VIVID FLASHES OF WAR.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 208, 10 February 1915, Page 6

VIVID FLASHES OF WAR.

IHSCIPLIXE AXI) COUKAGE. Valour is common to every race to tile lowest as well as the Invest; but courage, or that active fortitude which is ready to meet every sort of danger is rarer, for euuragc is the root and sap of all the manly qualities, moral as well as physical. Ami mora] couraire is ne.ilul when shells kill at eight or tell miles, when bullets slay at two miles, when (lie enemy is invisible, whe r , a battlefield looks like a landscape, as it does on (he Aisn.o and in Zanders, and death leaps suddenly out of the unknown. The soldier of to-dav is a better fighting riian than liis predecessor. he is, as Lord. Robert said, more intelligent, more temperate, more amenable to discipline; he knows liis duties better, ami he has more self-respect. lit is still r.o saint—heaven forbid!—but lie has Icr.rncd that discipline and training and experience often count for more than reckless bravery in face of the enemv.

Smokeless powder, lieivy artillery, and long-range magazine rides have brought Pew ami demoralising elements into war. Formerly, the soldier saw his enemy, and, as I have heard one <>f them ;:nv, "If I feel frightened, what ebout thut bloke over (here I'm going f ,o kill:*' At !*!.':: dsloagte On re v.as a moment when disaster hiin;; trembling on the barbed wire enfarg'ement through which cur soldiers had to force a xvay to the un.-een enemv. ciijri iicheil on th • brow of the hill.- At that critical moment the German contingent, sure of victory, sp-arg out into the open. At the sight of them, the dr.ng'T was past, and with a liiightv shout, "What price. Majuba,'' the position was carried with the bayonet, Tt is half the batt'e to see vcur enemy. Mea who fought on (he Aisne for three weeks have to'd me that tliev k«w nothing except an occasional and distant patrol. Vet night and dav they were continuously reminded of the eii imv's Over the enmtv landscape hung tiny grey c'ouds tlint rained shrapnel. Roaring geysers of black smoke showed where high-explosive shells were falling. From rear and flank car.'o the "pop!" of tbe during and hidden sniper, nrd wl.never a head ventured to peer above the trere'i. '-' Hp!" I.lew the bullet, fro'n th" -msked ironcl'es in front of us. This i-; the kind of fight*'-': that, test the quality of the sold er. li's r.atienee. his endurance, hi* plr sica'. and moral courage.

f There arc millions of brave men in !) the worM who can "we rod." - who can eharco the enemy, and perform h~rr.i" deeds in the frenzy of battle. The Dervishes ern'd do that quite as veil -is tile British, or the French, or the Oerj mans, as tliey proved at Omdiirman. when tliev flung llieir rutivo hordes against the baterics ami the d.ath- , dealing zarebns. lint, i n th . war v,v are now MSTJ the sold:-:- mint hare two . sorts of he must be ready on tho instant to hurl himself nron tlie enemy through tile blizzard of shot and shell, and lie must be prepared to endure long and dangerous vigils in a cold and iro f , trench tiiat may at any moment he his Some peon'e may still ima'jine that you have only to put a man in uniform {rfve him a rifle, and sfufT h:::> v.'Mi meat, and you have a soldier But it is not the "raw boys'' who move toward death and danger anil wounds as steady and ui:eoi:cen:rd as tho:r;!i they were on parade. If, is not th" untrained n:an who will lie i:i a grilling sun cr fro-cn trench for hours without food and water, never firing a shot, who will remain under fire night and day for 'ifv'"" and e-r.ie cut of the or-(k-p.l c: calm arid lie tnarclipd to battle. This is the groat quality of the trained British soldier, he is never discouraged nor dismayed. He can suffer and endure and bide his time; his patience is inexhaustible, his spirit rises at a bound at tins presence of danger; a reverse only makes him the more stubborn and the more dangerous. These are tile qualities that have told intthi s - interminable battle, which began on the Aisre nearly three months ago, and has moved in "violent spasms to the north and to the south. It is this oflensive and defensive courage and unshaken tenacity that has shaken the multitudinous enemy and roused in him that inflaming hate which is the crowning tribute to our arms.—William Maxwell, in the Daily Telegraph. FIERCE FIGHT IX A CARDEX. I'rivc Archie Way, of Penygraig, has returned home wounded in the battle of Ypres. I'rivate Way, who was a reservist, and was called up in August Bank Holiday week, and was attached to the 3rd Company of the Ist Battalion oi thy Oenadier (iuards. Way said that » the Prince of Wales was attached to 1 j his Battalion, and lie could not speak I too highly of His Royal Highness, who, | lie said, "was a good"'un." Ilcre is the private's story:— '

