HANGING BY THE TEETH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 287, 13 May 1915, Page 3

HANGING BY THE TEETH.

.BRITISH AT YTRES. Among the passengers for Sydncv on board tin- TUI.S. Omrah, which passed through Fromantle last week, was Mr. E. K. Thoman, a young Englishman, who has served in the trenches in France and seen a. great (lea! of the fighting. While in London the war liroke out, and ho enlisted in the London Scottish, the first Territorial regiment to fight. He was under arms for about four mo.lths. Ho made the long voyage to Australia for the purpose of recovering bis health, and the long trip has already had ;i beneficial effect on him. " The London Scottish, as you know," remarked Mr. Thomas, "took part in the great battle of Yprcs, and engaged in that historic charge which resulted in the capture of Messines. The account of that light was allowed through practically uncensorod, and the effect it had on recruiting was quite remarkable. Next day there were MO recruits for the London Scottish. "All that has been said about the terrible nature of the fighting is true. We were literally hanging on by our teeth. All we had for supports we're .WO dismounted Life Guards. There were only about 000 stretched across a mile front, so that we just had to shut our teeth and dig one heels in at first. We were for fourteen days in the trenches at a stretch, and it is a fact that in the first week of our entrenchment f did not have more than seven hours' sleep. It is wonderful what little sleep you can do on. The excitement manages to buoy one up. The shrapnel is a bit terrifying at first, especially if you are not entrenched. It first ga,ve me the blue funk to see the way it was bursting and knocking things about. However, if vou are knocking over Germans like rabbits, with your rides von do not mind the shrapnel. It is only when you are inactive that it gets on vour nerves. The one satisfactory thing is that the Territorials of the Rritish Army are just as good at fightin; as the regulars."