"STRAFING" THE ENEMY.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 February 1916, Page 7

"STRAFING" THE ENEMY.

BRITISH SUPERIORITY IN ARTILLERY. ) NEW ZEALAND OFFICER'S RACY EPISTLES Two breezy letters, writ'ien in the trendies in France, have, says the Post, just been received in Wellington by Mr. David Collins, from Lieutenant * Cecil Humphreys, D.C.M., of Christeliureh, who has several times distinguished himself by his bravery in the firing line. Lieutenant Humphreys was badly wounded in the thigh, but, ignoring his injuries, he continued to fight for twelve, hours afterwards, and was eventually invalided to England. He has now returned to the front. In one of his letters, dated November 24, he says: "Here I am again, still merry and bright, in what Tommy calls the 'queer place,' but, oh, how so different, In plase of getting huge 'strafings' by the Bodies' artillery, we have the pleasure of sitting in our trench and hearing the result of Lloyd George's great munitions campaign. What I noticed most when coming back to the front, as I said before, was the complete mastery of our artillery, and the huge amount of ammunition at our disposal. Our aeroplanes, as usual, are our guiding angels, and they earn V.C.'s every hour of the day by their daring in observing the enemies' movements* when quite within anti-air-craft and machine gun distances. The mud is simply awful, and some of the trenches after the last fall of snow are in a horrible mess. The organisation of everything is well-night complete, even to the doctor in the trenches, and, as usual, clothing of the very best, and the Government try to supply everything possible to give a little comfort to these poor Tommies who are doing their little bit, and keep the dear old flag flying. . .

All the officers.of this battalion 1 knew before I came out, and they gave me a right hearty welcome on arrival. I have a good set of boys, real Glasgow lads, hard as'iron and always willing to go on -rfith. the game. Well, the rotters have just been 'strafing' us again with a few bombs, so will have to arrange a little reprisal—l think that is the proper way of putting it, but in reality I am just going to see if we can send some more of the Huns to join the 'aerial 6Couts.'" In another letter written the following day, and headed "Somewhere in France, In the Trenches," Lieutenant - Humphreys says: "I am alone in my dugout, with a brazier giving out a cheery glow, a candle, and thoughts of New Zealand, with its peaceful suroundings and sunshine, while here it is white with' anow, bleak, cold and miserable, with nothing but ruins and desolation I surrounding us, and now and again the I not altogether pleasant smell of dead Huns. Since I was last in France life position has changed, and instead of sitting in a trench and getting 'strafed,' we have turned the tables on our friends across the way. We had a rather exciting fight between a Taube and one of our aeroplanes this afternoon. They went at it hammer and tongs, and when our chap put him out of mess there was a cheer right along the trenches from the. lads in khaki, who had been most interested spectators. The organisation of everything is simply wonderful now, and although John Bull often sleeps, he is right awake now. We have 'the regimental bands to play us out of the trenches. They come just out of danger, and we march home with the bands playing. Even if you are wet through and mud all over, it does lift your spirits up, and the boys sing 'Keep the Home I Fire Burning.' 'Who Were You With Last I Sight,' and 'When the Beer is on the Table We'll be. There.' "An orderly ha 3 just arrived, and reported that the enemy have put three 'pip squeaks' into the trench on my right. 'A'e were- lucky—nobody hurt, only the midbags oii't of place a good deal, but will not take long to remedy that. I have just telephoned the artillery and l.old them about the/whizz bangs' and •pip squeaks' coming across, and to have a little reprisal. My order was 'Two batteries'; we'll have a thirty minutes frightfulness at 1 p.m. So I guess the poor old Hun will hear plenty about munitions before Ions:. It'*' really funny now. as if we have any trouble with our friends and give the artillery the target we simply 'strafe' them, so wHh the superiority in artillery, we are naturally having a much easier time of it. 1 suppose you have heard of 'weeping shells' or 'tear shells.' Well, it's quite true It makes your eyes water so that it is impossible to see to take a sight on a rifle. The remedy was not long in cominn-, and a pair of glasses, something like pince-nez. and a little vaseline round the eyes and nose exclude the gases. You can imagine what we look like in all Che straime gear. It's a strange world, jhat all this kind of thing is necessary.