell of the men before they charge, you would never for- ' get it. Everything you give to the "'boys" out lure is properly appreciated I hv lis all.

f have not slept, except in my overcoat for a month, but I don't care. It is all for our country. I am proud to be here. We have lost all our pals, but I don't care what happens. The best will win, and that's good Old England, and I am proud to be one of her men. FIGHTING ALL GERMANY. A reservist of the R.M.L.I, serving on one of the monitors, 11.M.5. Humber, writing to his brother in the East Surrey Regiment: The monitor squadron is doing some good work. They say this fight is the most important of the war, as the Germans want the coast and we want to turn their flank.

I. believe wo have done it, but it will have to be done again, i.s they keep getting reinforcements. But our lyddite and shrapnel has accounted ior a fi-w thousand of them.

They are putting the whole of Germany here to turn our flank, and they could not do a better thing for n*. These ships can get close, in. where a keel-bottomed l, oi it cannot, go, and we have played ducks and drakes with them.

On Sunday, we took them by surprise and accounted for I GOO and live batteries of artillery; on Monday, 1.100 dead and one battery. The wounded are innumerable.

There are 8000 Gorman prisoners here, and they gladly gave in afier we had finished with them. They were at our mercy, as our guns outranged theirs.