Hip day we left 1m presented every one of us with a pair cf gloves, and a pair of socks. As lie stood on tlx: square when we were marching oil", lie seemed ajsad figure at being unable to come witTT us. I can honestly say that every man in the company felt sorrV for him. We all knew that it was not his fault that he was not with us. He has now had his wish, however, and I feel sure lie will acquit himself well, lie was like one of ourselves, while he would give some of the big ones as much as thev cared on a march.

were in the thick of it at Ypres. AVe/ spent some time making trendies, and Lord Richard Wellesley came, to my side and closely examined the shelter my pal and I had put up. This v/as done to prevent us from being struck by shrapnel, and Lord Richard Wellesley asked if we thought it was safe. Upon told that we were practical colliers, he remarked: "Oh, if you are colliers, they are perfectly safe, for von know your business much bctcr than T do."

Things Were getting a hit hot, and the sergeant, who Has next to me, gave the order to lie down, as (he shells were simply raining down. My mate with that went down full length upon his back, and the sergeant thinking he had acted very hastily, sarcastically remarked: Oli, yon ne:'d not be in such a blooming hurry/' Turning round, we found that the ehap had been very seriously wounded, hav'ng been shot in the forehead. All through the night, being in a state of delirium, he sanr. and it was far from being a pleasant situation. "We could not remove him, as the firing was too heavy. The r '\t day we had the order to' retire. We got back to the village of Zanvoode where we were to support the Cordons.

After preparing trenches we snatched a of sleep, but were awakened hv the (.ordons, who came running back shouting "Retire!" We natnrallv retired with them, until we trot to a farmhouse. Here Maior Stiiekley (old us ot buck up. and let them have what (hey were asking for. We held a l'idge in the garden of a farmhouse, T being the left-hand man.

The morning was breaking, and it was difficult to see anything owinir to the heavy mist. T fancied T could hear n sound of approaching footsteps, and T said to my chum: "Look out. they are coming ii;i the garden nalli." Tie said: "Be careful, they might be some n f our ehap-:." T waited a second, ami with the sun just breaking through he clouds I saw the Hermans.

Without begging their pardon. T let go and brought down the first man. Then it was hell. They outnumbered us

by ten to one. They succeeded in getling a Maxim gun up to the farmhouse -""J turned it upon u.;. The;, simply su-ept the trench, and we went down like peas. We here lost Lord Richard Welleslcy, who was my company oHicer, and also Major Stucklcy.

AN INTERESTING ACCOUNT. When I landed at Havre, I was much p.ni'.ised at two awfully pretty girls--1 French) who v.cre with their father (; captain of infantry). The tliree so! rmulv advanced on me. my .hand wail nmcrei fully pump-handled by the cap \ain, and I was vigorously kissed on both cheeks by the two girls. The troops (my men) fairly howled with delight, and I never hoard the last of it for two weeks. If ever a girl was seen within a hundred yards, the men began to frin at mo and midge each ot.ier, and socmone would whistle softly, ''V ou're my Blue-eyed Baby," ''Chase me, Cliarl:e,'' until I had to threaten to knock their heads together for them. They V.aven't forgotten it yet, counfonnd 'em. It's a jolly life, and most interesting, but it's a little wearing 011 the nerves. One doesn't mind shrapnel—that's harmless—but the "coal-hoxcs" and rille (input the fear of God into you. It's iuckv that the Hermans can't use their l-ilies wc'l, or we'd catch it awful! 1 ' They equip their men wonderfully v/--! 1 vnd their uniform of grey : s absolutely invisible exci in broad daylig'it. At ear'y morning and' dusk two favorite time; for attacks, you can't suit 'em at all. Net so long ago. we were holding a line of trenches near a wood, aliout ;>1 " earls from it. 'We fixed up wire in the front, with tins to rattle on it. and retired to sleep. Aliout midnight the (ins began. to/Tattle. and v/e lined the trench. Then something began to appear in front, and then we saw a solid wa'l of infantry appear. When they were ahou'; lift'- yards awa" fifteen round--per man of rapid riile fire was pumepd into them, and when it finished, yon never heard such a pandemonium in vour life. The Germans scrcame.d and shouted, and it sounded exactly like a pack of hounds in kennels at "evensong.-' Next, morning there wen- anv amount of dead in front of the trench nnd we learnt from a wounded man that two companies (40ft men) had attacked ir-, and only one and a hit companies reached liome again. People at home have i-o idea what wei is like. It's horrible. T bad never p»c'i a corase until the other day. and 1 plumped on a dozen Germans laid out for huria'.T should have been sick for a week if T had seen one at home, but here a dozen didn't affect me at all. The effect of a shell on a house is literally amazing. T'irst, from every window." door and crack comes a gush of smoke. Then the roof lifts clean off, and the walls tumble right in. and th" roofs falls in hits 011 the top. Then it begins to burn. Still, war has its comic shies. You wouhl have si'-' ''ed had

"iy\ sr 'ii a "French hattalior. ' w t'le other day under (ire. find's were were ra'ninjf on the farm in all directions. but tlie battalion amused itself bv catching two fowls for me. and the sight was funny. They chased those wretched birds - until they laids e»;r>in pure fright. In another corner they were robb'ng (l she-goat of milk, nirl the kid was butting evervona promisciouslv amid yells of laughter, arid oat in the open the mess cook was invokinn Heaven and brandishing his fist beeau r a shell had splashed mud and water all over hi;', newlv-cleanod plates and 'knives—Tetter from an officer in Franco. H.A.C.'a MARCHING SONG. HEROES ALL! Letter from Captain T. N. Tattersall, chaplain with the British Expeditionary Force, to a friend at Fultiam:— I Tommy is the most cheerful mail I have ever met. In the hospital one sees a patience and clieeriness of which one never dreamed. They may be in great agonies of pain—bullet? wounds, shrapnel wounds, hearing or sight gone, limbs lost, but never a complaint, and rarely a sigh or a stifled groan.

Life in the trenches is very severe. Sometimes the nten are crouched in them for days without relief; food can only be got there, at nightfall. Although ill many inches of water they dare not stretch themselves lest a bullet should catch them. Heroes they are to a man. The doctors too are heroes, everyone, an(l the officers, too. The average lengtli <-:f life of an officer at the front is three weeks, then cither, wounds, disease or death. The men in the firing line are well fed, trains bringing up every . conceivable comfort there is 110 stint, and tons of sturt' returns unused, but better too much than too little. It is a revelnD'YE KEN JOHN FRENCH? D'ye ken John French with his khaki suit His belt and his gaiters and stout brown boots, Along with his guns, and his horse, and bis Foot, On the road to Berlin in the morning? Yes, we ken John French, and old JolTrc too, And all his men to the tri-color true; And Belgians and Russians, a jolly good few, On the road to Berlin in the morning.

The Prussian Kaiser must be made to kneel, The Prussian Eagle must be made to feel, The force of the bulle; and the good cold steel, Oil the road to Berli n in the morning.

For the mothers they slew, anil the kids ; as well, , Ami for sundry things it's not to tell, We've got to catch anil to give 'em liell Oil the road to Berlin iu the morning. (To the time of 'D'ye ken Joh„ reel!") We "are billeted for the present in a pig-sty padded with straw. This is one of the discomforts of active service, Init we expect to go up to the trenches again to-morrow evening. Our trenches ure about- UOOyds from the (,'crnians. By tile u'itv, l 'l I.A C."' stands for "Happy and Cheerful." A COMPLETE LTTTLE NERVOUS WRECK. UNTIL REXONA GAVE RELIEF. '•.My little girl for a little over n year was troubled with a very severe attack of Eczema in its most, violent form, her head being one frightful mass of painful- ulcerations," writes Mrs R. Woodham, 11 Battcrsea street. Christchurch, N.Z. "Her hair came completely out with the everlasting scratching and teasing, I not being able to be constantly by her side to prevent it, and not being able to obtain her proper rest and sleep, she became a complete little nervous wreck, A little before her eighth birthday, after trying almost everything advertised anil recommended, T was advised by a person who lmtl been so afflicted with the same complaint to try Rexona Ointment, and the effect was magical and almost beyond belief. In a veek she was hardly recognisable as the same child, and in a ( very short time indeed was eompletelv cured, and all traces of the dreadful disease had disappeared. I shall always consider it a duty and a pleasure to advise and recommend its use to anyone similarly afflicted." Trice, Is Cd and 3s. Obtainable everywhere!